Strategic Management Accounting Essay Example for Free

Strategic Management Accounting Essay This is an individual assignment of 3,000 words (+/-10%), excluding appendices and bibliography. The word count MUST be shown on the front of the assignment. There are TWO questions to be answered in this assignment. Each question carries a maximum mark of 50%. All of the learning outcomes for the module are being assessed in this assignment. The learning outcomes are shown in the section entitled â€Å"Marking Guide†, which is further on in this document. The University’s policy on cheating collusion and plagiarism will be applied to this piece of work. You are required to produce a report which answers the following TWO questions: Question 1 XYZ Limited is a medium sized manufacturing business which makes and sells products to a range of industrial customers who use XYZ’s products in their own products. The working capital of XYZ is typical of a manufacturing organisation in that at any point in time they have cash, trade receivables, inventories of raw materials, work in progress and finished goods and trade payables. The Managing Director of XYZ Limited believes that all parts of the working capital cycle could be improved and has asked you to produce a report which discusses how each part of the working capital cycle could be improved and which critically evaluates the implications of the improvements on XYZ and other connected parties (for example trade receivables and trade payables). Question 2 Many organisations use transfer pricing when transferring products between different divisions of the same organisation. You are required to discuss in detail the advantages and disadvantages of each of the following four methods: 1) Market based transfer prices; 2) Full cost transfer prices; 3) Cost-plus a mark-up transfer prices; and 4) Negotiated transfer prices. Guidance: Students are encouraged to be inquisitive and innovative in their approach as to what should be included in this report. The following may be of some use in providing guidance as to what could possibly be included, although this is in no way meant to be prescriptive. The aim of the assignment is to help you understand how key areas of strategic management accounting are applied in practice. This will include investigating topics from throughout the course linked to the above issues. Some of the principles, concepts and models will be more relevant to your chosen approach than others and so it is likely that different students will formulate different approaches to the problems. This is normal it is not expected that all of the course content will be used in the analysis concentrate on that which you feel is most important. As part of your work you might find it helpful to briefly explore the underlying theory behind the key areas of investigation that you identify before applying them to report. With a total of 3,000 words you do not have a lot of room for long introductions so assume you are writing to a sophisticated audience who has a working knowledge of strategic management accounting and is well versed in business theory. Numerical example for illustrative purposes may be of use  but should not be the main thrust of the work. If used they should be to provide evidence to support your findings from your other analysis of position and policies. If other sources are used remember to reference everything! Please avoid relying too heavily on descriptive sections reproducing information available from course material or the set text. It is your own logical, evaluation of the situation, the interpretation of course material and presentation, with critical analysis, of a coherent strategic plan that will attract high marks. Marking Guide The learning outcomes for this module assessed by this piece of work are Knowledge 1. Critically evaluate a range of key strategic management accounting models and concepts. 2. Critically understand of specific analytical skills in key areas within management accounting at local and international level 3. Critically understand of the role and limitations of management accounting theory. Skills 4. Applied the key management accounting concepts and methodologies in order to contribute to successful decision making in an organisation. In light of this the assessment criteria in the grid below will be used when assessing your work.

How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision?

How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision? Abstract: Consumer behavior is dependent on few factors that need to be considered in any industry. In the garment industry, there are several intertwining factors known that influence consumer behavior. The Internet as one knows well has its importance in nearly every form of trade, but brand recognition is driven by a set of factors that have their own principles. Trade is directly dependent on communication, and these days the Internet it is considered to be one of the most important and reliable means of communications for trade. It is for this reason that brand promotion is significantly related to the use of the Internet. However, it needs to be asserted that the Internet is a tool for promoting a brand as is other means of brand promotion. In view of the Internet being an important medium through which customers may be communicated with, consumer behaviors, and more importantly, consumer-purchase decisions, become an important subject. Observing consumer-purchase decisions in the recent past, it can be asserted that there is immense scope for expanding industries that receive positive responses from consumers. An example of this is observed with some organizations in the garment industry. A company such as Levis is a good example to view the effectiveness of branding on consumer-purchase decisions. In addition purchases made at outlets, online purchases have been significant as purchases of are easily made and are believed to be considerably reliable. This reflects the manner in which consumers rely on brands like Levis. For purchasing garments and placing orders, advertising through the Internet is the first step towards pulling in customers. Indeed, this step is believed to be effective as there are a number of indiv iduals who first see ads online, and then decide to physically check a promotion out. However, this is not the only way that people want to explore promotions of garments or any other industry. Shoppers are keen to check out things for themselves. There are many consumers that also do not rely on the Internet for purchasing what they want. They would rather shop, and there are indeed many consumers who spend several hours per week in shopping centers searching for what they want. Among these shoppers there are different kinds of consumers, and each of these has different characteristics. Some look for stuff that is cheaper and reliable while others want quality. Those who search for quality know what brands they want generally. Deciding what to purchase from a consumers perspective depends on what satisfies him or her. From a manufacturers perspective, it is important to understand what interests a consumer most, and based on these interests, manufacturers work to develop their brands. Manufacturers have to develop a brand identity in order to seek brand loyalty of consumers. Once manufacturers learn how to read their consumers, they can influence their purchasing decisions, and this is precisely aimed at by promoting a brand and working towards its selling power. 