The concept of fairness Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The concept of fairness - Movie Review Example Lavoie describes a situation when he asked a teacher whether she would have spent some time explaining information personally to the child with disabilities and she answered that she wouldn’t have done that, because it would have been unfair regarding other children. Hence, Lavoie says that she was wrong in her definition of fairness. Thus when a child with learning disabilities gets the same treatment as other children, the fact that teacher treats all the children the same way seems to be unfair and even offensive for the child. Hence, it would be fair if the child with disabilities got special treatment, even though it may take some time of learning from other children. He claims that this concept is very important because the main principle according to which children learn is that they learn not from what teachers tell them but they learn from what teachers (and parents) do. Hence, Lavoie says that a teacher may say that he is not supposed to treat the child with learning disabilities in some special way, because it is unfair regarding other children. However, children understand fair acts as those that satisfy the needs of each and every person, so they indeed would understand why the child with disabilities gets special treatment. Thus Lavoie advices parents to be fair in this very meaning. As far as children learn from what parents do, not say, they have to behave in accordance with what they tell their children to do. For example, if parents tell their child not to lie and the next moment they lie themselves.

Role of Social Workers in the UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Role of Social Workers in the UK - Essay Example In addition, such social workers can assess the effectiveness of their interventions. Significant value is attached by service users to the variegated approaches employed by social workers. Some of these approaches are; first, providing advice, advocacy and information; second, assisting people in their negotiations with state agencies, such as those in the areas of financial support and housing; third, making available counselling and other forms of psycho – therapeutic support; fourth, providing practical help and guidance; fifth, obtaining access to financial support for service users (Beresford, 2007). User engagement can be promoted by social workers, by either assisting users to access advocacy or by acting as advocates. Advocacy does not always consist of conflicts of interests and in case where this is true, the social worker has to protect the interests of the user (Gallagher & Smith, 2010). The various advances in the involvement of service users in social work have been amalgamated in legislation. This establishes a basis for forging a novel relationship between service providers and service users. Several benefits have accrued to service users and services, due to the involvement of service users in the planning and delivery of services (Service User Involvement, 2007). Some of these benefits are enumerated in the sequel. Service users develop new skills, improve their self – esteem and efficiency, enhance service ownership and adapt services to conform to their requirements. On the other hand, social work benefits in the following manner. The services provided acquire a user orientation, greater efficiency in the services provided, recruitment of appropriate personnel, and promotion of the social reintegration goals of the services.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MNS) Properties

