Should A Company Employ The Matrix Structure Commerce Essay

Should A Company Employ The Matrix Structure Commerce Essay The reason we choose the matrix organization is because we know this structure will be very important in the future. Matrix organization is the best-know application of project management, a project structure imposed on top of a functional structure. Matrix organizations evolved to capitalize on the advantages of project and matrix structure while minimizing their disadvantages. An important aspect of the matrix structure is each person work on the project and has two superiors which are project manager and functional manager. The project managers report to a top-level manager and this will help a lot in decision making. Example users of matrix structure include bank, insurance, companies, chemical manufactures and colleges. The matrix organization combines the best feature of the project and functional structure. It is flexible, yet it offers the advantages of task specialization. Matrix structure is known for its ability to facilitate high-quality and innovative solutions to difficult technical problems. The project structure also gives people a degree of freedom that enhances their development as managers. Also of note is the fact that the matrix organization offers ample opportunity for job rotation on many projects. So should a company employ the matrix structure in order to have better management? The answer is yes. Why? Because in this modern life the matrix structure will help company perform better. Matrix structure also will make the company organization become more systematic and more efficient. The matrix structure will make the company become more systematic. In matrix organization there have functional manager and product managers. The work will be divided and job can be done easily. This will bring benefit to the company and matrix organization will minimize the weakness of the company. Every employee in the company that uses the matrix structure has their own work that need to be done. So the job is divided and can be done easily and more systematic. (Andrew 1993) Functional managers are in charge of specialized resources such as production, quality control, inventories, scheduling and selling. They will know in doing they own job and the work can be done with the efficient outcome. Colleges often use matrix organization to setting up the programs, for example industry seminars and adult education. (Andrew 1993) Product managers in charge of one or more products so they have their own specific jobs to be done. Project managers usually will report to top level managers. The examples of users of matrix structure include banks, insurance companies and colleges. (Andrew 1993) For example, Champion products Inc, creating the separate marketing department. Furthermore, this allows managers and employees more familiar and specific with the market. (Andrew 1993) However, the matrix structure also brings risk for the main company. In the matrix management structure, when one company operated loss, it will influence others. The main company supports it by more money, the market budget will be decreases, and this will be relative to the development of new product. Finally, the sales and profit will be influenced. Although the matrix management structure is easy to design and appears to have advantages, it may be difficult to implement. Problems can arise over shared responsibility, the use of resources in common and the question of priorities. ( Hannagan 2002) In a matrix management company, most of the data and information are shared, and it is a risk of duplication. Some managers may be not satisfied about the salaries or the job opportunity, when other company provide better reward, those managers will leave and take many useful resource, such as some valuable employees and customers information. For the main company, the loss is more than what we can imaginable. Those problems I mentioned have existed in IBM and Shell Oil firms. In 1980s, the Shell Oil Company applied the matrix structure, and it has been influenced in sales because of communication problems. Matrix structure has those problems, nevertheless, it is also a positive impact, which allowing teams to share information across task boundaries and enabling managers and staff to share skills and experience so that increase whole teams productivity. Matrix structure will give or open more opportunities for job. The company which uses matrix structure will hire many workers or employees. This will give more opportunity job to people to get a job, and it also decrease unemployment rate in the particular country. Many projects mean needs more employees so this will give or offer the opportunity job to people. (Andrew 1993) For example, if the company like mustang or Taurus comes out with new project or models, they will need employees such as engineering to work with them. (Kinichi Williams 2003) People in particular country will get more knowledge about international management. Employees maybe will train in other country to learn more about the company objective. It will add the employees knowledge. For example, the US firm, Bow Chemical. In 1970 many firms moved away from using the matrix structure but Bow believes this structure will bring advantages and will give good performance among employees. ( Paul, aleny 1993) Moreover matrix structure will give local people in particular country to get training, improving their skills and also can learn the skill of different management from different country. Some problem about cost and communication appeared in matrix structure, Using matrix structure will need more cost and more discussion than action. Its uncountable that using matrix management structure need high cost in a short term period. When a company wants to expand business in other country, it must prepare capital for building new factory, and hiring employees. For those companies that they dont have enough money for high cost and cover the loss in the beginning is high risk. Another problem is that too much democracy can lead to not enough action ( IreLand 2007). In the company, the matrix management will use much time to discuss the procedures in producing and increasing sales. However, at the end of discussing, just bit actions