Paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6

Paper 1 - Essay Example It describes how a particular professional group should act ethically when discharging their duties (Harris 17). In the second case study, engineer A was recently hired to by safecomp to work in their quality control department. After a few weeks, the engineer was asked to sign off some protocols, standards and testing procedures since he had been the one working on them. However, engineer A felt that he was not experienced enough to sign off such crucial documents since he was not fully acquainted with the procedures and standards at safecomp. The engineer let his supervisor know about his stand, but the supervisor would hear none of it. Finally, engineer decided not to sign off the documents, as he was not sure and thought he would jeopardize his career by signing the documents. This paper will support engineers a decision not to sign off the documents. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has laid out a code ethics to govern this professional group. Under the code of ethics by the IEEE, by signing off the documents, engineer A would be agreeing to take responsibility for the safety and health of those would end up using the product (Ieee.org). However, due to his lack of experience the engineer did not think he would be able to sign off such protocols. He was also unsure of the procedures and standards of the company, and as such, the engineer felt that he did not have the authority to sign off such crucial documents. Although he was charged with the responsibility of handling the quality control department, the company should have given the engineer enough time on the job to acquire the necessary experience and get to know the procedure of the company before being allowed to sign off such crucial documents. In the event the products were faulty, he would be held directly responsible for any casualties and would jeopardize his career and even risk jail time. The IEEE code of ethics also states that a professional should always

Relationship formation Essay Example for Free

Relationship formation Essay A relationship is an encounter with another person or a group of people that endures over time. It happens with celebrities even though you dont meet them. Derrick (2008) discovered how these fake relationships (parasocial relationships) could provide a safe route for people who have a difficult time with real interpersonal relationships. People with low self-esteem can use parasocial relationships to feel closer to their ideal selves (i.e. the person they would rather be than the person they actually are). Â  Relationships are important to social well being. They are characterised by features including the following: responsibility, giving,, taking, rules (for e.g. you cant sleep with your friends ex-partner) and roles (best friend, wife, daughter mother etc). There are two main theories that explain why relationships are formed. I am going to begin with the reward/need satisfaction model (Byrne and Clove, 1970) this suggests that both operant and classical conditioning play a part in relationships. This theory states that we learn to associate with people for positive and enjoyable situations even if they are not directly rewarding us in these instances. In other words, we enter a relationship that rewards us the most or give us the most pleasure. As generally when time is spent with others we have a laugh and feel happy, vibrant and awesome. Whereas when we spend time alone we tend to feel sad and lonely to some extent lethargic. Also, this theory uses conditioning and reinforcement. Classical conditioning is when we associate with pleasure rather than being directly rewarded. In contrast, operant conditioning is when we are directly rewarded such as through gifts, companionship and sex. Positive reinforcement is when you are rewarded by compliments for example. On the other hand negative reinforcement is achieved by taking something good away from you such as you split with your boyfriend but to make the sadness go away from splitting up with your partner by sleeping with someone else or going out with someone else (rebound). Therefore, this relationship is based on negative reinforcement as you are involved in the relationship to take away the upset and sad feelings you have. In addition May and Hamilton (1980) asked female students to say how much they liked the look of male students (strangers), whose photographs they were given. Some students viewed them while pleasant music was being played. Others looked at the photographs while unpleasant music was being played. A comparison (control) group viewed the same pictures, but no music was played. As predicted in the hypothesis, the students who had heard the pleasant music while looking at the photographs liked the men best and rated them more attractive. This and many experiments (e.g. Cunningham, 1998) have shown that positive effect (feeling/emotion) can lead to attraction. However this experiment didnt take into account individual differences as participants may like the unpleasant music just as much as the pleasant music. Also doesnt take into account gender differences as the type of music played may not affect males on their scoring. Overall, the reward/need satisfaction model doesnt take into account that giving may provide people with pleasure rather than just receiving. Hays (1985) found when examining student friendships as much value was given to rewarding the other person than as being rewarded oneself. Participants in relationships are often more concerned with equity and fairness in rewards and demands than with the desire to maximise their own benefits. Furthermore, this model tends to focus on western cultures hence lacks ecological validity. In non -western cultures you tend to be rewarded for being like everyone else rather than individualistic so being in a relationship wouldnt be rewarding in these cultures. Hill (1972) showed that kinship bonds are very influential resilient not dependent on reinforcement. Indicating social relationships are more commonly found in these countries and show little concern for the receipt of reinforcements. In addition this theory doesnt take into account gender differences as women are more focused on the needs of others, with men it is against their machismo and manliness, who are orientated towards the gratification of their own needs, (Lott, 1994). However it could be argued that meeting the needs of others might be reinforcing in itself. Moreover, the matching hypothesis (Walster et al, 1966) suggests that physical attractiveness is the main thing we look for in a mate and that we are attracted to those that are similar to us. Further research lead to the following main theories: socially desirable individuals seek out other socially desirable individuals and matched couples tend to be more successful than unmatched couples. When we are choosing a mate we are influenced by desirability and the probability of the person saying yes (realistic choice). Murstein (1972) supports the theory that physical attractiveness is the main factor when forming a relationship (the matching hypothesis). Murstein argues that individuals initial attraction towards each other in the formative stages of a relationship depends on available costs that indicate their social desirability (e.g. physical attractiveness). Data collected in the real world shows strong evidence for the matching effect in correlational studies conducted with actual couples (e.g. Murstein 1972, Silverman 1971). In these studies the attractiveness level is measured for each partner for actual couples.

Free Hamlet Essays: No Tragic Flaw in Hamlet :: The Tragedy of Hamlet Essays

No Tragic Flaw in Hamlet It was my observation after reading Hamlet, that the play and its main character are not typical examples of tragedy and contain a questionable "tragic flaw" in the tragic hero. I chose this topic because Hamlet is a tragedy, but one that is very different from classical tragedies such as Medea. I also found quite a lot of controversial debate over the play and its leading character. While reading through my notes, I found that, according to Aristotle, "the tragic hero will most effectively evoke both our pity and terror if he is neither thoroughly good nor evil but a mixture of both; and also that the tragic effect will be stronger if the hero is better than we are in the sense that he is of higher than ordinary moral worth. Such a man is exhibited as suffering a change in fortune from happiness to misery because of a mistaken act, to which he is led by his hamartia ("error of judgment") or his tragic flaw." It is important that this be clear, because I plan to demonstrate how Shake speare makes Hamlet an atypical tragedy to begin with, and how controversial an issue Hamlet's tragic flaw is. Shakespeare's Hamlet is an atypical play to begin with, because the play's format doesn't conform to traditional Aristotelian concepts of the 3 unities. Shakespeare does not conform to unity of time, place, or action. Hamlet contains a "play within a play," sub-plots, and its action is not set in one day, but several. According to Aristotle, the play should be one day long. There are also a number of comedic moments. Humor, as Aristotle would have it, would reduce the impact of tragedy. Unlike Medea and Oedipus, which contain virtually no humor whatsoever, the play Hamlet has several comedic moments. The last difference I could find is the stature of the character. In the older plays such as Oedipus, the heroes are primarily kings. Hamlet on the other hand is a prince; his stature is starting out smaller than normal. While reading Hamlet, I came to the conclusion that even though this is a tragedy, the hero's supposed flaw is not like those in classical tragedies. To the best of my knowledge, the flaw that I could pick out that best fit Hamlet was sloth . . . as well as the critics themselves.

Interstate 15 and California 60 Freeway Interchange Essay -- transporta

We take them for granted when driving miles to the closest mall. We are unconscious of their usefulness when traveling to see a distant relative by car. We can't take a moment to stop and admire their beauty and usefulness; the architectural wonders that are highways and their interchanges; which have such a rich history embedded in the American suburbia of today. Let's go back to the early 1900's, when the automobile was starting to become a dominate part of the American life (Morton, 2014). Around this time; a shift began to occur towards private transportation over public by influencing policies in their favor (Nicolaides and Wiese, 2006). One of these polices was created by the Federal Aid Highway of 1925; the United States Highway System which basically expanded the highways across the United States connecting one another, creating new opportunities for growth in many areas (Weingroff, 1996). This had many effects on different factors of the American way of life; specifically s uburbia (Morton, 2014). After the war, the private home that was a luxury a few years prior, was now becoming affordable for many thanks to low interest rates and flexible payments through the National Housing Act of 1934, created by the Federal Housing Administration (Fishman, 1987). Perfect example of a policy acting towards private over public was the Los Angles Master Plan of 1941, which pushed the direction of private automobiles and singles households: there being 1.16 million cars (2.4 people per car) and having 31 percent of the city land dedicated for single family homes, this was really solidifying the post suburbia lifestyle (Fishman, 1987). In Los Angeles alone around this time, 900 square miles were transformed to tract development homes ... ... have key roles in their contribution to the development of the highway we know today. Works Cited "California Roads and Highways." California @ AARoads. AARoads, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. "Field Guide to Interchanges." Kurumi. Kurumi, n.d. Web. 8 Mar. 2014. Fishman, Robert. Bourgeois Utopias: The Rise and Fall of Suburbia. New York: Basic, 1987. Print. Morton, Patricia. "." Introduction to Architecture and Urbanism: Suburbia. University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA. 06 February, 2014. Lecture. Nicolaides, Becky M., and Andrew Wiese. "Postwar Suburbs and the Construction of Race." The Suburb Reader. New York: Routledge, 2006. 321-48. Print. Weingroff, Richard F. "Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956: Creating the Interstate System." Public Roads. US Department of Transportation - Federal Highway Administration, Summer 1996. Web. 09 Mar. 2014.

Why is there unequal division of household labour in most of the society?

