HR data collection Essay

HR data collection makes company able to measure against it supporting workforce planning, monitoring progress and development, developing initiatives for generic cases. It identifies and analyses information to aid the organization in making ultimate decisions both beneficial to the organization and its employees. Two reasons considered closely. Through HR data collection an organisation can: 1) comply with legislative and regulatory requirements regarding equal opportunities, equal pay audits, recruitment, assessing skills balance, absence recording. 2) monitor training and performance for employees, assessing each individual employee for productivity and identifying training needs. That means assessing the productivity within the business. Being well informed about the workforce is the key to aim the ultimate goal of the organization. Data collection enables management team to make informed decisions about future activity. Two types of data collected and their support: 1) Attendances is useful to monitor and gauge daily working hours and monitor absences. That enables HR to manage regular absentees successful and deal with any issues the employee might have. 2) Organisational records which includes: staff turnover, absenteeism, recruitment documentation, learning and development. HR department can monitor staff level making decision about a further recruitment process. It is also essential collecting and updating employee records such as home addresses and people to contact in time of emergency. These information are helpful where the employee not to come to work without notice. Records can be stored: 1) Electronically through computerised system. In this way organization can keep information up to date easily and any information can be sent and received rapidly. It also reduce company costs and the amount of data can be stored with no taking up much office space and they can be sorted, found, moved and protected easily. 2) Manually in paper format. In this case the risk of corrupted data is less and information are accessible in any time considering occurrences of power cuts or electronic system crashes. Moreover problems with duplicates of the same record are usually avoided. Two items of UK legislation relating to recording and storing HR data: 1) Data Protection Act, 1998. It concerns all personal records whether held in paper or electronic format. The act contains eight protection principles specifying personal data must be: – Processed fairly and lawfully. – Obtained for specified and lawful purposes. – Adequate, relevant and not excessive. – Accurate and up to date. – Not kept any longer than necessary. – Processed in accordance with the â€Å"data subject’s† (the individual’s) rights. – Securely kept. – Not transferred to any other country outside the EU without adequate protection in situ. 2) Freedom of Information Act, 2000. It allows people to ask any public body for information on both any subject an organization has and themselves too. So that the act encourages organization to be transparent and, unless a valid reason, the organization must provide requested information within 20 working days. Through this act people can access to informations needed and ensure they are not exploited or used inappropriately.

