Hypothesis Testin Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hypothesis Testin Paper - Essay Example It is a hypothesis which states that there is no difference between the procedures and is denoted by H0. The following test of hypothesis can be conducted from the table above: Test Statistic: It is the random variable X whose value is tested to arrive at a decision. The Central Limit Theorem states that for large sample sizes (n > 30) drawn randomly from a population, the distribution of the means of those samples will approximate normality, even when the data in the parent population are not distributed normally. A z statistic is usually used for large sample sizes (n > 30), but often large samples are not easy to obtain, in which case the t-distribution can be used. The population standard deviation s is estimated by the sample standard deviation, s. Rejection Region: It is the part of the sample space (critical region) where the null hypothesis H0 is rejected. The size of this region is determined by the probability (a) of the sample point falling in the critical region when H0 is true. a is also known as the level of significance, the probability of the value of the random variable falling in the critical region. Also it should be noted that the term "Statistical significance" refers only to the rejection of a null hypothesis at some level a. It implies only that the observed difference between the sample statistic and the mean of the sampling distribution did not occur by chance alone. The critical t value is obtained according to the degrees of freedom The resulting t test values are shown in this table: t-test: Two-Sample Assuming Equal Variances Upstream Downstream Mean 6.6539 8.6874 Variance 0.2124 0.2988 Observations 10 10 Pooled Variance 0.2556 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 Degrees of freedom

Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism Essay Example for Free

Strengths and Weaknesses of Utilitarianism Essay The prominant criticism of Utilitarianism is that it is extremely hard to predict the results of an action. The outcomes of all situations are hard to predict, so how can we possibly apply the rule of the greatest happiness for the greatest number if we do not know who will benefit most? It is also difficult to decide whether an outcome is morally good or bad. People have contrasting opinions on what they think is right or wrong and it depends on the individual who is making the decision. This causes problems because a thing that is good to one person may at the same time be bad to another, One mans happiness is another mans pain. Without an absolute definition of happiness, it is hard to arrive at a right decision. Another problem of Utilitarianism is the concept of time. Is long term or short term pleasure more valuable? For example, when deciding whether to take an ecstasy tablet at a club. Taking the pill may give you a lot of short-term pleasure, but in the long term, it may cause more harm than good. Not taking the tablet would involve fewer risks and would avoid potential pain. Even here, you cannot predict the results of your decision, as there is no way of telling the effect the ecstasy has on you until you have tried it. Not only is it hard to tell what will be the consequences in the long run, but it is hard to define the time period of the long run to begin with. A particular problem with Utilitarianism stands out to me that totally immoral acts can be justified if they are seen to benefit the greatest number of people. For example In the early 1800s in South America, slave labour took place because it was seen to produce the most amount of good for the most amount of people. Slavery was an efficient way for Southern farmers to produce goods at a cheap price and these goods brought a lot of pleasure to a great amount of people. On the other hand, the slaves suffered terribly and had to endure vast amounts of pain and torture. Nevertheless the most amount of good was produced and enjoyed by the most amount of people through slavery therefore satisfying the principle of Utility. This example clearly shows how utilitarianism can cause injustice and the denial of human rights. The theory disregards motivation and goodwill, says that the majority is always right and Does not protect the innocent minorities. John Rawls agreed with this weakness. He argued that utilitarianism is too impersonal. In its pursuit of the greater good, it disregards the rights of individuals. He said that Utilitarianism could therefore be used to promote a dictatorship, in which decisions were made to over-ride the interests of the individual in favour of the greater good of society. Despite all the arguments against Utilitarianism, there are some valid points for the theory. It is widely accepted throughout the world as many countries run by means of democracy. Our political leaders are elected through the ballot box, the majority overriding the minority. This however does not automatically mean that they are the most suited people for the job. Utilitarianism also allows people to contemplate the situation before making the decision. This time prevents people from making hasty, unethical decisions, as it encourages thought before action. The aim of the theory is to produce happiness and pleasure. These are two desirable things as Utilitarianism says that pleasure is the sole good and pain is the sole evil, Nature has placed mankind under the governance of two sovereign masters-pleasure and pain. Supporters of the theory would argue that promoting pleasure must be a good thing as most people see pleasure as desirable over pain. They would also say that the intention of Utilitarianism was not to create immorality but to please to maximum number of people possible Surely it is better for a hundred people to be happy than five? Another good aspect of Utilitarianism is that it has one simple absolute, which can be applied to all situations with a positive outcome. In times of difficulty, it eases people out of difficult situations, as they cannot be blamed for making the wrong decision if they claim it was for the happiness of the majority. Any prejudices the decision maker may hold are eradicated in Utilitarianism, as they have to stick to the main rule. There is also some flexibility for emotions in moral decision making according to Rule Utilitarianism. This part of the theory allows respect for the rules that are created to better our society although even these rules do not have to be kept all the time if you are a weak utilitarian which poses problems over what the theory really is. Utilitarianism is a theory that Christians can relate to. Mill brought it closer to the Christian church by introducing Rule Utilitarianism. This would be closer to the principals Jesus lived by. For example, it was against the Jewish law to work on the Sabbath but when people were in need, Jesus bent this rule and healed them. The largest connection Christianity has with Utilitarianism is the death of Jesus. He was crucified and died for the sins of mankind, sacrificing himself for the majority. However, Utilitarianism does accept evil where Christianity most certainly does not.