can be achieved, and sometimes the important decision for major project is also missed. Furthermore, the employees lazy emotion is easily appearing in matrix structure companies. To some extent, matrix structure has encouraged power struggles. The managers have ordered their employees help him apply the power, and used had ways and methods, these influence other department managers, even though have a bad impact on the company. For example, Ford Company has a problem in finance. Because the high management cost and expenses, it decreased the profit directly. Some situations have been happened in IBM, COCA-COLA, and Toyota Company. Matrix structure will save management time. Every country has the branches that handle about the products in a particular country, so its totally will save the management time. In matrix structure managers have three main major roles. The work is divided between functional and product managers. So they have the own task to be done. Its will save time and also separates the power or balance the power between the managers. (Jerald Greenbery 1999) Functional and product managers have specific jobs to be done in this structure the employee also must report their task to their manager so it make fair and balance powers between the managers. Moreover by using matrix structure the main company easy to make decision. Besides that they easy to get feedback from other company under them and it will help to improve their product and services. TRW systems group, Liberty Mutual Insurance and Citibank is some of the company that adopts matrix structure. This will help the company in doing the decision making. (Jerald Greenbery 1999) On the other hand, the main company also easily to control the company under them and adjust the marketing strategy. In this structure every employee got they own duties and all work hard to raise the return for the company with doing their specific task. Furthermore they can respond to the changing very fast and finding the best environment. However in controlling, matrix structure maybe will cause stressful among managers. But if looking for the benefit that the company will get benefit in future, Matrix structure totally useful. (Jerald Greenbery 1999) Dow Chemical, it believes that matrix structure will improve their management when other companies stop using the structure, Bow still continue using it because he believe that matrix structure will give improvement and make him easily to control the employees. Matrix structure is a permanent organization designed to achieve specific results by using teams of specialists from different functional area in the organization. For example, Ford UK produces motor cars aimed specifically at the UK and European markets and adapts its marketing and sales techniques to the requirements of these markets. UK can be treated as a distinct market requiring clear focus on the approach to it. There are many advantages by using the matrix organizations such as focus on end product, stimulus creativity, provides challenges and improves communication and understanding (Mondy Premeaux 1992) On the contrast, matrix structure has creative the problems in communication, management cost, and responsibility. These will influence companys performance even though to be a threat for a companys development and increase companys competition. However, in a long term, if the company can improve their management and use matrix structure effectively, it will show that matrix structure is very necessary and important strategy for those companies which aim to be the most successful survivors in the competitive market. In USA, one third of most successful companies have used matrix structure, and it illustrates how the matrix structure can help companies close to the famous and success.

fiv feline aids :: essays research papers fc

Feline Immunodeficiency Virus   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) is one of the top five killers of domestic cats in the U.S. In fact 3% of healthy cats were reported to have contracted the disease in the year 1999. FIV is a fatal disease and interestingly enough most FIV cats don’t die of the disease it self by by other infections caused by their lowed immune system. FIV causes a deficiency in the immune system and makes cats very susceptible to a huge variety of medical problems basically because they have no fighting power. Case Report: Signalment- â€Å" Bella† Smith; 4 year old S/F DMH Chief Complaint- not eating, diarrhea, sudden unfriendliness History- Owner says Bella has been acting unfriendly for about two weeks (e.g. wont let owner pet or hold her anymore, also she hides under the bed constantly) owner also says Bella’s appetite has gone very low, she used to feed her one cup of dry every morning and one half a can of wet food at night and now she wont eat ‘hardly any of either’. Owner has seen diarrhea in litter box for 3 days. Bella had her kitten shots and boosters but no Hx of fiv/felv testing, deforming, fecal or blood analysis. S.O.A.P: S†¦ qar; mm=pink; poor coat w/ matted sections O†¦t=103.6, p=44, r=48, CRT=> 4 sec., *** FIV/FeLV test positive (+) for FIV. A†¦ Bella is FIV+ P†¦* FIV tested +; *hospitalization for observation; *200 ml Normasol fluids SQ then *iv fluids @150ml/hr, 3 ml vit B complex added; urinalysis to be performed in a.m. after completion of fluid therapy. â€Å"Feline Retro Virus Testing and Management† Compendium magazine July 2001   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This article explains how to test for and care for FIV. The only way to prevent your cat from contracting FIV is by preventing contact with FIV infected cats.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   FIV testing is the best thing to do whenever your cat gets sick, no matter if they have tested negative for the disease before. Cats of all ages should be tested because it is so hard to know if your cat has come in contact with infected cats. â€Å"Infected cats may remain symptomatic for years during which time they may serve as unapparent sources of infection to other cats in the household†(Mary Tompkins, DVM, PhD). Basically if you have a cat, or cats, and u want to get another it is in the best interests of you and each one of the cats to be tested for FIV to ensure their heath and safety.

