Advertising Website for Exalted Realty Company Essay Example

Advertising Website for Exalted Realty Company Essay Example Advertising Website for Exalted Realty Company Essay Advertising Website for Exalted Realty Company Essay   In most cases a website is one of the first interactions a prospect will have with your business. Nowadays, prospects ask for your website address, more than they ask for your business cards. If a business wants to be successful, a good website is probably a good first place to start that’s why CMN2J TEAM will endow a WEB SITE with the help of PHP and Dreamweaver that is purposely designed to help the EXALTED REALTY COMPANY advertise the properties that they are going to sell. 1. Background of the Study Exalted Realty was founded on September 29, 2011. Its principal office is in Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Philippines. It is primarily engaged on all matters concerning real estate transactions in the Philippines. The EXALTED REALTY is a company which main business is to help out client purchase and sell properties such as house and lot, condo units, and land. Exalted Realty is accredited with well-known real estate developers in the Philippines such as but not limited to SM Development Corporation, Masaito Development Corporation and Landmark Communities, Inc.It accredits itself with different real estate developers and their projects on a regularly updated basis. From there, ER assigns it agents to the various real estate projects these developers offer and markets them to the general public. 1. 2 Objectives General Objectives The General objectives of this study can address possible action with regards to faced challenges of the EXALTED REALTY in marketing of the properties that it was selling or buying (as representative of their respective clients).It will be very beneficial for them to have their own WEBSITE in order to get in touch with their clients and draw more attention. Specific Objectives EXALTED REALTY can market their properties in a vastly more efficient and effective manner. The need for flyer’s as a marketing and advertising tool would be significantly diminished. Less usage of paper is also expected since printing flyers for the advertisement can now be minimized. Save their client’s time because all the information needed for the business will be posted on the WEBSITE and meeting in person will simply transpire. . 3 Scope and Delimitation Scope This system is purely designed and developed for the purpose of promoting the marketing strategy of Exalted Realty The Website is used only for advertisements Shows the property details and images Clients can leave comments for the admin to be aware of what they think Client can also download the images of the property Shows the contact information of the company Delimitation The study does not cover the online transaction such as: Purchasing property through online reservation Uploading property images for the real estate to be sold (for clients who wants to sell their property) Another limitation of when the unexpected cuts of electricity like brownouts. It’s already not part of our concern because we can’t predict when it will exa ctly happen. Also, this website will not function when there’s no internet connection for it will only be accessed through the use of the web. 1. 4 Definitions of Terms Alpha Testing – testing of software at the developer’s site by the customer. The stage before beta testing. Beta Testing – test  of  a  new  or  modified  piece  of  computer  software  by customers  who  volunteer  to  do  so. Construction . It involves programming, application enhancement, coding, unit integration and testing of the system. Cut-Over – It entails data conversion, testing of the system, user training and changeover to the new system. Debugging – To search for and eliminate malfunctioning elements or errors in something, especially a computer program or machinery. Dreamweaver-A comprehensive Web site authoring program for Windows and Mac from Adobe.Dreamweaver is a sophisticated authoring package that is noted for many advan ced features. For example, site designers can seamlessly move back and forth between visual and HTML modes. JAD The Joint Application Development (JAD) a user oriented technique for fact-finding and requirement modeling that brings users into the development process as active participant. Online Computer or device connected to a network  (such as Internet) and ready to use (or be used by) other computers  or  devices. PHP is a general purpose and powerful scripting language to produce dynamic website and interactive web pages. RAD Rapid Application Development (RAD) a condensed version of the entire SLDC, with users involved every step of the way. Real Estate – the business of real estate; the profession of buying, selling, or renting land, buildings or housing. Requirement Planning – This phase requires intense involvement from users at different levels of the organization. Website is a set of related web pages  containing  content  such as   text,  images,  video,  audio, etc.A website is hosted on at least one  web server, accessible via a network such as the  Internet  or a private  local area network  through an Internet address known as a  Uniform Resource Locator. All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the  World Wide Web. CHAPTER II. Methodology In Business, a website is the potential for reaching a wider audience. The internet is used by literally millions of people, all of them are looking for something and some of them might be looking for something new.Building website for Exalted Realty for Advertising that provides the information to consumers is a heavy task because it is a series of test and revisions are needed for it to become functional, accurate, and productive. Hence, the following system development methodology in implementing the project is reasonable and helpful decision. A system development methodology helps to improve in planning, implementing, and managing the development of the project. In choosing a good system methodology to be used in developing the website, there are some components to be deal with.First was choosing a system development methodology that can be performed in a short period of time. Second, consider the sum of team members. And lastly the criticality of the system has to be taken into attention. Generally the proposed is about supplying information essential to the member or viewers need. Thus, system development methodology is applicable for this analysis with that it needs further understanding about the different system development would be able to choose the most perfect model. 