Monday, September 30, 2019
Integrating Art in Elementary School Curriculum Essay
We are living in a world full of art. Everywhere we look, every shape, size and color represent art. From the films we watch to the cover of our books, from the interior of our house to the design of our clothes, art is present. In our modern times, art is usually described in its aesthetic sense. Art comes in drawing, painting, sculpture, architecture, poetry, music, cinema, and in almost anything.                        By definition, â€Å"art is any human effort to emulate, enhance, change, or neutralize the work of nature. It is also the conscious production of colors, sounds, forms, movements, and any other element in a manner that affects the sense of beauty and aesthetics. †(Art)            The elements of art, which can help us to understand better art’s aesthetic values are color, shape, line, value, space, form and texture. Color refers to the intensity of the colors used as well as with the brightness and darkness of colors. Shape refers to the â€Å"meeting of lines†. Lines are the primary element in any drawing. Value is the lightness and darkness or color, when it is combined with the hues. Lastly, form is the dimension of a shape. It can be a two or three dimensional shape.            Moreover, the principles of art can also help us to better understand our perception of art. When combined with the elements of art, to enhance the aesthetic value of art.  These are balance, proportion, contrast, emphasis, pattern, rhythm, harmony, unity, variety and movement. Balance is the principle of art wherein the other elements should not be overly done for the symmetry of a certain artwork. Contrast, on the other hand, is the idea of showing distinction by breaking repetitions in an artwork to draw focus in a certain area. Furthermore, proportion is the relative locations, shapes, and sizes of the objects or ideas in the artwork.            The term art also has something to do with visual experience or object which was created through by expressing a skill or by using the imagination. Art’s purposes also ranges from the aesthetic to the utilitarian point of view. (Art)            There is what we call the â€Å"utility of art†. It is where the utility or use of art enters. Graffiti is a kind of art which is used as a medium of self-expression. In the social context, graffiti can be used as a means to calm the internal being and boost one’s morale. One the negative context, it can be a form of black propaganda, and thus deteriorating other people’s lives.            Knowing these, it can be concluded that it is of great importance for young people to appreciate art. It is also a common fact that because of the advent in technology nowadays, what with the computer games and other modern gadgets, kids find it hard to involve themselves in art. It is now a common problem for elementary school art teachers to find ways to help the children in the appreciation of art.                        The concept of aesthetic is a very important consideration in teaching art especially to young children. Aesthetic is a philosophical branch that deals with the â€Å"criteria of artistic judgment†. Art’s classical conception was formulated by ancient art masters Plato and Aristotle, and developed by modern artists such as Benedetto, Croce, Kant, etc. (Art)            Since art is the first thing that one observes, it is essential to focus on the aesthetic value of an art for the children to better appreciate it. There are different ways on how to improve the teaching of art (in particular with third graders).            Firstly, consider the modern technological advancement and use it as an advantage. Since it was concluded that most students are hooked with the computers, why not use it as a means to let them be interested. Use the computer to show them digital photography. Play games with the computer using famous computer games characters and relate it to art. Only if you make them interested in something will they’ll be able to learn, and this is one sure way to make them interested.            Second, change the ambiance of your classroom. The environment is a very big factor to consider for the students to learn. Make it more vibrant, more colorful, and more appealing to Grade3 students. Put some designs on the wall. Instead of using a normal chair, let the children play inside by putting a larger working space for them to interact with one another.            Lastly, PLAY. Always remember that you are dealing with small kids. Always keep in mind that children needs time to play, and what else is the best way to make them learn that to integrate learning with playing. Information plus entertainment equals learning. Children love to play. They love interacting with one another. By doing this, it is a sure way to make them learn. Sources:  (Art) Retrieved on September 7, 2006 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art (Art) Retrieved on September 7, 2006 from http://www.answers.com/art&r=67 (Art) Retrieved on September 7, 2006 from http://www.Britannica.com
Sunday, September 29, 2019
New Testament interpretation also referred
The apostle Peter addressed the crowd for the first time after the Holy Spirit had come down on the apostles and the disciples on the day of the Pentecost.The crowd was amazed as they had heard them speaking in languages that they could understand. They knew they were Galileans but the crowd as made up of people from all over the region, including Parthians, Medes, Elamites.The quotation followed after a clarification from Peter that they were not drunk, instead they were speaking in tongues because of the pouring of the Holy Spirit. They were also prophesying in the Spirit. Prophecy was something that was prominent in Christianity and it was highlighted in the New Testament Christianity.The verses showed a relationship with how the Christians was conscious with the spirit of prophecy and how it had returned to them as community (Perrin 62). The importance they had attached it was evident in this speech that was a passage understood to be about the end of time as it was being fulfill ed among them.Historically, the book of Joel was grouped with pre-exilic prophets such as Amos and Micah. But there was little data to pinpoint the exact period by which it was written. If it was a plague of locusts, there was no data available for it. On the other hand, if locusts stood for an army invasion, there was little clue as to which threat it was (Barton 15).The entire book of Joel was seen to have no immediate relevance to anyone but had messages of how God would pour out spirit on all flesh as fulfilled in the book of Acts (Barton 3).Joel 2:28-32 was written in a context wherein there was an emphasis that not every one could benefit from the new order that was to come, not even everyone in Israel but only call on the name of the Lord (Barton 7).The previous passages before this verse represented Joel’s plea for the people to render their hearts to the Lord because of who God is. It was followed by how the Lord called His people to come back into His care.The gener al flow of the story started with presenting the dire state of the nation by which they need to proclaim a public lamentation (Barton 14). Following this lament, there were God’s promises for restoration as well as a glorious future.Difference in MeaningThe quotation in the New Testament also referred to the gift of the Spirit that was connected to the prediction Joel had made about how it would be given to mark the last days. In Joel’s time, the reference to the last days was not used. It was inserted precisely because it was the Apostolic Church and it was an eschatological event that took place (Filson 72). (Filson 72). There were significant additions and changes that Peter had made in his speech that quoted the prophet Joel. The quotation was opened up with â€Å"In the last days, God says†(Acts 17) as well as â€Å"they shall prophesy (Acts 18) that was not originally seen in the Old Testament passage (Perrin & Duling 62).However small the additions t o the verses were, they provided for a deeper meaning and significance especially in the context by which it was pronounced in the New Testament.The prophet prophesied of the days of the Lord, something that was still connected to the restoration that God would bring from the period of lamentation and strife in the country. It was interpreted in the New Testament to be the start of the fulfillment of the prophecy for the last days.While in the book of Joel, there was only one set of signs that indicated the coming of the â€Å"day of the Lord,†the book of Acts showed two sets of signs that referred to the â€Å"sky above†and the â€Å"earth beneath†(Perrin & Duling 62).This referred to the differences in the time period. The signs of the sky above were about the signs that were outstanding and were still waiting to be fulfilled.On the other hand, the signs of the earth below referred to the coming of Jesus and how he fulfilled this prophecy that pointed to th e signs of the last days (Perrin & Duling 62).The additions were also significant in how the people saw themselves and characterized themselves as a community.While in the context in the book of Joel referred to these signs to be the immediate experience and imminent expectation, the New Testament interpretation also referred to the Christian’s conviction of being the End Time community wherein they were experiencing the first act of the divine drama that would shortly be followed by the second coming of Christ (Perrin & Duling 62).
