Plz make my college app perfect Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plz make my college app perfect - Essay Example I find this combination moving due to the depth of inspiration that I can derive from them. My faith and belief ultimately leads me to create how things I wanted to me, and religion which is a repository of countless arts forms of masters, both old and new, where man’s genius in art was and still is best illustrated is an excellent source of inspiration to draw upon. From these two potent forces, I then create my own art form through my paint that breathe life on my subjects be it on my canvass or other mediums that inspiration may find suitable. My artworks are mostly made of patterns which I use to expand my old way of doing a mystery piece by mixing my pattern design with a portrait. This method brings out a very powerful impression on my portraits that impresses a strong emotion. So far, it is also the best method that I have tried that could show more of my idea about ideal beauty. I also do it against the backdrop of many different cultures where I borrow what I feel to be best suited for my portrait to come up with unimaginable great result. I think many artists experience that feeling of being deeply immersed in their paintings that they lose track of time whenever they are engage with their work. Such is my case. I am very meticulous to details and spend a great deal time to be able to portray what I have in mind and I do not stop until I feel it is right. Being faithful to that idea of the ideal of giving truth to beauty is what animates me in my studio for hours as I explore the province of dreams through my artworks. I feel like that if I stop short of what I feel and believe is right, I am betraying my art. Such, I pursue it until I found the truth and had them manifested in my artwork. I do not mine the countless hours, days, even weeks that I will spend to achieve the ideal in my artworks. I am willing to do it again and again knowing that the opportunity to touch the human

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay Example for Free

Contribution of Digital Projections for Approaching Mise En Scene in Contemporary Theatre Performance Essay In this research paper I’m going to describe about theater production technology which it is using digital production and how it is saturate to the mise en scene. Cinematic theater is term of using digital projection in contemporary theatre. That can be briefly described as a fusion of live performance and the magic of the big screen. By utilizing the best dramatic devices that each art form has to covey a story and entertain an audience; the possibilities to create interesting narratives and stage dynamics through the synergy of stage and cinematic design is exciting. Cinematic theatre is a contemporary style of drama that revolves around using pre-edited and live vision sequences to be projected onto screens and surfaces. These sequences are then integrated with the live performance to create dramatic meaning that interacts with the dramatic action on stage. The integrated use of projection during scenes and scene changes allows the stage action to become continuous, therefore creating a suspension of disbelief that engages the audience. In the ever increasing technological environment, more and more information and storytelling is being brought to us through visual images and screens; contemporary audiences are able to read layered visual texts. In developing a creative rationale for the utilization of cinematic sequences in live performance you have to consider various factors; how to use the projected vision without overwhelming the stage performance, creating a theatrical and visual design that enhances the dramatic meaning and the narrative choice between screen and stage action. To guide the creation and production of new work we have developed a description of the elements of cinematic integration for live performance. To accompany the Cinematic Theatre style they have devised a comprehensive creative rationale that we teach to educators and students using the conventions and elements that we utilize to produce visual performance work. Primary Conventions: The basic principle of Cinematic Theatre is to create a continual experience by using visual sequences projected onto screens or surfaces, in conjunction with set design and lives performance to create different dramatic spaces. The cinematic design should be active throughout the performance, to achieve this there are two primary conventions that are used to integrate the stage with the Visual design: Cinematic Backdrop is the live visual environment that works together with live scenes on stage to create a dynamic visual design to enhance the dramatic action. There number of ways to utilize the live backdrop: Cinematic Transitions are the visual sequences between the live stage scenes that allow the performance to continue during scene changes keeping the audience engaged. These transitions work very well with music and the use of popular songs to accompany these cinematic sequences to add meaning and action, especially if the music chosen is representative of the narrative. Visual Conventions: In producing a Cinematic Theatre production there are number visual conventions that can be utilized to create a genuinely integrated performance. Style Elements: When conceptualizing the visual component of a cinematic theatre performance it is important to address the overall style with reference to the script/ narrative/ context. In below describe technologies, which is using for the cinematic theatre. Screens and Surfaces: Traditionally projection has been used on one screen directly behind the stage action, much like a movie screen. With more mobile projectors and screens it is possible to think of new ways to place and project images. A number of screens can be used to create different effects, in What Simon Said? there rear projected screens were used to create the walls of the character’s room as the cinematic background. We envisage being able to create large-scale immersive environments to create distant horizons, urban architecture or multiple images. Stage design allowing the utilization of projected images on surfaces can create a dynamic canvas on which to apply vision. The applications are only limited by your imagination and ability to position the projector. Some examples include: a window space to see outside, a mirror to show symbolic representations of character, floor space to create a pool of water, smoke, curtains etc. Lighting design: It is important when incorporating video into live performance that you consider the effect of lights on the screen surface. One difficulty in setting lights is that they can significantly degrade the brightness and colour of the screen images if there is light either directly hitting or bouncing from the floor onto the screen. One solution is to set the screen up from the floor and placing some blocks/staging in front to block some of the bouncing light. When considering colour gels it is imperative to consider colours used in the screen images and try to match them as well as possible to give a blended effect. Mise-en-scà ¨ne Mise-en-scà ¨ne is a French term and originates in the theater. It means, literally, put in the scene. For film, it has a broader meaning, and refers to almost everything that goes into the composition of the shot, including the composition itself: framing, movement of the camera and characters, lighting, set design and gen earl visual environment, even sound as it helps elaborate the composition. Mise-en-scà ¨ne can be defined as the articulation of cinematic space, and it is precisely space that it is about. Cutting is about time; the shot is about what occurs in a defined area of space, bordered by the frame of the movie screen and determined by what the camera has been made to record. That space, the mise-en-scà ¨ne, can be unique, closed off by the frame, or open, providing the illusion of more space around it. Four aspects of mise-en-scene, which overlap the physical art of the theatre, are setting, costume, lighting and movement of figures. Control of these elements provides the director an opportunity to stage events. Using these elements, the film director stages the event for the camera to provide his audience with vivid, sharp memories. Directors and film scholars alike recognize mise-en-scene as an essential part of the director’s creative art. Conclusion In this research I’m trying to explain ‘contribution of digital projections for approaching mise en scene in contemporary theatre performance.’ In the first part I briefly explain what is ‘Digital projections’, ‘mise en scene’ and ‘contemporary theatre performance’. Mise en scene is French term and it generally use for film appreciation or film criticism. But previously this term use for critic theatre productions. Actual meaning of mise en sence is ‘put in the Frame’. Frame is basically explained in both film and theatre. So I think using term of mise en sence is possible in theatre productions. For creating theatre sets, props and space generally using hard materials. But in this art form those things create by digital projections. This is major development of the contemporary theatre productions. Further more I’m explaining advantages and disadvantages of usage digital projection in this art form. Finally I’m talking about choreographers who use this art form successfully and showing few videos. Basically this is new art form. It is impossible to compare with other theatre performance, which is not using digital projections. Choreographers day by day create new art pieces using projections. So I think this is major occasion of digital media use in society.

