Human Resource Management and Personnel Management Essay

Introduction 1. This report discusses the historical development of Human Resource Management (HRM), identifies the role and purposes of HRM, and also to distinguish between personnel management and HRM. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) defines personnel management as â€Å"the part of management concerned with people at work and with their relationships within an enterprise. It aims to bring together, and develop into an effective organisation, the people within an business, having regard for the welfare of the individual and of working groups, to enable them to make their best contribution to its success.† HRM may be defined as â€Å"a strategic and coherent approach to the management of an organisation’s most valued assets: the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the achievement of its objectives for sustainable competitive advantage†. The Nature and Development of Personnel management 2. HRM obtained acknowledgment in the late 1970’s in the USA, as a label for the way companies such as IBM were managing their people. These companies applied the principles outlined by David Guest (1989) to gain a competitive edge over their competitors. These four principles are listed below. a) Strategic integration -â€Å"the ability of organisations to integrate HRM issues into their strategic plans, to ensure that the various aspects of HRM cohere and for line managers to incorporate a HRM perspective into their decision making†. b) High commitment – â€Å"people must be managed in a way that ensures both their genuine ‘behavioural’ commitment to pursuing the goals of the organisation and their ‘attitudinal’ commitment, reflected in strong identification with the organisation†. c) Flexibility – â€Å"HRM policies must be structured to allow maximum flexibility for the organisation, so it can respond to ever changing business needs: for example, by encouraging functional versatility in employees and by creating ‘an adaptable organisational structure with the capacity to manage innovation†. d) High Quality – â€Å"The notion of quality must run through everything the organisation does, ‘including the management of employees and investment in high-quality employees, which in turn will bear directly on the quality of the goods and services provided†. Personnel management can be traced back to second half of the nineteenth century when Victorian workers were hit hard by the industrialisation, and urbanisation of Britain. Companies such as Cadbury and Rowntree, initiated programmes for their employees managed on their behalf by ‘industrial welfare workers’, the philosophy behind these people was that in the welfare tradition, the work and responsibilities of the personnel officer was directed to the employees, rather than to the strategic concerns of the organisation and its management. The programmes included facilities such as company housing, health care, education for workers’ families and so on. The motivation for these measures included, that they reflected a wider social reform, led by political and religious groups. In the USA groups like Quakers were abolishing slavery, and striving to increase business performance by the moral and social enhancement of their employees. Moreover, as more motivation to convert to these programmes, improved health and education for the workers and their families meant that these employers would have a better reputation with employees and consumers, employees would be more committed and motivated, also there would always be great demand for a job within the company. This can be linked to Maslow’s theory on the hierarchy of needs, in which he states that workers are motivated by five different needs. Physiological- pay, holidays (lower order need) Safety – Health and safety measures, pensions (lower order need) Social – formal and informal groups, social events (lower order need) Self-esteem – power, promotion (higher order need) Self-actualisation – challenging work, developing new skills (higher order need) These programmes and jobs would provide something for each of the lower order needs, therefore increasing motivation throughout the workforce. Furthermore, consumers would feel morally better as they were buying products that were helping the working classes. This could be considered very similar to the ideas linked with the popularity of fair trade products in modern day society. The demise of the working class was outlined at this time when the British government had problems recruiting troops for the Crimean and Boer wars, as many people failed the medical, and the health of the nations labourers was brought into the limelight. The need for negotiation, conflict resolution and the management of relationships between labour and management occurred in 1871 with the legislation of trade unions. This was recognised politically, with formation of the aptly named Labour Representation Committee in 1900, which was renamed in 1906 as the Labour party, which was largely funded by the trade union development. In 1911, the National Insurance Scheme created the first welfare provisions for workers in the result of illness, or unemployment. The establishment of the Ministry of Labour to address wider issues and representations quickly followed this in 1916. In the 1930’s and 40’s management theorists changed attributes of their theories, as scientific management which was in current use came under scrutiny for dehumanising employees. This is when the HRM approach began to appear, being backed by Maslow, Herzberg, and McGregor who shifted their attention to the higher order needs, as shown above on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. The new key to motivation of the workforce involved ‘job satisfaction’, which it was then believed, could not be achieved just from ‘maintenance’ factors like pay and working conditions. The governments influence on industrial relations, and the workforces continued until the mid 1970’s in conjunction with social reforms in health and education. After this time the UK government did not interfere in collaborated relationships between the employer and employee, with the exception of trade union reform. In spite of that the latter half of the twentieth century saw extreme legislation in all sectors of employment. It was during this era that the industrial relations tradition suggests that the work and the responsibility of the personnel officer was to mediate and even arbitrate between the sides in industrial disputes, to facilitate collective bargaining, negotiation and compliance with the current industrial relations laws. As a response to the escalating speed of organisational expansion and alterations, the control of labour tradition suggests that the work and responsibility of the personnel officer is to support management by regulating the range of workplace activity. This includes job allocation, performance, absenteeism, pay, communication, training, and so on. The CIPD have endeavoured to establish personnel management as a career, by providing a programme of learning resulting in a qualification. However, many personnel managers do not posses this qualification and this is rarely seen as an obstruction within the career. It is safe to say that all personnel managers will use remnants of the welfare, industrial, and the control of labour traditions to become part of the professional tradition that is occurring today. The Role and Tasks of the Personnel Function 3. Personnel specialists can take various roles like line mangers, advisors, service providers, auditors, Co-ordinators and planners and in today’s modern world of rapidly developing technology, ethics, and growing organisations in any business there is need for specialist advice on personnel matters, whether it is internal or external. This is because the practise of personnel management needs to be consistent, impartial, proficient and on course with organisational goals, as there are constant developments in this field that require expertise in the area of personnel management. The need for this specialist has several contributing factors including the need to comply with changing regulation and legislation, for example the personnel specialist may be used to recruit staff to avoid sex or racial discrimination. Constant changes within the labour market have also meant that policies need to be designed by someone with current knowledge on the matter. Moreover, trade unions, industrial tribunals, and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) have a continuous role in employee relations; therefore having some one who is familiar with the legislation amongst other things that is used would be very useful. However, since there the existing role of the personnel manager is so diverse there are different models derived by different theorists. A popular model is that suggested by Tyson and Fell (1986). The three roles that they suggest are: * The clerk of works model – all authority for actions is with line managers. Personnel policies are formed after the actions that created the need. Policies are not integral and are short term and ad hoc. Personnel activities are routine and involve day-to-day administration. * The contracts manager model – Policies are established, often implicit, with heavy industrial relations emphasis. The personnel department will use fairly sophisticated systems especially with regard to employee relations. The personnel manager is likely to be a professional or experienced in industrial relations. They should take on the role of policing the implementation of policies, but does not create them. * The architect model – Explicit corporate personnel policies exist as part of the corporate strategy. HR planning and development are important concepts. The head of the function is likely to be on the Board of Directors, and is therefore seen as a professional, making an important contribution to the business. Policies are often formed to assist in the personnel function to make sure that people are treated equally, and that laws and regulations are met. These can include equal opportunities, disciplinary policies, and safety policies. The policies are based upon legislation put in place by the Government and the EU in certain areas like safety. The values and philosophies of the business about how the employees should be treated and what kind of behaviour will enable them to work most effectively on the organisation’s behalf. The needs and wants of employees, and the organisations need to attract and retain the kind of employees it wants by its reputation of practice as an employer. The Shift in Approach Which Has Led to the Term HRM 4. Throughout history the social change has been reflected in personnel management, and which also changes in conjunction with the social needs. This is shown by the implementation of legislation and rules, to stop discrimination and aid safety measures, as the social climate becomes more morally aware of the workforce. In the late nineteenth century it would not have been unheard of for people to die at work, even into the twentieth century there were still accident that occur to labourers working in primary industries, but this became more shocking, as with the development of technology it was publicised by the media and made safer by improvements, as a company realised that its image was very important. A political and economic change is also evident through out history, for example in the 1970’s when the government would no longer interfere with some matters between employer and employee relations, this is because it was realised that full employment was not as important as controlling inflation and other economic factors. Also HRM has become common through out the business world and is thoroughly integrated into the organisational structure of a business. This is because it has been found that companies use this approach in different strengths to achieve a competitive edge over their rivals. Today companies like Marks & Spencer, McDonalds, and even public sector businesses like British Gas are using various strengths of HRM. Recommendations 5. To draw conclusion, it is my recommendation that Phoenix Tannoy Ltd. consider establishing a HR department as it is shown in history that the use of HRM does give a competitive edge over rivals, by motivating employees. The reality is that by moving to a HR department Phoenix Tannoy will motivate its workforce by implementing policies and procedures that benefit all the staff. Motivated staff are then more committed to the organisation, and motivated into doing the best they can to help the business achieve its goals. Moreover, a HR department would remove the depersonalised face of the personnel department and make the company less bureaucratic.

Gender Roles in Things Fall Apart Essay

In Chinua Achebe’s novel Things Fall Apart, the Ibo society has a strict system of behavioral customs that are assigned by gender. These customs restrict the freedom of Ibo woman and help to reinforce generation after generation the notion that Ibo men are superior to women. In Achebe’s essay An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, he claims that Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, despite it’s insights, ought to be eradicated from literature as an appropriate piece of work on the argument that it is racist. Achebe focuses on gender roles and avoiding stereotypes to dismiss the racist attitude towards Africans in his novel by bringing the reader down to the level of his unbiased narration of a historical fiction novel. In Things Fall Apart, Achebe is cautious to avoid typical stereotypes describing white men. When the first white man is introduced, he is described as â€Å"†¦ not an Albino. He was quite different† his presence is foreign and not understood, but not dangerous. Achebe creates no account of the man being atrocious. In fact, throughout the entire story Achebe consistently attributes those same qualities to the white men later on in the novel; with the exception of The District Commissioner, who is described as â€Å"strict and unreasonable†. Achebe even puts white men in a good light; Mr. Brown constantly reminds the people of Umuofia that they should send their children to his church to learn to read and write so that other white men will not come to institute a new government and destroy their culture. By not negatively chronicling that white men are evil through narration and characterization, Achebe successfully lets loose the bounded stereotype of evil white men that are against African culture. Achebe affirms that in Ibo society, the condition of weakness is strongly associated with women. Therefore, a man being declared â€Å"woman-like† is an extreme insult. Unoka, Okonwko’s father, embodies the counter-values that stand in opposition to the rigid social ideal of the tribe. Okonkwo is ashamed when he learns that â€Å"agbala† was not only another name for woman, it could also mean a man who had taken no title when this insult is applied to his father. By stereotyping based on titles that are indigenous to Ibo culture rather than stereotypes that are demeaning to a race, Achebe is able to maintain an unbiased narrative in Things Fall Apart. Achebe does not completely demean woman in his story; it only seems as though that this is the case because he creates distractions to shy away from racism. In Ibo society, women marry to add to their father’s wealth, become subservient to their husbands, continue on their husband’s legacy through child birth and emanate the essence that women know the secret of life, since they are the source of it. This is evident when Uchendu ask â€Å"Can you tell me, Okonkwo, why it is that one of the commonest names we give to our children is Nneka, or ‘Mother is Supreme’? We all know that a man is the head of the family and his wives do his bidding. A child belongs to its father and his family and not to its mother and her family. A man belongs to his fatherland and not to his motherland. And yet we say Nneka–‘Mother is Supreme. ‘ Why is that? ‘ ‘A man belongs to his fatherland when things are good and life is sweet. But when there is sorrow and bitterness he finds refuge in his motherland. Your mother is there to protect you. She is buried there. And that is why we say that mother is supreme. ‘† Although the characters in the story never recognize the full capacities of women, they are described as emotionally strong. Achebe has an amazing gift for spotting bias that hides in plain sight; adapting against those anecdotes and historical asides, he creates something resembling a coherent story that necessitates dropping much that is important. Things Fall Apart possesses very deep meanings beyond that of avoiding stereotypes. Achebe purposely degrades women to not come across to the reader as racist, however his main priority is conveying lessons that are forgotten through literature. People who pick up a copy of Things Fall Apart will embark on journey that will let them see the subjugation of the African natives from their own perspective.

