Automated Voting System

This chapter discuss about the The Student Council elections have always been a perennial activity for every school. It is an activity wherein each student is required to choose from a set of candidates who will represent each position in the Student Council. In order for the student to accomplish this, the student must go through several processes. First the student must go to the Administration Office if he is a registered voter, then goes to the voting area and chooses the candidates he likes. After that, the student submits the filled-up ballot form to the voting administrator in order for his votes to be cast. Then the student is marked with an indelible ink to signify that he has already voted. After all the votes have been cast, the voting procedure goes again through several processes. The votes are collected and are then counted, which could take several hours to several days, depending on the volume of votes. Background of the Study The chapter discuss computers greatly enhance the speed and efficiency of voting process. Results could be attained even right after the elections reducing the time to a mere fraction compared to the time it takes if the voting is done manually. It also increases the level of the voting experience because of multimedia enhancements. The present generation, people became more literate especially with the use of computers. Technologies emerged to introduce many different ways of advancement. Computer machines are of these. Computers now in existence are the most powerful machines than can do anything people’s lives. It is in this effect that the proponent has decided to propose a system to improve the existing manual voting system. The proponent aims to convert the existing manual system into an automated voting system. Information Technology Elections are held in every school year for the BSIT students of Arellano University-Pasig. Where the positions are President, Vice- Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor, P. I. O, and First year to Fourth year Representative. Using computers would make the election faster. With the new system, votes are tallied and transmitted electronically.

Advantages of Technology Essay

One of the new technology police officers are taking advantage of are the Stun Guns. Stun gun, hand-held electronic device that produces a high-voltage pulse that can immobilize a person for several minutes with no permanent damage in most cases. It is powered by ordinary batteries, which supply power to a circuit containing transformers, oscillators, capacitors, and electrodes. A Taser works by creating an electrical circuit, a closed path through which electricity travels. A battery in the gun supplies the electricity. When the gun is not in use, the electricity can’t flow through it and complete the circuit, because the two darts are not in contact with each other. But when the darts hit a person, they can stick to skin or clothing. The person’s body then closes the circuit, and electricity flows through it, delivering a powerful shock. A series of shocks can be delivered to the same person, once the darts have implanted them-selves. The strength of an electric curre nt is measured in two ways. One measure, called amperage, is the amount of electricity that flows in the circuit. Amperage is like the amount of water that flows through a hose. The second measure, called voltage, is the amount of force behind the electricity. Voltage is like the pressure of water in a hose. Stun guns are designed to be non-lethal–to have a high voltage but a low amperage. In other words, the guns put a lot of pressure behind low-intensity electricity–like a hose that shoots a thin stream of water. The high voltage allows the current from the darts to jump through even thick clothing, but the low amperage limits the amount of electricity flooding through the body (Jozefowicz, 2006). Supporters say that electroshock guns are a safer alternative to devices such as firearms. TASER International uses the term â€Å"non-lethal† as defined by the United States Department of Defense – which does not mean the weapon cannot cause death, but that it is not intended to be fatal. Non-lethal weapons are defined as â€Å"weapons that are explicitly designed and primarily employed so as to incapacitate personnel or material, wh ile minimizing fatalities, permanent injury to personnel, and undesired damage to property and the environment.† Supporters say that electroshock weapons and tasers are more effective than other means including pepper-spray (an eye/breathing irritant), batons or other conventional ways of inflicting pain, even hand guns, at bringing a subject down to the ground with a minimum physical exertion (Agnes, 2004, p. 1423). I am for police stun guns and I believe  stun guns are great because they’re used instead of deadly force, but unfortunately most of the time, they’re used instead of yelling, handcuffing, and repeating instructions. It should be required that the stun gun spray ink on the hands of the person who discharges it, then at least the people would have some incentive to use restraint with them. Or maybe even put a counter on it, so the cop has to write a report of why he discharged it. Stun guns do not kill (except in very odd cases) help protect both the police and the person they are up against from being too hurt. Critics, however, charge that police officers who are r isk-averse resort to tasers in situations where previously they would have used more conventional, less â€Å"extreme† techniques, such as trying to reason with a cornered suspect. Another new technology that not only police officers are taking advantage, but also the public is the patrol car video surveillance. One of the biggest limitations of police officers and other agents of the law is the inability to properly assess a large or dangerous situation in times of need. Errors in judgment about riots, car chases or other instances of civil disobedience could wreak havoc and cause danger to innocent bystanders, participants, or the officers themselves. Video surveillance cameras and other methods of communication between officers provide a valuable solution to a pressing problem. Surveillance methods used by officers and police departments may vary, and can be anything from a video surveillance camera mounted on the dashboard of a patrol car or the skids of a helicopter, to an unmanned aerial drone or a red light camera at an intersection. Each of these surveillance cameras brings a different benefit to police officers and has been valuable in times of need. As freeways and interstate travel became more popular, more and more police officers and state troopers were needed on highways and interstates to control speeding, drunk driving, and other unsafe driving practices like tailgating. As behaviors like road rage became more widespread, unwarranted attacks on officers increased. Dash-mounted video surveillance cameras recorded these attacks and provided evidence in the prosecution of the attackers (Agnes, 2004, p. 1517). A patrol car’s video camera can prove to be a powerful training tool that allows the police to carefully review actual patrol stops, and subsequently help their  officers to identify potential safety or procedural problems that may require modification or improvement. They also help in preparing evidence for court. In regard to stun guns, I believe that many police agencies consider a stun gun as a welcomed alternative to the deadly force of a conventional gun. References Agnes, Michael (2004). Webster’s New World College Dictionary (4th ed.). Cleveland, Ohio:Wiley. Jozefowicz, C. (2006). â€Å"Undue force? Taser stun guns are designed to be nonlethal, but criticssay the guns have killed some people.† Retrieved December 9, 2007, from CurrentScience, a Weekly Reader publication 91.12 (March 3, 2006): 10(5). GeneralOneFile. Gale. University of Phoenix Advantages of Technology Essay Over the past few years, technology has been changing and expanding in every way possible. Even though it might seem like todays technology has reached its limits, that is far from the truth. It was only about twenty years ago that â€Å"personal computers† became small enough and affordable enough to buy and use. Ever since, technology has been changing peoples lives for the better. One way that technology has changed our lives for the better is by making business results faster and more accurate. â€Å"Think back to how business was done a few decades ago. There was no email,Internet, mobile marketing, telecommuting or smartphones. Now communications are instantaneous, huge amounts of information move through email and the Internet and powerful tools are in the hands of owners and employees. Innovations in technology have improved operations at companies of all sizes and helped turn small local businesses into global businesses† says the Houston Chronicle. This shows that the use of technology has had a huge impact on how businesses run, causing a huge increase in economy growth. One other example of an advantage in technology is it has boosted entertainment through games and computer programs. â€Å"Videogame systems such as Nintendo’s Wii and Microsoft’s X-Box have created a boom in at-home gaming. With the growing popularity of smartphone applications, games can now be played almost anywhere.The upside for consumers? They get easy, convenient access to an enormous variety of entertainment, all available whenever they want it. Movie lovers can rent a movie for $1 from their local Redbox during a trip to the grocery store or stream a movie directly through their TV using Netflix or Apple TV. Music fans can listen to their favorite band’s album online while trading digital files of songs with friends† says contributor Elizabeth Blackwell. This shows that technology really has boosted entertainment for people, for the better. We have games, movies, and music right at our fingertips with the touch of a button. I’m sure everyone is not near as bored as they were decades ago! In conclusion, technology truly has changed our lives for the better with all of its amazing advanages. From computers, to phones, to brilliant machines, we’ve got it all! Maybe one day robots will walk with us on earth. If the rapid growth of technology continues, who knows? Anything is possible.

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Study Article

Quantitative and Qualitative Research Study - Article Example identification of the problem, methods of carrying out the research, the findings, the barrier to the implementation process and finally the discussion. Quantitative study is more reliable as it as a development of the qualitative study. This method of research is basically a primarily examining research. This is because it’s applied to get awareness and an understanding opinions, and incentives. This research offers insights into the problem or assists to come up with different ideas as well as the applicable hypotheses for a possible quantitative research. Qualitative Research is besides applicable in uncovering process on the trends in beliefs and ideas, and usually digs deeper into the problem. The collection of Qualitative data is via methods that vary as they are not structured or are semi-structured methods. Some of the common methods comprise focus groups, interviews, and participation, and observations. In this method, the sample size is usually small, and the subjects that are selected are representatives of a particular quota (Glassman, 2004). Based on my experience as a nurse, the development of an effective evidence-based practice (EBP) is very essential. In order for a nurse to display credibility, they ought to display an effective incorporation of evidence, comprising of research findings, to their clinical decision-making process. For this to be implemented, nurses ought to develop a interrogative and critical outlook to practice by developing a question about nursing practice that may come from a various sources such as patients. A good question is developed via the help of the PICO analysis. The next step is to look for most relevant evidence on the question. Evidence is present in books and journals done by individuals with awareness in EBP and with professional expertise. These sources are present in the internet and specialist databases such as the university libraries. Locating the evidence is often time consuming (Cranston, 2002). It