1. Introduction: 1.1 Background In order to sell products, organizations resort to various strategies. Each company has its strategy structured in accordance with market factors as well as product strengths. This may mean that an organization has to consider various angles in order to make sure its products enter a market and sell successfully. In considering several factors that play their parts in the success of a product in the market, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‹Å"branding is one major component for organizations to work on. Branding is considered to be a major component in the success of a product in the market because it can control consumer decisions. This of course depends on the reputation of the brand, which refers to how it has appealed to consumers in the past and how it has served them. 1.2 Importance of the Study: Understanding what branding is enables one to understand the way that consumers behave when newer products are introduced. This is interesting to understand because it helps to understand why different company products of the same nature have different responses from consumers. 1.3 Research Question: The main Research Question that will be dealt with in this study is as follows: How does branding affect consumers purchasing decision? Other research questions that will be part of this study include the following: * What is branding? * How is branding used? * How do consumers respond to branding? * Is branding really significant in order to sell products? 1.4 Limitations of study: This study makes use of relevant literature to the research question as well as a survey of 50 participants. Though the literature review encompasses a wide variety of views regarding the research question, the survey only encompasses participants within the researchers physical location. This means that the views from the participants are fewer than what is needed for a comprehensive view of primary data. 1.5 Organisation of study: The basic organization of this study consists of dealing with the main research question mentioned above, for which there will be a literature review. In accordance with a methodology, this literature will be analyzed, and a conclusion will be arrived at. In addition to data analyzed from the literature review, answers from a survey conducted will also be analyzed and paired with the results of the analyzed literature review. 2. Literature Review 2.1. Chapter introduction: This chapter includes the views of other studies and reviews related to the main research question. In this chapter, there will be pertinent data on what branding is, how it impacts consumers, and how consumer-purchasing decisions are impacted through branding. 2.2. Framework for review: In this section, there will be a flow as the review gradually progresses. This means that each relevant portion of the subject will be exposed gradually as the review progresses. However, at various points there will be inclusions of points exposed earlier, where needed. 2.3. A brand allows organizations to differentiate their business from their competitors. But more importantly, brands help to motivate customer loyalty. By having a brand, companies gain manifold levels by creating effective business strategies that help to promote the company. Building a brand is also about creating an identity that differentiates one from the rest this may be in the form of a logo, a name or business model. This is what helps to receive a positive consumer response; consumers look for characteristics in a brand that cater to their needs and wants. If a brand does this with one product, in future, consumers would choose other products wit the same brand. More recently, branding concepts have become more about how people perceive business. For this reason, there has been a lot of attention on how brands can alleviate the position of business, sales and consumer base. The perceived knowledge about the brand comes from three major criteria according to Business Central by Microsoft (2004): These are: 1. Confidence in a business, product or service doing exactly what the customer already believes it will do. For example, a 24-hour convenience store brand can be based on customers confidence that it will be open, whatever the time of day or night. 2. The emotional response of the customer to purchasing a product or service. For example, a clothing retailer can create a brand based around making its customers feel good about what they wear, how they look, how good they feel about buying clothes from that shop and what it says about them to their peers. A brand builds a unique personality for a business, and therefore attracts a defined type of customer. 3. Most importantly, branding is based on consistently rewarding the confidence and delivering the expected emotional response. For example, a domestic cleaning company can build its brand successfully if customers homes are always thoroughly cleaned. The owners believe that they are using the best cleaning company and feel good about returning to their newly cleaned homes. Given the highly developed set criteria, one can understand that brands are not created overnight; in fact brand identity is created by assessing the business, how it operates and the kind of message that the business wants to send out to the customers, and able to deliver the promise to the customer time and again. This kind of assessment has to be realistic and be based on the following key areas: 1. Work out your business, product or services core competencies. These are what you achieve for your customer, not necessarily what you do. For example, a good wine shops core competence is selling wine that its customers enjoy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" not just selling wine. 2. Assess whom your existing and potential customers are and find out what they like and what they dont. For example, if competitive pricing drives them, there is little point in you presenting yourself as a premium-price supplier of the same products offered by your competitors. 3. Find out how your customers and your employees feel about your business. Reliable? Caring? Cheap? Expensive? Luxurious? No-frills? Later in the process, these emotional responses (brand values) will form the basis of your brand message. 4. Define how favorably customers and potential customers view your business à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å" this is your perceived quality. Do they trust your business, product or service? Do they know exactly what it does for them? What do they think of when your brand is mentioned to them? Low perceived quality would restrict or damage your business. High-perceived quality gives you a platform to grow. 5. Consider how far you can develop your business with its current customer perception without moving away from your core competencies. The amount you can change your offer is your brand stretch. For example, a shop known for selling fresh sandwiches could also consider selling homemade cakes and biscuits without going outside its core competencies. But selling frozen ready meals too may stretch its brand too far (Microsoft BCentral 2004). So much has the concept of brand identity become a part of the business process that companies are claiming their rights to certain qualities, product category, design, innovations and creations. One of the reasons for this is that companies are realizing amidst a homogenous market, credit cannot be given to any one in particular unless the company excels in certain areas. For example Tesco, Wal-Mart and K-Mart may all provide the same kinds of services and products, but there has to be something that makes the customers experience unique in each of the above cases. Companies are realizing that the quest for uniqueness should be taken a step further by enhancing on certain or particular business area and developing it a step ahead of competitors. It is only through the differentiation technique that they would be able to effectively and successfully compete against rival. For example Wal-Mart may claim to have the cheapest price while Tesco would also do the same for certain products only. To resolve this problem, techniques like the kind of message, bundle services