Movie Analysis Of Walt Disneys Enchanted Film Studies Essay

Movie Analysis Of Walt Disneys Enchanted Film Studies Essay A film from Walt Disney pictures, Enchanted, is a fantasy musical film starring Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, James Marsden, Timothy Spall, Idina Menzel, Rachel Covey and Susan Sarandon. It is directed by Kevin Lima and written by Billy Kelly. Enchanted garnered two nominations at the 65th Golden Globe Awards and three nominations at the 80th Academy Awards. The film earned more than $340 million worldwide at the box office.1 The movie starts with a storybook showing the story in the magical kingdom of Andalasia. There is an evil queen named Narissa (Susan Sarandon) who tries to prevent her step son from marrying a maiden in fear that she will lose her throne. On the other hand, there is a girl named Giselle (Amy Adams), who hopes that a prince will come for her and share true loves kiss. Still, no matter how hard the evil queen prevents the prince from ever meeting a maiden, Prince Edward (James Marsden) still meets Giselle when he heard her singing True Loves Kiss. They fell in love at first sight and decided to marry each other. On the day of their wedding, an old lady showed up and said that she has a wedding gift for Giselle. But, it is a trap set by the evil queen. The queen pushed Giselle into the well which led her to Earth, a place which the queen called as a place where there is no happily ever afters. The comical character of Giselle became a real lady in the real world. She comes out of a manhole and, knowing nothing about the real world, is surprised with what she saw. She tries to find help on how to go back to Andalasia but ended up getting her tiara stolen by an old guy. She walks until she finds a billboard with the picture of a palace which she thought was a real one. On the way home after work of Robert Philip (Patrick Dempsey) with her daughter Morgan (Rachel Covey), Morgan told her dad that there is a princess in the castle and goes out of the cab. Giselle falls down from the billboard and fortunately Robert caught him. Seeing that Giselle had no place to stay, Robert let Giselle stay in th eir home for the night. In search for Giselle, Prince Edward goes into the real world, together with the chipmunk Pip. They also came out of the manhole which made people wonder where they are coming from. Waking up in the morning and seeing how messy the place was, Giselle called her animal friends and they cleaned the house together. Nancy (Idina Menzel) who is Roberts fianceeà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒâ€¦Ã‚ ¡ saw Giselle in his home and she got mad at him. Queen Narissa sent Nathaniel to search for Prince Edward to prevent him from finding Giselle. Nathaniel met the Prince and Pip tried to say to the Prince what the Queen plans to do to Giselle but the Prince could not understand it because the chipmunk cannot talk on earth. In the meantime, Robert came with Giselle to their office. They went for a stroll in the park where Nathaniel gave Giselle a poisonous apple which she luckily did not get a chance to eat. Giselle asked Robert how Nancy knows he loves her. Giselle started singing a song which Prince Edward has luckily heard. Giselle sent Nancy a heart-shaped flowers with doves to help Robert in expressing his love for Nancy. On a restaurant where Giselle and Robert ate, Nathaniel, in an attempt to poison Giselle, gave her a poisonous drink. When she was about to drink it, Pip kicks the glass and successfully told Giselle that Prince Edward is there too. Nathaniel saw Pip so it hid under the pizza which Nathaniel threw in the fire. It made the news that Pip was still alive. Giselle was interviewed in the television where Prince Edward saw him. Prince Edward went to that place and searched for Giselle. By this time, Giselle and Robert have fallen in love with each other but they just could not admit it since they both have lovers. In the morning, the Prince met Giselle and they are both glad to see each other again. Prince Edward and Giselle went on a date so she has to say goodbye to Robert and Morgan. But Giselle went back because she has to go to the ball. Morgan helped her buy clothes with the help of her daddys credit card. Queen Narissa could not accept that Prince Edward and Giselle are together again so she followed to the real world. At the ball, she showed up as an old lady and gave Giselle an apple which made Giselle fall asleep with just one bite. Prince Edward kissed Giselle to try to wake her up, but she did not. When Robert kissed Giselle, she woke up which means that Robert is her true love. Queen Narissa turned into a