Volkswagen Polo Product

Introduction The Volkswagen Group is one of the world’s largest car makers. Specifically, the group is ranked third in the entire world in the automotive industry.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Volkswagen Polo Product specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The group has several branches across the world and their marketing communication strategies in these regions are influenced by a unique consumer behaviour culture of each market region. Besides, the group has proactively rolled successful marketing strategies that classify the targeted market segments and creation of relevant advertisement messages that directly and positively improve their sales. Several marketing communication tools and different media have been employed by the group across its branches which operate independently of the mother company. The treatise will attempt to explicitly review different marketing communication policies that the Gro up has adopted in China and the United Kingdom branches through consumer behaviour and marketing communication theoretical perspectives for the Volkswagen Polo product. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to make the current marketing communication strategies for the Volkswagen Polo product more effective. International Marketing Strategies of Volkswagen Polo Product in China Volkswagen China Group Market Segmentation strategy In the product market, life style defines the activities clients are involved in, beliefs, opinion, health aspects, and interests. As defined in the ‘Activities, Interest, and Opinion marketing model’, life style directly dictates purchasing behaviour and preference (Anbu Mavuso 2012).Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Chinese population consists of many middle income families who have continued to be more conscious of costs an d sustainability of automobiles they purchase (Fields 2010). Specifically, the cosmopolitan Shanghai city has a comfortable percentage of high market clients who have fully embraced Volkswagen Polo brand because of its affordability as compared to other automobile models. Besides, they tend to associate with sophistication and have money to spend. The middle and high social classes of clients are the key target this product. These groups are heavy spenders in automobile, especially those that promise unique aspects and have unique features such as those incorporated in the Chinese Volkswagen models (Ashtiani et al. 2011). As the issue of the need for safety and green living penetrate automobile industry, Chinese clients have increasingly grown shy from environmental unfriendly automobile to friendly automobiles that are efficient. The target group has a peculiar buying motive for the Volkswagen Polo product since the company incorporated the aspects of green living in this automobil e model that rhyme with the conservative culture of the Chinese (Fornell 2002). Besides, a good percentage of sales in China are generated by referrals from satisfied customers who acted as marketing agents for the company on the aspects of affordability, efficiency, and reliability of the Volkswagen models. The introduction of more efficient technologies has enabled construction of lighter, less expensive, and more powerful Volkswagen Polo brands such as the unique Golf brand for the Chinese market.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Volkswagen Polo Product specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, there has been a global rise in the hobby of driving the Gold model and the application of a model such as sport utility for the young consumers’ bracket (Farris, Neil, Pfeifer 2010). The target market for the new Golf brand in China is individual users, government agencies, and military units. However, it is worth noting that each of the target users mentioned is unique and has different marketing and pricing strategies that can be adjusted in accordance to prevailing market conditions in China. Selling the Volkswagen brands in China is no longer using the indirect method distribution channel; however, caution has been taken to ensure that middlemen are minimized. Minimizing the middlemen is essential in ensuring profit maximization and that consumers are not overcharged since every middleman charges an extra profit or commission for the goods they sell (Hardester 2010). Advertisement messages Advertisements are very manipulative and use tactics that directly and involuntarily appeal to the mind of the target person. Despite ignorance of the same and disbelief of their effects, advertisements remain complex and significant in the choice of products owned by an individual. Usually, advertisements appeal to memory or emotional response. As a result, it creates an intrinsic motivation r esponse that triggers the mind to activate affiliation, self-acceptance, and feign community feeling. In the end, advertisements succeed in appealing to emotions through capitalization on biases and prejudices of people (Freshwater, Sherwood, Drury 2006). Therefore, the response to an advertisement will emaciate from the bandwagon technique which heaps pressure on the mind to follow the perceive crowd.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reflectively, the successes of Volkswagen promotion messages are deeply entrenched in the principle of keeping reliable and professional reputation in exchanging ideas and convincing customers. Therefore, through timely appeal to emotions and self-prejudice, the Volkswagen China Group has realized that the human mind is often skewed towards embracing the ‘perceived goodness’ and need to identify with ‘the ideal’ in the packaging of the Golf model as the third generation green automobile in their television advertisements (Hill Westbrook 2010). Interestingly, these aspects are clearly painted as perfect in the various advertisements about products and services through the use of bright and powerful communication themes such as the brands outshining a tiger in a real time race. These pop up memories will actively reminisce and provoke an involuntary response when noticed in an advertisement. For instance, the Volkswagen China has largely succeeded in impleme nting this aspect of ‘jumping the queue’ ahead of other competitors through visible and inducing signs all over the Chinese region. Upon noticing the signs, the mind will perceive them to belong to the Volkswagen Company, irrespective of the physical geography at the moment. These advertisements erected signs endeavours to cue the visual mental aspect of a person into a particular brand of the different brands of the automobile company (Hill Ettenson 2005). Interestingly, this strategy has proven relevant in the case of Volkswagen China Company, which has remained dominant due to perception people associate the advertisement signs with. Appropriateness of the advertisement messages in China The advertisement messages are very effective in terms of attention since they are decorated with simple to understand scenes besides the warm red colours common in the Chinese culture. The strategically placed background red colour in Volkswagen China advertisement messages is an e ye catcher associated with pomp, speed, and sophistication (Keller 1998). In addition, the targeted viewer would immediately develop curiosity to understand the symbolic importance of the Golf model outshining the powerful tiger in a real time race. As a result, it creates an intrinsic motivation response that triggers the mind to activate affiliation, self-acceptance, and feign community feeling towards the Volkswagen brands. In the end, these advertisements succeed in appealing to emotions through capitalization on biases and the middle and high income clients in China. The use of glittering generalities on a product or service aims at influencing the involuntary urge in the mind, to identify with