The Essence of Chinatown Essay Example

The Essence of Chinatown Essay It is Chinese New Year. The hustle and bustle of trade, the haggling of prices fills the air as people jostle through the crowd to buy that kilogram of barbecued pork, or that bunch of golden rat-shaped decorations to welcome the year of the Rat. However, many people simply run through the epicentre of joyful noise and energy that can only be Chinatown without stopping to wonder at the past it possesses and the reason for its existence in a predominantly Chinese Singapore. Modern day Chinatown I stand silently at the start of Pagoda Street and look down from my vantage point of an overhead bridge to see a place that embodies the very story of Chinatown is the Chinatown Heritage Centre. Sitting right in the center of Chinatown, it is a quaint shop house that has been converted into a wealth of memories and untold stories. These stories are showed to the public on three different levels and exhibit the lives of early settlers. It traces the evolution and growth of both Chinatown and the Chinese people of Singapore, from coolie workers and maids to bosses and politicians. The Heritage Centre shows why Chinatown is the way it is in modern day Singapore. It tells the story of a place that never really sleeps through an exhibit called â€Å"Where the day never ends† and tells us of how Chinatown was always rampant with festive mood during celebrations like the Lunar New Year. Like present day Chinatown, the Chinatown of the past was an energetic place whenever Chinese festivals were around the corner. We will write a custom essay sample on The Essence of Chinatown specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Essence of Chinatown specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Essence of Chinatown specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When asked about what the Heritage Centre taught him, a secondary school student whom I interviewed on location told me, â€Å"This place shows us that that every Chinese person had a stake in Chinatown. It also teaches me not to forget my roots,† The Heritage Centre, for many youth, also carries a cautionary tale against the four vices of life. An exhibit details the lives of people who have fallen to opium smoking, prostitution, gambling and secret societies and is still a relevant warning to today’s Chinese population in Singapore about the dangers of indulging in forbidden pleasures. A Prostitute’s Room I asked one shopper why she went to Chinatown to visit the Heritage Centre and I was told that, â€Å"Chinatown is the place many Chinese had lived in the past. I am a Chinese and I really like to know what my roots are,† What she said clearly highlights to us why Singapore needs a Chinatown: Cultural identity. The Heritage Centre tells us that Chinatown has existed ever since Singapore was conceptualised as a colonial state. The place was characterised by shop houses that possessed five-foot walkways and cramped quarters on the upper floors. Large scale immigration forced occupants of Chinatown to stay in small, cramped and sordid cubicles that lacked proper sanitation and facilities. People squeezed together, sometimes seven in cubicle. However, Chinatown was more than just a living quarter for the Chinese migrants who came by boat from mainland China. It was a retail location for uniquely Chinese goods, a uniquely Chinese socialisation ground which gave birth to the coffee shops that we see in contemporary Singapore. A life-sized model of such coffee shops can be seen in the Heritage Centre. Chinatown was, most importantly, a place representative of escape from oppression, poverty and injustice in mainland China. My late great-grand mother, who came from China with nothing but the clothes on her back once told me that, â€Å"Chinatown, although small, cramp and noisy, was the home away from home for many, a place where Chinese people put down new roots and built new lives for themselves and their descendants. † I believe that this spirit of emancipation and determination to make it in the world is what is so beautiful about Chinatown’s Heritage Centre. While Singapore is a multi-racial nation that does not discriminate creeds, race or religion, it is undeniably mixed in its racial denominations to a very high degree. As such, people need to hold on to their cultural identity. Unlike many other countries where Chinese are not the dominant race and thus need a Chinatown, Singapore’s Chinese population needs a Chinatown not to give them a sense of home, but to satisfy a deep-seated need to retain the uniqueness of being Chinese while becoming Singaporean all the time. Chinese, like all other races, need a place where we can identify with both culturally and, on a deeper level, spiritually. We need a place that tells us who we are and where we really came from and Chinatown provides us with that cultural belonging and identity. Chinatown is â€Å"where Chinese go to be Chinese and not worry about how we would be looked at, simply because it is Chinatown,† as said by a passer-by when I asked him what Chinatown meant to him as a Chinese person. When I started primary research, I did not expect such a deep-rooted sense of belonging to Chinatown in the Chinese people because even I, a Chinese, did not have great attachment for the place. However, I have come to understand that Chinatown is more than a place. It is a record book, a place that history has etched its mark on to educate and enlighten future generations of Chinese people. Therefore, the true idea behind why we need a Chinatown in Singapore is because the essence of the Chinese people is the essence of Chinatown.

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essays

Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Essays Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Paper Charlotte Brontes Jane Eyre Paper Essay Topic: Jane Eyre In our world, there are many people who express their thoughts and feelings by art. For artists, painting is a way to explore their inner self and lets them express their emotional world. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte uses the paintings and drawings created by Jane at different points to show Janes suffering, her realism and her romanticism. In Chapter 13, Jane makes a watercolour painting that expresses her childhood suffering at Gateshead and at Lowood. In her painting, there are clouds low and vivid, rolling over a swollen sea: all the distance was in eclipse for there was no land. This suggests that she sees herself as a wretch, unimportant and meaningless, just feeling as if there is no hope for her no matter how hard she searches. However, there is a greedy seed bird that sat on a half-submerged mastits beak held a gold bracelet, set with gems that she painted with a variety of colours. Jane is saying that there might be a chance when she obtains freedom and peace. As a child, Jane was always mistreated and never had any independence. In her artwork, the bird represents freedom because it can go anywhere just like how Jane imagines her life. The painting takes another shift when something sinking below the bird and the pole was a drowned corpse that flashed though the green water. She is comparing herself to a dead body because she views herself as being useless and hopeless. She is doleful because there were many cruel people in her life that always thought negatively about her. In both Lowood and Gateshead, she had been treated unfairly and harshly. The only thing that is visible is a fair arm from which thebracelet had been washed or torn. The bracelet represents Mr. Rochester andwhen the bracelet washes away it shows that Jane will never be with Mr. Rochester. In addition, this also depicts that all of Janes hopes and dreams have been washed away.

