Selling and offering information on the internet brings with it a list :: Computer Science

Selling and offering information on the internet brings with it a list of legal and corporate issues. Legal and corporate issues The growth of e-commerce has enabled M&S to involve and expand their business from their stores to the world of internet. Marks and Spencer is increasingly using the internet for electronic commerce, selling goods to consumers and also offer a range of information about the available products and services. However selling and offering information on the internet brings with it a list of legal and corporate issues. These issues are designed in order to protect the customers from fraud of misuse of personal data and also laws to consider disabled consumers who may be using the internet site, therefore will require special features. M&S corporate identity, including the corporate logo design and the company corporate identity and branding is the most important information that this company can convey to its customers, therefore specific consideration are designed in regard of protecting the companies identity. Legal Issues Data protection considerations The Data Protection Act lays puts down a serious of rules that M&S must obey under their co-operation. Therefore as a successful trader any personal data that the company collects from its customers, such as name, address and billing information such as credit card details must be protected from fraud. Therefore M&S must deal fairly with the info they receive from consumers and tell the customer what data the have collected, upon that they must tell them what you are going to do with that information, and consult with the customers before taking any actions. For instance they must ask for permission before sharing the information with a third party, therefore the most important point to consider is to Keep the data collected safe and secure. Website terms and conditions ---------------------------- The terms and condition are important and must be informed to the consumer before making a transaction. Different companies have different terms and condition therefore M&S must make sure they make it clear for their consumers the terms an condition of making this transaction. These terms and condition inform the customers of the Data protection act considerations, which is designed in interest of the consumers comfort in the transaction, reassuring them that the details they provide is kept safe. M&S must include these terms and condition to reassure their customers that using their e-commerce will be safe and secure. M&S must also include a clear privacy policy explaining how they will use the information collected on the site. It is also crucial to contain a clear "conditions of sale" which includes details of when the contract is actually formed (E.g. the order

Terrorists Attack: a Media Analysis :: essays research papers

Terrorists Attack!!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  February 26, 1993, the day that terrorists made the biggest attack on American soil to that point. It was early afternoon on a Friday, 12:18 pm to be exact, a car bomb ripped through the guts of the now infamous North World Trade Center twin tower. It happened very quickly, and without warning, normal people were simply going about their daily business, when all of a sudden, the building shook, the power went out, and smoke began to fill all 110 floors of the towers. Many wondered what had happened, had a plane struck the building, was it an earthquake? D, none of the above, some crazed maniac had decided to kill 5 people and injure many more just to get some point across.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This event graced the front page of newspapers and news magazines across the country, the New York Times was the newspaper closest to the action. Covrage in this newspaper was published one day after the event, and coverednot only the event but the ensuing traffic chaos it caused. Being a newspaper local to New York City, the site of the attack, the newpaper catered to the interests of its local readers. The New York Times, however, is also circulated around the country, and around the world. This required the newpaper editors, publishers, and writers to remain sensitive to the feelings and thoughts of readers in the broader reading audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Newsweek Magazine also published coverage of the attack. Their primary audience is a national one, and consequently, the coverage is geared toward a broader audience. Also, seeing as the magazine is only published once a week, rather than daily as the New York Times, Newsweek had more time to gather facts and evidence. This added time for research leads more to a fact based coverage than a question based coverage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One interesting observation is that it seems both sources immediately assume that foreign terrorists were the primary perpetrators of this attack. Neither article comes right out and says it, however both are rather ambiguous about it. Newsweek does mention the possibility of a domestic source for the violence, but spends much more time and effort explaining the possible foreign sources. Overall both articles seem rather straightforward in their representation of the event, and remain rather simplistic, so as not to confuse the reading audience.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When an event of this magnitude occurs, emotions are bound to play a role in the coverage.

Spanish El Recado :: Papers

Spanish El Recado Analasis de El Recado Elena Poniatowska escrita durante una epoca de cambio en Mexico. Antes de sus obras las mujeres mexicanas eran sometidos, docil, y pasivo. En la tiempo de sus obras las mujeres estaba tratando salir de los estereotipos de antes. Esta problema social tomo un afecto en Elena. Aunque ella no viene de un movimiento literatura directamente, ella escrita con el concepto de compremetido. En su narrative El Recado ella crea un mujer estereotipical que no puede controlar sus emociones. La titula es eso porque ella viene a ver su amante, pero el no esta, asi ella escribe las cosas que sentia. La perspectiva es de un personaje y ella nunca interacta con otros personajes. En facto la unica descripcion de un personaje otro de la protagonista es de su amante Martin. Habla de otros personajes, pero solamente de sus acciones. Porque ellas es la unica perspectiva que tenemos es sencillo a sentar compasion para una protagonista de quien nombre no aun sabemos. Ella da la descripcion de toda que vea, y mas importante todo que se sienta. Tambien tropos y figuras retoricas dan un tono significante al poema. Estos sentimientos de la portagonista y el tono emocional de la narrativa transporta una tema de una mujer estereotipical y debil quien quiere ser reconocido. El Recado es un cuento de la esperanza y amor. La protagonista viene a visita Martin, pero el no esta en su casa. Entonces ella esperas en peldano, y esperanza que el aparece pronto. Esperanza es una palabra muy importante en el cuento. La palabra es usado directamente tres veces en la obra 26, 31, y 39. Tambien en el principio de el cuento todo es de un afecto sensual. Mientras ella esta en el peldano vea el jardin de Martin. Da caracteristicas humanos (personificacion) a los flores en el jardin ( 6-7), estos caracteristicas como honesto y graves probablamente tambien de su amante. Luego ella hace una comparacion directa entre el y el jardin â€Å"Todo el jardin es solido, es como tu, tiene una reciedumbre que inspira confianza.† Este oracion no solamente tiene un simil, pero tambien ayuda en mostrando la comparacion a un mujer de un hombre. El hombre es personificado con palabras de fuerza, mientras todo el cuento muestra una mujer debil.