Impact of Information Technology on the Military

Impact of Information Technology on the Military LT MUHAMMAD AMIRUL ZIKRI BIN TUMPANG IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN THE ROYAL ARMOUR CORPS IT, stands for Information Technology, and is pronounced I.T. It refers to anything related to computing technology, such as networking, hardware, software, the Internet, or the people that work with these technologies. Many companies now have IT departments for managing the computers, networks, and other technical areas of their businesses. IT jobs include computer programming, network administration, computer engineering, Web development, technical support, and many other related occupations. Since we live in the information age, information technology has become a part of our everyday lives. That means the term IT, already highly overused, is here to stay. What is information? This is processed data with a meaning or an organized, meaningful and useful interpretation of data. And what is technology? Technology is humans using objects (tools, machines, systems, and materials) to change the natural and human-made environment. Technology has always been an important part of war. Today, with information technology situated as the defining technology of our age it should be no surprise that IT (information technology) is a central part of war making. In fact, the US military has officially determined that information is the main force multiplier in battle, more important than numerical superiority or force of fire, the old standards. This is because, in the US militarys view, we now have the information technologies that cannot just make a crucial difference in battle, in terms of precision weapons, intelligence, and command and control, but that these technologies might actually allow the fog (uncertainly) of war to be dispelled so that total, almost painless victories, might be won against many opponents. The aim of this paper is to explain the impact of information technology to the Royal Armour Corps and does it giving any advantages to the corps. Before we go any further on this topic, we need to know the history of this information technology. Information technology has been around from a long, long time ago. Basically as long as people have been around, information technology has been around because there were always a lot of ways to communicate through technology available at that point in time. There are four main ages that divided up the history of information technology. Only the latest age (electronic) and some of electromechanical age really affects us today, but it is important for us to learn about how we got to the point we are at with today technologies. There are four stages revolution on the information technology: a. Premechanical b. Mechanical c. Electromechanical d. Electronic The premechanical age is the earliest age of information technology development. It can be defined as time in between 3000 B.C. and 1450 A.D. We are talking about a long, long time ago. Humans first started communicating between each other using language or simple picture drawings known as petroglyphs which were usually carved on the rock. Early alphabets were developed such as the Phoenician alphabet. As alphabets became more popular and more people were writing information down, pens and paper began to be developed by humans. In the early, it started off as just marks in wet clay, but later on paper was created out of the papyrus plant. The most popular kind of paper produced is probably made by the Chinese who made it out of rags. Now that people were writing a lot of information down, they needed ways to keep it in a permanent storage. This is when the first books and libraries are developed between those times. You have probably heard about the Egyptian scrolls which were popular ways to write down information to save. Some groups of people actually binding all the paper together into a book-like form. The first numbering system used is during this period of times. Around 100 A.D. was when the first 1 to 9 system was created by people from the India. However, it was not until 875 A.D. (775 years later) that the number 0 was invented. And now that numbers were created, people wanted stuff to do with them so they created the calculators. A calculator was the very first sign of an information processor known. The popular model of calculator during that time was the abacus. The mechanical age is when we first start to relate the connections between our current technology and its ancestors. The mechanical age can be defined as the time between 1450 A.D. and 1840 A.D. A lot of new technologies are developed as there is a large explosion in interest with this area. Technologies like the slide rule (an analog computer used for multiplying and dividing numbers) were created. Blaise Pascal has invented the Pascaline which was a very popular mechanical computer during that time. Charles Babbage has developed the difference engine which can tabulate polynomial equations using the method of finite differences. There were lots of different machines created during that period of times and while we have not yet gotten to a machine that can do more than one type of calculation in one, like our modern-day calculators, we are still learning on about how all of our all-in-one machines started from the beginning. Also, if you look at the size of the machines invented during that era compared to the power behind them it seems (to us) that it is absolutely ridiculous to understand why anybody would want to use them, but to all the people living in that time, ALL of these inventions were HUGE. Now we are finally getting close to some technologies that resemble our modern-day technology nowadays. The electromechanical age can be defined as the time between 1840 A.D. and 1940 A.D. These are the beginnings of the telecommunication. The telegraph system was created in the early 1800s. Morse code was created by Samuel Morse in the 1835. The telephone (one of the most popular forms of communication ever made) was created by Alexander Graham Bell in the 1876. The first ever radio were developed by Guglielmo Marconi in 1894. All of these were extremely crucial emerging technologies that have led us to a big advance in the information technology field. The first large-scale automatic digital computer ever in the United States was the Mark 1 computer created by Harvard University around 1940. This computer was 8ft high, 50ft long, 2ft wide, and weighed 5 tons; it is totally HUGE and heavy. It was programmed by using punch cards. How does your PC today match up to this hunk of metal? It was from these huge machines that people began to look at downsizing all of the parts available to first make them usable by businesses and eventually in your own home. The electronic age is what we currently live in nowadays. It can be defined as the time between the 1940 until now. The ENIAC was the first high-speed, digital computer that capable to be reprogrammed to solve a full range of computing problems. This computer was designed to be used by the U.S. Army for the artillery firing tables. This machine was even bigger than the Mark 1 taking around 680 square feet and weighing 30 tons. It mainly used the vacuum tubes to do its calculations. There are 4 main sections on digital computing. The first was the era of using vacuum tubes and punch cards like the ENIAC and Mark 1. Rotating magnetic drums were used for the internal storage. The second generation replaced the vacuum tubes with transistors, punch cards were replaced with the magnetic tape, and rotating magnetic drums were replaced by magnetic cores for internal storage of the computers. Also during this time, a high-level programming language was created such as FORTRAN and COBOL. The third generation replaced the transistors with integrated circuits, magnetic tape was still used throughout all computers, and the magnetic core turned into metal oxide semiconductors. An actual operating system was showed up during this time along with the BASIC advanced programming language. The fourth and latest generation has brought in the CPUs (central processing units) which contained memory, logic, and the control circuits all on a single chip. The personal computer was devel oped then (Apple II). The graphical user interface (GUI) was also developed. There is a lot more happened to all of these generations and ages but all we need to know is a just a rough overview on this. There are several characteristic of good information and technology. The following are all the characteristics. Good information: It has to be accurate Must be relevant to basic purposes Complete in respect to the key elements of the problem It has to be Timely (should be communicated in time to be used ) It has to be consistent and reliable It has to be Up-to-date Easy to understand It has to be tailored to the needs of managers and end users. Technology: Technology is human knowledge Technology uses tools, materials and systems. Its application will result into artifacts (human-made things ) Technology is developed by people to modify their environment. Information technology is important in the military operation including the Royal Armour Corps. These technologies convenience are connecting the commander and their subordinates. The connection is very important since both of them needs to communicate between each other to locate the position of the enemy, their own location, a place to make a hide and other information that they need to know and acknowledge. For the improvements that Malaysian Army had done for the Royal Armour Corps is the new installments of the SOTAS. It stands for Signal On Board Two Wire Audio System. This radio advantages is that it have a crystal clear communications, the size, weight and power that can be produced by this radio, the interoperability of the radio and many other feature that can gives us a boost for using it. SOTAS consists of a family of modular components that can be assembled and called to create perfectly fitting configurations for all vehicle types and missions. A light vehicles intercom only requires a single SOTAS unit. Larger and more complex systems are created by adding User Stations, Network Nodes, software packages and hardware option modules. Other than the SOTAS unit, Malaysian Army have made an upgrades for the PT-91M (Pendekar) tank by equipping it with a Battlefield Managements System. The key features of this new system is that it provides automatized reporting and graphical orders dissemination, integrated to secure data communications, IP interfaces for other communications media, peripheral interface for sensor displays. The capabilities for Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition are also the main key features that made Malaysia to buy the systems. The main characteristics of this systems is the integrated vehicular station for sharing situational awareness, can adapt and customize functionalities to roles and missions, scalable from battalion to dismounted soldier and mission preparation package with relevant cartography tools. The growth improvements of these information technologies have lead us to a new stage of warfare which is the information warfare. Most modern political and military C2 systems are based on high speed communications and computers. It follows that this information infrastructure, also known as an infosphere, will be the arena in which information warfare is waged. Any system or person who participates in the C2 process will be a potential target in an IW campaign. All of the countries have improved their information technology systems just to compete with other armed forces to secure their communications and prevents others from sabotaging it. Information warfare, simply put, is an orchestrated effort to achieve victory by subverting or neutralizing an enemy command and control (C2) system, while protecting use of C2 systems to coordinate the actions of friendly forces. A successful IW campaign seizes initiative from an enemy commander; the IW campaign allows allied forces to operate at a much higher tempo than an enemy can react to. The threat that already being posed by other countries is significantly high, since they have a far more advanced technology such as the ability to jam the communication by using aircraft as for the EA-6B Prowler. The aircraft is the primary tactical jamming aircraft of the US Navy, US Air Force and the US Marine Corps. So we need a prevention action from this kind of jamming method so that our information is not cut out and can be secured. Information is very important for the military since it can immobilize the entire forces down. Without the importance of information technology awareness, we will always take it for granted and not looking this as a major threat. While other countries have taken a big steps in improving their information and communications security. They have seen this problem as a major threat that can jeopardize their operations if they make it vulnerable to others and to let others take advantages of it. Information Warfare has significant implications for modern military theory. Under Information Warfare, the enemy soldier no longer constitutes a major target. It will focus on preventing the enemy soldier from talking to his commander. Without coordinated action, an enemy force becomes an unwieldy mob, and a battle devolves to a crowd-control issue. In the not too distant future, computer weapon systems will conduct software strikes against the enemy infosphere to disrupt command and control. Targets will be chosen for military, political or economic significance. IW opens new doors throughout the spectrum of conflict to achieve tactical, operational and strategic objectives. Malaysian Army needs to make their information security is at a high level just to prevent the enemy from taking an advantages from our communications problems. References: http://www.iwar.org.uk/iwar/resources/airchronicles/crawford.htm https://www.thalesgroup.com/sites/default/files/asset/document/fol_0260_05_12_sotas.pdf https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/canada/defence/tactical-battlefield-management-systems-t-bms-commnder http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/prowler/ http://fas.org/irp/doddir/army/ar25-1.pdf http://www.useoftechnology.com/importance-functions-information-technology/

Tibetan Culture and Art :: essays research papers

Tibetan Culture and Art Tibetan culture and art possess a history of more than 5,000 years, and the Tibetan Buddhism has had the greatest influence on this culture. The development of Tibetan culture and art proceeded through four stages: prehistoric civilization before the 7th century; cultural stability during the Tubo Kingdom; high development during the Yuan Dynasty; and the height of cultural achievement attained during the Qing Dynasty. The prehistoric stage includes all development from the ancient civilization that appeared during the New Stone Age some 5,000 years ago to the founding of the Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century. A salient feature of this civilization is the founding and development of the Bon, an animist religion. Findings from the ruins of the Karub New Stone Age Site in Qamdo and rock paintings found in Ngari, which have been dated from all periods from the late Old Stone Age to the Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century, all display a concentrated expression of the achievements of prehistoric civilization and reveal the budding of prehistoric art. The Tubo Kingdom in the 7th century was an important period which witnessed the creation of Tibetan writing and the spread into Tibet of Buddhism from India and China's Tang Dynasty. Collusion and mutual assimilation of different cultures and arts constituted a major feature of this period. Cultural and artistic achievements made during this period of time include the Jokhang, Ramoche, Changzhug and Samye monasteries. These monasteries are a combination of architecture, paintings and sculptures, the styles of which were disseminated in accordance with the world model of Buddhism. The major architectural features of these monasteries were built using a style unique to Tibet, and also incorporating influences from India and the Central Plains of the Tang Dynasty. A unique culture was thus created and firmly planted in the soil of Tibet. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), the culture and art of Tibetan Buddhism developed rapidly. Tibet's first encyclopedia-like catalogue on Gangyur and Dangyur of Tibetan Tripitaka was compiled; Buddhist masters who played key roles in the development of Tibetan culture and art, including Sagya Pandit Gonggar Gyaincain, Purdain Rinqenzhub and Zongkapa, emerged. Works of historical significance created during this period of time include the History on Buddhism by Purdain, the Green Annals, the Red Annals, the New Red Annals and the Records on Five Sutras in Tibet. There was an exuberance of literary works, including mottos, philosophic poems, fables and stories.

