DQs and Summary Essay

DQ 1: Differentiate between the scientific method and applied research. Which one is most often used in business? Provide an example of either that might be appropriate from your current or previous place of employment DQ 2: You are the manager of a hotel. There have been several complaints from guests relating to employee attitude. Provide a description of three different types of research that might be appropriate for this situation DQ 3: Why do some senior executives feel more comfortable relying with quantitative data than qualitative data? How might a qualitative research company lessen the senior-level executive Business – Risk Management and Insurance DQ-1) Unfortunately, a quick scan of the business news will normally result in reports of unethical business behavior. To prove this point, let’s start with a review of the news for stories about fraud and other unethical behavior in business. You can use the University Library to start your search. Once you have located an article share it with the class by developing a summary of the important information. Make sure that you give credit to your source. DQ-2) Go to Course Home and review the Course Project tab. Then download the Course Project template from Doc Sharing. In this graded discussion, we will be examining the operation of the Accounting Information System (AIS) with the use of problems and exercises from your textbook. The goal is to cover all of the requirements to ensure an opportunity for your successful completion of Course Project 1. Let’s start with a review of the three requirements of Part A of the Course Project. Explain why it is important to analyze each financial transaction of a business and to report it in the Accounting Information System. You can have a ton of fun in college, but it also involves a lot of work. Stay focused on the end result: a diploma. There will be many roadblocks along the way, and how you choose to approach them is important. Use the tips you have seen here to make college work on your behalf. Business – Risk Management and Insurance

Leadership and Management Essay

Education is a very important institution due to the role it plays in transmitting social skills and knowledge required of any member of the society (Hofman, Gray & Daly, 2004). It is worth noting that the levels of development of a country’s education systems bears close correlation to the economic and social conditions that the said country will afford. It is therefore upon members of the society and the education system to ensure that members of the society achieve as much as possible from this system. High attainment in eduction is far much beneficial than low level education in the modern society due to the high level of educational attainment. A doctorate degree is currently what an undergraduate degree was in the 1990’s (Hofman, Gray & Daly, 2004). The level of educational attainment requires an individual to posses at least a masters degree to stand out among others. The need to stand above others and gain some advantage over them in the competitive job market is the main reason for my pursuance of a doctoral degree. In choosing educational leadership and management of higher institutions in Singapore the key consideration was my vocation. I have personally worked in the educational field in different capacity. Having served as an assistant head of international programs at Crestar institute, human resource management with a Christian association, lectured English at Kaplan city campus and being a full time consultant trainer at NTUC, my life has centred around management and higher institution of learning. Understanding the nature of higher education leadership and management in Singapore is therefore relevant to my career. Relevance of USQ Doctorate studies is about mastery and application of principles and theories studied in class. A doctorate graduate should be able to analyse and relate issues related to their area of specialisation by giving varied dimension. Doctorate graduates are expected to be above other levels not just in their approach to thinking but they must also display high levels of norms and values expected of the society (Mok, 2006). Mastery of principles that are relevant to the needs of the society, and the development of norms and values that are expected of the society are just but a few of the benefits expected of a USQ professional doctorate; it is thus clear that the program not only makes better specialists but also better members of the society by integrating the values of determination, team spirit and courage into the students. The role played by the education system just like any other social systems cannot be done by any other system. Propagation of social norms and development of skills that are relevant to the needs of the society are some of the objectives of the education system. Though the education systems is one of the oldest institution, the development of the higher educations sector in Singapore is a recent event. Singapore’s education system though quite organised as compared to its neighbours’ is faced with a number of challenges (Lee & Fredriksen, 2008). Most challenges in the education system can be traced to the management and leadership of the education system. Despite the education system being a social systems it still falls prey to the effects of partisan politic. The involvement of the central government on educational matter cannot be avoided since the education system is under the government’s care, however, the education system should be shielded from the negative effects of poor politics. Corruption lack of professional knowledge and nepotisms are some of the issue that affect the education systems at the low level. Researching on education management and leadership in higher education sector not only develops my research skills but also ensure awareness on issues that affect management and leadership of higher education sector and is therefore relevant to efficient delivery in future. Personal Capabilities Doctorate studies require good academic background and interest in the area of study. Determination defines me; level of education attainment and the nature of jobs that I have been involved in give me the experience and skills required to undertake a doctorate course. I am well versed in the management of the education system and problems faced by low level personnel like tutors and professors. My position places me in a situation where I can look at the issues from both the management and implementation level which is a capability that few have. My academic qualification is beyond question for I am a holder of a masters degree in education. I therefore possess the skills and qualification required of doctorate degree and there is no cause for worry on my abilities. Literature Review The education system thought critical to the development of the society is no stranger to controversy. Implementation of the education system goals has especially been under fire with some coming up with the view that the education system, just like any other social system is responsible for social reproduction (Kassem, Mufti & Robinson, 2006). The education systems is seen by such critics as a tool used by those in power to ensure they maintain their position while disregarding the needs of the less empowered. It is quite true that commercialisation of education has led to increase in levels of educational attainment. Increase in levels of educational attainment is characterised by increase in the cost of acquiring higher education. The costs of education at a level that is relevant to the development of technical skills required by the job market is high and borders exploitation (Kassem, Mufti & Robinson, 2006). Projection shows that the cost of education is likely to go up with increase in demand for education. This is blamed on commercialisation of education which has made it business like and therefore probe to the market forces of supply and demand the only differences being that the demand is always on a high. On the other hand, the commercialisation of education and strategies developed by the government and other stakeholders who are blamed for the problems facing education by social reproduction theorists is cited as the first step towards the development of the high education sector (Mok, 2006). Take China as an example, the reforms which included allowing privatisation of the higher education sector and formulation and implementation of cost sharing mechanism are cited as the key driving factors to the levels of development achieved (Mok, 2006).

History of Communication Essay

The history of communication dates back to prehistory, with significant changes in communication technologies (media and appropriate inscription tools) evolving in tandem with shifts in political and economic systems, and by extension, systems of power. Communication can range from very subtle processes of exchange, to full conversations and mass communication. Human communication was revolutionized with speech approximately 100,000 years ago. Symbols were developed about 30,000 years ago, and writing in the past few centuries. Petro glyphs The next step in the history of communications is petroglyphs, carvings into a rock surface. It took about 20,000 years for homo sapiens to move from the first cave paintings to the first petroglyphs, which are dated to around 10,000BC. It is possible that the humans of that time used some other forms of communication, often for mnemonic purposes – specially arranged stones, symbols carved in wood or earth, quipu-like ropes, tattoos, but little other than the most durable carved stones has survived to modern times and we can only speculate about their existence based on our observation of still existing ‘hunter-gatherer’ cultures such as those of Africa or Oceania. Pictograms A pictogram (pictograph) is a symbol representing a concept, object, activity, place or event by illustration. Pictography is a form of proto-writing whereby ideas are transmitted through drawing. Pictographs were the next step in the evolution of communication: the most important difference between petroglyphs and pictograms is that petroglyphs are simply showing an event, but pictograms are telling a story about the event, thus they can for example be ordered in chronological order. Pictograms were used by various ancient cultures all over the world since around 9000 BC, when tokens marked with simple pictures began to be used to label basic farm produce, and become increasingly popular around 6000-5000 BC. They were the basis of cuneiform and hieroglyphs, and began to develop into logographic writing systems around 5000 BC. Ideograms Pictograms, in turn, evolved into ideograms, graphical symbols that represent an idea. Their ancestors, the pictograms, could represent only something resembling their form: therefore a pictogram of a circle could represent a sun, but not concepts like ‘heat’, ‘light’, ‘day’ or ‘Great God of the Sun’. Ideograms, on the other hand, could convey more abstract concepts, so that for example an ideogram of two sticks can mean not only ‘legs’ but also a verb ‘to walk’. Because some ideas are universal, many different cultures developed similar ideograms. For example an eye with a tear means ‘sadness’ in Native Americanideograms in California, as it does for the Aztecs, the early Chinese and the Egyptians. Ideograms were precursors of logographic writing systems such as Egyptian hieroglyphs and Chinese characters. Examples of ideographical proto-writing systems, thought not to contain language-specific information, include the Vinca script (see also TÄÆ'rtÄÆ'ria tablets) and the early Indus script. In both cases there are claims of decipherment of linguistic content, without wide acceptance.

Cultural identity of european americans in the southwest Essay

Cultural identity of european americans in the southwest - Essay Example Cultural identity refers to the background of a person. In this case, originality of the person plays a very big role in defining the culture of this person. It is defined by various foundation factors in the life of a person such as language, religion, the food they eat. Culture also encompasses beliefs and moral values, traditions and laws that define a given community, country or a given group in a given area. Cultural diversity may also be very varied in a region with high levels of immigration or emigration. Cultural diversity may also be very varied in a region with high levels of immigration or emigration. This paper seeks to discuss the cultural identity of a European American male in the southwest and how this identity affects the personal and professional aspect of this person. In light of the same, the discussion will address how a European American defines culture in the broader perspective where race, ethnicity, heritage, history, family and environment are concerned, as well as how these aspects affect the professional behaviors and attitudes. Definition of Aspects of Culture In View Of a European American Race and Environment The development of the Euro-American identity is related to the prior development of interaction between this European race and the settled areas. The identities that were adapted were based on an already adapted society in the southwest. The identity of this race took several other forms as opposed to the single and uniform race that defines other races like the blacks (Kirk, 2007). It was alright to refer to them as white Americans, Caucasian Americans and their common region of habitation is the Anglo-American region (actually the South Western region). The South West is a multi-racial, multi-cultural community and therefore has a very wide collection of people. The Euro-Americans came from all over Europe and in meeting the other races from different parts of the world there has always been a bias in the social co-ordina tion of issues. Given that all the Euro-Americans were white, there was a serious bias when it came to co-operation with the other races. For instance, there was a race riot in 1919 in Chicago which was believed to have been initiated by Irish Americans on the black community. The Ragen Colts, a gang that existed in Chicago at the time tirelessly planned blackmails to try and draw the attention of all the white community against the blacks. In essence, the most important set of elements that exists between these interfaces are coiled towards bringing the idea of isolation of other races by the Euro-Americans. The definition of race as a part of culture by the Euro-Americans is therefore based on several aspects of socialization. According to Smith (2007), the whites, more so the Euro-Americans get socialized into an already polluted society and therefore inherit stereotypes, behaviors and beliefs of the extended society. There is also a belief that racism is normal and much integrat ed into the society permeating all across our sociological institutions (Eschbach & Gomez, 1998). In fact, the creation of an individual in this society is based on the existing sequences which are believed to exist in both permeated and non-permeated sets of societies. The conclusive remarks on the identity of the whites on racial issues are based on the idea of having an identity based on racial issues but living purely in a non-racial formation in the same society. Wozab (2010) redefines the general view that race as defined by the Helm’s model depicts these Euro-American whites as being of some kind of superior identity. The different identities are engulfed in the type of environment developed during the development of young children in that society. The family, schools, the social media and the church form an

National Lewis and Clark Corporation Case Study

National Lewis and Clark Corporation - Case Study Example In this respect, diversity within Nest is viewed as an opportunity, which enables the company's managers to fully adapt to its 86 foreign markets by integrating a diverse set of cultures, allowing them to become more responsive to its customers' needs. Thus, Nestl's philosophy focuses on developing a diverse workforce, which mirrors the needs of its equally diverse consumer. Furthermore, Nestle, together with other European companies, views diversity as "inseparably intertwined" with leadership development (Reichlin, 2004). Hence to effectively incorporate diversity, Nest focuses on more than just developing a diverse workforce, but on integrating diversity with leadership training and advancement and workforce retention and recruitment. 2. Two notable diversity initiatives implemented in Nest lies in its value-added leadership approach and emphasis on the company's leadership training program focused on honing its internal workforce for top management positions (Reichlin, 2004). First, through its value-added leadership, Nestle successfully develops a highly-motivated workforce, where minor employees are given the chance to excel and play larger roles within the organization. As Reichlin (2004) explains it, everyone, regardless of their position, is given responsibilities within the company insofar as they add value to the firm, hence fostering inclusiveness. Its leadership training program, on the other hand, fosters collaboration and cooperation across the management spectrum. One characteristic of this program is its focus on mentoring. By giving one-on-one attention and monitoring potential leaders' development and maturity, Nest succeeds in maintaining its employees' original cultures while integrating individu als into their corporate culture and honing them for advancement to top-management positions. Furthermore, company executives also gain better knowledge regarding its workforce, allowing them to make better decisions with regard to diversity.

