Genre Conventions Essay

How genre conventions are used to raise audience expectations in horror movie trailers. ‘The word genre means ‘type’ or ‘category’’ (Teach yourself film studies) it is really important as an audience member to recognise genres as then things become categorised and easier for them to understand which is more comforting. Sometimes however genres are crossed and categories are broken for example sometimes we have ‘action thrillers’ or ‘sci-fi horrors’ this is known as a hybrid genre. This often intrigues the audience and draws them to the film as it changes their outlook as they have no expectations for the film as they have never been exposed to this genre before. The horror genre was created to frighten/disturb an audience. Cherry (2009) reinforces this theory ‘The function of horror – to scare, shock, revolt or otherwise horrify the viewer’. These are the main conventions of a horror movie often portrayed using fast cuts, heart racing music, flashing images, unknown creatures and darkened places. ‘Horror is an ancient art form’ (www. horrorfilmhistory. com) which is still popular today because of the emotions it evokes, the audience feel comfortable with the horror genre as the generic conventions have not changed drastically over the years, the audience knows what to expect. The iconic symbols of horror such as haunted houses, unknown creatures, darkened places and flashing images are still used in all modern horror movies, although the genre evolves to fit around the era and to appeal to that audience. ‘Genres are not static, they evolve their common attributes change over time’ (Teach yourself film studies), this is because genres need to become more current for example what disturbed/terrified audiences 10 years ago may not effect audiences today. Today most audiences are terrified by the paranormal and ghostly experiences, the trailers for ‘Paranormal Activity’, ‘Insidious’ and ‘Don’t be Afraid of the Dark’ are all based around this theme but use different generic conventions to portray their theme. Paranormal Activity was released in 2007 and is an independent film costing only $11,000 to produce, the trailer proved uncomfortable to audiences as the generic conventions were broken. The trailer was not the usual blockbuster horror that audiences expect to see, it was shot in an average home with a home camera, the camera angles are shaky and unprofessional and the actors are unknown which gives the feel that these are real events. Also the trailer not only shows clips of the movie but the audience reaction to what they are witnessing. This keeps the audience interested in the genre as they are not used to seeing an audience reaction – they are intrigued as to why the audience are so frightened; therefore want to see the film. ‘We derive basic thrills from triggering the rush of adrenalin which fear brings’ (www. horrorfilmhistory. com). Paranormal Activity reinforces this theory as it became a huge hit world-wide although it was such a low budget independent film. Paranormal Activity focuses on a young couple moving into a new home which is supposed to be an exciting time and people can relate to this as everyone has moved house at some point, the fact that the film is based in a normal household immediately alarms the audience. The sounds used in the trailer for Paranormal Activity are very effective as you can hear lots of screaming and fear but it is not in the film its self, it’s the audience that we’re first shown this film. Insidious was released in 2010 and was created by the same director as Paranormal Activity (James Wan) this draws in an audience immediately as people who are familiar with the directors work are immediately drawn to the film. Like Paranormal Activity, Insidious is also an independent film however the budget for this film was a lot higher at $1,500,000. The look the production company gave to this film is also a lot more professional as there are no home cameras and shaky camera angles. However this film does still use unknown actors, since doing my research I have noticed that the majority of horror films use unknown actors to make their film feel more realistic. Insidious is also based around the paranormal theme which shows that audiences in this era are frightened by the paranormal ghostly experience this must be working as insidious took in a gross of ‘$53,991,137’ (http://www. imdb. com/title/tt1591095/). Also Insidious uses children and a family in a ‘normal’ home this immediately effects the audience as they can relate it to their own lives. The horror genre has become more realistic like this as instead of using zombies, vampires and made up creatures the genre has become more based around real life and what could actually happen as it affects the audience in a more psychological way. Also using children in the trailer will immediately effect parents as they start to imagine what they would do if that was their child and how it would affect them which straight away frightens them and evokes unwanted emotions/thoughts ‘I can speak for all parents when I say the loss of a child has to be pretty much the worst thing that could ever happen to them’ (http://www.horror-movies. ca/horror_13935. html) I have also looked at the film trailer for â€Å"Don’t be Afraid of the Dark† which was released in 2011. This film is from a different director to Paranormal Activity and Insidious however it follows a similar plot and has the paranormal ghostly edge. The budget for this film was much higher than both Paranormal Activity and Insidious at $25,000,000 the trailer is very stereotypical and uses the typical conventions of a horror trailer as it consists of multiple flashing images, heart racing music, darkness and unknown creatures. The sound used in a trailer is very important as fast paced non-diegetic music is usually played throughout the trailer which subconsciously makes the audience feel on edge and worried, also the diegetic sounds used such as loud bangs, creaky floorboards and screams make the audience jump. Putting both of these non-diegetic and diegetic sounds together creates tension and an uncomfortable atmosphere. Don’t be Afraid of the Dark also uses a small child within the film; this is quite controversial and usually makes older members of the audience feel uncomfortable as they imagine it as their own child. Also using a small child shows an extreme amount of vulnerability as small children cannot fend for themselves and they are not as strong as an adult. ‘How does the speed of what we see compare to watching a clip from a film? ’ (Teaching trailers) the speed of what we see in the trailer gives the audience a taste of what to expect in the film. The trailer starts of slowly to attract the audience’s attention and get them interested in what they are watching, then the speed builds up to alarm the audience and frighten them once this has happened the trailers slows back down to an average speed to give the audience time to react and think about what they just witnessed. When comparing the three trailers together they are all very similar as they are all based around a paranormal scenario and they all evoke the ‘scared/frightened’ emotion to an audience. Also two of the trailers use children which takes away the innocence of a stereotypical child and makes the audience feel uncomfortable as the ordinary has been changed. Paranormal activity breaks the boundaries of the horror genre the most by showing the audience reactions within the trailer as this had never been done before which attracted a wide audience and made a lot of money. It also got a lot more publicity and became an extremely famous well known film purely because it took the audiences expectation of a horror film and changed it. However Insidious and Don’t be Afraid of the Dark are very stereotypical horror films using obvious frightening objects in their trailers which have been used throughout the history of the horror genre. The set-up of these trailers is also very stereotypical and expected because of the fast paced heart racing sounds and the fast paced flashing images. I also think it is important that all of the actors in these films are unknown ‘why are we told who is starring in the film? ’ (Teaching trailers) this is because well-known actors with a huge fan base attracts audiences to a film, however with the horror genre this does not work as audiences cannot get a realistic feel as they are familiar with the actor and their work. This is why I think all of the films work well as none of the actors are very well known. To conclude I think that genre is used in all of these trailers to raise the audience’s expectations but in very different experimental ways and this is successful, the ‘horror’ genre is visible throughout all of the trailers and they have all attracted a wide audience using some different experimental or stereotypical expected techniques. Bibliography Cherry, Brigid. (2009) Horror. Oxon: Routledge. Wilson, Karina. (2001-2011) Horror Film History. Available from: www. horrorfilmhistory. com (Accessed: 26th October 2011) http://www. imdb. com/title/tt1591095/ (2011) (Accessed: 26th October 2011) http://www. horror-movies. ca/horror_13935. html (2011) (Accessed: 26th October 2011) Title: Teach yourself film studies Title: Teaching trailers.

Mass Incarceration Essay

Michelle Alexander is a civil rights lawyer, advocate, Associate Professor of law at Ohio State and the author of The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the age of colorblindness. In her presentation she talks about how mass incarceration is happening in America. The overwhelmingly disproportionate incarceration of African Americans constitutes a â€Å"new Jim Crow era† that singles out people of color and relegates them to second class citizenship status. Through extensive documentation Alexander shows that Reagan’s â€Å"War on Drugs† was developed at a time before cocaine hit urban streets, and was used to whip up political support from southern whites who resented the advances made by blacks. She shows how people of color have been unfairly targeted in the drug war with police raids focusing on urban black neighborhoods and not suburban areas or college campuses even though black and white drug use is virtually the same. Blacks were given stiffer penalties t hat often restricted their ability to vote, work and go to school upon release. She shows how racism is institutionalized so well that it can appear to be â€Å"colorblind† to both white conservatives and liberals. I think Michelle Alexander is a good public speaker because she is very educated and well developed. I think her delivery was effective because she have good research with plenty of references. Alexander’s overall message is that â€Å"home of the free† has incarcerates a larger percentage of its population than any other country. And that the increase in our prison population since 1980 can be traced not to rise crime rates but to changes in policies, especially to harsh sentencing, supported by race-based surveillance, in the war on drugs. Once someone is caught in the system, the history of a felony relegates them to underclass status forever. I agree with Michelle Alexander because I care about racial justice and equality. I think the audience liked her presentation because she informed her audience about the current state of our justice system, the experience of police encounters, and how the law serve to disempowered people and make them disappear. She also offers insight to a system that affects and effects each and every person living in America. One thing I th ink was missing from the presentation is she left out parental guidance because as a parent no matter what your financial background is it is important that our youth is taught not to engage in criminal activity or you will be punish for it.

