Critical Thinking and Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Critical Thinking and Technology - Essay Example Critical thinking also enhances the communication and presentation skills of employees, students and even employers as the information presented is thoroughly thought over and researched. With critical thinking, our ability to express our ideas, opinions and beliefs to other people is enhanced and this promotes cooperation and productivity in organizations that are dependent on technology. Creativity is important in success of individuals, organizations and institutions across the globe in this technology age. According to Plato (Pinliucci, 2011), critical thinking increases the inventive ability of people and this enhances entrepreneurship and business growth. To think critically, an individual must be able to develop a strong purpose and develop a problem upon which different questions will be used to understand it. The position of critical thinking in modern day world has remained a major issue as a result of the emergence of technology and more so, the internet (Whitney, 2010). Information technology and especially the internet improve critical thinking ability of students and employees as it enhances judgment and decision making processes. With information technology, data processing is enhanced due to the massive sources that readers are subjected to and this enhances critical thinking. The development of critical thinking skills is essential in the development of students and employees as it enhances the process of gathering information and developing skills. As a result, the questioning information presented to an individual enhances their understanding of the area and improves their discussion skills. The global economy is currently reliant on technology, an aspect of development that is dynamic and influenced by the level of knowledge of an individual. As a result, the development of flexible skills is essential, a process that can only be achieved through developing strong analytics skills found among critical thinkers (Taylor, 2012). Technology

Fashion Photography and it's affects on young women Research Paper

Fashion Photography and it's affects on young women - Research Paper Example The essay "Fashion Photography and it's affects on young women" focuses on the influence of fashion photography on the women. The manner in which fashion photography has begun to distract the attention of the young women from different priorities in their lives leaves a very bad taste in the mouth, especially when it is being debated upon. They often emphasize more on what the celebrities are doing and what kind of new photographs are coming out in the open for them. They are reliant on fashion for looking after their own requirements, which are insignificant if seen properly. They perceive true beauty to be hidden within fashion photography which is simply untrue. They would rather emphasize on how they could derive value from fashion than looking at the reality aspects. The negative effects of fashion photography are important to understand here. This is because the young women start believing that fashion photography is for real and that they must follow the celebrities and stars into becoming somewhat similar. They are of the view that the world of media and fashion is filled with glamour which is not anywhere close to reality. This element essentially makes them feel that they must do something collectively to welcome what is being shown to them through the different media outlets and domains. As far as their self image and self esteem issues are concerned, these young women need to understand where they are going wrong. Since self image is something that shapes up one’s own thinking.

Build To Order Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay

Build To Order Supply Chain Management Commerce Essay Build-to-order Supply Chain (BOSC) is viewed by many researchers as an effective way to achieve high customer value because BOSC can fulfil an individual or a group of customers orders while maintaining low cost, cutting inventory cost, eliminating waste, and achieving short response time through flexible manufacturing and integrated logistics. BOSC is needed to support mass customization, which is the ability to make high variety and low cost products and deliver them quickly to meet the diverging needs of customers. Mass customization can be achieved by implementing modularity-based manufacturing practices, postponing production steps that determine product features and performances, and applying IT to coordinate actions and speed up final production and delivery. BOSC also emphasizes the importance of partnership with suppliers and customers, web-based technologies, and rapid transport and delivery. This research aims at the study of factors that affect built-to-order supply chain and the issues related to BOSC and what stops an organization to implement BOSC in their organization. Introduction Background Developing trends in international arena has forced many global firms to revisit their operations strategy. Their operations are moving from centralize to decentralize in order to gain markets. In order to accomplish this, companies have gone through number of changes in terms of strategies, tactics, and operation with the goal of matching the market needs. There are multiple competitive performance objectives on which companies compete today like quality, price, responsiveness, flexibility, and dependability. To achieve these objectives an efficient supply chain required in which mass production is converted into mass customization. Mass customization has become a major objective of many Fortune 500 companies (Gunasekaran Ngai, 2005).The idea of mass customization is seen as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ability to use of flexible processes and organizational structures to produce varied and often individually customized products and services at the price of standardized, mass-produced alterna tivesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬- (Hart, 1996, p. 13). To-wards this end, firms have developed a build-to-order supply chain (BTOSC) to be flexible and responsive (Gunasekaran Ngai, 2005). Due to the increasing competition in todays market every company wants to have a competitive advantage over their competitors so that they can survive in the market and make profits. BOSC is a way of providing the customer the option of mass customization and maintain low inventory which helps the company provide a variety of products to its customers without incurring huge inventory holding cost. Build-to-order supply chain (BTOSC) means a demand-driven manufacturing approach, in which the products are planned and built against to a confirmed order received from a final customer or consumer. In this supply chain, it excludes the all intermediaries, like dealers, sales companies etc., between final customer and the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) (Parry Graves, 2008). The order placement system is very sophisticated, as it takes information from forecasting system and the received orders, and then directs the suppliers according to the product ordered. All parts are not scheduled as BTOSC, but the expensive parts would schedule using BTOSC. Research Question How do factors like organizational competitiveness, Information technology, Operations and Development and Implementation affect build-to-order supply chain in an organization? Literature Review Supply Chain Design There are four types of supply chain design:- Built-to-stock The BTS supply chain gives fastest response time to the customer. The product is manufactured before receiving any kind of order. Customers order is satisfied from the retail outlet or from the stocking point of that product (Blanco, 2002). The BTS supply chain is used for low-value products, which customers consume on daily basis, like Diet Cola, Ariel Detergent, etc. And customer values immediate response for such products, so such type of products is manufactured and supplied using BTS model. We agree that the price of such goods is low, but choice of selectivity is also low. There is no room for configuration in these products (Blanco, 2002). The customer has to buy what is on the shelf. The BTS model lacks flexibility in offering choices to consumer. Some of the critical components, like aircraft components are supplied using BTS supply chain (Reeve Srinivasan, 2005). Configure-to-order The product is assembled when order is received with standard modules and components, like desktop and laptop computers. The CTO supply chain initiates on the arrival of order, than assembly of product starts from components which have already been replenished in-to the inventory (Papadakis, 2003). In this model, the customer enjoys greater final-item choices. The automobile industry is another good example. The automobile manufacturers are implementing the initial stages of CTO model with the close cooperation with their distributors and dealers. The intention is to offer customers a combination of options than normally available at the dealers showroom (Miller Wacker, 2000). But still, the customer has to wait for the vehicle until it is assembled according to the specifications. The main issue with the CTO model is how promptly customers needs are satisfied, especially how much lead time they are able to reduce from assembly to the final delivery. The North American automobile in dustry is now targeting delivery of a custom-assembled car within a week of the order being placed, compared to the multi-week window in which it operates today (Willcox, 1998; Reeve Srinivasan, 2005). Build-to-order In the BTO supply chain, the fabrication and production process start on the customer or-der. The end-item produced under BTO model in highly customized and is quite costly to manufacture. The requirements for the BTO are sketched in usual material requirement planning (MRP) structure (Fredriksson Gadde, 2005). In this model, there has to be integrative relationship between supplier and manufacturer. Once all the requirements, of the received order, are in place, the production starts to meet the specific quantities and lead times. Because BTO follows a scheduled production period so MRP activities has to be very coherent. The whole BTO supply chain has to be very closely knitted, because any disruption in material flow could delays in the delivery. That is the reason the MRP chain has to be open to changes in purchase due dates, dispatch list and customer promises. This leads to variation in the capacity of overall supply chain (Reeve Srinivasan 2005). Engineering-to-order In ETO, the supply chain starts from the design phase. This model offers us a truly customized product that requires unique drawings and parts. These products are manufactured for very specific purposes, and are very expensive to develop (Gosling Naim, 2009). The product is custom in nature which takes long lead times to develop. For this reason, the MRP system comes in play to take care of components requirements in ETO. The ETO mostly recognizes as single-lot job shop environment where prototypical processes take place. The upstream planning is often complex and varied to downstream distribution system. The transportation of finish product is often done in single units (Reeve Srinivasan, 2005). The examples for ETO products are NASA space station, high-end customized saloon, sports car, etc. Build-to-order Supply Chain BTOSC is a fusion of leanness, agility and Just-in-Time (JIT). First, we will make connection between lean, agile and JIT approaches. Lean manufacturing was first introduced by Toyota, in their Toyota Production System (TPS), and JIT was part of TPS program, and even the TPS and JIT were used interchangeably back in 1980s (Hallgren Olhager, 2009). According to Narasimhan et al. (2006), we can say production is lean if it is achieved with least amount of waste, minimal inventory and efficient operations. Lean manufacturing is all about performing operations efficiently, with the