Envirofit Company Essay

1. It is appropriate to consider Envirofit to be a social enterprise because their main focus is innovation, risk taking, and large-scale transformation to solve social problems. Envirofit is doing so by bringing sustainable clean energy solution to solve health and energy challenges on a global level at the lowest possible cost. They are combining resources while exploring and exploiting opportunities to create social value by stimulating social change or meeting social needs. They are meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet that need. In this case the need is clean air. Envirofit’s approach to shared value is to make a difference by focusing on energy and pollution reduction, and health and economic improvement. They wanted to create and economical value and also create value for society by addressing its needs and challenges. Envirofit hoped to reduce pollution by developing commercializing a retrofit kit that dramatic ally reduced emissions in dirty two-stroke carbureted motorcycle engines. Their approach was to transform their business thinking, recognizing societal weaknesses and create a way of solving both. The social problem Envirofit is attempting to solve is air pollution while increasing the income of the drivers through increased fuel mileage. Envirofit offer it’s investors a good reputation and a triple bottom line by giving them the chance to go beyond the traditional measures of profit but also include environmental and social dimensions. They would be more focused on profits, people, and the planet instead of just profits. 2. The Envirofit’s two stroke motorcycle engine conversion kit described as being targeted at the â€Å"base of the pyramid† because the taxi drivers are considered micro-entrepreneurs; using the small amount of money they earn to support their families. They typically earn $3-$5 per day after all their expenses. These drivers are in the largest and poorest socioeconomic group. The impact this has on Envirofit’s business model is that it would be challenging to find ways so that the drivers can purchase the kit at a reasonable price. It would be challenging to come up with a business model that would meet their triple bottom line objectives, allow for scalability, and provide the ability to raise start-up capital. The factors that they need to take into consideration include: the market, the customer, and the competition. 3. One of the biggest obstacles to be overcome would be  developing a business model that would enable them to sell to customers in base of the pyramid markets and meet their triple bottom line objectives. Finding a way that motorcycle drivers could afford the projected price of the kit ($220), which is a significant money to the drivers because they make less than five dollars a day, little money saved, and little access to commercial credit. They would also need to learn the market, manufacturing, finance, regulatory, and cultural issues that the venture would face. Another obstacle is to provide a kit that would be commercially available, durable, and reliable. It also needs to have less power draw on the motorcycle and easy and inexpensive to install. 4. If I was offered the opportunity to join the venture as one of its key members, I would evaluate the long term impact of the venture. If it’s something that has the potential to make significant changes in the environment especially in third-world countries, I would definitely accept the offer. From what I read, it all sounds like a great plan but it needs lots of work and effort and I would definitely make the sacrifice because I think it would pay off in the long run. 5. I would look for start-up capital among the members of the ventures before looking anywhere else. It is very important for the members to invest first that way they can show potential investors that they are serious about their venture. I would also turn to nonprofit organizations and large corporations that are interested in making profits as well as helping the environment.

The meal experience Essay

Introduction The assignment I will be doing will be about a recent meal experience I had in an establishment. I recently went for a meal in a local brasserie situated in my town I will be discussing the intangible and tangible factors that influenced my meal experience. Reason for choice The reason I chose to carry out my assignment on this particular meal experience is because it is the most recent meal I have been out for in a long time and I heard from a number of sources that the restaurant was a great place to eat and it had got great reviews on trip advisor so I decided to give it a try. Also it is the only restaurant I have actually been out for a meal in during the last two years. Booking I planned to go for meal one Tuesday night with my other half, so I rang the restaurant to book a table for two. A young woman answered the phone pleasantly and asked if she could help me. I then asked her if I could book a table for two at 7:30pm. She then responded politely saying â€Å"you can of course. The table will be ready for you at 7:30, is there anything else I can help you with?† I responded to her question saying â€Å"no that is perfect thank you very much.† I found the woman on the phone very polite and she made me feel very relaxed and comfortable on the phone. So I can say the booking was a success The restaurant is a casual dining restaurant so we didn’t have to wear anything specific or even book a table but I did anyway just to be safe. Arrival The restaurant is situated on Portlaoise Main Street, at the top of an off licence. A negative to the arrival is that there is no parking at the restaurant. We had to park the car at a completely different place to where the restaurant is. My other half was wearing heels and we had to walk a good half a mile from the car park. However, we didn’t mind the walk too much but it is a bit much to have to walk that distance. When we reached the restaurant we had to climb a lot of stairs on the way up to the restaurant which is the only way up. The establishment is not suitable for disabled  people in terms of entering and exiting. We reached the reception finally. It was there we had our first look at the place. My first impression that it was small but had a good feng shui. The restaurant wasn’t full but there were a few people there just the way I like it. The girl greeted us and welcomed us. We thanked her and told her we had a reservation for 7:30 and we gave her our names. She then showed us to our table. I sat down and tested the table and chairs to see if it was wobbly but it wasn’t which was great because I cannot stand for a wobbly table when having a meal. The woman who was a waitress as well asked us if we wanted anything to drink. I asked for water, which was brought to me quite fast which I was satisfied with. The Menus were already on the table because it is a casual dining restaurant. The waitress after bringing the water left us for a few minutes while we decided what to eat. First Course My partner and I looked through the menu which was quite concise and had a good variety as it ranged from comfort food like burgers, steaks and chips to classic Italian dishes like pasta caribonara and lasagne and even Asian dishes like stir-fry and spring rolls. We were quite pleased with the selection and type of food that was available which left us spoiled for choice. The menu was A la carte so we could order as we went. Eventually my partner and I decided on our dishes. She got the filo prawns and I got the mixed salad. The waitress came back and we gave her the order. 5 minutes later she came out with both dishes. The speed of the service was great because I was quite hungry. Once the dishes arrived presented accordingly, nothing special, on their plates I tasted my salad and found no faults with it. they served it with their house dressing which I enjoyed. My other half enjoyed her prawns. I tasted one and after tasting it I could tell that it was something out of a box that was frozen so I didn’t enjoy the filo prawn so I left half of it. During the first course the waitress came to ensure that everything was ok and asked if we wanted anything else, so the service was good. The Main Meal. We finished our first course which was a success. So we moved on to our main course of the evening. After the waitress cleared our plates she gave us roughly 5 minutes between the meals before she brought out the main course.  I found that amount of time to be too little because my salad hadn’t yet gone down. My partner only had two prawns so she was quite happy with the time taken. We had ordered the â€Å"ultimate relish burger,† which was an enormous burger made of two 8oz patties, an onion ring on each patty, bacon and melted cheese and then stacked on top of each other and presented on a black slate. Presentation was great. I thought that it would be a big burger so my partner and I decided to share. When the burger came out it was way bigger than my expectations. in the end two of us couldn’t even finished it The burger however tasted great and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Sweet We were so stuffed from the first two meals that we called it a night and asked for the bill. We could not stomach anymore food. Close of meal. We come at last to the end of our â€Å"experience†, and what an experience it has been. Everything so far has exceeded what I was expecting- the room, the staff, the food, we enjoyed it very much. From the tangible elements like Food and drink, Variety of menu available, Level of service, Value for money, Interior design, Atmosphere and mood, Expectation and identification and the staff. The waitress came to clear our plates and we asked for the bill. We paid it, thanked the staff and went on our way. The only faults I can identify with the night was the speed at which the food came out. It was a bit too fast Also the walk from the car was a bit far so that is a negative and can be a big problem in the future. Reflection in memory A meal, like a good story, should have a good beginning, a middle and end, and it did for me and my partner. We enjoyed the experience. Just being able to even talk as loud as we want, wear anything at all and the atmosphere that everyone eating and working there created was great. It was my first time in a brasserie and it won’t be my last

Morality in Politics Essay

Civic virtue is the formation of habits of personal living that are claimed to be important for the success of the community. This term was important to Aristotle’s theories on politics. He felt that all humans should take pleasure in civic virtue and that it was essential for living â€Å"the good life†. Today, our democratic government is well-suited to promote civic virtue and participation of all people in the country. Although times have changed since Aristotle’s days, this ideology can be seen actively in our society. One of the main ideas in Aristotle’s philosophy was teleos, or the purpose or goal of something. To fully understand something, we must also understand its teleos. For example, I have an apple. I know that it is red, kind of round, and grows on a tree, but the real purpose or teleos of that apple to me is food. As far as humans go, Aristotle says that humans are meant to be happy. To be happy, humans must live a life of virtue, which means they always choose what is morally good. Humans have the abilities to think and speak, and therefore decide what is good and bad, right and wrong, etc. People that may think they are living a good life but are not making moral decisions are not truly happy in Aristotle’s eyes. Politics provides a place for people to interact with each other, talk about what is right and wrong, just or unjust, and to make laws reflecting these things. It allows people to participate in their lives, make ethical decisions, and fulfill their happiness potential. Politics is dynamic, unlike math or science that are concrete and unchanging. People can work with each other in politics and work for the greater good. The development of civic virtue allows for a person to relate to their community. It helps them understand their ties to the community and responsibility within it. It helps them see beyond their own personal interests. Some examples of civic virtue would be voting, volunteering, or going to a town meeting. Today, anyone can participate in these things, but Aristotle believed differently. He held that women and slaves were not eligible to participate in politics, and very young men were not ready to participate because they did not understand how the society worked yet. Because of this, a small number of people in his time actually participated in politics compared to today. The American democratic government is well suited for civic virtue. The first reason is that everyone can participate, which means that everyone has the opportunity to become happy people living their life to the fullest. Anyone, provided they are 18 and a citizen, can vote. They can vote for the candidate they feel will represent their moral views and put them into action. People can run for office and put their views to work. Another reason is freedom of speech. Americans have the opportunity to speak freely about issues and share their opinions with others. This helps them create those habits of morality that become a part of their civic virtue. A third reason is the freedom to assemble. Any person can start a club or a group to meet with others. Active participation in public life is essential to civic virtue. A group may be a philanthropy group aimed at helping others. Reciprocity or giving back to the community is another key element of civic virtue. Virtue is closely related to free will. Through active participation, people develop their moral compass and they develop their ideas of what is right and wrong, and their habits of how to react in situations accordingly. People develop their own morality. How can one legislate free will? You cannot. But the legal system can shape morality. By setting laws in certain ways, people will develop their moral views around them. Laws can shape habits by reducing the frequency of certain acts. Giving prison time, fines, probation, and so on can help people learn that they do not want to do the things that caused those punishments. Laws can shape morality as well because people naturally draw influence from other sources. Some may create their moral background on the basis of religion or their family, but the law can be one of those influences as well. The legal system is important for developing morality in society and promoting civic virtue. Civic virtue is important in society. By actively participating in the community, Aristotle believes that people will be ultimately happy. The true purpose of humans is to be happy, and civic virtue is the pathway to this happiness. The American government gives many opportunities for people to participate in both politics and the community, which promotes civic virtue.

