Convolutional Neural Network

Convolutional Neural Network: A boon for deep facial recognition in Biometrics.Vishalakshi Rituraj1, Research Scholar-phD (CS), Magadh University, Bodhgaya.Email id: [email  protected]comShyam Krishna Singh2, Associate Prof., Mathematics Dept., A. N. College Patna.Abstract:-Today Biometric recognition systems are gaining much acceptance and lots of popularity due to its wide application area. They are considered to be more secure compared to the traditional password based methods. Research is being done to improve the biometric security to tackle the risk and challenges from surroundings. Artificial Intelligence has played a significant role in biometric security. Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) belongs to AI family, has been designed to work a little like human brain but not exactly, handles the complexity and variations in facial images very effectively. This paper is going to focus on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Deep Learning and how a CNN carries out facial detection.Keywords:- Biometrics, Neural network, Learning, convolution, neurons, Pattern Recognition.  1) Introduction:-The increasing demand of technology in each and every field of our lives has raised the risk of data security in parallel. From the very ancient time, man is putting his best effort to get his things secured. But today in this digital world, we are facing more problems due to impostors and other types of security hacks. Besides these, the curious human nature has always been trying to do something new and to cross the predefined boundaries. Intelligence is a by birth human quality but now a days, technology has made machines to think and behave like us to some extent. This concept of manmade intelligence created by rigorous use of complex mathematical operations and searching algorithms is known as Artificial Intelligence (AI). When we saw the AI used in Hollywood movie TERMINATOR, we didn't even imagine the concept of such a smart machine that could handle different situations. But now, it seems impossible is going to be possible due to AI as it has opened the door of a completely new world of opportunities. Artificial intelligence is a branch of computer science aiming to make a computer, robot, or a software think intelligently, in the same manner the intelligent humans think and it has been proved very useful where traditional algorithmic solutions don't work well. We are using AI based applications everywhere in our day to day life, such as- spam filters in gmail account, plagiarism checker, Google's intelligent prediction in web searching, suggestions on Facebook and Youtube and many more. The main purpose of designing AI system is to include the following areas:-PlanningLearningProblem SolvingPattern RecognitionSpeech/Facial RecognitionNatural language processingCreativity, and many more. Neural networks and deep learning, a branch of AI currently provide the best methods to solve many problems associated with the Biometric authentication. Biometrics is a noble technique for personal authentication either on the basis of physical attribute (fingerprint, iris, face, palm, hand, DNA etc.) or behavioral (Speech, signature, keystroke etc.). As we all know, our face is one of the wonderful creations of God and the unique diversities among all faces help us to differentiate one another. Facial recognition is the fastest growing field because a large no. of applications is adopting it. Recently, Apple launched its face recognition system equipped iPhone X on 12 Sept 2017 and it is claimed that it can identify the face in dark or even when owner has different hairstyle or look as well. Apple says that the facial recognition cannot be spoofed by using a photograph or even a mask [1].(2) Application areas of Facial Recognition- Facial biometric recognition is being popular due to its wide range of applications and it can easily be deployed and integrated anywhere if there is modern high definition camera. Some of the trending applications are-Many electronic devices are integrated with face biometric to eliminate the need of passwords and thus providing enhanced security and accessing method. Facebook's automatic facial detection feature recognizes our friends' faces with pretty good accuracy and starts suggestion based on it.Criminal identification has become simpler by better recognition of facial image through CCTV surveillance. It may minimize traffic rule breaking and road accidents.Some universities use facial recognition system as a tool to monitor the attendance of the students so that the management cannot be fooled by letting students to sign in behalf of others. ESG Management School in Paris  is using  facial recognition  software in its online classes to make sure students aren't slacking off. Using a software called Nestor, the webcam on a student's computer will analyze eye movements and facial expressions to find out if he or she is paying attention during video lectures.[2] In our paper, we will focus on the need of facial recognition and how deep learning and neural networks have been a backbone for this technology. 2) Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL):- Machine learning is considered as subset of AI which uses statistical techniques and algorithms which make a machine capable of making decision or prediction by learning from the given data and adapt through experience. The process of learning begins with observations or data, such as examples, direct experience, or instruction, in order to look for patterns in data and make better decisions in the future based on the examples that we provide. The primary aim is to allow the computers learn automatically without human intervention or assistance and adjust actions accordingly [3]. Deep learning is a subset of Machine learning where a machine has a higher level of recognition accuracy and aims to solve real world problems like image recognition, sound recognition, space exploration, weather forecasting and so many other automated applications. Here, the word ‘deep' refers to the no. of layers in the network to accomplish a task. Deep learning methods use neural network architectures, very much like neurons in human brain, introducing a concept of Artificial Neural Network (ANN). 3) Concept of Artificial Neural Network in problem solving:- Today, automated systems have made our lives too easy and have replaced man in some places. But when we talk about ‘intelligence', man will always be superior to machines because of their god gifted nervous system which is composed of billions of neurons. These neurons are interconnected together and pass signals to one another which make the entire system to identify, classify and analyze things. Getting inspiration from biological neural network, the concept of ANN came into existence. The inventor of the first neurocomputer, Dr. Robert Hecht-Nielsen, defines a neural network as – â€Å"†¦a computing system made up of a number of simple, highly interconnected processing elements, which process information by their dynamic state response to external inputs.† [4] Figure1: A simple ANN structure. [5] 3.1) Types of ANN: – (A) On the basis of topological arrangement, there are two types of ANN-a) A Feed-Forward Network :- In this type of ANN, data flow takes place in only one direction through different layers and none of the layers is fed with signal from background direction. This network does not have feedback loops as output of one layer becomes the input for other layers. Practically, in a Feed forward network, any prediction does not have to be affected with the previous predictions.Figure 2: A Feed-Forward Network [6]b) Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN):- This type of neural network allows feedback loop by transmitting signals not only in one direction, instead data flow is carried out from backward direction too, sometimes also known as FeedBack ANN. In RNN, each neuron has its connection with others and how the flow of data is maintained, will be governed by its internal memory. The decision taken by RNN gets affected by the decision made by the network at previous. It means, the current output of a RNN depends on both the previous output as well as the current input. Figure 3: Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN) [7](B) On the basis of layering, there are two types of ANN-(a) Single Layer Network- In this type of network, neurons on input layers are connected with the neurons present at the output layer and there is no layer in between these two layers.(b) Multi Layer Network- This type of ANN consists of more than one layer in between input and output layer which are called hidden layers. These hidden layers carry out computation by passing data from one layer to another. In this scheme, output from one layer becomes input for next layer and so on; finally output is obtained from output layer.(4) Convolutional Neural Network (CNN):- A convolutional neural network (CNN) is a subset of deep learning and belongs to the category of multilayer, feed-forward artificial neural networks. One of the most promising areas where this technology is rapidly growing, is security. It has been very helpful in monitoring suspicious banking transactions, as well as in video surveillance systems or CCTV.Figure 4: A typical CNN architecture [8]Besides input and output layers, CNN has many hidden layers in between which may be classified as-Convolutional Layer:- This layer performs the core operations of training and forms the basis of CNN. Each layer has a single set of weights for all neurons and each neuron is responsible for processing a small part of the input space. Thus, the convolutional layer is just an image  convolution  of the previous layer, where the weights specify the convolution filter [9].Pooling Layer:- This layer also known as downsampling layer, is placed after the convolutional layer. Pooling layer is responsible for reducing the spatial size (Width x Height) of the Input Volume which will be passed to the next convolutional Layer. Fully Connected Layer:- This layer connects each neuron on previous layer with all the neurons present on the next layer.(5) Facial detection/Recognition using CNN:- A human brain sees multiple images in a day and is able to distinguish each one accurately without realizing how the processing is done. But, there is a different case with machines because they have to recognize an image on the basis of learning. Facial detection is a method to identify a person or object based on their unique features and this process involves the detection and extraction of the face from the original image or video. After this, the face recognition takes place where different complex computer algorithms are used to recognize a face. Here, we will understand the entire process of face detection and recognition. A face detection system involves two phases:-(I) Enrollment Phase- Face Detection- In this phase, several pictures of the same person is captured to whom the system should recognize as â€Å"known† with different facial expressions and head positions. Feature Extraction- In this step, different feature measures are applied which can better describe a human face. There are different algorithms such as Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Haar Features, Local Binary Pattern (LBP) etc. available for the facial measurement. On the basis of these measurements, CNN is trained for learning in future. Storing in Database- All the extracted features are stored in a database so that they can be used further in identification process. Face DetectionPre-processingFeature ExtractionFace RecognitionImageVerification/Identification(II) Recognition Phase-Figure 5: Architecture of Face Recognition System [10]Face Detection- When an image is admitted for identification, It is checked that whether it matches with the captured and stored images from the database by using face detection algorithms. Pre-processing- Pre-processing is necessary to make an easier and smooth training phase. The collected face images or video frames need to be passed through Pre-processing phase to eliminate the noise, blur, shadows, lighting and other unwanted factors. The final smooth image obtained so, will be passed to the next feature extraction phase.Feature Extraction- After Pre-processing phase, feature extraction is carried out by the CNN which was trained during Enrollment phase. Recognition- This is the last step where a suitable classifier such as Nearest Neighbor, Bayesian classifier, Euclidean Distance classifier etc., can be chosen. This classifier compares the feature vector stored in the database with the query feature vector and finally the best matched face image comes as a recognition output. 6) Conclusion:Biometric verification/authentication is going to be deployed everywhere from government to private organizations in coming days. In this paper, we studied the relation among AI, ML, DL, ANN and CNN. We have also demonstrated the way CNN carries facial detection with improved accuracy. The field of AI has a wide spectrum and open for researchers. So, it aims to provide better result in biometric security in future.Referencesâ€Å"You can stymie the iPhone X Face ID – but it takes some work†, Anick Jesdanun, https://phys.org/news/2017-10-stymie-iphone-id-.htmlâ€Å"Entrepreneur India†, https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/280493#2â€Å"What is Machine Learning? A definition† Luca Scagliarini, Marco Varone, http://www.expertsystem.com/machine-learning-definition/.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_neural_network.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspoint.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Artificial Intelligence-Neural Networks†, https://www.tutorialspo int.com/artificial_intelligence/artificial_intelligence_neural_networks.htm.â€Å"Convolutional neural network†, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convolutional_neural_network.â€Å"Convolutional Neural Networks†, http://andrew.gibiansky.com/blog/machine-learning/convolutional-neural-networks/.â€Å"Face Recognition Using Neural Network: A Review†, Manisha M. Kasar, Debnath Bhattacharyya and Tai-hoon Kim, International Journal of Security and Its Applications, Vol. 10, No. 3 (2016), pp.81-100.

