Troubling Short and Long-Term Violent Media Effects on Children Essay

Troubling Short and Long-Term Violent Media Effects on Children - Essay Example The two articles provide compelling evidence that violent media has significant short-term and long-term effects on children’s development of aggressive thoughts, emotions, and actions, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, intelligence, and parenting styles and characteristics. The two articles are similar in examining the effects of violent media on children. Anderson and Bushman conducted a meta-analysis on studies that investigated the impacts of playing video games on aggression, physiological arousal, or prosocial behaviour. They wanted to know if playing violent media is connected to aggressive thoughts, emotions, or actions, or all of the above, and what the underlying mechanisms are for these connections. Huesmann et al. also studied the effect of violent media on children, particularly how watching violent TV in childhood affected later young adult aggression. They conducted a follow-up study of the 1977 longitudinal study that the authors did on 557 children w ho lived in Chicago. They considered other factors too that can explain the media-behaviour relationship, including preference for violence and third variables. These two articles are both interested in studying the effects of media violence on children’s aggression levels. Though these studies share similar general research topics on violent media effects on children, the two articles are different in their research designs because Anderson and Bushman used a meta-analysis design, while Huesmann et al. continued their longitudinal study.

The Pirates of the Caribbean Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Pirates of the Caribbean - Essay Example First, the act of human slavery has not been eradicated totally. Secondly, the accounts on slavery give a very strong indication of why those ‘dark’ days of slave trade should never be revisited. Context in which each text was produced The Pirates of the Caribbean is set around a context of rescue mission. But there is a whole ironic contextual twist to this as the rescue, which was to be done for the governor’s daughter by Blacksmith Will Turner was done in conjunction with a pirate, Captain Jack Sparrow. Due to the love of Blacksmith Will Turner for the governor’s daughter, it can be said that the rescue mission was based on love. This therefore creates a context of the need to die for a person’s loved one even if it at times calls for doing this by fair or foul means. Slavery and capture are depicted in the context of producing The Pirates of the Caribbean because we see the governor’s daughter being captured into what was certainly to be e nslavement. With reference to Emmanuel Appadocca, there is the context of consequences of undermining the integrity of others. This is because Emmanuel Appadocca set himself on the path of revenge purposely to proof to the rich sugar planter, James Wilmington that if it was his mother (Emmanuel’s mother) he did not have respect for, he Emmanuel was in a position to show that there was a way he could defend the integrity of his mother. The approach was indeed questionable and so this also brings to fore, the idea that when a person is forced to act for someone he loves, it is mostly done by every means possible – even if through a foul means. Genres and how they influenced the Text All two sets of work; that is The Pirates of the Caribbean and Emmanuel Appadocca have genres of action, adventure and fantasy. However, the mediums through which these two great works of literature were carried have a lot of influence on the messages and contextual themes they carried. Indee d, films and novels carry the same theme in different fashions. It is for this reason that there are several film versions of novels that had existed for long. In fact it would be expected that when a film and a novel are depicting the same theme, the film would have a realistic appeal of the theme than the novel. But indeed as far as the theme of slavery is concerned, the same cannot be said of The Pirates of the Carribean as against Emmanuel Appadocca. This is because in Emmanuel Appadocca, the writer’s setting and central theme was indeed at the time of the slave trade. This means that the writer had more exemplifying and elaborative way of presenting the issue of slavery than in The Pirates of the Caribbean. In the latter, though there was the theme of slavery, much of the writer’s attention was on the rescue and the love relationship that existed between Blacksmith Will Turner and the governor’s daughter. Due to this, a lot of the action that the power of m otion had in the film was centered on the rescue theme rather than elaborating on the plight and hardship associated with the capture. In the novel also, due to the lack of motion, the writer was forced to be really sentimental with his presentation on issues of slavery and so could better depict slavery through writing than it was through motion picture. Intended audience for text Some way some

Influence of Religion on Developing Societies Essay Example for Free

Influence of Religion on Developing Societies Essay Religion has always had some influence on civilization. From the past to the present it has shaped the way civilizations interact, communicate and even fight wars. Religion started out with the different complex societies instilling their rules upon families and then allowing those kinds of families to organize into local government systems. Religion influenced economies to flourish and expand so that trade could be developing thus reducing the threat of war among empires. The importance of religion could never be under stated because it’s influence on politics and the different ethnic groups. However the three religions that have affected civilizations throughout the existence of man have been Islam, Judaism and Christianity. I hope to show how those religions shaped the minds of philosophers, scientists and priests throughout the existence of human beings. In my research I also hope to show how religion forced communities to bond with one another in other to worship God the way they would like without the infringing upon someone else views and I hope to show how conflict influenced the politics of every society. This would reveal how religion plays a big part of our lives whether we believe in God or not. This research also will show how religion influences our present world. The three religious beliefs all do their part to establish a foundation in man’s heart to build a better society, culture and communications with one another. Religion will always influence our beliefs, our civilization, and our moral values. Without Religion societies are dead in the water. Islam is an important part of today’s society and culture. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in our world. From generation to generation this religion has influenced much of the Muslim countries such as those in the Middle East, Europe and even in the United States. Many in the Jewish and Christian communities consider the Muslim religion as being a reason why there is also conflict in the Middle East over a tiny piece of land called Palestine. This was a land in which religion played an important role in the boundaries and communities that existed during that era. However throughout history, the Islamic religion has been in conflict with other religions that were called â€Å"Infidels† because of their unbelievers in following teachings of the Quran as inspired by Muhammad. This has been the main conflict of the religion of the Islamic with other religions and faiths. Mohammad Nafissi (2005) points out: The ideal type of reformation proposed here is capacions enough no include both Christianity and Islam, but it is also sufficiently determinate to retain and explain the distinctive trajectory of Islam and Islamic reformism. At present certain explicit Koranic injunctions and aspects of the Prophet’s tradition, sunna, and the orthodox Islamic law, sharia which purports to synthesize both as a comprehensive set of lasting rules of conduct, apparently stand opposed to central tenants of modernity, gender equality, and equality in law and rights between Muslims and non-Muslims or separation of religion and state. The suggest a prima facie case for the view that Islam is an obstacle to modernity, democracy, and economic progress. (p. 3) Muhammad was influence by some elements of Judaism and Christianity. Both of those religions believed in Monotheism and this had an impact upon the thinking of Muhammad who also taught again idolatry. However Muhammad believed that Jesus Christ was an ordinary prophet just like Peter, Paul and others. Mohammad Nafissi (2005) further notes: The centerpiece of the Islamic reform of Judaism and Christianity was a rationalizing agenda that synthesized them as what can be accurately described as a Judeo-Christianity that anticipated Protestantism in some areas and went beyond it at least in one crucial respect, Mohammad did not