In this article, we address the division of household labour by examining its general situation and exploring different approaches used by different sociologist to account for it. The five approaches are namely exchange theory, resource theory, Marxist feminist theory, radical feminist theory and social construction theory will be discussed. With the evidence of previous researches, the situation of division of household labour is explored and evaluated in terms of its degree of gender inequality as manifested. In the second part, the situation is being accounted by those five approaches so as to determine whether the situation can be altered. Household labour can be defined in a variety of ways, however, in this article, we acquire those employed by Shelton (1996), that is defined as unpaid work done to maintain family member and/ or a home, which, emotion work and other â€Å"invisible† types of work are typically excluded. Meanwhile, it is a job described as monotonous, fragmented, with low status not being treated as a â€Å"real† work, bring no financial remuneration, isolated with inherent time limits, and often received no recognition Oakley (Morris 1990:81). Since mid 1960s, researches on comparing the division of household labour between men and women has been mounting, it is not only due to the great impact of household labour on the family life of contemporary married couple, but also due to its implication of gender equality in the society to certain extend. In this article, we address this issue by examining its general situation and exploring different approaches used by different sociologist to account for it. Through this process, it is hoping to find out the most comprehensive approach so as to determine whether the situation can be altered. A great amount of researches on the division of household labour have evidenced that women share the majority of the housework with especially the responsibility for regular, routine repetitive and childcare related housework. While for men, they are more likely to perform non-routine tasks. For instance, from Chu's research on the household distribution between women and men in Hong Kong (1997) revealed that â€Å"wife alone† occupies the largest share in taking up the actual responsibility of all the regular housework such as foodstuff buying, meal making, dish washing and house cleaning. etc.. Whereas, husband's involvement is limited on those irregular tasks such as car washing, bill recording and maintaining and repairing household apparatus. He also find that more than one quarter of the 230 interviewed households rely entirely on wives alone to do eight items of housework. One may doubt the situation in western countries. Would the westernized value system decrease the discrepancy in the household division of labour? This is clarified by numerous researches done in UK and US recently, which suggest that the â€Å"traditional allocation of domestic work to the woman hold firm† (Morris, 1990:86). Martin and Roberts echoed with the above conclusion by reporting that 73 percent of wives and 72 percent of husbands said that most of the wife did most or all of the housework. Though, the percent decrease when the wife is in employment, yet, majority said that wife did majority of the housework. Abbott & Wallace, 1997). From all these findings, we can conclude that the most notable characteristic of the current division of household labour is that whether employed or not, women continue to do the majority of housework. This pattern should never be ignored since as pointed out by several sociologists that the women's rare continuous full-time careers or small labour-market participation are greatly affected by their family responsibilities especially the existence of dependent children (Abbott & Wallace, 1997). The family responsibilities born by women despite their employment status create a dual role for them and the effects have been conceptualized by Morris in terms of â€Å"role strain†. She proposed that â€Å"it is manifest as a ‘wide', distracting and sometimes conflicting array of role obligations† (1990:94) where the source of strain comes from the accumulation of roles and their contradictory, incompatible role expectations or from the competing demanding for time and attention. This result in overload of total demands on time and energy for women in general and may turn employment from a mean of offering positive social and psychological rewards and a major contributing factor to women's increased liberation and independence (Pearson, 1990), to a stress for women. The tension for women between career and family is therefore is due to the unequal household distribution in the family on one hand. The inequality in power, status and wealth between men and women on the other hand is another reflection from the household distribution. However, what contribute to this pattern of household labour division? In the following, we explore five approaches in accounting this situation and concluding if it is possible for the unequal situation to be altered. The five approaches are namely exchange theory, resource theory, Marxist feminist theory, radical feminist theory and social construction theory. â€Å"Exchange theory with a view to examining family cohesion from the perspective of reciprocity and the exchange of rights and duties between husband and wife† (Morris, 1990:82). It sees marital satisfaction such as companionship, empathy and affection was attained from the instrumental exchange between economic provision and domestic labour from husband and wife respectively. From this approach, we can get inference that men spend more time in paid work while women spend more time in domestic work as they are naturally assigned to. Therefore, it fails to take account of differential power within marriage and of social status outside the marriage. That is it cannot explain why there is such exchange pattern, why man as a breadwinner and women as a housekeeper? Resource theory, an alternative approach may provide some explanation for it. It is proposed by Blood and Wolfe in 1959 (see Morris 1990) who applied the idea of differential control of valued resources and elaborated its application to the organization of household labour. This approach sees the division of housework as reflecting resources men and women bring to relationships. The possible critical resources proposed are the educational attainment, occupational prestige and the amount of earning from labour market. It formulated that the more powerful spouses do least household labour and that if the wife does most household labour it is because she wields least power. In other words, the individual with most resources can use those resources to negotiate his/her way out of housework (Brines 1993: quoted from Shelton & John 1996:304). Thus this approach assumes that housework is viewed negatively by both women and men and that they are therefore motivated to reduced their share of it. So, in this approach, division of household labour is actually an indicator of power and through which, we can understand the specific negotiations and decisions arrived at by individual couples in the organization of domestic life. Blood and Wolfe continue to argue that base on cross-cultural comparison, husband's relatively low contribution to domestic labour is not ideologically based but a result of rational resources distribution. In other words, the man has strength in the labour market and the women have time. Nonetheless, this approach have not addressed why men has more strength in the work field with higher educational attainment, higher earning and higher occupational prestige. According to above two approaches, division of household labour should be more equally shared with recent growth of married women's employment as well as the release of many men from the rigours the occupational system by unemployment, when, women are provided with chances to gain more resources and independence. Young and Willmott (1973; Quoted from Morris, 1990) proposed that the middle classes were at the forefront of a move towards symmetricality in marriage in which the role of husband and wife will become more identical. Wong stand in the same line with Young and Willmott stated that industrialization has substantially increased employment opportunities for women and as a result, has significantly advanced their position within the family. He observed that the wife's paid employment has contributed to much greater equality between spouses, in sharing of household duties and in decision-making (Leung, 1996). However, hitherto tasks of wage and earning and domestic labour are still largely segregated. Many researches can only give little evidence of male unemployment leading to major responsibility for domestic work, nor even to their taking an equal share. It is because most of the researches which asserted male have participated more in domestic labour are actually based on proportional sense but not absolute sense (Morris, 1990; Chu, 1997). In this sense, the proportion of man's contribution rises with the wife's employment is only due to her own household labour time falls rather than to his rise. This kind of â€Å"cutting back† or the kind of â€Å"role expansion† as mentioned above is not a real reappointment of household labour. The following three approaches can provide a more in depth explanation to account for such persistent pattern of unequal household division pattern between men and women. The emergence of capitalism with the related rise of mercantilism, industrialization, and a cash-based economy, eroded the position of women by shifting the centre of production form the domestic until to the public workplace. This separation not only devalued women's labour in the home, but it also made women more economically dependent on men† (Tilly and Scott, 1978; quoted from Anderson, 1997). This view of devaluation in women's status is clearly linked to the raise of industrialization and capitali sm. It is claimed that industrialization make the home became separated from the place of work and gradually women became associated with the domestic sphere, while men with public sphere, earning a wage and participating in politics. Then capitalist benefited from this segregation in domestic and earning labour as â€Å"women's domestic labour reproduce the relations of production and also contributes to the maintenance of tolerable living standards for men and may reduce political pressure for radical change†(Abbott & Wallace, 1997:201). From this approach, the division of domestic labour is related to the sexual division of labour in paid employment and this is why Marxist feminists derived women's oppression from capitalism. It is this benefit for the capitalist help keeping the division of domestic labour in a way that trapped women in the domestic sphere by decreasing women from opportunity of promotion and high earning. This view set out to analyze the situation not simply the relationship between domestic labour and the capitalist system, but also queries the nature of the relationship between paid worker and the domestic worker. Nonetheless, as Morris pointed out, once we take the feminine nature of the domestic role as our starting point then the focus of analysis need to be directed from an exploration of the relationship between capitalism, waged labour and domestic labour, to a focus on the nature of the male-female relationship (1990:83). This change of emphasis leads us to the post hold by radical feminist, which holds that the sources of women's oppression and domination at unpaid labourers is not capitalism but patriarchy that is â€Å"a system of values that asserts and maintains man's dominant position in society† (Morris, 1990:83). Abbott and Wallace also proposed that it is men's control over financial resources that gives them power in marriage and makes it difficult for a wife to be independent from her husband. Radical feminist argue that patriarchy in the patriarchal mode of production existed long before the development of capitalism. Yet, the line between patriarchy and capitalism is ambiguous as they are both historically induced from industrialization, in which separation of paid and unpaid work, and development of the role of â€Å"housewife† is evoked. This in turn developed capitalism and patriarchy intertwiningly. The picture provided by capitalism and patriarchy for domestic labour distribution is not complete if we did not take social construction theory into account. It explain why the above two ideologies about the economic structure and men respectively can have a spiral effect in the society. Sociologists who regard gender as social construction (Fenstermaker et al, 1991, Lorber 1986; quoted from Shelton & John, 1996) argue that housework produces both household goods and services and gender. It is pointed out that women's time spent on housework and men's general avoidance of it produce and transform gender. Therefore, researches find out that women and men may view their housework as expression of their gender and that women's attempt to think of housework as nurturance and love rather than work. This social construction of gender is a product out of the two ideologies as evidenced from institutional and normative forces and the cultural message about the role of male and female. As mentioned before, capitalism and patriarchy exploited women by depriving them to get as much power and status as men. When this is widespread and progress to become a social norm which in turn rooted into people's mind and constructed an ideology of gender, a vicious cycle may be resulted. For instance, they employers assume that motherhood is more central to women's lives than in career and the limited job opportunities and the low pay that the women receive may actually push them into marriage and motherhood. Women are then described to be trapped into the domestic sphere in an extreme sense as early socialization in the family, schooling, presentation of women's role in mass media and the structure mode in society all promote the unbalance share of domestic household. This approach can account for findings about the conservative gender role held by most of women even nowadays. It is found that a few women believed their husband were not doing enough and majority did not expect their husbands to share household responsibilities equally (Yogev, 1981: quoted from Morris, 1990:101). Undoubtedly, women's right and status are increasing with more voices against gender inequality. Yet, whether the trend of more and more obligation for a married women to became a working wife or working mother can attenuate the role specialization within the conjugal setting, depends much on the how they perceive housework and how they define fairness in the household. From the five theories discussed above, we can concluded that household labour division is inevitably a manifestation of gender inequality, while exchange theory and resources theory explain the situation with the most salient phenomenon such as material and resources allocation between men and women, Marxist feminist theory, radical feminist theory and social construction theory use a relatively more thorough approach to account for it. Therefore, we can speculated that in order to breakthrough the long-drawn practice of unequal division of household labour, women should firstly be conscious that equal share of domestic household with men is a right that is reasonable for them to pursue and secondly she has to undergo the struggle induced from the rooted cultural predisposition on the role as being a women, that is a mother and a wife. Otherwise, the spiral effect caused by capitalism, patriarchy and social construction will resist the division of household labour to change.