Red bull Essay

Red Bull is a functional beverage founded by Austrian entrepreneur, Dietrich Mateschitz, in 1984. Containing ingredients such as taurine and caffeine, Red Bull beverages are specially developed for those who wish to be physically and mentally active. The various product variants under Red Bull aim to enhance performance, concentration and stimulate metabolism which improves the overall well-being of consumers. Red Bull is currently present in over 162 countries, and holds 65% of the worldwide energy drink market. With a witty slogan â€Å"Red Bull gives you wings†, the product is marketed through advertising, extreme sports tournament sponsorships, sports team ownerships, athlete endorsements, online games and a record label, Red Bull Records. However, in the fast progressing beverage industry cluttered with many substitutes and large competitors, Red Bull might face issues concerning its lack of product variability as well as arising health concerns with regards to its high caffeine content. In order to tackle these issues, we will first conduct a SWOT analysis to determine the internal and external environment which Red Bull is operating in. Secondly, we will conduct an in-depth analysis on Red Bull’s market structure and control systems to determine if these systems are effective complementing strategy implementation. Lastly, we will provide relevant recommendations to address the issues and problems faced by Red Bull in its strive expand and grow globally. 2.0 SWOT Analysis of Red Bull Strengths †¢ Market share leadership with approximately 65% market share in the energy drinks market. †¢ Strong reputation especially backed up by strong customer loyalty from Generation Y †¢ Strong brand identity since its incorporation in 1987 with steady growth into a market giant and is now synonymous with brand and product excellence. Weakness †¢ Small product base as Red Bull markets only 4 branded products (Red Bull Energy Drink, Red Bull sugarfree, Red Bull energy shot and Red Bull Cola), therefore vulnerable to market fluctuations †¢ Lack of product innovation thus being left behind when a number of new energy drinks have been launched in 2004. Opportunities †¢ Could diversify retail outlets and distribution network by means of capitalizing on vending machines as a new route to increase sales as well as keep up with industry trends. †¢ Potential to extend product lines by adding new products, such as new flavours, forms, colours, added ingredients and packages sizes. †¢ Marketing their products as functional drinks so as to capitalize on strong consumer awareness of its brand. †¢ Geographical expansion in the Asia Pacific regions by building upon developing markets such as India. Threats †¢ Imminent threat of new entrants as the energy drink industry has always been considerably attractive due to its high profit margin †¢ Near zero switching cost for consumers makes it even easier and more attractive for new entrants to capture market share †¢ Real threat of substitute products which serve the same functional purpose of Red Bull but main ingredient of caffeine replaced by electrolytes, which is a healthier choice. †¢ Government regulations could pose as a threat to the expansion and penetration plans of  Red Bull as their products is not just another flavoured beverage in the market; the high caffeine content in the drink has always been a concern to certain interest groups. †¢ Recent popularity with organic food and drinks products could eat into Red Bull’s market share, especially when Red Bull’s market is seen to be in the maturing stage. 3.0 Analysis of Red Bull’s Market Structure and Control Systems 3.1 Market Structure 3.1.1 The number of players in the Energy Drink Market  Red Bull belongs to an oligopoly market structure where the market is dominated by a few large players. The degree of market concentration is relatively high with a large % of it taken up by Red Bull. There are currently more than 30 types of energy-drink products in the market, with Red Bull occupying the largest market share of approximately 65%. With the number of players in the market, there is therefore certain degree of interdependence between firms and it is necessary for Red Bull to take into account the likely reactions of other firms during strategy planning. 3.1.2 The Degree of Product Differentiation in the Market Being in an oligopoly market structure, Red Bull produces branded products where advertising and marketing is an important feature of competition. The different types of energy drinks in the market serve as close substitutes to Red Bull. Hence, Red Bull presents itself as a premium product, having â€Å"a unique combination of high quality ingredients† (Red Bull, n.d.) which â€Å"vitalizes body and mind† (Red Bull, n.d.). It segments its market differently from its competitors, focusing on performance-oriented individuals who want to have a clear, focused mind and a fun and active lifestyle. This has resulted in Red Bull pricing its product higher than its competitors. For instance, an 8.4 fl oz. can of Red Bull retail for $2.59 whereas a 16 fl oz. can of Rockstar retails for $1.50, which constitute to about half the price per fl oz. as compared to Red Bull. 3.1.3 The Ease of Entry and Exit Into And Out Of the Energy Drink Market There are huge, though not insurmountable, barriers to entering the energy drink market. One prevalent barrier is brand loyalty which Red Bull has built up over the years. This strong brand loyalty has the effect of reducing consumer  consideration of alternatives in the marketplace. Also, the high initial capital cost associated with research and development prior to formulating energy drinks could deter potential competitors from entering the market. In addition, government policies pertaining to licensing and patents create the biggest barrier to entry, which aids in the dominance Red Bull enjoys today. 3.2 Marketing Control System In order to ensure that the company’s objectives are achieved, Red Bull markets its energy drink in three ways, namely the media advertising, sports and event sponsoring as well as sampling. The three marketing techniques not only increase the brand awareness of Red Bull, but assist the management in terms of market control. Additionally, Red Bull also performs control techniques in the following ways. 3.2.1 Intensive Research Work Firstly, Red Bull conducts on-going research to determine if consumers are satisfied with its product. This includes sampling to its primary target market – tired people who need energy. Through sampling, consumers are able to provide feedback on the product, essentially its taste, packaging and effects. If there is negative feedback received, Red Bull will then look for ways to improve so as to meet consumer needs. 3.2.2 Internal Statistics Secondly, Red Bull uses statistics such as sales, revenue and market share to assess if its marketing strategies are successful. Based on analysis, a total of 4,204 billion cans of Red Bull were sold worldwide in 2010, which signifies an increase of 7.6% against 2009 (Red Bull, n.d.). This can be one of the factors indicating that Red Bull is heading in the right direction in marketing its product. 3.2.3 Marketing and Pricing Strategies Thirdly, Red Bull employs advertising strategies that are suitable to its primary target market. Hence, at this moment, Red Bull does not need to adjust its strategies to change consumer perception. Nonetheless, if Red Bull has decided to introduce new uses for its product, changes have to be made to the advertising strategies to market the new uses. However, unlike most companies which adopt pricing strategies that involve adjusting the  product prices to meet market changes so as to remain competitive, Red Bull does otherwise. Consumer reviews state that Red Bull is being priced steeper as compared to other energy drinks in the market. Despite that, Red Bull continues to maintain its premium price as it has positioned itself as a premium product. 4.0 Solutions and Recommendations Q1. Red Bull should construct a market-oriented mission statement, focusing on customer needs rather than products. A product-centered mission statement is too myopic and does not reflect the long-lasting basic market need. Red Bull’s mission statement has to reflect the company’s core product, position in the market, distinctive competencies, and lastly, it has to be motivating. Our group proposal of Red Bull’s mission statement: â€Å"As a market leader, Red Bull promotes an active lifestyle by providing high-quality energy drinks to the global market, empowering our customers to live to their fullest potential and have the courage to achieve their dreams.† Q2. Red Bull has managed to identify the best target market. Red Bull has segmented the market as follows: Demographic segmentation Red Bull is targeting young teenagers to busy working adults. It targets students who often suffer from exhaustion, blue collared workers who require strength for their manual jobs, and office professionals, who require concentration to focus in meetings and their respective work. Psychographic segmentation Red Bull targets markets based on the consumers’ lifestyles. These consumers include party-goers, sportsmen and gamers. In terms of the personalities of the customers, Red Bull targets those who are able to connect with the brand image of Red Bull, which is to live with zest and lead a fun, happening and risk-taking lifestyle. Product – Red Bull does not have a wide variety of flavours – only original, sugar free, cola and Red Bull shot. The rationale for this is mainly to establish a clear core product. Furthermore, Red Bull is recognized as an energy drink that gives a strong and immediate energy boost to improve performance. In terms of design and packaging, a Red Bull can is small and easy to carry which is chromed, making it reflective and hence, it can catch a customer’s eye easily. As for recommendations, Red Bull could produce an alcoholic beverage of its own, which can be sold over-the-shelf in stores. This would be able to create new product that mixes Red Bull and alcohol. Thus, the non-party-goers can have a taste of an alcoholic Red Bull as well. Promotion – One of the most well-known activities that Red Bull has been involved in for many years is Formula 1. This is a form of above-the-line advertising done by Red Bull to increase consumer awareness of Red Bull. Other than that, Red Bull also engages in â€Å"Opinion Leader Marketing† by having more than 250 agreements with top athletes. This is to attract people who follow and look up to these athletes. Red Bull’s strategy of attracting celebrities to endorse their products is very unique because they do not pay the celebrities a single cent. Instead, they approach athletes who support Red Bull wholeheartedly. Q5. Red bull’s competitors come in two forms – direct and indirect. This is measured by how close these competing products are in relation to Red Bull’s. The direct competitors would be those who produce similar utility/functional products, such as Monster, Rockstar and Naughty G. Indirect competitors would be other drinks that are somewhat similar but do not give the same benefits as Red Bull. Examples would be Pepsi and Coke (caffeinated and soft drinks, but not energy drinks) and 100 Plus and H20(sports and soft drinks, but not caffeinated). Clearly indirect competitors are furthest away in terms of substitutability. Examples are Nescafe (caffeine only), Sprite (soft drink only) and Gatorade (sports drink only). Q6. Currently, we think Red Bull’s marketing strategy is already very successful. In relation to how Red Bull reaches out to ‘tired’ and ‘exhausted’ people by giving them free samples, we feel there might not be such a strong need to raise more awareness about the product as it has already established itself adequately. Instead, Red Bull can invest in product Research and Development, which might enable Red Bull to introduce more flavours and variety to its current line of products. Red Bull can introduce â€Å"limited edition† flavours, where they can bring in new flavours for a limited period of time, and then see how well the sales of the new flavours turn out to be before deciding to permanently add them to their product line. For example, Red Bull can come out with a product comprising of natural ingredients, such as Siberian/American Ginseng(natural alternatives to caffeine), or add in some vitamins like vitamin C to its existing products , which might capture more of the ‘health-conscious’ consumers. Furthermore, this might attract Asian consumers who prefer traditional/herbal ingredients. Control measures: Analysis of how the market share amongst Asian consumers is affected(look at sales, growth, etc.). Red Bull can also give free samples to consumers, just like how it does for its existing products through its Red Bull vehicles. Along with their free samples, they can conduct surveys on the consumers and ask for their feedback. Also, they can conduct online surveys, as the use of online social media is largely pervasive today. Red Bull can build a theme park comprising of extreme rides. It can aim to break the world records for the highest roller coaster drop or have the fastest ride. In this theme park, it can also provide complementary Red Bull drinks to its visitors. This will also be a great avenue for new flavours to be sampled. Such an extreme theme park would create much buzz all around the world, and people who visit the theme park will definitely share their extreme experiences with their friends. Thus, Red Bull would have come out with another form of its already famous buzz marketing. Control measures: By calculating the theme park’s return on marketing investment. Building such a theme park has a lot of fixed costs, like the costs of land and constructions. Hence, it is easy to calculate total cost. Furthermore, sales can also be easily calculated by simply looking the number of tickets sold. Therefore, it would be easy to calculate the theme park’s return on marketing investment. ​ Q7. Small Asian Businesses have relatively lower financial power as compared to big companies. They face difficulty competing with the big companies given similar products. To simply put it, they are the small ‘fishes’ regardless of the size of the market. Firstly, like Red bull, they can focus on a small product base and differentiate their products from the competitors’. They can identify the right market segments and target markets which have been relatively untouched and fit their products to be the most attractive for the consumers in their targeted markets. Like Red Bull, small Asian businesses should create an efficient Marketing Informatics Systems (MIS) and have an  appropriate mix of marketing research and intelligence, so that they are constantly able to discover new opportunities and cater to the needs of consumers, and at the same time be aware of their competitors’ strategies. Also, small Asian businesses can adopt Red Bull’s stealth marketing approach. This eliminates costs such as large scale advertising costs coming from big billboards or banners for example. Red Bull has also shown through stealth marketing that doing something unorthodox and not merely following what everyone else does can also lead to success. Therefore, small Asian businesses can draw inspiration from this and be creative and brave in their marketing strategies. References http://www.redbull.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Red-Bull-Energy-Drink/001242937921959 Drawert. http://www.drawert.com/red_bull_1.php