as well as customer satisfaction guarantees are used to attract customers. But how do customers differentiate and recognize one service from the others? For most companies the first step is to identify the potential customer and perceive his/her consumer behaviour. Next is to align brand values that reflect customers needs. From the identity aspect, the company furthers this by redesigning logo, stationary and other visual contact to send out harmonious and unified theme to the consumer. For example, if the brand suggest value added services then all aspects of the business process has to incorporate value added services so that the customers becomes aware of this unique quality of that particular business; advertisements pertaining to the same should be launched and campaigns for external/internal customers to make sure everyone is aligned with the business objectives. In view of this, illustration 1 in the list of figures shows that aside from branding, there are other aspects that a company needs to focus on. Given these aspects of brand and brand identity it can be defined as: A brand, in its broadest sense, is the expression of an organisation or product. A brand is communicated in a number of different ways and not only represents the visual aspects that a customer may come across (logo or imagery), but can also be reflected in the behaviour of people within that organisation, the quality of products that the organisation offers, and the manner in which customers are treated. (Investor in People 2004) Retailers in the UK realized the importance of this concept during the Post World War Era. During the war years the UK chain stores expanded nationally to serve the local consumers with standardized products. The restraint on trade with the US did not allow the local producers to cultivate their services abroad. Similarly, the restraint also applied to US products and retail stores that had not been allowed to operate in the UK as the producers anticipated US influence on local UK consumers. However, as the Wars passed, new chain stores expanded and so did the international chain in Britain. As new factories reflect growth in industries, traditional method of promoting products and goods also changed to cater to the new classification of products. American products were cheaper and easy to access at the convenience stores as compared to British products and chain stores. Further, due to the high unemployment level, resulting in less purchasing power, British stores did not feel motiv ate to expand or succeed. The only measure they were interested in includes the commoditys exchange value and how it serves as the source for covering operating income (Lowe et al 2000). However, with the emergence of US producers and retailers, local stores had cause for concern. Since the departmental stores from the US provide the same commodities and yet provide the aesthetic experience as well, the consumers learned to appreciate the uniqueness of the experience they had with the foreign stores. For this reason, British retail stores under went a wave of change where the stores had to make the decision of effectively competing with their American counterparts. According to Lowe et al (2000) By 1939 in Britain the chain stores had carved out a market alongside, and in competition with, the department and co-operative stores, and were particularly noted for their own-brand goods. Their standardised fascias jostled for prime place in the redeveloped high streets and their mass-marketing strategies increasingly squeezed out the small, but still significant, independent trader. Their particular development was the consequence not only of Britains compact geography an d early industrialisation, but also of the political and cultural support for trade restraints, which were furthered by the retention of family influence in companies and by an ethos of business leadership as public service. The British stores had gained significant development due to two reasons. Firstly the family based society and class dynamics within Britain had supported the centralization and spread of these stores across the country. Secondly, the trade restrained allowed these stores significant time frame for achieving the desired standards and quality for competing with rivals across the Atlantic. The intensity of the competition of stores in the US and UK resulted in inflating dynamic chain store culture and competition. As a result the retailing market changed its form with the support of the manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers in the distribution process. The outcome of this contest between the two nations not only established platforms for large retailers but it also added to their knowledge of the development and progressive tracks that they need to follow in order to effectively compete nationally and internationally. The basis for the fast growing retailing industry was inherent in the working class ability to predict opportunity advantage and capitalize on it. For example in 1848 W.H. Smith gained railway contracts and bookstalls spread across England. Similarly, Thomas Liptons shops in Glasgow in 1872 were built on the back of new steamships importing cheap Empire butter, cheese, ham etc. The common factor prevailing in this spreading trend had been the producers and the owners being able to foresee consumers special needs and satisfying them. Although these were family businesses that later on turned into empires nevertheless the concept of meeting demands as they come by providing customized services had been inherent during the 20th century even (Lowe et al 2000). J.B. Priestly surveyed the English landscape during this era and found that with the emergence of mobility, transportation and mass production, there has also been a mass set of chain cinemas, stores, teashops, etc., which has chan ged the way people eat, drink and entertain during the 1930s. The new infrastructure of migration and investment went hand in hand with the migration of people from the north to the south, from inner city to suburbs and the like etc. For this reason most of the significant development in establishing names of quality products and services emerged during this era (Lowe et al 2000). However, recently the trend has changed. Established names and quality brands have been facing difficulties in competition. As the UK become global in its trade practices, the risks of losing to foreign counterparts for local brands have increased. One example is Marks and Spencer. MS has been an established brand that UK consumers had immense trust in and have been using as a platform for measuring offering value for money quality products. The promotional theme at MS is based on quality but not a cheap product category that suits the average and affluent consumer. However, this strategy is not suitable for the needs of current globalization scenario. With the spread of retail stores and chain around the world such as Wal-Mart and ASDA, MS has gradually lost its position to these competitors. Wal-Mart is in stark contrast of the values established by MS. The Wal-Mart business philosophy is based on low price and cheap products that meets the average to low consumer group. Even more critical in this transition of retail store brands is that people are coming to accept them as alternatives to the established quality stores prevalent in the UK (Lowe et al 2000). The alternatives no doubt easily had taken over the local brand and chain stores but it had not been able to capture the essence of the concept of brand. For the average price conscious consumers have not realized the implication of switching over to a foreign brand. Not only have they been compromising quality for price but they have also greatly contributed to declining the established standards for the industry. Businesses that are known globally for their