help of JIT. Because JIT helps in eliminating inventory, and delivers components and parts when they needed in assembly process (Hallgren Olhager, 2009). While agile manufacturing is about efficiently changing in response to state of uncertainty and fluctuating demands (Narasimhan et al., 2006). Sharifi Zhang (2001) stress that agility not only as responding to the change environment in quick time but also exploiting those changes and taking them as opportunity to build ad-vantage in the market. Agile manufacturing also allows introducing new products into the system, with very short lead time (Sharifi Zhang, 2001). This encapsulates these three concepts for BTOSC, and shows that BTOSC is blend of lean, JIT and agile manufacturing approaches (Hallgren Olhager, 2009). In BTOSC, the customer triggers the supply chain by placing order. This manufacturing strategy is demand-driven, where the product is planned, built and pulled through the chain. The final customer by-passes the all intermediaries, like dealers, and directly place the order to the OEM. But OEM also has to build a platform where customers can contact and confirms his/her order. It also gives flexibility to the customers to change it specifications of the confirmed order (Parry Graves, 2008). But before that the OEM has to be responsive and flexible in its operations, to fully respond to the customers demands. Here in BTOSC, its not only OEM who has to be flexible and responsive in their operations but suppliers should be totally complying with the standards of the OEM, so that they respond efficiently to customer orders. Some suppliers work closely with the OEM, where other produce parts following build-to-stock (BTS) production approach. The suppliers follow BTS produce parts like t yres, windscreen wipers and non-expensive items. Where the sup-pliers who work in close proximity with OEM provide expensive modules like engines, transmission, exhaust system, interior items etc., because such items have different variants, from where customer can choose. And that is why these suppliers follow BTOSC production approach (Parry Graves, 2008; Gunasekaran Ngai, 2005). The global arena is changing due to severe competition between companies which is forcing them to revisit their operational strategies to secure market share and improve their profit margins (Gunasekaran Ngai, 2005). Particularly, BTOSC market, which is driven by mass customization and e-commerce, are putting pressure on manufacturers and retailers to shrink planning cycles, compress manufacturing lead times, and speedy distribution system (Tyan et al., 2003). Advantages Provides a level of responsiveness, cost effectiveness, and flexibility that enables companies to deliver the products that customers have chosen at the time they requested it. BOSC results in substantial cost advantages by eliminating the inventory, forecasting, expediting, and setup required to customize products or services. BOSC helps companies utilize people, machinery, and floor space more efficiently BOSC allows a manufacturer to react on time with the market and even shape the behaviour of the market. BOSC can be utilized to manufacture a low volume of products of a pre-determined high variety using a cluster of components. Disadvantages Order-processing is time consuming and costly Multiple revisions of specifications are required Delivery dates are often not met Last-minute changes take up an increasing portion of resources Production plans are often inaccurate and over-ruled Global operations create issues such as exchange rate, political stability etc. Difference between Traditional Supply Chain Management (TSCM) BOTSC Traditional Supply Chain Built to order Supply chain Marketing Push-Sell from stock Pull-build to customer order Production Fixed order line-up Customer demand focussed Logistics Mass Approach Fast, reliable, Customized Consumer Relationship Dealer Owned Shared across the extended enterprise Managing Uncertainty Finished goods inventory buffers Strategic part buffers and information management Finished Goods Inventory High Stock Control Low, condensed dealer stock levels Suppliers Long Lead Time Collaborative/ Responsive BOSC and Organizational Competitiveness While developing BOSC, it is very important to study the factors that force the company to implement BOSC supply chain. For example, Dell uses Internet as a medium for placing order and hence successful implementation of mass customization delivery products to its customers. Therefore, factors external to an organization such as economic scenario, inflation, currency fluctuation, industries policies and so forth influence the strategies of a business organization and these factors should be taken into account when developing strategies for BOSC. Economic factors Many a times, companies fail to achieve their goals because of poor strategic planning, So, it is very important for a company to be a visionary and keeping in mind the changing global environment plan its strategy or align its strategies according to the market situation and develop long term strategies. For instance, interest and currency exchanges have an impact on the economy and that in turn affects the buying capability of an individual, there is a speculation in the market and the people tend to spend less money as a result the demand decreases. People tend to buy good or commodities that very important for their living. At present we can see, the market is fluctuating, in the past few months rupee had a downfall and the companies that import products had to pay more to their foreign counterparts. When people have less money to buy goods and go for standardized products then the company can alter their supply chain accordingly. Considering the agile characteristics of the economy, a more agile organization such as BOSC would be more suitable in helping a company compete not only in terms of service quality, but also in terms of the timely fulfillment of orders. It is seen that in order to be successful the company needs to fulfill the customer