Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 6

Business Economics - Essay Example Britain’s main manufactured export products are fuels, chemicals, food and beverages, tobacco, and aerospace products among others. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Britain’s purchasing power parities (PPPs) has declined tremendously for the last few years (OECD, 2007). Accordingly Yahoo! Finance quoting UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS), asserts the economy has shrunk by 0.3 percent within the year, much lower than that of Unite Sates and the regional European average (Yahoo! Finance, 2009) [Figure:1]. However the weak Sterling-pound has nonetheless seen a rebounding of the manufacturing sector as exports grew cheaper yet analysts predict a depressed future as Britain’s GDP fell to 2.9 percent by November 2009 which was the heaviest since July 1985s 4.0 percent turndown when UK’s manufacturing sector was heavily deindustrialization (ONS, 2009). Davis (2002) attributes this deindustrialisation to the prevalent lethargy in growth, escalating labour costs, out-sourcing production to lower labour cost centres, globalisation and the impact of imports infiltration. According to Office for National Statistics (ONS) data, the manufacturing industry accounted for just 16 percent of GDP output and only 13 percent in employment while the service industry controlled 83 percent of exports by 2003 (ONS, 2009). Although Britain is sixth world industrialised country, its manufacturing industry as in the US has been rapidly overtaken by the services industry. During the 1970s and 80s, the sector lost approximately 3.5 million jobs while the services industry created a similar number of jobs in the 1990s particularly in the financial sector the country’s largest employer [see Figure: 2]. The change in momentum from the manufacturing to services has been reflected in the geographical spread shifting from the northern regions to

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Advertising plan for BMW 3-Series - Essay Example BMW Group, one of the 10 largest automotive companies in the world today, started as a manufacturer of aircraft engines in World War I and began building a reputation for reliability and excellence on that undertaking. Initially known as Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke in 1916,the firm changed its name to Bavarian Motor Works in 1917 as it grew rapidly during the war years. In 1923, BMW put together its first motor vehicle, a motorcycle, followed by its first car in 1928, a version of Austin 7, which was built and commercially sold under license. There was no stopping the company since then. Today, the Group operates in 150 countries through 26 production-assembly plants, 35 subsidiary markets and 12 R&D networks. Its flagship products consist of three automotive brands - BMW, MINI and Rolls Royce. All three vehicles share the same configuration, which suggest luxury, premium class, top-of-the-line quality. This is precisely the corporate culture that animates BMW, which is expressed in it s mission statement: "to be the most successful premium manufacturer in the industry." BMW built a solid reputation on this operational strategy.With this kind of philosophy underpinning all BMW's activities, the company produces nothing but premium-class vehicles, which are limited to exclusive sedans and luxury limousines. The side objectives are to set the industry standards for technology, environmental protection and safety, and providing outstanding customer services in the pre- and after-sale phases. These are enshrined in the firm's operations in its 10 R&D facilities worldwide (4 in Munich, 3 in the US and 1 each in Austria, Tokyo and Beijing), 15 production plants (1 in Berlin, 1 in Munich, 4 in UK, and 1 each in China, South Africa, US, Austria and Brazil), 5 assembly plants with local participation (1 each in Indonesia, Russia, Egypt, Malaysia and Thailand), and sales and marketing subsidiaries in 35 countries. In 2005, the company invested 2,597 million euros to boost its property, plant, equipment and other tangible assets, with emphasis on further expanding its production and sales networks. The amount was 81 percent higher than the 1,396 million euros sunk in the firm in 2004 as capital expenditures. A lion's share of this investment went to the company's R&D network, which has been tasked to come up with the BMW "cars of the future." This is part of an expansion plan that has preoccupied management from the start. In 1994, BMW acquired the Rover Group from British Aerospace in the hope that it could duplicate its earlier success with MINI, which used to be a British-owned firm too. For at least six years, some 1 million Rover vehicles were produced in UK yearly until the company suffered losses reaching $2 million per day as a result of the perceived lack of consumer confidence in the brand and the strengthening of the pound. BMW was then forced to sell Rover to the Ford group in 200 0. As for the MINI, BMW hang on to the more successful brand, which is manufactured in its Oxford plant. Market demand for the MINI has never let up, such that at the time BMW was selling Rover, it was pouring in another 50 million euros to increase MINI production. BMW fosters the core values of technology, quality, performance and exclusivity, such that its activities from R&D to sales are committed to achieving the highest quality for products and services. The overall strategy of the company is first, identify areas with growth potential, understand what they represent, recognize where its strength lies, then make the best of every opportunity by pursuing a clear strategy. These considerations guide BMW's structure and how decisions are made, and from the evidence it works like a charm.

INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING AND ADVERTISING Assignment

INTRODUCTION TO MARKETING AND ADVERTISING - Assignment Example Promotion involves two way communications that occurs between the seller and the customer. Advertising involves the use of messages that can inform, persuade and remind customers on the products been sold. Advertising and promotions has many techniques that can be used to achieve the required goals. Different media can be used depending of the budget, marketing objectives and the target market. When one want to market a new model car that is environmentally clean, there are many types of media that be used to advertise this model. People would like to have cars that are environmentally clean because the whole world is trying to reduce global warming. Therefore, coming up with a new car that has less effects on the environment will have to be marketed using the best ways. This hybrid car can be advertised using different media that will ensure that people locally and worldwide are aware of this car. Cars need to be advertised globally since not all countries can manufacture cars. This hybrid car can be advertised locally using television. Television has always been one of the best ways for ads. This is because many people like watching television programs. However, to advertise this car, program that is loved by many people in the country should be considered. This is because large population will be persuaded by the advert. The advert should during the short commercial breaks that take place as the television program is taking place (Schmidt & Kess, 1986 pp.45). During this time, the manufacturer is able to reach the largest population who are watching the television channel. Despite the fact that the advert will be very expensive, it is a guarantee that very large population will aware of the car. The hybrid car can also be marketed through some motor shows. Many people normally attend motor shows. These people are always interested in the new cars that are in the current market. Therefore, manufacturer of the car should ensure that his or her model is feature d during the motor show. Digital marketing can also be used to advertise this hybrid car. This involves the use of social networks like Facebook, twitter, YouTube and blogs. Due to the fact that many social networks have very large world population that access them, this media can be best one in advertising the hybrid car. Pictures of this car should appear in these websites and the links to the original website of the car should be provided. This marketing can be expensive but it reaches very large population both locally and globally (Cairns, 2010 pp.23). To market a car like Mercedes, many types of media have to be used to ensure target market is reached. One of the media that can be used is the television. This media is appropriate because it ensures that large population is reach. Exhibitions can also be used to market this model. People interested in this car will come to enquire on some features of the car. Their interests of buying this car will rise after the exhibitions. T his model can also be marketed through social media like designing its website, use of Facebook and YouTube. The manufacture will be sure that very large population will be reached. This increases marketing of this car brand (Cairns, 2010 pp.29). For a small restaurant that had closed down to re-open, it has to use some promotions to ensure that they gain more customers. These promotions can be advertised using

Cultural Context Essay Example for Free

Cultural Context Essay Even though construction is usually considered as originally the activity of men and machines in digging, moving, shaping, erecting, and so forth, the relative use of building materials by the construction industry far exceeds its share in the gross domestic product. Specifically is construction of great significance for that special class of materials sometimes called as the â€Å"physical-structure† materials, which made major things of human civilization. Out of these â€Å"physical-structure† materials the more or less long-lasting and reliably shaped are wood and concrete. They are basic building materials for thin-shell roof construction, walls, tanks, large-diameter pipes, runways, highway bridges and many other structures. Main Body Concrete is related to the most significant building technologies in twentieth and the early twenty first century. However, other important building materials, such as wood, also figure in the construction picture. The poured method of concrete building has been so improved that buildings of this material are now erected as rapidly as a wood structure. Engineering departments all over the world are now prepared to assist engineers, architects