Same Sex Marriage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Same Sex Marriage - Essay Example Efforts to amend various sections of the Constitution in different States gained momentum to incorporate amendments to prohibit the same-sex marriages. States such as Nevada, Alaska, and Nebraska made changes to their constitution to disallow lesbian and gay relationships. This happened in 1990. Massachusetts State was the first state to legalize and recognize the same sex-marriage in 2003. Civil unions came into full force to advocate States to grand the lesbians and gays their most much-needed rights. Out of their efforts, several States have approved homosexuality, namely, New York, Rhode Island, and the District of Columbia. There is a lot of optimism in the gay and lesbian community, going by the past trends, that they will gain victories in many other states in the United States (Confessore and Barbaro A1). In the United States, many groups show their deeper concerns about their fears and speculation over the consequences of this new social order (Ambrosino 84). Some have supported and others bitterly opposed this new practice. Different legal and religious communities such as Christianity, Muslims, and Buddhism have voiced in their varied views on this matter. Catholic and evangelistic churches are in the forefront to oppose the move to legalize same-sex marriage. Division on homosexuality in the Protestant faith is evident, a section of them feels that the same-sex marriages should have freedom to marry, others completely object (Taylor A25). The Muslim community feels this is a violation of religious beliefs. Buddhists have differing stances about same-sex marriage. The liberals have no objections while the conservatisms greatly object the issue. The number of the opponents has out-numbered that of supporters with significant margins. The opponents raise many concerns about the same- sex marriages. To start with, they doubt whether there is any commitment in these relationships. They argue that the marriages are due to break sooner than later. They further point out that gay and lesbians’ couples are quite unhappy which is on contrary to a heterosexual marriages. Social conservatives believe that marriage is a health foundation

The Manson Murders Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Manson Murders - Term Paper Example He got to know Mary Brunner, a 23-year-old graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and moved in with her. He made her agree to his bringing other women to her resident and soon they were sharing her residence with 18 other women. Manson established himself as a guru in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury which was emerging as the signature hippie locale in 1967’s Summer of Love. He had many followers who travelled with him in an old school bus which they had re-wrought in hippie style. They travelled as far north as Washington state, then southward through Los Angeles, Mexico, and the southwest. They picked up many other proponents of their beliefs who joined their group from all over the places that they had travelled. The group is known as the Manson family. In the late spring of 1968, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys picked up two hitch-hiking girls of the Manson Family. This resulted in his meeting with Charles Manson. The two became well acquainted soon a nd Wilson allowed him to stay at his house in Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, with his â€Å"family†. Wilson paid $100000 that was accrued to him due to the family. He also paid for Manson’s recording sessions and introduced him to Gregg Jakobson, Terry Melcher, and Rudi Altobelli. Rudi Altobelli owned a house that he soon rented to actress Sharon Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski. The family was asked to move out of Wilson’s house by his manager and the whole family relocated to Spahn's Movie Ranch not far from Topanga Canyon in August 1968. They did helpful work at the ranch with the women giving sexual pleasure to George Spahn, the 80-year old owner of the ranch. The group was joined by Charles Watson who was a Texan and had moved to California after quitting college. He met Manson while he was hitch-hiking and Watson gave him a ride. Manson had established the family at alternate headquarters in the surroundings of Death Valley during the first da ys of November 1968. They had acquired two more ranches. One of them was Myers which was owned by the grandmother of a new woman in the family. Second was Barker which was owned by an elderly, local woman. The family had represented themselves as musicians to that woman and she agreed to let them stay if they would fix up things. (Sanders, 2002) The Beatles’ â€Å"White Album† had a great impact on the Manson family. Manson thought that the Beatles had given a hidden message to all the whites and the racial tension was going to be intensified in America. He convinced his group that the blacks were soon going to rise in rebellion against the whites. He predicted a disaster and told his group that they were intimated in the album that they were chosen to preserve the worthy in the upcoming catastrophe. In early January 1969, the Family positioned itself to monitor L.A.'s assumed tension by moving to a canary-yellow home in Canoga Park, near the Spahn Ranch. By February 1 969, the family created an album containing songs similar to those of The Beatles’ album. Manson’s vision was thought of as completed and the family had established that the murders of whites by blacks would not be devoid of retaliation by whites. In short, the family was anticipated a riot and was looking to play an active part in the favor of whites. They made plans to cause harm to the rebellious blacks with escape strategies. Manson named the impending apocalypse "Helter-Skelter.† They were told that Terry Melcher was coming to listen to their

Risk Management in a Corperate Retail Store Research Paper

Risk Management in a Corperate Retail Store - Research Paper Example In the final portion of the paper, the researcher identifies important methods of dealing with the issues in JCPenney. This is done through an application of methods and systems of retail risk management and corporate governance. The paper recommends that the management of JCPenney need to re-examine the controls and the risk management system of the supermarket. This should lead to the formulation of alternative systems and strategies for the prevention and control of risks in the supermarket. Retail management is defined by Berman and Evans as â€Å"the art and science of bringing the ultimate consumer a product through a series of stages which are coordinated through a set of defined objectives and strategies† (2009 p1). Retail management therefore entails all the necessary steps that a shop or store goes through to ensure that consumers get products that they desire. However, retail management is a conscious process that involves certain activities and steps that provides optimal services for consumers (Berman and Evans, 2009 p1). This means that for retail management to succeed, there should be a clearly defined end which will be attained through a deliberate and conscious effort to attain that end. 5. Alignment: all stakeholder needs, ranging from shareholders quests for higher profits and the wider societys desire for healthy lives and environmental responsiveness should be aligned to the activities of a retail venture. This therefore means that retail management is intertwined with numerous activities and plans that enables the ends and objectives of the company to be actualized. Management of retail ventures is described as both an art and a science. This therefore means that it is about how to attain stated objectives through rules, regulations and other competencies. 1. Supply chain management and channel distribution: this involves the sourcing of goods from wholesalers or producers and getting them to the final

What Do I Want To Get Out of Communication in Public Organizations Essay

What Do I Want To Get Out of Communication in Public Organizations Class - Essay Example I intend to understand the professional uses of communication from the class. The models of communication form the core of understanding the use language and communication skills in diverse scenarios. Mastery of effective communication skills defines professionalism. The focus on the use of professionalism in communication is essential to the management processes. That justifies my intention to have a perfect mastery of professionalism in communication. Communication for personal attributes also helps individuals by enhancing their relationship with others. I expect to develop good personal relations with everyone with whom I interact. It provides preparation for practical approaches to communicating with people from diverse cultures at the workplace. The classes should help me shape my relationship with other people and professionals through high level of competence in communication. The class should enhance my understanding of various communication models. Understanding the models of communication will help develop desired relations with other people. Further, I intend to master knowledge of public relations for international organizations. The class will enhance my knowledge of creating proper organizational reputation. Attending the class, therefore, constitutes a fundamental aspect of in enhancing my professional

The Art of Jepanese Buddhist Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Art of Jepanese Buddhist - Essay Example â€Å"Buddhist art originated from Indian subcontinents, with contact from other cultures all over Asia and passage of time. The art spread rapidly to other parts of Asia and into Japan† (Kim 267). We are going to use images of Buddha from the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art in our university. This paper aims at explaining the introduction of Buddhist art and development that come along as a result of Buddhism in Japan. As said above, Buddhist art owes its origin to the Indian subcontinent, the Buddhist religion and art thought to have come from China into Japan through the Korean peninsula. The Buddhist art encouraged by prince Shotoku and emperor Shomu in Seiko (6th century). This period also known as Nara period and was during the eighth century. This period in conjunction with Heian and Kamakura saw Buddhist art grow to a great extent. Several ceremonies accompanied this period, Nara, one of the most famous eye opening ceremony performed by the Japanese, at that time always accompanied by a sumptuous vegetarian banquet during the fourth of 752 for the Birushana. This ceremony is commonly known as â€Å"Great Buddha† of Todai-ji. These ceremonies get conducted in front of an icon with flowers, incense and candles. As long as the eye opening ceremony had not been performed on the carved woods, these icons got regarded as inanimate wooden substances or plants; Heian period then followed. During the early stages of Heian period, architecture and Buddhist art significantly influenced the traditional Shinto arts and Hindu art. This resulted into Buddhist painting becoming fashionable especially among the affluent Japanese. Kamakura period saw to the blossoming of the country’s Buddhist sculpture which owes its origin greatly to the works of Heian period. Buddhist art seems diverse, bold and creative. The period after 13th century saw a changeover to Zen art from orthodox Buddhist art (Joseph 652). This philosophy introduced into the country vi a Dogen and Eisai on the return journey from China. Hosts of several unique pottery and paintings showing their desire to unravel the true meaning of life can still be found belonging to that time. Art forms like martial arts and Ikebana also came up during that period. The Amida sect of the religion availed the foundation for many famous artworks. Buddhist arts gained popularity among several citizens as they fell in love with the scroll paintings, paintings of Buddhas, paintings applied in worship, hell and other religious themes. While under the Zen, sect portraitures of holy priests such as Bodhi dharma also gained popularity in addition to Sumi-e brush painting and scroll calligraphy. The popularity of Buddhist arts led to an increase in the number of Buddhist’s Temples to about 80,000 Temples in Japan, majority of these Buddhist’s Temples being made from wood. This compelled the Buddhists to carry out massive restoration in order to preserve the holy Temples. The arrival of Buddhism into Japan played a significant role in the Buddhist art, â€Å"its introduction from a Korean kingdom known as Paekche† (Charles 232) as part of a series of diplomatic exchanges that perpetuated into a wider awareness of the material cultures and beliefs of Korea and China. Further cultural exchanges during the 6th and 7th centuries brought not only a writing system (using Chinese characters), but also a religion; consequently, this led to a highly refined material culture and a sophisticated

