Research Topic Literature Exploration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Research Topic Literature Exploration - Essay Example Other than that working outside in long hour jobs, pursuing other interests, sibling rivalry and lack of interest on the parts of parents to take keen interest in children’s school work results in dropouts (Ash, Katie). What should be: There is need to mark future dropouts. Building an early warning data system and a two-fold agenda of high standards and high graduation rates can help in decreasing high school dropouts. Schools should provide a pleasant experience to students through their operational activities to obstruct the speed of dropouts. Data collection on high school dropouts is very important and should not be skipped. Checklist approach to know the students at risk of dropping out of school should not be the only alterative method to know future dropouts, as it has its own drawbacks. An alternative checklist should be prepared to analyze the data on comparison between two groups -- dropouts and graduates, called â€Å"regression analysis† to develop a â€Å"statistically generated prediction formula.† Longitudinal data helps in assessing risk factors; On track indicators used by preventive programs should be used to bring down dropout rates (Craig D. Jerald). What should be? Research on instructional and structural strategies to inculcate reading and writing skills among students suggests that motivational and self-directed learning can be an easy and effective way by allowing them freedom of reading time and providing range in reading besides giving them freedom to select research and writing topics (Biancarosa, Gina). Strategic tutoring -- It also helps students not only in completing particular tasks but helps them in writing independently. Strategic tutoring provides customized help to students – identifying and focusing their weak areas such as poor writing skills (Biancarosa, Gina). Intensive writing – It requires integration of writing with reading comprehension for which reading instructions should be clear and specific

Disclousuer requirments in securities regulation between Saudi Arabia Research Paper - 1

Disclousuer requirments in securities regulation between Saudi Arabia and united States (compareson) - Research Paper Example Disclosures imply that public should be informed of any investment decisions, while the undermining of this confidence leads to the collapse of the securities market harming national economy for a very long period of time. Saudi Arabia is considered to be one of the largest developing stock markets in the world. Nowadays it shows increasing demands for various investments in corporate securities. While in 2006, Saudi Arabia securities market was regarded as the market which suffered from the lack of transparency and disclosure credibility less than average due to the economic crisis happened in this state. Great part of the investors received no compensation for the caused damages and had no any practical possibility to protect their rights with respect to the securities rights. Thus, some scholars define the current legislation of Saudi Arabia on the securities law and its disclosure as existing in place, but not functional in practice. Despite this fact, some states share the views that Saudi Arabia is one of the countries that has relatively strong disclosure requirements. This country is able to ensure investor’s protection during exercising of business transactions. Therefore, the main purpose of this paper is to describe the disclosure requirements applicable to the securities in Saudi Arabia and it comparison with the strong securities market conditions prevailing within the USA market. In Saudi Arabia, some principles applicable to the issuers of securities exist. Hence, issuers that offer securities through public offer are always subject to disclosure requirements involving shareholder voting decisions and equal treatment to each other. In any case, the body governing the issue of securities requires submission of the reports on the disclosure of significant amount of shareholders of the companies. At the same time, Saudi Arabia implements main

Siebel Assignment Manager Rules Engine Computer Science Essay

Siebel Assignment Manager Rules Engine Computer Science Essay Siebel Assignment Manager is a rules engine that allows sales and service organizations to assign the most qualified people to specific tasks. Assignment Manager accomplishes this function by matching candidates to predefined and user-configurable assignment objects. To assign the most qualified candidate to each object, Assignment Manager applies assignment rules that you define. For you to define assignment rules, you select: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Objects to which each assignment rule applies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Rule Groups to which each assignment rule applies (optional) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Criteria for each assignment rule à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Values for each assignment criteria à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Skills to match assignment rules, objects, organizations, employees, and positions à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Scores for each assignment rule, criteria, and value à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Candidates that are scored using the assignment rule à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Workload rules to balance work across your organization