Bipolar Disorder Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Bipolar Disorder - Essay Example A patient may experience high moments in life that is indicated in extreme joy and energy. On the other hand, the patient may undergo low moments that manifest in depression. However, depression is indicated by symptoms that stay for long and influence an individual’s daily tasks. Generally depression is a mood illness triggered by an incorporation of environmental, biological, genetic and psychological aspects. Depression influences the body and mind-affecting physical, feelings, and behavior and thoughts states. A patient with bipolar disorder faces mood swings that manifest in feelings of loneliness, helplessness, weakness, sadness and depression. The tell signs and symptoms of depression include lack of interest in hobbies, feeling irritable and sad. The illness can also inhibit eating and sleep, can be the root for unexplained stomachaches and headaches. Depression can also result to aspiration to be alone, aggression, quarrelsome conduct that put pressure on relationship s with friends and families. The illness also interferes with the ability of the individual to recall events and concentration which affects the academic performance. In other cases patients have ideas of committing suicide or death (Leonard & Jovinelly, 2012). All these symptoms are different for various people. From the mentioned symptoms, the patient in question suffers from bipolar disorder as per her high and low moods as witnessed by the family. The mentioned patient developed a depressed mood over a period of one week, thus is not suffering from major depression as in major depression the signs and symptoms persist for a minimum of two weeks and above (Moragne, 2011). To treat bipolar disorder, bio-psychosocial approach is used. The patient has to be enrolled in a comprehensive case management program where he/she will access care, receive evidence-based pharmacotherapy and psychoeducation. Moreover, the family is to take part in this treatment program so that each

Maritime Law Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Maritime Law - Literature review Example That’s why additional measures have been taken by the stakeholder governments taking the responsibility to distress the situation off the coast of Somalia. Legal issues have been an obstacle in the taking of additional measures to preventing, controlling and punishing acts of piracy as high seas do not come under the jurisdiction of any individual country’s rights over the high-seas. That’s why global level efforts and initiatives have been taken to collectively suppress piracy not only under the UNCLOS Agreement related to enforcing but at the human level to consider and analyse the economic situation within Somalia to raise the economic standard of the people by providing help to the people so that they could find better means of earning and distract themselves away from acts of piracy. Under UNCLOS piracy has been defined as: Any unlawful act of violence, detaining or plundering for personal benefit by the ship crew or passengers on board taking place either o n the high seas against an individual or a ship or within the jurisdiction of the state. Any willing inclination to operate the ship and having complete knowledge of the things to turn the ship into a pirate ship or provoking to commit such an act is against the law (UNCLOS Part VII). Piracy has been totally banned and taken as against human values in customary global law. According to the American Jurisprudence definition of piracy, â€Å"Piracy is inherently an offense against the law of nations†, this necessitates having a universal jurisdiction on it (American Jurisprudence, 2003). The jurisdiction of the customary law on piracy deems it as â€Å"an offence against the law of nations†. UNCLOS has taken the stand that in the absence of a global tribunal on piracy, it is the responsibility of the global community to suppress piracy on the high seas. The capturing nation has been given the task of prosecuting the pirate caught on the high seas. The customary law has c hanged its stance from the state-centric to following the global law irrespective of what the municipal law states (UNCLOS Part VII). Under the UNCLOS, both the definitions of the terms related to â€Å"pirate† and â€Å"territorial waters† have been defined. The territorial waters are 12 miles into the sea from the coastline of the littoral state. UNCLOS has defined the term â€Å"High seas† as that area of the sea which is 200 miles further from the coastline, conditional to global laws. Such demarcation of the sea area helps in deciding the jurisdiction of an act of piracy (UNCLOS Part VII). The history of piracy goes back to the medieval period when the Vikings indulged in piracy acts in Europe. Later piracy expanded to Asia, American and African waters. Off late, the most affected countries have been Nigeria and Indonesia but from 2005, the waters away from the eastern coast of Africa, particularly Somalia have faced recurrent pirate operations making it da ngerous area. There is difference in the past acts of piracy with that of done currently. A number of factors are responsible for increased occurrences of pirate attacks on the Somalia waters, which are: Costly and risky cargo onboard ships. Ships carrying oil get hijacked as it happened in 2008 when a Saudi Ship, Sirius Star, valued approximately $250 million, carrying oil worth 2 million barrels for the U.S. posed great risk on the environment and causing

The Reality of Work Cultures in the Modern Economy Essay - 1

The Reality of Work Cultures in the Modern Economy - Essay Example Protestant work ethic and its impact upon the lives and attitudes to work of employees Sennett refers in his book to the Max Weber’s The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism as to an important illustration of two contrary ethical standards: self-fashioning and self-discipline (1998, 102). Based on this book, the Protestant work ethic implies that employees should not harry with their desire for self-fulfillment and gratification, rather, they should delay this desire to the end. According to the Protestant concept which is based on the religious pillars, people should have practiced self-denial in the present and sacrifice themselves every day thus proving their worthiness in the sight of God (Sennett 1998, 103). This ideology has been transformed into the â€Å"worldly asceticism† and in the workplaces people were focused on saving instead of spending, pursuing the long-term result and achievements (Sennett 1998, 103). Discipline as an act of self-punishment also was an integral element of the Protestant’s work ethic. The Protestant emplo yee was taking fully a responsibility for his/her lived time and judged morally based on this key criterion. Based on this concept every individual was morally responsible for the time and quality of work he/she performed during the working hours as well as for time he/she spent out of work: at home, with family and children, sleeping, having a rest, etc.

Brain Research Supports Differentiation Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Brain Supports Differentiation - Research Paper Example The learning atmosphere should appear friendly and safe to a student, since a disturbed child tends to release such chemicals that hamper learning. Likewise, if a student will fees overstressed due to arduous curriculum or any other factor, then his brain will release excessive neurotransmitters that will inhibit learning. As opposed to this, the brain would fail to generate chemicals required for optimal learning if a child is presented with an easy curriculum. After a series of quantitative and qualitative researches, patterns developed that reflected how differentiation variables constructively influenced student accomplishment (Subban, 2006). Not every student will achieve unless teachers themselves do not confidently believe that all students are achievers. Effective teaching should be explicit; the mind-set of teachers needs to be reformed. Practical qualitative researches demonstrated that learning style was synonymous with selection and preference. Moreover, it exposed that achievement escalated by utilizing choice charts; and a regression analysis showed that achievement accelerated by 0.007 by differentiation in reading in accordance with learning styles. Learning style is an integral aspect of qualitative analysis in studying differentiation. Pragmatic classroom observations and discussion with teachers led to the notion that learning styles comprised the elements of choice and preference. Tomlinson and Allan define differentiation as a reply to the needs of a leaner (Tomlinson & Allan, 2000). Teachers should use differentiation in subject matter, procedure, and outcome, in the light of a student’s interest, zeal, and learning profile. Several qualitative studies like Shaughnessy (chapter IV) have concluded that selection, curiosity, and learning styles have a bearing on the motivation and preference of a student. Another imperative question is whether student achievement is

Addition to prescription drugs among elderly Annotated Bibliography

Addition to prescription drugs among elderly - Annotated Bibliography Example Administration on Aging. Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/AoARoot/AoA_Programs/HPW/Behavioral/docs2/Issue%20Brief%205%20Prescription%20Med%20Misuse%20Abuse.pdf The Administration on Aging (AOA) (2012) described the problem of prescription medication misuse and abuse among older adults, which is already a public health problem. Misuse and abuse of prescription drugs refer to non-medical use of prescription drugs. The brief argued that the elderly is prone to misuse and abuse of drugs that can have negative interaction effects. If some of the elderly are already abusing and misusing prescription drugs, the risks of abusing other drugs may be present and result to greater health problems. Costello, R.B., Leser, M., & Coates, P.M. (2009). Dietary supplements: Current knowledge and future frontiers. In C.W. Bales, & Ritchie C.S. (Eds.), Handbook of clinical nutrition and aging (2nd ed.) (pp.553-634). New York: Humana Press. Costello, Leser, and Coates (2009) noted that, though some kinds of herbal medicine have been found to be effective, its lack of regulation makes it hard to study how it works and what its toxicity levels are. They asserted that very few of current herbal medicines are tested for efficacy and toxicity levels. They explained that interaction risks between herbal supplements and prescription drugs of the elderly are high because the elderly tend to take in more medicine than younger adults. These researchers also talked about the dietary needs of the elderly that must be balanced with prescription drug effects. Djuv, A., Nilsen, O.G., & Steinsbekk, A. (2013). The co-use of conventional drugs and herbs among patients in Norwegian general practice: A cross-sectional study. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 13, 295. Retrieved from http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6882/13/295 Djuv, Nilsen, and Steinsbekk (2013) conducted a cross-sectional study to understand the co-use of

Income Inequality and Economic Growth Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Income Inequality and Economic Growth - Essay Example In an attempt to achieve income equality, there are various approaches that may be applicable. One is the redistribution of income through progressive tax regimes where the rich are heavily taxed and the poor are exempted from taxation, thus, increasing their disposable income. Another way may be to invest in activities that create employment and wealth for the poor such as infrastructural development and education (Alam 46). Another way to promote equality is by encouraging high-income earners to invest their excess incomes in projects that create employment for low-income earners. This can be achievable by making luxury items unattractive to buy and making investment opportunities very attractive. It is imperative to assert that attainment of equality is never free. Therefore, the opportunity cost of enjoying luxurious items or investing in other sectors should not provide incentives for the low-income earners. Economies should aim to reduce the economic burden on the poor through income redistribution, which eventually leads to

Hospitality Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Hospitality Operations Management - Essay Example This enhances timeliness and relevance in learning topics. The main purpose for this organization is to roll out a program that aims at boosting the overall performance of students in colleges and to help them nurture their talents. As a mission plan, this is highly valued and the executives work hand in hand to achieve it. They provide an opportunity to all students to interact with the virtual arts for the first time and improve their academic performance. The main goal of Hilton is to transform the image of arts and culture among its members and the entire world. They also seek to transform the educational sector for all students to have an experience of new technologies and how they influence studies. The target market for the products will be the college students. To reach out to them, the organization will be relying on the social networks which are commonly used by students. One the social media will provide signup option for the students that they will use to register with them organization. Such accounts will provide a platform for students to pin ads at a commission; this posses a large number of students to register with the organization for such ideas. The other way to reach out to their target customers is through creation of flyers and leaflets to persuade more people to join the organizations production tastes. For this kind of organization, their target markets are the students in various institutions and colleges. Their demands are always incorporated in the strategic developments. It is perceived that most of the college students are accessible to online sources of information and can easily read them. This organization, therefore, uses this opportunity to nurture their marketing opportunity to ensure that they realize large sales volume on their products. This also assists in identifying various market segments for such products and coming up with a good marketing and promotional

