China Lost Girls

China’s Lost Girls China is largest population in the world because of that Chinese government decided a policy which is one-child policy. A family has only one child, but some case a family can have second child if they pay to government. One of big issue in China is balance of gender which means man’s population is much larger than female’s. Chinese people want to have a boy because a man carries the family name in Chinese culture; therefore, thousands of Chinese girls are aborted, hidden, abandoned, or even killed. Some of these girls are adapted to American family, but adaption takes more than a year.Many American families are waiting for adopted child. After they apply adoption, they can receive adopted child’s picture; however, they have to wait about one year to meet the child and cannot know anything about their adopted child until they meet them. In addition, the American families paid few thousands dollar for adoption, and the money goes to Chine se government. On the other hand, other girls stay their entire childhood in institution of child welfare or their parents or relative sold them. Many Chinese girls are sold to somewhere and their life is horrible.For example, a girl was beaten up and broke her leg and arm so that some organization save these female, or other organization campaign for sexual equality. In conclusion, this issue is bigger and bigger in China; therefore, few years later many men cannot marry because of imbalance of gender problem. And also, most families have only one child in their family so that many kids are spoiled in China. I knew about china's one child policy but I did not know boys are so important than girls; even girls are aborted, hidden, abandoned, or even killed. I was so surprised.I am happy for those girls who were adapted to American family; however, still many other girls have tough life. I think that this is very difficult issue because population of China is huge; however, government has to think about different way to reduce population. Otherwise, girls are kidnap more often because women have to give a birth, but if women are not enough population, a family cannot continue to have descendant. In addition, there are a lot of spoiled children because of one child policy in China so that it might makes unhealthy or violence country in future.

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction

Design of a steel skew cantilever followed by construction and testing to destruction. Analysis and improvements section included. Aiming for minimum weight and structural costs, while achieving a working load of 1kN and a failure load of 2kN. Statement of the Problem: To design and build a steel skew cantilever that is required to show no visible deformation at a vertical working load of 1000N and to fail at 2000N. The objective is to design a structure that satisfies the loading conditions, while keeping weight to a minimum and maintaining design simplicity; to reduce drawing and fabrication time, and making the structure more predictable through analysis. The load is at a horizontal distance of 815mm from a rigid vertical plate. The line of action of the load is 407mm to the right of the normal to the wall through the centre of the main plate when viewed from the front of the main plate. The load is applied through a rig with a 13mm diameter bolt. The main plate has 4 pairs of M6 tapped holes to which the structure may be attached. Designs Considered: The main design considered apart from the 4 main member triangulated cantilever, was based around a 3 main member design with cross bracing shown in the diagram to the right. The advantage of this structure is a reduction in weight, holes and rivets thus a huge reduction in cost. However, the design that we came up with was too difficult to analyse and predict during in failure, due to the side planes not being vertical. Also, construction would have been quite difficult because all cross braces would have to attach to the main members at an angle, thus additional plates would have be constructed which would have raised the price dramatically. The other design considered was based on the 4 main member design but flipped upside down. However, this would mean that the compression member would be comparatively long, increasing the need for cross bracing due to potential buckling. Thus the structure would be no better than the one we have selected only it would cost more due to the additional cross bracing. The box design was considered, however, it is not very suitable for a skew cantilever as construction would be immensely hard. Design considerations: The rig to which the structure was to be attached was inspected to see whether the load plate would fit and to get a general feel for the vertical constraints of the jack. To prevent a bending moment within the structure, lines of actions of forces in members must cross at a point. Hence in the drawings, lines of actions for every joint are shown to meet at a point within the material. For single cross braces, this line of action is 3/4 of the way in from the edge parallel with the edge. To make members act as though they were in mode B, the struts had to be rivet together. This was done 40mm from the edges of the struts in question and subsequently the remaining length was divided up into 3 sections at which the boundary of each division was riveted. This was performed on all the double angled struts. Where possible, the struts coming into connecting plates were made to touch the plate with their edge so that they would be transferring their load in a more direct manner. We attempted to make the base as wide as possible, for stability hence the connecting plates should go up to the edge of the main plate. Construction Phase: The base was the first thing to be constructed as it was easier than the upper members, thus by the time it had been built, experience had been gained and could applied to a more complex construction step (the upper members). The upper members were then constructed and both sets were fitted to the base plate. An additional plate was put in between the connecting plate and the main plate for the tension members to prevent the bolts from tearing out. The partially completed structure was taken to the measurement deck, where the alignment was checked. It was within 5mm in respect to the horizontal plane, thus we could slightly bias connections so that the alignment became closer to about 3mm. It was then noted that the rig that would connect the load to the load plate needed the load plate to have parallel edges, thus a double bend and an extension of 40mm in the load plate was required to allowed the rig to connect to the load plate. See right hand page for diagram. The load plate was then attached and the structure was checked that it aligned to about 3mm. The cross braces were than fabricated and attached. An attempt was made to work efficiently during construction, my laboratory partner and I finished with 6 hours to spare. Modifications: To M4 bolts were used to help keep the two sections of the load plate in alignment to achieve ease of rig attachment. These are attached as shown on the diagram to the right. A small cross brace was also placed between the two tension members at the top to attempt to prevent rotation of the structure. See right for the diagram. Also there was not enough space for the smallest cross brace connecting the compression members, thus it was not included. Some minor changes in the lengths of some of the members was required to improve alignment. Also some edges of struts had to be cut so that they could rest flat against others to transfer load more effectively. Cost and Mass of Structure: The mass was 2.52kg, which is heavy in comparison to the other groups, but not the heaviest. The material cost was 120.5 and the labour cost was 282 giving a total of 452.5, once again the cost ranked high amongst the other groups. However, considering the magnitude of the mass, if the cost saving strategies had not been applied then the cost would have been about 30 higher. These cost saving techniques consisted of using a hole to not only mount the members to connecting sheet metal but also a cross brace, thus saving a rivet, a hole and some time during fabrication. Depending on the forces, this technique could be slight disadvantage, the joint would now be in double sheer, and the rivet would be under greater loading. However, this effect would be small due to the small forces in the cross braces. Test results and Observations: The structure had a very slight amount of visible deformation at the working load of 1kN, and finally failed at 2.57kN. This was mainly due to the rightmost (looking at the front plate) compression member 5 buckling inwards at a position closer to the wall than the intersection between member 10 and 11. Another noted deformation was that the metal plates (A and B) connecting the main plate to the compression members had been bent inwards towards the main plate as the corners of the A and B were not touching the main plate. This meant that as the compression force in member 10 and 11 grew the force on the corner increased and cause deformation of the connecting plate. If the buckling in the compression member had not occurred, it would be conceivable that this would be the next location for failure. Suggested Modifications to Improve Performance: Using another cross brace in a sense parallel to the main plate between the lower main compression members 10 and 11 would have prevented the buckling that caused the main failure from occurring. The geometry of the proposed cross brace would force the member to become stockier thus its critical stress would be much higher, allowing us to once again us mode A with a 9.5mm by 9.5mm of thickness 0.8mm. If the holes for the bent plates that connects the main compression members 3 and 5 to the main plate were moved such that the corner of the connecting plate lay within the normal of the edge of the main plate, then this would reduce deformation of the connecting plate and hence the structure. If these connecting bent plates were to be the first point of failure, the modifications described would increase the failure load by postponing the tearing of the connecting plates. Conclusions: The main failure as discussed was mode B buckling of the longest compression member due to insufficient cross bracing. It would be interesting to rebuild the cantilever with the improvements and even have an entire redesign. One can learn many things from analyzing a failure. For example how to improve the structure and more importantly how to go about design in the first place.

American Airlines Flight 191 Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

American Airlines Flight 191 - Case Study Example This maintenance procedure is believed to have led to the engine separating from the wing. The procedure was carried out because McDonnell-Douglas issued a service bulletin requiring that the "upper and lower spherical bearings that attached the pylon to the wing" (Failure Analysis, 2008, pg. 1) be replaced. Instead of carrying out the procedure according to the accompanying directions, American Airlines decided to replace the assembly via a cheaper method that involved less time and effort to undertake. The aft bulkhead could have been brought into contact with the wing-mounted clevis via a number of different ways. Either during or after the hardware in the aft bulkhead fitting was removed, a load could have been applied that would have been sufficient enough to produce a crack. When attaching the pylon, the maintenance personnel had to be extremely careful because of the small distance between the pylon and wing attachments and the structural elements. It would only take a minor error for the forklift operator to damage the bulkhead and its upper flange (Failure Analysis, 2008). the airlines contributed to this accident" (Failure Analysis, 2008, pg. 1).