Why I Learn English

Why I learn English Learning English is necessary for my future career. Nowadays, practically every prestigious and well-plaid job, not only working as an English teacher, requires proficiency in this language. Those who know English, have a big advantage on the labour-market over those who don’t. But it certainly isn’t the only reason why I learn English. I have been interested in studying foreign languages since I went to school, and I always knew that my future profession would be connected with linguistics. I believe that the mentality of every nation is closely connected with its language.It’s impossible to translate any text from one language into another without slight changing of its meaning. Every language has some set-phrases and sayings that can’t be translated word for word. So, when you learn to think in a foreign language, you begin to think in a different way. You can see the world from a different viewpoint. To my mind, it compensates the t ime spent on studying the language. One another reason why I study English is connected with general intellectual development. Scientists have proved that learning languages serves as an excellent training for our brain.When a person learns one foreign language, other languages become easier for him or her to learn. On the whole, he or she begins to understand better all subjects, even if they are not connected with linguistics. Moreover, learning English provides me with extra opportunities. For example, I can understand, what my favorite musical bands sing: it’s extremely important for me, as I’m a music lover. Of course, one can like a song just because it sounds tuneful, but I prefer to understand the message that the author wanted to pass to the listeners. In addition, I can read books and watch movies in the original.It’s very useful, as the interpretation not always can transmit the richness of the author’s language, the subtlety of his thoughts. A nother opportunity, provided by the knowledge of the English language, is the ability to communicate with foreigners. I can get acquainted with new people while I travel abroad or just walk in Moscow, and then continue communicating with them in social networks. After all, I just like English: I like the way it sounds, and I find the culture and the history of England very interesting, as they have little resemblance to those of our country.

