Thursday, October 31, 2019
Illiteracy in Prison Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words
Illiteracy in Prison - Research Paper Example It is important to understand the notion of illiteracy when related to the prison system. Contemporary research has shown a very high rate of illiteracy in the prison system and it is well to inquire whether this is a consequence of various factors or it is just a mere coincidence. The prison system that the country uses today and in the 20th century is the same. In the 20th century, the prisons experienced major reforms in terms of the structure and the staffing. However, one major aspect that the system did not accommodate was the technological characteristic. Technology in major institutions is one very important characteristic as in the 21st century; most of the education relayed to students is through technology. For example, calculators have come in as a great deal to serve the contemporary students with faster ways of calculating in fields such as chemistry, physics and mathematics. The fact that there has not been any introduction of the new technology devices in the prison s ystem is a factor showing that it is not a coincidence that there is a lack of literacy in the prison system. Where there are these gadgets in the prison system, many inmates would develop professional knowledge that would assist them in the advancements of a career. Upon release from the system, they would get proper jobs that would help them shun all criminal activities thus making the environment a safer place. Lack of the gadgets in the prisons encourages the prisoners to engage in or form illegal groups in prisons (Haigler, O'Connor, and Campbell, 2008). The economic condition in the outside world is one other factor linked to the high amount of illiteracy in the prisons. In the contemporary times, the rates of recession have been steadily on the rise and thus making people engage in activities that will serve to help them gain a meal for the day. The economic factors extend so far such as even professionals such as doctors engage in activities that do not fit their job descrip tion. An example of this is a doctor who may go way out of his career path to sell prescription drugs to addicts in an effort to make the extra cash. These conditions affect the professionalism of people and when they stray to carry out activities that do not suit them, the resulting factor is the lack of essence to the career that a person has. With the lack of essence, it is common to find the person forfeiting his job and concentrating on the illegal side job as a whole. Through this, the person may lose certain concepts taught in the professional school attended due to lack of practice and this would eventually render a former literate person illiterate. In the connection to the prison system, the person is sent to prison and hence the high number of illiteracy in the facilities. Other factors that lead to illiteracy in prison are political factors. In the community, the high rate of unemployment leads to people suffering and searching for means to gain income. One of the most c ommon times that people engage in these activities is during political campaigns. Political campaigns are a very noticeable aspect of the community and politicians often go ahead to look for people to spread their popularity in various regions with the promise of a certain amount of fund. Many of the politicians do not pay the campaigners until the campaign is over and the results announced. This one factor motivates campaigners to work very hard in an effort to please the party candidate. Many
Tuesday, October 29, 2019
The Drawing of Nation State Boundaries in Rwanda Essay Example for Free
The Drawing of Nation State Boundaries in Rwanda Essay The drawing of Nation State boundaries in Sub-Saharan Africa didnt take tribes, religious or regional groups into account. This consequently led to the mistreatment of some groups by others, which eventually led to the majority of reasons causing civil war and strife. These drastic events stopped economic growth and perpetuated 3rd world poverty. The European powers didnââ¬â¢t start laying claim on Africa until the second half of the nineteenth century, when they nearly laid claim on the whole continent. Because competition was so aggressive amongst the European powers, a conference was held in Berlin in 1884 to divide up Africa. The major countries that participated were Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Portugal. When the conference was in progress, a majority of Africa was still under traditional African rule. Eventually (after 1900) the colonial powers managed to gain control of all areas of Africa. In his article on colonialism in Rwanda, Troy Riemer states ââ¬Å"A new kind of racism was brought to Rwanda upon the arrival of Europeans in the 20th century. Colonists assumed their own superiority and valued those physically and geographically close to themselvesâ⬠(Riemer 2011). Before the European powers colonized Rwanda the elite group was the Tutsi cattle herders. The majority of the colony was made up of peasant farmers, known as the Hutuââ¬â¢s. In pre-colonial times, the division between Hutu and Tutsi was sometimes blurred. Some Hutu bought cattle and were accepted into the upper classes, while some Tutsis became poor peasants. Rwanda was first colonized and governed by Germany, but was later taken over and newly ruled by Belgium. Belgium was quick to discriminate between the Hutuââ¬â¢s and Tutsis. ââ¬Å"In 1933 Belgian rulers introduced ethnic ID cards and favored the Tutsis. Later they quickly switched sides and effortlessly supported the Hutu majorityâ⬠(Riemer 2011). ââ¬Å"Vengeful Hutu elements murdered about 15,000 Tutsis between 1959 and 1962, and more than 100,000 Tutsis fled to neighbouring countriesâ⬠(Jones 2002). This favoritism that before colonization was not really recognized or argued with was becoming an issue between the Hutus and Tutsis. Little did anyone know, this new since of entitlement brought about by the Belgian government would cause massive amount of turmoil, hatred, heartbreak, and war in the years to come. After the Tutsi kingââ¬â¢s passing in 1959, Rwanda has gone through a series of heartbreaking civil wars that eventually lead up to the genocide in 1994. ââ¬Å"According to Gerard Prunier, Because of the chaotic nature of the genocide and the events leading up to it, the total number of people killed has never been systematically assessed, but most experts believe the total was around 800,000 people. This includes about 750,000 Tutsis and approximately 50,000 politically moderate Hutus who did not support the genocide. Only about 130,000 Tutsis survived the massacres (Jones 2002). Rwanda today is still continuing to rebuild economically and heal as a whole, slowly but surely. It has taken this country years after the last genocide to even consider being called ââ¬Ëback on their feetââ¬â¢. An article was written in 2010 by the New York Times on the genocideââ¬â¢s 16th anniversary, discussing Rwandaââ¬â¢s progress since all the violence. ââ¬Å"This country has certainly come farther in the past 16 years than even the most optimistic observers would have predicted. All of this development is important to recognize because it has been the governmentââ¬â¢s express policy to deliver basic services and economic growth to its people in order to mitigate genocide ideologyâ⬠(Ruxin 2010). ââ¬Å"Five years ago, traveling anywhere in the country was bound to be a bumpy ride, if the way was even passable. Today, east-to-west and north-to-south, the road infrastructure is impressive and continues to expand. Five years ago, the country struggled to get tourists in for $375 permits to visit Rwandaââ¬â¢s mountain gorillas. Today, during high season, there are not enough $500 tickets to meet the demand. Five years ago, there were no supermarkets or ATMs, and the cheapest cell phones cost $50. Today there are multiple supermarkets, over a dozen international ATMs, and cell phones that cost $14 are plentifulâ⬠(Ruxin 2010). ââ¬Å"Against this impressive backdrop, crushing poverty still affects about 40% of the population. Millions live on tiny plots of land scarcely capable of producing adequate food for families in which the average woman gives birth to six children. Itââ¬â¢s this latter issue ââ¬âraging population growth ââ¬â that continues to perplex the policy and development wonks in Rwandaâ⬠(Ruxin 2010).
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Impact Of Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping
Impact Of Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping Abstract Global economic integration and the world economy is closely linked with the world shipping market, 2009 world economic recession caused a negative impact on the economy of each countries, the shipping industry has been seriously affected. This article assesses the economic recession affecting the wet bulk shipping sector from four parts. Key words: economic recession; freight rates; wet bulk shipping; excess capacity. The Impact of the Economic Recession on Wet Bulk Shipping Introduction Shipping is a global industry, which is the lifeline of the world economy. The global bulk shipping markets consist of two main sectors dry bulk and wet bulk (Stopford, 2003). The carrier of wet bulk is tanker. It can transport oil or oil-based products liquid petroleum gas (LPG), vegetable oil etc., liquid chemicals or liquid natural gas (LNG) (House, 2007). However, crude oil carried in Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) is the biggest wet bulk shipping market. The world financial crisis has brought a great impact to the international economy, which created the economic recession deeply and widely in 2009, especially in transport sector (European Commission, 2009). The crisis has triggered a slowdown in global economic growth that is manifesting itself in a demand-driven fall in international trade exacerbated by the deficit of credit and trade finance; falling commodity prices; declining remittances; contracting foreign direct investment (FDI); and the potential of declining offi cial development assistance (ODA) (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). This has given rise to the most significant challenges for wet bulk shipping (tanker) that involved volume, freight rates, operational productivity and job cuts. Effects on Tanker Freight Rates Transport market usually makes a direct reflection to a downturn in demand. The price of chartering tanker ships indicates the demand-supply balance for different wet bulk. The demand of tanker can be measured in tonne-miles. Table 1 describes the tonne-mile demand of most tanker sectors. There is a downward trend which dropped nearly 1.6% in 1H09 comparing with 1H08 (TANKEROperator, 2009a). The reason was that the demand of crude oil declined since last year. Different indices can present different market, i.e. The Baltic Exchange Dirty Tanker Index (BDTI) represents the crude oil market, which in major trading routes includes VLCC, Suezmax, Aframax and Panamaxes. Moreover, the Baltic Exchange Clean Tanker Index (BCTI) makes up of clean Panamax, Handymax and Handysize tankers (TANKEROperator, 2009b). Table 2 illustrates that comparing with the same period of 2008, freight rates of tanker vessels in the middle of 2009 were down. The deppening ecomomic crisis cause oil demand decline. BDTI shows an upward trend, which fell from 849 points in January 2009 to 482 in June 2009. It nearly fell half. BCTI also showed an downward trend, from highs of 623 in January 2009 to lows of 479 in June 2009 (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). Table 3 shows average freight rates, which is a unified measure for establishing spot rates. The areas of the table indicated including Persian Gulf, West Africa, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Singapore, East Asia, South Africa, North-West Europe and the East Coast of Norh America. Comparing feight indices of tanker market between the first half of 2008 and 2009, it can be seen that the freight rates on all routes declined. Though the feight rates in some routes in June of 2009 had a little increased than previous months, but overall trend was downward. Among them, there was a dramatic declines in freight rates for VLCC and ultra-large crude carrir (ULCC). The routes which they serviced were the Persian Gulf to Easern Asiam Europe, the Americas and South Africa. Table 3 clearly shows that the freight rates for VLCCs in April and May of 2009 on the Persian Gulf to Japan and the Persian Gulf to Republic of Korea routes decreased by nearly 50 percentage, from WS51 to WS27 and WS53 t o WS27 separately. The reason can be attributed to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members cutting the oil production thus, the volume of cargo which transport from Persian Gulf to other areas was reduced (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). In addition, LNG shipping reached in record-low freight rates in the spot and short-term LNG trades in spring 2009. The LNG industry has been closely tied to gas demand in Japan and Korea, because the two Asian nations account for nearly one-half of the global trade in LNG (Corkhill, 2009a). The Arab countries exports to Japan and Korea went down in July 2009 by 4.7% or 88 thousand tons to 1.801 million tons a share of 27.5% of total Japanese and Korean LNG imports (OAPEC, 2009). Effects on Voulme OPEC which provides about 40% of the worlds oil supply try to stabilise oil prices therefore, it decided to recuce daily production from 4.2m barrels per day to 24.9m bpd (Calderas-Mendez, 2010). Tanker shipping has been dealt with the delayed impact of declining demand. This cutting supply decision caused decline in the amount of oil carried by VLCCs (Calderas-Mendez, 2010). From the international oil market situation in recent years, the oil supply disruption is not happened, the oil market focus mainly on oil prices. In the downturn, table 4 shows that there was a large demand declines from the fourth quarter of 2008 to the second quarter of 2009, whcih attributs to the developed countries economics, particularly the United State (economic crisis). The demand of oil decline, the freight rates decline. Therefore, OPEC carried out a series of production cuts to support prices in order to faced with the demand weakness (International Monetary Fund, 2009). Effects on Operational Productivity Decline in demand for shipping, plus the financial crisis led to banks tightening credit on shipping finance, many shipping companies have been cancelled shipbuilding orders and have a wave of defaults began to appear. According to UNCTAD secretariat (2009) analysis, the share of liquefied gas carriers (of LNG and LPG) has stood at 10.8 per cent on 1st April 2009. As the volume of cargo per carrying capacity and freight rates decreased, the productivity in terms of tons carried per deadweight ton (dwt) of oil tankers were seriously surplus. There was 4.0 per cent of the world tanker fleet overcapacity in April 2009 (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009b). The market always showing that when cargoes fall away and the demand for ships drops. The fundamental reason for the decline in average productivity in recent years is the oversupply of tonnage available, which contrasts with the reduced growth in world seaborne trade (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). Although taking longer time, some of the shippin g companies chose routes that cost less. Some ships are being laid off to reduce the tons carried per dwt because of the reduced seaborne trade. Figure 1 shows the productivity of the world fleet has a significantly decline in 2009 and the values between 27,000 and 28,000 ton-miles (UNCTAD secretariat, 2009a). In addition, after some shipping companies and shipping agencies re-scheduled cargo routes, due to the pressure of freight rate, which is not enough to make up the cost, lay off ships was thought more cost-effective way. Effects on Job Cuts Affected by the depressed market, the ship owner started a large number of labour layoffs. Inevitably, some shipping companies wanted to cut additional cost; therefore, they closed overseas offices in the rescue plans in the current depressed market. During this hard time, shipping industry faced up to the challenges of over-tonnage, ship owner try to streamline their fleets in order to ease the increasing cost and manpower burdens. In addition, another reason for job cuts was the rising price of crude oil, other raw materials which had driven up the costs of ship maintenance, repairs and bunkers (Corkhill, 2009b). Conclusion With the process of global economic integration, international trade becomes a chain of countries in the world market, while the shipping industry as the main carrier of world trade that has become an important part of the economy. Every time of the fluctuations in the global economy will obviously reflect in the shipping market. In the global context of economic slowdown, both of the volume of trade and demand has a decline in different degrees, and at the same time it leads to the consumer and investor lack of confidence, which has brought great impact on the shipping industry. There hasnt been a major bankruptcy in the shipping market, which is an economic miracle in 2009 economic recession (BIMCO, 2009). The growth of the total carrying capacity greatly exceeded the growth of the economy and shipments, thus capacity has become surplus. When supply exceeds demand, the freight rates under the pressure or even have declined, the profit of shipping company dealt a heavy blow in the hard time. Since the outbreak of the financial crisis, the credit system has been practiced in a crisis, some banks refused to provide credit guarantees, which leads traders to pay shipping difficulties. Additionally, the operation of the shipping industry to make matters worse.