Genetic Algorithms Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Genetic Algorithms - Essay Example There are few behavior to crack the N-queens problem. A number of of them are trying all the variations, using backpedal methods, by means of strengthening learning methods, and etc. In this scheme, genetic algorithm will be old to solve this problem by with GAlib package. Genetic Algorithms are adaptive methods which may be used to resolve look for and optimization problems. They are base on the genetic processes of organic organisms. Over a lot of generation, natural populations develop according to the principles of usual assortment and "continued existence of the fittest". By mimicking this procedure, genetic algorithms are clever to "evolve" answers to real world problems, if they contain been suitably prearranged. Genetic Algorithms utilize a direct analogy of usual behavior. They labor with a population of "individuals", every representing a likely solution to a known problem. Every individual is allocating a "fitness score" according to how good a answer to the problem it is. The highly fit persons are given opportunities to "copy", by "cross propagation" with other persons in the population. This produces new persons known as "offsprings", which share some skin taken from each "close relative". The smallest amount fit members of the population are less probable to get chosen for copy, and so determination "die out". How do they work A whole new population of likely solutions is thus shaped by selecting the best persons from the current "generation", and mates them to produce a new set of persons. This original age group contains a higher amount of the characteristics obsessed by the high-quality members of the previous age group. In this way, over a lot of generations, good individuality is increase throughout the population, life form mixed and exchanged with other high-quality individuality as they go. By favouring the mating of the additional fit individuals, the most talented areas of the look for space are travel around. If the genetic algorithm has been intended well, the population will meet to an optimal answer to the problem. How contain they been productively practical to any real-world problems The authority of genetic algorithms come as of the fact that the technique is healthy, and can deal productively with a wide variety of problem areas, counting those which are hard for other techniques to solve. Genetic algorithms are not certain to find the global most favorable solution to a problem, but they are usually good at finding "well enough good" answers to problems "well enough quick". Where specialized methods exist for solving exacting problems, they are probable to break genetic algorithms in both speed and correctness of the last consequence. The main earth for genetic algorithms, then, is in hard areas anywhere no such techniques exist. Smooth anywhere existing techniques employment well, improvements have been complete by hybridizing them with a genetic algorithm. What do they contain to do with cognitive discipline Genetics will more and more enable physical condition professionals to recognize, treat, and stop the 4,000 or more genetic diseases and disorders that our class is heir to. Genetics determination

Ethics memo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethics memo - Essay Example -mail, instant messaging and internet use to employees include increase in work efficiency since time on the internet can give them break to reset employee’s motivation to further work. Another reason is as an emergency form of communication to the employee’s family. But if these reasons were analyzed, one can consider the fact that these are just excuses to allot less time for work. As an administrative assistant, I have a continuous access to the internet but based on my personal experience it is more distracting to have an office access to personal internet application. Honestly e-mails and instant messaging can be sent through the use of an employee’s mobile gadgets such as phones, tablets and laptops. If these are allowed, then emergency cases are covered. The disadvantages of using the internet for personal use primarily include the lack of demarcation between work and personal issues. By allowing personal use of the internet, the employer sends a message that it allows all forms of non-work related activities such as playing games, online shopping and even sending work-related materials through personal channels. It also exposes the company to different forms of virtual and cyber attacks. The extreme repercussions of this cannot be advantageous to the company in any perspective. In the perspective of human resource management, there should be a consensus regarding issues that can affect the quality and efficiency of work of the employees. On the personal note, I can accept a scenario wherein it is restricted since I can do personal matter in my own time. But for the benefit and concern to my officemates and co-workers, the middle ground should be reached, although it would be an effort and great challenge to the company. If the internet access shall be allowed for personal reasons, it is my personal view that every process should be monitored by the employer. Thus, more efforts are needed since monitoring software needs to be installed. Based

Research English Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Research English - Essay Example According to Horvat et al (2003 p319) â€Å"...social classification involves the grouping of people in society on the basis of the collective features of individuals...† This implies that social classification involves the grouping of individuals in society based on common social features. Based on these characteristics, social scientists and other interest groups in the society can identify similar characteristics and make generalizations which can help in the improvement of lives in the society. There are many possible ways of classifying people in the society. Historically, the most popular basis for the classification of people in the American society has been race (Thompson & Hickey, 2005). In other words, people were grouped into various categories based on their skin color and race-related features like facial features, hair types amongst others. For generations, this remained convenient because the skin/racial features offered the most conspicuous method of identifyin g individuals uniquely. However, in the 21st Century, the classification of people into groups based on their racial features has been found to be unconstitutional, unfair, illegal and unacceptable. Due to this development, people are classified into groups in ways that are legally acceptable. This enables interest groups to study and get a good understanding of general trends in the American society and provide better ways of improving the livelihoods of individuals through collective methods. There are numerous ways that individuals are classified in America. The different methods of classification of social groups is based on a number of criterion. Schooler & Schoenbach (1994) identify that the most popular basis for the classification of individuals into groups in America are jobs, income, education, wealth and social networks. People can be classified on the basis of the rank they occupy in the workplace. This is based on the logic that individuals with the same rank have certa in unique behaviors, trends, habits, attitudes to job security and preferences. Thus operatives in businesses in America and management can be grouped in separate categories since their behavior and tastes are likely to be fashioned along similar lines since they are affected by the same circumstances most of the time. People can also be categorized on the basis of the level of income they make. This is because income is likely to affect the spending habits and preferences of individuals and the collective picture can give room for some generalizations. For instance people earning just enough to pay for basic necessities are likely to behave in a way that is different from people who earn enough to cover their basic needs, security needs and also get some excess to save and invest. In practical terms, whilst the first group will focus on survival matters, the second group might be considering better ways of spending their money and more fruitful investment activities that will bring them more returns. This shows that there is a clear distinction between the two groups. The educational and wealth level of each group of people also determines their social classification. This is because education often affects the mental scope of individuals and also affects the earning power of individuals. Thus people can be grouped on the bases of their education and wealth. Also, the social network a person belongs to is important

The Contribution of Theodore Roosevelt to the issue of conservation Essay

The Contribution of Theodore Roosevelt to the issue of conservation - Essay Example ment and thus put the set aside conservation area under protection in order to protect and conserve the different species that were there of nature (Brinkley 56). As a result of the love he had for the environment and its conservation, he not only set aside land and ensured the protection of the species but also developed some of the farmlands in the Westside of America that were near natural resources in a bid to also protect them for not only the then current generation but also the future ones. The fruits of his hard work in conservation are still being experienced up to date. In order to ensure that his conservation legacy stays for long, he put his environmental conservation ideas and wishes to writing. These included even conservation of the soil, water, forests and even the areas of recreation. He used his presidential influence to build up other environmental conservatives and conservation groups and hence became a role model. The next presidents after him also became challenged and hence bid to continue his legacy. This included even Presidents Carter and

Modern Business Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Modern Business - Annotated Bibliography Example 'Chandler, A D', International Encyclopedia of Business and Management, 1996, pp.612-7 C.J.Schmitz, The Growth of Big Business in the United States and Western Europe, 1850-1939 (London: Macmillan, 1993) M E Porter, 'The Competitive Advantage of Nations', Harvard Business Review, March-April 1990, pp.73-93 f. You should note that the following are classics on the course's topic matter and know of their existence, but it is not so essential to read them directly: A.Gershenkron, Economic Backwardness in Historical Perspective (Harvard University Press, 1962) S.Kuznets, Modern Economic Growth: Rate, Structure, and Spread (Yale University Press, 1966) D.C.North, Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance (Cambridge University Press, 1990) M.Weber, Economy and Society (1917) g. Useful sources of on-line information, statistics, and national surveys will, however, be particularly useful: United Nations - Statistics Division: www.unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/Introduction United Nations Conference on Trade and Development: www.unctad.org/Templates/StartPage United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations: www.unctc.unctad.org/aspx.index.aspx World Bank: www.worldbank.org International Monetary Fund: www.imf.org Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development: www.oecd.statsportal Central Intelligence Agency: www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook Institute of Management Development: www.imd.ch/wccc World Economic Forum: www.weforum.org Research and development: http://www.finfacts.com/irelandbusinessnews/publish/article_10003718.shtml All of these organisations also provide statistics and publications in hard copy. The World Economic Forum publishes...Baumol etal., Convergence of Productivity: Cross-national Studies and Historical Evidence (1994) B Dornseifer and J Kocka, 'The Impact of the Preindustrial Heritage: Reconsiderations on the German Pattern of Corporate Development in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol 2 (1993) P.Krugman, 'Competitiveness: A Dangerous Obsession', Foreign Affairs, March-April 1994, pp.28-44, and 'Proving My Point', Foreign Affairs, July-August 1994, pp.198-203. Reprinted in P.Krugman, Pop Internationalism (MIT Press, 1996), pp.3-33. [382 KRU] A.L.Kallenberg, The Comparative Study of Business Organizations and their Employees', in C.Calhoun (ed.), Comparative Social Research vol. 12 (1990) [SL offprint. NB. This is shelved under Kallenberg not Calhoun.] R.Fitzgerald and C.Rowley, 'From Hands To Resources: Explanation, Perspective And History', in Human Resources and the Firm in International Perspective, Vol.I (London: Edward Elgar, 1996), [SL 331 HUM] B Dornseifer and J Kocka, 'The Impact of the Preindustrial Heritage: Reconsiderations on the German Pattern of Corporate Development in the Late 19th and Early 20th Centuries, Industrial and Corporate Change, vol 2 (1993) J Williams, C Haslam, and K Williams, 'Bad Work Practices and Good Management Practices: the Consequences of the Exte