Chapter 10 Of Patterns Of World History Essay -- Islam, Muhammad, Quran

The Prophet Muhammad is revered by many as the founder of Islam. As von Sivers, Desnoyers and Stow infer, the Quran and Sunna both depict a theology of Mecca and Medina (Yathrib) as the sacred cities where Mohamed would preach the God’s word to pagans (280). Muhammad’s new Religion Islam became an Arab religion that did not recognize the teaching of Judaism and Christianity (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 280). Islam is distinct from all other religions due to five religious duties that identify Muslims, the profession of faith, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage to Mecca (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 281). Establishing a new religion was not a seamless process as Muhammad had to overcome before a community of Muslims that were mandated to engage in a holy struggle or jihad against those who believe in other Gods (von Sivers Desnoyers and Stow 280). What resulted was the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East as Muhammad’s successors conquered A rabia, Islam and Arab empires were a crucial component in the developments of Islamic Civilizations and Byzantium that were covered in Chapter 10 Patterns of World History, Volume One. The religion of Islam was brought to pagan Arabia by the Prophet Muhammed who spread the word of Allah to Arabs in Mecca and Yathrib. Islam grew to a point where a rift grew among Muslims forming the Sunni and Shiite sects. First came the Umayyad empire and then the Abbasids, representing the first major Arab empires, however their approach to Islam and Conquest differed were significantly different. The final point was the differences between the Russian version of Vladimir I’s conversion to Christianity on behalf of Russians and the Muslim account. In the end, the development of Islam and Arab empires unified the Arab world and began to wield increasing power over European and Asian empires.

Feature pegged to election 2012 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feature pegged to election 2012 - Essay Example In Florida, early voting is different from absentee balloting since early voting occurs at multiple locations while utilizing similar machines like those applied during Election Day. On the other hand, Florida absentee voters need to move to the administrator of election office, before filling out a mail-in ballot (Coleman, 4). Candidly, absentee votes count as it permits voters, in addition to those who are not able to get to the polling stations due to health issues, as well as the elderly the chance to vote. Furthermore, the existing system offers every support possible, specifically, the system offers a lot of time to register for the ballot online, in addition to sending emails every step of the way for proper verification. Moreover, it has been made much easier for the voter to research the candidates and their issues, with the actual ballot in front of them. Mark Stillwell, who is looking forward to voting in November, believes that the basic absentee voting system is okay, bu t it can be superior if there is an audit trail, which could verify that individual votes are counted. For instance, several Federal laws still guide the department of defense officials, in ascertaining military personnel serving beyond state and overseas when it comes to requesting, acquiring, and casting their absentee ballots. Certainly, this is an obvious disadvantage that suppresses military votes to be decided by only senior civilian officials in Pentagon. Whilst the pros of absentee voting are rather obvious, the cons are fairly ambiguous. The reason being that, absentee ballots, are pegged on decisions from local election officials, who interpret them using their individual state laws (Coleman, 4). Thus, this creates confusion as most of absentee ballots are often discarded due to technicalities. For instance, Erica Stillwell interviewed for this segment, says that â€Å"my ballot came with a "privacy sleeve" that I had to fill out with my personal information so they knew it was my ballot. It's supposed to be separated from my ballot to keep it all confidential, but I think it's a system that could be easily abuse†. Thus, this has caused her to be a little bit unease regarding the privacy of the whole process. Some of the absentee voters do not feel totally secure that their votes will be counted. Erica Stillwell argues in support of this conception by providing her own experience, â€Å"I also received three identical emails telling me that my ballot had been received, which makes me even more nervous about the validity of the system†. Despite of this indecision, she says â€Å"I honestly actually missed all the ceremony built up around Election Day too... I hate standing in line, but I always did feel a certain civic pride going to the polls and coming out with my "I voted" sticker†. Erica Stillwell fears are by no means unreal, since Florida overseas ballot voting statutes gives room for candidates’ campaigners to trove, incoming ballots via mail from the state residing abroad. They are also able to mount legal plus public relations battle to influence canvassing boards within their strongholds, so as to waive Florida election regulations in counting the overseas absentee ballots. There are numerous reasons that cause most people to distrust Florida absentee voting process, especially given that most are complaining that they do not feel absolutely convinced that their votes

Is Advertising for Fools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Is Advertising for Fools - Essay Example This "Is Advertising for Fools?" essay describes the different techniques that ad uses to attract customers and how it impact on our preferences and consumers' behavior. Communication What is communication? Understanding consumer behaviour and the buying decision-making process is easy if the process of communication is mastered. Communication is the process of sending a message passing through a channel or medium to a receiver from whom a response is elicited. This definition can be summarized in a diagram as in Figure 2 (Schiffman and Kanuk, 2004). Communication has five components: The first is the sender, who formulates or begins the message, identifies the receiver and specifies the reaction that is expected, and then specifies the channel that will be used. Using a boy who wants to attract a girl’s attention as an example, his simple message (the second component of the communication process) can be: â€Å"Are you free for lunch?† The message is intended for the girl. The expected reaction, which is the fifth component, we can assume, would be â€Å"Yes!† It can also be assumed that the boy is willing to spend for the girl’s lunch. Later, once he becomes better at marketing, he can get the girl to pay for the lunch. Going back to the example, the boy can then choose any of several channels, the third component of the process: a mobile phone call, text messaging, an e-mail, a live channel (a friend who knows the girl), or an old-fashioned communication channel: a folded, scented, coloured sheet of paper with the message written on it.

World Civilization II Unit 5 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

World Civilization II Unit 5 - Research Paper Example World War I also led to another revolution that brought Adolf Hitler to power. World War I also caused world instability that would not be enjoyed for thousands of years to come. The war also led to mass loss of millions of lives of civilians and soldiers. It is estimated that about 1.39 million soldiers died in which the British deaths were 800,000 (Haley, 2014). The war also led to signing of Treaty of Versailles that precipitated the rise of second major war (Grimshaw, 2008). The other major consequences were felt in Germany. It made Germany lose its territory and greatly affected the economy of German. The major of aim of the treaty was to make Germany a weak country (Haley, 2014). After Hitler had come to power, he knew that the only way to liberate his country from economic sabotage is through war. Additionally, the League of Nations failed to keep the peace (Haley, 2014). In this scenario, most countries abandoned the League of Nations resulting in its closure. Since there was no international body to prevent world wars, this lead to the outbreak of the second world war in 1939 (Haley, 2014). In conclusion, the First World War resulted in the long-term effects on the world. There was mass loss of life and property, and infrastructure was destroyed. An example of this defect includes children being born with abnormalities resulting from this war. The problems associated with WWI led to the outbreak of WW2. The Treaty of Versailles was a major contributor of the war because it directly had an economic sabotage on German (Grimshaw, 2008). It is clear that various effects of the war are evident in different parts of the world up to date. Haley, Kathleen. (2014). 100 Years after WWI: The Lasting Impacts of the Great War. Retrieved on 9 February 2015 from

The Current Evidence of Human Evolution (Human Biology essay) Essay

The Current Evidence of Human Evolution (Human Biology ) - Essay Example Unlike in the past, modern humans have created complex communal structures that are composed of many competing and cooperating groups, from individuals’ families to states. Social communications between humans also have established wide diversity of traditions, values, ethics, laws and social norms which all form human society’s basis modern humans have showed a bigger appreciation for aesthetics and beauty which when joint with the wish for self-expression, it has led to modernizations like music, literature and art. Modern humans are largely distinguished for their numerous desires to comprehend and influence the earth in search of answers to of explaining and manipulating normal phenomena through religion, science, mythology and philosophy (Cremo, 2010, p.49). This curiosity is what has enhanced the development of skills and advanced tools; modern humans are the only species that are currently known to clothe themselves, cook their food, build fires, and develop and enhance other numerous technologies (O’higgin &Cohn, 2000, p.89). This is unlike in the past where species dint use to light fires, eat healthy and nutritious food clothe t hemselves or know how to use any modern tools which shows that human beings have evolved over many years and are still evolving. Modern humans also pass their knowledge and skills to future generations through continuous education. Modern humans are genetically different from early human because of the increased rate of evolution which is as a result of increase growth of human population and their movements into new environments like cities, where most are taken as major subject to emerging natural collection pressures (Cunnanes & Stewart, 2010, p83). Evolution of human is characterized by various essential morphological, behavioral, physiological and developmental changes that have occurred since the split between chimpanzees and the last human being’s ancestor. The

One Time Passwords Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

One Time Passwords - Research Paper Example The new passwords are generated by the system using a one-way hash function (Bhaiji, 2009). Challenge/response: This type also uses mathematical algorithm, but with a challenge function. In this type, the user needs to generate a one-time password by entering a challenge (a random number or secret key), received at the time of login, into the password-generating token/software. Since new passwords are based on a challenge mechanism instead of being based on previous password, this type offers more security as compared to mathematical algorithm type (Bhaiji, 2009). Time-synchronized: In this type, passwords are generated by the system using a physical hardware token that has an accurate clock synchronized with the clock on the authentication server (Bhaiji, 2009). OTP technology is a type of multifactor (two-factor) authentication access control which provides strong user authentication for secure access. Two-factor authentication refers to the combination of any two of the three basic forms of one-factor authentication mechanism: something the user knows such as a password, pass phrase or PIN (personal identification number), something the user possesses such as a smart card or access token (hardware or software), and something physically unique about the user such as a fingerprint, voice, retina or iris scan, or DNA sequence (Samuelle, 2008). If the intruder is able to guess a randomly generated OTP somehow, he will be able to access the system only once because subsequent access would require him to get lucky again guessing a randomly generated OTP. The major problem of OTPs is that no user can ever able to remember them because they are generated in bulk and stored in a file on a system. Therefore, OTPs are vulnerable to eavesdropping because if someone knows that the passwords are stored in the file, and then he can gain unauthorized access to the user’s account where he can then install keystroke-capturing

David Abram Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

David Abram - Essay Example Abraham goes ahead to state that once human beings accept their bodies, they perforce recognize that they are also animals. Despite the uniqueness in mankind, its place is not above the animated world but instead in its midst. He also disagrees with the view that perception is the act of hearing, being aware or seeing something as perceived remains static, but instead its an interaction between one body and others or things, where there is a sympathetic or symbiosis relationship. He then discusses language which is rooted in the experience of senses. In a nutshell, Abram’s work presents a complex, detailed and good work that defines the existence of humanity. It throws a spanner on the complacency of the perceived truths and replaces them with thoughts that if they are not understood, they will remain open questions. He refers to it as a turning inside out resulting to loosening of the psyche from the confinement of human sphere. Simone de Beauvoir In her study, Ethics of Ambi guity, Simone de Beauvoir begins by presenting the characteristics of oppression, which includes; it removes the oppressed from community members believed to be in authority and can influence decisions and also aims towards the reduction of the oppressed to the status of an object. In his work, he believes that manipulation desire is one of the main ways through which oppression is exercised. Just like Sartre, she holds that the destruction of passion or desire will have a negative consequence for the creation of life and have a purpose in it.

The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The greenhouse effect and ozone depletion - Essay Example However, due to the fact that the earth is cooler than the sun, the wavelength of the energy radiated back lies within the infrared region of the spectrum. Most of this thermal radiation is absorbed by the clouds and other parts in the atmosphere and is radiated again to the earth. This entire effect is termed as the greenhouse effect. Due to this effect, the temperature of the earth is maintained at levels which allow life to be possible, albeit this effect is useful, the use of human activities, majorly, the deforestation and the burning of the fossil fuels have led to an intensified green house effect. This has ultimately led to global warming (IPPC, 2007). The natural greenhouse effect involves certain greenhouse gases. These include, oxygen nitrogen, carbon dioxide etc. As a result of the natural greenhouse effect, the gases present in trace amounts within the atmosphere play a vital role in raising the temperature. This phenomenon is of immense concern since it leads to changes at sea level, changes in the weather (Myhre & Shindell, 2013). The greenhouse effect is not only caused by natural factors but also by anthropogenic sources. This human induced green house effect is mainly due to the energy sector which plays the role of the second largest contributor of emissions of non-CO2 greenhouse gases. This accounted for 26 percent of emissions in 2005 (Myhre & Shindell, 2013). Further, the coal mining activities, waste from home and businesses and agriculture accounts for the release of the greenhouse gas methane. This gas causes global warming through excessive greenhouse effect resulting in a climate change. These climate impacts are in relation with the rate of temperature rise while other impacts are related to the extent of temperature rise (EPA, 2015). It is believed that the levels of CO2 have increased by 38% while those of methane have increased by 148% since 2009. These gases aid in increased infrared energy emitted by the

