History Of Light Infantry Essays - Military Terminology,

History Of Light Infantry For a long time peace was understood in negative fashion, simply as the absence of war. -Yvon Garlan Kendrick Pritchett in the introduction to the book ?The Greek State at War? points out that in order to write history of Greek Warfare one would require a knowledge of many aspects of Greek life. The would-be investigator would have to be familiar with terrain in the case of any given battle, have an acquaintance with the archaeological artifacts of various types, close familiarity with the written sources, and most important, an understanding of the general economic picture. He would also need some insight into ancient religion and acquaintance with military and naval procedures and strategy.? There is a definite truth about the statement. Even such narrow subject as development of light infantry in ancient Greece requires inquiries in multiple areas of overall Greek history. The knowledge of what ancient Greeks considered light infantry, an insight on development of ancient Greek infantry in general, agricultural warfare, key historical event that assisted in changing Greek outlook on war: these areas are absolutely essential in researching the subject of light infantry in Ancient Greece. Researching the primary sources for the subject of ?light infantry? an investigator would find a puzzling fact; there are little or no references to the subject of inquiry. Ancient historians Thucydides, Xenophon, Herodotus, do not refer to ?light infantry? troops, instead they use term peltast. It appears that the term peltast signifies a ?light armored warrior? for the ancient historians. The term itself comes from pelta or pelte - a small shield that inhabitants of Thrace used as their battle armor. We find descriptions of Thracian peoples in Herodotus' ?The Histories.? ?The Thracians in the army wore fox-skin caps on their heads, and tunics on their bodies; over these they wore embroidered mantles; they had shoes of fawnskin on their feet and legs; they also had javelins and little shields and daggers.? Climate in Thrace, both political and weather wise contributed to development of specific armor (or lack of it) and way of fighting. Ancient Greek historian Xenophon had served under Odrysian prince Seuthes in Thrace and recorded one of the campaigns in his treaties ?Anabasis.? From the description, Thrace appears to be very cold and snowy which is not uncommon for northern parts of Greece. It also explains why Thracian peltasts had no heavy armor, relied on maneuverability and preferred skirmishing techniques to battle in formation. Also, there is no account of Thrace developing a city-state or any other kind of political organization other than tribes. Which explains predominance of primitive way of fighting over organized formation. Arthur Ferrill argues that although there definitely was a contact between ancient Greeks and Thracians, it had little or no affect on Greek warfare in general. This point is arguable, since there is evidence (mostly pottery, unfortunately) that Thracian shield and helmet designs were used by Greeks from 460 BC and on. Also the appearance of ekdromoi - runner outs in Greek phalanx, was probably a result of contact with Thracians. Ekdromoi were young, physically fit warriors that were instructed to run out and prevent Thracian peltasts from harassing Greek formation. Consequently, ekdromoi had to give up some of their heavy armor to gain in maneuverability. Considering evidence in hand, Ferrill's argument appears to be more plausible since history shows that it would take much more than skirmishes with Thracians to change Greek outlook on war and fighting. Agricultural warfare, Greek Hoplites. Placing light infantry on the battlefield by the ancient Greeks signified the change in general Greek way of fighting. Roughly, ?general way of fighting? is associated with hoplite phalanx warfare. Understanding hoplite warfare is essential in uncovering the origins of light infantry aside from it setting the pace of Greek life for almost five hundred years. Sometime between 700 BC and 650 BC formation of heavy infantry or hoplites began to take place. The changes took place primarily due to social and political developments within Greece itself, appearance of polis, Greek city-state and extensive agriculture, which created communities of equal property owners. It is plausible to assume that Greek farmers out of concern that somebody would traverse their land began to arm themselves, farmer solidarity developed.

Language Essays - Language, Learning To Read, Lexicography

Language Essays - Language, Learning To Read, Lexicography Grichikhina Anastasia Group 31 III MO 22/11/15 Summary Language The article Language by John Ayto observes the issue of evolution of the English language and how it has changed in connection with the constantly developing social environment. The author analyses the current condition of the English language and presents several ways in which it is evolving. Firstly, John Ayto recognizes the spread of the English language and a great number of its users and various spheres where it is actively used. He states that this situation is caused by the spread of universal education and literacy worldwide in the 19th and 20th centuries. Secondly, the author notices that words are mirror of their times. Moreover, he adds that by analyzing the spheres in which the vocabulary of a language is expanding in a given period, people can form a precise impression of the main preoccupations of society at that time. John Ayto provides such examples as the implementation of military vocabulary after the Second World War, vocabulary concerning destruction of the environment which emerged in the 1970s et cetera. Thirdly, the narrator touches upon the issue of rehabilitation of the words that have been forbidden to speak aloud for some time, and also some books which have been banned for many years because of the usage of so-called Anglo-Saxon words and notorious four-letter words. So, the author points out the tendency to upgrade the status and acceptability of spoken English. However, there is a contrary trend that shows a wide-spread introduction of euphemisms which are used instead of the words which were considered normal and non-offending just a century ago, especially those concerning the issue of race. Finally, the author points out five ways in which new words are created. It happens by creating new meanings of old words, then by producing blends, by converting words to initials, by borrowing words from other languages and by coining new words out of nothing, All in all, the main idea of this article is that every significant change in history always has a fingerprint in our language which is the best way to reflect the spirit of the age.

History of East Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of East Asia - Essay Example ruthless, despite the clarity indicating that civilization is a force that Japan or any other country cannot fight, it has not taken root in Japan as it should have since there are some quarters of resistance. Therefore, it is Fukuzilwa Yukichis argument that Japan must simply fight for civilization since the present world is a world of competition. The western civilization has spread virtually everywhere through the help of the existing communication facilities, such that its wind is being felt everywhere in the East. However, the western civilization did not take effect in Japan with the speed that would have been anticipated. This is because; despite the fact that people gradually understood the importance of embracing civilization and started to accept it, the political structure in Japan did not favor civilization. Thus, as much as the people would struggle to adapt the characteristics of western civilization, â€Å"there lay on the road of progress an old-fashioned government†3. Civilization is, in fact, vast, such that a country can no longer consider its own independence from the concept of civilization. This is because; â€Å"the question of a country’s independence from foreign countries is no more than one small part in a complete theory of civilization†4. Civilization is also very intrusive, suc h that it has permeated into almost every aspect and endeavor of the human spirit, so much so that it becomes difficult for people to dissociate with it. It is not only Japan that has some political and custom factors that acts as barriers to civilization, but also the other countries of East Asia. Japan is neighbored by China and Korea, and the two countries have also resisted civilization by clinging to their old customs. Nevertheless, the fact remains that civilization cannot be avoided, owing to the fact that even though China and Korea have stuck to their old customs, â€Å"they are not cut off from seeing and hearing of civilization.

Administrative Law Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Administrative Law - Case Study Example This principle, known as Wednesbury unreasonableness, requires William to establish that the Ministry's decision is William however is seeking to rely on a previous policy and to be treated as an exception to the existing, published policy. The question is whether he has a substantive right to do so, given that decision makers have the right to change their minds and have a duty to make unfettered decisions.4The doctrine of legitimate expectation5 recognizes that occasionally when a public body makes an unfettered decision injustice is done to a citizen. A citizen will have a legitimate expectation where an official statement or other conduct of a public body has led to a reasonable belief that the citizen will be able to claim a benefit or advantage and it would be unfair for the public body to deprive the citizen of that benefit or advantage. Examples include where an official letter stated that an interview would be given before deportation6 and where an official circular stated t hat adoptions from abroad would be allowed in certain circumstances.7 The fact that the compensation scheme came into being by the government exercising its prerogative powers will not preclude the court examining the justicability of the subject matter.8 In Council for Civil Service Unions v. Minister for the Civil Service [1984]9 their Lordships held that the trade unionists had a legitimate expectation that they would be consulted based on regular consultation on conditions of service in the past until they were given reasons for its withdrawal and the opportunity to comment. In R v. North and East Devon Health Authorities Ex p Coughlan [2000] the local health authority reneged on a promise that the claimant would have a home for life. The Court of Appeal held that the statement was clear and unambiguous and that it was reasonable for the claimant to rely on it. On the basis of the reported decisions William will certainly have sufficient interest to apply for judicial review. Whether the court will bind the Ministry to honour its earlier policy on his behalf is a matter for the court's discretion. The court has to weigh the consequences of allowing William's expectations to be filled against the unlawful fettering of the Ministry's discretion and frustration of Parliament's clear intention not to award compensation. He will certainly be entitled to a fair hearing and to be given reasons why he is to be denied the benefit. The court will only insist that the Ministry honour his expectation if there is 'some overriding public interest which justifies a departure'10 Although William is required to state the remedy(ies) sought in his initial application for judicial review, all remedies are discretionary in judicial review, and there is no guarantee that he will be granted any remedy even if he is successful. Technically speaking the court can order any one or more of 6 orders in a judicial review application: a quashing order, a mandatory order, a prohibitive order, an injunction, a declaration and damages. In practice however a legitimate expectation does not give an absolute right to a remedy - only a heightened claim to the benefit or advantage.11 Generally the most

