Marcet Conversations in Political Economy Essay

Marcet Conversations in Political Economy - Essay Example The format that this paper will utilize is to first give a precise definition of what is identified above followed by a brief discussion of what the government might try to do in order to solve said problem including a personal evaluation of the effectiveness of the proposed policy measures. Thirdly this paper will discuss some alternative means by which this problem might be solved with a particular emphasis on informal social arrangements drawing on some real life examples of said arrangement. The above passage illustrates some fundamental issues of economics and political science. In one respect one could refer to this issue is illustrating the importance of scarcity in its regard to the laws of supply and demand, secondly there is the issue of ownership insofar as it may be the case that who would protect what is free and available to everybody. As one can boil down the entire issue it is arguably the case from an anthropological and sociological perspective that without the feeling of ownership people are not often compelled to take care of any particular resource. A great case is presented by Diamond (2005) in which it is postulated that the Greenland Norse faced their collapse as a result of over grazing of pastureland, a reluctance to trade with their neighbors and a reluctance to adapt in the wake of a potential societal collapse. What this illustrates is that when resources are relatively free for the taking the wake of poor crop yields it is invariably in the hum an spirit to over consume other resources which could theoretically bring with it the risks of a total collapse in society. When one examines the case as illustrated above one could draw the conclusion that if everything were free people would not take a sense of ownership and as such there would be a case of over consumption. From an economics standpoint one could bring

Thesis statement Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Thesis statement - Coursework Example Subsequently, it is implied that the issue can be regarded from different perspectives since both negative and positive effects of games were detected. However, all available researches and conclusions of authors remain contradictory and mutually exclusive. From one side, video games are said to promote violence and aggressive behavior and a hindrance to academic achievements. From another, video games can be used to promote versatile development. While developing an argument, I can support my thesis resorting to the recent scientific articles that uncover the list of positive effects of playing video games. Today, there is a sufficient number of credible research articles that can be used to scientifically back up the given thesis statement. Among the relevant points that should be included can be named promoting cognitive skills, training memory, sensory perception, attention, and spatial resolution. (Granic, Lobel & Engels, 2014) Apart from that, games often demand a high level of logical thinking, and problem-solving as well as can teach one to be goal oriented and persistent. An important argument in this context is explaining that the most important is to use technologies moderately and block negative messages they can

Borderline Personality Disorder Essay Example for Free

Borderline Personality Disorder Essay In 1938, the term â€Å"borderline† was first used by A. Stern to describe individuals â€Å"on the border† of psychosis (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). Individuals afflicted by Borderline Personality Disorder, BPD, have unstable sense of relationship, mood, and identity. They exhibit low confidence on professional, sexual, and family relations and frequently experience depression, disappointments, and anxiety. In connection to these, BPD patients are inclined to substance abuse, antisocial acts, erratic lifestyles, suicidal attempts, and self-mutilation. Specifically, BPD patients of ages below than 18 years are commonly diagnosed with identity confusion. The BPD cases have a prevalence of about 0. 2-4 percent in the general public and approximately 15-25 percent among the hospitalized psychiatric cases with co-occurrence of eating disorder and substance abuse (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). Different hypotheses offer a possible etiology for BPD. Some of which ascribed it to the brains constitutional defects in different neurotransmitter systems like in the serotonergic, andrenergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic systems while other hypotheses associated it to the history of learning disabilities, encephalitis, head trauma, severe hyperactivity, and epilepsy (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). On the other hand, in terms of developmental perspective, the excessive frustrations during childhood, physical-sexual abuse, constitutional predisposition, early parental loss, arrest in normal development, traumatic separation from parental figure and post-traumatic stress disorder are considered as contributing factors in the BPD development (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). Meanwhile, a long term psychotherapy involving reality-oriented or analytic techniques along with drug medications which include mood stabilizers, antipsychotic, and antidepressants is the therapeutic mainstay. Borderline Personality Disorder and Marital Relations Borderline Personality Disorder is a mental illness which causes unstable behavior, self-image, moods, and interpersonal relationships to the affected individuals. Eventually, these instabilities will result to disruption of self-identity, family life, long-term planning, and work performance (Sholevar and Schwoeri, 2003). As well, a BPD patient may experience anxiety, violent bouts of anger, and depression for several hours or even a day leading to substance abuse, aggression, and self-injury. About two percent of adults, mostly women, affected by BPD suffer from instability of emotion regulation which often leads to self-injury and suicidal attempts (Sholevar