Bra Boys And Belonging Essay

â€Å"Belonging is not simply about the well-being of an individual. Belonging allows humans to overcome great obstacles and moments of adversity†. Every human being possesses the urgent need to belong, to gain the strength of others and to fit into society. It is in our basic nature, our history supporting the human will to belong, as tribes were formed, urban environments assembled and modern societies bringing individuals into a group as one. A sense of belonging gives us the strength to move forward, the mental and physical support of others and allows us to feel accepted. Sunny Abberton’s documentary Bra Boys depicts the impact of belonging along with the obstacles his family and friends faced. A film conveying the struggles within the Maroubra area in the 80s/90s, that allows us to experience the connections made within the Bra Boys â€Å"surf gang† and the challenges that they are faced with. The Bra Boys demonstrate that a sense of belonging can in fact impact us to overcome great challenges, and that no matter how dire your situation, there will always be somewhere for you to belong. Humans are faced with tests throughout their lives, some more fortunate than others. In the Maroubra community it seemed most of the kids had grown up in uncomfortable situations, most of the Bra Boys parents being drug users, alcoholics, or violent. The Maroubra adolescent community seemed to have a dark lure hanging over it, violence and hardship following those who tried to belong. Gangs formed as a result and the streets became dangerous at night. â€Å"Growing up we had a lot of crazy things happen like guns held to our heads, chased down the street with people shooting at us, all sorts of things, but its good it turned us into what we are† admits Koby Abberton. One Bra Boys explains how he walked around the streets with a bat down his pants because you always had to be prepared for the worst when you were walking at night by your self. It was dangerous events like these that made Ma’s seem so safe, like nothing could ever hurt them there. Ma was the Abberton boys’ grandmother, a gentle and generous woman who opened her arms and home to all the young and struggling children associated with the Abberton boys. Most of these boys came from broken families, somewhere they  couldn’t really call home. Ma provided them with a place that was the next best thing to a home, a family of friends, somewhere that would bring the boys together into a brotherhood. They soon formed a group called ‘Ma’s hell team’ which was the beginning of it all, the beginning of the Bra Boys. Connections with people, places and the larger world can provoke a sense of belonging within ourselves, influencing where we search for meaning in our lives, and ultimately, where we belong. The Bra Boys forge connections amongst themselves by exploring each other’s passions and loyalty. It is ultimately the surfing community/beach life that brings the boys together. The beginning of the documentary presents the surfing culture, diving directly into the heart of these boy’s lives. The viewer is presented with live footage, magazine cover pages and newspaper articles to express the success and enjoyment the Bra Boys share towards the sport. Another scene featuring cross cutting strings together shots of the Bra Boy’s handshake, celebrating their literal connections to one another. The Bra Boys are all blessed with a passion of surfing, somewhere they could escape together, and without that place to free their minds and have fun sharing a hobby together, they may not have formed such sturdy bonds as they possess today. The connections we make determine how we grow and develop. Along with be being connected, acceptance has a large impact on our lives and wellbeing. Being a Bra Boy comes with responsibility, one being to accept your brothers and be there for them no matter what. Acceptance allows us to gain confidence in our lives. Without the fulfillment of fitting in human beings tend to grow lonely and feel as though they don’t belong. With that sense of approval, we can acknowledge ourselves and achieve more. Bra Boys is a documentary which greatly highlights the impact of being accepted within a certain community. Spending their days surfing and hanging out with friends, the bra boys allow us to appreciate the greater prospects of belonging. Koby Abberton, main Bra Boy, describes to the viewer how important their ‘gang’ is: â€Å"if one of the boys calls, no matter what you’re doing you come†. This depicts to us how strong and important their brotherhood is. The song â€Å"My Brothers Keeper† featured in the film, written by Jamie Holt, backs up a bond of brothers such as the Bra Boys. â€Å"My brothers, we are in  intertwined†¦. these ties shall bind us† is sung to describe the acceptance of one another and words how their ‘gang’ is literally bound to one another. â€Å"My Brothers Keeper† is also symbolized as tattoos across various Bra Boys chests. Bra Boys shows a great example of how important acceptance is in our lives and the pride it can bring to us. The Bra Boys demonstrate that that their group also accepts many multi-cultured or religious Australians. Cultural acceptance can be a huge issue within our society today. Cultures and religions can shape humans into what they believe to be their better self. There are many issues revolved around religions clashing or which god should be worshipped. No matter what you believe in or put your faith in we are all human beings and should find the strength to accept each other for who we are. Towards the end of the documentary an issue is displayed for the viewer, on such as the Cronulla race riots, brings to our attention a so-called â€Å"war† between Anglo Australians and Lebanese Australians. â€Å"One of the things ma taught us was to not judge people by how much money they had, or their skin colour, but by what type of person they were, perhaps it was ma’s wisdom that would prepare us for yet another dramatic turn in our beach community† say Sunny Abberton. Footage, images, narration and Police radio communication depict the violence that occurred. We are shown how the aggressive behavior in Cronulla makes its way to Maroubra, and how the Bra Boys gather to protect their community. After the attacks the Bra Boys decide to broker a peace deal between the warring factions. We are shown a 9 News interview where Sunny Abberton states â€Å"Maroubra’s had a very good relationship with the local Lebanese community here for around 10 years, we’re calling for calm on the beaches†. The Bra Boys wanted the ethnic community to feel accepted and wanted them to know that they did in fact belong at Maroubra beach, which is one of the most multicultural areas in Australia. The Bra Boys itself is filled with a number of different racial members, their powerful concept of belonging has transcended racial hatred. Bra Boys is a powerful documentary portraying many concepts of belonging. It shows us an authentic reality of how brutal life can be and that a group as strong as theirs can help to overcome such issues. No matter what they  faced, they had each other. They showed us how important a powerful bond is, and the positive impact a sense of belonging can make. Some of the Bra Boys say the surf saved them, some say Ma did, but ultimately, they saved each other.