deny the ministries of Moses and the Jesus, but claimed to have been sent to purify the corrupted Judaism and Christianity at the time. Jesus was a prophet, but to worship him as a divine was precisely the mark of pagan magic, ignorance, and neglect of the one supreme God that had sent Mohammad and all the preceding prophets. p. 7) This ancient view has been the origin of conflict against Judaism and Christianity to the 21st century. It has caused cultures to collide against each other and millions of innocent people have suffered hardships due to wars, terrorists, bombings, and commendations. Islam is specially has a hatred of Jewish people because of their claims to be God’s chosen people. (Evangeliou, 2003) The Jewish has been the center piece of the nation of Israel for centuries. The nation is one of the tiniest on the planted however it is one of the strongest military and intelligent people in society. Their culture has been studied and copied for ages. Judaism is a religion that can be traced back to the Jewish people that believed in the worship of one God. History showed that in those ancient times many complex societies worshiped different deities. This led to many different groups and communities that had placed status, magic and other strange views that influenced events in that era. Judaism is known in our present society because of the â€Å"first chapter of both the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible†. (Sanders, et al. , 2006, p. 6) It is also noted the accounts of several events that end up shaping the world then and now. The monotheism belief influenced the heart and spirit of many in the Jewish culture. This is extremely important because of how it was able to grow in influence throughout the ancient world to the world that we live in today. Historical accounts of the Judaism reveal many concepts and practices that many cultures and civilizations still uses today. An example would be the eating of certain kinds of meats for dietary bases; the military planning that enable a young lad name David to defeat the great Philistine champion names Goliath. pg. 72) The development of many methods to help understand our universe and the environment all come gets its foundation from Judaism. The role of religion played in influencing the Jewish woman in loving their family and devoting their lives to God and their homes. Politically, religion was the foundation that influences one section of the tribes of Israel to break from tradition and form their own government. (Para. 2) Religion also influenced economies in the Jewish civilizations. Complex societies were formed that religion could dictate to the rule of law and expand their beliefs to other societies. In my studies I found that the concept of many of the complex Judean societies formed cities and states to maintain some order and to create a form of government that would follow the principles of the Torah that was given by Yahweh. (Bentley, et al. , 2008) Religion influence how the Jewish people traveled and intermingle with other ethnical groups in different parts of the ancient world. However there was another religion that has its part in the influencing its faith into the ancient world. Christianity is the best known for impact upon the world in the ancient era through our present. Christianity is a religion can be traced as far back as the first century. This religion centers on the life Jesus Christ and the early church. It is the belief that Jesus Christ was the son of God who came upon the earth to sacrifice his life to save man from their sins and have everlasting life. This doctrine is unlike from what the Jewish and Islam beliefs are. The Judaism religion still awaits their king to come and save them from this world while Islam followers have a firm belief of Muhammad as being a prophet with the same divinity as Jesus Christ. When you look at the history of Christianity as it is written, accounts indicate that Christianity formed societies, complex communities, armies, and economies all over the world. What I found so interesting was how fast Christianity was able to spread in parts of Europe, Asia, Northern Africa and finally to America. This doctrine affected how people lived, interact, and worked to support themselves. The belief that Christianity offered a deliverance from a world of wars, conflict, diseases, sin, and intolerance is the driving force behind Jesus Christ. Researcher has found that Christianity started around the first century C. E. (Sanders, et al. , 2006 p. 221) The Jewish sects didn’t like how the Roman Empire how they took control of Palestine. (Para. 2). This led to a new to a new religion and the need to have written records pertaining to the words of Jesus Christ. (Pg. 222) History indicates that a Jew named Saul who was â€Å"trained as a rabbi and scholarly religious leader in the Jewish tradition† (Sanders, et al. , 2006 Para. 1) was converted to Christianity on the road to Damascus. After the vision, Saul followed God’s word and changed his name to Paul and became was instrumental in testifying about his experience and converting both Gentiles and Jews to the new religion. What Christianity done is to give communities a foundation to build a culture, government, and economy based on Christian principles. Christianity was somewhat different than Islam and Judaism because it didn’t teach to judge people but allow God to be the one who would judge individuals by the way that person lives his/her life. Some fractions of Islam have a firm belief in going to heaven if they kill innocent people for being unbelievers. This is what makes Christianity stand out among others in the world. Christianity is a bridge to God not to wage war against unbelievers or to force people in communities convert but give the world a new religion based on love, peace and the vision of being delivered from sin. In every era Christianity has influenced the changing of cultures, economies and governments. The role of government in modern times have all developed on the foundation of three principles, either you are of Jewish, Islamic or Christian faiths. Many wars and conflicts have resulted because of the views of their religion beliefs. Scholars and theorists have often debate about the role of religion in the lives of society. This has caused a battle between the three main faiths in today’s societies. Scott Thomas (2002) notes† One of the main debates among theorists of the international relationships is the nature of The social bonds that hold states together as an international society. This debate has Brought together theorists of the otherwise sharply contending schools of neorealist Structuralism. The current versions of the traditions of Thucydides, Machiavelli, Hobbes, And Rousseau) and of neoliberal institutionalism (the contemporary forms of traditions From Grotius, Kant, Bentham, and Rawls). (Pg. 110) This debate involves the resurgence of religion that is dictating the modularization of our global world. It is affecting how we eat, work, build, socialize, and communicate with others. This resurgence is gro wing so fast that it will eventually become one religion. Christianity will be the religion that will dominate the world in our present and generations to come. People see and form their own opinions about religion. When religion can provide a better life for poor, the elderly, the family structure, and then it will achieve it desire. For the worship of God is for the needy, downcast and others that long for a change in their lives. Christianity is the religion that is best suited for the masses. Research indicates, that when communities feel comfortable about being able to worship they have a desire to live better lives, work harder , form interpersonal relationships and become productive in society. Many political leaders throughout the ages have made promises of wealth, religious freedom and equality for all however this has not been the case. Thomas (2002) writes â€Å"The failure of this modernizing mythology to produce what is promised, and the failure of the modernizing secular states it engendered, is evident in what is identified as â€Å"Political decay,† (Para. 5) It is a known fact that people do not trust the words of politicians anymore. This is the reason for the resurgence of Christianity in our communities. If there is no form of Christian beliefs to revive our culture and communities, we are going to suffer a long period of hardships, wars, and famine in our lands. The role of Christianity can help reshape the family structure to re include God in every our lives, educate our children and provide a sense of comfort to individuals that need comfort. It will force government to acknowledge how important Christianity is in establishing a good economy and providing human rights to its people. This is the one religion that can bring communities together and enable fellowship by the methods of salvation through Jesus Christ. Without this happening, the world would be without any laws or righteous government to run it. In other words, societies would be dead in the water.