Compare Candide and Tartuffe

In  Tartuffe, Moliere's use's plot to defend and oppose characters that symbolize and ridicule habitual behavior's that was imposed during the neo-classical time period. His work, known as a comedy of manners, consists of flat characters, with few and similar traits and that always restore some kind of peace in the end. He down plays society as a whole by creating a microseism, where everyone in the family has to be obedient, respectful, and mindful of the head of the home, which is played by the father Orgon. Mariane shows her obedience when she replies â€Å"To please you, sir, is what delights me best. (Moliere 324,11) Shortly afterwards, Orgon commands Mariane to take Tartuffe as her husband even though she is not interested in him at all. Orgon's command shows how men are dominate and have control over social order. Mariane's strong obedience to her father (Orgon) supports the Neo-Classical element that the individual is not as important as society. Moliere discusses logic an d reasoning by blindfolding Orgon to the reality of Tartuffe's intentions that causes him to make dumb decisions. In the process, Orgon disregard's his family when told of Tartuffe's intentions.After Tartuffe cons Orgon into believing that Damis's accusation is false Orgon replies, â€Å"I know your motives, I now you wish him ill:/Yes, all of you – wife, children, servants, all – /Conspire against him and desire his fall. † (Moliere 341-342,46-48) Orgon then excommunicates his own son, indicating that his reasoning is deferred due to his ignorance. This in due course challenges the Neo-Classical belief that logic and reasoning is more important than emotion because Orgon acts solely on his emotions. He feels as if his family has turned against his friend so he operates upon his feelings.When Damis returns home and Tartuffe (instead of Orgon) gets locked up, order is restored. At the end, the family commends the officer for apprehending the true criminal by sayi ng, â€Å"Heaven be praised! / We're safe. / I can't believe the danger's past. † (Moliere 361, 84-87) This is when Moliere demonstrated the common saying that â€Å"what happens in the dark will eventually come to the light, therefore allowing confusion to re-establish its order. Moliere developed a series of flat characters, which satirized the Neo-Classic belief system.In  Candide, Voltaire's approach is called black comedy. Many devastating factor's play into the character's lives that causes the reader to be amused in a cynical way in order to guard their inner feelings. He challenges society as a whole by the way he implements real life occurrences into his writing and makes them come alive. This becomes evident when Dr. Pangloss told Candide what came of Cunegonde at the castle of Westphalia after he left. Pangloss described her as being â€Å"disemboweled by the Bulgar soldiers, after having been raped to the absolute limit of human endurance. (Voltaire 524) This causes the imagination to display a vivid picture of the severity of the situation. Furthermore he challenges order by illustrating the human condition. Candide's confusion causes him to ask, â€Å"have they always been liars, traitors, ingrates, thieves, weaklings, sneaks, cowards, backbiters, gluttons, drunkards, misers, climbers, killer's, calumniators, sensualists, fanatics, hypocrites, and fools? † (Voltaire 557) There is an ongoing war between people, and all the while Candide and the others are attempting to maintain. Dr. Pangloss represents the optimism that Voltaire challenges.Pangloss show this by saying, â€Å"it was love; love, the consolation of the human race, the preservative of the universe, the soul of all sensitive beings, love, gentle love. † (Voltaire 525) He challenges, † optimism by his representation of Dr. Pangloss. Dr. Pangloss's blind optimistic approach allows him to forget about the fighting that is occurring amongst people and he only sees love. Satirical approaches to writing were used to change the captivated way of thinking during the late 17th and 18th centuries. The Neo-Classic time period contributed in the expansion of people's view of life.The Enlightenment period writers focused on reason, knowledge, and rationality as major themes. In this era the  Catholic Church  was still an extremely powerful institution operating throughout much of Europe; however reason was beginning to emerge as an alternative to faith and religion. As a result, Enlightenment writers began to look at the world critically and rationally. Much of the important literature of the period was satirical in nature, using humor, irony, and exaggeration to expose and criticize people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other significant issues.Two great Enlightenment writers, Moliere and Voltaire, use satirical approaches in their works that have various similarities and differences. The simi larities between Moliere's Tartuffe and Voltaire's Candide are primarily rooted in common Enlightenment themes. For example, in both stories the writers focus on questioning and criticizing the nature of hierarchies in our society, particularly the members of the aristocratic or upper classes rather than â€Å"common† people. In Tartuffe, Orgon and his family are members of the aristocracy.Orgon owns his estate and clearly has enough  money  to provide for his entire family in addition to Tartuffe and his friend. Similarly, Voltaire's story focuses on Candide, who may be missing a fraction of his aristocratic  family tree, but is still considered upper class. As the story progresses, the reader sees Candide's accruement of money and wealth despite his initial expulsion from his uncle's estate in the first pages of the story. Although both Voltaire and Moliere write about upper class individuals, neither writer focuses on serious psychological characters in their works.I n fact, quite the opposite is true: the characters in both Tartuffe and Candide are relatively one-dimensional. Enlightenment writers commonly used characters that could serve as â€Å"types† that would be easily recognizable and identifiable to their audiences. Enlightenment writers like Moliere and Voltaire also do not look deeply into characters. Because the characters are so one-dimensional and because the focus during the time period was on the social aspect rather than psychological characteristics, audiences don't often see characters alone.Candide is rarely alone throughout his travels, doing whatever he can do acquire a â€Å"side kick† when he lacks company. Describing a character's individual thoughts in moments of isolation would be more geared toward illuminating the differences between characters. For Enlightenment writers, however, the focus was on the similarities between people rather than these differences. Another similarity between the pieces is a v ery little  sense  of nature or the natural world. Tartuffe. In Candide, the main characters trek across the globe, yet the reader is offered very little description of the locations hey visit. For Enlightenment writers, settings are simply background. Instead, the focus is on the conversation between the characters and the social aspect of events or situations. There was simply little interest in things considered to be outside of society. Although there are many similarities between the two writers, there is about a century's difference in the satire between them. Satire changed during this period of time and gained a lot more edge in Voltaire's time than in Moliere's, partially because of the new scrutiny and criticism of people.Voltaire's satire, for example, is a lot more focused and daring. On the other hand, the threshold for social criticism in Moliere's time was relatively low. Moliere's play would have offended the Church so much so that the writer went out of his way to hyperbolize Tartuffe's hypocrisy. The idea that Tartuffe could have been taken as a â€Å"serious† religious figure was problematic for Moliere despite the fact that Tartuffe was not written as a clergyman. Tartuffe's hypocrisy was as obvious as possible so as not to impugn pious members of the church or clergy.While both Moliere and Voltaire are masterful writers, their satirical approaches have various similarities and differences. Both writers utilize humor, irony, and exaggeration to make their social commentaries that were primarily directed towards the aristocracy. Despite all of their similarities, however, a major difference between the two writers is the time period during which they wrote. Moliere was forced to use much more subtle satire as a result of the oppressive Catholic Church. Voltaire, on the other hand, wrote nearly one hundred years later and was far less constrained and therefore able to use a much more brutal form of satire.Nevertheless, both Tartuff e and Candide are excellent representations of Enlightenment thinking and social criticism at the time. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Tartuffe and Candide are two novels that greatly show a general exaltation of emotion over reason and the senses over intellect. These stories are perfect examples of how life in the neoclassical era also dealt with certain situations that we humans face in today’s world as well. Disputing emotion over reason and the senses over intellect can be explained through both worlds; then and today. Tartuffe on page 19, was written by Moliere. Tartuffe’s them was excess vs. moderation.This goes to show that any excess is an off route to a disciplined life of reason and therefore, it is an example of disorder and a potential disruption of society. Tartuffe show’s several aspects of hypocrisy. Hypocrisy means pretending to be virtuous when one is not and it is a violation of order because it poses tw o realities, reality and its pretense, when we know there is really only one. The reason for hypocrisy is their reaction, not their emotion. Several people in this story were guilty of wrongful reasoning, to provoke hypocrisy. Their sense of intellect was misled by their emotions over wrongful reasoning.Tartuffe and Orgon were major victims of hypocrisy. Tartuffe led Orgon to believe he’s a pure and a loyal friend when in fact he was not that. Tartuffe also tried to take of advantage of Orgon’s wife, Elmire. He also used Mariane to get closer to Orgon’s name and possessions, by convincing Orgon to force his daughter Mariane to marry him. Tartuffe is supposedly supposed to be a â€Å"good Christian† by; being out in the open with worship at church services, yet a true Christian wouldn’t do that. But one way Tartuffe is showing good intellect, even if it is used in an unmoral way, is him kneeling to Orgon.When someone kneels before you, Tartuffe was giving all responsibility, reason, power, judgment to Orgon. Tartuffe is giving power to get power, unlike Orgon who frustrates everyone for power. Orgon is somewhat the villain for giving Tartuffe the power. Orgon is also overly in passion in regards to Tartuffe. He is even worse than Madam Pernelle. He no longer cared about what he was supposed to be responsible for. And he replaced genuine responsibility for his family with unneeded concern for Tartuffe. An example of this act is on page 24 scene 4.Orgon showed wrongful reasoning by giving his word to Mariane’s true love Valere. And then took his word back by forcing her to marry Tartuffe. And in doing so he let himself fall for Tartuffe’s trap of ruining his family. In this story Orgon is trying to trade responsibility for control. He is also trying to control his family, which is sad. Orgon thinks he is getting older, losing control and is going through what some would call a mid-life crisis. Mariane also shows aw ful reasoning by letting her dad push her around and agree to her father that she would follow his word to marry Tartuffe when she really didn’t want †¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Moliere’s Tartuffe, Racine’s Phaedra and Voltaire’s Candide are each exemplary literary works of the 18th  century in their own rights. Tartuffe is a satirical comedy, Phaedra an intense tragedy and Candide a thought-provoking travelogue. While each adheres austerely to its genre, various similarities as well as contrasting differences can be traced among the aforementioned works. Written during the Age of Enlightenment, each of these works reflects the ideology of the period and hence, has various similarities. Firstly, each of these works glorifies reason over religion and the theory that man is responsible for his own actions.These timeless masterpieces were revolutionary among contemporaries. Moliere uses comedy to ridicule hypocrites, impostors and fools who ignore moderate commo n sense. He mocked certain religious sects and tried to point attention to the corrupt among them. At the time, such ridicule of those associated with the Church was highly unacceptable and was considered radical. Voltaire too tried to poke fun at members of the upper class and institutionalized religion through the character of Cunegonde’s brother – the young baron. He portrayed him as a homosexual and a man of stringent narrow-minded beliefs.Other ideas and that make this piece revolutionary are the deliberate ridicule of popular beliefs and a scene implying bestiality. Phaedra too was revolutionary because it was the one of the first works that portrayed a story from a feminine point of view. Phaedra is the mythological classic Hippolytus re-written from the perspective of a female protagonist. The first of its sort, Phaedra broke new grounds. Thus each of these works can be considered revolutionary. Another aspect worth comparing is the portrayal of female characte rs in these plays.Each of these classics describes their female characters as attractive, smart, opportunistic and deceptive. In Tartuffe, the lady of the house Elmire seduces Tartuffe in order to bring to light his true nature and save her family’s fortune. Racine describes Phaedra as a woman tempted by incest and possessed by jealousy. In Candide, the female characters – Cunegonde, the maid, Paquette and the Marquise of Parolignac are described as opportunistic, astute and conniving. Thus, the three works have a similar discernment of women. These works also portray a similar complexity of relationships.In Tartuffe, the man of the house – Oregon is portrayed as narrow-minded and gullible. Oregon sticks to his beliefs and there is spell of tension among the family members. He shields himself from common logic and refuses to hear the voice of reason. In Phaedra, Theseus blindly believes the words of another and summons death on to his own son. Candide too has a similar portrayal of family relationships. Cunegonde’s brother refuses permission to allow Candide to marry her because he values the caste system over his sister’s love.Also, Candide who has sworn immortal love for his beloved Cunegonde tries to revoke his steps when he finds she is no more the attractive young girl he fell in love with and she too willingly gives him up to marry a wealthy governor. These works also lack a hero or a model of perfection. In Tartuffe, the central character is a crook, while Oregon is gullible and Elmire crafty and opportunistic. In Phaedra, the central character is seen as weak and immoral, Theseus as disloyal and Hippolytus as proud and vain. In Candide, the protagonist is easily fooled and commits various sins including adultery and murder during his adventures.Thus, each of this pieces lack the traditional hero or a paradigm of virtue to look up to. While these works are similar in many ways, they also have wide range of differences. The most notable difference among the genres is the emotional ambience set throughout the individual works. Tartuffe maintains comical situations through every scene, mostly satirical with a touch of slapstick for relief. While, in polar contrast Phaedra maintains a very serious tone throughout the story with a wave of intense scenes troughed with moderation.Candide however, transcends genres as it moves from tragedy to comedy. Defined as a black comedy, it combines tragedy and comedy to form a new genre. A noteworthy dissimilarity between the three plays is that Moliere and Voltaire use Tartuffe and Phaedra respectively to give vent to their views and opinions on society at the time and its defects. Phaedra however is a take of the Roman classic, Hippolytus from a different perspective. Further, Tartuffe and Candide have a male central character while the story of Phaedra revolves around a female.As mentioned earlier, Phaedra is far more revolutionary in this context compared to t he other two as it tackles a story from a woman’s perspective. Another major point of difference between the genres is the result they achieve. The tragedy of Phaedra evokes the sublime and results in an emotional catharsis for the reader – a purge of feelings. On the other hand, Candide and Tartuffe use the genre of comedy to bring to light the various evils of society. The happy ending gives a reassuring feeling and the scenes of humor are entertainingly amusing.Hence, the different genres bring