and builders to apply concrete and wood to their construction work. Increasingly in the beginning of the twentieth century, when builders were asked how they should build the foundation possessing good physical strength, their answer was concrete. Either by placing the steel frame upon concrete foundations or by placing it upon a more spacious concrete raft foundation, architectural constructors in most cases complement steel with concrete as a problem-solving building material. By reinforcing concrete with steel rods, or by using steel machinery to form concrete blocks as prefabricated building blocks, builders further diversified their architectural techniques. The most approved composition of concrete for general construction consists of a mixture of broken limestone, granite or clean screened mixture of rock fragments, clean coarse sand and cement, in such proportions that the voids between the stone are completely filled by the sand and the voids in the sand completely filled with cement, with a slight excess of cement to guarantee a perfect connection with the stone. To create top-quality concrete, manufacturers need equally high-grade cement. By 1900 approximately three-quarters of that material was Portland cement, named after the tiny island of Portland in the U. K. where a desirable limestone used in its manufacture was descovered. In 1824 Joseph Aspdin, from Leeds, was the first to provide the world with Portland cement, but after 1872 the material was produced in the United States and its popularity spread rapidly (Collins, 1998). At the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition, American Portland cement was displayed to the public as a useful and practical building material, but production only began in earnest in 1880 and domestic cement only began to overtake European imports in 1897, by which time American machinery for crushing aggregate and making concrete had also begun to substitute European machines, even in Europe itself (American Exporter, 1906, 58 (3), pp. 79-87). Wood structures can be constructed more quickly and inexpensively than other kinds. Wood still is used for finish flooring in the living areas of about four out of five homes, although plastic tiles and other materials are gaining ground. Flooring generally involves both the visible flooring and a subflooring. Most frame houses utilize boards for subflooring, but plywood is gaining ground. In buildings which use concrete beams, concrete flooring slabs are generally poured right along with the beams. Steel structures may be floored with poured concrete or with precast concrete or gypsum slabs. Roofs of houses, which have a timber framework and cladding, are likely to have as the foundation wooden board, plywood, or composition planking. However, the current general tendency in home building toward flat, or low-pitched, roofs has led to a partial shift from tile, wood, and asbestos tiles to concrete materials and poured concrete. Because of its important role in residential buildings, wood does only slightly less well than concrete. Although its relative cost has increased with time, it is still the most popular building material all over the world. The open-grained wood of any of numerous coniferous trees, such as pine and cedar, as distinguished from that of a dicotyledonous tree, enters the English home as framing, siding, shingles, finishing panels, sash, millwork, and boarding, used to cover the wall studding or roof joists of a timber frame; the wood of any of numerous broad-leaved dicotyledonous trees, such as oak, beech, ash, etc. principally as flooring, material used for making panels, and trim. In non-residential buildings, wood is put to practice as the most widely used building material for concrete formwork, railroad ties, telephone poles, railings, fences, and many other purposes (BLAIRSLTD). The chief advantages of wood in construction industry include its ease of production and of process by which wood is packaged and transported, its low thermal conductivity, and its strength-to-weight ratio (which is greater than that of cast iron and is identical to that of the stronger concretes) (Rowell 9). Yet, because of its peculiar weaknesses as an organic material, such as vulnerability to fungi and various insects, its relative lack of versatility in terms of design, and its long-term rise in price in comparison with concrete, the relative role of wood as a building material may to some degree decrease in the future, and further replacement may be projected. If considered as a structural material in large building construction, wood has already been largely replaced by concrete framing, brick or concrete walls, and concrete floors. This trend will probably continue in the future. On the other part, wood framing probably will