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Pal Chapter 17

Chapter 17 I've settled into some sort of droning routine here at the hotel, and in that way it reminds me of those times in China. My waking hours are filled with writing these pages, watching television, trying to irritate the angel, and sneaking off to the bathroom to read the Gospels. And I think it's the latter that's sent my sleeping hours into a landscape of nightmare that leaves me spent even when I wake. I've finished Mark, and again this fellow talks of a resurrection, of acts beyond the time of my and Joshua's death. It's a similar story to that told by the Matthew fellow, the events jumbled somewhat, but basically the story of Joshua's ministry, but it's the telling of the events of that last week of Passover that chills me. The angel hasn't been able to keep the secret that Joshua's teachings survived and grew to vast popularity. (He's stopped even changing the channel at the mention of Joshua on television, as he did when we first arrived.) But is this the book from which Joshua's teachings are drawn? I dream of blood, and suffering, and loneliness so empty that an echo can't survive, and I wake up screaming, soaked in my own sweat, and even after I'm awake the loneliness remains for a while. Last night when I awoke I thought I saw a woman standing at the end of my bed, and beside her, the angel, his black wings spread and touching the walls of the room on either side. Then, before I could get my wits about me, the angel wrapped his wings around the woman and she disappeared in the darkness of them and was gone. I think I really woke up then, because the angel was lying there on the other bed, staring into the dark, his eyes like black pearls, catching the red blinking aircraft lights that shone dimly through the window from the tops of the buildings across the street. No wings, no black robe, no woman. Just Raziel, staring. â€Å"Nightmare?† the angel asked. â€Å"Memory,† I said. Had I been asleep? I remember that same red blinking light, ever so dim, playing on the cheekbone and the bridge of the nose of the woman in my nightmare. (It was all I could see of her face.) And those elegant contours fit into the recesses of my memory like a key in the tumblers of a lock, releasing cinnamon and sandalwood and a laugh sweeter than the best day of childhood. Two days after I had walked away, I rang the gong outside the monastery and the little hatch opened to reveal the face of a newly shaven monk, the skin of his bald scalp still a dozen shades lighter in color than that of his face. â€Å"What?† he said. â€Å"The villagers ate our camels,† I said. â€Å"Go away. Your nostrils flare in an unpleasant manner and your soul is somewhat lumpy.† â€Å"Joshua, let me in. I don't have anywhere to go.† â€Å"I can't just let you in,† Josh whispered. â€Å"You have to wait three days like everyone else.† Then loudly, and obviously for someone inside's benefit, he said, â€Å"You appear to be infested by Bedouins! Now go away!† And he slammed the hatch. I stood there. And waited. In a few minutes he opened the hatch. â€Å"Infested by Bedouins?† I said. â€Å"Give me a break. I'm new. Did you bring food and water to last you?† â€Å"Yes, the toothless woman sold me some dried camel meat. There was a special.† â€Å"That's got to be unclean,† said Josh. â€Å"Bacon, Joshua, remember?† â€Å"Oh yeah. Sorry. I'll try to sneak some tea and a blanket out to you, but it won't be right away.† â€Å"Then Gaspar will let me back in?† â€Å"He was perplexed why you left in the first place. He said if anyone needed to learn some discipline, well, you know. There'll be punishment, I think.† â€Å"Sorry I left you.† â€Å"You didn't.† He grinned, looking sillier than normal with his two-toned head. â€Å"I'll tell you one thing I've learned here already.† â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"When I'm in charge, if someone knocks, they will be able to come in. Making someone who is seeking comfort stand out in the cold is a crock of rancid yak butter.† â€Å"Amen,† I said. Josh slammed the little hatch, obviously the prescribed way of closing it. I stood and wondered how Joshua, when he finally learned how to be the Messiah, would work the phrase â€Å"crock of rancid yak butter† into a sermon. Just what we Jews needed, I thought, more dietary restrictions. The monks stripped me naked and poured cold water over my head, then brushed me vigorously with brushes made from boar's hair, then poured hot water on me, then scrubbed, then cold water, until I screamed for them to stop. At that point they shaved my head, taking generous nicks out of my scalp as they did so, rinsed away the hair that stuck to my body, and handed me a fresh orange robe, a blanket, and a wooden rice bowl. Later I was given a pair of slippers, woven from some sort of grass, and I made myself some socks from woven yak hair, but this was the measure of my wealth for six years: a robe, a blanket, a bowl, some slippers, and some socks. As Monk Number Eight led me to meet with Gaspar, I thought of my old friend Bartholomew, and how much he would have loved the idea of my newfound austerity. He often told of how his Cynic patriarch Diogenes carried a bowl with him for years, but one day saw a man drinking from his cupped palm and declared, â€Å"I have been a fool, burdened all these years by the weight of a bowl when a perfectly good vessel lay at the end of my wrist.† Yeah, well, that's all well and good for Diogenes, but when it was all I had, if anyone had tried to take my bowl they would have lost the vessel at the end of their wrist. Gaspar sat on the floor in the same small room, eyes closed, hands folded on his knees before him. Joshua sat facing him in the same position. Number Eight Monk bowed out of the room and Gaspar opened his eyes. â€Å"Sit.† I did. â€Å"These are the four rules for which you may be expelled from the monastery: one, a monk will have no sexual intercourse with anyone, even down to an animal.† Joshua looked at me and cringed, as if he expected me to say something that would anger Gaspar. I said, â€Å"Right, no intercourse.† â€Å"Two: a monk, whether in the monastery or in the village, shall take no thing that is not given. Three: if a monk should intentionally take the life of a human or one like a human, either by his hand or by weapon, he will be expelled.† â€Å"One like a human?† I asked. â€Å"You shall see,† said Gaspar. â€Å"Four, a monk who claims to have reached superhuman states, or claims to have attained the wisdom of the saints, having not done so, will be expelled. Do you understand these four rules?† â€Å"Yes,† I said. Joshua nodded. â€Å"Understand that there are no mitigating circumstances. If you commit any of these offenses as judged by the other monks, you must leave the monastery.† Again I said yes and then Gaspar went into the thirteen rules for which a monk could be suspended from the monastery for a fortnight (the first of these was the heartbreaker, â€Å"no emission of semen except in a dream†) and then the ninety offenses for which one would receive an unfavorable rebirth if the sins were not repented (these ranged from destroying any kind of vegetation or deliberately depriving an animal of life to sitting in the open with a woman or claiming to a layman to have superhuman powers, even if you had them). Overall, there was an extraordinary number of rules, over a hundred on decorum, dozens for settling disputes, but remember, we were Jews, raised under the influence of the Pharisees, who judged virtually every event of day-to-day life against the Law of Moses. And with Balthasar we had studied Confucius, whose philosophy was little more than an extensive system of etiquette. I had no doubt Joshua could do this, and there was a chance I could handle it too, if Gaspar didn't use that bamboo rod too liberally and if I could conjure enough wet dreams. (Hey, I was eighteen years old and had just lived five years in a fortress full of available concubines, I had a habit, okay?) â€Å"Monk Number Twenty-two,† Gaspar said to Joshua, â€Å"you shall begin by learning how to sit.† â€Å"I can sit,† I said. â€Å"And you, Number Twenty-one, will shave the yak.† â€Å"That's just an expression, right?† It wasn't. A yak is an extremely large, extremely hairy, buffalolike animal with dangerous-looking black horns. If you've ever seen a water buffalo, imagine it wearing a full-body wig that drags the ground. Now sprinkle it with musk, manure, and sour milk: you've got yourself a yak. In a cavelike stable, the monks kept one female yak, which they let out during the day to wander the mountain paths to graze. On what, I don't know. There didn't seem to be enough living plant life to support an animal of that size (the yak's shoulder was higher than my head), but there didn't seem to be enough plant life in all of Judea for a herd of goats, either, and herding was one of the main occupations. What did I know? The yak provided just enough milk and cheese to remind the monks that they didn't get enough milk and cheese from one yak for twenty-two monks. The animal also provided a long, coarse wool which needed to be harvested twice a year. This venerated duty, along with combing the crap and grass and burrs out of the wool, fell to me. There's not much to know about yaks beyond that, except for one important fact that Gaspar felt I needed to learn through practice: yaks hate to be shaved. It fell to Monks Eight and Seven to bandage me, set my broken legs and arm, and clean off the yak dung that had been so thoroughly stomped into my body. I would tell you the distinction of those two solemn students if I could think of any, but I can't. The goal of all of the monks was to let go of the ego, the self, and but for a few more lines on the faces of the older men, they looked alike, dressed alike, and behaved alike. I, on the other hand, was quite distinct from the others, despite my shaved head and saffron robe, as I had bandages over half of my body and three out of four limbs splinted with bamboo. After the yak disaster, Joshua waited until the middle of the night to crawl down the hall to my cell. The soft snores of monks filled the halls, and the soft turbulence of the bats that entered their cave through the monastery echoed off the stone walls like the death panting of epileptic shadows. â€Å"Does it hurt?† Joshua said. Sweat streamed from my face despite the chilly temperature. â€Å"I can hardly breathe.† Seven and Eight had wrapped my broken ribs, but every breath was a knife in the side. Joshua put his hand on my forehead. â€Å"I'll be all right, Josh, you don't have to do that.† â€Å"Why wouldn't I?† he said. â€Å"Keep your voice down.† In seconds my pain was gone and I could breathe again. Then I fell asleep or passed out from gratitude, I don't know which. When I awoke with the dawn Joshua was still kneeling beside me, his hand still pressed against my forehead. He had fallen asleep there. I carried the combed yak wool to Gaspar, who was chanting in the great cavern temple. It amounted to a fairly large bundle and I set it on the floor behind the monk and backed away. â€Å"Wait,† Gaspar said, holding a single finger in the air. He finished his chant, then turned to me. â€Å"Tea,† he said. He led and I followed to the room where he had received Joshua and me when we had first arrived. â€Å"Sit,† he said. â€Å"Sit, don't wait.† I sat and watched him make a charcoal fire in a small stone brazier, using a bow and fire drill to start the flames first in some dried moss, then blowing it onto the charcoal. â€Å"I invented a stick that makes fire instantly,† I said. â€Å"I could teach – â€Å" Gaspar glared at me and held up the finger again to poke my words out of the air. â€Å"Sit,† he said. â€Å"Don't talk. Don't wait.† He heated water in a copper pot until it boiled, then poured it over some tea leaves in an earthenware bowl. He set two small cups on the table, then proceeded to pour tea from the bowl. â€Å"Hey, doofus!† I yelled. â€Å"You're spilling the fucking tea!† Gaspar smiled and set the bowl down on the table. â€Å"How can I give you tea if your cup is already full?† â€Å"Huh?† I said eloquently. Parables were never my strong suit. If you want to say something, say it. So, of course, Joshua and Buddhists were the perfect people to hang out with, straight talkers that they were. Gaspar poured himself some tea, then took a deep breath and closed his eyes. After perhaps a whole minute passed, he opened them again. â€Å"If you already know everything, then how will I be able to teach you? You must empty your cup before I can give you tea.† â€Å"Why didn't you say so?† I grabbed my cup, tossed the tea out the same window I'd tossed Gaspar's stick, then plopped the cup back on the table. â€Å"I'm ready,† I said. â€Å"Go to the temple and sit,† Gaspar said. No tea? He was obviously still not happy about my almost-threat on his life. I backed out of the door bowing (a courtesy Joy had taught me). â€Å"One more thing,† Gaspar said. I stopped and waited. â€Å"Number Seven said that you would not live through the night. Number Eight agreed. How is it that you are not only alive, but unhurt?† I thought about it for a second before I answered, something I seldom do, then I said, â€Å"Perhaps those monks value their own opinions too highly. I can only hope that they have not corrupted anyone else's thinking.† â€Å"Go sit,† Gaspar said. Sitting was what we did. To learn to sit, to be still and hear the music of the universe, was why we had come halfway around the world, evidently. To let go of ego, not individuality, but that which distinguishes us from all other beings. â€Å"When you sit, sit. When you breathe, breathe. When you eat, eat,† Gaspar would say, meaning that every bit of our being was to be in the moment, completely aware of the now, no past, no future, nothing dividing us from everything that is. It's hard for me, a Jew, to stay in the moment. Without the past, where is the guilt? And without the future, where is the dread? And without guilt and dread, who am I? â€Å"See your skin as what connects you to the universe, not what separates you from it,† Gaspar told me, trying to teach me the essence of what enlightenment meant, while admitting that it was not something that could be taught. Method he could teach. Gaspar could sit. The legend went (I pieced it together from bits dropped by the master and his monks) that Gaspar had built the monastery as a place to sit. Many years ago he had come to China from India, where he had been born a prince, to teach the emperor and his court the true meaning of Buddhism, which had been lost in years of dogma and overinterpretation of scripture. Upon arriving, the emperor asked Gaspar, â€Å"What have I attained for all of my good deeds?† â€Å"Nothing,† said Gaspar. The emperor was aghast, thinking now that he had been generous to his people all these years for nothing. He said, â€Å"Well then, what is the essence of Buddhism?† â€Å"Vast amphibians,† said Gaspar. The emperor had Gaspar thrown from the temple, at which time the young monk decided two things; one, that he would have a better answer the next time he was asked the question, and two, that he'd better learn to speak better Chinese before he talked to anyone of importance. He'd meant to say, â€Å"Vast emptiness,† but he'd gotten the words wrong. The legend went on to say that Gaspar then came to the cave where the monastery was now built and sat down to meditate, determined to stay there until enlightenment came to him. Nine years later, he came down from the mountain, and the people of the village were waiting for him with food and gifts. â€Å"Master, we seek your most holy guidance, what can you tell us?† they cried. â€Å"I really have to pee,† said the monk. And with that all of the villagers knew that he had indeed achieved the mind of all Buddhas, or â€Å"no mind,† as we called it. The villagers begged Gaspar to stay with them, and they helped him build the monastery at the site of the very cave where he had achieved his enlightenment. During the construction, the villagers were attacked many times by vicious bandits, and although he believed that no being should be killed, he also felt that these people should have a way to defend themselves, so he meditated on the subject until he devised a method of self-defense based on various movements he learned from the yogis in his native India, which he taught to the villagers, then to each of the monks as they joined the monastery. He called this discipline kung fu, which translates, â€Å"method by which short bald guys may kick the bejeezus out of you.† Our training in kung fu began with the hopping posts. After breakfast and morning meditation, Number Three Monk, who seemed to be the oldest of the monks, led us to the monastery courtyard where we found a stack of posts, perhaps two feet long and about a span's width in diameter. He had us set the posts on end in a straight line, about a half a stride away from each other. Then he told us to hop up on one of the posts and balance there. After both of us spent most of the morning picking ourselves up off the rough stone paving, we each found ourselves standing on one foot on the end of a pole. â€Å"Now what?† I asked. â€Å"Now nothing,† Number Three said. â€Å"Just stand.† So we stood. For hours. The sun crossed the sky and my legs and back began to ache and we fell again and again only to have Number Three bark at us and tell us to jump back up on the post. When darkness began to fall and we both had stood for several hours without falling, Number Three said, â€Å"Now hop to the next post.† I heard Joshua sigh heavily. I looked at the line of posts and could see the pain that lay ahead if we were going to have to hop this whole gauntlet. Joshua was next to me at the end of the line, so he would have to hop to the post I was standing on. Not only would I have to jump to the next post and land without falling, but I would have to make sure that my take-off didn't knock over the post I was leaving. â€Å"Now!† said Number Three. I leapt and missed the landing. The post tipped out from under me and I hit the stone headfirst, sending a white flash before my eyes and a bolt of fire down my neck. Before I could gather my wits Joshua tumbled over on top of me. â€Å"Thank you,† he said, grateful to have landed on a soft Jew rather than hard flagstone. â€Å"Back up,† Number Three said. We set up our posts again, then hopped up on them again. This time both of us made it on the first try. Then we waited for the command to take the next leap. The moon rose high and full and we both stared down the row of poles, wondering how long it would take us before we could hop the whole row, wondering how long Number Three would make us stay there, thinking about the story of how Gaspar had sat for nine years. I couldn't remember ever having felt so much pain, which is saying something if you've been yak-stomped. I was trying to imagine just how much fatigue and thirst I could bear before I fell when Number Three said, â€Å"Enough. Go sleep.† â€Å"That's it?† Joshua asked, as he hopped off his post and winced upon landing. â€Å"Why did we set up twenty posts if we were only going to use three?† â€Å"Why were you thinking of twenty when you can only stand on one?† answered Three. â€Å"I have to pee,† I said. â€Å"Exactly,† said the monk. So there you have it: Buddhism. Each day we went to the courtyard and arranged the posts differently, randomly. Number Three added posts of different heights and diameters. Sometimes we had to hop from one post to the other as quickly as possible, other times we stood in one place for hours, ready to move in an instant, should Number Three command it. The point, it seemed, was that we could not anticipate anything, nor could we develop a rhythm to the exercise. We were forced to be ready to move in any direction, without forethought. Number Three called this controlled spontaneity, and for the first six months in the monastery we spent as much time atop the posts as we did in sitting meditation. Joshua took to the kung fu training immediately, as he did to the meditation. I was, as the Buddhists say, more dense. In addition to the normal duties of tending the monastery, our gardens, and milking the yak (mercifully, a task I was never assigned), every ten days or so a group of six monks would go to the village with their bowls and collect alms from the villagers, usually rice and tea, sometimes dark sauces, yak butter, or cheese, and on rare occasions cotton fabric, from which new robes would be made. For the first year Joshua and I were not allowed to leave the monastery at all, but I started to notice a pattern of strange behavior. After each trip to the village for alms, four or five monks would disappear into the mountains for several days. Nothing was ever said of it, either when they left or when they returned, but it seemed that there was some sort of rotation, with each monk only leaving every third or fourth time, with the exception of Gaspar, who left more often. Finally I worked up the courage to ask Gaspar what was going on and he said, â€Å"It is a special meditation. You are not ready. Go sit.† Gaspar's answer to most of my questions was â€Å"Go sit,† and my resentment meant that I wasn't losing the attachment to my ego, and therefore I wasn't going anywhere in my meditation. Joshua, on the other hand, seemed completely at peace with what we were doing. He could sit for hours, not moving, and then perform the exercise on the posts as if he'd spent an hour limbering up. â€Å"How do you do it?† I asked him. â€Å"How do you think of nothing and not fall asleep?† That had been one of the major barriers to my enlightenment. If I sat still for too long, I fell asleep, and evidently, the sound of snoring echoing through the temple disturbed the meditations of the other monks. The recommended cure for this condition was to drink huge quantities of green tea, which did, indeed, keep me alert, but also replaced my â€Å"no mind† state with constant thoughts of my bladder. In fact, in less than a year, I attained total bladder conciousness. Joshua, on the other hand, was able to completely let go of his ego, as he had been instructed. It was in our ninth month at the monastery, in the midst of the most bitter winter I can even imagine, when Joshua, having let go of all constructions of self and vanity, became invisible.

