Counter-Terrorism Strategies

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam were founded in 1976 with the aim of championing for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka-Hindus who comprise about 18% of the total population against the Buddhist Sinhalese who make up the majority of the population (Rabasa, pp. 68). To fight for the formation of an independent state curved out from Sri Lanka, they have repeatedly waged war using guerrilla, conventional, and terrorist tactics and have attacked military, government and civilian targets.One major unit that specializes in terrorist attacks is the Black Tigers who often commit suicide during such attacks. The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a terrorist organization founded in the year 1916 and has conducted many violent and terrorism campaigns against the British authorities in the Northern Ireland for a long time since 1916 . The current operations of the army is based on a kind of rules of war in which for instance warnings of an imminent bomb attack are provided followed by a certain cod e that acts as a verification of the legitimacy of the warnings.The bombings have been targeted to disrupt the lives of British people so that the organization can continue obtaining financial support from associate countries though this is anticipated to change. The range of bombs used by the terrorists include small devices made from high explosives which have been provided by foreign associates or stolen and large improvised bombs based on Ammonium . A renewed ceasefire declared in 1997 by the IRA was far from being comprehensive since it only refrained them from attacking the security forces and therefore the IRA continued to launch brutal attacks against Roman Catholics .Different strategies have therefore been employed to combat terrorism both in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland. These strategies exhibit some differences as well as a number of similarities. This paper will compare and contrast these strategies adopted by the authorities to suppress acts of terrorism propagated b y the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka and the IRA in Northern Ireland. The strategies adopted by the authorities to suppress acts of terrorism in Sri Lanka and Northern Ireland differ on several facets.Firstly, the authorities in Sri Lanka have predominantly used military force to combat the violent acts propagated by Tamil Tiger rebels. In contrast, the British government have applied extensive legislative measures to suppress the terrorist organization, the Ireland Republican Army in Northern Ireland. There are several examples of legislation by the British government. It is worth noting that since its formation, Northern Ireland has been in a state of emergency and the Civil Authorities Act of 1922 was passed only a year after its partition .In the 1970s the British government perceived an imminent possibility of the violence in Northern Ireland spiraling out of control and therefore it expeditiously introduced the Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act (EPA) in 1973 . This Act was a milestone since it paved way for a number of new measures including increased power for the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and Army to arrest any terrorism suspect.In addition, the Act allowed the formation of non-jury courts specially for conducting trials on those accused of terrorism and also it provided for the prohibition of all terrorist organizations. As another and more advanced measure to suppress acts of terrorism, the British Parliament quickly passed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in 1974 after the deadly Birmingham pub bombings by the IRA . The PTA also served to extend the measures undertaken by the EPA throughout the UK by the virtue of introducing more powers with regard to interrogation and detention.These two major Acts had extreme provisions and therefore they were originally designed to be temporary though the government fully understood the dynamic nature of terrorism and therefore was committed to renew them until they were eventually replaced by more permanent provisions of the Terrorism Act of 2000 . The effectiveness of such legislation can be seen particularly from the implementation of Northern Ireland Emergency Provisions Act in 1973 which gave the military power to arrest and detain suspects temporarily and also search homes in the absence of warrants.The culmination of such a move was that hundreds of people were detained and more than 250,000 homes searched during which thousands of hidden weapons were discovered and seized by the military . These legislation paved way for a number of methods in curbing terrorism in Northern Ireland. These methods include criminalisation, internment without trial, Diplock courts and the supergrass system in which the policies of each focus on punishing those accused of crimes related to terrorism with unwanted or unforeseen effects .Therefore, the legislative measures adopted by the British government to combat Ireland Republican Army’s terrorist actions forced it to alter its ow n legislative avenue to make it commensurate with the political violence in the Northern Ireland by both taking extreme steps and first making their provisions temporary. In contrast to such legislative approaches to ending terrorism, the government of Sri Lanka can be said to have mostly applied military force combined with very few harsh legislative measures when compared to those adopted against IRA by British government.It is important to remember that when it attained its independence in 1948, Sri Lanka was not prepared to deal with even minor protests leave alone such large terrorist groups as Tamil Tigers which developed gradually over time. This was due to the small number of police and military in addition to inadequate equipment and lack of a firm organizational structure. There are several incidences which demonstrate that the government has employed force in terms of military action as well as legislation as major strategies against the Tamil rebels.In 1977, before a mon th was over after the UNP government coming to power, an army was sent to wipe out all the people who were organizing a movement to demand for a separate Tamil state . This was purposed to stop the secessionists before the movement became a threat to the government. A similar attack in August 1977 resulted in hundreds of Tamils being killed and thousands left homeless. This was done through the use of force by the police and the military.An example of a legislation against terrorism is the Prevention of Terrorism Act which was passed in 1979 and whose provisions included confessions made out of torture, detention without trial, and conducting searches without warrants . In addition, the Act made crimes such as kidnapping, murder, and abduction punishable by life imprisonment. This legislative approach can however be compared to the one used in Northern Ireland by the British government though it has passed many legislation compared to the situation in Sri Lanka with regard to counte r-terrorism.In the mid 1981, another military-initiated attack against the Tamils occurred which left the group devastated. A major preventive war in 1983 was waged against Tamils by the government to crash them completely following a shift in the balance of power between the Tamils who were secessionists, and the Sri Lankan government . This pogrom had a lot of effects compared to the previous incidences of military action since it was accompanied with the use of violent attacks by organized mob groups which left over 3,000 Tamils brutally killed and 150,000 left homeless .These events are examples which demonstrate the difference in the way the two governments have dealt with terrorism propagated by the two groups. Another major contrast in the strategies to combat the activities of both the Tamil Tigers and the Ireland Republican Army is that the British government in the Northern Ireland has extensively applied contingency measures which include legislation aimed at dealing with biological, chemical or radiological attacks .In Sri Lanka, such measures have hardly been used and instead, legislation to curb terrorism by the Tamil Tigers have been predominantly those that give the military more power and authority to use force. However, a similar case applies in Northern Ireland with regard to use of harsh tactics to arrest and suppress the members of the Ireland Republican Army. The major measure used between 1971 and 1975 was that of using torture during interrogation of suspects who had been subjected to internment without trial .The measure was particularly applied on suspects whom the authorities believed they were potential sources of valuable information which could possibly enable them apprehend more suspects including the masterminds of the terrorist attacks by the IRA. The in depth interrogation as an example of using force on suspects entailed five main techniques including exposure of the terror suspects to a monotonous and continuous loud voice w ith the head covered with a black hood and being forced by means of a button to stand for about six hours at a time against a wall, hands raised above the head with the legs apart for a period of several days.The suspects were also subjected to severe deprivation of food and water and also sleep was denied. However, the European Commission on Human Rights later on judged the method as one constituting an inhuman practice of treating people who have been arrested. This led to the discontinuity of the use of the five techniques following unfavorable publicity . A major similarity in both counter-terrorism strategies is with regard to the attempts to use peaceful means or dialogue which has seen several treaties being signed between the IRA and the British government and between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers.The peace agreements have been accompanied by certain promises and conditions such power sharing deals, surrendering of weapons by the rebelling groups including o ther conditions with the purpose of seeking peace. However, a similar scenario witnessed in both cases is that most of the attempts to initiate sustainable peace agreements have in most cases failed due to diverse political, economic or social reasons.A major attempt and a good example of a peace agreement in the Northern Ireland is the Downing Street Declaration which was initiated in December 1993 and which signaled readiness for more dialogue to break the stalemate between all the sides involved in the resolution process including the IRA and Sinn Fein, the Ireland’s oldest political movement . In Sri Lanka, since a new government came to power in 2001, the government has adopted a peace approach to suppress terrorism by the Tamil Tigers in which at least three breakthroughs have been achieved.Among the peace talks have been a disarmament process, agreement on humanitarian measures and most importantly, the readiness of the Tamil Tigers to welcome a federal structure . It can therefore be clearly deduced that there have been practical and viable approaches to counter acts of terrorism by both the Ireland Republican Army and the Tamil Tigers which have been implemented by the governments concerned to try and improve the situation in these countries. A good similarity is that both governments have tried peace agreements though most have not elicited sustainable outcomes.Another similarity is seen in the use of force though the kind of force used against IRA is seen to be mostly applied after suspects have been apprehended in an effort to gather useful information from them. The force used on Tamil Tigers is predominantly military action. The biggest contrast between the strategies in both situations is that a lot of sustainable legislative measures have been adopted against the IRA with only one major legislation being implemented against the Tamil Tigers. Bibliography Bjorgo, Tore. Root causes of terrorism: myths, reality and ways forward.New York: Ro utledge, 2005. Brenner, Edgar H and Yonah Alexander. Uks Legal Responses to Terrorism. New York: Routledge, 2003. Derkins, Susie. The Irish Republican Army. New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Dos Santos, Anne Noronha. Military intervention and secession in South Asia: the cases of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Kashmir, and Punjab. New York: Anne Dos Santos, 2007. Geraghty, Tony. The Irish War: the hidden conflict between the IRA and British Intelligence. New York: JHU Press, 2000. Houen, Alex. Terrorism and modern literature, from Joseph Conrad to Ciaran Carson.New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Martin, Gus. Essentials of Terrorism: Concepts and Controversies. New York: SAGE, 2010. Rabasa, Angel. Beyond al-Qaeda: The outer rings of the terrorist universe. New York: Rand Corporation, 2006. Shanahan, Timothy. The provisional Irish Republican Army and the morality of terrorism. Salt Lake City: Edinburgh University Press, 2009. Sluka, Jeffrey A. Death squad: the anthropology of state terror. Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000. Wallis, Geoff, Mark Connolly and Margaret Greenwood. Rough guide to Ireland. Dublin City: Rough Guides, 2003.

