Monday, September 30, 2019

Coursework The Great Experiment

Feynman leaned back in his expensive vintage leather chair brought over from his home in Huston Texas. He knew it had been an indulgence even mildly pompous but he was about to solve the question of life and he figured he could afford some indulgence. He looked over his left shoulder out through a huge custom built glass screen along the whole left wall of his office at his magnificent baby. This was no ordinary baby. His baby had taken 20 years and 4. 5 billion dollars to come into life and yesterday it had. It had been with great pride that he had finally thrown the switch that had started its working life. A lot of critics and flat earthers had expressed deep set opposition to the world's greatest and most expensive experiment. But Feynman himself had no doubts whatsoever; he had won a Nobel Prize for the theory behind the experiment and had managed its construction from the start. If there was a problem he would have known and he had every confidence in not only his own work but also the combined intellect of thousands of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians. The project had attracted the crime de la crime of the world's best. He looked again through his panoramic glass wall at the machine itself, In fact he was only looking at one critical part of the machine. Alice was the name given to the huge Atlas detector that was the heart of the machine and the project. Its purpose was nothing less than to answer the question why do we have mass? It would finally prove there was no God. The only God Feynman believed in was Physics and higher maths. His 46 meter seven thousand ton Alice was to him a beautiful construction. The collider itself of which Alice was merely only a part stretched out over 26 kilometres running in a circle underneath the border between Switzerland and France at a depth of 100 meters. Like a giant hidden crop circle the machine was the biggest of its kind anywhere in the world. The complexity of the machine was incredible, millions of wires each vital stretched into the distance, thousands of components melded together in this creation of all creations. But it was mans creation, Feynman's creation. His very own version of intelligent design. The concept that the creationists had for so long held onto. Feynman looked down at the first data reserved for his eyes only. He was the only man that knew , he would have to tell them. His heart rate quickened, he began to sweat, he began to feel a rising bile, he began to realise what he had done, what they had done. There had always been a theoretical possibility of course but it always had seemed so ridiculous. The maths just didn't work. Feynman and his team had laughed about it over the years but it was no laughing matter now. The popular press had called their search, the search for the God particle. They had found that sure enough. But it was no loving God, this god wasn't going to solve our problems, answer our questions offer an everlasting afterlife. Feynman knew the tiny subatomic black hole would grow from something so small, so infinitesimally tiny it couldn't be seen with a microscope to something that, in time would devour everything. Every forest, every house, every school, man woman and child would all go. Every particle that made this world this existence, this life would go. Not now, not tomorrow but in time and it was starting now. He had to tell them.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Skin Sensitivity

Block 5 Skin Sensitivity Lab Hypothesis: The fingertips will be the most sensitive because they are used the most for touching things all of the time. The area that will be the least sensitive is the shins because we are constantly bumping into things with our shins so they need to be less sensitive to pain. Data: TEST |Index Finger Tip | Thumb | Palm | Back of Hand | Forearm (inside) | Fore- head | Nose | Back of Neck |Shin | |1 probe |+ |+ |+ |+ |- |- |+ |- |- | |1 mm |+ |- |+ |+ |+ |- |+ |+ |- | |3 mm |+ |+ |+ |+ |- |+ |+ |+ |+ | |5 mm |+ |+ |+ |- |+ |+ |+ |+ |+ | |10 mm |+ |+ |+ |+ |- |- |+ |- |+ | |TOTALS |5 |4 |5 |4 |2 |2 |5 |3 |3 | |CLASS AVG |4. 3 |4. 0 |3. 3 |2. 8 |3. 0 |2. 9 |3. 0 |3. 0 |2. 9 | | Conclusion: The most sensitive areas of my body were my fingertips, palm, and nose. The least sensitive areas of my body were my forearm and forehead.This partly supported my hypothesis because the fingertips were among the most sensitive but my shins were not the least sensitive. My results were fairly close to the rest of the class. The only two areas that were more than a point apart between my data and the class average were my palms and my nose. These areas were more sensitive to me than the rest of the class. Some areas might be more sensitive because they are involved with touching and bumping into things than others. For example my fingertips were far more sensitive than y forearms because I use them to touch things all the time and the touch receptors are more dense in them. It makes sense that touch receptors are more dense in areas that are involved in more touching than others. In places where a lot of bumping into things occurs such as the shins, touch receptors would be less dense because you wouldn't want to feel all that pain all the time. Meissner’s corpuscles are light touch receptors in the skin which are prone to touch sensitivity.They are located just under the epidermis, which makes sense because they are closer to the outside so they can be more sensitive to light touch. Pacinian corpuscles are touch receptors located deeper in the dermis in the skin that respond to touch and pressure. They are good for feeling rough surfaces and determining vibration. The location of these receptors are deeper in the skin because they are designed to feel pressure so when something pushes down on the skin they can respond.The homunculus diagram is showing how the human body would be built if it was in proportion to the amount of sensory and motor brain power needed to control each part. The hands and mouth are bigger because they require more brain power to control. In the somatosensory cortex diagram the mouth and hands are also bigger which might explain why the skin in both of these areas is more sensitive than in other parts of the body. In both diagrams the bigger body parts require more control from the brain and have more sensitive skin.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

International Marketing and Business Operations Essay - 1

International Marketing and Business Operations - Essay Example The GDP of Hong Kong was recorded at $369.4 billion and it showed a 5 year compound annual growth of 2.5%. The picture above shows some of the factors which have contributed to making Hong Kong number 1 in the world in the economic freedom index (The Heritage Foundation, 2014). It has fiscal freedom, regulatory efficiency, market openness and rule of law, making it the perfect place for direct investment. This is also evident by looking at the FDI inflow into Hong Kong which stands at a staggering $74.6 billion (The Heritage Foundation, 2014). The growth in the tourism industry of Hong Kong has led to an increase in the numbers of mainland tourists visiting Hong Kong. The stable job market has also increased local positive spending with the retail industry increasing by 11% in current value terms in 2012 (Colliers International, 2013). In 2012, there was an increase in the number of international brands opening their stores in Hong Kong, an act which is a testament to the confidence in the market. There has been an increase in the number of retail outlets in Hong Kong which has attracted even more shoppers from mainland China. The total value of retail sales growth was recorded at an 8.5% YoY growth in November (Colliers International, 2013). Inbound visitors support the retail sector and the figures from the Hong Kong tourism board shows that Hong Kong received a total of 13.5 million inbound visitors during 2013 (Euromonitor International, 2013). This influx of tourists means that there are a lot more potential shoppers in the market than the existing population figures show. The market is ideal for retailing as tourists shoppers are likely to shop and indulge in positive local spending. Another aspect worth noting is the fact that retail rents of shops in key shopping districts and expected to decline by 5% over the next year (Euromonitor

Friday, September 27, 2019

The Gulf War Reasons Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Gulf War Reasons - Research Paper Example The research paper "The Gulf War Reasons" talks about the reasons why the United States of America won in the Gulf War through the analysis of the economic impact of the Gulf War in the United States including agricultural market and fuels. The US succeeded in the war because of the small resistance it received. The US also confronted Iraqi army which was not in support of the deeds of Saddam Hussein during his regime. The Gulf War contributed significantly to psychological trauma. This is evidenced by the literature provided on the posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) portrayed by the soldiers who were exposed to war. The majority of the soldiers who had participated in the war lost their homes in order to raise enough money to pay for their medical care. Additionally, it is evident that some soldiers were exposed to depleted uranium, as well as toxicity from other biological and chemical materials that were enclosed in their weapons. The majority of the armies also were affected by environmental contaminants. The economic impact of the Gulf War was very significant in the U.S. it led to the rise of prices of goods as well as an increase in the rate of taxation. The America farmers also suffer significantly from the war; the American farmers used to sell a lot of their rice to Iraq. Thus, the war led to the loss of market to their agricultural products. The war also led to the increase in the price of the fuel, and as a result, hampered with the investments in many countries.

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Contract Law in Marketing Programs Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Contract Law in Marketing Programs - Case Study Example There are many aspects of contract law that form the common law entity in individual countries. Within the United Kingdom there are basic issues addressed within the basic common law contract which include: when and how is a contract formed, when may a party escape obligations of a contract (such as a contract formed under duress or because of a misrepresentation), what is the meaning and effect to be given to the terms of a contract, and, what is the remedy to be given for a breach of contract.1 Within the contract itself, there is the need to have a few explanatives inside the contract which includes an offer of acceptance, consideration and contractual intention for a simple contract to exist, otherwise no consideration is needed. This inclusion of consideration in a contract formation is important to be in place otherwise no consideration will be in place. A consideration under English Law is defined as "a very controversial doctrine comprising a series of sub rules which purport to govern when a promise made by one party may be enforced by the party to whom the promise is made. Consideration in its traditional form in English law means no more no less that this: that, for parties to be able to enforce a promise, they must have given some quid pro quo for it: something in exchange for the promise"2 Rationale / Aims The aim in discussing contract law inside an existing company is to understand their marketing schema while at the same time looking to understand how their marketing methods relate to contract law. The chosen company is British Gas that now forms part of the Centrica group. There are many areas of the British Gas/Centrica marketing plan that can affect or not affect the contractual obligations to the customers and the government. Literature Review Through Centrica's website and their Investor Relationship, it is the objective of British Gas to transform its current objectives with respect to its customer service agenda as well as appealing to the needs of future marketing schemes. The current customer data base shows there are low gas and high gas users and look to segmentation of their customer base by "choosing not to deliver, by exclusion, retention treatments or attempt to cross sell additional products, probably because of their debt profile. When we see the demonstration later of what we call 'screen prompts', one of the potential prompts we may apply to this customer group is the no sale prompt, which is critical for the agent to not waste their time and effort" (Smith, 2003) The marketing schema is not just limited to phone marketing, but also using total household management as well as web online methods. This will allow for the importance of full disclosure. As a prime method of ensuring contract law is followed, the online website requires full disclosure of the contract that the customer is to sign; but, in the other marketing methods such as door-to-door customer signups and phone signups, this is not always possible or not used. The legal information found on the site includes the following privacy

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Supply chain management Operations management Lean production Essay