Marketing Communications Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

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UK on-line advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

UK on-line advertising - Essay Example Being at the so called â€Å"digital age†,people tend to go online whenever possible whether to chat,buy products or services,or even finding a job.When you go over the internet, you will see a lot of advertisement regarding various products being posted. Even job orders are being posted online by various companies. While other advertisers tend to spend millions of dollars on television networks, newspapers or magazines, and radio advertisement, there are some advertisers that would rather invest their money with online advertising. It is the current trend in the world of advertising to go over the internet and post ads. But is it really worth spending posting in an online advertisement? What is the level of reliability that consumers who are taking risk that they would not be scammed in availing products or services in an online advertisement? In countries like the United Kingdom, online advertising has a potential market. According to the statistics done by the UK government , between 2001/02 and 2006 the proportion of adults in Great Britain who had used the Internet in the last three months increased by one-quarter, from 48 per cent to 60 per cent wherein, 59 per cent of the 16 years old and over go online almost every day and 4 per cent go online less than once a month. Internet usage is more common among the young people, wherein 84 per cent of people age 16 – 24 go online compare to older people, wherein 54 per cent are 55 – 64 and 15 per cent are 65 and over. ... bility to businesses to customers is easier compare on television and radio wherein, customers can easily interact via internet to the ads posted by advertisers. On the other hand, advertisers can easily access positive or negative customer feedbacks, monitor the customer needs, and communicate faster but cheaper to customers via internet through the websites. Websites have become an essential means to communicate with customers. In 2005, 70 per cent of the businesses online have a website while the proportion of businesses that sold via internet was doubled between 2002 and 2005, from 7 to 15 per cent. In 2005, the sales value over the Internet was ?103 Tan 3 Billion. This accounted for 34 per cent of sales across all kinds of ICT by non-financial sector businesses. The usual Internet activity by nine out of ten or 91 per cent of young internet users was sending or receiving emails. Other activities included were: finding information about goods or services which is 77 per cent, dow nloading software which is 55 per cent, and reading or downloading online news or magazines which is 54 per cent. Meanwhile, seven out of ten or 70 per cent young internet users stated that they had purchased goods or services online.   The increasing demands and internet usage had made advertisers in UK believed that online advertising is important and that has great opportunity. They have seen some potential in doing so because the online become a direct response medium wherein the marketing budgets being stretched to their very limits, and the online has proved its worth. Another is the growth of new display format wherein the internet has become an entertainment medium because of its interactive multimedia content. There is also the booming of e-commerce wherein people shopping choice