Superman and Paula Brown Essay Example for Free

Superman and Paula Brown Essay It is also ironic when she tells us of her odd friend, Sheldon became a Nazi and borrowed a goose step from the movies, but his uncle Macy was really over in Germany, and Mrs Fein began to grow thin and pale because she heard Macy was a prisoner and then nothing more. Because he was mocking the Nazis when really his uncle was over there as a prisoner. A literary effect that Charles Dickens uses is circumlocution to speed up and slow down the part of the story he is describing. An example of this is when Charles Dickens slows down the scene when he writes The company murmured their compliments. Uncle Pumblechook, sensible of having deserved well of his fellow-creatures, said-quite vivaciously, all things considered-well, Mrs Joe, well do our best endeavours; let us have a cut at this same pie. He slows it down by adding parts to the sentence. He then speeds up his text to create a feeling of panic and excitement when Pip fears that he will be found out, My sister wet out to get it. I heard her steps proceed to the pantry. I saw Mr Pumblechook balance his knife. I saw reawakening appetite in the Roman nostrils of Mr. Wopsle the sentences are sharp and quick. Like Sylvia Plath, Charles Dickens use Irony in this story. An example of his irony could be when he describes the change of dining arrangements on special occasions, We dined on these occasions in the kitchen, and adjourned, for the nuts and oranges and apples, to the parlour; which was a change very like Joes change from his working clothes to his Sunday best. I think it is ironic because Pip will be changing himself; he will change his opinions on how to act which will help him to mature. Another similarity between the two extracts is the way their parents/guardians perceive or are perceived by the characters. In Paula Brown the narrator has a strong relationship with her uncle but not with her mother, this is shown when she runs home after the accident to a greeting from her uncle Uncle Frank met me at the door. Hows my favourite trooper? he asked and then he swung me so high in the air that my head grazed the ceiling. There was a big love in his voice that drowned out the shouting which still echoed in my ears. This affection reassured her of the safety she could find in his love and that they wouldnt convict her like her friends did, but when David Sterling comes to the narrators house and tells her mother at the door that the narrator had pushed Paula into the oil, her mother immediately assumes that she had done it When mother came back to the table, her face was sad. Why didnt you tell me? she said, why didnt you tell me that you pushed Paula in the mud and spoiled her new snowsuit? Her mother isnt defending her or protecting her. In Great expectations Pip has a very strong relationship with Joe but not Mrs Joe. This is because Joe is the only person that really believes in him and protects him from getting hurt, this is why he doesnt tell him, he doesnt want to lose what they have by hurting Joe. This is shown when Pip tells us It was much upon my mind (particularly when I first saw him looking about for his file) that I ought to tell Joe the whole truth. Yet I did not, and for the reason that I mistrusted that if I did, he would think me worse than I was. The fear of losing Joes confidence, and of thenceforth sitting in the chimney corner at night staring drearily at my for ever lost companion and friend, tied up my tongue. Pip is not scared that he will be punished, but that he will lose Joes trust and that is why he keeps his secret from them. Pip also felt as if he had gotten away with it even though he hadnt actually done anything wrong. Also a similarity in the two extracts is that both the children in the story are powerless to their parents views. These extracts have many similarities despite the time difference and the different environment the two children were living in, P.B. living in the American suburbs of Boston, having the freedom to go out and play and being recognised as an adolescent rather than a small adult which is how the Victorians perceived children. Most Victorian adults did not have a very high opinion of children considering the Victorians made up the saying children should be seen and not heard. This is shown in great expectations when Pip is with the soldiers and they are about to go and look for the convicts, the sergeant asks about the convicts Anybody here seen anything of any such game? Everybody, myself excepted, said no, with confidence. Nobody thought of me. They dont think he could make a useful comment because he is only a child. Another time when this is shown is when Pip tells us I was always treated as if I had insisted on being born Maybe these stories are based on the authors experiences considering Sylvia Plath was American like the narrator and Charles Dickens lived in the Victorian times but they arent strong enough factors to rely on. What we do know is that these children realised that they couldnt rely on the safety and security of the adults anymore, they would have to start looking after themselves and start being more independent. They learned this through the experiences they have had. Amber James Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Great Expectations section.

Design Activities and Environments Essay Example for Free

Design Activities and Environments Essay 1. Review the definitions of architectural and detailed design and the brief descriptions of high-level design activities at the beginning of the chapter. Which activities are clearly architectural? Which are clearly detailed? Which can be architectural or detailed? Designing the support services architecture and deployment environment and designing the software architecture are clearly architectural. Designing use case realizations and designing the database are clearly detailed. Designing the system and user interfaces and designing the system security and controls can be architectural or detailed. 2. Discuss the evolution of client-server computing from file server to multilayer applications to Web-based applications. What has been the driving force causing this evolution? Where do you think network computing will be in the next five years? Ten years? Cheaper computers, and networks, ubiquitous networking, and the desire of companies to increase the accessibility of their systems to increase the customer base/satisfaction, gain efficiencies from greater inter- and intraorganization coordination, and greater flexibility to reorganize people, processes, and systems. 3. Assume that the deployment environment for a high-volume payment processing system consists of the following: †¢ DB2 DBMS running under the OS/390 operating system on an IBM S/390 mainframe †¢ WebSphere application server running under the Z/OS operating system on an IBM zSeries 900 mainframe †¢ CORBA-compliant component-based application software written in Java that will be executed by other internal and external systems What are the key architectural design decisions that must be made for the system? When should the decisions be made and who should make them? Outline the subsequent design tasks that should occur after the key architectural design decisions are made. To what extent can the subsequent steps be performed in parallel? Some key architectural decisions to explore include: the key components and subsystems, where each component will execute and how will all of the pieces interoperate (which requires nailing down how the network, CORBA, and database infrastructure will be configured)? Many of the decisions depend on whether the supporting infrastructure is already in place. If it is, then many of the architectural decisions can be delayed until much code has been written and tested. If not, then the required infrastructure and tools will have to be acquired and configured. Developers will have to be trained, and architectural design will need to occur early to ensure that the developers don’t make any â€Å"mistakes† due to lack of fit with the development or deployment environment. Note that an OO development approach is assumed given the nature of the infrastructure and tools 4. Develop a network diagram that supports the architectural design decisions in your answer to number 2. Answers will vary. Some important points that should be included are: File servers just sent the data across the network. They tended to use lots of bandwidth, because the entire file was sent. Also, since the applications that processed the data were on all the different workstations, deployment and maintenance of these applications was expensive. Application servers moved the applications from the workstations (clients) to the server. This made it easier to maintain a consistent set of applications and to upgrade the applications. This movement was influenced by the appearance of â€Å"thin clients† that had very little storage, but good processing capability. However, due to the drastic reduction in storage costs, thin clients have not caught on. Multi-tier networks are where multiple servers and clients work together to provide the complete functionality of a system. Some processing will be on the clients. Servers such as database servers and application servers provide additional capability. The driving force behind much of this is the rapid growth and capability of the Internet and languages such as JAVA with protocols such as J2EE. Microsoft’s .NET also provides capabilities to have distributed systems. Answers for the future will vary.