Cnps 365 Midterm 1 Notes

Chapter 4 & 5 Psychoanalytic Therapy †¢Sigmund Freud. †¢Freuds psychoanalytical system = model of personality development, approach to psychotherapy †¢Often a benchmark used for other theories †¢Freudian view of human nature = deterministic †¢Behaviour determined by irrational forces, unconscious motivations 0biological/instinctual drives, evolve through key psycho sexual stages in first 6 years of life †¢Instincts central †¢Libido = energy of all life instincts Libido, source of motivation that encompasses sexual energy but goes beyond it †¢Both sexual and aggressive drives are powerful determinants of why people act as they do †¢Psychoanalytical view – three systems for personality: id, ego, superego †¢Id = biological, ego = psychological, superego = social †¢Humans = energy systems †¢Id, original system of personality, at birth person is all id. Primary source of psychic energy and seat of instincts. Blind, demandi ng, insistent, lacks organization.Cannot tolerate tension and discharges tension immediately. Ruled by pleasure principle (reducing tension, avoid pain, gain pleasure). Id is Illogical, amoral, satisfy instinctual needs, never matures. Doesn’t think, acts or wishes, largely unconscious. †¢Ego governs, controls, regulates personality. Controls consciousness and exercises censorship. Realistic and logical thinking, formulates plans of acitons for satisfying needs. Ego checks and controls blind impulses of id, ego distinguishes between mental images and things in external world. Superego is judical branch of personality. Includes moral code, main concern of whether action is good/right/wrong/bad. Superego reprents values/ideals of society as they are handed down from generations. Inhibits the id impulses, to persuade ego to substitute moralistic goals for realistic ones and to strive for perfection. Supergego related to psychological rewards and punishments †¢Dreams, s lips of tongue and forgetting, posthypnotic uggestions, material derived from free-association techniques, material derived from projective techniques, symbolic content of psychotic symptoms all represent unconscious. †¢Unconscious stores experiences memory and repressed material †¢Aim of psychoanalytic therapy is to make unconscious motives conscious. †¢Anxiety – feeling of dread from repressed feelings, memories, desires, and experiences †¢Anxeity develops from conflicts amongst id,ego, and super ego. †¢Anxeity warns of impending danger 3 Types of anxiety, reality, neurotic, moral †¢Reality anxiety – fear of danger from external world †¢Neurotic and moral anxiety evoked by threats to balance of power within person †¢Neurotic anxiety is fear that instinct will get out of hand †¢Moral anxiety is fear of ones conscience †¢Ego-defense mechanisms cope with anxiety, prevent ego from being overwhelmed. †¢Defense mechani sms either deny/distort reality, or operate on unconscious level †¢Psychosexual stages = Freudian development Typical defense mechanisms: Repression, Denial, Reaction formation, Projection, Displacement, Rationalization, Sublimation, Regression, Introjection, Identification, Compensation †¢Freuds psychosexual stages of development: oral stage, anal stage, phallic, stage †¢Oral stage – inability to trust self na others = fear of loving, close relationships, low self-esteem †¢Anal stage – inability to recognize and express anger, leads to denial of ones power and lack of sense of autonomy †¢Phallic stage, inability to fully accept ones sexuality and sexual feelings, difficult to accept self as man or woman.All done within first 6 years of life, Oral(0-1), Anal (1-3) Phallic(3-6). First 6 years are foundation, if needs not met during development may become psychologically immature †¢Erikson’s Psychosocial Perspective †¢Psychosexua l + psychosocial development occurs together, each stage of life, faced with task of establishing equilibrium. †¢Crisis = turning point with potential to move forward or regress †¢Classical psychoanalysis grounded on id psychology †¢Contemporary psychoanalysis based on ego psychology †¢Freudian goals include making the unconscious conscious and strengthen the ego †¢Blank Screen Approach – anonymous stance Transference relationship, the transfer of feelings originally experienced in an early relationship to other important people in a persons present environment †¢Attention given to clients resistances. Analysts listens for gaps, inconsistencies, free associations, infers meanings of dream †¢Psychoanalytic therapy is somewhat like putting pieces of puzzles together †¢Free association – say whatever comes to find, no self censorship (classical psychoanalysis) typical laying on a couch scenario †¢Transference – clients u nconscious shifting to the analyst of feelings and fantasies that are reactions to significant others in the client’s past.Involves the unconscious repetition of the past in the present †¢Working through – exploration of unconscious material and defenses. Results in resolution of old pattrerns allows clients to make new choices †¢Countertransference, when therapist respond in irrational ways because their own conflicts trigger †¢Psychodynamic therapy – geared to limted objectives than to restructuring personality. Therapist lesss likely to use couch, fewer sessions per week, frequent use of supportive interventions, more self disclosure by therapist, focus more on pressing practical concerns than on fantasy material. Aimed at increasing awareness, fostering insights into clients behaviour †¢6 basic techniques – maintaining the analytic framework, free association, interpretation, dream analysis, analysis of resistance, analysis of tran sference †¢Carl Jung’s analytical psychology is a explaination of human nature that combines ideas from history mythology anthropology and religion. †¢Jung – more focus on finding the meaning in life as opposed to being driven by psychological and biological forces described by Freud. †¢Jung – shaped by past and also future Present personality shaped by w ho and what we have been and aspire to be †¢Persona – mask/public face we wear to protect ourselves †¢Animus and anima = both biological and psychological aspects of masculinity and femininity †¢Shadow – deepest roots and most powerful and dangerous of all archetypes, †¢Jung – dreams are a pathway into unconscious, but they help people prepare themselves for experiences and events in the future, and work to bring a balance between opposites in a person. More of an attempt to express then to repress and disguise. †¢Ego psychology developed largely by E rikson Psychoanalyitcal therapy, more concerned with long term personality reconstruction than short term problem solving Chapter 5 †¢Alfred Adler – Individual Psychology †¢Individual begins to form approach to life somewhere in first 6 years of living †¢Humans motivated primarily by social relatedness †¢Behaviour is purposeful and goal directed, more conscious than not †¢Focused on inferiority feelings – wellspring of creativity †¢Human behaviour not determined by heredity and environment, capacity to interpret influence and create events †¢Biological and environmental conditions limit our capacity to choose and to create †¢Approach is holistic, social.Goal oriented, systemic, humanistic †¢View world from clients subjective perception of reference = phenomenological, pays attention to how people perceive their world †¢Individual Psychology – Alfred Adler †¢Must fully understand all parts of an individual â € ¢Determinstic explainations replaced with teleological (purposive, goal-oriented) ones. †¢Interested in future without minimizing importance of past influences, decisions based on a persons experiences and on direction they are moving †¢Adler influenced by fiction †¢Fictional finalism, imagined central goal that guides a persons behaviour †¢Striving torward superiority or perfection Guiding self-ideal represents individuals image of goal of perfection †¢Inferiority not a negative factor in life, when experienced first in life, we are pulled by striving for superiority. †¢Cope with helplessness by striving for competence mastery and perfection †¢Ã¢â‚¬Å"Lifestyle† A individuals core beliefs and assumptions guide each person’s movement through life and organize his or her reality giving meaning to life events â€Å"plan of life, style of life, strategy for living and road map of life† †¢Develop a style of life through stri ving for goals and superiority †¢Unique style is rimarily created during first 6 years of life, subsequent events may have effect on development of our personality. †¢Experiences not a decisive factor itself, but a interpretation of these events that shape personality †¢Can reframe childhood experiences and consciously create a new style of life †¢Social interest – action line of ones community feeling, it is the capacity to cooperate and contribute to community.Striving for a better future for humanity †¢Social interest is innate, but also must be taught learned and used †¢Social interest is central indicator of health, feelings of inferiority and alienation diminish as social interest is developed. Expressed through shared activity and mutual respect †¢Community feeling – feelings of being connected to all of humanity, and being involved in making the world a better place. Lack of this causes people to become discouraged and end up on useless side of life. †¢Anxiety is the result of not feeling belonged. Must master 3 universal life tasks – building friendships, establishing intimacy, contributing to society. 2 added ones by mosak and dreikurs : getting along with ourselves and developing our spiritual dimension †¢Gives special attention to relationships between siblings and psychological birth position in ones family †¢Five positions: oldest, second of only two, middle, youngest, and only †¢Actual birth order less important than persons own view of where they are †¢Family relationships earliest and mots influential social system.Theory is of a social one †¢Therapeutic process -> forming a relationship based on mutual respect, lifestyle assessment; disclosing mistaken goals and faulty assumptions -> reeducation of client towards useful side of life. Main aim to develop clients sense of belonging and assist in adoption of behaviours and processes characterized by community f eeling and social interest. Accomplished by increasing clients self awareness, and challenging and modifying his or her fundamental premises life goals and basic concepts. Alderians favour growth model of personality more then sickness model †¢Treatment focused on providing info, teaching, guiding, providing encouragement to discouraged individuals. Engouragement is most powerful method available for changing persons belief and helps build self-confidence and stimulates courage †¢Courage – willingness to act even when fearful in ways that are consistent with social nterest †¢Goals: Fostering social interest, helping clients overcome feelings of discouragement and inferiority, modifying clients views and goals (changing their lifestyle), changing faulty motivation, encouraging the individual to recognize equality among people, helping people to become contributing members of society. Therapists look for major mistakes in thinking/values ie mistrust selfishness u nrealistic ambition lack of confidence †¢Therapists determine early social influences through a family constellation †¢Early recollections also used as assessment – They are stories of events that a person SAYS occurred before 10 years of age – Useful to help understand the client †¢Process of gathering early recollections is part of lifestyle assessment, learning understanding goals and motivations of client †¢Dreams help bring problems to surface and points to patients movement †¢Adlerian counselling focus on desired outcomes Private Logic – concepts about self, others, and life that constitute the philosophy on which an individuals life style is based †¢Steps in therapy : Establish proper therapeutic relationship; Explore the psychological dynamics operating in the client (an assessment); Encourage the development of self-understanding (insight into purpose); Help the client make new choices (reorientation and reeducation). Label led as Adlerian brief therapy †¢Step 1 – Establish Relationship – seek to make person to person contact with clients rather then starting with problem.Initial focus on person, not problem. Therapists provide support. Pay more attention to subjective experiences of clients than techniques. †¢Step 2 – Explore individuals psychological dynamics – deeper understanding of indivduals lifestyle. Proceeds from two interview forms, subjective interview and objective interview. Subjective interview, counsellor helps client tell his/her life story as completely as possible.Throughout interview, listen for purposive aspects of clients coping and approaches to life, extract patterns and develop hypotheses about what works for client. Often end subjective interview with question, â€Å"how would your life be different, what would you be doing differently if problem was not present†. Objective interview discovers information about how the problem began, any precipitating events, medial history, social history, reasons client chose therapy at this time, persons coping with life tasks, lifestyle assessment †¢Adler suggests it was hrough family constellation that each person forms his unique view of self others and life †¢Adlerian assessment relies on exploration of clients family constellation †¢Adler reasoned that out of the millions of early memories, we will