The Financial Performance Measures Accounting Essay

During the last old ages, more and more attending is paid to the fillip construction of CEOs of big multinationals. CEO bonuses has become an international issue debated in the parliament and routinely featured in front-page headlines, screen narratives, and telecasting intelligence shows. Several factors have contributed to the widespread involvement in CEO fillips. First, the compensation of CEO has risen aggressively during the last decennaries ( Murphy, 1999 ) . Secondly, some houses in the Netherlands were in existent problem during the fiscal crisis, they needed fiscal aid from the authorities, but their CEOs still got a fillip ( Hooft van Huysduynen, 2011 ) . But since the regulations about CEO compensation were wholly ill-defined for companies which needed fiscal aid from the authorities, more arguments were held in the authorities and regulations were changed often. This contributed to the widespread involvement of the topic of executive compensation in The Netherlands ( de Horde, 2011 ) . And in conclusion, there has besides been an detonation in academic research on executive compensation, which contributed to the rosen involvement of CEO bonus-structure ( Murphy, 1999 ) .CEO compensationThe compensation bundles negotiated with main executive officers ( CEOs ) of big corporations largely contains four basic constituents: a base wage, an one-year fillip tied to accounting public presentation, stock options, and long term inducement programs ( including restricted stock programs and multi-year accounting-based public presentation programs ) ( Murphy, 1999 ) . The incentive constituent frequently is comprised of both an one-year fillip program and a long-run inducement program, where the final payments from these programs depend on an intricate portfolio of public presentation steps ( Bushman et al, 1996 ) . The compensation commission can take different public presentation steps, including stock return, accounting return and non-financial steps, to fin d how much of each signifier of compensation the CEO will gain ( Krolick, 2005 ) . Paying CEOs based on short tally accounting net incomes provides inducements to increase short-term net incomes ( by, for illustration, cutting R & A ; D ) even if making so reduces value in the long tally. Conceptually, the â€Å" perfect † public presentation step for a CEO is the Chief executive officer ‘s personal part to the value of the house. This part includes the consequence that the CEO has on the public presentation of others in the organisation, and besides the effects that the CEO ‘s actions this twelvemonth have on public presentation in future periods. Unfortunately, the CEO ‘s part to tauten value is about ne'er straight mensurable ; the available steps will necessarily except ways that the CEO creates value, and include the effects of factors non due to the attempts of the CEO, or neglect to uncover ways that the CEO destroys value ( Murphy, 2013 ) . A long line of literature has argued that compensation should be related to public presentation. The grounds for the linkage are both normative and positive. In a normative sense, compensation is considered just if it has been †earned † through superior public presentation. In a positive sense, bureau theoreticians argue that associating compensation to tauten public presentation steps provides inducement to increase steadfast value ( Balsam, 2002 ; Lewellen and Huntsman, 1970 ; Murphy, 1985 ) .Fiscal public presentation stepsFiscal public presentation steps consists of steps of hard currency flow, net income, earnings-per-share, gross revenues, economic value added, return on invested capital, return on assets, return on equity, return on gross revenues, stock monetary value return and cost decrease ( Ittner et al, 1997 ) . The literature paperss that i ¬?nancial accounting steps, particularly steps of proi ¬?tability, are extensively used in executive compensation c ontracts. There is grounds of widespread, expressed usage of proi ¬?tability steps in the one-year fillip programs and in the long-run public presentation programs of corporate executives. The inexplicit usage of proi ¬?tability steps in the board of manager ‘s rating and compensation of top oi ¬?cers is supported by a robust, positive statistical relation between proi ¬?tability steps and assorted steps of executive wage, including managerial turnover chances ( Bushman and Smith, 2001 ) . The most of import ground of utilizing fiscal public presentation steps alternatively of utilizing nonfinancial steps, is that fiscal marks are cheaper and easier to mensurate, since all companies are already compulsory to print a balance sheet and an income statement ( Epstein, 2006 ) . Paul ( 1992 ) shows that stock monetary value need non supply efficient inducements in a multi-task scene because monetary value gaining controls the value of the house instead than the value-added by the director. Ittner et Al ( 1997 ) argues that fiscal steps entirely may non supply the most efficient agencies to actuate directors to move in the mode desired by the house ‘s proprietors. While companies use a assortment of fiscal and non-financial public presentation steps in their one-year CEO fillip programs, about all companies rely on some step of accounting net income such as net income, pre-tax income, or operating net income. Accounting net income measured over short intervals is non, nevertheless, a peculiarly good step of the CEOs part to tauten value, for several grounds. First, CEOs routinely make determinations ( such as sequence planning or R & A ; D investings ) that will increase long-term value but non short-term net income. Second, accounting net incomes ( lik e equity-based steps ) are constantly influenced by factors outside of the control of the CEO, including the effects of concern rhythms, universe oil monetary values, natural catastrophes, terrorist onslaughts, etc. Third, while the steps of accounting net incomes typically used in fillip