Hernandez Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy

Hernandez Surname Meaning and Origin - About Genealogy Hernndez is a patronymic surname meaning  son of Hernando, or son of Fernando, the Spanish form of the Old German name Ferdinand, meaning bold voyager, from the elements  farà °, meaning journey and nanà °/nanth, meaning courage or daring. Hernandez is the 15th most common surname in the United States  and the 5th most common Hispanic surname. Surname Origin:  Spanish, Portuguese Alternate Surname Spellings:  HERNANDES Famous People with the Surname HERNANDEZ David Hernandez - American Idol contestant, seasonJay Hernandez - American actorAaron Hernandez- former NFL football player; convicted of first-degree murderOrlando Hernndez - MLB baseball playerJose Hernandez - former NASA astronautAileen Hernandez - feminist civil rights activist Where Do People With the HERNANDEZ Surname Live? The surname distribution data at  Forebears  ranks Hernandez as the 85th most common surname in the world, identifying it as most prevalent in Mexico and with the highest density in Nicaragua. Hernandez is the most common surname in Mexico, where one in every forty-seven people bears the name. It also ranks 1st in El Salvador; 4th in Venezuela, Guatemala, Cuba, and Honduras; and 5th in Nicaragua. Within Europe, Hernandez is most frequently found in Spain, according to  WorldNames PublicProfiler, especially in the Canary Islands, followed by the regions of Murcia, Castile, and Leà ³n, Extremadura, and Madrid. Genealogy Resources for the Surname HERNANDEZ 100 Common Hispanic Surnames Their MeaningsGarcia, Martinez, Rodriguez, Lopez, Hernandez... Are you one of the millions of people sporting one of these top 100 common Hispanic last names? How to Research Hispanic HeritageLearn how to get started researching  your Hispanic ancestors, including the basics of family tree research and country-specific organizations, genealogical records, and resources for Spain, Latin America, Mexico, Brazil, the Caribbean, and other Spanish speaking countries. Hernandez Family Crest - Its Not What You ThinkContrary to what you may hear, there is no such thing as a Hernandez family crest or coat of arms for the Hernandez surname.  Coats of arms are granted to individuals, not families, and may rightfully be used only by the uninterrupted male-line descendants of the person to whom the coat of arms was originally granted.   Hernandez DNA Family ProjectDNA is being used to help researchers from common or related Hernandez families work together to find their common heritage. Hernandez Family Genealogy ForumSearch this popular genealogy forum for the Hernandez surname to find others who might be researching your ancestors, or post your own Hernandez query. FamilySearch - HERNANDEZ GenealogyAccess over 11 million free historical records and lineage-linked family trees posted for the Hernandez surname and its variations on this free genealogy website hosted by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. GeneaNet - Hernandez RecordsGeneaNet includes archival records, family trees, and other resources for individuals with the Hernandez surname, with a concentration on records and families from France, Spain, and other European countries. HERNANDEZ Surname Family Mailing ListsThis free mailing list for researchers of the Hernandez surname and its variations includes subscription details and a searchable archives of past messages. DistantCousin.com - HERNANDEZ Genealogy Family HistoryExplore free databases and genealogy links for the last name Hernandez. The Hernandez Genealogy and Family Tree PageBrowse family trees and links to genealogical and historical records for individuals with the last name Hernandez from the website of Genealogy Today.- References: Surname Meanings Origins Cottle, Basil.  Penguin Dictionary of Surnames. Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books, 1967.Dorward, David.  Scottish Surnames. Collins Celtic (Pocket edition), 1998.Fucilla, Joseph.  Our Italian Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 2003.Hanks, Patrick and Flavia Hodges.  A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1989.Hanks, Patrick.  Dictionary of American Family Names. Oxford University Press, 2003.Reaney, P.H.  A Dictionary of English Surnames. Oxford University Press, 1997.Smith, Elsdon C.  American Surnames. Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.

Rembrandt Self Portrait essays

Rembrandt Self Portrait essays Frick Collection: Rembrandt Self Portrait-1658 As the art appreciator walks through the illustrious Frick Collection and enters into the long ballroom-like West Gallery, one is initially in amazement by the coffered ceilings, the vast lighting, and the use of marble to give the room an illusion of great height. The initial amazement is furthered as you walk through the lengthy gallery. Then, as one approaches the western end of the gallery, they see a tremendous portrait of a famous man. This kingly portrayal strikes the viewer with its glazed shine and its thick impasto pigments. The viewer senses a feeling of uneasy confrontation from this seated man and the shadowed glare that he casts off. This is the self-portrait of a loathsome genius. This is Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn. Part of the Frick Collection since 1906, this self-portrait of Rembrandt is one of over sixty that he did in his painting days of 1625-1669. The portraits range as widely in nature as they do in date. Many connoisseurs believe the Frick Self Portrait to be the best of them all. Though it sits on the wall of a well-lit gallery, the painting still manages to glimmer as if it were made of gold. At 52 5/8 x 40 7/8 inches in size, the onlooker sees an apparently prosperous old man. He sits in his armchair, as if it was a thrown, and he fingers a staff in left hand as if it were his scepter. His right arm lays sternly on the other arm of the chair, and a red sash is draped around his waste, giving the portrait an open and horizontally linear value to it. The three-quarter-length portrait embodies the artist in a hieratic frontal pose, which was unusual in self-portraiture of the time. The red and gold of his aristocratic garments light up the chiaroscuro portrait, further contribu ting to the impression of wealth and power. Behind the artist, there lies a subdued and dark background, so that warm gold and vermilion colors of the artists garment...

College Writing Essays - Dragon, Plinking, Colored Frog, Free Essays

College Writing Essays - Dragon, Plinking, Colored Frog, Free Essays College Writing Dr.Kissler Monday February 21 1998 As you are awakened by the shrill morning yelp of the local farmer?s rooster, you emerge from your hut in a small woodland village. The morning sun glistens slightly off the emerald green grass as the local villagers start about their work for the newly starting day. When you finally venture down the small wooden ladder that protrudes from your front porch, you take notice of the small brook that runs out toward the surrounding areas. Small children frolic around you gingerly like the wind blowing through the tall saw grass on a mid-western plain. All the while, the local merchants peddle their wares around to the local shoppers. As you look slightly to your left you notice a small group of people crowded around a merchants stand. The crowd grows larger and it draws your attention. When you finally get to the large group, which now resembles a group of bees buzzing and swarming around a beehive, you look in awe at the beautiful items the merchant has placed upon his table to draw the attention of the shoppers. Finally, as the crowd gets too suffocating for you, you head toward the small pond at the end of the townsquare that is the source of the tiny brook. As you plop down on a weathered rock a minute, topaz colored frog hops next to you and stares at you with bulging eyes as if it was staring into the deepest part of your being. As quickly and swiftly as the miniscule frog appeared, a slight plinking sound is heard as you watch your amphibious friend dive into the crisp, sparkling water. Looking at the water whets your palette, you decide to take a drink from the water. The cold water cuts like a razor, but at the same time feels so refreshing. Suddenly, a dark shadow passes over the glowing afternoon sun. You gaze up and see a gigantic silver winged dragon sweeping across the landscape and casting what seems like an eternal darkness on the tiny wooded alcove that you call your home. You gaze in awe as the glimmering light of the sun slowly starts to illuminate the townsquare once again, while the great beast soars off to toward the rocky crags that lie in the west. The sheer monstrosity of the dragon flabbergasts little children, many of whom have never seen such an awe-inspiring spectacle in their young lives. While you sit there and listen to the young children spin yarns to their friends about the sighting of the dragon, it reminds of the old villagers who sit on the porch of the local ale hall and converse with locals and travelers about days of yore. Once again you notice the light in the square growing darker, but this time it is from nature and not a winged creature. You decide to head back to your house, looking forward to the nice long sleep that awaits you as you fall into your soft, supple bed.

Love , Made up story Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Love , Made up story - Essay Example References would mean higher chances of being hired. Her friend Leila recommended her to her boss as a waitress. She was a dancer there. She had second thoughts about the job offer, because she did not have any waitressing experience. When she stopped college three months ago, the last job she handled was being a gasoline station cashier. She lost that job because her manager caught her sending text messages to her mother, who kept on reminding her to pay the electricity bill. But she needed a job. Nineteen years old did not seem too young to be a waitress. At least, it was not Hooters. Her mother was very conservative. She prayed the rosary two times a day, seven days a week. And she was already constantly sick, coughing as if she had ten dogs possessing her and barking inside her lungs. She thought about her family and how they needed her. She was thinking fast. What could she say to the manager? She promised that she was available for an interview this morning. She would have to tell the truth. Yes, honesty would count positively on her behalf. She went to the restaurant she was applying for. The manager was outside the restaurant smoking and he was talking to someone on his cell phone. He said goodbye to whomever he was talking to and said: â€Å"Estella! You missed your interview!† He shook his head with dismay. He looked 50 something years old. His olive skin contrasted with his pale lips. She said: â€Å"I am so sorry boss. My father called all of a sudden. He said we would meet at 711 at 11 PM and I waited until 3 am. I woke up late. Please give me a chance, I need this job!† The manager looked at her sternly. â€Å"Okay, you’re hired. But you will never be late again, okay?† â€Å"Yes,† she promised. He said: â€Å"You can start tomorrow.† The next day, while preparing for work, her father called her again. When she answered the phone, her father said: â€Å"I am sorry. I left

Teachers Unions and Education Productivity Functions Essay

Teachers Unions and Education Productivity Functions - Essay Example But even when taking this into account, â€Å"[N]ot only are America's teachers grossly underpaid, but that teaching is simply not a sustainable profession it its current form...teachers routinely work 10-12 hour days that don't end when the dismissal bell rings...46 percent of teachers leave within their first five years. Such high turnover and instability undoubtedly wreaks havoc on public schools and their respective communities, in which teachers play a vital role† (Heller, 2005). Compared to their professional cohort, people with undergraduate degrees who underwent additional certification, teachers are colossally underpaid, and teaching is a more obviously stressful and demanding job than other jobs in the cohort; one study found that even after taking into account benefits, teachers were paid 12% less than other professionals (Martindale, 2009). Conservatives argue that it is only good teachers who are underpaid, but this argument is bizarre. The very reason that many s chools are turning to underqualified teachers, using substitute teachers increasingly, and relaxing standards is because teacher pay doesn't attract qualified professionals: The market has spoken, and it has denied conservative claims that teachers are overpaid (Moore,. Bearing this in mind, microeconomic analysis makes one thing clear: Teachers' unions, despite risks of rent-seeking behavior, do not lead to net micro-economic loss, and are net-beneficial for the economy. This research only extends to union organization for the sake of collective bargaining (i.e. increasing job satisfaction) and does not address union organization as a national, political interest group. It is possible that teachers' unions might push for negative reforms or have a negative impact on the political system. This paper also attempts to avoid discussing wholly subjective issues of the value of education: Instead, microeconomic analysis conducted hopes to demonstrate that teachers' unions do not cause te achers' pay to spiral out of control compared to others in their professional cohort. Admittedly, an analysis of the effects of collective bargaining on known determinants of student achievement (i.e. teacher time) as well as the education production rate (namely, high school graduation rates) is only a preliminary step in determining the overall effect of collective bargaining on student achievement and teacher productivity. The assessment of teacher pay above ignores yet other factors. First: Not all teachers are paid identically. Since schools are funded by property taxes, there can be substantial variation in pay and school quality. Some areas, like the Glenbrooks in Chicago, have such high incomes in the community that the school resembles a private school. Inner city schools, on the other hand, struggle with poorly paid teachers, inadequate resources, etc. (Wise, 2005; Moore, 2000). The reason is simple: State spending went down, so communities were left to fend for themselves . Where did the money go? Prison. â€Å"40 percent of the U.S. prison population is functionally illiterate... From 1980 to 2000, states' expenditures on education went up 32 percent. In that same period of time, states' spending on prisons went up 189 percent† (Moore, 2000, pg. 198). Any analysis of the pay of teachers' unions will have to

