Combination in the adjective Essay Example for Free

Combination in the adjective EssayAnother accept of gothic falsehoods, which helps to frame the grim melodic phrase, is the weather. Weather in gothic literature is normally coolness and wet, adding to the dullness of the environment. The Hound of the Baskervilles device characteristics lots of references to cold, wet weather, reinforcing the feeling of gloom. In chapter 9, Dr. Watson refers to a cold night wind. This phrase creates an ominous feeling as the two adjectives convey to the reader darkness and bleakness. Dr. Watson in any case speaks of the dull moaning of the autumn wind which sets a deject atmosphere because of the sarcoid initial consonant and vowel combination in the adjective. The mysterious and long oan sound makes the setting seem intimidating. Moaning can reflect pain, which relate to the idea of the moor being a dangerous place to be.The phrase in addition shows Conan Doyle using personification, which has a strong effect on the reader as it mak es elements seem hu macrocosm, therefore powerful, and perhaps uncontrollable. Nature is a strong force in itself though, so the personification could be designed to show the reader that yet nature can seem in pain in these bleak and wild locations. The wind talked about in this sentence is another common distinction in gothic novels, where weather conditions go forth harsh and hostile. In the extract from Dr. Watsons diary in chapter 10, he writes, rain poured down. Describing the wet weather, poured tells us that the rain is heavy and the harsh p sound punctuates the harshness. Also from Dr. Watsons diary in chapter 10 comes this tempestuous and melancholy day.The word melancholy is also used repeatedly in the novel to reinforce the impression of the bleak landscape it gives the whole setting a thoroughly depressing feel. Tempestuous adds to the sombre feeling of weather exclusively also generates a sense of tension as tempestuous means stormy and violent. Such weather conditi ons, it could be argued, are reflected in the nature of roughly of the characters- a technique called pathetic fallacy.The Hound of the Baskervilles contains many of the typical weather conditions that are seen in gothic literature therefore, in this sense, the Hound of the Baskervilles could be classed a piece of gothic literature. A feature of the landscape included in The Hound of the Baskervilles is a place called Grimpen Mire. This is a boggy area upon the moor where peck are liable to sink. Dangerous places like this are often evident in gothic novels and add to the dire atmosphere of the text. The mire is talked about mainly in chapter 7 where Stapleton is informing the other characters about the mire.When Dr. Watson first enquires about the mire Stapleton replies a false step yonder means death to man or beast. Here Stapleton is saying that it is a dangerous place for man and animal alike and so the statement creates a very grim mood. shape up into chapter 7 Stapleton s ays, It is a bad place the great Grimpen Mire. The shortness of this sentence profits the impact of it, as it gives the impression that there is no doubt and that the statement is concomitant and cannot be challenged. The adjective bad clearly shows that it is a dreadful place and the word great shows that it is a vast area.Combined, these words help the sentence to increase the miserable tone of the novel. Also, in chapter 7 Stapleton describes the mire again as the impassable mire. Impassable gives a sense of danger to the phrase and the harsh ss and im sounds suggest a strange, mysterious ambience. Harsh or difficult terrain occurs frequently in gothic novels and the descriptions set a mysterious and grim tone. This depressing atmosphere is also apparent in The Hound of the Baskervilles therefore I would class it as a piece of gothic literature.One factor of The Hound of the Baskervilles that distinguishes the novel as a piece of gothic literature relates to the locations feat ured within it. Buildings in gothic novels have a distinct style of architecture that includes points arches crenellated walls partitioned and stained icing windows and the buildings are often raftered. The way buildings are described in gothic novels often creates an eerie atmosphere and usually causes the buildings to seem spooky because of the dark dcor creating a heavy and oppressive atmosphere. Many of theses characteristics are shown in The Hound of the Baskervilles. The two main buildings in the novel are Baskerville Hall and Merripit House. These two locations are described when the characters first arrive at Baskerville Hall in chapter 6 and when they first visit Merripit House in chapter 7.Primarily the buildings are described with the observations of Dr. Watson. The general feeling of these buildings is a creepy one. At the beginning of chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes the outside of Baskerville Hall by saying weather-bitten pillars. Pillars are a common feature of gothic buildings and the fact that they are weather bitten shows that they are old and also reinforces the idea of hostile weather conditions. The harsh tt sound within bitten emphasise the hostile weather conditions and give the impression that the outside of the building is rough and imposing. Also in chapter 6 Dr. Watson observes, The whole front was draped in ivy and ivy-covered walls frequently appear in gothic novels and are usual of gothic buildings. Ivy covered walls give a blanketing effect and the image created by an ivy covered wall gives a gloomy impression. Later in chapter 6 DR. Watson talks about the towers of Baskerville Hall the twin towers, ancient, crenellated, and pierced with many loopholes.Crenellated walls of towers appear regularly in gothic architecture and are often featured in gothic novels because they add to the impression of the buildings being towering and forbidding. Further into chapter 6 Dr. Watson describes Baskerville Hall as large, lofty and heavily ra ftered. The oak paneling of the building is also depicted in chapter 6 through Dr. Watsons observation huge balks of age-blackened oak and the oak paneling. Oak paneling and heavily raftered rooms often occur in gothic architecture and are common features of gothic buildings. They also make the rooms in gothic buildings seem very dark causing a negative impression.High, thin window of old stained ice rink is dr. Watsons account of the windows. Dr. Watson also depicts the windows in chapter 7, high mullioned windows. Something that is mullioned is vertically partitioned. Stained glass and partitioned windows are common in gothic buildings. Another feature Arthur Conan Doyle uses to help create an eerie atmosphere is a reference to shadows. In chapter 6, Dr. Watson depicts the shadows within Baskerville Hall, long shadows trailed down the walls and hung like a black canopy in a higher place him. This simile helps create the depressing and spooky atmosphere. The elongated sound of o ng within the adjective long gives a depressing impression and the adjective dark creates a spooky image. During chapter 7 Dr. Watson describes Merripit house by saying the effect of the whole place was mean and melancholy.The words mean and melancholy emphasise the dreary atmosphere of the location as melancholy means sombre and the definition of mean is harsh. Dr. Watson also says There were large rooms furnished with an elegance. The large rooms and luxe furnishings mentioned are common of gothic style buildings, both of these features help to create a majestic atmosphere and show that the building is posh reinforcing the fact that the characters who own it are wealthy. I can conclude, from the fact that the buildings featured in The Hound of the Baskervilles contain so many features of gothic architecture, and from the negative atmosphere and impression the descriptions of the buildings create, that the novel is a piece of gothic literature, which was written, in the gothic per iod.

Daignosis of Pi in Life of Pi Essay Example for Free

Daignosis of Pi in Life of Pi Essaypiscine Molitor Patel, after floating on the ocean for 227 days, was discovered exhausted and pale. There is no abnormalities in vital signs discovered, which indicates that with proper cares and rest, his body go out function well. In spite of his physical health, his mental health should be particularly examined in detail. Without precedent case, more details and aspects should be included to consider, when evaluating if Pi is suitable to coalesce to ordination again. Furthermore, since the incredible survival is told by Pi in first person point of view, we have reason to take a skeptical side on the truth of the story. It is best to present both pros and cons before jumping into the judgment. Regarding the opinion of pi developing an even stronger personality, evidences are obvious. The survival fully proves that Pi kept wisdom and logic under such terrible condition. Being with the fiercest animals and floating on the ocean for 227 days , most people can not have the mental pressure, and collapse even before they get to land. People are defeated by loneliness, desperation and mental disorder caused by physical illness. Pi is not one of them.Base on the fact that he not only survived but to a fault is able to tell and remember the whole experience, it is indubitable that Pi went through the hardship with an active and positive attitude. He himself even claimed that with time and experience, I became a better hunter. I grew bolder and more agile. I develop an instinct, a feel, for what to do. (Chapter66) In addition, Pi thought about helping others in the future, while his own destiny was still a mystery. In Chapter 71, he provided nightspot advices for those who should ever be in the same circumstance as he did.It suggests that Pi was sober enough to even consider contributing back to the society in the future. Although Pi underwent miseries and adversity, he overcame all the challenges and developed a stronger personality to give the life in advanced society. Nevertheless, more worries and suspicions are discovered. Pi will face the grief of losing the whole family, which he ignored due to the desire for survival.Meanwhile, he excessively has to envisage the fact that being a vegetarian he pull the unpardonable crime, killing animals. Moreover, aking into the consideration of mental disorder some parts of the dictation would be doubted as psychological disorder, such as neurotic disorder. To gravel with, when he saw the death of zebra, it reminds him again of his familys death. He was over whelmed when he mourned his family, as he said It is like losingIm sorry, I would rather not go on. I lay down on the tarpaulin and spent the whole night weeping and grieving, my face hurried in my arms. (Chpater46) Losing family is hard and cruel to accept. When he was on the boat, life was on the top of the list.However when he came back to modern society, without accompany, the horrible memory would torture him to death. To imbibe the situation even worse, Pi still held hope that his family somehow is alive when he saw the ship. Hope collapses when he discovers the truth. Not only he has to face the fact that everyone he loved and loved him dead, but also, he as a vegetarian inevitably has to confess his guilty of killing animals. No matter whether he keeps being a vegetarian or not, Pi suffers from repentance and ambivalence.After getting used to kill, he repented by saying To think that when I was a tike I always shuddered when I snapped open a banana because it sounded to me like the breaking of an animals neck. I descended to a level of savagery. When Pi returns to modern society, how should he persist what he used to believe? Above all, according to the dictation of Pi, he suffered from the illness during the drifting it is likely that Pi developed delusional disorder. When Pi cheered for the appearance of a ship, he blazed with joy. However the ship missed them a nd even bore down on them.It is had to believe that such conspicuous lifeboat could be missed as there was a tiger on it. As people lost in desert see mirage, Pi might also saw the ship because his desire for survival was so strong that it drove him crazy temporarily. Based on the diagnosis criteria of delusional disorder, Apart from the impact of the delusion(s) or its ramifications, functioning is not markedly impaired and behavior is not obviously odd or bizarre. (1), we suggest that Pi take a series of interrogative sentence to determine whether he is mentally healthy. As was previously stated, such experience with no doubt is a life-changing experience.Although adversity stiffened his spine, Pis psychological health was unconsciously devastated. The sudden change of environment would result in the failure of self recognition. His formal value of life was destroyed during the disaster. However he himself also can not accept the way of life in wild. We conclude that bring Pi bac k to society requires a series of procedures and treatment. With proper psychological counseling, Pi would be able to reconstruct his life and value, until then, we do not suggest Pi get back to society immediately.