A letter to a young artist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

A letter to a young artist - Essay Example you have all these skills within you, then you are in a perfect position to start writing and you will seek piece of advice from none and actually no one else can help you write better. A good artist must be confident of what he speaks about; it defines any successful creative writer who is self-motivated to express his feelings without fear. It is advisable to take charge of what you are talking about as if no one else has the background information except you. Pretend that you are the first one to have knowledge of that topic you are talking about as that would give you more confidence and boost your self-esteem to be able to explore more. It is self-esteem that will provide you with a feeling that everything you are doing will eventually succeed and that you will reach your audience and catch their attention. Just like I mentioned earlier, no one can help you be the best writer, even building self-esteem is something that cannot be built from external forces. It has to be yourself and your own self that shape you as a writer. A good piece of art is born within and not made; it is from the heart and can never be faked. It comes within, and after you have realized that you can actually affect the things that surround you. Feelings are always different from one person to another. They should never be compared, and that is why originality is paramount to anyone writing any piece of art. Originality comes from one’s unique experiences and expressions. These experiences ultimately integrate themselves within you; remember that your self-esteem also stems from within. Self-esteem does not come from reading voluminous books that were written by great authors, or surrounding yourself with things and people that seem to increase your value. It comes from your realization of the value of you r originality and innate skills. The success of a poet also rests with on whwhat you write about and how you write. But, there are no material resources to guide you on these

Presentation paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Presentation paper - Essay Example The company’s initial base of operations comprised of a basement of a Cadillac dealership. It needs to be mentioned that over the course of time, the company focused on the process of expanding its business operations. It can be said that the focus is largely on the lines of opening offices in various downtown locations. It needs to be mentioned that in order to keep the business model simple in the initial years, the company largely focused on the process of operating on the lines of the off airport locations. It can be said that in the year 1962, the company entered the daily market for rentals for the purpose of responding to the growing consumer demand. It needs to be mentioned that from the very early days, the company expanded its business operations by the process of opening offices in various neighbourhood locations. It can be said that the offices of the company in the multiple neighbourhood locations were operated through the process of providing high level of autono my to the highly entrepreneurial teams that are managing the respective locations. Strategy It needs to be mentioned that the company Enterprise Rent A Car is in the business of providing automobile services to the clients and customers. The company is a part of the US Automobile Rental industry and it is highly important to mention that there are multiple competitors of varying dimensions and strengths that exist in the particular sector. This automatically makes the auto rental sector largely competitive in nature. It needs to be mentioned that the company has adopted a string of strategies to attain growth in this particular sector. Firstly it needs to be mentioned that the company has focused on the process of targeting various market segments. As per the information provided in the passage, the company’s prime focus was originally the off airport and down town locations, where the needs of the masses was mainly to avail alternate and replacement vehicles in the case and event of unavailability of their own vehicles. Later, it can be said that the company focused on diversifying its operations in to airport locations. Also, as a part of the competitive growth strategy, the company focused on the process of entering different segments of the market by providing services related to carpooling, sales of high quality used automobiles, renting of trucks as well as operating on international locations. It also needs to be mentioned that in order to provide support to the customers, which was one of the key operational motto of the company, the company also used the strategy to operate and generate growth from the company’s locations related to selling of used cars and vehicles by tying up with various financial institutions. Score Card Talking on the issues of the factor of score card, it can be said that the focus is largely on the lines of providing auto rental services while providing high level of customer satisfaction to the users. It needs to be mentioned that one of the prime focus of the company’s values is to guarantee high level of customer satisfaction. It needs to be mentioned that the company attempted to measure the effectiveness of a recent delivered ad campaign. It is interesting to measure that while trying to gauge the effectiveness of the ad campaign, the focus is largely on the lines of assessing the satisfaction level provided by the customer service of the company. It was found that the experience of the customer serv

Conseptual analysis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Conseptual analysis - Article Example Flow charts carry a similar function like other types of diagrams. They help in visualization of a process hence helping the user to understand deeper the meaning or flow of that process (John, 1984). There are different types of flow charts and each has its own design and national conventions. There are two common types of boxes in a flowchart. The first type is a processing step identified as an activity. Its denotations are rectangular in shape. The second type is a decision that is denoted as a diamond. Flowcharts are described as cross-functional where the pages in use are divided into different swim lanes (John, 1984). The lanes must be describing the control of different organizational units. For example, a symbol appearing in a particular lane is identified to be within the control of that organizational unit. Flowcharts depict certain aspects of processes (John, 1984). They are completed by drawing diagrams. Flow charts can be document flowcharts, data flowcharts, system flowcharts, or program flowcharts. They help best explain how a given system works by the use of a visual diagram. They are also helpful in brainstorming of ideas and plans. They demonstrate a high level of strategy application (John, 1984). They are graphic representations of flow of data through an information system. They help in creation of an overview of the system to be later elaborated. They show what information to input and output from a give system. They also show how the data will be either inputted or outputted and where the data will go or get stored. They are used in analysis and design phases of information processes (John, 1984). A visual image or document uses image as it primary means of communication. In other instances, visual images use the interaction of texts and images for communication. The goals of any visual analysis are to demonstrate an understanding of how the art communicates its message and meaning. This is done by breaking the

Salem Witch Trials Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Salem Witch Trials - Research Paper Example The causes of Salem Witch Trials resides in why were the girls strangely behaving. According to the theory of Mary Beth Norton, the girls made the acquisitions and were behaving strangely because they were suffering from PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and this was because of wars that occurred between the Puritans and American Indians (Goss 2008, p.63). The first individual, Tituba who was accused of witchcraft was a American Indian and due to a grudge held by the puritans against the American Indians, she was accused as a practitioner of witchcraft. Another explanation of the strange behaviors of the girls was provided by Linnda R. Caporael, she asserts that those who were believed to experience strange behavior were experiencing ergotism, which is a disease due to eating of bread that has been contaminated with ergot (Hil 2009, p.257). Individuals suffering from this disease act strangely, for example: they may experience crawling sensation in their skin and even may experie nce headaches. These were the symptoms exhibited by those who were considered to be possessed. Events The issue experienced by Salem took off as two young girls went to a slave Tituba to get their future sweet hearts predicted. To predict the future Tituba used a trick in which a white egg is drowned in a water glass. While the trick was taking place, one of the two young females saw a coffin. After this event, both girls started exhibit strange behaviors such as hiding beneath chairs and using ridiculous words. The happening of these events were then noticed by the Reverend Parris and he asserted that these events were taking place as the girls were possessed by devils. The similar behaviors were exhibited by several young females and due to pressure applied by adults of that area, the girls accused that Tituba and other white women were practicing witchcraft on them. Due to this, the accused were shifted to a jail in region of Boston where Tibuta accepted that she was practicing w itchcraft. During the month of March similar behavior was exhibited by an adult and the number of accusations increased. During the three months of March, April and 50% of May the count of those accused increased and they were all shifted to jails. Later on June 2 special court proceedings took place after which on June 10th, Bridget Bishop was hanged to death and later on July 19th five more accused individuals were hanged and then on September 22nd, eight more of them were hanged (Goss 2008, p.181). Later the trails came to a stop under the order of Governor Phips as his own wife was recognized as a witch. Consequences The main consequences of the special court proceedings that took place as a result of accusations was the hanging and corporal punishment of several individuals who were completely innocent. Individuals who did not practice religion and visited churches were accused for livestock death and ill health that was spreading all over Salem. The second major consequence wa s the imprisonment of over 200 individuals along with those who were hanged to death for being accused of practicing witchcraft. These individuals were simply imprisoned on the basis of evidence that was spectral in nature. Property of these individuals was seized by the town and their families had to