requirements and provide them something better than their competitor at a reasonable price. As we all know China is a manufacturing giant which provides products at the cheapest price but the quality is also very poor. So a section of Indian society buys China products because they cant afford other company products or they buy products that are use and throw. The economic depression, stock market crash, dot.com bubble all these major global events affected the business in a big way and forced the companies to revisit their strategies and align them according to the market requirement, BOSC was an outcome of such an organizational change to meet the changing market dynamics. This indicates that when developing a companys strategies, external factors should be given very close attention, including the issue of developing BOSC. Without the support of the environment, pursuing BOSC could prove to threaten the very survival of a company. Market Forces Market forces include the nature of the market, market growth, globalization, customer demand, regulation, product/market innovation, technology and its spread, business risk, and the economy. Porters 5 forces model barriers to entry, the threat of substitution, the bargaining power of buyers, the bargaining power of suppliers, and rivalry among firms helps evaluate an industry whether it is profitable to enter that particular industry or not. When taking decisions regarding BOSC above factors should be taken into consideration also, the characteristics of BOSC are defined by the product portfolio, number of suppliers, information technology and automation. The generic marketing strategy options of low cost, differentiation, and focus remain the dominant strategy decision models. According to the market demand and changing market and technology requirements on the customer it is very important to strike a balance between the product variety and the production costs. Now days, the manufacturing firms are focussing a lot more to optimize their manufacturing process like six sigma, Kan Ban, Lean manufacturing, Total Quality Control, hence BOSC is one of them which helps them provide a variety of products, less inventory cost, good quality and minimum lead time. Market forces influence the infrastructure of BOSC in terms of strategic alliances, partnerships, customer relationship management, information technology and systems, performance measures and metrics. Competitive Factors Competitive forces include customers, suppliers, rivals, new entrants, and substitutes. Dell Computers was one of the first companies to implement BOSC in its system. Michael Dell started with the motive of mass customization only. His objective was to provide computers according to their requirement and latter on that model became such a success that it was adopted by giants like HP, Compaq and Gateway. BOSC gave the competitive advantage that to bring in the latest technology first because it dint have any inventory. As soon as a new technology was launched it was incorporated by Dell which gave them a competitive advantage. Global competition, advancements in technology, industry deregulation, and rising customer expectations are only a few factors that are placing unprecedented demands on business enterprises (Papazoglou et al., 2000). More research is required on the implications of factors external to the organization on the performance of BOSC in terms of costs, benefits, and customer service. The following are the major factors of competitive success: innovation, new products, cost, quality, speed, and the ability to attract customers (Kraemer and Dedrick, 2002). These factors are to be embedded in BOSC in various forms with the ultimate objective of meeting the requirements of individual customers on time and in a cost-effective manner. Developing and Implementing BOSC Developing and implementing BOSC includes designing products and coming up with a procurement process, developing partnerships and a virtual supply chain, and managing logistics. This is an important area in which numerous medium to long-term decisions are made, and their impact on the performance of BOSC is significant. Design and Procurement In BOSC, the production system needs to be flexible and responsive enough to meet the requirements of an individual. Reducing the time in product design, efficient procuring of raw material are important issues to be dealt with to meet the requirements of customers and be responsive. Efficient procuring of raw material is only possible when the organization has a good supplier relationship and their support helps to operated nearly on no work in progress inventory. Strategies like BOSC can be well implemented if both the supplier and the organization have a good IT infrastructure or our linked through ERP like SAP or e-procurement software. It makes the conversation between the company and its peers very simple and efficient and procurement becomes a simple exercise. When an organization deals in products of high variety like in any automobile industry, demand forecasting and inventory management and meet customer requirements becomes a very difficult task, in these industries BOSC management should be the best alternative to survive in the market and make profits. Development of partnerships and supplies It is important to develop partnerships on an OEMs core competency in order to develop BOSC. For example, in automobile industry, organization has suppliers for different parts required to manufacture a car. So the organization outsources the delivery of the parts to the suppliers which are the best in that business. So, the company doesnt have to compromise on quality. Logistics Logistics involves transportation, consolidation and warehousing. Now days, the companies extensively utilize third party logistics (3PL) and fourth party logistics (4PL) which include companies like FedEx, Blue Dart ,UPS, DHL etc. 3PL is the management of logistic services beyond transportation. This might include storage, shipment and value-added services as well as the use of subcontractors. 