Social Impact of Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Social Impact of Tourism - Essay Example In addition to the misrepresentation of identity, changes may occur in community structure, family relationships, shared customary life styles, services and ethics (Din, 1988). Tourism can cause positive social impact as well by means of supporting for peace, promoting cultural traditions and helping circumvent urban repositioning by creating local jobs. Socio-cultural impact becomes indistinct when various cultures meet at the single point of intersection as it may be perceived by some of the groups as positive whereas it may be perceived as negative by some of the groups as well. This paper aims at finding out the social impacts of tourism. Tourism has positive impact on environmental condition. Tourism has the capability to encourage social development by virtue of employment creation, capital distribution and poverty mitigation (web link 6). Travelling is an influential dynamic element that brings individual into get in touch with another individual and a culture into the contact with another culture, as tourism consists of learning element, it may provide knowledge among individuals and cultures and offer cultural exchange among hosts and guests. This eventually results in increasing mutual understanding, mutual respect and in reducing the reciprocated prejudices for each other. - Reinforcement of communities Tourism may adjoin to the strength of communities in several fashions. Example includes the events or carnivals during which the local inhabitants may play the role of primary participants and the spectators may participate as the secondary components and revitalize the events which are further progressed by the interaction of tourist interest. Tourism industry can create jobs that contribute as a vital enticement in order to decline in emigration from country areas. Local individuals as well as local events can contribute in the development of tourism industry and enhance their job and production prospect by means of receiving tourism related professional training as well as business and organizational skills development. - Benefits received by local residents as a result of facilities provided by tourism sector Tourism focuses on the development of services inclusive of communal public services to entertainment services which eventually brings in higher living standards in the local sector of the target destination. The uplifting of standards may include in an improvement in infrastructure, enhancement in health sector and transportation, introducing new recreational facilities, restaurants, and public sectors as well as an arrival of improved commodities and food (Cohen, 1984; Pizam, 1978). - Revaluation of culture and traditions Tourism can enhance the safeguarding and conduction of cultural and historical practices, by means of contributing to the preservation and prolonged management of natural possessions, the conservation of local traditions, as well as a revolution of aboriginal culture, arts and crafts. - Encouragement of civic involvement and pride Tourism has a great impact in raising mass awareness about natural resources and its financial value as well as about cultural significance. Additionally, it may also arouse a feeling of pride in local and national traditions and may encourage

Journal Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Journal Report - Essay Example a) Truthfulness – does not only stating the facts. Being truthful meant avoiding slanting the facts to create a false and an inaccurate impression out of the actual facts. This is principle is crucial to dispel the negative connotation about the PR profession. b) Authenticity – meant being true to the profession. As differentiated from truthfulness, the PR practitioner must practice the craft with lofty objectives aside from the self-interest of its client. It meant practicing the profession with utmost integrity that the recipient of information conveyed by the practitioner should benefit those who receives it. c) Respect- meant the placing of proper value or importance to the public who will consume the information that the PR practitioner will dispense. It meant that in the practice of the craft, an ethical PR person should strive to provide better choices among its audience and to foster understanding instead of misinformation. d) Equity – meant the fair prac tice of the PR profession. It meant that a PR professional should not take advantage those who are in a less privilege situation in advancing its PR objectives. e) Social responsibility – just like any job, the PR profession must be exercised with a sense of social responsibility. This means taking into consideration the common good of the public at large as the PR person exercises his or her profession. It also means serving not only the interest of those who have, but also should serve the interest of those who have less in society. 2. Functions of PR I am interested with I am very much interested with the societal function of Public Relations. It is the function of Public Relation that deals with the public at large that includes functions such as consumer relations and marketing communication. I find this specific function of Public Relation that deals with the public a very exciting job because I am in a position not only to dispense news and information, but is also emp owered to shape the point of view, perspective and opinion of people about the product and organization I represent. When the above ethical principles is integrated in the practice of the craft, the PR profession can become a potent force for good; which can foster understanding and goodwill not only about the product and organization I represent but also on issues between people. 3. What is the significance of the article to the fields of public relations? The article discussed how the relationship between journalists and PR professionals are shifting from a love-hate relationship to a more cooperative environment because of the introduction of new technology. The traditional relationship of the two has been characterized as adversarial with the PR professionals always seeking the journalists and the journal was able to explain how this was â€Å"turned around†. This is significant because the literature explained how the emergence of technology and its platforms such as blo gs, twitters, social networking and LISTERV(e-mail list management software system), HARO (help a reporter out, a social networking site for journalists asking for sources for their stories) was able to transform the formerly distrustful relationship between the journalists and PR practitioners. 4. What is the sign

Economic Portfolio - Development economics Essay

Economic Portfolio - Development economics - Essay Example rris, director of the Microcredit Summit Campaign, reports in The State of the Microcredit Summit Campaign Report 2006 that in the autumn of 2006, 3,133 microfinance institutions served 113 million families during the previous year. While that is a laudable accomplishment, more than 500 million families that would almost certainly benefit from microcredit remain impoverished, and at least another 300 million more might benefit from it. According to our best calculations, we estimate that only one out of every eight people who could benefit from microcredit currently has access to it. As a weapon to fight poverty, microcredit is as vital as education, health, human rights, and good government and yet, as Richard Weingarten, executive secretary of the UN Capital Development Fund, says, â€Å"The demand for microfinance services remains largely unmet, especially in Africa.† Less than 1% of World Bank funding goes to microcredit. So, why does microcredit work so well in developing countries? The reason is the economies of developing countries are different from those of developed countries, often operating on a microscale, compared to the economies of the developed world. What may at first appear to tourists as a flea market when visiting a developing country is in fact the community’s version of a mega-mall where all exchanges of goods are in cash. In place of massproduced name-brands, the market sells homegrown produce, household goods in small quantities, such as single bars of soap or a few squares of toilet paper, and clothing – much of it locally produced – plus a limited assortment of small luxuries that only a few shoppers can afford. Many of the vendors work from dawn to dusk for incomes that, without a little credit, often do not meet their families’ basic needs. Every financial transaction has to be completed in cash, there are no banks or alternative sources for loans and no other access to financial services. A savings account is cash under the

A discussion on Health Related Issues and Interventions for School Age Research Paper

A discussion on Health Related Issues and Interventions for School Age Children - Research Paper Example A number of health related issues arise at this age and their successful mitigation helps children develop normally into adolescent and adulthood. Without proper measure in place to address these health related issues, developmental problems may arise ranging from behavioural problems to physical and mental problems. This paper is going to look at a number of child health related problems such as childhood obesity and overweight issues, bullying, accidents and injuries, social network and the media, child abuse and neglect and the various interventions that could be employed to either prevent or lessen the impacts of these issues on school age children. Childhood obesity and overweight Last year, the Australia bureau of statistics reported the continued rise of childhood obesity over the last 40 years. The report indicated that the level of childhood obesity has increased substantially and is even projected to approach adult rates within 30 years. The report showed that 26.1% of chil dren between the ages of 5-15 were overweight or obese in 2007-08. In 2009 the same was 26.5% making a 0.4% increase in one year (ABS, 2011). The report attributed this rise to sedentary pursuits which include watching television and playing computer games. In 2005 the world health organization reported that 20 million children under 5 years were overweight. Latest statistics by the World health organization also indicate that 40 million children under the age of five years are overweight or suffer from obesity in 2010. These statistics are quite alarming making the issue a global concern (WHO, 2012). Scholars argue that overweight and obesity in childhood especially in older children can lead to serious and severe obesity and weight issues in adulthood. They also say that childhood and adolescent obesity poses a higher risk of premature death and disability later on in life (Kumanyika & Brownson, 2007, p. 51). Literature also suggests children who are obese or overweight normally e ncounter several physical risks and are at a greater risk of social isolation. Such children also are at the risk of developing psychological disorders than those who are in a healthy weight range (Vichuda L Mathews, 2011, pp. 4-6: Justin, 2005, p.84). Research also indicates other consequences of overweight and obesity and these include the development of chronic conditions such as chronic respiratory problems such as sleep apnoea and breathlessness; chronic musculoskeletal problems such as lower back pains and osteoarthritis; gall bladder disease and impaired fertility and well as chronic cardiovascular problems (Dehghan, Akhtar-Danesh, & Merchant, 2005, p. 24). Scholars have proposed a number of strategies in which childhood obesity could be reduced. Such intervention measures have been in existence for quite some time now. Their application is case specific and some could still be applied to solve the problem generally. Telford et al. (2012, 371 )in their study found out that an appropriately designed and administered physical education program (PE) is capable of producing benefits for elementary school children by reducing the percentage increase of body fat but also led to significant enhancement of numeracy development. Other studies have also supported the idea of physical education in helping in the primary prevention of overweight and obesity. Davis et al. (2012, p. 243) in their study propose school based initiatives that include physical activity and also provide opportunities for physical education and recess programs as very important in the prevention of obesity. It is argued that physical activity helps reduce adiposity in