Euphemism: Social Linguistic And Psychological Aspects

Euphemism: Social Linguistic And Psychological Aspects According the New Oxford Dictionary of English (Oxford University Press 2001) euphemism is a mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing. In the Wikipedia encyclopedia (February 2007), a euphemism is an expression intended by the speaker to be less offensive, disturbing, or troubling to the listener than the word phrase it replaces, or in the case of doublespeak to make it less troublesome for the speaker. When a phrase is used as a euphemism, it often becomes a metaphor whose literal meaning is dropped. Euphemism may be used to hide unpleasant or disturbing ideas, even when the literal term is not necessarily offensive. This type of euphemism is used in public relations and politics, where it is sometimes disparagingly called doublespeak. Sometimes, utilizing euphemisms is equated to politeness. There are superstitious euphemisms, based (consciously or subconsciously) on the idea that words have the power to bring bad fortune (for example, not saying the word cancer) and religious euphemisms, based on the idea that some words are sacred, or that some words are spiritually impelling. In Euphemism and Dysphemism: language used as a shield and weapon (1991), Allan and Burridge claimed that euphemism is characterized by avoidance language and evasive expression, speaker uses words as a protective shield against the anger or disapproval of natural or supernatural beings. It is an expression that seeks to avoid being offensive. But because our background relies on linguistics euphemism is not merely a response to taboo: it also functions where the speaker avoids using a distasteful expression and/ or an infelicitous style of addressing or naming. 2-Etymology: The word euphemism comes from the Greek word euphemos, meaning auspicious/good/fortunate speech/kind which in turn is derived from the Greek root-words eu (ÃŽÂ µÃƒ Ã¢â‚¬ ¦), good /well + pheme (à Ã¢â‚¬  ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ®ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¼ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ·) speech/speaking. The eupheme was originally a word or phrase used in place of a religious word or phrase that should not be spoken aloud; etymologically, the eupheme is the opposite of the blaspheme (evil-speaking). The primary example of taboo words requiring the use of an euphemism are the unspeakable names for a deity, such as Persephone, Hecate, Hemesis or Yahweh. By speaking only words favorable to the gods or spirits, the speaker attempted to procure good fortune by remaining in good favor with them. Historical linguistics has revealed traces of taboo deformations in many languages. Several are known to have occurred in Indo-European languages, including the original Proto-Indo-European words for bear (*rtkos), wolf (*wlkwos), and deer (originally, hart). In different Indo-European languages, each of these words has a difficult etymology because of taboo deformations a euphemism was substituted for the original, which no means honey eater. One example in English is donkey replacing the old Indo-European-derived word ass. In some languages of the Pacific, using the name of a deceased chief is a taboo. Amongst Australian Aboriginal people, it was forbidden to even use the name or the image of the deceased, so that today the Australian Broadcasting Commission publishes an apology to indigenous people for using names or images of people who have recently died. Since people are often named after everyday things, this leads to the swift development of euphemisms. These languages have a very high rate of vocabulary change. (Dyen, Isidore, A.T. James J.W.L. Cole. 1967. Language divergence and estimated word retention rate) The Euphemism Treadmill Euphemisms often evolve over time into taboo words themselves, through a process dubbed the euphemism treadmill by Steven Pinker. (cf. Greshams Law in economics, founded by Sir Thomas Gresham in 1566). This is the well-known linguistic process known as pejoration. Words originally intended as euphemisms may lose their euphemistic value, acquiring the negative connotation of their referents. In some cases, they may be used mockingly and become dysphemistic. For example, the term concentration camps, to describe camps used to house civilian prisoners, was used by the British during the Second Boer War, primarily because it sounded bland and inoffensive. However, after the Third Reich used the expression to describe its death camps, the term gained negative connotation. Since then, new terms have been invented for them, such as internment camps, resettlement camps, etc. Also, in some versions of English, toilet room, itself a euphemism, was replaced with bathroom and water closet, which were replaced respectively with restroom and W.C. Connotations easily change over time. Idiot, imbecile, and moron were once neutral terms for a person of toddler, preschool, and primary school mental ages, respectively. As with Greshams law (1566), negative connotations tend to crowd out neutral ones, so the word mentally retarded was pressed into service to replace them. As a result, new terms like mentally challenged or special have replaced retarded. A similar progression occurred with Lame à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ crippled à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ handicapped à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ disabled à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ differently-abled. Although in that case the meaning has also broadened (and hence has been narrowed with adjectives, which themselves have been euphemised); a dyslexic or colorblind person would not be termed crippled. In the early 1960s, Bill Veek, who was missing part of a leg, argued against the then-favored euphemism handicapped, saying he preferred rippled because it was merely descriptive and did not carry connotations of limiting ones capability the way handicapped (and all of its subsequent euphemisms) seemed to do. It can apply to naming of racial or ethnic groups as well, when proposed euphemisms become successively corrupted. George Carlin (Propaganda Critic: Word games à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ º Euphemisms, September 2002) gave a famous monologue of how he thought euphemisms can undermine appropriate attitudes towards serious issues such as the evolving terms describing the medical problem of the cumulative mental trauma of soldiers in high stress situations: Shell shock (World War I) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ battle fatigue (World War II) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Operational exhaustion (Korean War) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (Vietnam War). He contended that, as the name of the condition became more complicated and seemingly arcane, sufferers of this condition have been taken less seriously as people with a serious illness, and were given poorer treatment as a result. In the same routine, he echoed Bill Veeks opinion that crippled was a perfectly valid term (and noted that early English translations of the Bible seemed to have no qualms about saying that Jesus healed the cripples). 