dragon and fought with Giselle but Queen Narissa fell and was burned in fire. The film ends with each page of the storybook telling what happened to each character in the story at the end. Prince Edward and Nancy went back to Andalasia and got married. Nathaniel has been a well-known writer in the real world while Pip has been a well-known writer in Andalasia. Robert, Giselle and Morgan became a happy family in the real world. The excellent acting skills of the actors and actresses in the movie made it possible for the movie to win awards. Amy Adams showed how good she is not only in acting but also in singing. James Marsden also did a good job in portraying a prince, who also sings. Though Patrick Dempseys role did not require him to sing, he still did well in acting. Almost all of the casts gave justice to their roles. For the editing, I can say that it was perfect. The scene where there are even cockroaches and rats helping Giselle do the cleaning was edited nicely. Also, the transition from the fairytale to the real world was blameless. The effects used in the scene where the Dragon, Narissa, falls down the building while burning with fire and disappears magically was superbly done. I liked the costume designs of the characters especially Amy Adams and James Marsdens which shows real prince and princess outfit. The background music chosen for each scene was very appropriate. When the fight scene at the top of the castle was shown, the background music added a lot to the atmosphere of the said scene. Since this is a musical film, there has to be production numbers. I can say that they have allotted so much time in practicing for the major production number for the song Thats How You Know since we can see how coordinated everyone is and how perfect their movements are. It was a colorful one. There are old couples, brides and grooms, and even construction workers dancing too. The melody was good and was made even better by the beat of the drums and the voice of Amy Adams. There are also humorous scenes injected in the movie. One can laugh at the scene of Prince Edward when he asks the television like it was a mirror to tell him where the place Giselle was and the reporter actually said the location then Prince Edward thanked the television. Another is when Giselle made a dress out of the curtains which left a trace of the outline of the dress. Overall, I can say that I really liked this movie for it combines fairytale, which everyone has liked in their childhood, and the real world where we are. I also loved all the songs played in this movie.

Imagery in The Jungle :: Upton Sinclair

The scenes that I encountered when reading about the meat packaging industry in the early 1900's were very graphic. Some images were more graphic than others. The first scene that comes to mind when I think about the passage "The Jungle" was the huge iron wheel with pigs on it. This scene sticks out in my mind because I can almost see the pigs squealing as they are ripped away by their feet up higher and higher into the air. I can also see the massive "river" of hogs awaiting their turn to be chained up by the burly Negro. Another scene that is easy to describe is the scene where the "knockers" struck the cows on the head with a sledge hammer. In this scene all I can imagine is worn out man who has swung a sledge all day. This man would have to be worn out in a couple of years due to the physical demand. The next scene im going to describe is the scene in the steaming room. This is probably one of the most disgusting scenes in the entire text. Knowing all the germs that could poss ibly be there and the fact that there was new germs brought in every hour. The odor those men had to have worked in would have been gut wrenching. The bubbly creek was the part of the Chicago river into which all the blood, lard, hair, and any other possible thing that came off of a pig or cow was swept into. The idea that a man came along and collected the film that formed on the top and sold it as "pure lard" is appalling. And to think that unsuspecting families purchased the waste and then cooked with it. One of the jobs the men in the factory could apply for was the "knocker." This was the man who would knock out the cows before they were slid out of the "killing bed." Another job there was in the factory was the "butcher" this guy was the one who was to bleed out the cow. The way in which he did this was to make one swift stroke to the cow. After which the cow was hung to bleed out. The "headsman" was one of the other jobs men had in the factory. It was his job to make two or three swift strikes to the neck and severe the head in the fastest manner possible.