out different emotions from the reader. The three pieces are also different by means of the message they pose to deliver to the reader. Tartuffe tries to prove right the statement ‘the end justifies the means,’ with Elmire using Tartuffe’s method against him. Phaedra, an intense and dramatic tragedy, depicts how pride destroys the mighty and Candide debunks the theory ‘Everything is for the best in the best of all possible worlds. ’ The most i mportant factor that unifies each of the three genres is that they all aim to entertain. However their method of reaching this common goal varies.Tartuffe uses comedy, Phaedra tragedy and Candide transcends genres and uses a combination of both. Hence, they can be seen as different roads that lead to the same destination. Candide Voltaire's Candide has many themes, though one central, philosophical theme traverses the entire work. This theme is a direct assault on the philosophy of Leibniz, Pope and others. Leibniz held that the world created by God was the best possible world with perfect order and reason. Alexander Pope, similarly, in his Essay on Man, argues that every human being is a part of a greater, rational, grand design of God.Pangloss stresses this viewpoint-that what appears to be evil is actually part of a greater good-when he asserts to Jacques that â€Å"private misfortunes make for public welfare.? /font> Voltaire, on the other hand, found that his own experiences c ontradicted this optimistic determinism. Much like his protagonist, Candide, Voltaire must abandon this belief after realizing the needless suffering that surrounds him. Thus the major theme of the book revolves around this idea that the world is not the best of all possible ones, that it isn't determined by reason and order, and that accident and chance play a major role.Though as a deist, Voltaire believed that God did create the world, he also believed that human injustice and brutality made the world anything but perfect. Furthermore, he believed that the fatalistic philosophy of Pope and others stripped man of his God-given free will. In addition to his anti-philosophy current which runs throughout the work, Voltaire also satirically indicts religion and war. Almost from the first chapter to the last, Voltaire depicts religious men (priests, monks, etc) as hypocrites who don't live up to the religion they profess to believe.Most importantly, Voltaire makes the Church out to be one of the most corrupt, violence-ridden institutions on the planet. This is seen both during the Inquisition scene towards the middle of the book as well as the Jesuit satire seen while Candide and Cacambo are in Paraguay. Based largely on Voltaire's experiences of the Seven Years? War (1756-63), an anti-war message is found throughout the fast-paced narrative of Candide. Voltaire bitingly criticizes both the French (Abares) and the Prussians (Bulgars). Casually describing the thousands of dead soldiers on both sides, Voltaire underscores how wasteful these â€Å"heroes? re of human life, clearly showing his anti-war sentiments. During one such battle, Candide, his protagonist, hides, doing his best to keep away from the needless bloodshed and â€Å"heroic butchery.? After the battle subsides, he escapes through the battlefield, seeing the â€Å"scattered brains and severed limbs? that â€Å"littered the ground.? /font> Thus, Voltaire bashes a multitude of people and institutio ns throughout Candide. Despite his many sources of criticism, however, Voltaire merges all of his satires into one, larger message-that the human world is utterly disutopian.All of the versions of utopia which Voltaire raises up and then slams down in his work demonstrate such a loss of optimism. Pangloss? utopia, for one, which simply changes the conditions of the word to fit it to the world he knows is proven false, since even Pangloss himself eventually stops believing it. Eldorado, a second kind of utopia, also fails to satisfy Candide, who soon becomes bored, yearning for adventure, and, of course, Cunegonde. Only the decision to simply till the land at the conclusion of the book satisfies a quasi-utopian hope of the reader.Yet when Pangloss tries to resurrect the idea that this world is a utopia in the second to last paragraph, Candide himself dismisses the notion. The eighteenth century in Europe,  more famously known as the â€Å"Age of Enlightenment,† was a time of profound literary advances. It was an era that saw the expansion and perfection of the novel and an unprecedented proliferation of socially conscious works. The period produced a veritable slew of classics, two among them clearly being Moliere's  Tartuffe  and Voltaire's  Candide. Although written in different times and in different ormats, both works present humorous stories as vehicles for social commentary. Both tales would be classics for their satire alone, but it is their portrayal of women that is perhaps most interesting. European women in the eighteenth century occupied a precarious position between the ponderous advance of liberalism and the lingering influence of traditional gender roles, and the two works offer broad insights into the lives of such women. Moliere's  Tartuffe  and Voltaire's  Candide  both feature sympathetic and dignified portrayals of strong female characters subordinated or oppressed by eighteenth century society.One such character in Mo liere's  Tartuffe  is Dorine, the lady-maid to Orgon's wife Elmire. In  Tartuffe, Moliere presents Dorine as an intelligent woman with a good understanding of human behavior. Moliere attests to her intelligence early in the story by showing her to be the most perceptive member of the household. Unlike Orgon, who is so dimwitted and foolish that he is completely blind to Tartuffe's chicanery, Dorine is able to â€Å"see right through him,† bluntly declaring him a â€Å"fraud† (Moliere 25).Dorine is also consistently presented as outspoken and opinionated, frequently chastising Orgon's actions, particularly concerning the marriage of Mariane and Tartuffe (Moliere 40-42). Furthermore, although Moliere places Dorine in the relatively low position of a lady-maid, he is always quick to display her innate intelligence, dignity, and perceptiveness. In doing so, Moliere actually depicts Dorine as a walking contradiction; Dorine clearly possesses mental acuity beyond her s tation, but she is still a maid.Her situation illustrates the position of countless proletarian women of the age: competent and intelligent, but mired in inequality and menial labor. As Dorine states in the play, ironically speaking of Madame Pernelle rather than herself, â€Å"She's thus because she can't be otherwise† (Moliere 27). Moliere's commentary on society is exceptionally penetrating here. In making Dorine, a servant (and a female at that), perceptive and intelligent, and the higher class men of the household either hopelessly foolish or ineffectual, he is demonstrating that class and gender mean little in determining one's worth or intellect.Elmire, the dutiful wife of the dullard Orgon, is portrayed in a similar manner despite her different position. In Tartuffe, Moliere depicts the character as a resourceful and intelligent woman much like Dorine. Elmire is clearly shown to be mentally superior to her husband, to the point that she becomes frustrated with her hus band's gullibility concerning Tartuffe, saying bluntly that â€Å"[Orgon's] blindness takes [her] breath away† (Moliere 67). Elmire is also a key figure in Moliere's work.When Orgon refuses to admit that Tartuffe could possibly harbor adulterous intentions, Elmire takes the initiative and persuades her stubborn husband to hide under a table while she manipulates Tartuffe into admitting his nefarious intent (Moliere 68-69). The fact that Elmire is forced to manipulate her husband's decisions rather than make her own, however, is a clear illustration of the subordinate status of women in eighteenth century marriage. For all her cunning, Elmire is still presented as the subordinate figure in the marriage; it is Orgon who controls the finances, home, and daughters of the family.Indeed, Moliere depicts Elmire as a character much like Dorine: strong, sympathetic, yet ultimately subject to the patriarchal society of the eighteenth century. Elmire is restrained by her status as a wif e, Dorine is restrained by her position as a maid, and both are ultimately subordinated by virtue of being female. A similar portrayal of women comes in Voltaire's  Candide, particularly in the character Cunegonde, Candide's love interest and ultimate wife. Voltaire presents Cunegonde as a simple but honest woman with the potent advantages of being â€Å"of noble lineage† and â€Å"rosy-cheeked, fresh, plump, and appetizing† (276).Unlike Moliere, Voltaire does not imbue his female characters with outstanding intelligence; instead, his female characters exhibit a keen understanding of human behavior born from life experience and intuition. Arthur Scherr comments on this in his article â€Å"Voltaire's ‘Candide': a tale of women's equality,† stating that Cunegonde: Unfortunately, Cunegonde eventually undergoes horrific experiences at the hands of several men in  Candide. In her terrible journey, Cunegonde becomes a symbol of the more terrible and overt c rimes perpetrated towards women in the eighteenth century and throughout time.Throughout the course of the novel, Cunegonde suffers rape, mutilation, and multiple kidnappings (Voltaire 286-287). Although she is able to recover from the experiences, and actually becomes somewhat stronger in doing so, she is nevertheless victimized and traumatized by eighteenth century warfare and society. Much like Moliere's Dorine and Elmire, Cunegonde is limited by her status as a female, and suffers atrocities as a result. Voltaire is perhaps somewhat hyperbolic in creating her story for effect, but the spirit of her experiences is not unlike those of many European women caught in the many wars of the eighteenth century.Ultimately, Voltaire portrays Cunegonde as a sympathetic woman who retains her dignity despite experiencing the worst of social realities in eighteenth century Europe. Indeed, Moliere's  Tartuffe  and Voltaire's  Candide  both present strong portrayals of sympathetic, digni fied women restrained or aggressed against by eighteenth century society. Though the works differ greatly in style, one can see social commentary on the status of women in Moliere's mild, amusing comedy and Voltaire's sensational, abrasive satire.The authors' female characters are strong, complex figures that, much like many women of the eighteenth century, were forced to exist in a position of relative weakness. Ironically, it is the very ability of those authors to see such injustices that is probably most influenced by the Enlightenment ideas and slowly expanding liberalism of the era itself. Whatever the case may be, both works stand even today as classics, not just for their brilliant satire, but also for their potent insight into the experiences of eighteenth century women.Considering  Tartuffe  was written in the 17th century, you might expect the female characters to be soft-spoken, demure, and generally pretty dull. But that couldn't be further from the truth – w ell, except in the case of Mariane; she's soft-spoken, demure, and generally pretty dull. But Elmire and Dorine – that's a whole different story. Each one defies convention with gusto: they do some things that would still be audacious even today. They're quick-witted, strong-willed, and a bit saucy. They're a match for their male counterparts anytime, any day. http://www. shmoop. om/tartuffe/women-femininity-quotes. html Voltaire’s Candide is a very funny satire that skewers the Optimistic attitude that â€Å"this is the best of all possible worlds. † Obviously, considering the horrific events Candide goes through, this isn’t the best of anything. Candide has several companions in his misadventures, notably Dr. Pangloss, his mentor and tutor; and Cacambo, his servant. Of the women in the tale, two are most important: Cunegonde, the woman Candide loves, and the old woman, whom he meets on his travels. This paper will compare and contrast the way the two wo men are presented in the novel.II Cunegonde Cunegonde is Candide’s true love. She is the daughter of the Baron Thunder-ten-tronckh, who raised Candide in his castle. She is beautiful, desirable, and despite all the horrible things that happen to her, she is fearfully dull. She is raped and cut open by Bulgarian soldiers (she notes it isn’t always necessary to die from such treatment); sold to numerous men as a sexual plaything; reunited with Candide; parted from him; and reunited again at the end of the book. She isn’t very bright, and she’s essentially passive as a doormat.She fights her Bulgarian rapist, but as soon as she’s rescued (by a Bulgarian captain, not Candide) she becomes his willing servant and his lover. When he grows tired of her, he sells her to a Jew named Don Issachar, who adores women. But soon after that she catches the eye of the Grand Inquisitor, who also wants her. The two men work out an arrangement whereby Don Issachar visi ts her Monday, Wednesday and the Sabbath; the Grand Inquisitor has the other four days of the week, though there have been some arguments, apparently, about when the Sabbath begins and ends.Soon after Cunegonde tells Candide her tale, Don Issachar shows up. He immediately attacks Candide, and Candide kills him. A few moments later, the Grand Inquisitor arrives, and Candide figures that he’ll turn them in, so he kills him, too. Then he, Cunegonde and the old woman escape from the scene. When they arrive at an inn, Cunegonde comment is â€Å"Where will I find another Jew and another inquisitor to give me more jewels? She is for sale to the highest bidder; she also has the brains of a flea, and because Candide is a bright young man, his devotion to her is ridiculous; a satirical example of men’s weakness for women. III The Old Woman The old woman is a much livelier character, despite the fact that she’s so much older, and despite the fact that she has been through many of the same ordeals as the younger woman: she has been raped numerous times, sold far more often than Cunegonde, and even had one buttock cut off to feed the janissaries that were defending her and other women of a harem.The daughter of Pope Urban X, she has been raised in luxury only to fall prey to pirates and sold into slavery. But she meets his misfortunes with an energy and drive that Cunegonde lacks. She even says at one point: â€Å"I have been a hundred times upon the point of killing myself, but still I was fond of life. † (Voltaire, PG). The greatest difference between the two lies in the old woman’s active stance, as contrasted with Cunegonde’s passivity. We learn that the old woman was sold at last to a Boyard, who put her to work in the fields and lashed her every day.But instead of simply assuming this was her lot in life, she did something about it: â€Å"But this nobleman having about two years afterwards been broken alive upon the wheel, with about thirty others, for some court intrigues, I took advantage of the event, and made my escape. † (Voltaire, PG). After escaping, she tells us, she traveled through many different countries, making her living as a servant at various inns and hostels. In this too she is different from Cunegonde, who has been satisfied to allow men to keep her.She has lived a live that is actually much harder than Cunegonde’s, because the latter has been sheltered and cared for by men who wanted her for her beauty and sexual charms, which meant that she was well-treated (if any woman being sold against her will can be said to be well-treated). Still, both Don Issachar and the Grand Inquisitor gave her rich gifts, good food and fine wine; no one did such things for the older woman. True, they were both little better than slaves, but Cunegonde accepted her chains while the old woman fought hers.Finally, as she finishes relating her tale, the old woman says â€Å"I have a great deal of knowledge and experience in the world†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Voltaire, PG). And that may be the biggest difference of all. Cunegonde, as I say, is not very bright, and so the things that she’s been through mean little to her, and she hasn’t learned much from them. But the old woman has gained a great deal of experience, and furthermore, put it to use. She has escaped from the Boyard and made a living for herself in many different countries, surely not an easy thing to do. IV ConclusionThe women in Candide, in general, suffer a great deal of physical hardship. Rape abounds, as does torture, mutilation and other types of general mayhem. But they react to their misfortunes very differently. Cunegonde accepts whatever happens to her passively; indeed, one gets the impression that she simply lets events roll over her, neither noticing nor caring much what happens. The old woman, however, is very much aware of what’s going on, and she actively involves herself with events. In so doing, she becomes the more attractive character.