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Designing and implementing an evaluation of the quality of your Lab Report - 1
Designing and implementing an evaluation of the quality of your clinical teaching - Lab Report Example The responses of the students were measured on a linkert scale and the data tabulated for analysis. Twelve graduated nurses responded to the questions. From the results obtained, all the answers ranged between satisfactory, good, and very good. A majority of the responses fell within the category of very good. There was zero data on the categories of poor and very poor. On the positive side, all the questions ranging from Question 1 to Question 8 received overwhelming positive response from the respondents. Question 12 also ranked highly with all the students endorsing the preceptors with the score of â€Å"Very Good.†From this set of results it shows that students were positively in agreement with the fact that the preceptors were available for them, the preceptors understood their roles, the preceptors used students strength and knowledge, and that the receptors acted as good role models. Equally, the students were unanimously in agreement with the fact that the preceptors showed a good rapport with the students, helped them understand goals and needs of the experience, provided immediate feedback with adequate comment, and that they asked students to ask questions. Similarly, the students were in agreement that the nurses communicated clinical and didactic knowledge well. On the negative side, Question 9 and Question 10 scored low on the responses of the nursing students with many of those who responded spreading out between the levels of satisfactory and very good. By implication, it would imply that the respondents did not feel very positively strongly on the questions of whether the preceptors could communicate clinical and didactic knowledge well. They also showed little affirmation on whether the preceptors communicated clinical and previous knowledge well. This evaluation report proved a significantly resourceful tool in revealing the effectiveness of the methods
Friday, September 27, 2019
Interpersonal Communication and Competency Indicators Assignment - 2
Interpersonal Communication and Competency Indicators - Assignment Example Although it was not expressed directly but going to places like this made other people see them as noblemen. Spiritual – The manner in which the brothers treated the abandoned children in the children’s homemade them able to express their values, which in this case is their love and affection to other people are going through a lot of pains in life, just as they were when they were young. Adaptability – Living on the street with the community of homeless people especially in the winter illustrates how easily they could adapt to different environments, as well as the other experiences they had in other places. Ethics – Respecting each other’s differences and forgiving them for the things that they did that hurt others, especially ourselves. In this case, when Jeff had forgiven his father indicates his communication competency. The people who live on the street have experienced a stigma because other people look at them in a different way. In fact, according to one of them, people do not see them as a human being. The woman on the street who have experienced this stigma told about people who may even help the dogs on the street find a home for the winter, but ignore them who just have the same need. The young African-American who also lived on the street experience such stigma as people thinks he would never be able to live out of the streets. However, he believes otherwise. AIDS victim is also among those who had experienced the same stigma for people treat them differently, worse feels neglected by the society.Â
Thursday, September 26, 2019
Zara Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Zara - Case Study Example The company has created a niche in the global retail industry through its aggressive and carefully planned out business model. The unique points of their business model that has helped them grow in relatively short time are primarily two folds. One, their turn around time that is as aggressive as it can be; where in, Zara believes in staying with the trend and comes up with entirely new chain of clothing style with in two weeks of time. They have always maintained and encouraged employees to come with clothes that are trendy and can attract customers for a certain amount of duration before going in for a complete revamp as soon as the trend is out of fashion. Secondly, its Just-In time inventory system, where it believes in having just the required amount of clothing stock. This not only helps them keeping the cost low, but also come up with entirely new style of clothing inspired from customers’ feedback in rather quick time. The company spends almost a negligible amount in advertising as the Zara management has always maintained that what’s important is to give the customers that they want rather than force them to buy what you have. This principle has been the backbone of the Zara retails and has been the major point of success. Before launching their business in any new region, the management does a careful planning about the outlet positioning. Zara stores invariably are situated in main commercial areas and usually attract shoppers with its attractive and trendy display of stylish clothes. At the point of billing, customer service staff take extensive feedback from customers to identify the needs and the expectations of customers, this information is strictly followed while deciding on newer products. Surveys and customer feedback also allows Zara management to keep the prices competitive and within the range that the customers are happy to pay for and yet ensuring profits for the company. Th e large scale volume of business also allows Zara to
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Research Propasal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Propasal - Research Paper Example Qualitative data will be derived from a reliable source, which is the population, and this will be through conducting a sample survey. This research will have both theoretical and practical importance. This paper seeks to establish the hypothesis that individuals from rich families are more likely to be kidnapped. The type of crime that will be included in this proposal is kidnapping. During kidnappings, kidnappers unlawfully abduct and detain an individual against his or her wishes or intentions. A crime qualifies to be a kidnapping when an individual is unlawfully taken or moved to a different location without his or her consent. In most case, kidnappings are usually carried out with the objective of terrorizing the victim, asking for ransom, or influencing a political decision in exchange with the kidnapped person. Additionally, in many situations, children are largely the victims, although, adults too at times usually find themselves victims. Kidnapping is an offence, which according to law, has been categorized into degrees in relation to its magnitude (Hart & Zandbergen, 2009). The best type of research that will be applied when approaching the problem of kidnapping is descriptive. Through descriptive research, the important variables; dependent and independent will be established, which will aid in conducting the research. The descriptive research will start by exemplifying the problem, conducting a literature review, developing a research tool, identifying the population and sampling, data collection, and thereafter analyzing the data. This research will take on quantitative method, which will aid in testing the hypothesis scientifically. Qualitative data will be derived from a reliable source, which is the population, and this will be through conducting a sample survey. The data will be analyzed with the aim of establishing whether they correlate or associate with
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
Fair Value Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Fair Value - Essay Example Thus, the AASB framework provides the general guidelines, establishing the way a company should measure all its assets. The aim of the act is to avoid inconsistency of the various methods of measuring fair value, providing a more rigorous framework, for all companies. Thus, the market value of any current asset will be measured by the replacement cost of the services or benefits currently embodied in the asset. One very disputed and problematic point concerned the market value of different assets that weren't commonly traded on the open market, such as buildings or other possessions of this nature. The conclusion reached by the AASB researchers and specialists was that the best way to measure the market value of such assets would be by comparing the selling-prices of other buildings in the area. Although controversial at first, this rule was, seemingly, the best one to follow in establishing the potential selling price of any asset held by a company. The concepts of "current assets" and "current liabilities" are also defined by AASB, as being "an asset that is expected to mature or be realized within a 12 month period", while current liabilities are those liabilities that are "expected to be paid, settled or extinguished within a period equal to or less than 12 months from the reporting date". FASB and IASB board members met on 12th of May, 2006 to discuss and establish the revenue recognition methods that should be used. In doing so, there were some factors that had to be acknowledged as important to the recognition of any revenue. First on the list was customer acceptance, which lead, after thorough examination and in-depth discussions, to the conclusion that: "Revenue shall be recognized if the customer must accept performance to date. That is, the contract's legal remedy for breach is, or is like, specific performance or in the event of customer cancellation, the customer is obligated to pay damages reflecting performance to date." (see http://www.fasb.org/board_meeting_minutes/04-27-06_rr.pdf) "We're hoping that there will be more consistency in the way companies approach fair value measurement, and less diversity in practice from the user's perspective. Users should have more confidence that when they look at those disclosures about what is being shown at fair value and the methods used, they'll have better information to use to assess the quality of earnings and how they view the reliability of the estimates being made.", stated FASB board member, Leslie F. Seidman (Glenn Cheney, "FASB standard clarifies fair value measurement", 16 Oct, 2006,). From this point of view, the AASB framework provides rigorous guidelines, avoiding misunderstanding and inconsistency. Still, as all regulations were changed and revised, many companies complain that they have a difficult time in applying them, and that many criteria provided by this statement have been so frequently changed and discussed that the danger of misinterpreting or failing to respect the newest changes is real and impossible to ignore. Given the fact that the market value is mainly based
Monday, September 23, 2019
Wwek2 dicussions Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Wwek2 dicussions - Case Study Example Secondly, an individual may also fill the tax advice document claim form to inquire on how to handle non-disclosure matters. It mainly helps the taxpayer to provide information that he ought to have filed with the tax return but was discovered late. In addition, individuals may also fill the tax contextual information disclosure form. The option implies to the IRS that the taxpayer is sincere and may not recommend any audit process to unveil any undisclosed income information. Thirdly, a client may also make a voluntary disclosure in the case of offshore accounts since it makes them become compliant and avoid criminal prosecution. Such an option shows the taxpayer is willing to cooperate, and, therefore, the IRS may waive the penalty and may not indulge auditing team to probe the client. Finally, the client may decide to take the risk and wait to be summoned by the IRS for non-disclosure. However, this option may land the client in trouble. As a practitioner, I recommend that the client becomes sincere and retrieves the missing information from his partner. After that, he should voluntarily disclose to the IRS all the income information that were not disclosed. One should file the amended return information or contact IRS immediately to avoid penalties or any criminal prosecution that may arise. Acting sincerely without any push helps the client avoid IRS audits. Desai, R., & Roberts, R. (2012). Deficiencies in the Code of Conduct: The AICPA Rhetoric Surrounding the Tax Return Preparation Outsourcing Disclosure Rules. Journal of Business Ethics, 114(3), 457-471.
Sunday, September 22, 2019
Banc one corporation (interest rate yield curve and how Banc One's Essay
Banc one corporation (interest rate yield curve and how Banc One's interest swaps impact the curve) - Essay Example These swaps had a significant impact on their portfolio. Initially, they engaged in fixed-receiving IRSs’ which provided them with an above-market return or implied yield. In this case, swaps assisted them in generating higher returns, and thus its yield curve witnessed an upward shift. However, this yield curve would be flat as the rate is fixed. Also, it is shift in the implied yield rather than a rising slope because the tenure of the investment remained the same. After this, Banc One changed gears and opted for investing in short-term floating rate instruments and then entering into medium-term receive-fixed swaps. This again boosted the yield for the corporation, and at the same time provided liquid investments. The advantages of this structured product greatly outweighed the disadvantages. As part of its ongoing strategy to invest in CMOs’, the bank began to consider the development of a synthetic swap which would cater to the CMO investments which Banc One had ma de. Amortized Interest Rate Swaps were introduced. In this derivative, the bank was receiving a fixed rate and paying a floating rate. However, there was a risk of prepayments of the mortgages in which the bank had invested in. If the interest rates were to fall, the amortization of the CDOs’ would increase rapidly and the bank would find itself with funds to reinvest in a depressed market.