Queuing Theory

Waiting Line Models ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The Structure of a Waiting Line System Queuing Systems Queuing System Input Characteristics Queuing System Operating Characteristics Analytical Formulas Single-Channel Waiting Line Model with Poisson Arrivals and Exponential Service Times Multiple-Channel Waiting Line Model with Poisson Arrivals and Exponential Service Times Economic Analysis of Waiting Lines Slide 1 Structure of a Waiting Line System ? ? Queuing theory is the study of waiting lines. Four characteristics of a queuing system are: †¢the manner in which customers arrive †¢the time required for service the priority determining the order of service †¢the number and configuration of servers in the system. Slide 2 Structure of a Waiting Line System ? ? Distribution of Arrivals †¢Generally, the arrival of customers into the system is a random event. †¢Frequently the arrival pattern is modeled as a Poisson process. Distribution of Service Times †¢Service time i s also usually a random variable. †¢A distribution commonly used to describe service time is the exponential distribution. Slide 3 Structure of a Waiting Line System ? Queue Discipline †¢Most common queue discipline is first come, first served (FCFS). An elevator is an example of last come, first served (LCFS) queue discipline. †¢Other disciplines assign priorities to the waiting units and then serve the unit with the highest priority first. Slide 4 Structure of a Waiting Line System ? Single Service Channel Customer arrives ? Waiting line Multiple Service Channels System S1 Customer leaves System S1 Customer arrives Waiting line S2 Customer leaves S3 Slide 5 Examples of Internal Service Systems That Are Queueing Systems Type of System Customers Server(s) Secretarial services Employees Secretary Copying services Employees Copy machine Computer programming servicesEmployees Programmer Mainframe computer Employees Computer First-aid center Employees Nurse Faxing service s Employees Fax machine Materials-handling system Loads Materials-handling unit Maintenance system Machines Repair crew Inspection station Items Inspector Production system Jobs Machine Semiautomatic machines Machines Operator Tool crib Machine Clerk Slide 6 Examples of Transportation Service Systems That Are Queueing Systems Type of System Customers Server(s) Highway tollbooth Cars Cashier Truck loading dock Trucks Loading crew Port unloading area Ships Unloading crew Airplanes waiting to take off Airplanes RunwayAirplanes waiting to land Airplanes Runway Airline service People Airplane Taxicab service People Taxicab Elevator service People Elevator Fire department Fires Fire truck Parking lot Cars Parking space Ambulance service People Ambulance Slide 7 Queuing Systems ? ? ? ? A three part code of the form A/B/k is used to describe various queuing systems. A identifies the arrival distribution, B the service (departure) distribution and k the number of channels for the system. Sym bols used for the arrival and service processes are: M – Markov distributions (Poisson/exponential), D – Deterministic (constant) and G – General istribution (with a known mean and variance). For example, M/M/k refers to a system in which arrivals occur according to a Poisson distribution, service times follow an exponential distribution and there are k servers working at identical service rates. Slide 8 Queuing System Input Characteristics = 1/? =  µ= 1/ µ = = the average arrival rate the average time between arrivals the average service rate for each server the average service time the standard deviation of the service time Slide 9 Queuing System Operating Characteristics P0 = Pn = Pw = Lq = probability the service facility is idle robability of n units in the system probability an arriving unit must wait for service average number of units in the queue awaiting service L = average number of units in the system Wq = average time a unit spends in the queu e awaiting service W = average time a unit spends in the system Slide 10 Analytical Formulas ? ? For nearly all queuing systems, there is a relationship between the average time a unit spends in the system or queue and the average number of units in the system or queue. These relationships, known as Little's flow equations are: L = ? W and Lq = ? Wq Slide 11 Analytical Formulas ? ?When the queue discipline is FCFS, analytical formulas have been derived for several different queuing models including the following: †¢M/M/1 †¢M/M/k †¢M/G/1 †¢M/G/k with blocked customers cleared †¢M/M/1 with a finite calling population Analytical formulas are not available for all possible queuing systems. In this event, insights may be gained through a simulation of the system. Slide 12 M/M/1 Queuing System ? ? ? ? ? ? Single channel Poisson arrival-rate distribution Exponential service-time distribution Unlimited maximum queue length Infinite calling population Examples: †¢Single-window theatre ticket sales booth Single-scanner airport security station Slide 13 Notation for Single-Server Queueing Models ? ? = Mean arrival rate for customers = Expected number of arrivals per unit time 1/? = expected interarrival time ? m = Mean service rate (for a continuously busy server) = Expected number of service completions per unit time 1/m = expected service time ? r = the utilization factor = the average fraction of time that a server is busy serving customers = /? m Slide 14 ? Assumptions 1. Interarrival times have an exponential distribution with a mean of 1/?. 