Strategic Review Report for ZARA Company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Review Report for ZARA Company - Essay Example The external environment covers the analysis globally in apparel industries (Cunningham, 2012:34). External environment analysis The external environment will have an analytical review using the PESTEL and Porter’s five Forces model. Political segment-The current increasing political instability among many nations does not do any favors to business people. The war in many nations in Europe, for example nations in the Middle East like Iraq forces businesses to close down and others end up losing their items through theft. Thus, for an investor investing in another country it leads to double loss, which may impact so negatively to the trader such that closing down the business, may end up being the result. In addition, some powerful political figures in other nations where a trader may want to invest or has already invested may order the business not to have a permit to operate in that country or to close down immediately if it is in operation (Hill, 2010:63). This helps to serv e the interests of the politician if they had a business similar to the new one in operation or the one to start operating, since by so doing they will have ensured that the competition is low if other such kinds of businesses operate in the country. This hinders the general growth and development of any business, hinders competition and the result is high prices for commodities, and consequently this is a practice that should remain disregarded completely in the society. Furthermore, employee’s rights and child workforce regulations remain vital to consider facilitating a legal and maintainable job environment in production. Moreover, since the growth of global trade, most producers have their bases in developing nations. The price influence of import and export taxes on the apparel organizations directly influences the progress of global retailers (Schermerhorn, 2011: 56). Economic segment- Because of weak currencies, low workforce costs and the chance to be near to custome rs, a business ought to look into the techniques to reap benefits from a different site. This is so because competition has already penetrated the newer market and persistently tries to balance the gains related to these markets. This has a great influence on the profits of the enterprise. The attainment of a stable economy has remained a big challenge to so many countries and thus current economic trends like inflation, unfavorable balance of payments among others pose a great threat to business people in many countries. These trends affect both the growth and profitability of the organization (Pahl, 2008:72). For instance, the purchase of clothing may simply remain a luxury rather than a necessity. Thus, when an economic recession occurs, it may cause a reduction in customers’ disposable earnings, and hence leading to reduced expenditure on clothing. Moreover, a higher rate of individual savings may have a negative influence on demand in the apparel industry (Cunningham, 20 12:14). Socio-cultural segment- customers appear to use much money on electronics, travelling, healthcare, education, and leisure and spend less on clothing, which makes apparel industries to establish their organizations ecologically to meet customers’ demands. Many workers in the company are females, and they mainly do spinning, weaving, or hanging fabrics jobs whereas males take over technical works like machine supervision.

What Lies on the Other Side Essay Example for Free

What Lies on the Other Side Essay Imagine looking out to the other side wondering how life goes on in a different world. Mexican citizens often wonder that same thought. Some Mexicans would like to share a piece of the American dream. The only issue at hand though, is whether the citizens of Mexico cross United States Borders legally or illegally. Illegal immigration has become an ever growing problem, adding to the United States debt and causing controversy nationwide. The issue at hand occurs for numerous reasons, although a few are a direct reason why illegal immigration occurs. One main and probable cause for illegal immigration can be accounted for by the introduction of The North American Free Trade Agreement. Illegal Immigration exploded after the 1994 passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which removed tariffs on American farm products imported into Mexico. As a result Mexican farmers could not compete with U.S agribusiness and were forced to find other ways to earn a living. (Dvorak 99) Due to lack of work and pressure to earn a living many were forced to find and alternate and quick way of living. Some chose local jobs, others legal immigration and for the desperate risking their own lives and safety for a better life illegal immigration. Illegal immigration was not always a common occurrence. Before 1960 the number of illegal immigrants entering the country was not well known and never emerged as a major issue (Dvorak 99). This connection proves that years ago illegal immigration was a mere spot on the United States map. Today however, the problem at hand is an ever growing issue. Not only is illegal immigration increasing but puts stress upon the American economy and job market. The effects of illegal immigration in the United States, as well as other countries, provides a vivid view about how illegal immigration effects economics and job market of the country in which illegal immigration takes place. Persons in the United States often talk about the millions without work, but in some cases â€Å"millions of illegals continue to flood into the  United States, competing for scarce U.S. jobs† (Katel). Due to increased competition illegal immigration causes legal citizens to start reaching out to their government and demanding things be done to solve the issue. Some citizens even go as far as to try and take the issue into their own hands. Illegal immigration does not only take away job opportunities but also governmental funds, which in turn is the peoples’ money. One must pay taxes in order to fund ones way of life. Illegals, although some do pay taxes, cause U.S. government funds to deplete. †¦an average low skill illegal immigrant household received $30,160 in direct benefits, means-tested benefits, education, and population-based services from all levels of government, while paying only $10, 573 in taxes. (Greenley) Taxes are a major contributing factor for the awareness of illegal immigration. Taxes are such a factor because the legal citizens pay into the government and receive things in return such as education, but the money is also given to those who do not pay for aid or not enough. Taxes and the job market are two major issues the United States faces, but the money the United States spends to combat and control the issues is also a major determining factor. â€Å"Last year 438,997 people were apprehended by the U.S. border Patrol in Tuscon sector for illegally entering the United States† (Nussbaum). The issue is not the fact of the apprehensions, but the money that is spent in order to apprehend. It is said that billions of dollars are spent annually keeping the issue at bay. In order continue, the war on immigration, the federal government and local government must work together. The federal government may spend the most counteracting illegal immigration, but things must be done at a state level as well as a local level. One major state that has seen some of the most seismic illegal activity is Arizona. Arizona â€Å"America’s most porous border is a 262-mile stretch, from the New Mexico state line to near Yuma† (Nussbaum). Illegal immigration causes the state to spend not only money but time and effort to clean up issues that have evolved from illegal immigration. Many are without jobs and with border crossing also causes drug issues. Without jobs people pay no taxes and rely on government aid. The U.S. battle with illegal immigration adds up, on average a single border state spends millions to defend against their border problems (Nussbaum). The States that participate in the war on illegal  immigration pay a hefty price for the safety and security of not only their citizens but the countries as well. There are many ways the citizens of the United States with the governments help can halt or drastically slow illegal immigration from happening at all. The United States was built upon immigration. The United States has one of the most diverse if not the most collaboration of people. â€Å"The United States accepts 200,000 immigrants legally each year, more than the rest of the world put together† (Katel). The immigrants excepted by the United States have gone through all the right criteria in order to become a U.S. citizen. Unlike illegals they have made a life fairly and promote good competition and add to The United States’ ever growing society. For those who come legally it is not just to put them through all of the work to become a citizen while illegals do none of the United States’ criteria to become a citizen. One of the best ways one can try to alter the odds in the United States favor of stopping illegal immigration is â€Å"ending birth right citizenship for children of illegal immigrants† (Greenley). In order for this to occur, congress and the people must vote upon what is to happen. By ending birthright citizenship causes less to leave Mexico. Another way one can try and put a stop to illegal immigration is â€Å"preventing the hiring of illegal immigrants† (Greenley). Possibilities open up, such as no green cards and less competition in the job market. Prevention of hiring illegals also causes less to come because many are in search of work but can no longer do so due to their illegal status. There are still many pending issues and problem solving tactics being thought of everyday but no one is certain what the outcome may be. Illegal immigration to this day is a growing problem, causing United States debt to rise and national controversy over the dispute of what to do about the issue. All countries around the world experience illegal immigration. Mexico may be the United States worst culprit; however Mexico is not the only country to have citizens crossing illegally across the border. The only certain idea is the uncertainty of the future between the United States and Mexico’s relations between immigration. Works Cited Dvorak, William. Five. Immigration in the United States. New York: H.W. Wilson Co., 2009. 360-398. Print. Greenley, Larry. How to Fix Illegal Immigration. new american 24.5 (2008): 15-18. SIRS. Web. 4 Sept. 2013. Katel, Peter. Illegal Immirgation. CQ Researcher 15 .17 (2005): 393-420. Print. Nussbaum, Paul. The Border Wars: Drawing Lines in the Sand. Philadelphia Inquirer 30 Apr. 2006, sec. A1+: n.p.. SIRS. Web. 4 Sept. 2013.