Use of Allegories in A New England Nun :: New England Nun Essays

Use of Allegories in A New England Nun  Ã‚     In "A New England Nun", Mary E. Wilkins Freeman depicts the life of the classic New England spinster. The image of a spinster is of an old maid; a woman never married waiting for a man. The woman waiting to be married is restricted in her life. She does chores and receives education to make her more desirable as a wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This leads to the allegories used in this short story. The protagonist life paralleled both of her pets' lives, her dog Caesar's and that of her little yellow canary. Both comparisons are of restriction and fear of freedom. The animals and the woman of this story are irreversible tamed by their captivity, and no longer crave freedom. Ideas of sin guilt and atonement are also present between the woman and the dog. These images typify nineteenth century beliefs of women and their place in society. This story of Louisa Ellis is an allegory for woman, and uses the levels of allegory ironically. The stories of the dog and the bird layer the theme to help represent Louisa's life, who in turn represents the Eighteenth century woman of society. Louisa's animals and their relationship to her suitor are further links between her and her pets. The suitor brings out different traits than the norm in both the animals and the woman of this story. The man's influence is seen as disruptive. Man is seen as a threat to the serenity and security of a spinster's life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Imagery put forth by this story, and by stereotypes of the day is of the new England spinster. Women who were not married yet, lived a life of chores and piousness. They learned their domestic chores and other things that would make them presentable as a wife. They did gardening work, read literature, mended clothing and the sort. These women were dependent on men to come and take them, to change their lives. Those who were not chosen were called old maids or spinsters. They typically were wealthy enough not work, so they lived a singular existence at their homes. Their homes became prisons. Leaving the home was possible

Natural Calamity in Uttrakhand

As a child I was amused at the premonition of the Soothsayer when he predicted the Death of Julius Caesar, who out of sheer vanity not only discarded his advice, but also admonished him for the same. A similar analogy can be drawn to the travesty that now surrounds Uttarakhand, the sole exception being, the vanity and obliviousness of the Government has gravely pulverized the State Exchequer and costed the lives of its own denizens, as against the death of one ruler. The blame game, which is a necessary by product of every mishappening in our country, has already begun, where both the Central Government as well as the State Government are rebuking each other and their predecessors in chair for faulty policy making, ineffective implementation, absence of rescue and relief strategy, steaming constitutional debates on whether the present system should be governed under Entry 56 of the Union List or under Entry 17 of the Sate List, and the classic press release phrase â€Å"mis-governance†. What lies on the other hand of this scale is innumerable unreported deaths, devastation of public property, and over sixty thousand stranded people, who are yet to be afforded anything as remotely close to the term â€Å"relief†. Genesis of the Problem and Observations made by the CAG Report India boasts of being ranked sixth in terms of largest hydel power generation capacity countries. Domestically, hydel power accounts for 1/4th of India’s dependence on energy. The Hydel Power Report of Uttarakhand published in the year 2008, categorically acclaims that the State has the potential to harness almost 20,000 MW of electricity through hydel power. Blinded with such ambitious target, the State Government failed to notice, either deliberately or otherwise, the very first objective on the same page, which has been reproduced as: â€Å"To harness the environment friendly Renewable Energy resources and enhance their contribution to the socioeconomic development of the State. Another important objective which the State while implementing the said project, was oblivious to, is â€Å"To enhance the use of energy sources that assist in mitigating environmental pollution. † The current policies, as the CAG Report categorically points out, are aimed at aggravating and not mitigating environmental pollution, and have been a cause of the floods in and around the region. Periphrastically speaking, the ngoing havoc that was witnessed in Uttarakhand was preordained in the report published by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India as late as in 2009, reproaching the Central Government and the Government of Uttarakhand for its dual role of faulty hydro power policy making as well as ineffective policy implementation. Some of the main concerns highlighted in the CAG Report are: 1. Due to the over ambitious policy of the State Government to create multiple river channels, and multiple power projects on the same tributary, a serious endangerment of environment is certainty. With over 42 Projects currently functioning, and 203 projects in construction and clearance stage, at every 6 – 7 kms stretch, there will be a dam to obstruct the flow of the river. 2. All the projects are based on high seismic areas in and around districts chamoli, rudra prayag, pithoragarh, Almora and despite severe earth quakes in 1720, 1803, 1991, and 1999 the multiplicity of hydro power projects, without adequate counter seismic measures continue to run rogue thereby causing serious risk to the lives of the people. 3. There is a clear enumeration of Flash Floods which would result in severe destruction to life and property in and around the low lying areas of the hills. Table Appended to the Report has further highlighted various instances wherein such flash floods have occurred previously in the same areas. 4. No evidence to suggest that for failure to comply with the conditions of Environmental Impact Assessment, a penalty was imposed on the builders. 5. Failure of the nodal agency to ensure submission of quarterly and half yearly compliance reports by the management. . Flagrant Negligence towards Environmental and Security Concerns. 