Globalisation - Challenges and Opportunities in China Essay

Globalisation - Challenges and Opportunities in China - Essay Example It is under the prevailing circumstances that the behavior of Chinese market is studied in context with latest confidence building measures being taken up by the Chinese government, the trend of international investments, views of the international community and the ‘threat’ perception from the cheap Chinese manufacturing sector. Having inspired the marketers, with a vision of billion people consuming international brand in downtown, China is now recognized as a capable global competitor in its own right. And it has ambitious expansion plans - not only for Asia but also for the Europe, United States and elsewhere. Traditionally, the problems of doing business in China, in general, can be categorized into four main categories;It is under the prevailing circumstances that the behavior of Chinese market is studied in context with latest confidence building measures being taken up by the Chinese government, the trend of international investments, views of the international c ommunity and the ‘threat’ perception from the cheap Chinese manufacturing sector. Having inspired the marketers, with a vision of billion people consuming international brand in downtown, China is now recognized as a capable global competitor in its own right. And it has ambitious expansion plans - not only for Asia but also for the Europe, United States and elsewhere. Traditionally, the problems of doing business in China, in general, can be categorized into four main categories.

The Consumer Value from Online Shopping Research Proposal

The Consumer Value from Online Shopping - Research Proposal Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that consumer value basically refers to the satisfaction that the buyers get after purchasing a product. People belong to different localities and different age groups might have different views about the consumer value from online shopping and to prepare a marketing strategy for people of different ages and localities it is crucial to understand the differences in their thinking because an effective and adequate online marketing plan must cover some essential components like market analysis, marketing strategies specifically for internet, Design, and Contents plan for the website and consumer behavior analysis. Along with the spread of internet the trend of shopping online is also rising steadily and in this context, it is very necessary to understand that how much the consumers are getting value for the products that they shop online. The understanding of this issue is crucial because, in the highly competitive marketplace of today, interne t has emerged as an effective marketing tool   but to run the businesses online it is very necessary to have deep insight of the behaviors and psychographics of the online buyers so that marketing strategies could be designed according to the consumer behaviors. Berthon, Pitt, Watson discovered that online consumer is not an easy target for the marketers. and to be successful the marketing plan must possess the value factor as a leading device that should be used in the advertisements, promotional messages, information about the products etc and the value should be expressed in a way that the consumer can notice the value attached with the product. Before designing a marketing plan for online shopping it is again very important that there should be a comprehensive research that unfolds all the issues that how the people belonging to different age groups people view the idea of shopping online, how they are attracted towards products online and how do they view the product value th at they shop online. In this regard, it is also important to understand the thinking style and opinions of the people belonging to different age groups like teen 15-20, 21-29, 30-39, and 40 and above. Hence in this study opinions will be gathered from the people belonging to these different groups so that their behavior could be interpreted in the marketing plan.

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay

A Case Study Of Telenor Management Essay 1. Introduction This study endeavors to develop comprehension of how transformational leadership style of top management affects innovation at the organizational level. The topic is of paramount importance because of the ever increasing pressures of modernization and innovation on todays global economy. It has become indispensable to practice a leadership style that makes firms innovative and adaptive to change. Firms are shifting their focus from knowledge economy to creative economy, where corporations will compete on the basis of imagination, innovation and creativity (Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009) Boston Consulting Group Inc surveyed over 900 senior executives and identified innovation as the key driver of top-line revenue. Analysis of firms transforming due to innovation provides evidence for this statement. For example, the highly successful iPod of Apple Inc.s, that earned devastating revenues for the company; the role of Blackberrys success in the transformation and emergence of Research in Motion; process innovation at Southwest Airlines Co. that transformed it as an economical and triumphant airline; and Procter Gamble Co. outperforming its competitors by focusing on design innovation. Innovation aims at bringing about change in the status quo. It can be defined as discovering (creative thinking ideas) and commercializing those discoveries (implementing the creative ideas). Creativity new idea generation alone are insufficient for innovation; implementation is also a cornerstone of the innovation process. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) Plentiful studies have led to the identification of factors that can stimulate innovation at the organizational level. In broad terms, innovation is the adoption or execution of unaccustomed and convenient ideas by individuals in organizations (Amabile Conti 1999) p.360). Factors that are known to have an influence on innovation include leadership (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Amabile, 1998), a work environment that is conducive for innovation (Amabile, 1998; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), CEO salary (Markman, Balkin and Gomez-Mejia, 2000), organizational culture and climate (Mumford Gustafson, 1998; Jung, Wu Chow, 2008; Oke, Munshi Walumbwa, 2009), environmental attributes (Jung, Wu Chow, 2008), learning capability and intra-organizational networks (Tsai, 2001) and job complexity type of supervision (Oldham Cummings, 1996). Among these abundant factors, the leadership behavior of managers has been spotted as one of the most important of all (Amabile, 1998; Jung, 2001; Mumford, Sc ott, Gaddis Strange, 2002). Leadership was merely a concept before the 19th century and it was in the start of the 19th century that it emerged as a word in English language (Davis Cushing). Over the years, leaders and leadership have been distinctly defined by various scholars. Leadership is a process whereby a leader changes the course of action of another group, due to the interaction of his personality characteristics and those of the group (Bogardus, 1934). Leadership is the direction of human collaborators for the accomplishment of a goal. A leader successfully guides his human assistants for the achievement of particular ends. (Prentice, W.C.H. 1961). Leadership is a goal directed endeavor with the aim to influence the activities of followers through communication process. (Donelly, J.H. Ivancevich, J. M. Gibson, J.L. 1985 Leadership is the situational effort towards goal achievement by the process of influencing the individual or group activities. (Hersey, P. Blanchard, K, 1988). Leadership is the f ormulation of a transparent and complete system of expectations for the purpose of identification, arousal and utilization of strengths of all the resources of an organization, the most important of which is human resource (Batten, J.D. 1989). Leadership is the art of influencing individuals to yield their best output/ performance for the accomplishment of a goal, project or objective. (Cohen, W.A. 1990). Leaders are the people who obtain commitment from a working group of individuals and then motivate them to accomplish the outcomes of a pre-planned direction. (Conger, J.A.1992). Leadership is a process in which a leader sets the goal for an individual or group of individuals and takes all of them together with him or her with proficiency and devotion (Jacques E. Clement, S.D. 1994). Leadership is an unrealizable trait that cannot be distinctly defined. This in fact is a good phenomenon, because if the followers were aware of the definition of leadership, they would probably overr un their leaders. (Scott Adams, 1996). Effective leadership is about enabling ordinary people to deliver extraordinary results in the face of challenge and change and to constantly turn in superior performance to the long-term benefit of all concerned (Charlton, 1993). The more recent definitions conceive leadership in terms of influence relationships, power differentials, persuasion, influence on goal achievement, reinforcement, role differentiation, initiation of structure, and perceived attributions of behavior that are consistent with what the perceivers spotted leadership to be. Recently, many management scholars and gurus have identified adaptive leadership as the key enabler to cope with the ever increasing challenges of the corporate world. (Bass, Avolio, Jung Berson, 2003). So the adaptive leadership behaviors that have proved to be more effective than other leadership styles in organizational innovation have been labeled as transformational. (Lowe, Kroek, Sivasubramaniam, 1996; Gardner Avolio, 1998; Howell Avolio, 1993). Transformational leadership capabilities continue to be the hallmark of innovative firms. Successful leaders like J.R. Immelt, CEO of General Electric; A.G.Lafley, CEO of P&G; Ratan Tata, chairman of Tata Motors Tata Group and Steve Jobs of Apple are the prominent figures who have fostered innovation by their adaptive behaviors. Transformational leadership holds four theoretically discrete dimensions: charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individual consideration. Idealized influence reflects the degree to which followers admire and hold their leaders as role models. Leaders exhibiting idealized influence are ethical, consistent, share risks with followers and prefer the needs of their followers above their own needs. Inspirational motivation points to the degree motivation of followers by delineating new opportunities, providing meaning and challenge to followers work and articulating a strong, realistic and shared vision of the future. Intellectual stimulation refers to the ability of a leader to question the assumptions and thinking of followers, reframe problems, stimulate intellectual curiosity, approaching problems in new ways, soliciting creativity and innovation from followers through novel approaches and avoiding open criticism for individual errors. Finally, leaders who provide individualized consideration pay attention to individual needs for growth, development, support and achievement. They act as coaches or mentors and establish a favorable environment for innovation; where values are diversified and learning opportunities are created (Bass Avolio, 1993) (Some versions of Bass Full-Range Leadership Theory identify 5 components of transformational leadership by breaking down idealized influence/ charisma into idealized influence or attributed charisma. For the sake of simplifying this research, idealized influence and charisma have been grouped together in this study). 2. Research Design 2.1 Main Objectives The aim of this study is to probe the following objectives: To discuss the philosophy, attributes and elements of transformational leadership and innovation To spot the existence of transformational leadership style at Telenor Pakistan To the asses the level of organizational innovation Telenor Pakistan To identify the effect transformational leadership style on organizational innovation 2.2 Hypotheses to be tested The objective of this study is to spot the presence of attributes of transformational leadership i.e. idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration and intellectual stimulation, estimate the level of organizational innovation and examine the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. The working hypothesis within this context will be as under: H0: Transformational leadership has no effect on organizational innovation. H1: Transformational leadership has strong effect on organizational innovation. 2.3 Scope of the study The range of application of this study is limited to the telecommunication sector in Pakistan with specific focus on Telenor (Peshawar). Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of four dimensions, that is, charisma or idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation and individualized consideration. Furthermore, the effect of transformational leadership on organizational innovation will be analyzed. 3. Review of Literature (Burns, 1978) stated that transformational leaders stand above the common place. They indulge in a mutual interaction with their followers that raises the understanding, goals and mission that results in the ultimate arousal and transformation of both the leader and the followers. (Bass, 1985) At the other end to transformational leadership lies transactional leadership; where the leaders try to maintain the status quo. Followers are motivated on the base of extrinsic rewards, such as promotion and monetary benefits. It is an everyday terrestrial transaction of value, where leaders only provide needed value to individuals in exchange for their services. (Jane. M. Howell, Christopher A. Higgins, 1990) The most successful leaders are gifted with qualities of transformational leadership and charisma. They are far more influential and innovative than the leaders having style other than transformational. (David A. Waldman, Bernard M. Bass, 1991) linked the themes of nurturant and persistent leadership with transformational leadership theory. Furthermore, the role of transformational leadership behavior in various stages of successful innovations was clarified and implications were presented regarding the proposed model. (Dougherty Hardy, 1996) Transformational leaders intellectually stimulate their followers. This fosters unaccustomed and creative thinking and working processes that pave the way for new technology and knowledge, which are necessary for organizational innovation. Amabile, Conti, Coon, Lazenby, and Herron (1996) have spotted the damaging effects of transactional leadership on creativity. Bono Judge (2004) have supported this proposition in their recent meta-analysis. (Sosik, Avolio Kahali, 1997) Transformational leaders easily adapt to exploitative and exploratory thinking processes which in turn yield creative ideas and effective solutions to problems. The effectiveness of transformational leadership at stimulating unconventional and innovative thinking of followers is far greater than that of other leadership styles. (Bass, 1985; Gardner Avolio, 1998) proposed that transformational leaders have the ability to create personal and professional commitment from their followers towards satisfying upper-level needs like self-actualization and self esteem. (Oldham Cummings, 1996; Amabile, 1998; Zhou, 2003) added to this research finding by suggesting that this commitment boosts the inherent motivation of followers, which is considered to be an essential driver of individual creativity and organizational innovation. (House Shamir, 1993; Jung Avolio, 2000; Mumford et.al, 2000) Leaders possessing transformational attributes have the ability to regroup the values and norms of their followers in a better way. They encourage the progress of personal and organizational changes and facilitate their followers to go beyond their initial performance expectations. (A.Oke, 2002) was part of a study carried out on the organizational innovation of AXA insurance, Ireland. It was revealed that due to the transformational leadership style of John. ONeil, the CEO, a non-innovative firm was transmuted into an innovative one. To achieve this level of creativity, the physical spaces were decorated with eye catching colors and employees from all levels and functions were made to work together in order to stimulate creativity. The results of this transformational behavior were soon evident in the form of 150 new business ideas during 6 months. (Shin Zhou 2003) found that positive relation was discovered between transformational leadership and creativity of subordinates on the basis of a study conducted on 290 employees and their supervisors belonging to 46 Korean companies. (Jung, Wu, Chow, 2008) concluded in their research that a positive relation has existence between the transformational leadership of CEO and organizational innovation. This effect is moderated by variables such as organizational structure, culture and external environment. These results are agreed upon after testing multi-sourced data from 50 Taiwanese electronics and telecommunications companies. (Oke, Munshi, Walumbwa, 2009) found that transformational style of leadership strongly enhances creativity and innovation regarding exploratory (creating something of a totally new and radical nature) and exploitative innovation activities (incremental improvements and refinements to something that already exists). These leaders have the ability to transform or change, which makes them the main drivers for innovative processes. (Lale Gumusluoglu, Arzu IIsev, 2009) suggested that transformational leadership style has strong influence on both the individual and organizational innovation. Individually, transformational leadership is positively related to the creativity of employees. Furthermore, transformational leadership and organizational innovation are spotted to have a positive association between them. These results are the outcome of a study conducted on 163 managers and RD personnel from 43 Micro and small sized software development companies from Turkey. (Khan, Rehman and Fatima, 2009) studied managers from telecommunication sector in Pakistan and explored the positive effects of transformational leadership on organizational innovation. (Mariana Makri, Terri A.Scandura, 2010) identified the strong relation of operational leadership (the dimension of leadership which reflects the ability of a CEO to refine the existing paths to growth or tapping new paths by reframing and extending the boundaries of the firm to products and markets) and creative leadership (the ability of a leader to contribute to the social, human and knowledge capital of his firm) with the quantity and resonance of innovation. The hypothesis was tested over a sample of 77 high technology firms. 4. Research Methodology 4.1 Sources of data This research will make use of both primary and secondary data. Transformational leadership style will be judged on the basis of primary data obtained through interview and questionnaire. The level of organizational innovation will be assessed by primary data obtained through questionnaire and secondary data gathered from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. 4.2 Research instruments Questionnaires and structured interviews will serve as instruments of this research. The extent of transformational leadership will be measured using Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (Bass and Avolio, 1995) (Annexure-A). MLQ is a well validated measure of transformational leadership and has been used extensively in prior research (Awamleh and Gardner, 1999). Each respondent will be asked to rate five aspects of his/her leaders/ top-managers behavior related to each of the four dimensions of transformational leadership (idealized influence/charisma, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, intellectual stimulation). The responses will be anchored by a 5-point response scale (1-not at all, 2-once in a while, 3-sometimes, 4-fairly often, 5-frequently, if not always). While measuring organizational innovation, a composite measure will be used to capture the broad aspects of innovative activities (Balkin et als, 2000). Two measures will be used to tap into different aspects of innovation. First is the annual RD expenditure as a percentage of sales revenue over three years prior to this study (i.e.2008-2010). This ratio indicates a firms emphasis on innovation (Hitt, Hoskisson and Kim, 1997; Balkin et al, 2000). These figures will be obtained from the companys publicly disclosed financial statements. Second, different respondents actively following the telecommunication industry will be contacted. The reason is to include different fruits of innovation such as process and service improvements. Each respondent will be offered two sets of questions about the sample firm. The first set includes a single question regarding his/her familiarity with the company. The possible answers will be 1-not familiar with the company at all, 2-somewhat familiar with the company, 3-very familiar with the company. Only the respondents with responses 2 and 3 will be considered. The second set comprises of 20 questions (4 questions each for scanning five types of innovative activities i.e. product innovation, process innovation, marketing innovation, strategic innovation and organizational climate innovation) in order to rate the level of organizational innovation (Annexure B). The 5-point Likerts Scale (1-strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3-neither agree nor disagree, 4-agree, 5-strongly agree) will be used to anchor the responses. 4.3 Sampling design (a) Universe / population There are many national and multinational telecommunication companies operating in Pakistan. All these national and multinational firms collectively form the population/ universe of this research. Results will be generalized and recommendations will be forwarded considering all these firms. (b) Sample size and selection This research will adopt a case study approach by focusing on Telenor (Peshawar) as the sample firm. A simple random sample of 30 employees of low, middle and top-management of the company will be selected with the aim of assessing transformational leadership. Furthermore, organizational innovation will be judged by studying a random sample of 30 respondents that are directly or indirectly associated with the telecommunication industry in Pakistan.