Supply chain management Operations management Lean production - Essay Example Thousands of the Model-S were preordered which was more than the company expected. It was also an indication that the market was ready for electric cars (Carlson, 2012). Tesla also makes electric powertrain parts which it then sells to other automakers such as Toyota and Daimler. The company is headed by Elon Musk who envisions it as an independent an independent automaker in the future with the aim of mass-producing fully electric cars of all types at affordable prices for average customers. The company is named after Nikola Tesla, who was an electrical engineer and physicist. In fact, the AC motor fitted in the Tesla Roadster is based on an original design by Tesla in 1882. The Roadster was the first electric vehicle powered by lithium-Ion batteries to have a mileage of greater than 200 miles per charge. And made news for achieving a lot of what other vehicles such as the Toyota Prius could achieve. This gave the company a favorable platform to begin from; one where the attention h as been captured in the market (Carlson, 2012). Definition and Application of Operations Management The operations management at Tesla are streamlined for success, which is particularly attributable to the CEO’s experience in nurturing success. ... There are however a knowledgeable board of directors made up of open thinkers such as Antonio J. Gracias and Steve Jurvetson (Carlson, 2012). In the course of production, different managers lead different departments that undertake individual operations. For instance, the batteries are one of the most important parts of the vehicles made by Tesla and are hence overseen by a manager with expertise in the production of batteries. The board of director made up of the key figures in the organization oversees the general operations of the company while specialized managers take hold of exclusive operations such as painting, body work, interior and so forth. This ensures that operations are well overseen, and hence adhere to the preset goals (Chase, Jacobs, Aquilano, 2007). One aspect to the company that captured the interest of the market is the way its â€Å"much publicized† organization operates. With the release of an electric sports car that actually fit that title, the pubic w as interested to know how it all takes place behind the headlines. The plant where the vehicles are put together is located at Fremont, California. The way operations in the plant are designed has a profound impact on whether its objectives are accomplished, and this is one of the fortes Tesla holds. As illustrated above, different departments operate and are overseen by individual experts. The plant is laid out in a way that the inputs come in from one side and leave as finished vehicles in the other. The basis of this design is most likely to harbor what each and every organization desires; efficiency. The skeletons of the soon to be vehicles follow a sequence that is well

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Supply Chain Assignment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Supply Chain Assignment - Coursework Example Supply Chain Assignment Supply chains of these products would be thoroughly analyzed in order to understand relative performance of these two organizations. Operations of the two companies will be contrasted and compared to identify the degree to which such processes extend support towards customer service. Coca-Cola Company is the marketer, manufacturer and retailer of multinational beverages, having its headquarters based in Atlanta, Georgia. The flagship product of the firm is Coca-Cola. This organization was a part of beverage industry and was founded in 1886. Franchised distribution system had been adopted by the organization, and its products are distributed across the globe. PepsiCo is Beverage and Food Corporation of America, having its headquarters in New York, United States. The company deals in distribution, manufacturing and marketing of beverages, grain-based snack foods, etc. This firm has its products distributed across 200 countries. On basis of revenue margins, the company is largest bevera ge and food business. The common stages of supply chain process involved in production of Coca Cola are customers, retailers, distributors or wholesalers, manufacturers and raw material suppliers. In supply chain management process of Coca Cola, there is forward flow of materials from suppliers to manufacturer, assembly point, warehouse, retailers and finally to end customers. It can be stated the main objective of any organization is to facilitate maximum utilization of resources and enhance productivity level.

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Use of DDT in Malaria Vector Control Article

The Use of DDT in Malaria Vector Control - Article Example As DDT is mainly used in indoors, it eventually generates the risks of deterioration of human health by a certain degree. This can be owing to the reason that direct exposure of this pesticide can damage the health of humans. Also, it can also be identified that there exist no such substitutes of DDT in order to prevent human health from severe diseases such as malaria. The other significant toxicology data which can be taken into concern in order to make the decision concerning the use of DDT in malaria vector control is that DDT is also responsible for causing various severe complexities. These complexities might comprise early pregnancy loss, fertility loss, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, leukemia, diabetes, pyrethroids and neurodevelopmental deficits among others. By taking into concern the aforesaid toxicology data, it can be ascertained that DDT indeed imposes serious health hazards to the humans which is a major cause of concern. It can be viewed in this regard that due to the seriousness of this issue, countries such as the United States is strongly working upon to develop appropriate alternative pesticide in order to reduce the health hazards and provide health-related benefits to the humans. But relating to the case of Africa which has a record of occurring the disease i.e. malaria, World Health Organization has allowed indoor use of DDT. But the main dilemma concerning this factor is that DDT also acts as a strong deterrent to fight against malaria as well as vector control... It can be viewed in this regard that due to the seriousness of this issue, countries such as the United States is strongly working upon to develop appropriate alternative pesticide in order to reduce the health hazards and provide health related benefits to the humans. But relating to the case of Africa which has a record of occurring the disease i.e. malaria, World Health Organization (WHO) has allowed indoor use of DDT. But the main dilemma concerning this factor is that DDT also acts as a strong deterrent to fight against malaria as well as vector control and at the same time, it poses serious chronic health hazards to the humans (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, â€Å"DDT, DDE, AND DDD†). However, a decision of creating an alternative pesticide is needed to be taken which may help in resolving this particular issue by a certain degree (Berg, â€Å"Global Status of DDT and Its Alternatives for Use in Vector Control to Prevent Disease†). 2. USE THE FO UR PHASES OF THE DISPOSITION OF A TOXIC COMPOUND TO ASSESS THE TOXICITY OF DDT The four phases have been described hereunder. Absorption-DDT mainly gets absorbed in the human body when the pesticide is exposed to the skin and lung. Ingestion also happens due to DDT which enters into the human body causing deterioration in the health of human beings at large. Distribution-If DDT is able to enter the human body, then it is circulated/distributed to the entire body parts in a fast way. It also contains high amount of fat which quickly spreads into the body imposing adverse effect upon human’s health. Metabolism-The metabolism phase or process of DDT primarily include certain effective processes that encompass dechlorination, dehydrochlorination, oxidation,

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Returns to Education in UK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words - 1

Returns to Education in UK - Essay Example This study has analysed returns to education in the UK. This was done using the BHPS data from 1991-2008 by using an OLS regression model adapted from previous studies. The dependent variable was logarithm of hourly wage while the predictor variable tested was years of schooling, controlling for other factors. The control variables were age, sex, race and region. Diagnostic tests was conducted to check for heteroskedascity and also the presence of serial correlations and both were found not to affect the model hence the regression was run. The analysis shows that the number of years in schooling had a positive and significant effect on the logarithm of hourly wage (about 8% per year of schooling) which suggests that there were positive returns to education in the sample. This is consistent with a number of studies that have analysed the returns to education. From the R-squared results, the model accounted for 24% of the variance in hourly wages. Thus, the regression did not explain most of the variance in hourly wages but points to the fact that the number of years of schooling is a good predictor of returns in education. However, we cannot rule out endogeneity (race results) and given low overall significance of regression.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Cult Films Essay Example for Free

Cult Films Essay Eccentric, offbeat, weird, unique and catering to esoteric tastes of a particularly small group and number of individuals, cult movies or cult films are the exact opposite of the blockbuster, hollywood and hollywood-type mainstream feature films being screened in major movie houses today. Cult movies usually acquire a cult following, groups of individuals whose particular tastes and interests fall under the films wing. Classic cult films which come to mind are that of Stanley Kubricks controversial A Clockwork Orange (1971), Francis Ford Coppolas anti-Vietnam war movie Apocalypse Now (1979), Ridley Scotts loose interpretation of a Philip K. Dick novel, Blade Runner (1982), and the quintessential cult classic The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) by Jim Sharman. While cult films range from a variety of genres such as crime, suspense, science fiction, horror and so on, some cult films are deemed uncategorizable and exist in a genre which could only be labeled as such: cult. The cast of characters which appear in most cult films are barely known to the general viewing public. These are artists who are in the initial stages of their careers, others gaining a certain degree of fame and recognition from the said cult movie, and on few occasions, a select number of renowned actors and actresses gracing the part of often particularly quirky and outrageously and/or obscuredly sketched characters in an equally obscure and eccentric setting and environment. The most recent cult films of today range from the local independent, to foreign movies packaged for different countries, to even top grossing movies well received by the mainstream movie viewing populace but regarded as a cult movie because of its ability to garner a particular group of dedicated following, which it would seem is growing in numbers, an example of such a cult movie is George Lucas Star Wars. The cult movie of today has taken a different form, although catering to esoteric tastes, these movies have also garnered a significant amount of mainstream appeal. Such is the case with Quentin Tarantinos Kill Bill, received by a greater number of following subsequent to his first cult flick, Pulp Fiction, which seemed to have revolutionized and brought considerably significant amount of impact to the aspect of film making as it deals with aesthetic, style and content. The apparent trashy content and material which critics refer to in Tarantinos film approach reflects and probably sums up cult ideologies and what cult movies are generally about. The movie viewing populace of today is becoming less discriminate and blurring lines of that of the cult and mainstream movies, and viewing these films for what they are, a pastiche of shared beliefs, opinions, ideologies and meanings as interpreted by a director who subscribes to individuality and captured on over an hour or so of reel and screen time. It may or may not reflect the particular persuasions and leanings of the general populace and the rest of the masses, but as long as it applies to one individual, and an esoteric few, it makes every amount of difference. References â€Å"Cult Films. † Film Site. Org. Tim Dirks. (2007) Retrieved 12 December 2007 http://www. filmsite. org/cultfilms. html â€Å"Top 50 Cult Films. † Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 12 December 2007 http://5mtl. com/ft/culttop. htm â€Å"Top Cult Films. † Dermansky, Marcy and Fauth, Jurgen. Retrieved 12 December 2007 http://worldfilm. about. com.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Ethical Theories In International Business

