John Donne Essay

The literary heritages of John Donne are famous for their style that distinguishes them from poems of his age, particularly his attachment to sensuality and reality. He is in fact considered to be a ‘metaphysical poet’, and recognized to be ahead of his contemporaries. One of his most notable collections are the Holy Sonnets, which is a reflection of his a primarily religious life. (Stubbs, 2006) The innovative use of language and metaphors are what distinguishes the works of John Donne; he has produced a wide collection of poems, satires, sonnets, translations, and other literary works. The life and struggles of John Donne reflects the rich and meaningful body of literature that he has produced. He was born to a rich family, yet poverty was common for him, as he went to a period of persecution during his process of transfer of devotion to the Anglican Church. He eventually became an Anglican priest, which is said to have considerably influence the writings in the latter years of his life, when he wrote poems and sermons. (Bald, 1970) He became known for a style, which would be known as metaphysical, and often, his work is dubbed as metaphysical conceit, as he cleverly unifies two vastly dissimilar ideas. The most common subjects of his literature are death, love and religion; he employs the use of irony, witty-ness, and cynicism. (Stubbs, 2006) This metaphysical form of literature would refer to the passion for life and pleasures, yet much regard for the emotional dimension. John Donne marked the evolution to a more personal poetry from the classical forms before his time. The early poetry of Donne is mainly criticisms of the problems of the English society during that time, as Britain was plagued by corruption and pretensions of its citizenry and nobility. He used colorful imagery to create satires of this reality of his time, but eventually, he moved on to the topic of religion, which shows that Donne lived a religious life, as he converts from Catholicism to being a devoted Anglican. Donne also produced substantial amount of love poetry, which is said to be addressed to his wife, who died after giving birth to their twelfth child. The poems written at the later stage of the life of John Donne has a more pious and somber tone to them. His poems began to take on a gloomy tone, as he writes about more serious things; for instance, his poem in memory of Elizabeth Drury, symbolizes destruction and the fall of man. (Greenblatt, 2006) Increasingly, he moved towards more religious topics, which exhibited this gloomy nature. The motivation for this shift to religious poems and sermons is his conversion to the Anglican Church, which marked a step to maturity and change in his writing style. These sermons and poems would later on influence English poets and future literature. Towards the conclusion of his fruitful and dynamic life, the focus of Donne’s work shifted to death, as he nears his own death. His works explores this topic, and how humans fear this inevitable occurrence, and the eventual accent to heaven following one’s death. He delivered the sermon Death’s Duel from his deathbed, which shows suffering and pain, yet also salvation and hope. (Bald, 1970) He died in 1631. The literature of John Donne is impressive indeed, and each piece of literature reflects his life and the society that is revolving around him. His work is wide-ranging, from love to death to religion; each shows passion, emotion, and reality. The metaphysical nature of his poems influences the future of English literature, as he cleverly used metaphors, imagery, and language. References Bald, RC. (1970). John Donne: A Life. United States: Oxford University Press. Donne, John. (2006). John Donne’s Poetry. Donald Dickson, Ed. United States: W. W. Norton and Company. Greenblatt, Stephen. (2006). The Norton Anthology of English Literature. United Kingdom: W. W. Norton and Company. Stubbs, John. (2006). Donne: The Reformed Soul. United States: Viking Books. Targoff, Ramie. (2008). John Donne, Body and Soul. United States: University of Chicago Press.

Deviant Behaviour in the Civil Services Essay

The concern laid out a viable extraction of information that focuses on several nations outside the Commonwealth Caribbean and their history of administration together with the leading factors of deviance in the civil services. Criterion used to assess the intricacies of Public Maladministration and Bureaucratic Corruption includes: injustice, unreasonable delay, abuse of discretion, negligence, arrogance, disregarding morality, employing deception and justifying criminality, nepotism, bribes, fraud, and waste and abuse in government. Public Administration is â€Å"centrally concerned with the organization of government policies and programmes as well as the behavior of officials (usually non-elected) formally responsible for their conduct†. The field is complex in nature due to the various sub-fields such as organizational theory, statistics, policy analysis, human resources, ethics, and budgeting. Woodrow Wilson – 1887, defined Public Administration as â€Å"the detailed and systematic execution of public law†. Therefore, it is the government’s responsibility to take rational action and manage human and capital resources to attain its goals. Wilson is known to be the father of Public Administration. He wrote an article entitled â€Å"The Study of Administration†, and stated that â€Å"it is the object of administrative study to discover, first, what government can properly and successfully do, and, secondly, how it can do these proper things with the utmost possible efficiency and at the least possible cost either of money or of energy†. He also wrote in 1887 four concepts in which he believed: * â€Å"Separation of politics and administration * Comparative analysis of political and private organizations * Improving efficiency with business-like practices and attitudes toward daily operations * Improving the effectiveness of public service through management and by training civil servants, merit-based assessment† Deviance, when looked at sociologically, describes actions or behaviors that violate social norms, including formally-enacted rules. (eg crime. Norms are rules and expectations by which members of society are guided. When there is a failure to conform to these norms and they are defied, it can be considered to be deviant behaviour. This is quite common in administrative systems around the globe. The political term maladministration however, is linked to the actions of government bodies that cause injustice. Comparative Public Administration lecturer Maukesh Basdeo, stated that â€Å" Public Maladmini stration can be interpreted as a perversion of power, extortion, discrimination, intentional misperformance or neglect of a recognized duty. He goes on affirming that â€Å" public maladministration is a term derived from a purely post-French Revolution Western notion of public office based on the theory of the administrative state, the bureaucratization of government, the separation of political and bureaucratic career structures, the professionalization of public service, and the idea of public servants as trustees of the common good†. The government according to lecture notes is a public trust that must be used in the general interest and not for the benefit of particular sectional interests. Since public officials are â€Å"servants of the people and not vice versa†, it is a necessity that such officials be dedicated, obedient, hardworking, loyal, honest, patient, respectful and must have the ability to represent the people. They must also be highly productive and efficient and should be appointed based on merit not ascription. â€Å"The Western World has accepted this public service ideology and has, with varying degrees of success, exported it to the rest of the world.

Cellular Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cellular Process - Essay Example Another important step is plotting the slope, which is the concentration rate, against the substrate concentration. At maximum concentration of substrate, both the Vmax for the inhibited reaction and for the unhibited reaction should always be equal (Ochs, 2014, p. 56). This brought about my surprise for the observation, which indicated different Vmax for the two reactions. This issue may have arisen from the action of the inhibitor. The low Vmax for the inhibited reaction means that more inhibitor I was supplied. The presence of an inhibitor slows the rate of binding of the enzyme to substrate leading to low turnover number, which is the Kcat. From the equation below, low turnover number leads to low Vmax in comparison to the unhibited reaction (Beard & Qian, 2005, p. 88). Consequently, solving this issue will require for the reduction of competitive   inhibitor I in order to meet a turnover number equal to that of uninhibited reaction, at maximum concentration (Panesar et al, 2008, p. 78). Beard, D. A., & Qian, H. (2008). Chemical biophysics quantitative analysis of cellular systems. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press. http://proxy2.hec.ca/login?url=http://library.books24x7.com/library.asp?BÌ‚&bookid=26546. Berger, M. P. F., & Wong, w.-k. (2009). An Introduction to Optimal Designs for Social and Biomedical Research. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons.

The Collapse of the U.S.S.R Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Collapse of the U.S.S.R - Research Paper Example Communism as an alternative economic order was argued to have been â€Å"designed to avoid the wasteful and chaotic competition of capitalism and to move the country quickly ttoward industrial development.† (Strayer, 1998, page 6). It was the economy of Soviet Union that had given the material foundation for the country to become victorious in the Second World War. It also viewed as a model of rapid industrial growth for a number of Third World countries. Such was a planned economy which believed in the power of the state to plan and dictate what needs to be produced for users and consumers (Strayer, 1998). This paper will attempt to explain the collapse of USSR as a regime in the light of the experience of other empires, in relation to how ordinary mortals behave and the underlying concepts of communism and alternative economic order of capitalism Soviet was known to have its huge and growing military expertise during the Cold War. However such claims to superpower status were believed to be grounded on breakable and weakening economic foundation as seen in the 1970s and 1980s. This weak economic condition was said to have been caused by an "imperial overstretch". (Strayer, 1998, p.17). Instead of prioritizing its economic needs, USSR needed to join or maintain the race for nuclear and conventional weapons. This was also the reason why USSR made its expensive commitments in Eastern Europe and Third World. This heavy spending was believed to have undermined strongly its domestic consumer economy in the process. The Soviet leadership was aware of the problems of relationship between its international standing and declining economic base and the perception substantially caused the needed reform. Reform efforts in the late 1980s because of these perceived problems in the regime were actually made but they were not enough to prevent the collapse. The failure of communism as