Interracial Marriage Essay Example for Free

Interracial Marriage Essay Marriage has been a union between a man and a woman for over hundreds of years. Whether or not it was their choice depended on what time period we were living in. There was a time when young women were promised to older men in order to keep their families in good reverence. There was even a time when a marriage was planned from the moment two wealthy, royal families popped out a boy and a girl. However, today it is mainly that man and woman’s choice, because they simply long to be with one another for the rest of their lives. If they do, however, change their minds, there is always divorce. So what if someone told you that you could not marry someone based on the color of their skin? Times have changed and that should no longer attribute to why a man and a woman should not be brought together in holy union. Be that as it may, some citizens of today’s society are willing to retrogress; losing sight of how much America went through in order to obtain the right of interracial marriage. Most people would think that the only type of marriage that is at threat of being condemned as illegal is gay marriage, but that is wrong. There are actually a few states that would also have interracial marriage as illegal. The Atlantic Wire states that â€Å"about 60 percent of these Southern Republicans are hearkening back to a time†¦when the American mainstream overwhelmingly looked down on people with different shades of skin getting married.† Like afore mentioned, marriage is a choice between two people not an entire government. Not only are we going back in time by making interracial marriage illegal, but we are also violating people’s rights. This violates the constitution! The Fourteenth Amendment guarantees equal rights to all American citizens especially the inclusion of African Americans who were not before. If we take away the right of interracial marriage, we will be segregating a whole group of people from our society. Today’s generation holds millions of interracial children, teenagers, and adults. How will they ever get the opportunity to reproduce and find love if they are limited to someone with the same racial background? For example, if a male is a combination of Hawaiian, African-American, and Chinese, how likely will the chances be to find another individual exactly like him? It seems irrational and  animal-like. We are not separate species that will only mate upon a mating call or by a trigger of hormones; we are human beings for crying out loud. Segregation ended years ago, no one wants to go back to a time where we were forced to drink from separate drinking fountains. One might think that this speculation of events is rather extreme, but honestly how else will society react if we ban interracial marriage? People will still fraternize with different races and soon others will peer onto them with the same disgust they direct towards gay couples. There will be an outbreak of

Overweight Children Essay Example for Free

Overweight Children Essay Being overweight is one of the major health problems among the youth of today. In the United States, the number of children becoming overweight is steadily increasing as they allot more time watching TV, playing video games, and surfing or chatting on the Internet (Nemours Foundation, n.d.). According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, from the latter half of 1970s to 2004, the pervasiveness of excessive weight among children 2 to 5 years of age rose to 13.9 percent from 5 percent.   Among children 6 to 11 years of age, it escalated to 18. 8 percent from 6.5 percent, while it increased to 17.4 percent from 5 percent among those who are 12 to 19 years of age (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]), 2008). Thus, certain efforts were made by health and education experts to help parents encourage their children to engage in sports, exercise, and eat a healthy, balanced meal. After all, prevention is better than cure. If not taken care of, the excessive weight can make children vulnerable to certain diseases like high blood, diabetes, and other health illnesses (CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007). Many experts suggest that one of the ways to help these children to lose weight without sacrificing the food that they want to eat is to encourage them to engage in sports and other group activities (Weintraub et al., 2008; Nemours, n.d.; Boyse, 2007). By engaging in physical activities, it will not only help the individual shed body fat, it would also promote self-esteem (Weintraub et al., 2008). Definition, Detection and Causes of Overweight   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being overweight is a result of imbalance between the food intake and the activities needed to spend the energies taken (Daniels, 1997). It is characterized by an exceptionally large volume of body fat with respect to lean body mass (Stopka, 2005). To know if an individual is obese or overweight, his or her body mass index or BMI is computed (Stopka, 2005; Daniels, 1997). This method considers the proportionality of the individual’s weight to his or her height child (Stopka, 2005; Daniels, 1997). The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP) states that individuals with BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered as â€Å"overweight,† while those with a BMI of 30 and above is considered as â€Å"obese† (Stopka, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A number of studies have discovered that that breastfeeding is associated with overweight children (Hediger, et al., 2001). Once a mother fails to nurture her child with the practice of breastfeeding, chances are that the child will become overweight in the future. Breastfeeding helps to lower the risk of obesity during the stage of childhood and adolescence (Hediger, et al., 2001). Most cases of overweight among children occur during the adolescence stage when the transition from child to adult happens (Hediger, et al., 2001). The food intake is later on built up as fats if not properly burned out of the body (Hediger, et al., 2001).   Fat distribution is also changed during this stage which also incorporates hormonal influences. The condition also varies according to gender. According to Heidger and his associates (2001), girls are more likely to be overweight than boys.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Most individuals on the adolescence stage are busy with their studies and participate in activities that will help them be informed and entertained. Many of them play video games and watch television after school as their own way of overcoming stress and pressures from school. While in the midst of these activities, they also munch junk food and drink sodas. As there are high amounts of calories in unhealthy food and drinks, they make children overweight (Collins, 2007). The incessant rise of fast food chains, consumption of calorie-dense foods and taking too much soft drink bring out more energy intake (Collins, 2007). However, this would not be a problem if the child regularly exercises and participates in activities. Lack of necessary exercise and physical activities also causes children to be overweight. When children eat more calories, they also need to burn more calories (Collins, 2007). Eating food that is detrimental to one’s health without enough physical activities to burn it will guarantee a child to be overweight (Collins, 2007). This is also said to be an environmental cause of obesity due to the technological means of entertainment available for children today. Collins (2007) calls this phenomenon as modern obesity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Another cause of being overweight is the genetic roots of the child. The genes of the parents are inherited by children upon birth. Babies who are born to mothers who are overweight are more likely to gain more weight and are less active in actions (Collins, 2007). The metabolism of a child is also inherited from his or her parents. Thus, an obese parent whose metabolism is slow would have children with slow metabolism as well (Collins, 2007). The family eating habits also play a great influence as to why a child becomes overweight. Preparing and laying too much food on the table causes a child to eat more. Shopping and buying unhealthy foods and calorie-rich items will also cause the weight of children to increase (Collins, 2007). Effects of Obesity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Risks are always present once a child is overweight. Chances are that the child will accumulate certain diseases most of which are related to too much calorie, cholesterol and sugar intake. Bone problems are also expected for overweight and obese individuals. The social development of a child is also affected because of being overweight. The overweight children may find it difficult to breathe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Obese children are often inactive and lazy to do physical activities. This causes their hearts to weaken. With their relatively weak heart, it will pump harder than the normal sized individual. This condition is commonly known as cardiovascular abnormalities (Daniels, et al., 1997). Another cardiovascular abnormality that occurs in overweight or obese individuals is the escalation of blood pressure. When a child is obese, the blood pressure is more likely to increase. These cardiovascular abnormalities usually lead to a disease known as left ventricular hypertrophy which is a prevailing condition among obese and overweight children (Daniels, et al., 1997). This disease is characterized by an â€Å"increased left ventricular mass,† along with â€Å"lean body mass, fat mass and abnormalities in the systolic blood pressure† which predicts the accumulation of diseases such as â€Å"coronary heart disease, stroke and sudden death† (p. 804). Hypertension is also common for children with too much weight (Daniels, et al., 1997; Nemours Foundation, n.d.; CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The disease Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus is also common among overweight children with a BMI of 30 kg/m2, which, according to adult standard, is counted as â€Å"obese.† According to the National Cholesterol Education Program, acquiring this disease also makes them vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases such as a coronary artery disease (Daniels, et al., 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Being overweight also causes a child to mature early. In general, an overweight childs body develops faster than those who have normal body sizes. Overweight female children also reach the pubertal stage earlier. This may be due to the fact that most overweight female children do not have strenuous activity that can help them lessen their weights. Since most foods taken by obese children are rich in oils and other fatty acids, they are also prone of having pimples, acnes and skin problems (Nemours Foundation, n.d.; CDC, 2008; Boyse, 2007).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychological and social problems are also present when a child is overweight. One of the most common issues on this is depression. When a child grows bigger than his or her peers, he or she is more likely to be humiliated and teased in school for having a different body shape. This is a delicate issue which the child may find hard to overcome. It also results in the child’s low self esteem and negative self image (Strauss Pollack, 2003; Nemours Foundation, n.d.). The normal interaction towards other children is also limited because of this. More often than not, overweight children have fewer friends and their social life is limited to those who accept them as they are. Obese children are more likely to stay at home rather than go out and play with other people. They are isolated which makes them feel depressed, lonely, and stressed out. Teasing overweight children is also said to be associated with increased suicidal tendencies out of frustration and depression. Their condition causes them so many complications physically, emotionally and developmentally (Strauss Pollack, 2003; Nemours Foundation, n.d.). Prevention of Obesity   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is better to prevent being overweight rather than regret it once a child becomes obese. This is not easy to do but it needs to begin as early as childhood days. This should be considered especially for those who are born to overweight parents. Behavior is also one good way of handling childhood obesity. Diminishing unhealthy eating habits and getting right exercise result in a healthier body and lifestyle. In addition, reducing stagnant physical activities like watching television and video games will also lower the chances of being overweight.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Limiting the intake of calories will also stop one from being overweight. Instead of drinking sodas and other carbonated drinks, a child may switch to drinking fresh fruit juices. Fresh juices are healthier instead of artificially made juices. Drinking the recommended number of glasses of water a day (8 to10 glasses) will also help in replenishing lost water in the body and digesting food easily, and therefore, prevent all those fatty food and huge amount of calories from getting stuck in the body. The children should also be advised to avoid eating meals in fast food restaurants, where the meals served contain preservatives and too much food extenders that have more calories (Matheson et. al., 2004). Parents should also encourage their child to eat home cooked meals and convince him or her that these meals are more delicious than those that can be bought outside. (Matheson et. al., 2004). This will also guarantee parents that the food eaten by their child is clean and well-prepared. The parents should also stop preparing large servings for their child, as this entices a child to eat more and makes him or her always expect the same size of serving every meal time (Matheson et. al., 2004). They should also limit the inactivity of children by giving them scheduled time for television and playing computer games (Matheson et. al., 2004). It will also help if a child is encouraged not to eat and watch at the same time. Too much focus on the television program makes a child unaware to the amount of food already consumed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For difficult cases like gene-related obesity, it is important to counter this by doing physical activities. Regular exercise helps to achieve good digestion and good metabolism. Physical activities such as â€Å"biking, walking, and swimming† can also be done with the whole family. These activities also help brings the heart in good condition. Playing ball games also prevents being overweight and helps children become more sociable towards their peers (Campbell et al., 2001). Basketball and soccer are some examples of sports which can help overweight children lose and maintain their weight. At the same time, by engaging in these kinds of group activities, they will enjoy themselves with their peers (Campbell et al., 2001). Indoor physically activities like dancing will also help children lose weight (Campbell et al., 2001).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a recent six-month experiment conducted by Weintraub (2008) and her colleagues among fourth and fifth graders, they divided the 21 participants into two groups. The first group received a health education program after school, while the other was subjected to a soccer program. Midway through the study until the end, a significant decline in BMI was found among participants in the soccer group as compared to those who were in the health education group. In three months, there was also a considerable increase in the everyday average and strenuous physical activities among children in the soccer group. The authors concluded that making overweight and obese children participate in an â€Å"after-school soccer program† is a practical, agreeable, and effective method to control the weight of these children. Excessive weight increases the likelihood of children to acquire fatal diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes. Being overweight also negatively affects their self-esteem and self-image, leaving them depressed as a result. Encouraging them to eat a balanced diet and do physical activities such as family and school sports can aid overweight children in losing and maintaining a standard weight. This is a great opportunity not only for the children but for the whole family to stay fit and active. References: Boyse, K. (2007, February). Obesity and overweight. University of Michigan Health System. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/yourchild/obesity.htm Campbell K, Waters E, O’Meara S, Summerbell C. (2001). Interventions for preventing obesity in childhood: a systematic review. Obesity Review, 2, 149–157. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2008, March 4). Overweight and obesity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Retrieved April 15, 2008 from http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/obesity/ Collins, Anne (2007). Causes of obesity. Anne Collins. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.annecollins.com/obesity/causes-of-obesity.htm Daniels S.R., Khoury P.R., Morrison J.A. (1997, June). The utility of body mass index as a measure of body fatness in children and adolescents: differences by race and gender. Pediatrics, 99 (6), 804–807. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from Pediatrics Database. Matheson D.M., Killen J.D., Wang Y., Varady A, Robinson T.N. (2004). Children’s food   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   consumption during television viewing. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79 (6), 1088–1094. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from the AJCN Database. Nemours Foundation (n.d.). Overweight and obesity. KidsHealth. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/general/body/overweight_obesity.html Hediger M.L., Overpeck M.D., Kuczmarski R.J., Ruan W.J. (2001). Association between infant breastfeeding and overweight in young children. The Journal of American Medical Association, 285 (19), 2453–2460. Retrieved April 14, 2008 from JAMA Database. Stopka, C. B. (2005) Chapter 18: Students with temporary disabilities and other special conditions. In J. Winnick (Ed.),   Instructors Manual, Adapted Physical Education and Sport, 4th Edition (pp. 323-340). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Strauss R.S. Pollack H.A. (2003). Social marginalization of overweight children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 157, 746–752. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from Archpredriatics Database. Weintraub, D.L., Tirumalai, E.C., Haydel, F., Fujimoto, M., Fulton, J.E., Robinson, T.S. (2008). Team sports for overweight children. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 162 (3), 232-237. Retrieved April 15, 2008 from Archpredriatics Database.