Molecular Nanotechnology and Literature :: Cause Effect Science Technology Essays

Molecular Nanotechnology and Literature Imagine a world where you could have anything you wanted. Gold? Here it is. A new car? Presto. Diamonds? Oh, here, please have some of mine, there's more in the back. Of course, this is not our world at the present, but it might be the world of the future. Molecular nanotechnology will be able to provide whatever one needs or wants, for free or for a minuscule amount of payment. However, it will not only affect commercial and material goods. It will affect medicine, war and weaponry, law enforcement, espionage, entertainment, disposal of waste and garbage, and even literature. Literature will perhaps be affected in a greater way than one may think. But before I get to that, let me explain what, exactly, molecular nanotechnology is. In l 959, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Richard Feynman put forth an idea. His idea was that anything could be made from the ground up, out of individual atoms or molecules. This is nanotechnology: the working or manipulation of individual atoms or molecules, one at a time, and positioning and lining them up precisely and repeatedly, until enough accumulated to form a large-scale, usable entity. Feynman didn't name it and outline the science, however. This was done by K. Eric Drexler. In the 1970's, when he was a student at MIT, Drexler came up with an idea of nanotechnology, and outlined the possible uses of it. He thought that if one had the ability or technology to work with individual atoms and molecules, then one could make a box that would transform common materials into beef. It sounds strange, but that was the idea. The idea was that you could open the door, toss in some stuff, work the controls, and two hours or so later: out rolls some fresh beef. It sounds odd because we a re taught that beef comes from cattle, not from a box of grass clippings and old sneaker insoles. But it really does make sense. Cattle use only a few materials when making beef: grass, air, water, sunlight. When they are digesting that junk, they are merely rearranging the molecules to form characteristic patterns of beef. The only real difference between the methods of beef-production of cows and Drexler's box is that cows make beef using enzymes and liquids, where reactive agents randomly collide, and Drexler's box makes beef mechanically. Drexler states that the molecules and atoms would have to be manipulated by tiny, tiny robots, commonly referred to as "assemblers.

Does the Internet have a democratising effect on society? Essay

Internet has revolutionized the way of doing work in today’s modern world. Businesses are increasingly becoming online because of the wide spread of internet facility available every where. Now it is just a matter of click and one gets his order delivered at his door step. Where ever there is computer, there is internet access also available. Today people feel incomplete without computer and internet because internet makes us connected with the world. It provides a social feeling of comfort and togetherness, anyone having internet access is not alone in the real sense. With ever falling computer prices and internet usage rates, now all classes of people are able to afford the computer and simultaneously use internet. (Cavalier , 2005) Any media to which the whole population can access and communicate on just about anything has an over all democratizing effect on that population. The word ‘democratize’ basically means making available to all. So when we talk about the democratization effect of internet, it means that the internet can be accessed by every one. Radios, television, newspapers all make people literate and let information flow to them but internet is not limited to this extent. The percentage of people involved in producing and consuming knowledge is far greater for internet as compared to any other media. Therefore, it is fair and just if we call internet a democratizing agent. (Browning , 2002) There is information available on any topic at all on the internet. People can access online dictionaries, encyclopedias, journal articles, and search on research engines just sitting at their home. This has widened the knowledge base of the people. This huge information available on the internet has rendered it to have a democratizing effect because anyone any where can have access to information available on widest possible range of subjects. People who are illiterate on a certain subject gain information through the internet and are able to give well prepared lectures on that topic. Even people are now able to access internet free of cost at public libraries, universities, colleges etc. This means that internet has actually led to the democratization of information. The world is witnessing high growth rates in the use of Internet at homes as well as organizations. People have 24/7 connectivity available thanks to the developments in LAN and WAN. Moreover, information is available in all major languages over the internet so even non-English speaking people do not face any kind of trouble in accessing information which they require. People are not bounded from expressing themselves and their presented information can circulate to different corners of the world. The democracy of internet has led to an increase in the public awareness on crucial issues and has granted them freedom to express their thoughts openly even against the government which cannot be done in person. With the increased connectivity, more and more people are becoming aware of their environment and what is going on around them. They can discuss political and national issues over the internet with others and share information. Data related to the government as well as one’s country is easily accessed by the people and they get to know their real economic situation. Internet has democratized the politics and media. News is being transmitted through the internet plus political campaigns are also being carried on the websites. An example would illustrate the democratizing effect of internet on political campaigns. Political candidates and parties are raising more and more money through internet in the form of funds and donations. People try to convince others over the internet to donate for political campaigns and internet has increased the number of donors (Shane , 2004). Previously, people were not willing to donate for political campaigns but with the increasing democratizing effect of the internet, politics is gaining popularity and people are getting involved in political discussions and campaigns.