2. Service times have an exponential distribution with a ean of 1/m. 3. The queueing system has one server. †¢ The expected number of customers in the system is L = r? /? (1 –? r) = /? (m? – ? )? †¢ The expected waiting time in the system is W = (1 / ? )L = 1 / (m – ? ) †¢ The expected waiting time in the queue is Wq = W – 1/m = ? / [m(m – ? )] â⠂¬ ¢ The expected number of customers in the queue is Lq = ? Wq = ? 2 / [m(m – ? )] = r2 / (1 – r) Slide 15 ? The probability of having exactly n customers in the system is Pn = (1 – r)rn Thus, P0 = 1 – r P1 = (1 – r)r P2 = (1 – r)r2 : : ? The probability that the waiting time in the system exceeds t is P(W ; t) = e–m(1–r)t for t ? ? The probability that the waiting time in the queue exceeds t is P(Wq ; t) = re–m(1–r)t for t ? 0 Slide 16 Problem: ? Consider the situation where the mean arrival rate is one customer every 4 minutes and the mean service time is 2. 5 minutes. Calculate the following †¢Average no. of customer in the system †¢Average queue length †¢Average time a customer spends in the system †¢Average time a customer waits before being served. Slide 17 Problem: ? ? ? Arrivals at a telephone booth are considered to be Poisson, with an average time of 10 minutes between one arrival an d the next. The length of a phone call is ssumed to be exponentially distributed with mean 3 minutes. What is the probability that a person arriving at the booth will have to wait? The telephone department will install a second booth when convinced that an arrival would expect to have to wait at least three minutes for the phone. By how much must the flow of arrivals be increased in order to justify a second booth? Slide 18 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? M/M/1 Queuing System Joe Ferris is a stock trader on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for the firm of Smith, Jones, Johnson, and Thomas, Inc. Stock transactions arrive at a mean rate of 20 per hour.Each order received by Joe requires an average of two minutes to process. Orders arrive at a mean rate of 20 per hour or one order every 3 minutes. Therefore, in a 15 minute interval the average number of orders arriving will be ? = 15/3 = 5. Slide 19 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Arrival Rate Distribution Question What is the probability that no orders are received within a 15-minute period? Answer P (x = 0) = (50e -5)/0! = e -5 = .0067 Slide 20 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Arrival Rate Distribution Question What is the probability that exactly 3 orders are received within a 15-minute period? Answer P (x = 3) = (53e -5)/3! 125(. 0067)/6 = . 1396 Slide 21 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Arrival Rate Distribution Question What is the probability that more than 6 orders arrive within a 15-minute period? Answer P (x ; 6) = 1 – P (x = 0) – P (x = 1) – P (x = 2) – P (x = 3) – P (x = 4) – P (x = 5) – P (x = 6) = 1 – . 762 = . 238 Slide 22 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Service Rate Distribution Question What is the mean service rate per hour? Answer Since Joe Ferris can process an order in an average time of 2 minutes (= 2/60 hr. ), then the mean service rate,  µ, is  µ = 1/(mean service time), or 60/2. m = 30/hr. Slide 23 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ?Service Time Distribution Ques tion What percentage of the orders will take less than one minute to process? Answer Since the units are expressed in hours, P (T ; 1 minute) = P (T ; 1/60 hour). Using the exponential distribution, P (T ; t ) = 1 – e- µt. Hence, P (T ; 1/60) = 1 – e-30(1/60) = 1 – . 6065 = . 3935 = 39. 35% Slide 24 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Service Time Distribution Question What percentage of the orders will be processed in exactly 3 minutes? Answer Since the exponential distribution is a continuous distribution, the probability a service time exactly equals any specific value is 0 . Slide 25Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Service Time Distribution Question What percentage of the orders will require more than 3 minutes to process? Answer The percentage of orders requiring more than 3 minutes to process is: P (T ; 3/60) = e-30(3/60) = e -1. 5 = . 2231 = 22. 31% Slide 26 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Average Time in the System Question What is the average time an order must wait from th e time Joe receives the order until it is finished being processed (i. e. its turnaround time)? Answer This is an M/M/1 queue with ? = 20 per hour and m = 30 per hour. The average time an order waits in the system is: W = 1/( µ – ? ) 1/(30 – 20) = 1/10 hour or 6 minutes Slide 27 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Average Length of Queue Question What is the average number of orders Joe has waiting to be processed? Answer Average number of orders waiting in the queue is: Lq = ? 2/[ µ( µ – ? )] = (20)2/[(30)(30-20)] = 400/300 = 4/3 Slide 28 Example: SJJT, Inc. (A) ? Utilization Factor Question What percentage of the time is Joe processing orders? Answer The percentage of time Joe is processing orders is equivalent to the utilization factor, ? /m. Thus, the percentage of time he is processing orders is: ?/m = 20/30 = 2/3 or 66. 67% Slide 29 Example: SJJT, Inc. A) Solution ? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F Poisson Arrival Rate Exponential Service Rate Operating Character istics Probability of no orders in system Average number of orders waiting Average number of orders in system Average time an order waits Average time an order is in system Probability an order must wait G ? m H 20 30 Po Lg L Wq W Pw 0. 