Medical Law and Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Medical Law and Ethics - Essay Example It is thus clear that Jerry is not qualified to carry out the supply to the patient (Baxter & Brennan, 2005). The only qualification required lawfully to dispense medication to any patient or any medical situation in and outside the healthcare setting is a license to do so. With or with no medical training, it is against the law to refill a medical script with no the appropriate license. There are several factors as to why Jerry should not refill the prescription. Firstly, valium is not an anti-depressant as the patient claims. In fact, this drug can do more harm to depression. Secondly, Jerry has no authority to recommend medications (Herring, 2006). Each every medication refills ought to be approved by the doctor or another empowered figure at the hospital, finally, the decision on whether the patient needs valium in the course of the flight or not is made by the patient’s physician and not by the patient himself. Even if the medication were required to control high blood pressure, it would make no difference, according to the medical ethics; Jerry is not qualified to issue medical prescriptions. Jerry is supposed to convince the patient that he is not qualified to refill the prescription but is willing to do everything to make sure that he informs the doctor. If the patient were in a critical condition, the right thing would be to make an effort of reaching Dr. Williams for the sake of the emergency with the critical patient’s prescription to be filled in. Once the Doctor is back from the lunch break, Jerry ought to provide the order to him so that it can be filled as soon as possible (Fremgen, 2008). In this case, both the doctor and Jerry are liable for the act of medical negligence. Precisely Jerry would be charged since he is not protected from any charges under the doctrine of respondent superior.

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Business law - Essay Example The CEO is also liable to pay damages to Ronnie for committing fraud and acting in bad faith when he offered to sell his house in order to trick him and play a practical joke on the buyer, by offering the house for sale for a low price of $50,000, when in truth and in fact, the property was non-existent because it was recently destroyed by a hurricane. B. Snookie Plumbing cannot revoke its offer. In the case of Campbell Co. General Contractors, Inc. V. Virginia Metal Industries, Inc. 708. F.2d 930 (1983), the Supreme Court laid down the principle of promissory estoppel of the subcontractors liability in construction bidding cases by stating that: â€Å"We are not the first court to encounter the situation where there has been a promise unsupported by consideration which has occasioned reliance and change of position so that the promisor who backs away from his undertaking visits a real hardship on the promisee. An absence of consideration in such cases should not permit an unjust result. Rather, the law has developed the concept of promissory estoppel which allows recovery even in the absence of consideration where reliance and change of position to the detriment of the promisee make it unconscionable not to enforce the promise or to award damages for its breach.† Therefore, Snookie cannot revoke its offer, otherwise, it shall be liable to pay damages to Contractor for breach of contract. C. The contract is enforceable because there was a contract signed by the CEO and Situation Construction. All element of a valid contract are present. The CEO consented to amend the contract when he signed the agreement which demanded increase in payment. The consideration is $2 Million, to which the CEO agreed. Under the law, the contract can be amended provided that consent was freely given by both parties. Here, the CEO was not forced to sign to new contract reflecting the increase in the cost of construction. Therefore,

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

International Marketing - Essay Example 63-65, 1996). Yet, the fundamental question remains and revolves around the reason of why shall the company use the services of consultants for the same and why the internal talent be utilized for the same. There are many reasons in this regard. Firstly, strategy building is a difficult and painful exercise since it requires making hard and avoidable choices. In fact, strategy builders have to get out of their comfort zones and take decisions to undertake discussions, which they would have not even imagined under normal circumstances. It has been an observation (Porter, pp. 69-74, 1996) that at times, it becomes extremely difficult for the company to make those choices considering the human and emotional constraints. This also explains why many Chinese and Japanese companies avoid having clear and well-defined strategies since the process of the same would require them to go against their culture of collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and achieving consensus for every decision (OMahoney, pp. 64-6 9, 2010). Quite understandably, when managers are making the strategies, there is a high probability that the emotional element would get into the process to make it more biased. Many companies successfully develop good strategies but fail to execute them; however, it would be a complete disaster if the company designs a biased and mediocre strategy and then executes it with all possible energies (Curnow & Reuvid, pp. 79-84, 2003). Furthermore, over the years, the field of strategic management has developed to great limits. New complexities, inventions, and use of latest tools, ever-changing industry scenario, new elements and dynamics and others have made it even more complex for any nonprofessional or even an average middle manager to involve himself in the process of strategic management and promise great results. Management consultants bring with themselves vast experience in their fields of helping companies making turnarounds and taking otherwise

Business law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Business law - Essay Example The CEO is also liable to pay damages to Ronnie for committing fraud and acting in bad faith when he offered to sell his house in order to trick him and play a practical joke on the buyer, by offering the house for sale for a low price of $50,000, when in truth and in fact, the property was non-existent because it was recently destroyed by a hurricane. B. Snookie Plumbing cannot revoke its offer. In the case of Campbell Co. General Contractors, Inc. V. Virginia Metal Industries, Inc. 708. F.2d 930 (1983), the Supreme Court laid down the principle of promissory estoppel of the subcontractors liability in construction bidding cases by stating that: â€Å"We are not the first court to encounter the situation where there has been a promise unsupported by consideration which has occasioned reliance and change of position so that the promisor who backs away from his undertaking visits a real hardship on the promisee. An absence of consideration in such cases should not permit an unjust result. Rather, the law has developed the concept of promissory estoppel which allows recovery even in the absence of consideration where reliance and change of position to the detriment of the promisee make it unconscionable not to enforce the promise or to award damages for its breach.† Therefore, Snookie cannot revoke its offer, otherwise, it shall be liable to pay damages to Contractor for breach of contract. C. The contract is enforceable because there was a contract signed by the CEO and Situation Construction. All element of a valid contract are present. The CEO consented to amend the contract when he signed the agreement which demanded increase in payment. The consideration is $2 Million, to which the CEO agreed. Under the law, the contract can be amended provided that consent was freely given by both parties. Here, the CEO was not forced to sign to new contract reflecting the increase in the cost of construction. Therefore,

1880-1929 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

1880-1929 - Essay Example This migration fuelled economic activities thus leading to urbanization. This progressive era saw the 15th and 16th Amendments being passed that served to free the black American community from chains of slavery and discrimination. It is also these amendments that gave the black men opportunity to participate in electoral voting. However, women had to wait until 1920 before they earned their rights to participate in electoral processes. The progressive legislations were clearly a product of grassroots pressure from abolitionists and women rights movements. Women suffrage movements had by 19th century gained momentum and little could have been done to tone their demands down. All they wanted was their rights just as the African Americans demanded for them. After the war, it was evident that most blacks were still being victims of segregation as most of their basic freedoms were curtailed. Secondly, the industrialization has just taken its roots and most of the workers felt they were working under deplorable conditions. Statistics gathered in the same period revealed that most employees had succumbed to death due to injuries or illnesses relating to their workplaces. Labor movements soon shaped up and calls for the end of child labor, improved working conditions, and better pay became the order of the

Mintzberg and Management Essay Example for Free

Mintzberg and Management Essay Throughout the 20th century a strong focus was placed on the principles behind management with Henri Fayols 1916 publication Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale being one of the first books aimed solely at deciphering and understanding the intricate concepts of management. In his book Fayol presents his classical model of management from the perspective on an executive. Fayol lists and discusses fourteen principles of management which, although non-exhaustive, provides a guide on the execution of what he proposed to be the five elemental processes of management. These five primary processes consisted of planning, organizing, commanding, coordinating and controlling which advocated Fayols support of a dynamic system of management. In response to changing contexts, other new theories have been placed forward by other distinguished academia such as Henry Mintzberg (1973), John Kotter (1982) and C.P. Hales (1986) which offer more concurrent perspectives on the concept of management. Born in 1841 Henri Fayol had, after a three decade career as a mining practitioner, committed himself to the promotion of his theories on administration in 1916 through the publication of his book Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale up until his death in 1925. Contextually influenced by the bourgeois environment of a post revolutionized France, Fayol advocated the notion of a flexible system of management which could be applied to more than just one setting. In his book, Fayol devotes more time and focuses on the five processes of management in contrast to the fourteen management principles as claimed by (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 358). The first element, planning, is defined â€Å"both to assess the future and make provision for it† (Fayol, 1949, p.43). He goes on to describe that this dynamic plan must take into account a list of factors such as resources, work-in-progress, and future trends. Organizing considers the functional components of organizations along with the personnel and discusses the ideal conditions required of them. Commanding considers the responsibility that falls on every manager. The goal of managers is to achieve maximum contribution from personnel towards the welfare of the company through a number of factors. An example of these factors would be elimination of the unproductive, having a thorough knowledge of personnel and their respective binding agreements and an aim to be a role model. The third element of  management is coordinating which is defined as the harmonisation of resources in their optimum proportions in order to achieve results (Fayol, 1949, p. 103). The indicators of a well coordinated organization include efficient departments which harmonize well with the rest, are well informed of their responsibilities and also work to constantly adjusted schedules based on circumstantial demands. The last element, control, focuses on the timely verification of plan implementations. This element is applicable to all the other processes and its sole purpose is to identify any complications, amend any issues and prevent future recurrences. Due to their flexibility in implementation, the correlation between the introduction of Fayols model and the sharp rise in US productivity levels as well as living standards supports his approach to management (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 348). Fayols approach is supported by another academic source (Hales, 1989, p. 12) which claims that â€Å"Fayol grasped the essence of management† through his classical formulation of the management functions. In 1973, Henry Mintzberg provided a new conceptualization about the roles of managers through his book The Nature of Managerial Work. Through his composition Mintzberg proposed and argued that the previously accepted role of managers which adhered to a systematic approach of planning, organizing, coordinating, leading and controlling were in fact false as through his diary analysis, Mintzberg was able to demonstrate that â€Å"the manager is not a planner in a reflective sense, and no amount of admonition in the literature will make him so. His milieu is stimulus-response.† (Mintzberg, 1973, p. 182). By performing an unstructured observation and interview procedure over a two week period, Mintzberg concluded the activities of his study managers could be categorized into three sets of behaviors or roles. He conceptualized these clusters of roles as: interpersonal, informational and decisions (Pearson et al, 2003, p. 696). Mintzberg also recognizes that all managers at some time exercise each of these rules but also that different levels of managers will give different priorities to them (Mumford, 1988, p. 3). In terms of contemporary management, Fayol and Mintzberg have contributed greatly to the understanding regarding the concept of management. However  both authors are not exempt from criticisms regarding their approaches. Fayols approach is widely considered to be too theoretical whilst Mintzbergs approach has been criticized for not being theoretical enough. Despite their differences in approach, fundamentally the two theories not only share the same elements under the guise of differently labelled terms, they compliment each other in terms of validity due to the strong correlation between results regarding the behaviour of managerial positions. (Fells, M.J., 2000, p. 359) supports this judgement as the journalist goes on to state that not only are Fayols principles still relevant, they are interrelated at an elemental level with the model of Mintzberg. (Lamond, 2004, p. 350) reinforces this argument through study conducted on a large sample of male and female managers of different ages and at different managerial levels. Not only did the survey confirm that there were indeed a central set of manager functions, as placed forward by Fayol, there were also a generic set of managerial behaviours as proposed by Mintzberg. In concluding despite their contextual differences, Henri Fayols Administration Industrielle et Gà ©nà ©rale and Henry Mintzbergs The Nature of Managerial Work fundamentally share the same innate elements. This is supported by the results which derived from studies conducted by academic sources such as (Lamond, 2004) as well as the research by other academic sources (Fells, M.J. 2000), (Pearson et al, 2003), (Hales, 1989) and (Mumford, 1988). Subsequently both approaches are considered valid and have without a doubt contributed greatly to contemporary management theory. Bibliography Fells, M.J. 2000 â€Å"Fayol stands the test of time.† Journal of Management History, vol 6, no.8, 345-360 Lamond, D. 2004, â€Å"A matter of style: reconciling Henri and Henry.† Management Decision, vol. 42, no.2 p. 330-356 Pearson, C.A.L. And Chatterjee, S.R. 2003, â€Å"Managerial work roles in Asia. An empirical study of Mintzbergs role formulation in four Asian countries.† Journal of Management Development, vol. 22, no. 8 p. 694-707 Hales, C. 1989, â€Å"Management Processes, Management Divisions of Labour and Managerial Work: Towards a Synthesis.† International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, vol. 9, no. 5/6, p. 9-38 Mumford, A. 1988, â€Å"What Managers Really Do† Management Decision, vol. 26, no. 5, p. 28-30