2. 1 System Development approachRapid Application Development (RAD) a condensed version of the entire SLDC, with users involved every step of the way. It uses minimal planning in favor of rapid prototyping. The Planning of software developed using RAD (Rapid Application Development) is interleaved with writing the software itself. It pro vides a fast track approach to a full spectrum of system development tasks, including the planning, the design, and the construction. Rapid Application Development promotes fast, efficient, accurate system development and delivery.Generally improves user design communication, user cooperation and user commitment, and promotes better documentation. The Team had a short period of time to accomplish the Website with that the Joint Application Development (JAD) helps the developer to build the system. The Joint Application Development (JAD) a user oriented technique for fact-finding and requirement modeling that brings users into the development process as active participant. It is used in the prototyping Life Cycle Area of the Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) to collect business requirement while developing new information system for a company.JAD (Joint Application Development) use was most effective in large complex projects. In JAD, information can be obtained and validated in a shorter time frame by involving all participants (or at least a representative set of participants) who have a stake in the outcome of the session. The Relation between the two approaches JAD (Joint Application Development) and RAD (Rapid Application Development) helps to fully finish and provide a suitable result support by the information gathered. The combination of this approach gives a functional and effective specific period.Although the JAD and the RAD are very specific techniques, the main aspects of these methodologies should be used in all systems analysis and design projects. The concept of having the user involved in all aspects of the project is essential to any project. Involving key personal for various departments, including management, is also critical to the success in developing a system. 2. 2 JUSTIFICATION OF METHODOLOGY The Team followed the four stages of Rapid Application Development suit as pattern on making the WEBSITE for Exalted Realty. REQUIREMENTS PLANNINGIn the requirements planning phase, users and analysts meet to identify objectives of the system and to identify information requirements arising from those objectives. This phase requires intense involvement from users at different levels of the organization. This stage involves reviewing the areas that are clearly necessary to the system being built. The review creates a solid overview, covering the requirements and outlining the functions performed by the system. The WEBSITE is approved by proprietor of EXALTED REALTY to help their Market in the business.This phase helps the team to move on the next phase. User Design The second phase is called the User Design stage. This covers an in-depth look of business operations that relate to the system being designed. The users who will be employing the proposed system analyze how data is used and how this use affects the flow of operations from a business standpoint. During this phase the team interacts with the system designed, including sample screens and procedures. By the end of this step, the general idea behind the new system begins to transform into a specific plan.Construction The third phase is construction and it focuses on program and software creation. It is similar to the SDLC. It involves programming, application enhancement, coding, unit integration and testing of the system. Users still continue to contribute by suggesting changes as reports and screens are developed. It is similar to the System Development life Cycle (SDLC). Cut Over The last phase of  RAD Rapid Application Development  is referred to as Cut Over. It entails data conversion, testing of the system, user training and changeover to the new system.This approach is compressed and this means a system is created, delivered and put into operation in less time. During this phase, the system is finalized and released to the user. CHAPTER III. SOFTWARE PRODUCT The Team developed a WEB SITE for EXALTED REALTY COMPANY that will adve rtise the company’s main business including the basic information that a client’s must obtained without personally visiting the physical office. Actual image of the properties that are being offered will be posted to the WEB SITE and it will be maintained and managed by the administrator.The website provides information about the company and what the company can do for the clients. The Admin is responsible in maintaining and updating the website and also the one who see’s feedback from those who view’s the website. 3. 1 Software Specification Windows XP and later version Macromedia Dreamweaver 8 MySQL (Xampp) Macromedia Flash8 This Software Specification, The software was build under the Windows 8 or Windows XP as the team operating environment. The Team used Macromedia Dreamweaver as a programming application.Then MySQL (Xampp) software that helps to jive with the database concepts of the system. With Macromedia Flash 8 Software contributes to the pr ogress of the system. The system will provide accessible way for the communication of the clients, business owner and will have a good customer services.

