Thursday, October 31, 2019

Photojournalism and Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Photojournalism and Ethics - Research Paper Example Lewkowicz’s project is set in the social context. It touches on an issue that many people ought to be silent about; domestic violence. Violence in the relationship context elicits mixed reactions whenever a case goes public. Lewkowicz’s project is undertaken at a personal level and presented to the public. It is also backed up by a professional player, which is Lewkowicz. In the process, the project raises a number of ethical issues. Lewkowicz’s involvement in family matters is undertaken within a framework that goes beyond the underlying professional goals. While the primary goal is to practice photojournalism, Lewkowicz seems to go too much into detail when interacting with the couple. The applicable aspect of photojournalism in making private follow-ups relative to the project raised ethical eyebrows. Over and above this, Lewkowicz’s conduct when the physical violence starts between the couple is ethically questionable. In other words, there seems to be a broken line between the provisions of practicing photojournalism and the manner in which Lewkowicz handled domestic violence right in her presence. A critical ethical concern arises relative to the motive behind documenting Shane and Maggie. The couple is undoubtedly going through the many marriage challenges experienced by other couples all over the world. From an ethical point of view, is Lewkowicz really into what she claims or is she making a name for herself through the couple? The personal-professional-documentation factor combination leaves so much to be desired in terms of Lewkowicz’s interest in a specific couple’s case of domestic violence. In the light of the events that unfolded between Maggie and Shane, Lewkowicz cannot be said to have acted ethically. Her main interest in the project is heavily built on results and outcomes. In other words, she is trying to answer the question: What happened next and what was the implication? For this reason, she primarily

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Advertising for the Uk Alcoholic Beverages Sector Essay Example for Free

Advertising for the Uk Alcoholic Beverages Sector Essay e Center Im Researching Saved Recents Uploads My Answers Account Products Home Essays Drive Answers Texty About Company Legal Site Map Contact Us Advertise  ©2017 HOME ESSAYS ADVERTISING FOR THE UK Advertising for the Uk Alcoholic Beverages Sector Alcohol, Alcoholic beverage, Drinking culture Mar 2, 2013 1163Words 94Views PAGE 1 OF 4 Essay Title: Advertising for the UK alcoholic beverages sector has gained far stricter guidelines and regulations over the last few decades. Do you agree that the advertising of alcohol should be restricted to such an extent and how far do you believe any governments should be able to control advertising? Introduction In responses to a mass of alcoholic advertisement appears to catering to adults and youth, governments have paid more attention on this, for example, the Government has pledged to introduce a comprehensive alcohol harm-reduction strategy in 2004, which is likely to place restrictions on drinking advertisement which encourage binge drinking among youth. See more: Ethnic groups and racism essay Does all restrictions or guidelines published by governments like this that playing a part in controlling advertising? This essay will mainly concentrate on why such alcoholic advertisements should be restricted; and to what extent should any governments be able to control advertising. Generally, people drinking because they are happy or not, maybe because they get a raise in their salary, or get a rough patch at work, or just enjoy a night out at pub and so on. Mintels exclusive research confirms that the majority of adults, three quarters in the 2003 survey, believe that there is nothing wrong with drinking in moderation, and far more people drink occasionally-and mostly at home-than do so on a regular basis outside the home(Clark, 2003). As for the youth drinking alcohol, most of them just out of curiosity, or bear heavy burden from not only the economy but also the psychology like experiencing a disappointed love affair. In addition, alcoholic advertisement is found to be fancy and attractive for young people, which leave the impression of fun, or cool if they were drinking. According to health expert saying, since ancient times, drinking alcohol in moderation can be beneficial for our health, especially for red wine or beer, drinking a little per day is very good for preventing cardiovascular disease(Locke, 2011). But how about drinking too much? It may become easy for you to become emotional and suffer greatly from more other diseases, like chronic gastritis, alcoholism. Moreover,statistics show that alcohol-related admissions to hospital in England have topped 1m in a year for the first time. In other areas, up to 70% cases sent to the hospital were related to alcohol, and violence, accident and health issues that relating to alcohol are thought to cause thirty thousand premature deaths a year. Meanwhile, prescriptions for treating alcohol abuse have also risen(Meikle). Therefore, drinking too much is harmful for people both in physically and mentally. So how do people know about alcohol, from which channel? Absolutely, media is the main place for alcohol industry spending their money, it is the main channel for people get new information about alcohol, and it is believe that exposure to alcoholic advertisement can increase consumption and influence peoples attitudes towards alcohol especially for young people as they have not formed the correct understanding of it. In order to prevent the large amount of alcoholic advertising appears on media, over the last few decades, governments have set far stricter guidelines and regulations, in spite of this, the following table will disclose another side. Figure1: main alcoholic advertising expenditure on media, 1998-2003* | |? m |Sales ? m | |1998 |219. 