Lippitt's Phases of Change Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Lippitt's Phases of Change Theory - Essay Example However people all over the world always fight to resist change. They fear the new ideas that change is going to impose on them (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2006). They fear the unknown as they are skeptical of what the new changes might bring to their lives. People want to maintain the status quo and therefore will do anything to resist the change. They do this because of various reasons some of them include the need to maintain social relations that have been built over time. Some just resist change because of the costs and the consequences associated with the change. Eventually the people do change no matter how long it takes them (McGinnis, 2005). At the workplace this is evident in so many ways and can lead to frustrations in the leadership of the organization if the correct measures are not put in place to address the change to new platforms, technology structures and process. Managers will therefore employ many models to ensure that they can effectively manage the change and that it d oes not cost the organization (Miner, 2007). Change It is important to realize that there are two types of change: uncontrolled change and controlled change. The uncontrolled change is created by nature and cannot be altered by humans. The change may be perceived as positive or negative depending on an individual’s perspective. ... To gain the intended result requires a thorough understanding of the present state, the desired state, the variables involved and the mechanics of change itself (Nicklos, 2010). Lippitt’s phases of change theory The phases of change theory was proposed by Lippitt and is built on Lewin’s three stage theory- the most widely used change theory. In Lewin’s theory, it involves three stages: (1) the unfreezing stage where the change agent is motivated to create change. The affected people are then made aware of this need to change. The problem is identified or diagnosed and the best solution is advanced and selected to address the problem (Warner, 2010). There three possible mechanisms that give input to the initial change: lack of confirmation, guilty or anxiety and psychological safety. The second stage is called the moving stage where information is gathered to facilitate the change and here an influencial person is key to the success of this stage. The third and la st stage is the unfreezing stage where the changes are integrated and stabilized as part of the value system. There exist driving forces that encourage the change while at the same time there are restraining forces that work against the change. The change agent identifies and deals with the latter forces in order that change is established with homeostasis and equilibrium (Warner, 2010). Therefore Lippitt borrowed the ideas of this theory and used them in developing the phases of change theory by adding seventh phase to Lewin's original theory of change. The theory has seven phases. Phase one is diagnosing the problem. During this phase a nurse manager or the change agent looks at all the possible ramifications of a proposed change

Johanine community Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Johanine community - Essay Example Moreover, the Gospel also revealed that Jesus is the replica of God. In this respect, the Johannine community comprised Christians worshipping Jesus as the Messiah and following the preachments made by John through the Gospel and the Epistles (Brown 13-24). The Gospel of John lacked information about Ecclesiology, which created an issue amid Christians representing Johannine community, as Johannine theology failed in describing the concept of God. Another crucial issue faced by the Johannine community was to determine whether the opposing statements identified in the Gospel of John were made to the society as a whole or to any particular religion. Respectively, the scholars and the people faced the issue of interpreting the information about Johannine Ecclesiology. In this context, the study of the book ‘The Community of Beloved Disciples’ written by Robert E. Brown conducted a study about the emergence and the reconstruction of Johannine community, so that the a proper understanding is acquired about the New Testament and the messages depicted in it are delivered successfully to the Christians (Brown 13-24). The Johannine community is developed with different theology presented by Saint John as compared to other disciplines. In this regard, the Christians were seemed to face difficulties in following the Johannine Ecclesiology. In order to possess an in-depth understanding about the emergence as well as the modernization of Christian community, the four phases of Johannine community revealed by Robert E. Brown have been elaborately studied in the following. The different spheres of the Johannine community were assessed from the Gospel and the Epistles of John in order to acquire better understanding about the life and the events of Jesus. An analysis of the four phases of the community had aided in reconstructing the beliefs as well as the theology of the Christians. The four phases have been analyzed

Sex Education Course to Parents Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Sex Education Course to Parents - Research Paper Example This helps in combating sexual health issues such as sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS. Abstract Sexuality form part of everyday life and it is important that all people acknowledge this. Parents, they have to realize that despite the age of their children, they too have a sex life. Instead of trying to suppress the children’s sexuality, parents should provide their children with information on sexuality. Children are more likely to act responsibly if they lean about puberty, contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases from their parents and not through the media or friends. In order for parents to fulfill their roles as sex educators to their children, they require information that helps them understand and reflect on their attitudes and how they communicate their attitudes to their children. This is because parents’ attitudes affect the communication and more importantly, the message passed regarding sexuality. Introduction Talk on sex is never easy. It is a n uncomfortable experience for all parties involved; particularly between parents and their children. On one hand, children are embarrassed and afraid that parents will think they are having sex. Teenagers are also under the impression that their parents will not understand. Parents, however also have trouble when talking about sex. Many do not want to seem as if they are encouraging their children to go off and have sex (Robert, 2008). Parents assume that by telling their children that sex is beautiful and should be enjoyed; they are likely to run off and discover this goodness at an overly young age. It is no wonder so many people end up with a distorted image of sex. They view sex as evil, immoral and something to be ashamed of. Research findings reveal that children are more likely to refrain from engaging in early sexual activities if they receive the sex talk from their parents; preferably from both parents not just the mother as is the case in many households (Robert, 2008). Parents however view the sex talk as a task to check off on their to-do-list. They talk to their children about sex only once and assume that they have passed all the knowledge their children need. In the real sense, talk on sex should be a continuous activity as the children go through the years and enter different stages in their lives. A 12year old will not view sex in the same way a 15 or 18 year old will (Robert, 2008). The purpose for this sex education for parents plan is to help parents offer quality and informed sex education to their children. The biggest problem for parents is communication. Many do not know how to broach the subject, what topics to cover at what age as well as how to handle matters dealing with contraceptives and sexually transmitted diseases. Material for education Young people who lack information about sex from their parents often turn to their peers and to some extent; the media. Lack of information from home creates a gap that may be filled with wro ng and distorted information. Parents view sex education as a problem in itself because it encourages young people to become sexually active. Young people however, experience different things as they enter puberty such as menstruation for girls and ejaculation for the boys. This can be confusing as it

How have the Gulf States used oil as their foreign policy tool (mainly Research Paper

How have the Gulf States used oil as their foreign policy tool (mainly the oil embargo of 1973)and how effective has it been - Research Paper Example Oil ministers agreed on an embargo that would see a gradual reduction in production in 5% increments over time until they had achieved their economic and political objectives; after Libya embargoed all oil shipments to the U.S., Saudi Arabia and all other Arab oil producing nations followed suit leading to the 1973 oil embargo that was equally extended to Western Europe and Japan. The onset of the 1973 oil crisis, when members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) announced an oil embargo led to high rises in the price of oil per barrel, from US$3 to nearly $12; the short and long term economic as well as political effects of the oil embargo left devastating impacts all over the world (Ross). Price increases were also imposed in the embargo to accelerate the fall in demand of the new lower level oil supply thereby triggering a market rise in the oil price from $3 to $ 12 per barrel; since the global financial system was already under pressure from the coll apsed Bretton Woods Agreement, recessions and high inflation kicked in and persisted up to the early 1980s and oil prices continued to rise until 1986. From the mid 1980’s to 2003, the inflation-adjusted price of a barrel of oil remained stable at around 25$ per barrel but rose dramatically from 2003 beyond $30 per barrel reaching a high of $60 per barrel in 2005 and its peak was $147.30 in 2008. Many factors have been attributable to these dramatic increases in the prices of oil including the depreciation of the U.S. dollar, subsequent reports of the declining oil reserves, the tension in the Middle East, as well as the heightened speculation over oil prices. Geo-political events as well as natural disasters that are indirectly linked to the global oil market have had a significant impact on oil prices; for instance, the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict and