Compare and Contrast Ancient India and Egypt Combined Politics and Religion Essay

Compare and Contrast ancient India and Egypt combined politics and religion Through history, religion has shaped civilizations in several aspects. In ancient Indian and Egyptian civilizations it was very strong shaping force in political structures, but both the religious beliefs and the resulting political system were different, just like pharaohs were different from rajas. The way Egyptians and Indians blended religion with politics bears certain similarities. First of all, the central role of priests, who were the Egyptians pharaohs most important advisors during the New Kingdom and at one point gained more power than the pharaoh himself. In the other hand, in India priests or Brahmans were also important political figures since they were considered to be at the top of the caste system and comprised the most educated portion of society. Also, in both civilizations religion became a way to reinforce the government and lead voluntaries to work during the summers to build the famous Egyptian pyramids. In India, on the other hand, the caste system and the concept of dharma taught the lower classes what their place in society, and this place was subordinated to the upper classes and the government. Despite the similarities the influence of religion in the political life of both ancient civilizations displays some differences. For example, the pharaoh was considered a divine ruler, making him a leading priest, while rajas were military figures and even after the rise of the caste system warriors confined with priests for power. Even Ashoka, the emperor of India who became a Buddhist monk, was not divine, eventhough his government gave Buddhism central importance. Here, we can see yet another difference that started with the emergence of Buddhism and Jainism in India, while in India more than one religion (with Ashoka) while the Hindu caste system was still in practice, Egypt only had one central system of beliefs at a time. Even though the form of worship and the beliefs changed over time, only one religious system held power at a time, even during the short period during which the pharaoh became monotheistic with Akhenaton and the worship of Aton, only this system held political power even if the people still worship the old Gods. Because of this, priests and nobles overthrew this religious system in Egypt and regained their power. Even though religion was an important part of the Indian political system, neither rajas nor later emperors established a theocracy, while the Egyptian pharaohs did. In Egypt the pharaohs were religious and political figures, in fact, during the New Kingdom they had no standing army, while Rajas were warriors and the authority of Indian emperors also derived from military power. This is due because Egyptian civilization was peaceful through most of its history, so religion, rather tan an army was used to justify the pharaohs rule. In India, on the other hand, Indo-Aryan tribes spread through war, and the Indian empire was established by overthrowing the Macedonians through military conquest. So in both the positions of the Raja and the emperor were sustained by their ability to conquer and subdue others, even during the reign of Asoka diplomacy was used to expand the empires domains. As we can see, religion in India and Egypt became a factor of importance, but in clearly different ways and yielding different structures and interactions. The religious and political structures of both ancient civilizations can be related to the Japanese mandate of heaven. This comparison can be made because in India and Egypt the leaders shared both religious and political authority; they were the supreme leaders in both aspects. In the mandate of Heaven Japanese political rulers, were supposed to be enlightened or chosen by God to rule the empire. In conclusion the three civilizations had rulers in which were evolve both political and religiously.

Marriage and Religion Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Marriage and Religion - Research Paper Example Couples of different religion such as Catholic and Jewish had to face several challenges. The church does not support and encourage the practice of marriage between catholic and Jewish. The traditional perspective on Jewish marriage was contractual bond between man and woman which is commanded by god. Catholics people believe that marriage is the gift which is in the hand of gods. Both religion vividly follow the practices entertain in the church. This research paper will discuss about the marriages that does not work if people support different religions such as Catholic and Jewish. Until recent decades, it is really uncommon for people to marry of different religion backgrounds. But in this generation, people are marrying outside the faith and religion. There are several challenges that arise due to interfaith marriages. Over the last decade in United States, more than 45% of marriages are of different religion. Interfaith couples i.e. couples of different religion are often tend to marry each other regardless of the practical religion problems. The rate of divorce of marriage of different religion is very high. According to the survey in the year 2001, reveals that 23% of the Catholics and 27% of Jewish are married to people of different religion identification. It is also stated that different religion identification marriage are maximum between 26 to 35 years. 58% of the marriages are between 26 and 35. The ethical norms and values of certain religion are hampered due to interfaith marriages. In the year 2011, it has been surveys that different religion mar riages can lead to divorce or separated. It has been found that three times the number of mixed religion marriages are divorced than that of same religion marriages. Divorce rate of couple who are religious is 20%. Mixed religion marriages can eventually has disagreement over the raising of children. There can be certain disagreement

Proposal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Proposal - Essay Example s showed correlations between violent video games and aggression (Gentile), poor social skills (Kutner and Olson), racism (Anderson, Buckley, and Gentile 8), and poor academic achievement (Bryant). Although the causative nature of violent video games is not yet widely accepted, several studies depict that the more time children spend in playing these games with crude language, the more verbally and physically aggressive they become (Anderson, Buckley, and Gentile; Fink). Bad language in violent media is a critical factor, because it can arouse negative thoughts and images, which can drive aggression (Fink). There could be a connection between listening to and speaking crude language, even if it is just â€Å"fantasy† or make-believe play for these games, and actually feeling and being more aggressive against others. These relationships between playing violent media and poor social and academic skills are not surprising, since the military has used violent video games to desensitize and to train soldiers to kill (Gentile). If the military can use violent media to prepare these soldiers for combat, it is not impossible for the same conditioning to happen for young children, whose moral, intellectual, and psychological stages are not prepared to understand the difference between â€Å"playing† and real-life aggression and violence. This is a proposal for a paper determining the impacts of violent video games on the youth, especially those kinds which contain profane language. Profane language pertains to cursing and treating other people verbally with disrespect. The topic of this proposal is violent video games with crude language. These are games that some adults normally play for fun and recreation. These games are also commonly made for adult audiences. They are not supposed to be played by adolescents, especially by younger children. In reality, however, children and teenagers have easy access to these games. Their parents may not be aware of the ratings on these

The Business of Health Care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Business of Health Care - Essay Example This paper seeks to determine the extent to what the health care can be a business, and seek evidence that may suggest the cost and quality improvement of the health care. The business aspect of health care encompasses the entire system, from financial analysis to personnel management. Similar to other businesses, the health care providers need qualified individuals for the management of resources, finance, database and computer systems, and other aspects of the health care administration. Those concerned with health care management essential deal with the ‘business side’ of the health care system, which include budget and staff needs, databases, accountability, and organizational systems. These personnel prepare reports on funds or resources allocation, focus on improving efficiency by ensuring that patients enjoy timely access to health care services, and engage in reorganization of departments through streamlining processes as well as assisting employees to achieve th eir best productivity (Greener, 2007:258). Small physicians and private practice groups may only require the services of a single administrator or a few staff members, but large organizations with a relatively higher number of physician, nurses, and surgeons may require an entire department to keep operations running smoothly. In recent times, the debate over the increasing costs of the health care system has sparked different opinions and proposals from scholars and experts in the field. Additionally, studies and research show that the health care system is less than ideal. These two factors constitute a significant problem to the system. There are numerous possible causes of these deficiencies, including the rapid development of technology, poorly informed customers, difficulties in measuring the performance of providers, resistance by providers to embrace information technologies and other potentially quality-improvement techniques. Turnover of workers and enrolees among employer s and insurers, administered prices, and delayed impact of investment in health promotion. A portion of health services researchers argue that National Health Service, a United Kingdom health care system, should lead the way in effort to promote quality healthcare in the UK and the rest of the world (Department of Health, 2008:6). There are many key stakeholders in the health care system, including the government, consumers, health plans, providers, hospitals, health insurers, and pharmacy-benefit managers, although the private sector is also an important catalyst for improving the health care. This is so because, first, more than 160 million non-elderly employees receive health insurance from their employers. Second, employers provide a substantial amount of compensation to employees in form of health insurance. Third, a section of employers is leading initiative to assess the quality of health care and hold providers accountable. Fourth, private employers may move focus to the pub lic sector after conviction that investing in the programs that seek to improve the quality of the health care services is profitable. There are two important points worth noting in this context. One, improving the quality of he

Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 Essay

Section 37 of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 - Essay Example The HSWA 1974 is divided into four key parts, and it is also divided into various sections. Part one of the Act focuses on the Health &Safety Commission and Executive, the general duties of the act, enforcement and penalties, codes of practice, and the power of making regulations. The second part of the act deals with the establishment of the employment medical advisory service. Part three on the other hand does the relations of the act to the building regulations. Finally, the forth part of the act does the coverage of other general issues and various amendments (Bennett 2012, p. 102).The 37th section of this legislation covers prosecution of managers/ directors, which is the main focus of this essay. The essay seeks to discuss the development of section 37 of the legislation analyzing the circumstance under which it operates. It also seeks to take considerations if the use of the legislation gives an effective mechanism for imposing secondary liability. Section 37(1) of the 1974 Ac t gives directives for the prosecution of managers/ directors. Section 37 of the HSWA States that in case a health and safety harm occurs to employees with the consent or connivance of a manager or director, then the manager or director together with the organization should be prosecuted under this particular section of the HSWA Act (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The section directs that employers should ensure that the safety and health of their employees is not affected by the work they do. Once the workers are affected by the kind of work they do in an industry in terms of their health and safety, then the act stipulates that the managers or directors be prosecuted. The act also tends to cover the employees’ duties at the work place. Employees in their duties at the work place are expected to take much care for good of their own safety and health and that of others who may be at risk of being affected by their acts. Employees are also expected to co-operate with their employers a nd other people at their work places when they are carrying out their statutory obligations (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The Health and Safety at Work act of 1974 provides that every organization or industry should have clearly stipulated health and safety policy if it has employed five and above employees. The organizations are also required to carry out assessments on their workers, partners, customers, and any other individual who may be at risk of being affected by the activities carried out by the organizations. The act also requires the organizations to have full access to health and safety advice that is competent. This is for the protection of its people or the staff members who may be affected by the activities carried out by the organization in terms of health and safety (Lofstedt 2011, p. 73). The HSWA act works alongside other regulations and Legislations in protection of health and safety of the workers. The Factories Act of 1961 and the Offices, Shops and Railway Premises A ct of 1963 are examples of Legislations that work alongside the HSWA act of 1974. Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations of 1994, and the Health and Safety Regulations of 1992 are among the regulations that are operated together with the HSWA act of 1974 (Smith, 1998). In its other provisions, the act requires that employers have a working environment that is safe in operation and maintenance to avoid any harm related to health and saf