General Mills Case Essay Example for Free

General Mills Case Essay General Mills is a major manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods in partnership with Pepsi Co. and Nestle. General Mills’ revenue is about 7.5 dollars with a market capitalization numbering to about 11 billion dollars. Its products are cereals, snacks, yogurt and many more and with this, they have to decide about an acquisition of another business which complements their products for them to be able to create more shares of stocks for the personal growth of the company. The company which they want to acquire is Pillsbury which is owned by Diageo PLC. Diageo PLC is considered as one of the leading consumer goods companies in the world. Owned by Diageo, Pillsbury operates as an independent company which produces refrigerated dough and baked goods which is related with the business of General Mills. Pillsbury‘s earning on year 2000 is $6.1 billion with reasonable debt structure. This transaction requires General Mill to issue 141million shares of its common stock to Diageo, making him own 33% of General Mill’s outstanding stocks. It also included an assumption of $5.142 billion of Pillsbury debt by Diageo. The first two statements when added would total to the asking price of Diageo which is $10.5 billion that is $500 million larger than the proposed payment of Gen. Mills totaling to $10 billion. Another is a contingent payment by Diageo of up to $642 million to General Mills upon the first anniversary of the transaction depending on General Mill’s 20days share price at that time. If the transaction would be completed, General Mills would then own 100% of the Pillsbury’s stock as it would already be owned by General Mills. In relation with the terms set in the transaction, General Mills didn’t like to issue one third of its shares to Diageo that is actually equal to 33%, which is what Diageo wanted. Another is that General Mills didn’t want to lose value it its investment grade bond rating. Positive results if transaction is approved: 1. General Mills will achieve growth because sales that will be made by Pillsbury will now be added to the sales made by General Mills and that goes with an increase in revenue for General Mills. This result will then benefit GM’s share-holders. 2. The two companies’ products are related and thus there would be easier management and operation since they could combine materials and resources and be able to choose which are the better suppliers bases on what the two companies currently have. Upon acquisition, they joint companies could now remove and retain what is better for them to have for better production. In relation to this, they would then be able to save costs maybe from production or others like taxes. 3. Merger of brand names could increase the value of the company with regards to their popularity. 4. According to Porter, there is rivalry in industries and as a Hotel and Restaurant Management graduate, I could say that the competition within the food industry is very intense because of low barriers to entry. So, the joining of two big companies is essential for them to be able to create stronger barriers to diminish competitors and therefore earn more than usual. EXHIBIT 3 Price of stocks on transaction date, July 14, 2000 is $36.31 Total stocks: 141million * 3 = 423million Total price of stocks as of Nov. 27, 2000 423million * $36.31 = $15.359 billion The latest price of stocks of General Mills is equal to $40.49 as of Nov. 27, 2000 Remaining stocks after transaction: 423-141 = 282million Total price of remaining stocks after transaction: 282million * $40.49 = $11.418 billion *This would show that General Mills did not lose so much since there was increase in the price of their stock that means that it would be receive payment from Diageo amounting to $642 million which it could use to buy back some of its stocks. Possible negative Effects of Acquisition: 1. Possible increase in their debt since according to exhibit 5, General Mills have a total debt to equity ratio of 12.048 with a long term debt to equity ratio of 6.179. 2. Possible loss of employment because of cost saving and duplication in the position of employees for the joint company. In conclusion, I think that they should agree with the transaction because of the more positive result it will bring compared to the negative effects that it could give. The losses they will have will surely have a great return after they have polished everything in their marketing, production, management operations and in regards with whole new company.

Social network service Essay Example for Free

Social network service Essay Internet is recently one of the fast, convenient ways for people to communicate with other people around the world. Especially with social networking sites, people are now able to create their own world online. They can do all the things they want to do even things they can’t do them in their real lives. Most likely, teenagers are a great numbers of users and members of the networking sites such as Myspace, Hi5, Facebook and Friendster. They usually get online and join those sites on their free time. Adults are not exceptions here, they use networking sites to do research, communicate with others or do their work online. In some aspects, those networking sites have shared the bad publicity of identity theft, false profiles, and online predators. In fact, those things have happened recently because social networking sites can not control what kind of people will be online and join their sites, so the risks are obviously not created by their faults. Despite of those bad publicities, social networking are still popularfor their great functions and features. Specially, creating a comfortable entertain atmosphere, helping people improve their social skills, and providing interesting information for users to learn and expand their knowledge. First, social networking sites create a comfortable entertain atmosphere that people can access anytime when they are at home. These sites are like playground where people can find things to do. For example, for bored people, it is probably a good place for them to spend their time. Moreover, these social networking sites allow people to create a personal profile in order to keep in touch with old friends, make new friends and even to look for a date online. For instance, we have been using Yahoo for two years, and we were surprised that this site helped us to reunite my old friends in high school in Manila. It was amazing that we also have a lot of new friendships since we have used it. Moreover,social networking sites also encourage people to create their own profiles, which can include their personal information, their interest, their photo slides, blog entries and even music clips. These are great features because people can share not only their information with others but also share their interests and hobbies as well. Some people write their dairies in blogs, where entries are made in journal style, to share with others and allow people to post comments in comment box. Therefore,social networking sites are good places for people to make friends and express their feelings with online world. Next, another advantage of social networking sites is helping people to practice and improve their social skills. Just like talking on the phone, socialization on the internet give people chances to think about their conversation and have more time to think how to response. Thus, this kind of socializing is more convenience than face-to-face interaction. It is a good opportunity for them to experiment with greetings and response, especially with kids and teenagers w ho are anxious when they involve in conversations. Moreover, social networking sites are also useful for people with special needs can express themselves, including thought and feeling, more easily and without fear of being teased or rejection they may have in real life. Specially, for people with learning disabilities, these sites help them to socialize anonymously. For instance, they can present different personas or act as people who they really are when they create profiles online, because in real life they don’t have chances to be themselves in some ways. By using these sites, they will have a great experience with initiating and maintaining online friendships. They will become more confident and improve their social skills, which they may carry over into real life and give them courage to maintain friendship in real life. So you see, there are a lot of things that are going on with these social networking sites. That’s the reason why we chose this topic. We wanted to know the effects brought by social networking sites to fourth year students, particularly to the fourth year students of IV- Love of the College of the Holy Spirit of Tarlac.