7. The adverse impact on the ecology was further underscored by the fact that almost 4 out of 5 Power Projects have shown the complete drying up of river beds to a trickle resulting into severe impairment and devastation of the ecology, and imbalance in the water table resulting into drying up of natural aquifers in the nearby areas. 8. According to International Standards, the minimum discharge of river downstream should be maintained at 75 % so that the aquatic life remains intact. However, the present projects are discharging downstream river by 90 % and above which results into complete devastation of the aquatic life. 9. Faulty Pre-Feasibility Survey Reports, which gives inaccurate data for evaluation of the hydro power station, which means serious short comings in ascertaining whether the location to construct is feasible or not, questions on plant efficiency and what would be the impact of soil erosion, etc. remain in a state of serious jeopardy. 10. As much as 38 % of the total projects which have been granted an Environmental Clearance have failed to carry out mandatory plantation. By – Passing The Law As per the Gazette notification issued by the Central Government under Sections 2 and 3 of the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the area surrounding the river Bhagirathi from Gaumukh to Uttarkashi, which is 135 kms stretch, was declared to be â€Å"eco sensitive area†. A total area of about 4179. 59 sq km came under the eco-sensitive zone. This will impose restrictions on quarrying, commissioning hydropower projects on Bhagirathi, and construction of roads in the prohibited area. Besides, it will impose a ban on felling of trees and setting up of factories to manufacture furniture and other wooden items. For the purposes of effective implementation, the State Government, with the help of the local NGO’s and people was mandated to formulate a Zonal Master Plan surrounding the area, whereby every hydel power which is below 20 MW of Power Generation Capacity had to take a clearance from the State Ministry. However, the State Government opposed the said notification in May as they were not â€Å"consulted† before this policy was formulated; among concerns voiced by the citizens that an embargo on development would send them back to the Stone Age, which in reality was not what the notification envisaged. This mutual blame game and inter-ministerial trifles have led to such travesty. Today the very area surrounding Bhagirathi and parts of Uttarkashi are the worst hit areas of the State. Travesty of Environmental Clearance. Another notification issued by the Central Government warrants deliberation. It was mandated that before sanctioning the projects, or before expanding or modernizing hitherto existing projects, it was obligatory to procure an Environmental Impact Assessment Clearance from the Central Government and the State Government. Every Hydel Power project was subjected to the same strictures as have been mandated under Section 3(1) and Section 3(2) (v) of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Such an EIA has to be in conformity with the Standards laid down by the National Environment Policy, and the guidelines that have been made under Rule 5 of the Environment Protection Rules. There are four stages before procuring an Environmental Clearance: 1. Screening wherein the projects are divided into two categories, those to be assessed by the Central Government (Category A Projects which are over and above 25 MW capacity power projects), and those to be assessed by the State Government (Under 25 MW Capacity Power Projects). 2. Scoping by which the Expert Committee determines on detailed concerns (current and probable) regarding Environmental Depletion or damage, at which stage the Committee is empowered to allow or reject the application seeking commencement of the project. 3. Public Consultation which provides for a public consultation held in the auspices of the site, obtain responses of all stake holders, villagers, etc. in writing and to be supervised by the State Pollution Control Board, but which specifically excludes â€Å"modernization of irrigation projects† out of its domain. . Appraisal which means the detailed scrutiny by the Expert Appraisal Committee or State Level Expert Appraisal Committee of the application and other documents like the Final EIA report, outcome of the public consultations including public hearing proceedings, submitted by the applicant to the regulatory authority concerned for grant of environmental clearance. In addition to the aforementioned checks and balances, there is a periodic Post Environment Clearance monitoring which are to be submitted on a half yearly basis by the management. This provides a very rosy picture of the law that governs such clearances; however the reality is far from such notion. For instance, according to the Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, as much as 38 % of the total industries and projects functioning in the area, and which have received a green signal to operate, have not complied with the mandatory plantation of trees in and around the site. This has resulted into serious deforestation in the hilly areas, which results into soil erosion. Himalayas being young fold mountains, have a very unstable soil compaction, as compared to other mountain ranges, because of which soil erosion can assume cataclysmic proportions, it is also the reason why rivers are changing their natural course and cutting deep crevices in the hills, wreaking havoc amongst those who stand in its way. Are we to blame? This is one perpetual question, which warrants a sordid introspection. Reports have also suggested that illegal construction of motels, rest houses, guest houses, hotels and restaurants have been made in the river bed, whereas a notification issued by the State Government clearly prohibits any illegal construction in or around 100 metres from the river bed. This is supplementary to the damage that has already been carried out by the Government. Media reports further stipulate that there was no effective functioning authority in the name of â€Å"State Disaster Management Authority†. The moot question that now faces us is whether this calamity was â€Å"natural† at all, or was it brought about by our own fallacies, inactions, deliberate obliviousness, and negligence. History is replete with instances of civilizations crashing under the might of Natural Forces, and with the present rate of depletion, the future of the Upper Gangetic Basin and the Himalayas hangs in a very delicate balance.