New Product Launch Marketing Plan Essay

Audi LED headlights Audi is a top of the line luxury car manufacturing company who plans to achieve goals and provide consumers with one of kind products. Audi has decided to create a new LED head light with spot detection capabilities to assist with consumer safety while driving in the city, as well as down country roads. Audi has assessed the need for their new product and has found that the new LED headlights with spot detection would be great for the consumer as well as the company sales. Through past research by Audis team we have found that several accidents within the United stated States occurred due to poor head lights or blinding head lights. Though Audis current venture is geared towards consumer’s with families who travel at least 100 miles a week, their game plan is to incorporate this light into all vehicles. We will address the areas of target population, product position against the competitions, as well as each stage of the product life cycle and our expansion of product offerings. Audi focuses on people (Idea Connection, 2014). This new innovation of LED head lights will do just that; focus on people. Audi will utilize the family and let them be the guide behind the quality and performance of this new offering (Idea Connection, 2014). Target market profile At Audi, we came up with this new headlight technology that is designed to make night driving safer. The target market for our product is composed of couples with children under the age of 15. Among these families, the focus will be on those who drive SUVs’, Minivans and Sedans. The target audience will be based around those parents who drive their kids to extracurricular activities like piano lessons or soccer, and who live either deep in the  country or outside of the city. One submarket will be those who live within the city and like to travel outside the city. These headlights are best suited for people who drive over 100 miles a day. In terms of income, we will target individuals with a college degree who make more than one hundred thousand dollars per year. Our product will also aim at corporations who offer company vehicle for their senior executives. Key buying behaviors Three factors influence consumers buying behaviors, those factors are cultural, social and personal (Kotler & Keller, 2012). In terms of culture, individuals during the course of their life will be influenced by family, friends, neighbors, and others. Our consumers are individuals whose family members are accustomed to luxury cars, preferably Audis’. Cultural factors influencing buying behavior in terms of culture are also social classes. Our consumers will be individuals belonging to the upper class of society. For these individuals owning a luxury car with the latest technology is a statement. On the social level of consumers buying behaviors, our target market will be influenced by factors such as reference groups, family, and social roles and statuses (Kotler & Keller, 2012). Our consumers will be influenced by family members, for instance a mother will most likely want her children to ride safely in a minivan, or SUV. A businessman will buy an Audi sedan because it is a luxury car and it tell others what social class he belongs to. Our target consumers are influenced by membership groups. One example is an individual who buys a luxury car to blend in with others in hos social circle who also own luxury cars. â€Å"Personal characteristics that influence a buyer’s decision include age and stage in the life cycle, occupation and economic circumstances, personality and self- concept, and lifestyle and values.† (Kotler &Keller, 2012, p.155). Our consumers will be men and women, 30 years old or older. The target customers are also educated and very thoughtful as they carefully weigh the benefits of purchasing such a product (Rao, 2014). We believe that as mothers and wives, our consumers will be focused on safety. There have been a lot of plane crashes lately, because of that more and more people decide to drive instead of fly. Corporations will be concerned with profit. Corporations will see great benefit in Audi as it relates to the new LED head lights. The thought of safety will both save the company money, attract eager and loyal employees,  as well as give a strong impression on both competitors and new clients. Decision motivators for consumer/organizational target markets The primary decision motivators for buying the new headlights on the Audi car are the enhanced safety features of the product. Since the primary feature of the new headlights leads to secure driving, it will appeal to almost all consumers. On the other hand, the organizational target markets will entail the demographics of the urban areas. Geographic target markets will target the individuals who live in the urban areas that have developed infrastructures (Novak, De Leeuw & MacEvoy, 2011). Product life-cycle (PLC) LED headlights continue to develop short and long-term strategies in the product life-cycle. The first of four stages is the introduction into the market; customer-value hierarchy is vital during the introduction stage, which identifies the core benefit of the product and creates a detailed description of the basic product. The augmented product value stage must surpass the customer yearning for safety and