Accounting Essays Management Accounting Techniques

Accounting Essays Management Accounting Techniques Critically discuss the difference between activity based costing and throughput accounting. Changing external business environment has resulted in further developments in the tools and techniques used for management accounting. Traditional management accounting techniques had certain limitations associated with them, for instance, absorption costing methods have been found to be inappropriate in the modern environment. Similarly, standard costing suitability with respect to its general philosophy and detailed operations has come under severe criticism. It is believed that traditional management accounting performance measures can produce the wrong type of response. As a response to the limitations of traditional accounting techniques, activity based approaches has gained significant repute. The following paper will evaluate the activity based costing approach and attempt to highlight the inherent differences between activity based costing and throughput accounting approach. In the case of activity based approaches, the focus is on the activities that the business carries out as opposed to how the activities have traditionally been organised into separate functions. Activity based costing was thus developed because it was realised that older methods like absorption costing, which used labour hours as the basis for absorbing overheads, did not provide useful information about the cost drivers, in other words it did not answer for the question what was causing the overheads to be incurred in the first place. Generally, Activity Based Costing (ABC) is defined as an accounting technique that allows an organization to determine the actual cost associated with each product and service produced by the organization without regard to the organizational structure. Amongst various benefits associated with the ABC approach one of the major ones is that it helps to define the activities of the organisation in terms of value adding activities. In other words, as a result of ABC it is easy to identify which activities add value to the organisation. Identification of non-value adding activities helps in identifying where time, effort and money are being wasted and unnecessary costs being incurred. Advantages associated with activity-based approach are many. More generally it is said that activity based costing recognises the inherent complexities faced by many businesses in the present day, which results in the businesses having multiple cost drivers, many of them are transaction based rather than volume based.. These complexities arise due to businesses now having a broader product range and the business environment in general is more volatile and unpredictable. It is further argued that activity based analysis provides a more meaningful analysis of costs which provide a better basis for pricing decisions, product mix decisions, design decisions and production decisions. Besides activity based analysis is concerned with all overhead costs, including the costs of the non-factory floor functions (product design, quality control, production planning, sales order planning and customer service) and not just factory-floor overheads; thus it takes cost accounting beyond the traditio nal factory floor boundaries. In addition activity based costing helps in identifying the causes of increases in costs and thus it further helps in reducing costs. ABC can be used in conducting customer profitability analysis. Despite the advantages associated with activity based costing a number of criticisms have been identified. Theorists have argued that the costs of obtaining and interpreting the new information may be time consuming activity, thus it has been suggested that activity based analysis must only be introduced when there are provisions in the organisation to manage information to use in planning and/or control decisions. Secondly, it has been criticised on the grounds that many overheads do not relate either to volume or to complexity and diversity. Severe criticisms were also raised with the underlying principle of ABC, which is that activity causes cost. Proponents of this viewpoint argue that decisions cause cost or the passage of time causes costs or that there may not be any one clear cause of cost. Throughput accounting is an alternative to cost accounting based on Standard or Activity Based Costing (ABC) proposed by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. Throughput accounting claims to improve management decisions by using measurements that more closely reflect the effect of decisions on three critical monetary variables. It has originated from the Theory of constraints. Throughput accounting is an approach to accounting, which is largely in sympathy with the Just-In-Time philosophy. In essence, Throughput Accounting assumes that a manager has a given set of resources available. These comprise of existing buildings, capital equipment and labour force. Using these resources, purchased materials and parts must be processed to generate sales revenue. Thus, according to Goldratt and Cox (1984), given the above scenario, the most appropriate financial objective to set for doing this is the maximisation of throughput, which is defined as, sales revenue less direct material cost. According to Noreen et. al (1995), there are three building blocks in Goldratts theory namely, throughput1, operating expenses2 and assets3 (Goldratt 1990). and Profit is measured by throughput minus operating expenses and profitability by profits divided by assets. (Goldratt Cox 1992.). Managers are thus motivated to apply the theory of constraints (TOC) because it presents them with a new dimension of focusing their energies on cost reduction rather than on profit enhancement. From this perspective TOC is considered simple. The official definition of throughput is revenue minus total variable costs. However, some companies exclude all the other expenses, such as the variable selling and shipping costs, considering direct material the most significant factor. Thus, a simplified version of throughput accounting is also used. The visible difference between conventional and throughput accounting is the handling of direct labour, which is considered as a fixed cost. The variable cost nature of direct labour seems to be more a historical reminder than contemporary reality. In many companies, labour cost is, in practise, treated as a fixed cost. (Noreen et al. 1995.) Noreen et.al (1995) cited the example where Throughput Accounting has been successfully applied also with ABC. Southwestern Ohio Steel has implemented a pricing model based on ABC and Throughput Accounting. This model has been used to analyse and justify manufacturing cycle-time improvements. (Campbell 1995). Fritzsch (1997) argues that the essential difference between throughput accounting and ABC lies in the time horizon. ABC is recommended for strategic planning whilst, throughput accounting works better to meet short-term purposes. As the time horizons increase, the solutions produced by throughput accounting begin to look more and more like those produced by conventional cost accounting techniques. Applications of ABC in strategic planning appear to be well documented. It must be noted that ABC and Throughput Accounting are based on differing sets of assumptions that have an implicitly different time horizon thus claims of superiority of one approach over the other should be abandoned. It is however, possible to use both approaches together to achieve appropriate results. Some researchers claim that Throughput Accounting approach requires less data and effort than ABC. It is further argued that Throughput Accounting is easier to implement and operate; it sometimes provides insufficient information to guide management decisions. A frequent question is whether ABC is worth the cost or whether the TOC approach will be sufficient According to Etienne du Plooy4, Throughput Accounting is differentiated from all other types of costing systems because only the costs that are truly variable and identifiable to products, are allocated to the products or services produced. These costs are called Totally Variable Costs (TVC). All other costs that are not clearly variable with the quantity of products or services produced are pooled into Operating Expenses (OE). These costs which must also be recovered are not allocated to products. As Throughput is the rate at which the system generates money, and is calculated by subtracting the TVC from the selling price of products, Throughput Accounting puts the performance measures required to maximise business opportunity in place and thus enables management to take immediate corrective action when necessary. It has been further argued by Noreen et.al (1995) by that the ABC approach yields the same activity for the unused capacity information that Throughput Accounting yields. As a result of tracing operating expenses to products and to unused capacity, an ABC income statement provides additional information concerning the per unit profitability of each product that a Throughput Accounting income statement alone would not provide. Throughput Accounting has been considered as a perfect complement for many approaches such as the Theory Of Constraints and Total Quality Management (TQM). It is strongly believed that both labour and capital productivity are increased when Throughput Accounting is applied in organisations. It does not lead to inventory build-ups. It is considered more useful for management decision-making. It is closer to a cash flow concept of income and in its purest form it is based on the cash flows of transactions. It is applicable to any enterprise that has constraints. It is relatively inexpensive yet extremely effective. It consistently provides the right information for effective decision-making. It brings the organisation closer to its goal. To explain the difference between activity based costing and throughput accounting an example has been provided: ABC takes the information used in throughput accounting and adds monetary values. ABC differs from Throughput Accounting in that it traces resource costs to activities. After resource costs have been traced to activities, one divides the activity cost (required by ABC) by the activity capacity (required by Throughput Accounting and ABC) to arrive at the activity-charging rate (required by ABC). Next, that activity-charging rate is multiplied by the quantity of the activity costs driver demanded by each product from each activity (required by Throughput Accounting and ABC). Based on the budgeted number of units produced, each activitys budgeted production cost is compared to that activitys budgeted capacity costs to arrive at the costs of unused capacity for that activity (expressed in financial amounts by ABC and in non-financial amounts by TOC). 5 Conclusion From the preceding paragraphs it can be concluded that Activity based costing and throughput accounting approaches can be used together to achieve the best possible results for the organisation. Despite the inherent differences in the two approaches, they are both essential management accounting techniques, which will help the managers to make sound decisions regarding the future growth of the organisation. Thus in conclusion it can be said ABC and throughput accounting are both required to achieve the long term corporate objectives and for management accountants to arrive at sound managerial decisions relating to profitability of the business. BIBLIOGRAPHY [1] Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox, The Goal, 2nd Revised Edition, North River Press, Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y. [2] Jay S. Holmen, ABC vs. TOC: its a matter of time, Management Accounting (USA), Jan 1995 v76 n7 p37(4) [3] John B. MacArthur, From activity-based costing to throughput accounting, Management Accounting (USA), April 1996 v77 n10 p30(5) [4] John H. Sheridan, Throughput with a Capital T, Industry Week, March 4, 1991 [5] Richard V. C., Eugene J. C., and Gerald E. C., Beware the New Accounting Myths, Management Accounting, December 1989, pp.41-45. [6] Robin Cooper, Regine Slagmulder, Integrating activity-based costing and the theory of constraints, Management Accounting (USA), Feb 1999 v80 i8 p20(2) [7] Robin Cooper, Robert Kaplan, Activity-Based Systems: Measuring the Costs of Resource Usage, Accounting Horizons, September 1992, pp. 1-13.

Analyzation of Southern Arizona Folk Arts :: Essays Papers

Analyzation of Southern Arizona Folk Arts Tucson, Arizona is a place of warmth and place of desert and most of all a place influenced by the traditions of Mexico and its people. It is especially influenced by the Folk Art traditions. But Folk arts what are they? Folk pertains to a subgroups object that fulfills a purpose of their own or for export for society. Art pertains to the aspect of an object that gives pleasure to the constructor of object or to the viewer in some way or another. Folk art in some way or another serves the purpose of community. Two principle aspects of folk art are Community, and Tradition. A Folk artists purpose is to show This is who I am It is important to view the folk arts more closely and to analyze how the author of the web exhibit portrays them to the audience. Two extremely different and non-related folk arts, yet excellent and important representations of the Hispanic culture are low rider vehicles and food. Easy comprehension ,unique organization, and friendly and humorous tone are used to present the folk arts. The author also uses ethos and pathos to appeal to the reader and portray the Hispanic culture better. These tactics are all used to provide an informal atmosphere. The author, Dr. James S. Griffith, uses an informal style in representing these two folk arts to better portray to the audience the Hispanic culture. The author to be informal, and show the Hispanic culture makes his essay on Mexican food easily comprehensible. Because this essay is done informally readers are able to connect with paper and believe its contents more easily. The author does not try to sound too educated and push people form wanting to read it. . This text is obviously intended for the general audience. Its easy comprehension explains this. For example, the first sentence says that, Mexican food is wonderful, fascinating stuff. One would not put this in a world magazine or time magazine because the language is not as advanced for such the educated readers that read Time magazine. Also the language is not advanced yet it is descriptive. For example, the author explains about the Tortilla and its origin. He says tortillas are flat cakes of masa and corn that has been soaked, cooked with lime or ashes, and then ground. This is very descriptive yet not too overwhelming.