Graffiti and Popular Culture Essay

The treatment of popular culture is usually dichotomized by the contrast of its being popular because it is patronized by the greatest number of a society’s population and by its being popular because of its proliferation for the benefit of the upper class of the society which greatly utilizes it as a powerful mechanism of subjugation. Sociologists are divided between opposite views. Nevertheless, popular culture does not always reside on the opposites. It can be also perceived as something that is between the asserted ownership of the masses and the powerful mechanism of few powerful persons. Accordingly, popular culture is a dialectical process brought about by the enforcement of it from above of the societal structure to the acquisition of it from underneath the societal structure. This claim is highly supported by Hall in pointing out that popular culture is actually a twofold advancement of restraint and opposition. While forces from above of the society are using popular culture as an instrument of suppression, it is also an instrument of struggle for the lower forces of the society. In the task of discovering popular culture as a dialectical process, it is a convenient endeavor to first define the popular and cultural aspect of popular culture. The usual definition must be first discussed. After will be the elaboration of Hall’s perception regarding the popular culture. Finally, an example on the practical application of Hall’s view regarding popular culture must be supplied. As Raymond Williams stated, the word popular is actually derived from the word â€Å"popularis†, a Latin word which means â€Å"belonging to the people†. In the early introduction of the word popular, it is often used to attribute to the connotation of things regarding the â€Å"most known† and â€Å"the most common†. Also it refers to the â€Å"most favored†. At some point of the introductory use of the word, it has rested on referring to neutrality. However, the most common definition of the word popular up to the present time is still referring to the â€Å"most familiar†. This definition has leaded the way to the attribution of the word popular to greatest number of people in most societies, which basically composes the lower stratum of societies. It is because people in the lowest stratum of the society are generally the greatest constituent of societies. Thus, the term popular is attributed to the largest part of the population of a society, which is mainly the masses. In characterizing the meaning of the word â€Å"culture†, it is an inevitable task to delve into the schemes and symbols of societal structures which include traditions, customs, common convictions, and remnants that represents the history of constituents of a society. The transfer of these schemes and symbols of societal structure from generation to generation is also an important feature of the meaning of the word â€Å"culture† Anthropologists are similar with the abovementioned definition of culture. This definition is actually considered as the most usual definition of culture: So, what do we mean by culture? A fairly typical view, both in common language and in the way anthropologists have approached their work, sees culture as a shared body of custom, reproduced through time that makes societies distinctive. It seems that there is a certainty in the definition of culture. However, the definition of culture is not always perceived as something that is unchanging and immobile. Its definition is also viewed as something that is changing depending on the context and reference. Deducing from the generally acknowledged definition of popular culture, the popular aspect and cultural aspect of the definition of popular culture can be generated. Popular culture is then quoted because it denotes the popularity of a culture which represents symbols, customs, traditions and beliefs in a society. Consequently, popular culture also embodies the characteristics, qualities, and features of a particular or a general popular belief, custom, tradition, object, or idea. Popular culture is popular because it is owned by the populace. It is the most accessible and pervasive type of culture. This is so because it transcends barriers. At some times even the economic aspect of life is crossed by popularity of popular culture. The popularity of popular culture goes beyond race, ethnicity, and generation, location of residence, country, sexuality and gender. Popular culture caters to the largest number of people that it can cater. As much as possible the availability of a form of popular culture is extended to myriad arrays of cultural categories. To achieve the extension of popular culture, products of it is manufactured and created in such a way that it is culturally neutral. This only means that products of popular culture are not inclined in any side of the spectrum of cultural categories. Anyone who consumes or support any form of popular culture is expected to closely relate the product of popular culture in his or her personality. This relation greatly concerns the cultural inclination of the person. Therefore, products of popular culture are expected to be owned by everyone irrespective of gender, sexuality, age, nationality, and ethnicity. Even though, popularity transcends the barrier of cultural preference and partiality, popularity also paves the way for the correspondence of a popular culture to a specific cultural leaning. Every cultural category such as gender, sexuality, age, ethnicity, or nationality create and device a unique and peculiar fashion of giving meaning to the experience of popular culture. Each cultural category glace at different angles in considering and experiencing popular culture. In example, gender creates a distinguishing manner of the experience of popular culture. It concerns the interplay of the masculinity, femininity and bisexuality of the experience of a certain product of popular culture. In the occurrence of encountering popular culture, the masculinity, femininity or bisexuality of a person can be demonstrated. This is evident in the myriad choices of products that are sold. The product catering to masculine male is different from a product catering to a feminine male or masculine female or a bisexual. The notion of popular culture in the view of Hall is generally concerned on the interpretation of the whole experience of a product or a medium of popular culture. The meaning of the experience does not reside solely on the intention of the producer of a certain product or of the encoder of the meaning. It also does not depend on the creation