Marriott at Myanmar Essay Example for Free

Marriott at Myanmar Essay This report is prepared to be the first document evaluating Myanmar’s attractiveness for consideration of establishing Marriott Hotels and Resorts in this country. The best location for the hotel is chosen to be the city called Yangon since it offers a wide variety of activities for travelers with different interests. Yangon Marriott Hotels and Resorts will be attracted to upscale visitors who wish to stay in a luxury, five-star hotel with exceptional service quality, while enjoying the beauty of the country. The target groups of customers are not limited only to local high income Burmese, but also foreign visitors who come on a business or vacation purposes in Myanmar. Myanmar is a resource-rich country with a lot of unseen and attractive destinations. If developed properly, the country has a high potential for growth in the tourism industry in the future. However, due to the high level of risks of its cultural, economical and political systems, this country is considered not attractive enough to operate the luxury brand hospitality business under Marriott name. Strained relationship with the U. S government and the European Union also makes it more difficult for an international brand like Marriott to establish a new business in this country. II. Overview Summary Information A. Key information regarding demographics of the target country The Union of Myanmar, previously called Burma, occupies the largest geographical area in the mainland Southeast Asia. From North to South, three parallel chains of mountain ranges divide the country into three river systems and create various topographic regions. It shares national borders with several countries: China on the north, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. The country achieved independence from the United Kingdom in 1948. The population of Myanmar, approximately 54 million people, is highly diverse. There are eight major ethnic groups, which can be subdivided into 135 ethnic minorities. The official language is Burmese; however, several native languages are also spoken. English is usually spoken, particularly by the educated urban elites, and is the secondary language learnt in government schools. Eighty percent of Burmese population is Buddhist, prevalent in Theravada sect. The military government has officially relocated the capital of the country from Yangon to Naypyidaw in March 2006. III. Business History A. History of the company Marriott International, Inc. is a leading worldwide operator and franchisor of a range of value and luxury hotels and related lodging facilities. Nowadays, Marriott International has about 3,150 lodging properties located in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Its operations are grouped into five business segments, which are full-service lodging, select service lodging, extended-stay lodging, timeshare, and synthetic fuel. Marriott International was formed in 1993 when Marriott Corporation split into two companies: Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. B. Products/services offered and their unique advantage in the target markets The Marriott has become one of the world’s leading hospitality business operators from its excellent quality, service, and value. Throughout the Asia-Pacific region, its brand name has continuously led the company to the consistent growth in Marriott properties in many countries such as China, Japan, Singapore, and Thailand. Each Marriott hotel differentiates itself with exceptional amenities, individualized attention to guests, and careful reflection of local surroundings. As the business expands worldwide, Marriott brand gains a high level of brand loyalty from its guests. This large customer base will help facilitate the business when the brand enters to new-oversea markets. IV. Business Activity A. Industry structure, competition in the country and current economy of the target country Even though the number of travelers visiting Myanmar is very low, tourism is considered the country’s major source for foreign exchange. Burmese government has been trying to promote their tourism industry to outsiders. They launched the campaign of ‘Visit Myanmar Year’ in 1996. After that, according to the Statistics from Ministry of Hotels Tourism, the number of tourist arrivals has been increased. However, this increasing number could not retain on a continuous basis due to the country’s uncertainty and instability in many areas that made people feel uncomfortable visiting Myanmar. Myanmar’s economy is currently mixed and primarily based on agricultural activities, including livestock, fisheries, and forestry. This sector accounts for 50 percent of the country’s overall GDP. The country also possesses several kinds of valuable natural resources, including intensely fertile soil, offshore oil, and gas deposit. It is also the world’s largest exporter of teak and precious stones such as jade, pearls, rubies, and sapphires. Since late 1988, Myanmar moved toward more market-oriented economy. It changed its centrally planned economy to be more liberalized, both in domestic and international trade. The role of private sector was promoted, and foreign direct investment was welcomed. Despite such efforts, Myanmar is still considered the poorest country among the Southeast Asian nations. Although tourist industry has a high potential for growth in the future, it still remains underdeveloped. This is because mismanagement from the military government’s control, ineffective and inefficient policies, poor infrastructures, together with the country’s bad international image have drawn the whole country to the state of underdevelopment. Moreover, since the late 1990s, Myanmar’s economy has worsened due to economic sanctions from many countries such as the European Union, Canada, and the U. S. Foreign investments usually come from China, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand. V. Market Research A. Market conditions in target country 1. Existing demand There are several reasons why Myanmar should be a good place in consideration for new investment opportunity. The country has vast and virtually untapped natural resources. To this day, Myanmar remains one of the most mysterious and undiscovered destinations in the world. The country seems appealing to many tourists around the world due to its unseen attractions with regard to cultures, history, and natural beauty. There has been an increasing demand from outside the country, especially from those travelers who wish to discover this resource-rich country. Myanmar is viewed as a good destination for people who want to have an exotic adventure, beach vacation, and mountain experience. In addition, advocates supporting Burmese tourist claim that it is the only method to help Burmese poor citizen to have a better standard of living and avoid isolating the country from the rest of the world. Another important issue needed to be pointed out is the message from the leader of Myanmar’s opposition National League of Democracy. Aung San Suu Kyi has in the past asked foreign tourists not to visit the country, as this helps increase the military junta’s power. This is one of the reasons why some people do not want to visit the country. 