Case Assignment Benzene exposure

Introduction Benzene which is also known as benzol is an organic compound that is colorless, highly flammable and with a sweet odor. It tends to evaporate quickly when left exposed. It is a chemical compound that is normally formed by a natural process such as volcanic formation or forest fires. It is also formed from hydrocarbons. It was said to be present as a â€Å"component of the cigarette smoke† (ACS, 2008). Some of it physical properties are a relatively high melting point and high solubility in water.It is mostly use as a solvent in most chemical industries. It functions ranges from the production of drugs, plastics, synthetic rubber to dyes production where it mostly serves as the precursors of such industrial products. Route of exposure Benzene exposure has a lot of health impact and there are mostly three ways in which an individual can be exposed to benzene toxicity, these are inhalational route, ingestion and transdermal absorption (Media Fact, 2008). Inhalation o f benzene is usually as a result of the breathing of the benzene fumes.Benzene fumes are inhaled easily because benzene is an extremely volatile organic compound and this kind of exposure is one of the deadliest because of it immediate contact with the lung parenchyma. This then elicit a lot neurological symptoms such as headache, dizziness, tachycardia (increase in heart rate), tremors and subsequent death if untreated on time. Benzene ingestion result from eating of benzene laden foods or beverages and its noticeable symtoms are neurological while those of transdermal route usually result from contact with the benzene or benzene laden materials (Media Fact, 2008).The health problems cause by this route of benzene exposure â€Å"are erythema (reddening of the skin), scaling dermatitis, suppression of the hematopoietic system and pancytopenia† (Media Fact, 2008) Sources of Benzene Exposure The major sources of human exposure to benzene are environmental, occupational and cons umer products. Benzene is usually released into air from sources like gasoline filling stations, underground leakage of petroleum, vehicular exhaust, cigarette smoke, waste products or sewage and some food products.Most of the occupational related benzene exposure are seen mainly in industries like those involve in rubber production, chemical plants, refineries and shipments and retail shops. Other sources include consumer products that are made of benzene such as glues, adhesives, cigarettes, paint and varnishes e. t. c Short and long term effects The short term effects of benzene exposure are â€Å"drowsiness, dizziness, headaches, tremors, confusion and unconsciousness† (ACS, 2008).The previous symptoms are as a result of exposure of about 700-300ppm while acute exposure of high dose results in vomiting, irritation of the gastrointestinal tract, narcolepsy, convulsion and tachycardia. In extreme cases of high dose ingestion death usually results. The long term effect of be nzene toxicity has been attributed to the interference with the normal blood cell production i. e. the hematopoietic cells. The sequeale of this is anemia and leucopenia. An individual with this will be immunocompromised hence such individual will be prone to opportunistic diseases.The long term effect can also be seen to result in reproductive organ dysfunction. Precautionary measures 1. The use of personal protective equipment such as gloves, apron and some other clothing materials. 2. Special training on equipments handling and usage 3. If there is accidental release of the benzene quick evacuation of such laboratory must be done urgently 4. Proper ventilation of the laboratory References ACS, (2008). Benzene. Prevention and early detection Retrieved Sept 4, 2008 From www. cancer. org/docroot/PED/content/PED_1_3X_Benzene. asp