Evolution of reading and writing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Evolution of reading and writing - Essay Example It is factual that ancient periods were characterized by people who had no knowledge regarding reading and writing. It was a state of utter ignorance where nobody ever pictured the development of the highly sophisticated forms of reading and writing. As such, the advancements realized today are a product of continuous and new developments that have lasted for more than a thousand years. The nature of reading and writing differs from one geographical location or society to the other. However, it is worth noting that there are some fundamental steps that have characterized all these developments. For instance, in the earlier days, convectional signs or pictures is what was used to express ideas. This however changed over time and was replaced by phonetic writing. Later development gave way to syllabic writing before alphabetic writing eventually took over (Schmandt-Besserat 43). The origin of writing and thus consequent evolution cannot be traced back to one particular place. Instead, historical studies indicate independent emergence of these skills in different regions of the world. Some studies suggest the Egyptians and Sumerians as the first people who developed the writing skills. Despite of the variability, the researchers noted that Sumerian writing depicted Egyptian influence and vice versa. This study further suggests the need to document their agricultural data as the drive behind this development. In addition, other factors such as need to annotate dealing in trade activities and government taxes were significant in influencing the development of reading and writing. The early records from Syria show the use of clay tokens which were shaped differently to represent agricultural products. In this case, each shape indicated different products and further marks were added to provide further means of distinguishing products of the same kind. This system went on for some long period before being replaced with three dimensional hollow balls. This also never l asted long as they were small and handier to use and so they were substituted with two-dimensional tablets at around 3100 BC curved to represent the products. This was also cumbersome since it required one to curve as many drawings as the number of products were (Martin 66). Further Advancement simplified the whole process by allowing individuals to only specify first the number and then indicate the object. This marked the inception of scribes who kept record of units inform of lines drawn using the stylus tip and tens by pressing the stylus bottom on a tablet. The shape of the product counted followed this. For instance in a case of 43 amphorae, one would indicate: OOOOIII followed by only one amphorae shape. This was another significant step forward and was made even better as new system allowed different signs to indicate goods and numbers (Schmandt-Besserat 34). In around 300BC another development in writing and reading skill realized the introduction of new sings that drifted from indicating the usual objects to indicate sound also called phonograms. This was a reaction to the growing need to solve the problem related to writing names of persons. Cuneiform derives its name from the idea that it used signs that were similar to small wedges. In this form of writing agricultural goods and domestic animals were drawn using conventional signs while wild animals drawing conformed to the distinctive characteristics of each animal. However, a problem

