The Politics of Government Essay Example

The Politics of Government Essay When one looks at government today, it is very easy to see the role that politics play. From the shift of calling government officials public servants to the much more common and accurate term of politician, we can see the evolution of the public’s view of the practice over the years. However, looking back to before this shift occurred, we can see the that this idea was discussed and it was in Paul Appleby’s article, â€Å"Government is Different. Written in 1945, this article follows the end of World War II and preceded what was to become known as the Postwar Era. The article was also written during the The New Deal to Mid-Century period of Public Administration, which took place from the 1930’s-1950’s. Paul Appleby was interested in the proper qualifications one needed in order to be a competent public servant. He also described the differences in one would have in selecting an executive for a non-government business as opposed to picking a candidate to hold a government position. He also made the distinction between high level government positions and low level positions, stating that the qualifications for both were varied greatly. He started the article off with a general analogy that greatly clarifies the arguments he intended to make. The main point of this analogy was that when selecting a judge, one may not just necessarily select the most prominent lawyer, on the contrary, the qualifications that define a great lawyer do not necessarily describe a great judge. This is the basis to the arguments made throughout the remainder of the article. Appleby stated that when choosing government personnel the very basic qualification would be that the candidate for said positions actually have a deep rooted interest in gaining one of these positions. He says that there may be times one it is more desirable for people to hold a government position and that during these times more people may come forward in order to gain these positions. During these times, we must look past those that only show interest during the popular times and find those that have had an interest in government through the more fortunate times and the less fortunate ones as well. We will write a custom essay sample on The Politics of Government specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Politics of Government specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Politics of Government specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The reason being that those who are interested solely for factors such as â€Å"patriotism, desire for adventure, or other considerations†¦Ã¢â‚¬  will be unqualified for government work. He feels that those that don’t normally and consistently have an interest in government will not be good candidates and holds that this is especially true for upper-bracket positions. However, there are also positions in government that would require similar qualifications as those outside of government and therefore candidates for these positions could be reviewed interchangeably. This is found to be true in lower-bracket jobs such as â€Å"charwomen, elevator operators, messengers, clerks, and typists. † Even in these positions, Appleby still feels that those in these positions that prefer to work in the public sector would be the better fit for the position. Overall, the desire to be a public official is a key element in actually making a desirable public official. Another major qualification defined by the article is that anyone who wishes to be a public official should have the public interest in mind. This is essential in not only carrying out the job competently but also in ensuring that you will be able to retain your position. In comparison with the private sector, a public sector job comes with a larger group of difficulties. The main example is the most obvious, the job is public. This means that every decision you make, every conversation, letter, email, or any other form of communication is subject to scrutiny by the media and the general public. In the private sector all of these things are judged based on results with most issues of ethics and social aspects being ignored as long as the results are beneficial to the business. In government, even if the decision being made or the opinion being held is thought to be best, it is still subject to the scrutiny of those who believe it is either wrong in some way or could have been done differently. Also, in business, executives hire and fire who they please, within limits, without having to answer to the public or the media and the person being fired or hired has very little influence in the opinion of the company. In government, official’s must be aware of the way in which they handle employees because ny wrong move can bring negative media attention to a job that hinges on positive public opinion. Therefore, a government official must be well-versed in the art of working with people and understanding how an individual will be affected by the decisions being made. Also, a business looks at government very differently than government looks at business. For a business, the main goal is profit and growth, and it will conduct itself with those two goals in mind. For government, the goal is to keep the interest of the public satisfied in order to function efficiently and continually. Appleby states that government exists because â€Å"there is a need to have special persons in society charged with the function of promoting and protecting the public interest. † Business, bears in mind public interest but inevitably succumbs to the pressure of industrial interests which directly benefit or damage the business. Government has the undesirable job to not only consider what is necessary for itself but also with respect to all of its citizens. Therefore government makes decisions based on the popular demands of the public while trying to take the most uniform and fair actions possible. Appleby concludes his statements by stating that government has at least three broad aspects that differentiate it from all other institutions and activities. These are â€Å"breadth of scope, impact, and consideration; public accountability; political character. † As far as breadth of scope the national government can be compared to no business because its decisions must be applied to all Americans regardless of where they live whereas a business only needs to consider the affects in the geographical regions that it operates within. Also, no other institution is a publicly accountable, meaning that no decision that a single business makes is subject to the public scrutiny and debate that every government decision may be subject to. The last being political character, Appleby states that although â€Å"other institutions, admittedly, are not free from politics, but government is politics. † Because of this, every governmental executive lives and moves in the realm of public life and must be aware of this day in and day out. Also, in order to make a qualified government official one must have a general knowledge of all aspects of the job and not just their own pecialization. This article is of great importance to the understanding of Public Administration because it describes, with great detail, the job of a public servant not only as an official but more importantly as a politician. It teaches that in order to be an effective government executive, one must have a broad knowledge of many areas of government , economics, and the like without a need to specialize in any one section or study. Today it is easy for us to view our government officials as politicians, but I believe our definition of what that entails has changed from the times when Appleby used the term. For Appleby, I believe a politician was one that wanted to serve his country, that wished to hold a position in government in order to carry out the interest of the general public. Today, we see politicians doing whatever they can to be re-elected and many times relying solely on party lines disregarding what may be the most fair and uniform decisions to be made. As students of Public Administration, I believe it is important to take into account the originally meanings of these terms as well as what they imply as to what will make a competent and qualified public official.