quality, reputation, product specifications, and standardizations have been replaced by the Americanization of products and services. No gap analysis has been identified for the switch and as a result brands that exist in the UK are innovating and revisiting their standards to win over the customers. The process is tedious but corporations and retailers are realizing the importance of exercising this process. Today when one refer to brands and brand identity, it means the creation of a brand identity system which involve focusing on brand communication, developing needs analysis, contemplating target audience, relegation of market profile and establishing a brand identity with these inputs[1]. Successful brands may shape the business sphere as well as navigate the breadth and depth of the corporate identity. The message, the identity, the visual design language such as symbols, colours, flagship etc. all reflect and remind the consumers who they are; what is the nature of the business; how are they producing; social participation and responsibility; and to communicate with them to be part of the brand identity system. For example in 1994 Coca-Cola business in the UK had been the largest bottlers and providers of cola drinks. However, at the same time other cola companies had come up with the same idea using the same corporate identity and brand message as Coca-Cola. Yet, despite this fact the local colas did not win the consumers due to the fact that consumers, in whose mind Coca-Cola association had already been lodged, mistook the new cola brands for the original one. For this reason the new cola brands lost to Coca-Cola in the competition. From this example and many that followed after, the British producers realized that brand identity is a systematic process that must ensure that the development of the design is protected; ownership or long term partnership of retail channels is essential and ownership of other product advantage cannot be replicated. Apart from those other organizational issues in the process of brand identity system development is that the interface between the strategic dec ision-making on the branding process must discuss how the brands would facilitate the company and how the brands can be linked to the companys goodwill. Thus by tying monetary value to brands, companies have established the value to brand identity and its influence on corporate performance. Once corporations realized the importance of brand identity, the struggle for materializing and capitalizing on brand identity increased. Marketers for one exhaustively increased their efforts to market their brands and logos more than they did the products; they laboured at serving the lifestyles that consumers lead rather than the products they need; and companies also included brand awareness strategies to ensure that the consumers understand the organizational products and services. More formal companies have established procedures for making this system work. Brands identity is now based on: 1. Recall rate at the top of the consumers mind 2. Specific recall for occasions, events or holidays 3. Visualization of the brand identity 4. Personalization of the brand to an image 5. Brand extension 6. Not becoming stereotype for cosmopolitan appeal 7. Think global, buy local concept 8. Linking brands to sub-brands 9. Symbolic ownership of brand essence 10. Souvenir brand essence 11. Connecting the values of flagship brands to other brands 12. Word of mouth 13. Brand transition through the identity system 14. Express the corporate tone of voice and cultural style These identifiers help companies to establish the concept of product design and its positioning in line with brand identity. In essence the whole exercise is to identify and take advantage of new and global practices and alleviate existing products and services without having to compromise old values and phenomena. With the amount of focus on brand, brand identity and brand loyalty, it can be observed that these are immense tools for influencing consumer purchase decisions (Knowledge Board 2004). 2.4. Key findings from literature review According to the above reviewed literature that encompasses key points on what a brand is and how it can impact consumer-purchase decisions, it can be asserted that branding is an important tool for a company to survive in any industry. It is through a brand identity that consumers recognize a particular companys products and services within a large industry. If a company associates standard and acceptable services and products that are according to a consumers expectations, the brand will be remembered and receive responses each time it advertises newer products and services. 3. Research Methodology: 3.1. Chapter introduction: This section includes the method of handling the data and arriving at a conclusion. Given that there are two types of data being used for this study, it is important to draw up how exactly the researcher will go about it. In order to conduct a study and answer the above research questions on how branding affect consumers purchasing decision, there is need to review relevant literature. The literature reviewed will be authentic and relevant to the research questions. This study will be both, qualitative and quantitative. A qualitative and quantitative study is necessary to answer the above research questions because both, facts and figures are an important part of the research area. There are also managerial aspects that need to be considered. These managerial aspects are represented in the form of facts and figures. Also, there will be statistical and numerical presentations considered that are necessary for answering the research questions. Aside from the study being a quantitative and qualitative, it will adopt a random approach. This refers to considering a wide variety of sources. However, the study will be limited to particular areas from where the researcher can obtain relevant data for this study. Sources for the literature review are ones that are authentic and relevant to the area being researched. The sources are from books and journals, as well as official websites, newspapers and magazines. In addition to the use of the sources mentioned above, important factors belonging to the field being studied here are obtained from other studies and presentations. Opinions and facts from presentations are considered to help in answering the research questions. Facts and figures about McDonalds and KFC brands from different points of view will be considered. The manner in which the brands have operated globally and the focus they have had in various places will also be considered for a greater understanding of their bran d communication with their consumers. This will help to bring together a wider range of opinions and facts to be analyzed. The literature review will be analyzed thoroughly so as to expose the answers to the research questions. Secondary data analysis is the process of re-evaluating collected researched data. The data can be collected from previously researched publications including official researched documents. Data collection usually involves research material that is relevant to the research problem issue but does not necessarily answer the research objectives or questions. For this research, the purpose of having secondary data analysis is to aid the researcher in collecting the data required to delineate the research objectives and provide a basis for analyzing primary data. Based on the conclusions of the secondary data analysis, the researcher will analyze and validate primary data collected through a survey questionnaire (Hair, Bush and Ortinau 2000). The questions in the questionnaire are mostly close ended. These close-ended questions will help to will to reduce result errors and biasness, as well as simplify accumulation of answers. 