Letter Of Application Essay

I am writing to apply for the position of Marketing Manager in your Tokyo office, as advertised in last week’s Independent newspaper on 9th October. As outlined in my curriculum vitae, which I have enclose, I attend Riverside Secondary School I Gloucester where I completed my GCSE and ‘A’ level studies. In 1987 I graduated from the University of Wales with BSc in Business Studies. After graduation I moved to Tokyo where I trained as a market researcher for the Yen Company for two years. On my return to England, I continued working as a market researcher until 1993 when I obtained my present position. I am currently employed as Assistant Managing Director at Melton Enterprises, where my duties include the organization of staff and stock, as well as the allocation of budget within the Sales Department. I am also responsible for overseeing the whole business, and I am generally noted for my good organizational and managerial skills. I believe that I would be an ideal candidate for the position you have outlined, as I have had an extensive marketing training with a well known Japanese marketing and public relations firm. My time spent living in Tokyo also ensured that I obtained a valuable insight into Japanese culture and working practices. I also have a number of good business contacts in Tokyo, as well as basic understanding of the Japanese language, which is necessary if one is to be able to work effectively. Finally, I am willing to be relocated at a short notice, which I understand to be a requirement of this position. I enclose my curriculum vitae and a photography as requested, and I would be happy to supply you with further details should they be required. I thank you for considering my application and I am willing to attend an interview at any time.

Psychological disorders and physical illness Essay

Irrational fear of common things leads to their inability to cope with life because the things that they fear have to be faced everyday. The most common disorders include phobias, In the medical field, many factors are attributed to the various conditions that people experience. Although genetic and biological factors which constitute of the natural causes and the life experiences which are the nurture factors contribute to ones physical wellbeing, it is also possible that a majority of illnesses that people suffer from are brought about by psychological factors. Heart diseases, chronic headaches, insomnia, hypertension, ulcers, eating disorders among others are some of the diseases that can be caused by psychological factors (Stoudemire A. 1995). It has been established that when one’s stress levels are very high, it reduces the activity of the lymphocytes leading to an increased likelihood of illness (Sadock B J. , Kaplan H. I. & Sadock V. A. ). A person suffering from a psychological disorder will most likely have feelings of helplessness in any given situation causing them to suffer even from common illnesses more than others will. To aid the patients suffering from these disorders, one can only recommend relaxation techniques while providing anti-depressants to control their response to life’s normal occurrences. A person with a disorder tends to react in a more intense manner than other would in similar situations. This causes an imbalance in their bodily functions leading to their contracting illnesses that would have otherwise been avoided. It also affects their chances of getting better from any other illness that they may be suffering from. The disorders include anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorders and panic (Ketterer M. W. , Mahr G`. & Goldberg A. D. ). These render a person powerless against their fears and in the process affect their wellbeing.

Human Memory and Knowledge Construction: Increases in Student Learning Essay

It is essential to help students effectively store and retrieve information from their long-term memory. Human memory is related to the way information is received, interpreted, stored, and retrieved. In short, information is brought into the sensory register. The stimulus then moves into the working memory and is then stored in the long-term memory. An understanding of Piaget’s theory of knowledge construction helps teachers to guide meaningful lessons and conversations that maximize student learning. It is therefore crucial that teachers understand human memory and learning as well as strategies to enhance these aspects in the classroom to support student learning. An understanding of memory is essential for teaching students. Memory is the process of storing and retrieving information and behaviors. Human memory has several components that are essential for effective storage and retrieval. Storage is the process of taking what was presented and placing it in a location in the brain’s storage space for later retrieval. Retrieval is the process of recalling the information that was previously stored. One way to think about this part of memory is to think of the brain like a file system. Although it is not entirely accurate, this analogy works to describe parts of the storage and retrieval process. In this way, the brain is like a filing cabinet. There are files for many concepts and the information is stored according to these files. This is a person’s schema; Schema is an organized set of information about a topic. For example, a person could have a schema for beaches. This schema would contain information such as white sand, the sound of seagulls, and tide pools. If this was a file system, there would be a file labeled beaches, and inside of that file would be information, pictures, and memorabilia related to beaches. One way that human memory is different from a filing system is that one piece of information could be stored in connection to more than one schema. One way to think about this is like a web, where the central idea is in the center, and ideas and information come from the center into sub categories. These subcategories can also have other subcategories, and can be connected to other ideas and concepts. Retrieval is related to the filing system, also. In this way, when a person is looking for information, they go to the file where the information is stored and pull out what they need. When a person is retrieving information for their memory, they use retrieval cues in a similar manner. Retrieval cues are stimuli that help people recall information. This too is related to a person’s schema as well as the web analogy. In this way, when a person smells a certain scent, like pine trees, they pull forward all the schemas that contain the smell of pine trees. This allows the brain to go through a smaller amount of stored information for a faster retrieval. In this example, schemas of Christmas, the woods, and grandma’s house may be brought forward. When information is not stored in an appropriate schema, retrieval is more difficult and slower than if it were stored in a memorable place. This is important for student education and the teaching process. It is important for teachers to help students to store information learned in class in order to improve retrieval and make connections across schemas. There are three places that a stimulus can go. The first is the sensory register. This is where the brain decides whether or not the stimulus is necessary for a person to consciously consider. This means that some things make it to the working memory and some things are ignored. This is important because people are exposed to many stimuli at the same time and if attention was paid to all of them, the person would not be able to concentrate on any given stimulus. This is often a large problem for students with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). Students who have ADD are viewed as being unable to concentrate on their school work. The actual problem is that students with ADD are paying attention to many stimuli making it difficult to concentrate on a single stimulus. Students who have ADD often have trouble with their sensory register because it does not ignore the unnecessary stimuli of their surroundings, such as noise in the hallway, leaves quivering on a tree outside, or the sound of a noisy heater. Once a stimulus has been deemed worthy of consideration by the sensory register it moves into the working memory. This is where meaningful thinking occurs and connections are made, before the information is stored in the long term memory. This is where students need help making sense of information. The working memory is like a Post-it note. The initial idea is placed on the Post-it. Information can then be added to the Post-it, attached to other Post-its, or moved to another place to make a connection. Students need to be guided to make connections and understand the presented information. Long term memory is where the information is stored for later retrieval. Once a person has processed the information in the working memory and made connections to prior knowledge and experiences, the brain then stores the information accordingly. Effective storage requires that the information is stored according to schemas for retrieval. For example, when I was traveling in Misiones, Argentina, I came across a strange animal. Looking at this animal, it looked like a mix of a raccoon and an anteater. It had a long tail like a lemur and sat like a bear cub. Later I discovered that this animal is called a Coatà ­. The Coatà ­, therefore, is stored in my long term memory, in relation to schemas about Misiones, Argentina, animals, and tropical forests. In chapter two of Ormrod’s (2012) book, Essentials of Educational Psychology Big Ideas to Guide Effective Teaching, Ormrod describes three processes for effectively storing information in long term memory. These processes will be discussed in relation to the case study. The case study involved a teacher, Mrs. Dennison, and her class, as they discovered endangered species. Mrs. Dennison uses many different techniques to help her students to learn this material. The first process is elaboration. This is where the receiver takes the information that they have been presented with and supplements it with realistic hypotheses to more deeply understand the concept. These hypotheses come from relationships with other prior knowledge. Ms. Dennison shows the class a video to introduce the concept of endangered species. She begins with a video on manatees. This is an unfamiliar topic for students. She then guides the students through questioning, to elaborate on the presented information. The students are then able to make connections to what they already know about animals. For example, Ms. Dennison asks â€Å"is the manatee like anything you’ve ever seen before?† and â€Å"How big is the manatee compared to you?† She also asks her students how they think that manatees swim and later asks why manatees do not live as far north as Canada. The second process is organization. The process of organization is where a person makes connections between ideas. Under the umbrella of endangered species, Ms. Dennison introduces manatees. She then introduces loggerhead turtles. Using a matrix, Ms. Dennison guides her students to comparing and contrasting the two endangered animals. She also does this using the maps. This map shows the overlap of the habitats of the two animals and also where the loggerhead turtle can live that manatees cannot. The final storage process suggested by Ormrod is visual imagery. This process involves a person creating a picture in his or her mind either from the way he or she imagines it looks or from being exposed to images of the concept. Ms. Dennison helps her students to use this process by using videos and images. In the beginning of the unit, Ms. Dennison uses a video on manatees to introduce students to manatees and endangered species. She asks students to relate what the manatee looked like in the video to something else that they had seen before. She shows a video about loggerhead turtles as well as tapes a picture of the loggerhead turtle in the description column of the matrix. Ms. Dennison used these strategies for storing information in conjunction with the three component memory system. Initially the information is brought into the sensory register. This comes from the videos. The information is deemed as important and therefore moves to the working memory. To help students take the information from the sensory register to the working memory, the teacher asks students to make observations. Here the teacher guides the students to organize and elaborate on the information to be stored in long term memory. The teacher helps the students to make connections to prior knowledge, create new knowledge through hypotheses, and organize the information for effective storage and retrieval. She does this through class discussions, the use of the matrix and map, and making meaningful connections to the things the students were already familiar with. The teacher leads the students to move the information from the working memory to the long-term memory. By helping students to organize the information into appropriate schemas, the teacher helps the students to successfully store the information into their long-term memory. She is doing this by using the matrix and maps as well as comparing and contrasting the animals. She also helps the students to practice their retrieval skills when she asks them to recall the previously discussed definitions such as habitat. The methods used by Ms. Dennison will be effective for long-term memory storage and successful retrieval because she uses all three methods for long-term memory storage. She helps the students to create meaningful connections allowing the information to be stored in many different schemas. She also helped students to create their own schema for endangered species. Within that schema, using the matrix, classroom discussions, and map, she is able to guide students to create subcategories of the schema for each animal as well as the environmental implications. The systemized organization of the schema will help students perform effective and efficient retrieval for future reference. Piaget, a researcher from Switzerland, devoted his life to understanding the way children develop cognitively. Piaget’s theory of knowledge construction is based in the notion that children are motivated to learn by disequilibrium. Piaget explained that when a student is in disequilibrium he or she feels uncomfortable and needs to return to equilibrium. This shift is made through accommodation and assimilation. Assimilation is when a person takes an unknown stimulus and fits it to an existing schema. For example, when a young child is presented with an unknown animal, such as a zebra, he or she is in disequilibrium because he or she is unsure what kind of animal it is. After observing the zebra, the child discovers that the zebra has many characteristics of a horse. In order to get back into equilibrium, the child decides that the zebra is a horse. Here the child assimilates the information into the existing schema of horse. Accommodation is when a person creates a new schema or reorganizes an existing schema to harbor the new information. Returning to the child who sees a zebra for the first time, to accommodate this new animal into a schema the child decides that the zebra is not a horse but a new animal all together. The child then creates a new schema for zebras that contains information regarding how the zebra is similar to and different than a horse. Piaget’s theory of knowledge construction is apparent in the case study. Ms. Dennison recognizes that because of the geographic location of her students, manatees, loggerhead turtles, and other endangered species may not be something that the students are familiar with, thus causing disequilibrium. In order to help her students to get back into equilibrium Ms. Dennison helps her students to accommodate the information. One way that she does this is by asking the student to relate the manatee to something that they are familiar with. Keri suggests that a manatee is like a cow. Being from Wisconsin, this is something that many students can relate to. Ms. Dennison explains that manatees are often called sea cows. If she would have stopped the discussion there students may have assimilated the information. She does not, however. Instead, she discusses the differences between manatees and cows with the students. One example is that cows have legs and manatees do not. This leads students to accommodate the new information; This helps students to create a new schema for manatees. This brings students back to equilibrium. She then discusses the characteristics and habitat of manatees and organizes this information into a matrix. The students are then able to add this information to their new schema. This organization will help students to retrieve the information later. There are other strategies that would be helpful for Ms. Dennison to use that would help to increase her students’ learning, as suggested by Ormrod. One thing that she could do would be to suggest mnemonics for information that may be difficult to remember later. One example of a mnemonic that she could use in this unit would be HIPPO. This acronym is used to remember the causes of extinction for animals. It stands for habitat, introduction of an exotic species, pollution, population, and over consumption. Another way that Ms. Dennison could help her students would be to provide a hands-on experience to relate to the concept. This could be done within this unit by having students think of ways to conserve their environment, raise money to save a species, or write letters to government officials expressing their concern about the wellbeing of the species. Human memory has many aspects. Storage and retrieval are both essential in this process. The use of schemas can improve storage and retrieval. The three-component model of memory is a good descriptor of the process. A stimulus is initially taken into the sensory register, when it is deemed important the stimuli then moves into the working memory where it is organized, interpreted, and connected to other prior knowledge. The information is then stored in long-term memory, where it awaits retrieval. There are three significant processes that are useful for storing information in long-term memory: organization, elaboration, and visual imagery. Piaget’s theory of knowledge construction is an essential understanding for teachers to perceive student learning through accommodation and assimilation as students move from disequilibrium to equilibrium. There are many strategies that help students effectively learn, store, and retrieve information. It is imperative that teachers help students to complete this process in order for meaningful learning to take place. References Ormrod, J. (2012). Learning, cognition, and memory. In Essentials of educational psychology: big ideas to guide effective teaching (3rd ed., pp. 16-55). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Performance of the City Council Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Performance of the City Council - Essay Example The essay "Performance of the City Council" entails to find out the satisfaction level of the people for the performance of their city councils and discusses the research that has been conducted from the community to derive the convenience level with the council’s performance. Almost 25 years ago in the developed countries, the citizen’s engagement with the local government was through the electoral process. The representatives were elected through and were left to do their job. But since then there has been a decline in the trend of the local authority elections and has been shifted towards postal voting and amalgamation. The declining trend has led to the decrease trust in the local government. As Russell suggests that the government has to encourage the participation in elections and recommended that there should be a focused intervention between the council size and the representation ratio in order to improve the voter turnout. A Recent European study suggests that the citizens may be changing their preference in engagement towards the city council. The citizens are demanding better services from the local government and they are more willing than before to act and debate because the traditional democracy is declining. The changing attitudes in the attitude of the citizens have also resulted in the roles and functioning of the city councils. The increase in the decentralization and the involvement from the citizen’s part is enhancing a strong emphasis of citizen decision-making.