A HISTORIOGRAPHY OF essays

A HISTORIOGRAPHY OF essays The tales of the Arthurian legend are some of the most popular from medieval times, and the reason for this is primarily due to their fabulous nature. In them are the exploits of heroes and the machinations of villains, the workings of sorcerers and the existence of magical objects. They embody the noble themes of chivalry and sacrifice, as well as those of revenge and evil. Action, violence, and sex are all included, and as shall be seen, there are many religious connotations as well. There are probably few people who are not familiar with the Quest for the Holy Grail, even if it is from exposure to the movie by Monty Python. The tales as most people know them, however, are the end result of centuries of change, both by the wandering minstrels and the serious authors of the medieval period. There exist numerous versions of each tale, and these versions are often contradictory. Roger Sherman Loomis was a noted medieval scholar, and a large part of the body of his work is an attempt to trace these tales to their origin. In going back to the roots of these tales, it is possible to see how and where variations took place. In Arthurian research, there are two main schools of thought. The first asserts that these tales have as their basis actual figures who lived in the towns and castles described in the tales and took part in the actions described, though obviously with some embellishment. The second school posits that these tales represent the evolution of even more ancient legends, the towns and castles (which are often factual) being inserted into the tales to lend them credibility. Loomis is a member of the latter. This historiography examines several of the works of Roger Sherman Loomis, which span the years from 1926 to 1964. In doing so, the nature of the origination of these tales will become evident, at least according to Loomis. First, however, some biographical information is in order. It may strike the read...

Write in APA format, a brief summary of 5 well known theories of Essay

Write in APA format, a brief summary of 5 well known theories of psychology(namely behavioural, cognitive, developmental, humanistic and personality) and give o - Essay Example He stated that it is not something that has to be repeated many times, but instead, if the behaviour that you want is clearly communicated, an individual will react to a familiar stimulus ("B.F. Skinner", 2008, p.1). Skinner called his theory "operant conditioning." He used a system of positive and negative enforcers to help strengthen or eliminate behaviours. The use of behavioural modification means that an individual may "change the consequences of behaviour in order to guide it to what is required. Skinner saw that although there would be a large task that was to be completed, it would be a better idea to break these larger steps down into small ones. This way a child could concentrate on one step at a time and be rewarded for the accomplishment of each task ("The 1950s, n.d.). In the view of the behaviourists, the way to motivate a child to learn is to reinforce the behaviour you want and ignore the behaviour you do not want. As an example, you have a child who does not want to clean their room. A chart can be set up and each time a child cleans their room, they receive a positive sticker (maybe a smiling face) on the chart. When they do not, they receive a negative sticker (maybe a frowning face). In order to go to McDonalds or get a special treat, they must have an accumulation of positive stickers. This can motivate a child to clean their room. Eventually, this will be made into a habit of course and you can gradually discontinue the stickers (according to his theory). The cognitive theorists were focused on finding out how people learned through understanding material in their environment. One of the foremost theorists in this area was Jean Piaget. He believed that children do not necessarily learn in a smooth way but in a series of stages of cognitive development. His stages include: Although many children follow this approach, many may find that they start the stages earlier than Piaget said. Other theorists like Vygotsky found that there were

Network Design Paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Network Design - Term Paper Example Additionally, at the moment, the departments lack secure networks and hence prone to frequent virus attacks. The director of the campus is seeking to improve security, raise network bandwidth, and also consolidate the multiple LANs into one campus network whilst keeping costs minimal. The major problems identified in the current network include: High rate of collisions Slow speed due to a large broadcast domain High administrative cost due to a lack of centralized network management Lack of backup WAN connectivity Lack of data backup on servers Inadequate network security Use of manually assigned IP addresses The campus building is 40 years and 2-storeyed. Its dimensions are as follows; Length: 240 Feet Width: 95 Feet Height: 30 Feet Workstation Placement Number of Workstations Users Total WS 6 Instructional Computer labs 21 WS Student and Instructor 126 WS (based on 20 WS for students and 1 WS for instructor on each lab * 6 labs) Student Computer Lab 30 WS Student 30 WS 6 Offices 1 WS Staff 6 WS 1 Admission office 5 WS Staff 5 WS Library 10 WS Student 10 WS Library 5 WS Staff 5 WS 4 Instructional Classrooms 1 WS Instructor 4 WS Total Server ? Staff To be determined by students Network Connecting Devices ? IT Staff To be determined by students Printers ? Staff To be determined by student Printers ? Instructional To be determined by student Definition of the subnet The following subnets are adopted in the design: Each lab is to have a subnet, totaling to 6 subnets The student computer lab is to be assigned a subnet of its own Staff members in all the offices will be assigned a subnet Students in the library will be assigned