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The learning objectives for these BUS 1100 Introduction to Business individual assignment are as follows: 1 . To provide an opportunity for the students to learn and understand the complex nature of organizations and the major Influencing factors upon them; 2. To gain practical Insights on the workings of the various business functional areas, their roles within business, their interrelationships and Interdependence. 3.To familiarize the dents with the nature of managerial actively and roles played by a manager In an organization. 4. To enable students to work Individually and to do more readings regarding the topic tested. TASKS As the head of your College's Marketing Department, you are required to address a group of potential investors on your organization's marketing strategies. Develop an outline with the key points that you would cover in your speech, including : Profiling of the marketSegmentation and Targeting strategies Marketing Mix strategies Marks – 20 marks Number of words required = 1000 words REQUIREMENTS 1 . All facts obtained must have proper referencing using Harvard referencing system. Cut and paste from other sources are not acceptable. 2. Start each chapter on a new page; numbered the pages (at the bottom centre) except for the Cover page and Appendices; sources of tables, graphs and other diagrams must be referenced. Considered as part of the write-up. 4.No requests for extension of deadlines will be entertained except for extenuating circumstances for such matters as illness, severe and Justifiable personal problems or other factors over and above those normally experienced by students, which may have adversely affected their performance (students must show evidence and proof of extenuating circumstances). Recommended Report Format 1 . Cover page 2. Assignment instruction 3. The assignment Introduction Segmentation Targeting strategies Conclusion 4. Reference list

Important Dates in American History Essay

Mayflower Compact When the pilgrims first arrived to America, the Mayflower Compact, as it is known now, was created. This was the foundation for the Plymouth colonies. To establish colonies, they would first need to obtain a patent from the King of England. However, the need to maintain a society was of great importance, therefore, the Mayflower Compact was established as a social contract. It was signed by all 41 men on the Mayflower. Revolutionary war The revolutionary war is a story that surrounds America’s founding concept; freedom. America, from 1775 – 1783, fought a vicious battle against England. The English sought to control America; they did everything they could to weaken America, such as placing soldiers in their homes and expecting them to provide for him. Eventually, the war broke out. However, after a fierce battle, we were granted our freedom, and our forefathers tale and sacrifice is one that we acknowledge with pride. WWI World War I started as a spark and ended as an explosion like no other. After the assassination of Arch-duke Franz Ferdinand, Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria declared a strike against Serbia. However, sticking with the theme of American History, America did not enter the war until later when Germany began sinking American submarines. the U.S. Congress declared war on the sixth of April, 1917. The Great Depression On October of 1929, the stock market crashed, devastating 40% of the value of common stock. The stock market continued to fall until people lost their jobs and life-savings. During this period, Franklin Roosevelt took the lead as president and introduce the policy known as the ‘New Deal’. This policy created intuitive legislative ideas and helped production of goods and prices, however, this was not enough to end the depression. The WPA was created in order to provide jobs; 9 million people gained positions from this program, and later, the Social Security Act of 1935. Both the New Deal and WWII are ideas of how the Great Depression came to a halt. McCarthyism McCarthyism is a shameful period of American History. A fear of the spread of communism led to blackmail. During the 1940’s, McCarthy, a senator, claimed to know the names of over 200 card-carrying communist in the U.S.. This began a hunt for infiltrators. Writers were often named communist sympathizers and were often unable to continue working. However, in more serious cases, some were jailed for refusing to give the names of communists. The media could not stand-up to McCarthy in fear that they, like three-hundred others, would be blacklisted. Resources: Plymouth.org – Mayflower Compact CIA.gov – Revolutionary War PBS.org – WWI Historylearningsite.co.uk – America and WWI

The female characters in Great Expectations have the greatest influence on Pip’s development

While it may be true to argue that the female characters of Great Expectations have the most detrimental effect on Pip, it would certainly not be accurate to portray them as having had the greatest influence on his development. Although, the tyrannical Mrs Joe, the embittered Miss Havisham and Pip's ‘beloved' Estella have a large hand in shaping Pip's moral decline, it is without doubt Magwitch and of course, the moral cornerstone of the book, Joe who have the most profound effect on him. As well as this there are the minor male characters of the book such as Wemmick (in his Walworth capacity) and to a lesser extent Jaggers, and their part in restoring Pip to decency. Having said this, it must be acknowledged that in his childhood years it is in fact Mrs Joe who has the most immense influence on Pip's development. Her highly unfavourable â€Å"bring him up by hand,† regime destroys his self-worth, forcing him to develop a real sense of self-resentment. Hear that, be grateful to those who brought you up by hand,† is a deeply ironic statement, for it is Mrs Joe he owes least gratitude to, considering the negative impact she has on Pip's young life. The physical and verbal abuse she expels on him leads to a lack of adequate love and affirmation. â€Å"I'm a common labouring boy, my hands are coarse and my boots are thick†¦ generally I'm in a low lived bad way,† is a bleak outlook that comes from a young boy who has had his self-worth quashed unde r his sister's tyranny. It is of course this lack of self-esteem which is most harmful to Pip's development, forcing him to create the fantasy of reinvention that ultimately leads to his moral decline. However, we cannot forget that regardless of Mrs Joe's predominant influence, Joe, Pip's friend and father figure, is, to an extent, able to have a positive impact on Pip. Primarily, he is able to provide him with what little affirmation possible in such a cold household, establishing a solid friendship with his fellow sufferer, â€Å"We are ever the best of friends ain't us Pip? Furthermore, in terms of moral development, this â€Å"gentle Christian man† is able to instate in Pip the foundations of the values which he must ultimately return to in the peak of his moral decline. Joe the moral mentor, encourages Pip to develop the same goodness he himself possess, by teaching him number of vital lessons such as compassion through the quote â€Å"We don't know what it is you have done, but we wouldn't have you starve to death for it, poor fellow miserable creatur, – would us. ‘ and the importance of honesty through â€Å"(telling lies) ain't the way to get out of being common. Hence Joe is able to have some effect on Pip in his childhood years. Once exposed to the world of Satis house it is the influence of Miss Havisham and Estella that largely occupies his life during the ‘expectation' years. We see the manner in which Miss Havisham plays further on his lack of self-worth, using Estella to belittle him and â€Å"break his heart†; â€Å"He's a coarse and common labouring boy. † This lack of self-worth combines with the glamour of their lifestyle which mesmerizes Pip and leads him to create the fantasy of reinvention. It is the initial meeting at Satis house, therefore, that consequently sees Pip commence his deluded journey in the pursuit of false ideals. Estella also becomes a major contributor to this fantasy, as Pip is naively led on by her and is blinded by her beauty, failing to realize what truly lies beneath. Thus it could be said that Miss Havisham and Estella have a large part in negatively influencing Pip and fuelling his desire to become a ‘gentleman'. In contrast, we see that it is the male character Magwitch who initiates the moral redemption in Pip. Although initially Pip holds him with abhorrent disgust, as time moves on he is forced to under go a major reality check in assessing his idle and wasteful lifestyle. Magwitch is able to extract from Pip the core values he exhibited in his childhood years, in particular the quality of compassion. Towards the end of their relationship we have the declaration from Pip â€Å"May I be as true to you as you have been to me. † indicating the profound effect this common convict has had in returning Pip from the pretentious prig to the morally decent character we are able to respect. Wemmick and to a much lesser extent Jaggers are also able to provide examples of this compassion which help Pip towards his return to decency. During his reality check Pip is also provided with the unselfishness of Wemmick in his Walworth capacity. His caring of the age and the simple idealistic life he leads Pip to open his eyes to true gentility. In a much more ambiguous way we have Jaggers. The revelation of his secretive rescue of Estella from the criminal milieu provides Pip with a compassionate side of Jaggers not revealed before. These examples dramatically influence his development, encouraging his shift back to integrity. However, it is once more Joe who is able to most profoundly influence Pip, completing his moral redemption and providing him with the model of selflessness and compassion. Pip suffers from a mystery illness which is highly symbolic of a phase of personal disassembly, in which he questions himself and rebuilds his character. It is Joe who appears as the saviour, nursing him back to health and in the process teaching Pip that true gentility comes only with qualities such as humility, honesty and most importantly the ability to love and be loved. God bless this gentle Christian man,† is a defining moment in Pip's development as he is finally able to recognise Joe's nobility. Thus without doubt we are left to see that it is the male character Joe who has the most intense influence on Pip's character. It is clear to see therefore that it is instead although the female characters do have quite a detrimental effect on Pip's development, it is instead the male characters and lead by Joe who have the greatest influence. In particular these male characters have quite a substantial hand in helping Pip re-establish his moral decency and hence redeem himself in the eyes of the reader.

Current Event Review Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current Event Review - Article Example However, he believes that the federal and judicial agencies are corrupt in protecting the whistleblowers and, instead, allow the bureaucracy to avenge those who have blown the whistle. In fact, those who endorse the corrupt activities and are involved in its operations are promoted for their work. The prevailing conditions for whistleblowers are very discouraging for individuals with moral spirit to come forward and uncover corrupt activities. For those, who can gather enough strength to voice out the misconduct, the ineffective laws are bound to destroy their professional careers and, possibly, their lives too. They will either be forced to leave the organization, or face a low-profile transfer; they may even be disregarded, or ridiculed, and threatened by their colleagues. Even in the U.S., a nation that proudly boasts justice, equality and freedom of speech, the judicial agencies ensure that a whistleblower is punished for being morally strong and honest. These conditions, on the contrary, are very encouraging for institutions to commit crimes. With an ineffective system, businesses and institutions can be corrupt and easily get away with it. The business can be harsh on any employee who intends to or already has blown the whistle. However the extent to which this is possible is debatable since the article talks about federal bureaucracy benefiting from a federal judicial system. In the case of other businesses or institutions it would be important to see the interests of the judicial agency within a particular scenario and the benefits they can get from it. Nonetheless from an institutional point of view a whistleblower’s lifelong savings can be seized through a lawsuit while institutions can spend millions of dollars in a lawsuit. Unless the government agencies become honest and work for the greater interest of their people, whistleblowers will be forced to follow the system whether it is wrong or right. The government needs to