Evolution of the Immune System

John Frelinger Dr. Travis Organic Evolution 30 April 2012 Evolution of the Immune System Animals are constantly bombarded by an immensely varied array of disease causing pathogens including bacteria, fungi, viruses and other parasites. The number of microbes living in the human body outnumber the actual human cells by a factor of 10, and for every single species of animal and plant on Earth, there are viruses that infect them. With the unrelenting threat of disease-causing pathogens all around us, and even within us, how can the constantly vulnerable organisms defend themselves?Evolution has provided an answer to this problem—the immune system. The immune system is a vastly complex orchestra of cells working together to help eliminate potentially harmful pathogens from the body. Some form of host defense is found in every multicellular organism, however there are myriad variations in the immune systems of different organisms. Vertebrates have evolved an acquired immune respons e, in which a specific immune system is activated to clear an infection that is initially controlled by a non-specific (innate) immune response.This highly adaptable system is important to the survival of vertebrate species. Surprisingly, however, 90% of animals (invertebrates) do not have this kind of response. Despite lacking a seemingly critical adaptation, invertebrates continue to survive and reproduce. Why does it appear necessary for vertebrates to have an acquired response in order to survive, but the more numerous invertebrate species do not? Research indicates that there is an evolutionary lineage of the immune system that stems from the split of invertebrates and vertebrates.Innate immunity, which is found in all animals, is assumed to be at the beginning of this evolutionary tree. After the diversification of species (vertebrates branching from invertebrates), mechanisms of immunity also diverged. In this paper I will first discuss the function of the innate immune syste m because of its older evolutionary history, followed by the adaptive immune response that evolved later in vertebrate lineages. I will then conclude by placing the development of the innate and adaptive immune system in an evolutionary context.Innate immunity is the first line of defense for an organism and is made up of elements that protect the organism from pathogens. Anatomical aspects such as skin act as an impermeable barrier to infectious pathogens. Chemical and biological factors, including anti-microbial peptides like defensins, are also used to inhibit bacterial growth and prevent colonization. Another immunological factor of the innate immune system are phagocytic cells (macrophages), which are cells that engulf and eliminate foreign pathogens.These cells operate using a variety of different and generalized receptors that recognize a broad range of molecular patterns expressed by pathogens that initiate phagocytosis. One such family of receptors, known as Toll-like Recep tors, recognizes common pathogen elements such as bacterial wall components or viral DNA sequences. This component is found in virtually every multicellular organism, ranging from sponges to humans (Muller and Muller 2003). Plants also express proteins that are very similar to toll-like receptors, indicating that this aspect of the innate immune system predates the divergence of plants and animals.The innate immune system is so valuable to an organism’s survival because it is always present and in many instances can prevent pathogen entry or replication. This, in turn, prevents a harmful infection from ever occurring inside the host. Although invertebrates do not have the acquired immune response, recent research has shown that their innate response is more complex than previously thought. Insects can activate their immune systems to remain in a higher state in order to prepare for a pathogen invasion.During bedbug mating, females are frequently injured in the process because males will stab a female to inject his sperm, infecting her with bacteria and exposing her to other potential infections. In response, females have evolved ways to enhance their immune system prior to mating in anticipation of pathogen invasion (Morrow and Arnqvist 2003). Bumblebees are capable of maintaining a heightened immune system in response to a prior pathogen invasion to aid in the prevention of future infections. Immunity such as this has been shown to pass down vertically to offspring, therefore increasing their fitness (Tyler et al. 006). Slugs have also evolved an interesting alternative response in the form of increased mutation rates of certain immune cell receptors, which allows their immune system to adapt to many foreign elements (Litman and Cooper 2007). While it is inherently different from the acquired immune response, this sensitive management of immune function was previously thought to be reserved as a characteristic of vertebrates and the adaptive immune res ponse. As vertebrates began to diverge and evolve from invertebrates, so too did the immune system.The new adaptive branch of the immune system originally conferred a new selective advantage for vertebrates because of its specificity and immense flexibility in recognizing new pathogens. The clonal selection theory, in which each lymphocyte clonally expresses a specific antigen receptor, can help explain how the immune system can express an extremely wide range of potential receptors capable of recognizing new pathogens. Lymphocytes are undifferentiated cells that ultimately become B-cells (Bone Marrow) or T-cells (Thymus) depending on where they migrate.B-cells possess a uniquely structured immunoglobulin molecule (antibodies exposed on outer surface) that recognizes and binds to a specific molecular counterpart. When a foreign antigen is bound to the antibody, it stimulates the replication of that specific B-cell with the aid of Helper T-cells, which enhance B-cell maturation. This process results in the clonal expansion of cells that recognize the original antigen and subsequent production of antibodies that help in the eradication of the pathogen. An important point of this process is that the pathogens select which lymphocytes expand.It also results in memory B-cells and T-cells that constitute a persistent immune memory for a particular antigen. This expanded pool of memory cells is activated upon a second exposure to the same pathogen, resulting in a much more rapid immune response to clear infection. Other types of T-cells are also produced during this process. For example, cytotoxic T-cells target and kill virally infected cells, while suppressor or regulatory T-cells are activated when the infectious pathogens are eliminated and signal the immune system to subside.Cells such as these also experience selective pressures–ones that react to self-tissue (and harm the host) would be selected against, while those that recognize pathogens would surviv e and replicate. The clonal selection theory addresses many aspects of vertebrate immunity, however, it does not explain all of the mysteries behind the variety of antibody generation. The sheer number of antibodies that can be produced and the finding that the acquired immune response can generate antibodies to manmade molecules that are not present in nature led scientists to explore how such diversity is generated.Research done by Susumu Tonegawa in the 1970’s indicated that B-cells have the ability to produce a huge number of antibodies due to a gene rearrangement process. B cells originally have many sets of gene segments (Variable, Diverse, and Joining) and over the course of its maturation reduce these segments to one of each type for the production of the antibody heavy chain. A similar process of gene rearrangement is involved for the production of the antibody light chain. The light chain and heavy chain proteins then assemble to form the complete antibody molecule that can specifically bind to an antigen.Two genes that are critical for this process to work are RAG1 and RAG2. These genes are known as recombination-activating genes and distinguish the vertebrate immune system from other lineages. These genes are critical to the process because they act as the excision and joining molecules that cut and knit back together the individual VDJ segments that make up the antibody. This results in the huge potential of diverse antibodies that can be produced—hundreds of millions of possible antibody types generated from a much smaller number of gene segments that can react with virtually any antigen.This sophisticated process may have originally been introduced by a mobile genetic element known as transposons. These transposable elements have the ability to excise themselves from one DNA sequence and incorporate themselves into another, very similar to the RAG1 and RAG2 gene functions. After the divergence of jawed and jawless vertebrates, a vi ral infection of the jawed lineage’s gametes may have introduced a transposon into their genome. (Thompson 1995). This may have provided the raw materials necessary to facilitate the development of adaptive immunity.The acquired response appears to have evolved from a single lineage because all vertebrates (excluding jawless fish) retain this RAG-mediated gene rearrangement system. The specificity of this kind of response may have been selected for because of its ability to recognize a diverse number of pathogens, but also because it could conserve more energy resources compared to the generalized defense of the innate response. The adaptive immune response is structured in such a way that it can respond to an almost infinite number of pathogens, while utilizing a relatively limited number of genes.Figure 1 illustrates a potential phylogeny based on some immune system adaptations previously discussed. Figure 1 (Reproduced from Litman and Cooper 2007). Although the vertebrate immune system is extremely adaptable to many potential threats, it is far from perfect. Epidemics such as the Bubonic Plague or the 1918 influenza killed millions of people. Similarly, when the Spanish colonized the New World, they also introduced pathogens that were devastating to the indigenous people.One of the major limitations of the acquired immune response is that it takes a relatively long time to respond after the initial exposure in order to be effective. This time is required because the lymphocytes must clonally expand before a pathogen can be eliminated. For example, in the case of the Native Americans, when they were exposed to the new pathogens, the infections spread to a portion of the population that was large enough to leave them unable to forage for food or to tend to the sick. As a result, it nearly wiped out the entire civilization.This limitation is significant as illustrated by these and many other historical epidemics. These difficulties have led scientists t o think more fully about the effectiveness of the vertebrate immune system. If the immune system has the potential to combat virtually any conceivable threat, why then can’t it always eliminate any potentially harmful pathogen? We also look to immune hypersensitivity and autoimmunity as potential drawbacks of the immune system, indicating further imperfections of the adaptation. When the immune system mistakenly targets self-tissue, it results in serious consequences for the organism.Concepts in evolutionary biology might help address these issues. In this context the immune system does not have to be inherently perfect by design because only some individuals of a population need to survive and reproduce for that lineage to continue. The variation introduced by the immune system generates the diversity necessary for a population to adapt to changing environmental pressures. As others have suggested, a zebra doesn’t have to outrun the lion, just the slowest member of th e herd (Hedrick 2004).The immune system is subjected to the same constraints as other characteristics in regards to natural selection. In this case even if a trait is not optimal, but helps the organism survive and reproduce, it will be selected for, regardless of any deleterious effects experienced post-reproduction. Many, but not all immunologists, believe the development of the adaptive immune system with gene rearrangement was a critical advance. It has been proposed that the development of the adaptive immune system was the â€Å"Big Bang† for the evolution of immune system (Travis 2009).This development might have also enabled the rapid expansion of vertebrates. Moreover, the idea that the adaptive immune system can generate receptors for molecules that are not yet present, makes it extremely flexible and has been called â€Å"forward thinking† (Travis 2009). Thus, while the immune system does not anticipate every change in organisms it is ready for them by const ructing a large repertoire of antigen specific receptors, which confers a big selective advantage. Others have suggested the adaptive immune system conserves resources, and thus is better than the innate system.In contrast, as noted earlier, invertebrates lack a fully functional adaptive immune system and are very successful. Moreover, others have argued that even if the immune system was an advantage, it was only temporary and short lived (Hedrick 2004). Another relevant issue deals with the concept of parasite and host co-evolution. This constant struggle is exemplified by a quote from Lewis Carroll’s â€Å"Through the Looking Glass†, â€Å"it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place†. This concept, originally introduced by Leigh Van Valen, has been termed the Red Queen hypothesis.According to this hypothesis, an improvement in fitness for one species will lead to a selective advantage for that species. However, since species are often coevo lving with one another, improvement in one species implies that it gains a competitive advantage over the other species, and thus has the potential to outcompete for shared resources. This means that fitness increase in one evolutionary system will tend to lead to fitness decrease in another system. The only way that a competing species can maintain its relative fitness is to improve on its own design.Although this theory was used to help explain the extinction of species and the evolution of sexual reproduction, it has been applied to many aspects of predator prey relationships including the development of the immune system. Because animals are constantly attacked by fast-adapting parasites, the host immune system cannot possibly gain an advantage over them. The evolution of the immune system is caused by the small advantages conferred as a result of variation in the recognition of pathogens.As suggested by Steven Hedrick, â€Å"by selecting for more elusive parasites, the immune system is ultimately the cause of its own necessity† (Hedrick 2004). Thus paradoxically, the immune system, since it places a strong selective pressure on pathogens and parasites, ultimately has become essential for vertebrates to survive. By placing selective pressure on parasites that can evolve much more rapidly than animals (due to their higher reproductive/mutation rate), it results in parasites that are increasingly more effective at infecting hosts of that species.In terms of the immune system, one strategy that parasites have developed is a means of altering their own antigens to become unrecognizable. In this way they escape the adaptive immune system by altering their structure. For example, trypanosomes can switch the major target antigen for antibodies, which they use as a strategy to extend the amount of time they reside in the host. This results in a more contagious host that will increase the spread of pathogens to new hosts (Stockdale et al. 2008).Similarly, be cause the HIV polymerase is very error prone with no proof reading mechanism, many mutations arise in the HIV proteins during its infection. While the adaptive immune system can make neutralizing antibodies, new variants arise that can no longer be recognized by the antibodies. These new variants have a selective advantage and escape, and thus the adaptive immune system  is always lagging behind. In terms of the host immune response, there is also an extremely high level  of polymorphism of major histocompatibility genes, which enable the population to respond to a wider array of antigens using T-cells.The benefit of this heterozygosity is that it allows the individual to respond to a wider variety of antigens. Moreover this diversity helps ensure that even though some individuals may perish, the particular pathogen will not be able to eliminate the entire population. Some infectious agents have even taken it a step further and evolved ways to utilize the host immune system to i ncrease their own fitness. For example, infections that result in pus filled cysts can be used to carry parasitic progeny and spread to new hosts when they burst.Even though this may help the host clear an infection, the pathogen can use this to increase its own fitness and infect more individuals. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) utilizes the host immune system by initially infecting macrophages, and subsequently T-cells, which the virus uses as a reservoir for reproduction and as a means to spread to many different tissues in the body (Orenstein 2001). It also serves the virus to target immune cells for infection because crippling the host immune response akes it easier for the virus to spread throughout the body and eventually to new hosts (due to the higher viral load). In this light, it is possible that invertebrates did not evolve the adaptive immune response because they may have never needed it. By lacking the ability to develop a â€Å"memory† for a particular pathogen, those pathogens did not evolve anti-immune mechanisms to counter the host immune response. An immune memory could lead to more devious pathogens and result in a more harmful infection in the future.This could have been a better strategy for invertebrates as it may have prevented the co-evolution of more virulent pathogens (Hedrick 2004). The immune system has a long evolutionary history in multicellular organisms. The innate immune system is a critical adaptation that helped these organisms survive the onslaught of parasites and pathogens. Vertebrates possess an adaptive immune response that allowed for the recognition of an almost infinite number of pathogenic antigens, however, it appears to have become a one-way road with the coevolution of pathogens.Once this adaptive system appeared in the vertebrate lineage, there was no going back. Because of the immense flexibility of the adaptive immune response, it places huge selective pressures on pathogens to constantly evolve new mechanisms of infecting hosts. Thus in the context of evolution, even with the incredible versatility of the adaptive immune system, it is likely there can not be an ultimate solution to infection by parasites only a new, perhaps unstable, equilibrium. Works Cited Hedrick, S. (2004). The Acquired Immune System: A Vantage from Beneath.Immunity 21, 607-615. Litman, G. and Cooper, M. (2007). Why Study the Evolution of Immunity? Nature Immunology 8, 547-548. Morrow, E. H. , and Arnqvist, G. (2003). Costly traumatic insemination and a female counter-adaptation in bed bugs. Proceedings of the Royal SocietyB: Biological Sciences. 270: 2377–2381 Muller, W. and Muller, I. (2003). Origin of the Metazoan Immune System: Identification of the Molecules and Their Functions in Sponge. Integrative and Comparative Biology 43, 281-292. Orenstein, J. (2001). The Macrophage in HIV Infection.Immunobiol. 204, 598- 602. Stockdale, C. , Swiderski, M. , Barry D. , and Richard McCulloch (2008). A ntigenic Variation in Trypanosoma brucei: Joining the DOTs. PLoS Biol 6. Thompson, C. B. (1995). New insights into V(D)J recombination and its role in the evolution of the immune system. Immunity 3, 531–539. Travis, John. (2009). â€Å"On the Origin of the Immune System†. Sciencemag Vol. 329. Tyler, E. , Adams, S. , and Mallon, E. (2006), An Immune Response in the Bumblebee,Bombus terrestris leads to increased food consumption. BMC Physiology 6.