4PL is the integration of all companies involved along the supply chain. 4PL is the planning, steering, and controlling of all logistic procedures (including flows of information, material, and capital) by one service provider with long-term strategic objectives. UPS World Wide Logistics employed a 4PL business model. Implementation Implementation involves putting the plan for BOSC into action. BOSC needs to be constructed based on the design and procurement of products and plans to establish partnerships, a virtual supply chain, and logistics. This requires the setting up of an implementation team, a time scale for the project, and evaluating the performance of the process of implementing BOSC. BOSC and Operations Planning/Forecasting In recent years, companies have started recognizing the trade-off between the variety of products and supply chain performance, more the variety of products the more it is difficult to forecast the demand trend in the market and on that basis carry out the production plan of the organization. Organizations have started doing modern forecasting techniques to meet the demand of the customers and have a production plan to meet that demand. When the forecasting or the demand pattern is received from the sales and marketing department to the manufacturing department, the planning is done on that basis. A Master Planning Schedule is prepared follows that is the Bill of material which lists downs the raw material required for the production. The other factor that may alter the forecasting is the bullwhip effect. If there is one manufacturer and one supplier then the bullwhip effect can be ruled out but that is practically not possible. BOSC planning and execution involve managing partnering firms that are dispersed all over the globe. It is to be noted that the objective of partnering firms in BOSC should be incorporated in the planning. Although BOSC is based on customer orders, partnering firms or suppliers need to know the forecast of the demand for parts and components. A decision support system would enable strategic, tactical, and operational decision making in supply chains that will be helpful in BOSC. This can include a modelling infrastructure comprised of a library of carefully designed generic objects for modelling elements of BOSC and dynamic interactions among these elements (Biswas and Narahari, 2004). Although BOSC is a MTO system, there is a need for the aggregate forecasting of demand for the final products for 1-2 years. This information could be transmitted to suppliers to allow them to make available the required components and services at the right volume and at the right time. BOSC and Information Technology Internet, ERP and E-commerce Information technologies such as EDI, the Internet, the WWW, ERP, and RFID facilitate the integration of customers and suppliers or partnering firms along supply networks. Since suppliers or partnering firms are geographically dispersed, an effective communication system that is a real-time system is necessary. BOSC requires a system that can keep track of all orders and is well connected with supplier firms. Since most orders will be received online, high-speed Internet connectivity is required to allow customers to check products and place orders with complete confidence. Information managers are responsible for identifying a suitable ERP system, including developing an ecommerce enabled customer-order system to facilitate the exchange of customer requirements in real-time and also to communicate with suppliers on components and other support services such as logistics. Information system managers should work with other company managers to select a suitable ERP system and/or e-comm erce system based on their companys business model, which includes the integration of the OEMs system with those of partnering firms along the BOSC. The integration of the link between customers and suppliers is essential for BOSC. These can be achieved by suitably aligning the information system with the business model of BOSC. Research Methodology Sources of Primary Data Analysis of Primary Data Findings Conclusion

Physics of How Tires Throw Rocks :: physics tire rock

Many of us have gotten rock chips, but how many of us understand how those pesky rocks hit our windshield? A common misconception is that the car in front of us throws rocks "backward" and hits the following car's windshield. A rolling tire cannot throw a rock backwards. A tire is a rolling object, thus every point along the tire is moving forwards. There is no force going in a backwards direction. Only direction part of a rolling object can go is a combination of up or down, and forward. The velocity of the rock at any given point can be determined by adding it's translational velocity at the center of mass (the orange arrow) with it's rotational velocity. Vrock= Vcenter of mass + Wrock Where V is the translational velocity, and W is the angular velocity This can be simplified to Vrock=WDR Where D is the distance from the road at the point of contact in terms of R, the Radius. That is to say, that the velocity at the top of the tire would be Vrock=W(2R) =2Vcenter That is to say, that the rock at the top of the tire may be going twice as fast as car itself. Similarly, at the point of contact of with the road, the velocity of the rock is 0. So this leaves one to ask, how do those pesky rocks get thrown at a windshield? If it is hit by the following car, then it is because the rock was thrown somewhat vertically, slowed down by air resistance and the car behind it ran into the rock. It can also be hit by a car going in the opposite direction. The magnitude of this collision will be much greater because it involves objects going in opposing directions. This is why the worse rock chips are often from cars going in the opposite direction, and why it is possible to throw rocks at yourself, which often do not do any damage. Tires are thrown from tires because the centrifugal force expels snow, rocks, and other foreign objects.

