How Are Women Represented in British Sitcom Peepshow

How are women represented in the British Sitcom PeepShow Introduction I have looked at how women are represented in Peep Show, a British Situation Comedy based around two very different friends that share a flat in London. The majority of situations they get into involve their attempts to seduce or gain affection from the women they either love or have a fleeting obsession with. The reason I decided to analyse Peep Show is because its two main characters are so contrasting in ethics, morals, life style choices and attitudes towards women that it allows for an interesting look into how women are represented.I also feel that women in comedy on a whole are underrepresented. Literature review The literary resources I will be drawing upon include and article by Jack Glascock from the Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media(2001). In which he looks at gender roles on primetime television and focuses on the shift in representation from the seventies gender roles on primetime television . The article is both theoretical and statistical and provides an interesting overview of gender on screen. I will also be looking at the work of Brett Mills.I will look at two of his works one is a journal article in the Oxford Journal Screen. Also looking at his book, The Sitcom. Brett Mills is an expert in the sit com arena, with several journals and books on similar subjects, he offers a contemporary look at British sitcom, including Peep Show. Methodology I had several issues when approaching the method of my research. The first issue was that in order to do a focus group, I would have to pick specific episodes to show people. By choosing a specific episode, I would by default be cherry picking the content and with that content cherry picking the ideology of the episode.I therefore decided to pick an episode at random, so I could try to eradicate the possibility of me picking an episode that would reinforce my own opinions. The episode â€Å"The Local Zero† was then sho wn to two male and one female. These three participants had never seen an episode of Peep Show before, they there for were briefed on the general narrative: i. e that Mark and Jeremy are friends that live together in a flat. I also did not tell them specifically what I was trying to find out; I then asked them a series of questions.Not all specific to gender, however the majority were pin pointed towards gender. The focus group gave me an unbiased first account of what people thought if they were to just turn on the television for the first time and see an episode of Peep Show. Would they think that the show they had just watched represented women positively or negatively? They would have no bias or favouritism towards the characters. So it was a raw first thoughts approach, that was both useful and a hindrance. I balanced this out with a general textual analysis of the series. AnalysisAs I mentioned in my methodology the focus group consisted of people that had not seen Peep Show p reviously. I showed them an episode in which Jeremy is troubled by his girlfriend’s new found wish for abstinence and Mark is still trying to win the heart of Sophie, the woman he works with, by fighting off the competition. The two female characters we are then presented with are Sophie and Nancy. Nancy is an American Christian who wants Jeremy to break sexual taboos after being criticised by Mark for not following her religion; she decides abstinence to be the last sexual taboo.When I asked the focus group who the least likeable character was they all eventually agreed on Nancy, when asked why a participant stated she was â€Å"just annoying† a statement again that was agreed on. In the episode she comes across as a bit stupid. In response to her abstinence Jeremy pretends that he is fine with it, although in Peep Show you can hear the thoughts of Mark and Jeremy. One of the participants noted when how positive the interaction between men and women was, one participa nt said â€Å"not very as they think one thing and tell the women another. It is the deceitful attitude towards women they use in order to gain either affection or sex. In Jeremy’s case he lies about being religious in order to continue to have sex. However Jeremy was not the least likeable character even though he lied to his girlfriend. I asked the question whether they felt the interests and attitudes of female characters reflected real interests and attitudes of real women, the response was undecided. Feminists of the 1970s were concerned about the narrow range of representations of women offered in the media and argued that these were often ‘negative’ stereotypes.So, for instance, much advertising was taken to task for restricting representations of women to only a few roles, primarily the wife and mother, the housewife and the sex object. This approach focused on the power of ideology as a force and a mechanism. (Fisk, 1987) Although Peep Show is a contemp orary text, we have to wonder whether there is that diverse roles with the characters within. Nancy can be seen as the sex object, although throughout the series there are many similar characters that Jeremy has fleeting relationships with.Sophie (Marks love interest) in later episodes becomes the â€Å"nagging wife† as he decides he doesn’t want to marry her and doesn’t want her child. There are very few female characters in Peep Show that seem to break theses boundaries. Gender issues have been of concern within the study of television. These concerns have primarily taken two forms. First, there has been the question of representation, which initially focused on how television stereotyped, under-represented or misrepresented women.As a extremely popular show I felt it was important to analyse how women were represented, especially in comedy as a whole, the lack of strong female characters in comedy is apparent not only on television and in film, but also on th e stage although it in improving. If you look at Space (c4,1999) the representation is balanced, the formatting is the same in that two friends share a flat but one is female and one is male, the minor characters are also more balanced and interestingly the writing was done by both Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevens something I will touch upon later.In later series Mark befriends a colleague called Dobby. Nick naked so because of her likeness to the â€Å"house elf† from Harry Potter. A nickname that does not associate with beauty or power but that of an elf and a male elf. Dobby is the tom boy character, she is not referred to as attractive, is into typically male orientated activities such as computer games , Mark begins to like her because she makes references to things that he would also make reference to. She is like him and he is amazed that a woman knows about or is interested in the same things as him.So it would be interesting to note that while she is a character that M ark relates to and befriends rather than obsesses over, she is considered strange looking. This can be seen throughout films and television, the idea of desexualised women because she gains male characteristics. The representation of women in Peep show can be assessed in two ways, by looking literally at the roles of female characters and by looking at the attitudes and relationships men have with women and vice-versa.Peep Show’s two main characters are male; the female characters are not necessarily permanent, although Sophie is in it from the beginning. The other female characters tend to come in depending on the episode. Female representation in the media and in television in particular, may correspond to inequities behind the scenes. (Glascock,2001 ) If as Glascocks findings show the direct correlation between women behind the scenes and women on screen could it be then that this explains the lack of female representation on screen, or the lack of solid and permanent fema le characters at least.By looking at the cast and crew information as listed on IMDB, all episodes have been written by men, all episodes have been produced by men , however it also states that it was a female that has directed a majority of the episodes. Interesting to note that as stated earlier Spaced ( c4, 1999) was co wrote by a female. The interaction