Court Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Court Observation - Essay Example The Courts are arranged in order to settle local disputes and keep the society in an ordered form. This is an enduring process which was initiated around more than six hundred years ago. Before attending the court, I contacted each court to get known to the cases and times that can be attended since in some cases youth are not allowed to attend. I reattempted to visit the court on 1st April’ 2013. As I reached the District Court, many people were waiting and there were signs posted on the doors of court rooms notifying the instructions for entrance in the court. The opening of the building was magnificent. Though I was known to the fact that the public is allowed to enter the court room, in order to avoid being intrusive, I decided to wait patiently in the Cashier line with hope that I’ll be provided assistance by someone. Soon, my hopes were fulfilled and I was escorted by an individual into the court room. The arrangement of the courtroom was plain. The court room did n’t have any police present as well as didn’t have any defendant's box. The judge was a white, middle-class, middle-aged male. The public was allowed to sit on the backside of the court room. I immediately looked around and attempted to get known with the surrounding. I found a few number of people waiting either by themselves or along with their attorneys on the bench-seats while few were seated in the jury box in jail uniforms. I got seated and adjusted my ears and eyes to initiate notes taking. The case hearings attended by me were about a car incidence. The case was comprised of claims from two parties countering one another. As usual the claim was made by the plaintiff who was unable to view the defendant car arriving and attempt to evade. To counter this claim, the defendant whose leg and lower back got injured due to the collision with the plaintiff’s car. I observed that within the court room, the judge examined both claims simultaneously for saving time and ensuring quick processing. Although the legal way of examining such claims is that each is examined separately but this procedure was not followed by the judge for saving time. As I got into the court room, I got a seat on the backside reserved for public, in front of the judge bench located at the other side of the court room. On my right side, the claimant along with her lawyer was seated and in front of the claimant, the Barrister was seated on a layer. On my left side, the defendant was seated along with his Barrister seated in front of him. Initially the claimant was moved to the witness stand so that both partied can examine him. The claimant told that she parked her car to the road’s left side and then went to a nearby shop to purchase her daily groceries. Later on when she finished her shopping, she came back to her car and attempted to get it back on the main road. However, while trying to get to the road’s right side, she was unable to notice the car of defendant on time, and consequently she was unable to stay away from them as she didn’t had enough time and the two cars as a consequence smashed. After her little comprehensive description of the accident, she was cross examined by both barristers who asked numerous questions in order to dig out the facts. When the plaintiff’s examination was done, the defendant came to the witness st