Media Is Responsible For Dumbing Down Society

Media Is Responsible For Dumbing Down SocietySince graceful a prominent activate of modern human ordination, the media has always been a source of contr oversy. In particular, the media has often been acc employ as playing a significant part in the so c every last(predicate)ed dumbing-down of society. The term dumbing-down is used to describe the lack of a clear distinction between high culture and usual Pop culture in society today. While high culture were activities, usually relating to the classical arts, that were held in the highest regard by society in the past, and usually practiced by the rich propertied, it has evolved to put forward to the masses now. samely, popular culture which be considered ephemeral and commercial, thus inferior to high culture perplex gone on to invade parts of our upper-class societies today. In this essay, I am going to investigate the blurring line between the differences in high and popular culture and use this as a rowlock to critically assess the medias role in this phenomenon and ultimately determine if the media is indeed liable for the dumbing-down of society.Dumbing-down is believed to be present in many another(prenominal) spheres of contemporary society, from the arts to plane the quality of education that our generation atomic number 18 getting today. This is based on the premise that the Arts much(prenominal) as Theatre Productions and classical music have become more than and more commercialised and overly-simplified in order to appeal to larger audiences. Similarly, the study of certain university courses ranging from Sociology to Media Studies and Animal Management have been labelled as inferior to the more traditional courses such as Law, Medicine and Politics. These so called Mickey Mouse degrees (which coincidentally were first made public by the media tabloids), coined by the thusly UK education minister Marg bet Hodge were deemed to be less rigorous and thus unworthy of an effective Unive rsity degree.Modern media itself is often criticised for putting ratings and audience popularity ahead of quality. Media institutions are run as businesses and are therefore more focused in creating deeds that attract widespread interest and thereby maximise the chances of the sell rather than actual high quality productions. This can be seen through a number of examples, notably through watchword circulating productions such as word of honorpapers and intelligence activity publicize. The eighties saw a sharp rise in the popularity of Tabloid Newspapers. Tabloids are based on the wordpaper stage seen in traditional Broadsheet Newspapers, alone are smaller in size and feature exaggerated and often sensationalised stories. They often include ofttimes less hard news such as politics and global affairs to their Broadsheet counterparts, instead focusing on human interests and socialize news stories (i.e. Celebrity Gossips, Scandals). There are also much fewer words and more pic tures in a Tabloid than a Broadsheet. This strain of junk food news is best described by police detective and writer Professor Bob Franklin in his book Newszak and News Media as being More bitesize McNugget journalism, which is small, tasty, bright coloured and easy to digest (Marr in Franklin, 1997 5). Frankin came up with the term Newszak and asserted that there was a growing compulsion within British journalism to retreat from the publishing of hard news in save of light hearted softer news.The popularity of tabloids has resulted in many broadsheet newspapers adopting numerous characteristics of tabloids. This is evident in UK newspapers such as The Independent, The Times and The Guardian who have switched to the more compact Berliner degreeat used by most tabloid newspapers. Reasons given to this change include that it brooks people who commute to easily hold and read it on public transports, and that smaller-sized newspapers would allow for easier reads for other readers a s well. These changes have just been criticised by loyal broadsheet readers who have argued that the loss of the traditional broadsheet format have led to a loss in quality of the publishing of news. They reiterated that with Broadsheets adopting tabloid-like characteristics, there is slowly becoming less and less differences between the 2 types of Newspapers. In a 2007 interview with then British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, Blair commentated about the ongoing struggle in which Broadsheets and Tabloid face to gain readership by becoming more similar to one another. In his words Broadsheets today face the same pressures as tabloids broadcasters increasingly the same pressures as broadsheets. The audience needs to be arrested, held and their emotions engaged. Something that is interest is less powerful than something that makes you smoldering or shocked. (BBC News, 12 June 2007)While the tabloid-like changes that many broadsheets have undergone is a controversial topic horizontal t oday, Tabloids have also evolved and have become even more tabloidized in recent years. In their study of the Tabloidization of British Tabloids, Rodrigo Uribe and Barrie Gunter discovered that the emergence of tabloids can be attributed to a dominance of soft and home stories. By analysing issues of The cheer and The Mirror that were published between the years 1991 and 2001, Uribe and Gunter learnt that tabloids themselves had become even more simplistic in recent years. They wrote that the amount of column space allocated for text had diminish substantially, whilst the size of space allocated for visuals and pictures had instead increased. (Uribe and Gunter, 2004 399)Looking back at what I have learnt so far, I believe that when considering whether the media is indeed responsible for the dumbing-down of society, one has to notion at the riddle from two different purviews. Yes, the media, owned by giant conglomerates aim to increase financial gain and therefore create product s that are popular and sellable to their target audiences. However, one must also note that the reason broadsheets started adopting tabloid-like characteristics in the first place were partly due to the rising popularity of tabloids. In a highly competitive economic market as we have today, the media was simply responding to the ever growing demand for a particular product, in this case, tabloids and therefore evolved its production of broadsheets to satisfy audience demand. It is therefore unfair to lay the blame solely on the Media when in this particular case I believe that society is responsible for the dumbing-down of society.Broadcast media is another area within the media that is nowadays criticised as playing a role in the dumbing-down of society. News Broadcasting is often accused as being no endless truly informative and lacking the journalistic quality that was present in the past. With Broadcast Media prioritising audience and consumer ratings today, News Broadcastings are becoming more amusement orientated, in that part of the appeal of watching the news nowadays is the entertainment value one gains from it rather than the traditional hard news journalistic approach seen in the past. This form of Infotainment, a term used to describe media programmes that combine information with entertainment is seen in numerous News Broadcasting Productions. Many have expressed have-to doe withs that the emergence of infotainment has led to an over exposure of soft news, news that often lack importance but are entertaining to audiences at an expense of actual pregnant serious hard news. A clear example of this can be seen on a February 2004 strain of CNN News where the lead story was a feature of the Super Bowl XXXVIII incident in which Janet Jacksons breasts were exposed onstage. The story was then followed by the news of a chemical attack on a member of the US Senate. (Anderson B, 2004 33)The theme of Infotainment is the assumption that viewers are no lo nger concern about the informative quality of such programmes but are rather driven to watch and consume something due to superficial reasons such as the entertainment that the programme provides or even by how visually attractive the product looks. The aesthetics of modern News programmes also serves as a means of entertaining viewers. News airs nowadays contain expensive visuals, flashy animations and often elaborate filming sets. The use of such technology in modern news broadcasting allows for more contemporary looking visual presentations and thus attracts audience appeal. In a vastly competitive industry in which different Media Networks vie for overtop over audience viewership, the quality of presentation often plays an important part of the process. Networks which benefit from higher production values often score higher in viewership numbers and audience share. This would explain why the Big 4 television networks in the US consisting of ABC, CBS, NBC and project have a si gnificant edge over other smaller networks such as The CW Television Network. In terms of actual substance and quality, there is little difference between one News Channel to another rather the difference in popularity is often determined by insignificant reasons.An excellent example that clearly illustrates the importance of infotainment in todays Media is the ongoing ratings/ popularity war between two of the most popular News Networks in the US, bedevil News and CNN. Though the CNN News Network has had a longer and more illustrious history (est. 1980) compared to the FOX News Network (est. 1996), ratings for CNN has fallen in recent years whilst FOX has seen a steadily increase in audience viewership. In 2009, FOX News officially supplanted CNN to become the No 1 News Network in the US. FOXs ratings increase has been attributed to the fact that it provides opinion and personality-driven programming. FOX slanted views to favour the republican (conservative) party in the US is no secret. It is however ironic that a network that bills itself as Fair Balance, whose slogan happens to be We Report. You Decide does not provide impartial and balanced news reporting. The appeal of FOX News lies in the entertainment it provides for its audience. The news that it broadcast is often colourful, and interesting to audiences. Unlike CNN that features a more global perspective on news stories, reminiscent to the more traditional broadsheet news format, FOX has been known to work tabloid-like tactics to gain audience receptions and stir controversies. Whilst CNN is in no way a haven of quality and unbiased news reporting, there is a o.k. line between biased information presented in a fair and proper manner and that of a piece of pure synthesized propaganda (DuBach J 2005, Fox V. CNN An empirical Comparison). An example in which FOX has deliberately created news-stirring controversy to further its political agenda can be seen in several news reports during the Obama Pre sidential endeavor in 2008, in which FOX News provided highly bias opinions against Obama and his campaign team, even going as far as to compare him to Joseph Stalin.News Reporters and Journalists are no longer detached personalities from the audience but are instead groomed to become popular and celebrity-like. Rather than employing real hard-line journalists and political analysts (McChesney R), News networks are more interested in hiring celebrity pontificators to provide news commentary as a cost cutting solution that also ensures supreme audience appeal. This is evident by the growing number of so called special guest experts that regularly provide their views on the news at hand. News Commentators such as Bill OReilly, Gleen Beck and Jerry Springer have gone from being news readers to become well respected and popular television personalities that hosts their own talk shows and are regularly watched by a loyal viewership. As a matter of fact, OReillys political commentary pr ogram titled The OReilly Factor that airs on FOX News was the most watched cable show between 2007 and 2008. Despite the level of media saturation and the wealth of information we have at our disposal, it is still in the hands of each individual to decide whether consuming a particular media text is indeed beneficial. However, with audiences seemingly enjoying such a skewed and biased view on everyday news reporting, its no wonder that some people believe that the media is indeed responsible for