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Female, Feminine, Fertility
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Female, Feminine, Fertility
Girl with Red Hair, 1962. Jack LeVine (b. 1925). Oil on canas, 32 x 26 in. (Curatorialintern Web).
I noticed about her existence in New Britain Museum of American Art. It seems that people are used to such kind of images that include idealized depiction of women which looks more of a classical style. The image of the woman is nude which is perhaps meant to arouse viewer’s pleasure (Robinson 298-305).
The eyes of the woman are sensually innocent in such a way that she seems not either aware of her nakedness. Generally the image is meant to please men due to the sexual fantasy involved in it and her nude body is probably used here to depict her beauty and power to attract men who would in turn view it as an object of sex. The society uses women as objects used by men. Women can be harmed by the continued presence of this image because the image reflects them as sex fantasy objects that believe in their nudity to give them power. The gaze of the woman as well as her half nude body just shows what women can be done to or for instead of what they are capable of doing. Her gaze is kind of helpless and perhaps depressed or deeply thinking about what has been done to her.
Jeremy Orlebar
Ways of Seeing by John Berger
Conventionally, the social presence of a woman is distinct from that of a man since man’s presence reflects power that is in him especially if the promise is massive. A masculine image represents what a man is capable of doing to someone or for someone and it would mean dominance of either moral aspect, physical, temperamental, economic, social or sexual (Barnet 220-228). On the other hand, a woman’s presence would always reflect her attitudes and what she is capable or unable to do to herself. According to Berger, a woman can only get noticed through her gestures, voice, opinions, expressions, clothes, tastes as well as her chosen surrounding .Existence of women is dominated by men who make women look like they are put in a confined space (Berger 45-50).
Women are always portrayed to be submitting to men and this has defined their social presence to a larger extend. She continually watches herself because her image is always a big concern as per the childhood teachings that emphasizes on continual survey of her body. The constant survey prompts her to concentrate on her doings and her appearance to others particularly men (Berger 45-50). Her appearance and her doings are what she considers success of her life and how she is treated by others. This really turns a woman into an object, specifically object of vision. This has made artists to come up with nude images that would attract viewers. Most paintings were made nude which was important in attracting and manipulating the viewer’s minds. Beiger argues that the image is not always naked as she appears but the nakedness is as per the way the viewer sees it.
Works Cited
Barnet, Sylvan. A Short Guide to Writing about Art. New Jersey: Pearson, 2008. Print.
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. New York: The Viking Press, 2008. Print.
Curatorialintern. The Portrayal of Women in Art: 1962-2002. New Britain Museum of American Art, 2010. Web. 16 Oct. 2013. <http://nbmaa.wordpress.com/2010/04/06/the-portrayal-of-women-in-art-1962-2002>/
Robinson, Hilary. Feminism-art-theory: An Anthology, 1968-2000. Oxford: Blackwell, 2001. Print.
Ebola. Cause and severity of the issue
Ebola
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Introduction
Ebola has become a serious public health problem over the last six months. It is a serious problem which raises a lot of concern because it can easily spread to other territories and areas. However, the situation can be controlled if the necessary preventive measures are applied. There have been a very high number of healthy workers who have been affected, and several deaths have been reported in the month on August. However, communities are still resistant when it comes to the adoption of preventive measures mainly as a result of traditional rituals and beliefs for burying the dead. Apart from looking at the complexity of Ebola in Africa the article also highlights on strategies laid out to deal with the epidemic. The article also talks about the measures that have been put in place within the countries that are currently affected which need to be applied at the right place and time.
There are also some recommendations in place of how other countries can prevent Ebola. It is a serious situation that requires all stakeholders to take part. Therefore, the international community can offer assistance especially in the three countries that have been severely affected by the epidemic. The article also highlights on the urgent needs in the countries that Ebola has hit hard. The primary need is health personnel that are trained when it comes to management of Ebola cases in the treatment centers. The community should also come in and join in the fight against Ebola. We expect the Ebola epidemic to be controlled as soon as possible since Africa faces many other health care challenges, and Ebola is taking up all the valuable resources. It includes resources like time that could be used in the prevention of other serious health issues like child and maternal mortalities.