and Schwoeri, 2003). Consequently, the disruptions of self-identity and cognition of the affected individual cause distortion on his or her gender identity, long-term goals, jobs, values, jobs, and career plans and in the long run may result to unworthy or bad perception about his or her self. As such, the afflicted individuals, more often than not, feel low self-esteem, empty, mistreated, bored, and misunderstood. In severe cases, BPD patients tend to feel lack of social support and isolated which may lead to impulsive avoidance of perceived abandonment. In relation to these, individuals with BPD are susceptible to turbulent social relationships (Sholevar and Schwoeri, 2003). They are prone to frequently agitated relationships and tend to abrupt shifting of attitude from love and admiration to anger and hate towards their family and friends. Hence, they easily idealize and develop attachment to other person; however, in the occurrence of conflict, their attitudes suddenly shift to anger and hate the person they are formerly attached to. In addition, even to their family circles, BPD patients are sensitive to rejection and separation issues. They tend to exhibit other behavioral problems such as risky sex, excessive eating, and extraneous spending (Sholevar and Schwoeri, 2003). The American Psychiatric Association (2000) postulated that a BPD patient most probably may have a chaotic and unstable marital relation which is attributed to the distortions in his or her affects, thoughts, and behaviors. Since, children in this kind of marriage are negatively affected by the behavioral exchanges between the couple, BPD treatment in terms of its cost and mandated implementation became a significant issue. Moreover, the study of Daley, Burge, and Hammen (2000) suggested that the presence and the degree of a personality disorder largely predict the impairment of an intimate relationship. As such, the results of their study fundamentally supported the significance of BPD perspective as not merely just a categorical diagnosis but as a continuum of severity. Whereas every woman in their study was diagnosed with BPD potential, women with more subclinical BPD characteristics tended to practice maladaptive romantic lives (Daley, Burge, and Hammen, 2000). This observation generally implied that the utilization of categorical approach in BPD assessment through systematic diagnostic threshold in inadequate in the detection of variations in the relationship behavior among individuals. Nonetheless, at subclinical levels, the BPD symptoms were not directly linked with dysfunctional marital relationships (Daley, Burge, and Hammen, 2000). Even though every personality disorder has an association with romantic dysfunction, the BPD symptoms failed to generate significant contributions beyond the other Axis II pathology (Daley, Burge, and Hammen, 2000). This signified the crucial role of a factor which underlies every personality disorder under the Axis II pathology for the determination of relationship adjustment. Borderline Personality Disorder and Dysfunctional Marriage In 1938, the relationship between personality disorder and dysfunctional marriage was first noted by Terman, Wilson, Johnson, Buttenweiser, and Ferguson (South, Turkheimer, and Oltmanns, 2008). They hypothesized that the unique attributes of every individual impart them the possibility for relationship dissatisfaction. In 1995, the vulnerability-stress-adaptation model for marital relations was proposed by Karney and Bradburry (South, Turkheimer, and Oltmanns, 2008). This model illustrates the role of individual differences along with interpersonal processes in the achievement of marital satisfaction. The model postulated that personality traits and couples vulnerability directly determine the couples endurance and their behavioral exchanges with respect to the stressful circumstances in their marriage. In relation to these, the symptoms of personality disorder have been tied up with serious couples conflict and marriage violence. Specifically, the partner-violence studies through behavioral analogue and factor-analytic techniques found that borderline personality and antisocial traits of individuals are predictors of the occurrence of violence in married life. Nevertheless, through developmental research, the relationship of personality traits during childhood and adolescent years with temperament and abusive behaviors in an intimate relationship has been reported (South, Turkheimer, and Oltmanns, 2008). For someone married to a partner with BPD, the frequent turmoil in their relationship can either make their bond stronger or at worst, result to hatred and divorce. More often than not, dealing with the love-hate nature of marital relations is exasperating for every couple. In particular, an individual can hardly understand a partner who at one time offers love and adorations then all of a sudden will just lose temperament and fall into horrific rages. This scenario would make the spouse of the BPD patient dumbfounded for the hastily anger may seem came from nowhere at all. The relatives of a BPD patient may experience stress and feel helpless as they witness their loved one suffering from self-destructive BPD symptoms (Sholevar and Schwoeri, 2003). The immediate caregivers, the parents or the spouse are more susceptible to chronic stress due to the pitiful condition of the patient which at worst may even lead to psychological trauma especially for the patients children. For instance, as the patient engages into self-destructive behaviors like self-injury, burning, or suicidal attempts, the immediate caregivers are vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder because they directly observe the patients high-risks behaviors as they respond for help. In line with this, the spouse of the patient may experience guilt as he or she tries to figure out the cause or his or her liability in the BPD development of the patient. Meanwhile, close relatives may want to support the patient but are afraid to do so because of the harm they may possibly beget from the self-harm behaviors of the patient. As well, family