The Alma Ata Declaration Health And Social Care Essay

The Alma Ata Declaration was officially adopted at the International Conference on Primary Health Care in Alma Ata ( in present Kazakhstan ) in September 1978 ( WHO, 1978 ) . It identifies and stresses the demand for an immediate action by all authoritiess, all wellness and development workers and the universe community to advance and protect universe wellness through Primary Health Care ( PHC ) ( ibid ) . This has been identified by the Declaration as the cardinal towards accomplishing a degree of wellness that will let for a socially and productive life by the twelvemonth 2000. The rules of this declaration have been built on three ( 3 ) key facets which include: Equity – It acknowledges the fact that every person has the right to wellness and the realization of this requires action across the wellness sector every bit good as other societal and economic sectors. Participation – It besides identifies and recognises the demand for full engagement of communities in the planning, administration, execution, operation and control of primary wellness attention with the usage of local or national available resource. Partnership – It strongly supports the thought of Partnership and coaction between authorities, World Health Organisation ( WHO ) and UNICEF, other international administrations, many-sided and bilateral bureaus, non-governmental administrations, support bureaus, all wellness workers and the universe community towards back uping the committedness to primary wellness attention every bit good as increasing fiscal and proficient support particularly in developing states. Other of import rules identified by the Declaration include: wellness publicity and the appropriate usage of resources. The declaration calls on all authoritiess to explicate schemes, policies and actions to establish and prolong primary wellness attention and integrate it into the national wellness system. It was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 1978 hence enshrining it into the policy of the WHO ( Horder, 1983 ) .BackgroundBack in the sixtiess and 1970s, many developing states of the universe gained independency from their colonial leaders. In attempts to supply good quality health care service for the population, these new authoritiess established learning infirmaries, medical and nursing schools most of which were located in urban countries ( Hall & A ; Taylor, 2003 ) therefore making a job of entree to ‘good quality ‘ wellness service particularly for people that reside in rural communities. Successful programmes were initiated by Tanzania, Sudan, Venezuela and China in the sixtiess and 1970s to supply primary attention wellness services that was basic every bit good as comprehensive ( Benyoussef & A ; Christian, 1977 ; Bennett, 1979 ) . It is on the footing of these programmes that the term ‘Primary Health Care ‘ was derived ( Hall & A ; Taylor, 2003 ) . In low income states, the primary wellness attention scheme as described by the Alma Ata was really influential in puting wellness policy during the 1980s nevertheless in high income states such as the United Kingdom, it was considered irrelevant on the given that the degree of primary attention service was already good developed ( Green et al. , 2007 ) . Primary wellness attention has been defined in the Declaration of Alma Ata as ; â€Å" indispensable wellness attention based on practical, scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods and engineering made universally accessible to persons and households in the community through their full engagement and at a cost that the community and state can afford to keep at every phase of their development in the spirit of self trust and self-government. It forms an built-in portion both of the state ‘s wellness system, of which it is the cardinal map and chief focal point, and of the overall societal and economic development of the community. It is the first degree of contact of persons, the household and community with the national wellness system conveying wellness attention every bit near as possible to where people live and work, and constitutes the first component of a go oning wellness attention procedure. † ( WHO, 1978 ) The Alma Ata Declaration brought about a displacement on accent towards preventative wellness, preparation of multipurpose paramedical workers and community based workers ( Muldoon et al. , 2006 ) . In order to accomplish the planetary mark of wellness for all by the twelvemonth 2000, ends were being set by the WHO ( WHO, 1981 ) some of which include: At least 5 % of gross national merchandise is spent on wellness. A sensible per centum of the national wellness outgo is devoted to local wellness attention. Equitably distribution of resources At least 90 % of new-borne babies have a birth weight of at least 2500g. The infant mortality rate for all identifiable subgroups is below 50 per 1000 live-births. Life anticipation at birth is over 60 old ages. Adult literacy rate for both work forces and adult females exceeds 70 % . Trained forces for go toing gestation and kid birth and lovingness for kids for at least 1 twelvemonth of age. It has been over 30 old ages now that the Declaration of Alma Ata was adopted by the WHO. A expression at the current wellness tendency around the universe particularly in developing states such Nigeria, Ghana, Niger, Zimbabwe and so many others will uncover that the end of accomplishing wellness for all by the twelvemonth 2000 through primary wellness attention has non been a world. Although there have been sensible betterment in immunization, sanitation and entree to safe H2O, there is still hindrances in supplying just entree to indispensable attention worldwide ( WHO, 2010 )What went incorrect?Lawn et Al. ( 2008 ) explain that the Cold War significantly impeded the coveted impact outlook of the Alma Ata Declaration in the sense that planetary developmental policy at that clip was dominated by neo-liberal macro economical and societal policies. The consequence of this on poorer states of the universe peculiarly in Africa was execution of structural accommodation programmes in atte mpt to cut down budget shortage through devaluations in local currency and cuts in public disbursement. This resulted in the remotion of subsidies, cost recovery in the wellness sector and cut dorsums in the figure of medical wellness practicians that could be hired. The debut of user charges and encouragement of denationalization of services during this period had an indecent consequence on hapless people who could non afford to pay for such services. The combination of these factors therefore resulted in portion to the crippling of the quality of service that can be provided at the primary attention degree. Peoples who could afford such service resorted to wellness service offered at secondary or third attention which in most instances is hard to entree. The debut of a new construct of ‘Selective ‘ Primary Health Care as proposed within a twelvemonth of the acceptance of the Alma Ata Declaration by Walsh & A ; Warren ( 1979 ) changed the dimension of primary wellness attention. This ‘interim ‘ attack was proposed due to the trouble experienced in originating comprehensive primary wellness attention services in states with autocratic leading ( Waterston, 2008 ) . Walsh & A ; Warren ( 1979 ) argued that until comprehensive primary wellness attention can be made available to all, services that are targeted to the most of import diseases may be the most effectual intercession for bettering wellness of a population. The steps suggested include ; immunization, unwritten rehydration, chest eating and the usage of anti malarias. This selective attack was considered as being more executable, mensurable, rapid and less hazardous, taking away determination devising and command off from the community and puting it upon ad visers with proficient expertness hence doing it more attractive peculiarly to funding bureaus ( Lawn et al. , 2008 ) . An illustration of a selective primary attention attack is the Expanded Programme on Immunisation ( EPI ) . Selective primary wellness attention is concerned with supplying solutions to peculiar diseases such as HIV/AIDS and TB while comprehensive primary attention as proposed the Alma Ata begins with supplying a strong community substructure and engagement towards undertaking wellness issues ( Baum, 2007 ) . The displacement in maternal, new-borne and child wellness as a consequence of programmes that removes control from the community hinders the realization of the ends of primary wellness attention as emphasized by the Alma Ata Declaration. The reversal of policy in the 1990s by the WHO and other UN bureaus to deter traditional birth attenders and advancing installation based birth with skilled forces ( Koblinsky et al. , 2006 ) is an illustration of such. The World Bank ‘s study ‘Investing in Health ‘ which was published in 1993 saw the World Bank go a great influence and major key participant in international public wellness as such robbing the WHO of the esteemed place ( Baum, 2007 ) . It considers investings for intercessions that merely hold the best impact on population wellness as such taking local control and recommending a ‘vertical ‘ attack to wellness. This move counteracts the procedure of the societal alteration described by the Alma Ata Declaration which is necessary for realization of its ends. These go to demo that consistence both in leading ( locally and globally ) , policy every bit good as good grounds ( to drive policy devising and actions ) , are of import ingredients for planetary enterprises to win.What went right?Even with the several elements that prevailed against the accomplishment of the corporate ends of the Alma Ata Declaration, several instance surveies show that when provided with a favorable environment, primary wellness attention as prescribed by the Alma Ata is sufficient to convey about a important betterment in the wellness position of any population or state. Case study 1: Primary Health Care in Gambia Using informations obtained from a longitudinal survey conducted by the United Kingdom Medical Research Council over a 15 twelvemonth period for a population of about 17,000 people in 40 small towns in Gambia, Hill et Al. ( 2000 ) compared baby and kid mortality between small town with and without primary wellness attention. The excess services that were provided in the small towns with primary wellness attention include: a small town wellness worker, a paid community nurse for every 5 small towns and a trained traditional birth attender. Maternal and kid wellness services with inoculation programme were accessible to occupants of both primary wellness attention and non primary wellness attention small towns. There was marked betterment in baby and under 5 mortality in both sets of small towns. After primary wellness attention system was established in 1983, infant mortality dropped from 134/1000 in 1982 – 83 to 69/1000 in 1992 – 94 in the primary wellness attention small towns and from 155/1000 to 91/1000 in non primary wellness attention villages over the same period of clip. Between 1982 and 83 and 1992-94, the decease rates for kids aged 1-4 fell from 42/1000 to 28/1000 in the primary wellness attention small towns