remember the special ones that project essential convictions †¢Use early recollectio9n to assess persons convictions of self, others life, ethics, assessment of clients stance in relation to the counselling session and counselling relationship, verification of coping patterns, assessment of individual strengths assets and interfering ideas †¢After gathering info from both types of interviews, integration and summary is next †¢General mistakes: Overgeneralization, False or impossible goals of security, Misperceptions of life and lifes demands, min imization or denial of ones basic worth, faulty values. Phase 3 : Encourage Self-Understanding and Insight – Self understanding only possible when hidden purposes and goals of behaviour are made conscious. Interpretation deals with clients underlying motives for behaving the way they do in present. Adlerian interpretation usually are hunches and gusses. †¢Phase 4 – Reorientation and Reeducation – Focuses on helping people discover new and more functional perspectives. Clients encouraged to develop courage to take risks and make changes in their lives. Want to guide patients into the useful side of life at this point ( contributing to society, confidence, acceptance of imperfection, courage etc). Encouragement very important in this step. †¢Encouragement process helps build courage.Encouragement involves showing faith in people, expecting them to assume responsibility for their lives, and valuing them for who they are. †¢Discouragement is basic con dition that prevents people from functioning, encouragement is the antidote. †¢Clients make decisions and modify their goals in reorientation stage. Commitment very essential if they want to change. †¢Counsellors seek to make difference in lives of their clients. †¢Focus more on motivation modification rather then behavioural change. †¢Based on a growth model, not medical model †¢Flexible Chapter 6 Existential Therapy †¢More of a way of thinking than any style of psychotherapy †¢Neither ndependent nor separate school of therapy, nor neatly defined model with specific techniques †¢Best described as a philosophical approach which influences a counsellors therapeutic practice †¢Grounded on assumption that we’re free, therefore responsible for all our choices and actions, we are authors of our lives and design the pathways we follow †¢Rejects deterministic view of human nature espoused by psychoanalysis (Psychonanalysis sees freed om resitrcted by unconscious forces, irrational drives, past events, while behaviourists see freedom restricted by socioculture conditioning) †¢We are not victims of circumstances because we are what we choose to be. †¢Aim of therapy is to encourage clients to reflect on life, recognize their range of alternatives and decide amongst them. â€Å"Once individuals recognize their role in creating their own life situation, they realize they have the power to change it† †¢One of the aims is to challenge people to stop deceiving themselves regarding their lack of responsibility for whats happening to them and their excessive demands on life †¢Doesn’t view client as ill, and curing them like a medical model, but rather sick of life or clumsy at living. Attention given to clients present experiences with goal of helping them develop a greater presence in their life quest †¢Basic task to encourage clients to explore all their options for creating meanin gful existence †¢European existential perspective focused on human limitations + tragic dimensions of life †¢Soren Kierkegaard – primary concern of angst ( lies between dread and anxiety) Need knowledge of angst to become human. Need the willingness to risk a leap of faith in making choices †¢Freidrich Nietzsche – Importance of subjectivity. Kierkegard and Nietzsche considered originators of existential perspective †¢Martin Heidegger – We exist in the world, don’t try to think of ourselves as being apart from the world which were thrown †¢Moods and feelings are a way of understanding whether were living authentically or not.Phenomenology provides a view of human history that doesn’t focus on past events but motivates individuals to look forward to authentic experiences †¢Jean-Paul Sartre – Failure to acknowledge our freedom and choices results in emotional problems. Freedom is hard to face up to, invent excuses in bad faith. Existence is not fixed nor finished, when attempting to pin down who we are, we engage in self deception †¢Martin Buber – Humans live in â€Å"betweenness†, never just an I but always an other. Stresses Presence, which enables true I/Thou relationships; Allows for meaning to exist in a situation; Enables an individual to be responsible in the present. When a client therapist relationship becomes equal, we become dialogic †¢Ludwig Binswanger – Addresses relationship between person and his/her environment. â€Å"Thrown into the world† but still responsible for our choices and planning for future.Existential analysis emphasizes the subjective and spiritual dimensions of human existence. †¢Medard Boss – Being-in-the-world, aboility to reflect on life events and attribute meaning to these events. Therapist must enter clients subjective world without presuppositions. †¢Key figure Viktor Frankl for Existential Psychothera py †¢Many people have means to live, but no meaning to live for. Therapeutic process aimed at challenging individuals to find meaning and purpose through suffering work and love †¢Therapist must be in touch with his own phenomenological world †¢Givens of existence : death freedom, responsibility, existential isolation, and meaninglessness. Bases therapy based on understanding of what it means to be human †¢Focus on the individuals experience of being in the world alone and facing anxiety of the isolation †¢Believe humans are in constant state of transition, emerging, evolving, and becoming. †¢Basic dimensions of human condition: Capacity for self-awareness; freedom and responsibility; creating one’s identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; the search for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; anxiety as a condition of living; awareness of death and nonbeing. †¢Capacity for Self-Awareness – Can reflect and make cho ices as we are capable of self awareness. Greater the awareness, greater the possibilities for freedom.Capacity to live fully expands as we expand awareness on areas such as: were finite and don’t have unlimited time to do what we want; potential to take action or not to act; choose our actions; meaning is discovering how were situated in the world then living creatively; increase our sense of responsibility for consequences of choices through increased awareness; subject to loneliness, meaninglessness, emptiness, guilt and isolation; alone, yet we have an opportunity to relate to others. Decision to expand fundamental to human growth. Increasing self awareness goal for all therapy †¢Freedom and Responsibility – freedom implies responsibility for our own lives. Existential guilt is being aware of having evaded commitment or choosing not to choose.Authenticity implies were living by being true to our own evaluations of what a valuable existence is to oneself. Being free and being human are the same. Assuming responsibility is the basis for change. †¢Striving for Identity and Relationship to Others – Creating an identity requires courage, strive for connectedness with others. Awareness of our finite nature gives us appreciation of ultimate concerns. Courage entails the will to move forward in spite of anxiety producing situations. Self awareness can help make everything easier for the client, and clients having the courage to admit things is a good indicator. Strength of aloneness, isolation.A function of therapy is to help clients distinguish between a neurotically dependent attachment to another and a life affirming relationship in which both persons are enhanced. Fear of dealing with aloneness can cause one being trapped. †¢Search for meaning – Existential therapy can provide framework for helping clients challenge the meaning in their lives. Therapists trust is important in helping clients trust their own capacity t o discover a new source of values. Meaninglessness in life can lead to emptiness and hollowness, or a existential vacuum. Often happens when people are not busying themselves. Establishing values that are part of a meaningful life are issues that become the heart of counselling. Logotherapy designed to help clients find a meaning in life.Therapist should be pointing out clients can discover meaning even in suffering. Shows human suffering can be turned to human achievement. Like pleasure, meaning must be pursued obliquely. †¢Anxiety as a condition of living – Anxiety arises from personal strivings to survive and maintain and assert one’s being. Existential anxiety is the unavoidable result of being confronted with givens of existence – death, freedom, choice, isolation, meaninglessness. Existential anxiety can be a stimulus for growth. Anxiety can indicate when a person is ready for personal change. Can’t survive without anxiety. Neurotic anxiety is out of proportion to the situation, not aware of it, and tends to immobilize a person.Van deurzen says that existential therapy not to make life seem easier or more comfortable, but to encourage clients to recognize and deal with sources of their insecurity and anxiety. More self confidence leads to less anxiety. †¢Awareness of Death and Nonbeing – Death is not negatively, but hold awareness to death as a basic human condition which gives significance to living. Necessary to think of death when thinking significantly of life. Death should be a motivation to live fully. Awareness of death is a source for zest for life and creativity. People who fear death fear life. Realization of death makes us realize more clearly our actions count, we have choices, we must accept responsibility for how well we are living. Existential therapy considered an invitation to clients to recognize the ways in which they aren’t living a fully authentic life and to help them make choices that will lead to what they are capable of being. †¢Assist clients moving toward authenticity and learning to recognize when they are deceiving themselves †¢No escape from freedom, we are always responsible †¢Helps clients face anxiety and engage in action that is based on the authentic purpose of creating a worthy existence †¢Teach clients to listen to what they know of themselves †¢Assist clients in recognizing they aren’t fully present in therapy and to show them how the pattern may limit them outside of therapy; support clients in confronting anxieties; help clients redefine themselves †¢Increased awareness is central goal †¢Therapist need to understand subjective world of client Clients are expected to go out into world and decide how they’ll live differently and must be active in therapy process, as they must decide what fears guilt and anxieties they will explore †¢Major themes of therapy sessions include anxiety, freedom, responsibility, search for identity, living authentically, isolation, alienation, death and its implications for living, continual search for meaning. Assist people in facing life with courage hope and a willingness to find meaning in life †¢Therapists strive to create caring and intimate relationships with clients, core of the relationship is respect. Display genuine concern and empathy. †¢Not technique oriented †¢Priority to understand the clients world. †¢In initial phase, therapist assists clients in identifying and clarifying assumptions of the world. †¢In middle phase, clients encouraged to fully examine source and authority of their present value system. Final phase focuses on helping people take what they are learning of themselves and put it into action †¢Appropriate for people with developmental crises, experiencing grief and loss, confronting death, facing a major life decision †¢Most appropriate for clients that are commited to dealing with their problems about living and for people who feel alienated from the current expectations of society or those searching for the meaning of their lives †¢Highly relevant in multicultural context, doesn’t have a particular way of viewing or relating to reality, broad perspective †¢Main limitation is the level of maturity, life experience, and intensive training that’s required of practitioners. Chapter 1, 2, 3 †¢Counselor must be authentic and shed stereotypes, otherwise client will keep themselves hidden †¢Therapists serve as models for clients, clients will take from us. Effective therapists have: Identity, respect and appreciate themselves, open to change, make choices that are life oriented, authentic, sincere, honest, sense of humor, make mistakes and willing to admit them, live in present, appreciate influence of culture, have sincere interest in welfare of others, effective interpersonal skills, deeply involved in their work, are passio nate, able to maintain healthy boundaries †¢Having been a patient first greatly contributes to being a counsellor †¢Counsellors role is to create a climate in which clients can express themselves and arrive at solutions that are best for them, and their values not your own. †¢Mandatory ethics – view of ethical practice that deals with the minimum level of professional practice †¢Aspirational ethics – higher level of ethical practice that addresses doing what is in the best interest of clients †¢Positive ethics – do their best for clients rather than simply meet minimum standards to stay out of trouble †¢Difficult to strike a balance for informed consent †¢

