Buyer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Buyer behaviour - Essay Example iour can be individualized or associated with a group in which friends or even families possess the power to influence the buying and consumption patterns of an individual. A brand is an important aspect of marketing and promotion for any good or service produced. Companies and organizations develop brands that they present to the potential customers and clients around the globe. A brand is a symbol, sign, name or a combination of all of the above used to identify a good or service in the market. Branding enables the customer identifies the product as the only available solution to their problems as compared to other products in the market (Wang, et al. 2014). Understanding consumer behaviours has a number of psychological relevance to marketers or even advertising firms who take upon themselves to design a product advert for a company. Knowledge of consumer behaviour is important in making marketing strategies and decisions such branding, which can enhance the performance of a company within the market (Williams, 2014). Branding is done for particular objectives chief among them helping in the delivery of the message to the potential clients with clarity and precision. A great brand also confirms the viability of a product and the company that presents the brand and connects the target market with the product emotionally. A good brand also motivates buyers and gives them more reasons to identify with the product has made specifically for them. Wanting cannot be done in isolation without understanding the needs and desires of the customers. A brand should therefore integrate the emotions and desires of potential clients with the identity of the product to increase the magnitude of the product (Schiffman et al. 2011). Consumer behavior is defined as a set of human characteristics that can be identified in a product, good or service that is available in the market. Brand personality is a feature that customers and potential clients can easily relate with due to

Mac Os X Essay Example for Free

Mac Os X Essay The Mac OS X Panther operation system has met with both technical and commercial success. Since the debut of Mac OS X in 2001, its features have continued to improve. The initial system Mac OS X 10. 1 was originally shipped in September 2001 and was referred to as Puma; Jaguar, version 10. 2, was shipped in August 2002, and Panther, the current version, was shipped in October 2003. The focus of this paper is on the key technologies that have made Mac OS X Panther a technical success such as CPU scheduling, symmetric multiprocessing, memory protection, and virtual memory; we begin with an overview of the MAC OS X operating system. Overview of Mac OS X Panther Mac OS, from Apple Computer, can be considered two families of operating systems: the older and now unsupported classic Mac OS (the system that shipped with the first Mac in 1984 and its descendants, culminating with Mac OS 9), and the newer Mac OS X. Mac OS X Panther is a UNIX-based Operating System with the intuitive user interface called Aqua. The modern core UNIX-based Operating System brings benefits such as protected memory and preemptive multitasking to Macintosh computing. Mac OS X Panther also has a sparkling user interface capable of visual effects such as translucence and drop shadows. The central characteristic of the Mac OS X architecture is the layering of system software, with one layer having dependencies on, and interfaces with, the layer beneath it (see Figure 1-1). Mac OS X has four distinct layers of system software (in order of dependency): Application Environments consists of the frameworks, libraries, and services necessary for the runtime execution of programs developed with those API. Mac OS X currently provides five application (or execution) environments: Carbon, Cocoa, Java, Classic, and BSD Commands. Application Services incorporates the system services available to all application environments that have some impact on the graphical user interface. It includes Quartz, QuickDraw, and OpenGL as well as essential system managers. Core Services incorporates those system services that have no effect on the graphical user interface. It includes Core Foundation, Open Transport, and certain core portions of Carbon. Kernel Environment provides the foundation layer of Mac OS X. Its primary components are Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD, but it also includes networking protocol stacks and services, file systems, and device drivers. The kernel environment offers facilities for developing device drivers (the I/O Kit) and loadable kernel extensions, including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). This integrated kernel environment is called Darwin and it is an Open Source technology available from www. apple. com/darwin. The following is the components that Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD provide: Mach †¢ support for SMP †¢ untyped IPC and RPC memory management †¢ support for real-time services †¢ external pager †¢ modular architecture †¢ improved performance BSD †¢ file systems †¢ networking †¢ basic security policies such as user IDs and permissions †¢ the system framework a mechanism for exporting APIs to the application layers †¢ the BSD process model, including process IDs and signals †¢ FreeBSD kernel APIs †¢ Pthre ads (POSIX threads implementation) [pic] Figure 1-1 System Layer CPU Scheduling The kernel environment of Mac OS X, specifically Mach, provides the fundamental thread support. Mach maintains the register state of its threads and schedules them preemptively in relation to one another. In general, multitasking may be either cooperative or preemptive. Classic Mac OS implements cooperative multitasking which was not very intelligent. In cooperative CPU scheduling the OS requires that each task voluntarily give up control so that other tasks can execute, so unimportant but CPU-intensive background events might take up so much for a processor’s time that more important activities in the foreground would become sluggish and unresponsive. On the other hand, preemptive multitasking allows an external authority to delegate execution time to the available tasks. Mac OS X’s Mach supports preemptive multitasking in which it processes several different tasks simultaneously. To affect the structure of the address space, or to reference any resource other than the address space, the thread must execute a special trap instruction which causes the kernel to perform operations on behalf of the thread, or to send a message to some agent on behalf of the thread. In general, these traps manipulate resources associated with the task containing the thread. Mach provides a flexible framework for thread scheduling policies. Mac OS X supports both the multilevel feedback queue scheduling and round-robin (RR) scheduling algorithm. The multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm partitions the ready queue into several separate queues and allows a process to move between queues. In the multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm, each run queue has various priorities that are handled in different ways. A multilevel feedback queue scheduling thread’s priority is raised and lowered to balance its resource consumption against other threads. Round-robin threads execute for a certain time quantum (time slice), and then are put at the end of the queue of threads of equal priority. Setting a round robin thread’s quantum to infinity effectively makes the thread run-till-block within its priority. Mac OS X internally has 128 priority levels, ranging from 0 (lowest priority) to 127 (highest priority).

The Importance Of Teachers In Todays Society Education Essay

The Importance Of Teachers In Todays Society Education Essay The words of the General Teaching Council (GTC) statement that teachers inspire and lead young people, helping them achieve their potential as fulfilled individuals and productive members of society (GTC, 2004) highlight the importance of teachers in todays society and emphasize that teaching is a demanding profession. This mission statement is reinforced by the Professional Standards for Teachers which outline attributes, knowledge, understanding and skills required of teachers at each career stage (TDA, 2010). Both understanding of theory and practical experience are required to enhance a teachers development. Different theories and philosophies have been used to explain the progression to becoming a good teacher and I aim to analyse the manner in which these theories have contributed towards my own professional development whilst critically analysing different philosophies. In my view, a teacher requires both self-confidence and humility, the former to plan and implement projects whilst being undeterred by difficulties and the latter to prevent self-confidence from becoming arrogance. Similarly, Hoyle (1995) has suggested that professionalism can be defined through a persons knowledge, autonomy, and responsibility. In other words, a profession should base its practice on specialist knowledge which is beyond the reach of lay people. This knowledge should be both theoretical in the form of examinations and practical in the form of experience. Autonomy correspondingly follows the principle that every class is different, as is every child, and the teacher should be empowered to use their better judgement to act in the best interests of their pupils. Responsibility is the reciprocal of autonomy. The freedom of autonomy must be expressed responsibly. Nevertheless, a more in-depth analysis considers the key attributes which are associated with professionalism by Hoyle. Hoyle (1980) distinguished between restricted professionals and extended professionals. Restricted professionals have their focus in the classroom with the priorities being teaching methods, their own didactic behaviours, and subject matter. The extended professionals, however, are concerned with professional collaboration and locate their classroom teaching in a broader educational context whilst functioning as a dynamic team. Although employing professionalism is vital, a teacher should also be one who at regular intervals, examine and monitor the work they have done. They should take into consideration the improvements that could be made by reflecting on the work that has been done and the problems encountered in the course of doing it. According to Donald Schon (1996), the concept of reflective practice can be described as a critical process of enhancing ones field or discipline. Reflective practice is a way for beginners to recognise the link between their own individual practice and those of successful practitioners (Ferraro, 2000, p.1). This concept allows for thoughtful consideration into ones own experiences and the application of knowledge to practice whilst being guided by professionals. Hopkins and Antes (1990) and Lawrence Stenhouse (1975) demonstrate a similar view that reflective practice can be classified in terms of action research and the concept of a teacher as a researcher respectively. It encourages teachers to put theories they have learnt into practice in their classroom. This has re-constructed my beliefs of what constitutes as a teacher of mathematics, as research is an imperative factor in education. A parallel approach indicates that portfolio development has become a preferred tool used in pre-service teacher education (Antonek, et al, 1997; Hurst et al, 1998). Portfolios are significant in the development of inexperienced teachers, as it allows for resources and materials that worked well to be collated. This can then be modified during a teachers career as their style of teaching adapts and their knowledge enhances. The above theories are similar in that they focus on either pre-service or beginners in a discipline and outline the reflection which is used to gain knowledge and to overcome weaknesses. These approaches are summarised by educational theorist and psychologist Jerome Bruner (1987) when he stated that self is a perpetually rewritten story (Bruner, 1987, p.54). I feel this is an accurate representation of a teachers career as development of a professional reflective practitioner is an ongoing process. In the broadest sense, a teacher can be defined as someone who not only imparts knowledge but also gives them skills that they can apply to everyday life. The skills that have been taught can then be enhanced throughout their time in schools and taken with them to university and finally used in their career. A good teacher possessing superior interpersonal skills has the potential to shape a pupils life to ensure they can take with them the skills and knowledge to exceed the pupils expectations. An effective teacher of mathematics continues to investigate new mathematical knowledge and explore effective teaching strategies. An effective mathematics teacher wants to eradicate the fear and anxiety that mathematics may represent to many students. As stated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for school mathematics, an effective mathematics teacher will be able to motivate all students to learn mathematics (NCTM, 1989). My philosophy about what constitutes an effective mathematics teacher may best be illustrated by an example which came to my attention observing a newly qualified mathematics teacher. The mathematics teacher was portraying fractions in a fashion easily comprehensible by the majority of the class, with various assessment techniques used to ensure the pupils understood. However, one pupil failed to grasp the topic and not surprisingly struggled to answer the questions. As the teachers attention was occupied by the rest of the class, this one pupil was unable to proceed with the questions. At the end of the lesson as the teacher had not watched over the class for any pupils that struggled, the pupil left the class still uncomprehending and uninterested in the topic. Therefore, the teacher was unable to help the child as he had omitted to watch for pupils in difficulty and this runs counter to the philosophy that every child is important. In this particular instance the teacher lacked th e experience to observe the difficulties that the pupil was facing. The dimensions of reflective practice (Zwozdiak-Myers, 2009) have shaped my thinking as to the concepts of reflection especially when assessing my course experiences. The dimensions of reflective practice relate to the ideas in which teachers reflect, improve and try out new ideas. This allows for teachers to be able to see the types of techniques which are successful and unsuccessful in the classroom. The nine dimensions each have a fundamental aspect in which to approach reflection and this proves to be a fundamental theory in constructing my philosophy about the role of a teacher. John Dewey (1933) observed that reflective thinking is called for when people recognize that some problems cannot be solved with certainty. Drawing from this observation, King and Kitchener (1994) chose the term reflective judgment to describe the kind of epistemic cognition that includes the recognition that real uncertainty exists about some issues. These theories have re-constructed my philosophy, that the profession of teaching is not black and white. There are problems which have no perfect solution; however it is up to the judgement of the teacher on how to respond, in the primary interest of the students. Effective teaching has been constantly debated over the last two decades linking reflection to professional growth (Harris, 1998). Reflective practice is a significant and beneficial form of professional development, as it allows for errors to be noticed and improvements to be made. This can enhance teaching styles and methods, which leads to better performance and more self-awareness of ones strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. The teachers role has now changed, from the traditional picture of a didactic lecturer dictating an indigestible quantity of facts, to a classroom of pupils who solemnly inscribe the words and subsequently learn them by heart to regurgitate them in the form of an essay in response to a question on a termly or yearly examination paper. These changes are due to a new view being taken on curricula, pedagogy and the organization of teaching and learning, as well as changes caused by broad socio-political trends in the society (Hoyle, 1974). The teachers autonomy, control and professionalism (Hoyle, 1974, Pollard et.al.1994) are no longer beyond dispute both in the classroom and in society as a whole. As a result, the teachers responsibilities are no longer limited to the classroom but range more widely than hitherto. A modern teacher must now acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills to cope with the new demands of their challenging responsibilities. A teacher must therefore develop professionally so that enhanced knowledge and skills from the process of development can be put into practice, both in the classroom and outside, to benefit their pupils. This constitutes as an extended professional.