Power in Language and Culture Essay Example for Free

Power in Language and Culture Essay Power is considered to be the anthem of success-whoever holds power holds ascendancy over the society. However, whomever has ascendency over that society has to have means of communicating to the inferior. The way rulers communicate to their inferiors is a key part of society, and dictates the syntax of the language. Therefore power reflects on the flexibility and structure of the language. In Mrs. Bradys class lectures describing The History of the English language she states that before Viking invasions the Pagan Anglo-Saxon language consisted mainly of religious, domestic and mundane words such as fork, mile, table, alter, mass and chool. In 1066 A. D Norman Vikings overtook the society and added new words such as scream, take and skull these words allowed for aggression in the culture. Along with the aggressive word change the Vikings also degraded Anglo-Saxon words creating synonyms that now have a more powerful meaning for example the Anglo- Saxon word wish and the Norman word want. Customarily the Vikings were very hostile and aggressive people and their contributions to the English language reflect their virulent ways. The Vikings were able to harness their power to create a lasting nfluence on the language and culture of the inferior societies they overtook. Modern English is currently the connecting language used world-wide to communicate. It is described as dominate for many reasons in The Mother Tongue. A specific example given by Bill Bryson is a ited factor in setting English apart from other languages is flexibility. In the United States, Americans give respect where it is needed; there is no hierarchy where respect or a certain dialect is required to talk to another person. The fact that American culture is not based around power allows the language to have versatility. The government is people-based; the power granted to Americans through the constitution allows for variety and freedom of speech. For example female rights activists are able to speak o ut against misogynist beliefs. Though the power structure in America is composed of mostly men, women are unaffected by it, and are still able to speak out against the gender that makes up the majority of the government. American feminism is a prime example of how the power structure can have no effect on the language due to its basis on freedom and equality. In Outliers, chapter seven The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes, Malcom Gladwell describes the errible crash of Korean Airlines Flight 801 in 1997 caused by lack of communication through pilots. Unlike our American government Korea has different expectations for their language. It demands that members of higher rank be addressed properly. Not allowing for casual non-specific terms such as you. Koreans are obliged to be deferential toward their elders and superiors in a way that would be unnecessary in the U. S. Koreans must show respect for the people that hold power therefore speaking monotone causing serious situations to sound less urgent then they actually are. Another example of powers influence on language and culture is the example of Chris Langan vs. Robert Oppenheimer: Here we have two very brilliant young students, each of whom runs into a problem that imperils his college career. Langans mother has missed a deadline for his financial aid. Oppenheimer has tried to poison his tutor. To continue on, they are required to lead their cases to authority. sent to a psychiatrists. Oppenheimer and Langan might both be geniuses, but in other ways, they could not be more different (98). Oppenheimer grew up amongst a surplus of power, and so it affected the way that he spoke. He knew how to speak so hat he could get the most effect out of his words, and thus the power worked as an advantage to him and the way he uses language. Langan, in contrast, grew up extremely impoverished. He only had one set of clothes, his mother knew nothing about the way the world worked outside of their small town in Montana, and his step- father was an alcoholic and abuser. There was no positive form of power surrounding him, and thus his language skills were insufficient when he tried to convince his superiors to renew his scholarship. In social class structures there is power that either works to the advantage or disadvantage of the language. In George Orwells dystopian fiction novel 1984 the totalitarian government formats a society in which all members of the party are brain washed. In the appendix of the book Orwell discusses the importance the language, Newspeak, plays on the society. Euphony outweighed every consideration other than exactitude of meaning, (pg308) The language created by Ingsoc, called Newspeak, was used against the population in order to keep power. Newspeak was made up of doublethink words such as blackwhite and goodthink this made it impossible for the society to bond and connect with one another due to lack of cadence and meaning. Using language as a tool to control the culture rid society of their independence to think freely, ultimately turning them into mindless slaves of the government. A real-world example of a totalitarian societies control over language is Hitlers Nazi Germany. The Nazi regime aspired to inflict the same control over the people as Ingsoc did. In Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler states: The chief function of propaganda is to convince the masses, who slowness of understanding needs to be given time in order that they may absorb information; and only constant repetition will finally succeed in imprinting an idea on heir mind .. the slogan must of course be illustrated in many ways and from several angles, but in the end one must always return to the assertion of the same formula. The one will be rewarded by the surprising and almost incredible results that such a personal policy secures. Culturally, the Nazi regime was anti-modern. Censorship and propaganda ensured that Germans could only see what the Nazi hierarchy wanted people to see, hear what they wanted them to hear and read only what the Nazis deemed acceptable. Ultimately giving the Nazis full control over the mindset of their people. Forcing them to perceive that what they were doing was correct and thus socially acceptable. Moreover, whoever holds ascendancy over a culture has the ability to modify and manipulate the language however they want. Language can be used as a tool to gain power, or the people in power can use it as a tool to keep power. It can also be an effect rather than a cause; the way that power is exercised can have an indirect effect on the language. Whether direct or indirect, power has a lasting and critical impact on the language of any culture where a power structure is present.

Football hero Essay Example for Free

Football hero Essay The book I read was Football Champ by Time Green. The setting of the book is Atlanta, Georgia during the fall. The main places in the story are the Atlanta Falcons Stadium, Troy’s middle school and football field, and Troy’s house. The story is written in first person because Troy (the main character) is telling the story. There is figurative language in this story. On page 229 a simile is used that says â€Å"he’s big and slow like a turtle†. There is also an idiom on page 57 that says â€Å"the Duluth fans poured over the fence, swarming the end zone†. The main character of Football Champ is Troy. He is a middle school football player and a football genius. Troy is strong, brave, and good hearted. Another main character is Seth who is a NFL linebacker and dating Troy’s mom. Seth is kind, strong, and fights for what he believes in. Troy’s mom is another important character. She is caring and kind. She takes care of Seth and Troy. Troy’s best friends, Nathan and Tate, are middle school football players. They care about Troy and help him solve the problems caused by Peele, the main bad guy. Peele is a reporter trying to destroy Troy and Seth. The main problem in the story is Peel and Seth’s doctor working together to destroy Seth’s football career by lying about Seth using steroids. Peel also lies about Troy and convinces the NFL that Troy is stealing the other team’s playbooks. Peel is trying to do this because he blames Seth for ruining his football career. Troy and his friends solve the problem by going to Seth’s doctor and getting him to tell the truth about Seth on DVD. Troy and Seth prove that Troy did not steal the playbooks by going to one of the other NFL owners and showing him that Troy is a real football genius. Seth gets to continue in the NFL and Troy gets to work with the Atlanta Falcons. The moral of Football Champ is to never give up. I figured this out when Troy played his middle school football games. The other teams were always bigger and better, but Troy and his team never gave up. They ended up winning all of their games. They proved to everyone who doubted them that they were wrong. The book Football Champs was amazing in my opinion. It was hard for me to put this book down because it was fun to read. I would recommend this book to 5th and 6th graders because it was made for them. I chose this book because I love football and the author is Tim Green. He has a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons.