Statistical Significance and Homemade Shampoo

A Study on Gugo and Okra as Homemade Shampoo A Research Done by: Francine Faye A. Jumaquio Majaline Faye A. Tolentino Romer T. Nepumoceno Talavera National High School Talavera Nueva Ecija A Study on Gugo and Okra as a Homemade Shampoo Claudine M. Lajara I-Rosal Introduction This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a homemade shampoo out of the native Gugo, scientific name Entada phaseuoliodes and Okra, scientific name Abelomoschus Esculentus L. in making different type of hair stronger. Four phases were done: Phase 1, the control treatment; Phase 2, homemade shampoo compared to control treatment; Phase 3, homemade shampoo compared to varied concentration of gugo and okra; and Phase 4, where the acceptability of the homemade shampoo was determine in terms of smoothness, softness, and manageability. Statement of the Problem: Specifically, the researchers aimed to answer the following questions: 1. Can gugo and okra be used as raw material in making shampoo? 2. How effective are gugo and okra on the tensile strength of the hair? 3. Which treatment is more effective – treatments with greater concentration of okra han gugo or more gugo than okra? Procedure A. Preparation of Materials About 10,000 hair strands were gathered from four respondents having different types of hair, (normal, and dry, ethnic, curly). In each type of hair, 2020 strands were used: 240 strands for water, okra, 10 percent gugo, and 100 percent gugo; 240 strands for seven brands of shampoo; 12 0 strands for gugo and okra; and 600 strands for 10 treatments with varied concentration of okra and gugo. Five hundred grams of gugo bark were boiled in 70 ml of water for 30 minutes, and strained to extract the juice. The decoction was placed in a clean bottle. To prepare okra decoction, 200 grams of okra fruits were boiled in 200 ml tap water for10 minutes. The cooked okra was masked for extraction and decoction was strained for the preparation of solution. The homemade shampoo was prepared from 50 ml gugo decoction and 50 ml okra decoction. A 58ml coconut oil was added to the mixture and placed in an earthen pot. It was heated for 5 minutes and placed in a clean bottle. The homemade shampoo was then prepared into two setups: setup A and setup B. The treatment involves four type of hair (normal, dry, ethnic, curly). Setup A Treatment |Gugo (ml) |Okra (ml) | |1 |50 |50 | |2 |40 |60 | |3 |30 |70 | |4 |20 |80 | |5 |10 |90 | Setup B Treatment |Gugo (ml) |Okra (ml) | |1 |50 |50 | |2 |60 |40 | |3 |70 |30 | |4 |80 |20 | |5 |90 |10 | B. Soaking Process and Determination of the Hair Strength In phase 1, four treatments were prepared: †¢ Treatment 1: water, †¢ Treatment 2: Okra , †¢ Treatment 3: 10 percent gugo, †¢ Treatment 4: 100 percent gugo. These are the control treatments. Six bowls were prepared and labeled as 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 minute, respectively. Sixty strands of normal hair were used and divided into 10 strands. The hair strands were simultaneously soaked in the respective bowls with 100 ml tap water and were removed when the time allotted for each bowl had elapsed. Then they were rinsed separately. They were placed in clean sheets of paper labeled according to the length of time they were soaked, (such as T1- water: 5 minutes; T2 – water: 10 minutes; and so on). The bowl used from the first treatment was washed thoroughly and were used again for the other treatments. The process was repeated for treatments 2, 3, 4. To determine the strength of the hair strands, a spring scale was used and five trials were done. From the 10 strands of normal hair, 5 strands from Treatment were tested. The hair strands were tied up to the spring scale at one end. A 15 cm length of the hair strands were maintained between the spring scale and the weight. The weight was pull until the hair snaps. The amount of force in Newton (I Newton = 100 grams) registered on the spring scale prior to the breaking of the hair was recorded and the average result from the five trial was computed. The process was repeated for treatments 2, 3, 4. Also the same process was done for ethnic, dry, and curly hair. In the second phase, 480 strands from four hair types were used. Out 480 strands, 120 strands of the hair were prepared for trial 1 and trial 2, using the homemade shampoo (gugo and okra). The same procedure ion phase 1 was done for these treatments. In the third phase, 2,400 strands of hair were prepared from the four types of hair. Out of 2,400 strands, 1,200 strands were used in setup A and another 1,200 in set up B. Each set up has 5 treatments and 60 hair strands were divided into ten, and each 10 were soaked separately in six bowls labeled 5, 10, 15, 22, 25, and 3 minutes, respectively. The same procedure from the previous phases was done to determine the hair strength. In the 4th phase, 20 female respondents, who had normal and dry hair were asked to apply Treatment 1 in setup A: 10 percent gugo + 90 percent okra. Most of their hairs were equal in length. The respondents treated their hair one by one. They wet their hair first and 20ml of this treatment was applied to the entire crown and was massaged on the scalp. After 1 min. , the hair was rinsed thoroughly with tap water. A clean towel was used to dry and comb their hair slowly. After 1 hour, the effect on the hair was observed using 1 to 4 scales. The following scales were used: |A. Softness |B. Smoothness |C. Manageability | |1 – slightly soft |1 – slightly smooth |1 – slightly manageable | |2 – fairly soft |2 – fairly smooth |2 – fairly manageable | |3 – soft |3 – smooth |3 – manageable | |4 – very soft |4 – very smooth |4 – very manageable | After having applied and observed the effects of treatment 1; treatments with 90% gugo + 10 % okra were used by the same respondents with the same procedure as of Set up A. Results, Discussion and Conclusion Phase 1: Significant comparison on the hair strength among the control treatments: There was no significant difference on the hair strength, considering the different types of hair. However, the longer the longer the time each type of hair was soaked, the greater the hair strength. Among the four treatments in this phase, the hair strength when soaked in 10 %gugo, were the strongest while water was the weakest. Phase 2: Significant comparison between homemade shampoo and control treatment: Normal hair was significantly strongest compared to curly, dry and ethnic. Among the control treatment, hair strength was the strongest when soaked in treatment three: 10% gugo. Treatment 1: water was registered the weakest. It was also observed that as the soaking time increased, the hair strength also increased. Phase 3: Significant comparison among homemade shampoo, control treatment, Setup A and Setup B: Normal hair was significantly stronger, curly hair was the weakest, while dry and ethnic hair were almost comparable to each other. 10% gugo registered the strongest hair strength, followed by okra, then okra and gugo. Together, these three treatments were significantly different from all other treatment. The longer the soaking time, the stronger the hair strength. Phase 4: Acceptability of treatments. For normal hair, the two treatments showed no significant differences in terms of smoothness, softness and manageability. The 90% gugo+ 10%okra treatment was fairly manageable and the 10% gugo + 90% okra treatment was manageable. For dry hair, the two treatments showed no significant difference in terms of smoothness, softness. But there was a significant difference of manageability at 0. 5 probability level. Recommendations Based on the findings, the researcher recommends the following: 1. Use okra as raw material for making shampoo; 2. Further study of the properties of the homemade shampoo to establish the effect on hair; 3. Follow-up research must be conducted on the acceptability for other types of hair; 4. This research would provide information to those who are interested in the production of this product. Bibliography Jumaquio, Francine Faye A. , et. al. , â€Å"A Feasibility Study of Gugo and Okra as Homemade Shampoo†.