Popular Culture Media and Society: Culture Jamming Essay

Introduction â€Å"Culture jamming† is a strategy often utilized by the anti-globalization movement in the creation and reappropriation of memes, or memorable and persistent ideas. Traditional culture jamming strategies have included a variety of actions, ranging from billboard liberation, wherein artists reclaim billboards as public space, to media activism, wherein activists attempt to garner news coverage through some form of direct action in order to have their message heard. Additional tactics such as spoof advertisements geared to mock a particular brand or industry and branding removal, wherein activists remove all marks of branding from products, have also been deployed. Culture jammers attempt to expose the norms of western industrial society and call them into question but often their attempts are not popular enough to reach a large audience and encourage a large scale questioning of the status quo. The goals of the culture jamming community are to introduce new norms into societies that effectively turn back the meanings of current social norms. Despite the best intentions of those working within the movement, traditional culture jamming rarely makes it into popular culture and is thus often thwarted in the attempt to successfully challenge the norms perpetuated by globalization. The purpose of this study is to examine the ways in which culture jamming that permeates the media and crosses the line from subculture to pop culture can challenge hegemonic structures of power while simultaneously reinforcing those challenges by increasing their popularity. Through the study of popular culture artifacts from a variety of genres I hope to determine whether or not popular culture may serve as an effective strategic forum for the introduction of culture jamming artifacts, as opposed to the traditional and more subversive tactics being deployed by culture jammers. Towards an Understanding of Culture Jamming Culture jamming and studies of culture jamming have typically focused on the ability of an activist group or individual to effectively redeploy the signs and symbols of a dominant system in a manner that disrupts their meaning and critiques the overall system from which the symbols originate. In his recently republished 1993 pamphlet on culture jamming, Mark Dery (2001) states that culture jammers: †¦ introduce noise into the signal as it passes from transmitter to receiver, encouraging idiosyncratic, unintended interpretations. Intruding on the intruders, they invest ads, newscasts, and other media artifacts with subversive meanings; simultaneously, they decrypt them, rendering their seductions impotent (para. 36). From Dery’s perspective culture jamming can be seen as actions or artifacts that are politically or subversively charged. Jamming can range from parody to media gags, but always aims to make a statement against a particular target of power or popularity within a culture. Similarly, semiotic theorist Umberto Eco (1984) advocates that one form of media can be utilized to spread criticism pointed at another type of medium in order to â€Å"restore a critical dimension to passive reception† (p. 138). Eco refers to acts and artifacts that have this potential to be part of â€Å"semiotic guerilla warfare.† The signs and symbols of a culture are open to interpretation. While within a culture there may be a common meaning for these signs and symbols within a culture that meaning is not set in stone. A sign or a symbol may be used to contradict its own popular meaning. Thus we can see how semiotics plays an important role in developing tools for the toolbox of the culture jammer. The lack of fixed meaning in the signs we see on a daily basis allow culture jammers to turn back symbols as semiotic weapons against their creators. Kalle Lasn (2000) defines culture jamming as the demarketing of marketing. As the founder of Adbusters magazine, Lasn has pushed for the reclaiming and redeployment of particular brand names, icons, and advertising campaigns through a process known to culture jammers as subvertising. Lasn explains in his book, Culture Jam that culture jammers utilize Debord’s notion of detournement, or turning back specific aspects of a spectacle against itself. In the case of culture jamming, brands and their advertising are turned back upon themselves to reveal questions and inconsistencies about a particular advertiser’s ideals as seen through its campaigns. Lasn (2000) also claims that successful culture jamming can function as a pincer movement utilizing both high profile media campaigns that challenge industry in combination with grass roots campaigns for local action. The challenge to an industry or target combined with encouragement of behavioral change has the potential to change the perception of the target on a broad scale while also reducing support for the target. A well-organized pincer will get millions of people thinking about their lives—about eating better, driving less, jumping off the fashion treadmill, downshifting. Eventually the national mood will evolve (pg136). Lasn’s pincer attack attempts to make that which is currently chic or popular in a society unpopular on a massive scale. As fewer people within the society buy into the imagery of a particular industry or brand the industry loses financial support and must either change its practices or face rejection by the community at large. Lasn has spear headed grass roots campaigns such as â€Å"Buy Nothing Day;† an annual campaign urging consumers to avoid buying anything on the last Friday of November (a date commonly known among retailers as â€Å"Black Friday† as it often marks record profits for retailers as a result of holiday shopping). Lasn combines this grassroots campaign with thirty-second television ad spots on CNN each year as well as more locally oriented promotion such as fliers that activists can print off the Internet and disseminate at will. Christine Harold (2004) claims that the culture jammer â€Å"seeks to undermine the marketing rhetoric of multinational corporations, specifically through such practices as media hoaxing, corporate sabotage, billboard ‘liberation,’ and trademark infringement† (p. 190). These strategies are used by jammers in an effort to â€Å"glut the system† by supplying audiences with contradictory messages. Their goal is to generate a qualitative change in the minds of the audience about the subject matter targeted. Harold (2004) critiques traditional culture jamming as a rhetorical strategy because it often relies upon revelation of hidden truths and rejection of the systems it attempts to play upon. In her analysis, Harold specifically indicts Lasn’s publications and others who deploy parody or direct negation of corporate logos in their attempts to cause questioning of norms. Reliance on parody as a mechanism for revealing truth requires audiences to deconstruct the common meaning of a sign with little to work with but the sign itself. Additionally, parody causes a commitment to rhetorical binaries that articulate rejection of the targeted idea with little room for the idea to be reframed. Dominant powers within a criticized system can easily utilize these tactics for their own means. The reliance on a recognized symbol helps to maintain its cultural prominence. The rhetorical binary used by culture jammers allows the targeted entity to easily deflect criticism and quash the questioning of norms. While Adbusters and activists of similar ideology may put forth a message of rebellion and rejection corporate targets can use these concepts of rebellion and rejection to sell their products. Recent advertisements for Sprite illustrate this concept well as they focus on rejecting celebrity culture and embracing one’s own character by purchasing the product. Harold (2004) advocates a more appropriative approach to culture jamming seeks to be appropriated by commercial media in order to redirect the focus of dominant media systems. Much of Harold’s argument focuses on the value of media activism via prank, pointing to groups such as the Barbie Liberation Organization (BLO) and Biotic Baking Brigade (BBB) as groups that have successfully received positive media coverage through their pranks. Clearly, we can see that culture jamming may be an effective strategy for putting dominant hierarchies, organizations, and systems into question. However, Reinsborough and Harold (2004) both raise interesting points in terms of the effectiveness of the strategy, with Harold illustrating the problems of strategies that are not appropriative and Reinsborough recognizing that subversive media strategies (such as those Harold advocates) are often limited in scope. When considering Reinsborough’s (2003) usage of the word meme the concept that he is referring to is not necessarily identical to that articulated by memetic theorists. Susan Blackmore (1999) has broadly defined memes as â€Å"everything that you have learned by imitation† (pg6). The definition of imitation from a memetic perspective should not be confused with â€Å"copycat† acts. Instead, imitation should be seen as memes passing from one mind to another. In his article on culture jammers and the World Wide Web, Stephen Downes (1999) defines the meme as a â€Å"contagious idea that spreads from one mind to another† (para. 2). He articulates that memes are a way to represent the ideas contained within advertising and explains that in order for ideas to take hold in one’s mind they must appeal to the audience in a way that helps them to be remembered. Similarly, Kalle Lasn (2000) speaks of â€Å"infotoxins,† or â€Å"infoviruses,† that permeate dominant media forums. Lasn claims that disinformation is propagated through media and public relations spin resulting in the establishment of incorrect beliefs about the world. In one example, Lasn refers to the media’s portrayal of anti-automobile activists as limiters of personal freedom as a contributing factor in the failure of activists to popularize their message. The movement becomes unable to stimulate a mindset shift towards a culture that is less dependent upon petroleum products. As the activists are seen as â€Å"anti-freedom† harms they are attempting to solve such as global warming are not taken seriously. Additionally, he argues that while the effects of global warming can be seen on both local and global scales, disinformation that has been spread through dominant media forums has led to a sense of complacency about the issue in the minds of Americans. Lasn believes these â€Å"infoviruses† are untruthful memes that must be challenged through the production of counteractive memes that outperform those that movements wish to question. â€Å"We build our own meme factory, put out a better product and beat the corporations at their own game. We identify the macromemes and the metamemes—the core ideas without which a sustainable future is unthinkable—and deploy them† (pg124). Both Reinsborough (2003) and Lasn (2000) seem to be identifying that memes are memorable and popular concepts that have the ability to be spread in order to transform cultural norms. Blackmore (1999) and Downes (1999) clearly illustrate that memes are made up of ideas that are picked up from popular culture and imitated. The process of culture jamming can be seen as one generating memes that hold a meaning that challenges existing norms. To return to the analogy of the gene, culture jamming can be seen as a form of â€Å"memetic engineering† with a goal of producing a dominant and meaningful meme that causes new â€Å"traits,† or meanings, to become exemplified within a culture. Understanding the Transformative Potential of Popular Culture Communication and mass media scholars have examined the extent to which popular culture may contribute to the formation of cultural norms and social structure. Guy Debord (1977) implicates popular culture in large portion of what he labels â€Å"the society of the spectacle.† Debord’s (1977) view of the world in the era of global capitalism is one in which popular culture serves to provide images or representations of the world that do not represent its historical state, but instead inspire audiences to digest the world around them as commodities as a replacement for the real. Artifacts such as films are not representative of art, but are tools to inspire audiences to strive towards the acquisition of consumer goods and respect the hierarchal structure. Debord (1977) points out that the society of the spectacle is replete with images and representations that drive audiences to become consumers. This consumption leads audiences to respect the structural hierarchies that repress them. In essence, the complacency most audiences have towards the consumption of images and subsequently the world around them drives this structuralism. While Debord (1977) implicates popular culture and the spectacle as paramount in the construction of a social order of consumption, he does offer some hope for those striving to work against the consumptive nature of capitalist hierarchies in the form of â€Å"detournement† By creating contradictions, negations, or parodies of a given work, â€Å"corrections† can be made to the meaning of the work in order to create a meaning that is more representative of the â€Å"true† states of societies. Marshall McLuhan (1964) argued in his groundbreaking work, Understanding Media, that popular culture experienced a drastic shift with the advent of technologies such as film, radio and television. Whereas popular culture had been print dominated in years previous, the shift to new types of media changed the way media was created and the effect was dramatic. McLuhan argues that the introduction of printed texts into cultures undermined the tribal aspect of communities and collective ideas that had once dominated small communities. Cultures became more individualistic and increased the power of logic and rationale of the written word as opposed to commonality among group members. The advent of new media brought about a more collective consciousness as individuals were drawn to its aesthetics. New tribal communities formed that were rooted in both local and global norms. Audience exposure to new and different sights and sounds increased the shared understanding across cultures. McLuhan also illustrates that the spread of media united people as a result of the media’s importance by comparing media to staples of a society’s economy. Television, for example, can be used to construct the cultural norms of a society. Those people who are active audience members of a particular television show or genre are likely to have shared beliefs, forming a tribal community of their own. McLuhan argued that the community building potential of television and the syndication of programming created the potential for these cultures to spread globally. While McLuhan’s work was performed in the 1960s the subsequent popularity of the Internet seems to confirm at the very least that communities of people who make up television audiences extend worldwide as fan sites, bulletin boards, and blogs dedicated to television programs cross multiple borders and cultures. Television, much of McLuhan’s media, is a part of popular culture. Research has also been conducted suggesting that popular culture has the ability to reaffirm existing cultural norms or as a tool in transforming current norms. Lee Artz (2004) has examined the cultural norms that are present in the bulk of the animation produced by the Walt Disney Co. Artz argues that the autocratic production process embraced by Disney executives results in four dominant themes present in nearly every animated film the company has released. These themes include the naturalization of hierarchy, the defense of elite coercion and power, promotion of hyper-individualism and the denigration of democratic solidarity (p. 126). The prevalence of these themes can be identified through study of the narratives contained within Disney films as well as through the stylistic elements of the animation itself. The ease with which animated film can be translated and transported into the languages and cultures of peoples worldwide offers a large audience to Disney in marketing its films and film-related products. The portability of Disney products from one culture to another is a problematic notion for Artz (2004), as he explains the social stratification present and reaffirmed in the films produced is largely representative of the global capital system that allows Disney to thrive as a media giant. Artz suggests that effective resistance against these thematic representations cannot be implemented by rogue Disney artists injecting subversive messages into films. Instead, â€Å"cooperative creations and narratives† and the appropriation and subsequent use of animation technology by artists, writers, and producers committed to the promotion of democracy would be more effective. This conclusion appears to be impirically proven. While not discussed in Artz’s work, subversive strategies have been employed by disgruntled artists involved in the production of Disney films (such as the post-production inclusion of an image of a topless woman in the background artwork of The Rescuers). However these acts did not generate substantial negative publicity for the company. Peter Simonson (2001) has examined the successes the animal-rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have experienced as a result of using communication strategies rooted in popular culture. PETA seeks to change predominant cultural norms in the area of animal welfare. Their traditional communicative strategies have relied on the generating news controversy and gaining news coverage. Simonson proposes that social movements and organizations seeking to change popular morals or norms rely upon social noise—a multifaceted concept that can be defined as messages that are compelling or loud enough to be heard amidst the signals of mass-media. Noise disrupts commonly held social meanings and is often discordant or disagreeable to a subset of the audience. Scholars have also focused on what makes a particular artifact or action popular. John Fiske (1989) studied culture as popular culture in terms of texts. By making textual analysis of artifacts in popular culture, Fiske began to make claims about the structure of popular messages. Fiske introduced the concept of the producerly text as a primary characteristic of popular culture. The producerly text is conceptually anchored in the distinctions made by Barthes (1977) between the writerly and readerly texts. Barthes contends that readerly texts are those that we are able to read passively. Interactions between the audience and these texts are receptive; there is no need to question or interpret the text in a different way than it is written. Writerly texts can be seen as those texts that require the reader to constantly evaluate and rewrite the meaning of the text, and writerly texts usually require some specialized knowledge or a toolset to decode (Fiske 1989). Many scholars and activists concur that there is a risk when entering into pop culture that the rhetoric used by those critiquing dominant ideologies and structures may be co-opted. The potential exists for the message to be appropriated by those in power for their own means; the message becomes incorporated by those in power in order to embolden their own claims or profits. The same process that allows activists to change the meaning of texts is available to everyone. Popular culture has the potential to create and transform both societal structure and norms. Additionally, communities of common exposure and belief can be developed using popular culture as a medium. There may be a risk of that subversive ideas can be incorporated by dominant systems of power, but this incorporation does not necessarily limit the transformative potential popular culture holds. When considering the culture jammer’s intent of questioning and changing norms popular culture becomes an interesting point of cultural injection. Conclusion In essence, the popular culture jam seeks to be appropriated into pop culture- it becomes pop culture and helps to redefine that which is popular. The result is a sort of â€Å"subpropriation,† where in the author seeks to have his or her work popularized in order to simultaneously popularize a previously subversive concept or idea. However, this appeal to the popular does not necessarily stop culture jamming from occurring. Entry into popular culture does not dictate that the message will be recuperated by industry. Rather, popular culture jamming takes place at a different point than other types of culture jamming. The â€Å"jam† in popular culture jamming occurs at the point that the artifact, action, or behavior becomes popular. The most obvious effect of moving towards a jamming of popular culture is the increased access to larger audiences. Popular culture does not request to be covered in the same way that news-oriented communication or advertisements often do. Instead, popular culture places demands upon media outlets to not only be covered but also be distributed to the masses. This sense of demand results because the popular is attractive to the media as a potential form of profit. Again, we see Fiske’s (1989) theories on production and incorporation at work. A popular culture jam spreads as a result of its popularity. Often this popularity is created by the irresistible profits that may be yielded from an artifact’s incorporation into the popular. In essence, one aspect of the structures that propagate and allow for globalization (and the subsequent problems that those in anti-globalization movements perceive to be resultant from it) to persist and thrive are turned back to criticize either itself or another portion of the hierarchal structure. Popular culture, despite the criticisms it often faces for lack of sophistication or intelligence, is an important element of our lives. Popular culture may also serve as a tool for those struggling against globalization, rampant consumerism, and capitalist exploitation. Each time we turn on a television or listen to the radio or log on to the Internet we are exposing ourselves to popular culture. Popular culture should not be perceived as an intellectual wasteland. While much of that which makes up popular culture may be perceived as being detrimental to society by any number of people, activists and media scholars cannot ignore or reject it. Popular culture needs to be embraced and transformed through the use of producerly texts in order to improve and transform the genre into another persuasive conduit for activists. Popular culture is not going away. In the age of new media popular culture is becoming even more pervasive in our lives as media formats are combined. If embraced as a rhetorical forum by culture jammers, popular culture can be transformed into a more revelatory and revolutionary space for communicating ideals that activists wish to make popular. References Artz, L., (2004), The Righteousness of Self-centered Royals: The World According to Disney Animation, Critical Arts Journal, Vol. 18, No. 1, 116-146. Blackmore, S., (1999). The meme machine, 1st ed., Oxford University Press. Debord, G., (1977), The Society of the Spectacle. Available at http://library.nothingness.org/articles/SI/en/pub_contents. Dery, M., (2004, Oct 10), Culture jamming: hacking, slashing and sniping in the empire of signs. Available at: http://www.markdery.com/archives/2004/10/cultureJamming_l.html. Downes, S., (1999, Oct. 4), Hacking memes. First Monday, 4.10. Available at: http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_l 0/downes/index.html. Eco, U., (1984), Semiotics and the philosophy of language, 1st ed., Bloomington, USA: Indiana University Press. Fiske, J., (1989), Understanding popular culture. 1st ed. Boston, USA: Unwin Hyman. Harold, C. (2004). Pranking rhetoric: â€Å"culture jamming† as media activism. Critical Studies in Media Communication, Vol. 21, No. 3, 189-211. Lasn, K., (2000), Culture Jam: How to Reverse America’s Suicidal Consumer Binge—And Why We Must, 1st ed. New York, USA: HarperCollins Publishers. McLuhan, M., (1964), Understanding Media. London, England: Routledge Press. Reinsborough, P., (2003, Aug.), Decolonizing the revolutionary imagination, Journal of Aesthetics and Protest, No.1, Available at: http://www.journalofaestheticsandprotest.org/l/de_colonizing/index.html. Simonson, P., (2001), Social Noise and Segmented Rhythms: News, Entertainment, and Celebrity in the Crusade for Animal Rights, Communication Review, Vol. 4, No. , 399-420.