Free Essays on Anthony Burgess Biography

John Anthony Burgess Wilson was born on February 25th, 1917 in Manchester, England. Most people do not recognize the name John Wilson as a famous writer or musician. That is mainly because John Wilson used his middle names as his pen name, Anthony Burgess. Anthony, as he will here on out be referred to as, was raised in a small house by his father, a book keeper and avid pianist, without a mother who died early in Anthony’s life by the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Anthony attended multiple schools including Manchester University where he studied the written language closely, as well as foreign languages. Anthony could speak French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Welsh as well as some Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Persian and of course, English. After school, Anthony spent six years as a war-time soldier, and then went into education, where he worked as an education officer after the 2nd world war, and worked for many years until one he collapsed in a classroom. Unfortunately, the collapse was due to a fatal brain tumor, which left him with short time left to live. Anthony decided to live the rest of his fading life doing what he loved to do, and that was writing. Fortunately, Anthony was able to fight the cancer for decades longer than expected; allowing him to write more novels and symphonies. Anthony wrote over 50 books in his lifetime with subjects from everything such as the fictional dystopias such as A Clockwork Orange, and The Wanting Seed to biographies such as Here Comes Everybody, a book about the life of James Joyce. Anthony spent much of his time, or what was left after writing, composing music. He even structured one of his novels, The Napoleon Symphony, around Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, which shows his deep appreciation for classical music. Though Anthony loved music, he will forever be known for his writing. Especially A Clockwork Orange, which he has been prai... Free Essays on Anthony Burgess Biography Free Essays on Anthony Burgess Biography John Anthony Burgess Wilson was born on February 25th, 1917 in Manchester, England. Most people do not recognize the name John Wilson as a famous writer or musician. That is mainly because John Wilson used his middle names as his pen name, Anthony Burgess. Anthony, as he will here on out be referred to as, was raised in a small house by his father, a book keeper and avid pianist, without a mother who died early in Anthony’s life by the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic. Anthony attended multiple schools including Manchester University where he studied the written language closely, as well as foreign languages. Anthony could speak French, German, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Welsh as well as some Hebrew, Japanese, Chinese, Swedish, Persian and of course, English. After school, Anthony spent six years as a war-time soldier, and then went into education, where he worked as an education officer after the 2nd world war, and worked for many years until one he collapsed in a classroom. Unfortunately, the collapse was due to a fatal brain tumor, which left him with short time left to live. Anthony decided to live the rest of his fading life doing what he loved to do, and that was writing. Fortunately, Anthony was able to fight the cancer for decades longer than expected; allowing him to write more novels and symphonies. Anthony wrote over 50 books in his lifetime with subjects from everything such as the fictional dystopias such as A Clockwork Orange, and The Wanting Seed to biographies such as Here Comes Everybody, a book about the life of James Joyce. Anthony spent much of his time, or what was left after writing, composing music. He even structured one of his novels, The Napoleon Symphony, around Beethoven’s Eroica symphony, which shows his deep appreciation for classical music. Though Anthony loved music, he will forever be known for his writing. Especially A Clockwork Orange, which he has been prai...

Information system project management Lab Report

Information system project management - Lab Report Example After a long time of learning and implementing various project management methodologies, controls together with measurements, the success level of IT projects has been deemed not to be any better than the old moments when one computer could take up a whole room. In order for IT to contribute to the bottom line of every company, the executive teams have to make sure that the project remains aligned to business strategy. In case of multiple projects constituting large scale programs, there would be need to embrace flexibility with greater focus on the larger business picture. In software projects, it is possible to witness scenes such as members failing to complete whatever is expected of them and other members failing to be flexible. This has the potential of making things to fall out of hand. Another scene would be a person valued for his or her expert input failing to see the wider perspective, thereby missing out steps and tasks that other people would expect or a team member becoming frustrated because he disagrees with the approach that another team member uses. Dr Meredith Belbin studied team-work for several years and he made the observation that individuals inside teams have the tendency to assume varied roles. His definition of team roles is "He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way" and named nine of such team roles that determine the success level of a team. Teams risk becoming unbalanced in the event that all team members bear a lot of similarity in behavior. In case the team members have same weaknesses, the entire team might end up being weak. Supposing the team members have a similar level of strength, the spirit of competition is likely to arise and this will suppress cooperation in execution of the team-assigned tasks and responsibilities. Bearing this in mind, you could use the model with your team so as to help in making sure that the important team

Marketing strategy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Marketing strategy - Assignment Example This research is being carried out to evaluate and present some of the generic marketing strategies. Market dominance; this is the portion of the market served by the organization. It is healthier for a business entity to know the size of the market and the percentage it serves. This will enable them determine the quantity of production. Market dominance is grouped into four. These are; leader, challenger, follower and niche. To avoid serious impact, businesses should try to be the market leaders. This can be achieved through direct marketing, publicity and other promotional methods. Growth strategy; this is a strategy aimed at the area of operation, quality of operation and quantity of production. Businesses should spread out their branches over as large region as possible. This may take place in the following directions; horizontal (the operation is expanded geographically), vertical (improvement done on the quality of production and quantity of the produce), diversification and in tensification (changes made to include variety of other related commodities for example if previously organization was producing beverages it can incorporate