3- Classification of euphemisms. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, February2007) Many euphemisms fall into one or more of these categories: à ¢- ª Terms of foreign and/or technical origin (derrià ¨re, copulation, perspire, urinate, security breach, mierda de toro, prophylactic, feces occur ) à ¢- ª Abbreviations (SOB for son of a bitch, BS for bullshit, TS for tough shit, SOL for shit out of luck, BFD for big fucking deal) à ¢- ª Abbreviations using a phonetic alphabet (Charlie Foxtort for Cluster fuck, Whisky Tango Foxtort Oscar for What the fuck, over?, Bravo Sierra for bullshit) à ¢- ª Plays on abbreviations (barbecue sauce for bull shit, sugar honey ice tea for shit, Maryland farmer for motherfucker, catch (or see) you next Tuesday for cunt) à ¢- ª Use in most clinical settings (PITA PT for pain in the ass patient) à ¢- ª Indirections (behind, unmentionables, privates, live together, go to the bathroom, sleep together) à ¢- ª Mispronunciation (goldarnit, dadgummit, freaking) à ¢- ªLitotes (not exactly thin for fat, not completely truthful for lied, not unlike cheating for cheating) à ¢- ª Changing nouns to modifiers (makes her look slutty for is a slut, right-wing element for right-wing, of jewish persuasion for jew). There is some disagreement over whether certain terms are or are not euphemisms. For example, sometimes the phrase visually impaired is labeled as a politically correct euphemism for blind. However, visual impairment can be a broader term, including, for example, people who have partial sight in one eye, a group that would be excluded by the word blind. There are three antonyms of euphemism: dysphemism, cacophemism, and power word. The first can be either offensive or merely humorously deprecating with the second one generally used more often in the sense of something deliberately offensive. The last is used mainly in arguments to make a point seem more correct. 4-The evolution of euphemisms. Euphemisms may be formed in a number of ways. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, February 2007) Periphrasis or circumlocution is one of the most common-to speak around a given word, implying it without saying it. Over time, circumlocutions become recognized as established euphemisms for particular words or ideas. To alter the pronunciation or spelling of a taboo word (such as a swear word) to form a euphemism is known as taboo deformation. There are an astonishing number of taboo deformations in English, of which many refer to the infamous four-letter words. In American English, words which are unacceptable on television, such as fuck, may be represented by deformations such as freak even in childrens cartoons. Some examples of Cockney rhyming slang may serve the same purpose-to call a person a berk sounds less offensive than to call him a cunt, though berk is short for Berkeley Hunt which rhymes with cunt. Bureaucracies such as the military and large corporations frequently spawn euphemisms of a more deliberate (and to some, more sinister) nature. Organizations coin doublespeak expressions to describe objectionable actions in terms that seem neutral or inoffensive. For example, a term used in the past for contamination by radioactive isotopes is Sunshine Units. Military organizations frequently do kill people, sometimes deliberately and sometimes by mistake; in doublespeak, the first may be called neutralizing the target and the second collateral damage. Violent destruction of non-state enemies may be referred to as pacification. Two common terms when a soldier is accidentally killed (buys the farm) by their own side are friendly fire or blue on blue (BOBbing) (Buy the farm has its own interesting history). Execution is an established euphemism referring to the act of putting a person to death, with or without judicial process. It originally referred to the execution, i.e. the carrying out, 3f a death warrant, which is an authorization to a sheriff, prison warden, or other official to put a named person to death. In legal usage, execution can still refer to the carrying out of other types of orders; for example, in U.S. legal usage, a writ of execution is a direction to enforce a civil money judgment by seizing property. Likewise, lethal injection itself may 3e considered a euphemism for putting the convict to death by poisoning. Industrial unpleasantness such as pollution may be toned down to outgassing or runoff- descriptions of physical processes rather than their damaging consequences. Some of this may simply be the application of precise technical terminology in the place of popular usage, but beyond precision, the advantage of technical terminology may be its lack of emotional undertones, the disadvantage being the lack of real-life context. 5-Euphemisms for the profane. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, February 2007) Profane words and expressions in the English language are generally taken from three areas: religion, excretion, and sex. While profanities themselves have been around for centuries, their limited use in public and by the media has only slowly become socially acceptable, and there are still many expressions which cannot be used in polite conversation. The common marker of acceptability would appear to be use on prime-time television or in the presence of children. The word damn (and most other religious profanity in the English language) has lost its shock value, and as a consequence, euphemisms for it (e.g. dang, darn-it) have taken on a very stodgy feeling. Excretory profanity such as piss and shit may be acceptable in adult conversation (provided that they are used in a literal sense rather than a figurative sense), while euphemisms like Number One and Number Two are preferred for use with children. Most sexual terms and expressions, even technical ones, either remain unacceptable for general use or have undergone radical rehabilitation (penis and vagina, for instance). a- Religious euphemisms Euphemisms for God and Jesus are used by Christians to avoid taking the name of God in a vain oath, which would violate one of the Ten Commandments. When praying, Jews will typically use the word Adonai (my master). However, when in a colloquial setting, this is deemed inappropriate, and so typically one replaces the word Adonai with the word HaShem, which literally means, The Name. It is notable that Adonai is itself a word that refers to the Jewish Gods name, but is not the name itself. Traditionally, Jews have seen the name of God as ineffable and thus one that must not be spoken. Even in English, some religious Jews will write God as G-d, in imitation of most Hebrew writing which does not include vowels. Because of this, the name of God in ancient Hebrew writings is transliterated as JHVH, YHVH, or YHWH, the four letters collectively known as the tetragrammaton. The vowels of Gods spoken name are therefore unknown, though such pronunciations as Yahweh and Jehovah are common guess es. Euphemisms for hell, damnation, and the devil, on the other hand, are often used to avoid invoking the power of the adversary. b- Excretory euphemisms While urinate and defecate are not euphemisms, they are used almost exclusively in a clinical sense. The