attractiveness or glittery of the product as painted in colourful advertisement. Often, an average mind would easily be influenced by the brightness and attractive presentation. In the process of decoding this message, mind is actually tuned towards accepting the product as perfect and v ery attractive (Holt Quelch 2009). Coupled with proven performance, a customer would purchase such as product based on the influence of the glittery on the mind. Through the envisioning creation of simultaneous but independently functioning needs to identify with attractiveness, many Chinese customers have been swayed into buying the Volkswagen China’s appeal when purchasing automobiles. For instance, the Golf and Polo have created authoritative assertion that directly appeals to positive emotions among the target audience of the pitched idea (Bowden 2009). Reflectively, Volkswagen China Group has capitalized on endorsements through testimonials from outstanding figures to promote sales. Factually, in subtle difference makes image stereotyping a perfect situation in the minds of target persons. Therefore, when the image of the user as projected in such an advertisement resembles the perceived satisfaction of a customer, such a party would aspire to access the same benefits f rom use as indicated in the image shown. In the advertisement, the company has internalised the need for uniqueness in display, space and prominence to easily woe the mind into concentrating on the Volkswagen brands in China (Mangram 2012). Through advertisement, the Volkswagen China Group has ensured that its probability of salience is doubled, especially on automobile brands that are perceived as important in daily life, such as the Golf model renowned for its unique design, smaller size but very spacious and ideal for daily activities due to its navigational ease. Promotion has developed to become a significantly influential part of the marketing mix. This has played a significant role in defining the relationship that exists among organizations and their customers. Marketing communications are made up of the specific messages and the media used to communicate them. The increasing levels of competition among the increasing numbers of products in the markets have forced individual s and organizations to adopt strategies to make them more visible in the market through creating awareness. The type of media used has varying effects on the way the communication is perceived by the public. The efficacy of the type of media used depends on a variety of factors which should all be analysed in order to ensure that the most applicable choices are made (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). The company has successfully used social media (television advertisement, online advertisement) and print media such as their monthly magazine and billboards on the various Volkswagen Polo brands. Marketing communication tools and media in Volkswagen China Group Media has emerged as an important tool for organizations and individuals due to its ability to bridge the gap between producers and consumers in the business metrics. This is especially true for the written media, which has widely been used by the Volkswagen China to draw attention of the consumer on new or already existing au tomobile brands that the Group offers in the complex trading arena. The effects of written media on marketing communication has led to suitability of marketing approaches at times, while at others, the approaches have been praised for their authoritativeness towards informing the public (Karamitsios 2013). For instance, the Volkswagen China Group’s quarterly magazine about its brands has remained a very effective tool for marketing communication on current modifications, developments and what is new about Volkswagen brands. Written in Chinese, the magazine has captured the imagination of the conservative Chinese consumers who have actually subscribed to receive every new copy. Besides, the television advertisements have been christened as the real pride of Chinese roads and have actually swayed thousands of customers to purchase the Volkswagen brands. For instance, in 2014, the group realized a sales margin of more than 2 million units following the successful re-branding of the promotional marketing of the brands in online media, television, written media, and social media. Significance of communication activities for the Polo product According to behavioural psychologists such as Kotler, Adam, Denise, and Armstrong (2009), behaviours and attitudes can be changed through conditioning. Repetition of an act, for instance, through constant advertisement leads to behavioural changes that may be beneficial or detrimental to a company (Kotler et al. 2009). This indicates how the media can, and has been used to reinforce consumer behaviours. Communication activities, therefore, are taken to represent the official position of the organization on a product or service by the consumers. Communicative activities in the two companies have led to doubled sales in the last decade since the products are branded and presented in persuasive ways that easily skew the minds of potential buyers (Menon 2006). Specifically, through communication strategies, Volkswagen China has expanded its market share and penetrated the competitive automobile industries in the region and beyond. The different contents of marketing communication, but dealing with similar issues, have an accumulated impact on the individual’s perception about a subject. This means that the more an issue is covered in terms of being published in a marketing medium, the more importance is allocated to the issue (Roth 2008). Since the public has no frame of reference to base and compare these communications with, the promotion message is taken at a face value. This means that the consumers base their opinions on the products on the messages from the producers. If an automotive company, for example, came up with a vehicle that did not use the conventional sources of energy, but drew energy from the atmosphere, the information the automotive company would use to advertise their product would be what would be considered as the guideline to form opinions on the new kind of automotive ( Motavalli 2013). The same aspect has promoted growth in the Volkswagen China for its Polo brand since its communication activities have led to the general acceptance of the model in the market. Challenges of practicing IMC Although marketing communications have been praised for their long life spans and their ability to be stored for future reference, their use can be detrimental to the organization. This is because of the fact that they can be constant reminders to the public of the failures of a company. If an organization uses print or social media to extensively promote a service or product, and that service or product turns out to be substandard or defective, the public would have some restraint in engaging in a business relationship with such a company (Jin, Suh, Donavan 2008). For instance, the recall of more than 6,000 Polo models within China in the year 2013 due to a defect in the accelerator has affected the credibility of the company. In fact, the company recorded a dro p of 13.5% in sales the year 2014 following this incident. With the evidence of the company’s failure lying around in the form of print or social media, consumers would take a long time in coming to trust such an organization again. This means that while written communication acts to add confidence to the buyers about a product or service at times, it can also lead to loss of public confidence with a company or product once inconsistencies are identified by the consumers, especially when the business lacks a well-built structure and policies as in the case of large corporations (Saxena 2012). Recommendations to overcome the IMC challenges Essentially, the success of a marketing plan