Antonio Gramsci - Biography and Intellectual Contributions

Antonio Gramsci - Biography and Intellectual Contributions Antonio Gramsci was an Italian journalist and activist who is known and celebrated for highlighting and developing the roles of culture and education within Marxs theories of economy, politics, and class. Born in 1891, he died at just 46 years of age as a consequence of serious health problems he developed while imprisoned by the fascist Italian government. Gramscis most widely read and notable works, and those that influenced social theory were written while he was imprisoned and published posthumously as  The Prison Notebooks. Today, Gramsci is considered a foundational theorist for the sociology of culture, and for articulating the important connections between culture, the state, the economy, and power relations. Gramsci’s theoretical contributions spurred the development of the field of cultural studies, and in particular, the field’s attention to the cultural and political significance of mass media. Gramscis Childhood and Early Life Antonio Gramsci was born on the island of Sardinia in 1891. He grew up in poverty amongst the peasants of the island, and his experience of the class differences between mainland Italians and Sardinians and the negative treatment of peasant Sardinians by mainlanders shaped his intellectual and political thought deeply. In 1911, Gramsci left Sardinia to study at the University of Turin in northern Italy and lived there as the city was industrialized. He spent his time in Turin amongst socialists, Sardinian immigrants, and workers recruited from poor regions to staff the urban factories. He joined the Italian Socialist Party in 1913. Gramsci  did not complete formal education, but was trained at the University as a Hegelian Marxist, and studied intensively the interpretation of Karl Marx’s theory as a â€Å"philosophy of praxis† under Antonio Labriola. This Marxist approach focused on the development of class consciousness and liberation of the working class through the process of struggle. Gramsci as Journalist, Socialist Activist, Political Prisoner After he left school, Gramsci wrote for socialist newspapers  and rose in the ranks of Socialist party. He and the Italian socialists became affiliated with Vladimir Lenin and the international communist organization known as the Third International. During this time of political activism, Gramsci advocated for workers’ councils and labor strikes as methods of taking control of the means of production, otherwise controlled by wealthy capitalists  to the detriment of the laboring classes. Ultimately, he helped found the Italian Communist Party to mobilize workers for their rights. Gramsci traveled to Vienna in 1923, where he met Georg  Lukcs, a prominent Hungarian Marxist thinker, and other Marxist and communist intellectuals and activists who would shape his intellectual work. In 1926, Gramsci, then the head of the Italian Communist Party, was imprisoned in Rome by Benito Mussolini’s fascist regime during its aggressive campaign of stamping out opposition politics. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison but was released in 1934 because of his very poor health. The bulk of his intellectual legacy was written in prison, and is known as â€Å"The Prison Notebooks.† Gramsci died in Rome in 1937, just three years after his release from prison. Gramscis Contributions to Marxist Theory Gramsci’s key intellectual contribution to Marxist theory  is his elaboration of the social function of culture  and its relationship to politics and the economic system. While Marx discussed only briefly these issues in his writing, Gramsci drew on Marx’s theoretical foundation to elaborate the important role of political strategy in challenging the dominant relations of society, and the role of the state in regulating social life and maintaining the conditions necessary for capitalism. He thus focused on understanding how culture and politics might inhibit or spur revolutionary change, which is to say, he focused on the political and cultural elements of power and domination (in addition to and in conjunction with the economic element). As such, Gramsci’s work is a response to the false prediction of Marx’s theory that revolution was inevitable, given the contradictions inherent in the system of capitalist production. In his theory, Gramsci viewed the state as an instrument of domination that represents the interests of capital and of the ruling class. He developed the concept of cultural hegemony to explain how the state accomplishes  this, arguing that domination is achieved in large part by  a dominant ideology expressed through social institutions that socialize people to consent to the rule of the dominant group. He reasoned that hegemonic beliefs dampen critical thought, and are thus barriers to revolution. Gramsci viewed the educational institution as one of the fundamental elements of cultural hegemony in modern Western society  and elaborated on this in essays titled â€Å"The Intellectuals†Ã‚  and â€Å"On Education.† Though influenced by Marxist thought, Gramsci’s body of work advocated for a multi-faceted  and more long-term revolution than that envisioned by Marx. He advocated for the cultivation of â€Å"organic intellectuals† from all classes and walks of life, who would understand and reflect the world views of a diversity of people. He critiqued the role of â€Å"traditional intellectuals,† whose work reflected the worldview of the ruling class, and thus facilitated cultural hegemony. Additionally, he advocated for a â€Å"war of position† in which oppressed peoples would work to disrupt hegemonic forces in the realm of politics and culture, while a simultaneous overthrow of power, a â€Å"war of maneuver,† was carried out.