3.2. Research approach The rationale behind the literature has been to investigate the impact of branding on the consumers purchase decision. In terms of how what evaluate attributes influence their purchase decision. The underlying discussion has tried to come to an understanding of the consumers perception and attitudes towards how their actual purchase choices or decisions are generated, keeping in mind the brand name associations that influence the consumer, leading to his consistent behavior and loyalty. There are two main issues within the study: whether there is a difference in the effect that branding has on the different categories of consumer buying behavior groups, and the relationship between branding variables and consumer buying behavior. Branding is about certain consumers, not all consumers as they have different attitudes and behaviors toward brands. Further, Crimp and Wright (1995) define consumer attitudes as a composite of a consumers beliefs about, feelings for, and behavioral intentions towards some object-within the context of brand. In the research, the independent variable is the consumer buying behavior that is primary interest for marketer. The main objective of the research is to understand and describe the purchasing behavior in terms of brand and to explain its variability within the purchasing process and attempt to predict it. The dependent variable is the branding element that is considered by the consumer. Different consumers may hold different attitudes for these branding elements, or in other words, these branding components are viewed together since they are highly interdependent and together represent forces that influence how the consumer react to the object. 3.3. Data Collection Method As Ghauri and Gronhaug (2002) suggest the research design is the overall plan for relating the conceptual research problem to relevant empirical research. In the same regards, Kress (1988) indicated that designing a research method calls for decisions on data sources, research approaches, research instruments and sampling plans. Firstly, the study will attempt to discuss various sources of data and the ways in which data has been gathered for the purpose of analysis, testing hypothesis, and answering the research questions. Data can be obtained from primary and secondary sourses. However, in some cases the research would be restrained due to some information not being publicly available. Of the several techniques used for data collection a survey was deployed, as the most appropriate technique to gather data. The survey enabled a large amount of data to be collected from a sizeable population in a quick and economic way. A questionnaire can be described as the technique whereby each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions that are in a predetermined order (Webb, 1999). Miller (1991) also supports this idea, claiming that closed-ended questionnaire is an easy was to interpret answers where the respondent is asked to select answers from a brief list. This facilitates the standardization and easy comparison of data. It must be noted that both, data in the literature review as well as data obtained from the survey questionnaire will be analysed to arrive at a conclusion that satisfies the research questions. The sequence of questions in the questionnaire should be such that the respondent is led from questions of a general nature to those that are more specific, and form questions that are relatively easy to answer to those that are progressively more difficult (Malhotra, 1996). The studys survey has aimed to incorporate the following features to meet the specific requirements of the projects: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Specific objectives, these may be in terms of points that the survey should achieve and should be kept relatively simple; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Questionnaire that entails straightforward questions that extract consistency and accurate information; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A research design that includes survey sampling, sampling methods, sample size and the sound choice of population and sample meaning a relatively large unbiased group; à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The appropriate quantitative as well as qualitative analysis and reporting of survey results. 3.4 Validity: Answers achieved in this study are considered to be valid as they are achieved through previously accepted data relevant to this field. In addition to this, the answers from the participants in the survey questionnaire are original and represent the opinions on the subject that stand at the moment. Content validity ensures that the measure includes an adequate and representative set of items to tap the concept. The more the scale items represent the domain or universe of the concept being measured, the greater content validity. To put it diff

Changes in Art History with Emphasis on the Mid-Twentieth Century Essay

Changes in Art History with Emphasis on the Mid-Twentieth Century Art during the mid-twentieth century contained some of the most important changes art history. These explosive times were counter-balanced with explosive popular culture. More historical events, abrupt changes, and turbulence occurred from the end of World War II until the height of the Vietnam War than in any time period. Before this time, styles of art had lasted generations. In the 1960’s numerous important art movements were happening at the same time. There were variations on variations, movements inside of other movements. Therefore, because of the amount of independent and integrated pieces of movements and styles, a lot can be missed in a short paper. The amount that happened in these twenty-five years is enough to fill volumes, and so, this is just a brief scraping off the top of what during these times—the most tumultuous times in American History. INTRODUCTION: The 1940’s through the 1960’s were not only some of the most socially and politically volatile times in American History, but were the catalyst for the numerous changes in which occurred in American Popular culture during these and following years. Instead of experiencing the trauma which resulted after World War I’s end, post-World War II United States returned fairly easily back to everyday life. Although there were some problems converting from a wartime to a peacetime economy in the late 1940’s, Americans took on the task and entered the 1950’s on a very auspicious high note. During the time period after World War II, the United States experienced many changes. Technology was abundant and the rate at which new inventions, industries and technologies came about was at a rate never seen before. From a television in every home to the first computers and ultimately space flight, these two decades after World War II were crowded with advancements. S ome of the most dramatic changes came in the field of art. What was once a single, slow road of popular culture advancement branched off into thousands of smaller, faster changing roads. Some of these â€Å"roads†, which can be seen as changing styles, or movements, in art, whipped Americans through a roller coaster of change in what they saw around them. The End of World War II: The major art movement taking place in the United States directly after World War II was... ...ther in their concept. So as we start in a new millenium, we have to ask ourselves what will be the next great movement in art? Could there be anything again as influential as the times that existed here? Only time will tell. Bibliography: Cagle, Van M., Reconstructing Pop/Subculture: Art Rock and Andy Warhol, New York: Sage Publications, 1995 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1950s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Yapp, Nick, Ed. The 1960s, Chicago: Konemann, 1998 Reed, T.V., American Popular Culture. (online) Available: http://www.wsu.edu/~amerstu/pop/tvrguide.html, February 17, 2000 Seitz, William C., Art in the Age of Aquarius, 1955-1970, Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992 Alloway, Lawrence. American Pop Art, New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1974 Dynamic Movements. (online) Available: Http://library.thinkquest.org/17142/dynamic-movements/ Jansen, H.W., The History of Art, New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc., 1997, p. 914-915 Warhol’s Reflection of the Social Times. (online) Available: Http://vc.lemoyne.edu/ant305/students/7_abarnett/page3.htm Marcel Duchamp. (online) Available: http://www.peak.org/~dadaist/English/Graphics/duchamp.html