The Literature of Romanticism versus the Victorian Essays -- Romantici

In the Victorian era poets are inspired to debate among each other in the heat of enlightenment. The literature of Romanticism versus the Victorian era initially becomes a problematic subject to accept. As a Victorian poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins attacks the conception of religion by questioning the existence of God. Hopkins’ sonnets reflect this issue of an oppress religion and educates people towards the conspiracy of a change era through his magnificent poems. Hopkins stands true to the new and improve era of Victorian by conciliating the absences of divinity. Although others may have disagree that G.M. Hopkins is not directly promoting a riot against religion but rather inspiring the hopeful experience in the rejuvenation of faith, Hopkins does circulate his ideas among the struggle, suffering, and agony of religion depicted in his â€Å"terrible sonnets†. Hopkins is the new omen to the age of reasoning of faith, science, skepticism, and love; he stresses the degree of faith and illustrates the truth of reality about religion, projecting his principle of skepticism. The Victorian era conceived through Romanticism has become a relentless era concerning to the uproar of human development. Poets begin to broaden their understanding about faith to realism given the arrival of the Victorian. The spiritless characteristic of nature suddenly becomes the burden and agony of human sufferings as revealed in Hopkins’ poems, demonstrating of great anxiety and desperation to depart from the old faith, Romanticism. Hopkins’ sonnets are generally pessimistic about the culture of religion. In Hopkins’ sonnet No Worst, There Is None, Hopkins discusses of the deep grief that is semi-related to hell and death. â€Å"No worst, there is none. Pitched pas... ...ave suggest that Hopkins uses his poems and sonnets to awakening the corruption and realization of technology and science, Victorian poets are making a point to reestablish the faith of humanity and that is the independency of mind and nature. A debate is also questioned whether Hopkins’ poems are conveying a satirical piece of work in the changes in the era. Hopkins’ poems can be ambiguous but it is apparent that his works shine the light to those in despair about Religion versus epistemic. The nature of humanity is never satisfy or complacent; the traces in bettering life continues to evolve with everyday changes to everything else. However these changes in time is the beauty of literature, the artwork is never discolored because of this forever evolving world; changes are put together like pieces of puzzles and in responding to paint the world of literature. The Literature of Romanticism versus the Victorian Essays -- Romantici In the Victorian era poets are inspired to debate among each other in the heat of enlightenment. The literature of Romanticism versus the Victorian era initially becomes a problematic subject to accept. As a Victorian poet, Gerard Manley Hopkins attacks the conception of religion by questioning the existence of God. Hopkins’ sonnets reflect this issue of an oppress religion and educates people towards the conspiracy of a change era through his magnificent poems. Hopkins stands true to the new and improve era of Victorian by conciliating the absences of divinity. Although others may have disagree that G.M. Hopkins is not directly promoting a riot against religion but rather inspiring the hopeful experience in the rejuvenation of faith, Hopkins does circulate his ideas among the struggle, suffering, and agony of religion depicted in his â€Å"terrible sonnets†. Hopkins is the new omen to the age of reasoning of faith, science, skepticism, and love; he stresses the degree of faith and illustrates the truth of reality about religion, projecting his principle of skepticism. The Victorian era conceived through Romanticism has become a relentless era concerning to the uproar of human development. Poets begin to broaden their understanding about faith to realism given the arrival of the Victorian. The spiritless characteristic of nature suddenly becomes the burden and agony of human sufferings as revealed in Hopkins’ poems, demonstrating of great anxiety and desperation to depart from the old faith, Romanticism. Hopkins’ sonnets are generally pessimistic about the culture of religion. In Hopkins’ sonnet No Worst, There Is None, Hopkins discusses of the deep grief that is semi-related to hell and death. â€Å"No worst, there is none. Pitched pas... ...ave suggest that Hopkins uses his poems and sonnets to awakening the corruption and realization of technology and science, Victorian poets are making a point to reestablish the faith of humanity and that is the independency of mind and nature. A debate is also questioned whether Hopkins’ poems are conveying a satirical piece of work in the changes in the era. Hopkins’ poems can be ambiguous but it is apparent that his works shine the light to those in despair about Religion versus epistemic. The nature of humanity is never satisfy or complacent; the traces in bettering life continues to evolve with everyday changes to everything else. However these changes in time is the beauty of literature, the artwork is never discolored because of this forever evolving world; changes are put together like pieces of puzzles and in responding to paint the world of literature.