Best Practice, Best Fit and Resource View of the firms analysis for Essay

Best Practice, Best Fit and Resource View of the firms analysis for relevance - Essay Example But these new concepts definitely did one thing, forced the organizations to focus on a neglected area. Similar is the case with "Best Practice", "Best Fit" and "Resource View of the Firms". The three concepts led to awakening which provided insights into organizations themselves on practices, organizational variables and the organizational resources respectively. Best Practice term arrived in the 1990s when the entire world of organizations were in a flux, the world became unipolar and the resources deployed hitherto for anticipated war between two poles of the world were suddenly available for better use, for business and the core of business is essentially the needs, desires of human beings and the ability to fulfill them. The geographical boundaries had suddenly collapsed and the resulting globalization created aggregation of these needs, desires and the abilities to fulfill them, unleashing a state of huge threats and huge opportunities. A plethora of business concepts arrived on the scene, quickly delivered by ICT elements across a wider spectrum of organizations. Best Practice concept was one of them. The search of reasons or factors behind a superlative performance led to a process-by-process analysis and its comparison with the more successful companies. Best practice is essentially kno... It is a quest for improvement through the use of experience behind creating a better practice by others. The comparison could be either through unstructured or structured mechanisms, documents, interactions. Benchmarking encompasses best practices and best practice results are the starting point in improvement through benchmarking partnerships. Normally two organizations enter into benchmarking partnerships and try to transfer the best practices from one context to another. It starts with regular comparison of performance measures in identified areas and when it is found that performance of some parameters is quite high, a detailed analysis is carried out to find out how it is done and what is the practice being adopted to achieve that superior result. Now the key is to understand and implement that practice, leading to closer people to people interactions, depending on the understanding and enthusiasm of the implementing organization. Another approach seen regarding best practice is industry or sector specific associations engaged in sharing and exchanging of data, experiences in seminars or workshops to facilitate the growth of the industry itself through capture of best practice and disseminating the same. The approach has definitely helped organizations to see the organizational activities in terms of a set of practices and look the process-wise comparison with others. The practice of comparison came down to the level of practices. Best Practice Blues There have been significant activities in the efforts to capture best practices from other sources and deploy in the own context. There are reasons to say that these efforts did not get a fair amount of success except the possible benefit of communicating a comparative message that someone

College Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

College Scholarship - Essay Example For accommodation, each of us was assigned a room with a roommate when we were registering to join the program. In my case, my roommate was Asha, who came from a Muslim background. In my life, I had never ever interacted with Muslims since I had been raised in a staunch Christian home. I would hear of people saying that other religions had different ways of doing things, but I had no first-hand experience with then anyway. My experience with Asha was great though I came to learn and understand some beliefs that I can call ‘weird’ to me somehow. On the first day, since she was the only friend whom I had interacted with, I spent most of my evening with her. The first thing, which amazed me, was that she had to wash her feet before praying. Additionally, she had to recite a number of verses from the Quran (Henningfeld, 2010). With my curiosity, I asked her why she had to do, and she responded by telling me that their religion required them to do so. Further, she told me that they were supposed to pray at specific time where they had different prayer versions for different times of the day. This was totally opposite from what I practiced in Christianity. In my religion, one can pray at any time regardless of whether they are clean or dirty. My curiosity never ended there; Asha had a distinctive way of dressing. According to their religion, a woman is supposed to cover her hair all the time. Sometimes it could be extremely hot, and I would her why she could not remove some clothes. However, one thing, which I really liked with the Muslim community during the exchange program, is that they were very united in different activities. They dined together as they shared their daily experiences with other students from different states in the country. They also have a specific time of praying, unlike the Christian community which never united as some were protestants while others where Roman Catholics.

Which of Hitler's key Mistakes Had the Greatest Effect on His Defeat Research Paper

Which of Hitler's key Mistakes Had the Greatest Effect on His Defeat in World War II - Research Paper Example Most of the reasons discussed are researched from books and publications that put their focus on the matters surrounding the Second World War, especially those that pay keen attention to the fatal decisions made by Hitler leading to his defeat. The fact that Germany through their leader Hitler lost the war after having played a significant impact in the First World War makes the discussion of its failures interesting. B-Summary of evidence The German Navy’s principal mission at war was to cut the life of Britain’s maritime by means of a blockade. The blockade was arrived at because Britain was an island and the barricade would result in it losing out on metals, fuel, and other elements, which were imported by the merchant ships. It was expected Britain’s forces were to be crippled to the ground by the move and consequently they were to be hit by a consistent air bombardment movement that was anticipated would make Britain surrender (Bevin, pg102). This strategy a gainst Britain would indeed work for the Germans, as in the World War I, the submarines owned by the Germans had succeeded in cutting the amount of British owned merchant ships which were sunk. Regardless of this fact, the German Navy constructed for the World War II was the same to the previous one. Germany’s failure to invest in additional submarines, instead choosing to undermine the British maritime strength hampered the success of Hitler’s force (Carolin, pg56). The German submarines were the greatest risk to the British, but were consequently extremely few, and the slow development of other submarines did give Britain ample time to adapt to the risk and survive with massive endeavor and terrible losses. By the time the German naval force had grouped itself better, the challenge posed by the British was enormous as the latter had a wholly developed antisubmarine force which overwhelmed Hitler’s men. Hitler may have won the war, supposing his strategists foc used on constructing numerous submarines instead of the inconsequential battleships. The war could have been won in Hitler’s favor prior to the US and Russia joining in the war. There were numerous cases of murder by the regime, and the fear of severe punishment created fear in the criticism or even yet provides advices that were not favorable, or even to wake up the dictator late in the night whenever an emergency case presented itself. In such establishments, an individual formulates all the significant decisions and too numerous fewer decisions, and it is almost not possible to transform whatever is on the individual mind, such as Hitler prior to or after the individual formulates a foremost mistake. Deciding on Hitler’s failure or mistakes during the war is centered in the context of whatever his focal purpose and intentions were. Hitler’s original short term military aspiration was to overcome the regime of Stalin in the Soviet Union, by means of a highly c oncentrated but short war, and the lasting annexation of the Eastern European region land (Samuel, pg48). That included the Eastern side of Russia of the Urals for the objective of increasing the economic authority preferably by means of agriculture. The aspiration well articulated in the invasion of Poland, was Hitler’s primary propelling objective in the short term. However, Hitler decided on defeating France prior to taking on Stalin and his men. Hitler’s desire was to acquire a free hand to combat in the East. However, that did prove to be Hitler’s mistake. Stalin was at that time detested all throughout the Eastern and Western Europe. Therefore, Hitler would be able to mount warfare with Stalin, the only factor being Poland getting on the way due to its geographical positioning. However, the

Conclusion and recommendation Essay Example for Free

Conclusion and recommendation Essay Based on the results of the focus group discussion and the interview, Web 2. 0 applications being utilized for educational purposes are seen to have a very good potential in being integrated into educational processes for teaching and learning. Reflective of the first objective, it has been seen that there is a positive outlook with regards to Web 2. 0 applications from students and how the communicate. In addition, it is seen that educational processes would from time to time inculcate particular. Web 2. 0 applications and replacing conventional educational tools with newer and more technologically adept Web 2. 0 applications in order for educators to be more effective in communicating with students. With respect to the sixth objective of this study, educators are keen to note that Web 2. 0 applications have the potential for being used as a tool for educational purposes. Educators on one hand furthered this conclusion because of their openness to the concept of including Web 2. 0 applications in their curriculum, utilizing its capabilities in effectively transferring knowledge to their students and more importantly communicating with them. In answering objectives two and three, educators themselves indicated that they are able to already utilize Web 2. 0 applications for providing administrative information to their students and they have indicated that Web 2. 0 applications being used as educational tools already exists and is being utilized by other educators. They are able to go with the flow of innovation as students are getting more and more adept with the use of such internet tools that they are able to identify with this and use this to the teacher’s advantage. The educators have identified that Web 2. 0 applications such as Blogs, Wikis, and other social networking tools have the potential to be used as teaching tools. Being able to use such a tool would not only make their teaching efforts easier but more importantly more effective in bringing information to their students. Coming from the aim of the study particularly to identify how Web 2. 0 technologies can be applied to Higher education, it is apparent that due to the inputs coming from both the student body and educators and because of extant literature there is an apparent improvement in the use of Information Technology in higher education. With the current use of Web 2. 0 technologies such as that of Flickr, Wikis and Myspace by both students and educators in communicating and teaching learning, Web 2. 0 technologies in the future will most certainly be integrated into higher education. This is due to the cultural changes that are observed within educators and students as how they perceive Web 2. 0 technologies and their effect on higher education. This is already evident as students currently utilize such Web 2. 0 applications in communicating with their peers for educational purposes. The next phase would be to utilize such tools more effectively and efficiently by the educators themselves in communicating with their students. On the other hand, because of such an increase in utilization, it would be constructive for this area of educational research if there are additional in-depth studies pertaining to Web 2. 0 technologies and how they affect higher education. In order to further explain and expound on this body of knowledge, it is recommended that a considerable number of focus groups be added into the study. This would yield a more accurate and diverse collation of answers. This would then be used in acquiring more information and validating the results of this study. In addition to the methodology, there should be an inclusion of several interviews to be conducted on other areas particularly other educational classes and universities so as to identify the relationship of geography with Web learning. In addition to this, it would be useful to identify if there is a relationship between racial background and web learning, is there a trait that controls the preferences of various races utilize web 2. 0 applications and if there is a relationship with race. Lastly, In addition to what was mentioned above, it would prove crucial if there is further study with regards to other countries and how they are able to utilize Web 2. 0 applications in their pursuit for better education. This would be able to provide the research with a better comparison particular to the effects of countries with respect to Web 2. 0 applications and Web learning.

Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Suicidal Behaviour Essay Example for Free

Sexual Abuse and Subsequent Suicidal Behaviour Essay ABSTRACT. Suicidal behaviour is a cause for concern among many western countries; in general, it is most common among young women. This research used qualitative methods to explore the narratives of 24 Cate Curtis, PhD, lectures in psychology at the University of Waikato, New Zealand. She is interested in female self-harming behaviour, including self-mutilation and suicidal behaviour; social factors implicated both in engaging in self-harm and in recovery, particularly the roles played by family and friends; and barriers to help-seeking behaviour such as stigma. She is also interested in the ways people diagnosable with mental illness make sense of their experiences of being â€Å"unwell† and their experiences as consumers of mental health services. Cate has also worked in a number of social service agencies as a youth and community worker. Address correspondence to: Cate Curtis, PhD, Psychology Department, University of Waikato, Private Bag 3105, Hamilton, New Zealand (Email: [emailprotected]). The author wishes to thank the participants who candidly shared their experiences of suicidal behaviour and sexual abuse, and hopes that the opportunity to have their voices heard through this paper goes some way to repay their contribution. amine the meanings of events leading to and implicated in the recovery from suicidal behaviour. The research confirms sexual abuse as a common precursor to suicidal behaviour; several women asserted that they would not have attempted suicide if they did not have a sexual abuse history. KEYWORDS. Sexual abuse, suicidal behaviour, adolescent mental health, intervention Barriers to early death are increasingly strengthened through advances in medical science; we are more aware of the causes of premature death than ever before. Yet some young people continue to attempt (and in some cases succeed) to take their own lives. Internationally, adolescents and young adults are at greater risk of suicidal behaviour than other age groups (Gould et al., 1998; Romans, Martin, Anderson, Herbison, Mullen, 1995), and while males complete suicide at higher rates than females, rates of suicidal behaviour in general are considerably higher for females (Ministry of Youth Affairs, Ministry of Health, Te Puni Kokiri, 1998). Examinations of risk factors for suicidal behaviour have largely been quantitative in nature, seeking to determine correlations. Also, the majority of studies have been conducted with clinical populations. The research discussed in this paper attempts to address these possible methodological issues through the use of qualitative methods with a community sample. The paper discusses the experiences of women who engaged in suicidal behaviour while under the age of 25 through their first-hand accounts. Of particular interest is the relationship between sexual abuse and subsequent suicidal behaviour, and how sexual abuse impacts upon help-seeking behaviour and the efficacy of interventions for suicidal behaviour. Adults who have been victims of sexual abuse as children or adolescents report significantly greater symptoms indicative of depression, anxiety, and self-abusive and suicidal behaviour. In a 1992 study by Saunders, Villeponteaux, Lipovsky, Kilpatrick, and Veronen, abuse survivors were significantly more likely than others to meet diagnostic  criteria for agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, social phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Vajda and Steinbeck (2000) found that childhood sexual abuse is a stronger predictor of repeated suicidal behaviour than individual characteristics and other stressors, and Read, Agar, Barker-Collo, and Davies (2001) found that â€Å"Current suicidality was predicted better by child sexual abuse (experienced on average 20 years previously) than a current diagnosis of depression† (p. 367). Rodriguez-Srednicki (2001) reported increased rates of drug use, alcohol abuse, disordered eating, risky sex, dissociation, self-mutilation, and suicidality in a sample of 175 female college students who were survivors of childhood sexual abuse, as compared to 266 female college students w ith no reported history of abuse. Likewise, elevated rates of depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, drug or alcohol abuse, suicide attempts, and psychiatric admission were found in McCauley and colleagues’ (1997) study of childhood physical and sexual abuse in American women. Similar findings are reported by Polusny and Follette (1995), Silverman, Reinherz, and Giacona (1996), Stepakoff (1998), Read et al. (2001), and Read, Agar, Argyle, and Aderhold (2003) have linked sexual abuse to hallucinations, delusions, and thought disorders. Sexual abuse has been linked to a number of negative psychological outcomes in addition to diagnosable disorders. Effects include trouble sleeping, nervousness, thoughts of hurting oneself, and learning difficulties. Women whose abusive experiences occurred within the family are at greater risk of disturbance than other women (Sedney Brooks, 1984). Wagner and Linehan (1994) reported that not only are women who have been sexually abused more likely to engage in deliberate self-injury, their behaviour is also more likely to be lethal than that of women who did not report abuse. More recently, Gladstone, Parker, Mitchell, and Malhi (2004) argued that depressed women with a history of childhood sexual abuse may require specifically tailored interventions. While a casual reading of the literature may suggest that most women who have been sexually abused go on to experience psychological problems, the Otago Women’s Health Study found that only one in five women who reported sexual abuse as a child developed a psychiatric disorder (Ministry of Health, 1998). Reviewing a number of studies, Goodyear-Smith (1993) argued that the other forms of abuse and family dysfunction that tend to occur alongside sexual abuse may in fact play at least as great a part in later depression and psychological problems. Boudewyn and Liem (1995) suggested that the longer the duration and the more frequent and severe the sexual abuse, the more depression and self-destructiveness is likely. In a large random community study, Romans, Martin, and Mullen (1997) found that of their 252 participants, 26% of the participants reported sexual abuse before age 12 and 32% were sexually abused by the age of 16. Twenty-three (4.8%) of those interviewed reported a history of deliberate self-harm, and 22 of these 23 reported childhood sexual abuse. The one woman who self-harmed without a history of childhood sexual abuse reported sexual and physical assault as an adult. It should be noted that the vast majority of women who were sexually abused did not report self-harm. A clear â€Å"dose effect† was found: the more frequent and intrusive the childhood sexual abuse, the stronger the association with selfharm. This was also found in a study by Mullen, Martin, and Anderson (1996). Sexually abused participants who had self-harmed were more likely than other survivors of sexual abuse to report depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and to drink alcohol in excess of the r ecommended guidelines. They were also more likely to have experienced psychosocial disadvantage in their families of origin, such as low care/ high control relationships with their parents, parental discord, paternal depression or alcohol abuse, and physical abuse. Romans and colleagues’ study clearly demonstrates that although not all women who have  been sexually abused go on to harm themselves, the majority of women who harm themselves have been sexually abused. Although exact figures cannot be obtained and various definitions1 are used in the research, sexual abuse in girls and young women is not uncommon, and it is generally accepted that females are far more likely to be victims of sexual abuse than males. For example, Saunders and colleagues (1992) reported that 10% of the women in their study in South Carolina had been raped during childhood, a further 15.6% had been molested, and another 12% had been the victims of non-contact sexual assault (such as indecent exposure). When studied at age 18, 17% of females in a longitudinal study reported experiencing sexual abuse before age 16 (Fergusson, Lynskey, Horwood, 1996). However, it has been suggested that survivors in this age group are inclined not to report the abuse they have suffered (Ministry of Health, 1998). A study of 3000 women aged 18-65 (Anderson, Martin, Mullen, 1993) reported 32% being sexually abused before age 16. Using a somewhat narrower definition2 of sexual abuse than some, Muir (1993) found prevalence rates of 38% among women and 10% among men in her sample of university students. However, Romans, Martin, Anderson, Herbison, and Mullen (1995) argued that until recently most studies have involved atypical samples such as social agency clients and clinical inpatients, and criticisms of the link between childhood sexual abuse and later suicidality have been based on these methodological issues; for example, clinical inpatients may not be representative of the wider population of survivors of sexual abuse. Disclosure of abuse appears to be difficult for many survivors of sexual abuse, particularly disclosure to police or others outside their circle of significant others. This may have implications for the efficacy of counselling and therapy. International studies reviewed by Muir (2001) suggested that 20-30% of survivors of childhood sexual abuse do not disclose until adulthood, and in over half the cases where disclosure occurred during childhood (usually to a parent or parent figure or friend; only 4% disclosed  to a community figure, such as police, teachers, or social workers), no action was taken. The majority of participants in Muir’s (1993) study reported feeling scared, humiliated, guilty, and powerless at the time of the abuse. When asked how they felt immediately after disclosure, approximately one-third gave negative responses, such as guilt or shame. In some cases, the response of the person to whom they had disclosed was negative or unsupportive. For some participants, negative responses to the question seem largely predicated on a lack of response by the person disclosed to, or little change to the situation. Another study conducted by Muir (2001) found that fear of the consequences frequently affected women’s ability to disclose. Anderson and colleagues (1993) reported that only 7% of sexually abused participants reported the abuse to police or social services, and Romans, Martin, and Mullen (1996) suggested that sexual abuse by a family member is much less likely to be reported to police or social services than if the abuser is outside the family. In many cases, fears were not unfounded: disclosures were often met with disbelief or rejection on the part of the confidant. Similarly, Myer (1985) reported that of 43 mothers who attended a programme for mothers of father-daughter incest