and from 45/1000 to 38/1000 in the non primary wellness attention small towns. However, in 1994 when supervising of primary wellness attention was weakened, infant mortality rate in primary wellness attention small towns rose to 89/1000 for primary wellness attention small town in 1994 – 96. The rate in non primary wellness attention small town fell to 78/1000 for this period. The execution and supervising of primary wellness attention is associated with a important consequence on infant mortality rates for these groups of small towns that benefitted from the programme. Case study 2: Under 5 mortality and income of 30 states To measure the advancement for primary wellness attention in states since Alma Ata, Rohde et Al. ( 2008 ) analysed life anticipation relative to national income and HIV prevalence in order to place over accomplishing or under accomplishing states. The survey focused on 30 low income and in-between income states with the highest twelvemonth decrease of mortality among kids less than 5 old ages of age and it described coverage and equity of primary wellness attention every bit good as other non wellness sector actions. The 30 states in inquiry have scaled up selective primary attention ( immunization, household planning ) and 14 of these states have progressed to comprehensive primary attention which has been marked with high coverage of skilled birth attenders. Equity with skilled birth attending coverage across income groups was accessed every bit good as entree to clean H2O and gender inequality in literacy. These 30 states were grouped into states with selective primary attention ; mixture of selective and comprehensive primary wellness attention ; and comprehensive primary wellness attention entirely. The major participants among states with comprehensive primary wellness attention are Thailand, Brazil, Cuba, China and Vietnam. Overall, Thailand tops the list and it has comprehensive primary wellness attention. Maternal, new-borne and child wellness in Thailand were prioritised even before Alma Ata and has been able to increase coverage for immunization and household planning intercessions. The Government investing in territory wellness systems provided a foundation for comprehensive primary wellness attention in maternal, new-borne and child wellness every bit good as other indispensable services. Community wellness voluntaries besides played a important function towards Thailand ‘s medical promotion. They promoted the usage of H2O sealed latrines to better sanitation and were r eally instrumental towards the diminution of protein Calorie malnutrition in pre-school kids in the past 20 old ages ( WHO, 2010 ) . Engagement of the community wellness voluntaries is a major beginning of community engagement into wellness attention of Thailand ( ibid ) . The undermentioned factors were identified as of import lessons from high accomplishing states: accountable leading and consistent national policy advancement with clip ; constructing coverage of attention and comprehensive wellness systems with clip ; community and household authorization ; territory degree focal point which is supported by informations to put precedences for support, path consequences every bit good as identify and damages disparities ; and prioritizing equity, taking fiscal barriers for hapless households and protection against ineluctable wellness cost. Case study 3: Integration of cognitive behaviors based therapy into everyday primary wellness attention work in rural Pakistan Rahman et Al. ( 2008 ) in a cluster-randomised control survey in Pakistan shows the benefits derived when cognitive behavior therapy in postpartum depression is integrated with community based primary wellness attention. Training was provided to the primary wellness attention workers in the intercession group to present psychological intercession. The wellness attention workers besides receive monthly supervising and monitoring. Significant benefit ( lower depression and disablement tonss, overall operation and perceptual experience of societal support ) was reported in the intercession group to propose that this sort of steps as supported by the Alma Ata can drive the inaugural towards ‘Health for all ‘ . It is apparent and clear that states that practiced comprehensive primary wellness attention as enshrined by the Alma Ata reaped great benefits in footings of population wellness betterment. Although it has been argued that comprehensive primary wellness attention is excessively idealistic, expensive and unachievable ( Hall & A ; Taylor, 2003 ) , grounds suggest that it is more likely to present better wellness results with greater public satisfaction ( Macinko et al. , 2003 ) . This sort of attention can cover with up to 90 % of wellness demands in low income states ( World Bank, 1994 ) .Relevance of Alma Ata in this present clipOur present universe that has been characterised by pronounced epidemiological passage in wellness. Low income states every bit good as high income 1s are faced with increasing prevalence of non communicable every bit good as chronic disenabling disease ( Gillam, 2008 ) hence, the being of infective diseases ( malaria, HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis etc ) , and dise ases like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. For low income states such as sub-Sahara African Countries, this constitutes a major wellness job because their wellness systems are chiefly oriented towards supplying services inclined with maternal and child wellness, ague or episodic unwellnesss. As such current wellness systems need to hold the capacity to supply effectual direction for the current disease tendency. The Alma Ata provides a foundation for how such effectual wellness service can be provided. Because, primary wellness attention is the first line of contact an person has to wellness attention, it is therefore really influential in finding community wellness particularly when the community is to the full empowered to take part. As societies modernise, as it is the instance in our current universe, the degree of engagement additions and people want to hold a say in what affects their lives ( Garland & A ; Oliver, 2004 ) . Therefore, the degree engagement in wellness atten tion is better off and more powerful in this present clip than it was when it was the Alma Ata was adopted. Evidence suggest that the values as enshrined by the Alma Ata are going the mainstream of modernizing societies and it is a contemplation of the manner people look at wellness and what they expect from their wellness attention system ( WHO, 2008 ) . Alma Ata failed in some states because the Government of such states refused to set schemes towards prolonging a strong and vivacious primary wellness attention system that is appropriate to the wellness demands of the community such that entree is improved, engagement and partnership is encouraged and wellness is improved in general. There is no end standard guideline or manual on Alma Ata but single authoritiess have to develop their ain schemes which should be good suited towards run intoing their ain demands. The Alma Ata initiation rules is still relevant towards accomplishing these ends particularly as it brings wellness attention to peoples door measure as it encourages preparation of people to expeditiously and efficaciously present wellness services. Evidence has shown that there is a greater scope of cost effectual intercessions than was available 30 old ages ago ( Jamison et al. , 2006 ) . It is for these grounds that primary wellness attention is indispensable towards acc omplishing the millenary development ends particularly as it concerns child endurance, maternal wellness, and HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and other diseases. The Alma Ata emphasises the importance of coaction as an of import tool towards presenting, developing and keeping primary wellness attention. This partnership as supported by the Alma Ata is indispensable to increase proficient and fiscal support to primary wellness attention particularly in low income states. It is a current tendency to happen an increasing mixture of private and public wellness systems every bit good as increasing private-public partnerships. Governments, giver and private administrations are now working together to advance and protect wellness unlike after Alma Ata ( OECD, 2005 ) . There is besides increased support and this is switching from selective planetary financess to beef uping wellness systems through sector broad attacks ( Salama et al. , 2008 ) . This sort of coactions is a measure in the right way and when it is strengthened harmonizing to the rules of the Alma Ata, it will non merely better the perkiness of the wellness attention system but besides b etter engagement and equity in the sense that wellness attention is more qualitative and accessible to the people. The old ages that followed after acceptance of the Alma Ata by WHO member provinces was characterised by unstable political leading and military absolutism particularly among low income states which lead to pretermit of the wellness sector. This created unfriendly environments for the development and care of stable primary wellness attention systems. In this current times nevertheless, most states have embraced the democratic system of leading that promotes equity, engagement and partnership. Health equity is continually basking prominence in the duologue of political leaders and ministries of wellness ( Dahlgren & A ; Whitehead, 2006 ) . Therefore, the environment being created is friendlier to the Alma Ata hence doing it more relevant in this clip. Thirty old ages ago, the values of equity, people centeredness, community engagement and self finding embraced by the Alma Ata was considered as being extremist but today these values have become widely portion outlooks for wellness ( WH O, 2008 ) . Our current clip has been marked by gross technological promotion which was non available in the 1970s. There is besides an increased wealth of cognition and literature on wellness and on the turning wellness inequalities between and within states all of which was non available 30 old ages ago. All these set together provides a relevant foundation to back up the Alma Ata in the present clip doing it more relevant in presenting effectual wellness attention service.DecisionThe prevalent political and economic state of affairs around the universe make the Alma Ata more relevant than it was in 1978. However, there is still necessitate for more to be done. There is demand for the revival of primary wellness attention harmonizing to the dogmas of the Alma Ata and advancement made should be systematically monitored. There is besides the demand for an increased committedness to the virtuousnesss of ‘health for all ‘ every bit good as increased committedness of resources towards p rimary wellness attention which should be driven by good grounds base. It is of import that accent be changed from individual intercessions that produce short term or immediate consequences to intercessions that will make an incorporate, long term and a sustainable wellness attention system. Even with the challenges being faced so far with full execution of the Alma Ata, the ideals are relevant still relevant now more than of all time.