Conversion Factor Definition and Examples

Conversion Factor Definition and Examples A conversion factor is the number or formula you need to convert a measurement in one set of units to the same measurement in another set of units. The number is usually given as a numerical ratio or fraction that can be used as a multiplication factor. For example, say you have a length that is measured in feet and you wish to report on it in meters. If you know that there are 3.048 feet in a meter, then you can use that as a conversion factor to determine what the same distance is in meters.   One foot is 12 inches long, and the conversion factor of 1 foot to inches is 12. In yards, 1 foot is equal to 1/3 yard (conversion factor of 1 foot to yards is 1/3) so forth. The same length is 0.3048 meters, and it is also 30.48 centimeters. To convert 10 feet to inches, multiply 10 times 12 (the conversion factor) 120 inchesTo convert 10 feet to yards, multiply 10 x 1/3 3.3333 yards (or 3 1/3 yards)To convert 10 feet to meters, multiply 10 x .3048 3.048 metersTo convert 10 feet to centimeters, multiply 10 x 30.48 304.8 centimeters Examples of Conversion Factors There many different types of measurements that sometimes require conversions: length (linear), area (two dimensional) and volume (three dimensional) are the most common, but you can also use conversion factors to convert mass, speed, density, and force. Conversion factors are used for conversions within the imperial system (feet, pounds, gallons), within the International System of Units (SI, and the modern form of the metric system: meters, kilograms, liters) or across the two.   Remember, the two values must represent the same quantity as each other. For example, its possible to convert between two units of mass (e.g., grams to pounds), but you generally cant convert between units of mass and volume (e.g., grams to gallons). Examples of conversion factors include: 1 gallon 3.78541 liters (volume)  1 pound 16 ounces (mass)  1 kilogram 1,000 grams (mass)  1 pound 453.592 grams (mass)1 minute 60000 milliseconds (time)  1 square mile 2.58999 square kilometers (area)   Using a Conversion Factor For example, to change a time measurement from hours to days, use a conversion factor of 1 day 24 hours. time in days time in hours x (1 day/24 hours) The (1 day/24 hours) is the conversion factor. Note that following the equal sign, the units for hours cancel out, leaving only the unit for days.

Writing assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Writing assignment - Essay Example The interviewer was inquiring as to the trouble of instituting democracy in the Middle East and in so doing referred to a traditional concept that the individuals there are simply not capable of democratic order. In refuting this notion, Michael Scheuer remarks that the issue is not a sort of innate resistance to democracy, but instead the long ingrained combination of church and state in the region that makes instituting democracy a highly challenging process. Scheuer indicates that when the West points to its own prosperous ways and the democractic political process that they were brought about through, the Middle Eastern people still believe that this form of government is man-made and has turned its back on God. Scheuer goes as far as to argue that the least exportable thing the United States has is its democracy. The remark underlines one of the critical areas of difference between the United States and Middle Eastern states. Namely this difference is a core value system, with t he West pursuing a socially constructed sense of profit and equity, and the Middle Eastern clinging to an ancient religious order. Within this spectrum of thought, one begins to question the sociological elements that have led to the Middle East retaining their religious affiliations, while the United States has adopted a more profit-centered existence.

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration - Essay Example Phylogenetic analysis of Mg-tetrapyrrole biosynthesis genes reveals that anoxygenic photosynthetic processes became evident in primitive organisms like certain bacteria before the oxygenic variety in other organisms like cyanobacteria (Xiong and Bauer, 2002). Joint analyses of the pigment genes and reaction centers have yielded stronger evidence to this effect (Xiong and Bauer, 2002). At the time when photosynthesis became a rudimentary process for energy storage in arcane organisms cellular respiration was still to evolve and the energy release mechanism for utilizing the photosynthetic stored energy used processes that sourced their electrons from suppliers other water (Todar, Undated). Later, genetic transfer mechanisms between endosymbiotic bacteria, their closest living relatives being the proteobacteria, and their pre-eukaryotic cellular hosts inducted cell organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts (Simpson et al, 2002) into the pre-eukaryotic system and cellular respiratio n became possible. Some time during the endosymbiotic processes there was gene transfer from the bacteria to the pre-eukarytic cells whereby the bacterial genome was reduced and much of the remaining genetic materials got encoded in the cellular nucleus while, locally, some of the bacterial genetic materials were encoded within the organelle, mitochondrion or otherwise, to form localized DNA entirely associated with organelle function (Chihade et al, 2000). While the induction of the mitochondria into the pre-eukaryotic cells to produce the eukaryotic system shall be dealt with later in the paper a short comparison by organisms will now be made of photosynthesis and cellular respiration processes. Comparison: The following table will be used to compare and contrast photosynthesis and cellular respiration in the species of euglenoids that have primitive plastids (Borza et al, 2005). Euglenoids are either autotrophs, photosynthetic with chlorophyll a and b chloroplasts, or heterotrophs with parasitic or absorptive nutrition. Some of them also have motile mechanisms like flagella or cilia. It is notable that euglenoids with plastids acquired them through secondary endosymbiosis and, thus, the plastids are not as developed as those of more evolutionary advanced species (Borza et al, 2005). It is also notable that euglenoids with plastids also use absorptive nutrition, absorbing organic matter from their environs, as supplementary dietary processes. Though they may be photosynthetic they can respire both aerobically and anaerobically (Hoffmeister et al, 2004). Anaerobically, these organisms store energy in the form of fatty acids (waxes) that are broken down when oxygen becomes available more plentifully (Hoffmeister et al, 2004). This makes these organisms so interesting. It is notable that both photosynthesis and cellular respiration in euglenoids with chloroplasts are still not fully understood (Hoffmeister et al, 2004; Lonergan and Sargent, 1979). Nevertheless, these processes have been simplistically compared and contrasted in the following table. Photosynthesis Cellular Respiration Organism Euglena gracilis Euglena gracilis Energy Source Sunlight Chemical energy in sugars (anaerobic) and sugars/fatty acids