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation

Virgin Atlantic Market Segmentation Provide a hypothetical ROMI analysis if Virgin spent an extra  £5m in marketing based on a 25% margin, 10% for costs, against  £500m in sales, what is the break even on the  £5m extra investment, provide the calculations and critical analysis. INTRODUCTION The marketing department is certainly at the heart of any organization, since it is responsible for setting, implementing, and evaluating marketing strategies to meet the customers wants and needs, and to retain customers so as to build profit and sustain the business. Smith and Rapin (2008) stated that marketing success is always driven by a thorough understanding of the market and a set of strong marketing strategies. They have advocated measuring the marketing performances of many companies in recent years. This trend of measuring marketing activities also was noted by McDonald and Mouncey (2009), who observed that increasingly, boards of directors and marketers desire to evaluate market performances to show how marketing boosts shareholder value and whether a firm is accomplishing its marketing objectives. There is a need to understand the business, to develop a framework, and to quantify the performance of marketing objectives and programmes. Furthermore, Ambler (2003) defined the term marketing metrics, which is a measure of the whole businesss marketing performance, and suggested employing a portfolio of metrics to increase the accuracy of the results. Rust et al. (2004) found that a company employing market metrics to forecast future uncertainties and directions has enhanced resource allocation, since better decisions can be made by drawing on lessons from the past. Therefore, measuring marketing performance, a company can improve its marketing efficiency and effectiveness, identify its strengths and weaknesses, establish precise insights between the investment in marketing activities and the financial value that investment generates, and so forth. The purpose of this essay is to develop a practical framework of marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic Airways to measure its marketing efforts and identify its challenges. The essay begins by (1) presenting the business model for Virgin Atlantic Airways, (2) identifying the correct marketing metrics for Virgin Atlantic and evaluating those, and (3) calculating the marketing performance by computing the return on marketing investment (ROMI) of the campaign spending and a break-even analysis of the airlines new offer. PART I BUSINESS MODEL OF VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Company Overview Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited (Virgin Atlantic) is Britains second largest long-haul international airline. Apart from scheduled services, Virgin Atlantic operates cargo transport services, flies to 31 destinations around the world using 37 aircraft, the average age of which is approximately six years (it has one of youngest fleets worldwide), carries nearly six million passengers each year, and employs nearly 9,000 people currently (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 a; Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a subsidiary company and the best-known business in the Virgin Group Ltd. (Virgin Group), which possesses a 51% stake of it, with the remainder having been sold to Singapore Airlines so the two airlines could operate together as a strategic partnership (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic was founded in the U.K. in 1984. Its founder, Richard Branson, was motivated by three problems of the airline industry in that time: flights were expensive, companies lacked innovation, and long-haul flights were monotonous and uncomfortable (Twivy, 1986). Therefore, Richard established Virgin Atlantic and differentiated its brand with other airlines by positioning fun, quality, and innovation as its core brand values. This can be seen from the airlines vision statement: to provide the highest quality innovative service at excellent value for money for all classes of air travellers. Its objective is to fly a profitable airline that people love to fly and where people love to work (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Virgin Atlantic is a company setting a new standard for the industry. It was the first to break the cabin hierarchy from a three- to two-class system, to install individual televisions on the seat backs in economy class, to introduce a fully flat sleeping bed in upper class, and to fly using bio-fuel at 30,000 feet (Twivy, 1986 Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its innovative and unique offerings are great contributing factors to its having won many business, customer service, and trade awards worldwide. To sum up, the offers and value that Virgin Atlantic gives were a marked revolution for the airline industry. Business Map The map above is created by summarising from the student information pack, Financial Information Press Kit Full Press Information Kit 2009 at virgin-atlantic.com. (Notice: The customer section indicated above is only concerned with the passenger market). Appendixes A and B describe Virgin Atlantics current strategies and market segmentation. Industry Highlights The airline industry can be classified as either business logistics or passenger. Those that specialize in air-passenger transport can further divided into scheduled and non-scheduled services. In recent years, the low-cost carriers of the scheduled market have grown rapidly, while the high-cost carriers are continually struggling to grow (Manley, 2009). Many airlines offer three flying classes for its passengers-first, business, and economy class-and they set different prices for the different segments. In terms of the consumer, the purchaser may not be the ultimate user of the service, so it is necessary for airlines to recognise the different needs of decision makers and users. Recently, the industry has been suffering during the economy downturn. In such conditions, more companies tend to downgrade their travel policies, so first and business class flights are being decreased sharply (Shaw, 2007). For airlines to maintain their business, they always have to pay for high operating and fixed expenditures (Civil Aviation Authority, 2009 b). Furthermore, economic, political, and legal changes, weather, and changes of fuel prices can have a significant impact on airlines (Manley, 2009). Many airlines attempt to cooperate with other similar airlines to serve more destinations, to be more convenient for customers, and to retain customer by rewarding with frequent flyer miles. (Appendix C describes Detailed Industry Overview) SOWT Analysis SWOT analysis is a tool that illustrates a companys strengths and weaknesses (its internal environment) related to its competitors and what opportunities and threats it faces (its external environment) (Capon, 2009). Virgin Atlantic strengths are its strong brand image, its innovation for setting a new industry standard, its excellent customer service products, its close interactions with its customers (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 a), and its strategic alliances with other quality airlines that offer more destinations (Virgin Atlantic, 2009 c). Its weaknesses are that it is too reliant on Branson (a sharp drop in sales occurred after Bransons death), weak in the economy class-leisure market, and offers only limited destinations. Its opportunities are to target new segments of customers due to the aging of the population, to improve its service quality to become a five-star airline in Skytrax, and to reach more destinations to increase its market share. It is vulnerable  (threats) to losing its customers due to the open-skies agreement (less regulation of flights between the E.U. and the U.S.), to intense pressure from the rapid growth of low-cost carriers, recession, new industrial regulations, terrorist attacks, and soaring oil prices. (Appendix D and Appendix E discuss PESTEL analysis of the airline industry and Competitors analysis for Virgin Atlantic) PART II MARKETING METRICS FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS After reviewing of Virgin Atlantic, I would recommend a number of crucial marketing metrics, which can be categorised into the following four performance aspects: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. The following paragraphs explain why these were selected and discuss the measurement needs and impacts on the decision-making process of each metrics. Finally, recommendations and limitation of the framework are drawn. Profit is the most important factor for a company to survive. Kerin and Sethuraman (1998) pointed out that marketers always monitor financial performance because increasing earnings and cash flow turnout increases shareholder values made, and all marketing activities are funding by it. Therefore it is need to measure the financial-related performance which at least three metrics can used to monitor Virgins profit and cost how efficiency of Virgin spend and generate profit-return on marketing investment (ROMI), return on sales (or profit margin), and net sales contribution. Firstly, return on marketing investment is the percentage of net profit generated by marketing activities divided by total marketing expenditures. ROMI measures how marketing expenditures contribute to profits and is used to insight into the profitability of Virgins marketing activities. Secondly, return on sales is the net profit as a percentage of the sales revenue, which measures how company efficiency generates profits from sales turnovers and downplays spending, since net profits are equal to sales revenue minus total cost. Virgin Atlantic can use the above metrics to understand itself and the market by comparing these metrics against its key competitors or industries. Other important indictors related to financial performance include sales, gross profits, profit before taxes, and liquidity ratio, which do not require metrics since they can be easily obtained from the companys financial statements. Ambler (2003) observed that managers always concern the financial performance, and ignore other non-financial activities, for instance, sales is driven by customers indeed. Therefore customer is definitely needed to measure. Before marketing department is responsible for attracting and retaining customers-without customers, identifying who target customers are is also important, how they generate profit to Virgin. So, retention and churn, customer profitability, customer lifetime value, and net sales contribution can include. Firstly, retention rate is the percentage of customers a company is able to retaining over time, which also measures customer loyalty, while churn measures the percentage of customers lost. If the retention rate is low, the company has to spend more effort to retain its customers since it costs less than attracting new customers. If it is high, marketers should investigate the profitability of its relationships; to measure this, customer profitability can be emp loyed. Customer profitability is the profitability of customers based on the differences in customer revenue and cost, helps the company identify the most profitable customers. Farris et al (2006) suggest a process to calculating it: sorting customers net profits, grouping customers by the customers profits in 10 deciles, then it can show the distribution of profit generated by each group. Normally, the profitability of the top group is between 150 to 300% (ibid). Fourthly, customer lifetime value is an estimation of the customer value in the number of years the customer is expected to purchase a given product, which measures the worth of a customer as a loyal purchaser of the companys products or services. It is important to be aware that metrics are rough estimations since input data is difficult to predict and may change over time. Fifthly, net sales contribution is the sales generated from a specific segment divided by total sales. It measures how well the segment performed with in all segments and insights which segments contribute the most to sales. The metrics mentioned above are valuable to mangers to identify profitable customers and which marketing programs can be developed to reinforce the customer relationship with them (Davis, 2007). Other important indictors related to customer performance include purchase frequency, average amount per transaction or sales, and the number of customers or new customers from transaction support systems. Market performance and trends directly link to financial result, and are indictors for manger since they would know how potential of the market. No surprising, the measurement of market-related aspects is also needed. The break-even analysis, market share and growth, and category share, can be included. Firstly, break-even analysis is a tool for projecting the use of a new product or service, which measures how many units will be required at a certain price to reach the break-even point. It can show how changes in price affect sales levels or how many years it will take to break even (Paek, 2000). Therefore, if the market size is not big enough, it is probably not to serve. Secondly, market share is the percentage of Virgins shares owned within the whole market which can calculate by the number of customers or sales value. Market growth is similar to market share but shows the percentage increase of this year compared with previous years. Thirdly, category share is the percentage of the number of customers who purchased an item of a specific brand divided by the number of customers who purchased an item under a specific category, measuring the popularity of a brand. Over time, market share, market growth, and category share provides marketers insight about Virgins performance sales against its competitors by monitoring the growth of the company and its competitors and consumer trends within the market, but category share shows more details about category growth, for example, whether customers were acquired from competitors or if total users were gained under the same category. According to McDonald, M. and Mouncey, P. (2009), brand account for at least 20 % of the companys asset, it helps customer to distinguish the company and its product among competitors, so it is indispensable to measure, but the challenges are many approaches available and difficult to qualify. The measurement of brand-related for Virgin can include brand awareness and loyalty, and customer satisfaction. Firstly, Brand Awareness measure the proportion of potential customers and consumers recognised the brand while brand loyalty is measured by usage, how was the frequency customers purchased a brand. Awareness, loyalty top of mind (the first brand in a customer mind within a given category), attitudes (the degree of customer belief towards a given brand) can simultaneously be measured by conducting a survey. Those can insight the brand location in the customers heart which influences customer purchasing behaviours and the sales. More importantly, recognizing consumer and non-consumer g roup is needed since results of them is always different (Gupta Lehmann, 2005). Secondly, customer satisfaction is a rating to measure customers experiences on specific aspects, also measured by a survey. It shows how well of their offers meets customers expectations. However, the selection of survey respondent should be careful, high satisfaction may not mean all the customers are satisfied; some disappointed customers may simply leave from the company to competitors before the company noticed. Measuring marketing metrics is a continuous process, which should be done regularly (Patterson, 2005). Over time, metrics can illustrate the effectiveness of marketing strategies and tactics and market changes. More importantly, the measurement methods of metrics also changes over time; methods currently employed are considered state-of-the-art. Although Virgin can use the above models, still reminding other intangible factors cannot be measured, such as relationships, reputation and trust, culture and values, skills and competencies, knowledge, and processes and systems. These are important because of generating value for a company, and account for the majority of a companys assets (McDonald and Mouncey, 2009). In conclusion, the metrics recommended to asses Virgins marketing outcomes involve the following performances areas: financial-related (or shareholder), market-related, brand-related and customer-related. Working with these metrics Virgin can monitor its revenue and spending, identify and retain the valuable customers, identify the chance expanding its market, insight customer perception towards the brand. PART III MARKETING CAMPAIGN FOR VIRGIN ATLANTIC AIRWAYS Marketing Challenge and Strategy Virgin Atlantic feared that the E.U./U.S. Open Skies Agreement, introduced in March 2008 (Stewart, 2007), would have a negative impact for the future of its market share. Virgin Atlantic may lose part of its customers, since 40% of Virgin Atlantics business class-travel now is between the U.S. and Europe (Foresight, 2008). No doubt Virgin Atlantic needs to retain its customers or to expand into other new markets. According to the World Tourism Organization, the route that serves the most passengers between the U.S. and London airports is between London and New York (ibid.). Virgin Atlantic plans to offer frequent business travellers an exclusive private luxury flight experience, operating a twice daily flight between London and New York, and pricing the ticket at  £1000. Virgin Atlantic also decided to initiate a marketing campaign by using TV commercials and outdoor advisements near the airports to raise Virgin Atlantics brand awareness among business travellers who fly often between New York and London. The target audiences are frequent flight business travellers or upscale leisure passengers (those who fly an average of ten times a year), male, aged 25 to 65, with more than  £50,000 income per year. The following section employs two metrics, the break-even analysis and return on marketing investment, to forecast and measure Virgin Atlantics marketing performance. Assumptions: the objective profit margin for the campaign was expected to be 25 %; the 10% overhead on its sales generated; the extra sales generated by the campaign are  £15 million; the operational and variable cost for flights twice a daily per year is  £24 million; the extra marketing expenditure for the campaign is  £ 2 million; the price of a flight is  £1,000; the average number of flights per consumer is ten per year; the net profit contribution is 24 %; the year of customer loyal and purchasing the tickets 10 times a year is 5 years. Calculation of Break even for new business-classes flights Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Number of customers need to Break-even= operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 24m /  £12,500 = 1,920 If Virgin Atlantic can have 1,920 frequent flight customers who purchase the flight for 5 years, and 10 times per year, then this project will reach break even points. Calculation of ROMI Campaign profits = assumed profit margin * extra sales generated = 25% * £15 million = £3.75 million However, the campaign was overhead 10% in the  £15 million sales, Extra cost for campaign= overhead percentage * extra sales generated = 10% * £15 million sales = £1.5 million Net profit generated from the campaign = Campaign profits -Extra cost for campaign =  £3.75 million- £1.5 million =  £ 2.25 million. ROMI = (Net Profit generated from the campaign / Campaign cost) *100% = ( £ 2.25 m /  £ 2 m)*100% =112.5 % The result of ROMI is positive which means that marketing spending is deemed. As the extra cost  £ 2 million is needed for the campaign, the break even point will be changed as follows: Calculation of Post-Break even for new business-classes flights with extra cost in marketing. Customer Equity per year= price of flight * average flight times a year =  £1,000 * 10=  £ 10,000 Customer Lifetime equity= Customer Equity per year * period of year remains as a frequent flight business travellers =  £ 10,000*5 = £ 50,000 Customer Lifetime net profit= Customer Lifetime equity * Net profit contribution = £ 50,000 * 0.25= £ 12,500 Total cost for flights twice a day per year = operational and variable cost for flights twice a day per year + extra marketing cost =  £ 24 million + £ 2 million = £ 26 million Number of customers need to Break-even= Total cost for flights twice a day per year / Customer Lifetime net profit = £ 26m /  £12,500 = 2,080 The break-even analysis indicated that Virgin Atlantic will need 2,080 frequent flight customers who will purchase the flight ten times per year for five years to reach the break-even point for the whole new route with the new marketing campaign in play. After reaching 2,080 customers, the company will start to make a profit. The break-even analysis is computed twice to show the different outcomes if extra marketing spending is added. In fact, as the costs increase, the number of customers needed increases as well. Therefore, if the managers believe it is easy to reach the break-even point, the airline is likely to launch this route. As the break-even analysis uses customer lifetime equity for the calculations, it is possible for that the break-even point may fail to be met in the short term, but for long-term outlooks and for retaining customers, it still can be profitable (Dwyer, 1999). The positive ROMI indicates that the activity is healthy. If ROMI is equal to 100%, this means the marketing campaign will break even. To compute the ROMI, the cost is needed, as Amber (2003) mentioned that sales revenues may not increase immediately after advertising begins, and it is difficult to determine whether the costs belong to the marketing department. Furthermore, spending decreases can result in maximizing the ROMI, so balancing expenses with marketing expenses with ROMI is also important (Lenskold, 2004). (3392 words)