members may become impatient due to the patients disruptive behaviors. Nonetheless, family members, friends, and relatives may have inadequate knowledge about BPD; thus, they can hardly understand and give empathy to the patient. In the long run, the relationship turmoil between the couple along with the stress and guilt of the patients spouse cause impatience, hatred and may even lead to divorce. Still, the atmosphere at home has a great impact on the personalities of the couples children. For example, the eldest among the siblings are often tasked to look after the needs of the patient while the youngsters are instructed to keep away from the patient to avoid emotional trauma or the possible physical harm they may beget. Moreover, the extended family like uncles, grandparents, and close friends can also be affected as they relay aegis to the patients family. Couples Therapy An individual with a spouse afflicted with BPD can adapt to the behavioral problems of his wife or her husband by understanding the nature of BPD. Along with drug medications, therapeutic counseling is widely used to save marital relations from the consequences of BPD behaviors. Both Lachkar and McCormack in 1998 and 2000 respectively, suggested the creation of â€Å"holding environment† for couples with one partner having BPD (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). In this approach, each partner, rather than withdrawing or projecting, is conditioned for the recognition of his or her subjective experiences. In particular, Lachkar proposed three fundamental functions: containment, empathy versus containment, and self-object (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). In containment, the counselor mirror and defuse the negative affects and projections in order to provide new means of images and experiences to the couple. On the other hand, the empathy or mirroring versus containment is necessary for the containment balance. The couple also needs to experience empathy and mirror-back their statements and behavior to them. Thus, the counselor must know how to employ either one or the other so as to facilitate the effective relationship functioning and the healing process of traumatic experiences. Lastly, the self-object functions are designed for the structural repair of the self. In 2003, Fruzzetti and Fruzzetti identified the five functions for a complete dialectical behavioral therapy (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). Skill acquisition or enhancement is the first function in which specific skills are taught to individuals in every session. Next in line is the skill generalization wherein the learned skills are applied to real life setting through planning and telephone advising. The client motivation or behavior change is the third function which requires the collaborative effort of the client and the counselor in identifying and changing the dysfunctional patterns. Then, the crucial skills and high level of motivation are the required functions in the development of enhancement and motivation capabilities of the counselor. Finally, the environment structuring is a required function to ensure the desired outcomes. Gottmans Approach In 1999, Gottman proposed the different levels for a sound relational house which include: marital friendship foundation which consists of admiration and fondness, cognitive space for ones spouse, and turning toward versus turning away; override of positive sentiment versus the override of negative sentiments; conflict regulation which involves dialogue establishment and physiological soothing; and the creation of shared system of meaning such as meshing narratives, dreams, metaphors, and rituals (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). Furthermore, Gottman argued that resistance can hardly be avoided in the therapy because it resulted from the disruptions in the various level components of a sound relational house of the relationships internal working model (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). Hence, BPD patients suffer from the distortions of internal working models with respect to relationships and the self. Gottman further believed that the resistance due to the psychopathology of the individual is brought by his or her stable steady state, characterized by high negativity, and by the disruptions in the individuals means of influencing and influence acceptance (Oliver, Perry, and Cade, 2008). Dialectic Behavioral Therapy In 1980s, at the University of Washington, Marsha Linehan developed the Dialectic Behavioral Therapy or DBT after the failure of the standard behavioral therapies she has employed in treating women with chronic suicidal attempts (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). The DBT is an intensive and multimodal approach in the treatment of BPD. This form of therapy incorporated the cognitive-behavioral techniques with the time-tested Western contemplative and Eastern meditative medication approaches. These approaches with opposing notions, acceptance, and change were all integrated by means of a dialectical framework which can serve as a guide in the formulation and implementation of medication strategies. Since then, DBT has been utilized in the treatment of parasuicidal behavior among BPD cases and in other psychotic disorders. On the basis of biosocial maintenance and etiology of BPD, the DBT was developed in order to provide a plausible explanation for the BPD attributes with consistency on behavioral theory and empirical research findings (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). As posited by the biosocial theory, the BPD development is triggered by a dysfunction in the emotion regulation system during childhood brought by the interaction of the emotionally susceptible child to the invalidating environment. The immediate individuals in the childs environment, either unknowingly or intentionally, invalidate the childs emotional experiences which in turn result to the elevation of the childs emotional responses which aggravate the environmental invalidating responses. Further, the biosocial theory argued that the child