The King of Mask Essay Example for Free

The King of Mask Essay Wonderful, straightforward and amazingly great film is the movie â€Å"The King of Mask†. In general, my personal views on the movie â€Å"The King of Art† is definitely an amazing work of work in the form of screen play in which it portray a balance yet profound presentation on the story of great Chinese art performer. Moreover, the motion film â€Å"The king of the Mask† is a Chinese movie in which it tells the story of a great Chinese dramatic art performer who worries that his â€Å"Bian Lian† art could be in extinction and carries his art to his grave due to the fact that he has no family in which he needs a heir to pass his all time love his â€Å"art†. The â€Å"Bian Lian† or better known as the changing mask is an ancient â€Å"Chinese Dramatic Art† that is generally famous as a part of the â€Å"Sichuan Opera†, which the art performer changes colorful faces as the actual performance of the art. Furthermore, the movie â€Å"The King of Mask† was released way back 1996, which was directed by a multi talented Chinese direct Wu Tina Ming. This movie is considered as one of the most Asian produced film, which received positive feedbacks from movie critics and garner major international award that includes the best actor award for â€Å"Zhu Xu† on his portrayal of the lead character as the opera street performer â€Å"Wang† and also awards like best director was given as well to director Wu Tian Ming. The movie started as the lead character â€Å"Wang† was performing in group of people in the street. â€Å"Wang Bian Lian† or prominently known as the â€Å"King of Mask† was the old man who worries so much that his all time love the art of â€Å"Bian Lian† or the art opera of face-changing might come to extinction and buried together with him on his death, due to the fact that as an old man and as an art performer he does not have family in which he can pass his art to carry on even after his death. Moreover this dilemma of â€Å"Wang† had leaded him to the notion of buying a child to make as his heir and pass his art to ensure its continuous performance even after his death. The next seen take place in the slave market in which Wang as a desperate old man and art performer had decided to buy a child and make as the successor of his art. In the Market Wang had come across an eight year old-boy, which was for sale due to poverty. The desperate Wang had never hesitated and bought the boy whom he named as â€Å"Gou-hua†. The eight year-old boy â€Å"Gua-hua† had somehow fill the worries of Wang as he brought happiness and answers to the fears of the aging street performer Wang. At first Wang was happy that he already has a successor to pass his art but beyond his control the adaptation of â€Å"Gua-hua† had made more conflict in his uncertainties when he later discover the eight year old Gua-hua was not a boy rather a girl. This scene reveals the true conflict of the movie in which the Wang as an art performer was not able to pass his art to Gua-hua due to the fact that his art should only be passed to man, which Gua-hua is not all. Furthermore, this revelation had created more conflicts on the story in which Wang started to hurt and abuse Gua-hua due to his frustrations. Nevertheless, this movie also reveals the right of the children, which as children or young individuals should be properly nurture.   The next scenes reveals more brutal act on the children as Wang and his frustration had attempted to dump Gua-hua. Since then their relationship had changed in which Wang habitually hurt the young girl physically and mentally, which lay the revealed child on suffering as she still stick with her claimed grandpa. However, it was until a near death incident happened when Gua-hua the young girl almost drowns herself to death Wang saw it and had regained his love and care with Gua-hua. This scene is definitely one of the hearts warming point in the movie in which Wang and Gua-hua had reunited with each other as they move on beyond their conflicts and differences.   Also, the movie reveals the justice and political state of china in which Wang was captured by the police officials for no credible case or reason. At the end of the story Wang with his uncertainties had located his answers with Gua-hua that   even she is a girl Wang still teaches her his art of Bian Lian in which Wang as a great art performer he still hopes for a boy to teach his art and pass as his successor. In the End, the Chinese film â€Å"The King of Mask† is a movie, which definitely touches your heart with its dramatic story. It is fair enough to say that this movie is worth watching for due to the fact that the director and the actor had exerted bigger efforts to make the movie more wonderful to watch. Nevertheless, the story of this movie definitely sends moral lessons in which it reveals the importance of children and equalities among boys and girls. On the other hand, it is fair enough to say that I have learned new things about film making on this movie â€Å"The Kin of Mask†. The first thing I learned is the new concepts of cinematography in which the movie has the appropriate cinematography in a specific scene or situation that had effect more drama and feelings to that particular scenario. Furthermore, I learned through this movie that inspired acting role of the artist will definitely make the movie more appealing that each actors and actresses has their profound role that make the movie interesting. Also, I learned that in movie production settings is critical in which it has the ability to portray realism of a certain time or situation to add more credibility and appropriate representation of event or occurrence. Nevertheless, the movie had left a big question in my mind, which is why Wang was captured by the officials for no credible reason. References The Z Review (2008), The King of Masks Movie Review: Retrieved May 1, 2008 from http://www.thezreview.co.uk/reviews/k/kingofmasksthe.htm