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Nights Dream b

The Significance of Dreams and Dreaming in A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare In Pucks final speech of the play he says: â€Å"And this weak and idle theme No more yielding than a dream† It has been argued that Shakespeare structured the play around the notion of a 'dream.' Explore the significance of dreams and dreaming in the play, both as a theme and dramatic device. There are several definitions of a dream, although no one can really define a dream, it is what we make it. The first theory is that it is a mixture of images, accumulated from your thoughts or experiences, that happen whilst you are asleep. It could also be a fantasy you experience whilst your semi-conscious which you have no control over. It could also be simply wish fulfillment. All these definitions relate to the play as the fairy characters are fantasy, controlling the humans experiences and granting them their wish fulfillments. I think Shakespeare thought of the notion of a dream and from all these different ideas, ’dreamed’ up a story combining all of them, perhaps it was his wish fulfillment or came from a dream he once had. Puck’s ‘weak and idle theme’ is anything but, some cultures such as the Chinese believe you shouldn’t wake someone up whilst they are sleeping because their wondering soul would not have had time to reunite with their body, this relates to the play as all the characters appear to be wondering around in their sleep, not actually realizing they are asleep. The Elizabethan audience would expect all the images of magic, love and freedom from the name ‘Midsummer Nights Dream’ and would expect it to be a light hearted roma... ...king as if they were handmade using only plants. The fairies’ hair is all golden, long and full of ringlets underneath a headdress of flowers. Shakespeare managed to present ideas of dreaming brilliantly throughout the play. The lovers fell asleep in their dream, what do you dream when you fall asleep in a dream? Is dreaming reality, or reality dreaming? What does a blind person dream if they have seen nothing they wish for or want to aspire to? These questions are created from the play. This shows that Pucks final speech â€Å"and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream† is not a weak theme after all but something, if messed with can go very wrong or very right. This is illustrated by the mixing up of the love potions in Hoffman’s film, something so harmful as love can create so much sadness and pain.

Investigation into Roles and Contracts of the Music Industry Essay

Scenario Your local paper has assigned you with a task to present them with information about the roles and contracts in the Music industry. Carry out an investigation that describes/explains/comments critically on the roles and contracts of one area of the Music Industry and deliver your results as a presentation to the class. Task 1: Using Publisher/ Word, you need to research, write and describe the contracts associated with an area of the Music Industry (Live Performance: e.g. artist’s responsibilities with a label, or a manager/agency’s responsibilities with an artist/performer) (P3) In order to gain a MERIT grade, in addition to the requirements of the PASS criteria, you will need to describe and explain the above by providing examples. (P1, P2, M1, M2) In order to gain a DISTINCTION grade, in addition to the PASS and MERIT criteria, you will need to describe, explain and comment critically the above by giving examples, drawing conclusions from experience and/or research (P1, P2, M1, M2, D1, D2) 2 Know the professional roles within a chosen area of the music industry Live performance: eg performer/artist, DJ, agent, promoter, venues and stage management, crew/ technicians, security, merchandise Record companies: eg A&R, promotion, distribution and retail, merchandising Music publishing companies: eg publishing, copyright, sales, composer and artist development  Artist management: eg artists, songwriter/composer, manager Assessment Method: Class presentation. To include referencing

Mathew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest Essay

Mathew Restall’s Seven Myths of the Spanish Conquest is a well-written book that serves an important purpose. That purpose being: the debunking of generally accepted falsehoods about the Spanish Conquest beginning in the 15th century. Restall’s book is separated into seven chapters that specifically address general myths most historians and students perceive as basic — universal truths. Restall uses the term â€Å"myth† to describe the inaccurate/fictitious depiction of history â€Å"commonly taken to be true, partially or absolutely.† These â€Å"myths† are the progenitors of unintentionally self-centered perceptions of events historically recorded in subjectivity. The Self-absorption, relating to the over exaggeration and mystification of the Spanish Conquest, germinated over time. Excitements about the â€Å"New World† took Spain by storm and subsequently lead to a heterogeneity of mythical depictions. The chapters of the book discuss seven myths; the myth of exceptional men, the king’s army, the white conquistador, completion, (mis) communication, native desolation, and superiority. Too much credit is given to the men who were apart of the conquest. These men are credited for innovating a unique skill set that allowed them to conquer the natives when in reality, they were merely utilizing strategies and techniques the Spaniards had been using for years in their conflicts in North Africa and other regions. Restall relied heavily on the writings of the conquistadors and natives to determine the truth behind all of the myth and folklore. A common myth is that the conquistadors were sent directly by the king of Spain to conquer the Americas as soldiers but Restall proves this myth to be incorrect based off of the writings of the conquistadors themselves. These men had a variety of â€Å"identities, occupations, and motivations—and were far more interesting than that.â⠂¬  Another common misconception speaks of the exclusivity and efficiency as to which the conquest was achieved. The myth is that the conquistadors conquered the America’s relatively quickly in a sovereign effort but Restall explains that the Spaniards had a lot of help from the Natives and African’s and the â€Å"completion† of conquest was anything but; as mass portions of the land remained unscathed by the conquest. Restall effortlessly explains how the conquistador myths of superior communication between the Spaniards and Natives were just as fabricated as the modern misconception of inferior communication by historians. The communication between the two, or lack thereof, fell somewhere between both myths. Restall uses his concise writing style to explain the resilience of the Natives, debunking the myth of Native desolation and how the myth of superiority derives from Eurocentric beliefs of racial dominance which lead to racist ideologies that â€Å"underpinned colonial expansion from the late fifteenth to early twentieth centuries.† Restall’s work in this book administers a revitalizing dose of truth to historic and modern misconceptions of the Spanish Conquest. The book is not very long but it is written in an entertaining prose that fluidly transitions between concepts. The arguments are solid and detailed making it almost too easy to follow. Restall’s research seemingly taunts historic perspective and makes you question how you could have ever believed the contrary. His clear and concise depiction of events paint an obvious picture of subjectivity on the part of the conquistadors and embellishment on the part of historians. The book challenges all major explanations of the Spanish Conquest and blames them on Eurocentric ideologies that boast racial superiority. It was this racist misconception that lead to an embellishment of circumstances over time. Historians rewrote history in a way that made them look far more superior then that of the Natives but Restall lays those misconceptions to rest. The book focuses on the big ideas that are – and have been – generally accepted as common knowledge, which is a much larger task than tackling ambiguous points that could be argued either way. Although this book isn’t very long, it is a very ambitious and bold correction of facile arguments that have stood the test of time. Restall’s critique and correction of the Spanish Conquest should be read on all levels of education. High school students should read this book as they begin to establish a basic level of understanding of these historical events. College students can use this text to challenge their established beliefs and grow their knowledge of the subject matter by gaining a new and exciting perspective. Teachers and professors can gain to learn more about the subject so that they may foster engaging debates and discussion in class on the course material. While this book challenges the accuracy or lack-thereof, of a specific historical event, it subsequently forces us as student, teachers and historians to view all events in history with a healthy sense of skepticism. Restall’s attempt to debunk common misconceptions or â€Å"myths† was very successful. Overall, his arguments were crisp, concise and convincing. The writing style of Restell made for an especially easy read that was as entertaining as it was informational. The ease at which he navigates through the subject matter makes you question your understanding of all major historical events. Not only should students on all levels who are interested in the subject be required to read this text but their teachers and professors as well. It’s important that teachers and professors make themselves familiar with the historical inaccuracies of this subject so that they won’t make the same mistakes and continue to proliferate the mis-education of the Spanish Conquest.

Free Essays on Personal Death

The death of a parent is a very significant event in a person’s life. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the effects of parental death on children and young adults. However, the majority of people will most likely experience the death of a parent during the period of middle adulthood. â€Å"Only 1 in 10 children has lost a parent by age 25 but by age 54, 50 percent of children have lost both parents, and by age 62, 75 percent have lost both parents.† (Winsborough, Bumpass, & Aquilino,1991, p.39 ). The loss of a parent during adulthood is a â€Å"life changing developmental event.† (Jordan & Ware, 1991, p. 362). Parents help us form an identity and become a unique and individual person. Berlinsky & Biller (1982), describe parents as the â€Å"givers of lives, our nurturers, guides, and the constructors of our initial realities.† Many adult children must adjust their amount of involvement within the family due to the death of a parent. Adult children begin to take on responsibilities of the family and assume leadership. This is sometimes referred to as being the â€Å"head† of the family. With the passing away of a parent, adult children begin to see things in a new light and become much more mature and self-reliant. Scharlach and Fredriksen (1993), report after the loss of a parent, there are noticeable changes in, â€Å"one’s sense of maturity, personal priorities, personal freedom and responsibility.† (p.307). The initial shock of losing a parent is very traumatic to one’s well being. Scharlach and Fredriksen (1993), describe how the death of a parent has a great impact on the mental health of the adult child experiencing grief. People become filled with many emotions such as, anxiety, anger, sadness, numbness, denial, and guilt. It is hard for adult children to feel comfortable expressing these emotions because society treats the effects of parental loss on adults very lightly. Adult children may feel as if t... Free Essays on Personal Death Free Essays on Personal Death The death of a parent is a very significant event in a person’s life. A great deal of emphasis is placed on the effects of parental death on children and young adults. However, the majority of people will most likely experience the death of a parent during the period of middle adulthood. â€Å"Only 1 in 10 children has lost a parent by age 25 but by age 54, 50 percent of children have lost both parents, and by age 62, 75 percent have lost both parents.† (Winsborough, Bumpass, & Aquilino,1991, p.39 ). The loss of a parent during adulthood is a â€Å"life changing developmental event.† (Jordan & Ware, 1991, p. 362). Parents help us form an identity and become a unique and individual person. Berlinsky & Biller (1982), describe parents as the â€Å"givers of lives, our nurturers, guides, and the constructors of our initial realities.† Many adult children must adjust their amount of involvement within the family due to the death of a parent. Adult children begin to take on responsibilities of the family and assume leadership. This is sometimes referred to as being the â€Å"head† of the family. With the passing away of a parent, adult children begin to see things in a new light and become much more mature and self-reliant. Scharlach and Fredriksen (1993), report after the loss of a parent, there are noticeable changes in, â€Å"one’s sense of maturity, personal priorities, personal freedom and responsibility.† (p.307). The initial shock of losing a parent is very traumatic to one’s well being. Scharlach and Fredriksen (1993), describe how the death of a parent has a great impact on the mental health of the adult child experiencing grief. People become filled with many emotions such as, anxiety, anger, sadness, numbness, denial, and guilt. It is hard for adult children to feel comfortable expressing these emotions because society treats the effects of parental loss on adults very lightly. Adult children may feel as if t...