7 |28,301 | |1999 |247. 3 |29,808 | |2000 |228. 6 |31,327 | |2001 |210. 2 |32,637 | |2002 |233. 7 |33,942 | |2003* |114. 7 |34,870** | *January to August **estimate Source: Nielsen Media research/Mintel The figure1 shows the advertising expenditure on alcohol, which discovers that during the 1998-2003, although the cost dropped almost half, the percentage of sales did not change a lot, conversely, it roses every year. According to an Kusserow(2001), who works on alcohol controlling revealed that regulations and standards placed on advertising control are almost invalid. Procedures are hard to follow through each department, the viability and effectiveness of huge criteria still have to be established. So Britain wants to balance of economy and health, the duty is not just the governments, and only depending on the polices of government is not far enough, alcoholic and other related-sectors should be self-regulated. On one hand, it is necessary for government to set out a series of limitations on advertising of alcoholic drinks, such as limiting the timing of advertisements on television, ads can be only allowed to display after 10:00pm, trying to avoid youth from it. Meanwhile, prohibiting the liquor company being the sponsor in sport, as Professor Gilmore(2007) said that the limitations should include alcohol sponsorship in sport as the alcohol was being advertised 24 hours a day. Besides,the contents of advertisement should be restricted, images like violence and potential crime should be forbidden as it is easy for young people doing the same things that shows on television. On the other hand, because of the boundedness of governments control, both public and private sectors have responsibilities to help to set out limitations to restrict its promotion and sales through ads. For examples, clubs and music pubs should abolish the unlimited drinking for a certain time only with the fixed money, people who are too young should not be permitted into this occasion. Besides, the price should be increased to reduce the alcohol consumption. In addition, manufacturer should develop a new production line, as an alternative to replace alcohol. Conclusion Now, alcohol has abounded in UKs society, being consumed by both adults and youth, which forms an unbalanced condition between economy and health. The mass advertising appears on television or networks or other channels is the main selling way. Naturally, to control alcoholic advertising is becoming more and more important in UK. But obviously, the actual effects that caused by governments policy is not big, so alcohol-related sector should play an increasing important part in controlling alcoholic advertising, then it must be more powerful and effectiveness. References Brown, K. (2007) National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy [WWW] Institute of Alcohol Studies. Available from: http://www. ias. org. uk/resources/nighttime/policy/nahr. html [Accessed 25/08/12] Clark, T. (2003) Drinks market: UK, 2003. [WWW] Mintel Group Ltd. Available from: http://www. mintel. com/drinksmarket [Accessed 18/08/12] Department of HealthHuman Services(2001) Youth and Alcohol. USA: Department of HealthHuman Services. Gilmore, I. (2007) Britains top doctor calls for total ban on alcohol advertising [WWW] Institute of Alcohol Studies. Available from:http://www. ias. org. uk/resources/publications/alcoholalert/alert200701/al200701_p10. html [Accessed 27/08/12] Grube, J. (1971) Main alcoholic advertising expenditure on media [Diagram]. In: Clark, T. (2003). Drinks market: UK. London: Mintel Group Ltd. Locke, T. (2011) Moderate alcohol drinking offers heart disease protection [WWW] Heart disease health centre. Available from:http://www. webmd. boots. com/heart-disease/news/20110222/moderate-alcohol-drinking-offers-heart-disease-protection [Accessed 20/08/12] Meikle, J. (2011) Alcohol-related hospital admissions at record high. Guardian, 26th May, p,1.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Sexual Dominance In Hip Hop

Sexual Dominance In Hip Hop Take a couple days off take it off leave nothing but ya t-shirt ya panties on. Damn right imma get that thang imma put my name on it all night imma whip dat thang allstate betta put a claim on it i claim my territory, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] In my sex room, all that I wanted! Legs in the air, witcha toes pointed! So baby welcome to my sex room! (Ludacris, Sex Room). This idea of sexual dominance, as seen in these lyrics by Ludacris is only one of the prevalent issues in the Hip-hop industry. Hip-Hop today has become one of the most popular genres of music in our society and has rapidly. Due to its enormous cross-over appeal, hip hop culture has become a potentially great unifier of diverse populations. Although created by black youth on the streets, hip hops influence has become worldwide. Approximately 75% of the rap and hip hop audience is nonblack. It has gone from the fringes, to the suburbs, and into the corporate boardrooms. Like many groundbreaking musical genres, rap has expanded popular aural territory. Bringing together sound elements from a wide range of sources and styles and relying heavily on rich Afrodiasporic music, rap musicians technological in(ter)ventions are not ends in and of themselves, they are means of cultural ends, new contexts in which priorities are shaped and expressed (______95). With such a strong following over the past two decades from the various cultures, hip-hop has contributed greatly to the growth of our culture and the views of various aspects it encompasses, such as the interpretation of gender roles and lifestyle. Gender roles are defined by ________ as a set of perceived behavioral norms associated particularly with males or females, in a given social group or system(). Through these graphic and implicit songs and images portrayed by Hip-hop artists, it has brought people of our society today to interpret the gangster lifestyle, which many of these rap songs embrace as an acceptable form of