Top gear and Classic Cars Essay Example for Free

Top gear and Classic Cars Essay Magazines articles are a very common source of promotion; it has certain ways to reach its audience. Magazine articles on specific products can give help give it positive or negative advertising, so professional opinions on particular products like cars and electronic gadgets, have become increasingly important, it allows the reader to get the information that he wants from a professional, away from all the glamorising through its normal advertising. It helps spread a sense of reality to the products which otherwise many people would not see. From this a new breed of magazines aimed directly and overtly at a male readership, using masculinity as a marketing tool, has increased the popularity of magazines for male men, allowing the writers focus on male dominated interests, like cars sports and women. However certain magazines like Top Gear can be accessible for women although there market has a very high male audience. For my English Project we have been asked to investigate a particular use of language. I have chosen to look at the content and style of two different stereotypical mens magazines and to how they reach there target audience. I am going to look at whether the style of the article changes depending on what age it is being advertised to. I will be focusing mainly on the male language used in the articles, how the author tries to make it appeal to its target audience. The depth of the content and it style. Data description I will be looking at two magazines, which stereotypically would have a male audience. An article from a Top Gear magazine and one from a Classic Cars Text A is a personal opinion and general review of the Porsche 911 GT3. The article on the Porsche 911 GT3 written by Jeremy Clarkson was obtained from a motoring magazine Top Gear. Being a motoring magazine it clearly defines its audience as those who are interested in cars, which is what top gear revolves round. The magazine it self would attract a male audience of 16-50, due to its general glamorising of cars and comedic value. However it would also interest girls from 16-30 due to its increased popularity on TV and its general over-hype of super cars. The general articles in the Top Gear magazine, includes many super cars and fast powerful cars. Not really aimed for people who are looking for an average car, although it has the odd standard car. This particular article on the Porsche 911 GT3 will probably be aimed at a male audience of 16-40, specifically at the boy racers and men having a midlife crisis just wanting to feel younger, as that would be the common target market for a Porsche 911The reason behind this is that Porsche are seen as fast and powerful cars. He would be aiming to informing the reader about the car, and trying to persuade the reader by reviewing it. he also has to provide entertainment for the readers who may follow the show aswell. Text B is a report on the Hackett Beaujolais Runs, which includes a selection of cars and people involved in the Hackett Beaujolais Run, a charity race that takes place in France, written by Mike Goodbun, obtained from a another motoring magazine, but specialising in older cars, and not the typical cars of this generation. The magazine itself would attract an older readership, possibly of 40-60, linking back to when these cars had been made so that the readers can relate to the article and the people in it. It would be directed at a male audience, which can be seen by the magazine itself through the consistent use of men in the magazine. The magazine has a lot of older cars that are seen as benchmarks in the car industry, like the 1967 Mercedes-Benz Pagoda or the DeLorean DMC12, The car from Back to the Future, which can help attract a wider audience. This particular magazine article, would suit the main target audience of the magazine, readers around 40-60, from when the event started in relation to the age of the readers. The authors main aim would be to inform the readers about the event, and about the cars that were used at the event. Aims and Hypothesis I already have perceived ideas about what I will find in my investigation, but I am hoping to find out if my predictions are true. I am comparing how the language in both of these articles reaches their target audience and how it can be seen it is a male related topic. I am expecting to find a lot of stereotyping within the advertisements; the car would be advertised as fast, powerful machines and the technical terminology used to reach a male audience. I will also be exploring what kind of impression they give to their target audience and whether the language alters depending on the audience and how the cars are perceived I predict that Text B, will have a significant use of technical terminology and will be more formal not only due to the widespread popularity of Top Gear, who have to aim at a wider audience, from a younger to and older audience, but also down to the fact they are both targeted at a different age group, with very different views on cars. This will then help me see how they aim to reach and make it accessible for their target audience through language choices. I also expect to find the Text B would be more drawn to focusing on the cars and being focusing on the cars whereas Text A will rely more on entertainment than facts. Methodology For my investigation I decided to analyse two stereotypical male articles looking at the language. I decided to go with a magazine which on certain aspects can relate to a female audience but generally has a high male audience, and then look at a magazine which is aimed directly and clearly at an older male readership although may interest some of the younger audience The more neutral magazine, I picked was Top Gear as it allows me to see how authors try and make it appeal to a wide audience, although it clearly has a high male audience due to its topic. The other magazines I picked was more difficult, I picked a magazine which was genuinely linked to an older target readership, possibly one of 40-60. For this I picked Classic Cars as, both magazines aim to provide the reader with information on cars which each generation can enjoy. The younger audience more interested in speed and beauty, whereas an older obviously interested in speed, but would interested in its history and what it represents for them. Classic cars seemed to fit with the target audience of the article I was looking for. From this, I will begin my analysis by working through both articles and annotating both of the articles, looking at the male discourse features and other linguistic features linked to males. I will look at the discourse structure and how the article is relevant to my investigation. I will use the following levels of language: * Graphology this will show me what kind of images they use for to appeal to their target audience. Whether the overall layouts of mens magazines in general, assert a sense of masculinity and affect the stereotypical readership. * Lexis this will enable me to look at why certain words and phrases are used, and what effect they have. The lexis used will help me identify male speech in both the articles and how they appeal to their audience. * Grammatical and syntax a very important part of my investigation, this will show how sentence structures generally will affect readers and how they affect the male audience. * Semantic this will tell me what kind of connotations the language in the article suggests, and whether it is focusing on a specific topic in the article. * Orthography Looking at the Spelling and punctuation and how it affects the reader. Graphology Text A, the Jeremy Clarkson article on the Porsche 911 GT3, is printed in Black and white, giving it a very sophisticated and serious look to it. It brings out a darkness of the article which seems to be hidden. The picture of Jeremy Clarkson in the right hand corner of the page, which is the most eye catching feature in the article, helps brings out a sense mysteriousness and subterfuge to the article and at the same time keeping the look very simplistic, he seems to have a look of old frail look possibly to emphasises wisdom, as this is a topic that he can relate to. The rest of his body in shadow also helps create a sense of mysteriousness and makes it very spy-like. He has a very sophisticated look, at the same time keeping a very serious look, maintaining the view that men regard topics like cars and sports very important. From the way he looks, very smart but casual at the time, with a look of wisdom to himself, and looks like he know what he is on about, it can appeal to his target audience which would set out to be a male reading audience of 16-40. Also Jeremy Clarkson looking directly at the reader with a thoughtful expression engages the reader and brings the reader towards the article. The proper noun Clarkson to the left of the page, in very simplistic writing gives makes it very formal and gives him a sense of authority, and a voice of authority make him much more powerful, this way setting him apart from the reader and can be quite intimidating. Also the quote in the middle of the page, my relationship with this brain-child of Hitler in large writing, sets out the importance of that specific line. Making reference to Hitler, a controversial historic figure engages the readers interest to the article, making them want to know what the author is talking about. In Text B, Mike Goodbun article on the Hackett Beaujolais Run, the article is positioned over two back to back pages, possibly already showing the lack of importance of it, by not giving a full two page display. The first page is laid out in a very simple manner, as the target audience for this article would perhaps be more interested in the content rather than the display. The picture of The AC Cobra just above the middle of the page is very symbolic in the nature that it is a representative of British cars, as well as American muscle cars. It is the gentlemens sports car, and has a touch of sophistication to it, and clearly associate it with an older market, as younger readers would be more interested in fast and powerful cars like the Porsche in Text A. In the centre of the page is the title Wine, women sports cars, highlighting what men stereotypically hold important as conversational points. Wine in place of alcohol in general, however wine adds a sense of sophistication and class, focusing and reinforcing the Gentlemen target audience. The next page tells the reader what the occasion is all about, the race, the route, the guy in the picture with a funny wig, marks the occasion, as does the wine bottle and the sports car, it represents what the race it hold and advertises it for other people to get involved, the next year. Furthermore the quote I the middle of the page highlights the stand out of the race we have a mini-convoy of Cobra, Elise and 550 Maranello. Associating this with the race will put the race in better light to the audience and hopefully take part in it. Both are very simplistic, and look unfussy, yet it allows them to draw the readers in through this technique. Lexis The extract taken from Top Gear magazine on the Porsche 911 GT3 uses a lot of informal language. However the picture he presents of himself gives the text a sense of seriousness, Engle noted men regarded their topics as more serious and important and for this fact; the lexis used has a lot of bearing to it, as good as any Ferrari and at a whisker Men would regard his opinion highly, from what he is trying to put through. The first line on the top of the page is the original always the best, ponders Clarkson? Also gives it a sense of formality and seriousness, by posing a question which involves the reader, and clearly sets out to be controversial as this would bring divided opinions. It also brings out the overall topic of what hes going to write about. The text also uses a lot of informal lexis like offering brain pate and crackers to all and sundry and in a shit am going to die sort of way as this suits the primary audience of males between 16-40. The language he uses helps him reach his target audience and relate to them better, it is important that he is seen as one of them as well as a professional so that his opinions are valued, and the use of humour and taboo language, being funny and anecdotal with a serious topic allows him too reach his audience, although this would be seen as a serious topic, it is important that he doesnt impose his opinions on the reader, and this goes opposite of what male men are meant to do, to be competitive and show they are right. This shows that the Jeremy Clarkson has a purpose with the language he is using; it helps attract the reader in to his article, and relate to them and in turn informing them. Contractions can be found in this text quite often. He uses it in different parts of the extract, hed sawn the and Ive always enjoyed giving it a sense of discourse which makes it sound a little informal as the text is in first person and this will let him say how he feels and talk about his own experience, this will help him appeal and engage the reader, as it is easier for the easier to read an focus on the article itself. By doing this, it also helps Jeremy express his feeling and actions easily to his audience. Moreover the use of colloquialisms helps evoke a feeling of informality, and this informality helps him relate to his target audience, and make the article more attractive and interesting for the reader, as more formal language may be off putting.. In