Impact of social media on political change in Egypt Term Paper

Impact of social media on political change in Egypt - Term Paper Example Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become the most famous sites of social media. These sites bring people on a single platform and give them information all around the world. These are good at interacting people and to stay connected round the clock. It gives updates about what is happening around the people. Moreover, these give freedom of expression to every person residing in any part of the world, which is important to maintain peace in the region (â€Å"The New Arab Revolt†) The role of Social Media in Arab spring (Middle East) The events that took place a year ago in the Middle East made an intense debate on the role played by the social media. The Arab countries are facing two big challenges, which are economic growth and job creation. Hisham Matar considered revolution a boring thing (Albanyadmin). In such situations what was the role of social media? According to Matar, internet was an exaggeration, which represents that the internet was accessible to the elite in the Middle East also; they knew only how to use it who were the ones that brought revolution (Albanyadmin). The second view was that the social media spike an online revolutionary talk after the events that took place in the Middle East. ... The protestors made wide use of these platforms in order to keep united, which gave fanning to the flames. Moreover, it proved that the revolutionary power could not be controlled or stopped by the government authorities. The government had almost failed in their attempt to stop these protests, which were being aided by the social media. When the Egypt government shut off the internet and mobile networks for 5 days from January 28, 2011, it brought out more protesters on the roads, which became a real big problem for the Egyptian government. Social media provided a platform to the Egyptians to raise their voices. It became a source of news and courage to the protestors (Albanyadmin). Matar said that the internet has created a new language (Albanyadmin). The protestors became more violent by this support of social media. Secondly, the outside world has uprisings, which created Arab spring in the past. The protests, disturbances and revolutions were not new. In 1990s, the green mountai n of the Libya had uprisings in the east of the country. Also the same things happened in the 2011 revolution in Libya. The helicopters were sent by Gadaffi to limit the protestors, which also made bombardments on its own citizens (Albanyadmin). There was no as such news about it around the world as there was no proof of it. Especially in Egypt’s revolution, social media played a crucial role. Merely in 18 days, Egyptians succeeded in stepping down President Hosni Mubarak from the power, which reigned almost 30 years. In Tunisia’s revolution, it took 28 days but the result was less peaceful than in Egypt. In Libya, it took 9 months for a revolution to take place with poor peace results (Richards). Reports show

Critical thinking for resort management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Critical thinking for resort management - Essay Example It is also considered as the pattern of several collaborative behaviors that are taught to the new members of an organization as a way of feeling, thinking and perceiving. Organizational culture affects the way groups and people interact with each other, with stakeholders, and with several clients in an organization. Several organizations in this world follow different types of organizational cultures. In terms of business perspective, organizational culture is also known as corporate culture. Culture of an organization can be identified through its business performance, employee management, customer services and structure of hierarchy, decision making strategy and information flow. Major Elements of Organizational Culture Organizational behaviors, values, beliefs and assumptions are considered as the major elements of organizational culture. The behavior allowed within an organization is a key element which is crucial to the strength of that organization’s corporate culture. Organizational behavior includes several things, such as use of technology by the employees and dress code of all the members of an organization. Organizational value is considered as one of the major element of the organization’s corporate culture. The value of an organization has great impact on its employees and members. The value of an organization can dictate the particular behaviors exhibited by its members. Examples include dedication to effective customer service, accountability of individual behavior, and personal and corporate integrity. Assumptions and beliefs are considered as the fundamental elements of an organizational culture. Leaders or the managers of an organization develop several strategies and implement those on the basis of assumptions and beliefs. These assumptions and beliefs are directly related with the organizational performance. The organizational beliefs can influence and motivate the managers to treat their colleagues and subordinates with valua ble respect that they actually deserve. Positive beliefs enhance effective workforce and business outcome. In addition to these, there are other elements that contribute to an effective organizational culture. Symbols and rituals are also referred as key elements of an organizational culture that enhances employee and employer morale. Organizational Culture’s Relationship with Organization’s Strategy and Performance Effective and strong organizational culture helps the managers of several departments within an organization to motivate their employees. Organization with effective corporate culture follows high business ethics that enhance high business performance and employee morale. An employee always expects significant compensation and reward against their hard work and effective performance. In addition to this, strong organizational culture helps the managers to develop effective strategies that can successfully drive the organizations towards business objectives. Therefore, it is important for an organization to maintain effective and strong corporate culture to maintain motivated workforce, significant strategy development process and high business output. Section 3 A review and critical thinking on resort management would help to help to establish the link between the culture of organization, the strategic management of the organizations and the future performance as an implication of effective strategies. The resorts and hotels are solely a service-based industry and thus the main assets of these resorts are the

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Voting, Campaigns, and Elections - Research Paper Example However, it is crucial for both the candidates and the government that the public steps out to cast their vote because the candidates realize the importance of each vote that is cast in their favor. The government, similarly, in a democratic set-up looks to establish a government that is the masses choice. Thus, Voter turnout is an essential aspect in determining the people who should come into power. Apart from these, it instills the sense of contribution in the people’s minds and they feel virtuous, bring down the level of societal imbalance in terms of corruption, crime etc. Before and after all major elections, voter turnouts are measured. This is to ascertain expected votes that can be cast, and the actual votes cast on Election Day. The differential is researched extensively to determine the reasons for less than 100% turnout. Total eligible voters who have registered themselves, form the voters’ pool and turnout is calculated by surveying them and conducting rese arches. These can be done by calling the prospective voters up to ask of their participation in the elections can be expected. Other ways include mailing pre-stamped survey cards and holding internet polls. However, the accuracy of such mediums is not certain due to the study that many people are not truthful about not voting to give a favorable picture to themselves (Holbrook and Krosnick 328). According to a research by internationalcomparision.org, in the region of Australia and Germany the voter turnaround during the period of 2013 was 92% and 71.55%, in Canda it was 61.41% during 2011, in France it was 80.35% in case of parliamentary elections and in United States it was 68% in presidential elections during 2012 and in United Kingdom it was 66% in parliamentary elections during 2010 and In United States it was 38% (internationalcomparison.org 1). This shows that as compared to other countries of the developed world, the turnout statistics for the United States is fairly low, ev en though the Americans are said to be more politically active and aware as compared to other countries. According to a study conducted by Bingham Powell, this low turnout can be attributed to 5% political attitudes, 14% to the rigid restriction laws and 13% to the institutional factors and party manifestos (Powell Jr 17). However, there is no proof that this study is prevalent in this age as well. As far as Texas- as one of the lowest turnout regions in the United States- is concerned, an election study conducted by the George Mason University on 2010 elections showed that the total turnout in the US was 41% and Texas turnout amounted to 32% (Mcdonald 1). A number of times mayors have been selected upon a turnout of less than 10% of the total potential voters in Texas. The common reasons identified for this lapse are lack of proper information, ignorance and fear. Frequent elections-Primary, general, and special elections- and lack of belief in the legitimacy of the candidates are also attributed to this behavior. Historically, the state of Texas has had the most conspired voting schemes and regulations that were imposed and then reversed due to public pressures. Many instances of candidates using electoral donations for personal use has also lessened people urge to step out and practice their right. Since Texas is inhibited by minorities of all ethnicities

English Orthography Scholarship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

English Orthography - Scholarship Essay Example Define the term regular polysemy and demonstrate whether or not the relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) is a regular relation. Be sure to describe the senses of (a) and (b) first, before going on to explore the polysemy of semantically similar words. If you find that it is not a completely regular relation, discuss any reasons you can see for the limits on the pattern. Before we explore the relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) and whether it is a regular relation or not, let us throw some light upon three ubiquitous terms in semantics. These terms are polysemy, regular, and regular polysemy. First, Crystal (1988, p.236) defines polysemy as 'a term used in semantic analysis to refer to a lexical item which has a range of different meanings'. The definition sounds clear and concise. According to this definition, any lexical item (word) which has more than one meaning is polysemous and thus falls under the umbrella of polysemy. Regular, on the other hand, is 'predictable from non - lexical conceptual information', Murphy (2004, p.235). When we combine the two words together, we will get a semantic term that has gained much attention recently, viz. regular polysemy (also known as meaning shifts). Many definitions have been give... When we combine the two words together, we will get a semantic term that has gained much attention recently, viz. regular polysemy (also known as meaning shifts). Many definitions have been given to regular polysemy by linguists and semanticists. According to Peters (2005, p.232) ' regular polysemy is a metonymic phenomenon: a non - literal figure of speech in which the name of one thing is substituted for that of another related to it'. Lobner (2002) refers to regular polysemy as meaning variants which are related via metaphor, metonymy or differentiation. Clearly speaking, regular polysemy denotes the process whereby a word has more than one meaning due to a general rule for making new meanings out of old ones. For example, a word which indicates a container indicates the content of the container too as illustrated below: Can as container: I have poured coke into the can. Can as content: I have drunk the whole can. Also, a disc might refer to a thin, flat, round object in general as well as a magnetic disc. A mouse is used to refer to a small furry animal with a long tail only, but it is also a device that controls the movement of the cursor on a computer screen, Lobner (2002). The relation between the senses of the bold words in (a) and (b) is a regular relation. The senses of these two words are closely related since they are all related to poultry. Turkey, in the first sentence, refers to a large, gallinaceous bird of the family Meleagrididae, especially Meleagris gallopavo of America that typically has green, reddish-brown and yellowish-brown plumage of a metallic luster and that is domesticated in most parts of the world (Dictionary.com, 2008)