victims, only 56% protected their daughters, with 9% taking no action and the remaining 35% rejecting their daughters in favour of their partners (the perpetrators of abuse). Members of the latter two groups either denied the abuse took place, or blamed their daughters, claiming, for instance, that their daughters were seductive, provocative, or pathological liars. Denial of abuse during childhood is often particularly disempowering and engenders a sense of betrayal and may result in the abuse continuing. Withholding disclosure may be a way to retain control over one’s memories and emotions; as Muir (2001) discussed, control (or the lack of it) is frequently an important issue for survivors of abuse. Control may also be maintained through selective disclosure, or choosing confidants that maximise confidence about disclosure. It seems possible that  disclosure may impact mental health and potential suicidality, depending on how the disclosure is dealt with. If abuse is disclosed when it first occurs and is appropriately dealt with, the abuse survivor will have the opportunity to take whatever steps she feels necessary to re-establish her emotional equilibrium. On the other hand, if she is unable to disclose the abuse, or it is not dealt with appropriately, she may be at greater risk of feelings of guilt, anxiety, low self-esteem, and depression and the abuse may continue. These emotional responses could, in turn, lead to suicidality. Holguin and Hansen (2003) suggested that in addition to the impact of the abuse itself, the consequences of being labelled as sexually abused may have detrimental effects. They argued that the combination of negative expectations and biases may create a self-fulfilling prophecy, but acknowledge that further research into this area is required. Additionally, the mother’s response to a disclosure of sexual abuse is central to her daughter’s recovery (Candib, 1999). Furthermore, perpetrators of sexual abuse are rarely identified and even more rarely punished (Candib, 1999); if a girl’s mother does not support her, she may well receive no support at all. A link between delayed disclosure of abuse or inadequate response to disclosure and subsequent suicidal behaviour does not appear to have been researched. However, given what is known about increased likelihood of suicidal behaviour among survivors of sexual abuse, it seems plausible that the addition of a lack of support to deal with the abuse may exacerbate suicidality. In summary, the literature reviewed suggested that sexual abuse leads to an increased likelihood of depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance abuse, all of which have been associated with suicidal behaviour. While it would be incorrect to say that the majority of survivors of sexual abuse engage in suicidal behaviour, there is no doubt that the risk is increased, and Romans and colleagues’ findings (Romans et al., 1995, 1997) suggested that the majority of young women who attempt suicide have been sexually abused. Candib’s (1999) and Muir’s (2001) findings that those who do not disclose abuse or whose disclosure does not result in appropriate responses are at increased risk of distress suggests that the likelihood of subsequent suicidal behaviour may be raised in these groups; however, there appears to be little research on this topic. This research sought to explore the perceptions of women who had engaged in suicidal behaviour. While the  literature discussed above clearly points to a link between childhood sexual abuse and subsequent suicidal behaviour, the author was concerned to avoid assumptions about linkages between the two. The purpose of the research was to determine  how the women concerned (i.e., the survivors of suicidal behaviour) saw their behaviour, what they considered to be the factors that led to their suicidality, how they made sense of their actions, and how they moved beyond suicidal behaviour. Therefore few restrictions were placed on criteria for inclusion in the study and a research method was chosen that minimises the impact of the preconceived ideas of the researcher. Experience of sexual abuse was not a necessary criterion for inclusion in the study. Rather, this was a study of female suicidal behaviour that revealed a high prevalence of sexual abuse in participants’ histories. METHODS The population of interest in this research was women who engaged in non-fatal suicidal behaviour while under age 25. As noted by Gould and colleagues (1998), clinical samples demonstrate higher rates of co-morbidity than community samples, leading to an increased risk of sample bias. Due to this potential bias, and because a large number of young female self-injurers do not come to the attention of a mental health professional, a qualitative approach that included a non-clinical population was used. Eligibility for participation in the research included prior engagement in suicidal behaviour, while under age 25, cessation of suicidal behaviour for at least one year, and self-assessed as having recovered from suicidality. The latter two criterion were included both to ensure a degree of safety from distress that might have occured through taking part in the research and to increase the likelihood of participants having had some time to reflect on the cessation of their suicidal behaviour. However, it is acknowledged that the decision that suicidal behaviour should have ceased at least one year prior to participation is somewhat arbitrary. Personal experience of sexual abuse was not a criterion for participation. Participants were recruited through  presentations made to third-year and graduate psychology classes, through items placed in magazines and newspapers, via the e-mail lists of relevant information networks, and through letters and information sheets sent to relevant community organisations such as women’s groups and community support groups. Potential participants were invited to contact the researcher. An initial recruitment discussion took place during which the purpose of the study was discussed, along with eligibility criteria. Participants were asked if they had questions and then offered a written information sheet. Following this, eligible participants were invited to take some time to consider whether they wished to proceed and to contact the researcher again  if they did. Most participants decided immediately that they wished to proceed and made an appointment for an interview. Two possible participants were not heard from subsequent to the recruitment discussion, and one cancelled her appointment. Participants A total of 24 women took part in the research. The participants formed a diverse group; efforts were made to recruit participants from a variety of backgrounds, in an attempt to obtain a sample as representative of the population of interest as possible, given the sample size. The youngest participant was aged 21 at the time of the interview, while the oldest was 46. The average age was 29.6 years. All participants were born in New Zealand and of European descent, although two also were of Maori ethnicity (the indigenous people of New Zealand) and one was part-Asian. Most (n = 23) of the participants spent their childhood living with at least one biological parent, with the remaining participant had been adopted. However, only 11 participants reported that their biological parents were cohabiting at the time of the participant’s first suicide attempt. In eight cases, the parents separated at some point of the participant’s childhood or adolescence; in three cases one parent had died, and in one case both parents had died. Eleven participants were living in cities at the time of their first suicide attempt, nine in towns, and four  in rural areas. Socio-economic status and education levels were mixed, possibly as a result of the recruitment process; thirteen participants had completed some university courses. Interview and Procedures An open-ended, semi-structured method of interviewing was chosen in recognition that an attempt to fit the participants’ varied experiences into a â€Å"one size suits all† structure would risk losing the subtleties of their interpretations. This method facilitates access to information the researcher could not have considered (Burns, 1994). In line with the narrative approach, once the preliminaries to the interview had been conducted (discussion about consent, recording of the interview, making the participant comfortable, discussion of the topic, etc.), the participants were encouraged to tell their â€Å"story,† beginning with the background to becoming suicidal. Participants were asked in general terms how or why they became suicidal. They were not prompted by having possible risk factors suggested, such as sexual abuse. During this stage, the researcher’s  role was solely one of encouraging the process of story-telling. The second stage was one of seeking clarification and elaboration as required. Interviews lasted an average of two hours and all except three were conducted face to face, with two others being conducted by telephone and the remaining one a combination of telephone and electronic mail. Face-to-face interviews were conducted at the place of choice of the participant (in one case, at the participant’s workplace; in another, at the offices of a participant’s counsellor; and the remainder evenly split between the researcher’s university office and the participants’ homes). All face-to-face and telephone interviews were audio-taped. When transcribing was complete (within two weeks), a copy of the transcription was given to each participant to check for accuracy. No participants requested changes be made other than adding or correcting some details. Thematic data analysis was performed utilising the QSR Nud*ist qualitative data analysis software package. A suitable coding structure was developed through this process,  with branches for risk factors, other self-harming behaviours, interventions/therapies, and factors in cessation. Results A range of both proximal and distal factors were discussed by participants as contributing to their suicidal behaviour. Although suicidal behaviour was often triggered by an immediately preceding event, it was clear from the participants’ narratives that suicidal behaviour occurred against a background of long-term disturbance and dysfunction. All participants spoke about combinations of factors, and, with the exclusion of two women who considered that their suicidal behaviour was primarily due to biological causes (Kate and Lucy3), all the participants spoke of issues within their family being key contributors. While the divorce of parents does not seem particularly common (eight out of 24 participants), most of the others spoke of a large amount of parental conflict that did not result in divorce. Additionally, there were five parental deaths, two of which were suicides, and a number of other issues as discussed above. Almost all participants spoke of some level of physical or emotional abuse within the family that was sufficiently severe to be considered a cause of their suicidal behaviour.