Ethical Theories In International Business In recent years, the globalization has been continually stimulated towards nations in the world. Two main reasons that are able to explain the expansion on global business are the degeneration of trade barriers since the end of World War II in conjunction with the sharply increasing in development of the technology in various fields such as communication, information processing, internet and transportation (Y?cel, 2009). Numerous firms, even small businesses, have been increasingly entering into the international business as foreign markets are looked as possible sources of income to the firms. Thus, there are a great number of business people who working overseas and facing the different in environmental and cultural variances. The differences certainly make a lot of problems to the cross border businesses. Many problems have presumably been created due to the different environments and especially cross-cultural environment; ethical problem is one of these problems (Y?cel, 2009). In times past, ethics had not much effect on the business. However, ethical issues have been being in vogue by the arising of dishonesty in an international business. DeGeorge argues that The change in perception and attitude can be traced back to the exponential growth in industrial pollution, the rise of consumerism and the popular reaction to increasing numbers of scandals and corruption (DeGeorge, 2000, P.50). The purpose of this essay is to present the definition of ethics and ethical theories i.e. Deontology, Teleology and Golden Rule. Furthermore, there is a discussion regarding ethical problems that may be encountered when doing business internationally. Moreover, approaches and general guideline for firms to act ethically to the issues are displayed. Harvard Referencing Style is adopted for referencing in this essay. What is ethics? Ethics is the standards to determine what is right or wrong, what is better or worse, what people ought to do or ought not to do which conduct individuals or groups of how to behave. Ethics engages an examination into a reasonable justification for the set of standards that pervasively accepted by members of culture (Grossman, 2001). In addition, MacKinnon defines ethics as Ethics, or moral philosophy, asks basic questions about the good life, about what is better and worse, about whether there is any objective right and wrong, and how we know it if there is (MacKinnon, 2007, P.3). Thus, ethics in business can be defined as the framework of reasoned and appropriated justification that provides goods, profits, to the firm based on the acceptable affected on others including all stakeholders. Business ethics requires an inquiry of firms on their actions towards global (Cuizon, 2009). Ethics is also considered as glue that cements business together (DeGeorge, 2000). As the growth of concerns about an ethical issue, several ethical theories have been developed as a guidelines or rules in order to assist all human beings and also multinational corporations to behave ethically and avoid ethical issues in the business world. Deontological theory, Teleological theory and Golden Rule are some major theories to help flee from ethical issues. These theories have different approaches to justify the behavior of human or firm whether it is ethical or unethical. The first, deontological theory is the theory that makes an ethical judgment based on the intention of act with a neglect of outcome of that act whether the outcome is good or bad. In other words, deontological ethical decision-making process has concentrate on means rather than an outcome. Pojman defines deontological theory as It is not the consequences that determine the rightness or wrongness of an act but certain features in the act itself or in the rule of which the act is token or example (Pojman, 2001, P.134-135). For example, based on the real life experience, there have been many robbery cases in Thailand that the burglars carried a weapon with them whether for violating the victims or even hunting the victims down in order to done their job easier. However, some of these cases were ended up as a death of the heedless robbers themselves because the victims who were being stolen and violated actually had a gun and shot them down instead with intention to protect their lives. This example exemplifies and expresses a difference in the term of killing by based on the deontological theory, to killing somebody is totally wrong but killing with an intention of self-defense against the assault is absolutely different. In contrast of deontological theory, the teleological theory completely provides an opposite way of ethical decision-making process. While deontology has concerned on the means, the teleological theory has focused primarily on the net outcome rather than the means itself. The teleological ethical decision-making process can be defined as the theory that stresses on the examination of the result which caused by a behavior and determine the good or bad of that outcome based on the aggregated benefit consequences for others in culture. Pojman, also, characterizes the theory as The Greatest Happiness for the Greatest Number (Pojman, 1995, P.727). This, teleological theory, could provide a dissimilar option to the same example of deontology. If victims make a decision based on teleological theory, victims would not need to shoot the thieves but call the police instead. Hence, the robbers would be alive but be jailed and the victims would finally be saved by the police. The families of thi eves would not lose their family member and consequently the victims would not be guilt as no one got killed. A given sample situation displays a way of teleology ethical decision-making process which concerns the net benefit of outcome, that are consequences from the act, rather than the act itself. Last theory, the golden rule, is to act to other people in the way that you want to be acted by them. In other perception, golden rule can be defined as to bring others mind into our mind and not to treat others in the way that you do not want to be treated. Y?cel argues about the meaning of golden rule as doing unto others as you would have them do unto you (Y?cel, 2009, P.99). This theory is seemingly a general standards or norms in the deep of human being s mind towards various cultures and religions which can be used simply as a guideline to make an ethical decision in day to day life. For instance, based on the real experience, an engineer who has been working for the special company s project had an idea to largely reduce the cost of manufacturing of the firm. However, his colleague stole his idea and sold it to management level by himself without even a given credit to the originator of the idea. To think based on the golden rule, there is a simple question Would the stealer steal others idea and pretend that the idea was originated by himself if he falls in the same situation with a person whose idea was stolen? The answer is surely no because he would actually not want his idea to be stolen by others, suddenly, he would not do it. As explanation over the ethics and several ethical theories are presented and exemplified, it indicates that even an ordinary people could face the ethical problems in day to day life. In similarly but even much higher magnitude and severity, the across border businesses are encountered with the ethical issues that are particularly caused by the differences in law, politic, environment and culture between home country and host country. Cultural variances over the various groups in international business turn the business ethics to be more complicated (Y?cel, 2009). Many practices that are considered as ethical practices in some countries are declined or even illegal in other countries (Briscoe, 2009). Small and large scale of Bribery, Human rights, Child labor and Employment discrimination are examples of ethical problems in multinational enterprises (Deresky, 2008). One of ethical problems that cross border businesses have been being faced is employment discrimination. It can be defined as treating people including employee with inequality in hiring, promotion, retirement, work selection by based on various factors e.g. gender, age, race, religion and even marital status. Tomei also argues that This difference in treatment puts him or her at a disadvantage or limits his or her access to benefits and opportunities available to other members of society (Tomei, 2003, P.402). In Singapore, for example of the gender discrimination, working men are paid with higher salary than women employee just to protect the successfully in economics of male (MacKinnon, 2007). Another example based on working life experience, the big computer hard drive manufacturer in the world which has over 10 subsidiaries and subcontractors all over the globe was impacted by the recent world s economic crisis. The crisis caused the world s sales in technology sector including c omputer hard drive dropped rapidly. At that time, the company was directly forced by the loss of income to reduce its operating cost in order to sustain the firm and survive in the business. The firm s strategy to reduce the operating cost was finalized and appeared to be the salary deduction of all employees and layoff thousands of employees throughout the organization. A plant in Malaysia, which has been established to serve the repairing and rebuilding function on claimed hard drive from customers, was certainly affected as well as other plants in cross borders. While slashing in salary caused less impact to Malaysian employees, the much more painful was created to workers by discharge a number of employees; most of them were female operators who worked in the manufacturing processes and had age around 35 years old upward. The reason to dismiss these women based on their age regardless their individual working performances was stated by the American Vice President of Asia-Pacific Regional Operations as elders have less concentration and less working efficiency to work in detailed and micro job in assembly and disassembly of hard drive s components. This selective layoff based on age is considered as unethical behavior even the women, who were dismissed, were paid for compensation. These women could definitely not live their life by only based on a moderate paid of compensation. Consequently, they would have to find a new job. However, they would be faced by other discrimination in employment since companies in Malaysia tend to not hire employees 40 years of age or above. Women with an age of 40 and older have less chance to obtain a new employment (Dylyani, 2009). This loophole is caused by the differences in law. While USA has Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) as a shield of this ethical problem, Malaysia has no protector (Dylyani, 2009). The way to resolve these 2 employment discriminations, hiring and termination, would be based on the teleolog ical frameworks. VP of the hard drive firm would at least consider individual working performance of employees as a main factor to decide who would be dismissed individually and certainly not to dismiss by basing on only their age. In addition, the consequences of layoff ought to be considered because there has been a high probability that elder operators who were expelled would be difficult to acquire a new employment. Furthermore, discrimination in hiring would be resolved by adopting the same practices as ADEA as the country s law to close the gap of difference in legal, give back the equal and fairness among all age of employees and conduct firms to behave ethically regarding the problem. It has now become clear that ethics is necessary in international business and ethical issues are unavoidable for the firms who step into across borders. Managers in multinational enterprises are required to make a decision on ethical dilemmas based on the ethical decision making processes and frameworks. Nevertheless, in order to handle with ethical issues effectively by based on the firm s benefit as well as fairness among society, problem in employing the ethical theories to particular ethical issue is definitely emerged i.e. which ethical framework should be applied to certain ethical dilemma to get the best end result? There is possibly no clear answer for the managers regarding this question. Maybe the applicable guideline for managers is to asking by following questions: Does firm act legally under home and host country s laws? Does action conflict with the human rights of all affected by it? Does action conflict with host culture? And does action cause any harm or violation t o the public? To behave ethically is the challenge for the international firms but even more challenge is to apply the ethical guidelines and theories appropriately to the ethical dilemmas.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

The Struggle for National Identity in the Countries of Latin America Es

Following an independence revolution a nation tends to proceed into a period where they learn independence and can function on their own with their own identity. They learn to respect the rights of its citizens, provide national security, instill a sense of patriotism, and learn to handle economic endeavors in a way to benefit the nation as a whole. After their revolutions for independence, the countries of Latin America did not achieve many of these milestones. The countries of did not show any signs of becoming anything close to independent after their revolutions. They allowed Great Britain and the U.S. to come in and dictate their economic infrastructure by exploiting the masses and allowing only a few individuals to enjoy wealth. This in return led to brutal political dictators, a large number of landless farm workers, a low literacy rate, and worker repression. Latin America is a rich land with poor people as its inhabitants because leaders of each country have failed to recognize how to effectively create an independent nation. After most of the Latin American countries achieved independence from Spain in the late 19th century the issue of what type of government the countries would adopt and who would oversee them arose. Many wanted to maintain the Spanish American tradition of a monarch ruling; while others were intrigued by the teachings and doctrines of the Enlightenment and admirers of the American success and wanted to start fresh as a republic. The federalist and centralist factions became aligned with two main political currents that dominated Latin American politics during the nineteenth century: liberalism and conservatism. Generally, liberals viewed the United States as a model whereas, conservatives ... ...ndividuals in power were too selfish to worry about the nation as a whole. Their only concerns were to make themselves as rich as possible regardless of the well-being of others. In a sense, Latin America is not â€Å"detached† from Spain. The core of Colonial Spanish America was to exploit the masses and to restrict power and wealth amongst the elite. This notion has been prevalent throughout Latin American History. Until Latin American countries can break away from exploitation and the involvement of foreign powers in their economy they will never be able to ha[-]. The United States partook a large role in the lack of progessiveness in Latin American following the nineteenth century. Anything that challenged business interests of the United States in Latin America led to a radical reaction by the United States. These radical reactions put fear into many citizens. â€Æ'