Sport Scale Essay Example for Free

Sport Scale Essay ABSTRACT The primary purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess sport fan motivation. Also, the new measure was employed to examine the relationship between sport fan motivation and ethnic identity. One hundred sixty nine college students from two southeastern institutions participated in this study. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Bivariate correlation, t test, ANOVA, and descriptive statistics. The Fan Motivation Scale (FMS), developed in this study, consisted of six components with 22 items. The number of items under every component range from 5 to 2 items (quality of the game 4 items, escape 5 items, boredom avoidance 5 items, social 3 items, entertainment 3 items, and sport atmosphere 2 items). In addition, two hypotheses were tested in the current study. The first hypothesis was that ethnic identity is positively related to sport fan motivation. The second hypothesis assumed that there was a difference between African Americans and European Americans in their ethnic identity. The results revealed the FMS is a reliable measure with an overall alpha score of 0.90. Significant differences were found between participants in the total FMS and some of the subscales based on gender and ethnicity. However, the outcomes of the samples examined in this study do not support the first hypothesis. Therefore, no significant relationship was found between sport fan motivation and ethnic identity. Regarding the second hypothesis, a significant difference was found between African Americans and European Americans in their ethnic identity. vii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION Sports have become an increasingly important part of our society. Sports fans represent a significant percentage of sport consumers, because 70 percent or more of Americans watch, read, or discuss sports at least once a day (Iso-Ahola Hatfield, 1986). From 1985 to 1998, attendance has significantly increased at the four major sports in the United States. Major League Baseball (MLB) had the largest increase in the number of people attending games (24. 2 million, a 50% increase), followed by professional basketball (10. 3 million, a 89% increase), professional football (5.7 million, a 40% increase), and professional hockey (5. 6 million, a 49% increase). The number of people attending college sporting events has also increased during this time period (U. S. Census Bureau, 2000). Additionally, more television programming time is being devoted to sporting events. The ESPN was the fifth highest ranked television network in 2000, in terms of revenue, it was estimated to be $2. 1 billion (McAvoy, 2000). With the increase of interest in sports has become an increased interest of sports fans as consumers. Sport teams and companies are very interested in attracting as many consumers as possible to purchase game tickets or products. Therefore, sport marketers should acknowledge the factors that drive fans to follow sport by attending, watching on television, or purchasing products. However, understanding the notion of sports fans is not simple because their attitudes and behaviors are not determined by a single motive or factor but rather occur for a variety of reasons (Mashiach, 1980). Statement of the Problem There has been a growing interest in the study of sport fan motivations in recent years to better understand fan behaviors (Bilyeu Wann, 2002; Funk, Mahony, Nakazawa, Hirakawa, 2001; Funk, Mahony Ridinger, 2002; Funk, Ridinger, Moorman, 2003; Gantz, 1981; Kahle, Kambara, Rose, 1996; Lee, 2002; Mahony, Nakazawa, Funk, James, Gladden, 2002; Pease Zhang, 2001; Trail James, 2001; Wann, 1995; Wann, Bilyeu, Brennan, Osborn Gambouras, 1999; Wann, Brewer, 1 Royalty, 1999; Wann, Schrader Wilson, 1999). Some of these studies have introduced measures of different consumption motives of sport fans. In addition, researchers have examined the relationship between fan motivation and other variables such as team identification, involvement, gender, and race. The measures used in previous studies to assess fan motivations vary in length and number of components. However, some of the components are used in all or most scales such as the entertainment component, the family component, and the friends component. They also share very similar items with regard to similar components. Items used in most previous scales often begin with the words â€Å"I like†, â€Å"I enjoy†, or â€Å"I feel† which raises a validity issue for the measures because the aforementioned words represent satisfaction and attitude rather than motivation. Fan satisfaction relates to the happiness and pleasure associated with the outcome of a sporting event while fan attitude represents the opinion and feelings an individual has about a sport team or sporting event. On the other hand, sport fan motivation refers to the reasons that drive individuals to support sport teams, be loyal to them, buy team/sport related products, watch and attend sporting events. The Purpose of the Study The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable instrument to assess sport fan motives. Also, the new measure was utilized to examine the relationship between fan motivation and ethnic identity. The Conceptual Framework The conceptual framework of this study includes the discussion of two concepts. First, the Fan Motivation Scale and its content will be introduced. Second, the notion of ethnic identity and why it should be correlated with sport fan motivation will be presented. The prior research (Wann, 1995; Funk, Mahony, Nakazawa, Hirakawa, 2001; Bilyeu Wann, 2002) identified various motives that could drive fans to attend sporting events. Some of these motives are related to personal needs (entertainment and financial 2 gain), social needs (bonding with family and group affiliation), and psychological needs (self-esteem and achievement). In attempt to measure the motives of sport fans, the researchers introduced different scales. These scales comprised different number of motives ranging from 7 motives with 16 items to 18 motives with 54 items. The length of some of the scales was not the only problem. The major concern for previous scales is in the content validity, the extent to which items used in the scale accurately represent fan motives. In fact, all previous scales included items that are more related to attitude and satisfaction then motivation. The reason for this problem is the lack of clear definition of sport fan motivation. The current study is going to view sport fan motivation as the reasons that drive individuals to support sport teams, be loyal to them, purchase team/sport related products, watch and attend sporting events. In addition, this study will employ a review of related literature and the prior effort made on fan motivation scales to develop valid and reliable measures of sport fan motivation. The proposed Fan Motivation Scale (FMS) will measure six motives: social, entertainment, escape, aesthetic, psychological, and amotivation. The social motive assesses the extent to which individuals participate in sporting events as spectators because they desire to spend time with their families (Gantz, 1981; Wann, 1995). Also, to some individuals, group affiliation is an important motivation of being a sport fan. Sport spectating provides a fan with opportunities to share time with others who enjoy the same activities. A fan may want to keep contact with a group of fans and seek refuge from a feeling of alienation (Branscombe Wann, 1991; Smith, 1988; Wann, 1995). The entertainment motive includes items that represent the desire of some individuals to have a good time and enjoy the excitement associated with sporting events. Some fans might enjoy a sport because of its entertainment value. Sport spectating provides fans with leisure pastime activities similar to watching movies or television. One advantage of sport spectating is that few special skills, if any, are required (Zillmann, Bryant Sapolsky, 1989; Wann, 1995). The escape motive of sport fans assesses the desire of sport fans to escape or diverge from their everyday lives. Attending a sporting event gives many people an 3 opportunity to temporarily forget about their troubling, dissatisfying, or boring lives (Smith, 1988; Lever Wheeler, 1984; Wann, Schrader Wilson, 1999). The aesthetic motive of sport fans appeals to those that are motivated by the aesthetic value of the sport. Some fans enjoy sports because of the competition between highly skilled athletes. The beauty, grace, and other artistic characteristics make some people enjoy sporting events (Milne McDonald, 1999; Wann, 1995). The psychological motive is a factor that motivates sports fans and gives them a feeling of accomplishment and achievement when the fans’ favorite team or player is successful. Sports fans tend to associate themselves with a successful team or player in order to create and sustain a positive self-concept (Branscombe Wann, 1991; Milne McDonald, 1999; Sloan, 1989). Amotivation refers to the state of lacking an intention to act. When amotivated, individual’s action lacks intentionality and a sense of personal causation (Ryan Deci, 2000). Amotivation results from not valuing an activity (Ryan, 1995), not feeling competent to do it (Deci, 1975), or not believing it will yield a desired outcome (Seligman, 1975). Some individuals might go to sport events and watch sport games because they have nothing else to do, bored, and want to kill time. These types of reasons had been neglected in previous studies of sport fan motivation. As mentioned earlier, prior research has examined the relationship between fan motivations and other variables such as sport involvement, team identification, and some demographic factors of selected sport fans. However, the ethnic identity of sport fans has been ignored in the literature. It might be assumed by some researchers that the race factor is enough representation of an individual’s ethnic background. It is, however, only part of the concept. Ethnic identity is defined as â€Å"a process of coming to terms with one’s ethnic-racial membership group as a salient reference group† (Smith, 1991, p. 182). Smith (1991) defined an ethnic group as â€Å"a reference group called upon by people who share a common history and culture† (p. 181). According to Gordon (1985), culture influences our social standards, values, cognitions, social perceptions, attributions, feelings, and sources of motivation. Individuals develop their ethnic identity through their social interaction with others. Through their interactions they begin to view themselves as others view them 4 (Stryker, 1980). Ethnic identity is viewed as part of social identity and it was defined by Tajfel (1981) as â€Å"that part of an individual’s self-concept which derives from his knowledge of his membership of a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership† (p.255). An ethnic group is composed of a number of individuals who share a sense of group identity based on their unique culture, which include values, morals, and various customs, as well as shared origins. In the larger society, ethnic groups tend to maintain a sense of peoplehood (Dublin, 1996; Kornblum Janowitz, 1974; Portes, 1996). Forty years ago, Tumin (1964) defined an ethnic group as â€Å"a social group which, within a large cultural and social system, claims or is accorded special status in terms of complexity of traits which it exhibits or is believed to exhibit† (p.123). Distinguishing between ethnic groups is not always simple. Some ethnic minorities, such as African Americans, may have obvious physical differences that set them apart from other ethnic groups within the United States, but many biracial individuals present an ambiguity because they belong to two or more ethnic groups, which makes ethnicity a subjective construct (Root, 1992). Studying ethnic identity is very important because it is the foundation for what an individual believes about himself or herself. Given the significance of ethnic identity, many researchers have been studying this construct. Phinney (1990) reviewed 70 studies of ethnic identity published between 1972 and 1990. She found that most of the studies have used one of three theoretical frameworks to examine ethnic identity. The first framework is the social identity theory which ethnic identity is considered a component of social identity. Social theory refers to the need for an individual to be a member of a group that provides him or her with a sense of belonging that contributes to a positive self-concept. The second framework is the acculturation prospective. The concept of acculturation refers to changes in the cultural attitudes, value, and behaviors that result from interactions between two distinct cultures (Berry, Trimble, Olmedo, 1986). These kinds of changes are normally the concern of a group of individuals, and how it relates to the dominant or host society. Ethnic identity can be an aspect of acculturation in which the focus is on the individuals and how they relate to their own group as a subgroup of the larger society (Phinney, 1990). The third framework is developmental framework, where ethnic identity is viewed as a process by which people construct their ethnicity. 5 Erikson (1968) indicated that identity is the outcome of a period of exploration and experimentation that normally takes place during adolescence and leads to a decision of commitment in various areas, such as occupation, and religion. This view of ethnic identity suggests age as a factor is strongly related to developing one’s ethnic identity (Phinney, 1990). Phinney (1990) mentioned that most studies have focused on certain components of ethnic identity. These components include self-identification as a group member, a sense of belonging to the group, attitudes about one’s group membership, and ethnic involvement (social participation, cultural practices and attitudes). Self-identification represents the ethnic label that one uses for oneself. The ability of children to label themselves with the right ethnic group was the addressed in a study by Aboud (187). Another issue was the relationship between incorrect labeling and poor self-concept (Cross, 1978). Adults are expected to know their ethnicity but the issue is what label one chooses to use for himself or herself. However, some ethnic groups have a little choice in what ethnic title they can use for themselves often because of their distinctive skin color or culture (language, dresses, customs, etc. ) which distinguishes them from other groups. Additionally, some individuals have two or more ethnic backgrounds and they identify themselves as members of more than one group. Ethnic self-identification is an important but complex component of ethnic identity (Phinney, 1990). The feeling of belonging to one’s own group is an important element of ethnic identity. Some researchers have tried to assess the sense of belonging by either asking people how strong was their relationship with their groups or how separate they feel from other groups (Driedger, 1976). Members of every ethnic group can have positive or negative attitudes toward their own group. Some of the positive attitudes related were pride in and pleasure, satisfaction, and contentment with one’s group (Phinney, 1990). Negative attitudes include dissatisfaction, displeasure, discontentment, and a desire to hide ones identity (Driedger, 1976). People who display no positive attitudes or express negative attitudes can be seen as denying their ethnic identity (Phinney, 1990). In addition, the involvement in the social life and cultural practices of one’s ethnic group is considered a strong indicator of one’s ethnic identity. The social and cultural practices 6 that represent the involvement component include language, friendship, social organizations, religion, cultural traditions, and politics (Phinney, 1990). Phinney (1992) developed the Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM) with the purpose of assessing ethnic identity among various ethnic groups. The scale was designed to measure three components of ethnic identity: affirmation and belonging, ethnic identity achievement, and ethnic behaviors. Roberts, Phinney, Masse, Chen, Roberts, and Romero (1999) examined the validity of the MEIM and conducted factor analysis with a large sample. The outcomes suggest that the scale measures two components of ethnic identity: ethnic identity search and affirmation, belonging, and commitment. Ethnic identity search refers to a developmental and cognitive component. Affirmation, belonging, and commitment represent the affective component. However, the scale has been proven to be a valid and reliable measurement and it will be used in the context of this study. More discussion of the scale is provided in the method section. Researchers have indicated that positive relationships do exist between ethnic identity and self-esteem, self-concept, psychological well-being, achievement, and satisfaction (Phinney, 1992; Roberts et al. , 1999; Delworth, 1989). However, it is the purpose of this study to examine the relationship between ethnic identity and motivations of sport fans. According to Phinney (1990) some studies have used sport as a cultural item to measure ethnic identity. Pons, Laroche, Nyeck, and Perreault (2001) indicated that the choice of a particular sporting event represents a strong cultural meaning for the individual. Some ethnic groups tend to identify with a specific sport, for example, soccer in the Italian community and hockey among the French Canadian. Pons et al. , (2001) stated â€Å"ethnic groups do not all react to sporting events in the same way; they differ in the means and the pace of their integration into the host culture† (p.238). African American consumers tend to attend historically Black college/university sports more frequently than they did any other sport. The level of ethnic identification of African American fans has significant affect on their attendance frequency to historically Black college/university sports (Armstrong, 2002). Moreover, previous studies showed differences in motivation between African American and European American sport fans based on ethnicity (Wann, Bilyeu, Brennan, Osborn, Gambouras, 1999; Bilyeu Wann, 2002; Armstrong, 2002). 