Saturday, September 21, 2019
Literature review Essay Example for Free
Literature review Essay Abstract: Supply chain Management has assumed a significant role in firms performance and has attracted serious research attention over the last few years. A literature review reveals a considerable spurt in research in theory and practice of SCM. Combining and informing on features of Supply Management and distribution Management. This integration has resulted in the concept of extended enterprise and the supply chain is now manifest as the collaborative supply chain across intercompany borders to maximize the value across the entire supply chain. A large number of research papers have been published in various journals in last two decades. In this paper an attempt is made to review the status of literature on Supply Chain Management. A literature classification scheme is proposed. A total of 588 articles from 13 refereed academic journals are classified into articles in five methodologies i.e. Exploratory, Normative, Methodology, Literature Review and Hypothesis testing. This literature review finds that exploratory type of research is mostly preferred it is expected that with the maturity of SCM the hypothesis testing method will pick up. The articles are further categorized in fifteen categories on the basis of content analysis. Based on this review, some possible research issues are identified. Keywords: SCM, Supply Chain strategy, Literature Review. those with average performance. 1. INTRODUCTION Traditionally, Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been a melting pot of various aspects, with influences from logistics and transportation, operations management and materials anddistribution management, marketing, as well as purchasing and information technology (IT). Ideally, the allencompassing philosophy of SCM embraces each of these functions to produce an overall supply chain strategy that ultimately enhances firm performance (Croom et al. 2000; Wisner and Tan 2000). In actuality, the literature is still very fragmented and although several studies purport to discuss supply chain issues, most of the existing research only examines one link of the chain, or most importantly only focuses on one ingredient in the supply chain performance mix. Six major movements can be observed in the evolution of supply chain management studies. Creation, Integration, Globalization, Specialization Phases One and Two, and SCM 2.0 These phases are given in Table 1. In the current competitive scenario supply chain management assumes a significant importance and calls for serious research attention, as companies are challenged with finding ways to meet ever-rising customer expectations at a manageable cost. To do so, businesses must search out which parts of their supply-chain process are not competitive, understand which customer needs are not being met, establish improvement goals, and rapidly implement necessary improvements. Previously manufacturers were the drivers of the supply chain managing the pace at which products were manufactured and distributed. Today, customers are calling the shots, and manufacturers are scrambling to meet customer demands for options/styles/ features, quick order fulfillment, and fast delivery. Manufacturing quality a long-time competitive differentiator is approaching parity across the board, so meeting customer’s specific demands for product delivery has emerged as the next critical opportunity for co mpetitive advantage. Companies that learn how to improve management of their supply chain will become the new success stories in the global market place. Study on Benchmarking shows significant cost differences between organizations that exhibit best-in-class performance and Copyright  © 2010 HyperSciences_Publisher. All rights reserved The six stage evolutionary era depicts that in a particular era which strategy was emphasized. For instance in the sixth era information Technology was given priority and IT enabled supply chain was the burning issue. In the 1990s industries began to focus on â€Å"core competencies†and adopted a specialization model. Companies abandoned vertical integration, sold off non-core operations, and outsourced those functions to other companies. Web 2. 0 is defined as a trend in the use of the World Wide Web that is meant to increase creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users. The term supply chain management was first coined by an American industry consultant in the early 1980s. However the concept of supply chain in management, was of great importance long before in the early 20th century, especially by the creation of the assembly line. This era of supply chain management studies was highlighted with the development of Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) systems in the 1960s and developed through the 1990s by the introduction of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems. This era is characterized by the globalization of supply chain management in organizations with the goal of increasing competitive advantage, creating more value-added, and reducing costs through global sourcing Specialization within the supply chain began in the 1980s with the inception of transportation brokerages, warehouse management, and non asset based carriers and has matured beyond transportation and logistics into aspects of supply planning, collaboration, execution and performance management. presents various connotations given by various researchers; then a literature classification scheme is explained and a research agenda is suggested after identifying the gaps between theory and practice of SCM. SCM research has included a number of literature reviews and historical studies published in the top scholarly journals in the fields of logistics, logistic management, purchasing and SCM (Croom et al. 2000; Carter and Ellram 2003; Rungtusanatham et al. 2003). SCM literature reviews have also been done in the past. However, for the most part these reviews have been descriptive (offering basic frequencies for topics covered etc.) or normative. Given the increasing focus on SCM in both academic and practitioner literature streams, a review of the concepts, topics, analysis methods and levels of analysis across thirteen academic journals was undertaken. This research investigates the history of the SCM literature looking at the various trends and developments in the field
Friday, September 20, 2019
Analysis Of Sabmillers Direction Commerce Essay
Analysis Of Sabmillers Direction Commerce Essay Over the past century, the worlds demand for beer increased significantly due to economic growth. Meanwhile, the following competitive pressure and challenges the breweries facing are becoming the big challenge in developing markets. SABMiller has already become one of the worlds leading brewers with more than 200 beer brands and some 70,000 employees in over 75 countries. However, it still faced both opportunities and threats. It may needs to reconsider the positions and establish competitive advantages accordingly. 1. Analysis of SABMillers direction SABMillers strategic priorities (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) showed that higher market share and greater influence of brand portfolios extension are the most important directions of SABMillers strategies. It can be presented by the following contents. 1.1 Direction of strategy chosen According to the introduction of Johnson (2011), Ansoffs matrix of corporate strategy directions can display SABMillers strategic direction. Ansoff (1988) provides four zones, which is market penetration, new products and services, market development and conglomerate diversification, being used in existing and new market with existing and new products and service, respectively. SABMillers direction mainly included the B zone and C zone. B zone means developing new products for its existing markets, as SABMiller acquired amount of premium and local brands to make new and strong brand portfolios in Europe and America market. C zone shows bringing existing products into new market. As it can be seen in SABMillers 2000 report, SAB caught the opportunities to create a profitable and fast-expanding business in undeveloped world through providing high quality beer and taking a share with local partners.(As shown in Figure 1) Page 1 of 10 Figure 1 corporate strategy directions Products/services Existing New A. Market penetration B. New products and services C. Market development D. Conglomerate diversification Existing Market New Source: Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Overall, the directions of strategy are around the different markets and brand portfolios. SABMiller used the right decision to create new profits and consolidate their position in the world market. 1.2 Means of growth The growth of SABMiller over the time period concentrated on the key of MA (merger and acquisition) and strategic alliance, according to the different markets and consumers. In the developed world, in order to catering to the increasing high-end market and consumers, SABMiller set out the strong, relevant brand portfolios in the local market. Affluent consumers were varying their choices and becoming more interested in speciality brands, craft beers and foreign imports. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) In the less developed world, SABMiller improved market share with taking a share in a brewery with local partners, remaining the brand which has been acquired and providing high-quality beer in proper price. Therefore, SABMiller tried its best to control the fragmentation absolutely. The main method it carried out are: Page 2 of 101. Alliance. Joint venture is cooperation of two or more individuals or businesses in which each agrees to share profit, loss, and control in the specific of enterprise. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) Such as SABMiller formed a joint venture with Chinese Snow Breweries to enrich its portfolio so that it can enter the Chinese brewery market. (The Business Journal, 2006) 2. Acquisition. One firm takes over the ownership of another. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) For example, SABMiller has already controlled 99 percent of the market in South Africa (Economist 2005) and the acquisition of the Forsters business and Miller. (Economist, 2011) 3. Merger. The combination of two previously separates organizations, typically as more or less equal partners. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) For instance, SABMiller and Molson Coors, the nations No. 2 and No. 3 brewers, merge their operations in the United States and Puerto Rico.(The New York Times, 2007) 1.3 Strategic rationale The initial rationale surrounding acquisition was that the deal would enhance SABMiller market share in the beer market. SABMillers motivation in the deal was to exploit the potential of the brand extensions in international markets, both in native, established areas (south Africa, Europe and America), as well as in burgeoning emerging markets. However, the company envisioned significant additional potential for the acquired brand across the world, where the premium segment was and is still in its infancy as the emerging market in mid-1990s. Europe, the traditional central market of the beer industry, has recovered from turning off beer through the off-trade from 2000 to 2010. A good deal of this increasing demand for premium products is being satisfied by the import from overseas apparently. (As shown in Table 1) Table 1: Imports of beer by country country Imports 2002(%) Imports 2008(%) United Kingdom Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Italy 10.9 4.74 2.6 2.3 23 3.1 27.2 17.7 12.8 10.5 10.1 31.4 7.6 33.5 Source: Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Page 3 of 10SABMiller found the upward tendency and responded by buying Dutch specialist Grolsch in 2007. (Ewing, 2007) This acquisition of Grolsch not only replaced Amstel in the South African portfolios, but also filled a large gap in SABMillers international brand portfolios. The strategies SABMiller used make sense that their overall strength were consolidated and made profit from its financial report. 2. SABMillers industry competitive For the industry situation, it is necessary for SABMiller to analyse its competitive advantages as well as the core resource and competence. 2.1 Competitive advantages According to the theory of Porters generic strategies (1985), cost leadership strategy means the companys cost is the lowest in the industry and hence get much higher profit compared to competitors from the market price. Differentiation strategy means the companys product or service is not available from its competitors. The company can set a much higher price for its uniqueness and cover its higher costs. Focus strategy includes cost focus and differentiation focus. Both of which target a narrow segment market and try to meet their specific needs respectively. (As shown in Figure 2) The strategy adopted by SABMiller is differentiation focus strategy, which could be observed from the first characteristic. Figure 2: Porters Generic Strategies Target segment 1 Cost leadership 2 Differentiation 3a Cost focus 3b Differentiation Focus Broad target Narrow target Low High Cost Page 4 of 10Source: adapt from Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Firstly, it is no doubt that developing the local and international brands or brand Page 5 of 10 Page 4 of 10 Page 4 of 10 Page of 10 Page 4 of 10portfolios that are the first choice of consumers so that they can create more attractive value is the one of the four priorities (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) in different markets. It means that the superior products provided by SABMiller are allowed to give a higher price than rivals. This is apparently in accordance with the definition of the differentiation advantage. Based on this, it is SABMillers competitive advantage that to own and nurture those attractive local and global brand portfolios that made more profits for it. Secondly, cost (related to cost leadership) and geographic advantage of SABMiller are in favor of its development. Acquisition and Alliance around the world have already help SABMiller to acquire numbers of factories and facilities and exploit the market so that it can cut down the investment on those projects in other countries. (Schoenberg, 2005) Thirdly, SABMiller succeeds because it attracts, develop and reward employees who have the passion to make a significant contribution to the continued growth of its business. Norman Adami, previously head of its South Africa Beer business, was appointed as Head of Miller, helped Miller to avoid exposing weakness and exploiting its strength. (SABMiller, 2012) 2.2 Management of threshold Threshold capabilities are those needed for an organization to meet the necessary requirements to compete in a given market and achieve parity with competitors in that market. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) The beer industry is easy to enter and the competition in this industry is also cut-throat. The threshold resources are required to meet minimum customers requirements and the capabilities deployed resources so as to meet customers requirements and support particular strategies. SABMiller improved the threshold through a series of acquisition and owned amount of resources and competences to proceed the next strategic step such as consolidation and extension of different levels of markets. For instance, the SABMiller has the plenty of funds to acquisition the company which have the rest value for it to use. 2.3 Core resource and competence There are two components of strategic capability: resources and competences. Resources are the assets that organisations have or can call upon. Competences are the ways those assets are used or deployed effectively. Table 2 shows the SABMillers resources and competences Table 2 Components of strategic capability Strategic capability Resources Categories Competences Wide range of brand portfolios Factories with super equipment Experience and operating practices Physical Diversification of products Improving the market share in geographically Being Familiar with the operating in this industry Plenty of funds to support acquisition Financial Giving the access into the world market more confidentially Well trained staffs experienced managers Human high efficiency influence of decision Source: Adapt from (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) The physical resources are basic for producers. According to the different markets and sales experience, SABMiller launched the famous brand portfolios by acquiring and alliance to account for a space in the industry. SABMiller has the strong funds support from its shareholders. By contrast to 2007, the investment in subsidiaries went up to 13,429 in March 2008. In addition, the performance of SABMiller was also great. The increasing of both revenue and profit before tax was over 16% from 2007 to 2008. (SABMiller, 2012) Page 6 of 10In terms of the human resource, excellent staffs and management acquired a significant boost in effectiveness. Especially, a decision maker who has the political courage and strong judiciary has the important impact on company as the Norman Adami, who is the key leader in management of Miller. 3. Strategic position and option SABMiller still has some disadvantages at present. According to the analysis above and the position of SABMiller in the industry, options are analysed before recommendation. 3.1 Consideration of the strategic option At the end of the case the SAB Mill faced how the group could continue to sustain its historical growth rate and performance going forward. Meanwhile, global competitors have already fought vigorously for market share. Even there are comments about AB I nBev will have a bid for SABMiller. (Lucas, 2011) The tendency was really against the development of SABMiller. At the same time, its brand development and capital control and utilization problems should be resolved. With the beer industry consolidated rapidly, SABMiller should take into account some aspects as following: 1. Cost of acquisition and alliances The business of SABMiller is internationalisation. SABMiller made the use of assets which are acquired by acquisition and alliance in both developed and undeveloped countries. SABMiller needed to occupy the premium beer market and keep the growing sales volumes to make more profits. Therefore, financial support played a key role in the series of measures. When SABMiller would be able to recover the investments and the cost of operating capital had to be considered carefully. 2. Market modification In the future world market, the ABI will be concentrated on USA, which is one of the most important traditional markets. Plus, Heineken and Carlsberg were invested heavily in Africa and Russia, respectively. Meanwhile Japanese brewers are developing very rapidly in emerging Asia market. The more new brewers come into the industry, the fiercer competition will be among them. Therefore, the SABMiller should pay more attention to keep up with the market changing and take measures quickly. It needs to consolidate the original position in constant areas and permeate gradually through the emerging market. Page 7 of 10 3.2. Strategic position In 2012, SABMiller is operating in a complex political, economic, social and technological world. To evaluate the strategic position of SABMiller and give the recommendation, it is better to analyse macro-environment, through which, the critical environmental factors can be identified. This could be done by Table 3 analysis, which provides a comprehensive list of influences on the possible success or failure of particular strategies. Table 3: PESTEL analysis Political Sensitivity of government Domestic protection policy Economic Exchange risk The growth of demand Ingredient price Consolidation in the industry Social Lifestyle change (more entertainment party and club) Disease influence Technological New product Brand portfolio Environment The climate issues (lead to the lack of water) Legal Due to the local law, takeover attempts may generate problems Source: adapt from (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) Through PESTEL analysis(Tomas,2007), it is obvious that the tougher political and legal factors combined with stricter environmental regulations give the SABMiller some challenges in the process of reducing operational cost, although theres some help provide by the technological factors. In addition, the unpredictable exchange risk (soft currency) and climate issues (water risk) make the challenges scale extended. In another side, the social lifestyle change in premium market gives the SABMiller a chance to compete with other competitors in the aspect of sale volumes. 3.3 Strategic pursuit Through the analysis above, we can use SWOT (Jacob, Shepherd, Johnson, 1998) to conclude the whole situation of SABMiller: Page 8 of 10 1. Strengths: The competitive advantages, core resources and competence are the most important parts of SABMiller that include local and international brands and super equipments. 2. Weakness: SABMiller needs to control the financial management better rather than overusing them to purchasing power to force down ingredient prices. 3. Opportunities: With the development of economics, the consumption level of individuals is rising rapidly so that the market outlook is becoming more and more prospective. 4. Threats: In this industry, marketing competition is fierce and cruel. Especially, the key competitor, ABInbev, which is the largest brewery in the world, has the stronger power than SABMiller. SABMiller has to exploit its advantages and control the weakness. The first step before expansion is to maintain the current scale of the business. The investors benefits should be ensured so that it can acquire support from them. What is more, SABMiller should try its best to keep the market share, the quality and quantity of products and service. In addition, the financial management is another factor which is difficult to control such as exchanged rate and currency liquidity. Even though expending world market is really efficient, it has to keep the position within the industry urgently. Conclusion SABMiller is a company which developed through the acquisition of other businesses, meanwhile, to achieve such performance is not easy in a short period of time. In the case of the intensity of rivalry in the beer industry, it still needs strong and effective strategic decisions for future target plans. Through this analysis, SABMiller groundbreaking own brand positioning and operations of the acquired businesses as well as cash flow management. Page 9 of 10
Thursday, September 19, 2019
Julius Caesar Analysis :: essays papers
Julius Caesar Analysis Aristotle was perhaps the pioneer of modern day dramas, more specifically dramatic tragedies. He first defined what a tragedy is: A drama which contained hubris, pathos and/or bathos, and the most valued element in a tragedy, a tragic hero. This was usually the main character who is noble in his deeds, yet has one flaw which causes him to fall. The tragic works of Shakespeare were no exception. In the drama, Julius Caesar the reader can clearly see many of the principles of a tragedy. That is all except for the tragic hero. Ideas as to who is the tragic hero range from Cassius to Julius Caesar himself. The trouble is all characters have material to prove and disprove them. However the hypothesis that Marcus Brutus is the tragic hero is incorrect. One element to a tragic hero is the hero has only one tragic flaw, and Brutus clearly has more than one flaw in his character. The first flaws in Brutus character is his naivete and the assumptions he makes about other characters. Through out the entire story these two flaws are reflected in many of his decisions and actions. A specific example is his view on the Roman populace. Thinking all Romans are honorable and noble it is not only incorrect, but it plagues him until the very end of the play. One instance occurred as the conspirators were meeting. Brutus stated, Lets kill him boldly, but not wrathfully...... This shall make our purpose necessary and not envious.... (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, 2.1. 172 & 177-178). He honestly believed that all involved were going to kill Caesar for honorable reasons. Not once did he question the motives of everyone, where, in reality Brutus probably was the only involved for noble reasons. Brutus undoubtedly convinces the reader of his own naivete when he states, ... let us bathe our hands in Caesars blood... Lets all cry ^Peace, freedom, and liberty!! (3.1. 106 & 110) Just by his enthusiasm, Brutus is not aware of any other motives. He simply believes that , Peace, freedom, and liberty are the only motives. Another example was during his speech at Caesars funeral. ... not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more (3.2. 18-20). Addressing the nobility of his actions and his love for Rome, Brutus surmises that the people understand him because of their equal love for their country. This assumption is evident because he uses it as the sole reason for killing Caesar. A reason that Brutus believes the people agree with, otherwise he would not use it to rationalize such a
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Progressive Era Essay -- essays research papers
From president Roosevelt becoming a vegetarian to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles, the progressive era, foreign policy, and World War one were major parts of United States history. The progressive movement was caused by labor unions and the presidents’ progressive plans. World War one and Open Door Policy caused the American Foreign Policy. This in many ways helped shape and increase American power in the early 20th Century.      The progressive movement was an effort made to help make America to be safer and make the economy better. Social Welfare and African American rights where things that improved during the progressive era. Election Reforms started to change so it would give more power to the people instead of the government. The food industry was a very disgusting industry back then and it was so bad that when a man named Sinclair Upton wrote a book called The Jungle about it, it change the president into a vegetarian for six months until h came up with the Meat Inspection Act. Labor Unions such as, Knights of Labor and the A.F.L., started to increase in size because people wanted to have better job environments. Strikes emerged everywhere in the United States that helped job environments to improve. A major strike was in Chicago called the Haymarket Strike that turned the people against labor movement due to police brutality. President Roosevelt came up with a plan called the Squar e Deal, which used â€Å"Trust busting†and gave more powe...
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Dispositional Optimism Essay -- Psychology, Behaviorism
Behaviorism is an essential part of our daily lives since it reflects how we learn and deal with varying circumstances. Schacter, Gilbert and Wegner (2011) states that behaviorism restricts psychologists to focus purely on observable behavior; it rejects the emphasis of the conscious and unconscious mind (p. 16). Ivan Pavlov, who was a Russian physiologist, discovered this concept when he researched the role that saliva played on digestion. In his experiment, he gave the dogs’ meat powder to see how they would salivate to it. After a while, he noticed that the dogs’ salivated even before he gave them food; if the dogs’ saw the white lab coat, put in the harness, hear the sound of a buzzer, or the ringing of a bell. He then concluded that these dogs’ were learning from the environment, which at first, they thought was an annoyance, leading Pavlov to the classical conditioning process - which says that we learn through pairings and association ( Ryan, G. (2013) Lectures on Learning. Personal Collection of G. Ryan, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood NY). Another advocate of behaviorism was John B. Watson, who wanted to demonstrate that even sophisticated behaviors such as emotion are subject to classical conditioning. Watson conducted a study known as â€Å"Little Albert,†where he taught the infant to fear the white rat, which was originally a neutral stimulus. Every time the rat appeared, he would bang two metal pipes together to scare the infant. Consequently, it resulted to â€Å"Little Albert†to fear similar objects to the rat- known as stimulus generalization, and in this case, it was a broad selection of animals. However, according to the authors Schacter, Gilbert, and Wegner (2011) classical conditioning stu... ...the end, you are the only one who can truly put you in the dark. Moreover, you, yourself, are the one who can take you out of your darkness. References Brodhagen, A., Wise, D. (2008). Optimism as a Mediator Between the Experience of Child Abuse, Other Traumatic Events, and Distress. Journal Of Family Violence, 23(6), 403-411 Brunk, L., Hirsch, J. K., LaLonde, S. M., Morris, A. P., and Wolford, K., 2007 (2007). Dispositional Optimism as a Moderator of the Relationship Between Negative Life Events and Suicide Ideation and Attempts. Cognitive Therapy & Research, 31(4), 533- 546. Ryan, G. (2013) Lectures on Learning. Personal Collection of G. Ryan, Suffolk County Community College, Brentwood NY Schacter, D. L., Gilbert, D.T., and Wegner, D.M., (2011). Learning (p. 16 and 177). Psychology (Second Edition). New York, N.Y: Worth Publishers.