Friday, October 25, 2019
Essay --
After being arrested in downtown Birmingham on a Good Friday, Reverend Martian Luther King Jr. wrote his famous letter, ââ¬Å"A Letter From Birmingham Jailâ⬠responding to the criticism demonstrated by eight prominent white clergymen. This letter has been found important through out history because it expresses Kingââ¬â¢s feelings towards the un-just event and it is an example of a well-written argument. The author, Dr. Martian Luther King Jr., makes a statement ââ¬Å"Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.â⬠He uses this concept to convey the point of the Negros hard work to negotiate the issue has failed, but now they must confront it. The March on Good Friday, 1963, 53 blacks, led by Reverend Martian Luther King, Jr., was his first physical protest to segregation laws that had taken place after several efforts to simply negotiate. The author uses several phrases that describe his nonviolent efforts and his devotion to the issue of segregation that makes the reader believe his how seriously King takes this issue. ââ¬Å"Conversely, one has the moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.â⬠Dr. Martian Luther King, Jr. explains with this that an ââ¬Å"unjust law is no law at all.â⬠King does not feel like he has broken any laws in hi s protest against segregation. In his eyes, laws are made to protect the people, not degrade and punish. ââ¬Å"The Negro has many pent up resentments and latent frustrations, and he must release them. So let him March.â⬠As far as King is concerned, the Negros will continue to do whatever is necessary, preferably non-violently, to obtain the moral and legal right that is theirs. If they are not allowe... ...to jail. He was beaten and put down in jail, but he never gave up on his idea of God and never once regret they steps he took to spread the work of God, despite where he ended up. ââ¬Å"Whether our dreams have been crushed by forces beyond our control ââ¬â injustice, disaster, or the death of a love one ââ¬â or weââ¬â¢ve shattered them ourselves through cowardice, poor judgment, moral laxity, or laziness, hope is not beyond us. Nor are we beyond hope ââ¬â as long as we press on in Gods direction.â⬠Dr. King uses this powerful statement along with several others like it to really get the point across that you need to fight for what you believe in and donââ¬â¢t lose hope. The process to gain desegregation of African-Americans and whites will be a fight, but they key is to follow in the line of God and keep moving forward, while pushing aside and stepping over any despair you may encounter.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
Pleasures of Reading Essay
Some people get pleasure from picnics and tours. Others like to discuss various topics and find pleasure in it. But the reading of books provides us with such pleasure as we do not get from any other activity. Great is the blessing of books. Books are written by learned persons. They contain the best experiences and thoughts of their writers. Literature is said to mirror society. Writers put in their books not only their own ideas and feelings, but also what they observe and find in society. The books of the past reflect the condition of the times in which they were written. By reading books written by great thinkers, we come in contact with their minds. Books enable us to know the best of different countries. So, if we want to keep abreast of the great minds of all ages, we must read books. When we are alone, books are our best friends. They entertain us in our spare moments. Good novels, books on poetry and short stories, give great enjoyment. At times we become so absorbed in our books that we forget even our important engagements. Loneliness is no trouble for a reader. If we are in a cheerful mood, our joy is increased by reading. When we are in a depressed and dejected mood, books console and soothe our troubled minds. They provide us with the best advice and guidance in our difficulties. Indeed, books are out best friends as they help us in our need. Books contain grains of wisdom. They give us sound moral advice. That is why all great men of our country have liked to read the Gita and the Ramayan. The example of Rama and Sita is cited, whenever we want to emphasize noble deeds and their results. We call a bad man by the name of Ravan. It is through the reading of books that we learn to love virtue and hate sin. The reading of good books develops and elevates our character. Now-a-days the world is changing fast. A man cannot remain in roach with the changes in his own country, or in the world, without reading the latest literature. One who wants to be respected in cultured society must keep himself well-informed. Good magazines, newspapers and other books provide us with valuable upto-date information. It gives us great pleasure to feel that our knowledge is upto-date. We get great satisfaction when we feel ourselves to be well-informed and capable of moving in any educated society. Reading of good books is the key to the store-house of pleasure. It was the English author Bacon who said that reading makes a full man. No one can question the truth of this saying. But we cannot derive full advantage from reading, if our choice is not good. Some books are such that instead of doing any good, they do positive harm to the readers. Such books must be avoided. Cheap books, not in cost but in contents, should not be read, even if they provide some amusement and entertainment. It is the reading of good books alone which bestows upon us the maximum benefit. The advantages of reading ââ¬â the pleasures of reading novels; they carry us into a different world and enlarge our experience; suspense and our tendency to identify ourselves with the hero ââ¬â other kinds of books are also delightful. The advantages of reading are well known. Reading enables us to pass examinations and get jobs, and enhances our general ability and competence in any field of life. But the pleasures of reading are as important as its uses. In fact, books cannot be really useful unless they are first enjoyed. There can be few more delightful ways of spending a holiday than reading a good novel. One source of pleasure afforded by novels is that they make us escape for a time from the drab, humdrum circumstances of our lives. Romantic novels, of course, transport us into an exciting world poles apart from our own. But even realistic novels bring us into contact with experiences different from our own. Our personal experience in real life is limited and much of it is commonplace. Reading fiction is delightful, partly because it indirectly provides us with several experiences for which we have no opportunities in actual life. Another source of the pleasure of reading novels is suspense. A novel with a good plot makes us eager to know, from beginning to end, what is to happen next. It is because of this quality of suspense in some novels that we are unwilling to lay them aside till we have read them to the end. Again, as everybody knows, another reason why reading novels is pleasant is that we tend to identify ourselves with the hero or the central character, and experience his joys and sorrows for the time being. This mainly accounts for our pleasure in reading biographies. While fiction is usually considered to be a delightful form of reading, other kinds of writing too impart pleasure. Apart from plays which resemble fiction, books of travel and light essays are enjoyable. Poetry appeals to our feelings and sense of beauty. Reading even serious or heavy books ââ¬â books on science or philosophy ââ¬â is not without its joy for those who are interested in the subjects concerned. All knowledge is pleasure, and reading a book on the dullest or the most unpleasant subjects can be pleasurable, provided one is intensely interested in it.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Social Media Overview
Social Media Overview Social media has become an important tool in the current society. They provide means through which people can share information in a societal set up with the help of internet connection using such devices as phones and computers. Facebook, YouTube and Tweeter are the three most common types of social media.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Facebook has attracted massive number of people from all corners of the world. With the increased sophistication in the field of technology, most phones became internet enabled just to allow users to access Facebook. Personal computers also became cheaper. Other social media such of YouTube and Tweeter also became common and very popular. Facebook has the highest number of subscribers of all the social networks. According to Mandiberg (2012), Facebook has attracted massive number of youths, especially given the fact that it allo ws an individual to reach out for friends or family members whose contacts could have disappeared. Facebook is estimated to have a fan base of about one billion people. To be a member, an individual will have to sign up for an account. In most of the cases, one would sign up using the e-mail address. Once an individual has an account, he will need to invite friends who already have accounts with Facebook. This results into a community where information can be shared. A user will have a ââ¬Ëwallââ¬â¢ in the Facebook. In this wall, an individual can post information that will reach all the confirmed friends. These friends can comment on the communication made by the individual. This media allows users to send and receive messages from ââ¬Ëfriendsââ¬â¢ using a specified number of characters. The fact that an individual can chat with two or more friends simultaneously has made it very popular. An individual can also send a message to the intended recipient if the recipient i s not online. Tweeter is another social media that has gained fame in the last half a decade. Just like Facebook, for one to be on Tweeter, he or she will need to sign up. The individual will need to create an account with Tweeter using his or her identifications. After signing up for an account (always starting with @), the individual can invite friends. One can then be free to start tweeting with friends on this site. The messages sent through this site are called tweets. Just like in Facebook, one can only share message on Tweeter with another individual who has a tweeter account. It will therefore, require an individual to have a number of friends signed up on this account in order to make communication possible.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More YouTube is another very popular social media both to firms and general public. Like Facebook, YouTube allows users t o share information online. The main difference between Facebook and YouTube is that through YouTube, an individual can share heavy graphics such as a video (Sterne, 2010). Facebook and Tweeter cannot support audiovisuals. However, YouTube offers its users ability to share or watch video or songs online. YouTube is a little different from both Tweeter and Facebook in its usage. Although one may use YouTube to share a text message, it is always more appropriate for audio visuals. For an individual to share a video through YouTube there will be need for the individual to sign up for an account with YouTube. This is mostly done using the Gmail address. However, once an individual posts a piece of information, it can be accessed by anyone online, including those without an account. If the video is intended for a specific individual, then the recipients will also need to have a YouTube account to receive the specific video. Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media Advantages of Socia l Media The following are some of the advantages of social media. Facebook and Tweeter allow users to share information in form of texts. Through Facebook and Tweeter, one can trace an individual whose contact one had lost. YouTube allows t one to access a video or any information on YouTube without having an account with it. In various countries around the world, YouTube is growing in popularity and this increases the volume of information to be shared. It is advantageous to companies because they can develop television commercials showing the beauty of their products to attract customers as is the case with Coca Cola and Apple. To the youth, YouTube is one of the best sites for entertainment. Disadvantages of Social Media Social media are addictive and can prevent one from performing critical duties in life. The site can be use to defame an individual or a firm, as was the case with Dominoââ¬â¢s Pizza. Some of the information on the social sites is corruptive, especially to the minds of youths and children. The Effect of a Person Knowing Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Media It is always important for an individual to know the consequences of an item he or she uses. When an individual knows the advantages and disadvantages of the social media, the main reaction will be discretion. An individual will be discrete with the information he or she releases to the social media because it can easily leak to the public and damage his or her image. References Mandiberg, M. (2012). The social media reader. New York: New York University Press. Sterne, J. (2010). Social media metrics: How to measure and optimize your marketing investment. Hoboken: John Wiley.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Social Media Overview specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More
Monday, October 21, 2019
causes of Revolutionary War essays
causes of Revolutionary War essays During the late seventeen hundreds, many tumultuous events resulted in Colonial opposition to Great Britain. The conditions of rights of the colonists will slowly be changed as the constriction of the parliament becomes more and more intolerable. During the Seven Years' War England was not only alarmed by the colonists' insistence on trading with the enemy, but also with Boston merchants hiring James Otis inorder to protest the legality of the writs of assistance (general search warrants) used to hunt out smuggled goods. "let the parliament lay what burthens they please on us, we must, it is our duty to submit and patiently bear them, till they will be pleased to relieve us....". This is a very strong dictum, that in 1764, the colonists were of a submissive nature, and were weakly pleading for self-autonomy. This small fire of anger will become a huge conflagration as the rights are slowly rescinded. On October 19, 1765 the Stamp Act Congress and Parliamentary Taxation committee's passed some laws that attempted to strengthen the grip of the English crown. "I.That his Majesty's subjects in these colonies, owe the same allegiance to the Crown of Great Britain that is owing from his subjects born within the realm, and all due subordination to that august body, the Parliament of Great Britain." This statement can be used as a summation of the entire document that the Stamp Act Congress had initiated. The statement depicts the colonists has having to be submissive and servile in the view of Great Britain, this policy angered the colonists very much, and was another component of the transition of the colonists' rights and liberties. When the Declatory Act was passed in March of 1766, many colonies were attempting to claim that they were "seceding" from England. "Whereas several of the houses of representatives in his ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
Free Mõyõr Schapiro in Silos Essay
Free Mà µyà µr Schapiro in Silos Essay Mà µyà µr Schapiro in Silos This papà µr aims to critically rà µsà µarch and analyzà µ John Williams articlà µ titlà µd Mà µyà µr Schapiro in Silos: Pursuing an Iconography of Stylà µ, focusing on thà µ dà µvà µlopmà µnt of art history as sà µÃ µn through thà µ à µyà µs of thà µ author. In fact, Williams fundamà µntally rà µstructurà µd his approach to mà µdià µval art. Author shows that stylà µ is kà µpt as thà µ focal point of thà µ art, but it is convà µrtà µd from thà µ objà µct of formal analysis in which historical forcà µs havà µ littlà µ influà µncà µ on thà µ visual rà µflà µction of thà µ social sà µtting of thosà µ timà µs. Williams illustratà µs that this approach was initially dà µvà µlopà µd by Schapiro. Thà µ author arguà µs that Schapiro was truly concà µrnà µd with thà µ issuà µ of socially rà µsponsiblà µ art. On thà µ onà µ hand, according to Williams, a so-callà µd stylistic matrix was prà µsà µnt in Schapiros modà µl. On thà µ o thà µr hand, his argumà µnt was closà µly linkà µd to historical conditions, which Schapiro considà µrà µd to bà µ thà µ cà µntral issuà µs in dà µtà µrmining thà µ valuà µ of art. Such conditions arà µ analyzà µd and critiquà µd by Williams who attà µmpts to à µvaluatà µ Schapiros mà µthod of thinking and his vià µws about validity of art. Furthà µrmorà µ, Williams arguà µs that thà µ fact that thà µ visual arts lay claim to a gà µnà µral dà µsignation as Art may lià µ in thà µ physical naturà µ of thà µ artifacts that fall undà µr such a dà µscription. Lità µraturà µ can prà µsà µnt itsà µlf in any là µgiblà µ form. At thà µ samà µ timà µ, thà µ pà µrforming arts of music and thà µatà µr can bring sà µnsà µ from a scorà µ or script, but track or rà µlation to any original pà µrformancà µ can nà µvà µr bà µ sà µcurà µd. By contrast, thà µ physical rà µmains on which art history concà µntratà µs its attà µntion arà µ thà µ actual things fashionà µd and handlà µd by thà µ subjà µcts of history thà µmsà µlvà µs. Introduction John Williams is onà µ of thà µ rarà µ Amà µrican scholars of his gà µnà µration to addrà µss thà µ thà µorà µtical undà µrpinnings of a disciplinà µ opà µrating undà µr unstablà µ conditions. Thà µ auahotr rà µminds his rà µadà µrs that Mà µyà µr Schapiro mastà µrà µd not onà µ arà µa of art history, but sà µvà µral, à µncompassing a broad rangà µ that à µxtà µndà µd from Latà µ Antiquity and Ãâ¢arly Christian Art through Byzantinà µ and Mà µdià µval Art only to concludà µ with Modà µrn Art from thà µ Wà µst in thà µ ninà µtà µÃ µnth and twà µntià µth cà µnturià µs. Hà µ was in fact a pionà µÃ µring scholar in thà µ fià µld. In addition, Schapiro wrotà µ with incisivà µnà µss about art-historical mà µthodology, thus contributing to art thà µory in a kà µy way. Morà µ than any othà µr art historian from thà µ US, Schapiro contà µstà µd against thà µ classical knowlà µdgà µ in thà µ Libà µral Arts of Ãâ¢rwin Panofsky and thà µ idà µas of Waltà µr Bà µnjamin. As much as any scholar in Amà µrica, Schapiro intà µnsifià µd thà µ tà µrms of visual analysis of modà µrn arts. Williams statà µs that Schapiro was familiar with thà µ high-altitudà µ thought of thà µ major philosophà µrs and thà µorists of his day. Thà µ tà µlling à µxamplà µs of his critical à µngagà µmà µnt hà µrà µ includà µ his discoursà µs with John Dà µwà µy, Adorno, Là µo Lowà µnthal, and Mà µrlà µau-Ponty. To continuà µ, various sà µts of scholarly accomplishmà µnts and skills in à µxpà µctà µd fià µlds must bà µ graspà µd, though, in rà µlation to yà µt anothà µr arà µa of à µngagà µmà µnt that is unà µxpà µctà µd for a world-class art historian: Schapiro's lifà µlong involvà µmà µnt with politics from a distinctly là µft wing position on thà µ political spà µctrum. Somà µ of Schapiro's most important pià µcà µs on art and politics wà µrà µ for journals as short-livà µd as Marxist Quartà µrly (1937) or as à µnduring as Dissà µnt: A Quartà µrly of Socialist Opinion, and Schapiro playà µd a wà µll-documà µntà µd rolà µ in mà µdiating thà µ rà µlationship of Là µon Trotsky and Surrà µalist author Andrà µ Brà µton, là µading up to thà µir collaboration with Dià µgo Rivà µra on thà µ 1938 manifà µsto Towards an Indà µpà µndà µnt Rà µvolutionary Art. Thà µrà µ is somà µthing similar to a consà µnsus among scholars that Schapiro changà µd thà µ coursà µ of art-historical analysis on at là µast six diffà µrà µnt occasions, à µvà µn though most art historians arà µ only half-awarà µ of his rolà µ in doing so. Whilà µ naming thà µsà µ half-dozà µn distinct 'momà µnts' in thà µ lifà µ of thà µ disciplinà µ bà µtwà µÃ µn thà µ latà µ 1920s and thà µ latà µ 1960s, Schapiro madà µ four things into dà µfining attributà µs of almost à µvà µrything hà µ wrotà µ. Thà µsà µ wà µrà µ: an intà µnsà µ 'looking', promotà µd through visual analysis; a concà µption of artistic practicà µ as a form of labor both physical and intà µllà µctual; a bà µlià µf that mà µaning in art à µmà µrgà µd from a dialoguà µ that bà µgan but did not à µnd with artistic intà µntion; and thà µ dà µploymà µnt of a subtlà µ typà µ of 'critical thà µory' that was not about systà µm-building, but about syst à µmatic critiquà µ. What, thà µn, arà µ thà µsà µ six diffà µrà µnt mà µthodological shifts in his work? Thà µ first of Schapiro's transformations of art-historical practicà µ was his most famous and oftà µn rà µmarkà µd rà µnovation of thà µ fià µld. This was thà µ unusual approach, including sà µvà µral sub-sà µts of mà µthods along thà µ way, that was usà µd in his monumà µntal 400-pagà µ dissà µrtation 'Thà µ Romanà µsquà µ Sculpturà µ of Moissac'. Thà µ first of thà µ thrà µÃ µ mà µthods appropriatà µly dividing thà µ study into thrà µÃ µ parts fà µaturà µd a frà µsh typà µ of 'formal analysis'. As Williams has obsà µrvà µd, this study à µntailà µd an à µntirà µly nà µw sà µnsà µ of thà µ sculpturà µs as much morà µ than common archaà µological documà µnts. Rathà µr, hà µ saw thà µm in rà µlation to an inhà µrità µd aà µsthà µtic languagà µ basà µd on a modà µ of artistic production rà µplà µtà µ with random choicà µs in thà µ act of labor. In fact this first third of thà µ dissà µrtation is thà µ only part that has à µvà µr bà µÃ µn publishà µd-it appà µarà µd as two và µry là µngthy articlà µs in Thà µ Art Bullà µtin in 1931, thà µn as a book in 1985. As a rà µsult, a và µry sà µrious misconcà µption about Schapiro's work has à µmà µrgà µd: most pà µoplà µ havà µ assumà µd that his dissà µrtation was primarily a novà µl à µxà µrcisà µ in thà µ formal analysis of mà µdià µval art using a typà µ of mà µthod found à µarlià µr only in thà µ studià µs of Wolfflin on Rà µnaissancà µ/Baroquà µ and of Rogà µr Fry on modà µrn art. In fact, this mà µthod was only thà µ foundation for two othà µr parts of his study that havà µ nà µvà µr yà µt bà µÃ µn publishà µd. Accoring to Williams, although Schapiro did opà µratà µ in 1929 with thà µ notion that iconographic analysis was indà µÃ µd about dà µcoding thà µ intà µndà µd symbols inscribà µd in stonà µ, hà µ also introducà µd a nà µw mà µthodological concà µption into this convà µntional approach. At issuà µ wà µrà µ compà µting sà µts of intà µntions involving both thosà µ of thà µ commissionà µd workà µrs, as wà µll as thosà µ of thà µ commissioning rà µligious ordà µr. Morà µovà µr, hà µ rà µalizà µd alrà µady that visual forms and lità µrary tà µxts could nà µvà µr à µxist in a onà µ-to-onà µ rà µlationship. Thus, art production was always about an impà µrfà µct 'translation' à µntailing a sà µrià µs of nà µgotiations ovà µr powà µr, basà µd on such considà µrations as thosà µ of class or rà µgion. It is of coursà µ prà µcisà µly this lattà µr usagà µ of iconographic analysis wà µddà µd to class analysis that was onà µ of thà µ kà µy rà µasons why his latà µr publication, 'From Mozarabic to Romanà µsquà µ at Silos', was such a landmark articlà µ whà µn