Terminology of Assignment Manager: Assignment Object: In Siebel Assignment Object is repository Data type which is need to be assigned. Based on Assignment Rule Assignment Manager finds the suitable candidate. A number of predefined assignment objects are available for use by Assignment Manager for the most commonly used business entities in Siebel Business Applications. Some of the predefined assignment objects are: à ¢-   Account à ¢-   Activity à ¢-   Campaign à ¢-   Campaign Contact à ¢-   Contact à ¢-   Opportunity à ¢-   Order (Sales Credit Assignment) à ¢-   Product Defect à ¢-   Project à ¢-   Project Team à ¢-   Service Request Assignment Rule: In Siebel Assignment Manager, an assignment rule is a collection of logical business boundaries. Each assignment rule has an activation and an expiration date that you can use to denote a range of dates for when the rule should be active. If you specify an activation date and no expiration date, the rule is active from the date denoted by the activation date onwards. If you specify an expiration date and no activation date, the rule is active until the date denoted by the expiration date. If you do not specify neither the activation date nor the expiration date, the rule is always active. Assignment Criteria: In Siebel Assignment Manager, assignment criteria enforce business conditions when applied to assignment rules. An assignment rule can have one or more assignment criteria. For Each criterion specific values can be given if required. Running mode of Assignment Manager: Batch ModeUse batch assignment to assign multiple records of an object in a single batch. Typically, you want to run batch jobs periodically when you anticipate the least amount of database activity (such as daily or weekly after-hours). Dynamic ModeDynamic assignment is especially useful in a deployment where users and server programs make frequent changes to the assignment object records (such as service requests and activities) because dynamic assignment can automatically determine the changes and assign the objects to the appropriate people and organizations. Interactive ModeRunning Assignment Manager in interactive mode allows end users to make real-time assignments. End users can review a list of potential assignees generated by Assignment Manager, then select and confirm, or override the assignment from the generated potential candidate list. Creating Assignment Rule (Considering Service Request as Assignment Object) Goto SiteMap->Admin Assignment DrillDown on Rule Group List Create a new Record Name Parent Rule Group Activation Expiration SR Assignment (If required) Date(From when rule group should be Active) Date(After this Date rule group should be expired) Drilldown on Rule Group Name Create Assignment Rule in Rule List Applet Name SR Assignment Rule For Object to be Assigned, Create a new record in PickApplet and select an Object. Fill Other fields Object To Be Assigned Activation Expiration Sequence Service Request Date(From when rule should be Active) Date(After this Date rule should be expired) 1 Drill Down on Assignment Rule, Fill the Candidate Details on the basis of requirement. Important fields, there values and descriptionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Assignee Filter Field Assignee Filter Field Values Assignee Filter Description All, Above Minimum Use assignees with an assignment score greater than or equal to the assignment rules candidate passing score. Assigns one or more assignees. All, Must Assign Same as the All, Above Minimum value, except that the highest-scoring candidate is a potential assignee even if all candidates fail to meet the candidate passing score. Assigns one or more assignees. One, Best Fit Use the highest scoring assignee with an assignment score greater than or equal to the candidate passing score. Assigns one assignee. One, Random Choose a random assignee whose score is greater than or equal to the candidate passing score required for this assignment rule. Assigns one assignee. NOTE:  Ã‚  If you do not use scores, the candidate passing score on the assignment rule and all qualifying candidate scores are treated as zero. Therefore, every qualifying candidate (every candidate that passes all required criteria) is assigned depending on the assignee filter. The assignee filter determines how candidates are evaluated as potential assignees to the object. 2.2 Person Candidates Source From Rule. To assign the objects only to candidate (positions and employees) defined in the rule. All People. Checks Assignment Skills of the entire candidate (positions and employees) Teams. The person dynamic candidate teams you define in Siebel Tools (the value of the Team Type property in the Dynamic Candidate object) appear in the Person Candidates Source list of values (LOV) field in the assignment rule. 2.3 Organization Candidates Source From Rule. To assign the objects only to candidate (Organization) defined in the rule. All People. Checks Assignment Skills of the entire candidate (Organization). Teams. The organization dynamic candidate teams you define in Siebel Tools appear in the Organization Candidates Source list of values (LOV) field in the assignment rule. Check Employee Calendar Field If check then Assignment Manager checks the employees availability by checking its calander. Assignment Criteria: Goto Assignment Rule DrillDown on the Rule Name In Criteria tab, Create a new record Rule Criterion Service Request Type Comparison Method:Assignment Manager uses criteria comparison methods to qualify objects or candidates, or both, foran