technology. In addition, marketers will incorporate future potential product growth. The product design can be incorporated into any Audi vehicle during the manufacturing process. The LED headlight will be an upgrade option, and pricing will be slightly higher than Audis without the LED headlight. A strong customer-value hierarchy strategy will enhance product promotion, and the place to launch the LED headlight will be a joint effort with Audi Automotive. During the initial growth phase, pricing will remain slightly higher than Audis without the LED headlight. Based on the lesson learned during the introduction of the LED headlight, the customer-value hierarchy strategy will adjust to meet customer expectations. Product promotion will continue to expand into new markets. The maturity phase begins when the LED headlight implementation reaches market equilibrium; pricing will remain the same during this phase. If the product continues to exceed customer-value hierarchy strategy, the product promotion will continue with the addition of customer and law enforcement reviews. Research and development continues to improve the LED headlight technology. The decline phase begins when market followers enter the market; pricing will then be slightly reduced in an attempt to slow the rate of decline. Product promotion will then be redirected to the new and improved LED headlight. Promotions and places to  launch the new product will be nationwide rather than regional launches during the introduction phase. Product mix A Product Mix is referred to as â€Å"the complete range of products produced by a company.† (http://businesscasestudies.co.u). That being said, Audi plans to unleash its new LED headlights in all of its product lines, which will appeal to the varying types of drivers who have a plethora of different needs and wants in a luxury vehicle. Audi produces a multitude of options for consumers to choose from. These products include 13 sedan options that range from $29,900 to $137,900, six SUV/Crossover/Wagon options that span from $32,500-$51,900, six Coupe options ranging from $40,000-$115,900, and seven Convertible options that span from $35,600-$129,400. (http://www.audiusa.com). With 32 available products that can be altered to match the driver’s particular style, the LED headlight is poised to grant the ultimate driving experience. â€Å"Audi revolutionized vehicle lighting with the first full-LED headlamps in 2008.† (http://www.audileds.com). Audi responded to the automobile industry’s need to change how vehicle headlights affect road conditions for all drivers. Audi continues to enhance its LED design, which is sure to darken its competitors’ vision of the future of automobile driving experience and further differentiating itself by not only enhancing driving conditions, but will be made available in a variety of options. â€Å"Only one square millimeter in size and offered on every vehicle in the lineup, LEDs have opened up an array of styling opportunities for Audi designers.† (http://www.audileds.com). Audi adds that â€Å"these little marvels can be combined to create infinite shapes and arrangements, giving each vehicle a look that’s distinct yet unmistakably Audi.† (http://www.audileds.com). Positioning statement â€Å"For you that spend hours behind the wheel, Audi is one in its luxury class that provides not just the looks of a high end vehicle but the safest lighting for safe traveling. Unlike traditional vehicles Audi provides a combination of class, luxury, and the safest selection to keep you and loved ones safe†. Audi is not only committed to provide its consumers with top  notch service but it has also taken measures to separate itself from the competition. Audi is improving all of its vehicles by providing â€Å"LED lighting† on all its vehicles as part of its standard package. Audi’s positioning statement carries words such as â€Å"luxury, safe, traveling, family† which will always come to mind for those searching for a vehicle to purchase. Audi’s statement is targeting families, those that travel a lot, those that enjoy the luxury of a vehicle but at the same time want to keep themselves and loved ones safe. The consumers spoke and Audi listened. Their position statement is meaningful, important, and convincing to its customers, not just to the company. The Audi brand will deliver on this promise and continue to earn the trust and respect from consumers. References Anonymous. Staying ahead by meeting changing consumer needs. Business Case Studies: A Heinz case study. Retrieved August 2, 2014 from http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/heinz /staying-ahead-by-meeting-changing-consumer-needs/the-product-mix.html#axzz39FCRkOTR Defeat Darkness. LED technology:The vision of LED;View the LED experience. Retrieved August 2, 2014 from http://www.audileds.com/ Idea connection (2014). Audi looks to the future of car production. http://www.ideaconnection.com/open-innovation-success/Audi-Looks-to-the-Future-of-Car-Production-00392.html Retrieved August 1, 2014 Kotler, P., & Keller, K. (2012). Marketing Management (14th Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Models. Retrieved August 2, 2014 from http://www.audiusa.com/models# Novak, T. P., DeLeeuw, J., & MacEvoy, B. (2011). Richness curves for evaluating market segmentation. Department of Statistics, UCLA.