Navitas Kaplan Case Essay

The competition relationship between the Navitas and Kaplan is based on high educational service. They both play an important role at own educational fields and geographical fields. According to Brandenburger and Nalebuffs Value Net model Assume that Navitas is the company and Kaplan is one of competitors of Navitas. Most of customers are international students because of the target market of the Navitas. And the suppliers can be universities that have a positive relation with the Navitas such as Griffith University. Moreover, complementor can be student accommodation, good transport connections and appropriate shopping facilities such as a post office in the school. Additionally, the value of Navitas wants to add which is customer loyalty, and it is implemented very well. There is an increasingly number of international students especially Chinese students and Indian students are attracted to entry Navitas for Language improvement and preparation of university. Rules specify ways of attracting customers with strategies such as tuition fee of price-matching. Tactics are the practices sometimes used to take away a competitors possible market share, for example, Navitas provides university pathways programs. Scope is the final part, used to take a broader prospective and create links between competitors games and interests and see how co-opetition can benefit the players. Also, using the 5Qs (pp. 32-33) assess 2. What is Navitas business strategy How well is it performing Navitas business strategy 5Qs What amount of growth and level of profitability does the organisation plan to achieve It wants to grow and be quite profitable. What products and services does it plan to produce Its services are programs leading to higher education in English-speaking countries. What customer and geographic markets does it plan to service Its customers are students, especially international students. What generic strategy does it plan to follow to position itself uniquely against competitors It focuses to form relationships with established, highly credible universities. What position does it plan to hold in the future It wants to be universally recognised as the most trusted global learning organisation in the world. Navitas is a diversified global education provides that offers an extensive range of educational service for students and professionals including university programs, language courses, workforce education and student recruitment. By 2009, the company had become the largest private provider of international pathway students to Australian  universities. Moreover, the goal of the company is expanding its initial position as a university pathway program to a global education provider. Additionally, the corporate strategy of Navitas is to create seamless education pathways for students. Besides, most of Navitass colleges were also located at or near university campuses, providing students with convenience and at the same time leveraging the reputation of university. Due to Navitas also provides English language courses for most low IELTS grades international students before they enter university, the competitors fail to attract more international students. In the future, Navitas prefer to increase and strengthen relations with oversea universities and local campus expansion, and the important point is still focus on international students education. 3. What is Kaplans corporate strategy What is its business strategy in Australia How well is it performing Kaplans corporate strategy Kaplan wants to grow reasonably rapidly and be profitab le. It is a related corporation. All businesses of the corporation relate to each other. The businesses are all in the education and training areas, particularly in business-related or professional areas. The position that Kaplan wants to achieve is to be one of the worlds largest diversified education companies. What amount of growth and level of profitability does the organisation plan to achieve What products and services does it plan to produce What customer and geographic markets does it plan to service What generic strategy does it plan to follow to position itself uniquely against competitors What position does it plan to hold in the future The mission of Kaplan is to help people achieve their educational and careers goals. Kaplan wants to grow in both breadth and depth of education offerings to cover the need of individuals throughout their lifetime, such as test preparations and admissions, kids and schools, meanwhile expanded and increased professional development programs in Australia as quick as possible as well as appointed chief executive of Kaplan Australia to oversee the companys expansion in the country. 4. To what extent is Kaplan a threat to Navitas What should Navitas do to address this Clearly Kaplan and Navitas are competitive relationship in Australia, especially the expansion of Kaplan in Australia is a direct challenge to Nacitass position in the educational market. Kaplan has found its way to make an agreement with a Go8 university whereas Navitas has struggled to get entry to this group. It would signal that Kaplans services  may be better than Navitas in quality terms. It is a negative impact for Navitas in the education industry. Navitas should seek to grow internationally, trying to increase the international market share to make itself more famous and more attractive. On the other hand, Navitas should try to make an agreement with Go8 universities to steady the market share in Australia. 5. To what extent is Navitas a threat to Kaplan What should Kaplan do to address this Navitas entry into the US market is an threat to Kaplan. However, thus the US market is so large and the universities that Navitas is dealing with are not attractive enough, Navitas is difficult to cause any future threat to Kaplan. At this stage, it seems that it is not necessary for Kaplan to worry about the threat from Navitas. Kaplan should maintain the quality of service in US market and pay more attention to expand other markets. 6. To what extent do Navitas, Kaplan and similar organisations threaten existing government higher education institutions, such as universities and TAFEs The organizations like Navitas and Kaplan play multiple roles which can be competitor and complementor with existing government higher education institutions. They share student resource and built own brands to attract them. Moreover, overseas students are more profitable than domestic students. Universities are able to charge full-fees for overseas students, while most domestic placements attract a lower fee. Hence, Navitas and Kaplan pay more attention on the international educational markets, but TAFEs prefer to train professional skills to domestic students for their future careers. The difference of target market of these universities can be operated by them to maximize profits. 7. What should universities do to address this The university should improve the quality of its own service and programs, to be more customer-focused. Moreover, university can work with these profit-based organisations and clearly delineate which services and programs each should provide.

Measurement Guidelines Essay

Management guidelines must be developed to create a benchmark of expectations. â€Å"Without measuring the effectiveness of strategy on a timely basis, makes it not only difficult to determine alignment, management is always working with lagging information† (The Executive Corner, 2004). Each step of the final solution will be measured to meet the businesses needs. The human resources department will define three main competencies of each department within sixty days. In order to ensure effectiveness, the competencies will have to be approved and agreed on by the CEO and senior management. Once this phase is completed, the human resources department will commit to training managers on employee behaviors. To ensure training is successful, the managers are tested to assess material understanding. It is estimated that in a maximum of 90 days, Riordan should achieve a predetermined number company goals by their employees. Long-term effectiveness is measured by an employee surveys. A recommendation for an additional survey between 6-12 months for employees to complete will go out. This survey will look for feedback on new processes and the current development and training strategies. The employee turnover rate should be less than industry standards to achieve success. A last of measure of success will be tied to Riordan’s performance output. References The Executive Corner. (2004). Retrieved from http://www.businessbuilders.bz/archives/06-15-04.htm

Socratic Wisdom

Socratic Wisdom Socratic wisdom refers to Socrates understanding of the limits of his knowledge in that he only knows that which he knows and makes no assumption of knowing anything more or less. Although never directly penned by Socrates as a theory or treatise, our understanding of his philosophies as they relate to wisdom derives from Platos writings on the subject. In works like Apology, Plato describes the life and trials Socrates that influence our understanding of the truest element of Socratic wisdom: We are only as wise as our awareness of our ignorance. The True Meaning of Socrates Famous Quote Although attributed to Socrates, the now famous I know that I know nothing really refers to an interpretation  of Platos account of Socrates life, though is never directly stated. In fact, Socrates often highly asserts his intelligence in Platos work, even going so far as to say he would die for it. Still, the sentiment of the phrase echoes some of Socrates most famous quotes on wisdom. For instance, Socrates once said: I do not think that I know what I do not know. In the context of this quote, Socrates is explaining that he does not claim to possess the knowledge of artisans or scholars on subjects he has not studied, that he bears no false pretense to understanding those. In another quote on the same topic of expertise, Socrates once said, I know very well that I possess no knowledge worth speaking of on the topic of building a home. Whats actually true of Socrates is that he has said quite the opposite of I know that I know nothing. His routine discussion of intellect and understanding hinges upon his own intelligence. In fact, he does not fear death because he says to fear death is to think that we know what we do not, and he is absent of this delusion of understanding what death could mean without ever seeing it. Socrates, the Wisest Human In Apology, Plato describes Socrates at his trial in 399 B.C.E. where Socrates tells the court how his friend Chaerephon asked the Delphic Oracle if anyone was wiser than himself. The oracles answer - that no human was wiser than Socrates - left him bewildered, so he embarked on a quest to find someone wiser than himself in order to prove the oracle wrong. What Socrates found, though, was that although many people had particular skills and areas of expertise, they all tended to think they were wise about other matters too - such as what policies the government should pursue - when they clearly were not. He concluded that the oracle was right in a certain limited sense: he, Socrates, was wiser than others in this one respect: that he was aware of his own ignorance. This awareness goes by two names that seem virtually opposed to one another: Socratic ignorance and Socratic wisdom. But there is no real contradiction here. Socratic wisdom is a sort of humility: it simply means being aware of how little one really knows; how uncertain ones beliefs are; and how likely it is that many of them may turn out to be mistaken. In the Apology, Socrates doesnt deny that true wisdom - a real insight into the nature of reality - is possible; but he seems to think it is enjoyed only by the gods, not by human beings.

Southern Horrors and Other Writings essays

Southern Horrors and Other Writings essays What is mob violence? Well, nowadays, mob violence differs in comparison to mob violence in the nineteenth century. In the years following the Civil War, there was a lot of mistreatment of African Americans. Ida B. Wells, a young African American journalist, investigated and accounted for the violence acted upon the African Americans during the Post-Reconstruction period. Wells wrote about her investigations because she belied it was the " first step to tell the world the facts" and to make lynching "a crime against American values"(27). In the book Southern Horrors and Other Writings, Royster discussed the mob violence of the lower South and the steps that Wells took to end this violence. During the nineteenth century, a lot of different acts of mob violence were done to the African Americans in the South. Wells focused on lynching of African Americans by the mob. The reasons given for lynching were "allegations of murder, burglary, arson, poisoning water and livestock, insulting whites, being insolent, and other perceived 'offenses,' and sometimes they were lynched on no charges at all"(29). These reasons were not very legitimate. The lynchings could have been handled in a different way as in a court and jury, not by a mob. The mob violence really attacked the African Americans to a point where they had no say in the doings. The people that were mistreated were men, women, and children. Ida B. Wells reported in A Red Record that "during a single year, 1892, 241 men, women, and children across 26 states were lynched. Of the 241, 160 people were identified as African Americans, which represented an increase of 200 percent over the ten-year period since 1882"( 10). This shows that at the time of Reconstruction, violence toward African Americans increased rapidly. Often, African Americans were lynched for odd reasons. Many African American men were lynched for alleged rape of white women even though they had been in a...