Response and Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Response and Analysis - Essay Example The Capitol treats its citizens as slaves totally belonging to the machine of power, and in such circumstances human life is worth absolutely nothing. People can vanish, they can literally die on the TV screen and again nobody will be concerned. Totalitarian regimes are obsessed with the idea of possible revolution and overthrow that is why the Capitol aims to ensure its power by reminding people their place and their worth: â€Å"Taking the kids from our districts, forcing them to kill one another while we watch – this is the Capitol’s way of reminding us how totally we are at their mercy. How little chance we would stand of surviving another rebellion. Whatever words they use, the real message is clear. â€Å"Look how we take your children and sacrifice them and there’s nothing you can do. If you lift a finger, we will destroy every last one of you. Just as we did in District Thirteen.† (Collins) As I already mentioned, the primary aim of the Capitol is to constantly remind people that their lives are worth nothing for the authority and that they can â€Å"disappear† anytime. And creating Hunger Games is very effective tool in imposing fear, but broadcasting them on TV has more serious meaning. By doing this the Capitol shows people`s their own worst instinctive qualities - violence and lust for blood. And so it turns out that on the one hand citizens are scared to become victims of the Capitol`s power but on the other, when they manage to save their lives, they become animals in their desire to see someone else`s glamorized death on the screen. So literally they join the Capitol in its obsession with violence becoming decent representatives of regime. There is no possibility to tell what is real on the TV show and what is fake, even such things as love and friendship: â€Å"It’s messing with my mind too much, trying to keep straight when we’re supposedly friends and when we’re

The Lack of Professionalism within the NYPD's Applicant Processing Thesis

The Lack of Professionalism within the NYPD's Applicant Processing Division - Thesis Example The NYPD was established in the year 1845. However, it traces its roots as far back as 1625, when New York City was known as New Amsterdam (Wilson & Grammich, 2009). The NYPD is a combination of different forces which include Transit Police and New York City Housing Authority Police Departments the latter of the two being integrated into NYPD in 1995. The NYPD offers a number of services such as air support, criminal intelligence, public housing, narcotics among others. The mission of the department is to "enforce the laws, preserve the peace, reduce fear, and provide a safe environment." The department is made up of both sworn officers and support staff. The NYPD has been faced by many problems since its inception. There are many challenges that the department needs to overcome so as to live true to its mission. The department has a division known as the Recruit Processing Division. The recruit processing division is charged with the important task of determining who gets to join the NYPD. The task of recruiting for the NYPD does not reach the required standard and, there is need for an overhaul. This paper looks at the problems which affect the recruit processing department (RPD). The paper analyses the source of the problems and, their impact on policing. Finally the paper makes recommendations which, if implemented, would help in professionalizing the NYPD. I am grateful to Professor Jeffrey Katz and Suzanne Murphy, my Thesis advisors. I am indebted to them for the useful insights they gave while I was writing this work. Their input was useful in helping me to come up with the topic and also giving me guidelines on how to go about researching in such a difficult field. I am also grateful to my family who gave me useful insights on how I would improve my research and to cohort 117 for keeping me motivated. I appreciate those who read through my drafts and gave me tips on how I would improve my work. I am also very grateful to Manhattan College School of Continuing and Professional Studies for offering the resources which made the research for my thesis easier. Chapter One 1.0 Introduction The New York Applicant Processing Department (NYPD) is within the New York Police Department. The primary role of the division is getting candidates suitable for employment in the NYPD. This is a critical department since it sets the tone for policing

International Financial Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

International Financial Management - Essay Example And the larger financial markets now have a much bigger consumer base than ever before. (Issing, 2000) With the occurrence of globalization the capital structure of MNC has changed. This is because these companies can now be owned by their customers from outside their base country. Like for example Jaguar (originally British) being owned by the Tata Group of India (Berkowitz, 2008) and Volvo (originally Swedish) is now owned by Geely which is a Chinese company (IBSEN, 2010). The stock market activities are now largely dependent on the availability of information. Stocks are traded on the basis of information coming from across the world. And with the time difference between the major stock markets from East to West, stock market activities are now held round the clock. Globalization has essentially made the financial markets much more competitive by broadening the horizon of their operations. Therefore it is safe to say that the affect of globalization on the financial sector has helped it grow and give exposure to a wider array of investors. Berkowitz, J. (2008, March 25). Tata Motors Buys Jaguar and Land Rover for $2.9b. Retrieved from The Truth about cars: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2008/03/tata-motors-buys-jaguar-and-land-rover-for-2b/ IBSEN, D. A. (2010, March 30). VOLVO TO BE OWNED BY A CHINESE CONGLOMERATE, BUT WILL STAY A SWEDISH BRAND. Retrieved from The Marketeer:

Lead 6_17 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Lead 6_17 - Assignment Example Effective leaders such as CEOs have the capability to direct the organizations with efficacy in order to realize the objectives of the entities (David, 2003). It is imperative not to understate abilities of leaders in the success of firms. As a result, this paper discusses the capabilities and effectiveness of CEOs. The paper assesses an executive, Warren Buffett, which differs from others in attributes and ability in calculating risks that enhance the success of their respective organizations. The aim of the discussion is to analyze a consensus of ideas and perspectives from an organizational leader in regards with what it takes to ensure the success of an entity and higher levels of effectiveness. The paper provides an overview of the chosen CEO by highlighting the achievements, highlights, as well as significant events characterizing the leader’s career. The CEO’s leadership career will incorporate the concepts of an effective leader including personality and leadership capabilities, motivation and empowerment, his vision and strategic bearing, communication skills moral and courage direction as well as values and culture. As an influential person in the realm of investing and one of the wealthiest people in the globe, Warren Buffett is the Chief-Executive-Officer and a large shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway. Berkshire Hathaway is a multinational conglomerate entity with its headquarters situated in Omaha. Buffett came from a humble beginning to one of the wealthiest figures in the world. Characterized by business acumen as well as his ideals and principles he established his investment principles and financial abilities at an early age, which enabled him to acquire many riches. Born in 1930 in Omaha, Nebraska, Warren Edward Buffett worked at a grocery owned by his grandfather in his early years. To show his investing qualities, Buffet purchased a stock at the age of eleven, which resulted in a $5 profit and when he