Geo 509 – Major Paper

Introduction The purpose of this report is to analyze and illustrate the geographical origins of eragrostis tef along with details of its global dispersion. The common name of the crop in Ethiopia is tef. It was chosen for its cultural significance and it’s importance Background In Ethiopia, about 4. 9 million acres of land is devoted to its production every year. From 2003-2005 production statistics indicated that tef accounted for about 29% of the land and 20% of the gross grain production of all major cereal cultivation in the country (National Research Council).Eragrostis tef belongs to the grass family Poaceae, and is species of Eragrostis. It contains about 350 species and tef is the only cultivated cereal (Seyfu). Its name tef is originated from the Amharic word yate-tef-ah, which means, â€Å"lost†. Since the grains are so small they are easily misplaced (Kloman). It is the world’s smallest food grain and is as small as a grain of sand. It also has quite similar traits to other grains such as quinoa and millet. Tef grows anywhere from 30 to 120 cm in height, with slim stems and long, narrow, smooth leaves.It is a loose or compact panicle. The really small grains are 1. 5 mm long, and there are about 2,700 seeds in a gram (Seyfu). The plant uses a Carbon 4 photosynthesis, which uses light efficiently while having low moisture demands. This gives the plant the ability to stand high heat and bright lighting therefore able to harvest in any unpredictable or difficult climate. Also the plant's resistance to diseases, pests, and heavy soils and it’s inexpensive costs to raise and very quick to produce give it special appeal (Tadele).Tef tends to thrive under growing condition from elevations that range from sea-level to as high as 2800 meters, and in various temperatures, soil, terrains and rainfall conditions (not where there is too much rainfall though) (Seyfu). Varieties of Tef * Magna (white) tef – This type is grown in the cooler seasons and is slow maturing. It is superior for grain due to its higher demand in the market. But it is blander in taste compared to the darker types (Seyfu). * Sergegna (mix of white and brown), kay (red), and tiqur (black) tef – This type is superior for fodder and is faster maturing.The darker the color the richer in flavor and nutrients (Seyfu). * Abolse tef – An improved strain being tested and studied currently in Ethiopia. It has shown good results in early studies based upon its yield and baking quality. There is no record of this new strain being distributed as of yet (Kloman). Due to its properties to survive and grow through harsh climates, Ethiopian farmers grow tef for either two purposes as a staple or as a standby product. When planted as a staple, they grow it as their primary component in their trade or business.So it is normally planted late and harvested well into the dry season. But as a standby, the farmers wait till their main crop suc h as maize or wheat shows signs of failing. They then plant a faster maturing tef such as the red or brown tef as a backup source of food in case of disaster. What also makes tef very attractive is that it is a grain that contains no gluten, at least none of the type found in wheat (Ingram). For this reason people with severe allergies to wheat gluten or health enthusiasts are buying tef these days.Due to the seeds small size it makes it difficult to plant and prepare the fields. It is difficult to get an even distribution of seeds and also the wind or rain can bury the seeding before it has spouted. Then separating, inspecting and grinding such tiny seeds is very strenuous and time consuming. History Tef is common all over Ethiopia and its major varieties were found only in that part of the world. Among with numerous other crops, the precise date and location for the domestication of tef is unspecified.But, there is no uncertainty that it is actually an ageless crop, where domestic ation took place. It has been documented by some historians such as Ponti that tef has long been cultivated in Ethiopia for its grain from some time between 4000 BC and 1000 BC (Engels); Shaw disputed that tef must have been domesticated before the introduction of wheat and barley to Ethiopia or else the tef, would have never been cultivated. The use of tef was quite crucial for the Abyssinians, since the amount of tef seed required to plant were hundreds of times smaller than that of wheat (Ingram).This productive potential and minimal time and seed requirements have protected them from hunger when their food supply was under attack from numerous invaders in the past. It was reported by Unger in 1866 that tef seeds were also found in the Egyptian Pyramid of Dashur in 3359 BC (National Research Council). Dried tef straws were suggested to have been used in the making of mud bricks used in the Pyramid of Dashur as well (Seyfu). The closest wild relative to tef is generally considered to be eragrostis pilosa this species is recorded as an annual growing weed from Eritrea and Northern regions of Ethiopia (Ingram).Vavilov has recognized Ethiopia as the center of origin and variety of tef (National Research Council). Due to the fact that several widespread and non-widespread species of eragrostis, some of which are considered the wild relatives of tef, are found in Ethiopia. Since the genetic diversity for tef does not exist anywhere else in the world except in Ethiopia, confirms that tef originated and was domesticated in Ethiopia. Production Areas of Ethiopia The regions of Shewa, Gojam, Gonder, Wello and Welega are the major tef-production areas (Seyfu). As can be seen in fig. these regions are concentrated in the central highland areas of Ethiopia. These areas suffer from waterlogging and these other parts of the country suffer from low moisture stress (Seyfu). The water logged soils of these regions seem to be a unique environment for agriculture since there i sn’t any other grain that can be grown in this environment. Tef is grown in almost all regions of the country for home consumption since it is the preferred grain. Local markets are also able to charge the highest price compared with other cereals, which is why farmers use it as their cash crop. There is going to be a map here) Global Spread James Bruce (1730-1794) was a travel writer and a traveller of Scottish decent. He travelled through Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia) in search of the foundation of the Nile River; his discoveries were published in his 1768 book â€Å"Discover the Source of The Nile†. In his journeys he mentions of a grain called tef that was grounded and used in their diet as much, if not more than wheat. It is also said that Bruce had taken some grain back with him to a Botanic Garden in Florence, Italy.This led to the publication in 1775 of the first botanical description of the plant, which made tef known worldwide. But it would be The Royal Bo tanic Gardens, (Kew Gardens) located in the United Kingdom that would’ve been responsible for the distribution of tef seeds to various other botanic gardens in India and the colonies. In 1887, was the first issue of seeds and it was to India, Australia, and South Africa. The trials were set in the elevated portions of these countries and all places where maize and wheat cannot be cultivated. These trials were successful.Which led to the introduction of tef to other parts of the world such as: * Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania by Skyes in 1911 * USA, Malawi, Zaire, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Argentina by Burt Davy in 1916 The most effective trial was in the northern region of South Africa (National Research Council) . It was reported that the crop was very rapid in growth and was maturing in seven or eight weeks from the time of planting. When it normally matures between 80 – 160 days. Favorable Growing Conditions Sunlight – The length of sunlight should be between 11- 13 hours.Rainfall – The average annual rainfall in tef-growing areas is 1,000 mm, but the range is from  300 to 2,500 mm. Tef is able to resist moderate drought, but there should be three good rain days. Altitude – It can be grown from  near sea level to altitudes over 3,000 m. Most is cultivated between 1,100 and 2,950 m. Temperature – While tef has some frost tolerance, it will not survive a prolonged freeze. But it can tolerate temperatures as high as 50 °C (Ogadan regions of Ethiopia) Soil Type – Tefs' tolerance of soil types seems to be very wide. It performs well even on the black cotton soils that are notoriously hostile to crops and farmers.Patterns of Consumption Human Consumption Tef is a cereal grain that is usually grounded to flour that is mainly used for injera that is a popular fermented sour pancake, porridge and baked goods. Is often used in North America as a thickener for soups and stews. Alcoholic beverages are also made from tef such as tela and katikala. Due to its high mineral content, it has also been used in mixtures with chickpea soybeans and other grains for baby foods. Cattle Feed Tef straw is used as animal feed, especially during the dry season. Farmers feed tef straw preferentially to lactating cows and working oxen (Tadele).Farmers prefer tef straw to the straw of any other cereal because of its sweetness (which is appealing to the cattle), high nutritive value, high yield, rapid growth, drought resistance and ability to smother weeds. In South Africa various productive types have been selected for hay production. It has since been exploited in the USA. It has increasingly become abundant, and is growing in dozens of states. It is also predominately cultivated in Australia for these purposes as well. Ornamentals There has been a growing interest in Europe, the United States, and Japan to grow tef for its visually appealing features (Tadele).Since it stands straight, dense a nd has a orderly feature, often has multi-colored leaves and it’s open fluffy panicles, tef can be extremely eye-catching. Erosion Control The non-weedy features of tef give it the ability to serve as a good temporary ground cover. South Africans are now using tef as a â€Å"nurse crop† that quickly covers the ground and fosters the establishment of permanent grasses planted along with it (Seyfu). It is already being used in mixtures to protect opencast mine workings, stream banks, and other erodible sites in South Africa. ConstructionIn Ethiopia, tef straw  is the preferred binding material for walls, bricks, and household containers made of clay. Overall Impact Tef has increased in popularity in so many countries that the Ethiopian government has to instill routine bans of exporting this grain. During the lean season where the production of tef is minimal the exportation of the crop will increases prices for it inside the country. With this scarcity in effect tef g rowers outside of Ethiopia has increased tremendously. Currently there are many tef providers in the USA for human consumption and forge for livestock.Another influence in popularity is the shift in consumer’s nutritional habits. There has been an increase in vegetarians (tef is high in protein) and the increased awareness of gluten allergies (tef is a good alternative for wheat). Also the rise in Ethiopian immigrants and the related rise in the popularity of Ethiopian food have increased demand for this staple crop. Its not just Ethiopian migrates, it is everyone; Ethiopian food is becoming more mainstream. There are tef fields in the states of Oregon, Kansas, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Virginia.The US Agriculture Department and other institutions are in support of the cultivation of tef. Currently there are government grants offered to farmers in Kansas to cultivate tef on their farms (Kloman). Also the Univers ity of South Dakota and Cornell University have pushed for farmers in their states to start the cultivation of crop as well, for scientific research (Kloman). Other US institutions have been quite successful in their trials: * University of Nevada – They leaped at opportunity to begin a project to grow tef in 2002. In 2008 they produced 800,000 pounds of tef and in 2009 produced a million pounds (Kloman).The production was so successful that the university was approached by retailers from Ethiopia with a deal to buy as much as four million pounds. * Idaho – The Teff Co. is America’s largest producer of tef; it has been in business for 25 years (Kloman). Wayne Carlson, who lived and worked in Ethiopia in the 70’s as biologist, started The Teff Co. When he returned to the US he found that the climate and geologic region of Idaho was similar to that of Ethiopia’s prosperous regions where tef is grown. As the East African population of the US started t o grow significantly Carlson realized an investment opportunity.The Boston Globe reported in 2004 that he grows about two million pounds of tef grain annually (Kloman). Dun & Bradstreet Inc. (business information company) estimated its annual sales to be $1. 2 million (Kloman). Carlson reports this is still not enough to meet the demand. * To express just how competitive the industry has become. Carlson has recently pleaded guilty in April of 2012 for harassing a rival tef grower, Tesfa Drar, of Teff Farms in Minnesota regarding the production and distribution of their grains (Wax). Carlson was sentenced to a year’s probation. Nutritional ValueTef grains are nutritionally similar to wheat; but are actually more nutritious. The reasons for this may be due to the fact that since the seeds are so small they have a greater proportion of fiber (the nutrients are concentrated on the outside of the seed) and are almost always produced as whole grain flour. Tef is rich in energy (353 -367 kcal per 100 g) and its fat content averages to about 2. 3 percent (Seyfu). The grain reportedly contains 11% protein, which higher than that in maize or oats. The tef cultivated in the US though have been showing an even higher protein level of 14% on a consistent basis (Seyfu).These specific proteins should be highly digestible because it is high in the main protein fractions that are most digestible. Overall, it has an excellent balance of amino acids. Teff is higher than wheat in a dozen amino acids, especially the essential lysine, and slightly higher in such nutrients as potassium, zinc and aluminum. The mineral content is also good, iron and calcium are especially notable. The absence of anemia (iron deficiency) in Ethiopia where tef consumption is present is presumably due to the grain’s good iron content.The amount of calcium is equivalent to that of half a cup of spinach (Seyfu). It’s also an excellent source of vitamin C, which is not commonly found in grains. Resistant starches are a newly revealed type of nutritional fiber that is either not digested or partially digested until it reaches the large intestine, where bacteria uses it for energy (Hopman). This is beneficial for blood-sugar management, which would be ideal for those suffering from diabetes. It is also beneficial for weight control and colon health. About 20-40% of the carbohydrates in tef are resistant starches (Hopman).Bibliography Seyfu, Ketema. Tef, Eragrostis Tef (Zucc. ) Trotter. Rome, Italy: IPGRI, 1997. Print. National Research Council. Lost Crops of Africa. Vol. 1. Washington: National Academy, 1996. Print. Grains. Kloman, Harry. Mesob across America: Ethiopian Food in the U. S. A. New York: IUniverse, 2010. Print. Bai, Guihua, Mulu Ayele, Hailu Tefera, and Henry T. Nguyen. â€Å"Genetic Diversity in Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc) Trotter] and Its Relatives as Revealed by Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs. †Ã‚  Euphytica  112. 1 (2000): 15-22. Kluwer Ac ademic Publishers, 1 Mar. 2000. Web. 30 Sept. 2012. . Ingram, Amanda L. , and Jeff J. Doyle. â€Å"The Origin and Evolution of Eragrostis Tef (Poaceae) and Related Polyploids: Evidence from Nuclear Waxy and Plastid Rps16. †Ã‚  American Journal of Botany  90. 1 (2003): 116-22. Print. Assefa, Kebebew, Ju-Kyung Yu, Getachew Belay, Hailu Tefera, and Mark E. Sorrells. â€Å"Breeding Tef [Eragrostis Tef (Zucc. ) Trotter]: Conventional and Molecular Approaches. †Ã‚  Plant Breeding  130. 1 (2010): 1-9. Print. Tadele, Zerihun. New Approaches to Plant Breeding of Orphan Crops in Africa: Proceedings of an International Conference, 19-21 September, 2007, Bern, Switzerland.Berlin: Stampfli, 2009. Print. Alaunyte, Ieva, Valentina Stojceska, Andrew Plunkett, Paul Ainsworth, and Emma Derbyshire. â€Å"Improving the Quality of Nutrient-rich Teff (Eragrostis Tef) Breads by Combination of Enzymes in Straight Dough and Sourdough Breadmaking. â€Å"Journal of Cereal Science  55. 1 (2012): 22-30. Print. Engels, Jan, J. G. Hawkes, and Melaku Worede. Plant Genetic Resources of Ethiopia. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1991. Print. Wax, Emily. â€Å"As Americans Embrace Ethiopian Cuisine, Its Farmers Grow More Teff. â€Å"Washington Post. The Washington Post, 31 July 2012. Web. 1 Nov. 2012. .