7Ã'Ž Therefore, it is expected that there is a relationship between sport fans’ motivation and ethnic identity. Research Hypotheses H1: Ethnic identity is positively related to sport fan motivations. H2: There is a difference between African American and European American in their ethnic identity. Operational Definitions Ethnic Identity: â€Å"part of an individual’s self-concept that derives from his or her knowledge of membership in a social group (or groups) together with the value and emotional significance attached to that membership† (Phinney, 1992, p.156). Sport fan: refers to someone who is enthusiastic about a particular sport team or athlete (Wann, 1995). Sport fan motivation: refers to the reasons that drive individuals to support sport teams, be loyal to them, buy team/sport related products, watch and attend sporting events. Delimitations This study is delimitated to: 1. Investigate the ethnic identity and motivations of sport fans in general. For that reason, no specific group of fans (i. e. , basketball fans, football fans) was examined. 2. The student at Florida State University (FSU) and Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University (FAMU), therefore, the findings cannot be generalized to populations other than the population from which the sample was drawn. 8 Limitations This study is limited to the following: 1. The outcome of this study depends on the participants’ honesty and cooperation in answering the questions. 2. Due to the nature of this study as self-administrated surveys, the researcher’s access is limited to the classes gained via permission to attend and meet. Assumptions This study is based on the following assumptions: 1. The surveys used in this study are clear and understandable for the participants. 2. The participants will answer the questions honestly and accurately. 3. The surveys are valid and reliable. Significance of the Study The sport marketers are in a high competition within the sport industry and also with outside competitors. Young generations are attracted through technology to new types of entertainment such as computer/video games and the X-Games. â€Å"These new entertainment options have already attracted a significant amount of attention from the so -called X-generation† (Kwon Trail, 2003, p. 1). Therefore, sport marketers should be concern about the future of the sport industry. In order for sport marketers to maintain their consumer base and to attract young generation, they should explore and examine the consuming behavior of sport fans and the factors that might influence their behavior. According to Gramann and Allison (1999), â€Å"the increase in the ethnic diversity of North America is one of the most powerful demographic forces shaping U. S. and Canadian society† (p. 283). Therefore, studying ethnic identity as an important social characteristic of sport fans is important to sport marketers. The importance of studying ethnic groups among sport fans is reflected by the increasing percentage of minority participation in professional sport, especially African American. African American athletes represent 25 to 75 percent of athletes on the rosters for the three popular sports (baseball, basketball, football) (Gano-Overway Duda, 2001). 9 The goal of this study was to introduce a new measure of fan motivation which will assist practitioners in the sport industry to understanding the driving factors for sport fans to attend sporting events, support sport teams, or buy team/sport related products. Also, the relationship between motivations and ethnic identity of sport fans was examined. The outcome of the study should provide practitioners with valuable information to assist them in understanding the various motives of sport fans based on their ethnic identity. Therefore, sport marketers should be able to improve their plans and strategies to maintain their fan base and fulfill the desires for their target market. 10 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW The purpose of this chapter is to review the literature on ethnic identity and motivation of sport fans. It should be noted that to date, no research has combined and analyzed the interaction of the two identified variables. As such, the first section of this chapter focuses on the research that has been done on the ethnic identity of sport fans. The second section discusses motives of sport fans as well as scales that have been used to assess these motives. Ethnic Identity and Sport Fans Ethnicity as social and cultural characteristic of sport fans has been ignored in the literature although the race factor, which is the physical aspect of ethnicity, has been utilized for comparison between ethnic groups. However, Armstrong (2002) examined the influence of ethnic identification on Black consumers’ attendance at historically Black college/university (HBCU) sports. To assess ethnic identification, Armstrong used a self-report measure in which participants were asked to identify their ethnic group based on ethnic categories (Black/African American, Caucasian, Hispanic, Asian, and â€Å"other†) and to rate the intensity of their identification with their ethnic group on a scale from 1 (weak) to 5 (very strong). The hypothesis was that the identification of Black consumers with their ethnic group would have a significant influence on their attendance frequency at HBCU sport events. The findings offered support for the hypothesis indicating a positive relationship between ethnic identification and attendance frequency. In another study, Armstrong (2000) examined the influence of ethnic identification on African American students’ processing of persuasive sport communications (i. e. , advertisement, promotional messages, developmental campaigns, and announcements). The ethnic identification of the respondents was measured using a 13-item scale developed by Whittler, Calatone, and Young (1991). The scale assesses two major factors of ethnic identification (cross-race attraction and political and social 11 relations among Blacks). The outcome of the study revealed that ethnic identification has an effect on participants’ reaction to racial heuristics in the communication. African American consumers are more likely to have a positive reaction to a persuasive communication if the message were culturally relevant and delivered by a Black spokesperson. Pons et al. (2001) looked at the impact ethnic identity could have on the consumption behavior and orientation of sport consumers. They measured language (3 items), religion (3 items), and social participation with one’s own ethnic group (6 items) as three dimensions of ethnic identity. The orientation of sport consumers has three dimensions. The first dimension refers to sporting events as a provider of sensations in which consumers have an emotional attachment to the event or the product. The second dimension represents individuals’ need to understand the sporting event, which lead to better appreciation for the event. The third dimension of orientation toward sporting event refers to the socialization opportunities presented for sport consumers. The consumption behaviors include purchase of sporting good, tickets, and time devoted to sporting events. The results offered support for the idea that ethnic identity has a positive impact on the consumption and orientation of sport consumers. In regard to the race of sport consumers as part of their ethnicity, researchers have found a difference between Blacks and Whites concerning their sport involvement (Spreitzer Snyder, 1990). Sport involvement included seven dimensions â€Å"watching sports on television, listening to sport on the radio, reading the sport pages of the newspaper, watching/listening to sports news on radio/television, reading sports books, reading sports magazines, and talking about sports with friends† (Spreitzer Snyder, 1990, p. 51). The findings revealed significant effect of race on sport involvement regardless of respondents’ social background characteristics (i. e. , age, sex, education, income, town size). Blacks tend to be more involved in sport than Whites. The authors argued that the findings reflect a distinctive subculture within the black community. Rudman (1986) examined the relationship between race, social structure, and sport orientations. The main goal of the study was to see whether factors that affect sport orientations are race-dependant. The results showed Blacks to be more likely than Whites to become vicariously involved in sport outcomes and to incorporate sport into their daily 12 lives. Based on the overall analyses, the author argued that social and economic conditions provide a better explanation of differences in sport orientations. He used the term â€Å"culture of poverty† to indicate that socioeconomic positions are more likely to make boor blacks and boor whites see sport as an opportunity to enhance social prestige and economic position. At the college level, Armstrong (2001) examined ethnic minority students’ consumption of college sport events. The ethnic minorities included African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and â€Å"Others†. She looked at the degree of ethnic minority students’ interest in sport spectating, the frequency in which they attend university sponsored sport events, and the factors that influence their decision to attend campus sport events. Eight factors were tested to see their influence on the students’ attendance. The factors are the price of the tickets, academic commitment, significant others, friends, watching the event on television, the option to spend money on other things, not knowing when tickets are available, the quality of the opponent. The factors identified had no significant influence on students’ attendance. The findings indicate that ethnic minority students generally had a favorable attitude towards sport spectating. However, about 44% of the student stated that they never attend a campus sport event, 41% stated that they seldom attended, and 15% have attended often. The author contended that minority students had a favorable attitude toward sport spectating but they never or seldom attend sport events on campus because they view these events as directed to a specific group (i.e. , dominant ethnic group). For minority students to be motivated to attend, the sport event has to be socially and culturally relevant to the students’ ethnic background. In professional sport, Zhang, Pease, Hui, Michaud (1995) and Zhang, Pease, Smith, Lee, Lam, Jambor (1997) indicated that factors such as game promotions, amenities, and schedule convenience influenced ethnic minorities’ attendance differently and more significantly than they did Whites’. Therefore, sport marketers should emphasize the sociocultural factors (i. e., offering different ethnic foods at the concession stands, playing different ethnic music, making announcement in different languages) in promoting sport consumption of ethnic minority consumers (Armstrong, 2001; Hofacre Burman, 1992; McCarthy Stillman, 1998). 13 In a direct connection to the current investigation, previous studies have found differences on the motivations of sport fans based on ethnicity. Wann, Bilyeu, Brennan, Osborn, Gambouras (1999) investigated the relationship between sport fans’ motivation and race. A sample of 65 Euro-Americans and 32 African Americans completed the Sport Fan Motivation Scale (SFMS). The SFMS, developed by Wann (1995), includes eight motivational factors (eustress, self-esteem benefit, diversion from everyday life, entertainment value, economic value, aesthetic value, need for affiliation, and family needs). The findings indicated that Euro-Americans reported higher motivation than African Americans. The authors argued that certain motives might be applicable to only a subset of races. In a recent study, Bilyeu and Wann (2002) examined the racial differences in sport fan motivation between African Americans and European Americans. First, 50 African American participants completed a demographic questionnaire and an interview with the researcher to discuss their motives for being a sport fan. Second, the motives discovered from the interviews were sent to African American psychologists and sociologists for validation. Third, the new motives were added to the SFMS, then the African American and European American participants were asked to complete the SFMS. The findings suggested that three new factors be added to the SFMS: â€Å"representation (e. g. , people of the same background), similarity (e. g., people they have things in common with), and support/perceived greater equality (e. g. , people they want to succeed)† (Bilyeu Wann, 2002, p. 93). Armstrong (2002) indicated that previous investigations of motivation for sport consumption were not applicable to Black consumers because the samples used in these investigations were predominantly White. Therefore, she added a cultural affiliation motive to the SFMS, developed by Wann (1995), and administered it to a sample of only Black consumers of sport. The findings supported the hypotheses that cultural affiliation is a viable motive for Black’s sport consumption. In addition, the factor structure of the SFMS with the inclusion of the cultural affiliation motive differed from previous studies (Wann, 1995; Wann, Schrader, Wilson, 1999). Therefore, the Black Consumer’ Sport Motivation Scale (BCSMS) was introduced including the following factors: eustress, group recreation, aesthetics, cultural affiliation, group entertainment, escape, and 14 personal (economic/psychological) investment. At the conclusion of the study, the author stated, â€Å"behaviors and motives related to sport consumption may also be influenced by the social and psychological manifestations of culture† (Armstrong, 2002, p.329). In summary, although research on ethnic identity for sport fans is very limited, a strong relationship was found between sport consumers’ ethnic identity and sport consumption and orientation. Also, the differences found on the motivations for sport fans based on ethnicity, should indicate a strong relationship between sport fans’ motivation and ethnic identity. However, it is the goal of this investigation to examine this relationship.