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages

Media Convergence: Advantages and Disadvantages Introduction The electronic highway of information that is girdling the world has brought an end to the Gutenberg era. Transition from a â€Å"stones throw away† world to a â€Å"click away† world has changed the way we live, interact, socialize and work. It has also changed the way we perceive culture, people, processes, objects i.e. life in short. The high speed network fabric has rendered geographical boundaries irrelevant. A few years back it may have sounded like an idea by Slartibartfast from the legendary planet of Margarathea(from the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy) but with the advent of technological platforms this aint a far-fetched idea any longer but is the reality of the present times. It all began with the technological outburst which led to the availability of various platforms that helped to efficiently maximize the transfer of information. The degree of separation between the company and the consumer has reduced considerably. Branding Redefined Branding is no longer the privilege of the larger conglomerates or the big pockets. With the advent of technology and the significant reduction in the costs associated with branding, smaller companies that are taking branding seriously have cropped up like mushrooms. The competition is much tougher and there is this race of owning properties both online and real to cut out the competition. In the context of sports we can take the example of the Indian Premier League (IPL) the largest sport event in India this year. So there would be sponsors for IPL who would demand exclusivity. This is applicable across industry sectors- say a sponsor of something like MTV Roadies who would end up owning the content rights of the show- just to kick competition out of the advertising sphere for the show. The questions that loom large are â€Å"Has the traditional media died?† or â€Å"Has it just reduced to a mere supporting media?† or â€Å"Have the rules of the game changed?† or â€Å"Is it a new game altogether?† Brand experience is both emotional and functional. It is not only a promise that a company makes, or an assurance to the quality of the product as mentioned by Aaker(1991) but it also has a psychological role to play. They make you feel good about yourself or are an expression of yourself. They also fulfil social needs like a sense of affiliation or belongingness to a community or a group of people who think alike. The very fact that names like Arsenal, Manchester United of the English Premier League (EPL) are household names in a country like India where nothing but Cricket sells, shows the growth of sports branding. This phenomenon has been more evident in the recent past all because of the media convergence (Kerr,2008). There are fan communities where people can discuss their teams, interact with people with similar sentiments, vent their anger when a player does not perform and share their grief when their team loses. The arrival of sport channels has provided a medium to the broadcasters to telecast all kinds of sports and not just cricket. There is as much of motor sports, basketball, tennis and football as there is cricket. The question that pops up next is, what is the brand? Is it the player, the club or is it Football the game itself? If yes, how has a little white ball and a green field inspired the most successful brand principles that has led to true brand management? The concept of a sport being a brand may sound a little ridiculous at first, but the figures dont lie. A Brand Finance survey conducted in 2005 revealed that Manchester United had a brand value of  £197m, Liverpool a value of 156m, Chelsea  £137m and Arsenal a brand value of  £115mn. Indian Premier League (IPL) The Sport Renaissance in India India has two primary religions Bollywood and Cricket. The only differentiating factor that sets sports entertainment apart from the rest is the passion that it commands and the real time execution. The cricket economy world over is 1bn USD to which India contributes to more than 60%. This includes revenues from ticket sales, sponsorship, endorsements and broadcasting rights. In 2008 the remote wars in the households in India had struck a truce as all the members in the family were glued onto one thing -the IPL for their own different reasons. Be it the glamour, be it the sport, be it the uniqueness of the concept or be it the hype around the event, IPL redefined entertainment. The General Entertainment Channels (GECs) observed a huge dip in the Television Rating Points. Nothing had grabbed the attention of the masses the classes at such a scale ever before. Next year IPL struck again-grander and better. The GECs delayed the launch of new shows as they were sure they had nothing that could compete against the IPL. Such is the potential for the Sport Industry in India. The IPL 09 had rung the death knell of the whole arena of player management in India as small size sponsors signed the best of the players in the Indian team for a year at dead cheap prices. This fiasco happened due to the deals that the IPL Franchise had with these sponsors and the players were bound by it. This was the reason why we saw Master Blaster Sachin, Zaheer and Harbhajan promoting Luminous Invertors and Sehwaag advertising for Jetkings an equipment hardware manufacturer. Is it truly about club over country? The club format brought to the public light through the IPL has shattered the myth that sports in India is about national identity and patriotism? In the auction the highest bid jersey was not that of Tendulkar or Ganguly, it was Khans 11. It has given rise to a lot of questions What is it that makes a person support the Mumbai Indians or the Kolkatta Knight Riders? Is it Sachin, Sehwag, Shilpa or Shahrukh? Is it the success of the team or the strategy that they employ when at the field? The other areas of concern would be has this concept of IPL revolutionized the way sport is consumed in India? Will the spectators be interested in an IPL match over India vs Pakistan Test Match? The Moment of Truth in the IPL that made its success eminent was the fact that the crowd actually cheered when Sachin was bowled by Bret Lee. This is an indicator of the fact that sports in India is in the throes of evolution. People are open to accepting it as an entertainment option than a patriotic struggle. Literature Review What is Media Convergence? Britannica Encyclopaedia says, â€Å"Media Convergence is a phenomenon that involves the interlocking of computing and information technology companies, telecommunication networks and content providers from the various media platforms like magazines, newspapers, radio, television, films and the likes. It also says that Media Convergence is the confluence of the 3 Cs Communication, Content and Computing†. According to Henry Jenkins who is a highly respected media analyst and one of the foremost leading experts on the convergence culture paradigm, as well as, the DeFlorz Professor of Humanities and the Founder and Director of the Comparative Media Studies Program at MIT states that, â€Å"the flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences is what constitutes media convergence†. It is not just the confluence of the traditional and the new digital media but it is also about the unpredictable ways of interaction and association of the consumers and producers of media. It is not solely technological but there is a huge gamut of socio- cultural paradigm shifts that have changed the way the consumer evaluates a product, makes his decision and his social interactions to seek information. It also includes the experience that the producer of the media makes the consumer go through (Viau, 2 001). The world is witnessing the new forms of media in which they have a larger control over the types of feeds they receive, the ease with which they can interact with not just the media but with the media provider as well. This has brought a whole new dimension of competition to the traditional media platforms. This has also led to a lack of dependence of the consumers on any particular media which in turn translates to lesser loyalty. Benefits of Media Convergence: The content creators can use the platform to generate customized content that is targeted at a specific group. This has also brought about a change in the dynamics of economy as distribution and cost structure is not the same in traditional media. It has brought about a sense of Post Modernism to the field of media consumption where the consumer is not an audience but is also a co creator. This has also brought about a change in the experience that a person goes through by consuming media. It has transcended the limitations of the traditional media. Negatives of Media Convergence: This has brought in a certain amount of unpredictability in the responses that a media would receive. With the audience being exposed to a plethora of media platforms it gets tough to understand what has had what kind of effect on the consumer. Media Convergence has brought about a shift in the control that the content creator had over its property. With the advent of blogs, mobiles and emails the consumers are exposed to large amount of unbranded content. This has led to an increase in the competition for consumers time and attention that the content creators face. Is Sport an Industry? Does industry necessarily comprise of a product or service? NO! It could be an offering that is neither of the two but is consumed by the people. Entertainment is an industry and so is religion. Thus Sport is an industry too which comprises of selling sports or selling through sports. Be it the events, leagues and the tickets to view these or the marketing of products through sports- which would include merchandize, licensing and sponsorship (Mason, 1999). The figure below represents a model of the Sport Industry Parallels can be drawn between Sports and a Consumer Product. Below is a representation of the value chain of the sports industry. Sport as a product can be consumed in different ways- playing, watching, reading or being entertained by it. The level of involvement of the consumers -fans in the sports jargon, differs for each of the way. â€Å"Football is a million dollar industry. The sport has a long heritage in UK and has the most prestigious premiership in the world and has attracted players from all four corners of the globe. Most importantly, football inspires passion and the big four, Chelsea Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool FC, are among the most valuable brands in the country†, says Ruth Mortimer- a sports marketing blog owner. What is a Sports Brand? What constitutes a sports brand is questionable. It depends on what the product is? Is the league a product or is it the clubs in the league that constitute the product (Goldman, 1989; Grauer, 1983; 1989; Gray, 1987)? It is argued that the league can be taken as a cartel of these entities i.e. the clubs. This would determine the marketing strategies for the league and the clubs. But whatever the case be both are brands in themselves. If football is the category EPL can be taken as the Umbrella Brand and the clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and the likes would constitute the sub brands. Even the players would be brands in their own respect. If Beckham is the brand then it is dedicated, suave and down to earth (Milligan, 2004). Manchester United stands for excitement and great entertainment all so because right from Cantona to Giggs to Rooney and Ronaldo, the club has stalwarts who are both excellent at the game and are trend setters in their own way. Hence there is a clearly identifiable brand proposition (Baeur et al, 2005). How are sport brands different from the product brands? NBA Franchise was the first to realize the potential of brand building and what organized marketing can do to fuel revenue generation. Andy Mulligan(2009), says, â€Å" Brands are often, somewhat lazily by some people, equated with pure commercialism and worse still with a kind of fluffy marketing that is about spin and not substance.† He is of the view that though Sport is a huge industry, managing teams is not in the least similar to managing a business. The very premise that a business is a tradable property sets it apart. A team is a repository of emotional associations that fans world over share and build. Hence sports team is not a business but it could definitely be a brand as its an identity and a promise that the consumers believe in and an experience that they live. The association of a spectator with a specific club is enhanced by the collaborative play of â€Å"local, national or emotional identifications† (Whannel, 1992, p. 199) or by the un-certainty of the outcome of the game (Clapson, 1992).The degree of association of the club and the spectator is so high that he develops a strong sense of affiliation with the club. He feels proud and celebrates the victories and is all gloomy over the losses. This phenomenon has been termed as Basking in Reflected Glory (BIRG) (Cialdini et al., 1976). Media and Sports The globalization, the opening up of trade barriers, this era of media convergence, the popularity of the internet, and the ever increasing number of netizens has revolutionized the sports industry. The advancements in communication technology provide omniscient access to all kinds of leagues that a team plays in. This coupled with the 24X7 dedicated sport channels has opened up a whole new arena of entertainment. Today the English Premier League and Formula 1 are as popular in the Asia Pacific as they are in Europe. Earlier people used to watch just the league finals but now they have the option to follow their favourite teams irrespective of their geographic location and time. The qualifiers for the Champions League or the NASCAR have a sizeable number of viewers as does the grand finale. When Real Madrid signed the superstar David Beckham, the live telecast of the ceremony attracted more than 2 million eyeballs (Hatfield, 2003). Games of Houston Rockets had a viewership of over 30 million Chinese viewers who tuned in just to watch Yao Ming- their fellow citizen battle the National Basketball Associations (NBA) finest (Larmer, 2005). Manchester United has a huge fan base of close to 24 million in China alone which is more than the number of viewers in Britain. More than half a billion people tune in to watch the weekly games world over. (Datson, 2004). The popularity that these sports command has attracted the attention of sponsors and advertisers. The teams themselves have realized the large potential that the world of marketing has in store. They have capitalized on this opportunity and the audience sentiment by branding themselves. They have a prominent presence across the various levels, be it Below the Line or Above the Line. We have Team Anthems, Jerseys, Videos, Events, Parties, Posters- ALL OF IT! Manchester Uniteds branded licensed jerseys sell more in the USA as compared to all the other Major League Soccer (MLS) clubs combined. The number of hardcore fans has been approximated to a good 4 million in North America alone. Japanese tour groups spent US$500 million on just the tickets and souvenirs from the New York Yankees. All so to watch Hideki Matsui the outfielder from Japan. This was more than five times what the presence of Ichiro Suzuki in Seattle Mariners generated (Whiting, 2003). Internet statistics tell the same story. There are more satellite fans to the NBA. 40% of visitors to the website log on from outside the States and