333 1. 333 2. 000 0. 067 0. 100 0. 667 Slide 30 M/M/k Queuing System ? ? ? ? ? ? Multiple channels (with one central waiting line) Poisson arrival-rate distribution Exponential service-time distribution Unlimited maximum queue length Infinite calling population Examples: Four-teller transaction counter in bank †¢Two-clerk returns counter in retail store Slide 31 1 ? P? n ? m ? P0 , for (n ? k) ? n! ? ? n ? ? m ? P0 , for (n ? k) ? ? ? 1 n k ? 1 1 km ? ? ? ? n! ? m ? ? k! ? m ? km ? ? ? ? ? 1 ? k! k n ? k P? 0 P w ? n ? k ? 1 ? n ? 0 ? n 1 ? ? P(n ? k ) ? ?m? ? k! ? ? k km P0 , km ? ? k ?m ? ? m ? ? ? ? ? ? L? P0 ? 2 m (k ? 1)! (km ? ? ) W? L ? , Lq ? ,r ? km Lq ? 1 ? L? , Wq ? W ? ? m m ? Slide 32 General Operating Characteristics Little' s F low Equations : L (or W ? ) ? Lq (or Wq ? ) ? L ? ?W L q ? ?Wq W ? Wq ? 1 m Slide 33 Problem: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?A Tax consulting firm has four service stations (counters) in its office to receive people who have problems and complaints about their income, wealth and sales taxes. Arrivals average 80 persons in an 8 hour service day. Each tax advisor spends irregular amount of time servicing the arrivals which have been found to have an exponential distribution. The average service time is 20 minutes. Calculate the average no. of customers in the system, average no. of customers waiting to be serviced, average time a customer spend in the system, average waiting time for a customer in queue. Calculate how many hours each week does a tax advisor spend erforming his job? What is the probability that a customer has to wait before he gets service? What is the expected no. of idle tax advisors at any specified time? Slide 34 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? M/M/2 Queuing System Smith, Jones, Joh nson, and Thomas, Inc. has begun a major advertising campaign which it believes will increase its business 50%. To handle the increased volume, the company has hired an additional floor trader, Fred Hanson, who works at the same speed as Joe Ferris. Note that the new arrival rate of orders, ? , is 50% higher than that of problem (A). Thus, ? = 1. 5(20) = 30 per hour. Slide 35Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Sufficient Service Rate Question Why will Joe Ferris alone not be able to handle the increase in orders? Answer Since Joe Ferris processes orders at a mean rate of  µ = 30 per hour, then ? =  µ = 30 and the utilization factor is 1. This implies the queue of orders will grow infinitely large. Hence, Joe alone cannot handle this increase in demand. Slide 36 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Probability of n Units in System Question What is the probability that neither Joe nor Fred will be working on an order at any point in time? Slide 37 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Probability of n Units in Sy stem (continued)Answer Given that ? = 30,  µ = 30, k = 2 and (? / µ) = 1, the probability that neither Joe nor Fred will be working is: 1 P0 ? k ? 1 ( ? / m )n (? / m ) k km ? ( ) ? n! k! km ? ? n? 0 = 1/[(1 + (1/1! )(30/30)1] + [(1/2! )(1)2][2(30)/(2(30)-30)] = 1/(1 + 1 + 1) = 1/3 = .333 Slide 38 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Average Time in System Question What is the average turnaround time for an order with both Joe and Fred working? Slide 39 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Average Time in System (continued) Answer The average turnaround time is the average waiting time in the system, W. Lq = ? µ(? / µ)k (k-1)! (k µ – ? )2 P0 = (30)(30)(30/30)2 (1! ((2)(30)-30))2 (1/3) = 1/3 L = Lq + (? / µ) = 1/3 + (30/30) = 4/3 W = L/ (4/3)/30 = 4/90 hr. = 2. 67 min. Slide 40 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Average Length of Queue Question What is the average number of orders waiting to be filled with both Joe and Fred working? Answer The average number of orders waiting to be filled is Lq. This was calculated earlier as 1/3 . Slide 41 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Formula Spreadsheet 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A B C D E F Number of Channels Mean Arrival Rate (Poisson) Mean Service Rate (Exponential ) Operating Characteristics Probability of no orders in system Average number of orders waitingAverage number of orders in system Average time (hrs) an order waits Average time (hrs) an order is in system Probability an order must wait G k ? m H 2 30 30 Po =Po(H1,H2,H3) Lg ## L =H6+H2/H3 Wq =H6/H2 W =H8+1/H3 Pw =H2/H3 Slide 42 Example: SJJT, Inc. (B) ? Spreadsheet Solution 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 A B C D E F Number of Channels Mean Arrival Rate (Poisson) Mean Service Rate (Exponential ) Operating Characteristics Probability of no orders in system Average number of orders waiting Average number of orders in system Average time (hrs) an order waits Average time (hrs) an order is in system Probability an order must waitG k ? m H 2 30 30 Po Lg L Wq W Pw 0. 333 0. 333 1. 333 0. 011 0. 044 1 . 000 Slide 43 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Economic Analysis of Queuing Systems The advertising campaign of Smith, Jones, Johnson and Thomas, Inc. (see problems (A) and (B)) was so successful that business actually doubled. The mean rate of stock orders arriving at the exchange is now 40 per hour and the company must decide how many floor traders to employ. Each floor trader hired can process an order in an average time of 2 minutes. Slide 44 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Economic Analysis of Queuing Systems Based on a number of factors the brokerage firm as determined the average waiting cost per minute for an order to be $. 