IMC PLAN For Door to Door Transportation Service Essay

IMC PLAN For Door to Door Transportation Service - Essay Example The target customers are concerned with â€Å"get† component and monetary price are not mainly of monetary concern. Thus Double M will adopt the pricing strategy based on the perspective of customer â€Å"Value is everything I want in a service† and adopts the prestige pricing strategy (Zeithaml, 550). Prestige pricing is a form of demand based pricing strategy which offers high quality services; Double M also aims to provide its target customers with high quality service along with a sign of status. The demand increases as price increases because it is believed that the costlier the service is the more value it has. Analyzing the customer base, it can be assumed that they are willing to spend in order to travel comfortably for daily activities, for their families and the senior members along with the institutional. Therefore the price charged will be high by Double M and will aim to provide value for its service to the target customers. If a normal rate of bus service is $10 assuming it to be the minimum fare, Double M would charge $20-$25 as its minimum fare for its door to door service and maximum would amount to $45 to $50 depending upon the distance and service. The primary pricing objective of Double M is to build demand and achieve minimum level of revenue and build a user base which is extremely important for service such as door to door transportation service as its new and it needs to generate revenue so to maintain itself in the industry. Pricing objective are important as pricing strategy depend on pricing objectives of the company. The pricing objective should be in line with the goals and objectives of the organizations (Petzer, 221). 25 cost items which tends to make up the price of the product includes, price of raw materials such as automobile parts, tiers, set covers, paint, design, lights, electricity, labor, fuel, terminals, maintenance, administrative, roadways, construction charges, salaries of lower level which varies, fuel taxes, weight mile taxes, trolls and marketing cost such as advertisements, promotional cost, printing cost for hoardings and pamphlets. Since the company has an option of online business other cost would include, website cost, design, up gradation and maintenance cost of the website. The target customers of Double M are not price sensitive because they want a service that will provide them with comfort and with an accurate satisfaction level. Since the target customers are mainly the daily commuters and their families, the need of safety and comfort will be valued highly by the customers. Similar is with the organizations, who would value the service rather than the price of the service charged. Hence it can be said that the target customers are not price sensitive and demand is inelastic. Irrespective of the prices charged or any changes taken place the customers would prefer to travel through door to door transportation service. Pricing strategy tends to include various promotion al techniques in order to attract the target customers and create a place in the market and in the minds of the customers. Double M would also adopt the promotional techniques as part of its marketing plan. During the launch of the service, Double M would go for promotional pricing and would offer certain percentage of discount for its travelers during the first month of its service along with added facility such as dropping the family members at 20% discount rate. This way the

Both Kant and Smith write about universities, yet they have different Essay

Both Kant and Smith write about universities, yet they have different views of what a University must do. Explain their views. Give an account of how their th - Essay Example Despite this, they take different views on how universities should operate and the use of a university in a society. To better understand their works, it is important for us to understand how they viewed this important institution. Kant wrote a lot more about universities and was deeper ingrained into the idea of a university than Smith primarily due to his extensive work on philosophical thought and the idea of morality. A part of that morality was peace between people as well as nations and the ideal university was seen as one which helps in the creation of that peace. The academic peace in a university is established by debate and mutual respect amongst the faculty members despite their differences in learning or philosophical background. The same peace should be established in the world amongst countries despite their individual differences in ideology (Kant, 1963). When the idea for perpetual peace using the model of a university setting was first presented, it was certainly very applicable since universities of the time had very different structures as compared to the universities we see today. Normally a university would be formed with three high faculties and one low faculty. The high faculties of law, medicine and theology were used to train lawyers, doctors and priests. The fourth faculty of philosophy conducted the coordination of these faculties and trained students in other subjects concerned with liberal arts and the sciences (Palmquist, 2006). Since the faculty of philosophy administers other faculties in the university but done not interfere in their internal matters it creates a system that is in a sort of stable conflict. While professors may argue about ideas and debate the value of certain thoughts, it is rather unlikely that a faculty would separate itself from the university or revolt against the university. By keeping members within itself, the university functions as a

BP ENERGY CRISIS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

BP ENERGY CRISIS - Essay Example The company operates in many countries internationally, however its performance is not stabilized. In fact, it seems that severe gaps exist in existing organizational strategies; reference can be made to the last year’s accident in the firm’s operational unit in the Gulf of Mexico. The above event proved the actual aspects of crisis in the energy sector: firms operating in this industry focus on the increase of their production rather than on the effects of their activities on the environment. In the case of BP it is noted that ‘total industry production from the Gulf of Mexico provided the biggest single increase in world oil supplies last year -- of nearly 400,0000 barrels per day’ (Pagnamenta, 2010). Of course, the efforts for the increase of production in this sector are related to the energy crisis – the need for continuously higher amount of energy, as a result of the increase of the relevant human needs. ... The Competing Values Framework (see Figure 1, Appendix) is based on the principle that organizational strategies need to be based on three different values – which compete each other: ‘the control versus flexibility, an internal versus the external focus and an emphasis on means versus end’ (Amos et al. 2009, 266). The concept of value on which the above framework is based is related to certain process. More specifically, Cameron (2006) notes that within modern organizations ‘value can be created whenever an organization develops competencies in Control, Compete, Create and Collaborate that collectively generate output that exceeds what individuals could do on their own’ (Cameron 2006, 29). Moreover, O’Connor et al. (2009) suggest that the use of the Competing Values Framework for the development of organizational strategies can help to the resolution of a common organizational problem: when organizational plans have to be designed and executed a series of conflicts is likely to appear mostly because within organizations there are different perceptions on priorities and ethics, i.e. there are different values (O’Connor et al. 2009, 57). In other words, O’Connor et al. (2009) note that conflicts in regard to the form and the content of organizational plans are inevitable in organizations of all sizes. However, through using appropriate strategic management tools, like the Competing Values Framework helps towards the identification of these values and their simultaneous promotion these conflicts can be minimized (O’Connor et al. 2009, 57). On the other hand, Amos et al (2009) make clear that the successful implementation of the Competing

Management coursework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Management coursework - Assignment Example Starbucks is attempting to meet ____ needs. 7. (TCO 8) Adam felt neutral toward his Management class after the first week. However, after he made an A on this first exam, he said the class was great. This is an example of which of the following? Training is program covered under human resources development wherein personnel undergo a process involving increased acquisition and honing of knowledge, abilities and skills to improve performance. Development, per se, is the function of management that registers, traces, and insures individual progress through continued job proficiency, career growth and individual guidance (Martires, 2004, p. 269). The three methods companies use to teach employees are training and education, career planning, and counseling. Training is needed when there is substandard work performance, decreased productivity, high wastage, larger than expected reject rate, high accident rate, or untapped potentials. Career planning is used to make the employees accept responsibilities for whatever achievement is planned to be perceived. While through counseling, professional guides employees to better solve organizational problems. There is the commanders who manifest authority and the need to control others with the strength of exemplifying high ability to implement strategies towards identified goals. Commanders could intimidate other workers due to their demanding stance and could cause conflict depending on the type of personalities they could possible clash with. Another type is the drifters defined as â€Å"free spirited and easy going, disorganized and impulsive, drifters are virtually antithetical to commanders† (Dalton, 2010, 1). Drifters â€Å"though wrapped in personal warmth and friendliness, causes extreme exasperation among their colleagues, making the drifter one of the most difficult subordinates to manage effectively† (Dalton, 2010, 1). Finally, pleasers are easy to get along with as

Legal Aspects of Business Decisions Unit 2 DB SA first week last Essay

Legal Aspects of Business Decisions Unit 2 DB SA first week last submission - Essay Example This result in big problems where the USA business can run bankrupt and in the end is forced to close down. Another critical challenge that arises is the difference in terms and conditions as set by different countries. The above mention problem could easily be avoided, whereby in any supply that is made to the foreign country, there must be full payment made for the products first. Again every country has their own set military supply policies, most of this policy poses a serious problem to USA military business, where as a result, many conflict arises and also there is delay in payments or no payments at all. Foreign countries have laws in place that favors their own military where by incase of any conflicts, the foreign countries courts can defend their country and America business will have little control over that. Foreign countries understanding of USA military products may different, as a result any slight defect that they foreign countries detect, maybe used against USA business for no reasons. America business can use their own courts to follow up on other foreign countries disputes, but this too faces a challenge due to the time factor incurred and legal procedures that are undertaken for the same, this is seen where American courts lacks legal jurisdiction in foreign countries territories. One best thing that favors American business is the existence of international customs and tribunal which comes in to settle any investment disputes that arises or the also investment disputes being solved by WTO, but this to poses a problem due to the money and time wastage