Methodologies For Ecommerce And Web Systems Information Technology Essay

Methodologies For Ecommerce And Web Systems Information Technology Essay This paper introduces software development methodologies (SDM) and compares three approaches that are suitable for an e-commerce system. The three approaches of SDM selected in this paper were based on the proliferation of web based information system or e-commerce. Since the popularity and commercialisation of the Internet in the 1990s, software development has been evolving and brought new ways of doing and building software using the web technology environment and tools available. Software development methodology was popularised by the software development life cycle (SDLC) for building information systems in the late 60s. Currently, modern and advanced software tools are being used to exploit the rich resources of the Internet in building systems. The web now offers more complex, distributed, concurrent and connected applications (Surcel, 2009). Web information systems exploit web applications and other non-web components to deliver information and services to other systems and users via the Internet. Traditional SDLC methodologies can still be used in building e-commerce and web applications for the Internet. However, the traditional SDLC approach may not work for different object oriented design methodology for the web,like web site design methododlogy (WSDM), relatioshipship navigational analysis, MacWeb approach, hypermedia flexible modelling, and other object oriented and software engineering pattern approach (Masrek,et.al, 2008). As the web intially sta rted from static pages and eventually to a more dynamic and complex rich information and transaction based application, the software development processes and methodolgies present greater challenges and opportunities to software developers. 2. Software Development Methodologies There have been a lot of software development methodologies investigated by researchers of software systems in the past four decades. Elliott (2004) considered the SDLC as the oldest formalised model for building information systems. According to Silberberg (2006) these prescriptive process models bring useful structure to software development work and provide a roadmap for software teams. The prescriptive models include the waterfall model, incremental process models, rapid application design (RAD), spiral model, and concurrent development models. Agile processes for software development are focused more on the early delivery of software and customer satisfaction. Most of the web-based applications like e-commerce have characteristics that are network intensive, and have a high level of concurrency that is right for agile process models. Agile process models inlcude extreme programming, adaptive software development (ASD), dynamic systems development method (DSDM), scrum, crystal, a nd agile modelling (Silberberg, 2006). 2.1 The Software Development Methodologies in E-commerce Surcel (2009) suggests that IT professionals, web designers, IT managers and executives and all involved in the e-commerce software development must understand how to apply software engineering concepts for e-commerce systems, for better integrate their software with the needs of their business. IT professionals need to establish a methodology that resolves all the problems of e-business applications. Software developers, who understand the concepts of analysis, architecture and design, will have the success in developing the e-commerce systems. The traditional SDLC is not enough to get the job done in e-commerce systems. Building information system is far more different with e-commerce systems because there are distinctive characteristic of the web application like creative design, advertising, marketing concepts and software engineering (Surcel, 2009). According to Coda et.al (1998) The web infrastructure is going beyond the mere distribution of information and services towards the development of platform for generic distributed applications in the world-wide setting. This promising scenario is endangered by the weakness of the current methodologies that support the development of web-based applications. In terms of user participation towards the development of e-commerce applications Fraternali (1999) suggested that applications for the Internet is such domains as e-commerce ..[à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦].. are characterized by an unprecedented mix of features that makes them radically different from previous applications. Terry and Standing (2004) added to this challenge that e-commerce development faces the same demands and risks as any other application development projects. However, the intimate connection of users, customers, vendors and suppliers in the development process makes it more difficult and distinguishing the identity of the users who will the system is larger in scale since it considers the world at large. With the advent of Web 2.0, social networking and media, innovative approach of doing software development methodologies are needed in order to sustain the needs of the growing interests of users on the Internet that is not just doing online transactions but consuming most of the applications and services beyond what is being offered by e-commerce. 2.2 Agile Methodologies Agile methodologies are the best candidates for e-commerce systems that incorporate the innovative and dynamic nature of the web. Agile web development is a development model for web applications that follow the same concept as the agile methodologies. This approach is more efficient and powerful to ensure every piece of functionality is delivered early in the development stage and improves throughout the life of the web application. Agile web development has the following characteristics according to Clark (2008): Iterative and incremental development methods that is aimed to deliver the application at shorter period of time; The production progress is measured based on the complete and tested features during the schedule release of the application; Tasks are broken down into smaller increments that make it more adaptable to some changes; A working application is the principal measure of the development progress. This methodology follows planning, requirements analysis, designing, coding, testing and documentation in parallel during the stage of production process. Customer involvement during the development process by getting their feedback improves the confidence of making changes, error free, and customer-oriented approach. Agile web methodologies also cover the following approaches that are presented in this paper: feature driven development (FDD), adaptive software development (ASD), and dynamic systems development method (DSDM). 2.3 Feature Driven Development (FDD) FDD is a model-driven short-iteration process that consists of five activities was described by Luca (no date) as patterns of play that brings success. The five basic activities of FDD are: Develop an overall model described as the high-level walkthrough of the scope of the system. These are composed of meta-models that are pieces of the model in the domain and combined to form an overall model based on the consensus of the peer review and discussion of the development team. Build a feature list are the ideas generated from the overall model and decomposing the domain into subject areas. Plan by feature is using the list from the second activity to produce the development plan. Design by feature is a design package made from the third activity. Build by feature is the task that generated the completed client-valued function state. According to (Martin, 2003), FDD can be used in web development. However, web development covers a lot of project types and it is dependent to the nature of the project where FDD can be applied. The effective way to get the development process done right is to start it with the FDD approach. FDD understands, embraces, and accepts software construction as a human activity. Process is needed, as is technology, but it is knowing of where to specify what should be done and where what to do. That is the essense of a well-bounded process in recognition of people and thier role in software construction projects, and knowing what needs to be written down (as a process) versus what ius simply delegated to the right role. The patterns of play that brings success (Luca, no date). Almost all projects can use FDD regardless of the size and technology. Defining and mapping the features in a web development project can be described into requirements and specifications. The requirement should establ ish the concise project objective that put everything in place. Then document the specifications that defines the project itslef like, interaction design (frontend and backend), page flow and logic, page wireframes, database schema, class diagrams, and feature list. Features can be described as the the view/add/edit/delete functionality relevant to the users/customer needs. The features are mapped according to the interactions of the screen design. Technical implementation where a specific technology is used to describe business logic of model-view-controller (MVC) to separate data and layers of the interface (Martin, 2003). 2.4 Adaptive Software Development (ASD) ASD software development approach use the continuous adaptation and learning that described the dynamic speculate-collaborate-learn life cycle (Highsmith, 2000a). ASD approach is dedicated to constant change, re-evaluation, and collaboration among all members of the development team and clients. The conceptual notion of ASD was based of complex adaptive systems (CAS) that is designed for complex, high-speed, high-change, and uncertain projects. The change-oriented life cycle has a direct relation to speculate-collaborate-learn concept. Speculate is to have a clear realization of understanding the plan. Speculation is recognizing the uncertainty of the problem that needs to be explored. Collaboration is the giving importance to teamwork that encompasses the development team, customers, suppliers, vendors, and others that is directly and indirectly involved in the process. Learning is the product of acknowledging the course and the result of the development process. The learning proces s is test of knowledge and can be derived from the organizational practices, being committed and adaptive to retrospective and focus group discussions. According to (Arthur, 1996) ASD addresses the economy of increasing returns. The Internet and the dot com markets are characterized by the high-speed, high-change economy(Arthur, 1996). This approach makes the market unpredictable and unplanned developmental process in the normal or traditional way of controlling the project (Riehle, 2001). CAS model as described by (Highsmith,2000a) in software development that explain the world of agents, environment, and emergence is translated to the development organization as the environment; members as agents; and the product as the emergent result of competition and cooperation within the uncertain and unpredictable world of software development (Riehle, 2001). ASD lifecycle has six characteristics: mission focused, component based, iterative, timeboxed, risk driven, and change tolerant (Highsmith, 2000b). In e-commerce projects mission focused projects are guided by the boundaries of the mission statements. Application components are the result that defines the group features. During the iteration cycle the components are developed and the documentation are deliverables which are secondary to the software feature that is needed by the client. Timeboxing are deadlines or fixed delivery times for the iterative processes and project itself. Then this is analysed according to the risks associate during the adaptive cycles. Change tolerance is the ability to view and incorporate change in the process that take advantage of the make it more error-free and compliant with the set requirements (Highsmith, 2000b). 2.5 Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) DSDM is a model that has the resemblance of project management. This model is the convergence of software development and process engineering that makes DSDM a good tool for complex problem solving (Voigt, 2004). DSDM is the best approach for projects that are charcterised by tight schedules and budgets. It is composed of three phases: pre-project, project life-cycle, and post-project phase. The project life cycle has five stages that includes: feasiblity study, business study, functional model iteration,design and build iteration, and implementation. Other software methodologies can be used and allowed to mix with the DSDM practices. The DSDM nine principles are essential in any type of software project and departure from any of the nine principles will have a significant risk of failure. The nine principles are: [1] active user involvement is imperative; [2] teams must be empowered to make decisions; [3] focus on frequent delivery; [4] fitness for business is criterion for accepted deliverables; [5] iterative an dincremnetal development is mandatory; [6] all changes during the development must be reversible; [7] requirements are baselined at higher-level; [8] testing is integrated throughout the lifecycle; [9] collaborative and co-operative approach (Voigt, 2004). To make DSDM successful the nine principles should be followed and the interactivity with the project team, end user as well as the higher management should be realised. Finally, DSDM projects should be decomposed into smaller parts to use iterative approach. Recommended core techniques for DSDM are timeboxing, MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could hav e, Want to have), prototyping, workshop, modelling, and configuration management (Voigt, 2004). Key success factors based on the DSDM experinces of its members from the DSDM consortium are compiled and was published. Most of the key success factors are pointing to leadership and executive responsibilities, that reflects the advance corporate culture that should be practiced. More importantly, acceptance of the DSDM nine principles, commitment of senior management, incremental delivery, esy access by developers and end-users,stability of the team,size and development team skills, development of technology, and lastly supportive commercial relationship (DSDM consortium, 2010). 3. Methodology This study adopted an exploratory approach and search of available published articles and journals on the Internet on the theme of agile software methodologies in e-commerce and web systems. Literature review, survey methods and case studies were selected from the pool of articles and journals. An exemplar of the agile software methodology and its application to e-commerce and web systems was also presented to define the advantages and disadvantages of the selected methodology. 3.1 Literature Review Agile software development returned 1.8 million searched items in Google and 57,200 in Google scholar. The rich resources of agile methodology have been exploited in the 90s and until the present saturation of Internet, e-commerce and web systems. According to Meso and Jain (2006) agile software development methodologies allow organisations to rapidly evolve systems, primarily the Internet and web software development. ASD must be considered in heavy weight methodologies rather than integrating and hacking approaches. Successful web development methodologies (Bauer 2005) are going agile and are best suited to FDD. Bauer was able to get FDD working in his several web development projects and refine the process to come up with successful approach that worked effectively from his experience. His high-level overview of FDD was described in his article that successfully launched completed web projects ranging in size from 2 weeks to 6 months (Bauer 2005). For DSDM (Voigt, 2004) concluded that the model is straight forward based on the best practices, strength in simplicity, extendibility, and has proven successful work in the past and albeit not a solution for all projects. The disadvantages, like other structured methodology has a high barrier to entry, significant cultural paradigm shift is not as fast and cheap. 3.2 Surveys The investigation survey that was conducted by Silberberg (2006) suggests that some applications of agile methodologies were used as a tool to speed up the development process that was being developed under prescriptive approach for organisations that developed their own software. The organisation groups surveyed was in financial services, mining, healthcare, communications, transport and construction that have heavy weight use of software development and the build versus buy approach. DSDM was identified in use in the construction sector, where cost effective and rapid relevant results were needed by most of its users. Another survey made by Lim and Venable (2001) is the web information system survey usage by the Australian Web Site consultants reported that low methodology usage when it comes to applying any web information system methodology. This survey failed to present the value of formal development methodologies. Information systems development in Australia as reported in a survey (Dawson and Gibson, 2007) concluded that there is an increasing research activity and the growing interest in the area of software development methodologies primarily in web-based development, including portal and intranet development. Shine Technologies (2003) conducted an online global survey about agile methodologies to measure the interest of several organisations using the said approach. The survey consisted of 10 questions using closed-ended questions. The survey was available from the Shine Technologies website from November 2002 to January 2003. The survey results highlighted the following: lower costs; better productivity; better quality; and better business satisfaction. Most of the respondents, 95% of them are in favour of the agile methodologies. The most used agile methodologies are the Extreme Programming (XP) with 59%, followed by FDD, scrum and others. 3.3 Case Study DSDM Case study (DSDM consortium, 2010) presents several case studies that were used by organisations dealing with software development activities. A sample case from the DSDM case study The National Packaging Waste Database (NPWD) is an online system that tracks how much packaging has been put into the UK market and much packaging waste has been recovered and recycled (DSDM consortium, 2010). This project was able to utilise DSDM and implemented the electronic evidence of reprocessing and doing away with the paper-based process bringing online or web-based approach. The DSDM consortium (2010) has published a method suitability filter covering three areas such as business, systems and technical aspect. Adoption consideration of DSDM can be found in the DSDM manual. The e-DSDM version that is customised for e-commerce and e-business projects are available from the consortium for the public review and reference. 4. Comparison From the gathered literature, articles, case studies and surveys the comparison of the three agile methods (FDD, ASD and DSDM) is based on the following components: general features, adoption of the methodology, and successful implementation to e-commerce and web-based systems. FDD and ASD are the most recognised software development methodologies in software development market while DSDM is recognised for being well documented since the DSDM consortium is in collaboration with the PRINCE2 which is adopted in UK. According to Abrahamsson, et al., (2002) the agile software development method status can be nascent, building-up, and active. The method can be nascent if it has been available less than a year and the no research and experience were identified and reported. Building up phase is a method that is recognised by many of its community of users and publication of the report and research were identified. The active method has been identified in several places, and there is a wide community base of research and reports that publish their experiences and interest on agile methods. DSDM is categorised as active, FDD and ASD belongs to building up status (Abrahamsson, et al., 2002). The general features of FDDs main selling points are the five activities and the short iteration of features. However it falls out of support for visual design, testing and deployment, which does not provide the all-in-one solution for software development. However, it was successful in e-commerce implementations as reported by Bauer (2005) and the FDD community group. ASDs main key points are: adaptive approach, collaboration, and mission-based iterative development labelled as speculate-collaborate-learn cycle. The special features seen in adaptive systems are the emergent creation of order from the interconnected individuals. This methodology covered more discussions about principles rather than software practice. In DSDM main approach is more on the extensive application of rapid application development (RAD). There is an active consortium of experts who stands for the steering of the methodology development. Main features of DSDM is being a true agile method and the nine practices that are innate with the activities that strongly followed by its members. The shortcoming for DSDM is the availability of the resources which is exclusive only to members of the consortium, that makes the use of the model only restricts to its members. 5. Recommendation The strongest candidate for the agile methodology is FDD. According to Bauer (2005) the strongest selling point of FDD is that it really worked on his projects that were refined according to the approach of core FDD methods. However the trade off of not having the complete answer to requirement gathering, visual design, testing and deployment that are significantly needed in the project can be amenable to some by tweaking some of the processes. It is important to acknowledge that doing the way software developers do their job in the software development process without any formal methodologies can be described as shooting the bird in target without the pellet. Software development working teams usually had a history of adopting and adapting from an existing methodology or inventing their own informal methodology. Bauers experience showed FDD had a positive effect since getting everybody on board made their team more responsive to the project that was put in place using FDD. FDD was a ble to provide solutions for their software development issues, constant over-time, over-budget and underestimation of the work required to complete the project that makes worse scope creep, low staff morale, and unrealistic deadlines. With FDD, the solutions are clear from the plan. The reports were excellent, clear and disciplined customer-focused approach. The reduction risk was measured based on the iteration of design and build approach; clarity of requirements, better understanding of building the system; and no wiggle room for decisions. 5. Conclusion The agile methodologies presented in this paper provides a better deal of understanding what approach should be used depending on the type of software development project at hand. For web development or e-commerce system, the traditional software methodologies are not enough to describe the dynamic and complex nature of web systems and its relative activity on the Internet. The nature of software applications running on the web space is simple to develop yet too complex that different technologies are competing with one another. However, the technology is only a tool that has been exploited by the developers themselves. The agile methodologies put more importance on the role of people, its interaction, collaboration, change and adaptive approaches. ASD is primarily much more focused on principles, while FDD is more on simplicity of its five step process and DSDM is excellent in the strong support of its consortium. The agile methodologies are effective in utilizing iterative developm ent and every phase of the development processes has its own unique application that fits the needed development strategy. In summary, the agile methods are more inclined to the people who are working behind the software itself. The person building the software is the main point of how the methodology becomes successful. Human capital and strategic skills that complements the software development process leads the best production of software and ways to improve how to solve the problem in this information age.