2. Competition After the Burmese government opened the country to promote several industries, tourism started to develop in Myanmar. Nowadays, there are approximately 500 hotels and guesthouses throughout the country. In Yangon alone, there are only six luxury hotels and approximately 20 moderate and economy hotels. Among those luxury hotels, none of them is operated under the recognized global hotel-chain companies. Most of the hotels are run by local Burmese people or businessmen from neighboring countries such as China, Singapore and Thailand. Therefore, competition in Myanmar’s tourism industry has not reached the intense level yet. VI. Potential Difficulties or Restriction A. Entry requirement The Government of Myanmar posts some restrictions on foreign investors wishing to do business in the country. In order to establish and operate under contractual agreement or partnership, foreign entity must submit all proposals to the Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) and get approved under the Foreign Investment Law (FIL). Foreign investors can set up their business either in the form of a wholly-owned subsidiary or a joint venture with any partners: an individual, private company, a cooperative society or a state-owned enterprise. In all joint ventures, the minimum equity required from the foreign party is 35 percent. Moreover, the minimum amount of capital requirement to be eligible under the Foreign Investment Law is set to be US $500,000 for an industry, but US$300,000 for a service organization. Tourism industry is one of many sectors allowed under the Foreign Investment Law. Rather than the initial investment requirement, Myanmar also has commercial tax of ten percent levied on service of operation of hotels. B. Intellectual property issues Intellectual property is one important issue that prevents many oversea businesses from entering to Myanmar. The country has a negative outlook on its control with regard to this matter. Myanmar is considered having poor, maybe poorest, intellectual property right laws by the outside world. Marriott brand could be jeopardized since Myanmar’s legislation alone may not be able to protect the ownership of the company’s trademark. In the past, there was an evident showing that some local businesses were registered by using the existing international trademarks or trade name, and that prevented the original owners to register their own names and run the business in this country. VII. Cultural Issues A. Religion and its role in the society Since most Burmese people are Buddhist of Theravada stream, Buddhism has greatly influenced the standards of etiquette in the country. Their core religious belief is karma, the concept that good fathers good and bad fathers bad. This core belief has reflected in almost every aspect in everyday life; however, it does not play a significant role in doing business in this country. With basic knowledge of Burmese culture and custom, foreigners would find it easy to live with the local people. B. Special cultural issues For employer and employee relationship, Burmese employees are hardworking and loyal to their bosses. In return, an employer is expected to give help when in times of need. Such help can be the advice given for personal problems or loan granted in a financial crisis. As in all Asian countries, Myanmar respect people older than them. Therefore, in order to avoid friction in workplace, subordinates should be working under an older supervisor. Friendship, trust, and honesty are valued in a business relationship. Favors received, such as introducing a potential client or supplying a reference, must be repaid at a future time. For the first time in a business meeting, details of the project may not be discussed. Instead, the meeting may be spent evaluating each other’s personality and business strengths and weaknesses. In general, Myanmar business people find it easier to deal with Asians than Westerners. C. Business cultural issues In recent years, both China and India have attempted to strengthen ties with the Burmese government for economic benefits. This situation indicates that relationship with the military government could help smooth out the process or get the deals more easily. Personal relationship is considered one of the key components that could determine the success of the business. Foreign business will be more likely to succeed if the foreign entity can tie with a local partner, ultimately the Burmese government. According to Asian Journal of Political Science, â€Å"all post-colonial Myanmar governments and the business community benefited from their clientelistic networks. Without the help of government officials, many business firms would have gone under quickly; at the same time, without the assistance of business people, it would have been hard for most post-colonial Myanmar governments to keep themselves in power. It is very clear that government-business relations cannot simply be reduced to a zero-sum game. Certain interactions between the military government and the business community were mutually empowering†. Corruption is systemic at all levels of the Government and society. From Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, â€Å"It is considered by economists and businesspersons to be one of the most serious barriers to investment and doing business in the country. A Byzantine and capricious regulatory environment fostered corruption. † VIII. Service Operation A. Location of service facilities The best location that Marriott Hotels and Resorts could be is in the city called Yangon. Yangon, previously known as Rangoon, is one of the most popular areas for foreign visitors and is considered the gateway to Myanmar. It is the largest and former capital of the country. Even though the city is no longer the capital, Yangon continues to be the most important commercial center of Myanmar. This relatively simple city is attractive in its own particular way. Yangon has earned the name ‘the Garden City of the East’ since it is green and cool with lush of tropical trees, shady parks, and beautiful lakes. The city offers a wide variety of activities for visitors such as diving, cultures, and ecotourism. Therefore, this city has a potential to attract a lot of travelers with different interests. B. Service modification necessary to adapt to local environment Since one of Marriott’s strength lies in its careful reflection of local surroundings, Marriott Hotels and Resorts built in Yangon should hold the same principle. Yangon Marriott Hotels and Resorts should combine the city’s natural beauty of its history, culture and scenery while offering the unique luxury standards. Destination hotels and resorts type might be an appropriate alternative for Marriott in Yangon. The destination resort should be located in the Yangon area with noteworthy natural features, plus an urban setting. IX. Personnel Strategies A. Employment restriction Myanmar has active labor force of about 20 million. They are fairly trained manpower and skilled labor with relatively low cost comparing to other neighboring countries. There is only 23 percent of the overall population working in the service industry; however, these Burmese people are considered hospitable due to the fact that they are generally honest and kind. However, due to the country’s poor infrastructure, Burmese people are not provided with good education. Their skills might not be good enough to fit in Marriott’s high standards of hospitality service. Therefore, it seems necessary for Marriott to provide training sessions to improve their hospitality skills. B. Expatriate issues Since Marriott ties the brand image with its superb service quality, it is vital that Yangon Marriott Hotels and Resorts are equipped with talented management team. Marriott International Inc. might need to import managers from oversea to run the Myanmar operations in order to ensure that Marriott’s core business practice is followed everywhere. This issue brings about big challenge since it will not be easy to find the talented people who will be willing to work in a country with high uncertainty and instability in many aspects on a voluntary basis. Marriott International Inc. might need to provide them with high enough incentives to encourage them to accept this assignment. Nevertheless, under the Foreign Investment Law, Myanmar allows the employment of foreign experts and technicians. Required manpower can be recruited through Township Labor Offices. X. Risks A. Government stability The most important risk exposed in Myanmar deals with its political issue. For the past 40 years, Myanmar has been ruled by the military government or junta, in which the power is centered. The State Peace and Development Council, or SPDC, maintains strict authoritarian rule over the people of Myanmar. The country has a reputation abroad for brutally crushing political dissent, as in the case of house arrests of Aung San Suu Kyi. According to the information from the articles Foreign relations of Burma and Military of Burma, â€Å"Aung San Suu Kyis National League for Democracy won a landslide victory in the countrys election of 1990; however, the military which has controlled Myanmar (Burma) for decades refused to transition the country to civilian democratic rule. For her part, Aung