How to Overcome Stage Fright

How to Overcome Stage Fright Imagine standing at the tribune, a couple of seconds before you actually start delivering your graduation speech. Think of the moment when you stand behind the mic, just before the first line of the song you want to perform for the crowd. How does it feel? Are you full of happy excitement or feel like running away (if only you could do it on those shaky legs)? In case it makes you feel any better – John Lennon used to throw up before his live performances. Youre not alone in the struggle. Its Not About You One of the most common reasons of a stage anxiety is worrying what the audience is going to think about you. Well, heres a fun fact: They dont really care about your personality. Most of the time people are worried only about themselves. You are to engage, educate or entertain your audience. If they are satisfied with what they get, they wont judge the one who delivers it too hard. Thus, concentrate on the material youre going to present instead of focusing on your personality. Practice Practice makes perfect. The rule applies to almost every sphere of our lives, right? Public speaking is not an exception. Training helps your brain to reduce the number of unknown variables it has to deal with when the due date comes. This allows you to focus on your story, entertaining your reader and making the whole thing much more fun. If memorizing a speech is a challenge for you, take a look at our infographics on how to memorize a speech. Send Good Vibes Perception is everything, isnt it? Thats why thinking of your audience as of a group of friendly, interested people, rather than a bunch of guys, ready to destroy you with criticism, will be of a great help. Smile and remember about eye contact. Avoid gazing at people, though: diverting your eyes to look at your notes or fix the appliances makes you look human, which is certainly good. We like the things we can relate to. Thus, looking not-so-perfect at times might even be a good thing. Power Posing Body language can shape our behavior, the way we make decisions and feel about ourselves. Power posing is a great tool to achieve these results. The study shows, that standing in a high-power pose for about 2 minutes may seriously boost your confidence and reduce stress. What are these poses? Think of a Wonder Woman or a Superman signature positions. Fake it till you make it. Or, actually, fake it until you become it. Dont Cram Sounding human and looking natural is crucial for successful delivery and impressing your listeners. Thats why you dont want to learn every single word by heart, when it comes to delivering a speech. You surely are to know what goes after what and have some cards or the outline in front of your eyes. Memorizing every single word will make you sound robotic. If you are having difficulties with writing a speech, consider our speech-writing help. If you are going to sing, act or dance in public – situation is a bit different. Here youll seek for a certain degree of mechanization, where you know all the moves, cues or direction of the melody. Nevertheless, leaving some space for your soul and inspiration will help you and your audience enjoy the event much more. Breathe Breathing in certain patterns may be a very powerful relaxation technique. First, it has a positive impact onto your physical state: blood pressure stabilize your brain gets that desired portion of oxygen the muscles relax All in all, you feel far more calm and confident. Second, you simply focus your attention on an activity, not on your being anxious and stressed out. Profit! No Caffeine Lots of people simply cant function without their favorite brew. In fact, its kind of a ritual, that has to be comforting and energizing. That is certainly true. Another fact here is that caffeine is a strong stimulant: it accelerates your heart rates dehydrates the vocal chord and can even make you sweat more intensively Add the general nervousness and get a cocktail of being overly jumpy, sweaty and squeaky. Try saving your cuppa as a reward for success. In case that just doesnt work for you – stick to your regular amount, and dont add any extra portions of caffeine before the actual event. Stretch Out Do a couple of yoga poses. Choose the level of difficulty that suits you best and focus on maintaining that balance, breathing and keeping muscles nice and tight. If youre a fan of yoga already – you know how awesome it is. In case youre not quite into that – give it a shot! You dont have to make yoga your daily routine, but it may work just fine for stressful situations, just like your public performance. Now, take a breath. Your presentation, speech, play or concert will go great. Especially, with our tips. Shine bright! Youll nail it.

Impacts of the work conditions, job satisfaction, and retention Research Paper - 1

Impacts of the work conditions, job satisfaction, and retention outcomes in Nursing - Research Paper Example Satisfied nursing professionals exhibit higher work productivity, less absenteeism, efficient patient care process and improvement in the quality of health care due to reduction of medication errors. Hospital managers should ensure that nurses exercise their autonomy and also health professionals collaborate in order to enhance the patient care outcomes. Nurses play a critical role in determining the effectiveness and sustainability of the health care provision (Bae, 2008). It is vital for nurses to have good working conditions in order to perform their duties effectively. However, it is crucial also to understand what motivates nurses to exert additional efforts in their work. Unsupportive work environment is associated with subjective stress, anxiety, and hostility towards work thus hindering effective patient care. High job satisfaction is exhibited by a willingness to exert more efforts in the provision of patient care. Poor working conditions de-motivate the nurses thus leading to higher turnover (Jernigan, 2008). In addition, higher turnover negatively affects the health care quality thus ultimately leading to more patient falls and high disease incidents (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). Job dissatisfaction has consistently been cited as one of the contributing factors to high nurse turnover in many health facilities. Other outcomes of job dissatisfaction in the nursing profession include high absenteeism, low worker productivity, increased patient accidents and medication errors in the health facility (Daly, Speedy & Jackson, 2004). All these outcomes of job dissatisfaction impede the efficiency and effectiveness of nursing care delivery thus threatening the health care of patients. Job satisfaction encompasses the attitudes and emotions of the nurse towards their work. Some causes of job dissatisfaction include huge workloads, long working hours, low

STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

STRATEGIC MARKETING MANAGEMENT - Essay Example ........................................................................................... 3.0 Marketing plan......................................................................................................... 3.1 Marketing objectives.................................................................................... 3.2 Situational analysis....................................................................................... 4.0 The marketing strategy............................................................................................. 4.1 Psychographic research necessity................................................................. 4.2 Personalised service production – direct marketing...................................... 4.3 Enhanced promotional development............................................................. 4.4 Strategic alliances and partnerships............................................................... 4.5 Control systems.................. ............................................................................ 5.0 Recommendations..................................................................................................... 6.0 Conclusion.................................................................................................................. ... So much of what drive marketing strategy is driven by consumer attitudes and values associated with their own lifestyles and the museum brand, requiring the National Air and Space Museum to invest more in consumer research to gain valuable market information to develop integrated communications strategies that are relevant and attention-grabbing to consumers. This plan recommends a redesign and construction of a new and more modernised servicescape, the development of strategic alliances and sponsorships, procurement of new interactive technologies, a well-developed promotional campaign, and a new staffing model to improve customer interactivity and create an authentic customer experience. This plan will build a better brand reputation for the museum and change perceptions in disparate consumer markets about the nature of the 21st Century Smithsonian museum. The Smithsonian – National Air and Space Museum 1.0 Introduction Museum marketing is a dynamic and complicated task as m ost museums cater to mass market consumers with very disparate socio-economic backgrounds, educational level, resource availability, and lifestyles. Hence, it becomes difficult to create targeted advertising and other relevant promotional materials that will create interest and excitement for consumer segments. In the United States, the National Air and Space Museum, a part of the Smithsonian Institute, offers a variety of historical exhibits related to air and space travel which are relevant and stimulating for a variety wide variety of consumers. The National Air and Space Museum collects, displays and interprets objects related to the history of air and

Proposal for CROSS CULTURAL EFFECTIVENESS CULTURE GAP AND EXPATRIATE Research Paper

Proposal for CROSS CULTURAL EFFECTIVENESS CULTURE GAP AND EXPATRIATE TRAINING - Research Paper Example I picked this topic because it will help me outline the need for an international organization to have leaders who can adjust to different environments quickly and work with partners and employees of other culture. With globalization, it is not wise to assume that a manager who does well in a given a country will automatically succeed in another different country. International Corporations, therefore, need needs an explicit measure of ensuring efficient cross culture integration in its management. This integration can help understand leaders who work in the newly globalized market After outlining my proposal, I will review relevant sources of information to prepare an annotated bibliography. To compile annotated bibliography I will take into consideration various books such as Handbook of Intercultural Training by Dan Landis, Reading and Cases in International human management by Mendenhall, Mand Expatriate Journeying: A holistic perspective on the care and development of overseas personnel by Westwood,D. Once the annotated bibliography is developed and submitted, the paper will be completed by making educated recommendations on how to integrate the difference in culture and globalization. I will also make clear suggestions on what the future steps international organization must make to ensure cross-cultural effectiveness. The paper will also make a recommendation on further area of the subject that needs further

Helping Children through Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Helping Children through Divorce - Essay Example Parental education about divorce, interventions designed to help children open up, discuss issues and to acquire problem solving skills as well as peer support do help. Schools are important in helping a child to adjust. This essay presents a discussion about ways to help children through a divorce or a reorganization of their family. The Western world, including United States of America and Canada, continues to experience a disturbing trend that shows high divorce rates (Harvey, 2003, pp. 3). In the 1960s, three out of ten marriages were likely to end in a divorce in the United States of America, but the divorce rate increased to five out of ten in 1975. This rate continued to persist until recently, when an increase in the number of couples living together without getting married skewed the marriage and divorce statistics (Jayson, 2005, Paragraph 1). Those who are living together can break up without causing much of a stir and this means that close relationships remain fragile. Thus, the Western world in general and the United States in particular, continue to experience weak family structures with high rates of solo parenting. Research suggests that the impact of a divorce on children is often devastating, because of divided loyalties between parents, the emotional and financial tensions, split families with former spouses living apart and continued conflict between parents (Harvey, 2003, pp. 3 – 6) and (McCormick-Wege, 2001, pp. 14 – 17). More than a million children in the United States of America now become children of divorce every year and these children are more likely to develop psychological problems compared to others, even if their financial and economic support continues. Children of divorce experience adjustment problems that do vary depending on the age, developmental maturity, gender, the time since the divorce and the nature of the support systems