50. Floor traders hired will earn $20 per hour in wages and benefits. Using this information compare the total hourly cost of hiring 2 traders with that of hiring 3 traders. Slide 45 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Economic Analysis of Waiting Lines Total Hourly Cost = (Total salary cost per hour) + (Total hourly cost for orders in the system) = ($20 per trader per hour) x (Number of traders) + ($30 waiting cost per hour) x (Average number of orders in the system) = 20k + 30L. Thus, L must be determined for k = 2 traders and for k = 3 traders with ? = 40/hr. nd m = 30/hr. (since the average service time is 2 minutes (1/30 hr. ). Slide 46 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Cost of Two Servers P0 ? 1 k ? 1 (? ? n? 0 / m )n ( ? / m ) k km ? ( ) n! k! km ? ? P0 = 1 / [1+(1/1! )(40/30)]+[(1/2! )(40/30)2(60/(60-40))] = 1 / [1 + (4/3) + (8/3)] = 1/5 Slide 47 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Cost of Two Servers (continued) Thus, Lq = ? µ(? / µ)k (k-1)! (k µ -? )2 P0 = (40)(30)(40/30)2 1! (60-40)2 (1/5) = 16/15 L = Lq + (? / µ) = 16/15 + 4/3 = 12/5 Total Cost = (20)(2) + 30(12/5) = $112. 00 per hour Slide 48 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Cost of Three Servers P0 ? 1 k ? 1 (? ? n? 0 / m )n ( ? / m ) k km ( ) n! k! km ? ? P0 = 1/[[1+(1/1! )(40/30)+(1/2! )(40/30)2]+ [(1/3! )(40/30)3(90/(90-40))] ] = 1 / [1 + 4/3 + 8/9 + 32/45] = 15/59 Slide 49 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? Cost of Three Servers (continued) (30)(40)(40/30)3 Hence, Lq = (15/59) = 128/885 = . 1446 (2! )(3(30)-40)2 Thus, L = 128/885 + 40/30 = 1308/885 (= 1. 4780) Total Cost = (20)(3) + 30(1308/885) = $104. 35 per hour Slide 50 Example: SJJT, Inc. (C) ? System Cost Comparison 2 Traders 3 Traders Wage Cost/Hr $40. 00 60. 00 Waiting Cost/Hr $82. 00 44. 35 Total Cost/Hr $112. 00 104. 35 Thus, the cost of having 3 traders is less than that of 2 traders. Slide 51

Miranda Lambert Essay

Although most will probably say someone close to them is inspiring, like their mother, grandmother, sister. In my opinion, they are your family, and you will always love and be inspired by them. Therefore I decided to write this on how a singer is inspiring to me. Her name is Miranda Lambert. Almost none of my friends have even heard of her. I guess because maybe she’s a country singer and they don’t really like country music? Who knows, but she is quite an amazing person. She grew up in a small town in Texas. â€Å"Not having money toughened me up a bit, but I’ll always be grateful. Texas people are really strong in their roots. I started writing and playing guitar at 17. I’ve always loved music, and my dad is a singer-songwriter. † Miranda once said. She was influenced personally by her father to take an interest in music. Her music is wonderful, and she has a beautiful voice. She writes almost all of her own songs, and they are full of meaning. For example a hit song of hers, ‘Gunpowder and Lead’, is about women and how they should not take any shit from any one, let alone a man who hits them. I’m even sitting here writing this, listening to her music. I mean not all of her songs have such a deep meaning, but they all are certainly songs you can just sit back, and rock out too. I’m in love with it, and such a huge fan. In my eyes, Miranda is unlike any star. She isn’t a skinny, overrated, prissy little bitch who is only popular for one song, or how pretty they are. Miranda isn’t even that main-stream, but still does what she loves. When she was a teen, she was on a show kind of like American Idol that got her career started. She went to Nashville, and came back to Texas almost immediately because she hated the â€Å"pop† sound of music, and wanted to stay original, and straight up country. She’s a country-rock girl, with meat on her bones, a strong head on her shoulders, and doesn’t take shit from anyone, and will speak up if she has too. I mean, I don’t know the woman personally, but she sure comes off as this way, and it rocks! Oh and who wouldn’t be inspired by her! She is only engaged in my opinon, to the best man in country music, Blake Shelton! Ha Ha. Well, anyways, I saw her in concert a few months ago, and it was outstanding. I was so close, and as crazy as it seems, I think she made eye contact with me at one point! I sound so cheesy, but she is a real role model for me. She is so successful in life, and just acts herself at all times. â€Å"There are a million blonde chicks who can sing. I’ve always wanted to be different. This quote, straight from Miranda’s mouth, has inspired me a lot. I know I cannot sing what so ever, and I’m not blonde, but I want to be different, and for the most part I am. I am my own person, and I hope I can continue to be true to myself, and not let anyone tell me otherwise. I’m not here to please anyone, or do what they want, I’m here to please myself, and do what I like, and what makes me happy. And Miranda is a great example of this. This is why Country Singer, Miranda Lambert inspires me.

The Apprenticeship System – Summary

