Virtual Against the Real :: Movies Technology Essays

Virtual Against the Real Two men stand on the rooftop. One man, dressed in a black suit and black tie, shoots a penetrating look at the other through his dark sunglasses. With a quick flick of his wrists, the man in the suit fires a handful of lethal bullets. Time slows down as the projectiles float towards their victim. The camera angle changes as the man acrobatically bends back to dodge the rippling bullets. Whoosh! The bullets fly by in normal speed as the man quickly gets back up. Neo, the man who almost tasted lead, straightens himself out before continuing to battle the agents of the virtual world. I sat back comfortably on my couch watching The Matrix (1999), thinking of the virtual versus the real. All the movies I saw recently, all the advertisements that covered the media, and almost anywhere I went, I noticed the use of computer graphics. Even the movie I was watching, The Matrix, was enhanced and completed with the aid of computerized special effects. In order to make a blockbuster hit, it seems as if computer graphics are essential. However, with computers readily available at their fingertips, a portion of the producers, artists, designers are beginning to use computer graphics not so much to enhance as to replace the real. Whenever computer technology is used to replace what is real, I fear there is a danger of losing aspects of a vital humanity. Nowadays, any top science fiction or action/adventure movie uses at least some bit of computerized special effects. I still remember being amazed at how real the tyrannosaurus rex looked in the blockbuster hit, Jurassic Park. I was amazed at the power and realism of the virtual dinosaur. Computer graphics, in some respect, are a necessity in today’s films. For example, in Tom Hank’s Cast Away (2000), all the island scenes were filmed on a mud-pile overlooking a parking lot. Michael A Hiltzik in â€Å"Digital Cinema Take 2† describes how almost all the shots with a sky or ocean were done with special effects. There are numerous examples where computer graphics enhanced the film, including the creation of fantasy worlds in Lord of the Rings (2001). What made these computer-enhanced movies so effective was that they relied almost entirely on live human actors. They had the beautifully depicted scenery, from the snowy mountains to the cozy village of the Hobbits, t hat were all generated by computer, but there is nothing better to portray human stories, stories that we can imagine ourselves in, than live actors.

American Gothic Literature Essay

American gothic literature became popular in the 19th century when writers started to captivate reader’s attention with stories of mystery and tragedy. This literary scheme was most effective due to it being able to compare real society in a more bizarre sense. In all great Gothic stories, the writer is proving a point on what society needs to realize. In Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† (553), Hawthorne shows the journey of a young man who is slowly being corrupted and robbed of his innocence. In this story, Hawthorne also uses symbolism to provide mystery and hint at the meaning of the story of society’s corruptness. Although, American gothic literature was one of the first types of popular American literature, the literature was influenced by earlier gothic writers. Who started to invent gothic literature, which was developed around 1800 in Europe. These earlier writers, such as Shelly who wrote Frankenstein and other stories of tragedy and horror, influenced the American gothic writers, such as Poe and Hawthorne, to write their own renditions of gothic literature, thus birthing American gothic literature. There are many different schemes which go into making a good work of gothic literature. First off the point of view, point of view is such a vital part to the story because the point of view helps provide mystery and foreshadowing which are both important to gothic literature. Gothic literature also interprets chaos in society mostly by exaggerating stories. In addition Gothic literature usually goes from good to bad giving the reader no dynamic character, and ultimately producing a tragedy, which creates the whirlpool where the protagonist is slowly sucked into by the antagonist. All these schemes are all important to gothic literature and are integrated with symbolism and foreshadowing, creating mystery and allowing the reader to think of the true meaning of the story. For example in Poe’s â€Å"The Fall of the House of Usher†, (149) the story is on a drastic down fall from the beginning, when the protagonist Roderick Usher, calls his friend to come over while he is sick. Roderick already starting off the story as a little mentally ill slowly starts to become more insane. Roderick is affected by his gloomy, near destroyed house and his marriage with his own sister, which creates love and tragedy. The true climax happens towards the end when Roderick buries his sister alive purposely to avoid his marriage. His actions then resulted in the death of himself, and the fall of the house, which Poe uses to show the fall of the Usher family, thus providing the reader with a whirlpool effect, no character growth, and ultimately chaos. This form of gothic literature was not only popular in the 19th century though. American gothic literature began to grow and is still loved by many readers today. These early writers inspired new writers such as Stephen King and many others to create their own works of gothic. In fact, many horror films provide the same schemes that these earlier writers provided. Providing the reader or viewer the same mystery and chaos Poe provided earlier on. In conclusion American gothic literature is a prolific form which captivates many people’s attention with its view on society. With the usage of different forms of symbolism and other literary schemes enhancing the readers experience. This form of literature has been so effective, that American gothic literature still exists today, and still has the same effect it used to. Now even more so in films the type of literature truly has a way of captivating the reader’s attention by providing such a suspenseful experience.