The National Drugs Campaign Media Essay

The National Drugs Campaign Media Essay The National Drugs Campaign (NDC) was created by the Australian Government to decrease the drug use amongst the Australian population. They achieve this purpose by spreading information about the dangers of drug usage and encouraging the public to abstain from drugs. A campaign has been launched since 2001 for this cause, which included 4 phases to be launched at different times within a ten year span. It is one of the longest-running public education campaigns on illicit drugs in Australia. Although illicit drug usage may be decreasing due to NDCs campaign, ecstasy usage remains stagnant. According the Mental Health Minister, Helen Morton, The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey showed 4.1 percent of Western Australia survey participants had used ecstasy in the past year, similar results to 2001 and 2004 (Morton). In fact, according to the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre of Australia, ecstasy has been used by approximately 8% of the entire Australian population, with approximately 3% having used in the preceding 12 months. (Ross). In order to reduce these statistics, the NDC started a new campaign targeting ecstasy in January 2011 called the Ecstasy. Face Facts campaign. I feel that this was a successful approach to use in order to fulfill the needs of their overall campaign. One of the NDCs main objectives is to reduce illicit drug usage, and since ecstasy was not in decline, it only makes sense to focus the next campaign specifically on ecstasy. As part of their communication model, they created objectives of this particular campaign. These includes increasing the knowledge to their audience about the perilous facts of ecstasy, reducing the usage of ecstasy and other illicit drugs these users may have tried, preventing anyone from ever trying illicit drugs, and supporting them to refrain from any drug usage. The NDC released several public service announcements, which was their entire campaign, in order to promote positive consumer behavior. According to the National Drugs Campaign, there are four overall messages that need to be conveyed to the audience. These messages include the following: There are specific risks and harms associated with using ecstasy; There are real risks and harms associated with using illicit drugs; There are real benefits to not using ecstasy and other illicit drugs; and There is a range of information available on the facts about using ecstasy and other illicit drugs. The communication channels of this government advertising campaign consist of integrated media activity with radio, print, outdoor, online, and in-venue advertising, public relations and promotions, and information resources such as National Drugs Campaign website (australia.gov.au/drugs) and the 1800 250 015 information line. Some public relations activities include sponsorships of the  In The Mix  website, popular radio programs on Nova FM and Austereo, the Future Music Festivals, the  Rock the Schools  and  I Am With The Band  initiatives and National Youth Week 2011. The communication channels in which to reach NDCs target audience is an important factor to get their message across. I feel that the chosen mediums of advertising, especially through print and radio, are a fast and easy way to reach a mass audience while still grabbing the attention of the target market. Having online tools such as the website, and interactive in-venue advertising also incorporates new ways of reaching and communicating with the youth of Australia, which research shows us is how they want to be informed of these issues. Finally, having PR activities that include sponsorships that young people idolize and are familiar with will help to better relate to them. Youth marketing and public relations activities that are aligned with music further engages youth in ways that are meaningful to them. It was also an important decision that the NDC chose to use print media other than television to get their point across. They chose to advertise more in magazines that teenagers would read, such as Cosmopolitan. This way they would reach their target audience. They also were able to have a more personal impact on their viewers through their visual communication. The entire layout of the advertisement, including the typography, pictures, and colors were all put together meticulously. Since there is only a few moments before the onlooker of the ad decides whether or not they will continue reading, it needs to have all aspects of the print to be attention-grabbing, which it is. Research conducted by drug and alcohol experts and the Australian National Council on Drugs led to the development of the target audience. It was decided the campaign would target the youth aged 15-21 years who are at risk of using ecstasy and/or other illicit drugs and parents of 13-17 year olds. According the research conducted by the National Drug Strategy Household Survey, 38.1% of Australian over the age of 14 had tried illicit drugs. . This is the key transition time in young peoples lives. Since they are highly influenced by their environments and their social stimuli, they are more at risk. Since teenagers in Australia are using drugs at such an early age, the target audience should be 15- 21 years, and it is also necessary for parents to start worrying about the safety of their children as well. Thus, the target audience for the advertisements is a logical age. Before the advertising campaign was made, a creative brief was formed which highlighted the consumer insights as well as the creative strategy that NBC would use. Formative research was conducted with people aged 12 -25 to explore youth attitudes and behaviors to illicit drugs. They examined positive and negative perceptions of drug use, key drivers and barriers to trial, and identified effective channels with which to communicate with young people in relation to drugs (National Drug Campaign). The research results indicated that young Australians had previous knowledge between the image or specific drugs and perceived effects of them. These finding encouraged NBC to target communication about particular drugs, rather than simply grouping all drugs together. This research also identified different segments of young people, defined by clusters of particular attitudes to drug use and their lives, which have been critical to the formulation of the campaigns creative strategy (National D rug Campaign). Two main visuals that have been used in outdoor advertising such as posters and billboards are called the Ecstasy Girl advertisement and the Ecstasy Lab advertisement (National Drug Campaign). The Ecstasy girl features a visual of a haggard, disheveled girl who looks like she is clearly a drug user. The caption above says Insomnia, memory loss, or psychological problems. The second advertisement features an ecstasy lab which consists of a visual of a repulsive bathroom and tubes attached to the inside of a toilet going into beakers. These beakers imply that the drugs are made in this kind of setting, with unknown contents. The caption above reads Made using drain cleaner, battery acid or even hair bleach. Then popped in your mouth. The second of these advertisements is more widely known, and the message of the contents of ecstasy was used in other forms of media such as video and radio. The cultural setting of the Ecstasy Girl advertisement is an illustration of all teenagers. Though it may show a young, blonde, Caucasian women, it still represents all of the youth that is having problems due to drug usage. It is a physical depiction of the entire target audience. Even the Ecstasy Lab advertisement with a picture of a lab may only show the setting of one place where the drugs are made. However, it is still a physical depiction of what contents go into ecstasy, and illustrates that the contents of drugs are never pure. In the fourth stage of the communication model, the message that is being sent is interpreted by the audience. The way that teenagers would interpret these public service announcements is critical to make sure the objectives of the NDC are being met. Thus, in order for these advertisements to have any impact on it audience, it needs to pass the hierarchy of effects model. This means it needs to stimulate their attention, interest, desire, and action. I feel that this advertising campaign does create attention since the visual depictions are both extreme and invoking. The colors (yellow, blue, white) are eye-catching. Even the font they use for the words is large and capitalized, demanding attention. By reading the copy, the audience would then gain interest, since the copy in the advertisements is thought-provoking, harsh, and blunt. Then they would look at the pictures again and associate with the words to realize what the message is trying to convey. When they finally put it all to gether, it would create the desire to listen to the message, and abstain from trying drugs, which is the action that the NDC is trying to invoke. Since the National Drugs Campaign is run by the Australian Government, it is government advertising which is a public service that promotes good behavior. It is not in competition with other brands or companies. However, it does have other organizations that support the campaign, even if they have their own strategy for trying to decrease drug use. For example, Drug Aware, a drug prevention program in Western Australia took its own approach to handling the ecstasy escalation in their region. Instead of using print advertising, they did everything online. They created a new youth-oriented ecstasy campaign website interface on the Drug Aware website, where visitors can watch videos featuring the Ecstasy experts, read up on the facts, or chat live and confidentially with a qualified drug counselor (Drug Aware). Other smaller drug awareness campaigns dont always take the harsh approach of the NDC either. However, I feel showing the youth the more daunting facts of drugs first will grab t heir audiences attention and keep it, which is what they need to do to portray their message. In order to measure the feedback of the advertising campaign, the NDC would need to test the audiences reactions after viewing it. There are several ways of evaluating whether or not the campaign is effective. NDC could investigate the audiences campaign awareness and reach by testing campaign recognition and recall, credibility of the advertising for ecstasy, whether attitudes and behaviors in relation to illicit drugs has changed, and if people start getting more informed and abstain from drug use. Past campaigns have resulted in high outcomes for effectiveness. For example, in the previous campaign in 2010, 70% of ecstasy users and 44% of young people said they had recently seen, read or heard advertising about illicit drugs (National Drug Campaign). Since the creative strategy for advertising is being used from previous campaigns, these results could be a reflection for the current campaign effectiveness results. Since this campaign is an improvement on the previous one, we can h opefully expect even better results, especially since the current one has more of a focus on ecstasy users. Unfortunately, there are still some setbacks to the current campaign. There are no actual television commercials for the campaign. Though they may have radio spots and some online videos, NDC has underestimated the influence of television. A small glance at a poster, or a 20 second radio spot may not be enough to capture to attention of someone, if looked at just once. Fortunately, this problem has been moderated due to the saturation of posters and outdoor advertising of the NDC. This way, if the poster didnt catch someones eye once, seeing it several times will cause them to actually read it. Though the NDC has not put money into television spots, they did allocate their marketing to enough outdoor advertising to make up for this. Though we may not be able to measure the post-campaign evaluations yet, since the campaign has only just come out, we could still critique what NBC has done so far. The two advertisements that have been their main focus both appeal to the audiences emotions and fears. I think this is an appropriate approach because showing the audience appalling facts about drugs will alert them into abstaining from them. Sometimes messages need to be harsh, especially to the youth, to hinder them from using drugs. Also, since the government and the National Drug Campaign is a credible source, the audience will be able to trust the messages that they are seeing. I feel this campaign will really make a difference to NDCs target market. The exposure to this campaign will help NDC in reaching their objectives. , http://www.nationaldrugstrategy.gov.au/internet/drugstrategy/publishing.nsf/Content/17B917608C1969ABCA257317001A72D4/$File/mono-63.pdf. http://www.wa.liberal.org.au/item/3681 http://www.thenewspaperworks.com.au/go/news/-ecstasy-face-facts-press-ad http://www.health.gov.au/internet/drugs/publishing.nsf/content/news-7feb11-ecstasy http://www.tanglewood.net/projects/teachertraining/Book_of_Readings/Dusenbury.pdf

Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel, :: English Literature

Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel, and show you have thought about how Golding makes use o Consider two symbols, which you consider to be important in the novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’, and show you have thought about how Golding makes use of them. A symbol is ‘a thing regarded as suggesting something.’ The two objects I have chosen are in my view the most symbolically important in the novel ‘The Lord of the Flies’. Firstly I have chosen the conch. The conch is very significant, as it is the first recognizable object introduced. A conch is a shell, and is described as ‘deep cream, touched here and there with fading pink.’ It is discovered in the first chapter of the book, ‘The Sound of the Shell’ and is used to summon everyone together. Traditionally, the conch was used by the Greek God of the Sea, Triton, to calm or raise the oceans. Similarly, it was used by Ralph to command order, attention and respect from the other boys, although he did not use it intentionally to do this. The boys see it as a symbol of authority, which must be obeyed unquestioningly. When this authority is challenged by Jack in ‘Beast From Water’, and again in ‘Beast From Air’, it is the turning point leading to Ralph’s downfall, and the demise of the conch. ‘ â€Å"Conch! Conch!† shouted Jack. â€Å"We don’t need the conch any more.† ’ Jack is undermining Ralph, merely to disguise his own insecurity. It is at this point that Ralph realises the seriousness of the situation, and is too scared to blow the conch, in case the boys do not regroup. ‘ â€Å"If I blow the conch and they don’t come back; we’ve had it.† ’ The conch is also representative of the boys’ loss of innocence, as this is echoed by the conch losing colour, and losing significance to the boys. When the conch is destroyed, it indicates the destruction of order, and rational thought and behaviour. At the same moment the conch is destroyed, Piggy is killed, which heightens the drama of the situation, and stresses how important it is that the conch has been destroyed. In the microcosm of the island, the boys have virtually no discipline or figure of authority, and so become more and more feral. Jack’s behaviour in this situation shows that people will abuse power if it is not earned. The power that he has corrupts him, and turns him from a bossy schoolboy into a bloodthirsty dictator. At the beginning of the novel, the boys were still subject to their conditioning by

House of a Loving Friend Essay -- Observation Essay, Descriptive Essay

House of a Loving Friend My eyes were half shut as drool brimmed on my lips about to escape any minute and drip onto the desk. Mr. Johnson didn't seem to notice, and lectured on in his steady monotone voice. A piece of paper landed on my desk, which snapped me back to reality causing me to slurp up the excess liquid on my lips. The paper was a note from Keli. That seemed to be all we ever did in Philosophy, write notes. I opened it and peered down at her neat, smooth handwriting. "What's wrong?" was what I found staring back at me. I frowned at the question asking myself the same thing. The day had been terrible, and for what reason I was unsure. I was unhappy and wanted to get away. I wanted to go somewhere where happiness overflowed and would surround me in its warmth. Then, at that moment, I knew what I needed to do. I needed to go see Ella. As I stepped from my car, the icy wind rustled my hair and stung my face. I shut my car door and turned around to see Ella's house. A small cream colored one-story house, sitting underneath a brown metal roof, met my gaze. Eye-like windows peered at me with a cheerful light saying that everything was going to be al-right. Crawford Reservoir lingered in the background, making it look like the picture perfect house. Pine trees were sporadically placed around, and Ella's old, blue car sat in the carport giving it a homey atmosphere. I smiled and rushed to the door not wanting another minute to be spent in the cold air. I pulled back the old storm door, twisting the brass handle of the white wood door at the same time; I just wanted to get inside. The second I was in the house, warmth flooded my heart and soul. I stood there drinking it in; it was the feeling I had wished for all day... ...xist, and I grimaced at the idea. These pale white walls would be empty indeed when that day came. Not wanting to entertain the thought, I drove it from my mind, smiled and decided to enjoy every second with her I had today! As I sat there listening to Ella, I realized there wasn't anything special about the house. It was Ella. She made the house seem alive with love and joy. I had never known a day when I walked through her door and didn't feel my heart swell with the love inside these walls. As I got up to leave the look of, "Please don't leave me!" appeared in Ella's eyes, and I wanted to cry. I promised to return next week and live the wonderful moment over again. I stepped outside, and again, the wind tried to grab me with its icy fingers, but it couldn't. Happiness was overflowing in my heart, and the warmth of Ella's love surrounded me like a warm blanket.