between Mark, Jeremy and the female characters has two sides to it. You have Mark who is ultimately the â€Å"romantic† he obsesses with women down to minute details; he is the shy and awkward geek looking for the one. However you have Jeremy who is a hap hazard womaniser.Yet what makes them so likeable is their foolish nature. While the progression of female characterizations on television has been noted, the pendulum may have swung the other way for male depictions. Frequently criticized have been made-for-television movies featuring males as abusive psychopaths (Kloer, 1996; Stein, 1994; Zurawik, 1996) and situation com edies in which â€Å"guys run the gamut from insufferable to useless† (Glascock,2001) Due to Peep Shows popularity it could be said that the characters are not â€Å"insufferable† however because they never fail to make tremendous mistakes, it could be said that they are â€Å"useless†.This contrast with the useless, clumsy and likeable Mark and Jeremy, and the uptight relatively rigid female characters creates an overall impression of forgettable female characters. In some respects the women in Peep Show act as mother figures and Mark and Jeremy act as the child, the relationships are there for usually relationships that don’t last because they are told off or make a mistake and the women are then completely repelled by them.In order to see what extent the female characters in Peep Show can be deemed stereotypical I first looked at the definition of stereotype : A process involving the expression of an exaggerated belief about a group that serves to qual ify of justify the conduct towards that group of those who hold and express that belief (Long and Wall, 2009) Using this definition I applied it to the female character â€Å"Nancy† in the episode I showed focus group. Starting with Nancy, the beautiful blonde, does she fit the dumb blonde stereotype? I would say yes, in the program she says â€Å"God wanted us to have fun that’s why he invented pills†¦ in a genuinely serious voice. Is this an â€Å"exaggerated belief†? I would propose that very few religious people would actually claim that God condones drug taking. Sitcoms; the genre criticised for its simplistic use of stereotypes, outmoded representations and an apparent failure to engage with social or political development (Mills, 2004) Yet I wouldn’t say the character are stereotypical men. They are very self-aware, self-depreciating, they also make frequent remarks about there in lack of strength, lack of manliness. In the episode shown to t he focus group, Mark says â€Å" ‘Mate’†¦ he universal word for befriending taxi drivers, and bouncers† as he tries to fit in with some security guards. He has a sort of inferiority complex and yet acknowledges at the same time that he is middle class. Perhaps then he fits the stereotype of the middle class man, Jeremy often attacks him for his love of typically â€Å"middle class food† such as olives and humus. Yet they share a flat together and don’t really have much money. Additionally Peep Show has been noted for its naturalistic style, it is set in a point of view narrative, where we are positioned as different characters at different times.Bret Mills further explore Peep Show in his book The Sitcom. In which he suggests: Peep Show is better placed in the realist/naturalist category than as a comedy of distinction, because of its gloomy colours for its downplayed performances suggests a kind of naturalism. If we see Peep Show as a realist text then we are to assume to sort of ideology that must also closely reflect the real world. As Mark says in the episode where he marries Sophie â€Å" this has to be a dream, nothing this bad happens in real life. † He reinforces the realist feel of the comedy. Representations give substance to ideology.Textual analysis reveals ideology in action. The femme fatale is about gender and power. It is about the male fear of being; unmanned; by the sexual power of the woman, a fear of losing control. (Burton,2004) If Peep Show is a realist view, the ideology within it by default must also be deemed a natural point of view. Although they are exaggerations of characters like them, there interaction with the world are deemed quite natural and realistic. As Burton quotes â€Å"that representation gives substance to ideology† how we represent certain groups of society gives force to ideology.Because of Peep Shows critic of society I would say that it did not promote dominant id eology. I would however say it was negotiated; it promoted new and forward thinking ways, yet with regards to women, it does not promote anything other than dominant ideology. It remains true that in critical studies the concepts of difference and of otherness are often used to emphasize the negative: sameness and difference are marked both symbolically through representational systems, and socially through the inclusion or exclusion of certain groups of people Conclusion.To conclude, I feel that Peep Show does not necessarily represent women in a bad way, it rather under represents them. What is shown in a derogatory light is the relationships between men and women, the women are often sexualised. Whilst the research I have done has proved useful it has not necessarily helped me to come to a solid conclusion. Bibliogrpahy Books 1. CALVERT, Ben; Lewis, Justin; French, Liam; Casey, Bernadette; Casey, Neil. (2007). Television Studies: The Key Concepts. Taylor & Francis. 2. BURTON. (20 04). Media And Society: Critical Perspectives.Open University Press. 3. FISKE, J. (1987): Television Culture. London: Routledge 4. MILLS, B. (2009). The sitcom. Edinburgh, Edinburgh University Press. 5. LONG, P. , & WALL, T. (2009). Media studies: texts, production, and contexts. Harlow [u. a. ], Pearson Longman. . Journals. 6. GLASCOCK,J 2001, ‘Gender Roles on Prime Time TV’, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, Fall 2001. 7. MILLS, B 2004, ‘Comedy Virite’ Oxford Journal Screen, Vol 45, no 1, Pp 63-78 Websites 8. Wikipedia, List of Peep Show episodes, http://en. wikipedia. rg/wiki/List_of_Peep_Show_episodes (as of May 22, 2011, 16:05 GMT). 9. International Movie Database, Full Cast and Crew, Peep Show, http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0387764/fullcreditscast (as of May 22, 2011, 16;06 GMT). Television Programs PeepShow, September 2003-, video, Channel Four, United Kingdom Spaced, 1999-2001, Video, Channel Four, United Kingdom Appendices. Focus Group Transcript. Peep Show Episode â€Å"Local Zero† What kind of relationships do you think are explored in Peep Show? Participant A: Friendship. Participant C: Sexual, love.How positive is the interaction between men and women? Participant B:They were all being fake to one another they were thinking one thing and saying something else†¦ made up. Which character including minor characters would you say was the most like able? All: Mark. Lest Likeable? Participant A: The homeless man†¦ he didn’t do anything [laughs] Participant B :No I would say the girl†¦ the American girl.. Participant C: Yeah she doesn’t do anything. Yeah even Sophie doesn’t. Partcipant A: Actually yeah, Nancy. Would you say peep show was a realistic portrayal of men’s attitudes towards women.Partipant B: I think so†¦ Participant A: I would say some not most Participant c: Yeah but guys think that even if you say no that really you would like them its just a matte r of time, What social class would you place Jeremy? Participant C: What are the classes? Participant B: I would say lower class he doesn’t work Participant A:No i would say he is middle. Particpant B :He would be middle but lazy. Participant C: Yeah manybe. What are the main concerns of Mark of Jeremy? Particpant C: Women [laughs] Particpant B: Yeah sex.Participant A: I agree Just sex, women. Do you think the characters Mark and Jeremy have a respectable attitude towards women? Participant C: Yeha maybe Mark, not the other one. Jeremy he just lied. Participant A:Yeah I agree Mark maybe but not Jeremy. Would you say that the female characters attitudes and interests reflect real women’s attitudes and interests? Participant C: It is hard to say, they were extremes. Participants B: Yeah, It is not really clear what they think. Participant A: You don’t hear their thoughts so you don’t get any idea about them.