the text they come in as a form of slang like biggish and wiggled, the words do not have to be used by males but the informality will helps his relate to them as being one of them and making sure he doesnt force a difference between him and his readers, using slang and colloquialism socially will help the readers attention. Keeping topic interesting and to the point will allow Jeremy dominance as hes not flouting the maxims, and therefore keeping the readers attention. In this text a lot of car related jargon can be identified, words like gearbox, Michelins and traction are used which are directly linked to cars and its different aspects. The purpose behind this is that it identifies the subject of the content, and the reader can see this clearly. This simply links the text back to its social context and informs the audience about the main topic of the text. Text B, the article on the Hackett Beaujolais Run, is informal to an extent but is much more complex than the Jeremy Clarkson article; due to the audience they are both trying to aim at. The title Wine, women and sports cars, highlights what men stereotypically hold important as conversational points. The use of these words expresses masculinity as it is what men not women talk about more often. The cars semantic field again reinforces what find important in conversational topics. There is a mixture if informal text and formal, appealing to its readers who would be much more mature and older than the Top Gear readers. The kind of road you wouldnt take a tractor down and The Cobras open Cockpit makes for an invigorating ride A lot of different types of jargon and specialist vocabulary can be found in this extract that help describe the race. Geographical terms are used, mostly names of places such as Beaujeu Macon and Great Ormand. These proper nouns are found throughout the entire text and are used to take the audience along with him on the race from one place to another and to provide greater details of where he has been and where he is going. In this text a lot of car related jargon and technical language can be identified, words like 2000 RPM, Ferrari and bonnet are used which are directly linked to cars and its different aspects. There is certainly more use of technical language in this article, as the author is not aiming at a wider audience as Jeremy Clarkson is in the Top Gear Magazine, It allows the author to focus on readers who are interested in the car and its different aspects. The use of technical language simply links the text back to its social context and informs the audience about the main topic of the text. The language the author uses helps the author keep the reader informed of the events, and makes it more interesting by giving important information. The jargon and specialist terminology is clearly needed as a lot of readers would expect this from a car magazine, with an Audience who have more interested in details of cars than entertainment. Semantics Nouns The use of the proper noun, Clarkson brings about a sense of authority and with a voice of authority makes him much more powerful. The use of just his surname Clarkson helps him set apart from the reader, as it brings about a public school education, which gives him a sense of importance and respect from the reader. Some of the proper nouns used in text A, also make the article seem very dark and murderous, using Hannibal Lecter, the character from the Silence of the Lambs, gives it very dark connotations, when relating back to the context of the article it would seem that the author would refer to the Porsche as very dark and possibly murderous, emphasising that the car in generally is not very normal, as the Porsche 911 GT3 looks very different from a typical Porsche, and its monstrosity with its sheer power and speed may attract the target audience to the car. Referring to Hannibal Lecter, helps him put out the car itself is monstrous, cars which are said to be dark and murderous, also emphasises the speed of the car, that the Porsche could actually kill the driver, which would interest the boy racers interested in the car. To associate Hitler, controversial historic figure, with the car, makes the car seem very dark and gives the same connotations as would Hannibal Lecter, and would keep the readers interest in the article. Using James bond, helps gives the reader an imaginative approach to the Porsche; it suggests the Porsche being sophisticated, adventurous, and glamorous. Using James Bond and Hannibal Lecter, bring about glam and evil feel to the article and would attract a male audience generally and sums up the male psyche. Although both of these not having much relation to the Porsche at the beginning shows that he has been given a certain freedom to write as well as fitting in perfectly. The use of Gloucestershire and London, sets the place of the article, and gives the reader a bit of background knowledge of the car. Both of these can be seen as good target markets for the Porsche. The use of the proper noun Godfather and Mad Max 2: Road Warrior also suggests aggressive connotations, the Godfather is symbolic in Italian mafia, where The Godfather is seen as the leader, the most important person, the one that everyone looks up to and the one respected. The movie is also seen to be as one of the best of all time, and using this is the article shows that Jeremy does clearly respect the car, although he doesnt like Porsche cars. The use of Road Warrior specifically warrior has connotations of a fighter, some who will fight for good and helps associate bravery and courage to this car. Using the topic of movies helps Jeremy attract a wider audience, than if he had just talked about cars. The use of movies as a starting point helps make the article appeal to a wider audience, and is used as an entertaining read. A lot of the common nouns used are for is technical language related to car jargon specifically to do with cars. The noun used the most was car, which is expected as the main topic of the article is the Porsche 911. Other nouns that are found often are all hyponyms under this theme, like tyres, wheel and gearbox. This car semantic field also links back to the content and the context of the article and lets the reader know what the main topic of the article is. The article also has a semantic field of murder and killing as this will attract his target audience and again sums up the male psyche. The author is trying to link the semantic field of the article with the car and that it can be extremely dangerous. It builds up a sense of fear and associates it with the car. Common nouns like murder and death gives these connotations. Furthermore the use of villain, terrorist and brainchild all give negative connotations. In essence it brings out the dark side in the car, the use of terrorist give connotations of violence and killing, whish goes with the semantic field of the article perfectly. Moreover brainchild, implicates cloning of something. In this context emphasises the darkness in the article, it associates it with Hitler and makes it a product of his thinking and work, therefore as Hitler was seen to be evil this would mean the same for the car. Doing this it makes thae article much more interristing, and helps entertain the reader by using, non-significant but very contreversial and interesting topics. Clarkson also uses a few similes but I find them as emotionless as limestone. He uses very vivid associations. This simile attaches negative connotations, hes giving his opinion on how he feels about the car, that he thinks its not very exciting and the cars themselves (as he is talking about Porsche in general) do dont jump out at the reader as may other cars do. Also he uses a simile to describe the car, a spoiler big enough to serve as a landing strip for a small aircraft. This allows him to emphasise the size of the spoiler and the car itself, he is describing as a sports car, and not a car for that self loving, business man who just want to look sophisticated. In Text B, the proper noun, Beaujolais Noveau, a French wine made in 1973, expresses a deal of sophistication to the text, stereotypically, the French culture is seen to be romantic and sophisticated. Its sets up the tone of the article with a sense of sophistication and sets it apart from the readers in Text A. Its repetition creates cohesion in the text sets its history and importance in the article. The use of Ferrari also gives positive connotations, it is seen as one of all time classics or a modern age super car, either way it sheer class is admired by all and would attract a lot of the readers by using a popular modern day super car. This would be the author trying to make is accessible for a wider audience, although not to the extent of Text A which uses a different topic. The use of Ferrari, with its power and speed, would interest the male audience. Then the use of Ac Cobra , a classic British car, is symbolic to the readers, being a English car emphasises is importance by the author and by its repetition, even though it is not one of the best cars in the article, the audience may be able to relate to it, as it could be a car that is seen to be admired by the reader. The repetition of English emphasises this. The proper nouns, James Bond, Scooby Doo and Batman shows the child side to it, its stressing the point of it being a charity and just for fun, as does the use of Damon Hill and Steve Berry, possibly used to gain the readers interest, it suggests enjoyment and exuberance of the people taking part, showing the readers who is involved in the charity event. This allows readers to see the enjoyment and the author trying to make it an enjoyable read. His main focus is trying to emphasise the fun in the charity race, and possibly attracting potential contestants. Like Text A, the article includes a lot of car information, related specifically to the cars. The noun used the most was car, which underline the main topic of the article, and an aim to reach his target audience. I also found hyponyms under this theme, like seat, windscreen and dashboard, all ordinary but necessary to attract his target audience. The light hearted and fun semantic field is emphasised, by the use of women, wine, and pleasure it underlines it as a fun event, all in the name of charity, to attract the audience to the article and maybe the event next year and can be seen as a subtle advertisement to the readers, not for the target market but the general public. Adjectives There were a lot of adjectives in text A which is to be expected in a review for a magazine as he is expressing his opinion, its gives a better understanding to the reader and it helps give better detail and vivid images thus a better understanding of the context and setting. The most common adjective in this text was new, it relates back to Porsche emphasising it as a new car. This is why people look to him for information on the car, and why this attracts the reader to the article. The use of exotic and glamorous, to describe places, both give very positive connotations and seems to go against the article, which has made it to seem very dark and murderous, but then relates to the association with James Bond. However the use of nasty and horrid contradicts what has been said, which shows he has mixed opinions on the Porsche, which is further shown by uncomfortable and exciting. It shows that he clearly isnt a big fan of Porsches, which he has said in the article, and may not be giving credit where it is due. Moreover he uses white to describe the car towards the end of the article, white represents purity and possibly good, and it is a bit ironic that under the dark and subterfuge semantic field he describes the Porsche in this way and shows he might have changed his opinion on the car as his day went on. Emma Fitzgerald-Lombard have sized-up the back seat of the white 911 The use of white to describe the 911 in Text B , like in text A, highlights the importance of that car specifically, white holds the connotations of good, this fits in perfectly as it is the only female team in the competition, helping them stand out to the reader. The further use of sculptured gives connotations of beauty and what a lot of the male audience would associate with beauty and cars. It helps gives to the reader a better description of the car itself and attracts readers to the topic in conversation. The use of wet and uncomfortable sets the weather and feeling of the article, its this that makes the race interesting, and forces people to take part. Although the weather may not be appealing this makes the race more appealing. This may be ways to attract more readers or possibly more people to enter the competition. The adjective frenzied, at the end of the article, helps put out to the reader how the audience feel, and has connotations of excitement, over the event. It also implies that a lot of people had come to see in the crowds, and puts it out to be a big event. From this it can be seen the author thinks it is the perfect market to aim the product at. Overall the adjectives in Text A, describe it as dark setting and fits to entertain and inform the reader, the adjectives help target a wider audience, whilst Text B gives the reader a lot of information, on the event, setting a classy and fun semantic field both of these help relate to the audience in hand, and from the adjectives used it can be seen it is a more of a male audience he is looking for. Text A informs as well as entertain the reader, Text B, informed the reader and uses more description of what had happened, allowing