a subnet One subnet will be assigned to the instructors in the lecture rooms The two servers, one of the first floor and the other in the second floor will share a subnet Definition of the network address, subnet mask, and available IP addresses to be used by the computers or devices. Network Address: 10.15.0.0 Network Mask: 255.255.0.0 At le ast 11 subnets are required, implying a need for at least 31 addresses for each subnet. The closest number of addresses offered by a subnet is 32. Nonetheless, taking into consideration the fact that all subnets require a network address and a forecast address, 30 is the appropriate number of IP addresses. Given that the student computer lab requires a minimum of 31 addresses, 64-address subnet is required. Considering availability of a whole class B network, constituting a Class A address and a class B mask, it is possible to anticipate growth on the devices used in each classroom / office and make use of a whole Class C network for every subnet. This will allocate each subnet in 256 addresses whereby 0 would is to be the network address while 255 will be the broadcast address. This leaves 254-subnet IPs available for use. Proposed Subnets: Range 6 Instructional Computer labs 10.15.0.0/24 Addresses 10.15.0.1 - 10.15.0.254 10.15.1.0/24 Addresses 10.15.1.1 - 10.15.1.254 10.15.2.0/24 Addresses 10.15.2.1 - 10.15.2.254 10.15.3.0/24 Addresses 10.15.3.1 - 10.15.3.254 Student Computer Lab 10.15.10.0/24 Addresses 10.15.10.1 - 10.15.10.254 Staff members in all offices 10.15.20.0/24 Addresses 10.15.20.1 - 10.15.20.254 Students in the library 10.15.30.0/24 Addresses 10.15.30.1 - 10.15.30.254 Instructor’s on the 5 lecture rooms 10.15.40.0/24 Addresses 10.15.40.1 - 10.15.40.254 Servers on first and second floor

The Dependency Of Technology

The Dependency Of Technology Throughout history, mankind have been developing different types of technologies that allow him to simplify and enhance his lifestyle, since ancient times humans were developing new technologies to help them in activities to use a smaller amount of time and more do it more easily. Over the centuries, these rudimentary technologies were improved, and new ones have emerged in some cases replaced earlier technologies and others who came to meet new needs. These new technologies introduced at the same time, changes in the socio-cultural practices; therefore the world has begun to be characterized mainly by presenting a rapid development of technologies that enable the ease of communication. But the very rapidity of these has also generated a significant impact on society; this can be observed in the young people who excessively use specific technologies such as cell phones and the Internet, to the point that we are talking about a possible dependence of these new tools. The technology se ctor lives in constant motion. Each year we see more and better products and services that facilitate our daily and professional life and no doubt, in the coming decades we will see newer developments in this area. Most people who live in this world make use of new technologies, but we must consider a little that these new technologies not only have a positive side, but also a negative side. Most people only see the positive side of this and the fact that they can count on technologies such as social network and mobile phones that contain everything that a person needs to communicate; this has made us dependent of these new technologies. It sounds terribly dramatic, but the truth is that if we do not use one of these media for one day, we would not be satisfied. Maybe we should ask ourselves this question: are we dependent on new technologies? There are many advantages that technological advances have brought, but we must think that we have to pay as users of this new technology. Technological dependence is clearly seen when we look around and realize that we are surrounded by technological advances ranging from mobile phones, computers, ipod, and television; that have become part of our common lives causing in us a certain dependence. Technological development has grown at considerable speed and the consequences on society, countries and individuals are enormous. Technological development has a unique course we cannot alter, nor stop; It defines our lives. In the present, technological change is determined by a few large multinational corporations that in turn influence the behavior of consumers by advertising, so the consumer is directed to where they want. For example, for the people that must be continuously checking their e-mail; cell phones were invented, which already have mobile internet so that they can connect at any time and anywhere. Another example of how consumerism is relate to new technologies is the company Apple who release every years a new iphone and consumers often are content to upgrade for even the smallest improvementsa phenomenon that many people attribute to Apples advertising acumen. (Rachael Duane) It is important to emphasize that the same consumerism perceived by the people today in everyday life; it is the same that induces to the purchase of new and improved artifacts focused more than anything else as a whim and not as a necessity. The gap between consumption and need becomes increasingly close and more difficult to discern. At first glance, one might have the tendency to dismiss such aberrant cell phone use as merely youthful nonsense a passing fad. But an emerging body of literature has given increasing credence to cell phone addiction and similar behavioral addictions. (Roberts and Pirog). Technology is a means that on one hand brings us many advantages, but in the other hand, we have to establish that the use of artifacts such as the Internet and mobile phones are becoming of excessive use in young people, for Roberts and Pirog it is definite that all these artifacts are becoming a way of life for each one of them, and they say that the same young people are at a stage where they will