Roman Empire and Nero

Explain the role and contribution of Seneca to the reign of Nero Seneca was the personal advisor of Nero during his reign. He was a stoic philosopher who played a vital role in the running of the empire. Seneca contributed in many aspects of Nero’s reign by introducing reforms, bringing stoicism into practice and playing a key role in the senate. Seneca aided in important decision-making. He led Nero down an appropriate path, particularly when Nero became extremely erratic. He served Nero well and made an excellent contribution during his reign.Seneca understood the problems of Rome so he was able to introduce reforms, which benefited the people. He made conditions for slaves more humane, introduced fiscal reform and introduced a more enlightened administration in Britain. This positively contributed to the empire as he had the happiness of the people in his best interest. By introducing reforms that pleased the people he gained popularity for both himself and Nero. This was b eneficial for Nero as the people of the empire could look back on Nero’s reign years later and reflect on the good decisions and excellent reforms that had taken place during the period.Tacitus says â€Å"Nothing in human affairs is more unstable and precarious than power unsupported by its own strength. † This quote by Tacitus shows us just how great the impact of Seneca was. It is telling us that without Seneca, Nero may have had the power, but had no support to advice him to make the correct decisions. Seneca was the strength to Nero’s power. Seneca composed Nero’s first speech to the senate. This speech offered additional power to the senate and shows that Seneca was contributing to the reign of Nero right from the very start.The speech also promised to return to what life had been like under Augustus. Of course, the empire was considered a Republic during the Augustan period and the people cherished this time. Seneca and Nero were looked upon favoura bly when they promised to return to a time of happiness. Therefore Seneca helped encourage an excellent start to the reign of Nero. Stoicism influenced the writing of Seneca for Nero as he wrote â€Å"on clemency† which encouraged Nero to rule leniently. Stoicism is particularly shown as he writes â€Å"†¦worthy to do the ork of the gods upon the earth† It is known that the Roman’s were very religious, so to do the work of the gods would be seen as ethically and morally right to Seneca. These traits are one of the beliefs of Stoicism, reflecting his influence. This contributed to Nero’s reign as it meant that Nero came across as a self-controlled, morally right stoic man who would run the empire leniently and satisfy the people of Rome. Satisfied Romans meant that they would continue to give their support to Nero during his reign. Seneca worked efficiently with the senate allowing Nero to remain popular within the senate.A key role that Seneca played was to ensure that the Neronian government had good relations with the senate. He did this very effectively. This was an excellent contribution to his reign as it allowed Nero to remain popular within the senate, as well as with the people. Remaining popular among Rome meant that he had the support of its people and could continue to rule effectively with Seneca by his side. Seneca’s influence was particularly shown as he wrote the speech Nero gave where he declared his administration for the senate and his desire that they resume their ancient function.Seneca’s successful speeches helped contribute to the healthy relationship between Nero and the senate as he told them what they wanted to hear. He also issues coins, which were a further indicator of the good relations between Nero and the senate. Credit for this successful relationship must go to Seneca who put the words into Nero’s mouth and was able to satisfy the senate by giving them what they wanted. A co operating senate meant that the empire was able to run much better during Nero’s reign.Further on in Nero’s reign, Seneca began to see a change. He grew more erratic and extreme. From here it became the role of Seneca to curb his enthusiasm. Tacitus describes this job as â€Å"To direct his deviations from virtue into licensed channels of indulgence. † The shows that Seneca fulfilled his job by avoiding activities that would result in scandal. Nero’s frustration grew out of many of his liberal ideas failing and it was the role of Seneca to alert Nero about his policies if they were ineffective or bad policy.Although Seneca was unable to change the personality of Nero and his behaviour, he was able to contribute to the outcome of his actions. Seneca benefited the empire by avoiding decisions, which would consequence in revealing Nero’s awful erratic side. This benefited the empire in that Nero was still able to be favoured as the Romans did not see the worst of his erratic and extreme personality, as well as stopping Nero from making rash decisions that would not help his reign by informing him when policies or ideas were not recommended.Seneca’s contribution was beneficial for all aspects of Nero’s reign. He was able to advise Nero on important decision-making and was able to put a stop to Nero introducing policies and ideas that would not benefit his reign. Seneca provided a voice for Nero and was able to tell the Roman people wanted to hear and in turn earned their support. Seneca’s introduction of new policies and creating of stoicism contributed further to increasing the success of the empire, as well as the success of Nero.Seneca provided the strength to Nero’s power and without his contribution the reign of Nero would not have been as delightful. Seneca was able to make people dream of a â€Å"Republic† which further forced their support onto Nero. He also played a role in creating and maintaining a healthy relationship with the senate so that through Nero’s reign they were able to run the empire in collaboration. The role and contribution of Seneca was vital to the success of Nero, he acted as an excellent advisor to the emperor, particularly through giving a stoic voice to Nero.