Documentary photography

Documentary photography Intro Documentary photography is extended form — that is, a work composed of a sizeable number of images. Some relation to text is a given, even if its only minimal, as in the identification of subject, date, and location; the text may in fact be extensive. There is no external time limit implicit in this form; some documentary projects have stretched over decades. For this reason, the documentary photographer is likely to have the opportunity to refine the project, not only through the analysis of the work-in-progress at various stages but even by the reshooting of unsatisfactory segments of the work. The elaborate nature of such projects lends itself to subjects that are seen as enduring; for much the same reason, the final forms they assume tend to be durable: the book and the exhibition have to date functioned as the primary embodiments of documentary projects, though certain audio-visual formats are serving this purpose with increasing frequency. The expose, the compassion and outrage, of documentary fuelled by the dedication to reform has shaded over into combinations of exoticism, tourism, voyeurism, psychologism, and metaphysics, trophy hunting – and careerism. It is easy to understand why what has ceased to be news becomes testimonial to the bearer of the news. Documentary testifies, finally, to the bravery or (dare we name it?) the manipulativeness and savvy of the photographer, who entered a situation of physical danger, social restrictedness, human decay, or combinations of these and saved us the trouble. Or who, like the astronauts, entertained us by showing us the places we never hope to go. War photography, slum photography, â€Å"subculture† or cult photography, photography of the foreign poor, photography of â€Å"deviance.† As I see it, the intentions of a documentary photographer are to record some aspects of reality, by producing a depiction of what the photographer saw and which portends to represent that reality in as objective a manner as possible. I believe we have already discussed in all sorts of forums the fact that photography per se, is tantamount to manipulation. That the impact of the lens selected, the film chosen, and all the other technical variables leave ample room to question the so called faithful representation of reality. So let us not mull over this one endlessly, as I think it thins the debate rather enhances it. The journalist is not some copier machine that simply reproduces mindlessly what is placed on the platen in front of her. He weaves and puts together the information in order to insure that it accurately portrays the information presented in a decision making process that supports the story being presented. As I have come to understand it, it has mainly to do with past traditions and customs. It apparently flies in the face of reason, that if one would alter an image, it no longer could call itself a document. What is wrong in that analysis is that any and all alterations have been treated equal (they are all bad). We know for a fact that not all alterations have the same justifications behind them, that some alterations can even contribute to enhance the veracity of an image rather than the opposite. Furthermore, many of the fears related to the conceptual changes for photography have to do mainly with a loss of certainty of what the photograph actually is delivering, in so far as a document, with little debate about the veracity of the content of a given image. We are of course dealing here with the same sort of ethical debates around editing a story, be that with text or film, even sound tracks, something everyone has been discussing for a long time. For photography it is no different. Why should it be? Since the 1980s photojournalism has been at a crossroads. Digital technologies do impinge on the routines, rituals, traditions, and behaviors of photojournalists. Digital technologies do require a variety of skill-sets that could not have been imagined a half-century ago. The photojournalist of the future will understand the ethical responsibilities that come with electronic digital manipulation. The rise of documentary photography does not spring from fashion. Rather its rapid growth represents strong organic forces at work, strong creative impulses seeking an outlet suitable to the serious and tense spirit of our age. The proof that documentary photography is not a fad or a vogue lies in the history of other movements in photography. Against this pattern of sterility, of ideas which could not reproduce themselves, we have the new function (and evolving from it the new esthetic) of documentary photography, an application of photography direct and realistic, dedicated to the profound and sober chronicling of the external world. To Lewis Hine, who thirty-five years ago was making photographs of child labor in sweat shops and textile mills, the vague tenents of pictorialism or the even less useful purposes of the photogram or rayograph must be incomprehensible. To the hard-working photographers of the Farm Security Administration, the somewhat remote and abstruse manner of the spiritual heirs of the Photo-Secession may seem too refined. To such a photographer as Berenice Abbott, setting down the tangible visage of New York in precise detain and lineament, the sentimental fantasies of a Fassbinder must be well nigh incredible. We have all had a surfeit of pretty pictures, of romantic views of hilltop, seaside, rolling fields, skyscrapers seen askew, picturesque bits of life torn out of their sordid context. It is life that is exciting and important; and life whole and unretouched. By virtue of this new spirit of realism, photography looks now at the external world with new eyes, the eyes of scientific, uncompromising honesty. The camera eye cannot lie, is lightly said. On the contrary, the camera eye usually does nothing but lie. But the external world is those facts of decay and change, of social retrogression and injusticeas well as the wide miles of America and its vast mountain ranges. The external world, we may add, is the world of human beings; and, whether we see their faces or the works of their hands and the consequences, tragic or otherwise, of their social institutions, we look at the world with a new orientation, more concerned with what is outside than with the inner ebb and flow of consciousness. The fact is a thousand times more important than the photographer; his personality can be intruded only by the worst taste of exhibitionism; this at last is reality. Yet, also, by the imagination and intelligence he possesses and uses, the photographer controls the new esthetic, finds the significant truth and gives it significant form. Body A new generation of photographers has directed the documentary approach toward more personal end. Their aim has not been to reform life, but to know it. Their work betrays a sympathy — almost an affection — for the imperfections and frailties of society. They like the real world, in spite of its terrors, as the source of all wonder and fascination and value — no less precious for being irrational . . . . What they hold in common is the belief that the commonplace is really worth looking at, and the courage to look at it with a minimum of theorizing. Contemporary documentary practice by photographers such as Fazal Sheikh, Simon Norfolk, Luc Delahaye, Paul Graham, Martin Parr and Pedro Meyer examine the social world with a measured sense of contemplation, challenging the traditional conventions of documentary photography in revealing a vision and voice about the real world. As I see it, the intentions of a documentary photographer are to record some aspects of reality, by producing a depiction of what the photographer saw and which portends to represent that reality in as objective a manner as possible. If we can agree to that description, I can already see our critics pounding on their desks accompanied by some degree of glee on their faces, as they suggest that this is precisely the reason why there is no room for the computer to be used in recreating documentary images. That the impact of the lens selected, the film chosen, and all the other technical variables leave ample room to question the so called â€Å"faithful representation† of reality. So why are so many people up in arms about the idea that a photograph edited in the computer is not really a true documentary representation? As I have come to understand it, it has mainly to do with past traditions and customs. It has been widely commented that much of the important photojournalism of the last several years has been done by amateurs — London Underground bombing, Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse, coffins of American soldiers coming from Iraq, young woman being flogged in Afghanistan, etc. And now, of course, there are the many images from Iran by amateurs which become even more critical as professionals are banned from the country. Instead of a single iconic photograph we will often be looking at imagery made by people who, as amateurs, are not schooled in the history of photography–they will be making imagery for information, not to replicate or create new icons. As such, their imagery will probably often be both more original and more awkward, but it may also make it more difficult to find the telling metaphors. In this sense, the imagery will be more modest and probably more credible. The need for professional photo essayists with deep understandings of specific cultures, both insiders and foreigners, is more crucial than ever. Somehow they must be paid for their work, and equally important is to find places for them to publish. Like writers and editors, photojournalists are held to a standard of ethics. Each publication has a set of rules, sometimes written, sometimes unwritten, that governs what that publication considers to be a truthful and faithful representation of images to the public. These rules cover a wide range of topics such as how a photographer should act while taking pictures, what he or she can and cant photograph, and whether and how an image can be altered in the darkroom or on the computer. This ethical framework evolved over time, influenced by such things as technological capability and community values; and it is continually developing today. News images shape our culture in ways both profound and deep. These photos have woven themselves into the collective memory of a generation. There are some who would even say that the mounting weight of photographic evidence was the primary cause for public opinion to shift against the war in Vietnam, and hence effected an end to the war itself. As such, to borrow a phrase from pop culture, â€Å"With great power comes great responsibility.†1 Responsible photojournalism means adherence to a standard of ethics. Photographic and video images can reveal great truths, expose wrongdoing and neglect, inspire hope and understanding and connect people around the globe through the language of visual understanding. Photographs can also cause great harm if they are callously intrusive or are manipulated. Ethics is an inherently subjective field. In his seminal textbook, Photojournalism, the Professionals Approach, author and photojournalism professor Kenneth Kobrà © writes, â€Å"Photojournalism has no Bible, no rabbinical college, no Pope to define correct choices.†8 There is no sole arbiter of what is or isnt ethical, and even if there were, the line isnt always black and white. Most texts regarding ethics in photojournalism focus on the issue of what might be termed â€Å"photographic truth† whether a particular image accurately represents the subject or whether it misleads the viewer. The National Press Photographers Association Code of Ethics states that the â€Å"primary goal† of the photojournalist is the â€Å"faithful and comprehensive depiction of the subject at hand.† Additionally, photojournalistic ethics might encompass the choices an individual photographer makes while shooting. For example, should a war photographer put down his cameras in order to help an injured soldier? If someone asks that his or her photo not be taken, is it ethical to photograph that person anyway? If ethics in photojournalism is about being â€Å"faithful and comprehensive,† is intentionally underexposing or poorly focusing unethical? Some of these questions sit on the line between journalistic ethics and professionalism. Utilitarianism as a philosophy attempts to weigh positives and negatives of a situation, and maximize the good for the greatest number of people. For example, if gruesome photos of a car crash offend the victims families, but shock the community into driving safely, then by Utilitarianism the taking and publication of those photos is deemed to be ethical. Photographer-centric ethics have to do with photographers choices at the time news photos are captured up until the photos are handed off to an editor. Whether or not to pose a subject, the question regarding what to do with a wounded soldier in combat, and how a photographer treats an image in the darkroom (or in the computer) are all matters of photographer-centric ethics. The method used to reproduce photographs on the printing press was not perfected until the 1880s, and it was not widely adopted for several more years. The New York Times, for example, did not publish photos until 1896. Though The New York Times printed its first photographs in a Sunday Magazine in 1896, the newspaper was not without visual imagery before then. Advertisements in The Times throughout the 1880s feature drawings and etchings, and those tools were occasionally used for news purposes. Though photography was known to many people and gaining popularity as an art form at the time, newspapers lacked the technology (and therefore the ability) to include photographic images as part of their reportage. This, however, did not stop some newspapers from hiring photographers and making use of their images. Some period newspapers employed both graphic artists and news photographers. This process was used at many different newspapers from the late 1800s to the early 1900s. The hand-drawn images were popular with readers, and publishers were loathe to switch over to the newer photographic technology. That technology, the halftone process, employed a fine screen that converted an image to a series of dots. When, at last, newspapers and magazines were able to regularly feature photographic images, the photos themselves were almost as much of a story as the news itself. Newspapers throughout the early 20th century are rife with â€Å"worlds first photo of † images. Around the turn of the century, smaller and less complex photo equipment started to become available. Celluloid film, first used for photographic purposes in 1888, was rapidly replacing glass as the substrate for photographic chemicals. This, along with Kodaks famous â€Å"Box Brownie† camera allowed more people to start taking photographs of their own. Among the public, the spread of amateur photography sparked by George Eastmans Kodak and other small cameras and the invention of faster lenses, shutters, and film led to a taste for candid, often close-up images with a sense of immediacy and spontaneity: the posed group portrait was obsolete in leading media by circa 1900. In the 1930s, technology started to work in the photojournalists favor. The Leica camera, invented in 1914 and marketed in 1925, gained popularity first with photographic luminaries such Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson, and then slowly with the rest of the industry. Thwarted by military censors from reporting the â€Å"what, where, and how† of World War I, journalists engaged the â€Å"who† the human interest stories that were already a staple of early 20th century media. These were cheaper and easier to file than hard news and analysis. they were also encouraged by the new light weight cameras