Case Study on D.I.a Baggage Handling System Essay

According to the initial plan, the project was to span from 1989 to 1993 and cost $1.7 billion. The opening of the airport was delayed four times due to problems with the baggage handling system. Overall 16 long months and a final cost of $4.5 billion. Several factors contributed to this fiasco, ranging from deficient scheduling, simple and untested technology, complexity of the systems and requirements that changed throughout the project itself. Let us take a look back at why Denver International Airport would take on such a project. The vision was to implement the largest automated baggage handling system the world had seen and allows Denver International Airport to be hailed as the air transportation hub, the largest in the United States with a capacity to handle more than 50 million passengers annually. The airport was to replace the Stapleton International Airport, a facility that had experienced serious congestion issues. Of course in order to handle that kind of capacity part of this plan involved implementing an automated baggage handling system, this was the critical piece of the plan. This report discusses the difficulties encountered as a direct result of a poor project plan, communication and implementation. Analyses have been done by many groups regarding this debacle and the failures itself are examples that are used to show the improper project management that was used. First, let us briefly discuss what tried to be accomplished. The Denver International Airport wanted to introduce a baggage system that when operational would rely on a network of computers (approx. 300) to route the bags and then approximately 4000 auto-cars to drive the luggage on a 21-mile track, completely autonomous. There were to be laser scanners used to read bar codes on luggage with tags and that would route them to the correct terminal or location. Sounds simple enough however BAE was the company that would try to bring this all to reality and would be one of the largest airports built in the United States since 1974. United Airlines was one of the main drivers and reasons for the push for a high-speed automated baggage system (http://www5.in.tum.de/~huckle/schloh_DIA.pdf). This was all requested and scoped early in the planning phase. Now prior to deciding how to proceed the officials had thought each airline would develop its own systems, but this failed to occur so the Airport looked into purchasing a system to handle all terminals baggage. The scope of such a project would not find traditional methods as those were too investigated. A man named Frank Kwapniewski, would be the site project manager â€Å"lucky† enough to call this project his â€Å"baby†. BAE had more than twenty some programmers working undistracted for two years to write software to handle all the automated needs of luggage, the engineers, which took just as long in their initial efforts of development. The initial design’s failures were inconsistency, so BAE sought to reduce such confusion and mishap, and wanted to understand the complex nature, however even a more scrutinous view would have foreshadowed the mishap of making such a large system functionally. Richard de Neufville stated in an excerpt from his book that the theoretical studies, models and reports regarding the automated baggage system at Denver were avoidable and should never be repeated (Neufville). BAE’s design flaws of complexity and the effects thereafter were a result of improper project planning and scope. The complexity of what it would take to operate and control automated machinery was never addressed or fully tested prior to implementation. Even after work ended when it was turned on and expected to work as intended, Denver officials were surprised at how poor it performed even enough to turn off the system. Let us take a moment to look at how complex this system truly was and how BAE design and planning failed to gain a glimpse of what it would take to operate such a daunting task. An empty cart is called and needs to go from one track to another, albeit simple sounding, this type of activity would have had to take place over a thousand times a minute under normal operating conditions. Since there were differences or variances in demand for empty carts throughout the airport, empty ones must continually switch direction, change tracks or completely change to another loop in the circuit. This is a logistics nightmare as one can imagine on such scale, so many variables to account for and they must do it error free. This was not using modern technology but even still it would have had to been almost instant decision making on again an error free basis. Typical systems with around 10k function points are cancelled approximately 65 percent of the time (capers Jones). In Denver, though the system’s workload hindered the network terribly to around 4000 tele-cars or auto-cars. These 1994 computers were tracking so many cars that several times a minute they mis-t racked just simply due to timing limitations. The planning of such a system was again originally contracted by United in 1991 to build, however after several years into it, BAE was concerned that the city of Denver still had not contracted for a baggage system. Sadly, the baggage system was nothing more than an afterthought of the design of the airport, AFTER construction began, let me make sure you understand that AFTER construction had begun and only then did the details surrounding the baggage handling system start to begin. This of course caused major problems due to limitations of resources that were not allocated properly which would contain the baggage