Overview and Analysis of Red Bull, Its Successes and Controversies

Overview and Analysis of Red Bull, Its Successes and Controversies When we first started, we said there is no existing market for Red Bull but Red Bull will create it. And this is what finally came true. Dietrich Mateschitz (Dolan 2005 p.1) Red Bull ®s 1987 launch established an energy drinks market. In 2009 they continue to dominate the globally. How did they achieve? How do they plan to maintain their stronghold? In 1987, revolutionary marketing and advertising techniques coupled with fortunate circumstances enabled Red Bull to create the energy drink market. In todays diverse and ever-expanding market of 228 competitors, Red Bull is likely to lose overall global market share. Ever optimistic, Red Bull continues with extreme sports sponsorship, creating events, nurturing the Red Bull ® lifestyle, a strategic business plan including expanding into emerging markets and developing products and plans to include multi-million dollar resorts and theme parks. Red Bull ® has every reason to be confident of its future. In 2008, the worldwide Functional Drinks market was worth $26.9 billion. Relatively new and still developing, by 2013 the market is expected to expand by 64.3% to a value of $44.3 billion (Datamonitor PLC 2008), spread over three different categories: Sports, Energy, and Nutraceutical. These products aim to improve users, physically and mentally or just improve well-being (Moosa 2002; Datamonitor PLC 2008). With energy drinks being the largest sector at 47.3%, Red Bull ®, was first of its kind, holding a 29% global market share in 2008. (Datamonitor PLC 2008). Spreading its wings internationally since its birth in 1987, 2008 saw Red Bull ® GmbH worth à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10.9 billion, selling over four billion cans worldwide in 70 countries (Mà ¼ller 2009). History Red Bull ® was the brainchild of Austrian, Dietrich Mateschitz, ex-managing director of toothpaste manufacturer Blendex, where he travelled widely, experiencing different cultures (Gschwandtner 2004). On one business trip , Mateschitz read that one of Japans highest taxpayers was Mr. Taisho, manufacturer of an energy giving drink. Later in Thailand, he learned that taxi drivers use these drinks to counter fatigue. Mateschitz also noted that the drinks ingredients lacked a patent (Gschwandtner 2004). Armed with this information, in 1984 he approached Chaleo Yoovidhya, owner of Thai company TC pharmaceuticals, producer of the Kratindang energy drink (Gschwandtner 2004). Mateschitzs concept was to form a company selling its own energy drink worldwide at a premium price (Keller 2004). Chaleo agreed, each took a 49% stake, investing half a million dollars. Chaleos son took the remaining 2%, and Mateschitz agreed to run Red Bull ® (Dolan 2005). Red Bull ® was first established in Austria. Initially wary of the products unusual ingredients, Austrias government insisted on stringent scientific safety testing. Thus, Red Bull ® was not licensed until 1987. Subsequently, this regulatory procedure proved a mixed blessing for Red Bull ® (Gschwandtner 2004). (Kratin Daeng The iconic eye-catching logo and slogan red bull gives you wings were then designed (Gschwandtner 2004). By 1990, despite high sales figures, and a lot of promotion, Red Bull ®s finances were in the black. To this point, funding had been 90% equity from the two partners and 10% bank loans (Gschwandtner 2004; Dolan 2005). Ambitious Mateschitz now believed Austria too small a market for Red Bull ®. In 1993, Red Bull ® moved into such countries as Hungary and Germany, planning to pre-market the little 250ml can by word of mouth across Europe (Gschwandtner 2004). Red Bull ®s Kraihamer commented, We do not market the product to the consumer, we let the consumer discover the product first (Keller 2004, p.119). This Buzz marketing proved highly successful, and inexpensive. Red Bull ®s controversial ingredients made it a cool fashion icon. Its mixability with vodka, coupled with extreme sports sponsorship, helped the drink tap into the young hip market (Cooney 2007; Gschwandtner 20 04). By 1997, Red Bull ® had conquered most of Europe including the UK. It then moved onto the USA, working state by state with a similar buzz technique (Hein 2001). Today Red Bull ® is now Austrias most successful brand, worth more than à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬10.9 billion, with diamond producer, Swartzkopf being worth half as much (Muller 2009). 3.0 Does Red Bull ® Revitalise the Body and Mind? Red Bull ® is billed as a drink which: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improves physical endurance, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Stimulates metabolism and helps eliminate waste substances, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improves overall feeling of well-being, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Improves reaction speed and concentration, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Increases mental alertness (Keller 2004). Red Bull ® is best consumed:, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ At times of increased mental and physical strain, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ On long sleep-inducing motorways, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ During intensive working days, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Prior to demanding athletic activities, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Before tests and exams, (Redbull.com (a) [ca. 2009]). Some consumers are easily convinced of Red Bull ®s effectiveness. Nicknames such as liquid speed and liquid cocaine along with peer pressure build hype around the product (Kumar, et al. 2004). American college student Kaytie Pickett illustrates this: Maybe I think it works just because they say it works Im a slave to peer pressure (Walker [ca. 2009]). Other consumers are more sceptical. Brandweek reported in 2008 that Red Bull ® was one of the UKs lowest ranked companies in a survey of perceived brand value (Brandweek 2008). Despite the odds, studies proved the drinks effectiveness. One such study was on ten individual graduate students, five of which were given a placebo, the rest Red Bull ®. Conducted before and several hours after consumption, the results proved conclusively that: the mixture of three key ingredients of Red Bull Energy Drink used in the study (caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone) have positive effects upon human mental performance and mood (Seidl, et al. 2000). Whereas most products spell out exactly what they do, Red Bull ® uses vague terms, Vitalizes Body and Mind (Walker [ca. 2009] p.2) relying on consumers to purchase the drink and discover its effects themselves. (Walker [ca. 2009]) 3.1 What are the ingredients in Red Bull ®? Red Bull ® 250ml cans contain; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ 80mg of caffeine, à ¢Ã¢ ‚ ¬Ã‚ ¢ Taurine, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Glucuronolactone, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sugars, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Vitamins (Keller, 2004 p.117). Taurine is Red Bull ®s most controversial ingredient. In organic form, it was discovered in the bile of a bull (Irving Sax, et al. 1987). This is the likely source of not only the name, but also rumours that it is made from Bull Testes or that it contains Bull Semen. In the drink, taurine comes in synthetic form (Redbull.com (c) [ca. 2009]; Walker [ca. 2009]). Human beings produce taurine in a form similar to that of an amino acid. During extreme physical activity, the body may require more taurine than is produced. Taurines metabolic stimulatory effects help the body work harder. (Keller 2004; Healingdaily.com 2009). Equally, its detoxifying effect helps counter fat build-up on the liver caused for example by excess binge drinking (Healingdaily.com 2009; McCall 2005). Glucuronolactone is a naturally occurring amino acid in human beings, produced by glucose b reaking down in the liver. It also removes toxins from the body and is a metabolic stimulator, fighting fatigue, and producing a feeling of well being (Keller 2004). Theoretically, these supplements should help the body to perform better, when under stress, fatigue, or performing physical exercise. Red Bull in suspected link to deaths (BBC News Online 2001) Despite Red Bull ®s beneficial effects, some users have had adverse effects from consuming it, and as many as five people have died. A 16-year-old volleyball player would faint during games, and gain a heart rate increase of 30bpm. Diagnosed with postural tachycardia syndrome, she told the doctor that during the week she would drink four to five cans of Red Bull ® daily. Returning to normal a month later having stopped drinking Red Bull ®, doctors believed that high concentrations of taurine in the brain might have interfered with her cardiovascular system (Terlizzi et al. 2008).1 In 2001, an 18-year-old basketball player shared four cans of Red Bull ® with friends, played a game, then later died of Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. An investigation was recommended into high caffeine content drinks (Medicalnewstoday.com 2004). Two clubbers died in 2001 after drinking Red Bull ® with vodka, a third died after drinking it after extreme physical exercise. No results were published into the relationship between Red Bull ® and their deaths (BBC News Online 2001). A WalMart shelf stacker with a heart condition would drink four cans of Red Bull ® a night. He later died of a heart attack. The coroner had insufficient evidence to link the death with Red Bull ® (Clarke 2008). Most major brands will open up to consumers if there is a health scare or death related to their products, in an effort to safeguard brand loyalty (Dunne 2005). Red Bull ® prefers to take the offensive; No one anywhere has ever shown any link between Red Bull energy drink and harmful effects (Medicalnewstoday.com 2004). This makes them appear edgy, flaunting their dont mess with us attitude. 3.3 Has Red Bull ® profited from controversy? Debate surrounding Red Bull ® has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they loose some customers due to health fears, as countries such as Denmark, France, and Australia ban the drink. On the other hand, along with the bans, negative press rel ated to the ingredients, nicknames, adverse affects and deaths, has not only made Red Bull ® a talking point, giving them free publicity, it has also allowed the drink to keep its edge, and remain cool. As Mateschitz himself points out; Without the old high school teacher telling his students Red Bull is evil probably even a drug it wouldnt seem interesting and therefore would loose its edge (Kumar, et al. 2004). This edge was proved during Red Bull ®s launch in New Zealand. The distributor was selling a version of the drink with a UK health warning that the government did not recognise. To get round this, they re-labelled each of the 70,000 cans. When consumers found out that the authorities disapproved, demand went through the roof punters would buy Red Bull and immediately pull off the sticker. Theyd tell their mates: this stuff is illegal, everyone wanted to be drinking from the forbidden tin (Cooney 2007). 4.0 Red Bull ®, a non-descript market? Mateschitz believed consumers would take Red Bull ®s benefits seriously only if the product cost more than an average soft drink. Therefore from the outset, the cost per can was set 10% above the most expensive competitor, regardless of country. This is why a single can of Red Bull ® can cost up to 300% more than a traditional soft drink (Keller 2004). Conducting initial market research in 1987, Red Bull ® had failed miserably; people sa id its colour and taste were disgusting (Johnson 2002). However, this was not all bad news, further research revealed; 50% of our test group were crazy about Red Bull, and 50% said it tasted terrible (Johnson 2002). Ambivalence, as Mateschitz later says, was great for Red Bull ®, creating discussion, controversy and giving Red Bull ® the edge it needed to start a new market. Some thought it had a medicinal taste, persuading consumers of its functional properties and added value (Keller 2004 p117). The drinks extra cost would not deter them (Keller, 2004). Red Bull ® describes its market as; more than just a hot secret for the night owl and the non-stop party-animal. It is appreciated by a wide range of people, such as the overworked taxi driver, the stressed manager, the exam-anxious student and the pressured journalist It is used by surfers in the summer and snowboarders in the winter (Redbull.com (d), [ca. 2009]). Companies typically select their consumer group by specifying such target elements as age, job, sport, or occupation. Red Bull ® does the contrary. Whilst talking generally about their consumers, stressed student, taxi driver, stressed manager etc, they manage to keep their market relatively vague (Walker, [ca. 2009]). So the question is, who buys such a strange tasting, expensive product, with benefits deliberately not spelled out in black and white? Rob Walker [ca. 2009] argues what Red Bull drinkers have in common is a taste for the edgy and faintly dangerous. Keeping a question mark over the specific consumer allows drinkers to fit into the Red Bull ® clique. Despite the young hip image, Red Bull ®s non-descript credentials allow it to be consumed by just about anyone, creating access to wider markets and competitive advantage (Walker [ca. 2009]). 5.0 How is Red Bull Marketed? Red Bull ® presents an image of a small, friendly enterprise. We dont want to be seen as having lots of money to spend (Walker [ca. 2009]). The truth however is quite the contrary. The company spent $600 million, or 30% of its revenue on marketing in 2004, Coke spends 9% (Dolan 2005). This huge sum is spent on extreme sport sponsorship, live events, and eye-catching design, with less emphasis on media advertising (Gschwandtner 2004). This section asks how and why they use these techniques. 5.1 Sponsorship Red Bull ® sponsors over 500 extreme sports athletes worldwide. Examples include Formula 1 Freestyle Skiing, Break Dancing, and Free Climbing (Gschwandtner 2004). Additionally, Red Bull ® creates events filling every niche, from DJ battles, Whacky Races, Air Shows through to Festivals. (Gschwandtner, 2004; see page 10) In 2003, 200 million people watched worldwide as B.A.S.E. jumper Felix Baumgartner leapt from a plane at 30,000ft above Dover with a carbon wing strapped to his back. He flew the 22 miles across the English Channel to Calais at an average of 135mph, setting a new world record (Wyatt 2003). The stunt was not only a dig at the outlawing of Red Bull ® in France, but also a pre-marketing strategy to create brand recognition and a buzz about the product (Gschwandtner 2004). Red Bull ® has tapped into the market of the rich and famous by purchasing Jaguar and Minardi Formula One teams in 2004 and 2005 (World Advertising Research Center 2009). Costing over $100 millio n a year and competing around the world, they race under the names Redbullracing and Torro Rosso (Forbes.com [ca. 2009]; World Advertising Research Center 2009). With constant media coverage, and cans of Red Bull ® spotted in the hands of celebrities and the logo splashed all over their cars, Red Bull ® wins even if the two teams lose! The 5500m2 Hangar-7 in Austria diversified Red Bull ®s influence. It is home to the 15 Flying Bull show planes, a chic eatery, and art exhibition. By night, it transforms into a nightclub, with Vodka Red Bull ® on tap (Redbull.com (b) [ca. 2009]). Dedicated pre-market research allows Red Bull ® to tailor events and sponsorship specifically to each consumer group, state by state, country by country, seamlessly. 5.2 Advertising Simple, playful, nonsensical cartoons help market the product at anyone with a sense of humour, regardless of language, reaffirming Red Bull ®s nebulous marketing strategy (see bottom of page) (Keller, 2004). Coupled with the tagline Red Bull gives you wiiings (Keller 2004, p119) a deliberate exaggeration, adding intrigue, it makes the consumer eager to find out for themselves (Walker [ca. 2009]). 