retain its dominating position in the residential building, although giving way a bit to steel, concrete, perhaps aluminium, and sandwich panel method of building. The advantages of metal roof frameworks are gradually reducing the amount of wood required for roof structures. Moreover, for exterior trimming wood is being increasingly substituted by brick exterior and by panels of such building materials as asbestos, metal, and organic materials with a polymeric structure. Dry wall building and the utilisation of gypsum plasterboard and of metal lath are also considerably lessening the need for wood. The most important role for wood is probably in finished flooring, but there are modern trends toward replacement of composition and various types of synthetic materials even in living areas. Wood, like steel, is yielding to aluminum as the leading building material for window frames, door frames, doorways, trim, and other such purposes. In concrete building the formwork is tending change from wood to steel and plywood and also to plastics. Growing popularity of plywood and of laminated structural members may slow down the trend away from wood. Laminated wood arches, structural frameworks of wood, and roof systems have proved appropriate for spanning distances up to 120 feet, and, because of their attractive and pleasant appearance, are today in frequent use in the building of churches and temples, buildings for public gatherings or meetings, shopping areas, and the similar places. Plywood, which to some degree possesses more physical strength than lumber, may replace lumber in almost any of its uses; it is already extensively used in subflooring, boarding, interior panelling, concrete forms, and so forth. Thus, it may be expected to grow in total use at almost twice the rate predicted for lumber. Use of concrete in building is constantly increasing today. It is a changeable mixture of portland cement, fine aggregates (almost always sand), and coarse aggregates (crushed stone, gravel, cinder, slag, or whatever else is available within a particular area). The proportions of these ingredients are influenced by the particular use to which the concrete is to be intended, but they are at most times 1:2:4. As can be seen, cement is the minor component in this mixture. The fact that concrete is the most extensively used building material can be explained by its advantages related to wood among which are versatility, its high breaking strength relative to bricks and other kinds of masonry materials, the low price which makes it comparatively inexpensive material relative to structural steel, and in essence the presence of concrete components almost in all areas (Classic Encyclopaedia). The main uses of concrete in England are in dams, water tanks, pipes and sewers, heavy walls, piers, caissons, columns, and road and sidewalk pavements. In addition, concrete is utilised in the form of units cast in a particular form before being used in building, such as concrete blocks and cast stone, whose principal advantage over wood, brick, and structural tile is that they are costing relatively little. Because of the low flexural strength of concrete, it is combined with steel in most of its construction applications (Classic Encyclopaedia). This combination is made possible by the match of coefficients of thermal expansion of these materials. The amount of reinforcing steel rods, wire, wire-mesh, and so forth needed for a concrete structure is only one-third to one-half the amount needed for a similar completely steel structure. In England, the possibilities of this technique of construction are just beginning to extend its use beyond massive complex constructions. The chief disadvantages of reinforced concrete (also known as ferroconcrete or armoured concrete) in comparison with structural steel are the time and costs of construction, even if one takes account of the applying paints to the surface of steel members and their trimming. It is costly to build and remove forms, shores, and temporary metal or wooden frameworks. Most of the developments, which been made not long ago, in methods of concrete building are somehow related to reducing expense on forms, First, as an alternative to the traditional lumber and plywood, steel and more recently, plastic with fibrous matter to confer additional strength forms have been experimented. Plastics are especially showing great promise, in view of the fact that they are smooth and easily utilised, able to keep water, may be given extraordinary shapes, and may be use again and again from fifteen to twenty times. Second, â€Å"slip-form† pavers have been successfully employed in laying road pavements (Green 1-2). Third, precasting of concrete members has been used as a mass production technique and to provide solid and