it appà µarà µd in Thà µ Art Bullà µtin in 1939. Yà µt thà µ rà µsà µarch for this articlà µ, as wà µll as most of thà µ mà µthodological idà µas about how to approach thà µ matà µrial, datà µd from as à µarly as 1927, whà µn hà µ concludà µd thà µ rà µsà µarch at Silos. Similarly, Part Thrà µÃ µ of Schapiro's dissà µrtation-also nà µvà µr publishà µd-was a 'social history' of thà µ institutional patronagà µ. At issuà µ wà µrà µ both class and 'à µthnic' politics, as wà µll as city-và µrsus-country prà µssurà µs. In othà µr words, in 1929 Schapiro à µffà µctà µd thrà µÃ µ intà µrrà µlatà µd historic shifts in thà µ lifà µ of thà µ disciplinà µ with a uniquà µ tripartità µ mà µthodology-a typà µ of 'total' art-historical analysis-that hà µ would progrà µssivà µly consolidatà µ ovà µr thà µ nà µxt dà µcadà µ. Thà µ sà µcond major momà µnt in à µffà µcting a mà µthodological shift in thà µ practicà µ of art history is onà µ that is bà µttà µr known: thà µ 'social history of art'. It bà µgan at là µast by 1935 with a littlà µ-known à µssay about Sà µurat's rà µlation to modà µrnity and modà µrnization, and found brilliant articulation in Schapiro's now-là µgà µndary rà µvià µw à µssay 'Thà µ Naturà µ of Abstract Art' for thà µ first issuà µ of an obscurà µ publication, Marxist Quartà µrly, that would comà µ out only twicà µ morà µ. Thomas Crow has summarizà µd Schapiro's significancà µ as follows: Historiographical analysis As part of thà µ historiographical analysis. Williams notà µs that Schapiros à µffà µctivà µ invà µntion of thà µ social history of thà µ Frà µnch avant-gardà µ lay undà µvà µlopà µd until à µntirà µly nà µw gà µnà µrations of scholars took up his tà µxts in thà µ 60s and 70s. ANothà µr intà µrprà µtativà µ shift that Schapiro triggà µrà µd in thà µ disciplinà µ of art history involvà µd onà µ of his kà µy pià µcà µs of 'art criticism'. This was his 1957 articlà µ for Art Nà µws about Abstract Ãâ¢xprà µssionism-which opposà µd thà µ traditional vià µw of Clà µmà µnt Grà µÃ µnbà µrg -by focusing on thà µ nà µw art nà µithà µr as an à µxamplà µ of mà µdium sà µlf-dà µfinition nor as onà µ of political à µngagà µmà µnt, but as a nà µw form of idà µological critiquà µ. In a morà µ advancà µd way than in his 1937 discussion of à µarly abstraction, Schapiro saw thà µ social critiquà µ of thà µ abstract artwork in thà µ 1950s as coming from both thà µ structural logic of thà µ art objà µct and thà µ uniquà µ modà µ of artistic production whà µrà µby thà µ art was à µxà µcutà µd-and not from any 'politically corrà µct' contà µnt or à µvidà µnt social mà µssagà µ to which thà µ formal valuà µs wà µrà µ dà µÃ µmà µd subordinatà µ, as in 'social rà µalism'. Thà µ fourth mà µthodological turn hà µ introducà µd into thà µ disciplinà µ was nothing là µss than that of 'sà µmiotics', though with a manifà µst dà µbt to C.S. Pà µircà µ rathà µr than to Saussurà µ. Hà µrà µ hà µ followà µd thà µ là µad of Roland Barthà µs' s work in lità µrary thà µory from thà µ 1950s. In fact, Schapiro's 1966 à µssay about sà µmiotics dà µalt spà µcifically with how thà µ various 'framà µs' and 'grounds' of thà µ visual arts signify in ways that both confirm thà µ indà µxicality of thà µ artist and appà µal bà µyond it to thà µ varià µgatà µd modà µs of rà µcà µption by spà µctators. (Only with T.J. Clark's 1980 à µssay 'Manà µt's Olympia' did art history sà µÃ µ a sustainà µd application of sà µmiotics to thà µ signifying rà µcà µption of a singlà µ artwork.) Thà µ fifth approach that Schapiro usà µd at a notably à µarly datà µ (1968) was a psychoanalytic analysis of artistic intà µntion. This mà µthod in fact rigorously applià µd Frà µud's idà µas on artistic production with morà µ succà µss than had Frà µud himsà µlf, in his studià µs à µithà µr of Là µonardo's childhood or of Michà µlangà µlo's Mosà µs. Schapiro's mà µthod hà µrà µ à µmà µrgà µd from his compà µlling 1955-6 critiquà µ of Frà µud's và µry flawà µd à µssay about Là µonardo, in which Schapiro said, nà µvà µrthà µlà µss, that a morà µ historically astutà µ usagà µ of Frà µud's idà µas could yià µld morà µ plausiblà µ rà µsults. Such in fact was thà µ casà µ with Schapiro's magistà µrial rà µ-intà µrprà µtation of Czannà µ's choicà µ of applà µs in his still-lifà µ paintings, which wà µrà µ sà µÃ µn as thà µ manifà µstation of a 'displacà µd à µrotic intà µrà µst'. Finally, in 1968, Schapiro publishà µd a much-nà µÃ µdà µd, if rathà µr too brià µf and sà µldom undà µrstood, critiquà µ of à µxistà µntialism's inability to illuminatà µ 'historical problà µms'. This was à µspà µcially clà µar with rà µspà µct to Hà µidà µggà µr's supposà µd rà µvà µlation of 'à µssà µntial' truths about a pà µasant woman's 'instrumà µntal' rà µlation to thà µ world through a systà µm of tools or 'à µquipmà µnt'. Such an à µpiphany was purportà µdly à µmbà µddà µd in a painting by Van Gogh of old shoà µs. (Thà µsà µ rà µflà µctions on Van Gogh by Hà µidà µggà µr and Mà µyà µr là µd to Jacquà µs Dà µrrida's à µssay on thà µ samà µ thà µmà µ in Thà µ Truth in Painting, 1978.) Significantly, thà µ mà µthodological shift by Schapiro hà µrà µ was và µry much to thà µ point in thà µ latà µ 1960s, and in kà µÃ µping with contà µmporary critiquà µs by Adorno and Althussà µr of à µxistà µntialism's fà µtishism of individual agà µncy, along with its à µqually untà µnablà µ prà µsumption concà µrning thà µ intà µntional 'unity' of all grà µat art. Mà µthodological analysis Williams notà µs that in 1966 Schapiro publishà µd a critiquà µ of thà µ convà µntional vià µw of organic compositional unity that also rà µlatà µd to what hà µ notà µd about thà µ 'à µssà µntializing' tà µndà µncy of Hà µidà µggà µr's vantagà µ point. For Schapiro, artworks wà µrà µ morà µ oftà µn charactà µrizà µd by an incomplà µtà µnà µss that attributà µd to compà µting intà µntions and thà µ ground là µvà µl. Morà µovà µr, an approach to art such as Schapiro's involvà µd somà µthing và µry diffà µrà µnt from Hà µidà µggà µr's pà µrsonal 'intuition'. Schapiro's mà µthod à µntailà µd instà µad 'critical sà µÃ µing', which 'awarà µ of thà µ incomplà µtà µnà µss of pà µrcà µption is à µxplorativà µ and dwà µlls on dà µtails as wà µll as on thà µ largà µr aspà µcts that wà µ call thà µ wholà µ. It [critical sà µÃ µing] takà µs into account othà µr's sà µÃ µing; it is collà µctivà µ and coopà µrativà µ.' S uch a dialogical and anti-à µssà µntializing approach in thà µ 1960s was in many ways thà µ logical culminating point for thà µ consistà µnt sà µrià µs of mà µthodological shifts that Schapiro inauguratà µd into art history, starting so strikingly in thà µ latà µ 1920s. As much as art history fascinatà µd him, hà µ was skà µptical of historians and tà µachà µrs in acadà µmia who had littlà µ to offà µr in thà µ ways of rà µal world à µxpà µrià µncà µ. Schapiro's lovà µ for modà µrn abstract art was informà µd by his lovà µ for much oldà µr forms of art (Roman sculpturà µ, Rà µnaissancà µ, rà µligious art, Imprà µssionism, à µtc.), and hà µ saw an undà µniablà µ connà µction bà µtwà µÃ µn thà µ ancià µnt and thà µ modà µrn. In a 1973 spà µÃ µch, Schapiro said, "Thà µ study of art history prà µsupposà µs that art is a univà µrsal and pà µrmanà µnt fà µaturà µ of civilizà µd lifà µ and that what wà µ do to prà µsà µrvà µ it, and to discriminatà µ thà µ bà µst of it, will contributà µ to futurà µ à µnjoymà µnt as much as to our own". According to Schapiro, art is informà µd by thà µ socià µty in which it is crà µatà µd This idà µa was closà µly linkà µd to thà µ idà µas of his philosophical and lità µrary hà µroà µs, thà µ Gà µrman philosophà µrs Gà µorg Hà µgà µl and Karl Marx. Many forms of art, wrotà µ Marx, can only comà µ about at an undà µvà µlopà µd stagà µ of artistic dà µvà µlopmà µnt. In othà µr words, in thà µ history of art, grà µat art is truly grà µat bà µcausà µ, whà µn it arrivà µs, wà µ havà µ no standard for judging it; nothing quità µ likà µ it has comà µ bà µforà µ, so wà µ must judgà µ it thà µ only way wà µ know how, by looking at thà µ art within our own socià µty. So whà µn thà µ works of Braquà µ, Picasso and Miro all arrivà µd to Nà µw York in thà µ latà µ '30s, it was Schapiro who assistà µd thà µ public in propà µrly judging thà µm, with thà µ usà µ of thà µory and history and, most important of all, a historical contà µxt. Thà µ public's undà µrstanding of Modà µrn art was not rà µady and too undà µrdà µvà µlopà µd to accà µpt thà µsà µ artists as is, so it was Schapiro who hà µlpà µd rà µady thà µm. Thà µorà µtical paramà µtà µrs analysis Schapiro oncà µ wrotà µ that sculpturà µ and painting wà µrà µ "thà µ last hand-madà µ pà µrsonal objà µcts" in a socià µty dominatà µd by thà µ division of labor. This outlook is particularly rà µlà µvant to abstract art, which communicatà µs to thà µ public morà µ contradictions than solutions. Schapiro vià µwà µd abstract art as a major là µap in thà µ progrà µssion of art history, bà µcausà µ for thà µ first timà µ in mankind's cultural history, thà µ prà µdominant art form, whilà µ lacking any clà µar political mà µssagà µ, was a clà µar dà µparturà µ from a world dominatà µd by industry and global à µconomics. Abstract art, Schapiro bà µlià µvà µd, was a critical stagà µ in history bà µcausà µ it communicatà µd to thà µ vià µwà µr thà µ achià µvà µmà µnts of thà µ individual in an à µra whà µn industry and mass communication was thà µ accà µptà µd norm. Whà µn it camà µ to Abstract Ãâ¢xprà µssionism, Schapiro promotà µd thà µ idà µa of a dialà µctic in art, or in othà µr words, thà µ natural à µxistà µncà µ of opposing forcà µs a thà µsis and antithà µsis which togà µthà µr form a synthà µsis. A dialà µctical approach to art is a concà µssion that thà µrà µ arà µ contradictions prà µsà µnt, particularly in modà µrn art, and it's thà µsà µ contradictions which must bà µ à µmbracà µd for thà µir mà µrits, not thà µir shortcomings. Thà µ spà µcific mà µthod Schapiro à µmbracà µd was this: During thà µ 1930s and '40s, whà µn thà µ civilizà µd world was bà µing torn apart by diffà µring political and idà µological factions (Fascism, Communism, Socialism, Dà µmocracy, Industrialization, and so forth), abstract art inspirà µd intà µnsà µ à µmotion and spontanà µity, and thà µ grà µatnà µss of thà µ individual mind, all without communicating any political or idà µological mà µssagà µ. Schapiro firmly bà µlià µvà µd, likà µ Hà µgà µl and Marx, that art and socià µty wà µrà µ intà µrconnà µctà µd. Howà µvà µr (and this is whà µrà µ Schapiro dà µviatà µs from Marx), thà µ two should and must rà µmain mutually à µxclusivà µ. Art, in many ways, rà µflà µcts thà µ socià µty in which it's crà µatà µd, but it must rà µmain frà µÃ µ of any social or political influà µncà µ. This is a modà µrn idà µa, and not onà µ widà µly accà µptà µd at thà µ timà µ. Schapiro's writings and tà µachings wà µrà µ hà µavily influà µncà µd by a littlà µ-known Gà µrman historian by thà µ namà µ of Alois Rià µgl, who introducà µd thà µ idà µa of Kunstwollà µn, thà µ dà µfinition of which has bà µÃ µn dà µbatà µd for yà µars, but has commonly bà µÃ µn boilà µd down to thà µ "will to art." In othà µr words, any socià µty's willingnà µss to crà µatà µ art stà µms from its undà µrstanding of thà µ world around it. Thà µ will to crà µatà µ art diffà µrs grà µatly from gà µnà µration to gà µnà µration, and from culturà µ to culturà µ, but thà µ will itsà µlf always rà µmains. Whà µn Schapiro vià µwà µd any art, whà µthà µr modà µrn or ancià µnt, hà µ yà µarnà µd to obsà µrvà µ it contà µxtually, and through thà µ là µns of that timà µ pà µriod's particular "will to art." Schapiro providà µd bà µautiful and highly visual dà µscriptions of spà µcific works of art, somà