become addicts to this devices if they do not know how to control themselves. They argue further that technology isolates people because it is now very common to see how many hours are devoted young to be on the network, because humanity is involved in a technological world, thats where people are starting to talk about the term technophile which is becoming more common every day. In addition several people are starting to consider technology dependency as any unhealthy dependency such as alcoholism or drug addiction. Jane Demerica thinks the opposite to what is set out in the article of Roberts and Pirog she says, that these new technologies are extremely beneficial for all and that it is difficult to speak of dependence in these technologies. New technologies in communication are optimal for better knowing people and expand the social circle. Meeting new friends- Shy kids can make new friends on the internet. (Jane Demerica) She also claims to have solved the problems of introversion and even ensures that parents feel reassured that their children are talking to friends who already know and are under supervision to help lower the risk. Another point where she is in favor is the mobile phones because she mentions, Cell phones make it easier for parents to keep track of their children. (Jane Demer ica) It can be seen that the technologies have a great potential to enhance and change the education system, which can break the prevailing cultural patterns so that technology does not bring so many prejudices and steers away from becoming a dependency. When schools in different parts of the state, country or world connect, students can meet their counterparts through video conferencing without leaving the classroom. (William McCoy). According to him, there is no abuse of technology rather this is the current key of teaching so children and youth should be therefore more exposed to the media. As a source of information the Internet provides immediate access to almost all knowledge collected by mankind in the history of civilization. In times where knowledge is power, access to the Internet puts a person in complete advantage over those who do not. With the internet a person can read the latest news on different topics, obtain information on employment opportunities, find out the latest f ashion trends, and learn from the written responses of millions of people in specialized forums and blogs. The downside is that many people infringe copyright because they are tempted by so much information and end up copying and pasting text and then present them as their own. This promotes laziness and dishonesty. Also, many people take advantage of the vast amount of personal information available on the Internet to blackmail or steal identities. Deferring to the thoughts of Demerica and McCoy. Psychologist Patricia Greenfield indicates that technology is causing the loss of critical thinking in students. She states that because of the incredible boom that technologies have on societies can begin to talk about the concept of dependence on technology, estimates that there are already hundreds incidents of Internet dependency. Although she is not totally disagree with the new technologies, she indicates to use both As students spend more time with visual media and less time with pr int, evaluation methods that include visual media will give a better picture of what they actually know. (Greenfield ). Addiction is increasing, it is giving following alteration in social and physical habits of young people and identifies these as other addictions, producing anxiety about being in touch with a computer and the need to be using it every minute, so that has made à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹a huge gap between use and abuse. Another person who is in favor with the views of Roberts and Pirog with regard to the mobile phones is Josip Ivanovic who says Teens natural tendency to follow trends may result in an emotional attachment to a cell phone (in its latest model) that is out of scale with its actual value. (Ivanovic) It can be said that many people, especially young people tend to use this device in a manner disproportionate, making it an addiction. Most people overuse the cell, nowadays users cannot leave it off for minutes, and if so they tend to turn it on a fter a short time to check for text messages or voice mails. People who are dependent of cell phones need to feel their devices in their hands, otherwise they will not feel good and this will generate anxiety, stress or despair. This new addiction attack to hundreds of people, and the worst thing of all is that they do not realize that they are addicted because they see it as something normal. The overuse of cell phones has become a social problem for tens of thousands of Americans not much different than other harmful addictions. (qtd in Chris Knippers) In addition, cell phone addiction can cause serious damage to the home environment; because it causes alienation when a member moves away to make a call or send a text message this generates a detachment of the family environment. We live in times where the use of technology is applied in every aspect of the society, which explains the technological dependence in which we live. Nowadays society applies new technology almost anywhere such as scientifically, socially and financially, But as a foundation for an important enconomic pillar in our country, I suspect were pushing the envelope of sane thinking. There is no such thing as an unhackable computer system. There is no such thing as a 24/7/365 computer system. (John M. Grohol). For example, if we go to the bank and the system goes down we cannot do anything because all the information about the clients is stored online; If a person wants to be served in any unit of government health, he has to make an appointment, but if it is rush hour in which all users want to make an appointment, the system will flood, and they wont be able to handle