Listening carefully to the use of the female voice, research the Essay

Listening carefully to the use of the female voice, research the womans silence, articulateness, and her scream with regard to Carson and Choins claims about - Essay Example This is reflected in the new stories that we make up in our films and on television. However, this does not mean that these concepts can’t change. As the ideas surrounding the female voice have been explored by Hollywood during the course of its history, the female voice, and ideas about it, is seen to be undergoing a subtle shift, gradually acknowledging that the woman’s voice has greater strength than she has been given credit for or been permitted to use. To gain a greater understanding of the female voice, a brief history of the voice will be explored as foundation for discussion of current views which will be applied to specific films emerging from Hollywood either created or depicting different time periods. From very early history, women have been defined as a sort of sub-human who existed only on the margins of civilization yet strongly contained within this civilization. In discussing the role of women in ancient Greece, Anne Carson () illustrates how Alkaios uses the women’s voices around him to illustrate his isolation and exile. Alkaios writes that he is among the wolves, which are animals associated with the outlaw because they exist on the fringes of the community, living in the wild off of the leavings or extraneous elements of civilization. â€Å"Women, in the ancient view, share this territory spiritually and metaphorically in virtue of a ‘natural’ female affinity for all that is raw, formless and in need of the civilizing hand of man. So, for example, in the document cited by Aristotle that goes by the name of The Pythagorean Table of Opposites, we find the attributes curving, dark, secret, evil, ever-moving, not self-contained and lacking its own bounda ries aligned with Female and set over against straight, light, honest, good, stable, self-contained and firmly bounded on the Male side† (Carson: 124). Part of the origins

Money & Banking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Money & Banking - Assignment Example The name ‘Exeter’ will be more appreciated since it relates the business to the locality. In the instance that the success probability of the fish restaurant is higher than that of its failure, I would recommend that the sandwich restaurant is started instead. This is because in light of the discrepancy of the earnings, the partnership will still stand to gain from McExe. The fish restaurant Exeter is yet to break even as such, the viability of the business is pegged on an improvement of the marketing strategy; the 4 Ps of marketing. Without that the Bank’s proposal for the sandwich restaurant McExe seems to be the better option. In this instance I would recommend that the option since it is more viable than the previous two be given priority over the other two. It stands to profit them more than the fish and sandwich restaurant proposals. The Sushi restaurant should be owned by the Chef X since he has more earnings and as such stands as the ‘majority shareholder’. Consumption planning by the model (considering that a short term investment at date 1 is not available) they should focus on the model which has a higher return and so short term investment at date 0 with a return of r1 = 1 at date 1. This therefore, is the best model to use since it guarantees you a100% of earnings in the business. If I chose a long term investment today over a short term investment at date 0 (Yesterday) returns will be lower but being a long term investment, you can persist and hope for more gains in the future. This is because business is about risks; we risk to get a returns (Hellwig) Obviously if r2 is low at the moment agents will not invest it at date one because it is not promising. It will scare potential investors who agents are targeting to invest later. It will be a loss making investment to agents. They will not be exposed to fractuation in interst rates which can be brought by inflation,

Costco membership policy Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Costco membership policy - Term Paper Example One of the key strengths about the brand is the fact that the business has been established with one main goals which was to provide membership to most wholesale buyers. The crucial fact about the business is that is business model is unique. As such, the uniqueness in the business model is a key marketing point that the organization needs to center on. Although, there are few other warehouse clubs in the United States and elsewhere across the globe, evidently, Costco was one of the first and still remains one of the leading organizations in the field (Edleson, 2014). As such, uniqueness is a key selling point for the organization. Another major strength is the brand reputation. Currently, Costco is a key destination for shoppers with large families or people seeking to purchase products in bulk. With a superior reputation as is the case with the organization, it is evident that the marketing of the brand would be much easier. Costco is recurrently mentioned in movies and television programs and hence the proposition that most of the people already know about it. As such, the marketing plan needs not to center on introduction of the brand but rather should be emphatic on maintaining a good reputation about the organization. Although the brand being too big is a focal point of strength, it can also serve as a key weakness for the organization. Arguably, marketing a large brand is hectic. Additionally, it is also very pricey. As such, the budget for marketing such an organization is huge. Likewise, marketing an already reputable brand is a little complicated in that wrong marketing strategies would lead into destroying the brand as opposed to improving its reputation. As such, the marketing developed for this organization needs to be considered keenly and assessed. The marketing team needs to be experienced in handling large brands and marketing them effectively (Bowman & Gatignon, 2010). This weakness

Raising money and funding Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Raising money and funding - Assignment Example Financial steps to reduce chances of business failure include ensuring that the business maintains ploughed back profits, good relations with creditors and suppliers, as well as improving entrepreneurial skills (Feinleib, 2011). The factors outlined guard the new business from problems related to inadequate finances and expertise. In addition, a business plan may help foresee potential failure in business. A business plan is a statement that stipulates the business goals, an evaluation of internal and external business environments, and a plan on the means of attaining goals. The core elements of a complete business plan include the goals of the firm, its background information, means of achieving the goals, financial analysis, opportunities, and threats facing the firm, and the exit strategy (Feinleib, 2011). Sources of funding for business owners include personal savings, donations from family and friends, bank loans, as well as venture capital. The sources are mainly essential for new businesses as a preventive measure against failure. Because banks may not offer unsecured loans, effective strategies of securing funding include using equity funding where the firm offers to sell part of its value to investors who become shareholders to the firm. In addition, venture capital is preferred, in which case the venture capitalist firm owns part of the firm and shares in its profits upon providing startup

Macroeconomic Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Macroeconomic Policy - Essay Example Producers buy raw materials, machinery and equipment as well as stores and spare parts for machinery fro trading agencies and consumers buy practically all articles required for their daily use from traders. Goods are produced on a large scale in anticipation of demand. The markets for products are now spread over the length and breadth of the country and even extended to countries across the international borders. Hence direct sale of goods by the producers to the consumers is not possible. Without the help of traders and merchants engaged in trade it would be impossible for the system of large-scale production to continue. The trader involved in the actual operation of purchasing goods from producers and selling them to consumers. Traders and consumers are interdependent. Trade is of great significance for production as well as consumption of goods. It is through trade that goods produced at particular places are equitably distributed among users. With the help of trade goods are made available to consumers at the time of their need. It removes the hindrance of persons by bringing together producers and consumers who are widely scattered. Inflation rises due to many reasons. The reason might be political, economical or social that influences overall economy of the country. Economic protectionism also contributes to the rise in inflation. There are two types of economic protectionism. The first protection in trade is represented in establishing a system of rates and tariffs in favour of domestic production and discourages foreign imports. This kind of protection is desired to encourage establishment of industrial base by saving small and infant industries against the competition of larger and well-established firms in abroad. The second economic protectionism is a post world war -II phenomenon that is related to the proprietorship as businesses by foreign traders and investors. Multinational companies have been set up after world war-II due to immense investments of foreigners. Multinational companies thought that they could evade tariff restrictors by introducing their own branches plants and subsidiaries, which allowed them to go to markets, mobilise resources and capital and get favours with the government. These kinds of investments have created to the economic nationalism due to expansion of multinational companies. The foreign owned companies could not take central position over economic decisions from their head office from outside. The economists are compelled to demand for bringing out a legislation to oversee the activities and restrain the growth of foreign ownership. International trade brings rich dividends and imposing restrictions to such exchanges will hinder the further improvement and in realising the

Biological Personality Perspective by William Sheldon Essay Example for Free

Biological Personality Perspective by William Sheldon Essay According to William Sheldon, an American psychologist, personality of persons and their temperaments are developed according to the type of physical appearance the person has. Sheldon became to believe that there are three fundamental elements that contributed to person’s actual physique. He devoted his time trying to find the relationship between one’s physique and one’s character and personality. The process he underwent is examining photographs of various people, of various cultures and of various body types. He examined photographs by front, back and side views and generated information which he believes could determine one’s personality. After careful study, he generated the 3 body types which are: endomorphy, mesomorphy, and ectomorphy. According to Sheldon, those persons with endomorphic body are those with soft bodies, underdeveloped muscles, round-shaped and over-developed digestive system. It is said that persons with this type of body are usually tolerant, sociable, relaxed and has the need for affection. On the other hand, persons with mesomorphic body are those with hard, muscular body, overly mature appearance and usually are in upright posture. Characteristics associated with the person with this type of body are being adventurous, courageous, assertive, bold and has love for physical activities and risks. Persons with ectomorphic bodies are physically characterized by being thin, flat-chested, tall, lightly muscled and with delicate built. Usually they are self-conscious, introvert, artistic and emotionally restrained. Dissociative Disorder Reference: www.mayoclinic.com/health/dissociative-disorders/DS00574 Dissociative   disorder is a psychiatric condition in which the person chronically escape in involuntary, unhealthy ways ranging from suppressing memories to assuming alternate identities. (Mayo Clinic, 2007). For a normal person, we tend to daydream when we watch movies, imagining we are one of the characters and enjoy the escape from reality for a short while and as the movie comes to an end we slowly get back to reality. For a person with dissociative disorder, he gets totally lost in his imaginations and has difficulty snapping out from the situations running in his mind. Treatments of this mental disorder include psychotherapy, hypnosis and medications.