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MNS) Properties INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background Study Large amount of solid remnant from agriculture industries waste can create disposal problem to environment such as generation of odour and can attract pests that can endangered human health. Due to this problem the application of this waste is widely explored to control the disposal problem. According to Norsuraya, Fazlena and Norshasyimi (2016), primary fuel source and additive in construction industries utilise the application of solid residue. The example agricultural waste is corn cob, rice husk, sugarcane leaf and bagasse. Studies have been conducted to enhance the use of this solid residue into profitable product. One of the important element present in the waste is silica that has wide application. According to Norsuraya, Fazlena and Norshasyimi (2016), among the agriculture residue sugarcane bagasse ash (SCBA) consist the highest of the silica content with the value of 96.93%. This studies comply with the studies conducted by Rahman et al. (2015), that stated the amount of silica content in SCBA is more than 50%. Bagasse ash is the product of combustion of bagasse that are commonly used as a source energy to operate plant. Bagasse is one waste product in sugar industry that incurs additional disposal cost. Bagasse is cellular fiber remaining after extraction of the sugar-bearing juice from sugarcane. It consist of lignin (20-30 %), cellulose (40-45 %) and hemicelluloses (30-35 %) (Peng et al., 2009). The silica content varies depending on the environment, soil nature and the process involves in harvesting it. In Malaysia the application of Sugarcane Bagasse (SCB) is still not widely explored but studies already conducted to produce silica gel as adsorbent, additive for concrete, cosmetic and others because of its characteristic. SCB is more related to by-product in sugarcane mills industry. After the juice containing sucrose called as table sugar extracted from the sugarcane by pressing the sugarcane. The residue is the SCB which contains high fibrous residue. The largest sugarcane plantation in Malaysia is at the northern region of Malaysia which can produce more than 70 000 tonne of sugarcane. The sugarcane bagasse waste from the extraction process contribute to huge disposal waste problem. SCBA can be the most valuable stock for production of mesoporous silica that are useful application such as adsorption and catalyst (Rahman et al., 2015). For that purposes, the size and surface area of the mesoporous silica are importance. Mesoporous silica is a silica that has pore with diameter range of 2 50 nm depending on the process of synthesis of the mesoporous silica. The large surface area of the mesoporous silica functions as the active site that useful for the application such adsorption. Dye is a natural or synthetic materials that can add a specific colour onto the material that are applied to. Every year more than 10 000 types of dye are produced around the world and are used in different types of industries (Malakootian et al., 2015). The application of dye used widely from food industry to textile industry with the biggest consumer of dye is textile industry. This industry is known to be the one of the main contributor of industrial wastewater pollution and it is the most polluting of all the industrial sector. 10-50% of the dye will end up in the effluent (Axelsson et al., 2006). Dye are significantly toxic and mutagenic that poses hazard to aquatic life and living organism. One of example of dye is methylene blue (MB) that are an important aromatic compound with chemical formula of C16H18ClN3S. Large amount of this dye are released in the water sources and according to Malakootian et al. (2015) it is more importance removing dye from textile wastewater than tre ating other colourless organic and inorganic because only a small amount of dye can affect the water quality and colour. Various treatment method introduce to removes dye from textile wastewater such as physical, chemical and biological but it is not effective due to complex chemical structure that lead to resistant to this type of treatment other than the treatment cost. Thus, it is important to find other alternative process of removal of dye. Currently, the most known method to treat textile wastewater is by using adsorption process method because of it has more advantages compared to traditional method especially in environmental aspects and its ease of operation, cost effectiveness, biodegradability as well as greater efficiency. In order to carry out the adsorption, the main important thing is the adsorbent. According to Malakootian et al. (2015) the most typical adsorbent used for adsorption treatment for the removal of dyes from coloured water or wastewater, but due to its high production, regeneration and reactivation procedures cost research has been concentrated on alternative adsorbents with high adsorptive capacity and low cost such as mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN). These adsorbents have high efficiency due to their high surface area, high mechanical properties and good resistivity to thermal degradation, and they exist in several structures and amphoteric properties. 1.2 Problem Statement The wastewater from textile contain high concentration of dye. So it required for the effluent from the industry to undergo treatment. Wastewater resulting from these industries is generally characterize by high COD, pH, dissolved solid temperature and dye and surfactant content. Dye also can be toxic to environment because of its chemical properties. In order to treat effluent from textile industry that contain high percentage of dye, various method introduced and used. Examples of the methods are physical, chemical, biological, membrane separation, radiation, electrochemical, advanced oxidation, photolysis, electrochemical, sonolysis processes, etc. However, these methods are relatively ineffective because most dyes as azo reactive dyes are highly water soluble, have complex structures, and are stable to light, chemical and biological degradation, etc. Furthermore, these methods have certain disadvantages such as high capital and operational costs, secondary sludge disposal problems and the release of large volumes of toxic by-products (Malakootian et al., 2015). Among all these methods, adsorption is the best method because of its advantages and the best adsorbents is by using nanotechnology method such as Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle. It is because it has high adsorptive capacity and low cost. 1.3 Objectives of Study The objectives of the study can be outlined as follows: To prepare Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MSN) from bagasse ash To characterize the physicochemical properties of MSN. To study the potential of MSN as an environmental adsorbent in wastewater treatment 1.4 Research Scope The research is to investigate the effluent of low cost adsorbent materials which is Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MSN) from bagasse ash as the adsorbent to remove the Methylene Blue. The MSN are prepared from Sol-Gel Method and then Hydrothermal Synthesis by using formaldehyde, water and without formaldehyde and water. The MSN will be characterize and will be subjected to: Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to identify the major functional chemical groups present in the silica Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) to determine the average particle size and the morphology of the materials. Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) to evaluate the specific surface area. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to evaluate the image of the MSN The performance of MSN adsorbent in removing methylene blue from aqueous solution will be carried out in various parameter which are: Effect of pH the aqueous methylene blue in pH 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 Effect of MSN dosage (0.1 g, 0.2 g, 0.3 g, 0.4 g and 0.5 g) Effect of initial concentration of aqueous methylene blue (10 ppm, 20 ppm, 30 ppm, 40 ppm and 50 ppm) Effect of temperature of the aqueous methylene blue (30 Â °C, 50 Â °C and 70 Â °C) The treated aqueous methylene blue dye will be characterized and subjected to UV-Visible Spectrometer (UV-Vis) to evaluate the percentage of methylene blue dye remove from the aqueous solution from adsorbent by MSN. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction One of the major problem in environment is water contamination. The bad effect of water contamination will affect everything in this world such as human, animals and plants. It is because water is the main elements to support all living things and earth. Nearly all of water contamination is caused by human activities. Apart from human activities, water contamination is also caused by natural waste. From long time ago, the water contamination is studied by researcher. There are many technique and method to treat and remove contaminants in the waste water. It is for preserving both human and the environment in this world. Among all contaminant in water, dye is one of the contaminant that exist in the water. The waster that contain dye is mainly from industry that related to textile industry, plastic and paper. It contain up to 10% of used dye. It is proven that dye is dangerous to all living things due to its harmful behaviour of dye molecules and their metabolites is significant for the development of strategies to diminish their desperate damaging impacts (Hebbar, Isloor, Zulhairun, Sohaimi Abdullah, Ismail, 2017). In addition to having harmful adverse effect, the presence of colour in water is visually unpleasant and can destroy the entire ecosystem. One of the most effective method to overcome the problem of effluent water containing dye is by using adsorption technique. It has been proven to be very effective by many researchers. This is because adsorption method offers more advantages compared to other method especially in environmental aspects and its ease of operation, cost effectiveness, biodegradability as well as greater efficiency. 2.2 Dyes Dyes are produced all over the world with approximately 10 000 different type of dyes produced per year and it has been used extensively in so many industries. Most common industry that utilizing dye is textile industry and estimated to utilize around 7 ÃÆ'- 105 1 ÃÆ'- 106 tons (Malakootian et al., 2015). Dyes are used to dye a textile products, fur products, and others. Dye can be originated mainly from vegetables and also animal sources. There also the existence of synthetic dye that replacing the natural sources. The main function of dye are to add colour to a certain materials such as textile. Dye are also generally utilized as part of industry such as rubber, paper, cosmetic etc. Among these different industry, textile industry positions first in utilization of dyes for colouring of fiber. The dye are constantly left as major waste in these industries. Because of their compound structure, dyes are impervious to fading on presentation of light, water and numerous chemicals and this manner are hard to be decolorized once discharged into the nature or aquatic environment. Basically, dyes are ionising and aromatic compound. Inside the dyes, there are chromophores present in them. Based on their structures of the dyes, it has aryl rings that has delocalised electron systems. These structures are said to be responsible for the adsorption of electromagnetic radiation that has varying wavelengths, based upon the energy of the electron clouds. Dye can influence aquatics life, human wellbeing and environmental framework when dye wastewaters are greatly released wastewater into water sources due to complex compound in the dye. It has big complicated molecular structure and harmful properties. It in the end rolls out improvements of ecological system and other serious pollution issues. Dye wastewaters can contain harmful organic residue with the significant mixes of phenol derivatives, aniline derivatives, organic acid and benzene derivatives (Likhar Shivramwar, 2013) 2.2.1 Classification of Dye Dyes can be characterized into a few classes as per their utilization, for example, reactive, disperse, direct, vat, sulphur, cationic, acid and solvent dyes. The classification of dyes according their application is as shown in table 2.1. Table 2.1: General dyes classification and its application (Hunger, 2003) Class Principal Substrate Application Chemical Types Acid Dyes Nylon, Wool, Silk, Paper, Inks and Leather Usually from neutral to acidic dyebaths Azo (including premetallised), antraquinone, triphenylmethane, azine, xanthene, nitro and nitroso Cationic (Basic Dyes) Paper, Polyacrylonitrile, Modified Nylon, Polyester and Inks Applied Applied from acidic dyebaths cyanine, hemicyanine, diazahemicyanine, diphenylmethane, triarylmethane, azo, azine, xanthene, acridine, oxanine and anthraquinone cotton, Direct Dyes Cotton, Rayon, Paper, Leather and Nylon Applied from neutral or slightly alkaline baths containing additional electrolyte Azo, phthalocyanine, stilbene and oxanine Dispersed Dyes Polyester, Polyamide, Acetate, Acrylic and Plastics Fine aqueous dispersions often applied by high temperature/ pressure or lower temperature carrier methods; dye may be padded on cloth and baked on or thermofixed Azo, anthraquinone, styryl, nitro and benzodifuranone Reactive Dyes Cotton, Wool, Silk and Nylon Reactive site on dye reacts with functional group on fiber to bind dye covalently under influence of heat and pH (alkaline) Solvent Azo, anthraquinone, phthalocyanine, formazan, oxanine Solvent Dyes Plastics, Gasoline, Varnishes Lacquers, Stains, Inks, Fats, Oils and Waxes Dissolution in the substrate Azo, triphenylmethane, anthraquinone and phthalocyanine cotton Sulphur Dyes Cotton and Rayon Aromatic substrate vatted with sodium sulphide and reoxidised to insoluble sulphur- containing products on fiber Indeterminate structure Vat Dyes Cotton, Rayon and Wool Water-insoluble dyes Solubilised by reducing with Sodium hydrogensulphide, then exhausted on fiber and Reoxidised Anthraquinone (including polycyclic quinines) and indigoids Synthetic dye are being used extensively used in different dyeing industry with textile is leading industry that utilize it with 56% of world dye production annually. Its effluent contain critical level of organic contaminants, which are toxic as it will create odour, bad taste, unsightly colour, foaming, etc. These substances are often resistant to degradation by biological methods and are not removed effectively by conventional physico-chemical treatment methods. Removal of these dyes from effluents in an economic fashion remains a major problem for textile industries. 2.2.2 Methylene Blue Methylene Blue (MB) or also known as Methylthioninium Chloride was first synthesized at 1876 by a German Chemist, Heinrich Caro. Paul Guttman and Paul Ehrlich used MB in the treatment of Malaria dieses in 1891. During that time also, the function of MB as a dye were discovered and were used in First World War as a biological weapon and partially staining the soldiers. MB has many uses in different field, For instance, chemists use it to detect oxidizing agents and biologists use it to stain tissue samples and detect nucleic acids. In medicine, it is used as a treatment for various illnesses and disorders, including methemoglobinemia, schizophrenia, kidney stones, and herpes infections. In aquaculture, it is used to prevent freshwater fish eggs from being infected by bacteria and fungi (Methylene blue New World Encyclopedia, 2014) In term of dye application only, MB a basic blue dye used for dyeing silk, leather, plastics, paper, and cotton mordant with tannin as well as for the production of ink and copying paper in the office supplies industry. The release of this dye to earth is troubling for both toxicological and aesthetical reasons as dye hinder light infiltration, harm the nature of the accepting streams and are toxic to food chain organisms. The dye has a synthetic origin and complex aromatic molecular structures, it is an inactive and hard to biodegrade when released into waste streams. This perspective has dependably been neglected in their discharge. The removal of synthetic dye is of incredible worry since a few dyes and their degradation products might be cancer-causing agents and poisonous and, thus, their treatment cannot rely on upon biodegradation alone. Table 2.2: Properties of Methylene Blue (MB) METHYLENE BLUE IUPAC name 7-(dimethylamino)phenothiazin-3-ylidene]-dimethylazanium;chloride Properties Molecular formula C16H18ClN3S Molar mass 319.86 g/mol Density 43 600 mg/L at 25 Â °C Melting point 100 ÂÂ °C Boiling Point Decomposes Odour Odourless Solubility in water Soluble in ethanol, chloroform; slightly soluble in pyridine; insoluble in ethyl ether Adapted from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/methylene_blue#section=WIPO-IPC 2.2.3 Technologies for Dye Removal Dye are used widely in all sector to colour their product. In order to colour the product large amount of dye is used. Apart to colour their product the dye also been used as paper, and plastic. This will result in large amount of effluent containing dye as contaminant into the nature. According to study conducted by Axelsson et al. (2006), 10 50 % of the dye used in industry will go to effluent because of the dye molecule might react with hydroxyl ions in the solution giving rise to even more water-soluble hydrolysed molecules. Because of the good solubility of dye in water it will endangered the nature. It is also reported by Sapawe et al. (2012) that 15 % of the total world production of dyes is released in textile industry. This proves that from out of 7ÃÆ'-105 tons of effluent produce large number of dye is discharges as wastewater. Without further treatment to the effluent containing dye contaminant, it can cause extreme problems if not treated legitimately because of dyes are harmful, toxic, mutagenic, carcinogenic to human life as well to another living organism (Sapawe et al., 2012). To treat the dye so many method had been introduced and the best method reported by Malakootian et al. (2015), is by using adsorption method and supported by Marrakchi, Ahmed, Khanday, Asif, Hameed (2017) due to some advantages. From all types of treatment, it can be classified into three categories which are divided for the technologies which are physical, chemical and biological. However, it is hard to treat the dye because of their synthetic origin and mainly complex aromatic structure. All of these technologies possess pros and cons. 2.2.3.1 Physical and Chemical Treatment There are numerous method falls under physical and chemical treatment such as anion exchange resins, cogulations, flotation, electroflotation, electrochemical destruction, irradiation, Ozonation,adsorption, and the use of activated carbon. Physical and chemical treatment is far more effective than biological treatment in decolourizing dye but it will use more energy, chemicals, and biological process hence increasing the capital cost for the treatment (Miao, 1992). Apart from that, it will lead to secondary sludge disposal problems and the release of large volumes of toxic by-products (Malakootian et al., 2015). 2.2.3.2 Biological Treatment Biological have three stages or phases. It is because before the effluent arriving to the biological phase, it will go through some physical and chemical treatment. For comparison to the physical and chemical method, physical and chemical treatment will treated physically or chemically without going through another phases. It is reported by Malakootian et al. (2015) that biological treatment is in effective in decolorizing water because most dyes as azo reactive dyes are highly water soluble, have complex structures, and are stable to light, chemical and biological degradation. The example of biological treatment are fungal biodegradation, bacteria biodegradation, yeast biodegradation, and microbial biosorption, Biological treatment has lower capital cost compared to physical treatment and chemical treatment (Miao, 1992). 2.3 Decolorizing of Dyes by Adsorption Process Absorption has been proved as the best method for treatment wastewater containing dye. It offers noteworthy advantages over customary treatment techniques particularly from the environmental perspective and its simplicity of operation and also more prominent efficiency. Some adsorbents, which are utilized for the expulsion of dye from aqueous solutions with differing achievement include activated carbon, magnesium oxide grafted chitosan, modified bentonite, TiO2 powder, TiO2 nanotube and others. Among all these materials, activated carbon is a standout amongst the most much of the time adsorbents utilized for the removal of dye from coloured waters and wastewaters, yet because of its high generation, recovery and reactivation procedure cost, research has been concentrated on alternative adsorbents with high adsorptive capacity and low cost. Therefore, recently there has been a lot of attention toward using nanotechnology methods. Nowadays using nanomethods, especially by using Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle, The large surface area allows for binding at a great number of active sites distributed within the framework of the porous materials. The large pores can overcome the pore-diffusion limitation and provide high-speed pathways for gas molecules (Rahman et al., 2015). Apart from that, it is reported that, Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle which is synthesized from natural sources claimed to safe in handling, cheap and can be generated from cheap resources (Norsuraya et al., 2016) which is bagasse ash in this case. Due to this advantages, the usage and studies regarding Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle increase exponentially as adsorbent. METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction The aim of this study is to synthesis Mesoporous silica from bagasse ash by using green route and to study the performance of the Mesoporous silica in wastewater treatment by utilizing aqueous methylene blue as the wastewater. The mesoporous silica is prepared by carrying out combustion of bagasse to produce bagasse ash and then using Sol-Gel method to make gel from the bagasse ash. The product of Sol-Gel method will undergo hydrothermal synthesis by using formaldehyde, water and without formaldehyde and water to synthesis Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MSN). The MSN produced will be characterize by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The performance study for wastewater treatment to treat aqueous methylene blue by using MSN will be test under four parameter which is the effect of pH, effect of MSN dosage, effect of initial concentration of the dye, and effect of temperature. The research methodology is summarized in the research flow chart in Figure 3.1 below. 3.2 Material and Methods In this study there are six stages of preparations and experiment. Which are the preparation of bagasse ash, preparation of silica gel from bagasse ash, production of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MSN), characterization of the MSN, Performance study of MSN and characterization of treated wastewater. 3.2.1 Preparation of Bagasse ash The material, apparatus and glassware needed for this stage as shown in table 3.1 Table 3.1: List of Materials, Glassware and Apparatus Materials Apparatus Sugarcane Bagasse Oven Furnace Sugarcane Bagasse can be collected from sugarcane juice hawker at Tampin, Negeri Sembilan. First step need to be taken is to cut the bagasse in small pieces and boil the bagasse to remove the remaining sugar in the bagasse, after that the bagasse need to be wash and rinse by using distilled water to remove impurities. After that, the bagasse will be subjected to oven drying process at 70Â °C 80 Â °C for 24 hours. To obtain ash from the bagasse, combustion are to be carried out in furnace at 800 Â °C for 3 hours at heating rate of 10 Â °C/min. The ash need to be collected and labelled as Sugarcane Bagasse Ash (SBA). 3.2.2 Preparation of Silica Gel from Bagasse Ash (Sol-Gel Method) The material, apparatus and glassware needed for this stage as shown in table 3.2 Table 3.2: List of Materials, Glassware and Apparatus for Sol-Gel Method Materials Apparatus SBA Erlenmeyer Flask 1M Lye Solution (NaOH) (1 litre) Stirrer Distilled Water Beaker 1M Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4) Pipette (25 ml capacity) pH meter Boil 30g of Bagasse Ash and 1 L of 1M Lye Solution (NaOH) in Erlenmeyer flask for 1 hour with a constant stirring to dissolves the silica and produce a sodium silicate solution. Filter the solution through whatman No. 41 ashless filter paper and wash the residue with boiled distilled water. Let the filtrate to cool to room temperature. Reduce the pH of the solution to pH 7 by using 1M Sulphuric Acid (H2SO4) by using titration method and constant stirring. When gel form from the solution from the solution, age it for approximately 18 hours. After the ageing, gently broke the gel and centrifuge at 2500 rpm for 10 minutes. Discard the supernatant and transfer the gel into a beaker and dry for 11-13 hours at 80Â °C to produce xerogels. Wash with deionized water to remove minerals and impurities from the silica 3.2.3 Production of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (Hydrothermal Synthesis) The material, apparatus and glassware needed for this stage as shown in table 3.3 Table 3.3: List of Materials, Glassware and Apparatus for Hydrothermal Synthesis Materials Apparatus Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide (CTAB) Conical Flask Ammonium Hydroxide (NH4OH) Stirrer Distilled Water Beaker Microwave Mix 0.64 g of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB) and 30 ml formaldehyde solution (37 wt %) in 100 ml closed conical flask and stir at 27Â °C for 5 minutes. Quickly add 2.8 ml NH4OH and stir for 30 minutes. Add 2.8 ml of silica prepared in Sol-Gel method and stir vigorously for 24 hours. Transfer the mixture to 100 ml beaker and place it in microwave at 800 Watt for 30 minutes. Filter the product and wash with deionize water and dried it overnight at 60Â °C. Calcinate the dried product in air at 540Â °C for 3 hours to remove surfactants in order to obtain MSNs. Repeat all step by replacing formaldehyde with water and without formaldehyde. The product form is Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticle (MSN). 3.2.4 Characteriza

Hamlet - Movie Critique :: essays research papers

The movie of Hamlet was an excellent, as far as book-movies go. I believe it was produced with focus, reason, and logic. The characters were also portrayed with a good interpretation. There were several changes to the play compared to the book, although the movie was done in such a way that they were not particularly missed, from the movie's point of view. Although, from my point of view, after reading the book, there were several somewhat important scenes and elements missing. The first scene in particular was missed. This played a part in setting the stage and was part of the whole theme throughout the whole play. It was in this scene that the ghost of Hamlet Sr. was first seen and where much of the plot developed. Hamlet Sr. told Hamlet Jr. that he had been killed by Claudius and that he must have revenge, Hamlet Jr. being the person to avenge him. In the book, this carried on throughout the rest of the play and without it the plot was not as concrete from the beginning. The dumb-play and play for the king and court was compressed. In the movie, it consisted of primarily just a dumb-show and then the king got mad. It should have included that first and still had a whole play, in which special lines inserted by Hamlet Jr. were to be read. This did not have a dramatic affect on the way the plot was presented in the movie, but was just noticeable. As far as the casting and setting is concerned, I believe that the director did an excellent job. Obviously, this coming from Hollywood kind of gives it advantages to all previous presentations. Mel Gibson was a great choice for Hamlet, because he is good actor and played his part wonderfully.