and the environment have biodirectional relationship; thus, both influence the continuous elevation and deescalation of the borderline behaviors. The DBT treats BPD behaviors as spontaneous products of dysregulated and maladaptive attempts of emotions regulations (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). This model illustrated the characteristics of both individual and environment wherein the latter inhibits the development of the capabilities and potentials of the former. As such, BPD patients have low distress tolerance, interpersonal, and self-regulation skills. Hence, for any treatment approach, the development and enhancement of skills, capabilities, and motivation of every patient must be given prime importance. On the other hand, the therapeutic relationship between the BPD patient and the therapist poses a dialectic tension in which they can find themselves at the opposite sites of a particular issue. The therapeutic process then attempts to synthesize these opposing views resulting to a new dialectical tension. For instance, the therapist may perceive that the suicidal tendency of the patient is the root cause of the problem while the patient may take this behavior as the solution. The possible synthesis of these positions may result to the notion that committing suicide is a maladaptive solution to the problem at hand. Then, this new position may necessitate the learning of new skills so as to smoothly adapt the patient into the present state of life. DBT Treatment Stages Since DBT is a multimodal approach, the treatment is categorized into several stages, each of which has its own goals (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). In Stage I, the behavior is out of control as the individual possesses debilitating and pervasive problems. The first stage aims to facilitate the achievement of action control and stability as well as the natural life expectancy by preventing suicidal behavior, the development of the capability of helping individuals in reducing severe impediments, and the achievement of necessary skills for such tasks. In the following stage, the individuals have attained reasonable action control. The Stage II then intends to gain understanding and at the same time to reduce the impact of early traumatic experiences, and to strengthen the individual’s endurance in emotional experiences in the absence of psychological trauma. In the third stage, the focus of treatment is on the resolution of residual problem behavior which hinders the attainment of personal goals. The BPD patient, with self-trust and respect, takes a pivotal role. Finally, Stage IV aims for the sustenance of personal freedom and goals. This last treatment stage facilitates the patient’s achievement of spiritual fulfillment, vast awareness, and connection to the universe. Empirical Findings The randomized controlled DBT trials proved its efficacy on BPD behaviors such as suicidal tendency, substance abuse, depression, binge eating, anxiety, and other personality disorders across various populations (Koerner and Linehan, 2000). In addition, a substantial number of nonrandomized controlled DBT trials have shown efficacy similar to the randomized controlled. Thus, in general, the results of DBT studies indicated its superiority against non-DBT controlled trials in the prevention and reduction of problem behaviors like substance abuse and suicidal behavior as well as treatment dropout and hospitalization, and the improvement of the general and social functioning of the BPD patients. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. Arlington, VA: APA. Daley, S. E. , Burge, D. , and Hammen, C. (2000). Borderline Personality Disorder Symptoms as Predictors of 4-Year Romantic Relationship Dysfunction in Young Women Addressing Issues of Specificity. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 109 (3), 451-460. Koerner, K. and Linehan, M. M. (2000). Research on Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder. The Psychiatric Clinics of North America, 23 (1), 151–167.

Participant Analysis of Charity Walk

Participant Analysis of Charity Walk Service Learning Project: 2014 Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s Experience Carrie Hatcher I decided to work with the Alzheimer’s Association for my service learning project because it is an organization that has made a huge difference in the local community where I live and also my family has been touched by Alzheimer’s in the past. I wanted to work with an organization that strives to make not only a difference in the lives of people who suffer from Alzheimer’s but also in the lives of the caregivers of the patients. I really like the moto that is used for the walk â€Å"everyone has a reason to walk† and that to me is true. Everyone knows of someone that is affected in some way by Alzheimer’s disease. Even if you have not been personally affected by Alzheimer’s you know someone who has or someone who is a caregiver to a patient with Alzheimer’s. My goal with this project was to show how far people are willing to travel, from where they live, to participate in the 2014 Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s. After talking with the director of the Alzheimer’s office I found out that they were also interested in finding out some other demographics about their walkers so I also have included within the project factors to look at such as the male to female ratio of the walk participants as well as the ages of the walk participant’s. To complete this project I worked as a volunteer for the walk and administered a survey as the walkers signed in that collected demographics such as the home zip code, age of the walker and if the walker was male or female. The three mile walk took place on September 27th and the starting point for the 2014 Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s was the parking lot of the historic Dalton Depot. The streets of downtown Dalton were blocked for the walk and the walk was escorted by the local Dalton city police department through the streets in town. My work as a volunteer started hours before the walk actually