a humongous 20% of the licensed merchandise is sold overseas (Eisenberg et al., 2003). Global Sports Industry Recession When the whole world is in the throes of recession, sports is one industry sector that has not been as badly affected as the others and was quick enough to bounce back within a year. Loss of sponsorship, events being cancelled, biggies withdrawing from the arena; these are some of the development the sports industry has witnessed in the recent past. On one hand we have been witnessing things like Honda, Kawasaki and Subaru withdrawn from motorsport Manchester United lose  £56 million AIG shirt sponsorship US National Football League indicates it will cut workforce by 10% Tiger Woods loses five year $8 million endorsement contract with Buick Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games takes out additional $800 million loan to cover financial shortfall 2009 Indian Masters golf tournament cancelled Arena Football League in US cancelled for the season On the other hand the world witnessed the largest ever viewership and increasing advertising spend TV viewership increased to 1 million (97.4m to 98.4m); advertising investment up $20 million (from $186 million to $206 million) at the Super bowl 2009 Manchester City sold for  £200million+ in summer 2008 Premier League signs new live TV rights deal for  £1.78 billion, surpassing previous deal Badminton England signs record-breaking sponsorship deal with Yonex Manchester United and City will both sign lucrative, record-breaking shirt sponsorship deals if the rumors are to be believed Sports Scenario in India The Sports arena in India has been dominated by cricket for quite some time now. But with the converging media and the Westernization sports like soccer, basketball, motor racing have observed an increasing fan base. A look at the Audience and Viewership data from TAM is enough to prove this point. Cricket is followed by soccer, tennis and wrestling. The reason for the monopoly of cricket is simple. Cricket is the only sport where India has made a mark in the International arena and which still holds hope for Indians to win over others. This has provided it the status of religion in India. The other popular sports would include Soccer, Tennis and Motor Sports as revealed by a TAM report. This marks the herald of a whole new era of sports entertainment and marketing. Below is an overview of the size of the sports industry in India IPL- The Story so Far India has two religions Bollywood and Cricket and the whole country was awestruck when the two joined hands. IPL is all about glamour, excitement and passion. It works on a franchise model where each of team is owned by an industrialist, a celebrity or is a joint venture. There was an auction to own the clubs and then there was an auction to make the team and select the players. This was the golden time for the Cricket Board in India as it made a lot of profits. Franchise rights were tendered with a reserve price of USD 50mn for 10 yrs. The owners get a percentage of the revenue that the team earns and has other streams like merchandising to mint money from too. The primary difference between the IPL and the English Premier League was the fact that in IPL there was a cap on the amount of money that could be spent in building a team. Unlike EPL where the teams that are backed by the deeper pockets manage to buy the best of the players and end up winning the tournaments and the others are a t a competitive disadvantage. Apart from this sponsorship on Television and the ground constitutes a huge chunk of the revenues that the board and the team earn. The IPL website had 50mn page views in the first week and had received 530,000 column cm of stuff written about it in the newspapers in the Season 1. The opening match in Delhi had a Television Rating Point(TRP) of 7.19 which was the highest for any event in India ever. It had a TRP of 6.7 amongst women which is a considerable number considering the fact that Indian women are generally not much into watching sports. Thus we see that it aint just a mere entertainment option but is an industry in itself. The Need Gap The clubs are no longer just teams whose players lend it its brand value. There is a huge industry of sports merchandize, events and the likes that thrives on this its a culture in itself. Keeping this in mind I plan to study formats like the EPL and NBA which are brands in themselves and arrive at the factors that lead to the success of such brands. India as a nation provides huge potential to market these brands. It is not just the passion for the sport or the sentiment of belongingness to a particular nation that commands loyalty. There are several other factors that have converted sports clubs or teams into one of the most valued brands world over. Therefore there is a knowledge gap that exists. It is to study what these factors are and what are the things that affect these factors? Parallels can be drawn between the sports industry in India and in nations abroad which in turn would help marketing sports, teams and clubs as brands in a nation like India- which is a burgeoning economy and holds great prospects for such brands. Research Objectives To understand how sports branding has grown as an industry in the West, taking EPL, NBA, Formula 1 as a case study. To understand the consumer perception of sports as a brand in India by conducting a research amongst the audiences To understand how media convergence has led to the popularity and the cult like fan following of Western sports in India To analyze the Indian sports industry and devise a marketing strategy for building a sports brand in the Indian context Research Methodology Research Design A fan â€Å"represents an association from which the individual derives considerable emotional and value significance† (Madrigal, 1995, pp. 209-210). Thus it is not equivalent to being a spectator. Therefore to understand their behaviour and attitude statistical data about what they watch and how often do they watch does not help in the quest to understand what makes them a fan. Therefore the research methodology would be a mix of quantitative and qualitative as both have their own advantages and contributions to making this study more fruitful. Quantitative studies use the deductive logic to explain social facts (Horna, 1994, p. 121) and thus would help in understanding the behavioural component. This would help in understanding what the crowd constitutes of and what are the primary scalable attitudes exhibited by them. But this fails to explain the underlying reasons for such behaviour, things that differentiate a fan from a spectator. Thus, qualitative study becomes important too. Qualitative methods help in exploring the cognitive components. It also helps explaining the longitudinal behaviour of things rather than a mere snapshot of the present scenario which could be gauged from the quantitative. In depth interviews would be the preferred technique as we seek to understand the reasons why an individual behaves the way he does and not really the collective opinion of a group. The quantitative research can be carried out by administering a questionnaire online and in person. Some statistics can also be gathered from the various databases and research data available publicly. Sampling The research aims to understand how the emergence of media affected the attitude of the people towards Sports in general and the club culture in particular. It is conducted to understand what is it that makes them commit their loyalties to a particular team and how does this affect the economics of the industry. Only SEC A and B are considered based on the assumption that the SECs lower than this dont contribute much. Females have been considered as recent researches show that there are an increasing number of women who have started following sports and participating in it. Hence their opinion and perception could be a valuable contribution. Expected Contribution After studying the responses from the sample, the research would help arrive at answers to various questions regarding the future of the sports industry in India. Questions like where is the industry headed? What kind of sport would sell? How do the sports brands communicate to the people? How has the convergence of media affected their understanding of the sports industry? Apart from this it would help brand managers and sports consultants to design the branding strategies for the various sports brands so that they can sustain themselves in this highly competitive and unpredictable market. Secondary Research: Marketing of Professional Sports Professional sports started with the leagues specializing in one kind of sport which would run for a season and the league enjoyed a monopoly in the arena. But with the advent of infrastructural facilities and increased investments in the industry of sport management there are multiple leagues fighting for the share of eye and heart. They fight for consumers who have a plethora of other entertainment options to select from. Thus the competition in not limited to just the sports industry but is with the larger entertainment industry (Grauer, 1989). The one thing that makes professional sports appealing to the audiences is the uncertainty of the results. The adrenaline rush that the spectator experiences with every passing minute is dramatic and cannot be derived from staged content. â€Å"Like other forms of entertainment, sport offers a utopia, a world where everything is simple, dramatic and exciting, and euphoria is always a possibility Sport entertains, but can also frustrate, annoy and depress. But it is this very uncertainty that gives its unpredictable joys their characteristic intensity (Whannel,1992, p. 199)†. The intensity of appeal and engagement with the sport is further enhanced by the association that an individual has with the sport and if there are stakes that he has in the outcome. The concept of Basking in Reflected Glory(BRIG) talks about the highest degree of association where a fan is a loyal even if the team does not perform well(Cialdini, 1976). Initially the sports leagues were owned by individuals or entrepreneurs but with the growing popularity it has achieved the status of an industry and has been successful in attracting corporate and has taken a more formal structure than a mere source of entertainment. It is due to the involvement of these corporations outside the realm of professional sports management that has brought in newer revenue streams like merchandizing and sponsorships. This model of corporate ownership of a league or a club was started in the USA and was later adopted by the leagues in the continents of Europe and Australia. The biggest advantage of this is that the teams are backed by deep pockets and investment into a team is a part of the investment portfolio of the corporation and not the main business area. Companies like Blockbuster, Disney and Turner from the North American industry of entertainment and broadcasting have benefitted from their presence in professional sports (Cousens and Slack, 1996) . This has also helped Rupert Murdoch to extend his empire across the globe. This has also helped in attracting better players as the salaries are far better, improved facilities to train and huge advertising expenditures to build the fan base. The corporations are not buying into the uncertainty of the game by owning a team but are using the reputation of the team to fuel their interests. For example the treaty between FOX network and the National Football League was not really a profitable venture for the broadcast network as it had to overbid to acquire the rights but as Murdoch puts it, â€Å"it has made [FOX] a real network in the US†(Swift, 1995). Globalization of the Leagues â€Å"Professional sports leagues are now a part of the powerful recreation and entertainment sector of the economy. In addition, sports have â€Å"delocalised†; the global marketplace has made sports less attached to specific places, particularly those which have world-wide appeal, such as football and basketball (Euchner, 1993)†. Satellite TV and Internet has sped up the delocalization of professional sports by making the content available across the globe in real time. The total income of the â€Å"Big 5† football leagues in Europe in the year 2005-06 was  £12.6 billion ($18.54 billion) (Deloitte and Touche 2007), out of which the Barclays English Premier League(EPL) was the largest contributor, generating revenues as high as à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 2 billion. The most sought after customers of the industry would be the fans as they are loyal and facilitate generating the revenues required to rope in the best players and management. The media analysts refer the players, the clubs and the leagues as the â€Å"brand† (Globalisation of the league, Dr. Bridgewater, 2007). The brands in this industry are not same as the rest but there are strategies that remain the same. When a FMCG brand has to be made global, what companies generally do is start operations in the country where they would like to have a presence. Similarly, the leagues involve other nations or players that have a different nationality to increase the audience base which in turn would lead to building up the fan base which constitutes the target segment for the merchandise. For example the National Football League (NFL) in the USA announced the first competitive game between the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants in October 2007, more than a 50,000 tickets were sold within 3 days of the announcement. The buyers comprised of local and expatriate fans. This is representative of the fact that there is huge potential in this industry sector. The number of â€Å"E Loyals†- people who dont hold a season ticket or have been to watch a live match but support the game and the club as they have been exposed to it online or on TV- has been rising in the last few years. They are a segment that is as likely to buy the merchandise as a fan who is a regular at the stadium. Pennants, caps, shirts, flags, bands and other team branded articles are what have led to an increase in the revenues and facilitated penetration in other geographic markets (Cousens and Slack, 1996). English Premier League (EPL) -A Case Study English Premier League is a leading association of professional football clubs in the European Union. It has 20 clubs that play in the league every year and follows the system of relegation. Each of these clubs is a shareholder to the league. The EPL came into existence in 1992 when the First Division in the Football League decided to part ways from the Football League as it had struck a lucrative deal for television broadcast rights. It has the largest revenues in the football arena, close to a $4mn in 2007-08. It is perceived to be more glamorous, entertaining and action centred as compared to the rest of the European Leagues like the Serie A and La Liga in Spain. Premier League has undoubtedly grown to be a global brand. The global fan base of the leading international football brands such as Real Madrid and Manchester United runs in millions of British Pounds and â€Å"shows no sign of waning† (Deloitte â€Å"Football Money League†,2008) What is it that determines a persons identification with a club? A Research conducted in 2002 has identified 5 important factors that govern the association of fans with the team. These are primarily the support that the team gathers at the venue the management of the team the traditions, values, legacy that it entails the social entertainment factor i.e. the fan community that it h