Los Angeles Kings Marketing Plan Essay

I. Executive Summary The NHL has seen its fairs share of storied franchises, but non-however may stick out more than the Los Angeles Kings. At one time the Kings had acquired arguably, the best player to ever lace up his skates in Wayne Gretzky and were competing for the Stanley Cup year-in-and-year-out. The Kings have been long regarded as one of the better ran franchises in sports, thanks to managements commitment to winning. However, the Kings have not managed their ultimate goal of a Stanley Cup, they manage to remain competitive every year. The closest they came was in 1993, where they lost to the Montreal Canadians in the Stanley Cup Finals. Behind the play on the ice though comes a marketing strategy that ties it all together. This strategy will be developed in conjunction with, Vice President of Marketing Jonathon Lowe, and team owners Philip Anschutz and Edward Roski Jr. The following strategy will include sales, promotions, merchandising, advertising/sponsorships, public relations, and then of course community relations. The Kings came to the NHL in 1966, as apart of the â€Å"new 6† that doubled the size of the NHL and brought a franchise to Southern California. Then owner of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kent Cooke brought his passion for the sport of hockey, and for the city of Los Angeles together when he created the organization. After 44 seasons of hockey the Kings are now one of the more storied franchises in the NHL today. This past season the Kings enjoyed a great fan turnout averaging 18,803 fans filling the building to an average of 99.8% capacity, up 6% from the previous season. The Kings do not have to compete with the LA Lakers or Clippers of the NBA so much being as how all three teams play out of the Staples Center, but in a city like LA where the entertainment dollar is more competitive now than ever, it is important for the Kings to stay ahead of the rest of the competition. Fans need to know that they have the opportunity to catch the most exciting game on ice, every time the Kings play at home. If there is one thing LA fans are notorious for it is only coming to â€Å"important† games. That is why we need to branch out to new fans and make sure old fans still know the Kings run this town. II Sales: Sales, the lifeblood of any organization, the biggest factor that separates a successful franchise to a non-successful franchise. The Kings currently have their season ticket plan broken up into several different categories they include, full/half season ticket plans, along with 10-game deals, a Wild West package, and then single/group ticket sales. Also there are Royal benefits made available to full/half season ticket holders, and 10-game ticket holders. By becoming a season ticket holder be it full, half, or a 10-game plan the fan is entitled to Royal benefits that include but are not limited to: * Stanley Cup Playoff Ticket Priority * Significant saving on tickets * Flexible interest free payments * 10% off at the team LA Store * Ability to purchase advance tickets to other events at the Staples Center, Home Depot Center, LA LIVE and more * Ability to purchase Staples Center pre-paid parking They also include Royal Service Programs that include: * Access to a personal Season Ticket Service Executive * Kings CARE donation program (this gives the ticket holder the opportunity to donate unwanted tickets to the Kings CARE foundation) * Ability to upgrade account or add tickets to account * Access to LAKings.com/seasontix this website give the fan the option to view their account, access tickets, make payments, renew tickets, and sell tickets on Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange They also include Royal Treatment: * Receive invites to exclusive Team Member events like, a Meet the Players Party, State of the Franchise, private practices, listen in on conference calls, and much much more * Refer a friend to season tickets and receive free Team LA gear. The Kings play 82 regular season games in the Western Conference, Pacific division. Of these 82 games 41 are played at home, the rest on the road. For all 41 home games the ticket sales are as follows: The Kings offer great deals to buy tickets in bulk, i.e. season tickets and are willing to sacrifice some profits to bring fans into the arena. The only thing that the Kings lack in their season ticket packages are names that people can get excited for. The full season ticket holder package will be renamed the â€Å"King’s Royal Court†, this is something that will help the fan feel more connected to the team. The half season ticket holder package will be known as â€Å"the Royal package of the Crown†. The 10-Game packages needed names with a little more spunk so instead of the 10-Game, Big Game package, it will be known as the â€Å"10-Game War† to because it is war on the ice and the team will be playing some of the best competition the NHL has to offer. The Weekend Plan could be renamed â€Å"Time Away From the Throne†, because it is a weekend and people typically do not have to work. I like the name of the Flex package because it tells the consum er exactly what they are getting. Following package sales are individual ticket sales and group ticket sales. Single game tickets can be purchased through the box office or the team’s website via Ticketmaster. Pricing for tickets are based on demand, opponent, day of week, and number of days before the game. Prices may vary from week to week and will go up or down each Wednesday based on these factors. The way the price for tickets is determined is very interesting, it is good for the fans and bad for the fans, because the system relies heavily on what games being played and there performance of the team. This gives fans with a lower level of income the ability to catch a Kings game, even though the opponent might not be that good. Group tickets are available to groups of 15 or more and offer value priced seating based on the game. The idea behind group seating is to bring the groups, pride, passion, and power to the Staples Center to support the LA Kings. The Kings work with