started. I arrived early to work with the other volunteers to help set up various tables and help with other set up duties before the walkers started to arrive. When the walkers started arriving I started collecting my data for my project through the use of the survey at the sign in table. I am glad that I decided to go with using a survey to collect data instead of walking around with a clip board like I had thought about doing because I soon realized that the walk becomes very hectic and chaotic once the walkers start arriving. If I had not used a survey to collect the data from each walker as they signed in then I feel confident that I would have missed a lot of the walkers and would not have been able to collect accurate and complete data. After the registration and sign in was complete and the demographic data had been collected I continued to work as a volun teer at the silent auction table. Working the silent auction table was a new experience for me. Trying to help keep track of the walker’s bids was challenging but fun at the same time. The silent auction was a very successful part of the walk this year. The Silent auction alone brought in over $800 for the Alzheimer’s Association. The walk was more like a block party than a walk to raise money and awareness of Alzheimer’s disease. There was live entertainment, a bake sale, silent auction and a BBQ lunch was sold by the Dalton Depot restaurant with the proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association. There was also a special appearance by the 2009 Miss Tennessee, Stefanie Wittler. Different vendors were also on hand to help raise awareness of the resources available to the caregivers of the patients with Alzheimer’s. There was one accident at the walk and after talking with the director of the walk I found out that the accident was the first one to ha ppen at a walk for as long as she had been the director. After the walk I also helped with the clean-up of the area and the breakdown of the tables and decorations. I also helped to deliver the walk materials back to the local office in Dalton and continued to work in the office helping the staff count and sort the money that was collected and verifying donations that were received. In all on the day of the walk I volunteered 8 hours and then spent an additional 5 hours going through the survey’s and analyzing the data collected and creating a map showing the cities that people traveled from to participate in the Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s and then creating a report to give to the Alzheimer’s office. I discovered some interesting facts and observations from the data that I collected and the Alzheimer’s office was interested as well. The total number of the walkers at the 2014 Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s was 227 and out of that number 32 were volunteers that devoted their day to help make the walk a success. The walk was dominated by females as the total number of walkers that were male numbered 52 whereas the total numbers of females were 175. So the male to female ratio of the walkers was 1:3 or three female walkers for every one male walker registered in the walk. I found this fact interesting that the majority of the walkers were female and that more males were not interested in participating in the walk. Out of the 227 walk participants 179 were adults and 48 were children. The average age of the walkers was 38 years old with the oldest walker being 83 years old and the youngest walker being 2 years old. I enjoyed seeing the youngest and smallest walker that even though was unregistered brought a lot of joy and excitement to the walk. She was 2 months old and came with her mom in her very own tiny walk tee shirt. I found out from the surveys that the person that traveled the farthest to participate in the walk came from Cumming, Georgia which is 86.44 miles from Dalton, Georgia. Also, the average miles that people traveled from their home zip code to participate in the walk was 39 miles. At the end of this report I have included three tables from the survey data that show walk participants zip codes and mileage traveled, the number of male and female walkers and the ages of the walk participants. I have also included the map that shows the cities that people traveled from to participate in the walk. I enjoyed this volunteer experience and I feel that it taught me a lot about the demographics and hard work of hosting fund raising walks. I already knew what services the Alzheimer’s Association provided but I did not realize how much work went into each fundraiser that they do. You would think that when you hear of a fund raising walk that it would not take a lot of work to coordinate and host the walk to be able collect the donations. I was wrong! To hold one of these walks there is an amazing effort put forth not only by the staff of the Alzheimer’s Association but also by the board of trustees and the numerous volunteers that devote their day and sacrifice their time to help make this walk a success. When you think of volunteers for an event you think of someone who is just giving of their time and not personally connected to the event. However, the majority of the volunteers that I encountered at the 2014 Dalton Walk to End Alzheimer’s devote not only their time but also have a personal connection to the Alzheimer’s Association as well. They truly believe in the Alzheimer’s Association and want to be a part of making a difference in the lives of the patients with Alzheimer’s as well as helping the caregivers of the patients to cope with the day to day struggles that they encounter as the Alzheimer’s disease progresses within their loved ones. This service learning project was a wonderful and enjoyable experience for me and it helped to open my eyes and helped me to realize how much work, dedication, sacrifice and love goes into coordinating, participating and hosting a fund raising walk that is truly successful in more ways that just monetary. Acworth, Georgia (58.25miles) 7 Adairsville, Georgia (32.21 miles) 3 Ball Ground, Georgia (55.24 miles) 4 Calhoun, Georgia (21.47 miles) 