San Suu Kyi has spent most of the last decade under house arrest for her political efforts. In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while still under house arrest. † This case brings about the global awareness and concern on the country’s political abuse and human right violation. B. Legal risk The country also completely lacks of regulatory and legal transparency. â€Å"All existing regulations, including those covering foreign investments, are subject to change with no advance or written notice at the whim of the regime’s ruling general. Myanmar does not accept International Court of Justice. C. Economic risk Myanmar’s economy suffers from serious macroeconomic imbalance. The country’s money currency is called Kyat, which is not stable at all. Volatility happens on a weekly basis. The Kyat is not convertible. This severe situation includes rising inflation, fiscal deficits, and multiple official exchange rates that overvalue the Burmese Kyat. A major banking crisis in 2003 also contributed a large negative impact on the overall disrupted economy. XI. Potential Benefits A. Market potential As already mentioned, Myanmar is one of resourceful countries that have high potential for future growth in tourism industry. The country offers all traditional delights of Asia in one country. If developed properly, the country’s tourism can become one of the world’s famous tourist destinations. Seeing this opportunity, Marriott brand can expand globally throughout the Asian Pacific region. Now Marriott brand has its hotel chains in Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam in this Asia Pacific region. B. Incentive from local government Myanmar’s Foreign Investment Law provides a lot of incentives to foreign investors in the form of tariff and taxes. The business will be granted a tax exemption for three consecutive years beginning the first year of operation. The country also provides the relief from income tax on profit reinvested within one year. Myanmar guarantees that the business permitted under FIL will be protected from being nationalized during the granted period. C. Relationship to the United States However, according to Bureau of Democracy Human Right and Labor, â€Å"the US and Burmese relation has been worsened after the 1988 military coup and violent suppression of pro-democracy demonstration. Subsequent repression, including the brutal crackdown on peaceful protestors in September 2007, further strained the relationship. † â€Å"In addition, since May 1997, the U. S. Government has prohibited new investment by U. S. persons or entities. A number of U. S. companies exited the Burma market even prior to the imposition of sanctions due to a worsening business climate and mounting criticism from human rights groups, consumers, and shareholders. The United States has also imposed countermeasures on Burma due to its inadequate measures to eliminate money laundering. † As a result of the above fact, it seems inappropriate for Marriott to enter Myanmar at this moment. Since Marriott is a U. S. based company, the company could run into a big conflict with the U. S. government, which could have a seriously negative impact on its hotel operations around the world.

Konigsberg Bridge Problem

Konigsberg Bridge Problem The earliest paper on graph theory seems to be by Leonard Euler,Solutio problematic ad situs pertinentis,Commentarii Academetarii Scientiarum Imperialist Petropolitanae 8 (1736),128-140.Euler discusses whether or not it is possible to scroll around Konigsberg(later called the Pregolya exactly once. Euler gave the conditions which are necessary to permit such a stroll. Thomas Pennyngton Kirkman (1856) and Wiliam Roman Hamilton (1856) studied trips which certain sites exactly once. History of Euler paths and cycles An Eulerian path is a path in a graph which visits each edge exactly once in the theory graph .so, in the same way, an Eulerian circuit is an Eulerian path which starts and ends on the same vertex. They were first discussing by Leohard Eular while solving the famous Seven Bridges of Konigsberg problem in 1736. Mathematically the problem can be stated like this: Given the graph on the right, is it possible to construct a path (or a cycle for example, a path starting and ending on the same vertex) which visits each edge exactly once Graphs which allow the manufacture of so called Eulerian cycles are called Eulerian graphs. Euler observed that a necessary condition for the existence of Eulerian cycles is that all vertices in the graph have an even degree, and that for an Eulerian path either all, or all but two (i.e., the two endpoint) vertices have an even degree; this means the Konigsberg graph is not Eulerian. Carl Heierholzer published the first complete characterization of Eulerian graphs in 1873, by proving that in fact the Eulerian graphs are exactly the graphs which are connected and where every vertex has an even degree. Example using euler in our daily life is using in the teaching for set theory that widely use in the schools. Another example is to visualizing file system organization.it will allows files to appear in more than one directory in a computers file system. The history of the Konigsberg Leonhard Euler (1707-1783) is considered to have been the father of graph theory. His paper in 1736 on the seven bridges of Konigsberg is considered to have been the foundational paper in the subject. Konigsberg is a town, founded in 1256, that was originally in Prussia. After a stormy history, the town became part of Soviet Union and was renames Kaliningrad in 1946. In any event, during Eulers time the town had seven bridges (named Kramer, Schmiede, Holz, Hohe, Honig, Kottel, and Grunespanning) spanning the Pregel River. Figure 8.1 gives a simplified picture of how the bridges were originally configured (two of the bridges were later destroyed during World War II, and two other demolished by the Russians. History of Hamiltonian: Hamiltonian is introduced by Sir William Rowan Hamilton at 1857. He made a game called around the world and the originally in form of solid called dodecahedron. It has 20corners/for each corner, it called as town. The problem started when the travel started from one city to another city along the edge to arrive at city by only once arrived at one city. This is how the Hamiltonian is appearing. There is example of using Hamiltonian in life such as no-complete, n-cube and traveling salesman problem. Two types of Hamiltonian are Hamiltonian path and Hamiltonian cycle Introduction Path Path is the sequences of alternating vertices and edges. Which begin from a vertex and ended with a vertex. Each vertex is preceded and followed by its endpoints. Simple path Simple path is a path such that all its vertices and edges are distinct. Below is a graph that gives differences between path and simple path. Path 1: v,b,x,h,z(simple path) Path 2 : u,c, w,f,y,g,x,e,d,v(path) Example of path is the way of bus direction from one destination to another destination. In other hand, simple path is a path that no complicated for example the direction from faculty of FTSM to faculty of FUU. Cycle Circle is a circular sequence of alternating vertices and edges. Each edges is preceded and followed by its endpoints. Simple cycle Simple cycle is a cycle such that all its vertices and edges are distinct. Cycle: u,c,w,e,x,g,f,w,d,v,a,u Simple cycle:v,b,x,g,y,f,w,c,u,a,v, Example of using cycle in life is when we travel to another place then come back to our home with using the different ways. Another example in ukm is the bus ways for example bus zone 2 will make a circle to take student and will come back to the initial location where the busy will take a rest. For simple cycle, we always see in sport, such as the court for athletes running especially in event of 400 * 100 meters. Then, we also can see in power plant program that is simple cycle power plant (pp) program. It gives much benefit such as optimized design, reduced engineering costs, short lead times, increase availability and fast startups also high operational flexibility. Connected Graph Connected graph is a graph that there exists a path between all pairs of vertices. If a graph is a directed graph, there exist a path between vertexes to each other that in the graph, is called as