system’s tracks and other components. The system then was made to fit in the underground tunnels and space available, not designed. These auto-carts had sharp turns now to make which again was not part of any plan. The schedule that BAE or timetable rather that they had set for the grand opening was not remotely realistic and as all good projects should do, have taken into consideration any potential issues along the way. BAE officials were even quoted as stating â€Å"We knew that was not long enough and we said so. It is a job that ought to take twice as long† (Why Technology Projects Fail). They knew but accepted the timetable of 4 years when they knew it should take 7 to 8 years for such a task. Denver Aviation Director James C DeLong even stated they just misjudged the timeline completely. The project as most will when unrealistic deadlines are given will continue to fall behind more and more, which then calls for more rapid work, longer hours which can lead, as the case here, to human error since the training and testing period were almost non-existent to meet the make-believe deadline. One of the other common misnomers in this project was the frequency and number of changes to its requirements, not a refining of them, but completely adding new functionality along the way. When the company BAE, took on the task, unrealistic as this sounds they took it on with anticipating no changes at all. As soon as work began though, Denver officials began changing plans and timetables without consulting either the airlines or BAE. Sadly, when changes were made to one piece of the system, the ramifications they made to other pieces was not clearly understood or the system as a whole. Again to reduce costs and save time, it was decided to remove an entire loop of track, from one of the concourses, this saved them 20 million, keep that figure in mind as later the system as a whole would cost them much more in the months after being deployed. Other such changes were made to save money, such as relocation of stations and addition of middle sub floor for baggage platforms that they referred to as the mezzanine baggage platform. Another airline also demanded the request for large baggage link. As the project matured, prior to implementation its scope size and complexity, along with design changed which increased the systems difficulties on a technical level that would continually deter progress. BAE then later chooses to decentralize all of the tracking and sorting computers, all these changes to scope should have led to review of alternate or contingency planning or delayed launch dates. However due to the shortened development and testing timetable, on the fly changes which should have required major pushback from core team members were â€Å"duct-taped† as I like to refer to it. One of the directors of engineering for the DIA, stated that BAE should have paid more attention to the programming issues early enough in the design phase. Lack of system testing, what I have I continuously stated all semester long about system testing and end-user testing, as a project manager most would agree, more than 75% of all IS projects are hampered by quality issue and 1 percent which are completed on time. I see reasons behind such statistics is not enough testing. I would advise any IT PMP to read ePMbook which is an online e-book regarding scope and project control, as was the case here a project that started out to be huge, got even bigger and eventually spiraled out of control. The ePM Book will has an excellent section that the BAE, airline and Denver City officials should have read prior to beginning step 2 of the project. They should have implemented any change coming through a request known now as a Change Request form. These forms are used to control the project’s scope and allow for the Project Lead, along with the core team, which requests can and will be made part of the original project and which can be sla ted as next phase or next step after implementation. It almost sounds as if this project never had a Change Control Process (CCP) whatsoever, if it did whoever was in charge of such did a horrible job, this CCP should exist throughout a project. It allows for requests to acknowledged in a timely fashion within a phase, and most important to determine impact in the planning for the next phase. This as stated on the site can be easier than de-railing the entire project due to shortening length of next step phases in the project path due to scope creep. Airlines kept changing the requirements, which resulted in numerous issues. One of the major reasons the whole thing went awry stems from BAE, the company that designed the system had previously implemented a similar system in Germany. The IT infrastructure was inadequate and design was not meant for such a large scale as that at the DIA. Well sadly it was not just a lesson for the DIA, BAE and Denver, but the taxpayers also ended up with a $1 million PER DAY cost, totaling $500 million by the end of the whole ordeal. Remember that 22 million they saved, good thing huh. Now let us think about how more time spent in analysis and design phase, let alone a Change control process, saved Colorado taxpayers millions of dollars. Since every project has a set of deliverables, assigned budget and expected closure time, there are agreed upon requirements and tasks to complete prior to the closure of a project. These constitute a project’s scope. The PMBoK clearly speaks to creeping scope and defines it adding features and functionality without addressing the effects on TIME, COST, and RESOURCES or without customer approval (PMBOK Version 4). References A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK ® Guide) (4th ed.).