culture. Not only has this gangster culture/lifestyle become more widely accepted, but it has become a driving force in the hip-hop industry, drastically changing the way in which both males and females are being represented and beginning to present themselves to adapt to this popular culture. The success of films like Goodfellas, Scarface, The Godfather trilogy and TV series like the Sopranos document all too well Americas fascination with the gangster lifestyle. Since the introduction of hip hop in the late 1970s countless rap songs have distinguished a lifestyle of unrelenting violence, vulgarity, misogyny and crime reinforced in the showing off of weapons, expensive jewelry, and scarcely dressed women which are seen as sex objects that are to be used and discarded at will. Well known rap artist of the twenty-first century, 50 Cent shows a perfect example of the gangster lifestyle which culture has recently began to embrace in his song, I Get Money here, Im stanky rich, Ima die tryna spend this shit, Southsides up in in this bitch, Yeah I smell like the vault, I used to sell dope, I did play the block, Now I play on boats, in the south of France, Baby, St. Tropez, Get a tan? Im already black Rich? Im already that Gangsta, get a gat Hit a head in a hat Call that a riddle rap Shit, f**k the chitter chat (50 Cent). The money, weapons, dope, and materialistic objects in this quote, such as the boat all directly show the way in which modern hip-hop depicts how they think culture should be and what is necessary to gain that gangster image. This masculine gangster image has become so successful at penetrating the very core of the hip-hop community that its biggest stars have become casualties. These stars begin to blur the lines between the bad boy roles they depict in their songs and videos with reality ultimately placing themselves in trouble with the law; and worse, ending in their death just as in the cases with two popular hip hop artist/rappers Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Although everyday people may not take these bad boy ideals to the extremes that these artists do, people are greatly influenced by the more cultural aspects of the gangster lifestyle such as the clothes, jewelry, cars, and possession of women as sexual objects. The glamorization of such lifestyles, as the reinforcement o f stereotypes, and the interpretations of society have quickly began to impact American culture as it cultivates a thuggish and materialistic stance as the bona fide response to what is necessary to fit into our culture and society and along the way has produces its own set of gender roles. In every aspect of hip-hop gender roles are inescapable. The gangster life style itself is greatly based around masculinity. Beyond Beats and Rhymes, author Kevin Powell says, We live in a society where manhood is all about conquering and violenceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. And what we dont realize is that ultimately that kind of man hood ultimately kills you. As a male growing up in this hip-hop culture, the lyrics, and evocative images are telling you that to be a man you must evoke a sense of strength and power, but not everyone has that power. One way in which you can gain access is through the use of your body and your ability to present yourself physically as somebody who deserves respect, this is exa ctly what these hip-hop artist have done. Look at artists such as 50 Cent who has sculpted himself to fit this masculine idea associated with hip-hop, by creating a muscular physique, tattooing his body, and placing expensive bling around his neck. Videos expand on this idea of masculinity as they show these artists with extensive amounts of extravagant materialistic goods such as cars, houses, or boats and multitudes of submissive women in and around them. This masculine, gangster lifestyle along with the hip-hop ideals have especially shaped societies view of female gender roles through various avenues. One of the major forms which have contributed to the demoralization of female gender roles is imagery in the forms of both film and photography. From CD covers and posters to music videos and movies, women are portrayed in hip-hop as sexually dominated objects. CD covers such as Gangster Rap by Ice T, Tip Drill by Nelly, and Night at the Booty Bar by Disco D all show women in very little, to no clothing centered around the lead male artist which conveys to the viewers the sense of male dominance over these women. Even female hip-hop artist have conformed to this misogynistic and demeaning lifestyle as they too, through posters show themselves wearing very little clothing and using the sexual inference of lollipops or popsicles in order to appeal to the male gaze. Even these female rappers, such as Missy Elliot, are likely to display a fair bit of sexual preoccupation (Brummet 252). If these celebrity icons, are conforming to this misogynistic ideal how do we expect the youth of our s ociety to not conform as well? These images have quickly contributed to culturistic production of a disease much like bulimia, a cultural sickness of our time. That sickness is becoming the psyche of young women. Who they are in this culture, where they fit, what their value is, or their lack of value, because if this is the only image that they see of themselves in a pseudo-glamorous way, meaning if they look at a fashion magazine theres no girl that looks like Tamico on the block [an average black girl], but in the videos there is, she said. But they see them in this one objectified way and its hurting them. While media images might be written off as only pictures or fantasy representation, they remain a very real part of American culture, with real-life implications for viewers and consumers. As if these explicit still images are not demeaning enough, the technological advance have allowed these women to be portrayed in an even more graphic way through the multi-media form of mus ic videos. At the beginning of the music video era in the late 1950s these forms of