Planning for Demolition of Building

Planning for Demolition of Building Identify a derelict building and taking into account factors such as its previous use, condition, structural features and location, prepare a plan for the safe demolition of the building that identifies the preferred method of demolition and outlines suitable technical and procedural control measures. The objectives of this report are to identify a derelict building and plan its demolition. The planning has to take account of the specificities of the buildings structure, its previous use, the site, the neighbouring properties and other parameters. Control measures from a health and safety point of view have to be included. The building identified is a very old Victorian three-storey building that has not been used for many years. The methodology consists of analysing the existing structure and adjoining properties. A detailed description of the structure has been given and the demolition sequence has been chosen in accordance with the structure and in a way to cause minimal disruption to other properties and the general public. The actual demolition plan is given in the form of a list of tasks and a brief explanation for each task. The demolition process has been divided into critical phases. The control measures have been incorporated in the plan of the demolition but a health and safety risk assessment has been done that lists the possible hazards from such a work. 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Derelict Building 1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Structures to be Demolished This three storey Victorian building is one of three buildings in the same compound that used to house an old hospital on the site.The other two are also not in use and there are plans to demolish them as well but at a later date. The Victorian building is a detached three storey building positioned centrally on the site with a shed used as boiler house on one side.Access is from the south side where the building is about 10 m from the road. The Boiler House is set to the north of the building but is detached from the main building. It consists of one tall stone building with attached oil and water tanks. There is a network of underground pipes between the boiler house and the Victorian buildings for the supply of hot water for domestic and heating purposes. As most Victorian buildings of that size, these buildings have certain characteristics that distinguish them from other buildings. The building construction is of masonry. The load bearing walls are made of two lines of brick with no gap in between. These external walls rise undisrupted to the roof. The roof consists of square timber rafters sitting on a timber ring beam on top of the walls. The rafters support a series if rectangular timber purlins that in turn support the slate tiles that form the roof. The edges are sealed by hammered lead foils. The internal floors are made up of timber joists supported by stone brackets off the brick walls. A grid of timber beams are supported off the joists and wooden planks are nailed to the top of the timber beams. The partition walls consist of plastered timber frames. The buildings also consist of basement that have been sealed several years ago but has not been filled. There is no insulation on the walls and roof and there is no air conditioning installed in the building. The only services are the hot and cold water pipes, drainage pipes and electric wiring. The water pipes date from the original construction and are of lead. The sanitary drainage pipes also date from original and consist of 5 cast iron pipes and fittings lined with bitumen. The electric wiring has been installed much later and has been fixed to the timber joists by means of nailed clips. The boiler house is a stone building with corrugated iron sheet roof. It contains a coal-fired boiler that is out of operation. The boiler is connected to the Victorian buildings via underground pipes to supply hot water. The Boiler House also contains a large number of pipe work and fittings as well as a coal pit. 1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adjacent Land Use The site is situated between two main roads on the South andEast sides and two B-class roads on the North and West sides. The site shares a boundary with a much newer construction used as NHS clinic which will remain in use during the demolition. The site is surrounded completely with 2.5 m tall masonry walls except on the south side. The south side is cordoned by wrought iron fencing. There is no wall between the parking lot of the clinic and the compound. 1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ground Conditions Ground investigations were carried out on samples of the south of the site during the construction of some of the newer buildings. The investigation results are available from the council. Since no new construction is being undertaken in this project, ground information is deemed to be unnecessary. 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Description of Works 2.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Methodology 2.1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Survey Since the building has not been in use for a significant period of time, its exact state is not known even to the client. So the first thing to be done is a full structural survey of the building to assess the danger from hazardous material and to decide on the best method of carrying out the work. This will need to be done as early as the tender stage as the information from this survey will be essential for the rest of the work. Before the start of the demolition, a full scale demolition survey will need to be done. This should take account of the following(Holroyd, 1999): Adjoining properties The type of structure and the key elements in it. The condition of the elements. Any requirement for temporary works or staging during demolition. Are there any confined spaces. Are there hazards from asbestos, lead, contaminated land, etc? Is access and egress adequate? 2.1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Preferred Method The demolition can be carried in a number of ways but given the proximity of other properties such as the NHS block and main roads, the demolition should be carried out in a way as to minimise disruption to the neighbourhood and also to cause minimum noise level. The demolition should be planned to be carried out in a controlled manner from top to bottom, de-constructing the components in the reverse order of original construction. Demolition balls will be used only as the last resort and no explosive will be used. 2.1.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Method Statement A method statement needs to be prepared before the job starts and should cover (Holroyd, 1999): The sequence and method of demolition noting access/egress details. Pre-weakening details of the structure Personnel safety, including the general public Service removal/make safe Services to be provided Flammable problems Hazardous substances The use of transport and waste removal Identity of people with control responsibilities. 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Particulars of Work 3.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 1: Planning Before the demolition starts, careful planning is required to ensure smooth operations. It also allows problems to be identified at an early stage. The cost of remedial action at the planning stage is significantly less than that at the demolition stage. So, allocation of time and effort to careful and thorough planning is very important. 3.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 2: Site Preparation Once on site, the demolition cannot start immediately. There is a lot of work that needs to be done to make the demolition work possible.Several preventive measures and control measures have to be established right at the start. It is cheaper and better than to apply remedial action when things go wrong. The planning stage must have identified the areas that need attention and the control measures that are required. The processes involved in the actual demolition are site specific and site preparations must be done accordingly. Good site preparation also allows minimal disruption to the neighbourhood. 3.3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 3: Demolition of Boiler House From the risk assessment, it is clear that the boiler house, although much smaller in size that the main building, represents a greater health hazard to the site workers as it contains asbestos, oil tanks, water tanks and a lot of pipe work. To reduce the exposure of the personnel to such risks, it has been decided to demolish and make safe the boiler house first before starting with the main building. 3.4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 4: Demolition of Main Building The main building will be demolished manually as far as possible. In order to contain the noise and air pollution as much as possible, the external walls and roof will be maintained until the entire interior has been demolished. The internal partitions do not contribute to the structural strength and stability of the building and it is therefore safe to demolish them. The floors do provide some lateral stability to the walls and will not be removed until an alternative temporary support is not provided to the walls. 3.5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Phase 5: Site Reinstatement After the demolition is complete, the site has to be cleared of remaining debris and decommissioning of site offices and other facilities installed for the purpose of the site. The site offices and welfare facilities will be removed. The state of residual contamination has to be assessed and if any remedial action needs to be taken, it should be done. The landscaping should be re-established. Finally, the fencing and screens will be removed and the site handed-over. 3.6  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Other Elements The Principal Contractor should also be aware of the following: Traffic Management, an increased awareness is required for traffic control to and from the site from the South and East sides. The South side adjoins a particularly busy road with several shopping complexes further along the road. Unauthorised access to site from clinic block Unauthorised access from the main roads. 4  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Control Measures 4.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  General Health Hazards 4.1.1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Operational Hazards Electric shock/burns Striking existing services Working at height Disconnecting of existing services Operating machinery, equipment, hand tools and mobile plant Hot works Manual handling Slip, trip, fall type injuries Dust / fumes Crush type injuries Contact with harmful substances Working in contaminated ground Working in confined spaces 4.1.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hazardous Construction Materials Materials within the project with the potential to cause a hazard to health and safety: Aggregates Fuel oils Sand Glass fibre insulation Sewage Glass Wood treatment products Used drainage pipes Dust Cement Mastics Sealants Paints Floor Mastics / glues Asphalt Fumes 4.2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  CDM The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations came in effect in UK 31st March 1995. The main duties of the five key parties (CIRIA, 2001) are: The Client shall appoint a competent planning supervisor and principal contractor for each project The Designer should design structures to avoid, wherever possible, foreseeable risks to health and safety during construction, maintenance and cleaning work. Information should be provided on unavoidable risks. Design includes the preparation of specifications and not limited to calculations and drawings. The Planning Supervisor the organisation or person with overall responsibility for ensuring co-ordination of the health and safety aspects of the design and planning phase, the early stages of the health and safety plan and health and safety file. The Principal Contractor develops the construction-phase health and safety plan and manages and co-ordinates the activities of all contractors to ensure they comply with health and safety legislation. They have duties relating to the provision of information and training on health and safety for everyone on site and the coordination of employees views working on site. Contractors and the Self-Employed must co-operate with the principal contractor and other contractors and provide relevant information on the risks created by their work and how they will be controlled. 5  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  References Bibliography Site Safety Handbook, 3rd Edition,CIRIA, 2001 Brown, D. The Construction (Design and Management regulations 1994: Advice for Designers in Steel, Steel Construction Institute, 1997. Holroyd, Trevor M, Site Management for Engineers, Thomas Telford, 1999 CIRIA, Environmental Handbook for Building and Civil Engineering Projects: Construction Phase, Thomas Telford, 1998 Managing Demolition and Construction Wastes, Department of the Environment, 1994 Demolition of Special Structures, The concrete Society, 1984 Safety in Demolition Work, Health and Safety Executive, 1979

The Bluest Eye - Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? :: Bluest Eye Essays

The Bluest Eye - Do Blondes Really Have More Fun? America, the land of the free and the brave, a country where if you work hard enough you can have whatever you wish! All Pecola Breedlove wanted was to have blue eyes. Today, that dream would be easily fulfilled, but in 1941, it was unattainable. She bought into the belief that to have blond hair and blue eyes was the only way to obtain beauty. It is a belief that has dominated American culture since the nineteenth century. We must look a certain way, have a specific occupation, or live in a particular neighborhood if we are to fit into society. In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison has captured these and other stigma's we place on ourselves. We as a society like to believe that everyone is equal, that no matter what you look like you are important to the society. Unfortunately, this is not an accurate belief. We only have to turn on the television or open a magazine to see who are the adored people in our country. However, it is not fair to say that all people buy into these ideals. In The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison captures both sides of society. Pecola and her family represent the part of American society that strives to belong and fit into the stereotypical world. Pecola believes that if she could have blue eyes then she would be accepted. "If she looked different, beautiful, maybe they'd say, 'Why, look at pretty-eyed Pecola. We mustn't do bad things in front of those pretty eyes'" (46). She saw the blue eyes as an answer to everything that was wrong in her life. Pauline found her "white" identity through the Fisher family. It was through them that she found value and importance. "The creditors and service people who humiliated her when she went to them on her own behalf respected her, were even intimidated by her, when she spoke for the Fishers. . . Power, praise and luxury were hers in this household" (128). Claudia was the antithesis to Pecola and her mother. She was proud of who she was. She embraced her heritage and refused the stereotypes thrust at her.