Biography of Victoria Woodhull, Womens Rights Activist

Biography of Victoria Woodhull, Women's Rights Activist Victoria Woodhull (born Victoria Claflin; September 23, 1838–June 9, 1927) was a womens rights activist, stockbroker, and newspaper editor. She ran for president of the United States in 1872. Woodhull was also involved in the spiritualist movement, and for a time she made her living as a healer. Fast Facts: Victoria Woodhull Known For:  Candidacy for U.S. President; radicalism as a womens suffrage activist; role in a sex scandal involving Henry Ward BeecherAlso Known As:  Victoria California Claflin, Victoria Woodhull Martin, Wicked Woodhull, Mrs. SatanBorn:  September 23, 1838 in Homer, OhioParents: Roxanna Claflin and Reuben Buck ClaflinDied:  June 9, 1927 in Bredon’s Norton,  Worcestershire, EnglandSpouse(s): Canning Woodhull, Colonel James Harvey Blood, John Biddulph MartinChildren: Byron Woodhull, Zulu (later Zula), Maude WoodhullNotable Quote: Of all the horrid brutalities of our age, I know of none so horrid as those that are sanctioned and defended by marriage. Early Life Victoria Claflin was born into the poor and eccentric family of Roxanna and Reuben Buck Claflin as the seventh of 10 children on September 23, 1838. Her mother often attended religious revivals and believed herself to be clairvoyant. The family traveled around selling patent medicines and telling fortunes, with the father styling himself Dr. R. B. Claflin, American King of Cancers. Victoria spent her childhood with this medicine show, often paired with her younger sister Tennessee in performing and telling fortunes. First Marriage Victoria met Canning Woodhull when she was 15 and they soon married. Canning also styled himself as a physician, at a time when licensing requirements were non-existent or loose. Canning Woodhull, like Victorias father, sold patent medicines. They had a son Byron, who was born with serious intellectual disabilities, which Victoria blamed on her husbands drinking. Victoria moved to San Francisco and worked as an actress and cigar girl. She later rejoined her husband in New York City, where the rest of the Claflin family was living, and Victoria and her sister Tennessee began practicing as mediums. In 1864, the Woodhulls and Tennessee moved to Cincinnati, then to Chicago, and then began traveling, keeping ahead of complaints and legal proceedings. Victoria and Canning later had a second child, a daughter Zulu (later known as Zula). Over time, Victoria grew less tolerant of her husbands drinking, womanizing, and occasional beatings. They divorced in 1864, with Victoria keeping her ex-husbands surname. Spiritualism and Free Love Likely during her troubled first marriage, Victoria Woodhull became an advocate of free love, the idea that a person has the right to stay with a person as long as they choose, and that they can choose another (monogamous) relationship when they want to move on. She met Colonel James Harvey Blood, also a spiritualist and an advocate of free love. They are said to have married in 1866, though there are no records of this marriage. Victoria Woodhull, Captain Blood, Victorias sister Tennessee, and their mother eventually moved to New York City. In New York City, Victoria established a popular salon where many of the citys intellectual elite gathered. There she became acquainted with Stephen Pearl Andrews, an advocate of free love, spiritualism, and womens rights. Congressman Benjamin F. Butler was another acquaintance and advocate of womens rights and free love. Through her salon, Victoria became increasingly interested in womens rights and suffrage. Womens Suffrage Movement In January 1871, the National Woman Suffrage Association met in Washington, D.C. On January 11, Victoria Woodhull arranged to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on the topic of womens suffrage, and the NWSA convention was postponed a day so that those attending could see Woodhull testifying. Her speech was written with Rep. Benjamin Butler of Massachusetts and made the case that women already had the right to vote based on the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The NWSA leadership then invited Woodhull to address their gathering. The leadership of the NWSA- which included Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Isabella Beecher Hooker- was so taken with the speech that they began promoting Woodhull as an advocate and speaker for womens suffrage. Theodore Tilton was a supporter and officer of the NWSA and also a close friend of one of Woodhulls critics, Reverend Henry Ward Beecher. Elizabeth Cady Stanton told Victoria Woodhull confidentially that Tiltons wife Elizabeth had been involved in an affair with the Reverend Beecher. When Beecher refused to introduce Woodhull at a November 1871 lecture at Steinway Halls, she visited him privately and reportedly confronted him about his affair. Still, he refused to do the honors at her lecture. In her speech the next day, she referred indirectly to the affair as an example of sexual hypocrisy and double standards. Because of the scandal this caused, Woodhull lost a significant amount of business, though her lectures were still in demand. She and her family had trouble paying their bills,  however, and were eventually evicted from their home. Presidential Candidacy In May 1872, a breakaway group from the NWSA- the National Radical Reformers- nominated Woodhull as a candidate for U.S. president of the Equal Rights Party. They nominated Frederick Douglass, a newspaper editor, former slave, and abolitionist, as vice president. Theres no record that Douglass accepted the nomination. Susan B. Anthony opposed the nomination of Woodhull, while Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Isabella Beecher Hooker supported her run for the presidency. Beecher Scandal Woodhull continued to have significant financial problems, even suspending her journal for a few months. Perhaps responding to continued denunciations of her moral character, on November 2, just before Election Day, Woodhull revealed specifics of the Beecher/Tilton affair in a speech and published an account of the affair in the resumed Weekly. She also published a story about a stockbroker, Luther Challis, and his seduction of young women. Her target was not the morality of the sexual affairs, but the hypocrisy that permitted powerful men to be sexually free while women were denied such freedom. The reaction to the public revelation of the Beecher/Tilton affair was a great public outcry. Woodhull was arrested under the Comstock Law for distribution of obscene material through the mail and charged with libel. In the meantime, the presidential election was held, and Woodhull received no official votes. (Some scattered votes for her were likely not reported.) In 1877, after the scandal had subsided, Tennessee, Victoria, and their mother moved to England, where they lived comfortably. Life in England In England, Woodhull met wealthy banker John Biddulph Martin, who proposed to her. They did not marry until 1882, apparently because of his familys opposition to the match, and she worked to distance herself from her former radical ideas on sex and love. Woodhull used her new married name, Victoria Woodhull Martin, in her writings and public appearances after her marriage. Tennessee married Lord Francis Cook in 1885. Victoria published Stirpiculture, or the Scientific Propagation of the Human Race in 1888; with Tennessee, The Human Body, the Temple of God in 1890; and in 1892, Humanitarian Money: The Unsolved Riddle. Woodhull traveled to the United States occasionally and was nominated in 1892 as the presidential candidate of the Humanitarian Party. England remained her primary residence. In 1895, she returned to publishing with a new paper, The Humanitarian, which advocated eugenics. In this venture, she worked with her daughter Zulu Maude Woodhull. Woodhull also founded a school and an agricultural show and became involved in a number of humanitarian causes. John Martin died in March 1897, and Victoria did not remarry. Death In her later years, Woodhull became involved in the womens suffrage campaigns led by the Pankhursts. She died on June 9, 1927, in England. Legacy Though she was considered controversial in her time, Woodhull has come to be widely admired for her trailblazing efforts to secure rights for women. Two womens rights organizations- the Woodhull Insititute for Ethical Leadership and the Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance- were named in her honor, and in 2001 Woodhull was added to the National Womens Hall of Fame. Sources Gabriel, Mary.  Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 1998.Goldsmith, Barbara.  Other Powers: The Age of Suffrage, Spiritualism, and the Scandalous Victoria Woodhull. Granta, 1998.Underhill, Lois Beachy.  The Woman Who Ran for President: The Many Lives of Victoria Woodhull. Penguin, 1996.

Flu Epidemic of 1918 essays

Flu Epidemic of 1918 essays Walking down any given street in the year 1918 between the months of June and December, one would take notice of coffins lining the sidewalks. Nobody was on the streets, and dead bodies were stuffed into every available space. The Flu Epidemic of 1918 not only was the most devastating event of the twentieth century, but propelled the United States to search for a vaccine that has not yet been found, causing concern that the flu will strike again. Influenza has been around almost as long as people have walked the earth. Its roots draw back as far as 412 B.C., when a man named Hippocrates wrote of an uncontrollable outbreak of a disease that closely resembles influenza. This pandemic devastated an entire Athenian army, and has since occurred approximately every one hundred years (Persico 30). However, in 1918, influenza was somewhat different. It became popularly known as the Spanish influenza. This is slightly a misnomer because although it became widely known in Spain during the spring of 1918, it had been noticed on British army bases in France in 1917 (Carter 18). This new virus became extremely deadly in a short amount of time. Nobody could form a good reason as to why it had appeared. Scientists hypothesized that it came from poison gases formed from exploding ammunition, decomposing bodies, and carbon dioxide from trenches, which fused together, forming a toxic vapor (Persico 81). Because it had swept upon the world so quickly, a cure was not available. The influenza of 1918 took people in a matter of days. A victim could be walking around feeling perfectly healthy one morning, be bedridden by nightfall, and have died before daybreak. Doctors were baffled, and gave vaccines that didnt work. When one doctor was asked what the vaccine contained of, he said the vaccines were just a soup made of blood and mucus of flu patients that had been filtered to get rid of large cells and debris (Kolata 23)....

A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista Essay Example for Free

A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista Essay ? Microsoft’s Windows and Apple’s Mac OSX are one of the most prominent Operating Systems in the world. Both have millions of Active users and are considered as major rivals. Both Operating systems have their specific advantages as well as some disadvantages. Both operating systems have evolved throughout the time in a specific manner and has managed to create their own identity. This paper will compare the latest releases of both software giants i.e. â€Å"Microsoft Windows Vista† and â€Å"Mac OSX Tiger†. A Comparison of Microsoft Windows Vista and Mac OSX Tiger: Mac OSX Tiger 10.4x is the latest release of the OSX series of operating systems released by Apple Corps. This version was released in spring 2005. Like its predecessors Tiger’s foundation is laid on the Unix Kernel â€Å"Darwin†. The Unix foundation has made Tiger more secure and reliable than its non Unix rivals like Microsoft’s Windows. There are no known Viruses, Worms or Spywares which can force Tiger to compromise . Vista’s predecessor Windows XP has been under attack by the hackers and viruses since its release for the first time which compelled Microsoft to fix the loopholes in the form of service packs. That why its successor Vista has been developed with security in mind. Though Vista seems to be more secure than XP or other earlier Windows releases but it has not achieved 100% immunity against viruses and worms. Apple has maintained a policy of releasing new versions roughly after every 18 months. Due to this approach the changes and innovations made in the new versions were not that prominent to confuse the users. On the contrary Microsoft has not released any new version after the release of Windows XP in 2001. Thus the change in Vista is more dramatic than change in Tiger. Speaking about the GUI and its features Tiger and Vista share many similarities. Because Tiger is a couple of years older than Vista seems to draw many features and ideas from Tiger. Some notable similarities are in icons. Vista has also change the names of â€Å"My Documents† and â€Å"My Computer† folder to â€Å"Documents† and â€Å"Computer† same as in Tiger. The term Vista Aero Interface is very similar to Tigers Aqua interface in terminology. The buttons and other interface details have the same shiny round look as in Tiger. Tiger’s most amazing feature is its spotlight search technology which is borrowed by Vista in such a way that even the search button is identical to it, only the magnifying glass turns on the opposite side. But along these similarities Vista is more advanced and sophisticated than Tiger in a number of ways. Vista provides a more sophisticated file previewing technology not found in Tiger. It can even preview text files. Moreover Vista’s folder give the preview of the files located inside them a feature not found in Tiger. Moreover Vista can scale icons and previews up to 128 by 128 pixels. Regarding file management and searching Vista and Tiger share many similarities. Vista’s new file searching technologies are very similar to Tiger’s spotlight technology, but Vista goes further ahead and provides the facility of adding meta data in Internet Explorer directly. Vista provides multiple fields for searching and adding meta data a feature not available in Tiger. Vista has also borrowed the idea of Tiger’s smart folders renaming them as virtual folders. But Vista has also developed some advanced file management features not found in Tiger. Vista provides a new backup system which record changes in the backed up files time to time and save them in a protected folder. Vista has also developed a feature available in Mac OSX since its earlier times. OSX has the ability to create any document in PDF. Vista on the other hand has given support to change any document in Metro an universal XML document format. Regarding networking Vista is far more superior than Tiger. This is basically because Vista is more compatible to Microsoft servers than Tiger. Vista has also provided the facility to connect to a project on the network and send presentations to it. Vista is also introducing Ipv6 protocol, a feature which is available in OSX since Panther. Vista also has a better support for RSS feeds, Weblogs etc. Media Center is a feature which can certainly be called the pride of Microsoft in the world of Desktops and operating systems. Because neither Tiger nor any other competitor such accomplished media center facitlities as provided by Microsoft. The feature first introduced in Windows XP Media Center edition has shown further enhancements and innovations in this regard. Though Vista is a major innovative change for Windows users many new features introduced in Vista are not that new in the world of desktops. Tiger and some other operating systems have introduced them a couple of years ago. But Vista has gone further beyond. There are many features and advances in Vista which are not found in any operating system currently. Security is the key problem thats why Vista provides more sophisticated security features than Tiger. Vista also has the advantage of the largest number of software support which Tiger doesn’t. But Tiger has support of open source softwares thanks to its Unix foundation. One can conclude that each operating system is superior to its rival in some characteristics and lacks some features found in the other. References James Fallows (2006), Microsoft Reboots: A Preview of the New Versions of Windows and Office, The Atlantic Monthly. Volume: 298. Issue: 5 The Atlantic Monthly Magazine J.V. Bolkan (2005), Facing the Future: Computer Hardware Is Getting a New Set of Standards. Find out How They Will Affect Your Future Purchases, Learning & Leading with Technology. Volume: 33. Issue: 3, International Society for Technology in Education. Royal Van Horn (2006), The Perfect Computer and Web Browser Updates, Phi Delta Kappan. Volume: 88. Issue: 1. Publication Year: 2006. Page Number: 7, Phi Delta Kappa, Inc A Comparison of Mac OSX Tiger and Microsoft Windows Vista. (2017, Mar 13).