Market analysis of reebok

Market analysis of reebok Reebok the United Kingdom based ancestor company was founded in 1890 by J.W Foster, for one of the best reasons possible athletes wanted to run faster (www.reebok.com). Since then Reebok has evolved itself through various stages to become one of the top three market leaders in the sports shoes, fitness and apparels. The brands success is built upon its creative designing and marketing strategy. The right balance between the designing and marketing has taken Reebok to such height. McDonald, M (2000 p.5) defines marketing as process for understanding markets, for quantifying the present and future value required by the different groups of customer within these markets. Starting from its first hand made shoes to the recent innovative Easytone and ReeZig footwear Reebok proved its individuality, authenticity and its creative thinking and potential. The company was taken over by Adidas in 2006 which gave both Adidas and Reebok a strong market share to take on the common rival and the mark et leader Nike. Though the company is taken over, Reebok and Adidas are still two different brands under the group. Reebok has a strong hold in US market and sponsors for different sporting events like NFL, NBA, WNBA and NBDL. Branded as a discounted shoe manufacturer in the past, Reebok has slowly changed its face to high fashion, high comfort and premium product by raising its price in the market and incorporating new technologies for the sports and fitness category. The latest launch in their product line Easytone and the upcoming ReeZig has got more technical and design values, the technology which is actually designed by a NASA engineer(www.corporate.reebok.com) and the re-launch of its classic models reveals the companys change in focus. Reebok in the early 2000 started its marketing campaign with fusion of Sports Music and Technology featuring industries best performers of the period, from music industry Jay-Z, Daddy Yankee, 50 Cent; top athletes Allen Iverson, Donovan McNabb , Curt Schilling, Kelly Holmes, Iker Casillas and Yao Ming; screen stars Lucy Liu, John Leguizamo and Christina Ricci; and skateboarder Stevie Williams., and Thierry Henry, Alexander Ovechkin, driving ace Lewis Hamilton, MS Dohni and Nicole Vaidisova. Easytone the companys launch of the year 2009 is its one of the most successful product line. Easytone feature with first of its kind the balance pod technology, designed for womens fitness and sport. Reeboks commitment towards women fitness and sport is long lasting from its first ever exclusive footwear for women Step introduced in 1989 which fore fronts the aerobic movements, and now the Easytone forefronts toning of lower abdomen parts like the calf muscle, thigh muscle and the bum. Reeboks marketing approach for Easytone is take the gym with you (www.reebok.com) which emphasis on women who were busy with their routine life but still wanted to maintain their figure. Custom made shoes are also available by ordering and designing over the internet, which gives customers the option of variety and uniqueness. Marketing Environment Macro Environment Kotler, P., Armstrong, G. (2010) describes macro environment as a force which is more societal and affects the micro environment directly. The global footwear industry is $196.25billion in 2009 with CAGR of 3.7% from 2005 to 2009(www.marketlineinfo.com). Reeboks international operations and its presence over 55 countries with different cultural and economical background is a concern for its performance, with the present market scenario where the European and American market is facing financial crisis, Reebok has got its major customers base in these regions it faces major loss in sales, while the Asian market shows positive sign, Reeboks sales in India and china is second to Nike, but the percentage contribution towards the revenue in international currency is low. Reebok faces legal threats from its manufacturing units in South East Asia where they operate with cheap labours in unethical work conditions. In general the sporting accessories are more famous among the 16 to 24 age groups. The increase in number of unemployed and fresh graduates finding difficult to find jobs among this particular category has caused a major concern for the industry, in addition to countries like UK where the government has increased the tuition fees will be a major political and economical factor which affects the whole footwear industry. The increase in raw material cost making the situation worse, which led to low stock maintenance and irregular supply to the channel. The footwear industry is always subjected rapid changes in customer needs and the changes are more oriented toward the socio-cultural forces, Reebok adapted to those variations in socio cultural forces by combining the product with Music and sport in US market, fitness and sport in the European ma rket and sport and entertainment in Asian market. Figure 1: Macro Environment Reeboks Easytone is designed with the technology which is never been used before and sets a landmark in the sports shoe market. Easytone is designed to comfort with Moving Air Technology, while most of the other competitors do have similar technologies Reebok should really look into more innovative and sophisticated technology which will be the unique selling point in the competitive market. Micro Environment Every brand has its own unique selling point which targets the particular category of customers, in general the footwear industry customers can be categorised into Performance conscious consumers like runners, aerobics, players, athletes, and exercisers and Fashion conscious customers who buy for style and comfort. Customers buy products that has value and satisfaction among the range available in the market, Kotler, P et al.(2009). Figure : Micro Environment Reebok Easytone is designed and marketed to the fitness loving womens segment. With the strategy of launching a new product every year with newer technology and invention, Reebok has always targeted the focus group, and so as Easytone targets the fitness loving women. Reebok has always positioned itself as customer centric, which caters the needs and requirement of the focus group, though it has the diversity in product when compared to its competitors. Because of the diversity in its products Reebok has always been in competence to different competitors in different category and product range. The main competitors are Nike, Adidas and Puma. Reebok sells through various channels, which includes the retail outlets, Reebok concept showrooms, franchisee outlets and associated sponsored sporting organisation. Marketing Mix The primary objective of an organisation is to offer a product which has a competitive edge or differential advantage over its competitors, Brassington, F., Pettitt, S. (2006). This can be achieved by marketing mix which is studied with the basic research on 4Ps. Product Product management has always been the core factor in the marketing mix, which involves the basic understanding and the requirement for launching the new product in the market and then developing it with the right marketing strategy which benefits the organisation and then manufacturing in the right way which benefits both the organisation and the society. The organisation should transfer its knowledge into product which will be a drive for growth, John A. Quelch (2006). Figure 3: BCG Matrix,( source:www.reebokeasytone.net) Reebok has the strategy of launching one core product every year, and the launch of Easytone is for the year 2009, it was the critical time to launch any new product because of the economy, hence Reebok has to come out with a very strong product and marketing strategy. The tangible attributes has to be so strong and the message was clearly sent out with Easytone with its high fashion, design and technology. The footwear is innovative and new to the market, designed in a way that it gives us the feeling of walking in the soft sandy beach and the science behind is when we walk on the sandy beach its hard to keep the balance hence we work hard to keep the balance which in turn burns the calories of calves, hamstring and the gluteus maximus muscles. Reebok has also ensured that Easytone is available across the globe and the visibility of it is more in the retail outlets, which created awareness and also a noise in the market about the new product with new technology and performance. Thou gh Reebok claims theoretically it can prove that, by using Easytone will tone the legs 26% more when compared to other sport or fitness shoes, there are still controversies about the actual performance of the product. Reebok did break the controversies with the total sales of Easytone worldwide, this proved practically the strength of marketing strategy by Reebok and the performance in the market. On the other hand with all the controversies the general image of the brand which changed over the period of time from a discounted brand to a respected brand, contributed to the overall performance, which has also bought value to the brand, Easytone has got its uniqueness and feature to rock the market. The strength of the product always lies on its core benefits, the core benefit of Easytone is fitness in the simple way, which is a necessity and hence has its value anticipation and demand. The actual product which is built upon its core benefit is its features style and quality and as an augmented product Reebok gives warranty up to three months and any after sales issue has been taken to RD department for rectification and thus by giving the customer the maximum benefit and trust in the product. The Easytone can be classified as speciality goods, where in an extensive market research was done which gives customer the maximum benefit by using the product. After the successful launch of Step in 1989 and Easytone in 2009, both products have shown its individuality and very minimum level of competition from other brands, which gives the product a cutting edge and the customers reluctance to go for any other brands. Product Life Cycle The product life cycle gives the clear picture of the stage in which the product is, the four stages are Introduction, Growth, maturity and termination. Determining the stage in which the product belongs will decide the marketing strategy to follow Kotler, P (2003). For the footwear industry the entire product life is short because of the new trends in the market, different categories in the customer base and due to wear and tear because of the regular usage. Any new product that is launched should differentiate itself from the others and should have uniqueness. Easytone launched in July 2009 with more anticipation and excitement in the market, took up the pace immediately because of the marketing activity carried out by Reebok prior to its launch, the launch was a grand one with star studded performance and celebrities form various industries took part in it. Figure 4: Easytone PLC Stage The growth stage of Easytone in terms of sales is pretty much vertical and by end of 2009 it reached the maturity phase. Reebok focused on different strategy during its various course of the stages, during the introduction stage Reeboks marketing objective was totally to build a strong brand image and expand its market share to the next level, Easytone was priced at the higher end, since its targeted to the focus group, the fitness loving women segment, during the growth phase Easytone penetrated through the focus group, where some of the customers were brand loyal to Reebok, Reebok has the strong product mix, when Easytone was in its matured stage Reebok introduced its next model the ReeZig, targeting the male segment, thus by lining up its product in the market and continuously creating the awareness targeting various categories of the customer base. Since the Easytone is targeted to the focus group, Easytone positioned well itself as a fitness wear and pioneered in its category. Later in its matured stage Reebok repositioned its product focusing not only on the busy working women category who could wear it for their work place, they also started focusing on the regular women category who does workout everyday by