basic Anglo-Saxon words for these functions, piss and shit, are considered vulgarities, despite the use of piss in the King James Bible (in Isaiah 36:12 and elsewhere). The word manure, referring to animal feces used as fertilizer for plants, literally means worked with the hands, alluding to the mixing of manure with earth. Several zoos market the byproduct of elephants and other large herbivores as Zoo Doo or Zoopoop, and there is a brand of chicken manure available in garden stores under the name Cock-a-Doodle Doo. Similarly, the string of letters BS, or the word bull, often replaces the word bullshit in polite society. There are any numbers of lengthier periphrases for excretion used to excuse oneself from company, such as to powder ones nose or to see a man about a horse (or dog). Slang expressions which are neither particularly euphemistic nor dysphemistic, such as take a leak, form a separate category. c- Sexual euphemisms The Latin term pudendum and the Greek term ÃŽÂ ±ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¹ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ´ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¯ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ¿ÃƒÅ½Ã‚ ½ (aidoion) for the genitals literally mean shameful thing. Groin and crotch refer to a larger region of the body, but are euphemistic when used to refer to the genitals. Euphemisms are more common in reference to sexual practices or orientations, particularly non-heterosexual ones, as shown in this quote from the UK version of Queer as Folk, which includes both euphemisms and dysphemisms regarding male homosexuality: Because Im queer, Im gay, Im homosexual, Im a poof, Im a poofter, Im a ponce, Im a bum boy, batty boy, backside artist, bugger, Im bent, I am that arse bandit, I lift those shirts, Im a faggot-arsed, fudgepackin, shitstabbin uphill gardener. I dine at the downstairs restaurant, I dance at the other end of the ballroom, Im Moses and the parting of the red cheeks. I fuck and am fucked, I suck and am sucked, I rim them and wank them, and every single man has had the fucking time of his life, and Im not a pervert. Virtually all other sexual terms are still considered profane and unacceptable for use even in a euphemistic sense. d- Euphemisms referring to profanity itself In the French and Spanish language, words that mean swear word are used as exclamations in lieu of an actual swear word. The Spanish word maldicià ³n, literally meaning curse word, is occasionally used as an interjection of lament or anger, to replace any of several Spanish profanities that would otherwise be used in that same context. In French (especially Canadian French), the word sacre, meaning religious profanity, is sometimes used as a substitute for an actual religious profanity (most commonly sacrament). 6-Euphemisms for death. (Wikipedia Encyclopedia, February 2007; Dead and Buried: Death Euphemisms, March 2007) The English language contains numerous euphemisms related to dying, death, burial, and the people and places which deal with death. The practice of using euphemisms for death is likely to have originated with the magical belief that to speak the word death was to invite death; where to draw Deaths attention is the ultimate bad fortune-a common theory holds that death is a taboo subject in most English-speaking cultures for precisely this reason. It may be said that one is not dying, but fading quickly because the end is near. People who have died are referred to as having passed away or passed or departed. Deceased is a euphemism for dead, and sometimes the deceased is said to have gone to a better place, but this is used primarily among the religious with a concept of Heaven. There are many euphemisms for the dead body, some polite and some profane, as well as dysphemisms such as worm food, or dead meat. The corpse was once referred to as the shroud (or house or tenement) of clay, a nd modern funerary workers use terms such as the loved one (title of a novel about Hollywood undertakers by Evelyn Waugh) or the dearly departed. (They themselves have given up the euphemism funeral director for grief therapist, and hold arrangement conferences with relatives.) Among themselves, mortuary technicians often refer to the corpse as the client. A recently dead person may be referred to as the late John Doe. The terms cemetery for graveyard and undertaking for burial are so well-established that most people do not even recognize them as euphemisms. Contemporary euphemisms and dysphemisms for death tend to be quite colorful, and someone who has died is said to have passed away, passed on, checked out, bit the big one, kicked the bucket, bitten the dust, bought the farm, cashed in their chips, croaked, given up the ghost (originally a more respectful term, cf. the death of Jesus as translated in the King James Version of the Bible Mark 15:37), gone south, shuffled off this mortal coil (from William Shakespeares Hamlet), or assumed room temperature. When buried, they may be said to be pushing up daisies or sleeping the big sleep or taking a dirt nap or six feet under. There are hundreds of such expressions in use. (Old Burma-Shave jingle: If daisies are your favorite flower, keep pushin up those miles per hour!). Euthanasia also attracts euphemisms. One may put one out of ones misery, put one to sleep, or have one put down, the latter two phrases being used primarily with non-humans. There are a few euphemisms for killing which are neither respectful nor playful, but rather clinical and detached. Some examples of this type are terminate, wet work, to take care of one or to take them for a ride, to do them in, to off, frag, smoke, whack or waste someone. To cut loose (from U.S. Sgt. Masseys account of activities during the American occupation of Iraq) or open up on someone, means to shoot at with every available weapon. To terminate with [extreme] prejudice originally meant to end ones employment without possibility of rehire (as opposed to lay off, where the person can expect rehire if business picks up), but now the term usually means kill. Often (though not always) an adjective is added for emphasis. In the movie Apocalypse Now, Captain Willard is told to terminate Colonel Kurtzs commission with extreme prejudice. The Dead Parrot Sketch from Monty Pythons Flying Circus contains an extensive list of euphemisms for death, referring to the deceased parrot that the character played by John Cleese purchases (the sketch has led to another euphemism for death: pining for the fjords, although in the sketch it was used by the shop owner to mean the parrot was not dead, but was merely quiet and contemplative). A similar passage occurs near the beginning of The Twelve Chairs, where Bezenchuk, the undertaker, astonishes Vorobyaninov with his classification of people by the euphemisms used to speak of their deaths. Also a scene in the film Patch Adams features Patch (Robin Williams) dressed in an angel costume, reading out various synonyms and euphemisms for the phrase to die to a man dying of cancer. This evolves into a contest between the two men to see who can come up with more, and better, euphemisms, ending when Patch comes up with and if we bury you ass up, well have a place to park