programs take into history both grosss and disbursals, they ignore the chance cost of the capital employed. The usage of these accounting steps provides inducements to put in any undertaking that earns positive accounting net incomes ( non merely those that earn more than the cost of capital ) , and provides no inducements to abandon undertakings gaining positive accounting net incomes that are less than those needed to cover their cost of capital ( Murphy, 2013 ) .Non-financial public presentation stepsNon-financial public presentation steps consists of steps of employee satisfaction, merchandise or service quality, efficiency or productiveness, employee safety, market portion, non-financial strat egic aims, procedure betterments and re-engineering, new merchandise development, invention, employee development and preparation, work force diverseness, leading and client satisfaction ( Ittner et al, 1997 ) . Recent grounds indicates that i ¬?rms are progressively utilizing non-i ¬?nancial public presentation steps such as client satisfaction and merchandise quality in the catching procedure within i ¬?rms ( Ittner et al, 1997 ) . Anterior literature shows that noni ¬?nancial public presentation can counterbalance for â€Å" noise † and â€Å" end incongruence † of i ¬?nancial public presentation steps. Another desirable undertaking property of noni ¬?nancial steps is their ability to foretell future public presentation and to ease intertemporal fiting between current investings and future returns ( Matejka et al. , 2009 ) . Non-financial public presentation steps are assumed to ease the board ‘s appraisal of private managerial information so it ca n more closely supervise the executive decision-making procedure ( Schiehll and Bellavance, 2009 ) . The ground for the usage of non-financial steps in compensation contracts is that they provide information incremental to accounting steps in rewarding and motivation directors ( Davila and Venkatachalam, 2004 ) .Fiscal CrisisPearson and Clair ( 1998 ) developed a definition for organisational crisis ‘ : †An organisational crisis is a low-probability, high-impact event that threatens the viability of the organisation and is characterized by ambiguity of cause, consequence, and agencies of declaration, every bit good as by a belief that determinations must be made fleetly. † Several illustrations of organisational crisis ‘ are: Extortion, Bribery, Hostile coup d'etat, Information sabotage, Terrorist onslaught, Executive kidnaping, Product callback, Natural catastrophe that destroys corporate central offices ( Pearson and Clair, 1998 ) . The fiscal crisis started in September 2008. Assorted causes of the i ¬?nancial crisis have been cited, including slack ordinance over mortgage loaning, a turning lodging bubble, the rise of derived functions instruments such as collateralized debt duties, and questionable banking patterns ( Kothari and Lester, 2012 ) . This research is concentrating on this fiscal crisis, which started in September 2008, and is still go oning at the minute of composing this thesis. Ittner et Al. ( 1997 ) argues that as the noise in fiscal steps increases, houses tend to put more weight on non-financial steps. At the other side, Matejka et Al. ( 2009 ) i ¬?nd that proi ¬?t urgency and i ¬?nancial hurt ( which make i ¬?nancial public presentation steps more congruent with i ¬?rm ends ) are associated with a lower accent on noni ¬?nancial public presentation steps.Hypothesis developmentAlthough old literature us non consistent the usage of non-financial public presentation steps in times of fiscal crisis, more recent research ( Matejka et al. , 2009 ) leads to the premise that the usage of non-financial public presentation steps in CEO fillip contracts will drop during the current fiscal crisis. Based on this premise, the following hypothesis is developed: Hypothesis 1: The usage of non-financial public presentation steps in CEO fillip contracts has been decreased from 2005 to 2010, due to the impact of the fiscal crisis.III. MethodologyThis subdivision describes the research methods used to look into the empirical association between the fiscal crisis and the usage of non-financial public presentation steps. Sample A mark sample of 27 houses is identified from Dutch companies listed on the Amsterdam Exchange Index ( AEX ) at the beginning of the twelvemonth 2013. No differentiation is made between different sectors, all AEX-listed companies were taken in the sample. Data aggregation Data was collected from proxy statements in one-year studies in two different old ages. To mensurate the consequence of the fiscal crisis, the first twelvemonth which had been measured is 2005, since during 2005 no influence of the fiscal crisis could be perceived. The 2nd twelvemonth which is used to roll up informations, is the twelvemonth 2010. 2010 has been chosen because it was in the center of the fiscal crisis and all informations is now available from this twelvemonth. This research surveies the comparative weights placed on fiscal and non-financial public presentation steps in main executive officer ( CEO ) fillip contracts ( Ittner et al, 1997 ) . This method is similar to the method adopted by Ittner et Al ( 1997 ) and used by Schiehll and Bellavance ( 2009 ) . Variables The empirical theoretical account of this research will be as follow: Y = I ± + I?1Xi +I?2Xi Where Y will incorporate the dependant variable usage of non-financial public presentation steps, I?1 will stand for the state of affairs of the usage of a non-financial public presentation step in 2005 ( 0 will stand for the usage of a fiscal public presentation step in 2005, and 1 will stand for the usage of a non-financial public presentation step in 2005 ) , I?2 will stand for the state of affairs of the usage of a non-financial public presentation step in 2010 ( 0 will stand for the usage of a fiscal public presentation step in 2010, and 1 will stand for the usage of a non-financial public presentation step in 2010 ) , and Xi contains the house.