The Day That Wal-Mart Dropped the Smiley Face

Case I The Day That Wal-Mart Dropped the Smiley Face Retail giant wal-mart annually spends close to a half billion dollars on advertising, so the company’s decision in the first month of 2005 to run full-page ads in more than 100 newspapers was not really surprising. What was surprising was the copy in those ads, which said nothing about low-priced toasters or new music CDs. Instead, the ads featured a photo of workers in their blue Wal-Mart smocks and a letter from Wal-Mart CEO Lee Scott. Scott’s letter was blunt and to the point: â€Å"When special interest groups and critics spread misinformation about Wal-Mart, the public deserves to hear the truth. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions about our company, but they are not entitled to make up their facts. † Not the sort of message many would expect from a company whose television ads often feature a yellow â€Å"smiley-face† flying around a Wal-Mart store lowering prices. But it is a clear sign that Wal-Mart believes it can no longer afford to ignore several societal trends that threaten the company’s success and profitability. Wal-Mart is the largest and most successful retailer in the world. It employs more people than any other private company in the United States (almost 1. 2 million) and has world-wide sales of over a quarter trillion dollars, more than four times that of its nearest competitor. The foundation of this impressive record is the company’s ability to keep it promise of customer-friendly service and low prices. But with success comes attention and not all of it good. Several lawsuits claim Wal-Mart shorts overtime pay and one lawsuit claimed female employees face discrimination in pay and promotions. Wal-Mart’s expansion plans have also run into trouble, as some cities and states, citing concerns ranging from low wages, inadequate benefits, environmental damage, and harm to local economies, have passed laws to make it difficult or impossible for Wal-Mart to build its giant superstores. In response to past criticisms of its diversity policies, Wal-Mart created company-wide postings of promotional opportunities, created a new position for a director of diversity, and slashed the bonuses of managers who fail to achieve diversity hiring targets. Scott himself stands to lose $600,000 from his annual bonus if Wal-Mart does not meet diversity goals. Recent years have also seen the CEO spend more time meeting with investors, community groups and the media. But in recent years Wal-Mart has begun to use advertising as a way of addressing criticisms that the company is not a good employer. At first, much of this advertising was â€Å"soft-sell† emphasizing happy Wal-Mart employees. The new campaign is clearly more direct: The copy seeks to address misperceptions about employee wages and benefits, noting that full-time company employees are paid an average of $ 9. 8 – substantially higher than what is required by federal law (%5. 15). The copy also notes that a majority of Wal-Mart employees said benefits were important to them when they chose to take a job at the retailer. Complementing the ads is a PR campaign in select cities using employees and press conferences. In Tampa, Florida, for example, employee Michael Mar tin told reporters, â€Å"I’m making more after working four years at Wal-Mart than I did after nine years at Winn-Dixie. † Martin, a department manager, noted, â€Å"I left Winn-Dixie because I couldn’t get a promotion. Here I got one after six months. † Why is the company using a new approach? â€Å"For too long, others have had free rein to say things about our company that just are not true,† said lee Scott, president and chief executive office. â€Å" Our associates [Wal-Mart speak for employees] are tired of it and we’ve decided to draw our own line in the sand. † It is too soon to know if the campaign will succeed, although some are already skeptical. According to retail marketing consultant Jordan Zimmerman, aggressive mage campaigns like Wal-Mart’s are rare and costly. And ads that directly address the company’s critics will not likely replace the company’s regular advertising (including the smiley face), which is not scheduled to change any time soon. But the new ads do constitute a small change in the nature of the dialogue Wal-Mart has with consumers and society. Only tie will tell if they help Wal-Mart to stay on top. Questions: 1. What is Wal-Mart doing with its latest campaign? What are the difficulties involved in such an effort? 2. A recent Advertising Age article noted that Wal-mart customers are less likely to read newspapers and more likely to watch television than the population as a whole. Why, then did Wal-mart choose newspapers for its new campaign? 3. Analyze this Wal-Mart campaign and explain its purpose referring to the discussion in this chapter of the roles and functions of advertising. What is its primary purpose? Do you think it will be effective at accomplishing that purpose? Case II Toyota Goes after Tuners Young people with limited incomes often look for a great deal on a new car. One way to save money is to forgo options and upgrades, like a sunroof or a CD player. But when Toyota introduced its funky â€Å"Scion† brand, it considered offering a version without something most people assume comes standard: paint. Although they ultimately decided against the idea, at one point Toyota’s plan was to sell the brand with just gray primer. Toyota wasn’t really targeting people so cheap they wouldn’t spend money on paint. Just the opposite – the car company was going after a group with money to burn, called tuners. Tuners are young car buyers who live to customize hteir cars. The trend really began among young Asian Americans, who typically bough t inexpensive Asian import cars and then spent thousands of dollars customizing them. The hobby has spread to other young people, so that today Asian Americans are a minority of tuners. But Japanese brands remain the cars of choice among those dedicated to creating a work of art on wheels. Explaining the idea of a â€Å"no paint† option, Jim Farley, Scion general manager, says, â€Å"As much as possible, we want to give them [tuners] a black canvas. † What does a tuner do with his car? He (or she; women make up almost 20 percent of the tuner subculture) might take a basic Honda, add a large and loud exhaust system, paint the intake manifolds, and add ride-lowering springs. Other popular add-ons are technologies that increase vehicle speed, like turbochargers, superchargers, and nitrous kits. And there are some serious bucks involved. The Specialty Equipment Market Association estimates that auto after-market spending (spending on car accessories after the original car purchase) increased from $295 million in 1997 to 2. 3 $billion in 2002. The motivation? â€Å" You build a car for yourself,† says one day install on Acura RSX Type-S engine into his Honda Civic. â€Å" The satisfaction is in making it your own and knowing that nobody will ever have something that’s the same. † The amount of money tuners spend is reason enough to attract the attention of marketers. GM hoped to interest tuners in its Saturn Ion, Chevrolet Cavalier, and Pontiac Sunfire when it when it launched a â€Å" Tuner Tour† of 10 National Hot Rod Association races. GM allowed young car enthusiasts to play games and enter contests for prizes, as it in turn collected names and e-mail addresses. GM’s focus on relationship marketing makes sense because tuners don’t watch a lot of TV. Both Mitsubishi and Ford believe the best way to reach them is with product placements in movies (Mitsubishi bought air time in the popular for (â€Å"2 Fast 2 Furious†). But even companies selling products unrelated to cars are interested in the tuner lifestyle. Pepsi has hired tuners to customize some of its promotional vehicles. Which brings us full circle back to Scion, Toyota’s goal is to make the new car an immediate hit with tuners. So rather than spend a great deal of money on network television, Toyota decided to sponsor a 22-minute movie On the D. L. The movie is a comical docudrama that tells the story of a pair of musicians trying to obtain their first drivers licenses. The stars are musicians trying to obtain their first drivers licenses. The stars are musicians from youth-oriented bands: Ahmir â€Å"Questlove† Thompson, from the Roots, and DJ King Britt, who played for the Digable Planets. The film premiered at the Tribeca film festival, after which segments were shared on peer-to-peer networks such as Kaazaa. Toyota hopes that enthusiasts will download the segments and share them with friends. Questions: 1. Why are tuners so attractive to marketers, even after accounting for their spending power? 2. Evaluate Toyota’s strategy of targeting tuners with the Scion campaign. What are the difficulties for a large company in marketing effectively to a youth-oriented subculture? What techniques do you think companies like Toyota are using to try to understand their market? 3. Explain how â€Å"tuner† campaigns, such as those by GM and Toyota, work. Analyze these campaigns using the Facets Model to identify the effects they are designed to achieve. How would you determine if these campaigns are effective? Case III Starbucks Makes TV Less Intrusive Starbucks coffee is now sold in grocery stores but how many people realize it? To get that message out, the well known coffee house chain needed to reach its customers nationwide with that message. Television commercials would be the obvious way to reach those people, but Starbucks’ management knew that their customers are not big fans of television commercials and resent the interruption of their favorite program. That’s why starbucks has been such an infrequent advertiser on TV. Its on-air promotional activities have been limited primarily to radio and its only previous use of TV had been support announcements on public TV. That was the problem facing Starcom’s MediaVest group. The agency used a creative solution: It recommended a partnership with the Bravo cable network. Bravo would run four Independent Film Channel (IFC) movies on Friday nights for a month and Starbucks would buy all the commercial time surrounding the movie airings. The MediaVest team knew that Bravo’s â€Å"IFC Friday† night films would be a good way to reach the stakeholder audience because research had described that customer base as people who are up on the latest trends, like to attend live performances of the arts, are apt to see a movie during the weekend it opens, and generally are interested in cutting edge things. Mediavest calls this customer â€Å"the attuned explorer. † Even though Starbucks bought all the commercial time, the MediaVest team recommended letting the movies run uninterrupted. Starbucks’ advertising message was delivered in supporting Bravo promotions of the movies during each week leading up to the Friday night telecast. About 40 seconds of each 60-second preview spot showed scenes from the movie and 20 seconds promoted Starbucks s the movie sponsor. Other promotional activities were also used in support of the campaign. One month before the movies aired, a $1 off coupon for a bag of Starbucks Coffee was sent to 3 million targeted consumers around the country, along with a viewer guide introducing the Starbucks-sponsored independent movie festival. Starbucks billboards also appeared during the movie month coinciding with the independent film industry’s annual telecast, which aired on both Bravo and IC. The innovative Bravo partnership wound up not only increasing sales of Starbucks Coffee by 15 percent for the month the campaign ran, but also increased viewership on Bravo by 33 percent. These results led the campaign to be named a Media Plan of the year by Adweek magazine. Questions: 1. What was the problem Starbucks wanted to overcome in order to effectively advertise that its coffee brand was available in supermarkets? 