The Simpsons Essay Example for Free

The Simpsons Essay Does Matt Groening succeed in making his cartoon show appeal to such a wide audience? Discuss one particular episode of The Simpsons in detail The Simpsons is made to the highest production values with the most complex and sophisticated scripts animation has yet seen. An amazing fifteen scriptwriters re-write the whole show eight to nine times before it is considered to be finished. Each episode of the Simpsons is carefully constructed from twenty to thirty thousand drawings, which are sent to Korea to be oil painted by professional artists. The show uses a thirty six piece orchestra for its background music, which creates a wide selection of audio effects and life like sounds and the music is especially composed to fit the mood of the scene, helping to boost the emotions felt by the viewers. The Simpsons has become one of the most popular cartoon shows yet to be produced, as it is shown in many countries over the world in many different languages. The Simpsons, becoming such a success and accomplishment, has made its money for Fox TV, helping it to save Rupert Murdochs massive multi national corporation, from bankruptcy when it was launched. Every episode of The Simpsons begins with a short two minute credit, in which the viewers are very cunningly told about each of the characters. The credits begin with blissful and godly music suggesting an angelic family and The Simpsons title coming towards the viewers from behind moving clouds. But what we are about to see next we find out that the Simpsons are far from being angelic. The camera takes a long range overview of Springfield, zooming through the town towards the local elementary school where we see Bart writing detention lines already suggesting that he is badly behaved. As the school bell rings Bart dashes out of the door leaving for home on his skateboard. The focus then switches to Homer, whom we see is working at the nuclear power plant. He is working with some green radioactive rod when he hears the bell, indicating the end of the shift. Quickly forgetting what he is doing, Homer drops the rod which bounces back into his overall without him noticing. By just watching this we can see that homer is reckless and immature. He only realises the radioactive rod down his back later in the credits. After that we see Marge with Maggie in the supermarket where Marge is reading a ladies magazine. This, as we can clearly see is satirizing American wives who basically have to do every household chores as well as doing the shopping etc. Following on from Marge and Maggie we then see Lisa in a music lesson where she is playing the saxophone in a different tune to the rest of the class. This tells us that Lisa is independent and different. Next we view that all the members of the family are going home to watch TV. Matt Groening is again satirizing Americans through the Simpsons as he is telling us that all Americans revolve around television. Anyway as the family are about to sit down on the couch and watch TV, something bizarre or hilarious always happens to the couch like it turns into a fish or runs away. This couch gag changes every episode like Barts detention lines and real Simpsons fanatics will be looking forward for every episode to see what the new detention lines and the couch gags are. All this is crammed into a space two minutes and therefore the credits are always quick, accompanied by fast flowing background music. The scene that I am going to study in depth is the therapy centre of the episode Theres no disgrace like home. Here Homer takes the whole family to this therapy centre where it guarantees saintly family. He saw this therapy commercial in Moes bar where Dr Marvin Monroe says that for only $500 he can cure badly behaved families or double the money back. So seeing the commercial and really convinced he goes home and wants to sell the TV. But Marge so desperate for the TV, offers her engagement ring. This is a clear satire on American family as it tells us that all American people revolve around TV and value nothing else. However homer sells the TV and takes the family to the therapy centre. At the centre they meet Dr Marvin Monroe where he sets the family their first task, which is to draw a picture of the centre of violence in the family. Everyone else draws Homer but Homer draws a fighter jet, clearly showing that he is paying no attention what so ever. Then the family are given foam mallets to gently hit each other, but Bart removes the foam from the mallets so only the metal stick remains. This satirizes all American violence in general. Nevertheless the most important scene is where the family are linked to electric chairs and are told to zap each other in turns. This goes too far as the family zap each other so much that Springfield runs out of electricity. This satirizes American belief in psychotherapy and the American electric chair. The scene was taken from the original A clockwork Orange directed by Stanley Kubrick and as a result will be funny to those film fans. So in the end Dr Marvin Monroe kicks the family out as they achieve no results. But Homer tells Dr Marvin Monroe that the therapy commercial said that if there was no result there would be double the money back. Now nervous, Dr Marvin Monroe tells homer that did he believe in the commercial satirizing American people as it tells us that TV is their life. Nowhere to go Dr Marvin Monroe pays Homer $1000 and now the family are able to get a better-quality TV. At the beginning of the scene the family sell the dearly loved TV to pat for the therapy treatment and now at the end of the scene the family can by a better one, which takes the whole story round and round in a circle.