Government Intervention Essay

The purpose of this report is to exemplify the role of government with the focus on the developing countries by answering the proposed question of Why do we need government intervention? and Why government intervention is necessary for the new economy? The first part of this report illustrates the essential roles of government in social, business, and the future of country aspects. Then, Thailand was chosen as an example of a country entering into the new economy, while using the other countries in East Asia to illustrate the successful government action in transferring the countries to new economy. 1. To provide social welfare for the whole country Education Environment Health care Basic infrastructure Ideally, the government should bear the cost of high-risk or long-term payback project, or even the project that is difficult to finance as a trade-off for the national interest and benefit of its people and, in a way, attracting private sector to invest in the underdeveloped region later on. 2. To set up fair-games, fair competition, rules, laws and regulations, and trade agreements for business sector 3. To determine the future direction of the country Provide information and guidelines for firms to follow Develop strategy for the nation’s economic growth 1. Social contexts: 1.1. Environmental protection Waste management: company cannot hold the idea of â€Å"more production, more pollution† any longer as it creates externalities (social cost), which in turns will impose a negative impact on the company’s reputation. Government must enforce regulations, inspections, and control on environmental aspect. This is for the social interest so that the firms cannot take advantage from the society. Furthermore, by having regulations, not only the society will benefit from it; it also raises an issue of long-term sustainable development for the business sector to consider upon. Cons of free-enterprise Only aimed at generating profit and production, while disregarding the environment as it is considered an â€Å"unnecessary’ cost for the company. This in turn, the environment would be destroyed (e.g. Waste  from production, a vicious cycle, will hurt everyone if there are no regulations enforced.) Environmentalist vs. Government: for developing countries, the environmentalist plays a minor role in protecting the environment comparing to government intervention. Although the voices of environmentalist are significant when it comes to making changes, the government regulations are better suited in preventing and solving the problem on the national level. This is because the environmental problems have to be solved simultaneously, since the effects from decaying environment can create chain-reactions affecting the whole country or even the world (e.g. air pollution or destruction of rain forest). The environmentalist is important, as it is able to create awareness for the society, at the same time the government intervention is necessary in order to support healthier environment for its people. 1.2. Education Quality of the human resource is the driven force to push economic growth. Without basic education, it limits the opportunity for the entire nation to grow and foster new innovated ideas, while limiting the improvement in quality of life among population. 1.3. Health care The basic need for life. There shouldn’t be perceived as privilege for someone to obtain. Recent development on Thailand’s health care: Ministry of Public Health’s campaign on the â€Å"30 Baht-Health for All† demonstrating that equal access to health care is important for the growth of recovering economy. 1.4. Infrastructure For a nation to propel into the future, decentralization of development to regional and local levels rather than concentrated on specific metropolitan areas is significant, as it needs involvement from everyone. 2. Business contexts: 2.1. Laws and Regulations (Thailand) Trade Competition Act (1999): This is to eliminate unfair trade practices, monopolization, and business collusion. If there were no regulation, monopoly can drive up prices or limits supplies while the consumers would have to bear the costs  as well as limiting the sense of entrepreneurship. Bankruptcy Act (1999): From the result of the Asian crisis, the past bankruptcy law in Thailand was not efficient enough causing the failure in the loaning agreement, lowering the foreign investor’s confidence. By amending the old 1940 Bankruptcy Act in 1998 and 1999, the new amendment provides a foundation for both creditor and debtor to work cooperatively and be more transparent in order to create a win-win situation, especially for the recovering companies as well as preventing future non-performing loans (NPL) for the creditors. SMEs Promotion Act (2000): Thai government encourages support for this new legislation by creating a Market for Alternative Investment (MAI) designed to introduce fresh investment opportunities. The Minister for Finance emphasizes the significant role that MAI would play in supporting and strengthening SMEs in Thailand. 2.2. Trade agreement The role of trade agreement is to encourage, assist, and advocate the export sector and to ensure that domestic business would have equal access to compete in foreign markets. In addition, the trade agreement can enforce antidumping and countervailing duty laws providing remedies for unfair trade practices. Moreover, the trade agreement can promote cooperation among member countries in order to avoid fierce competition (e.g. Asian Summit Conference, G7 Conference) World Trade Organization (WTO): Before a country decides to join the WTO, its government must prepare the readiness of the country whether it is law and regulation aspects or its infrastructure. This is to protect the domestic market and businesses from being exploited by foreign firms. Thailand vs. China on WTO issue: Thailand officially entered into the WTO in 1995 when its laws and regulations on globalization issues were not fully developed. As a result, Thailand inevitably had to endure the consequence of globalization. Compared to China, who does not fashionably join the WTO as the other neighboring countries did, China waited and now is able to  negotiate other privileges on bilateral agreement with foreign investors. 