Assessment of how managing the human Essay

This part of assignment assesses how managing the human, physical and technological resources that have been researched so far can improve the performance of Marks & Spencer. Human Resources Human Resources are the people (employees) in the business. Monitoring the performance of employees in Marks & Spencer has showed the way to a number of advantages. These essential advantages are assessed below. The employees in Marks & Spencer are being monitored by CCTV and therefore watched by managers or directors which led to an increase in customer focus. Monitoring employees makes sure that they are carrying out the job tasks correctly. This could be for the reason that employees do not want to upset and get embarrassed when their managers or directors are observing them through CCTV; as a result they try to work and perform to the best of their ability. Employees in the stores of Marks & Spencer know that they are being observed and monitored throughout the work day so this encourages employees to serve customers more adequately as well as to provide assistance at all times. In addition, employees in the stores are likely to think that they could get bonuses and rewards if they perform to the best of their ability. For instance, Marks & Spencer could give incentives during the work which would likely make employees encouraged and complete the tasks given because incentives usually motivate employees to work to the best of their ability on whatever tasks are they completing. Marks & Spencer offers gift vouchers that are the perfect choice to help reward congratulate and motivate people in a way they will appreciate. Marks & Spencer vouchers are perfect incentive to increase sales, recruit new customers and generate new business. This is the best way to promote performance from the staff and encourage more positive outlook in the workplace. These incentives include the sick pay leave if needed as well as the holidays. (See appendix 4) Employees that work in Marks & Spencer normally have 20% off discounts of the products and items that they buy. In addition, in order to increase their performance they offer deals and voucher tickets to their employees who are working to the best of their ability. These bonuses, fair wages and discounts that employees get makes them work even harder which means the motivation increases. Human resources includes the need of Marks & Spencer having suitable employees in the organisation that work in the store in order to increase the performance of the business. Therefore, Marks & Spencer should employ correct employees with the right skills, abilities and experience to complete tasks to the best of their ability. Having appropriate recruitment process – making adverts the most attractive as possible and having clear job descriptions with clear tasks would possibly bring the right people to Marks & Spencer. When they choose an employee or employees to work for a business they need to make sure that interview procedure is correct and that short-listing table is used in order to compare all the candidates and choose the best one when looking at the criteria. Marks & Spencer needs to make sure that they get the person to work for them that is intelligent, respectful and diligent. Candidates that apply for a job in marks & Spencer need to complete the application form on the Marks & Spencer’s website (www.marksandspencer.com) where an applicant would fill its personal details, grades and achievements and the experience. Retailers like Marks and Spencer have complex recruitment needs and have to deal with high volumes of applications to fill a large number of similar positions. Marks and Spencer manages all applications for store jobs via WCN’s Applicant Tracking System. The system is based on complex two way integration with the Marks and Spencer HR system. The system allows candidates who are successful after applying and completing online tests, to book their own interview within an hour of completing their application. Stores input vacancies and give available assessment times on the Marks and Spencer HR system, this data is then transferred to the WCN system and displayed to candidates online. Therefore, candidates that are successful they are either going to be contacted with the assessment times where they are going to be given different tasks including team work activities. In addition, their interview is going to take place at some time in the day too. After assessment day, usually the candidates will be told either by phone, e-mail or letter whether they got the job or not. In order to increase performance of the business the employees that are already working in Marks & Spencer would need to be trained from time to time as they will be kept up to date with their tasks and will know how to complete them correctly. Knowing how to complete tasks correctly will eventually give motivation to them because they will have more understanding when completing their tasks and duties. However, if employees would not be sure of how to carry certain duties then the managers would not be happy with their work. Therefore, an appropriate training would be suitable in order to solve this problem. Training will give knowledge to employees about their job and introduce new tasks or duties that are needed to be completed. When employees go off for training they are normally working as a team by working together and completing certain tasks together; as a result, they are likely to develop more team work. Each store in Marks & Spencer has different groups or teams and each group or team has their own responsibilities and tasks. Because each team has their own responsibilities this makes them know what they are doing and how they are approaching issues during their work day. Marks & Spencer also have team members whose responsibilities are divided because they are specialists in their job; therefore, this means that Marks & Spencer is likely to achieve its aims and objectives consistently and obviously, on time. On top of that, the employees that are part of Marks & Spencer’s crew also help to achieve the targets of Marks & Spencer. This could be for the reason that managers or directors have a span of control on supervisors and sales assistants in Marks & Spencer stores. As a result, having the span of control will mean that managers are in charge for setting duties and tasks, controlling and observing employees, for instance, sales assistants and supervisors. For the reason that this happens they have their own responsibilities and tasks that has to be met and there is no need to worry themselves about other employees’ responsibilities and tasks in the store. As a result target achievement is met by a better task focus that takes place. In Marks & Spencer the CCTV monitors the employees that are working and therefore, the managers in Marks & Spencer’s store observes employees. This fact has increased Marks & Spencer’s profit in the way as employees work to the best of their ability and perform well while they are working because they know that they are being observed. Employees need to perform well in order to get bonuses for their good work and to avoid the disappointment of their managers; therefore, they treat customers very well and serve them at all times when they are available. As a result, customers that are treated well tend to buy the items, such as food and clothing from Marks & Spencer. This could be for the reason that when customers need help with their shopping, normally employees help them with where to find certain products, or where to find the right shoe sizes and clothing for them. In addition to this, Marks & Spencer stores that provide clothing have fitting rooms which means employees that usually stand in front of the fitting rooms are there to help customers with the sizes of their clothing and even the styles. Marks & Spencer usually observes the employees’ that are being late and therefore monitors them; normally, an employee that works for Marks & Spencer will have an ID card. The lateness of employees’ can also be observed by asking them to sign time-sheets each day when they start and finish work; this helps Marks & Spencer to organize all the employees that are expected to be on time and in their work place. Observing and monitoring employees’ makes them to start working on time for the reason that they might not want to have arguments or conflicts with their managers in the store. Because Marks & Spencer stores have enough employees on the store floors this helps Marks & Spencer to serve the majority of the customers properly. This is for the reason that fewer employees would be placed to serve customers in fitting rooms and most of the employees would be placed on the store floor placing products on shelves and helping customers to find certain products if they need help. For the reason that employees are divided into different areas in the whole store of Marks & Spencer they can serve customers and help with their shopping at all times. However, if there aren’t enough employees on the store floor the customers will be disappointed due to the fact that they will not be served very well and not given much help concerning their shopping. For instance, if all of Marks & Spencer’s employees’ in the store serves customers only in fitting rooms then there would not be enough employees on the store floor which will lead to a real untidiness and muddle in the store. In conclusion, observing employees’ punctuality makes them to keep up with their attendance and be punctual. This makes Marks & Spencer have better image because their employees serves customers well and manages to keep up with the tidiness on the store floors. Physical and Technological resources Physical and technological resources that Marks & Spencer uses have quite a lot of advantages as Human Resources. Physical resources are the things that business uses to complete its activities every day in the store, for instance, buildings and equipment. Technological resources are things such as computers with its software such as Microsoft Office. Physical and technological resources are assessed below. Marks & Spencer has got a transactional website (technological resource) (www.marksandspencer.com) which means that the business is expanded in many ways which increased its performance. This could be for the reason that clients or consumers that are able to access the website can purchase its products. Marks & Spencer online shopping offers UK online shoppers many choices. Their large clothing and home ware line has earned respect and loyalty from shoppers from the United Kingdom as well as worldwide. Consumers can shop online for thousands of Marks & Spencer online products from the convenience of their home because people can look through the website to see new clothes and items and the new deals and offers are also promoted on the website so that customers know what is offered in the stores. In the website, it is also possible to contact Marks & Spencer if consumers have a question regarding a product or an item. Therefore, this expand the business as anyone can access the website from any country of the world if they have internet connection and it also increases performance because consumers can stay at home not visiting the stores which means Marks & Spencer would receive money from costumers anyway, which would increase in sales and this means Marks & Spencer would make more profit. Marks & Spencer stores has got many tills in their stores and employees that works on them, therefore, having many tills prevents in having long customer queues because as employees are able to work on the tills they can serve the customers very quickly. Therefore, the more tills Marks & Spencer has, the better customer service because it serves customers quickly leaving them happy and it is likely to make them to come into the store the next time as they received good customer service. Eventually, if they continue visiting the store this means they will buy more products which will increase in sales and make higher profits. In addition to this, normally there are lifts in Marks & Spencer stores that helps customers quite a lot too because their shopping can be more convenient. Lifts are useful because it helps customers with pushchairs and disabled customers to shop, especially in the stores where Marks & Spencer has got four floors. For instance, one of the shopping malls in Plymouth has got Marks & Spencer store of four floors; the first being men clothing, the second is women clothing, the third is lingerie and fourth floor is children clothing and toys, home ware and the cafà ©. On the fourth floor they also have a tunnel leading directly to the car park so it means customers can avoid the busy lifts that they will find in the shopping mall itself. Therefore, by having lifts Marks & Spencer makes it convenient for customers to shop and they are likely to visit the store more often due to comfortable surroundings and resources available to them. In addition to this, Marks & Spencer always has employees with samples of different items in the store for customers to try. This would also increase in providing better customer service as the products are promoted and customers will want to try out the new products. They will be happy that Marks & Spencer offers samples to try out because customers would feel important in the store by employees showing attention and offering products to customers. As a result, customers that try the samples are likely to like the product and purchase it making Marks & Spencer’s sales eventually grow and profits increase. On the top of that, customers want a good value for the products they buy which would be high quality and reliable. They also want to get good quality service provided to them at the stores and that staff always would be available for assistance if needed. Customers also want a good environment around them in which they would be comfortable to shop and buy high standard products provided; therefore, better customer service would be increased by employees being motivated and providing assistance and by having resources such as lifts which increase the shopping convenience and this would keep customers happy. The availability of communication through Internet and telephone allows Marks & Spencer to correspond quicker and easier. Managers in Marks & Spencer are able to send and receive information from other Marks & Spencer branches as well as departments. For instance, e-mails allow managers to attach financial statement and transfer them to finance department which might be situated in another city. In addition to this, Internet and telephone connection gives an advantage to customers as well. This is for the reason that customers are able to contact Marks & Spencer either by e-mails or by giving a call to Marks & Spencer store. A number of customers feel the need to contact Marks & Spencer because they want to ask about particular product, for example, if Marks & Spencer has black jacket in size ten. If it happens that Marks & Spencer has this type of an item in store the customer might ask to put it on hold which Marks & Spencer will be happy to do. However, if it happens that Marks & Spencer does not have it in store then the customer can order it and Marks & Spencer will be happy to provide instructions how to do it. When the delivery arrives, Marks & Spencer will contact the customer by informing him about the arrived jacket. Therefore, the customer would be happy because they are given quality service and because Marks & Spencer is trying the best to serve customers well; this would make customers feel important. Marks & Spencer has insurance against thefts, fire damages and vandalisms; therefore this makes employees feel safe in their working environment. Because of this employees are able to work and perform up to the highest possible standard. For instance, an employee who knows that he or she is protected from thieves that could appear in the store and be dangerous to lives of people that appear in the store will be able to serve customers without fair and stress. In addition, customers who know that Marks & Spencer has insurance they would feel safe and protected when shopping in the store. This would increase Marks & Spencer’s performance, as employees want to be safe, they want staff would be always available for assistance and they want good environment around them that is comfortable to shop in. Therefore, having insurance from thefts, fire damages and vandalisms would make sure that customer’s desires are fulfilled and employees would work to the best as they can knowing that they are protected. Therefore, as customers would visit the store more because they feel safe at the store, they would buy more products due to safety and getting quality assistance from employees and as a result sales will eventually increase which would lead to higher profit and increased performance. Equipment of Marks & Spencer and the machinery would increase in productivity as well as the performance and reputation of the business. Marks & Spencer would need to have the latest equipment and machinery in order to carry day to day activities correctly. Marks & Spencer would use equipment and machinery such as self check-out machines, electronic tills and trolleys to carry products. The machinery in warehouses would be used in order to make items to the highest possible quality. These machines would need to be updated regularly so that they would not break down and cause day to day activities to slow down. Ultimately, if machinery and equipment are looked after and updated regularly then this means Marks & Spencer would be able to operate effectively; customers are likely to buy their items and products which would eventually increase in sales and profit. If customers are going to be happy due to the service provided because of good machinery and equipment then they are likely to stay with Marks & Spencer by visiting their stores regularly which would mean Marks & Spencer’s reputation will grow over time and once again the sales and profits will increase. In addition to this, Marks & Spencer stores have got employed security guards which make a store a safer place to work because there is an instant access to help. Having security is important for marks & Spencer because products and items have security tags attached to them on the electronic bars; therefore, if people decide to steal a product or an item the alarm is going to go off at the entrance of the store which would mean that a customer has stolen something. Therefore, security guards will take care of this and make sure that the thief does not run away. In addition, CCTV cameras take great care of being secure at work as well. CCTV cameras operate all day through in Marks & Spencer recording everything that is going on. Eventually, having security guards and CCTV cameras increases in performance of Marks & Spencer as the employees will feel safe and happy at work and as a result carry out tasks to the best of their ability. Marks & Spencer normally has quite big buildings that consist of two, three or even four floors, especially in shopping malls. In addition to this, if there are separate floors such as four floors building it allows Marks & Spencer to set a particular floor for particular products and items. For instance, one of the shopping malls in Plymouth has got Marks & Spencer store of four floors; the first being men clothing, the second is women clothing, the third is lingerie and fourth floor is children clothing and toys, home ware and the cafà ©. Besides, as the floors are quite big in terms of space, this allows Marks & Spencer to have room in order to display a range of styles of the products. If Marks & Spencer is able to display a large number of products this means that the performance is going to be increased because as the products are promoted the customers that walk around the store would see the product or an item and might get interested. Customer is likely to be attracted by the product because of the suitable displaying of products in Marks & Spencer and as a result they would purchase it. In addition, customers that walk pass the store, might see the display of products in the shop windows of Mark & Spencer and this would attract them to come in to the store to look at the product in more detail. Therefore, as customers are likely to buy more products due to displaying this is likely to increase sales and make a higher profit. If the business makes higher profit then this would increase the performance of Marks & Spencer. Eventually, human, physical and technological resources have a big impact on Marks & Spencer as a business. However, the inability that could to use these resources effectively could appear and this will cause many problems and difficulties rather than advantages.