Carnival Cruise Lines Today

Carnival Cruise Lines Today This document is based on the Harvard Business Case study about Carnival Cruise Lines Applegate, Kwortnik, Piccoli, 2006. It is written as a master thesis for the Master of Information Management (MIM) studies by Christianne Aussems, Nathalie Claes, Eric Janssen and Cornà © van Schaik, under the supervision of Piet Ribbers, Professor of Information Management, all at TiasNimbas Business School in Tilburg. 1.1 About this report This report describes the information management strategy for Carnival Cruise Lines (CCL) for the period 2007-2011. It proposes changes in organization, management, systems, and governance structure for CCL and describes the implementation plan, including prioritization and a costs and benefits analysis. The target audience of the report is Myles Cyr, CIO of Carnival Cruise Lines, and in addition for the strategic management level of CCL. 1.2 Assignment description | Aim and Scope [Bob Dickinson informed the board about the goals for the next years. He wants Carnival Cruise Lines to stay the market leader and to improve the repeat guest rate. He is convinced that the potential value of customer data is growing. Therefore he is looking for a way to manage customer relationships more adequately. In the meeting he also mentioned the desire to reduce the gap between quality improvements and customer perceptions of the services. Myles Cyr agrees on establishing a new sales strategy for the years to come and on the necessity to know the customers better. He wants to incorporate an overall vision on and evaluation of the information architecture and the existing information systems. At this moment he and Dwayne Warner are thinking of starting the preparation an extensive revision (possibly a rebuild) of the shipboard systems (Property Management System and Point of Sale Systems) including the replacement of the Sail Sign card (with magnetic strip) by a chip card in combination with the introduction of portable equipment based on the IP protocol. Myles Cyr explicitly asks to elaborate on the opportunities of IS to contribute to the business and to the value chain. The board is expecting that the relative IT operating costs can be reduced in the next years. He expects an analysis and evaluation of the current state of IT/IS. What is good? What possible weaknesses are there? What problems have to be solved? Which improvements are opportune? He expects a balanced report containing your proposals to enhance the quality of data processing and information provisioning (including handling customer data). Carnival Cruise Lines can only resist and beat the market forces, if the company is innovative, acts agile and reacts fast and effectively to changes in the markets.] Topics to be incorporated in report: -Existing bottle necks that have to be removed. -Changes in organization, management, control concept and governance. -Changes in systems, data processing and data provisioning. -Change management process to meet the proposal. -Implementation plan including prioritization. -Risk assessment of the components of your advice. -Improvement of security and risk management (especially privacy protection). -Costs and benefits analysis of the proposed alternatives. 1.3 Structure Beschrijven van fase naar fase Cindy 1.4 Approach To gather extra information on IT in the cruising sector there was the opportunity to do qualitative research at another cruising organization being Royal Caribbean. Gekozen voor andere maatschappij om huidige bedrijfsvoering niet te verstoren/verontrusten? The research performed here was qualitative research trough semi structured interviews As described in the bookà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ p467. For this research the entire IT executive team (see appendix) was found willing and able to participate. Interview guides were created, for these interviews. These described the goals and topics of the interview and the questions to be asked. This gave the researchers a structure to ask the questions, not to forget important questions and not to get distracted from the goals of the interview. On the other hand this approach also gave flexibility to discuss unforeseen but relevant topics. On forehand it was not clear for all the interviewees what their role and responsibilities where and what to ask them . This approach also gave the flexibility to start the interview with just a few questions but in the end having gathered a lot of information. Being able to interview more than 10 different IT executives in different roles and on different levels also gave an insight on important topics on that moment. Interview guide interview minutes For the execution of the interviews there was a clear division of the roles between the interviewers, there was one interviewer in the lead for asking the questions, one checking whether all the questions were asked and one making notes for the meeting minutes. Ruimte Literatuur 1.5 Constraints Timing Tool selectie reeds gedaan 2. Carnival Cruise Lines Today Carnival Corporation plc is a global cruise company and one of the largest vacation companies in the world. Carnival generates all of its revenues from the cruise industry. The companies wide-ranging product offerings provide guests with exceptional vacation experiences at an outstanding value. The success in providing quality cruise vacations has made Carnival the most profitable company in the leisure travel industry. Carnivals stock is dually listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and on the London Stock Exchange under symbol CCL. Carnival is the only company in the world to be included in both the SP 500 index in the United States and the FTSE 100 index in the United Kingdom (Carnival Corporation PLC, 2012). Carnival Corporation operates a fleet of 100 ships, with another seven ships scheduled for delivery between now and March 2016. With approximately 200,000 guests and 77,000 shipboard employees, there are more than 277,000 people sailing aboard the Carnival fleet at any given time (Carnival Corporation PLC, 2012). For the purpose of our report it is crucial to understand how the Carnival Cruise Lines corporation works today. We need to understand how the various aspects of the business are set up and how they work together. Only after a true understanding of the current situation, we can come with proposals for improvement and indicate the impact on current ways of working. In literature one can fine many models that can be used to look at an organization with an internal perspective. In appendix X we provide an overview of some management models we have found in literature, with an explanation why, when and how it should be used. Since our report needs to cover the implementation of a new IT management strategy, we have decided to use McKinseys 7S model. This model, developed in the 1980s, involves 7 factors, which can be categorized as hard and soft elements. Hard elements can be identified and influenced more easily. They would be driven by the organization charts and reporting lines within the business and they may include the systems you use to get work done. Soft elements are, by their very nature, more difficult to manage and may be affected by the culture of the organization. But you have to apply yourself to these as much as the hard elements, as they provide the support structure for the successful implementation of any change, and they are al l interdependent on each other. Figure X 7S framework (McKinsey) The hard elements in the 7S-model are Strategy, Structure and Systems; the soft elements are Style, Shared Values, Skills and Staff. In order to understand the 7S-model better a brief explanation is given below. Hard elements:   Strategy by using mission and vision the organizations objectives become clear.   Structure how is the organization structured and which hierarchical layers are there   Systems all formal and informal methods of operation, procedures and communication flows Soft elements:   Style this is about leadership and management styles   Shared values the standards and values and other forms of ethics within an organization in which vision, corporate culture and identity are the key elements   Skills these concern both the skills of the organization and those of the employees   Staff this is about the employees, their competences and job descriptions 2.1 Strategy of CCL The mission of Carnival Corporation is to take the world on vacation and deliver exceptional experiences through many of the worlds best-known cruise brands that cater to a variety of different geographic regions and lifestyles, all at an outstanding value unrivaled on land or at sea (Carnival Corporation PLC, 2012). The vision statement of Carnival is the following: to consistently deliver fun, memorable vacations at a repeat value. Derived from this mission and vision, Carnival Cruise Lines has set up the following strategic objectives: to be the leading cruise operator in all segments entered and to maintain the most up-to-date fleet of cruise ships in the world to develop new cruise segments and innovative cruise packages to reach a larger number of potential and past cruisers employ sophisticated promotional efforts to achieve a greater awareness by the public concerning the availability and afford ability of cruise travel attract the first-time and younger cruisers (Carnival), experienced cruisers (Holland America), upscale cruisers(Seaborne), and cruisers wanting a sailing vacation (Windstar) promote cruises as an alternative to land-based vacations provide a variety of activities as well as ports of call be innovative in all respects of operations of the ship. BRON Dominant market share Carnivals biggest strength is its huge scale and scope. It is twice as large as its biggest competitor and competes in nearly every market and segment worldwide. This gives Carnival enormous power over the cruise industry as a whole. It enables the company to undertake projects that grow the industry, gives it a platform for continued mergers and acquisitions activity, and helps Carnival negotiate with major manufacturers of cruise ships (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011). Strong acquisition strategy Carnival has the ability to obtain companies through acquisitions. By using an acquisition strategy, the Corporation has been able to position itself in each geographical market in the world and rank itself as number one in the cruising sector. Comprehensive portfolio The corporation has a large fleet capacity and operates 11 of the most recognizable cruise brand names. Carnivals portfolio of brand names appeals to almost every niche market, from budget minded, contemporary to luxury cruises. Each cruise line operates globally and is targeted at one or more nationalities (see Appendix X). 2.2 Structure of CCL Carnival Corporation plc has two main headquarters, Carnival Place in the US and Carnival House in the UK. The constituent Corporation and plc are separate listed companies with different shareholder bodies, but they jointly own all the operating companies in the group. Carnival Corporation owns the majority stake. As part of the merger between Carnival Corporation and PO Princess Cruises in 2002, it was agreed that PO Princess would be relisted as Carnival plc in London, remaining a separate company with a predominantly British shareholder body. Both headquarters have their own management team, strategy, and IT organization. Uncoordinated business operations Historically, Carnival has been run by the Arison family as a coalition of largely independent businesses. Each cruise line largely manages its own customers, marketing, distribution, sales, ports, and logistics. This approach has had benefits: internal competition means that each line operates better than any would in isolation. The business operations of the cruise lines are not centrally managed. Better coordination of these business operations could generate additional benefits for Carnival (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011). Strong financial position Carnival is one of the most profitable cruising companies. The companys average net income (FY2005 to FY2009) amounted to 18.1% compared to the industry standard of 6.3% (Marketingteacher, 2012). The firm is dual listed on the New York Stock Exchange and the London Stock Exchange under the symbol CCL. Since the company is dual listed, it has the ability to raise more funds from investor than its competitors. With this also come greater stability due to different markets being affected by different economic occurrences, political issues, and societys views (Corporate information, 2006). Decreasing profit The profit of Carnival has diminished over the last years. The net profit was $1,790 million in FY2009, a decrease of 23.2% as compared to 2008. Another weakness is that Carnival reports their financial statements in dollars. About half of their revenue is generated in a non-US currency, but is reported in terms of US dollars. The value of the dollar against Euro appreciated from 1.60 in January 2010 to 1.53 by April 2010 against the Pound. If the dollar strengthens it would record a lower revenue than is actually earned (Marketingteacher, 2012). Clear focus cost leadership Carnival Cruise Lines has a clear focus on Cost Leadership, i.e. CCL offers its product to the mass market. Therefore the highest focus is put on the price and keeping the price as low as possible. Once the customer is on board the ship, additional revenue is created by having the customer pay for everything that was not covered in the base price. Carnival is such a large company that it has significant cost advantages over most of its competitors. Strong marketing Carnival invests explicitly and effectively in print and television media. Their promotions target the lifestyles of each group of customers (Marketingteacher, 2012). Over-dependence on US market Carnival derives a majority of its revenue (nearly 52%) from US customers. In 2009 the revenue from the North American market registered a double digit decline. The over-dependence on the US market makes Carnival vulnerable to the economic fluctuations of the American economy and this company is dependent on customers disposable income] (Marketingteacher, 2012). Poor safety record There is no public database of major cruise accidents, but Carnival has a notably worse safety record than other cruise companies. The Costa Concordia tragedy has been the most recent in Carnivals safety woes. The Center for Disease Control does track all major viral outbreaks on cruise lines. In the 2009-2011 period, Carnival-owned companies accounted for 56% of all viral outbreaks, compared to a 48% average market share. The company is also thought to have a worse safety record for persons lost at sea, especially in the Carnival brand: of the 179 disappearances since 2000, Carnival Cruise Line alone accounts for nearly 30% of them (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011). Incidents/Bad press In 2009, Carnival experienced bad press when three passengers fell off ships in a three week period. There were a total of 22 incidents of passengers falling overboard in 2009. In December 2008, passengers on the Carnival owned Oceania cruise ship were attacked by Somali pirates. Such events reflect negatively on the company and the industry. 