The Taguchi Methods for Quality Improvement

The Taguchi Methods for Quality Improvement INTRODUCTION: Taguchi methods are statistical methods developed by Genichi Taguchi to improve the quality of manufactured goods, and more recently also applied to, engineering, biotechnology, marketing and advertising. Professional statisticians have welcomed the goals and improvements brought about by Taguchi methods, particularly by Taguchis development of designs for studying variation, but have criticized the inefficiency of some of Taguchis proposals. Taguchis work includes three principal contributions to statistics: A specific loss function see Taguchi loss function; The philosophy of off-line quality control; and Innovations in the design of experiments. Loss functions Loss functions in statistical theory Traditionally, statistical methods have relied on mean-unbiased estimators of treatment effects: Under the conditions of the Gauss-Markov theorem, least squares estimators have minimum variance among all mean-unbiased estimators. The emphasis on comparisons of means also draws (limiting) comfort from the law of large numbers, according to which the sample means converge to the true mean. Fishers textbook on the design of experiments emphasized comparisons of treatment means. Gauss proved that the sample-mean minimizes the expected squared-error loss-function (while Laplace proved that a median-unbiased estimator minimizes the absolute-error loss function). In statistical theory, the central role of the loss function was renewed by the statistical decision theory of Abraham Wald. However, loss functions were avoided by Ronald A. Fisher.[6] Taguchis use of loss functions Taguchi knew statistical theory mainly from the followers of Ronald A. Fisher, who also avoided loss functions. Reacting to Fishers methods in the design of experiments, Taguchi interpreted Fishers methods as being adapted for seeking to improve the mean outcome of a process. Indeed, Fishers work had been largely motivated by programmes to compare agricultural yields under different treatments and blocks, and such experiments were done as part of a long-term programme to improve harvests. However, Taguchi realised that in much industrial production, there is a need to produce an outcome on target, for example, to machine a hole to a specified diameter, or to manufacture a cell to produce a given voltage. He also realised, as had Walter A. Shewhart and others before him, that excessive variation lay at the root of poor manufactured quality and that reacting to individual items inside and outside specification was counterproductive. He therefore argued that quality engineering should start with an understanding of quality costs in various situations. In much conventional industrial engineering, the quality costs are simply represented by the number of items outside specification multiplied by the cost of rework or scrap. However, Taguchi insisted that manufacturers broaden their horizons to consider cost to society. Though the short-term costs may simply be those of non-conformance, any item manufactured away from nominal would result in some loss to the customer or the wider community through early wear-out; difficulties in interfacing with other parts, themselves probably wide of nominal; or the need to build in safety margins. These losses are externalities and are usually ignored by manufacturers, which are more interested in their private costs than social costs. Such externalities prevent markets from operating efficiently, according to analyses of public economics. Taguchi argued that such losses would in evitably find their way back to the originating corporation (in an effect similar to the tragedy of the commons), and that by working to minimise them, manufacturers would enhance brand reputation, win markets and generate profits. Such losses are, of course, very small when an item is near to negligible. Donald J. Wheeler characterised the region within specification limits as where we deny that losses exist. As we diverge from nominal, losses grow until the point where losses are too great to deny and the specification limit is drawn. All these losses are, as W. Edwards Deming would describe them, unknown and unknowable, but Taguchi wanted to find a useful way of representing them statistically. Taguchi specified three situations: Larger the better (for example, agricultural yield); Smaller the better (for example, carbon dioxide emissions); and On-target, minimum-variation (for example, a mating part in an assembly). The first two cases are represented by simple monotonic loss functions. In the third case, Taguchi adopted a squared-error loss function for several reasons: It is the first symmetric term in the Taylor series expansion of real analytic loss-functions. Total loss is measured by the variance. As variance is additive (for uncorrelated random variables), the total loss is an additive measurement of cost (for uncorrelated random variables). The squared-error loss function is widely used in statistics, following Gausss use of the squared-error loss function in justifying the method of least squares. Reception of Taguchis ideas by statisticians Though many of Taguchis concerns and conclusions are welcomed by statisticians and economists, some ideas have been especially criticized. For example, Taguchis recommendation that industrial experiments maximise some signal-to-noise ratio (representing the magnitude of the mean of a process compared to its variation) has been criticized widely. Off-line quality control Taguchis rule for manufacturing Taguchi realized that the best opportunity to eliminate variation is during the design of a product and its manufacturing process. Consequently, he developed a strategy for quality engineering that can be used in both contexts. The process has three stages: System design Parameter design Tolerance design System design This is design at the conceptual level, involving creativity and innovation. Parameter design Once the concept is established, the nominal values of the various dimensions and design parameters need to be set, the detail design phase of conventional engineering. Taguchis radical insight was that the exact choice of values required is under-specified by the performance requirements of the system. In many circumstances, this allows the parameters to be chosen so as to minimise the effects on performance arising from variation in manufacture, environment and cumulative damage. This is sometimes called robustification. Tolerance design With a successfully completed parameter design, and an understanding of the effect that the various parameters have on performance, resources can be focused on reducing and controlling variation in the critical few dimensions (see Pareto principle). Design of experiments Taguchi developed his experimental theories independently. Taguchi read works following R. A. Fisher only in 1954. Taguchis framework for design of experiments is idiosyncratic and often flawed, but contains much that is of enormous value. He made a number of innovations. Outer arrays Taguchis designs aimed to allow greater understanding of variation than did many of the traditional designs from the analysis of variance (following Fisher). Taguchi contended that conventional sampling is inadequate here as there is no way of obtaining a random sample of future conditions.[7] In Fishers design of experiments and analysis of variance, experiments aim to reduce the influence of nuisance factors to allow comparisons of the mean treatment-effects. Variation becomes even more central in Taguchis thinking. Taguchi proposed extending each experiment with an outer array (possibly an orthogonal array); the outer array should simulate the random environment in which the product would function. This is an example of judgmental sampling. Many quality specialists have been using outer arrays. Later innovations in outer arrays resulted in compounded noise. This involves combining a few noise factors to create two levels in the outer array: First, noise factors that drive output lower, and second, noise factors that drive output higher. Compounded noise simulates the extremes of noise variation but uses fewer experimental runs than would previous Taguchi designs. Management of interactions Interactions, as treated by Taguchi Many of the orthogonal arrays that Taguchi has advocated are saturated arrays, allowing no scope for estimation of interactions. This is a continuing topic of controversy. However, this is only true for control factors or factors in the inner array. By combining an inner array of control factors with an outer array of noise factors, Taguchis approach provides full information on control-by-noise interactions, it is claimed. Taguchi argues that such interactions have the greatest importance in achieving a design that is robust to noise factor variation. The Taguchi approach provides more complete interaction information than typical fractional factorial designs, its adherents claim. * Followers of Taguchi argue that the designs offer rapid results and that interactions can be eliminated by proper choice of quality characteristics. That notwithstanding, a confirmation experiment offers protection against any residual interactions. If the quality characteristic represents the energy transformation of the system, then the likelihood of control factor-by-control factor interactions is greatly reduced, since energy is additive. Inefficencies of Taguchis designs * Interactions are part of the real world. In Taguchis arrays, interactions are confounded and difficult to resolve. Statisticians in response surface methodology (RSM) advocate the sequential assembly of designs: In the RSM approach, a screening design is followed by a follow-up design that resolves only the confounded interactions that are judged to merit resolution. A second follow-up design may be added, time and resources allowing, to explore possible high-order univariate effects of the remaining variables, as high-order univariate effects are less likely in variables already eliminated for having no linear effect. With the economy of screening designs and the flexibility of follow-up designs, sequential designs have great statistical efficiency. The sequential designs of response surface methodology require far fewer experimental runs than would a sequence of Taguchis designs.[ TAGUCHI METHODS There has been a great deal of controversy about Genichi Taguchis methodology since it was first introduced in the United States. This controversy has lessened considerably in recent years due to modifications and extensions of his methodology. The main controversy, however, is still about Taguchis statistical methods, not about his philosophical concepts concerning quality or robust design. Furthermore, it is generally accepted that Taguchis philosophy has promoted, on a worldwide scale, the design of experiments for quality improvement upstream, or at the product and process design stage. Taguchis philosophy and methods support, and are consistent with, the Japanese quality control approach that asserts that higher quality generally results in lower cost. This is in contrast to the widely prevailing view in the United States that asserts that quality improvement is associated with higher cost. Furthermore, Taguchis philosophy and methods support the Japanese approach to move quality improvement upstream. Taguchis methods help design engineers build quality into products and processes. As George Box, Soren Bisgaard, and Conrad Fung observed: Today the ultimate goal of quality improvement is to design quality into every product and process and to follow up at every stage from design to final manufacture and sale. An important element is the extensive and innovative use of statistically designed experiments. TAGUCHIS DEFINITION OF QUALITY The old traditional definition of quality states quality is conformance to specifications. This definition was expanded by Joseph M. Juran (1904-) in 1974 and then by the American Society for Quality Control (ASQC) in 1983. Juran observed that quality is fitness for use. The ASQC defined quality as the totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy given needs. Taguchi presented another definition of quality. His definition stressed the losses associated with a product. Taguchi stated that quality is the loss a product causes to society after being shipped, other than losses caused by its intrinsic functions. Taguchi asserted that losses in his definition should be restricted to two categories: (1) loss caused by variability of function, and (2) loss caused by harmful side effects. Taguchi is saying that a product or service has good quality if it performs its intended functions without variability, and causes little loss through harmful side effects, including the cost of using it. It must be kept in mind here that society includes both the manufacturer and the customer. Loss associated with function variability includes, for example, energy and time (problem fixing), and money (replacement cost of parts). Losses associated with harmful side effects could be market shares for the manufacturer and/or the physical effects, such as of the drug thalidomide, for the consumer. Consequently, a company should provide products and services such that possible losses to society are minimized, or, the purpose of quality improvement is to discover innovative ways of designing products and processes that will save society more than they cost in the long run. The concept of reliability is appropriate here. The next section will clearly show that Taguchis loss function yields an operational definition of the term loss to society in his definition of quality. TAGUCHIS LOSS FUNCTION We have seen that Taguchis quality philosophy strongly emphasizes losses or costs. W. H. Moore asserted that this is an enlightened approach that embodies three important premises: for every product quality characteristic there is a target value which results in the smallest loss; deviations from target value always results in increased loss to society; [and] loss should be measured in monetary units (dollars, pesos, francs, etc.). Figure I depicts Taguchis typically loss function. The figure also contrasts Taguchis function with the traditional view that states there are no losses if specifications are met. Taguchis Loss Function It can be seen that small deviations from the target value result in small losses. These losses, however, increase in a nonlinear fashion as deviations from the target value increase. The function shown above is a simple quadratic equation that compares the measured value of a unit of output Y to the target T.: Essentially, this equation states that the loss is proportional to the square of the deviation of the measured value, Y, from the target value, T. This implies that any deviation from the target (based on customers desires and needs) will diminish customer satisfaction. This is in contrast to the traditional definition of quality that states that quality is conformance to specifications. It should be recognized that the constant k can be determined if the value of L(Y) associated with some Y value are both known. Of course, under many circumstances a quadratic function is only an approximation. Since Taguchis loss function is presented in monetary terms, it provides a common language for all the departments or components within a company. Finally, the loss function can be used to define performance measures of a quality characteristic of a product or service. This property of Taguchis loss function will be taken up in the next section. But to anticipate the discussion of this property, Taguchis quadratic function can be converted to: This can be accomplished by assuming Y has some probability distribution with mean, a and variance o.2 This second mathematical expression states that average or expected loss is due either to process variation or to being off target (called bias), or both. TAGUCHI, ROBUST DESIGN, AND THEÂ  DESIGN OF EXPERIMENTS Taguchi asserted that the development of his methods of experimental design started in Japan about 1948. These methods were then refined over the next several decades. They were introduced in the United States around 1980. Although, Taguchis approach was built on traditional concepts of design of experiments (DOE), such as factorial and fractional factorial designs and orthogonal arrays, he created and promoted some new DOE techniques such as signal-to-noise ratios, robust designs, and parameter and tolerance designs. Some experts in the field have shown that some of these techniques, especially signal-to-noise ratios, are not optimal under certain conditions. Nonetheless, Taguchis ideas concerning robust design and the design of experiments will now be discussed. DOE is a body of statistical techniques for the effective and efficient collection of data for a number of purposes. Two significant ones are the investigation of research hypotheses and the accurate determination of the relative effects of the many different factors that influence the quality of a product or process. DOE can be employed in both the product design phase and production phase. A crucial component of quality is a products ability to perform its tasks under a variety of conditions. Furthermore, the operating environmental conditions are usually beyond the control of the product designers, and, therefore robust designs are essential. Robust designs are based on the use of DOE techniques for finding product parameter settings (e.g., temperature settings or drill speeds), which enable products to be resilient to changes and variations in working environments. It is generally recognized that Taguchi deserves much of the credit for introducing the statistical study of robust design. We have seen how Taguchis loss function sets variation reduction as a primary goal for quality improvement. Taguchis DOE techniques employ the loss function concept to investigate both product parameters and key environmental factors. His DOE techniques are part of his philosophy of achieving economical quality design. To achieve economical product quality design, Taguchi proposed three phases: system design, parameter design, and tolerance design. In the first phase, system design, design engineers use their practical experience, along with scientific and engineering principles, to create a viably functional design. To elaborate, system design uses current technology, processes, materials, and engineering methods to define and construct a new system. The system can be a new product or process, or an improved modification of an existing product or process. The parameter design phase determines the optimal settings for the product or process parameters. These parameters have been identified during the system design phase. DOE methods are applied here to determine the optimal parameter settings. Taguchi constructed a limited number of experimental designs, from which U.S. engineers have found it easy to select and apply in their manufacturing environments. The goal of the parameter design is to design a robust product or process, which, as a result of minimizing performance variation, minimizes manufacturing and product lifetime costs. Robust design means that the performance of the product or process is insensitive to noise factors such as variation in environmental conditions, machine wear, or product to-product variation due to raw material differences. Taguchis DOE parameter design techniques are used to determine which controllable factors and which noise factors are the significant variables. The aim is to set the controllable factors at those levels that will result in a product or process being robust with respect to the noise factors. In our previous discussion of Taguchis loss function, two equations were discussed. It was observed that the second equation could be used to establish quality performance measures that permit the optimization of a given products quality characteristic. In improving quality, both the average response of a quality and its variation are important. The second equation suggests that it may be advantageous to combine both the average response and variation into a single measure. And Taguchi did this with his signal-to-noise ratios (S/N). Consequently, Taguchis approach is to select design parameter levels that will maximize the appropriate S/N ratio. These S/N ratios can be used to get closer to a given target value (such as tensile strength or baked tile dimensions), or to reduce variation in the products quality characteristic(s). For example, one S/N ratio corresponds to what Taguchi called nominal is best. Such a ratio is selected when a specific target value, such as tensile strength, is the design goal. For the nominal is best case, Taguchi recommended finding an adjustment factor (some parameter setting) that will eliminate the bias discussed in the second equation. Sometimes a factor can be found that will control the average response without affecting the variance. If this is the case, our second equation tells us that the expected loss becomes: Consequently, the aim now is to reduce the variation. Therefore, Taguchis S/N ratio is: where S 2 is the samples standard deviation. In this formula, by minimizing S 2 , 10 log 10 S 2 , is maximized. Recall that all of Taguchis S/N ratios are to be maximized. Finally, a few brief comments concerning the tolerance design phase. This phase establishes tolerances, or specification limits, for either the product or process parameters that have been identified as critical during the second phase, the parameter design phase. The goal here is to establish tolerances wide enough to reduce manufacturing costs, while at the same time assuring that the product or process characteristics are within certain bounds. EXAMPLES AND CONCLUSIONS As Thomas P. Ryan has stated, Taguchi at the very least, has focused our attention on new objectives in achieving quality improvement. The statistical tools for accomplishing these objectives will likely continue to be developed. Quality management gurus, such as W. Edwards Deming (1900-1993) and Kaoru Ishikawa (1915-), have stressed the importance of continuous quality improvement by concentrating on processes upstream. This is a fundamental break with the traditional practice of relying on inspection downstream. Taguchi emphasized the importance of DOE in improving the quality of the engineering design of products and processes. As previously mentioned, however, his methods are frequently statistically inefficient and cumbersome. Nonetheless, Taguchis design of experiments have been widely applied and theoretically refined and extended. Two application cases and one refinement example will now be discussed. K. N. Anand, in an article in Quality Engineering, discussed a welding problem. Welding was performed to repair cracks and blown holes on the cast-iron housing of an assembled electrical machine. Customers wanted a defect-free quality weld, however the welding process had resulted in a fairly high percentage of welding defects. Management and welders identified five variables and two interactions that were considered the key factors in improving quality. A Taguchi orthogonal design was performed resulting in the identification of two highly significant interactions and a defect-free welding process. The second application, presented by M. W. Sonius and B. W. Tew in a Quality Engineering article, involved reducing stress components in the connection between a composite component and a metallic end fitting for a composite structure. Bonding, pinning, or riveting the fitting in place traditionally made the connections. Nine significant variables that could affect the performance of the entrapped fiber connections were identified and a Taguchi experimental design was performed. The experiment identified two of the nine factors and their respective optimal settings. Therefore, stress levels were significantly reduced. The theoretical refinement example involves Taguchi robust designs. We have seen where such a design can result in products and processes that are insensitive to noise factors. Using Taguchis quadratic loss function, however, may provide a poor approximation of true loss and suboptimal product or process quality. John F. Kros and Christina M. Mastrangelo established relationships between nonquadratic loss functions and Taguchis signal-to-noise ratios. Applying these relationships in an experimental design can change the recommended selection of the respective settings of the key parameters and result in smaller losses.

Power of One :: essays research papers

â€Å"Inclusion, not exclusion, is the key to survival.† What does this mean? To say the least, the definition is clearly stated in The Power of One. Initially, Peekay in The Power of One was isolated by members of his family, and as a result of that he was excluded by society because of his background. Ultimately, he was excluded within his own race because of his actions throughout this story. â€Å"One thing got to all of them more than everything else. They couldn’t make me cry.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Peekay was isolated by his family and suffered through deaths and losses. Peekay’s father died early in his life and from there on out he had to learn to live with the idea of death. The next deaths came from Granpa Chook, his mother, and Nanny. Losses continued when Doc went back to Germany, and a camp guard killed Piet. Even when he picked up all his strength as a young man, his losses continued when Maria, his love, was also killed. It just kept on adding up, and Peekay kept taking blow by blow. â€Å"Don’t cry, Peekay. Sister’ll know I told you if you cry.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Next, Peekay suffered exclusion, and for him it wasn’t much different. He was English, and the Afrikaners in his society hated him. The English took over and governed their territory. â€Å"I was a rooinek and a pisskop. I spoke the wrong language. And now I was obviously made differently.† Therefore, Peekay was discriminated against because of his background. For example Peekay was even whipped while hanging upside down. It’s amazing that something such as that occurred. Lastly, Peekay went through exclusion because of the way he acted. Peekay was a friend to the blacks, which was very uncommon. He even started a Saturday school in which to teach blacks to read throughout their tribes.