Sustainable Customer Relationships

Running Head: PROBLEM SOLUTION: CLASSIC AIRLINES Problem Solution: Classic Airlines Cecily Cornish University of Phoenix MBA 570/Sustainable Customer Relationships December 8, 2008 Instructor Sandra Payne, MBA Problem Solution: Classic Airlines Classic Airlines (CA) is the world’s fifth largest airlines that must balance its marketing program while coping with a mandated across-the board cost reduction by the board of directors. This calls for a of 15% cost reduction over the next 18 months while negotiating labor costs through the airline’s union employees and improving customer service. Facing low employee morale, decreasing customer satisfaction, rising fuel costs, high union wages, a nonfunctional CRM system, negotiations with union officials and future airline alliances and partners, CA has elected to implement a new analytical Customer Service Management (aCRM) product development (University of Phoenix,2008,Classic Airlines,p. 1). The core problems stem around CA losing customer confidence in its Classic Rewards Program (CRP) and losing Wall Street and media confidence. CA must focus on a marketing program to connect it the customer’s needs and sustain and attract loyal customers. The current executive team values are divided, with CEO Amanda Miller and CFO Catherine Simpson valuing the financial numbers which is in sharp contrast to the values of the customer, employees and shareholders held by CMO Keith Bolye and VP Renee Epson over customer service. The union senior VP Doug Sheflin knows that without a compromise between union and airlines the status quo will not be able to meet the current and future wage costs. Senior VP John Hartman over human resources has trained the employees with the necessary skills and sees the employees as valuable assets in the customer and marketing effectiveness. Marketing in the form of environmental scanning can identify the factors of social, economic, technological and competitors that CA faces. Until CEO and the board establish a mission which will guide its organization, there may be organization resistance and delay in reaching its overall business strategies. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a broad term that involves people, processes, and technology to improve relationships and existing customers who will result in improved customer retention and profitability (Kerin, 2006, p. 8). Using environmental scanning, identifying the marketing strategy and establishing a marketing relationship will direct and guide CA in meeting customer needs , identify the resources needed, the competitors they face and future trends in the Customer Relationship Management system. Incorporating Enterprise Risk Management, profitability index with interactive marketing will allow the marketing program to address customer needs and sustain customer relationships to reflect the changing trends in customer purchasing behavior. Describe the Situation Issue and Opportunity Identification Classic Airlines is the fifth largest airlines in the world. In the business for 25 years, CA has 375 jets that service 240 cities with more than 2300 daily flights. Classic Airlines earned $8. 7 billion in sales. CA made $10 billion profit which means that most of the revenue went to operating the company. With 32,000 union employees CA retains their top salary that is above industry’s average. In addition the board has voted for a 15% reduction over the next 18 months. The company is threatening bankruptcy, decreasing value on Wall Street, unfavorable media, decreasing customer satisfaction and low employee morale. The current CRM system is not fully functional and the Classic Reward frequent flier program has been losing loyal customers. Other challenges include continual high fuel costs and high wages paid to the union employees. CA’s challenge is to find a way to improve customer satisfaction within their Classic Rewards Loyalty Program by identifying and meeting customer’s needs and, therefore, improve the return on investment (ROI) (University of Phoenix,2008,Scenario Two,2008). Several opportunities exist for Classic Airlines which includes a forecasting of sales, a marketing mix and a situation analysis to determine the feasibility of a new analytical Customer Relationship Management program. CA may need for the present to just update the current CRM to a functional capacity to meet customer’s needs. Establishing the short-term of finding the solutions to update the current CRM might save costs and establish a long-term aCRM portfolio as a long-term goal .According to Seget (2008), the aCRM model uses analytical models and databases to integrate information that will enhance the customer desire for functionality as well as provide time sensitive information for prompt decision making by pharmacists, managers and others that rely on the CRM processes. It will definitely allow CA to focus on negotiating with the high wages of its current union employees who are above the industry standards. The CMO Boyle can begin to devise marketing strategies on focusing on marketing segmentation, marketing-mix and focus on the needs of the customers who are loyal and attempt to retain them as well as attract new ones. To obtain customer feedback without alienating them CA may consider, online surveying, telephone surveying and other interactive marketing. Interactive marketing creates customer value, customer relationship and customer experience. Kerin (2006) agrees, â€Å"Interactive marketing creates customer value by providing time, place, form and possession utility for consumers† (p. 6). Interactive marketing, marketing segmentation marketing-mix and forecasting can help identify customer needs and increase customer relationships. Stakeholder Perspectives/Ethical Dilemmas The ethical dilemmas in the Classic Airlines scenario are the conflict interests and values of the CEO Miller and CFO Simpson versus the rest of the leadership team. A dilemma also exists between the values and interests of the CA management and leadership team and the stakeholders. While the CEO and CFO are driven by numbers and a â€Å"pragmatic approach† these interests conflict with the overall business strategies and that is to increase customer satisfaction by reducing costs (University of Phoenix, Scenario Two, 2008, p. 1). The company is trying to improve the return on investment (ROI) and at the same time improve the frequent flier program, pay the union employees high wages and implement a new aCRM product. In fact, according to Seget (2004), â€Å"Wisdom prevails in conducting project feasibility, forecasting and marketing-mix and marketing-mix research before considering a new aCRM product . implementation† (p. 25). Classic Airlines must reach a balance through stakeholder’s involvements at all levels in attempting to balance the interests and value of all the individuals, departments and organizations. CA must focus on being a â€Å"best service† benchmarking company as a goal because providing the lowest price while utting costs and remaining competitive in the marketplace, is unrealistic thinking. â€Å"For example, it is not possible to simultaneously provide the lowest-priced and highest-quality products to customers and pay the highest prices to suppliers, highest wages to employees, and maximum dividends to shareholders† (Kerin,2006, p. 3). That is why an environmental scanning, a product analysis or four p's, and a situation analysis will clarify wh ere the company product or service has been, its status and where it wants to be. The marketing program will identify where CA is, the competitor’s trends, and the customer current and prospective customers (Kerin, 2006, p. 12). Developing a marketing mix, an environmental scanning will identify the need of the stakeholders to be involved in every level of the decision making process and the development of an aCRM product implementation. The marketing program is a method of bringing an exchange between all the stakeholders to sustain valuable customer relationships. Frame the â€Å"Right† Problem Classic Airlines will remain competitive in its industry and expand its global influence and brand loyalty by including its stakeholder’s voice and valuing its customer voice. Other opportunities for CA to achieve its goals of restructuring and implementing new initiatives such as its upgrade of its current CRM and a new aCRM product development will help sustain customer loyalty, increase customer satisfaction and provide the employees with the skills and automated technology that can meet the customers’ needs. In order to meet the changing environmental factors such as regulatory and fierce competitors and reduce labor costs, CA will use marketing strategies such as environmental scanning, sales forecasting, segmentation are opportunities to increases return on investment (ROI) by identifying and meeting customer’s needs. According to Kerin (2006),: â€Å"The American Marketing Association, representing marketing professionals, states that ‘marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating, and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that benefit the organization and its stakeholders† (p. 1). CA will ensure that the ROI will be accomplished through accountability and leadership of the CEO, board members and senior executives. Valuing the voices all stakeholders will ensure that the values, thics and interests are filtered through a corporate decision making and implementation process. CA will ensure that its new initiative will be defined in its corporate governance, mission statement, employee booklet, union booklet and risk management policies. CA will remain a leading worldwide airline organization that focuses on marketing strategies that include direct forecasting, linear trend extrapolation, market segmen tation, product differentiation, sales force surveys, survey of buyers intentions and usage rate strategies that will keep CA a leader among the airline industry. Identifying customer changing needs via profitability index, customer audits will allow CA remain profitable as well as efficient in delivering the best practices in airline services to it loyal customers and future one. Fuel hedging, smaller planes, business partnerships and alliances will be strategies that will be analyzed and implemented to allow costs to be transferred into customer value benefits. Describe the â€Å"End-State† Vision Classic Airlines(CA) will be restructured in its philosophy, mission and goals to be a cost-effective and efficient company by focusing on the â€Å" stakeholders voice† in implementing a new analytical Customer Relationship Management (aCRM ) and a Enterprise Relationship Management (ERM) ) product development. Customer and employees as well as top executives who ethics values the customers, the employee and the shareholders will be valued within all levels of the stakeholders communication. The core competencies includes values of the aCRM that will align with the overall organizational goals of valuing the customer’s voice , sustaining customer relationships, and providing utilities that will create efficient and effective services. Thus the goal of profitability will be achieved through the values of profitability and social accountability and responsibility of the CEO and board members of CA (University of Phoenix Scenario 2, 2008, p. ). Achieving US and globalization as a benchmarking organization stems from an aggressive and proactive marketing program that will operate through an updated CRM system and a future aCRM system that is designed to compensate future environmental changes and thus customer changing needs. An effective marketing program will benefit the customer and stakeholders by assessing the needs of the customer and satisfying those needs (Kerin, 2006, p. 5). Remaining a competitor in the airlines industry means continuing open negotiations and compromise with the airlines union to keep pilots and employees competitive wages with the industry, while reducing costs and retaining loyal customer, increasing customer service and retaining skilled employees and sustaining the Classic reward program that is both efficient and effective in customer service. Recommended measures to determine if the CRM and marketing strategies are effective include profitability index, customer value benefits, and the measurement of rate and customer satisfaction surveys. Identify the Alternatives and Benchmarking Validation Alaska Airlines began in 1932 in Anchorage, Alaska with 17 million passengers annually with flights to over 60 cities and 3 countries. Alaska Airlines is familiar with marketing strategies to remain competitive in the airline industry. Alaska Airlines faced a financial crisis similar to Classic Airlines who faces possible bankruptcy, a 10% decrease in stock market shares and negativity on Wall Street (University of Phoenix, 2008). In 1972 Alaska Airlines was in the then Ron Cosgrave and Bruce Kennedy came on board in 1972, the airlines was in a financial fight for its existence. Led by quality leadership, the management restructured the goal of the organization and began bringing people together to save the failing company (Alaska Airlines, 2008). Leadership conducted a â€Å"differentiating marketing† in providing superior customer service as the key. Using a differentiating marketing allowed Alaska Airlines to survive more tumultuous times during the deregulation of airline industry and the recent rising fuel costs. Kerin (2006) agrees that, â€Å"The existence of different market segments has caused firms to use a marketing strategy of product differentiation. The strategy involves a firm’s using differentiation mix and advertising to help consumers perceive activities such as product (service) activities as being better than the other competing products â€Å"(p2). Classic Airlines can begin improving its profits and market shares by focusing on marketing strategies such as â€Å"best services† in its industry by aligning a customer-centric focus and include the stakeholders in the new restructuring of the company. Classic Airlines can follow AKL’s lead in forming partnerships and alliances to expand its international market. Both parties view the partnership as a pairing of