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Compare and Contrast 2 American poets - Essay Example Many scholars and poets consider Walt Whitman as one of the most influential American poets who sought to use transcend traditional epics and eschew normal aesthetic form to define the nature of the American experience and its democracy. On the other hand, Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet born in 1886 in America. Notably, the two poets had unique writing styles although they were both American. Many people consider them as the founders of modern American poetry. Indeed, modern poets borrow from their works although the prowess of the two poets stands out. A careful consideration of their works shows numerous differences in terms of writing styles. From the physical inspection, Emily Dickinson’s poems are short and seemingly simple while Walt Whitman’s poems are long and seemingly complex to read and understand. The poems, â€Å"To a stranger† by Walt Whitman and the poem, â€Å"I am alive-I guess† by Emily Dickinson confirms this assertion. Indeed, Walt Whitman’s poems use extensive descriptions to elongate his ideas. This portrays him as an outgoing, social, and talkative poet. For example in the poem â€Å"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry,† each line and word insinuates a picture in our minds and the poem goes on for a long time (Lehman 131-136). On the other hand, Emily Dickinson uses compact and concise words and lines to describe her works. Indeed, we can derive so much meaning from just a few words in her short poems. The short lines and phrases in her works allow the audience to derive their ow n meaning from her poems. It is thus clear that she uses few words to create diverse meaning. The poem, â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense† uses the terms â€Å"Much Madness is divinest sense-to a discerning eye-Much sense-the starkest madness-Tis’ the majority† to derive a deeper and diverse meaning. Nevertheless, although their writing styles are different, the two poets

The writer can choose the topic to fit into the paper Essay

The writer can choose the topic to fit into the paper - Essay Example BMSs were considered amongst the initial multi-user server systems to be built, and thus they provided an excellent support for the new developments in the form of latest systems design methods for consistency and scalability which are widely used in a number of other areas. Though, up till now a large number of researches have been carried out to propose new algorithms as well as determine the efficiency of existing algorithms for databases. However, not many researchers have taken into consideration the design and architecture of databases. The research has shown that the modern database structure is based on three level architecture (Hellerstein, Stonebraker and Hamilton; Hoffer, Prescott and McFadden 3). This paper presents an analysis of three level architecture in the context of database management systems. The basic purpose of this research is to discuss the basic scenario of three level architecture and how it forms the basis of database management systems. Database management systems are believed to be mission-critical and complex software applications and tools. At the present, modern DBMSs exemplify decades of educational and industrial research as well as influential business software development. In view of the fact that database systems were amongst the initial well developed web based server applications, hence they are considered a significant part of most of the design solutions on both sides of not simply data administration, however as well systems, networked services and operating systems. Additionally, the initial database management systems are considered amongst most powerful software applications and tools in the history of computer science, that’s why the ideas and theories invented for DBMSs are extensively copied and followed in other disciplines of computer science (Hellerstein, Stonebraker and Hamilton; Hoffer, Prescott and McFadden). In addition, for a number of reasons, the concepts regarding DBMS’s architecture and design are

Cultural Diversity - action plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Cultural Diversity - action plan - Essay Example The society must, therefore, strive to enhance cultural proficiency through the adoption and implementation of an effective action plan. The creation of cultural awareness, self and societal, is critical for the development of cultural proficiency. People should be enlightened on the need to understand and appreciate their culture, beliefs, and values, knowledge, and interests, from the individual level to the community level (Lindsey, Robins, & Terrell, 2009). Accepting the cultural differences that exist and respecting them is important for the enhancement of cultural proficiency. The society should be educated on the need to appreciate each other despite the cultural differences. The society should also be enlightened on the need to values the different cultural practices, values, and ways of communication, which exist because of diversity (Leavitt, 2010). The promotion of cultural knowledge in institutions can work towards the development of cultural proficiency. Therefore, it is important that institutions like schools work towards the promotion of cultural knowledge, and consequently, cultural proficiency (Lindsey, Robins, & Terrell, 2009). All the members in the society and the authorities that govern the society should join hands in the promotion of cultural proficiency. The participation and cooperation of every individual will be vital in the implementation of the cultural proficiency action plan. The government, local authorities, educational institutions, and all other institutions should ensure the implementation of the action plan for the enhancement of humanity (Leavitt, 2010). While some issues deemed important for the promotion of cultural competence demand for specific resources, others require the commitment of the society only. For instance, the creation of cultural awareness and the institutionalization of cultural

Movie Sabrina with Harrison Ford Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Movie Sabrina with Harrison Ford - Essay Example He does not have a social life because of this character of his. Therefore, when he meets an interesting girl like Sabrina, he has no idea how to properly woo her without making things look like a business deal. David on the other hand is the irresponsible younger brother of Linus who wines and dines women faster than he can end his date nights. He does not have a real interest in the family business and never shows up at his designated office at the family owned business building. The exact opposite of Linus in every way, he believes that the family business can be best run by Linus. David would rather help the family fortune by doing what he does best, spending it. Those traits make these brothers night and day opposites. Unbeknownst to them, they do share one one trait, they are both attracted to the same type of woman represented by Sabrina. Even more surprising, would be the fact that once made to realize his potential by becoming the temporary head of the family business, David acquits himself with aplomb in running company affairs. Another trait he did not realize that he shared with his older

Fertility and Social Change in Oman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Fertility and Social Change in Oman - Essay Example On the contrary, being a real estate agent may require you to spend long hours away from home. However, being a real estate agent enables you to have a more flexible time at work. With a good time management program, you will be able to have the option of arranging the time when you can meet up with your prospective clients. In terms of financial income, you can earn along $30,000 each year in the holiday ornament business as compared to at least $40,000 per annum if you could complete at least four appraisals each week at the value of $200 each. In other words, the possible financial gain out of making the ornaments is way much less as compared to the profit you can earn if you choose to become a real estate agent. In any business, operational expenses are always expected to be high in the beginning. Given that you are able to complete at least six appraisals each week at the value of $200 each, you will be able to earn as much as $57,600 revenues per annum. For this reason, the $10,000 start-up costs associated with becoming a real estate agent is not a big issue. If we deduct $10,000 start-up costs in your annual revenue of $57,600, you will still end up earning $47,600 on your first year. This amount of income is really promising as compared to the holiday ornament business. Depending on your ability to close a business deal, your annual revenue could still increase over the next few years to come.

Galen Strawson Considers Freedom of Will to Be Profanation Essay

Galen Strawson Considers Freedom of Will to Be Profanation - Essay Example I disagree with Strawson’s position and posit that humans can and should be held responsible for their actions because, as Strawson points out, even if the situation is such that you have a gun to your head, you still have a choice.   The unpleasantness of the choice does not nullify the presence of the choice or the fact that we always have the option to choose either the pleasant or more tolerable route over the unpleasant option and vice versa.According to Strawson’s analysis, humans lack the capacity to make free choices.   The influences of society, parents, friends, teachers, and all of the contributory factors that shape each of us into the unique individuals we are countermand our ability to freely make decisions.   Since we do not control who we are and who we determine the decisions we make, logic dictates that we are not engaging in free will because we did not have the power to shape who we are.   Additionally, Strawson states that, even if a person changes who they are, this does not mean they have free will because heredity and experience have already affected you in ways that you can never change.   The way a person is ultimately has a significant effect on how they are able to change and what attributes they are able to change, which causes the redundancy in the whole concept of change to facilitate free will.  Strawson begins by presenting the gamut of views concerning free will from the perspective of the Compatibilists and the Libertarian and No-Freedom Incompatibilists.   The philosophical view of the Compatibilist is that humans have free will and are morally responsible for their actions (Strawson, 1995).   According to Strawson, Compatibilists base their analysis of the condition of free will on the fact that it is compatible with the concept of determinism, which states that each action creates a pattern that makes subsequent actions or reactions unavoidable.This theory deems the determining factors that aff ect personality irrelevant and maintain that free will is absolute, despite the inclusion of determinism.   However, the presence of determinism in the Compatibilist view of free will actually nullify the viewpoint because how can you freely choose an option that has been predetermined?  

Dust bowl Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Dust bowl - Research Paper Example Henderson, a member of an affected farming family, describes the years before the storms came as a golden age ( 2001, page 15) In the 1930s though things changed dramatically. It became a period of scarce rainfall and high winds, both of which passed over the very light, over worked, soils of the region. The storms began in 1931. In 1932, as described by Ganzel (2003) 14 storms were recorded, and each year the number increased. Farmers however continued to plough and sow, destroying the established grassland. The drought which lasted from 1934 to 1937, affected 27 states according to Nelson (undated) and in the Dustbowl area poor farming practice meant that there were no longer plants whose roots had held the soil together. Black blizzards ensued, especially from the north. This was when the strong winds lifted the light, loose top soil and swirled it around into dense, choking dust clouds. In some area the dust was so dense it acted more like snow, forming high drifts, and even comp letely covering some farm buildings. The winds were so strong at times that they could move heavy trucks ( Hankel, quoted by Ganzel, 2003) with winds of more than 100 miles per hour. The cattle were choked, and even preparing or eating a meal became almost impossible. Carlson (( quoted by Ganzel , 2003) said that :- The impact is like a shovelful of fine sand flung against the face. †¦People caught in their own yards grope for the doorstep. Cars come to a standstill, for no light in the world can penetrate that swirling murk... We live with the dust, eat it, sleep with it, watch it strip us of possessions and the hope of possessions. It is becoming Real. The result for farmers and their families was that 60% of the population was forced to quit the area, leaving in many cases farms they had lived on for several generations. According to Nelson (undated ) the devastation lasted until the rains finally returned in 1939, but by then skilled workers had left for farm land elsewhere or for the cities of the distant West. The Government was well aware of the problems and did try to help over an extended period. In 1933 President Roosevelt brought in the Emergency Farm Mortgage Act and the Farm Credit Act ( Segraves, 2012) to help farmers facing foreclosure, in many cases because crops had failed and animals had died. In September of the same year the Federal Surplus Relief Organization was set up after a public outcry about the waste of such things as meat. Agricultural goods, including cotton clothing, were sent to relief organizations. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 allowed the government to nationalize large areas and then to control such things as grazing. This did a good job in halting any further deterioration caused by over farming methods, but did not actually reverse matters because the top soil was already lost. Nelson (undated) quotes from the Agricultural Year Book of 1934 :- Approximately 35 million acres of formerly cultivated land have essentiall y been destroyed for crop production. . . . 100 million acres now in crops have lost all or most of the topsoil; 125 million acres of land now in crops are rapidly losing topsoil. Early in 1935 the Government a Drought Relief Service designed to co-ordinate efforts from a number of agencies. This service bought up cattle from