multiple youth hockey organizations, along with other organizations throughout the area to achieve group sales. III Promotions The Kings do an excellent job with promotions to get fans into the arena, different nights of the week have a different theme, all of which appeal to the people who live in the Los Angeles area. The promotions schedule is as follows: * Oct. 18: Opening Night * Oct. 22: Law Enforcement Appreciation Night * Oct. 25: Kroq Tailgate, Hockey fights cancer * Nov. 3: Canadian Heritage Night * Nov. 5: Waste Management â€Å"Green Game† * Nov. 8: Native American Pride Night, USC vs UCLA * Nov. 12: Boy Scout Night * Dec. 1: Career Night * Dec. 10: Legends Night, Firefighter Appreciation Night * Jan. 2: Legends Night * Jan. 5: Faith & Family Night * Jan. 9: Russian Heritage Night * Jan. 12: Waste Management â€Å"Green Game† * Jan. 19: Jewish Pride Night * Jan. 23: Armenian Pride Night * Feb. 18: Legends Night, Black History Night * Mar. 3: Waste Management â€Å"Green Game† * Mar. 22: Law Enforcement Night presented by Enterprise Rent-a-center Along with these promotions that are geared towards promoting community bonding there is Military Mondays which honors those who have served in our military, Website Wednesdays which offer different deals on Wednesday of ever week, and Student Nights which are games that offer discounted tickets to all students with valid ID. IV Merchandising Merchandising deals with all aspects of the game, it is the difference between any old game and a sporting event. The fact that when a fan enters the Staples Center they are welcomed to a sea of black and purple and blinded by the Kings crown is what makes a Kings game a Kings game. The Kings are fortunate to have a very intensive website dedicated to Merchandise that includes jerseys, tee shirts, golf shirts, sweatshirts, and much more. The goal behind the Kings merchandising techniques is that everyone who walks into Staples Center better be wearing some type of Kings memorabilia and if they are not they better walk out with something on. In the arena itself there is a store dedicated to offering women’s apparel. The store had pink and form fitting hockey jerseys for women because the normal jerseys are too big. The store also had Kings shirts that are a little more flashy than normal and would appeal more to a women’s eye. Along with the women’s store there are several stores in the arena that are designed for children. These stores have Kings toys and mini hockey sticks, plus clothes and jerseys designed for children to wear. All along the arena there are places for men to buy merchandise they include jerseys, hats, tee shirt, sweatshirts, hockey pucks and much more. Some of the more popular items are the shirts designed for women, golf balls and hockey puck with the Kings logo on it. The Kings have a very recognizable brand and are amongst the top teams in revenue generators for the NHL. V Sponsorships The Kings have formed multiple corporate sponsorships that help fuel their organization. Most notably is Staples, whom own the naming right to the arena they play in but that is also in conjunction with the Lakers, Clippers, and city of Los Angeles. On top of that the Kings have teamed up with Verizon Wireless and Wells Fargo both of which are huge national organizations. The Kings also pair up with corporations to bring events to games. The Kings have deals wit h Pizza Hut to sponsor events, Waste Management sponsors â€Å"Green Games† for the Kings, and Kroqs also sponsored a themed game promotion. Sponsorships are a huge part of revenue and the best way to attract new sponsors is to attract fans. Some suggestions that the Kings could use would be to get a company to sponsor some type of ticket deal, it would reduce the cost to the consumer, and could come with coupons to use at the sponsoring company’s facilities. Another sponsorship idea is to have corporate sponsored events like a golf outing for charity or something of that nature. The Kings have the luxury have having a giant billboard that surrounds the ice they play on so corporate sponsors are not too hard to come by. Some notable sponsorships are Delta, Carl’s JR, Hooters, Toyota, and the Penalty Box, which is a bar located in South LA dedicated to the Kings. Another way the Kings could promote corporate sponsorship is through some type of wellness card. All card carriers would receive benefits to participating companies, and could include money off food, gas, or clothing. The card is something that can purchase through the LA Kings and will offer deals to its card carrier. VI Public Relations Public Relations are important to any organization and the Kings are no exception to this. The Kings already do an excellent job with their PR. The teams website is more than informative and gives fans a very hands on approach to press releases, game notes, and player stats/news. The idea behind good public relations is that by being perceived as good in the public’s eye will equate to more ticket sales and more support of the team. No one will support a team that is full of classless thugs, and that is why the website is so interactive. The fans have a chance to read up on their favorite players, see where they are from, and their career stats. That is fairly basic though, I propose each player prepares a short, quick, bio about themselves answering some fun questions like â€Å"what’s your favorite movie?,† â€Å"what’s your favorite food?†, â€Å"who is your favorite band?