and faster lenses introduced in the mid-1920s. These easily handled cameras performed in low light and could be used surreptitiously. If they did not give birth to the paparazzi as well as â€Å"street photographers those nimble observers of lifes odd encounters and human comedies they helped make spontaneous, sharp-eyed photojournalism a key language of modern vision. They changed the approach of photo reporters: no longer official observers beholden to those in power, photojournalists could be the eyes of the public prying, amused, or watchdog eyes. The split in U.S. society over the war in Vietnam and the controversy about it worldwide were reflected in media coverage, which in turn helped sharpen opposition to the war from around 1968. Photojournalism itself changed. The issues were too complex for neat photographic embodiments, and the war itself had few triumphs. While posing photos and staging news events had been taboo for some time, there was little precedent to inform photographers as to how and whether to render aid to their subjects during active combat. On one hand, helping a wounded soldier might have saved his life. On the other hand, â€Å"helping out† made photographers complicit with their subjects, and removed some of the distance necessary for journalistic objectivity. As photographic technology continued to evolve into the 1980s and 1990s, so too did photojournalistic ethics. The early 1990s saw the dawn of purely digital news photography. In the 1980s, magazines and newspapers started to experiment with incorporating digitized images into their layouts. Though some photojournalists were carrying laptops to remote places, setting up makeshift darkrooms, and scanning and transmitting film photos, the digital switchover did not start in earnest until 1992. With digital technology came digital photo manipulation. While the tenets of ethical news photography still held, there were notable breaches. Throughout photographys history, an unsuspecting public has been fooled by manipulated images. What is of concern to modern media watchers is the justifications used to alter images through computer technology not the fact that such alterations can be published without detection. The difference between todays â€Å"citizen photojournalism† and the aforementioned examples is the ubiquity of the imaging devices in modern society. In 2004, consumers bought 257 million camera-equipped mobile phones. By comparison, during the same time only 68 million digital cameras were sold.69 Millions upon millions of people are walking around with cameras in their pockets, waiting to become accidental photojournalists. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people in the general public are not aware of the nuances of photojournalistic ethics. Worse yet, there are people who actively try to dupe or trick the mainstream media into using ethically questionable (or flat-out fake) images. Not only can faked photos be misleading, they can have dramatic real-world consequences. During the 2004 election, it was briefly but widely reported that Senator John Kerry and activist Jane Fonda spoke at the same anti-Vietnam war rally. The accompanying photograph depicts Fonda and Kerry s tanding together at a podium. Nowhere was the power of citizen photojournalism more clearly demonstrated than in the summer of 2005 during the London subway bombings. On July 7, 2005, three bombs exploded on London subway cars, and a fourth detonated on a bus. Fifty-two people died, and some 700 were injured.74 Within minutes of the blasts, citizens began chronicling the aftermath using both standalone cameras and cameras embedded in mobile devices. While working photojournalists and other members of the press responded as quickly as they could, their still images were not as intimate or immediate as those taken by the affected passengers. Some of those passengers who took pictures with their mobile devices later uploaded them to photo-sharing websites like flickr.com. The next day, in a journalistic first, both The New York Times and the Washington Post ran front-page camera phone images that were taken by citizens, not by photojournalists.75 In describing the emerging citizen journalism trend, Dennis Dunleavy o f The Digital Journalist writes, â€Å"The future is here, now. The future came with the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, the devastation of the tsunami in the Pacific late last year, and now without question, London. The digital camera phone is the future and we have much to learn from this emerging technology.†76 Conclusion The great challenge here is to deconstruct previous templates so that they not be relied upon to continue the generic typecasting of journalism famine, flood, bombing, crime wave, accident, power figures, etc. A conversational media will begin with the humanity of the person (the subject), not their social ranking. Rather than being looked at by the journalist, it will be generally better to think of the subject as potentially becoming involved in the conversation. Since photography itself is only about 150 years old, this was not always the case. It would be impossible, of course, for â€Å"photojournalistic ethics† to predate photojournalism itself. While the concept of â€Å"ethics† has been around since the dawn of recorded history, photography has not. As of this writing, photography is still less than two hundred years old. It is fairly obvious that no ethical system could exist for any sort of photojournalism before photography was invented. This might appear to suggest an acceptable date from which to begin studying ethics in American photojournalism why not start at the beginning of photography? Even after Nicà ©phore Nià ©pce fixed the first permanent photographic images in 1826, it took several decades (and several inventors) before mankind had the technology to marry photography with text on the printed page. Photojournalism is a large and diverse field with very little consensus regarding ethics, even within small sub-genres (community newspaper photojournalism, for example). While most working press photographers should be aware of the consequences of ethical breaches, there is no â€Å"Photojournalists Hippocratic Oath,† no common Ten Commandments of ethics in photojournalism, nor are there standard â€Å"punishments† for ethical violations. Each publication and news organization sets its own ethical standards, which may simply come down to what it will tolerate, or what will sell more papers, in terms of pushing the ethical envelope. Sometimes these rules are written down in concrete codes of ethics, and sometimes they are simply the empirical sum of what is acceptable to the staff or a particular editor at a particular publication. Images in our pages that purport to depict reality must be genuine in every way. No people or objects may be added, rearranged, reversed, distorted or removed from a scene (except for the recognized practice of cropping to omit extraneous outer portions). Adjustments of color or gray scale should be limited to those minimally necessary for clear and accurate reproduction, analogous to the burning and dodging that formerly took place in darkroom processing of images. Pictures of news situations must not be posed. In the cases of collages, montages, portraits, fashion or home design illustrations, fanciful contrived situations and demonstrations of how a device is used, our intervention should be unmistakable to the reader, and unmistakably free of intent to deceive. Captions and credits should further acknowledge our intervention if the slightest doubt is possible. The design director, a masthead editor or the news desk should be consulted on doubtful cases or proposals for exceptions . After tracing the history of ethics in photojournalism and examining the state of those ethics today, one cannot help but wonder where photojournalistic ethics are going. Since nobody can confidently predict the future, the only option is to examine current trends and extrapolate. Certain issues are on the cutting edge of the present photojournalistic ethics discussion, and those issues are likely to play significant roles in shaping tomorrows photojournalism. Of course, without a crystal ball there is no way to be sure. From the invention of flash powder that made it possible for Jacob Riis to document the hideous conditions in New York tenements, to the Adobe Photoshop software that Brian Walski used to doctor his image, technology has certainly played a part in the evolution of todays ethical system. One might even say that technology has been the predominant influence in the evolution of todays ethical system (at the very least, but for the technology of photography itself, there would be no photojournalism). Likewise, technology will almost certainly be the driving influence regarding ethics in the future. Multiple factors will drastically change the ethical landscape. These include the further assimilation of digital photography work-flows into the newsroom, the improvement of consumer photo technology, and the omnipresence of photo technology including cameras in portable devices such as cell phones and PDAs. The shift away from printed material and towards electronic media for image consumption will also leave its own mark on photojournalistic ethics. Digital photography is the predominant means of image capture for American newspaper and magazine photojournalism today. Not only has it been that way for several years, the rate at which it has taken over is astounding. This bitwise blitzkrieg of sorts has brought with it new and difficult ethical challenges. In the â€Å"old days† before digital photography, images had a definite physicality. Photographs were fixed on pieces of film acetate coated in a chemical emulsion and developed in chemical baths. A photograph was something that could be held in ones hand. While not impossible, it was far more difficult to pull off a convincing photo fake. Twenty years ago, Brian Walski could never have doctored his image in the field. What might have taken minutes on his laptop would have taken hours, or even days, in a darkroom. Though the news cycle has sped up considerably since then, even two decades ago most newspapers and magazines couldnt afford that sort of delay before publication.65 Using Adobe Photoshop, the software with which Walski effected his fake, is more convenient, more effective, and easier than altering photos in a wet darkroom. Newer cameras and more powerful editing software both impact photojournalistic ethics, however sometimes that impact can be surprising. Since so much of the substance of journalistic ethics is about the process rather than the result, technology that enables new (or old) processes will automatically impact the ethical landscape. One recent example is the release of the Nikon D2x camera. The D2x is a professional caliber SLR with a unique feature it allows the photographer to create multiple-exposure images in the camera itself.66 Before digital imaging, most SLR cameras came with a switch that allowed the photographer to cock the shutter without advancing the film. This allowed the photographer to expose the same frame of film multiple times. One frequent use for this feature was to couple it with a motor drive, and take a sequence of photos that showed motion throughout a single frame. With the advent of the digital SLR, photographers lost the ability to use this technique in-camer a. For a similar effect, photographers could take a series of images and overlay them with digital editing software. Most publications, however, insisted upon labeling these images as â€Å"photo-illustrations† because of the ex post facto manipulation. The Nikon D2x restored the photojournalists license to create multiple exposure images. In addition to professional equipment, consumer and â€Å"prosumer† camera technology is also improving, and cameras included in mobile devices are starting to become more popular. Many of these mobile devices are networked (cell phones, for example), and are capable of transmitting images in near real time. During major news events, some photo editors are inundated with images from â€Å"citizen photojournalists.†67 Citizen journalism, of course, is nothing new. This widespread citizen media production and consumption raises an important question. With more and more people carrying cameras in their pockets, will the future have a place for the â€Å"professional† photojournalist? At first the question seems compelling for two reasons access and tools. In terms of access, it is impossible for a small cadre of trained photojournalists to be everywhere and to photograph everything that is newsworthy. There were no working photojournalists aboard the London bus and trains that were bombed, but there were people with camera phones. With each successive generation of camera phone improving in resolution and quality, the gap between the professionals tools and the citizens tools is closing, just as the ubiquity of those tools is increasing. â€Å"Professionalism,† however, connotes more than being in the right place at the right time with the right camera. In the photojournalism industry, professionalism means technical skill, news gathering experience, and of course ethics. Photojournalist Nancy L. Ford writes: A photojournalists job is to go out and experience life for others, to capture an event on film, and hopefully capture the emotion that was experienced, so the readers can see and feel what it was like to be there. The photojournalist must capture the truth, too. This means the photographer must only photograph what has happened, when it happened and not recreate a situation because they didnt get there on time. They must not move things around on the scene of an event to make the pictures look better. They must not alter their photographs on the computer or in the darkroom, like take an ugly telephone pole out of a picture. The photojournalist must also tell the truth, just like the reporter.77 [The] unsupervised approach may be even more of a problem with photography, because the meaning of an image can be manipulated through use in a false context, or no context at all. In the looting that followed the fall of Saddam Husseins regime there were photographs of US soldiers with arms full of money taken off the looters they had arrested, and which they were returning to an appropriate location. The same photographs could represent responsible people attempting to restore law and order, or ruthless invaders plundering the country that was their victim, your choice, depending on who you are and where you are. With technology enabling even the most unskilled amateur to take good quality photographs such misrepresentations are likely to occur more frequently. Not only will there be a greater number of images of any given event, but once theyre on the Internet they will be readily available to anyone with an agenda. Furthermore, amateur photographers dont have the same training as professional photojournalists, nor have they acquired the same experience and instincts.78 This professionalism, experience, and instinct is what ensures the existence of the photojournalist well into the future. Reportage has occured since the dawn of printed news, yet seldom is the place of the professional print journalist questioned. This is in spite of the fact that ordinary citizens sometimes have greater or more immediate access, and that many people carry pencils and paper (the tools of the print journalists trade). In the world of written journalism, professional journalists (who are bound by their own ethics) cull quotations from non-journalists. Absent blogs, nobody asks citizens to write whole news articles about what they witness. In other words, though recently The New York Times ran a camera phone image that was taken by a â€Å"citizen photojournalist† on its front page, it is doubtful that they