Colgate Pricing Strategy

In a highly competitive oral care market, Colgate holds its’ own, and maintains a category leadership position. The company's strategies to category growth are accomplished by long-term, joint planning with retailers; understanding consumers and how they shop; and employing integrated marketing to demonstrate the benefits of new products. The company has long been on the voyage to establish the best brush possible, and in doing so, has developed a number of impeccable products along the way. The introduction of the Wisp portable mini-brush, which was voted 2010 Product of the Year and marketed through online video and social media, increased Colgate's market share of the U. S. manual toothbrushes to a record 32. 2% last year. In the toothpaste segment, Colgate took the leadership position with 36. 2%. Earlier this year, Colgate introduced Wisp Plus Whitening with over 15 million impressions in the second quarter. Articles in Fitness and InStyle magazines and mentions on â€Å"The View† television program and numerous blogs further promoted awareness of the product, as did sampling at colleges and conducting a Facebook fan drive. In keeping up with consumer trends, Colgate began to focus on features, comfort and professional recommendations. Consumers first purchased toothbrushes without much knowledge or information concerning the product’s benefits. As new product development increased, and consumers became better informed about the benefits of toothbrushes, they began to focus their interest not only on cavity prevention, but also on the health of their gums, their oral hygiene, and their cosmetic appearance. Because consumer interest and toothbrush purchases began to increase, advertising and promotion also began to increase, which lead to the development and addition of the super-premium product class (McCarthy, 2002). Consumers began to purchase toothbrushes based on the specific benefits each toothbrush and company had to offer. One study identified 46% of adults as being therapeutic brushers – that is, brushers acting primarily to avoid cavaties and other problems with oral care (Pauszek, 2009). In reaction, Colgate developed the new Prescision toothbrush. CP tracked consumers brushing movements and how they affected plaque removal, thereby developing a brush with a varation of bristle lengths to thoroughly clean hard to reach areas (Younger, 2002). Production began in 1989 when the company put together a research team whose purpose was aimed at testing the design of the toothbrush, how the company would market the product, and how the company would gain a competitive advantage over others. Colgate-Palmolive’s mission was to â€Å"develop a superior, technical, plaque-removing device† (Laidler, 2003). The research team tested and experimented with the toothbrush for eighteen months by the usage of â€Å"dental professional focus groups and product usage tests. † This led to the introduction stage of the product life cycle, with the â€Å"launching† of the Precision toothbrush to the oral health care market in 1993 (Laidler, 2003). Colgate-Palmolive considered many different names, which included, â€Å"Colgate System III, Colgate Advantage, Colgate 1. 2. 3, Colgate Contour, Colgate Sensation, and Colgate Probe† (Laidler, 2003). Colgate-Palmolive decided upon the name Precision, because they did not want a name that could lead customers to associate the new toothbrush with their already existing toothbrush, Colgate Plus. The price budget for promotion was set at 14. 4 million dollars. The company’s promotion plan was to â€Å"induce trial† (Laidler, 2003). Colgate Palmolive planned to promote the Precision toothbrush by offering a free five-ounce tube of toothpaste or a fifty percent off coupon that could be put towards any other size of toothpaste to every consumer who purchased a Precision toothbrush, and by offering $. 0 off coupons (Younger, 2002). The position of the Precision toothbrush could be niche or mainstream (Colgate Palmolive, 2009). The focus of niche positioning would be placed on consumers who are concerned about the prevention of gum diseases. There would be many positive benefits to the company if Colgate-Palmolive were to position the Precision toothbrush as a niche product. These benefits would include one, by targeting the segment of consumers who are worried about gum disease; Colgate-Palmolive would be able to charge premium prices (Colgate Palmolive, 2009). Two, Colgate-Palmolive would be able to differentiate the Precision toothbrush from other toothbrushes, because of Precision’s technological superiority over the other toothbrushes already on the market. In contrast, mainstream positioning would place emphasis on the Precision toothbrush as being the most appealing and effective toothbrush available on the market. The advantages of using mainstream positioning for the Precision toothbrush would be that most retail stores are under a mainstream position rather than a niche position. In addition, in the super-premium category, the Precision toothbrush would be the most superior product (Younger, 2002). By positioning the toothbrush as a mainstream product, it would in return increase name recognition for Colgate. Negative advantages of using mainstream positioning for the Precision toothbrush are that although the toothbrush would be superior to the other super-premium toothbrushes, the prices for the Precision and other brushes would be equal. Equal prices would then lead to increased competition, which in return could cause prices to go up. A second disadvantage could also lead to the cannibalization of Colgate-Palmolive’s other super-premium toothbrush, the Colgate Plus. By producing a superior toothbrush, that offers more qualities than the other toothbrushes available on the market, at or around the same price as the competition, consumers will hopefully want to purchase the Precision toothbrush over the others. There will be more qualities offered at no extra charge. The price of the toothbrush if positioned as a mainstream product will have to be equal to the prices of the other toothbrushes already available on the market. If the Precision toothbrush is profitable and there is a high percentage of consumer demand, then Colgate-Palmolive might want to consider increasing the price of the toothbrush by a small margin. The price of a product says something about the quality. Even though the quality of the Precision toothbrush will be significantly higher than other leading toothbrushes, the price of the toothbrush will be determined by the prices of the other toothbrushes already in the market (McCarthy, 2002). This pricing strategy is a result of positioning the toothbrush as a mainstream product rather than a niche product.