On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and Success -- Biologically :: Article Review, Bortolotti, Hutcheon

The article, "On the Origin of Adaptations: Rethinking Fidelity Discourse and 'Success' -- Biologically," written by Gary R. Bortolotti and Linda Hutcheon criticizes the habit of using fidelity as the defining characteristic in deciding if an adaptation is a success or a failure. Bortolotti and Hutcheon posit a new system of evaluation by borrowing from the discipline of evolutionary biology. Namely, the success of an adaptation is to be judged by it's efficiency in perpetuating narrative. In evolutionary terms adaptations are predicated on survival of the fittest -the strongest narratives are the ones that adapt to their environments and replicate: by changing for different mediums, time periods, and societies they better insure the chances that the narrative will survive. The article begins with the claim from the movie Adaptation that, "adaptation is a profound process, which means you try and figure out how to thrive in the world" (443). While the authors acknowledge that the context of the film might give the impression of this being an ironic statement, in truth the opposite is true: adaptation really is pivotal to the continued survival of a narrative. The manifest problem with adaptation theory, according to Bortolotti and Hutcheon is the tendency of critics to judge adaptations as good or bad based upon the level of fidelity they maintain with the source text. Altering a source text is not a bad thing -- it is necessary. Bortolotti and Hutcheon both describe transformation of source texts as, "a common and persistent way that humans have always told and retold stories" (444). Critic Thomas Leitch agrees with this judgment and states, "every text offers itself as an invitation to be re-written" (16). But if re-writing a source text is a necessary and beneficial thing then what system of judgment should be used to replace the fidelity criterion? Bortolotti and Hutcheon suggest embracing the scientific framework of post-Darwin biology to judge adaptations. Biologically changing or mutating is necessary for a the survival of a species: creatures who cannot adapt to new environments or circumstances will die out. As stated in the article both stories and organisms share the common need to, "replicate and change" (446). The question arises, then, on how much change can be made before a story is no longer an adaptation. When does it become its own story rather than the re-telling of a source text. Critics Hutcheon and Bortolotti claim that adaptations may change many things and still maintain their status as an adaptation as long the core narrative remains in tact.

Epic of Beowulf Essay - The Value System in Beowulf :: Epic Beowulf essays

The Value System Revealed in Beowulf  Ã‚   Beowulf is a deeply serious commentary on human life with the main characters embodying a pronounced and coherent set of values. They are also the representatives of the outlined code for conduct and behaviour of those times. Honour, generosity and trust may seem to be the key words in the code. The protagonists reiterate in actions and words a belief in the importance of generosity of spirit and self awareness that make man a responsible member of the society. Beowulf secures the future of his thanes, in case of his death, not leaving them up to their own fate. He proves that in the warrior society, human relationships must be based on mutual respect and trust rather than subordination of one man to another. A warrior vowing loyalty to his lord becomes a voluntary companion more than his servant, taking pride defending him and fighting in battles. In return, he receives affectionate care and rich rewards - e.g. seen in Hrothgar’s attitude to Beowulf’s achievements. The relationship between the relatives is also a part of the outlined characteristics of conduct - if a person was killed, a relative was obliged to kill the slayer or execute the wergild (â€Å"manprice†), even if the killing was accidental. In fact, the money was less important than the actual carrying out of the kinsman’s duty. â€Å"It is better for a man to avenge his friend than to much mourn† – states Beowulf firmly, reiterating the weight attached to the moral responsibilities rather than attention drawn to the materialistic possessions. They were valued highly - the treasure gained in battles improved the well being but it was more of a common factor spiritually uniting the warriors and allowing them to fully realise their potentials. Still, family was the priority. King Hrethel (‘grandfather’ of Beowulf), however, may exemplify a clash in following the code and set values. One of his sons accidentally killed another; by code of kinship king Hrethel was forbidden to exact compensation from a kinsman, yet by the same code he was required to do one in order to avenge death. He was trapped in a situation without a moral way out and therefore Hrethel refused to face life any longer. Marriage also appears to be a part of the general code. It was a form of alliance between the fighting tribes e.

small claims court Essays -- essays research papers

On March 1, 2005, I went to the 3rd District Matheson Court House in the down town area and sat in on a few small claims court cases. I wanted to do this because I had never been to an actual court proceeding and I have been interested in seeing one live instead of on television. I am going to write about the three different cases that I sat in on, what the conflict was, what the outcome was and what I learned from each one. CASE #1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Plaintiff’s name in this first case was Watt. His case was that he subleased a vehicle to Kapone and Kapone had breached their contract by not making payments for vehicle which ultimately affects watts credit. Watt also filed crimal charges against Kapone for harassment and personal check theft which took place in Las Vegas, Nevada. Watt placed a restraining order on Kapone. Watt wanted to be paid for the car payments that were delinquent. The Defendant’s name was Kapone and he was not present but submitted a letter to the judge. Although there was no signed contract in the letter, Kapone did in fact state they did have a written contract. The judge ruled in favor of Watt for the amount of $764.56.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  You can never be too careful when lending money to anyone even if it is a friend. In this case it did not turn out so well for Watt. He chose to go out on a limb and help kapone, wheter he was a friend or not, I don’t know but he was not trustworthy and it ended up costing Watt time and m...