The effect of a new drug on blood pressure. Testing Research Paper

The effect of a new drug on blood pressure. Testing - Research Paper Example Another reason for using the t-test is because a t-test is normally used when the standard deviation of the population is unknown. In this case we do not know our population. The t-test is also used when the purpose of the study is determining whether there is statistically significant difference between two independent sample groups. In this case the drug and the blood pressure are two independent variables. The z-test is not applicable in this case because it is normally used when the null and alternative hypothesis are stated (Tanner, 2016). In our case the two are not stated. The ANOVA on the other hand is normally used when carrying out a test using three or more variables (Tanner, 2016). In our case, we only have two variables. What would your choice of test depend on? For the test you select, explain your design and your comparison groups. Choosing the type of test to use in a particular study depends on: the type of the variables used either continuous or categorical, the number of variables to use in the particular study either one variables, two variables or three or more variables, the normality, how the variables are normally distributed and the nature of the variables, are they dependent or independent variables. The design in this case will be the number of patients to use in the study. Small number of patients will result in an inaccurate result and using a large number of patients will be risky to their health and lead to waste of resources. One should therefore use not so small neither not so large number of patients.

A Career As A Film Editor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

A Career As A Film Editor - Essay Example The skill of an editor is extremely valuable in the post production process because film editing determines the quality and delivery of the resulting product. A film editor plays a significantly vital role in the overall film production process, in the film industry. This can be both as a television programs editor, or a movie editor. Film editing mostly involves the general assemblage of the footage to be viewed on the screen. It can also be compared to artwork such as the shaping of final exhibit sculptures form the various raw materials as provided by the directors (Dickens, 2008). The process of film editing requires that an editor should be in close relation with the director in the film production. This is because the editor needs to understand the storyline of the film just as the director because the work is a combination of ideas from the two parties in telling the story of the film. The editor mostly ensures of the occurrence of continuity which is the seamless unfolding of the story form part to part. The job of the editor officially starts once the shooting of the film or movie wraps up. This is because the shooting of a film involves random scene shooting mostly due to the convenience and other influential factors. In line with this, shots get disarranged and does not flow with the real story intended for the film such as having a scene of the beginning at the end and/or vice versa. It is, therefore, up to the editor to arrange them and link them to flow continuously (Knight, 2007). This requires long working periods and patience in working under strict deadlines and pressure. The editor formulates the imagery and synchronization of the various sound effects which may include the soundtracks, voice covers and/or sound effects. In the culmination to the final presentation of the film’s production, the editor also incorporates added visual effects. William Hal Ashby is a films editor based in Hollywood films Productions Company. He began his f ilms career in the 1960s in Utah, California. He got his big break by winning the academy awards for films editing in his editor role, in the film, â€Å"in the heat of the night† (Hal, 2006: p.9). Looking into his life from when he decided to venture into the career to what he has become in the film industry will be a considerable contribution into the research. Research Rationale The film industry has undergone revolutionary changes with the advent of technology (Dmytryk, 2004). As a result, there has been the development of a better film production and also the categorization of films as a complex world of production. In addition, more people have become interested in film editing mostly because of the recognition that film editors receive. The title of a film editor in the overall production and film making industry is eye catching for most people. Consequently, interested individuals need to understand the role of a film editor well because of the challenges, as well as the opportunities. They should be able to conduct their efficiently and professionally. As a norm mostly witnessed in many industries, the popularization of a role in production more often than not leads to the eroding of the value of the role and the end product. Therefore, in order to ensure that the integrity and efficiency of production of films by film editors is not at risk, it is vital to understand, carry out and uphold the integrity of the editor’s role in this fast evolving technological world (Murch, 2001). This is also in conjunction with the increased uptake of studies for the role of films editors by most students, as well as increased numbers of film

Independent African American Film Producers Research Paper

Independent African American Film Producers - Research Paper Example Independent African American Film Producers Independent film producers are professional producers who make feature films that are mostly produced outside the confines of the system of major studios (Levy 29). In addition to production, as well as distribution, through independent companies, these producers can also distribute and/or produce their films via major studio subsidiaries. These films are also characterized by marketing them as a limited release, although there are times when the marketing campaigns can be done through wide release (Reid 48). Prior to distributing the films, independent film producers will screen their movies at film festivals. This paper will seek to give the biography of three independent African American film producers; Tyler Perry, Spike Lee, and Ivan Dixon. Biography of Tyler Perry Born in New Orleans on 13 September 1969, Tyler Perry had a difficult childhood. He has had to forge his career in the entertainment industry, in which he has made various successful plays, films, and even written books that have ended up on the best-sellers list. According to him, his childhood was difficult in a family with three other siblings where his early life was punctuated by corporal punishment by his father (Uschan 30). He once attempted to kill himself to escape what he fathomed to be a difficult life. In an attempt to forge a life away from his father, the man born Emmitt Perry Jr. changed his name to Tyler and dropped out of high school, although he did go on to earn a GED general equivalent later on in his life. He only discovered his passion after trying his hand at several unfulfilling employment opportunities. Watching Oprah Winfrey on television, he was inspired by an independent filmmaker’s comments on the show about how personal breakthroughs could be brought about by difficult experiences (Uschan 31). Starting by writing a series of letters that he addressed to himself, Perry used his experiences to create his first musical I Know I Have Been Changed. While touching on the subject of his abuse as a child, Perry also touched on forgiveness, an aspect of his films that has been ever-present, reflecting the seriousness he takes his faith as a Christian (Uschan 31). His first showing of the musical in 1992 only drew an audience of 30 people. Perry was disappointed but determined and took odd jobs to fund h is reworking of the project. Although he staged his show in various American cities, he was still not successful and had to live in his car for a while. Perry finally got his breakthrough in 1998 with the musical I Know I Have Been Changed, for which rented the Atlanta franchise of House of Blues. Soon he began to draw sell out crowds, forcing the musical to be moved to a theater with more sitting space (Uschan 36). He followed up this musical with an adaptation of Woman Thou Art Loosed, a book by Televangelist T.D. Jakes, which also proved popular with audiences, particularly African Americans. However, it was his next project, I Can Do Bad All By Myself that brought him the success he had been craving and introduced Madea, his most famous character. He based the character of Madea on mature women in his life, including his mother, choosing to play the character by wearing a drag and changing his voice. Madea made her screen debut in Diary of a Mad Black Woman in 2001 and making su bsequent popular appearances in Madea’s Class Reunion and Madea’s Family Reunion, for which Perry toured extensively around the country in support of his films (Uschan 36). Diary of a Mad Black Woman proved a hit at the box office, starring Steve Harris and Kimberly Elise as an adulterous husband, and scorned wife respectively. Perry himself made an