2. How did the partnership work? Is there anything you could recommend that would extend the reach of this campaign? Case IV Wpp’s Owner-a British Knight with Every (Marketing) Weapon at His Disposal To the uniformed, nothing about Martin Sorrell or his company, the WPP group, may be quite what it seems. Although he was awarded a knighthood, Sir Martin is anything but a reserved aristocrat. And while WPP is one of the four largest agency holding companies in the world, the initials actually stand for Wire & Plastic products, the British company Sorrell used to gobble up some of the world’s most famous advertising agencies. The roster of agencies now under the WPP’s wing includes industry leaders Ogivly and Mother, Burson-Marsteller, Hill & knowlton, young & Rubicam, and J. Walter Thompson, to name just a few. Large conglomerates like WPP made frequent headlines in the 1990s, a period of great consolidation in the advertising industry. Faced with harsh economic and business realities, individual advertising agencies chose to give up independent existence in order to become parts of large communication companies that offered clients all the tools for an integrated campaign, including advertising, direct marketing, public relations, and sales promotion. In the new millennium, dealing with one (or several) of the four large holding companies, WPP Group (England), Interpublic(U. S), Publicis Groups (France), and Omnicom (U. S), is the way the world’s biggest advertisers do business. While each of the conglomerates is led by a charismatic and dynamic individual, none appears to have an edge on Sorrell, who was described in a recent Fortune article as â€Å"†¦confident, witty, and a tod arrogant, talking rapidly about the future of advertising and the challenges of keeping fractious clients and ad agencies happy. † Fortune also noted that â€Å"In an industry populated by shameless schmoozers, the 59-year-old Sorrell is in a league of his own. † These characteristics have served Sorrell well, In 2004 he squared off against rival Publicis Groups and its CEO, Maurice Levy, in pursuit of one of the last great independent agencies, Grey Advertising, New York. During the battle Advertising Age opined that Publicis had a big advantage because Levy and Grey chair Edward Meyer were friends and had spoken about merging in the past. In addition, both Grey and Publicis created ads for consumer giant procter & Gamble, while WPP agency Ogilvy & Mather counted P&G’s competitor Unilever among its most important clients. It is customary for agencies not to work for competing accounts. ) A Unilever spokesperson, asked for his thoughts about the possibility of working with an agency that created ads for his most important rival, suggested that â€Å"In the past, we’ve not seen it to be such a good idea. â€Å"But nobody familiar with Martin Sorrell was surprised when at the end of the day he convinced Grey to sign with WPP and persuaded Procter & Gamble to stay as well. Unlike many of his peers, Sorrell has never written a word of copy, nor has he ever penciled a print design or directed a broadcast commercial. Sorrell’s talents are organizational and strategic; although he is an expert in the world of finance, Sir Martin cautions, â€Å"I may be a bean counter, but I’m not an accountant. † To drive home the point he posed for WPP’s annual report surrounded by lima and pinto beans. So how does Martin Sorrell continue to win in the high-stakes agency world? His vision, developed years before most of his rivals caught on, that twenty-first-century clients would want a complete menu of marketing communication services, all of which work synergistically, is one important reason for his success. Tenacity, energy, focus, and a willingness to do whatever is needed to win are also traits that come to mind. All these are illustrated in the story of Sorrell’s drive to land Korean giant Samsung when the company put its advertising up for review in the spring of 2004. Samsung spends almost $400 million each year supporting its brands, which is reason enough for agencies to salivate for the account. Sorrell believes that the company holds even greater appeal because of his forecast that advertising growth in the twenty-first century will come disproportionately from Asia. So Sorrell did whatever he could to attract Samsung’s attention. Like any savvy agency head, he assigned his best people to generate creative ideas to pitch to Samsung executives. But unlike most agency heads, he didn’t stop there. After discovering that a Samsung-financed museum was having a grand opening in Seoul, Sorrell jumped on a plane and ended up being the only agency person there. Samsung executives found themselves receiving emails from Sorrell at all time of the day and night. Peter Stringham, marketing director of HSBC, a company that Sorrell landed after several years of trying, commented, â€Å"Martin can be quite persistent. He was there from the first meeting to the last. He’d pitched to us a couple of times before and not gotten the account, but he’d had his eye on it for years. † Needless to say, in the fall of 2004, Samsung announced it was awarding its account to WPP. In the new millennium, British knights may not wear armor, carry a crest, or rescue damsels in distress. But Sir Martin Sorrell knows how to triumph in the competitive world of advertising agencies. Questions 1. Why do large clients like Samsung wish to work with giant holding companies like WPP instead of with smaller agencies? 2. What qualities help Sorrell to be successful? Why are these qualities so important for his company’s success? 3. Explain how Martin Sorrell wins clients and builds positive agency-client relationships. How does he see the agency’s role in marketing? Case V Boycott This! A recent ad for a Nike hiking shoe used copy that was probably intended to be humorous. The copy suggested that Nike’s shoe could help the use avoid turning into â€Å"†¦a drooling, misshapen non-extreme-trail-running husk of my former self, forced to roam the earth in a motorized wheelchair with my name embossed on one of those cute little license plates you get at carnivals†¦. Marcie Roth, an advocacy director for the National Council on Independent Living, didn’t find it funny. â€Å"Nike is trying to be sensationalist, and they’re doing it on the backs of the disabled,† thundered Roth, adding, â€Å"We won’t tolerate it. † Nike apologized and immediately pulled the ad. But Roth announced that her group was interested in more than just an apology, because the disabled, in Roth’s words, had been â€Å"dissed. † Nike was asked to include disabled actors in its ads and hire a greater number of disabled workers. Otherwise, suggested Roth, Nike could expect a boycott. Boycotts are certainly one way for consumers to let advertisers know when they’ve gone too far. While some advertisers, notably Benetton, delight in creating controversy, that vast majority try to avoid the unwanted attention and possible loss of sales that a boycott might bring. Armed with this knowledge, consumers and interest groups regularly threaten boycotts and there are several Web sites that track the dozens of product boycotts that re occurring at any given time. Recently the Web site â€Å"Ethical Consumer† listed boycott of Adidas (for allegedly using kangaroo skin in the manufacture of some boots), Air France (for allegedly transporting primates), Bayer (for allegedly supporting policies favoring the use of genetically modified crops), and even entire nations (Israel, China, Morocco, and Turkey). Although Ethical Consumer’s rationales for supporting boycotts appear motivated by left-leaning or pr ogressive concerns, conservative groups use them too. The American Family Association, based in Tupelo, Mississippi, has sent tens of thousands of e-mails threatening boycotts to advertisers Geico, Best Buy, Foot Looker, and Finish Line. The AFA is not upset with the ads placed by these companies, but rather with the program in which the ads appear: South Park. The AFA claims its e-mail campaigns caused Lowe’s, Tyson, ConAgra, and Kellogg’s to stop placing ads in ABC’s surprise hit Desperate Housewives. Some companies resist boycott pressures. Proctor & Gamble ignored AFA pressure to stop its support for gay-friendly legislation in Cincinnati. Subway Vice President Chris Carroll said his company ignored threatened boycotts caused by the company’s decision to run ads in a documentary that was unflattering to Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry. And then there’s Pepsi. In 2003 the brand signed hip-hop artist Ludacris to appear in a â€Å"fun-oriented† campaign, but outspoken cable show host Bill O’Reilly immediately ripped Pepsi and urged â€Å"†¦all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt†¦the poor in our society. I’m calling for all Americans to say, ‘Hey, Pepsi, I’m not drinking your stuff. You want to hang around with Ludacris, you do that, I’m not hanging around with you. † A Pepsi representative appearing on O’Reilly’s show denied that the artist’s provocative lyrics (one album featured a song called â€Å"Move Bitch†) were relevant to the Pepsi campaign. But the following day Pepsi canceled the campaign. For viewers of a certain age, the entire affair was reminiscent of the controversy that erupted several years earlier when Pepsi canceled ads featuring Madonna after she appeared in a controversial music video. But Pepsi’s decision did not mark the end of the controversy. After the announcement, Ludacris and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, an organization run by his producer, Russell Simmons, threatened their own boycott. Following several days of negotiations, the second boycott was called off. Ludacris would not be a spokesperson for Pepsi, but the soft-drink giant agreed to a deal to make a multi-million-dollar donation over several years to the rapper’s foundation. Questions: 1. What do you think about consumer boycotts? Are they unhealthy attempts to infringe on the speech rights of others? Or are they a healthy sign that consumers can take action against the ethical lapses of advertisers? 2. How should a company respond to the threat of a boycott? Consider the different responses of Nike, Subway, Lowe’s, Proctor & Gamble, and Pepsi. How well do you think each of these companies reacted to boycott pressure? Did any of the companies hurt their brand because of the way they reacted to boycotts? 3. How would you review advertising ideas that you suspect are controversial and might generate a backlash? Is it ever justified to â€Å"push the envelope† in the areas of good taste and social responsibility? How would you decide if such approaches are effective? Case VI How Advertising Works If It Walks Like the Aflac Duck You’ve probably never heard of the American Family life Assurance Co. , nor likely to be familiar with its primary service: supplemental workplace medical insurance, a type of insurance that is used by people to help cover the many loopholes and deductibles in their primary insurance coverage. Then again, if you are like 90 percent of U. S. onsumers, maybe you have heard of the company. In its advertising it calls itself â€Å"AFLAC. † The four-year AFLAC campaign is the work of Linda Kaplan Thaler, owner of the New York agency that bears her name. Thaler’s ads are not known for their subtlety. Among her credits are the Toy’s R Us jingle â€Å"I don’t want to grow up,† and the successful campaign for Clairol Herbal Esse nces, featuring on â€Å"orgasmic† hair-washing experience. The Herbal Essences ads strike some as funny, others as quite possibly offensive, but sales of the product have skyrocketed to almost $700 million a year. In many ways Thaler’s ads hearken back to the 1960s, when it was common to feature â€Å"sex, schmaltz, chirpy jingles and ‘talking’ babies and animals,† as the New York Time’s advertising columnist Stewart Elliott puts it. Industry insiders have been known to snipe at Thaler’s work, and few would describe her campaigns as â€Å"edgy. † But as Maurice Levy, CEO of the giant advertising company Publicis, observes, â€Å"There are people who do advertising for what I call the advertising for the consumer. She is doing advertising mush more for the consumer. Thaler herself notes, â€Å"We’re doing our job when we find ways to get people to buy things. † Thaler’s AFLAC ads, by almost any measure, are her best. Almost all feature a white duck desperately screaming â€Å"AFLAC† at people who need supplemental insurance. Unfortunately, the duck’s audience never quite seems to hear him. Most of the ads contai n a fair amount of slapstick, usually at the expense of the duck, whose exasperated-sounding voice originates with former Saturday Night Live cast member Gilbert Gottfried. He’s got the right answer but nobody is listening, and that’s a situation that resonates with people,† says Kathleen Spencer, director of AFLAC’s corporate communications. â€Å"There’s also just something inherently comical about a duck. † The campaign has been enormously successful. Since the ads first began running, brand name awareness has increased from 15 percent to 90 percent. Over the same period year-to-year sales increases have almost doubled. Dan Amos, CEO for AFLAC, believes that â€Å"our name recognition with our advertising campaign to truly help our company. In 2003 Ad Age named the commercial featuring the duck and the Amazing Kreskin (who hypnotizes a man into thinking he is a chicken) the most-recalled spot in America. But what makes the AFLAC campaign truly remarkable is how little it has cost the company. The duck has a higher Q score (a measure of a character’s familiarity and appeal) than both Ronald McDonald and the Energizer Bunny, but whereas Energizer has spent almost a billion dollars over 15 years on advertising, and McDonald’s spends almost $700 million every year, AFLAC’s ad budget is only $45 million a year. There is no denying that Thaler’s work for AFLAC is a triumph of both effectiveness and value. Questions: 1. Some viewers don’t like the AFLAC ads. Can an ad still accomplish its intended purposes if people find it annoying? 2. The AFLAC campaign is more than four years old. In your opinion, will the campaign stay effective for the foreseeable future? 3. What makes AFLAC ads so effective? Is it something more than their entertainment value? If so, what else contributes to their success?