the appointment. Other problem could be if a system fails Because hospital systems are so complex, and require the careful integration of disparate, specialized software and hardware systems, single component downtime can greatly interrupt workflow. (Campbell, Guappone, Ash) New technologies have entirely changed the way of life of young people. In some respects very much improved. For example, in order to perform the school work children have to use a computer to do some research. In the last few years there has been a considerable advance in the technology, each time improving more what we already have, which is beneficial to our quality of life. The problem is that goes awry and creates addiction among children and adolescents, and presently technology can be considered as a drug. At first, results from the ease of communications appear valuable because it helps people to communicate with others who are far away, but if this trend persists, people who use this technology often will isolate. Young adults who use Facebook more frequently show more signs of psychological disorders, including antisocial behavior, mania and aggressiveness. (Larry Rosen). An example of this is Facebook where more and more people spends hours attached to this virtual community, and thus ignore their interpersonal relationships in the real world. For young people, I believe that new technologies have become a property of first need that gives them independence with respect to the outside world. Some of the things that stand out are the media such as television, social networks, the consoles such as the video games, mobile phones, the Internet, and photos and videos from digital cameras. This has caused a radical change in the socialization and how they relate. The presence and contact now have become a thing of the past. Friendships are now not visible by the use of technologies. For example, with the use of Facebook many people can meet new friends. The advantages that young people see in the new technologies are many and varied. For example, in social networks allows them to have a continuous communication. They can choose a person to talk or keep hidden until they feel confident most of the time they use it at home where they feel safe and uninhibited, which causes parents to lose and control of their children. These technologies also have an impact on family relations, creating privacy for the children, which is hardly controllable by the parents, because most of the population now has a computer at home with internet access. The computer is a useful tool in everyday life as it helps us to make academic work and non-academic work. Although it is a very important tool in our daily lives today we have also become very dependent on it because we can not do anyt hing if we do not have a computer, this mainly happens because our environment demands the use of this tool each day at work or school, and nobody denies that it is a very useful tool for everyday tasks, but when a person rely on something that is what we dread to think what will happen when this technology is not around us. From a computer with internet connection a person can buy anything, from books to a house. There is no need that could not be met with the Internet and a credit card with funds. Someone with Internet connection could live his entire live without having to leave his home. This also means that the Internet offers an endless variety of business opportunities, from basic Web page creation, sales of traditional products, to even sales of stranger things. The negative side of these are of course spam, phishing, and other forms of fraud; through which unscrupulous people look for to get rich quick. Fraud can also come from the buyers side, because many thieves of credi t cards use the Internet to make purchases under the name of their victims, emptying their bank accounts and ruining their reputation. In conclusion, technology is a phenomenon that surrounds us all with artifacts and technical devices on a daily basis, is an element that is maintained for the length of time and we remain equally or more wrapped up in a technological world that teaches us a new way of learning, and adaptation. Technological dependence is part of our lives because nowadays no one is free of this phenomenon on the global level. An example of this are the universities which indirectly involve students in this system, the same applies to jobs or simply with the Chat, which is limiting personal relations, replacing them with virtual communication. All this becomes dependence when individuals cannot perform their daily activities without the use of some device, or better said function in society without occupying any technological tool. Historically, technology has been used to meet basic needs such as food, clothing, and housing. But also for other negative purposes such as, create weapons to persuade an d dominate people. Technological activity affects the social and economic progress, but also produced the deterioration of our environment. Technologies can be used to protect the environment and prevent the growing needs cause depletion or degradation of material and energy resources of our planet. Avoiding these negative aspects is the task not only of governments, but of all the people living on the planet. Although technology has a number of disadvantages, I think the advantages of these are more favorable to mankind. In fact, one could say that without sustainable development of the technology, the humans would not be more than an ordinary living being on this planet. The inventions of man are indicators of the cognitive evolution of the same, and in their eagerness to learn, can overcome evolutionary barriers such as adaptability to certain climates, and defense against diseases. Unfortunately, it is man who decides how to use it. Certain types of men see technology as weapons for war, others as tools that help us improve the quality of life of the species.