Europeans and Africans Essay

The two stages of contact between Europeans and Africans in the modern era, according to Morel, were the slave trade and the â€Å"power of modern capitalistic exploitation†. In the first he describes the horrors of the African slave trade that had occurred in the 1700-1800’s, the way the slaves were captured from their homes and transported in terrible, torturous conditions to their destinations. Morel sees this as horrific, but also acknowledges that despite the fact they were put through so much they were able to continue to multiply and have more children, even in slavery. Morel felt that the exploitation of the African nations will be even more devastating because it will bring European work ethics and culture to the Africans, thus changing their entire way of life and taking away the vitality of their culture. In general, the history of European domination over Africans was extreme. They would dominate them, either by making them slaves or taking away their land and using the natural resources of their homelands for their own benefits. 2. How did Europeans abuse and exploit Africans? What benefits did they bring to Africans, if any? The Europeans abused and exploited the Africans because they had weapons that the Africans did not. They had guns and other forms of technology and weaponry that could dominate the Africans and keep them under their control, taking away their way of life and leaving them to die. The Europeans did not bring any benefits to the Africans except that the slave trade was ceased when the Europeans realized that they could overcome the Africans and were better off exploiting the natural resources of their countries. In a way, this was perhaps a benefit in one respect but a curse in another. 3. This book was written in 1920. How did Morel see the future of European domination in Africa playing out over the course of the twentieth century? Morel sees the future of European domination in Africa playing out over the course of the twentieth century in such a way that he Africans are overtaken by weapons and the technology of the Europeans. He sees the Europeans as using all of the terrible weapons they have to win control of the continent, not only man made weapons but because they will bring disease to the African people. He also feels that when the European system of work and exploiting the environment will eventually kill the Africans from their soul outward to their body because it is so different from their own way of living and what is important to them, like the environment and having a relaxed way of life.

Marketing Workflow Process How to Reduce Work By 30% to 50%

Marketing Workflow Process How to Reduce Work By 30% to 50% Have you ever hit a snag as you manage projects? Maybe some details got missed. You had to work on something at the last minute. You have way too much on your plate. It felt like a fire drill. And it felt disorganized. But what if you never had to feel that way again? Workflow process mapping for your marketing projects can help you: Reduce the amount of work within a project by 30-50%. (!!!) Start projects at the right times to help you nail every deadline. Collaborate + delegate more efficiently than ever before. Ready to get started? How To Boost A Marketing Workflow Process That Will Reduce Work By 30-50%Team Management Dashboard: Manage Your Team's Workload More Effectively  Than Ever Gain powerful insight into your team’s daily and weeks tasks in one dashboard. The Team Management Dashboard gives managers ultimate visibility into team member's priorities. You can pinpoint bottlenecks in workload, see project status, and set realistic goals for your entire team (without the endless status meetings.) With the  Team Management Dashboard from , you'll: Gain ultimate visibility into each team member's daily priorities, so you can focus on driving productivity and meeting your deadlines NOT scouring the calendar for project updates. Easily identify who has too much on their plate and who can take on more work, so you can get more done and keep team members happy. Know who’s falling behind (and who’s rockin’ it).  Get a snapshot of every team member’s progress with completed, overdue, and incomplete tasks, so you can set realistic goals for your team and address concerns faster. 1. Map Out Everything That Needs To Be Done Andrew S. Grove, former chairman and CEO at Intel, writes about the concept of removing unnecessary tasks from processes in his book, High Output Management. He calls this work simplification. And, to be honest, it's a very easy idea to grasp + implement. Andrew suggests: ...you first need to create a flow chart of the production process as it exists. Every single step must be shown on it; no step should be omitted in order to pretty things up on paper. To implement this advice, you could: Open Evernote and type every step in your process in a bulleted list. Grab a stack of Post-It notes + a Sharpie and wrote one step per sticky note. Find a notepad + a pencil and get everything on paper. At this point, you are looking for a raw list of every single step in a process. For example, here is a workflow process sample of all of the steps we consider as we write a blog post at : Note: This is a simple checklist in Evernote. It's not overcomplicated. Action item: Write down every step in your workflow  in chronological order. 2. Reduce The Number of Steps in Your Workflow In High Output Management, Andrew shares: Second, count the number of steps in the flow chart so that you know how many you started with.  Third, set a rough target for reduction of the number of steps. In the first round of simplification, our experience shows that you can reasonably expect a 30 to 50 percent reduction. To implement the actual simplification, you must question why each step is performed. Typically, you will find that many steps exist in your workflow for no good reason. Often they are there because of tradition or because formal procedure necessitates it, not for a practical reason. Putting this advice into practice for our blog post workflow example, I  targeted removing at least 5 of the 28 steps (highlighted in yellow): As you do this process for your own workflow, look for steps that: Fall into other processes and will happen regardless of including this as an actual task in your workflow. Examples for the blog post included emailing audience and responding to blog comments. Simply don't need to happen. For example, our social media graphics are the same as the graphics we design for blog content (our graphic designer, Ashton, just sizes them appropriately for each social media network). No one needs to review her work if we nail the initial review correctly, so this is a step that doesn't need to exist. Used to be helpful, but are now outdated.  We used to  define angles and peer review outlines at a time when we changed our standards of performance for blog content. These steps were helpful to  instill a culture change for every piece, but now the team knows the expectations. In this example, we can remove those two steps because we trust the team to complete their work effectively. Exist for  office bureaucracy. When you completely trust your team, there is no need for approvals. More eyeballs = slower, inefficient process. If you don't trust your team to ship quality work, improving your workflow is not the problem (and it won't be the solution). Action item: Remove unnecessary steps from your workflow. 3. Combine Steps Into Tasks In addition to removing steps from your workflow entirely, there is likely an opportunity to consolidate similar steps  together. This practice will help you remove some  clutter from your workflow,  simplify your process, and make delegating + communicating tasks a lot easier. For example, with the blog post workflow, I consolidated 23 steps into 13: Note that at this point, you'll want to clearly begin every task with a verb. As you delegate, this makes it clear what you expect the assignee to do before she marks the task as complete. Action item: Consolidate the steps into tasks  beginning with clear action verbs. 4. Give Each Task a Clear Definition of Done And since you'll be delegating, you may need to literally write out your expectations for each task. What does done look like before the assignee checks it off her to-do list? This simple process gives you the chance to clearly communicate expectations before you assign work. And as you share the definitions with your team, it gives your assignees a framework to reference as they execute so they can self-serve and answer the questions themselves (further improving their productivity  and autonomy). Action item: Write the definition of done for each task.  Clearly lay out your expectations. 5. Choose Who Will Complete Each Task You likely already know the folks who serve specific marketing roles within your business. Now, it's time to determine who among your team is best suited for each of the tasks. For our blog post workflow example, defining who does what  could look like this: Action item: Choose who will complete each specific task within your workflow. 6. Determine How Long it Will Take to Complete Each Task Now that you know who is doing what, you can have a simple conversation with each team member involved in the process. During this chat, show your assignee the workflow as a whole  and explain the definitions of done. Then, ask a simple question: How long will it take to complete this task? You will use this information to help you understand when to begin working on  the project so you can nail your deadlines. For example, this is what it may look like for the blog post workflow: This process helps you see where there are opportunities for multiple different team members to be working on different parts of the project at the same time (so you can ship faster). For example,  Ben can proofread and optimize as Ashton starts her designs. It also gives you some perspective into how much work a specific team member can realistically take on. And it will help you  understand how far in advance you should assign  the tasks to be due. Action item: Determine how long it will take to complete each task within your workflow. 7. Plan When Each Task Needs To Be Complete At this point,  review every task and think about the due date as: # days before publish I've found it helpful to start your review with the last task in your workflow. Why? Because you can realistically work backward  to understand when to start the project, taking into consideration every task, team member, and their time commitment. Ask yourself: How many days before publish (or launch) does the last task in my  workflow need to be complete? Is it one day? One week? From there,  determine how many days before publish the other tasks need to be complete. Keep in mind, there may be opportunity for different team members to complete tasks simultaneously (which will help you ship faster). This is an extremely  subjective part of the framework and will require a lot of good + realistic judgment on your part. So, here is an example of what this would look like for our blog post workflow example: In this example, I started my review with the last task in our workflow: Schedule blog post to publish. I like to see blog posts 100% complete two weeks before they publish. This gives us a bank of content and a framework of when we should realistically start working on content to keep that bank of completed content a reality. After I nailed down when the  last task needs to be complete, I worked my way "up" the task list and assigned X days before publish due dates to all of the tasks. Now I know in order to write a blog post up to our standards, we should start working on it 22 days before publish. Agile Sprint Planning Can Make This Even Easier Agile is a project management technique that is growing in popularity amongst marketing teams. It is particularly popular for its ability to accurately breakdown large projects into smaller chunks that are more likely to be accomplished on time. Part of the Agile process is collaboratively determining team velocity and the break down of tasks. Doing so collaboratively means the project is more likely to be completed on time as the individual who will be doing the work can give their estimations of how long it will actually take them to accomplish the tasks. Here's how it works:   Your team velocity is their overall capacity to accomplish work. This is typically calculated based team input and historical performance. It can be calculated using some basic math. Every task your team completes a holds a certain point value. Once every task of your project is broken down, team members will assign the task a point value on a scale of 1 to 3... 1 is the easiest to complete and takes the lest amount of time; 3 is the most difficult and takes the most amount of time. Task A: 1 point Task B: 2 points Task C: 2 points Task D: 3 points Project Velocity Total: 8   Let's say that previous projects that were an 8 point velocity  were delivered in a total of 3 days. Now you know exactly how many days to allocate for the work to be completed. Action item: Determine how many days before publish each task must be completed. I'm not gonna lie: My Evernote example is starting to look like a mess. That's where comes into play. 8. Delegate The Tasks: Notify + Remind + Collaborate At this point, your team knows the tasks they are responsible for completing + the definition of done for those tasks. So your next step is to clearly: Notify the assignee when you delegate  a task so she knows what to execute. Communicate the due date for that task (transitioning your plan of # days before publish into  clearly defined calendar dates). Remind the assignee again the day before a task is due to make certain the task gets complete. You can do this via email or instant message tools like Slack or HipChat. Or you can build the workflow you created into to automatically share this information without the manual busywork. ;) Recommended Reading: How to Make the Best Process With 11 Content Marketing Workflow Tips In your marketing calendar, open a new blog post. From here, select the task template icon and + New Template. Now you can add  all of the  process you just created into a reusable marketing workflow. Simply name your task template and hit Next. Then add each of your tasks, assign it to the team member, and add your # days before publish. Now you can apply + reuse that task template with a couple simple clicks, which works extremely well for recurring projects like the blog post example we've been using as a teaching aid throughout this  article. The moment you apply the task template, everyone who is assigned a task is notified by email and in their personal dashboard (which serves nicely as a daily to-do list). The day before a task is due, automatically emails the assignee to make sure the work gets done. Action item: Assign the tasks for your project, notify  each team member on the task due date, and remind each team member the day before  her task is due. (When you use , you just need to build your task template once and apply it to automatically do this without the manual busywork). 10. Track Team Progress Now you can follow the same process you learned from this article to create workflows for any project you choose to take on! Afterward, you'll likely want to know what's working  (and what's not) so you can improve your process. Lucky you- also has a feature called  the Team Performance Report. ^^^ This report helps you know your team's completion rate for all marketing tasks on your calendar. That includes: Tasks completed on time  (so you know your workflows are really working). Tasks completed past due (so maybe you need to tweak  minor # days before publish  somewhere because the work is getting done, just not when you expected). Tasks overdue (so you can see exactly what is NOT getting done and address snags with your team  quickly). You can also use burn charts to understand the amount of tasks you are assigning to your team and how many are overdue. This helps you spot trends + address snags before you miss any deadlines. With Team Reports, you can also see who is falling behind (and who's rockin' it). You'll click through to see even more information about each team member's performance with completed, overdue, and incomplete task reports. And that will help you tweak your workflows + set realistic goals + address concerns faster. Action item: Find the tool that helps you understand when tasks are completed on time, completed past due, and  overdue. How Will You Organize Your Marketing Workflow Process? The framework you  just learned has helped  the marketing team at get organized, work smarter, and boost our productivity. And hey, if you want to make it even easier on yourself... let us know! You can set up a demo below...