Influence And Impact Of Differing National Cultures On International Business

The world is changing politically, economically, technically, and collectively at a previously unthinkable rate. Both new and skilled multinational firms are stumbling and committing mistakes as they confront these recently emerging environmental forces. What is desired now is a new way of viewing both the global and foreign operations of multinational firms. To be as thriving as possible, these firms should be as culturally attuned to the world and to every foreign society in which they seek to work as they are to their own home society.The Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary (1980) defines culture as â€Å"the incorporated pattern of human behavior that includes thought, speech, action, and artifacts and depends on man's competence for learning and transmitting knowledge to succeeding generations† and â€Å"the customary beliefs, social forms, and material behavior of a racial, religious, or social group. † These definitions point to numerous important aspects of cult ure. First, culture permeates all human behaviors and interactions. Second, culture is shared by members of a group.And third, it is handed down to newcomers and from one generation to the next. This description of culture is not aimed at organizations but is very appropriate to them (AAhad M. Osman-Gani & Zidan, S. S. 2001, pp. 452-460). The prevailing trend in the international business environment in current decades has been greater directness in trade, investment, finance and technology resultant in increased international integration and interdependence in business and between states. What is also obvious is that large swathes of the world's population are efficiently marginalized or barred from these trends.This segregation has been a major factor in modern anti-globalization campaigns and is often used to justify proposals to reform or even abolish international institutions and to invalidate policies that have contributed to international integration. Morrison (2006) charact erized a global industry as having intense levels of international competition, competitors marketing a standardized product worldwide, industry competitors that have a presence in all key international markets and high levels of international trade.These definitions have the common thread of the need and opportunity to integrate strategy across countries. Though aspects of globalization and the guiding principles of the IMF and the World Bank have not always been affirmative for developing countries, it is a generalization to place all or most of the blame for the marginalization of developing countries onto these factors. Development is a multifaceted process but some countries have managed it successfully.Considerably, it is those countries that have affianced most intensively with the outside world (that is, in East Asia), that have been most successful in their development endeavors. Equally considerable has been the keenness of each state to take a central role in the developm ent process, a role that assorted from country to country depending on its culture and early circumstances. Development is a significant, and often ignored, issue for international business. Too often, international business and development are simply discussed within the context of problems such as child labor or environmental degradation.Certainly, these and similar issues pose serious challenges for multinational enterprises and policy-makers but they are ultimately problems that, with adequate political will, are amenable to solution (admittedly, the political will requisite is of a much greater extent than has hitherto been seen). Successful development, however, forms markets and improves the quality of labor forces and key features of infrastructure, thereby creating investment opportunities. Investment in turn is essential to the development process.Recognition of the need to be culturally attuned is not new. William J. Holstein and colleagues noted in a Business Week articl e that going global can be awesome as experienced CEOs find that their executive skills developed at home are not almost as sharp when diverse cultures determine the playing field (Holstein et al. 1989, 9-18). To sharpen these skills and permit managers to function cross culturally, firms have characteristically focused on management selection and training.The thought here is that if being culturally attuned at home yields a non-cognitive automatic response, then suitably oriented managers could be selected and trained in the cultures of the world to exhibit also appropriate responses in other societies. IBM, for instance, requires that each manager shall receive forty-two hours of training each year on topics such as managing multinational groups of people and the internationalization of IBM's business (Callahan 1989, 28-32).Still, despite efforts such as these, one study noted that cross-cultural obstacles facing à ©migrà © employees continue to result in a failure rate of 20 to 50 percent of all expatriate assignments. International organizations develop certain assumptions, norms, patterns of speech and behavior that make them unique. Also, similar to social or racial groups, culture is one of the factors that differentiate one organization from another. Applying the concept of culture to organizations gives them a human quality.Organizations become much more than the profit margin, the buildings, and the organizational charts. As living entities, organizations grow and change. They adapt to their environment and maintain internal health. Many management scholars have focused on the thought of adapting national culture in international business. It is usually defined as a series of basic assumptions that an organization has developed in learning to handle with its external environment and its internal functioning. These assumptions have been found to be effectual and valid and are therefore communicated to new employees.Adapting foreign culture makes eve ry international organization unique and bonds members of an organization together. The culture in the organization verifies what behaviors and ideas are acceptable and appropriate. Culture is the yardstick