The Significance of Wilson v UK [2002] IRLR 568 Essay

The Significance of Wilson v UK [2002] IRLR 568 - Essay Example Respecting the right of association implies that governments need to ensure that its individual members of the public freely come together to express, defend and pursue unified goals and interest (Gross & Compa, 2009.p124) As such public authorities are refrained from interfering with individual’s right to assemble and associate. It is noteworthy that freedom of association goes beyond coming together for a common good taking into consideration that it also recognized joining associations aimed at attaining a specified goal. Freedom of association is recognized both locally and internationally in the context of industrial relation. Employees have been granted the freedom to assemble and associate for common interest in respect to the terms and condition of employment. This means that workers have the right to join trade unions and collectively bargain. According to Novitz (2002. P 176) this right is recognized by two vital conventions C 87 and C98 of the International Labour O rganization (ILO). This means that any action or inaction by the employer aimed at discouraging employees from joining trade unions is tantamount to infringement of the Freedom of association and as such is illegal. ... This claim can be justified by the enactment of the â€Å"Ullswater amendment†. This legislation was put in place by the Conservative government to limit operations of trade union activities Barnard, Deakin, & Morris, 2004. P150). Regulation of industrial relation by the UK government can be considered a breach on the ILO standards and ECHR conventions in three perspectives. First the regulations does not make necessary provisions for rights to participate in industrial action, secondly it does not protect organizers and participants in collective bargaining( Hepple 2005.p23) Finally the regulations places unreasonable constrains on the autonomy of trade unions, which is categorically granted to individual employees under Article 11 and 3 of the ECHR and ILO No.87 respectively. The case Wilson v United Kingdom case, which would later bring about far reaching consequences on the British labour laws after several year of court battle involved discrimination of an employee becaus e of his stand on trade union (English, 2011). Dave Wilson was an employee of an Associated Newspaper at the Daily Mail. Wilson was denied 4.5% salary increase because he refused to denounce membership of National Union of Journalists (NUJ) (Thompsons Solicitors, 2012). The condition for pay hike was that the entire team of journalists had to give up their right to the terms and condition put in place by the collective bargain. The aim of the management was to discourage participation industrial action. Wilson refused to sign the contract offered by his employer whereby he ended up losing on the pay incentive. Wilson through his lawyer later filed an application by the courts protesting action of his employer. Significance of the ECHR ruling It is no

Trends in Music Supervision for film industry Essay Example for Free

Trends in Music Supervision for film industry Essay Music can be defined as a rare combination of sounds that are able to project specific rhythms and melodies, which have the power to convey a message that words cannot express (Fleser, 2000). Music has the unique power to bring out the true emotions of people and touch their souls. Being such a powerful aspect of human nature and life, people involved in the profession of music have always tried to present it in the best possible manner that will be soothing to every soul who listens to it, as the saying goes that â€Å"Music is food for the soul. † Music is now one of the largest industries of the world which embraces with itself millions of individuals who work in this field. The growing success of the music industry has made people think that making a reputation in this industry just a piece of cake, but indeed making music is the toughest job for an individual. Music has always had the power to influence its listeners, that is why music is now widely used in almost every cultural and performing arts activities. The global film industry also happens to be one of these branches of the performing arts which have made great use of music not only for its promotion but also as a medium in which music can always be utilized to convey the story to the audience in a much more effective manner. Film as a medium is a great platform for conveying different stories and messages to its audiences and when it is incorporated with music than the goal to convey the message becomes much easier. Film music is now considered to be a necessity without which the success of any film can be put into doubts. Body Film music was probably introduced as a means to cover the sounds of projectors which presented the films in the late 1800s and early 1900’s (Passman, 2006). But the question that rises over here is that what allowed the film music to survive? The simple answer is that film music made it easier to convey the message in a much realistic form. Therefore the true introduction of music in the films came from the reason of covering clanking sounds of projectors. Before the addition of color into motion picture music was also a definite part of black and white movies. Even you take a look at movies not just from the West but also from the East than you will notice that music had great influence in movies on both sides of the globe. Introduction of music in films was indeed considered as an innovation, one which later had progressed into vast fields of soundtracks and background scores. In the late 1900’s the cinema industry was going through a crisis as he number of theatres had increased tremendously but the producers found themselves to be short of films. At first music was introduced in the films through a live orchestra or piano that played along the projection of the film but later on in the 1900s theatre goers were introduced to a new technique which included a much more classified form of music through which competent musicians performed along with the orchestra. The regular trend of music accompanying the films was introduced much later and before that the owners of different theaters tried to make the sound of the cinema somewhat close to live theaters. At that time all film projections were accompanied by human voice that is to say that dialogues were spoken live and music was also included as a live orchestra. To omit this non-satisfactory and at times irritating mechanism of sound from the films a lot of experimentations were carried out by converting the sound on disc and synchronizing it. A lot of experiments were carried out in this regard so that a better sound can be achieved. After a lot of failures the experiment proved to be a successful one through Camera phone. The camera phone was a device which merged the sound and pictures at an inexpensive cost which made it easy to be distributed amongst the theater owners. It would right to say that the camera phone was the breakthrough in the field of merging music and sound with motion picture. The camera phone paved way for a lot of other devices which resulted because of various experiments based on the camera phone itself. These experimentations included the phonoscope, picture phone, etc. But all these experimentations were mainly focused on producing a synchronized form of the human sound that before was spoken live in the theater so as such these innovations were not a major breakthrough but they definitely provided the room for improvement and further experimentation. Later a campaign was introduced by producers through which the synchronized disc system was considered outdated and producers encouraged the theater owners to actually include the titles within the film only which sort of decreased the work assigned to the narrator. This step can be witnessed as a gradual change for omitting live narrations completely from the film. Music became an important part of the films when the audience had started demanding music in between inter-titles or other parts of the movie. This led the theater owners to play separate discs which contained music at the time of the presentation of the titles. At that time Vita-phone was also introduced which was an advanced form for the synchronized disc systems but it proved a little more successful because it lead to an innovating idea to project sound within the theater. In the late 1926 the vita-phone was used in a meaning full manner by placing one speaker behind the other, one in the narrative podium and another where the orchestra played. The films produced with Vita-phone at that time led many renowned production companies including Warner’s to give a further thought to disc synchronization and the importance that it holds for the progress of the theater sound and music industry. They even found the vita-phone appropriate to serve as speakers for public addresses. The Vita-phone was a source for the main entry of music into films. Its first use included a major portion of incorporating music in films. Vita-phone also proved to be a source for amplifying whatever sound is passed through it. But like every invention its use also had to come to an end with other inventions. Music in films was deeply felt by the audiences for the first time in a movie called the e Jazz Singer which was introduced in October 1927. The reason for this reaction of the audience was simply the fact that a new kind of sound was presented in front of them, one which was completely different especially from the projected sounds and one which provided them with a refreshing change of sound. In many scenes of some movies the producers tried to develop a relationship between the actors who perform and the amplification system. By 1929 a lot of changes had been improvised in the style of filmmaking especially in the sound and music department. These changes were brought forth by revising a lot of configurations of the loudspeaker. The 1926 music in films found the orchestra to be the only and the main source through which the audience were entertained with some kind of music within the film. But after this a gradual diversion of the film music towards the screen was witnessed. This means that the speakers were placed exactly behind the screen so that it appeared to be completely well coordinated with the scenes it was to play along with. This idea was used by Hollywood a lot in its beginning days. If looked at closely than it might seem to be a completely illogical idea but this technique was brought into practice so that the real source of sound can be hidden and brought along with the attributes of whatever is being played on the screen. The technique of placing the speakers behind the image on the screen was also appreciated as a move to create identification between the sound or music and the picture. But this proved to be a difficult task for technicians. The technicians had to more mobile compared to as before placing the speaker carefully so that perfect correspondence between the sound and picture would be visible to the audience. The year 1933 brought with it the major breakthrough in the American Industry in terms of sound system. The Bell Labs had experimented with the sound stereo and in 1940 a major electronic company demonstrated a four-track-stereo system. This stereo system was adopted by cinema owners in the early 1950’s. The stereo was expected to fulfill the tasks of both the technicians as well as what a sound system should fulfill. That is to say it completely leveled the needs of accuracy and of providing well coordinated sound to the audience. But the surround sound also held its disadvantage. The surround sound system could be used to reinforce only specific visual effects. And it was difficult to coordinate the picture with 3 directional speakers. For this sole reason the major production companies of Hollywood including WarnerBros, Columbia Pictures and even M-G-M. \ If we look at the last forty years than we can witness a lot of progress in terms of stereo system in the movie department. This has only enhanced the performance and importance of music in Movies. But today’s position in movie sounds could never had been reached if Dolby had not introduced its optical stereo in the late 1970’s, which had an outstanding and improved nature in terms of noise reduction. The Dolby speakers were pretty popular. Most production companies tried to use these speakers especially after the success of the super hit fiction Star Wars. Conclusion For the past 40 years we have witnessed a lot of innovations in terms of sounds and music in the film m industry. At first different orchestras were brought into sing for the films but over the gradual period of time we have observed that the pop and rock culture of different individual music industries has paved a way for itself into this field. We now see artists from different music genres and industries singing for movies and their soundtracks. The quality of music has improved and is still improving. This is due to the digital age that we have entered in. But in today’s competitive world the movies demand a lot from the soundtracks. What we can expect in future is a global competition between different industries and what would really set everyone apart is not only their creativity but also their ability to market and promote themselves. No doubt music has contributed immensely in this field and will continue to do so if music composers keep on coming up with heart felt and innovative tunes for each generation especially the generation next. References Book Fleser, J. (2000). The Chord Wheel. UK. JSK Passman, D. S. (2006). All You Need To Know About Music Business. USA.