their expansive international networks and allowing ALK an opportunity to build a platform for international growth from the West (Global airlines, 2008, p. 2). This means double benefits for their customers allowing them the additional options offering by the two companies and a chance to redeem mileage points from either of the two airlines. The Disney logo and brand name was built in 1923 on the foundation of The Walt Disney Company. Disney was founded by Walter Elias Disney and cofounded by his brother Roy Disney. The Walt Disney Company has an estimated $35 million in annual revenues (Wikipedia, 2008,p. 1). Disney works includes his alter ego Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, records, movies and the Walt Disney World Resort. What is noteworthy of this entertainment, movie empire is the extent of its marketing strategies to communicate with their customers. Using a marketing mix, Disney’s business strategy encompasses the integrated marketing communications (IMC) that communicates a brand loyalty and consistent messages across all audiences. The IMC is used by Disney via its management team and its internet customers. Disney takes many types of promotional mix as a direct marketing tool to communicate in an exchange with brand loyal customers and with potential customers. This allowed Disney to combine advertising, direct marketing, personal sales, sales promotion and public relations to inform customers of their products, persuade them to use them and remind them of the benefits after they have used them(Kerin,2006,p. ). Having targeted their population segmentation, Disney’s IMC and direct- marketing techniques via large mass mailings, an internet websites and internet-linked kiosks allow loyal customers and potential customers to inquire about their products and services. The IMC, direct marketing, marketing-mix and promotional-mix allows Disney to exchange information with consumers and keep updated of consumers changing purchasing behaviors. As Classic Airlines works on updating the functionality of its current CRM and prepares for the aCRM product development, the company can benefit from a direct marketing approach. Therefore, Classic Airlines must streamline its operations in reducing staff, eliminating aircraft with high maintenance, negotiate wage salaries to match the industry market, focus on smaller planes and improve its rewards program. Once the costs have been reduce, investments can made towards the CRM system that will allow for targeting its marketing population segmentation. Kerin (2006) states, â€Å"Like personal selling, direct marketing often consists of interactive communication. It also has the advantage of being customized to match the needs of specific target markets. Messages can be developed and adapted quickly to facilitate one-to-one relationships with customers â€Å"(p. 7). With a well developed functional CRM and aCRM data warehouse, Classic Airlines can focus on communication exchanges through direct marketing and other forms of IMC to attract new customers and maintain loyal customers. Evaluate the Alternatives In Table 3, all the goals were ranked 5 because the aCRM is a software highly integrated system of providing massive information and data on a time-sensitive arena, there will take many stakeholders and business processes to make this new product development and implementation successful. The best features of the original alternatives were combined to create a short list of second –tier solutions because it was imperative that Classic Airlines created a change management by clearly defining its mission, objectives and align them with their aCRM objectives. Once this has been accomplished it was in the best interests of the stakeholders that a culture of change be established internally before commissioning the aid of external CRM consultants. Due to the amount of organizational resistance due to Classic Airlines original exclusion of the stakeholders in particular the employees, it was best to incorporate any outside help only after internal organizational change and a culture of customer-centric, product-centric and employee rewards for performance were in place. Identify and Assess Risks Many risks can be identified with the implementation of the new product development. Beginning with the risk of organizational resistance, CA will achieve more by including all the stakeholders, especially the customers in a buy-in or adoption of the new product initiative. If CEO and Board fail to incorporate a culture or organizational change by aligning the new aCRM product objective with the overall objectives of the company, the new product development and completion may be in jeopardy. As most benchmarking companies have found that an evaluation of product feasibility s the first research before adopting the new product initiative. The project feasibility will detail costs, risks, labor costs and other assessments needed to make an informed decision about proceeding with the idea. A more profound tangible risk is if enough skilled employees have. A more profound tangible risk is if enough skilled employees have the technical skills to make the new product development a success. Other risks include costs, going pass projected timeframes, and other external risks, such as the vendors failing to supply financial backing. Other risks include software compatibility risks, decrease in profitability and returns. Risks can be mitigated by planning a risk analysis and risk management to align with every department decision making in investments and other decisions that impact the overall value of the firm. According to Seget (2008), key findings includes a risk management WBS plan is needed for CA to implement risk management principles and incorporate them in their job functions. Risks can be tracked and contingency plans in place in case they fail. Implementing risk management in every phase of the aCRM process will ensure that â€Å"potential risks† are identified early on in the product development. A solid risk management plan can help CA face the â€Å"unknowns†; deal with â€Å"unfavorable outcomes† and â€Å"unexpected uncertainties. † Just as the profitability analysis makes good business sense in considering any aCRM and marketing-mix program, conducting a profitability index makes good business sense to determine if the business objectives have been met. Make the Decision The final decision is to develop and implement a new aCRM to remain competitive within the industry. However, to do that a project feasibility and project analysis will be conducted first. Both authors, Kerin (2004) and Segat (2006) agrees to results of a project analysis and market research be completed before any new CRM initiative. These finding will be placed into the new aCRM portfolio that will detail the labor costs, financial investments and workforce needed to complete the product. A management change and organizational culture will be adopted through the mission statements, governance policies, code of ethics and risk management policies. An internal marketing approach will allow an exchange between all stakeholders. Marketing segmentation will allow CA to indentify the customers who will increase the return of investments (ROI) by conducting marketing-mix programs to identify their needs. Customer surveys will allow CA to not only identify those needs but to satisfy unmet needs and identify changing consumer behavior. The challenge for CA is not measuring the ROI or measuring the effectiveness of its total business strategies but determining the effectiveness of the customer-focused strategies. Klenke (2003) suggests that, â€Å"It makes good business sense to bring the project to a final conclusion by determining if the projected results actually were delivered as suggested in the business plan that management approved†¦ A decision must be made whether or to return to the pre-project situation if that is still an option† (para. 139). Develop and Implement the Solution The biggest opposition to any CRM new initiative is organizational resistance to organizational change. The goals it to focus on the greatest resource of Classic Airlines and that is the employees, management and departments and divisions that will be equipped through communication, two-way feedback, employee communication surveys, and an organization culture that values the communication, feedback and decision making of the employees. CA will create an organizational culture within four weeks by communication, mentoring, modeling the new aCRM product project by allowing the employees to engage two way communication, decision making and two way feedback. CA will resolve its unclear objectives by clearly stating them in their employee handbook. Once a feasibility report is conducted and the return on investment (ROI), market ratios and profitability ratios are concluded, CA will proceed to forecasting, internal marketing and environmental scanning. Employee surveys as well as feedback surveys and employee questionnaire will be distributed. The employees, customers and stakeholders will be engaged throughout the product development and implementation. The senior management, change champion, financial officer and human resources departments will be responsible in gathering the research and reporting back to the CEO and board members. At that point information will be disseminated at all levels from the CEO and board through face to face meetings, employee internet, meetings, corporate magazine and other informational channels. Evaluate the Results The success of the current CRM and implementation of the new aCRM will be measured with ongoing forecasting and marketing-mix research. Since these approaches allow for prediction of future trends of customers and organizational buying behaviors it can also predict the possible increase of revenues and profits that a certain product might generate. Measures such as productivity increase, cost reduction and increase in revenues are more reliable metrics in measuring and evaluating the benefits of the CRM implementation. (University of Phoenix, 2008) Many benchmarking companies like PeopleSoft, according to Seget (2004), may fail in its first product CRM attempt. PeopleSoft adopted a PeopleSoft CRM that failed to deliver in terms of functionality for the end-user, the consumer. PeopleSoft developed another system called Peoplesoft8 that address the issues of functionality that their former system failed to deliver. Metrics such as productivity, increases in revenues were some of the measures used by PeopleSoft8. Like Classic Airlines they were facing criticisms of lack of functionality for their customers and had a problem with vendor, supplier and human resources staffing. They became successful in adopting a new â€Å"PeopleSoft 8 CRM† that focuses on employees, targeting customers, supplier relationships and vendor relationships. Seget (2004) agrees that the success of PeopleSoft 8 CRM (PS8) was due to the focus on human resources centric or –HR-centric. Functionality was also a major concern for PS until their adoption of the PS8-CRM. Although Classic Airlines’ new aCRM is not up and running, CA can learn from PS8 by acting quickly by fully integrating the PS8 CRM system and forming a business alliances and partnerships to maximize their aCRM efforts. PeopleSoft has been successful enough to use profits to acquire and merge with other companies and partners (Seget, 2004, p. 80). Other measures include SWOT analysis, gap analysis, and profitability index and churn rates to determine if the objective has been met. Evaluations and customer surveys must be ongoing to allow management to adjust and change their focus as customer behavior and trends change. Conclusion Classic Airlines like most industries are embarking on a fairly new concept, the CRM. Although CRM is a computer based software that provides integrated on demand information for customers, physicians, vendors and ther stakeholders, the system is only as useful if designed around the customer’s needs, wants and expectations. According to Seget (2004), the aCRM model uses analytical models and databases to integrate information that will enhance the customer desire for functionality as well as provide time sensitive information for prompt decision making by pharmacis ts, managers and others that rely on the CRM processes. While Classic Airlines is in its infancy, CEO Amanda Miller must present a project analysis and project feasibility before undertaking the new aCRM product development (Kerin, 2006). According to Kerin (2006) environment scanning and must be conducted not only on its customers but on its competitors as well. Marketing target segmentation, internal marketing, aCRM initiatives, customer surveys and customer audit all work together in reaching an overall business strategy, satisfying the needs of the customer. Classis needs to reduce costs, maximize ROI, match union pay with the industry and restructure the organization with a product-centric and customer-centric focus. Achieving US and globalization as a benchmarking organization stems from an aggressive and proactive marketing program that will operate through an updated CRM system and a future aCRM system that is designed to compensate future environmental changes and thus customer changing needs. An effective marketing program will benefit the customer and stakeholders by assessing the needs of the customer and satisfying those needs (Kerin, 2006, p. 5). Classic must remain competitive by promoting value for all vendors, supply chain and stakeholders. To measure the effectiveness of the aCRM project and current CRM and marketing program must use customer surveys, profitability index and customer audits to determine if the objectives of CRM and marketing strat4egies are being met. Measurements must be conducted on a continual basis to allow management to make adjustments and decisions to align the CRM with the business overall business strategies. References Alaska Airlines. (2008). Retrieved November 26, 2008 from the Web site: http://www. Alaskaair. com/ Band, J. (2003). The CRM Outlook: Maturing to the next level. Computer Wire. Retrieved November 9, 2008 from the University of Phoenix Library Business Insights Technology