Google case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Google - Case Study Example This acquisition with android has given a very positive impact on the financial conditions of the Google. This program of Google is executing with the thought of the customers having an Android phone will be able to connect all the contacts of Google like: Google+, Google chrome, Gmail and many other Google applications that are being used by the customers on daily basis. From 2008 with adaptation of android technology the net income of strikes high profits and increases with more then 30% each year till 2012. The impact of acquisition with android has proved it self by its remarkable performance in gaining the rapidly increasing profits with high percentage. In 2012 there were approximately 700,000 applications available for android and 25 billion applications were downloaded by the users from Google play. This sounds a great achievement for Google. Answer#2 In the opening quarter of 2012, the financial report speaks that Google brought around $2.9 billion in net income on $10.9 bil lion of revenue. On the other side, Motorola mobility lost around $89 million on $3.1 billion in revenue during the first quarter of 2012. In the initial phase after buying Motorola Corporation Google encounters with some losses but Google strategy was to earn with the long term strategic plan. Two big transactions made by Google in December 2012 that greatly impact over the financial position of the company. The manufacturing operations of Motorola mobility were sold by Google to Flextronics for $75 million and sold Motorola Home business division to Arris group for $2.35 billion in a cash and stock transaction. By these two transactions Google acquired 15.7% stake in Arris group valued at $300 million. This immediate effect develops the understanding that Google acquisition with Motorola will give some great and huge innovation in their pipeline products or services as we saw that before 5 years when Google acquisition with android undertaken. There are three big returns for Googl e in merging with Motorola. Right of entry to the portfolio of Motorola patent which it may possibly then permit to links like HTC and Samsung to secure next to the extended arm of Apple’s  lawyers. An integrated hardware/software takes part in to battle with Apple Corporation. The difficulty  with this reason is that  the agreement does not address the  breakdown on the Android platform which is the more difficult problem. The set-top big business to make better its covering Google TV offering. Answer#3 The android operating system with its open source model approach confronting with the criticism of the model causes code (software) base to fragment. Another criticism encountered that is online services and the android operating system does not connect with each other. Along with the criticism this technology provides a wide range of benefits to the users. The advantages of open source approach are as follows: 1- Superior in quality with the continuous development pr ocess. 2- Customizability in its development. 3- It gives the liberty of using with own intend. 4- Flexibility in advancement of both software and hardware. 5- Interoperability. 6- Audibility with the derived standards for removing the unwanted deviations. 7- Make available support options for making easier for the user. 8- Inexpensive in cost as compared to others. 9- It

Five Goals Expected to Learn From Business in Singapore Essay - 7

Five Goals Expected to Learn From Business in Singapore - Essay Example It is planned to carry on research and form an understanding of how Singaporean culture relates to and how they do business. How Singapore do business with another country which does not agree with their beliefs? This research paper will try to analyze the Singapore Culture through the lens of Hofstede’s dimensions and evaluates the same with the American culture and to find out the main areas of issues for the business between Singapore and USA thereby offering a recommendation to fish out these differences to further enhance mutual business between these nations. (www.geert-hofstede.com/singapore.html, 2014). Singapore culture can be regarded as ‘pro-west’ in many manners and it more or less reflects the Anglo-culture. The traditional Singaporean culture encourages the work culture that is comprised of collective decision and group harmony and Western business people who visit Singapore would often face a vast variance and clearly visualize how collectivism still exists in a modern society (Wong, 2013, p.132). In this section of the research paper, more emphasis will be given to what is Singapore’s impact on the business world internationally not just local or regionally? IFC and the World Bank rate Singapore as leading and number one nation as regards to ease of doing business and places Singapore is in the second place in the international level for the strength of investor’s protection. The port of Singapore remains as the globe’s busiest seaport and remains as the second top center for containerized transhipment traffic. Singapore remains as the globe’s 4th largest center for foreign exchange activities.  