3. Future direction determination: 3.1. To provide information and guidelines for firms to follow. To be competitive in international level, the government must provide information for the public in order to assist the business sector to establish suitable strategic and decision plans for their businesses accordingly. DEP (Department of Export Promotion) † to assist in matching local manufacturers with overseas buyers or vice-versa by providing quick and cost-effective access to local products through substantial information and oversea organizational facilities. BOI (Board of Investment) † to assist investors by providing support services in order to reduce risk and cost that associate with investments. 3.2. Develop strategy for future economic growth: SMEs (Small-Medium Enterprises): encouraging entrepreneurship through promoting business start-up spreading and stimulating more nationwide microeconomic growth. o Stimulation on more sense of ownership among the population enabling the spread in development. Because in the past, with lesser government intervention, growth and income were concentrated mainly in heavy industry or big business rather than being distributed more evenly among the people. o Satisfaction of local need through the intellectual local-knowledge based transferring into productivity in community level. Microlending † being implemented in the Philippines and Thailand to help poor people gain access to credit so that they can finance or start up their own businesses. As a result, there would be a decrease in poverty as well as an increase entrepreneurship / small businesses. IT: NECTEC (National Electronics and Computer Technology Center) is Thailand’s main driven force for IT development. NECTEC established new strategic master plan on Electronic, Computer, Telecommunication and Information (ECTI) Technologies for year 2000-2004.   This is because as the world is dominated by global businesses and industries, information and communication technologies play a tremendous role in the issues for long-term recovery and sustainability † Thailand needs to transform itself from the old economy to the â€Å"New Economy† in order to remain competitive. IT will gradually replace the old traditional business transaction by offering real time information, reduction in transaction cost and time, opening the market to many more suppliers and buyers, and no need for physical presence; which consequently more productivity would be generated. 1. Infrastructure: Revamped of telecommunication monopoly by encouraging investments from private sectors. The Telephone Organization of Thailand (TOT) granted telephone-wiring licenses to TA and TT&T and granted wireless phones licenses to AIS and PCT, while the Communication Authority of Thailand (CAT) authorized DTAC to operate in mobile phone industry. The government granted private sectors to take on the telephone-wiring project because of the urgency of the IT infrastructure expansion (from 800,000 users in 1999 to more than 1,000,000 users in 2000) in a sense that the private sectors are able to install the lines faster than the government sector in certain areas. Installation of fiber optic infrastructure throughout Bangkok and Thailand. Increase the telephone availability from 13 lines per 100 populations to 18 lines per 100 populations. Nation wide local call ISP access Possibility of free internet in the future Lowering cost of PC More mobile phone usage with cheaper rate 2. IT Education: Increase the number of schools connected to free internet from  1,500 schools to targeted 5,000 schools. Better focus on the optimization of the computer usage in schools, not just computer availability. Teacher’s IT training, NECTEC provided pilot courses and teaching materials for Rajabhat Institute, which in turn will teach and prepare the future schoolteachers for the SchoolNet project. 3. Laws and Regulations Electronic Transactions Bills and the Electronic Signature Bills were approved by the cabinet on March 14, 2000. Electronic Transactions Act defines the legal status of electronic records as being equal to paper documents, if they are properly handled. The Act also defines the scope of legal recognition of transmission and reception processes for electric data records, time and place of occurrences of such transmission. Electronic Signature Act defines the electronic equivalence of signature as a proof to identity of the signing party (i.e. authentication) and that the signer approves the content that is being signed. The law is neutral to the choice of technology used for electronic signature. It recognizes the well-established trusted third-party system of Certification Authority (CA) and public-key infrastructure (PKI) based on encryption technology. Intellectual Property Laws: Thai government recognizes that an effective intellectual and industrial property system is vital to the development of new economy especially on the innovations and technology transfer aspects. Thus, to encourage such originalities, the government has established laws and regulations to protect and secure the exclusive rights of scientists, inventors, artists and other gifted citizens to their intellectual property and creations, particularly when beneficial to people and its nation. When the IP laws are being violated, the offender will be inflicted with fine or imprisonment or both. Currently, there are three major IP laws in Thailand: Trademark Act (2nd revision in 2000) Patent Act (3rd revision in 1999)  Copyright Act (amended in 1994) Other drafts in the pipeline are the Computer Crime Act, the Electronic Funds Transfer Act, and the Data Protection Act. 4. Electronic Commerce The Electronic Commerce Resource Center was set up by the cabinet resolution in December 1998 as a unit within NECTEC where drafting of the Electronic Commerce Policy Framework is being planned. E-commerce infrastructure project has been carried out by NECTEC’s sister organization † Internet Thailand Company, which started a neutral yet highly diverse portal site called THAI-DOT-COM (http://www.thai.com) with free commerce hosting provision to all business partners (merchants, banks, and application service providers). 