(2008). Newtown Square, Pa.: Project Management Institute. Brooks, F.P. (1995). The mythical man month: Essays on software engineering. (Anniversary Ed.). Boston: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc. JOHNSON, K. (2005, August 27). Denver Airport Saw the Future. It Didn’t Work. – New York Times. The New York Times – Breaking News, World News & Multimedia. From http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/27/national/27denver.html?pagewanted=al lchloh_DIA.pdf Neufville, R., & Odoni, A. R. (2003). Airport systems: planning design, and management. New York: McGraw-Hill. New Denver Airport: Impact of the Delayed Baggage System — GAO/RCED-95-35BR. (n.d.). RITA | National Transportation Library. Retrieved December 6, 2012, from http://ntl.bts.gov/DOCS/rc9535br.html Scope & Change Control. (n.d.). Project Management and Program Management – The FREE ePMbook by Simon Wallace. Retrieved December 2, 2012, from http://www.epmbook.com/scope.htm Wiegers, K. (2003). Software Requirements (Second ed.). Redmond: Microsoft Press. Why Technology Projects Fail. (n.d.). Calleam Consulting – LLC. Retrieved December 1, 2012, from http://www5.in.tum.de/~huckle/DIABaggage.pdf

A Profile of the Bonnethead Shark

A Profile of the Bonnethead Shark The bonnethead shark (Sphyrna tiburo), also known as the bonnet shark, bonnet nose shark, and shovelhead shark is one of nine species of hammerhead sharks. These sharks all have a unique hammer or shovel-shaped heads. The bonnethead has a shovel-shaped head with a smooth edge. The head shape of the bonnethead may help it more easily find prey. A 2009 study found that bonnethead sharks have a nearly 360-degree vision and excellent depth perception. These are social sharks that are most often found in groups numbering from 3 up to 15 sharks. More About the Bonnethead Shark Bonnethead sharks are about 2 feet long on average and grow to a maximum length of about 5 feet. Females typically are larger than males. Bonnetheads have a grayish-brown or gray back that often has dark spots and a white underside. These sharks need to swim continuously to supply fresh oxygen to their gills. Classifying the Bonnethead Shark The following is the scientific classification of the bonnethead shark: Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: GnathostomataSuperclass: PiscesClass: ElasmobranchiiSubclass: NeoselachiiInfraclass: SelachiiSuperorder: GaleomorphiOrder: CarcharhiniformesFamily: SphyrnidaeGenus: SphyrnaSpecies: tiburo Habitat and Distribution Bonnethead sharks are found in subtropical waters in the Western Atlantic Ocean from South Carolina to Brazil, in the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico and in the Eastern Pacific Ocean from southern California to Ecuador. They live in shallow bays and estuaries. Bonnethead sharks prefer water temperatures over 70  F and make seasonal migrations to warmer waters during the winter months. During these trips, they may travel in large groups of thousands of sharks. As an example of their travels, in the U.S. they are found off the Carolinas and Georgia in the summer, and further south off Florida and in the Gulf of Mexico during the spring, fall and winter. How the Sharks Feed Bonnethead sharks eat primarily crustaceans (especially blue crabs), but will also eat small fish, bivalves, and cephalopods. Bonnetheads feed mostly in the daytime. They swim slowly toward their prey, and then quickly attack the prey, and crush it with their teeth. These sharks have a unique two-phase jaw closing. Instead of biting their prey and stopping once their jaw is closed, bonnetheads continue to bite their prey during their second phase of jaw closing. This increases their ability to specialize in hard prey, like crabs. After their prey is crushed, it is suctioned into the sharks esophagus. Shark Reproduction Bonnethead sharks are found in groups organized by gender as spawning season approaches. These sharks are viviparous... meaning that they give birth to live young in shallow waters after a 4- to 5-month gestation period, which is the shortest known for all sharks. The embryos are nourished by a yolk sac placenta (a yolk sac attached to the mothers uterine wall). During development inside the mother, the uterus becomes separated into compartments that house each embryo and its yolk sac. There are 4 to 16 pups born in each litter. The pups are about 1 foot long and weigh about half a pound when born. Shark Attacks Bonnethead sharks are considered harmless to humans. Conserving Sharks Bonnethead sharks are listed as least concern by the IUCN Red List, which says that they have one of highest population growth rates calculated for sharks and that despite fishing, the species is abundant. These sharks may be caught for display in aquariums and used for human consumption and for making fishmeal. References and Further Information Bester, Cathleen. Bonnethead. Florida Museum of Natural History. Accessed July 4, 2012.Cortà ©s, E. 2005. Sphyrna tiburo. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1. Accessed July 3, 2012.Carpenter, K.E. Sphyrna tiburo: Bonnethead. Accessed July 4, 2012.Compagno, L., Dando, M. and S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press.Krupa, D. 2002. Why the Hammerhead Sharks Head is In the Shape Its In. American Physiological Society. Accessed June 30, 2012.Viegas, J. 2009. Scalloped Hammerhead and Bonnethead Sharks have 360 Degree Vision. Accessed June 30, 2012.Wilga, C. D. and Motta, P. J. 2000. Durophagy in Sharks: Feeding Mechanics of the Hammerhead Sphyrna tiburo. The Journal of Experimental Biology 203, 2781–2796.