Selling own common stocks Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Selling own common stocks - Research Paper Example These methods are open market, fixed price tender, private negotiation, repurchase and Dutch auction. It was in the late 20th century that there was enormous increase in the share’s volume repurchase in American, which rose from $5 billion in the year 1980 to $349 billion in the year 2005 (Stock Buybacks). It has been noted that the reason behind the corporation’s enormous amount of repurchase and selling of their own common shares is subjected to some conflicting interpretations. However there is no satisfactory explanation to these changes that occurred in the repurchasing activity of these corporations over the last few decades. The dramatic increase in the repurchase of open market shares occurred in 1990’s and several factor led to its development. One of the factors is considered to be the improved regulatory environment which supported the repurchase of common stock which resulted from the adaption of rule 10b-18 introduced by the Security and Exchange Commission, or SEC in the year 1982. Another factor that contributed to the repurchase is considered to be economic conditions. This paper discusses the reasons why corporation sell and purchase their own stock. A study was conducted regarding the open market repurchases which concluded that it is the changes in the compensation policies that often led to the changes in the payout policy. The result also indicates that the firm usually announces repurchases when executives have several different options outstanding and when the employees too have several options present that are exercisable. Once the firm makes the decision of being engaged in a repurchase, the amount of stock repurchase can be positively related to the total number of options that were exercisable by the workers, independent of the option that the executives had. The result of this study remains consistent with the managers repurchasing both for funding