Auditor Independence Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Auditor Independence - Essay Example Each time such news grabs headlines questions are raised about the expected role of auditors to be the whistle blowers on first whiff of material fraud or manipulation and if they had compromised their role by losing their independence. Investigation into reasons for Enron failure in particular revealed that its auditors had colluded with the management in weaving a web of complex financial transactions creatively to help window dress the dwindling fortunes and losses in return for hefty non audit fee. The firm was found guilty and indicted which brought about break up of one of the five largest audit firms of the world namely Arthur Anderson. Now there are only four big audit firms in the world namely, Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) Deloitte & Touch, KPMG and Ernst & Young, popularly known as the big four. Recently another big four firm namely Price Waterhouse Coopers' name has been dragged into another scandal of global proportions i.e., "Satyam", the software company based in India. This company had overstated its revenues for a number of years and falsified accounts to show nonexistent bank deposits. Once again the role of Auditors was reviewed and it is primarily concluded that the auditors had accommodated the management in creating the charade. The auditors responsible for signing the reports are behind bars for criminal conduct in rendering services. In Australia too there have been cases of failed entities like HIH Ltd and Harris Scarfe were both placed into administration in the 2001/2002 financial year and subsequent investigation revealed irregularities in the financial statements of both. Around the same time, the Australian companies One-Tel, Impulse Airlines, Ansett and Pasminco also collapsed, seemingly without warning, suggesting a deficiency in the corporate governance practices of these companies (Walker et al, 2008, p. 9). Just like SOX (Sarbanes-Oxley Act) of USA, CLERP 9 (Corporate Law and Economic Reform Program was enacted in response to public outcry over the seemingly expensive presence of auditors without commensurate accountability towards their functions to be discharged in an objective and honest manner. Thus a "conflict of interest" situation must be avoided by auditors. A formal enactment only strengthens and structures the conduct expected of auditors as a matter of best practice while discharging their duties. Explanatory Memorandum to CLERP 9 (4.19) states that the inclusion of an objective standard in the general auditor independence requirement is critical for enforcement purposes because objectivity, being a state of mind, is not, except in unusual circumstances, subject to direct proof. The difficulties associated with identifying a compromise of independence are also inherent in the nature of the audit process. Accordingly, the perception of auditor independence, as demonstrated by external facts and circumstances, under an objective standard takes on great importance. Main impact on audit function as a result of this legislation is summarised below: Partner rotation in all public interest entities with different partners namely engagement partner, the individual responsible for the engagement quality control review and other audit partners on the engagement team who are responsible for key decisions or

The cold war (1945 - 1991) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The cold war (1945 - 1991) - Essay Example Firstly, propaganda is used for opposition. Through spread of propaganda, an individual draws supporters who believe in him/her. In relation to the cold world war, the Soviet Union historically experienced frequent invasions from Russia, and immense death with subsequent destruction (Shaw 21). They sought to increase security by seeking assistance form neighboring countries. It is depicted that both the U.S and Soviet Union competed in building of nuclear bombs, which they used in their attacks. For instance, rockets developed were used to send astronauts and satellites in space. Joseph Stalin, a subsequent leader had his own version of the Soviet Union as a ‘Socialist island’. The Soviet propaganda was enhanced. From his perspective, he had the notion that the Soviet Union was to attract other countries to capitalism during the period of temporary capital stability before its ultimate collapse. He believed that in order for the Eastern Bloc countries to escape Soviet co ntrol, it was necessary to establish an economic integration with the west. The manner in which information exists in both history and literature and further how knowledge is distilled proves how each overlaps with the other. In both, how a story is presented is as important as it is the subject matter (Dean 5). It was during February 1945 when allied negotiations attributed to the post-war balance at the Yalta Conference took place. The main aim was to enhance multi-national peace, but the efforts were paralyzed by the individual’s ability to use veto power. Further still, both allow a fundamental distinction between history and memory. This is because whatever is portrayed in both is then, as opposed to memory, which is now. Through critical management of documentary, it is possible for history and literature to get close to history as possible (Dean 7).

Helping Children through Divorce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Helping Children through Divorce - Essay Example Parental education about divorce, interventions designed to help children open up, discuss issues and to acquire problem solving skills as well as peer support do help. Schools are important in helping a child to adjust. This essay presents a discussion about ways to help children through a divorce or a reorganization of their family. The Western world, including United States of America and Canada, continues to experience a disturbing trend that shows high divorce rates (Harvey, 2003, pp. 3). In the 1960s, three out of ten marriages were likely to end in a divorce in the United States of America, but the divorce rate increased to five out of ten in 1975. This rate continued to persist until recently, when an increase in the number of couples living together without getting married skewed the marriage and divorce statistics (Jayson, 2005, Paragraph 1). Those who are living together can break up without causing much of a stir and this means that close relationships remain fragile. Thus, the Western world in general and the United States in particular, continue to experience weak family structures with high rates of solo parenting. Research suggests that the impact of a divorce on children is often devastating, because of divided loyalties between parents, the emotional and financial tensions, split families with former spouses living apart and continued conflict between parents (Harvey, 2003, pp. 3 – 6) and (McCormick-Wege, 2001, pp. 14 – 17). More than a million children in the United States of America now become children of divorce every year and these children are more likely to develop psychological problems compared to others, even if their financial and economic support continues. Children of divorce experience adjustment problems that do vary depending on the age, developmental maturity, gender, the time since the divorce and the nature of the support systems

The cold war (1945 - 1991) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The cold war (1945 - 1991) - Essay Example Firstly, propaganda is used for opposition. Through spread of propaganda, an individual draws supporters who believe in him/her. In relation to the cold world war, the Soviet Union historically experienced frequent invasions from Russia, and immense death with subsequent destruction (Shaw 21). They sought to increase security by seeking assistance form neighboring countries. It is depicted that both the U.S and Soviet Union competed in building of nuclear bombs, which they used in their attacks. For instance, rockets developed were used to send astronauts and satellites in space. Joseph Stalin, a subsequent leader had his own version of the Soviet Union as a ‘Socialist island’. The Soviet propaganda was enhanced. From his perspective, he had the notion that the Soviet Union was to attract other countries to capitalism during the period of temporary capital stability before its ultimate collapse. He believed that in order for the Eastern Bloc countries to escape Soviet co ntrol, it was necessary to establish an economic integration with the west. The manner in which information exists in both history and literature and further how knowledge is distilled proves how each overlaps with the other. In both, how a story is presented is as important as it is the subject matter (Dean 5). It was during February 1945 when allied negotiations attributed to the post-war balance at the Yalta Conference took place. The main aim was to enhance multi-national peace, but the efforts were paralyzed by the individual’s ability to use veto power. Further still, both allow a fundamental distinction between history and memory. This is because whatever is portrayed in both is then, as opposed to memory, which is now. Through critical management of documentary, it is possible for history and literature to get close to history as possible (Dean 7).

Comparisons of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Essay Example for Free

Comparisons of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Essay I think the decisions of both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were unethical and wrong. To start with, they were both dropouts of college. Bill Gates was a drop out of Harvard University and Steve Jobs dropped out of Berkley University. Steve Jobs was adopted where as Bill Gates had his original family. Steve Jobs was a very odd man, to say the least. He was a hippie in the early days of his life. He did drugs such as acid. Bill Gates was a very plain boring person. He loved to play poker and was a very wreck less person in his actions. Steve Jobs did not develop the original ideas of Apple; instead, Steve Wazniack was the original inventor of the Apple Computer. Both Bill Gates and Steve Jobs went to MITS wanting to test out the Altair, the owner of MITS gave both Steve and Bill a Altair unit, Bill had to talk the owner into giving him one though because Bill wanted a $4,000 signing bonus. Bill Gates goes to IBM and offers to license them an operating system called DOS, little did IBM know that they did not even have it yet, IBM is willing to buy a license to DOS. Therefore, Bill Gates buys DOS from a Seattle worker for $50,000; when the worker hears that he is willing to give him $50,000 dollars, his jaw hits the floor, and he sells it right away. Steve Jobs is a giant jerk to his employees. He makes them work 90 hours weeks, screams, and yells when they do not accomplish a huge task on a small deadline. He made an employee so mad one time that the employee jumped up and slammed Jobs’ face off the wall. Bill gates on the other hand, is a very caring person when it comes to his employees, he is afraid to over work them and gives them lots of vacation time. Both men are married and have children. Steve Jobs’ tried to deny that he was the father of his first-born daughter Lisa. The Apple Lisa was named so because of her.