Educational Administration and leadership

These are the most salient problems that the superintendent faces in her new job. (i) Complacency This is the general contentment with the state of affairs in the district system. In my opinion this is most salient of the problems since it presents a culture that has taken time to develop. Its effects are that the stakeholders fail to see their vulnerabilities and do not see the need to change. This culture is deeply ingrained in Harmony district such that any effort to bring change will definitely be resisted and this is not something that’s going to be resolved easily. As it is a mind that has learnt to think in a certain pattern will not easily be taught otherwise. The areas of complacency include: Non-compliance with the teaching evaluation program – The school district management team, teachers and parents have gotten used to not complying with these rules and it will take firm action to ensure compliance. (ii) Inequities – racial and poverty segregation This presents a special problem to the improvement of the district school system. This is a major obstacle not just to the school system but to the development of the entire region. The effects segregation are deep rooted and not easily resolved. Segregation is a social evil that requires diligent and patient campaign. It adversely affects the education system because when a school is economically segregated and under funded it affects the spending and consequently the quality of a school. This in turn affects the performance. (iii) Personnel This is a countrywide problem. The majority of teachers are old and waiting for the age to retire. This means that they are not so keen on utilizing the modern methods of teaching. Their teaching style is out-dated and is not relevant to today’s changing world. They do not prepare their students to be adequately prepared for the challenges of today’s world. The superintendent has to ensure that the state mandate is followed and that teaching models used prepare students adequately. This problem is not very easy to resolve since the superintendent cannot hire or retire teachers. However one of the actions will be to ensure that the state mandate is complied with and all teachers evaluated regularly. The teaching models have to be up to date and should take into account the changing role of education in today’s world. iv) Financial mismanagement This is a form of corruption and the problem with any form of corruption is that those who practice it will always fight back any efforts to stop them. However this problem is put as the fourth priority because it’s slightly easier to resolve. These are always laid down procedures in all financial undertakings and the superintendent will have to ensure transparency and accountability by for instance putting in place an independent audit committee that will look into the books of accounts and ensure that no funds are misappropriated. The superintendent will ensure that financial regulations that concern the school system are followed. An audit committee will also be formed to examine all the books of accounts. Another strategy is will be ensuring that the responsibility of overseeing the budgeting and appropriation of funds does not lie on an individual/person but on a board to take care of this important responsibility. (v) Lack of support from assistants The 3 associates’ superintendents have openly disclosed their diverted interests. The fact that they didn’t get the coveted position makes them not be the best working mates. Their support willingly given would go a long way in ensuring the success of the changes that need to be made. Without it the superintendent’s job becomes more challenging. (vi) Low level of education among parents Parents who have not attended college are less likely to encourage their children to seek further education in colleges. This has led to the small number of students furthering their education after high school and to some extent the low population of students attending high school in the district. (vii) Indiscipline Scholl indiscipline is reported in the schools closest to the metropolitan centre. This is a thorny issue that needs to be urgently addressed since the potential of disrupting learning and aversely affected performance. Solutions Complacency This problem will take a lot of firmness and strength of will on the part of the superintendent. It is not going to be easy to inspire change to the people especially with the three associate superintendents not promising any support. However it can be done through the following steps: – †¢ Laying down the problem of pointing the vision for the future. †¢ Ensuring proper and effective communication with the stakeholders. This will ensure that people own the process or at least understanding why the changes must be made. †¢ Taking firm action in areas of complacency. Ensure that areas are non-compliance with the state mandate and so forth. Personnel This is a countrywide problem. The majority of teachers are old and waiting for the age to retire. This means that they are not so keen on utilizing the modern methods of teaching. Their teaching style is out-dated and is not relevant to today’s changing world. They do not prepare their students to be adequately prepared for the challenges of today’s world. The superintendent has to ensure that the state mandate is followed and that teaching models used prepare students adequately. This problem is not very easy to resolve since the superintendent cannot hire or retire teachers. However one of the actions will be to ensure that the state mandate is complied with and all teachers evaluated regularly. The teaching models have to be up to date and should take into account the changing role of education in today’s world. Financial mismanagement This is a form of corruption and the problem with any form of corruption is that those who practice it will always fight back any efforts to stop them. However this problem is put as the fourth priority because it’s slightly easier to resolve. These are always laid down procedures in all financial undertakings and the superintendent will have to ensure transparency and accountability by for instance putting in place an independent audit committee that will look into the books of accounts and ensure that no funds are misappropriated. The superintendent will ensure that financial regulations that concern the school system are followed. An audit committee will also be formed to examine all the books of accounts. Another strategy is will be ensuring that the responsibility of overseeing the budgeting and appropriation of funds doesn’t lie on an individual/ person but forms are board to take care of this important responsibility. QUESTION 2 (i) One of the first personnel decisions the superintendent will make will be to increase the number of staff at the professional development office. This is from understanding that this office plays a crucial role in the district. It is the office charged with the responsibility of managing the school district’s teacher evaluation system. Currently teacher evaluation has not been happening in accordance to the state mandate. One staff member is not able to accomplish all that needs to be done. This office is also charged with the responsibility of giving assistance and support to new teachers. The fact that this office has not been functional in the last many years has affected the orientation process for the new teachers in the district. Having nowhere to turn to they now seek help from principals and other experienced teachers within their schools. These principals and teachers may be too busy or may not be objective in their giving of assistance. This has led to new teachers not being properly oriented. This will in turn affect their future work. Again this department will make it possible to motivate and boost the morale of the new teachers. (ii) Initiate comprehensive staff development program This program will be designed with the view of training teachers and will incorporate improvement plans. The time for planning will be set out in the program and the teachers being trained will be exempted from their normal responsibilities. The superintendent will recommend to the district board the adoption of performance pay policy for school principals who show remarkable performance. This will serve to encourage principals to spur the teacher within their schools to work even harder with their students so that they may improve their performance. This is in accordance to the human resource concept of giving incentives to outstanding performance in order to motivate them. Question 3. A curriculum philosophy refers to a set of values, beliefs and ideologies that guide educational administrators in the execution of their day to day duties. The numerous challenges facing Harmony District School system calls for a superintendent with a focused mind, one who is able to dissect through the problems of the school system and thereafter offer long lasting solutions to the inequities rampant in the area, the lax educational administrators , the dysfunctional teacher support services as well as the dismal performance of the schools , the increasingly agitated parents, the ignorant the ignorant and unsupportive parents all require a superintendent with a strong philosophy. A strong and reproducible curriculum philosophy is not only a guide to the superintendent but also serves as guidance to the whole district school system in dealing with the existing challenges and issues. The superintendent will have to borrow from similar cases in other systems especially from where they are transferring from. Additionally, the superintendent will rely heavily on the almost 30years field experience to deal with the staff as well as the parent body which clearly are not functioning in a manner likely to yield into a synergetic effect. Performance is the greatest challenge for the incoming superintendent. The statistics clearly point to a scenario whereby only very few students make it to the grade level. A comparative. As the new superintendent, the following curriculum if followed would result in the school system regaining new strengths and therefore uplifting the school performance. By emphasizing on non-compromise to quality, the superintendent will ensure that through better management staff, and especially then 253 veterans will use traditional instructional methods and have gone un-inspected for 5 years are inspected and such incidences do not recur in future. Usually such occurrences are caused by laxity on the part of the associate superintendents as well as the superintendent. If such a problem occurs at the superintendent’s office, this can only mean that matters are worse off in the schools. This has a bearing on the motivation of teachers as well as of the students and therefore performance is affected. Specifically, to bring the poor performing schools in the north area feeder system would simply require; adherence to state mandate on inspection and evaluation, addressing the inequality issues such as resources, enough teachers and enough administrators. Integration as a curriculum philosophy calls for amalgamation of the school system into the needs of the students and parents with an aim of ensuring that the schools provide and impart self sustaining education. By achieving the above, the superintendent is able to save the whole school system. The involvement of the local community in all of the above measures is of core importance in that the community is a big stake holder of the school and therefore all measures must get the approval of the community in the sense that it is the community that naturally should benefit from the school system. Currently that is not the case because the school system has ceased to adhere to state mandate rules and regulations. 4) You are to assume that Harmony School District is in a state with precisely the same laws as yours. You are concerned that the student performance data is evidence of inequities in the system and you are concerned that the school district has become complacent with these inequities. What problems presented in this case are related to issues of power and domination? Harmony school district must be made to deal with the rampant cases of inequities. The worst thing is the fact that this inequities currently happening do happen under the watch of the law enforcers. The superintendent is mandated to oversee the whole school system in the district. The law has to some degree protected the marginalized communities from discrimination and unfair treatment but at the same time it has failed to freely address the problem which studies have shown as a major contributor to poor performance in some schools in the Harmony school district. The above mentioned problems can only be addressed through the implementation of the state laws regarding education and which calls for and guarantees equal opportunities in the school system regardless of ones racial background. Although the law has been in place for decades it is evident that, it has not dealt and addresses the problems conclusively and effectively. Therefore there is a need for a more concerted effort towards the protection of the minority groups especially in the African-American community whose entry to grade – level is pathetic and wanting. The other legislation which needs urgent review is the school administration Act which calls for all education officials to be vigilant in making sure that the laxity observed in the school system for the past 5 years is done away with. Specifically, the following issues need urgent attention from the superintendent; Resource allocation is another issue, the fact that there is only one professional development staff is an indicator of neglected and dysfunctional school system. This can only be referred to as lack o human resource and it is a pointer to inequality in the resource distribution in the Harmony schools districts. The fact that, the schools have not had, their classroom buildings repaired for the past 5 years is a further testimony that the system is fully mismanaged and there is inequity in resource allocation. There is a need for equitable resource allocation from the state education department with an aim of ensuring that all schools no matter their locations or the social class have access to equal and adequate learning facilities including all necessary resources such as teachers, staff and materials. Without equitable resource distribution the pertinent issues of poor performance as well as other challenges facing the school system shall continue to haunt the school system and the superintendent in charge. Therefore the funding of the schools in the country need to be looked at afresh with an aim of helping out places like Harmony schools districts which is facing unprecedented challenges. The numerous sit-ins by parents is something which the superintendent needs to be wary about mainly because the trend may lead to general disturbances in the schools further affecting performance. This becomes a reality due to the fact that, if the parents are taking part in sit-ins or strikes then the children may take after them and the situation may further complicates an already complicated situation. The issue of power and domination is evident in the school system. The fact that, the white students perform better than others from other backgrounds is a pointer of power wars in the schools which may imply a dominance by children from well to do parents. Dominance is also evident in the way the parents who work in the nearby town in professional jobs are more active in the affairs of the school and even have seconded representatives to board meetings. This is an indicator that, the above are advantages as compared to their colleagues who do blue-color jobs who do not actively participate in the day to day running o the schools. Finally this is reflected in the performance of students therefore resulting into inequities.