Dances of Luzon

Dances of Luzon ( see side bar for pictures of many of the dances ) 1. * Dance: Idaw This dance sometimes has many names and different versions. Most common is this dance depicts the hunting ritual performed before a tribal war. The tribes men would go out and look up and watch for the scared Idaw bird. Which is said to lead the tribe to victory. Also look at the clothing, Philippines being a very hot climate, plus the use of as little material as possible, the traditional clothing was not made to cover much of the body†¦. 2. * Dance : BangaThis dance displays the Igorot women on their way to the river to fetch the daily water supply for thier familys. It shows the skill and strength of the women as they would carry heavy laiden clay pots (Banga) full of water. Their grace and agility while balancing the heavy pots, sometimes stacks 5 high, is a testiment of the Filipino and how hardships become a art form and talent. As a young girl you would start with only one pot. Of course as you become older and more experienced, along with the fact that you could provide more water for your family in one trip.Pots could be stacked as high as 5 or 6. The more pots you could carry showed your skill and also you standing amoung the women of that area. They would all gather and march to the river each day, singing a native song which is represented by the flute and banging of bamboo on iron pots in the dance†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 3. * Dance : Idudu The family is the basic structure of family life among the Itneg / Tinggian poeple. The caring for the Children is shared by both the mother and father.While the men are clearing the fields, breaking the soil with bamboo and their feet, the women watch the children. Soon as the men are done, they take care of the children while the women do back breaking work. You can see in the dance how the women will take the bamboo baskets in a shaking fashion like drying the rice, while the men are going in circles in background like they are to iling the land. Then you will see the women put down the baskets fold the cloth into a baby while the husband stands aside.Then the women will turn over the baby to the husband, pick up the bamboo and start toiling the land while the men hold and cradle the babys†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 4. * Dance : Ragsaksakan The word means † Merriment†. This dance would be performed after a successful headhunt and also for a peace pact between waring tribles. The colorful hand woven blankets † blankets of life† are worn around the neck while baskets to carry produce or rice are worn upon the head. Some versions of this dance use the † Banga † instead of the basket.Dances of Mindanao – ( See side bar for pictures and more info) 5. * Dance : Singkil Sinkil dance takes its name from the bells worn on the ankles of the Muslim princess. Perhaps one of the oldest of truly Filipino dances, the Singkil recounts the epic legend of the â€Å"Darangan† of the M aranao people of Mindanao. This epic, written sometime in the 14th century, tells the fateful story of Princess Gandingan, who was caught in the middle of a forest during an earthquake caused by the diwatas, or fairies or nymph of the forest.The rhythmic clapping of criss-crossed bamboo poles represent the trees that were falling, which she gracefully avoids. Her slave loyally accompanies her throughout her ordeal. Finally, she is saved by the prince. Dancers wearing solemn faces and maintaining a dignified pose being dancing at a slow pace which soon progresses to a faster tempo skillfully manipulate apir, or fans which represent the winds that prove to be auspicious. The dancers weave expertly through criss-crossed bamboos. 6. * Dance : Asik This is performed by a solo madien, adorned with fine beads and make up, long head scarf.She would dance to win the favor of her Sultan master. Many time the girls would dance to win the hearts of her master or to make up for a wrong she had d one. She would give her whole heart and soul into this performance to soften the heart of her master to accept her†¦ Visayas Dances – ( see pictures in the side bar ) 7. * Dance : Sayaw Sa Banko This dance is native to the barrio of Pangapisan, Lingayen, Pangasinan, and demands skill from its performers who must dance on top of a bench roughly six inches wide. 8. * Dance : TinklingTinnikling is considered the national folkdance with a pair of dancers hopping between two bamboo poles held just above the ground and struck together in time to music. Originated from Leyte Province, this dance is in fact a mimic movement of â€Å"tikling birds† hopping over trees, grass stems or over bamboo traps set by farmers. Dancers perform this dance with remarkable grace and speed jumping between bamboo poles. 9. * Dance : Subli The term â€Å"subli† is from two tagalog words â€Å"subsub† meaning falling on head and â€Å"bali†, which means broken.Hence, the dancers appear to be lame and crooked throughout the dance. This version is originally a ritual dance of the natives of Bauan, Batangas, which is shown during fiestas as a ceremonial worship dance to the town’s icon, the holy cross 10. * Dance : Maglalatik Originally performed in Binan, Laguna as a mock-war dance that demonstrates a fight between the Moros and the Christians over the prized latik or coconut meat during the Spanish rule, this dance is also shown to pay tribute to the town’s patron saint, San Isidro Labrador.It has a four-part performance such as the palipasan and the baligtaran showing the intense battle, the paseo and the escaramusa- the reconciliation. Moro dancers wear read trousers while the Christian dancers show up in blue. All dancers are male; with harnesses of coconut shells attached on their chests, backs, thighs and hips Project In Physical Education 2 Philippine Folk Dances

Hairy Ape Character Analysis Essay

Style â€Å"The Hairy Ape† was done in the expressionist style of theater. Expressionism is the theatrical technique which will use the staging and setting to show the characters inner emotion or the keep the theme constantly within the audience’s sight. In Expressionism, characters do not act or talk the way they really would, everything is extreme to prove a point. In Expressionism plausibility is deliberately altered by the author to make the theme clear. Characters Yank Yank represents the lower class. He depicts the manner in which it is the force at the bottom of society that allows society to run. Yank also represents how people can be trained and persuaded to be comfortable in a situation that may not be best for their personal development and become unable to fit in elsewhere. Yank is depicted in the play as â€Å"Neanderthal† and â€Å"ape-like†, not only in his speech, but also in his physical description. Yank and his shipmates are initially described as â€Å"?hairy-chested, with long arms of tremendous power, and low, receding brows?† The ship’s crew is kept in constant hunched over position due to his quarters on the ship Yank, at the outset of the play is even proud of his position. Yank is so comfortable in his position that he lives in false security that he controls his surroundings. He feels that it is he who is better. He repeatedly states how it is he who makes the ship run. Not even real izing that he has mentally dehumanized himself; he states that he is the ship. Yank seemingly has no issue with his position, has never given it any thought and criticizes other shipmates who do, until he is observed by Mildred Douglas, who proclaims upon seeing him â€Å"Oh, the filthy beast†. It is at this point that Yank realizes he not simply a part giving the ship motion, he is more than an animal or creature, he is a man. He is infuriated by Mildred’s comment and seeks to prove his worth. Yank’s desire to prove himself throws him into conflict; he is no longer able to fit in as he did in his prior position on the ship and finds he does not belong in society outside the ship either. During Yank’s moments of thought, of attempting to find himself and his position in life O’Neill depicts him in the same position as Rodin’s sculpture â€Å"The Thinker†. This particular sculpture was Rodin’s depiction of what he saw as a brutish, almost Neanderthal type man, contemplating his existence and place in the world, which describes Yank’s position quite well. Mildred Douglas Mildred Douglas is the upper class of society. She claims sociological interest when she requests a tour of the stokehole, but does not truly perform any kind of social work in the play. She claims herself a by-product of her wealthy society. Mildred served as a tool to bring about Yank’s personal dilemma. Paddy Paddy is a nostalgic character. He speaks of when he was a sailor as a young man and being at one with the sea. Paddy represents when man and nature were one. Paddy is resigned to the position he is in now, but longs for his good old days. Yank is unable to relate to this perspective, as he views himself as part of the ships’ mechanics. Long Long is a glimpse to the future; towards social change. Unlike Yank, Long is aware of the inhumane treatment of the ship’s stokers. He speaks of the separation of the classes and its unfairness. Long speaks of ideas such as the men on the ship being â€Å"voters and citizens† and how the ships crew are more than merely slaves. Yank is unable to understand Long’s point of view or his class-consciousness, instead, Yank considers him a preacher and a wimp.

Edit and Display Boolean Fields using a CheckBox in Delphi

Edit and Display Boolean Fields using a CheckBox in Delphi Tip submitted by Rene van der Heijden A series of articles titled Adding components to a DBGrid discusses placing just about any Delphi control (visual component) into a cell of a DGBrid. The idea is to create visually more attractive user interfaces for editing fields inside a DBGrid: a ComboBox for drop down lists; a DateTimePicker (calendar) for date values; a check box for boolean fields. CheckBox for Boolean Fields CheckBox inside a DBGrid As noticed by Rene van der Heijden the solution is rather lengthy, and it doesnt work, at least not when using the mouse to click on the checkboxes. Rene suggest an easier approach needing only two even handlers: OnCellClick and OnCustomDrawCell for your DBGrid control: //OnCellClik event of a DBGrid1 procedure TForm.DBGrid1CellClick(Column: TColumn) ; begin   Ã‚  if (Column.Field.DataTypeftBoolean) then   Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  {toggle True and False}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Column.Grid.DataSource.DataSet.Edit;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Column.Field.Value: not Column.Field.AsBoolean;   Ã‚  Ã‚  {immediate post - see for yourself whether you want this}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Column.Grid.DataSource.DataSet.Post;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  {you may add additional functionality here,   Ã‚  Ã‚  to be processed after the change was made}   Ã‚  end; end; //OnDrawColumnCell event of a DBGrid1 procedure TForm.DBGrid1DrawColumnCell(   Ã‚  Sender: TObject;   Ã‚  const Rect: TRect;   Ã‚  DataCol: Integer;   Ã‚  Column: TColumn;   Ã‚  State: TGridDrawState) ; const   Ã‚  CtrlState: array[Boolean] of integer (DFCS_BUTTONCHECK, DFCS_BUTTONCHECK or DFCS_CHECKED) ; begin   Ã‚  if (Column.Field.DataTypeftBoolean) then   Ã‚  begin   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DBGrid1.Canvas.FillRect(Rect) ;   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  if VarIsNull(Column.Field.Value) then   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DrawFrameControl(DBGrid1.Canvas.Handle,Rect, DFC_BUTTON, DFCS_BUTTONCHECK or DFCS_INACTIVE) {grayed}   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  else   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  DrawFrameControl(DBGrid1.Canvas.Handle,Rect, DFC_BUTTON, CtrlState[Column.Field.AsBoolean]) ; {checked or unchecked}   Ã‚  end; end; Delphi tips navigator: » Remove Duplicate Items in Delphis TStringList « 5 Facts you Did Not Know about Delphi and Classes and the VCL and Inheritance and Custom Controls and...

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr essays

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr essays Dr. Kings sermon: Loving your enemies shows and emphasizes that you should have your friends and family close, but your enemies closer. First, it impressed me due to the fact that he was sick that November 17,1957. Second, Dr. Kings great advice and guidance throughout this sermon. Third, Dr. Kings words were not timeless. First and foremost, this sermon impressed me because November 17, 1957 King was sick and his doctor told him to stay in bed, but King put that aside, stood up, and went to do his sermon, example: I am forced to preach under something of a handicap this morning. In fact, I had the doctor before coming to church. And he said that it would be best for me to stay in bed this morning. And I insisted that I would have to come to preach. In other words he put his people before himself. Second of all, Dr. Kings advice and guidance example: He realized that its difficult to love those persons who seek to defeat you, those persons who say evil things about you. He realized that it was painfully hard, pressingly hard. But he wasnt playing. Because Jesus wasnt playing; because he was serious. Dr. King wants us to be like Him, forgiving, sweet, and smart. Last but not least, Dr. Kings words in this sermon are not timeless. He got up and said what he wanted to say, gave his points and views on some situations and people understood him. People know what hes trying to say. One good quote that he says: we cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. Dr. Kings sermon: Loving your enemies preaches that you should have your friends and family close but your enemies closer. First, it impressed me due to the fact that he was sick that morning. Second, Dr. Kings great advice and guidance. Third, Dr. Kings words were not timeless. Dr. King has ...