United Kingdom fashion retailers' strategies of internet branding Dissertation

United Kingdom fashion retailers' strategies of internet branding - Dissertation Example Internet technology is progressing and it has empowered customers to shop from online fashion retailers. In this setup customers can undertake a shopping tour whenever they like to. One of the advantages of this kind of fashion retailing is that customers have the luxury to express their needs and wants more accurately. These online retail stores are equipped with the capabilities which enable online shoppers to make the retailers understand what they are looking for. According to Tzokas and Saren (2004) businesses are able to have closer relationships with their customers through their website and online business. Dayal, Landesberg, and Zeisser (2001) said that strong relationship with the customers is important in the success of online business. Moreover Cuthbertson and Bridson (2006) have said that effective marketing campaigns, loyalty programs, and other marketing strategies can be helpful in increasing customer satisfaction level even in the online businesses. Dayal, Landesberg , and Zeisser (2001) have suggested that businesses need to create familiarity, reassurance and intimacy if they want to be successful as an online business. They also said that these factors influence the customer satisfaction level. Therefore, advancement in technology and adaptation of technology by the firms in the fashion industry has been one of the differentiating features of online retail stores as compared to traditional retail stores (Fashion United). Since the fashion industry of UK comprises of diverse customer segments, therefore it is imperative that fashion retailers and manufacturers employ different marketing and branding strategies to reach out to these diverse customer segments.... United Kingdom fashion retailers' strategies of internet branding Introduction The United Kingdom’s fashion industry is one of its most vibrant sectors of its economy. Characteristics of consumers of this industry make it a customer and brand driven market-place. In order for brands to compete successfully in this industry they need to be market driven, meaning that they need to design their unique selling proposition according to the needs and aspirations of the customer segments they want to target (Wol?nbarger, and Gilly, 2001) Diversity of customer preferences presents attractive opportunities to manufacturers and retailers of this industry. Consumer behaviour and preferences have been changing with the passage of time, and today consumers can shop from anywhere. The marketing and branding strategies adapted by the online fashion retailer play an important role in increasing the sales of the product. Moreover, appropriate online branding strategy reduces the risk of the failure of the product (Laroche, Habibi, Richard, and Sankaranarayanan, 2012). Moreover, it allows organisations to reduce their marketing costs and thus they are able to reach their customers easily and in a cost effective manner. Therefore, the significance of the online branding strategies cannot be ignored in the online fashion retail industry. The research study and its findings will be useful for different analysts, economists, researchers and fashion industry participants. The most important aspect of this research is that it analyzes the strategies that are needed by online retailers to succeed.

A South African Investment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

A South African Investment - Essay Example While comprehensive civil rights as well as freedom are critically imperative to all people in order that they can realize their absolute potential and assert their appropriate place in humanity, there are other, supplementary fundamental needs that ought to be satisfied prior to a person worries about spiritual, intellectual and related individual freedoms and rights. It may not be reasonable to offer an individual full government, social, as well as legal rights if they are deprived any reasonable sources of livelihood (Mbendi, 2008). Caltex had the power to influence political policies on the South African government in order that the government may revive its laws. This has happened in other parts of the world, whereby conglomerates influence government policies in order to create a conducive environment for business. Foreign financial investments mean a great deal in any country since it revitalizes the social-economic status of the population and the national economy as well (T obin, 2009). It is an ignominy that Caltex had no problem investing in a country whose laws were exceedingly abhorrent to humanity. In contrast it is factual that in that era, the living standards of the South African minorities as well as the Blacks were in a deplorable state. They vast majority of these populations lived in pitiable homes, and had poor access to high quality educational programs. They were also deprived the right to practice certain jobs or careers, and granted wages that were exceedingly less than that of the white population in South Africa (Nicholas, 2008). For numerous South African Blacks at the time, for whom so several outside the nation had the courage to confront the repressive regime may have chosen to take up jobs at the Caltex plant which granted them better living wages and better workplace environment than in the civil service. It is justifiable to imply that absolute freedom may not have been the priority for all Black South Africans who needed bett er living standards. Therefore, the Caltex plant may have been the category of investments that were essentially required in the country at the time. The only provision Caltex ought to have added would have been the maintenance of reasonable wages and reasonable housing for its black and colored human resources (Mbendi, 2008). Question 2. As a stockholder in Standard Oil or Texaco, it would have been appropriate to vote in agreement with the three stockholder declarations. While it is factual that under the utilitarian philosophies, it might not of necessity have been the most appropriate option for Caltex, Standard Oil or Texaco to desist from investing in South Africa. As a stockholder, it would have been appropriate to vote according to individual conscience. Any financial recompense, such as facilitating the generation of national income from the mining of natural resources or construction of national industries such as in petroleum, appears as unconscionable in regard to the fu ndamental premise on which the South African government operated and survived (Nicholas, 2008). The first resolution demanded that Caltex terminates all its operations in South Africa unless and until the government ceased

Preschool Observation at CCLC Daycare Case Study

Preschool Observation at CCLC Daycare - Case Study Example He dislikes arts and crafts. I chose Tomi to observe because of his reaction when I dropped my pencil at the beginning of the observation. Tomi was the only child who looked over at the sound; he picked it up and handed it to me, getting my attention with that gesture of kindness. I could tell with that one action that Tomi was both observant and sociable, and the observation that followed confirmed this instinct. It was just after naptime when I arrived, and the children were picking up their rest things. Tomi was doing so very neatly, gently placing his blanket on the table and handing his rest mat to his teacher. When he was finished with this, he walked over to another child who was still sleeping. He knelt down and woke her up, saying "Hey, it's a wake-up time, wake up!† His friend stirred and woke up, and as soon as her eyes were open, he asked her if she needed his help. This showed me that Tomi is able to identify with others' needs, which places him at an advanced leve l within the context of Piaget's theories. At the pre-operational level, most children have difficulty identifying with others, but Tomi's tendency to be helpful without prompting shows that perhaps he is beginning to be able to take on others' perspectives. When Tomi began wandering around the room again, he found a few friends who were already awake and packed up, and started talking with them. The subject of Ninja Turtles came up, and Tomi talked about them animatedly. I was able to observe a great deal about his speech and language development during this time. Tomi uses full sentences of about 5 to 6 words each. He uses past tense correctly, talking about what one of the Ninja Turtles did during an episode of the cartoon. He is able to tell a simple story, using a two-sentence description of what one of the Turtles did in the same episode. In speech and language, Tomi appears to be at a normal developmental level. Snack time followed rest. Cheese and crackers were served, but T omi asked his teacher for only cheese because he didn't want the cracker. He made this request very politely, and his teacher was happy to oblige. This showed an ability to make requests to meet his needs and use polite terms like â€Å"please,† which he did, placing him at a developmentally appropriate level. When Tomi finished his snack, he found a cube of cheese on the floor and he ate it. He did this without seeming to perceive that anyone might not think it an appropriate thing to do; he didn't check to see if the teacher was looking or act secretive. Without knowing whether or not he has been told not to eat things off the floor, it is difficult to infer cognitive ability from this action. However, it does show an ability to reason logically: Cheese is tasty, that cheese is there, I will eat it. As the children cleaned up their snack, Christmas songs were playing in the background. When Tomi was finished cleaning, he started dancing around the room to the music. When hi s teacher noticed, she asked him to go back to his place. I couldn't help wishing she had complimented his dancing or remarked that he must be enjoying the music before she asked him to stop dancing. He seemed very free and excited, and I wanted someone to share his joy.  

2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement Research Paper

2011 Occupy Wall Street Movement - Research Paper Example It raised questions about the humanity of the people at the helm of affairs and also questioned the political will of the nation’s system of governance whereby the sincerity of the nation’s political establishment in creating a certain amount of parity within the population is rendered suspect. There are other aspects of this movement and the government’s response that need to be looked into. Apart from not offering any tax sops to the common man and talks of doing away with tax-cuts that were offered during the Bush-era, the government had fuelled the anger of the common man. The brutalities that were carried out upon the protestors by the police came out in the open only due to the work of independent cameramen who were not associated with any news agency. The incidents that occurred during the movement thus bring to light the role of the media as well in the success or failure of such movements. The movement is described by itself as being the result of a series of movements that supports democracy. These, the movement claims, includes the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt where the common man protested against the marginalization of a majority of the population for the purpose of the welfare of the minority that constituted the ruling elite (Occupy Wall Street : The Revolution Continues Worldwide, n.d.). Having this as a moral backing definitely provides a cushion for the movement in terms of the support that it would be able to gather at an international level. There is thus an element of diplomatic support that the supporters of the movement expected to get through their efforts for an equitable society in which everybody would be provided with equal opportunities. In the absence of this, people would live lives whereby their work would be used for the benefit of others and not themselves. Apart from the moral degeneracy of this position, there is also the fact of its unsus tainability from an economic point of view that needs to be looked

Issues and conclusions from the construction case that also apply to Essay

Issues and conclusions from the construction case that also apply to information technology projects - Essay Example The elements include planning, budgeting, risk management and scheduling of activities. They also include setting of viable objectives, support teams and good communication channels. In projects, proper coordination of activities and setting of effective timelines is key. This is to; ensure adequate identification of the limiting factors that may hinder the realization of excellent re4sults. Information technology projects require a high level of innovation and creativity that is achievable through systematic approaches. IT projects entail execution of delicate activities due to the level of expertise, equipment and resources required to drive their operations. The paper discuses issues from the construction case that also apply to the information technology sector. It also covers the processes that are involved in planning, budgeting and scheduling of activities. Recommendations for accountability maintenance Accountability maintenance is the process of ensuring transparent coordina tion and execution of activities. It involves proper planning, coordination and allocation of resources in affair manner. The process is integral in facilitating effective operation in institutions (Gurmin, 2010). It enables project managers and stakeholders to gain full knowledge on the operating procedures and utilization of resources. As noted, projects that are driven without the integration of accountability maintenance incentives operate in the brinks of collapse. Such projects cannot register exemplary performance due to eminent misappropriations that are instigated with inferior systems (Gurmin, 2010). Indeed, IT project managers should design viable operating guidelines that are ideological, economically viable and socially acceptable. The guidelines should also be specific, attainable and realistic in nature. The recommendations are set to avert unwarranted complications that may compromise accountability in the administration of activities and resources. It is imperative to note that construction and information technology projects are designed to transform stakeholder’s lifestyle. The projects hold immense significance in the current environment and should be executed under stringent measures that facilitate accountability. Drinkwater (2011) provided key elements that IT projects managers should adopt to advance accountability maintenance. The recommended elements include development of proper planning techniques. This is crucial since planning entails allocation of resources, workforce, scheduling of activities and budgeting. The process should be undertaken after effective determination of the goals, assessment of the factors that drive operations and evaluation of the available resources. This is to; facilitate the development of sustainable plans that hold limited complications (Bart, 2011). Consequently, early identification and assessment of risk is critical in minimizing accountability issues. It ensures prior discovery, elimination o f unwarranted activities and unqualified personnel that can pose a severe threat to the projects overall performance. Project managers can also develop strong control measures to curb mismanagement of resources (Drinkwater, 2011). The control measures that are worth adoption include use of password system, authorization process and segregation of duties. That is no fund is to be utilized without authorization and use of password to control access to crucial data. Reasons for the position The position and recommendations a