launching different variants like ReeInspire, ReeFlipflop, Go Outside, Rush, Diva and also introduced custom designs, were customers can design from the various patterns available in their website and can choose the colours also. New Products are key to companys continued survival, (Lancaster, G., Reynolds P, 2005, p.108). Within the product line Reebok developed various products and introduced in different stages which enabled them to actually extent the product life cycle. Countries in Asia Pacific and Middle East are very slow in responding to new product particularly in footwear industry, where they used to wait and watch if the product is really worth and anticipate for price drop. Reebok extended its Easytones product life by launching it in t hese regions with a time gap, after proving it successful in US and the Europe market. Pricing The variants within the brand and the competition play a major role in pricing the Easytone, been branded as the discounted sales brand in the past, Reebok changed its face by changing its pricing methods, sports and fitness industry customers will always look out for the latest technology and high comfort brand were they give less importance to cost. Though they will compare with the other brands with the same features, low priced products which claim to have the innovative and most effective technology will always create a lack of confidence to the customers. According to McDonald (2000, p.352) pricing may influence the other marketing mix also. Reebok priced its Easytone in the higher end when compared to its previous fitness shoes for women like Step or Pump, in competition to the other brands with similar product features though William j. Stanton (1994 p.335) says that for a new product to take a high market penetration should price its product relatively low when compared to o ther brands. Figure 5: Easytone Pricing Strategy In the early 2010 Easytone price was dropped marginally when it reached the maturity stage, the marginal decrease in its price was effective to its secondary market like Asia pacific and Middle East markets, which is competitive to its regional players, the secondary market customers have always been wait and watch customers where the always believe in the bargain purchase, while the primary market customers are the early responders. Reducing its price was marginal, Reebok was so conscious of not falling back to its earlier brand image, also it exploit the actual market opportunities by acquiring customers out of its focus group. The pricing factor though didnt affect much of its primary market, its influenced the secondary market. With regards to market penetration Reebok had a different strategy by introducing one pound shoes in the tertiary market like Bangladesh and African countries. Easytone is also priced up when compared to the other product line because of its additional fea tures and the latest technology. When pricing internationally they adopted the polycentric pricing where the regional office decides the price, this is easily achievable because of the production unit is present in the Asian subcontinent where pricing in relative to expenses is made, which is a biggest advantage to easily price polycentrically. Easytone is made available by ordering online with a price discount, which saves the overall expenditure for the management of retail outlets and showrooms, which is passed on to the customers. Promotion Reebok started its promotional activity for Easytone even before the launch, in order to create awareness. The promotional activities were concentrated towards the technology the main features and the advantage of using the product, since the product is targeted towards the focus group, fitness loving women, most of its promotion activity featured young women with tonned legs and bum, which stimulated the customers mind. The advertisement by Reebok for Easytone created a shock among the viewers, but still its shock averts are not new, it depends on the market, the products speciality and the circumstance of social priorities, Evans M., Moutinho L. (1999, p123). Figure 6: Easytone communication strategy Reebok spent most of its money in media advertisement which created awareness amongst the focus group and also regular viewers who were also simulated to use the product. This is a major success for Easytone as it captured the core strength or the unique feature of the product fitness and beauty. Easytone targeted the creamy layer of the customer group, women between the ages 16 and 24, and their ad campaign has always been different to different product lines, when it first started it marketing campaign with Reebok Planet in 2005, then in 2006 they tie up with Thierry Hendry and Ryan Giggs for their campaign I am what I am, and further on like Pump Up, your Move, Because life is not just a spectator sport which feature Lewis Hamilton showing his fitness skills with Reebok, and now for the Easytone take the gym with you which sends out a clear message to the focus group, and the line of celebrity includes Kelly Brook in UK, Bipasha in India. Figure 7: Pounds spend for advertisement Though Easytone spent more in media advertisement, it focused on other promotional activities also, like print, out-of-home, digital and in-store executions. Reeboks spent in sales promotion is as much as it spent in media advertisement, the promotions were mainly aimed towards churn in customer and creating demand in the market, they have also launched online blogs to create a customer database and to get feedback from customers and to develop the product further according to their requirements. Though as a brand Reebok has very good promotions by sponsorship Easytone has its limitations were it could not enter in to the sports category, they have to rely more on the entertainment sector to promote the product. Easytone in Reeboks concept store was given the priority and merchandising was also primarily focused on Easytone, with all the above factors it created a pull strategy in the market. The Easytone advert in most of the places were considered unethical and also caused a negati ve impact on the product, which many of the viewers considered too much. But still as a campaign Easytone had a successful period and sales through their communication strategy. Place Reeboks access to the target market is one of its successes, because of the growing awareness among the customers, right customer in right attitude should be targeted, and also knowing the potential of individual market in a global environment. Figure 8: Sales region wise(2009), source: (www.marketlineinfo.com) Knowing about the social and cultural behaviour of the local market before positioning a product is vital for planning a marketing strategy, Lancaster G., Reynolds P (2002). Reeboks decentralised operations allowed the local management team to target the local customer base. Reeboks channel structure is simple when compared to its sister company Adidas, from manufacturing unit to its different warehouses in different regions and the to its retail outlets like speciality sports retailers, online retailers, concept stores, and other retailers. Reebok retail outlets has got a better image in terms of its merchandising and product placements, because of its simple structure in reaching the end customers the logistics is also made simpler and will be faster. SWOT Strength Unique Product features Celebrities and sports stars endorsed to brand Balance pod technology Media advertisement Concentrated on focus group Manufactured in Asia Brand loyal customers and awareness Custom made shoes Prime location in retail and concept stores Only for women category Premium pricing Weakness Targets only focus group Only for women category No further development to the product Single product line Mostly relied in retail sales Premium pricing Controversial advertisement Discounted retail sales Vertically integrated brand Opportunity Developing the product Untapped markets Unisex models Focus on emerging market Wholesale market Integrated marketing campaign Threats Manufacturing units in Asia and Cambodia Competitors variants Competitors pricing Counterfeit and replicas in secondary market Manufacturing standards Decline in footwear sales Recommendation Based on the critical analysis done with SWOT, the following recommendations are suggested. Starting from the priority matrix of nine and urgency and importance level three, Reebok though having some very unique featured Easytone, variants among the product is very less when compared to the other brands in the same category, still Reebok can claim that it has custom made shoes which gives customer the variation and to their likeness, the basic product is the same, which will not change the mindset of the customer. Reebok have to develop new variants within the product line in order to satisfy all its customer needs. Reebok has very good secondary market but with regards to Easytone there is a large potential in secondary markets which they had missed out as they concentrate mainly on their low range products which put them in second to NIKE, but lose their position in terms of product like Easytone which has technical values and change the brand image from discounted brand to high st reet fashion, sports and fitness brand, which can be overcast by more ethical media averts and focusing on the fitness loving women category in these markets. The other weakness of Easytone is its vertical integration, where it does not involve any whole selling like its sister concern Adidas, this make them to rely on its retail outlets for its maximum sales where as other brands have horizontal integration which spreads their market area, Reebok should come out of its present integration and spread its market area which in turn will create more opportunity for sales and market share. In terms of new product development, like the fusion of music, sport and entertainment, Reebok should try combining sport, fitness and casual models. Easytone concentrates only on it focused group which is an advantage to maximise it sales but should also think of the other segments like the male fitness loving groups, though by its advert and promotions the product in not much relevant to male segmen ts, still using Easytone tone your leg, calf muscle and hamstring. This would have put Easytone on the wider market and increased sales. The adverts should have casted both male and female models where the male segments concentrate on the calf and hamstring, the female segments with butt. In the era where the macro elements talk more about environment and human rights and work ethics Reebok should have adopted to those factors much earlier wherein it wouldnt have faced legal and ethical threats, having manufacturing units in Asia and Pacific regions will provide them with cost effectiveness, but always have the risk of standards in manufacturing and work culture, the recent change in their work environment ethics will clear any further damage to the brand but still whatever it faced will always impact the future market. By changing the pricing strategy where it priced premium price for Easytone had a negative impact in the market, the change in pricing methods should have happened i n slow phase, rather than suddenly increasing its price because of its innovative technology and feature. Though this created a new brand image in the market customers were ready to wait for the price fall, which they have always experienced with Reebok in the past. Appendix 1 SWOT Analysis Matrix SWOT VS Urgency Importance Probability Priority (9-max, 1-min) S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚ O 1 1 3 3 3 9 4 2 3 3 1 7 2 2 1 2 1 4 8 3 2 3 2 7 11 3 2 3 1 6 5 4 3 3 2 8 4 4 3 3 3 9 2 5 2 2 1 5 4 5 2 2 1 5 Wà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢O 1 1 3 3 2 8 1 2 3 3 3 9 2 2 2 2 1 5 3 1 3 3 2 8 3 3 3 3 2 8 3 4 2 2 1 5 4 6 3 3 1 7 5 1 3 2 2 7 5 3 2 2 2 6 6 5 3 3 2 8 7 6 2 2 2 6 8 4 3 3 3 9 S à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã‚  T 1 0 3 2 3 2 2 7 5 2 2 2 2 6 11 3 3 2 1 6 11 4 2 2 2 6 8 4 3 2 2 7 6 5 3 3 2 8 7 5 3 3 2 8 Wà ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬Å"T 1 1 3 3 2 8 4 3 2 2 2 6 6 5 3 2 2 7 4 8 2 2 2 6 Bibliography