Cowgirl Chocolates Essay

Her product development was based on the input of her friends and family, which represents a skewed and too small sample of the population. In addition, Marilyn is cutting out the biggest portion of her target market by naming her product Cowgirl Chocolates and making the brand label May Lillie. Therefore, the branding is not appealing to men, which constitute the biggest portion of her target market. Before spending money on advertising, a target market has to be defined and the proper channels to reach that target market. Advertising without a clearly defined target market is inefficient and wastes company resources. Giving samples will help establish a base of awareness of her product and the acquired taste but this has an inherent cost involved. Secondary Problems Marilyn’s lack of resources poses a great problem because without sufficient resources she will not be able to expand her business and increase sales. Cowgirl Chocolates lack the resources to become a large company they desire to become. Financially Cowgirl Chocolate does not have the resources to operate at full potential. The company is using revenue generated from Marilyn’s artwork, a small loan, and her personal savings to operate the company. Expenses completely overshadow her revenue of $30,000 while expenses were $50,000. This lack of funds give little to no room for promotional activity, a product that is as unique as spicy chocolates needs to have promotional abilities. Staff resources are minimal; Marilyn is the main source of production of her company. She does everything by herself, from the packaging and shipping the product to design and making the chocolate. This leaves Marilyn little time to expand to bigger ideas and meet with possible investors. She is devoting her time to the tedious work required to produce the product. Positioning of her product is the key to its success. Another problem is the distribution channels that the company uses. The lack of sales deterred Seattle Chocolates from agreeing to manage the wholesale operations for Cowgirl Chocolates. â€Å"They were not interested in taking this on at the present time†¦because they were not really sure where the market was for the product. †Marilyn also knew she had to increase sales before Seattle Chocolates would consider such an arrangement. However, the company is lacking a clear understanding of where the product should be sold, and which distribution channel will bring the greatest sales. Currently Marylin’s strategy is to directly gain placements in retail stores one after the other. Marylin does not have the expertise and connections in distribution to gain product placements in stores. Marylin is currently trying to perform all tasks that a wholesaler would do such as promotion, negotiation, matching, physical distribution and risk taking. A wholesaler would perform those tasks better, cheaper, and more efficient and effective than Marylin ever could. One example of this is Marylin not being paid for her chocolates by a local vendor and having them returned after months. Although the Cowgirl Chocolates website is responsible for a third of total sales, it lacks crucial features. The website does not have the ability to track repeat customers and does not know how customers found her website. Although Marilyn advertises on other websites and portals there is no tracking and she does not know how effective each channel is, and how many customers it brings to the site. There is no knowledge what search terms customers that found her site were using. That way there is no data on whether the Cowgirl Chocolates website is competing with other chocolate companies, spicy foods, or online gift stores. The website would be the cheapest way to gather market research and further identify a target market. An additional problem is Marilyn’s pricing strategy. Cowgirl Chocolate is premium gourmet chocolate in special packaging that makes it stand out from the rest of the competition. Furthermore, it is a new and unusual product. Marilyn states that she is unsure on how to price her product. Cowgirl Chocolate is sold in overpriced spicy food specialty stores, upscale gourmet food stores, and even the grocery stores. Marilyn could not identify a trend on how pricing affect sales. This does not come as a surprise because the product is new and customers are still unaware of it. Cowgirl Chocolates should be sold at a premium price. However, in the current stage of the product cycle the company needs to create customer trial. The way to accomplish this is to offer promotions, for example by offering in store promotions, coupons, coupons and/or mail in rebates. Again, those tasks should be handled by a wholesaler. Furthermore, Cowgirl Chocolates advertising is ineffective since there is no clear defined target market. Marilyn advertises randomly in different magazines using ads created by a friend and not a professional advertising agency. Marilyn is unsure herself if the advertisement will actually increase sales or not, even though it will cost thousands of dollars. Again, market research is missing to direct advertising to the right channels and reach the target audience, with the right ads that will increase customer trial. The company currently advertises the product year round, when it should concentrate more on advertising during the peak seasons of Christmas and Valentine’s Day. The company needs to have more product information in the advertisements. Recommendations To establish a target market we recommend that Cowgirl Chocolate should add more features to the website. The website should be able track how customers found the website, track orders and repeat customers, and gather such information as demographics. By tracking purchases, Cowgirl Chocolates will be able to send out promotional emails, for example customers could be informed about a special sale, given a discount code, or just be informed about new product creations or gift ideas. Additionally, a short survey should be added after the purchase is completed to gather valuable customer information (see appendix for sample survey questions). This would be the cheapest method of doing market research and establishing a target market. By tracking customers, the company will also determine who its main competitors are. Cowgirl Chocolates could be competing with other premium chocolate manufacturers, spicy packaged food, or gift websites. Another advantage of using the internet as a distribution channel is that Cowgirl Chocolates can be sold internationally. Markets in other countries can be entered with little to no initial investment. This will again offer opportunity to feel out markets in other countries that could be physically entered at a future point of time. Secondly, Marilyn should put effort on finding a wholesaler for her product that will take over crucial tasks that she is currently trying to perform all by herself. A good wholesaler will not only take risk of Marilyn’s hands by buying greater quantities at once, but will also fight for placement in stores and offer promotions to boost initial sales. A good wholesaler will select the right distribution channels and retail outlets using years of experience and expertise that Marilyn is lacking. Using a wholesaler will free up some time for Marilyn and allow her to concentrate on other aspects of her business like product creation and design. Half of the product portfolio currently only constitutes for 5% of total sales. These products should be discontinued since a wholesaler will most likely not carry them. Using the market research gathered from the Cowgirl Chocolate website, Marylin can effectively advertise by choosing the right channels and targeting the right customers. An advertising budget can be set apart and adjusted to the seasons with the highest sales. More emphasis should be placed on seasonal advertising such as during Christmas, Easter, or Valentine’s Day to take advantage of the gift aspect of Cowgirl Chocolates. We recommend that Cowgirl Chocolate sell their chocolate to spicy food restaurant for them to give to customers at the end of their meal. This would create more product awareness among consumers who already enjoy spicy foods. In addition to the internet and wholesale business, this can be a third distribution channel. Finally, we recommend that Marilyn should capitalize on effective free marketing, such as a local newspaper or news programs and have them run a story on her product. The cookbook would be a good form of promotion for her product. Marilyn could use it to generate more customer awareness and include recipes for different uses of the Cowgirl Chocolate.

Mr Stephen Bagley

Mr Stephen Bagley Free Online Research Papers Compare the ways in which the poems â€Å"blessing† and â€Å"What were they like?† present culture. The poets of â€Å"blessing† and â€Å"What were they like† use a variety of mediums to portray culture. â€Å"WWTL† depicts a Vietnamese peasant culture; and â€Å"Blessing† a dry African village. The structure and form of â€Å"WWTL† is very outlandish. It is set out in the form of questions and answers. This is an ambiguous opening, and might even suggest naivety; this could reflect the culture’s naivety, and perhaps innocence in its lack of knowledge. Whereas â€Å"Blessing† is set out very simply, with just four plain stanzas, and this might echo their way of life. Also â€Å"Blessing† follows a theme of enjambment; -there is no real punctuation so the poem flows, just like water the subject of the poem. This suggest how impoverished they are if they do not have water, the most basic of resources. Whereas â€Å"WWLT† also depicts the people as leading simple lives â€Å"their lives were in rice and bamboo† but they posses the most basic resources. The language used in the two poems is incredibly emotive and powerful. â€Å"WWTL† portrays the people as leading simple lives, not desiring much. â€Å"stone lanterns illuminated pleasant ways†. This shows that their lives were simple, as they did not use electricity to light their homes etc. Furthermore they did use any special material to make the lanterns in question. They used stone, a very common, rudiment material. But the quote in no way depicts them as leading sad, miserable lives because of this lack of wealth. â€Å"illuminated pleasant ways†. Where they lived was â€Å"pleasant†, not horrible. This suggests that although they are poor they are in no way leading lives under awful conditions. In comparison to â€Å"Blessing†, in which the people are presented as leading poor lives in disgraceful conditions. â€Å"Skin cracks like a pod†. This is a simile that portrays that people have so little water that their skin is cracking o pen like the dry ground; it seems almost inhumane, it creates horrible imagery of pain and suffering. The people in â€Å"WWTL† are poor, but happy whereas in â€Å"Blessing† they are poor and suffering because of it. Also both poems depict the treasures of their cultures. In â€Å"Blessing† water is treasured beyond anything. â€Å"silver crashes to the ground†. This metaphor represents water as silver, a material we consider in our culture to be extremely valuable. This highlights how precious water is this culture. In â€Å"WWTL† rice and bamboo is valued. â€Å"most were peasants; their lives were in rice and bamboo†. This shows how they treasure food and not money nor other items of value. So both poems portray their cultures as valuing the most basic of resources. The mood in â€Å"Blessing† starts of as very sombre, and desperate. â€Å"there is never enough water†. This is just a clear, concise statement, because there is never enough water. But nearer to the end it becomes elated. â€Å"as blessing sings over their small bones†. This leaves the reader with a nice image, a happy ending. But â€Å"WWTL† is quite the opposite. It starts off very pleasantly, â€Å"they gathered to delight in the blossom†, they are portrayed as not having a care in the world. Then very suddenly it turns darker and depressing. â€Å"Bombs smashed those mirrors†. It becomes quite violent and ends very sorrowfully. â€Å"Blessing† depicts their culture as having a lasting hope in spite of their suffering; whereas â€Å"WWTL† the culture was once so beautiful but now it has been destroyed it will never be the same again. In conclusion I find that both poems portray cultures effectively through many methods. Levertov uses form and mood proficiently, to depict the Vietnamese culture as pleasant and agreeable; but also the sadness and cruelty of how it all ended, and how these simple lives were so cruelly and unfairly interrupted by those who did not understand the beauty and simplicity of the culture. Dharker uses form and imagery incredibly well to portray the suffering and poverty of the culture described, and then imagery again to express hope and happiness that the people in the culture experience when their greatest dream comes true. Both poems depict an impoverished culture, but surprisingly both quite differently, each is unique in the culture it describes and does so very effectively. Research Papers on Mr Stephen BagleyMind TravelAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementHip-Hop is ArtThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeComparison: Letter from Birmingham and Crito19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesQuebec and CanadaAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into Asia