A Significant Symbol in U.S. Contemporary History Essay Example for Free

A Significant Symbol in U.S. Contemporary History Essay The statement above is just one of the several famous and affecting quotes from a former president of the United States of America, Dwight David Eisenhower. In this short and concise statement, his general principles, beliefs, and ideologies may be observed. This man with a huge heart for peace and humanity has been perceived by millions of Americans as a tough yet upright and high-profiled symbol of the government over the decades. However, this man who has been looked up to by the whole of America may be discovered to have humble beginnings—brought up from a simple family, he was an average boy who grew up to fulfill great dreams and great aspirations for the United States of America. On the 14th day of October in 1890, Dwight David Eisenhower, of David Eisenhower, a mechanic, and Ida Elizabeth Stover, a religious pacifist, was born (Kelly). As a child, he had to help his family and work with extra effort in order to suffice their everyday necessities. He was brought up in a simple yet very religious environment where people are exposed to real-life plain-living (The Eisenhower Foundation). He was born in Denison, Texas, but they eventually moved to Abilene in Kansas where he spent his early education in humble community schools. During this stage of his life, he was raised to be a fun loving youth who was fascinated with the Western American history and had always dreamed of getting into college and obtaining a degree which was considered an extravagance for families like his during that time (The Eisenhower Foundation). It was in Abilene where he had his early foundations, and it was also the place where he acquired his early values which eventually molded him to what people know him for—a noble and principled individual. Eisenhower joined the U. S. Military at West Point, New York on the 14th day of June in 1911 (â€Å"Dwight David Eisenhower†). Here, he was made into a principled and trained fighter which helped him to reach the rank of Second Lieutenant on September 1915. This was the start of his career in the military which have been a difficult battle and a rich learning experience as well for the fighter Eisenhower. In his entire military career, he has been blessed with the might of an ultimate warrior and a fair mind of a just leader. He has been part of several historical events such as McArthur’s venture to the Philippine Islands and the First and Second World War (â€Å"Dwight David Eisenhower†). Eventually, he was able to receive several recognitions due to his selfless and self-sacrificing service for the United States. On the 4th day of November in 1952, he was awarded with the greatest authority an American citizen could ever have; he became the 34th president of the Unites States of America (The Eisenhower Foundation). As it appears, the presidents of the world are given this special privilege of being immortalized through their works and principles. However, people may still question why a person such as Dwight Eisenhower should be remembered when all the other presidents seem to have done the same thing: to serve the country. As Eisenhower ventured in the greatest challenge to rule America, he was faced with serious challenges through the problems and obstacles in the political and economic sectors. The American values and the national security have been put in great risk by the powerful Europe and Asia which vexed the newly appointed president (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission). Yet, despite these challenges, he maintained his aim on his strategies and game-plans on how he can win every battle that the country was facing at that time, such as the Cold War which he skillfully handled with utmost determination. In addition, as Eisenhower went through the most difficult and complex challenges as a president, he was able to maintain the balance in the national budget, the credibility of the country’s fiscal responsibility, and the public works that were significant in the lives of his people. He became remarkable in his efforts to establish sturdy innovations to the government as a whole and to his presidency in order to improve not just the country’s infrastructures but also the morale and dignity of the government (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission). Eisenhower also had that incomparable heart for his people. He recognized the needs and the grievances of the less fortunate Americans which led him to establish agencies like the Department of Health and the Education and Welfare in 1953, while he also made improvements in the Social Security through increased benefits for millions of Americans (Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission). These were just some of his simple yet very significant efforts that will forever rest in Americans’ memories as he left them after a long heart ailment on the solemn day of March 28, 1969 uttering his last words, I want to go; God take me. (The Eisenhower Foundation). Among the many presidents that the United States has met, Dwight Eisenhower created a difference as inspired by his upbringing. It provided him enough courage and determination to reach greater heights. It may appear that the function and role of the American president is one of the hardest and most complicated in the world. Yet, to think that Eisenhower was able to go through it while maintaining a spiritual and fair heart is also commendable. A leader who does not allow his power and authority to rule his heart has also been attributed to Eisenhower by the people themselves. This is because while he was a man who was very well exposed to violence and wars, he spoke of peace and freedom from strife. Over his years of service, aside from literally fighting for his nation and helping to winning the wars, he was able to win the trust and confidence of his people through keeping his values and morale in his leadership strategy. Truly, it may be hard to find a perfect leader. Nevertheless, finding a leader like Eisenhower who had a sense of humor and integrity at the same time can also be one in a million chances. Considering the accounts of history which tell stories of Eisenhower as a hero of America, it may appear that he indeed played a significant role in the U. S. contemporary history. A man who led a simple life as a child and grew up to become the person with the highest authority in America but never abused his powers for wealth and personal interest is indeed worthy of remembrance. Indeed, no person must be judged according to his or her roots. Certainly, societal status does not in any way make a discerning factor to tell the worth and value of a person, because if there is any symbol and example who best represents a story of humble roots to the height of glory and honor in America, it would be undeniably someone like former President Dwight Eisenhower of the United States. Works Cited Bancroft, David G. â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower: 34th President (1953-1961). † USA Patriotism. 2002. 24 November 2008 http://www. usa-patriotism. com/quotes/eisenhower. htm. Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission. Why Memoralize Eisenhower?. 27 August 2008. 24 November 2008 http://www. eisenhowermemorial. org/whymemorializeike. htm. â€Å"Dwight David Eisenhower†. The Eisenhower Library Information Resources. September 2000. Ibiblio. 24 November 2008 http://www. ibiblio. org/lia/president/EisenhowerLibrary/_General_Materials/DDE_Biography. html. The Eisenhower Foundation. Biography: Dwight David Eisenhower October 14, 1890-March 28, 1969. 05 August 2008. Eisenhower. com. 24 November 2008 http://www. dwightdeisenhower. com/biodde. html. Kelly, Martin. â€Å"Dwight D. Eisenhower- Thirty-Fourth President of the United States. † About. com: American History. 24 November 2008. http://americanhistory. about. com/od/dwightdeisenhower/p/peisenhower. htm.