2.3 Systems in CCL Within Carnival Cruise Lines every brand is seen as a separate business unit, with its own profit and loss statement. Decentralized systems This decentralization translates into a decentralization of systems as well. Decisions arent always communicated from the one cruise line to the other, which leads to duplication of effort. This decentralization of the business organization translates to the IT organization as well. Every brand has its own IT department with own systems and infrastructure. Legacy systems There are many legacy systems, since there arent many players in the cruising sector, most of the strategic important applications are custom made. This leads to a spaghetti landscape in which integration is very difficult and which affects the speed to market significantly. No integrated CRM system Carnival doesnt use an integrated CRM system for the whole corporation. Customers from the one cruise line arent recognized as a repeat customer with a different cruise line within the group, this has an immediate effect on the pricing for repeat customers. The yearly capital planning of investments is done on US and UK Headquarter level as well as on the different cruise line level. This will most likely lead to lack on synchronization and duplication of costs and efforts. 2.4 Style within CCL The leadership style at Carnival Cruise Lines can be called family-like. People with the right skills are hired and are giving the support and room to do their jobs correctly. This family-like leadership style is a management style that Ted Arison already used when he was still steering the company. Ted Arison had a non-hierarchical approach to management, meaning that he delegated a lot of work downwards in the organization, allowing him to oversee the bigger picture. People are encouraged to be hands-on and take calculated risks. Taking risks also means that mistakes can occur, however Carnival uses a no blame culture through which people feel empowered (Managementparadise, 2012). Carnival has a separate training and development department set up in the organization. The corporation invests heavily in coaching of high potentials by giving them learning opportunities that are fit for their personal needs. 2.5 Shared values of CCL Derived from the mission and vision of Carnival (see 2.1.1) the company has set some company values that wear a high priority. These values are: Honesty, integrity, fairness, hospitality and teamwork. The values are deemed important to do their job in a correct manner. Carnival, as all other cruise lines in the industry, takes much proud in the focus they put on the environment. They invest heavily in health and safety, both for customers and for employees. There is a very strong focus on the environment and to work in a greener way. Charity is also one of the key components of their social responsibility strategy. 2.6 Skills at CCL Working in the leisure industry requires some specific skills that you cannot always learn. Most important skills that someone working in the leisure industry would need, are the following: Customer focused Empathy Team work Stress resistant Multi-cultural Service orientation Multi linguistic Since Carnival Cruise Lines wants to be seen as the cruise line that delivers fun, the attitude of the employees is very important as well. The employees need to be cheerful and enthusiastic. 2.7 Staff at CCL Cruise ships typically operate with three classes of crew. The first is the officers: these professionals are highly paid and given ultimate command of the ship. The second is entertainers and wait staff: typically lower-paid, but from the same countries as the cruisers that they serve. Finally, most of the ships crew is drawn from developing countries. While pay is low, the salary can represent an attractive opportunity for these workers, who often work 10-month contracts without being able to see their homes and families. Turnover is high, and few of the crew see working on a cruise ship as a viable long-term career. Staff remains 24/7 on board of the ship, have their own cabins at the lowest two decks of the ship. Only officers are allowed to mix between guests, this at special occasions and in formal attire. Other crew members have dedicated times during which they can be present on guest decks. Operational excellence experience Carnival has achieved below-industry-average costs and above-average revenue historically. This is largely due to the companys immense experience in owning and operating cruises, as well as some smart strategic plays. That advantage makes expanding into new markets vastly easier for Carnival than for a smaller player or upstart firm. Carnival has the largest pool of data to draw on to determine what does and does not work and has the most experienced marketers of cruises in the world. These soft advantages let Carnival potentially segment its customers more efficiently than competitors (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011). 3. Carnival Cruise Lines Competitive Position 5 forces model of Porter (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011) According to Michael Porter, the state of competition in an industry depends on five basic forces (Porter, 1980). These forces are: Bargaining Power of Suppliers, Bargaining Power of Buyers, Threat of New Entrants, Threat of Substitutes, and Rivalry among Competitors. The collective strength of these combined forces determines the ultimate profit potential of an industry. The following paragraphs are based on Levin et al. (Levin, Jones, Slade, 2011) and interviews at Royal Caribbean. 3.1 Bargaining power of suppliers Supplier Power within the cruise line industry is moderately strong. Most of a cruise ships supplies are bought on an open, competitive market. The threat of integration by these suppliers is very low. One notable exception is Carnivals new builds. There are only 6 major shipyards that have recently built cruise ships, and 2-3 more that either perform conversions or have built ships before 2000. Capacity and capability at these main builders is also limited, so Carnival Corporation relies on a limited number of manufacturers for its new builds. The high supplier power within the shipbuilding is weakened because the relationship is symmetrical: cruising is a similarly concentrated market. Additionally, the massive purchase value of a new ship provides a sizeable incentive for ship suppliers to provide cruise liners with competitive pricing. Additionally, cruise ship companies such as Carnival face extensive switching costs, both in building and running a ship. Switching a ships manufacturer is hugely expensive for cruise companies because, typically, the shipbuilder owns the right over a ships design, which means that, in switching shipbuilders, cruise line companies have to incur high monetary and time costs in redesigning the ship. Such a switch can cost the cruise line company millions of dollars. Further, there is high input differentiation between ships, meaning that, while there are alternatives for the majority of supply components (both in ship construction and in cruise service), the cruise ship company markets specific ships and amenities to the consumer, thereby increasing switching costs and supplier power. 3.2 Bargaining power of buyers Buyer power within the cruise line industry is relatively low. By contrast to most other vacations, more than two thirds of cruises are still booked through travel agents. Further, customers are spread around the world and do not have any mechanisms through which they can express a collective voice or exert collective power, leaving them with minimal control. Additionally, customers do not have the ability or resources to create the cruise experience by themselves it is, by nature, a highly packaged deal. In addition, the experience offered by a cruise is very unique, and differs from other types of vacations enough that customers who prefer cruises are likely to choose them over other types of vacations, so long as the cost is not a substantial barrier. Buyer power is increased by internet search engines which enable comparisons of price and specifications across multiple locations, brands, and companies. In addition, the continued high reliance on travel agencies increases buyer p ower because travel agencies make volume purchases and can demand lower prices based on the volume of customers they refer to specific companies. 3.3 Threat of new entrants The risk of entry of new competitors to the cruise line industry that could provide a plausible threat to Carnival Corporation in core markets is low. Entry into the high-end cruise line industry requires capital of approximately $1 billion since it costs, on average, $400 million to build a ship. Further, large cruise ships employ hundreds of sailors and crew that are trained for sea duty, which creates an additional cost. Since brand recognition is very important in the cruise line industry, it would take a new competitor valuable time to build an identity and reputation in order to be able to compete with the incumbents. Lastly, there are strict government and international regulations that are involved with a cruise company. Obtaining proper permits to operate, as well as the political connections, would also cost a company a large amount of time and resources. In Asia, however, Carnival might be more concerned about new entrants. Asian operations, markets, and customers are much less defined than in the Americas or Europe, and expectations of cruise quality and scale are lower. There are numerous Asian entrepreneurs and companies that might be able to tap into this fast-growing market. 3.4 Threat of substitutes There are many substitutes, such as all inclusive, Club Med, and alternative vacation packages. However, market research indicates that cruise lines provide higher customer satisfaction than land based vacation packages. Cruisers express an overall 94.8% satisfaction rate with their experiences. Any vacation can be substituted for, and there is not a high cost to change, which makes the threat of substitution seem very high. This trend has fueled the continuing evolution of the cruise vacation experience. Over the years, cruise lines have expanded itineraries to include more diverse ports of call and have introduced innovative onboard amenities and facilities to compete with land based travel. These onboard experiences include cell phone access, Internet cafes and Wi-Fi zones which allow passengers to feel as if they are connected on land. They have also added onboard experiences such as rock-climbing, bowling alleys, surfing pools, multi-room villas, multiple themed restaurants and expansive spas, health and fitness facilities that easily rival land-based options (CLIA, 2012) Although there are many substitutes to the cruise line industry, they cannot replicate the cruise line experience. 3.5 Rivalry of competitors Carnival is the leading company within the cruise line industry due to its multiple fleets and significant international presence. There are significant barriers to entry and exit within the cruise line industry, which has resulted in a high concentration ratio. The cruise line industry is effectively an oligopoly market, where several major cruise liners make up more than 90% of the market shares. Carnival is constantly engaged in marketing and pricing battles with these competitors, making internal rivalry central to the industry. Additionally, cruise lines have historically been subject to heavy mergers acquisitions activity, and Carnival sometimes competes to acquire even more share. Overall, Carnivals branding is strong within the industry, and even stronger within its market category (contemporary). When compared to its competitors, Carnival continues to remain a formidable force in the cruise industry. Figure X: 5 forces model for Carnival Cruise Lines 4. Cruise Industry Developments We will use a PESTEL analysis to provide the context of the cruising industry as a whole, in order to understand the organizations role in relation to the external environment. The PESTEL analysis provides a context for the organizations role in relation to the external environment. The PESTEL analysis technique is often used in conjunction with a SWOT analysis to assess the situation of a business. PESTEL covers Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental factors. The analysis consists in carefully determining all factors and finding out exactly in what way and to what extent these factors influence the company. Each category of factors is of crucial importance to advanced strategic management (Marketingminefield, 2012). Figure 2 gives an overview of PESTEL factors for the Cruise Industry. The PESTEL analysis is further explained in the following sections of this chapter. Political Economic OPPORTUNITIES Growing market in Asia Multiple trade organizations and lobbyist: -Cruise Lines International Association -Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (trade organization) -International Council of Cruise Lines; Cruise industry lobbyist -North West Canada Cruise Association (trade organization for Hawaii and Pacific North West) -Passenger ship Association -International Maritime organization (IMO) part of the United Nations OPPORTUNITIES Profitable business; cruisers spend typically more on vacation then non cruisers Pricing based on data analysis Big market share to capture; cruising industry is the fastest growing branch of the total leisure industry THREATHS Global economic recession Decrease in growth for South of Europe due to bad economy High fuel prices THREATS Geopolitical instability -Terrorism actions Tax loopholes Social Technological OPPORTUNITIES Strongly favorable Demographics Changing consumer trends: more focus on health, spa arrangements, more diversity in dining and other selling points Changing role of travel agent Number of online bookings is increasing and increasing more every year OPPORTUNITIES Changing consumer trends: Bring Your Own Device (BYOD), connectivity Technological development in satellite communication: -State of the art technology possibilities on the ship -Higher connectivity on the ship THREATHS Due to the exploding market in Asia, systems need to be set up in Chinese characters. This is a challenge for most systems Outsourcing level 2 b 3 support is difficult because the knowledge is very specific THREATHS Overblown media attention when something happens on a cruise ship Environmental Legal THREATHS Events in the outside world (9/11, Costa Concordia crash and Ash cloud Iceland) OPPORTUNITIES Complex diversity of environmental, health and safety legislation Figure X: PESTEL analysis Cruise Industry 4.1 Political Factors Political factors represent the way and extent to which a government influences the economy and the business. Specific areas are: labor law, tax policy, tariffs, trade restrictions and environmental law. Geopolitical Instability [In 2011, the Arab Spring revolutions ca