depends on proper alignment of a functional team who is responsible for the creation of flexible but quantifiable measurement tracking tools for reviewing results periodically. Reflectively, this product team should have the essential knowledge in social media and tools used in marketing. Besides quality in service delivery and customer satisfaction depends on the support team. Therefore, customer retention is achievable through the creation of reliable, informed, and passionate support team. In addition, the plan should include a monitoring matrix that maps out potential competitors and identify online weaknesses and strength of the clients (Rust, Zeithaml, Lemon 2004). The Volkswagen China Group will eventually need to embrace more traditional media marketing in order to keep growing, especially when targeting clients for the Polo brand. In order to effectively reach such audience, the marketing communication plan will suggest the best advertisement strategies to cover its wide market area (Simon 2007). The company will definitely have to branch out beyond its target market due to the brand dynamics and the need to expand market base. The company will have to decentralize its marketing strategies to meet the specific demands or consumer behaviour if it decides to implemen t internalisation strategies that will be proposed (Bowden 2009). These aspects influence the need to carry out a comprehensive marketing communication plan the Volkswagen China Group for the Polo brand. There is need to design an appropriate communication plan consisting of a simple but well thought message and a complete channel. The communication channel is complete when the decoder and encoder can decipher the communication codes in the form of images and letters that appeal to the client. Any integrated marketing plan should have a functional model that will cue the mind of a customer towards a product or service. The functional model comprises of elements such as awareness, interest, desire, and action to ensure that the Polo model’s marketing strategies match the interests and desires of the target market within China. This is referred to as the AIDA Model (Yelkur 2011). The element of awareness is related to brand knowledge or visibility among other alternatives. The element of interest comes after awareness. Interest is developed out of a need for a product or service. This interest may activate the desire to purchase the product to meet the need because of preference. In the end, a customer may take the action of purchasing. Therefore, a stratified marketing communication plan should integrate the above elements to easily convince the customer to purchase the Volkswagen Polo product. This may be achieved through designing a relevant advertisement, critical public relations exercise, and continuous sales promotion. Besides, it is important to integrate personal selling through referrals and direct marketing, especially for the older customers who depend on product performance history in purchasing an automobile. Since the world has become a village, the marketing plan for the Volkswagen Polo may adopt an appropriate medium that appeals to the target audience. In the ideal, there should be a mixture of the traditional marketing channels and the modern marketing channels such as online marketing and social media. It is important to plan for the integrated marketing communication and create success measurement parameters. The parameter is meant to check goal achievement. In addition, the whole plan should be managed within a predetermined budget range, which is derived through the rule-of-thumb and objective-and-task (Bowden 2009). To increase credibility and maintain professionalism, the current bomb internet channels used by the Volkswagen China Group, for reaching the youthful consumers, should be tailored to encompass processes and features that flawlessly facilitate a healthy and a lifetime relationship between the airline and its clients. These will be achieved through the following ways; Website search engine optimisation (SEO) The Volkswagen China Group should optimise its search engine to improve on its online brand visibility among the youthful clients in China who are interested in the Polo brand. Search engine op timisation can be achieved through installing ‘plug-ins that possesses extra features such as page navigation and thumbnail within the company’s website. Specifically, this proposed system in Google will consist of a multi tab page that will serve different offers and specifications of different brands of the Polo model to online youthful customers. Thus, recruiting independent ‘bloggers’ to ‘blog’ about the Volkswagen China Group’s Polo brand will give the company a competitive advantage in marketing its products to youthful clients across China. This promotional strategy has been successfully applied by the Volkswagen UK Group, which has a strong global SEO for its Polo brands. Besides, optimising the link referral has the potential of making the company’s advertisement website to go viral among the youths within six months because the unique cookie will spread to the phones of primary and secondary users (Bowden 2009). The SEO may also be tailored to include a unique cookie which is transferable to the visitors of the Volkswagen China Group website. The unique cookie for the website will be transferred to all primary and secondary visitors to this site hence broadening the spread information on this website. Optimising the SEO has the potential of creating a long term loyalty among young clients. For instance, Volkswagen UK Group’s SEO strategy has successfully increased the percentage of young customers who buy the Polo model by 20% in the last three years. The potential of the referral link approach is that it will improve the visibility of the company’s products among the targeted clients. For instance, the Volkswagen China Group’s website should carry out a link reference promotion where the website visitor with the highest number of referral links is rewarded with a free Polo car (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). Social media (Facebook and Twitter) Through timely appeal to emo tions and self-prejudice, a marketing manager is in a position to realize that the mind is often skewed towards embracing the ‘perceived goodness’ and need to identify with ‘the ideal’ in the packaging of a product or service. Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook, has gained popularity among the potential young customers of the Polo brand in China, who use these sites as interaction models to share flight culture and exchange ideas. The Tweeter and Facebook fan pages are ideal tools for branding and community following building for the Volkswagen Polo product, especially among the targeted clients. For instance, the Volkswagen UK Group has grown to its current position due to its successful fan page marketing. This will allow the clients to interact and let users to add content to align to different orientations of the company’s brand (Bowden 2009). It will help the company to reach the targeted young customers by skipping or bypassing the t raditional gatekeepers, such as written magazine publishers, and placing them online so that customers can get to know about the Volkswagen Polo brands directly. Properly modified fan pages will reassure the young customers of the aspects of affordability and quality of the Volkswagen Polo product within China. Through massive recruitment of young fans on the Twitter and Facebook pages, the Volkswagen China Group will not only benefit from an increased traffic of online compliments, but also record high rates of customer loyalty as most youthful customers are influenced by reactions from those they perceive as sharing the same youth culture. This strategy is meant to position the company as a market leader in terms of customer satisfaction tracking and