Anti-Semitism in Anthony Trollopes Palliser Novels :: Anthony Trollope Palliser Novels Essays

Anti-Semitism in Anthony Trollope's Palliser Novels Because Anthony Trollope belonged to the Liberal party, one would assume that he would be less concerned with the glorification of a specific social class to the neglect of any other. Yet, of the major novelists of the Victorian period, none was more infatuated with the code of the gentleman than Trollope. His political beliefs, which might seem to conflict with those of a Liberal, are best defined by his own description of himself as "an advanced, but still a conservative Liberal" (Autobiography 291). This left-centrist attitude serves as the basis for the moral standard of his novels and is embodied by the various "gentlemen" in his work. Trollope idealized the gentleman more than Fielding and as much as, if not more, than Thackeray. The characters in his novels judge each other by their interpretations of this standard, which may or may not coincide with Trollope's definition. This discrepancy between Trollope and his characters is very interesting, but in some instances can be misleading. Nineteenth-century Europe, sparked by the Enlightenment's notion of equality, underwent numerous revolutions, both political and social. In England this was represented by the passing of the Reform Bill of 1832 and the repeal of the Corn Laws. Both were huge victories for the Liberal, then Whig, cause, regardless of which party was in control of the government at the time. Trollope's stance on such issues can be seen in his treatment of similar measures, some fictitious, others real, in the novels that comprise his Palliser series. In England during this time, the quest for equal treatment under the law for all residents was gaining popularity. Bills were passed which legalized Catholicism and which made citizens of the Jews living in England. As anti-semitism was a more thorough prejudice than that of Anglicans against other Protestants and Catholics, it is of interest to examine how one of the more, if not the most, realistic novelists of the time portrayed English Jews. As Trollope mainly concerns himself with upper-class society, social movement is necessarily a major issue in his novels, and added to his predisposition to prejudicial class awareness, Trollope behaves very questionably with regard to his non-English characters, particularly his Jewish characters. European Jews have consistently been oppressed throughout their history on the continent. The most widespread slurs used against Jews, then and now, are founded in resentment of the fact that Jews, in Europe, have historically found employment in banking, pawnbroking, and usury.