of meaning of the consumer of the product or of the encoder of the meaning. The origin of Hall’s views can be traced back to his belief that the employment of language concerns context of power and institutions. In the utility of language, persons become active agents as well as beneficiary of meaning. Therefore persons are perceived as generators and at the same time consumers of culture simultaneously. For Hall, it is erroneous to assume that persons as consumer and generator only absorb the experience of popular culture without criticizing it. Usual persons performing the twofold role of being a generator and consumer possess the power of generating meaning and experiencing meaning. Persons are active and at same time passive. They are active, because they generate meaning of the popular culture experience from their constitution of meaning. They are passive because they are the receiver of the experience. Institutions and companies producing popular culture have no total control of the reactions and responses of persons that receive the experience. It is sure that they can impose and really impose there expected reaction of persons to a certain experience of popular culture. However, they cannot totally rely on their expectation. This is evident on the modifications that are made by these institutions on the improvement of their products and services. They need to create modifications so that their products and services somehow cater to the general public. And these modifications are based on the reactions and feedbacks of the consumers. In some essence, institutions and companies of popular culture production are also receiver of the meaning imposed by consumers on experiencing the product and service of companies and institutions. The theory of reception and textual analysis of Hall explicated the role of the consumer as an audience of a text encoded by institutions and firms of popular culture production. The idea of textual analysis explains that the audience or the consumer is always on the agreement and disagreement with the intentions of the producers of popular culture. In example, the meaning of a text of an experience varies from the point of view of the consumer and the producer. While the producer imposes the meaning by the limitation of the modes of expression of a text through packaging, the consumer does not always concur to the imposed meaning of the producer. The consumer creates a distinguished meaning about his or her experience. In creating this meaning, the element of cultural categories enters the picture. The meaning is created dependent on which cultural category does the consumer belongs. Sexuality, age, race, and economic power are the factors in the creation of meaning. Consequently, this creation of meaning results into either the dismissal or acceptance of the consumer regarding the imposed meaning of the producer of specific popular culture product or experience. Therefore the meaning of the experience rests at some point between the producer and the consumer. It is the interpretation that really matters and neither the interpreter which is in this case the consumer nor the interpreted which is the product or the service as a form of popular culture. Thus popular culture is constructed in dual movement of concurrence and opposition. And this dual movement of concurrence and opposition is the dialectical process of the experience and creation of meaning. In applying the notions and ideas of Hall regarding popular culture, the material must obviously display the elements of opposition and concurrence. Also it is note worthy if the chosen material is an interesting one. In the enterprise of applying the analysis of Hall, it is an appealing move to consider the production of graffiti as a cultural practice. The word graffiti came from the Italian word graffito which denotes an antique writing on a surface of a rock. In the recent time graffiti refers to sketches or illustrations usually of words and phrases on walls of public areas. The manner of sketching can be done through painting and spraying or scratching. Graffiti art has acquired its peak in the United States during the years 1970’s-1980’s. Based from the general definition of graffiti, it is inevitable to perceive this form of art as a deviant kind of activity. This is because graffiti is seen as a negative reaction to the forms and conventions of the usual accepted cannons of arts: As The graffiti subculture is a culture of opposition because it is perceived as deviant, and because the dominant culture limits and denies access to the kinds of specialized space suitable to the expression of graffiti subculture. The manner of making graffiti involves the painting of wall of a usually abandoned building or public area. Because of this, graffiti art is perceived as something that resists the prevailing standards of the society. It is viewed as a transgressing subculture. However for the graffiti artists, the activity is a different experience. Artists view their piece as something that is really note worthy and deserves public attention. Myriad of writers narrate their experience in coherence with each other. Graffiti writers said that they feel a poignant compensation every time that they are alone in the middle of the night and finding a specific public area to write or sketch their art . Many graffiti writers speak of their experiences of writing graffiti in similar terms. References to cities that have quieted in the night, and walls that the artist ‘owns’ for a short period of time are comparable to the soulful atonement that Walt Whitman often described when referring to being alone in nature. The same with their reputation, their art are viewed as something that is deviant and null and void of artistic values. They are ostracized in the whole realm of art. Worst is even their isolation is oblivious to the eyes of the society conforming to the standard of an artistic cultural activity. With this obliviousness, graffiti is still recognized. However, this recognition is accompanied by disgust and awfulness. It is perplexing that they are usually charged with cases of vandalism and destruction of private and public property because of utilizing walls of establishments they don’t own. This is because those walls they use are usually of buildings empty and have long been vacated and abandoned by the owners. Therefore, graffiti writers are often viewed as lawbreakers. Usually, graffiti artists do not really give emphasis on showing their art to the general public because their concern is limited in just the expression of themselves. Nevertheless, they