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

History of Percussion Instruments Essay -- Music

History of Percussion Instruments There are few certainties about the percussion family. No one can say how many instruments it contains; few have agreed on playing techniques; and few could name one orchestral piece specifically written with percussion in mind. However, one thing is certain, percussion has been shown over time that it is not merely a matter of beating out rhythm (â€Å" History of Percussion† 1). The family of percussion instruments is the first musical instrumentation introduced to the world. To this date there are countless percussion instruments. Each group of instruments has a different ethnic origin and history in different societies. From the shallow drums of fourth century B. C. to the giant cot rattles of the fifteenth century, percussion instruments have had a unique history. Percussion instruments have had an extensive background on many factors of their sound, and playing style. All percussion instruments fall into two main categories, idiophones and membranophones. Idiophones produce their sound from vibrations without the use of a stretched membrane. This could include castanets, rattles, and mallet instruments. Membranophones are those that produce a sound from the vibrations of a stretched membrane. These include any type of drum hit with a stick. Both of these instruments are tunable in many different ways and forms; therefore, these instruments can be used as melodic instruments (â€Å" Percussion† 653). Basic idiophones (also refereed to as concussion instruments) are struck together. This includes clappers, cymbals, stones, and castanets. Percussive idiophones are hit by nonsonorous strikers. These types of instruments include gongs, triangles, and xylophones. Shaken idiophones were usually cups or shells that contained rattles or pellets, the shaking of the shells and cups produced a sound. There are many other idiophones including scraped, split, and plucked kinds. (â€Å"Percussion† 653). These certain instruments are very important in the percussive arts field. Membranophones are commonly referred to as just drums. They fall into many categories such as kettledrums, bowl shaped drums, tubular drums, friction drums, and mirlitons. Kettledrums and tubular drums are sometimes tunable drums that can be played with hands or beaters. Friction drums are rubbed togethe... ...drum became a major advantage. It was believed that the Muslims invented the kettledrums (â€Å"Percussion† 659). Around the dawn of the seventh century, the use of drumsticks became a vital role in playing drums in Asia (â€Å"Percussion† 658). China and Japan invented a thunder drum, which is a drum that resembles the sounds of rolling thunder. These drums were used during large ceremonies and were played by many men at once. Drums played a vital role in Chinese and Korean orchestras. Some orchestras were just percussion orchestras. Around the twelfth century the first friction drums were used in Spain and Western Europe. The history of percussion is very unique and impressive. The origins of different percussion instruments are interesting to the mind. Many other musical instruments have a long history but the history of percussion is very unparagoned and compelling. Today, percussion instruments are widely used in orchestras and symphonies around the world, these instruments of the past have taken many different forms. The future of percussion instruments holds new innovative musical ideas, and an increase for the music appreciation endeavor.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Analysis Of Sir Gawain Essay -- essays research papers

Sir Gawain and the Green Knight contains many themes. Some of these themes are more obvious than others. Love, lust, loyalty, deceit, trust, courage, virtue, and righteousness are most of the themes within the poem. There are some more that are hidden within the concepts of the ideas that the poem presents. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, translated by John Gardner, many different themes are addressed throughout the story. The translation by John Gardner portrays these themes by using specific characters, medieval symbolism, and various settings within the story.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a great work of medieval literature. The story is considered to be verse romance. There are not many solid facts on the story. The story was composed in the second half of the fourteenth century. It is likely that Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was written around 1375. The author of the piece remains unknown, but we do know of the northwestern dialect of Middle English with which he wrote the poem. The unknown author also consciously wrote in an old-fashioned style. The author is usually referred to as the Gawain poet or the Pearl poet. Three poems were included with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. â€Å"Pearl†, â€Å"Patience†, and â€Å"Purity† were all with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight in the same manuscript. This is the reason the author is named as the Pearl poet, in addition to the Gawain poet. All four poems were uniquely named Cotton Nero A.X. This is due to the manuscript’s previous owner , Sir Robert Cotton. Cotton supposedly acquired the manuscript from Yorkshire bibliophile Henry Savile (1568-1617), but its whereabouts before then are unknown (Grolier).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Sir Gawain and the Green Knight was first edited and published in 1839 by Madden, whose entire name in uncertain. He called the untitled poem Syr Gawayn and the Grene Knyyt. The poem did not receive much attention at all until the beginning of the twentieth century. In 1916, George Lyman Kittredge’s ongoing study of the poem contained extremely valuable research of the sources and analogues of the poem. Many other authors focused on the text, language, and possible authors of the work. In the 1930s and ‘40s there was a rise of mythic criticism of the poem, as many scholars sought to interpret Sir Gawain and the Green Knight with new knowledge of medie... ...ces, and the most complex in intention, exhibiting a subtlety of presentation and density of implication which we have only begun to appreciate.† In other words, we have only skimmed the thoughtful and meaningful intentions of the Gawain poet. We have only started to appreciate and understand the poem. All in all, there is so much more to find within the piece, more lessons to be learned, and morals to be taught. Gardner, John. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† Elements of Literature. Orlando,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Florida: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1997: 161-172. Gibbons, Frances Vargas. Sir Gawain’s Mentors. London, England: Landmark Press,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  1998: articles 1-2. Samuels, Jonathan. The Gawain Poet: Criticism and Symbolism in SGGK. Ed. Harold   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Morgan. New York, New York: Johnston Press, 1987. â€Å"Gardner, John Champlin, Jr.† The New Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Dallas,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Texas: Grolier Inc. CD-ROM. Disc 1. â€Å"Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.† Galenet. Gale research 1999   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  

Monday, September 16, 2019

Energy Development and Electricity Usage Essay

Electricity consumption is something we do out of habit and unintentionally. We develop our habits based on our needs, hobbies, works, entertainment and enjoyments. We never really aware of how much we use daily and how much the source of energy is left in this world. We are named as screen generation, it means we all depending on electronic stuffs to complete and help us out in our daily life. We use air-con, television, refrigerator, fan, lamps, iron more over we use electricity to charge our gadgets those we probably have more than one like phone, laptop, tablet etc. We never really care about where the energy came from and are we wasting it? Main energy source is fossil fuels including coal, oil and natural gas. Many of us are uninformed about this main source of energy and how much we can take from the world. We barely know how much the world spent fossil fuels yearly to fulfill our electricity needs. The main problem here is fossil fuels are un-renewable. It takes millions of years for them to be formed and ready to use. Based on a high energies usage in this world, we need an alternative energy source to support our needs without exploiting our main source fossil fuels. We do have an alternative energy support like wind power, solar energy and moving water energy. Recent alternative energy source is nuclear energy. Those alternatives proven to be ineffective because they barely fulfilled energy needs. A natural consequence of overusing energy is increased costs for us. This can come in the form of fuel and energy bills; we will be paying more without an appreciable return on your investment. We may also risk lowering the expected lifespan of appliances and other electronics. When we have to replace spent devices, we further impact the environment by generating waste and purchasing replacement equipment. Our wise use of electricity, therefore, can translate into long-term savings in energy bills and also reduce the need for other purchases. Singapore energy support depends on natural gas imported by Indonesia and Malaysia. Due to Singapore lacks of natural resources Singapore has to be a depending country. Singapore’s energy support 80% imported from both Indonesia and Malaysia and 51% of it came from fossil fuels. The unawareness of public and lack of information lead me to develop this project. Not only to improve ourselves but also to provide for our next generation. Creative objective The aim of this project is to raise people’s awareness about the overused of electricity in Singapore household to reduce usage of electricity in their daily activities and to educate people about the effect to the earth. This campaign will make people take an action to against global warming that already happened in our earth. Cultural Context The project would be based in Singapore household electricity usage. Singapore is a well-developed country with a high numbers of citizens and resulting in high level of electricity usage, Singapore is a busy city that can make a lot of energy to support their industry, household, office, shopping mall and etc. Singapore doesn’t have own source energy, but Singapore had a good government that can manage their citizens’ energy usage with a small land but big populations. Singapore gets the energy from neighbor countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Households and industries in Singapore used a record amount of electricity in 2010 – the highest monthly usage in the last seven years. Economic activities have grown in the commercial and industrial sectors, which account for 75 per cent of the energy consumption. That why, because Singapore is a busy city, the people can handle their habits from overused electricity. Target market/Audience This campaign will focus on household, because at home that’s the first habit that people/families did. The primary will be parents because the parents are the people who make the rules or play an important role in the home. The secondary will be the youth/teenagers because they must know how/about saving electricity to save the earth as generations this day and for the future. Geographical: †¢ Singapore Demographic: †¢ Male & Female †¢ Family / Domestic Household †¢ Age Group: – Parents (25 – 45) – Teenagers (12 – 20) – Children (6 – 11) – Elderly (60+) †¢ Middle to High-income range Psychographic: †¢ Parents. †¢ Working people, fast-paced lifestyle, rarely stay at home. †¢ High-tech people †¢ Teenagers who like to play computer, electronic games. †¢ People who would like to know more about saving electricity. * * SWOT Strength: †¢ Can reduce the effect of electricity usage to the earth. †¢ People can learn more how to save the electricity and their money. †¢ People in Singapore can learn more environmentally friendly. Weakness: †¢ People still ignoring about the overuse of electricity †¢ Most people not well informed about the effect of overuse electricity. Opportunities: †¢ To gain support and to educate the public †¢ To remember the public about savings electricity with campaign that already done in Singapore. †¢ To spread the actual information about the cost and the solution to minimize electricity usage in Singapore. Threats: †¢ Public behavioral change †¢ Public mind set change * Deliverables This campaign will feature a print advertising that is a poster series that supported by the government, web design for this campaign, and also an application for smart phone as a consideration. Success measure These campaigns will success if people start take action to minimize the electricity. When people start prioritize electricity savings and when the number of electricity usage in Singapore show that the number are decreasing by changing Singaporeans behavior.