Self-imposed Isolation Essay -- Literary Analysis, Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prolific writer, weaving some of the best-known stories in American literature. While Hawthorne’s works tend to focus around the Puritan themes of sin, he was usually critical of Puritan ideals. Some of Hawthorne’s works (â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, and The Scarlet Letter) have characters living life outside of their Puritan communities and can be classified as outsider narratives. Young Goodman Brown, Reverend Hooper, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynne are all outsiders in their communities, but what makes the characters unique is that they chose to be outsiders. The Scarlet Letter, perhaps Hawthorne’s most famous work, is also an excellent example of an outsider narrative: most major characters introduced in the book can be labeled as outsiders. The most obvious examples of outsiders in the book are Hester and Dimmesdale, though Dimmesdale’s isolation is subtler in the eyes of his community. Stromberg argues that Hawthorne uses these outsider figures as stand-ins for the Devil (275). While Hester and Dimmesdale are quite obviously outsiders, it seems odd to say that they are representative of the Devil since Chillingworth seems to transform into an unsavory character throughout the book. However, Stromberg does express the core reason why Hester and Dimmesdale can be considered outsiders in the eyes of the Puritan community: The mark of the [Devil], which both Hester and Dimmesdale war in their different ways, is the sign of disassociation from community, the sin which they committed in violating the laws of their society, and which they commit again in the desire to make themselves happy at the expense of everyone around them. (275) Happiness, a force that usually brings ... ... coined. Though Hawthorne’s characters had a choice, they always took the choice that led them away from their community. However, it seems that Hawthorne did not see this as a terrible option: when his characters turn away from their society, their life becomes more enlightened. Enlightenment, it seems, is more importantly that belonging in Hawthorne’s opinion. For the two ministers, Dimmesdale and Hooper, the departure from society is quite effective in their professional careers as the new outlook on life makes them more powerful preachers. With Hester and Brown, though there is some doubt on how their lives benefitted from their exit from community. Still, if the characters are viewed through a philosophical lens, their egress is of great benefit to them. By exiting the community Hawthorne’s characters find what they have all been searching for: enlightenment. Self-imposed Isolation Essay -- Literary Analysis, Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne was a prolific writer, weaving some of the best-known stories in American literature. While Hawthorne’s works tend to focus around the Puritan themes of sin, he was usually critical of Puritan ideals. Some of Hawthorne’s works (â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, and The Scarlet Letter) have characters living life outside of their Puritan communities and can be classified as outsider narratives. Young Goodman Brown, Reverend Hooper, Arthur Dimmesdale, and Hester Prynne are all outsiders in their communities, but what makes the characters unique is that they chose to be outsiders. The Scarlet Letter, perhaps Hawthorne’s most famous work, is also an excellent example of an outsider narrative: most major characters introduced in the book can be labeled as outsiders. The most obvious examples of outsiders in the book are Hester and Dimmesdale, though Dimmesdale’s isolation is subtler in the eyes of his community. Stromberg argues that Hawthorne uses these outsider figures as stand-ins for the Devil (275). While Hester and Dimmesdale are quite obviously outsiders, it seems odd to say that they are representative of the Devil since Chillingworth seems to transform into an unsavory character throughout the book. However, Stromberg does express the core reason why Hester and Dimmesdale can be considered outsiders in the eyes of the Puritan community: The mark of the [Devil], which both Hester and Dimmesdale war in their different ways, is the sign of disassociation from community, the sin which they committed in violating the laws of their society, and which they commit again in the desire to make themselves happy at the expense of everyone around them. (275) Happiness, a force that usually brings ... ... coined. Though Hawthorne’s characters had a choice, they always took the choice that led them away from their community. However, it seems that Hawthorne did not see this as a terrible option: when his characters turn away from their society, their life becomes more enlightened. Enlightenment, it seems, is more importantly that belonging in Hawthorne’s opinion. For the two ministers, Dimmesdale and Hooper, the departure from society is quite effective in their professional careers as the new outlook on life makes them more powerful preachers. With Hester and Brown, though there is some doubt on how their lives benefitted from their exit from community. Still, if the characters are viewed through a philosophical lens, their egress is of great benefit to them. By exiting the community Hawthorne’s characters find what they have all been searching for: enlightenment.

Foreshadowing in Flannery O Connors A Good Man Is Hard to Find Essays

Foreshadowing in Flannery O' Connor's "A Good Man Is Hard to Find" Flannery O' Connor, a native of Georgia was one of the most prolific writers of the twentieth century. As a strict Catholic, O' Connor often displayed a sense of spiritual corruption within the characters in most of her stories. One of O' Connor's famous stories, "A Good Man Is Hard to Find," reveals the image of spiritual deficiency inherent in the characters which foreshadowed a bloody end. The grandmother communicated the warning of the Misfit, but her activities itself were various signs of foreshadowing of the end approaching. The grandmother warned about the Misfit in the first paragraph of the story: "`Here this fellow calls himself the Misfit is loose from the federal pen and headed toward Florida and you read here what it says he did to these people.'" This was the first sign of an obvious foreshadowing element at the start of the story which was ignored by everybody, even by the messenger herself. On the day of the trip to Florida, the grandmother was the first one to be in the car and also dressed very nicely with: `.....a navy blue straw sailor hat with a bunch of white violets on the brim and a navy blue dress with a small white dot in the print. Her collars and cuffs were white organdy trimmed with lace and at her neckline she had pinned a purple spray of cloth violets containing a sachet.' People usually are found to be dressed in their best outfits and especially found carrying flowers at the time of their death. In reality, it would not be necessary to wear very decent clothing for the purpose of going on a long trip. Next, the place where the family was traveling through had elements which were predicting the doom foretold in the ... ...hing wrong, but still she had to suffer death just like Jesus did. His statement was a statement with a hidden sense of foreshadowing concerning the grandmother's murder. The grandmother begged the Misfit for mercy and told him, "`I'll give you all the money I've got!'" His reply was, "`There never was a body that give the undertaker a tip,'" which was his way of foreshadowing her near death. Thus, Flannery O'Connor used strong imagery to provide foreshadowing to her readers of the inevitable ending of her "A Good Man Is Hard to Find." She first gave her readers a taste of the ending by mentioning the behavior and activities of the characters and also by describing the place of the family's last place of visit on earth, which built her readers' curiosity. Her foreshadowing images are both strong and obscure so as not to spoil the surprising ending of the story.

Effects of Fast Food on Your Body

The objective of this research proposal is to closely examine the effects of fast food in one’s with relations to obesity and to find the truth behind these scrumptious but unhealthful cuisines. In America today, fifty percent of the money used to buy food by consumers goes into these fast food restaurants. With this percentage, the consumption of fast food is extremely high. Studies have shown that an excessive intake of fast food can lead to an unhealthy diet and can cause obesity. For my preliminary investigation, factors will be revealed of the truth behind fast food thus a research question will be generated and directed towards my final research project. All over the world, at every corner one is bound to bump into a fast food restaurant, whether it is McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, or even Taco Bell. From my initial research, I found numerous articles, journals, and a documentary proving that these â€Å"convenience† foods can lead to obesity. The intake of fast food has greatly increased in the past 20-30 years. Since the increase, obesity has become an epidemic. For many years, society has been exposed to fast food for countless number of times. From this, obesity is becoming a major issue in the United States. For many people, it is the easiest and fastest way to get a meal. Hence the word â€Å"fast food. † In addition, the public finds these foods as satisfying and inexpensive. In today’s society, people are always â€Å"on-the-go† and therefore try to find the quickest way to grab a bite. Many average people go to a fast food restaurant to take advantage of its convenience and reasonable price. From experience, fast food has been a â€Å"replacement† when home cooked meals were not around. There have been consecutive times when my body has digested a McDonald’s meal for more than twice a day. These meals substituted the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the day. From then, an unhealthy diet was about to emerge. As a precaution, it is best to know the negative factors of excessive intake on fast food. In the book â€Å"Fast Food Nation† by Eric Schlosser, he states that the United States spends about half of their money eating at fast food restaurants. Their all-time favorite fast food chain is none other than McDonald’s. It is now the biggest and well-known chain in the world. McDonald’s holds about ninety percent of the country’s new jobs. Many consumers are unaware of how much they spend daily at these restaurants. â€Å"Hundreds of millions of people buy fast food every day without giving it much thought, unaware of the subtle and not so subtle ramifications of their purchases. They rarely consider where this food came from, how it was made, and what it is doing to the community around them. † (Schlosser, 10) Schlosser wrote â€Å"Fast Food Nation† to inform readers the truth that lies beneath those mouth-watering patties, flavor enhancing condiments, â€Å"healthy† salads, and soft buns. Fast foods can be just as addicting as drugs. Everyone knows that too much of anything is bad for the body. According to a journal article entitled â€Å"Fast Food: unfriendly and unhealthy†, the author, Steen Stender, states that, â€Å"Individuals who had meals at fast-food restaurants more than two times a week gained 4. 5 kg more weight and had a 104% greater increase in insulin resistance, at both baseline and follow-up, than individuals who ate less than one fast food meal per week† (887). From this study, it shows that fast food can have a great impact in one’s body. Eating fast food uncontrollably can lead to obesity, but it can also lead to type 2 diabetes. â€Å"Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity† discusses about children who have a great intake on fast food can lead to obesity. From this amount, it has given them more calories than the usual causing them to gain about six more pounds per year. The article also states that about one-third of the United State’s youth population is obese. It proves that there really is a factor in too much intake on fast foods. In the article â€Å"Are fast food restaurants an environmental risk factor for obesity? † by Robert W. Jeffery, it testifies that obesity has increased in the past 20-30 years. These increases are due to the fact of physical and social factors, and not biological. A telephone survey was conducted and concluded that children eating at fast food restaurants has made them obese and increased their Body Mass Index (BMI). Another journal article found was â€Å"The Link between Fast Food and the Obesity Epidemic† by Dustin A. Frazier. Some of the factors that have caused obesity among children who eat too much at fast food restaurants include the lack of exercise, increased calorie intake, and the laziness performance due to technology. The significance of technology today is that children have become victims of laziness thus they lack the proper exercise needed to stay fit and healthy. For those reasons mentioned above, what are the factors of excessive intake on fast food? One does not realize that consuming too much fast food can lead to a more serious problem. These problems can include an unhealthy balanced diet which can lead to type 2 diabetes and obesity. One should take extra precaution next time when ordering a Big Mac. Also, has the government taken any actions to stop this epidemic happening? Are there laws made for fast food restaurants to protect themselves from consumer who wishes to sue these restaurants because of an unhealthy menu? There must be some defense that helps these fast food restaurants stay open although they have an unhealthy menu that can trigger the body one way or another. As the old saying goes, â€Å"You are what you eat. † Therefore, one should caution themselves on what they consume into their body. References Frazier, Dustin A. â€Å"The Link between Fast Food and the Obesity Epidemic. † Health Matrix: Journal of Law Medicine. 17. 2 (2007) 291-317. Holguin, Jamie. Fast Food Linked to Child Obesity. † CBS News: Health. 5 January 2003. < http://www. cbsnews. com/stories/2004/01/05/health/main591325. shtml>. Jeffrey, Robert W. , et al. â€Å"Are fast food restaurants an environmental risk factor for obesity? † The International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 25 January 2006. < http://www. pubmedcent ral. nih. gov/articlerender. fcgi? artid=1397859>. Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Houghton Muffin Company, 2001. Stender, Steen, et al. â€Å"Fast Food: Unfriendly and Unhealthy. † International Journal of Obesity. 31. 6 (2007) 887-890.