the dumbing down of society.The belief that the media is responsible for the dumbing down of society is grow in the fear that the audience lack the science to tell what is right and what is wrong when consuming a media text, thus believing whatever the media projects. It is therefore important to understand the concept of Audience Reception in order to determine how media viewers interpret a particular media text differently from one another. The basis of Audience reception is the underst anding that there are two different kinds of audiences active and passive audience. Active Audiences are people who are not move to whatever the media tells them, who constantly filter out what they see in the media and possess the strength of mind to decide whether what they see in the media is unbent or not. In contrast, Passive Audiences are people who are vulnerable to the words of the media and are seemingly accepting of whatever the media tells them. The belief that the media has the ability to alter audience perception and in a way control the way we make decisions and live our lives is one that has existed for decades.The Hypodermic Needle Model, conceived in the 1940s was perhaps the earliest form in our attempts to understand audience reception. The model was based around the assumption that mass media (e.g. the radio and television) had a direct and often profound effect on its viewers. It was believed that the media was able to send messages directly to the viewer thus gaining some measure of control on the viewer. Today, the model is almost unanimously considered obsolete as it perceives all media consumers as passive audiences, and thus believes that the media has the same effect on all people. It perceives on the assumption that people were uniformly controlled by their biologically based instincts and that they fight down more or less uniformly to whatever stimuli came along (Lowery DefFleur, 1995 400). More to the point, the hypodermic needle scheme is an outdated Audience Reception model that however flawed, reflected the social situation during that time. In an era of political upheaval and social unrest, fuelled by the World Wars, propaganda emerged as a form of communication utilized by nations to persuade the general public to unite behind the actions of their countries and allies alike. The power of propaganda was regarded as a powerful tool by many, with countries using propaganda to achieve many different aims, from enlisting more men to become soldiers to even attempting to promote public outrage.A more efficient audience reception model which does squander both passive and active audiences into account is the Uses and Gratifications Model. Unlike the Hypodermic Needle Model that interpreted its findings based on what the media did to people, the Uses and Gratifications model took a different perspective by placing focus on the viewers instead of the media and basing its findings on what did people do with the Media. The Model was conceived in the 1970s by critical theorists Blumber and Katz, who originally used it to investigate the social and psychological needs of people. The model was based around a more consumer/ audience centred approach whereby it was believed that people consumed media as a form of satisfying their own individual needs. Rather than basing its study that all media viewers were passive audiences who are unable to resists the words of the media (as the hypodermic needle theory had sug gested), the theory was based on the belief that the audience did in fact play an active part in choosing the type of media text that they were consuming based on their individual needs. The needs of individuals were varied and included but not limited to things such as gaining entertainment (diversion) from the text t or perhaps even gaining more of an insight into themselves (personal identity). Despite the consensus that the Uses and Gratification model is a far better representation of audience reception, compared to the Hypodermic Needle Theory, it has also been criticised by many who state that viewers nowadays do not have any means of control over what the media produces. In my opinion, I would actually argue with that statement, as I believe that the audience make educated choices on the type of media they consume. I believe that the types of medium that are produced today are developed specifically to satisfy the needs of people. Due to the different trends and genres that go in and out of fashion today, media companies create productions that they know would attract a sizable audience market. Similar to how many Broadsheet Newspapers are adopting the more popular Tabloid-like format and the use of Infotainment in todays News Broadcasting Programmes, the media is simply responding to the audience preferences.In conclusion, I believe that although the media does play a part in the Dumbing down of society, it is not directly responsible for this, and is often conveniently made a scapegoat of the problem due to people take comfort in having someone or something to blame, in this case the media itself. Rather, I think that the media acts as a catalyst for the true culprit behind the degradation of society humans. The dumbing down of society is caused by us modern people have grown lazy, becoming interested in trivial things and finding quality activities and productions a chore to do and consume. We prefer the simplifying of things as it makes it easier for us to understand and

Women And Personal Status Law In Iraq Politics Essay

Wo men And Personal Status Law In Iraq Politics EssayPersonal Status faithfulness is the term applied to those provisions in a farmings constitution that refer to the areas of marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance. In many countries these impartialitys are constructed as part of a secular, civil code, with independent courts adjudicating disputes. Historically women drop been much to a greater extent gauzy to ainised side equitys, also referred to as family police, because of their position in the household as caregivers and matriarchs. The laws that pertain to personal side in Iraq have infragone three important periods of transmutation in pre-Gulf War Iraq, the original law of personal status was set in place on December 30, 1959 several of the provisions (articles) were therefore amended, a few dropped, and several more added end-to-end the 1970s post-Gulf War Iraq was a crucial turning point in the transformation of the code when women began to visit a decl ine in their personal status flops the laws were altered yet again as a consequence of the U.S. light-emitting diode invasion in 2003 and the mechanical drawing of a new Iraki Constitution. By looking at these three time periods and the prevailing political atmospheres, we can then see the negative transformation and state manipulation of the personal status law. The future of the status of women in Iraq and their rights as recognized in a personal status code give also be discussed. It will be clear from this examination that while women have been successful in exerting some influence on laws of personal status in Iraq, more often than non the laws have been manipulated as a political tool by those in tycoon, irreverent of the needs or wants of the countrys young-bearing(prenominal) population.It is important to consider the development of international tender rights perceptions in relation to the current debate in the Middle East. The objective of this framework is to pro vide a foundation from which we can understand the line of significant tension between Sharia Law and Personal Status Law. valet rights formed in the watt during the European Enlightenment. The idea that the rights of the individual should be of par follow importance in a political system emerged and the emphasis on individualism, humanism, and rationalism (Mayer, 44) is the basis for modern-day international human rights principles. These Western foundations do well to explain the cause of tension between the West and Islam over human rights but to understand where the source of tension lies, we moldiness look at Islam as an institution.Islam is the cornerstone of Middle East culture and tradition. Regardless of modernization efforts, Muslim primacy still remains. The dominance of piety affects all aspects of life including the human rights discourse and, as a result, the Moslem position on human rights is complex. Muslims do not have a commonplace belief about what the Islam ic position on human rights is or the kin of their cultural tradition to international human rights norms (Mayer, 11). The Middle East, by nature, is a deeply penetrated region dealing with the impact of Western persuasion throughout its history. Human rights concepts are just another standard that the Middle East has had to engage and apply to their countries. However, these concepts are also part of accepted international law and by acknowledging international law as the law of nations (Mayer, 12), Muslims are bound to these norms. Thus, Muslim rejection to international human rights on the basis of Islam is contradictory.Historically, there is no human rights tradition in Islamic civilization (Mayer, 73) and no existing criteria as to how Islamic institutions limit international human rights or is there any detail of what these restrictions would be.International law recognizes many rights protections are not absolute and may be hang up or qualified in exception circumstance s uch as wars or public emergencies or even in normal flock in the interests of certain overriding considerations1However, there are certain kinds of rights that cannot be limited. These include independence and opposeity, existity originally law, personify protection, fair and public hearing, independence of religion, and equal rights in marriage, all of which are listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).In addition to these absolute rights, the UDHR also includes definite standards regarding what constitutes permissible agents for restrain human rights protections (Mayer, 76). For example, Article 29.2 statesIn the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are situated by law solely for the purpose of securing ascrib suitable recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.2A simila r obligation is also expressed in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in Article 4The States Parties to the present Covenant recognize that, in the enjoyment of those rights provided by the State in conformity with the present Covenant, the State may subject such rights only to such limitations as are determined by law only in so far as this may be compatible with the nature of these rights and solely for the purpose of promoting the general welfare in a democratic society.3It is clear that there are specific guidelines to restricting limits put on human rights exist so then how does Islam face to infringe upon these principles?Under international law, Muslims and non-Muslims cannot be deprived of their rights. However, there is no regulation that states that fundamental human rights may be curtailedby reference to the requirements of a particular religion (Mayer, 76). Nevertheless, human rights in the Middle East are being controlled under Sharia law and as a result, the rights that are open under international law are being qualified by standards that are not recognized in international law as lawful bases for curtailing rights (Mayer, 77). Thus, it can be concluded that Sharia law is in direct conflict with democracy and human rights.More importantly, the overall conflict lies in the relationship between culture and human rights (An-Naim, 142). Sharia law is an integral part of Muslim society as it is the personal law of Islamic society. Most of the human rights violations related to Islam are inflicted on women especially regarding Personal Status law.Women in Pre-Gulf War IraqCONDITIONS IN 1959The late 1950s were a time of great miscellanea for Iraq. After years of living under the British mandate system and the subsequent rule of a pro-British monarch, a revolutionary new regime came to advocate on July 14, 1958. Led by Colonel Abd al-Salam Arif and Brigadier Abd al-Karim Qasim, the forces that overthrew the monarchy were united more by their distaste of the ruling regime, rather than by ideological means (Tripp, 149). Qasim quickly took vantage of his new position, consolidating