4 Personality Types Taught by Angels

The four personality types taught by angels are different because each person has different personality, personality, character, ability, sensibility, so that each person succeeds. Therefore, successful methods can be widespread, but you need to consider the rules of success depending on the type of different personality. However, many authors of books on How to Succeed will create success rules only based on the type of personality. If a person has the same personality type as the author of How to Succeed, that person may like the successful way of that author. Have you heard that someone is a person of type A? Have you ever thought what they mean? In fact, there are four different personality types that fall into the main categories. They are called type A, B, C, D. Each personality type has specific features and characteristics that distinguish it from other types. People of personality type A tend to concentrate on competition. They like to attain greatness and they do not like i t when they need to spend a lot of time to experience success. People with this character often tackle multiple projects at the same time in many cases. Because, in most cases, it needs to be seen as a winner. They sometimes feel unsafe. Especially, in order not to be regarded as a success and to have the opportunity to achieve the goal quickly, we will go to a breakthrough on a regular basis. The four personality types taught by angels are different because each person has different personality, personality, character, ability, sensibility, so that each person succeeds. Therefore, successful methods can be widespread, but you need to consider the rules of success depending on the type of different personality. However, many authors of books on How to Succeed will create success rules only based on the type of personality. If a person has the same personality type as the author of How to Succeed, that person may like the successful way of that author. When you know what you are look ing for, there are four easy-to-find consumers. There are six types of fiscal expenditure, combined with four personality types, you can use a powerful collection tool as a collector. As a good collector tells you, knowledge is the most powerful tool in the collection. Analysis of collections and sales Consumers look for facts and data. People with this type of personality will study facilities before they touch. They are not those who decide to pay the debt. They may first check the debt to the customer or insurance department. Prior to making a decision or deciding a decision, we will focus on validating information and selecting it.

Synthesis and Characterization of the Polyhalogen Complex CsICl2 Lab Report

Synthesis and Characterization of the Polyhalogen Complex CsICl2 - Lab Report Example Theoretically, compounds absorb electromagnetic radiations at distinct frequencies depending on the inter-atomic bonds involved (Gibes 269). With the use of infrared radiations, a spectrum indicating the frequencies of absorptions can be produced. Subsequently, analyses of the spectral peaks enable determination and verification of a compound’s structure. Subsequent sections of this report contain procedural steps used in synthesis and IR determination of Cs [ICl2] complex. Prior to commencement of the lab exercise, appropriate safety measures were taken into consideration. These measures included the use of gloves in handling poisonous elements, specifically iodine. In addition, any stains of iodine on laboratory benches and laboratory equipment were cleaned to avoid contact of the poisonous element with skin and mucous membranes (Gibes 271). Subsequently, the following Cs [ICl2] synthesis procedures were performed; The Cs chloride-iodine mixture turned from yellow to reddish upon heating in the 90-95oC water bath. Upon dispensation of chlorine into the mixture, color changed back from reddish to yellow and finally to white when the complex was washed and dried (Gibes 271). The infrared spectrum of Cs ICl2 indicates presence of a single peak at a wavelength of 231 cm-1. Theoretically, this absorption wavelength is associated with the corresponding halogen; iodine. In this context, a single point of absorption in a tri-atomic compound indicates the presence of a bending vibration with an asymmetrical structure (Smith 25). In this case, infrared spectrum of ICl2- provides a characteristic vibration peak similar to that exhibited by trigonal-planar molecular structures. In conclusion, the IR spectrum of Cs ICl2 verifies that the compound has a trigonal-planar molecular structure. The single peak in the infrared spectrum ascertains that the ICl2

Patented technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4250 words

Patented technology - Essay Example The more "tolerant" patent approach in the U.S. defines non-obvious as sufficient to involve an inventive step. The European Patent Office has a more exacting interpretation of this term. A European patent application entails an inventive step by providing a solution to a technical problem in a non-obvious way.1 This difference may serve, in fact, to help avoid confusion and promote productivity in Europe, as well as discourage the sort of infamous patent infringement confrontations recently seen in the American software industry. Patentability requires an invention to be "novel" -original and new. Article 54 (1) of the European Patent Convention defines "novel" as being separate from the "state of the art," (existing and publicly available.) "Non-obvious" in U.S. law, or "inventive step" in European law, under the terms of the EPC, both designate the requirement that an invention be "novel," or genuinely original enough to justify the patent. Novelty is therefore prerequisite for inventive step. An invention may be regarded as having an inventive step only if it is not obvious to a person skilled in the art. Novelty and inventive step are, consequently, different criteria. This definition of inventive step has been a subject recently in question by the U.K. patent office, as it has often been found to give rise to patents lacking in significance. By the same count, however, greater facility in obtaining patents contributes to positive qualities of "innovation and competitiveness."2 "Useful" in U.S. law or "Industrially applicable" in European law designates that an invention must serve a function, or fulfil an application and is equally part of this basic framework of patentability criteria. The European definition is again more exact in practical terms, referring specifically to industry as the objective of the application. III. Patent Law -Actions and Reactions: The Patents Act of 1977 was passed to implement the PTT, (Patent Co-operation Treaty), EPC and CPC (Community Patent Convention), closely following these definitions of the EPC and was the first effort at standardization in contrast to previous provisions of the Statute of Monopolies of 1623, which up until 1949, merely affirm that a patent may be granted exclusively for a new method of manufacture.3 A concept further examined by Lord Hoffmann in Biogen Inc v Medeva plc [1997] RPC 1 (page 34), is that the definition of an inventive step may be dependant on the nature of the invention. An original invention is the result of adding a new concept to an existing reserve

The Old Kingdom in Kemetic (Egyptian) History Essay

The Old Kingdom in Kemetic (Egyptian) History - Essay Example Afterwards, the name Misri replaced the name Kemet and the name continues to be in use by the Egyptians until today. The word Misri simply means a country. From then, Egypt prospered for many years as an autonomous country with a culture that is very famous for the great cultural developments in each and every section of human acquaintance right from arts, science, technology and even religion. The great monuments that still Egyptians celebrate influenced numerous early civilizations with a good example being both Greece and Rome (Mark 1). The Sahara desert, which is found in the Northern part of Africa nearly dividing the continent into two, is a good proof of overgrazing of cattle in the area. The Sahara desert, together with the discovery of many artifacts is a good evidence of the ancient agricultural civilization in the area at the time. Well organized agricultural activities both animal keeping and crop growing began in the area around 5000 BCE and the Badari community began to advance along the river Nile. The Amratian, Gerzean and Naqada communities later on joined the Badar and all together contributed to the development of the Egypt early civilization. At some time between 5000 BCE and 3200 BCE the written background of the land began with the development of Hieroglyphic characters by the culture of Naqada. The practice of mummifying the dead body was in place in the city of Hierakonpolis by 3500 BCE. Just like in all other cultures in the history of the world, the diminutive agrarian societies in ancient Eg ypt advanced into big urban areas (Mark 1). The unification of the Northern and the Southern kingdoms by Pharaoh Manes is the common event that took place between 3150 and 2686 BCE. Menes, who originated from the North successfully conquered south and joined it to the North to make one larger kingdom. This account came from Manetho who either lived

Chromatographic and Hyphenated Methods Research Paper

Chromatographic and Hyphenated Methods - Research Paper Example Thermometers should be available to take the correct reading during the heating process. One can easily forget to transfer the reagents to 5 volumetric standard flasks. This will limit the dilution of the reagents with the correct amount of acetone (Holler, et al., 2006). Following the right procedure and collecting all the requirements before the experiment will be helpful. During the experiment, the following components must be evaluated in the experiment. The quantity of esomeprazole in the product, which is the drug is one of the components to be determined. It is also significant to determine the stability of the drug in the environment. The process of preparing the drug should also be examined to ascertain its validity to the process (Holler, et al., 2006). During microanalysis, it is important to take a keen interest in the following; the content of esomeprazole in the drug, functionality of the drug and the effects of the drug patients. It is also important to examine the suitability of the drug to its function. The following should also be looked into Nexpro, torrent, Raciper, Ranbaxy, Bezos, Glenmark. There are different methods for separating ingredients. One of the processes is base-acid extraction. This is a desirable method for separating valuable chemicals from the unwanted gunk. The principle behind this theory is that chemicals alkaloids in general, exist in two forms. Water-soluble component together with an acid and an oil.

Engineering Technical Summary - The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge Essay

Engineering Technical Summary - The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge - Essay Example Because of the site peculiarities and the multi tasks intended for the bridge, the constructors forced to forget some of the basics of cantilever bridge design and technology which finally resulted in one of the greatest bridge collapses in all time. The Quebec City Bridge project was one of the largest cantilever bridge projects in the world. â€Å"It was the brainchild of Quebec Bridge Company (QBC), a group of local business people.  It was proposed to build over the St. Lawrence River, six miles above Quebec City. In 1903 the QBC gave the job of designing of the bridge to the Pheonix The construction and design of the bridge was extremely difficult because of so many reasons. â€Å"Because of the transportation of ocean vehicles though the river, the bridge was forced to build well above the water level, approximately 150 feet above the water level. More over the requirement forces the designers to widen the width of the bridge to about 67 feet in order to accommodate 2 railway tracks, 2 street car tracks and 2 roadways. In late 1903, P.L. Szlapaka of the Pheonix Bridge Company had laid out the initial drawings of the bridge.  His design was approved with very few changes by Cooper.  Cooper has estimated the weight of the span based on the initial drawing. Before the final drawing reaches Cooper the construction has been started. Lot of money has been spent on the construction before Cooper realizes some drawbacks in the design and the construction of the bridge. When he analyzed the project based on the final project he found that the estimated weight of o ff on the low side. Cooper had only limited options in his front either to continue with the project by taking risk or to stop the construction which may result in about 8 million pounds which is already spent on the project. So Cooper decided to take the risk of continuing the project in order to save the money which is already

Jean-Paul Sartre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jean-Paul Sartre - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that the roots of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Existentialist-Marxist understandings are deeply embedded in the objects of freedom (analytically) and personal struggle (history/personal struggle).   It is not only impractical to separate Sartre from his time-period, it is impossible.   Dissolution of people’s identities both spiritually and historically was being realized through the tragedies of World War I and World War II.   Combining these significant destructions with new perspectives concerning Psychology (through Freud, Jung†¦), Philosophy found a seemingly different path explaining â€Å"who we are† and â€Å"what is our purpose† as humans.   Sartre was heavily influenced by literature and art and through this media suggested an approach to perceiving the world as it is; ugly, grotesque’, self-absorbed.   This movement towards a more realistic or negative view of life differed greatly from the â€Å"Hope† offered by Leibnitz, Aquinas and other ‘positivists’.   Accordingly, Sartre felt the backlash from â€Å"Hopeful-ists† resulting in Sartre’s â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism† lecture in Paris, France 1944. In â€Å"Existentialism Is a Humanism†, Sartre spells out what Existentialism actually is.   Sartre says there are two kinds of Existentialist â€Å"the Christians...and atheistic existentialists† the latter being the group Sartre belongs to.  Ã‚  ... Perhaps Sartre’ wished to embolden and/or disarm his Christian detractors by enlisting Gabriel Marcel as a co-conspirator since Marcel, a converted Catholic, first â€Å"endorsed but later repudiated† (SEP) the Existentialist label. Adding a supremely ironic twist is Sartre first repudiating then endorsing the label of ‘Existentialism’ himself (Sartre.org). Sartre may have been reading Kant and his â€Å"Utilitarianism† by including Christianity as a default proponent; by utility. Sartre suggests the commonness of existentialists is the belief that â€Å"existence precedes essence.† This idea is novel in the scheme of Philosophy. Greek thought or philosophy from Plato suggested a â€Å"Realm of Forms† as the perfection of anything conceivable in perfect form. The ‘thing’ observed had a ‘perfectness’ illustrated in the â€Å"Realm of Forms† above and beyond the common illusionary perception of a living hu man being (Plato 68). Sartre defined reality as production of each individual perceiver’s understanding or capabilities without a definite ‘template’ or guide about what may or may not be true of the ‘thing’ perceived. This is Sartre’s ‘Freedom’ supposition: â€Å"Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself† (Sartre 5). Here, Sartre follows closely in the footsteps of Spinoza by exacting ‘God’ from the realm of reality and describing a ‘natural’ or humanistic understanding of reality. Freedom, to Sartre, is not a political or societal extension; although it can be. Freedom is breaking the chains of bondage from â€Å"determinism† of perhaps, Calvinistic Christianity and allowing man the complete dominion of his or her own