Pleasantville Essay Essays

Pleasantville Essay Essays Pleasantville Essay Paper Pleasantville Essay Paper Ross demonstrates the change of perspective through the realization of ones potential. It Is the discovery of this potential that In turn changes ones outlook on the world around them and In turn the perspective of the people around them. The character Betty is a perfect example of alteration of ones perspective. Betty learns that she has more potential than a housewife. When Bettys outlook is altered, her social role, attitudes and values are altered as well. In Pleasantries the people came divided as they discovered their potential to make their own choices and began to express their own emotions. Betty left her role as a housewife and realized her lust for the milk bar owner. The use of color was used to portray the notion of change and altered perspective. When a persons perspective was altered they would become colored (as opposed to black and white) as well as a piece of the world around them. The Inevitability of change Is expressed through the supporting characters futile attempts to prevent It. FALL Change is a major theme in the animated series FALL. Much of the plot has to do with Mantas progressive change of attitude and perspective due to an unlikely encounter with a strange girl named Hard-Hard Hark. When we first see Anita, hes a kid trying to act like and adult, as many kids do, and even criticizes others lack of maturity. His first encounter with Hark leads him to remark that shes a stupid adult who refuses to grow up. And he gets quite frustrated with his father in the first episode hen he goes Into his living room to find Hark has been hired as their housekeeper. One way change is shown In FALL Is through a quote at the beginning Nothing amazing happens here. Everything Is ordinary. A huge factory that can be seen from our town, the Medical Mechanic plant, all the adults got exited when it came here like it was really a big deal, but nothing changed. This quote shows the way significant changes seldom happen in a small country town like Mambas and even when they do, normalcy returns quickly. Everyday large amounts of white smoke billow forth from the medical mechanic factory which is seen as a sort of barrier around the town which symbolizes how Mambas is cut off from the rest of the world. Anita is a perfect example of someone resisting change to the fullest extent. This is represented by his reluctance to swing the bat which is used as an extended metaphor to show his reluctance to accept change in the form of trying new things because as professional hockey player Wayne Greeter said You will miss 100% of the shots you dont take. Therefore if you dont try then monotony will resume. The other mall character Hard-Hard Hark Is seen as a kind Implement of change forcing Anita to adapt to changes in his environment and eventually in pep to cause changes wanly Is snow tongue near motivating NV Into swelling ten oat wanly drastically changes his perspective and forces him to accept constant change as a regular part of his life. **SONG** Comparison Unlike Pleasantries FALL is about the change of one kid not an entire world and isnt as upfront and obvious about it.

Free Essays on Day In The Life Of A Hunter-gatherer

You’ve traveled all the way back to the Paleolithic period, all to discover what a day in my life is like. Well be sure I will not disappoint you. From what we eat to how live, I will be sure to tell you everything. Let’s get started. My people are what you call Hunter-Gatherers. We survive by hunting and gathering our food. We live in what are called â€Å"Bands.† These usually consist of 15-20 people, all of which are usually related either by blood or marriage. We don’t have any type of government or hierarchy like other civilizations. Instead we believe we are all created equal, and we treat each other in that manner. Our labor is divided among us, usually on the basis of sex, and our elderly are respected and involved in our decision making. The band works as a team, helping each other in times of need. We also lend helping hands to other bands when needed, and sometimes join together in a larger group. We are nomadic, which means that we do not stay in the same place year around. We move in order to take advantage of the abundance of different foods in different areas. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me take you through a day in my life. Our breakfast is pretty simple. The outcome of the hunting and gathering of yesterday decides what food we will eat for breakfast today. On a good day we will eat grapefruit, or a mixture of fruits and nuts along with some elk jerky, and of course accompanied by spring water. After breakfast the men will leave for their daily hunt. There is a great skill to their hunting, for they must know where and when to look for the foods. The men use various tools in hunting for animals. The most common of these tools is the bow. This is the most powerful weapon available. Arrows made of wood with flint blades set in their ends are also used for hunting. Our men hunt for game such as deer, elk, bear, birds, etc. They also fish. Fishing is successful in most cases. Salmon especially ... Free Essays on Day In The Life Of A Hunter-gatherer Free Essays on Day In The Life Of A Hunter-gatherer You’ve traveled all the way back to the Paleolithic period, all to discover what a day in my life is like. Well be sure I will not disappoint you. From what we eat to how live, I will be sure to tell you everything. Let’s get started. My people are what you call Hunter-Gatherers. We survive by hunting and gathering our food. We live in what are called â€Å"Bands.† These usually consist of 15-20 people, all of which are usually related either by blood or marriage. We don’t have any type of government or hierarchy like other civilizations. Instead we believe we are all created equal, and we treat each other in that manner. Our labor is divided among us, usually on the basis of sex, and our elderly are respected and involved in our decision making. The band works as a team, helping each other in times of need. We also lend helping hands to other bands when needed, and sometimes join together in a larger group. We are nomadic, which means that we do not stay in the same place year around. We move in order to take advantage of the abundance of different foods in different areas. Wait, I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me take you through a day in my life. Our breakfast is pretty simple. The outcome of the hunting and gathering of yesterday decides what food we will eat for breakfast today. On a good day we will eat grapefruit, or a mixture of fruits and nuts along with some elk jerky, and of course accompanied by spring water. After breakfast the men will leave for their daily hunt. There is a great skill to their hunting, for they must know where and when to look for the foods. The men use various tools in hunting for animals. The most common of these tools is the bow. This is the most powerful weapon available. Arrows made of wood with flint blades set in their ends are also used for hunting. Our men hunt for game such as deer, elk, bear, birds, etc. They also fish. Fishing is successful in most cases. Salmon especially ...

Android operation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Android operation - Research Paper Example Technology is associated with lower production costs, better quality products and ability to develop new products through inventive and innovative ideas (Watsa, 5). It also facilitates easy flow of information that generally improves on the quality of human life. One area of technology that has recorded significant development is information and communication technology. A computer is in any device that can be programmed to ‘store, retrieve, and process data’ and the computing idea can be traced back to the thirteenth century (Golden Ink, para.1). Various developments are witnessed throughout the millennium like development of mechanical calculators in the seventeenth century up to the development of the first digital computers in the 1930s (Golden Ink, para.2-10). Further developments have been recorded from these early (primitive) forms of computer to the modern Third Generation computers. Developments have been recorded in terms of both software and hardware. Users are often attracted to systems that are user-friendly (very interactive) and have several applications incorporated into a single suite. Software developments have been mainly in the operating systems; the programs that tell the computer what to do by defining the machine-user interface. Several operating systems have been developed by different professionals working in different institutions. Most of the present operating systems are developments of earlier operating systems. The type of the programming language used in developing different applications also explains the different types of operating systems that are available. This paper focuses on the development of Android, an operating system that is mainly used in the mobile devices. Some of the desirable characteristics of the operating system are examined. It has been stated that significant developments have