To Find Out Effectiveness Airtel Advertisements & Their Impact on the Viewers

TO FIND OUT EFFECTIVENESS AIRTEL ADVERTISEMENTS & THEIR IMPACT ON THE VIEWERS Table of Contents Introduction3 Airtel products9 Objective of Study14 Research Methodology15 Findings27 Recommendations28 Limitations of Study29 Bibliography31 Questionnaire32 INTRODUCTION (COMPANY OVERVIEW) Incorporated on July 7, 1995, bharti AIRTEL is a division of Bharti enterprises. The businesses of Bharti Airtel are structured into two main strategic groups †¢Mobility †¢Infotel The mobility business provides gsm mobile services in all 23 telecom circles in india. hile infotel business group provides telephone services and internet access over dsl in 15 circles. The company complements its mobile, broadband and telephone services with national and international long distance services. The company also has a submarine cable landing station at Chennai which connects the submarine cable connecting Chennai with Singapore. Bharti tele-ventures provides end to end data and enterprise services to c orporate customers by leveraging its nationwide fiber-optic backbone, last mile connectivity in fixed line and mobile circles. VSATs,ISP and international bandwidth access through the gateways and landing station. All of Bharti-ventures services are provided under airtel. in 2008; bharti Airtel attained its 90 million customer mark. The equity shares of Airtel are listed on the national stock exchange and Bombay stock exchange. Sunil Bharti mittal, the founder chairman of Bharti enterprises (who owns Airtel) is today the most celebrated face of the telecom sector in india. He symbolizes the adage that success comes to those who dream big and work assiduously to deliver it. Sunil Bharti mittal began his journey manufacturing spare parts for bicycles in late 1970s. his strong entrepreneurial instincts gave him a unique flair for sensing new business opportunities. In the early years, bharti established itself as a supplier of basic telecom equipment. His true calling came in the mid 1990s when the government opened up the sector and allowed private players to provide telecom services. Bharti enterprises accepted every opportunity provided by this new policy to evolve into India’s largest telecommunications company and one of the India’s most respected brands. Airtel was launched in 1995 in delhi. As the Airtel network expanded to several parts of India; the brand came to symbolize the very essence of mobile services. Since then, Airtel has established itself across India in most of the states covering a population of over 600 million people. Airtel will soon cover the entire country through a process of acquisitions and green field projects. With a presence in over 2,000 towns, Airtel today has the largest network capacity in the country. In the last nine years Airtel has achieved many firsts and unique records: it was the first to launch nationwide roaming operations, it was the first to cross the one million and the five million customer marks. It was also the first to launch services overseas. There are other ‘firsts' credited to Airtel – many of them in the area of innovative products and services. Today, Airtel innovates in almost everything that it presents to the market. An excellent example is Easy Charge – India's first paperless electronic recharging facility for prepaid customers. As evidence of its fine record, Airtel has also been conferred with numerous awards. It won the prestigious Techies Award for ‘being the best cellular services provider' for four consecutive years between 1997 and 2000 – a record that is still unmatched. And in 2003, it received the Voice & Data Award for being ‘India's largest cellular service provider', amongst others. Bharti Airtel has enjoyed an excellent run ever since the telecom sector opened. It has managed to hold on to its leadership position in spite of the presence of other players with deep pockets – Ambani’s, Tata’s, Birla’s and Vodafone. Has coped well with regulatory changes. It continues to attract and delight customers. t has also started making its presence felt worldwide also. Recently AIRTEL has become the third largest telecom player in the world. Bharti Enterprises has successfully focused its strategy on telecom while straddling diverse fields of business. From the creation of ‘Airtel', one of India's finest brands, to becoming the largest m anufacturer and exporter of world class telecom terminals under its ‘Beetel' brand, Bharti has created a significant position for itself in the global telecommunications sector. PRODUCTS The Company is a part of Bharti Enterprises, and is India's leading provider of telecommunications services. The businesses at Bharti Airtel have been structured into three individual strategic business units (SBU's) – mobile services, broadband & telephone services (B) & enterprise services. The mobile services group provides GSM mobile services across India in 23 telecom circles, while the B business group provides broadband & telephone services in 90 cities. The Enterprise services group has two sub-units – carriers (long distance services) and services to corporate. All these services are provided under the Airtel brand. Its include Voice Services Mobile Services Satellite Services Managed Data & Internet Services Managed e-Business Services Voice Services Bharti Airtel became the first private fixed-line service provider in India. It is now promoted under the Airtel brand. Recently, the Government opened the fixed-line industry to unlimited competition. Airtel has subsequently started providing fixed- line services in the four circles of Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu & UP (West). Airtel Enterprise Services believes that these circles have high telecommunications potential, especially for carrying Voice & Data traffic. These circles were strategically selected so as to provide synergies with Airtel's long distance network and Airtel's extensive mobile network. Airtel Enterprise Services, India's premium telecommunication service, brings to you a whole new experience in telephony. From integrated telephone services for Enterprises and small business enterprises to user-friendly plans for Broadband Internet Services (DSL), we bring innovative, cost-effective, comprehensive and multi-product solutions to cater to all your telecom and data needs. Mobile Services Airtel's mobile footprint extends across the country in 21 telecom circles. It's service standards compare with the very best in the world. In fact, that’s how Bharti has managed to win the trust of millions of customers and makes it one of the top 5 operators in the world, in terms of service and subscriber base. The company has several Firsts to its credit: †¢The First to launch full roaming service on pre-paid in the country. †¢The First to launch 32K SIM cards. †¢The First in Asia to deploy the multi band feature in a wireless network for Efficient usage of spectrum. The First to deploy Voice Quality Enhancers to improve voice quality and Acoustics. †¢The First telecom company in the world to receive the ISO 9001:2000 Certification from British Standards Institute Satellite Services Airtel Enterprise Services provides you connectivity where ever you take your Business. Satellite Services bring you the benefits of access in remote Locations. Airtel Enter prise Services is a leading provider of broadband IP Satellite services and DAMA/PAMA services in India. Managed data & internet services Airtel enterprises services bring a comprehensive suite of data technologies. So Airtel is able to support all types of networks and ensure the customers can manage their network to the future seamlessly. These services include: leased lines, customized solutions, metro Ethernet. Managed e-business services Airtel enterprise services offer an internationally benchmarked, carrier class hosting, storage and business continuity services. A huge range of services help the customers run their business the way they want. All this is possible because of world class high tech data centers. PROMOTIONAL STRATEGY After the liberalization of the Indian Telecom Sector in 1994, the Indian cellular market witnessed a surge in cellular services. By 2005, there were a total of 12 players in the market with the five major players being Bharti Tele-Ventures Limited (Bharti), Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL), Hutchinson-Essar limited (Hutch), Idea Cellular limited (Idea) and Reliance India Mobile (RIM) (Refer Exhibit I). All the players except RIM offered services based on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) technology. RIM provided services based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology as well as GSM. As competition in the telecom arena intensified, BHARTI AIRTEL took new initiatives to woo customers. Prominent among these were – celebrity endorsements, loyalty rewards, discount coupons, business solutions and talk time schemes. AIRTEL has used most number of celebrities for advertisements. The list includes-Sachin, Shahrukh, Rehmaan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Zaheer Khan Etc. The most important consumer segments in the cellular industry were the youth segment and the business class segment. The youth segment was the largest and fastest growing segment and was therefore targeted most heavily by cellular service provider. Bharti Tele-Ventures adopted celebrity endorsement as its chief promotional strategy. By 2004 it emerged the unprecedented leader commanding the largest market share in the cellular service market. Hutch implemented the celebrity endorsement strategy partially, relying primarily on its creative advertising for the promotion of its brand. BSNL, on the other hand, attracted the consumer through its low cost schemes. Being a state owned player, BSNL could cover rural areas, and this helped it increase its subscriber base. Reliance was another player that cashed on its innovative promotional strategies, which included celebrity endorsements and attractive talk time schemes. Idea relied heavily on its creative media advertising sans celebrities. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The objective of the study is to find out the effectiveness of AIRTEL advertisements i. e. †¢What type of impact these advertisements have on the viewers? †¢Are the viewers getting the desired message? The secondary objective includes finding out following: What type of advertisements viewers now days like? †¢What type of changes AIRTEL needs to make in future? RESEARCH METODOLOGY The data was collected from primary as well as secondary sources. Primary data source: Around 80 people were randomly selected and their response to the questionnaire was taken as primary data. Secondary data source: the secondary data was col lected from following sources †¢AIRTEL website †¢Newspapers †¢Internet The total number of respondents was 80. Out of which 24 were female respondents and rests 56 were males. The respondents are categorized in three different groups. First group consists of person less than 20 years of age. These are mainly teenagers and are most likely to buy or use new mobile connections. The second group i. e. 20-35 years of age are already using one or the other connection. The last group was mainly of somewhat older people and consists of 30% of the total sample. The graph shows the % distribution of customers of different service providers . There are some more players in the market but for the shake of clarity, only these six were given consideration. Out of the major six players, Airtel is found to be having the largest market share with 32%. he main competitors to AIRTEL in terms of number of customers are BSNL and Vodafone. Popularity of ads of different brands among viewers The advertisements of Vodafone were found to be more popular among the respondents. Most of them talked about the ‘’hutch dog†. Similarly the tag line of IDEA ‘’an idea can change your life† is also very popular . AIRTEL ads are supposed to be more or less centered on emotional factors. 75% of the respondents said that they like the TV ads more than any other medium of advertisement. The main internet users now a days i. e. oungsters were found to have a liking towards the advertisements used on internet. The housewives and the people older than 3 years like to go through advertisements in newspapers and magazines etc, and also like the advertisements on radio or local FM stations. Major portion of the respondents categorized AIRTEL ads as emotional ads. In every advertisement, one or the other facet of the human relations is at the centre. The AIRTEL ads were also considered to be different from the competitors and innovative. Many respondents claimed that the fun part was always missing from the AIRTEL ads. Out of all celebrities endorsing AIRTEL, A. R. Rehmaan is most famous among the viewers. Almost every respondent linked the AIRTEL success with the famous TONE composed by Rehmaan. The girls mainly like the advertisements with Saif Ali khan and Shahrukh khan. One of the finding was that using too many celebrities in advertisements is not that much effective. AIRTEL advertisement with seven celebrities including Saif, Kareena, Zaheer khan, Gautam Gambhir is supposed by the viewers as wastage of money. 60% of the respondents believe that the Celebrity endorsements give a brand a ouch of glamour and the hope that a famous face will provide added appeal and name recognition in a crowded market. AIRTEL itself is already using a number of celebrities in its advertisements like shahrukh khan, Saif ali khan,kareena,Sachin,Madhvan etc. so in near future also AIRTEL should move on with celebrity endorsements as viewers give them value and have a liking towards them. Major portion of the viewer s got the message from the AIRTEL ads as it is a brand that offers services at cheaper price. The ads don’t give any hint about the service quality. So AIRTEL should give some consideration to this fact and try to emphasize on the better quality also through the advertisements. The claims made in AIRTEL ads are believable About 50% of the respondents had this belief that the claims made about the connectivity, voice clarity etc in the AIRTEL ads are true. The major portion of these 50% respondents was actually the AIRTEL users. 35% of people suppose these claims as just a part of advertisement and non existing in actual. 70% of the respondents said that they started using that sim card because of one or other type of scheme. The different types of schemes like-10 paisa call, night calling free etc help the customers make their mind to shift to that particular service provider. The advertisements in general have a very small impact on their decision. FINDINGS FROM THE STUDY The research carried out helped us to come to the following out comes: ? In terms of liking of ads, Vodafone is way ahead of AIRTEL. ?Viewers have a liking towards most of the celebrities used in AIRTEL ads. ? The viewers like the ads with some funny content but this is missing in most of the AIRTEL ads ? The majority of the customers starts or shifts to a service provider based upon word of mouth and different schemes. The advertisements play a very little part in their decision. ?The preferences of the viewers for the celebrities are always changing so we can’t rely on a single celebrity forever. ?Viewers like to see short and up to the mark ads but Most of the AIRTEL ads are too lengthy. RECOMMENDATIONS ?Along with using various celebrities for endorsements, AIRTEL should try to introduce advertisements with some sort of humor. ?The majority of perspective customers are teenagers, so AIRTEL ads should be more focused around them ? The people now days have started using more and more internet, so along with TV advertisements, AIRTEL should give more attention to online advertisements. ?People give very less attention to the print ads, so these ads should be mainly informative ads i. e. the ads giving information about new schemes and recharge coupons etc. LIMITATIONS The research was carried out taking care of each & every small points which can alter the results but still there were some limitations that must be acknowledged. †¢The respondents chosen were mainly from cities. So the results don’t include the responses of rural customers. †¢To find out the overall effectiveness of advertisements a lot of data regarding the price paid to the celebrities and cost of advertisement etc. was required, but as this type of data is classified so it was not available. CONCLUSION Mobile penetration is currently exploding in INDIA and Bharti Airtel has been riding the crest of the huge mobile industry wave that has been formed. Consequently great potential and huge market opportunities have now opened up the playing field in India’s telecom market and also made it much more competitive. In the present open market environment, there are currently over 10 major operators in India which are competing with each other to get the major share of this market. So at any point of time, AIRTEL can’t take things lightly. It needs to change its marketing and advertising strategies gradually. The advertisements used at present seem appropriate for AIRTEL but we can’t always rely on these advertisements and the celebrities. Bibliography www. airtelworld. com www. scribd. com www. wikipedia. org Search engine used www. oogle. com www. trai. gov. in QUESTIONNAIRE Dear Respondent, I am a student of Oriental Institute of Management, Vashi, Navi Mumbai and doing a research for a study for which I intend to pose a questionnaire to find out impact of the advertisements of some of the big players of Indian telecom sector. Your cooperation is deeply solicited to provide the relevant information. I assure that information will be kept confidential. Please tick at the place tha t matches your opinion. 1. You are †¢Male †¢Female 2. Specify your age †¢