America’s Schools Need Character Education Essay -- Education Reform Es

A question that often finds itself as the focus of curriculum debates and school planning discussions is that of moral and character development. Does character development have a place in our schools? Should public schools take the responsibility of educating students on morality? The answer is complex and has a multitude of sides and opinions. In a way, however, schools already educate students on what to believe and how to behave. By excluding the history of the "other" Americans, such as people of color, women, and homosexuals, and focusing instead of the failures and successes of those of European descent, our schools already instill a distinct vision of who and what we are supposed to be. The white Protestant male’s vision of history and view of the world tends to be placed into the text -books and overall teachings of public schools in the United States. A very real example of this bias can be seen in the teaching of Thanksgiving. A holiday celebrated universally through all religions gives educators in public schools the opportunity to discuss and rejoice in the day with classroom activities and parties. Neglected from the Thanksgiving lesson, however, is the plight of the Native American who lost land and life when the Puritan settlers landed. Although moral education differs from multicultural education, they have points that intertwine. To me, the goals of character and moral education are to open up the minds of children and encourage an acceptance of others different from themselves. One of the most important pieces to moral education is fostering respect. Through development of respect and understanding of difference and humanity in general, perhaps much of the hate and intolerance that occurs in our society pres... ...dence Institute [on-line]. http://i2iorg/Publications/Op-Eds/Education/itselementary.htm Petrovic, J.E. (1999). Moral Democratic Education and Homosexuality: Censoring Morality.[Electronic Copy] Journal of Moral Education: 28, 201-210. Pierce, K. (1999). It’s Elementary: The New Gay Public Education Outreach. NLJ On-Line. http://www.liberty.edu/chancellor/nlj/July1999/Gay1.htm. Simonds, F. (2001). CEE Strategy. Citizens for Excellence in Education [on-line]. http://www.webcom.com/webcee/ceestrategy.htm. Stoltenberg, J. (1989). Refusing to Be A Man: Essays on Sex and Justice. London: UCL Press. Teaching Tolerance Project. (1997). Starting Small: Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades. Montgomery, Alabama: Southern Poverty Law Center. Teaching Tolerance. (2001). Ten Ways to Fight Hate. [on-line]. http://www.Tolerance .org/10_ways/teach/index.html

The Basics Of A Hard Drive :: essays research papers

The Basics of A Hard Drive   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I'm sure, by now you have used a computer be it to play games or write a paper. But do you know how a computer works and runs all the programs you what it to? Well if not I will tell you. To begin with I will explain a little about the history about the computers history. About 50 years or maybe a little longer someone came up with the thought that all the boring stuff like math could be automated so humans would not have to do it all. Hence the computer, as to who exactly I could not tell you. That person than began to work with his Idea and figured out that if he could turn a machine on and off at a specified time for a specified time he could in a way alter what it could do. To turn it on and off he came up with a very interesting way, he used a sheet that looked almost like a scantron sheet but with holes and those holes where used to turn it on and off. The holes represented 1s and the noholes 0s. the 1s turned it on an the 0s turned it off. With this knowledge he began to make little programs that could solve math problems. I guess he must have gotten bored with the math or something because he came up with a way to let him play tic-tack toe with the computer, which by the way was the first came ever to be created on the computer. Now there is one more thing you have to know about this computer, the computer was half the size of West High Schools gym. And it was thought that when it was ecomoical for people to own there own computer it would fill a decent size room. Could you imagine a computer filling up your entire living room, where wolud you put your TV? But with the invetion of keyboards and nanotechnology they reduced the size of the computer by nearly 200% and every year the keep getting smaller and smaller and it is estimated that nearly 85 to 90 percent of American homes have at least one computer in their home.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Now that I have bored you to death with the history of computers here's the fun stuff.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Programs that let you play games and surf the net aren't just ideas put in a niffty little box and sold. They are ideas put on paper then translated into a really, really huge math problem that the computer can understand, after

Cold War in Guatemala

Guatemala is known for being one of the most dangerous countries in Central America; nevertheless, it is not its fault that it is the way it is. During the Cold War there were many factors involved and many events that led to the Guatemala of today. It all began with the election of Colonel Arbenz during the â€Å"Ten Years of Springtime† which ended because President Eisenhower was influenced by his connections to Guatemala ´s â€Å"state within a state,† (TWT) the United Fruit Company. His decision disrupted a prosperous time for the country and created a dictatorship that gave birth to an army that caused a civil war which lasted over thirty years.Followed by a genocide that has the worst human rights record; it marked the beginning of a totally different Central American country that is now scarred and has not yet fully recovered from this disastrous event. Sometimes actions are committed for the right reasons but in a wrong way; the United States did exactly that . They changed an entire nation for their own interest by having most of the country under the control of an American-owned business, and ended up destroying it slowly and painfully with the result of a genocide and a thirty-year civil war.On the other hand, the Soviet Union only stood aside and let the country’s communism be taken over. From 1945 to late 1954 there was a time of prosperity in Guatemala known as the â€Å"Ten Years of Springtime. † Juan Josà © Arà ©valo, who was the president at this time, began the period of enlightenment by establishing the nation ´s security system and health system. He also created a government bureau â€Å"to look at Mayan concerns† (TWT). He was followed by Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzman who won the elections of 1951.During this time, most of the land in Guatemala was controlled by the United Fruit Company which was an American-owned company that directed the other two big enterprises in the country, the International Ra ilway of Central America and Empress Electrica. Statistically speaking, seventy