Lee Campbell Flight 811 Investigation Essay Example

Lee Campbell Flight 811 Investigation Essay Example Lee Campbell Flight 811 Investigation Paper Lee Campbell Flight 811 Investigation Paper Essay Topic: Flight Lee Campbell Flight 811 Investigation Anthony Vallido Aviation Safety 409 ? Abstract United Airlines Flight 811 left Honolulu bound for Auckland, New Zealand on February 24, 1989. A few minutes in the flight the cargo doors blew out and because of the decompression, nine passengers were immediately sucked out of the plane. The debris from the cargo door damaged the planes Number 3 and 4 engines. Captain David Cronin prepared for an emergency landing. The parents of one of the fatalities, Lee Campbell, investigated the accident because they want to know what caused the cargo door to open in midair. Kevin and Susan Campbell were very persistent and relentless in their fight to prove that the cause of the cargo door opening is a malfunction in the electrical system of the locking mechanism. It would take them a few years and spend their own money just to prove their theory and prevent future accidents from happening. Their persistence paid off when the NTSB finally issued a report stating what the Campbell’s have been campaigning all along. ? Introduction On February 24, 1989, United Airlines Flight 811 took off from Honolulu bound for New Zealand. The flight carried 337 passengers, 3 flight crew and 15 flight attendants. The pilots were Captain David Cronin, First Officer Al Slader and Flight Engineer Mark Thomas. After the plane has been in the air for16 minutes, the passengers heard a grinding sound followed by a loud thud which shook the aircraft. A few seconds later the cargo door blew out and the passengers right beside it were immediately ejected out of the airplane. One of the passengers was Lee Campbell. Engines number 3 and 4 were severely damaged from the debris that came from the cargo door that blew off. The debris also damaged the planes right wing LED (Leading Edge Devices) and dented the horizontal stabilizers on that side. Captain Cronin ordered Flight Engineer Thomas to tell the crew to prepare for emergency landing, however he was not able to contact the crew. He then proceeded to go down to check what was happening. When he got down, he saw the extent of the damage to the aircraft. Immediately after leaving the cockpit, he saw that the skin was peeled off in some areas of the deck revealing the frames and stringers. As he went down to the lower deck, he saw the huge hole at the side of the plane and realized the magnitude of the damage. Thomas returned to the cockpit visibly shaken and reported the damage that he saw. At this point he suspected that it was probably a bomb and suggested that they not go over a speed of 250 knots. With limited information, Captain Cronin was able to land the plane without going off the runway. When the plane came to a halt, all passengers and crew were evacuated in 45 seconds. Some of the flight attendants suffered some injuries. The question here is what caused the cargo doors to open? Was it human error or was it electrical in nature? Investigation Lee Campbell was one of the casualties of Flight 811. He was returning home to New Zealand when the accident happened. His parents Kevin and Susan Campbell started an independent investigation from the NTSB. The initial investigation placed the blame on Brian Kitaoka, who at that time worked as a Ramp Serviceman for United Airlines. However, Kevin and Susan Campbell were not satisfied with this cause, which is human error, and continued to pursue their investigation. It took a long time for them to finish the investigation because they could not find the door of the plane. Without that door, they will not be able to check it for electrical errors. They eventually found the door 18 months later, 5km on the ocean floor. The Campbell’s embarked on a relentless personal investigation. Kevin said you can’t let the death of Lee be for nothing. Two months after the crash when the NTSB held preliminary hearings, the Campbell’s made sure they were there. They soon get frustrated because the NTSB will not complete their investigation for months. That is when they decided to take matters into their own hands. Kevin and Susan decided to get the documents from the NTSB during the hearing without permission. From these documents they found information that was not released to the public. There were reports that there disturbing problems with the forward cargo door going right back to its original design. Instead of a plug door that gets jammed into its frame as the aircraft pressure rises, Boeing opted for an outward opening door which allows for more cargo space but the door is not failsafe like the plug design so Boeing built was they thought was a fool proof locking mechanism. Boeing built in multiple redundancies to make sure