How E-Commerce Has Changed the Way to Do Business Research Paper

How E-Commerce Has Changed the Way to Do Business - Research Paper Example This essay will also give a brief history concerning E-Commerce and also state the advantages and disadvantages of E-Commerce to customers/ businesses. Earlier on, E-Commerce was branded as the facilitation of marketable business electronically by means of technologies like Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) and Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). These technologies were introduced early in the 1970s. Technological advancement led to introduction of other systems like automated teller machines (ATM), telephone banking, airline reservation system and credit cards which are also forms of E-Commerce (Reynolds, 2009). In the early 90s, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web which profoundly altered a scholarly telecommunication system to a global communication system named www or the internet (Plant, 2012). In time, many European and American business firms offered their services through the Worldwide Web. Since then, people are much conversant to E-Commerce with the ability to purchase various goods through the internet using electronic payment services and secure protocols. As defined earlier, E-Commerce is the process of buying and selling products and services from the internet, especially the World Wide Web. When retail selling is used, then the term e-tailing can be used. E-Commerce is divided into several categories. They include E-tailing, Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), business-to-business transactions, gathering and use of demographic data through Web contacts, E-Mail and fax and the security of business transactions (Plant, 2012). E-Commerce has a number of benefits to customers and other businesses. They include efficient buying and selling procedures as well as an easy way of finding products. Buying and selling of products is not limited. The customers are able to purchase products and get services 24 hours daily. E-Commerce also allows customers to select products from various providers without the need of moving physically from one point to ano ther. This process, therefore, cuts down the rate associated with processing, inventory management, marketing, customer care and information storage (Reynolds, 2009). This in turn, reduces the burden influenced by infrastructure to conduct businesses. This form of business is easier to start and run. Moreover, this invention allows more customers to find products and services without hypothetical geographic boundaries. Lastly, there is no need for physical company setups since the business is run on a network. Since the early 1990s, the internet has tremendously grown as a technologically enthusiastic tool to many corporations. Improvement in technology and other forms of E-Commerce also came in play. There are four principal categories of E-Commerce business models. They are business to consumer (B2C), business to business (B2B), consumer to business (C2B) and consumer to consumer (C2C) (Plant, 2012). In E-Commerce, there are eight unique features that enable this web shopping proc ess run successfully. They are global reach, ubiquity, richness, universal standards, interactivity, personalization and customization and information density (Plant, 2012). Ubiquity is the leading factor in the success of any E-Commerce business. Online stores never close and they are available every time and anytime. Global reach is also essential in ensuring a successful E-Commerce busines

Public Education Financing Essay Example for Free

Public Education Financing Essay In the present modern economics, public education financing is considered as one of the flourishing characteristics for the economy of any country. However, a wide variation has been observed in the financing practices related to the public education in the United States, as well as, across different parts of the globe. In this regard, differences and diversification can be observed in various economical activities that are considered especially for the public education system of a country. (Cubberley, 1916) For instance, the American educational system may also provide huge differences in terms of distribution and expenditures across the country. However, significant and noteworthy alterations have been observed in the public educational system of the United States. Over the last few years, the abovementioned theme has been a major concern of public debate at all levels. (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 1972) During the last few years, in order to get maximum funds for pubic education, different states of the US have made significant changes in public education funding system. In this regard, various experts believe that little analysis of the subject has been done in the past, and more considerations should be provided to the subject, which has an influencing effect on the education system of every country. (Rice, 1893) One of the biggest sources of public education financing is national funding system, as community wide funding system is implemented for the financing of educational activities across the country. In this regard, most of the public education financial expenses are funded at national level. In this funding system, all nationals of a country bear a substantial tax rates on income for pubic education financing. (Fitch, 1904) The important thing in this funding is that all the tax collected from individuals are funded and distributed equally among all the students, which is one of the major characteristics of a public education financing system. (Jordan, 1992) At community level, public education financing occurs at a certain community level and students receive sponsorship according to their requirements. Moreover, at community level education funding system, parents of the students support all the costs of their children’s education, which is same as private education funding. Nonetheless, at community level funding system, funding for public education is collected on behalf of communities and sorted randomly into communities contrary to perfect sorting. In this system, all contributors of the public education finance contribute same tax rate fixed by their community. Certainly, at community level, public education financing contributes a small share in overall education expenses, and this thing does not have a great impact on wide economic variable elements, such as social security benefits, etc. (National Association of Secondary School Principals, 1972) However, according to one of the experts in education, a rapid concern in the development sector has been observed in recent years, and a vital role has been played by the federal government. One of the reasons of expression of this concern is that more diversification has been observed in the capabilities of funding by the state governments. Moreover, steady increment has been observed in the mobility of these states. Lastly, the federal government has observed an important change in its perspective regarding the public education, and social welfare of the people has been given due importance during the recent years. On all the aforementioned public education-financing categories, finance education schedule is selected by agents through voting, which is carried out by either the community or federal government. It has been observed that balancing of the educational budget is performed by the provision of different taxation options to the voters by the government, and similar funding is provided according to the taxation level selected by the voters. However, it has been observed that young generation has not been given due significance by disallowing them from the voting, and education can be supported by only the voters who face the political decision.   The level of taxation is represented by a tax rate and the tax is levied on capital and labor income of all agents residing in the relevant area. When setting up the tax schedule, policy makers care only about being elected, and so they maximize the number of votes. As a result, any party in office will follow the same policy and that policy is the one that is voted for by the greatest number of agents. (Garber, 1964) During the period 2001-2002, the US spent approximately four hundred and twelve billion dollars in both elementary, as well as, secondary levels of the public education system. This budget on public education was spent with a view to declaring it the biggest single field of direct public expenditures, even beyond the national defense figures. Approximately, in the educational ground, this fund benefited around forty seven million public school students and five million of private schools. (Ana, 2004) Interestingly, per student expenditure during that period was $8,685 yearly. It has been noted by most of the experts that aforementioned budget was collected from federal, state and local sources. However, the amount spent during the year 2001-2002 on public education finance was varied form one state to another. In this regard, Connecticut was the state, which got the highest per student education funding fund, and Utah got the lowest fund for public education. In the United States, the state and the local government are responsible for public education funds. In the fiscal year of 1999, forty-nine percent of the funds for public education financing came from state appropriations in which, forty-four percent came from domestic revenue and the US federal government contributed seven percent funds for public education financing. In this regard, domestic government raised funds for education mainly through property taxes. On the other hand, for public education financing state rely on numerous funding sources such as corporate personal income taxes, sales excise taxes. However, public education financing from the US federal government remained constant if compare to past figures. (Jordan, 1992)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Historically, with the passage of time, a constant rise has been observed in school funding from the perspective of states. In this regard, the state contributed thirty percent in 1940, which was raised by 40 and forty-nine percent in the year 1970, as well as, 1999 respectively. However, figures of each state observed substantial variations by one another. Throughout the history of public education funding, funding sources of each state varied from others, and most importantly, the tax rates such as personal and property tax rates were varied according to states. In this context, Hawaii’s funds for education mainly came from state sources, and New Mexico public education funds came from both state and domestic sources. In this regard, it has been believed by Richard W and Lindholm that the provision of education as a local responsibility has been closely related with the imposition of property tax as a local tax in the United States. Every year, all the states contribute hundreds of billions of dollars on education financing. In order to distribute collected funds among different territories, states have designed some ground elements that differentiate territories from one another, as well as, estimate the affect of those differences on the cost of furnishing educational services, and distribute funding consequently. Besides all the factors discussed above, territory wealth in school funding is one of the most important elements that distinguish one territory to another. In this context, it has been believed by some of the experts in education, such as Torres and Puiggros that overall capability for the maintenance of students, as well as, the promotion of higher education has been improved and enhanced by the public schools, in addition to increasing the equality of educational opportunities. Actually, some territories are wealthy as compare to others. In this regard, states have designed a number of fundamental funding systems that evaluate the estimation of school territories funding levels and distribute it in keeping different grounds, such as domestic differences of wealth element. Although, different states have designed different public education funding system, but one can found many similarities in school funding structure system. Under the flat grant approach, in spite of domestic particular context, every territory gets the same flat grant for each student entered in any educational institute. Obviously, in this public education funding system it ponders that the state must assure a minimal level of funding for all educatees and then gives domestic territory liberty to increase funding beyond that level as they think fit for it. During the period of 1960s and 1970s, the power equalization funding approach arose out of the work of education crusaders; actually, they were the people who observed the huge deviations among different territories in the ability to lift domestic funds ensued in education funding inequalities. (Ana, 2004) The solution was to assure all territories a standard amount of fund for each educatee for each unit of taxation. For instance, every state is liable to determine that all school territories must be able to increase hundred dollars on each student, per mill of property tax rate. In any case, where school territory’s tax base does not able to rise forty dollar per student, in this case, the state will fulfill territory’s education funds demand of equal to difference between 100 and 40, or sixty dollar per student, per mill. (Garber, 1964) However, all districts which are considered as wealthier districts and whose tax base rate rises seventy dollars per students, per mill, will only get thirty dollars per student, per mill from the state. â€Å"In this way, the state â€Å"levels the playing field† for school districts in terms of the ability to raise revenue, ensuring that funding disparities are a result of differences in taxpayer preferences, not taxpayer wealth.† Undoubtedly, this approach shows the responsibility that all states all responsible for education funding according to their wealth and resources. The funding approach of foundation plans is presently use in almost forty states. This approach integrates components of the former described two approaches. Nonetheless, every state furnishes the deviation between the totals of revenue-raised form the domestic tax and the foundation funding level.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For instance, a state can found a foundation funding level of six thousand for each student. However, in a territory having one thousand students this will reflects a total funding of six million dollars. In this regard, if the state calculates a minimal domestic tax rate of two hundred mills increased two million in domestic property taxes, the states will have to furnish an extra fund, which will equal to the deviation between two million and six million. (Richter, 1986) In this approach, if employing the two hundred-mill lower limit tax rate in a wealthier territory with the same number of educatees increased five million, in this situation, the state is bound to furnish only one million in state’s education funds. In this regard, both territories ends up with the similar domestic tax rate and the similar combined state and domestic funding point for each student, though the proportional weight of those 2 sources is different to a great extent. It can be evaluated that this approach is designed to extenuate inequalities in domestic wealth. However, it takes the idea of equality in further steps; in this approach, typically, both outcome and opportunity are taken into consideration and rates are determined with respect of varying degrees of different states. (Williams, 1980) This foundation plan has designed to keep in mind that the domestic school territories must not enjoy limitless prudence while setting funding levels that are intolerably different from other states norms. The full state-funding plan is practically an uncommon approach for funding public education funds, in this approach of public education funding; the state is responsible for all education expenses. Hawaii is completely fit for this example; Hawaii within a single school territory combines full state funding. In suggesting or deciding public education funding policies, Hawaii is capable to eliminate, any deviations occur between domestic and state governance. Interestingly, in this public education funding system, domestic authorities have no control over levels of funding. (Ana, 2004) All the four aforementioned public education-funding categories show only the fundamental structure of public education funding plans. Nevertheless, in order to collect funds for public education most of the states use schemes that joint components of some or all of these funding plans. For instance, a state may distribute some funds through a flat grant education funding approach, or other may apply foundation plan to collect public education funding. In lieu, a state has an authority to give territories permit to raise tax rates in order to collect maximum funds for public education. It can be analyzed that the prime motive behind the public education funding is to get maximum funds, which can be used, effectively in public education. According to some public education funding reformers, public education funds schemes is just a technique to give equality among taxpayers at all levels such as property and other tax burdens. Domestic property taxes such as sales and income taxes are some of the main sources of California’s pubic education funds. In addition, these collection sources are supplemented with money from the California’s state lottery, federal government and other sundry public education funds collected domestically by school territories. The following diagram represents that how the public education funds were collected in California during the period of 2002-2003. K-12 Funding Comes From Five Sources (Ana, 2004) State Aid State aid collected mostly from California’s sales and income taxes. Property Taxes During the period of 2005-2006, property taxes were collected domestically and distributed to all schools through a formula determined by state.   Federal Aid Federal aid was appropriated for some especial purposes such as special children’s education, child nutrition programmes, child left behind programmes and so forth. Domestic Miscellaneous   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Domestic miscellaneous funds included, interest income, revenue generated from domestic parcel tax elections, communality contributions and so on. Lottery California state lottery funds were collected on behalf of public education funds on per student basis. Proposition 98 Proposition 98, the provisions of a voter initiative, this law define the responsibility of each state, under this rule every state is bound to contribute in K-12 community and education colleges. This public education funding contains both domestic property tax revenues and state monies. As far as amount of guarantee is concerned, it is determined by using a set of formulas dictated by law. Since the year 1988, one of the most crucial factors for the determination of amount of revenue received by the public schools is the calculation of the minimum guarantee, because of the passage of Proposition 98. In addition, proposition ninety-eight insures a minimal level of funding for public education. Proposition ninety-eight funds represents about eight dollar out of every ten dollar apportioned to K-12 education in California. As mentioned above, California’s public education funds, other sources include domestic sundry resources, federal government, and lottery, which shared twenty percent in Public education funds.   (Williams, 1980) Legally speaking, a minimum of thirty-four of the receipts from the California state lottery should have to be allocated to public educational institutes. Moreover, the apportioned money for each student basis, should have to be used only for instructional uses and not for research and development (RD) purposes. In the year 2000, Proposition 20 was approved and accepted by the voters, which required that instructional materials should be considered and given due importance by half of any increment in the share of revenue collected from the lottery for the education. For the year 2005, as well as, 2006, approximately $146 per pupil was received by the districts from the above-mentioned source, from which, instructional materials were bought by roughly $25 from the total amount per student. The domestic sundry category of funds per annum shows about six percent of entire revenue collected for K-12 schools. Moreover, this public education funding was separate from domestic tax incomes the state control. It came from the sources that were domestically administered, that income generated from cafeteria sales, income from lease, income from sale of territory property and so forth. Interestingly, for less than twenty percent territory in the state, a significant source of domestic sundry income was the voter-approved domestic parcel taxes. In reality, these were some of the special types of property taxes, which were not related to the value of property. Nonetheless, according to some of the experts, one of the most important policies on the domestic level is the education system in the United States. The implementation of American ideology in the lives of American people is represented by the education system of the country, and due significance should be provided in this regard, which has been given in the past, and must be given in the coming years. (Hutchins, 1961) In the United States, both government and public are expecting a lot from educational institutions like school and colleges. In the past, educational institutes were being gainsaid to fit the demand of a country’s economy that is increasingly oriented towards knowledge in all respects and information skills. (Hutchins, 1961) At both federal and state level, present American legislative has made some changes in educational funding system and have created some new systems that will test educational institutes’ teachers’ and students’ performance. In the light of present ongoing changes in public education financing system, many experts have already said that these ongoing policies will advance education level. Conclusively, the paper has tried to study different aspects and perspectives of public education system across the world, and specifically, in the United States. It was noted during the paper that during the last few years, in order to get maximum funds for pubic education, different states of the US have made significant changes in public education funding system. Every year, all the states contribute hundreds of billions of dollars on education financing. Moreover, various features of the government financing on the federal, state, as well as, community level were discussed in the paper. Lastly, different characteristics related to the funding of the education system in the country were studied and evaluated during the paper, which will support the better understanding of its funding by the students, experts, and policy makers in the future.   References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Kenneth Forbis Jordan. (1992). Financing Public Education in an Era of Change. Phi Delta Kappa Educational Foundation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   National Association of Secondary School Principals. (1972). Financing Public Education. National Association of Secondary School Principals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Lee Orville Garber. (1964). The Law Governing the Financing of Public Education. Interstate Printers and Publishers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mary Frase Williams. (1980). The Public School and Finances. Pilgrim Press.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Clayton Darius Hutchins. (1961). Trends in Financing Public Education, 1929-30 to 1959-60. U.S. Department of Health Education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Otto Santa Ana. (2004). Tongue-Tied. Rowman Littlefield.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ellwood Patterson Cubberley. (1916). Public School Administration. Houghton Mifflin Co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charles Elliot Fitch. (1904). the Public School. J. B. Lyon Company Printers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Joseph Mayer Rice. (1893). the Public-School System of the United States. The Century Co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Albert J. Richter. (1986). the Impact of the Rural Recession on Public School Financing and Programs. NEW Professional Library.