Strategic Performance Management Of British Petroleum Management Essay

Strategic Performance Management Of British Petroleum Management Essay This study explores the oil giant, British Petroleum also known as BP within the global oil sector and also it recent activities. Some key external factors have been investigated which includes PESTEL, SWOT, Competition Analysis, Five forces model (Michael Porters). This study has formulated SMART objectives after putting the above factors into consideration and this has led to the creation of Strategic Plan, Measurement and Implementation of the formulated SMART objectives. 1.2 Company background The company British petroleum also known as BP was incorporated in 1909 then as Anglo Persian Oil Company with headquarters in London, operating in both upstream (oil exploration) and downstream (oil refining, sales and marketing) of the world oil sector, BP is one of the largest oil company in the world. The company, BP has more than 21,400 service stations worldwide and its shares is quoted on New York, London, Toronto, Paris, Tokyo, Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Zurich stock exchanges. The history of BP will not be complete without making mention of the activities of Williams Knox DArcy, in the year 1901 he was granted concession by Grand vizier (Shah) in todays Iran and as a result of inadequate fund he entered into an agreement with the British government which involved investing the sum of  £2 million that led to the transfer of major shares to the government at the later end. In the 1990s British Petroleum acquired Amoco, Arco and Burmah-Castrol. BP has several retail brands which include Arco in US, BP connect, BP travel centres, BP Express etc. BP is ranked as one of the top three oil giants in the world with staff strength of more than 97,600. Recently, the brand BP has been undergoing serious scrutiny and criticism as a result of it past and recent activities which include Texas refinery explosion in 2005, dumping of toxic waste in some African countries, Prudhoe Bay oil spillage and the recent Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. This study will focus on the brand BP and how to manage brand name damaging crisis. 2 External Analysis 2.1 PESTEL factors Table 1: PEST 2.1 Political/Legal UK government endorsement/ support for BP UK government support during the gulf of Mexico oil spillage crisis BP activities in the Gulf of Mexico has been banned but the UK government has given the company go-ahead to continue on with the search for oil and gas in the deep waters off the coast of Britain. 2.2 Economic The global recession has resulted into reduction in Profit of BP from the previous year. Replacement cost of profit for year 2009 was $14 billion with a return on average capital employed of 11% Gained new resource access in Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and Offshore US. 30% increase in lubricants income generated from core market, and market extension to India, China, Russia and Brazil. Strong presence in China with upgraded Zhuhai 2 plant. Reported production increased by 4% and unit and production costs reduced by 12% Refining availability for the year was 93% up around 5% in 2008 Investment of $20 billion in business expansion In Trinidad and Tobago BP recorded launch-to-production time of 18 month with Saronette Project Discovery of Tiber in the gulf of Mexico 2.3 Socio-Cultural Encouraging health and fitness Creation of work environment where diversity and inclusion are valued. Strengthening employee engagement Creation of modernized farming initiative in Argentina Increased employee moral The number of employees fell from 92,000 in 2008 to 80,300 in 2009 as a result of the transfer of BP US convenience retail site to a franchise model. 2.4 Technological Improved operating management system (OMS) All refineries and petrochemical plants are operating on OMS Investment in key technology like wind, bio-fuels, solar, hydrogen power and carbon capture and storage Improved form of transportation of products. 3. SWOT Analysis Table 2: SWOT Analysis 4.1 Strengths Strong brand name with the slogan beyond petroleum. Strong market position in both downstream and upstream of the global oil sector. BP (Castrol) Sponsor of the FIFA 2010 world cup. In 2009 BP and Pan American Energy in Argentina offered 63 young people scholarships with emphasis on engineering. In 2009 the company had a 12.0% market share of the world lubricant oil which put them at 2nd largest market share after ExxonMobil. Ranked among the top three oil in the world Stock quoted on London stock exchange Third quarter 2010 profit of $1.8 billion Operates through retail brands and subsidiaries (Amoco; ARCO; BP Express, BP Connect; BP Travel Centre; ampm; Burmah Castrol etc) BP signed a technical service contract with the Iraqi government in November 2009 to develop the Rumaila oilfield 4.2 Weaknesses Money being lost to clean up of gulf of Mexico Unstable oil price due to the recent recession BP Texas refinery explosion in 2005 Toxic spillage of methanol in Prudhoe Bay in 2006 Total closure of Alaska wells 2010 third quarter loss Oil spillage in the gulf of Mexico A law suit been instituted by the American government Second quarter loss of $ 17 billion Call to shelve the use of all BP product in US during the gulf of Mexico crisis The recent removal of Tony Harward as the CEO of the company and being replaced by a US citizen 4.3 Opportunities Government of UK endorsements Discovery of significant deep gas in Egypts West Nile Delta Award exploration block in Indonesia Investment in Egypt and Libya Increase brand awareness Increase market share Completely new product launch ultimate 1.5 Change customers by continuous product development and awareness Completely rebranding of company image as a result of the recent spillage in US Expansion into African countries Continuous research and development strategy e.g. $8 billion investment in research of alternative source of energy to oil including solar, wind, natural gas and hydrogen etc. Flexible pricing to enhance healthy competition with sector rivals 4.4 Threats Threat of substitution due to high prices Drop in BP share price as a result of Gulf of Mexico oil spillage Suspension of production in Rhum gas field Sales of upstream interests in Pakistan to United Energy Group Limited Agreement to sell interests in Pan American Energy to Bridals Corpoaration Pipelines corrosions Global economic recession Refineries and rig explosions Possibility of tax increment in countries wherein BP operate Economical/political change in countries in which BP operates. Legal action against company by US government Oil price being determine by market forces Exchange rates could affect companies profitability Remodification of oil products to reduce pollution New technology to substitute the usage of oil High focus on green fuel Government policy in countries where BP operates regarding their oil sector e.g. penalty for oil spillage Termination of lease agreement between Bp and foreign governments Competition from Mobil, Chevron and Shell. 3. External Analysis- Competitor Audit As British Petroleum (BP) is situated in many different global markets the following competitor audit will focus on BPs main competitors in the global oil industry. Competitors: 3.1.1 ExxonMobil ExxonMobil is the foremost publicly traded petroleum and petro-chemical venture in the globe, it operations encompasses almost all countries of the world, it has different brand names such as Exxon, Mobil and Esso, it is an organisation that is built on a concept of global business which allow it to compete favourable, efficiently and effectively in the world of energy industry. Both Exxon and Mobil have been in existence for more than a century, but ExxonMobil came into being as a result of merger between Exxon and Mobil on 30 November 1999 to form Exxon Mobil Corporation. It headquarters is located in Irving, Texas, United State with market capitalisation of $323.717 million, revenue of $301.5 billion and assets value of $233.323 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is Rex W. Tillerson with staff strength of 90,800, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has thirty seven refineries and operate in most countries of the world. 3.1.1 Royal Dutch Shell Shell is an energy giant and one of the worlds largest independent oil company with staff strength of around 101,000 and it headquarters is located in The Hague, the Netherlands. The parent company is Royal Dutch Shell Plc and it is incorporated in England and Wales with Peter Voser as the CEO. The company account for 2% of world oil and 3% of gas, it has 44,000 service stations globally and thirty five refineries. Shell operates in both upstream and downstream sector of the world oil industry. As December 2009, its revenue stood at $278.2billion and capital investment of $31.7 billion with market capitalisation of $186.618 million and assets worth of $292.181 billion, the company is quoted on London stock exchange. 