How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes

How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes Outline How anthropology helps us to evaluate stereotypes Anthropology refers to the study of human kind, his society and all that pertain them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Evaluation of our own western culture Cultural studies of different people have noted different activities carried by given tribes depending with the level of interaction they have with other cultures. Make relevant changes The recent study on leadership shows that women have been enlightened and they are up to take their positions in leadership. Anthropology refers to the study of human kind, his society and all that pertain them. Stereotype is where a person seems to conform to a widely accepted behavior type or attitude. According to the study carried recently on gender equality, it was found that differences between men and women occur naturally. These ar e biological differences between the two sexes and each gender has its own unique characteristics. Other anthropologists view equality as the imagery where men seem to be strong and domineering. This is usually not the case because not all men are as strong as stereotypes argue. In the study on roles of males, men are seen to be typically aggressive, less emotional and more logic oriented. Men are expected to behave in a manner such that everyone recognizes and expect the best from them as argued by (kottak 67). Being the head of the family, a man is committed to the family responsibility of providing and taking care of the homestead. Women have been noted to be emotional, submissive, neat and children keepers. These gender stereotypes for women are less agreed as more women tend to defy their perceptions. Property ownership is no longer men’s achievement as women have been noted to own large business firms, as well. Proper management of large premises and organizations by wo men is another role that has been decentralized.Advertising Looking for essay on anthropology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The study carried on an educational basis shows that there has been a considerable change where education has been centralized for both genders (MacLaury, Paramei and Dedrick 98). Women nowadays have equal chances of being educated unlike in the past where only men were supposed to be learned. Human rights have been fighting for the girl child education. This has ensured that girls are given a chance to go to school. This has led to a tremendous increase in the number of females in higher levels of learning and in some courses they exceed the number of men. Evaluation of our own western culture Cultural studies of different people have noted different activities carried by given tribes depending with the level of interaction they have with other cultures. The mode of living distinguishes each community from others and makes it unique in one way or the other. Culture has considerably been reserved by some tribes and communities although it is fading away in some others (kottak 67). Different occasions in each community are seen to be conducted in different manners and such occasions include marriage, circumcision and among others. Languages spoken by different communities widely vary as each community has its own accent. This has conformed people to accept each other and relate widely to one another in order to enhance communication. Community activities have been noted to increase and high rate of interaction at community level has moved to the peak. Make relevant changes The recent study on leadership shows that women have been enlightened and they are up to take their positions in leadership. Initially leadership was seen as men’s task, but nowadays women have shown their capabilities by challenging men. This has been taken positively in most communities, and m ore women are being encouraged to show their interest in higher positions in leadership as argued by (MacLaury, Paramei and Dedrick 88). These enormous changes have been facilitated by high number of non- governmental organizations operating in the world. Their main task is to ensure that there is the uniform distribution of resources and to ensure that individual rights are not violated. They monitor governments’ allocation of funds to various projects mainly in remote areas. These projects include rural electrification, irrigation schemes and construction of bore holes.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Anthropology Helps to Evaluate Stereotypes specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kottak, Conrad P. Mirror for Humanity: A Concise Introduction to Cultural Anthropology. London: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print. MacLaury, Robert E., Paramei Galina V, and Dedrick Don. Anthropology of Color: Interdisciplinary Multilevel Modeling. New York: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2007. Print