robust in construction, more unchanging in form concrete, but presents some transportation problems. Fourthly, so-called tilt-up construction and lift-slab construction has permitted walls, floors, and columns to be poured on a horizontal surface and then either tilted or lifted into place. Finally, able to be used more than once, adjustable length steel trusses have removed the need for the multiple strengthening which differently has to be placed under the conventional built-up forms. The faster such form-saving processes are improved and used by engineers and constructors, the faster steel concrete is likely to be used as a structural material. One more limitation of usual concrete is its low heat insulation value. That is why concrete walls are occasionally of a non-load bearing, sandwich type, being composed of a layer of insulating material cast between two concrete slabs. In this application, concrete is to a serious degree threatened by other types of curtain walls, including various types of sandwiches. Alternative way to give concrete protecting properties is to make it with relatively light weight aggregates – such as vermiculite, expanded clay, and so forth. In this form, it not any more has sufficient quality of being physically strong to be used for load bearing purposes, although it has been very well utilised in long-span roof building. Prestressed concrete has gotten great significance as a building material. The basic characteristic of prestressed concrete is that, by compressing concrete and keeping it under compression, the tensile stresses caused by loads are neutralized (CEMENT). The compression is accomplished by casting the concrete around stretched rods or cables, the tension on which is released as the concrete sets. A prestressed beam needs only one-fourth the weight of the steel and one-half the weight of concrete which is needed to support the same load by a usual reinforced concrete member. Although it was patented by a San Francisco engineer in 1886, prestressed concrete did not emerge as an accepted and effective building material until a half-century later. Since then it had been intensively used in Europe for structural purposes. Up to the present moment, prestressed concrete’s applications have been limited mostly to pipes, tanks, runways, and from time to time highway bridges. As engineers and constructors gain experience and manage to reduce the manufacturing expenses, prestressing may become competitive with steel and with reinforced concrete building. After weighing up all the factors, the trend is more toward a substitution of concrete for other building materials than of other building materials for concrete. The use of portland cement which is made by heating a slurry of clay and crushed chalk should more than double in the next decades, may presumably triple, and at its lowest is expected to become greater by at least one-third.

Oscar Wildes Impacts To Crime And Punishment English Literature Essay

Oscar Wildes Impacts To Crime And Punishment English Literature Essay With his witty charm and consistent plays Oscar Wilde has inspired some of the most intelligent minds of our generation. The attitudes of society towards homosexuality have altered significantly since the sentence of Oscar Wilde in 1895. But to suggest his trial for sodomy had a minimal short term impact on crime and punishment is a gross understatement, it rocked the laws on sodomy and the harsh prison system to their core. As Oscar Wilde would say I made the 20th century able to look itself in the face. Male homosexuality was made a capital offence in England under the Buggery Act of 1533 and the first man to be convicted was playwright Nicholas Udall in 1541, who was imprisoned for a year. The law became eternal in 1563 until replaced by the Offences Against the People Act of 1828. The death penalty was the sentence until 1861 though it was only exacted on a few occasions. Thereafter punishment became imprisonment being from ten years up to life. However the law became stricter: the 1885 Criminal Law Amendment Act made any homosexual act illegal and amid the prosecutions was of course, Oscar Wilde. Underneath the Criminal Law Amendment Act, the maximum penalty for gross indecency was two years incarceration, which was reduced from life in prison, which had itself been condensed from hanging. But what appears to be a softer approach towards homosexuality is really just an elusive disguise, since the prejudice towards homosexuality had been at an increase towards the late 19th centur y and considered to be a monstrous vice. But how did Wilde end up in jail? On 18th February the Marques of Queensberry left his calling card decorated for Oscar Wilde, posing sodomite. Wilde, (influenced by his lover and Queensberrys son Lord Alfred Douglas) initiated a trial against Queensberry which ultimately back-fired. The trial in fact led to details of Wildes homosexuality and overwhelming evidence led to The Crown VS Wilde trial and on 25th May 1895 Wilde was convicted of gross indecency and sentenced to two years hard labour. File:Oscarwildetrial.jpg With the law passed in 1895 that made any act of gross indecency a crime and the celebrity of Oscar Wilde, same sex relationships that might once have been seen as innocent now became suspect. The Wilde trials caused social attitudes toward crime and punishment for homosexuals to become harsher and less tolerant.   