the door is properly latched and does not open. They built it to a point where it is extremely improbable for the door to open. The Campbell’s discovered that the problem lies with the locking mechanism. To lock the cargo door on the 747, electric motors rotate C-shaped latches around pins in the door frame. A handle then moves L-shaped arms known as locking sectors over the top of the C-shaped latches to prevent them opening. But as early as 1975, problems were found with the locking sectors. Kevin Campbell, an experienced engineer, built a model to show the weakness of the Boeing design. Initially the locking mechanisms were made of aluminum and in 1975 they did not realize that it was not strong enough. The weakness of the aluminum drastically increased the risk of the door accidentally opening. With the aluminum locking sectors, if the C locks tried to backwind open electrically, it would push the locking sector out of the way. It was not doing what it was supposed to be designed for. For twenty years before the accident of Flight 811, 747’s have been flying with this crucial weakness. The Campbell’s wondered what is left to be revealed. They redoubled their efforts to uncover the full truth behind the accident that killed their son. They went to the US to talk to as many people as they can who was involved in the accident. They started at Seattle then went to Chicago all the way to Washington DC then on to San Diego. The Campbell’s soon found out that a shockingly similar incident to Flight 811 had given clear warning of the dangers of the cargo door. In 1987, two years before Flight 811 a Pan Am 747 had been climbing out of Heathrow when it failed to pressurize at 20,000 ft. The pilots had to turn back. When they got to Heathrow, they found out that the door had been hanging open an inch and a half at the bottom and all of the locks were open. When it got to the maintenance base they found that all the locking mechanisms were either bent or broken. Locking Mechanism Flaw Why had the C-latches turned and bent back the locking sectors? Boeing claimed that ground crew must have mishandled mechanism. But the Campbell’s investigation uncovered another vital clue as to why the C-latches had turned. A report by Pan Am engineers highlighted problems with the doors electrical system. It had a problem with the S2 master lock switch that should’ve turned off the power to the door when the outer handle was closed. This was an alarming finding. When the outer handle was closed the S2 master lock switch was meant to disconnect the power supply and stop the C-latch motors from turning. So could this have failed allowing the motors to open the door? To find out, Boeing asked the airlines to do a simple test. Close the outer handle then press the switch to open the door and see what happens. When they hit the switch, it actually worked. Boeing thought that it wouldn’t work but it did. There was power to the door locks with the outer handle closed and locks started to move and started to force the locking sectors out of the way. A few days later the airlines started calling saying that it was damaging their planes so Boeing stopped the test. This meant that on those aircrafts the S2 locking mechanism had failed and those aircrafts has the potential of having the same problem as Flight 811. It would just take a short circuit to open the doors in mid flight. The Campbell’s now became convinced that the accident on Flight 811 began with a failure of the S2 switch. Power remained on the C latch motors. All it took was a short circuit on the 20 year old wiring which had been found to be frayed on other aircraft to start the motors up. The aluminum locking sectors were too weak to stop the latches turning and the cargo door burst open. After a year of investigation the NTSB had a different version of the events. The Campbell’s were in for a shock. After waiting for a year, the Campbell’s expected the findings to match their theory on what happened. They assumed that the report will come out and that it would state that it was a malfunction but were surprised when it was reported that the door had been mishandled. For the Campbell’s, the NTSBs flawed explanation and failure to mention the electrical problems just wasn’t good enough. They went back to investigating the accident and soon found disturbing evidence of how it could and should have been prevented. Resolving the Problem After the Pan Am incident in 1987, it turned out that Boeing had issued a directive to the airlines on how to correct the weak aluminum locking sectors. The directive that came out was to replace the aluminum sectors with steel sectors that could not be bent. There were also going to be interim inspections to be performed until the steel sectors were installed. The fix was cheap and simple but getting it done was not. The actual cost for the modification and