Coyote Blue Chapter 18~19

CHAPTER 18 Shadowphobia Saturday morning Josh Spagnola was sleeping in and dreaming of putting shampoo into bunnies' eyes when the Harley-Davidson crashed through his front door carrying a 270-pound, pissed-off, speed-crazed biker named Tinker. With the crash and thunder of the bike in his living room, Spagnola sat up in his nest of satin sheets thinking earthquake, listening for the sounds of his burglar alarms, which did not come. Spagnola's house was wired six ways to stop an elegant picklock or spry cutpurse from entering by stealth, sneak, or cat's-paw; he had, in fact, protected himself against someone exactly like himself. That anyone would break in on a battering ram of Milwaukee iron, in broad daylight, had never occurred to him. Tinker, on the other hand, took the words breaking and entering quite literally, and found entering a rather empty experience without substantial breaking. He carried on his belt a policeman's riot baton, a blackjack, two hunting knives, and a set of brass knuckles. In a rare moment of sanity he had left his guns at home. His lawyer had advised against guns while on probation. Tinker had received an early-morning call from Lonnie Ray, one of his brothers in the Guild. â€Å"You want him dead?† Tinker had asked Lonnie. â€Å"No, just fuck him up. And don't wear your colors. I don't want any connection to me.† â€Å"Is he big?† Tinker had a deep-seated fear of someday meeting someone as large and violent as himself. â€Å"I don't know. Just wait until I call. You'll see the black Mercedes.† â€Å"You got it, bro,† Tinker said, and hung up. Tinker tried to wait for Lonnie's call, but he'd been up all night cooking up a batch of methedrine in the Guild's lab, and had lost his patience after sampling the product in order to take the edge off the case of beer he'd drunk. At daybreak his bloodlust got the better of him and he left. In the bedroom, hearing a Harley do burnouts on his Berber carpet, Spagnola finally realized that something was seriously wrong. He leapt from bed and began searching through a trail of clothes he had left last night on the way to bed with the Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday masseuse from the Cliffs. He remembered kicking his gun belt away from the bedroom door when he sent her home at midnight and scrambled to the door. He was bending to unholster the gun when Tinker kicked the door open, catching Spagnola square in the forehead, knocking him cold. Tinker looked down at the naked, unconscious little man and let out a sigh. The absence of terror was wildly unsatisfying for him. As a gesture of brotherhood to Lonnie he pulled the baton from his belt and with two vicious blows broke both of Spagnola's legs, then he sulked out of the bedroom, mounted his bike, and rode to the Guild's clubhouse to watch Saturday-morning cartoons. -=*=- Sam awoke to Yiffer yelling, â€Å"Get down! Don't let them see you!† Sam looked around the room. Calliope and Grubb were gone. He got up and reached for his watch on the dresser while shouts and whispers continued from the living room. Six in the morning. It must have gone on all night: the shouting, the pounding, the babies crying. He was lucky to have slept at all. He dressed and walked into the living room. â€Å"Get down,† Yiffer said. â€Å"Don't let them see you.† Sam dropped to a crouch in the doorway. Nina and Calliope were huddled under the front windows holding the babies. Yiffer was crouched by the door that led to the balcony. He rose up to peek out the window, then instantly dropped to cover. â€Å"What is it?† Sam said. â€Å"Is someone shooting?† Nina said, â€Å"No, it's the garage sale people. Stay down.† â€Å"Good morning,† Calliope said. â€Å"Did you sleep well?† â€Å"Fine. Who are the garage sale people?† â€Å"They're fucking predators,† Yiffer said. â€Å"They keep circling like sharks. Look.† Yiffer gestured to the window. Sam duck-walked to the window and peeked over the edge. Dodge Darts and Ford Escorts were cruising slowly by, stopping in front of the house, then moving slowly on. Nina said, â€Å"Yiffer put the ad in the paper for our yard sale with the wrong date. They're all looking for us.† â€Å"Five of them have been to the door already,† Yiffer said. â€Å"Whatever you do, don't answer it. They'll tear us apart.† â€Å"Probably ten of them went to Lonnie's door and left when he didn't answer,† Calliope said. â€Å"What happened with Lonnie?† Sam said. Yiffer rose up and peeked out the window. â€Å"Christ! There's a whole van full of them outside.† He dropped to a sitting position, his back to the door. To Sam he said, â€Å"Lonnie didn't answer when I went down there last night. As soon as he heard me come back upstairs he got on his bike and left.† Nina said, â€Å"How long are they going to circle? I have to go to work today.† â€Å"They're never going to leave,† Yiffer wailed hopelessly. â€Å"They're going to just wait and pick us off one by one. We're doomed. We're doomed.† Nina slapped Yiffer across the face. â€Å"Get a grip.† Sam could think of only one thing, the cigarettes on the seat of his car. He had gone sixteen hours without a smoke and was feeling as if he would snap like Yiffer in a few minutes if he didn't get some nicotine into his system. â€Å"I'm going out there,† he said. He felt like John Wayne – before the lung cancer. â€Å"No, dude. Don't do it,† Yiffer pleaded. â€Å"I'm going.† Sam stood up and Yiffer covered his head as if expecting an explosion. Sam picked up Grubb's plastic donut on wheels. â€Å"Can I borrow this?† â€Å"Sure,† Calliope said. â€Å"Are you coming back?† Sam paused for a minute, then smiled and took her hand. â€Å"Definitely,† he said. â€Å"I just need to take a shower and handle a few things. I'll call you, okay?† Calliope nodded. â€Å"You'll never see him alive again,† Yiffer whined. Nina looked up apologetically. â€Å"He had a lot to drink last night. I'm sorry if our fighting disturbed you.† â€Å"No problem,† Sam said. â€Å"Nice meeting you both.† He turned and walked through the kitchen and out the door. As he went down the steps, the van that Yiffer had spotted screeched to a halt in front of the duplex and a dozen gray-haired ladies piled out and rushed him. They met at the bottom of the steps. â€Å"Where's the sale?† one said. â€Å"This is the right address. We checked it twice.† â€Å"Where's the bargains? The ad said bargains.† Sam held the plastic donut up before them. â€Å"This is it, ladies. I'm sorry, but everything was gone but this when I got here. We were all too late. The quick and the dead, you know.† A collective moan came from the mob, then one shouted, â€Å"I'll give you ten bucks for it!† â€Å"Twelve!† another shouted. â€Å"Twelve fifty.† Sam gestured for them to be quiet. â€Å"No, I need this,† he said solemnly. He hugged the donut to his chest. Their purpose gone, they milled around for a moment, then gradually wandered back to the van. Sam stood for a moment watching them. The other garage sale people who had been circling the block saw them leaving, and Sam could almost feel the disappointment settling into their collective consciousness as they broke pattern and drove off. â€Å"Great night,† Coyote said. Sam's nerves had been so worn from the night and morning that he didn't even jump at the voice by his ear. He looked over his shoulder to see Coyote in his black buckskins and a huge, white ten-gallon cowboy hat. â€Å"Nice hat,† Sam said. â€Å"I'm in disguise.† â€Å"Swell,† Sam said. â€Å"I can't get rid of you, can I?† â€Å"Can you wipe off your shadow?† â€Å"That's what I thought,†. Sam said. â€Å"Let's go.† -=*=- The shogun of the Big Sky Samurai Golf Course and Hot Springs was worried. His name was Kiro Yashamoto. He was driving his wife and two children in a rented Jeep station wagon up a winding mountain road to look at an ancient Indian medicine wheel. The day before, Kiro had purchased two thousand acres of land (with hot springs and trout stream) near Livingston, Montana, for roughly the price he would have paid for a studio apartment in Tokyo. The deal did not worry him; after the golf course and health club were built he would recoup his investment in a year from the droves of Japanese tourists who would come there. His children worried him. During this trip Kiro's son, Tommy, who was fourteen, and his daughter, Michiko, who was twelve, had both decided that they wanted to attend American universities and live in the United States. Tommy wanted to run General Motors and Michiko wanted to be a patent attorney. As he drove, Kiro listened to his children discussing their plans in English; they paused only when Kiro pointed out some natural wonder, at which time they would dutifully acknowledge the interruption before returning to their conversation. It had been the same at the Custer Battlefield, the Grand Canyon, and even Disneyland, where the children marveled at the machinations of commerce and missed those of magic. My children are monsters, Kiro thought. And I am responsible. Perhaps if I had read them the haikus of Basho when they were little instead of that American manifesto of high-pressure sales, Green Eggs and Ham†¦ Kiro steered the jeep around a long gradual curve that rounded the peak of the mountain and the medicine wheel came into view: huge stones formed spokes almost two hundred feet long. In the center of the wheel a tattered figure lay prostrate in the dirt. â€Å"Look, father,† Michiko said. â€Å"They have hired an Indian to take tickets and he has fallen asleep on the job.† Kiro got out of the Jeep and walked cautiously toward the center of the wheel. He'd learned a lesson in caution when Tommy had nearly been trampled in Yellowstone National Park while trying to videotape a herd of buffalo. Tommy and Michiko ran to their father's side while Mrs. Yashamoto stayed in the car and checked off the medicine wheel on the itinerary and maps. Tommy panned the camcorder as he walked. â€Å"It's just rocks, Father.† â€Å"So is the Zen garden at Kyoto just rocks.† â€Å"But you could make a wheel of rocks at your golf course and people wouldn't have to drive up here to see them. You could hire a Japanese to take tickets so you wouldn't lose revenue.† They reached the Indian and Tommy put the camcorder on the macro setting for a close-up. â€Å"Look, he has fallen asleep with his face on the ground.† Kiro bent and felt the Indian's neck for a pulse. â€Å"Michiko, bring water from the Jeep. Tommy, put down that camera and help me turn this man over. He is sick.† They turned the Indian over and cradled his head on Kiro's rolled-up jacket. He found a beaded wallet in the Indian's overalls and handed it to Tommy. â€Å"Look for medical information.† Michiko returned with a bottle of Evian water and handed it to her father. â€Å"Mother says that we should leave him here and go get help. She is worried about a lawsuit for improper care.† Kiro waved his daughter away and held the water to the Indian's lips. â€Å"This man will not live if we leave him now.† Tommy pulled a square of paper from the beaded wallet. He unfolded it and his face lit up. â€Å"Father, this Indian has a personal letter from Lee Iacocca, the president of Chrysler.† â€Å"Tommy, please look for medical information.† â€Å"His name is Pokey Medicine Wing. Listen: ‘Dear Mr. Medicine Wing: ‘Thank you for your recent suggestion for the naming of our new line of light trucks. It is true that we have had great success with our Dakota line of trucks, as well as the Cherokee, Comanche, and Apache lines of our Jeep/Eagle division, but after investigation by our marketing department we have found that the word Crow has a negative connotation with the car-buying public. We also found that the word Absarokee was too difficult to pronounce and Children of the Large-Beaked Bird was too long and somewhat inappropriate for the name of a truck. ‘In answer to your question, we are not aware of any royalties paid to the Navaho tribe by the Mazda Corporation for the use of their name, and we do not pay royalties to the Comanche, Cherokee, or Apache tribes, as these words are registered trademarks of the Jeep Corporation. ‘While your proposed boycott of Chrysler products by the Crow tribe and other Native Americans saddens us deeply, research has determined that they do not represent a large enough demographic to affect our profits. ‘Please accept the enclosed blanket in thanks for bringing this matter to our attention. ‘Sincerely, Lee Iacocca ‘CEO, Chrysler Corporation. â€Å" Kiro said, â€Å"Tommy, put down the letter and help me sit him up so he can drink.† Tommy said, â€Å"If he knows Lee Iacocca he will be good to have as a contact, Father.† â€Å"Not if he dies.† â€Å"Oh, right.† Tommy dropped to his knees and helped Kiro lift Pokey to a sitting position. Kiro held the bottle to Pokey's lips and the old man's eyes opened as he drank. After a few swallows he pushed the bottle away and looked up at Tommy. â€Å"I burned the blanket,† he said. â€Å"Smallpox.