The Bargaining Power Of Supplier And Generic Strategy Business Essay

The Bargaining Power Of Supplier And Generic Strategy Business Essay Generic strategy is the framework that explains in competitive advantage. According to Porter (Campbell, 2002), the generic strategy was insisted that there are three main options which are the best fit to the competition between firms that are differentiation, cost leadership and focus. In the past, the most consumers of computer market might know only Windows OS (operating system). Therefore in order to compete with large firm like Microsoft and the other, the differentiation strategy has been chosen by Steve Jobs. As a result, Macintosh, iPod and iPhone had been published and Apple can be achieved in several years later. Porters five forces analysis The bargaining power of supplier More bargaining power of supplier can determine less profitability in any companies (Smit, 2006). On the other hand, it can refer to the benefit of the buyer who may get better quality products. Apple Company has published the supplier responsibility report which explains the detail of Apples supplier standard (Apple, 2010). In addition, as can be seen from this report, Apple has tried to improve the efficiency of their supplier in order to meet their expectation and may reduce the bargaining power of their supplier. There is no doubt that Apple Company is still rapidly growing (Apple, 2010a), therefore the company still looking for new suppliers. Moreover, Apple has developed an ecosystem to obtain the best possible value and benefit to their customers and stakeholders. To decrease the bargaining power of Apples suppliers, the company allows new suppliers to register online on the companys website (Apple, 2010). Moreover, due to Apple is the leader technology company which has large demand of raw material. Thus, there are a plenty of suppliers which have been registered in order to be the Apples suppliers. Then, when there are more competitive among large number of suppliers, the bargaining power of them will be decreased. The bargaining power of buyer In order to achieve in the majority of markets, a company should meet the expectations of their customers which come from age, income, educational level, or even personality (Gilligan Wilson, 2003). Buyers seem to be more prices sensitive if the products are not differentiated because they can alternative to another retailer (Smit, 2006). However, Apple Companys positioning more focuses on less price sensitive customers which suppose to purchase premium product. Therefore, brand image of Apple had been created in order to contain the royalty of their customer and try to maintain their premium position. In addition, the product of Apple has been created base on differentiated and their customer requirement which cannot find from the other brands. (from lecture in the class) Furthermore, due to Apples products are differentiated form the other brands and the loyalty of Apple brand is quite high level, the bargaining power of buyers are therefore quite low. Threat of new entrance An entering of new companies to the industry may cause of decreasing the market share of the company (Hill Jones, 2009). However, Kurtz et al (2007) state that differentiation of product and brand as well as having a strong marketing strategy like competitive advantage might help the company to maintain the market share and generate profit. According to Apple (2010b), the operating system of Mac has been designed to unable to infect any PC viruses or any malware whereas Windows which is the operating system of Microsoft brand can be infected by varieties of PC viruses. Additionally, Graphical User Interface (GUI) of Apples applications is also different from the other brands. Furthermore, as can be seen Apple is differentiated from the other brand which make them have a strong position in the market. However, their competitors of MP3, phone, OS, Laptop PC, and the other products (Sony, Nokia, Microsoft, Dell, and so on) have tried to compete with Apple and they try to improve themselves as well as Apple Company. Consequently, the threat of new entry in Apple Companys level is low to medium and may increase in the future. , Threat of substitute product The products can be substituted by the same need of consumers (Campbell et al, 2002). For instance, if consumers want to buy a laptop, there are many choice of laptop which has similar performance and the same Operating System. Therefore they can pick the brand they want, nothing so different. However, Campbell (2002) insisted that the threat of substitute might have 2 factors which are the price and performance of the substitute and willingness of buyers to switch to the substitute. First the price and performance of the substitute, According to the feature of iPhone4 which is the earliest product of Apple, it combined together with smart phone which including FaceTime function, high quality camera and video recording, MP3, map and much more features. As a consequence, it is difficult for the other firms to substitute this company. In contrast, the price of Apples products is quiet high hence if the need of customer is not met, thus the competitor of Apple may have an opportunity to substitute the market. Secondly the willingness of buyers to switch to the substitute, the buyers may want to change supplier if they found the brand that have similar performance but cheaper. In Apple case, the customers are quiet high loyalty in the brand. As can be seen from Daily mail news (First Poulter, 2010), the first day that iPhone 4 released, there were crowned of people queued in front of their shops around the world. Furthermore, Campbell (2002) stated that the thread of substitute of the product can be as reduced as more buyers loyalty of the products. Consequently, the thread of substitute product of Apple is quiet low. The intensity of rivalry among competitor in the industry Businesses usually compete with each other in many ways for example, pricing, promotion, advertising and additional services (Campbell, 2002). In addition, Smit (2006) supports the idea that to compete between firms is similar to the jockeying for position which many tactics are used to compete with each other. Moreover, Campbell (2002) insists that the fifth force is the most important in five forces model and 3 factors of the fifth force have been explained. First the height of entry barriers and the number and size of the competitors in the industry (Campbell, 2002: p. 140), as mentioned above Apple have large firms to be their competitors such as Sony, Microsoft and more. On the other hand, due to the differentiated and quality of Apples products, it results in that Apple is in the first position of the most innovative company and their financial situation is successful (Bloomberg Businessweek, 2010) Second the degree of brand loyalty of customers (Campbell, 2002: p.141), as can be seen on the first day of releasing iPhone 4 (First Poulter, 2010) that there were more than thousands of people who queued to purchase iPhone 4 around the world, it additionally shows that the Apples brand loyalty of customers is high. Hence, the intense competition of Apple is quiet low. Third the power of buyers and availability of substitutes (Campbell, 2002: p.141), due to the differentiated in Apples products, it results in low bargaining power of the buyers and low availability of substitutes also. Conclusion In conclusion, due to achievement of Apples differentiated, the loyalty of their customers among the products and many firms want to be a part of Apples supplier, it result in low bargaining power of supplier and buyers, quiet low thread of new entrant and substitute of product and the intensity of rivalry is low. Thus it may be conclude that there are not many effects from five forces on Apple Company.