Marketing plan and the strategies for small business enterprises

Marketing plan and the strategies for small business enterprises Small business enterprises (SBE) are normally started and owned by solely and is the way of entrepreneurs own marketing concept and is different other than business in global market. It is the widely spread and known business in western region of world, specifically in Europe and is contributing to worlds economy very efficiently. Though there is always lack of marketing specialists and the resources as well as skills, marketing approach are always based on sole decision makers as of entrepreneurs perceptions. It also cannot be separated from the marketing approach which includes relationship approach and is found that marketing is important as other functional areas of the small business organizations. The business is affected by marketing which includes, the location, pricing, sales techniques, advertising, promotional activities even the goal of the company. Marketing is all about the making its customers aware of the products or services, good value, good service and following up the customers are even more important which can be done better than the competitors. Introduction In general small businesses are run by the owner who owned the business privately. According to the Industry Canada, the business that has less than 500 employees is known as small medium enterprise. In addition, small business is defined as the business having less than 100 employees and if the business is based on service then the number of employees is even less than 50 and. According to SBEs industry published guidelines, for wholesaling the range of employees falls under 100 to 500 and for manufacturing, ranging from 500 to 1500. Thought the small businesses hold lesser number of employees and other resources, it holds the powerful position for the economic development. It is quite difficult to define the accurate definition for small business because of different varieties of firms, but finally according to the agreement, is defined differently in different parts of the world and according to the national needs. (Theng and Boon 1996). It plays the vital role as the contributors to the economic, development and the employment growth in the economy of Individual County as well as in the world economy. Mulhern (1995) concluded that, there is 99% of companies are small and medium sized in all over Europe whereas also generated 66% of employment. The idea of comparing the size of a business, to the size and power of a boat, provides an excellent analogy. A cruise ship may withstand storms and high waves much better than a small yacht, but it is not very manoeuvrable. A speedboat can go places a ship could never attempt. It is faster, agile, and can turn quickly to avoid danger. These comparisons are no surprise. Most people seem to realize these differences, but contemplating them well enough to seize their potential is what separates the weak from the strong. The small athlete, who could easily be crushed by bigger competitors, can still win by dodging them and outrunning them. For small business owners to adapt the same thinking as big business can easily bring disaster. You have the advantage if you think differently. Business models are changing fast, and a small agile company can adapt more quickly. There are big companies teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Some of them are so steeped in outdated business practices that they cannot adapt quickly enough to avoid hitting the iceberg. Every product or the services is worthless unless there are any customers to buy them and are the key factors for making any business towards the success or the failure. Here exists the essence or the importance of marketing for generating the customers for the business whether it is done online or offline. Marketing is none other than creating the demands for the products or the services provided by the business from the potential customers and even more additional demands from the existing customers. (www.theinternetbusinesscoach.co.uk) In general, most of the small businesses spend less on marketing but key for whole process is to focus on the right customers whether by adding value to the products or services which is directly perceived by the customers mind creating the brand loyalty which will be discussed in next section of this report. Customer as a Key Factor The mantra The customer is the king, is popular since the 1940s. The customers are being key factors for the success of the business since early age of business development. In every or almost all business enterprises, the ultimate goal of those organizations is to fulfil the demands or their wants and needs through products or the services to the customers. CRM as the solution for Small Business Customer relationship management widely known as CRM, as mentioned by (Chang, Liao and Hsiao, 2005) it is really an observable fact when came out after the occurrence of Internet and the web technology in order to facilitate for the implementation of CRM. It mainly focuses on the interaction between the customers and the service providers through the Internet and the web based applications. Customer Relationship Management is a comprehensive strategy and process of acquiring, retaining and partnering with selective customers to create superior value for the company and the customer. (J. N. Sheth A. Parvatiyar, 2001). The most important aspect of CRM is the selection of the customers. As many of the researchers has shown in their studies that, all the customers are not always profitable for any individual company. Some customers might be profitable for any individual company but not for all. So company therefore adopt the selective programme and marketing efforts by segmenting and selecting the most fruitful or profitable customers as the individual marketing programme. So as the size of small business and the available resources, it is very important to focus on particular customers from the particular section of the market, widely known as the segment of the market. The owner of the small business spends less on marketing and the strategy so, determining the profitable customers become very essential for the small business. Needs of Marketing for SBE The marketing needs of small business are very different but simple. He further added, local markets are mainly targeted for business advertisement of small business. The most common methods for advertisement flyers, yellow pages are used in local market. As it is the back bone of European business and many of other countries. In todays world economy, small business is contributing the most. The lack of perfect business plan and market strategies is squeezing the possibilities for the success so the adopting the marketing plan and strategies will definitely help the small business to grow satisfying the ultimate customers need and wants. It allows looking forward to plan the changing environment and the trend of the existing market even changes of the competitors. It is for helping to identifying the strengths and weaknesses of own company, its products or the services as well as the reviewing the available resources and the skills and to explore them to get fit in the market and to fulfil the companys strategic goal. SWOT Analysis of SBE It is the well known tool for analysing the strategic position of the business and the environment. The purpose of this tool is basically to find the strategy which is ultimately creates the specific business model. There are four factors in SWOT analysis which are as follows: Strengths: it is the qualities of any business organization which enables the business to survive and to gain the competitive advantage. It can be either tangible or intangible. As the small business are small in size but also have the strength of low investment risk and low investment on the advertisement. Weakness: these are the factors which is the standard of business organizations. Low product range, poor decision making, insufficient research facilities. In terms of small business, it does not need the massive numbers of resources but whereas the product is concerned, the small business focuses on very few ranges of products as well as limited services. Opportunities: It is the opportunities which are present in the environment where the business organization operates. As the small businesses are the back bone of the country economy, arise in market, increasing demand are the opportunities of the small business. Threats: this is the condition where the environment is not in favour of the business. In general there are some threats for small business because of the existence of large business occupying the market of small business. Market Planning for SBEs Product or Services There are two types of strategic market planning. They are as follows: Long-term market planning Short-term market planning Long-term market planning: the long-term market planning is set as the name suggest for the long term goal of the company as a scheduled day-to-day business and marketing activities. This is ongoing process and the marketing activities whereas is the essential part for new business. Short-term market planning: it is the process of developing and setting the specific goals. This is adopted by the existing businesses in response to the unexpected in the business and if is new in the marketplace. On the other hand, it is basically adopted when there is decrement in market share, launching new product, increasing in customers complaint, and change in government regulations and if new market is identified for the product or the service. Depending upon the market or the business whether it is existing business or the new business the marketing plan can be chosen out of two which both focuses on the companys strength and the weakness of the competitors and to improve the market position while increasing the sales and the profitability of the company. Marketing strategies for SBE The customers needs and wants can be fulfilled when the situation are analysed which are the key factors for the business success. The factors involved in marketing strategies are as follows: Market segmentation Market targeting Market positioning Value proposition Generally segmenting the market means grouping the people of same behaviour or the buying pattern of the customers. Whereas segmentation is concerned with the small businesses, it is very important to find out the right customers from the right place. Though the market is very small, finding the profitable customers and their needs is essential for the small businesses. Segmenting the market can be of different types: according to geographic, demographic, psychographic and behavioural. According to geographic segmentation, it is based on the region, size or the density of the population. It is benefit for the small business to segment the market according to the geographic location because of the popularity of the products or the services where the business can occupy its own market. On the other hand, demographic segmentation, it is based on age, gender, income occupation, religion, family size, education and so on. This can be another benefit for small businesses because of limited resources it is easier for small business to launch the new products or for the promotion of new products or the services. Next is psychographic segmentation which deals with the life style of the customers, their social class, values, and opinions, their interests, attitudes. Small business focuses on the customers of similar class rather than the high class, so that the products or the services will fit with all the general class. Final strategy of market segmentation is behavioural segmentation and is based on the pattern of purchase behaviour and also based on usage rate. This segmentation is somehow affecting the small business. Where the small business is concerned, the combination of geographic segmentation and demographic segmentation are best suited for the small business as targeting on very specific customers is fruitful and less expensive for small business organizations. After deciding the segmentation strategy, the next step is to target the right market. According to Ferrel et al, 2008, there are five strategies for targeting the market. The first is single segment targeting. This strategy is normally selected by the small business because of concentrating on specific segment of the market. On the other hand, selective specialization select the multiple segment of the market and is widely, known as differentiated strategy. Product specialization is another which specially deals with the particular specific group of customers. Mass market targeting is the one which is specially adopted by the large businesses and target the mass markets. Finally market specialization which expertise in one market and provides the solutions to the customers problems. Importance of positioning for SBE Positioning is not only to position any product or services in any location or in the place rather it is about to attract the attentions of the products while matching the customers needs and wants. It is about the position in customers mind against the competing products. Kotler (1986). For positioning the product or the services, Robert et al (2006) purposed some approaches where attributes of the product, and deals with brand loyalty of the products by delivering the better value than the competitors. Brand name and the value for the product by positioning in customers mind is known as price or quality approach. Product user and the product class is another one which deals with the specific group of products whereas use of application approach deals with positioning according to the uses by the customers. Competitor is the last one and deals with as the name suggests positioning directly to the market by distinguishing to each other. For small business, use of application approach will be best suited because of the same behaviour of customer buying pattern. For example McDonald is most popular for fast food but in competition to street fish n chips shop in UK. Though the fist n chips shop can also provides all the services to the customers as McDonald can but the trend of customers is highly follow the others. Pricing Strategies of SBE It is most important to focus on pricing strategy as it is the major factors affecting the marketing mix. It is the important factors for the product features, choosing the channel distribution for the products or the services and determines the whole resources of the business. There are different types of pricing strategy for the product or the services. They are: premium pricing, skim pricing, penetration pricing and economy pricing. Among of all the pricing strategy, it is suggested to adopt economy pricing strategy as the small business organization would cover all the customers in middle level neither high class nor the low class. The product or the services should be easily accessible to all level of customers satisfying the needs and the wants. The Pound shop or 99p shop in UK can be the best examples as they provide all the products for just a  £1. Distribution system for SBEs Products or Services It is the methods of providing the products or the services to the ultimate customers what they want or need. There are basically two types of channel that can be followed for the distribution of products or the services. The first one in Indirect Distribution and another is Direct Distribution. Among of two distribution channel, Direct distribution will be the best suited for the small business organizations. By adopting the direct distribution, the mediators in between the business and the customers can be eliminated and can save the further expenses. Small businesses are not relying on traditional marketing methods, where marketing was used to like work-of-mouth or just printed advertisement. The time has been changed now so instead of traditional marketing internet marketing are in existence today. Internet has become as an integral part for the shopping by the customers. It is very difficult to find the customers for small business just depending upon the traditional marketing. Through the internet the business can attract many of new customers and is even cost effective and even the customers can save their valuable time and money. It is also noticed that the research activity output in E-Marketing had decreased significantly between 2003 and 2008 . The availability of information about the products and 24 hours service can give the advantage to the small business as well Conclusion To conclude, it is found that marketing is an important aspect for any kind of businesses whether it is small or big. The size of the business does not matter while adopting the marketing but the strategies of marketing plan may differ from one business to another. SWOT analysis or the use of Four Ps can be helpful for determining the specific marketing plan or for the marketing process. Whether it is segmenting market or the promotion strategies, for the small business there is the importance exists for satisfying the customers needs by providing the right product for right value. On the other hand, maintaining the relationship with customer is equally important to retain the customer within the business organization. It is not all over by only selling the product to the customers. Actually its the start of good relationship and the business opportunities from the profitable customers.

Cisco Systems Business Analysis Essay examples -- Technology Companies

Cisco Systems Cisco Systems - World's Leading Network Hardware Products Cisco Systems, Inc. is the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet. Cisco operates in one industry segment and creates hardware and software solutions that link computer networks so that people have easy access to information without regard to differences in time, place or type of computer system. Networking is a multi-billion dollar global market whose growth is spurred by the belief that the Internet is changing the way we work, live, play, and learn. Over the last year, there has been a key shift in the role of the Internet and in how the Internet is perceived. What was once a fairly complex tool used by an elite group of highly technical individuals is now a technology driving economic change globally by creating new jobs and market opportunities. The Company markets its products through its direct sales force, single and two-tier distributors, value-added resellers, service providers and system integrators. This multiple-channel approach allows customers to select the channel that addresses their specific needs and provides the Company with broad coverage of worldwide markets. Customers benefit from Cisco networking solutions through more efficient exchange of information, which in turn leads to cost savings, process efficiencies, and closer relationships with customers, prospects, business partners, suppliers, and employees. Cisco solutions are the networking foundation for companies, universities, utilities, and government agencies worldwide. The Company was founded in late 1984 by a small group of computer scientists from Stanford University seeking an easier way to connect different types of computer systems. Cisco Systems... ...Internet. Their relationship with Hewlett-Packard covers a broad range of initiatives including technology development, product integration, professional services, and customer service. Last May, GTE announced that it would build a national network based on Cisco's products, enabling service providers to rapidly deploy value-added services and drive next-generation Internet offerings. And the goal of their collaboration with Alcatel is to offer complete networking solutions to telecommunications carriers and other Internet service providers worldwide. Each of Cisco's strategic alliances will create a sustainable competitive advantage for both companies in order to optimize products, price points, distribution, and services. Through these relationships, Cisco will provide its customers the ability to become global networked businesses well into the next century.