strongly connected graph. The examples of disconnected graphs: Example of using connected graph is use in building. For example Menara Berkembar Petronas, there is a bridge to connect the two buildings. Another example is the bridge of Pulau Pinang. First use to connect the island and peninsular Malaysia. Example of disconnected graph is other hand than connected graph. For example the building of one employee is not connected by bridge with another employee. Next, the Island of Sipadan is not connected by a bridge with Borneo land. An Euler path in a graph is a path which traverses each edge of the graph exactly once. An Euler cycle is an Euler path which is contains cycle. If there are no loop graphs, without isolated vertices, the continuation of an Euler path implies the connected of the graph, since traversing every edge of such a graph requires visiting each vertex at least once. But, when the connected graph has an Euler path, one can be constructed by applying Fleurys algorithm. A connected graph has an Euler path if it has exactly zero or two vertices of odd degree. If every vertex has even degree, the graph has an Euler cycle. The definition and properties of Euler paths, cycles and graphs are valid for multigraph as well. The seven bridge of Konigsberg In Konigsberg, Germany, a river ran through the city such that in its centre was an island, and after passing the island, the river broke into two parts. Seven bridges were built, so that the people of the city could get from one part to another part. A crude map of the centre of Konigsberg might look like this: The people wondered whether or not, one could walk around the city in a way that would involve crossing each bridge exactly once. Degree of vertex Term of degree of vertex in graph theory is the number of edges which connected to a vertex. Degree of vertex also known as local degree. The list of all degree of vertex is called as degree sequences. One way to find the number of vertex is count the number of degree for each vertex that endpoint. An easy way is draw a circle around the vertex and count the number of edges that cross the circle. The degree of vertex can be add or even. if the degree of vertex is even, it is known as degree vertex and the other hand, if the degree of vertex is odd, the vertex is called an odd vertex. To find out the degree of graph is by choose the largest degree of vertex. Example graph with have odd and even vertex: Example degree of vertex is application of roundabout because there are many roads that connected. Either the value is odd or even. The road can be representing as edges and the roundabout as the vertex. Another example is the number of use degree of vertex in electrical pole such as the number of wire connected to the one pole. Hamiltonian path: Hamiltonian path is also called as traceable path. Hamiltonian path is a path that visits each vertex exactly one and not repeated for each vertex in a graph. Hamiltonian graph us use to solve a problem when find a path that only visited each vertex only one in a graph. Hamiltonian cycle: Hamiltonian cycle is a cycle that goes through the entire city (vertex) only once for a graph. It cannot be repeated to reach a city for a one cycle except the starting and the ended city. Results of research and real world examples Graphs can be used to represent oil flow in pipes, traffic flow on motorways, transport of pollution by rivers, groundwater movement of contamination, biochemical pathways, and the underground network. The example of Euler path: There are many useful applications to Euler circuits and paths. Networks can be used to solve many difficult problems, like the Konigsberg Bridge problem. The can also used by mail carrier who wants to have a route where they do not retrace any of their previous steps. Other than that, Euler circuits and paths are also useful to painters, garbage collector, airplanes pilots and world navigators. Below are the examples of how Euler circuit and paths are useful in the real world. The maps that pilots use are called route maps. The route maps show the paths of the airplanes from one destination to another. Here is an example of actual route map. The centre for all travel with this airline is in Denver, Colorado. From there, we can travel to some of the major cities in the surrounding states. The Navigation below is a trip to see all different regions of the world. The above regions of the world have all been given different colors. Each region also has been given marked with a node or vertex and some (but not all) of the regions are connected with arcs. Conclusions and recommendations As the conclusion towards this particular project, the study of graphs and their properties is a classical subject in most computer science department around the world. Graph Theory can be further exploited by object-oriented software engineering, taking advantage of recent research in various fields. Other than that, Graph theory is one of the top reasons to learn linear Algebra. So, all graphs (included directed, weighted, and multi-graphs) can be represented intuitive by adjency matrices, and matrix operations often end up being meaningful in terms of graph they represent. Seeing the connection between a graph and its matrix helps to understand both of them, and being able to switch back and forth between mental models is often useful. For example, a person in many fields of modeling, are mostly easily thought of the weight graphs, and are most easily manipulated as matrices. By learning the entire graph, the student can get many benefits by it especially the computer science student. So, our recommendation towards this topic in order to make the student easy to learn and improve themselves are for example, ask the student to make a lot of exercise. Other than that, ask them to make an assignment about this topic. So that the student can search many information based on this topic and become more familiar and understand about graph theory

Critically assess the main arguments in Outsiders

Critically assess the main arguments in Outsiders Arguing that social deviance is a more common phenomenon than perceived and that conventional wisdom that social deviants are pathological is incorrect Howard S. Becker, born April 18th 1928, is a well known renowned American Sociologist. Of all his many writings, Outsiders, which was written in 1963, is one of his most imperative and prominent works, regarded as critical classical study within the discipline of sociology and deviance. It can be said that it is one of Beckers most famous pieces of work which offered one of the first and clearest explanations for the labelling theory. Outsiders continues to be a seminal text on the Interactionists approach to deviance in society today. He states that the outsider the deviant from group rules has been the subject of much speculation, theorizing, and scientific study (Becker 1997: 3). Howard Becker elaborates the study of deviance specifically from a social perspective, and considers the processes by which people or different types of acts come to be labelled as deviant. His ideas and arguments are based upon his notion that deviance is not a quality of a bad person but it is the res ult of someone characterizing and labelling someones activity as bad. This essay asks one to critically assess the main arguments Becker puts forward in Outsiders. Becker sets the foundations for his ideas on labelling theory in his book and furthers the notions of other Sociologists such as Edwin Lemert. Lemert has been commonly credited with being the founder and one of the firsts to discuss what has been called the Societal Reaction theory. In Lemerts book Social Pathology written in 1951, Lemert summarized an approach which has been regarded and considered to be an original version of the labelling theory. In his book he focuses on the social construction of deviance and explained deviance to be the product of societys reaction to an act and the affixing of a deviant label to the actor. The book explains the concepts of primary and secondary deviance and according to Lemert; primary deviance is the initial incidence of an act causing someone of authority to label the actor as deviant. This initial labelling of an act deemed deviant would stay prima