Characterization in Canterbury Tales Essay

From cover to cover, Geoffry Chaucer’s late 14th century collection of short stories, Canterbury Tales, provides readers with a unique literary experience. Chaucer compiles twenty-four short allegories of no relation, yet all of the narrators know eachother. Another interesting trait of Chaucer’s masterpiece takes place in the beginning as he dedicates over twenty pages just to characterization of the story tellers. Chaucer takes about a page to deeply introduce the reader to each character who tells their own fable. It has been said of Chaucer’s characterization that â€Å"the sheer variety of wealth of detail creates the impression of a specific person. And yet, taken together, it all adds up to a comparatively simple stereotype† (Prompt) Chaucer goes into such detail in his prologue that he almost seems to create real people. For the most part, Chaucer stereotypically characterizes each character, but in the tale about another person of their same type, he satirically and indirectly characterizes them contradictary to the reader’s initial impressions of the equatable narrating characters. Chaucer creates these contradictart characterizations to show the flaws in society. Chaucer sets up the reader with a stereotypical description of each character showing them what characteristics the characters should possess, then simulatenously in the tales points out traits that one would view as corrupt and ironic. In the â€Å"Shipman’s tale†, a monk goes behind his best friend’s back and sleeps with his wife. Ironically not something a stereotypical monk should do. In the â€Å"Friar’s Tale†, a summoner corruptly blackmails people to keep from summoning them. Lastly in the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale†, a knight rapes a women which contradict’s Chaucer’s initial noble description of the Knight. In the â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale†, a â€Å"lusty† knight sees a maiden â€Å"alone as she was born†, and despite her refusal â€Å"by very force he took her maidenhead† (282). This Knight contradicts Chaucer’s initial direct characterization of the Knight in the prologue having â€Å"truth, honor, generousness, and courtesy† (4). Chaucer describes the Knight in his prologue as the stereotypical â€Å"distinguished†, â€Å"modest†, â€Å"perfect gentle-knight†(5). The â€Å"Wife of Bath’s Tale† could not portray the knight in any more ironic of a light. The knight’s brutal rape of the maiden creates situational irony as it completely contradicts the description of Chaucer’s â€Å"gentle† knight (5). Chaucer points out that even the most noble and respected men can committ cruel acts of violence that go against their expected values. But even men who do not have the same class rank as the knight can still committ immoral acts that go against their expected actions. In Chaucer’s prologue, he characterizes a Summoner. He does not necessarily portray the Summoner as a noble man, but respected as â€Å"children are afraid when he appears† (20). A respected Summoner that society expects to do his job right, the â€Å"Friar’s Tale† describes a Summoner who does everything but do his job moraly and respectfully, â€Å"he was a theif, a summoner, and a pimp† (295). The â€Å"Friar’s Tale† exposes a Summoner who â€Å"rode forth to catch his prey† as he would blackmail people ruthlessly for money in order to not Summon them to court (295). Chaucer victimizes the people the Summoner takes advantage of by lableing them as â€Å"prey† and indirectly characterizes the Summoner as heartless and manipulative. Society expects a Summoner to truthfully do his job without stealing people’s money in exchange for a court release. The â€Å"Friar’s Tale† portrays a dirty Summoner which contradicts the stereotypical Summoner Chaucer describes in his prologue. This unethical Summoner shows the ill in society that many Summoners exploit people in the same way the Summoner does in the â€Å"Friar’s Tale†

History of Pop Culture essays

History of Pop Culture essays Pop culture is a term given to describe all the various cultural elements found in any given society. These elements are often perpetuated through societys language, particularly vernacular language. It encompasses everything, from daily interactions between people, to the needs and desires of individuals and communities to the various cultural moments that surround our everyday lives within mainstream society. Further, pop culture includes such activities as cooking, clothing, fashion, consumption, entertainment, sports, literature and especially mass media. It is often through the mss distribution of these things that creates pop culture, or, in other words, makes that particular culture popular. In comparison, pop culture is often placed into contrast with the typically more exclusive and elitist high culture. Pop culture is something that is in a constant state of flux; therefore what was pop culture yesterday is no longer pop culture today. For this reason, pop culture is something that occurs uniquely in a specific place and time. It can be best described as a river that forms and reforms currents and eddies that each represent the complexity of the numerous, interdependent perspectives, values and institutions of society that, together, create pop culture. Often time pop culture grows out of a subculture that, through mass circulation, becomes mainstream and thus gain a widespread public appeal. In the twentieth century, especially the late twentieth century, mass media has come to be one of the main reasons for the growth of popular culture. Prior to mass media, everything was localized, or more community-based. It was not until the advent of mass media and mass production that the definition of a community grew and thus pop culture came into existence- something to appeal to the entire society. The process works by the media conveying the work and activities of others to the general populat...