also somehow want the appreciation of their masterpiece. This is the reason why graffiti art are often found on walls of buildings frequented by the public. Physical characteristics of graffiti yards include a degree of visibility that enables a piece to be seen from a passing car on a nearby street or freeway. Although pieces are not aimed directly at the general public, the artists do like their work to be seen and recognized. Even though graffiti art are disgusting to the general public, manufacturers of apparels and accessories have used the concept of graffiti to make their products sell like hot cakes. In this situation, the recognition of graffiti as a cultural activity took its place. As what Hall asserted, popular culture is dialectical process of resistance and agreement. In the case of the graffiti art, it is worth noting that the producers of the culture are denoted as deviant elements of the society. However it is ironic that the consumers of the graffiti art are the big institutions and companies that sell mass produced commodities. The graffiti art as a cultural activity is a clear example of a popular culture being received yet decided to be rejected or accepted. In the multinational companies’ attempt to use graffiti as a potential source of great profit, the disgusting art has been transformed into an acceptable enterprise. However the consumption of the products promoting graffiti art still depends on the cultural background and the power of person to dissent or agree on the attractiveness of it. References: 1. William, R. 1976, ‘Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society,’ Fontana, London. 2. Dressler, W. 2002, ‘A Working Definition of Culture’, Europhamil, [Online] Available at: http://www. europhamili. org/protect/media/96. pdf. 3. Esposito, R. 2005, ‘The Artistic Construction of a Counter Culture’ Graffiti [Online] Available at: http://www. graffiti. org/faq/esposito. html. 4. Bolivar, S. 1997, ‘†Bombing† L. A. : Graffiti Culture and the Contest for Visual Space’, McNair [Online] Available at: http://www-mcnair. berkeley. edu/97journal/Bolivar. html 5. Wittenberg, D. 2004,’Introduction: Extreme Mainstream’ Iowa [Online] Available at: http://www. uiowa. edu/~englgrad/ijcs/mainstream/mainintro. htm 6. Beazley, H. 2006, ‘The Temple of Hip Hop: Graffiti as form of Peaceful Conflict Resolution among Urban Youth in Brisbane’ University of Queensland [Online] Available at: http://www. uq. edu. au/acpacs/index. html? page=49559&pid=49559&ntemplate=645 7. Noble, C. 2004, ‘A Semiotic and Visual Exploration of Graffiti and Public Space in Vancouver’ Graffiti [Online] Available at: http://www. graffiti. org/faq/noble_semiotic_warfare2004. html 8. Christen, R. 2001, ‘Hi Hop Learning: Graffiti as an Educator of Urban Teenagers’ Sunsite [Online] Available at: http://sunsite. icm. edu. pl/graffiti//faq/graffiti_edu_christen. html 9. Hall, S. 1981,’Notes on Deconstructing the Popular† in People’s History and Socialist Theory’ Routledge, London. 10. Hall, S. 1973, ‘Encoding and Decoding in the Television Discourse’.

Football Head Essay

Football is an all American sport that has led to the downfall of many great athletes who have suffered from the sport in a psychological and physical manner. Football is a dangerous sport that is only played by one country, the U.S.A. Realistically, banning the sport is almost near impossible, but there should be regulations to the sport if that people would have to meet in order to insure safety and knowledgeable facts about the sport. Football is not meant for children, the players should have a full understanding of the game and of the danger that it can entails. If a child would like to play football, the child should at least be fourteen years old, and at fourteen years old, the children must watch a film that fully describes and informs the participant of the dangers of football and the effects it can have on the brain and on the body. Football can start at a very early age, children as young as five are playing the sport in a league with other children where they beat, push, and knock down other children their age. This is very problematic and dangerous to the child’s long-term memory; the brain of an average person does not fully develop until the person is at least twenty years old. When children begin to beat each other at a young age, they are starting the decaying process of their own brains. Concussions are always trying to be avoided during games, but the pre-concussive hits are just as concerning and alarming as concussions. Football players who have never had concussions are now being diagnosed of chronic traumatic encepha lopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerative brain disease that is caused from repeated constant head trauma. If children begin playing football as early as five years old, they will begin the process of CTE. Violent games are not suitable for children, at five years old, violence and aggressiveness should not be a priority of a child, and school and education should always be their top priority. If adults choose to play this sport, the NFL needs to accept and admit that football is a violent game and that it can cause long term damages to the brain and body.  The NFL refutes the arguments about CTE and long term damaging effects football has on the brain by stating there are fully aware of the risks. Football players report that it is their choice to play football and that they are fully aware of the risks that are in play. However, concussions are the breaking points to a damaging mind, football players often confess to playing a game injured and from suffering a concussion while playing. For example, Richard Sherman explains in the article, â€Å"Why We Chose the Profession†, that due to a concussion; he was left blind for half of an entire football game. However, he goes on to state that if he had taken himself out of the game, that the legend of the boom would never have been born, this was when he had his first in game interception. Another player who once raved and bragged about the sport was Junior Seau. Junior Seau was one of the greatest football players in the NFL, he was a legend and he too â€Å"fully understood† the risks and dangers of playing in football. He once bragged in a documentary about the perfect tackle, and how he understood that due to the love he had for the sport, his life would be shorten and that he would have limited mobility. However, he did not once ever consider that the sport would cause him to have irrational mood swings, suffer from depression and eventually cause him to take his own