changing the locking sectors to steel was $2000 per aircraft but it will take 10 hours to do it and that is what made it expensive. The airline would lose money if they take the aircraft of service for 10hours which could translate into millions of dollars. The Campbell’s discovered that back in 1987, the FAA whose role was to enforce improvements had given the airlines 18 months to comply. United made no plans to install the steel locking sectors. Within a year, Lee Campbell and 8 others will die in an avoidable accident. So why were the airlines not forced to fix the problem sooner? If these large commercial airplanes are grounded it will be an economic disaster. What the airlines does is to lobby to the FAA to allow them to do the fixes over time when the airplanes are in for their normal maintenance. In that way they are not taken out of service. However, when they allow the airlines to fix it over time, the FAA is actually gambling with the lives of the passengers and crew who are flying on these airplanes. After the deaths on Flight 811, the FAA instantly shortened the deadline for fixing the cargo door from 18 months to just 30 days. The pressure of the Campbell’s campaign eventually began to pay off. The vital piece of evidence can prove them right, the cargo door which lay 2 km on the ocean floor. But as articles appeared in the American Press, the NTSB commissioned the US Navy to search for it. A hundred miles south of Honolulu, a deep submersible began to trawl the seabed. They recovered the door and the Campbell’s were notified of this. But before the Campbell’s can see it, the door was quickly transferred to Boeings plant in Seattle. The Campbell’s went in hot pursuit. When they got to Boeing, they would show the door to the Campbell’s which led them to believe that the crucial pieces were already sent to the NTSB. So once again they went to Washington DC. After 3 hours they finally got the pieces they needed from the NTSB and they told them that they were right that it was an electrical malfunction. They assured the Campbell’s that they will fix the airplanes so that the accident will never happen again. However, the Campbell’s were also informed that despite of the findings, the report will not be changed. Even with the evidence of an electrical malfunction in their hands, the NTSB refused to change their report. Then in June 1991 fate intervened. A four year old United 747 was in the airport when the C latch motor started up and the door opened itself. The Campbell’s said that there is no way that the NTSB can deny it any longer that it was an electrical malfunction. Conclusion Finally the NTSB issued a revised report that concurred with the Campbell’s version. In a press conference, the NTSB stated that there was inadvertent failure of either the switch or the wiring that caused an uncommanded opening of the door. The Campbell’s felt vindicated after the announcement and happy that they were right all along. They spent thousands of dollars of their own money in their campaign. They were never interested in the financial settlement for Lee’s death. But they did persuade United and Boeing to set up a university scholarship in his name. Susan Campbell said that she would not have been able to live with herself if she did not investigate the death of her son. The Campbell’s knew it was something they had to do and did not even discuss it. But despite long and public campaigns like that of the Campbell’s, critics fear that airline industry has not learned the lessons from Flight 811. The FAA has a dual role. One is to promote the aviation industry and the other is aviation safety and when they are put in a situation where they are between economics and safety, they tend to lean towards economics. Serious accidents caused by known defects continue to occur. In the 1990 known problems in aircraft de-icing systems led to crashes. At least 3 planes have had fatal fires due to known dangers of flammable insulation materials. In 1998, a fully laden 747 blew itself up over the Atlantic when known faults in the wiring ignited known hazards in the fuel tanks. Inevitably, experts are skeptical about the industries record of balancing profit against prevention. References McKarcher, S. (2004). Ual 811 20 years later. Airline Crew, Retrieved from airlinecrew. et/vbulletin/showthread. php? 209818-UAL-811-20-Years-Later Baehr, B. (2011). Victims parents absolve hawaii man of role in air disaster. Hawaii News Now, Retrieved from hawaiinewsnow. com/story/15002555/victims-parents-absolve-hawaii-man-of-role-in-air-disaster (n. d. ). United airlines flight 811. Wikipedia, Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/United_Airlines_Flight_811 Bridgeman, S. (2009, February 27). Flight 811: The untold story. Sunday Star times. Retrieved from stuff. co. nz/sunday-star-times/features/1400976/Flight-811-the-untold-story