3.2.1 Chevron Chevron is one of the leading energy companies in the world. It activities encompasses crude and natural gas and the company operates in both upstream and downstream sector of the oil industry which includes manufacturing, marketing and transportation, exploration and production, sales and manufacturing of chemicals, power generation and geothermal energy. The organisation Chevron came into being after the merger between Standard Oil Company and of California and Gulf oil Corporation in 1984. Chevron headquarters is located in San Ramon, California, United State with market capitalisation of $154.462 million, revenue of $167.402 billion and assets value of $164.621 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is David J ORelly with staff strength of 60,000, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has sixteen refineries and operate in thirty three countries and it brand includes Texaco and Caltex. 3.2.3 ConocoPhilips ConocoPhillips is a key global, integrated energy corporation, with universal scale and scope all over the oil and natural gas value chain. The company came into been as a result of merger between Conoco and Philips Petroleum Company which was completed on 30 August 2002. It headquarters is located at Houston, Texas, United State with market capitalisation of $75.772 million, revenue of $152.843 billion and assets value of $155 billion as at 2009. The CEO of the company is James Mulva with staff strength of 30,000, the company is quoted on New York Stock Exchange; it has twelve refineries in US, four in Europe and one in Asia and also operate in thirty countries of the world. ConocoPhilips is the third largest integrated energy company in United State of America. 6. Porters Generic Strategies Diagram 1: British Petroleum and Porters Generic Strategies Focus Middle of the road Middle of the road BP in future BP Presently Cost leadership Differentiation Porter (1980) states that there are four types of generic strategies that are required by an organisation to be competitively successful, and these are Focus, Cost Leadership, Middle of the Road and Differentiation. Before now, BP was using the Cost leadership strategy but at present, the company is using the generic strategy of Middle of the road as a result of the last Gulf of Mexico oil spillage. British petroleum Brand and the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster.(Rebuilding the broken bond) This oil disaster is the biggest crisis in the history of the oil industry in United States. We can only agree on the cause of the accident based on the testimonies of the parties involved. The chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon rig testified at a hearing held by the US coastguard, he said he was present at the meeting between BP manager and the crew from Transocean. That Transoceans chief driller was not comfortable with the request for the removal of the drilling mud from the well that day because he did not think the well is fully prepared for shut-down but based on the request and persuasion of the BP manager (as a result of the cost incurred in renting the Deepwater exploration rig which cost $500,000 a day to rent) insisted that they should start removing the mud before plugging the well, which later led to the explosion of the rig and the death of eleven crew members. This crisis has really affected the BP brand, because brands are not created by advertising, they are created primary by what organisation does. A Model of Strategic Communication (Grunig Hunt, 1984) A model of strategic communication is composed of two components which are aimed to describe the evolution of stakeholders and publics. The contribution of this model is to overall strategic communication and management by diagnosing the environment to make the overall organization aware of stakeholders and publics as they evolve. The Stakeholder Stage The terms of stakeholder and public are often used synonymously. There is a subtle difference, however, that helps to understand planning of strategic communication. People are stakeholders because they are in a category affected by decisions of an organization or if their decisions affect the organization (Grunig Hunt, 1984). There are internal and external stakeholders including employees, director of boards of BP Company, society, customers, media, universities, research centres, U.S. and U.K. governments, activist groups, etc Internal Stakeholders External Stakeholders Employees of BP Media Director of Boards British petroleum Public/Society CEO Advocate groups US and UK governments Customers of BP Competitors Investors Research centres Universities Shareholders Stakeholder mapping of BP Company in case of the oil spillage. Demirel. K, (2010) After the identification of the various stakeholders, the next stage should be the determination of level of relationship i.e. the linkages. Stakeholders State regulators Govt. Regulators Board of directors Employees unions Suppliers Enabling linkages Input Normative linkages Functional linkages Competitors Association Political groups Professional society BP Customers Retailers Distributors Output Diffused linkages NGO Residents Advocacy group Media Linkage model of BP Company, Demirel. K, (2010) Referring to: Grunig, J. / Hunt, T. (1984): Managing public Relations. Rinhehart and Winston: Holt, P.141. Part A has to do with the enabling linkages that is, stakeholders who have total control and authority over BP company operations especially the government of U.S. Part B. functional linkages: the input and the output, the input deals with provision of the service and output has to do with the product consumption. Part c is the normative linkages that is, groups and association that has common interest. And lastly, Part D is the diffused linkages these groups do not usually have anything to do with BP, they are only active during crisis situation. BP Public Relations In the first days of oil spill, BP Company downplayed oil spill and CEO Tony Hayward stated relatively tiny for the disaster of oil spill. After two months, BP Company has changed head of public affairs. After that, they started to provide consistent and responsible messages for oil spill through various media channels. As a part of PR strategy, BP Company got sponsored links on Google in order to provide first ranked results of key words related to oil spill direct to special part of BP Companys website. Even though it can be considered as implementation of spin doctrine, sponsored links were successful, because most people are not able to distinguish sponsored and actual links. Demirel. K, (2010) Crisis response and rebuilding stakeholders confidence It involves seven specific steps to obtain public forgiveness Voluntarily admit that mistake has been made. Explain why the mistakes occurred (no matter how stupid). Show/say/demonstrate contrition and sincere concern. Agree to take the step necessary to fix the problem. Ask for help from the victims/accept counsel from the community Promise (or publicly commit to) never to let it happen again. Find a way to pay (do penance)/alleviate/remediate Penitential model by Gottschalk. J (1993) We can conclude based on the penitential model that BP company responded to the crisis by voluntarily admitted that mistake has been made, and this can be seen by the stepping down of Tony Hayward as the CEO of the company, we all know the cause of the disaster based on the chief mechanic on the Deepwater Horizon rig testimony and the company has really shown concern and the U.S. government has requested compensation for the cleanup of the gulf of Mexico which the company has agreed to pay . BP vowed on to pay all necessary and appropriate clean-up costs from the massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as the Obama administration called on the energy giant to clarify how it plans to do so.   Other models that can be use to earn stakeholders confidence and trust Key levers to building customer trust, Dr Aaron Sum Wei Wern and David Levi (2009). Building enduring customer trust 1. Integrity Bridge gap between promise and reality 2. Competence 3. Transparency Know whats right for me Be honest with me Building enduring trust 1 Return to the fundamental trust levers Focus on meeting fundamental expectations before addressing higher-order 2 De-risk and simplify Minimise uncertainty in the customers decision-making process 3 Build and solidify enabling capabilities Prioritise capability-building through the lens of the trust levers uing Conclusion: As stated by Edward Artzt Brand loyalty is very much like an onion. It has layers and a core. The core is the user who will stick with you until the end. Shaun and Wheeler, (2002 p.25). BP was able to get out of the mess as a result of the following Quick/prompt response Acceptance of blame Total responsibility Accepted solutions provided Took realistic approach Involvement of top management team