5. Software Park Software Park is the first and unique infrastructure Thailand ever built for this new software industry. Local software developers in Thailand can enjoy professional support for international marketing. It also provides a one-stop meeting point for potential customers both locally and from abroad as well as providing high-speed networking. In addition, world-leading companies like Intel, Informix, IBM, etc. have invested in R&D infrastructure for local software companies to use at very low cost. 6. BOI incentive on IT related industry Electronic Industry: This is to promote specific industry in order to respond to the development in the New Economy. Thai government offered tax-based incentives to stimulate such investment, such as Corporate income tax exemption for 8 years, regardless of location. Exemption on import duty on machinery relevant to production process. Additional privileges according to zone†further tax and duty reduction as well as allowances for infrastructure investment. Singapore o Well-connected IT infrastructure facilities such as the science-park (ranging from biotechnology to robot researches) and information superhighway which enable Singapore to become IT hub for exportable services, for instance†consulting or engineering advises, in East Asia. o Focusing on R&D, the fastest growing activities in Singapore, since Singapore has competitive advantages on superior infrastructure and manpower capabilities to explore this possibility. o Implementation of â€Å"E-Government Services† † people saved time through complete government-related transactions (e.g. tax, registration and licensing fees). As a result, this action has saved cost for government on transaction filings, while saving cost and time for the business sector. Malaysia o Due to the aspiration of becoming a fully developed country by 2020, the Malaysian government has developed a path that has been strategically mapped out to ensure that the objectives of 2020 visions are achievable. o With the focus on welcoming the information technology age phenomenon, the government has created the â€Å"Multimedia Super Corridor’ (MSC) in which is a world-first, world class place to help companies of the world test the limits of technology and prepare themselves for the future. o Creation of the perfect global multimedia climate. Cyberjaya: a conceptualized model intelligent city with multimedia industries, R&D centers, a Multimedia University and operational headquarters for multinational firms wishing to direct their worldwide manufacturing and trading activities using multimedia technology. Putrajaya: a concept of electronic government and administration will be implemented. These two cities are the nucleus of Malaysia strategic vision for the new economy. No one knows whether it would turn out as successful as the Malaysian government has envisioned or not, but at least its government has took a tremendous step by investing into a project that certainly the whole country will realize the impact of new economy and information technology and, hopefully, benefit from it. Transforming Thailand to â€Å"New Economy† needs a very strong foundation and cooperation in every level starting from redesigning infrastructure, IT education, HR development, and IT laws and regulations. These four factors needed to be organized by the government, not only because the whole country needs to be involved in this transforming stage, but the government needs to also provide assurance for the business sector on security issues as well as providing a sense of borderless marketing condition for the company to excel in the global competition. In addition, the government involvement is very crucial; this is to prevent the concentration of IT development in certain sectors or business fields as if would have done by the private sector. And ensuring that the country would explore into the New Economy era together, and that there should be no discrimination in IT development in which, as a result, the country and everyone involved will mutually benefit from this New Economy endeavor.

Haidilao Touchpoint Essay

Haidilao is an emerging restaurant brand in China. I like it because it brings me delightful dining experience. When I am waiting for a table in the restaurant, the waiters will bring me some free food, and it also offers free nail art service for women and free shoeshine service for men. When I am ordering dishes, the waiter will even remind me how much food is enough for how many people. So every time I go there, I feel respected and delighted. Touch points: 1. Service and price: Haidilao is famous for its high-end service and ordinary price. In essence, it applies the excellent customer service in hotel industry to a hot pot restaurant. When customers are waiting for a table, it offers tea, food, nail art and shoeshine service for free. When customers sit down, the waiters will bring some hair bands, aprons, phone shells, hot towel and so on. There are even cosmetics and hand cream in the bathroom. Although most people won’t use the cosmetics, it still shows how considerate the company is. Many people call this abnormal service because it lets people fully feel the customer is God. 2. Food: Haidilao offers authentic Sichuan hot pot. The dishes are clean, fresh, and customers can even order half of a dish. They can also make their own sauce with the ingredients offered by Haidilao. 3. Employee: The waiters are very passionate. They always wear a smile on their face. They care about customers from the bottom of their heart. As I just mentioned, when you order too many dishes, they will remind you. 4. Culture: The culture of the Haidilao company is people-oriented and customer first. Many companies only think about how to satisfy their customers while neglect how to satisfy their employees. However, Haidilao cares about its employees very much. Although its workforce is mostly composed of young employees born in underdeveloped suburban areas, the CEO treats them like family members. Therefore, they are enthused and motivated to deliver extraordinary service to customers creatively. 5. Word of mouth: Haidilao is a hot topic in China. Many people post their experience in Haidilao online and there are many bewildering stories you can’t imagine, which makes people who haven’t been there more curious about it. 6. Media: Haidilao doesn’t do any advertising, but many media report the story of Haidilao because of the founder’s unique entrepreneurial values and compares it with Foxconn, which also increases its popularity.