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story Essay - 6

Theme and Narrative Elements in the Short Story - Essay Example of Phoenix illustrated her determination to attain her goals of medicine and paper windmill, which symbolized the frailty of the white mans gift of freedom. The plot and setting of A Worn Path depict the arduous journey of black slaves toward redemption from slavery. The exposition focuses on the character of Phoenix Jackson, who represents black slaves. The complication of the plot is the struggle of Phoenix against herself and her environment. First, she is already old, even too old for her journey, which she admits: â€Å"I the oldest people I ever know† (Welty, 1941, par. 25). She cannot even properly see where she is heading, yet she relies on her poor eyesight and memory to arrive at her destination. Her age stands for the length of time of the slaves struggle for freedom; she can no longer tell how long anymore. Her physical degradation, furthermore, represents the physical consequences of slavery. Second, Phoenix also struggles with her surroundings or society. The setting presents diverse obstacles to freedom. The â€Å"foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals† in her way represent all the kinds of people, whites and blacks alike, who oppose the slaves pursuit of freedom. The thorny bush is also an example of what the black race needed to endure in their â€Å"endless struggle† (Sykes, 1998, p.151). The climax occurs when it seems that Phoenix has forgotten her journeys purpose. This â€Å"forgetting† is a form of situational irony, where it would have been a great waste of time and effort, if Phoenix could not achieve her mission. This â€Å"forgetting† can also be paralleled to the passivity in the blacks â€Å"waiting† for their freedom. In a way, waiting patiently for their freedom also evokes a lackadaisical response from the whites. Situational irony takes place once more; the more patient the blacks were, the more the whites exploited them. The resolution of the plot takes place when Phoenix remembers her gift to her grandson, the

Areas That Shell Oil Company Needs To Focus On In Order To Increase Essay

Areas That Shell Oil Company Needs To Focus On In Order To Increase Its Sales and Revenue - Essay Example This paper illustrates that Shell Oil Company is a US-based firm which has been in operations for decades. Over the years, the company has been able to strengthen its financial position. However, in the past one decade, the company has lost a margin of its market share to the new entrants in the market. This paper will give an in-depth insight of areas that the company needs to focus on in order to increase its sales and revenue. Being a multinational company, Shell is facing stiff penalties and charges from global bodies. For instance, the EU and UN have enacted strict laws to curb carbon emission. This has forced Shell to settle government pressure through offering incentives such as improvement of the economies in the countries where the firm operates. It has been found that oil can be used to gauge the economic development of the country. However, due to the increasing demand for the commodity especially in the United States, the oil companies have tried to use their influence to earn support from the respective governments. However, the governments have maintained their positions especially because of the environmental issues associated with oil companies. In the past five years, Shell has tried to get engage with Climate Action Partnership in an attempt to improve its reputation. However, the government has maintained its stiff position against the company. In addition, the Congress has stated that the government cannot compromise the environment in order to improve the economy. Therefore, the political environment across the world has been stiff against the firm because every government is trying to do its part in order to reduce the increasing levels of global warming. Therefore, political leaders are pushing their governments further in order to stiffen the existing rules and regulations.

Opininated Response to Peer Commnts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Opininated Response to Peer Commnts - Essay Example I agree with you that when companies make the mistake of ignoring diversity it diminishes the overall success of the business. It is imperative for companies to provide training to its supervisors and managers so they are able to properly manage a diverse workforce. The HR department is responsible for providing training and development opportunities to its workers. Small firms that do not have an HR department should hire a consulting firm to provide diversity training. In your response you mentioned that companies today have to deal with a multicultural workforce more than ever before. â€Å"More organizational leaders are trying to overcome the challenges of managing a multicultural workforce so that they can reap the benefits† (Kokemuller, 2012). I think that one of the reasons that diversity is a greater reality than ever before is due to the globalization movement. There are thousands of multinational corporations that do business in different parts of the world. These companies often recruit workers from outside the United States due to the shortage of professionals in many technical fields. It is important for managers to learn about other cultures in order to be able to effectively motivate the employees. The goals and values of the organization must be aligned with the mission and vision of the company (Ehow, 2012). The United States since it was founded has always been a country with a diverse population. A manager that is not well educated in cultural matters cannot perform his managerial duties properly. I agree with you that many companies often rush through multicultural training. Kokemuller, N. (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of a Multicultural Workforce. Retrived October 24, 2012 from

Stem Cell Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Stem Cell Research - Essay Example Religious groups, specifically those against abortion and Pro-life activists are strongly against this procedure because of its moral implications like the lessening of giving value to the beginnings of life. Their stand is that getting cells from the embryo is similar to abortion. The issue was so pervasive that government supported embryonic stem cell research was banned by Pres. Bush in 2001. Private funding was however not banned and support for embryonic stem cell research from private companies continued. Scientists on the other hand, defend their motivations for doing research on human embryos as not merely a means to destroy life but to understand human functioning and development from the earliest form of human life which is the embryo (Jones). The ultimate aim of scientists in involving themselves in Stem Cell Research aside from knowing the essentials of human development is to find ways on how to improve human health. Embryonic stem cells may be the most controversial but there are still other sources of stem cells like cord blood, hair follicles, and baby teeth among others. There are two classifications of Stem cells namely; the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells. Various fields have recognized the effects of Stem Cell Research in their areas. One such field is the dental field. Tooth regeneration has been a bright prospect because of stem cells. The dental practice is not only instrumental to stem cell research as far as the teeth being sources of stem cells, but the dental field is also set to benefit from studies pertaining to the ability of stem cells to promote growth of teeth or to repair teeth. Regenerative Dentistry is an approach in... Scientists on the other hand, defend their motivations for doing research on human embryos as not merely a means to destroy life but to understand human functioning and development from the earliest form of human life which is the embryo (Jones). The ultimate aim of scientists in involving themselves in Stem Cell Research aside from knowing the essentials of human development is to find ways on how to improve human health. Embryonic stem cells may be the most controversial but there are still other sources of stem cells like cord blood, hair follicles, and baby teeth among others. There are two classifications of Stem cells namely; the embryonic stem cells and the adult stem cells. Various fields have recognized the effects of Stem Cell Research in their areas. One such field is the dental field. Tooth regeneration has been a bright prospect because of stem cells. The dental practice is not only instrumental to stem cell research as far as the teeth being sources of stem cells, but the dental field is also set to benefit from studies pertaining to the ability of stem cells to promote growth of teeth or to repair teeth. Regenerative Dentistry is an approach in dentistry that has emerged because of the findings in Stem Cell Research. Regenerative Dentistry deals with the gaining of knowledge in the genetic control of significant processes of teeth formation in the embryo with the purpose of recreating tooth development in the mouth of an adult (How to grow a tooth).

American revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American revolution - Essay Example rchitect of the Constitution, James Madison, believed a powerful federal government would posses enough power to ensure the freedom of minorities within the country. With the opposition from anti-federalists and noble American leaders, the Committee agreed to create amendments to the constitution, later known as the Bill of Rights. Considering the chain of events and the participation of all the principal Actors including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the process, the first ten amendments seemed to be a natural step in the American Revolution. One of the motivating factors behind the American Revolution was to ensure individual freedom and the Bill of Rights was the only way to ensure liberty of the citizens. The ten amendments prioritized the rights of individuals and individual liberties in the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the American history. The Declaration of Independence was not an instant outco me, but a gradual development of politics throughout the American colonies. The most notable event to mark the beginning, which leads to the declaration, occurred in Philadelphia on 7 June, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee announced the resolution from British Crown and the right of the colonies to be independent in front of the Congress. This announcement was coherent to what happened in the other colonies and it was the result of the strategies and rulings passed by the British Crown to suppress the American Revolution. A draft was prepared with the major efforts of Thomas Jefferson along with other members including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. After some deletions and corrections, the declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July, 1776. The... The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the American history. The Declaration of Independence was not an instant outcome, but a gradual development of politics throughout the American colonies. The most notable event to mark the beginning, which leads to the declaration, occurred in Philadelphia on 7 June, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee announced the resolution from British Crown and the right of the colonies to be independent in front of the Congress. This announcement was coherent to what happened in the other colonies and it was the result of the strategies and rulings passed by the British Crown to suppress the American Revolution. A draft was prepared with the major efforts of Thomas Jefferson along with other members including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. After some deletions and corrections, the declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July, 1776. The declaration of Independence was the beginning of a great revolution followed the formation of the U.S. Constitution in and the ten amendments up to 1789. The main motivation behind the American Revolution was to set the nation free from the British Ruling and create equality among the citizens of America. Before the formation of the U.S. Constitution and the amendments, there were two primary political problems including independence from the British Rule and the challenge to ensure equality of rights within the nation.