Case Study 2 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Case Study 2 - Assignment Example This can be achieved through advertising an attribute of the brand in the form of a campaign. According to the case study, Cingular used Virtual Laguna Beach in order to promote the aspect of communication. This aspect acted a form of promotion which comprised of information from diverse social events. Through these interactions, the users received bonus rewards including VoIP access, cell phone animation and skins for instant-messaging players. On the other hand, Pepsi increased their in-world skills through publishing an in-world ‘zine that offers new areas in the world. This has enabled users to rack up MTV dollars for the Pepsi-branded items and other in-world purchases (Klaassen, 2007). Lastly, Secret extended its campaign through virtual booths whereby avatars aired some of their secrets for a chance to win a virtual cash prize. This case study also highlights that this scheme does not have a business model. However, the MTV network has a plan to charge for its integration into Virtual Laguna Beach. This case study also reveals brand interaction should entail a reward especially in the virtual world (Klaassen, 2007). This is because most visitors in Virtual Laguna Beach are usually exposed to these brands hence; they interact voluntarily just like in the real world. The second case study talks about the Bank of America. In most financial services that are provided all over the world, online banking is considered as a major breakthrough in the innovation sector. In 2005, the Bank of America came up with a different and radical product which broke the paradigm. Scholars assert that the online banking service concept is used to solve some of the contemporary banking issues. For example, it enables consumers to open new accounts. This concept operates in a peculiar manner such that when a consumer buys anything using the BoFA Visa Debit Card, the bank usually rounds off the figure to the nearest buck and

Article Reviews Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Article Reviews - Essay Example d) Follow up questions that probe managers’ moral reasoning by focusing upon key organizational values. Managers often face moral and ethical conflicts in workplace; however, little experimental research has sought to identify with the reasoning analysis managers use to determine these conflicts. A better insight of a manager’s moral analysis could lead to a greater awareness of the influences upon managerial decision making when faced with ethical dilemma like the organization culture and individual values, greater predictability of organizational and managerial principled behavior and the construction of organizational guides and incentives to aid managers towards moral action (Weber, 300). One of major obstacles towards a better perception of managers’ logic lies in the lack of available and suitable methods to assess manager’s decision making process when faced with moral or ethical dilemmas. The result of this study includes a model for developing and reviewing the moral content of corporations. With its help, corporations’ principles can be improved, defined and measured. An annual ethics report can provide the stakeholders with insight into the formal and factual efforts of the organization, the consequences of its actions and the specific hurdles faced by these corporations in implementing their business agenda. Nonetheless, because of the huge tasks which corporations put up with, the internal delegation of responsibilities, the increasing sophistication of business operations, and authority; the vulnerability to unethical conduct increases as a result. Carroll, Archie B. The Pyramid of Corporate Social responsibility: Towards the Moral Management of Organizational Stakeholders. Business Horizons (July-August). 1991). pp 39-48. Several companies have come up with internal policies relating to the moral behavior of workforce since most of these simple and more in depth policies are contained in corporate ethics codes. They are predestined to make out the company's future expectations of employees and to offer direction on executing some of the regular ethical problems that arise in the process of doing business; therefore, it is believed that by putting such a policy in place, it will lead to better ethical consistency in application, avoidance of ethical disasters and awareness. Increasing number of organizations requires staff to attend workshops and seminars regarding business activities that frequently include the company's legal requirements, specific case studies, and policies (Carroll 43). Some companies require their staffs to sign agreements indicating that they will stand by the company's rules of conduct. Some companies believe that corporate ethics codes are primarily entrenched in useful concerns, and are primarily to limit the company's legal burden. The company will keep away from a lawsuit because its workers will follow the rules; nonetheless, should it happen, the company can as sert that the crisis would not have arisen if the staff had followed the corporate codes of ethics accurately. Corporate codes of Ethics are essential not only in business environment but also in all areas of life because it forms an important part of the basis on which cultured society is founded. A society or business that lacks moral principles is bound to fail. Porter, Michael and Mark, Kramer. â€Å"Creation Shared Value: How to Reinvent Capitalism and Unleash a Wave of innovation and Growth†

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Trifles by Susan Glaspell - Research Paper Example In this paper an effort has been made to elaborate how Mrs. Peters breaks away from traditional gender roles for women of her era to take on her husband’s role as sheriff, but, in this process, seems to abandon being â€Å"married to the law† and is ultimately â€Å"loyal to her sex.† The narrowed down topic, for the purpose of this paper, is ‘crime solving.’ Does Mrs. Peters know about the evidence-based approach to investigations in crimes? Crime investigation and evidence acceptable to the law are alternative beats of the same heart. Her priority seems to narrow down on the possible perpetrator of the crime, and to achieve her purpose she is inclined to sidetrack the legal angle to start with. The asset of the woman is her sixth sense is invariably sharper as compared to men and she is in a position to guess what is swept under the carpet, in this case, by the murderer. Just as a lie repeated a thousand times from a platform takes on the garb of truth, when women are often told that they are inferior to men, their thinking capabilities are no match to that of men, they actually believe it. The line of action taken by the legal luminaries and by Mrs. Peters for investigation of the crime is different and it is in tune with their thinking. The thinking of the former is conditioned by legal requirements and as for Mrs. Peters she just wants to know the truth and she too seeks evidences that the official investigators would dismiss as trifles. Both are systematic in their approach of investigation but the domain of investigation of each one of them and their perspectives vary. The legal luminaries think that the interference of women led by Mrs. Peters in the investigation is unnecessary and not worthwhile. From the point of view of the Sheriff, kitchen is the least important place but for Mrs. Peters it is the most important place. The gender perspective of the author is clearly evident

Portfolio essay for Theories of Human rights class

Portfolio for Theories of Human rights class - Essay Example The UN’s first peacekeeping mission was in Darfur which was delayed as result of the disapproval from the government of Sudan but the UN has successfully implemented two resolutions in 1970 and 1973 with the backing of the state leaders and the international community with a favourable attitude towards resolutions to maintain peace. All the possible means to protect the civilians are used in the case of Libya and it is also true that the present Libyan resolutions authorise the use of force more explicitly and therefore it stands apart from other recent interventions with an objective to protect the people. The UN Intervention in Libya could be observed as a consolidation of norms for the protection of people dependant on the recommendations of the Security Council to the International Criminal Court regarding the situations in Libya. It was in the case of Darfur that the Security Council made a recommendation to the ICC inquest on a matter for the first time but the recommend ation has been made two years since the beginning of the crisis. But all the members of the Council were quick and united in referring the Libyan matter to the ICC.

RocketBoom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RocketBoom - Essay Example Rocketboom has an organizational structure that differs from the traditional television programs that feature the unidirectional structure. It targets international audience by engaging them in discussions and in various formats and platforms (VCTV 2007). The Rocketboom video covers the top and new stories with a bias on international arts and weblog drama. It presents the videos online and also distributes them via RSS. The firm’s content can also be accessed via its website, iTunes and subscription through emails. The availability of its content online gives it a larger audience than the television companies. Unlike traditional televisions that spend heavily in production, it uses simple facilities to compose its content (DeVilla 2006). Failure to understand the concepts of IT and business would have deprived it the opportunity to thrive in the hostile market. As discussed above, most traditional television companies fail to register growth because of their limited knowledge or lack of using IT exhaustively. Lack of business skills would have seen the company collapse at an early age because of poor

Trifles by Susan Glaspell Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Trifles by Susan Glaspell - Research Paper Example In this paper an effort has been made to elaborate how Mrs. Peters breaks away from traditional gender roles for women of her era to take on her husband’s role as sheriff, but, in this process, seems to abandon being â€Å"married to the law† and is ultimately â€Å"loyal to her sex.† The narrowed down topic, for the purpose of this paper, is ‘crime solving.’ Does Mrs. Peters know about the evidence-based approach to investigations in crimes? Crime investigation and evidence acceptable to the law are alternative beats of the same heart. Her priority seems to narrow down on the possible perpetrator of the crime, and to achieve her purpose she is inclined to sidetrack the legal angle to start with. The asset of the woman is her sixth sense is invariably sharper as compared to men and she is in a position to guess what is swept under the carpet, in this case, by the murderer. Just as a lie repeated a thousand times from a platform takes on the garb of truth, when women are often told that they are inferior to men, their thinking capabilities are no match to that of men, they actually believe it. The line of action taken by the legal luminaries and by Mrs. Peters for investigation of the crime is different and it is in tune with their thinking. The thinking of the former is conditioned by legal requirements and as for Mrs. Peters she just wants to know the truth and she too seeks evidences that the official investigators would dismiss as trifles. Both are systematic in their approach of investigation but the domain of investigation of each one of them and their perspectives vary. The legal luminaries think that the interference of women led by Mrs. Peters in the investigation is unnecessary and not worthwhile. From the point of view of the Sheriff, kitchen is the least important place but for Mrs. Peters it is the most important place. The gender perspective of the author is clearly evident

RocketBoom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

RocketBoom - Essay Example Rocketboom has an organizational structure that differs from the traditional television programs that feature the unidirectional structure. It targets international audience by engaging them in discussions and in various formats and platforms (VCTV 2007). The Rocketboom video covers the top and new stories with a bias on international arts and weblog drama. It presents the videos online and also distributes them via RSS. The firm’s content can also be accessed via its website, iTunes and subscription through emails. The availability of its content online gives it a larger audience than the television companies. Unlike traditional televisions that spend heavily in production, it uses simple facilities to compose its content (DeVilla 2006). Failure to understand the concepts of IT and business would have deprived it the opportunity to thrive in the hostile market. As discussed above, most traditional television companies fail to register growth because of their limited knowledge or lack of using IT exhaustively. Lack of business skills would have seen the company collapse at an early age because of poor

Freas and Geeks Media techniques Essay Example for Free

Freas and Geeks Media techniques Essay How Media Techniques Create Stereotypes in Freaks and Geeks Take a look again at high school stereotypes through the short lived television series from the late 90’s, Freaks and Geeks. Based on the pilot episode of Freaks and Geeks, media techniques are used effectively to depict the different stereotypes in high school. The camera shots movements are used adequately to show the power of the bullies and the weakness of the victims. For example, when Sam Weir is approached by Alan (the bully), at lunch, the camera is pointed upwards towards Alan’s face to make him seem bigger and scarier while the camera would be pointed down on Sam’s face making him seem smaller and inferior to Alan (Kasdan 1999). This example shows effective use of media techniques by using camera shots because the audience can easily depict the two different stereotypes, the bully and the geek. Another way that media techniques are used effectively is through the use of setting. For instance, the â€Å"freaks† of the show are shown hanging around the patio which is a dirty and worn down area separated from the field and other students (Kasdan 1999). This is a clear way for the audience to see the difference from the regular students and the â€Å"freaks† therefore making this media technique effective. These two techniques show how Freaks and Geeks uses media techniques effectively to illustrate the stereotypes one might see in high school. Using media techniques such as camera shots and setting effectively is a task that Freaks and Geeks has accomplished to portray different high school stereotypes. Works Cited â€Å"Pilot.† Freaks and Geeks: The Complete Series. Writ. Paul Feig. Dir. Jake Kasdan. DreamWorks, 1999. DVD.