Ducati Case Analysis Essay

Executive Summary As of year 2000, global motorcycle market is dominated by a handful of players. Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, and Kawasaki are low cost players while Harley and Ducati are in the high end of the spectrum and have been able to successfully establish themselves as a premium brand. Harley dominates the cruiser motorbike segment and is a really strong player in the US, where it has a big fan following and loyal customer base. However Ducati has been struggling to increase market share and reach to Harley’s level of profit margin that is highest in industry. Ducati is self discovering itself with Minoli to target right customer segments, retaining its core competencies and establishing its brand image for which Ducati stands for. Minoli’s consideration of entering into Harley’s niche market of cruisers is an excellent choice for Ducati’s future growth, as it reinforces the premium flagship of products that Ducati is famous for. We recommend Ducati develop a â€Å"sports-cruiser† motorbike that offers the riding style and comfort of a cruiser such as Harley Davidson, and yet be fast and nimble. We also recommend offering customization capabilities through Ducati.com and company-owned stores as well as single franchise stores that would continue to offer the same legacy and brand association that Ducati loyalists prefer. The motorbike will be priced at E12,000 (USD 16,200) which is right in the range of Harley’s custom cruiser motorbikes and will take a  step away from Ducati’s current line of sports bikes. This move may seem a bit risky at first, but the fact that Ducati’s R&D expenses will be fairly low due to availability of high quality engines and large su pplier pool; this will not require significant new investment to the current setup. Additionally, the company will be able to entice new customers in a niche segment with high margins and get a significant opportunity for gaining market share. Also, Introduction of these motorbikes in Europe initially will also reduce the possibility of a backlash from Harley who is the leader in the US market. Ducati can then expand to US once they have acquired some sales momentum. Ducati does not expect retaliation from the low-cost Japanese players as it is still positioning itself as a premium manufacturer. However, there is still possibility of new entrants or Japanese makers to introduce a knock-off model in which case Ducati will be able to distinguish itself on attributes including high performance, customization, brand image and the prestige that it has historically enjoyed and is respected for in the industry as well as the global market. Evaluation of Global Motorcycle Industry Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and few of high end premium manufactures that include BMW, Harley-Davidson, Triumph and Ducati comprised the Global motorcycle Industry. These manufacturers compete in different market segments and select demographics based on different attributes and styles of motorcycles across the product offerings. Our analysis of the industry is summarized using Porter’s Five Forces analysis (Exhibit 1) Suppliers: Recent trends in the motorcycle manufacturing have been leaning towards outsourcing of most motorcycle components and the companies doing the final assembly in-house. Most manufacturers have multiple choices of component suppliers that they may switch at will. This strategy provides them with high negotiation power, reduced fixed assets, and greater flexibility to meet changing market conditions quickly. However, the companies need strong commitment from their suppliers for a quicker turn around, efficiency and quality. Buyers: Customers/end users have been categorized into different segments such as knee-down riders/fast riders, easy riders, hot rods/urban riders, and weekend riders. These riders choose the bike based on performance, lifestyle, function and comfort. A motorcycle is a highly  differentiated product that is used for transport and has lots of alternatives or competitors, and for this reason buyer power is high. Customers have myriad of choices ranging from different styles of bikes such as sports, super sports, off-road/dual purpose, cruisers, naked bikes, etc. to different brands including high end names such as BMW, Harley Davidson, Ducati, and low price options from Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, etc. Entry Barriers: The motorcycle industry is very difficult to enter and compete in due to high capital investments spent on R&D, well-established relationships with suppliers, and strong brand loyalty and recognition that has been established for decades. Motorcycles are becoming more and more technologically advanced, which makes it very difficult for a new entrants to compete on a similar level without large amounts of capital and innovative differentiators. Rivals: Rivalry between the eight major motorcycle manufacturers can be considered high. The total number of motorcycle manufacturers has declined dramatically, with only one major manufacturer remaining from the US. These major players are fierce competitors and are vying for market share based on the brand, style, attributes, service, and price (especially Japanese companies). As a result of such high competition within the industry, manufacturers constantly need to improve designs and functionality. Substitutes: Lastly, several substitutes are available if we consider motorcycle only as a mechanism of transport. However, in many cases, a motorcycle is beyond a mere mode of transportation as a curator in the case said, it is a â€Å"perfect metaphor for twentieth century.† Riding motorcycles provide a unique experience, and it has been a cultural icon as presented in a number of Hollywood movies. In this sense, threat of substitutes, which may be sports cars and racing cars or other mode of transportation, could be considered fairly low. The following section describes changes in the industry and how that affects Ducati. Industry Changes & Implications on Ducati: The industry is advancing at a high pace today due to technological innovations, such as the introduction of electronic components, advent of CNC and CAD technologies, advances in material science to introduce lighter and stronger composite materials. Superior engine performance combined with lower emissions and fuel consumptions is rapidly changing the face of the industry and competition. There is also a push from the manufacturers to improve  components like sophisticated air assisted forks, mono shock rear suspension, and front and rear disc brakes to meet the customers’ hunger for better quality as derived from market survey results and customer feedbacks. These technological changes and quality improvements are positive for Ducati who is abreast on its technological innovation and performance. Advanced engineering and state of the art technology have always been Ducati’s strengths, as evident by the number of World Superbike Championships won by Ducati between 1990 and 2000 (8 victories). Lighter materials help Ducati to continuously improve its already superior performance and retain its position in the sports segment where it already has a stronghold. Additionally, the outsourcing of components and in-house assembly platform of manufacturing turns in favor of Ducati as most of Ducati’s suppliers are concentrated in the Emilian district – a major hub of specialized parts and components suppliers. Ducati typically enters into short-term contracts with its suppliers. Effectively, Ducati has enjoyed a strong hold on its supplier base which in turn has made them the most-efficient manufacturer in the industry and this strategy will continue to provide them the flexibility and edge in design and sourcing of new components going forward. Ducati’s Current Strategy Frederico Minoli, the CEO of Ducati, had two strategic goals in mind when he took over: double digit growth and equaling Harley-Davidson’s profit level of EBITDA margin of 20%, which was the highest in the industry. The challenge was split within the company into polarized directions; Engineers wanted to continue company culture of high focus on product, and Minoli wanted to appeal to broader spectrum of customers and not just extreme riders. The following section provides our analysis of Ducati’s current strategy using Strategy Diamond method (Exhibit 2). Arenas: Ducati primarily offered performance bikes in sports and street category, which are broadly identified as Hyper-sport, Super-sport, Naked and Sport touring. They face tough competition from Japanese manufacturers such as Honda, Yamaha, Kawasaki and Suzuki, who have captured the lion’s share of the market. Research shows that a large number of new registrants are categorized under customs and small motorcycle segments with 32.7% and 22.9% market share respectively in 2000 (Case Exhibit 2). Ducati is lagging behind  in this segment as far as the market share goes. In regards to geography, Ducati has distribution through Italy, US, Germany, France, Japan, UK (Case Exhibit 14). Ducati currently attracts and retains young male â€Å"knee down† riders and racing aficionados who associate Ducati with extreme performance and functionality, and recently there has been an increase in women customers (who comprise of 8% of their Monster line – their most popular model). This could be a growing segment that Ducati has not yet considered. Lastly, Ducati’s products are in the sports niche; 41% to 54% of its customers own large bikes greater than 500cc. It gradually entered in sport touring category to address older customer base and also entered into accessories and apparel b usiness by acquiring Gio.Ca.Moto which produces line of accessories for Ducati. Nonetheless, Ducati’s limited editions in 1999 were icing on Ducati’s portfolio. Vehicles: Ducati has excellent engineers and designers who themselves are fanatics of the motorcycle- they are purist â€Å"knee down† riders, and have strong beliefs in speed, performance, and passion for races. Ducati invested a large proportion of their revenue in designing new technology, development of products and human resource management. Ducati’s core strengths including the Desmodromic valve distribution system and the technical superiority of its engines, and their collaboration with other firms such as Lamborghini and Ferrari fueled Ducati’s growth. Ducati advertises through specialized magazines and focus on the Italian style, history, young riders, and a sporty attitude. Ducati.com website used the internet as a vehicle, and sold 500 units of a limited edition in 31 minutes and 2,000 units in 10 days at different times, educated customers, and created awareness about its brand, this has been a real win for Ducati. Differentiators: Ducati’s goal was to improve average quality of dealers and increase competence sales force unlike Japanese manufactures who utilized multi-franchise retailers to sell multiple brands with less specialized knowledge of products. Secondly unlike their competitors, they established Ducati clubs approximately 400 which allowed members to â€Å"live† at racing events and get inside access to teams. Ducati also participated in social events and museum tours that has helped Ducati disseminate information about its history and brand which increased customer loyalty and helped acquire new ones. Ducati is heading in the right direction but is still far from Minoli’s vision to enable and foster dealers  to connect with clubs more easily. Staging: Minoli strategized Ducati to turn into a powerful brand and would move away from just competing with Japanese brands. Ducati decided to build museum instead of fixing the raining roof and that’s one key factor in building the brand image of Ducati and sending the right signal to employees and customers. It then identifies the 5 core attributes that Ducati signifies – technologically advanced