Web site: http://www. globalbusinessinsights. com. exproxy. |Global airlines face daunting challenges- more mergers and partnerships? (2008). Retrieved November 25,2008 from the University of | |Phoenix, Plunkett Research database. | |Kerin, R. A. , et. al. (2006). Marketing, 8e. Customer relationship and value through marketing. | |New York: McGraw- Hill. | |Klenke, M. , Reynolds, P. , Trickey, P. (2003). Leveraging Customer Relationships, 1e. Tactics to leverage customer relationship. Leyh | |Publishing Company. | Seget, S. (2004). The Pharmaceutical CRM Outlook. Optimizing returns from operational and analytical crm. Retrieved November 5, 2008 from the University of Phoenix Library Business Insights database. University of Phoenix. (2008). Automating a Support System. Retrieved November 16, 2008, from the University of Phoenix, resource, Simulation. MBA570-Sustainable Customer Relationships Course Web site. University of Phoenix. (2008). Classic Airlines, Scenario Two. Retrieved November 21, 2008, from the University of Phoenix, resource, Scenario. MBA570-Sustainable Customer Relationships Course Web site. Walt Disney. (2008). Retrieved November 26,2008 from the Website: http;//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Walt Disney Table 1 Issues and Opportunities Identification | | | | | |Concept |Application of Concept in Scenario |Reference to Specific |Personal Experience at your| | |or Simulation |Course Concept Organization | | | |(Include citation) | | | | | | | |Classic Airlines has a lack of|To develop value added channels of |â€Å"Just as important is the communication |As a newly hired sheriff | |stakeholder alignment that |communication aligning key |between and within levels. Gone are the days |deputy, jail division I had| |will hinder their ability to |stakeholders under a common vision. |when departments could stand as silos, |grew so fast and the funds | |implement new products and |This is an opportunity to increase |isolated from the rest of the organization by |to run the new facility had| |services/solutions. |organizational comprehension and |impenetrable barriers. Intra-national and |ran over its budget. Rumors| | |employee involvement that results |international competition is now so fierce |were running rampant | | |in the garnering of trust and |that everyone (stakeholders) in the |throughout the organization| | |loyalty among stakeholders. |organization needs to collaborate closely on |that resulted in low | | | |solving organizational challenges and on |morale. The problem for the| | | |achieving agreed strategic objectives. † |Sheriff department was that| | | |(Wyatt,2008,para. 9) |they noticed a rise in | | | | |officer and inmate | | | | |conflicts. The officer’s | | | | |union began to disseminate | | | | |information via brochures, | | | | |newsletters and roll call | | | | |meetings. |Classic Airlines lacks |Classic Airlines has an opportunity|Classic Airlines can select a marketing |My company focuses on brand| |marketing mix and environment |to conduct a marketing mix to focus|strategy such as, best price, best service or |electronics and brand | |scanning strategies to |on the price, product, promotion |best product from conducting a marketing mix |appliances at the â€Å"best | |identify the internal and |and place. These are controllable |and environmental scanning. â€Å"Four elements in |price†. They also offer a | |external factors that will |factors. Environmental scanning are|a marketing program designed to satisfy |price match. Environmental | |meet customers changing needs |uncontrollable factors such as |customer needs are product, price, promotion, |scanning is conducted by | |and improve customer |social, economic, technological, |and place. Kerin,et. al,2006,para. 3) These five|physically going to each | |satisfaction. |competitive and regulatory factors |forces environmental)may serve as accelerators|competitor store and | | |that will impact CA’s overall |or brakes on marketing sometimes expanding or |retrieving information. | | |marketing strategies. |restricting. (Kerin,2006,p. 1) | | |Classic Airlines lacks |Classic Airlines has an opportunity|â€Å"If the objective is to increase customer |As a rehabilitation case | |measurable methods to |to develop and implemen t risk |loyalty, then measurement of churn rate |management, ongoing surveys| |determine if their aCRM, |analysis, gap analysis, and SWOT |(profitability index)and customer satisfaction|and targeted objectives and| |marketing segments, and |analysis and churn rate analysis |will be key in determining how well objectives|compares it to the achieved| |customer surveys to determine |and profitability index to |is being met†(Klenke,2003,para. ) |targets were completed by | |is their overall business |determine if the objectives of | |an automated computer case | |strategies are effective. |loyal customers focus are | |management program. | | |successful. | | | Table 2 Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | |Stakeholder Perspectives and Ethical Dilemmas | | | | | |Stakeholder Groups with Competing | | | |Values |The Interests, Rights, and |Course Concept | | |Values of Each Group | | |List: Group X | | | |versus Group Y | | | |CEO Amanda Miller and CFO Catherine|Inter ests include credibility on Wall Street, |â€Å"The American Marketing Association, representing | |Simpson vs. senior management team |stock prices and the media. Values remaining as a |marketing professionals, states that ‘marketing is an | | |viable competitor in the industry. Interests |organizational function and a set of processes for | | |include â€Å"operational excellence† and â€Å"driven by |creating, communicating, and delivering value to | | |numbers† Failing to look to the exchange and |customers and for managing customer relationships in | | |communications will not develop a marketing |ways that benefit the organization and its | | |program to include stakeholders and meet customer |stakeholders. †(Kerin,et. al,2006,p. 12 | | |needs. | |CMO Kevin Boyle, Senior VP of |Interests include the CRM program, â€Å"voice of the |The hallmark of developing and maintaining effective | |Customer Service Renee Epson Senior|customers† employee wage obligations, shareholders|customer relationships is today called relationship | |VP of General Counsel Ben Sutcliffe|and marketing and customer services functions. The|marketing, linking the organization to its individual | |and Senior VP of Human Resources |conflict is that there ne eds to be a decision |customers, employees, suppliers, and other partners for| |vs. CEO Miller and CFO Simpson |making process that includes all stakeholders. |their mutual long-term | | | |benefits. †(Kerin,et. al. ,2006,p. 5) | |Classic Airlines vs. Vendors, |Communities, media and competitors and other |â€Å"The process of (marketing) segmenting a market and | |Distributors, Suppliers, Contact |stakeholders expect that Classic Airlines |selecting specific segments as targets is the link | |Centers, Communities, Media, |management maintain accountability and social |between the various buyers' needs and the | |Competitors, Investors. |responsibility in the new product development via |organization's marketing | | |a market segmentation to meet customer needs. |program†(Kerin,2006,et. al,2006,p. | Table 3Analysis of Alternative Solutions[pic] Table 4 Risk Assessment and Mitigation |Risk Assessment and Mitigation | |Alternative |Risks and Probability |Consequence and Severity |Mitigation Techniques and Strategies | |Engaging stakeholders at all |Organizational resistance. |; Clash between middle management |Establish company culture that values | |levels of the new aCRM product |Increase costs |and employees. |employees a nd stakeholders. | |development. Delay in time projections |;Clash between different |Align marketing goals of aCRM with | | | |divisions. |overall business strategy. | | | | |Establish clear objectives, business | | | | |goals and mission statements. | |Business Alliance with Zurich |Organizational resistance. | ;Clash between external and |Establish company culture that values | |Airlines |Increase costs |internal teams |customers and products. | |Delay in time projections. |; Loss of skilled management and |Communicate, model and lead by example | | | |employees |from CEO, board and senior management. | | | |;Evaluation of team may result in |Establish clear objectives, business | | | |more costs to finance new aCRM |goals and mission statements. | | | |project. | | | | | | | | | | | |Environmental scanning and |Costly |;Research may find that current |Project scope and aCRM portfolio | |marketing-mix research and |Timely |aCRM product is not profitable. |Marketing-mix portfolio. | |profitability index, |More workforce | | | Table 5 Pros and Cons of Alternative Solutions |Alternative |Pros |Cons | |Engaging stakeholders in all levels of the new |Increase employee motivation and morale. Employees may feel over tasked vie new product,| |aCRM product development. |Increase productivity. |training new skills and training new hires. | | |Improve customer services |Increase resistance from some employees. | | | |Deliverables of goals require more time | |Develop business alliances with Zurich Airlines|Add to customer value and increase customer |Increase employee resistance. | |and form other partnerships to remain |benefits. |Time consuming. | |competitive. |Speed up production. Increase costs | | |May reduce overall cost |Organizational resistance | | | |Employees may see | | | |Jobs as being threatened | | | | | | | | | |Environmental scanning, marketing-mix research |May speed up production and implementation |Time consuming. | |and developing ongoing custome r audits, |Aid in developing an overall software synergy |Increase costs. | |profitability indexes to measure overall |fit. |Delay overall time projections. | |effectiveness of the aCRM. |Increase profitability ratios, and return on | | | |investment(ROI) ratios, | | Table 6 Optimal Solution Implementation Plan Action Item Deliverable |Timeline |Who is Responsible | |Initiate a CRM project feasibility, forecasting and | |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |marketing-mix before developing and implementing new|4 weeks |Management Team, Financial Manager | |CRM product. | | | | Align new aCRM product objectives with overall | 4 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |business objectives and provide update for current | |Management Team, Project Leadership Team| |CRM. | | |Analyze a profitability analysis, return on | 4 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors, Senior | |investments (ROI) and market ratios to determine | |Management, Marketing, research and | |competitors and competitors prices. | |development and financial manager. | |Adopt marketing-mix strategies that will retain | |CEO, Board of directors, senior team, | |customer loyalty and identify value added incentives|Ongoing |champion leaders, cross functional team | |and rewards for loyal customers. |leaders, employees and customers. | |Train, mentor and lead the employees in the adoption| |Senior management, human resource | |of the aCRM product development by providing them | |management, champion leaders, | |with the highly technical skills, self- paced |20 weeks |cross-functional team leaders and | |training, | |technical skilled leaders, | |e-performance evaluation. | | |Attention to increase funding and workforce addition| |Senior managers, cross-functional team | |to the product support, administrative support, call|24 weeks |leaders, technical skilled leaders, call| |centers, e-business websites for customers and other| |center leaders, information technology | |product development customer enha ncement support | |leaders and customer support leaders. | |systems. | | |Hiring new employees and training them with the | |Middle managers, team leaders, human | |needed KSA’s to provide excellent customer service. |24 weeks |resource manager and management team. | |Business alliances with Zurich Airlines and other | 48 weeks |CEO, Board of Directors and Senior | |business partners. | |Management Team, Financial Manager | |Conduct SWOT analysis, profitability index. | Quarterly/Annually |Team leaders and senior leaders. | Table 7 Evaluation of Results |End-State Goals |Metrics |Target | |Forecasting and marketing-mix will identify |Forecasting results from social economic and |Business customers and regular customers | |market synergies that will keep Classic |technical factors as well as market-mix results| | |Airlines a viable competitor and ahead in the |to identify trends and future trend of | | |CRM market industry. |consumers buying behaviors. | |Classic Airlines will adopt business |Using benchmarking examples from Microsoft, |Target is benchmarking and best practices CRM | |intelligence and align with business partners |PeopleSoft and other leading aCRM and eCRM |service providers. | |to enhance its new CRM product. |service providers, Classic will adopt the | | | |synergy fit for its CRM. | | |Classic Airlines will provide employees with |Providing skills assessments, skills training |Target is employees and stakeholders involve in| |the high technology skills to face a fast |and career advancement, Classic will retain and|customer relations and customer contact. | |changing technical environment. attract those with the technical skills to | | | |remain a viable contender in the CRM industry. | | |Classis Airlines will enhance the functionality|Providing internet and on line information so |Classic Airlines frequent flyer program, | |of the aCRM new product development by adopting|that feedback, information, and decision making|business customers, regular customers and | |personalized websites, target marketing via |can be conducted with more available |potential customers. | |e-business, customer email and other channels |information and time sensitive data. | |to market and sustain customer relations. | | | |Conduct SWOT analysis, profitability index and |Accomplished via multi-channeling, e-marketing,|All stakeholders | |customer surveys to measure the effectiveness |e-commerce and other web bases to measure and | | |of the CRM. |evaluate | | | |Customer loyalty retention. | |