Ethical To Monitor Employees Whilst In Workplace

Ethical To Monitor Employees Whilst In Workplace The development of Information Communication Technology has created new ethical dilemmas due to the out-of-date moral, legal, and social boundaries. These boundaries can be represented by rules and legislation, laws and human nature. The expansion of technology has created a new era of office work. The majority of offices around the world are now filled with newly available technological advances; from personal computers to large network servers. This access to readily available technology has led to a blurring of the boundaries and has created new issues within the workplace. Over the last decade there has been an increase among employers to monitor the actions and performance of their employees. This is due to worries about; quality of work, productivity employee theft or misuse of company property. (Johnson 2008, p.1) One of the main ethical issues of the workplace is employee privacy and surveillance. This essay will address the following ethical topic; is it ethical to monitor employees whilst they are in the workplace? This will be addressed in several different ways to make sure that is analysed and evaluated properly. This essay will be constructed in the following way; firstly the definition of Privacy and surveillance will be cross examined. This is to demonstrate the vast area that this topic covers and to supply background information on the ethical issue of employee privacy and surveillance. This will lead into further background information regarding the aspects of employee monitoring, including; the implications of the topic and the methods employed to monitor employees. Once the background research regarding employee monitoring has been analysed the ethical side of the topic will be assed and documented before being summarised and evaluated in a conclusion. The main focus of this essa y will to create an argument regarding the issues of employ monitoring and to explore if they are ethically correct or ethically wrong. Since this topic is based around privacy in the workplace, privacy is a key term to be explored. This section of the essay will analyse the definitions of the terms and look for trends and connections relating back to the essay question. An individuals privacy theoretically descends from the concern of others who may have information relating to the person or is relevant to the person. The Oxford English Dictionary was used to give a rough understanding of the term Privacy. The dictionary describes the term Privacy as the following; a state in which one is not observed or disturbed by other people: she returned to the privacy of her own home the state of being free from public attention: a law to restrict newspapers freedom to invade peoples privacy (Oxford Dictionaries, 2005) This meaning relating to the topic of employee monitoring suggest that monitoring employees would be unethical as monitoring a person stops them from being unable to be disturbed or observed. The definition above isnt relevant enough to the topic above and should only be used as a rough guide. As a starting point for the topic of Privacy Schoemans definition will be examined, as it gives a basic understanding of the word. A person has privacy to the extent that others have limited access to information about him, limited access to the intimacies of his life, or limited access to his thoughts or his body. (Schoeman, 1984, p. 3) It suggests that to achieve privacy in the workplace a persons personal information should be contained with only limited access. From the quote it suggests that employees actions at work and outside of it should be only truly known to them. From this quote is it a fair response to suggest that once the employer starts to have access to the employees private information that it could lead to distrust and animosity in the workplace. From analysing this quote it suggests that employee monitoring in the work place is un-ethical, as it would allow others to have access to information about a person. Following Shoemans ideas, allowing employers to monitor employees would stop the employee from being able to control the access of their information. Another definition of privacy is defined below: The condition of not having undocumented personal knowledge about one possessed by others Personal knowledge consists of facts about a person which most individuals in a given society at a given time do not want widely known about themselves. (Miller and Weckert, 2000, p.256) This definition raises issues as it implies that a persons privacy is only relevant to the society that they find themselves in. This could be their home, workplace or on a larger scale, their country. A person should still be entitled to their privacy regardless of the society; human nature dictates that all humans have the capacity to have secrets or hide secrets. From this a person should be able to hide information from others regardless of their society. Relating this back to the initial essay question it implies that the idea of privacy would again make monitoring employees in the workplace unethical. It would allow the employer access to the employees personal knowledge, thus being unethical. This will be explored later when the ideas of privacy are linked to ethical theses. In the following section the aspects relating to employee monitoring will be analysed and discussed. This will be done by examining the following topics; the implications of the topic and the methods employed to monitor. Bassick suggests that in Employee Surveillance: An Ethical Consideration it is new methods of employee monitoring that is causing the ethical issues. Bassick states that the need for employee monitoring is down to three main ideas, these being; to maximize worker productivity, ensure the integrity the organization, and to protect the interests of customers and fellow workers. (Bassick et al. 2007) In relation to the topic of ethics it is quite clear to see why this has been turned into an ethical dilemma. Employers feel that they need to survey their employees as can lead to a more profitable and efficient business. On the other hand this can have negative effects on the employees as they can feel more pressurised, over controlled, restricted and unmotivated. Now the types of surveillance used by employers will be examined and analysed. This will show what causes the main ethical dilemmas, if the key areas of surveillance can be identified then it will be easier to understand what causes them. American Management Association (AMA) in 2007 carried out and published detailed information regarding to the surveillance of employees in the workplace. This information will be used to identify the most used techniques, from this it will identify how the employees are affected. From AMAs finding it suggests that employers main concern is Web surfing, with 66% monitoring the employees web usage. As well as this AMA found that 65% of all participating businesses used software to block inappropriate access to websites. Again this could lead to conflict within the workplace as employees could feel that they have right to access to all websites when they are not on company time, i.e. on a lunch break or after office hours. This could lead to the ethical issue of the freedom of information act as by banning certain sites it reduces the access to publicly know information. (American Management Association 2007) AMA also explored surveillance relating to keyboard activity, the report concluded that 45% of employers track the employees keystrokes. As well as monitoring time at the computer, AMAs findings found out that 43% of the participating businesses stored their employees files and work for further review and analyse.16% of all the participating businesses also record phone conversations. Relating this back to the issue of privacy in the workplace, this is in clear violation of it. By recording employees conversations it removes all privacy with relation to calls, for example, a private call from a family member saying somebody in the family is ill, the employer could quite easily be recoding it thus breaking the employees privacy. Of the 43% of companies that monitor e-mail, 73% of them use software to monitor emails and 40% hire an individual to actual analyse and review all the employee emails. (American Management Association 2007) again this could be seen as a breach of privacy. Whilst in the workplace employees tend to receive emails daily, the majority will be work related, but some wont be. For example, if an employee receives an email about a potential new job, but actually has no intention of applying for it. It could still cause conflict in the workplace as the employer might interpret it as the employee looking for a new job, this could then give the employer the grounds for dismissal. Persson and Hansson in Privacy at Work Ethical Criteria looked at the duties of employers and their responsibility is the prevention of third parties, from having access to employees privacy. Employers can state that access to their employees information is to reduce unauthorized persons from having access to it. (Persson and Hansson 2003, p.60) This would justify the reasons for having to monitor the employees but would still require surveillance in the first place. In the Ownership, Privacy and monitoring in the Workplace, Loch Suggests that many employers have the right to monitor their employees. This is because they are being paid to do a job and not achieving this is unproductive. She goes on to suggest that the owners of the companies also own the office supplies, equipment and technology. This gives them the right to monitor how the resources get used and what they are used for. (Loch et al. 1998) Relating this back to the initial question, it makes perfect sense to agree with what loch says. For example, if a person lends a friend a laptop to help them to do coursework, that person assumes that the friend will use the laptop to do the coursework. This doesnt stop the friend from using the laptop to do other things, such as, go on Facebook, or access illegal content. The person still owns the laptop even though the friend is using it, this means that the person can ask for it back at any time. They could also monitor the friend to make sure that they keep on task and only use the laptop for the coursework. From an ethical point of view the person could be regarded as a good friend because checking up on the friend could be regarded as being a good friend to make sure that they do well. But relating this to the workplace the same scenario can apply, as the employer monitoring the employees to make sure they keep on task could be seen as good bossing. The employers could also cl aim that by monitoring employees it reduces the risk of dismissal as the employees are more focused. Following Lochs teachings it suggests that employers have a right to see what their employees are doing throughout the day. The main reason for this as it normally leads to an increase in performance levels allowing a business to perform more efficiently. Persson and Hansson suggest that many companies track individuals keystrokes, email use, web site hits and their movements throughout the building to measure an individual employees efficiency. (Persson and Hansson 2003) the ethical implications of this are that it can lead to mistrust and conflict within the workplace; this could lead to an unmotivated workforce. Through the analyse of the types of employee monitoring and the implications of this in the workplace, it appears that it can be argued by both. Employers can argue that surveillance is necessary to workplace productive and efficiency, whilst protecting employees from third party access. Whereas employees can argue that it is a breach of privacy and that employers shouldnt be allowed to survey staff as it can have a negative effect on the workplace. To further this argument employee defence must also be considered, this will be carried out by looking at the ethical implications of the topic. In the 2005 American Management Association survey it concluded that there is no official legislation that makes employee surveillance illegal. But the majority of employees regard it as unethical and an invasion of their privacy. (American Management Association 2005) This could be due to the fact that a lot of employees arent aware that they are being surveyed at work, this is then regarded as an ethical dilemma because employees feel that it is their right to know if they are being monitored or not. Firstly, Miller in Privacy, the Workplace and the Internet In addition stated that employees being monitored can suffer from; poor health, stress, and morale problems compared to other employees. Again this raises further ethical implications, is it ethical to monitor employees when it could lead to health implications. This again is a fine line, as some employers will argue that surveillance is a necessity and that the health implications are treatable. Whereas employees will argue that their health is of more importance that the profit of the company, certainly it is an issue, but many companies are happy to overlook a problem to maximise a turnover. Another ethical implication relating to ethics in the workplace relates to employer-employee trust. Trust can be important in a workplace, as employers must trust employees on a daily basis to carry out their job tasks, to meet deadlines and to cooperate with other employees in the workplace. Employees also feel that not only is surveillance a breach of their privacy but an invasion of their personal space. Miller again identifies this; There are other important things in life besides efficiency and profitability. In particular, there is the right to privacy. The existence of the right to privacy, and related rights such as confidentiality and autonomy, is sufficient to undermine extreme views such as the view that employees ought to be under surveillance every minute of the day. (Miller and Weckert, 2000) Employee surveillance is unethical because it takes away many of the rights addressed within this theory. One right stripped away from employees through surveillance is the right to make you own choices. Companies purposely adopt e-mail monitoring, website screening, and GPS tracking technology to eliminate employees rights to choose what they want to do.8 Companies do have a need to protect their organizational interests, but forcing employees to act a certain way through surveillance is not the ethical way to control behavior.7 Instead of cameras and monitoring software, an employer following the rights approach should encourage correct behavior by stating what is expected of the employees and then giving them choice to act in a way they feel is right 8. Employers often tell employees when they are being monitored. What employers often do not tell employees is the extent of the surveillance taking place.2 For example, it is common for a business to state they use e-mail surveillance software but not describe what is appropriate to include in an e-mail, whether or not they are consistently reviewing e-mails, and if they are storing the e-mails for future use. By withholding information, companies are violating the employees right to be told the truth.8 Any employer that purposely omits pertinent information is acting unethically. According to the rights approach, companies must not hide any information from an employee. If employee surveillance must be used, it is only right to let the worker know exactly what the companys policy is on using monitoring technology.8 (Bassick et al. 2007) Another ethical theory which emphasizes the process of moral character development is virtue ethics. Within this framework, morality is not guided by rules or rights but instead by the concept of character.9 Character, which consists of honesty, fairness, compassion and generosity, drives members of an organization to concern themselves with what to be, as opposed to what to do.9 Virtue based ethics seeks to produce excellent persons who both act well and serve as examples to inspire others.9 Actors, those making the ethical decisions, focus on whether rights are deserved as opposed to what the rule book implicitly states.10 Under this theory, privacy can be considered a right that employees deserve. Companies implementing this ethical guidance believe that workers know how to act and display themselves with great character. Therefore, surveillance is unnecessary because employees behaviour and decisions will be consistent with the actions of a good person 10. (Knights 2006) 9 (Everett 2006) 10 Conclusion Technology is an amazing phenomenon. Never before has the human race been so dependent on instruments and gadgets to get through their everyday life. There is no doubt that these advancements have increased the standard of living and made many of our everyday activities far more convenient. With this convenience has come a greater threat of privacy invasion. Simply because a new technology has increased our potential, does not make these new abilities ethical. As citizens of the United States, whether stated by law or a common ethical framework, deserve the right to keep certain things private. There is currently a vague line that distinguishes what is and is not considered private material, information, or knowledge. In order to give all citizens equal rights these definitions must be more clearly stated and understood by all. The ambiguity that currently exists between employer surveillance programs and employee knowledge of such monitoring must be eliminated. More than anything it is important that people know what activity is being watched and what is not. As our abilities increase, our moral and ethical thinking must accompany this growth. We must have a sense of responsibility to maintain two of the greatest natural rights that we posses; privacy and autonomy.

The Hobbit :: Essays Papers

The Hobbit In this most appealing book, Bilbo gets caught up in an adventure he never dreamed of, that will later change his life. In the beginning Bilbo Baggins runs into an old acquaintance, Gandalf, a wizard, who he had met many years earlier at festivals, where Gandalf had made fireworks with his magic. Bilbo and Gandalf talked for a while and Bilbo being the kind and polite hobbit he was invited him for tea in his hill the next day. There at about the time Bilbo was expecting Gandalf he heard a knock at the door, but when he opened the door it was in fact not Gandalf but a little dwarf. The dwarf introduced himself to Bilbo as Thorin Oakenshield, son of Throror, son of Thrain. He then let himself in. After that many dwarves followed, actually 9 more had come to the little hobbit's doorstep. Then finally after all the dwarves had made themselves comfortable he heard another tap at the door, and sure enough it was Gandalf, but with 3 other dwarves. That night Gandalf and the dwarves spoke of wondrous tales and of a dragon’s gold that had once belonged to Thorin’s father. They also told of an adventure they were about to embark on, and then turning to Gandalf they asked what of the 13th member of the party? Gandalf spoke up and said, "My, the one I have chosen is the burglar Mr. Baggins." Bilbo did not seem pleased, for he had no need of adventure with his pleasant yet simplistic life. Even though he was secretly intrigued, but more so he was very scared. After a bit of chitchat Bilbo agreed to go and they all went to bed. When morning came Bilbo found no one in his hobbit hole, and it’s needless to say that he was very pleased, yet at the same time also a bit disappointed. He found a note from Gandalf on his Mantle telling him to meet them at the inn. So Bilbo embarked on his journey to the inn as well as his adventure. Many divergences transpired during their trip to the lonely mountain where the dragon lay with the adventurers’ soon to be gold. The journey was no walk in the park. Many fights sprung up, traps triggered, dark forests in need of paths appeared, and having to deal with creatures like trolls, goblins, elves, spiders, and many others.