11 Canton, Georgia (63.82 miles) 8 Chatsworth, Georgia (12.72 miles) 17 Chattanooga, Tennessee (32.55 miles) 4 Chickamauga, Georgia (27.56 miles) 6 Cohutta, Georgia (15.10 miles) 7 Collegedale, Tennessee (36.08 miles) 1 Cumming, Georgia (86.44 miles) 1 Dalton, Georgia (0 miles) 94 Ellijay, Georgia (36.88 miles) 4 Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia (24.49 miles) 14 Jasper, Georgia (48.86 miles) 8 LaFayette, Georgia (27.06 miles) 2 Marietta, Georgia (71.88 miles) 1 Mineral Bluff, Georgia (59.08 miles) 2 Oolewah, Tennessee (26.96 miles) 1 Ringgold, Georgia (15.66 miles) 10 Rock Springs, Georgia (20.99 miles) 2 Rome, Georgia (48.05 miles) 4 Rossville, Georgia (26.89 miles) 5 Sugar Valley, Georgia (20.68 miles) 1 Summerville, Georgia (39.94 miles) 2 Talking Rock, Georgia (42.96 miles) 5 Woodstock, Georgia (71.73 miles) 3 Table 1: Walk participants zip codes and distances in parenthesis from each city to Dalton, Georgia Female 175 Male 52 Table 2: Gender of walk participants 0-10 years of age 19 11-20 years of age 29 21-30 years of age 49 31-40 years of age 38 41-50 years of age 43 51-60 years of age 25 61-70 years of age 21 71-80 years of age 2 81-90 years of age 1 Table 3: Age of walk participants 1

Blue Ocean Strategy Simulation

Blue Ocean Strategy Simulation The visual exploration at the start of Blue round 1 involved three different paths. Below is a summary of the findings of each of the path: Path 3: Looking Across the Chain of Buyers and Users It had the possibility of reaching upto 30% of market share. The main focus in this case would be on parents who dont want to intrude in their childrens personal lives by entering their room again and again but at the same time would like to control the time spent on gaming. The parents felt like they had lost control over what their children were doing. Many parents were also concerned with the easily snapping ability of discs because of which they had to buy their favourite discs twice or more. Most of the parents were also concerned about the cost and the environmental impact of batteries which were not rechargeable. There was also the issue of the cost of the games and maybe the answer lies in extending the length of the game to make it look like value for money. Finally, some people wanted the TV to store messages for their family members and wanted interconnectivity amongst the TVs for uninterrupted game play from anywhere inside the house. Two people also termed the game console as ugly. Possible Areas to work on: Control, Disc Protection, Rechargeable Batteries, Length and Complexity of the Games, Messages, Inter Connected Screens, Console Design. Path 1: Looking Across Alternatives The kids interviewed here mostly couldnt afford a video game and if given a choice, preferred another pair of shoes or a ball and wanted to move around the whole day with other kids after a whole day being still at school. The cost of the video games was a major issue with them. Also, many of them were ok with the quality of sound and graphics, which shows lack of interest in sophisticated devices. The exploration also led to an idea of mobile phones strapped to kids while they are playing so that the phones dont break after falling. For some of the kids who spent hundreds of dollars on sports goods, it was more a question of choice rather than affordability. Being with friends, and being active, not necessarily moving around was in. Possible Areas to work on: Cost, Sporty Mobile Phones, Fun Toys Path 5:   Looking Across the Functional and Emotional Appeal for Buyers The inherent thinking of these people about the video game industry was neutral to negative. They thought that video games are all about making people isolated, about technology and complexity. They also thought that games were about getting people together to socialize and have fun. These people were also quite intimidated by technology. This set of people also wanted the graphics, controller to be simpler. People also talked about the ugliness of the goods Possible Areas to work on: Simpler graphics, controls, easier games, proper training on using technology, creating games as a platform for socializing After discussing the various options available to us, we decided to launch blue box with the following specifications, the focus being on path 3 as it represented a major chunk- 30% of the target groups: We added controller sophistication and integrated screen and console design. We also reduced the audio sophistication as well as multimedia add-ons as there was less requirement of these features by the target group We also added rechargeable batteries, ability to control gaming habits as these were the major concerns of the people in path 3. Also, we included the additional feature with the ability to leave messages for others in the house. As a result of our decisions, we were able to attain a market share of 3.3% for the blue box. Thus, when coming up with a new product offering in an attempt to differentiate from our competitors, and in the process launching a blue ocean product, we decided to look across the chain of buyers and users and identified target groups, who when given special features suited to their requirements, will buy our product and it will be an offering distinct from industry standards. Application of Lessons Learnt to Quasar Media (Digital Media Agency) Blue Ocean Strategy Simulation taught us primarily to create a blue ocean for ourselves in order to differentiate from the competitors. The blue ocean involves offering something/ doing something/ making changes in the product which has not been done before and which makes your product stand out amongst all the products in the industry. The trick then also lies in sustaining that unique offering and continuously offering something extra. Quasar Media, a digital media agency, offers different services, a few of them being: Full service digital media solutions End-to-end services on Online Media, Search and Mobile marketing creative digital media search marketing and optimization E-CRM E-commerce Website development, back-end and optimization Interactive tools Mobile