both audiences to relate to the article. The article allows a certain amount of fun to be seen and can help with a subtle advertisement. Verbs Some of the verbs play under the dark and murderous semantic field. Words like kill and die give very negative connotations and plays with the whole setting of the article and fit the semantic field of the article. This further is setting the audience to think one way of the car, although the end he changes this way of thinking. The verb used most often in text A is like, very simple and childlike. Which doesnt fit in the dark setting that Jeremy Clarkson has put in place, he doesnt want to force the reader to struggle with reading his article as this may put them off. The setting seems very negative so the use of like contradicts this feeling, which emphasises the positive view he holds the car in. Furthermore the use of admired provides positive connotations and has given it his approval. It also shows he may be resentful in giving a better compliment, dues to his general dislike for Porsche cars, which is duly noted in the article. Most of the verbs used were in the past tense which is done with an aim to simply fulfill the purpose of the text to inform the audience of actions that have took place but switches to the present tense when talking about driving the car. There are also quite a few present participles in this text such as vomiting to put the event in motion, make it more realistic and therefore keeping the readers interest. There were a few modal auxiliary verbs in this text such as could and would. The most common one used in this text is would. These modal auxiliaries give a sense of possibility but also uncertainty. Over all Jeremy is generally very assertive and confident and rarely expresses doubt, this shows he know what he is on about, which is why people respect his opinions and look for his articles. The verb repeated the most in Text B, is turn, as it involves the race and put in to perspective, they have to use the shortest route they can, and turning before others plays a huge part on the race, its emphasizes it importance by it repetition. Text B, involves verbs like pursuing relating to the view, that cars are seen as important of their lives, to try and achieve there goals. The further use of slithering gives a snake-like view on the car, and helps describe its characteristics, in being very slick and quick. Adverbs In text A I found a few adverbs that were used to describe a verb, like in the phrase, shouty styling where the adverb shouty, although not a real word, showing again his freedom to write, and use of slang to reach his audience, is used to support the adjective styling. It places extra emphasis on the verb and makes it stand out to the reader. The use of worst then places the car in a negative context, but shows his clear dislike for Porsche cars. Text B allows the author to emphasise his point. The adverbs in Text B were linked with distance, with longest and shortest helping the readers understand the charity race. Pronouns Text A uses a lot of personal pronouns to provide facts and information to the reader they are a lot in first person, as stories about the authors are generally always written in first person like I and me. There were also pronouns in second and third person, allowing Jeremy to bring the reader in and help them relate to him, words like he, we and you. The use of we and you particularly bring the reader in to the article as he tries to share his experience with the reader, bringing in the reader in to the article, helps him fulfilling his aims and purpose of entertaining the reader, making it more realistic and then helps the reader relate to his audience. The most common pronoun which was used was I and creates cohesion in the text; there is a significant use of personal pronouns rather than possessive pronouns. This shows the author is trying to keep the reader interested through out the article. Personal pronouns will help the reader make a judgement themselves instead of being forced an opinion. It depend on how he perceives his audience and his purpose in the article, his purpose is to inform rather than persuade, as many articles in the magazine are, as people interested in the car would not be put off by an article. Text B uses the subjective pronoun it, at a more frequent rate in to the article, the author focuses on the object a lot more than the people, focusing on the important part of the article and keeping the readers interested. The use of I brings the author in to the article, while we and you bring the readers in to the article, forcing them to take part, and making it much more interesting. Grammar Syntax In text A there is more or less an equal share of simple, complex and compound sentences. This is well suited to the audience as it would make it easier to understand. The use of simple sentences like Or was he eaten by a pig? It lays focus on the verb eaten, which has nothing in relation to the car topic, but it allows him to make small anecdotal comments to make the reading more entertaining. Complex and compound sentences both allow the delivery of information easily through fluent and easy to structure of the sentence, and helps the reader keep focus on what is being said. So you get a roll cage instead of back seats and a massive fuel tank However, I noticed looking more closely at the syntax that most of the sentences in this text are declarative sentences. This is very effective in fulfilling the purpose of the text, to inform the reader by giving him the facts of the car in a clear and authoritative way, settings his view apart. A declarative sentence helps the author give and inform the reader, and doesnt really force the reader in to the article as he is merely informing the reader. An example of a declarative sentence would be Ive always enjoyed driving them and always admired there quality but I find them as emotionless as Limestone. These declaratives also effectively help give a good in-depth account of every little detail, which is why people turn to articles such as this. He also uses interrogative sentences, as he is posing questions to the reader, although a lot are merely rhetorical, in order to bring the reader in to the article and helps the reader feel more part of the article so that they can relate to it better. It can also make the reader think and keeps their interest in the subject matter, on the question he is posing. Is the original always the best, ponders Clarkson? There is little evidence of imperative and exclamative sentences, which shows he is not trying to force himself or his opinions on the reader, and is trying to relate to his audience Text A is more or less in the present tense, with the verbs having -ing endings, this helps the Text feel much more dynamic and positive, it gives a feel of Jeremys opinions. It is a tactic to help emphasise the dynamic characteristics of the car, its power and speed. For example, exciting buying and going. In text B there is considerably more complex and compound sentences in the article. The lack of simple sentences defines the audience so as not to make the article sound so childish. Where as the use of complex and compounds helps the author to give more information and blocks to the reader, this helps the article to be aimed at a much more mature audience who want to know the details, emphasising how the author is trying to make it appeal to his target audience. The Scroots Cobra was the first CRS built and has a 225bhp fuel Also in text B, there are a lot more declaratives, theres no prize money or speed helping to deliver the information to the reader, again very useful in its purpose as it can be used to inform the reader. A few imperatives are also used in the text, turn right, now helping the audience understand what the race involved and it was co-ordinated, to give a better feel of the race, and a taste for potential participants next year. The lack of interrogative sentences showed, the authors aim to merely inform the reader of the event and not an aim to question the race in any sort of way. Orthography One of the most important aspects of an article is the first line. The first line I CANT QUITE REMEMBER is used to catch the attention of the reader. It will stand out to the reader and will draw him to the article; this is another way Jeremy Clarkson has looked to draw the reader to the article. Starting off-topic will also help him make it accessible to a wider audience, some of whom may not be able to relate to the main topic. He also uses Italics for the names of certain proper nouns, Thunderball, Casino Royale, and the Sunday Times. This helps him emphasise its importance, however it all fits in later on in the article. He used the movies in Italics to separate it from the main topic but it has a certain relation to the Porsche, as does the mentioning of the Sunday times. Jeremy Clarkson uses italics to help him focus on aspects of his article, to help the reader have a better understanding of his introduction of other topics. The use of commas in betweens the sentences helps deliver the information to the reader easily, and will make it much easier for all the readers, making it a easier read makes it more accessible to all kinds of people, which Jeremy Clarkson and Top Gear are aiming at, as it a major show whats important is ratings from the public.. Text B uses a lot of quotations to make the race an active part of the article turn right. Now making the article more interesting for the reader. Making the article active and relating it to the race helps make the reader feel its going on, and is more entertainment value while informing the reader. There also is a use of italics in the article, but for a different reason to Text A. The author uses italics when the word in related to the wine, this bring a sense of sophistication as he is emphasising the wine and attracts the audience he is aiming at. Furthermore like Text A, he also uses commas in between the sentences helps deliver the information to the reader easily, and will make it much easier for the readers. Conclusion Both of these articles are used as subtle advertisements and seem to attract and entice the reader to buy or to get involved with the race. It has certain techniques to bring the reader in to the articles. The conclusion I have drawn from this investigation is that in many instances both writers have certain techniques, in an aim to attract their audience. Text A uses very obvious techniques trying to stand out to the reader and to draw the reader in to the article. Text B uses a conservative approach in order to bring the audience to the article, by the use of gentle colours and giving it a sense of sophistication. This helps it attract an audience they are aiming for. Also what I found in Text A is that the Porsche seemed to have advertised as something evil, to emphasise its speed in relation to how it could kill you, which is an attractive prospect in fast cars. Whilst Text B relates to the cars involved with generic terms of speed, like thunder. It helps attract the audience they are aiming for and both articles have a clear aim to reach a male audience relating to the language used. Another one of my aims was proved upon, as Text B uses a lot of Technical language related to cars, 225 BHP. It focuses on the cars, and the beauty behind the car, i.e. sculptured although that it not the main topic of the article. The language use is much more complex and difficult than Text B, as the author was only appealing to a certain audience, whereas the Jeremy Clarkson article has a wider audience he can aim for and can attract. Both articles were interesting reads, and both have certain characteristics, Text A is good for entertainment value and will help engage the reader to the article, and aimed at a wider audience who seem to be interested in modern day fast cars. It can also be said this type of article can be seen merely as entertainment for, and an escape for, the heterosexual male. Text B, however is aimed at someone who appreciates car and is interested in being part of something important, it may not interest the wide audience but however it brings about class and sophistication that Text A doesnt come close to. Evaluation All in all I felt my investigation was a successful one; as I went on to prove my aims although there were many aspects that I couldve improved upon. I felt I could have improved on time management, as I should have focused on the aspects that I felt I had to write about, and not have started to annotate the whole article, which was very time consuming. The investigation is not a full representation of mens car magazines, which means the analysis may not be totally fair as it only looks at a few magazines out of a very long range. I could have taken a larger sample and used more magazines, with differentiating characteristics like Nuts and GQ, which give a different view on mens products than both these magazines. This would have allowed me to have a much broader and fair analysis. These wouldve been targeted to a different audience, although it may have been time consuming. A further investigation could be done contrasting articles written by male and female authors, possibly about cars or maybe branching out to other products. This was the first idea that I thought up, however it was extremely difficult to find a car review in a magazines, written by a women for women. It would be interesting to see what king of language each of the authors use to appeal to a certain audience, and how women and men review cars.