Schizophrenia Essay examples -- Psychology Psychiatry Disorders Essays

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a metal illness which is characterized by a disruption in cognition and emotion that affects the most fundamental human attributes, such as thought, perception, language, and the sense of self. There are a large number of symptoms of schizophrenia which can include hearing internal voices, hallucinations, and delusions. No single symptom can diagnose a person as schizophrenic, but rather the collection of multiple symptoms which persist for a prolonged period of time. Symptoms of schizophrenia are divided into two categories, positive and negative. These categories define how the symptoms are defined and treated. Positive symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, disorganized behavior, disorganized speech and thinking, difficulty to be goal oriented, the schizophrenic is unpredictable, silly, or exhibits behaviors that are bizarre to onlookers. Other positive symptoms include catatonic behaviors, which would be a decrease in reaction to the current environment. Positive symptoms, which do not occur very often, are unusual motor behavior, derealization, depersonalization and somatic preoccupations. Negative symptoms of schizophrenia include affective flattening, which is a reduction in the range and intensity of emotional expressions, Alogia categorized by a lessening of speech fluency and productivity, and Avolition, which is the reduction, or difficulty to initiate and persist in goal directed behavior. Schizophrenia is a serious mental illness, and although there is no known cure there are several drugs that can be administered to those suffering from the illness to reduce the severity of the symptoms, or to hopefully get rid of all of the s... ...perdal. (2003). Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.drugresourcecenter.com/risperdal/risperdal.htm Jannsen.com, . Risperdal. (2005, January 12). Retrieved February 17, 2005, from http://www.risperdal.com/html/ris/consumer/pd_risperidone.xml?article =safety.jspf Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/chapter4/sec4.html #table4_7 NAMI-NYS. Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.naminys.org/abmed_ris.htm National Institute of Neorlogical disorders and Stroke, . NINDS Tardive Dyskinesia Information Page. (2005, February 09). Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/tardive/tardive.htm PSY web Mental Health. Retrieved February 19, 2005, from http://www.psyweb.com/Drughtm/risper.html