Beat Street

Beat Street Is a 1984 drama film, following Wild Style In featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1 sass; breakfasting, Digging, and graffiti. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to various elements of early hip-hop culture. Kenny Kirkland (Guy Davis) Is a budding disc jockey and MAC, and his younger brother Lee (Robert Taylor) Is a hardcore b;boy who dances with Beat Street Breakers (the New York City Breakers).Jennys best friends are Ramona On Charities a graffiti artist known by his tag, Roam, and Collie (Leon W. Grant), his self-styled manager/promoter. The film begins with the mall characters preparing for a house party set in an abandoned apartment building, where Kenny Is the featured D]. An uninvited Lee and his break- dancing friends crash the party, and nearly get tangled into a battle with a rival troupe, the Bronx Rockers (the Rock Steady Crew). The battle of mostly words is broken up by Henry (Dean Elliot), a squatter who lives in the building and Is befriended by Kenny, Collie, Ramona. ND Luis (Franc Rexes). Kenny has dreams of performing in New York Citys top nightclubs. No club is bigger than the Rosy, and on one visit he crosses paths with Tracy Carlson (Rae Dawn Chon), a collegiate music student and composer. A breakneck battle between the Breakers and Rock Steady ensues, and Tracy admires Lees performance. She then Invites him to audition for a television show focusing on dancing. Lee, Kenny, and their crew arrive during a dance rehearsal, and Lee gives his performance only to find out he wont be on television.Protecting his brothers interests, Kenny rips into Tracy for leading Lee on; Ramona steals a videotape of Lees dance as the crew walk out. A remorseful Tracy hen shows up at the Kirkland home to apologize. Lee was not home but Kenny was, working on a mix tape. Tracy clarifies her story, saying that she did not promise to Lee that he was going to be on the TV show. She then takes an interest in Jennys mixing and the two find common ground. Kenny and Tracy then head into the subway, where they meet up with Lee, Ramona, and Luis spray painting an abandoned station platform.They pack up and leave when they hear noises, thinking it may be the police; it turned out to be a rogue graffiti artist known as Spit, who defaces Ramose work (and the work of other artists) by spraying his tag over It. As the group take the train back uptown, Kenny and Tracy break away and spend the rest of the evening together, striking up a romance while walking and talking. Collie talks Kenny into a guest spot at the Burning Spear, a club run by DC Cool Here. Kenny not only spins but presents a special Christmas-themed skit performed by the Treacherous Three, Doug E.Fresh, and the Magnificent Force. The crowds positive reaction convinces Cool Here to invite Kenny back. But both Kenny and Collie see the regular gig as a stepping stone to their bigger goal. They return to the Rosy, where auditions are being held for new talent. Collie convinces Kenny to let him do the talking, and waits for the auditions to end before he succeeds in getting the talent scout to check out Kenny at the Burning Spear. The scout keeps his word, and Is impressed enough that he offers Kenny a performance on New Years Eve.Tracy offers to help Kenny out by allowing pressed a wrong button and deleted his work. A stubborn Kenny then leaves the studio, saying he had enough material for New Years Eve. Meanwhile, Ramona is feeling pressure from two sources. His father Domingo (Shawn Elliot), who despises his graffiti, wants him to find honest work, while his girlfriend Carmen (Sandra Santiago), whos also the mother of his son, longs for them to be together as a family. Ramona eventually gets a Job in a hardware store, and he then takes Carmen and their baby to live with him in Henries building.But Ramona does not stop thinking of the subway trains that are his canvas. When he sees a white-painted one pass him by, he vows to put his mark on it. Later that evening, Ramona and Kenny find the train and proceed to paint one side of the lead car. When the get on the other side, their work is interrupted when Ramona hears noises-?it is Spit, defacing the completed side. Ramona and Kenny chase Spit through the tunnel and into a station, and a fight ensues. Spit sprays paint in Rayons eye, and both men tussle on the roadbed before they roll onto the electrified third rail, which kills them instantly.As the group mourn the death of their friend, Kenny considers not doing the New Years Eve show at the Rosy. But with the help of Tracy and despite initial reluctance from Collie, Kenny turns his big break into a celebration of Rayons life. The show is the films grand finale, starting with a rap performance by Kenny while slides of Ramona and his work were shown in the background. Kenny was followed by Grandmaster Melee Mel the Furious Five, and a Bronx gospel choir backed by dancers and breakers. Edit] Cast * Rae Dawn Chon Tracy Carlson * Guy Davis Kenny Double K Kirkland * Jon Chartist Ramona Roam * Leon W. Grant Collie * Sandra Santiago Carmen Carrot * Robert Taylor Lee Kirkland * Mary Alice Core Kirkland * Shawn Elliott Domingo * Jim Borealis Monte * Dean Elliot Henry * Franc Rexes Luis * Tanya Pippins Angela * Lee Chamberlain Alicia * Duane Jones Robert * DC Little Lieu Vega DC in Background in the club. * Africa Bumboat the Soul Sonic Force Themselves Doug E.Fresh Himself * New York City Breakers Themselves * Rock Steady Crew Themselves * Clive Cool Here Campbell Himself * Treacherous Three Themselves * Jazzy Jay Himself * Grandmaster Melee Mel the Furious Five Themselves Academe Harriso n was credited as High School Student in the directors cut of the film. However, his Some of the plot line was based on the New York City graffiti documentary Style Wars. Most visibly, the antagonist Spit in Beat Street was lifted from the real-life graffiti artist CAP MAC, who was portrayed in Style Wars.It was screened out of competition t the 1984 Cannes Film Festival. [l] [edit] Filming locations Beat Street was filmed entirely on location in New York City, in the boroughs of The Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Several scenes were shot inside the citys subway system, both onboard trains and in stations, notably Hoyt-Shoehorning Streets, 57th Street-sixth Avenue, and Fresh Pond Road. Scenes were also filmed on the campus of the City College of New York, which includes the concert venue Aaron Davis Hall.Many of the internal dance sequences were filmed at the popular nightclub the Rosy, located in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. Most of the graffiti art that was displayed all throughout the film was not done by real graffiti artists-?it was airbrushed by set decorators. [edit] Musical performances and soundtrack Main article: Beat Street (soundtrack) There are several performances in the movie, notably from established early hip-hop groups Grandmaster Melee Mel the Furious Five, Doug E. Fresh, Africa Bumboat the Soul Sonic Force, and the Treacherous Three.As a member of the Treacherous Three, Cool Moe Dee also appeared in the film. It stands as one of the few media appearances he has ever made without his trademark sunglasses (a Tyler he had not yet adopted at the time). In addition to these acts, Guy Davis, who played Kenny, is also a blues musician in real life. The film also includes other musical performances from novice acts, such as Tina B and The System, both of whom appear on the soundtrack album. Though not featured on the album, there were also appearances by rapper Richard Lee Cisco and singers Bernard Fowler and Brenda K. Starr. Contrary to popular (internet legend) belief, The RAZZ of Www-Tang Clan was not actually in the movie. Some rumors have floated around the net stating that he is the guy in the black hat rhyming during the Rosy auditions scene. However, RAZZ has gone on the record stating he was not in the film. In fact, he would have only been 15 at the time Beat Street was filmed. The actor in the black hat appears to be markedly older than 15. At least three breakfasting battles between the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew were also included in the film. In addition, the Rosy audition scene features a pair of breakfasting boys known as the Fantastic Duo. This was the first American film to feature more than one soundtrack album. Originally, Atlantic Records, which released the soundtrack albums, had three volumes planned, but only two of these were released. The second volume was never released on compact disc. The trailer includes an alternate version of the title song performed by Cool Moe Dee, a version that was not featured in the movie or on the original soundtrack albums. E troubles of ghetto life are accurately captured in this cinematic time capsule, one of the first films to contain rap music. At the time, the rapping took a back seat to the break dancing and one of the many attributes of BEAT STREET is the authentic street moves on display. The locations also retain their street creed, with graffiti covering subway cars and abandoned buildings populating the mean streets. The story homeless out of the ghetto. Musician Harry Flatten teamed with David Picker to produce. Rapper Kenny and his break dancing brother Lee are up and coming soul artists.They only need a few good connections and one big break to make it. When they meet a beautiful college music professor, who can help them expand their horizons, everything starts to fall into place. The troubles of ghetto life are accurately captured in this cinematic time capsule, one concerns a group of Bronx teens using their dancing, rapping, and artistic skills to lift Storyline Jon Chartist plays a Puerco Rican youth who targets subway walls for his graffiti endearing. For a while, it looks as though Charladies problems will carry the plotting, but before long the films true raisin deter comes to the surface.Rap-music deejay Guy Davis, in tandem with such like-minded individuals as music student Rae Dawn Chon, endeavor to stage a huge breakfasting presentation, featuring several musical artistes of the period. Harry Flatten served as coppered. -? Hal Erickson, Rove. An upbeat, lets-put-on-a-show musical about the wonders of hip-hop music and culture that tells the story of Kenny, a young hip-hop artist living in the rough slums f the Bronx with his younger brother Lee and their mother Core. Kenny dreams of making it big as a disc Jockey and playing in the most swank of Manhattan nightclubs, the Rosy.Into their lives comes Tracy, a composer and assistant choreographer from the City College of New York, who inspires him to try to continue his dream while romance begins to grow between them, despite coming from different neighborhoods and worlds. Meanwhile, Lee is part of a break-dancing crew set on dominating the scene of their street. The rest of their friends include Ramona, a graffiti artist determined to spread his painting to every subway car in the city while leaning with his girlfriend Carmen and Collie, a fellow disc Jockey who becomes Jennys manager after he lands him a gig at a Bronx club.Many hip-hop groups, electro artists, break dancers, and Latin freestyle singers, who include Us Girls, the Treacherous Three, the System, the Rock Steady Crew, Africa Bumboat Soul Sonic Force and Shannon, the Magnificent Force, the New York City Breakers, Grand Master Melee Mel the Furious Five, Tina B. , Johnny B. Bad, and many more, make cameo appearances. Written by Matt Patty About 80% of the footage in the original theatrical trailer is not included in the final UT.Examples include Ramona getting his bag ripped off while walking with Kenny and Charlie, several battle outtakes including the classroom up-rocking scene, Ramo na on nightclub. Several other pieces of footage were included as well but were in freeze frame in the opening credits of the film. The trailer also includes an alternate version of title song performed by Cool Moe Dee, (who appears in the film in the Christmas Rapping' sequence with the rest of the Treacherous Three), which also did not appear in the movie nor on the original soundtrack albums.Share this Most of the graffiti art that was displayed all throughout the film was not done by real graffiti artists it was airbrushed by set decorators. Share this It was the producers idea for the main cast to wear Kananga hats and Puma sneakers all throughout production of the film even though many of the dancers felt that it wasnt authentic. Share this According to Fast Break (who appeared in the Treacherous Three sequence), there was a classroom up-rocking battle scene that involved the New York City Breakers and the Rock Steady Crew, but it was cut.There was also more of the climatic battle between the se two crews at the Rosy nightclub. Share this Crazy Legs later said that during the filming of the battle scene at the Rosy he wanted to battle to Jimmy Castors song Its Just Begun, but he was disappointed to find out that the crews were going to battle to a record called Breakers Revenge because of rights issues. Share this This project was sponsored by Puma. The original soundtrack Laps have the Puma logo printed on them, reading, Puma as seen in Beat Street. Share this This was the first American film to have more than one soundtrack album of music featured in a film released. Originally, three volumes of music were planned, but Atlantic Records only released two of them and the second volume was never released on compact disc. And get out of the South Bronx, the movie follows the youngsters over the holiday season of 83 when it looks like Kenny might finally catch that big break. Collie sets it up so Kenny can do a guest spot at the Burning Spear, where he not only spins a few records, he also presents a special Christmas-themed skit.Lee and his crew have a breakneck battle with a rival troupe, the Bronx Rockers (the Rock Steady Crew) at the Rosy nightclub one night and Tracy (Chon, Commando) asks him to come and audition for a show shes putting on at the city college. Ramona, whose graffiti tag is Roam is getting grief from his father (Shawn Elliot) about getting an honest Job and forgetting about drawing pictures on the walls around the neighborhood and from Carmen (Santiago, Miami Vice), his girlfriend and the mother of their baby who wants him to get them a place of their own.Roam gets great pleasure from sharing his art with the people of the city, he thinks that its great that his work is seen throughout many different boroughs. The only problem is a rival graffiti artist whose sprays his gag Spit all over everybody elses work. After a misunderstanding at the city college, Tracy tries to smooth things over with Lee and Kenny and gets romantically involved with Kenny. Collie uses Jennys success at the Burning Spear to get him the New Years Eve performance at the Rosy (the hottest nightclub in NYC).Ultimately, tragedy strikes the group and Kenny is uncertain whether he should go ahead and do the gig at the Rosy. As you can see, there are many plot treads throughout the movie and it present form, is a pretty good movie, but Id like to see a Directors Cut that restores al the excised footage, if it still even exists. I think that might make for a more focused movie, the scenes in the trailer seem to clarify a few things and theres a few more musical numbers, including one in a high school classroom. According to Wisped, Academe Harrison (A Different World, Rapping) had a small role in the movie that ended up being deleted entirely.Whats left is a decent enough movie, any dramatic flaws are compensated for with some great musical sequences The aforementioned Christmas skit at the Burning Spear, a club run by DC Cool Here, features the Treacherous Three, Doug E. Fresh and the Magnificent Force as they do a rap number called Suntans Rap. Its one of the many musical highlights of Beat Street, among the various artists featured in this movie are Grandmaster Melee Mel the Furious Five, Africa Bumboat the Soul Sonic Force Shannon, Tina B. , The System, Brenda Starr, Bernard Fowler, Andy B.Bad, Fantastic Duo, Us Girls, Jazzy Jay, Richard Cisco and Wanda Dee. The director Stan Lethal has assembled quite a roster of talent from the early days of breakfasting and rapping, this is the most awesome part of the movie and Im not even a fan of the genre. Like I said in my review of Crush Groove, I do like the old-school rap, when it was funny and relatively innocent, as opposed to all the obscene crap that seem to be the favorite subjects of todays rappers (bitched, hoes, pimping and popping caps in the ass of another person).The climactic scene of Beat Street is an elaborate number that features Grandmaster Melee Mel the Furious Five, Bernard Fowler and a Bronx gospel choir, dancers from the city college and breakfasters from the New York streets. Its a celebration of life as Grandmaster Melee Mel decries the violence of the world and Fowler sings about believing in the face of tragedy. Its my favorite sequence in this movie because its such a powerful moment and it incorporates a lot of different talent. I also like Tina B. S song Nothings G oanna Come Easy, even though only a small portion of the song is heard in the movie. If memory serves, there were two soundtrack albums released from this movie because there was so much music. In addition, the breakfasting in Beat Street is absolutely fresh, the real life dance crews really know how to bust some serious moves and when theyre strutting their stuff on he screen , the movie totally comes to life. And who doesnt like the human beat-box that is Doug E. Fresh? Ive talked endlessly about the music in Beat Street, what about the other aspects of the movie?Like I said, it falters when it comes to the dramatic elements, it would have been nice to get to know certain characters better. For example, what about Henry (Dean Elliot), the squatter the guys discover living in the basement of the abandoned building where they party at the beginning of the movie? They all seem to become friends, but who is this guy really? We understand hat hes an old friend of somebody who used to live in the building before the landlord torched the place, but at what point does he become friends with the guys?Its implied that hes some sort of musician, he says that he and his old friend planned to start a band. Why doesnt he display his skills at any point in the movie? In the trailer, its shown (briefly) that he plays the drums, I would have liked to see this incorporated into the plot. We see a couple of scenes where Roam and his father argue about how he should live his life, but it would have been interesting to see Kenny and Lees older brother? We get the impression that he was in a gang and died as a result of that lifestyle, but was he shot in a gang war or by the police?My guess would be the latter, only because of the contempt that Core (Mary Alice, The Matrix Revolutions) shows for the cop who arrested her son (Lee) for breakfasting at the subway station. She tells him that hes far too young to be offering child rearing advice and that theres worse things these kids could be doing than dancing. Its another small but powerful moment, but we still dont fully understand how her oldest son died. And I would have loved to see that breakfasting number in the high school classroom, these moments really make a musical fun and enjoyable.I wonder why so many scenes were cut out of Beat Street? Im guessing it was to keep the running time down, who wants to watch a two-and-a-half hour movie during the summer? True, this movie is pretty shallow and it never promised to be an in-depth character study or a realistic, gritty documentary about the hip-hop scene of the early ass. But it would have been cool to add an additional layer of depth and meaning, it would have been nice to understand a few things about the young people who arrogance on the sidewalks or the graffiti artists who see all the surfaces of the world as their own personal canvas.