response among the targeted clients for the Polo model (Hawkins, Mothersbaugh, Best 2010). Conclusion Marketing communication strategies are important in aligning a company towards the target market in order to achieve optimal sales. The main determinants of a successful marketing communication plan lie in the proper brand alignment and research on segmentation. Volkswagen Group in China has successful IMC since their strategies are skewed towards customer Centricity for the dynamic Volkswagen Polo product. Reference List Anbu, J, Mavuso, M 2012, ‘Old Wine in New Wine Skin: Marketing Library Services Through SMS-Based Alert Services’, Library Hi Tech, vol. 30 no. 2, pp. 310-320. Ashtiani, C, Cullen, G, Davis, P, Greenwald, J, Hardigan, P, Eladio, K, Zimmerman, D 2011, Plug in electric vehicles: A practical plan for progress, School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University, Indiana. Bowden, J 2009, ‘The Process of Customer Engagement: A Conceptual Framework,’ Journal of Marketing Theory Practice, vol. 17 no. 1, pp. 63-74. Farris, P, Neil, P, Pfeifer, D 2010, Marketing metrics: The definitive guide to measuring marketing performance, Pearson Education, Inc., New Jers ey, NJ. Fields, E 2010, ‘A Unique Twitter Use For Reference Services’, Library Hi Tech News, vol. 6 no. 7, pp. 14-15. Fornell, C 2002, ‘A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer: The Swedish Experience’, Journal of Marketing, vol. 5 no. 6, pp. 6-21. Freshwater, D, Sherwood, G, Drury, V 2006, ‘International research collaboration: Issues, benefits and challenges of the global network’, Journal of Research in marketing, vol. 11 no. 4, pp. 295-303. Hardester, E 2010, The profitability of the electric car (Thesis), Brigham Young University, Brigham. Hawkins, D, Mothersbaugh, D, Best, R. J 2010, Consumer behaviour: Building marketing strategy, McGraw-Hill/ Irwin, New York. Hill, S, Ettenson, T 2005, ‘Achieving the ideal brand portfolio’, Sloan Management Review, vol. 2 no.1, pp. 85-90. Hill, T, Westbrook, R 2007, ‘SWOT Analysis: It’s Time for a Product Recall’, Long Range Planning, vol. 30 no. 1, pp. 46–5 2. Holt, A, Quelch, T 2009, ‘How global brands compete’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 7 no. 3, pp. 68-75. Jin, H, Suh, J, Donavan, D 2008, ‘Salient Effects of Publicity in Advertised Brand Recall and Recognition: The List-Strength Paradigm,’ Journal of Advertising, vol. 37 no. 1, pp. 45-57. Karamitsios, A 2013, Open Innovation in EVs: A Case Study of Tesla Motors, Routledge, New York, NY. Keller, L1998, Strategy Brand Management: Building, Measuring, and Managing Brand Equity, Prentice Hall, New Jersey, NJ. Kotler, P, Adam, S, Denise, S, Armstrong 2009, Principles of Marketing, Prentice Hall, Australia. Mangram, M 2012, ‘The globalisation of Tesla motors. a strategic marketing plan analysis’, Journal Of Communication Management, vol. 20 no. 4, pp. 289-312. Menon, A 2006, ‘Antecedents and Consequences of Marketing Strategy Making,’ Journal of Marketing, vol. 63 no. 2, pp. 18–40. Motavalli, J 2013, ‘As it increases p roduction, Tesla worried about battery supply’, The New York Times, 13 June, pp. 19-20. Roth, H 2008, The challenge of the Global Brand: Handbook on Brand And Experience Management, Columbia Business School, Columbia. Rust, T, Zeithaml, A, Lemon, N 2004, ‘Customer centred brand management’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 82 no. 4, pp. 110-118. Saxena, S 2012, ‘Challenges and Strategies for Global Branding’, Journal of Business and Management, vol. 4, no. 4, pp. 38-43. Simon, H 2007, ‘Rational decision making in business organisations’, American Economic Review, vol. 3 no. 4, pp. 123-129. Soh, W 2011, Volkswagen brand in China. Web. Yelkur, R 2011, ‘Customer satisfaction and service marketing mix’, Journal of professional services marketing, vol. 21 no.1, pp. 105-115. This report on Volkswagen Polo Product was written and submitted by user Christina Wagner to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Timeline of Canadas 1970 October Crisis

Timeline of Canadas 1970 October Crisis In October 1970, two cells of the Front de Libà ©ration du Quà ©bec (FLQ), a revolutionary organization promoting an independent and socialist Quebec, kidnapped British Trade Commissioner James Cross and Quebec Labour Minister Pierre Laporte. Armed forces were sent into Quebec to help the police and the federal government invoked the War Measures Act, temporarily suspending civil liberties. Key Events of the October Crisis of  1970 Here is a timeline of the key events during the October Crisis. October 5, 1970British Trade Commissioner James Cross was kidnapped in Montreal, Quebec. Ransom demands from the Liberation cell of the FLQ included the release of 23 political prisoners, $500,000 in gold, broadcast, and publication of the FLQ Manifesto, and an aircraft to take the kidnappers to Cuba or Algeria. October 6, 1970Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau and Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa agreed that decisions on the FLQ demands would be made jointly by the federal government and the Quebec provincial government. The FLQ Manifesto, or excerpts of it, was published by several newspapers. Radio station CKAC received threats that James Cross would be killed if FLQ demands were not met. October 7, 1970Quebec Justice Minister Jerome Choquette said he was available for negotiations. The FLQ Manifesto was read on CKAC radio. October 8, 1970The FLQ Manifesto was read on the CBC French network Radio-Canada. October 10, 1970The Chenier cell of the FLQ kidnapped Quebec Minister of Labour Pierre Laporte. October 11, 1970Premier Bourassa received a letter from Pierre Laporte pleading for his life. October 12, 1970The Army was sent in to guard Ottawa. October 15, 1970The Quebec government invited the Army into Quebec to help local police. October 16, 1970Prime Minister Trudeau announced the proclamation of the War Measures Act, emergency legislation dating from World War I. October 17, 1970The body of Pierre Laporte was found in the trunk of a car at the airport in St.-Hubert, Quebec. November 2, 1970The Canadian federal government and the Quebec provincial government together offered a reward of $150,000 for information leading to the arrest of the kidnappers. November 6, 1970Police raided the hideout of the Chenier cell and arrested Bernard Lortie. Other cell members escaped. November 9, 1970The Quebec Justice Minister asked for the Army to stay in Quebec for another 30 days. December 3, 1970James Cross was released after police discovered where he was being held and the FLQ were given assurance of their safe passage to Cuba. Cross had lost weight but said he was not physically mistreated. December 4, 1970Federal Justice Minister John Turner said the exiles to Cuba would be for life. Five FLQ members received passage to Cuba - Jacques Cossette-Trudel, Louise Cossette-Trudel, Jacques Lanctà ´t, Marc Carbonneau and Yves Langlois. They later moved to France. Eventually, all returned to Canada and served short jail terms for kidnapping. December 24, 1970Troops were withdrawn from Quebec. December 28, 1970Paul Rose, Jacques Rose, and Francis Simard, the remaining three members of the Chenier cell, were arrested. With Bernard Lortie, they were charged with kidnapping and murder. Paul Rose and Francis Simard later received life sentences for murder. Bernard Lortie was sentenced to 20 years for kidnapping. Jacques Rose was initially acquitted but later convicted of being an accessory and sentenced to eight years in prison. February 3, 1971A report from Justice Minister John Turner on the use of the War Measures Act said 497 people were arrested. Of these, 435 were released, 62 were charged, 32 without bail. July 1980A sixth person, Nigel Barry Hamer, was charged in the kidnapping of James Cross. He was later convicted and sentenced to 12 months in jail.