ry for as long as the actor can rationalize the process as a function of a socially acceptable role (Lemert 1951). As well as discussing the theory of labelling, Becker appraises the process in where users of marihuana become labelled as deviants and talks about jazz music. The main objective is to attempt to critically evaluate and analyse the ideas and themes contained within the book and assess his arguments. The book was written in the 60s and as a consequence it is quite outdated, and although some of his ideas and theories are relevant in todays society, some of them can not in context. In addition he uses the term `Negros rather than African American to describe black people and he puts homosexuality into the same deviant group such as alcoholics, gamblers and people who are on drugs. In Beckers book he coins and furthers the term labelling theory. It explains that if individuals or groups are defined as deviant, there will be important and often unanticipated consequences at the level of behaviour (Abercrombie et al. 1988: 132). Chapter one explains what deviance is and Becker argues the limitations of existing attempts to define deviance. He explained for deviance to exist, the behaviour has to be first observed and then judged to be deviant. Becker stated that social groups create deviance by making the rules whose infraction constitutes deviance; and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them outsiders (Becker 1997: 9). When a rule is enforced, the person who is supposed to have broken it may be seen as a special kind of person, one cannot be trusted to live by the tiles agreed on by the group. He is regarded as an outsider (Becker 1997: 3). Furthermore, Becker points out that what one may define as a deviant; another perhaps in a different society would not. In addition the person who is thus labelled an outsider may have a different view of the matter and may believe that those that have judged them not to be legitimately entitled to do so so then the rule breakers may see those tha t judged as outsiders. Becker stated that different social groups created deviance by making the rules whose infraction constituted deviance and by applying those rules to particular people and labelling them as outsiders. Becker stated that after one has been ascribed as a deviant, they then progress down the path of a deviant career as that is what they have been labelled as. This then becomes hard to get rid of. Becker claimed though that when we are studying people who are deviant we should not take their deviance for granted due to the fact we cannot assume that these people have actually committed a deviant act or broken some rule, because the process of labelling theory may not be infallible. Furthermore, an individual who has been labelled as a deviant may not have committed the act intentionally believing that it was in fact deviant. In addition, this does not necessarily mean that the individual was even a deviant in the past which is a critical examination of the book. Wh en a person is labelled as such by society, they then accept this label so because they now seem themselves as criminals they then are likely to continue on their deviant behaviour (Becker 1997).  Deviant becomes a master status, it becomes the key definition in the eyes of the wider society of who and what you are. In chapter two Becker points outs and states that he is not here to argue that only acts which are regarded as deviant by others are really deviant (Becker 1997: 19). If we look at this in relation to homosexuality, in the 60s it was deemed as a criminal offence but too those who were homosexual it was who they were. Becker explains two different models of deviance; the simultaneous and sequential models. The simultaneous claims that particular behaviours occur as a result of a number of variables arising at the same time and the sequential model contends that particular behaviours are caused by sequence of occurrences. Becker criticises the implicit theoretical assumption in standard which attempts to explain deviancy; that all factor operate simultaneously and seek to predict behaviour. Becker used juvenile delinquency as an example and explained and argued that coming from a broken home or in an environment with negative influences will not necessarily lead to juvenile delinquency but rather would be one of a series of sequential events or circumstances.  The sequential model in addition is too apparent in the following two chapters which detail and explain how one learns the techniques of how to use marihuana and this in the process assists the formation of an individual identity. this may include joining a social group in which the drug is available and learning their techniques on how to smoke. For instance, most users agree that it cannot be smoked like tobacco if one is to get high (Becker 1997: 46). In addition without the use of some such technique the drug will produce no effects and the user will be unable to get high. In relation to a musician career, which is one of the topics Becker discusses, he stated that Members of the musicians demographic go from being `normal family men to dance musicians, adapting to the needs of that sub-culture as they do so. For example, a musician may feel pressurized and forced into playing commercial music to meet perceived demand, even if that is not the type of music they wanted to play or produce. Musicians in general continuously adapt their music to the needs of their sub-culture, even if this means compromising the quality of their music. As a result they may have been seen to be selling out, loosing their integrity and in addition they would have lost the respect from their musical counterparts.  In todays society this may be apparent in hip hop, with many people complaining that the integrity of the genre has gone with record labels interested on what sells more, rather than good music. In relation to deviance, Becker linked it and explained the processes through which dance musicians find work as deviant. Even though their culture may be different to that of an ordinary job, what they do is no different to what occurs in the music industry today. A popular quote used in show business is its not what you know, its who you know and it is just as imperative and important today as it was back in the 1960s. Nevertheless there is a contradiction when Becker talks about losing the respect of other dance musicians. It leads to the question though that how can respect be lost if all dance musicians act in the same way and manner. Thus can it be seemed deviant. The final chapter looks at problems and sympathies within the study of deviance, where Becker describes a lack of substance in the theories that exist, believing them to be faulty or inadequate. He believes that not enough is known about deviant groups such as homosexuals, and gaps exist not just with homosexuals but with other deviant groups. He also describes how access to information and to the groups that are the focus for study is restricted, because those classed as outsiders in turn reciprocate that label to the rest of society; this forms part of an element of protection on the deviants part. Questions are posed, such as `how do researchers find doctors who are drug-addicts themselves, or even homosexuals of certain kinds? Becker even asks what stand-point the researcher will take, due to the many levels of individual characteristics in any social group; essentially, how will a researcher remove any other factors that may influence his study beyond that which he intends to ma nipulate.   The work analysing how deviance is socially constructed is revelatory. This has pure presence. Becker shows how deviance is created through the appliance of rules by people who define deviance and then search for the miscreants. It is form of institutional violence enacted on the powerless outer groups to create an inner sense of camaraderie; the socially included.   Becker examines some of the criticisms and feels that labelling theory was created as a way of looking at a general area of human activity (1963). Moreover he suggests that it was created as a way of looking at a general area of human activity (1963).   