Media Is Responsible For Dumbing Down Society

Media Is Responsible For Dumbing Down Society Since becoming a prominent part of modern human society, the media has always been a source of controversy. In particular, the media has often been accused as playing a significant part in the so called dumbing-down of society. The term dumbing-down is used to describe the lack of a clear distinction between high culture and popular Pop culture in society today. While high culture were activities, usually relating to the classical arts, that were held in the highest regard by society in the past, and usually practiced by the rich upper-class, it has evolved to appeal to the masses now. Similarly, popular culture which are considered ephemeral and commercial, thus inferior to high culture have gone on to invade parts of our upper-class societies today. In this essay, I am going to investigate the blurring line between the differences in high and popular culture and use this as a pivot to critically assess the medias role in this phenomenon and ultimately determine if the media is inde ed responsible for the dumbing-down of society. Dumbing-down is believed to be present in many spheres of contemporary society, from the arts to even the quality of education that our generation are getting today. This is based on the premise that the Arts such as Theatre Productions and classical music have become more and more commercialised and overly-simplified in order to appeal to larger audiences. Similarly, the study of certain university courses ranging from Sociology to Media Studies and Animal Management have been labelled as inferior to the more traditional courses such as Law, Medicine and Politics. These so called Mickey Mouse degrees (which coincidentally were first made public by the media tabloids), coined by the then UK education minister Margaret Hodge were deemed to be less rigorous and thus unworthy of an actual University degree. Modern media itself is often criticised for putting ratings and audience popularity ahead of quality. Media institutions are run as businesses and are therefore more focused in creating productions that attract widespread interest and thereby maximise the chances of the sell rather than actual high quality productions. This can be seen through a number of examples, notably through news circulating productions such as Newspapers and News Broadcasting. The 1980s saw a sharp rise in the popularity of Tabloid Newspapers. Tabloids are based on the newspaper format seen in traditional Broadsheet Newspapers, but are smaller in size and feature exaggerated and often sensationalised stories. They often include much less hard news such as politics and global affairs to their Broadsheet counterparts, instead focusing on human interests and entertaining news stories (i.e. Celebrity Gossips, Scandals). There are also much fewer words and more pictures in a Tabloid than a Broadsheet. This form of junk food news is best described by researcher and writer Professor Bob Franklin in his book Newszak and News Media as being More bitesize McNugget journalism, which is small, tasty, bright coloured and easy to digest (Marr in Franklin, 1997: 5). Frankin came up with the term Newszak and asserted that there was a growing compulsion within British journalism to retreat from the publishing of hard news in favour of light hearted softer news. The popularity of tabloids has resulted in many broadsheet newspapers adopting numerous characteristics of tabloids. This is evident in UK newspapers such as The Independent, The Times and The Guardian who have switched to the more compact Berliner format used by most tabloid newspapers. Reasons given to this change include that it allows people who commute to easily hold and read it on public transports, and that smaller-sized newspapers would allow for easier reads for other readers as well. These changes have however been criticised by loyal broadsheet readers who have argued that the loss of the traditional broadsheet format have led to a loss in quality of the publishing of news. They reiterated that with Broadsheets adopting tabloid-like characteristics, there is slowly becoming less and less differences between the 2 types of Newspapers. In a 2007 interview with then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Blair commentated about the ongoing struggle in which Broadsheets and Tablo id face to gain readership by becoming more similar to one another. In his words Broadsheets today face the same pressures as tabloids; broadcasters increasingly the same pressures as broadsheets. The audience needs to be arrested, held and their emotions engaged. Something that is interesting is less powerful than something that makes you angry or shocked. (BBC News, 12 June 2007) While the tabloid-like changes that many broadsheets have undergone is a controversial topic even today, Tabloids have also evolved and have become even more tabloidized in recent years. In their study of the Tabloidization of British Tabloids, Rodrigo Uribe and Barrie Gunter discovered that the emergence of tabloids can be attributed to a dominance of soft and home stories. By analysing issues of The Sun and The Mirror that were published between the years 1991 and 2001, Uribe and Gunter learnt that tabloids themselves had become even more simplistic in recent years. They wrote that the amount of column space allocated for text had decreased substantially, whilst the size of space allocated for visuals and pictures had instead increased. (Uribe and Gunter, 2004: 399) Looking back at what I have learnt so far, I believe that when considering whether the media is indeed responsible for the dumbing-down of society, one has to look at the problem from two different perspectives. Yes, the media, owned by giant conglomerates aim to increase financial gain and therefore create products that are popular and sellable to their target audiences. However, one must also note that the reason broadsheets started adopting tabloid-like characteristics in the first place were partly due to the rising popularity of tabloids. In a highly competitive economic market as we have today, the media was simply responding to the ever growing demand for a particular product, in this case, tabloids; and therefore evolved its production of broadsheets to satisfy audience demand. It is therefore unfair to lay the blame solely on the Media when in this particular case; I believe that society is responsible for the dumbing-down of society. Broadcast media is another area within the media that is nowadays criticised as playing a role in the dumbing-down of society. News Broadcasting is often accused as being no longer truly informative and lacking the journalistic quality that was present in the past. With Broadcast Media prioritising audience and consumer ratings today, News Broadcastings are becoming more entertainment orientated, in that part of the appeal of watching the news nowadays is the entertainment value one gains from it rather than the traditional hard news journalistic approach seen in the past. This form of Infotainment, a term used to describe media programmes that combine information with entertainment is seen in numerous News Broadcasting Productions. Many have expressed concerns that the emergence of infotainment has led to an over exposure of soft news, news that often lack importance but are entertaining to audiences at an expense of actual important serious hard news. A clear example of this can be seen on a February 2004 edition of CNN News where the lead story was a feature of the Super Bowl XXXVIII incident in which Janet Jacksons breasts were exposed onstage. The story was then followed by the news of a chemical attack on a member of the US Senate. (Anderson B, 2004: 33) The basis of Infotainment is the assumption that viewers are no longer concern about the informative quality of such programmes but are rather driven to watch and consume something due to superficial reasons such as the entertainment that the programme provides or even by how visually attractive the product looks. The aesthetics of modern News programmes also serves as a means of entertaining viewers. News broadcastings nowadays contain expensive visuals, flashy animations and often elaborate filming sets. The use of such technology in modern news broadcasting allows for more contemporary looking visual presentations and thus attracts audience appeal. In a vastly competitive industry in which different Media Networks vie for control over audience viewership, the quality of presentation often plays an important part of the process. Networks which benefit from higher production values often score higher in viewership numbers and audience share. This would explain why the Big 4 televisi on networks in the US consisting of ABC, CBS, NBC and FOX have a significant edge over other smaller networks such as The CW Television Network. In terms of actual substance and quality, there is little difference between one News Channel to another; rather the difference in popularity is often determined by insignificant reasons. An excellent example that clearly illustrates the importance of infotainment in todays Media is the ongoing ratings/ popularity war between two of the most popular News Networks in the US, FOX News and CNN. Though the CNN News Network has had a longer and more illustrious history (est. 1980) compared to the FOX News Network (est. 1996), ratings for CNN has fallen in recent years whilst FOX has seen a steadily increase in audience viewership. In 2009, FOX News officially supplanted CNN to become the No 1 News Network in the US. FOXs ratings increase has been attributed to the fact that it provides opinion and personality-driven programming. FOX slanted views to favour the republican (conservative) party in the US is no secret. It is however ironic that a network that bills itself as Fair Balance, whose slogan happens to be We Report. You Decide does not provide impartial and balanced news reporting. The appeal of FOX News lies in the entertainment it provides for its audience. The ne ws that it broadcast is often colourful, and interesting to audiences. Unlike CNN that features a more global perspective on news stories, reminiscent to the more traditional broadsheet news format, FOX has been known to employ tabloid-like tactics to gain audience receptions and stir controversies. Whilst CNN is in no way a haven of quality and unbiased news reporting, there is a fine line between biased information presented in a fair and proper manner and that of a piece of pure synthesized propaganda (DuBach J 2005, Fox V. CNN: An Observational Comparison). An example in which FOX has deliberately created news-stirring controversy to further its political agenda can be seen in several news reports during the Obama Presidential Campaign in 2008, in which FOX News provided highly bias opinions against Obama and his campaign team, even going as far as to compare him to Joseph Stalin. News Reporters and Journalists are no longer detached personalities from the audience but are instead groomed to become popular and celebrity-like. Rather than employing real hard-line journalists and political analysts (McChesney R), News networks are more interested in hiring celebrity pontificators to provide news commentary as a cost cutting solution that also ensures maximum audience appeal. This is evident by the growing number of so called special guest experts that regularly provide their views on the news at hand. News Commentators such as Bill OReilly, Gleen Beck and Jerry Springer have gone from being news readers to become well respected and popular television personalities that hosts their own talk shows and are regularly watched by a loyal viewership. As a matter of fact, OReillys political commentary program titled The OReilly Factor that airs on FOX News was the most watched cable show between 2007 and 2008. Despite the level of media saturation and the wealth of info rmation we have at our disposal, it is still in the hands of each individual to decide whether consuming a particular media text is indeed beneficial. However, with audiences seemingly enjoying such a skewed and biased view on everyday news reporting, its no wonder that some people believe that the media is indeed responsible for the dumbing down of society. The belief that the media is responsible for the dumbing down of society is rooted in the fear that the audience lack the perception to tell what is right and what is wrong when consuming a media text, thus believing whatever the media projects. It is therefore important to understand the concept of Audience Reception in order to determine how media viewers interpret a particular media text differently from one another. The basis of Audience reception is the understanding that there are two different kinds of audiences; active and passive audience. Active Audiences are people who are not drawn to whatever the media tells them, who constantly filter out what they see in the media and possess the strength of mind to decide whether what they see in the media is true or not. In contrast, Passive Audiences are people who are vulnerable to the words of the media and are seemingly accepting of whatever the media tells them. The belief that the media has the ability to alter audience percept ion and in a way control the way we make decisions and live our lives is one that has existed for decades. The Hypodermic Needle Model, conceived in the 1940s was perhaps the earliest form in our attempts to understand audience reception. The model was based around the assumption that mass media (e.g. the radio and television) had a direct and often profound effect on its viewers. It was believed that the media was able to send messages directly to the viewer thus gaining some measure of control on the viewer. Today, the model is almost unanimously considered obsolete as it perceives all media consumers as passive audiences, and thus believes that the media has the same effect on all people. It perceives on the assumption that people were uniformly controlled by their biologically based instincts and that they react more or less uniformly to whatever stimuli came along (Lowery DefFleur, 1995: 400). More to the point, the hypodermic needle theory is an outdated Audience Reception model that however flawed, reflected the social situation during that time. In an era of political upheaval an d social unrest, fuelled by the World Wars, propaganda emerged as a form of communication utilized by nations to persuade the general public to unite behind the actions of their countries and allies alike. The power of propaganda was regarded as a powerful tool by many, with countries using propaganda to achieve many different aims, from enlisting more men to become soldiers to even attempting to promote public outrage. A more efficient audience reception model which does take both passive and active audiences into account is the Uses and Gratifications Model. Unlike the Hypodermic Needle Model that interpreted its findings based on what the media did to people, the Uses and Gratifications model took a different perspective by placing focus on the viewers instead of the media and basing its findings on what did people do with the Media. The Model was conceived in the 1970s by critical theorists Blumber and Katz, who originally used it to investigate the social and psychological needs of people. The model was based around a more consumer/ audience centred approach whereby it was believed that people consumed media as a form of satisfying their own individual needs. Rather than basing its study that all media viewers were passive audiences who are unable to resists the words of the media (as the hypodermic needle theory had suggested), the theory was based on the belief that the audience did in fact p lay an active part in choosing the type of media text that they were consuming based on their individual needs. The needs of individuals were varied and included but not limited to things such as gaining entertainment (diversion) from the text t or perhaps even gaining more of an insight into themselves (personal identity). Despite the consensus that the Uses and Gratification model is a far better representation of audience reception, compared to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, it has also been criticised by many who state that viewers nowadays do not have any means of control over what the media produces. In my opinion, I would actually argue with that statement, as I believe that the audience make educated choices on the type of media they consume. I believe that the types of medium that are produced today are developed specifically to satisfy the needs of people. Due to the different trends and genres that go in and out of fashion today, media companies create productions that the y know would attract a sizable audience market. Similar to how many Broadsheet Newspapers are adopting the more popular Tabloid-like format and the use of Infotainment in todays News Broadcasting Programmes, the media is simply responding to the audience preferences. In conclusion, I believe that although the media does play a part in the Dumbing down of society, it is not directly responsible for this, and is often conveniently made a scapegoat of the problem due to people take comfort in having someone or something to blame, in this case the media itself. Rather, I think that the media acts as a catalyst for the true culprit behind the degradation of society humans. The dumbing down of society is caused by us; modern people have grown lazy, becoming interested in trivial things and finding quality activities and productions a chore to do and consume. We prefer the simplifying of things as it makes it easier for us to understand and

Charlie Chaplin Essay -- Essays Papers

Charlie Chaplin Charlie Chaplin Charles Spencer Chaplin was born in Walworth, London on April 16, 1889. His parents, Charles and Hannah Chaplin were music hall performers in England, his father was quite well know in the profession. Charlie had one sibling, a brother named Sydney. At a very early age Charlie was told that someday he would be the most famous person in the world. Charlie first appeared onstage at the age of six as an unscheduled substitute for his mother. When his performance was over the audience was throwing money up onto the stage, they loved him, and he was on his way to being the most famous person in he world. Charlie had a very difficult childhood, by the time he had performed onstage for the first time his father had already left home permently. In June of 1896 C...