Is Reality TV worse than other tv? Essay

In â€Å"At Least It’s Not Snobby† By Trace Egan Morrissey, she brings up the fact that many people Joke about reality television, and even call it â€Å"trash. † Reality TV may show some of the worse sides of the world, but those sides do exist, and whether people admit it or not, it is amusing to watch. Reality TV teaches lessons without anyone even realizing it. It shows the world different morals. Things that used to be ore frowned upon in societies are somewhat more socially acceptable because of reality television, such as being gay. Viewers see a cast member struggling with being gay, and the viewer usually sympathizes. People that are gay can relate, and see themselves as not being so alone. The question still remains; Is reality television worse than other types of TV? An large amount of people would say. Yes. But it In truth could be labeled as worthwhile as any other sort of television, though it does meme to have Its ups and downs. In the â€Å"Watching TV And Looking Inward,† Andy Denary writes about how reality television is worthy of our attention. He states, â€Å"reality TV is at once a window and a mirror. Showing how real people react and Interact in extraordinary situations,† Reality television is engaging and amusing, still, Denary brings up the point that reality television can make a viewer think in a differ ent point of perspective. When itching these shows, we often think to ourselves, â€Å"What would I do f I were them,† â€Å"Wow, I would never do that,† and sometimes even, â€Å"This is ridiculous. † The shows get us thinking, and sometimes we are astonished by our reaction. Reality television actually exposes the reality of humanity. These shows, as foolish as some of them may seem, can actually teach and show us Important lessons. That Is why I agree with Denary when he says that reality television is worthy of our attention. Ton