A challenging question for research and practice arises Essay 2

A challenging question for research and practice arises 2 - Essay Example Organizations are, therefore, entitled to consider the ambivalence attitudes in their plan for change in order for them to achieve their goal. Improvement of internal communication within an organization is a basic measure taken during the transition of organizational change. The first consideration for an organization plan for change is the initial wrong perception to change. This might be coming from the managers, employees or even the customers. The wrong initial perception is brought by the inability of an organization to forward into the future and accept their vision. The stakeholders can deny the unexpected information on change or even wish that they could continue with their present thoughts even when the situation has changed. Poor communication can create an organizational silence in a company, which means that the stakeholders are not given a chance to express their thoughts about the change (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2009). Lack of motivation for change is another factor which should be considered in organizational change. Motivation for change can be hindered when the change is planned to increase the sale of a certain product but at the same time reducing the wages and salaries of the workers such that it is a sacrifice in order to achieve change. Past failures of the organizations trials for change can make workers feel not compelled enough for changing the organizational status (Piderit, 2000). An organization must consider a situation whereby there are different interests for change between the management and the workers. If the employees are valuing change more than the managers, the goal for organizational change cannot be easily achieved since the managers lack enough motivation (Hellriegel and Slocum, 2009). Resistance to change can also result from lack of creativeness in search for the most appropriate strategies for achieving change. This mostly happens

Zapessay2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Zapessay2 - Essay Example est by Bram Stoker (1914) is the story of Jonathan Haker, who receives an invite to Count Dracula’s castle that is on the borders of Moldavia and Transylvania. He receives various warnings on the way, and when he eventually gets there he realizes, though a little too late, that he is, in fact, a prisoner. The events that unfold within the rest of the novel purely based on Dracula’s superhuman nature, being a vampire and the fight that Jonathan puts up against Dracula (Poe et al 51-62). This paper’s primary focus is to compare the role that Montresor played in the Cask of Amontillado with that of Dracula in Dracula’s guest. The two are the main characters in both stories and despite the fact that the two novels were written during different time frames and different settings. Notably, there are a number of similarities and quite obviously differences that can be drawn from their personas. The following is a layout of their roles and representations, beginni ng with their similarities Both characters illustrate deceitful tendencies. They use friendship and kindness to lure their victims. Montressor carefully tricks Fortunato into thinking that he has the best wine for him knowing very well that Fortunato happens to have a weakness for the drink. This illustrates that Montressor in his selfish quest is willing to use the weaknesses that he is well aware his friend has against him (Espinosa 34). Dracula, on the other hand, uses his sophisticated appearance and educational appeal to lure Jonathan into feeling at home. It is because of this same appearance that it takes Hacker some time to realize that he has been lured into being Dracula’s slave. To capitalize on the extent of their deceitfulness, both characters only show the true nature of their persona’s after their victims are well into their thresholds and their intentions are clearly only in their own best interests (Stoker 28-32). Montresor depicts himself as being very proud. Despite that he is not

When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing Essay

When should we discard explanations that are intuitively appealing - Essay Example Intuition is right in most of other times, though. The dilemma comes in knowing when to actually accept this reasoning based purely on feeling, otherwise called ‘guts’, or to just ignore it and go for the hard facts. Thus, there is a question whether we should discard explanations that are intuitively appealing or not. According to Gillman, in his book of luck, he speaks of intuition being in support of reason and without working against reason at all (20). In saying so, we can choose to retain explanations that are intuitively appealing. There have been cases where intuition has proved to be the friend of reason but still it falls short of what it actually is. Intuitive Attitudes and feelings: attitudes and feelings that are innate are able to create a quite reliable trend of behavior. They are able to forecast a way in which a person will behave at a later time in the future; the analyzed attitudes. However, when a person is asked to examine his/her attitudes before displaying them then this won’t foretell his/her ensuing behavior. They will consciously examine him/her ruling out the intuitive factor. Comprehending Personality Traits: Human beings do not fall short when it comes to social intelligence; instead, they have a tremendous amount of this. For instance, if people were shown short clips of teachers in a class, it is likely that their evaluations would be somewhat similar, based on their intuition, to those of the teacher’s actual students. Instantaneous appraisals of a person’s characters are, thus, usually proved true, therefore, making them as good as the long-term impressions. Intuition and being in touch with our own bodies: Intuition, being an emotional reaction, is usually an expression of what our bodies are experiencing or otherwise feeling. This makes them a firsthand expression of what is actually happening to us, quite believable. It is usually the mind which is in sync with the body by

Outline the influence of corporate power on society and polities Research Paper

Outline the influence of corporate power on society and polities - Research Paper Example This research essay will analyze how corporations around the world are exerting their sway on the respective governments and societies, and the ways and means to prevent it and how to make them more socially accountable for their actions. Corporate authority and influence naturally are fostered along with commoditization. Corporate authority is employed to nourish policies that kindle commoditized economic development. As these governmental policies are prone to be tilting toward commoditization, corporations wield more or more power, thereby influencing corporate power at all levels towards supporting commoditization. Multinational companies are employing their power to persuade nations to minimize their tariffs, to remove the barriers to investments, to annul or eliminate the rules on repatriating profits out of countries in which they have invested and to lower the corporate tax rates and to offer incentives to foreign investors. The corporate laws around the world are being drafted in such a way that it facilitates to create an atmosphere which is favorable to amass capital and to incorporate and run companies (Costanza, 1999, p.224). With the extraordinary powers which corporations are possessing with through regulations, nowadays they have started to wield their sway on not only governments but also on societies in which they operate. This research essay will analyze the manner and style with which the corporations are exerting their power on the governments and societies, how to prevent them and to make them more socially responsible to the various stakeholders to whom they have to be accountable. The main aim of this research essay is to demonstrate how regulatory capture, i.e. how the interest of the public is sacrificed to the advantage of a corporation and how corporations around the world are exerting influence on the government or regulators.

Financial Reporting and Analysis Literature review

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Literature review Example The company should try to increase this net profit in the future as it has fallen below the industry’s operating profit margin of 19%. Return on capital employed is way below the industry average for the company. It is 9.8% in 2009 which is very low. Although it has increased slowly to 10.83% in 2010, it is still way below the industry average of 20%. The company must try to increase this return drastically in the future by decreasing their liabilities. The company’s Return on equity measures the efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholder’s equity (BRIGHAM, Eugene F. and Ehrhardt, Michael C., 2010). The company’s Return on equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth (CORREIA, Carlos et al., 2007). And the company’s Return on equity has increased from 2009-2010 from 5.27%-6.12% which is a very good sign but it is still on the low side. The Company’s return on the asset is neither too high nor too low. It is 8.86% in 2009 and has just increased slightly to 9.89% in 2010. Although, an increase is a good sign but the company must try and further increase this ratio in the ratio by decreasing their asset usage and to increase their net profit even further. Liquidity ratios illustrate the company’s ability to pay off obligations in the short term (CHANDRA, Prasanna, 2008). Current asset ratio and acid-test ratio are observed closely when liquidity is in question. The company is in a fairly good position in both of these parameters. The current ratio of the company has increased drastically from 1.46 in 2009 to 2.73 in 2010. In 2010 it is above the industry average of 2.5 which is a good sign for the company. It shows that a fair amount of assets are available to finance the liabilities of the company and that a company can pay off its short term liabilities quite easily. The Quick

Valentines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Valentines - Essay Example Nelly is an athletic and a rugby player in her school. For this reason, she has a buildup body that have developed out of his hobbies. She argues that she required weight to enable her play well and protect herself from other players. Moreover, being athletic make ones develop a lot of muscle out of the many exercises and to cope with the demand of the sport (London, 2015). Nelly says that she was astonished for her date to offer a gift suggesting she cut on weight (London, 2015). She argues that that was the least she expected because she always imagined that her friend like and support her involvement in sports. Nelly says that it was her resilient that made her resist knocking him down and throwing him out of the house (London, 2015). This made her cancel the date and dump his date the following day. Katie Ford is a 33 years business woman (London, 2015). She says that she is always excited to enjoy valentine day with her date. However, on February 14, 2014 she experienced a traumatic encounter after she and her date was booked for being too drunk. That evening they went to buy drink, so they have a romantic night. However, her date started drinking and promised her of so many things he would do for her. Katie though hesitant for the man ego, agreed let him have a chance. However, they did not last long on their romantic date before Katie date got too much drunk and started fighting with strangers for no apparent reason. The commotion led the owner of the restaurant to call the police to calm down Katie date. Nevertheless, the police had no choice, but to arrest the unruly man and booked him overnight until the next day. Katie romantic moment had to end and walk in the dark to her house. She says she had a walk with her high heels alone in the middle of the night because his date was not man enough. She broke up with him the