The Future of Cell Phones :: Expository Essays Research Papers

The Future of Cell Phones We have seen the cell phone evolve from a big bulky cumbersome piece of equipment into a sleek small compact device. You can now pick different ring tones for your phone and can change the appearance. Right now you can even access the Internet. Even though it seems like we have seen it all, cell phones are still getting better. Just recently released were the new phones that can take pictures. Not only can you take pictures but you can also send them. However these phones were just released and are going to be very expensive. The Technology is constantly improving and it seems like no matter what type of phone you get a newer model will outdate it. A company in London, the name of it is Eleksen, has created something they call "intelligent fabrics" that can electronically sense a finger's touch and recognize the amount of pressure applied to it (16). You may be wondering, "What is this going to do for cell phones?" Well Erik Fok, who works for Eleksen, says that he hopes that the fabric will herald a new generation of lightweight cell phones that can be controlled with a squeeze of the hand or the glide of a finger (16). Can you imagine that? A cell phone that can be scrunched, folded, or shoved into your pocket. It may seem far away but believe me it will be marketed in a matter of years. Have you ever bought a calling card? Well in the future you may be able to buy disposable cell phones. That's right disposable. These phones, invented by Randi Altschul, will be made out of paper and of course will be recyclable (17). The phone is expected to be available soon and can be purchased for twenty dollars for sixty minutes of talk time (17). There is another inventor that has gone one step beyond this. Victor Chu, a fashion technologist in New York, wants to develop a biodegradable casing for prepaid phones that contains flower seeds and can be planted once the phone runs out of credit (16). I'll have to see that to believe it! Many people are predicting that cell phones will do so much more than voice communication in the future. They will hold keys to bank accounts and be used as remote controls to unlock doors to our house or car.

Comparing Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry Essay

Mass Society in The Dharma Bums and The New American Poetry      Ã‚  Ã‚   One of the best ways to fully understand an era is to study its literature. The printed word has the incredible capacity to both reflect and shape the hopes, fears, and ideologies of the time. This is very evident when reading literature from 1960's America, a turbulent period in the history of our country. While the authors' styles are very different, there are definite thematic patterns and characteristics evident in many of their works. For one, there is a prevalent concept of the unenlightened masses. This concept serves as a foil for the enlightened few often represented as the main characters and more specifically as the authors themselves. There also seems to be a general questioning of the "American Dream" as well as a clear conflict between nature and technology. By looking at these common thematic elements, not only can we better understand the literature of the time, but we can also get a fuller picture of the era itself.    One of the most interesting concepts in 60's literature is that of mass society. And while this notion is evident in many of the writings, the treatment of it is different from author to author. Richard Brautigan chooses to show the poor masses in his piece "Trout Fishing in America". He writes, "...people gather in the park across the street from the church and they are hungry.//It's sandwich time for the poor."(280,Streets) Donald Berthelme in his work "The Glass Mountain" calls the masses, "acquaintances"(284, Streets). He shows them to be a drunk and unruly lot who shout profanities at him as he tries to climb the building. Lawrence Ferlinghetti mentions an "unlonely crowd"(130,Poetry) in his po... ...erature from 1960's America is full of recurring themes and images, which help to shed some light on the society of the time. There is a portrayal of a mass society that is questing for the American dream. There is also a call for enlightenment which many of the authors seem to say comes from a rejection of technological glitter and a return to simple, awe inspiring nature. These themes are shown in many different ways and with various slants. By placing these works in the larger context of a social era, we can see that the 60's was a very tumultuous time of great conflict and great change.    Works Cited: Allen, Donald ed. The New American Poetry. U of California Press:Berkeley, 1999. Bloom, Alexander and Wini Breines Takin It To The Streets. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1995. Kerouac, Jack The Dharma Bums. Penguin Books: N.Y., 1986.