Francis Bacon and the Essay Of Revenge

Francis Bacon and the Essay Of Revenge The first major English essayist, Francis Bacon  (1561-1626) published three versions of his Essayes or Counsels (1597, 1612 and 1625), and the third edition has endured as the most popular of his many writings. The Essayes, observes Robert K. Faulkner, appeals not so much to self-expression as to self-interest, and does so by supplying enlightened ways to satisfy ones interest. (Encyclopedia of the Essay, 1997) A notable jurist who served as both attorney general and Lord Chancellor of England, Bacon argues in his essay Of Revenge (1625) that the wild justice of personal revenge is a fundamental challenge to the rule of law. Of Revenge by Francis Bacon Revenge is a kind of wild justice; which the more mans nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out. For as for the first wrong, it doth but offend the law; but the revenge of that wrong putteth the law out of office. Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior; for it is a princes part to pardon. And Solomon, I am sure, saith, It is the glory of a man to pass by an offence. That which is past is gone, and irrevocable; and wise men have enough to do with things present and to come; therefore they do but trifle with themselves, that labor in past matters. There is no man doth a wrong for the wrongs sake; but thereby to purchase himself profit, or pleasure, or honor, or the like. Therefore why should I be angry with a man for loving himself better than me? And if any man should do wrong merely out of ill-nature, why, yet it is but like the thorn or briar, which prick and scratch, because they can do no other. The most tole rable sort of revenge is for those wrongs which there is no law to remedy; but then let a man take heed the revenge be such as there is no law to punish; else a mans enemy is still before hand, and it is two for one. Some, when they take revenge, are desirous the party should know whence it cometh. This is the more generous. For the delight seemeth to be not so much in doing the hurt as in making the party repent. But base and crafty cowards are like the arrow that flieth in the dark. Cosmus, duke of Florence, had a desperate saying against perfidious or neglecting friends, as if those wrongs were unpardonable; You shall read (saith he) that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read that we are commanded to forgive our friends. But yet the spirit of Job was in a better tune: Shall we (saith he) take good at Gods hands, and not be content to take evil also? And so of friends in a proportion. This is certain, that a man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green, which otherwise would heal and do well. Public revenges are for the most part fortunate; as that for the death of Caesar; for the death of Pertinax; for the death of Henry the Third of France; and many more. But in private revenges it is not so. Nay rather, vindictive persons live the life of witches; who, as they are mischievous, so end they infortunate.

B2B Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

B2B Marketing - Essay Example This enables C4U to claim that their cards are 'crafted in the West Country'. This notion of the 'personal touch' has been successfully combined with a series of designs drawing upon floral and other motifs from the 'natural' landscape such as animals and rustic scenes (e.g. meadows, the seaside) to provide C4U with a product portfolio that sets them apart from other card manufacturers. Indeed, they even sell separate picture frames to accompany the cards, so that the recipient can keep them after the occasion in question: in this way, the product is 'more than just a card'. "Back in 1970 Alvin Toffler in Future Shock (Toffler, A. 1970) describes a trend towards accelerating rates of change. He illustrated how social and technological norms had shorter life spans with each generation, and he questioned society's ability to cope with the resulting turmoil and anxiety. In past generations periods of change were always punctuated with times of stability. This allowed society to assimilate the change and deal with it before the next change arrived." (Wikipedia, 2007) In the volatile business environment of the 21st century the most important requirement for C4U is constant changing and updating with the external conditions. Change can be referred to as Internal, External, and business process re-engineering and transformation programs. The external change includes the changes in market, technology, and competitive environment, global and political environment etc. Since the trends in the cards industry is changing the company should also adopt these changes. Internal changes involve the actions, which the organisation has to take in order to put up with the external changes. These include the business restructuring and the transformation programs. The well-planned strategy to undertake change combine all of the above elements in the suitable ratio to undertake the process effectively and in timely manners. On the other hand an unplanned change introduction can worsen the things rather than improving. Therefore it is important for the leaders and mangers at C4U to undertake the change activities in a strategical way to reap the fruit of change introduction in the organisation. A change project undertaken without a suitable strategy can increase the operating cost of the business without improving the operations and performance of the business. In the globalised era when most of the business organisations are involved in different business activities it has become inevitable for the firms independently perform all the functions. Most of the companies do not operate their supply chain and rely on other firms to perform the multi-faceted tasks. The successful and efficient combination of the operations of these firms provides the company with the competitive edge in the market. (Cook, DeBree, and Feroleto, 2001). The company can also expand its market by forming a partnership with other distribution firms. Lummus and Vokurka (1999) points out towards the need for the managers to understand the performance of all the stake holding firms in the supply chain. According to (Pohlen, 2003), this insight in the performance of each firm will enable the managers to develop measures in order to fulfil the demands of the customers. The main task of the supply chain