Analysis of Different Social Networking Tools Essay
Social network is a social structure made up of many actors, for example firms, or people which are all tied up in relationships, connections, or interactions(1). The social network perspective is made up to employ the structure of a social group, how they interact with each other, how this structure has an influence on other variables and how it changes as time passes. What is Social Networking Analysis? Social network analysis is the mapping and measuring of all the factors that make up the social network, it is the measuring of relationships and flows between people, groups, organizations, computers, URL, and other connected information entries(3). The nodes in the network are represented as people and the links show their direct relationships with each other. To have deeper understanding of networks and their participants , we evaluate the location of actors in the network which basically means finding the centrality of a node . These measures give us insight into the various roles and groupings in a network  who are the connectors, mavens, leaders, bridges, isolates, where are the clusters and who is in them, who is in the core of the network, and who is on the periphery? In order to evaluate and understand these networks and the relationships between their actors we use social network analysis tools. We will be discussing three different SNA tools, compare between them, talk about their main features, and their pros and cons. UCINET: Features: UCINET is one of the top software packages used for analyzing social network data, it is a downloadable software program that can read and write social network data files, and it is primarily used in academic environments and also by consultants that have developed customized versions of the software to suit their specific need(5). Net draw is a program that accompanies UCINET upon download and is used to read and display network visualizations, not only that but the UCINET file formats are compatible and can be used with a number of other analysis and visualization platforms. Pros: UCINET comes with many advantages, it has significant compatibility to import data from many different files format, including excel , it also supports more complex types of network analysis and the accompanying tool Net draw is able to handle very large files. Finally it is compatible like stated above with many different visualization platforms. Cons: The disadvantages of UCINET start off with the fact that is more difficult to use it with the simple social network analysis tasks as it is intended to be used with the more sophisticated types of network. Online help resources also seem intended for the more experienced, sophisticated types of audience as one must have prior knowledge of the software in order to follow. Net draw’s visualization does not allow formatting of output of data also during viewing of the social network it is difficult to filter data. Nit miner: Features: Net Miner is a premium software tool for Exploratory Analysis and Visualization of Network Data(4). The tool allows you to explore your network data visually and interactively, and helps you to detect underlying patterns and structures of the network. The tool is intended to handle large amounts of data and enables the user to conduct both simple and more advanced types of analysis, including a number of statistical procedures. The data generated from Net miner can be visualized based on several different types of network visualization and algorithms and statistical results can be charted using graphs which shows that the data produced can be easily interpreted into many outputs. As you can tell Net miner is a very user friendly type of tool and also statistically powerful, it is suitable for a large range of audiences including, corporate, academic, and general consumer use. Pros: As stated before Net miner is very user friendly, it comes packed with a convenient and intuitive user interface which provides as a nice advantage for less experienced types of users? The user support is another strong area as help files are provided into the platform as well as documentation on how to use the product which can be found online on the publisher’s website. It is also good for use with the more advanced types of users as it features advanced functionality to conduct multiple types of statistical analyses and visualizations. Cons: One of the few drawbacks though of Net miner which may come as a surprise since its user friendliness, is the fact, that it requires at the very least a basic understanding of technical sophistication and some familiarity with social networking Visone: Features: Visone is a long-term research project (team), in which models and algorithms are used to integrate and advance the analysis and visualization of social networks that are being developed(6). The most significant feature of Visone is the design and implementation of a software tool intended for research and teaching in social network analysis. It is specifically designed to allow experts and novices alike to apply innovative and advanced visual methods with ease and accuracy. The main features of the Visone software tool is its interactive analysis and visualization of social networks which proves useful as it is used for the research and teaching of social network analysis. The Visone is also capable of being used through JAVA and can also be downloaded or used via the web. Visone enables the user to run multiple types of visualization based on common scientific algorithms, users can also calculate metrics based on social network data. Visone is commonly used in academic environments; it is also suitable for a wider audience because it is more affordable and easier to use than most academic platforms with similar functionality. Pros: Visone comes packed with a very clean looking and intuitive interface; it is user friendly and helps out the less experienced users to be able to get access to complex tools. Its advanced capabilities to output multiple types of visualizations are also one of its strongpoints. Cons: Visone main drawbacks comes down to the fact that there is a lack of help files integrated within the software therefore it is difficult for user who are inexperienced to be able to carry out tasks which they aren’t familiar with. Support doesn’t only fall short in here it’s online user’s manual to conducting analyses is not comprehensive and other online software documentation is difficult to navigate.
Monday, September 16, 2019
Project Time Management Essay
As project manager, you are actively leading the Green Computing Research Project team in developing a schedule. You and Ben found three internal people and one new hire to fill the positions on the project team as follows: Matt was a senior technical specialist in the corporate IT department located in the building next to yours and Ben’s. He is an expert in collaboration technologies and volunteers in his community helping to organize ways for residents to dispose of computers, printers, and cell phones. Teresa was a senior systems analyst in the IT department in a city 500 miles away from your office. She just finished an analysis of virtualization of server resources for her office, which has responsibility for the company’s data center. James was a senior consultant in the strategic research department in a city 1,000 miles away from your office. He has a great reputation as being a font of knowledge and excellent presenter. Although he is over 60, he has a lot of energy. Le was a new hire and former colleague of Ben’s. She was working in Malaysia, but she planned to move to your location, starting work about four weeks after the project started. Le has a lot of theoretical knowledge in green computing, and her doctoral thesis was on that topic. While waiting for everyone to start working on your project, you talked to several people working on other projects under the Environmental Technologies Program and did some research on green computing. You can use a fair amount of the work already done on telecommuting, and you have the name of a consulting firm to help with that part of your project, if needed. Ito and Ben both suggested that you get up to speed on available collaboration tools since much of your project work will be done virtually. They knew that Matt would be a tremendous asset for your team in that area. You have also contacted other IT staff to get detailed information on your company’s needs and plans in other areas of green computing. You also found out that there is a big program meeting in England next month that you and one or two of your team members should attend. It is a three-day meeting, plus travel. Recall that the Green Computing Research Project is expected to be completed in six months, and you and your four team members are assigned full-time to this project. Your project sponsor, Ben, has made it clear that delivering a good product is most important, but he also thinks you should have no problem meeting your schedule goal. He can authorize additional funds, if needed. You have decided to hire a part-time editor/consultant, Deb, whom you know from a past job to help your team produce the final reports and project proposals. Your team has agreed to add a one-week buffer at the end of the project to ensure that you finish on time or early. Tasks 1. Review the WBS and Gantt chart you created for Tasks 5 and 6 in Part 2. Propose three to five additional activities you think should be added to help you estimate resources and durations. Write a one-page paper describing these new activities. 2. Identify at least four milestones for this project. Write a one-page paper describing each milestone using the SMART criteria. 3. Using the Gantt chart created for Task 6 in Part 2, and the new activities and milestones you proposed in Tasks 1 and 2 above, estimate the task durations and enter dependencies as appropriate. Remember that your schedule goal for the project is six months. Print the Gantt chart and network diagram. 4. Write a one-page paper summarizing how you would assign people to each activity. Include a table or matrix listing how many hours each person would work on each task. These resource assignments should make sense given the duration estimates made in Task 3 above. 5. Assume that your project team starts falling behind schedule. In several cases, it is difficult to find detailed information on some of the green computing technologies, especially financial data. You know that it is important to meet or beat the six-month schedule goal, but quality is most important. Describe contingency strategies for making up lost time and avoiding schedule slips in the future. After reviewing the work breakdown structure (WBS) and Gantt chart, three additional activities are being proposed. The addition of these activities will assist with estimating resources and durations. This project will benefit from the identification of four milestones throughout the project. Using these milestones as markers for time, budget, and personnel resources, the project will be kept on track. These milestones will be developed using the SMART criteria outlined in the text (Schwalbe, 2014). The identification of these milestones is the first added activity. The second activity to be added is the contingency plan. The contingency plan will outline strategies for making up lost time and remaining on schedule for the remainder of the project.