However, it is not a theory, with all the achievements and obligations that go with the title, nor is it focussed exclusively on the act of labelling as some have thought. Moreover, Becker does mention some of the criticisms given to labelling theory. For example, he states how interactionist theories have been accused of giving aid and comfort to the enemy, be the enemy those who would upset the stability of the existing order of the Establishment. In essence, we have already mentioned the suggestion of Erikson that deviance is a necessary part of society, showing the difference between right and wrong, and encouraging the majority of society to toe the line at the expense of the deviant minority. A further criticism mentioned by Becker is that given by many conservative critics (although other non-conservative critics have also noted this) that is, that interactionist theories of deviance openly or covertly attack conventional morality. Becker acknowledges this, suggesting that int entionally or otherwise, they are corrosive of conventional modes of thought and established institutions. Becker (1967) goes as far as to say that the labelling theorist must side with the deviator, as it is up to the sociologists to remedy unfair situations. However, not all theorists would see the work of Becker and the other labelling theorists as quite so radical. As a matter of fact, many sociologists view labelling theory as an untestable and untrue theory. Furthermore, Becker (1963) acknowledges that his labelling theory is a theoretical approach, not a true theory. As well, Becker suggests that sociologists should attempt establishing empirical tests for his approach. As well, further criticism is given due to the fact that, following behaviour patterns is the mere result of the behaviour patterns being ascribed to it. Secondly, he suggests that while considering the more usual, everyday types of deviance, such as homosexuality, prostitution, and juvenile delinquency, the l abelling theorists have totally ignored a more dangerous and malevolent type of deviance, what Liazos himself terms covert institutional violence. He suggests that this type of violence leads to such things as poverty and exploitation, the war in Vietnam, unjust tax laws, racism, sexism, and so on (1972). However, it is questionable whether labelling theorists should even attempt to discuss forms of deviance such as this in the same way as more commonplace individual crimes, or whether the two should be kept totally separate, being so different in subject matter. Liazos also criticises the labelling theorists as they do not consider the extent of the importance of power in their substantive analysis, although all stress its importance. He says that the really powerful, the upper classes and the power elite, those that could be referred to as the top dogs, are not considered in any great detail by the labelling theorists. A further criticism of the labelling theory is that of Jack Gi bb (1966). He questions the success of the labelling theorists in terms of how they interpret the defining of behaviour as deviant, as well as, how much study is actually done in this area. In addition, Becker (1963) goes out of his way to explain the underlying problems of labelling theory. First of all, he suggests that there are not enough studies of deviant behaviour. He further implies that there are not enough studies of enough kinds of deviant behaviour. Finally, he insists that another deficiency of the labelling theory is that they dont have enough studies in which the persons doing the research achieve close contact with those that they study, in order for them to become aware of the complex and manifold character of the deviant activity. Becker (1963) also speaks of the difficulty with secrecy. As a matter of fact, in many cases the deviant individual performs deviant acts in secrecy and does not wish this behaviour to be known universally. For example, in the results fou nd by Humphreys in his study of the `Tearoom Trade`, many of the individuals partaking in homosexual behaviour were married with children. When asked later in questionnaires about their views on homosexuality, very few admitted to visiting the tearooms. In its entirety, the labelling theory has been imperative within the discipline of Sociology. What is more, after extensive critical analysis it appears to be evident that the theory has proven to be very significant in establishing a relative body of empirical research evidence on the study of crime and deviance. After an individual has been labelled a deviant they then lead a life of crime and become deviants which is the main focus Becker stressed. Nevertheless, Becker also pointed out that when studying deviant people one should not take their deviance for granted, as one cannot presuppose they had actually committed a deviant or criminal act for the reason that the process of labelling theory may not be foolproof and reliable. In other words, to be labelled deviant does not necessarily mean that the individual is, or has been deviant in the past.   Some sociologists dispute the labelling theory and insist it is not really a theory. Becker stressed the need for more empirical research on his study of it as he concluded Outsiders and many sociologists today have furthered his ideas and explanations. Nevertheless, the labelling theory will forever remain useful as long as deviant behaviour exists in society. Critically, Becker focuses on the way society reacts to people with criminal labels. He proposes that this label becomes a persons master status, meaning that this is a constant label, affecting and over-riding how others will view them. The status people use to identify and classify a person will always be that of a criminal and no matter what other social status the individual has, they will always be deemed deviant. He declared that one may be someone high in class, perhaps a sibling, parent or spouse nevertheless the first and major status that everyone would focus on was the criminal and deviant label (Becker 1963).  

SIR :: essays research papers

CANTERBURY TALES THE MERCHANT’S TALE Chaucer has let January become the character he is partially down to the fact of his age. We know January is highly sexually driven without a doubt. Yet Chaucer leads us to believe that this is down to his personality and character rather than his age being used as a justifiable tool; so what if the man is 60 he still wants to have sex right? We are told that January has a sexual appetite and regularly feeds with mostly a selection of middle aged women, so when he acquires himself a young and "untouched" girl as a wife we are taken aback. At this point Chaucer casts age into the conundrum and we begin to see just how January thinks and more precisely what he desires. Justinus and placebo's scene with January for me is more like him talking to himself and there being an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other. (This scene is very resemblant of Dr Faustus in which the Good Angel and Evil Angel appear to Faustus.) Placebo is the "devil" and the free thinking conscienceless side of January whilst Justinus is the angel who shows morals and ethics. This is almost an externalization of his mind frame, revealing both halves of his thought. Chaucer has used this scene well to show us exactly the knight's thoughts. As the characters tell him what they think, inversely it is really what he thinks. (He chooses to ignore Justinus and by listening to Placebo he listens to what he wants and desires.) The recklessness for January is his great lack of realism. Not only is it portrayed by the way he expects to have a young wife at the age of 60, but by the way he thinks that he "still has it" and that his age has not affected his status with women. This is one of the seven sins that Chaucer uses in all of the Canterbury tales; vanity. This is reinforced by the way he refuses to listen to Justinus. Although he is a bachelor right unto the point where he meets May and marries her, we have been given little or no real background to his life, his age and his masochistic ways. The total expectation of a "young and fair" wife is surely meant to be interpreted as arrogance. Yet the way January voices his expectation, one casts asides their views of his arrogance and surprisingly adopt one of empathy towards him.