Ethics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ethics - Coursework Example Introduction & Background Nursing is a highly critical profession and involves significant ethical implications. These healthcare issues are very complex and require concrete awareness and analytical skills to overcome them effectively. The vitality comes from the fact that the ultimate customer in this profession is a patient whose survival and life depends on quality of healthcare services. Therefore, slight miscalculation and breach of ethical duties might result in deterioration of health and, in extreme cases, death. Practicing nurses must be well trained and knowledgeable in order to perform their obligations efficiently and need to be constantly supervised and mentored to prevent errors and non-compliance. Issues and proposed solutions There are various ethical issues involved in healthcare industry and nursing practice. Caretaking of patients, coming from diversified backgrounds, requires careful consideration of moral implications. Nurses must be fair and unbiased in their d uties, giving equal service to all patients regardless of their financial status, gender or ethnicity. Limited resources must be allocated with professional judgment to each patient according to genuine needs without any personal prejudice. These patients are often not of sound mind or appropriate age during treatment and therefore nurses must protect their rights in decisions they take. If a patient is capable, nurses must provide them complete autonomy to select options for treatment and must respect their choices. Moreover, to support their decisions, nurses must provide them complete information with integrity. This is a major obstacle since revealing about some adverse diagnosis results can be upsetting for nurses and might trigger hostile reactions. During treatment, it is important that healthcare professionals cover the patient’s body properly and avoid unnecessary talks regarding some physical irregularities to avoid discomfort. Additionally, they must respect privac y of medical information pertaining to patients and keep it confidential unless essential to be disclosed for professional opinions. They should take utmost care that they do not discuss any cases of patients outside clinical premises or during informal chats with friends, family, colleagues and other patients (Fry & Johnstone, 2002). Leadership needed to promote change Professional nurses and healthcare professionals must act as catalysts that trigger change and ensure smooth implementation of transition phase. In order to establish a strong ethical framework, they must promote teamwork and engage others in devising ethical policies. Efforts of all professionals must be collaborated and directed towards achievement of ethical compliance. Teams must be formed consisting of staff from different cultures and multiple disciplines in order to support diversified portfolio of patients. A learning environment must be created and strategic objectives and codes of ethics must be made common ly known. All subordinates must be mentored and provided counseling services in stressful situations and interpersonal conflicts. Clinical atmosphere must be instituted which encourages innovation and flexibility and stifles possibilities of errors and disputes. Regular performance appraisals shall be conducted

UAE Culture and Society Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

UAE Culture and Society - Research Paper Example trong implications on the culture and social life of people living in a country, during the pre-oil days the culture and economy of United Arab Emirates can be classified as a desert economy marked by Bedouin lifestyle and culture. Farming was very scarce due to unavailability of water and was only done near oasis. Pearling and sea trading were the most important sources of income of the people living in this area of the world in the middle of the 20th century. The various aspects of Arab culture were very prominent in the culture of the United Arab Emirates because of strong bondage with the other countries of the Arab world. In order to analyze the culture of a country, we have to know the location and geography of the country because these things have strong implications on the culture and lifestyle of the people of a country. United Arab Emirates is located on the Persian Gulf and shares borders with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman. The area of the country is distributed among the seven emirates in a very non-uniform way. 85% of the total area of United Arab Emirates falls in Abu Dhabi and Ajman has a size of equal to a small city. Oases are randomly scattered throughout the desert area of United Arab Emirates and mountains of Hajar which run throughout the country also have a barren topography. The overall climate of UAE can be classified as hot and dry in winter and very hot and humid in summer. United Arab Emirates has a very small population and thus the income and resources per capita are very high. The health care conditions, nutrition levels and living conditions were very poor during the pre-oil times, therefore a marked increase in population was observed after the discovery of oil. Better facilities not only resulted in an increase in the population growth rate of the native population, the development of infra structure created a lot of job opportunities and labor class from various countries of Asia moved to United Arab Emirates, resulting in a mild

Describing demonstrative communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Describing demonstrative communication - Essay Example Thus, the essay will describe demonstrative communication by presenting its clear definition, the various ways through which it is conveyed and demonstrate how it can be effective and ineffective as well as positive and negative. The essay will also demonstrate how demonstrative communication involves listening and responding. According to Sonneborn (2012), demonstrative communication is the process of transmitting information using actions and human attributes that partake common significance and arouse particular meanings to others. Therefore, it is conveyed using various options which include; kinesics and visual cues such as facial expressions, eye movements, gestures and body movements; vocal cues which include; tone of voice, volume, and pitch variation; and proxemics traits involving space and distance during communication. It can also be conveyed through traits such as appearance, smell, color and time just to mention a few. It is estimated that 93 percent of the overall communication process involves demonstrative communication. Thus, it is used in a wide range of functions during communication which include; (1) contradicting verbal messages, which is mainly observed when the information being conveyed is in contradiction with the body movements being observed. (2) Emphasizing information being forwarded by the word of mouth. (3) Regulating interactions among individuals by demonstrating who should speak next. And (4) substituting some of the verbal words used to convey particular information. With that said demonstrative communication can be effective or ineffective depending on the context in which it is displayed. It is referred as effective whenever the listener is able to decode the nonverbal cues efficiently and obtain the required meaning put across. In return, this enables individuals to resolve conflicts, display affection, and build on trust and respect amongst themselves (Sonneborn, 2012). For instance, an

Child Abuse Essay Example for Free

Child Abuse Essay In order to curb the cases of child abuse, effective education and awareness campaign should be conducted in schools and communities. Through this education and awareness campaign, children will learn about their rights and activities that may be construed as child abuse. Knowledge about rights and any activities that may resemble abuse will certainly help children deal with the issue if they come face to face with it. The paper will look into effective means of promoting awareness about child abuse among children in the community. Secondly, it will look at the risk factor that contributes to the situation of child abuse. Lastly, the study will prescribe an awareness and education campaign for implementation. Previous education and awareness campaigns will also be considered in the paper. Library research and interviews will be conducted. One of the challenges that will beset the study will be the view that educational campaigns, especially those conducted using mass media will have limited effect or impact on the proliferation of child abuse. The validity of this argument will be addressed by presenting studies dealing with the impact of mass media on child abuse awareness campaigns. Furthermore, the study can present a case study that will deal directly with the challenges posed. While the argument may have certain validity, a single means of promoting awareness and education campaign is bound to fail. Hence, additional communication channels should be identified for the campaign. Reference Teicher, M. H. (2002). Scars that Won’t Heal: The Neurobiology of Child Abuse. Scientific American, 286 (3), 54-61. This journal article presents the difficult processes that victims of child abuse go through. It is an indictment of child abuse. At the same time, the author presents interesting recommendations on how child abuse victims can be dealt with so they can cope with pain and trauma. This also provides important insight into the manner of prevention of child abuse. Glaser, D. (2000). Child Abuse and Neglect and the Brain – A Review. The Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 41, 97-116. The mental and emotional impact of child abuse is difficult to deal with. Hence, this study helps researchers and other people interested in child abuse to look at these impacts and how to arrive at sound policies for intervention and information campaign.