Sunday, September 15, 2019
Michelangelo and Mannerism
Michelangelo Bonaparte has come to be known as the greatest artist of his time, and one of the all time greats for sure. Albeit unlike other artists of his time he was recognized for his greatness while he was alive. He was also torn between his patronage, of the Medici family in Florence, and the Catholic church in Rome. He was born in 1475 and died in 1564 a ripe age of 88 or 89 years old. Michelangelo is also attributed with development in Mannerism. Mannerism emerged in 1520, about 40 years before Michelangelo death. Mannerism is a rich period of European art that was later replaced by Baroque erred.Mannerism is basically taking a turn after the High Renaissance from the sweet angelic ideals to a more basic, tense, unstable perspective and is often credited with the growth of intellectual sophistication. By the end of the High Renaissance some of the younger artists felt that everything difficult to be done to prove yourself in the art world had already been done, thus the develo pment of a new style, Mannerism. The Last Judgment, or better known as the Sistine Chapel, shows strong tendencies of the Mannerist Period. The exaggerated muscles on the naked bodies is strong example.Also the way the bodies are positioned in such pained poses also points towards the Mannerist style. The overly ornate and intricate style of painting and the over the top color scheme and overall grandeur of the fresco also points towards the Mannerist period. Another piece of art that exemplifies the Mannerist period by Michelangelo is his sculpture of David. Although its a sculpture he is trying to show the human soul personified by the ornate and obscure structure of the human body and musculature. He is showing you a man in a seemingly natural position.But in reality this pose would be hard to hold over a period of time. And if a closer look is taken it can be seen that the musculature of this sculpture is not exactly anatomically correct. With Mannerism developing towards the mi ddle of his life, Michelangelo got to paint not only during the High Renaissance but the Mannerist period as well. Although I only listed two examples, Michelangelo had many more paintings and such that exemplify the styles of Mannerism. He was a great artist who contributed to the Mannerist period in many ways. Michelangelo and Mannerism By gingering
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Planning Assessment Essay
3.1 SUMMARISE KEY FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN PLANNING ASSESSMENT When planning assessment you need to gauge a clear idea of what level the candidate is at to see if they are ready to complete your planned assessment. There are many ways of achieving this knowledge. One method is observation in performance or another by taking an initial assessment test which have seven levels with the basic entry level 1 being the first. Once this knowledge has been gained, further knowledge is needed to suit their needs. What is their preferred learning style, is it part of a group or on a one to one basis. You will need to find out their strengths and weaknesses to get the most out of their abilities but also to work around and improve on different area that need to be worked on. When this has all been achieved the learners will need to be given information about the planned assessment. First of all they will need to have an understanding of what they are about to study, explaining what they need to do to meet the criteria set by OFQUAL – the governing body of the qualifications. They will need to understand what is expected of them when attending the course by giving them the code of conduct for them to follow. It is important that the health and safety procedures are explained to ensure their safety throughout their assessment. After this has been completed, the learners will be given the folder to look through and their assessment plan to see how they will complete it. 3.3 EXPLAIN HOW TO PLAN A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO ASSESSMENT By taking a holistic approach to assessment, it can provide the learner with a more in depth report on their progress by covering all the different methods – observations, session plans, witness testimonies, knowledge evidence and professional discussion across all the units in one go. This allows me to understand the different kind of approaches each individual learner feels comfortable with to achieve the highest possible grade. 3.5 EXPLAIN HOW TO MINIMIZE RISKS THROUGH THE PLANNING PROCESS It is the responsibility of the assessor to minimise the risks by making sure all of the health and safety procedures are covered such as risk assessment of the facilities. The assessor needs to gather information that is personal from the learner in order to adapt and provide special needs that they might have. Also the assessor will need to treat all learners equally, ensuring that equality and diversity issue are met. Once this information has been gained, the assessor can then produce an action plan for the learner which is both realistic and achievable so they are comfortable to achieve the best possible results. 4.1 EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF INVOLVING THE LEARNER AND OTHERS IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS Peer and Self Assessment is an effective way to get the learners involved and it gives a clear idea of what the learner is currently at and what action is needed to meet the standards and criteria. This can be done through feedback. Feedback is a vital part of the assessment process as it gives the assessor an idea of if the learner has met the criteria set and if they haven’t, what action is needed to achieve the criteria. If there is a disagreement with the assessments carried out then the learners can follow the organisational procedures that are set in place which include grievance procedures, systems for appeals and confidentiality procedures. 4.2 SUMMARISE TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO LEARNERS AND OTHERS INVOLVED IN THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS The first thing that should be made available to the learners and those involved in the assessment process is what the reason is for assessment. The NVQ award is structured for a candidate to provide evidence through practical assignments and portfolio evidence that is gained throughout the qualification. They will also need to know how long they have to complete the course which is up to the assessor. By giving them information on deadlines then it will ensure tasks are not left until the last minute which could affect the standards of the work. One other type of information that they will need to know is what the criteria is for them to achieve the grade. Each qualification has a minimum requirement needed to be met and once they learner knows this, they can work towards meeting it and gaining the qualification. 4.3 EXPLAIN HOW PEER AND SELF ASSESSMENT CAN BE USED EFFECTIVELY TO PROMOTE LEARNER INVOLVEMENT AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN THE ASSESSMENT OF LEARNING Peer and Self-Assessment can be used effectively within the learners when one of the group has difficulty within a task. Learners can interact with each other and help each other out which would be a lot less intimidating and in some situations embarrassing for shy and insecure learners than an assessor telling them they are right or wrong in front of the rest of the group. 6.3 SUMMARISE THE PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW WHEN THERE ARE DISPUTES CONCERNING ASSESSMENT IN OWN AREA OF PRACTICE If there are disputes concerning assessment in own area of practice then the procedures to follow are as follows: First of all the assessor has to be available to discuss the problem as it could be sorted out quickly and effectively through discussion. If the learner feels they want to take it further then they can take the steps to show their disagreement which will be listed in their ‘Student Handbook’ given to them at the beginning of the course. This includes a formal written complaint to the assessor’s superior which they will then deal with in an efficient and non-discriminatory way, treating the claim with upmost confidentiality where they will decided whether to uphold or overturn the assessor’s original decision. 7.2 EXPLAIN HOW FEEDBACK AND QUESTIONING CONTRIBUTE TO THE ASSESSMENT PROCESS Feedback and Questioning can help learners improve on a specific task. Feedback provides correction and improvement on a piece of work. Not only can it correct or improve the work but it can be used as encouragement or motivation to a learner especially when they are doing well or think they are not doing well.
Friday, September 13, 2019
Anthropology Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1
Anthropology Paper - Assignment Example Linguistic anthropology, the third sub-discipline, is concerned with the origin of the human language and speech with particular emphasis on some specific languages. Through comparing various languages, this sub-discipline is critical in making out relationships between different peoples. The fourth sub-discipline is social-cultural anthropology that entails the study of the three core aspects of a living populationâ€â€social, economic, and political organization with a view of contributing to community development (Lakeside University, 2012). Question Two Chapter 2 discussed the attempts by early anthropologists to describe race biologically. Describe the typological and population models Typological model is an approach that anthropologists developed to classify people during the 19th and 20th centuries. This idea of classification was anchored on what is today known as race today as it classified people according to parameters like geographical regions and traits like skin col or, stature, and form of hair among others. However, this model of classification was noted to be less biological and more culture-related (O'Neil, 2011). Population model, on the other hand, sheds light on human population patterns from a genetic point of view. In this regard, this model focuses on the patterns of breeding among the human populations and look for traits such as physiological ones that can help put them apart. Although history is clear that humans do not mate as a group for a long time, this model is viewed in good light from a theoretical perspective (O'Neil, 2011). Question Three Describe the impact of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution on studies of divisions of humans The Darwinian Theory greatly influenced the studies of divisions of human in that it brought forth a new platform of scientific thinking in addition to generating numerous controversies. One, the Darwinian theory in a great way clashed with the long-held and widespread view of Creationism that encompassed the intervention of God in the existence of the universe and its creationsâ€â€plants and animals. In this regard, this theory replaced the idea of divine creation with one that talked of evolution of man through a process he referred to as natural selection. In light of this, the Darwinian Theory gave new meaning to the study of anthropology by coming up with an alternative perspective on the possible origin of man (Tuazon, 2008). Question Four The scientific racialism experiment of the 18th and 19th century resulted in the concept of eugenics. Describe this term and its social consequences Eugenics is a science that focuses on controlling genetic traits of the human race with a view of improving it. Eugenics alleged that those people who belonged to the lower class possessed inferior genes compared to the ones who were socially well off. As such, a reproduction with this group with poor genetic traits would lead to a degraded society. Ignoring the social condit ions that characterize the marginalized in the society; eugenics suggested that the upper class in the society possessed quality skills like artistic and intellectual abilities. Eugenics led to many injustices across societies in the
Thursday, September 12, 2019
Ecotourism in the UK Tourism Market Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Ecotourism in the UK Tourism Market - Assignment Example In this regard, the dimension of eco-tourism has gained relevance in the global market in the past few decades. It has its relevance primarily in the niche market and is trying to gain sustainable development. Ecotourism is different from the other forms of travelling as it focuses on conserving natural areas by sharing knowledge and educating the people about the benefits of these resources. Ecotourism as per the researchers is interested in wasteland locations and pristine areas. Ecotourism creates benefits by travelling in natural areas and exhibiting education to the people (Wood, 2002). However, the approach of ecotourism might neither be able to replace the existing tourism activities nor will it be able to sustain the competitive market. This essay intends to evaluate relevance of the eco-tourism and its failure in the United Kingdom through appropriate examples. In addition, the potential and role of ecotourism in the UK and the form through which it can be administered will also be determined. Ecotourism It is a ‘nature- based’ tourism which is an effective tool for the development of environment by appreciating and adoring the natural resources without disturbing it. It is an important form of travelling as it is effective in educating the people regarding the conservation of the natural areas. ... A few of the new tourism areas which have come into relevance due to ecotourism are the desert areas and tropical areas which are poor and underdeveloped. The eco-tourism explores areas which are rich in heritage and encompasses the protected landscape for the purpose of travelling. These areas can be the national parks and castles as well (Wood, 2002; The International Ecotourism Society, 2000). One of the key issues with respect to ecotourism is that anyone can use the name to promote its tourism as it has no rules and restrictions on its use. It is used for the purpose of marketing without really exploring the natural areas and at times its name is misused for the promotion of tourism industry (Wood, 2002). Ecotourism Not Promoted As a Major Sector in the UK Tourism Market The key problem that is associated with ecotourism in the United Kingdom includes a lack of destination which is left unexplored by the tourism industry. Moreover, the UK has less natural areas such as forests a nd deserts which can be discovered and explained by educating people through tourism. Also, the UK is unable to satisfy the standards of the small scale tourism which is orthodox in nature. The increasing population of the UK is also affecting the presence of eco-tourism as the number of the natural areas is reducing with the rise in the habitants. According to statistics, it is estimated that the population of the UK might increase by nearly 4.3 million by 2018 which would affect ecotourism (Office for National Statistics, 2013). In terms of another crucial determinant, it can be affirmed that the demography of a country also influences the ecotourism to a certain extent. The main tourists of ecotourism are youngsters, mid-aged