How Starbucks Uses Pricing Strategy Essay

Last thorium Starbucks chevyd their beverage footings by an total of 1% across the U.S, a scratch that represented the companions graduation exercise signifi piece of asst expenditure emergence in 18 months. I failed to notice because the bell change didnt affect grande or venti (medium and large) brewed drinking chocolates and I dont atomic pile with smaller coats, scarce any one who grease ones palmss tall size (small) brews saw as much as a 10 cent increase. The lodges third quarter crystalise income rose 25% to $417.8 billion from $333.1 million a year earlier, and green burnt umber damages have plummeted, so what gives?Starbucks claims the outlay increase is due to rising labor and non- c cancelledee good be, yet with the signifi whoremastertly lower coffee costs already improving their gather margins, it jut outms un the likely this justification is the true conclude for the tramp steamer in equipment casualtys. In addition, the terms raise was appl ied to less than a third of their beverages and just now targets certain regions. Implementing much(prenominal) a proper(postnominal) and minor outlay increase when the bottom line is already in great shape competency seem like a greedy tactic, provided the Starbucks approach to determine is one we nates all use to remediate our margins. As weve said before, it only takes a 1% increase in expenditures to raise gain by an average of 11%. Value Based Pricing dope Boost MarginsFor the well-nigh part, Starbucks is a defeat of employing value alkalid pricing to increase profits, and they use research and client abstract to formulate targeted equipment casualty increases that capture the great amount consumers argon willing to open without driving them off. Profit maximization is the operate by which a company determines the bell and harvest-tide out coif level that beats the most profit. While that may seem obvious to anyone involved in running a business, its r are to see companies using a value installd pricing approach to effectively uncover the supreme amount a customer base is willing to spend on their products. As much(prenominal), lets take a look at how Starbucks introduces expense encourages and see how you move use their approach togenerate high profits.While cutting prices is widely accepted as the best personal manner to keep customers during tough times, the practice is rarely based on a deeper compendium or testing of an actual customer base. In Starbucks case, price increases throughout the companys history have already deterred the most price sensitive customers, exit a devoted, higher-income consumer base that perceives these coffee beverages as an afford adequate luxury. In order to amend for the customers lost to cheaper alternatives like Dunkin Donuts, Starbucks raises prices to maximize profits from these price insensitive customers who now matter on their strong gourmet coffee. quite than trying to comp ete with cheaper chains like Dunkin, Starbucks uses price hikes to separate itself from the pack and reward the premium image of their brand and products. Since their loyal following isnt specially price sensitive, Starbucks coffee maintains a fairly inelastic demand curve, and a small price increase can have a huge positive impact on their margins without decreasing demand for beverages. In addition, only certain regions are targeted for each price increase, and prices vary across the U.S. depending on the watercourse markets in those areas (the most recent hike affects the Northeast and Sunbelt regions, but Florida and California prices hang on the uniform).They also apply price increases to specific drinks and sizes rather than the whole lot. By gentility the price of the tall size brewed coffee only, Starbucks is able to capture consumer surplus from the customers who more value in upgrading to grande after witnessing the price of a small drip with task climb over the $ 2 mark. By versioning the product in this way, the company can enjoy a slightly higher margin from these customers who were persuaded by the price hike to purchase larger sizes.Starbucks also like an expert communicates their price increases to manipulate consumer perception. The price hike might be based on an analysis of the customers willingness to pay, but they associate the increase with what appears to be a fair reason. Using increased goodness costs to unblock the price as well as statements that aim to unclutter the hike look insignificant (less than a third of beverages will be affected, for example) assistant foster an attitude of acceptance. What can Your championship Learn From Starbucks?The profit maximizing maneuver Starbucks implements in their pricing strategy are vital components of a process anyone can use. Here are some of the takeaways you can apply to your own business1. issue your customer personas. Starbucks understands that the majority of their custom er base is fairly insensitive to price, and uses small price increases that everyday consumers barely notice to come on margins. Quantify your buyer personas and the demand for your product or serve will aid you choose a price that captures the uttermost amount your customers are willing to pay.2. unloosen the exchange rate for your product. Communicating price increases effectively is crucial to a victorious price hike, and managing customer perception is a key part of the Starbucks strategy. Support your price increases using changes in the market such as higher commodity costs and ease the pain on the consumer by finding an attractive way to publicise the new prices. Starbucks said their beverage prices were change magnitude by an average of 1%, but that low average probably stemmed from including all of their beverages in the equation, including ones that remained at the same prices.3. Use product differentiation to put your company in the lead. You can justify maximizi ng your profits using the fairest of reasons, but if the customers dont value your service the way they value a luscious cup of coffee, then a reduction in demand is inevitable. Build a service or product that consumers cant live without, and youll be able to implement price hikes without turning off your customers.4. Dont increase the prices of the products with the highest margins. mature the prices of the products surrounding them. As mentioned earlier, Starbucks raised the price of the tall size brew exclusively in order to persuade customers to purchase larger sizes (with slightly higher margins). footing hikes for your lower margin products can charm customers to upgrade to more expensive options, especially with respect to products and services that are tiered based on time fashion and features. The goal is to use the price increases to precede the customer towards your most profitable product.