Analysis of the Enzyme Sucrase for Optimum Temperature, pH, and Concent

Analysis of the Enzyme Sucrase for Optimum Temperature, pH, and Concentration ABSTRACT Enzymes react differently under different conditions and concentrations, being the most productive at the enzymes specific optimum condition and concentration. The enzyme sucrase, extracted from yeast, breaks down the complex sugar sucrose into the simple sugar glucose. Testing for sucrase’s optimum environment, multiple reactions were ran using varying amounts and concentrations of sucrose and sucrase at different pHs and temperatures. The product was then treated with Benedicts solution to visually observe what amount of glucose was present after the reaction was ran; negative results being little to no glucose present and positive results being glucose present. The varying levels of colors created by the Benedicts test were recorded as 1 (negative) blue; 2 green; 3 yellow; 4 (positive) orange; and 5 (positive) red. After running the reactions to determine the optimum temperature and pH, 37 degrees Celsius was determined to be the optimum temperature while pH 2.0 was determi ned to be the optimum pH. This means that under these conditions the enzyme will help produce the most product from the substrate. After finding the optimum conditions the two different concentrations of sucrose were ran for ten minuets taking an initial sample and then subsequent samples every minuet, under those conditions, one concentration at 2.5% sucrose and again at 10% sucrose. The 10% sucrose had the most positive results because there were sufficient active sites to bind with most of the sucrose present producing glucose more efficiently than the 2.5% sucrose. As with the 2.5% sucrose all of the sucrose was bond to the active sites of sucrase and there were ... ...ty Benedict test results. One of these possibilities or some combination can lead to inaccurate optimum temperature and or pH, which in turn would through off the optimum concentration. Over all I feel that the most important part of the optimum environment is the pH because of the competitive inhibition caused by free protons in solution. WORKS CITED Halverson, K. M. and B. A., Barry. 2003. Sucrose and glycerol effects on photosystem 2. Biophysical Journal 85: 1317 Lawrence, S., M. K. Heidemann and D. O. Straney. 2006. Biological Sciences 111L Laboratory Manual. Hayden-McNeil Publishing, Inc., Plymouth Peluffo, D. R.. 2004. Effect of ADP on NA+-NA+ Exchange Reaction Kinetics of Na,K-ATPase. Biophysical Journal 87: 883 Shaevitz, J. W., S. M. Block, and M.J. Schnitzer. 2005. Statistical Kinetics of Macromolecular Dynamics. Biophysical Journal 89: 2277

Images, Symbols and Symbolism in Fahrenheit 451 :: Fahrenheit 451 Essays

Images and Symbols of Fahrenheit 451 Imagine a future in which all books are banned and censored in an attempt to keep the human race from thinking for themselves. Such a lifestyle is depicted in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. This frightening world is one in which people are controlled by the government in every way. A number of restrictions are placed upon the people of this society. One of which is the prohibition of the possession and/or reading of literature. The firemen of this time are paid not to protect citizens from the danger of fires, but to burn all books to ashes. One fireman, by the name of Montag is (opened up to the ways of a life)<THIS IS VAUGE BE MORE SPECIFIC> in which people read, think, and live freely. Bradbury uses poetic devices throughout the novel to paint vivid images. Two of these poetic IMAGES are the use of fire and water WHICH portray different meanings. Bradbury refers to fire and its purpose on a number of occasions. To the firemen, fire symbolizes purification through the burning of books. This is ironic since such an act usually denotes destruction. Captain Beatty, chief of the fire department, believes that "fire is bright and fire is clean."(60) This belief develops when he explains to Montag the reasoning behind burning books. The reader is at this time given an image of Beatty, his character, and his way of thinking. In one instance, the flames were used to cleanse the fire department of its evils by its elimination of the chief. In this case, "Montag shot one continuous pulse of liquid fire on [Beatty]" until "he was a shrieking blaze, a jumping, sprawling gibbering mannikin, no longer human or known, all writhing flame on the lawn."(119) A picture is created in the mind of the reader showing how Montag finally stands up for what he believes is right. Furthermore, when Montag set his own house ablaze, he undergoes an uncommon emotional experience in which he views the fire as a new starting point. The fire signifies Montag sterilizing his life by burning his house and "he felt himself gush out in the fire, snatch, rend, rip in half with flame, and put away the senseless problem."(116) This captures Montag in a stage of anger and frustration after his wife has left him and his chief is ready to arrest him.

Dreams in Death of a Salesman Essay

Dreams are part of any man’s nature. To dream is to live a life that you hope for yourself in the future. These dreams may or may not be achievable but will always drive people toward them. People may take these dreams seriously like Willy Loman; but to most people to achieve their dreams would be to achieve the impossible. Dreams can be very dangerous if they are the only driving forces behind a person’s life and lead them, not to hope but to want for things beyond their reach. This is the case in ‘Death of a Salesman’. The driving force behind Willy Loman throughout the Death of a Salesman, is the idea that he can achieve the â€Å"American Dream†. He wants to have the material things in life and to have the best of everything; he wants lots of money, a big house, and a loving family and, â€Å"To come out the number-one man†. He sees Ben as the epitome of success, he longs to be as successful as Ben or even as successful as Bernard, always asking â€Å"What’s the secret?† Instead of being discouraged from this by Linda she is tolerant of him, constantly backing down, right to the end. Even in his plans of suicide, she is scared to â€Å"contradict† him, instead replacing the rubber hose every evening when he comes home. Happy idolises his father and buys into the â€Å"American Dream†. Right until the end, he believes he actually is somebody. When Biff points out, â€Å"You’re one of the two assistants to the assistant† he still tries to convince himself of his importance. He is very like his father in his need for success, when he looks where there is no success he has to make it up. Both of them believe they have to lie to people to make themselves likeable. When Willy dies, instead of understanding how futile his dream is, Happy vows to fight on for Willy continuing his battle. Biff, however is less stubborn and prefers simple pleasures. He doesn’t want to be told how to live his life and doesn’t want to follow certain rules. He wants to be able to â€Å"whistle in the elevator†. He loves â€Å"The work and the food and the time to sit and smoke†. He doesn’t want to beg and crawl and make money he would only spend to beg and crawl less. However Willy doesn’t understand this and believes that Biff is simply, â€Å"A lazy bum†. He is sure that Biff could succeed in the city if he only tried. Both Willy and Happy feel they have to cover up Biff’s lack of success; Willy boasts to Bernard that Biff has being doing, â€Å"very big things in the West† and Happy in much the same way tells Stanley how Biff is a â€Å"big cattle man†. They wholly subscribe to the American Dream A major part of the play is the time that Willy spends living in the past – daydreaming and reminiscing. He is constantly revisiting the parts of his life that have shaped him to the person that he is. In this way the audience unravels the story of Biff’s childhood, Ben’s success and Willy’s affair with ‘The Woman’. This seems to be the part of his life he most regrets, as it is the time he revisits the most. At several moments throughout the play, ‘The Woman’s laughter is heard from offstage, usually at times that Willy sees what has become of his life, for example when he sees Linda mending her stockings. These flashbacks are played out to the audience like scenes in real life and often simultaneously – they are only indicated by the actions of the actors. During dream sequences, the actors pass through the boundaries of the walls as though acting on a completely different stage, but during sequences in the present the actors obey the imaginary lines of the walls, entering and leaving through the doors. This helps the audience to distinguish between times. Often during flashbacks a certain melody is heard on the flute – this is his father’s flute. Ben tells Willy about their father and how they used to sit around a fire and listen to their father play. Ben is idolised by Willy for his success and wealth but at the same time distrusted by Linda. She seems to be reserved in her affection for him as opposed to Willy who treats him as a hero the moment he walks through the door and she is disinterested when Willy reminisces about Ben years later. We don’t meet Ben in person at any time throughout the play, only through Willy’s dreams, so we are only aware of him through Willy’s estimation of him. Willy remembers him as a go-getter and a leader of men. He is shown to be motivated only by money as seen in his final conversation with Willy. He is not concerned with Willy’s wellbeing, only by the large sum of money he would gain from the insurance payoff, â€Å"twenty thousand – that is something one can feel with the hand† Linda is the only member of the Loman family that has no dreams, all she wants is for Willy to be safe and well and the boys to respect him. Happy’s farfetched idea of setting up business on their own carries even Biff away. Linda merely encourages. She is contented to live with Willy even if they have no garden or the car breaks down or the fridge fails. Arthur Miller seems to see her, not Ben, as the real hero of the play. This is reflected in the gentle respect he gives to her in his writing. This play is a strong message against the principle of the â€Å"American Dream†. Willy Loman is constantly striving to achieve the dream, but drives himself crazy. Biff seems to be the only character in the Loman family that is able to set himself aside from this dream, wanting only to be happy – his own man. Although I believe dreams to be an important, if not essential part of life, I also believe that contentment is far more important. If you cannot be happy with what you have, you cannot possibly hope to be happy with what you wish for. Willy Loman dreams of becoming a great man, dreams of the great man he was and dreams of the great man Biff can be, he just fails to realise that they are great men.

Intellectual and Cognitive Development

Understanding Child and Young Person Development Assignment 023 – Table 2 – Intellectual and Cognitive Development Explain the sequence and rate of development Age Range 0-3 Months Babies at this age are learning a lot about their parents they are beginning to recognise the sound of their voices, especially Mum's voice and smell, they may stop crying when Mums voice is heard. 3-6 Months Objects and toys become very interesting to babies at this time.Toys are explored with fingers and mouth. They are very alert. 6-9 Months Around this time babies will cry when their primary carer leaves the room but then around 8 or 9 moths learn that people and objects do not disappear but continue to exist even when they are out of sight. 1-2 Years At this time in their life they recognise routines throughout the day, babies may get excited when they see a familiar face or toy or when a bib is put on for feeding.They enjoy toys that they put things in to containers and out again, they may pull off hats and socks repeatedly. They also respond well to brothers and sisters. 2-4 Years Children begin to know what they like and play with the same games over and over again. They like pretend play games like drinking from an empty cup or dressing up in clothes of their hero's. 4-7 Years This is the age they gain load of confidence and co-ordination. They start school and learn to read, write and count they also do simple maths. -12 Years By this age children are well co-ordinated, the way children think and reason is reflected in their play, they are much more organised and focused. 12-16 Years Children of this age have learnt how to solve problems and have an understanding of reasoning. 16-19 Years Decisions have to be made at this tae of ones life, if to stay in education or to find a job. If leaving your familiar environment you have to embrace new settings, rules and people.