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Supply chain management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6
Supply chain management - Essay Example This is the first step in the elimination of fraud which emanates from dubious and illegitimate payments (Coe 2007, pg. 206). After, registration of the request, a thorough scrutiny is done to the document to establish its authenticity and note any errors. The calculations and values indicated under the document are vetted to ensure their correctness and omit possible errors. More over, this step is necessary to detect overvaluations and unnecessary items. If the document fails the check list, it should be retained for further action (Coe 2007, pg. 208). Remarkably, on meeting the laid down procedures and requirements, the request is acted upon by raising the requested ministry budget. This is important to enable the concerned ministry to meet its responsibilities. Allegedly, the finance ministry may be forced to suspend the request until the next financial year budget. Notably, this will not be undertaken, purportedly to avert the instances of the ministries failing to meet their obligations. As requested, funds are channeled through to requesting ministry as per items in order of their priority and time limits (Coe 2007, pg. 208). More over, the ministry of finance supply chain officials conducts an audit on the previous allocations to the concerned ministry to establish their spending. This is also in endeavor to ascertain whether the ministry, did under spend and establish the balance they retained in the current financial year. In the event, the ministry fails to even meet the set criteria; there is no sending of the request to the budget department for more scrutiny (Coe 2007, pg. 208). Finally, the supply chain specialists issues the requested checks as per the detailed items to the ministry which now is at liberty to spend the funds efficiently. Notably, from the above flow chart, some discrepancies are emerging indicating the weakness of the model. As indicated, after checking the request order, it is not returned back to the requesting
Tuesday, September 10, 2019
Career Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Career Development - Essay Example Active career development initiatives by a company are a key retention tool to keep the best talent within its fold. It is one of the greatest motivators to keep an employee happy and engaged. Most organizations consider career development as part of their critical human resource strategy. Form the employee’s point of view career development initiatives gives them a clear focus about their career track. Economic and technological changes have resulted in working careers becoming more unpredictable. Presently, career opportunities tend to be seen in the light of employability recognizing that career development frequently goes beyond the boundaries of one organization. Career development can be understood as an enumeration of consecutive job and training. In continuation with demands of the modern labour market, there is increased emphasis on employees’ active role and level of involvement with respect to his or her career. This is reflected in concepts such as personal initiatives, employability, or preparedness to change
Monday, September 9, 2019
'The problem with the global monetary regime is that there are too Essay
'The problem with the global monetary regime is that there are too many institutions involved in its management.' Discuss - Essay Example One main argument against the global monetary regime is the complexity of managing too many institutions with multiple interests, issues, rules and hierarchies that have been quite unstable, which are involved in the global monetary regime(Obrien etal,2002,p3). At the same time it is argued that in spite of the differences, there are many similarities existing among these institutions involved which help in the decision making process(Karns and Mingst,2004,p27) . In this report, this issue of managing too many institutions involved in global monetary regime is discussed in detail. In section 2, an overview of the global monetary regime is shown with reference to evolution of global monetary regime and the various actors involved in the regime. The argument of the complexity of managing too many institutions involved in the global monetary regime is discussed with the help of examples in section3. At the same time, the similarities which have facilitated the decision making process ar e also discussed in section4. .Section 5 concludes the report. Three periods can be distinguished in the evolution of global monetary regime. First is the Bretton Woods Period from 1945 to 1971, seconds is the interdependence period from 1971 to 1989 and the third is the globalization period from 1989 to the present (Hart, 2008,p5). The first period is characterized by fixed exchange rate regime together with currency convertibility, financing, exchange controls, exchange rate changes and adaptation of national policies to form a new international monetary order. This period saw the emergence of international organizations like IMF and World Bank (Hart, 2008,p8). In the second period, monetary system is characterized by floating exchange rates with central bank interventions, debt crises, petrodollar recycling etc. In the third period, global monetary system has been characterized by rising financial flows,
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Financial Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Financial Statements - Essay Example Financial accuracy and transparency is necessary for them as they would base their decision depending on the reports of the financial statement. The accurate representation of the financial statement would motivate an investor to invest, banks to lend money and the government to calculate the right amount of tax for the company. It also benefits the company by spreading their good name and increasing their goodwill in the market. Table of Contents Significance of Accurate Financial Statement for Outside Business Interest 5 Conclusion 7 References 9 Bibliography 10 Introduction The major motive behind creating a financial statement is to analyze the financial position of the company at the end of the year. It is very important to ensure that the financial statements are accurate, as the financial health of the company can be determined through the financial books of the company. It is a critical aspect for the business to create accurate statements because it is not only important for internal requirements of the company but also for the purpose of external reporting and expectation of the investors (Elmaleh, 2005, p. 105-106). The financial statements are the accounting reports which are used to communicate the financial information of the company to the external parties such as banks or the investors. If we consider it from the technical side, we can say that the financial statements help to summarize the processes in accounting and it provides a detailed tabulation of the accounting titles, and the amount of money. It not only indicated the financial position of the company, but also indicates the changes in the financial position from time to time in the organization (McCrary, 2009, p. 83-84). In the recent times, the two major areas that have been identified as the sources of inaccuracy are dishonesty and incompetency. So it can be said that if the organization wants to present a true and accurate picture of the firm, both to the internal and external stake holders of the company, then it must take measures to remove both of the aforementioned inaccuracies from the financial statements. Financial statement which lacks accurate data because of data collected from unreliable sources would be considered incompetent. Financial accuracy begins right from the time of recording the financial statements. Compromise should not be done at the time of recording the information, as it really becomes difficult for the auditor to analyze and detect the actual figures. This may also lead to miscalculations and misinterpretation of data. It is the duty of the audit firm to conduct an audit of the financial statement and ensure the accuracy of the books. During the auditing process the accounting books and the financial statements are thoroughly checked, the inconsistent recording of financial transaction and record of the entity is also ascertained according to the principles of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or International Financia l Reporting Standards (IFRS), in the accuracy test. It is very important for companies to present an error free financial report to attract investors. Internal control system should be adequate to present a transparent image of the firm in the market. The internal control system would include the policies that organizations would adopt to prevent fraud, safeguard the assets of the firm and insert accuracy in the financial analysis. An
Saturday, September 7, 2019
Duke Used Car Dealer Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Duke Used Car Dealer - Assignment Example The Executive Summary has to be persuasive, easily readable and at least two to four pages. The second is company analysis; this section provides a strategic overview of the company and describes how the company is organized, what products and services it offers or will offer, and goes into further detail on the company's unique qualifications in serving its target markets. Third is industry analysis; This section evaluates the playing field in which the company will be competing and includes well-structured answers to key market research questions such as the following: What are the sizes of the target market segments? What are the trends for the industry as a whole? With what other industries do your services compete? Fourth is analysis of customers; the Customer Analysis section assesses the customer segment(s) that the company serves. In this segment, the company has to express the desires of its objective clienteles. It then has to show in what way its merchandises and ser vices gratify these desires to a degree that the client will recompense for them. The fifth and last is Analysis of Competition; this section defines the competitive landscape of your business. It detects who the direct and unforeseen opponents are, evaluates their abilities and flaws and outlines the company's competitive leads. 3. A major factor that differentiates an S corporation from an LLC is the employment tax that is paid on earnings (Chrissie 2011). The whole net income of the business is conditional on self-employment tax. In an S corporation, just the wage remunerated to the employee-owner is open to employment levy. The residual income that is remunerated as a supply is not under the employment levy in IRS guidelines. Consequently, there is the probability to attain considerable employment levy savings. In addition, when it comes to operation control, S corporations have board of directors while LLC may be member-managed or manager-managed. In terms of flexibility or simplicity of operation, LLC is easier but S corporation are subject to some formalities and record keeping rules like traditional C corporations. 4. There are advantages and disadvantages of purchasing a permit. According to Matthew (2008), a new charter can be a part of what you are, as compared to an identity and system that is old and established and so inflexible. A new franchise suggests a chance to be innovative and relevant to the present. It will be exciting and a challenge. 5. The positive aspects, as explained by Justyn (2012), of buying an existing business include positive cash flow, an established client base and an established brand. Negative aspects for buying an established business comprise the potential for old equipment and potentially having to fire a number of employees. 6. Duke could be suggested for an LLC that has s corporation characteristics, that is, the levy treatment of an S corporation. But like the simplicity of an LLC, there is an alternative wort h considering; forming an LLC that is taxed as an S corp. An LLC may make a special balloting with the IRS to be levied as an S corp. This election is made on IRS Form 2553 and has to be cased with the IRS earlier than the 16th day of the third month of the tax year in which