The Purchase of Paris Saint German Football Club by Qatar Sports Case Study

The Purchase of Paris Saint German Football Club by Qatar Sports Investments - Case Study Example It was an effective strategy because purchasing the football club by QSI was one way of showing national pride. The strategy motive was also the belief in the future growth of sports and enable PSG to achieve their big dreams. It was also an effective strategy for transforming the PSG into one of the biggest teams in the globe. Thus, placing people in power who have knowledgeable and effective skills about the sport would be significant for the success of the PSG club. The project also focused on the other argumentative side by revealing that to a smaller extent, the purchase of Paris Saint-German FC by QSI was not a good strategy. This was because selling the PSG FC to Qatar is one of putting the football club under risks. It was not a good strategy because it might be due to political interest and the aim for Qatar to achieve its business objectives. Lastly, the conclusion was included that provided a brief summary of the argumentative points presented in the project. In What Way i s the Purchase of Paris Saint-German Football Club by Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) a Good Strategy for the Company? Paris Saint-German FC is a qualified association football team, which is based in Paris, France. It was founded in 1970 by Saint-Germain and Paris football associations who joined and formed the association, which has been always representing Paris. PSG (Paris Saint-German) is an interesting football association across the globe. This team was bought by QSI during summer 2011, thus the French club has shocked many people because of its immense transfer expenditure. The Paris team has always been on the forefront and it has been in the competition record since it began its football association in 1974. PSG is among the teams that have won main European cup, and it became the major team in 1994 after it won the tournament cup. It was also ranked among the best leading teams in the UEFA tournament winners in 1998 and is currently ranked 16th in the IIHS (International F ederation of Football History & Statistics) and 46th in the UEFA team ranking. The purchase of PSG football club by Qatar is a good strategy for the company because of varied reasons. First, Qatar sports could be investing in football as one way of promoting Qatar business interest at large. For instance, Qatar will offer football companies a patronage pact to enhance their brand. Moreover, there is not team across the globe with higher interest than PSG. Since this football club was purchased by QSI, the club has greatly improved; thus shocked the world with its massive transfer cost. Many people are expecting a lot from QSI over the coming decades because they invest a lot; hence good for benefiting of the club. This is because it will enable the company to achieve their dreams of building a competitive team which will become among the best teams across Europe (Hytner, D. (September 11, 2012). The company owner has pledged to spend a lot in the coming years in order to enable the PSG to become the greatest football club across the globe. In addition, the purchase of PSG by QSI was a good idea because it is a big advantage to the company. This is because investing in the football club can enable them to develop a powerful team; thus contributing to increased performance level.  

Aristotle= form, matter, soul, body, potential, capacity, actuality, Essay

Aristotle= form, matter, soul, body, potential, capacity, actuality, process, end, exercise - Essay Example The soul is the form because it determines the actual being of the lady while her physical body is the matter that has potential of being. The fetus in the womb of the lady is a potential being because it cannot use its potential of being (Witt675). The unborn child is in the process of being because it has potential to develop into independent being. When the baby will be born, the fetus will have become the end because it will be able to exercise its capacity of a being to attain an independent form. However, both mother and the fetus form a composite and are a form and matter. In conclusion, the composite substance of a being can be described in different ways. Its body is the matter while the soul is its form. Soul determines the actual being of the person since it determines the end. It enables being to exercise its capacity of being. The body is a matter that has potential to develop a capacity through a defined

Architecture Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Architecture - Article Example Architects should mix artistic designs in their work and scientific rationale and calculations to make their creations both attractive and functional. Any shortcomings between the two would cause major flaws in their profession as a whole and independent practice in particular. Because of the complicated nature of their profession, governments all over the world are regulating the architectural profession. Since any miscalculation and malpractice of architects may cause loss of lives and properties, legal codes should be implemented by the government for the regulation of the performance of their profession. Particularly in Canada, the national government has created an agency, such as the Canadian Commission on Building and Fire Code, in overseeing and regulating this delicate profession. Regulation is a legal restriction implemented by government agencies by way of legislation. It attempts to "produce outcomes which might not otherwise occur, produce or prevent outcomes in different places to what might otherwise occur, or produce or prevent outcomes in different timescales than would otherwise occur (Regulation)." Based from the definition above, we can say that regulation aims to promote positive outcomes and/or prevent negative outcomes of the concerned organization or the specific group. Given this definition of regulation in the profession of architecture, I can say that the regulatory system in Ontario aims to protect the architectural profession more than the public. This does not mean, however, that the public is not addressed in the regulation policy or the rights of clients or the public is disregarded. Actually, the tone of the written policy is to protect architects, particularly the members of Ontario Association of Architects (OAA) [in Canada, every province has its own regulatory system regarding the architectural profession], from engaging into activities or situations where the image of architects will be tarnished. For example, the Provincial Government of Ontario has provided a law that will safeguard the rights of the architectural firm if the client prefers to backs out from the project. The government, under the Architects Act, require that the architect who accepts the project to write a registered letter to the architect that terminated stating that he has been engaged on the same building project for the same purpose by the same client (When a Client Changes Architects - Regulations Under the Architects Act)." This "courtesy turnover" letter actually aims to establish a professional relationship between the previous architect and the succeeding architect so that there will be a clear turnover of responsibility. As I see it, it is still the client and the public who will benefit from the regulatory system because there is a clear and unclogged communication line between the previous and the succeeding architects. Protecting the image of architects requires numerous and great responsibilities. These numerous responsibilities that architects should follow for their own protection seems to make architects in Ontario feel excessively regulated. In a news article from Ontario Building Officials Association, the Ontario Court of Justice will hear a matter concerning the arguments presented by the Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) and

Individual assignment---report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual assignment---report - Essay Example The paper suggests use of trained technicians and enhancement in the quality of the products in order to increase the revenue of the company and to stimulate its acquired market share. Table of Contents Abstract 2 1.0.Introduction 4 2.0.Implementation of ICT in River Island 4 3.0.Issues at River Island 5 4.0.Literature Review on ICT 6 5.0.Utilisation of ICT to Solve the Matter 7 6.0.Conclusion 9 References 10 1.0. Introduction Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is universally identified as one of the most significant tools that are utilised for the purpose of social alterations as well as national development (Ministry of Human Resource Department, n.d.). In the current day phenomenon, ICT along with the internet are altering the human activities that have been dependent upon the information. It offers the individuals as well as the communities with an opportunity to be not only consumers of the goods and services, but also acts as active generators of the information. It is by means of media convergence that it becomes easier for ICTs to develop and coordinate the capacities of other Medias (FAO, 2000). ICTs are normally related with the issues of data processing as well as information management by means of large scale information systems. It is worth noting that it is not only the information technology itself which is a significant factor for the quality of work; rather, it can be regarded as the strategy that the company adopts so as to coordinate the aspect of technology with the changing requirements of the organisation (FAO, 2000). The company that has been chosen for the study is River Island. River Island is based in London and was initiated in the year 1948. The founders of the company were Andrew Hunt and Bernard Lewis. The company has more than 60 years of experience in fashion retailing and is considered as one of the successful companies in British High Street (River Island Style Insiders, n.d.). 2.0. Implementation of ICT in River Is land Information and Communication Technology facilitates in the smooth operations of the organisation and thus assists in many other ways such as stock control, keeping extra records, advancing the communication process, production as well as marketing. Through ICTs it is gradually becoming easier for the company to reduce its costs significantly (Business Studies Online, n.d.). It is to be mentioned that River Island also makes use of the ICT’s in order to improve its operation in an effective manner. River Island has worked with consultancy named Royal National Institute of Blind People Web Access Consultancy so that its new website offers high degree of accessibility ensuring that as far as possible it is reachable to all the users. It is worth mentioning that online shopping is a type of ICT used by the company for making its goods available to the consumers online. The company’s online services assist the consumers in purchasing clothes, shoes as well as accessor ies. Notably, River Island provides a wide on-line range of women’s as well as men’s fashion related clothing’s to the customers (River Island, 2012). The leading fashion retailer, River Island, demonstrated its plans to initiate stores that are mainly dedicated to accessories as well as shoes. It was noted that the company decided to bring certain alterations in its business’s in-store design policies and introduce numerous interactive technologies that can be utilised by the customers. It further planned to

What do I think the life of a paralegal looks like Essay

What do I think the life of a paralegal looks like - Essay Example The life of a paralegal is challenging due to the demanding tasks, strict deadlines, work overloads and long working hours. A day in the life of a paralegal often starts at 9.00 am on arrival at the office where the paralegal must go through his e-mail and check for any letters at his or her desk. The individual must first finish with any administrative duties such as filling the paperwork and responding to e-mails from clients and his or her boss. The individual is expected to interview clients and attend meetings the boss and life can be stressful especially when the individual is not aware of the current status of the ongoing cases. The opportunity to display well-honed practical legal skills presents itself when the boss calls the paralegal to prepare a legal research on a certain case. A paralegal is tasked with legal research and is one of the tasks that occupies most of the paralegal’s time since it entails looking for details of past court rulings on similar cases, court decisions, verdicts of trials and relevant statutes that support the lawyer’s case arguments. The work is tedious and time-consuming since a paralegal is expected to have the current writings and documents that uncover the facts about a case in an organized and concise manner. The individual will be required to draft and write legal documents and attorneys expect one to have top-notch writing skills. In a day, a paralegal can draft, review and write several pleadings, case findings and legal memorandums and this requires one to remain attentive to details and present the ideas coherently in the writings. The paralegal will have to prepare court memos and briefs or write minutes during meetings. Depending on the field specialization, the paralegal will assist the attorney in filing tax returns or drafting contract documents. In short, a paralegal writes many documents during his or work and advises clients on