Driving Consumer Needs: Evaluating the Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman Essay

Introduction Wal-mart has transformed the corporate and consumer culture in America and the rest of the world- by focusing on its corporate mission of Very Low Prices, Always, Wal-mart placed itself as a fixture in the everyday lives of millions of people. Fishman (2006) in his book The Wal-Mart Effect shows us exactly how Wal-Mart figures in everyday corporate and consumer lives making it the biggest and most influential company in the world today. This paper evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of the book using a sociological perspective particularly on how the author characterizes the impact of Wal-Mart in our contemporary society. Significantly, Fishman had successfully presented us with the positive and negative impact of Wal-Mart both on the business and consumer front. Moreover, to a considerable extent, Fishman was able to show how the interplay of society’s many forces can yield both positive and negative effects. The Wal-Mart Effect Fishman (2006) characterized the economic power of Wal-Mart: it is bigger than ExxonMobil, General Motors and General Electric and rakes about US$244.5 bullion sales in 2005 and it outcasts the competition by selling in three months what the number two retailer Home Depot sells in one year. Rich with anecdotes and stories, the primary thesis of Fishman’s The Wal-Mart Effect is that there is a price that needs to be paid in order to have the cheapest possible prices in everyday Wal-Mart stores- and this price significantly affects the greater part of the American as well as the global society in that Wal-Mart pushes its suppliers and employees to take the negative side of providing its customers with the lowest prices. The fundamental strength of the book is the ability of Fishman to dissect the core strategy of Wal-Mart in lieu with the consumers’ demands. Wal-Mart is projected by Fishman as merely an instrument in feeding the need of consumers for very low prices- or paying for something with almost nothing. Even consumers’ who rejects the cheap prices at Wal-Mart is shown by Fishman to spend at least US$450 a year at Wal-Mart- a proving testimony that consumers are willing to sacrifice the quality of products in order to get the cheapest prices. Furthermore, Fishman successfully showed how Wal-Mart fosters a business relationship with its suppliers and its competing companies- suppliers and other companies are powerless in lieu with the invincibility of Wal-Mart in the retail sector. Almost all companies’ sells at Wal-Mart- being the number one retail store in the country, companies cannot afford not to sell at Wal-Mart. Fishman contends that despite the negative impact of Wal-Mart on the suppliers’ end, they choose to sell at Wal-Mart because not selling at Wal-Mart would mean losing their biggest clientele. Interestingly, Fishman provides the readers with an entertaining work through the illustration of examples. For instance, Fishman showed that while Wal-Mart is a very powerful player in the retail industry, not all suppliers and companies are scrambling for Wal-mart to sell their products. Fishman (2006) illustrated the case of Snapper, the maker of quality and durable lawn mowers where the CEO had refused to sell at Wal-Mart because of the incompatibility of their corporate values with that of the company. Selling prices at almost the same level of the production cost would mean sacrificing the quality of the products- not to mention the salary cuts and the ends to which suppliers would go through just to meet the price that Wal-Mart dictates for their products. Thus, this leads to the fourth argument of Fishman- the cost of low prices for Wal-Mart consumers is manifested in the very low wages of its employees, driving its suppliers to lower their employees’ wages themselves and prompting others to make production in sweatshops exploiting children and workers in third world countries, and in driving the mania of consumers for low-priced but products stripped of the product quality that corporations have initially offered. While Fishman’s The Wal-Mart Effect is essentially driven by the popularity of Wal-Mart, its primary weakness lies in its inability to provide a deeper evaluation of the long-term impact of The Wal-Mart Effect on the consumers. For one, the benefits of Wal-Mart to the consumers is not long-term in nature, Fishman however, did not explore this topic. Moreover, Fishman neither provided a business and sociological framework that shows how Wal-Mart is perceived in the greater part of the society and how Wal-Mart perceives its consumers. Wal-Mart has been a subject of many commentaries and success stories in the business world. For consumers, Wal-Mart is like a haven and similarly, the literature has also projected Wal-Mart on all the positive qualities that can be given to a company. Fishman (2006) in his book provided us with the good and the bad effects of Wal-Mart- whether it is more positive or negative; the author does not say but argues that the impact of Wal-Mart on world markets is very vast. The impact is such that an American eating a Salmon from Wal-Mart significantly affects the economy of Chile. What Fishman (2006) shows is not just the business side of Wal-Mart but its larger impact on the American and world society in general. For one, Wal-Mart significantly dictates the economies of most countries because of their ability to dictate the supplier of their products. Hence, Wal-Mart’s goal for low prices is not a simple mathematical formulation- it involves the interplay of the society’s political, economic and sociological actors. According to Fishman, in their bid to get the lowest prices, consumers are suffering both in terms of quality and in forcing suppliers’ and their workers to cut down on operational and production costs. On the other hand, political institutions are being pressured by Wal-Mart to submit to their demands because of the possible change in a country’s economy once Wal-Mart decides to do business with them. Fishman’s audience spans all individuals regardless of gender, age or socio-economic status. This is because Wal-Mart spans all sociological barriers as well- businesses, suppliers, workers, housewives, even the young adults and adolescents are all familiar with Wal-Mart as a part of their everyday lives. Fishman’s The Wal-Mart Effect is therefore more than just an interesting book; it presents an open-minded presentation and analysis of Wal-Mart and its impact on the greater society. By illustrating examples, Fishma’s the Wal-Mart Effect succeeded and how it had benefited the common American in providing low prices and at the same time, illustrated the cases of Wal-Mart’s suppliers and how Wal-Mart has twisted their corporate values in order to adhere to their own. Using simple illustrations, Fishman was able to tell us that Wal-Mart gives what the consumers ask for- cheaply priced products. However, he also showed the cost of these low prices- sweatshops, measly wages for its employees, changing corporate goals and driving consumers to demand for cheaper products. Feeding this type of consumer system is the goal of Wal-Mart and it is the very reason why consumers are rewarding the company. While Fishman is a journalist, he offered his viewpoints using investigative journalism means and with scholarly ethics not to go overboard. The goal of Fishman is not to show the myth surrounding Wal-Mart but rather to offer an alternate view on how the company operates and how it achieves its goals. Notably, Fishman was successful in providing a book that covers not just a description but rather a deeper understanding of how Wal-Mart works and how it affects every individual and the society. Conclusion   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Fishman’s The Wal-Mart Effect does not offer to provide the scholarly or deeper understanding of the success of Wal-Mart but rather it seeks to present a more balanced view of how Wal-Mart strives to give cheaper products to the consumers. Using an easy-read tone of writing, Fishman captures the imagination and the interest of its readers and takes them into a journey of the different facets and strands of the company. Fishman succeeds in providing the details that readers need in order to form their own conclusion. While most part of the text is judgment-free, one is left asking how the biggest company in the world has achieved that much power to change the very society that created it. Reference Fishman, C. (2006) The Wal-Mart Effect: How the World’s Most Powerful Company  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Really Works–and How It’s Transforming the American Economy. The Penguin  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Press: 294 pages.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Code of Ethics Essay