power at the top of the state, and appointing himself Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Commander in Chief (Tripp, 152). The Iraq he took over was poor and underdeveloped, but under Qasim innovative laws were passed and azoic on classs were throw overboarded to organize (including the communistic Party) to address the concerns and needs of what had previously been neglected aspects of society. These organizations, though allowed to operate openly were nevertheless still beholden to the state. one such group was the League for the Defense of Womens Rights, or al-Rabita, officially recognized by the government in 1958 though it had been active underground since 1952 (Efrati, 2).Al-Rabita was funded by the Communist Party, but established by professional Iraki women to create widespread access to the kinds of opportunities which their avouch more privileged butt thou had minded(p) them (Tripp, 154). In this spirit the group focused on educational opportunities and political participation. They were also active in helping to draft and pass the Personal Status Code of 1959. Before 1959, Iraq had no civil code that addressed matters of personal status, which are of particular concern to women. The 1940s saw the first wave of educated women in Iraq, as distaff doctors and lawyers graduated from state universities (Tripp, 155). The women who had started organizing in 1952 were committed to combating issues of child marriages, polygamy, and the difficulty of divorce for women compared to the relative ease of divorce for men. These women were active in helping to draft the 1959 law and their president, Naziha al-Dulaymi, used her position as the Minister of Municipalities (and the first woman cabinet member in Iraq) to sit on the panel of specialists who prepared the law. Resista nce was square among the Sunni and Shia ulama the Sunni were afraid that the income and prestige of the ulama would suffer, while the Shia clerics saw possible codification of a civil personal law as an encroachment on the realm of their mujtahids (Efrati, 3). It is unclear why Qasims government pushed through with the groundbreaking Personal Status Law No. 188 on December 30, 1959 (Efrati, 3). A possible reason for the ruling could have been Qasims was interest in unifying Iraq, not because he was necessarily an egalitarian, but because consolidation of the state made control easier, thereby change magnitude and protecting his power base.THE LAW OF 1959The Personal Status Law was issued by decree in 1959 and contained two distinct innovationsIt unified personal status law for Sunnis and Shia.Personal status law was now codified and written into law. Judges could no longer determine the law according to their own religious cultivation they simply had to apply the new code (Brown, 5).The new law had its basis in Sharia but made expert religious opinion unnecessary, fetching control over personal status and the fate of women out of the hands of the religious leaders and putting it into the hands of the state. Underscoring how important a rift this caused among the emergent secular state and the religious clerics, author Michael Eppel writes that Shiite religious leaders opposition to this law was a catalyst in the Shiite awakening in Iraq (158). This uniform law was enacted to erase sectarian divisions and subject everyone to the same rules of the state. Important provisions of the law includedA marriage age of 18 (article 8). In special cases this could be lower to 16.Required a womans consent to her marriage (articles 4 and 6).Set forth sanity and puberty as essential to the capacity to marry (article 7). proscribed arbitrary divorce.Set strict limitations on polygamy, requiring the permission of a judge which could only be granted on two conditions 1) th e husband was financially satisfactory to support more than one married woman (article 4a) or 2) that there was some lawful benefit involved (article 4b).Stipulated that mothers had the preferential right to custody of their children. Custody was granted until the age of seven, with an fortune for the court to extend the age if necessary (article 57).Required that men and women be treated equally in matters of inheritance.Considered talaq to be invalid if communicate by a man whose mental capabilities were lacking (i.e. in cases of intoxication or anger).Allowed women to seek divorce through judicial means on grounds of injury or familial discord (Efrati and Coleman).The law was not perfect and did in fact contain many loopholes. Women activists wanted tougher punishments for forcing women to marry, a ban on polygamy and temporary marriages, as well as protection against marriage by proxy, which could undermine a womans right to consent by substituting a virile guardian. Activis ts were also upset that men retained the right of no-fault divorce, where women had to prove injury, and that a womans consent was not necessary to resume a marriage after a talaq divorce. At the same time, however, the law contained many provisions considered extremely liberal and imperfect. The inheritance law was considered a radical departure from Islamic teachings. Womens groups argued that differentiating between men and women in the issue of inheritance was not suitable for a progressive society (Efrati, 12). Women were now entering the workforce and helping to provide for the family therefore they should be allowed an equal opportunity to support their income with inheritances. When clerics decried this move, Qasim defended the provision by saying that the verse in the Koran calling for a daughters inheritance to be half that of a sons was a recommendation, and not a requirement (Coleman, 3). Whatever the reason for the creation of the 1959 uniform personal status law, its creation gave Iraqi women a vast amount of secular rights, and gave them the most progressive rights for their sex in the Arab world.CHANGES OVER TIME 1963-80The decades of the 1960s and 1970s were characterized by coup detats and political unrest in Iraq, as well as by fluctuating economic wealth and development, all of which contributed to a redefinition of womens rights. On February 8, 1963 Abd al-Salam Arif lead a coalition of nationalist Nasserite army officers and privy troupe members in a successful coup against the Qasim government, bringing a new regime into power (Eppel 202). The Arif government, comprised of cleanist and Arab nationalists, was not united on ideological grounds, and factions at bottom the parties were quickly at odds with each other. In March of 1963 they fought to amend the personal status law, instituting slight changes regarding polygamy and suppressing the provisions applicable to inheritance, replacing them with rules more harmonic with the Shar ia (Efrati, 4). Both Arif and Prime Minister Ahmad Hasan al-Bakr wanted to repeal the law completely which they saw as irreconcilable with Islamic law, but were prevented from doing so due(p) to infighting (Eppel, 216). These changes to the law proved to be temporary and were later amended in the 1970s.In 1968 yet another coup was launched, this time by the Bath party against Arifs brother, who had gained control of Iraq upon his brothers death. The Bath party stood for the power and unity of the Arab nation, and they rejected the Sunni/Shiite rift as an obstacle to this unity (Eppel, 232). In this vein they did not move to repeal the 1959 status law, in part because of its secular nature and also because they needed women to contribute to a stronger Iraq. The idea was that by empowering women personally it would encourage them to participate economically and politically. To facilitate their agenda the Bath introduced many state funded organizations aimed at redevelopment. Much lik e al-Rabita was created as a state controlled channel for womens participation in society, so too was the General Federation of Iraqi Women (GFIW) created when the Bath regime came to power in 1968 (Joseph, 182).The womens groups of the 1970s and early 80s had a reciprocal relationship with the Bath leadership. GFIW members were taught that they must serve and be loyal to the party and the state, and were encouraged to participate in a expanding public domain of social, cultural, political, and economic activities, helping to build a more solid and economically viable state (Joseph, 183). Joseph also writes that GFIW staff spent considerable time encouraging, among the membership, affection and loyalty to the head of the party and state, ibn Talal Hussein ibn Talal Hussein (183). In exchange for their loyalty to the state, the GFIW was given the role of implementing the changes in the laws of personal status, were allowed to host conferences of activist women, and were elevated in t he public eye by Saddam Husseins frequent pronouncements and public appearances lauding the work and leaders of their organization (183). The Bath never let the GFIW go unchecked women leaders were appointed by their party and its cipher was derived from the state (Joseph, 182). What is most interesting is that it was men at the top of the Bath partys power structure that set forth the goals of the GFIW. One of these goals was to go over the equality of Iraqi women with men in rights, in the economy and in the state (182). While other womens groups still operated, the GFIW took over as the main catalyst for the expression of egg-producing(prenominal) goals. With the creation of this group, women activists again channeled their energy into rectifying the changes made in 1963 to the personal status law, and to closing the loopholes resulting from the 1959 version.THE NEW PROVISIONAL CONSTITUTIONIn 1970, members of the General Federation of Iraqi Women decided the time was right to push for a new personal status law to replace the 1959 code and more importantly the restrictive amendments introduced in 1963. They pushed for greater reforms, and formulated a draft for a new family law that was presented to the regime in 1975 (Efrati, 4). While not all of their demands were met, several amendments to the personal status code were included in Iraqs Provisional Constitution in 1970 and 1978. Among the important changesArticle 19 declared all citizens equal before the law (regardless of sex). split up was permitted by judicial proceedings if the marriage took place before 18 years of age or without a judges approval.Forced marriages were nullified if not consummated, and divorce was allowed where the marriage was not consummated.New punishments were set for forcing marriage and for preventing marriage.Punishments were set for marriages contracted outside of the courtA man who contracted a number marriage (without judicial permission) could be imprisoned for 3-5 yea rs.A wife now had legal grounds for demanding a divorce if her husband took a second wife without permission by a judge.A woman could now have a no-fault divorce if the marriage was not yet consummated and the marriage expenses were returned to the husband.Situations under which a woman could obtain a judicial divorce were clarified and expanded, ex) adultery.Maternal custody was extended to the age of 10. At age 15 the child could choose whom to live with (Efrati, HRW and Joseph).The law still registered several shortcomings. It did not forbid marriages by proxy, did not go far enough with the maternal age of custody, and lowered the possible marriage age to 15 (from 16) if a judge saw that special circumstances prevailed. Another major blow to the desires of womens groups was that no ban on polygamy was included. Activists still opposed article 3(5) which allowed a judge to decide whether wives could be treated equally (Efrati, 7). They contended that judges were ill-equipped to make such a decision, and that equal treatment was an impossibility, citing as reinforcement the Quranic verse which states Ye will not be able to deal equally between your wives, however much you wish to do so (7). Other articles that remained unchanged from the 1959 version included articles 34, 38, and 39, which allowed for divorce outside of the court, and ensured that equal rights to divorce were not granted to women (9). Still the changes in the 1970s, though slight, did encourage the womens movement. Also, in January of 1971, Iraq ratified the International Covenants on Civil and Political rights (ICCPR) and Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), both of which provided equal protection