Indus Valley Civilization.

Indus Valley Civilization. The earliest traces of civilization in the Indian subcontinent are to be found in places along, or close, to the Indus river. Excavations first conducted in 1921-22, in the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, both now in Pakistan, pointed to a highly complex civilization that first developed some 4,500-5,000 years ago, and subsequent archaeological and historical research has now furnished us with a more detailed picture of the Indus Valley Civilization and its inhabitants.The Indus Valley people were most likely Dravidians, who may have been pushed down into south India when the Aryans, with their more advanced military technology, commenced their migrations to India around 2,000 BCE. Though the Indus Valley script remains undeciphered down to the present day, the numerous seals discovered during the excavations, as well as statuary and pottery, not to mention the ruins of numerous Indus Valley cities, have enabled scholars to construct a reasonably plausible account of the Indus Valley Civilization.Some kind of centralized state, and certainly fairly extensive town planning, is suggested by the layout of the great cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro. The same kind of burnt brick appears to have been used in the construction of buildings in cities that were as much as several hundred miles apart. The weights and measures show a very considerable regularity. The Indus Valley people domesticated animals, and harvested various crops, such as cotton, sesame, peas, barley, and cotton. They may also have been a sea-faring people, and it is rather interesting that Indus Valley seals have been dug up in such places as Sumer.In most respects, the Indus Valley Civilization appears to have been urban, defying both the predominant idea of India as an eternally and essentially agricultural civilization, as well as the notion that the change from ‘rural’ to ‘urban’ represents something of a logical progression. The I ndus Valley people had a merchant class that, evidence suggests, engaged in extensive trading. Neither Harappa nor Mohenjodaro show any evidence of fire altars, and consequently one can reasonably conjecture that the various rituals around the fire which are so critical in Hinduism were introduced later by the Aryans.The Indus Valley people do not appear to have been in possession of the horse: there is no osteological evidence of horse remains in the Indian sub-continent before 2,000 BCE, when the Aryans first came to India, and on Harappan seals and terracotta figures, horses do not appear. Other than the archaeological ruins of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, these seals provide the most detailed clues about the character of the Indus Valley people. Bulls and elephants do appear on these seals, but the horned bull, most scholars are agreed, should not be taken to be congruent with Nandi, or Shiva’s bull.The horned bull appears in numerous Central Asian figures as well; it is also important to note that Shiva is not one of the gods invoked in the Rig Veda. The revered cow of the Hindus also does not appear on the seals. The women portrayed on the seals are shown with elaborate coiffures, sporting heavy jewelry, suggesting that the Indus Valley people were an urbane people with cultivated tastes and a refined aesthetic sensibility. A few thousand seals have been discovered in Indus Valley cities, showing some 400 pictographs: too few in number for the language to have been ideographic, and too many for the language to have been phonetic.The Indus Valley civilization raises a great many, largely unresolved, questions. Why did this civilization, considering its sophistication, not spread beyond the Indus Valley? In general, the area where the Indus valley cities developed is arid, and one can surmise that urban development took place along a river that flew through a virtual desert. The Indus Valley people did not develop agriculture on any large scale, and con sequently did not have to clear away a heavy growth of forest. Nor did they have the technology for that, since they were confined to using bronze or stone implements.They did not practice canal irrigation and did not have the heavy plough. Most significantly, under what circumstances did the Indus Valley cities undergo a decline? The first attacks on outlying villages by Aryans appear to have taken place around 2,000 BCE near Baluchistan, and of the major cities, at least Harappa was quite likely over-run by the Aryans. In the Rig Veda there is mention of a Vedic war god, Indra, destroying some forts and citadels, which could have included Harappa and some other Indus Valley cities.The conventional historical narrative speaks of a cataclysmic blow that struck the Indus Valley Civilization around 1,600 BCE, but that would not explain why settlements at a distance of several hundred miles from each other were all eradicated. The most compelling historical narrative still suggests tha t the demise and eventual disappearance of the Indus Valley Civilization, which owed something to internal decline, nonetheless was facilitated by the arrival in India of the Aryans.