Use of Video in Secondary Science Education Research Paper

Use of Video in Secondary Science Education - Research Paper Example Use of Video in Secondary Science Education Use of video projects in a classroom environment is one of the most effective ways to ensure that students get the required content. This is because it involves a hands-on approach where the students use theory that they have learnt to create their own videos, however the tools that the students use will determine how effective they will be in creating their own videos. The most efficient tools that students can use in video creation In choosing the most effective video creation tools that students can use, the following factors were put into consideration. One is the user friendliness of the tool where issues like easiness on the eye and navigation and the intuitiveness of the UI (Ivers & Barron, 2010). Second factor that was put in to consideration was the features that the tool contained such as assessment capability or feedback functions, another factor that was put into consideration is the limitations that come with the tools such as whether it is a WYSIWYG tool or it needs a p rogramming nous. imovie is a video editing software that is sold by Apple inc company for Mac and iOS which include iphone, ipad, ipad mini and ipod touch that was originally launched in the market in the year 1999 (Laybourne, 2009). Since 2005, imovie was designed to process high definition video from HDV camcorders and other versions of camcorders such as AVCHD camcorders and H.264 compressed video from MPEG4, to support this, the tool has undergone metamorphosis to ensure smooth integration especially with apple products. imovie HD 5 included support for HDV, which includes the 720p and 1080i, in addition, it also supported the integration with ilife suite and toolbox buttons that allow importation of images from iphoto and music from itunes. The HD 6 version, which was released in 2006 included support for iphotos, itunes, iDVD , garageband and iweb, this version was aimed at making the imovie more user-friendly as it included themes that allowed the user to drag and drop movies and photos in bac kdrops. The imovie 08 was an improvement of the previous versions of imovie as it contained better HD output and more formats in which files could be converted to. This edition however received criticism since it completely abandoned the earlier versions of imovie and features such as slow motion, fast motion, black and white options had been removed, in addition, imovie 08 could not support more than one project at a time. The imovie 09 was basically a response to the criticism the ’08 version as it restored features that the previous versions had, in addition, it also simplified some more advanced tasks such as picture to picture and chroma keying. The imovie 11 had the capability of making movie trailers, gave the user more power over the audio option, allowed immediate rerun, flash, and hold effects, new theme, face detection and the potential to watch videos on apple products. with the unveiling of the iphone, which was designed to support iOS, the apple company designed an imovie app that would be compatible with the iOS since the other products of the company were also designed to support the iOS (Maci?as, Granollers & Latorre, 2009). Animoto Animoto is an online video editing software that is easy to use among the students, a key feature of the

Guidelines for Country Case Report ( Viet Nam) Essay

Guidelines for Country Case Report ( Viet Nam) - Essay Example on (ASEAN) in 1995, and thereby of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA), and signed memorandum of understanding for commercial cooperation with the European Union (USA International Business Publications 121). Moreover, Vietnam consents to all efforts in support of its economic development and foreign investment (122). Despite moderation of trade barriers and enhanced diplomatic relations with more than a hundred territories worldwide, Vietnam remains true to the communist ideals. The Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) still has control of election of government officials, from the highest to the most minor positions; and prohibits establishment of independent political, religious and labor organizations (USA International Business Publications 122). This is one practice that does not correspond with the concepts of globalization; yet seems to have worked well in Vietnam, perhaps because the greater part of its population trusts that it serves the common good. In this case, it is safe to assume that Vietnam recognizes the advantages of international trade but views all states as autonomous (Harrison)—meaning, interdependence may exist but it does not force all states to follow a resolute pattern of governance as was intended for the Washington Consensus. From the surface, this realistic philosophy of Vietnam towards foreign affairs, that is, making certain actions to open itself to globalization yet is not willing to share sovereign powers with other actors (Brawley 47), appears to provoke conflict among those that consider themselves dominant. Following the game theory perspective, however, this can be associated to a game of stag hunt—wherein cooperation among actors is the key to seizing the best price, although delegation of a leader or each actor deciding on its own strategy does not significantly affect the aftermath of the event. As mentioned earlier, Vietnam puts diplomacy at the forefront of all its ventures; and should there be a risk of tension due to

Positioning Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Positioning - Term Paper Example Thus, it can be said that positioning is the way to stimulate customers’ awareness regarding a brand and place a rich, exclusive, and beneficial insight for the brand in the mind of people (Oxford University Press, 2011). Why Organizations Opt for Market Positioning A successful organization must be aligned closely with the target customer segments in the existing markets as well as in the emerging markets. Organizations which can forecast the market tendencies and form positioning strategies accordingly possess the best prospect for long-term success. The prime reason for an organization to call for market positioning is to achieve competitive advantage by creating a favorable base of rivalry. Through positioning organizations can encourage customers’ awareness and belief regarding a brand and make a clear understanding about the benefits and worth they will get for purchasing the brand. Thus, companies can create competitive advantage over the competitors through effe ctive implications of positioning strategies (Njuguna, 2009). The other reason for market positioning is that, it can help to differentiate the product by communicating some unique benefits over the similar products served by competitors. Thus, other competitors and people will view the product as innovative assisting the organization to express itself as unique and dissimilar from other organizations. Subsequently, the organization shall attain higher competitive advantages through brand recognition. Therefore, the objective to attain competitive advantages over the rivals can be termed as one of the major and core reasons for organizations to implement this strategic alliance (Sengupta, 2005). Successful Market Positioning Market positioning denotes how customers consider a product and its contribution in contrast to other products. For making a successful positioning there is need to recognize the way for changing customers’ awareness through improving, strengthening, or p rotecting the position of organization in the market. Market positioning must be addressed appropriately because it is the only method to stabilize the misconception produced by ineffective communication channels. A complete message given in right time and in right place is a beneficial way for successful positioning of an organization (Perreault & McCarthy, 2006). Positioning in organization begins with product. Positioning becomes much vital when two or more brands in market look similar to each other. For instance, several customers believe that there is little difference in the LED television models of different brands. While, Sony wants to generate awareness in the mind of customers to consider that their LED television provide clear, lively and detail picture compared to other brands by their unique ‘X-Reality pro Engine’ (Sony Electronics Inc, 2011). On the other hand, Samsung wants to position their LED televisions with the features of innovative picture quality , consumer of lesser electricity and equipped with internet connectivity features by their unique ‘Backlight Technology’ and higher processor speed (Samsung, 2011). Communication ensures to create a positive image about a brand in customers’ mind. Positioning must be combined with the activities of market segmentation because it lets for more laborious tactic which

Cultural Beliefs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Beliefs - Essay Example This paper describes the perceptions in the PEN and how affects the sub-African Saharans behavior regarding their health problems. Cultural Beliefs Culture is a set of rules and beliefs, traditions among other things like art and religion, that is shared by a society. It is where values and behavior is rooted and it is therefore enough to influence perception, judgment, and of course, behavior. AIDS is one of the prevalent diseases in the Sub-Saharan Africa with the rate of 6.1%. It is in fact, one of the worst diseases in the continent, affecting 22.5 million people (HIV positive). AIDS is caused sexually, and sexual practices are behavioral. Since behavior is cultural, it is therefore logical to conclude that one can actually control certain behaviors through culture. In this case, the PEN-3 model, which was created to address and integrate culture in the development, implementation and evaluation of health programs. The PEN-3 model is composed of three domains. These three domains are also composed of another 3 sections each. The three domains are: cultural identity, relationships and expectations and culture and empowerment. Culture and empowerment is a domain that is composed of three more factors which are positive, existential and negative perceptions. They represent all the good and bad facets of culture, hence the positive and negative perceptions.

Michael Kors Business Strategy and Policy Essay

Michael Kors Business Strategy and Policy - Essay Example The paper tells that the vision of Michael Kors has taken the company from American luxury sportswear house to a merchandise of global accessories, and footwear with the presence in over 74 countries. The company has exceptional experienced sales momentum with a clear trajectory for important future growth. This has made Michael Kors a highly recognized brand of luxury lifestyle in North America and has led to an improving awareness in the international markets. The company has successfully expanded over the years beyond apparel into accessories that include small leather goods, handbags, jewelry, eyewear, watches, and footwear. Introduced in 1981 in the fashion industry, Michael Kors Company reflects the luxury pinnacle and establishes authority in aesthetics in the entire brand and makes the cornerstone of the company runaway shows. The collections of Michael Kors Company are available in many retail shops and other department stores in the world and are subjected to international competition in offering accessories in the industry. In spite of the cut-throat competition in the design market and fashion industry, Michael Kors Company has remained a world celebrated designer. In the analysis of Michael Kors’s business strategy in the fashion industry through the Porters Five Forces Model, we will consider the following competitive forces of the company: Threat of entry by emerging or new competitors Intensity of rivalry among the competitors Pressure from the available substitute products Supplier bargaining power Bargaining power of customers These five forces in the Porters Model taken together provide insight into the competitive position of Michael Kors Company in the fashion industry as well as its profitability Rivals in the fashion industry are the existing competitors in the market. These are the competitors that Michael Kors faces in the fashion industry which may drive profits to even zero. Rivalry can be weak in the industry with the small nu mber of competitors that do not aggressively compete. Rivalry can also be intense where there are a large number of competitors who fight in a cutthroat environment. In the case of the Fashion industry, some of the factors that affect the intensity of rivalry among the existing competitors include the number of replica handbags of from Michael Kors by other firms and this will lead to intensive competition. The fixed costs and the high percentage of fixed costs in the total costs of Fashion industry demand that the company sells more accessories in order to cover for such costs, hence increasing the competition in the market. In addition, Fashion industry needs  to practice product differentiation because similar products in the market will basically compete on the price basis, and therefore identification of brand reduces rivalry. Among the features of competitive advantage is the barrier to entry into the fashion industry. The fashion industry has very high barriers to entry suc h as the fake Prada china handbags because the prices are normally very expensive for the newly established firms such as authentic designer handbags to gain entry. On the other hand, where the fashion industry has minimal barriers to entry such as Louis Vuitton handbags are cheap relatively for new firms to enter.