media were used as a means of marketing to boost music sales, but today we have strayed a great deal from music videos such as the 1961 video Travelin Man by Ricky Nelson which consisted of him standing on the stage with a few intercessions of different places around the world thrown in. For the most part the gaze in this video is focused on a male figure not a women as much of these hip-hop videos today are. The women in these videos greatly outnumber the artist in these videos and through the actions, are portrayed as walking bling of these male artists, just like the chains around their necks or their fancy cars. Women, then, are offered as objects to be looked at. They are, often literally, hangers on, writhing around the male canter of the image. Think how many music videos show women reaching longingly for the male star (Brummet 252). One of the videos that that most explicitly does this is the controversi al music video produced for Nellys song Tip Drill which portrays every aspect of the gangster lifestyle and completely degrades women through explicit and erotic behaviors and actions. Nelly uses these women as hypersexualized props to fuel male fantasies and show his power and masculinity over them. This video immediately starts out by showing women in very little clothes, even some without any clothes. As it progresses you see Nelly and a few other men walking into an extravagant home with women lined up along a winding stairway as if they were women of a whore house ready to be selected, and then they all turn to the side to show their curves. Throughout the video you see Nelly and his crew throwing money at these women including at their genitalia as the women shake their asses and rub themselves or rub each other while the men watch. One can also see the misogynistic views as the rappers control the women, at times putting them into positions as if they are toys of sexual pleas ure, yet for the most part these women in the video are placing themselves in these sexual positions implying the complete control of the mans will has over these women. Unlike the still images which hint to sexual actions, for example the lollipop in relation to oral sex, these videos actually act them out in ways which are not open for interpretation. Studies have discussed and demonstrated correlational links between young peoples degree of media involvement (including the like or dislike of a particular genre) on sexual attitudes and gender schemas (Hansen Hansen, 1991; Roe, 1995; Rubin, 2002; Ward, Hansbrough, Walker, 2005) For example, teens with highly sexual media diets were shown to be more likely to engage in sexual intercourse than teens with low sexual content in their media diets. This quote solidifies the idea of how these music videos are directly contributing to the sexual demoralization of these women through the interpretation of the female identity. The identity portrayed by these women in this pseudo-reality/culture evokes the idea that all women must be skinny, curvy, wear scantily clad clothing, and act sexually forward and submissive in the presence of men as in the videos. Women in hip-hop are portrayed, in [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] videos, as either silent, willing strippers or complaining, troublesome meddlers. The characters that they play have such a limited role that they need to look a certain way immediately to fit their role in society. No longer do we feel that the body is a more or less disappointing given instead, the body is the outer expression of our self (Giddens 104). Although the images depicted in these videos may represent a pseudo-culture/reality young women today are taking this identity and interpreting it as a true reality, acting the same actions out in their everyday life. Hip-hop imagery screams to women that beauty is only skin deep and that they are here for no other reason than to please men sexually. Although both videos and photographs explicitly and directly show the actions and characteristics which define women in hip-hop, the most prominent form of portrayal, lyrics cannot simply be passed over. Rhetoric, language is never simply a form of expression it is a functional tool that is manipulated to achieve desired ends. Once again hip-hop brings another form, lyrics to contribute to producing the identity of what it means to be a woman in this hip-hop culture through written text. A beat, a picture, even a video, like Lil Waynes can show certain ideals through imagery, but do not have a definitive meaning without lyrics. Lyrics are what make these graphic, shameful female stereotypes definitive. The words used in hip-hop are highly rhetorical and greatly define who a rapper/hip-hop artist is. According to Read it in Brail, Itll Still be Funky by ______ its states that Rap lyrics are a critical part of a rappers identity, strongly suggesting the importance of authorship and individuality in rap music (_____95). A concrete example of these rhetorical degraging lyrics is expressed through Three 6 Mafias song, Slob on my Knob here, Slob on my nob Like corn on the cob Check in with me. And do your job Lay on the bed And give me head Dont have to ask Dont have to beg Juicy is my name Sex is my game Lets call the boys Lets run a train Squeeze on my nuts Lick on my butt The natural curly hair Please dont touch First find a mate Second find a place Third find a bag to hide the whole face Real name Grover I said Ben over (Three 6 Mafia, Slob on my Knob). From the lyrics of this song one can see the vulgar language that has become associated with women in this culture. Whoever made up the saying Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me, was obviously not around at the time hip-hop was produced because these words are not only hurting individuals in a verbal sense, but physical sense as well. When did so many young women, especially those from the middle and upper middle-classes begin to find pleasure in being called Bitches and Hoes instead of slapping the person referring to them in that degrading