Getting Back into the Game :: Personal Narrative Essays

Getting Back into the Game I have always been involved in sports in some way or another. I was team captain in every sport imaginable in elementary school. Junior high I continued to be involved in sports, but it wasn't until high school started that I really got into it. I played soccer, softball and basketball at Rogers High School. I particularly loved soccer. Just playing it gave me a rush I had never felt before. Also knowing that this sport took a lot of hard work and dedication gave me a sense of satisfaction, because I knew that I put everything I had into it. Putting a lot of dedication and hard work into something may prove to be useful in the future. When I had my baby, being involved in sports at all seemed impossible. Then one day, my friend Cory from work was telling me that her daughter wanted to play soccer. She then said that she was going to coach because no one else had volunteered in her area. The only problem was that she didn't know the first thing about soccer. That gave me an idea. I played soccer in high school, so I thought I could help her, so I did. My friend Cory and I went down to Spokane Youth Sports Association and volunteered to become soccer coaches. I couldn't believe that I was actually getting to do this. I thought it was going to be great. I had not played soccer in a while, so I was nervous when I first started coaching. I never knew how hard it would be to dedicate yourself and your time to something without getting compensated for it. It was especially hard when the kids were more often than not pretty hard to deal with. I was coaching a team of nine-year-old girls. Some of those girls seemed to want to be there, and others not. That made it very difficult to get all of their attention at once. Sometimes it was so bad I felt that I was wasting my time. But I stuck it out in hopes that they would come around, after all they were only nine. As time went on the girls started to come around and started listening and enjoying the