Hypatia of Alexandria :: essays research papers

Hypatia of Alexandria Hypatia was born in 370 A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt. From that day on her life was one enriched with a passion for knowledge. Theon, Hypatia’s father whom himself was a mathematician, raised Hypatia in an environment of thought. Both of them formed a strong bond as he taught her his own knowledge and shared his passion in the search of answers to the unknown. Under her fathers discipline he developed a physical routine for her to ensure a healthy body as well as a highly functional mind. Her father instructed her on the different religions of the world and how to influence people with the power of words. Also taught her the fundamentals of teaching so she could be a profound orator. From the teachings of her father, she to became a mathematician and philosopher which she was recognized the head of the Neo-Platonist school of philosophy at Alexandria. Due to her eloquence, modesty, and beauty, combined with her remarkable intellectual gifts, she attracted a large number of pupils . Her students were aristocratic young men, both Pagan and Christian, who rose to occupy influential civil and eccelestrastical positions. They considered Hypatia as their â€Å"divine guide† into the realm of philosophical and cosmic mysteries, which included mathematics. She combined the principles of free thinking and the ideal of pure living. She was known for her prudence, moderation, and self control, and for her ease of manner and her beauty. She was recognized as an eloquent teacher and by 390 A.D. her circle of influence was well-established. She also symbolized learning and science which in time of Western history were largely identified by early Christians with Paganism. As such, she was the focal point in the tension and riots between Christians and non-Christians that racked more than once in Alexandria. In this time Cyril roused negative sentiment toward Orestes and Orestes was attacked by 500 Nitrian monks. Due to Cyril and his negativity and what he caused to happen to Orestes, Hypatia fell victim to the political hostilities due to being a close associate of Orestes and was undoubtedly defamed by Cyril. Admiration for her became resentment and she was perceived as an obstacle to the conciliation of Orestes and Cyril. Being as that, Cyril began planning Hypatia’s most crucial death. In 415 A.D., during Lent, while riding in her chariot through the streets of Alexandria, she was attacked upon by a fanatical mob of antipagan Christians.

Humans are Responsible for Global Warming Essay -- environment, global

This essay offers a defense to the position that humans are responsible for global warming. What is Carbon Dioxide? Before attempting to answer any questions based on observations about carbon dioxide, taking a moment to identify the carbon dioxide helps to ensure a clear understanding of the element. According to Princeton University (n.d.), â€Å"carbon dioxide, carbon dioxide, is a heavy odorless colorless gas formed during respiration and by the decomposition of organic substances†. This naturally occurring element is exists in the Earth’s atmosphere where it circulates between water, plants, soil and animals. Current Carbon Dioxide Levels Knowledge of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere helps scientists understand how the gas affects Earth, its atmosphere and any potential global warming. Carbon dioxide levels, measured in parts per million (ppm), defines a unit of measure â€Å"as a measure of small levels of pollutants in air, water, body fluids, etc. Parts per million is the mass ratio between the pollutant component and the solution† (TET, n.d.). Rising every year since 1958, the current atmospheric carbon dioxide level is 396.81 ppm according to co2now.org (2014). Scientists believe that they only have a short amount of time to get this and other greenhouse gases under control before the planet crosses the point of no return. With a level of 396.81 ppm of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, one may wonder if this level is the highest level the Earth has seen in the last 450,000 years. According to the graph found at Planet Seed’s website (2014), this is the highest levels of carbon dioxide level recorded in that time. In fact, the graph clearly shows a spike in carbon dioxide levels in the last portion of the g... ...3). Overview of greenhouse gases. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/ghgemissions/gases/co2.html Hilderman, R. (2011). Fossil fuel and atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide. Retrieved from http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/fossil-fuel-and-atmospheric-levels-of-carbon-dioxide.aspx Marshall, C. (2013). Small-scale U.S. lab experiment removes CO2 from atmosphere at relatively low cost. http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059981902 Planet Seed. (2014). Global climate change and energy CO2 and temperature change. Retrieved from http://www.planetseed.com/relatedarticle/co2-and-temperature-change Princeton University. (n.d.). WordNet search - 3.1. Retrieved from http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=co2 The Engineering Toolbox (TET). (n.d.). PPM - parts per million. Retrieved from http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/ppm-d_1039.html