Health Related Physical Fitness Physical Education Essay

Health Related Physical Fitness Physical Education Essay Physical fitness is the ability to carry out daily tasks with vigor and alertness without undue fatigue and ample energy to enjoy leisure time pursuits and meet unforeseen emergencies. (Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sport)  ¿Ã‚ ½Physical fitness is the ability of the heart, blood vessels, lungs and muscles to perform at optimal efficiency. ¿Ã‚ ½ (Bud Getchell, PhD)  ¿Ã‚ ½Physical fitness is the ability to perform moderate to vigorous levels of physical activity without undue fatigue and the capability of maintaining such ability throughout life. ¿Ã‚ ½ (American College of Sport Medicine)  ¿Ã‚ ½Physical fitness is a set of attributes that people have or achieve that relates to the ability to perform physical activity. ¿Ã‚ ½ (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Definitions with vague, subjective wordings and definitions made up of terms that also need defining led to confusion and lack of ability for objective measurement of physical fitness. There are other numerous definitions of physical fitness which are vague and subjective as pointed by the below statement;  ¿Ã‚ ½Physical fitness is one of the most poor defined and most frequently misused terms in the English Language. ¿Ã‚ ½ (Brian Sharkey, PhD, professor emeritus of Montana State University) To enable objective measurement of physical fitness, it is divided into two components; health-related components of physical fitness and athletic ability components of physical fitness. The later components are related to performance or skill. Figure X: Components of physical fitness (ACSM, 2008). From the public health perspective, health related physical fitness are more important than those related to athletic ability or are skill-related or performance related components. The assessment of health related physical fitness is commonly done by fitness professionals, however, despite the recognized importance of health related physical fitness, it is not commonly assessed by clinicians(ACSM, 2008). As illustrated in figure X below, all health-related components of physical fitness contribute equally and in balance to the whole construct of health related physical fitness. Figure X: A balance between all five components to the construct of health related physical fitness (ACSM, 2008). a. Cardiorespiratory fitness Cardiorespiratory fitness is related to the ability of a person to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate to high intensity exercise for prolong periods and can be assessed by various techniques. Cardiorespiratory fitness of a person reflects the functional capability of the heart, blood vessels, blood, lungs and relevant muscles during various types of exercise demands. It is related to the ability to perform large muscle, dynamic, moderate-to-high intensity exercise for prolonged periods. There are many methods available to measure or predict cardiorespiratory fitness. Those methods fall into three general types of assessment which are; i. Field test. These tests generally demand maximal effort for the best score. For this type of test, the subjects have to perform a timed completion of a certain distance, complete a measured distance, or perform for a set time to predict cardiorespiratory fitness. Examples of field tests modes include walk, walk-run, cycle, swim and others. ii. Submaximal exertion test. This type of test require using either step test or a single-stage or a multi-stage submaximal exercise protocol to predict maximal aerobic capacity or cardiorespiratory fitness from submaximal measures of efficiency of certain measured variables (usually heart rate response). Some modes of submaximal exertion tests include steps, treadmill, cycle and others. Many of these tests required to be performed in a laboratory setting. iii. Maximal exertion test Maximal exertion test use a graded or progressive exercise test to measure an individual ¿Ã‚ ½s volitional fatigue or exhaustion which involves a measure of cardiorespiratory fitness rather than prediction and is likely performed in a laboratory setting. Maximal exertion test along with collection of expired gases is considered as a true measurement of cardiorespiratory fitness however it is desirable in many setting. Decision of which test to be use depends on; * Time demands * Expenses or costs * Personnel needed (qualification) * Equipment or facilities needed * Physician supervision needed * Population tested (safety concern) * Need for accuracy of data b. Flexibility Flexibility in health related physical fitness is defined as the ability of a person to move a joint through its complete range of movement. Flexibility is not joint specific as it is dependent upon which muscle and joint being evaluated. Other factors effecting flexibility includes distensibility of the joint capsule, adequate warm up, muscle viscocity and compliance of ligaments and tendons. Flexibility assessment is necessary because of the recognized association between decreased performances of activities of daily living with inadequate flexibility. Development of muscular lower back pain may be contributed by poor lower back hip flexibility. In reality, there ¿Ã‚ ½s no single test that can used to truly characterize a person ¿Ã‚ ½s flexibility. The most widely used test for the assessment of flexibility is the sit and reach test. Even though it does not represent the whole body flexibility, it does represent hamstring, hip and lower back flexibility. c. Muscular strength Muscular strength in health related physical fitness refers to the maximal force that can be generated by a specific muscle or muscle group. d. Muscular endurance Muscular endurance refers to the ability of a muscle group to execute repeated contractions over a period of time sufficient to cause muscular fatigue, or to maintain a specific percentage of the maximum voluntary contraction for a prolong period of time. CENCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Cardiovascular diseases risk (National Vascular Disease Prevention Alliance, 2009); 1. Modifiable risk a. Lifestyle related i. Nutrition ii. Physical activity level iii. Smoking status iv. Alcohol intake b. Metabolic risk i. Blood pressure ii. Waist circumference and body mass index iii. Serum lipid iv. Blood sugar 2. Non modifiable risk a. Age b. Sex c. Family history of premature CVD d. Social history (cultural identity, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, mental health) Physical Fitness a. Health related physical fitness a. Cardiovascular endurance b. muscle endurance c. muscle strength d. flexibility JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY OBJECTIVES 1. General objectives To compare the effect of light resistance training using light dumbbells and ankle-wrist weights on body composition, metabolic risk and health related physical fitness level. 2. Specific objectives i. To determine and compare the effect of light resistance training between using dumbbells and using ankle-wrist weights in term of changes in body composition; a. Body mass index b. Waist circumference c. Waist to hip ratio d. Percentage in body fat e. Fat free mass ii. To determine and compare the effect of light resistance training between using dumbbells and using ankle-wrist weights in term of metabolic risks; a. Blood pressure b. Lipids i. Total cholesterol ii. LDL-C iii. HDL-C iv. Non-HDL v. Total cholesterol/HDL-C ratio vi. TG c. Fasting blood sugar iii. To determine and compare the effect of light resistance training between using dumbbells and using ankle-wrist weights in term of other components of health related physical fitness; a. Cardiorespiratory fitness b. Flexibility c. Muscular endurance d. Muscular strength 3. Research questions Does light resistance training using dumbbells have a similar significant beneficial effects compared to light resistance training using ankle-wrist weights. 4. Study hypothesis Both types of light resistance training; using dumbbells or using ankle-wrist weights does have beneficial effects in term of improvement in body composition, reducing metabolic risk and improving health related physical fitness level. METHODOLOGY Tumpat is a district (jajahan) in Kelantan, situated at the East Coast of peninsular Malaysia. The town of Tumpat is approximately 15km from the state capital, Kota Bharu. Tumpat district has an area of 169.5 square kilometres is one of the smallest district in Kelantan (Tumpat District Council, 2012). Total population of Tumpat district in 2010 was 143,793 with the majority being the Malays (130,922 or 91.0%). Other ethnic groups include Chinese (6,227 or 4.8%), Siamese (4,784 or 3.7%) and Indians (121 or less than 1.0%). Tumpat district is divided into seven subdistrict (mukim) which is Jal Besar, Kebakat, Pengkalan Kubor, Sungai Pinang, Terbok, Tumpat and Wakaf Bharu (Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010b, Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2010a). 1. Study design This is a single-centred, randomized parallel group trial. 2. Reference population The inference population for this study were Malaysian adults 3. Target population The target population were Malaysian overweight and obese adults 4. Source population The source population for this study were all adults living in Tumpat Districts. 5. Sampling frame Overweight and obese adults living in Tumpat District were recruited for this study. 6. Subjects i. Inclusion criteria a. Aged equal or more than 18 years old at the time of recruitment. b. Body mass index of equal or more than 23 kg/m2. ii. Exclusion criteria a. Pregnancy b. On any weight management treatment/program i. Taking any medication which the primary intention is to reduce weight ii. Taking any traditional medication which the primary intention os to reduce weight iii. On any dietary modification for weight management c. Existing joint pain which restrict physical movement d. Existing cardiac condition which restricted physical activity i.e.: a person with NYHA Functional capacity class II, III and IV (American Heart Association, 2011) 7. Sample Size determination Number of subjects required for this study were calculated using sample size calculation for test of means with repeated measures in STATA software (StataCorp., 2011). With power of study (1-?) set at 80% and ? set at 0.05, summary of sample size calculated were as table X below; Table X: summary of sample size calculation variable 8. Sampling techniques All eligible and consented subjects were included in this study. 9. Randomization techniques Subjects were randomized into 2 treatment groups; light resistance training using dumbbell and light resistance training using ankle-wrist weights using RandomAllocation Software version 1.0 (Saghaei, 2004). 10. Blinding No blinding methods were applied in this study. Both participants and observer know group allocation. 11. Study time and duration This study was conducted for 6 months beginning from March 2012 until August 2012. 12. Methods * Both groups will receive health education of promotion of healthy lifestyle which includes promotion of healthy diet, encouraging physical activity and benefits of not smoking. * Resistance training: i. Dumbbell exercise. In this group, participants performed dumbbell exercise with a pair of light weight (1kg) soft dumbbells for at least 15 minutes per day, three non consecutive days per week using dumbbell exercise method invented by Professor Suzuki Masashige, Bull Inst. Health Sport Science, University of Tsukuba (Suzuki, 2000). Supervised group exercises were conducted for 3 months and after that, the subjects will be required to do the exercise on their own. Subjects were given a diary to write the date and duration of training they perform. During weekly follow up, adherence to exercise was assessed. Subjects who did not adhere to minimal requirement of training will be excluded from the study. Non adherence was defined as a participant who performs the training less than 80% of required frequency and duration (less than 9 times per month). Figure X below illustrates the resistance training using soft dumbbells with sets of movement as below. This dumbbell exercise consists of 12 steps with 12 repetitions using a pair of soft light weight dumbbell. Step 1: push up motion Step 2: pull down motion Step 3: the leg bends Step 4: Upper body twists left and right movement Step 5: double doors closing movement Step 6: opening and closing movement forward tilt swing Step 7: winding down motion with both hands Step 8: winding down with one hand movement Step 9: pulling down with one hand movement Step 10: hand down the back swing movement Step 11: arms swing down forward movement Step 12: bending arms stretched behind the head movement Figure X: 12 steps of dumbbell exercise using sandbags. ii. Resistance training using ankle and wrist weights. This group of subjects was not given any specific exercise regime. They were given a pair of 0.5 kg ankle and pair of 0.5kg wrist weights and they were instructed to wear them for at least 15 minutes 3 non consecutive days per week during activities of daily living which involves movements of upper and lower limbs such as walking, doing house chores or gardening. Subjects will be given a diary to write the date and duration of training they perform. Adherence to the training was assessed every week. Non adherence was define as a participant who perform the training less than 80% of required frequency and duration (less than 9 times per month) and those who did not meet minimal requirement of the training were excluded from the study. 13. Tools and materials a. Data collection sheet A data collection sheet was used to obtain demography data of the subjects; i. Age ii. Sex iii. Race b. Anthropometry measurements Anthropometric measurement was assessed by a team of trained personnel. Measurements as below were obtained. i. Height Measurement of height was done using a stadiometer. With shoes removed, standing straight up and looking straight ahead, the subject take a deep breath and hold. The height was recorded in centimetres to the nearest 0.5cm (ACSM, 2008). ii. Waist circumference The waist circumference was measured using a non elastic measuring tape with the subject stand straight and relaxed. Measurement was taken 2.5 cm (1 inch) above the umbilicus and below the xiphoid process. The measuring tape was applied tautly but not tightly avoiding compression or pinching of the skin. The smallest circumference at the measurement area was taken as waist circumference, recorded to the nearest 0.5cm (ACSM, 2008). iii. Hip circumference Similarly, hip circumference was measured to the nearest 0.5 cm using a non elastic plastic tape at the largest circumference around the buttocks, above the gluteal fold (posterior extension) (ACSM, 2008) . iv. Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR) As it name indicate, WHR is a comparison between circumferences of the waist to the circumference of the hip and it represents the distribution of body weight and perhaps body fat of an individual; an important predictor of health risks of obesity. The WHR or also known as the abdominal to gluteal ratio (A:G ratio) were expressed as a ratio hence there are no units. Calculation as below was used to calculate WHR (ACSM, 2008); v. Resting blood pressure Electronic blood pressure monitoring device; Medisana ¿Ã‚ ½ Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor MTD (Medisana AG.) were used to measure resting blood pressure. Subjects are requested to be free of stimulants which include nicotine products, caffeine products, alcohol or other cardiovascular stimulants for at least 30 minutes before the resting measurement. The subjects also did not involve in any strenuous exercise for at least 60 minutes before resting blood pressure measurement. For measurement of blood pressure, the subjects were asked to sit comfortably on a chair with back well supported, feet flat, leg uncrossed and relaxed. The right arm which was used for blood pressure measurement in this study was free from any clothing, rested on a table and slightly flexed at the elbow. An appropriate size cuff (a normal adult cuff for those with arm sizes between 24 and 32 cm, and a large adult cuff for those with arm sizes between 32 and 42 cm) was used. The BP cuff with bladder width be tween 40 to 50% of arm circumference and the length of bladder encircled at least 80% of the subject ¿Ã‚ ½s arm circumference was applied tightly at the level of subject ¿Ã‚ ½s heart. Second resting blood pressure measurement was done at least one full minute after the first measurement and if the first and second measurement differ by more than 5 mmHg, third measurement was taken after one full minute (ACSM, 2008). vi. Resting heart rate Resting heart rate measurement was taken together with resting blood pressure using similar device used for blood pressure measurement as above. c. Assessment of body composition Body composition was determined using the bioelectrical impedance method; Omron Karada Scan HBF-362 ¿Ã‚ ½ Body Composition Monitor which gives information on; i. Weight ii. Body mass index iii. Total body fat iv. Subcutaneous fat percentage v. Visceral fat level vi. Skeletal muscle percentage vii. Fat free mass were calculated by extracting total body fat from the body weight. Calculations as below were used. Bioelectric impedance analysis is based on the principle that the resistance to an applied electric current is inversely related to the amount of fat-free mass within the body. This method does not take into account the location of body fat. This method of body composition analysis is very simple and quick to perform. The impedance measure is affected by body hydration status, body temperature, time of day, and therefore requires well controlled conditions to get accurate and reliable measurements. If a person is dehydrated, the amount of fat will likely be overestimated. Bioelectrical impedance measures the resistance of body tissues to the flow of a small, harmless electrical signal. The proportion of body fat can be calculated as the current flows more easily through the parts of the body that are composed mostly of water (such as blood, urine muscle) than it does through bone, fat or air. It is possible to predict how much body fat a person has by combining the bioelectric impen dence measure with other factors such as height, weight, gender, fitness level and age. To ensure validity of the BIA measurement, several measures was taken to ensure that the subjects has normal hydration level. * No eating or drinking within 4 hours of the test. * No exercise within 12 hours of the test * Urinate completely within 30 minutes prior to test Omron Karada Scan HBF-362 ¿Ã‚ ½ Body Composition Monitor was used for this test. Researcher inputs the subject ¿Ã‚ ½s age, gender and height and then the subject which wear light clothing steps onto the platform barefoot and holding the hand electrodes at 90 degrees. Electrodes in the foot and hand sensor pads send a low, safe signal through the body. Weight, body mass index, total body fat percentage, subcutaneous fat percentage, visceral fat level, and skeletal muscle percentage is calculated automatically in less than a minute. d. Health related physical fitness The remaining components of health related physical fitness level besides body composition were then assessed in all participants. Before starting these assessment, subjects were explained regarding the tests procedures and demonstration were done by researchers to ensure subjects clearly understand and able to perform the tests with correct techniques. i. Cardiorespiratory fitness Assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness to predict aerobic capacity of participants were done using Kasch Step test or also known as YMCA 3-Minutes Step test which relies on having the subject step up and down on a 30.48 cm (12 inch) step box. Before commencing test to the participants, the techniques were explained to the participants and demonstration of the alternating stepping cadence was done. A metronome was set at cadence of 96 beat per minute which gives a stepping rate of 24 steps per minute (4 clicks = one step cycle). With the first beat, one foot is stepped up on the bench, stepped up with the second foot on the second beat, stepped down with one foot on the 3rd beat, and stepped down with the other foot on the fourth beat. The subjects were also allowed to practice the stepping to the metronome cadence. After the three minutes are up, the subjects stop and palpate the pulse at the radial site while standing within the first 5 seconds. A 60 seconds pulse count is taken as the test score (toptrendsports.com, 2012, ACSM, 2008). ii. Muscular endurance To assess muscle endurance of the subjects, two test was administered; the push-up test and the curl-up test. Push-up test: The test was administered with the male subjects starting in the standard  ¿Ã‚ ½down ¿Ã‚ ½ position (hand pointing forward and under the shoulder, back straight, head up, using the toes as the pivotal point) and the female subjects in the modified  ¿Ã‚ ½knee push-up ¿Ã‚ ½ position (legs together, lower leg in contact with mat with ankles plantar flexed, back straight, hands shoulder width apart, head up, using knees as the pivotal point). The subjects then raise the body by straightening the elbows (up position) and then return to the  ¿Ã‚ ½down ¿Ã‚ ½ position until the chin touches the mat. The stomach is maintained elevated and not touching the mat. The subjects position is ensure to be straight at all times and the subjects must push up to a straight arm position. the test was stopped when the subjects strains forcibly or is unable to maintain the appropriate technique within two repetition. The maximal number of push-ups performed consecutively without r est was counted as the score (ACSM, 2008). Figure X: Push-ups performed by male subjects. Figure X: Push-ups performed by female subjects. One minute sit-up test (Crunch test): With the shoes remained on, the test was performed with the subjects assume a supine position on a mat, the knees at 90 degrees and the hands held across the chest. The trunk was then elevated to 30 degrees, lifting the shoulder blades off the mat; hands placed on the thighs and then subjects then do a slow, controlled curl-up until the hands reach the knee caps. The subjects were required to do as many curl-ups as possible in one minute and the number of curl-ups performed without pausing were recorded as the score (ACSM, 2008). iii. Muscular strength Handgrip test using a Lafayette ¿Ã‚ ½ 100kg Handgrip Dynamometer model LA-78010 was conducted to determine muscular strength of the subjects. The test was performed with the subject standing and using the dominant hand only. The grip bar of the dynamometer was adjusted for each subject, ensuring that the grip bar fit comfortably within the subject ¿Ã‚ ½s hand and the second joint of the finger fit under the handle of the handgrip dynamometer. Before starting test, the handgrip dynamometer is set to zero. The subject holds the handgrip dynamometer parallel to the side of the body at about waist level with the forearm levelled with the thigh and the arm is slightly flexed. The subject then squeezes the handgrip dynamometer as hard as possible without holding their breath (Valsalva maneuver) and the results was recorded in kilograms. For each subject, the test was repeated two more times and the highest reading was taken as the measure of handgrip strength (ACSM, 2008). Figure X: Use of hand-grip dynamometer to test iv. Flexibility For assessment of flexibility, the Sit and Reach test (Trunk Flexion) using a sit-and-reach box was administered. Before starting the test, subjects were offered the opportunity to do some stretching exercises and light to moderate aerobic exercise for 5- 10 minutes to warm up their muscles. Subjects were allowed to take a few practice tries before the actual measurement and if the subject has any back problem or the test bothers them, the subject was excluded for the assessment. To assist with the best attempt, the subjects were advised to exhale and drop the head between the arms when reaching. The knees of the participants were kept extended (but not pressed down). Subjects were also advised to breathe normally and that they should not hold their breath during the test. The subject sits without shoes and the sole soles of the feet flat against the sit-and-reach box at the 26cm mark. Inner edges of the soles were placed within 2cm of the measuring scale. With hands kept parallel, the participant then slowly reaches forward with both hands as far as possible and the fingertips were in contact with the measuring portion of the sit-and-reach box. This position was hold for approximately 2 seconds. The test were repeated three times and the score taken was the most distant point (in nearest cm) reached with the fingertips (ACSM, 2008). Figure X: Sit and reach test using a sit-and-reach box. e. Biochemical analysis Five millilitres of blood from antecubital vein was taken from each subject after at least 12 hours overnight fasting for biochemical analysis of metabolic abnormalities. The blood was collected in two tubes, the first tube was plain tube without anticoagulant and the second tube was with oxalate/fluoride. The samples were send to a private independent laboratory (BP laboratory) for biochemical analysis below; a. Fasting blood sugar b. Fasting lipid profiles 14. Data collection * At baseline, all participants were given advice on healthy lifestyle: promotion of healthy diet and physical activity. * The study participants then completed questionnaires and assessments for; a. Sociodemography. b. Measurement of anthropometry. c. Body composition measurement. d. Health related components of physical fitness assessment. e. Biochemical analysis for blood sugar and lipid profiles. * The study participants were then randomized into two equal size groups. The first group undergo light resistance training using dumbbells and the second group undergo light resistance training using ankle-wrist weights for at least 15 minutes, three times per week. Group training was conducted for the first 3rd months in the dumbbell group with weekly adherence monitoring for both groups. * At the end of first sixth and 12th week, patient were assessed for; a. Anthropometry measurement b. Body composition measurement c. Physical fitness assessment d. Biochemical analysis * After the third months, participants in both groups were required to do the light resistance training on their own and at the end of 6th month, all the above parameters were assessed again to look at the sustainability of the training program and its effects. Statistical analysis Data entry and statistical analysis were done using SPSS software version 18.0 (SPSS Inc.). As the same subjects were observed on multiple occasions (at baseline, 6th, 12th and 24th week), repeated measures analysis of variances were selected as the statistical test. As data were obtained repeatedly from the same subjects, RM ANOVA enables us to obtain information regarding individual ¿Ã‚ ½s patterns of change, were more economical as fewer subjects were required and enable us to reduce error of variance. Carry-over effects and latency effect were not involved in this study as there ¿Ã‚ ½s no cross-over of intervention in the study design. However, learning effect might be involved in this study especially in assessing health-related components of physical fitness as the subjects might improve with repetition of the assessment. For all objectives, all the three different designs used in repeated measures were assessed in this study; * Within group factors with regard to time (time effect) o 6th week compared to baseline o 12th week compared to baseline o 24th week compared to baseline o 12th week compared to 6th week o 24th wee compared to 6th week o 24th week compared to 12th week * Between group factors regardless of time (treatment effect) o Ankle-wrist weight group compared to dumbbell group * Within-between group factors with regard to time (Time-treatment interaction). o Ankle-wrist weight group compared to dumbbell group at baseline o Ankle-wrist weight group compared to dumbbell group at 6th week o Ankle-wrist weight group compared to dumbbell group at 12th week o Ankle-wrist weight group compared to dumbbell group at 24th week All the four steps involved in RM ANOVA were executed as below; i. Data exploration and cleaning ii. Fit the RM ANOVA model iii. Checking assumption of; a. Normality of residuals b. Homogeneity of variance c. Assumption of compound symmetry iv. Interpretation, presentation and conclusion Step 1: Data exploration and cleaning Descriptive statistics for all the variables were obtained with data exploration. Any missing values and error in data entry were assessed before analysis with data cleaning. Subjects with missing data were excluded from analysis. For numerical variables, descriptive statistics using syntax below were used to central point of numerical data, dispersion and graphical visualization of data normality (histogram with normality plot). FREQUENCIES VARIABLES= VariableName /FORMAT=NOTABLE /NTILES=4 /STATISTICS=MEAN STDDEV MEDIAN /HISTOGRAM NORMAL /ORDER=ANALYSIS. For categorical variables, syntax below was used to obtain frequency and percentage of those variables. FREQUENCIES VARIABLES= VariableName /PIECHART PERCENT /BARCHART FREQ /ORDER=ANALYSIS. Step 2: Fit the repeated measure ANOVA model Repeated measures ANOVA were executed using syntax below; GLM Var_baseline Var_sixwk Var_twelvewk Var_twentyfourwk BY Intervention /WSFACTOR=time 4 Polynomial /METHOD=SSTYPE(4) /POSTHOC=Intervention(BONFERRONI) /PLOT=PROFILE(time*intervention) /EMMEANS=TABLES(OVERALL) /EMMEANS=TABLES(intervention)