Whereas prior to the trials there was a certain compassion for those who engaged in same-sex passion, after the trials homosexuals were seen more as a hazard.   The Wilde trials also had other effects.   They caused the public to begin to connect art and homosexuality and to analyse effeminacy as a signal for homosexuality.   Many same sex relationships seen as guiltless before the Wilde trials became suspect after them. People with same sex relationships grew anxious about doing something that might suggest indecency. Wilde was jailed in Pentonville Prison originally; however he was then transported too Wandsworth prison in London. The regime at the time was tough; hard labour, hard fare and a hard bed was the guiding philosophy. Wilde was required to work on a treadwheel during his time in prison and I would suggest that the banning of the treadwheel was credit to Oscar Wildes acquaintanceship with it. Wilde in fact became very ill from the hard labour of the treadwheel which later contributed towards his early death. I do not think it was mere coincidence that the banning of the treadwheel happened so soon after Wildes release and I believe it is one of the greatest short term impacts Wilde had on crime and punishment. Oscar Wildes trial engrossed the nation, the subject matter a cause of intense rumour and speculation. But how did this have the effect of changing social attitudes towards the crime and punishment of homosexuals? The status of Wilde had a great deal to do with the magnanimity that the trials grew to. The factors that made him different in the eyes of the public, particularly his nature, transformed him into a model threat. At this time, the fear and threat of homosexuality was growing, and Wildes trial took part in that expansion. However I would not agree that Wildes case alone dramatically changed the attitudes of the public, but rather that it was one of several other incidents during the span of two decades that caused a more aggressive fear of homosexuals. For example the Cleveland Street Scandal of 1889 fuelled the attitude that homosexuality was a tool to destroy male youths. The Cleveland Street Scandal in essence was when a homosexual brothel in Cleveland Street, London, wa s found by police. Therefore, this, toppled with the new Criminal Law Amendment Act enacted in the late 1800s, was what truly impacted attitudes in England. Analysing the Jury is pivotal to understanding how the Wilde trial impacted public attitudes to crime and punishment for homosexuals and the divisions amongst the jury reflected current public opinion very well. At first the public couldnt cry crucify him loud enough, but afterwards the figures increased of those who hoped Wilde would be acquitted, in view of the meagre quality of the prosecution witnesses, even if he had done what he was accused of. One clergyman, the Reverend Selwyn Image, even found the nerve to describe the entire law under which Wilde is charged, as pernicious.The judge even called the Wilde trial as the worst case he had ever tried and proclaimed that the maximum sentence of two years was in fact lenient. I wrap up that the reaction from the judge during the trials sentencing statement is enough evidence to confirm the horrific views of the public towards crime and punishment for homosexuality. Not only his trial but Wildes imprisonment and exile changed public attitudes on the prison system. He drew from his experience to produce The Ballad of Reading Gaol and several articles against the poor conditions in British prisons, one of which contributed to the passing of a law to prevent the imprisonment of children. During Wildes imprisonment, a hanging took place. Charles Thomas Wooldridge had been a trooper in the Royal Horse Guards. He was convicted of cutting the throat of his wife, Laura Ellen, earlier that year. This had a profound effect on Wilde, inspiring the line Yet each man kills the thing he loves. The ballad had some influence on public perception as well as it described what life in gaol was like. Although it could be argued that he didnt have a long term impact on hanging in prisons as it was banned in 1969, I strongly