Neolithic Revolution

The Neolithic Revolution is the single most important achievement in human history because it created civilization, developed agriculture, and new inventions were made to make life easier. Although some people may disagree with this statement, there is actual evidence that can prove it to be correct. During the time when early humans hunted and gathered, they would constantly have to move to different locations. This is because the animals that were hunted would die out and there would be nothing much to gather; this also caused starvation.When the unmans started using agriculture, they would produce their own food and that increased the populations; so bigger settlements started to form. Soon, there would be a whole civilization because there was a surplus amount of food that was grown. Also, the people that worked the farms came up with new and inventive inventions that would help them in their daily work; some of these inventions are still use today. When agriculture was first use d, some of the hunter gatherers had no choice to use it because food was scarce.However, when they did use it, they enjoyed it, causing hem to want to stay with the method. People started to build their own communities where cattle were raised and crops were grown. So much food was available that they did not have to worry about the starvation of the people. Since there weren't a lot of Jobs that needed to be completed (like hunt or gather) people lived a more peaceful life with agriculture to help supply their hunger needs. In my opinion, civilizations were created because agriculture brought people together and helped them live an easier life.Agriculture was so momentous that, I believe, human society wouldn't be where It Is today. During the Neolithic times, early humans needed to do hard laboring for long hours. So they were always trying to find a way to make It easier from them to do their Jobs. For example, In the Roots of the Western Tradition reading, when prepping the solo for the crops, the people would need to do that with a tool using their own hands. Until they found out that large animals could help do the Job twice as fast.Also In the reading, humans discovered more ways to use the animals Instead of for food; Like for clothes and for tools. These Inventions lead to more Intelligence In the communities, Like social classes and more Jobs for other people. Even though our time has advanced, people, Like farmers, still use a version of the tools that were created In 8000 B. C. The Neolithic Revolution Is a big debate whether It helped the human race or harmed It. Even though there are cons to the revolution, I believe that the pros are stronger than the negative affect that It left.The revolution lead to more excelled people and easier lives for everyone, who knows where the world would be today If agriculture was not created? Furthermore, I strongly believe that agriculture was one of the single most Important achievements In human history and ha t society today would not be the same without It. Neolithic Revolution By stairs wouldn't be where it is today. Hours. So they were always trying to find a way to make it easier from them to do their Jobs.For example, in the Roots of the Western Tradition reading, when prepping the soil for the crops, the people would need to do that with a tool using their own Also in the reading, humans discovered more ways to use the animals instead of for food; like for clothes and for tools. These inventions lead to more intelligence in the communities, like social classes and more Jobs for other people. Even though our mime has advanced, people, like farmers, still use a version of the tools that were created in 8000 B. C.The Neolithic Revolution is a big debate whether it helped the human race or harmed it. Even though there are cons to the revolution, I believe that the pros are stronger than the negative affect that it left. The revolution lead to more civilized people and easier lives for everyone, who knows where the world would be today if agriculture was not created? Furthermore, I strongly believe that agriculture was one of the single most important achievements in human history and that society today would not be the same without it. Neolithic Revolution While archaeologists are agreed on the implication of the Neolithic Revolution, it has not been so simple to determine exactly when food production began. In the first place, the classification of food production is dependent on our perceptive of domestication, an indefinite concept itself. Domestication can be distinct as the exploitation of plants and animals by humans in such a way as to cause some genetic, or morphological, change; more broadly, it is seen as a range of relationships between people, plants, and animals (Anne Birgitte Gebauer and T.Douglas Price , eds. , 1992). On one end of the range are morphologically domesticated plants like wheat, barley, peas, lentils, and bitter vetch. In these plants, changes brought concerning by artificially induced selective processes can be renowned by pale botanists studying the remains of seeds. Some morphologically domesticated plants, together with maize, dates, banana, and breadfruit, have been so altered that they are forever tie d to people, for they have lost their autonomous power of seed dispersal and germination.On the other end of the same range are plants that have been â€Å"domesticated† solely in terms of the growing space people offer for them. These plants, referred to as cultivated plants, are difficult if not viable to differentiate from wild plants, for their domestication is a matter of ecological rather than morphological change. In the middle range of the continuum lie all extents of domestication and cultivation. consequently, determining whether or not a past culture has cultivated plants often involves a fair amount of detective work.For example, the presence of seeds at Nahal Oren in Israel (ca. 18,000 B. C. ) of exactly the same cereal plants later domesticated indicates that certain plants might have been selected and cultivated at a very early date (Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza, 1996). Determining the degree of animal domestication also entails some i nference and guesswork. As with plants, some animals (in the Near East, dogs, sheep, goats, cattle, and pigs) became hereditarily changed in time. But morphological changes did not take place for many generations, and in several instances they never took place at all. In these cases, paleozoologists should rely on other clues.The high percentage of gazelle bones in some early Neolithic sites, for illustration—three times more than any other species—probably indicates their â€Å"domestication† or at the very least their selective exploitation. In recent times the red deer, eland, and musk-ox have, for all realistic purposes, been domesticated perhaps in the same mode that the gazelle was in the early Neolithic. As with plants, some animal species are more easily cultivated than others. Studies on the herding behavior of animals suggest that definite species may be predated for domestication (Charles Heiser, 1990).The evolution from extensive dependence on gazell e to the domestication of sheep and goats may have resulted from the fact that sheep and goats utilize a wider range of foods, are added dependent on water supplies, and are better integrated into an inactive community. Because it is hard to determine the extent of domestication in past cultural systems, assigning agricultural status to a society is often a somewhat arbitrary decision that involves some ambiguity In short, there are extents of food production.Anthropologists and archaeologists can, though, agree on a working definition of food production. This definition posits two minimum requirements: first, there should be a reasonably competent level of food procurement (food acquired through direct production should amount to over half the community's dietary needs for part of the year); and second, both plant and animal domesticates are no longer bound to their natural habitat (that is, plants and animals can survive, with human assistance, in environments to which they are no t obviously adapted).The Neolithic Revolution was the result of the development of settled agriculture around 6,000 BC, which facilitated human beings for the first time to make nature grow what they wanted instead of living on what she reluctantly provided. The food surplus thus garnered supported a larger population—five or more times as large as from hunting and gathering—and permitted a small minority of them to specialize in other kinds of work, as craftsmen (especially of the new, highly finished stone tools which gave the modern name to the period), artists, warriors, priests, and rulers, and to construct the first towns and cities.The city (civis) gave its name to civilization, which formed the culture, the arts and crafts, the temples and palaces, and—it must be said—the weapons and fortifications, that have characterized history ever since. Principally, it created history itself: writing, invented for the purposes of management and ritual, had a s by-product the preservation, more consistent than oral tradition, of a record of events, and so entree to the past beyond human memory.The huge rise in the scale of organization stemming from this first revolt and the consequent growth in communal wealth and power created the first kingdoms and empires, and enabled them to grow, mainly by conquest, to ecumenical size. Over the next several millennia political entities as large as Sumeria, Egypt, China, Persia, and Rome and, by an independent and later improvement, the Inca and Aztec empires in the Western hemisphere governed stretches of the earth’s surface larger than most contemporary nation states.It was a mega-revolution in human society. Though it brought wealth and power to the few, it had venomous as well as beneficial effects for the many. Subsequent to the casual, care-free, imprudent life of hunting and gathering in humanity’s Eden, it symbolized for most a decline into heavy and continuous labor: ‘In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread. ’ It also meant yielding part of the excess food to the organizers and defenders of the community: to emend Marx, ‘All history is the history of the struggle for income.’ The prevailing elite, whether slave owners, tribute takers, or feudal lords, proscribed the scarce resource, the land, and so were able to take out ‘surplus value’ from the food producers and use it to ‘live like lords’ and inflate their span of command. The struggle for survival and conquest made combat the normal state of relations between neighboring communities. But there were benefits, in the inner peace which reigned for long periods within the borders, and the high culture, the arts of painting, sculpture, poetry, drama, music, and dance which could glee some of the people some of the time.Compared with pre-history, it was a life on a higher plane of subsistence. There were even professionals, officials, priests, docto rs, and lawyers, however they were for the most part subservient to the rich and influential, servants rather than masters (accept perhaps in the very few theocracies known to history). They were yet key players in the process. They invented, or set on a more enduring basis than oral tradition, all the arts and sciences: bureaucracy, organized religious conviction, philosophy, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, law. especially, the priests and bureaucrats invented writing, and so made history itself possible.That is why history begins with the cities of the Neolithic Revolution and not before. One other service was given by the European clergy, which made medieval Europe different from other civilizations and tiled the way for a further round of worldwide social change. as of the separation of church and state and the resultant equality of the Gelasian ‘two swords’, political control was never combined in Europe. A space was left between Empire and Papacy through which i ndependent thought, protest, and innovation could creep in and prevent the built-in stasis of most empires and theocracies.The Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment, all found nutritious soil in which to grow, and independent thinkers, innovators and inventors could practice unregulated paths. Thus Europe, rather than some other area, became the origin of the next great social revolution. The earliest center of the Neolithic Revolution was southwestern Asia, more specifically the thousand miles between western Iran and Greece, including parts of what today are Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, and the Anatolian plateau of Turkey (Wesley Cowan and Patty Jo Watson, eds. , 1992).From about 8900 B. C. , semi settled or semi permanent â€Å"protoneolithic† communities subsisted in northern Iraq, where the people de- pended in part on domesticated sheep for their survival. These settlements, with a typical population of 100 to 150, must not be seen as villages or protocities, since they were not occupied year-round and did not house the diversity of occupations and classes we associate with an urban economy. One instance of such a settlement was Jericho, which housed a protoneolithic community by 7800 B C (Kathleen Kenyon, 1994). Between 7000 and 6000 B. C. , â€Å"aceramic† (i. e., before pottery) Neolithic sites were occupied in parts of Iraq and Iran; several scholars see signs of this period as early as 8000 B. C (Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, 1994). Neolithic cultures with pottery existed at Catal Huyuk in Anatolia (Turkey) by 6800 B. C. and in Iran by 6500 B. C. By 5600 B. C. , Neolithic settlements with pottery subsisted in Greek Macedonia. The Neolithic means of life had its beginnings in the foothills of the Zagros Mountains and on the Anatolian plateau, where water from natural sources was passable and crops could be grown without recourse to artificial irrigation.By about 5500 B. C. , however, the se original settlements gave way to much better communities in the nearby alluvial plains on the banks of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. Here, crops could be grown in adequate quantities only under irrigation, and the early stages of the Neolithic were replaced by the completely different urban way of life linked with ancient cities. By about 6000 B. C. , the first stage of the Neolithic Revolution was combined in southwestern Asia, where small villages had become the customary way to organize populations.The crops and animals that had been domestic here in the fertile crescent spread to become the basis for the great river civilizations of the Nile in Egypt and the Indus in southern Asia. The rebellion also spread into Mediterranean Europe with little difficulty because of the similarities in climate and soil; between 6000 and 5000 B. C. , Greece and the southern Balkans shifted to an agrarian economy. By 4000 B. C. , agriculture was established in numerous areas around the Medit erranean. It took another millennium or two for Mediterranean crops and animals to widen successfully to northwestern Europe.The Neolithic method of life arrived in Britain, for example, no earlier than about 4700 B. C (Rodney Castleden, 1993). By that time, a different kind of Neolithic transformation had already begun to progress on the shores of the new bays and estuaries formed by the flooding that accompanied the end of the last ice age. As temperatures quickly rose to something approximating their present levels, the mile-thick ice melted and sea levels rose radically. Over a span of 2,000 years, almost half of Western Europe was immersed.Britain and Ireland became islands, cut off from the mainland by the recently formed English Channel and Irish Sea. The rising waters created frequent bays and estuaries along the new coastline, and these new ecosystems established to be rich sources of marine life for human consumption. Lured by the easy accessibility of new protein sources, Stone Age Europeans began to settle down in semi sedentary communities. Instead of staying continually on the move, they established base camps near the coast, from which they could endeavor forth to hunt large game when the fishing seasons were poor.A fairly similar change took place in newly created coastal areas of North America, including, for instance, on the shores of Chesapeake Bay. About three thousand years after agriculture began in Mesopotamia, that is, about 6000 B. C. , the Neolithic Revolution began independently in two other distant sites: along the Yellow River in China and in the tropical highlands of Mesoamerica. In China, several kinds of millet were reclaimed by 6000 B. C. , the first villages arose in the Yellow River area by 5500 B. C. , and rice was domesticated in the Yangtze area by 5000 B. C (Peter Rowley-Conwy, 1993).From China, the Neolithic culture spread to Korea, where it gradually became combined over four or five millennia from 6000 B. C. to about 2 000 B. C. In Japan, a foraging culture known as Jomon, which had succeeded from about 10,000 B. C. , gradually gave way to a wet rice culture in the southwest abruptly before the beginning of the Christian era and in the northeast a millennium later. As the Neolithic revolution took place in the so-called nuclear areas in western and Southeast Asia about ten thousand years ago or earlier, and later, independently, in central America.Although the Neolithic rebellion refers to a complex of several significant innovations, the two key evolutionary events to change human history were the domestication of animals and the cultivation of plants. From the centers of these modernizations, knowledge diffused out over the face of earth to most people (Robley Matthews, Douglas Anderson, Robert Chen, and Thompson Webb, 1990). While the cultivation of plants became established as the predominant way of life in the form of agriculture, an event typically accompanied by the domestication of animals , a diverse form of life emerged.The village became the unit of life. This is what sociologists and anthropologists believe being a major way of life in human history, in sharp contrast to modern, industrialized, urban, and complex society. Many names have been coined in order to refer to the customary, agricultural societies that filled most of our written history. By and large, sociologists and anthropologists concur as to the characteristics of agricultural society, and they use different names to explain the same thing.According to them, agricultural society is tradition-oriented; its people are controlled by informal sanctions such as rumor; social relationships are intimate and personal; there is modest division of labor, social structure is rigid with clear class differences; and people are ethnocentric and suspicious of outsiders (Richard MacNeish, 1992). The culture of such society might be described as relatively homogeneous, because the village is more or less self-relian t and excludes outsiders.In exceptional cases, there might be a racial or ethnic minority within or near the village. But because of rigid social distinctions mostly in the form of class differences, contact with them is relatively limited and is more formal, essentially in connection with trade and business transactions. Certainly, compared with the circumstances before the Neolithic revolution, cultural variation within society was likely to be greater and physical deviation as well, once there was the possibility for contact with other racial or ethnic groups.This meant, further, that the possibility for psychological difference became greater, compared with people before the Neolithic revolution. It is plausible that the observation of cultural variation as seen in class and occupational differences in the village as well as that of physical disparity in the form of racial or ethnic differences might have created a greater range of psychological responses among members of a vill age. But there was also a built-in mechanism to offset this in agricultural society.The strong pressure for conformity by means of informal sanctions based on confronting each other contact made psychological variation very difficult. Also, the firm structure of agricultural society kept the appearance of the feeling of relative deprivation, for example, to a minimum. while no possibility for achievement or change was visible, people were not likely to feel deprived, even when they saw the system as excessive. Thus, despite the probable for greater variations in physical, psychological, and cultural dimensions, life in agricultural society was comparatively homogeneous.The economy of peasant life is not productive, because land is typically limited, and, furthermore, land becomes increasingly limited as the population expands and the soil deteriorates. In interpersonal relationships, a peasant presumes that friendship, love, and affection are limited. As a result, a peasant must avo id showing excessive favor or friendship. Sibling rivalry is caused as even maternal love is limited. A husband is jealous of his son and angry with his wife for the similar reason. Health, too, is limited in extent.Blood is nonregenerative. Blood may be equated with semen, and the exercise of masculine vivacity are seen as a permanently debilitating act. Sexual moderation and the evasion of bloodletting are important. Even a woman's long hair may become a source of trepidation because she may lose her vigor and strength by having long hair. Honor and manliness, too, exist in inadequate quantities. Real or imagined insults to personal honor should be vigorously counterattacked because honor is limited, and a peasant cannot afford to lose it.While good things in the environment are assumed to be limited, and when personal gain can only take place at the expense of others, the maintenance of the status quo is the most sensible way to live, because to make economic development or to ac quire a disproportionate amount of good things is a threat to the stability of the community. Stability is sustained by an agreed-upon, socially acceptable, preferred norm of behavior, and sanctions and rewards are used to make certain that real behavior approximates the norm.As a consequence, there is a strong desire to look and act like everyone else and to be subtle in position and behavior. For the same reason, a peasant is reluctant to accept leadership roles. The ideal peasant strives for restraint and equality in his or her behavior. If a peasant should behave excessively, then gossip, slander, viciousness, character assassination, witchcraft or the threat of it, and even actual physical hostility is used by the rest of society against such a person.It is hard to say to what extent this generalization pertains to people after the Neolithic revolution and before the industrial revolution. In numerous agricultural societies, physical and cultural variations were likely to be si gnificantly greater than in hunter-gatherer societies. Yet if people were infatuated with the belief of â€Å"limited good† and thought and behaved like everyone else, their psychological deviations might not have been much greater than those amongst hunter-gatherers. Work Cited †¢ Anne Birgitte Gebauer and T.Douglas Price, eds. , Transitions to Agriculture in Prehistory, Monographs in World Archeology No. 4 ( Madison, Wisconsin: Prehistory Press, 1992). †¢ Charles Heiser, Seed to Civilization: The Story of Food ( Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1990). †¢ Daniel Zohary and Maria Hopf, Domestication of Plants in the Old World, second edition ( Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1994), Chapter 11, esp. pp. 238-239. †¢ Kathleen Kenyon, â€Å"Ancient Jericho,† in Ancient Cities: Scientific American Special Issue ( 1994), pp. 20-23.†¢ Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza and Francesco Cavalli-Sforza, The Great Human Diaspora: The History of Diversity and Evolution, trans. by Sarah Thorne ( Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1995). †¢ Peter Rowley-Conwy, â€Å"Stone Age Hunter-Gatherers and Farmers in Europe,† in Goran Burenhult, ed. , People of the Stone Age: Hunter-Gatherers and Early Farmers ( New York: HarperCollins, 1993), pp. 59-75. †¢ Richard MacNeish, The Origins of Agriculture and Settled Life ( Norman, Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 1992).Chapter 1. p. 5. †¢ Robley Matthews, Douglas Anderson, Robert Chen, and Thompson Webb, â€Å"Global Climate and the Origins of Agriculture,† in Lucile Newman et al. , eds. , Hunger in History: Food Shortage, Poverty, and Deprivation ( Oxford: Blackwell, 1990), Chapter 2. †¢ Rodney Castleden, The Making of Stonehenge ( London and New York: Routledge, 1993), p. 29. †¢ Wesley Cowan and Patty Jo Watson, eds. , The Origins of Agriculture: An International Perspective ( Washington, D. C. : Smithsonian Institution Press, 1992)