assignment rule Comparison Method Description Compare to Object Criteria values are compared with objects attribute. Compare to Person Compares criteria values to skills of person candidates (employees or positions). Person candidates that possess the skills required by the criterion qualify for this criterion. Compare Object to Person Objects attribute is compared with Assignment Skills of the candidates (employees or positions), Object is assigned to one candidates (employees or positions). Compare to Organization Compares criteria values to skills of Organization candidates. Organization candidates that possess the skills required by the criterion qualify for this criterion. Compare Object to Organization Objects attribute is compared with Assignment Skills of the organization candidates, Object is assigned to one organization candidates. Inclusion Method: Inclusion Method Description Include Attribute value must match at least criteria value Include All Attribute value must match all criteria value Include All Matching All Attribute value must match matching criteria value Exclude Attribute value should exclude all criteria value 5. Enter the criteria value by creating new record. Adding Candidates: Goto Employee candidate Add database users by creating new record. Workload distribution: Workload distribution is a special criteria type that balances the load between candidates. You create workload distribution by adding workload rules in the Assignment Workload view for employees and positions, or the Assignment Organization Workload view for organizations. Workload distribution is generally used with service assignments. Goto Workload Distribution Rule view. Create a new record Name Object To Be Assigned AssignServiceRequest Service Request Provide the condition for workload Condition Field Comparison Operator Value Service Request Status = Open Add this Workload distribution rule to Assignment Rule. Goto Assignment Rule Drilldown on Rule Name-> Goto Workload Distribution tab Create a new record. Select workload distribution rule Give a value for Maximum Workload Eg. 100. Give Score value if required. Finally Goto Assignment Rule and press Release button to make it available. Running Assignment Manager (Batch Mode): Goto Admin-Server Management-> Jobs Create a new record with following details Give the Component Name Batch Assignment Make the job repeating by giving following details Repeating Y Repeat Unit Minutes Repeat Interval 5 Enter the following job parameter. Name Value Assignment Object Name Service Request Object Where Clause where SR_STAT_ID = Open AND OWNER_EMP_ID IS NULL Submit the JOB. Dynamic Candidate: They are the potential assignee for assignment object. Similar to Static Candidate. These are the group of members for which Assignment Manager works. Dynamic Candidate mainly works for Compare Object to Person. This of two types, Single Owner Type: Only one candidate will be associated with Assignment Object. Multiple Owner Type: Multiple Members Will be associated with Assignment Object. For Configuring Dynamic Candidate, It is need to be configured from Tool side. The advantage of Dynamic Candidate is to reduce the list of members for assignment. Configuring Dynamic Candidate; Login into Siebel Tools. Query for Service Request in workflow policy. Goto Service Request Assignment Object. Goto Dynamic Candidate, Configure this according to following data. Compile Service Request Workflow Policy. This Team (Dynamic members) will be available in Person Candidate List. Case Study of Assignment Manager: Requirement Æ’Â  Service Request created under Account should be assigned to a candidate on the basis of following points: Service Request Type(Type Of Service Request) Employee Circle(SR circle and employee circle should be same) Service Request Shift Details(SR Creation time should be within employee working hour) Market Segment(Market Segment type of Account) Service Request should assign to limited users. Approach:- We have a option of limited no of users, i.e. the value in Person candidate source should be From Rule For Assignee filter we are using All, Above Minimum because we are not using scores. We have added two employees in Employee Candidate. We have Added Workload distribution rule, having maximum load 100. We are Using Compare to Object, Because Criteria values are being compared with Object attribute. Inclusion method is Include because only one value of object attribute is there to match with Assignment criteria value. EBC Steps to create EBCà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Log in to Tool Goto File -> New Object (New Object Wizard) Select External Table Schema Import Enter The Following Details Project Any locked Project Schema Source If importing from DDL file then use DDL/Analytics, otherwise use ODBC Character Group Any three random digit After giving these details press Next. Select a data source which has ODBC entry. Give the name of table owner. Eg. STAGING Goto Next step. Select the table you want to generate the schema of goto next step. Provide the run time data source. As mentioned in TNS entry. Finish the wizard. This wizard will create external table schema. To check this data source make following entries in cfg file. In Data source section: [DataSources] UWUATDB = UWUATDB Foe this Data source make following entries: [UWUATDB] Docked = FALSE ConnectString = UWUATDB TableOwner = STAGING DSUsername = STAGING DSPassword = STAGING DLL = sscdo90.dll SqlStyle = OracleCBO Create a Business component based on this table and mentioned the Data Source name for the BC.

Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz and Antonio Benitez-Rojos Writings :: Caribbean Race Racial Issues Essays

Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz and Antonio Benitez-Rojo's Writings With a focus on articles written by Michele Cliff, Antonio Benitez-Rojo, and Sidney Mintz. Michelle Cliff, "If I Could Write This on Fire, I Would Write This on Fire," and Abeng Antonio Benitz-Rojo, "From plantation to Plantation"; Sidney Mintz, "The Caribbean: A Sociocultural Area"; On this island of Black and Brown, she had inherited her father’s green eyes—which all agreed were her "finest feature." Visibly, she was the family’s crowning achievement, combining the best of both sides, and favoring one rather than the other. Much comment was made about here prospects, and how blessed Miss Mattie was to get herself such a granddaughter. The legacy of the plantation, the class struggle between dark and light skinned, the different lifestyles of city and country people, and the lack of a cohesive culture are all ideas toughed upon in the writings of Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz, and Antonio Benitez-Rojo. The distinct difference in styles is what separates these writings. Cliff writes from the viewpoint of an islander, while Mintz and Benitez-Rojo write from a European point of view. All three authors begin by "telling" the history of the region in different ways. Mintz describes the Caribbean using nine distinct similarities, that he feels all islands have in common. He paints a picture of explorers "island-hopping" and discovering characteristics of each island. Mintz goes on by saying that the sole purpose for colonization was the plantation and the products of that plantation (mainly sugar). He continues by stating that the Caribbean is "western society" formed by European ideals and thoughts that were infused into the everyday life of the islands and its inhabitants. He says, that because of this heavy European influence, the Caribbean has no real culture. Its culture was formed by the teachings of European ideals and the remembered African tradition, which they brought over with them. Benitez-Rojo speaks of a rhythm that is present in the Caribbean. He does not believe that there is a Caribbean culture. He does say that the people of the Caribbean have a certain rhythm to them. "It is rhythm that puts all the Caribbean peoples in ‘the same boat,’ over and above separations imposed on them by ‘nationality and race,’ it is rhythm—not a specific cultural expression—that confers Caribbeanness." Cliff doesn’t really go into a description of the whole Caribbean. She tells the story of a light skinned Jamaican named Clare. Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz and Antonio Benitez-Rojo's Writings :: Caribbean Race Racial Issues Essays Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz and Antonio Benitez-Rojo's Writings With a focus on articles written by Michele Cliff, Antonio Benitez-Rojo, and Sidney Mintz. Michelle Cliff, "If I Could Write This on Fire, I Would Write This on Fire," and Abeng Antonio Benitz-Rojo, "From plantation to Plantation"; Sidney Mintz, "The Caribbean: A Sociocultural Area"; On this island of Black and Brown, she had inherited her father’s green eyes—which all agreed were her "finest feature." Visibly, she was the family’s crowning achievement, combining the best of both sides, and favoring one rather than the other. Much comment was made about here prospects, and how blessed Miss Mattie was to get herself such a granddaughter. The legacy of the plantation, the class struggle between dark and light skinned, the different lifestyles of city and country people, and the lack of a cohesive culture are all ideas toughed upon in the writings of Michele Cliff, Sidney Mintz, and Antonio Benitez-Rojo. The distinct difference in styles is what separates these writings. Cliff writes from the viewpoint of an islander, while Mintz and Benitez-Rojo write from a European point of view. All three authors begin by "telling" the history of the region in different ways. Mintz describes the Caribbean using nine distinct similarities, that he feels all islands have in common. He paints a picture of explorers "island-hopping" and discovering characteristics of each island. Mintz goes on by saying that the sole purpose for colonization was the plantation and the products of that plantation (mainly sugar). He continues by stating that the Caribbean is "western society" formed by European ideals and thoughts that were infused into the everyday life of the islands and its inhabitants. He says, that because of this heavy European influence, the Caribbean has no real culture. Its culture was formed by the teachings of European ideals and the remembered African tradition, which they brought over with them. Benitez-Rojo speaks of a rhythm that is present in the Caribbean. He does not believe that there is a Caribbean culture. He does say that the people of the Caribbean have a certain rhythm to them. "It is rhythm that puts all the Caribbean peoples in ‘the same boat,’ over and above separations imposed on them by ‘nationality and race,’ it is rhythm—not a specific cultural expression—that confers Caribbeanness." Cliff doesn’t really go into a description of the whole Caribbean. She tells the story of a light skinned Jamaican named Clare.