5.3 Brand Image Two red coloured bulls charging towards one another. The small size of the can. These could not be better connotations of strength (Keller 2004). The package says it is a serious product, not to be taken lightly. The Red Bull ® cut-out in the pull-ring adds class and interest, whilst the cans mixture of blue and silver portrays refreshment. The cans simple tagline Revitalises body and mind effectively explains the contents function in four simple words, whilst remaining non-specific (Keller 2004, p.118; Keller, 2004). With its fingers in every pie, Red Bu ll ® combines well thoughtout brand image, playful advertising, media-rich events and sponsorship not only to cultivate their edgy image, but also to ensure every consumer can relate to the product in some way. Mateschitz admits,we dont bring the product to the people, we bring people to the product (Gschwandtner 2004). Red Bull ® wants consumers to embrace the product and all its ideals, as he points out Red Bull isnt a drink, its a way of life (Kumar, et al. 2004). 5.4 Some of Red Bulls extreme sports athletes and events in picture Figure 1 Top to bottom, from left to right; Surfing Amazon tidal bore (Gschwandtner 2004), Red bull Playstreets (Hagena 2008), Felix Baumgartner B.A.S.E. Jump Christ Redeemer (Gschwandtner 2004), Redbullracing F1 Getty (G.M., [2009]), Red Bull Storm Chase (Hollmann [ca. 2004 ]) Hangar-7 (Gschwandtner 2004), Felix Baumgartner Channel Crossing (Gschwandtner 2004), The Dolomite Man competition (Gschwandtner 2004), Flà ¼taag flying day (Stone 2008), Red Bull cliff diving (Keller 2004)., Red Bull air race (Larson 2008), Mysteryland festival (Mysteryland 2009). Page | 10 6.0 Revolutionary Marketing This section explores the revolutionary marketing techniques Red Bull ® uses to establish its brand. The techniques developed out of a demand. In 1987, Red Bull ® could not be exported from Austria, as it was not a European Union member state. EU law states that if one country agrees to the sale of a foodstuff, it can be sold in all EU countries. Each EU member state has a list of allowable ingredients, and to Red Bull ®s dismay, taurine was on none of them. Scotlands allowed list did include taurine, so Red Bull ®s first EU market entry was in 1992 in the UK via Scotland (Keller 2004). During the EU ban, with demand high, individuals bootlegged the drink across borders. Red Bull ® was not actually on the black market, but bootlegging did help their semi-legal image (Keller 2004). Red Bull ®s entry to the UK market was rocky. It was not until 1995 that they made profit (see Figure 2). Long established Lucozade led the energy drink sector. 15 20 Figure 2 Red Bull ® UK Finances (millions) (Red Bull Company Ltd 2009) Containing energy boosting minerals and vitamins much like Red Bull ®, Lucozades use of energy as part of its tagline obliged Red Bull ® to change to stimulant instead of energy, thus targeting a completely new consumer 2002). Red Bull ® was sold as a sports drink, not the holistic product seen in Austria. Instead of using the known buzz marketing, Red Bull ® sold through supermarket chains and billboard advertising with a new tagline: you should never underestimate what red bull can do for you (Johnson 2002, p.5). (Gschwandtner 2004; Johnson Profit/loss after tax Expenditure on Promotional Equipment GBP By 1996, Red Bull ® UK had an astronomical debt of  £2.5 million (see Figure 2). Their share of the market only stood at 2% (Johnson 2002). As global director Kraihamer portrays; The UK team started from the wrong end they were wrong, they totally misunderstood how to create a customer base (Johnson 2002, p.5). (Red Bull Mini 2008) Firing the entire sales team, Mateschitz appointed an Austrian director who increased marketing spending (see Figure 2). The slogan was changed back, and Buzz marketing was introduced. Teams of students were hired to tap into the younger markets. Driving Minis with big Red Bull ® cans attached, they attended parties, and social gatherings. These alpha bees would be the popular ones of friendship groups. If they liked the product, so would their friends, creating a buzz about Red Bull ® (Gschwandtner 2004). This coupled with sponsorship of extreme sports meant that between 1998 and 1999 profits after tax went from  £85,000 to  £16 million (see Figure 2) (Red Bull Company Ltd 2009). A similar success story was of Kiwi, Joseph Roberts, who, when on holiday in Slovenia, saw the opportunity to market and sell Red Bull ® back home. Out partying, he decided he wanted a soft drink and stumbled upon a can of Red Bull ®. When the bar man refused to sell it claiming it to be illegal , it made him want it even more. Eventually, he spent no less than $150 on three cans! Drinking just one, he realised its potential. A year on he met with Red Bull ® in Austria. On persisting, he gained rights to sell the drink. Back in New Zealand, his marketing strategy ensured Red Bull ® turned up at the right parties, bars, and shops. By playing the drinks illegal credentials, he used opinion leaders to create a buzz about the product (Cooney 2007). Before he knew it, he was rushed off his feet: We were delivering products from the back of our cars at two three in the morning everybody had to do whatever it took (Cooney 2007, P.5). Buzz marketing evolved during Red Bull ®s USA launch in 1997. Organising sales, marketing, and distribution from the Red Bull ® North American California HQ was impractical. Instead, a structure similar to that of Red Bull ® GmbH split the USA into eight units covering a set amount of states (see Appendix Figure 3). Each unit organised sale s, distribution, and pre-marketing. This meant the buzz was created even before Red Bull ® arrived. The alpha bees would poll consumers interests, for Red Bull ® to promote the drink in the right places and sponsor the right events (Hein 2001). 7.0 Maintaining market share Red Bull ® dominated the global market in 1987. By 2008 however, they still led with 29%, but energy drink company Monster was catching up with 23% (The Nielson Company 2009). The next section explains how and why, it changed. In 1987, UK Lucozade and USA Gatorade, although not specifically energy drinks, crossed over into Red Bull ®s territory, having already been on sale for many years. Equally, Kratin Daneng held a market share in Asia, although not in carbonated form (Gschwandtner 2004; Kumar, et al. 2004). With over 228 brands listed in 2008, the picture had become very different. Energy drinks were an extremely complex market area. In can or re-sealable bottled format, the sizes varied from the slim original 250ml, to the new 300ml and 680ml varieties. Products now ranged from regular carbonated energy drinks through to Energy Shots with 25 new versions in 2008, natural organic non-carbonated forms, and aphrodisiac drinks (The Nielson Company 20 09). In 1997, Hansen Natural brought out Monster Energy, using similar marketing techniques as Red Bull ®. Its tagline Unleash the Beast evokes a certain type of consumer, together with its Monster Army of extreme Figure 4 Global Energy Drink Market Share 1987 (Various sources) Red Bull Other Figure 5 Global Energy Drinks sales 2008 (The Nielson Company 2009) 1 RED BULL 3 ROCKSTAR 5AMP 7 NOS 9 SOBE Next 90 brands (Monsterenergy [ca. 2009]) 2 MONSTER 4 FULL THROTTLE 6 NO FEAR 8 ADRENALINE 10 BOOKOO sports athletes and promotion through events strives to put Monster on a level footing with Red Bull ®. With a similar calorie count, and blend of ingredients it resembles Red Bull ®, yet is double the size and half the price, it was bound to sell well (Johnson 2002; Monster energy [ca. 2009]). Coffee energy drinks recently entered the market, such as SHOCK coffee (Johnson 2002; SHOCK coffee [ca. 2009]). However companies including Red Bull ® had already tried similar products without success, Fair Trade energy drinks are likely to be a popular new market entrant (The Nielson Company 2009). 8.0 Competition and Intellectual property Energy drink companies have ridden the wave of Red Bull ®s success bringing out similar looking products. No patent on the drink means even their taste could be the same allowing competitors to undercut Red Bull ® and take some of their market share. How has Red Bull ® protected its brand image in the now turbulent functional drinks market? Red Bull ® is a registered trademark. Extremely protective of its brand image, strict guidelines govern the ways Red Bull ® portrays itself in advertising; from use of colour to font size, they cover it all. These measures deter copycat brands but it does not always work; (Keller 2004) In 2007, Red Bull ® took rival energy drink Boost to court, saying their cans use of silver and blue infringed the Red Bull ® trademark. The images on the right hint that Red Bull ® won. (Irish Independent 2007). Red Bull ® took Music Festival organiser Mean Fiddler to court in 2004, claiming firstly that t heir energy drink Synergy had infringed their trademark with silver and blue patched cans of similar size. Additionally they believed Synergy had been switch selling. Losing the court case, Red Bull ® paid out  £20,000 in court costs (Sweeny 2004). Australian wine company Reschke Wines bid to register the trademark Bull Traders in 1999 featuring the outline of a bull. The two companies went to court over the issue (Ainslie 2008). 9.0 Discussion Selling over four billion cans worldwide last year and with global sales figures up on 2007 by 13.2% Red Bull ® remains optimistic of its future. 2009s plans to expand into new and emerging markets such as Africa, Russia, India, and Japan remain unchanged (Mà ¼ller, 2009). However Red Bull ® is not the only energy drink company weathering the economic crisis so well. Reports predict an increase in global energy drink sales by more than two thirds in 2014, at over 8 billion litres annually (Canadean Ltd 2009). What are Red Bull ®s p lans to maintain dominance in the energy drink sector and increase revenue, especially in these times of economic downturn? (Reschke Wines [ca. 2009]) (Boost [ca. 2009]) Page | 14 9.1 Diversification of product range When companies start out with one product, they later diversify or update the existing range to keep consumer interest, ensuring their product does not reach maturity too soon. Red Bull ®s sales figures are still growing, even after 22 years. Their uniqueness on entry into the drinks market as an energy drink has given them 16 long years before they felt the need to diversify (see Figure 5). Successes and failures of products Red Bull ® has brought out are described below. With over one in four adults in the UK trying to loose weight most of the time (Talking Retail 2008, p.1), Sugar Free Red Bull ® was launched in 2003. It contains only 8 calories when compared to the 110 of standard Red Bull ®, so taps into the emerging health conscious (Moosa 2002, p.32) market (Caloriecount.about.com [ca. 2009]). With 25% of new buyers in the UK purchasing Sugar Free Red Bull ®, it accounted for 15% of 2008 sales, Red Bull ® intends to increase spe nding on advertising its sugar free variant (Talking Retail 2008). (Sabai [ca. 2009]) (Redbull.com (a) [ca. 2009]) Global Red Bull can sales (Billions) (Kumar 2004 and Various Sources) 4.5 4 3.5 3 2.5 2 1.5 1 0.5 0 Sabai is a wine spritzer originating from Red Bull ® co-founders son, Charlerm Yoovidyas Siam Winery in Thailand. Launched in 2005, its flavours Hibiscus and Pomegranate complement Thai foods. Although not sold under the Red Bull ® name, business decisions regarding the drink are taken by Red Bull ®s UK marketing team. Sabai meaning take it easy (Centaur Communications Ltd 2007, p.1) fits their marketing ethic, being a bespoke wine, it is sold using point of sale promotion and consumer sampling at events with celebrities to create a Sabai buzz (Forbes.com [ca. 2009]; CentaurCommunications Ltd 2007). Lunaqua was a failed Red Bull ® attempt to enter the bottled water market. First seen in 2001, the drink was bottled from a previously undiscovered Alpine Source (Lunaqua [ca. 2003]) at full moon giving the water bio-energetic (Lunaqua [ca. 2003]) properties. Suffice to say, it did not sell well and was withdrawn (World Advertising Research Centre 2009). Page | 15 For 2009, Red Bull ® plans to bring out an Energy shot to oppose the 25 competing products brought out in 2008 (BevNET.com 2008). 9.2 Drinks for the Health Conscious consumer Led by the increasingly health conscious (Moosa 2002, p.32) consumer, the market is still developing. With sales volume doubling from 25 million in 2000 to 50 million litres in 2002, Red Bull ®s entry into this niche had to be profitable. Relatively fragmented, it covers a wide variety of products, from vitamin and mineral enriched herbal drinks though to pro-biotic yogurt and fruit drinks, to fruit enriched smoothies (Hillam 2003). Owned by Red Bull ®, Carpe Diem sells a range of five drinks. Kombucha developed in 1997 and Ginkgo 2000 are modern-day carbonated versions of ancient Asian herbal teas. Kombuchas influences stem from the ancient philosophies of Zen, which aims to harmonise body and soul. Ginko has origins in myth and legend, containing leaves from Asias sacred tree, the Ginkgo Biloba aids conc entration. (CarpeDiem.com (a+b) [ca. 2009]. Homeopathic drinks, made with spring water, herbs and plants were launched in 2003. Drawing on Greek physician Hippocrates theories, they have relaxing, harmonising, or vitalising effects and are 100% natural with no added sugar, flavours, colouring or preservatives (CarpeDiem.com (c) [ca. 2009]). Carpe Diems elusive nature echoes Red Bull ®s marketing strategies. By using very little promotion such as point of sale in Selfridges, collaborating with masseurs, offering holistic solutions to weary shoppers, they let consumers find the product, re-creating that Red Bull ® buzz (CarpeDiem.com (d) [ca.2009]). The Wellbeing Zone on the Carpe Diem website details participatory events like urban Yoga, and an Osteopathic self-treatment programme run by experts (CarpeDiem.com (d) [ca.2009]). Like Red Bull Carpe Diem are securing income by creating a way of life, ensuring consumers buy into a philosophy: an appeal to the people of our time to li ve consciously and seize the day (CarpeDiem.com (e) [ca.2009]). (CarpeDiem.com (d) [ca.2009]) (CarpeDiem.com (b+c) [ca. 2009]) Page | 16 The Red Bull simply COLA ® 2008 launch was extremely controversial. Including ingredients such as the Kola nut and Coca leaf, the drink is sold as the only cola to be organic, taking the drink back to its roots. Adding diversity, the drink is available in 250ml and 330ml can sizes (World Advertising Research Centre 2009). In contrast to Red Bull ®s Buzz marketing technique, the launch covered eight markets worldwide including Austria, UK, Ireland, USA, Russia, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland (Redbullcola [ca. 2003]; World Advertising Research Centre 2009). 9.3 New Marketing Ideas (Redbullcola [ca. 2003]) In 2008, Red Bull ® invested only  £50,000 of its  £7.6 million budget in digital marketing, a number set to increase in 2009 (Revolutionmagazine.com 2009). Below are some examples: Red Bull ® entered the gaming industry in 2008 as the first advertiser on Playstations virtual world. Playing an online version of the Red Bull ® Air Race, users interact and share gaming experiences, adding publicity (Revolutionmagazine.com 2009). The Facebook Red Bull ® partnership in launching the new Facebook Connect site enables users to access all their social networking sites using just one login and password. With Facebook being visited by 3 in 10 people online across the world and social networking sites capturing 67% of the global online population, this partnership offers a low-cost way to advertise to hundreds of millions more consumers (The Nielson Company 2009) 9.4 Expanding the business model Red Bull ® purchased the paradise island of Laucala in 2003 for $10 million. Matesch itz association with the rich and famous will ensure a steady flow of customers for the seven star resort, furthering the drink companys credibility with consumers (Fijilive.com [ca. 2009]). In 2004, Selling Power reported Red Bull ®s intention to create a $1 billion motorsport and aviation theme park in Styria, Austria. Open-air arenas holding 100,000 onlookers, F1 racetracks, as well as a motorsport and aviation academy, are just some of the features. Visitors will be able to drive go-carts, high-powered sports cars, motorbikes or planes. Two hotels will provide accommodation, whilst a shopping pla