to women under international law (HWR, 2).The central uncertainty here is why did the Bath party pay attention to womens demands for greater opportunities and rights? Women activists had been vocal about instituting change since the 1920s, and though successful in seeing the 1959 law p assed, they had not encountered many reforms since. Womens groups were partly responsible for the additions, but their activities alone do not explain the shifts in policy put into place by the Bath government. Among the new initiatives were Labor and Employment laws which passed, allowing women opportunities to participate in the civil service sector, maternity benefits that were introduced, as well as other legislation (HRW, 2). According to Human Rights Watch, the Iraqi Bureau of Statistics reported that in 1976, women represented about 38.5 portion of those in the education sector, 31 percent in the medical field, 15 percent of civil servants and 25 percent of lab technicians. Women were also accorded the right to vote in 1980. When one considers that the first female graduates of educational institutions didnt emerge until the 1940s, this participation is passing accelerated. This increased economic participation then paved the way for slight changes to the personal status la w. As Joseph writes, In so far as vent women from familial controls to participate in the labour force and the polity was needed for the state-building programme, some revision of the personal status laws became necessary and useful (184). Thus, during this time period, due to the economic expansion of the state, the regime saw fit to expand womens participation and facilitated this through political means, by amending the personal status law.WAR YEARSThe mid-eighties and 90s were a hard time for all Iraqis, and women were no exception. Two wars and a decade of U.N. sanctions ensured that womens groups had other more pressing concerns than the continued fight to amend the personal status code. In 1972, with the nationalization of Iraqs main commodity, oil, the states wealth increased and an economic boom contributed to advancement in education and the workforce for women. By the 1980s and 90s a slow-down occurred as these resources were diverted to pay for the Iran-Iraq war and la ter to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the Gulf war that followed. Throughout these decades women again became a tool of the state. Whereas before they had been co-opted with political reforms, now women, under threat of personal or familial harm, were urged in the 1980s and 1990s to put the state first and family second. Loyalty to the state was absolute. Divorce was now used as a weapon of the regime. Noga Efrati writes, women were encouraged to seek judicial divorce if their husbands evaded or deserted military service, defected to the enemy side, were convicted of treason, or held foreign citizenship and refrained from returning to Iraq for more than three years (10). During these years the GFIW did manage to convince President Saddam Hussein to pass a few resolutions, in special cases, but to the advantage of only a small number of women.Women in Post-Gulf War IraqBeginning in the 1990s women started to see a hammy reversal in their personal status rights. Joseph writes that the modest legal advances for women would be precariously balanced against the costs the Bath would incur by antagonizing other constituencies (184). The constituencies he speaks of are those of the religious leaders and the tribal chiefs, the same people whose support Saddam needed to court in order to retain power throughout the wars. Saddam made a decision to embrace Islamic and tribal traditions as a political tool in order to consolidate power (HWR, 3). In this vein Saddam manipulated and created law wherever it served his political purposes. In 1988 he legalized honour killings in Iraq, permitting men to kill their wives or female relatives if they were judged to have dishonoured the family name by committing adultery, which resulted in the deaths of an estimated 4,000 Iraqi women and girls (Tripp, 227, HWR). This reversal was a concession to Shia clerics. Womens access to the public and private sectors (including education) were also cut in order to ensure jobs for men during wartime and to help appease conservative religious and tribal groups (HWR). A combination of depressed economic and political factors in the late 1980s and early 1990s led to a regression of womens status and rights in Iraq, taking them back to traditional roles in the family.The 2003 Invasion and the New Iraqi ConstitutionWith the U.S. led invasion in 2003, many activists both in and outside of Iraq expected a positive change in the status of women and hoped for the restoration of a progressive personal status code. The hope was that after removing Saddam from power, a new government, guided by an egalitarian Western power (the United States) would be able to resurrect and strengthen the original personal status law of 1959, ensuring more equal rights for women. Unfortunately it has been a bumpy road for female activists. The war and its outcome have greatly reduced personal freedoms for all Iraqis, and attempts at preserving the personal status code have taken a back seat to de livery and personal safety.Progressives and women activists initially suffered a setback when in December 2003 the Iraqi Governing Council (IGC), under the control of Abd al-Aziz al-Hakim, the Shia cleric who leads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), passed Order 137 which seemed to set aside the 1959 personal status law (Brown, 6). Hakim had long been in opposition to the progressive personal status code, and used his opportunity as head of the rotating governing council to pass a measure that instilled Sharia and nullified the old code. According to Noga Efrati, women moved aggressively to fight Order 137, organizing a series of protests (1). One such protest drew activists representing 80 womens organizations, who carried placards that with slogans such as We Reject Decree 137 Which Sanctifies Sectarianism and Division in Iraqi ordination and Family (1). Womens groups also held press conferences and high-level meetings with American provisional author ities to voice their concerns over the law, which in addition to nullifying an important code, was ambiguous and dangerous in its formulate (Coleman, 3). Paul Bremer, leader of the Coalitional Provisional Authority, ended up vetoing Order 137, but the move by the Shia cleric foreshadowed the uphill fight women would have to face in a new, sectarian Iraq.In the final draft of the Constitution womens status in the new Iraq has not been clarified. In the October 2005 document, article 14 states that Iraqis are equal before the law without discrimination because of sex, but it also states that no law can be passed that contradicts the undisputed rules of Islam (Pollitt, 1). Whose version of Islam will govern is still up for debate. The law seems to indicate that Sunnis and Shia would be free to follow their own doctrine, and because it does not explicitly repeal or reference the 1959 law, scholars say the Constitution would appear to allow the continuation of the 1959 code of personal status for those who wanted to use it (Brown, 5). Sharia law could mean the return of unrestricted polygamy, divorce by talaq, honour killings, and a public death for perpetrators of adultery (Weinberg, 1). The picture becomes even more unclear when one looks at the Supreme Federal courtroom, also established by the Constitution. This royal court will be made up of a number of judges and experts in Sharia and law (Pollitt, 1). It is unclear at this stage where there would be room for a civil court system.While the women of Iraq and the National Assembly managed to be successful in keeping the 1959 law intact, it seems that the country is destined to be divided along religious lines. Even if Iraq remains a unified country, the religious and sectarian splits in law could make adjudicating disputes incredibly difficult. What would happen in the case of a Sunni woman who is married to a Shia man? Would she have the right to visit a Sunni or secular court, or if the country reverts back to its patrimonial past, will she be forced to go to a Shia court. Perhaps she could pick whichever court is most advantageous to her cause. A Supreme Federal Court adjudicating on the basis of Sharia is also problematic for non-Muslims residing in Iraq. If Sharia is the law of the land, will non-Muslims also be subjected to it even though the constitution guarantees freedom of religion? The two main sects of Islam will most likely interpret family law differently, and women have gone from an even footing under secular law, to an unbeknownst(predicate) system that could test their resilience and forfeit their accustomed rights.Possible TransformationsThe fact is that the new Iraqi government has laid out a constitution which gives Islam a central role and which names the religion as a basic source of legislation (Pollitt, 1). Sharia has been recognized as a legitimizing factor, and therefore if women and moderates hope to advance the cause of womens rights in the new Iraq, they wi ll probably have to do so within an Islamic framework. In the recent past women in other nations have also faced a change in their status, with different outcomes.One fear is the possibility of Iraq following in Irans footsteps, which would be a disastrous blow to the womens movement and to the hopes of those that wish to see Iraq modernize. With the coming of Irans revolution in 1979 and the attainment of power by religious clerics, the countrys progressive family law was suspended and within a few months new Sharia rulings lowered the marriage age to nine, permitted polygamy, gave fathers the right to decide who their daughters could marry, permitted unilateral divorce for men but not women, and gave fathers sole custody of children in the case of divorce (Coleman, 5). While a distinct possibility, this seems to be a fate Iraq has avoided with clauses in their Constitution that guarantee women an equal footing with men. Hopefully, Iraq will follow the letter of the law and will no t suffer the same fate as Irans family law codes.Fortunately, there is precedent for a successful path to a change in womens status. Morocco and Indonesia have both seen extensive dialogue concerning their personal status codes, and each has discussed changes using Islam as a large part of their rationale. Morocco benefits from a large network of progressive nongovernmental organizations, which pushed to raise the marriage age from 15 to 18, abolish polygamy, equalize the right to divorce, and give women the right to retain custody of their children (Coleman, 5). As with Iraq, these progressive organizations were opposed by a large and vocal religious block within the country. In this case, the changes in the Sharia-based personal status laws were facilitated by a modernizing monarch, superpower Muhammad IV. He backed the reformers and in October 2003 presented Moroccos parliament with revisions to the law, defending his changes with references to the Koran and thereby placing the new law above injure from religious leaders (Weitzman, 394). Iraq may not have the NGO strength of Morocco, but with the emergence of a charismatic, forward-thinking leader, as well as pressure from womens organizations and others from below, a reform along the lines of Moroccos experience could be achieved.In the case of Indonesia, grass-roots groups have started schooling women on Islamic jurisprudence so that they may hold their own religious debates. In 2004, Musdah Mulia, the chief researcher at Indonesias Ministry of Religious Affairs, proposed changes to the existing Sharia in the areas of marriage, polygamy, and the wearing of the hijab (Coleman, 5). She defended these changes in much the same way that King Muhammad of Morocco did, through references to

Sony Ericsson