Time Value of Money Application Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Value of Money Application Paper - Essay Example The following are some important concepts of time value of money: Future value of money at a particular point is equal to the original sum of money plus interest rate multiplied by original sum of money. Suppose a retirement plan financial service provider receives $100 at the rate of 8% per annum; the future value of that fund will be: Given above scenario, present value is a reverse of the future value in that it shows how much certain amount of dollar worth today. The above formula can equally be used to calculate present value, in this case it will be inverted; if the calculations involve compound interest then the amount in inner braces will be raised to a power of n. the resulting value is otherwise called discounted value. This is the cost for borrowing or lending money or can be viewed as the yield to which money can earn. This interest rate can be categorized into nominal rate of interest and effective rate of interest2. Nominal interest rate is that rate of interest not adjusted for inflation whereas effective interest rate has full effect of compounding and is adjusted for inflation. Commercial banks make good use of time value of money in all their transactions – accepting deposits, lending to firms and corporate organizations and even borrowing short-term instruments from other financial institutions. For example, if a commercial bank accepts savings from a client at 5% per annum, assuming the client deposits $200 every two months for a year; the client might unwittingly be glad for receiving the 5% in addition to security he/she enjoys from the bank. However, these funds can be lent out at 15% to a credit card company who now uses this to service its customers. The difference between 15% paid by Credit Card Company and 5% paid to this client with the commercial bank reflects the of time value of money. Using above example, credit card financial

Individual assignment---report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Individual assignment---report - Essay Example The paper suggests use of trained technicians and enhancement in the quality of the products in order to increase the revenue of the company and to stimulate its acquired market share. Table of Contents Abstract 2 1.0.Introduction 4 2.0.Implementation of ICT in River Island 4 3.0.Issues at River Island 5 4.0.Literature Review on ICT 6 5.0.Utilisation of ICT to Solve the Matter 7 6.0.Conclusion 9 References 10 1.0. Introduction Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is universally identified as one of the most significant tools that are utilised for the purpose of social alterations as well as national development (Ministry of Human Resource Department, n.d.). In the current day phenomenon, ICT along with the internet are altering the human activities that have been dependent upon the information. It offers the individuals as well as the communities with an opportunity to be not only consumers of the goods and services, but also acts as active generators of the information. It is by means of media convergence that it becomes easier for ICTs to develop and coordinate the capacities of other Medias (FAO, 2000). ICTs are normally related with the issues of data processing as well as information management by means of large scale information systems. It is worth noting that it is not only the information technology itself which is a significant factor for the quality of work; rather, it can be regarded as the strategy that the company adopts so as to coordinate the aspect of technology with the changing requirements of the organisation (FAO, 2000). The company that has been chosen for the study is River Island. River Island is based in London and was initiated in the year 1948. The founders of the company were Andrew Hunt and Bernard Lewis. The company has more than 60 years of experience in fashion retailing and is considered as one of the successful companies in British High Street (River Island Style Insiders, n.d.). 2.0. Implementation of ICT in River Is land Information and Communication Technology facilitates in the smooth operations of the organisation and thus assists in many other ways such as stock control, keeping extra records, advancing the communication process, production as well as marketing. Through ICTs it is gradually becoming easier for the company to reduce its costs significantly (Business Studies Online, n.d.). It is to be mentioned that River Island also makes use of the ICT’s in order to improve its operation in an effective manner. River Island has worked with consultancy named Royal National Institute of Blind People Web Access Consultancy so that its new website offers high degree of accessibility ensuring that as far as possible it is reachable to all the users. It is worth mentioning that online shopping is a type of ICT used by the company for making its goods available to the consumers online. The company’s online services assist the consumers in purchasing clothes, shoes as well as accessor ies. Notably, River Island provides a wide on-line range of women’s as well as men’s fashion related clothing’s to the customers (River Island, 2012). The leading fashion retailer, River Island, demonstrated its plans to initiate stores that are mainly dedicated to accessories as well as shoes. It was noted that the company decided to bring certain alterations in its business’s in-store design policies and introduce numerous interactive technologies that can be utilised by the customers. It further planned to

Time Value of Money Application Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Time Value of Money Application Paper - Essay Example The following are some important concepts of time value of money: Future value of money at a particular point is equal to the original sum of money plus interest rate multiplied by original sum of money. Suppose a retirement plan financial service provider receives $100 at the rate of 8% per annum; the future value of that fund will be: Given above scenario, present value is a reverse of the future value in that it shows how much certain amount of dollar worth today. The above formula can equally be used to calculate present value, in this case it will be inverted; if the calculations involve compound interest then the amount in inner braces will be raised to a power of n. the resulting value is otherwise called discounted value. This is the cost for borrowing or lending money or can be viewed as the yield to which money can earn. This interest rate can be categorized into nominal rate of interest and effective rate of interest2. Nominal interest rate is that rate of interest not adjusted for inflation whereas effective interest rate has full effect of compounding and is adjusted for inflation. Commercial banks make good use of time value of money in all their transactions – accepting deposits, lending to firms and corporate organizations and even borrowing short-term instruments from other financial institutions. For example, if a commercial bank accepts savings from a client at 5% per annum, assuming the client deposits $200 every two months for a year; the client might unwittingly be glad for receiving the 5% in addition to security he/she enjoys from the bank. However, these funds can be lent out at 15% to a credit card company who now uses this to service its customers. The difference between 15% paid by Credit Card Company and 5% paid to this client with the commercial bank reflects the of time value of money. Using above example, credit card financial

Hollywood main stream cinemas treatment of gender in the 1980s Essay Example for Free