Customers Revenge Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Customers Revenge - Case Study Example I will not define Atida as a customer-centric company. They view customer’s complaints as a means to extort from the company by unreasonable customers. This is very evident with how they handled the complaints of Tom and Jessica. It is very disturbing that after a strong letter from loyal customer (Tom Zacharelli) was sent to the company threatening with negative publicity and a lawsuit, Lisa instead replied that â€Å"It’s not a legal problem . . . They say this customer can certainly hire a lawyer, but once customers understand how much pursuing the legal option will cost, they almost always see things differently. They take their loss, and they move on.† And statements such as â€Å"our only obligation is to ï ¬  x the car and nothing more† and sticking to a policy â€Å"for handling this stuff, one we’ve been following for decades†. Deducing from these statements, Atida thinks that they are just a manufacturing company where they just b uild cars and abandon their customers when they ask for customer service support. When customers complaint and call them, they look at it as a bother and not an opportunity to engage with their customers. This was very evident with Lisa’s mindset that their job is to get rid their phone lines with customers not realizing that getting rid their call centers of customers calling them do not mean that they have solve the customer’s problems. Second, I will revise the company employees’ mindset about customers. To achieve this, I will implement a company-wide reorientation and training about customer service for the company’s culture to change to a more service oriented one. I will introduce a service culture where each employee in the company will strive to satisfy the customers instead of getting rid of them. Lisa will be trained first and other managers will follow. I will recall the call center in India and put it back in the US. Customer service for an automobile

Marketing research insurance program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Marketing research insurance program - Essay Example The research aims at assessing the potential of proposed insurance program by garnering data from the target audience. The research approach and data collection methods would further highlight the research objective. Primary research method has been favored to achieve the objective of the research as it would offer current information and understanding. Research Approach The research is based on offering a new and innovative insurance program to elder people who find it difficult to manage their finances and time. As per the current Elder Shield plan, insured people would get $300 per month for a maximum period of 5 years and $400 for a maximum period of 6 years. The new insurance program would offer the same benefits along with wide arrays of physical and mental activities that would offer great results in the short as well as in the long run. Moreover, for each referral, there would be certain rewards and awards that would further motivate and influence people to insure their life and health along with spreading the message in a positive manner. There is no denying that elder people are more prone to injuries and health issues and thus this insurance plan would try to help them regain their health through physical and mental activities. This can also be considered as a noble cause by taking care of the elder people along with making their life exci ting and problem free. As per the statistics of the United States Department of Labor, around 20% of the retirement income is attributed to health expenses that can be considered as quite high (United States Department of Labor, 2011). Moreover, basic Elder Shield Plan offers $300 per month for a maximum period of five years that can be considered as good enough to meet health demands. This insurance plan would help in engaging retired people in physical activities like golf and Taichi along with few mental activities like chess and emotional intelligence games. This insurance plan would also help in saving more money as people who are healthy and fit tend to spend less on health problems. This statement can only be considered as a valid one once views and opinions of the respondents confirm it. However, there is no denying that garnering personal opinions and offering wide arrays of information to the respondents would help in achieving the research objectives in a desired manner. Research Design Research design plays an important role in achieving desired results pertaining to the research. Research designs are classified as explanatory, descriptive and casual with distinctive features. Explanatory design is useful in analysing secondary data as it determines the hypotheses that can be tested. Descriptive design is based on primary data collection methods favoring quantitative analysis. It also examines the association and relationship with wide arrays of variables. In this particular research paper, descriptive and explanatory designs have been preferred as explanatory design helped in examining the hypotheses through secondary data and information while descriptive design would help in understanding the utility of introducing new and innovative insurance plan for retired people. There is no denying that descriptive design is time consuming and often a cumbersome task but the validity and reliability of