Forward the Foundation Chapter 20

22 Yugo Amaryl said, â€Å"Here you are again, Dors.† â€Å"Sorry, Yugo. I'm bothering you twice this week. Actually you don't see anyone very often, do you?† Amaryl said, â€Å"I don't encourage people to visit me, no. They tend to interrupt me and break my line of thought. Not you, Dors. You're altogether special, you and Hari. There's never a day I don't remember what you two have done for me.† Dors waved her hand. â€Å"Forget it, Yugo. You've worked hard for Hari and any trifling kindness we did for you has long been overpaid. How is the Project going? Hari never talks about it-not to me, anyway.† Amaryl's face lightened and his whole body seemed to take on an infusion of life. â€Å"Very well. Very well. It's difficult to talk about it without mathematics, but the progress we've made in the last two years is amazing-more than in all the time before that. It's as though, after we've been hammering away and hammering away, things have finally begun to break loose.† â€Å"I've been hearing that the new equations worked out by Dr. Elar have helped the situation.† â€Å"The achaotic equations? Yes. Enormously.† â€Å"And the Electro-Clarifier has been helpful, too. I spoke to the woman who designed it.† â€Å"Cinda Monay?† â€Å"Yes. That's the one.† â€Å"A very clever woman. We're fortunate to have her.† â€Å"Tell me, Yugo-You work at the Prime Radiant virtually all the time, don't you?† â€Å"I'm more or less constantly studying it. Yes.† â€Å"And you study it with the Electro-Clarifier.† â€Å"Certainly.† â€Å"Don't you ever think of taking a vacation, Yugo?† Amaryl looked at her owlishly, blinking slowly. â€Å"A vacation?† â€Å"Yes. Surely you've heard the word. You know what a vacation is.† â€Å"Why should I take a vacation?† â€Å"Because you seem dreadfully tired to me.† â€Å"A little, now and then. But I don't want to leave the work.† â€Å"Do you feel more tired now than you used to?† â€Å"A little. I'm getting older, Dors.† â€Å"You're only forty-nine.† â€Å"That's still older than I've ever been before.† â€Å"Well, let it go. Tell me, Yugo-just to change the subject. How is Hari doing at his work? You've been with him so long that no one could possibly know him better than you do. Not even I. At least, as far as his work is concerned.† â€Å"He's doing very well, Dors. I see no change in him. He still has the quickest and brightest brain in the place. Age is having no effect on him-at least, not so far.† â€Å"That's good to hear. I'm afraid that his own opinion of himself is not as high as yours is. He's not taking his age well. We had a difficult time getting him to celebrate his recent birthday. Were you at the festivities, by the way? I didn't see you.† â€Å"I attended part of the time. But, you know, parties of that kind are not the sort of thing I feel at home with.† â€Å"Do you think Hari is wearing out? I'm not referring to his mental brilliance. I'm referring to his physical capacities. In your opinion, is he growing tired-too tired to bear up under his responsibilities?† Amaryl looked astonished. â€Å"I never gave it any thought. I can't imagine him growing tired.† â€Å"He may be, just the same. I think he has the impulse, now and then, to give up his post and hand the task over to some younger man.† Amaryl sat back in his chair and put down the graphic stylus he had been fiddling with ever since Dors had entered. â€Å"What! That's ridiculous! Impossible!† â€Å"Are you sure?† â€Å"Absolutely. He certainly wouldn't consider such a thing without discussing it with me. And he hasn't.† â€Å"Be reasonable, Yugo. Hari is exhausted. He tries not to show it, but he is. What if he does decide to retire? What would become of the Project? What would become of psychohistory?† Amaryl's eyes narrowed. â€Å"Are you joking, Dors?† â€Å"No. I'm just trying to look into the future.† â€Å"Surely, if Hari retires, I succeed to the post. He and I ran the Project for years before anyone else joined us. He and I. No one else. Except for him, no one knows the Project as I do. I'm amazed you don't take my succession for granted, Dors.† Dors said, â€Å"There's no question in my mind or in anyone else's that you are the logical successor, but do you want to be? You may know everything about psychohistory, but do you want to throw yourself into the politics and complexities of a large Project and abandon much of your work in order to do so? Actually it's trying to keep everything moving smoothly that's been wearing Hari down. Can you take on that part of the job?† â€Å"Yes, I can and it's not something I intend to discuss. Look here, Dors. Did you come here to break the news that Hari intends to ease me out?† Dors said, â€Å"Certainly not! How could you think that of Hari! Have you ever known him to turn on a friend?† â€Å"Very well, then. Let's drop the subject. Really, Dors, if you don't mind, there are things I must do.† Abruptly he turned away from her and bent over his work once more. â€Å"Of course. I didn't mean to take up this much of your time.† Dors left, frowning. 23 Raych said, â€Å"Come in, Mom. The coast is clear. I've sent Manella and Wanda off somewhere.† Dors entered, looked right and left out of sheer habit, and sat down in the nearest chair. â€Å"Thanks,† said Dors. For a while she simply sat there, looking as if the weight of the Empire were on her shoulders. Raych waited, then said, â€Å"I never got a chance to ask you about your wild trip into the Palace grounds. It isn't every guy who has a mom who can do that.† â€Å"We're not talking about that, Raych.† â€Å"Well then, tell me. **You're not one for giving anything away by facial expressions, but you look sorta down. Why is that?† â€Å"Because I feel, as you say, sorta down. In fact, I'm in a bad mood because I have terribly important things on my mind and there's no use talking to your father about it. He's the most wonderful man in the world, but he's very hard to handle. There's no chance that he'd take an interest in the dramatic. He dismisses it all as my irrational fears for his life-and my subsequent attempts to protect him.† â€Å"Come on, Mom, you do seem to have irrational fears where Dad's concerned. If you've got something dramatic in mind, it's probably all wrong.† â€Å"Thank you. You sound just like he does and you leave me frustrated. Absolutely frustrated.† â€Å"Well then, unburden yourself, Mom. Tell me what's on your mind. From the beginning.† â€Å"It starts with Wanda's dream.† â€Å"Wanda's dream! Mom! Maybe you'd better stop right now. I know that Dad won't want to listen if you start that way. I mean, come on. A little kid has a dream and you make a big deal of it. That's ridiculous.† â€Å"I don't think it was a dream, Raych. I think what she thought was a dream were two real people, talking about what she thought concerned the death of her grandfather.† â€Å"That's a wild guess on your part. What possible chance does this have of being true?† â€Å"Just suppose it is true. The one phrase that remained with her was ‘lemonade death.' Why should she dream that? It's much more likely that she heard that and distorted the words she heard-in which case, what were the undistorted words?† â€Å"I can't tell you,† said Raych, his voice incredulous. Dors did not fail to catch that. â€Å"You think this is just my sick invention. Still, if I happen to be right, I might be at the start of unraveling a conspiracy against Hari right here in the Project.† â€Å"Are there conspiracies in the Project? That sounds as impossible to me as finding significance in a dream.† â€Å"Every large project is riddled with angers, frictions, jealousies of all sorts.† â€Å"Sure. Sure. We're talking nasty words and faces and nose thumbing and tale bearing. That's nothing at all like talking conspiracy. It's not like talking about killing Dad.† â€Å"It's just a difference in degree. A small difference-maybe.† â€Å"You'll never make Dad believe that. For that matter, you'll never make me believe that.† Raych walked hastily across the room and back again, â€Å"And you've been trying to nose out this so-called conspiracy, have you?† Dors nodded. â€Å"And you've failed.† Dors nodded. â€Å"Doesn't it occur to you that you've failed because there is no conspiracy, Mom?† Dors shook her head. â€Å"I've failed so far, but that doesn't shake my belief that one exists. I have that feeling.† Raych laughed. â€Å"You sound very ordinary, Mom. I would expect more from you than ‘I have that feeling.†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ â€Å"There is one phrase that I think can be distorted into ‘lemonade.' That's ‘layman-aided.' â€Å" â€Å"Laymanayded? What's that?† â€Å"Layman-aided. Two words. A layman is what the mathematicians at the Project call nonmathematicians.† â€Å"Well?† â€Å"Suppose,† interjected Dors firmly, â€Å"someone spoke of ‘layman-aided death,' meaning that some way could be found to kill Hari in which one or more nonmathematicians would play an essential role. Might that not have sounded to Wanda like ‘lemonade death,' considering that she had never heard the phrase ‘layman-aided' any more than you did, but that she was extraordinarily fond of lemonade?