THE APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM Aims of apprenticeship * To provide a peaceful transition from slavery to freedom * To guarantee planters an adequate supply of labour during the period and prepare for full freedom * To train apprentices for freedom especially working for wages * To enable the colonial governments to revise the system of justice and establish institutions suitable for a free society. The SMs were retired naval and army officers on half pay, appointed from Britain who were accustomed to rough conditions and enforcing discipline.They were chosen because they were not connected to the planter class and it was felt that they would not be biased. Duties of stipendiary magistrates * To supervise the apprenticeship system * To settle disputes between masters and apprentices * To visit estates at regular intervals and hold court * To inspect jailhouses and workhouses * To assist in fixing the value of negroes who wanted to buy their freedom These duties were strenuous and led to th e death of many SMs who were not accustomed to tropical conditions and could not afford the high cost of medical treatment.Conditions of employment Salary – ? 300 for the first year then increased to ? 450 for travel expenses and housing. There was no pension for dependents if the SM died in service. There was no sick leave and he had to pay his own fare back home if he was dismissed or out of service. These bad working conditions prevented SMs from performing their duties satisfactorily and many were easily bribed by planters. They were also overburdened by work because they were so few in numbers. Those who tried to do their duties were sometimes persecuted.They were abused physically, verbally and via the press. They were all obstructed in the performance of their duties as planters sometimes refused to allow them on the estates. Success of stipendiary magistrates * They listened to complaints from both sides and acted as a buffer between masters and apprentices. * They in formed apprentices of their rights, they did not have to listen to gossip or obtain information from newspapers. * They helped apprentices to organise their lives better by giving advice.However, they had very little to formulate schemes to improve the social conditions of the apprentices. They were unable to prevent apprentices from being punished harshly. Punishments Apprentices were usually sent to the workhouse, however SMs had no control over what happened there. The most common form of punishment in the workhouse was the treadmill. There was also the whipping post and apprentices could be put in penal gangs. Females often had their heads shaved. Time lost in the workhouse had to be repaid by the apprentice by working for his master during his free time.Controlling apprentices on the estates * It was illegal for apprentices to leave the estate without written permission. * Valuations on able-bodied slaves were often inflated. * High fees were charged for the use of the markets and for licences to work off the estates as carpenters, blacksmiths and so on. These licences and tickets to sell in the markets could be withdrawn. * Planters refused to give customary allowances. * Planters found faults with apprentices' work, which had to be done over in the apprentices' free time. Apprentices were locked up on false charges which would often be dropped before the arrival of the SM. * Apprentices' fruit trees would be cut down and they were forbidden to own livestock. * The 401/2 hours per week were spread over five days instead of four. *Low wages would be paid; unfair deductions from wages would be made; and the wages were generally paid late. The End of Apprenticeship Apprenticeship ended for ALL apprentices in 1838 because: * The system was not achieving its aims. * The antislavery society exposed the abuses in the system and began to campaign for full freedom. The planters feared violence if domestic apprentices were freed before field apprentices. * Some pl anters felt that it was cheaper not to have to provide for apprentices and only to employ the number of labourers they needed. Note: Antigua granted full freedom to its slaves. The planters decided against apprenticeship. The apprenticeship system came to an end in 1838 when the colonial governments in each colony voted against its continuation. http://www. youthlinkjamaica. com/cxc/history20100302. htm

Symbolic And

Their efforts seem to have paid off, as evidenced by the enduring well-defined, and strong images of some of the world's popular brands (e. G. Marlboro, Ivory, Pepsi). In line with this evidence, theorists and practitioners (CB. Gardner and Levy, 1955; Park et al. , 1986; Rise and Trout, 1 986) have recommended that developing, communicating, and maintaining a brand's image is crucial to its long-term success. 32 Brand image important The importance of a brand's image in its long-term success necessitates having a framework for strategically managing the image over the long term Park et al. , 1986).Brand managers have had very little direction for setting up such a conceptual framework. One notable exception is brand concept management (BCC) proposed by Park et al. (1986). BCC proposes that every brand image should be based on a brand concept or a brand-specific abstract meaning. In its general form, a brand concept can be either symbolic or functional, and thus comprises one aspect of a brand's image. Functional brands satisfy immediate and practical needs. Symbolic brands satisfy symbolic needs such as those for self-expression and prestige, and their racial usage is only incidental.For example, in the category Of wrist watches, the brand Cassia would be considered a functional brand since its usefulness lies primarily in its ability to tell the time correctly. The brand Moved, on the other hand, would be considered a symbolic brand since it