percent of the farm laborers and arable land were run by two percent of the landowners. One hundred sixty thousand acres of this territory were uncultivated so Arbenz came up with a land reform to redistribute these pieces of land to peasants, letting them have individually owned small farms.The company was compensated but it still disagreed with the reform even though they did not lose much money. The United Fruit Company not only owned land though, it also owned the telegraph and telephone system of the country and most of the railroad track; therefore, it was labeled the â€Å"state within a state† (TWT). Connections between this huge enterprise and the United States' government were really close, especially since so many members of both organizations had personal relationships with one another (TWT). This was the initial push towards American involvement in Guatemala.What actually convinced Pr esident Eisenhower to step in, was when â€Å"Nicaragua’s president, Anastasio Somoza, solicited U. S. assistance to overthrow Arbenz† (Cold War Museum). The country was labeled â€Å"communist† and under this excuse, the containment policy was put to action. Aid was sent to the Guatemalan Army, including CIA planes and a CIA army. Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was overthrown and fled to Cuba (TWT). After the intervention, Colonel Castillo Armas became the new president after being chosen by the United States, â€Å"ensuring the promotion of American interests in Guatemala† (Cold War Museum).The â€Å"Springtime† was over. After Armas, a succession of military dictatorships followed but, the economy of the country began to drop and the gap between rich and poor just got wider; guerrilla groups were beginning to appear. Since the 1960s, the CIA created links with the Guatemalan Army unit, also called the G-2, which killed thousands of Guatemalan civilians by having their own â€Å"torture centers and body dumps throughout Guatemala† (TWT). Public reports revealed that this army was the most repressive and in 1977, United States president Jimmy Carter cut off military aid (TWT).Argentina, Chile, and Israel continued to play a major role by supplying weapons, building munitions, and training the Guatemalan soldiers. A genocide, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is â€Å"the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. † This event marked the 1980s for Guatemala. Violence was inevitable for the country, especially with an unstable government, a strong army, and a guerrilla group ready for a rebellion.The soldiers of the Guatemalan army called themselves a â€Å"killing machine† and they began a â€Å"systematic campaign of repression and suppression† (PPU) against the Mayan Indians, a guerrilla group that was part of the resistance. For two years, they were hunted down and murdered while the army’s perception of the Mayan communities only grew worse with time. Six hundred twenty-six villages were destroyed, or â€Å"disappeared†; children were beat against the walls and thrown down pits, men were tortured until death, and women were sexually abused and tortured at the same time. This became known as the â€Å"Silent Holocaust† (PPU).As a result, around 70,000 people died during this event and in the following years, from 1966 to 1990, an estimate of 200,000 murders occurred. There was almost a complete extermination of the Mayan communities (PPU). In 1986, â€Å"civilian rule and a new constitution were set up because, but the army held on its power because half a million Guatemalans were/are members of the army† (PPU). It took the Guatemalan leaders from both sides, the government and the resistance, five years to sign a peace agreement created by the United Nations to stop the thirty-year Civil War.In 1994, the Unite d Nations set up a human rights monitor in Guatemala called MINUGUA (TWT). MINUGUA highlighted many cases of torture and murder and came to the conclusion that human rights are violated on a daily basis. Guatemala today is still standing on the hope of a peace agreement that is still in progress. This peace agreement would also represent â€Å"democratic leadership, rights for indigenous people and displaced communities, demilitarization, constitutional reforms, an end to impunity, a Truth Commission, political participation, and attention to socio- economic issues such as land reform† (TWT).The United States can help Guatemala by stopping the aid they continue giving to the army (TWT), by supporting political and economic reform, and ending the war they have against the Guatemalan people. Today, there are still investigators looking for those who survived the genocide or were a part of it to continue to bring justice to the Guatemalan people for their incredible loss of live s many years ago. For example, just recently, General Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled Guatemala from 1982 to 1983, was just convicted to eighty years of prison for the genocide of his people (CNN).This is the first step the country of Guatemala has taken to move on from its horrible past. As is obvious, the Guatemalan country suffered greatly with the Cold War because of all the problems it created. The United States aided this country because of the containment policy at first but ended up supporting the army that caused the genocide, and eventually creating a civil war that lasted thirty years. Guatemala is doing much better in modern days, but it still has not fully recovered from such events that occurred in the past, a huge scar was left behind. Cold War in Guatemala Guatemala is known for being one of the most dangerous countries in Central America; nevertheless, it is not its fault that it is the way it is. During the Cold War there were many factors involved and many events that led to the Guatemala of today. It all began with the election of Colonel Arbenz during the â€Å"Ten Years of Springtime† which ended because President Eisenhower was influenced by his connections to Guatemala?s â€Å"state within a state,† (TWT) the United Fruit Company. His decision disrupted a prosperous time for the country and created a dictatorship that gave birth to an army that caused a civil war which lasted over thirty years.Followed by a genocide that has the worst human rights record; it marked the beginning of a totally different Central American country that is now scarred and has not yet fully recovered from this disastrous event. Sometimes actions are committed for the right reasons but in a wrong way; the United States did exactly that. T hey changed an entire nation for their own interest by having most of the country under the control of an American-owned business, and ended up destroying it slowly and painfully with the result of a genocide and a thirty-year civil war.On the other hand, the Soviet Union only stood aside and let the country’s communism be taken over. From 1945 to late 1954 there was a time of prosperity in Guatemala known as the â€Å"Ten Years of Springtime. † Juan Jose Arevalo, who was the president at this time, began the period of enlightenment by establishing the nation?s security system and health system. He also created a government bureau â€Å"to look at Mayan concerns† (TWT). He was followed by Colonel Jacobo Arbenz Guzman who won the elections of 1951.During this time, most of the land in Guatemala was controlled by the United Fruit Company which was an American-owned company that directed the other two big enterprises in the country, the International Railway of Cen tral America and Empress Electrica. Statistically speaking, seventy percent of the farm laborers and arable land were run by two percent of the landowners. One hundred sixty thousand acres of this territory were uncultivated so Arbenz came up with a land reform to redistribute these pieces of land to peasants, letting them have individually owned small farms.The company was