engine, tubular trestle frame, Italian style and its unique engine sound. Ducati was able to reduce the time to market effort for all its new products utilizing their research centers muscle. Another important decision Minoli took was entering into accessories and apparel producing business. This created the â€Å"world of Ducati† a very successful initiative to build on Ducati brand and strengthen its customer loyalty. Economic Logic: Ducati is a premium brand that consumers appreciate and regard highly. The brand image and legacy allows Ducati to keep prices high and hence reap high profit margins on its motorbikes, accessories, apparel, etc. Ducati motorbike prices can max out at $21,895 compared to $14,350 for Harley Davidson, $9,500 for Triumph, and $9,300 for Honda. Also, its limited edition bikes were sold at world-wide price of E26,000 that made Ducati reap huge profit margins. Ducati’s own marketing and distribution process and exploiting power of internet (Ducati.com) helped it retain most of its profit and have higher margins and they controlled their production costs by standardizing components, (eg: only two crank case and 3 cylinder designs).. Recommendations and Specific Actions Arena: We recommend Ducati to design and launch a custom sports-cruiser bike targeting sports bike fans, who would prefer the riding comfort, style, and customization of a cruiser. This new product is essentially a fast motorbike that has a sports engine morphed into cruiser style chassis. We also recommend offering customization services to suit the style and needs of our individual customers. This will be introduced initially in Europe and eventually in the US and Asia. Europe is the market where Ducati has experience, design expertise, preferred supplier base, proximity to racing arenas, and association with other world-renowned sporting car companies like Maserati and Lamborghini. Hence, building a strong foundation in Europe first provides the advantage that is very hard to imitate by others. Our  target segment is riders in the age group of 30-50 who like the comfort and the style of a cruiser, and yet prefer the power, speed, and especially the handling that is synonymous to a sports bike. Additionally, there is interest in customization especially for cruiser segment that we would like to exploit and offer as an added benefit to our customers. Furthermore, we will leverage light-weight design components (magnesium alloy frame, carbon fiber body and parts) to provide the performance edge needed in a sports bike. This will attract young riders as well as women, who typically prefer lightweight bikes. Vehicle: Initial launch will focus on current Ducati owned stores. This will help us gauge customers response; provide early feedback from Ducati loyalists, as well as opportunity to attract customers using word-of-mouth advertising. Based on the feedback and learning from this rollout, we would be able to identify other possible locations to open new stores (combination o f company owned and single-franchise dealers), starting from Italy, and then expanding out into the European sub-continent. We do not plan to open any new stores immediately, until the market picks up and demand is more than 25% of existing sales. The assumption is that any increase within 25% of sales volume can be managed via the existing stores. Any franchising will be done through single-franchise dealerships so as to maintain more control and emphasize quality. As a long-term plan, we also would like to add 10 new Ducati owned stores leased at strategically important cities around Europe, which would cost us E10M (E200K/year) over 5 years , and another E5M for maintenance (design, upkeep, staffing, taxes etc.) Differentiators: Customers value Ducati for its brand, high performance engines, strong association with racing, Italian style, and the unique sound of its engine, among other things. We believe that our strategy will help maintain our core competencies and resources intact, while allowing us to expand into newer space as well. The customization services that we also plan to offer along with our product will be a value-add service to Ducati loyalists, which can be priced at a premium. These customization services include different body styles, paint schemes, accessories etc., which will benefit from the availability of the large pool of supplier base that we have local access to. This large and varied supplier base also provides Ducati with buying power and quick turn-around time of new designs. Advertising expenditure for Ducati comes to about  three times that of Harley in the year 2000 alone. About 14.5% of gross revenue is being spent on advertising, marketing and sales effort, close to about what we get in return as our net income. We do not plan to cut down on advertising and marketing but will have to come up creative, more cost effective ways to get our message out there to reach a broader spectrum of customers like Minoli envisioned. Using channels such as word-of-mouth, social-media, YouTube videos, collaboration with sports bike bloggers, commentators, and also investing and expanding Ducati fan/owners clubs are ways we can leverage cost-effective marketing techniques. Economic Logic: Our R&D team (including HPE) already has several high-end performance engines that can be utilized in designing such a bike, hence we feel our major R&D expenses will be towards the design of the frame and body components. This will reduce our overall R&D spend, as compared to a full blown redesign/production of a new engine technology. Furthermore, we only need about E2M for R&D expenses; E5M for CAPEX, leaving the remaining E12M for advertising. This CAPEX budget covers the additional manufacturing capacity as well as assembly line expenses. We plan to leverage the existing network of suppliers by continuing to outsource. We forecast a sale of 3,300 bikes to be sold in the first year after launch (initially Europe only), priced at E12,000 ($16,200 per unit), see Exhibit 3, which is 2% of the worldwide cruiser/custom motorbike market, where Harley is the leader. Ducati was able to sell about 3,500 units of its sports touring after launch, so we think that we should be able to meet this forecast of 3,300 for the new sports-cruiser hybrid. Thereafter, we project a 10% growth in sales in the 2nd year, and thereafter about 15% growth in the 3rd, 4th and 5th year. We are assuming that the life-span of a design is typically for 5 years; thereafter, this design/model would be retired or become obsolete. We would price the bike at about E12,000 so that it is not seen to be a cheap bike, while at the same time making sure it is not too expensive for Ducati fans to buy. At a discount rate of about 8% and an initial investment of E17M to launch the product in Europe, we anticipate a net return on investments of a bout E16.8M in 5 years. Major Internal and External Risks Currently, there is no market research available that shows a segment in Europe and US who would like to have a hybrid cruiser that drives as a  sports bike. The retail chain and distribution channels available in Europe and the US are perhaps more familiar with Harley-Davidson dominating the cruiser segment, and the Japanese players competing in both the cruiser and the sports segment in Europe. Ducati is a world renowned Italian sports bike brand and although we are positive that we will have considerable success in carving out a sizable market segment with this new product we plan to launch, there is always a risk in going after a new market segment, especially a niche segment. Significant capital would have to be invested to arrange ad campaigns, events, retail chains to raise awareness, all before a dime is earned. Internal Risks: Ducati’s expertise lies in the sports bike arena, and it has never offered a cruiser style motorbike. The needs of this customer segment are definitely different than the sports bike segment, and it is possible that Ducati could run short on delivering a product that meets the needs of the segment itis targeting. Ducati may not necessarily have the skills or the expertise to provide this sort of value to its customers. Translating and adapting its core skill-set to a different model type to develop a product more aligned with the cruiser model is not going to be easy. Also, this move could upset hard-core Ducati fans, who would not want Ducati to be associated to anything other than sport bikes. Ducati could possibly risk losing their loyal fan base, if it were to diversify into bike-variants other than sports. Diversifying too far from what Ducati is known for also puts the reputation and prestige of the company and its engineers who have become respected and well-known in the industry for making high quality performance bikes. The technical excellence and performance that Ducati is so well-known for around the world could well be seen to become diluted by moving into a cruiser bike segment which historically has been associated with a different demographic segment altogether. Yet, by carefully positioning this new product to be a sports bike at its core and by re-establishing our commitment to producing high-quality performance bikes that we have come to be known for, we could potentially re-assure our current fans. External Risks: Harley Davidson has dominated the custom cruiser segment for years with a very loyal fan base and supplier chain. Ducati’s entrance in this segment will be seen as an aggressive move by Harley, and Ducati must be prepared for some backlash. Harley has a strong network of suppliers, and distribution channels in the  US, and has set high entry barriers for Ducati in the US market. Ducati’s suppliers are primarily located in Bologna, and hence Ducati has enjoyed the benefit of being in close proximity to a large pool of supplier base and component manufacturers. Going with sports cruiser hybrid could mean that Ducati may need to establish relationships with a whole new set of suppliers based out of the US. US suppliers might not necessarily have a sense of the Italian style, a core value that the product provides. Therefore, we do not plan to enter the US market just yet, thereby preventing getting ourselves into a face-face with Harley. Once we build some credibility with customers in Europe, where we have a strong supplier base, and a decent distribution channel, we could potentially launch in the US in 2-3 years time frame based on the success of this launch. European markets have been dominated by Japanese players in sales volume, and entering the market could prompt them to bring out a competing product of their own, which could eat into the market share that Ducati is hoping to grab with this hybrid. If Ducati does not differentiate its product and service offerings enough, there is a risk of being dragged into a price war with the Japanese. However, this is the arena where Ducati shines and has made its name- superb performance, exquisite design, and the racing dominance. By strategically positioning our product for a whole new segment of customers Ducati can protect itself from appearing to start a war. By providing additional customization services, which would be charged at a high premium, we separate ourselves by going after an audience who is not a typical low-cost Japanese bike buyer. BMW successfully launched and defined its own cruiser and so can Ducati! Exhibit 3: Projected Sales Year Unit Sales Growth Units Sold Price/Unit (in Euros) Total Revenue EBITDA 0 -â‚ ¬17,000,000 1 3,300 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬39,600,000 â‚ ¬6,930,000 2 10% 3,630 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬43,560,000 â‚ ¬7,623,000 3 15% 4,175 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬50,094,000 â‚ ¬8,766,450 4 15% 4,801 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬57,608,100 â‚ ¬10,081,418 5 15% 5,521 â‚ ¬12,000 â‚ ¬66,249,315 â‚ ¬11,593,630 NPV â‚ ¬16,862,800