The AXE Man

Advertisement, itself, is a creative genre in these post-modern days of ideas. If people in the future were to search for artifacts of our culture, in hopes of finding something that gives them insight into our culture and our life, they will be able to see what we leave behind in this consumer-driven world. Our ancestors left behind arrow heads and pottery, and we will leave behind a lot more that can easily communicate about who we are and what is important to us. Commercials and the products they advertise are some of the most important cultural artifacts in our society. They communicate what is important to or influences our culture, the good and the bad, because within any culture it is natural for the many different aspects of that culture to be portrayed on the screen or the page, from our stereotypes and biases, to what makes us proud and what makes us ashamed. One commercial that seems to represent an artifact of American culture is the recent AXE commercial, where a young man on a beach begins to spray AXE cologne, attracting literally hundreds of buxom beauties in bikinis, with the slogan being â€Å"Spray more, Get more†. The implications here about the way our culture stereotypes gender and what types of images we find to be suitable becomes part of the artifact and what it stands for in our culture. The first part of the advert shows a woman running in a wilderness. The first question that comes to mind is if this is a spoof of the new Mel Gibson movie â€Å"Apocalypto†? The theme of said movie is the hunter-hunted type of thriller where the protagonist is always on the run (from an AXE man perhaps? ). This is further implied by the choice of music – â€Å"Deus Irae† by Karl Jenkins which appears on his album â€Å"Requiem†. But then the video shows something else. There are many more than women running and therefore this is something else. The women are all focused with the task of reaching the goal first. They are single-minded indeed, to the point of being obsessed with whatever it is that made them run in the first place. All are jockeying for position and intense shoving and pushing is seen in the first few seconds. The second thing that hits the viewer is the fact that the women are not properly clad. If they are indeed going for a late afternoon jog then where is the sports wear needed to do the job? It is not usually normal to run with skimpy clothing! Then the next thing that hits the viewer is the fact that these are not only a group of young women running but it is actually a swarm. The multitude running together indicates mass hysteria. At this point the audience is becoming interested to know what this anarchy is all about; are they hunting for something? Again similarities can be drawn with â€Å"Apocalypto†. The next scene makes the video a bit confusing as a shot is taken from the other side of the terrain – a shot of the ocean where a similar number of horde of women are swimming frantically towards the shore. For a minute there one thinks that this may be something about the â€Å"Iron Woman† competition. But then it becomes clear as the video gives a top shot that shows where all the women are heading. The swarm is converging on the shore where a solitary male figure was spraying AXE cologne, specifically AXE Lynx. And the text flashed in the end saying, â€Å"Spray more. Get more. † If the AXE commercials are to be marked as anything of immediate interest, the popular tags that come to mind immediately are â€Å"pornographic advert† or â€Å"advert with sexual overtones. † Such terms are quite befitting as we find the women who are running from different topographical extremes have svelte, well-maintained physiques with sexual appeal, and the man on the beach stands armed with AXE cologne to attract more such women by spraying more of the heart-smashing fragrance. Commercials stand as an important artifact that can be used to understand a culture, and this commercial in particular says a lot about certain gender-related issues. Commercials such as this are not only for entertainment value, they are subconsciously sending messages to a population of people that view what they see on television as truth and fact. Someday, people will study such commercials in search of something historically or culturally important to our generation and will quickly realize that for all of our advances in our way of thinking and our technology, we were still submitting ourselves to the humiliation of gender-related stereotypes and sexually explicit material. If sexual excesses are not used deliberately, then why has such a slogan been floated in the air: Spray more, Get more? Is it not somewhat pornographic, tickling the fancy of men with the promise of winning an armful of femme fatales at one sprinkle of AXE? Why again a horde of belles are needed with immense sexual charms if no sexual implications are intended? When a condom, a bra or lingerie is advertised, the same types of images are blatantly paraded across the television screen, the sexual overtones not even subtle anymore. Even in odd places do we see such use of sexuality to sell a product, like the commercials that are for car insurance but are cartoons, using the cartoon character of a cute, busty girl to try and sell insurance for someone’s automobile. Even Pizza Hut commercials use Jessica Simpson’s sexuality to sell pizza, and Pepsi has been notorious for using stars such as Madonna to sell their product. The fact is that sex sells. Thus, if categorically the artifact is to be judged, then it is a piece of advertisement in the first place and then it is pornographic i. e. an advert with sexual overtones. In my view, whatever nomenclature may be piled on the term â€Å"advertisement†, it is a creative way of presenting an object or a commodity. So I would like to call it innovative advertisement. If we move a step further we will be able to see that innovative and sexually-exploitive adverts apply to all sorts of business tricks to catch the consumer youth. There is yet another genre that this advert falls into, and that is humorous. Despite