Cause and severity of the issue
Ebola virus disease is an often-fatal, but rare infection that is caused by one among the five Ebola virus strains. The Ebola virus is believed to have been initially transmitted to human beings from bats (Hirschmann, 2007). Though bats are said to be the carriers, the disease is said to have been introduced to humans through secretions, organs, blood and other bodily fluids of different animals that were infected. Apart from bats, the other animals are such as gorillas, monkeys and porcupines. Ebola is not an airborne disease rather it can only be spread through body fluids like vomit, urine, faeces, diarrhea and saliva. It can only be spread through human to human to human transmission through direct contact with an infected person (Bueche, 2004).
As from August 4, 2014 Ebola cases stand at 1,711 with 932 deaths in four of the affected countries. Ebola has an incubation period of between 2 to 21 days before its symptoms explode. In order for this epidemic to be declared over, 42 days have to pass before a case is confirmed. Ebola is a highly infectious disease and hence it posses a high risk of spreading to any part of the globe. For instance, Nigeria has been affected by the disease simply because of a person traveling from Liberia. The example is a clear indication of the existence of the risks of the Ebola threat. Ebola is a serious risk factor, and if it is not mitigated, it can easily swipe of humans from the face of the earth. It spreads quickly and easily and hence a precarious disease (McCormick, 2009).
Intervention
The World Health Organization has taken measures in dealing with the Ebola epidemic in the affected countries and all over the world. It is recommending special measures that countries should take in order to reduce or prevent the spread of Ebola. It is also recommending that people be offered education on the existence of the disease. It also recommends education on means of preventing and protecting oneself from contracting Ebola. Transmission of Ebola occurs from one person to another within communities and also within health facilities. The interventions mainly focus on offering relevant information that will help people protect themselves from the disease and hence break the transmission chain. It is also important to trace contact so as to stop any further spread of the disease. At the level of healthcare facility, staff should be trained on the measures for controlling infection. They should also be well equipped with protective tools and equipment so as to avoid infection (Sanchez, 2007.).
Recommendations
As noted the three African countries that have been affected by Ebola have weak health systems in place. Their community-level capacity is also weak, and transmission mainly occurs in this level. Therefore, it is at this level that strengthening should be done especially in the delivery of healthcare services, the measures of preventing the disease and relevant information. People need to be offered accurate information that should be delivered in the best ways of communication. The resistance and denial of the disease should also be addressed among the populations. People should also be encouraged to change behavior towards the adoption of protective measures that will help in saving their lives. Technological capacity should be strengthened in terms of the laboratories, logistics and treatment. These are not readily available in many of the occasions.
References
Hirschmann, K. (2007). The ebola virus. Detroit, MI: Lucent Books/Thomson Gale.
Bueche, S. (2004). The ebola virus. Farmington Hills, MI: Kidhaven Press.
Sanchez, A. (2007.). Reemergence of Ebola Virus in Africa. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 96-97.McCormick, J. (2009). Ebola Virus Ecology. The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 1893-1894.
“The Ebola epidemic is a serious public health problem, but it can still be controlled”. (2014). Pan American Health Organization, 498(16), 145-145.
EBAY AND REDBULL CASE ANALYSIS
EBAY AND REDBULL CASE ANALYSIS
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Ebay and Redbulls’ business strategies, competitors, operating environment, stregthns and weaknesses, challenges and recommendations.
EBay
EBay owes its immense success in the online social networking business to many factors. Perhaps the most significant it’s the innovative ability of its founders. Pierre Omidayar has the insight to identify the need for an online marketplace long before his major competition was formed. EBay had been in existence for almost a decade before Facebook, and Twitter was formed. Google had chosen to focus on its core business missing out on the chance to capitalize on online social networking. Subsequently, eBay with “a very wide berth to develop its business model and optimize operations”(Kotler & Keller 2012).
In addition, eBay has developed a good relationship with its customer base by optimizing their interaction. Mambi(2010) reports that “in addition to providing a platform from where e-commerce can flourish, eBay provided the resources to enhance their experience while conducting business online” (pg 47). Skype and PayPal good examples of this resource and they demonstrate a commitment by the company to its most important asset –the customers.
Looking at eBay’s fee structure, one cannot fail to notice that it’s highly dependent on advertisement and sales. While the framework provides the bulk of the company’s revenue, placing all the emphasis on direct sources of revenue presents liability and risks. “Online advertisements have come up as a modern method of diversifying revenue generation for companies with a large online presence” (Dayal & Zachariah 2012). Ebay could consider leasing our advertising space to other companies that are not direct competitors thus generating more revenue. Otherwise, relying on only one source results in problems especially now that global economic outlook is not as promising, and purchases are markedly going down.