Engineering Technical Summary - The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge Essay

Engineering Technical Summary - The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge - Essay Example Because of the site peculiarities and the multi tasks intended for the bridge, the constructors forced to forget some of the basics of cantilever bridge design and technology which finally resulted in one of the greatest bridge collapses in all time. The Quebec City Bridge project was one of the largest cantilever bridge projects in the world. â€Å"It was the brainchild of Quebec Bridge Company (QBC), a group of local business people.  It was proposed to build over the St. Lawrence River, six miles above Quebec City. In 1903 the QBC gave the job of designing of the bridge to the Pheonix The construction and design of the bridge was extremely difficult because of so many reasons. â€Å"Because of the transportation of ocean vehicles though the river, the bridge was forced to build well above the water level, approximately 150 feet above the water level. More over the requirement forces the designers to widen the width of the bridge to about 67 feet in order to accommodate 2 railway tracks, 2 street car tracks and 2 roadways. In late 1903, P.L. Szlapaka of the Pheonix Bridge Company had laid out the initial drawings of the bridge.  His design was approved with very few changes by Cooper.  Cooper has estimated the weight of the span based on the initial drawing. Before the final drawing reaches Cooper the construction has been started. Lot of money has been spent on the construction before Cooper realizes some drawbacks in the design and the construction of the bridge. When he analyzed the project based on the final project he found that the estimated weight of o ff on the low side. Cooper had only limited options in his front either to continue with the project by taking risk or to stop the construction which may result in about 8 million pounds which is already spent on the project. So Cooper decided to take the risk of continuing the project in order to save the money which is already

If I Were a Doctor Essay Example for Free

If I Were a Doctor Essay For a sick person, a doctor is a God on earth. The very presence of doctor instills immense confidence in a patient. But, today doctors are found to be indifferent to their patients. However, we find then inhumane these days. How could patients look up to them as the incarnations of God! I feel that the general image of doctors has taken a beating in the eyes of general public the public has realized much to dismay that doctors are now only interested in minting money and have lost the real touch with the fellow human beings and the humane life. It is true that individuals have become money-spinning machines, but the doctors who once represented God should have stayed out of the melee. This has not happened vilifying the avocation as any other profession. If I were a doctor, I would try to recover the lost image of doctors, at the outset. My prime objective shall remain identifying myself with the host of patients. This could mobilize me behave humanely with them. Next, instead of keeping an eye on the amount of money spent for the treatment, I shall try to cure the patient fully without bothering how much had been paid for the service. I would also take money and lots of which from the very rich, and then treat the poor patients free. With this balancing act, I think I would be able to earn enough money to maintain my life and family and earn a sea of goodwill in return, from the appreciable mass of poor. I would earn, besides money, love, respect, and the unflinching reverence. Thus, contrary to what doctors could earn these days, about heaps of money, I would earn love and respect in such heaps. With this attitude, I am sure I could bring back the angel status of doctors.