Financial Reporting and Analysis Literature review

Financial Reporting and Analysis - Literature review Example The company should try to increase this net profit in the future as it has fallen below the industry’s operating profit margin of 19%. Return on capital employed is way below the industry average for the company. It is 9.8% in 2009 which is very low. Although it has increased slowly to 10.83% in 2010, it is still way below the industry average of 20%. The company must try to increase this return drastically in the future by decreasing their liabilities. The company’s Return on equity measures the efficiency at generating profits from every unit of shareholder’s equity (BRIGHAM, Eugene F. and Ehrhardt, Michael C., 2010). The company’s Return on equity shows how well a company uses investment funds to generate earnings growth (CORREIA, Carlos et al., 2007). And the company’s Return on equity has increased from 2009-2010 from 5.27%-6.12% which is a very good sign but it is still on the low side. The Company’s return on the asset is neither too high nor too low. It is 8.86% in 2009 and has just increased slightly to 9.89% in 2010. Although, an increase is a good sign but the company must try and further increase this ratio in the ratio by decreasing their asset usage and to increase their net profit even further. Liquidity ratios illustrate the company’s ability to pay off obligations in the short term (CHANDRA, Prasanna, 2008). Current asset ratio and acid-test ratio are observed closely when liquidity is in question. The company is in a fairly good position in both of these parameters. The current ratio of the company has increased drastically from 1.46 in 2009 to 2.73 in 2010. In 2010 it is above the industry average of 2.5 which is a good sign for the company. It shows that a fair amount of assets are available to finance the liabilities of the company and that a company can pay off its short term liabilities quite easily. The Quick

Mise-En-Scene Essay Example for Free

Mise-En-Scene Essay Forrest Gump For over a century now, individuals have been flocking to witness the magic of motion pictures. It is a world made possible by a director and a dream. Unbeknownst to many, the making of a motion picture is a tedious event, involving scripts, takes, re-takes, and an abundance of post-production editing. Many people sit and enjoy a movie without realizing the complexities and the amount of individuals involved in creating the film. These individuals create the landscapes and backboards for us, the ultimate image also known as the mise-en-scene. My favorite film of all time is Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump will go down in history as one of the greatest films ever made. This film was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, and took home six of them. This is in part because of the phenomenal cast and crew members involved in the production of this film; individuals such as the director, cinematographer, and art director, to the actors, sound people, and most importantly the editor, who pulled everything together and created the final cut. All of these plus additional elements such as sound, style, societal impact, genre, and film criticism make the film such a masterpiece. In this paper I will go into detail about these elements and as to why they add character and zest to the overall success of the film. Forrest Gump is a film that draws out every emotion that is available to the viewer; at times it draws empathy, as well as sympathy and sadness because of the real-life elements that are a part of the plot. The film is also loaded with irony and many opportunities to laugh at the naivety of the main character, Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump is a story about an â€Å"Unusual man doing unusual things† (Groom, 1996, pg. v). As a result of how fantastic the film was, and how great the crew and cast were, Forrest Gump was nominated for thirteen Oscars at the Academy; which is a highly prestigious honor. Almost all elements of this film were up to be recognized. The list of elements that won an Oscar: best actor, best director, best effects (visual effects), best film editing, best picture, and best writing. However, the list goes on even further when me ntioning the additional ones that were nominated but did not win. This would include: best supporting actor, best art direction-set decoration, best cinematography, best effects (sound effects), best make-up, best music, and best sound (Dirks, 2010). Every one of these elements is crucial to the popularity and overall success of this film. What I plan to take notice of first is the director, Robert Zemeckis. Robert has led a successful career of directing many blockbuster hit movies. Movies such as the Back to the Future trilogy, Cast Away, Contact, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, just to name a few. It is no wonder why Robert is such a successful and well-known name in Hollywood. Robert is a director that continually makes great films that have recurring actors, Tom Hanks being one of these actors. The style of storyline that Robert chose to use in this film is mostly in chronological order; however, the story is narrated by Forrest in the future, so the story also has moments of incongruous editing. The text states that incongruous editing is when a film jumps around in time (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). You see ’future’ Forrest is telling the story of his life to numerous people who are sitting next to him at the bus stop. The story that he tells is in chronological order, basically catching up to where he is at that moment, at the bus stop. I highly enjoyed this approach that the director used; the story would continually flip back to ‘future’ Forrest as the movie went on. I believe that the movie would have been dull, had it not been from the perspective of Forrest in the future. Excitement is added by the way that he remembers the events in his life, and how even today he is still excited about them. This movie was adapted from the book of the same name, written by Warren Groom and the screenplay was written by Eric Roth. Although much of the story was changed, between the book and the film, it still remains based on the book. This is a story of a man who is highly naive, some would say slightly mentally challenged, who travels the world and is involved with many political events that occurred from the 1960’s to 1990’s. He faces hardships and overcomes adversity. In the final scenes devastating news is given to Forrest; the conclusion in this movie really pulls the whole movie together and makes it very satisfying. The exposition of this movie is right out the box with this film. It starts with a feather floating high in the shy aimlessly, drifting down towards the ground. At first the audience thinks nothing of it, however, as we later on see, this feather floating and landing on the ground in front of a dingy, worn pair of running shoes, is a symbol of the story. It is a symbol of the life of Forrest Gump, a man who drifts everywhere and becomes a part of many cultural events. We then come to realize that Forrest is a little slow and does not perceive the world as the majority of people do; with this we find a lot of verbal irony on Forrest’s behalf. The set-up is that Forrest is pushed away by his peers except a little girl named Jenny. Forrest is the protagonist in this film and his friend Jenny is the antagonist. Goodykoontz and Jacobs describe a protagonist as the main character in a movie; they also describe the antagonist as the character in conflict with the main character (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). Forrest is highly conservative, and Jenny is an outright liberal. As the story goes on, Jenny becomes more and more rebellious towards society’s standards. The confrontation is that Forrest is forever seeking to save Jenny, and to get her to conform to the way of life that he lives. However, Jenny is highly rebellious and wants to live the unhealthy lifestyle that she lives. Jenny was abused as a child and she lives very domineering to the men in her life, and since Forrest is good, she pushes him away, because all she knows is destruction. The conclusion brings everything to a head. This is where Forrest goes to Jenny’s house where she lays on him that she has a son and it is his. This is where it gets all fuzzy, emotionally, because we find out that finally Jenny is settling down and accepting Forrest and his conservative ways. However, in the final moments of the film the story turns sad and Jenny dies of an unknown illness; which leaves Forrest to care for his son that he previously knew nothing about. The main character in this movie, Forrest, is played by Tom Hanks, who is a career veteran of great movies; he is a wild card actor because he is able to play various types of roles (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). There are a couple of secondary actors, Jenny, played by Robin White; Lieutenant Dan Taylor, played by Gary Sinise; and Benjamin Buford â€Å"Bubba† Blue, played by Mykelti Williamson; all of these actors would be classified as character actors, because they have been in other various films, but were always secondary characters (Goodykoontz Jacobs, 2011). Sally Field is also in this film as Forrest’s mother, but the audience does not see too much of her. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his grand performance in Forrest Gump. He also won many other prestigious awards such as a Screen Actors Guild award, a Golden Globe, a Kansas City Film Critics award, and an American Comedy award. Robin White and Gary Sinise were nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award, but neither won. The cinematographer in this film is a man by the name of Don Burgess. Don was also the cinematographer in other Robert Zemeckis films, such as Contact, Cast Away, and The Polar Express (the latter two films had Tom Hanks in them). The cinematographer in a film is the one who directs the camera and chooses what kind of shot will take place, whether it be a long shot, a close-up, or somewhere in between. They also control the lighting and determine what will be best for each particular scene. The cinematographer designs the mise-en-scene. In the beginning we see a medium shot of a feather floating in the wind; the feather then lands on the ground which the cinematographer uses an extreme close-up of the feather and Forrest’s sneakers. Following this the camera zooms out and moves up to display Forrest sitting on a bus stop bench, next to a woman, as he is commenting about her shoes. This series of events and different shots really adds to the zest of the film. Right off we can hear Forrest’s manner of speaking, in addition to the way that he perceives the world. Another scene that I would like to point out is when Forrest is in Vietnam, and he finds Bubba shot. In this scene the cinematographer uses a lot of close-up shots of Forrest and Bubba. I believe this is to hype up the dramatics of the situation. However, a few moments later Forrest picks up Bubba and runs with him out of the jungle. In this scene the cinematographer uses an extreme long shot; the scene lasts a full 25 seconds, which is a long time for a shot in a movie (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). In this scene, Forrest and Bubba start from far away as they exit the jungle, it continues to progress until finally they run past the camera. This is a very important scene in the film where Bubba eventually dies. The cinematographer did an excellent job of capturing the planes overhead bombing, while Forrest is trying to save his friend. This scene is very meaningful. The editor of this film is Arthur Schmidt. An editor is the person who pieces all the appropriate shots into the final cut, basically rearranging the story into a plot (Goodykontz Jacob, 2011). Arthur Schmidt won an Academy Award for his stupendous work in this film. There was a ton of post-production done on this film. There was a scene where Forrest meets, President John F. Kennedy, the visual effects team along with the editor made this scene possible; since John F. Kennedy is currently diceased. Another scene takes place where Forrest is running rom some boys because they are chasing him down. In this scene Forrest is wearing leg braces, but there is a moment when Forrest begins breaking out of the braces, while he is running. The editor slows this scene down and closes in on Forrest’s legs, in order to emphasize him breaking out of the bondage that the braces caused. This is a pivotal scene, it is the prelude to the rest of the movie where Forrest is constantly on the move; his legs are a way for him to escape. In addition, this scene is full of direct cuts and jump cuts. A jump cut is when there is an obvious jump in the action during a transition, and a direct cut is when one shot instantly takes over for another shot (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). The various elements that the editor used were simply fantastic; it is no wonder why he won an Oscar for this film. There are many moments in this film where all types of sound are utilized, specifically sound effects and music. Each of these effects boosts the emotional value of scenes. There is a scene where Forrest is getting on the school bus for the first time. He is having trouble finding a seat because all of the students are denying him there seat. All of a sudden he hears the voice of a little girl saying, â€Å"you can sit hear†. During this scene, sentimental music plays in the background, simply adding emotional value to what Tom Hanks is saying. Forrest says to the woman on the bench next to him, as he is narrating the scene, that he finds it, â€Å"amazing what a young man recollects,† how he doesn’t, remember many of his ‘firsts’, but he cannot forget the first time he heard Jenny’s voice, he says that, â€Å"she was like an angel† (Finerman, Tisch, Newirth, 1994). In addition to the music, every sound other than dialogue was a sound effect that was added post-production. This film was also recognized for its phenomenal soundtrack. In some movies songs are intentionally written for that particular movie, but in Forrest Gump these are previously existing songs that the director thought would fit the tone or mood of the particular scene(s) (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). It is the soundtrack of the 60’s, filled with political songs such as â€Å"For What it’s Worth,† by Buffalo Springfield, and â€Å"Fortunate Son,† by Creedance Clearwater Revival. It also contained songs suitable for the action that was taking place, like â€Å"Sloop John B,† by The Beach Boys, while Forrest is in Vietnam. The song mentions the lyrics, â€Å"This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on,† and, â€Å"I feel so broke up, I wanna go home, let me go home,† these lyrics seem highly fitting for the scenario that the troops were in. The soundtrack won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In our text it quotes that, â€Å"even though we go to films to be entertained†¦movies are something more than that†¦they are also historical documents that help us see—and perhaps more fully understand—the world in which they are made† (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). Forrest Gump touched on a lot cultural events and stigmas. First off is that Forrest is disabled and still was able to do more than most people who are not disabled do in their life. In addition, Forrest saw all people as equal, no matter what skin color they had. He also gave money to Bubba’s family, even though Bubba had died before Forrest created the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Forrest gave Bubba’s half of the profits to Bubba’s remaining family. Bubba gave Forrest the idea and Forrest was paying due to his lost friend, through his family. This is something that he definitely did not have to do. He stands for anyone who has ever felt inadequate. Forrest Gump will go down in the history books as one of the greatest films ever made. This is because a huge number of cast and crew made this possible, from the director, cinematographer, and art director, to the actors, sound people, and most importantly the editor, who pulled everything together and created the final cut. Additional elements should be recognized as well for the overall success of the film, such as sound, style, societal impact, genre, and film criticism. A lot of hard work, time and effort go into making a movie, and unfortunately not a lot of the public are aware of this. However, once they learn a few things and realize the distinct meaning behind a slow-motion shot or the color of a characters costume, they take a more appreciative look as to what they are viewing. The mise-en-scene makes all the difference; it is what makes or breaks any movie.