Gadget have destroyed communication among friends Essay

Nowadays, everyone has a smartphone, tablets, or any other kinds of mobile devices. And one of the most appealing traits of these devices is accelerating the dissemination of information and knowledge, which means you can grab any news you’re interested in anytime and anywhere. However, the mobile devices have also destroyed communication among our friends and family. For instance, when I went out with my friends and had a dinner with them, most of us just focused on the tiny little screens on our hands without talking to each other. Moreover, they chatted with each other via Facebook even when they just sat nearby. In other words, these mobile devices have not only improved the quality of communication, well†¦on the Internet, but also have destroyed communication among friends directly. Therefore, I think that we all need to figure out the original intentions that drives us want to use a smartphone, such as productivity improvement, joyfulness, or merely pursuit of vanity. No matter what the motivation it is, trying not to be obsessed with these gadgets is the most important thing to us. 3 THOUGHTS ON â€Å"SMARTPHONES AND TABLETS HAVE DESTROYED COMMUNICATION AMONG FRIENDS.† You’re right about this; it’s such a shame that people really don’t talk face-to-face anymore. I like to make a rule at family meals that we all put away the phones and gadgets for the time that we’re eating. It helps to make a shoebox or something that everyone can put their stuff in so everyone knows no one else is checking theirs. 😛 But, yeah, people have to learn again to ‘be with the people who are HERE,’ as the person who gave me the shoebox idea wrote on hers. Do you think we’ll ever see that personal communication come back, or have we gone too far already? Reply Well, in my personal opinion, people may think that the contents in the tiny little screens are much more interesting than everything we face in the real world. That’s the key of this issue. Unless we have noticed the seriousness of the problem by ourselves, just like your family dining rule, I think we have gone too far indeed. Thanks for your comments!! Reply Reblogged this on John-King.me and commented: Good post and raises a valid point that now people are so distracted by their

Embed Functional Skills in Your Specialist Are

Theory 5: Evaluate a range of ways to embed elements of functional skills in your specialist area. Functional skills, according to the definition by the Qualification and Curriculum Development Agency (www. qcda. gov. uk) are practical skills that people need in order to function in everyday life. These skills are practical skills in using the English language, Mathematics and Information and Communication technology (ICT) that will enable individuals with the essential knowledge, skills and understanding to perform confidently, effectively and independently to progress in their education training and employment.As an educator you should be able to embed these skills in the curriculum catered for the foundation levels and level 2 Diplomas and GCSE, and as a stand alone qualification by its own right. In general almost every subject provides an opportunity to improve on functional skills. In the subject area I have chosen, functional Mathematics are embedded by including various metho ds of calibrating measuring equipment, making actual measurements and calculations. In addition, accuracy, reliability, errors and by comparison to true values, functional Mathematics can be used to determine the level of skills for upper levels (Level 2).Functional English can be embedded by getting the students to collate all evidence in a meaningful way and present it orally to an audience or in a written form thereby giving an opportunity to gauge their skills in English. Embedding ICT can be achieved when using a computer to research and obtain material that is relevant which will give an indication to their ability to read and understand. The level of writing and ICT skills can be tested by getting them to produce a report using a word processor including all its inbuilt functions, such as Spell check, Grammar, Thesaurus, layout and Printing etc,.In addition, presenting data in a structured way using a spreadsheet and develop presentation skills by designing and presenting usi ng software such as PowerPoint. To have a meaningful impact on the learner, the curriculum should be designed so that it will encourage the use of all these skills in an integrated way where all skills are embedded within it.Bibliography: Gravells, Ann â€Å"Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector† Third Edition, 2008. Cowley, Sue â€Å"Guerilla Guide to Teaching† Second Edition, 2007. http://curriculum. qcda. gov. uk/key-stages-3-and-4/skills/functionalskills/index. aspx

Classical Art and Renaissance Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Classical Art and Renaissance - Term Paper Example The qualities of Romanesque art were presented in the construction of Basilica of Paray-le-Monial in France. Further, a perfect case of Gothic Art was employed in the construction of the Notre Dame Cathedral in French capital, Paris. Renaissance The expression Renaissance implies "rebirth." It began in Italy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and was upheld for more than three successive centuries. It signaled a period when urban areas became very common. The Renaissance society witnessed the resurfacing of traditional art and structural design of buildings. It led to the growth of renewed education of immense work from antique Greco Roman cultural heritage (King, 2003). The Renaissance era also spawned the best artistic and philosophical accomplishments of the West. Moreover, it illustrated the manner in which individuals perceived themselves in the general civilization compared to the classical period. Individualism assumed a remarkable role in the wake of the Renaissance era. Individuals in the Middle Ages looked upon themselves as comprising a ethnic segment of the society, relations or other all-encompassing demography. They never held the opinion that their individual accomplishments were of any importance until the Renaissance came to be. According to King (2003), throughout the twentieth century in the history of Italian society, individuals’ perceptions transformed as they appreciated their individual uniqueness. They gauged their individual characteristics, both strengths and weaknesses. The Renaissance encompassed Renaissance art, culture, and reorganization art. It is notable that a large percentage of the Renaissance art was during the sunset years of the... The expression Renaissance implies "rebirth." It began in Italy in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and was upheld for more than three successive centuries. It signaled a period when urban areas became very common. The Renaissance society witnessed the resurfacing of traditional art and structural design of buildings. It led to the growth of renewed education of immense work from antique Greco Roman cultural heritage. The Renaissance era also spawned the best artistic and philosophical accomplishments of the West. Moreover, it illustrated the manner in which individuals perceived themselves in the general civilization compared to the classical period. Individualism assumed a remarkable role in the wake of the Renaissance era. Individuals in the Middle Ages looked upon themselves as comprising an ethnic segment of the society, relations or other all-encompassing demography. They never held the opinion that their individual accomplishments were of any importance until the Renaissan ce came to be. According to King, throughout the twentieth century in the history of Italian society, individuals’ perceptions transformed as they appreciated their individual uniqueness. They gauged their individual characteristics, both strengths, and weaknesses. The Renaissance encompassed Renaissance art, culture, and reorganization art. It is notable that a large percentage of the Renaissance art was during the sunset years of the thirteenth century, through the early seventeenth century. Oil paint was mainly used by painters of the time.

Essey Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Essey - Essay Example Organisms in the soil contribute to the supply of fertilizer and the passages of air. Rains further nourish the plants with water and nitrogen. Organic farming has been gaining worldwide acceptance because of all these benefits. In contrast, chemicals gradually kill the soil organisms that add to their fertility and eventually render the land less productive, leading to lower yields and less food supply, and exposed to soil erosion whenever it rains. As of 2010, close to a billion people were reported as hungry, while many more live malnourished lives. There has been a growing demand for food supply which is propelled by a growing populations. Add to that scenario all the price increases in prime commodities, including vegetables, fruits, protein sources and we can easily understand what is meant by the urgency of finding effective and efficient ways of producing food supply. Chapter 1 of Worldwatch Institute report dwells on the statistics on malnutrition, rising prices, and the need for changes in food supply production and distribution. Another factor to consider is global warming. More powerful typhoons, hurricanes, and tornadoes brought about great destruction of properties in various parts of the world, while the Arctic and Antarctic Zones have been melting, and the effect was predicted to be a rise in the water level and floods. Many people have drowned as a result of unusual floods. Chapter 2 of Worldwatch Institute†™s book dealt with effects of climate change as a major reason for the implementation of ecoagriculture. warming while aiming to solve problems like hunger, poverty, malnutrition, and the growing demand for food worldwide. As community leader, a person can call on local farmers to provide them with an awareness of the need to change farming practices and the benefits of ecoagriculture. One of the recommendations of Worldwatch Institute (2011) is to plant â€Å"nitrogen fixing-fixing trees that enrich the soil for the

Virigina Henderson Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Virigina Henderson - Research Paper Example To facilitate patient care, the paper employs Virginia Henderson’s nursing theory as a profession. The theory of Henderson is significant in nursing profession and it states that nursing is rooted from the needs of human beings (Sitzman and Eichelberger, 2010). This theory is relevant to the personal philosophy of nursing practices because it deals with the role of nursing practice of helping patients to restore or improve their health. The purpose of the research project is to draw one’s attention into the subject of nursing philosophy thoughtfully in order to create awareness of the significance of nursing education. Personal Philosophy The personal philosophy of nursing is to promote the well-being of patients and facilitating patient care; thus improving the quality of life of human beings. The professional values and characteristics that are reflected in the personal philosophy are personal values which should play significant roles in the professionalization of nu rsing with an aim of improving the quality of patients. Therefore, one of the qualities reflected in the personal philosophy is nursing philosophy of superior leadership, which guides one’s actions, behaviors and thoughts; thus, these philosophies are influenced by internal and external forces. One can change who he or she is by simply changing his or her philosophy of leadership with an aim of delivering the best quality of services within the nursing spectrum. The major meta-paradigm concept of nursing as it is incorporated in the personal philosophy involves person, environment, health and nursing practices. First, the concept of the personal philosophy describes a person as an individual and a community who receives health care; thus, their needs should be met. Secondly, it takes into considerations the surrounding environment and this is where the concept emphasizes the need to keep the environment clean and safe in order to improve the health status of human beings. Thi rdly, the concept also focuses the health issues and this is where it emphasizes on the need for maintaining a healthy living through educating the public on the importance of living a healthy life. Lastly, the concept focuses on nursing practices of facilitating a patient care and improving the well-being of patients through proper treatment; thus improving the quality of human beings. Nursing Theorist Nursing care takes varied forms and sometimes it is the function of the nurse to offer proper medication in order to enable the patient to feel physically well. It is also the ability to improve or maintain the health of an individual or perform varied activities that contributes to the health of an individual. For many decades, nurses have made significant efforts of defining nursing; thus from these efforts, varied nursing theories have been developed. One of the nursing theorists is that one which was developed by Virginia Henderson who was also named as Florence Nightingale, the first nursing theorists to note that nursing knowledge is separate and distinctive from therapeutic knowledge (George, 2011). Virginia Henderson’s Nursing theory focused on offering fresh air, proper nutrition, light, maintaining cleanliness in the surrounding environment. In this theory, the domain of nursing describes the subject of nursing profession, concepts, its values and beliefs, as well as, offers the means through which the nurses can promote the health of clients across the spectrum. The maj