its sexual overtones, the commercial is filmed in such a way that, at first glance, it appears to be harmless, comedic tone and all. The public seems to be very forgiving of any images or messages that are not politically correct when there is humor involved, as in this case. There is no complaining from the public even if a salacious picture or video clipping is used in order to make a commodity attractive to the target audience. It may appear denigrating in the eye of a few thoughtful, conservative people, but to hit the bull’s eye of consumerism, it is a weapon, a necessity, the need of the hour. In fact, this advert was shown only once on British television prior to a World Cup football game where it has reached near cult status. I never considered myself to be a conservative person, not even a little bit. I really thought the AXE commercial to be a great one with a sense of humor, but after I observed it many times closely, there were several things really bothering me. While it is common knowledge that marketers are using sex to sell their products, the issue that arises with this commercial is that it tried to hide the sexual content behind the product itself. The text did not imply anything sexual and therefore no one can accuse AXE of intentionally telling men of the benefits of using their cologne in terms of their becoming attractive sexually, but the imagery is enough to convince the viewer that it is selling the product through sex. In other words, AXE is using the fantasies of young men to bring them in as consumers of their product by promising them, visually, that there is something about their product that attracts women. If there is a law regulating sexual themes in advertising then it seems that the AXE advert is trying to beat the system. Those who do not agree with the blatant use of sex in advertising, be it implied or explicit, must heed the words of Tom Reichert when he wrote, â€Å"†¦other forms of sexual information is woven into ads [†¦] sexual content can vary in form and meaning, it is important to provide an overview of recurring representations of sex in advertising† (Reichert, 2003). The bone of contention here is how to draw the line between what is acceptable and what is not. J. Sivulka had warned that â€Å"when scholars have explained the changing nature of sex in advertising, they have often viewed this shift as an evolution from a relatively innocent representation of a sexually alluring woman to a new type of image, in which sex is explicit† (Sivulka, 2003). The world it seems is divided over what kind of judgment to give this sort of TV commercial, but fo r those who are looking for substance there is only one verdict. For those who are tired of being given information that is not based on truth but rather on assumptions and pop culture, the verdict is not positive. In the AXE commercial the first thing that does not escape the viewer is the stereotyping of the female. Geral Tellis observed that, â€Å"One of the most common criticisms of advertising is the gender stereotyping [†¦] endorsers are typically presented as young, beautiful, and sexually attractive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Tellis, 2004). As a female watching this commercial I felt it not only was the dreaded stereotyping being used but also the fact that women were depicted as not having the intellect to comprehend what was going on and furthermore, that women were not valued for their intellect at all, but for their appearance. The women were portrayed like buffoons, parading themselves with no regard for their self-worth, with no obvious intelligence (in direct contrast with the ‘Iron Woman’ comparison). Instead of showing a commercial where the images show an intelligent, well-mannered male using AXE cologne and attracting an intellectual and strong woman, we are bombarded with yet more images of the stereotypical buxom bimbo and in my opinion, that is an insult to the feminists out there who are championing woman’s equal rights, access to power and control. The AXE commercial made them look like they have no ability whatsoever to control their destiny, much alone their lives and they are purely driven by instincts. Lorraine Code asserts that this kind of reaction is not new and she wrote that in fact, â€Å"In the 1970s feminists criticized advertisements for portraying stereotypical images of women†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Code, 2000). Forget about the feminist stereotype, what is disturbing about the way women were depicted in the AXE ad is the fact that there is no truth to what was being communicated. Granting that commercials are not supposed to be whole truths, still the fact that something can be created wholly out of imagination is a bit of a stretch. Adding another aspect of then forcing people to accept it or maybe worse, manipulating people to behave in a certain way are actions not acceptable for a highly influential medium. A casual survey of the real world will immediately inform the observer that women do not behave like those in the said commercial. If the producer of the AXE commercial would come back and say that this is the whole point; that making fantastic claims and using pure creative imagination to sell something is the reality of advertising, then it is going to be hard to argue that line of reasoning. Even if this were the case, not everybody will agree with the producer. Many believe that advertising is no longer a neutral medium but that it is an artifact that has the capacity to transform society, especially how people think, and therefore it is a medium to be regulated. If one allows the producer of the AXE commercial the benefit of the doubt, that there was no intention to demean women and to insult their intelligence, then the problem keeps on compounding because the next group that would be insulted by this commercial is the male population, because while it is common to hear women being exploited, more and more men are being devalued by the media as well. There is a movement out there that forces the world to recognize the place of women