refreshments). Innovation strategy; this strategy aids the invention of new products, new production methods, new markets and new branding. It enhances the sales of the products and results in average increase of sales. Businesses should always try to be the inventors of an idea; the pioneers and not the followers or the late followers. Pioneers are likely to dominate the market if their followers are not innovative enough to come up with a more advanced service or quantity. An example is the coca cola company who has remained the sole producers of refreshments in the larger East and Central Africa. They therefore dominate this market. They as the leader keep all the secrets of production to themselves. They have succeeded in operations through practices like branding of their commodities. Also the services like software servic es where companies like Microsoft were close followers but are now coming up steadily due to their innovative nature. Innovation strategy should cut across the technological changes and the business innovations and the inventions. Porter generic strategy; these are steps put forth to ensure that the organization gets deep into the market and has a proper and sustainable completion advantage. Organizations are able to achieve this through market segmentation; dividing market into portions of same need and which serviced in a similar way and cost leadership; making the prices of the commodities be fairly lower compared to that of the competitors. Product differentiation can be used make clear distinction between the vendors. Marketing warfare strategies; these deal with marketing and war, dictate what is to be done at such times. Product strategy document Product strategy is the procedure which an

The contingency approach to management and leadership

The contingency approach to management and leadership Contingency approach to management is based on the theory that there is no one best way of managing, as organisations face contingency variables due to individual differences, environmental uncertainty, technology used for routineness of tasks and organisational size which affects its structure. (Robbins, Bergman, Stagg and Coulter, 2008, pp. 54). This is contrary to classical management theorists such as Henri Fayol, who in his fourteen principles of management, emphasised the centralisation, standardisation and specialisation features of managing, emphasising that they will lead to the achievement of efficiency, consistency and a successful future for the organisation. (Rodrigues, 2001). In the example of the Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac) and one of their front-line managers (whom was interviewed for this paper), it will be evaluated which methods and approaches of management are reflected in the companys structure and organisational behaviour. Westpac was founded in 1817 and was the first private bank established in Australia. Today it is a multinational corporation and employs about 39,000 people globally. (Westpac Banking Corporation, (Chapman, 2011). Their vision is to help their customers, employees and businesses to prosper and grow. One of their many purposes now is to invest in technology and operations, by launching revolutionary technology in order to improve their process service delivery and to strengthen technology capabilities. (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). The interviewee will be referred to as The Manager for anonymity purposes. The Manager is first-line manager in the Information Management Solution Delivery Department of Westpac, has 13 full time subordinates, and also employs contractors from all over the world when assistance is needed with his software projects in order to meet deadlines. The Manager is responsible for budget analysis, sets the specifications and deliverables of the projects, and, after gaining senior managers approval to proceed with the projects, manages them until they are completed. According to Fayols fourteen principles of management, employees must sacrifice their interests for the good of the organisation. Thus, an organisation should employ only individuals who are fully committed to its objectives and are willing to readily comply with its mandates (Rodrigues, 2001). The situation in Westpacs Product and Operations division, where The Manager is working, contradicts this theory. During the interview The Manager pointed out that there are a lot of differences in the desire for personal growth and expectations amongst individual employees of the organisation. He noted that Successful guys need to be challenged and want change. We have to accommodate them as they are the core of our team (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). This is an indication of a contingency approach to management when the company is willing to adapt to constant changes by fulfilling employees desire for a challenge. Furthermore, Mintzberg also suggested that nowadays ma nagers should encourage and drive people: motivate them, inspire them, coach them, and nurture them, push them and mentor them (Mintzberg, 1994). Empowerment and team building activities such as workshops, information sessions and brainstorming sessions have become a culture within the Westpac Group. This is an integral part of the organisations goal for staff motivation and sustainability. (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). Fayols theory of management also suggested that the work can be performed more efficiently and more productively if it is divided into smaller elements and assigned to specific workers. Thus, the dominant thought in designing jobs was specialisation, each employee performing a specific task (Rodrigues, 2001). The Manager noted that his specific IT technical skills are not utilised very often. However, these skills allow him to understand the technical goals of the projects and help with issues which may arise. The Manager, instead of concentrating on his specification (what he should have done according to Fayols theory), now mostly manages his team members, establishes software specifications and project schedules and distributes work. His interpersonal and conceptual skills are constantly applied to meet deadlines and receive customer satisfaction. Westpacs investment in technology, which was mentioned earlier, is the response to high standards of quality and other deliverables whi ch customers have come to expect nowadays. Therefore, The Managers job, as a front-line manager of one of the divisions of Westpac, is to adapt and respond quickly to changing contingencies and markets instead of specialising and purely concentrating on his IT skills (Chapman, 2001). According to Katzs management theory, managers often acquire their managerial positions because of technical knowledge and competencies (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). By the time The Manager joined the Westpac Group, he already had years of experience in the information technology field. He confirms Katzs theory by noting IT is his specialty and managing duties is required more than doing IT work; however, his technical proficiency allows him to understand technical goals in order to use that to leverage team skills to achieve the end result. At the same time, he also contradicts Katzs belief that some managers will tend to avoid the managerial aspects of their