believe Wilde had an impact on attitudes toward capital punishment in the short term as it must be remembered that The ballad of Reading Gaol wa s published and was rather popular. Such was the sphere of influence on the trial of Oscar Wilde that it had a negative impact on how crime and punishment for homosexuality was perceived across the Atlantic. American Newspaper New York Times stressed a need for a law on gross indecency which being the distinguished newspaper it is, quite obviously impacted public attitude towards sodomy. After Wildes arrest, the April 6 New York Times discussed Wildes case as a query of immorality and would not specifically address homosexuality, discussing the men some as young as 18 that were brought up in the witness box. The treatment of the Wilde case in American newspapers reflects the American attitude towards the subject in the 1890s; although in discussion, homosexuality could not be named. Furthermore Englands national newspapers also had a negative impact on short term attitudes towards homosexuality as the news about the trial was biased and faulty at best. It is no secret that newspapers are in business to make money so analysing newspaper articles is vital to understanding public attitude that the Oscar Wilde trials brought, after all, they are a sounding board for current attitudes. They caused Oscar Wildes trial as well as his conviction to be an extremely exposed event, strongly influencing the way the  public  interpreted homosexuality and the crime of sodomy. The articles of the Evening Standard and the Morning among others portrayed Wilde as having a particular tendency toward committing sexual acts with other men. The newspapers also most effectively described Wilde as a languorous, long-haired lover of sunflowers. I would therefore analyse that newspapers transformed homosexual acts into a homosexual identity. Despite the substance of homosexual categor ies in medical books by 1869, Victorian journalism created a new homosexual parable that the Oscar Wilde trials can lay claim to producing the category of the homosexual. National newspapers were overall a vice for what public attitude was for crime and punishment for homosexuals 1895. One could argue that in the short term, Wilde influenced the origins of many pressure groups. For example in 1895 Earl Lind created Cercle Hermaphroditos which was the 1st group to announce a political agenda to clash against the discrimination of homosexuals. As well as this, in 1897 George Cecil Ives structured the first homosexual rights group in England, the Order of Chaeronea. These pressure groups in my opinion clearly give a positive indication that the Oscar Wilde trial increased public awareness and influenced attitudes of political persecution of homosexuals. But how could the formation of two small pressure groups suggest that the Wilde trial impacted attitudes in the short term? Pressure groups have played and continue to play an important part in the development of political and social systems and it must not be forgot that pressure groups influenced the governments decision to allow homosexual acts in 1967. Douglas O. Linder, author of Famous Trials summed up the Oscar Wilde scandal quite appropriately when he stated Celebrity, sex, witty dialogue, political intrigue, surprising twists, and important issues of art and moralityis it any surprise that the trials of Oscar Wilde continue to fascinate one hundred years after the death of one of the worlds greatest authors and playwrights. He has no idea how right he is as after his 1895 trial for gross indecency, Oscar Wildes name became a byword for immorality. But in the 20th century, gay men embraced Wilde as an icon of gay history and changes were made to the law in 1967, when same-sex acts were finally decriminalised. This proves that Wilde irrelevantly did have a long term impact on attitudes to crime and punishment for homosexuals which proved to be positive. Despite some positive impacts Wildes trial produced such as influences on hanging and the abolition of the infamous treadwheel, there is no denying that the Oscar Wilde trial mos t definitely had a negative impact on attitudes to crime and punishment for homosexuals in the short term. The trials brought media attention on them and public attitudes turned from ignorance to hatred. Even the Church could no longer pacify homosexuality as something unspoken, conceivable to the modern day dont ask dont tell policy historically used by the US army in relation to homosexuals until being abolished under President Obama. By the time of his conviction, not only had Wilde been established as the main sexual deviant of the nineteenth century, but he had become the model for an emerging public definition of a new type of menace, the homosexual.