Famous Person with Disabilities ( BEETHOVEN) Essay

Famous Person with Disabilities ( BEETHOVEN) - Essay Example Beethoven felt that his hearing loss was the most crippling limitation that he could have ever suffered during the height of his career, and was faced with the fear of losing his identity as a master of sound (Owens, 2011). During his battle with deafness, Beethoven proved to the world that you can still be the best at what you do, and just because one has a disability neither means that he/she should give up on life, nor should he/she give up on the pursuit of their dreams and/or professions. Ludwig van Beethoven: A Legend Is Born Ludwig van Beethoven was born in December 16, 1770 in Bonn, Germany. Being born to a family of musicians, it was no surprise that Beethoven himself was musically inclined. He studied first under his own father, Johann, who taught young Beethoven all he knew about music. Johann, at times a â€Å"raging† alcoholic, and was very strict on Beethoven, often forcing him to get out of bed in the middle of the night in order to practice his music. Sometimes for hours on end, Beethoven was forced by his father to play and practice. The practice paid off and at the age of eight, and Beethoven gave his first live performance (History, 2011). Though Beethoven’s family wasn’t rich, his father hoped to make the family rich through Beethoven’s musical talents. Because Beethoven’s family was respected servants of the royal court, Beethoven’s family had both connections and means to help Beethoven further his musical education. As far as formal, traditional educations go; Beethoven, however, dropped out of traditional school at the age of thirteen in order to concentrate more on his musical talents, going on tours and so forth (Buzzle, 2011). After learning all that his own father could teach him, Beethoven then studied under Haydn and Mozart; Beethoven’s father often said he wanted Beethoven to become the next Mozart (History, 2011). During his lifetime, Beethoven composed forty-one pieces of work, ni ne of which were symphonies. Beethoven: A Legend Develops a Life Changing Handicap At age twenty-eight, Beethoven gradually began losing his ability to hear (History, 2011). Still, he continued to compose, play, and publish music. He hid his disability from family, friends and the public for as long as he could, which is normal for many people who develop disabilities (Owens, 2011). Once Beethoven’s disability was no longer deniable, he became deeply depressed and began to confide in others of his handicap and of his contemplations on committing suicide, also a common feeling and reaction for those who develop a handicap (Owens, 2011). John Owens became quadriplegic due to a dirt bike accident in 2006; he says that at the onset of his disability, he also went into deep depression and contemplated suicide as well (Owens, 2011). â€Å"When you go through something that changes your life forever, it becomes a challenge just to wake up in the mornings. Even I contemplated suicid e, feeling that my life was over, knowing that I might never be able to do the things I love the most, which back then was playing football, a sport in which I excelled. I knew I possessed the talent and ability to make football my profession, and I was working toward this very goal before my accident. So, I very much know how Beethoven must have felt being a great musician and losing his

Do the potential advantages of GM food outweigh possible drawbacks Essay

Do the potential advantages of GM food outweigh possible drawbacks - Essay Example With this in mind, it is therefore vital that we understand genetic modification as it relates to our food products, in order to explore more fully the science and controversy surrounding its risks and benefits in our world today. Using this information, we can then make an educated decision as to whether the sale and use of such products would be to our gain or to our detriment. Background First, it is vital that we understand what the words â€Å"genetically modified food† actually mean to the general public and to the scientific community. â€Å"Genetically modified†, or GM, food, is a food crop that has had its genetic code, as designated by the DNA of the plant, altered in some way that makes it different from the original food crop (Forman, 2009). The other commonly heard term GMO refers to a genetically modified organism. This is slightly different from a GM food crop in that it is a wider term. GMO can be any kind of genetically modified product, but the term is most often used in reference to food product organisms, such as soybeans that have been altered to resist colder climates or bacteria that have been designed to be useful in the manufacture of cheese (Whitman, 2000). The sale and human consumption of genetically modified food crops is generally more controversial than the usage of genetically modified organisms in food manufacture, as such organisms are used only in the manufacturing process and are not present in the final consumer product (Forman, 2009). In the approximately fifteen years that genetic modification have been in practice for food and consumer goods, there have been three major tiers of progress. The first level was changes to food at a level generally unnoticeable to the consumer. This included changes to products that primarily affect the growers, such as giving the plants insecticide resistance or a lengthier period of ripeness. While this tier was the only one in effect, most consumers were unconcerned about gen etic modification and there seemed to be little conflict. The second level, however, gained much more widespread coverage. This stage started to involve changes to product that were visible all the way down to the consumer level, such as altering colour and nutritional content. The newest and next generation of genetically modified foods is currently in the research phase, and primarily focuses on medicination uses for GMO. This involves the creation of pharmaceutically-active food crops, which could be designed to contain vaccines or medicines for developing nations (Magana-Gomez and Calderon de la Barca, 2009). All three of these categories are currently ongoing, and all have a wide variety of both helpful and harmful possibilities. Risks and Concerns One major concern for many consumers and companies that purchase food products is the relative newness of the genetic modification process (Forman, 2009). While most produce and meat that we eat today is already greatly modified from its â€Å"wild† phenotype to make it more palatable, have better yields, or for myriad other reasons, the traditional breeding methods used to produce these crops have been in use for hundreds and even thousands of years. The scientific community generally considers such methods proven safe by the basic fact that they are still in use after all this time with no serious detrimental effects on the human