Improved Supply Chain Management Benefits

Improved Supply Chain Management Benefits Improved supply chain management has the following benefits: Reduced stock holding. The implementation of effective supply chain a company can reduce the number of stocks it is keeping and at the same time improving the customer service. Reducing stocks on hand will avoid incurring holding costs which is the cost the company pays for storing stocks. It includes warehousing and labour to keep the stocks. Good communication between the company and its suppliers, knowing the minimum stocks needed before reorder, proper estimation of demand, and understanding the mode of transportation will help to determine the correct volume of stocks the company needs in a given period will help it to eliminate excess inventory. Managing the information and communicating and sharing it effectively to suppliers and customers will result to accuracy of the level of stocks needed at a certain period. The inventory level must be enough to meet the demands of the customers and with the minimum costs to be incurred. The supply and the demand for a product must be balanced. Reducing the sto cks avoid tying the company’s capital on unnecessary stocks. Elimination of waste. Waste in form of spoilages, defects, theft and obsolescence can be minimized and possibly eliminated through having the right inventory level to keep on a particular period. Overstocking or overproduction will result to wastes and losses for the company. Customers are only after receiving the right quantity and good quality at the right time. Activities such as unnecessary movement of goods within the warehouse, and warehousing which does not add value to customers should be eliminated. Implementation of an effective supply chain will make this possible. Proper coordination with suppliers and understanding logistics are the keys to deliver customer service and demand at the right place, quantity and time. Improved customer service. Effective supply chain will increase efficiency within a company. Efficient company can deliver best services to customers. It important to recognise what the customers really want and that is what the company will deliver. Only those value adding activities are practices within the company. Value adding activities are those processes within the company that will add satisfaction to customers. Products should be delivered to customers on time and in accordance to their specifications. The customers demand should not just be met but should also be exceeded. Reduced Labour Costs. Effective supply chain will reduce labour costs. Because the processes in the company is well planned and defined, duties and personnel are not redundant. Unnecessary functions are eliminated thus resulting to reduced labour costs. One example is that when a company is maintaining only the right volume of inventory, it will not be needing more people to do the stocking, operating forklift, people who will secure the warehouse and supervisor. Improved Manufacturing Planning. The raw materials required, the timing of deliveries and other activities and resources related to planning a manufacturing of product must all be considered in order to produce a product with the least costs but with good quality that at the end would satisfy customers. In planning the resources, the company should be ready for contingencies and should address the question â€Å"what-if†. Through careful planning, manufacturing a product can be carried on without any reservation because all the possibilities were considered. Just In Time. Just in time is an inventory strategy wherein goods are only received only when needed in production process  [1]. Through this strategy, wastes and carrying costs are minimized because a company is just holding right amount of stocks that will make it able to meet the demands of the customers. This strategy will be effective if the company has strong relationship with suppliers. These suppliers are willing to deliver more frequently and on time to meet customers demand. Methods to overcome barriers in an organisation when implementing a supply chain improvement strategy Inappropriate distribution networks. Distribution network as defined is interrelated arrangement of people, storage facilities and transportation systems that moves goods and services from producers to consumers  [2]. The distribution network should be reliable and fast customers want to get their products when they want it. Inappropriate distribution networks will hinder the proper and fast movement of products from manufacture to customer that is why there should be proper planning on who and what should be included in the distribution network. Ineffective distribution strategies. Distribution strategy is the plan how a manufacturing company will transfer products to intermediaries such as wholesalers to retailers until it reach the end user  [3]. The strategy must we well thought and should use distribution networks that are reliable so that the products will reach customers at the right time. Trade-offs in logistical activity. Trade-offs in logistics may happen for example when deciding to have fewer depots, lowering stocks requirements or using less protective transport packaging in exchange for some advantages such as reducing costs or no need to have large storage facilities. The impact of these trade-off should be considered because this might cause loss in sales due to wrong order picking and other instances related to trade-offs. Reduction of transportation costs. Transportation is one of the costly expenses in supply chain. It is important to have the best quality transport that will bring goods to places at the right time and price. In order to reduce the cost of transportation, a company may reduce the number of carriers, consolidate deliveries and by single sourcing  [4]. In reducing the number of carriers, large volume of works will be given to selected carriers and they will be able to give lower rates. Deliveries may also be consolidated if the trip is based on weight, distance and other variables so that fewer trips will be made. Single sourcing of carrier, the company is getting quotations from several carriers detailing what is required. The company may select the best quotation that can meet the requirements and evaluate if the carrier can perform on the whole duration of the contract. If the carrier has these qualities, the company can get a lot of saving on having single carrier. 5. Increased inventory holding costs Holding costs are cost associated to stocks that are not yet sold  [5]. It includes labour costs, space or rental, costs of damaged goods and other expenses related on keeping the stocks. The company must determine the level of volume of stocks that it needs to keep in order to avoid these costs. Holding cost is also an opportunity cost because having lot of stocks would mean tying the cash on the stocks instead of using the cash on other parts of operation of the company. Inability to integrate processes through the supply chain to share information Supply chain involves information sharing. Supply chain links companies to other companies. If information are shared between companies, it will be available on a real time basis and the companies will be able see the demand and with the ultimate goal of meeting the demands of customers. When companies have reliable and accurate shared information, their processes will be synchronized. All the processes are done to meet what is required. Uncertainties are reduces which results to holding low level stocks that is just right to meet the customer demand. Poor inventory management. Inventory management can be successfully implemented if a company can make a purchasing plan that will ensure that what they hold is just what is needed. It is not too much or too less. Just in time inventory is a good strategy to keep inventory at a certain level wherein the company plans to receive goods only when it is needed thus reducing significantly holding costs. A company can successfully implement through a purchasing plan which schedules delivery of material through the forecasts and projections made on sales. Cash flow problems Reducing costs and avoiding cash flow problems are benefits of effective supply chain. Holding large volume of unnecessary stocks at a given period will cause cash flow problem in a company. Keeping these stocks is equivalent to costs and cash outlays. The company will pay large amount to suppliers but the stocks are not yet sold, tying the cash to the stocks. This will affect the liquidity of the company and can cause problem in a company. References: http://www.shelfplus.com/material-handling-hotline/ten-ways-to-reduce-inventory/ http://viktorwong-logistics.blogspot.co.nz/2012/06/characteristics-of-supply-chain.html http://erp.cincom.com/2012/10/the-wicked-wastes-of-warehousing-2/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manufacturing_resource_planning http://logistics.about.com/od/forsmallbusinesses/a/Reducing-Transportation-Costs.htm http://www.investopedia.com/terms/i/inventory-management.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/holding-costs.asp http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distribution-network.asp http://www.adam-europe.eu/prj/7095/prj/CourieL_WP2_Chapter2_final.pdf [1] Investopedia. Just in Time. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/j/jit.asp [2] Investopedia. Distribution Network. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distribution-network.asp [3] Business Dictionary. Distribution Strategy. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/distribution-strategy.html [4] Murray, M. Reducing Transportation Costs. July 2014. Retrieved from http://logistics.about.com/od/forsmallbusinesses/a/Reducing-Transportation-Costs.htm [5] Investopedia. Holding Costs. July 2014. Retrieved from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/h/holding-costs.asp

Marketing Essay -- essays research papers

All companies compete with one another; they strive for excellence and to be the best. They have to compete with each other to win over markets and to be the one who ends up on top. Most businesses are guided by the maxim "nothing ventured, nothing gained" (Spulber 7). Winning a market requires a company to have an aggressive investment and growth. Although many companies try to keep costs down for the consumer, low costs are not always the solution for every situation. It is generally the Chief Executive officer (CEO) who formulated strategies to connect markets. The CEO has to have the ability to for see the future of the company in order to make intelligent decisions. Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton, who wanted to make a discount department store, and ended up being extremely successful in his doings. The earnings in one year for Wal-Mart are approximately $4,430,000,000. Commonly, the winning firm is identified as the firm with the highest sales revenue. There are many winning firms including Wal-Mart for their retailing ability. Wal-Mart stores are the leading retailer with $100 billion in retail sales and is also the leader in profits with $3billion which is much higher then the company with $3 billion which is much higher then the trailing company Sears. The market value of Wal-Mart is more then three times higher then their competitors. Wal-Mart has not only been able to take over the retail market, but they continue to grow substantially. Winning markets, like Wal-Mart result from an effective strategy, a continuous innovations, and efficient organization. Companies that try to have larger firms may not be successful just because they are bigger, a successful firm, such as Wal-Mart is successful because of its marketing ability which draws customers in and in turn the customers spend money. A secret success of Wal-Mart is its indirect strategies and ways to win markets without running into high costs. Companies like Wal-Mart like to win a market by attacking the other firms weak points. When Wal-Mart is trying to find another company to engage in direct competition, they need to make sure they have a strong playing field on their part so it is an effective challenge. The primary boundary of a firm is its s... ...hod of exchange can allow an incumbent to remain a marker maker or permit an innovative entrant to bypass the incumbent to remain a market maker or permit an innovative entrant to bypass the incumbent. Intermediary competition offers the possibility of far more effective use of information. A retailer such as Wal-Mart gains a competitive advantage over the other retailer intermediaries through its well developed electronic data interchange system that allows it to pass on information about customer purchasing patterns to its suppliers. This gives Wal-Mart an edge in terms of supplier relationships and allows it to obtain favorable terms compared to competing retailers. Wal-Mart's marketing strategies have made them one of the largest companies in the world. The way they are able to compete with others gives them a competitive edge since most other companies cannot keep up with them. Wal-Mart is a very recognizable name. Seeing how they employ over four million people shop they’re for values. Since Wal-Mart is able to provide discount prices, lower then other stores, gives them the ability to pull shoppers into Wal-Mart for a large variety of items.

Misunderstandings in Gender: Women Sexual Predators Essay -- Sexism Cr

There are many heinous crimes that have saturated our society; news reports of a woman being attacked while walking to her car late at night, a child being abducted and his frantic mother pleading with the assailant to let her child go. There is a common theme threaded into the reports we frequently see plastered on our television screens and that theme is masculinity in crime. It seems almost unfathomable that a woman could commit murder, least of all a sex crime. Due to this distorted thinking of the masses, society has shaped judicial systems worldwide to panelize women less frequently and even less harshly than their male counterparts. When a jury of peers sits in judgment of little Susie Q, wife and mother of 4, on counts of child molestation the initial opinion is that of disbelief. If this was a man sitting in Susie’s place, that man is likely considered a pervert, well before any facts or evidence is even mentioned. There are numerous cases of women committing violent and nonviolent sex crimes but rarely do we see them on a late night news broadcast. Is it because it happens less frequently than crimes committed by men? Maybe. Or have we been conditioned to think that women are mothers; sweet, all loving souls that comfort and support the ones they love. How lovely. Women are biologically equipped to be mothers and all sorts of other wonderful things, but because of this generalized view, it seems women are more likely to get away with harming someone and that in no way is acceptable. In the article â€Å"Theories of Sexual Deviancy† by Rosenberg and Associates, the author states â€Å"for the molester, he may find comfort and acceptance in the children he so desires.† This statement openly distinguishes a sex offender as singu... ...oodgates of communication so that we may be able to better understand and accept that sexual crimes do not discriminate based on gender. Trauma has no hormonal preference. When it comes to innocent people being harmed, gender should be completely excluded and the crime should be punished without prejudice preferential treatment. It is important that all people be held to the same standard when it comes to crime and sexual abuse and violence are no exception. Works Cited Burke, Dr. S. Abnormal Psychology/ LifeSpan Psychology Instructor, Washtenaw Community College November 2010. Munro, Kali. Mother Daughter Sexual Abuse: A Painful Topic. 4 December 2010. . Rosenberg and Associates. "Theories of Sexual Deviancy." Angelfire.com. 04 December 2010 .

The Merchant of Venice Should be Studied in High Schools Essay

Since middle school, I have believed that all of Shakespeare’s works, similar to A Mid Summer Night’s Dream, were plays that one would read to hear a happy, entertaining story; but, it was not until this year, after reading The Merchant of Venice, that I recognized the darker, more sinister, side of Shakespeare’s plays. The Merchant of Venice supports the Jewish, anti-Semitic stereotype as the wicked character of Shylock is developed. Many individuals fear that it is improper to teach and discuss The Merchant of Venice in high school classrooms because of the negative way it presents Jews; however, I believe that it is important to read this controversial play in high schools because it enables students to learn anti-Semitic history and because reading Shakespeare’s works, due to their complexity, expands the literary mind of those who read it. It is so important for people to recognize how Jews were portrayed during Shakespeare’s life so that historic events such as the holocaust do not repeat themselves. Teachers who plan on presenting their students with The Merchant of Venice should also present them with articles explaining how Jews received their negative stereotype and explain to them that Jews are not as evil as Shylock. The play can still be useful as a high school reading experience only if taught correctly, in a manner that avoids Jews being insulted and non-Jews getting a completely flawed idea about Jews. Although comedic during the 16th century, The Merchant of Venice can no longer be viewed as a comedy in the 21st century due to the diversity of people and general acceptance of their cultures throughout the United States. Without proper instruction from teachers, non-Jewish students may begin to express h... ...ent in their society. In reading Shakespeare, minds of readers are expanded due to his use of Early Modern English and extensive vocabulary. Shakespeare’s works also provide readers with great entertainment whose portrayal of the human condition transcends the generations. The Merchant of Venice contains many witty lines and sub-plots. â€Å"Prejudice feeds on ignorance† (Leggatt 215). If teachers do not teach their students the origin of such stereotypes, then they are developing ignorant students who will forever believe that Jews are incarnations of the devil. Considering the Jewish Stereotype that is supported and developed in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, the play is, indeed, still useful as a high school reading experience because, due to its sensitive topics, assists in eliminating innocence and creates a more discerning eye for world issues in students.