The Delivery Systems on Day Care Schools

Protecting children from abuse, physically and mentally is a major responsibility for all caregivers of children. This includes parents, teachers and childcare workers. According to research conducted by Spungen, Jensen, Finkelstein and Satinsky, it was estimated that one out of five females and one out of six males would be the victim of sexual abuse before the age of 18. In 1985 it was estimated that over 113,000 children between the ages of six through 18 were sexually assaulted in that year alone (Spungen, et al 1989, p127). Due to the increasing incidence of child sexual abuse, a need arose for prevention and training programs for families and caregivers of children. To fulfill this need, child sexual abuse prevention education programs were established. Research conducted in 1987, indicated that over nine million preschoolers and millions of school aged children were cared for by some type of daycare program. Consequently, daycare providers were in a unique position to provide this prevention program (Spungen, et al 1989, p127.) The first such program was established in Philadelphia at the Federation Day Care Services. The goal of the program was to enhance the knowledge of staff, parents and children and to help children develop skills to protect themselves from sexual abuse. The goal for parents and staff was to help them become sensitive about child safety issues and be prepared to cope with the feelings that the children expressed. This program was developed and coordinated by an interagency committee comprised of administrators, educational supervisors and masters prepared social workers who had expertise and training the area of child sexual abuse (Spungen, et al 1989, p127). In developing this program they used the eight basic steps for problem management (Halley, Kopp, Austin 1998, p 183). 1. Perceiving a need and then defining the problem that must be addressed 2. Stating a purpose to be achieved by addressing the problem. 3. Collecting data related to the situation. 4. Using the data to generate alternative responses, opportunities, or solutions to the problems. 5. Assessing the costs of pursing different solutions and weighing the choices. 8. Evaluating the results and beginning again, drawing on what is learned. To effectively implement this prevention program, each audience was identified to develop a different service delivery system. Staff training and parent workshops were conducted by social workers. Classroom teachers implemented programming for children. The linking policy that was used in these deliveries was that of direct practice with the consumer. According to Halley, Kopp, and Austin â€Å"Human service practitioners make, advance, retard and shape policy all the time during their interactions with consumers and with each other †¦the work of delivering human services is linked to all aspects of social policy† (Halley, Kopp and Austin, 1998 p100 & 101). The goals for staff were to increase awareness of child sexual abuse, increase their comfort level and improve their ability to teach prevention curriculum. In addition to providing a safe environment for children to express themselves and also be able to identify and react appropriately to disclosures of abuse (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). In the first year, two staff training sessions were held at each branch of the Federation Day Care Services. The first session focused on the identification and assessment of child sexual abuse, the second was on disclosures and reporting procedures. There was minimal discussion of the curriculum yet the staff was expected to follow it strictly. Due to the rigidity of the program, staff was resistant to the workshops and felt the training was unnecessary. The committee paid too little attention to the staff's feeling and attitudes regarding this issue. They also did not focus enough attention on teachers' feedback on the curriculum. As a result, there was low staff enthusiasm and increased staff resistance to the training. By the end of the first year the committee became aware of the staff's resistance to the training approach and felt the need to address their concerns. To respond to these concerns and to meet the staff's needs, the committee used the feedback from teachers and actively involved them in the development of the next year's program (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). In the second year of training three staff sessions were held at each branch to meet the needs of new and previously untrained staff. To decrease staff resistance, theory was included in the training to explain the rationale for the program, while focusing on sensitizing staff to their feelings and reactions to child sexual victimization. The initial session focused on the nature and scope of the problem and its relationship to day care. Participants met in small groups and a discussion followed that focused on myths and facts, behavioral and emotional characteristics of abusive families and victims and stages of normal sexual development. The next two training sessions addressed attitudes toward the topic through small group exercises to help promote comfort with sexual language and included role-playing vignettes which focused on disclosure situations. Discussions followed that focused on the curriculum and a teacher's role in preventing child sexual abuse. To supplement the training, written materials and audio visual aids were used. The training then focused on supporting staff in becoming more comfortable with their role in helping children stay safe. Although the training curriculum focused on prevention education, training for staff primarily dealt with teaching them how to respond appropriately to children's reactions and concerns, including procedures for reporting suspected abuse. (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). At the end of the second year, feedback from the teacher evaluations was positive. According to Spungen, et al, it was difficult to assess the conclusive reasons for this. The satisfaction of the program appeared to be related to the staff's increased comfort with the topic and the program as well as a more effective training and curriculum (Spungen, et al 1989, p129). The goals for parents included an increased awareness and knowledge about child sexual abuse; inform them and share the content about the child personal safety program and to provide parents with the skills and resources to help keep their children safe (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). Parental support of the child personal safety program was a high priority. In the first year of the program two parent workshops were offered at each branch of the Federation Day Care Services. The program focused on the dynamics of child sexual abuse and the risk factors for young children, these workshops were provided to parents at no cost. The turnout for these workshops was very low, one possible reason was that parents were disturbed by the information presented and felt unable to protect their children (Spungen, et al 1989, p129). After the first year, more outreach and public relations efforts were used to reach the parents. The outreach included a brochure, individual letters to all parents inviting them to the workshop posters in each branch of the day care and reminder notices sent to families' two days before the program. Evening sessions were conducted at each branch and childcare and dinner were provided at no cost. (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). In the second year of training, parents were provided an opportunity to preview the curriculum and gave their input on it. They also were provided background information about statistics, myths and facts, behavioral and emotional indicators of victims of abuse and stages of normal sex play. A film and discussion about keeping children safe was also included. Parents who attended felt comfortable in expressing their concerns about the curriculum and sex education for their children. Parents were provided resource materials and in home activities to help alleviate their fears and help them support and reinforce the program's efforts (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). At the end of the second year, despite the outreach only a limited number of parents attended these workshops. The parents that did attend gave positive feedback about the program. Some parents were frightened by the statistics and anxious to learn how they could work with the agency to protect their children. Parents found the in-home activities most helpful in learning how to talk with their children about this topic (Spungen, et al 1989, p129). The goals for children included prevention of child sexual abuse and empowering children to keep themselves safe (Spungen, et al 1989, p128). In the first year of training, due to the sensitive nature of the training program, introductory classroom training was necessary to help children with the basic knowledge of the five senses, parts of the body, family members and feelings. Teachers were provided with resource material. By the second year teachers were encouraged to be creative in their presentations. Expanding on the introductory lessons, the child personal safety program was presented over three weeks. Activities included stories, group discussion, role-plays, games, songs, and art projects. Portions of the program were adapted for use based on the developmental needs of each age group. The program was structured that the most sensitive topics were discussed after the children developed greater awareness and assertiveness skills. Topics covered in the story and discussion format included defining child personal safety; identifying good, bad and confusing touches; learning to handle a bad touch; and telling a trusted adult if a bad or confusing touch occurs. The program for children in preschool and kindergarten classrooms began and ended with puppet shows that were developed and performed by staff. The initial puppet show introduced the puppets and the theme of â€Å"No, Go, Tell†, a phrase often used in child safety programs to emphasize basic safety skills. The second puppet show involved more audience participation and reinforced the themes of the program. One of the differences between the preschool and the school-age program was that the school-age children participated in program development. They created their own artwork for a â€Å"No, Go, Tell† poster contest and demonstrated their knowledge by developing role-plays (Spungen, et al 1989, p128 – 29). According to teacher evaluations and parental reports, children were excited about the program, but the degree to which they benefited from the program varied depending on the child's age and duration of training. Children who participated in the program for the two-year period seemed to benefit the most from the training and were better able to apply the information. Children in the three to four year-old groups were able to model responses, such as repeating the â€Å"No, Go, Tell†, words but their understanding was limited. Kindergarten children had a greater ability to understand concepts and had an increased awareness of how to apply the information. They learned the vocabulary and developed basic prevention and assertiveness skills. Children 6 to 12 understood and applied the personal safety concepts that they learned in the program. They benefited from less structured programming because the flexibility reduced the boredom that results from the repetitive curriculum. In addition they needed to feel independent and in control of their learning (Spungen, et al 1989, p130). Outcomes and challenges of the training program This program faced many challenges, among them was the initial resistance of the staff of the daycare to attend training and use the curriculum for training. As the result of feedback by the teachers, the committee made changes to the training approach. This change allowed the teachers to have more input in the training of the curriculum and also gave them more freedom to implement it. These changes met several of the service delivery goals as outlined in â€Å"Delivering Human Services†. These included: collaboration between staff and the committee; managing the transitions to new delivery systems; and integrating by using the feedback from the teachers to help develop the second year of the program (Halley, Kopp, Austin, 1998, p180-81). Although gains were made, further study should be conducted in order strengthen collaborations between the teachers and the committee. The next challenge that they faced was that of involving the parents. (From my experience with working with parents and programming, I understand how difficult it can be to actively involve them in training or workshops.) The committee used outreach techniques to reach the parents in an effort to involve them in the program. The delivery goals that they met included: mobilizing to involve the parents and make them aware of the danger and of the need for the training, and relating to consumers by understanding the parent's concerns regarding the training program. By the second year of the training, because of feedback by parents, modifications were in place that met the goals of the program. These changes also helped the parents learn about the problem of child sexual abuse in a less threatening way and help protect their children (Halley, Kopp, Austin, 1998, p180). Although there were changes to the program and an outreach effort, parents were still resistant to training and only about 225 parents attended the program over the course of two years (Spungen, et al 1989, p129). This component of the training needs to be further explored to find out how to involve parents in workshops and training programs etc. Teachers of pre-school, kindergarten children and older children in the daycare encountered different challenges regarding the delivery of the program. After the initial year of the program, teachers were allowed to be creative in the delivery of the training program. This change enriched and helped empower the students who attended the training. Specific programming was geared to preschool students, kindergarten students and to older students. There was a different approach to each group of students, but the overall goals of the training program were met (Spungen, et al 1989, p128 – 30). The next challenge was that of the costs involved in implementing the child personal safety program. According to Spungen, it is very expensive to run a child sexual abuse prevention program at a daycare center. Staff expenses, time constraints and space issues are a factor that could inhibit the training (Spungen, et al 1989, p131). Further exploration of funding sources, community-wide cooperative agreements, such as partnerships with community centers or rape crisis centers may alleviate some of the expenses involved in this training, but further research is necessary.

Creative & Critical Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Creative & Critical - Assignment Example plies that literature is significant features in the society with the experiences of the characters in such stories representing the developments in the contemporary society as viewed by the author. The discussion below shows the nature of this relationship by investigating issues of gender, femininity, masculinity and prescribed roles as portrayed in Tickets, please a short story by D. H Lawrence. Set at a time of war, the short story shows different times of wars in a number of contexts. With most of the young and energetic men, fighting in the World War 1 in France a other countries across the world, thus making the society vulnerable and women must take up some of the jobs previously done by men. The key thematic issues in the short story are vengeance, love and sexual war among many others. Gender roles, masculinity, prescribed roles and femininity also come out naturally given the thematic issues the short story analyses. The wartime setting in the short story is effective in showing the struggle that exists between the two sexes in the society. The various thematic issues in the short story are fundamental features that exist in the contemporary society. The development of democracies has enhanced the activities of proponents of gender equality and feminists. The society is currently liberal with women enjoying the same political, social and economic space. As such, gender roles have changed with women taking part in activities considered masculine. This implies that issues of femininity, prescribed roles and masculinity have changed. D. H. Lawrence captures the issues systematically in his novel a feature that makes it easy to compare his thematic issues to the developments in the contemporary society. Annie Stone and a group of numerous other girls are working as conductors in trains, which then became only and reliable mode of transport in the country. Their job is crucial since they keep the country moving. The women work hard in an unfamiliar

Pseudoscience and Astrology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Pseudoscience and Astrology - Essay Example The scientists are willing to admit that only a part of traditional astrological doctrine is scientifically based: among them the astronomic knowledge about the planets movements; classification of people’s psychological states, character and behaviours; professional psychological terminology, etc. Trying to prove that astrology is pseudoscience, the scientists in their critical works often rely upon the results of various statistical research. There have been statistical research that traced the lives of people who were born on the same day and time, and the results of this research have shown that there is no connection or coincidence between them. Especially well known are the works of Michel Gauquelin basing on the biographies of famous people that have shown that there is no correlation between a person’s character and profession, on the one hand, and their astrological parameters, on the other. There have been other experiments conducted by M. Gauquelin: Other tests show that it hardly matters what a horoscope says, as long as the subject feels the interpretations were done for him or her personally. A few years ago French statistician Michel Gauquelin sent the horoscope for one of the worst mass murderers in French history to 150 people and asked how well it fit them. Ninety-four percent of the subjects said they recognized themselves in the description. (The Universe At Your Fingertips, 2001-2009)