Govern safeguarding adults work Essay Example for Free

Govern safeguarding adults work Essay Legislations The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 The Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 aims to prevent unsuitable people from working (either paid or unpaid) with children or vulnerable adult. Employers who work with these people have to be registered according to the act and The Independent Safeguarding Authority decides if people should be barred from working with any vulnerable person. Everyone gets checked before they are able to work with all vulnerable people for instance, a DBS check will be carried out to see if the person has carried out any criminal offences. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 supports the rehabilitation into employment of reformed offenders who have stayed on the right side of the law. All employers require full disclosure of pervious offences. The Police Act 1997 A CRB check is done under a Part V of the Police Act 1997, this protects vulnerable people from harm because employers will then know of any criminal convictions that have been done by particular people. http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/gmgr-annexe-c29 The Sexual Offenders Act 1976 The Sexual Offences Act 1976 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It made provision in relation to rape and related offences. This Act put the Sex Offenders Register in action for identification and tracking  purposes. This Act protects vulnerable people from danger, by tracking sex offenders. Care Standards Act 2000 This Act set the national minimum standards to protect the vulnerable, the standards include accommodation, services and good working practice. This Act established the Protection Of Vulnerable Adults (POVA) scheme, this scheme helps protect vulnerable adults from abuse. People who are working with vulnerable adults have to go through POVA training, I have done so myself through volunteering. The training makes you more aware of different types of abuse, people that are abused and the abuser, and how this is identified. Care Homes for Older People- National Minimum Standards and Care Homes Regulations 2003 This regulation identifies the levels of care that vulnerable adults need in care homes. There are points in this regulation that all older people in care homes should always receive the standards that are set for example, having a choice of what they would like to eat for dinner. Mental Health Act 1983 This Act is to protect those vulnerable people who suffer with a mental illness and others that are caring for them. There are procedures to ensure that there rights are protected and not being abused. The Act also allows compulsory treatment for those with a mental illness. Mental Capacity Act 2005 This Act allows to help vulnerable people who cant make decisions for themselves because they lack the mental capacity, this is done by them having an advocate. It is established by The Independent Mental Capacity Advocates Service. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 People who have a disability are treated equally to those without, this should be done in any work place. This act not only covers physical disabilities but mental as well. The Act has an aim which is, ending discrimination that individuals face with a disability. People who have a disability now have the rights to many things including, employment, education access to goods, facilities and services and buying or renting land or property. http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/the-disability-discrimination-act-dda Race Relations Act 1976 The Race Relations Act is to protect people from discrimination, this includes a persons race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin. People should be treated equally and fairly no matter what race or colour they are. Human Rights Act 1998 Vulnerable people have the right to be treated correctly and cared for effectively due to the Human Rights Act 1998. This act gives every person the power to challenge perceived discrimination by any public body. Data Protection Act 1998 The Data protection Act is essential to follow in a health and social care setting, all personal details from an individual are to be kept safe and only seen by the people who care for them. Information will only be disclosed if there is a potential that a person is in danger. It is very important that every health care setting for vulnerable adults has strategies and procedures that reduce the risk of abuse, if this was not done effectively then individuals may be in danger. Recruitment of staff- The health care system is always recruiting new staff due to more and more people using the system every day, more elderly are getting ill and leaving their homes to go into a residential care home. Every person who employs a new member of staff has to make sure that they are save to work with the elderly as they are very vulnerable. The adults who are barred from working with the vulnerable are identified on the Adults Barred List. The list subdivides these people into two different categories which are, people who are automatically barred because they are a ‘risk of threat’ and people who offer a ‘very probable risk of harm’. The process of the Adults Barred list gathers information for many places including, the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) , Health and Social services and employers. A CRB check is done before someone is employed, personal information is written down about a person and  then it is sent off to be checked by the police to see if they have any criminal convictions. Staff who work with the vulnerable have to register under the Vetting and Barring Scheme since July 2010. Sector guidance- Guidance is given to employers to reduce the risk of abuse in the environment they are working in. Two acts are included in this guidance and they are Dignity in Care Initiative 2006 and Human Rights in Healthcare. The Human Rights has a framework which assists local NHS Trusts to apply human rights approaches for the people using the services. FREDA values are focused on, Fairness, Respect, Equality, Dignity and Autonomy. Dignity and Care Initiative campaigns to end toleration of indignity in health care. Organisational policies- Every organisation must have policies and guidelines on expected behaviour from staff, this is done when an organisation develops there own policies from the guidelines that they have been provided with. Policies enable people who are using