Working for the Public Sector versus the Private Sector Essay -- essay

As with most choices, especially in the work world, there are benefits and consequences of working for both public and private sectors. There are different sets of needs to be met in each criterion but they may slightly relate to each other as well. The public sector mostly relate to Government work. There are special exams a person has to take whenever they apply for any work with the government. There are some very strict rules and requirements to meet in every branch of the government and for every position within that branch. And the private sector is mainly based on the idea of profit. When a person applies for a position in a private sector, they require a certain amount of education, experience, training or skills. But the rules and requirements are not as strict as the public sector. The public sector is not based on the idea of profit. Workers of public sector benefit high job securities and health care and other personal benefits. In the private sector, health care benefits and other personal benefits are quite poorer than in the public sector. They're more based on w...

Marketing Skoda

I have chosen Soda because I believe they are a very creative and innovative car company, from heir recent adverts of building their cars with cakes and other foods, this shows Soda are very creative, and this made me choose Soda. Before the adverts Soda were relatively unknown to me personally, however after seeing their creative adverts they stand out more as an organization. Explaining Soda Soda started of making bicycles; this is quite strange because it shows the creativity within the organization.They started of making bicycles and now they are making cars. Soda is a Czech company; however they have merged with the German car company Volkswagen. The history of Soda's rise from being a running Joke to becoming the most deservedly respected name In the car world is one of the triumphs of the modern era. Marketing communications At Its best creative marketing can have a huge effect on sales. This Is also backed up by the greatest thinker in the world Albert Einstein. Imagination i s more important than Knowledge' Marketing communications attempts to affect an audience response either rationally or emotionally. Objectives are written as hard or soft, goals such as attitudinal and behavioral, which then translate into awareness, column inches, evoked and inconsideration sets, leads conversations and coupon responses. Jenkins (2006) ‘Advertising relies on visual imagery to connect the perceptual with the conceptual, the signifier and the signified, the product and the product benefits. Schroeder and Borrowers (2005) Talking about sensory The reaction of the viewers Is Important for Soda, The vowels reaction to marketing communications that Is meaningful and allows people to make sense of the presented message, to interpret the creative images. Movement and direction Our primitive instincts make us react very quickly to movement. Advertisements with motion get increased attention and movement may make the advertisement much more dynamic and creates better i mpact. This is important because it helps the target audience to stay focused and pay attention.I believe Soda have done this very creatively. In their advert there is a lot of movement and the advert is like an adventure, it makes the target audience watch in anticipation because they want to know what happens next. As we know people have short attention spans and movement Is an effective tool to help the audience focus. The powerful effect of action Intensive advertising explains why TV and cinema advertising Is so effective. Color and Intensity Advertising with a lot of color draws attention to It.Color makes advertising more intense and can also make people pay attention for a longer time as we enjoy being sauce Dye Intense stimuli. color Is not only a tool to get people's attention; It also sets the mood in advertising. Soda has done this very well as they have a different number of colors in their advertisement. This sets the mood and also grips the audience. The color Soda us e throughout their advertisement is green, green is now as a peaceful and calm color this is very creative because the audience will feel relaxed while watching the advertisement.Size and contrast Size is a good creative tool to use. It can be used with large letters, images and illustrations. If the advertisement is large the empty advertisement will generate curiosity. This is what is regularly called negative space in advertising. Contrast is an effective tactic in advertising. Soda use this very well on billboards, as they have a large car and have their workers around the car, and there is a green background, it s simple yet odd, this is what will get the audience attention.Sound The advertising Soda use is creative advertising on a big scale. It's imaginative, ambitious, painstakingly crafted and thanks in no small part to the soundtrack of Julie Andrews singing my favorite things. The sound that Soda us in their advert is enticing and draws the attention of the audience. It m akes the audience want to know what happens next? It is exciting for the viewers. The beginning of the advert sets the tone for the advert, the start of the advert is important because if it is not the attention of the viewers will be gone.Sound is an integral ingredient in any advert, the reason being is that sound attempts to draw the viewers into the advert to improve their viewing experience. Soda knows advertising plays a huge part in customer's decision making process of which products and services to use, often without them even realizing, in particular television adverts, because of the vast expanse of potential customers they reach. They are a powerful tool in the marketing scheme of companies which can be used to access millions of homes and influencing people.The song Soda use for their advert is catchy and grips the audience, in the background a car is being made with cakes and the song is mellow so they fit in well together. Sound is a very powerful marketing tool. I be lieve the sound in the Soda advert arouses peoples attention, simply because when adverts come on consumers attention is not 100% compared to the consumer watching their program, therefore the sound needs to be used appropriately, I believe Soda use this very well because it is a catchy song and also a song that is not too loud and also the song is very rhythmic.Verbal taste We eat with our eyes before we smell or taste. This is the taste sense. The cake advert Soda has does exactly this, We know people eat with their eyes before they smell or taste, therefore The advert shows employees of Soda making a car out of Cakes, people love to eat cakes, therefore as soon as the viewers see the cakes there senses are triggered and the viewers like cake therefore they will like the car.This is very creative from Soda as viewers will be looking at the advert and thinking what is this? I want this? It will Stick in peoples head, resulting in a better brand awareness or Soda. Humans have 10,000 taste buds therefore the advert is going to appeal to them, as soon as we see cake it triggers our taste buds and we want it. Next time a viewer is looking to buy a car they may think in their heads I want that cake car, and cakes are tasty odometer ten cake car wall De stagnantly Ana enjoys el D .Osaka use ten taste sense very well because as consumers are watching the adverts of the Soda cars it makes them want to actually taste the car as different ingredients are used to create the car creating a sense of hunger within the consumer, and Soda cars could et consumers bipartite, as the eyes are more hungrier than the mouths. Visual is images Human sight has limited range 2/3rd of the sense cells in the body are located in the eye.This shows the importance of sight, the advertisement needs to be enjoyable and eye catching, if the viewers see images they don't like then this could be very harmful for Soda because it will create a negative image for the company. Throughout the advert soda has used a different approach to conventional marketing as it has betrayed the car as a cake . This marketing campaign will show the viewers hat soda has put in a lot of time and effort so everything is made effectively and effectively.Soda has clearly illustrated that every part every nut and bolt is hand crafted so this will appeal to customers as they have seen the car being made with their eyesight. Through the advert and also on the Soda website color has been used effectively as it has bright colors creating a relaxed mood, the color red is not used because this