The Welcome Table Essay Example for Free

The Welcome Table Essay Understanding â€Å"The Welcome Table† One of the main focus points of all literary works is the theme of the story that is being read. To identify a story s theme you must look beyond what is happening in the story but look at what the story is really about. In this short paper I will be covering the theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† and examples of certain elements of the story. Theme of â€Å"The Welcome Table† When reading writings of any kind you must try and understand what the story is really about instead of looking too much into what the story is being wrote about. For lots of pieces of literature that was written in the era before the 1950’s when writers had an underlying meaning for their writings that weren’t noticed unless read closely. In the short story â€Å"The Welcome Table† written by Alice Walker, you see the plot immediately start when an older black lady is at the front steps of a white community’s church. The story is obviously written in a time when black people where thought to be unequal to white people. Considering that the author of this short story was born in 1944 and growing up in a time when racism against black people was at the highest point. Throughout the entire story the theme is racism. Many of the people in the story saw the old lady as an invasion or maid, to the young usher telling the lady that this wasn’t her church. Then after the ladies in the church practically made the men throw this harmless old black lady out of a church, you could tell the theme had to be about race. The tone throughout the entire story that these people had against this old black lady, was not necessarily hatred but of disgust. The women made their husbands grab this old lady and take her outside into the cold. I wasn’t like this one old black lady was there to hurt anyone of disrespect the white people in any way but to come to church. As we look father into the story after the old lady is outside she sets the tone for more of an uplifting tone. As she is standing on the front of the church in the cold singing a sad song, she sees Jesus. As she is walking with him she is overjoyed and sings and uplifting song. Even though these people have disrespected her by kicking her out of a church, her faith is unbroken and she is doing as Jesus tells her to. Even though the story ends with the black families seeing her walking alone down the street, one can only think that she died somewhere and went to heaven to be with Jesus; almost like he was leading her there. There are many symbols in this story that can be referenced to many things. The story seems to be written during the winter since there was reference to it being below freezing outside. Winter is closely related to Death, and for me I let my mind wander to the death of the old lady, even though the story did not say that, that is what I have come to the conclusion. One of the other major symbols I see in this story is when the old lady first saw Jesus. She kept looking to see if he was carrying the lamb, like in the picture that she had. The lamb refers to gentleness, and since they were at a white church, the white referring to life. Even though the white people were so disrespectful to her and put her out in the cold she still kept her faith. See was ecstatic when she saw Jesus coming down the road, and made sure she got his attention so he would not miss her. Winter was there for the old lady and she knew it, so she went to the church to make her peace with Jesus and it just so happened that he was coming for her. Even though the white people were so cruel to her and the theme of this story is racism, the story also says don’t give up on what you believe even if it seems unrealistic. The old lady believes in Jesus, and the white people were not going to affect that no matter how they treated her.

Consumption and Customers in the Automobile Industry

Consumption and Customers in the Automobile Industry Yu Dai â€Å"I don’t need it but I want it, why shouldn’t I have it?† In the documentary No Impact Man, the heroine Michelle questioned her husband Colin who had proposed the environmental protection project. The question, simple while indeed stated with logical precision, involves significant issues. From the economic perspective, this situation is described as hovering between personal motivations and consumer values when making economic decisions. Personal motivations have been considered a driving force of consumption, whereas consumer values express motivational concerns according to the theory of basic human values (Schwartz, S. H., Bilsky, W.). In the end of the movie, Michelle cycled through Manhattan with her baby girl. She once could not understand why some people did not drive in New York City, but then she became one of them. It is customary to consider that â€Å"finding balance regard to values† implies compromise, in which personal desires are usu ally first sacrificed, as it did in the case of Michelle who gave up her car. Nevertheless, I argue that values can be useful in expediting technological progress and giving us guidance for consuming smarter rather than simply sacrificing motivations. The formation of consumer values cannot be divorced from the consumption behavior itself. The idea of consumption has a long history, even before the emergence of money, back to the barter system period. Consumerism in the contemporary sense, which was considered as the early immature consumer value, originated in late nineteenth century when the accomplishment of the Second Industrial Revolution further encouraged the economic development. People’s spending habits changed greatly during the past several centuries. Most economic developments in the last century have been achieved at the cost of environment, and after entering the new century, many attempts were made to change the situation. Automobile industry as one of the most representative examples shows the possibility that moral standard, as part of the consumer value, can stimulate the market to develop new technology through its influence on consumer demand and behaviors. Modern cars were invented based on the working steam-powered vehicle during the Industrial Revolution, and have become prevalent since the mass production of affordable cars by Ford Motor Company in early 1900s. The popularization of cars had made life more convenient, but meanwhile, plenty of problems arose owing to a lack of environmental consciousness in the early period. Along with the improvement of the consumer values, vehicle pollution has been a global concern with the coming of the twenty-first century. Although the inhabitants of the earth were fully aware of the importance of the environmental protection, it was still unrealistic to force them to give up owning cars in order to minimize the gas emissions and the use of petroleum resources. Therefore, there was an urgent demand for new types of cars which can be more ecofriendly. In the first decade of the new century, the design and manufacture of electric vehicles by Elon Musk is a milestone in the automobile history. Tesla Motors, the company with its incredible fully electric luxury sedan hit the wealthy who pursued fresh excitement and were willing to take responsibility for protecting the environment. The attractions of this fancy motorcar lie not only in its amazing acceleration or safety performance, but also in the use of clean energy to effectively avoid the emission of carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides. As Tesla Roadster was introduced as a better substitute of traditional cars to the market and consumers were naturally willing to replace the old one for the reduction of gas emission and the better protection of the environment, other companies saw the great opportunity as well and launched their new products one after another. Such positive consumer-driven cycle made energy-efficient and environmental-friendly automobiles a new trend of this cen tury. Different from what had happen to other markets, consumers didn’t simply cease their consumption in automobile to ease their concerns. Instead, they stimulate the market to update the products supplied by showing great demand for new types of cars out of concern for the environment, behind which is great influence from the consumer values. It finally offers them more choices, and thus they do not need to give up their motivations. The high price of Tesla Roadster may not be affordable to everyone, but other participants also showed their great efforts to make consumption both eco-friendly and satisfying. For those who already have cars, it seems impractical to buy a new one but reasonable to replace with another kind of fuel. Consumers highly demanded some improvements made in petroleum industry in order to reduce their guilty of polluting the environment. In this situation, the appearance of hybrid gasoline is well-founded. This new fuel reduces the pollution by adding ethanol into gasoline, which remains water after the combustion. With government support and the increasing demand, the production and use of ethanol fuel boomed in the past few years. And for those who want to buy new cars with budget constraint, the promotion of highly-efficiency and clean-fuel vehicles drop the price dramatically, and provide them with many choices as well. Consumer values often succeed in giving us suggestions about what we really need and demand for right things, in which bring such innovations that allow us to avoid struggling between conscience and desire. Besides automobile industry, there are many other businesses in which consumer values successfully make progress of technology to drive industrial development. In pharmaceutical industry, it has been a long history to use rare animals in medicine. The controversy of whether bear bile should be used as medicine has never stopped. Bear bile has been used as ingredients for its high medicinal value for thousands of years. However, the methods of bile extraction were very cruel which caused untold suffering to bears. Consumers expected the development of new drug which has the same effect but without hurting animals. Under this circumstance, after half-century study and experiment in medical circle, an artificially synthetic analogue of bear bile eventually were sold on the market and used widespread. It was another success that values guidance played its role rightly to promote the upgrade and update of commodities to conform customers’ demand. And there are numerous successful e xamples in every all walks of life. During the formation of consumer value in the past few centuries, a question has been frequently asked was in what way and how it guides our consumption behaviors. I would like to point out that consumer value as an invisible ideology often makes indirectly effect on buying habits. It exerts an imperceptible influence on consumer demand, and eventually promotes the market to supply better products with advanced technologies which allowed consumers easily to make right decisions.