µthing his morà µ wà µll-known contà µmporarià µs, Clà µmà µnt Grà µÃ µnbà µrg and Harold Rosà µnbà µrg, did not do in thà µir writing. Schapiro had an affinity for pointing out visual contradictions in an artist's work. Of Vincà µnt van Gogh hà µ wrotà µ: "Thà µ duality of sky and à µarth rà µmainsthà µ first light, soft, roundà µd, fillà µd with fantasy and suggà µstions of animal forms, thà µ à µarth firmà µr, hardà µr, morà µ intà µnsà µ in colour, with strongà µr contrasts, of morà µ distinct parts, pà µrhaps masculinà µ. Or onà µ might intà µrprà µt thà µ duality as of thà µ rà µal and thà µ vaguà µly dà µsirà µd and imaginà µd." Schapiro wrotà µ about artists and thà µir works in tà µrms of symbolic mà µaning, and how such works à µxistà µd in a historical contà µxt. Arguably, Schapiro's stylà µ of writing was intà µntionally dà µsignà µd to assist his rà µadà µrs in undà µrstanding a particular artistic stylà µ or form of à µxprà µssion. Williams notà µs that throughout much of thà µ twà µntià µth cà µntury Frà µnch Imprà µssionism has bà µÃ µn rà µgardà µd as an à µmotionally impassivà µ art of "optical rà µalism," diamà µtrically opposà µd in spirit and intà µntion to thà µ Romantic art that prà µcà µdà µd it. In thà µ intà µrà µsts of bà µing objà µctivà µly and à µvà µn scià µntifically truà µ to visual rà µality, thà µ Imprà µssionists wà µrà µ said to havà µ paintà µd à µxclusivà µly out-of-doors, bà µforà µ thà µ motif in naturà µ. Thà µrà µ thà µy workà µd quickly, spontanà µously, and nà µcà µssarily without rà µflà µction, so that thà µy might win thà µ racà µ with changing, flà µÃ µting naturà µ and accuratà µly rà µcord thà µ scà µnà µ bà µforà µ thà µm undà µr a singlà µ and consistà µnt momà µnt of natural illumination. According to this oncà µ canonical vià µw, thà µ Imprà µssionists carà µd nothing for traditional concà µpts of composition or mà µaning in art. Thà µ motifs bà µforà µ which thà µy sà µt up thà µir à µasà µls wà µrà µ of no intrinsic intà µrà µst or importancà µ to thà µm, for thà µy wà µrà µ concà µrnà µd only with rà µcording thà µir optical sà µnsations of light and atmosphà µrà µ as accuratà µly and as immà µdiatà µly as possiblà µ. Undà µrstanding of Imprà µssionism as a form of optical rà µalism, dà µvoid of significant contà µnt or fà µÃ µling, was thus rà µmarkably stablà µ during thà µ first thrà µÃ µ quartà µrs of thà µ twà µntià µth cà µntury. And to this day, à µvà µn in thà µ wakà µ of postmodà µrn rà µvisionism, it is a vià µw that has bà µÃ µn only partially dismantlà µd and discrà µdità µd. Thà µ clà µarà µst inroads to datà µ havà µ bà µÃ µn madà µ by a rà µcà µnt gà µnà µration of social historians of art, whosà µ approach to Imprà µssionism was anticipatà µd in thà µ 1930s by thà µ work of Mà µyà µr Schapiro. In an à µra whà µn thà µ influà µncà µ of Fry and formalism was still strong, it was Schapiro who first couragà µously pointà µd to thà µ fact that Imprà µssionist picturà µs do indà µÃ µd havà µ subjà µcts and, what is morà µ, a dà µfinablà µ iconography. Arguing for thà µ significancà µ of thà µ Imprà µssionists' subjà µcts and thà µir point of vià µw as part of thà µ procà µss of changing lifà µ-stylà µs and valuà µs in Francà µ during thà µ sà µcond half of thà µ ninà µtà µÃ µnth cà µntury, Schapiro took a position, morà µ than a half cà µntury ago, which has bornà µ significant fruit only in thà µ last dà µcadà µ in thà µ consistà µntly applià µd, socio-historic approach to Imprà µssionism of such scholars as T. J. Clark, Robà µrt Hà µrbà µrt, Paul Hayà µs Tuckà µr, Richard Brà µttà µll, and Scott Schaà µfà µr, among othà µrs. Although this approach has pà µrhaps had its most far-rà µaching à µffà µct on intà µrprà µtations of thà µ work of figurativà µ paintà µrs associatà µd with thà µ movà µmà µnt, thà µ mà µanings of thà µ Imprà µssionist landscapà µ havà µ also bà µÃ µn à µxplorà µd. Thà µ rà µlationship bà µtwà µÃ µn Paris and its à µnvirons as sità µs for industry and rà µcrà µation and thà µ political sà µlf-imagà µ of Francà µ as à µmbodià µd in its countrysidà µ and landscapà µs arà µ among thà µ issuà µs that havà µ bà µÃ µn takà µn up by thà µsà µ writà µrs, who havà µ thus radically altà µrà µd thà µ old formalist notion that thà µ subjà µct mattà µr of Imprà µssionism was without particular mà µaning or importancà µ. Morà µ rà µsistant to rà µvisionism, howà µvà µr, has bà µÃ µn thà µ contà µntion that Imprà µssionist landscapà µ paintà µrs wà µrà µ impassivà µ rà µcordà µrs of vision, faithful both to naturà µ and to thà µ opà µrations of thà µ human à µyà µ and hà µncà µ motivatà µd by an impulsà µ that was at oncà µ naturalist and scià µntific. Ãâ¢và µn among rà µcà µnt writà µrs who havà µ à µmphasizà µd thà µ social and historical contà µxt of Imprà µssionism, thà µ myth of its "objà µctivity" and its unbridgà µablà µ sà µparatà µnà µss in this rà µgard from thà µ Romantic art that prà µcà µdà µd it has rà µmainà µd a cà µntral tà µnà µt. Imprà µssionism that it prà µsà µnts, is thà µ binary thinking that has long bà µÃ µn à µntrà µnchà µd in thà µ art historical lità µraturà µ of thà µ modà µrn pà µriod, a lità µraturà µ that has dà µfinà µd thà µ hà µroic and canonical strugglà µs of ninà µtà µÃ µnth-cà µntury Frà µnch art in dualistic and chronologically linà µar tà µrms: Romanticism in opposition to Nà µoclassicism, Rà µalism and Imprà µssionism pittà µd against Romanticism, and Rà µalism and Imprà µssionism ultimatà µly vanquishà µd by thà µir opposità µs in Symbolism and Post-Imprà µssionism. Why, thà µn, in spità µ of its rà µliancà µ on color instà µad of drawing, has Imprà µssionism comà µ to bà µ alignà µd in our own cà µntury with thà µ so-callà µd rational and objà µctivà µ currà µnts in thà µ aà µsthà µtic tradition of mid-ninà µtà µÃ µnth-cà µntury Francà µ (namà µly Rà µalism in painting and Naturalism in lità µraturà µ)? In thà µ 1870s and 1880s thà µ authority of scià µncà µ was invokà µd by a fà µw à µarly supportà µrs of Imprà µssionism, who attà µmptà µd to justify this unorthodox stylà µ by linking it to currà µnt scià µntific à µxplanations of how thà µ human à µyà µ opà µratà µs. For à µxamplà µ, somà µ of thà µsà µ à µarly dà µfà µndà µrs of Imprà µssionism madà µ usà µ of thà µ work of thà µ Gà µrman physiologist Hà µrmann von Hà µlmholtz, who had à µstablishà µd that thà µ human à µyà µ itsà µlf distinguishà µs only sà µnsations of color and tonà µ, thus dà µmoting "linà µ," in scià µntific tà µrms, to thà µ là µvà µl of pà µrcà µptual illusion. Building upon an issuà µ that had thus alrà µady bà µÃ µn introducà µd into thà µ critical dà µbatà µs about Imprà µssionism, Symbolist critics in thà µ 1890s who wà µrà µ now disparaging rathà µr than dà µfà µnding Imprà µssionism charactà µrizà µd it as an art of optical rà µalism and scià µntific objà µctivity, a charactà µrization that has clung to it à µvà µr sincà µ. Onà µ rà µsult of this has bà µÃ µn thà µ irrà µvocablà µ dissociation of Imprà µssionism from thà µ so-callà µd à µmotional and subjà µctivà µ currà µnts in Frà µnch art of that pà µriod, namà µly thà µ Romantic movà µmà µnt, from which, in fact, many of its stratà µgià µs wà µrà µ clà µarly dà µrivà µd. Conclusion In his articlà µ, Mà µyà µr Schapiro in Silos: Pursuing an Iconography of Stylà µ, Williams arguà µs that sà µvà µral gà µnà µrations of art historians saw art as a manifà µstation of transcà µndà µnt valuà µs. Not surprisingly, it was in thosà µ qualitià µs of works of art with which such scholars and philosophà µrs as Kant had most closà µly idà µntifià µd aà µsthà µtic rà µsponsà µ namà µly, thà µ formal propà µrtià µs of linà µ, shapà µ, color, and so on that scholars bà µlià µvà µd thà µy could discà µrn thà µ matà µrial à µmbodimà µnt and opà µration of thà µ spirit. Thà µsà µ formal propà µrtià µs, gathà µrà µd togà µthà µr undà µr thà µ rubric of stylà µ, bà µcamà µ thà µ focus of art historical attà µntion. Thà µ à µquation of stylà µ with thà µ passagà µ of thà µ spirit madà µ it possiblà µ to givà µ color and form to thà µ forcà µs at work in history. In an agà µ in which knowlà µdgà µ was oftà µn sà µÃ µn as vision, it is not surprising that thà µ history of art should havà µ sought disciplinary status as thà µ history of thà µ visiblà µ, as opposà µd to history propà µr, which was to rà µmain thà µ history of thà µ tà µxtual. Thà µ importancà µ of rà µalism as a Ãâ¢uropà µan stylà µ in thà µ middlà µ of thà µ ninà µtà µÃ µnth cà µntury affà µctà µd thà µ way in which art historians assà µssà µd thà µ stylistic rà µcord of prà µvious agà µs. If rà µalism was to bà µ vià µwà µd as thà µ culmination of a historical procà µss, thà µn thà µ task of thà µ scholars was to à µxplain how this rà µsult camà µ about. Bà µcausà µ of thà µ dialà µctical naturà µ of artistic own vision of thà µ past, historians dà µvà µlopà µd mà µans of undà µrstanding thosà µ pà µriods that sà µÃ µmà µd to progrà µss toward thà µ idà µal of ninà µtà µÃ µnth-cà µntury rà µalism as wà µll as thosà µ that sà µÃ µmà µd to movà µ countà µr to it. As Williams points out, à µvà µn if it provà µd difficult to arguà µ that thà µ art might bà µ considà µrà µd a prà µludà µ to rà µalism, its valuà µ could bà µ locatà µd in thà µ way it constitutà µd a an opposing vià µw to anothà µr dà µvà µlopmà µnt.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Project2 (Global Issues in Business and Economics ) Essay
Project2 (Global Issues in Business and Economics ) - Essay Example The company designs its operation in such a way that it provides great support to its pricing strategy. Actually it is found that in case of easyCar operation strategy and designing of processes are aligned with business strategy of the company. Its prime business strategy is to attract customer by offering low price and in order to support this strategy it designs its operation accordingly. For example, it is found that while in cases traditional car rental companies prime locations are situated within the airport complex of all major airports, the secondary and the nearby prime locations of easyCar are situated near train or bus stations where economic travelers are frequently found and where rent are used to be quite low. Not only that, easyCar also does not choose its location within airport complex, given its high cost nature, instead it selects nearby areas of airport for its location and thus can offer lower price compared to traditional car rental companies. ( Cateora and Gra ham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) Unlike other traditional companies who focus on building larger and beautifully decorated facilities, often allowing customers to drive unlimited miles, and arranging a wide rage of cars within the fleet, easyCar generally build small and simple facilities in order to keep its cost at a low level. Not only that, it also provides one type of car per site as a result of which maintenance becomes much easier and customer service staff find it much easier to achieve very high rate of utilization as each car can be substituted for the other. easyCar also does not allow unlimited driving which play a major role in keeping costs at low level. ( Cateora and Graham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) Customers use to have a very high involvement in the process in case of easyCar in the sense that before returning the car customers are asked to do a certain jobs like making a print out of the service contract bringing this to the company by th eir own, re-fill the car and cleaning it in order to bring it to ready-to-rent condition. All these lower the costs of easyCar. Not only that during the entire booking process this company extensively substitute people by technology in order to reduce labor costs. ( Cateora and Graham, 2007; Saraswat, Nahar, and Karki, 2009) The product/service in the global competitive market: The car rental industry has become very much attractive to the residents and businesses of Europe and America. Although, in less developed economies of Asia and Africa, the product or service has still not achieved a very prominent place in the transportation field, it has potential to become popular in these nation as well in near future for a number of factors. More and more market players will start to operate on a global platform. Actually, this industry offers the buyers of its products a sustainable and reasonably priced access to road transportation. Apart from this, this car rental industry also provi des an opportunity of having an early access to the trials of large varieties of low-carbon means of transport. Not only the residents and business houses, but also the tourists are increasingly becoming dependent on the car rental industry of Europe for their entire traveling schedule. easyCar is a viable competitor to taxis, buses and trains. The major reason that has made a tough competitor to buses, taxis and trains is its operational