Consumer Behavior and Restaurant Branch Characteristics

Consumer Behavior and Restaurant Branch Characteristics Abstract: The purpose of this study is to identify the consumers behavior pattern regarding the Restaurant Branch Characteristic of Pizza Hut in Pakistan. This research has brought out how the branch location, branch ambience, branch crowd, branch service and branch size have an effect on consumer behavior and attracts and motivate the customers to visit any specific branch restaurant. For this study sample size of 100 consumers from different branches has been taken randomly on the basis of convenience sampling. Results obtained from the analysis showed that there is a positive relationship between the branch characteristics and the consumer behavior. Keywords: Branch location, Branch ambience, Branch crowd, Branch service, Branch Size, Consumer Behavior, Consumer satisfaction 1. Introduction In human life, Food is the most important element and it constantly plays an elementary role whether we live to eat or eat to live. Right from the start of this world, the food considered as the vital part for the necessity of the human body. The importance of food cannot be ostentatious from the physiological perspective only but at the same time food provides human being nourishment and also classified as a basic need of life. Food can also be differentiated as an item for consumption used to explain self actualization. Thus, an individual can argue that the food plays a multiplicity of roles mutually at individual and group level. 1.1 Overview: The dining practice is the part of hospitality industry which is very complex as in term of customer satisfaction and expectation meet. This difficulty is due to the level of customer participation in the service process. Companies are paying consideration in evaluating, studying, and implementing the marketing policy with the aim of gaining utmost market share of consumers and improving consumer maintenance in investigation of the beneficial effects on the financial performance for the business. In this study, our outline of this study to evaluate the consumer behavior while selecting any specific branch of Pizza hut. There are approximately 40 branches of Pizza hut in all over Pakistan. During the past four decades Pizza Hut has built a reputation for excellence that has earned the respect of consumers and industry experts alike. Building a leading pizza company has required relentless innovation, commitment to quality and dedication to customer service and value. The qualities of entrepreneurship, growth and leadership have characterized Pizza Huts business through more than four decades of success. Through the strength of its heritage, its culture and its people and franchisees, Pizza Hut looks forward to more success in future. Consumer behavior is a blend of perceptions, values and preferences. Beliefs are more susceptible to marketing than values for the reason that beliefs are subject matter to emotion and knowledge. An attitude and a behavior is an evaluation whether its negative or positive of a social action. An attitude toward something must not to be taken to involve that attitude constant behavior will automatically follow. The main focus of this study is to discover the consumer behavior according to the branch ambiance of Pizza Hut by focusing the factors of consumer preferences of choosing a branch of Pizza Hut restaurant that attract and motivate the customers to visit any specific branch. This is important to know that role of customer behavior because by this way the customer intentions can be determined and also give the better idea that the customer would visit to those restaurant branches again or not. 1.2 Outline of the Study: In order to study the behavior of the people to visit the branches of Pizza Hut restaurant is conducted. There are various numbers of factors that contributes towards the selection of the branch of any restaurant in the mind that has the impact in the consumer mind. This research focus on the factors those are important in the mind of the customers or on top on their preference to visit any branch of Pizza Hut. The factors that are selected for the said study are branch location, branch ambience, branch crowd, branch service and branch size. These branch characteristics have been used to analyze the reason of consumers behavior to visit to any branch of Pizza Hut restaurant. Basically the restaurants industry based on valuing to customer and their wants should be met. The general concept of dining experience is most critical while considering influential factor cause its not necessary the review research focused on all factors which are treated as dining factors. 1.3 Statement of the problem: To study the consumer behavior regarding the selection of any specific branch of Pizza Hut due to the branch characteristics that attracts and motivate the customers to visit any specific branch restaurant. Branch Characteristics includes the following: Branch location refers to the place where in actual the branch is situated. It comprises of the place or area the way towards it and the surroundings of that branch. Branch Ambiance is associated with a feeling mood or state with a particular environment. The surroundings lightings of the branch it colors the dressing of the staff all contributes towards the development of the ambience in any branch. In servicing industry like the restaurant business ambience is of the prime importance in order to attract, retain and entertain their respective customers. Branch crowd includes the type of customers visited to the particular branch of Pizza Hut. It includes type of people visited to the specific branch. A Branch service means the service quality given by the management to the customers at the particular branch of the customer. Branch Size is the occupied space by the branch that mainly includes the dining place, space and seating arrangement. 2. Literature Review Eating is a daily act and need for all human beings. Depending on individuals reason for eating at restaurants, person intentionally calculates a diverse set of features in front of choosing a restaurant. The implication involved to the restaurant attributes is eventually appraised in the consumers mind, leading to a decision of choosing a restaurant (Wakefield, 1996). The food industry is highly aggressive and patrons have also become more demanding due to sufficient knowledge and information they have about the different trends in restaurant industry which causes increase the significance of effective marketing strategies to get the competitive advantage in order to understand the wants and needs of the customers (David, 2005). Nowadays, it is fairly clear that restaurants must not be designed just in order to meet up the functional needs of the customers but at the same time it must be attractive and eye catching as well. That is the main reason design; location and size are accentuated as key marketing elements by studying the customer preferences (Kuo, 1999) The significance of elevated quality service given to business success, there are various prospective benefits for the management of restaurants from performing a customer-based assessment of the service quality veteran at their organization. In restaurant industry, the intangible nature of services means that particular specifications for the homogeneous quality of service are complicated if at all probable to set. This sometimes put together it difficult for restaurant managers, workforce and consumers to calculate, measure, assessment or confirm service productivity and service quality (Cullen, 2004) Restaurant service engages a performance in which consumers are concerned in the whole service procedure. This is due to the interaction of the clients with the service ambiance and employees throughout the consumption experience, considerate consumers sentimental reaction turn out to be vital in replicating contentment in a service ambiance. Restaurant Services has the affective processes all through the utilization stage play an instantly, unmediated role in influential customer satisfaction (Rossiter, 1978). In restaurant services, consumers habitually act like detectives as they examine for information and normalize their opinions into a set of mindset about the resultant service. The intact obsession in association to the dining features of a restaurant initiates from the dining table communicate to the consumers, with the table top used, if realistic sign apprehension the procedural excellence of the service, mostly relating to the service is bringing out competently (Radocy, 1997). The dining attributes includes the range, quality of the menu and presentation of food offerings. By means of this information, restaurant must focus their hard work on ensuring an attractive collection of drink offerings offered in alluring and unique ways. Foodstuff and drink quality is an essential dining attributes for diners representing restaurant should verify an insistent quality control schedule to make sure foodstuff and drink quality should sustain (Kuo, 1999). Understanding consumer behavior to get Customer satisfy is vital to the restaurant management for the reason that it is normally assumed to be a noteworthy determinant of replicate sales, customer loyalty and affirmative word of mouth. The more pleased the customers, the larger are their retention. The impacts of customer behavior on customer retention are bringing into being to be momentous and positive. Specially, the customer behavior will influence the intentions of consumers (Grimes, 1992). Service quality is defined as a nil defects doing it right for the first time. Information and knowledge about goods quality is inadequate to recognize service quality. In customers mind when there is no defect in the overall dining service, then they consider the quality of the food and services is good enough for them. Understanding of consumer perception of service quality and value is especially important to international service firms because such perceptions are susceptible to cultural differences (Johnson, 2004). The research shows that the effect of physical appearance on behavioral purposes for restaurant customer and finds that influence as a stronger mediator between behavioral intentions and tangible quality constructs when cognition influence actions standard is applied to the location of restaurant (Bitner, 1992). The majority of the preceding customer satisfaction researches have paid attention on recognizing the resource of customer contentment such as characteristic and attributes and on determining useful ways to establish consumers desires, wants and needs. On the other hand, significant dissimilarity comes out in the level of specify of the characteristic investigated. It was found that substantial quality has a better indirect effect than the directly affect signify facilitating the relationship among concrete quality and behavior. The significance of the apparent excellence to get the loyalty effect in restaurant industry is considered as a chief element to keep in the consumers and the business (Jaksà a, 1999). Figure 2.1 Schematic review of the concept of acceptance placed in the context of consumer preferences and satisfaction The peculiarity between preferences and expectations is regularly indistinct even if the concepts are discrete. Expectation is used to some extent contradictory senses. The act of expecting is a faith concerning what will take place in the prospect. These definitions are able to be eminent from preference that pass on to several preferred state and imply to more than a single state is probable and so as to there are various options. Unfortunately expectation is furthermore used limply to imply a demand for something plus in this sagacity is a sort of strong preference (Flynn, 1994). Branch communications engage a variety of verbal, aural and non verbal descriptions, used together to detain and grasp customers interest and to serve up as reclamation indications for later evoke. These mentioned elements can narrate to the branch identity in a significant way. Considerably, the most broadly examined elements are pricing and quality of the food (Rossiter, 1978). The main cause in this industry are the entry barriers that are generally low and any one can by far enter due to low investment required. Whenever consumer is satisfy from the arrangement by the management, the food quality give by the restaurant employee with the affirmative approach than this may increase the constancy towards the particular restaurant increases in the business revenue the word of mouth publicity of the particular restaurant (Cullen, 2004). It has been studied that a consumer gets effortlessly fascinated by more novel and complex exterior feature of restaurants. Likewise, this also leads customers to an encouraging buying feeling and leads them to visit this eye-catching restaurant. Considerate how the branch attracts the attention of the consumers from the other different restaurants, exterior looks is the initial step that show the way to success and if this can additional direct the consumer to a affirmative mood and feelings (Milliman, 1986). The restaurants entire setting, the atmospherics and the ambience are constantly very important in determining both consumers and front line employees approach about the procedures and service delivery result. This necessitates that; it was exceptionally significant that the understanding of the tangible force on service quality, like generous and physical facilities, along with the appearance of personnel. Play areas are the additional facility provided by some of the branches in order to attract small kids and the crowd are also the indicator for attracting the customers depending on the nature of the restaurants (Bitner, 1992). Customer behavior is a key element for the planning of the marketing in view of the fact that satisfaction does sway customers intention to loyalty of a consumer to the branch. Therefore, marketers are supposed to look into the issues that would have an effect on customer preferences intensity. Besides, as customer prospect are altering over time and it is advised to determine the customer satisfaction, preferences and expectation on regular basis and grip complaints timely and effectively. 