will automatically trigger danger signs into viewers minds. The visual images Soda use are very good on both the television and internet adverts. The website is very colorful and has great visual aids like videos and color.The television advertisement has a number of different colors, this sets the mood of the advert and gets the consumers attention, the consumers will be thinking wait a minute what have we got h ere? I want to watch this and it is also a catchy advert therefore consumers will remember this and it will enable consumers to think about Soda cars next time they are looking to purchase a new car. Tactile touch Soda has made a very effective marketing campaign illustrating the fun factor in soda vehicles.The fun factor is clearly visible which the customer can connect with resulting in customers wanting to have fun which is connected to soda vehicles. Advert makes the viewers want to help touch the car, by helping to build the car because the employs are having so much fun building the car, also when the car is finished the viewers may want to drive a Soda as they know how much fun has gone into creating the car. I believe the Soda advert ticks all the boxes of 7 dimensions used to measure likeability. I believe the advert makes the viewer want to touch the car o see how it feels and to also be apart in creating the car.The advert makes the viewer want to move closer to the adver t rather than move away from it because the adverts creates a sense of happiness. Genetics on Soda Genetics is all about how we communicate feelings, how we shape sounds and products. From the Soda adverts, billboards and website it makes us want to move closer to the company rather than move away, as they are all very appealing and are colorful. The advertisements for Soda are slender than many other car companies because the adverts show innovativeness and creativity.The Marketing for Soda also makes the customers happy, because the adverts and website are very colorful and there is a lot going on like moving objects. The marketing aspect of Soda has a tranquility about it because there advertisements inspire people who have seen them. How It can De enhance The most fundamental tool that facilitates learning is arousal. When people in the target market get aroused they raise their awareness and their ability to react to new stimuli. The brain automatically interprets the arousal a s being something important and important things must be memorized.By using powerful elements in advertising that creates arousal in the target audience the marketer can increase receptivity to the message. I believe Soda have a creative marketing campaign however to hammer their advertising on people they need to keep creating adverts like they have been doing but using them at the right time. By this I mean arousing customers is good however by placing the advertisement in an arousing context, this will help Soda more because by having their adverts on billboards in major football matches will arouse customers more as they are already aroused by the football match. I feelSoda have a great marketing campaign in place however I feel if Soda promised their customers a free cake with every purchase this could be a good marketing strategy because it carry on the add and for most people their senses will show when they see a cake in the bakery or supermarket they associate the cake with Soda. How Soda grab customers attention The most fundamental tools to gain peoples attention and to sustain their interest originate in perceptual psychology. Atkinson and Hillary (1996) Perception ability is a basic human trait that helps us react intuitively to outside stimuli that may be important.The advertising tool Soda use in advertising is appealing to peoples natural instincts and they also try to make their advertisements stand out to get the target audience to pay attention and process the brand image. Creativity compared to rivals If a customers goes on the Soda website they will feel exited and want to explore the website as color is used very efficiently, however if a consumer was to go on the BMW website is is boring and the customer will want to navigate away from the site as it has a lot of information on it and is very dull. The senses will react more on the Soda Bessie than the other car websites.The adverts are far more creative than their rivals also as Mercede s and BMW feel their brand name will sell, Soda has won a number of awards for their cars and this is displayed on their website, this shows Soda is a progressing organization. Reflective account I feel this course has changed my perceptions on marketing. Simply because before this module I would look at marketing of companies and not pay attention, however now I look at them differently. I analyses the marketing strategies in my head and think to myself why have they done this? Why didn't they do this?I was looking at the new polo car advert in the advert their is a man and a women dancing all they do in the advert is dance then a Polo car badge appears, this is very boring and dull, I thought to myself why didn't they use the advert better by having something to do with the car itself as it is a new model car and include different colors in the advert, the actual advert loses my interest within the first three seconds. I now look at creative marketing in a different way, in a funn y kind of way my eyes have opened up now and I am 22 years old. I wish I did this module earlier as I could of used my knowledge I have gained.I believe creativity is very important for marketing, it can be uses In a Deterrent under AT ways, never I nave also learned Tanat It NAS to one used effectively in order to get the best results. I have learnt how we think as individuals, through our sensory triggers, I have also learnt how to put a creative thought into execution through the tutorials. I have learnt how creativity can influence consumer behavior and how creativity can influence our thinking about consumer wants and desires. Creativity is also a key determinant in the development of innovation, in both business and management.

Changing Our Lives Essay

Changing Our Lives There are several reasons I decided to go to college at this point of my life. The first reason was simply because when I first received my G. E. D. I couldn’t decide which occupation was right for me. There were so many different and interesting career paths to choose from. It became overwhelming trying to narrow it down to the best choice. I honestly didn’t want to waste time and money going to school for a job I didn’t enjoy or that I could not excel at.I wasted the next part of my life using drugs and gambling. I made a lot of bad decisions that led me to become involved with law. I have never been charged with any felonies, but I have plenty of misdemeanors to show for my behavior. This limits me to what jobs I can receive. Once the company does a background check the hiring process usually stops there. Even though I have changed my life for the better most employers won’t give me a chance to prove myself. My record definitely limit s me when choosing an occupation.I am embarrassed and not very proud of my mistakes I have made in life but I will not let the past slow me down. Being enrolled in college will help prove myself as a responsible adult and show others that I can shine in any situation. Going to college will give me that chance to make my family proud. I also think it is setting a great example for my children. They see every day how hard it is to work for a job you don’t like and not receiving the pay you deserve.Deciding to go to college will teach them that no matter what happens in life it’s never too late to make a change for the better. After a lot of thought and time I decided that I would receive my bachelors degree in business administration with a concentration on management. This opens many different outlets upon graduation and will help me decide on a specific career. I will also have the knowledge to hold a management position and make more money while still attending colleg e. My ultimate goal is to one day own a couple of small businesses of my own.I already have the creativity, passion, and drive to be successful. Going to college will give me the understanding about the business world and bring me closer to my career goals. Waiting to go to college has been frustrating, but definitely worth it. I feel like I finally have enough time to manage work, school, and family life. I am more responsible and am able to make better choices. After changing my life I am finally on the path to seeing my dreams come true. Hopefully I will achieve my final goal of one day being my own boss.