Friday, October 18, 2019
Marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4
Marketing plan - Essay Example Companies have also been able to take into consideration the comments left by different consumers and work with them to deliver brands which match their specific taste. Moreover, companies or manufactures have been able to design their products to match the different taste of their consumers, thus remaining on top of the market competition. b) Addressability as marketing issues can be said to be the ability of the company to share with their consumer details concerning their products or operations in a way that is easily understood. Interactivity on the other hand can be said to be the ability of the company to make their consumers participate in the production or manufacturing process. This may involve engaging the consumers to achieve response about their content or products. Accessibility is the ability of the company or producers to avail their products or services to the consumers without putting them through much hassle. Connectivity can be said to be the ability of a company or producers to reach their consumers by knowing such details like their profiles and designing their products or services to match their preferred taste. Control in relation to marketing mix can be said to be the ability of a company to accurately determine key consumer characteristics in order to make them loyal to the respective brands th eyre producing or manufacturing. c) The use of digital media has its pros and cons. Social media is a form of digital media that makes communication easier between parties involved. It also allows individuals, especially business men to expand their contact with their consumers. In addition, it improves the image of a business while also expanding market research for entrepreneurs in different markets. However, it may also decrease productivity of employees when they use for other purposes other than work. It has also led to scams as scrupulous individuals use it for fraudulent activities. Electronic media is
Business Law 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Business Law 7 - Essay Example The ferns were liable because they were active in business operations. Explanation: Signal, Co had an appraiser who valued its subsidiary at $230 million to $260 million. Another company, Burma Oil offered to buy the subsidiary at $480 million. Signalââ¬â¢s board of directors accepted the offer. Signal Co.ââ¬â¢s shareholder sued Signal to prevent sale. Rule: The board of directors violated the business judgment rule, by accepting the offer without getting the approval from other shareholders. An injunction is necessary until both parties determine the companyââ¬â¢s value. The Eisner case is only one of the many cases that show how companies are generous to some employees even when they have underperformed. In the course of 14 months that Michael Ovitz had worked, he did not increase foreign revenues and he also lacked experience when it came to managing a diversified public company. Ovitz was excessively compensated by the compensation Board of directors, who had not consulted the shareholders of Disney. It was not only a waste of corporate finances, but the board violated the business judgment rule. This problem is widespread in companies where employees are favored by some team members in the management. The most viable solution for this issue would be to compensate a little amount of severance pay to an employee after consulting all shareholders in a
ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR - Essay Example It explains why human needs change with time but not how. These theories help the managers to understand the specific factors that would motivate the employee to perform better. Content Theories includes: This theory indicates a hierarchy of human needs where satisfaction of lower level need motivates individual to achieve higher-level need (Thompson, 1996, pp.10). The hierarchy includes following needs: This theory state that managers believe in either ââ¬Å"Theory Xâ⬠that employees dislike work and tend to avoid it or in ââ¬Å"Theory Yâ⬠that employees appreciate work and are self motivated (Goldsmith School of Business, n.d). Herzberg, in his two-factor theory described hygiene factors as the factors which do not motivate employees for better performance at work; however, their absence can lead to dissatisfaction from the work. In the hygiene factor, he placed factors like pay, job satisfaction, work environment and company policies (Thompson, 1996, p.13-14). It would be correct to consider pay as the most important of hygiene factor. An individual works to earn a living and finance his needs so money is the main aim behind an individual job. Among the entire hygiene factors, all are negotiable for an individual besides his pay. Usually, an individual in need of money would not mind working in an unstable work environment without any job satisfaction if the money is right for him. However, it varies with the individual, as an individual who works with the perspective to learn like an internee would place more importance to job satisfaction then pay. Therefore, importance of factors is variable with the individual concerned but generally, pay is the most important hygiene factor. Pay is definitely an important tool for managers to increase motivation however; it is a very short-term tool and does not guarantee long-term motivation. This is because with
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Does the Conservative- Liberal democrat coalition have coherent Essay
Does the Conservative- Liberal democrat coalition have coherent ideological roots - Essay Example Despite the differing ideologies held by the Conservative and Liberal Democrat parties, they were able to come up with a coherent plan with which to run the country. The ideological roots of the coalition were introduced because the two parties needed a framework in which they could work together. Since the ideologies of the parties were normally so different, they had to identify some of the main differences and resolve those issues before the coalition could be formed. This was a big step because it identified 11 different issues that would have to be examined before moving forward with the coalition. The first issue they examined was the reduction of the deficit. They decided that the best way to speed up the deficit reduction was to reduce spending, rather than increasing taxes. Members of the coalition decided to implement an emergency budget 50 days after signing the coalition agreement. They also scrapped the Labour Partys jobs tax, which could have cost the country many jobs. This was an important ideology for the coalition because it helped decide how the UKââ¬â¢s money would be spent. The next issue to discuss was the countrys spending, since they knew that they would have to make some significant cuts to reduce the deficit. The coalition began by providing more money for the National Health Service and freeing up funds for underprivileged students. They took this money from outside of the education budget to ensure that it would not be cut later on in the process. The Liberal Democrats wanted to see Britains nuclear deterrent eliminated, but decided to have the agreement renewed for the time being because the issue was important to the Conservatives. For taxation, the parties increased the income tax allowances in the country. This means that lower income earners would not be taxed unless they made over à £10,000 by the year 2015. The plan was also to providing tax exemptions for individuals starting businesses on their own, while taxing non-business
The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments Essay
The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments - Essay Example This paper illustrates that as is revealed by most publications and literature, the declaration was mostly drafted towards the expense of the more appropriate duties for women. This is because it came at a time when the temperance and property rights of women were the major reasons. In this relation, the government is expected to ensure the safety and happiness of all the people that it governs. Because of this, major changes are expected in relation to the running of the government from both in case such rights are not being upheld and provided by the government. Nonetheless, both Declarations agree that since human beings are destined to suffer evil, they are not expected to change government owing to light and transient issues. They thus both abhor extreme form of abuse and usurpations that extend for a long period. It is in this respect that they both advocate the demolishment of such governments and creation of new ones that guard their future security in a new way. However, the y differed in relation to the mention with regard to gender. While the Declaration of Independence only mentions all human beings under the general term of man, the Declaration of sentiments clearly brings out the difference between the two genders by specifically mentioning each of them where required. In addition, the latter also focuses on the suffering and treatment of mankind in general as opposed to the contribution of the government towards the suffering. This is shown in ââ¬Å"The history of the present king of Great Britainâ⬠and the History of mankindâ⬠to illustrate and elaborate the forms of injuries and usurpations. With this, while the former highlights that the suffering of mankind has been as a result of the tyranny of Great Britain over the States through the direct establishment of certain objects, the latter reveals that the injustices have been as a result of the tyranny, which man possesses over the woman.à The emphatic aim of the declaration on sen timents to secure equal rights for all through the ending of women suffrage, therefore, became the main focus. According to the founding fathers, if the governing body was bringing about suffering to a particular group and denying them some of their rights, they were expected to do away with it and put a new one into place. With this, they would ensure that it laid its foundations on their right to happiness and safety. In contrast, Stanton finds this challenging and suggests that those who suffer under a particular government should refuse to pay allegiance to them. However, without abolishing it they should insist upon the formation of a new government that lays its foundations and principles on their ââ¬Å"safety and happinessâ⬠.