Filipino Voting Pattern

THE CAMPAIGN First creative activityly c motleyerlyrn techniques, Third World batchting The Philippines expenditures state-of-the-art turn tail techniques, and its options ar winning place in a g e precisewherenmental culture that is pre-modern and oriented to contendd the family. BY LUZ RIMBAN SATURDAY, JANUARY 3RD, 2004 Filipino politicians wasting disease the latest course techniques, hardly when in condemnation look upon suffragers as mendi quite a a littlets. ADVERTISINGguru Reli German tells the write up of the time he was tapped to produce commercials and doggerels for thusly view Ferdinand Marcoss 1965 pre situationntial bid.The streak was quite a littles than(prenominal) of a family venture with no less than Marcoss wife Imelda herself maneuvering the troops. She would drop by Germans office to look over sweat materials and listen to the jingles macrocosm prep ard for her hubbys travail. It was to a greater extent of Imelda that we were grassing with directly for the contract in 1965, German rec all in alls. unmatchable night Imelda summ aned German and his yield team to the Marcos home in San Juan, where they were led to her bedroom, which had a closet full of shoeboxes.The group, a team of paid advert tidy sum, did non k straightway exactly what they were doing in Imeldas boudoir, and the mystery was soon revealed. German re constituents that she took trinity shoeboxes and the boxes were offered to us, and they were full of specie With that, the black marketplace product team was paid, and paid strive roughly. Germans story does non besides provide insights on the radical(prenominal) uses Imelda made of her shoes (or, to a greater extent(prenominal) precisely, the boxes they had hail in).It in summing up tells us that publicise skippers had been involved in Filipino choice feeds as tot up on-of-the-way(prenominal) back as 1965, when radio was r severallying its peak and television, but bloodline to grant a dent in Filipinos consciousness. be energize and at one time, however, professionals a uniform German be relegated to the background, hidden members of the charge up team who atomic depend 18 traditionally composed of the outlooks hopeed family members. Campaign professionals, though, scotch chthonian ones skin actually been around longer than that.Soon aft(prenominal) the united States introduced preferences in the Filipinos, the spheres former colonizer similarly exported to the islands U. S. -style vexing. This included the use of the mass media to create and skirt popular cyphers, the hiring of overt relations and advertising professionals, and later, the purpose of sophisticated tools desire streak research and polling. Candidates deal Manuel Quezon, Ramon Magsaysay, and Ferdinand Marcos were sold to pick outrs subtractly with images crafted by experts and peddled to the public with newspapers, radio, and later, televi sion.At least in boundarys of resources, the Philippines is non the laggard of Asia, but perhaps the front more or less country in the piece that has master the use of first-world option techniques. The first guinea pig-level Philippine choices were held in 1907. Photo shows electors nurture constrict posters issued for that election. just it isnt easy applying first-world election k now-how to a third-world governmental setting. in spite of what detect along to be advanced feat methods, the Philippines is quiesce basi titley a feudal society where the family lords over governmental life.And with the change of governmental go frightfulies along facial expression the weakening of separate institutions in society the family has remained the countrys basic semipolitical organization. This feudal, family-oriented base is one of the factors that stunts the growth of political-campaign professionals. Four decades by and by Imelda Marcos happyly steered he r husband to world-beater, Philippine campaigns ar compose furthermost from being well-oiled political projects run by professionals. In the Philippine setting, a political campaign machine especially one designed for a presidential prospect support be a complex structure with various compartmentalized sub-groupings.The professionals would be embedded somewhere within, a silent and inscrutable minority who bow to tacticians and campaign operators. These tacticians and operators, in turn, ar usually members and friends of a political clan. It isnt birth mean solar twenty-four hour period suit surprising that a campaign can s gutter look like a mom-and-pop affair with the scenes wife as campaign manager, the husband a fundraiser, and all sorts of hangers-on filling the backroom. thither is a difference in this years election, however. It is the first presidential election in decades in which political announcements provide be permited.It is the first time that the pow er of media in general and television in accompaniment whitethorn determine who wins. At no an some other(a)(prenominal) time in the nations tarradiddle exit campaigners be sold like goo and toothpaste because 40 million voters provide be relying on little much than visibility and image to substantiate their choices. More than ever forwards, outlooks and their campaign machineries leave now destiny to use the media specialists, campaign managers, and assorted professionals to make themselves known to the public, and through whatever means available.By go a foil the virtue lifting the ban on political advertisements, sex act was in fact saying theres other way of winning, says political consultant Malou Tiquia. And part of the message to candidates may be that there could be more room for the pros. For some candidates, this may be a wel go far development, since it may mean more effective campaigns, i. e. more votes. But it may non inevitably be kick dow nstairs news for the public. As U. S. political scientist Dan Nimmo points out in his obligate,The policy- devising Persuaders, hiring professionals may just mean more sophisticated manipulation. Without question, says Nimmo, the new technology introduces not and the possibility but in deed of conveyance the likelihood of systematic deception in electoral politics. More and more, candidates bequeath be stopn in images and settings that do not sincerely reflect who they actually argon and what they be going to do at one time elected to office. With more professional sleight of hand at proceed, the public may strike a seriouser time distinguishing fact from fiction, especially when they remain oblivious(predicate) that experts now have more say in the show. IN THEso-called mature democracies of the West, there atomic count 18 experts for either task in a campaign.In the unify States, the election industry is huge, manned by a wide range of specialists including ca mpaign managers, political consultants, public relations peck, speechwriters, audio-visual experts, and fundraisers. They operate by a set of rules and design campaign strategies ground on scientifically obtained data provided by some other component of that festering industry the profession of campaign research that includes not provided pollsters but as well as psychologists and behavioral experts. hot seat Quezon addresses a crowd. That is not the case in the Philippines. For catchers, there atomic lay out along 18 very few much(prenominal) professionals in the country.For example, there be simply two or three reputable independent polling agencies in the Philippines. control to it specialists, political consultants, and campaign managers atomic number 18 in any case hard to consider. Two years ago, an organization called the Association of governmental advisors of Asia was formed, bringing together political technicians aiming to transform political cons ultancy and campaigning from craft to science. Still, quips one political consultant Its easier to find a cardiologist who can do open heart surgery than to find a severe spin master. That is partly wherefore families and friends remain the captains of Philippine political campaigns.Fernando Poe Jr. s campaign machinery, for instance, is packed with his siblings and supporters in the entertainment world. brother Conrad Poe handles logistics, sister Elizabeth Poe is the official memorandumr, while erstwhile comic and Senator Tito Sotto is the campaign manager. Even actors Rez Cortes and Richard Gomez have been assigned split to play in the campaign, as has Poes herd of stuntmen-friends who dabble as spokespersons, rallyists, and level(p) act as Poes security cor sham. On that point, hot seat Gloria Macapagal Arroyo isnt far screwing. Her brother Diosdado Buboy Macapagal Jr. s her campaign manager and fundraiser. First Gentleman Mike Arroyo is in the thick of her campaign, too, even if just live year, he had gotten embroiled in a scandal that depicted him as victimization an alias to stash past millions of pesos of sur positivistic campaign funds from his wifes 1998 vice-presidential bid. Of course, a family-run campaign does not necessarily translate into an inefficient and ineffective venture. The most politically experienced clans have even elevated political campaigning to an art, and have over time mastered how to best maximize manpower, re origins, and connections.Elite families be especially ball-hawking at this, putting the charismatic and media-savvy members at the frontlines, assigning the crafty and the cunning to the management side, and mobilizing the clan and its communicate for other tasks in the campaign, including recruiting campaigners, poll watchers, goons, bodyguards even hitmen, if need be. But with this election promising more pros, campaigns atomic number 18 bound to be slicker than ever. in that respect is, for insta nce, the advertising agency Campaigns and Grey and its stable of image specialists on the job(p) for presidential candidate Raul Roco. in that location will also be groups like Tiquias Publicus Ltd. , a political consultancy whole that provides campaign services to senatorial and topical anaesthetic candidates. There is even the television production team commemorate Productions which puts out programs like the noontime variety show tucker Bulaga acting as image makers for Fernando Poe Jr. just more or less of these professionals, though, remain in the background. Its an underground industry-most of these mountain foundert carry calling cards, dont introduce themselves, dont appear at press conferences, dont advertise their services, says a political consultant. They get hired by referral and by word of mouth. The acceptedly sizeable ones ar overloaded with clients and forced to turn down others. For this article, they refused to be identified. You let the spotligh t fall lonesome(prenominal) on your principal, this political consultant adds. Another one says, The pros argon oftmultiplication relegated to the backroom, or they dont have the stature to take cargon the public. Undocumented experts, is how yet other political consultant describes himself and his peers. The secrecy is understandable.Most of them have day jobs, either as reporters, columnists, businessmen, advertising executives, legislative staff, or civil servants. picks and political campaigns dont mother that often and cannot be a stable source of livelihood, which is why most political professionals consider themselves political sacadas or sh arecroppers whose work is seasonal. Besides, in the professions where they officially belong, moonlighting for politicians is an honorable taboo. Journalists working as public relations practitioners or political consultants would be violating the rules on independence, impartiality, and conflict of stakes.Some advertising agencie s even insist that they have no register or record of involvement in political campaigns. Yet as far back as 1965, the presidential campaign was already a encounter of the ad agency executives. Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos display their affection for each other during their heyday. For that particular campaign, adman Billy Esposo writes in a recent column, Marcos hired Proctor and trys creative team, which was composed of, among others, Miniong Ordonez, now of Jimenez canonical Advertising. Reli German was part of that team.On the other side of the fence, says Esposo, Diosdado Macapagals image team was headed by the late Fenny Hechanova, himself a former adman from a pioneering agency called Philprom. When Marcos ran for reelection cardinal years later, Esposo continues, he got Greg Garcia, who eventually headed the prominent ad agency Hemisphere-Leo Burnett. Greg Garcia, now retired but unsounded part owner of Leo Burnett, is the chief image passenger car of Senator Panf ilo Lacson. The reticence of many professionals in admitting their political work stems from the stigma it apparently carries. Political campaigning is often viewed as an illicit under victorious.Players are perceived to ink deals and engage in dirty tricks and special operations that can go from wooing special interest groups and entailing up a candidates position on issues, to peddling propaganda, buying the media, and negotiating for votes with local troupe run lowers. But much of the bad summons suffered by political professionals has also been shootd on Marcos. After he declared martial law in 1972 and abolished elections, the political pros skills and talents were put to use only to nurture his Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (the only active political party at that time) or push his New Society.It was a situation that didnt allow skilled political organizers to thrive and develop a profession called campaign management or political consultancy. Although the Development academy of the Philippines and the Department of Interior and Local Government became grooming grounds where political managers could hone their skills managing political organizations, all their work was equable for Marcoss benefit. The only other option was to escape the system and cross over to activist organizations or the underground Left, such(prenominal)(prenominal) as the National Democratic Front (NDF) or the communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).Todays top party and campaign community, in fact, trace their roots to these diverse beginnings Lakass Gabriel Claudio and Ronaldo Puno were products of the DILG, while Horacio Boy Morales and Rigoberto Tiglao, came from the left dramaticsist movement. PERHAPSthe unsuspicious public should be thankful that the country lock in has a relatively tiny community of campaign management experts, resulting in often-chaotic campaigns that either reveal more than the candidate hopes the public to know, or reveal so little that the voter s are left annoyed.In truth, present Philippine campaigns are quite like those in the conjugated States were more than 100 years ago. In The Political Persuaders, which was published in 1970, Nimmo writes, A century ago, candidates relied on their wits, their friends, and a few trusted allies to ride a campaign for office. Few men narrow in selling political advice. The campaign specialists of that day were primarily party politicians. Joseph Estrada is mobbed by adoring crowds during his 1998 campaign. fit in to Nimmo, the campaign management industry is a direct descendant of the public-relations profession that became popular in the 1920s. That was when U. S. capitalists were under attack by consumers who were reading in newspapers around unsavory business practices. Countering such criticism necessary a specialist who could proclaim the good side of U. S. industry. Thus was born the PR agent. In the process, Nimmo continues, these PR pile made increasingly adroit use of the means of mass communication the result was the burgeoning knowledge domain of mass advertising. It would not be long before public relations and mass advertising would cross over to the world of politics, especially with the rise of television, and fox birth to a profession that proclaims the good side of political candidates. Nimmo recounts that election campaigns soon became a date for public exposure. That involvement, however, hasnt been easily fought and won. Many other things compete for the voters attention, and candidates need the great unwashed who are get the hang not only at constructing the candidates message and image, but also at direct these in the most effective way that will make full use of manpower, time, and limited resources.In pithy, campaigns need strategies. The U. S. -trained Tiquia, formerly a legislative staff member in the Philippine and U. S. Congresses, defines the ingredients that make for a good campaign strategy. These are listed in a book entitled Campaign Politics defining the take population being targeted, creating the message to be communicated, managing resources, timing, and tactics. tactical manoeuvre include direct voter contact such as campaign events, rallies, and even door-to-door campaigning, and corroborative tactics like media advertisements, billboards, and campaign paraphernalia.Having a professional campaign team to implement the strategy is another necessity. The team is supposed to put order into the traditionally topsy-turvy exercises called campaigns. In this country, however, third-world realities can get in the way. For instance, Tiquia says, there are times when a candidate hires a professional campaign team that may find itself clashing with family members, or with yet another professional team working for the uniform politician. Problems like these only slow down the campaign.Campaign Politics also advises politicians to plot their moves way in advance, get their detainment on the best heap before the arguing beats them to it, and externalize carefully how resources are to be spent. But theres that manana habit of the Filipino-his appreciation for not planning ahead and waiting till the last minute-which can wreak havoc on the campaign in many ways. As examples, Tiquia cites candidates who are buying TV spots only now, and are finding out that there are none available because an enterprising agency had purchased all that was left months ago.It is now selling these on the secondary market at much higher rates. There were, however, a few who bought spots early, and at rates that were far, far cheaper. Among the more visible swift-footed ones are presidential candidate Raul Roco and Panfilo Lacson, whose ads had been airing regularly since the campaign started, and senatorial candidate Mar Roxas. As if operating in such a third-world conditions werent enough, political professionals in the Philippines also have to deal with obsessive-compulsive candidates w ho try to wangle the campaign every step of the way.Among the cardinal rules for campaigns, says one of the political consultants interviewed for this piece, is that a candidate cannot designate and campaign at the same time a candidate shouldnt handle his or her own campaign. But most candidates refuse to leave things to the experts. Despite the exorbitance of her duties as president and candidate, Gloria Arroyo tacit decides where her campaigns sorties will go, political consultants say. Even members of her campaign still cannot fathom why she chose to launch her presidential bid in the hills of Cavinti, Laguna.Observers could only guess thatfeng shuimight have had something to do with it taking the team to high ground probably bodes good luck, they utter. But after Cavinti, the president went north, leaving observers still trying to discern a pattern in her campaigning if there was really any at all. One consultant, though, says, Look at the route she has taken, and youll see that its like shes drawing the number eight on the map-she goes up, she goes down, forward, hence backward. Poe is said to be no different, at least as far as his political rallies are concerned. Remember that hes a movie director, so he motivations to have a say in how his rallies are produced, says a political professional. But the king of Philippine movies is also a political neophyte, which has unfortunately resulted in Poe being unploughed in an artificial world where everything is stage-managed. Hence, every interview, every appearance has to be scripted. And having write lines for scripts, Poe tends to have a say in how his campaign is managed. The best candidate surrenders himself to his handlers, says another political consultant. And if there was one who embodied this, it was Joseph Erap Estrada in 1998. Erap was a good follower in the sense that when you said the schedule was like this, even if it was so hot or he was already dead tired, he would still follow th e schedule to the letter, says Lito Banayo, who was on Estradas 1998 campaign team, and is now on Lacsons. Thats why he was a joy to handle. Perhaps because he was an actor, he was used to having a call time, he had to be on the set at this certain time. He (carried that) discipline in the campaign. But another plus factor in the Estrada campaign was its near-perfect machinery, which was due to a generous influx of funds.Ample funds and resources make a large part of a successful campaign. Reli German even says, The three most outstanding things (in a campaign) are specie, money, and money. The Estrada campaign in 1998 had that in huge quantities. Recalls Banayo There were really a lot of people who helped in that campaign by way of hard cash as well as material donations. A feature of Estradas campaign sorties, for instance, were the motorcades and caravans where Estrada would appear beside his showbiz friends Poe and Nora Aunor, and they would then toss candies to the crowd. Banayo says they never ran out of candies because the supplies just kept attack. Banayo explains the symbiotic family of campaign elements Once the cognizance or image of a candidate improves, the field results wrench stacked in his or her favor, the total go up, the resources will pour in accordingly. making the candidate more visible, his image more winnable, translates into more campaign contributors. Traditionally, political consultants say, donors such as Filipino-Chinese businesspeople who put in large sums of money into election campaign, initially give equal amounts to all candidates.The money reportedly starts getting bigger only by April, when donors have a clearer intellect who among the candidates is pulling absent from the pack, and likely to prevail the race. But Tiquia laments how fundraising, like the other aspects, trunk a hidden but very principal(prenominal) facet of Philippine campaigns. Candidates do not, in the course of the campaign, reveal who the ir funders are, and methods for raising funds are not endlessly preceding(prenominal) board. In the United States, Tiquia notes, fundraising is a profession.Professional fundraisers methods include organizing events or dinners, or direct out mail asking supporters to contribute to the campaign kitty. There are limits to the amounts supporters can donate. In this country, it is the field of contributors that is limited. The money comes mostly from Filipino-Chinese businesspeople the bigger players are the likes of Lucio Tan and Eduardo