Celtic Rock Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Celtic Rock - Essay Example While possibly a sub-genre of rock, and of straight forward Celtic music, the now bubbling genre of Celtic music cannot be ignored any longer. Often called Celtic punk, or even Irish or Irish punk, it is a sound among itself. The first band to mix these the music and sound of rock with the traditional instrumentation of Ireland and Celtic origin was the Pogues. Playing through the 1980s and the 1990s, the Pogues mixed the edge of rock and roll and the developing punk scene with tin whistles, accordions, and other traditional instrument. Unfortunately, the Pogues broke up in 1996. After many different line up changes, the Pogues started playing together again in 2001. The Pogues have released 14 albums to the day, including various EPs and â€Å"Best of† Albums(The Pogues). One of their hit songs, â€Å"Fairytale of New York† reached number 2 on the UK billboard charts in 1987, brining the Pogues to huge fame. After the breaking up of the Pogues, the door was opened for other such bands to come in their place. One such band was the Dropkick Murphys. Formed in the working class neighborhoods of Boston, the Murphys blended the same rock with Celtic music the Pogues had done earlier. Currently, the Drop Kick Murphys have release 5 studio albums, and have become famous for their St. Patrick Day shows ever year in Boston(The Dropkick Murphys). On the other coast of America, the seeds for Flogging Molly was being sown. Most date the band to 1997 with the release of "Alive Behind the Green Door"(a live album recorded in the bar where the band started), but Flogging Molly had been playing gigs every Monday night at Molly Malone's prior to that. Formed by Dave King, an Irish immigrant to American, the band mixed the traditional Irish sound with drums, electric guitar and bass. Asked about the band, singer Dave King says that ""If it didn't have mandolin, accordion, fiddle and whistle, it would be punk-rock, and if it didn't have guitar, bass and drums, it would be traditional Irish music. But it has both."(Flogging Molly Reviews). This statement shows the combining factor of the band musically. Starting with the 200 release of "Swagger", Flogging Molly started to bring their unique mix of music out of California. With a 4 year gig on the Warped Tour, Flogging Molly spread its seeds the way bands should, with constant and constant touring. Flogging Molly is still touring worldwide, and is expecting to release another album next spring. Flogging Molly has released, 5 studio efforts. 2000's Swagger, 2002's Drunken Lullabies, 2004's Within a Mile of Home(debuted at 24 on the billboard charts), and 2006's DVD/CD Documentary Whiskey on a Sunday (Flogging Molly). The most recent effort, Whiskey on a Sunday, is a DVD documentary into the formation and personal lives of the band. It really gives a homegrown feeling to the band, connecting all the fans with the band on a very personal level. It is this in separation of band from fan that makes Flogging Molly not only an amazing live act, but amazing people as well. The DVD also comes with a CD soundtrack, containing newly recorded acoustic tracks and live tracks. Flogging Molly is just wrapping up the SideoneDummy/Fuse College Tour, which brought them around the country with fellow label mates Zox and Bedouin Sound clash. Selling out all over the place, this tour is just another one of the measures that shows Flogging Molly's success. If the success of these bands is anything to judge, the overdone and the three piece basic band are over. People want something more, something much more fun and entertaining. Celtic Rock gives this to people, by giving them hard hitting fast paced rock, mixed with the dancing and jigging of Celtic melodies. Celtic Rock may be a new thing for some people, but for those who have seen Flogging Molly, Celtic Rock is as real as anything, and quite amazing

Starbucks Case Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Starbucks Case - Essay Example Starbuck has been seen using the Horizontal Integration variable in many of their strategic acquisition, joint undertakings, and partnerships. The use of Vertical Integration constituted one of the key success factors for the success of the firm. The company has integrated backwards in opening many coffee roasting plants; and in the same way, integrated forward in controlling the distribution chain of its products. Such segmentation variables enhanced the growth of the company form a simple shop in Pikes Place Market in Seattle to an international company with sales turnover of more than $2.1 Billion. It has acquired market in more than thirty countries for the past 21 years. The success of the Starbucks can be attributed to their name branding. In addition, getting in contract with TAZO tea and Albertsons, and introducing new products into the market greatly contributed to its growth (â€Å"Starbucks: Just who Is..†). The Starbucks brand experience has changed over the time. Customers now see Starbucks as a place to grab a quick cup of coffee with them to their office. The customer behavior has changed a lot for the recent years. The Starbucks has utilized the principles of market targeting in order to keep up with the changing consumer preferences. Such changes evolved within the firm constituted for a change in the Starbucks experience. The brand experience is the ‘soul’ of a firm in its successful operation. Besides, the firm’s willingness to be a part of a social setting also plays an important role in its operation. On the other hand, some of Starbucks customers have changed over the time; because they might not be feelin g quite comfortable with the new strategies of target marketing. And they might not be feeling quiet good about paying heavy prices for the new Starbucks experience. The Starbucks accomplished

Investigation of the effect of the balanced scorecard on the Dissertation

Investigation of the effect of the balanced scorecard on the performance of the for profit organisations - Dissertation Example The researcher states that it is important to first understand and comprehend the basic concept of balanced scorecard before investigating its impact on the performance of the organisations. The balanced scorecard provides a new and changed approach towards the management of the performance of the organisation. It is important to manage, monitor, and control the organisational performance in order to make sure that the organisation is able to accomplish the objectives, vision, and mission defined by the top management. There have been several research studies in order to understand the implementation of the balanced scorecard in effective and efficient manner. The research study will be beneficial for the business analysts and organisations who are looking for the methods and techniques for successful implementation of the balanced scorecard strategic tool in order to manage the overall performance. The method of balanced scorecard allows the organisation in the process of identifyin g the issues with the previous strategic management tools being used and provides the organisation with clear definition of the objects and elements which should be measured and monitored. This in turn allows the organisation to accomplish the main financial objectives. The main motivation or encouragement behind the research study is to explore the effectiveness of the balanced scorecard in the process of increasing the overall performance and profits of the organisation. The approach of balanced scorecard has been gaining rapid popularity and is being used by several organisations as a strategic management tool.... The approach of balanced scorecard has been gaining rapid popularity and is being used by several organisations as a strategic management tool (Geuser, Mooraj, and Oyon, 2009). Hence, it is important to understand the factors which influence the successful implementation of the balanced scorecard. In this way, organisations will be able to use the balanced scorecard in effective and efficient manner and will avoid any pitfalls and negative implications. 1.5. Aim and Objectives of the Research Study: The main aim behind this research study is: ‘to explore the effect of the balanced scorecard on the performance of the for profit organisations’. The objectives which will be tried to fulfill by the research study are as follow: To explore the advantages and benefits of balanced scorecard for the organisations. To investigate the relationship between the implementation of the balanced scorecard and the performance of the organisation. To identify the differences in the perfor mance of the organisation which have implemented balanced scorecard and the performance of the organisation which have not implemented balanced scorecard. 2. LITERATURE REVIEW: 2.1. Overview of Balanced Scorecard: A balanced scorecard is a tool utilised in an organisation to integrate their objectives, strategy and performance. This tool is unique as it can be used as a performance-measurement system, a strategic management system and a communication system. A balanced scorecard integrates each business activity of an organisation with its organisational strategy, and assesses the performance of each business activity in achieving a strategic goal (Cardinaels, Paula, and Veen-Dirks, 2010). This in term helps the

Ethical issue in Costa Coffee Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethical issue in Costa Coffee - Research Paper Example Costa Coffee, one such profitable venture by Whitbread (PRATLEY, 2011).To understand the ethical issue affecting Costa Coffee, it is first imperative to look into detail into the ethical issues that affect the coffee industry in general. The coffee retailing industry is haunted by what is known as the coffee paradox. Coffee production for the larger part takes place in developing countries. According to statistics, 90 percent of the world’s coffee production takes place in developing countries, the leading coffee producers being Vietnam, Brazil and Columbia (BUSINESS INSIDER). However, the world’s greatest coffee consumption takes place in industrialized and developed countries like the United States of America and the United Kingdom. This gives rise to a situation what Benoit Daviron and Stefano Ponte call the coffee paradox. The coffee paradox refers to the existence of a coffee crisis in the countries that produce it, and a coffee boom in the countries that consume i t (DAVIRON, 2005). Low wages, poor living standards and poor infrastructure is a regular feature of countries that supply the world with a commodity with a high demand. The producers get low prices, while the same coffee is sold at a substantially higher price. To offset the negative impact of the coffee crisis, coffee retailing firms consider it a part of their business ethics to employ measures that ensures prosperity for the producers of coffee in the developing countries as well. According to Geoff Riley, it is fair-trade that has helped in reducing the widening gap between the producer and consumer prices in the coffee industry (RILEY). Coffee production in the international market is increasingly pressurized by social activists to abide by fair-trade regulations. Fair-trade refers to the social movement whereby producers in developing countries are encouraged to trade their produce at terms that favor their own economy. Another feature of fair-trade is encouraging sustainabili ty in order to conserve resources for the generations to come. In the field of coffee productions, fair-trade coffee refers to coffee selling companies that comply with the standards of sustainable coffee production and distribution. Companies certified as fair-trade coffee retailers may charge a slightly higher price than those coffee retailers who do not comply with fair-trade regulations. According to the ethical consumer’s guide, Costa Coffee has been rated at 9.5 on a scale of 20, while Starbucks, its direct competitor has been rated at 6.5. The ratings give an insight of the top (SHOPPING GUIDE TO COFFEE SHOPS). (2)Produce a report about how that company could improve the ethics of its operations while meeting its objectives and making sure there are good employer/employee relations Costa Coffee does not abide by the fair-trade standards, however, the company can look into alternative ways of fulfilling its objectives as well as improving the ethics of their business op eration. The issue of Costa Coffee’s commitment to its business ethics however is not as simple as whether the company chooses to abide by the laws of fair-trade coffee. While consumers all over the world recognize the fair-trade logo as synonymous to ethical business operation, Costa Coffee has adopted a different, yet less known approach to responsible and sustainable coffee distribution (WELCH, 2011). Costa coffee reportedly joined the Rainforest Alliance in 2008, an ethical trading body