marketing Marketing Campaigns AoR Conceptualizing, developing, creating , hosting and managing digital assets. Social Media Optimization (SMO) Graphics Design Apps and Content Search Engine Marketing (SEM) Now, Quasar Media offers almost all of the services which are offered by a typical digital media agency in India. The time is right for the company to go that extra mile and differentiate from the competitors and create a blue ocean for themselves. Keeping into consideration the functional and emotional appeal of technology users in India, iPad is the next big thing. There is going to be an avalanche of sorts when the iPad comes into the market. Thus the high value differentiated product proposed is inclusion of iPad into the social media strategy. Inclusion of iPad into the Social Media Strategy: Including iPad into the social media strategy would primarily involve coming up with fresh Applications specific to iPad. IPad also supports multi tasking, in which many applications run simultaneously. Hence, living in the background is very important as you can be visible to the user, even when your application is in the background. Thus, this will become a competing factor beyond those on which the industry currently competes. Assignment No. 2 Let us start by looking at the nature of demand for bottled water in urban India. Unlike in the US, the water in the Indian home is not considered safe to be drunk directly. Almost all urban families use either an RO system, a candle filter or a big can of mineral water. Public places such as railway stations do not sound convincing even if they have water taps and in a way force people to purchase mineral water from there. In restaurants, since customers have no visible quality standard to know if their normal will be clean, they get ripped off paying double for mineral water. So, bottled water in India isnt catering to demand but is merely filling in for the lack of safe, clean water in our kitchen taps. Thats why bottled water in India is a Rs1, 000 crore industry growing at 40-50% annually. Parle was the first company in India to come up with bottled water and was in a way responsible for shaping up the bottled water industry in India. People today associate water with Bisleri and have in fact stopped calling it water and instead call it Bisleri only. But these days, there is increasing competition from international players like Coke, Pepsi, Nestle etc and national players like Mount Everest, Manikchand, and Kingfisher. The retail packaged water industry is growing at . Following are the factors which are fuelling this industry growth: Higher disposable income Increased on the go behaviour Importance of hygiene Increased Availability Affordable Price points In a scenario where there is no Genie in the bottle, the companies need to differentiate from the rest of the pack and need to create an uncontested space for themselves. The need of the hour is to create a high value, differentiated Blue Ocean Strategy product offering, which includes competing factors beyond those currently offered by the industry. Blue Ocean product Offering: Fruit Flavoured Water, Value added flavoured water like natural ayurvedic additive The rationale behind this Blue Ocean strategy is catering to the functional appeal and requirements of buyers. Essentially the customers are going to remain the same, but the modified product offering will cater to those who are tired of plain water or sweetened carbonated drinks. We all know that todays consumer is very health conscious. Hence, this health conscious consumer will be attracted towards water with fruit in it which gives it a healthier feel. The health conscious consumer will also be attracted towards the water with ayurvedic ingredient which is considered natural and is known to cure diseases. The factors of the industry that have been  eliminated  as they no longer have value Increasing awareness among people about consuming safe water which in turn increases demand Advertising only to the premium and elite class ( Today everyone consumes bottled water) The factors that have been  reduced  as they over serve customers Flashy packaging ( As it doesnt serve any purpose) Different bottle sizes (Based on the fact that if someone wants to buy a mineral water bottle, they go ahead and do it. They are not really particular about the size of the bottle) The factors that have been  raised  as they remove compromises that buyers are currently making Tamper proof packaging in the form of seals (Most of the consumers are scared of open or broken seals as many local water bottles are tampered) Sturdy and leak proof bottles Minerals and purification of the water The factors that have been  created  as they present new sources of customer value Fruit flavoured water ( For those who are tired of plain water or sweetened carbonated drinks) C:UsersManasDesktopWickyFruitEnergyKleinst.jpg Value added flavoured water with natural Ayurvedic additive (For those who are health conscious) C:UsersManasDesktopstock-photo-mineral-water-bottle-and-glass-with-mint-and-ice-rocks-10313494.jpg

The Depths of Fear: Peter Benchley Essays -- Authors

The world’s oceans, they cover a great majority of our planet. According to scientists, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about what’s in the waters of our own planet. Even with advancing science we still don’t know very much about them. So imagine what it was like back around the 1970’s, it was already a time of great fear, and to some extent, paranoia in the United States with the threat of nuclear war and multiple other new threats emerging. Surprisingly, although it was known that there were dangerous things in the sea, nobody seemed to pay that much mind to it. All that changed when a man named Peter Benchley wrote a book called Jaws. This book, the resulting movie, and his literary works to follow opened up a new aspect that no one had ever thought of. It was a new breed of terror that came from the last place anyone ever had expected, the ocean itself. It is because of this book that Peter Benchley really became a household name. Born May 8th, 1940 