The Sleeper Curve Technology And The Media Media Essay

The Sleeper Curve Technology And The Media Media Essay Johnson notes that the sleeper curve is a comparison between the level of I.Q and other neurological capabilities in relation to the changing technology aimed at showing how the modern forms of technology and the media are responsible for sharpening our minds (Johnson, page 34). Contrary to most peoples expectations that TV and video games play a role in sharpening our minds, Johnson proves that the complexity of the TV shows aired and video games that are played have a fundamental role in sharpening our minds and making us more attentive. He notes that the attributes derived from playing games and watching television make us more perceptive and train our brains to things in a sound manner. He states that This growing complexity involves three primary elements: multiple threading, flashing arrows and social networks. (Jazz Corner 2005 and The New York Time, 2005). This way, our IQ levels are increased and our brains become more sharpened. He therefore advocates for young people to co ntinue playing video games and watching modern TV shows. He goes on the further state that, The quickest way to appreciate the Sleeper Curves cognitive training is to sit down and watch a few hours of hit programming from the late 70s on Nick at Nite or the SOAPnet channel or on DVD. (Jazz Corner 2005 and The New York Time, 2005). According to Johnson, a sleeper curve can be explained in three different models or levels which are the common driving forces in the sleeper curve. These driving forces include economic factors, neurological factors, and technological factors. The economic factors driving the sleeper curve include the changes that have been effected in the industry to suit the needs of the viewer while at the same time satisfying the financial needs of those in the show business industry. Changes have been cited in the television industry in recent times most of which have been due to changing consumer preferences. This has been done through the introduction of TV series aimed at meeting the viewers needs. For instance, there has been an increase in the story line complexity and television shows that aired 20 years ago re now being regarded as primitive by the viewers. This explains why older shows like the Dragnet cannot match up to most modern shows being produced such as the Sopranos. This has e nsured that people adopt the concept of Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), in an attempt to understand peoples emotional intelligence through reading their minds (Johnson, p.98). For instance, the producers and media people have to read the viewers emotional cues, anticipate their inner feelings and thoughts (Johnson p.98,99). Likewise, when watching television with friends or families, one also has to read their minds; what they anticipate and feel about the program. Therefore, television provides a medium where one can assess peoples emotional intelligence (Johnson, p.99). Technology is a major factor that helps in the understanding of the sleeper curve. The ever changing technology is responsible for the sleeper curve. The technology that is used today cannot be compared to the technology that was used 20 years ago. Everything has changed. First there was the adoption of VCRs, and then came the introduction of CDs and DVDs. This also ranges from the video games that kids play to the TV shows being aired. For instance, the type of video games that were being played 20 years ago ( ie Pong or Duck Hunt), cannot be compared to the ones being played today ( ie Call of Duty or Halo). Most of the games played then just required minimal skills which ranged form motor coordination to pattern formation and understanding. The video games that are played today are very advanced as compared to those that were played back in the early 1970s. Modern video games create a whole new virtual world. For instance, digitalization has been on the rise in the show business. This is usually present in the TV and video games. For instance, Sleeper, the 1973 science fiction explains the incompatibility between the scientists in 2173 and the 21st century generation. The film is against the current generation trying to impose scientific and technological advancement used in cloning. However, current series such as Greys Anatomy embraces technology and scientific advancement by hypothesizing the probability of cloning in the near future. Therefore, the TV and video games pertaining technology helps compare cultures and the superiority of the current intellectual riches. The neurological aspect of the brain is an important factor to look at when dealing with the sleeper curve. The way we think and look at things today is not the same way people looked and thought of things 20 years ago. Today, education does not take place in class alone. There are numerous activities in living rooms and basements which help kids to become smarter today. The mindset of children today cannot be compared to the children in 1970 or 1980. Today, children get introduced to very complex aspects of technology at very young ages. This facilitates adoption of the current trends of technology at the tender ages. The change in the neurological setting is what facilitates an overall need in the change of how technology evolves and our reaction to the different aspects of technology. Viewers have a need to maintain their connection between the virtual world physics and their brain chemistry, therefore, they are attracted to systems that explore the environment and have clearly de fined rewards in spite of them probably having the virtual characters. This explains why the people who are above the age of twenty are not attracted to the rescue princess like games or videos like Nintendo or Zelda. The more grown up video games such as Halo or Call of Duty and the The Sopranos are what they are watching or playing. Additionally, people love mind bending files like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Momento and Pulp Fiction which help them develop neurologically. For instance, Momento uses a reverse chronological order whereby the audience is barely aware of the events preceding in attempt to confuse them. As the film ends, both narratives converge and one understands that the investigation taking place resulted to someone death. Watching the television shows provides a platform for improving our neurological development. Consequences The sleeper curve undermines the long headed belief that pop culture is on a race to the bottom, where the cheapest thrill wins out every time. Johnson quickly states that the sleeper curve has not yet become more superior than the traditional culture. It undermines the premise that mass culture pales in comparison to High Art in its aesthetic and intellectual riches. However, to me his argument is invalid. The sleeper curve has greatly impacted the popular culture generation in the way they live and has therefore become more dominant than the traditional culture. In comparison to the older generations, the impacts of video games, TV shows, and technology are greatly felt in the society today. This has changed the American cultural values and the pop culture which was disregarded is now being embraced in a different style and people view it from a different perspective. Earlier on, people detested videos with extreme violence which are now embraced and used to make kids sharpen brain s. They improve the level of perception and increase the analysis speed of viewers. The TV shows and video games are actually making people smarter as opposed to the belief that nothing good can come out of TV shows and video games. The videos and TV shows are now incorporated in education and children are able to grasp more within a limited span of time. Children can now cope with school subjects like mathematics by using video games like Dungeon and Dragons that help kids to increase their calculation capabilities. Additionally, embracing the current trends in technology increases important learning skills such as reading speed and accuracy. Modern TV shows have subtitles that allow viewers to quickly read through and grasp the concept of the TV shows. This way, viewers can master how to read through these subtitles and lines with ease and use the same strategy when studying large volumes of books or numerous readings. The video games that were present 20 years ago are not the same as those which are played today. Games like Pac-Man and Tetris which were very popular back in the 1980s and 1990s are not as challenging as the video games today. Take for instance, a game like Grand Theft Auto 3 which requires mor e than just pattern recognition and motor coordination. Modern games are designed not only to create a challenge for the players, but also to sharpen the skills of the players. Modern games are created to bring into existence an imaginary world which has a lot of details and is very competitive in nature. Importance of understanding the Sleeper Curve It is very important to understand the sleeper curve because of the impact it has on our daily activities. Everyone is affected by the sleeper curve either directly or indirectly. The sleeper curve also affects the way we interact with the environment in general. Understanding how the sleeper curve operates is an important thing to put into consideration. If we are able to understand the changes brought about by the sleeper curve and the resulting effects, we can understand these changes and how vital these changes are as it helps one to come to terms with and evaluate the sleeper curve. This is because video games and TV shows have a great influence in our lives today. If video games and TV shows make kids smarter, then they should be looked into deeply. Anything that affects the social, cultural, and educational aspects of children should probably be looked at very closely. The advantages accrued to the sleeper curve outweigh the negative effects and therefore, people should embrace modern forms of technology particularly the video games and modern TV shows. As we have seen, video games and modern TV shows are major contributors in our cognitive thinking and which increase our IQ. Children who play video games and watch modern TV shows are generally smarter and their smartness is explicitly shown in the educational field. Children learn how to grasp so much in such a small amount of time which also teaches them how to find their way out of difficult situations. People should therefore engage in, embrace video games and television shows to actually see the quickest way to appreciate the sleeper curves cognitive training (Jazz Corner 2005 and The New York Times 2005).

The roles and objectives of AASB

The roles and objectives of AASB The AASB is hardly an independent standard setting body. Its policies and activities are subjected to the dictation and supervision by at least two big brothers the IASB and the FRC, not to mention the ASIC. A critical evaluation of this statement has been done in the light of the present accounting regulatory environment in Australia. This study had a detailed analysis within the concerned Government websites of Australia, annual reports, journal and documents. This paper will discuss the various roles and objectives of AASB as an accounting standard setting body and its relationship to FRC, IASB and ASIC in achieving its task. Finally helps to reach a conclusion whether agree or not to agree with the above statement. The Australian Accounting Standard Board (AASB) AASB is an independent Australian Government agency under the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001. It has responsibility for the development of accounting standards for application by companies and by other entities in the private and public sectors, and for the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts. (Lundqvist k, 2003) AASB (2009, pp 23-24) in the Annual report 2009, describes the function, mission, vision and objectives of AASB Statutory functions of AASB: To develop a conceptual framework for the purpose of evaluating proposed standards; To make accounting standards under section 334 of the Corporations Act 2001; To formulate accounting standards for other purposes; To participate in and contribute to the development of a single set of accounting standards for worldwide use; To advance and promote the main objects of Part 12 of the ASIC Act, which include reducing the cost of capital, enabling Australian entities to compete effectively overseas and maintaining investor confidence in the Australian economy. Vision of AASB To be recognised as a global centre of excellence, delivering a truly distinctive contribution to the development of high-quality financial reporting standards. Mission of the AASB To develop and maintain high-quality financial reporting standards for all sectors of the Australian economy To contribute, through leadership and talent, to the development of global financial reporting standards and to be recognised as facilitating the inclusion of the Australian community in global standard setting. The major standard-setting objectives of the AASB, as set out in its 2006-07 annual report, are to: issue Australian versions of International Accounting Standards Board documents; produce standards that treat like transactions consistently; significantly influence the development of International Financial Reporting Standards; identify areas requiring fundamental review and introduce standards to cover those areas; and promote globally consistent application and interpretation of accounting standards. The Standard-Setting Process The following  diagram  is a simplified view of  the standard-setting process. Organisational Structure The following  diagram  shows the relationships between other bodies and the AASB. Source: Adapted from AASB (2009) As an independent standard setting body, AASB is responsible for the development of accounting standards for application by companies and by other entities in the private and public sectors, and for the development of Statements of Accounting Concepts. (Lundqvist k, 2003) The policies and activities of AASB are subject to the supervision of an advisory body, FRC. AASB implemented the broad strategic direction from FRC to adopt  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) standards for financial reporting Financial Reporting Council (FRC) FRC (2009) in its website makes a broad understanding on its responsibilities, functions and objectives. The Financial Reporting Council (FRC) is a statutory body under the Australian  as amended by the Corporate Law Economic Reform Program (Audit Reform and Corporate Disclosure) Act 2004. FRC is responsible for providing broad oversight of the process for setting accounting and auditing standards as well as monitoring the effectiveness of auditor independence requirements in Australia and giving the Minister reports and advice on these matters. Responsibilities of FRC on accounting standard setting functions: appointing the members of the AASB (other than the Chairmen); approving and monitoring the AASBs priorities; business plans; budgets; and staffing arrangements (including level, structure and composition of staffing); determining the AASBs broad strategic directions; giving the AASB directions, advice or feedback on matters of general policy and on the AASBs procedures; monitoring the development of international standards that apply in major international financial centres; furthering the development of a single set of accounting standards for world-wide use with appropriate regard to international developments; promoting the continued adoption of international best practice accounting standards in the Australian accounting standard setting processes if doing so would be in the best interests of both the private and public sectors in the Australian economy; monitoring: the operation of accounting standards to assess their continued relevance and their effectiveness in achieving their objectives in respect of both the private and public sectors of the Australian economy; the effectiveness of the consultative arrangements used by the AASB seeking contributions towards the costs of the Australian accounting standard setting processes; monitoring and periodically reviewing the level of funding, and the funding arrangements, for the AASB Objectives of the FRC in relation to Accounting standards The FRC operates within a framework set out in the ASIC Act. Main objectives are: Accounting standards should require the provision of information that: allows users to make and evaluate decisions about allocating scarce resources; assists directors to discharge their obligations in relation to financial reporting; is relevant to assessing performance, financial position, financing and investment; is relevant and reliable; facilitates comparability; and is readily understandable. Accounting standards should facilitate the Australian economy by reducing the cost of capital and enabling Australian entities to compete effectively overseas. Accounting should facilitate the Australian economy by having accounting standards that are clearly stated and easy to understand. Accounting standards should maintain investor confidence in the Australian economy, including its capital markets. Functions and Objectives of FRC clarifies its limitations on standard setting. According to Leo et.al (2008, pp 16) FRC has the power to do all things necessary to perform its functions, including establishment of committees and advisory groups. In particular FRC has to ensure that standards set by AASB are in harmony with standards established in international level so that there is no competitive disadvantage overseas for Australian businesses. To ensure that AASB as an independent standard setter there is a provision under the ACT that expressly limits the FRCs ability to become involved in the technical deliberations of the AASB. It provides that the FRC does not have power to direct the AASB in relation to the development, or making, of a particular standard, or to veto a standard formulated or recommended by the AASB .(FRC,2009) Bowrey G (2007) in his article has a significant argument on the independence of AASB. In ASIC Act 2001 the role of the FRC could be summarised as providing broad oversight for setting accounting standards in Australia. Indeed section 225 of the ASIC Act 2001 outlines that the FRC does not have the ability to be become involved in the technical deliberations of the AASB, nor does it have power to direct the AASB in the development of a particular standard and nor does the FRC have the power to veto a standard made or recommended by the AASB. These limitations placed on the FRC are to ensure the independence of the standard setter. The notion of independence of the AASB is eroded by the fact of direct control on the appointment of the members. The notion of independence is even further eroded because the FRC sets the AASBs priorities, its business plans, budgeting and even it staffing arrangements. The government through department, Treasury, has financial and operational control of the FRC and in turn the AASB. In this article again question of independence arises where, the budgets of all government organisations go through a significantly in-depth evaluation process through the Senate Estimates. So even though the FRC sets the AASBs budget, before any money is provided the budget estimates need to go through the senate for approval. So how is it possible for the AASB to be independent? The fact that current and potential government (opposition) members have the power to decide for what and how much to fund the board certainly supports the argument about the lack of independence. There doesnt appear to be any independence on the contrary the AASB seems to be highly dependent on both FRC and the Parliament. The argument in this article ended without reaching a specific conclusion as there is specific legislation this government has enacted to ensure there is independence in the accounting standard setting process. Hockey J (1999) in his speech addressing to the Group of 100 Executive Dinner Meeting in Sydney suggested that the FRC might have too much power and too much control over the standard setter. He said that even though 225 of the ASIC Act 2001placed some limitation over FRC the new AASB, though independent, will be fully accountable to the FRC in much the same way that the UK Accounting Standards Board is to the UK Financial Reporting Council and the US Financial Accounting Standards Board is to the US Financial Accounting Foundation. Under a strategy adopted by the Financial Reporting Council [1] in July 2002, the Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) is obliged to work towards the full implementation of the International Accounting Standards (IAS) (now known as International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) [2]) in Australia.(Hay A, 2004). The primary objective of the new accounting standards is the expected efficiency of the capital markets that will arise from the existence of a set of globally acceptable accounting standards that result in high quality comparable and transparent financial reporting. In short, an objective of the harmonisation of international accounting standards is a worldwide effort to restore confidence in corporate reporting and create a free flow of capital worldwide. A second objective is the facilitation of cross border comparison of accounts by investors, leading to a reduced cost of capital for Australian companies and assisting them to raise capital or list overseas. From this it is clear that IASB is not directing to adopt any standard but it is for the efficiency of capital market and for a reduced cost of capital AASB does so. In an article, Brown AM et.al (2007) consider AASB, as one of the operating bodies of FRC which does the functions of FRC.In this article it is said that FRC oversees the activities of AASB and has no technical role on the standard setting . In adoption of international accounting standards when started from 2005 FRC said that the Australian Accounting Standards Board would decide the appropriate time at which future amendments to those standards would be made law in Australia. (Tom, R 2006).This also an indication of the AASBs independence in standard setting and the amendments of those standard set. The  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) The  International Accounting Standards Board  (IASB) is an independent, privately-funded accounting standard-setter based in  London, England. The IASB is committed to developing in the public interest, a single set of high quality ,understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that require transparent and comparable information in general purpose financial statement .In addition IASB cooperates with national accounting standard setters o achieve convergence in accounting standards around the world.( Leo et.al (2008, pp 21)) IASB as an independent, private-sector body develops and approves International Financial Reporting Standards. The IASB operates under the oversight of the International Accounting Standards Committee Foundation. The IASB was formed in 2001 to replace the International Accounting Standards Committee. IAS Plus International Accounting Standards, explains the objectives of IASB To develop, in the public interest, a single set of high quality, understandable and enforceable global accounting standards that require high quality, transparent and comparable information in financial statements and other financial reporting to help participants in the worlds capital markets and other users make economic decisions; To promote the use and rigorous application of those standards; To fulfil the above objectives and, to take account of, as appropriate, the special needs of small and medium-sized entities and emerging economies; and To bring about convergence of national accounting standards and International Accounting Standards and International Financial Reporting Standards to high quality solutions. Adoption of IASB Standards by AASB Adoption of IASB Standards by AASB is explained by AASB(2009) in its website. AASB made Australian equivalents to International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) standards on 15 July 2004. The overall approach of AASB is to adopt the content and words of IASB standards, accommodating the Australian legislative environment with only the words being changed. Main focus of IASB is on for-profit entities whereas AASB is responsible for setting accounting standards for all types of reporting entities. Suitably identified additional text, is included in the AASB standards to deal with those limited cases where there is a need to have different or additional requirements for not-for-profit entities. These additions do not impact on the requirements in relation to for-profit entities There are circumstances in which a not-for-profit entity complying with the Australian equivalents to the IASB standards will not be able to simultaneously comply with the IASB standards because the additional requirements for not-for-profit entities are inconsistent with the IASB requirements. In some cases, existing AASB standards contain helpful commentary that is not included in the equivalent IASB standards. The AASB retains this commentary as guidance that is not part of the standards where it is considered to be of benefit to users of AASB standards and provided it does not contradict the content of Australian equivalents to IASB standards. Thus AASB is aiming for the highest quality financial reporting in adopting IASB standards. Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) According to ASIC(2009) ,ASIC is Australias corporate, markets and financial services regulator, which is an   independent Commonwealth Government body set up under and administer the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act (ASIC Act), and carry out most of work under the Corporations Act. ASIC ensures that Australias financial markets are fair and transparent, supported by confident and informed investors and consumers. ASIC regulate Australian companies, financial markets, financial services organisations and professionals who deal and advise in investments, superannuation, insurance, deposit taking and credit. ASICs Statutory Role and Responsibilities Cameron A (2000) discuss the role and responsibilities of ASIC ASICs role in the financial reporting system is not well understood Responsibilities and Obligations in regard to financial reporting imposed on ASIC by the Corporations Law are as follows Monitoring and enforcing compliance with financial reporting requirements of the Law, including the accounting standards. Powers to exempt companies from the requirements of Accounting Standards and other provisions of the Law, and to modify the application of the Law. Relationship Between ASIC and the AASB ASIC is in full support of the AASBs standard setting process. Both agencies share information and regulatory concerns. ASIC gives information of concerns of accounting practices that come to their attention under their activities and ensures that the Board is aware of the views on their proposals for new standards and revisions to existing ones, as market regulator. All contributions made by ASIC have to be considered by the Board on making a final decision on Standards. (Cameron A, 2000) ASICs role is to contribute to the development of high quality standards to promote market integrity generally, and to enforce the individual Standards made by the Board. Even though ASIC does not have authority to establish or veto accounting standards, ASIC does have the power to exempt or modify them. ASIC also develops policy on applying financial reporting requirements of the Law in new and problem areas. For example, development of transitional reporting requirements of building societies, credit unions and friendly societies. Functions under  Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001  (ASIC, 2009) Maintain, facilitate and improve the performance of the financial system and entities in it Promote confident and informed participation by investors and consumers in the financial system Administer the law effectively and with minimal procedural requirements Enforce and give effect to the law Receive, process and store, efficiently and quickly, information that is given to us Make information about companies and other bodies available to the public as soon as practicable. Conclusion To conclude the above statement can be agreed only to some extent .The statement specifies the activities of AASB are under the supervision of FRC, and it is the function of FRC to oversee the process of setting accounting standards, but the Act has placed limitations on FRC to ensure the independence of the standard setter.AASB aims for the high quality financial reporting in adopting IASB standards. The role of ASIC is to contribute towards the development of standards by AASB.In short, the combined effort of the bodies will help develop and maintain high-quality financial reporting standards for all sectors of the Australian economy

How do the authors create atmosphere and tension in The Monkeys Paw Ess

How do the authors create atmosphere and tension in The Monkeys Paw and The Red Room? A ghost story is a story with intent to scare; it usually builds up tension and suspense by using a lot of intense, exaggerated words. Usually in a ghost story there is a typical dark and gloomy setting and an inhuman object almost always there is a non human force or a supernatural being in the story to give it a scare factor. Supernatural means a power above the forces of nature which implies that it is not human. In the time that the two stories were written, the belief in the supernatural was a lot different to those of today. They believed in such things as ghosts and witchcraft where as nowadays there are only some believers. This could be because they had less technology than today’s world so we have more evidence to whether they are or aren’t real The Monkey’s Paw is a story about a distant friend who has possession of a cursed shrivelled monkey’s paw that grants three wishes to each man that obtains it. Every wish comes true but little do they know that the wish that they asked for would backfire horrifically killing there only child. The Red Room is another story that was written in the 19th century. However different to The Monkey’s paw this story does not have a supernatural or inhuman power. The story is about a man that’s name is not told and his quest to stay in a supposedly haunted room but unluckily for him, the room possessed a far greater force than spirits or monsters but the very thing that eats away at a mans emotions-FEAR! The authors that wrote these stories use a lot of special techniques to make the audience scared and fearful; afterall the intent of the story is to scare people. Some o... ... they both play with your feelings and emotions. Both stories are written with the intent to scare and they do that. Also, they make you feel sad, disgusted and interested. I think that they do this by there powerful descriptions. And in which they use long and short sentences to build up the tension and atmosphere before the ending. Whilst studying the two books I have realise that to write a successful horror story you have to use all of the techniques and in my opinion the most important technique is descriptive language. When describing, you have to use powerful and meaningful words to give a clear visual picture and so the reader is reacting to the descriptions. I feel that if you have good descriptions then everything else will follow and if you draw the reader’s emotions in to the book then they will be more scared after the ending scare factor.

Essay --

Potty training is one milestone, eagerly awaited on by parents. Potty training is a process. The process of potty training takes between three and six months, depending on the child. Potty training takes time, dedication, and patience. There are many steps to training a child, some steps are more difficult and the steps may be difficult for the child to grasp. The process of potty training will be difficult and have setbacks along the way. Before starting the process you need to know if your child is ready. You need to be watching for signs of potty training readiness. The signs include increased interest in using the potty, child feels uncomfortable in diapers, child talks about the potty, child goes to the bathroom on a schedule, child follows instructions, and the child stays dry for longer periods of time. When it comes to age, there is no right age to start potty training because every child is different. Most parents think about training their kids between the ages of eighteen months and three years old. Be sure to not rush the child into potty training too soon from pressure of others. Also before starting the process, you need tools. You may need many different tools to complete this process. The tools include a potty chair, training pants, footsteps, and books or films on potty training. These tools will help the child feel excited about the process, be comfortable, and help them feel independent. Now, the fun part. The process of potty training a child. There are many steps to the process. First, introduce the potty. Introduce the potty to your child around their first birthday. To be successful at this, keep books and films on potty training in the bathroom and talk to he child about potty training on occasions... .... To do this you may use a sticker chart, give the child some candy, or buy the child something they want. Be sure not to go nuts. Doing this will make the child react to praise the same way they act to punishment. Praise and the reward the child, but don't over exaggerate and scare the child. The process of potty training takes time, patience, and dedication. To be successful at this process, stay consistent with the process. Talk to the child about the potty, encourage the child to use the potty, make the process fun, make it comfortable, and reward the child. Learning the process and knowing what you need to do, will help the child be successful at completing this process. Potty training may seem like a difficult task, but doesn't need to be. So, NEVER give up on your child or the process of potty training them. No matter what, you child will be potty trained.

The Importance of Man’s First Landing on the Moon

Case Study Latin America and the Catholic Church Malaika Nicholson DeVry University Pope John Paul II visited Nicaragua in 1983. His visit was a response to rumors regarding an alliance that was developing between Marxists revolutionaries and priests that was beginning to emerge in Latin America. The Catholic Church historically was strongly against communism. Therefore, these alliances that were emerging between priests and revolutionaries were troublesome to Pope John Paul.Even though the priest denied doing anything wrong, but instead were only doing the will of God and what Christ, himself would do in taking interest in the poor. News of Pope John Paul’s II upcoming visit created hope among reform minded Catholics. Not knowing exactly how, they hoped he would lend his support for the revolutionary case. Because the Pope as well as the Catholic Church did not support the principles the Marxist held regarding Liberation Theology, the people hoped that if nothing else, he wou ld offer words of compassion and support.There were thousands of Nicaraguans who died and suffered by the oppressive regime and were in desperate need for hope . They hoped that the gap between the people and church could be repaired and that economic and social changes could become a reality. The Pope’s visit would come during the time that the country was in major lack due to governmental corruption. Reform minded Catholic in Nicaragua had high hope that he would speak out on behalf of the people. The position the pope took led to disappointment by Nicaraguan Catholics because he did not focus on political reform in his speech.They had anticipated him to serve as a catalyst in social and political reform by publically supporting their cause. Instead, Pope John Paul II expressed the civic duty by Nicaraguan priests to help the less fortunate and to be good examples to the rest of society. The people of Nicaragua became painfully aware that the pope was not going to support t heir revolutionary cause during his visit. During his visit he did express his extreme disapproval to liberation Theology encouraging people to abandon their ideological commitments in reference to his views on mingling of Marxist values withChristianity. Pope John Paul II wanted to emphasize the importance of not compromising Christian views of God at the center of all things with Sandinistas ideals of Humanism. The Pope’s visit was an event of great significance; some say even leading to the Nicaraguan Civil War. His visit also intensified tension between Sandinistas and Nicaraguan Catholics who supported them. Pope John Paul’s II visit also fueled rebel groups (Contras) as a form of propaganda, supporting their cause by giving them more legitimacy.

Constitutional Law of the European Union Essay

The European Court of Justice is the driving force behind European integration. The ECJ had elaborately defined the doctrines of supremacy and direct effect of the EC Law and provided remedies for damages caused by breach of EC Law by a Member State . Despite the initiatives of the ECJ, there have been conflicts between Community law and national law. Moreover, the ECJ made it clear that the EC law had supremacy over national law in the event of conflict as evidenced in the case of Costa v ENEL, wherein it held that a preliminary ruling by the Italian courts based on their national law would be of no significance. In Simmenthal, the ECJ clarified that the Community law was to take precedence over national law and that any provision of the national law that contravened the Community Law would be rescinded by it. Moreover, the ECJ prohibited the implementation of any national law that was in conflict with the Community law. The ECJ further ruled that no fundamental provision of any national law could challenge the supremacy of a directly applicable Community rule . This supremacy of Community law is one of the constitutive principles of the integration of the European Community legal order and it has been well embedded in the Treaty that established a Constitution for the European Union. The doctrine of supremacy of Community law, the principles of direct effect and uniform applicability are the primary ingredients of the Community. They are fundamental to the promotion of an effective Community legal order and form the unseen pillars of the European Constitution. Further, the doctrine of supremacy is the actual concrete personification of this constitutional power . The national constitutional courts of Member States found it very difficult to adopt the doctrine of supremacy and in the initial stages the Italian and German constitutional courts almost refused to adopt this doctrine into their respective national legislations, because they felt that they would be surrendering their power of constitutional review of secondary community law. Subsequently, the enlargement of the European Union provided a new paradigm to this doctrine of supremacy. This doctrine of supremacy was enforced by the ECJ in Costa v ENEL . This doctrine is a jurisprudential creation of the ECJ. Further, the Court clarified that the EEC Treaty had adopted a new legal system, which the Member States had integrated into their national legislation. Accordingly, the national courts were required to apply the Community law without any deviation and this generated a number of debates in the Member States. Ultimately, it was accepted by the Member States. However, total supremacy over the national constitutional provisions has not been achieved . In Frontini the Italian Constitutional Court had opined that the 1957 Act, which had accepted the provisions of the EEC Treaty, did not breach the Constitution. Moreover, the Italian court reserved to itself the right to review the continuing compatibility of the Treaty with the Constitution . In another case the Italian Constitutional Court, while accepting the precedence of Community law, maintained that the court had competence over any aspect of the relationship between Community law and municipal law . These decisions clearly established that the national constitutional courts had not completely accepted the supremacy of Community law. The German Constitutional Courts voiced their concern over the protection of fundamental rights in the decisions given in Solange I and II and introduced the concept of Kompetenz – Kompetenze. Even in the Banana case the German constitutional Court declined to give up its power to review secondary community legislation in order to protect fundamental rights . In the United Kingdom this doctrine created several problems, because the UK constitution bestows absolute power on Parliament. Further, the UK ratified a dualist policy concerning the relationship between international treaties and national law. Although such treaties were signed by the UK, they were not incorporated into the domestic law of the UK. In order to incorporate the treaties into national laws, the Parliament had to ratify them and this resulted in a problem in respect of accepting the doctrine of supremacy of Community law over national law. In the famous Factortame case the concept of the supremacy of Community law was subjected to a vast amount of discussion. In that case Spanish fishermen had argued that the norms for registering vessels under the Merchant Shipping Act 1988 were discriminatory and in conflict with the provisions of the EC Treaty. The House of Lords refused to grant any interim injunction against the Crown. The applicants in this case claimed that this would violate the Community law and the result was that a reference was made to the ECJ, which ruled in favour of these applicants. The ECJ further held that any piece of legislation in the national law that prevented a court from issuing interim relief would be tantamount to the violation of the Community law . The EOC case dealt with the suitability of the UK statute regarding unfair dismissal and redundancy pay in the broader context of the EC law . The UK law provided different benefits to employees working in full –time and part – time jobs. The appellant in the case, the Equal Opportunities Commission, opined that the statute was discriminating against female employees, which was in contravention of Article 141 of the EC Treaty and to other Community directives. The House of Lords held that the national legislation had violated the EC law and upheld the contention of the EOC. The approach of the European Court of Justice is at variance with the customary doctrine of precedent that is entrenched in domestic law. The objective of the ECJ is to bring about a European Union that follows the same law throughout its Member States and to this end it constantly endeavours to promote the EC Treaty. This could result in a change in the interpretation of legal principle over a period of time. Moreover, the ECJ bases its decisions on the extant circumstances and not on precedent. National courts of Member States in the European Union can obtain a preliminary ruling regarding the interpretation of European Union Law from the ECJ on the basis of the provisions inherent in Article 234 of the EC Treaty. However, it is not the primary objective of the ECJ to take decisions regarding the compatibility between the domestic and European laws. Further, it is also not the primary aim of the ECJ to apply the European Union Law to some specific facts of a case . The ECJ indicates the principle to be applied in a particular case and the case will have to be decided in the originating court, however, the ECJ ruling will have to be implemented by such a court. In the absence of an appeal from a national court, a reference will have to be made by the originating court, in case it is of the opinion that a clarification in respect of European Union Law is required. Nevertheless, there are instances where an ET, EAT or Appellate Court has to make a reference to the ECJ in order to pronounce judgement that is in accordance with the EU law. The function of the advocates general is to aid the judges in their judicial work. They do this by submitting analyses and recommendations regarding the issues raised in a particular case . In addition to the rights conferred on the nationals of the EU Member States by their respective national constitutions, the EU law comprises of another source that grants rights to them. As such the European Union law constitutes a legal system that in addition to being independent also, perhaps more importantly, takes precedence over the national laws of the Member States of the European Union. This European Union law comprises of treaties, which constitute primary legislation and regulations and directives that constitute secondary legislation. The importance of regulations is that they directly require compliance from the Member States without having to be codified into the national laws. However, in respect of the Directives, which are also legally binding, the onus of implementing them rests squarely with the Member States and these Member States have to do so by resorting to the relevant national law legislation on or before the final date set by the EU for such implementation. Accordingly, Article 189 of the European Economic Treaty states that â€Å"A Directive shall be binding, as to the result to be achieved, upon each Member State to which it is addressed, but shall leave to the national authorities the choice of form and methods. † The European Court of Justice, subsequent to taking cognizance of the fact that Directives have to be implemented by the Member States, declared that individuals were well within their rights to ensure the implementation of Directives even in the event of failure by the Member States to meet the deadline set by the EU. In addition, individuals were permitted to enforce such rights in the national courts. The Van Gend en Loos decision unequivocally established the fact that in addition to creating obligations for the Member States to implement the Directives it also creates rights for the individual citizens of these Member States . The right of the Member States and the European Commission to proceed against other Member States before the European Court of Justice does not prohibit the lodging of complaints by individuals against the Member State to which they belong in their national courts. In this context, the European Court of Justice ruled that Article 12 of the EEC results in direct effect, which in turn result in the creation of rights for individuals and that these rights had to perforce protected by the national courts. Consequently, individuals have been empowered to ensure that rights granted by the Directives are enforced in the national courts . The offshoot of this is that individuals can ensure the implementation of human rights by resorting to legal action. In the Becker case it was clarified that if there is unconditionality and adequate precision in the provisions of a Directive that bestows individual rights, then individuals can resort to such provisions to contest the relevant national law . Furthermore, in the Francovich case the European Court of Justice established a test in three parts, which was to be utilized in order to ascertain whether the provisions that were inherent in a Directive, were sufficiently precise and unconditional in creating a right that was applicable to individuals. The ECJ has to consider the identity of the persons who are supported by the guarantee and the content of the guarantee. The identity of the person in breach and who is liable to pay the guarantee has also to be ascertained. Private persons and institutes cannot be subjected to the provisions of the Directives, because it is only the state that is subject to the Directives. The decision in the case of Francovich served to establish that damages could be claimed by an individual in a national court, in the event of a Member State’s failure to implement a Directive properly. The ECJ clarified that the spirit of the European law and the protection of rights would become ineffective if an individual failed to secure compensation. Moreover, the States are required to implement Directives wholly and properly. The ECJ decided in Brasserie du Pecheur v. Germany that there must be a sufficiently serious breach by the State in order to determine its liability. This dictum applies to situations where national legislation is implemented improperly and inconsistently with a Directive. In order to determine whether Community law was breached with sufficient seriousness, it is sufficient to demonstrate that the Member State or Community institution had seriously and knowingly ignored the limits to its discretionary power. Some of the factors that the court has to consider are the exactitude and clarity of the rule that was breached, the amount of discretion allowed to the national or Community authorities, whether the damage caused was intentional or not and whether there had been any adoption or rejection of measures that were in violation of the Community law . Member States for whom the Directives are specifically issued should be bound by them. Sometimes Directives can be addressed to one Member State or a group of them, but in general Directives are addressed to all the Member States. The exception to this practice is in respect of Directives that pertain to Common Agricultural Policy. The European Commission initiates a binding legal action in situations where a Member State fails to incorporate the provisions of a Directive into their national legislation or if the national legislation fails to properly fulfill the requirements of the Directive. Previously, the Directives were not adequately binding upon the Member States in their implementation. To address this problem, the ECJ promoted the doctrine of direct effect. Thus even if a Member States fails implement the Directives there is legal initiation under the principle of direct effect. This was clearly established in the case of Francovich v Italy. In that case, the ECJ attributed liability to Italy for its failure to implement a Directive. The Easytalk was a private limited company that had been formed with help from the UK government. It was established in order to encourage students in the EU to come to the UK in order to learn English. This company advertised all over the EU universities by means of pamphlets, in which it was stated that the course instructors would be highly qualified scholars in English with a great deal of teaching experience. A Directive was issued by the EU that prohibited the issuance of advertisements that misled and imparted false information. This Directive was to be implemented by January 2007. However, the UK government failed to implement this Directive by this deadline and in effect this Directive had been ignored by the UK government, because the latter was of the opinion that this Directive was unlawful. Subsequently, a French student, Antoine came to the UK and registered for a course that taught English. However, once the classes commenced, Antoine realized that the faculty comprised of students who were not qualified teachers of English as a foreign language. On being approached, the institute where he had enrolled refused to refund the fees paid by him. The direct effect of directives has been restrained by the concepts of vertical and horizontal effect. Van Duyn and Ratti affirmed that directives only have vertical effect so that an individual who is affected by the states’ failure to implement a directive properly or not at all only has rights against the state and not against a non-state entity or other individuals, as the directive imposes the obligation of implementation upon the state. Therefore a horizontal limitation was placed upon the scope of the direct effect of directives. This principle was addressed in Marshall v Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority , in which the applicant who was employed by the Health authority, was required to retire at the age of sixty – two years, while men doing the same work did not have to retire until the age of sixty – five years. Although under national law, by virtue of the Sex Discrimination Act, this was not discriminatory, she succeeded in her claim for unfair dismissal by relying on the Equal Treatment directive, which had not been implemented in the UK. This directive was sufficiently clear to have direct effect but the courts took the opportunity to confirm that a directive may not of itself impose obligations on an individual and that a provision may not be relied upon as such against such a person. Therefore since the health authority was an organ of the state, the directive had vertical direct effect. Since the respondent in this problem is a private limited company, the claimant cannot approach the Commission under the vertical direct effect. However, he can seek justice under the EU law by resorting to the procedure of indirect effect. Since, the UK government had not implemented the Directive; the claimant can approach the national courts of the UK to compel the government to apply the Directive. In respect of damages, the ECJ further held in R v H. M. Treasury, ex parte British Telecommunications plc that parties who had sustained loss as a result of incorrect implementation of a directive by a state, could claim damages for the loss sustained on such an account. In contrast to this, if a state has failed to fulfill its obligations regarding Directives, whether by non-implementation or incorrect implementation, an individual cannot request invocation of the horizontal direct effect of a directive against another individual. Similarly the effectiveness of non-implemented or incorrectly-implemented directives that do not have direct effect through the horizontal limitation has been enhanced through the doctrine of indirect effect, which emerged from Von Colson . In this case the ECJ held that national courts are required to interpret their national law in light of the wording and the purpose of the directive so that the directive is given some effect despite the absence of proper domestic implementation. This principle may be used under two circumstances; first, where the defendant is a state entity but a directive is not vertically directly effective as its provisions are insufficiently precise, conditional and require further state action for their implementation. Second, the provisions of a directive could be indirectly enforced against a non-state entity i. e. it could be applied horizontally as between individuals. The court was confronted with a ‘horizontal’ situation in Marleasing , in which this position was confirmed. Therefore, if national law was in existence that could be read in conformity with a non-implemented directive, then an individual could enforce a legal remedy against another individual through the interpretative route without seeking to enforce the directive directly and encountering the barrier to horizontal effect. In respect of the Easytalk institute the claimant can file a case for breach of contract and false representation in the UK courts in order to obtain redressal for the loss, damage and frustration caused to him. The question arises as to whether the aggrieved individuals can claim damages against the state in the national courts. The ECJ clarified that the state had to pay compensation for the damages caused due to non – implementation of a Directive and that the conditions laid down for such claim of damages must not be less reasonable than what was specified for a domestic claim. Furthermore, the Member State should not unduly complicate the claim process.

Marketing Communication Analysis on Apple (Emphasis on Ipod and Iphone)

Marketing Communication Analysis On Apple Name: Bokeny Kornel In this report I will analyse the marketing communication activities of the multinational corporation Apple, with great emphasis on the current top-selling products thereof: the iPhone, and the iPods. I will deal with the iPod and the iPhone, since the marketing communication used to promote these products is the most notable. The report will include several images, so that the reader can experience the products’ design and the corresponding advertisements for each product. Company overview Since the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984 with the 1984 Super Bowl commercial to the more modern ‘Get a Mac' advertisements, Apple has been recognized in the past for its efforts towards effective advertising and marketing for its products, though its advertising has been criticized for the claims of some more recent campaigns, namely 2005 Power Mac advertisements, and iPhone ads in Britain. Apple is an IT company founded in 1975 by Steve Jobs (the current leader), Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company's currently best-known hardware products include Macintosh computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the new iPad. In its early years, Apple only manufactured computers, but for the sake of greater success, it further expanded to the consumer electronics market. It was even called â€Å"Apple Computer, Inc. † for thirty years, but the word â€Å"Computer† on January 9, 2007, to show that the company’s main products are not computers anymore. Now in 2010, Apple is considered to be one of the largest technological corporations in the world by revenue. Apple periodically holds a so-called â€Å"Apple event† where information about new and future products is revealed by Apple’s superiors. The event’s host is usually Steve Jobs. Apple’s computers have their own operating system called the MAC OS, which is fabled for its performance and ease of operation. The iPod is praised for being small but powerful, because of its impressive storage capacity. The iPhone is the present top-selling product, which is a smart phone combined with a portable media device. It is considered to be an epoch-making technical product by many tech-fans. The latest product which is the iPad, is a new type of device, unique on the market. It is a tablet PC, which meant to be somewhere in-between PDA-s and notebooks. The Logo The first Apple logo which designed by Steve Jobs depicts Sir Isaac Newton sitting under an apple tree. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} {draw:frame} This early logo was almost immediately replaced by the well known rainbow apple (2nd picture) because of marketing communication issues. Jobs insisted the logo to be in colour to humanize the company. The reason for the vivid colours was to transmit positivity to the customers and to represent the fact that the monitor is capable of reproducing images in colour. The Apple logo was designed with a bite so that it would be recognized as an apple rather than a cherry. In 1998, with the series of the new iMac, Apple discontinued the rainbow theme and began to use monochromatic themes, almost identical in shape to its previous rainbow logo. The iPod Apple’s former flagship product the iPod had a unique marketing campaign. The iPod was a mere mp3 player but through the outstanding marketing communication it became a must-have for portable music device fans. The advertisements showed black silhouettes of dancing people with an iPod in their hands, which stood out because of its white colour. The vivid background emphasised the figures even more: {draw:frame} {draw:frame} When the concept of the iPod and its advertisement was first introduced to the heads of Apple, it was laughed at. Later, when the product was released and the advertisement campaign was launched, it proved to be the biggest success in the history of Apple. Of course some people did not see the advertisements or did not react to it in buying the product, but there were other sources of advertisement in Apple’s mind. The iPod began to turn up in music videos, in the hands of famous stars. The increase of demand was immediately palpable after the premier of 50 cents’ music video of the song P. I. M. P. The singer here can be seen listening to a white iPod with white headphones. Although the Apple logo is not visible in the clip, the screen of the device is showed for a couple of seconds, displaying on the top the word â€Å"iPod†. In a few years, Apple has reached considerably big brand recognition, so whenever someone sees the small â€Å"i† at the beginning of the products name, he or she will immediately know that it is an Apple product. Apple is known for using a lot of slogans; the most of these were concerning the iPod. The first models’ slogan was â€Å"1,000 songs in your pocket† (2001). At that time, the iPod had the largest storage capacity on its market. This evolved further, but Apple returned to this slogan because these large numbers always catch potential customers’ eyes. After some years: â€Å"10,000 songs in your pocket† (2004) and in the present: â€Å"Your Top 40,000†³ (2010). Apple also used some creative, humorous slogans such as: â€Å"*Do not eat iPod shuffle† (2005) This Easter egg slogan was attached as a footnote to claim that the iPod shuffle was about the size of a pack of gum. After a lot of complaints about the lack of colour variety, Apple introduced the iPod shuffle in more colours, and a new slogan: â€Å"Put some color on† (2006). {draw:frame} The iPod’s strengths The iPod made a huge impact on the market, not only influencing other portable music devices, but the favourable brand perception had also increased sales of Macintosh computers. The iPod gives the company access to a whole new series of segments that buy into other parts of the Apple brand. The iPod has created a large group of aficionados who will stick to Apple products in the future; this will mean a stable minimum number of buyers to Apple’s future products even if these products are not that successful. Analysts say that the sound quality produced by the iPod is perfect as well. The music files can also be downloaded from iTunes, Apple’s online music store. The downloadable music has created a steady flow of capital for Apple. The iPod’s weaknesses It was reported that the Apple iPod Nano may have a faulty screen. The company has commented that some of its product has screens that break under impact, and the company is replacing all defective items. This is in addition to problems with early iPods that had faulty batteries, whereby the company offered customers free battery cases. The main complaint was that battery life is insufficient. There is pressure on Apple to increase the price of its music download file, from the music industry itself. Many of these companies make more money from iTunes (i. e. downloadable music files) than from their original CD sales. Apple has sold about 22 million iPod digital music players and more than 500 million songs though its iTunes music store. It accounts for 82% (and rising) of all legally downloaded music in the United States. The company is determined, but if it gives in to the music producers, it may be perceived as a commercial weakness. {draw:frame} The iPod’s opportunities The iPod had great opportunities to expand on the market, but consumers now demand more complex products, such as a cell phone combined with the iPod. Since Apple’s IT experts are of the bests, the iPod has a great chance of evolving into a smart phone (which happened 2007, when the iPhone was released, but this will be discussed later). Since music phones are becoming more and more popular, the iPod must adapt to the changing market. According to Steve Jobs the iPod will become smaller and smaller with time. The iPod’s threats As mentioned above, the market of mobile phones and portable music players is merging into one huge market of multi-purpose media devices. If the iPod does not adapt to the situation, it will surely be forgotten, since the demand for music players without any other special capabilities is falling. The huge number of competitors may also hinder the iPod’s success, as other IT companies have innovative ideas as well. The iPhone Observing the success of the iPod, Apple decided to move on. Marketing communication ceased for a period of time, but there were rumours about a new, groundbreaking product. This of course caused a big hype among Apple fans and potential Apple fans as well. In my opinion the information was leaked out on purpose by Apple, to get the attention of the customers. IT turned out, that this new product is a cell phone. Later, the iPhone was officially introduced on one of the â€Å"Apple events†, and the device’s features were reviewed. â€Å"Introducing the iPhone. Apple reinvents the phone†, and â€Å"The internet in your pocket† were the first slogans for the iPhone, which drew even more customers to Apple. On the date when the iPhone was finally released to the public, one kilometre long queues could be seen at Apple stores. The launch was a success, but later some information was revealed about the conditions of using the iPhone. The iPhone was exclusively available on one provider only: AT, and there was a monthly fee to use it. When Steve Jobs was asked about this, he only replied that â€Å"this is the price† which was a really bad step in terms of marketing communication. Many people decided not to buy the product after hearing about the conditions of its usage. In response to this, Apple launched a massive marketing campaign, advertising all over the big cities. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} Due to the the iPhone’s limited availability, hackers and software developers began to work with illegally unlocked devices. After half a year, Apple launched the Appstore in response, to decrease iPhone piracy. The Appstore gave the opportunity to programmers to write their own applications legally for the iPhone, and to publish it in the Appstore, where it will be available for download for a price of course. A new marketing campaign was launched with the slogan: â€Å"There’s an app for that†. With this, Apple tried to persuade customers that the iPhone can indeed do anything. In the television ads, questions were listed like: â€Å"do you want to shop online? †, â€Å"do you want to watch television? † and â€Å"do you want to use messenger? † etc. and the answer to all questions was â€Å"there’s an app for that†. This was a very convincing advertisement in my opinion; this device was like a small computer according to the ads. With the successful marketing communication and the Appstore, sales of the iPhone, began to rise again. Alongside with the Appstore, a new iPhone model was launched, the 3G, which now even had 3G mobile internet alongside Wi-Fi. With time, the Appstore proved to be a huge success; in nine months, the number of downloads has exceeded 1 billion. {draw:frame} As new applications needed more and more power, the two iPhone models seemed to be incapable of handling certain games and software. Customers, especially software developers complained about the lack of a graphical accelerator, and low processor speed. Apple decided to launch a new, third device; the iPhone 3GS. Many people wondered what the â€Å"S† could mean in the device’s name, and it was later stated that it stands for â€Å"super†. The device finally included a graphical chip, and a faster processor. The new iPhone deserved a new slogan, and Apple came up with this: â€Å"Meet the fastest, most powerful iPhone yet† and â€Å"The first phone to beat the iPhone. † The purpose of this slogan in advertisements was to ensure software developers and technically-conscious users that this model is indeed faster and stronger than its predecessors. I personally was not satisfied with the advertisement; I rather wanted a comparison between the new and the older models. When AT made a new contract with Apple, they have decided to cut down prices. Apple began to promote this by a new slogan: â€Å"Twice as fast, for half the price†. It seems that Apple’s marketing team is particularly talented in creating slogans. Switching slogan is always a hard decision in a company, since it might put brand recognition back a bit, but with Apple’s huge brand recognition it is feasible. I personally find these slogans pretty informative, and I especially appreciate those ones that are humorous to some extent. {draw:frame} The iPhone’s strengths The iPhone has several features that add to the strength of the product. These include its unique look and feel accompanied by a mobile operating system. It has phone sensors that work with the multi-touch screen, which is a new patented technology. The iPhone has a really flexible operating system (I even saw a video where someone could run windows 98 on the phone). These new features are presented to a large and loyal user base that Apple has gained over the years. Additionally, marketing was given support from all over the internet, saving the company a huge amount in advertising fees. Finally, the fact that the iPhone is first device in this area of computer phones is one of its greatest strengths. The iPhone’s weaknesses Like every new product, there are is a set of weaknesses. The first iPhone is not a 3G device and will not work in technologically advanced countries such as Japan and Korea. All of their phones are 3G compliant. Several of the iPhone features are also not particularly impressive. These include the fact that it has a subpar camera, standing at about 2 megapixels as well as its memory not being removable. The phone is priced currently around 500 to 600 dollars and most consumers are happy with their current mobile device; essentially, this phone is aiming at the high end consumers. Apple’s choice of distribution channel has also been because only Cingular and Apple stores are allowed to sell iPhones. Finally, its purpose is to be questioned; does the phone fulfil corporate duties or is it just an entertainment system? {draw:frame} The iPhone’s Opportunities There is quite a demand for a better mobile computing experience. The iPhone tries to combine both powerful computing as well as entertainment into one system. People have also noted that the Mac OS applications for desktop can be easily adapted for the iPhone. The emergence of Wi-Fi networks is pushing for there to be visitor fees instead of having a provider lock in users. It is very likely for the device fees and pay-per-view system to take flight, eliminating the month to month subscription fee. {draw:frame} The iPhone’s threats The majority of threats come from other companies including Nokia, Sony, and Google with their respective products. Smart phones are one popular example that stands to compete against the iPhone. The largest competitor according to most users is Google’s Android. It has similar features as the iPhone, but availability is much higher and the phone itself is cheaper. The other big threats are the hackers. Apple suffers great losses because of â€Å"jailbroken† devices (When an iPhone is â€Å"jailbroken†, the user can get any application from the Appstore for free and can run any third party applications). Conclusion In conclusion, Apple offers some very high quality technical products, though at a relatively high price. The company’s marketing communication is working quit well, Apple advertises on all important media intermediaries, including television, the Internet, and on streets as well. At this rate they would have immense promotion costs, but they can lower it by putting emphasis on Internet-advertisements via websites. {draw:frame} {draw:frame} They try to maintain a positive, humanlike image, which ensures customers about the firm’s good intentions. Over the years, they had many slogans, but their brand recognition has only changed in a positive way: it increased. Apple was formerly better known for its notebooks, but after the successes of both the iPod and the iPhone, people identify Apple as the company which produces the best mp3 players and one of the smartest phones on the market. Its music store; iTunes, is nowadays the prime way of distributing music legally in the world. Through the successful marketing communication and the creative advertisements, Apple will most likely gain more market share in the segment of smart phones and maintain its leading position as the best portable music device producer. Bibliography www. wikipedia. org www. apple. com www. szifon. com www. appleinsider. com