give-and-takey EricssonSony Ericsson IntroductionCorporate structureSony Ericsson is a global manufacturer and distributor of unstable multimedia devices which includes feature-rich shout outs, expeditious accessories and PC cards. harvest-feasts ar innovative bl dismiss of powerful technology with communications, imaging, medicinal drug, and frolic applications. As a net result, Sony Ericsson is serving market with enticing leaf blade that provides end users desirable fun harvest-homes. Sony Ericsson was established by telecom leader Ericsson and consumer electronics giant Sony Corporation in 2001. It giveership is equally owned by Ericsson and Sony. Its first yield came in market in 2002. Its products have universal consumer court. They are different in areas of music, imaging and applications. Company has developed products with advanced technologies such as 2G and 3G plat gets. Product inquiry development, design, manufacturing, marketing and customer serves ar e major undertakings by Sony Ericsson. Its global management is head derriereed in London while R D is in U.K, France, Sweden, India, Japan, China and United States. The Firm has around 3,500 around the globe.Sony Ericsson is accepted as leader in mobile designs and innovations. Its many products won awards like T 610, K750i as best 3G bridge playerset for 2004. GSM Association awarded K800 Cyber- guess strait as best 3GSM in February 2007.Sony Ericsson has built many protrudenerships for continuous innovative products development. Partnership with Sony BMG is a way for obstetrical delivery best and innovative content to its customers. In romp applications, Sony Ericsson took the lead in riging first Java 3D-enabled handsets, and is looking forward to bring 3D gaming to a wider segment of mobile users.Background of Sony-EricssonEver since the Japanese electronics lodge Sony and the Swedish telecom giant Ericsson came together to form Sony Ericsson, big things were expected i n terms of technologically advanced wireless ph integritys as well as improved sales and market shares. However, the first year passed with a serve up of disappointment. Sony Ericssons already low market shares began to drop rapidly and the company was losing money. On the other hand, the much anticipated Sony Ericsson T68i phone was introduced and was a major hit. It was the first GSM/GPRS (global system for mobile communications/general packet radio service) color screen handset. Its Bluetooth technology was excessively the first of its kind, allowing wireless connections to headsets and PC synchronization. One of the accessories included a snap-on digital television camera, which has become quite popular and a must for all peeled models. In the past year, Sony Ericsson has seen a revival in the company as they advance to introduce new-fangled revolutionary devices such as the P800 and T610 and set new standards. each(prenominal) this success has contributed to an increase in market shares and has pushed them back into the top quintette in cell phone manufacturers. In order to continue this success, a new IMC plan is needed.Creativity and flexibility is required in order to succeed in the mobile-phone industry. No other industry changes faster, or experiences to a greater extent sudden and rapid changes to fortunes. The industry was shaken by the alliance of two consumer electronic giants in October 2001, Sony Corporations and Ericsson AB. Sony Ericsson mobile communications is a fifty-fifty joint venture between Japans Sony Corp. and Swedens Ericsson AB. With headquarters located in London, Sony Ericsson became the sixth largest global mobile phone pile in 2005 following closely behind competitor Nokia. Motivations for the joint venture alliance as well alternatives to a joint venture testament be explored, concluding with an examination of the problems and strategies used throughout the alliance to aid Sony Ericsson to become a world re forthwit hned mobile supplier.Complementary asset sharing and experience transfers were among several reasons motivating the alliance. Ericsson was heavily criticized in the past for hapless manufacturing capabilities as Ericsson previously outsourced its production procedures to Flextronics in order to reduce costs (Electronic Times, 2001). Alongside that, Ericsson was associated with poor designs in terms of aesthetics and was unable to attract a large pool of consumers especially teenagers and young adults. Furthermore, due to the ever changing industrial environs of the mobile-phone industry, Ericsson was forced behind due to its inability to keep up-to-date with the market and as a consequent, slowly loosing its already minimal market share.Ericsson was buying chips from a single source, a Philips plant in New Mexico. Nokia was also buying chips from same facility. In March 2000, a fire at this facility soil the facility. Philips gave assurance to Ericsson and Nokia that production result start a larn just a week time. hardly it did not happen. Nokia purchased chips from other sources. So Ericsson faced serious shortages. This cut back Sony Ericssons competitive ability to introduce new phones and maintaining supply of current phones. Sony Ericsson, after its new indistinguishability introduced first phone in 2002 and now has a product portfolio for understanding demands of all consumer target groups. Sony Ericsson introduced the Walkman-branded W series music phones in 2005 (fourteen models to date W200, W300, W550, W600, W610, W700, W710, W800, W810, W830, W850, W880, W900 and W950) branding Key to Sony Ericsson Growth PlanThe difference in mid-end hand sets and top-end models is reducing because of technology advancements in mobile phone handset accessories market. Increasing liberalized regional telecommunications is boosting cellular subscriptions and a labor force with high disposable incomes, the place East has become a lucrative market for handse t manufacturers such as Sony Ericsson. The company has been successful in this emerging market due to successfully fusing innovative technology to develop products. Sony and Ericssons combination of load competencies is a competitive edge of Sony Ericsson. digital cameras and MP3 players have now become essential features of handsets, Sony Ericsson handsets like Cyber shot and Walkman handset ranges are a direct attempt to tap the Sonys heritage in twain markets respectively. Sony Ericsson supports retailers and resellers by advertising and marketing crusades.Sony Ericsson has denote fusion of cheer and communication for their customers as their new brand scheme. They are adopting a new brand message in collaboration with Sony aggroup, strain. Believe. It entrust use heptad colors in its logo as part of its rebranding strategy. They get out involve consumers at a greater extent in their branding mental process. They plan to do this by focusing on their interactive digita l and social media efforts to communicate with their target consumers. Sony Ericsson connects on the webWinning new mobile customers is becoming well-to-do by digital marketing. Two major brands one big company. Combining a Swedish company, Ericsson with one from Japan, Sony, it shares a design and communications account statement with history of marketing expertise and gaming, music and entertainment content on the other. Both have ranked zillions in this venture. The company had a slow start but it got the nerve impulse in 2004. According to Superbrands, Sony Ericsson is among coolest brands in the UK. But in some previous historic period, it has been facing losses due global slow down and intense competition. digital has played a skilful role in its growth. The digital budget is around 15 %. For some sets, it can go up to 30%. The first technology adopters are usually looking online for making their choices. So web is a great leap of imagination. The sector and market se gment are worthwhile for its adaptation.It is a sustainable part of Sony Ericssons marketing mix and it volition continue its evolution in future. The investment is easier to make, getting feedback from consumers is easy. The people in technology now are much more sophisticated than past. engineering is enabling in work and general living. By giving brand experience online, Sony Ericsson provides consumers tangibility and technology, both with explanation of the product. Now the decision making is more dependent on online sources. Marketing mobile phone is quite different from marketing other products. Networks form direct relationship with customer. Sony Ericson does not do this one-to-one connection. Sony Ericssons branding should not have impact only on consumers but also on retailers and its distributors. energetic up gradation is more frequently than cars, so they have limited shelf life. This should be considered in any campaign.Digital marketing has solution to confront su ch problems. In digital marketing, contact with customer is direct. Sony Ericsson is working closely with networks. They are mindful about direct customers as well. SE works with them to reckon that they do not market product too quickly. Sony Ericsson has been working with Dare for launching its handsets in US. Sony Ericsson has always recognized important role played by digital agate lines.To reduce these channels, Sony Ericsson uses a micro site for promotion of each mobile set, providing a brand experience, with having link with corporate site (www.sonyericsson.com). Corporate hub offers more details about handsets. Sonyericsson.com. is managed by Toon Diependaele, who is director of digital marketing at Sony Ericsson. Sony Ericsson has emphasis on building a global framework with having room for topical anesthetic implementation. It has to provide wealth of information in 63 country areas with 30 of its main products at any one time. The user benefits are explained in non-te chnical way for the judgment of the common man. It is about how phone will help you in making your life easier. It can also be about benefits due to some new feature like use of MMS in T610. Design and creativity go side by side in online marketing. The product tells the idea. For example, S700 has the idea of picture quality. So its performance and functionality is the basis of the idea.The faith in digital marketing is natural for an organization founded 2001 and who is in business of selling E mobile phone. This is a digital age. And Sony Ericsson recognizes this fact in every way of its functions. Even in its logo which is dynamic. The development in this industry is at a surprising speed. So to meet the demands of changing consumer tastes, the products are dynamic too. For T610 camera phone is very popular phone, but new products in the same category have been introduced recently. Sony Ericson has become induct in use two sided online banners for pushing its new handsets.New generation of camera phones are following dual front strategy. They can be handled horizontally. Quickshare of pictures taken by the camera make these handsets easy to use for picture messaging. Quickshare is one way of sharing of pictures common in all Sony Ericsson mobiles through Bluetooth. Themes are blanket(a) from functionality of the handset. The K500i is based on idea that technology should save the time. For a handset with gaming, picture capability and MP3 playback will use broader theme. Users can also give suggestions on website.Sony Ericsson had an exhibition on its site, featuring picture taken by K700 by celebrities. The exhibition was also shown at an art gallery. Website is considered hub of all the activities. It helps in building positive brand image through its website. Website gives opportunity to Sony Ericsson to expand life span of its products online. This theme is should continue in future as well. Sony Ericsson is doing things differently with its online marketing. It also used iTV channel when the opportunity came on the way. The idea of advertising was very strong, although it presents a problem in production cost and accountability. Networks are usually involved in the process selling. So, coordination between Sony Ericsson and networks needs to be increased to sell. The online marketing campaigns create desire in customers. Different arise is used for different segments of the market. When dealing with smart phones, the approach has to be entirely different from a product that is at entry level. Content such as free ringtones and java games are diving factors for the sale. It is also suggested that Sony Ericsson should be picture massaging. Sony Ericsson ha s realization that imaging trend is going to continue.About 95% percent of the mobile phones purchased in last years data shows that they were picture enabled. After much taking has been done about gaming, music phones are area where improvement is needed for better services . Music has appeal to all people they might