compensated but it still disagreed with the reform even though they did not lose much money. The United Fruit Company not only owned land though, it also owned the telegraph and telephone system of the country and most of the railroad track; therefore, it was labeled the â€Å"state within a state† (TWT). Connections between this huge enterprise and the United States' government were really close, especially since so many members of both organizations had personal relationships with one another (TWT). This was the initial push towards American involvement in Guatemala.What actually convinced President Eise nhower to step in, was when â€Å"Nicaragua’s president, Anastasio Somoza, solicited U. S. assistance to overthrow Arbenz† (Cold War Museum). The country was labeled â€Å"communist† and under this excuse, the containment policy was put to action. Aid was sent to the Guatemalan Army, including CIA planes and a CIA army. Jacobo Arbenz Guzman was overthrown and fled to Cuba (TWT). After the intervention, Colonel Castillo Armas became the new president after being chosen by the United States, â€Å"ensuring the promotion of American interests in Guatemala† (Cold War Museum).The â€Å"Springtime† was over. After Armas, a succession of military dictatorships followed but, the economy of the country began to drop and the gap between rich and poor just got wider; guerrilla groups were beginning to appear. Since the 1960s, the CIA created links with the Guatemalan Army unit, also called the G-2, which killed thousands of Guatemalan civilians by having thei r own â€Å"torture centers and body dumps throughout Guatemala† (TWT). Public reports revealed that this army was the most repressive and in 1977, United States president Jimmy Carter cut off military aid (TWT).Argentina, Chile, and Israel continued to play a major role by supplying weapons, building munitions, and training the Guatemalan soldiers. A genocide, according to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, is â€Å"the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or cultural group. † This event marked the 1980s for Guatemala. Violence was inevitable for the country, especially with an unstable government, a strong army, and a guerrilla group ready for a rebellion.The soldiers of the Guatemalan army called themselves a â€Å"killing machine† and they began a â€Å"systematic campaign of repression and suppression† (PPU) against the Mayan Indians, a guerrilla group that was part of the resistance. For two years, they were hunted down and murdere d while the army’s perception of the Mayan communities only grew worse with time. Six hundred twenty-six villages were destroyed, or â€Å"disappeared†; children were beat against the walls and thrown down pits, men were tortured until death, and women were sexually abused and tortured at the same time. This became known as the â€Å"Silent Holocaust† (PPU).As a result, around 70,000 people died during this event and in the following years, from 1966 to 1990, an estimate of 200,000 murders occurred. There was almost a complete extermination of the Mayan communities (PPU). In 1986, â€Å"civilian rule and a new constitution were set up because, but the army held on its power because half a million Guatemalans were/are members of the army† (PPU). It took the Guatemalan leaders from both sides, the government and the resistance, five years to sign a peace agreement created by the United Nations to stop the thirty-year Civil War.In 1994, the United Nations se t up a human rights monitor in Guatemala called MINUGUA (TWT). MINUGUA highlighted many cases of torture and murder and came to the conclusion that human rights are violated on a daily basis. Guatemala today is still standing on the hope of a peace agreement that is still in progress. This peace agreement would also represent â€Å"democratic leadership, rights for indigenous people and displaced communities, demilitarization, constitutional reforms, an end to impunity, a Truth Commission, political participation, and attention to socio- economic issues such as land reform† (TWT).The United States can help Guatemala by stopping the aid they continue giving to the army (TWT), by supporting political and economic reform, and ending the war they have against the Guatemalan people. Today, there are still investigators looking for those who survived the genocide or were a part of it to continue to bring justice to the Guatemalan people for their incredible loss of lives many years ago. For example, just recently, General Efrain Rios Montt, who ruled Guatemala from 1982 to 1983, was just convicted to eighty years of prison for the genocide of his people (CNN).This is the first step the country of Guatemala has taken to move on from its horrible past. As is obvious, the Guatemalan country suffered greatly with the Cold War because of all the problems it created. The United States aided this country because of the containment policy at first but ended up supporting the army that caused the genocide, and eventually creating a civil war that lasted thirty years. Guatemala is doing much better in modern days, but it still has not fully recovered from such events that occurred in the past, a huge scar was left behind.

Rational and Emotional Approaches to Change Essay

Introduction Leaders appear to make decisions based on what they may gain or lose in their leadership roles. This may mean being viewed as week or strong. Are they risk takers when it comes to their being viewed by their followers which goes against the status quo? Any changes may also be seen as a compromise of their values. Emotional Intelligence In 1985 Reuven Bar-on was reasearching the qualities that lead to success. He showed there was much more than traditional Intelligences or IQ and developed the concept of Emotional Intelligence-Emotinal Quotient or EQ was born.(Roy Childs, Emotional Intelligence and Leaderhsip). 2012 Team Technology. According to the Harvard Business Review, emotional intelligence is one of the defining qualities of agood leader. It can take a person of somewhat â€Å"average intelligence and abilities and transform them into an effective and successful part of any organization. An emotional leader would have emotional intelligence which is defined by the ability understand and manage our emotions and those around us. This quality gives individuals a variety of skills such as the ability to manage relationships, navigate social networks, I influence and inspire others. (Sara Flecther, Lead Change Group. May 30, 2012.) In today’s workplace, it has become highly important why leaders should cultivate their emotional intelligence: self-awareness; emotional management; effective communication; social awareness and conflict resolution.(Sara Fletcher ,Lead Change Group. May 30, 2012.) The idea that success in both life and in work (at least where managing people is concerned is a significant factor) became highly credible and organizations have recognized how their best leaders and managers need to develop their understanding of themselves and other. (Roy Childs, Emotonal Intelliegence and Leaderhsip. 2012 Teamology.) An emotional leader is also characterized as being charmismatic. Charmismatic leadership theory is a popular and much reseached approach to understanding effective leadership. (Hughes, Ginnett, Curphy, 2003). Using this intelligence is based on several models, self –assessment questionaires.This approach has obvious limitations in identifing levels of self- awarenessâ€Å"how can you be aware of what you are  not aware of!â€Å"(Roy Childs Emotional Intelligence and Leadership.2012 Teamology) A better approach is said to be expertimental exercises, feedback response to identify strengths and weaknesses, self-assessments by an independent source which offers a higher level of honesty. This approach challenges many challenges but can cause growth and development.