Opininated Response to Peer Commnts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Opininated Response to Peer Commnts - Essay Example I agree with you that when companies make the mistake of ignoring diversity it diminishes the overall success of the business. It is imperative for companies to provide training to its supervisors and managers so they are able to properly manage a diverse workforce. The HR department is responsible for providing training and development opportunities to its workers. Small firms that do not have an HR department should hire a consulting firm to provide diversity training. In your response you mentioned that companies today have to deal with a multicultural workforce more than ever before. â€Å"More organizational leaders are trying to overcome the challenges of managing a multicultural workforce so that they can reap the benefits† (Kokemuller, 2012). I think that one of the reasons that diversity is a greater reality than ever before is due to the globalization movement. There are thousands of multinational corporations that do business in different parts of the world. These companies often recruit workers from outside the United States due to the shortage of professionals in many technical fields. It is important for managers to learn about other cultures in order to be able to effectively motivate the employees. The goals and values of the organization must be aligned with the mission and vision of the company (Ehow, 2012). The United States since it was founded has always been a country with a diverse population. A manager that is not well educated in cultural matters cannot perform his managerial duties properly. I agree with you that many companies often rush through multicultural training. Kokemuller, N. (2012). Advantages and Disadvantages of a Multicultural Workforce. Retrived October 24, 2012 from

American revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

American revolution - Essay Example rchitect of the Constitution, James Madison, believed a powerful federal government would posses enough power to ensure the freedom of minorities within the country. With the opposition from anti-federalists and noble American leaders, the Committee agreed to create amendments to the constitution, later known as the Bill of Rights. Considering the chain of events and the participation of all the principal Actors including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in the process, the first ten amendments seemed to be a natural step in the American Revolution. One of the motivating factors behind the American Revolution was to ensure individual freedom and the Bill of Rights was the only way to ensure liberty of the citizens. The ten amendments prioritized the rights of individuals and individual liberties in the United States of America. The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the American history. The Declaration of Independence was not an instant outco me, but a gradual development of politics throughout the American colonies. The most notable event to mark the beginning, which leads to the declaration, occurred in Philadelphia on 7 June, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee announced the resolution from British Crown and the right of the colonies to be independent in front of the Congress. This announcement was coherent to what happened in the other colonies and it was the result of the strategies and rulings passed by the British Crown to suppress the American Revolution. A draft was prepared with the major efforts of Thomas Jefferson along with other members including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. After some deletions and corrections, the declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July, 1776. The... The Declaration of Independence is one of the most important documents in the American history. The Declaration of Independence was not an instant outcome, but a gradual development of politics throughout the American colonies. The most notable event to mark the beginning, which leads to the declaration, occurred in Philadelphia on 7 June, 1776 when Richard Henry Lee announced the resolution from British Crown and the right of the colonies to be independent in front of the Congress. This announcement was coherent to what happened in the other colonies and it was the result of the strategies and rulings passed by the British Crown to suppress the American Revolution. A draft was prepared with the major efforts of Thomas Jefferson along with other members including Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston. After some deletions and corrections, the declaration of Independence was adopted on 4 July, 1776. The declaration of Independence was the beginning of a great revolution followed the formation of the U.S. Constitution in and the ten amendments up to 1789. The main motivation behind the American Revolution was to set the nation free from the British Ruling and create equality among the citizens of America. Before the formation of the U.S. Constitution and the amendments, there were two primary political problems including independence from the British Rule and the challenge to ensure equality of rights within the nation.

Clinical Research Industry Issues Essay Example for Free

Clinical Research Industry Issues Essay Services in the business sector becomes troublesome when customers seem to act too superior when dealing with the company’s employees (Bassett 25). Companies which disseminate excellent customer service definitely excel in the market (Bassett 26). There are plenty of physicians who run out of patients to treat, and still, there are a lot of patients who search for the right physicians (Rizzo Sindelar 968). Physicians enter into a competitive market within the consumer population by trying to put the best medical practices forward in the market of consumer population (Rizzo Sindelar 968). These medical practices are what make the physicians stand out among the patients (Rizzo Sindelar 968). Patients may decide to seek the services of a different physician due to relocation reasons (Rizzo Sindelar 968). Patients also may change the physician that they are seeing due to the fact that their previous physician is not able to disseminate the quality level of services that the patients are seeking (Rizzo Sindelar 968). Wider government services are of no use to be implemented as aid to pharmaceutical operations if the pharmaceutical industry would not adjust its degree of services to public needs (Olson 304). The pharmaceutical industry needs to work hand in hand with other health care provider companies so that it would be able to improve its services to the public (Olson 304). The pharmaceutical industry needs to work more closely with physicians in order to better improve its services. The pharmaceutical industries would be able to obtain advice from physicians regarding the following matters: Clinical Research Industry Issues 3 1. The rampant illnesses that patients possess. 2. The common types of medications that patients are prescribed to. With this information gathered by the pharmaceutical establishments from physicians, the pharmaceutical establishments may be able to provide better services to the patients. Literature Review 2. Ethical And Policy Issues In Research Involving Human Participants It is of utmost importance that the welfare or well-being of the human participants be given consideration when conducting a research (Jones 97). It is required that every researcher declare the progress of his/her report to a research study agency as outlined in a particular research’s ethical guidelines (Jones 97). 3. Research Involving Persons With Mental Disorders That May Affect Decision- Making-Capacity Researches on the origins of mental disorders refer to neurobiological elements as their causes (Walsh, Green, Matthews Puerto 43). Sixty one percent of the participants that have been studied on these researches unanimously states that a person with a high level of mental illness inherits the illness from a mentally ill parent (Walsh, Green, Matthews Puerto 43). 4. Bias In Pharmaceutical Sponsored (Funded) Clinical Trials Clinical Research Industry Issues 4 The pharmaceutical industry may become biased when sponsoring clinical trials. They may actually tamper with the results of the clinical trials to make it appear that the participants are sick even when they are not, just to increase the pharmaceutical industry’s sales. 5. Relationship Between Clinical Investigators And The Pharmaceutical Industry At times, the executives of the pharmaceutical industries bribe the clinical investigators in order to tamper with the results of the clinical trials. This is an unethical and legally violating event that takes place sometimes 6. Corporate Hand In Clinical Trials And Their Contracts With Medicine Academia The corporations usually consult the medicine academia for sources and aid in order to facilitate their clinical trials at the highest level of quality. Clinical Research Industry Issues 5 References: Bassett, G. (1992). Operations Management For Service Industries : Competing In The Service Era. Westport: Quorum Books. Rizzo, J. A. Sindelar, J. L. (2002). Optimal Regulation Of Multiply-Regulated Industries : The Case Of Physician Services. Southern Economic Journal, 62: 968. Walsh, J. , Green, R. , Matthews, J. Puerto, B. B. (2005). Social Workers’ Views Of The Etiology Of Mental Disorders: Results Of A National Study. Social Work , 50: 43.