the services to know what is acceptable and unacceptable with their own care. Codes of practice- Codes of practice enables professionals to work effectively at high standards, respect and minimise risk to people that are in their care. Many care systems produce codes of conduct including The Nursing and Midwifery Council, nurses and midwives have to abide by these codes and put them into their practice to be able to care after individuals at the right standard. Multi-agency working and Closer working between professionals within organisations Multi-agency working is when all different teams come together to care and meet needs for a person as a whole, an example of professional bodies working together would be, doctors, care workers, nurses, social workers etc. The support planning and single assessment has encouraged greater inter-agency cooperation. Working like this encourages sharing of an individuals information and together they can all look after that person very effectively. This has not been put into place with some agencies and in this situation an individual would not be taking care of  properly because of this, this could lead to harm with elderly people. The government has guidance on multi-agency working and this is a paper called ‘No Secrets’. Beryl Strecth (2010). Health and Social Care . Essex: Pearson Education. Close working between professionals and organisations enables better communication about the people involved. This could be done in staff meetings, team meetings etc. In care homes they have daily logs about individuals who they care for, this ensures that when a new member of staff is working they know for instance what they have ate that day and what sort of care they have provided for them. This can also detect a residents behaviour for example, if they act differently when certain members of staff are on shift. Working in partnership with adults using services- When agencies work in partnership with the adults, families or informal carers it makes them more confident about the situation, when confident they will be more likely to talk about there worries and people can then help them build their self-esteem back up. Decision-making processes and forums- Decision making is essential when looking after a vulnerable adult, when it is kept transparent and clear then everyone knows what is happening. Monthly meeting of residents in a care home encourages ideas that can be shared between one another, this will make people more confident at speaking out. Organisational policies and staff training- The role of the Care Quality Commission- Whistle blowing- Whistle blowing is when someone who is working in a care setting reports suspected wrongdoing in the work place. This is called ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’. Some things that may be reported include, someone’s health and safety is in danger, damage to the environment, a criminal offence, the company isn’t obeying the law (like not having the right insurance) and covering up wrongdoing. https://www.gov.uk/whistleblowing/overview There is a chance that any individual will have to ‘whistle blow’ while working in a care setting, if the person thinks that what they have witnessed is ‘wrong’. A form has to be filled out by the person who has allegedly seen wrong doing and then it is sent off to get assessed and monitored for rooms of improvement. Complaint procedures- Complaint procedures will be in every care setting, this is important to protect vulnerable adults from harm or abuse and for them to have the best care possible. People are encouraged to use complaint procedures. Complaint services are there to improve the quality and life of the individuals in there care, but it is important that elderly people feel safe if there are going to complain about the care they are being given and not victimised.

Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body Essay

The Negative Effects of High Fructose Corn Syrup on the Human Body Excluding Obesity, Diabetes and Kidney Failure Abstract: This research paper investigates the effects of high fructose corn syrup on the body without discussing obesity and diabetes. While obesity and diabetes are two major consequences of an unhealthy consumption of high fructose corn syrup, they tell only a fraction of the story. Many of the lesser-known effects of high fructose corn syrup are the result of a trickle down effect. When high fructose corn syrup changes the balance of nutrients, it also can lead problems with vitamin and mineral deficiency. The most noticeable effects of high fructose corn syrup include problems with the liver disease, heart failure, minerals, osteoporosis, micronutrients, accelerated aging, and copper deficiency. One of the organs that is most affected by high fructose corn syrup is the liver. High fructose corn syrup is composed of 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. This differs from table sugar which is 50 percent fructose and 50 percent glucose. Researchers have found that high fructose has the same effect on the liver as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. As fructose is absorbed by the second part of the small intestine, the jejunum, the liver has the task of converting the fructose to triglycerides which is easier than converting glucose into triglycerides. Elevated levels of triglycerides lead to an increased risk of heart disease. A study conducted by the University of Minnesota published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2000 concluded that "men, but not in women, fructose â€Å"yielded significantly higher blood levels" than did glucose. The researchers found that "diets high in added fructose may b... ...06, from Osteoporosis: A debilitating disease that can be prevented and treated. Web site: http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/index.htm (2006, July 30). American Heart Association. Retrieved July 30, 2006, from Understanding Heart Failure Web site: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1593 Beyer , PL, Caviar, EM, & McCallum, RW Fructose intake at current levels in the United States may cause gastrointestinal distress in normal adults. PubMed, Retrieved July 23, Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=16183355&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum. Sanda, Bill (2004, February 19). The Double Danger of High fructose Corn Syrup. Retrieved July 24, 2006, from The Double Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup Web site: http://www.westonaprice.org/modernfood/highfructose.html Squires, Sally Sweet but Not So Innocent. (2003, March 11). The Washington Post, p. HE01.

Why and how do writers of English Literary and playful texts “break the rules of” English?