life. Football players claim to be fully â€Å"informed† of the sport and understand the consequences it can have on their lives, but the NFL is withholding serious information that players are finding out when it is too late. If a person chooses to play the sport, then they must fully understand the fame, the consequences, and discuss with their families, families can fall apart just as easily as the players mind and body. Football is known to cause CTE, but there are other long term damaging effects that players have still not been informed of by the NFL. Football has been detected to cause early signs of Alzheimer, Dementia, and physical disabilities. According to the article, â€Å"Study: No Proof that Football Causes Alzheimer’s or CTE† was posted in the Cincinnati Bengals, the NFL had a $765 million settlement with retired football players that claimed that they were not fully informed of the risks that came into play when they ran onto the field. Once football players heard of the first few cases of CTE that were diagnosed in retired football players, the players began wondering if the NFL was aware of the causes of football and the long term effects it had on the players. The NFL had also denied all the  claims of the relation from CTE, Dementia, and Alzheimer to football. However, the NFL later revealed a study conducted by themselves that later revealed that football had caused early cases of Dementia, a brain disease that could have been avoided if the NFL had bother sharing the information with their teams and coaches. The NFL however eventually denied their own study as well. In time, the NFL attempted to share information about precautions they were taking in order to ensure the players safety. In pamphlets they distributed to players, they attempted to underplay the dangers of concussions by stating that concussions cannot cause any type of long-term damage. The NFL also conducted their own study, in which they concluded that if a football player endures a concussion in the middle of the game that the player could return to that same game even play in the game where he experienced the concussion. The NFL conducted their own research and discovered the damaging effects of football and the toll it has on the body, and now that players are taking action against the NFL, they are denying the accusations and ignoring their repercussions that have been waiting for them for much too long. Football is a sport, nothing more, and yet it can change a person’s life severely. If a person chooses to play the sport, knowing the facts, the diseases, and the immobility they can endure later in life, then they should be allowed to play. Football is a dangerous sport, people can choose to play or choose to live, but that is a choice when a player decides to walk onto that field or when they decide to walk off that field. It is an American tradition that should not be banned, but it should be limited. This is a game with a lot of fans, and yet many of them who follow the sport have no idea of the football players that are suffering because of it, which is the real shame. Play football, but know the risks. Works Cited Gladwell, . â€Å"Offensive Play.† Gladwell.com. N.p., 19 Oct. 2009. Web. 9 Mar. 2014. Sherman, Richard. â€Å"We Chose This Profession.† The MMQB. N.p., 3 Oct. 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2014.

Dangers of Undercover Police Cars Essay

By definition, the police are a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect property, and limit civil disorder. Many people in today’s society do not trust the police. Many feel that the police are out to get them. While some feel that police keep our society in tact, some feel that they are given way to much power. Policing predominantly concerns the preservation of order and peace in our country. With that being said, keeping peace is much different from what I feel that our police enforcement agencies in this country actually do. Often, they do the opposite. Trying to find anything and everything that a citizen is doing incorrectly is not keeping peace. In fact, this causes the distancing between our police and the citizens they are policing. My bill speaks on the removal of undercover police cars from law enforcement. The impacts that these types of police vehicles have on our society all seems to be negative. They are used as a way to catch our citizens off guard, since these vehicles do not appear to be cops. As citizens, we have the right of knowledge. When a police officer is present, I think that we should be able to know. Why are they hiding from us? If they’re here to protect us, why are the not acting like it? Hiding from us makes it seem like they do not want to protect us, but trick us. Police offices’ auction off police cars that are out of commission. At a fairly cheap price, these cars are stripped off all lighting and sirens. But that is not to say they are not deceiving. With a couple of hundred dollars and computer access, you can order almost identical lights and sirens to a police officer. Here is a very scary story involving an innocent women, a criminal and a unmarked police car: It was only 1:30 in the afternoon when the unmarked police car pulled alongside Laura Johnson’s car with their flashing light on their rooftop, and signaled for her to pull over. She sensed something was off, so she kept going and immediately contacted the dispatcher who checked it out and called her back to tell her there were no unmarked police cars in that area. She was told to keep driving. In a short time 4 police cars surrounded Laura and the suspect car. The police apprehended not only a criminal impersonating a police officer, but a convicted rapist wanted by the police for other crimes. That day, Laura got lucky. But if she wouldn’t have sensed that something was off, her fate could be much different. Finally, these undercover police units cost our taxpayers more money that you may imagine. Police cars are purchased in bulk, averaging around 30 thousand apiece fully loaded. But the technologies of an undercover car, with low-key lighting and high tech LED lights placed all around the car push that number up, to around 34 thousand dollars. Lets say in one year there are 10 new undercover cop cars purchased, that’s 40 thousand dollars wasted! Of our taxpayer’s dollars, that could be used for so many other things. With all of that being said, we must pass this bill to remove undercover police cars. For the conversation of our tax money, the honesty we deserve as citizens, and the safety of the men, women, and children of our community. Thank you for your time.