Proof reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Proof reading - Essay Example Unlike the hieroglyphics of the Egyptians, Aegean writing is not considered an art but was considered to be a craft that very few specialize during their time. The origins were blurry except for signs of Prepalatial Period influences. It also did not contain definite developments between periods found in the Aegean. Original scripts are found in ‘First Palace Period Crete’ and they are with preceding documents in written form. In Crete, the development of writing was highly necessary because of the need for recording and storying the commodities. However, this idea came from the East although it â€Å"does not characterize a completely imitative demonstration† (Dickinson, p.193). Crete writing shows no signs of its origins deriving from the Eastern civilizations which had early proofs of writing in their culture. It is regarded as inherent invention in the local level. Crete’s clay documents were sun-dried while Eastern people bake their documents. Some believe that some records were written in perishable material such as papyrus or parchment. However, the evidence was not strong enough to prove it as fact. This leaves question regarding the usage and the contents of the materials. The artifacts contained what are perceived to be records regarding commodities and other unclear matters that the era imposed. In many signs of writing, the hieroglyphics, which was the earliest script found in writing, is known to be of north Crete particularly Mallia (Dickinson p.193-194). Linear A which evolved from hieroglyphics found in Phylakopi and Ayia Irini as tablets fragments and also in Akrotiri, Kastri and Ayios Stephano. This had tremendous influence on the sc ripts found in Cyprus that later on evolved into another level of writing known as Linear B. During The Third Palace Period, Linear B seems to be a developed version of those found at Knossos. Linear B was not only the development of writing

Fast Food vs Organic Essay Example for Free

Fast Food vs Organic Essay Have you ever sat and back and wondered why there are so many obese people in the U. S.? You would think that with all of the buzz about organic foods that we have available, that we would slowly be getting better with our weight as a country. Unfortunately the reality of the situation is organic food are expensive and with the way the economy is today many people are working on a budget and simply cannot afford to splurge on the organic items. So now that we know that lets look at the second half of that equation, Fast Food! Now as much as people criticize the fast food industry it’s convenient and like the name says fast. Now days most people do not want to come home after a long, hard day of work and slave over the stove to cook a hot meal for their family. However what they don’t realize is how much that food is poisoning us. Take McDonalds for example, it has been brought to the public’s attention just what goes on when they are making their food. The food looks like food that you would make in your kitchen, but it is actually manufactured. French fries use to be made by potatoes peeled in the back room and cut into strips. Today they are made in large factories, frozen and processed. Some of the ingredients are very fatty. Even though they have said that they â€Å"were† injecting the chicken nuggets with a pink dye, people are still running to the franchise for their food. I am not judging anyone by any means just stating my observations. Now if you think about it most families probably spend about $100 a week on fast food. Why would so people spend so much money on fast food you ask? Its simple its easy, and its convenient and inexpensive. Compared to other foods its something that working people and ordinary people can go out and enjoy. The design of a fast food restaurant is very well thought out. We form our eating habits as children so they try to nurture clients as youngsters. Its very important that the fast food companies make sure that their fast food meals for children are healthier. In contrast the benefits of eating organic foods are great and if you can afford them should definitely take advantage of them. The are good for both the earth and the environment. The animals are living stress-free, free-grazing on the land and not being manufactured in deplorable living conditions. Organic farmers use less energy, less water resources, and NO pesticides. Organic farmers’ soil stays rich in content, moisture and nutrients due to careful management of land and using only natural organic matter to grow their crops. When industrialized agriculture arrives in farming communities, many farmers are forced out of business. Each month dozens of new pesticides, show up in local supermarkets and stores. Because they are advertised heavily are purchased and used and thus the destruction of the earth continues slow and steady. Organic farmers, live cleanly. Free of pesticides and toxins.