Sartre Revised

Being condemned to be free is ironic. Condemn and free are two words not usually seen together in one sentence making a coherent and firm statement. To condemn is to declare to be reprehensible, wrong, or evil usually after weighing evidence and without reservation. And to be free is to have the legal and political rights of a citizen. Joined together the words will over right their meaning. And yet philosopher Jean – Paul Sartre managed to make his point stand out and be heard by everyone, outliving 64 years of earthly, human living. What Sartre is trying to tell us, his thoughts and ideas about life here on earth, about our responsibilities, about the trifle things and actions in our everyday lives that we tend to ignore because we think life is bigger than us, that there's a bigger picture, is what being condemned to be free is all about. In today's modern world, freedom has become a necessity and has taken on many forms. Gone were the days when women are not allowed to vote, engage in politics and other manly jobs, cannot have a career and is obliged to stay home and manage the household, and be thrown to unwanted marriages arranged by their parents. Now everybody can choose. And many have viewed this right to choose as a form of freedom. One has the right to choose their schools, their career paths to take, their spouses, how many children are they going to have, what will they name their kids, it is just a matter of choosing and directing this freedom to what we think is the right thing to do. After all, not all of us are using this freedom to choose our actions wisely. It all starts with human beings being born free and equal in dignity and rights, the first article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Men are created equal, and it’s funny that there are people born carrying within them the royal blood. It already raises their political and monetary position above all the common men. They carry with them the noun King, Queen, Prince, Princess, Emperor, and Empress among others before their birth names. They have all the advantages in the world, not having to sit through traffic, not having to be the front liner in a war, not having to work hard to earn a living. In fact, they just sit and everything is done for them, all they have to do is make sure they keep their countries the same as it was before they were born. Up to what extent is this equality in dignity and rights applicable? Now that everybody seems to have a complete grasp of liberty, it appears that being free is not as wanted as it was before. History taught us well enough to know that there have been a number of wars fought for freedom and religion. The tales of man then tells us how others will try to conquer the lands where they have been born, and a leader will fight for their land and in the end they either merge with the conquerors or greatly celebrate their freedom. Religion, too, has been a great propeller of wars. Different beliefs, different doctrines, a different God for every religion, set the plot for a more massive movement that outlasted every century up to now, still counting fatalities. â€Å"The historical reality is that where religious freedom is denied, so too are other basic human rights. † (Why Religious Freedom? ) Religious freedom is just one of the many forms of freedom people are indulging in today. There is also what we call academic freedom. â€Å"The notion of academic freedom is invoked to justify statements by faculties that offend politicians, religious leaders, corporate executives, parents of students, and citizens. (Academic Freedom in the United States) That immediately removes your right as a person to say what you want to say, it obviously is a threat to be opinionated now a days. And it is not just academic; the press is also encountering some form of suppression. According to the Freedom House organization, there are several reasons as to why the media i s being stripped off of its independence. The media can be a source of political opposition, political upheaval, victims of violence, and finally, they can be threats to national security. (Map of Press Freedom) With all the overwhelming talk about freedom, liberty and human rights, one man tries to summarize all this into man being condemned to be free. Jean-Paul Sartre is said to be one of the brightest philosophers of the twentieth century. â€Å"French novelist, playwright, existentialist philosopher, and literary critic. Sartre was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1964, but he declined the honor in protest of the values of bourgeois society. His longtime companion was Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986), whom he met at the Ecole Normale Superieure in 1929. â€Å"(Jean-Paul Sartre 1905-1980) An Existentialist, Sartre is known for his public lecture, Existentialism and Humanism and his magnum opus, Being and Nothingness. Sartre's greatest work, Being and Nothingness is subtitled: Phenomenological Ontology. He starts his discussion with the description of two kinds of being. According to him there is the in-itself and the for-itself. The beings-in-themselves are the ordinary objects, while the being-for-itself are the human agents. (Jean-Paul Sartre) The beings-in-themselves or ordinary objects do not have the capability to change or create. A chair is nothing more than what it is, it cannot change its appearance on its own, nor can it create something out of its being. A human agent is a being-for-itself because it is a being with conscious plans, purposes and intentions. It is able to project forward from a given situation to a future possibility that is not yet realized. The uncertainty of human life and purpose, the venturing into the unknown is what makes and defines human life distinct from the others. As human life progresses, the things that he do, what kinds of act he gets himself involved in, becomes his definition, becomes his being. A person is born not knowing that he will pursue a career in medicine. As he grows up and goes to medical school he is defined. He has found a definition for his life, that of a doctor. For Sartre, if a being-for-itself starts to question its purpose and meaning, it starts to have a consciousness. The consciousness makes it possible for the human to know everything around him, and everything that is not around him. As it now knows that it is not an ordinary object but something else. Something undefined, something that is not yet known to him. So starts the journey to fill in an empty palette. In not knowing, in a human's nothingness, he is free. There is this whole notion that if you are inside a prison cell, you are not free. You are bounded by rows and rows of bars, controlled by correctional officers, undermined by more experienced inmates. But if we were to use Sartre's definition of freedom, no Alcatraz can set limits on our liberty. In fact, this will even define the person and not limit his being free. The core idea of the text is that man is condemned to be free, meaning that in this freedom that we have, we are still responsible for our actions. We cannot evade our responsibilities and say that we did not choose it to happen, because our actions are unmistakably ours alone. Nobody does our actions but us. Even if we are not inside jail cells, we are still attached to obligations and duties which we can only be held responsible to bringing upon ourselves. â€Å"Man being condemned to be free carries the weight of the world on his shoulders; he is responsible for the world and for himself as a way of being. † Every action that we do, we know and we are conscious of us doing it. We cannot clean our hands and say that we did not want that to happen. We are abandoned in the sense that we cannot but the blame on somebody else. We carry the burden; nobody can help us with it. Sartre pointed out a few arguments to support his view. He mentioned three reasons why human-reality is free. Human – reality is free because it is not enough. Human – reality is free because it is perpetually wrenched away from itself and because it has been separated by a nothingness from what it is and from what it will be. And finally, human – reality is free because its present being is itself a nothingness in the form of the reflection-reflecting. Basically what he is trying to say is that our life here on earth is not enough to explore everything that this world can offer us. We continue to be free in spite