The Independent Record Labels of the 1950’s and 1960’s

The Independent Record Labels of the 1950’s and 1960’s History of Music Production Eric Eller Throughout the 1950’s and 1960’s, a wave of new musical movements by independent record labels and new artists emerged in the United States. This movement is captured in the stories of those label creators and owners, and in the turbulent journey through their successes and failures. The first emergence was fueled by multiple factors: competitive economic circumstances, up-and-coming local musical talent in conjunction with the independent labels and studio owners, and the commercially viable musical interest and curiosity of consumers in these local artists. An article poses another causative factor that makes sense: when rock and roll was a new genre, major labels such as Columbia, Capitol, and RCA were â€Å"reluctant to sign these acts; thus, sprung forth the independent label† (Jacobs). Grassroots production and engineering enthusiasts were given an in-road into the music industry and were able to gain their own clients in independent local artists. Independent label owners in connection with this local talent generate publicity and profit. One such example is found with the duo of Polish immigrant brothers named Leonard and Phil Chess, also known as the Blues Brothers. The Chess brothers bought sole ownership of Aristocrat Records in 1950, and change its name to Chess Records. Leonard specialized as the hands-on producer for the label, while Phil focused on finances and marketing. They found a signature sound in the electric guitar of Muddy Waters. Besides Muddy Watters, their rostser included Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Willie Nixon, Etta James, Little Walter, Billie Stewart, and Howlin’ Wolf. ’ Chapter Three of the History of Music Production Binder states: Chess Records flourished in those early days of both Rhythm and Blues and independent record companies†¦Chess, along with Atlantic, Aladdin, Specialty, Imperial, Modern and King were giving the public music that they couldn’t get from the larger, established, â€Å"major† record companies. (page 47) This quote explains that there was a multitude of independent record labels that emerged around this time. How did all of these homemade labels gain bearings? They were allowed financial success because there was actually a public commercial market to invest in their musical productions. In other words, there was a significant number of people were looking for a different sound and these labels could produce local talents that had the sound these consumers were looking and listening for. One of the independent labels mentioned in the quote above is Imperial Records. Founded in the late 40’s by Lew Chudd, its roster include Ricky Nelson and Fats Nelson. Chudd ended up purchasing Aladdin and Minit Records in 1960. In ’63, however, Domino and Nelson left for other labels and Chudd sold Imperial to Liberty Records. Liberty found success with the Imperial artists Irma Thomas, Johnny Rivers, Jacky DeShanon, and Cher. (‘Independent Record Labels’) During the time known as the ‘British Invasion’ which I go into depth about later in the paper, Liberty’s recordings were distributed by EMI in Britain. In turn, EMI licensed its artists The Hollies, Billy J. Thomas and The Sakotas, and others to be released on Imperial. By 1969, Imperial records had been phased out and all artists were absorbed by Liberty. Today EMI owns the Imperial Records Catalog. The Memphis Recording Service, which became Sun Studios, was owned by Sam Philips. Philips was a local blues and country disc jockey whose business had been mainly comprised of recording local blues and country musicians and some weddings. He started by recording artists who were signed under other independent labels, and eventually decided to start his own record label. He called it Sun Records. The facilities at Sun started humbly and could certainly be considered ‘independent. ’ It was a rectangular room with no acoustical treatment, and a control room with a used five channel presto mixer, a presto 6-N lathe and one loudspeaker. Philips would take a while to realize that a huge prospect was about to enter his life and studio. Elvis Presley, a young truck driver, had come in to record two songs at a cost of $8 as a birthday present for his mother. Philips was actually out of the office so his secretary Marion Keisker recorded Presley. Foreseeing talent, Keisker put aside a copy of the acetate master. Keisker continued to advocate to Philips the idea of investing in Presley’s commercially promising musical potential. Philips eventually agreed to give Presley a try and matched him up with local guitarist Scotty Moore and bass player Bill Black. This group became quite successful, and together, under the direction of Philips, helped to influence and redefine the ‘rockabilly’ genre of music at the time. It shows Sun’s success that by ’61, Phillips was able to buy a Presto 900-P recorder. Elvis Presley’s presence at the label allowed Philips to once again upgrade his system, this time opting for a Tube 76-D broadcast console and two new Ampex 350 tape recorders. The growing sophistication of his studio rig is a testimony to the success that he accomplished with such sensations as Presley. He delayed one tape head slightly in relation to the other, which made the signature â€Å"Sun Sound. † While Philips did find success for a while with artist Elvis Presley; Elvis’ popularity outgrew the facilities and financial capabilities of Sun Records by 1956. Elvis also had a new manager who pushed him to sign to a major label (HMP, Chapter III, pg. 52). RCA approached Sam Philips about Presley’s contract, and since Philips knew that he wouldn’t be able to afford renewing contract with Elvis nice their current agreement had expired, Philips agreed to sell Elvis Presley’s contact for $35,000. Philips’ story is common in this time for smaller independent record labels: they find some success that eventually dissipates due to the influence of more established labels. Philips’ relationship with Elvis Presley exemplifies the opportunity that was mutually available to local grass-roots artist and label/studio owners at this time of budding musical movements such as soul, R&B, rock and roll, and jazz. Rudy Van Gelder is yet another independent producer/engineer that was able to successfully make his own record label from the ground up. Van Gelder started as an optometrist and radio broadcaster, and became a pioneer in jazz recordings. His early works were recorded in his parents’ living room in New Jersey. He was known for his â€Å"meticulous and experimental recording techniques. While his recording began in his private home, Van Gelder built his own studio. Over his fifty-plus year career, Van Gelder collaborated with such prominent Jazz labels as Verve, Impulse, Prestige, Venus, Blue Note, and more. As an optometrist who started recording and broadcasting from his house, his 10,000+ repertoire of recording is a testimony to his success as an independent producer/label. While these examples do show the possibility for financial success as an independent label owner in these times, there were definitely obstacles to their success. One major trend that happened to act as an obstacle in this new market for independent labels was the absorption of independent record companies by larger labels, that had even begun as independent record labels them selves. For example, Atlantic Records was an independent record label, yet it gained such a holding that it began to buy out smaller independent labels. Atlantic Records acquired Spark Record Company in 1955†¦ â€Å"Due to Tom Dowd’s technical prowess, (Atlantic Records) was one of the first independent labels to record in stereo† (HMP, Ch III). Atlantic was formed in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun, son of a Turkish ambassador, and Herb Abramson. It started out as a Rhythm and Blues and Jazz label. In the early 1950’s Jerry Wexler and Nesuhi Ertegun joined the team. Nesuhi started producing the jazz division in 1955 and signed the likes of Charles Mingus and John Coltrane (Jacobs, Pat). Atlantic went on to become a â€Å"powerhouse† in the 1960’s, signing such mainstream artists as Sonny and Cher. It was successful enough to also branch off into other sub-labels like Atco. From 1960-1968, Atlantic, spear-headed by Jerry Wexler, had a distribution deal with the Memphis record company that became Stax records (Jacobs). Stax Studios is another similar yet unique case in this time and movement. The independent studio Stax was formed by Jim Stewart, along with the investment of his sister Estelle Axton. It began in an old storehouse, but they later moved it to an old movie theatre, which they converted to a control room, studio space, and small record store. A young pianist, Booker T. Jones, lived nearby and began frequenting the studio. He hooked up with other local musicians Steve Cropper, Duck Dunn, and Al Jackson. Together, this group became known as Booker T. and the M. G. ’s, and they made up the backbone of the new Stax sound (HMP Ch. III). Stax had developed a distinctive soulful sound and Booker T. and the M. G. ’s had amazing chemistry as a band. Due to these factors, Atlantic soon took notice and began sending their head engineer, Tom Dowd, along with their own artists, to record at Stax. In 1962, Johnny Jackson recorded a single at Stax. When the session failed miserably, they used the last thirty minutes f the session time to record Jackson’s driver, a young Otis Redding. The song that they recorded reached the charts in April of 1963, and Otis Redding came back to record an even bigger hit in September of that same year. The eruption of these popular hits by new, poignant artists acted as a positive feedback loop for Stax business. Having successfully marketed Booker T. and the M. G . ’s, the Mar-Keys, Carla Thomas and Otis Redding, Stax attracted the attention of even more talents, through Atlantic and also on their own, independently. These new acts included Sam and Dave and Wilson Picket, Willian Bell, Eddie Floyd and the producer/writer duo David Porter and Isaac Hayes. Stax Records was obviously thriving at this time. In 1965, Stewart hired Al Bell as national sales director for Stax. With the rate of change and competition in the music industry at this time, however, things couldn’t stay the same for long. And along with the opportunities for independent owners came the means and motivation for exploitation of the underdog by more powerful enterprises. In 1965, Jerry Wexler told Stewart that Atlantic might be sold, and in order to save Stax, they should finalize their distribution agreement through a written contract. Stewart failed to consult a lawyer or examine the fine print of the contract, and essentially signed away the ownership of all Stax masters. Here is an evident example of the cutthroat commercialism and competition that began to take over the music industry in this time of change and commercial viability. Atlantic had sneakily tricked Stax into signing away ownership. Producers and Business Owners in this changing, flourishing and cutthroat industry had to be on top of their game, or they could be exploited and manipulated. The same can be said for artists, who were often exploited, paid less than they deserved and far less in comparison with the cut that producers and label representatives were taking from the profit that they accrued from these artists. In addition to the hardship caused by careless contractual practices, Stax lost Otis Redding in a plane crash, his masters belonged to Atlantic. Instead of giving in to Atlantic, Stewart sold the label Stax to Gulf and Western which went on the release hits by Booker T. and the M. G. ’s and Isaac Hayes. Today Stax masters prior to 1968 are owned by Atlantic Records. Masters recorded after the split between Stax and Atlantic are now owned by Fantasy Records. Leiber and Stoller of Spark Record Company are a good example of how this new business model could work to the advantage of the underdog. Leiber and Stoller worked as independent producers for Atlantic, meaning they were able to make records for other labels also, although Atlantic still proved to be the most profitable for them. A significant amount of Atlantic Records’ pre-production from the late 1950’s took place in the Brill Building. The owners of this building rented out the spaces to music publishers, because there were little other options due to the increasing economic depression. As a result, this building was filled with 165 music related businesses by 1962. It should be noted here that detrimental economic circumstances inadvertently created a beneficial opportunity for independent music producers, label representatives, engineers, and artists. The Brill Building is, in fact, an example of vertical integration- quite literally. The lay-out of the establishment allowed for personnel to go to one floor, write a song or pitch it to an array of publishers, go to another floor and have it arranged and notated for a small fee, book an hour long session and hire local studio musicians on site. This unique and efficient set up gave artists and producer’s the ability to cut a demo, then show it to recording companies, publishers, and other artists in and around the building. In the late 1950’s, Atlantic attained success in the cross over record market, meaning Rhythm and Blues music performed by African Americans that appealed to the white music-buyer. Atlantic Records provided the white consumer with authentic R&B recording artists such as The Drifters, Clyde McPhatter, Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, the Coasters, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Led Zeppelin, Crosby, Stills and Nash, and more. It is one of the few labels to have notable success throughout this time period still operating today, and can be considered a success story for the independent record label model of the 1950’s and 1960’s. One temporary independent success that didn’t last nearly as long was Vee-Jay records, owned by a black female DJ named Vivian Carter and her husband, James Bracken. In 1953 the label opened in Gary, Indiana, and it soon became a powerhouse of major R+B. Before Motown, it was the biggest black-owned label of its time (Independent Record Labels). Its roster included John Lee Haooker, Little Richard, and the Four Seasons. They also released early Beatles material before they became massively popular in the United States. Once the British Invasion arrived, these Beatles recordings were bought out almost instantly. In early 1964, 2. 6 million Beatles singles were sold in a month. Eventually, however, this label met with financial difficulties, and in August of 1966 Vee-Jay records filed for bankruptcy (‘Independent Record Labels’). Another prime example of a successful independent record label is found in Motown Records. While Motown did eventually sign and produce some of the soul legends whose popularity still holds up today, the label’s creator, Berry Gordy, did not find success instantly; he came up against a lot of failure along the way as well. When Berry Gordy left the military in 1953 he launched a jazz record store called the 3-D Record Mart. It was financed by his family, who owned a number of businesses. By 1955 this record store had failed. He searched for success elsewhere, and eventually found it as a song-writer. His first success came with the tune â€Å"Reet Petite†, performed by Jackie Wilson. The song landed him 1,000 dollars. In addition, over the next two years, he wrote four more hits performed by Jackie Wilson. Encouraged by these successes, Gordy decided to pursue producing. He had an uncanny ability to sniff out talent, and this allowed him to find success as a producer. In 1959, He discovered The Miracles, which included Smokey Robinson, at a talent show, and pitched a business relationship to them which would benefit him in the future. He borrowed $800 from his family to start his own record company that he called ‘Tamla’. Marv Johnson’s â€Å"You Got What It Takes† was released through Tamla that same year, and was the first big break experienced by Berry Gordy. It was such a success, in fact, that it placed within the top ten. By the late 1950’s, Detroit was one of, if not the last city that did not have its own strong independent record company. This allowed for Gordy’s success because he was in the right place at the right time, and was able to provide a production outlet for the local talents of the area. The third Miracles recording was released in conjunction with another label that Berry Gordy had formed on the side, called Motown. In 1960, Gordy commandeered the contract of a young singer from Washington DC by the name of Marvin Gaye. Marvin Gaye did have one moderately successful release in the 60’s, but really hit it big later in the 1970’s. Through a Miracles connection, Steveland Morris auditioned for Motown and impressed Gordy. Gordy signed the youngster and renamed him â€Å"Little Stevie Wonder†. In 1963, Stevie Wonder’s hit â€Å"Fingertips Part II† made it to the number one spot on the pop charts. Berry Gordy did indeed have a knack for finding talent and selling records. In fact, â€Å"Gordy turned Motown into the most profitable black entertainment company in the country† (HMP, Ch. III p. 59). The History of Music class binder attributes this in part to Gordy’s frugal business practices: the in-house writers, artists, and producers that he hired were paid on salaries that were deducted from their royalties for songs. In addition, they were paid a flat-rate on a weekly basis, and were required to be on call. Employees were only allowed to view the accounting records twice annually, and the RIAA was never allowed to view them. For this reason, Motown may have received less awards than they would have, because the real rates of sale where not publicly disclosed. Yet despite all these circumstances, Motown maintained a family-oriented reputation and attracted producers, song-writers and artists from all over. There was an atmosphere of camaraderie and healthy competition in Gordy’s studio. Gordy had a good eye for talented producers and artists alike, quickly adopting Smokey Robinson to his team. Under Gordy’s label, Smokey Robinson was uniquely permitted to produce his own work and other artists like Mary Wells, The Temptations, and The Miracles. Motown accumulated a number of artists that put out continuous hit songs, including a run of five Supremes hits in a row: â€Å"Where Did Our Love Go,† â€Å"Baby Love,† â€Å"Come See About Me,† â€Å"Stop! In the Name of Love,† and â€Å"Back In My Arms Again. † The Robinson produced â€Å"My Guy† by Mary Wells in 1964, which also reached the #1 spot is a good example of the burgeoning mid 60’s Motown sound. This string of successes gave Motown the names â€Å"Hitsville, USA. The Motown Sound, The Sound of Young America† which was painted over the headquarters entrance. In 1966, Motown produced fourteen songs that ranked in the Top Ten. In 1967, thirteen songs reached that status. And in 1968, ten singles reached that status. As you can see, while they did continue to rank in the Top Ten, the degree of their success decreased every year. This is yet another testimony to the fact that the success of these indie labels was rarely long-lasting. Another example of an individual producer who found a pathway in to the music industry during the 1950’s and 1960’s is the eccentric engineer, Harvey Philip Spector. Hoping to break into the music business, Spector booked a session at a local independent recording business called Star Studios. He raised $40 for the session and the price of tape, aided by his mother and several friends to pay for this session and the tape to record onto. He produced and performed on all instruments for the single â€Å"Don’t Worry My Little Pet,† an original composition. Spector and his friends, who were investors in his venture, formed the musical group â€Å"The Teddy Bears. † They appeared on American Bandstand. They performed another of his original songs, â€Å"To Know Him Is To Love Him,† which sold more than a million copies in two months. Phil Spector and his band The Teddy Bears signed on with Imperial Records, but they encountered problems while there. This is because Spector was used to being his own boss and producer, and now he wasn’t allowed to record at Goldstar, use stacked harmonies, or control production. After unsuccessful releases with Imperial, Spector broke up the Teddy Bears and asked Lester Sill and Lee Hazelwood, two established producers/label owners, to show him the ropes of the business. Spector actually moved in with Sill and his family. Sill taught Spector how successful Rock and Roll Records were made (HMP, Ch. III). He was then given the task of recruiting new artists to the label, yet his choices didn’t prove to be beneficial investments. Spector became frustrated and asked Sill to disclose his contacts from Stax. Spector then moved to New York City and began working for Lieber and Stoller in 1960. There at Lieber and Stoller’s studio, Spector started out as a studio guitarist, then worked as a producer for Ray Peterson and Curtis Lee, two artists on the label. Both of these artists’ releases were received very well, yet Spector faced failure with the public reaction to the release of the original â€Å"Twist and Shout,† which was performed by Top Note. Berns was outraged with Spector’s approach to â€Å"Twist and Shout,† and took this tune, reproduced it, and found success with it. Spector took this incident to heart and decided to leave Atlantic and return to the West Coast. There on the West Coast, he then formed the Phelles Label in Hollywood with Lester Sill, his former boss. Spector developed a unique sound that he called â€Å"impressionistic sound productions. † To the rest of the world, it became known as the â€Å"Wall of Sound. † It was characterized by abundant use of reverberation and un-isolated instrument overdubbing. Spector hated the concept of isolation and focused on creating a sonic â€Å"wall† by fixating all of the instrumental pieces, objects and people in the room and also by recording solely in mono. He then fed those un-isolated microphone tracks into different echo and reverb chambers. He was so extreme and specific in his endeavors that he wouldn’t even allow any of the people in his recordings to leave the room to go to the bathroom, or to even move around at all, claiming that it disturbed his perfect wall of sound: the relationship between the sound waves with all the surfaces and angles in the recording space. Within three years, he had put out twenty hits in a row, including â€Å"Da Doo Ron Ron,† â€Å"The Best Part of Breaking Up,† and others. In 1964, however, Spector’s success was cut prematurely by the British Invasion. This British Invasion, or the ‘Second British Invasion’, as it could be ironically considered, was marked by the Beatles’ victorious entrance into New York in February of 1964. This event symbolized the success of the Beatles in the eyes of the American public and also paved the way for British musical talent in America. The relationship between American and British musicians and fans is quite interesting, because there are many parallels between the two. â€Å"Like their transatlantic counterparts in the 1950s, British youth heard their future in the frantic beats and suggestive lyrics of American rock and roll. † (‘British Invasion’). While the Beatles were trying to mimic the American pop style of the time, they inadvertently created their own style that reflected back to American audiences who became obsessed. With the advent of the Beatles’ more â€Å"sophisticated,† pop/rock sound, Phil Spector and other pop/rock producers faced a competition as the British wave swept over their consumer audience. Spector fought to prolong his success, but with his release of an Ike and Tina Turner record in 1966 that only reached number eighty-eight on the charts, he was humiliated and decided to retire from the industry, although he would make a minor comeback and a flop or two) in later decades. Spector is an example of an independent record label whose niche was filled up by another entity. In England during the 1950s and 1960s, EMI, Philips, and Decca towered over small independent record labels as a trio of major record companies. As a result, it was quite difficult for the independent labels to become esta blished. Still, many producers and musical artists set up their own independent labels. These producers included Joe Meek with his release of Triumph, Andrew Oldham (Immediate), and Larry Page with Page One. One independent label that was able to thrive in this atmosphere and continued to grow and develop clientele was Chrysalis Records, the joint project of Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. Rock stars that launched their own record labels during this time included The Beatles with Apple Records, Elton John with Rocket, and The Rolling Stones with Rolling Stones Records. Unfortunately, these ventures did not succeed commercially on their own, while some were absorbed by the major labels. Through the examples of Stax, Atlantic, Sun, Motown, Phil Spector, Vee Jay, and all the other players involved in this unique time in music history, we can see the complex combination of positive opportunities and negative repercussions of taking a chance with a label, with an artist, a producer, and/or a song. It is quite clear that all of these independent record label starters of the 1950’s and 1960’s faced a lot of competition and conflict in their attempt to make it, despite the unique opportunity for success that they were granted in the circumstances of the music industry, market, and economy of that time. It seems that it took a while for the more major labels to catch on to the commercial viability of rock and roll and other new types of music, and yet at the same time, independent record labels who already had a holding on this new market had found success. References Jacobs, Pat. â€Å"Independent Record Labels of the 50’s and 60’s†. Rewind the Fifties, 1997. < http://www. loti. com/sixties_music/sixties_indie_labels. htm>] Theakston, Scott. History of Music Production, Course Binder. Chapter III. 2010. Rogan, Johnny. â€Å"Introduction† in the Guinness Who's Who of Indie and New Wave Music, Guinness Publishing, 1992. ISBN 0-85112-579-4