Justification of Human Violence Through Fight Club Essay

Throughout the history of the Human Race, violence and destruction is a reoccurring theme. In modern society we view ourselves as socially and economically evolved people when comparing ourselves to our ancestors, who were barbaric and uncivilized in comparison. However, our society has not evolved very far from this. There remains an instinct and desire for chaos and destruction in humans. I will not say this applies to all people, but it cannot be agued that the Human species is the single most destructive creature on the planet Earth. We have created war amongst each other, creating weapons and advancing our sciences for the sake of finding new and better ways of killing each other. The violence is not only contained in war, but in our entertainment as well. Romans used to watch gladiators kill each other in the coliseum, and we today watch action movies of men blowing each other up with guns and dynamite. Video games themselves allow you to kill and maim people, but why would someone want to play a game where you kill someone? Why does a violent and gory movie become so popular? What is it about aggression, destruction, and violence that attracts people? Sigmund Freud developed many theories and ideas about the human mind and explores society and its effects on people. This, as well as the movie and book â€Å"Fight Club†, will help to give insight into the minds of violent people and will give reasoning to their destructiveness. The majority of the world is made up of people who have an urge for violence and corruption, even if they don’t consider themselves to be, and the book â€Å"Fight Club† gives examples of this. Fight Club† is a book that was first written by Chuck Palahniuk in 1996 and was later transitioned into a film in 1999 starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. In this story, the narrator, who is never named in neither the film nor the book, but has been referred to as jack, is an office worker who lost his view on life and has one bad thing happen to him after another. He has insomnia, his condo was blown up by a gas leak, and he is overwhelmed by work, finding himself in different places after he falls asleep. To cure his insomnia, he goes to cancer meetings and other such help group. It is her where he is allowed to cry and have everyone around him assume the worst. This helps him to sleep until his lie is reflected by a woman who starts to do the same thing. Her name is Marla and keeps Jack from being able to cry. They agree to different days so that he can be alone and they ironically become close by the end of the book, due to the fact that Jack is constantly bitter towards her while she is at the self help meetings. He eventually meets a character named Tyler Durden on a business trip and finds himself living with him. Tyler is much more outgoing and adventurous than Jack, and soon becomes his mentor and teacher. After one night of some drinks, Tyler starts a fight with Jack for fun. They continue to do this every few nights and eventually gather a crowd of other men that want to fight as well. They then create fight club, a weekly gathering where two men are put together to brawl against each other in a circle of shouting man. Tyler leads this whole thing, with Jack at his side, but Fight Club grows more and more into a cult, and Tyler creates his own personal army which he call project mayhem, which has the sole purpose of bringing chaos and madness on the buttoned down society that shunned them away and led them to believe that they could be something they’re not. What Tyler tries to teach Jack throughout the story is that he needs to â€Å"hit bottom† meaning that he must detach himself from everything in his life. He says â€Å"It is only when we have nothing that we are free to do anything. With nothing to lose, no one can threaten you and you can do whatever you want. Tyler wanted to teach the world this and planned on using his followers to accomplish this. His big plan was to destroy all the major credit card company buildings and their records, putting everyone’s credit to zero. What Jack eventually finds out is that Tyler is his own split personality. Tyler is an extension of Jack, and only he sees him, but whatever Tyler has ever said to anyone or done, it was really Jack. Fight Club helps to evaluate the reasoning and deduction of violence and the need for chaos. Tyler tells his followers that they have been promises by industry that they could become movie gods and rock stars, but they’re not, and â€Å"we’re slowly learning that fact, and we are very, very pissed off. † Fight Club was created because of the first night with Jack and Tyler, and Tyler says â€Å"How much can you know about yourself if you’ve never been in a fight. I don’t want to die without any scares. † This means to say that a man is considered to show his true worth and self in a fight. It can show that he is either brave or a coward, or strong or weak. Most people cannot say that they’ve actually been in a fight before, but there is much to be learned about ones self if they are ever to encounter one. However, there are some that have actually started real fight clubs and follow the teachings of the fictional character of Tyler Durden. There do exist real fight clubs. USA Today wrote an online news article about software engineers near the age of 30 to 40, who hold fight clubs in a garage every two weeks. This is inspired by the movie, and these people that fight do it to exert their anger and frustration into something physical. They meet up and have full fledged fights with each other, two at a time and sometimes with weapons to. They took the movie and book quite literally, and many parallels can be seen. The article quotes one of the men who say â€Å"I have fantasies about it† compared to the movie where the narrator says â€Å"You aren’t alive anywhere like you’re alive at fight club. † Another man says â€Å"You get to be a superhero for a night. We have to go to work every day. We’re constantly told to buy things we don’t need, and just for a couple hours we have the freedom to do what we want to do. This is near to what Tyler Durden teaches about losing touch with personal possessions and going back to the hunter gatherer sense and also being able to do what you want. These technical engineers joined a fight club and enjoy it. They say they feel powerful and â€Å"macho†. It can therefore be dismissed that only unintelligent people would have the sense to be in a fight, seeing as we have software engineers doing it. There are other fight club that are started by teens, but they are unfortunate in the fact that sometimes a person is unwilling to fight and is beaten by his attacker. These teenagers get caught and arrested after they make DVD’s of the fight to sell online. This is the ignorant side of fighting. The tech engineers only fight with each other and organize it together, but these teenagers choose to turn it into an act of bullying by prying on the weak and taking advantage of them. It is dishonourable and untrue to the true nature and message of Fight Club. Many people can see the reasoning behind these fighting engineers, but others only see the teenager side of fight club and see it as grotesque, violent, and meaningless. The main idea though, is to put more meaning to your life than that new T. V you want, or the sofa you saw in an Ikea magazine that you think matches your curtains. There is a quote that depicts the meaning Tyler’s lesson very well. It’s from a kid named Lester in a book called â€Å"The Brimstone Journals†. He is talking about his mother working days and his dad working nights, saying â€Å"All so they can buy more crap. Man, it reminds me way too much of this movie on TV where a bunch of slaves were moving some big statue of a god. They had it on these logs that were like rollers and most of the laves pushed this god while the rest picked up the last log and hustled it around to the front. They did this all day. † The meaning behind this is that most people are stuck in the social loop of working hours like a drone, only to buy something you don’t really need. Society has everyone working hard so we can take our money and put it into the system we’re working for. The point is to drive yourself to become more than that and learn more about yourself through fight club. The other people of the fight clubs mentioned could defend to this. The movie has a scene where Jack is mad about his condo being destroyed and the amount of stuff he had in it, saying its ok, his insurance will cover it. This is when Tyler laughs and say â€Å"The things you own, end up owning you. † Meaning we become dependant and needy for material possessions. Fight Club certainly promotes violence, but it does it in a way so others don’t have to become involved if they choose so. It is a good way to get ride of anger and frustration compared to how others have done it before. As long as others have an outlet to express these feelings, others are safe. Some people choose to express their anger with a different violence witch targets others. Husbands sometime hit their wives, a student may bring a gun to school, or maybe even an office worker. These things have happened and are very unfortunate to have done so. In the book , â€Å"The Brimstone Journals† which depict poems of student in high school and their thoughts, Lester is holding his dad’s gun saying he wouldn’t hurt anyone with it, but if he did he would do it naked in the gym saying â€Å"They wouldn’t laugh then, would they? The jocks would crap their pants. The girls’d kiss my fat feet. † These people became unhappy and were mistreated and decided to act back. With fight club, anger is not contained and built up; it is exerted with friends in a brawl. As stated previously, Fight Club remains to be about finding happiness and disconnecting from society. Sigmund Freud has a writing titled, â€Å"Civilization and its Discontents† and in one chapter, he evaluates how men find it difficult to become happy and that the source of our misery is our civilization and the comfort that we as humans have made for ourselves. He says (pg38) â€Å"What we call our civilization is largely responsible for our misery, and that we should be much happier if we gave it up and returned to primitive conditions. † This is the main goal of Tyler Durden in â€Å"Fight Club†. He wants to bring civilization back to its primitive roots because it’s better than the narrowed society and community that we have worked so hard to make for ourselves. He says in the movie â€Å"In the world I see – you are stalking elk through the damp canyon forests around the ruins of Rockefeller Center. You’ll wear leather clothes that will last you the rest of your life. You’ll climb the wrist-thick kudzu vines that wrap the Sears Tower. And when you look down, you’ll see tiny figures pounding corn, laying strips of venison on the empty car pool lane of some abandoned superhighway. † This is the world that Tyler wants to create. A world where skyscrapers and highways are but remnants of an old life, and civilization has downgraded into a society of those who only perform what they need to, and are not bound by industries. Freud goes on to say that (pg38) â€Å"It is a certain fact that all the things with which we seek to protect ourselves against the threats that emanate from the sources of suffering are part of that very civilization. † Mean that society that we have created for ourselves has also created the source of our suffering. Buddhism is known to have said that the source of all suffering comes from wanting something. However, we have created an economy of â€Å"want†, surrounded by advertisements, TV commercials and supermarkets. If wanting something is suffering, then we have created it ourselves and surrounded ourselves with it. Later in this text, he states that â€Å"It was discovered that a person becomes neurotic because he cannot tolerate the amount of frustration which society imposes on him in the service of its cultural ideals, and it was inferred from this that the abolition or reduction of those demands would result in a return to possibilities of happiness. † (pg39) This means that the idea of happiness in our society is reliant on the basis of a lack of work. Our lives are clustered and overwhelmed by housework, jobs, food shopping, and the idea of not doing any of that is the only thing we know as happiness and yet we are stuck in a paradoxical loop. We want to be happy, we have to buy a new coffee table, if we want that then we have to work, if we have to do that, we have to be unhappy. Being happy should not be based on the sheer contrast of unhappiness. Freud changes his subject to man’s view of God. He goes on to say â€Å"To these gods he attributed everything that seemed unattainable to his wishes, or that these gods were cultural ideals. To-day he has come very close to the attainment of this ideal, he has almost become god himself. †(pg44). What he means by this is that gods used to be beings of unforeseen knowledge with the ability to control the element and do as they please, but we have reached an age where we can control our own world and our knowledge has gone beyond what we could have ever imagined. Freud goes on to say â€Å"Future ages will bring with them new and probably unimaginably great advances in this field of civilization and will increase man’s likeness to God still more†¦. an does not feel happy in his Godlike character. †(pg45) This merely re-emphasises what is being said. That our technological and scientific advances allow us to become the God that man has always praised. We are able to alter DNA, remove and fertilise embryos, and the list goes on. In â€Å"Fight Club†, the father figure is what is expected to be seen as a person’s view of god. The narrator says† What you end up doing, is you spend your life searching for a father and God. What you have to consider is the possibility that God doesn’t like you. Could be, God hates us. This is not the worst thing that could happen. Getting God’s attention for being bad was better than getting no attention at all. Maybe because God’s hate is better than His indifference. † The brings a religious aspect to the subject. It can be questioned as to weather or not God is the reason people act violently. This is true, seeing as there are cases where people commit murder in the claim that God â€Å"told them† to do it. And yet, an entire war happened all in the name of God, it was also known as the Crusades. Could the only way to get God’s recognition is to be bad? I can’t be argued that religion has in fact created war, hatred towards other beliefs and murder. Violence is clearly an innate part of the human race as far as history and as a society. â€Å"Fight Club† helps to give a view that gives a justification for fighting and violent actions. With the help of â€Å"Fight Club† and the theories of Sigmund Freud, we have developed a better understanding as to the reasoning of actual fight clubs. We can see that they are not events where the innocent are beaten, but rather gatherings where men can exhort their anger and frustration into a physical manifestation of punches and kicks. We can see now that this type of violence among other people who want it, is better than the type of violence where others are dragged into it unwillingly. â€Å"Fight Club† says a lot of things about society and civilization being the source of our misery, as well as contains parallels with the work of Sigmund Freud. The book â€Å"Fight Club† has influenced many lives and has changed the ideals and views of many. The majority of the world is made up of people who have an urge for violence and corruption, even if they don’t consider themselves to be, and the book â€Å"Fight Club† gives examples of this.