Memo on Earthquake Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Memo on Earthquake - Essay Example Option #1 is to report it as an extraordinary loss separate from operations. And Option #2 is to report the loss in a continuing operation but treat it as a separate part in the income statement. These two options would require proper disclosure in our footnotes of the event. The reporting of extraordinary items (losses) has an advantage, that is, they are not included under normal operating income which will be construed by stakeholders and creditors as items that will not happen in the foreseeable future. Hence, the event’s effects on net income are not in any way reflects the true status of the business operation since it is not a recurring event. According to Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 225-20-45-2 â€Å"extraordinary items are events and transactions that are distinguished by their unusual and by infrequency of their occurrence. Thus, both of the following criteria should be met to classify an event or transaction a s an extraordinary item†. CHHS has to decide whether the earthquake meets both criteria. Per FASB ASC 225-20-55-2 â€Å"An event or transaction of a type that occurs frequently in the environment in which the entity operates cannot, by definition, be considered as extraordinary, regardless of its financial effect.† On the other hand per FASB ASC 225-20-55-1 stated that â€Å"unusual nature is not established by the fact that an event or transaction is beyond the control of management†. Statistics gathered from Northern California Earthquake Data Center (NCEDC) showed that since 1969, there were about 99 earthquakes that shook the Bay Area with magnitudes of 5 or greater but only 3 have so far been recorded more than 6.7. With these statistics, it may be difficult to validate that earthquakes are infrequent and of a kind that would not be projected to happen in the foreseeable future. Should we were to report the damage as an extraordinary item; it will appear und er continuing operations as the net-of-tax of $16.5 million. Per FASB ASC 225-20-50-3 states that â€Å"The nature and financial effects of each event or transaction that is unusual in nature or occurs infrequently, but not both, shall be disclosed on the face of the income statement or, alternatively, in notes to the financial statements.† We can use this statement as our basis â€Å"to report losses under continuing operations but as separate component† according to Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion 30 paragraph 26. Under this reporting method, stakeholders and creditors are prone to analyze that there is still a risk that an earthquake will happen again, but the chance is little. Should we report the damage under this option, we would include the full $27.5 million loss as a separate component in continuing operations. Stakeholders and creditors rely on the income statement very much, their decision is dependent on the report we will submit. I am therefore r ecommending Option #2, that is, to report the earthquake damages under continuing operations but as a separate income statement component. Our stores are conspicuously located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, an earthquake-prone area, thus should not be included as extraordinary items. By reporting the earthquake damages as a separate component under continuing operations, we will be following the guidelines prescribed by FASB

Collection Plan for the scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Collection Plan for the scenario - Essay Example Organizing the data collected and managing it for consumption entails the whole intelligence process. In the present situation, the information provided below aims at aiding the officers develops intelligence and information useful in dealing with the situation and identifying any threats that may arise from the sale of the item to either the terrorists or any other group of individuals. The information is developed and provided to the different operational teams for positively consumption to combat the situation. In addition, ensure that the resulting effect is not of any effect of negative nature to the respective country they represent or the international community. The reaction to the data collected bases on the different validation aspects that the data satisfies. The study detailed below discusses the multi-INT collection plan against the different targets in the scenario. The collection scenario will aim at gathering all the necessary data about the scenario in the case provided. The collection will have specific targets based on the relevance of the data that the team is in position to collect from these targets. The different targets that the intelligence teams aim at gathering the information on include the counterterrorism effort, the effort to combat the narcotics business and counter proliferation. For effective collection of the data for this scenario, there is need to have a well-trained resourceful team with a number of members that understand the common language in the areas that these threats are standing. These will provide the aid in translating the different information and obtaining information from the field that is necessary to add to the current intelligence knowledge available. These provide the specific targets that the INT group needs to focus on. The group will obtain more information on the scenarios provided and obtain even more information that may provide a different opinion. For

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade - Essay Example The Europeans would transport manufactured commodities from Europe to Africa. These commodities included guns, metal items, cowrie shells, tobacco and clothes. Guns enhanced the expansion of empires and access of slaves from among Africans. European traders transported slaves to the Americas on ships across the Atlantic Ocean (Rawley and Stephen 35). Besides the initiatives that the Europeans took to get slaves, some Africans were more than willing to help in enslaving their fellow Africans. It was not hard for these Africans to do this because it was not their first time to deal with slaves. Even before the coming of the Europeans, there were Africans who had their own slaves.Also, some Africans had dealt in the slave trade with Islamic Arab merchants in North Africa from as early as 900. African traders would capture slaves, and transport them to seaports that were convenient for European traders (Lovejoy 23). If there were no people eligible for enslavement in their local communit ies, African traders would raid other communities. The Europeans then transported the slaves back to their homeland to work in their plantations. These activities are what made up the stages that made the Trans-Atlantic trade triangular. Notable occurrences marked the middle passage. The middle passage refers to the transport of slaves from Africa to America. It took the Europeans up to three months to get the slaves to the Americas. Slaves experienced many challenges all the way through the middle passage.... Besides the initiatives that the Europeans took to get slaves, some Africans were more than willing to help in enslaving their fellow Africans. It was not hard for these Africans to do this because it was not their first time to deal with slaves. Even before the coming of the Europeans, there were Africans who had their own slaves. Also, some Africans had dealt in the slave trade with Islamic Arab merchants in North Africa from as early as 900. African traders would capture slaves, and transport them to seaports that were convenient for European traders (Lovejoy 23). If there were no people eligible for enslavement in their local communities, African traders would raid other communities. The Europeans then transported the slaves back to their homeland to work in their plantations. These activities are what made up the stages that made the Trans-Atlantic trade triangular. Notable occurrences marked the middle passage. The middle passage refers to the transport of slaves from Africa to America. It took the Europeans up to three months to get the slaves to the Americas. Slaves experienced many challenges all the way through the middle passage. These challenges started with the slave ships carrying more slaves than their capacity could allow. Slaves were, therefore, congested in ships and had no choice but to live through immense fatigue and risk of contagious diseases. Many succumbed to diseases such as small pox and dysentery, and some captains would throw sick slaves into the ocean. Slaves endured the solar heat and the heat that came from their congestion. They put up with whipping, torture and abuse by the shipping crew. At some point, the slaves joined in resisting and revolting against mistreatment

SOURCE EVALUATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

SOURCE EVALUATION - Essay Example Therefore, for football games to be peaceful, it is important that the origin of hooliganism be understood. It is also, essential to find out what causes unrest among football suppoters and the issue be addressed by the world football governing body; FIFA. According to Ramon (11), football hooliganism is a social problem that causes a lot of anxiety among people in different countries in Europe. The study of hooliganism is therefore a major step in addressing the vice. This book, provides the reader with the social approaches to this issue and their limitations. â€Å"Among sociological study of hooliganism, three quite clearly delineated approaches can be distinguished: the Marxist approaches by Ian Taylor and John Clarke; and (iii) the post modernist approaches by Giulanotti and Redhead.† The source, â€Å"Understanding human hooliganism: A comparison of six western European football clubs† is very relevant given the rising cases of hooliganism in the world. For example, on February 03, 2014 the mirror daily newspaper reported that police are looking for three football supporters who were alleged to have thrown coins into the field. In summary, this source is very important and relevant to any student or researcher, this is because it addresses an issue which has a very negative social impact and if not addressed properly; will affect the football industry, which is currently practiced by thousands of

Literature review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Literature review - Research Paper Example This is rightly so in the sense that when the universities especially those in Canada, provide students with disabilities with the necessary support systems, then the students will be in a better position to learn and excel in their studies. In addition, such students will suffer minimal trauma and low self-esteem (p. 147–160). When it comes to the issue of economic disparities between the normal people and the elderly people with disabilities, Ozawa and Hong point out to the fact that perhaps the negative perception of people with disability is responsible for the same (0P. 238). In this case, the authors determine that people with disabilities tend to secure low paying jobs due to other people’s perception of them and consequently, suffer economic difficulties in their retirement (p. 247). This is perhaps closely related to the perceptions that people develop in schools as Laura and Preyde establish that the students with invisible disabilities have received less attention over the years despite of the fact that they also have unique needs. In this regard such ignorance leads to the lack of proper identity of people with disabilities and this could affect their performance and hence their wages (p. 147–160). While Dunn and Burcaw give a general view of the identity crisis that crops in in the sphere if disability (p. 148 –157), as Laura and Preyde determine the need for Canadian and other universities to observe the dignity of people with disabilities by treating them fairly as the people without any form of disability. This is especially so in the sense that when students with various forms of disabilities receive the necessary facilities to enable them study well, then they will have equal opportunities in the professional world and in the society (p.

Miike Takashis view that Audition is not a horror film in the light of Essay

Miike Takashis view that Audition is not a horror film in the light of Japanese and Western horror conventions - Essay Example Within the Western horror film industry, many names of famous directors come to mind: Wes Craven, George A. Romero, Dario Argento, and Tobe Hooper. Most of these directors had films in the 1970’s and 80’s that gained tremendous popularity for the hacker, slasher, zombie, blood and gore motifs. These movies contain many elements, but horror is always the main theme. What is horror? The Merriam Webster dictionary defines horror as: a painful, and intense fear, dread, or dismay; intense aversion or repugnance; the quality of inspiring horror: repulsive, horrible, or dismal quality or character. Is horror the main theme of Audition which was directed by Takashi Miike? Miike doesn’t think so and actually feels that he should not be considered as a horror director, as defined by Western horror. Miike, a director from Japan, has been in the film industry for over a decade. He got his start in television and movies that went straight to video. He approaches his films, such as Audition, utilizing different methods than those that are considered standard within Western Horror conventions. How does Miike view Audition as being billed as a horror film? When discussing the film, Miike stated in an interview â€Å"I kind of wanted to promote the clichà © of horror. I think that human beings are far more frightening than any horror film and I wanted to express that point. I was trying to make the story as real as possible. That way it becomes more frightening†. He also stated in an interview from his movie Imprint (2005), part of a series on Showtime called Masters of Horror, â€Å"Among the horror fans overseas, films like Audition and Ichi the Killer have caused me to be misunderstood as someone who makes horror-like films.†