Marketing Plan Phase Essay

Marketing increases awareness of an organization’s products and services. In the current technology driven market, organizations must constantly develop and promote new products and services to meet customer needs. The following plan outlines a proposed Kids’ Area for Best Buy. Company Overview Best Buy is a growth company focused on better solving the unmet needs of our customers, and we rely on our employees to solve those puzzles† (Best Buy, 2009-2015). In 1966 Robert Schulze and his business partner James Wheeler opened Sound of Music Inc. in an effort to produce a share of the home and car stereo retail market. In 1970 Schulze decided to buy out his partner and continued to develop his retail chain. Schulze began to realize that he needed to alter the direction that his company was going in, so he attended a seminar that brought him to turn the possibilities into a reality. The first change was to expand the offerings of the organization that would include VCR’s, and appliances, which would ultimately bring in more revenue for the company, about 9.3 million for the year to be exact. In 1983 Sound of Music changed their name to Best Buy, and aimed toward a broader more comfortable customer base. As of today Best Buy has more than a dozen brand names, operates on four continents, in over 3000 stores (Best Buy, 2009-2012). Best Buy’s mission is to continue to profit and grow as a team by providing their customers with exceptional value and a great shopping experience (Best Buy, 2009-2012). Service Proposal Kids Corner will give parents a valuable service who have the desire to get in and out of Best Buy without acquiring the hassle of going from place to place to find items for their children. Kids Corner comes as a benefit to parents and their children who want to buy the hottest games and other little gadgets for their children. This particular area is a place where parents and children can find the electronics and accessories that kids want in one location instead of running all over the store to find what they need. Another added perk of Kids Corner is the online features and service that will give children the opportunity to play online games, parents can evaluate different products and modify their online profiles. Kids Corner will be separated according to age groups ranging from: 3-17 year olds. Grouping according to age is how Best Buy will decide what products go where. The three to five year old sections will consist of mostly educational and some electronic games, kid’s movies and dvd’s. This area will add an extra touch with decorated pictures of Disney, marvel, and educational characters. For the six to ten10 year old area it will feature educational games, software, video games, music and dvd’s. The 11-14 year olds (pre-teens) will have music, dvd’s, gaming accessories, educational games and software, cell phones, and cameras. The 15-17 year olds (teens) area will consist of music, music accessories, video games and accessories, dvd’s computers, cell phones, and other gadgets. Marketing Approach Approaching marketing research for the idea of a Kids Corner for Best Buy would need to include different fundamentals, such as consumer analysis for demographics, psychographics, behavioral patterns, including buying habits, and geographical scenarios. The goal of marketing a Kids Corner for Best Buy is to make Best Buy widely known and recognized for promoting a kid friendly environment. Another important aspect for research is the competition of competing with other electronics stores that offer the same service. Researchers perform psychographic research by engaging the consumers to say yes or no to activities, personal interests, and personal opinions about the marketing research conducted. When research has been completed the results are shared in regard to geographic and demographics, according to characteristics of the target area (Business Dictionary, 2013). Psychographics will generate an in-depth profile of the consumers who participate in the research. The research will p resent an opportunity to collect data on activities, interest, and opinions that will be advantageous to both the consumers and Best Buy’s sales power. The success of Kids Corner will depend on a solid marketing plan that must be focused on the consumers more rather than the power of the service offered. The plan will cover advertising, promotions, public relations, and sales. Strategically, although quality service is also crucial, the buying public still has their personal preferences Clancy, 2008). If Kids Corner targets more of the consumers needs, they will come back again and bring along potential customers. The research plan will include research on other competing electronics stores to allow Best Buy to identify if the needs for a Kids Corner would be beneficial to the organization’s needs. If the data collected shows the service is already offered by the competitors than Best Buy can shift is marketing strategies to accommodate consumers, by marketing a scenario that the other electronics stores does not offer. The marketing strategies will also need to focus on the contributions of consumers who in turn will contribute to the success of Best Buy Kids Corner and their needs. Pricing is another important aspect of the marketing strategy, and it will need to be affordable. The results of the surveys conducted as well as the needs of services will help determine Best Buy Kids Corner geographical areas depending on Best Buy stores locations. Understanding the markets needs, consumer contributions, developing, and building upon the strategy proposed, and implementation of the plan, to include monitoring the plan are the marketing steps used to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the marketing approach (Clancy, 2008). SWOTT Analysis A SWOTT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and trends) analysis on the new Kids Corner service offered at all Best Buy store locations: Strengths: Best Buy’s internal strengths include their available resources and capabilities that can be used in the development of a competitive advantage. * The innovative development of a new service called Kids Corner * Best Buy is a $50 billion Fortune 100 company (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy has an average of 1.6 billion visitors per year via in-store, on-line, and mobile device (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy continues to experience growth via acquisitions and mergers, i.e. Magnolia Hi-Fi, Inc. and Geek Squad (Best Buy, 2009 – 2015). * Best Buy leads the way in Consumer Electronics compared to other discount stores such as Walmart and Target. Best Buys largest competitor is RadioShack Corporation. * Reorganization of the existing space in the already large Best Buy stores to make room for Kids Corner. * Use existing â€Å"sample/interactive† products, i.e. hand held video games, toys, etc. as tax write-offs. * Knowledgeable customer service and highly trained/tech savvy staff to serve the customers. * Competitive edge over other electronic department stores with the existing branded image and children’s focused department. * Best Buys Trade-in program compensates consumers in a variety of ways for used electronics products. Weaknesses: Best Buy’s internal weaknesses are items not as transparent to consumers and may be viewed as weaknesses. * Lack of knowledge specific to children’s electronics/toys. * Undifferentiated products or services in relation to Best Buy competitors. * Interactive displays may expire quickly with overuse in the Kids Corner. * If RadioShack Corporation were to offer a similar service this could lead to confusion of consumers and possibly damage the brands. * Training staff specifically to children’s electronics and toys ma y lead to additional funds for re-training the Kids Corner if the strategy is reconsidered. * Success of the Kids Corner is dependent upon consumers seeking child specific products. Opportunities: Best Buy has many external opportunities with the addition of the childcare center. * Best Buy could expand Kids Corner to online and mobile service with children’s electronics/toys customer service readily available via online chat or by telephone. * Increased sales by customers simply spending more time on their personal shopping by having the ability to have a highly visual Kids Corner in-store where knowledgeable staff is available to assist with products specific to the Kids Corner. * The implementation of the Kids Corner opens doors to other growth opportunities, such as mergers or acquisitions pertaining to children’s products. Threats: Best Buy’s potential threats from the external environment * Competitors could develop a similar service and cause consumer confusion of the brand and possibly damage the brand. * Increase in labor costs specific to hiring and training for children’s electronics/toys offered in Kids Corner * Online competitor’s ability to sell consumer electronics at lower prices. * Online gaming sites are reducing the consumers need to purchase games. Many websites offer free games for children, i.e. Disney.com and Nickelodeon.com. Trends: Best Buy’s management team has various avenues of marketing research available to determine the success of the Kids Corner service. * Demographically, Best Buy stores are generally located in city suburbs that encompass large amounts of families. The large amount of families in a close radius to Best Buy locations encourages the implementation of the new Kids Corner service. Changes in demographics could lead to Best Buy restructuring or reconsidering the Kids Corner service. * Economic environments of city suburbs include both large corporations and small business with low amounts of unemployment. Best Buy’s m anagement can review the markets economic status by assessing various publicly available reports both finance and employment rates. Management can make decisions to develop new strategies to encompass the changing economic environment. * Best Buy practices sustainability in their Trade-In program available to customers who want to trade used electronics to receive in-store credit or check on site to refurbish or recycle used electronics. *Children’s electronic products are included in the Trade-In program. * Best Buy’s primary focus is on technology and offering the most advanced consumer electronics to consumers. Best Buy learns about consumers needs and wants by performing extensive research by in-store customer interaction and consumer purchases, online research of publicly available survey results, reviewing the success of their primary competitor’s products, and by conducting online surveys available on the Best Buy website. This data allows Best Buy to determine what products and services to offer next such as the Kids Corner. Marketing Strategy â€Å"8- to 12-year-olds spend $30 billion of their own money each year and influence another $150 billion of their parents’ spending† (Lagorio, 2009). Best Buy is making their kids products easier to find and to purchase. With the marketing strategy, Best Buy notices a high conversion rate of children’s products, but doesn’t want to dilute their other client segments by turning the culture of Best Buy into a kid’s store. Best Buy has found a way to grow their child customer base, while making it easy and convenient for the parents, children and other customer segments. Location of the Kids Corner will be a major part of executing this strategy. By consolidating the children’s products into a specific part of the stores globally, called the Kids Corner, it offers a better overall culture to the client segments Best Buy has identified. The parents who are looking for their children can get all their children’s needs at one, convenient place, while Best Buy continues to cross sell and up sell. Pricing causes challenges and in many cases, Best Buy and other stores have hard times cutting prices in the latest and greatest electronics and toys. Offering a specifically targeted shopping convenience is proven to increase revenue with new and loyal customers. Promoting with both in store and online ads will drive awareness. Online marketing will make it easier to market toward those you know have kids. Emails and banner ads showcasing the Kids Corner will be sure to keep parents coming for more. Conclusion The Kid’s Area seeks to enhance the shopping experience for Best Buy’s customers. By conveniently gathering products for children, Best Buy targets products more accurately. This accuracy increases the likelihood of success for Best Buy’s overall market strategy. Reference About Best Buy. (2009 – 2015). Retrieved from http://pr.bby.com/about-best-buy/ http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500823_162-2798401.html Lagorio, C. (2009). Resources: Marketing To Kids. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500823_162-2798401.html