is used primarily for its status appeal, and its ability to tell the time is only an incidental reason for its usage. Once a concept is selected for a brand, park et al. (1986) advise that it should be maintained over the brand's life for sake of consistency. Symbolic or functionalWhile the notion of brand concept management is intuitively appealing, the proposition that brands can be either symbolic or functional in their appeal to consumers raises a number of interesting issues. The first issue is whether symbolism and functionality are two distinct concepts or are two ends of one brand concept continuum. In addition to the uniqueness of these two concepts, park et al. (1986) assume that each of these concepts is unidirectional. Whether that is really so has not been examined in empirical research to date.Also, to our knowledge, no measures or scales have been plopped that would assess whether a particular brand is symbolic or functional. Thus, empirical research has not directly examined these related issues. An understanding of such issues would also be very useful to marketing managers in planning positioning strategies for their brands. In this exploratory study, a set of scales are developed to assess a brand's symbolic and/or functional value to consumers. In the process, we JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 up. 2-43 @ MAC UNIVERSITY PRESS, 0736-3761 examine the issue of distinctiveness and dimensionality of the two brand incepts. Two schools of thought Brand concept Backgro und There is a long tradition of research into human needs and motivations. While there are a large number of theories and models that explain the nature of human motivation for consumption behavior, a simple typology would suggest two distinct schools of thought. The rational school or the â€Å"economic man† model suggests that consumers are rational and try to maximize total utility.They do so by buying products based on objective criteria like price per ounce or gallons per mile (Coffman and Kane, 1994). In arriving at this excision, consumers generally go through a variety of cognitive operations that include deciding the importance of each attribute in a product category, gathering information about competing brands' attributes, judging the levels of each attribute in competing brands, and finally using a judgment rule to decide on the optimal brand (for an exhaustive review of the information processing literature, please see Bateman, 1979).A number of researchers, how ever, contend that the rational model is appropriate only for goods which consumers value for their tangible and utilitarian benefits, and does not adequately capture their motivation for consuming products that satisfy their emotional wants (CB. Levy, 1959; Ditcher, 1960; Holbrook, 1980). For example, Hiroshima and Holbrook (1982) note that the rational model does not capture the multistory imagery, fantasy, fun, and emotions associated with the consumption of some products.They refer to this type of consumption, based on individual tastes and intangible product benefits, as hedonistic consumption. Thus, in contrast to the rational or information processing approach, the emotional or hedonistic school holds that consumers' motives are motional in nature. In this perspective, individuals use personal or subjective criteria such as taste, pride, desire for adventure, and desire for expressing themselves, in their consumption decisions (Coffman and Kane, 1994). Consumer behaviorist's have long recognized the importance of both types of motivations (CB.Katz, 1960; Metal, 1983). Empirically, several researchers have noted the existence of these two different types of motivations and the different product attribute categories that tap into these motivations (CB. Metal, 1988; Metal et al. , 1990; Sahara and Siring, 1991). Thus, both theory and research support the idea that consumers' needs are driven by functional/ utilitarian as well as by symbolic/expressive motivations. In keeping with this tradition, park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) noted that consumers' needs could be classified as being either functional or symbolic.They assert that functional needs are related to specific and practical consumption problems whereas symbolic needs are related to Selfridges and social identification. To tap into these two different types of needs, Park, Gasworks, and Manacling (1986) proposed that all brands should have a â€Å"brand incept†, which is an overall abst ract meaning that identifies a brand. They suggested that a brand concept be either symbolic or functional, thus tapping into consumers' symbolic and functional needs respectively. Park et al. S (1986) brand concept management framework advises managers to select a specific concept for a brand at the time of its introduction and then use the marketing mix to support and reinforce it over the brand's life. This helps consumers understand with clarity what a brand can do for them. JOURNAL OF CONSUMER MARKETING, VOLT. 15 NO. 1 1998 33 Functional or utilitarian deeds The existence of different types of motivations among individuals suggests that within most product categories, consumers' needs could be either functional or symbolic in nature, and brands could be positioned to satisfy either of these two types of needs.Thus, functional or utilitarian needs of consumers could be exploited with a â€Å"functional† brand, I. E. One positioned with a functional brand concept or meanin g. Similarly, a brand could be positioned as a â€Å"symbolic† brand to