French and Indian War Essay Example for Free

French and Indian War Essay The French and Indian war has altered the relationship between Britain and its American colonies in many ways. The three main ways their relationship had been altered were politically, ideologically and economically. After the French and Indian War the British passed a series of laws and taxes that the colonist didn’t agree with. As a result of these laws and taxes being passed the colonist began to rebel against British rule. This rebellion would eventually lead to the Revolutionary War which would allow Americans to gain independence. Ideology is the combination of ideas that affects goals, actions or expectations. After the French and Indian war American ideology greatly changed. Before and during the war Britain had a lot of support from the American colonies. This is shown through document B as George Washington a typical colonist at the time was willing to support Britain in the war. As the war continued the ideals that the colonist lived by began to change. The colonist started to feel that Britain wasn’t doing enough to help them out. This is seen in document D, where colonist began to feel that they were â€Å"debarred [denied] English liberties† even though they were English citizens. This causes the British to begin to lose the support of the American colonist. Economics is the effects of money on a country. At this point in time the colonies were still under control of British rule and their money went mostly to the British government. During the war Britain went into debt and expected the colonist to repay the debt. Britain would make the colonist pay through taxes like the stamp act. The colonist strongly voiced their opinion on the stamp act even though they remained loyal to the British government, as seen in documents G and H. Although the colonists were against the taxes forced on them the British government continued to find different ways to raise taxes against them, as shown in document F. The French and Indian war was greatly influenced by political involvement. All of the groups involved felt they had rights to North American land. The first of these groups that felt that they should control the land were the Native Americans this is shown through document B as a native chief argued  the natives rights to the land. After the war the British had overwhelming control over North America as shown in document A. Even though the war was over there were still conflicts west of the Appalachian Mountains that led to the proclamation of 1763 which banned the colonist to settle on the land west of the Appalachian Mountains. The colonist did not support this they felt they deserved it after they helped defeat the French and Indians in the French and Indian war. This is shown in document E. During and after the French and Indian war ideological, political and economic views between the colonist and the British would greatly change. This change would eventually cause the colonist to rebel against British laws and taxes. The British would try to take control of the colonist and to make sure the colonist listened Britain passed the intolerable acts. This brought more anger among the colonist and would eventually lead to the revolutionary war only 12 years after the French and Indian war ended.

Anti C1q Antibodies and Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells

Anti C1q Antibodies and Phagocytosis of Apoptotic Cells The complement system is one of the major effector mechanisms of the innate immune system and it plays an important role in immune defense. The biological functions of complement are opsonization and phagocytosis, stimulation of inflammatory reactions by anaphylatoxins and complement-mediated cytolysis of microbes, especially encapsulated bacteria. The complement system is formed by an enzymatic cascade composed of plasma proteins that, once stimulated, can achieve tremendous amplification and effectively fight the invading microorganisms (Abbas et al., 2009). Under certain conditions, a pathological immune reaction may develop against complement components, which on one hand reflects an underlying autoimmune process and may lead to inflammation and tissue injury on the other (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The first component of the classical pathway of complement activation, C1q, plays a crucial role in the clearance of immune complexes and apoptotic bodies from the organism. Autoantibodies against C1q (anti C1q) have been found in a number of autoimmune and infectious diseases. They have been best described in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, where they are thought to play a pathogenic role in lupus nephritis (LN). Their high negative predictive value for the occurrence of active proliferative LN, as well as their possible ability to indicate a renal flare as soon as 6 months in advance, have rendered anti C1q antibodies a novel non-invasive tool in the detection of active LN (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The Complement C1q and Its Antibodies C1q is the first component of the classical pathway of complement activation. Together with the enzymatically active components C1r and C1s, C1q forms the C1 complex. Binding of C1 to immunoglobulins in the form of immune complexes leads to activation of protease function of C1r and C1s and further activation of the classical pathway of complement (Schumaker et al., 1986). C1q is a glycoprotein belonging to the collectin family with a molecular weight of about 410-462 kDa. It is a hexamer composed of globular heads attached to collagen-like triple-helix tails (Fig. 8). The globular heads of C1q specifically bind to the constant heavy (CH2) domain of IgG molecules or the CH3 domain of IgM. Each heavy chain of the immunoglobulin molecule contains only one binding site for C1q. Since C1q must bind to at least two heavy chains in order to change its conformation and activate C1r and C1s, its activation ensues only after binding to immunoglobulins in the form of immune complexes bound to multivalent antigens (Schumaker et al., 1986). Most complement proteins are synthesized in the liver by hepatocytes. However, macrophages can synthesize early complement components of both the classical and alternative pathways and can provide sufficient local tissue complement for opsonization without recruiting plasma complement (Colten et al., 1986). C1q is unusual, for a complement protein, that it is synthesized by tissue macrophages but not hepatocytes (Loos et al., 1989). In addition to being the first component of the classical pathway of complement activation, C1q has many physiological roles. C1q can directly opsonize apoptotic cells (AC) for phagocytosis. In vitro, C1q binds to surface blebs on AC but not normal host cells (Korb and Ahearn, 1997). C1q binds to calreticulin (CRT) in AC blebs and opsonizes AC for enhanced phagocytosis through C1q interaction with CD91. C1q can opsonize AC also indirectly through complement activation (Lu et al., 2008). Consistent with this, the finding that C1q-deficient mice have been shown to have an accumulation of apoptotic bodies in the kidneys (Botto et al., 1998); and macrophages of C1q-deficient mice and humans have a decreased ability to clear apoptotic bodies in vitro (Botto, 1998; Taylor et al., 2000). In this way, C1q promotes the clearance of autoantigens, preventing stimulation of the immune system and disruption of this process may lead to development of autoimmunity (Botto, 2001). C1q-opsonized AC also regulates DC production of cytokines, but data from different studies are not entirely consistent (Lu et al., 2008). Apparently, most studies report C1q inhibition of IL-12 production from DCs and that AC stimulated macrophages produce more IL-10 and less IL-12. This suggests a tolerogenic property of C1q which is consistent to the development of autoimmunity at C1q deficiency (Botto et al., 1998). C1q has also miscellaneous roles in regulation of multiple macrophage activities, in DC differentiation, activation and antigen presentation and in granulocytes, mast cells and fibroblasts regulation (Lu et al., 2008). There are several autoantibodies to complement proteins that interfere with the physiological regulation of complement activation in vivo, and each of these has been associated with the development of SLE. These antibodies are C3 nephritic factor, anti-C1 inhibitor autoantibodies, and anti C1q antibodies. In each of these cases, there is a chicken and egg dispute, since it could be argued that development of the anticomplement autoantibody is itself part of the SLE process. However, in the case of C3 nephritic factor, which stabilizes the C3bBbC3 convertase enzyme of the alternative pathway, 8 cases of SLE have been described )Sheeran et al., 1995; Walport et al., 1994). In each of these, the onset of SLE occurred many years after the development of the main clinical phenotypes associated with the presence of C3 nephritic factor, supporting the idea that the C3 nephritic factor was the egg rather than the chicken. History and epidemiology of anti C1q antibodies: Binding of monomeric IgG to C1q was first described in 1971, in sera from patients with SLE with hypocomplementemia (Agnello et al., 1971), and in 1978, precipitation of C1q by monomeric IgG was documented in the hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis syndrome (HUVS) (Marder et al., 1978). In 1984, anti C1q antibodies were found in patients with SLE (Uwatoko et al., 1984). Since then, occurrence of anti C1q antibodies has been described with varying prevalence in patients with autoimmune and also some infectious diseases (Wisnieski and Jones, 1992). Anti C1q antibodies were mostly of the IgG subtype with IgG1 and IgG2 being the predominant subclasses (Siegert et al., 1990). The prevalence of anti C1q in the general population varies between 2% and 8% (Potlukova et al., 2008). As is the case with other autoantibodies, the occurrence of anti C1q increases with age (Ravelli et al., 1997; Siegert et al., 1993). The mere positivity for anti C1q antibodies in an otherwise healthy individual does not appear to bear any pathological or prognostic significance (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). Pathogenic role of anti C1q antibodies: Anti C1q antibodies have high negative predictive value for active lupus nephritis (LN) suggesting a pathogenic role in SLE patients. In addition, the elimination of anti C1q antibodies from circulation by repeated plasmapheresis or C1q immunoabsorption brought alleviation of the patients symptoms (Berner et al., 2001; Grimbert, et al., 2001). The binding of anti C1q antibodies to C1q is mediated via Fab fragments and in contrast to immune complexes, anti C1q antibodies do not bind to globular heads of the C1q molecule but to its collagen-like tail (Fig. 8). The binding is very weak in the liquid phase, but achieves high affinity in the case of a conformationally changed C1q in the bound state exposing new antigenic determinants. Thus, any possible pathogenic role of anti C1q antibodies probably remains confined to local deposits of C1q in tissues (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). Another intriguing mechanism of the pathogenicity of anti C1q antibodies might be a switch from non-inflammatory recognition of apoptotic bodies by C1q and its receptors to inflammatory recognition when C5a and other complement activation fragments are generated during enhanced complement activation due to anti C1q antibodies at sites where C1q is recognizing nuclear antigens (Holers, 2004). Fig. 8: A simplified scheme of the binding of anti C1q antibodies to the molecule of C1q. Anti C1q antibodies per se do not seem to activate complement; however, their binding to C1q may amplify complement activation by increasing the amount of the bound IgG in a vicious circle manner. Furthermore, they might attenuate the physiological functions of C1q, including the capacity to activate the classical pathway of complement and to clear immune complexes and apoptotic bodies. Taken together, several different mechanisms seem to be involved in the pathogenicity of anti C1q antibodies (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The presence of anti C1q antibodies in lupus is typically accompanied by a number of clinical and serological features. The complement profile is similar to that seen in HUVS, with very low levels of C1q, C4, and C2, and, to a lesser extent, C3. Anti C1q antibodies tend to remain positive in SLE for prolonged periods, and there is associated prolonged hypocomplementemia. This differs from anti-double-stranded DNA antibody levels, which tend to fluctuate in concentration, together with inverse changes in complement levels (Pickering et al., 2000). Â   Â   Anti C1q antibodies in infectious diseases Anti C1q antibodies have also been found in some infectious diseases Prohaszka et al. (1999) have found an increased occurrence of anti C1q antibodies in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus: 13% of infected patients were positive when compared with 5% controls. Furthermore, the levels of anti C1q antibodies significantly decreased during a follow-up period of 65 months. Interestingly, sera with detectable anti C1q antibodies were more likely to neutralize HIV than sera without them in in-vitro experiments. Saadoun et al. (2006) have reported an increased prevalence of anti C1q antibodies in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), with 26% being positive. Contrary to expectations, the occurrence of anti C1q antibodies did not differ between HCV-infected patients with and without mixed cryoglobulinemia indicating that immune complexes do not cross-react with the anti C1q assay and proving also the abundant presence of immune complexes in the circulation does not seem to be sufficient to provoke generation of anti C1q. Further studies are needed to elucidate their role and clinical relevance in other diseases. Measurement of anti C1q antibodies In the past, radioimmunoassay based on the binding of immune complexes to C1q fixed to a solid phase was mainly used to determine the concentration of immune complexes (Hay et al., 1976). Later, the solid-phase C1q binding assay was modified into an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). For this purpose, either whole C1q or the collagen-like region of C1q was employed. However, the use of individually prepared ELISA kits with differently set cut-off limits for positivity led to a rather large disparity between the results of clinical studies. Nowadays, measurement of anti C1q antibodies in serum has become easier; thanks to commercially available and standardized ELISA kits using the whole C1q molecule as antigen (Potlukova and Kralikova, 2008). The main pitfall in the measurement of anti C1q antibodies consists in a possible binding of circulating immune complexes to the solid-phase bound whole C1q. However, it has been shown that the use of high ionic strength conditions in the incubation media inhibits any similar unwelcome binding and it renders the ELISA reliable for clinical use (Kohro-Kawata et al., 2002).