Discipline and Punish: a Critical Review Essay

Overview The main ideas of Discipline and Punish can be grouped according to its four parts: torture, punishment, discipline and prison. Torture Foucault begins by contrasting two forms of penalty: the violent and chaotic public torture of Robert-Franà §ois Damiens, who was convicted of attempted regicide in the mid-18th century, and the highly regimented daily schedule for inmates from an early 19th century prison (Mettray). These examples provide a picture of just how profound the changes in western penal systems were after less than a century. Foucault wants the reader to consider what led to these changes. How did western culture shift so radically? He believes that the question of the nature of these changes is best asked by assuming that they weren’t used to create a more humanitarian penal system, nor to more exactly punish or rehabilitate, but as part of a continuing trajectory of subjection. Foucault wants to tie scientific knowledge and technological development to the development of the prison to prove this point. He defines a â€Å"micro-physics† of power, which is constituted by a power that is str ategic and tactical rather than acquired, preserved or possessed. He explains that power and knowledge imply one another, as opposed to the common belief that knowledge exists independently of power relations (knowledge is always contextualized in a framework which makes it intelligible, so the humanizing discourse of psychiatry is an expression of the tactics of oppression).[2] That is, the ground of the game of power isn’t won by ‘liberation’, because liberation already exists as a facet of subjection. â€Å"The man described for us, whom we are invited to free, is already in himself the effect of a subjection much more profound than himself.†[3] The problem for Foucault is in some sense a theoretical modelling which posits a soul, an identity (the use of soul being fortunate since ‘identity’ or ‘name’ would not properly express the method of subjection—e.g., if mere materiality were used as a way of tracking individuals then the method of punishment would not have switched from torture to psychiatry) which allows a whole materiality of prison to develop. In What is an Author? Foucault also deals with notion of identity, and its use as a method of control, regulation, and tracking. He begins by examining public torture and execution. He argues that the public spectacle of torture and execution was a theatrical forum the original intentions of which eventually produced several unintended consequences. Foucault stresses the exactitude with which torture is carried out, and describes an extensive legal framework in which it operates to achieve specific purposes. Foucault describes public torture as ceremony. The intended purposes were: * To make the secret public (according to Foucault the investigation was kept entirely secret even from the accused). The secret of the investigation and the conclusion of the magistrates was justified by the publicity of the torture. * To show the effect of investigation on confession. (According to Foucault torture could occur during the investigation, because partial proofs meant partial guilt. If the torture failed to elicit a confession then the investigation was stopped and innocence assumed. A confession legitimized the investigation and any torture that occurred.) * Reflecting the violence of the original crime onto the convict’s body for all to see, in order for it to be manifested then annulled by reciprocating the violence of the crime on the criminal. * Enacting the revenge upon the convict’s body, which the sovereign seeks for having been injured by the crime. Foucault argues that the law was considered an extension of the sovereign’s body, and so the revenge must take the form of harming the convict’s body. â€Å"It [torture] assured the articulation of the written on the oral, the secret on the public, the procedure of investigation on the operation of the confession; it made it possible to reproduce the crime on the visible body of the criminal; in the same horror, the crime had to be manifested and annulled. It also made the body of the condemned man the place where the vengeance of the sovereign was applied, the anchoring point for a manifestation of power, an opportunity of affirming the dissymmetry of forces.†[4] Foucault looks at public torture as the outcome â€Å"of a certain mechanism of power† that views crime in a military schema. Crime and rebellion are akin to a declaration of war. The sovereign was not concerned with demonstrating the ground for the enforcement of its laws, but of identifying enemies and attacking them, the power of which was renewed by the ritual of investigation and the ceremony of public torture.[5] Some unintended consequences were: * Providing a forum for the convict’s body to become a focus of sympathy and admiration. * Redistributing blame: the executioner rather than the convict becomes the locus of shame. * Creating a site of conflict between the masses and the sovereign at the convict’s body. Foucault notes that public executions often led to riots in support of the prisoner. Frustration for the inefficiency of this economy of power could be directed towards and coalesce around the site of torture and execution. Public torture and execution was a method the sovereign deployed to express his or her power, and it did so through the ritual of investigation and the ceremony of execution—the reality and horror of which was supposed to express the omnipotence of the sovereign but actually revealed that the sovereign’s power depended on the participation of the people. Torture was made public in order to create fear in the people, and to force them to participate in the method of control by agreeing with its verdicts. But problems arose in cases in which the people through their actions disagreed with the sovereign, by heroizing the victim (admiring the courage in facing death) or in moving to physically free the criminal or to redistribute the effects of the strategically deployed power. Thus, he argues, the public execution was ultimately an ineffective use of the body, qualified as non-economical. As well, it was applied non-uniformly and haphazardly. Hence, its political cost was too high. It was the antithesis of the more modern concerns of the state: order and generalization. So it had to be reformed to allow for greater stability of property for the bourgeoisie. Punishment The switch to prison was not immediate. There was a more graded change, though it ran its course rapidly. Prison was preceded by a different form of public spectacle. The theater of public torture gave way to public chain gangs. Punishment became â€Å"gentle†, though not for humanitarian reasons, Foucault suggests. He argues that reformists were unhappy with the unpredictable, unevenly distributed nature of the violence the sovereign would inflict on the convict. The sovereign’s right to punish was so disproportionate that it was ineffective and uncontrolled. Reformists felt the power to punish and judge should become more evenly distributed, the state’s power must be a form of public power. This, according to Foucault, was of more concern to reformists than humanitarian arguments. Out of this movement towards generalized punishment, a thousand â€Å"mini-theatres† of punishment would have been created wherein the convicts’ bodies would have been put on display in a more ubiquitous, controlled, and effective spectacle. Prisoners would have been forced to do work that reflected their crime, thus repaying society for their infractions. This would have allowed the public to see the convicts’ bodies enacting their punishment, and thus to reflect on the crime. But these experiments lasted less than twenty years. Foucault argues that this theory of â€Å"gentle† punishment represented the first step away from the excessive force of the sovereign, and towards more generalized and controlled means of punishment. But he suggests that the shift towards prison that followed was the result of a new â€Å"technology† and ontology for the body being developed in the 18th century, the â€Å"technology† of discipline, and the ontology of â€Å"man as machine.† Discipline The emergence of prison as the form of punishment for every crime grew out of the development of discipline in the 18th and 19th centuries, according to Foucault. He looks at the development of highly refined forms of discipline, of discipline concerned with the smallest and most precise aspects of a person’s body. Discipline, he suggests, developed a new economy and politics for bodies. Modern institutions required that bodies must be individuated according to their tasks, as well as for training, observation, and control. Therefore, he argues, discipline created a whole new form of individuality for bodies, which enabled them to perform their duty within the new forms of economic, political, and military organizations emerging in the modern age and continuing to today. The individuality that discipline constructs (for the bodies it controls) has four characteristics, namely it makes individuality which is: * Cellular—determining the spatial distribution of the bodies * Organic—ensuring that the activities required of the bodies are â€Å"natural† for them * Genetic—controlling the evolution over time of the activities of the bodies * Combinatory—allowing for the combination of the force of many bodies into a single massive force Foucault suggests this individuality can be implemented in systems that are officially egalitarian, but use discipline to construct non-egalitarian power relations: Historically, the process by which the bourgeoisie became in the course of the eighteenth century the politically dominant class was masked by the establishment of an explicit, coded and formally egalitarian juridical framework, made possible by the organization of a parliamentary, representative regime. But the development and generalization of disciplinary mechanisms constituted the other, dark side of these processes. The general juridical form that guaranteed a system of rights that were egalitarian in principle was supported by these tiny, everyday, physical mechanisms, by all those systems of micro-power that are essentially non-egalitarian and asymmetrical that we call the disciplines. (222) Foucault’s argument is that discipline creates â€Å"docile bodies†, ideal for the new economics, politics and warfare of the modern industrial age – bodies that function in factories, ordered military regiments, and school classrooms. But, to construct docile bodies the disciplinary institutions must be able to (a) constantly observe and record the bodies they control and (b) ensure the internalization of the disciplinary individuality within the bodies being controlled. That is, discipline must come about without excessive force through careful observation, and molding of the bodies into the correct form through this observation. This requires a particular form of institution, exemplified, Foucault argues, by Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon. This architectural model, though it was never adopted by architects according to Bentham’s exact blueprint, becomes an important conceptualization of power relations for prison reformers of the 19th Century, and i ts general principle is a recurring theme in modern prison construction. The Panopticon was the ultimate realization of a modern disciplinary institution. It allowed for constant observation characterized by an â€Å"unequal gaze†; the constant possibility of observation. Perhaps the most important feature of the panopticon was that it was specifically designed so that the prisoner could never be sure whether they were being observed at any moment. The unequal gaze caused the internalization of disciplinary individuality, and the docile body required of its inmates. This means one is less likely to break rules or laws if they believe they are being watched, even if they are not. Thus, prisons, and specifically those that follow the model of the Panopticon, provide the ideal form of modern punishment. Foucault argues that this is why the generalized, â€Å"gentle† punishment of public work gangs gave way to the prison. It was the ideal modernization of punishment, so its eventual dominance was natural. Having laid out the emergence of the prison as the dominant form of punishment, Foucault devotes the rest of the book to examining its precise form and function in our society, laying bare the reasons for its continued use, and questioning the assumed results of its use. Prison In examining the construction of the prison as the central means of criminal punishment, Foucault builds a case for the idea that prison became part of a larger â€Å"carceral system† that has become an all-encompassing sovereign institution in modern society. Prison is one part of a vast network, including schools, military institutions, hospitals, and factories, which build a panoptic society for its members. This system creates â€Å"disciplinary careers†[6] for those locked within its corridors. It is operated under the scientific authority ofmedicine, psychology, and criminology. Moreover, it operates according to principles that ensure that it â€Å"cannot fail to produce delinquents.†[7] Delinquency, indeed, is produced when social petty crime (such as taking wood from the lord’s lands) is no longer tolerated, creating a class of specialized â€Å"delinquents† acting as the police’s proxy in surveillance of society. The structures Foucault chooses to use as his starting positions help highlight his conclusions. In particular, his choice as a perfect prison of the penal institution at Mettray helps personify the carceral system. Within it is included the Prison, the School, the Church, and the work-house (industry) – all of which feature heavily in his argument. The prisons at Neufchatel, Mettray, and Mettray Netherlandswere perfect examples for Foucault, because they, even in their original state, began to show the traits Foucault was searching for. They showed the body of knowledge being developed about the prisoners, the creation of the ‘delinquent’ class, and the disciplinary careers emerging. Criticism Theoretical arguments in favor of rejecting the Foucauldian model of Panopticism may be considered under five general headings: 1) Displacement of the Panoptical ideal by mechanisms of seduction, 2) Redundancy of the Panoptical impulse brought about by the evident durability of the self-surveillance functions which partly constitute the normal, socialized, ‘Western’ subject, 3) Reduction in the number of occasions of any conceivable need for Panoptical surveillance on account of simulation, prediction and action before the fact, 4) Supplementation of the Panopticon by the Synopticon, 5) Failure of Panoptical control to produce reliably docile subjects.[9] The first point concerns Zygmunt Bauman’s argument that the leading principle of social order has moved from Panopticism to seduction. This argument is elaborated in his 1998 essay ‘On postmodern uses of sex’.[10] The second argument concerns surveillance redundance, and it is increasingly relevant in the age of Facebook and online self-disclosure. Is the metaphor of a panopticon appropriate for voluntary surrender of privacy? The third argument for post-Panopticism, concerning action before the fact, is articulated by William Bogard: The figure of the Panopticon is already haunted by a parallel figure of simulation. Surveillance, we are told, is discreet, unobtrusive, camouflaged, unverifiable – all elements of artifice designed into an architectural arrangement of spaces to produce real effects of discipline. Eventually this will lead, by its means of perfection, to the elimination of the Panopticon itself . . . surveillance as its own simulation. Now it is no longer a matter of the speed at which information is gained to defeat an enemy. . . . Now, one can simulate a space of control, project an indefinite number of courses of action, train for each possibility, and react immediately with pre-programmed responses to the actual course of events . . . with simulation, sight and foresight, actual and virtual begin to merge. . . . Increasingly the technological enlargement of the field of perceptual control, the erasure of distance in the speed of electronic information has pushed surveillance beyond the very limits of speed toward the purest forms of anticipation.[11] This kind of anticipation is particularly evident in emergent surveillance technologies such as social network analysis. The ‘Synopticon’ concerns the surveillance of the few by the many.[12] Examples of this kind of surveillance may include the theatre, the Coliseum, and celebrity tabloid reporting. This â€Å"reversal of the Panoptical polarity may have become so marked that it finally deconstructs the Panoptical metaphor altogether†.[9] Finally, the fifth point concerns the self-defeating nature of Panoptical regimes. The failure of surveillance states is illustrated by examples such as â€Å"prison riots, asylum sub-cultures, ego survival in Gulag or concentration camp, [and] retribalization in the Balkans.†[9] In their 2007 article, Dobson and Fisher[13] lay out an alternative model of post-panopticism as they identify three panoptic models. Panopticism I refers to Jeremy Bentham’s original conceptualization of the panopticon, and is it the model of panopticism that Foucault responds to in Discipline and Punish. Panopticism II refers to an Orwellian ‘Big Bro ther’ ideal of surveillance. Panopticism III, the final model of panopticism, refers to the high-technology human tracking systems that are emergent in this 21st century. These geographical information systems (GIS) include technologies such as cellphone GPS, RFIDs (radio-frequency identification tags), and geo-fences. Panopticism III is also distinguished by its costs: Panopticon III is affordable, effective, and available to anyone who wants to use it. Initial purchase prices and monthly service fees are equivalent to cell-phone costs. In less than five years, the cost of continuous surveillance of a single individual has dropped from several hundred thousand dollars per year to less than $500 per year. Surveillance formerly justified solely for national security and high-stakes commerce is readily available to track a spouse, child, parent, employee, neighbor, or stranger.