† Then he passed out. CHAPTER 19 Five Faces of Coyote Blue Ever since the morning Adeline Eats had found the frost-covered liar in the grass behind Wiley's Food and Gas there had been a screech owl sitting atop the power pole in front of her house, sitting there like feathered trouble. In addition, Black Cloud Follows had blown a water pump, all of her kids were coming down with the flu, her husband, Milo, had gone off to a peyote ceremony, and she was trying desperately to stay out of Hell. It was unfair, she thought, that her new faith was being tested before the paint was even dry. She wanted the owl to go away and take her bad luck with it. But to a good Christian, an owl was just an owl. Only a traditional Crow believed in the bad luck of owls. A good Christian would just go out there and shoo that old owl away. Of course, it wouldn't bother a good Christian. Adeline had come to Christianity the same way she had come to sex and smoking: through peer pressure. Thinking about her six kids and her smoker's hack, she wondered if perhaps peer pressure didn't always lead to the best habits. Her sisters had all converted and they had referred to her as the heathen of the family until she caved in and accepted Christ. Now, only three weeks after being washed in the blood of the Lamb, she was already backsliding like a dog surprised down a skunk hole. The owl. Adeline looked out the front window to check on the owl; he was still there. Had he winked at her? She had pinned up her hair and was wearing sunglasses and a pair of Milo's overalls, hoping the owl wouldn't recognize her until she figured out what to do. She was tempted to pray to Jesus to make the owl go away, but if she did that, she would be admitting that she believed in the old ways and she'd go to Hell. There was no Hell in the old ways. Then again, she could load up Milo's shotgun, walk out in the yard, and turn that old owl into pink mist. She couldn't see herself doing that either – no telling what kind of trouble that would unleash. And she couldn't wait for Milo and ask him for help: not after weeks of working on him to leave the Native American church and trade in his peyote buttons for wafers and wine. She ducked away from the window. One of the kids coughed in the other room. Eventually she was going to have to take them down to the clinic for treatment. But she was afraid to pass by the owl. According to the priest, God knew everything. The sunglasses and hairdo wouldn't fool God. God knew she was afraid, so He knew she still had faith in the old ways, so she was going to Hell as sure as if she'd been out all morning worshiping golden calves and graven images. â€Å"I got bad medicine from being Crow,† she thought. â€Å"And I'm going to Hell for being Christian. I should have let that old liar Pokey freeze to death.† She slapped herself on the forehead. â€Å"Damn! Another Hell thought.† -=*=- A nun with an Uzi popped up on the parapet of Notre Dame like a ninja penguin. Coyote shot from the hip, winging her before she could fire. She tumbled over the side, bounced off a gargoyle, and splattered on the sidewalk below. A synthesized Gregorian chant began to play as her spirit rose to heaven, a steel ruler in hand. Coyote strafed a stained-glass window and took out a bazooka-wielding bishop for two thousand penance points. Sam walked into the bedroom, hair wet, a towel wrapped around his hips. â€Å"Nice shot,† Sam said. Coyote glanced up from the video game. â€Å"The red ones have killed me three times.† â€Å"Those are cardinals. You have to hit them twice to kill them. Wait until you get to the Vatican level. The pope has guilt-beam vision.† Before Coyote could look back to the screen the cathedral doors flew open and St. Patrick fired a wiggling salvo of heat-seeking vipers. â€Å"Hit your smart bomb,† Sam said. Coyote fumbled with the control, but was too late. A snake latched onto his leg and exploded. The screen flashed GAME OVER, and a synthesized voice instructed Coyote to â€Å"go to confession.† Coyote dropped the control onto the bed with a sigh. Sam said, â€Å"You did good. Gunning for Nuns is a hard game for beginners.† â€Å"I should have brought some cheating medicine. My cheating medicine never fails.† â€Å"This isn't like the hand game. This is a game of skill.† â€Å"Who needs skill when you can have luck?† Sam shook his head and turned to go back to the bathroom. During the night something inside him had changed. Each time he thought things had reached a plateau of weirdness, something even weirder had happened. The result, he realized, was that he was now accepting anything that happened, no matter how weird, without resistance. Chaos was the new order in his life. The phone rang and Sam, hoping it was Calliope, grabbed the receiver off the vanity. â€Å"Samuel Hunter,† he said. â€Å"You low-life, scum-sucking shithead!† â€Å"Good morning to you too, Josh.† â€Å"You win, dickhead. There'll be a meeting of the co-op association tonight. They'll vote you back in. You can keep your apartment, but I want your guarantee that this is over.† â€Å"Okay.† â€Å"I hope you know I've lost all respect for you as a professional, Sam. The doctor says I'm going to walk with a limp for the rest of my life.† â€Å"There was a crooked man who had a crooked-â€Å" â€Å"You broke my legs! My house is destroyed.† Sam peeked into the bedroom where Coyote was attacking the Sistine Chapel with a helicopter gunship. â€Å"Josh, I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm glad you came to your senses.† â€Å"Fuck you. I'm using up years of collected dirt to get your apartment back.† â€Å"Townhouse,† Sam corrected. â€Å"Not apartment.† â€Å"Don't fuck with me, Sam. I'm in a cast up to my nipples and a sadistic nurse has been force-feeding me green Jell-O for an hour. Just tell me it's over.† â€Å"It's over,† Sam said. The phone clicked. Sam walked back into the bedroom. â€Å"What did you do to Spagnola?† Coyote was rolling on the bed in exaggerated body English to tilt the gunship. â€Å"These birds are eating my tail rotor. I can't control it.† â€Å"Uh-oh, St. Francis released the doves of death. You're dead meat.† Sam took a cigarette from the pack on the dresser and offered one to Coyote. â€Å"What did you do to Spagnola?† â€Å"You said you wanted your old life back.† â€Å"So you broke Spagnola's legs?† â€Å"It was a trick.† â€Å"You can't just go around breaking people's legs like some Mafioso fairy godmother.† The gunship spun out of control and crashed on the mezzanine. Coyote threw the joystick at the screen and turned to Sam. â€Å"How can I win if you keep talking to me? You whine like an old woman. I got you your house back!† â€Å"I wouldn't have lost it if you had left me alone. Be logical.† â€Å"What gods do you know that are logical? Name two.† â€Å"Never mind,† Sam said. He went to the closet and pulled his clothing out for the day. Coyote said, â€Å"Do you have a light?† â€Å"No.† â€Å"No? After I stole fire from the sun and gave it to your people?† â€Å"Why, Coyote? Why did you do that?† Sam turned to point out the lighter on the dresser, but the trickster was gone. -=*=- Calliope's upbringing in the Eastern religions, with their emphasis on living in the now – of acting, not thinking – had left her totally unprepared to do battle with the future. She'd tried to ignore it, even after Grubb was born, but it had become more and more difficult to function on karmic autopilot. Now, Sam had entered her life and she felt like she had something to lose. The future had a name. She wondered what she had done to manifest the curse of a nice guy. â€Å"It feels wonderful, but I want more,† Calliope said. â€Å"I don't get it,† Nina said. They were cleaning up the kitchen. Grubb was scooting around on the linoleum at their feet, tasting the baseboards, a table leg, a slow-moving bug. â€Å"I've always felt separate from men, even during sex. It's like there's this part of me that watches them and I'm not really involved. But it wasn't that way with Sam. It was like we were really together, no barriers. I wasn't watching him, I was with him. When we were finished I lay there watching the pulse on his neck, and it was like we had gone to some other world together. I wanted more.† â€Å"So you're saying you're a hosebeast.† â€Å"Not like that. It was just that I want to feel that way all the time. I want my whole life to feel – complete.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Calliope, I don't get it. I'm happy if Yiffer doesn't pass out before we finish.† â€Å"I guess it's not a sexual thing. It's a spiritual thing. Like there's a part of life that I can touch but I can't live in.† â€Å"Maybe we just need to find a house where your ex doesn't live downstairs.† â€Å"That was pretty awful. I couldn't believe Sam didn't just leave.† Nina threw a dish towel at Calliope and missed. â€Å"You had a little good luck for a change, accept it. Not every guy has to be a creep like Lonnie.† â€Å"I'm a little afraid to leave Grubb with him when I go to work today.† â€Å"Lonnie won't hurt Grubb. He was just pissed that you were with someone else. Men are like that. Even when they don't want you, they don't want anyone else to have you.† â€Å"Nina, do you think there's something wrong with me?† â€Å"No, you're just not very good at worrying. You'll get the hang of it.† -=*=- â€Å"I've got to get back to the house,† Lonnie said to Cheryl, who was pouring peroxide on his damaged chest. She wiped away the foam with a tissue, then poked the wound with a broken black fingernail. â€Å"Ouch! What are you doing, bitch?† Cheryl got up from the bed and pulled on a pair of leather pants. Lonnie could see her hipbones and shoulder blades pushing against her pale skin as if they would poke through any second. â€Å"You're always thinking of her. Never me. What the hell is wrong with me?† She turned to face him and he stared at her breasts lying like flaps against her ribs. She pulled back her lips in a snarl and Lonnie knew his face had betrayed him. â€Å"Fucking asshole,† she said, pulling on a black Harley-Davidson T-shirt. â€Å"It's not her, it's the kid. He's my kid. I have to watch him when she goes to work.† â€Å"Bullshit. Then why won't you fuck me?† She tossed her head and her long black hair fell into her face like seaweed on the drowned. Because you look like you just escaped from fucking Auschwitz, Lonnie thought. He'd been with Cheryl for three months and had never seen her eat. As far as he could figure she lived on speed, come, and Pepsi. He said, â€Å"I worry about the kid.† â€Å"Then get custody. I can take care of him. I'd make a good mother.† â€Å"Right.† â€Å"You don't think so? You think that vegetarian bitch is a better mother than me?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"You start treating me right or I'm gone.† Cheryl took a purse from the floor and began digging in it. â€Å"Where the fuck is my stash?† She threw the purse aside and stormed out of the room. Lonnie followed her, carrying the denim vest sporting the Guild's colors. â€Å"I've got to go,† he said. Cheryl was dumping a bindle of white powder into a can of Pepsi. â€Å"Bring back some crank,† she said. As Lonnie walked out she added, â€Å"Tink called while you were sleeping. He said to tell you he took care of things.† Outside Lonnie fired up his Harley and pulled out into the street. Tinker's news should have cheered him up, but it didn't. He felt empty, like he needed to get fucked up. He always felt that way lately. At one time being a brother in the Guild, being accepted for who he was, had been enough. Having all the women and drugs and money and power he needed had been enough. But since Grubb was born he felt like he was supposed to be doing something, and he didn't know what it was. Maybe the bitch is right, he thought. As long as the kid tied him to Calliope he was going to feel shitty. It was time to feel good again. -=*=- Frank Cochran, the cofounder of Motion Marine, Inc., had spent most of the morning in his office milling over the bane of his existence: the human factor. Frank loved organization, routine, and predictability. He liked his life to be linear, moving forward from event to event without the nasty backtracking caused by surprises. The human factor was his name for the variable of unpredictability that was added to the equation of life by human beings. Today, the human factor was represented by his partner, Jim Cable, who was in the hospital after being attacked by an Indian. Frank's thinking went thus: If Jim dies there'll be insurance hassles, legal battles with the family, and someone will have to comfort Jim's mistress. But if Jim lives – maybe Jim's mistress should be comforted anyway†¦. His train of thought was broken by the buzz of the intercom on his desk. â€Å"Mr. Cochran,† his secretary said, â€Å"there's a man from NARC here to see you.† â€Å"I don't have any appointments until after lunch, do I?† The office door burst open and Cochran looked up to see an Indian in black buckskins striding toward him. His secretary was shouting protests from her desk. Cochran spoke into the intercom, â€Å"Stella, do I have an appointment with this man?† â€Å"Native American Reform Coalition,† Coyote said. â€Å"I understand that some insurance agent is taking credit for what happened to your partner.† Cochran had a very bad feeling about this. â€Å"Look, I don't know who you are, but I don't like surprises.† â€Å"Then this is going to be a very bad day for you.† Coyote slammed the door behind him. â€Å"A very bad day.† The trickster extended his right hand. â€Å"Nice to meet you.† Cochran watched in horror as the Indian's hand began to sprout fur and claws.