†. Questions that when answered will give the fan one more possible way to connect to their favorite athlete. Not only that, but by doing this it will give fans the chance to get to know new players. Another big part of PR is getting team new out their fast before the media gets the wrong story out there. The Kings have all updates on player personnel available on the team website and also through the teams’ Twitter and Facebook accounts. The Kings have 165-thousand Facebook fans and 49.6-thousand followers on Twitter. The Kings have really utilized social media as a positive tool while dealing with Public Relations. VII Community Relations Community Relations is similar to PR but deals more with the local community at hand rather than the view of the team under the national spotlight. For the Kings the city of LA has been very gracious hosts and the Kings have returned the favor significantly. The Kings have been in the area for the last 44 years and have maintained an excellent presence in the city. In 1996, the Kings started the Kings CARE Foundation, which is dedicated to helping less fortunate kids get through school by providing educational support the Kings were able to raise $3.5 Million since being started. This includes a $250-thousand donation that was used to help fund the Children’s Museum of Los Angeles, and another $250-thousand donation that was dedicated to AIDs victims. Another thing the Kings do is Kids Ice Knights, which donates over 10,000 tickets a year to kids who cannot afford to go to Kings games. The Kings Care Foundations hosts a silent auction every year that benefits the Children Cancer Research Fund, the items up for auction were tee shirts designed by team players and those associated with the Kings. The players all designed a dog bowl that were auctioned off, all proceeds of this went to the Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles. The 2006-2007 campaign gave the Kings the opportunity to work with Carmen Electra’s fundraiser, Head to Hollywood, which benefits survivors of brain cancer/head trauma. The team sponsored events at their home games where Miss USA and other celebrities shot pucks into an empty net to raise money. Every Wednesday the Kings feature children up for adoption in the greater LA area. In 1998, the Kings began a scholarship fund for fallen friend Michael Jund, and has been changing the lives of its recipient for over a decade. Finally the Kings pair with Toys for Tots around the holidays to bring holiday cheer to children. The Kings take a very active role in the community. On top of all of this players are constantly visiting the less fortunate and making sure the community knows the Kings care. It is important for the Kings to maintain their strong community ties because every season starts with the off-season.

Antigone Reaction Essay

Abstract This paper explores the relevance of the plot and theatrical elements of the great Greek tragedy, Antigone. It explains how even though Antigone was written thousands of years ago it is still important today; it is a play that all can relate to in some way. It also discusses my personal reactions to the play: what I liked, what I didn’t like, and what I thought could have been done differently for the improvement of the play. Antigone was written as the last play in a trilogy of tragedies. As one of the last remaining thirty-one plays from Ancient Greece, Antigone contains a plot and theatrical practices that were not only appreciated and relevant back in the days when it was written but that are also appreciated and relevant now. In the play, Antigone breaks the law by giving her brother a proper burial even though her king, Creon, has deemed him a traitor. She is caught in the act, and, as her punishment, forced into a cave where she will starve and die. Her fiancee, Creon’s son, begs Creon to release her, but Creon will not. Only after the seer tells Creon that if he does not spare Antigone the Gods will take vengeance does Creon go to Antigone’s cave to release her. Unfortunately, Antigone has already killed herself, and so has Creon’s son, out of heart break. The overall theme of this play-to stand up for what one believes is right-morphs as the plot goes on. At first, we see Antigone: a young, strong girl doing what she thinks is right (burying her brother) even though she knows it’s against the law. Throughout the plot, she stands by her decision, even when faced with her own demise. She never stops standing up for what she believes is right. King Creon, on the other hand, starts off believing that not burying the traitor brother is right, and anyone who defies his order should, rightfully, be put to death. He stands by this belief, even when the perpetrator is his son’s fiancee. But once he finds out that the Gods are not pleased with is decision to leave the brother unburied and to punish the sister, his belief quickly adapts. His character and his belief of right and wrong changes, showing the second part of the theme-what you believe is right may not always be right, and you need to be prepared to deal with the consequences. These themes are part of what makes the play relevant throughout the ages. Another part of what makes the play relevant throughout the ages are the theatrical practices. Since it’s a Greek tragedy, there are some theatrical practices that are outdated or not used in modern plays, such as the Chorus. However, the language, costumes, sets, lighting, and other technical elements used are simple enough that any theatre could easily produce this play. All they’d have to do is recreate the kind of dress that was worn in Ancient Greece. This play leaves quite a bit to the imagination of the director, actors, and designers. For example, it never describes the set in extreme, minute detail. This menas that the designers can make the set look just about anyway they want as long as they stick to the general outline of where the scene is taking place. Also, it never describes the characters in minute detail. This means the actors and directors can portray the characters however they wish as long as they stay true to the characters personality. As a reader, I very much enjoyed this play. The theme is one that all can relate to and learn from. It’s carried throughout the play very well, making the lesson and overall moral of the play easy to learn. The only thing that could have been done differently to make the play better, in my opinion, would be to give more description of the set and characters. Then, the reader could picture them better, but the actors could still depict them however they see fit. Even though Antigone was written thousands of years ago, it’s plotline and theatrical practices make it relevant and relatable today. That is what makes this great tragedy such a great classic.