in society. It is almost a normal experience to constantly hear of women being abused and misrepresented, but it may be taken for granted that men can also be stereotyped. That there is a whole assumption out there that men are savages and no smarter than wild beasts who are being controlled by their carnal instincts would be insulting to me if I was male, and I cannot believe that the media can stereotype both genders in such simple terms. To be honest, however, no man would stand up and say that his reputation is on the line because of such media exploitation. For them, it is somewhat absurd, but if truth can be told and truth be the standard of knowing what must be done in this society then someone has to point out the problem with the AXE commercial. What exactly is wrong about it in terms of the male image is that this time men are not depicted as buffoons in the same way that the ladies were depicted running around half-naked and half-crazed when a potent brew aroused their senses and they could not control themselves. This time men were assumed to be buffoons, period. This assumption is basically a belief that when men will see the commercial then they will not stop to think and evaluate what is being projected on screen. They will simply instinctively pick up their wallets, head for the store and buy a crate full of AXE cologne – and â€Å"spray more†. It is interesting to note that marketers are well aware of what they are doing to the male stereotype and the projection of an image that will make men want to buy the cologne. As suggested by Stephen Fox in his study of the history of American advertising, marketers in the past made the generalization that, â€Å"†¦all men are fools† (Fox, 1997). They have expanded this theory into something more useful, â€Å"†¦that while men may be fools and sinners, they are everlastingly on the search for that which is good† (Fox, 1997). Advertising is the guide that leads them to the path of bliss and truth; yet, there is one more weakness of the male psyche that is being exploited here, but it must first be understood that this commercial was not created with the general public in mind. It is quite probable that the target-segment are young men between puberty and their twenties. It is possible that the target-market are adolescent males who lack the confidence to take their place in the world and establish relationships with the opposite sex and therefore need a touch of courage, in this case in the form of AXE cologne. There is evidence pointing to the fact that the target market is indeed the teenager segment of the population. Buddenberg pointed out that, â€Å"†¦despite being more knowledgeable about advertising, teens are still very susceptible to it† (Buddenberg, 2004). Fox enumerated the common behaviors considered normal for teens: a) struggle with sense of identity; b) feeling awkward or strange about one’s self and one’s body; c) concerns regarding physical and sexual attractiveness to others; and, d) worries about being normal (Fox, 1997). If Fox’s theory proves right then what a powerful effect the AXE commercial must be having on the minds of the teenage males that watch it. The video suggests achieving power and control where there is none – by simply spraying more AXE. To be fair, however, I must say that the humorous nature of the commercial was, even to me, funny at the beginning and I did not take it serious on first glance. The women, making funny faces and rushing this geeky-looking young man whose eyes are huge as he watches the scene unfold before him was more of a comedic event than anything. In this way, the producer of this commercial was not, perhaps, trying to use stereotypes about men and women to influence our culture, but perhaps just trying to make an impression, something that is hard to do in a society filled with a flood of advertisements at every turn. Despite my misgivings about the commercial, I do not remember any other cologne commercials vividly, only AXE, and perhaps that was the point all along. The advertisement used in this study can make people react in many different ways. The more important issue to address is the potential offensive effect of the commercial to both men and women, at least to those who are sensitive enough to really analyze the content of the video. The problem with the video is that it depicts women as stupid and at the same time assumes that young men are stupid enough to believe what they are seeing and will not take the time to verify it. Moreover, the commercial is trying to hide its sexual content and that is not acceptable for those who are shielding children and the rest of the public from too much exposure to indecency. Still, at the core of the problem is the unceasing evolution of advertising. This time what is perceived to be improper will soon change in a few years time. This will continue until one day, parents and concerned citizens will one day wake up to see sex in advertising being shown explicitly without shame. At some point, American advertising will turn the corner and, just as now, we will simply sit back, watch, hence evolving as viewers too, and let the images convince us of something just as ridiculous as the assumptions made in the AXE cologne commercial. Having said that, however, the public is not as taken in by adverts as we once were and so advertisers may be responding accordingly by making adverts more humorous, shocking and ridiculous in order to capture our attention and remember the product in question which is being advertised. Then just as the advert may be mocking women and/or men it may just as easily be merely ‘tongue in cheek’ and using the satirical content to try and get the consumer to simply buy a product which makes you smell nice! So, whether it be gender stereotyped, intellectually backward or in direct contrast, intellectually superior in order to be able to appreciate the humor in the AXE advert and not take it too seriously, the artifacts our commercial culture is leaving behind are, sadly, not a representation of who we really are, but who were are told to be.