and despite of the fact that there is a limit to everything. Freedom is the nothingness which is made-to-be at the heart of man, it forces human – reality to make itself instead of to be. For human – reality to be is to choose oneself. Sartre tells us that if a person should make something out of his nothingness, then he makes use of his freedom. He has to make himself something out of this freedom. His freedom opens his world to a lot of choices. What one would want to do, what one would make out of the small money one has, what one will do when one wakes up in the morning. These things that one chooses to do will give him the being of man. Man cannot be sometimes slave and sometimes free; he is wholly and forever free or he is not free at all. For to be wholly free is to be given responsibility. And to not be free, one is not given responsibility, which will never be the case because only the beings-in-themselves or the ordinary objects are those that cannot assume responsibility. He must assume the situation with the proud consciousness of being the author of it. Our lives are like books. They have a plot, a setting and characters. But who makes things happen? Is it not us? We are the author of our own books, we make things happen. However bad the situation that we find ourselves in, we must assume responsibility and get through the challenge. Absolute responsibility is not resignation; it is the logical requirement of the consequences of our freedom. When free, man chooses to do things. And when man chooses to do things, these things will always have consequences. For example, man chooses to swim at high noon. After awhile, he finds himself with his skin burning from being exposed to the sun too long. This is the consequence of his actions. His freedom to choose his actions makes him absolutely responsible for whatever it brings to him. There is no non-human situation because all decisions are human. Even if we say that man does inhuman things, like that of nuclear war, murder and rape, this will never be a non-human situation simply because the decision to get involved is of human nature. You try to reason with yourself that maybe what you are doing is wrong and not just, and yet you still decide to do it. It is still a human who is behind the act; hence, it is not a non-human situation. There are no accidents in life. For lack of getting out of it, I have chosen it. It is a matter of choice. Here Sartre points out that what happens in life does not happen by chance. We get ourselves involved by our choice, and if we say we do not have a choice, and we cannot get ourselves out of it, we still have chosen it. Because we always have a choice. Even if that choice is suicide or not doing our duties, it is still an option to get out of a situation. Human – reality is without excuse. Lastly, Sartre tell us that one cannot ask, â€Å"Why was I born? or curse the day of his birth or declare that he did not ask to be born, for these various attitudes toward his birth – i. e. , toward the fact that he realizes a presence in the world – are absolutely nothing else but ways of assuming this birth in full responsibility and of making it his. When man becomes conscious of his p resence and being in this world, it follows that he accepts responsibility. Because now he knows and is fully aware of the things that he is doing, his freedom, and once aware of his freedom, he is found to be responsible. I think that Jean-Paul Sartre wants to find meaning in life just like everybody else. The answer to the question, â€Å"Why was I born? † Sartre answered simply. Unlike other schools of thought, namely the determinists and the proponents of free will, Sartre focused on man’s is being condemned to be free but with full responsibility. Sartre said that the proponents of free will are concerned with finding cases of decision for which there exists no prior cause or deliberations concerning two opposed acts which are equally possible and possess causes or motives of the same weight. Hence they try to reason that a person is born with the free will to find a cause for himself. However, the determinists reply saying that there is no action without a cause and that the most insignificant gesture refers to causes and motives which confer its meaning upon it. So for them, man is born with a cause already. Sartre simply answered this question when he said that man is born out of nothingness, and in this nothingness, he is free. And like most philosophical view points, Sartre is very much ridiculed for his existentialist values. There are objections to him mostly because of his atheistic ideals saying that he believes that we are living in a universe with no God, no morality, nothing absolute. Abandonment: Condemned to be Free) His stand on being free that leaves us with a feeling of abandonment because we are solely responsible for everything, comes from his realization that there is no supreme being, being God that guides us and supports us every step of the way. We are alone and we cannot ask for a God to help us in situations that we cannot possibly escape f rom. His definition of freedom permits everybody to do whatever we want, because we all have choices and responsibilities to bear. And if we have chosen to be a part of a non-human situation, we would still find ourselves deciding humanely. For example, a man participates in murdering another man, it is his choice to participate in the killing, and nobody forces him to do so. The other man is now dead, because man is free to choose what to do; he is not judged as doing something wrong. Instead, as long as he deems himself responsible for the killing, he is free. What we do not understand much is that our being free has to come with responsibility. Yes we get to do whatever we want, but we still have to consider the consequences and assume responsibility for it. By then, we cannot dare say that we did not want this. Nobody else is responsible for the things we do but ourselves. We choose, even if we say that we left it all to chance. Leaving it to chance is still an option that we choose. The life given to us, it is a choice. Everything we do, we do without regrets or remorse. There should be no excuses, for we are the authors of our situation, nobody else but us. In my own opinion, I greatly value Sartre’s work. He proves that there are so many reasons why we should enjoy our life here on earth and how much freedom we have. He points out a great deal of effort as to why we do things not needing a direct cause or a cause not to do it. But I do also possess a great amount of respect to the Supreme Being. I know that there are people who believe that they do not need a God, who believes that life here on earth is just passing and not really owed to him. But for me, that is not the case. I believe that we are not alone, and that there is someone out there who gives us hope and who makes us keep our faith. Yes, we have to be responsible for the things that we do. But that responsibility comes with great respect and consideration for other people around us. We just cannot hastily do things and hope that we do not get in the way of somebody. Life is governed by rules, by the law. If there will be none of these rules and laws, there is definitely chaos. And I do not think that suicide is neither an option nor a last resort. We cannot simply find the easy way out. What is the thrill in just killing yourself if you cannot overcome challenges and obstacles in your life? Why do you have family and significant others to share your dilemma with? I believe that our troubles are our responsibilities, but it does not stop us from asking help. There are now numerous numbers to call in case we decide not to confide to our family members or to our closest friends, especially if we want to remain anonymous. If other people find ways to help other people, especially those who established organizations like alcoholics anonymous, etc. , why can we not indulge in these as well? Yes we always have a choice, and suicide is not one of them. Yes we have the freedom to do that, but if you believe that everybody is given an equal and a second chance, would you do it? We do have our own burdens and crosses to carry, but everything is possible as long as we have faith. Faith in ourselves, to always have the courage to face our problems, faith in life, that it may not let us down and faith in the Supreme Being, to whom we know we are always taken care of.