Hollywood main stream cinemas treatment of gender in the 1980s Essay To what extent is Rambo: First Blood Part 2 typical of Hollywood mainstream cinemas treatment of gender in the 1980s? Action films in the 1980s reflected the changes and insecuritys within American society. There had been a rise in feminism meaning that the masculine form and dominance was being undermined and white working class males did not know where their place was in society. It was also in the immediate time after the Vietnam War and confusion and anger still lingered. The Vietnam War divided the American nation as a whole because, as it has been in recent times with the war in Iraq, people didnt fully understand why America needed to impose their presence in a country where they felt they had nothing to gain. The action film in the 1980s introduced a hero that differentiated masculinity and femininity using the form of the body as a way of ensuring power, dominance and self-respect. Rambo: First Blood Part 2 is a typical film of this era in terms of masculinity and the ways in which men and women are portrayed. In the film Rambo: First Blood Part 2 Sylvester Stallone portrays a typical action hero of the war film genre in the 1980s but also an outcast of society after the Vietnam War. He is a veteran of Vietnam and came home to find that everything he had known had changed and he was no longer considered an honourable soldier but more as a war criminal. Rambos mission in this film is to go back to Vietnam and see if he can find a camp that he is told has many POWs. If he finds the men, he can only take photographs but he has a problem with this and risks his own life to save them. He is very strong and muscular and is able to defeat the soldiers, Russian and Vietnamese, single handed. Douglas Kellner states that the film; Follows the conventions of the Hollywood genre of the war film, which dramatizes conflicts between the United States and its enemies and provides a happy ending that portrays the victory of good over evil. (Kellner, 1994, p.10) This means that America always won no matter who the enemy was. In reality this is something that America could not accomplish. There was no happy ending and there were no immediate heroes. Rambo is allowed to bring glory upon America and diffuse a situation that could have cost the American military even more respect and dignity. America had lost some of its power within the world and they strived to get it back. It had lost its first war and it had become important to remasculinize America. There was a growing fear of communism in the country and displaying male heroes which went against the communist regime was their idea of establishing the ideal throughout the world by a means of globalization. Globalization had been taking place throughout the history of cinema by a means of film that was imported and exported to places around the world. In effect most of the action films set in Vietnam, and other films which hold a strong view of patriotism and heroism within America in the 1980s, can be seen as propaganda films against the rise of communism. The purpose, with or without the knowledge of the audience, was to get the idea across to a mass audience that communism was against the principles of the country. In Rambo the evil characters are the Vietnamese and Russian soldiers and ironically, it turns out that the greatest threat to Rambo is not the Vietnamese, although they do pose a strong force, it is the Russians. The Russians are shown as being extremely strong, relentless, and willing to put a man through torture to get what they want. Nevertheless, whatever the Russians do you cannot beat a man with as much physical and mental strength as Rambo. This follows a pattern throughout action films in the 1980s. One film that is suggestive of this is Rocky 4. Rocky 4 (1985) also stars Sylvester Stallone but this time he is a boxer. He is fighting against a strong Russian fighter named Ivan Drago. Drago is very tough and stands at over 6ft tall. The Russian crowd all stand behind their fighter but when the final fight is over and Rocky defeats him with all of his strength the Russians begin to show support for Rocky and boo their fighter. This is the film industrys way of evoking patriotism and the ever-growing fear of the communist regime after the Cold War. Philip L. Gianos states that; The advent of Vietnam in film provided an opportunity for filmmakers who were denied an actual shooting war: a parallel, surrogate setting in which cold war themes could be played out. (Gianos. 1998, P.159) The first response from the film industry during this time was a set of anti-communist films to respond to the changing political environment. The villains are almost always portrayed as foreign internationals such as Russian, German, and sometimes English and they are usually a communist operative. They are never American in these films because the hero is American. He is fighting for his country and if it were another American he is fighting against he is effectively fighting against America. Other action films that were released at that time include, The Terminator, Rocky, Predator, and Die Hard. Millions of people worldwide, mainly consisting of young males went to see these films at the cinema. They gave them a chance to latch on to big, muscular, violent men as cinematic heroes. (Katz, 1994, p134) These heroes gave the audience the chance to gain self-respect and security as it represented a masculinity that was unaffected by the rise of feminism. Gender roles had been reversed due to the growing rise of a feminist movement that showed women were increasingly moving into the workplace rather than staying at home. The displaying of the male physique and the physical torture it goes through to enable glory and victory over evil is further suggestive of masculinity in crisis and the gain of global respect. Women could not gain this kind of respect because they could not attain that degree of physical strength and endurance so therefore this was one thing that they couldnt take away from men. The female role in the action film of the 1980s appears at first glance to be on equal footing with the male. However, there are some differences in the ways in which they go about their missions. In Rambo: First Blood Part 2 the main female character, Co Bao, is strong, resourceful and a very capable fighter. She is Rambos contact in Vietnam and later becomes his love interest. During the film she cautions Rambo to follow his orders and when she goes to save him from the Russians in the POW camp she uses a different technique than Rambo. While Rambo attacked her captor from behind and overpowered him she sneaked into the camp as a prostitute. Therefore the issue of strength and power is present in the male character but in the female character it is more about subtlety and intelligence. Rambo is the definitive male of 80s cinema and was joined by characters such as John McLain (Die Hard) and Rocky Balboa (Rocky). In these films the main action centres around one hero and the female character is usually the love-interest or accomplice. In previous war/actions films and Vietnam films the veterans were seen as either psychopaths, such as Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, or tragic characters, Bob Hyde in Coming Home. In the films of the 1980s, however, the hero fights back. In Rambo Part 2 Rambo can be seen as an anti-hero because of his rebellious behaviour by going against his orders to leave the POWs and by telling Murdock that he will come and get him when he gets back from the jungle. This makes his character more dangerous and exciting to the audience as you dont know what he is going to do. He has many people after him in Vietnam but he also has enemies at home. He has to deal with home-grown discrimination because of the war and in effect he is no longer fighting for his country. He is doing it for the comrades that he fought with; In these films the enemy is not the enemy in a war that is officially over but rather the civilian and military leadership that failed to win the war (Gianos. 1998, p.166) After Co Bao is killed Rambo channels his emotions into retaliation and thus becomes a fighting machine that is only out for revenge. Before she was killed he was ready to leave after finding that Murdock sent him out just to get free of him and stem reports that there were POWs still in Vietnam. The style of the film helps to build the perception that he is a god and that he is invincible. The use of lighting and camera angles are used to enhance his physique and the fast paced editing in the action shots are used to show that he is fast, strong and practical in the ways he attacks his enemies. Rambo shows us the ideal, very well-built muscular body of the white male in a place where he appears to belong. Commonly used iconography for Vietnam films included dense jungle, camouflage equipment and hi-tech weaponry. He uses the jungle to an advantage and appears to know it better than those who live there. He uses his initiative and intelligence in the jungle and is able to use it to gain the upper hand in a battle. One example of this is the scene in which he attacks a US soldier after he hides in a bank of mud with his eyes being the only thing visible. The male body in these films constructs the white man as physically superior, yet also an everyman, built to do the job of colonial world improvement (Dyer, 2002, p.269) The fact that the superior build of the heros body establishes him as an everyman means that it is something that any man can attain as long as you are white. Black men are rarely portrayed in this manner and if they are they are usually the villains of the movie and end up being defeated. In conclusion, the gender representation in the film is an effort from the United States to fulfil the growing need of remasculinizing American society, in particularly, in the dominant white majority of the working class. With the rise of feminism, fear of communism, political scandals and the Vietnam War, it became imperative for America to try and rebuild the image of men in a positive light. Rather than focusing on men as a collective these films focused on one individual and therefore a view of machismo, strength and determination became the norm. The films of the 1980s became a kind of vessel of the ideal and most of these films are still popular in todays society and may still be what some men aspire to be. If you were like these men you were considered to be manly and if you werent you were understood to be weak and not the typical American male. The male hero in these films was put there to win. America needed a hero and they found him in these films. The masculine form was in crisis and the wholesomeness and fearless heroes could make an impact on the male audience who would then seek to be like the characters they watched on screen. Bibliography Gianos P.L (1998) Politics and Politicians in American Film, London, Greenwood Press Dyer, R, (2002) The White Mans Muscles in Adams. R and Savran. D (eds) (2002) The Masculinity Studies Reader Oxford, Blackwell Publishers Jeffords S. (1989) The Remasculinization of America: Gender and the Vietnam War Indianapolis and Bloomington, Indiana University Press Kellner D. and Katz. J (1994) in Dines G and Humez J.M (eds) (1994) Gender, Race and Class in Media London, Sage Publications