After having defined the terms â€Å"playful and literary†, I will then look briefly at foregrounding and the classification of the English Language. Then rhyme, rhythm and repletion would be examined followed by how writers break syntactic rules to show thought process. This will be followed by literary usage of the metaphor, collocation and iconicity. Then I will examine playful text in relation to graffiti, newspapers and advertising. Literary and playful usage of language is different from that of everyday language in that it draws attention to the language itself. Writers achieve this by being creative, original and imaginative. Moreover, by â€Å"skilfully manipulating language to create patterns and usage† to express ideas, which draws the readers giving them an original insight into the world of the writer. (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 198) Writers of literary and playful text use language to draw attention to it by way of surprising the reader into an original perception of the language and the subject matter. This according to the Russian formalists is foregrounding (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 163). Foregrounding is achieved, by breaking the rules of language, that is sound, grammar and meaning to place the reader in the text. Thus, the reader is surprised into seeing the image, hearing the sounds and feeling the emotions. The English Language is classified according to the way words are arranged in sequence and it is referred to as a subject verb object or SVO language. This is because the subject always comes before the verb and the object that is being referred to follows the verb. (Graddol etal. , 1994, p. 5) Looking first at rhyme, rhythm and repetition in literary usage, writers especially poets use this as a form of foregrounding. They use rhyme, rhythm and repetition in to make original observations. As in William Blake's poem â€Å"The Tyger†, one can see that there is an end rhyme with the first line rhyming with the second, and the third with the fourth in an aabb pattern. This is not something is common in normal speech or text. Therefore, Blake, whilst following the tradition of writing poetry in end rhymes is breaking the rules of English. Blake does this because he is not only foregrounding the symmetrical pattern of the verse in its aabb rhymes pattern, but he is also highlighting the eye symmetry of the text. This is done in the first and last stanza where both stanzas are symmetrical apart from one word. Thus, there is a sense of closure and we understand that we have arrived at an end, but because of the aabb pattern, there is also continuity and the idea of the circle of life. Blake also uses rhythm, with each line consisting of four alternating stressed and unstressed words, is used to emphasis the beat of not only the tread of the Tyger but also the rhythmical beating of the hammer on the anvil. The creator of the Tyger and the creator of the poem also use repetition and alliteration to foreground the symmetry of the design. (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 165) Authors also use rule breaking to foreground their characters thought processes. William Faulkner In his novel â€Å"The Sound and the Fury† manipulates the language and surprises the readers into the thought process of the narrator Benjy, who thinks and voices his thoughts, as would a child. He achieves this flow of thought process by omitting the object after the verb. Thus, the reader is uncomfortable with the language, which is limited, showing and creating a sense of incompleteness. This is exactly what Faulkner is aiming for, because Benjy although being thirty-three, is incomplete and exhibits the thought and language process that of a child. Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 167) The Charles Dickens also breaks the rules governing the syntactic relationship between words. In his novel The Bleak House Dickens does not, use the verb â€Å"is† after the subject, which is the fog and the object, which is everywhere and everything. By doing this, he foregrounds the reader into an innovative outlook and the reader receives the impression that there is no escaping from the fog; it is all invasive invading the countryside, the social, cultural and political environment. (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 167) Another distinctive feature of literary usage is the metaphor and collocation. Metaphors are comparisons that are not made explicit. They exploit the meanings of words and â€Å"are slipped into â€Å"the sentence (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 165). The rules of English are broken by the metaphor by playing on the various meanings of a word and the paradigmatic relationship of a word. As in the use of â€Å"burning† and â€Å"burnt† in Blake's The Tyger the words not only refer to the eyes of the Tyger but also to the furnace and the stars when speared are also burning too such an extent that they water the heaven with their tears. Collocation refers to the combining tendencies of words† (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 169) that is, the relationship words have with each other, the meanings that are associated with words and in the context that they are normally used. When this rule is broken, the writers are able to utilise our sense of word collocation to foreground â€Å"unusual and striking association of meaning† (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 169). In Carol Ann Duffy's poem ‘Litany' metaphors and collocation is used when she writes â€Å"The terrible marriages crackled cellophane round polyester shirts†. Marriages do not crackle. The word crackle is usually associated with dry inanimate objects; it is this association, which surprises the reader into looking at the marriage in a new light. The metaphor of the cellophane and polyester shirts continue this theme of inanimateness, dead and lifeless as opposed to the marriage being alive and thriving. Collocation is also associated with playful usage of English as in Punning. This occurs when the different meanings of the words are exploited, as in â€Å"My Children! My Africa! Here the Playwright plays on the word ‘riot' to emphasis the difference in culture and explores the difference in meaning associated to a word by differing social groups. (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 171) Another feature of literary usage is the iconic â€Å"where the sounds and shapes of words and phrases imitate particular objects or process† (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 172) writers use this device in order for the reader to experience and hear the sounds being described. Wordsworth in ‘The Prelude' uses it to call upon the simple childhood pleasure of making oneself dizzy. He does this by having a long sentence where the subject and verb occur late in the passage. This achieves the effect of rushing and spinning to an abrupt stop. In addition, one can almost imagine that even though we have stopped the â€Å"solitary cliffs Wheeled by†¦ the earth rolled†¦ † (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 172) e e cummings uses this technique in his poem I (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 202) He relies on the visual effect of the poem to emphasis the falling of one leaf and its oneness. Playful text also uses language to draw attention to it this is achieved, by breaking the rules of language, that is sound, grammar and meaning Just like in literary usage. Graffiti although regarded as being antisocial and illegal is an area where English is used in a playful and entertaining way to highlight a particular comment on social issues or give voice to those sub groups that have been denied access to mainstream. Because of the very nature of graffiti, it tends to be short and succinct. The Graffiti â€Å"Glory to God in the High St† (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 10) by deleting a single letter from the angel's message to the Shepard's, the graffiti satirises the original Christmas message and reflects the commercialization of Christmas. This is achieved by playing on the sounds and the meaning of the two words Highest and High St. An example of iconic graffiti that is a thought process would be â€Å"Dsylexia rules KO† The popular press also use puns and word play in their headlines e. g. â€Å"Belly Nice (model Naomi Campbell with bare stomach), Wedding Prez (President Clinton unexpectedly attends a wedding)† (Maybin and Mercer, 1996, p. 17). They by virtue of being tabloid newspapers need to capture the readers' attention quickly and be able to express in a short headline the nature of the article. Therefore, by using headlines like â€Å"Belly Nice† they play on the phrase â€Å"very nice† in referring to the bare stomach and associating it to her second name Campbell. Another area that breaks the rules of English in a playful way is advertising. Advertising uses all the literary techniques of foregrounding to sell the product, image or idea. In the P&O advertisement, the text is simple; it has rhyme, rhythm and repetition, and seems at first glance to be a simple, child's first reader. However, each line does not have the object. It is only at the end that one realises that the last word is the object of the previous lines. In conclusion after having looked at the various distinctive features of literary and playful usage of text one can see that writers, poets, graffiti writers, journalist and the advertisers use and break the rules of English to foreground there ideas in a creative, original and imaginative way.