Master of MSC marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Master of MSC marketing - Essay Example According to the research findings branding is considered as one of the hottest topics in the business field as its overall attraction and significance has become more important in the recent past. With the rise of the web and other I.T. technologies, the need to have effective branding strategy has became more significant. Further, the emergence of e-commerce has made it critical for the brand managers to develop effective and innovative branding strategies for their consumers. Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. An effective branding strategy therefore allows organizations to b ecome competitive and generate and deliver the kind of competitive advantage which allow them to better utilize the power of their brands. It is also important to note that the emergence of the globalization and the spread of Western values across the globe have increased the exposure of international brands to really diversified range of markets. In such a situation, it has become more critical for the brand managers to actually to use their branding strategy to achieve the competitive advantage at global level.... Further, the emergence of e-commerce has made it critical for the brand managers to develop effective and innovative branding strategies for their consumers.( Gammoh, Koh, & Okoroafo, 2011). Over the period of time, organizations have used branding as one of the important strategic tools to improve and consolidate their relationships with the customers. However, more importantly, branding has provided the organizations a strong chance to further penetrate into their chosen target markets. The strategic use of branding therefore is considered as one of the key strategic variables for organizations to manage and control effectively. An effective branding strategy therefore allows organizations to become competitive and generate and deliver the kind of competitive advantage which allow them to better utilize the power of their brands. (Ille, & Chailan,2011). (Kippenberger,2000). It is also important to note that the emergence of the globalization and the spread of Western values acr oss the globe have increased the exposure of international brands to really diversified range of markets. In such a situation, it has become more critical for the brand managers to actually to use their branding strategy to achieve the competitive advantage at global level (Buggie, 2001), One of the important and emerging themes regarding the impact of IT in branding, generally, is the ease with which marketers can actually communicate with their customers. The advent of the different digital media and the spread of internet have allowed brand managers to improve the coordination between the customers and the organization itself and hence the brands are getting better exposure in their target markets. e.( Davey, 2010). Some studies suggested

Rental and Tenant Laws in the US Research Paper

Rental and Tenant Laws in the US - Research Paper Example The Landlord tenant law is directed to oversee the rentals of residential and commercial properties. According to the Legal Information Institute, a number of states in the US have based their statutory laws under the prescribed Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act and it becomes an important factor during calamities and emergency situations and to prevent discriminations. Under the Federal Statutory Law, no one can be denied of its rights to rent an apartment on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex and age. One cannot be discriminated upon on the basis of familial status, that includes not allowing children, and pregnant women. This also includes physical disability, mental disability. Similar housing laws in states also prohibit discrimination against marital status and sexual orientation. This uniform law is being prescribed to all 50 states of the US. A particular state that upheld the landlord and tenant law is the California government that prohibits unlawful discrimination against any person on the basis of above cited factors. Under the California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act And Unruh Civil Rights, landlords cannot refuse to sell, rent or lease, or refuse to negotiate for a sale, rental or lease to persons on the basis of factors cited by law. Thus, a landlord cannot refuse a person simply because he is colored, or he belongs to an ethnic group. Landlords cannot just deny to these people housing accommodations, or to provide them inferior accommodations, services, facilities and services. Inferior accommodations may be considered as those housing that are with unsafe condition like falling roof or infested by mice or cockroaches. The law also advocates that rental spaces or housing be advertised in newspapers published by ethnic groups to avoid discr imination (CA.Gov.California Dept of Consumer Affairs 2010). Time limit A time limit of one year is set within which one may file complaint from the time the discriminatory act is committed. Complainant should state their formal charges, state how it happened and the names of those involved in the case. Exceptions to the rule However there is an exception to every rule, that the statutory rules does not apply to owner- occupied buildings that has only four or fewer rental units like duplex, or to the housing designated to senior citizens , and those offered by religious groups to their members only. No pet policy In California, a tenant cannot be refused if he owns a pet; most especially if it is a dog that serves as an eye seeing dog or helps him navigate in his disability situation. For instance, a landlord cannot refuse a disabled tenant simply because he owns a dog that helps him. If the landlord does so, he is violating the federal law as well as the American Disabilities Act. Citing a case of violation, the jury from Minneapolis, Minnesota concluded that the no pet policy of the landlord is a form of discrimination when he enforced this policy to a

MNE should stop outsourcing to developing countries 2 Assignment - 1

MNE should stop outsourcing to developing countries 2 - Assignment Example It is, therefore, the nature of human beings to be curious as the people were in the story. The story is a satirical piece, which the writer uses to mock human nature in general, and the Catholic Church. Criticism is seen from the father and the letter, which he sends to his superiors in Rome (382). The superiors do not look interested in coming to view the spectacle. Father Gonzaga is asked to talk to the Old man and see if his dialect is Aramaic. The superiors also ask Father Gonzaga to see how many times would fit in the head of a pin. This is an example of Catholicism, which refers to the medieval theory that was thought to be proof of God’s omnipotence. The superiors in the Catholic Church finally make a conclusion that the old man is a Norwegian sailor who is stranded. This statement makes the church sound literal minded and not in touch with reality. The church is also seen to have a wait and see tactic, as they do not do anything about the old man with enormous wings. They just wait until the end when the man flies off. They leave the man in Pelayo’s compound while they could have taken the man in their refuge so that they could find out everything about him. Human beings in the short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez do not care about the significance of life (384). Everyone in the story is afflicted by narrowness of vision. This is seen from the church to the neighbor woman, the pilgrims, and the crowd of onlookers. Elisenda is also viewed to be narrow as she chooses to keep her living room and kitchen living free instead of deciding to consider her uninvited guest who was different from them and oddly beautiful. Regret is also considered as part of human nature by the writer of the story. When Elisenda looks at the angel at the end of the story and realizes that she would probably never have a chance of seeing him again, regret is clearly depicted. The writer points out that most people