my bike. 7- Euphemism in politics (Doublespeak) What, distinguishes doublespeak from other euphemisms is its deliberate usage by governmental, military, or corporate institutions. Doublespeak is in turn distinguished from jargon in that doublespeak attempts to confuse and conceal the truth, while jargon often provides greater precision to those that understand it (while potentially confusing those who do not). An example of the distinction is the use by the military of the word casualties instead of deaths-what may appear to be an attempt to hide the fact that people have been killed is actually a precise way of saying personnel who have been rendered incapable of fighting whether by being killed, being badly wounded, being captured in battle, being psychologically damaged, being incapacitated by disease, being rendered ineffective by having essential equipment destroyed, or having been disabled in any other way. Casualties is used instead of deaths, not for propagandists or reasons of squeamishness, but because most casualties ar e not dead, yet nevertheless useless for waging war. This type of euphemism may be found often in policy debate, such as the use of affordable to mean subsidized or the use of homeland for United States. (Lutz, 1987. Doublespeak: From Revenue Enhancement to Terminal Living. How government, business, advertisers, and others use language to deceive you. New York). Common examples WORD EUPHEMISM janitor custodian custodian building engineer crippled disabled disabled physically challenged retarded Mentally challenged retarded special, exceptional used second-hand Second-hand pre-owned victim survivor Died, dead passed away, passed Old person senior citizen, senior problem challenge problem issue product solution Illegal drugs illegal substances addiction substance abuse beggar panhandler panhandler the homeless (http://www.nyu.edu/classes/copyXediting/euphemisms.html)

Can Power Corrupt You? :: essays research papers fc

The power of language is indisputable. Being unable to ‘fit in’ because you cannot communicate effectively with the dominant discourse puts you at an enormous disadvantage. Those who know how to use the dominant discourse effectively and to their own advantage will be more powerful. People use their knowledge of the power, inherent in the mastery of discourses, to manipulate others. Many texts show evidence of this. In fact, some texts actively criticise those, who less than ethically utilise their mastery of discourses to achieve their own ends. The media actively utilise their understanding of the dominant discourse to support many agendas. Novelists over the years have shown the ill-effects on individuals who might suffer through not mastering the dominant discourse. Those who know how to use a variety of discourses will become more powerful. Those who have difficulty with discourses will end up being alienated. Alienation is the result of being unable to use other discourses or refusing to engage in the dominant discourse. One can gain power by preventing alienation of oneself and sublimating others via the use of alienation. Alienation is represented in all texts and films to effectively manipulate the minds of readers, so that they can compare their experiences with the characters in the narrative. This is clearly represented in the novel, â€Å"1984† by George Orwell, when the character Winston, challenges the dominant discourse. Another example can be seen in â€Å"Frankenstein†, by Mary Shelly where Victor is alienated because he disobeyed ‘the rules’ of the dominant discourse. The media however, uses a variety of discourses to manipulate the reader’s mind. Foregrounding certain topics and purposely leaving out certain information (silencing) are also techniques to use ‘the power of language’ to their own advantage. These techniques are used to convince the pubic, of a particular issue. To many people, this is like ‘brainwashing’ society. Novelists express the abuse of power, such as ‘brain washing’. â€Å"Brave New World† by Aldous Huxley, gives an excellent example of this. He wrote: â€Å"To make them love it, is the task assigned in present day totalitarian states, to ministries of propaganda...†. thus, through hynopeadic teaching (brain washing), essential attendance to community gatherings and the use of drugs to control emotion. This was the dominant discourse of the characters. From this, it can be noticed that the ones in power can abuse their authority and lead to corruption. A great representation of abuse of authority and corruption, is seen in â€Å"1984† and â€Å"Brave New World†.

The Seven-Years War :: American America History

The Seven-Years War The word "privateer" conjures a romantic image in the minds of most Americans. Tales of battle and bounty pervade the folklore of privateering, which has become a cherished, if often overlooked part of our shared heritage. Legends were forged during the battle for American independence, and these men were understandably glorified as part of the formation of our national identity. The fact of the matter is that the vast majority of these men were common opportunists, if noteworthy naval warriors. The profit motive was the driving force behind almost all of their expeditions, and a successful privateer could easily become quite wealthy. In times of peace, these men would be common pirates, pariahs of the maritime community. Commissioned in times of war, they were respected entrepreneurs, serving their purses and their country, if only incidentally the latter. However vulgar their motivation, the system of privateering arose because it provided a valuable service to thecountry, and inde ed the American Revolution might not have been won without their involvement. Many scholars agree that all war begins for economic reasons, and the privateers of the war for independence contributed by attacking the commercial livelihood of Great Britain's merchants. It is ironic that the entire notion of privateering began in Great Britain. In 1649 a frigate named Constant-Warwick was constructed in England for a privateer in the employ of the Earl of Warwick. Seeing how profitable this investment was, a great many of the English peerage commissioned their own privateers. The Seven-Years War saw the proliferation of privateering on both the English and French coasts as each attempted to disrupt their opponent's colonial trade. American investors quickly entered this battle, commissioning ships to prey upon cargo vessels coming to and from French colonial holdings in the Americas. Here began the American privateer heritage, and when the American Revolution began many of these same men viewed the opportunity to profit, and resumed their ventures. The American privateer vessel was a ship "armed and fitted out at private expense for the purpose of preying on the enemy's commerce to the profit of her owners". Not just anyone could be a privateer, however. What distinguished a privateer from a common pirate was a commission, or a letter of marque. These were granted by the government, and were quite easily obtained. The government's benefit was twofold. First, the revolutionary government took a share of the profits from the sale of any cargo captured by a commissioned privateer.