manner? Music of the past never conveyed the message that hip-hop does today; the lyrics have drastically changed and have brought the culture of our time to change with it. In the 1950s Elvis became a revolutionary, being crowned The King of Rock Roll, his hip shaking beats and smooth love lyrics helped him to capture the hearts of many especially the women. Today those smooth love lyrics have turned into words of hate, violence, sex, and drugs followed by base pounding, head rattling beats. Im sure that Elvis didnt capture the hearts of millions of women by calling them bitches, hos or whores like many of the hip-hop songs of today do. The lyrics of today have moved from the compassionate lyrics of artists such as Elvis, Tony Benet, Stevie Wonder, and Boyz II Men, to degrading sexual lyrics of artist such as Nelly, 50 Cent, Tupac, NWA, and Dr. Dre. Analyzing lyrics such as these from one of Elvis famous songs Love me Tender here, it is almost impossible to not interpret and identify the compassionate and loving meaning of his words, Love me tender, love me sweet. Never let me go. You have made my life complete. And I love you so. Love me tender love me true. All my dreams fulfill. For, my darling I love you. And I always will (Elvis Presley, Love me Tender). Even within these first two versus it shows how much Elvis cares for the person he is talking about, saying things such as never let y ou go, You make my life complete, and I will always love you. You dont see that compassion in lyrics such as these from songs like Bitches Aint Shit, by Dr. Dre here, Bitches aint shit but hoes and tricks. Lick on deez nutz and suck the dick. Gets the fuck out after youre done. And I hops in my ride to make a quick run. I used to know a bitch named Eric Wright. We used to roll around and fuck the hoes at night. Comparing these there is no doubt that times have changed and that instead of expressing the loving nature as lyrics of the past have, they degraded women to bitches and hos. There are the lyrics, which heavily feature the terms bitch and ho as standard forms of reference for women (Brummet 252). Hip-hop has directly extended its threats specifically towards women using their lyrics to objectify them as objects of sexual pleasure, violence, and disrespect. Were telling people women are bitches and hos and sluts and not worthy of respect, she said. And thats exactly how socie ty is seeing us (http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/Music/03/03/hip.hop/index.html). This young woman here understands the idea that these lyrics are actually talking about her and all the other women that listen to these hip-hop songs, not some made up person or just the girls in the videos, like other girls believe. Its funny when I hear women when these rappers are calling women; you know bitches and hoes say theyre not talking about me. I say yo! They are talking about you. If George Bush were to get on national TV and makes a speech and started calling black people niggers, would you be like, I dont know who George Bush is talking about, but he aint talking about me (Byron Hurts, Beyond Rhythm and Beats). A cultivation of rhetorical lyrics, videos, and images have brought hip-hop to become one of the most influentially, culturally evolving forms of music/media and along the way has produced gender roles which have degraded our sociological views of women.

Friday, October 25, 2019

The Punic Wars Essay example -- First Punic War, Second Punic War

Romans were a very powerful people, and their influence grew and spread very quickly. Through organized armies and great tactics they pushed themselves up the Italian peninsula, seizing land and territory from the Etruscan League. Rome now owned most of the Italian peninsula except for what was owned by the Gaelic Tribes. (Barker) They grew into quite the power and all of Europe recognized them as a powerful force. Their influence grew and spread across the Mediterranean Sea and it forced the meeting of the two greatest forces of the Mediterranean Sea. It is 264 BC and hostilities between the Carthaginians and the Roman republic are on the rise. The fate of the island of Sicily hangs in balance. The Romans hunger for power and land, while Carthage wants the same. Both are powerful and rich traders and planned to stay that way. They were both the most powerful forces in the Mediterranean. Romans held military glory in the highest regard, and made military service a required part of political advancement. Carthage also held military glory highly but their military mainly consisted of mercenary soldiers rather than citizen soldiers Carthage had one of the greatest militaries of the entire world. Carthage had an extremely powerful naval fleet, and advanced war tactics. Carthage borrows much of its war tactics from the Greeks, such as the phalanx which proved to be extremely effective in warfare. Carthage recruited the majority of its army from mercenaries from Spanish Iberia. The most famous of Carthaginian infantry was the Sacred Band, deadly elite spearmen who fought in a tight phalanx. The Sacred Band were also said to be strong devotes to their goddess known as Tanit (Basar) The wealthier mercenaries fought using Greek wea... ...ols/armor/) Basar, Paul. "The Arms and Armor of The Punic Phoenicians." The Arms and Armor of The Punic Phoenicians. (http://phoenicia.org/carthagearmor.html) Phil Barker "Etruscan League." Etruscan League. ( http://dba.spearhead1944.com/Etruscans/webpage/etruscan.htm) Rickard, J., Battle of Trebia, late December 218 BC, (http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_trebia.html) UNRV "After the Battle of Cannae." After the Battle of Cannae. UNRV, (http://www.unrv.com/empire/after-cannae.php) Sigurdasen. "Battle of Lake Trasimene: Hannibal's Carthaginians Ambush, Defeat Romans."The American Legion's Burn pit†. (http://burnpit.us/2012/06/battle-lake-trasimene-hannibals-carthaginians-ambush-defeat-romans) Hickman, Kenny. "Punic Wars: Battle of Zama." About.com Military History. (http://militaryhistory.about.com/od/battleswarsto1000/p/zama.htm)