Concepts of Brand Identity and Positioning

Concepts of Brand Identity and Positioning A brand is not the name of a product. It is the vision that drives the creation of products and services under that name. That vision, the key belief of the brands and its core values is called identity. It drives vibrant brands able to create advocates, a real cult and loyalty. Modern competition calls for two essential tools of brand management: ‘brand identity, specifying the facets of brands uniqueness and value, and ‘brand positioning, the main difference creating preference in a specific market at a specific time for its products. For existing brands, identity is the source of brand positioning. Brand positioning specifies the angle used by the products of that brand to attack a market in order to grow their market share at the expense of competition. Defining what a brand is made of helps answer many questions that are asked every day, such as: Can the brand sponsor such and such event or sport? Does the advertising campaign suit the brand? Is the opportunity for launching a new product inside the brands boundaries or outside? How can the brand change its communication style, yet remain true to itself? How can decision making in communications be decentralised regionally or internationally, without jeopardising brand congruence? All such decisions pose the problem of brand identity and definition which are essential prerequisites for efficient brand management. Brand identity: a necessary concept Like the ideas of brand vision and purpose, the concept of brand identity is recent. It started in Europe (Kapferer, 1986).The perception of its paramount importance has slowly gained worldwide recognition; in the most widely read American book on brand equity (Aaker, 1991), the word ‘identity is in fact totally absent, as is the concept. Today, most advanced marketing companies have specified the identity of their brand through proprietary models such as ‘brand key (Unilever), ‘footprint (Johnson Johnson), ‘bulls eyes and ‘brand stewardship, which organise in a specific form a list of concepts related to brand identity. However, they are rather checklists. Is identity a sheer linguistic novelty, or is it essential to understanding what brands are? What is identity? To appreciate the meaning of this significant concept in brand management, we shall begin by considering the many ways in which the word is used today. For example, we speak of ‘identity cards a personal, non-transferable document that tells in a few words who we are, what our name is and what distinguishable features we have that can be instantly recognised. We also hear of ‘identity of opinion between several people, meaning that they have an identical point of view. In terms of communication, this second interpretation of the word suggests brand identity is the common element sending a single message amid the wide variety of its products, actions and communications. This is important since the more the brand expands and diversifies, the more customers are inclined to feel that they are, in fact, dealing with several different brands rather than a single one. If products and communication go their separate ways, how can customers possibly perceive these different routes as converging towards a common vision and brand? Speaking of identical points of view also raises the question of permanence and continuity. As civil status and physical appearance change, identity cards get updated, yet the fingerprint of their holders always remains the same. The identity concept questions how time will affect the unique and permanent quality of the sender, the brand or the retailer. In this respect, psychologists speak of the ‘identity crisis which adolescents often go through. When their identity structure is still weak, teenagers tend to move from one role model to another. These constant shifts create a gap and force the basic question: ‘What is the real me? Finally, in studies on social groups or minorities, we often speak of ‘cultural identity. In seeking an identity, they are in fact seeking a pivotal basis on which to hinge not only their inherent difference but also their membership of a specific cultural entity. Brand identity may be a recent notion, but many researchers have already delved into the organisational identity of companies (Schwebig, 1988; Moingeon and Soenen, 2003). There, the simplest verbal expression of identity often consists in saying: ‘Oh, yes, I see, but its not the same in our company! In other words, corporate identity is what helps an organisation, or a part of it, feel that it truly exists and that it is a coherent and unique being, with a history and a place of its own, different from others. From these various meanings, we can infer that having an identity means being your true self, driven by a personal goal that is both different from others and resistant to change. Thus, brand identity will be clearly defined once the following questions are answered: What is the brands particular vision and aim? What makes it different? What need is the brand fulfilling? What is its permanent nature? What are its value or values? What is its field of competence? Of legitimacy? What are the signs which make the brand recognisable? These questions could indeed constitute the brands charter. This type of official document would help better brand management in the medium term, both in terms of form and content, and so better address future communication and extension issues. Communication tools such as the copy strategy are essentially linked to advertising campaigns, and so are only committed to the short term. There must be specific guidelines to ensure that there is indeed only one brand forming a solid and coherent entity. Brand identity and graphic identity charters Many readers will make the point that their firms already make use of graphic identity ‘bibles, either for corporate or specific brand purposes. We do indeed find many graphic identity charters, books of standards and visual identity guides. Urged on by graphic identity agencies, companies have rightly sought to harmonise the messages conveyed by their brands. Such charters therefore define the norms for visual recognition of the brand, ie the brands colours, graphic design and type of print. Although this may be a necessary first step, it isnt the be all and end all. Moreover, it puts the cart before the horse. What really matters is the key message that we want to communicate. Formal aspects, outward appearance and overall looks result from the brands core substance and intrinsic identity. Choosing symbols requires a clear definition of what the brand means. However, while graphic manuals are quite easy to find nowadays, explicit definitions of brand identity per se are still very rare. Yet, the essential questions above (ie the nature of the identity to be conveyed) must be properly answered before we begin discussing and defining what the communication means and what the codes of outward recognition should be. The brands deepest values must be reflected in the external signs of recognition, and these must be apparent at first glance. The family resemblance between the various models of BMW conveys a strong identity, yet it is not the identity. This brands identity and essence can actually be defined by addressing the issue of its difference, its permanence, its value and its personal view on automobiles. Many firms have unnecessarily constrained their brand because they formulated a graphic charter before defining their identity. Not knowing who they really are, they merely perpetuate purely formal codes by, for example, using a certain photographic style that may not be the most suitable. Thus Nina Riccis identity did not necessarily relate to the companys systematic adherence to English photographer David Hamiltons style. Knowing brand identity paradoxically gives extra freedom of expression, since it emphasises the pre-eminence of substance over strictly formal features. Brand identity defines what must stay and what is free to change. Brands are living systems. They must have degrees of freedom to match modern market diversity. Identity: a contemporary concept That a new concept identity has emerged in the field of management, already well versed in brand image and positioning, is really no great surprise. Todays problems are more complex than those of 10 or 20 years ago and so there is now a need for more refined concepts that allow a closer connection with reality. First of all, we cannot overemphasise the fact that we are currently living in a society saturated in communications. Everybody wants to communicate these days. If needed, proof is available: there have been huge increases in advertising budgets, not only in the major media but also in the growing number of professional magazines. It has become very difficult to survive in the hurly-burly thus created, let alone to thrive and successfully convey ones identity. For communication means two things: sending out messages and making sure that they are received. Communicating nowadays is no longer just a technique, it is a feat in itself. The second factor explaining the urgent need to understand brand identity is the pressure constantly put on brands. We have now entered an age of marketing similarities. When a brand innovates, it creates a new standard. The other brands must then catch up if they want to stay in the race, hence the increasing number of ‘me-too products with similar attributes, not to mention the copies produced by distributors. Regulations also cause similarities to spread. Bank operations, for example, have become so much alike that banks are now unable to fully express their individuality and identity. Market research also generates herdism within a given sector. As all companies base themselves on the same life-style studies, the conclusions they reach are bound to be similar as are the products and advertising campaigns they launch, in which sometimes even the same words are used. Finally, technology is responsible for growing similarity. Why do cars increasingly look alike, in spite of their different makes? Because car makers are all equally concerned about fluidity, inner car space constraints, motorisation and economy, and these problems cannot be solved in all that many different ways. Moreover, when the models of four car brands (Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda) share many identical parts (eg chassis, engine, gearbox), for either productivity or competitiveness purposes, it is mainly brand identity, along with, to a lesser extent, whats left of each car, which will distinguish the makes from one another. Diversification calls for knowing the brands identity. Brands launch new products, penetrate new markets and reach new targets. This may cause both fragmented communications and patchwork images. Though we are still able to discern bits and pieces of the brand here and there, we are certainly unable to perceive its global and coherent identity. Why speak of identity rather than image? What does the notion of identity have to offer that the image of a brand or a company or a retailer doesnt have? After all, firms spend large amounts of money measuring image. Brand image is on the receivers side. Image research focuses on the way in which certain groups perceive a product, a brand, a politician, a company or a country. The image refers to the way in which these groups decode all of the signals emanating from the products, services and communication covered by the brand. Identity is on the senders side. The purpose, in this case, is to specify the brands meaning, aim and self-image. Image is both the result and interpretation thereof. In terms of brand management, identity precedes image. Before projecting an image to the public, we must know exactly what we want to project. Before it is received, we must know what to send and how to send it. As shown in Figure 7.1, an image is a synthesis made by the public of all the various brand messages, eg brand name, visual symbols, products, advertisements, sponsoring, patronage, articles. An image results from decoding a message, extracting meaning, interpreting signs. Where do all these signs come from? There are two possible sources: brand identity of course, but also extraneous factors (‘noise) that speak in the brands name and thus produce meaning, however disconnected they may actually be from it. What are these extraneous factors? First, there are companies that choose to imitate competitors, as they have no clear idea of what their own brand identity is. They focus on their competitors and imitate their marketing communication. Second, there are companies that are obsessed with the willingness to build an appealing image that will be favourably perceived by all. So they focus on meeting every one of the publics expectations. That is how the brand gets caught in the game of always having to please the consumer and ends up surfing on the changing waves of social and cultural fads. Yesterday, brands were into glamour, today, they are into ‘cocooning; so whats next? The brand can appear opportunistic and popularity seeking, and thus devoid of any meaningful substance. It becomes a mere faà §ade, a meaningless cosmetic camouflage. The third source of ‘noise is that of fantasised identity: the brand as one would ideally like to see it, but not as it actually is. As a result, we notice, albeit too late, that the advertisements do not help people remember the brand because they are either too remotely connected to it or so radically disconnected from it that they cause perplexity or rejection. Since brand identity has now been recognised as the prevailing concept, these three potential communication glitches can be prevented. The identity concept thus serves to emphasise the fact that, with time, brands do eventually gain their independence and their own meaning, even though they may start out as mere product names. As living memories of past products and advertisements, brands do not simply fade away: they define their own area of competence, potential and legitimacy. Yet they also know when to stay out of other areas. We cannot expect a brand to be anything other than itself. Obviously, brands should not curl up in a shell and cut themselves off from the public and from market evolutions. However, an obsession with image can lead them to capitalise too much on appearance and not enough on essence. Identity and positioning It is also common to distinguish brands according to their positioning. Positioning a brand means emphasising the distinctive characteristics that make it different from its competitors and appealing to the public. It results from an analytical process based on the four following questions: A brand for what benefit? This refers to the brand promise and consumer benefit aspect: Orangina has real orange pulp, The Body Shop is environment friendly, Twix gets rid of hunger, Volkswagen is reliable. A brand for whom? This refers to the target aspect. For a long time, Schweppes was the drink of the refined, Snapple the soft drink for adults, Tango or Yoohoo the drink for teenagers. Reason? This refers to the elements, factual or subjective, that support the claimed benefit. A brand against whom? In todays competitive context, this question defines the main competitor(s), ie those whose clientele we think we can partly capture. Tuborg and other expensive imported beers thus also compete against whisky, gin and vodka. Positioning is a crucial concept (Figure 7.2). It reminds us that all consumer choices are made on the basis of comparison. Thus, a product will only be considered if it is clearly part of a selection process. Hence the four questions that help position the new product or brand and make its contribution immediately obvious to the customer. Positioning is a two-stage process: First, indicate to what ‘competitive set the brand should be associated and compared. Second, indicate what the brands essential difference and raison dà ªtre is in comparison to the other products and brands of that set. Choosing the competitive set is essential. While this may be quite easy to do for a new toothpaste, it is not so for very original and unique products. The Gaines burger launched by the Gaines company, for instance, was a new dog food, a semi-dehydrated product presented as red ground meat in a round shape like a hamburger. Unlike normal canned pet foods, moreover, it did not need to be refrigerated, nor did it exude that normal open-can smell. Given these characteristics, the product could be positioned in several different ways, for example by: Attacking the canned pet food market by appealing to well-to-do dog owners. The gist of the message would then be ‘the can without the can, in other words, the benefits of meat without its inconveniences (smell, freshness constraints, etc). Attacking the dehydrated pet food segment (dried pellets) by offering a product that would help the owner not to feel guilty for not giving meat to the dog on the basis that it is just not practical. The fresh-ground, round look could justify this positioning. Targeting owners who feed leftovers to their dogs by presenting Gaines as a complete, nutritious supplement (and no longer as a main meal as in the two former strategies). Targeting all dog owners by presenting this product as a nutritious treat, a kind of doggy Mars bar. The choice between these alternative strategies was made by assessing each one against certain measurable criteria (Table 7.1). The firm ended up choosing the first positioning and launched this product as the ‘Gaines burger. What does the identity concept add to that of positioning? Why do we even need another concept? In the first place, because positioning focuses more on the product itself. What then does positioning mean in the case of a multiproduct brand? How can these four questions on positioning be answered if we are not focusing on one particular product category? We know how to position the various Scotchbrite scrubbing pads as well as the Scotch videotapes, but what does the positioning concept mean for the Scotch brand as a whole, not to mention the 3M corporate brand? This is precisely where the concept of brand identity comes in handy. Second, positioning does not reveal all the brands richness of meaning nor reflect all of its potential. The brand is restricted once reduced to four questions. Positioning does not help fully differentiate Coca-Cola from Pepsi-Cola. The four positioning questions thus fail to encapsulate such nuances. They do not allow us to fully explore the identity and singularity of the brand. Worse still, positioning allows communication to be entirely dictated by creative whims and current fads. Positioning does not say a word about communication style, form or spirit. This is a major deficiency since brands have the gift of speech: they state both the objective and subjective qualities of a given product. The speech they deliver in these days of multimedia supremacy is made of words, of course, but even more of pictures, sounds, colours, movement and style. Positioning controls the words only, leaving the rest up to the unpredictable outcome of creative hunches and pretests. Yet brand language should never result from creativity only. It expresses the brands personality and values. Creative hunches are only useful if they are consistent with the brands legitimate territory. Furthermore, though pretest evaluations are needed to verify that the brands message is well received, the public should not be allowed to dictate brand language: its style needs to be found within itself. Brand uniqueness often tends to get eroded by consumer expectations and thus starts regressing to a level at which it risks losing its identity. Table 7.1 How to evaluate and choose a brand positioning Are the products current looks and ingredients compatible with this positioning? How strong is the assumed consumer motivation behind this positioning? (what insight?) What size of market is involved by such a positioning? Is this positioning credible? Does it capitalise on a competitors actual or latent durable weakness? What financial means are required by such a positioning? Is this positioning specific and distinctive? Is this a sustainable positioning which cannot be imitated by competitors? Does this positioning leave any possibility for an alternative solution in case of failure? Does this positioning justify a price premium? Is there a growth potential under this positioning? A brands message is the outward expression of the brands inner substance. Thus we can no longer dissociate brand substance from brand style, ie from its verbal, visual and musical attributes. Brand identity provides the framework for overall brand coherence. It is a concept that serves to offset the