job preferring instead the technical aspects (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). During the interview, The Manager insists his job is mostly managing, combining it with his technical knowledge and skills only when a problem arises and performing as a team leader to eliminate the issue. Katz proposed a broad three-category typology of skills: technical, human and conceptual which, according to him, are the essential sets of managerial skills (Peterson and Van Fleet, 2004). Technical skills imply a proficiency in a specific field. Human skills are defined as an ability to work cooperatively with others and to be a team player. Finally, the conceptual skills are defined as an ability to see an organisation as a whole. This was noted by The Manager during the interview, that, as a manager, he uses technical, interpersonal and conceptual skills all at a maximum level to achieve better results. At the same time he mentioned that in order to achieve those results he has to constantly adapt to new changes and challenges and be a facilitator, a personal delegator, a leader and a guide to the team (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). Basically, The Manager faces contingency variables every day of his work and uses a situational approach to deal with these. The so-called hierarchy principle of Fayol suggests that communication in organisations should be basically vertical; that a single, uninterrupted chain of authority should extend from the highest level to the lowest position in the organization. The Manager mentioned that the Westpac Group has a hierarchical structure, but with units independent to each other. He also pointed out that there is a horizontal communication in the organization between departments and units through a variety of meetings, workshops and seminars. Such a structure of the company suggests firstly, that the organisation is built on autonomous business units which operate at the front-line of the business. Secondly, it means that these business units are connected to one another through cross unit integrative processes, designed to ensure a smooth flow of information (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). It reflects a contingency approach to management within the Westpac Group. The Manager, as many other managers nowadays, according to Mintzberg, maintain a self-developed network of outside contacts and informers who provide him with relevant information and favours. It has been said It is critical to leverage external contacts to get privilege information (The Manager, personal communication, March 11, 2011). In his research, Mintzberg emphasises that managers often spend a lot of time building vast arrays of contacts and intricate coalitions of supporters beyond their own units (Mintzberg, 1994). It is assumed nowadays that the one best way to organize and manage does not exist. In contrast, in the beginning of the twentieth century, there were many scientists who tried to create a one size fits all model of management which could be adapted to any organisation. Henri Fayol, Henry Mintzberg and Robert. L. Katz contributed many years of their lives to the creation of different theories, rules and procedures of management. Despite this, many organisations now, including the Westpac Group, use a contingency approach to management which criticises these theories (which are partially based on valid assumptions) and states that there are a number of alternatives which are appropriate to particular situations. The Manager as a front-line manager of the Information Management Delivery Department of Westpac is clearly using a contingency approach to managing: he is adaptive to new challenges and problems (and even mentioned during the interview that he loves his job because every day it is different: new issues, new solutions); furthermore, he is capable of resolving non-standard issues. He is not concentrating purely on his specialisation in the IT industry and often uses his interpersonal managerial and conceptual skills and leaning towards diversification of his job and his subordinates. He is using the situational (contingency) approach in different areas of his work such as planning, control, distribution, empowerment and leadership.

Effects of Desertification

Environmental problems Of all the global environmental problems, desertification is, perhaps, the most threatening for poor rural people. The most accepted definition of desertification states that it is land degradation in arid, semiarid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from various factors, including climatic variations and human activities. Drylands cover almost 40 percent of the total land surface of the world and are inhabited by approximately 1 billion humans dispersed over more than 100 countries. These people include many of the world's most vulnerable, marginalized, and politically weak citizens. In spite of the progress in the understanding of the ecological dimension of this phenomenon, few communities' wellbeing has improved by the myriad action plans and activities carried out by local, regional, or national organizations, particularly in Africa. A growing body of evidence suggests that a closer look at the social system and the role of its components is critical to understanding this frequent outcome. Drylands are characterized by water scarcity stemming from the conjunction of low water offer (i. e. , precipitation) and high water demand (i. . , water lost to the atmosphere as water vapor from soil via evaporation and from plants through transpiration). Drylands' precipitation is highly variable through the year and occurs in infrequent, discrete, and largely unpredictable events. In turn, the high evaporative demand of the atmosphere, resulting from high air temperatures, low humidity, and abundant solar radiation, determines that water availability is the dominant con trolling factor for biological processes such as plant growth and herbivore productivity. Thus drylands, though not barren, are ecosystems of low and highly variable productivity capable of limited human settlement and vulnerable to anthropogenic disturbance. The proximate causes of desertification are complex and vary from region to region. The European Mediterranean region has a long history of human misuse. War, urbanization, farming, and tourism have, over the years, altered vegetation to such an extent that, at present, virtually no natural vegetation exists there and soil erosion is ubiquitous. In contrast, Australian drylands have experienced extensive degradation only recently. The introduction of domestic livestock by Europeans in the late 1880s, together with the fences used to concentrate these animals and the suppression of fire, drastically reduced the abundance of perennial grasses, leaving more soil exposed to erosion by water or wind, and triggered shrub encroachment. In the Sahelian region of Africa, where the concept of desertification was first coined at the beginning of the 20th century, the replacement of the original vegetation by crops, the increase of grazing pressure over the remaining lands, and the collection of wood for fuel resulted in a reduction of the biological or economic productivity of the land. In particular, inappropriate use of heavy machinery, deficient irrigation schemes, and grazing management