The Libyan Revolution

The Libyan Revolution The Libyan revolution began in February 2011 and ended in October 2011, lasting for 8 months and 6 days (Manhire 44). The revolution was a clash between Muamar Gadaffi’s forces and forces that wanted to overthrow his government. It was one of the many revolutions in the Middle East, which came to be included in the so-called Arab spring.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on The Libyan Revolution specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The revolution started at Benghazi with protesters clashing with government forces loyal to Gaddafi (Manhire 45). Afterwards, the protests culminated into a nationwide rebellion that led to the formation of the National Transitional Council, a group that constituted forces opposed to Gadaffi’s rule. The main things that caused the Libyan revolution include violation of human rights, poor leadership and widespread corruption and poor development (Manhire 48). Since Gadaffi became the d efacto leader of Libya in 1969, Libyans never enjoyed justice and their rights were violated every day. For many years, Gadaffi’s poor leadership caused oppression and poverty in the lives of many Libyans (Manhire 49). His regime was highly corrupt, and he used public funds and resources to enrich himself. The revolution started when people became fed up and decided to liberate themselves from the tyrannical regime. Religion, politics, nationalism and economics played a critical role in the revolution. The main objective of the revolution was to save Libya from corruption and an oppressive regime. This can be attributed to politics and the people’s nationalism. Forces that sought to oust Gadaffi held liberal political views and wanted to liberate Libya from economic exploitation and corruption (Manhire 50). Religion was also a critical factor in the revolution. Religion was in support of the revolution because under Gadaffi’s rule, religion was under his control and had no impact in his government. In addition, there were debates regarding the role of Islam religion in the government of Libya, debates which Gadaffi ignored and trampled down. The revolution was mainly a clash between forces loyal to Gadaffi and forces that were against his rule and that sought to oust him from power (Manhire 54). In addition, it involved civilians who were divided into two groups: those who supported Gadaffi and those who did not support him. The forces opposed to Gadaffi’s rule formed a temporary governing body that they named the National Transitional Council.Advertising Looking for essay on asian? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The council was determined to oust Gadaffi from power and on February 2011, decided to freeze his assets and the assets of his close aids. In addition, they referred the case to the International Criminal Court for legal intervention. Gadaffi’s force s then declared a ceasefire but failed to honor their word. Rebel groups declined the government’s call to a ceasefire because it did not include the removal of Gadaffi from power. The social media played a significant role in the Libyan revolution. For example, people used the social media to get updates on the revolution. These updates included where protests were taking place, police activity and activities by the rebel groups. In addition, it aided in informing the world about the severity of the revolution (Manhire 59). It helped summon help from other countries. The Libyan revolution led to the ousting of Gadaffi’s government. The National Interim Council assumed temporary control of Libya, Muamar Gadaffi was killed and violence between opposing forces heightened. Many countries recognized the National Interim Council as the governing body and forces opposed to Gadaffi’s rule took control of many Libyan cities. As a result, many military members defected t o the opposing side and many government officials resigned from their positions (Manhire 61). The clashes between pro-Gadaffi and anti-Gadaffi forces led to the death of many civilians. The revolution was effective in ending the oppressive and corrupt regime of Gadaffi. However, it involved violence that led to many deaths and murders. Innocent people were killed and many were displaced. Manhire, Toby. The Arab Spring: Rebellion, Revolution and a New World Order. New York: Random House, 2012. Print.