Microsoft Antitrust Case

There has been a lot of debate recently about Bill Gates within the software industry.   This debate has occurred because Windows is on the majority of personal desktops, which is considered a monopoly in the system.   The problem with having a monopoly is that any software that is written by any company must work with the Windows operating system. That means that all companies must consult with Microsoft before making software.   It also means that Microsoft can effectively destroy a company by refusing to use their software.   Or, Microsoft can create their own products that compete with other companies, and they can include it with the Windows operating system for free.   Since free products that work well with the operating system (and which is conveniently already there) will be chosen over alternatives, Microsoft can severely harm their competitors with this strategy. The lawsuits against Microsoft said that the company was using this power to destroy different companies and to boost their own products. Q2)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In this country, monopolies are frowned upon.   While this is a capitalist society that allows free market competition, it is assumed that all companies should have an equal chance to participate in the market and to make profits.   This was especially true in the time of the anti-trust laws, when the Clinton administration was in office, an administration that was against big business as a rule.   The verdict handed down was decidedly harsh, calling Microsoft a â€Å"thug† in its business dealings with other companies. These issues do exist in other countries as well.   In fact, some countries will not allow Microsoft to sell their products anymore because of the proprietary software and operating systems that they use.   Countries do not want products that take over the market entirely, they want competition from different products, like the U.S. does. Q3)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many people felt that Microsoft was not being at all ethical in the way they were dealing with this issue.   In being freely competitive, companies should do the best they can to promote their products and win the favor of the consumers, but they should not go so far as to make it impossible for other companies to compete. There are other business ethics, as well.   Microsoft should not be forcing their competitors, or those who support their business (the software companies) to write their products or conduct business in any particular way.   However, by writing an operating system that requires software to be produced in specific ways, they are basically forcing companies to do things their way, or to lose the business of almost everyone in America who owns a PC.   Since companies obviously do not want to go under, they are forced to play the game Microsoft’s way. Another issue is that if Microsoft doesn’t like the product a company comes up with, they can force the product off the market by offering their own version of it, which comes bundled with their operating system.   For sheer convenience alone, Microsoft can win that battle every time.   This is unethical because Microsoft only has to decide that they don’t like a product, and they can simply make it disappear. Legally, the U.S. government does not allow monopolies to appear in the business world, for precisely the above reasons.   It allows oligopolies (where a few major companies control the market share relatively equally), but monopolies make it too difficult for new businesses to break into the system.   Also, in Microsoft’s case, it was not only controlling its own section of the industry, but actually the entire industry.   The case’s judge considered this type of behavior â€Å"predatory.† Q4) Microsoft is, of course, the primary player in this case.   It is using its power as the leader in the industry to try to remain the leader, and to control even more of the industry.   Meanwhile, most other software companies, including Novell, Netscape, and PC manufacturer Gateway, are against Microsoft.   They are trying to destroy Microsoft’s monopoly in order to create opportunity for themselves.   Of course, if they were in Microsoft’s position, they would do no differently. All software companies are seeking to lead the industry and have a monopoly, because that is the primary way to make money.   Because these software companies cannot do this while Microsoft is in the way, they are calling for Microsoft’s destruction or separation into smaller companies so that they can have a shot at the big top. The government is also trying to use its power to destroy Microsoft, despite the fact that the Clinton administration has approved more large mergers than any previous administration.   They are making an example of Microsoft because a lot of people are upset about it.   This occurred just before an election year, so they would be attempting to garner political power from this move (as we know, it did not work, and the Democrats lost the White House in 2000). Source McLaughlin, Martin (1999).   â€Å"Behind the Microsoft antitrust case: computer giants battle for market and profits.†Ã‚   World Socialist Website.   Accessed December 7, 2007.   Website: http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/nov1999/micr-n11.shtml