Media Influence and Ingrained Prejudice

Media Influence and Ingrained Prejudice Jeremy A. Dietz The origins of prejudice vary greatly from one culture to another. Some cultures appear to have prejudice ingrained into them over long periods of time, while other forms of prejudice occur much more rapidly. Regardless of the length of time that a prejudice has existed, the media can contribute to perpetuating and strengthening an ingrained prejudice through its multiple outlets. While the origins of prejudice differ, medium such as television, the internet, newspapers, and magazines can have a very strong influence on an already existing prejudice or even help to solidify a newly developed prejudice belief. Origins of Prejudice There are many proposed theories on the origins of various prejudice beliefs and behaviors. One theory is that prejudice actually has a genetic and evolutionary basis. Another possible origin of prejudice is based on societal interactions and laws created by those in authority (Baron Branscombe, 2012). Yet another theory is that prejudice goes hand in hand with racism and is accelerated by certain events or acts which may be deemed as a threat are performed by people sharing a particular ethnicity, religion, physical characteristics, or otherwise common characteristic (Baron Branscombe, 2012). Prejudice when described as having an evolutionary and genetic background is often explained by the process of natural selection. This theory suggests that the brain patterns of early humans were actually wired to establish a type of prejudice against those of differing physical characteristics (Utsey, Ponterotto, Porter, 2008). During the early days of human development, limited resources often caused much competition between various clans or tribes. The tendency of humans then was to give members of their own clan a priority for survival and viewed others as possible threats. One such idea is the resource retention rule theory, which suggests that prejudice views were formed especially during periods of scarce resources (Utsey, Ponterotto, Porter, 2008). During these periods, groups of humans would try to stockpile resources for their own family or tribe which most often tended to be other people with like physical characteristics. Outsiders were avoided or viewed as less worthy of the various resources (Utsey, Ponterotto, Porter, 2008). Another similar type of theory based on genetic evolution is called the theory of inclusive fitness (Fishbein, 2003). This theory states that people who are in the same family group will show preferential treatment toward their family and sometimes show hostility towards people from other groups (Fishbein, 2003). When viewing how prejudice is passed down from one generation to the next, some theories suggest that those in authority are primarily responsible for perpetuating a particular prejudice belief (Fishbein, 2003). This is accomplished by a younger generation being taught by their elders certain prejudice beliefs about those of other groups. The younger generation is expected to accept these views as complete truth and in turn pass it on to their children. It has been suggested that this method is the main source of perpetuating prejudice beliefs throughout human evolution (Fishbein, 2003). These beliefs many times are also perpetuated in modern media. Effects of the Media on Prejudice Today In modern society the media has many outlets available to communicate and influence the thoughts and perceptions of a wide range of people regardless of culture and age. Primary forms of media include radio, printed material such as magazines and newspapers, television, and now the internet with its multi-facets of communication reach nearly every corner of the earth. For example, talk radio programs have been around for many decades and are broadcast in almost every country around the globe. These outlets can have a powerful effect on prejudice thoughts of their viewers. One example of prejudice in the media occurred during Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath of flooding that occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana. During this terrible natural disaster, African-American citizens of New Orleans were often depicted in a negative light by the mainstream media. Many such citizens were reported as being involved in activities such as plundering and anarchy, however most of these claims were showed to be untrue afterwards (Sonnett, Johnson, Dolan, 2015). During the flooding two photographs also appeared in the mainstream media which were widely distributed and showed further prejudice by their captions. One photo was of a younger caucasian couple out finding bread and soda while wading through chest-deep water, while a very similar photo of a youthful black man also in chest-deep floodwater carrying food was labeled as looting (Sonnett, Johnson, Dolan, 2015). In some modern films there seems to be a movement of sorts to portray prejudice as a behavior that everyone exhibits, regardless of race or background. According to Nishi, Matias, and Montoya (2015), the 2004 film Crash is an example of such a perspective (Haggis Cheadle, Crash). The film has several scenes depicting prejudice behavior. One scene shows a black woman being assaulted by a police officer who is white. However in another scene shortly following, an African-American man is himself exhibiting prejudice behavior against his partner. Research by Nishi et al. (2015) suggests that this is a type of colorblindness which in reality is not accurate either historically or in modern times. It has been proposed that this perspective is actually meant to excuse the prejudice behavior shown by white people, as people of minority backgrounds are also showing similar ingrained prejudice behavior (Nishi et al. 2015). Another avenue of the media that has the power to project prejudice behavior is that of advertising, especially in television. Commercials on television have great influence on prejudice, not only by what products are being advertised, but more importantly on who the advertisements depict. According to the research performed by Howell (2012), African Americans are often portrayed in commercials, but there is a clear trend towards depicting lighter skinned African American females in television advertisements. In fact, in commercials which feature an African American couple, there is an approximate five to one ratio where the male is darker skinned than the female (Howell, 2012). This obvious trend would appear to suggest a prejudice in the media against dark skinned females. Conclusion It is clear to see that while the origins of prejudice can be varied, the media has the ability to influence nearly any type of prejudice that may exist. Through its many facets, the media reaches nearly every culture on earth in some form or another. Regardless of whether a prejudice is based on what might be a genetic or evolutionary trait, societal disposition, or racial bias, the media has the power to help perpetuate or tear down these ingrained prejudice behaviors. Sadly, there are many examples of the media contributing to these deplorable behaviors, but hopefully time will prove that the influence of the media will be used to help dissolve ingrained prejudice. References Baron, Robert A. Branscombe, Nyla R. (2012), The Causes, Effects, and Cures of Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Discrimination. Social Psychology. (13th edition, pp. 176-213). Boston, MA: Pearson. Fishbein, H. D. (2003). The Genetic/Evolutionary Basis of Prejudice and Hatred. Journal Of Hate Studies, 3(1), 113-119. Haggis, P. (Director), Cheadle, D. (Producer). (2004). Crash [Motion picture]. USA: Lions Gate Films. Howell, L. D. (2012). TV Ads in Black And Light. USA Today Magazine, 141(2810), 58-60. Nishi, N. W., Matias, C. E., Montoya, R. (2015). Exposing the white avatar: projections, justifications, and the ever-evolving American racism. Social Identities, 21(5), 459-473. doi:10.1080/13504630.2015.1093470 Sonnett, J., Johnson, K. A., Dolan, M. K. (2015). Priming Implicit Racism in Television News: Visual and Verbal Limitations on Diversity. Sociological Forum, 30(2), 328-347. doi:10.1111/socf.12165 Utsey, S. O., Ponterotto, J. G., Porter, J. S. (2008). Prejudice and Racism, Year 2008-Still Going Strong: Research on Reducing Prejudice With Recommended Methodological Advances. Journal of Counseling Development, 86(3), 339-347. doi:10.1002/j.1556-6678.2008.tb00518.x