The Philosophy Of Death

The Philosophy Of Death The Death of Ivan Ilych, by Leo Tolstoy provides a literary portrait of a mans life and death. This exercise aims to analyse denial and the inevitability of death, both its meaning and context, in The Death of Ivan Ilych, using the philosophy of Martin Heidegger in Being and Time. The Death of Ivan Ilych In the study of literature, The Death of Ivan Ilych is generally regarded as one of the most influential works on death and dying. The story is a classic study of how acceptance of mortality can change how individuals approach not only life, but also death. Structurally, The Death of Ivan Ilych is a simple text. It begins with what would be the end of the story, Ivans funeral, and then records his life from childhood to his illness. In this way, Tolstoy suggests that Ivan Ilych is not really alive until he confronts the deterioration of his being. Ivan Ilychs life had been most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible (Tolstoy, 235). The chronicle of Ivans life begins with this line. Ivan Ilych consumed his life by just playing a role, formality and propriety were imperative to him, more so than any kind of human emotion. Serving as a judge, he had a career with influence and standing, and a respectable middle-class family. Then, a mysterious illness befalls him, one that no amount of skilled doctors can accurately diagnose. Whilst all are in agreement that his condition is terminal, they defer from telling him and insist that the treatments will one day have him back on his feet. Ivan Ilych is ultimately reduced to lying on a sofa, eased only by opium and the goodness of his servant, Gerasim, who says, Its Gods will. We shall all come to it some day (Tolstoy, 235). The novel follows the course of Ivans slow deterioration and his inability to deal with the inevitable approach of death. He tries for a long time to look away from it, to hide, but he cannot. Ironically, as he begins to sense the looming spectre of death, Ivan questions the dismantling of his comfortable life and the rightness of how he lived. Ivan wonders, Why must I die and die in agony? There is something wrong! Maybe I did not live as I ought to have done (Tolstoy, 273). In the midst of his desperate screaming, two hours before his death, Ivan feels the tears of his son on his hand. After months dwelling on his own torment, he feels pity for his son and asks for forgiveness. It is at this moment that he is released from the mental anguish that has engulfed him, and in place of death, there was light (Tolstoy, 279). Heidegger and the Inevitability of Death One of these days one will die too, in the end; but right now it has nothing to do with us (Heidegger: 297). Death is an inevitable event. Someday, we will all die and ultimately confront the inescapable reality of our own mortality. German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, gives new meanings to our understanding of death in Being and Time. Heidegger argues that by confronting the inevitability of death, we adjust our perspectives and alter our approach towards life. We become beings-toward-death who are able to re-examine life and embrace our world. The discussion in Being and Time depends on understanding the use of the term, Dasein, commonly translated as existence or more literally as being there, it could be said that Dasein is an individual human being. As Dasein, we are each an existing entity and have the ability to consider how we shall be in the world. By Heideggers analysis of being-towards-death, Dasein understands what it means to exist. Heidegger suggests that rather than facing the reality of death, Dasein may flee from it, back into the absorption of everyday life. By running away from the reality and the finitude of our existence, we may collapse into a state of anxiety and bring forth anguish in Daseins being; we may despair when confronted with the actuality of our death. According to Heidegger, angst enables us to have an understanding of our eventual demise and anticipation in the face of death makes an authentic life possible. When we choose to accept the inevitable, we realise the possibilities of life and we discover a truth; we can find meaning at least for ourselves. By breaking the illusions of death, we can conquer life. This is the difference between living authentic and inauthentic lives. While we cannot know what death itself will be like, we can look ahead towards our dying. By accepting that one is constantly moving towards death and understanding that mortality is fundamental to who we are, Heidegger states something authentic is uncovered, a moment that will truly be ones own. Through this insight, Heidegger shows that death is an individual event in that it is something that every person must go through. Nobody can die my death It is unique to each one of us. To each it is given and cannot be denied. A Heideggerian Approach to Ivan Ilych In Being and Time, Heidegger makes use of Tolstoys story in his own analysis of death. He says in a footnote, In his story The Death of Ivan Ilyitch Leo Tolstoi has presented the phenomenon of the disruption and breakdown of having someone die (Heidegger: 495). Early in the novel, Ivans death is presented as an inconvenience and a burden. His wifes attitude to his failing condition is that it was his own fault and was another of the annoyances he caused her (Tolstoy, 254). This parallels Heideggers thoughts on the everyday relationship with death, Indeed the dying of Others is seen often enough as social inconvenience, if not even a downright tactlessness, against which the public is to be guarded (Heidegger, 298). In the story, death is seen as a social inconvenience, disrupting everyday life. From Heideggers perspective, the story of Ivan Ilych demonstrates a case of an individual that lives an inauthentic existence. Ivan Ilych, his wife and family, and even the doctors have all missed the point that death is certain; one cannot escape the inevitability of death. It is perhaps only Gerasim, a simple peasant, who is able to maintain an authentic and reflective stance towards death. Gerasim is not interested in upholding the trivial social concerns that everyone else seems to he recognises that death is a reality. Half way through the story Ivan remarks, Gerasim alone did not lie; everything showed that he alone understood the facts of the case and did not consider it necessary to disguise them (Tolstoy, 264). From a Heideggerian perspective, Gerasim alone displays a compassionate and meaningful existence in the story. As Ivans condition slowly deteriorates, it (the pain, the spectre of death) becomes something that he can no longer ignore, although he is still being told that he will recover. At a certain point, however, he begins to ask, Why deceive myself? (Tolstoy, 257) When Ivans brother-in-law visits before New Years, he is so disturbed by his condition that he is unable to be in his presence. He says to Ivans wife Why, hes a dead man! Look at his eyes theres no light in them (Tolstoy, 256), though she denies this change. For her, he is merely sick; he will get better with time. Heidegger lets us understand this when he says, This evasive concealment in the face of death dominates everydayness so stubbornly that, in Being with one another, the neighbours often still keep talking the dying person into the belief that he will escape death and soon return to the tranquillized everydayness of the world of his concern (Heidegger, 297). Though Ivans family appear to be trying to comfort him, reall y they are only denying what Ivan has now realised he will soon face his own death. When Ivan truly realises that his condition is incurable, he reflects on a presentation of death he had learnt from Kiezewetters Logic, Caius is a man, men are mortal, therefore Caius is mortal, had always seemed to him correct as applied to Caius, but certainly not as applied to himself. That Caius man in the abstract was mortal, was perfectly correct, but he was not Caius, not an abstract man, but a creature quite quite separate from all others (Tolstoy, 259). This comparison to Gaius Julius Caesar demonstrates that Ivans attitude towards death is severely misunderstood. For Heidegger, this statement would seem to imply Ivan Ilych fell into the inauthentic way of life, unable to face his death with acceptance and bravery, preferring instead to be coddled and pitied. Conclusion The Death of Ivan Ilych is primarily a meditation on the nature of death. For Heidegger, death brings our lives into focus. Referencing Leo Tolstoys The Death of Ivan Ilych as an example, Heidegger argues that most people go through life in avoidance of the reality the possibility to end all possibilities ones death. Heidegger is confident that by anticipating death, we can ensure an authentic way of being.