King Arthur Essay examples -- Essays Papers

King Arthur Character Analysis Although King Arthur is one of the most well-known figures in the world, his true identity remains a mystery. Attempts to identify the historical Arthur have been unsuccessful, since he is largely a product of fiction. Most historians, though, agree that the real Arthur was probably a battle leader of the Britons against the Anglo-Saxons in the sixthth century. In literature, King Arthur's character is unique and ever changing, taking on a different face in every work. There is never a clearly definitive picture that identifies Arthur's character. It is therefore necessary to look at a few different sources to get better insight into the character of Arthur, the once and future king. GRAPH Arthurian literature can be divided into two basic categories, pseudo-histories and romances. The main difference between the two is that pseudo-histories such as Wace and much of the Celtic work, for example, Geoffrey of Monmouth show Arthur as a strong, central character, making him the dominant figure in the story. He is the one who goes on quests and battles, gaining respect and glory for his court. In romances, however, Arthur is most often overshadowed by his knights, staying mainly in the background as the source and the inspiration behind their great chivalric deeds. GRAPH The first written chronicle of Arthur's adventures comes from Nennius, a monk from North Wales. In his ninth century writing, Nennius tells of Arthur's twelve victories over the Saxons but describes him only as a dux bellorum "a leader of battles" and not a king. It was Geoffrey of Monmouth who first proclaimed Arthur as king in his twelft... ... continues to personify the ideal of the chivalric code and remains a glorious, beloved, and respected king whose authority stays intact despite his weaknesses. These qualities make King Arthur a true legend, which continues to fascinate and intrigue audiences throughout the generations. Sources of information Abrams, M. H. The Norton Anthology of English Literature. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993. Cavallo, Adolfo Salvatore.Medieval Tapestries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1993. Lacy, Norris J. The Arthurian Encyclopedia. New York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1986. Broughton, Bradford B. Dictionary of Medieval Knighthood and Chivalry: Concepts and Terms. New York: Greenwood Press, 1986. Camelot and Arthurian Legend: Arthur. online 4/27/98 http://www.eliki.com/ancient/myth/camelot/arthur