† â€Å"Are you trying to tell me that there were people in Dad's private office, of all places. How many people, by the way?† â€Å"Wanda, in describing her dream, says two. My own feeling is that one of the two was none other than Colonel Hender Linn of the junta and that he was being shown the Prime Radiant and that there must have been a discussion involving the elimination of Hari.† â€Å"You're getting wilder and wilder, Mom. Colonel Linn and another man in Dad's office talking murder and not knowing that there was a little girl hidden in a chair, overhearing them? Is that it?† â€Å"More or less.† â€Å"In that case, if there is mention of laymen, then one of the people, presumably the one that isn't Linn, must be a mathematician.† â€Å"It would seem to be so.† â€Å"That seems utterly impossible. But even if it were true, which mathematician do you suppose might be in question? There are at least fifty in the Project.† â€Å"I haven't questioned them all. I've questioned a few and some laymen, too, for that matter, but I have uncovered no leads. Of course, I can't be too open in my questions.† â€Å"In short, no one you have interviewed has given you any lead on any dangerous conspiracy.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"I'm not surprised. They haven't done so, because-â€Å" â€Å"I know your ‘because,' Raych. Do you suppose people are going to break down and give away conspiracies under mild questioning? I am in no position to try to beat the information out of anyone. Can you imagine what your father would say if I upset one of his precious mathematicians?† Then, with a sudden change in the intonation of her voice, she said, â€Å"Raych, have you talked to Yugo Amaryl lately?† â€Å"No, not recently. He's not one of your sociable creatures, you know. If you pulled the psychohistory out of him, he'd collapse into a little pile of dry skin.† Dors made a face at the picture and said, â€Å"I've talked to him twice recently and he seems to me to be a little withdrawn. I don't mean just tired. It is almost as though he's not aware of the world.† â€Å"Yes. That's Yugo.† â€Å"Is he getting worse lately?† Raych thought awhile. â€Å"He might be. He's getting older, you know. We all are. Except you, Mom.† â€Å"Would you say that Yugo had crossed the line and become a little unstable, Raych?† â€Å"Who? Yugo? He has nothing to be unstable about. Or with. Just leave him at his psychohistory and he'll mumble quietly to himself for the rest of his life.† â€Å"I don't think so. There is something that interests him-and very strongly, too. That's the succession.† â€Å"What succession?† â€Å"I mentioned that someday your father might want to retire and it turns out that Yugo is determined-absolutely determined-to be his successor.† â€Å"I'm not surprised. I imagine that everyone agrees that Yugo is the natural successor. I'm sure Dad thinks so, too.† â€Å"But he seemed to me to be not quite normal about it. He thought I was coming to him to break the news that Hari had shoved him aside in favor of someone else. Can you imagine anyone thinking that of Hari?† â€Å"It is surprising-† Raych interrupted himself and favored his mother with a long look. He said, â€Å"Mom, are you getting ready to tell me that it might be Yugo who's at the heart of this conspiracy you're speaking of? That he wants to get rid of Dad and take over?† â€Å"Is that entirely impossible?† â€Å"Yes, it is, Mom. Entirely. If there's anything wrong with Yugo, it's overwork and nothing else. Staring at all those equations or whatever they are, all day and half the night, would drive anyone crazy.† Dors rose to her feet with a jerk. â€Å"You're right.† Raych, startled, said, â€Å"What's the matter?† â€Å"What you've said. It's given me an entirely new idea. A crucial one, I think.† Turning, without another word, she left. 24 Dors Venabili disapproved, as she said to Hari Seldon â€Å"You've spent four days at the Galactic Library. Completely out of touch and again you managed to go without me.† Husband and wife stared at each other's image on their holoscreens. Hari had just returned from a research trip to the Galactic Library in Imperial Sector. He was calling Dors from his Project office to let her know he'd returned to Streeling. Even in anger, thought Hari, Dors is beautiful. He wished he could reach out and touch her cheek. â€Å"Dors,† he began, a placating note in his voice, â€Å"I did not go alone. I had a number of people with me and the Galactic Library, of all places, is safe for scholars, even in these turbulent times. I am going to have to be at the Library more and more often, I think, as time goes on.† â€Å"And you're going to continue to do it without telling me?† â€Å"Dors, I can't live according to these death-filled views of yours. Nor do I want you running after me and upsetting the librarians. They're not the junta. I need them and I don't want to make them angry. But I do think that I-we-should take an apartment nearby.† Dors looked grim, shook her head, and changed the subject. â€Å"Do you know that I had two talks with Yugo recently?† â€Å"Good. I'm glad you did. He needs contact with the outside world.† â€Å"Yes, he does, because something's wrong with him. He's not the Hugo we've had with us all these years. He's become vague, distant, and-oddly enough-passionate on only one point, as nearly as I can tell-his determination to succeed you on your retirement.† â€Å"That would be natural-if he survives me.† â€Å"Don't you expect him to survive you?† â€Å"Well, he's eleven years younger than I am, but the vicissitudes of circumstance-â€Å" â€Å"What you really mean is that you recognize that Yugo is in a bad way. He looks and acts older than you do, for all his younger age, and that seems to be a rather recent development. Is he ill?† â€Å"Physically? I don't think so. He has his periodic examinations. I'll admit, though, that he seems drained. I've tried to persuade him to take a vacation for a few months-a whole year's sabbatical, if he wishes. I've suggested that he leave Trantor altogether, just so that he is as far away from the Project as possible for a while. There would be no problem in financing his stay on Getorin-which is a pleasant resort world not too many light-years away.† Dors shook her head impatiently. â€Å"And, of course, he won't. I suggested a vacation to him and he acted as though he didn't know the meaning of the word. He absolutely refused.† â€Å"So what can we do?† said Seldon. Dors said, â€Å"We can think a little. Yugo worked for a quarter of a century on the Project and seemed to maintain his strength without any trouble at all and now suddenly he has weakened. It can't be age. He's not yet fifty.† â€Å"Are you suggesting something?† â€Å"Yes. How long have you and Yugo been using this Electro-Clarifier thing on your Prime Radiants?† â€Å"About two years-maybe a little more.† â€Å"I presume that the Electro-Clarifier is used by anyone who uses the Prime Radiant.† â€Å"That's right.† â€Å"Which means Yugo and you, mostly?† â€Å"Yes.† â€Å"And Yugo more than you?† â€Å"Yes. Yugo concentrates fiercely on the Prime Radiant and its equations. I, unfortunately, have to spend much of my time on administrative duties.† â€Å"And what effect does the Electro-Clarifier have on the human body?† Seldon looked surprised. â€Å"Nothing of any significance that I am aware of.† â€Å"In that case, explain something to me, Hari. The Electro-Clarifier has been in operation for over two years and in that time you've grown measurably more tired, crotchety, and a little out of touch. Why is that?†** â€Å"I'm getting older, Dors.† â€Å"Nonsense. Whoever told you that sixty is crystallized senility? You're using your age as a crutch and a defense and I want you to stop it. Yugo, though he's younger, has been exposed to the Electro-Clarifier more than you have and, as a result, he is more tired, more crotchety, and, in my opinion, a great deal less in touch than you are. And he is rather childishly intense about the succession. Don't you see anything significant in this?† â€Å"Age and overwork. That's significant.† â€Å"No, it's the Electro-Clarifier. It's having a long-term effect on the two of you.† After a pause, Seldon said, â€Å"I can't disprove that, Dors, but I don't see how it's possible. The Electro-Clarifier is a device that produces an unusual electronic field, but it is still only a field of the type to which human beings are constantly exposed. It can't do any unusual harm. In any case, we can't give up its use. There's no way of continuing the progress of the Project without it.† â€Å"Now, Hari, I must ask something of you and you must cooperate with me on this. Go nowhere outside the Project without telling me and do nothing out of the ordinary without telling me. Do you understand?† â€Å"Dors, how can I agree to this? You're trying to put me into a straitjacket.† â€Å"It's just for a while. A few days. A week.† â€Å"What's going to happen in a few days or a week?† Dors said, â€Å"Trust me. I will clear up everything.†