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Acme Omega

The other plant, located in Cleveland, was purchased by investors and renamed Omega Electronics. The Omega investors hired a new president who had worked in research and development for a large computer manufacturer. Some new research engineers were hired and several Copernicus personnel remained with the company but in new positions. Acme and Omega often competed for contracts to supply components to several large electronics manufacturing firms in the US. Both companies prospered in the mid-sass and early sass as computerized electronics equipment boomed.Acme had annual sales of over $170 million and employed 350 people. Omega was somewhat smaller with sales of $140 million and about 275 people. However, Acme was consistently more efficient and profitable than Omega. Acme – A close-up. Acme's president, Fred Taylor, attributed his company's success to the fact that he and his managers ran a â€Å"tight ship. † They retained the same basic structure that the division h ad when it was part of Copernicus because it was efficient for high volume production of electronics components such as switching devices and printed circuit boards.Taylor noted that, â€Å"Acme regularly undercuts the competition cause of their focus on efficient production. We are regularly the profit leader in this business. † Acme's structure is shown in Figure 1 . Workers are generally satisfied at Acme, but a few managers recently left the company because of the lack of flexibility or variety in their jobs. One recently departed manager stated that Taylor â€Å"knows one way of doing things -? his way. † He went on to say, â€Å"Fried's a good manager, but he did not provide us with much information or much freedom to make decisions. He makes all of the critical decisions himself. Revised version based on J. F. Vega and J. N. Handouts, from The Dynamics of Organization Theory, 1979, 1 984, West Publishing Figure 1 Acme Electronics Organizational Chart President Taylor UP Marketing UP Operations UP Personnel UP Finance Controller Plant Manager Production Research & Development Design Purchasing Shipping Omega – An inside view. Simon Herbert, former head of research and development at Snell Computers, was chosen as president of Omega. Based on his research and development experience at Snell, he claimed that he did not believe in a formal organizational chart.Although he said that his people loud be fit into departments similar to those at Acme, he felt that such departments formed artificial barriers between deferent functional specialists. Herbert stated that, â€Å"we are small enough so that people can usually communicate face-to-face when necessary. † Instead, Omega used a team-based structure that was adapted to fit new projects. Most of Omega's contracts were small and customized. Production runs were generally short. One manager noted that much of his time was taken up trying to understand problems and communicate solut ions.The Head of the Production Design Team noted, â€Å"Simon spends too much time trying to understand problems and communicate with everyone. † Most important decisions get made by the top management team. Part II In 1 993, the electronics component business began to change dramatically. Many of the old circuit boards disappeared from product designs and were replaced by increasingly complex chips. Miniaturization swept the electronics industry. Many complex office machines included on-board processors – basically dedicated computers. Such was the case in the copier industry.In July 1 993, Global Xerography, the company that spun off Acme and Omega, name to the two firms requesting component production for a new generation of copying machines. The component was essentially a specialized processor and memory Engineering unit that would power the copying machine. Once the copiers were in full production, the contract could be worth as much as ASS-$30 million per year. Both Acme and Omega bid on the contract for the initial 100 prototype processor memory components. Although Acme's bid was slightly lower than Omega's, XX decided to award both companies contracts for 100 units each.Ex.'s project manager told both Taylor and Herbert that speed in placement and production of the prototypes was essential. XX had already promised delivery of the new generation copiers by January 1, 1994. Customers were counting on the new products and once word of the new design got out, it would only be a matter of time before competitors began imitating the new design. Not only that, but investors were counting on the new design to add to Ex.'s profits. These demands for speed meant that XX, Acme, and Omega would need to engage in simultaneous design. Design of the components would need to begin before the final copier design was complete.Acme and Omega would have no more than two weeks to produce the first 1 00 prototype components or they would delay final product ion of the copiers. Part Ill As soon as F-red Taylor received the design specifications (July 6, 1993), he sent an email to Purchasing requesting that they determine the necessary parts to be purchased and initiate purchasing. At the same time, Taylor sent the specifications to the Design Department for design and production rendering. Engineering was then given the task to take the output from the Design Department and create the production system for the actual reduction of the prototypes.Production was to take the system and create the actual production facility and schedule production of the prototypes. Taylor sent emails to all department heads stating that speed of production was essential and that all departments should work as efficiently as possible. On July 9, Purchasing discovered that a particular chip supplied by their authorized supplier was unavailable and could not be shipped for at least two weeks. As there were few suppliers for this particular chip, the Purchasing manager assumed that Omega would face the same