tap the needs of those who wish to enhance their self-image or their social image. Park et al. Rather argued that brands should be positioned to appeal to either one of these types of needs, but not both, for a number of reasons. A brand concept that is both functional and symbolic poses problems for consumers because they cannot clearly relate the brand to either their functional or their symbolic needs.In addition, it increases the number of competing brands and makes brand image management difficult. This argument, however theoretically compelling, has not been tested in empirical research. In one related research, park et al. (1991 ) Were able to show that nonusers' reaction to functional extensions of functional brands was more favorable than their reaction to prestige extensions of functional brands. In the same study, consumers also displayed a more positive reaction to prestige extensions of prest ige brands than to functional extensions of prestige brands.Please note that, in this study, the authors assumed that brand concepts could be either functional or prestigious (not symbolic). Unanswered questions Several questions, though, remain unanswered. Are functional and symbolic brand concepts adequately distinguished in consumers' minds? If so, what are mom characteristics that help in distinguishing these brand concepts? Is the prestige of a brand an adequate representation of a brand's symbolism to its customers? Are functionality and symbolism merely the two ends of a continuum?In any event, is there a mechanism to assess the functionality or symbolism of brands? The paucity of research to illuminate these issues resulted in this study. This study was set up to answer the preceding questions: to investigate the phenomenon of the functionality or the symbolism of brand image and to develop scales that would help classify a brand as functional or symbolic. Apart from the the oretical contributions, the issues raised in this study have a number of managerial implications for brand positioning.Method In line with this study main objective of exploring the issue of brand mage functionality or symbolism, scales containing items thought to measure a brand's functional or symbolic value to consumers was developed. The scale was validated by testing the scale's ability to discriminate between brands a priori identified as functional or symbolic. Correlations among the items in the scale and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the data were seed to investigate the dimensionality of brand functionality and symbolism.Stimuli lie Pairs of brands were identified in a few commonly used product categories, such that one brand in each pair was, a priori, thought to be functional and the other symbolic. In other words, the first brand was thought to primarily satisfy functional needs whereas the second brand was thought to mainly satisfy the symbolic needs of consumers of the product category. The pairs of brands which were selected are shown in Table l. 34 Product category Symbolic brand Functional brand Watches Role Timex 2 Sports shoes Nikkei Converse 3 Cosmetics Lana ¶me Amiability 4 Hair cream Paul Mitchell Suave 5 Ice cream Hagen Dads Scaliest Table l.Item generation Adjectives or phrases thought to indicate a brand's symbolism or functionality were first generated by the authors and a focus group of graduate students at a university. The focus group noted the difficulty of coming up with adjectives describing functional or utilitarian appeal. Based on these processes, three adjectives and phrases were identified as relating to functionality and 17 as relating to symbolism. Three sets of questionnaire items Three sets of questionnaire items were developed for the 20 adjectives and phrases.The first set of questions sought respondents' agreement with various statements about individuals' use of a brand to express themselves. Th e second set of items sought respondentBrand symbolism The 17 adjectives and phrases representing brand symbolism were assessed with three sets of items. In the first set of items, respondents were to agree with these statements: (1) â€Å"people use (brand) as a way of expressing their personality'; (2) † (brand) is for people who want the best things in life†; (3) â€Å"a (brand) user stands out in a crowd†; and (4) â€Å"using (brand) says something about the kind of person you are†. The second set of items sought to evaluate these brand characteristics: (1) hemolytic; (2) prestigious; (3) exciting; (4) status symbol; and (5) distinctive v. Invitational. The third set Of items evaluated these characteristics Of the brand's user: (1) sophisticated v. Simple; (2) not at all v. Very romantic; (3) not at all v. Very successful; 35 (4) unique v. Ordinary; (5) stylish v. Plain; (6) expressive v. Subdued; (7) glamorous v. Sedate; and (8) not at all v. Very ele gant. Survey design and administration Two separate questionnaires were prepared with questions on five of the ten stimulus brands such that each questionnaire contained questions about one f the brands within a product category.Thus, a subject would answer the above questions with respect to either a symbolic brand or a functional brand within a product category but not both. This procedure was used to eliminate any comparative biases in responses. The survey was administered to 62 graduate students at a major south-eastern university. Rest Its Analysis of correlations TO obtain a preliminary idea of the pattern Of relationships among these items, the correlations among the items were first examined.