The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is built up of a number of hospitals, specialty facilities, and continues care facilities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. According to NewYork-Presbyterian (2014), most System members are academic affiliates of either Weill Cornell Medical College or Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. NewYork-Presbyterian understands the challenges of today’s medicine and makes it their mission to improve their patients’ care by educating the patients researching in their own community. Their belief is that through awareness they may be able to teach the patients the things they need to know to then take responsibility for their own health. Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Weill Cornell Medical College help the NewYork-Presbyterian to improve their knowledge by research and academic capabilities. The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is always looking for every way possible to improve patient care and give all patients the best possible treatment in their facilities. The organization’s mission statement is â€Å"NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is dedicated to improving patient care, medical education and research throughout this region of the United States.† (nypsystem, 2014) Therefore this gives them three goals. The three goals are promoting patient care, promoting medical education, and to research medical aspects in order to have improvement for society. These three goals are tied to ethical principles because they are three categories, which will show advancement for the entire healthcare community. An example is improving patient care. This is straightforward because if NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is able to improve the patient care that will clearly be and advancement for society and healthcare system as a whole. This is because helping out patients is a large part of the healthcare system. Medical education is very important principle ethically. This is because education makes an entire society more prepared for the future. By encouraging medical education it prepares doctors,  nurses, or anyone in the healthcare industry to perform the best they possible can perform. Lastly, research will fundamentally make for a better society because this would lead to advancement in the medical industry, ultimately ethically the correct thing to do. This organization values giving the best quality healthcare to different healthcare facilities in the North East region and they value being able to spread knowledge in order to better the medical community. This is a very important ethical value towards them. This is because it will not only better the current generation, but the next generation will have all the tools in order to better educate the generation after that. Another value that is important to NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is simply improving the healthcare for anyone in need in this area. This is ethically important because they feel everyone should have the best opportunity to get the best treatment possible. They feel with the tactics that are used they are ethically doing the right thing because of improvement and accesses to healthcare that is being provided. An organizations culture includes experience, philosophy and expectations; very similar to a mission and vision statement. (Thomas Garrett, 2010) An organization’s culture can be presented as strength, muscle and a strong point. The significant importance in how the unity of an organization is demonstrated is closely related to the organization’s culture. Most importantly a company’s culture is derived from visions and policies of the company. Ethical thinking and ethical decision making are inherently a product of making all decisions with the understanding of how it impacts other employee actions and the product produced. There is a direct correlation between culture and ethics. Cultures are based on beliefs, customs and attitude. An individual’s culture and values are established early in life. For example, some cultures allow the behaviors of being stubborn and/or or structured. The mission statement of an organization may lean more toward adaptable, flexible and compliance. If an employee’s personal values and egos interfere with the flow of an organization it can change the overall complexion of making ethical decisions. (Thomas Garrett, 2010) Organizational culture and ethical decision making are both intricate components in running a seamless organization. Employees have their own  cultures and values and employees must make this transition in order to accept the directives of their organization. Ethical thinking means having an awareness of how it impacts individuals and the organization. Ethical decision making begins with the premise of choice and balance. Choice and balance allows individuals to involve individual accountability when making decisions. Working in a team helps with making ethical decisions because the closer the team gets individuality is lost. Most importantly ethics and values impact our social environment which leads to and organizations marketing and success. Decision making involves defining and clarifying the issues. Gathering the information and informally brainstorming becomes a component of making the decision. The code of ethics in any sort of business or organization is arguably the most important key to success. It gives the organization stability and allows the all process to run smoothly. [A code of ethics guides all managerial decisions, creating a common framework upon which all decisions are founded. This can help to create a cohesive understanding of the boundaries within an organization and the standards set for interacting with external stakeholders. A formal, well-communicated code of ethics can also help to protect a company’s reputation and legal standing in the event of a breach of ethics by an individual employee.] (Small Business – Chron.com, 2014) The question is, is it important for an organization’s ethical values to support your own ethical values? From these standards I believe that it is important for the ethical values to be similar, but every organization is going to have a different idea of what is important when it comes to their code of ethics. I feel that it can be beneficial to have more than one viewpoint on ethical values because it can allow a broad spectrum to go off of. It can be compared to the middle section of a problem solving equation. There will be the original solution that seems to be better than the rest, but then there are other solutions that need to be looked at. Having the multiple solutions allows variation and compromise. While the original code of ethics may be working just fine for all involved, but there could be a few tweaks that can be found by comparing and contrasting with another set of ethical values. It wouldn’t be known how well different aspects could work in your own ethical code without testing the waters. The worse that can happen from testing it out would be the realization th at your original ethical values are as good as it gets. NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System was founded to improve the way healthcare is being delivered to the communities. Positive change is continuous and a major part in our quest to provide the best possible treatment for our patients and implement modern medicine in the New York region of the United States. The social responsibility to the community as a healthcare system leader is to develop organization operations that will foster patient well-being and benefits. The culture of the organization is top quality, all decisions and actions stem from our organization morals and professional principles that ensure integrity and fairness in caretaking. These principles empower our planning process and give support to health regulations and laws. The ethical behavior at our facilities is an example of our dedication to public health and safety. Every staff member is required to be aware of guidelines that govern the healthcare industry. Patients can expect treatment to include confidentiality, respect, safety and professionalism. An extension of our responsibilities is making education and knowledge sharing one of our best practices. N.Y. Presbyterian Health Care System takes initiative on improving our knowledge base by drawing upon the research of two medical schools, Weill and Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. The social responsibilities to local communities are what shape our planning process to improve every aspect of healthcare. The outcomes are measured against core issues; improving qualities, reducing readmissions, finances, clinical and administration functions, technology, and medical research. The System conducts system quality reviews to distinguish ourselves from other healthcare institutions recognized as high performers. NewYork-Presbyterian produces monthly newsletters and utilizes the world wide web as communication tools to provide the latest information regarding our healthcare system. This allows the community access to the process, initiatives and performance. Effective decisions to positively impact lives has recognized NewYork-Presbyterian as â€Å"One of the most comprehensive health care institutions in the world, the hospital is committed to excellence in patient care, research, education and community service. NewYork-Presbyterian is the #1 hospital in the New York metropolitan area and is consistently ranked among the best academic medical institutions in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report.† (â€Å"New York-Presbyterian  Hospital Recognized For Innovative Patient Bedside Tablet†, 2014). The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System is recognized quite a bit in the medical world, mainly because of the stance it has taken in regards to their patients. This particular healthcare system feels that it owes the patients the best care possible and it owes them the ability to be as informed as they can be about their own health. The facilities included in the system feel an ethical pull towards all of their patients, no matter what their own individual beliefs are. They strive to understand and accept each and every one of their patients, no matter how different they are. The community that surrounds the facilities within NewYork-Presbyterian knows that we are socially responsible to them by giving them the knowledge they deserve, not only about our healthcare system but about health and medicine as a whole. The NewYork Healthcare System wants its patients and their community to be aware to their own health and how the medical world around them can change their lives for the b etter. References: NewYork-Presbyterian. (2014). About Us. Retrieved from www.nypsystem.org/about.html. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital Recognized for Innovative Patient Bedside Tablet. (2014). Retrieved from http://www.nyp.org/news/hospital/2014-infoweek-elite100.html. Small Business – Chron.com,. (2014). Importance of Creating a Code of Ethics for a Business. Retrieved 24 May 2014, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/importance-creating-code-ethics-business-3094.html The NewYork-Presbyterian Healthcare System. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nypsystem.org/press.html. Thomas M. Garrett, H.W. (2010). Health Care Ethics: Principles and Problems. Prentice Hall.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

“On Compassion” and “Homeless” Essay

The thesis of On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher is: we can’t deny that homelessness exists when it hits us in the face everyday. Compassion is not a trait that we inherit, it is a learned experience. The thesis from Homeless by Anna Quindlen is the homeless were once just like us but something happened to them that made them lose their homes. In On Compassion, Ascher presents us with three scenarios as I have mentioned before. A man who is walking down the street when a woman hands him a dollar bill. A man who receives bread and coffee from the owner of a cafe and the mayor of NYC who moved the homeless into the hospitals. We discussed whether or not the gesture was out of fear or compassion and I came to the conclusion that it was fear that motivated the gift. But, all in all what is Ascher’s point? Her point of the story is: a person isn’t born compassionate. As one goes on with their lives different events and experiences shapes their mind set that makes them grow compassionate. In Homeless by Anna Quindlen she gives us a homeless woman named Ann. She was doing a story on homeless and the woman was trying to prove her wrong by showing pictures of her house. Anna realized that this woman was just like all of us before. The point that Quindlen is trying to make: the homeless were people just like us once, they were no different.The thesis of On Compassion by Barbara Lazear Ascher is: we can’t deny that homelessness exists when it hits us in the face everyday. Compassion is not a trait that we inherit, it is a learned experience. The thesis from Homeless by Anna Quindlen is the homeless were once just like us but something happened to them that made them lose their homes.

Friday, September 13, 2019

Strategy in Action Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Strategy in Action - Assignment Example (Lionsgate.com, 2011) Organizational culture is the collection of values and norms that are shared by individuals in an organization that affect interaction within and outside the organization. It is an important tool as it brings employees towards a common goal by developing affinity and provides impetus for growth. A healthy culture promotes self actualization and achievement in employees. Open communication and flexibility within the organization provide grounds for innovation and experimentation. Constructive cultures are empowering and lead to highly motivated employees, team work and growth. (Expertplagas.com, 2009) The organizational culture of Lionsgate is influenced by its start as an independent film studio which has developed into a major studio with global presence. Thus the culture reflects the entrepreneurial initiative that independent studios boast of. Lionsgate combines flexibility with the strategic management of a major studio with the customer focus of a digital c ompany. A speech by Lionsgate’s co-COO, Jo Drake reflects the organizational culture of taking risks in media and movies, of looking at changes in the market place as challenges, and the focus on entrepreneurship and innovation. (indiewire.com, 2010) Curt Marvis, of Lionsgate, explains Lionsgate corporate culture of getting employees involved. According to him, if one person can do the job instead of ten, then Lionsgate will focus on doing so, and employees will be involved in different things that they can handle. This shows that the culture focuses on employee involvement and ownership; however the fact the Lionsgate has acquired various media companies over the world results in the impression that the organizational culture may vary along the acquired companies and may be not as ingrained as preferred. In the event of mergers and acquisitions, it takes times and effort, many a times unsuccessful to develop the company culture of the parent company in the acquired companies . (Variety.com, 2009) Challenges facing the Media and Broadcasting industry The Media and broadcasting company is facing major challenges in the future. The biggest challenge is the changing marketplace which has changed the way content is delivered to customers. The popularity of digital delivery poses threats for media and broadcasting companies as customers can access media easily and cheaply on the internet. The industry needs to develop and master digital delivery of television shows, news, movies and music in order to grab the market online and still retain profits (Vodafone.com, 2011). Another challenge is the increase in competition due to the abundance of independent film making and the cropping up of new competitors, customers have greater choice due to the internet and companies have to be on their toes to maintain performance. The media industry has seen an increasing trend in takeovers, acquisitions and mergers and thus performance and shareholder value needs to be main tained to protect the company from acquisitions. The media industry faces market saturation not only because of the increasing number of competitors but the increasing number of competitors worldwide and in different formats. News companies, movies and television all face threats from online competitors as well and need to maintain a major online presence. This has resulted in cost and margin difficulties, changing patterns of consumer behavior and the need to provide

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Vision Statement Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Vision Statement - Research Paper Example I have been reading Charles Bukowski’s book and found that he has a different way of expressing himself. I have decided to explore his unique character by ensuring that I read one of his books every year. I love engaging in activities that assist me in acquiring new skills and helping others. I love travelling to new places and meeting new people as this activity opens up my mind to new things. Every year I ensure that I visit three new towns. I have always thought about travelling to the famous cities located in the different continents. In the next five years I will ensure that I travel to two countries in Europe and experience the environment and their different cultures (Heathfield). I also love challenges because at the end, I learn something new. Since elementary school, the ever changing business environment and its challenges intrigued me and it became apparent that I was comfortable in this field. In the business world, an individual must keep on learning new things and developing concepts that will help him or her wade through the murky business waters. This field suits me because I love reading and I view challenges as stepping stones towards achieving my goals. However, many people who engage in businesses are motivated by self-interests. Since I have always wanted to help people out, I have decided to take up a course that will encompass the different things I love to do and the fact my main goal in this career will be to assist others. I have figured out that the ultimate challenge would be managing a hospital. In five years I will ensure that I get a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a specialization in Healthcare Management and a Project Management Professional Certification. This will assist me in helping out people, expanding my knowledge in the healthcare system and since I have never ventured into the healthcare field, the challenges that come therein will provide me with learning experiences

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Management of tricyclic antidepressant overdose Essay