practices led to soil erosion, salinization, and overgrazing. Any attempt to assess the impact of desertification on human societies should first acknowledge the difference between the ways water-limited ecosystems shape the functioning of social systems and the effects of desertification itself. Desertification imposes an additional constraint on human well-being by further reducing the limited ecosystem goods (e. g. , food, timber, water) and services (e. g. , soil maintenance, erosion control, carbon sequestration) that drylands provide. Failure to address this difference would lead to an overestimation of the desertification effects. Additionally, the manifestations of desertification vary widely, depending on the capacity of each country to mitigate its impacts. For example, in Africa it resulted in declining productivity and intensifying food insecurity and widespread famines, whereas in the Mediterranean region desertification seriously threatens water supply, while many regions of northern Europe are experiencing an increase in dust deposition due to north African soil erosion. In poor countries with a large proportion of their territory in arid and semiarid regions, desertification may trigger a downward spiral where a significant amount of a nation's human and financial resources are devoted to combating past desertification effects, leaving less available to invest in health, education, industry, and governmental institutions. The ultimate precarious social conditions thus developed generally lead to migrations, exacerbating urban sprawl, and may bring about internal and cross-boundary social, ethnic, and political strife. Approaches to the desertification problem broadly fall into two competing perspectives: the predominant global environmental management (GEM) discourse and the populist discourse. Whereas the former discourse rests on neoliberal values and Malthusian thinking, the latter has its philosophical roots in the self-reliant advocacy derived from the dependency schools of the 1970s and 1980s. The GEM discourse depicts overpopulation in drylands as the main problem leading to the degradation of the ecosystems on which they depend. As seen in the GEM discourse, the global problem of desertification requires a global solution. Therefore, GEM supporters promote topdown, interventionist and technocentrist solutions implemented through international institutions and conventions, such as the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. On the contrary, the populist discourse–populist in the sense that it positively portrays the acts of local people–emphasizes that the marginalization of smallholders and pastoralists started during the colonial period and was subsequently deepened by global capitalism, transnational corporations, and northern consumers as the principal causes of land overexploitation and degradation. International assistance in the form of debt per nature exchanges or technological transferences is regarded as part of the problem itself. Rather, the populist discourse focuses on local or traditional knowledge and community-based action as major sources to overcome environmental problems. However, despite its diametrically opposed explanations of the desertification problem, neither discourse denies an impending crisis caused by desertification. Why, almost a century after its first detection, does desertification continue to be among the most important environmental problems faced by humankind? Though no single answer exists, there are some arguments to sketch an answer. Undoubtedly the inherent complexity of the desertification phenomenon hampers almost every phase of the sequence leading to the mitigation or control of an environmental problem (i. e. , first detection, general recognition, agreement on regulation). For instance, a long period elapsed between when French foresters first perceived what they called â€Å"the desert advance† and the widespread diffusion of the desertification tragedy that took place in the Sahelian region of Africa after a series of drought years at the beginning of the 1970s; today improvements in our understanding of rangelands functioning and climatic variability allow for faster detection and prevention. These advances show that vegetation dynamics in drylands may remain seemingly unaffected by an increase in land use pressure until there is a sudden shift to a lower-productivity stable state, with stochastic climate events, such as severe droughts, acting as triggers. Additionally, incomplete or inadequate scientific knowledge, together with the urgent need of integrative solutions for the Sahelian drama, may have driven actors to resort to the first workable options, leading to erroneous regulations at that time. However, regulations of this kind are not dependent on scientific knowledge alone but also on political pressure mechanisms. Thus an explanation of the failure to achieve sound regulation needs to consider political issues as well. The predominance of the GEM discourse, despite the poor performance of top-down solutions to â€Å"unsustainable† resource management, can be explained by its convenience for the interests of three main groups involved in the desertification issue: national governments, international aid donors, and scientists. National governments benefit not only from foreign financial aid but also from the use of desertification as the basis for severely repressive social control. International donors and institutions find the problem of desertification a reason unto itself for their involvement, whereas scientists may highlight the global nature and severity of the desertification problem as a means to obtain research funds. On the contrary, the bottom-up approaches promoted by the populist discourse do not fit the terms and conditions of bilateral and multilateral funding and instead stress the principles of participation and decentralization. It is apparent that the progress achieved in our comprehension of desertification has not been matched by an improvement in the regulations aimed at mitigating its consequences. While the accumulation of knowledge generated during the past decades provides evidence against both discourses' main tenets, they nonetheless remain influential in the political and scientific arenas. Future contributions to the solution of the desertification problem require the synthesis of recent social and ecological advances into a new synthetic framework that overcomes the constraints upon the solutions imposed by the GEM and populist discourses. Social scientists hope that a new desertification paradigm–that is, the dryland development paradigm, which represents a convergence of insights from both discourses–is emerging. Bibliography: 1) Adger, W. Neil, Tor A. Benjaminsen, Katrina Brown, and Hanne Svarstad. 2001. Advancing a Political Ecology of Global Environmental Discourses. † Development and Change 32:681-715. 2) Herrmann, Stefanie M. and Charles F. Hutchinson. 2005. â€Å"The Changing Contexts of the Desertification Debate. † Journal of Arid Environments 63:538-55. 3) Reynolds, James F. and D. Mark Stafford-Smith. 2002. Global Desertification: Do Humans Create Deserts? Berlin: Dahlem University Press. 4) Veron, Santiago R. , Jose M. Paruelo, and Martin Oesterheld. 2006. â€Å"Assessing Desertification. † Journal of Arid Environments 66:751-63.