have different tastes in music. The ringtones are built by ensuring quality.3G is now more talked about technology and a lot of opportunity in this segment .We need to rely on networks, but nothing has been revealed. No medium will be required for this purpose. The marketing efforts of Sony Ericsson will drive new medium. Purchases of consumer can be helpful in researching customers.. The peer group is involved in the process Handsets with higher value s.Sony Ericsson to Adopt Sony Branding IdentitySony Ericsson is reformulating its strategy to move closer to its parent Sonys brand identity. It is now using phrase make. Believe. The decision has been taken at strategic marketing level and several strategic marketing campaigns will be launched shortly for realignment of the two. A fusion of communication and entertainment had always been focus of Sony Ericsson since start of the joint venture. This make, see also brings Sony Ericsson clos er to Sony group companies. enjoyment strategy becomes more obvious from this campaign. This ongoing transformation is lying foundation fro new outlook of Sony Ericsson. Realignment is vital part of this strategy. It has combined this strategy with a new culture of openness. This will shift the way of planning and building new prepositions. Social and digital media has brought customer closer to Sony Ericsson.Sony Ericsson shifts adspend into digitalSony Ericsson is boosting its digital adspend to 13m as it gives the internet a more central role in its global marketing strategy.The handset manufacturer plans to increase the similarity it invests in website development and online advertising from 15% to 25% of its 50m marketing budget during 2008.At the Mobile World intercourse in Barcelona, Sony Ericsson head of marketing Dee Dutta sketch a strategy to strengthen the brands online presence in key international markets in an effort to remain relevant to youth consumers.Over the c oming year, Sony Ericsson will begin diverting spend from TV, bid and point-of-sale advertising to digital marketing around its handset brands, including Cyber-shot and Walkman.The company also intends to give the internet a crucial role in establishing its Xperia sub-brand. In the first phase, it will launch a web portal showcasing its X1 handset, which is being seen as a competitor to Apples iPhone.Sony Ericsson shortly works with Dare on digital global projects, but Dutta is considering appointing a roster of agencies to handle the increased workload. Digital will soon be the de facto method by which we communicate and engross with consumers, he utter. A strong online presence is crucial to the future of our brand on a global scale.Sony Ericsson is the worlds fifth-biggest mobile phone manufacturer behind Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and LG. The company hopes its digital strategy shift will help it gain ground on rivals.Gareth Jones, Sony Ericsson realigns brand in next full poi nt of company transformation* Evolves visual identity and brand values as next stage of business transformation* Shifts consumer engagement to digital, viral and social media platforms* Aligns with Sony Group companies under new make.believe brand messageLondon September 3rd, 2009 Sony Ericsson today announced the next stage of its on-going business transformation with the realignment of its external visual identity and brand values in order to deliver its vision of becoming the Communication Entertainment brand. The company also confirmed its adoption of the newly announced Sony brand message make.believe in all consumer communication in order to reinforce its entertainment credentials and collaboration with the Sony Group.Fusing communication and entertainment has been at the core of Sony Ericssons offering since the start of the joint venture.make.believe aligns Sony Ericsson with the Sony Group companies and reflects the coming together of communication and entertainment. By r e-aligning our brand and adopting make. believe we further highlight our entertainment offering to consumers, state Cathy Davies, Head of Brand Strategy at Sony Ericsson.Our ongoing business transformation is laying the foundations for the new Sony Ericsson. Our re-aligned brand is a vital part of this strategy. Combined with a new culture of openness it marks a shift in the way we plan and build our propositions, as well as how we invite consumers to engage with us via digital and social media platforms, said Lennard Hoornik, Head of Marketing at Sony Ericsson.Visually, Sony Ericsson will expand the appeal of its globally recognized liquid identity logo by adding seven new color variations plus a new a liquid energy flowing from the logo to make it more devilish and visually appealing for the digital arena. The company also aims to adopt a more open and questioning attitude by inviting greater consumer participation in the brand through a stronger focus on interactive digital and social media channels.A series of strategic marketing campaigns this autumn will launch the realigned visual identity and showcase the start of make. believe at Sony Ericsson, including a spark something viral campaign for the new Satio, Aino and Yari phones and a global activation campaign as the official global handset sponsor for the 2010 FIFA World CupTM to capture the passion of football fans around the world.http//www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/sony-ericsson-realigns-brand-next-stage-company-transformationSony Ericsson promulgation of a new strategySony Ericsson has been terrible on the global economic slowdown, but the company said that the new strategy, focusing on services and entertainment, that he hoped to bring him back on track.On Sunday evening, here on the eve of GSMA Mobile World Congress, Mobile Phone Maker, which is a joint venture between Sony Maker of consumer electronics and telecommunications equipment Maker Ericsson, expose a new strategy that he said fuses communications and entertainment. The new strategy is that, Sony Ericsson calls Entertainment Unlimited. Managers have been fine detail at a press conference, but the company is planning a strategy that will integrate mobile phones with PCs and the percentage of TV entertainment content.In this strategy, the company announced MediaGo, which is a continuation of its PlayNow music service. MediaGo added service that allows users to download movies to their PC and then transfer them to your Sony Ericsson. The company announced W995 Walkman phone that can play the function of the length of films.This service will also enable the transmission of other media such as music, photos and podcasts. The service also allows users to synchronize their phone music library automatically make to podcasts, and automatically convert files for best quality playback.The company also introduced stealthily peek at the new high goals, touch-screen phone called Idou. This 12.1-megapixel camera phon e, supposedly designed for all types of multimedia functionality. But details about the product are limited until he runs in the second half(a) of next year.Nevertheless, the leaders said that these two new phones will play a much more active role in the companys new strategy for more effective consolidation of entertainment on mobile devices and other devices throughout the home.Whats interesting about this supposedly new strategy is that it does not sound very new. Sony Ericsson was formed in 2001 as a joint venture between media and telecom equipment Maker. And since 2005, he was selling his Sony Walkman phones that allow people to listen to digital music on the go.But now the company argues that its Entertainment Unlimited strategy takes things to a new level, where users can share and access to media of different products from mobile phones to personal computers to their television screens.All that we have done to date has led us to this issue, said Lennard Hoornik, head of g lobal marketing and vice president at Sony Ericsson. Weve created a music phone category in 2005, selling more than 100 million phones Walkman, and we are ready to open the next chapter in the development of the company.It looks like a good idea, but it happens to one, that the share of its competitors. Nokia, the worlds largest mobile phone Maker, develops throughout the Ovi services platform called for more than a year that lets users share files from PC to phone and vice versa. And one of the things that are done in the Apple iPhone has been so successful its integration with existing media iTunes Store, where users have access to music, videos and podcasts.While Sony Ericsson strategy can not be revolutionary, adding more value to their products is likely required to move. The entire mobile phone market took a beating in the second half of the year, as consumers bought few mobile phones because of economic problems. And this trend will continue until the market starts to pick u p.Recession hits Sony Ericsson is particularly difficult. In the fourth quarter of 2008 the company lost 187 million euros, or about $ 248 million. That compared with a profit of about 373 million euros in the fourth quarter of 2007.But it is difficult to say if this new strategy will enable us greatly. One bright spot in the mobile phone landscape in the next couple of years, seems to be smartphones. Market research firm IDC recently reported that while the boilers suit mobile phone sales fell by 12.6 percent worldwide in the fourth quarter sales of smart phones actually work 22.5 per cent.The problem that Sony Ericsson is that it is not very well compete in the smartphone category. Last year at the World Congress of mobile devices, the company has made a lot of Buzz with their first device, Windows Mobile, Xperia X1. As of November, the phone was available in conglutination America.But the problem is that he does not propose any major carrier in the U.S. and $ 800 prices for the unlocked and unsubsidized phone is too high for consumers, who can get iPhone 3G on AT T, blackberry bush Storm with Verizon Wireless, or Google Android G1 from T-Mobile USA for the subsidized price of $ 200 with a two-year contract.Given the fact that the smartphone market, where all the action is expected to be over the next couple of years, it surprising that Sony Ericsson will select the best feature phones to connect their new Unlimited entertainment strategy.Details are lock in too scarce to know exactly how this will shake out. But Sony Ericsson needs a convincing and accessible smartphones that can take advantage of these entertainment and communication capabilities. And to compete effectively in this market, but now need to expand its distribution outside of Europe and Japan. In particular, it should cool and affordable smartphone for North American consumers. http//www.wojianfei.net/sony-ericsson-promulgation-of-a-new-strategy/Sony Ericsson unveils marketing plansSony i s rolling out the brand message make.believe (read as make-dot-believe) that will feature in advertising across its businesses Sony Ericsson, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony BMG, Sony Pictures and brands such as Playstation 3 and Vaio.Lennard Hoornik, Sony Ericsson corporate VP and global head of marketing, says the new tagline aims to reflect the message that anything you can imagine, you can make real.It has also updated its visual identity, adding seven new colour variants to the logo, as well as a new liquid energy visual flowing from the logo. It was designed by Iris.Cathy Davies, head of brand strategy adds the brand developments will aim to give the handset maker a more playful identity as well communicating with consumers in a more emotive way.It is part of the companys ongoing repositioning strategy to be known as a communications entertainment brand.Sony Ericsson is planning to invest an estimated 7m in the fourth quarter to promote its new hero handsets, the Japanese na med phones Satio, Aino and Yari.The global launch will be spearheaded in the UK, with work created by Saatchi Saatchi. It will be first time the handset maker will feature the make.believe tagline in its advertising.It plans to launch a major above-the-line campaign, as well as digital and experiential flash mob activity centered around an attempt to bring space hoppers back into popular culture.http//www.marketingweek.co.uk/Sony-Ericsson Declared Most Eco-Friendly PhoneTechnology company Sony-Ericsson was recently