A Dream Shattered or Still a Big Potential Essay

A DREAM SHATTERED OR STILL A BIG POTENTIAL: A CASE STUDY OF TATA NANO Abstract Keeping the potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind, a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceivable about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. Keywords: Product Development,, USP (unique selling preposition), Buzz marketing, Communication Complacency, Strategic Repositioning, Resurrection. *This case study is developed during the resurrection phase of Tata Nano in March 2012 for classroom discussion as a perfect illustration for analyzing various aspects in the launch of an innovative product,,its market acceptance , Changing people perceptions etc. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1087 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Introduction Just a few months back, India overtook Brazil as the sixth largest passenger vehicle manufacturer in the world (Wikipedia Automobile industry). This proves the fact that the Indian Automobile Industry is moving at a fast pace. India is a growing market for Hatchbacks, Sedans, SUVs MUVs, Crossovers and MPVs. Among these small cars have emerged as a clear winner. In fact the country has become a leading centre in producing small cars. Keeping this potential of Indian Automobile Industry in mind , a few years back, around 2006 Ratan Tata conceived the idea of a tiny car with even a tinier price tag for rapidly growing middle class segment. Tata Nano achieved instant success when it was introduced as world’s cheapest car in the year 2009. Tata Nano was seen as a triumph of home grown engineering ; as making a product which encapsulates the dreams of millions of Indians with all the elements of mix i.e. safety, engineering, design, efficiency, style at a price tag of one lakh was in itself a challenge. And Tata’s seemed to fulfill all the promises to its customers by offering Nano. Majority of Indian population belong to middle class, when it comes to purchasing cars they look for the affordable vehicles. Few studies related to consumer buying behavior show that if an individual belonging to middle class wants to own a car then he can easily shell out `1 lac to `1.5 lakh. Thus, while buying a car, price tag becomes a prime factor. Though pricing is the prime factor, performance, style and durability also matter. So, Nano essentially being a dream project for Tatas, satisfied very competently all the criteria’s of a successful launch ,that is, tiny price tag, performance, design, style, brand, welcoming customers, mileage, space, interiors, looks, elegance and so on. But the irony started when the safest acclaimed car of Tata’s caught in flames while its way back from showroom to home. The intense media scrutiny about the few cases of Nano catching fire brought a remarkable dent in Nano sales and shattered the customers’ confidence in car. Since then Nano is struggling hard to regain its strong image in the eyes of its customers as still the huge potential of middle segment is unexplored. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1088 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano The discussion arises about the turnaround strategies of Nano keeping in view its initial launch success, a few quality failures and distorted perceptions in the minds of its customers. This discussion will further add to the design of strategies for future new products which are well strategized for success with clear and defined conceival about the costs, and market segments but fail due to a few small but significant mistakes. This discussion can further continue for strategic repositioning and turnaround of products accepted well in their initial stages of ‘PLC’ but matured very shortly due to certain significant marketing mistakes. Conceiving of the Idea The idea conceived about Nano was a dare dream of Tatas’ not because of its unbelievably affordable price but also because of the promise it held for providing safe personal mobility to a huge section of the Indian two wheeler riding population. It was an entirely new product Source: Statistics by Society of Indian Autommobile Manufacturers segment with a whole different dimension of its need to contain costs within a preset target of `1 lakh. The Nano price was the only certainty at the time idea was conceived . And then starting from a clean sheet of paper , the car was designed and developed keeping manufacturing costs, material costs and production costs at lowest possible level along with maintaining its character, style, adorable looks and finished quality. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1089 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Problems in the Product Development Phase Ride for Tatas in the production of Nano had been anything but smooth. Tata built a Nano plant in West Bengal but was forced out in Oct., 2008 due to violent protest from farmers .This event resulted in the temporary delay in the production along with causing a huge loss of infrastructure costs of a plant almost ready for car production. Another plant was built at Sanand in Gujrat where the production finally started. These initial bottlenecks in the production somewhere affected the enthusiasm about the project and resulted in limited early availability which caused pre-bookings and lottery deliveries. This priced out many buyers negatively snatching out the momentum from the market. Almost from the start the project was plagued by problems and were magnified by intense media involvement. Most Awaited launch When India’s Tata Motors launched Nano in 2009, the concept of the world’s cheapest car in one of the fast growing vehicles markets seems pre-destined for success. At its launch , car buying dynamics seemed to be undergoing a subtle change. Tata dealers were flooded with queries from prospective buyers. People mainly middle class were anxiously waiting for it. Being the world’s cheapest car, Tata Nano had an edge over its competitors in terms of its pricing , which helped Tata to register decent sales figures initially. While choosing between Maruti Suzuki 800 and Tata Nano, people gave letter more weightage in terms of price and design. Its biggest USP (unique selling preposition ) was its attractive looks at lowest price. In March 2009, when Tata was launched it got advance bookings upto 2,00,000 cars but it went through lottery route to give the first 1,00,000 nanos to its lucky customers. Nano became the most coveted thing for two wheeler riders and Tata was so confident about its product that it did’nt go into any marketing plan for Nano. Its intense hype was itself doing its buzz marketing1. So, Tata got busy in producing Nanos to fulfill its intense demand but at the same time being very complacent about the market and customers perceptions of the car. 1. Buzz marketing is word of mouth recommendations by its existing users National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1090 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Sudden No-No for Nano Among all this hype when the new emerged middle segment of car owners were enjoying their ride in their sparkling stylish Nanos , first case of Nano catching fire was reported in March, 2010 while its trip from showroom to customer’s house. Another incident quoted the car went on flames soon after the driver reported a spark from the rear side of the car. The assurance of Tata’s cheapest car being safest proved ironical and the media which was giving intense scrutiny to the project did its job well during the bad times also. The security failure of the car completely broke the trust of the customers in Nano. A drastic decrease in sales was noticed in November 2010 (from 9000 units to 509 units per month) when company called its existing customers to install the safety devices in the car. So with in a year the brainchild of Tatas started seeming like a failure as its sales went nearly half within a year. Sales were far off the target of 25000 cars a month and the Nano plant with an annual capacity of 250000 cars kept producing only 8000 units a month till March 2011. Table 1: Sales Excerpts (From July 2009 to March 2012) Month and year Nano units sold July 2009 2475 Dec 2009 4001 March 2010 4710 April 2010 3525 July 2010 9000 Nov 2010 509 Dec 2010 5784 Source: various websites of Tata motors Month and year Jan 2011 April 2011 July 2011 Dec 2011 Jan 2012 Feb 2012 Mar 2012 Nano units sold 6703 10012 3260 7466 7723 9217 10475 National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1091 