Market and Competitor Analysis of Hotel Industry

Market and Competitor Analysis of Hotel Industry Market Analysis: Industry and Competition EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Businesses fail to define satisfaction in the same way that customers do. Customer relationship satisfaction is measured by repeat business and recommendation of the store to others (Thompson 2004, p. 104). While customers can agree to these behaviours only â€Å"60% of customers who named a business they were loyal to, said they would also shop at the competition† (Donogh 2000, p. 1). How consumers perceive a company or product depends upon varying factors different for each individual (Whelan 2004). It is part of the job of the e-marketing analyst to disseminate how their client will gain market share and competitive advantage through marketing schemes. With regard to the tourism industry and creating customer relations, it is important to remain unique and as individual as every customer. How does one do this with limited time and funding? Customization of a web site is key to advantage but also creating a unique experience on the web site and at the destination is part of niche marketing and a main cornerstone to any tactic. GENERAL OVERVIEW It is of utmost importance to carry out an analysis of the industry per business operations and define the competition. As part of this presentation, a market analyst should keep in mind different models in which to decipher the current state of the market and where to gauge an organisation’s advantage. For the purpose of this presentation and understanding the tourism industry, four models chosen for this analysis are: (1) SWOT analysis, (2) PESTEL analysis, (3) Michael Porters Five Forces and (4) Boston Matrix. By comparing and contrasting the Althorn web site with the competition of other stately English homes, one can better assess the marketing plan and continue to make appropriate changes. The web sites chosen for review with Althopr.com are as follows: (1) Balmoralcastle.com and (2) Muscottmillfarm.co.uk. MARKET INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: SWOT Analysis The Historic Monument Travel Industry Strengths and Weaknesses are considered internal factors while Opportunities and Threats are external to company (‘SWOT Analysis’ 2005). It is important to note the analysis using this tool is very subjective in nature. When it comes to niche travel, England’s stately homes, castles and historic monuments fall into a very distinctive category that surprisingly appeals to many travellers’ sense of history. What makes the online presence special is being about to capture history while maintaining a certain level of current events, even celebrity about staying somewhere unique. (S)trengths: Places like Althorp and Balmoral have the essence of royalty engrained into the image and experience. These places have been witness to infamous times in history and famous people as well. (W)eaknesses: Historical travel destinations may also have an air of affluence about them, which could limit their target audience potential. This feeling of being beyond reproach may send mixed signals to the common man. (O)pportunities: Because places like Althorp and Balmoral are well known to the public because of their relationships to royalty, this propels them into the spotlight more than other less known sites like Muscott Mill. These places like Balmoral have history but also many opportunities that a smaller place cannot take advantage of. Places like Balmoral and Althorp also have a following where product sales with branding becomes key to continued image and public awareness. This allows them more interaction and further investment into different ways to capture the audience such as private rentals and entertainment events like golf and concerts. (T)hreats: Consumers may be afraid to travel because of the war in Iraq and threats of terrorism, increased security being time consuming. Also times are tight for a lot of people due to increasing energy costs and lack increased spending power. Many people have chosen to stay home or vacation close to home. Places like Althorp need focus on local tourism. ALTHORP.COM: CURRENT AND POTENTIAL MARKETS PESTEL Analysis This strategy analysis takes into account external forces, which may have influence on the organisations success (‘PESTEL Analysis’ 2005). (P)olitical: The political force that may influence Althorp is its relationships with the surrounding local community. Many do not want to see their ‘neighbourhood’ tarnished or changed by the tourist traffic or see Althorp take advantage of their royal status. Environmental: This is a very trendy topic, the notion of ‘going green’ but needless to say something to consider adopting as part of the new image tactic. Also Althorp should consider the fuel demands of travellers and maybe run a promotion with a local hotel or petrol station. (S)ocial: Social forces at work externally could be a fear of flying or travel. Also in times of trouble, people band together, become closer within their communities. Althorp should consider looking closer to home and cultivating a relationship with locals. They should use the Internet as a tool to focus globally. (T)echnological: Obviously the web site is classy and reflects the overall image of Althorp as a stately home with beautiful grounds. The web site should using appropriate e-tools to continue consumer interaction. These e-tools vary from pod casting to blogging but also create a more intimate interaction with the public, which also reflects another image of Althorp being a special place for Princess Dianna. Continued evolution of the web site can bring a feeling of closeness to the site it lacks currently. This may involve further investment to update software and hire a Web master or graphic designer. (E)cological forces at work for Althorp include once again the price of fuel or energy source and its prolonged use at the site, the affect it has on the environment. Has Althorp considered what affect it may have on the global warming? It would environmentally sound for the company to research ways to conserve and protect the environment maybe through a conservation project in conjunction with another site. (L)egal forces or changes in the laws that govern travel are constantly in issue. Also Althorp must keep in mind a lot of times people are not culturally aware of differing laws that apply when travelling. It is important that not only the house watch for the risk legal issues cause but also look out for its employees giving the correct information to customers. THE COMPETITION: BALMORAL AND MUSCOTT MILL FARM BALMORALCASTLE.COM PORTER’S FIVE FORCES Customer Bargaining Power High Today’s Internet savvy consumer is educated when it comes to their travel plans. This gives the consumer power over places like Balmoral to match their need for a web site that will understand their intelligence. They know what they want and at what price they want it. They may chose a different destination if they don’t like the web site. Threat of Substitute Products and Services – Emerging This is where diversification of services at Balmoral becomes important and an asset. The future of these places depends on presentation of different formats and product specialty to keep the customer’s attention. These niche locations like Balmorals will meet consumer demand of specific needs. Supplier Bargaining PowerMedium The bargaining power of Balmoral is relatively medium because of the nature of the product. Balmoral must remain at above industry standard while maintaining the sense of class found and that level of services. Threat of New Entrants – Emerging New entries into the market, one would think should be low because of the designation of this being a niche destination as historical but the truth is places like Balmoral must compete outside their niche for capture of customers. They compete with theme parks and adventure vacations of the like. Many tourists because the information from the Internet is so vast are looking for something beyond the regular vacation. The Overall Level of Rivalry – Moderate There is a perception that the more densely populated the area becomes the higher the competition with the company struggling for market participation. This is an incorrect assumption because most of niche travel locations are operating online mainly suppliers to manufacturers or to the public. This results in less advertising and an environment where the competitive spirit is unvoiced. MUSCOTTMILLFARM.CO.UK Boston Matrix Analysis There are four areas that divide the matrix so that a place like Muscott Mill Farm can be differentiated from other stately English homes or working historic monuments. The place falls into one of these areas. The four areas are as follows: (1) Stars, (2) Cash Cows, (3) Question Marks and (4) Dogs (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Stars are tourist sites like Balmoral or Althorp that have a strong presence in the market and they are able to keep up, even be ahead of the competition. Balmoral, while stoically regal also maintains a global image because of it being the Queen’s summer residence. Cash Cows are smaller places of interest like Muscott Mill that are not in the spotlight and may be hidden from the average tourist’s mind (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Many smaller historical sites are becoming cash cows because of operating cost increases but also the aftermath of 9/11 remains. People are not as eager to travel and the price of airfare keeps people closer to home. Muscott Mill would be better off focusing on local markets for shorter weekend holidays. Question Marks are companies that have potential to make money if they are run properly (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). A good example of a Question Mark in the industry would be smaller BB type places but not at the level of Musc ott Mill. They are constantly facing challenges with their operations management and particularly labour disputes. Dogs are companies that are just terrible, have no potential and should be out of business but continue to struggle (‘Boston Matrix’ 2005). Euro Disney is the prominent example. It has never lived up to the hype. Muscott Mill Farm remains at the bottom of the chain of advantage because it is not well known by the public as a destination. Its web site is quaint at best and not at all interactive but yet one can see the purpose it serves to at least introduction someone to its existence. EVALUATION OF MARKETING COMMUNICATION AND CRM A company’s marketing and recognition begins with its name. Because the business of tourism is greatly service oriented, it is of utmost importance that the company’s name has integrity. With time, as the organisation further establishes itself, the two will become interchangeable. The organisation has a reputation to uphold where market share remains wide-open and competitive advantage strong. Recently the house’s name and intellectual property in the forms of trademarks and brand has been at the forefront, in constant view thanks to e-business. John M.T. Balmer surmises that much of the problem with establishing a marketing framework for organisations is built on the concept that the notion of identity is vague to the corporation and therefore the consumer. Defining identity and therefore CRM becomes a challenge now especially as business practices change and shift to encompass all areas of focus and strategy. Balmer’s (2001) research writes of, â€Å"identity was a pressing issue for many institutions and that the question of identity, or of what the organisation is or stands for, cuts across and unifies many different organisational goals and concerns† (p. 250). Hence the confusion and challenge of figuring out exactly what identity is for a particular organisation because it is different for each. CONCLUSION The purpose of this presentation was to demonstrate different market strategy models that allow one to analyse not only the particular industry but also the competition. The niche travel destination market has its strengths and weaknesses but also these are areas that Althorp can use to make its marketing scheme better. The competition for the United Kingdom is vast but Althorp has many elements on its side as a special location for travellers. The main focus of any marketing scheme should be to know how to capture the mindset of the individual to reach a higher state of competitive advantage and this begins and ends with conveying the correct brand image. REFERENCES Allen, G 1999, Introduction to Marketing, Mountain View College, Mountain View, California. ‘Althorp’, Althorp.com, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.althorp.com.> Balmer, J M T, Fukukawa, K Gray E R 2001, The Nature and Management of Ethical Corporate Identity: Discussion Paper on Corporate Identity, Corporate Social Responsibility and Ethics, Bradford School of Management, England. Balmer, J M T 2001, ‘Corporate identity, corporate branding and corporate marketing seeing through the fog’, European Journal of Marketing vol. 35, 3/4, p. 248-291. ‘Balmoral Castle’, Balmoralcastle.com, viewed 7 Aug. 2008, http://www.balmoralcastle.com.>. ‘Boston Matrix or Boston Consulting Group Box BCG Box’, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.tutor2u.net/busines/strategy/bcg_box.htm.>. Donogh, J 2008, ‘Customer Loyalty—From the Customer’s Perspective’, viewed 3 Aug. 2008 www.refresher.com/!loyalty2.html>. Kotler P, 1999, Kotler on Marketing, Free Press, New York. ‘PESTEL Analysis’, viewed 5 Aug. 2008, http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?type=RESOURCESitemid=1074451452> Peters, T 2003, ‘Helping Small Firms Put the ‘e’ in Trade’, International Trade Forum,  1 July. Pitturo, M 1999, ‘Get into the e-Commerce Without Betting the Store’, Journal of  Accountancy, 1 May. Porter, M E 1999, Strategy and the Internet, Harvard University Press, Cambridge. Porter, M E 1985, Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. The Free Press, New York. ‘SWOT Analysis’, viewed 5 Aug 2008, http://www.quickmba.com/strategy/swot/.>. Thompson, H 2004, What They Want: Ten Myths About Your Customers, Prentice-Hall, Clifford Falls, New Jersey, p. 103-112. Whelan, D 2004, ‘Build It and They Will Come’, Forbes, 27 Dec 2004. APPENDICES APPENDIX A SAMPLE POSSIBLE QUESTIONNAIRE 1. How do you rate Althorp’s web site overall ease of use? (1=very easy; 5=very difficult) 2. Having Althorp’s picture of the web sites you visited (1: strongly agree; 5=strongly disagree; 6=no opinion) a. Reflects how you think about the web. b. Gives you more confidence in exploring the web. c. Slows down the computer too much. d. Helps you feel more adventurous. e. Lets you know where you are in the web. f. Takes too much time to use. g. Helps you move around in the web. h. Makes me feel like I’m travelling throughout the web. i. Takes up too much space on the screen. j. Makes web organisation clearer. 3. Please rate how you think Althorp would be for the following functions (very useful, useful, not useful, don’t  know): a. Pure Entertainment (games, chat, humor) b. Personal uses (hobbies, health, recipes, travel) c. Business (buy and sell, product info, banking) d. Academic (exchange data and results, communicate with colleagues, grad info). 4. I feel that looking for information on the World Wide Web using Althorp.com is: (Strongly Agree, Agree, Neutral, Disagree, Strongly disagree, Don’t Know): Easy; entertaining; confusing; complicated; intimidating; hard; boring; straightforward; simple; frustrating.