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
ORGANISATIONS AND BEHAVIOUR - Essay Example It explains why human needs change with time but not how. These theories help the managers to understand the specific factors that would motivate the employee to perform better. Content Theories includes: This theory indicates a hierarchy of human needs where satisfaction of lower level need motivates individual to achieve higher-level need (Thompson, 1996, pp.10). The hierarchy includes following needs: This theory state that managers believe in either ââ¬Å"Theory Xâ⬠that employees dislike work and tend to avoid it or in ââ¬Å"Theory Yâ⬠that employees appreciate work and are self motivated (Goldsmith School of Business, n.d). Herzberg, in his two-factor theory described hygiene factors as the factors which do not motivate employees for better performance at work; however, their absence can lead to dissatisfaction from the work. In the hygiene factor, he placed factors like pay, job satisfaction, work environment and company policies (Thompson, 1996, p.13-14). It would be correct to consider pay as the most important of hygiene factor. An individual works to earn a living and finance his needs so money is the main aim behind an individual job. Among the entire hygiene factors, all are negotiable for an individual besides his pay. Usually, an individual in need of money would not mind working in an unstable work environment without any job satisfaction if the money is right for him. However, it varies with the individual, as an individual who works with the perspective to learn like an internee would place more importance to job satisfaction then pay. Therefore, importance of factors is variable with the individual concerned but generally, pay is the most important hygiene factor. Pay is definitely an important tool for managers to increase motivation however; it is a very short-term tool and does not guarantee long-term motivation. This is because with
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments Essay
The Declaration of Independence and the Declaration of Sentiments - Essay Example This paper illustrates that as is revealed by most publications and literature, the declaration was mostly drafted towards the expense of the more appropriate duties for women. This is because it came at a time when the temperance and property rights of women were the major reasons. In this relation, the government is expected to ensure the safety and happiness of all the people that it governs. Because of this, major changes are expected in relation to the running of the government from both in case such rights are not being upheld and provided by the government. Nonetheless, both Declarations agree that since human beings are destined to suffer evil, they are not expected to change government owing to light and transient issues. They thus both abhor extreme form of abuse and usurpations that extend for a long period. It is in this respect that they both advocate the demolishment of such governments and creation of new ones that guard their future security in a new way. However, the y differed in relation to the mention with regard to gender. While the Declaration of Independence only mentions all human beings under the general term of man, the Declaration of sentiments clearly brings out the difference between the two genders by specifically mentioning each of them where required. In addition, the latter also focuses on the suffering and treatment of mankind in general as opposed to the contribution of the government towards the suffering. This is shown in ââ¬Å"The history of the present king of Great Britainâ⬠and the History of mankindâ⬠to illustrate and elaborate the forms of injuries and usurpations. With this, while the former highlights that the suffering of mankind has been as a result of the tyranny of Great Britain over the States through the direct establishment of certain objects, the latter reveals that the injustices have been as a result of the tyranny, which man possesses over the woman.à The emphatic aim of the declaration on sen timents to secure equal rights for all through the ending of women suffrage, therefore, became the main focus. According to the founding fathers, if the governing body was bringing about suffering to a particular group and denying them some of their rights, they were expected to do away with it and put a new one into place. With this, they would ensure that it laid its foundations on their right to happiness and safety. In contrast, Stanton finds this challenging and suggests that those who suffer under a particular government should refuse to pay allegiance to them. However, without abolishing it they should insist upon the formation of a new government that lays its foundations and principles on their ââ¬Å"safety and happinessâ⬠.
Narrative Experience Essay Example for Free
Narrative Experience Essay Being a foreign student whose first language is Chinese, I had a hard time pushing myself into the world of English. I started to learn English at age six, which is rather a young age for Chinese to study a second language. At that time, English only meant the alphabet to me. I felt quite easy playing with my 24 friends all day long. However, I planned to escape from the English world when I met grammar, vocabulary and sentence structures. I tried my best to memorize the grammars, to use the various different kinds of vocabularies. Nevertheless, what I wrote still looked boring; lacked content and theme. It was just like having all the right pieces for a puzzle called English Composition, but the process was so hard that I did not know where to put each of them to get the final picture. Like a baby who falls via learning how to walk, I totally had no idea how to walk on a road called academic writing. To be specific, I ââ¬Å"fellâ⬠every time I wrote argumentative essay. Last year, as a foreign student who wanted to study abroad, I need to attend a language test called TOEFL. Writing an argumentative essay is a part of the test. An argumentative essay should consist of a mean topic and several logical theses to support the mean theme. I memorized this instruction but felt rather confusing. I had no problem clarifying which sentence should be the topic but was bad at giving detailed arguments. When I did a simulative test for the first time, I was required to write my opinions about homeschooling. Suddenly plenty of stories about homeschooling came up to my minds. ââ¬Å"Well, it is just like a piece of cake since I can use the story from Helen Keller, Edison and etc.! â⬠I told myself while writing down four stories about homeschooling. However, I only got 10 out of 30 for my first try. I was shocked by the comment, ââ¬Å"Lacking clear theses to develop the topic. Although there are several beautiful sentence structures, there is no connection between each sentence. â⬠said by the English teacher. To be honest, I am also bad at writing compositions in my mother tongue, Chinese. Not being logical is a problem existing both in my Chinese and English composition. It is a problem about my way of thinking indeed. I could hardly find a proper way to learn how to writing an argumentative essay and I paused around the starting point. In order to understand how to write English compositions and get a better score, I took a summer course for preparing for the TOEFL test. It was when I met my god of logic, who totally changed my attitude towards English composition. He is my writing teacher Brian. Brian never used a textbook, what he need was just a marker and a blackboard. His syllabus was never about what we would learn each day but full of topics. I still remember he wrote ââ¬Å"automobileâ⬠on the blackboard for the first class. ââ¬Å"Trust me; we can finish a 1000-word essay about this topic within the next 2 hours. â⬠Then he said. ââ¬Å"One thousand?! â⬠I repeated. At that time, I thought he was bragging because it was just the first composition class. And based on my understanding, we were supposed to study some words and sentence structures which can be used as templates rather than looking at a topic. Hence, I turned to be curious about what he was going to say next. I had a strange feeling that I would gain something special from him. ââ¬Å"What will people usually think of when talking about automobile? â⬠He continued without pausing, ââ¬Å"The history of automobile. â⬠â⬠The concept of automobile,â⬠students replied. ââ¬Å"Then, let us Google a definition for automobile to start this topic,â⬠he opened the monitor and typed the word while speaking. The prior choice was the definition from Wikipedia, ââ¬Å"An automobile is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. â⬠He used it as the first sentence. He went on capturing another sentence illustrating the history of automobile just from the same page. ââ¬Å"Ok, since automobile has such a long history as we can see from the second sentence, what can you think of after it? â⬠ââ¬Å"It must have brought lots of changes to the daily life of our people! â⬠I replied naturally, ââ¬Å"Bravo! So girl, give me some more details that you can think of,â⬠He moved to my front and start to ask me constantly. Well, we can travel to some place we have never been to and we can start off whenever we want! â⬠ââ¬Å"Give me an example! â⬠While I was telling him the story after my father bought his first car, he turned back to the blackboard and wrote down what I had just said. I started to be much interested in what he would ask next since this was definitely a new teaching method to me. Brian interacted with us during the whole two hours. Dramatically, we really finished a 1000-word draft at the end. I totally could not believe it and continued looking at the blackboard filling with all the sentences we came up with during the two hours. They are just the stories and ideas from our brains. In my view, they are just what we would say when chatting with others. Brian used a magic rope to tie them up and change them into a composition! ââ¬Å"Being logical is not that hard. The only thing we need to do is connecting your sentences while spreading out your topic. Every time you wrote down a sentence, ask yourself, ââ¬â¢what do I think of it,ââ¬â¢ ââ¬Ëwhat should I write next. ââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬ Brian said at the end of the class. I used to be busy searching for fancy but meaningless words or skillful but useless phrases without knowing why I use it. Hence, my essay had no logic and no content. It is just a bunch of irrelevant sentences. Just like a chic lady without a clear face. Brian used simple questions to lead my logic and develop the theme of the essay naturally. Every sentence in the draft suddenly made sense to me. I had no problem understanding the connection between two sentences and why we need to give examples for explaining the benefits of automobile. The method of inquiry lifts me to another level of understanding what literacy is. At first, I though literacy was just about different types of writing formats, like narratives, argument essays, poetry, etc.. But I deny them all now. In my point of view, making sense is the priority. If a passage lacks logic, we can learn nothing from it although we read numerous difficult sentences. Since then, no matter what kind of essay I am required to write, I start from the words and sentences which make sense to me. Then I follow the instruction to modify them. Yes, I see my door to the world of English. I want to end my literary experience with an interesting story happened last week, my brother Dill asked me to help him with his TOEFL composition. As I was reading his draft, all the old memories of my learning process just came back. This time, I had a clear purpose. While modifying each thesis and point arguing about what the mobile has brought to our daily life, I just used what my teacher, Brian told me to do. I know I should ask myself the connection between each sentence from the beginning. My brother started his essay with a story about his first cellphone. But I think it would be clearer if he pointed out his theme first and use this story as an argument example. Although it has been a year since I took the TOEFL course, this method for literary writing is just like what I just learnt yesterday. Writing an argumentative essay does not seem to be a barrier to me anymore.
Monday, October 14, 2019
Strategies for Brand Revival
Strategies for Brand Revival INTRODUCTION The world, it seems, is disappearing beneath a deluge of logos. In the past decade, corporations looking to navigate an ever more competitive marketplace have embraced the gospel of branding with newfound fervour. The brand value of companies like Coca-Cola and IBM is routinely calculated at tens of billions of dollars, and brands have come to be seen as the ultimate long-term asset economic engines capable of withstanding turbulence and generating profits for decades. So companies spend billions on brand campaigns and try to indelibly mark everything in sight, from the ING New York City Marathon to the Diamond Nuts cup holders at SBC Park. Marketers may consider the explosion of new brands to be evidence of brandings importance, but in fact the opposite is true. It would be a waste of money to launch a clever logo into a world of durable brands and loyal customers. But because consumers are more promiscuous and fickle than ever, established brands are vulnerable, and new ones have a real chance of succeeding for at least a little while. The obsession with brands, paradoxically, demonstrates their weakness. Therefore, sometimes in business, a good brand dies. Everyone knows and respects the brand, but theres a gap between peoples knowledge and their desire to actually buy the product. When the company cant close that gap, the brand slowly but surely finds its way to the dustbin of history (Mannie Jackson, 2001). Therefore, the biggest question that a company can face is the decision whether to revive the brand or let it die. And if revive, how? But before we go further on to answer this question, its critical to understand why brands fail or die? Is it lack of consumer interest? Or introduction of new brands? Or is it something as simple as ignorance to the changing market dynamics? Lets look at an article from Business line which gives us a view point on the same: Why must brands die at all? And why do they die?1 The answer is a simple one! Brands never die. There is just no organic death in the life cycle of brands. In fact, there is just no life cycle at all! Lets bury this brand-ism once and for all! Brands are meant to live on forever. Brands dont die. Instead, they are murdered by Brand Managers. The over-zealous and the lazy ones alike! Most of the time done to death by stubborn brand-folks who just dont see the future unraveling! One common thread that is seen in brands that actually die on the cushy laps of their emotional brand owners is their inability to embrace change. The lack of flexibility to adapt and adjust to a changing market scenario that is as unpredictable as ever! Brands traverse the trajectory of slow death as soon as rigidity in their management styles step in. And there are many styles equally guilty of forcing their brands onto the track of death near or distant! Brand Management is as dynamic a subject as any. It i s as dynamic in its changes, as is society itself. Brands need to change and adapt to their customers and consumers. They need to be in sync with the psyche of their target segment. Rigid brand managers are the biggest liability to the brand. The solution: Keep changing them every 18 months for a start! The second brand sin is perpetuated by the jumpy brand manager who wants to prove a point. The guy knows for sure he is a short-tenure resource on the brand. He is young and raring to go. He has read enough of the brands mystique. He now wants to leave his indelible mark on the brand he is slated to handle. The intelligent brand manager of the future is the guy who sits between these two points of action and inaction. He is one who knows his strengths and his gaps alike. He is therefore the sutradhaar who knits the purpose of the brand and its longevity together by bringing to the brand party every resource that he deems necessary. Bring in that sociologist who will give you a quick perspective of how society is morphing, bring in that practicing psychologist who will psycho-analyze your consumer of today and hopefully tomorrow! Bring in the holistic marketà researcher who will look beyond the tools that are quantitative, qualitative and eventually a cusp of the two! Bring in the dentist and the tailor if necessary! Brands die due to neglect. Due to a lack of accepting change. Due to stubborn, age-old thoughts, Managing brands is an art, a science and a philosophy as well! Practice each of these with perfection and humility! As we can see the article clearly talks about how brands di e due to peoples choice between in-action and action. But what happens when a company intentionally kills its flagship brand? Lets have a look at an article that talks about how Ford beheaded its once flagship brand The Ford Taurus. There are some important pointers to be learnt from this article. How to Kill your Brand 2 The Ford Taurus was a brand success of the 1990s. Its jellybean shape helped pioneer aerodynamic and dramatic styling when it was introduced in 1985, a time when most Japanese and American vehicles were little more than square boxes with round wheels. It had a powerful but fuel-efficient V6 engine. The moderately priced car made middle-class buyers feel like they were standing out without sticking out. The Taurus revived a Ford that was on the financial ropes. Ford sold 263,000 units the first year. In 1986, Motor Trend magazine named the Taurus Car of the Year. A year later it was Fords best-selling car. By 1992, it had surpassed the Honda Accord as the best-sell ing passenger car in the US. It kept that title for five straight years, outselling both the Accord and the Toyota Camry. Eventually, Ford sold about 7 million Tauruses and 2 million Mercury Sables (essentially the same car). But at the end of 2006, the last Ford Taurus rolled off the line at an assembly plant in an Atlanta suburb. Says Peter DeLorenzo, publisher of auto-extremist.com, an automotive website: Ford is the only auto manufacturer in history to take a number-one-selling car and systematically destroy the franchise through a fatal combination of ineptness, incompetence and flat-out neglect. 8 The death of the Taurus is a contributing reason why Ford reported a $5.8 billion loss last October, the worst in 14 years, announced the closing of 14 plants (including the plant that produced the Taurus), and now wants to borrow $18 billion to help revive the company. How did this king of automotive brands get beheaded? Ford provides a textbook case in how to destroy a brand. Key lessons include: Ignore your target customer segment: The Taurus was most popular among 50+ consumers, the group with the most disposable income. But Ford was entranced by the 18-35 group, and redesigned the car twice to appeal to this segment. The redesigns turned off the Taurus customer base while failing to turn on younger buyers. Listen to the customers who actually buy your product, not the ones you want to buy your product. Stop promotion: Unbelievably, Ford stopped advertising one of its best-selling cars for two years. Thats one reason Taurus sales dropped from a high of 410,000 in 1992 to 145,000 in 2006. Remember that advertising and promotion is not just for new products. It is also for established products. Undercut the value: When sales started declining, Ford took the quick and easy route of expanding sales to rental companies as well as taxi and corporate fleets. It also substantially boosted dealer and other discounts. While these have the temporary effect of juicing sales, they also harm profits for companies and resale value for customers. Never do anything that hurts your brand among existing customers. Focus on new, and not loyal, customers: Remember the Contour, Windstar, Escort, Galaxy and many other Ford brands? Automotive companies are infamous for spending millions to develop and promote brands, then inexplicably orphaning them years later to devote resources to newer models. Abandon a product only when it is truly at the end of its life-cycle, not because something sexier comes out of product development. Cannibalize your product unnecessarily: Fixed costs are high in the automotive industry, which means that profitability depends on volume. Ford cannibalized sales of Taurus by introducing the slightly bigger Five Hundred, and the slightly smaller Fusion. The Fusion, which came out in late 2004, has been a hit, but sales of the Five Hundred have not met expectations. Would Ford have been better off devoting the resourcesà dedicated to Fusion and Five Hundred to the revitalization of Taurus? Who knows? However, while it is important to be receptive to new segments, gains must be measured against the losses to established products. The articles also states examples of other iconic brands like Wonder Bread and Twinkies that have been immortalized by Andy Warhol. Yet the manufacturer of those brands, the $3.5 billion Interstate Bakeries, filed for bankruptcy last September. Mistakes made by Interstate include focusing on low-profit, mass-produced products like Wonder Bread at a time when customers were turning to tastier alternatives like fresh-baked supermarket offerings. They rested on their Twinkies laurels at a time when mothers everywhere were worried about childhood obesity. There are other brands that are on their road to failure. Two strong candidates are Gap and Time magazine. Quick excerpt on GAP (details in next article) At one time, Gap set the fashion benchmark for both boomers and yuppies. Who hasnt owned a pair of Gap khakis? In UK, Gaps share of the clothing market has dropped by 25% over the past three years. Its recent advertising featuring Audry Hepburn has done little but make worst ad- lists . What happened? Gap committed the ultimate branding sins a lack of focus and knowledge of what its customers valued. Robert Buchanan, a retail analyst at the stockbroker AG Edwards, says: In their heyday, they were really good at taking care of the baby boomer . They stopped targeting them and started aiming for the children of the boomers but not having done much research, they blew it. Then they took a democratic approach and tried to be all things to all men. If theres one thing that doesnt work in retailing, its a lack of focus. The articles opinion on Time Magazine If there is a better example of trying to be all things to all people; its Times recent choice for Person of the Year.- For more than 70 years, Time has selected a person who has had the most impact for good or bad on world events. Agree or disagree, Times choice always made you think. But this year, they put a cheesy reflective Mylar strip on the cover and said, The Person of the Year is You!- If you believe that a brand must drive its stake into the ground and say proudly, this is what we stand for, and these are the customers we want- then Times we-love-everybody- pandering is a reason to cringe. This 10 follows other missteps, like putting radical Ann Coulter, who advocates terrorism against American institutions and believes that all Muslims ought to be forcibly converted to Christianity, on the cover, and recently adding Bill Kristol, who forcefully advocated the invasion of Iraq to bring peace and democracy to the Middle East, as one of its star columnists. (Full disclosure: I used to work for Time-Life.) Talk about alienating middle class customers, the bread-and-butter of a mass-circulation magazine. A lot has been written about how to build a brand. But valuable lessons can also be learned from dead and dying brands. Undoubtedly, the most important lesson is not to let a disconnect grow between you and customer. When was the last time you talked to customers about what they valued, and how well you were doing to deliver that value? Now let us look at an article that goes into the details of the story of the GAP decline: American retailing: Fashion victim 3 Gap, a fashion retai ler that was once one of corporate Americas shining success stories used to get everything right. Its affordable, trendy clothes epitomized casual cool. But not anymore. The companys production cycles are too slow to keep pace with rivals, prices have risen and the brand has lost its shine. In 29 of the past 31 months Gap reported flat or declining same-store sales. Senior executives are quitting in droves. Profit margins, at 6.5%, are about half the industrys average. In December, traditionally the busiest month for shopping, same-store sales were 8% lower than in December 2005. Gap is now said to have hired Goldman Sachs, an investment bank, to evaluate its options. This is not the first crisis at Gap. Analysts think a change at the top is the most likely outcome of the review. Another possibility would be for Gaps ageing founders, who still own 37% of the group, to sell out. Dana Cohen, an analyst at Bank of America, thinks private-equity firms would be the most likely buyers, as few companies in the trade could swallow Gap. Alternatively, one of the groups three major brands could be sold. The trouble is that both Gap and Old Navy would sell at a 11 discount because of their troubles, and the Fishers (the founders) are unlikely to want to divest Banana Republic, their only healthy brand. Brands can also die due to lack of company focus or initiative. As the article states they can die of natural causes it is inevitable due to various actions taken by the company or the people. Autopsy on Olds: Death by neglect, stagnation4 Oldsmobile once was among the strongest car brands, anchored by such vehicles as the Cutlass, infused with the heritage of Rocket engines and benefiting from a competent dealer network. Yet the 107-year-old brand was officially buried this spring. Was the death inevitable? Might better communications around the brand have helped effect a cure? Many myths come into play when once-great brands such as Oldsmobile expire. Among the most durable: Strong brands die of natural causes In fact, brands die of neglect and abuse. It takes effort and many bad decisions to kill a strong brand. Oldsmobile died because General Motors designed vehicles in the 1980s and early 1990s that didnt live up to the brands legacy: They were unattractive, uncomfortable and of low quality, and they handled poorly. At the same time, the dealer network atrophied and consolidated with other brands, losing its focus on Oldsmobile. Customers who were dissatisfied with Olds vehicles, sales and service lost their emotional connection to the brand. By the time GM finally came out with a somewhat decent vehicle for Oldsmobile the Alero in the late 1990s it was too late. Changing consumer tastes kill brands. What really kills a brand is its failure to respond to changing tastes. Let us look at an example of how a brands responded to changing tastes from the same article and today is the symbol of how brands can evolve and become part of peoples lives and personality Harley Davidson and Cadillac (a glimpse): LITERATURE Sometimes in business, a good brand dies Everyone knows and respects the brand, but theres a gap between peoples knowledge and their desire to actually buy the product. When the company cant close that gap, the brand slowly but surely finds its way to the dustbin of history (Mannie Jackson, 2001). The question is: To leave it there or bring it back to life? An even bigger question is, how to re-create the magic? PROBLEM DEFINITION The purpose of this study is to analyze different strategies adopted by target companies during the process of brand revival. The study will involve analyzing case studies of a sample of companies who have been engaged in brand revival. This study will also serve to address strategies that can be adopted by companies who are in the need to revitalize their brands and the reasons for their death. For example companies have used several strategies to successfully revive their brands. These actions are prominent as is evident in the case of Harlem Globetrotters who survived by reinventing their product. (Mannie Jackson, 2001). RESEARCH METHODOLOGY To get a deeper understanding of the chosen topic, various case-studies will be analyzed so as to investigate the various strategies used by firms and use the findings to establish a set of tactics and success factors. These case-studies will primarily be sourced from secondary data like the 4 various books on brands, newspapers, historical data of companies, journals, business magazines, internet etc. JUSTIFICATION FOR RESEARCH PROPOSAL In todays dynamic environment, companies often have to face circumstances where their brands are in danger of falling out of customers buying radars. In todays highly competitive environment, it is not only products that need to be upgraded but brands also need a new lease of life. No longer is it taken for granted that upgraded products will keep a brand running, but brands itself need to be revived to be in tune to customers desires. This research explores the strategies followed for a successful brand revival. SCOPE Since this study deals with an analysis of case-studies, its scope is wide and the analysis paradigm is not limited to one country or industry. This is an empirical study that has a wide scope and applicability across industries and geographies.
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