The protagonists attainment of self-knowledge shines through the darkness in Nino Riccis Lives of the Saints and Shakespeares King Lear.

The protagonists attainment of self-knowledge shines through the darkness in Nino Riccis Lives of the Saints and Shakespeares King Lear. Tragedies, be they modern or renaissance, rarely manifest a positive nature that transcends the bleakness of their character. The protagonist‚s attainment of self-knowledge shines through the darkness in Nino Ricci‚s Lives of the Saints and Shakespeare‚s King Lear. The tragedy evolves from the beginning and reaches its apex, resulting in the protagonist‚s acquisition of self-recognition and consequently outshines the catatonia of the story. Both main characters are more sinned against than sinning yet their suffering is necessary because it allows them to gain knowledge that they would not have otherwise obtained.From the very first scene, the reader sees the darkness manifest in King Lear. Lear, a proud monarch used to getting his own way, decides to make a show of dividing his kingdom between his three daughters. To his misfortune, he commits three fatal sins that eventually lead to his despair. First, in a shocking display of rage, he disowns his honorable daughter , Cordelia, when she tries to be sincere towards him.18th-century depiction of King Lear mourning over ...He responds with, ‚“Better thou/Hadst not been born than not to have pleased me better‚” (1.1.67). In a similar blunder, he banishes his faithful servant, Kent. Finally, as he divides his land between his two evil daughters, Goneril and Regan, his fate is sealed and the process of this bleak tragedy is set into motion.The darkness in Lives of the Saints is established later in the novel, beginning with Vittorio witnessing a blue-eyed stranger fleeing the shed where Cristina, Vittorio‚s mother, has been bitten by a snake. It‚s downhill for Vittorio from here as, though she survives the snakebite, his mother‚s illicit affair with the blue-eyed stranger is somehow made public to the entire town, who respond in a superstitious and unfriendly manner. New to all these dark facets of human nature, Vittorio is...

Lord Of The Flies Essays (355 words) - English-language Films

Lord Of The Flies Essays (355 words) - English-language Films Lord Of The Flies Critique Lord of the Flies written by Willam Golding, is a 208 page novel, written in 1954. Lord of the Flies is about a group of of young english boys whos planes crashes onto a remote island. Throught the novel the boys gradually changed from civilzed english boys to to small savages that need to surive. The author used many metaphors and Imagery to describe the situations and places on the island. All the places in the island where described very well for example when Ralph first used the conch to call the other boys. The author says, Ralph pursed his lips and squurted air into the shell, which emitted a low , farting noise. That line tells the reader exactly how he blew the conch and he described how he put he is lips on it and what sound it made. He uses very descriptive words in that line and the reader feels like they are standing right next too them. the authors metaphors are also another good use of litery techinque it in the book. Willam Golding also uses alliteration in this next example. This quote is when Jck is ready to hunt the beast. He gave a wild whoop and leapt down to the pale sand. Wild whoop would be alliteration and could also be considered onomapeia. The pale sand is a metaphor beacuse it described what the sand looked like. Willam Golding used many literary techinques in this book which make the book more interesting and fun to read. Lord of the Flies by Willam Golding was very interesting and fun too read. I liked how the author described many aspects of the island and the creatures that lived on it. The book was very detalitled so i always new what was going on and it felt like I was right there because the book is so detailed. I liked reading Lord of the Flies because it was very interesting. It described so manythings that i could imagine being next to one of the characters. Lord of The Flies proved ot be a great adventure novel. I would recomened this book to anyone who likes to read adventure novels and peole who like a good ending in the book.

Age of Earth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Age of Earth - Essay Example One of these planets, the Earth, used to be a scorching molten rock that cooled into dry land for 70,000 years – the period indicating how old the Earth was at the time Buffon made the study. On the other hand, Irish Archbishop James Ussher of the 17th century believed that the dates in the Bible are significantly reliable in determining how long the Earth has existed since creation. According to him, secular dates are able to project a trustworthy chronological structure of history where through the Bible, with specific reference to the death of King Nebuchadnezzar, he managed to estimate that the Earth was created on the 23rd of October, 4004 BC. For William Thomson, a British scientist widely known as Lord Kelvin, laws of thermodynamics govern the determination of the birth of the living planet. In particular, he necessitated the application of Fourier’s theory to calculate a date when the Earth, initially in its molten state (7000 Â °F), underwent cooling via conduction and radiation. Upon solving the Fourier’s equation, Thomson discovered the possibility that it could have taken the Earth about 24-40 million years to form as the extreme level of temperature evened out in the process. By the time John Joly proposed the revolutionary sodium method of approximating the Earth’s life during the late 19th century, he conducted a mathematical analysis of the rate at which salt is delivered to the ocean waters. This involved finding the concentrations of salt (by mass) in all oceans from which Joly conveyed the notion that the sum of these concentrations (in grams) divided by the average rate of salt flow (in grams / year) into the ocean equals the total age of the oceans combined which then serves as the basis for the age of the Earth. The technique with sodium enabled Joly to conclude that the Earth is approximately 90 – 100 million years old. A more modern approach in the field of chemistry was employed by the

Compare and contrast the marketing strategies of two major brands, Essay

Compare and contrast the marketing strategies of two major brands, Apple and Samsung - Essay Example ke Apple to continuously come up with products such as iPhone, iPad, Macbook etc, that are popular among consumer segments (Ferral and Hartline 2012, 1). The uncertainty of the external environment provides greater motivation for a company, particularly ones operating in the high-tech electronic industry, to continuously innovate and develop high quality products. Development of marketing strategy enables evaluation of a company’s strengths and in turn allows an organization to capitalize on its strengths thereby providing a competitive advantage. Apple and Samsung, both virtually operating the same industry, employ their marketing strategy to survive the competition in the companies’ macro-environment. Availability of resources is an important aspect of marketing strategy for organizations operating in the electronics industry (Viardot 2004, 196). The fast-paced environment in the digital world necessitates the presence of ample amounts of resources in order to keep the technology updated. For Apple, continuous innovation in technology and the need to develop popular consumer products requires large amounts of both, human resource as well as capital for research and development (R&D). Such availability is vital to a brand’s image, particularly ones that deal in high-tech goods and services. Same is the case with Samsung where effective marketing strategy has allowed it to move its reputation to a premium electronics brand that has grown its market share tremendously. All aspects of marketing strategy including pricing, distribution, etc, play a central role in the delivery of consumer satisfaction with the product (Chang 2011). Marketing strategy altogether acts to provide consumers with a superior user experience. Today’s electronics industry is increasingly dynamic and the development of effective strategies and marketing plans are important for the success of organizations that operate in the growingly competitive environment. Speaking about Apple