Corporate Governance Benchmarking

Running head: CORPORATE GOVERNANCE BENCHMARKING Corporate Governance Benchmarking University of Phoenix Corporate Governance MMPBL 570 November 30, 2009 Corporate Governance Benchmarking McBride Financial Services Inc. is a low cost mortgage provider located in Boise, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, as well as North and South Dakota. Recently, Beltway Investments became the majority investor in McBride Financial Services, Inc. As a result, McBride’s CEO needs the board of directors’ collaboration while setting up internal governance controls and ensuring proper auditing. To secure that corporate governance benefits the company and investors, McBride’s CEO needs to consider benchmarking. Thus, the authors of this paper examine the benchmarking of Adelphia Communications, Tyco, Calpine Corporation, and Tyson Foods to help develop best practices for McBride Financial Services, Inc. Accordingly, Chew and Gillan (2005) state, â€Å"The role of top management is no longer just control and coordination; it is anticipating, leading, and managing change and articulating the rationale for such change to employees† (p. ). Hence, the lack of corporate governance could not be demonstrated better than the rise and fall of Adelphia Communications. Adelphia Communications was at one time the fifth largest cable provider in the United States. The company was controlled by John Rigas, the founder of Adelphia, and his family; they controlled 60 percent of the total voting shares. The family considered Adelphia funds their own personal funds and spent them lavishly on everything from airplanes to professional sports teams. When all was finally revealed, the Rigas family received $3. 4 billion in loans from Adelphia. The company eventually filed for bankruptcy and was split up in a buyout by Time Warner Cable and Comcast (Comcast, 2006). McBride Financial Services, Inc. (MFSI) is a small company controlled by McBride, the CEO. He is looking to move to the next level, like Adelphia. MFSI has recently formed a partnership with Beltway Investments to allow growth into a regional financial services provider and form a board of directors. It is not a partnership. It is a corporation and owned by Hugh and Beltway. They are not partners which is a different legal form of business. The company needs to embrace the board of directors as an independent oversight committee and not as rubber stamp committee, yet this is the initial direction the CEO wants the board to take (University of Phoenix, 2009). Adelphia Communications failed because the board was part of the corruption and independent from the daily operations of the company. The CEO needs to also allow an external accounting firm to conduct regular audits, regardless of the results, of the company to ensure the corruption of Adelphia is not duplicated because â€Å"The way boards are structured, meeting every other month, they have to rely on outside advisers† (Patsuris, 2002). Another situation to consider is the decline of the stock prices for Tyco, turning out to be quite detrimental because of the same actions of Kozlowski, the former CEO; he failed to lead the company affectively. Kozlowski was found guilty of using company funds for his personal expenses (Cummins, 2006). Even though he was found guilty, the company’s image is still flawed and questioned, the same as the value of company stock prices. Nevertheless, Eric Pillmore is in the process of reclaiming the company’s image by reconstructing and communicating a well built ethical atmosphere. Pillmore may be strict and enforce control to help the company; perhaps if the control had been maintained through corporate governance in the past, and if employees had been at ease in bringing issues to the fore front, Kozlowski would not have been able to send the company into the tailspin it has experienced (Cummins, 2006). MFSI can learn valuable lessons from Tyco; in conjunction with legal action and a marred company because of inadequate corporate governance, Tyco has made strides in changing its business environment. Tyco has managed to make improvements, from restructuring the company ethics statement, to meeting each employee personally, supplying them with a company ethics statement, and publishing a quarterly report on any problems employees brought to the company’s attention, and compiling the findings and disciplinary actions (Cummins, 2006, para. 3). Pillmore may be strict and controlling but he has turned Tyco around by improving employee behavior, creating a trustful environment and communicating with Tyco employees. MFSI’s CEO needs to consider such changes as Tyco has implemented, to be in compliance with federal guidelines, build trusting relationships with his employees and change the tone of MFSI’s corporate culture by adhering to a new corporate governance plan. Basically, in critiquing and analyzing the roles of the key leaders of corporate governance to assess the function of ethics in compliance, key concepts and the best practices of Calpine Corporation have also been considered to help MFSI. According to Chew and Gillan (2005), â€Å"During the past decade many CEOs of large companies have become highly visible public figures,† and while MFSI is still evolving, pressure to act appropriately exists (p. 1). This visibility increases accountability for leaders’ corporate governance. In the case of MFSI, the CEO is faced with critical decision making. MFSI’s CEO’s corporate governance has the potential of creating undesirable outcomes. However, to help MFSI, the best practices of Calpine demonstrate how decision making can be executed through the code of conduct guidelines. Calpine is a successful company that despite its business strategies, it was challenged with uncontrollable environmental forces. In 1998, Calpine experienced the effects of deregulation; yet leadership followed the company’s good corporate governance to address the issue. Hence, in comparing MFSI with Calpine, it is noted that Calpine’s leadership is committed to act with integrity and transparency while MFSI’s CEO is behaving unethically by disregarding the board of directors’ and shareholders’ input. Chew and Gillan (2005) declare, â€Å"The performance of companies, good or bad, is often attributed—not only by the press, but by the directors and shareholders of the companies—to the CEO’s personal business savvy and leadership† (p. 2). Therefore, in providing MFSI with good corporate governance best practices, Tyson Foods is also considered. Tyson is a company from which MFSI can learn. MFSI’s CEO wants to control the board of directors. He tells them not to worry about doing any work or meeting more than a few times a year; â€Å"I will handle the real work,† exclaims the CEO (University of Phoenix, 2009). Tyson entered into a settlement agreement that not only cost them a considerable amount of money but also required them to practice proper corporate governance. By trying to control the board of directors, and by not offering incentive compensation and stock options, MFSI’s CEO may soon find that investors do not appreciate his self serving financial gain at the cost of their right to a good return n investment. MFSI’s CEO must take seriously, as Tyson now takes seriously, the need to allow the board of directors to be active in the business of the company and to carry out their duty to protect shareholders’ interests (Friedlander, 2008). Also, MFSI’s CEO must set up proper audit procedures, using an impartial outside aud itor while setting up internal controls. MFSI’s CEO needs to understand that corporate governance procedures are not only for his benefit but also for every investor’s welfare. The CEO needs to include others in the decision making, helping to enhance every stakeholder’s benefits. By creating transparency in their procedures and corporate governance, MFSI can help encourage the board of directors to work collaboratively to provide a good return to investors while creating long term gains that will keep the company running strong. If MFSI’s CEO continues to try to circumvent the company’s processes and make the board of directors a powerless figurehead, his investors might soon become disgruntled and take their investments elsewhere. Conclusion Maintaining state and federal guidelines and staying within the company’s code of conduct can be challenging. Thus, top leaders need to delineate the roles of each person in charge of decision making and correct any incompatible behaviors contrary to good corporate governance. In the case of McBride Financial Services, Inc. , for instance, corporate governance was identified as incongruent with the overall ethical code of conduct and responsibility of top leadership. While the best practices of the companies mentioned in this paper offer fundamental principles to executing decision making in managing the interests of stakeholders, it is also critical to adhere to all Federal ethical guidelines to help mitigate any potential undesired outcomes. Synopsis of Adelphia Communication by Michael Gillespie Issue in the Scenario that is facing the company Adelphia Communications was a publicly held company owned mostly by the founder John Rigas and his family. Adelphia had a board of directors the consisted of nine people, five of them appointed by the Rigas. Over a five year period of time the Rigas family â€Å"loaned† $3. 1 billion dollars from Adelphia. This was $800 million more than what was initially reported during an SEC investigation (Patsuris, 2002). These â€Å"loans† financed everything rom real estate ventures, airplanes, country club memberships, and operating the Buffalo Sabres hockey team. The Board of Directors fired the auditor of the company, Deloitte & Touche, when they began to question some inconsistencies found during an audit (Farrell, 2002). Ironically, Adelphia sued Deloitte & Touche for incompetence. If Adelphia’s board of directors had been independent, the board would have had to r ely on reports from management, external auditors and consultants, in order to determine the company’s status. Unfortunately, Adelphia’s board was so packed with insiders it was hardly in this position. Company response to the issue Soon after the termination of Deloitte, PriceWaterhouseCoopers was selected as the new auditor for Adelphia. The first step for PWC was to re-audit previous year’s financial statements. Two weeks after the hiring of PWC, Adelphia filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection and was able to secure $1. 5 billion in debt to continue operating. The company hired a new board of directors. To fill these positions the firm went outside the Adelphia umbrella and searched for ethical industry veterans to become board members. John Rigas was sentenced to 12 years in prison and his sons were sentenced to 17 years. Outcomes from the company’s response Adelphia Communications was never able to recover from the lack of corporate governance and the corrupt management of the company. In 2006, Time Warner Cable and Comcast Cable purchased Adelphia for $12. 7 billion in cash and stock options (Comcast, 2006). This deal took over 40 months to complete due to fraud and security investigations and the fact that Adelphia was operating under bankruptcy protection. Synopsis of Tyco by Colleen Holdahl Issue in the Scenario that is facing the company Tyco faced major legal issues in 2002 and was responsible to pay a â€Å"$50 million fine to settle claims that it inflated profits from 1996 through 2002† (Cummins, 2006, para. 3). Dennis Kozlowski, the company’s CEO, was found guilty of embezzling funds to such extravagance as reporting he purchased â€Å"a $6,000 shower curtain† (Cummins, 2006, para. 2) and hosting a â€Å"$2 million birthday party for his wife† (Cummins, 2006, para. 2). With all the turbulence Tyco has gone through, the present leadership is making progress to clean-up the company’s reputation. Eric Pillmore, the current senior vice president of corporate governance, has been the leader of the clean-up. Outcomes from the company’s response Pillmore started ‘cleaning-up’ Tyco by implementing a new corporate governance plan; starting with the replacement of the previous board of directors, developing, and forming a new ethics code. The newly implemented governance plan â€Å"first principle calls for strong leaders who see themselves as stewards of the company and mentors for its future leaders† (Cummins, 2006, para. 9). Pillmore is of the conclusion that some of the former leaders have more concern with their own self significance; seeing themselves as ‘wheeler dealers,’ instead of being responsible and looking out for the best interests of the company. Pillmore also believes one of the most critical functions of his job as chief financial officer is to monitor the finances and act as a mentor to everyone in the company (Cummins, 2006). Among Pillmore’s other philosophies is ‘a web of accountability’ and ‘a robust process to understand why people behave the way they do’. He believes every employee has something to contribute to maintain an ethical business environment and leaders should not be intimidating. Employees should be free to approach their company leaders on ethics and company values issues. Outcomes from the company’s response Eric Pillmore takes the time to meet each employee, supplying them with the company’s ethics statement, and to discuss concerns or issues they may encounter. Tyco â€Å"publishes a quarterly report on any problems employees brought to the company’s attention, then the company’s findings and any disciplinary action- leaving out all employees’ names† (Cummins, 2006, para. 3). After the turbulence and with the help of Pillmore, Tyco has turned around and once again has a positive company image and the stock has recovered most of its value. Tyco received a rating by the Governance Metrics International as â€Å"one of the most improved companies globally; on a scale of one to te n, Tyco rose from a 1. 5 at the end of 2002 to 8. 5† (Cummins, 2006, para. 13). Synopsis of Calpine Corporation by Marisela Jimenez Issue in the Scenario that is facing the company Calpine Corporation is a successful independent power company that has strived to improve its business operations to help it advance its mission, values, and vision. While Calpine has managed to sustain its record high profits, the company, nevertheless, has faced changes in the business environment, particularly in deregulation. In 1998, a national movement, led by state legislation across the country, passed a U. S. Congress bill to accelerate and spread nationwide electric deregulation (FindingUniverse, 2009). This issue affected Calpine’s overall business functioning. Company response to the issue However, Calpine responded to the issue by focusing on the opportunities presented by deregulation. In other words, â€Å"The company’s foundation as a service provider to power plant operators and its subsequent development into a power plant operator itself engendered a vertically integrated enterprise primed for the new competitive era† (FundingUniverse, 2009). Calpine synergized its operations and focused on developing systems to maximize resources by improving conceptual designs, financing, construction, operation, fuel management, and power marketing. Through the synergistic approach to the business of producing electricity, Calpine managed to remain competitive in the market by strategically preserving profits without cutting the highly aggressive rates. The changes in deregulation helped Calpine’s leadership take immediate action by addressing the uncontrollable forces affecting the company. Leadership realized the potential for deregulation and its implications in the company; therefore, when Congress passed the deregulation bill, Calpine’s leadership was competently prepared. Outcomes from the company’s response Calpine’s outcome of the company’s response to the issue helped expedite the acquisition of 46 gas-fired turbines produced by Siemens Westinghouse. This acquisition radically enhanced Calpine’s market presence; leadership identified the opportunity of expansion as a result of deregulation. Basically, â€Å"The combination of Calpine management’s intuitive powers in foreseeing a growing demand for capacity and its willingness to gamble heavily paid handsome dividends,† enabling Calpine to grow into a successful company (FundingUniverse, 2009). Calpine’s leadership, however, ensures that their commitment to good corporate governance adheres to the highest ethical standards; thus, leadership behaves with integrity and transparency while maintaining strong levels of communication with stakeholders, including the board of directors, employees, and the community. Calpine’s leadership decision making is guided by the company’s code of conduct, helping to discourage any illegal and unethical behavior (Calpine, 2009). Synopsis of Tyson Foods by Carole Kindt Issue in the Scenario that is facing the company Over the years Tyson Foods has handled controversial issues concerning their business practices. They have been questioned over their ties to former President Clinton, unsanitary and dangerous conditions in their plants, plants staffed by low-paid workers, and even questionable campaign contributions (Unknown 1, 2009). In 2008, Tyson entered into a settlement with its investors over questionable practices in a case that named Don Tyson, members of his family, and the Board of Directors. The case alleged misconduct in connection with related party transactions and granting stock options to officers and directors of Tyson (Chase, 2008). The settlement agreement approved by the judge in the case ordered Tyson to pay $4. 5 million to their largest shareholders and forced improvements to Tyson’s corporate governance policies (Chase, 2008). As part of the settlement agreement, Tyson agreed not to engage in any new related party transactions without the approval of the Board and also to hire a consultant to evaluate its internal audit and control processes (Chase, 2008). Company response to the issue Tyson’s Board of Directors immediately began fulfilling the terms of the settlement agreement and they have worked to create a strong corporate governance structure. In 2008, the Board appointed a lead independent director and a new chairman of its compensation committee as well as establishing a nominating committee (Unknown 2, 2008). By focusing on their internal controls and corporate governance, Tyson’s board of directors has returned to their fundamental task, to work in good faith to assure they are upholding their fiduciary duties to the stockholders. Outcomes from the company’s response Tyson’s board of directors received a wake-up call that shook them out of their lassitude and encouraged them to make changes that enhance the long term goals of Tyson Foods as well as the return for their investors (Friedlander, 2008). In this way, Tyson will rebuild its reputation and trust with investors as well as fulfill the company’s long-term goals. By creating committees made up of independent, non-biased members, Tyson will create the transparency necessary to rebuild investor trust and build their company for the future. Good choice of companies and relating some of the take-a-ways to McB. Paper easy to read and follow but you could have worked the lesson into McB in more detail. Grade 96 References Calpine. (2009). Corporate Governance. [Online]. Available: http://www. calpine. com/ About/oc_corpgov. asp (2009, November 25). (Chase R 2008 Judge Approves $4. 5M Settlement Against Tyson Foods Directors. )Chase, R. (2008). Judge Approves $4. 5M Settlement Against Tyson Foods Directors. CNA Insurance Journal. Retrieved from http://www. insurancejournal. com /news/national /2008. thm? print=1 database. Chew, D. H. , Gillan, S. L. (2005). Corporate Governance at the Crossroads: A book of readings. 1 ed. ). New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Comcast Press Release. (2006). Comcast and Time Warner Complete Adelphia Acquisitions. July 31, 2006. Retrieved on November 26, 2009 from http://www. comcast. com/About/PressRelease/PressReleaseDetail. ashx? PRID=55. ComcaCCummins, H. J. (2006). Tyco exec makes the rounds spreading the word on corporate ethics. Star Tribune, p. 1D . Retrieved November 23, 2009, from ProQuest database. Farrell, M. (2002). Deloitte Blasts Adelphia on Audit. Multi Channel News. July 8, 2002. Retrieved on November 25, 2009 from http://www. allbusiness. om/company-activities-management/company-structures-ownership/6355799-1. html. (Friedlander J 2008 Overturn Time-Warner Three Different Ways)Friedlander, J. (2008). Overturn Time-Warner Three Different Ways. Delaware Journal of Corporate Law, 33(3), 631-649. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from Business Source Complete database Web Site: http://support. ebsco. com. FundingUniverse. (2009). Calpine Corporation. [Online]. Available: http://www. fundinguniverse. com/company-histories/Calpine-Corporation-Company- History. html (2009, November 25). Patsuris, Patricia (2009). Adelphia Hypocrisy. Forbes. om. Retrieved on November 25, 2009, from http://www. forbes. com/2002/06/10/0610adelphia. html. (Unknown 2 2008)Unknown 2. (2008). Retrieved November 23, 2009, from http://www. tyson. com//C orporate/PressRoom/ViewArticle. aspx? id-2879 Web Site: http://www. tyson. com. (Unknown 2009 Tyson Foods, Inc. )Unknown 1. (2009). Tyson Foods, Inc. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from http://www. fundinguniverse. com/company-histories. /Tyson-Foods-Inc-Company-History Web Site: http://www. fundi nguniverse. com. University of Phoenix (2009). McBride Financial Scenario. Retrieved November 16, 2009 from rEsource student website.