Lemming essays

Lemming essays Lemmings are very interesting animals.They look like chubby field mice. Lemmings live in the far North of the world. There are four different kinds of Lemmings. Nothing stops them but death. Lemmings have several unsual physical characteristics that set them apart from other animals.They look like chubby field mice. They are a half a foot long from the tip of their head to the tip of their tail. Lemmings have a short tails. Some Lemmings are brown and gray.However, some Lemmings turn white in the winter. Lemmings are well built to live in the north. Their soles of their feet are furry to protect them in the snow. Their ears are hidden under their thick long fur to keep them from freezing. They also stick out body parts to keep warm. The Lemmings have unique ways of survival. They build burrows under the snow. They are also fierce and savage which scares other animals away. The adult Lemmings even bite and growl when they are caught. Lemmings are good at raising their young. Females make their nest out of moss and grass. They produce several litters a year. The habitat of the Lemming is different from other animals. Living in the far north of the world, they are make burrows under the ground. The lemming does not hibernate even in a blizzard. Lemmings eat a variety of food. They eat grass ,leaves, blossoms, and fruits. Lemmings migrate long distances to find their food. Lemmings are known to be suicidal when there is not enough food and too many are raised. Many go down to the river and drown themselves. Due to the large number of suicides every three to four years many are raised again. Sometimes they get eaten by wolves or bears. In conclusion I have learned many interesting facts about the lemmings. Like, lemmings eat grass and leaves. And they live in the far north of the world. They also come in different colors,brown,gray, and white. They also migrate for food.And the soles of their feet are furred...

minutemen essays

minutemen essays The Minutemen and Their World, by Robert Gross, is a novel that explains the years before, during, and after the American Revolution from the citizens perspective in Concord, Massachusetts. The book gives detail about the life of the people that live in Concord and other close by areas. The book also explains how the people of Concord came to support this revolution and become patriots of our great nation. One of the reasons the book illustrated was the economic problem due to overpopulation and not having enough productive land in the area around the town. Also, the New Englanders had grown to hold a strong belief that the taxes that Britain imposed on them were violating their inalienable rights as Men, as Christians, and as Subjects.(Gross 65). There were also other reasons then those stated above, the people of Concord had a great deal of political tensions already. Mainly due to the pressures the patriotic colonists put on the dissenters to conform to their values. Concord started out as just a small shire town where the Middlesex County courts met. It was also a center for trade and communication in the area because of the high quality of roads that ran to and from Concord. These roads made Concord a prime spot for the temporary meeting place of the colonial government. This happened when a huge smallpox outbreak occurred in Boston from 1752 to 1764. This put Concord on the map and helped pave the way for it to become more of a political town. But, even though the colonial government was there for some time, it still took up until 1772 before the citizens of Concord really paid attention to colonial disputes against Britain. They had problems of their own to deal with, and needed to talk mostly about their own land, schools, roads and religious matters. These issues took up most of their time during the few town meetings they held. Concord had many other problems early on as well. Pre...

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