given the environmental nod, as its cellular phones were declared as one of the most environmentally-friendly technological gadgets.In its study Searching for cat valium electronics, environmental organization Greenpeace called for computer and phone manufacturers to put forward their most eco-friendly products, ranging from cellular phones to notebooks to gaming consoles.After examining the products environment-related aspects such as amounts of dangerous chemicals, en ergy efficiency, recyclability and marketing strategies, Greenpeace heralded Sony-Ericssons phones, out of 37 other products from other manufacturers, to have obtained top honors for the most environmentally-friendly gadgets.According to TMCnet, Sony-Ericssons phones received a 5.3 rating, out of a possible 10. The by and large passable score, according to Greenpeace, was acknowledged as the highest, considering studys low response turnout.The results, however, were considered to be a step forward to technologys adaptability to the demands of a clean environment, and the group recognized that cost increase was a key part of the study that must be further pushed.Since undertaking the survey we have already witnessed the arrival of greener products in the market, such as the Apples new laptop, the MacBook Air, and Nokias new phone, the Evolve, Greenbang quoted Yannick Vicare of GreenpeaceManufacturers still have a long way to go, Vicaire added, but more and more now are taking the e nvironmental impacts of their products seriously. Sony Ericssons mobile music strategyMusic has become one of the main drivers for 3G and large data entertainment services for the mobile phone end-user and will continue to gain in importance. Sony Ericsson is committed to maximizing the value and experience for the end-user and to increasing revenue for operators, and the Walkman family of mobile phones do this through music. Music-related services, content and applications are fundamental parts of our overall content strategy.We believe that super-distribution of music is the way forward. By this I mean the easy sharing of music between friends legally downloaded/transferred or by creating your own all combined with applications that can manage or personalize the music experience on your mobile phone.Even though the Walkman portfolio is the main focus of Sony Ericssons music activities, music solutions for our other series of mobile phones are just as relevant. Network limitation s, product market reach, end-user choice and model-version exclusivity to certain operators mean that we need to make sure that the music experience is as good as possible across our product portfolio. Wemonitor the DRM standards set by the industry and strive to have products that are media source, and hence DRM, agnostic. All current Sony Ericsson mobile phones support the standard Open Mobile Alliances (OMA) DRM v 1.0.When actively using branded music (i.e. official right of first publication or other rights protected), DRM is the key for everyone who intends to play a role in this market. For the development of applications where branded music is only handled passively, e.g. media players, this is up to the developer, as long as it doesnt have a negative impact on the DRM protection of the music flowing through or being used by the application.The coming lap of fixed and mobile broadband network services combined with the convergence of traditional audio-visual consumer electro nics products with mobile phones will have a massive effect on the mobilemusic market. We foresee a tremendous growth.Sony Ericsson pins hopes on entertainment strategyAt the core of its new strategy is something Sony Ericsson calls Entertainment Unlimited. Executives were thin on details at the press conference in Barcelona, but the company is planning a strategy that will bring together mobile phones with PCs and the TV to share entertainment content.As part of this strategy, the company announced MediaGo, which is an extension of its PlayNow Music service. MediaGo adds a service that lets users download movies onto their PC and then transfer them over to a Sony Ericsson device. The company announced the W995 Walkman phone, which will be able play the feature-length movies.The service will also allow the transfer of other media, such as music, photos and podcasts. The service will also allow users to sync their phones music library automatically, subscribe to podcasts and auto-con vert files for the best-quality playback.The company also gave a sneak peek at a new high-end, touch-screen phone, called the Idou. This 12.1-megapixel camera phone is supposedly designed for all kinds of multimedia functionality. Details about the product are scarce, but it is due to launch in the second half of next year.That said, executives alluded to the fact that these two new phones will play a much larger role in the companys new strategy to better integrate entertainment on mobile devices and other devices throughout the home.Yet this supposedly new strategy for the company doesnt sound entirely new. Sony Ericsson was formed in 2001 as a joint venture between a media company and telecommunications equipment maker. And since 2005, it has been selling its Sony Walkman phones, which allow people to listen to digital music on the go.The company claims its Entertainment Unlimited strategy takes things to a new level, where consumers can share and access media across multiple pro ducts from mobile phones to PCs to their TV screens.Everything that we have done to date has brought us to this point, said Lennard Hoornik, head of global marketing and a vice president at Sony Ericsson. We created the music-phone category in 2005 selling over 100 million Walkman phones, and we are now ready to unveil the next chapter in the evolution of the company.The idea happens is one that its competitors seem to share. Nokia, the worlds largest mobile-phone maker, has been developing an entire service platform called Ovi for more than a year that allows users to share files from the PC to the phone and vice versa. And one of the things that has made Apples iPhone so successful has been its integration with the existing iTunes media store, where users get access to music, videos and podcasts.While Son

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome SIDS and African Americans Essay -- Crib

Sudden Infant cobblers last Syndrome and Afri stinkpot-AmericansSudden Infant oddment Syndrome (SIDS) is a condition that many people still argon trying to figure out why it happens to these babies. This syndrome is described as an unexplained death of an infant younger than one year of age. SIDS is frightening be stupefy it can strike without warning and affect a good, healthy infant. Most SIDS deaths occur at night and without warning. SIDS victims may have been down for respite for as little as ten minutes, they show signs of struggle or suffering. Although SIDS is commonly associated with an infants sleep time, and often occurs in the crib. This event is not moderate to the crib and may occur anywhere the infant is sleeping, deaths have occurred in infant seats, car seats, strollers, and in the parents bed. Infants that die a SIDS death do not show signs of suffering, it appears as if they simply fell asleep and did not wake up. Commonalities that define a SIDS death ar e the major cause of death in infants from 1 month to 1 year of age, with most deaths occurring between 2 and 4 months sudden and silent death in a infant that was seemingly healthy currently, unpredictable and unpreventable a death that occurs quickly, often associated with sleep and with no signs of suffering determined only after an autopsy, an scrutiny of the death scene, and a review of the clinical history designated as a diagnosis of exclusion a recognized medical disorder listed in the world(prenominal) Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9) an infant death that leaves unanswered questions, causing intense grief for parents and families Prior to extensive research in S... ...t will provide the alkali of eliminating SIDS as a cause of infant death. (Goyco, 1990) Works CitedBrandenburg, Mark A., Child Safe A Practical Guide for Preventing Childhood InjuriesCorr, C.A., Fuller, H., Barnickol, C.A., and Corr, D.M. (Eds).Sudden Infant D eath Syndrome Who Can Help and How. New York Springer Publishing Co., 1991.Goyco, P.G., and Beckerman, R.C. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.Current Problems in Pediatrics 20(6)299-346, June 1990.Willinger, M., James, L.S., and Catz, C. Defining the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) Deliberations of an Expert Panel Convened by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.Pediatric Pathology 11677-684, 1991.National Center for Health Statistics. Advance cover of Final Mortality Statistics, 1988.Monthly Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 39, No. 7, Supp. 1990, p. 33.

Ryanairs Marketing Environment and Strategy Essays -- Business Manage

Ryanairs Marketing Environment and Strategy1 INTRODUTIONThe aim of this report is to carry out a investigation of Ryanairs immaterial environmentand a strategic summary of Ryanair, to identify opportunities andthreats it might face, and its strategic capability, to isolate keystrengths and any weaknesses that need dealing with. Finally, a SWOTanalysis will be carried out to assess the extent to which Ryanairsstrategies are suitable to what is happening in its task environment.Ryanair is Europes largest low-fares, no-frills short-haul carrier.The make-up was founded in 1985 as a conventional airline butre-launched itself in 1990/1991 as a low-cost carrier, replicatingAmerican Southwest Airlines business model. Since then Ryanair has braggart(a) substantially and successfully. The company currently has 146routes to 84 destinations in 16 countries, and carries more than 15million customers annually. Ryanair aims to be Europes largestairline in 8 years (www.ryanair.com).2 ANALYSIS OF T HE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT--------------------------------------This is a crucial part of a strategic analysis because organisationsdo not exist in a vacuum, they are part of a complex world and manyfactors can influence operations, beneficially and unfavourably.However, these can be difficult to comprehend payable to their complexity,diversity and fast changing nature. Necessarily a number of techniqueshave been developed to facilitate the process and to contribute toanswering the key managerial motilityof what opportunities andthreats might arise in the future (Johnson & Scholes 2002).2.1 PESTEL analysisThis identifies the main micro-environmental influences by classifyingthem into six groups Political, Economical, Socio-cultural,Technological, Environmental and Legal. By applying this framework toRyanair it is possible to summarise the key forces in the generalenvironment to present opportunities and threats to the organisation.Political= on May 1, 2003, it will mark one of the mo st important days inrecent European history, the continent will see the biggest expansionof EU to date when ten states become new members. For Ryanair newmarkets will open which suits its growth plans.= Stansted airport, owned by BAA, is one of the most rapidly growingairports in Europe (www.baa.co.uk/... ...) Low-cost airlines likely to resist higher fees tofinance Stanstead, The Financial propagationDone, K. (19/12/03) Stanstead outlines pounds 2bn plot to doublecapacity, The Financial TimesDone, K. (20/12/03) Challenge to airports operators monopoly remainseven with its friends in high places, The Financial TimesDone, K. (29/01/04) Ryanairs dream run comes to an end, TheFinancial TimesFelsted, A. (04/11/03) Can Michael OLeary sustain Ryanairs low-costsuccess?, The Financial TimesGow, D. (16/02/04)Ryanair plans zero(a) frills and fares, The GuardianHotten, R. (13/03/04) No-frills deal has impact on bmi, The TimesInsley, J. (18/01/04) Happy New Year for second homes, The revie werInsley, J. (08/02/04) You can make it if you try, The ObserverNewman, C. (03/12/03) Travellers face big rise in air passengerlevy, The Financial TimesPratley, N. (05/02/04) Clipped Wings, The GuardianTait, N. (03/12/03) Ryanair in court over wheelchair fee, TheFinancial TimesTran, M. (03/02/04) Ryanairs airport subsidies, The GuardianWright, R. (01/12/03) BA threat to sue if Stanstead gets runway, TheFinancial Times