Intertextuality: Meaning of Life and Silk Cut Essay

What is intertextuality? How does intertextuality challenge E. D. Hirsch’s idea that a text has a single meaning created by its author? Explain with reference to examples drawn from any media format. According to American literary critic, E. D. Hirsch, in order to interpret a body of text, one must ask one’s self the only question that can be answered objectively ? â€Å"what, in all probability, did the author mean to convey? † He believed that the author’s intended meaning equates the meaning of a text and it is in fact, the reader’s duty to uncover the the author’s intentions. â€Å"The meaning of a text and its author’s intentions are one and the same. † Hirsch’s concept revolves around the assumption that a body of text is original, and is purely a body of the author’s sole â€Å"intentions†. The production of text, if one were to adhere to Hirsch’s theory, is therefore exclusive to the author’s own ideas and concepts and free of external influence. However, the notions of langue and parole disputes this idea. According to Barthes in 1984, â€Å"It [la langue] is the social part of language, the individual cannot himself either create or modify it†. Furthermore, Ferdinand de Saussure’s work on structuralism and semiotics demonstrates the subjectivity of language and can be said to have sewn the seeds for modern concepts of intertextuality (such as those developed by Roland Barthes and Julia Kristeva). Intertextuality challenges the idea of a text’s ability to be truly original and therefore disagrees with Hirsch’s theory. In this essay, I will focus on how conscious intertextuality as well as the semiotics involved in unconscious intertextuality both dispute the idea that the meaning of a text belongs exclusively to its author’s intentions. Julia Kristeva, who was the first to use the term â€Å"intertextuality†, proposed the idea that a text should not be interpreted merely by its words at face value, but also studied based on other works it has adapted and was influenced by. The concept can be further expanded upon by Gunther Kress’ notion of â€Å"ceaseless semiosis† which brings to light the social aspect of a text’s creation. â€Å"From the beginning, I use materials which I have encountered before, which bear the meanings of their social contexts, to weave a new text which, because it is woven from materials of other texts, everywhere and always connects with those other texts. † -Kress, 2000 Conscious intertextuality thus enables a reader to participate in this â€Å"ceaseless semiosis† by the identification and application of their prior knowledge to a text, along with creating their own version of the text by combining their existing knowledge gleaned from other texts with the works of others a text is based on (e. g. someone watching a satirical television show such as The Simpsons). The best example of this sort of intertextuality would be the process of a reader (or surfer) browsing the world wide web. Here, an author cannot control the way in which a reader approaches his or her body of text. There is seldom a linear fashion in which a reader consumes information while surfing the internet. It is common for him or her to absorb only small chunks of texts on one page of a website before being led to an entirely different webpage via links. Through surfing and following links of their choice, readers effectively thus begin to construct their own text of sorts as they make their way through various sites on the internet. Unlike newspapers or most other forms of printed media, intertextuality on the internet is often one of a blatant and conscious nature. Here, almost more so than anywhere else, it is clear that content is not entirely original, nor is it based on an author’s sole ideas and concepts. It is common for a great many websites to host a multitude of links, and consist of short articles that link to other sources of information that the work was based on, or that provide further elaboration. Even on the internet, certain etiquettes are often observed, one of them being the courtesy of giving credit where it is due. A graphic or piece of digital art someone uses on his or her website, for example, often requires credit and a link back to the page of the artist that created it. Upon following the link to the artist’s page, one might find further credit and a link to the photographer who provided the stock photograph from which the graphic was created. One then clicks on the link that leads us to a page of stock photography, on which, perhaps, yet another link to the homepage of the model in the photograph might be provided. One visits the aforementioned homepage, and might perhaps chance upon the history of the model or a little story about his or her life. The initial graphic no longer stands on its own, and new history and meaning is produced with every link the surfer clicks, tracing a â€Å"path† that paints a story beyond the original piece of art. Hirsch’s idea of a text having one sole meaning ? that of the author’s ? no longer applies. The readers construct their own text, and therefore their own meanings as they navigate through the internet, often with no apparent logical progression. The existing knowledge they possess, along with their ability to identify the other works a text is based on, shapes their interpretation of an idea being presented. Even the authors themselves often acknowledge the lack of complete originality in their content, and through links and credit on their page, make it obvious that their text is a coalition of ideas and texts by other authors, whose texts are a coalition of ideas and texts by yet, other authors etc. There are also varying degrees of intertextuality on the internet. Some sites, such as The Onion (www. theonion. com) restricts the level of interactivity on their website by limiting links to only those of their advertisers. However, the content of their site is a testament of classic conscious