Effectiveness of Different Coaching Styles in Sport

Effectiveness of Different Coaching Styles in Sport Sports Coaching CONTENTS (JUMP TO) Principles and best practice in coaching The effectiveness of different styles of coaching in different contexts How models of coaching can help practitioners References Principles and best practice in coaching The ideal of sport has changed markedly in the past fifteen to twenty years (Polley, 1998)[1]. What was once seen as leisure and/or a recreational activity is now viewed primarily as a vehicle through which one can instigate deep-seated cultural and societal change. This is especially true in the UK which has a particularly insipid connection to sport with a variety of games considered endemic in British society; indeed, many of the most popular sports in the world were played first in Britain and their governing bodies still reside within British state borders. As a result, as Dawn Penney (2000:59) declares, sport, society and equity are interlinked to a degree that has only very recently been acknowledged by academic, specifically sociological, study. â€Å"Physical education and sport are part of our social and cultural worlds. The relationship is dynamic, with the policies and practices of physical education reflecting, but also clearly shaping (reproducing and/or challenging), the values and interests of broader society.†[2] It is for this reason that the concept of ‘best practice’ has attained a new level of significance in recent years relating specifically to the adoption of the finest possible academic, psychological and ethical procedures especially with regards to children and young people so as to prepare them mentally and physically for the multiple demands of adult life whether this be in a sporting or non‑sporting context. ‘Best practice’ utilises research conducted primarily between the years 1950 to 1980 with the implementation of these strategies taking place over the past thirty years. It is a wholly recent phenomenon and, as such, is lacking in some areas of research compared to other fields of sociological study. However, in the twenty first century the amount of attention devoted to the subject is likely to increase with the dual spectre of globalisation and commercialisation making sports a highly lucrative hub of activity. The principles governing the concept of ‘best practice’ are centred upon the twin aims of forging a common sense of unity and teamwork within a group of players and at the same time to nurture individual skill and flair on a one-to-one basis so that the more gifted players’ skills are honed without neglecting the primacy of the team as the over-riding ethos of ‘best practice’. This essential dualism which resides at the epicentre of ‘best practice’ coaching concepts is inherently affected by the evolution of sports players as they grow up. For instance, young players (aged six to ten years old) are much more inclined to gravitate towards the individual element of sports and competition with the group dynamic coming at a later age (developing primarily between the ages of twelve and sixteen). For this reason, there is no ‘best way’ to ‘best practice’; no right or wrong. Rather, there is a great exchange of fluidit y between concepts, principles and practices that should be implemented on an individual basis. This is as true of coaching adults (clients) as it is of coaching youngsters where Jennifer Rogers (2007:7-10)[3] has outlined six core principles that ‘define’ the role of the coach in the modern era. These are: The client is resourceful (the coach’s sole aim is to work with the client to achieve all of their potential – as defined by the client). The coach’s role is to spring loose the client’s resourcefulness. Coaching addressing the whole person: past, present and future. The client sets the agenda. The coach and the client are equals. Coaching is about change and action. The common denominator outlined by Rogers is that coaching is always triggered by change – be it a change in age, in circumstance, in style or technique. Furthermore, because change is the currency in which the coach does business, there is bound to be wildly fluctuating styles of coaching that fit wildly different social and cultural contexts and it is towards these different styles and contexts that attention must now be turned. The effectiveness of different styles of coaching in different contexts It has been shown that the evolution of young people greatly affects the implementation of coaching methods pertaining to the precarious balance between coaching the individual and the group dynamic. This is necessarily dependent on the kind of sport being coached: team sports such as football require a dedication to the team ethic while sports such as tennis and golf stress the individual element of competition. Sports such as cricket combine the team ethic with a heavy emphasis upon individual ability, certainly with regards to batting, which is a very solitary skill that requires intensive levels of concentration and individualism (Palmer, 1999)[4]. Thus, in the first instance, effective coaching requires the practitioner to tailor his or her coaching style to the sport in question and then to further tailor these coaching techniques to the age group of the team or individual being coached. This inherent diversity in coaching styles is also true of the economic context of coaching adults. Certain sports require greater levels of economic participation than others. Golf, for example, is an expensive sport that demands that the participant is well funded so as to purchase the necessary equipment such as clubs, bags, clothing and, most importantly, membership to a golf club. The same can be said of tennis and cricket where the equipment is a vital part of the ultimate success or failure of the technique of the client in question. Economic context is also important with regards to the psychological element of coaching with the social, cultural and political problems of urban poverty playing an important part in the types of coaching techniques which are likely to yield the best results from any given demographic. There can be no doubt that a coaching style employed for a group of middle class practitioners with free access to capital, time and resources is going to be marke dly different from the kind of coaching style deployed for children and adults who do not have access to the same luxuries and who therefore are going to respond to different coaching techniques. Economic context, demographic context and age context are further compounded by the increasingly common problem of multiculturalism and, specifically, globalisation, which has obvious consequences for teachers, mentors and coaches operating at all levels of society throughout the UK. When one thinks, for instance, of the impact of language upon coaching (relaying tactics, pointing out areas of strength and weakness, and, most significantly, attempting to instil a team ethic) one can see the extent to which the role of the coach is inexorably intertwined with the fate of mass movement of peoples across the planet in the twenty first century. As Jones (1997:27) declares, â€Å"there is no more important task within the wider coaching process than that of communication.†[5] Bains and Patel (1994) have long pointed out the blatant under‑representation of Asians playing professional football in England despite some areas in the Midlands and the North-West of England having u rban areas with a higher than 50% ratio of ethnic communities. â€Å"Recent Sport England national statistics confirmed that people of South Asian origin have markedly lower participation rates than other minorities or the indigenous population.† (Collins, 2003:75)[6] This anomaly with regards to the high numbers of Asians living in modern Britain and the disproportionately small number of Asians playing football, it has been argued, is due to coaches indulging in outmoded stereotyping when it comes to coaching players from the Asian community. Asians are still seen as primarily academic achievers over sports players and where they are perceived as sports players they are still pigeon‑holed in typical Asian images of cricket players; rarely are they ever seen as potential professional footballers. Likewise black players are still seen as primarily quick, powerful players; rarely, the tactical brains or the spiritual heartbeat of the side. This cultural element to sports coaching is exacerbated by the historical gender divide between males and females in a sporting context. Here, just as with ethnic people, stereotypes remain the dominant coaching paradigm. Girls and women are expected to play traditionally female sports such as netball, hockey, lacrosse, swimming and tennis. This, however, is in direct opposition to the growing numbers of women playing traditionally male‑dominated sports such as rugby, cricket and football with the latter in particular experiencing a veritable boom in female interest since the beginning of the 1990s. â€Å"A generation ago, sport was a core, patriarchal institution in a larger, contested gender order. Now, with the dramatic growth of girls’ and women’s athletics participation, sport no longer simply or unambiguously plays this reactionary role in gender relations. Sport is now more internally contested.† (2002 introduction xxii)[7] It is, in the final analysis, up to the sports coach to take each of these mitigating factors and contexts into account so that the practitioner is able to coach skills and techniques that are relevant to the contemporary era as opposed to perpetuating anachronistic stereotypes that do little to advance civilised society in both a sporting and non‑sporting context. How models of coaching can help practitioners Studying different models of coaching represents the scientific element of sports mentoring whereby the student and practitioner can attempt to explain the essence and purpose of coaching via the development of models (Fairs, 1987:17-19)[8]. It can be separated into two distinct camps: the ‘of’ coaching camp and the ‘for’ coaching camp. Models ‘of’ coaching are based upon empirical research investigating best practice while the ‘for’ coaching models are idealistic representations that arise from attempts to identify a concrete set of assumptions about the coaching process. The majority of practitioners tend to employ a symbiosis of the two models incorporating an ‘of’ and ‘for’ model of best practice. In this way, empirical data can be used in a realistic setting that takes into account the age, skills and other contexts that affect the coaching process. However, these two models of coaching underline the e xtent to which academia and intellectual analysis has come to dominate the empirical study of sports performance when in fact the first hand experience of established practitioners ought to form the basis of all models of coaching sports. The difference, essentially, comes down to one of theory and practice with the concept of ‘expertise’ necessarily clouded by the arguments of the academics and the professionals respectively. Once again, though, the individual element of the coaching process must be highlighted so as to reflect the inherent complexity that takes place within the field of sports with vastly differing levels of skill and ability being matched by the vastly different psychological reactions to slumps in form and technique. It is, ultimately, up to the national governing sports bodies to ensure that the primacy of holistic coaching practice does not become relegated at the expense of literature, theory and academia (Lyle, 1999:1-24).[9] For this reason, organisations such as Sport England have been established by the central government in a bid to impose a centralise model for sports development on regionalised sports bodies so as to directly influence and aid practitioners. The primary model deployed by Sport England is the â€Å"traditional sports development continuum† – a pyramid which locates foundation as the core, base value followed in hierarchical terms by participation, performance and, finally, excellence (Bramhan et al, 1999:3). This generic model is dovetailed by more advanced models for practitioners to use with athletes at a professional or elite stage in their sports. As is so often the case it is the Australians who represent the pinnacle of academic research into the coaching process with the revolutionary ‘Old Way, New Way’ technique correction model offering an intensive ‘one session’ approach to the problem of proven performers suffering seemingly inexplicable dips in form and technique with the case of Australian fast bowler Jason Gillespie standing tall as the most prominent example of therapeutic success achieved via sports practitioners embracing new means of solving old problems. ‘Old Way, New Way’ is consequently a manifestation of the much sought after collaboration between academic researchers and sports practitioners which works on a psychological as well as a physical level in a bid to continue the sportsperson’s quest for skill development and continuous technical improvement. References Bramhan, P., Hylton, K., Jackson, D. and Nesti, M. (1999) Introduction, in, Bramhan, P., Hylton, K., Jackson, D. and Nesti, M (Eds.) Sport Development: Policy, Process and Practice London and New York: Routledge Collins, M.F. (2003), Social Exclusion from Sport and Leisure, quoted in, Houlihan, B. (Ed.) Sport and Society: a Student Introduction London: SAGE Fairs, J. (1987) The Coaching Process: The Essence of Coaching, in, Sports Coach Journal, Volume 11, Number 1 Jones, R.L. (1997) Effective Instructional Coaching Behaviour: A Review of Literature, in, International Journal of Physical Education, Volume, 24, Number 1 Lyle, J.W.B. (1999) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice, in, Cross, N. and Lyle, J.W.B. (Eds.) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice for Sport Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Messner, M.A. (2002), Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press Palmer, G.V. (1999) Cricket Coachmaster: Batting Mechanics London: Gary Palmer Penney, D. (2000) Physical Education: In what and who’s Interests? , in, Jones, R.L. and Armour, K.M. (Eds.) Sociology of Sport: Theory and Practice London and New York: Longman Polley, M. (1998) Moving the Goalposts: A History of Sport and Society since 1945 London and New York: Routledge Rogers, J. (2007) Coaching Skills Buckingham: Open University Press 1 Footnotes [1] Polley, M. (1998) Moving the Goalposts: A History of Sport and Society since 1945 London and New York: Routledge [2] Penney, D. (2000) Physical Education: In what and who’s Interests? , in, Jones, R.L. and Armour, K.M. (Eds.) Sociology of Sport: Theory and Practice London and New York: Longman [3] Rogers, J. (2007) Coaching Skills Buckingham: Open University Press [4] Palmer, G.V. (1999) Cricket Coachmaster: Batting Mechanics London: Gary Palmer [5] Jones, R.L. (1997) Effective Instructional Coaching Behaviour: A Review of Literature, in, International Journal of Physical Education, Volume, 24, Number 1 [6] Collins, M.F. (2003), Social Exclusion from Sport and Leisure, quoted in, Houlihan, B. (Ed.) Sport and Society: a Student Introduction London: SAGE [7] Messner, M.A. (2002), Taking the Field: Women, Men and Sports Minneapolis and London: University of Minnesota Press [8] Fairs, J. (1987) The Coaching Process: The Essence of Coaching, in, Sports Coach Journal, Volume 11, Number 1 [9] Lyle, J.W.B. (1999) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice, in, Cross, N. and Lyle, J.W.B. (Eds.) The Coaching Process: Principles and Practice for Sport Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann