Leadership versus Management Essay -- Expository Essays

Is every good manager a good leader? Is every leader a good manager? Leadership and management are often used in similar perspectives, yet they do not share the same meaning. Leaders are exactly what the name says - they lead team members to success. Managers, like leaders, have the meaning referenced in the name. Managers manage over employees, striving for success. The two titles can be used simultaneously with one person, but this is a rare occurrence. According to MSN Encarta Dictionary, the term manage has several meanings. One of the explanations state that to manage is to â€Å"administer or run something - to be in charge†¦and be responsible for its smooth running and for any personnel† (Encarta, 2008). MSN Encarta Dictionary also shows the meaning for a leader. The first definition states that a leader is â€Å"somebody whom people follow - someone who guides and directs others† (Encarta, 2008). These two definitions are similar, but differ slightly. A leader nurtures and guides the employees. A leader helps them on the way to success. A manager is one who is in charge and is ultimately responsible for the outcome. A manager’s first responsibility is the outcome of a task. This outcome is detailed by rules and regulations. The manager must ensure that employees are adhering to company policies in order to be successful with the task. This task may be one that the manager is personally handling or one that has been delegated to subordinates. The manager is held responsible for the completion of the tasks regardless of the quantity. Sometimes, the manager completes the tasks personally, while other times require the manager to assign tasks to certain employees. Either way, the final results need to be successful. ... ....com/dictionary_/leader.html Encarta. (2008). Manage. Retrieved August 17, 2008 from http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861628098/manage.html Kotelnikov, V. (Dec-Jan 2008). Manager's skill sets.(MANAGEMENT)(managerial leadership and coaching). Today's Manager, p.27 (1). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Teik, T. C. (Dec-Jan 2008). Ideal bosses are scarce: in moments of frustration at work, we wish we had a better boss. We admire our friends who are fortunate to have cordial and understanding bosses. What are the characteristics of an ideal boss? Ideal bosses are normally found in ideal companies--firms that you are proud to work for. (MANAGEMENT). Today's Manager, p.11 (3). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Leadership versus Management Essay -- Expository Essays Is every good manager a good leader? Is every leader a good manager? Leadership and management are often used in similar perspectives, yet they do not share the same meaning. Leaders are exactly what the name says - they lead team members to success. Managers, like leaders, have the meaning referenced in the name. Managers manage over employees, striving for success. The two titles can be used simultaneously with one person, but this is a rare occurrence. According to MSN Encarta Dictionary, the term manage has several meanings. One of the explanations state that to manage is to â€Å"administer or run something - to be in charge†¦and be responsible for its smooth running and for any personnel† (Encarta, 2008). MSN Encarta Dictionary also shows the meaning for a leader. The first definition states that a leader is â€Å"somebody whom people follow - someone who guides and directs others† (Encarta, 2008). These two definitions are similar, but differ slightly. A leader nurtures and guides the employees. A leader helps them on the way to success. A manager is one who is in charge and is ultimately responsible for the outcome. A manager’s first responsibility is the outcome of a task. This outcome is detailed by rules and regulations. The manager must ensure that employees are adhering to company policies in order to be successful with the task. This task may be one that the manager is personally handling or one that has been delegated to subordinates. The manager is held responsible for the completion of the tasks regardless of the quantity. Sometimes, the manager completes the tasks personally, while other times require the manager to assign tasks to certain employees. Either way, the final results need to be successful. ... ....com/dictionary_/leader.html Encarta. (2008). Manage. Retrieved August 17, 2008 from http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861628098/manage.html Kotelnikov, V. (Dec-Jan 2008). Manager's skill sets.(MANAGEMENT)(managerial leadership and coaching). Today's Manager, p.27 (1). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS Teik, T. C. (Dec-Jan 2008). Ideal bosses are scarce: in moments of frustration at work, we wish we had a better boss. We admire our friends who are fortunate to have cordial and understanding bosses. What are the characteristics of an ideal boss? Ideal bosses are normally found in ideal companies--firms that you are proud to work for. (MANAGEMENT). Today's Manager, p.11 (3). Retrieved August 18, 2008, from Academic OneFile via Gale: http://find.galegroup.com/ips/start.do?prodId=IPS

Cb Prepartions

Exam: 3hours, 19/50 =15. 2/40 (-31) Section A: MCQ (20m) Section B: Choose 2 from 3 Questions (15m each) 1. Describe the type of promotional message that would be most suitable for each of the following personality market segments: (a) highly dogmatic consumers, (b) inner-directed consumers, (c) consumers with high optimum stimulation levels, (d) consumers with a high need for cognition, and (e) consumers who are visualizers versus consumers who are verbalizers. Give an example of a promotional message for each segment.Social character traits have shown that inner and other-directed consumers may have different preferences in terms of promotional messages. Inner-directed people prefer advertisements that stress personal benefits while other-directed people seem to prefer advertisements that feature social acceptance. (a) HIGHLY DOGMATIC CUSTOMERS: It is a personality trait that measures the degree of rigidity (versus openness) that individuals display towards unfamiliar and towards i nformation that is contrary to their own established beliefs. Dogmatism: general tendency to be open or closed to new ideas and innovations.A person who is high in dogmatism approaches the unfamiliar defensively while the person who is low in dogmatism will rarely consider unfamiliar or opposing beliefs. * more receptive is Ads for new products or services that contains an appeal from the authoritative figure. Marketer uses celebrities and experts to their new product advertising for making it easier for the potentially reluctant customers. * Highly dogmatic consumers are likely to respond favorably to a new product when the advertising message is presented in an authoritarian manner (e. g. celebrity endorsement or expert testimonials). * prefer traditional or established products rather than innovative ones. close minded towards unfamiliar and untoward information that is contrary to their own established beliefs * approach such information with considerable discomfort and uncertai nty. promotional message most suitable would be endorsement or appeal from an authoritative figure. * New products need to be presented in an authoritative manner and that celebrities could be employed to reach dogmatic consumers who are more closed minded. For example: Colgate Dental Cream with Doctors and Experts endorsements. Anti-Polio Campaign featuring Amitabh and Sachin Tendulkar also useAuthoritative statements. The Cadbury’s brand took a beatng in sales after the worms were found in somepackets. Dogmatic Consumers stopped purchasing the Brand. Amitabh Bacchhanwas then used as Authority figure to reestablish Brand. b) Inner-directed consumers * tend to use their own values and standards in evaluating a new product * ads aimed at them should depict the attainment of personal achievement and satisfaction. ads that stress product features and benefits, which enable them to usetheir own values and standards in evaluating products * rely on their own inner values or standa rds in evaluating new products and are likely to be the consumer innovators. * other directed customers tend to look to others for guidance as to what is appropriate or what is inappropriate. * be prefer ads that stress product features and personal benefits ( enabling them to use their own values and standards in evaluating products whereas the other * For example: Surf Ad showing Shabana Azmi saving two buckets of water is an example of the same.The latest from Surf Excel is currently running on television. This is the ad where many people are seen walking with two buckets full of water. They then pour it into a large reservoir. At this point none other than Shabana Azmi informs you what a great thing thissaving of water is for the country and implores you to use Surf Excel. * manufacturer of cameras who advertises to inner-directed consumers should stress the ability to take better pictures and the resulting personal satisfaction. c) Consumers with a high optimum stimulation leve l * more open to risk-taking, more likely to be innovative have a greater willingness to take risks, try products with many novel features, and shop in new retail outlets. * likely to respond favorably to promotional messages stressing more rather than less risk, novelty,or excitement. * to seek purchase related information and to accept new retail facilities. * For example: The exciting and exotic Vacation Campaign of Malasia-Truly Asia is positioning of  Airways to sell the Asian Adventures. These enjoy thinking. They are responsive to that part of Ad that is rich in Information. The TATA-AIG Life insurance Ad showing Naseeruddin Shah giving informationthough Q&A will click for them. benefit of new product offering should not only consider functional features but also the risk, novelty and variety that the product offers. * place different promotional emphasis on particular age segments, as it may be worthwhile to reduce perceived risk for a market segment comprised primarily of older people, while it may not warrant it for a younger market segment. d) Consumers with a high need for cognition * ones who often crave or enjoy thinking. * responsive to ads that are rich in product-related information or description and are unresponsive to the auxiliary or contextual aspects of an advertisement. Need for cognition: stable individual difference in tendency to engage in and enjoy effortful cognitive activity. Individuals high in need for cognition enjoy thinking abstractly. * high-NFC individuals are likely to express more favorable ad attitudes, brand attitudes and purchase intention. * more likely to use message content as a basis for judgments * high NFC leads to the generation of inferences about omitted conclusions ), to less memory decay and greater resistance to counterarguments about products), and to longer processing and superior recall for brands and claims individuals who are high in need for cognition would be expected to be critical thinkers, and t o not necessarily accept arguments found in media or elsewhere on face value. * should be more difficult to persuade, a phenomenon that can be investigated several ways. * high-NFC individuals did so only when the signal was accompanied by a substantial price reduction. * process information presented in the media more thoroughly than those who do not enjoy thinking as much, able to retrieve from memory more information * individuals with higher NFC, who are assumed to process information more extensively, would be expected to generate more thoughts. counterarguing and source derogations are prevalent in advertising and that support arguments are critical if persuasive messages are to have a chance of acceptance * high-NFC would be expected to engage in a wide range of media consumption activities, and would not necessarily be expected to differentiate between sources of information, such as news, advertising or entertainment. All would be stimulating. high NFC individuals are more likely to closely scrutinize the arguments contained in any message, campaign strategists must make sure that arguments are strong in order to cope with the higher resistance to messages by this group * appear to be the ones already predisposed to watch or listen to issue, image or financial advertising featuring long copy. The challenge for strategists thus is to enhance the already high motivation of high-NFC indivduals, by highlighting the relevance of messages, and to enhance the ability and opportunities to process such messages. Example: (e) consumers who are visualizers versus consumers who are verbalizers. * Verbal aggressiveness: tendency to insult and attack others' self-concepts to achieve one's objectives in an argument. * Visualisers (i. e. , consumers who prefer visual information, products that stress the visual) * Morning Dew Ad where there is a race with a Cheetah is a visual treat * detailed descriptions and explanations in targeting verbalizers (i. e. , consumers who prefer written and verbal product information). ‘Do the Dew†Verbalizers prefer verbal dimensions to the promotional message. * The Oye Bubbly Jingle of Pepsi is a Verbal treat to the ear, though it conveys nothing much about the product. 2. A marketer of health foods is attempting to segment a certain market on the basis of consumer self-image. Describe the four types of consumer self-image and discuss which segment would be most effective to target for health foods. In Self-concept theory personality is exemplified by the kinds of things with which people surround themselves.The self-concept has shown to be multi-dimensional and encompasses the way a person actually is, the way individuals see themselves, the way a person would like to be, and the way in which individuals think others perceive them. Theories of self-concept have generally focused on two areas in marketing research. In the one, self concept has been applied to the discrepancy between the self and the ideal self as a measure of personal dissatisfaction. In this instance, product use has been related to items that deal specifically with self enhancement.Consumers have four types of image. 1. Actual self image-how consumers in fact see themselves. In Everyday house hold products, they see themselves in Reality. For example,Washing powders Ads would be realistic. Nirma Powder focuses on Housewives ability to get more for less money. 2. Ideal self Image-how consumers would like to see themselves. In case of Fantasy Products, consumers desire to see themselves perfect, as in case of  Women, Fairness or looking Pretty is high on desire list. The fair and Lovely campaign for fairness cream sells this dream. . Social Self Image-how consumers feel others see them. Here there is an inherent fear factor also involved as to how they are being perceived by others. For example Products which position themselves on social front, showing appropriate behaviour at parties etc appeal here. 4. Id eal Social Self image-how consumers would like others to see them. For Example, Aashirwad ready to cook products and Sambhar Masala Product campaign show the desire of Wives to be seen as a great cook by others.However, since they are working or busy, they do not have time to cook themselves. That is when the Brandcomes to rescue. And finally they are seen as Ideal Wives. There are two more categories of Self-image: Expected Self image-how consumers expect to see themselves at some specified futuretime. The ABKING PRO Ad for machine to slim down people hypes this expectation of  individuals that they will slim down and look good in Future. 5. expected self-image (e. g. , how consumers expect to see themselves at some specified future time) . ought-to self (e. g. , consists of traits or characteristics that an individual believes it is his or her duty or obligation to possess). Ought to self image-traits consumer thinks he ought to have. The Ashrwad readymeal Adis a hit for the wiv es feel that good cooking is a trait they ought to have. The expected self-image is somewhere between the actual and ideal self-images. It is somewhat like a future-oriented combination of â€Å"what is† (the actual self-image) and what consumers would like â€Å"to be† (the ideal self-image).Moreover, because the expected self-image provides consumers with a realistic â€Å"opportunity† to change the â€Å"self,† it is likely to be more valuable to marketers than the actual or ideal self-image as a guide for designing and promoting products. In targeting consumers of health foods, the marketer can use the expected self-image to attract consumers who would like to enhance the quality of their lifestyles through better nutrition, and ideal social self-image to appeal to consumers who are likely to adopt health foods due to peer influence and pressure. Advertisers focus on components that make people feel better about themselves.Many decisions based on look ing glass and ideal self–ie. Aspiring to group not yet reached–image appeal Psychographic info enhances demographic info– people individuals 3. How can Toshiba use the diffusion of innovations framework to develop promotional, pricing, and distribution strategies for its computer notebooks targeted to the following adopter categories? a. Innovators b. Early adopters c. Early majority d. Late majority e. Laggards * In term of the nature, there are five major types of innovations: novelty, competence shifting, complexity, robust design and continuous improvement.While in term of the extent of change, innovations can be divided into incremental, radical and transformational models. Innovation deals with the change related to product, service and process, and the innovation management involve people, product, process and technology† * diffusion is defined as a process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members o f a social system * innovation as â€Å"an idea, practice, or object that is perceived as â€Å"new† by an individual or other unit of adoption. * company will usually sell the hardware at a relatively lower price to capture a share of the market, and then charge relatively higher prices for the software to maximize profitability * Based upon the time variable, individuals seeking new innovations are placed into adopter categories, according to the rate of adoption. Rate of adoption is the â€Å"relative speed with which an innovation is adopted by members of a social system. † * the rate of adoption is the relative speed in which members of society adopt an innovation. It is usually measured as the number of people who adopt an innovation within a specified time-line. Some companies have a defensive strategy and aim to follow the leader. Such companies hope to profit from the mistakes of the first-to-market company by devising incremental design and performance impro vements and cost reductions compared with the original product. In addition they hope to exploit the new market that has started to grow, so timing is important. * But it was the major Japanese companies (such as Sony, JVC, Toshiba) that captured a large share of the mass market through reducing the cost of these devices and improving their performance. (a) Innovators: Venturesome [1st group to adopt]Rogers describes innovators as obsessed with being venturesome. They have an interest in new ideas and innovation and have generally very cosmopolitan type social relationships. Innovators generally have communication patterns and friendships among a certain clique of innovators even though their geographic distance between each other may be very significant. Innovators must be very financially secure in order to absorb a possible loss from an innovation that doesn’t turn into fruition. Likewise, an innovator must have a sound educational background, in order to comprehend a comp lex technical terminology.Furthermore, an innovator must be able to cope with a degree of uncertainty whether the innovation will be adopted by society. Ultimately, Rogers believes the innovator takes risks in being the gatekeeper of innovations, but if the innovation is adopted the rewards are high. Early Adopters: Respect [2nd group to adopt] more integrated in the local society than the innovator. Where an innovator is considered a cosmopolite, an early adopter is a localite. Early adopters have the greatest degree of leadership in most localities. Most potential adopters look to the early adopter for advice and information regarding an innovation.Generally, early adopters are respected and considered successful by their peers. The early adopter is the main group that decreases uncertainty of an innovation by adopting it, and then communicating with potential adopters about the idea. Early Majority: Deliberate [3rd group to adopt] Rogers suggest that the early majority group adop ts new innovations just before the average member of society. Members of the early majority frequently interact with people in their society, but usually do not hold key positions of leadership. The early majority is the largest group and make up approximately one-third of members in a society.The early majority follows with deliberate willingness to adopt an idea, but are rarely leaders. Late Majority: Skeptical [4th group to adopt] Rogers states that the members of the late majority adopt innovations just after the average member of society. The late majority also makes up approximately one-third of members in a social system. Members of the late majority are cautious and skeptical about new innovations. Most of the uncertainty surrounding an innovation must be removed before the late majority will adopt the new idea. Laggards: Traditional [last group to adopt]Laggards are the last group in society to adopt a new idea. Generally, they possess almost no positions of leadership with in their community. Laggards’ point of reference is the past, they are very cautious and only make decisions based on what has already been done. Usually, laggards’ educational and financial resources are limited, forcing them to be completely certain the innovation will not fail before they adopt. These are the traditional categories of society members with respect to the adoption of new ideas and innovations. The diffusion of innovations follows a common life cycle. 82 However, the period over which this trend occurs varies greatly due to a number of factors. 183 By the end of the 20th century many of the following innovations were adopted by society at a much greater rate. 184 For example, the PC, Internet, and cell phone, which are all relatively new products, have steeper gradients when compared to automobiles, electricity and traditional telephones. Price is one of the most important factors involved in adoption of consumer products. This pricing policy pattern c an be used to predict the rate of adoption of new innovations.When it comes to consumers’ rate of adoption to innovations, new technologies succeed at a faster rate than replacement technologies. An early adopting individual may decide to adopt in anticipation that the innovation’s rate of adoption will take off in the near future when others adopt, although past diffusion research suggest that most individuals do not adopt an innovation until after learning of their peers’ successful experiences. † The diffusion of an innovation among the consumers can usually be presented by an s-shaped curve.On a frequency basis the adoption over time will normally follow a bell-shaped curve, but when plotted on a cumulative basis the adoption will form an scurve. 9 The s-curve reflects the acceleration of the adoption. At the early stage the curve is rising slowly meaning relatively few adopters pr. time-period (x-axis). At about the middle of the adoption period the a cceleration peaks and then fades as the percentage of adopters goes up. This course of events is typical for the adoption of new technologies. The logic behind this diffusion lies in the actual number of adopters.The early adopters will be a majority compared to the people who have not yet adopted the technology and therefore there are less people to preach the virtues of the new technology to potential adopters. At the point where the adoption process reaches 50 % the number of adopters equals the number of potential adopters, by definition, thus providing maximal acceleration of the adoption. In the last period, adopters outnumber the people who has not yet adopted, and there will be less people to convince to adopt the technology – slowing down the acceleration of the adoption process.The adopters are often divided into adoption groups. These groups are usually formed on the basis of innovativeness, meaning to which degree each individual is willing adopt new technologies, relative to other members of the social system. From this measure individuals can be placed into groups containing a certain range of innovativeness. The distribution is based on a mean and to which degree individuals’ deviate from the mean (standard deviation). Innovators are the first group of adopters and can be associated with the word venturesome.The individuals representing this group are adventurous and often related to entrepreneurial environments. The innovators run the risk that the innovation does not catch on, and thus subject themselves to a potential loss they must be prepared to absorb. Therefore innovators have to live with the uncertainty about the potentials of the technology, which can be viewed upon as the price to pay for being pioneers in a new field – catalyzing the diffusion of new technologies.The early adopters are ready to adopt a new technology when they observe that other individuals has started adopting, and sees the potential for being s ome of the first adopters of a new and promising technology. These individuals are often a more integrated part of the local society than the innovators, and their adoptions are crucial for the technology to take off and get hold of the broad public. For the early adopters the uncertainties about the merits of the new technology are strongly diminished, and can therefore adopt the new technology without running the risk of buying a young and untested technology.This group accounts for about one third of the total number of adopters, and provide the link between the progressive early adopters and the more skeptical later adopters. In the latter half of the spectrum the late majority also represent about a third of the adopters. This group is skeptical to new innovations, and is not willing to adopt, until a lot of other people have adopted before them ensuring the success of the technology and possibly massive network effects. The last 16 % of the adopters, the laggards, often focus on traditional values and base their decisions on past events.They are suspicious of any new inventions to change the way life are traditionally lived, and must be 100 % certain that the technology will prevail before they are willing to adopt. From a consumers’ point of view it is essential to think about the decisions of future adopters when choosing what technology to go with. The decisions of previous adopters are on the other hand a know factor and plays a role for the decision also. So does the structure of the market, i. e. which technologies are available at the time of adoption, compared to potential superior technologies that could be available in the future.Recent findings indicate that there is a lack of willingness to wait by the early adopters. 11 This high priority of being among the very first users of a new technology is said to inflict negative externalities on the later adopters. These later adopters can be forced to adopt an inferior technology to make sur e that they are compatible with the technologies of the early adopters, or they might be forced to give up compatibility to get a superior technology. That said the diffusion of new technologies is often strongly dependent on the choices of the early adopters.

Be Not Afraid of Goodness

While hearing some talks by Cardinal Mario Bergoglio during the previous week of the Pope’s election, it was mention the word â€Å"coprophilia† as a common reaction by people in front of certain information. This was an answer made to LaStampa. it, an Italian Online Newspaper, about the sensationalist journalism that often publishes scandals about the Catholic Church (qtd. in Tornielli n. pag. ). He explained that this kind of journalism is a result of a sickness called coprophilia, something that most of journalists are in danger to get and by them, people in danger to commit â€Å"coprophagy†, a common sin that marks all women and men (qtd. n Tornielli n. pag. ). After a week, this Cardinal was elected as the new Pope of the Catholic Church. In the moment I heard about him, I run to find those words’ meaning. I discovered that Merriam-Webster Online defines â€Å"coprophilia† as â€Å"marked interest in excrement† (n. pag. ) and coprophagy as â€Å"eating of feces that is normal behavior among many animals† (n. pag. ). Therefore, I started to think about the meaning of those words in context of Cardinal Bergoglio’s answer, now Holy Father Pope Francis. What did he mean about people sick of coprophilia and committing coprophagy when we talk about the scandals of the Catholic Church? Fortunately, the bomb of news about the new Pope’s election and people’s perceptions and comments about him as man and Catholic leader answered my questions. He meant that coprophilia is the people’s tendency – and journalists, as main source of information – to look for the worst part of something in a morbid way, placing the good aside; that makes people – receptors – to commit coprophagy by consuming that negative perspective. Once the Holy Father Pope Francis gave his first words to his people, most of Catholics realized that he was a very humble man who just asks us to pray for him and for each other. In his Homily for inaugural Mass of Petrine Ministry, he mentioned several important facts directed to not just Catholics, but also to all the Governors who were present there in Saint Peter Square, Vatican. He said, â€Å"Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross† Holy Father Pope Francis n. pag. ). Also he explained, â€Å"We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness† because tenderness â€Å"is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love† (n. pag. ). Those words opened mine mind and heart deeply; I could not believe that simple words like his could move me so much. I felt very happy and inspired by him and wanted to find more information about him and his previous talks and writings as Cardinal. Nevertheless, those nice feelings were shocked by horrible information about him just typing his name on Google. There were several news about him as a participant priest of the Argentinean dictatorship during 1976-1983, as well as accusations of misogynistic activity because of some things he supposedly said about women’s incapacities in a conference. Not wanting to trust that information, I started to ask people. Sadly, I found most of them with the knowledge about the unfounded internet accusations, but not about what he has said about service and tenderness. It was then that I comprehended deeply how people, journalists as the first source of communication, have an excessive interest on the â€Å"secret† or â€Å"bad† aspects of any news and deny people the very good information they can get, as the whole inspiration I received upon initially reading the Pope’s words. After searching on Google and asking people, I started to dig a little bit on certain reliable information. Fortunately, I found that the new Pope’s supposed participation in the dictatorship were false accusations based on pictures of him, from his back, giving the communion to General Videla – Dictator Argentinean President. The picture showed an old thin man as priest, but that year, he was 26 years old, so he could not be that man. Other sources showed as well that people who were imprisoned because of him declared publicly that he was not involved with dictatorship actions. About misogynistic declarations of women in a conference, a program of Eternal Word Television Network did a search about that conference of Cardinal Bergoglio talking about women’s incapacities and recurred directly to the only source that was accusing him, and it resulted that they have said that from a Yahoo forum commentary made by an atheist person who hated the Catholic Church. That person did not have any fundament for saying that. Sadly, all of this false information was spread quickly and most of people were consuming those arguments easily. All this experience made me grow in the way of evaluating mass information, I discovered that despite the fact something could be really good, like the thoughts of Holy Father Pope Francis that everybody can take advantage of, there will be a dangerous filter which will try to show us the worst part of it. However, that is not because of â€Å"evil† journalists, is because of people’s consumption. In general, people do not care about the true behind information; just pay attention to the secret and bad things can be said about something. Therefore, being critical while reading and willing to find the truth, could give us enormous benefits allowing us to know the best part of everything taking care of our minds and hearts.

History of Database Essay

Storing data and files is an important aspect of business for various industries of the world. The storage of data in computers or database system is proven to be cost effective. Large or small database needs a system which will control the processes in the databases. Such applications are called database management systems (DBMS). From the time it was designed, the need for a good DBMS has increased because of the escalating number of data stored in the database. There are many available DBMS that private corporations use today. Indeed, database management systems have evolved due to the demand for the services that these systems provide. Database Management System A database management system is a collection of programs which enables the user or a network of users to mange files and data inside the database. The management includes storing, deleting, modifying, and extracting information from the database. It manages the request of the user and other programs installed in the computer or in the network. The DBMS ensures the integrity and reliability of the data. Some DBMS also provide security to the database (Tatum, 2003). There are many different forms of database management systems available in the market today because of the different private and public organizations or corporations which require different kinds of DBMS. However, there are four important elements that every DBMS have. These are the modeling language, data structures, data query language and mechanism that allows transactions (Tatum, 2003). The modeling language is the element that pertains to the approach used by the DBMS to communicate with the database. There are several approaches available today including hierarchical, relational, network and object-oriented (Christiansen, 2005). The hierarchical model makes use of pointers to navigate between stored data which is stored hierarchically in a downward tree. The structure is very inflexible in changing data and access requirements. The data is accessed by navigating from the root data to the data on the lower part of the hierarchy. In addition, the user should know the structure of the system before he or she can make an inquiry (Hsior, n. d. ). The network model is like the hierarchical model. It uses pointers to navigate through the data but it does not use a downward tree structure. It has limited flexibility in changing data and accessing requirements. Access to the data is accomplished by navigating through the structure and issuing specific statements to find specific data types in relation to the starting point of the structure (Hsior, n. d. ). In relational model, the data is stored in the two-dimensional tables. The data in the relational method is manipulated based on the relational theory of mathematics. The data types in this model are assigned with a symbolic primary key or foreign key construction. The referential integrity of the model is supported by the relational theory of mathematics. This model is very flexible to the data changes and access requirements. And the access to data types is based on relational algebra and relational calculus statements (Hsior, n. d. ). And lastly, the object-oriented model stores data as objects. This model is more direct than its predecessors since the design is very close to the real world model. The object-oriented model allows an easier way to maintain the database. The identification of objects is assigned by the system which protects the consistency of the data; while in the relational systems, it is assigned by the user. The database does not only store data but a whole application as well. Moreover, it can be executed inside the database. The concept of inheritance in this model makes code easily reusable. Furthermore, the object-oriented model is more practical and more economical (Hsior, n. d. ). The data structures are the elements that a DBMS manages inside the database. Different databases require different data structures which different DBMS manage. Data structures include individual records, files, fields and objects such as media files. DBMS need to define data structures to ensure the integrity of the data while it is being accessed. The data query language is the element which takes care of the security of the database. It monitors login data, assigns access rights and privileges, and defines the criteria for the add data function in the data base (Tatum, 2003). History The origin of database can be traced back to libraries, governments and other institutions that require storage of data. The DBMS was designed to ensure the integrity, security and accessibility of data. The design of the DBMS constantly evolves through time. It aims to create a design of which has better reliability and performance (Mann, 2003). In the 1800, Jose Marie Jacquard had created a machine, Jacquard Loom, which produced fabric from stored design from a punch card. The data of the design is stored in punch cards where holes represent the details in the design. In this way, the Jacquard Loom automatically designs the loom depending on the punch card in use (Tatum, 2003). Similar technology was used in the 1890 as Herman Hollerith created a mechanism that recorded information in a punch card which was coded numerically. The idea is that the data can punch in specific locations in the card, and then it can be counted and sorted automatically. This design was used by the US government to perform the census. Hollerith’s company solely produces the machine that records the data in the punch card and another machine that tabulates and sorts the cards. This company is renamed to IBM. The company prospered as it was able to produce machines that can record data for business and government institutions during 1910 towards 1960. The systems have records of every household and other data needed for the analysis of the society (Tatum, 2003). By 1955, many business and government institutions have floors dedicated for the storage of punched cards and floors for the machines. The machines work with punch-board which control accumulator registers that could reproduce punched cards or put data on paper. Some very large companies accumulate tons of data everyday that costs millions on storage. Thus, the need for a new technology has become very imminent (Tatum, 2003). In the 1960s, private organizations and corporations needed computers that have better storage capabilities and computers are proven to be cost effective against ordinary punch cards. In line with this, database administrators needed database management systems to cope with the increasing data storage capacity of computers and the increasing number of data being stored. The hierarchical and network model are the two main data models developed which were used in database management systems during the earlier years. They made use of pointers which was used to navigate through records. In these models, there were difficulties in adding another field in the higher level since it will require rewriting the scheme for access in the lower level data. In this system, the emphasis of the model was placed on the type of data to be processed and not the over all structure of the system. In addition, the user who will need access to the data should know the structure of the database before he can make a query for information (Vaughn, 2003). In the early 1970s, the Edgar F. Codd proposed a relational approach in manipulating data in the database. He published an article entitled ‘A relational model of data for large shared data banks’ which became the foundation in the development of the relational database. The article showed a theory of how to store data in a rectangular or in two-dimensional tables and then use the theory of mathematical sets to operate on it. The relational databases represent the first implementation of the real database management system. Since then, the relation model had been the most popular or standard approach for database management systems (Vaughn, 2003). In the mid-70s, the theory of Codd on relational databases was put into research projects by several competing camps. During this time, the term Relational Database Management System or the RDBMS was coined. During these times, there are two main prototypes based on the relational were developed. These are the System R developed by the IBM and Ingres developed by the University of California at Berkeley. These two prototypes led to different kinds of DBMS. The two lines of DBMS created by the two prototypes used different query languages. IBM’s System R uses the Structured Query Language (SQL) and the UCB’s Ingres uses QUEL short for query language. Also in mid-1970s, Peter P. Chen proposed the Entity-Relationship Model for the database design which gave a new insight in the conceptual models of a database management system. This model gives the designer of the database management system a way to concentrate more on the use of data instead of its logical structure like other method does (Vaughn, 2003). In the early 1980s, the commercialization of the Relational Database Management System began to intensify due to the increasing demand of databases in corporations around the world. The higher demand was caused by the emerging business in the United States and other countries around the world. Another reason is that organizations and corporations had increasing number of data needed to be stored. Businesses rely on computers for their data storage thus a better database management system is needed to manage large databases that these businesses have. At the same time, many companies made some products which give individual users to maintain a small database in their own computer (Vaughn, 2003). In the rest of the 1980s, SQL had become the standard query language for many databases which was caused by the emergence of the local area network. The Oracle Corporation made the first commercial relational database. Moreover, the network and hierarchical models faded to the background. However, there are still others that use the network and hierarchical models (Vaughn, 2003). It was during the early 1990s when the industry of databases had a shakeout and there are only a few companies that survived for offering better products. The most important development on the computer industry was on application builders and programming languages. During these times, the prototype of the object-oriented database management system was introduced. The object-oriented DBMS is conceptualized to handle big and complex data that relational database management systems had a hard time to handle (Vaughn, 2003). In the mid-1990s, the influx of internet use revived the need for database industry. This demand came from internet servers in order to manipulate the large amounts of data which must be made accessible to internet users. Better security and reliability is also needed to protect the client-users and the information itself from corruption and tamper. As such, only a good database management system can provide this. In addition, the database industry during these times has reached the desktop computers in the users’ own homes. This provides desktop computer users to manage their own small database or access the large databases on the internet (Vaughn, 2003). In the late 1990s, the industry prospered in terms of internet sales and database tools. The e-commerce industry boomed since business transactions have been done online. The Online Transaction Processing and the Online Analytical Processing emerged (Vaughn, 2003). However, in the early 21st century, there has been a decline in the internet industry. Nonetheless, the database industry is still growing because the demand for a larger database and better DBMS is steadily growing. There are other interactive applications that emerged during these times. Three companies have dominated the database industry including Microsoft, Oracle and IBM (Vaughn, 2003). Nowadays, huge systems require a good way to manage and analyze data. These databases’ storage capacity for the data now reaches the terrabyte level. Such databases are science databases which hold genome projects, national security, and space exploration data. Shopping online is also one of the common practices today. Millions of buyers participate on this application, thus requiring a larger database and good handling abilities. There are researches today that is said to surpass the capabilities of the SQL. This development will ensure another significant growth in the database industry (Vaughn, 2003). Future Trends Mobile database is now emerging in various ways. This technology will secure a more remote access to database. Additionally, more and more people will access a single database at a time. As such, proper management is needed to ensure the continuous service and to prevent a system crush (Vaughn, 2003). Object-oriented database management system is predicted to dominate the database market as well as other computer markets. The emergence of the use of this model threatens to wipe other database models (Vaughn, 2003). As time goes by, there are certain issues that have risen alongside the creation of larger databases. Ethical issue is one of them; the larger the database is, the harder that people can efficiently manage it. Consequently, it is easier for perpetrators to subtly penetrate a system without being known by the administrators. In addition, some databases use automatic analyzing application which is sometimes unethical to use (Vaughn, 2003). Evidently, the database evolved from simple punched cards to huge mainframes. The advances in database technology have propelled the growing need for large data storage and management tools to access and analyze it. The database management system evolved as billions of information are generated by large business and government institutions everyday. The demand still grows as the internet community is still continuously growing. The future of database industry is very clear – it will continue to prosper and advance as the world continuously develops. References Christiansen, S. (2005). Database Management System. Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://searchsqlserver. techtarget. com/sDefinition/0,,sid87_gci213669,00. html Hsior, J. (n. d. ). Evolution of Database Systems. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://w3. ocit. edu. tw/ben/foxpro6/article/english/ch01/page04. htm Mann, M. (2006). History and Comparison of Relational Database Management Systems. TechnoCircle HVB Information Services. Retrieved April 11, 2009, from http://www. guug. de/lokal/muenchen/2007-05-14/rdbmsc. pdf Tatum, M. (2003). What is DBMS? Retrieved April 10, 2009, from http://www. wisegeek. com/what-is-dbms. htm Vaughn, J. (2003). A short Database History. Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Retrieved April 12, 2009, from http://math. hws. edu/vaughn/cpsc/343/2003/history. html

The Relationship between Prestige Pricing and Advertising Choices

Prestige pricing is a pricing strategy through which brand image of a product is enhanced by the price fixed for it. This pricing strategy is also termed as psychological strategy as the consumers feel that since the price of a product is higher than its other competitive products in the market, it might be superior in quality. They don’t even try to find out whether there is any difference in the ingredients or construction of the higher and lower priced product or not. Due to this pricing strategy, the top brands enjoy higher share in the market even when their products are priced 30%to 40%higher than a similar product with no brand value. Cosmetics, drugs, apparels etc. enjoy more market share if they have big brand image. Prestige pricing can also be termed as a non-pricing strategy because there is no need for the advertising to mention price at all. Instead, in the advertising of these products more focus is paid on service and quality. The lesser a customer knows about the quality of a product the better are chances of him to get lured by the advertising of the product. If the product has a good brand value, the customer is fully confident about its quality and don’t even look at its advertising from a point of view of getting assured of its quality. Advertising choices for prestige priced products are immense because the producer has enough money to splurge upon advertisements. Hence he can afford the best advertising options. If he is advertising in print medium he chooses the best life style magazines because its glossy pages speak volumes about the product even without any product information. He has the option of paying the high profile celebrities to endorse the brand. Just the image of the celebrity along with the product is enough to grab the attention of the consumers. If the producer does not apply the prestige pricing strategy, his advertising choices get limited. The more the price, the better are the advertising options. Karlof and Lovingsson (2005, p. 286) have rightly observed the following effects of the interrelation between prestige pricing and advertising choices: â€Å" competition is low demand exceeds supply a company enjoys the position of virtual monopoly† In the words of Griffiths and Wall (2004, p.163) â€Å"If manufacturers can create an association in consumers’ mind that premium prices mean higher quality and exclusiveness, then they can engage in prestige pricing.† This can be done none other than advertising. Advertising choices and prestige pricing are interrelated. So the practice of psychologically influencing the consumers’ choices is evident from the sophisticated advertising campaigns of all the high priced products in the market. The money spent on producing a product is cost while the price is the money the consumer spends to buy that product. In the prestige pricing strategy the price is not related to the value of the product but the consumers are made to feel that way. This is not possible without the range of advertising choices available in this kind of strategy. So it can be concluded that prestige pricing and advertising choices go hand in glove. Word count: 535 References Arens, W.F. and Bovee, C.L. (5 Ed.). (1994). Contemporary Advertising. USA: IRWIN Griffiths, A. and Ison, S. (2002). Business Economics. UK: Heinemann. Griffiths, A. and Wall, S. (Ed.). (10 Ed.). (2004). Applied Economics. England: Pearson Education Limited. Karlof, B. and Lovingsson, F. (2005)The A-Z of Management Concepts And Models. London: Thorogood Publishing.                        

Manage Risk Essay

The reason the investigation was conducted was to gauge what was both good and bad about the new cafà © opening, what needs to be changed in order to increase efficiency at work and any legislative laws involved. The conduction of the investigation was done in a way to view the aspects of staff members, the community, management and the government This investigation has been conducted in a way which sees the aspect of management, staff members, governments, and the community. A probability or threat of damage, injury, liability, loss, or any other negative occurrence that is caused by external or internal vulnerabilities, and that may be avoided through preemptive action. 2.Finance: The probability that an actual return on an investment will be lower than the expected return. Financial risk is divided into the following categories: Basic risk, Capital risk, Country risk, Default risk, Delivery risk, Economic risk, Exchange rate risk, Interest rate risk, Liquidity risk, Operations ri sk, Payment system risk, Political risk, Refinancing risk, Reinvestment risk, Settlement risk, Sovereign risk, and Underwriting risk. 3.Food industry: The possibility that due to a certain hazard in food there will be an negative effect to a certain magnitude. 4. Insurance: A situation where the probability of a variable (such as burning down of a building) is known but when a mode of occurrence or the actual value of the occurrence (whether the fire will occur at a particular property) is not. A risk is not an uncertainty (where neither the probability nor the mode of occurrence is known), a peril (cause  of loss), or a hazard (something that makes the occurrence of a peril more likely or more severe). 5.Securities trading: The probability of a loss or drop in value. Trading risk is divided into two general categories: (1) Systemic risk affects all securities in the same class and is linked to the overall capital-market system and therefore cannot be eliminated by diversification. Also called market risk. (2) Nonsystematic risk is any risk that isn’t market-related or is not systemic. Also called nonmarket risk, extra-market risk, or unsystemic risk. 6.Workplace: Product of the consequence and probability of a hazardous event or phenomenon. For example, the risk of developing cancer is estimated as the incremental probability of developing cancer over a lifetime as a result of exposure to potential carcinogens (cancer-causing substances). Procedure: Scope: Risks are found in all organizational activities.The background behind this report is to manage the current risks that are currently effecting the MacVille Cafe, Toowoomba and to enhance any opportunities available to the organisation. The purpose of this risk assessment is to identify risks related to the MacVille Cafe, Toowoomba. The risk assessment will be utilized to identify risks related to the cafe. During inspection of the organisational premises, many risks have been identified as potential high-risk. Goals 1) Put a Policy and Procedure in place – by putting this in place and having a hard copy available. Instead of having Mr. Hurley address this manually each week, all staff will have will have something to turn to on a daily basis if they weren’t at the cafe when Mr. Hurley was present. 2) Train staff in water use – by giving the staff proper training in relation to the water usage at the cafe, this will help water waste reduction and will help the organisation out financially. 3) Renovate the Cafe – By renovating the cafe, fit-out will look inviting and refreshed. Replacing any old, broke and unstable furniture, and removing old carpet, will benefit the organisation by decreasing and accidents where staff and customers are concerned. 4) Water Tank Installation – by having a water tank installed, it will allow more savings on the water bill, which will benefit the organisation in many  financial ways. The cafe can collect rainwater and substitute t hat for mains pressure water for cleaning and washing purposes. 5) Increase of Sales Promotions – by encouraging the staff to get involved with these promotions, this will bring many financial benefits to the organisation. Risk management goals and objectives should be consistent with and supportive of the enterprise’s business objectives and strategies. Therefore, the organization’s business model provides an important context for risk management. Accomplishing and maintaining these goals helps enliven the cafà © and enhance the wholesome spirit we want to project. These goals are long term, ongoing and ever evolving as we grow and learn our business, and are in no particular order: 1. To maintain positive balance in our lives so that the business rounds us out and reflects our values. 2. To embody the meaning of hospitality through a strong, reliable staff. 3. To offer our community wholesome foods that are satisfying, great tasting, and worth every penny. 4. To have our employees and customers feel appreciated, supported and satisfied, every time they come in. 5. To support local, independent business and the farming community through buying locally, keeping it simple and in season. 6. To remain connected to our community with our charitable giving. 7. To have this business comfortably support our employee family in all ways possible.

Chinese history final essay based on film to live Movie Review

Chinese history final essay based on film to live - Movie Review Example China had conflicts with the USSR with regard to its border. During this period land was freely given to the poor, who engaged in farming. Mao, who had declared to be a Leninist, led discussion on the performance of the party. The educated citizens’ criticism led him to arrest several people. The educated group was under siege. The Mao led group was branded anti-rightists. The educated citizens were threatened of being denied promotions if they were to persist in their demand for their rights. The poor people in the old china had low status in society given that their high social class counterparts controlled them culturally. The communist group was despised regardless of the affluence of their members. The nationalist group was vibrant and determined to fight the radical communist group. According Yimou, the people in the old China held the subjective feudal autocratic perspective that communism was naturally the only way people could be governed (29). The animosity between t he nationalist and the communists compelled the nationalists to consolidate support from the Taiwan and the US government, to defeat the communist group. In addition, the pre-cultural revolution of China was aimed at challenging the male dominance in Chinese society. Women had no option of deciding their position in society because it is the male who decided everything concerning the lifestyles of the women. The pre-cultural China society was male-dominated given that no woman could become emperor of China during that time. In fact, even the juvenile female Chinese could not be given recognition. The negative effects of civil animosity in China were many. This aspect led to great disparities in the social realm. In this regard, the poor were exploited because of lack of financial power. Democracy was not practiced because the majority was poor; hence, they could not manage to marshal required numbers to oppose the rich. Even the labor unions could not protect the rights of the vulne rable workforce because the industrial leaders were corrupt. However, the oppression of the wealthy became unbearable culminating in reprisals from the workforce, and other groups. They capitalized on politics in their advances. For instance, they used the Communist People’s party to present their grievances to the Authorities. These groups faced oppression of different forms like prejudice and social segregation and discrimination. The emphasis of a class society was also a means of oppression and exploitation, especially in their workplaces (Â  Yimou, 25). The unskilled and the skilled Chinese people were discriminated, and their work was not recognized. On the other hand, women were required to take up only housework and other related domestic chores. Moreover, there arose the aspect of socialism which was also a tool of oppression of the poor. This meant that survival was guaranteed only for the elite. The understanding of the oppressors was that competition was warrante d in order for the social and financially fit people to survive while the poor forever remained in anguish and agony. In this regard, any support for the poor from the government side was highly criticized by the high social class people. This implied that it was the wish of the poor to remain in their low social status. However, the farmers who were also oppressed were discouraged by their fellow Chinese