Economics by Boyd and Smith Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economics by Boyd and Smith - Assignment Example According to the paper a store of value such that it holds its own value over a longer duration of time, although it does not elevate money so superior because there are other stores of value such as land. However, it is a portable store of value that is available in various convenient denominations, and lastly, it is a unit of account that provides a common measure for the value of commodities and services in exchange, which enables buyers and sellers to know how much of the goods to sell or purchase. Â  Federal eserve controls the money supply by : Setting the reserve requirement for banks, through buying and selling treasury bills and notes and by moderating the supply of money through lowering or raising the interest rates which are passed to the banks and finally to the consumers. This discussion outlines that the assumption of constant velocity implies that if an assumption is additional, the money velocity is constant, and then the equation yields a fundamental theory of the money effects known as the money’s quantity theory useful in determining the nominal GDP. Raising the inflation from 6 to 8 percent will mean that the currencys interest rate catches up with the higher inflation rising by 6 points a year from their original value leaving the real return on that currency unchanged. Fiscal and Monetary policies play a role in causing ending hyperinflations, usually done by the central bank or the government to ensure the control of flow of money, and; therefore, minimizing both the exchange rates and the government’s expenditure. The interest rate that is nominal is the stated rate of return on a financial asset e.g. the interest rate that a bank pays on deposition certificate while the real interest rate is the rate, which is nominal on ret urn and one adjusted for inflation.

History - King Ashoka Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History - King Ashoka - Research Paper Example King Ashoka ruled Indian subcontinent from 269 BC to 232 BC, until his death. In his early life, the king was known for his cruelty, but in the later period of his life, he became famous for his great edicts and acts. It was King Ashoka who played a major role in swelling Buddhism into the whole of Asia.1 Background of King Ashoka In 324 BC, the ruler of the Mauryan Empire, Chandragupta started out to surmount the weaker in the adjoining kingdoms. The motto was to enlarge his people’s territory. Chandragupta was an explorer by nature and used to travel in the surrounding lands to evaluate whether the probable defences can raise much struggle. Then on the basis of the evaluation, he would decide about the taking up of the war. He principally avoided those lands where the defence is strong. This way Chandragupta became the first king to rule over a united India. During the end of the century, Chandragupta handed over his reign to his son Bindusara. With the passage of time, the Bindusara became ill and decided to entrust the territory to one of his sons. As soon as the king announced his intention, a â€Å"silent sibling rivalry† started. The sons of Bindusara became the victims of an assassin and this way all the men fell until solely Ashoka stood tall. He was the only one to become successful in evading a murderer. In this way, Ashoka was crowned the new king in 274 BC. King Ashoka soon came to be known as a cruel king as he would administer capital punishment for even a minimum violation.2 On the desire to win rather than to acclaim demand, the king decided to continue with the efforts of his previous dwellers through demolishing the lands and kingdoms which previously remained unconquered. In this process of invasion and conquering, he was well aware of the fact that many innocent people have even lost their lives because of the king’s order. Following all these disasters, Ashoka asked himself about the treasures that his people have won in the war that converted women and children to widows and orphans respectively. Soon after the realisation, the king became attentive towards his subjects’ welfare. In this way, an era of internal progression and peace came to being. It was King Ashoka who persuaded and taught his people to respect and love all living creatures. Gradually, Ashoka became a Buddhist practitioner and built 84,000 stupas in his emperor for housing the Gautama’s sacred relics.3 Rise of Power of King Ashoka Ashoka grew to be a sharp and perfect warrior general and went on to command various brigades of the Mauryan army. Pertaining to his growing popularity, the elder brothers of Ashoka became impatient that their father Bindusara might prefer Ashoka to be the next emperor. His eldest brother Susima insisted Bindusara to send Ashoka to Taxilla, a city of unrest and trouble, governed by Susima himself. Ashoka successfully handled those situations and all the unrest ended without any fight. Th is popularity of Ashoka made Susima even more curious and he again persuaded their father to send Ashoka into exile. Ashoka was thus sent to Kalinga. After returning from Kalinga, he was again sent to Ujjain, another venue of violence. There he was injured and eventually treated by Buddhist nuns and monks. During this period, he first learnt Buddhist teachings. There he met Devi, a Buddhist nurse who took care of him, and later on Ashoka married her.

Aspiring Education Essay Example for Free

Aspiring Education Essay Education is a must on every people’s lives, a requirement for a person to be successful in life. We can all remember how our parents scold as, as we disobeyed on what they are telling us to do. My parents inspire me about education. Both of them finished high school and graduated in college; my father graduate with a Master’s Degree while my mother has a Bachelor’s Degree. They struggled so hard to be successful, so my siblings and I will have a healthier life, a better house, family and a brighter education. In this quote Chanakya said, â€Å"Education is the best friend. An educated person is respected everywhere. Education beats the beauty and the youth.† Chanakya interprets that it is the most powerful and the best treasure in all things that you will achieve in life. Education is intensely vital; it can strongly provide one with priceless life opportunities, ultimately save one from a life of agony, and powerfully free those who are understated. In â€Å"Straw into Gold,† Sandra Cisneros emphasizes sharply that education opens doors, gives one perspective, and provides one with valuable life opportunities. For instance, she openly explains, â€Å"I had the same sick feeling when I was required to write my critical essay for the MFA exam – the only piece of noncreative writing necessary in order to get my graduate degree.† Sandra conveys the idea that she still continue to pursue her education even though she knows that she can fail anytime. The author suggests that you have to keep going even though you know that you will fail. Further, she later explains, â€Å"Along the way there has been straw for the taking. With a little imagination, it can be spun into gold.† Sandra articulates the idea that we can create a better person in ourselves if we allow education to permit to take a hold of us. The author suggests that even with a little imagination you can achieve your dream. Therefore, in her narr ative, Cisneros ultimately reveals that we just need to turn our dreams  into reality. In â€Å"Learning to Read and Write,† Frederick Douglass emphasizes that education is the key to freedom. For example, he explains, â€Å"Under its influences, the tender heart became stone, and the lamblike disposition gave way to a tiger-like fierceness.† Douglass conveys the idea that his once gentle mistress transformed into a cruel woman who did not want him to get educated. The author suggests that his mistress became gullible to the ignorant ideas about slavery. Further, he later explains, â€Å"The silver trump of freedom had roused my soul to eternal wakefulness.† Douglass implies the idea that he found a new hope of freedom to slavery that makes his soul to eternal wakefulness. The author suggests that if he has the determination and work-hard he will become a free person and not a slave. Thus, in his slave narrative, Douglass ultimately reinforces the concept that only education will provide one with liberty and self-determination. In â€Å"Superman and Me,† Sherman Alexie emphasizes that education can save one’s life. For example, he explains, â€Å"We were poor by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum wage job or another, which made us middle class by reservation standards. I had a brother and three sisters. We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, hope, fear, and government surplus food.† Alexie express the idea that they’re living in poverty and they survived because of his parent’s minimum wage job. The author suggests that they still persist to live on a world of hope, fear, irregular paychecks, and government surplus food. Further, Alexie interprets, â€Å"I am smart. I am arrogant. I am lucky. I am trying to save our lives.† Alexie conveys the idea that he struggled, studied hard, and stood up just to save the other Indians and escape from the reservation. The author suggests that if you study hard you can get out, f rom the reservation, and be a free Indian. Thus, in his narrative, Alexie ultimately reinforces the concept that only education will provide one with valuable life opportunities. The three authors showed the different essential sides of education. Education is intensely vital; it can robustly provide one with  opportunities, ultimately save one from a life of misery, and mightily free those who are discreet. In this quote, Carl Rogers said, â€Å"The only person who is educated is the one who has learned how to learn.† Carl conveys that if you know how to listen, speak, read, and learned how to learn it means that you are an educated person. He also interprets that you will not be educated if you don’t know how to learn. Therefore, we should take advantage of education while it last.