problem and he did not Reese to find an alternative supplier.He also informed Taylor of the problem who in turn decided that the company should go forward with production without the missing chip. The chip could be inserted once the other production processes had been completed. The Design Department was instructed to design the component in such a way that the missing chip could be inserted later. On July 1 1, Design informed Taylor that the missing chip and would substantially increase the time necessary to assemble the completed components. Taylor saw no alternative and gave approval to go forward with the design and production.The Design Department then gave purchasing specification for the chassis that would hold the memory and processor unit. Since this was a small prototype production, the company's standard procedure was to find an outside source for the metal work. On July 14 Taylor asked for a progress report and was dismayed to learn that Purchasing was still waiting for the chips and for bids on the chassis. Taylor was shocked by the lack of progress and demanded that Engineering begin fabricating the chassis internally. By July 17, all of the necessary parts (except the chip) were available and Engineering had begun producing the hashish.Production had already designed the manufacturing process, so once the parts began flowing production of prototypes began. In their haste to begin production, the Production Department and the process engineers had not consulted extensively with the Design Department or Engineering (who produced the chassis that held the memory and processor unit). The result was a production system that was rather awkward and inefficient. However, there was not sufficient time to stop now and rework the manufacturing process.Taylor and the manufacturing foreman both agreed that the kinks in he system could be worked out after the production of the prototypes. One concern voiced by t he Design team was whether the missing chip could easily be inserted at the end of the production run. That was not clear. On July 18, at about the same time that the first batch of prototypes was coming off the production line, the missing chips arrived. The designers were correct to raise concerns about inserting those chips. The process required technicians to partially disassemble the units and insert the chips. The process was messy and time-consuming.As the last of the 100 units was assembled on July 20, Taylor received a call from the project manager at XX informing him of a design error that the engineers at Omega had discovered on the previous day. Apparently, the original specifications from XX had reversed the installation of a voltage transformer. The XX engineers checked the information from Omega and found that a mistake had been made in the original design. Taylor said that the Acme units were completed and ready to ship. The designer explained that the error had to b e corrected first. The prototypes that Acme had produced would not work.The new design pacifications would be emailed later in the day. When the new specifications arrived, Taylor met with the Production manager to determine what needed to be done. It was determined that the units would once again need to be partially disassembled. The transformers would need to be removed and reinserted. This required substantial labor and re-soldering of the transformers. All of the disassembly and reassembly of the units caused damage to the chassis and some components. The finally reassembly, packaging and shipping of the first 50 units was completed on July 29.However, none of the units were inspected or tested. The final 50 units were shipped on August 2. At Omega, Simon Herbert called a meeting department heads on July 6 after receiving the email of specifications from XX earlier in the day. He told the department heads that they should look over the design specifications so they could begin production as soon as possible. The next day the department heads met to discuss the project and form a project team. At the end of the morning meeting the department heads had designated engineers, designers, production people and a purchasing agent to the new component design-production team.The team began to work closely to determine the necessary components, identify suppliers, and create a production system. Purchasing determined that one particular chip would not be available locally for two weeks. One engineer suggested that they search for alternative suppliers. At the same time, the engineers also determined that it would be faster to produce the chassis internally rather than sending specifications out for bids from contractors. The team also determined that they could modify the design for installing the missing chip at the end of the production process if they were unable to find an alternative source.On July 9 purchasing reported that they found an alternative source fo r chip in Thailand. The chips would be shipped by express mail on July ID and would arrive at Omega on July 13. Although the chips from Thailand were somewhat less expensive, the cost of shipping resulted in the final cost being about 15% higher. The purchasing agent made the decision to purchase the Thai chips without consulting with other team members or with Herbert. By July 17 the production team assembled five sample units to determine if the assembly process would work correctly.The manufacturing process irked flawlessly, however when the units were tested on the bench, they did not work. When the engineers and designers inspected the five sample units, it was obvious to them that the transformers were installed incorrectly. The units were disassembled; the transformers were removed and re- installed; and the units were reassembled. The resulting sample units performed up to specifications. Herbert called the project manager at XX to discuss the problem. On the morning of July 1 8, the project manager confirmed that the original design specifications were in error and that the Omega team was correct.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing

Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing Top Tools To Get Started In Freelance Writing By Colin Any freelance writer starting out these days could be forgiven for thinking all that’s required is a laptop with Internet access, and a telephone. But there’s more to think of; hidden extras which will be needed somewhere along the line if a serious attempt is to be made. Here’s a list of the most important things every freelance writer should consider when first starting out. Word Processor This is perhaps so obvious, that some might say it ranks as extreme stupidity to even mention it. However, you will definitely, without question, need a word processor of some description. Fiction writers can get away with a dedicated word processor to work on, but if you are serious about making your way in the freelance writing business, you really need a PC or laptop that can connect to the Internet. So much business is done over the Internet these days, that not only is it the future, the future’s been here for a while. Internet Access You’ll need Internet access for several reasons: Research: the first port of call for many freelancers when undertaking research is the Internet but it shouldn’t be the only one. A good freelancer will use the Internet as a foundation to build on, before talking to people, visiting libraries, and cross-checking with sources. Email: call it a curse, call it the greatest innovation in communication since two cups and a piece of string, email is here to stay. You’ll need it for applying for jobs, sending queries, receiving queries, sending in submissions in fact, just about everything. Staying current: being able to read newspapers, magazines, journals, industry reports, articles, forums, or just to see what your peers are doing, can all be done over the Internet. Advertise: whether through blogs, websites, or portals, your services can be advertised effectively over the Internet, but only if you can access it and respond quickly. Restock: being able to order supplies for your home business over the Internet can save you time, money, and a lot of hassle. Website Should you have one? Why do you need one? Will it do any good? To answer all of these questions think about it this way: if you don’t have one, will you be able to compete successfully with everyone else who does? A website is relatively inexpensive to set up and maintain, and although they may seem a distraction when first setting out, having a website speaks volumes for the level of seriousness a writer has of himself. It is also a great tool for supporting your pitches, and allowing your clients, potential or otherwise, to get to know you. Printer Despite what I said earlier concerning email and the future of electronic communication, there will always be a place in the world for paper. Some writers use their printer for printing work to proofread, but the main use as a freelance writer is for business correspondence, and invoices. If you have a modern PC or laptop, but have a small working environment, it might be a good investment to go for a wireless printer so you can hide it away, and then access it only when you need to. Dedicated Area Having a regular place to work has been known to increase productivity and allow for better creativity. It needn’t be a dedicated office with desk and chair, or kitted out with all the latest mod-cons, it could be the corner of a living room, at the end of the bed, or on the kitchen table. Wherever you choose, it should be comfortable and conducive to producing quality work. As you move forward with your career, you will likely find that an office becomes more desirable. Finding a suitable area with more professional amenities will become more important as you grow. Telephone and Fax Most freelance writers have a telephone. It’s kind of assumed. Some use their home phone, some have a dedicated line installed into a home office, others use their mobile, and a few have branched out with Internet technology such as Skype. Fax, however, is often neglected as being old fashioned and therefore not required. Not so. It’s a good idea to have a fax connection because many businesses still rely heavily on it to do business. The beauty is that you don’t need a bulky machine sitting near you to receive faxes any longer, as a simple piece of software and an Internet connection is all you need. CD/DVD Writer Invaluable for backing up everything concerned with the running of your home-based freelance writing business. This can include everything from PC data and applications, to article ideas and company accounts. You might even use it for listening to a CD when you need to relax. PC Maintenance Software Keeping your PC hardware, software, and peripherals in fighting shape is vital to prevent your PC falling foul to outside interference, and to make sure it is working as quickly and reliably as it possibly can. By using anti-virus tools, malware and adware removal products, disk cleaners and defragmenters, and a good firewall product, you can keep your PC running smoothly and safely so you can worry less about it, and more about your next deadline. Accounts Software At some point along the line you’re going to need a method of tracking your expenses, income, and dreaded tax return. In the beginning, a spreadsheet might suffice, but eventually you’re going to have to think bigger and get yourself a dedicated accounts package. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy or complicated, just enough to be able to record what’s going in, out, and when. Business Material Finally, to be taken seriously, and to help you start â€Å"thinking† like a writer, some of the following might also be useful: Letterhead Invoice template Business card Rate card Contract Clippings Notice: Due to popular request we have finally released our Freelance Writing Course. Come check it out if you want to get started freelance writing online. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Punctuate Descriptions of ColorsTypes of Ignorance