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata Nano Performance vs Automobile Industry Production (Passenger Vehicles) Industrial Scanning and analysis showed that the passenger vehicles production in the country was growing tremendously ( Fig. 3), but Nano sales showed a mixed trend till the mid of 2011 (Fig 2). The company took to replace the starter motors in the older models and launched a new model in 2012 but replacing of the parts could also affect the further sales of new model as well said , ‘Indian customers do not forgive easily’. So, there was a great challenge for Tata to retain its brand image. Inappropriate Market Positioning: Cheaper vs Affordable After the several months of disappointing sales of Nano, it became clear by the end of 2011that its cheapest tag has actually shunned its sales . The status conscious customer didn’t want to get associated with its ‘cheap’ tag and rather opted for slightly pricier rivals . Nobody wanted to be caught with a tag of ‘poor man’s car. So rather being a functional step above a motorcycle it became known as a cut-price car. Crucially car has struggled to find a core market. The overwhelming interest in the car brought all the mixed segments of the customers in the market. So, a distinctive strategy was missing to give a correct positioning and segmentation to the extremely distinctive product. Communication complacency Tatas relied heavily on the publicity rather than a definitely designed communication strategy. There was huge involvement from media, industry and public at large . Rather than leveraging this publicity Tata became complacent about the communication. It became the first car to be launched at zero cost of advertising with a huge success. The publicity generated was far greater than what could be generated through any conventional campaign. Tatas plea was that problem was not of the complacency. Because the Nano plant had to move from West Bengal to Gujarat, production timelines were difficult to maintain. With not enough cars being made, the company felt it didn’t have to advertise or even set up efficient distribution channels. But the hype about the car died down, and the stories about the fires gained prominence. National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1093 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano On the hindsight, apart from being delayed, the first ads were not the most appropriate .They showcased couples ensconced in Nanos , While those on two wheelers stared at them balefully. It seemed to be just for people who have to stretch themselves to buy a car; rather it could have been for housewife or a youngster who had just turned 18. But the advertising focused at parity level. Tata seemed to ratify the media story about it being a Garibrath rather than a cool car. Another ad in the early 2011 also projected the same image featuring a girl in a decidedly rustic setting awaiting the family Nano. Initial ads of Tata Nano: Khushion ki Chabi Such mistakes by Tatas actually fuelled the perception of a poor man’s car. The car is too much of an emotional purchase . It’s the second biggest achievement after a house and the cheapest tag proved disastrous for Nano. Resurrection by Tatas Nano is the dream of Tatas and seeing the market flooded with so many small cars Tatas still see a huge potential in Nano and is seeming to undo its mistakes in the past. As quoted by Ratan Tata on the eve of Auto expo 2012 , ‘Nano is not a flop. We have lost an early opportunity due to mistakes in positioning and marketing the product.’ The new marketing campaign by Tata is all set to change the perception from a Garib rath to a cool car as it allows young to be so whimsical with the cool car that they can drive the several kilometers for a cup of perfect tea! Road to Lal Tippa National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1094 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano Tata is going to launch Tata Nano CNG by the end of 2012. The company has given the car a new makeover by additional features like new interiors, a powerful gasoline engine, better fuel efficiency and attractive colors like champagne gold and papaya orange. Another initiative is offering Tata Nano happiness guarantee which more than doubles the car’s warranty from 18 months to four years insisting on its reliability. Offering fast track financing for buyers with loan approvals in 48 hours and reducing down payments to just `15000 is another measure. Tata is planning to enter new global market such as Thailand, Myanmar, Indonesia and Bangladesh with Nano. The 2012 version of Nano was unveiled by the Tata in the end of 2011 and now as the fiscal year ended in March, the new efforts to promote the 2012 Nano in the Indian market have started paying off. After July 2011 till March 2012 Tata Nano has registered an increase in sales and crossed the 10000 mark at the end of the fiscal year 2011-12 (March 2012, 10475 units, Table1). The lovely Nano is a big beneficial car in small package and its value is being recognized gradually by the customers. Hence, with the conviction in mind that the potential of Nano market remains as vast as it was originally predicted; Tata is moving with some strong steps in the market as it is also planning to launch a diesel variant of Nano in near future which will prove a value preposition for its customers. Long way ahead Nano has to go a long way in realizing its dream of 20,000 plus units per month that would get its plant in the western state of Gujarat running full throttle which is presently moving at the level of around 10000 units per month. Hailed as a showpiece of innovation spawned from and targeted at the emerging upper middle class ; Nano is working hard to undo its mistakes in the past. As small car segment is having very strong potential, there is a flood of small car brands in the Indian market. It has to face strong competition from its near rivals such as Bajaj’s RE 60 , Maruti Suzuki Cervo ( approx. ` 1.5 lakh) , Maruti Alto and slightly pricier options Hyundai Santro, newly launched Hyundai Eon etc. Nano faces rising competition from used car segment National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1095 A Dream Shattered or Still A Big Potential: A Case Study of Tata Nano also. Apart from the strong competitors, high inflation and slow economic growth also put another challenges for Tata Nano. Tata is doing hard to resurrect the product segment by intensive reliability engineering, advertising innovations for repositioning and strong distribution and service facilities to recollect the trust of its customers. Let’s see how Nano makes its makers proud amidst conflicting perceptions of customers, the immense competition and rising inflation by maintaining expected performance at its tiniest tag!!! Questions 1. What do you think were the reasons due to which Nano was such a welcome launch more than any other car launch in the industry previously? 2. As Cheapest car being its USP (Unique selling Preposition), how it went against the sales performance of Nano subsequently. Give key reasons. 3. â€Å"Intense Media attention about the product went for and against it also.† Elaborate . 4. How the changed perceptions about the car impacted its sales? Also give other key reasons for such a vast variation in its sales performance. 5. Despite the various resurrection efforts by Tata what potential do you see of Nano in rapidly growing small car segment in coming years in the view of rising competition in the segment? References: ‘Auto Expo 2012: Tata Nano is not a flop, just an opportunity wasted: Ratan Tata’, Economic Times, Jan 6, 2012. ‘No Takers: Is the Tata Nano Running Out of Gas?’, India Knowledge@Wharton, January 27, 2011 Buddiraja S. , ‘ Case Analysis in Marketing Management’, Tata Mcgraw hills, New Delhi. Dhingra Mayank, ‘Marketing Case Study: Tata Nano — Document Transcript’,( Aug 2009), Slideshare. India Today/ Business/Story New Delhi ,Jan 6 2012. Kotlar Phillip , ‘Marketing Management: a South Asian Perspective’ 13th Edition , Pearson Education,New Delhi. Statistics by Society of Indian Mobile Manufacturers ,http://www.siamindia.com/scripts/market-share.aspx Economic Times ,’World’s cheapest car’ tag backfires’, ,24 Jan, 2012 Web Sources: www.tatamotors.com/media/press-releases.php?id=732 www.zigwheels.com/tata-nano/ www.iol.co.za/business/business-news/home-sales-of-world-s-cheapest-car-backfire -1.1219524 Various websites of Tata Motors National Conference on Emerging Challenges for Sustainable Business 2012 1096