The Destructive Power of the Media Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive T

The Destructive Power of the Media      Ã‚  Ã‚   I have the most adorable little cousin named Alexandra, whom I love with all my heart. One day I was very disturbed when she told me that she was fat. She was 4 years old at the time. I was stunned and had no idea what to say to her, so I just told her that she is a healthy little girl and that she needs to not to worry about that. I tried to think of where she would come up with this thought, and after a while I remembered a conversation that her mother and I had. We were talking about how nice it was when we were younger and we did not have to work at being thin. Her mother said something about being fat and Alexandra must have been listening. This got me thinking about how I came to be self conscious about my body. I came to the conclusion that it is just something that every woman has to go through at least one time in her life. But why, what is it that makes every woman want "the perfect body?" I pondered this question for a while, but I was baffled. Later that day I began to read the "Cosmopolitan" and I began paying attention to the advertisements in this very popular woman's magazine; I was amused at the angle the advertisers use to try to get women to buy their product. One advertisement was for an alcoholic drink called Tequiza. The advertisement compared the calories and the fat content of that drink to the calories and fat content in another popular alcoholic beverage. I am under age, but I am a college student so I will not lie and say that I do not drink on occasion, but when I do drink I do not worry about how much fat or how many calories I am taking in. To me this advertisement was completely ridiculous and instead of making me want to buy the product I have now vowed... ... by showing us how happy it will make us. They shape our culture by telling us that we want to be married because the people advertisements are and they are incredibly happy. They also shape our culture by setting the standard for the way we look. All women at one point in their life are self-conscious because they do not look like the models in advertisements. Advertisements are the reason why women obsess about their weight and the way they look. I do not know about most people, but I do know that I do not want to live in a world where advertisements tell me what I want or how I should look.      Works Cited    "Super Bowl Clutter." Editor & Publisher. Vol. 127, Issue 6 (1994): 6. Signorielli, Nancy and Douglas McLeod. "Gender Stereotypes in MTV Commercials: The Beat Goes On." Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Vol. 38, Issue 1 (1994): 91.

Record Label and Napster S Strategy

Napster, developed in 1999 by Shawn Fanning, is a program that allows music to be traded over the internet. People were able to share high quality digital copies of music recordings over the internet using Napster. Napster did not store the recordings, however. It allowed its members who were logged onto the service to choose from an index of songs. Napster was one of the most popular sites on the internet. The site had some 15 million users in a year’s time. Many college students downloaded so many songs that many colleges had to block the site from their system.A year after its launch, Napster was sued by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The RIAA represents major recording companies. The RIAA claimed that copyright laws were violated by Napster for allowing users to swap music recordings for free. The RIAA sought to stop the downloading of copyrighted songs, as well as damages for lost revenue. Song swapping had cost the music industry more than $300 mil lion in lost sales. A few months later, Napster was sued by a heavy metal band, Metallica, and rap star Dr. Dre. They were suing Napster for copyright infringement.In 2000, a judge granted the request of the RIAA and ordered Napster to stop making copyrighted recordings available for download. This would have shut Napster down. Napster was granted a last-minute reprieve until the lawsuits could be tried in court. Despite its many claims, Napster was found guilty of direct infringement of the RIAA’s musical recordings. The company was ordered to stop allowing its millions of users to download and share copyrighted material without properly compensating the owners of the material (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008). Napster later offered $1 billion to the recording industry to settle the lawsuit.Napster also agreed that $150 million would be paid annually for the first five years to Sony, Warner, BMG, EMI, and Universal, and $50 million annually was allotted for independent labels. The recording industry refused the offer. The industry wanted Napster to shut down for good. Napster tried many times to compromise with the recording industry, but to no avail. Napster filed for Chapter 11 reorganization in 2002. The company also tried to reach a deal with Bertelsmann AG, their strategic partner. A few months later, a Delaware judge blocked the sale of the company to Bertelsmann.Napster then laid off nearly its entire staff and proceeded to convert its Chapter 11 into a Chapter 7 liquidation. Many music labels were dabbling in online music distribution. Napster had clearly beaten them to it and had done so efficiently, which was the main problem for the company. It was obvious to the record labels that online distribution was here to stay. Napster’s name and assets were purchased by a company called Roxio. Roxio was a company known for its CD-burning software. Roxio had intentions to relaunch Napster as a fee-based service. Napster was renamed Napster 2. in 2003 . Apple was one competitor for Napster, holding 70 to 80 percent of the online music market. Rhapsody holds 10 to 15 percent of the market, and Napster holds 5 to 10 percent of the market. The remaining portion is divided among several different companies (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008). Napster’s strategy focuses on being a subscription-based revenue model. Computer users could download as much music as they wanted for a fee of $14. 95 per month. Napster created partnerships with BellSouth, Ericsson, and XM Satellite Radio as a means to connect with untapped markets.Napster partnered with Tower Records Japan and launched Napster Japan in 2006. The company also began a partnership with Japan’s largest mobile phone company. About 90 percent of music downloads in Japan occur through wireless phones (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008). Napster has shown interest in being acquired by another firm. Napster hired UBS Investment Bank to help with the sale. A SWOT analysis structures the as sessment of the fit between what a firm can and cannot do (strengths and weakness), and the environmental conditions working for and against the firm (opportunities and threats).The SWOT analysis for Napster would consist of the following (Ferrell & Hartline, 2008): Strengths †¢Large music library †¢Convenient and easy to use †¢Strong brand name and reputation Weaknesses †¢Lack of compatibility †¢Pricing †¢Limited areas of differentiation Opportunities †¢New technologies †¢Decline in illegal file sharing †¢Rapidly growing market Threats †¢Powerful competition †¢New technologies †¢Potential for disintermediation Looking back at the weaknesses listed in the SWOT analysis, one point that should be worked out is the pricing of Napster services. Napster is set up on a subscription-based model.If the price per subscription was cheaper, more customers would subscribe to the site. Napster offers the same basic services as some of t he other big names in the online music distribution industry. Another area to refine would be the lack of compatibility. Napster is not compatible with all MP3 players, especially the iPod. Those with an incompatible player will not want to purchase the service. New technology is emerging every day. Napster should work on creating avenues that will allow music to be downloaded to wireless devices, such as the smart phone, PDAs and other handheld devices.Napster should put forth efforts to keep existing customers happy while also trying to expand the customer market. Keeping existing customers happy should always be a company’s top priority. Having a solid core of customers to build on is very important to the stability and success of the company (Business KnowledgeSource. com, 2010). By keeping the existing companies happy, Napster could offer a free one month subscription for those members who have been loyal to company for a certain amount of time. Flyers or inserts could a lso be placed in the packaging of MP3 players.This advertisement would entice users to connect with Napster for all of their music downloads. With this deal, new users could download up to five songs for free before having to sign up for a subscription. Napster could offer discounts to new users for a certain period of time. For instance, a new user could get the first three months at a discounted rate before paying the regular price. There are many ways for Napster to expand their customer base. Finding out which plans work and which plans do not work is the key.

Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving - 7400 Words

Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? Anthropological Reflections on Cultural Relativism and Its Others Author(s): Lila Abu-Lughod Reviewed work(s): Source: American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 104, No. 3 (Sep., 2002), pp. 783-790 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the American Anthropological Association Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3567256 . Accessed: 18/01/2012 15:55 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information†¦show more content†¦I want to point out the minefields-a metaphor that is sadly too apt for a country like Afghanistan, with the worlds highest number of mines per capita-of this obsession with the plight of Muslim women. I hope to show some way through them using insights from anthropology,the disciplinewhose charge has been to understand and manage cultural difference. At the same time, I want to remain critical of anthropologys complicity in the reificationof culturaldifference. CULTURAL EXPLANATIONS AND THEMOBILIZATION OFWOMEN It is easier to see why one should be skeptical about the focus on the Muslim woman if one begins with the U.S. AMERICANANTHROPOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION COPYRIGHT? 2002, 784 American Anthropologist * Vol. 104, No. 3 * September 2002 ism in a way they were not in other conflicts?LauraBushs radio address on November 17 reveals the political work such mobilization accomplishes. On the one hand, her address collapsed important distinctions that should have been maintained. There was a constant slippage between the Taliban and the terrorists, so that they became almost one word-a kind of hyphenated monster identity: the Taliban-and-the-terrorists.Then there was the blurring of the very separate causes in Afghanistan of womens continuing malnutrition, poverty, and ill health, andShow MoreRelatedDo Muslim Women Really Need Saving?1617 Words   |  7 Pagesher book Do Muslim Women Really Need Saving? sets out to get rid of stereotypes that muslim women because of frequent ‘honor killings’ and the practice of veiling need to be rescued. She coins the term for the exploration of saving muslim women ‘Islamland.’ There is the perpetuating stereotype and dominant narrative that muslim women need saving and islam is a threatening culture from the eyes of the Western world, mainly American and European. Images from the media of oppressed muslim women has madeRead MoreUnder the Desguise of a Passageway to Happiness: Assimiliation779 Words   |  3 Pagesare. 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