Fight Club :: essays research papers

The Fight Club, directed by David Fincher, constructs an underground world of men fighting with one and other to find the meaning to their lives. Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are the main characters who start the fight club. They make a set of rules in which everyone must follow. The fight club exists because individuals get weighted down by possessions causing them to miss the deep meaning of life. Most of the people in the fight club hold service jobs or lower level management jobs that are meaningless. Society becomes so rationalized that one must push themeself to the extreme in order to feel anything or accomplish anything. The more you fight in the fight club the tougher and stronger you become. Getting into a fight tests who you are. No one helps you so you are forced to see your weaknesses. The film celebrates self-destruction and the idea that being on the edge allows you to be beaten becuase nothing really matters in your life. Ed Norton is the main character in the beginning. He has a meaningless job and he has to go to support groups to feel anything. There he meets Marla, a woman who does the same as him; they are both addicted to support groups. He then meets Brad Pitt. Pitts character forces Norton's character to see that life is meaningless and they begin the fight club. It starts in the basement; it is in confines and is completely regulated. It then shifts to cultural anarchy of vandalism and attacks. Then the members have to pick a fight and lose. The idea of the fight club spreads and becomes like an army and the members become militant. The members no longer "take it out" on each other, they take it out on everyone. The idea of the fight club becomes facist and Tyler becomes like Hitler. It turns out that Norton and Pitt are the same person, they are Tyler Durton. Norton represents the average man in America at a meaningless job, feeling like there is no reason for his existance. Pitt represents the force which makes Norton realize that there is no meaning to life and he must push to the extreme to feel anything and to accomplish anything. Marla is the only woman in the movie and she is used to show that the idea of women fighting is a ridicule where as the idea of men fighting is celebrated.

Culinary artistry

Culinary artistry goes beyond the ordinary art forms. Unlike painting, literature, and the performing arts, culinary arts offer more than just the usual ocular, intellectual, or auditory experience. The culinary arts combine all of the aspects of all the art forms that we know of – a culinary masterpiece, unlike any other masterpiece in any art field should offer a multi-disciplinary experience as well as please the two other remaining sensations of taste and smell.A culinary obra maestra has to complete the experience by offering visual appeal, the application of the concepts of food preparation, as well as the ultimate experience for the palate. Chef Jacques Torres has undoubtedly mastered the art of food preparation and more. Our likely chef was already a master in the kitchen at the tender age of 15. He spent most of his childhood in Bandol, in the south of France and was an apprentice in a relatively small pastry shop called La Frangipane.His two years being an apprentice was sheer pleasure for this young chef, and as a testament to this passion for cooking, he graduated at the top his apprenticeship class. Chef Torres went to attend high school and spent a year in the military; these however, did not dampen his passion for the culinary arts. Upon leaving the military he pursued his love for cooking and polished his culinary skills at the La Cadiere d'Azur where he earned the degree of master pastry chef.At 26 years old, Chef Torres was recognized by his countrymen with the most prestigious award for French craftsmen, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France Patissier (Best Pastry Chef in France), making him the youngest in history ever to receive this coveted recognition. He did not stop here – during this considerably early period in his career, Chef Torres already began to reap awards from all over the world; among these are the gold medal of the Japanese Pastry Chef Association and his win in the 1986 French Championship of Desserts M. O. F., to na me a couple. He was quite aggressive in pursuing his passion as he went on to spend culinary weeks in Tokyo, Sydney, Melbourne, and Spain as well as went on a culinary cruise with Le Figaro's through the countries of the Mediterranean. He also offered consultation and product development services to Cointreau and Valrhona. Later, he also left for the United States to participate in the rededication ceremonies of the Statue of Liberty honoring President Francois Mitterand of France and President Ronald Reagan of the United States.Chef Torres wanted to share his expertise to aspiring chefs, which made him a cut above other chefs who would like to keep their secrets to themselves. Chef Torres believed in the value of legacy and made sure that his legacy lasted forever by ensuring that his skills and knowledge was appropriate transferred to younger chefs who shared his passion for pastry. Ideally, Chef Torres wanted to improve the area of pastry making so that the world could experience the wonders of this desert.To accomplish this particular objective of his, Chef Torres joined the French Culinary Institute Faculty in 1993. He even went to as far as designing the Classic Pastry Arts curriculum for the school. His dedication to the education of aspiring chefs appropriately made him the program's Dean of Pastry Arts. His commitment to the education of young chefs allowed him to pay back the industry that made him into whatever he has become. He was a good educator and many of his students have gone on to pursue their own careers and make milestones of their own.Chef Torres was also a health buff, he regularly joins the New York City Marathon. As a testament to his love affair with health a few of his recipes appeared in the French Culinary (your family name) 3 Institute's ‘Salute to Healthy Cooking (Rodale, 1998)’. This recipe book pays particular attention to healthy eating and cooking and so features menus arranged according to season availability th at are a made from low-fat, healthy ingredients the classic French culinary way. No less than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company hired Chef Torres as the corporate pastry chef in 1998.He was with the Ritz for a year until the great Sirio Maccioni invited him to be the executive pastry chef of Le Cirque which featured a custom-built state-of-the-art pastry kitchen. His work at Le Cirque allowed him to wow patrons with his creations. He gave them the culinary experience of a lifetime, one they will never forget. People from all over the country and even the world began to consider Le Cirque as the home of deserts made only for the gods. More and more, the patronage of Le Cirque grew.The patrons wanted more of Chef Torres’ deserts, and not only that, they wanted the diversity of the choices and expected more to come from this culinary genius. Chef Torres, on the other hand, never wasted a dull moment in making his creations and as a result, none of his patrons went away disappointed . They either had a wide smile on their faces or a small paper bag filled with more of his deserts to take home. For eleven years, Chef Torres impressed his clientele with his culinary expertise. As his fame spread throughout the land, his fame also grew.Soon enough, the demands were too much for the culinary genius; and as if his work at Le Cirque was not enough, Chef Torres also launched Dessert Circus with Jacques Torres, a public access show that aired 52 episodes; aside from this, he also released two recipe books to accompany the show, â€Å"Dessert Circus: Extraordinary Desserts You Can Make at Home† and â€Å"Dessert Circus at Home†, the former of which earned a 1999 James Beard Nomination. He did not however take any offense against these demands, in fact, ;his spirit was more than willing to indulge in the demands, but his flesh was weak, and so stress took the culinary genius down.After eleven years of heavenly deserts and more than satisfied customers, Chef Torres made a milestone decision; he left Le Cirque to start his own business. Fortunately, Chef Torres was not just an exquisite pastry chef but a businessman as well. He opened his own chocolate factory in Brooklyn and called it Jacques Torres Chocolate. The name was synonymous with the chef’s amazing deserts, and who can resist chocolate created by someone who can create divine deserts?Chef Torres wasted no time in building his business; he personally took care of the retail, wholesale, and internet operations, and in not time, his creations reached chocolate lovers from all over the world. His Chocolate Coconut Napoleon, Chocolate Bark, and Chocolate Mousse all became instant hits. How else would chocolate stuff made from real chocolate fare? To add to this, Chef Torres also created some unusual chocolate flavors like ginger-laced and chili-laced chocolates which became demand items! Soon after, in 2004, Chef Torres went into another giant venture, he opened a chocolate factory in Manhattan.The factory is a mix of cafe, retail, and manufacturing so that the guests can actually see how chocolate is created straight from cocoa beans, making Chef Torres a real live Willy Wonka. A feature to note is that Chef Torres is the only chocolatier who not only creates his own candy, but his own chocolate as well. Chef Torres’ chocolate has earned a name for itself in the roster of great chocolate makers like Godiva. Chef Torres too has earned a name for himself, even before his chocolate acquired his very own signature.Chef Torres was named the James Beard Pastry Chef of the Year, received the Chartreuse Pastry Chef award, was named the Chefs of America Pastry Chef of the Year, and earned membership into the Academie Culinaire de France. (your family name) 4 Chef Torres also has a big heart for children and the elderly. He has never hesitated to share his blessings to the less fortunate members of society, so aside from teaching the art of pastry making at The FCI, demonstrating his skills around the world, and creating and selling exquisite chocolates, Chef Torres also spends time with and donates generously to various charity organizations.We don’t really know if it is this commitment and dedication of Chef Torres to the needy that has given him all the great things that he is currently enjoying or his inherent talent and expertise in the craft that he loves; but one thing is for sure, whatever the reason for Chef Torres’ success, he is one individual who was never afraid to take the risk. His initially venture in Brooklyn was a big risk in itself considering the area in which his factory would be in. He took the risk and put more confidence in his business mind than in his fears and went on to pursue the challenge.This makes Chef Torres not only a brilliant chef, a chocolatier, or a teacher, but also a successful and proactive businessman. A passion in one’s chosen field always yields great results. Chef To rres is a classic example of this particular philosophy; like other great artists who came before his time, whether in the field of literature, visual arts, or the performing arts, Chef Torres has proven himself to society and to the world. There are challenges in pursuing your own particular field of endeavor but being persistent and being dedicated to your chosen field can always work for your dreams.Perhaps, Chef Torres did not know or dream of how great he can be, perhaps he just did well in pursuing his particular field of endeavor, but the burning passion and love that he spent on his craft paid-off well, and big time. The lesson that we could learn from this great chef is that it doesn’t really matter where you come from and what you believe in so as long as you have passion for your particular field of endeavor – always, what happens is, people acquire the contagion of our passion, dedication, and sincerity, and whether they like it or not, they all end up deve loping an acquired love for our art.(your family name) 5 References Treuting, J. (2007). Jacques Torres. Retrieved March 1, 2009, from http://www. delish. com/cooking-shows/famous-chefs/celebrity-chef-jacques-torres? ref=findex Chef2Chef (2007). Chef Torres's Biography. Retrieved March 1, 2009, from http://topchefs. chef2chef. net/recipes-2/torres/