Impression Management Techniques

Impression Management Techniques Contents Q1. 7 Impression Management Techniques Conformity Excuses Apologies Acclaiming Flattery Favours Association Q2 Transactional and Transformational Leadership Transformational Transactional Q3 Cross-Cultural Communication The Semantics The connotation of words The tone of the pronunciation The different perception Q4 5 National Dimension Power Distance Individualism Vs Collectivism Masculinity Vs Femininity Uncertainty Avoidance Short-Term Orientation Vs Long-Term Orientation Q5 Equity and Expectancy Theory Equity Theory Expectancy Theory Conclusion References Q1. 7 Impression Management Techniques The management impression means an attempt to control and the atmosphere of the impression from other individuals. This 7 impressions are conformity, excuses, apologise, acclaiming, flattery, favours and association. This technique is always used in daily life or work place and other occasion. Conformity Conformity means acceptance and consider the action that appropriate in front of other people to make other to enjoy the place, environment, and the other people around. For example, the acer company usually gather the employees to corporate with one another to get all the employees to feel accepted and feeling comfort towards the other employees, the work place and the environment around the work place. Excuses Excuses refer to the person explanation about the event that made the person do something unacceptable to get their punishment not to severe. For example, the acer employees late to come to the meeting and made an excuses because of the traffic jam that happened. The other example is that the project is not finish because of some equipment is not delivered from the supplier. Apologies Apologies means to admit the undesirable event with responsibility and followed by to get the pardon from the people related to the world and for the action itself. For example, if the employees do something unnecessary and got scolded from their manager, they always have to say sorry or apologies and listen to the manager advice. Acclaiming Acclaiming means to greet the public with proud because of the excellence of oneself about the work they done perfectly and got praise from the higher rank person. For example, for the employees that have a good idea and get praised from the leader of the project and the employees will motivate to work harder and better quality. Flattery Flattery means of an excessive compliment from the other to make the person likeable and over confidence about themselves. For example, if the project of one group is successful the whole group will get a lot of praises and because of that it will have 2 effect, first, the employees will work harder or the employees will become superior from the other in the office. Favours Favours means to do something nice to someone to get the other acceptance and gain other people approval. For example, the manager ask their employees to report the group have done for the last 2 weeks because of the report the manager going to submit and to be the official report of acer group. Association Association means to cooperate with other people to enhancing and to protecting each other about the information and the image of the people that are inside association itself. For example, the employees have to corporate to get the best idea with the best quality and the opinion about the other ideas. Q2 Transactional and Transformational Leadership According to James, B. MacGregor,(1978), leadership is devided into 2 types. The first type is Transformational, this type is a leadership that care and concern about their employees. This type of leadership is also have the same goal as their employees because of that the leader is putting the training for the employees first to educate and develop the employees. Second is Transactional, this leadership type is a type where the leader is giving their employees the coercive or reward power for what the employees done or we can say that this kind of leadership is a used of higher rank power to the lower rank. For example, praise, promotion or demotion, and etc. Transformational This type of leader is the one that prioritise the employee knowledge and the productivities of the employees. This type leader is also provide the education. This type objective is to get a mutual simulation and convert the employees into leader and made the leader become the moral agents. The outcome of this leadership is a positively appropriate behaviour or negatively behaviour. This leadership have 6 factor, first is the leader always motivate the employee or follower to achieve the goals that beyond individual goals or self-achievement. Second is the leader have a good vision about the changes that happened around them to have an emotional bond with the employee. Third is the creating learning opportunities for their employees and have the employees to solve the problem by themselves. Fourth is the leader have the ideas that make the employees follow and accept and also to inspire and provide the resources the employees needed for their work. Fifth is really proactive and alway s have a new expectations for the employees. And the last one is the leader have to make the employees act exceed the framework by emotional effect or we can say as exchange relations. For example, the manager send one of the potential employees to get an education and become superior in their field to become the example and the leader to educate the other employees to be able to do the educated employees method. Transactional This type of leader is where the leader know how worth the effort is and aware which reward the manager will give to the employees. The reward that manager can give to the employees are reward power or coercive power or in other word is punishment. This transactional have 5 factor. First, the leader knows and aware of the link between the effort and the reward, it’s obvious because this type used coercive power and reward power. Second is response to every present issues. Third is the leader control the follower trough reward and punishment. Fourth is the leader give the reward for the goals that setting by the leader to achieve and get the result manager desired, and the last one is leader is depends on the power they have over the employees to make the employees get the successful completion of the bargain. For example, the manager give a punishment to one of the employee because he did not give the report in the due date of the submission and because of that particular empl oyees get reduced in his input or his salary or he can be demoted or terminated, usually the consequences is put inside the contract that employees sign before joining the company. Q3 Cross-Cultural Communication The cross-cultural communication is one of a lot of difficulty for some culture to communicate with each other. This cross-cultural communication have 4 specific categories. The four specific categories are caused by semantics, the connotation of the words, the tone different of language is different from other and the different of perception from one individuals with another. The Semantics The barriers is caused by the differentiation of the body language around every country and it’s not limited to only body language but also all form of communication. This make for some people to confused with the people from other culture to make an association and to understand each other. For example, the acer is from United States of America, and they hired a lot of their employees is from other country and they usually misunderstand with some culture that Americans have, because of that some of the employees feel uncomfortable to talk and associate with other people. The connotation of words The barriers is caused by the same word with other language but have different meaning from one language to another and some of the word is untranslatable to another language. This also include verbal and inverbal communication. For example, some of the word in English and Taiwanese is untranslatable to each other and some of the word is hard to describe to each other. The tone of the pronunciation The barriers is caused by the different of the way how to say things in every culture in the world such as the volume of tone at home, office, informal conversation, or formal conversation is different in some culture. For example, the tone of English speaker is usually lower that other language and the tone of Chinese usually not consistence in some pitch of the volume and if the tone it’s not in the right pitch the meaning usually change. The different perception The barriers is caused by the differentiation of the people perspective from one culture with others. This trigger a lot of opinion of one single matter with one culture and the other culture is also made the people in one culture discriminate other culture. For example, the perspective of Indonesian and westernise is different, such as, drinking alcohol in public for westernise is common and it’s not disturb the norm in their culture but if we bring that attitude to Indonesia, you violated a lot of norm of religion and some of the laws. Q4 5 National Dimension According to Hatch, Mary Jo (1997), National Dimension means the unified understanding of organisational culture comes from the idea that are manifested the entire of one cultural system. This dimension is divided into 5 categories; power distance, individualism vs collectivism, masculinity vs femininity, uncertainty avoidance and the short-term orientation vs long-term orientation. This national dimension is different for one culture and other culture. Power Distance Everybody in this world is unique and implies that every single individual in this world is unequal because of some reason and accept the unequal rights that occur in the area. And one of the reason is the power one individual have over other individuals. This power distance is also have some factor for example power, wealth and prestige of one individual have in one country or area. Power distance is the name of this first of 5 national dimension. For example, the power distance for Taiwan is high, because of that the employees cannot have an informal event to ask their boss to and they have to talk formal and give their leader a lot of respect, but it’s different from united states that have low power distance. Because of that the Americans boss usually mix with their employees to have a party or even talk in informal form of language. Individualism Vs Collectivism This second point is one individualism is prefer to work together or alone. Some culture in this world usually do better in group and some if they work alone. This also influence the productivity of the factory or the office one individuals of one culture. For example Taiwan that have low individualism point, they usually prefer to work within a group to finish one project, in contradiction for United States of America, they have high points for individualism because of that the people in America prefer to work alone for their work. Masculinity Vs Femininity According to Hatch, Mary Jo, (1997), this point is where in one culture of the competitive competitor to be able to accept the gender issues and the gender roles in society. This gender issues mean the speciality of the man race to be superior to woman. For example, Taiwan have low masculinity points, woman it is not limited to only become house wife but can become a high rank manager in one company but for America that have high masculinity points, the women in America is prefer to stay at home and become a house wife and take care of the children. Uncertainty Avoidance This point is where one culture is accept and to gamble the outcome without the plan that detailed and specific and risk it to get the objective of oneself or the group. If the uncertainty avoidance level is high than the people do not want to risk it and the people have to follow every step carefully and vice versa. For example, America have low points for uncertainty avoidance so Americans confidence to take the risk and brave to risk all to gain something, in contrast the Taiwan people that have high uncertainty avoidance, so the people always have to follow the regulation and have to follow every step their leader gave them one at a time. Short-Term Orientation Vs Long-Term Orientation This point means the relationship of oneself to other with some maintaining relationship. It also maintaining the good thing from the past to get the brighter light in the future of the work condition. For example, for Taiwan that have a high points in long-term orientation like to get their reward for their work in the future and to maintain some link with their former colleagues, in contrast, Americans that have low long-term orientation points, they like to get their reward as soon as their work done, they do not care about the future and they usually did not contact their former colleagues. Q5 Equity and Expectancy Theory This question we are going to discuss about the equity theory and expectancy theory. The expectancy theories is based on the employees behaviour and to get the maximum outcome and likely to get reward for the return. The equity theory is based on the equality of the employees and how the employees treated in the office environment to meet the goals and motivated them more. Equity Theory First we are going to talk about the equity theory. According to Stone, Raymond J (2005) that this theory states, all the employees of the company need to be treated equally and fairly and they have to receive the suitable outcome for them and their input according to the effort they make to make the company running. It also make the employees to be motivated and the outcome have to be equal with the efforts they had spent. This theory have 4 main factors that have to be fulfil. First, the one that have the equity or inequity is perceived. Second, comparison with others, means that the person have to know the effort they have to do and know the input is for them. Third, the effort the person used to fulfil the job to be achieved because the person bring their characteristic and this can decide how is the work going to fulfil. For example, the important job is given by the manager of acer to the most sufficient worker and give the easy task to the normal employees. Expectancy Theory According to Ivancevich, John M. (2008), the expectancy theory means to give an equal reward because of their successful effort and result but also it motivate them to work harder than before. This theory is also have 4 important factors. First is first-level and second-level outcomes. The outcomes of first-level is that the employees will going to work harder and it increases the company productivity, reduced the absenteeism, turnover and increase the quality of the product itself. Second-level outcomes is where the first-level is fulfilled, what is the reward or the outcome for the employees going to get, such as, promotion or termination, reduced salary or more salary, or else. Second, instrumentality, means the perception of one individual have about the performance or the first-level are related to second-level or the outcome. Valence is the third, is the outcomes that have been predict by the individuals. And last factor is expectancy, means that the employees belief that the p robability of the outcome of one particular behaviour is parallel. For example, the manager give more payment to the group that have the most brilliant ideas to give and give the prototype for the presentation in the due date. Conclusion The conclusion of this assignment it is that first, the management impression is an attempt to control and the atmosphere of the impression from other individuals. Second, the leadership its can choosing to rule with behaviour or reward and coercive system to motivate the employees. Third that with some of the communication in this world between one cultures to another, always have a barrier that make the communication to become misunderstand. Fourth, the norm of one cultures have is sometime different from others. And last that to maximise the outcome of the productivity the company can motivate their employees by a reward and coercive power or by become the advisor to give an advice to reach the peak of the company productivity References Ivancevich, John, M., Konopaske, R., Michael, Matterson T. 2008.  Organisational Behaviour and Management. 8th Ed. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. James, B. MacGregor. 1978. Leadership. New York. Harper and Raw. Mary, Lahey N, 1987. Academy Of Management Review. 1st Ed. Georgia, Athena: Ausburn University Stone, Raymond J, 2005. Human Resource Management. 5th Ed. Australia: John Wiley and Sons Australia. Hatch, Mary J, 1997. Organisational Theory. 1st Ed. New York: Oxford University. http://www.turknett com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/TransactionalandTransformationalLeadership.pdf. Access at 1 December 2014 https://leadershipchamps.wordpress.com/2008/08/04/transactional-leadership-vs-transformational-leadership/. Access at 31 November 2014 http://smallbusiness.chron.com/transformational-leadership-vs-transactional-leadership-definition-13834.html . Access at 30 November 2014 http://strandtheory.org/images/From_transactional_to_transformational_-_Bass.pdf. Access at 1st December 2014