Management of tricyclic antidepressant overdose - Essay Example The major use of the drugs belonging to this class has been of course as an antidepressant, but they have also found to be effective in controlling enuresis and attention deficit disorder in children and incontinence in the elderly. Other miscellaneous indications for use are Migraine, chronic pain, neuralgias, hiccups and irritable bowel syndrome. However the Therapeutic Index of these drugs has a narrow margin of safety i.e. the dose level between therapeutic and toxic level is very less. This accounts for several cases of adverse effects and acute toxicity with these compounds. The toxicity is due to the same manner and mechanism of action in which the drug exerts its therapeutic action. Although poorly understood, the TCAs are hypothesized to exert their therapeutic action by preventing the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin by the presynaptic neuron. This results in an increased supply of these neurotransmitters in the synapse, which continues to stimulate the effector cells and organs. It is this constant stimulation that is believed to be responsible for the clinical improvement in depression (Baldessarini, 1989). According to Richelson (1982) TCAs are also competitive antagonists of histamine H1 andH2 receptors. They also block muscarinic acetylcholine and alpha-one adrenergic receptors. The toxicity symptoms and presentations are manifested as central nervous system toxicity in the form of myoclonic seizures, cardiovascular complications like life threatening arrhythmias, asystole, ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation. The patient is usually presented with symptoms of orthostatic hypotension which is quite common with TCA use and is independent of the age factor and in some cases is followed by cardiac arrest. Treatment is aimed at reversing the effects of the TCAs by specific antagonists, promoting elimination of the drug and its metabolites from the body and reestablishing

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Film Project Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 2

Film Project - Movie Review Example Reputation, on the part of the media, the corporation or the personal, has been at stake; problematic and crucial. Cases have been filed. Conflicts escalated together with securing one’s beloved. Wigand, who has been fired, reluctantly hesitates to expose yet managed to submit to the call of a journalist who has valued integrity, objectivity and professionalism to deliver high calibre news for the public to know and scrutinize. Publicity in exchange of privacy becomes intriguing and trivialized. Lies and truth interacts. Defamation and scrutiny has been rampant. The conflict unfolds as the story proceeds; integrating the reality and fantasy. Based on a life story, the discourse of politics becomes crucial as ideology complicates the complex scenario. Biased or Unbiased? Just or Unjust? Critical engagement becomes a crucial matter when public is at stake. Right are violated and uphold but does it really matter? Corporate interest has a political inclination that cannot be disregarded. In the film, it can be seen that in certain cases and scenarios like showing the clip of the CEO of denying the truth about the purpose of nicotine. 1 This already implicates the condition that the corporations have been after their personal interest as an institution without any regard to the effects expatriated towards the public. Manipulation happens in this case since the corporation tries its best to intervene with the decision of Dr. Wigand; especially about not exposing the complexities and technicalities that surround the operations of the company. 2 On a more personal level, there is already an intense conflict between which decision must be taken into account: Dr. Wigand has the option to say or not to say the secrets about the company as it might become a breach of contract with the corporation or a possible neglect of duty of ensuring the

Monday, September 9, 2019

To what extent can the doctrine of the hypostatical union be traced Essay

To what extent can the doctrine of the hypostatical union be traced back to the teaching and spiritual practice of early Christian church - Essay Example Whereas it might be tempting to assert the fact that the early Christian movement was somehow uneducated or inadequate to discern key levels of philosophical inference, individuals at the forefront of developing Christian theology were oftentimes the most educated members of society of that particular era. Accordingly, rather than delving into a broad discussion of the misunderstandings and disagreements that existed within early Christian thought, this particular analysis will instead focus specifically on the issue of disagreement related to what is known as the hypostatic union which was understood to have been exhibited within the person of Christ as he lived on earth. In simple terms, the hypostatic union denotes the fact that Christ exhibited both a divine and godly nature alongside a human one. Although this is excepted prima fascia among almost all believers of the Christian faith within the current world, it was a great deal of disagreement and argument that existed within t he early church as doctrines were formulated and theology based upon Christ’s nature was defined. In this way, the following analysis will seek to provide and historical overview and prospectus with regard to how these differing approaches ultimately came to be considered as Christian canon throughout the ages. Before delving directly into the issue of a definition of the hypostatic union, it is necessary to appreciate the fact that this particular term did not originate with early Christian doctrine and/or theology. Instead, hypostasis was originally coined by the stoicism movement within ancient Greece; as denoting being of two natures at the same time. As individuals within the Stoic movement sought to incorporate this concept within their daily lives, it was a relevant term that was known among educated individuals within the early Christian

Sunday, September 8, 2019

Create a critical review of an article which has made a significant Essay

Create a critical review of an article which has made a significant contribution to the field of business strategy - Essay Example During the contemporary period, it can be seen that organizations operate in a dynamic environment that is characterised by various changes such as the use of digital technology in communication. For instance, Bharadwaj et al (2013), states that â€Å"In a digitally intensive world, firms operate in business ecosystems that are intricately intertwined such that digital business strategy cannot be conceived independently of the business ecosystem, alliances, partnerships, and competitors.† This shows that digital technology has revolutionized the communication landscape and this has a bearing on the operations of any organization. This entails that organizations should also be revolutionary in their strategy formulation in order for them to keep pace with the changes that take place in the environments in which they operate. Since the business environment in which organizations operate is not static, it can be seen that strategy formulation should be an ongoing process. ... Strategy is not all about how it is implemented in business but about how well it is formulated. A poorly formulated strategy is likely to yield poor results as a result of the fact that it may be difficult to implement in the company. When formulating a strategy, different people in the organization should be involved in this process since they can also contribute revolutionary ideas. Strengths of the article The main strength of the article is that it highlights the significant of strategizing the company and it also tries to differentiate it from planning. These two concepts are often confused since they are not synonymous. A company that has strategies in place is in a better position to operate viably since it can revolutionize its operations to meet the changing demands of the environment in which the organizations operate. The other strength of the article is that it clearly states that strategy formulation should not be tied to the aspect of experience since this deprives org anizations the opportunity to revolutionize their operations. The other aspect is that organizations operate in dynamic environments that are constantly changing. This entails that the way we think should not be static as well but it should be revolutionary since it helps the people involved to generate new ideas that can revolutionise the operations of the organization. The other strength of the article is that it highlights the weaknesses that are often encountered in strategy formulation. For instance, the some people think that strategy formulation is a preserve of senior managers in the company alone. However, this misconception often leads to different

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Perspectives on Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Perspectives on Operations Management - Essay Example An efficient operations strategy can help the business entities to win the race and stand at top of the crowd in competitive environment. Operations Strategies for new Wal-Mart store X Company is the chain of independent retail outlets in Hartwell in Essex and opening a new Wal-Mart store at edge of the town. The advice is needed about the potential operation strategy in response to the recent opening of Wal-Mart store. I have prepared a plan for the future business operation strategy for the new Wal-Mart store. There are some extracts of my research are mentioned below Operational Strategy According to many successful financial advisors, Operations strategy for any business has a direct impact on the profitability levels and corporate strategy. Structural design is the main element of the operations strategy. As the Company X is running its business as a retail outlet and want to set the new business operation strategy for new Wal-Mart store. There are some key points for the struct ural design of new operations strategy. Meet the target demand: As the company is opening its new Wal-Mart store at the edge of Essex. So the target customers are the people of Essex. In addition, the company can take advantage form the new customers because of the location of new Wal-Mart store. It is clear that, the company is going to meet with the high level of customer demand. In this case, the company need to ensure first that it have the capability to meet with the high level of demands. For this purpose, company should access the target demand level and take certain steps to meet with the target demand. Cost of the products: If the company want to win the competitive race, then it should set the prices of their products that are unbeatable. Management should set the prices that provide the good value for their products. Services: The management of the new Wal-Mart store should ensure to provide the high quality services to potential customer. The management should provide th e services according to the customers’ necessity. Use of Technology: In current modern trends, technology is referred as a primary toll for an efficient operations strategy. In the case of retail business technology can be used in effective manner to manage the day to day operations of the business. For example, use of security cameras to keep an eye on any unusual activity or use of bar code reader to track all the sales in efficient manner. Layout and design of new Wal-Mart store: The secret of efficient operations strategy for any retail business lies in the layout and design of retail outlet. That’s why the management of the new Wal-Mart store should set a catchy layout and design for its new store that will save the time of potential customers. The layout should be in such way that enables the customer to access all the necessary things easily. The management should set the service layout that can create an open shopping environment that helps the customers to fin d the things what they are looking for quickly. Selection of Employees: Selection of staff for new Wal-Mart store is one of the primary factors that can help to develop good operations strategy. Skilled and trained staff can help to manage the routine operations in more appropriate

Friday, September 6, 2019

After Reading The Road Not Taken Essay Example for Free

After Reading The Road Not Taken Essay Introduction Within works of literature, often times the most valuable part of the work is not that which is readily apparent after a quick reading of the work; the true gems to be found within literature are those which are only discovered after a thorough study of the work and a deep consideration of what the author is really trying to convey to a reader, or perhaps conclusions that readers can draw on their own through the use of their imagination and interpretation. With all of this in mind, Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken will be the focus of this research. Why This Work was Chosen There are several reasons why this work was chosen as the focus of the research; first, even when the work is quickly read and taken just at face value, as was earlier discussed, the words flow beautifully and make the mind of the reader travel, just as the narrator of the work seems to do. When Frost uses such adjectives as â€Å"yellow†, â€Å"grassy† and the like, one feels peaceful and calm. On the other hand, just as this work reveals certain elements to the reader from the first reading, closer review and consideration drives the imagination of the reader to create other reactions and conclusions about the work, and perhaps that is the best thing that any work can do-to inspire the reader to a higher level of thought, emotion and belief. With all of this in mind, it is now possible to discuss reactions to Frost’s work which makes all of these points much clearer. Reactions to the Work Simply put, the first reaction that came about through a study of The Road Not Taken is one of excitement for the limitless opportunities open to human beings as indicated by Frost. When Frost wrote: â€Å"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference† (Frost, 1930, p. 131), what he appears to be saying is that by taking on those challenges and directions in life that other cannot or will not take on in fact can strengthen the individual and give them a deeper and more meaningful life. Additionally, this work has also come across as a highly inspirational one, as it tells the reader that they can be or do anything they choose- representation of the ultimate level of freedom. Conclusion As this research moves toward its conclusion, there are a few key points that deserve repeating. First, this research has shown that through the talents of skilled authors, words can in fact be put into sentences and phrases which transport the reader to another place and state of emotion. In this way, people are able to be enhanced and changed by reading, and experiencing, given works of literature. Second, while many works are captivating and enlightening from the first reading of them, the more and more that they are read and more deeply studied, there are new attributes which come to the surface. Third, and perhaps most importantly, literature proves that the human experience is not something which reaches a certain level or age and is considered complete; rather, it is a constantly changing and ongoing phenomenon which is enriched through things such as literature which expand the mind, broaden the imagination, and soothe the soul of readers. These conclusions came to mind as a result of studying The Road Not Taken and only prove, once again, that choosing this work to research was an excellent idea. References Frost, R. (1930). Collected Poems of Robert Frost. New York: Henry Holt.