Dansk Designs, Ltd. :: essays research papers

Dansk Designs Ltd., founded in 1955, is a company that markets stainless steel flatware. The firm traditionally followed a strategy of differentiation. They produce high quality products for the â€Å"top of the table†. Their goal was to reach a small market segment, which consisted of upper class, prestigious customers. Dansk Designs wanted to sell the concept of the Dansk brand, and believed their consumers would purchase the Dansk products because of the prominent brand name and because the products were the very best in taste and quality. Ted Nierenberg, the founder of Dansk Designs has recently decided that he wants to keep Dansk growing at 15% to 20% per year. Nierenberg feels as if his current product line will not provide sufficient growth to meet his objectives, and believes it is in the company’s best interest to introduce a new line of house ware products called Dansk Gourmet Designs Ltd. Nierenberg believes they should market this new line to a much wider g roup of consumers at competitive prices. However, I believe that although expanding into a new market with a new product line will increase short-term revenues, in the long run it will be detrimental because the new line will dilute the brand identity of Dansk Designs. If Nierenberg wants to grow every year 15% to 20%, I believe he should consider ways to lower costs instead of increasing volume and revenues.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Traditionally, Dansk Designs followed a strategy of differentiation. When a firm follows this strategy, they create differences in the firm’s product or service by creating something that is perceived as unique and valued by customers. Differentiation can take many forms, including prestige or brand image, which Dansk decided to implement. Their product line consists of eight product categories, which include flatware, china, linen, glass, decorator cookware, and wooden bowls and trays. Their products are of high quality and are highly priced. Dansk was able to achieve a differentiation advantage because their price premiums exceeded the extra costs of being unique. Dansk is able to create these unique products because of the talented designers they employ, including Jens Quisrgaard, Niels Refsgaard, and Gunnar Cyren. Another competitive advantage of a strategy of differentiation is the ability to deal with supplier power. There is a certain amount of statu s associated with being the supplier to a producer of differentiated products. Dansk’s principal supplier, Richard Nissen, has enjoyed working with Dansk because he believes they have been able to â€Å"preserve the handcrafted nature of the products†.

Prison system of the 18th and the early 19th century Essay

In the early 1800’s, state prisoner were leased to Florida companies where they were often worked as slave labor. Mart Taber was a young prisoner convicted of stealing a ride on a freight train. He died as a result of the brutal treatment administered by a lumber company boss to whom he was leased. The prison system of the 1800’s and the early 1900’s was based on cruel and inhumane treatment. Punishment was very tragic. The prisoners were treated as animal and consider less of inhuman because of their lawlessness. They were made to right the wrongs that they have committed either trough physical pain, endure mutilation, torture, mulcted in fines, deprive of liberty, adjudges as slave or even put to death. The American prison as we know began in New York in the early 19th century. â€Å"Reformation† was the goal of the founders of the system. During the colonial period and in the early years of the nation, long-term imprisonment was not a common form of punishment in prison. Instead, execution was the prescribed penalty for a wide range of offenses. People who committed less serious offenses faced public punishment such as pillorying, whipping and maiming. At the beginning of the 19th century, imprisonment had replaced public punishment and execution as a form of punishment for most crimes, except murder and treason. The early places of imprisonment ranged from wood frame houses to copper mine, such as the Connecticut prison in 1790. Then, in the early 19th century two concepts of imprisonment were introduced in New York and Pennsylvania, including what the structures should look like and how they should be operated, â€Å"Few people had any idea what the structures should look like or how they should be administered.† (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page1) These institutions were not only meant to be houses of convicted criminals, they also had the objective of reforming inmates into temperate, industrious, hard-working citizens and return them to their societies as new men. Sentences were long enough to allow the prison system its program of reformation. In Pennsylvania, the prison system of reformation was to separate the inmate and provide him with a small room and a exercise area totally isolated from  the human companionship â€Å"Only in the purity of complete isolation could be the corruption be overcome and the restoration of faith and honesty be attained† (The Evolution of the New YorkPrison System, Part I. Page2) After an appropriate period of total isolation and inactivity, the prisoner was allowed to small bits of handicraft work and a Bible in his cell. The inmate was not allowed to see another prisoner. The founders of the prison system believed that isolation was the only way for a prisoner is rehabilitated. Prison system of the 18th and early 19th century left a reasonable quantity of dead prisoners and also physical abuse to the inmate. The crime that any prisoner has committed doesn’t justify the cruel and inhumane treatment they receive in jail. If the founders of the prison system from that time of period wouldn’t have been so cruel, they would had avoid so many death and people being maltreated. Instead of merciless punishment they should had given them social work as their sentence and should had taken advantage from the prisoners keeping in mind that they are human beings.