limitations of positioning and to monitor the means of expression, the unity and durability of a brand. Why brands need identity and positioning A brands positioning is a key concept in its management. It is based on one fundamental principle: all choices are comparative. Remember that identity expresses the brands tangible and intangible characteristics everything that makes the brand what it is, and without which it would be something different. Identity draws upon the brands roots and heritage everything that gives it its unique authority and legitimacy within a realm of precise values and benefits. Positioning is competitive: when it comes to brands, customers make a choice, but with products, they make a comparison. This raises two questions. First, what do they compare it with? For this, we need to look at the field of competition: what area do we want to be considered as part of? Second, what are we offering the customer as a key decision-making factor? A brand that does not position itself leaves these two questions unanswered. It is a mistake to suppose that customers will find answers themselves: there are too many choices available today for customers to make the effort to work out what makes a particular brand specific. Communicating this information is the responsibility of the brand. Remember, products increase customer choice; brands simplify it. This is why a brand that does not want to stand for something stands for nothing. The aim of positioning is to identify, and take possession of, a strong purchasing rationale that gives us a real or perceived advantage. It implies a desire to take up a long-term position and defend it. Positioning is competition-oriented: it specifies the best way to attack competitors market share. It may change through time: one grows by expanding the field of competition. Identity is more stable and long-lasting, for it is tied to the brand roots and fixed parameters. Thus Cokes positioning was ‘the original as long as it competed against other colas. To grow the business, it now competes against all soft drinks: its positioning is ‘the most refreshing bond between people of the world, whereas its identity remains ‘the symbol of America, the essence of the American way of life. How is positioning achieved? The standard positioning formula is as follows: For †¦ (definition of target market) Brand X is †¦ (definition of frame of reference and subjective category) Which gives the most †¦ (promise or consumer benefit) Because of †¦ (reason to believe). Let us look at these points in detail. The target specifies the nature and psycho-logical or sociological profile of the individuals to be influenced, that is, buyers or potential consumers. The frame of reference is the subjective definition of the category, which will specify the nature of the competition. What other brands or products effectively serve the same purpose? This is a strategic decision: it marks out the ‘field of battle. It must not under any circumstances be confused with the objective description of the product or category. For example, there is no real rum market in the UK, yet Bacardi is very popular. This is because it is perfectly possible to drink Bacardi without realising that it is a rum: it is the party mixer par excellence. Another example illustrates the strategic importance of defining the frame of reference. Objectively speaking, Perrier is fizzy mineral water. Subjectively, however, it is also a drink for adults. Seen in the light of this field of reference, it acquires its strongest competitive advantage: a slight natural quirkiness. As we can see, the choice of the field of competition should be informed by the strategic value of that field: how big, how fast growing, how profitable? But it also lends the brand a competitive advantage through its identity and potential. Perceived as water for the table, Perrier has no significant competitive advantage over other fizzy mineral waters, even though this market is a very large one. However, when viewed in relation to a field of competition defined as ‘drinks for adults, Perrier becomes competitive again: it has strong differentiating advantages. What are its competitors? They include alcoholic drinks, Diet Coke, Schweppes and tomato juice. The third point specifies the aspect of difference which creates the preference and the choice of a decisive competitive advantage: it may be expressed in terms of a promise (for instance, Volvo is the strongest of all cars) or a benefit (such as, Volvo is the ‘safety brand). The fourth point reinforces the promise or benefit, and is known as the ‘reason to believe. For example, in the case of the Dove brand, which promises to be the most moisturising, the reason is that all of its products contain 25 per cent of moisturising cream. Positioning is a necessary concept, first because all choices are comparative, and so it makes sense to start off by stating the area in which we are strongest; and second because in marketing, perception is reality. Positioning is a concept which starts with customers, by putting ourselves in their place: faced with a plethora of brands, are consumers able to identify the strong point of each, the factor that distinguishes it from the rest? This is why, ideally, a customer should be capable of paraphrasing a brands positioning: ‘Only Brand X will do this for me, because it has, or it is †¦ No instrument is entirely neutral. The above formula was created by companies such as Kraft-General Foods, Procter Gamble, and Unilever. It is designed for businesses that base competitive advantage on their products, and works perfectly for the lOrà ©al Group which, with its 2,500 researchers worldwide, only ever launches new products if they are of demonstrably superior performance. This fact is then promoted through advertising. There are cases where the brand makes no promise, or where the benefit it brings could sound trivial. For example, how would you define the positioning of a perfume such as Obsession by Calvin Klein in a way that clearly represented its true nature and originality? It would be wrong to claim that Obsession makes any specific promise to its customers, or that they will obtain any particular benefit from the product apart from feeling good (a property which is common to all perfumes). In reality, Obsessions attractiveness stems from its imagery, the imaginary world of subversive androgyny which it embodies. In the same way, Mugler appeals to young people through its inherently neofuturistic world, and Chanel stands for timeless elegance. What actually sells these perfumes is the satisfaction derived from participating in the symbolic world of the brand. The same is true of alcohol and spirits: Jack Daniels is selling a symbolic participation in an eternal, authentic untamed America. To say that Jack Daniels is selling the satisfaction of being the finest choice would be a mere commonplace, like the tired old clichà © that customers are satisfied at having made a choice that set them apart from the masses (a classic benefit stated by small brands attempting to emphasise their advantage over large ones). Faced with this conceptual dilemma, there are three possible approaches. The first of these is to define positioning as the sum of every point that differentiates the brand. This has been Unilevers approach: the 60page mini-opus known as the Brand Key, which explains how to define a brand across the entire world, starts with the phrase: ‘Brand Key builds on and replaces the brand positioning statement †¦. There are eight headings to Brand Key: 1. The competitive environment. 2. The target. 3. The consumer insight on which the brand is based. 4. The benefits brought by the brand. 5. Brand values and personality. 6. The reasons to believe. 7. The discriminator (single most compelling reason to choose). 8. The brand essence. Fundamentally, therefore, this collection forms the positioning of a brand. However, the concept that most closely resembles positioning in the strict sense of the word is referred to here as the ‘discriminator. McDonalds also adopts a similar reasoning (see Figure 7.3). Larry Light defends the idea that positioning is defined when this chain of means-ends is completed (this is a parallel concept to the ‘ladder moving from the tangible to the intangible): My position is that two tools are needed to manage the brand. One defines the brands identity, while the other is competitive and specifies the competitive proposition made at any given time in any given market. This is the brands unique compelling competitive proposition (UCCP). Thus the tool called ‘brand platform will comprise, first, the ‘brand identity, that is to say, brand uniqueness and singularity throughout the world and whatever the product. Brand identity has six facets, and is therefore larger than the mere positioning. It is represented by the identity prism. At its centre one finds the brand essence, the central value it symbolises. Second, the brand platform comprises ‘brand positioning: choosing a market means choosing a specific angle to attack it. Brand positioning must be based on a customer insight relevant to this market. Brand positioning exploits one of the brand identity facets. Positioning can be summed up in four key questions: for whom, why, when and against whom? It can be represented in the form of a diamond, the ‘positioning diamond (see Figure 7.2, page 176). In positioning, the brand/product makes a proposition, plus (necessarily) a promise. The proposition may additionally be supported by a ‘reason to believe, but this is not essential. Marlboro presents its smoker as a man a real man, symbolised by the untamed cowboy of the Wild West. No support is offered for this proposition; no proof is necessary. It is true because the brand says so. And the more often it is repeated, the more credible it becomes. In this way the brands proposition, which forms the basis of the chosen positioning at a given moment in a particular market, may be fuelled by various ‘edges contained within the brands identity: a differentiating attribute (25 per cent moisturising cream in Dove, the smoothness and bite of Mars bars, the bubbles of Perrier); an objective benefit: an iMac is user friendly, Dell offers unbeatable value for money; a subjective benefit: you feel secure with IBM; an aspect of the brands personality: the mystery of the Bacardi bat, Jack Daniels is macho, Axe/Lynx is cool; Concepts of Brand Identity and Positioning Concepts of Brand Identity and Positioning A brand is not the name of a product. It is the vision that drives the creation of products and services under that name. That vision, the key belief of the brands and its core values is called identity. It drives vibrant brands able to create advocates, a real cult and loyalty. Modern competition calls for two essential tools of brand management: ‘brand identity, specifying the facets of brands uniqueness and value, and ‘brand positioning, the main difference creating preference in a specific market at a specific time for its products. For existing brands, identity is the source of brand positioning. Brand positioning specifies the angle used by the products of that brand to attack a market in order to grow their market share at the expense of competition. Defining what a brand is made of helps answer many questions that are asked every day, such as: Can the brand sponsor such and such event or sport? Does the advertising campaign suit the brand? Is the opportunity for launching a new product inside the brands boundaries or outside? How can the brand change its communication style, yet remain true to itself? How can decision making in communications be decentralised regionally or internationally, without jeopardising brand congruence? All such decisions pose the problem of brand identity and definition which are essential prerequisites for efficient brand management. Brand identity: a necessary concept Like the ideas of brand vision and purpose, the concept of brand identity is recent. It started in Europe (Kapferer, 1986).The perception of its paramount importance has slowly gained worldwide recognition; in the most widely read American book on brand equity (Aaker, 1991), the word ‘identity is in fact totally absent, as is the concept. Today, most advanced marketing companies have specified the identity of their brand through proprietary models such as ‘brand key (Unilever), ‘footprint (Johnson Johnson), ‘bulls eyes and ‘brand stewardship, which organise in a specific form a list of concepts related to brand identity. However, they are rather checklists. Is identity a sheer linguistic novelty, or is it essential to understanding what brands are? What is identity? To appreciate the meaning of this significant concept in brand management, we shall begin by considering the many ways in which the word is used today. For example, we speak of ‘identity cards a personal, non-transferable document that tells in a few words who we are, what our name is and what distinguishable features we have that can be instantly recognised. We also hear of ‘identity of opinion between several people, meaning that they have an identical point of view. In terms of communication, this second interpretation of the word suggests brand identity is the common element sending a single message amid the wide variety of its products, actions and communications. This is important since the more the brand expands and diversifies, the more customers are inclined to feel that they are, in fact, dealing with several different brands rather than a single one. If products and communication go their separate ways, how can customers possibly perceive these different routes as converging towards a common vision and brand? Speaking of identical points of view also raises the question of permanence and continuity. As civil status and physical appearance change, identity cards get updated, yet the fingerprint of their holders always remains the same. The identity concept questions how time will affect the unique and permanent quality of the sender, the brand or the retailer. In this respect, psychologists speak of the ‘identity crisis which adolescents often go through. When their identity structure is still weak, teenagers tend to move from one role model to another. These constant shifts create a gap and force the basic question: ‘What is the real me? Finally, in studies on social groups or minorities, we often speak of ‘cultural identity. In seeking an identity, they are in fact seeking a pivotal basis on which to hinge not only their inherent difference but also their membership of a specific cultural entity. Brand identity may be a recent notion, but many researchers have already delved into the organisational identity of companies (Schwebig, 1988; Moingeon and Soenen, 2003). There, the simplest verbal expression of identity often consists in saying: ‘Oh, yes, I see, but its not the same in our company! In other words, corporate identity is what helps an organisation, or a part of it, feel that it truly exists and that it is a coherent and unique being, with a history and a place of its own, different from others. From these various meanings, we can infer that having an identity means being your true self, driven by a personal goal that is both different from others and resistant to change. Thus, brand identity will be clearly defined once the following questions are answered: What is the brands particular vision and aim? What makes it different? What need is the brand fulfilling? What is its permanent nature? What are its value or values? What is its field of competence? Of legitimacy? What are the signs which make the brand recognisable? These questions could indeed constitute the brands charter. This type of official document would help better brand management in the medium term, both in terms of form and content, and so better address future communication and extension issues. Communication tools such as the copy strategy are essentially linked to advertising campaigns, and so are only committed to the short term. There must be specific guidelines to ensure that there is indeed only one brand forming a solid and coherent entity. Brand identity and graphic identity charters Many readers will make the point that their firms already make use of graphic identity ‘bibles, either for corporate or specific brand purposes. We do indeed find many graphic identity charters, books of standards and visual identity guides. Urged on by graphic identity agencies, companies have rightly sought to harmonise the messages conveyed by their brands. Such charters therefore define the norms for visual recognition of the brand, ie the brands colours, graphic design and type of print. Although this may be a necessary first step, it isnt the be all and end all. Moreover, it puts the cart before the horse. What really matters is the key message that we want to communicate. Formal aspects, outward appearance and overall looks result from the brands core substance and intrinsic identity. Choosing symbols requires a clear definition of what the brand means. However, while graphic manuals are quite easy to find nowadays, explicit definitions of brand identity per se are still very rare. Yet, the essential questions above (ie the nature of the identity to be conveyed) must be properly answered before we begin discussing and defining what the communication means and what the codes of outward recognition should be. The brands deepest values must be reflected in the external signs of recognition, and these must be apparent at first glance. The family resemblance between the various models of BMW conveys a strong identity, yet it is not the identity. This brands identity and essence can actually be defined by addressing the issue of its difference, its permanence, its value and its personal view on automobiles. Many firms have unnecessarily constrained their brand because they formulated a graphic charter before defining their identity. Not knowing who they really are, they merely perpetuate purely formal codes by, for example, using a certain photographic style that may not be the most suitable. Thus Nina Riccis identity did not necessarily relate to the companys systematic adherence to English photographer David Hamiltons style. Knowing brand identity paradoxically gives extra freedom of expression, since it emphasises the pre-eminence of substance over strictly formal features. Brand identity defines what must stay and what is free to change. Brands are living systems. They must have degrees of freedom to match modern market diversity. Identity: a contemporary concept That a new concept identity has emerged in the field of management, already well versed in brand image and positioning, is really no great surprise. Todays problems are more complex than those of 10 or 20 years ago and so there is now a need for more refined concepts that allow a closer connection with reality. First of all, we cannot overemphasise the fact that we are currently living in a society saturated in communications. Everybody wants to communicate these days. If needed, proof is available: there have been huge increases in advertising budgets, not only in the major media but also in the growing number of professional magazines. It has become very difficult to survive in the hurly-burly thus created, let alone to thrive and successfully convey ones identity. For communication means two things: sending out messages and making sure that they are received. Communicating nowadays is no longer just a technique, it is a feat in itself. The second factor explaining the urgent need to understand brand identity is the pressure constantly put on brands. We have now entered an age of marketing similarities. When a brand innovates, it creates a new standard. The other brands must then catch up if they want to stay in the race, hence the increasing number of ‘me-too products with similar attributes, not to mention the copies produced by distributors. Regulations also cause similarities to spread. Bank operations, for example, have become so much alike that banks are now unable to fully express their individuality and identity. Market research also generates herdism within a given sector. As all companies base themselves on the same life-style studies, the conclusions they reach are bound to be similar as are the products and advertising campaigns they launch, in which sometimes even the same words are used. Finally, technology is responsible for growing similarity. Why do cars increasingly look alike, in spite of their different makes? Because car makers are all equally concerned about fluidity, inner car space constraints, motorisation and economy, and these problems cannot be solved in all that many different ways. Moreover, when the models of four car brands (Audi, Volkswagen, Seat and Skoda) share