Human Form Through The History Of Art

Human Form Through The History Of Art Spanning across centuries of art movements, the human form has been depicted and developed in numerous ways. It can be seen that it has been illustrated according to specific ideologies of an era. Also, quite a significant point is looking in the past at the human form and the large amount of times that artists choose to depict it and how they have rendered it. One can look at two periods, the past -where have we been? and the present where are we now? according to the cultural, ideology and time influences on form. In this essay I firstly looked at how the human body has been portrayed, and secondly, the medium used in which to render the painting/ sculpture. Egyptian artists painted in a very simple, 2D manner, using only a set number of colours to depict their form of a human being. All of their appendages, such as hands and feet, are portrayed as flat and front on. Their eyes also appear to be a frontal view instead of the conventional side on view of the eye when looking at the face from the side angle. (Figure 1) These images are perfect examples of an art form that has been influenced by culture and ideology. The Egyptians lived relatively simple lives yet they were a very precision driven race, for example the pyramids. This is reflected in their art. Barry Kemp extensively researched the Egyptian ideologies and culture. In his book called Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation, he argues that ideologies have become one of the shaping processes of the modern times. Kemp stated that it would be appropriate to use the word ideology when referring to the Egyptians vision and use of symbolic terms in their artwork. The Egyptians beli eved that it was of central importance to keep the reflection of a divine order within their lives. (Kemp, 2006: 61) The use of simplistic form and symbols depict their idea of a true representation of a humans form and lifestyle at that time. Greek The Greeks worked in a variety of styles and mediums. From sculpture, to painting, to prints as seen below (Fig 2 3) a similar thread runs through of the Greek ideology. Their appearance is analogous in style to Egyptian art. Both representing 2D forms with very simple, reserved use of colour and no 3D qualities at all. These two examples represent prime facets to the violent Greek lifestyle of war and quarrel forever ending in gruesome death. Although when researching Greek art, it is impossible not to talk about sculpture. The Greeks were known for their sculpture and architecture. The central subject matter in Greek art is the human form and it is displayed in many ways. Static sculpture, such as the example below (Fig 4) (Home School, n.d.) represents the very early form of Greek sculpture. There is no movement in the artwork what so ever; the only difference / variety is the fact that the one leg is put forward. The Greek lifestyle and ideologies at this point in history was vital in the exploration of the human form. The sculptors started to differentiate their works by adding texture and movement. Or Mobile Sculptures: The Greeks believed in resolving issues with violence, as mentioned above. Therefore this was an ideology of their time. Their art no matter how static it appeared always carried connotations of viciousness and passion. This particular sculpture (Fig 5) is a demonstration of pure strength and domination of the male form in the Greek ideology. Every muscle is emphasized and their facial expressions tell a story of their own. Baroque In the Baroque movement there is a complete change to what has already been looked at. Art had evolved into more realistic renderings and the majority of work was completed in paint. The word Baroque has the original meaning of irregular, contorted, grotesque (Janson, 1982: 483). Which when speaking about the movement as a whole, is a largely out-dated explanation. The new style actually originated in Rome during the late 1500s. In Rubens painting, The Union of Earth and Water (Fig 6), it is evident that many, many hours of painting were put in to produce this work. The forms have a soft, gentle shape. The females bodies in this era were always described in the paintings as full and plump but not over-weight in any sense. In more modern terms their bodies would be considered to be shapely. The Ideal woman/ bodily form in this era in terms of the ideology of form was seen as more romantic in observation. It was not seen as in the more modern times of a slender, fit looking woman ideologies of the perfect woman of our time this is how their perfect woman appeared. The conventional way of portraying a human body with the face forward or to the side was challenged and explored by placing a form with his back to the observer. This could indicate deeper connotations of social changes or standards. With the male being the one to turn away, it could indicate his confidence in his own authority. Neo-Classicism Known as one of the first movements to be in the Modern World of universal art movements, Neo-Classicism brought forth new dimensions of the portrayal of the human body. Similarly to Baroque, the figures were rendered mainly in paint, with a more realistic emphasis. However there is one noticeable change in the human form when moving onto the Neo-Classicism era. It is visible that the form has been revised more in terms of muscle shape and the actual realistic shape of the body. For example, the men posed in the painting have very muscular bodies and are standing in a very blatant, upright position; which differs greatly to the style in which the artists portrayed their forms in the previous movement. Every muscle is defined and emphasized; every proportion is correct; nothing is removed from the composition and their forms are depicted in a very realistic manner. Looking also at the women in the background, it is apparent too that their shape and form is much more refined and calcul ated. This movement is described as a new revival of classical antiquity (or ancient) (Janson, 1982: 557). This movement spanned over a near century in length. A good example to illustrate this movement is Davids painting, The Oath of Horatti. (Fig 7) Impressionism is the next period towards the present. The term Impression means (in painting) to make a mark with paint to give the idea (impression) of something. It does not mean that the observer can see the exact object it is a suggestion using colour through emotion. In the case of the artwork below (Fig , lighter shades of the same colour are almost dotted on to the canvas to give the effect of dappled shade. The impression of shade is evident. Scenes from the world of entertainment (Janson, 1982: 608) such as dancing halls, side cafà ©s, concerts and the theatre were the main subject choice of the impressionist painters. To look at a good example of form and its depiction in this movement, The Tub by the impressionist artist, Degas (Fig 10), is a great instance. A woman is bathing in a round bath tub. As the subject in the painting, her body utilizes the majority of the space. The brush strokes are quite harsh and quick, in a way that just by looking at the image they are clearly seen. This in turn causes a hazy, or out of focus effect to the painting. Even through this however, the observer can clearly see her form. Her shoulder bone is distinct causing a line of shadow on her back. Her ribs can too be seen from the way that she is bent over they are easily exposed under a persons skin. The harshness of the brush strokes in a way emphasizes her form. The use of light and dark (chiaroscuro) has the same effect. Although, when compared to Davids Oath of Horatti (Fig 7), there is a great difference in the way in which the artist painted. The Neo-Classicist work expresses static definition, where as in The Tub (Fig 10) more of an impression of the emotion of the painter (and subject) are conveyed through the rough brushstrokes and colour use. Moving on from paintings and routine sculptures comes the reasonably broad movement of Modernism/ 20th Century painting and sculpture. There are thousands of examples of a modernistic artwork. It has been debated whether or not this was a turning point in how and what artists considered art. Research in this topic shows a definite turning point in one artists work. Anthony Gormley is his name. The image below is of one of his most famous works, a human being lying on the ground in the foetal position on his/her back. Constructed in small, rectangular, metal blocks put together in such a way as to take on / imply the human form. In a way the figure looks almost lost and out of place, on what looks like a sidewalk. The fascinating fete about Gormleys work is that even though it is highly unrealistic, it is too perfectly realistic at the same time in that you can see all the essential details of human form. This of course refers to a more simplistic approach of the interpretation of the body, which in turn could speak about how the form was perceived and/or appreciated in this time. At this stage the depiction of the human form was already moving at a steady pace towards unrealistic simplicity. The movement of Cubism followed shortly after Modernism and materials being used, in fact, completely differed to that of most modernistic works. Picasso, being one of the most famous artists of all history for his cubist works, painted the human form countless times. This particular painting of his is a picture-perfect example of a cubist artwork. The woman is barely capable of being observed properly. The true form in this case as in most artworks of this movement has been lost and only shape (2D) is left behind. The completely angular rendering of the undeveloped figure again hints towards the use of more and more simplicity and basic form in artworks. Most of Picassos cubist works were painted around 1908 1910 (Janson, 1982). This was therefore a few short years before World War 1 began in the summer of 1914 (Janson, 1982). If one looks at the history, there was much tension and social upheaval evident. This was a turning point that changed artists views and opinions which only continued changing due to World War 2. Lastly, the final movement being discussed is the Pop Art movement. A lot of Pop Art pieces were done by the method of silk-screening. This places layers of different colour onto the page to obtain a bright, cartoon-like image. Nowadays you can see them in almost all comic strips for example. It is clear that the human form appears entirely two dimensional for the majority of the time (Fig 14). In (Fig 13) however a rare occasion of tonal value is evident. The form also only appears by itself, with no detailed background, focusing all of the observers attention on the subject. Subsequently, the depiction of the human body has developed and changed. This was due to the ever changing influence of specific ideologies current in each time period. By looking through all the movements mentioned above, there is evidence to state that even though there has been development artworks have gone back to their original state. There has been a loop of progress, yet we still arrive at the same conclusion. In early times before Christ, artworks and sculpture consisted of only necessary form. Now, in the present day, there is the same result.