in New York, NY he was raised in a family of writers. His father Nathaniel Benchley was a known writer of children’s books and his grandfather was a well-known humorist named Robert Benchley. He spent his childhood writing and even got paid in his teens to write during his vacations. He got a very formal writer’s education studying at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and attaining his major in English from Harvard. He wrote a sort of autobiography of himself as his very first published book entitled Time and a Ticket in 1964. Before he even got to the ideas for the books he’s now famous for, he spent time in several other writing positions including some for the Washington Post, Newsweek, and he even served as a speech writer for President Lyndon B. ... ... over the course of his life, Peter Benchley passed away in February 2006, the legacy ending of the man who made generations afraid to get in the water. Works Cited Swann, Christopher. "Peter Benchley: Overview." Contemporary Popular Writers. Ed. Dave Mote. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Mar. 2012 The Wilson Quarterly. 30.2 (Spring 2006) p120. Word Count: 155. From Literature Resource Center. "Peter Benchley." (2007): n. page. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-A-Co/Benchley-Peter.html Benchley, Peter. The Beast. Random House, 1991. Print. Benchley, Peter. Shark Trouble. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003. Print. Benchley, Peter. White Shark. Random House, 1994. Print. "Biography for Peter Benchley." n.pag. Web. 5 Apr 2012. . The Depths of Fear: Peter Benchley Essays -- Authors The world’s oceans, they cover a great majority of our planet. According to scientists, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about what’s in the waters of our own planet. Even with advancing science we still don’t know very much about them. So imagine what it was like back around the 1970’s, it was already a time of great fear, and to some extent, paranoia in the United States with the threat of nuclear war and multiple other new threats emerging. Surprisingly, although it was known that there were dangerous things in the sea, nobody seemed to pay that much mind to it. All that changed when a man named Peter Benchley wrote a book called Jaws. This book, the resulting movie, and his literary works to follow opened up a new aspect that no one had ever thought of. It was a new breed of terror that came from the last place anyone ever had expected, the ocean itself. It is because of this book that Peter Benchley really became a household name. Born May 8th, 1940 in New York, NY he was raised in a family of writers. His father Nathaniel Benchley was a known writer of children’s books and his grandfather was a well-known humorist named Robert Benchley. He spent his childhood writing and even got paid in his teens to write during his vacations. He got a very formal writer’s education studying at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire and attaining his major in English from Harvard. He wrote a sort of autobiography of himself as his very first published book entitled Time and a Ticket in 1964. Before he even got to the ideas for the books he’s now famous for, he spent time in several other writing positions including some for the Washington Post, Newsweek, and he even served as a speech writer for President Lyndon B. ... ... over the course of his life, Peter Benchley passed away in February 2006, the legacy ending of the man who made generations afraid to get in the water. Works Cited Swann, Christopher. "Peter Benchley: Overview." Contemporary Popular Writers. Ed. Dave Mote. Detroit: St. James Press, 1997. Literature Resource Center. Web. 29 Mar. 2012 The Wilson Quarterly. 30.2 (Spring 2006) p120. Word Count: 155. From Literature Resource Center. "Peter Benchley." (2007): n. page. Web. 4 Apr. 2012. http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2007-A-Co/Benchley-Peter.html Benchley, Peter. The Beast. Random House, 1991. Print. Benchley, Peter. Shark Trouble. Random House Trade Paperbacks, 2003. Print. Benchley, Peter. White Shark. Random House, 1994. Print. "Biography for Peter Benchley." n.pag. Web. 5 Apr 2012. .

The Aztecs :: essays research papers

The Aztecs The Aztec people ruled from the Gulf of Mexico to present day Guatemala. There capital city was Tenochititlan. The greatest controlling force was religion. It was shown in their architecture and sculpture.   They also had writing, numbers and a calendar. They had recorded dates for religious holidays. The children were taught respect, courtesy, truthfulness and self control. Aztec boys learned practical tasks from their fathers at home. Then when they reached 15 they went to a youth house. There elders taught the boys religion, citizenship, history, traditions and art. They also learned war. Girls could also learn to be priestesses in temple schools. The Aztecs were divided into tribes   that were dived into clans. Each clan had its own officials that represented them at tribal meetings. The land was dived up by the tribes. They controlled the land but the peasants farmed it having to give some of it to the chiefs and priests. The Aztecs worshipped a host of gods that represented nature. To win the gods aid they performed rituals and offered penance. Human sacrifice played an important role. Since life was a mans most valued possession it was the best thing to offer up to the gods. As the Aztec empire grew so did the human sacrifice. Sometimes the Aztecs performed cannibalism, believing they absorb the virtues of the slain. The sacrificed people were thought to be given a high place in heaven. The average Aztec was a farmer. He lived outside the city and grew crops for his tribe. Farming was the most important means of survival due to the warm, humid climate. They lived in small huts. The male was the head of the family. He would often arrange marriages for their children. The language they spoke was the Nahuan language that originated from the west coast of the united states. They wore elaborate colorful clothing made from animal skins that were traded from