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen Literature review - 3

The effect of economic crisis to the marketing strategy of Volkswagen in Asian market. The case of Vietnam - Literature review Example In addition to that, the report will also provide some recommendation regarding how the company can deal with the issue. According to Dicken (2007), the automobile industry is adjudged to be one of the most globalised industrial sectors in the world. Similarly, in Vietnam automobile sector is a booming. The major automobile companies operating in the market of Vietnam are Daewoo, Daihatsu, Ford/Mazda, Daimler Benz, Hino Motors, Isuzu, Mekong, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Truong Hai and Volkswagen (Ohno and Cuong, 2004). These companies manufacture car of different shapes, sizes, designs and categories (Sturgeon, 1998). According to reports, Truong Hai is the market leader in the automobile sector of Vietnam with a market share of 28.9 %. Next to Truong Hai, Toyota holds 27 % of the market share. The report also pointed out that the overall sales of cars in Vietnam fell by 2 % in the year 2011 thereby reflecting a falling demand of vehicles (ResearchAndMarkets, 2012). In addition to this, due to the Thai flooding the manufacturing process had been also disrupted. Apart from the natural calamities, one o f the major reasons of reducing demand of commercial cars in Vietnam is the global economic crisis. As a result, companies are forced to cut down their operating cost and create a balance between the net income and net cost. Similarly, in case of Volkswagen, the demand of their cars in Vietnam has also reduced substantially. Due to the reducing demand for their cars, the company also reduced the costs pertaining to various operations. Moreover, the global economic downturn also had a substantial impact in the marketing strategy of the company (Volkswagen: Annual Report, 2011). Now in order to uncover, how and in what ways the economic downturn has affected the company, a primary research has been carried out. The findings from the study are presented below. The first research question of the study is related to the

Monetary and Fiscal Policies on Recession Research Paper

Monetary and Fiscal Policies on Recession - Research Paper Example As a result, the rate of unemployment goes up reducing the purchasing power of consumers. Consecutively, money supply in the economy becomes significantly low (Navarro, 2009). Fiscal policy is used by governments to stabilize aggregate demand and aggregate supply in the economy by influencing the government spending, borrowing and taxation. The government uses fiscal policy to change the patterns of people’s spending. According to Keynesian school, fiscal policy helps restore employment rates, demand and output where the economy is operating below capacity. Keynesian recommends two types of fiscal policies; expansionary fiscal policy and contractionary fiscal policy. Expansionary fiscal policy is used where the government requires deficit spending in case of recession while contractionary fiscal policy is used when there is an excess expansion which requires a surplus in the budget (Renee, 2009). Monetary policy is another tool used to manage the aggregate demand and supply by controlling the supply of money in the economy. The government uses the central bank to control growth, liquidity, inflation and consumption due to changes in the amount of money in the economy. The Federal Reserve System responds to excessive money supply by raising the interest rate and lowers the interest rates when there is low money supply in the market (Borio & Disyatat, 2010). The Great Recession of 2008 presented severe economic conditions in the US and also in other countries. Furthermore, the recession was associated with elongated economic slumps and slow economic recoveries. After recession, most of the world economies went into depression and this caused a large gap in the recovery of the currency, as the developing countries have weaker currencies compared to the developed countries.