Hiring Manager Essay Example for Free

Hiring Manager Essay I have recently found through your online advertisement that your company is in need of an administrative support specialist to fill the position of clerical support staff. I am confident that upon your review of my credentials you will find that I am a perfect match for the job.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have five (5) years of extensive experience in administrative posts in a variety of professional environments. I have working knowledge of all general office procedures. I am fluent in many languages and exceptionally competent in office related computer software.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Details of my qualifications can be found on the attached resume. Professional and personal references are available upon request. I hope to hear from you soon. Thank you.

Thursday, September 5, 2019

The Concept Of Film Authorship

The Concept Of Film Authorship Arising in France in the late 1940s, the auteur was a cinematic theory created by Andre Bazin and Alexandre Astruc, and introduced in the French film magazine Cahiers du Cinema. Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard were the first to coined the phrase la politique des Auteurs, suggesting the theory of the director as author. The idea was to advance the cause of cinema as a legitimate art form by awarding the director with the status of an artist. Both Truffaut and Godard believed that directors should use the commercial device of film making the way a painter uses a brush, or writer uses a pen, and, through the mise en scà ¨ne, impress his or her vision apon the work. The idea was that a film is most valuable when it is the product of the director, and his personal style. Thus in film authorship, the influences of the director can be seen through all of his works, often at times exhibiting aspects of their personal life portrayed through out each film. Ideally, one could watch a film without previously knowing who directed it and then be able to identify who was responsible for its creation. Simply put, the auteur theory acts to describe the mark of a film director on his films and a style that he distinctly owns. Much like one can look at a painting and tell if it is a Picasso, if a film director is an auteur, one can look at his film and tell by its style and recurring themes that a certain director made it. According to the authorship theory, it does not matter whether or not the director writes his own films, the cinematographer, actors, and others involved in its creation are of secondary if any consideration. The film is said to reflect the vision and the mind of the director through the choices he makes in his film, including his casting of crew and actors. Naturally, a great deal of criticism surrounds such a suggestion. As Philip Halsall (2002) points out film is clearly a collaborative process, even in the smallest of productions, and to elevate the status of the director is to belittle the contributions of other creative personnel such as the cinematographer, the editor, the sound man, and the actors. For a director to be considered a true auteur, Andrew Sarris declared, (HYPERLINK http://www.britishfilm.org.uk/lynch/biblio.html#sarrisNotes on the Auteur Theory in 1962HYPERLINK http://www.britishfilm.org.uk/lynch/biblio.html#sarris) a premise must exist whereby the distinguishable personality of the director is a criterion of value. Over a group of films, a director must exhibit certain recurring characteristics of style, which serve as his signature. One notable auteur, whose filmography has expanded over three decades, is David Lynch. A David Lynch film produces distinctly notable traits readily observed by the amateur, and commanded by the aficionado. His individual surrealist style has defied description thus necessitating the creation of a new term of classification, aptly titled Lynchian. Lynchs films are aesthetically progressive with inherently conservative subject matter hidden behind a postmodern veneer. Thematically repetitive, a David Lynch film involves parallel worlds both literally and the metaphorically contrasted elements of evil and innocence, weirdness and normality, the absurd and the macabre. The use of duplicity, extensive use of dreams and dream like nightmarish sequences, an obsession with the clandestine, extreme graphic violence and sadistic masochistic sexuality are all fixtures in some form. Lynchian created protagonists are tortured souls constructing illusions to escape their reality, when these fantasies unravel, in the case of Lost Highway, Mulholland Drive, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, The Elephant Man and Eraserhead, the only alternative is death. For those characters that manage to survive a Lynch film, the idea of a happy conclusion is parodied in a contrived manner, the image of the mechanical robin in Blue Velvet mocking such an improbable end. Lynchs juxtaposition of the homely and the eccentric is re-occurring fixation. Nothing is ever as it seems, there is always a more ominous existence lying beneath the surface or hidden behind the curtains. In Blue Velvet, Lynch created an idyllic suburbia drawing on conventions from teenage movies of the 50s, he presents a Happy Days/American Graffiti nostalgia to the point of parody, to give a contrast to the dark other world that is inevitably co-existent. (Philip Halsall (2002) The idealised picturesque world is contrasted with a more sinister dystopian one by employing Lynchs continuing engagement of conventional noir aesthetics. The picture perfect Grease type dynamic in Blue Velvet including the demure blonde debutante Sandy, is balanced by an exceedingly disturbing and menacing underbelly, centred on a dangerous and fairly unstable femme fatale. The femme fatale and its iconography can be scene in almost all Lynchian films. The portrayal of a highly sexualised woman, she is the figure of danger and unattainable desire. She is often filmed in a distinctly voyeuristic manner as scene in Blue Velvet when Jeremy hides in a cupboard and watches Dorothy undress, and in Lost Highway when Alice is forced to strip for Mr Eddy. Lynch utilizes duplicity of characters and motifs as a tactic to reinforce the parallel and to suggest alternative realities. The use of doubles is a traditional convention of dream like realities that can be seen as far back as characters from the Wizard of Oz, a film that Lynch is a self-proclaimed admirer of. Lynch also engages in acts of cinematic self-referentiality. The Black Lodge in Twin Peaks is resurrected in different forms in both Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive. The magical box is Hellraiser, a central ingredient to the narrative returns as the blue box in Mulholland Drive, symbolic of a portal between two worlds. Curtains are an interconnected motif and similar form of self-referntiality. They can be seen in the Elephant Man as he is revealed on stage, draped heavily almost engulfing Fred as he wanders down the dark hallway in Lost Highway and consuming the opening sequence of Blue Velvet the use of curtains points to looming darkness, the sinister undertone of whats hidden behind them. Lynchs films offer an artistic form to the contemporary efforts of post-classical Hollywood. Lynch has developed a signatory approach of unconventional narrative, consistent thematic expressions and a distinctly visual style recognizable to both audiences and critics worldwide. However, this cannot be proclaimed so evidently for all of Lynchs films. Dune (1984) was both a critical and commercial disaster and perceived as the least lynchian of his films. Shunned even by Lynch himself, Dune epitomises the constraints and compromises of artistic expression by the commercial demands of auteurism. I didnt really feel I really had permission to make it [Dune] my own. That was the downfall for me. It was a problem. Dune was like a kind of studio film. I didnt have final cut. And, little by little, I was subconsciously making compromises knowing I couldnt go here and not wanting to go there. (Rodley 1997, 119-120). David Lynch quote For David Lynch and many other auteurs, the focus on a films potential for box office returns, by the studios and the financial backers, becomes the catalyst for tremendous artistic limitation. There is a contradiction in cinema between the commercial need to maintain the ideology of the creative artists and a simultaneous need to redefine ownership in terms of capital, rather than creative investment. (Theories of authorship, Caughie, pg 2. Brecht and the film industry, Screen 16, Ben Brewster, pg 16-33). The auteur as a commercial oddity coincides with the contemporary status of the auteur as a celebrity. Contemporary auteurs are for the most part, labelled by their commercial status and their ability to promote a film. The idea of the auteur-star alternates the director in place of the actor as the main drawcard. As much as an actors acclaimed performance can carry or redeem a script, the auteur-star has the ability to carry and redeem any sort of textual material. (The Commerce of Auteurism, A Cinema Without Walls: Movie and Culture After Vietnam. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1991, pg.104) The auteur as a business entity is less a matter of artistic accomplishments and more about attaining a status that sells both the film to the audience, and the director to a studio. (New Hollywood cinema: an introduction, By Geoff King pg.115) The idea of the auteur-star is seen commercially as a means of publicity and advertisement. Meaghan Morris noted that today the primary modes of film and auteurs packaging are advertising, review snippeting, trailers, magazine profiles always ready in appropriation as the precondition, and not the postproduction of meaning. (pg 91 Film theory: critical concepts in media and cultural studies, By Philip Simpson, Andrew Utterson, Karen J. Shepherdson Taylor Francis, 2004) Our primary access to the auteur is not seen directly through his/her films but through controlled media mediums such as television, websites, and award ceremonies. (An introduction to film studies, By Jill Nelmes, pg.139) Before David Lynchs Twin Peaks hit mainstream America it was backed by an explosion of teaser advertising, it was hailed as the show that would change the face of network television forever on the September 1989 cover of Connoisseur magazine, long before the pilot had gone to air. Overnight, it seemed, there were board games, guidebooks and even Bart Simpson Killed Laura Palmer T-shirts. The constant marketing and promotion of an auteur film communicates information to a large number of audiences who may know the makers reputation but have never seen the films. The auteur is then seen as commercial tactic for promoting associations and controlling audience reception. By listing a director in the films title, as some kind of brand, guarantees a relationship between the audience and the film and conditions the way it will be viewed and received. (The Commerce of Auteurism, A Cinema Without Walls: Movie and Culture After Vietnam. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers UP, 1991, pg.102) To react to a movie as primarily a Lynch film, for example, is the refusal to form any evaluative response. For the audience, much of the enjoyment lies in already being able to know the gist of the film as a product of the creators generated public image. 3. Textual auteurism 4. Critical auteurism as a category Auteurism is a critical category, in the sense of understanding the author as a critical construct rather than a person. The ability to identify Hitchcock as a group of structuring principles that could be engineered from a critical examination of films, but bearing no necessary relation to the small, fat, male person who routinely appeared in each of these movies.