The Spiritual Decline of Shakespeares Macbeth Essay -- GCSE English L

The Spiritual Decline of Macbeth The play, Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, has been analyzed to such an extent that many assume it is impossible to say anything new about the play.   Yet, a close reading of Macbeth can still yield tremendous insights.   One interesting point worth noting is Macbeth's inability to answer "Amen" to a solemn prayer to God. Shakespeare's post-medieval world strictly adhered to the binary opposition between good and evil, or in other words, between Christ and Satan. The common belief was that satanic forces could not pay homage to Christ. Thus, Macbeth's inability to answer "Amen" reflects his spiritual decline, sinking to the ranks of the witches and Lady Macbeth.    Macbeth was written for Shakespeare’s new patron, James I (James VI of Scotland), following the death of Queen Elizabeth. James, a relative of the real Banquo, was interested in witchcraft and Scotland, hence the themes and setting of the play.   The play itself tells the story of a man, urged by his wife and foretold by prophecy, who commits regicide in order to gain power.         Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth and the person who has the greatest influence over him. A childless woman, from the start of the play she turns feverish at the prospect of becoming queen and declares that she would kill her own child--"dash his brains out"--if it would help her achieve her goal (I.vii.55). This connection between childlessness and power has led critics, prominently AC Knight in his famous essay, â€Å"How Many Children Had Lady Macbeth?† to remark that this is part of the play's greater symbolism, where evil is infertile and good is fertile.   (Citation?   Since you just paraphrased one of Kn... ...m he must take the daggers back, put them with the grooms, and smear the grooms with blood, so it will look like the grooms killed the King.   Macbeth is unable to return to the scene of the crime to do that so Lady Macbeth takes the daggers from him and tells him that it's childish to be afraid of the sleeping or the dead. And she's not afraid of blood, either. She says, "If he [King Duncan] do bleed, / I'll gild the faces of the grooms withal / For it must seem their guilt" (2.2.52-54) The conscience is a fickle thing.   If it is suffering, its owner suffers.   As Macbeth’s spirituality declined, he was unable to acknowledge a simple prayer with a simple response, â€Å"Amen†. His wife apparently was unable to take comfort from prayer.   For both, this lack of communion with goodness ultimately led to their deaths.  

Boundary Lines - Gender Through The Prism Of Difference Essay -- sexua

Sexual harassment is still not recognized today by many individuals as an actual offense. Sexual harassment was talked about and was recognized in 1976 but the law making it illegal was not passed until 10 years later in 1986. The law states that â€Å"it is unlawful to harass a person because of their sex. Harassment can include sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, and other verbal or physical harassment of a sexual nature.† The law doesn’t include simple teasing, small comments or incidents that aren’t serious. But it becomes illegal when it happens more than once and the severity of the comments makes the work environment uncomfortable. The problem today is knowing what is actually considered sexual harassment as everyone takes it differently and when comments or jokes are being taken too far. Chapter 36 discusses a study that focused on waitressing as many restaurants have an obviously sexualized workplace. The book says â€Å"sexual attractiveness and flirtation are often institutionalized parts of a waitpersons job description.† When applying for jobs many workplaces hire attractive looking women, as they believe it will attract more people to their business. I find this to be unfair as men do not have this standard. When men apply for a job they look directly at the individual’s skills, not what they look like. It used to be said that in addition to popularity and access to their choice of a mate, attractive people tend to receive higher evaluations and salaries than their peers so people would then assume that it would always be an advantage to be an attractive male or female in the workplace. But this is not true in all cases. Newer research shows that being an attractive man was an advan... ... if you are married they will still say inappropriate comments to you, even if they know who your married to, some guys just don’t care. In the end sexual harassment is not okay, especially in the workplace. Women shouldn’t have to feel like they are just an object at work. Women’s confidence can be lowered by receiving sexual harassing comments from men. Men should be respectful during work hours, even joking around about sex during work doesn’t seem appropriate if you’re working around other people who could hear you. Works Cited Giuffre, Patti A., and Christine L. Williams. "Boundary Lines." Gender Through The Prism Of Difference. 4th ed. New York: Oxford UP, 2011. 403-17. Print. Gomez, Evangeline. "Should Businesses Worry About Appearance-Based Discrimination in the Workplace?" Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 31 Jan. 2012. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.

Animation and transition Effects

According to what is mentioned in the fundamentals of the system, the user requirements, the slides must consist of some animation effects pictures and words. The system must also include transition effects where one slide changes to another. On the first slide or homepage however, there will be no animation or transition effects, because most of the information is displayed on the Main Page and if for example each contaminant of the Contents is seen appearing, disappearing, dissolving e.t.c, then the user is most likely to get confused. The other disadvantage of including animations and transition effects on the homepage is that they take some time of carry out the effect, and even though the timings can be changed, it is almost certain that it will take the reader more than 5 seconds to learn how to use the system. However, the reader may still get confused when navigating throughout the other slides seeing many different transition effects taking place. So there will only be two transition effects used which are Checker box across and Checker box down. The user will have the choice of clicking on a selected category from the Contents, if he does not do this within a generous period of 2 minutes then the transition effect will automatically take place and the slide will change to the next slide. This will be useful because people who just wish to look at the system and don't want to use it, or foreigners, they can see the cool effects and different slides which will be very eye catching and attract the users attention. Breakdown of final solution into sub-tasks Even though the final design was considered best possible from a range of people, there was still room for implementation, which additionally helped, achieves a professional looking eye catching, attractive system. What to do to implement the final design and how to do it can be put into a step-by-step list, and each can be put into sub-tasks The first task: Create the homepage slide (the first slide that the user will see when using the system) The Title the Amp Oval will be done in the specified font but the letter ‘O' in ‘Oval' in the cricket ball shape will be achieved by copying the text into Microsoft Paint, then selecting or free-form selecting the letter ‘O' and adding colour using colour applying facilities and further manipulating the ‘O' into a Cricket Ball. The second task: Obtaining the grass effect: The grass effect in the background will be obtained by saving a picture of grass from the internet. Only one square chunk of the grass will need to be copied and pasted in Microsoft Paint so that the contrast and colour can be altered to make it have the effect of a background. This will then be copied and pasted several times in the presentation to fill the appropriate areas. The third task: Creating navigation buttons: In Microsoft PowerPoint there is already a making-life easy option of inserting action buttons under the slide show menu. This also contains the facilities for decisions to be made of what slide to hyperlink to by pressing the button. If the button need be altered then by clicking the button, a menu will open up ‘Format auto shape' where the colour of the button, and various other things can be done to the action button. The fourth task: Adding maps and images: The Site map locating the Amp Oval will be scanned directly out of an A-Z on the appropriate page. It will be saved as a .jpeg file and opened up in Microsoft Paint, where the size can be changed to fit it in the available area, and an arrow and an ‘X' can be marked to show where exactly on the map it is. The stadium side view image will be imported from the internet onto the system. This will be saved as well as a larger image, which is the result of stretching the original image. The t-shirt will be opened in Paint and parts of it will be changed using the select option. The fifth task: Adding animation and transitional effects to each slide: Each slide will contain similar animation and transition effects to add more interest and get the users attention. The final task: Testing to see if the system works: Ultimately the most important task is to check if the system works, if it doesn't work as required then the errors can be corrected. If this final task is not carried out, then there is no idea if the system will meet the User requirements. Test Plan It can not be emphasized enough how important it is to carry out a test plan to confirm and re-confirm that the design contains everything mentioned in the user requirements, any additional, and implementations are to be considered after the design has been implemented. It is very important to know that no errors are to be discovered in the system. Therefore, a test plan has been assembled together and thought of with great precision to make sure that the system is to the highest of standards.