3. Research Methods The food industry is highly aggressive and patrons have also become more demanding due to sufficient knowledge and information they have about the different trends in restaurant industry which causes increase the significance of effective marketing strategies to get the competitive advantage in order to understand the wants and needs of the customers with the purpose of securing long term loyalty of the customer to their brand. A description of the approach used to develop the questionnaire for consumer testing Pizza Hut in a commercial environment. Sampling technique and Sample size: Sample size used for this study was 100 respondents. The sampling technique used in this study was convenience sampling method. Respondents: The data used in this research was collected from the customers including both male and female having the age from 14 and onwards from different branches of pizza hut restaurants. Mostly respondents gave us the positive feedback. Procedure of data collection: Data would be collected through survey by visiting at several branches of pizza hut which is a personal way of collecting data. Customers waiting time when they were waiting for their turn to get seated in peak times While customers are selecting the salads from the salad corner. 4. Research Results The restaurant industry has undoubtedly not been free from either augmented competition or from increasing customer expectations regarding quality. In the greatly competitive food industry, large operators chain have a propensity to gain competitive gain in the course of cost leadership, likely only due to standardization and economies of scale beginning from large market shares, while smaller, independent restaurants on the other hand endeavor to gain benefit through differentiation. The food industry is greatly aggressive and customers have also grown to be more demanding due to adequate awareness and information they have about the diverse styles in restaurant industry which increase the consequence of successful marketing strategies to obtain the competitive advantage to understand the requirements and desires of the customers Table 3.1 The above table divides the data in terms of gender. Gender is one of the most important demographic factors when it comes to the behavioural studies. In order to get the equal and variety of responses, the selection of the respondents was taken up with great care of so, that different aspect would be covered and highlighted. In the above data set the no of mail respondents were 44 and the total no of female respondents were 56. The male represents the 44% of our data set while the female is on majority and represents 56% of the total data set. Table 3.2 Customer behavior and preferences are the key element for the planning of the marketing in view of the fact that satisfaction does sway customers intention to loyalty of a consumer to the branch. Therefore, marketers are supposed to look into the issues that would have an effect on customer preferences intensity. Besides, as customer prospect are altering over time and it is advised to determine the customer satisfaction, preferences and expectation on regular basis and grip complaints timely and effectively. The above table displays the rating of factors with respect to the importance in the perception of the customers that affects the consumer behavior while selecting the branch. The total sample size for the analysis was equal to 100 (N=100). If we analyze the above table the mean value of the branch service among all of the variables is on the higher side its value is equal to 3.52 approximately 4 conveys an idea that the service provided by any branch is the most important factor among the all that have been studied for the said study. Branch service includes the welcome given by the staff of the branch to its customers, the time they took to book the order of their customers, the way staff members respond to the order of the customers and in the time of need help their customers to get things finalize for the final order placement. The second most important part of the branch service is the serving time (time they take to serve the order) a more delayed serving of the order develops the bad impression about the branch and there would be a less likelihood of the customers to visit the particular branch again. If we study in too deep the branch service also incorporates the attention of the staff after the placement of t he order it doesnt mean that one staff member should always be standing on the head of customer but, to make sure that if people would be required with any other thing during their meal time it should be provided on time. Branch service is the most important factor in the mind of the customer and the branch managers should take care that their service quality is on higher side and doesnt ever compromise on it which helps them to get the customer satisfaction which is defined as the consumers fulfillment response. It is a judgment that the service or product features, its attributes provided a delightful level of consumption associated achievement including levels of under fulfillment or over fulfillment. This definition of satisfaction proposes that the assessment method covers the whole utilization experience and this creates the preferences for a particular branch by a consumer. This feature is essential in the learning of consumer satisfaction and preferences in services, given t he empirical, interactive character of service encounter. It facilitates in creating feelings and develops sense of affection towards the particular branch restaurant resulting in a stronger influence on consumer behavior towards the branch. Restaurant strives for instructive affirmative feelings to their brand name by stage management tangible attributes. Consumers compare service quality with cost to determine service value with one branch to another. Service cost is basically what consumers have to give up or sacrifice to obtain a desired service. Since it has a negative impact on consumers budgets, it would have a negative influence on their perceptions of service value. The concept of cost can be extended to include nonmonetary cost such a service time. Service time is the amount of time during which a service is provided. Since most customers would like to have faster services, service time would affect perceived service value in the same way monetary cost would After the Branch service the second most important factor in our study is the branch location the place where the branch is situated. The mean value of the branch location is 3.25 approximately 4 means customer also think of this factor while deciding which branch to opt for their meal time. Branch Location includes the availability of the parking, reputation of the area, past record of criminal activities and lot more. Branch location is also one of the most important factors while visiting any branch for the meal. The convenience of location is very important that includes the parking space, seating availability in the restaurant; the nearness to roof-tops like peoples residence, hotels, and motels is significant for the accomplishment of restaurants all through the dinner mealtime duration. The cost of attaining parking near to a restaurant is sighted as a non-revenue generating expenditure. The impact of location of branches and food service has a positive association with the co nsumer behavior due to the reason of busy schedule of the people nowadays. Some customer prefers buying the food or dining in the restaurant located nearer to their offices and/or home. The third most important factor is the branch crowd, if we look at its mean values it is around 2.35. On the basis of our analysis scale, it is rated as some way in between unimportant and neutral means that in the selection of the branch outlet is also considered after the above two that we discussed earlier. Usually the people belong to the upper class visit the selected restaurant outlets, the crowd factor is of least important but, it is important as it has been observed in the restaurant industry that people from the upper class opt those branches that have a high number of visiting people belong to the upper end class. Factors like branch size and ambience are of not that much important comparing to other factors in our results this is due to the fact that the selected outlet is on the higher side in these terms. In restaurants tangibles are appropriate to the restaurants physical facilities, paraphernalia and manifestation of personnel. While restaurant consumers do not take d elivery of only serving of food, but also a huge component of service, they undeniably depend on earlier indication in the deficiency of tangible verification by which to measure service quality. In restaurant branches ambiance fundamentals are surface and texture, smell, color, sound, and texture inducing intuitive reactions in restaurant atmosphere that persuades purchase likelihood known as the mechanical clues. For paradigm, the aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking generates affectionate feelings, and stimulates their enthusiasm for a treat. The restaurants entire setting, the atmospherics and the ambience are important in determining both consumers and front line employees approach about the procedures and service delivery result. This necessitates that; it was exceptionally significant that the understanding of the tangible force on service quality, like generous and physical facilities, along with the appearance of personnel. In our result, ambiance might not be the most im portant factor due to not having any Play areas that considered additional facility provided by some of the branches of differences food chains in order to attract small kids also the indicator for attracting the customers depending on the nature of the restaurants The selected outlet branches are already known for their ambience and size; they have adopted a theme for their restaurant that has been practice in each of their branch so, when customer visits any of their branches they find out the same theme therefore, in the selected retail outlet its importance is on very lower side. Below are the pie charts representing the two most important factors of the study branch location and branch service. The other factors are not significant as these two are their pie chart are as follows 3.3 Branch Service Statistics The above pie chart represents the most important factor in our study that is Branch Service if we study the above pie chart the responses were constant in the three categories means that people have mix responses with respect to the branch service of the selected outlets. The 52% of the respondents were considered the Brach service is the important factor when it comes to select ion any outlet. Mangers do focus and make corrective action in their services of the respective branch. 3.4 Branch Location Statistics The above pie chart represents the second most important factor in our study that is Branch Location if we study the above pie chart the responses were mixed in the selected categories means that people have mix responses with respect to the branch location. The 38 respondents were considered the Brach Location is the Highly Important factor when it comes to selection any outlet. Top Management does focus and should perform the background study before choosing any location for the opening of their branch. 4. Conclusion In todays promptness and increasingly more competitive market, the bottom line of a companys strategies is to make income and add to the development of the company. Customer gratification, superiority of the service, satisfaction, quality and retention are the matters that persuade all organizations including profit or non-profit large or small and multinational or national. Customer behavior for restaurant branch is regularly used as a sign of whether consumer will come back to a restaurant. Whereas there is no agreement of a satisfied customers repeat visit, it is nearly certain that a not satisfied consumer will not return. A study of the basics or attributes of consumer preference be supposed to give indication concerning what action a restaurant service manager must take to raise the probability that consumers will appear back. It appears that study is not often concluded that the remarkable rate of malfunction in the restaurant service industry advices that the management can find the targets of converting consumer preference into financial achievement a vague one. We accept as true that restaurant failures are partially a consequence of managements lack of strategic direction in determining and focusing on customer contentment and preference. Research has shown that Consumers consider branch service, Branch Location and Branch Crowd as the most important element while choosing any Pizza Hut branch. Achieving the customer satisfactions leads towards market share as well as loyalty towards restaurants and to maintain the progress which is necessary to keep the effective measure in terms of customer demands and fulfillments. Though, it is understood that restaurant possessor would like to identify the strongest influence on re-patronage intentions. A study divulges that customer behavior is the better predictor of intention comparing to service quality to repurchase. Increasing trend in re-patronage is always due to service quality which is provided by the management to the consumers and at the same time customer should be satisfied. Any of the factor missing may cause the decrease in loyalty of the customer towards that particular branch and customers would be unwilling to re-visit for dining to the same restaurant.