Baudrillards ideas on the film The Matrix Essay Example for Free
Baudrillards ideas on the film The Matrix Essay It has long been a condition of western culture to act for the accumulation of material objects. This is in part due to the capitalist nature of the world within which we live. Marx identifies in The Critique of Capitalism the emergence of two new classes of people, namely capitalists and labourers. The term capitalist describes any person who has personal ownership of capital, which consists of raw materials, instruments of labour and means of subsistence (Marx). In contrast a labourer has only the value of his labour (life activity), which he exchanges with the capitalist for a wage and as such the worker sinks to the level of commodity (Marx). Because the labourer produces for the capitalist a commodity of greater value than that of his wages and in addition those wages are paid back to the capitalist in return for subsistence, therefore social control in exerted over the working class, whilst providing the capitalist with excess commodity. The labourer consentingly becomes a slave to the system on which he depends. In addition Marx states that as the relation between capitalist and labourer (manufacturer and consumer) develops, so competition between rival capitalists becomes apparent. In effect the capitalist is forced to capture more of the market by selling goods more cheaply by the consolidation and exploitation of labour power e. g. by machinery. Such a strategy ultimately limits the demand for labour and so new industries must be developed for exploitation. These new industries are necessary because capital exists only in relation to its ability to command labour and social control and as such they reciprocally condition the existence of each other (Marx). These forced increases in demand and therefore production are evident in the contemporary world market. Important to the development of Capitalism is the use of money which abstracts labour and commodity values to a common unit for the purpose of trade. In effect the labourer discovers that the product of his activity is not the object of his activity (Marx) thus a level of abstraction occurs, which was consistent with the modernist values of the time. Karl Marx and early capitalism were mainly concerned with production which remains important but it was Situationist, Guy Debord, who gave the first insights into late capitalism and the theories that best apply to todays world economics and culture of commodities. Debord, in his book The Society of the Spectacle, bases his examination of commodities around consumption, media, information and technology. As such Debord suggests that in societies where modern conditions of production prevail, all of life presents itself as an immense accumulation of spectacles. Everything that was directly lived has moved away into a representation. By this he means to describe the world and its products as mere appearances, where the real meanings and values of commodities are translated into signs. Essentially it is a world vision that has been objectified (Debord). Debord explains the phenomenon of the spectacle as resulting from the ever increasing production of capitalism. Because competition between capitalists inevitably leads to an excess of produce, so consumer demand must be increased. Such an increase is controllable by the spectacle as the real consumer becomes a consumer of illusions, (Debord) so he can be manipulated to believe he must consume beyond the basic necessity for survival e. g. leisure products. Therefore the spectacles form and content are identically the total justification of the existing systems conditions and goals (Debord). The spectacle is mediated in society as information or propaganda, as advertisement or direct entertainment consumption, (Debord). The effects of the mediated spectacle tend to lead the consumer to an experience of alienation as the consumers want for commodities is dictated to serve and maintain capitalism. In addition the spectacle constantly reinforces itself, for example the television, which is in itself a product of the spectacle that is then used by the capitalist to implement the advertisement of other spectacles. Essentially the spectacle is the nightmare of imprisoned modern society (Debord) and explains the transition from the degradation of being into having to having into appearing (Debord). Jean Baudrillard took Marxs Critique of Capitalism and Debords The Society of the Spectacle to their conclusions with his own theory of simulation and simulacra. Similar to the idea of the spectacle, Baudrillard describes a world where the subject of everything has been replaced by a semiological value that has become more important than the original, real meaning of the object. This object he calls a simulacra. In Simulacra and Simulation Baudrillard adds extra complexity to these ideas by establishing a hierarchy of simulation, which he gives four orders. In the first order the object is a copy of an original and so can be linked to a basic reality, for example a photograph of an actual event. The second order of simulation misrepresents the original subject; in the example the photography has been digitally manipulated in Photoshop to present a non-occurrence. In the third order a reality is recreated from a simulation of an original reality, when in fact, through the process of simulacra, the original has been lost, e. g. a scene is recreated from the digitally manipulated photograph of the original event. Finally, the forth order of simulation is the combined process of the first, second and third order to such an extent that the object bears no relation to reality or the original, for example the photograph has become a virtual reality. In this instance the link between reality and the signifying systems is almost impossible to ascertain, thus creating a hyper-reality. It is the use of one simulacra as a basis for the formation of another simulacra that shows the first signs of relevance to post modernity. Consequently, in post modernism, everything is understood in relation to everything that has come before, which in design manifests itself in referencing. Post modernism is also concerned with the fact that there is no right or wrong and essentially that no real truth exists. It is of course possible for a sign to make a transition through all four of the orders of simulation, constantly abstracting meaning and widening the gap between simulation and reality. However due to the complexity of repeated abstraction and signification it becomes necessary for an amount of speculation and simplification to occur when examining transitional examples. If we take, for example, the now famous emblem of automotive company Rolls Royce, it becomes apparent the extent to which a symbolic object can be re-simulated, each time loosing a part of its original meaning. Spirit of Ecstasy, designed by sculptor Charles Sykes and mass produced in 1911, is a cast metal emblem representing the figurine of a girl with arms outstretched to hold the folds of her gown blowing in the breeze. To the present day this emblem has been displayed on the bonnets of Rolls Royce cars and is the first order of simulation in terms of it being a representation of a real person from which the sculpture has been modelled. The object also references the figure heads of classic sailing ships in an attempt to convey the automotive product as an elegant, quite and reliable vehicle, which were the mediated associations with the brand during the early development of the company. In this instance the object enters the third order of simulation as a real event (model posing for sculptor) is created from an existing symbolic object (sailing boat figure heads) in order to be recreated as a new symbolic object (Spirit of Ecstasy emblem). At this point it is important to note that this example as an investigation could examine many more stages of referencing prior to the signs use as figure heads, though this could prove too difficult and inaccurate, again reinforcing the existence of a hyper-reality. The tea pot, designed by Michael Graves in 1985 for Alessi, brings the symbol to its conclusion. The tea pot employs a plastic emblem of a bird that is attached to the spout of the kettle and creates a whistling noise when the water is boiled. This creates a pun between the whistling of a kettle and the singing of bird but more importantly, its similar visual appearance (i. e. the wings of the bird and the outstretched arms and gown of the girl) makes a reference of Rolls Royce cars. Because during the late 20th century the values associated with Rolls Royce have matured to convey the brand as one of top class and status, so it are these value that are associated with Graves tea pot, supposed to the original associations that Rolls Royce was referencing from classic sailing ships. Therefore the product has clearly entered the forth order of simulation is it holds no relation to the original meaning that the original object as sign attempted to represent. Also, by referencing past signs, it can be described as a post modern object. Like Debord, Baudrillard agreed that simulation was important to the survival of capitalism as it, through mediation, can control the level of consumption within society. Baudrillard used the term valorisation to describe the process through which symbolic objects attain value. An excellent example of valorisation is Pokemon cards, which are essentially printed illustrations on card and so their use value is very low. However, via mediation, Pokemon cards have been given a simulated symbolic value that has made them desirable and powerful as a commodity. As well as design, Baudrillards theory of simulation and simulacra has also proved influential in film making, for example in The Matrix, directed by the Wachowski brothers. The Matrix is set in the future at a time when the real world has been reduced to a desert waste land by a war between humanity and machines; after the invention of artificial intelligence. Because the machines are dependant on solar power, the humans have caused the equivalent of a nuclear winter by blocking out sunlight. This has caused the machines to retaliate by imprisoning humans in gel filled pods so that energy can be extracted from them in the form of heat. In order to control the humans in this procedure a computer simulated world called the matrix exists, that all of the imprisoned humans are connected to, living their lives in what they believe is the late 20th century, oblivious to the fact that their real bodies are in stasis in the real world. The film therefore acts as a metaphor for contemporary western cultures. Firstly the matrix is an existence of the fourth order of simulation in that it is a system of mere signs that are completely detached from reality, i. e. hyper-reality. Just as in contemporary cultures, the people who live in the matrix are unaware that they are controlled by a system through simulation. You are a slave, neo, like everyone else you were born into bondage, born into a prison that you cannot smell or taste or touch, a prison for your mind What is the matrix? Control. The matrix is a computer generated dream world built to keep us under control in order to change a human being into this (he holds up a copper battery) (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix). In addition the film suggests that the prisoners of the Matrix are also dependant upon it, to the extent that they will fight to protect it. Baudrillards idea of mediasation appears in the film when it is suggested that there was a machine spawning a whole race of machines (Morpheus talking to Neo, The Matrix), thus the social control of the machines (mediation of signs) increasingly exert themselves with every new generation. Interestingly The Matrix seems to offer a solution to simulation and social control by the system, which is one of enlightenment. Once Neo understands the systems and can see the signs (computer code) of the matrix for what they really are, then he can choose to follow a different set of rules thus gaining control of his environment. As well as a theological basis on Baudrillard, The Matrix tends to convey the story via symbolic references and thus is post modern by nature. For example the follow the white rabbit scene employs a tattoo of a white rabbit, which is referenced from Alice in Wonderland in order to convey the uncertainty in discovering the truth of an alternate reality. In the same scene Neo also opens a copy Baudrillards Simulacra and Simulation in effect reinforcing links to that element of the film. In conclusion, I have identified the main themes surrounding Baudrillards orders of simulacra and simulation, shown how they relate to modern and post modern design and have given contemporary examples of their use in product design and film making. I believe that such an understanding of simulation has served well to better understanding referencing in post modernity. References Debord, G., (1977) The Society of the Spectacle, Black Red Poster, M., (1998) Jean Baudrillard: Selected Writings, Polity Press Tucker, R. C., (1978) The Marx Engels Reader Second Edition, Norton Company Bibliography Hebdige, D., (1994) Hiding in the Light, Routledge http://www.geneseo.edu/~bicket/panop/baudrillard.ht http://www.artisanitorium.thehydden.com/nonfiction/film/matrix.htm http://www.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/master_frame.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)