intertextuality. Much like the Simpsons, â€Å"The Onion† is a satire. It parodies legitimate news websites and global current affairs. Readers’ prior knowledge of these affects the way in which they view the site and interpret these satirical â€Å"issues† of The Onion. A webpage that allows for a greater level of interactivity through its onslaught of links is â€Å"How To Dress Emo† (http://www. geocities. com/howtodressemo). A site that makes fun of a teenage trend in today’s society, the text has potential to be humorous to its reader. However, the degree of appreciation and humour a reader might find in the text depends on the level of the reader’s prior knowledge of the â€Å"Emo† trend and sub-culture. Unlike The Onion however, the white text on â€Å"How To Dress Emo† is peppered with phrases and words that are grey in colour. Existing knowledge of the internet and html might inform the reader that these grey words and phrases are in fact links, and clicking on them will lead them to further sites, games, generators and articles that provide further references and elaborate upon the original article. The internet has made it possible for authors to quote another piece of work â€Å"wholesale† by simply and conveniently placing a link on their page. The two texts become inevitably intertwined and new meaning is generated as the reader pieces together information gleaned from both works. Another form of intertextuality is one that is often based on a more subconscious level. Arguing against the idea that a text is an isolated entity, Kristeva once stated, â€Å"any text is the absorption and transformation of another†. The text in question is not limited to only that which is literary in nature, and whatever form it should take is subject to its reader’s or audience’s interpretation based on their knowledge of other existing texts, their cultural literacy and associations they individually produce. In subconscious intertextuality, interpretation is based on a highly individual level and may even produce meanings that the author had no knowledge of whatsoever, let alone intended. However, a study of subconscious intertextuality and semiotics is often useful to advertisers who then use these subtle allusions to maximum effect. The reader or audience is often unaware of the subconscious effects an advertisement has on their perception of a product. Nevertheless, through signs in commercials and print advertisements, the meanings an advertiser wishes to convey about a product are presented. Silk Cut cigarettes in England demonstrates clever advertising in their campaigns. Strict laws and restrictions are imposed on tobacco advertisements in the country, forbidding any association of sports, glamour, success, luxury, masculinity and femininity with tobacco products. Targetting a tobacco advertisement towards a certain market or denomination in society was also banned. Silk cut, however, has managed to get around such stringent laws by the use of semiotics, thus showcasing intertextuality and the ability to generate multiple meanings out of a single text. In one of their most striking advertisements in the 90’s, magazine advertorials often featured a purple silken sheet with a single oval slit in the middle. The connotations were luxurious, sexual and feminine, yet in a way that was subtle and did not violate the advertising code for tobacco. On one hand, one could explain the text as being simply representative of a ruined piece of cloth ? no more, no less. Doubtlessly, this would have been Silk Cut’s explanation had they been questioned by the law. However, on a more subconscious intertextual level, the colour purple and the expensive silken fabric could have been interpreted as an association with luxury and royalty. The texture of the cloth could also have been seen as an allusion to the smooth nature of a Silk Cut cigarette, therefore making the product appealing to women (despite the fact that targeting a specific gender or market was forbidden). The diagonal slit in the cloth could be easily interpreted as sexual in nature, and representative of a woman’s genitalia, thus giving the cigarettes a suggestive appeal. Through these clever advertisements, Silk Cut became widely known as THE woman’s cigarette of choice. They were even featured in the bestselling novel, â€Å"Bridget Jones’s Diary†. In this book by Helen Fielding, the protagonist, Bridget, smokes Silk Cut. The brand is constantly referred to throughout the novel, therefore once again making use of intertextuality. Bridget Jones spends a great deal of the book attempting to quit smoking. However, she is simply unable to curb her craving for the Silk Cut cigarettes. The qualities that have come to be associated with Silk Cut cigarettes through their advertising campaigns, can now be seen as the qualities Bridget desires by smoking Silk Cut. Once again, Hirsch’s idea of a text bearing only one singular meaning can be easily disputed. The interpretation of the Silk Cut advertisement, as well as the use of Silk Cut cigarettes in Bridget Jones’s Diary, is highly subjective and dependent on the reader’s cultural literacy and existing knowledge. Intertextuality in the media, both print and otherwise, has become too powerful to ignore, especially in this day and age. The internet, satirical texts, advertisements and books are only some examples that demonstrate the effects other works and a reader’s prior knowledge have on any given text. Intertextuality in its various states, conscious and unconscious, is certainly a valid contention against the theory of E. D. Hirsch. Bibliography, References & Notes 1) Cultural Consumption and Everyday Life†, Reading As Production, John Storey, Pg 63, Arnold, London, 1999 2) Intertextuality, Allen. G, Pg 9, Routledge, London 2000 3) http://web. uvic. ca 4) http://www. theonion. com 5) http://www. geocities. com/howtodressemo 6) http://www. aber. ac. uk 7) Reading Ads Socially. Goldman. R, Routledge, London, 1992.