commercial art :: essays papers

commercial art The contemporary commercial art and design of today has no doubt been created through the heavy influences of 20th century art. Most corporations who advertise on a large scale look back to the most influential art of the past century when creating their ads. It's almost impossible to walk the city streets without being bombarded by billboards with crafty designs and catchy phrases. With a little research though, it's fairly easy to find that the basis of this commercial art can be found in the art of the last one hundred years. Cartoons come first to mind when thinking about the different ways 20th century art have impacted modern day art and design. Long before I saw the original "American Gothic" by Grant Wood, I laughed at a portrait of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck standing together in front of a farm house with pitch fork in hand. Most cartoons seem to have an underlying humor meant to be understood by even the most articulate and intellectual adult, while at the same time being simplistic enough to entertain a small child. Cartoonists successfully accomplish this by being well read and educated in myth, history and art. Advertising agencies must be just as well educated in order to create influential advertisements that will impact consumers. "De Stijl" created by Peit Mondrian has without a doubt been one of the most popular designs incorporated into today's commercial art. On almost every bottled hair care product from Loreal is a composed set of lines complete with red, yellow and blue squares, expressing striking similarities to "De Stijl." Tommy Hilfiger uses clean lines and the three primary colors in all of his advertisements as well as on his signature label which also mimic the style of Peit Mondrian. While visiting a museum and studying a Mondrian, most of the general public repeatedly remarks to how his paintings look as if "anyone could do them." However, using the same artistic logic and redesigning his work on a bottle of hairspray or a t-shirt, the public becomes awe-stricken and then rushes out in a mad fury to purchase this stylish product which is actually based on the same s tyle of art which if hung in a museum looks to them like something "anyone could make." Advertisers look also to the photography of the past century when designing ads for magazines.

F. Scott Fitzgeralds Short Story, Winter Dreams Essay -- F. Scott Fit

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Short Story, â€Å"Winter Dreams† In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s short story, â€Å"Winter Dreams,† ambitious, â€Å"desirous† Dexter stands at the threshold between admiring â€Å"glittering things† and finding out that the â€Å"glittering things† he admires fade away sooner or later. Dexter‘s character throughout this short story, changes in many ways, from being unaware of what he really wanted in life to being aware of what he actually became.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dexter in the story started off as a very young boy who worked as a caddy at a golf course. There he met Miss Jones for the very first time. Judy Jones was a beautiful, young woman who came from a glittery family, but was also very cunning with her â€Å"preposterous smile† . Dexter was very â€Å"neurasthenic† when it came to being with Miss Jones. In the beginning Dexter would be very shy but would always want to talk to her. She was the â€Å"no end of misery to a great number of men.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As time elapses in the story, Dexter becomes an independent man but still thinks of Judy. He becomes much older and begins running laundry businesses. He became a man that people would call â€Å"Now there’s a boy.† Even though the people who knew him would say that about him, he still didn’t feel that â€Å"tremendous superiority.† He felt â€Å"mundane† as if he really had not achieved anything. What Dexter felt was â€Å"sinuous†. What he needed was a companion with whom he can listen to â€Å"Chin-Chin and The Count of Luxemburg and the Chocolate Soldier,† and he thought it ...