Integrated Marketing Communications Starbucks Essay

Starbucks key of success is the ability to change the concept consumers had about drinking coffee. With more than 6000 outlets across the world (2003 numbers) and the intention of increasing them in the near future, the company has transformed coffee into a lifestyle accessory with as much elegance as the latest fashion. However, their way to success was not so easy and if we go back in 1971, we will find that coffee didn’t look like it was a great business. There were no signs of getting better, either. Coffee consumption in the United States had peaked in the 1960s, but by 1971 it was on the decline. Most Americans drank something called â€Å"coffee† that came ground up very finely in vacuum-sealed tins. Nevertheless, there was appeared tiny Seattle based chain with innovative idea of how to do business that in a few years changed the vision about the process of drinking coffee not only in USA but worldwide. Starbucks has evolved into a great success due to their imp lementation of Integrated Marketing Communications. What is integrated marketing communication? For many, IMC is concerned with the harmonization of customer oriented promotional messages. Duncan and Everett (1993) suggest IMC has been referred variously as orchestration, whole egg and seamless communication. It is regarded by some as a means of combining the tools of the promotional mix in a more efficient and synergistic manner. Increasingly IMC is seen to include all consistent interactions a stakeholder has with an organization (Shultz and Schults 1998) and therefore any definition needs to include or refer to concepts such added value, relationship marketing, corporate blending and with it, the blending of internal and external communications. One of the primary motivations why Starbucks moved towards IMC was the reduction in costs that it was possible to realize through this approach. The rise in some media costs, most notably television through 1990s, the proliferation of media opportunities and the splintering of audiences has led to a reappraisal of the communications strategies used by organizations and a reformulation of their promotional and media mixes. By reducing their reliance on above-the-line media and by attempting to move towards the use of media-neutral mixes to deliver consistent messages that cut through the increasing clutter, Starbucks has moved, if unintentionally, towards some  form of integrated marketing communication activity. Agreeing a definition of IMC is proving elusive but one of the more popular, simple and intrinsically satisfying views of IMC is that the messages conveyed by each of the promotional tools should be harmonised in order that audiences perceive a consistent image of a product or organisation. One interpretation of this perspective is that the key visual triggers (design, colours, form and tag line) used in advertising should be replicated across the range of promotional tools used, including Point-of-Purchase (POP) and the sales force. At another level IMC is about the integration of some of the promotional tools. One such combination is the closer alliance of advertising with public relations. Increasing audience fragmentation means that it is more difficult to locate target audiences and communicate with them in a meaningful way. By utilising the power of public relations to stimulate word-of-mouth communication about brands and advertisements. Basically, we see that Starbucks’ success was built on two things: the store experience (Starbucks’ image) and the quality of its product – it really is a better cup of coffee The first one is so sacred that on Starbucks employees initiative the chain even prohibited smoking in its stores in Vienna, where cigarettes and coffee are inseparable, because Starbucks doesn’t want anything to interfere with the seductive scent of fresh-brewed espresso. That’s why top-management of Starbucks deeply believed that employees make the store that they work in. A Starbucks employee needed to be very knowledgeable, communicative, and helpful to the customers. Customers need to know the difference in the new roasted coffee Starbucks will offer. Well-educated employees will surely handle this requirement. Starbucks need to use strong cultural incentives to drive the identification of opportunities. In Starbucks all employees are called â€Å"partners,† signaling a level of responsibility maintained by few companies with sales in the billions of dollars. Anyone who has an idea uses a one-page form to pass it to the senior executive team–and gets a response. When the company pursues an idea, its author, regardless of tenure or title, is typically invited to  join the launch team as a full-time member. New-style marketing organizations, by contrast, hire marketers not for jobs but for two broad kinds of roles: those of integrators and specialists. Integrators are marketers with broad skills who coordinate the delivery of products and services to the market from beginning to end. Specialists–more narrowly focused marketers with specialized skills–can be mobilized quickly to provide the particular expertise a given opportunity team requires. Starbucks is one of them and finding its way of capturing the market it will surely pay high attention to the recruitment process. If communications are to be used effectively then there is a need to communicate aspects of the direction in which the organisation intends moving and how it intends to achieve this. In other words, the business philosophy and its aims and objectives, often expressed formally through mission and vision statements, need to be communicated to particular audiences in a way that is synchronised and co-ordinated with the organisation’s other communication activities. At a strategic level IMC has at its roots the overall business strategy of the organisation. Using Porter’s (1980) Generic Strategies, if a low cost strategy is being pursued then it makes sense to complement the strategy by using messages that either stress any price advantage that customers might benefit from or at least do not suggest extravagance or luxury. If using a differentiation focus strategy (e.g. Waitrose) then price should not figure in any of the messages and greater emphasis should be placed on particular attributes that enable clear positioning. In case of Starbucks mission sounds like this:†Establish Starbucks as the premier purveyor of the finest coffee in the world while maintaining our uncompromising principles as we grow†. The development of the mission statement was the start of the company’s marketing management initiative. Starbucks overall objective in the eye’s of the leaders was defined. This mission does not want to jeopardize the quality, ambiance, or service due to expansion into a global marketplace. Besides writing a mission, Starbucks has outlined their guiding principles, which they follow in their business: 1.Provide a great work environment and treat each other with respect and dignity; 2.Embrace diversity as an essential component in the way we do business; 3.Apply the highest standards of excellence to the purchasing, roasting, and fresh delivery of our coffee; 4.Develop enthusiastically satisfied customers all of the time; 5.Contribute positively to our communities and our environment; 6.Recognize that profitability is essential to our future success. There can be little doubt that the elements of the marketing mix, however configured, also communicate (Smith 1996). The price and associated values; the product, in terms of the quality, design and tangible attributes; the manner and efficiency of the service delivery people, and where and how it is made available, for example the location, retailer/dealer reputation and overall service quality, are brand identity cues with which recipients develop associations and images, which in turn through time may shape brand reputations. It is suggested, therefore, that IMC cannot be achieved just by saying the same message through a variety of promotional tools. Effective communication underpins the stability and quality of relationships. While the origins of IMC might be found in the inadequacies of the prevailing structural conditions, an understanding of what IMC is or should be, is far from being resolved and is evolving as the industry matures. The elements involved in IMC are many and numerous. Depending upon the perspective an individual might adopt, those elements might range from a simple configuration of the promotional mix through to a fully integrated and culturally driven mission and corporate strategy. Starbucks chose the second one (Product Concept) and their success over the past 25 years has a lot to do with the quality of the product, which has attracted a loyal and growing following among consumers. The retail strategy has been to put a coffee shop on every corner and to make fresh-brewed coffee by selling only the highest-quality products and charging a premium price. However, the product mix has changed significantly over the years, with beans accounting for about 15% of the chain’s sales and company needs to remember this entering the Russia market. Meanwhile, Starbucks is expanding its offerings, with a line of ice cream for supermarkets and a joint venture with Pepsi Cola to market Frappuccino. At the same time, the company continues to develop sales in alternative outlets, including foodservice and non-traditional retail sites as United Airlines, Holland America cruise line, Seattle Kingdome, an Alliance with Barnes & Noble bookstores, among others. Stoking the niche for seasonal drinks, Starbucks added caramel apple cider and white chocolate mocha just in time for the holiday and winter months. This year’s lineup of new summer beverages will be announced in a few weeks. The last cornerstone of the marketing strategy of Starbucks is clustering. The company locates stores within close proximity in the world and it should do it the same way in Russia. Clustering is becoming important because company’s objective is to become a household name and it can be reached by fierce expansion and high coverage. Starbucks must open their doors and be in the Russian market before anyone else. This would give them a great fist-mover advantage. Once consumers experienced Starbucks service, quality coffee, and ambiance of their stores there would be a great switching cost for the consumer to go anywhere else. The success of becoming a household name worldwide is now close to reality. The company received very high profits. However, Schultz measured his success by not compromising Starbucks ideals to maximize profit and was doing it very successfully. To keep up with this expansion Starbucks opened three manufacturing plants to relieve itself of the large transportation and storage costs. This decision really improved Starbucks’ distribution of the product. Starbucks could now distribute faster, fresher, and more product to many more of their stores. The plants also allowed them to enter the supermarket coffee sales industry  in the spring of 1998 and will allow to dominate in the Russian market. To accomplish the goal of being a household name brand coffee in Russia, Starbucks should choose to implement an expansionary strategy (as they are doing in any other country). Starbucks should use the first-mover element to jump in and gain consumer loyalty. With its fierce expansion, Starbucks should try to open new stores at a rate of more than one per day. This strategy will allow Starbucks to enter a Russian market and win consumer loyalty before anyone else can. After visiting a Starbucks, switching costs for the consumer will be extremely high due to the great service and quality that Starbucks can assure. Their decision to open three manufacturing plants to distribute their product more efficiently was essential to accomplish this strategy. Prior to these new plants it was difficult and costly to deliver the quality of the product. Starbucks saved a great deal of money by using this new distribution method. They no longer have to pay for the shipping and storage of the product. With Starbucks expanding globally, the only adjustment they might want to consider is a plant overseas to help distribution there. The decision to enter the supermarket coffee sales market was a huge step for household recognition in USA and they probably should do this in Russia. Two thirds of the world’s coffee is sold in stores for home consumption. Not only will they be able to reach millions of coffee consumers, but also this will ensure a great distribution channel that will help lock out some potential competitors. Consumers can now enjoy great quality coffee at home or by stopping in a local store. This is a key step in ensuring that Starbucks becomes a household brand name. The only adjustment Starbucks must consider is that they are in a new industry with huge competitors such as Maxwell House, Folgers, and many others. Starbucks must make sure that the organization stays with its mission statement. In accomplishing the market development strategy of promoting the company’s range of services to a wider audience the work group fitted to the theory of the Kotler’ marketing mix. Hence the allocation of the 4 P’s, product, price, place and promotion. Having determined the desired markets that the company would compete in the next step was organising a promotional strategy in these area. Following the apportionment of a marketing budget discussions were held in order to decide the best way of using this allocation. In this idea of market development the company would attempt to sell its range of services to a wider market. Starbucks should have a unique promotional strategy in Russia:  ·Only $300,000 million on advertising annually;  ·Relies on ubiquity and word of mouth;  ·In comparison, McDonald’s spends $3-4 million annually in Russia;  ·No commercials on TV The price as regards building contracting is largely determined by the amount of margin to be added to the build up of the estimate for the project. Price is almost always considered as being the single most important factor for the client as 99% of contracts are let to the lowest bidder. â€Å"The setting of the correct price is of enormous importance in marketing – both in getting the product accepted by the target market, and in generating sufficient revenue for the organisation.† Starbucks pricing policy is also unique. It’s expensive. In USA you’ll pay about $2 for a regular coffee and $3-4 for a specialty one. In the Russian market the numbers will differ but the point will stay the same (expensive). As for place, there is one good phrase about it: â€Å"Starbucks is caffinateing the world† (5,689 stores in 28 countries. And the product itself is always been paid high attention by Starbucks. â€Å"The aroma of our coffee is one of our competitive advantages; it is one of our products, † says Mr. Hong, manager of Chineese Starbucks division. â€Å"You cannot have a complete Starbucks experience if you have smoky air. We need to win people over on  the importance of aroma. Nevertheless, before entering the Russian market Starbucks need to realize that there were some pitfalls: 1.Although Russian marketers evidence the trend of increasing coffee consumption in Russia, more than 50% of population prefer to drink tea and don’t like coffee, at all. 2.The volume of Russian coffee imports is equal to 100,000 tonnes (2003) and will increase 10-20% per year basing a good economic situation to Russia 3.Most Russian coffee drinkers use instant or soluble coffee, with this category accounting for 76 percent of imports. 4.Of coffee drinkers, 91 percent drink both coffee and tea with only nine percent drinking only coffee, he said. Coffee drinking is concentrated in European Russia and the south near Turkey and Armenia, which have strong coffee traditions 5.Even with the increase in imports this year, Russia’s per capita consumption of coffee will only be 650 grams, compared with four kg in Brazil and 10 kg in Scandinavia However, if look at Chinese market, which has like Russian one a history of drinking tea and low level of coffee consumption and see how it all changed after Starbucks entered the market, we may assume that the same situation will repeat with the Russian market because of Starbucks power of brand. In order for Starbucks to become a brand name in Russia, they must not stray from the strategy they set forth in the past. Their commitment to the mission statement, their employees, and expansion is what got them where they are. To stray from these ideals would prove tragic in their goal of world recognition. In order for Starbucks to develop in Russia they must remember the success factors they used in the United States. Should  Starbucks stay loyal to their own beliefs they can only grow bigger. With stores opening all the time in new markets, Starbucks’ greatest challenge is managing its phenomenal growth. Their market is affluent, conscientious and discriminating. They want to know what Starbucks is giving back to the communities they infiltrate and markets they dominate. Starbucks is not a perfect company. But it is a company who has managed to make the voyage to success without compromising key principles of the guiding vision. The voyage ahead is more treacherous. Will Starbucks be able to maintain the integrity of its vision. I hope so. References: 1.www.starbucks.com 2.Kevin Lane Keller, â€Å"The Brand Report Card,† Harvard Business Review, 78:1 (January-February 2000): 147-157 3.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 4.Paul Betts and John Thornhill, â€Å"Starbucks steams into Italy,† Financial Times, October 22, 2000, p. 7. Story is on Starbucks entering the Milan market 5.Niraj Dawar and Amitava Chattopadhyay, â€Å"The new language of emerging markets,† in â€Å"Mastering Management,† Financial Times, November 13, 2000, pp. 6-7 6.Ralf Leszinski and Michael V. Marn, â€Å"Setting Value Not Price,† The McKinsey Quarterly, 1 (1997): 99-115 7.Olson, Dave. â€Å"A Passion For Coffee† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 8, 9, 13 8.Olson, Dave. â€Å"Plantation to Cup† Starbucks: A Passion For Coffee. Menlo Park: Sunset Publishing Corp.,1994, pp. 16-19, 22. 9.Suicaorich, John and Winster, Stephen. â€Å"The Coffee Book – A Connoisseur’s Guide to Gourmet Coffee†. London: Prentice Hall International, Inc., 1976, pp. 97-107 10.Mintz, Sidney W. â€Å"The changing roles of food in the study of consumption.† Consumption and the World of Goods eds. John Brewer and Roy Porter, 261-73. London: Routledge, 1993 11.Jay Belt, â€Å"Wired Angels Espresso Cafe† Hanford, California, February 26, 1999 12.Rice, Paul D. Market opportunity assessment for Fair Trade Coffee. Prepared for Transfair USA, February 1997