Dramatism Theory and Kenneth Burke

Dramatism Theory and Kenneth Burke Investigation Into The Theory Of Dramatism And Kenneth Burke This report investigates the communication theory of dramatism and Kenneth Burke, to understand the basic concepts of dramatism and obtain an understanding. Kenneth Burke is the founder of the theory of dramatism, he lived until the age of 96 (1897-1993). The theory uses two terms to differentiate between movements, action is used to describe intentional action and motion describes meaningless action. The theory uses the term guilt to describe any feeling of tension within a person. Burke believed that humans communicate to purge their guilt, in a guilt redemption cycle. The theory explains identification as a consubstantiation, a portion of substance that overlaps when people communicate. A core component of dramatism is the dramatistic pentad and its elements, which can help analyse a communication event. An example of applying the pentad is included and explanation on how dramatism can be applied to day to day events, with a portion explaining how dramatism can be applied in infor mation technology. Dramatism is then evaluated by using common tests for testing interpretive communication theories. This report contains several criticisms of dramatism regarding problems in the theory and with interpretation of the theory. Introduction Purpose The purpose of this report is to investigate the communication theory of dramatism and Kenneth Burke, to gain an understanding of this theory to share with my class. The basis of the research in this report will be used for an education presentation, in an attempt to share my findings with my class. Scope The scope of this report is to investigate Kenneth Burke and his theory of dramatism, to gain a basic understanding. This included an understanding of Burkes history, the concepts of dramatism and problems with dramatism. The information researched was from books, journal articles found on databases and Internet websites with information about dramatism. Limitations This report is affected by several limitations, the biggest of which is my knowledge of rhetoric communication theories starting this research project. This is a large limitation because dramatism is based on previous work in the field of rhetorical communication, and this significantly increased the time taken to understand the theory. Time is another limitation which affected this report, as this report is written under the pressure of a deadline, reducing the amount of research that could be done. Another factor involving time that impacted this report is that while writing this report as a student, time is a valued and rare commodity. A final limitation on this report is the availability of information which is targeted at a student investigating dramatism, as a lot of the work is aimed at Burklean scholars. Research Methods Information obtained for this report is found from books, journal article from databases and Internet sites. The books were a basis for my research, as they provided a broad overview of the core theory and explanations. While the journal articles and Internet sites provided an in depth view into one or few aspects of the theory. Structure Of Report This report moves onto a literacy review which provides a brief summary, evaluation of accuracy and evaluation of validity of the information. The literacy review contains two sources from books, journal articles and internet sites related to the topic of dramatism. The findings section follows which provides a background to Kenneth Burke, an outline of theories, an application of the theory and an evaluation of the theory. From the findings a conclusion section is drawn, providing a summary of points of information points and a critique of the theory. A glossary of terms, references and bibliography is provided to assist the reader. Literature Review Theories of human Communication (7th ed.) Littlejohn, S W. (2003). Theories of human communication (7th ed.).  California: Wadsorth/Thomson Learning. Although Littlejohn does not cover Kenneth Burkes personal history, he does cover the theory of Dramatism in depth. Littlejohn describes the terms actions, motives, guilt, substance, consubstantiality and identification from Burkes work, with examples. Other fundamentals of Burkes work are explained in great detail such as symbols, no neutral words, dramatistic pentad and the five elements of the dramatistic pentad. Littlejohn also uses the example of Edward Kennedy to explain how the dramatistic pentad can be applied. Littlejohns information appears to be accurate and valid to other sources studied, he also includes a large bibliography and footnotes at the bottom of each page to reference the information. Aside from the described physical evidence found to validate accuracy, Littlejohn is a highly regarded authority in communication theories. Communication Theories Miller, K. (2001). Communication Theories. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies Miller describes Burkes personal history and education before moving onto the topic of Dramatism. It is described that four aspects of Burkes thought have been particularly influential in shaping views of the social world. Aside from describing aspects of Burkes work such as motion versus action, guilt and Burke believing life is drama, Miller includes and briefly analyses Burkes poem labelled as â€Å"definition of man†, and discusses a paper written about the problem of agency. The dramatistic pentad and its five elements are clearly defined, along with action as rhetorical, identification, substance, consubstantiation and the importance of Burkes work. Miller is regarded as an authority in the field of communication theories, and used a large bibliography in this book. The information on Dramatism was consistent with other sources studied. â€Å"Identification† as a Key Term in Kenneth Burkes Rhetorical Theory Quigley, B L. (n.d.). Identification as a key term in Kenneth Burkes rhetorical theory. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://acjournal.org/holdings/vol1/iss3/burke/quigley.html Quigley explains that Burkes use of Identification is accessory to the traditional focus of persuasion, and then explains how and why. The article goes over the basic concepts of Burkes work in the field of identification and persuasion, and then moves onto different types of identification. The article covers identification as semi-conscious, through self-persuasion, though mundane/recurring and through representation with examples from Princess Dianas death. Quigley only had five references for this article, although three of them are work by Kenneth Burke. Despite a relatively small number of references, this article expands on topics that I have studied in other sources. Coming to Terms with Kenneth Burkes Pentad Clarke, J. (n.d.). Coming to terms with Kenneth Burkes pentad. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol1/iss3/burke/rountree.html This paper starts as an introduction to Burkes work, to move onto expanding the pentad into a heuristic, as Burke discovered in his later work attitude belongs in the pentad. The paper also explains that Burke does not claim any originality for his pentad, as previous theorists had come up with the same heuristic using different terms. Clarke then explains an interpretation of the pentad in which critics should also look for grammatical and non-verbal function for motives, not just their superficial connection to a source. This paper included ideas and theories that I had not yet studied or seen before, but it included examples of how the ideas should be applied. Clarke has used a large list of references to create this document and the article can be found from Em Griffens website. With this in mind, a lot of the information I have seen in other sources and I believe the rest to be accurate and valid for reasons given. Re-visiting Kenneth Burke: Dramatism/Logology and the problem of Agency Conrad, C., Macom, E A. (1995). Re-visiting Kenneth Burke: Dramatism/Logology and the problem of agency. The Southern Communication Journal. 61(1), 11-29. The problem of agency arises in this document from human actors being defined as â€Å"choice-making animals†, the balance between voluntarism and determinism are questioned. The problem with agency described in this article is based on the problem of finding a way of accounting for human experience with recognition, and a pure determinism and pure voluntarism are unacceptable. The article describes Burkes work with this problem and a number of different interpretations of the relationship between action and motion. It is suggested that a social action theory needs to be developed which is not grounded in dualism between action and structure inevitably. This document has been extensively researched as it has a large list of references which include Kenneth Burkes work and his thoughts and the criticism received regarding this topic. This article is from The Southern Communication Journal, indicating that it should be very accurate and contain only valid information. Defending Dramatism as ontological and literal Crable, B. (2000). Defending dramatism as ontological and literal. Communication Quarterly. 48(4), This article was written to document Crables work as he reread the dispute the work of Burke to provide insight to the argument of dramatism as epistemological and metaphorical or ontological and literal. The document investigates Burkes work with an independent view to discover how Burke would have answered the question at hand. But it is concluded that Burke defends dramatism as ontology because he begins with language as action, not representation. Burkes work also argues that this starting point is literal, that it offers the most complete approach to the study of motivation. The article mostly references Burkes work as that is what is in question, and the article was published in the Communication Quarterly. Therefore the work must contain a high level of accuracy and validity. Findings Background To Theorist The theory of dramatism was developed by Kenneth Burke who lived from 1897 to 1993, to â€Å"describe what he saw going on when people opened their mouths to communicate† (Griffin, 2009, p.289). Burkes work has had a large impact on communication although Burke never graduated from college, and despite this he taught at a number of institutions of higher level education. Burke entered the field of communication in 1952 and he was introduced by Maris Hochmuth Nichols, with her contrast between old rhetoric and the new rhetoric. Burkes career included literary critic, social critic, poet, fiction author, translator, composer and social theorist. Since Burkes death at the age of 96, there is now a Kenneth Burke Society which holds conferences and tributes to Burke and his work. Outline Of Theory To understand humans and the social world, Kenneth Burke uses two terms to differentiate between intentional and unintentional movements or behaviour. These are motion used to describe behaviour which are non-purposeful or unintentional and action which is behaviour that is purposeful or intentional. Burke believed that it is the difference between action and motion that makes human distinct from other animals. Miller states â€Å"In the most basic sense, through, the move from motion to action – through the use of symbolism, and especially language – marks humans as agents rather than reactors in the social world† (p. 90). The difference between an action and a reaction from past experience has caused much controversy over the description of agency. For Burke language is always emotionally loaded and no word can be neutral, as attitudes and feelings appear in the language used. Miller (2001) states â€Å"Burke (1935) believed that the drama of life is motivated by guilt† (p. 90). Burke used the term guilt to describe a variety of negative processes such as anxiety, embarrassment, shame and disgust. He also believed that to purge our guilt we use victimage, in that we either blame ourselves as in the term mortification or blame some else as in the term scapegoating. The guilt redemption cycle is complete once the guilt has been purged through mortification or scapegoating, although it is often short lived because the social world involves guilt that will start the cycle again. Burkes work used three sources of guilt, the negative, principal of perfection and principal of hierarchy. For Burke rhetoric was not just a process of persuasion, but also a process of creating identification. For this identification Burke used the term substance, to describe characteristics or identity of a person. When two people meet their substances overlap to different extents, the amount of substance overlapping was called consubstantiation by Burke. It is through consubstantiation that identification is felt between people, and speakers will often try to gain an area of consubstantiation with their audience to form identification. Burke proposed three sources of identification, material identification, idealistic identification and formal identification. Littlejohn (2003) states â€Å"Identification is not an either/ or occurrence but a matter of degree† (p. 156). There are many different types of identification described in Burkes work, a common method of identification is common ground. Identification by common ground can be identification as semi-conscious, this identification occurs when a speaker uses symbols associated with a wealth or class. Identification through self-persuasion can be described as keeping faith despite criticisms, due to rationalising their choice in ways that strengthen identification. Identification through mundane and recurring can be caused by becoming familiar with something or someone because they are always in your life somehow. Identification through representation typically occurs when a person views another persons actions as inspiring, and this creates identification with that person they would like to be. Successful communicators often adopt strategies in order to identify with their audience, and Burke suggests in order to analyse an event the strategies must be identified. Miller states â€Å"His proposal of the dramatistic pentad (Burke, 1945, 1968) considers five aspects of social life that should be considered in order to understand how we behave, and talk about our behaviour, in the symbolic world† (p. 91). When analysing with the pentad it is important to also look for grammatical and non-verbal functions for motives as well as their analysis of words. The five elements of the dramatistic pentad are: Act – What was done Scene – The location and context of the act. Agent – The person or people that performed the act Purpose – The goal of the act Agency – Method used to perform the act From analysing a situation with the five elements of the dramatistic pentad and using Burkes pentadic ratio, it is possible to find the hidden views of a communication event. Application Of Theory Littlejohn (2003) describes David Lings work on how the Burkes pentad can be used to understand a communication event, as similar communications are seen often from politicians around the world: In 1969 Edward Kennedy, a senator from Massachusetts, was involved in an automobile accident with an aide, Mary Jo Kopechne, in which he accidentally drove a car off a bridge into a pond. Kennedy escaped, but Kopechne drowned. In a remarkable address to the public about a week later, he explained what happened and attempted to regain the support of the people. Ling writes that Kennedy wanted to achieve two things: to minimize his own responsibility for the accident and to make the people of Massachusetts responsible for whether or not he would continue in office. Kennedys appeal on the first point describes himself (agent) as helpless victim of the events leading to the death of the young woman (scene). He explains his own failure to report the accident (act) as a consequence of his confusion and injuries. Kennedys depiction makes him out to be a victim of a tragic situation. Later in his speech, Kennedy essentially offered to resign if the citizens wanted him to. Here, the scene shi fted to the public reaction to the accident, the agent became the people of Massachusetts, the act was their decision as to whether he should resign, the agency would be a statement of resignation, and the purpose would be to remove him from office. Ling believes this was a very effective speech. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive, and Kennedy continued in office. (p. 156-157) From the above example of how to apply Burkes work and the pentad to analyse an event, as the pentad can be used to analyse many communication events including political speeches. Burkes work can also be applied to just about any other communication event as well, to analyse underlying focus and views. Identification methods and substance can be seen in common events such as Michael Jacksons death, there was much criticisms when he was alive by the media, although many people still shared a feeling of identification with him. The guilt redemption cycle can be used on a daily basis to help understand different motives for communications, especially communications resulting from a negative situation or result. Initially Burkes work was developed for face-to-face communication, but it can also be applied to the IT industry. A main source of communication in the IT industry is via email or instant messaging, this can also be analysed by the Burkes work. By analysing communication strategies, language and tones used in the message sent it is possible to detect guilt, mortification or scapegoating. It is very easy to send a message of identification through hierarchy via online messaging, as the physical distance is ignored. Identification and persuasion can occur very easily through online messages and from websites, by the sender displaying a wide substance. Due to the large amount of communication methods in the information technology industry, the method of communication (scene) can hold significance in the communication strategy. This can be in the case of sending an important message as an email, signifying that the person does not particularly interested or want to see you. With the opp osite being possible as well, a person not sending an email for an unimportant reminder can indicate an excuse to start conversation. Evaluation Of Theory Dramatism is an interpretive theory about understanding why a person behaves in the way that they do, and not so much in the predication of human behaviour. Burkes theory offers a new understanding of people, behaviour and symbolic interaction. Burke applied his theory to Shakespeare, and since then has been applied to many politicians and public speakers in order to get a greater understanding of the underlying communications and texts. Burkes pentad applied to texts can provide a clarification of values, as it can identify the ideology behind the message being examined. The theory does not contain much aesthetic appeal, although it does use bibliographic terms over scientific terms which creates an aesthetic appeal. Aside from the bibliographic terms, the theory does not provide much aesthetics. Burkes work has appeared in many communication journals, and there is now a Kenneth Burke society dedicated to ensuring the understanding of dramatism and development on the kbjournal (Kenn eth Burke journal). Although there are debates over components of dramatism, the theory is widely accepted and considered to be a fundamental part of human interpretation. Aside from the Kenneth Burke society, there are now Burklean scholars which are dedicated to dramatism, so it is fair to conclude that this theory has caused a reform of society. Conclusion Summary Of Points Of Information This report has described information found about Kenneth Burke and the theory of dramatism discovered from my research. A background of Kenneth Burke was found and described before describing dramatism and its elements. To start describing dramatism, it is explained first the different between action and motion in regards to symbolism. The next topic described is guilt and the guilt redemption cycle, including explaining the concepts of mortification and scapegoating. To understand identification it is described how Burke viewed this with substance, consubstantiation and some common types of identification. Some brief definitions and descriptions are included as identification through common ground, as this is an essential part of identification. Finally the dramatistic pentad, elements of the pentad and its use are described. An example of applying dramatism to the real life incident of Edward Kennedy is included, as it is a great example of dramatism. It is then mentioned that Burkes work can be applied to many day to day events and the guilt can be seen on a day to day basis. Then it is explained how dramatism can be applied to the information technology industry, especially when information communication technology is used. The final section to findings evaluates dramatism as an interpretive theory, finding that all the standard tests for an interpretive study are successful in dramatism. Critique Of The Theory A key issue with Burkes work has been labelled the â€Å"problem of agency†, and the problem is finding a way of accounting for human reaction due to experiences and situations. It is when this is taken into consideration it becomes unclear as to if a choice was volunteered or determined, as an essential part of agency is choice. Burke was aware of this problem and spent a large portion of his career trying to construct a more accurate definition of agency, action and motion. This topic has been thoroughly analysed by many communication scholars with the suggestion that further work in developing a rhetorical theory of social action, that they start at the beginning with a view of the action-structure relationship which is not based on dualism like Burkes work. Another issue with Burkes work is the debate on whether dramatism is epistemological and metaphorical, or that dramatism is ontological and literal. This issue was first debated at the Eastern Communication Association conference, the debate failed to settle the issue. There is not as yet an answer to this issue, as Burke has stated that his work is not merely metaphorical, but is instead a literal way of speaking about the human condition. Although Burke has claimed his work is ontological and literal, there is debate that his work does not depict out this way. Burkes theory of dramatism is highly respected and a common tool in interpretive analysis of a communication event. Although many students have difficulty in coming to terms with dramatism and the way it is written, provides a difficult learning experience. The theory is built off previous work in the field of rhetoric, which also can provide learning difficulties when studying dramatism without exposure to old rhetoric. This theory is used frequently, although it is arguable whether dramatism is complete as problems still exist and debates still occur. In summary, Burkes work has changed the world of rhetoric although it may not be complete, in the sense that Burke did not finish solving problems in dramatism and debate continues. Although Burke is recognized for dramatism and all of its elements, Burke does not claim any originality for his pentad. As the same pentad is found in Aristotles and Talcon Parsons work, with the exception of different terms used to describe the same elem ents of the pentads. Glossary Of Terms Action – Purposeful and voluntary behaviours. Consubstantiation – The overlapping substance between people. Dramatism – What Kenneth Burke saw when people opened their mouths to communicate. Dramatistic – Looking at the nature of language stressing on language as action. Guilt – Term used to describe any feeling of tension within a person. Mortification – Purging guilt through self-blame. Motion – Non-purposeful and non-meaningful behaviours. Scapegoating – See victimage. Substance – Term to describe a persons physical characteristics, talents, occupation, experiences, personality, beliefs and attitudes. Victimage – The process of purging guilt through blame of another person or persons. References Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory. (7th ed.). States of America: McGraw-Hill Companies Littlejohn, S W. (2003). Theories of human communication. (7th ed.). United States of America: Wadsorth/Thomson Learning. Miller, K. (2001). Communication Theories. United States of America: McGraw-Hill Companies Bibliography Clarke, J. (n.d.). Coming to terms with Kenneth Burkes pentad. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://www.acjournal.org/holdings/vol1/iss3/burke/rountree.html Conrad, C., Macom, E A. (1995). Re-visiting Kenneth Burke: Dramatism/Logology and the problem of agency. The Southern Communication Journal. 61(1), 11-29. Crable, B. (2000). Defending dramatism as ontological and literal. Communication Quarterly. 48(4),   323-343. Griffin, E. (2009). A first look at communication theory. (7th ed.). States of America: McGraw-Hill Companies Kenneth Burke. (2009) Retrieved August 30, 2009,   from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_Burke Littlejohn, S W. (2003). Theories of human communication. (7th ed.). United States of America: Wadsorth/Thomson Learning. Miller, K. (2001). Communication Theories. United States of America: McGraw-Hill Companies Quigley, B L. (n.d.). Identification as a key term in Kenneth Burkes rhetorical theory. Retrieved August 12, 2009 from http://acjournal.org/holdings/vol1/iss3/burke/quigley.html

Skating :: essays research papers

Imagine that you've just turned 16 and your parents bought you a brand new Mustang. You're cruising on the street at approximately 25 miles per hour. So maybe you're not breaking the speed limit, but everyone's staring. You feel the light breeze through your hair. Then you're in the air, 12 feet high. Finally, you land on your back and come this (gesture 6 in.) close to cracking your skull. What happened? You were skating. As Aaron Spohn, a well respected ramp builder for the National Inline Skate Series, Extreme Games, and many pro inline skaters, said, When you tell someone you are an in-line skater, you automatically assume they envision you sporting a tangerine body suit, waist pack and a pair of wraparound neon sunglasses.S1 Or maybe you see me as one of those with $35.00 generic skates, moving my arms more than my legs and rolling down the street at a rate of 1 mile per day. This is not the type of skating I am talking about. I'm talking about aggressive inline skating. Maybe this aforementioned misconception is due to the many aspects of inline skating, and the amount of people involved. About 12.3 million kids are currently inline skaters.2 There is a 57.2% rise in participation in inline skating from last year, compared to basketball, which dropped 4.9%, and football, which rose only 5.8%.3 This is obviously a growing sport, and it's one that you're probably already doing. Whether or not you want to do inline aggressive skating, it is one of the best all around sports because it provides benefits to three core areas: physical, social, and mental. I believe I started inline skating in about seventh grade, and I would have to say I had no life before then. But I guess now, I still don't have a life because all I do has to do with inline skating and its representation as a sport, which is why I am giving this speech. In the summer I skate every day for 4 or more hours. I have been acquainted with the manager of Team Paradise, a nationally recognized mail order store. I have also helped in the production of CDS Detroit products, made locally in Grosse Pointe. Today I would like to talk to you, using my personal experience along with knowledge gained from magazines and other sources, about the physical, social and mental benefits of inline skating.

The Caribbean’s Cultural History Essay -- Culture Caribbean History Ra

The Caribbean’s Cultural History Columbus’ discovery in 1492 set off a chain of events in the emergence of the Caribbean society, as Knight states in his book The Caribbean. "The first voyage of Columbus in 1492 fortuitously discovered a whole new world and set in motion a chain of events whose profound consequences gave new directions to the histories of Europe, Africa, the Americas, and Asia. It was the voyages of Columbus and those who followed him that brought the Americas into the consciousness of the Europeans"(Knight 28). Many people question whether the discovery made by Columbus was beneficial or deteriorating for the indigenous people of the Caribbean. It was the exploration and discoveries by Columbus that further led to the exploitation of the newfound colonies and its native people. But without this exploitation, the Caribbean would not be as rich in culture as it is today. For instance, Puerto Ricans, Jamaicans, and Dominicans would not be who they are today if Columbus would not have conquered the indigenous people of the island, and set off the proceeding sequence of events. Eventually during the slave trading period, the exploitation expanded into Africa, as Europe, and especially Spain, had high hopes and expectations for the Caribbean colonies. The Europeans saw these newfound colonies as trading posts, and many saw the discovery of these islands as a way to expand and convert the indigenous people of the islands into Christianity, and exploit their land in search of gold and other valuabl e resources. The history of the Caribbean is very unique and diverse. The progress and advancement of each island complied with the European country in control of it. One of the most common characteristics of the ... ...of the Caribbean would not be so rich in culture. It was the Caribbean’s unique chain of events, which helped to shape the culture and traditions of the area, and African slavery was just another major aspect. It was the slave experience then, which helped to further define what we characterize as Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Haitians, and Jamaicans today. Bibliography Beckles, Dr. Hillary, Verene Shepard. Caribbean Slave Society and Economy, The New Press, New York, N.Y. 1991. Cliff, Michelle. Abeng. Penguin Group, 1984. Knight, Franklin W. The Caribbean, The Genesis Of a Fragmented Nationalism. Oxford University Press, New York, N.Y. 1990. Benitez-Rojo, Antonio. The Repeating Island, Duke University, Durham & London, 1992. Mintz, Sidney W. The Caribbean as a Socio-Cultural Area, Peoples and Cultures of the Caribbean, Garden City, New Jersey, 1971.