Design of Spatial Decoupling Scheme

Design of Spatial Decoupling Scheme Design of Spatial Decoupling Scheme using Singular Value Decomposition for Multi-User Systems Abstract In this paper, we present the use of a polynomial singular value decomposition (PSVD) algorithm to examine a spatial decoupling based block transmission design for multiuser systems. This algorithm facilitates joint and optimal decomposition of matrices arising inherently in multiuser systems. Spatial decoupling allows complex multichannel problems of suitable dimensionality to be spectrally diagonalized by computing a reduced-order memoryless matrix through the use of the coordinated transmit precoding and receiver equalization matrices. A primary application of spatial decoupling based system can be useful in discrete multitone (DMT) systems to combat the induced crosstalk interference, as well as in OFDM with intersymbol interference. We present here simulation-based performance analysis results to justify the use of PSVD for the proposed algorithm. Index Terms-polynomial singular value decomposition, paraunitary systems, MIMO system. INTRODUCTION Block transmission based systems allows parallel, ideally noninterfering, virtual communication channels between multiuser channels. Minimally spatial decoupling channels are needed whenever more than two transmitting channels are communicate simultaneously. The channel of our interest here, is the multiple input multiple output channels, consisting of multiple MIMO capable source terminals and multiple capable destinations. This scenario arises, obviously, in multi-user channels. Since certain phases of relaying involves broadcasting, it also appears in MIMO relaying contexts. The phrase MIMO broadcast channel is frequently used in a loose sense in the literature, to include point-to-multipoint unicast (i.e. private) channels carrying different messages from a single source to each of the multiple destinations (e.g. in multi-user MIMO). Its use in this paper is more specific, and denotes the presence of at least one common virtual broadcast channel from the source to the destinations. The use of iterative and non-iterative spatial decoupling techniques in multiuser systems to achieve independent channels has been investigated, for instance in [1]-[9]. Their use for MIMO broadcasting, which requires common multipoint-to-multipoint MIMO channels is not much attractive, given the fact that the total number of private and common channels is limited by the number of antennas the source has. Wherever each receiver of a broadcast channel conveys what it receives orthogonally to the same destination, as in the case of pre-and post-processing block transmission, the whole system can be envisaged as a single point-to-point MIMO channel. Block transmission techniques have been demonstrated for point-to-point MIMO channels to benefit the system complexities. Other advantages includes: (i) channel interference is removed by creating $K$ independent subchannels; (ii) paraunitarity of precoder allows to control transmit power; (iii) paraunitarity of equalizer does not amplify the channel noise; (iv) spatial redundancy can be achieved by discarding the weakest subchannels. Though the technique outperform the conventional signal coding but had its own demerits.   Amongst many, it shown in cite{Ta2005,Ta2007} that an appropriate additional amount of additive samples  still require individual processing, e.g. per- tone equalisation, to remove ISI, and   the receiver does not exploit the case of structured noise. However, the choice of optimal relay gains, although known for certain cases (e.g. [10], [11]), is not straightforward with this approach. Since the individual equalization have no non-iterative means of decoding the signals, this approach cannot be used with decode-and-forward (DF), and code-and-forward (CF) relay processing schemes. The use of zero-forcing at the destination has been examined [12], [13] as a mean of coordinated beamforming, since it does not require transmitter processing. The scheme scales to any number of destinations, but requires each destination to have no less antennas than the source. Although not used as commonly as the singular value decomposition (SVD), generalized singular value decomposition (GSVD) [14, Thm. 8.7.4] is not unheard of in the wireless literature. It has been used in multi-user MIMO transmission [15], [16], MIMO secrecy communication [17], [18], and MIMO relaying [19]. Reference [19] uses GSVD in dual-hop AF relaying with arbitrary number of relays. Since it employs zero-forcing at the relay for the forward channel, its use of GSVD appears almost similar to the use of SVD in [1]. Despite GSVD being the natural generalization of SVD for two matrices, we are yet to see in the literature, a generalization of SVD-based beamforming to GSVD-based beamforming. Although the purpose and the use is somewhat different, the reference [17, p.1] appears to be the first to hint the possible use of GSVD for beamforming. In present work, we illustrate how GSVD can be used for coordinated beamforming in source-to-2 destination MIMO broadcasting; thus in AF, DF and CF MIMO relaying. We also present comparative, simulation-based performance analysis results to justify GSVD-based beamforming. The paper is organized as follows: Section II presents the mathematical framework, highlighting how and under which constraints GSVD can be used for beamforming. Section III examines how GSVD-based beamforming can be applied in certain simple MIMO and MIMO relaying configurations. Performance analysis is conducted in section IV on one of these applications. Section V concludes with some final remarks. Notations: Given a matrix A and a vector v, (i) A(i, j)  gives the ith element on the jth column of A; (ii) v(i)  {ˆ y1 }R(r+1,r+s) = ˜Π£{x }R(r+1,r+s) + _ UHn1 _ R(r+1,r+s) ,   {ˆ y2 }R(pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+1,pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+s) = ˜Άº{x }R(r+1,r+s) + _ VHn2 _ R(pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+1,pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+s) , {ˆ y1 }R(1,r) = {x }R(1,r) + _ UHn1 _ R(1,r) , {ˆ y2 }R(pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+s+1,p) = {x }R(r+s+1,t) + _ VHn2 _ R(pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r+s+1,p) . (1)  gives the element of v at the ith position. {A}R(n) and  {A}C(n) denote the sub-matrices consisting respectively of the  first n rows, and the first n columns of A. Let {A}R(m,n)  denote the sub-matrix consisting of the rows m through n  of A. The expression A = diag (a1, . . . , an) indicates that  A is rectangular diagonal; and that first n elements on its  main diagonal are a1, . . . , an. rank (A) gives the rank of  A. The operators ( à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ » )H, and ( à £Ã†â€™Ã‚ »)à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 denote respectively the  conjugate transpose and the matrix inversion. C mÃÆ'-n is the  space spanned by mÃÆ'-n matrices containing possibly complex  elements. The channel between the wireless terminals T1 and  T2 in a MIMO system is designated T1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢T2.   II. MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORK Let us examine GSVD to see how it can be used for  beamforming. There are two major variants of GSVD in the  literature (e.g. [20] vs. [21]). We use them both here to  elaborate the notion of GSVD-based beamforming. A. GSVD Van Loan definition Let us first look at GSVD as initially proposed by Van Loan [20, Thm. 2]. Definition 1: Consider two matrices, H à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-n with  m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n, and G à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-n, having the same number n of  columns. Let q = min (p, n). H and G can be jointly  decomposed as H = UÃŽÂ £Q, G = VΆºQ (2) where (i) U à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-m,V à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-p are unitary, (ii) Q à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  C nÃÆ'-n non-singular, and (iii) ÃŽÂ £= diag (à Ã†â€™1, . . . , à Ã†â€™n) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  C mÃÆ'-n, à Ã†â€™i à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0; Άº= diag (ÃŽÂ »1, . . . , ÃŽÂ »q) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-n, ÃŽÂ »i à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0. As a crude example, suppose that G and H above represent  channel matrices of MIMO subsystems S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D1 and S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D2  having a common source S. Assume perfect channel-stateinformation  (CSI) on G and H at all S,D1, and D2. With  a transmit precoding matrix Qà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1, and receiver reconstruction  matrices UH,VH we get q non-interfering virtual broadcast channels. The invertible factor Q in (2) facilitates jointprecoding  for the MIMO subsystems; while the factors U,V   allow receiver reconstruction without noise enhancement. Diagonal  elements 1 through q of ÃŽÂ £,Άºrepresent the gains  of these virtual channels. Since Q is non-unitary, precoding  would cause the instantaneous transmit power to fluctuate. This is a drawback not present in SVD-based beamforming. Transmit signal should be normalized to maintain the average  total transmit power at the desired level. This is the essence of GSVD-based beamforming for  a single source and two destinations. As would be shown  in Section III, this three-terminal configuration appears in  various MIMO subsystems making GSVD-based beamforming  applicable. B. GSVD Paige and Saunders definition Before moving on to applications, let us appreciate GSVDbased  beamforming in a more general sense, through another  form of GSVD proposed by Paige and Saunders [21, (3.1)]. This version of GSVD relaxes the constraint m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n present  in (2). Definition 2: Consider two matrices, H à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-n and  G à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-n, having the same number n of columns. Let CH = _ HH,GH _ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C nÃÆ'-(m+p), t = rank(C), r = t à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢rank (G) and s = rank(H) + rank (G) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t. H and G can be jointly decomposed as H = U (ÃŽÂ £ 01 )Q = UÃŽÂ £{Q}R(t) , G = V (Άº 02 )Q = VΆº{Q}R(t) , (3) where (i) U à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-m,V à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-p are unitary, (ii) Q à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C nÃÆ'-n non-singular, (iii) 01 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-(nà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t), 02 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  C pÃÆ'-(nà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t) zero matrices, and (iv) ÃŽÂ £Ãƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-t,ΆºÃƒ ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  C pÃÆ'-t have structures ÃŽÂ £_ à ¢Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ º à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  IH ˜Π£ 0H à ¢Ã… ½Ã… ¾ à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚   and Άº_ à ¢Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ º à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  0G ˜Άº IG à ¢Ã… ½Ã… ¾ à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  . IH à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C rÃÆ'-r and IG à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C (tà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢rà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s)ÃÆ'-(tà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢rà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s) are identity  matrices. 0H à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C (mà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢rà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s)ÃÆ'-(tà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢rà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s), and 0G à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  C (pà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢t+r)ÃÆ'-r are zero matrices possibly having no  rows or no columns. ˜Π£= diag (à Ã†â€™1, . . . , à Ã†â€™s) ,˜Άº= diag (ÃŽÂ »1, . . . , ÃŽÂ »s) à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C sÃÆ'-s such that 1 > à Ã†â€™1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥. . . à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ à Ã†â€™s > 0, and à Ã†â€™2 i + ÃŽÂ »2i = 1 for i à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  {1, . . . , s}. Let us examine (3) in the MIMO context. It is not difficult  to see that a common transmit precoding matrix _ Qà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 _ C(t) and receiver reconstruction matrices UH,VH would jointly  diagonalize the channels represented by H and G.  For broadcasting, only the columns (r+1) through (r +s)  of ÃŽÂ £and Άºare of interest. Nevertheless, other (t à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢s)  columns, when they are present, may be used by the source  S to privately communicate with the destinations D1 and configuration # common channels # private channels S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ {D1,D2} S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D1 S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D2 m > n,p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤n p n à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢p 0 m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤n, p > n m 0 n à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢m m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n, p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n n 0 0 m + p à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢n n à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢p n à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢m (m + p) > n n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥(m + p) 0 m p TABLE I NUMBERS OF COMMON CHANNELS AND PRIVATE CHANNELS FOR  DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS D2. It is worthwhile to compare this fact with [22], and  appreciate the similarity and the conflicting objectives GSVDbased  beamforming for broadcasting has with MIMO secrecy  communication. Thus we can get ˆ y1 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C mÃÆ'-1, ˆ y2 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C pÃÆ'-1 as in (1) at  the detector input, when x à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C tÃÆ'-1 is the symbol vector  transmitted. It can also be observed from (1) that the private  channels always have unit gains; while the gains of common  channels are smaller. Since, à Ã†â€™is are in descending order, while the ÃŽÂ »is ascend  with i, selecting a subset of the available s broadcast channels  (say k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤s channels) is somewhat challenging. This highlights  the need to further our intuition on GSVD. C. GSVD-based beamforming Any two MIMO subsystems having a common source  and channel matrices H and G can be effectively reduced,  depending on their ranks, to a set of common (broadcast) and  private (unicast) virtual channels. The requirement for having  common channels is rank (H) + rank (G) > rank (C) where C = _ HH,GH _ H. When the matrices have full rank, which is the case with  most MIMO channels (key-hole channels being an exception),  this requirement boils down to having m +p > n . Table I  indicates how the numbers of common channels and private  channels vary in full-rank MIMO channels. It can be noted  that the cases (m > n,p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤n) and (m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n, p à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥n)  correspond to the form of GSVD discussed in the Subsection II-A. Further, the case n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥(m + p) which produces only  private channels with unit gains, can be seen identical to zero  forcing at the transmitter. Thus, GSVD-based beamforming is  also a generalization of zero-forcing. Based on Table I, it can be concluded that the full-rank  min (n,m + p) of the combined channel always gets split  between the common and private channels. D. MATLAB implementation A general discussion on the computation of GSVD is found  in [23]. Let us focus here on what it needs for simulation:  namely its implementation in the MATLAB computational  environment, which extends [14, Thm. 8.7.4] and appears as  less restrictive as [21]. The command [V, U, X, Lambda, Sigma] = gsvd(G, H);  gives1 a decomposition similar to (3). Its main deviations  from (3) are,   1Reverse order of arguments in and out of gsvd function should be noted. ) ) D1 y1 , r1 S x ,w ( ( ) ) D2 y2 , r2 _ H1 __ n1 _ __ H2 n2 Fig. 1. Source-to-2 destination MIMO broadcast system  Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ QH = X à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€ C nÃÆ'-t is not square when t . Precoding  for such cases would require the use of the pseudo-inverse  operator. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ ÃŽÂ £has the same block structure as in (3). But the structure  of Άºhas the block 0G shifted to its bottom as follows: Άº_ à ¢Ã… ½Ã¢â‚¬ º à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  ˜Άº IG 0G à ¢Ã… ½Ã… ¾ à ¢Ã… ½Ã‚  . This can be remedied by appropriately interchanging the  rows of Άºand the columns of V. However, restructuring  ÃƒÅ½Ã¢â‚¬ ºis not a necessity, since the column position of the  block ˜Άºwithin Άºis what matters in joint precoding.   Following MATLAB code snippet for example jointly  diagonalizes H,G to obtain the s common channels (3)  would have given. MATLAB code % channel matrices H = (randn(m,n)+i*randn(m,n))/sqrt(2); G = (randn(p,n)+i*randn(p,n))/sqrt(2); % D1, D2: diagonalized channels [V,U,X,Lambda,Sigma] = gsvd(G,H); w = X*inv(X*X); C = [H G]; t = rank(C); r = t rank(G); s = rank(H)+rank(G)-t; D1 = U(:,r+1:r+s)*H*w(:,r+1:r+s); D2 = V(:,1:s)*G*w(:,r+1:r+s); III. APPLICATIONS Let us look at some of the possible applications of GSVDbased beamforming. We assume the Van Loan form of GSVD  for simplicity, having taken for granted that the dimensions  are such that the constraints hold true. Nevertheless, the Paige  and Saunders form should be usable as well. A. Source-to-2 destination MIMO broadcast system   Consider the MIMO broadcast system shown in Fig. 1,  where the source S broadcasts to destinations D1 and D2.  MIMO subsystems S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D1 and S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D2 are modeled  to have channel matrices H1 ,H2 and additive complex   Gaussian noise vectors n1 , n2. Let x = [x1, . . . , xn]T ) ) R1 y1 , F1 ( ( S x ,w ( ( ) ) D y3 ,r1 y4 ,r2 ) ) R2 y2 , F2 ( ( _ ___ H3 _ n3 H1 ___ n1 _ ___ H2 n2 _ H4 ___ n4 Fig. 2. MIMO relay system with two 2-hop-branches  be the signal vector desired to be transmitted over n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤Ã‚  min (rank (H1 ) , rank (H2 )) virtual-channels. The source  employs a precoding matrix w. The input y1 , y2 and output ˆ y1 , ˆ y2 at the receiver filters   r1 , r2 at D1 and D2 are given by y1 = H1wx + n1 ; ˆ y1 = r1 y1 , y2 = H2wx + n2 ; ˆ y2 = r2 y2 . Applying GSVD we get H1 = U1 ÃŽÂ £1 V and H2 = U2 ÃŽÂ £2V. Choose the precoding matrix w = ÃŽÂ ± _ Và ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 _ C(n) ; and receiver reconstruction matrices r1 = _ U1 H _ R(n) _ , r2 = U2 H _ R(n) . The constant ÃŽÂ ± normalizes the total average transmit power. Then we get, ˆ y1(i) = ÃŽÂ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ £1(i, i) x(i) + Ëœn1(i) , ˆ y2(i) = ÃŽÂ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ £2(i, i) x(i) + Ëœn2(i), ià ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  {1 . . . n}, where Ëœn1 , Ëœn2 have the same noise distributions as n1 , n2 .  B. MIMO relay system with two 2-hop-branches (3 time-slots) Fig. 2 shows a simple MIMO AF relay system where a  source S communicates a symbol vector x with a destination  D via two relays R1 and R2. MIMO channels S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢R1, S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ R2, R1 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D and R2 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢D are denoted: Hi , i à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  {1, 2, 3, 4}. Corresponding channel outputs and additive complex Gaussian  noise vectors are yi , ni for i à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã‹â€  {1, 2, 3, 4}. Assume relay  operations to be linear, and modeled as matrices F1 and F2 . Assume orthogonal time-slots for transmission. The source  S uses w as the precoding matrix. Destination D uses  different reconstruction matrices r1 , r2 during the time slots  2 and 3. Then we have: Time slot 1: y1 = H1wx + n1 , y2 = H2wx + n2 Time slot 2: y3 = H3 F1 y1 + n3 Time slot 3: y4 = H4 F2 y2 + n4 Let ˆ y = r1 y3 +r2 y4 be the input to the detector. Suppose n à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤min i (rank (Hi )) virtual-channels are in use. ) ) R y1 , F ( ( S x ,w ( ( ) ) D y2 ,r1 y3 ,r2 _ ___ H3 _ n3 H1 ___ n1 H2 _ n2 Fig. 3. MIMO relay system having a direct path and a relayed path  Applying GSVD on the broadcast channel matrices we get H1 = U1 ÃŽÂ £1 Q and H2 = U2 ÃŽÂ £2 Q. Through SVD we  obtain H3 = V1 Άº1 R1 H and H4 = V2 Άº2 R2 H. Choose w = ÃŽÂ ± _ Qà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1 _ C(n) ; F1 = R1U1 H; F2 = R2U2 H; r1 = _ V1 H _ R(n) ; r2 = _ V2 H _ R(n) . The constant ÃŽÂ ± normalizes  the total average transmit power. Then we get