Brand Equity And The Market Mix Marketing Essay

Brand Equity And The Market Mix Marketing Essay Introduction Marketers rack their brains to compose the variable ingredients to construct their stunning recipesconceptual frameworks, which are made up of the marketing mix, in an effort to deliver the differentiated products or services that can outshine their competitors. Currently few companies could afford to set aside the marketing mix and audaciously break into the market. Having a birds eye view of those prominent companies evolutionary histories , namely Coca Cola, Nike, Fuji, and Virgin, their iconic brands, one of their success indicators, work hand in hand with creative and effective execution of the marketing mix. The Marketing Mix McCarthy (1960, pp.7-8) first put forward classification of four basic ingredients: product, place, price and promotion. With the progression of time, dimensions of the marketing mix have been nourishing, as ideas of personnel promotions, storage facilities, display and so forth have been presented successively (Lipson and Darling, 1971:p.17; Borden, 1975:pp.72-75). The Four Ps of the marketing mix have been prostrated as the cornerstone or convincing paradigm in the business practice, thanks to their well-known validity (Grà ¶nroos , 1989: pp.52-60, Grà ¶nroos,1994: p.5). However, over preoccupation with the marketing mix would possibly isolate marketers from customers owing to its dependence on mass marketing ,which indicates that customers are the superficial numbers for the marketers and marketers may loose touch with the real customers(Grà ¶nroos,1994: p.4). Furthermore, acting as the simplified remedy for the marketing problem, the marketing mix paradigm makes the seller occupy the dominant position and the buyer inferior standing, which can hardly apply to the marketing of service (Grà ¶nroos, 1994: p.6). The burgeoning service industry gave birth to the relationship marketing (Gummesson, 1991: pp.60-67). Establishment and fulfilment of promise play a pivotal role in the relationship marketing, which nurtures the quality interaction between marketer and customer (Reichheld et al., 1990: pp. 105-111). Despite these drawbacks of the marketing mix, the effective orchestration of its elements is proven to be applicable to attain the set objectives under many circumstances. (Baker, 2007:p.329). The aim of this essay is to elaborate on the contribution the marketing mix makes to an organizations brand equity through in-depth analysis of the outstanding paragon, Yum! Brands, China Division. Brand Equity Aaker(1991,1996:p.103) once indicated that connotation of brand equity is multifaceted, which consists of brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceived quality, brand associations and other proprietary brand assets. The name of product is deeply imprinted with the value conferred by the brand equity (Yoo et al., 2000:p.197). Thus, the brand enjoying relatively high brand equity more probably wins customers positive and strong association (Yoo et al., 2000:p.196). In terms of the functionality of brand equity, it enriches brand alternatives, enhances the preference to pay the premium prices, intensifies the marketing communication effectiveness as well as the brand licensing opportunities and strengthens capabilities towards the marketing competition and price fluctuation (Keller, 1993:pp.4-8; Simon and Sullivan, 1993:pp.28-37; Smith, 1992:pp.13-16; Yoo et al., 2000:p.196). An unparalleled brand, as the intangible asset, consists of such features as name, design, symbol which indentifies the product of a particular organisation that has a lasting differential advantage (Doyle, 1999:p.292). At the first mention of fast food, Chinese people would instantly shortlist a bundle of names with KFC topping on their lists, due to its immense brand power. According to the ranking of 50 Best Chinese Quick-Service Companies in 2009, Yum! Brands, China Division with the annual profits of  ¿Ã‚ ¡2.88b and strong momentum of expanding its business empire in Chinas second and third tier cities, surpassing another tycoon McDonalds, ranked the first, thanks to its two household brands, KFC and Pizza Hut (Anonymous, 2010). In compliance with Yum! Brands global vision to define global company that feeds the world, Yum! Brands, China Division is also committed to creating traditional Chinese quick-service restaurant chain, East Dawning, which is targeted specially at those diehards of traditional Chinese food (Novak, 2009) .Furthermore, China Division became one of the stakeholders of Little Sheep, a popular Chinese hot pot concept, with 27% proportion of share in 2009 (Novak,2009).The ab ove efforts imply China Divisions ambition to develop diversified customer bases and make it elastic towards its competitors challenges. In 2009, the four brands synergistically contributes to its operating profits growth of 25% in China (Anonymous, 2009).What underpins their astounding performances is its China Divisions superb mastery of the marketing mix. Brand Equity and the Marketing Mix According to Yoo et al. (2000:p.196), if marketing effort could give rise to more favourable behaviour towards the branded products than the unbranded ones, positive relationship between marketing effort and brand equity would be established. Yoo et al. (2000:p.198) also suggest that creation and exploitation of the marketing mix is decisive in shaping dimensions of brand equity. For instance, Yum!Brands China Division successfully introduced the casual dining category Pizza Hut and KFC Home Service, making its products available around the clock whenever customer places an order(Anonymous,2008). Such intense distribution enables consumers to perceive more value for the two brands, subsequently resulting in the increased customer satisfaction and brand loyalty (Yoo et al., 2000:p.199). Given that the marketing mix encompasses many elements, this essay primarily selects four perspectives: product, price, servicescapes, promotion tactics to demonstrate the intertwining relationship between application of the marketing mix and formation of brand equity. Product Henry Ford (1908) once commented A market is never saturated with a good product, but it is very quickly saturated with a bad one. (Anonymous, 2006). Instead of technically importing its international menu and faithfully sticking to its cash cows such as New Orleans Roasted Burgers, Extra-tasty Crispy Burgers, Popcorn Chicken, and Pepperoni Lover, China Division has made considerable adaptation and innovation on its menu to cater to Chinese peoples tastes and flavour. Some specialties that could never appear on other countries KFC menus are Dragon Twister, and Beef Wrap with the Sichuan Sauce to name just a few(Anonynmous,2007). Additionally, the freshness and nutrients of the food are under the stringent supervision (Anonymous, 2010). From KFCs official website, customer can be informed of products accurate composition of nutrition (Anonymous, 2009). Therefore, products are procured in a transparent manner, winning trust and loyalty from customers and generating repeat buyers. Besides, its menu changes with the alteration of seasons and emergence of events and holidays. Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant recently put forward 22 new courses before the upcoming autumn (Anonymous, 2010). This summer, KFC witnessed enormous profits made by its activity of watching World Cup and winning prizes through purchasing the bucket (Anonymous, 2010). In addition to its constant development of tangible products, Pizza Hut puts out a unique and added-value service, party-hosting. It would be in charge of preparing a theme party from the scratch, including designing and organizing (Anonymous, 2008).This move vindicates Millers et al. view (1998:pp.19-25) that shopping should not be considered as a mere product acquisition but a part of social relationship which provides their social identity. Guanxi or social networking plays an important role in Chinese society (Eric Tsang, 1998:p.64). Party occasion is an ideal opportunity to accommodate such need. Pizza Huts enticing se rvice could spare people from worrying about the trivialities of throwing party and promote its products and brand value in the meantime. All moves carried out by Chinese division perfectly coincide with Yum! Brands philosophy-feed the world, both physically and mentally. Price Yoo et al. (2000:p.200) once commented that price promotion in the form of special sales, media-distributed coupons, package coupons, and rebates would undermine brand equity in spite of the short-term returns. Subsequently, sales promotion could be easily emulated by the competitors (Aaker, 1991). Worse still, an inferior brand image could be displayed through the sales promotion (Yoo et al., 2000:p.200). However, KFC, Pizza Hut and East Dawnings pricing strategies just run counter to the above theories. Every day, over three kinds of KFC food are on sale and coupons can be easily downloaded from its official website (Anonymous, 2008). As for Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant, it recently put forward business set meal of  ¿Ã‚ ¡2.8 to attract those office workers with limited coffee break and keen on the balanced diet(Anonymous,2010). Such deed has now been warmly received by the target customers. The reason behind their consistent low pricing strategy rightly conforms to the status quo of Chinese fast food industry where consumers are price-sensitive and major consumption segment is student and young people with finite disposable money (Anderson et al., 1998:pp.152-162).The theory proposed by Avlonitis (1980) appropriately backs up Yums pricing strategy that selling convenience goods should employ heavy advertising and competitive pricing policy to achieve product differentiation. As a consequence, one of the effective ways to appeal to Chinese people who are bombarded with hundreds of fast food alternatives is the competitive pricing strategy. Simon H. (1989:p.319) pointed out that sale effect of a price change shows up more quickly compared with other tactics, namely advertising. KFC and Pizza Hut have already benefited from this strategy and cultivated their respective regular customer base, as KFC targets at the mass consumers and Pizza Hut Casual Dining Restaurant is pos itioned as the refined business dining restaurant (Anonymous, 2008). Their varied price ranges are set accordingly, making China Division more flexible to the pricing competition. Servicecapes Servicescapes refer to the physical settings of the point of sale, which involve three dimensions: ambient conditions, spatial layout and functionality and signs, symbols, and artefacts (Bitner, 1992: pp.66-67). These would influence not only the first impression on customers but also employee satisfaction, productivity and motivation (Becker, 1981). KFC, Pizza Hut and East Dawning spare no effort to do the furnishing at their own points of sale in accordance with their respective bands images. As for KFC, warm bright yellow and red intrigue the customers appetite and lower personalized counter intends to make employees intimately interact with children (Cai, 1998). As to Pizza Hut, elegant oil paintings and sedate brown tables and wallpaper make customer feel serene in the cities forests of concrete(Cai, 1998). The consumer would be embraced with soft Chinese music and traditional Chinese table sets at East Dawning (Cai, 1998).Such highly identified decoration vividly exemplifies three different brands focuses. It would be no surprise to see the heavy customer traffic in those restaurants (Yoo et al., 2000: p.199). Good-image stores do invite more attention, contacts and visits from the prospective customers. Furthermore, positive word -of-mouth propaganda can come into being (Rao and Monroe, 1989:pp.351-356). Promotion Tactics Advertising spending accounts for substantial investment for KFC and Pizza Hut, as the money channelled for advertising exerts positive impact on brand equity and perspectives (Cobb-Walgren et al., 1995). Besides, advertising would be conducive to generating favourable impression on brand equity, increasing brand awareness and creating strong brand associations (Shimp, 1997:pp.25-35). Although people would feel annoyed by interruption of commercials of KFCs bucket and Pizza Huts Super Supreme when appreciating films, the intensely repetitive advertising would make KFC or Pizza Hut automatically top on their personal fast food alternatives when they are starved(Anonymous,2008). Subsequently, such habitual choice could elevate their brand equity (Hauser and Werfeldt, 1990:pp.398-404). Besides advertising, KFC is also adept at making the most of sponsorship to enhance its brand equity, such as organizing national three-player basketball contest in conjunction with Chinese Basketball Association (Anonymous, 2004 ),which vividly showcases its dynamic brand image, and working in partnership with 2010 Shanghai World Exposition, (Wuyu,2009). Its old enemy McDonalds has never made foray in such field. However, the sponsorship does make a difference. For example, Fuji committed$7 million in sponsoring the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, which just received refusal of sponsorship from Kodak (Desmond, 1997). According to Desmond (27 October, 1997), Fuji landed 50,000 new distributor outlets thanks to its sponsorship. Such marketing investment generated the enviable returns (Desmond, 1997). It is difficult to make accurate estimation on KFC economic returns from its sponsorship, but elevated social impact and subsequent enhanced brand value could be figured out. Additionally , China Division has been identified as the corporate with distinct social responsibility through doing Hunger Relief Programme with Chinese Children Fund and setting up fund for supporting the natural disaster relief and the financially-challenged students to further education (Anonymous, 2006). All these contribute to reputable brand image of Yum! Brands China Division. Discussion Besides the above classical 4Ps, other elements of the marketing mix such as packaging and personal selling jointly nourish China Divisions brand marvel. The package as the forefront of brand strategy would communicate the value of convenience, environmental consciousness, Conclusion Relationships between the selected the marketing mix and brand equity have been excavated in this essay. Particular attention has been drawn to four aspects of marketing efforts made by Yum! Brands China Division. The establishment and enrichment of brand equity is achieved by thorough execution of the marketing mix. It is through fully capitalizing on the variable parts of marketing strategy accompanied with the utilization and exploitation of brand resources that brand owner can probably withstand the acid test and enjoy the everlasting prosperity.