EBay needs to concentrate on defending its territory from attack by contemporary firms that have invaded the online social networking industry. Almost everyone has joined the online networking business for a piece of the vast revenues it generates. EBay needs to counter the effects of Facebook, Google and Twitter, who threaten its market share and one sure way if doing this is innovation. Social connections continue to be the front from which any successful online networking company utilizes to increase market share, and eBay needs to improve its connections. Not only do potential clients need to connect at a benign level to discuss price and quantity, the relationships between eBay customers needs to be more personalized. In order to do this, pictures could be brought on-board as well as a more interactive rating system to boost interaction.
The anticipated growth could be sourced from demographics eBay has traditionally shunned. Unfortunately, the small-scale traders are more than their large-scale counterparts and eBay failed to factor this in their original business model. Main competitors like OLX are utilizing this shunned portion of the market meaning eBay should strategize in order to bring this important sector of the market on board alongside the more established large-scale clients.
Red Bull
Red Bull obtains its great success from the fact that its strategy is different from the rest of the competition. While companies like Coca-Cola use massive media campaigns to drive their sales and create product awareness, Red Bull uses tactical awareness drives. Such “innovativeness is the essence of a company’s success as it thinks differently preferring to present their products directly to the prospective customer as opposed to general media campaigns” (Stafford & Faber 2009).
In addition, Red Bull has a target market for its energy products that it aims for. Anyone who is between 16 years and 29 years of age falls under the category Red Bull targets. Pepsi and Coca Cola utilize a more generalized approach in their energy drink promotion leading to lower adoption by the same. Red Bull’s defined target market means it can focus on their needs and desires. Such attention to detail is what sets Red Bull apart from its competition.
The company has not been without problems that undermine its ability to perform better. As more companies such as Monster enter the energy drink sector, the level of rivalry grows to levels that become destructive. Issues of “directing negative publicity at competitors have now become common and Red Bull is no exception” (Dahlen et al. 2010) In addition, the competition have started undermining the composition of each others’ products to capitalize on the increased health consciousness of the consumer.
Red Bull’s promotion strategy has been largely successful in advertising the product. There is “no need to revise the company’s promotional strategy to include traditional advertising as that is Coca-Cola and Pepsi’s strategy that might not necessarily work for the company” (Bucholz et al. 2009). Perhaps the only competitor that could force a shift in advertisement tactics is Monster. This competitor seems to have “replicated Red Bull’s promotional technique of strategic partnerships with extreme sports” (Kotler & Keller 2012).
The current trend in Red Bull sponsorships patterns seems to point to trouble, but that is far from the case. Red Bull is a high energy product that cannot be associated with softer forms of recreational sports. This means that the company will naturally want to be associated with men jumping from space, race cars, speed bikes, and other high-adrenaline sports activities. Johnson et al. (2010) reports “there is a need to control the extent to which the company associates itself with high adrenaline activity to avoid compartmentalizing itself” (pg 98). There is an increasing probability that the many could shift to other products if their current one only talks about high-risk, high-energy, high-adrenaline sports.
References
Boswijk, A., Thijssen, T., Peelen, E., & Johnston, T. S. (2010). 1DT and Qdance. In The experience economy: A new perspective (p. 98). Amsterdam: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Buchholz, A., Wördemann, W., & Wiley, E. E. (2009). Balancing act between flop and global success. In The impossible advantage: Winning the competitive game by changing the rules. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
Dahlén, M., Lange, F., & Smith, T. (2010). Red Bull: Austrian-Thai Myth creates a Global Buzz with Red Bull Buzz. In Marketing communications: A brand narrative approach (p. 315). Chichester, U.K: Wiley.
Dayal, R., & Zachariah, P. (2012). The Psychology of Advertising. In Advertising and promotion management (p. 200). New Delhi: Mittal Publications.
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Delivering Value. In Marketing Management (5th ed., p. 411). Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/amandinevermeulen/marketing-management-kotler-keller
Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Communicating Value. In Marketing Management (5th ed., p. 498). Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/amandinevermeulen/marketing-management-kotler-keller
Mambi, A. J. (2010). The Impact of eCommerce and Law in Tanzania. In ICT law book: A source book for information and communication technologies & cyber law in Tanzania & East African community (p. 47). Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Mkuki na Nyota.
Stafford, M. R., & Faber, R. J. (2009). Managing the power of curiosity. In Advertising, promotion, and new media (p. 175). Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.