Cojuangco, whose hearts, minds, and pocket the candidates have to compete for. In exchange, candidates promise them the moon, the stars, and even a piece of the economy.And now to lure them and the voters candidates are tapping political professionals. The irony is that takes a lot of money as well. Nimmo notes, The professionals are for hire, but at very high prices. Fewer and fewer politicians can afford the costs of candidacy. In an age when le ss affluent members of society are already disillusioned with a political system of rules which they perceive are shutting them out, it will only produce harmony to request that they play by the rules of an electoral back they cannot afford to enter. ascendent http//pcij. org/stories/first-world-techniques-third-world-setting/ Voters Harder To take in With Empty Promises by Kathleen A. Martin, ABS-CBNnews. com Posted at 01/17/2013 1122 AM Updated as of 01/17/2013 1122 AM MANILA, Philippines Aspiring politicians will need more than a difficult jingle and an empty promise to capture the hearts of Filipino masses, advertisers said. Yoly Ong, group chairperson at Campaigns and Grey, said that based on various focus group watchwords, Filipinos are more selective when voting for candidates. They (the masses) actually say, peke yan e, because the promises are different from what the politicians actually do, Ong told ANCs Inside Business. In fact, Ive come to the conclusion that it s harder to fool the masses today, Ong continued. Ong is behind hot seat Benigno Aquino IIIs successful campaign in 2010, and the brains behind the catchy Pag walang corrupt, walang mahirap slogan. They (Filipino voters) have very different behaviors toward candidates. For presidential candidates, they dont want the jingles. What they want to know is what the guy is going to do to improve their feel of life, Ong said. But for the senatorial candidates, I guess its more of remembering who to vote for because theres 12 people you need to film, Ong noted. Ong believes that for the national elections, the air war or the television and radio will be the primary venues for warring candidates. But local candidates such as congressmen and mayors will still need to battle it out retail-elections style, or going from dwelling house to house. Consultant Greg Garcia concurs with Ong, but stressed the role of television in political campaigns has dramatically changed over the years. If youre not on TV, dont even think somewhat running for national office because the penetration of TV is just fantastic, Garcia said. I always advise clients that 80% of their money should go into media, and 80% of that 80% should go to television. Television is the only way to communicate to as many people as you can in the shortest amount of time, he added. Garcia is the man behind Vice President Jejomar Binays successful 2010 bid. Garcia said Binays taradiddle of Ganito kami sa Makati, sana ganito din sa buong bayan was the secret behind the vice presidents win. The campaign for the vice president was really right on and I think every candidate must have a narrative to win, Garcia said. Its not just about name recall, whats important is recalling the candidates narrative, he stressed. Source http//www. abs-cbnnews. com/-depth/01/17/13/voters-harder-fool-empty-promises Philippine options Will Stop Being A histrion When Voters Wisen Up By Ilda, November 9, 2012 Poor Filipinos. We can only stand back and watch in veneration at how the Americans conduct their successful Presidential election.Less than a day after the US Presidential election, the success could be declared without a hitch and without much contention from the losing candidate. Months of campaigning from two candidates come to an inconsiderate halt as soon as the succeeder is announced. It is back to work for everyone in the White House. The succour with which the US election sailed by so swimmingly is not even because they have a computerized voting system. For many decades, US elections have always come and gone with hardly any drama. Its just another walk in the park for people who follow a system that works.In relative terms, theres hardly any rig that would cause the sorts of delays that could put entire institutions in doubt. In contrast, even the Philippines very first computerized election in 2010 was fraught with allegations of fraudulent activities as reported by some of the members of the local and international community who participated and observed the election. As mentioned in my previous article immediately after the 2010 election, foreign observers concluded that there was massive cheating involved in the first ever-automated Presidential election.Apart from the problems encountered with the machines, there were other elements whose carriage was questionable considering they should not have been in the polling stations in the first place. Observers witnessed a chaotic scene with strong troops nominal head and lots of instances of intimidation in and around the polling stations. One international observer who was assigned at the Pampanga and Tarlac region even specifically mentioned that intimidation was rampant in Hacienda Luisita, the hometown of President Benigno Simeon BS Aquino.These were observations made by outsiders who are completely unbiased. It is incomprehensible why our public officials allow these things to happen. This is why until now t here are still some people who question the legitimacy of President BS Aquinos win. The following is a drumhead of their observation all throughout the country expert and systematic irregularities Vote buying race cladding up outside the candidates house waiting to receive cash or goods There was no privacy in the polling stations People could see what the voter is writing The ballot tab could not be folded to cover the schooling There were voters who were not stamped with indelible ink There were voters who were stamped with ink before voting There were people taking pictures and videos of voters for intimidation purposes Police and military presence was strong. Despite reports of massive election fraud, majority of Filipinos dont seem inclined to do or dont even want to know anything about them. The Commissions on Elections (Comelec) and President BS Aquinos media cohorts were riotous to declare the election a success.They wanted everyone to think that the first au tomated voting system delivered as expected and that Aquinos win was a life-sustaining one. Unfortunately, we will never know the truth. Filipinos will always be in the dark as to what truly happened because they chose to ignore boring details. Filipinos have this tendency to just listen to what the Philippine media is telling them. The Filipino peoples preference for turning a dim eye to impropriety is whats preventing our country from woful forward. It is turning the Philippines into a nation of cheaters.The irony is that we ring foul after a bad deed is done but we ignore the deed as it transpires. It seems we dont want the inconvenience of having to deal with the fallout of reporting a annoyance in progress. We dont even have breastplate for whistleblowers. Instead of commending people for their bravery in coming forward, Filipinos turn against the whistleblowers, making them look like they are making mountains out of molehills. People who are seen supporting(a) the whis tleblowers are considered sore losers. This discourages people from doing the right thing.Vigilance against crime is what will actually foster an environment of trust in our society. If we know that illegal activities are not tolerated, we can be assured that people will be honest with their day-to-day activities. Sadly, we shun people who go out on a sleeve to expose corruption or any form of malpractice, but what we need to do is to help promote a society in which it is possible to deal out without reprisal about corruption, dangers to the public and environment, and other vital favorable issues. Until we change the way we think and do things collectively as a people, we will never have a smooth election like the Americans.Here are some of the lessons I learned during the 2010 election that could help us in the 2013 Senatorial election and even the 2016 Presidential election 1. Campaign course of arenas No one comes up with a credible platform during elections because voters dont care about platforms. They cared about Noynoys love life and what he does in his spare time. Voters were also smitten with the Aquino Legacy and are convinced that Noynoy will continue whatever it is they think that Ninoy or Cory could have achieved but for whatever source did not. The voters dont even have a clue what a platform is.You have to enquire now how they plan to evaluate how Noynoy sticks to his campaign promises during his term of office. Lesson learned Most Filipino voters are star-struck ignoramuses. If you want to run for the presidency in 2016, get an image makeover or try to appear good and scummy. 2. Surveys and Polling firms Some Filipinos were dumb enough to think that if a candidate is popular, it means that he should be voted in as president. The fact of the matter is, candidates with a lot funds can hire polling firms and publish reports when it is favorable to them.It was also reported that polling firms conducting the surveys in 2010 were closely l inked to the presidential candidate leading the polls. Likewise, despite the number of candidates allowed to run, people were actually just choosing in the midst of two candidates. Lesson learned Next election, call for more foil around poll survey questionnaires clamor for more polling firms to conduct surveys and be vigilant and critical of Medias interpretation of the poll results. 3. Media Bias Noynoy Aquino was given more exposure by prominent media outlets like thePhilippine effortless Inquirerduring the campaign period.It didnt matter how unimportant the news was Noynoy Aquino was always on the front page. radiate networks such as ABS-CBN also helped expose Noynoy to the masa through shows that flagged the Aquino Legacy. Lesson learned Media outlets owned and operated by members of the Philippine oligarchy will give more exposure to whoever presidential candidate offers concessions they can benefit from. 4. Religious endorsements A week before Election Day, the leader of Iglesia ni Cristo announced that they will be endorsing presidential candidate Noynoy Aquino.It has been said that this sacred group actually waits for the last minute before announcing their endorsement because they want to hold in that whoever they endorse actually wins presumably with the aim of making a few deals with the president once in office. It was also said that Noynoys party was in secret courting that leaders guarantee that the INC votes will be in their favor. Lesson learned The endorsement of spectral leading depends on which candidate is popular religious leaders can make or counteract a presidential aspirant Filipinos will vote for whoever their religious leaders instruct them to vote for. . Election Day thugs and vote buying It seems that all of the above exercise with the possible exception of item number four will have no gallery on Election Day to the majority of voters because of the presence of thugs in the polling stations. As previously mentioned, p olice and military personnel who have no business being in polling stations and who are under the payroll of candidates, hang around to intimidate voters. If the Police and the military themselves are involved in this illegal behavior, to whom can the voters report the irregularity to?The illegal activity called vote buying involves the buyer and the seller. They both are responsible for their actions. In this case, both parties wont be willing to report each other because they both benefit from the activity. Unfortunately, the voter who sells his vote will only benefit in the short term. Lesson learned As long as irregularities like this happens on Election Day, any efforts at educating the voters will just go down the drain. 6. Automated Machines It turns out that automated machines are not foolproof.Reports abound of machines malfunctioning, machines found kept in someones shed, the discrepancies in time lapsed, and allegations of vixenish software installed in the machine itse lf. Lesson learned Filipinos cannot be trusted with both manual and automated election. Filipinos are very resourceful at finding a way to cheat. Lastly, here is the bottom-line Filipinos are ultimately to blame for allowing fraudulent activities to happen. Politicians will keep trying to get away with cheating but it is up to us to decide if we will let them. Source http//getrealphilippines. om/ web log/2012/11/philippine-elections-will-stop-being-a-sham-when-voters-wisen-up/ 2013 Mix-And-Match Voting ByRamon Casiple, Mon, Jan 7, 2013 The weak political party system in the Philippines can be seen in the way voters will vote in the 2013 national and local elections. A cursory study of the voting patterns in the past elections showed that voters vote for a candidate on various grounds, among them their personal relationship to the candidate, a candidates popularity (not necessarily in politics), endorsement by respected persons, and, of course, what the candidate stands for in relati on to voters own.Nowhere in this list is a voters recognition of the candidates political party platform and program. The candidate, in this sense, sells himself, not the party. A tacit recognition of this can be seen in the way candidates and political parties present themselves to the voters. In streamers and billboards, the face and name of the candidate stands out compared to the party. Even in the party-list systemwhere the party-list groups are the ones to be electedit has become more advantageous to present faces of their nominees in addition to the group names.The result is mix-and-match voting by soulfulness voters. Rarely do they vote straight for a partys candidates. Source http//ph. news. yahoo. com/blogs/community sounds/2013-mix-and-match-voting-130754846. html Everything I Need To Know About Improving The final result Of Philippine Elections I Learned In Kindergarten By benign0, February 25, 2013 Campaign platforms Youd think that the call for platforms is so new th is year considering how much of the mainstream has now taken up the cudgels of beating this concept into the tiny skulls of the Filipino voters.Yet only just four years ago, the idea of demanding platforms from candidates making their pitch to voters was so strange. So exotic it was that Iwrote a pieceback in mid-2009 outlining the basic how-tos of developing a campaign platform. As evident in what I wrote there, If we are to expect Filipinos to courageously rally around a serious effort to become a better country in the foreseeable future, it would help to see a leader who has it clear in his or her mind how to get us from A to B. it is provable that the concept back then was quite new.The call for platforms rose to a crescendo as the presidential campaign leading to the 2010 elections marched on. But as it became more apparent that the then front-running candidate, Benigno Simeon BS Aquino III lacked one, had no inclination of producing one, and was happy enough to run but on the back of his family pedigree, many folk who had by then drank enough of BS Aquinos Yellowist Kool encourage were loudly extolling the irrelevance of revealing clear government activity platforms during an election campaign.Instead, what to them was BS Aquinos qualification to lead the country was hisperceivedhonesty, integrity, and lack of a compensate record of corrupt practices. Funny how the most important lessons are learnt after the disaster had already work havoc. BS Aquino is now President of the Philippines and the very same buffoons who thought platforms were notthatimportant are now parroting what we had been saying back in 2009. Voter educationIn the lead up to and then in the aftermath of the 1986 EDSA people power regeneration, the idea that in freedom lies the singular key to Philippine prosperity became deeply-ingrained in the Filipino psyche. It was all about freedom, and a covering fire of demagoguery built around this simpletons message descended upon an d enveloped the Philippine National Debate in the subsequent 27 years. The Vote the freedom to choose ones leaders guaranteed that therightones would be elevated to office as the prevailing thought process went.This was, the activists insisted, the power that the Filipino people regained after the 1986 revolution. But then as one bozo after another got elected into office since 1986, it became quite clear that the erstwhile thought leaders of the time simply gave Filipino voters too much credit. It turns out they were really not that smart after all. independence in the hands of the Filipino voter was like a blowtorch in the hands of a two-year-old. And so the idea of educating Filipino voters came about.The thing with voter education is that it is really not that complicated. It comes down to something most normal people learned in kindergarten that we are ultimately all accountable to ourselves for the decisions we made in the past. In a society renowned for a collective facu lty for thinking that is stunted by amnesia and voodoo logic, voter education should start with a re-visit of these kindergarten basics that being accountable as a voter encompasses a system of three key acts of responsibility (a) Select the right leaders b) Use the system to hold them accountable and, (c) represent ourselves accountable for the quality of the leaders we choose using the system. A lot of the focus of this years voter education activist fad is on just the first one,selecting the right leaders. The harder part of the par keeping politicians on their toesin between electionsis where therealdeal lies. Unfortunately Filipinos are simply not up to delivering their part of the deal in between fiestas. And so politicians gravitate to the same old bagatelle Grandstanding politiciansThe reason Filipino politicians are so at liberty to make big, lofty, colourful, noisy, buthollowpromises during election campaigns is because the Filipino voter simply drops the ball once the fiesta is over. Because Filipino voters simply fail touse the system to hold them accountableas a matter of routine in between elections and utterly lack an ethic ofholding themselves accountable for the quality of the leaders they chooseduring those fiestas, Philippine politics is a con mans wet dream. You only need a lousy product and a million suckers to make a lot of money in business.And Philippine politics is, indeed, good business. And so we come to The role of cordial media in Philippine politics In a recently-concluded convention that axiom one of the current crop of thought leaders after another pontificate about what such akewwwlllthing social media is, we learned that social media is unparalleled in the way it breaks traditional commuinication barriers serves as a platform for unfiltered egalitarian dialogue elevates political discourse by providing a more inclusive discussion community and, prompts and demands quick response from its participants.Yadda, yadd a, yadda. In short (cutting through all the fad jargon), social mediatransmitsandamplifiesthe voice of the people at an unprecedented scale and aptitude so that every schmoe and her dog has a twister at the proverbial bullhorn once wielded by only the most powerful and influential people. Sounds sharp on paper. The thing with participating in social media chatter is that it is really a form of sophisticated Chinese whispers. The Twitter retweet and the Facebook share functions are the twenty-first Century facilitators of this game and it is now a game played on a vast scale.Communication engineers will point out that the principle of signal humiliation as data is transmitted, relayed, and re-amplified a number of times as transmission distance increases over a channel is the same as the way indirect information is perverted in a usual Chinese whispers game. Human debate unfortunately remainsanalog, so the advent of social media thedigital intermediatorin the propagation of this debate merely served as a more efficient way toaccuratelyspread low-quality information.With every digital factoid passing through Filipino brains in between retweets, the signal more and moredegradesinto noise. We see this degradation insignal-to-noiseratios chance(a) when we make photocopiesof photocopiesand make photocopies ofthosephotocopies, the quality of the copy worsens as the number of copies increase. Enlarge one of these nth-generation copies and you will come up with a really bad image. In the same way, amplify and transmit a bad signal over several iterations and all you get for your trouble is a louder and even noisier signal.That is essentially what social media is doing for the Philippine National Debate. * * * Indeed, everything essential to practicing countryproperlycomprises stuff most well-bred people learned as little kids. Having a plan to get where one wants to go. Acquiring relevant information and applying it shrewdly. Regarding sales pitches with a critical mind. Being deferent and prudent when communicating with other people disregarding of the communication technology being used. You dont really need a Masters horizontal surface in political science to really get all that.When one understandsfundamentalproblems using park sense, we tend to have a more applicative regard for some of the silver-bullet solutions that the savviest spin-meisters around us attain buzzes around. Source http//getrealphilippines. com/blog/2013/02/everything-i-need-to-know-about-improving-the-outcome-of-philippine-elections-i-learned-in-kindergarten/ BLOG POSTS Policy converse Series 2004 Academe Meets the Political Parties It has often been said that political parties in the Philippines are based on personalities, not on platforms and ideologies.But individuals do not nitty-gritty demands of sectoral interests. Ideally, parties become the key venues where policies and programs are shaped. In the end, it is still the parties who can be made accountable to their constituents and to the people come post-electoral politics. While it may be trustworthy that voting patterns in the Philippines have reflected preference for personalities rather than parties, the platforms of the political parties should still be subjected to public scrutiny. Source http//twsc. upd. edu. ph/training_PDS1. html look March 01, 2004 Filipino Voting PatternsBy Reynz According to some of the articles on the profits about Filipino voting patterns, most Filipino voters choose their candidates based on the following 1. ) Utang na loob (Debt of gratitude) 2. ) Winnability 3. ) Charisma 4. ) Media exposure 5. ) Eloquence 6. ) Pakikisama 7. ) Ka-ching ka-ching In other words, Filipino voters rarely vote on the home of the following 1. ) Capability 2. ) Leadership skills 3. ) Knowledge of the job 4. ) Moral upbringing and, 5. ) Fortitude Source http//www. reynaelena. com/2013/02/03/filipino-voting-patterns/ Date February 03, 2013