many identical parts (eg chassis, engine, gearbox), for either productivity or competitiveness purposes, it is mainly brand identity, along with, to a lesser extent, whats left of each car, which will distinguish the makes from one another. Diversification calls for knowing the brands identity. Brands launch new products, penetrate new markets and reach new targets. This may cause both fragmented communications and patchwork images. Though we are still able to discern bits and pieces of the brand here and there, we are certainly unable to perceive its global and coherent identity. Why speak of identity rather than image? What does the notion of identity have to offer that the image of a brand or a company or a retailer doesnt have? After all, firms spend large amounts of money measuring image. Brand image is on the receivers side. Image research focuses on the way in which certain groups perceive a product, a brand, a politician, a company or a country. The image refers to the way in which these groups decode all of the signals emanating from the products, services and communication covered by the brand. Identity is on the senders side. The purpose, in this case, is to specify the brands meaning, aim and self-image. Image is both the result and interpretation thereof. In terms of brand management, identity precedes image. Before projecting an image to the public, we must know exactly what we want to project. Before it is received, we must know what to send and how to send it. As shown in Figure 7.1, an image is a synthesis made by the public of all the various brand messages, eg brand name, visual symbols, products, advertisements, sponsoring, patronage, articles. An image results from decoding a message, extracting meaning, interpreting signs. Where do all these signs come from? There are two possible sources: brand identity of course, but also extraneous factors (‘noise) that speak in the brands name and thus produce meaning, however disconnected they may actually be from it. What are these extraneous factors? First, there are companies that choose to imitate competitors, as they have no clear idea of what their own brand identity is. They focus on their competitors and imitate their marketing communication. Second, there are companies that are obsessed with the willingness to build an appealing image that will be favourably perceived by all. So they focus on meeting every one of the publics expectations. That is how the brand gets caught in the game of always having to please the consumer and ends up surfing on the changing waves of social and cultural fads. Yesterday, brands were into glamour, today, they are into ‘cocooning; so whats next? The brand can appear opportunistic and popularity seeking, and thus devoid of any meaningful substance. It becomes a mere faà §ade, a meaningless cosmetic camouflage. The third source of ‘noise is that of fantasised identity: the brand as one would ideally like to see it, but not as it actually is. As a result, we notice, albeit too late, that the advertisements do not help people remember the brand because they are either too remotely connected to it or so radically disconnected from it that they cause perplexity or rejection. Since brand identity has now been recognised as the prevailing concept, these three potential communication glitches can be prevented. The identity concept thus serves to emphasise the fact that, with time, brands do eventually gain their independence and their own meaning, even though they may start out as mere product names. As living memories of past products and advertisements, brands do not simply fade away: they define their own area of competence, potential and legitimacy. Yet they also know when to stay out of other areas. We cannot expect a brand to be anything other than itself. Obviously, brands should not curl up in a shell and cut themselves off from the public and from market evolutions. However, an obsession with image can lead them to capitalise too much on appearance and not enough on essence. Identity and positioning It is also common to distinguish brands according to their positioning. Positioning a brand means emphasising the distinctive characteristics that make it different from its competitors and appealing to the public. It results from an analytical process based on the four following questions: A brand for what benefit? This refers to the brand promise and consumer benefit aspect: Orangina has real orange pulp, The Body Shop is environment friendly, Twix gets rid of hunger, Volkswagen is reliable. A brand for whom? This refers to the target aspect. For a long time, Schweppes was the drink of the refined, Snapple the soft drink for adults, Tango or Yoohoo the drink for teenagers. Reason? This refers to the elements, factual or subjective, that support the claimed benefit. A brand against whom? In todays competitive context, this question defines the main competitor(s), ie those whose clientele we think we can partly capture. Tuborg and other expensive imported beers thus also compete against whisky, gin and vodka. Positioning is a crucial concept (Figure 7.2). It reminds us that all consumer choices are made on the basis of comparison. Thus, a product will only be considered if it is clearly part of a selection process. Hence the four questions that help position the new product or brand and make its contribution immediately obvious to the customer. Positioning is a two-stage process: First, indicate to what ‘competitive set the brand should be associated and compared. Second, indicate what the brands essential difference and raison dà ªtre is in comparison to the other products and brands of that set. Choosing the competitive set is essential. While this may be quite easy to do for a new toothpaste, it is not so for very original and unique products. The Gaines burger launched by the Gaines company, for instance, was a new dog food, a semi-dehydrated product presented as red ground meat in a round shape like a hamburger. Unlike normal canned pet foods, moreover, it did not need to be refrigerated, nor did it exude that normal open-can smell. Given these characteristics, the product could be positioned in several different ways, for example by: Attacking the canned pet food market by appealing to well-to-do dog owners. The gist of the message would then be ‘the can without the can, in other words, the benefits of meat without its inconveniences (smell, freshness constraints, etc). Attacking the dehydrated pet food segment (dried pellets) by offering a product that would help the owner not to feel guilty for not giving meat to the dog on the basis that it is just not practical. The fresh-ground, round look could justify this positioning. Targeting owners who feed leftovers to their dogs by presenting Gaines as a complete, nutritious supplement (and no longer as a main meal as in the two former strategies). Targeting all dog owners by presenting this product as a nutritious treat, a kind of doggy Mars bar. The choice between these alternative strategies was made by assessing each one against certain measurable criteria (Table 7.1). The firm ended up choosing the first positioning and launched this product as the ‘Gaines burger. What does the identity concept add to that of positioning? Why do we even need another concept? In the first place, because positioning focuses more on the product itself. What then does positioning mean in the case of a multiproduct brand? How can these four questions on positioning be answered if we are not focusing on one particular product category? We know how to position the various Scotchbrite scrubbing pads as well as the Scotch videotapes, but what does the positioning concept mean for the Scotch brand as a whole, not to mention the 3M corporate brand? This is precisely where the concept of brand identity comes in handy. Second, positioning does not reveal all the brands richness of meaning nor reflect all of its potential. The brand is restricted once reduced to four questions. Positioning does not help fully differentiate Coca-Cola from Pepsi-Cola. The four positioning questions thus fail to encapsulate such nuances. They do not allow us to fully explore the identity and singularity of the brand. Worse still, positioning allows communication to be entirely dictated by creative whims and current fads. Positioning does not say a word about communication style, form or spirit. This is a major deficiency since brands have the gift of speech: they state both the objective and subjective qualities of a given product. The speech they deliver in these days of multimedia supremacy is made of words, of course, but even more of pictures, sounds, colours, movement and style. Positioning controls the words only, leaving the rest up to the unpredictable outcome of creative hunches and pretests. Yet brand language should never result from creativity only. It expresses the brands personality and values. Creative hunches are only useful if they are consistent with the brands legitimate territory. Furthermore, though pretest evaluations are needed to verify that the brands message is well received, the public should not be allowed to dictate brand language: its style needs to be found within itself. Brand uniqueness often tends to get eroded by consumer expectations and thus starts regressing to a level at which it risks losing its identity. Table 7.1 How to evaluate and choose a brand positioning Are the products current looks and ingredients compatible with this positioning? How strong is the assumed consumer motivation behind this positioning? (what insight?) What size of market is involved by such a positioning? Is this positioning credible? Does it capitalise on a competitors actual or latent durable weakness? What financial means are required by such a positioning? Is this positioning specific and distinctive? Is this a sustainable positioning which cannot be imitated by competitors? Does this positioning leave any possibility for an alternative solution in case of failure? Does this positioning justify a price premium? Is there a growth potential under this positioning? A brands message is the outward expression of the brands inner substance. Thus we can no longer dissociate brand substance from brand style, ie from its verbal, visual and musical attributes. Brand identity provides the framework for overall brand coherence. It is a concept that serves to offset the limitations of positioning and to monitor the means of expression, the unity and durability of a brand. Why brands need identity and positioning A brands positioning is a key concept in its management. It is based on one fundamental principle: all choices are comparative. Remember that identity expresses the brands tangible and intangible characteristics everything that makes the brand what it is, and without which it would be something different. Identity draws upon the brands roots and heritage everything that gives it its unique authority and legitimacy within a realm of precise values and benefits. Positioning is competitive: when it comes to brands, customers make a choice, but with products, they make a comparison. This raises two questions. First, what do they compare it with? For this, we need to look at the field of competition: what area do we want to be considered as part of? Second, what are we offering the customer as a key decision-making factor? A brand that does not position itself leaves these two questions unanswered. It is a mistake to suppose that customers will find answers themselves: there are too many choices available today for customers to make the effort to work out what makes a particular brand specific. Communicating this information is the responsibility of the brand. Remember, products increase customer choice; brands simplify it. This is why a brand that does not want to stand for something stands for nothing. The aim of positioning is to identify, and take possession of, a strong purchasing rationale that gives us a real or perceived advantage. It implies a desire to take up a long-term position and defend it. Positioning is competition-oriented: it specifies the best way to attack competitors market share. It may change through time: one grows by expanding the field of competition. Identity is more stable and long-lasting, for it is tied to the brand roots and fixed parameters. Thus Cokes positioning was ‘the original as long as it competed against other colas. To grow the business, it now competes against all soft drinks: its positioning is ‘the most refreshing bond between people of the world, whereas its identity remains ‘the symbol of America, the essence of the American way of life. How is positioning achieved? The standard positioning formula is as follows: For †¦ (definition of target market) Brand X is †¦ (definition of frame of reference and subjective category) Which gives the most †¦ (promise or consumer benefit) Because of †¦ (reason to believe). Let us look at these points in detail. The target specifies the nature and psycho-logical or sociological profile of the individuals to be influenced, that is, buyers or potential consumers. The frame of reference is the subjective definition of the category, which will specify the nature of the competition. What other brands or products effectively serve the same purpose? This is a strategic decision: it marks out the ‘field of battle. It must not under any circumstances be confused with the objective description of the product or category. For example, there is no real rum market in the UK, yet Bacardi is very popular. This is because it is perfectly possible to drink Bacardi without realising that it is a rum: it is the party mixer par excellence. Another example illustrates the strategic importance of defining the frame of reference. Objectively speaking, Perrier is fizzy mineral water. Subjectively, however, it is also a drink for adults. Seen in the light of this field of reference, it acquires its strongest competitive advantage: a slight natural quirkiness. As we can see, the choice of the field of competition should be informed by the strategic value of that field: how big, how fast growing, how profitable? But it also lends the brand a competitive advantage through its identity and potential. Perceived as water for the table, Perrier has no significant competitive advantage over other fizzy mineral waters, even though this market is a very large one. However, when viewed in relation to a field of competition defined as ‘drinks for adults, Perrier becomes competitive again: it has strong differentiating advantages. What are its competitors? They include alcoholic drinks, Diet Coke, Schweppes and tomato juice. The third point specifies the aspect of difference which creates the preference and the choice of a decisive competitive advantage: it may be expressed in terms of a promise (for instance, Volvo is the strongest of all cars) or a benefit (such as, Volvo is the ‘safety brand). The fourth point reinforces the promise or benefit, and is known as the ‘reason to believe. For example, in the case of the Dove brand, which promises to be the most moisturising, the reason is that all of its products contain 25 per cent of moisturising cream. Positioning is a necessary concept, first because all choices are comparative, and so it makes sense to start off by stating the area in which we are strongest; and second because in marketing, perception is reality. Positioning is a concept which starts with customers, by putting ourselves in their place: faced with a plethora of brands, are consumers able to identify the strong point of each, the factor that distinguishes it from the rest? This is why, ideally, a customer should be capable of paraphrasing a brands positioning: ‘Only Brand X will do this for me, because it has, or it is †¦ No instrument is entirely neutral. The above formula was created by companies such as Kraft-General Foods, Procter Gamble, and Unilever. It is designed for businesses that base competitive advantage on their products, and works perfectly for the lOrà ©al Group which, with its 2,500 researchers worldwide, only ever launches new products if they are of demonstrably superior performance. This fact is then promoted through advertising. There are cases where the brand makes no promise, or where the benefit it brings could sound trivial. For example, how would you define the positioning of a perfume such as Obsession by Calvin Klein in a way that clearly represented its true nature and originality? It would be wrong to claim that Obsession makes any specific promise to its customers, or that they will obtain any particular benefit from the product apart from feeling good (a property which is common to all perfumes). In reality, Obsessions attractiveness stems from its imagery, the imaginary world of subversive androgyny which it embodies. In the same way, Mugler appeals to young people through its inherently neofuturistic world, and Chanel stands for timeless elegance. What actually sells these perfumes is the satisfaction derived from participating in the symbolic world of the brand. The same is true of alcohol and spirits: Jack Daniels is selling a symbolic participation in an eternal, authentic untamed America. To say that Jack Daniels is selling the satisfaction of being the finest choice would be a mere commonplace, like the tired old clichà © that customers are satisfied at having made a choice that set them apart from the masses (a classic benefit stated by small brands attempting to emphasise their advantage over large ones). Faced with this conceptual dilemma, there are three possible approaches. The first of these is to define positioning as the sum of every point that differentiates the brand. This has been Unilevers approach: the 60page mini-opus known as the Brand Key, which explains how to define a brand across the entire world, starts with the phrase: ‘Brand Key builds on and replaces the brand positioning statement †¦. There are eight headings to Brand Key: 1. The competitive environment. 2. The target. 3. The consumer insight on which the brand is based. 4. The benefits brought by the brand. 5. Brand values and personality. 6. The reasons to believe. 7. The discriminator (single most compelling reason to choose). 8. The brand essence. Fundamentally, therefore, this collection forms the positioning of a brand. However, the concept that most closely resembles positioning in the strict sense of the word is referred to here as the ‘discriminator. McDonalds also adopts a similar reasoning (see Figure 7.3). Larry Light defends the idea that positioning is defined when this chain of means-ends is completed (this is a parallel concept to the ‘ladder moving from the tangible to the intangible): My position is that two tools are needed to manage the brand. One defines the brands identity, while the other is competitive and specifies the competitive proposition made at any given time in any given market. This is the brands unique compelling competitive proposition (UCCP). Thus the tool called ‘brand platform will comprise, first, the ‘brand identity, that is to say, brand uniqueness and singularity throughout the world and whatever the product. Brand identity has six facets, and is therefore larger than the mere positioning. It is represented by the identity prism. At its centre one finds the brand essence, the central value it symbolises. Second, the brand platform comprises ‘brand positioning: choosing a market means choosing a specific angle to attack it. Brand positioning must be based on a customer insight relevant to this market. Brand positioning exploits one of the brand identity facets. Positioning can be summed up in four key questions: for whom, why, when and against whom? It can be represented in the form of a diamond, the ‘positioning diamond (see Figure 7.2, page 176). In positioning, the brand/product makes a proposition, plus (necessarily) a promise. The proposition may additionally be supported by a ‘reason to believe, but this is not essential. Marlboro presents its smoker as a man a real man, symbolised by the untamed cowboy of the Wild West. No support is offered for this proposition; no proof is necessary. It is true because the brand says so. And the more often it is repeated, the more credible it becomes. In this way the brands proposition, which forms the basis of the chosen positioning at a given moment in a particular market, may be fuelled by various ‘edges contained within the brands identity: a differentiating attribute (25 per cent moisturising cream in Dove, the smoothness and bite of Mars bars, the bubbles of Perrier); an objective benefit: an iMac is user friendly, Dell offers unbeatable value for money; a subjective benefit: you feel secure with IBM; an aspect of the brands personality: the mystery of the Bacardi bat, Jack Daniels is macho, Axe/Lynx is cool;