used to assess many behaviors and ideas, and it provides a foundation for the development of goals and strategies. For instance, an organization where one of the basic postulations is that people perform best under minimal control and supervision and need independence to excel would consider heavy-handed management techniques used by one of their new deplorable managers.Furthermore, such an organization would be more expected to select a training program for developing participative management skills more than one focusing on processes for developing power. A case in point is the much-publicized W. L. Gore and Associates, with headquarters in Newark, Delaware, that makes wire and cable, medical products, Gore-tex fibers and fabrics, and industrial filter bags. One of the distinct ive characteristics of the firm is its casualness and the absence of hierarchy and status symbols.Employees and managers do not have prescribed titles, and creative problem solving is extremely encouraged. As a result, the use of status symbols that would designate a hierarchy is considered highly inappropriate. This instance demonstrates how a basic cultural assumption concerning factors that leads to effectiveness is used to find out which behaviors are acceptable (Jimmieson, Nerina L. , Katherine M. White, and Megan Peach, 2004, C1). Culture and structure are inseparable, since structure is one of the major manifestations of culture.The culture is one of the factors that determine the relationship between employees and managers. As with the other elements, however, the culture may also be the result of structure. For example, in a highly centralized organization, the implementation of participative management and employee empowerment will be impossible without a change in the str ucture. Thus, the two elements are totally intertwined (Skinner, Denise 1. 2004, 5). Working productively in an organizational setting, demands a diverse approach of communication, management and negotiation.The majority management techniques and interpersonal skills are put together on a personal value system that is extremely influenced by culture. Both company culture and national culture recount to a persons’ effectual behavior (Fisher, Glen 1990, 98). Working in national culture means working in a different cultural environment. As one national culture might interpret eye contact, smiling, happy, individual space, touching, punctuality, and arousing responses in a certain way, another culture might infer a totally opposite meaning from the similar behavior (Moran, Robert T. nd Stripp, William G. , 1991).The deepest level of a culture is the least visible part, its value system. It becomes apparent indirectly, while working with foreigners. Basically, national culture ins pires every feature of social behavior and manipulates communication style, personality, character, inspiration, knowledge and cognition. There is a widespread body of work on cultural differences in communication styles in the linguistics and cultural anthropology literature (Reine, P. P. V. & Trompenaars, F, 2000, 237-243).Devoid of knowledge of the dissimilarities in national culture and mentality, without knowing how your colleague thinks, believe and proceed, or which communications and conflict-solving patterns these pertain, you run the risk of misunderstanding your business partners, and thus of jeopardizing your achievement both abroad as well as in locally-based inter cultural teams (Fisher, Glen 1990). It is simply through the cultural, personal and communication understanding of the responsible persons that international assignments and company start-ups abroad can be prohibited from becoming failures.Though, effective communication with people of national cultures is pa rticularly challenging. Cultures give people with ways of judgment, ways of considering, investigation, and interpreting the world. Thus the similar words can mean dissimilar things to people from different cultures, even when they talk the same language. When the languages are dissimilar, and translation has to be used to communicate, the prospective for misunderstandings increase (Fisher, Glen 1990). â€Å"Communication is effectual when the person interpreting the message attaches a meaning to the message comparable to what was intended by the person transmitting it. (Fisher, Glen 1990). The national culture in an international organization endures gradual change as the organization adapts to diverse environmental and internal events. This gradual change is incremental and rarely entails significant deviation from established patterns.Effecting massive organizational change is therefore very strenuous. Changing the culture of an organization is as hard as changing an individual' s personality. Moreover, strong cultures will be more defiant to change than weak ones (Tony Proctor, and Ioanna Doukakis. 2003, 268). So as to change culture, all three of its levels have to change. Varying the first level of culture which includes all artifacts, physical elements, dress codes, building decoration, symbols, logos, and yet employee behaviors and speech patterns–is comparatively easy. One key to such change is a new reward system. For illustration, cooperative behavior can be confident and taught if organizational reward systems encourage it. Employees come to learn that they will be rewarded for collaboration.Changes in this first level, however, do not essentially lead to changes in the second level, which comprises values, or in the third level, which consists of basic assumptions. The latter two is much harder to amend. For example, although as a result of training and a new reward system employee can learn to behave more considerately, they might still va lue competition and consider it to be the key to success and high performance. In the short term, cooperation can develop into an espoused value. It can become a deeply held value simply if it is proven successful over a period of time.In addition, values that are distinct with basic assumptions are likely to lead to conflict and tension and are less probable to be adopted (Lloyd, Margaret, and Sheridan Maguire. 2002, 149). It is the continuous success of a new behavior (first level) that leads to the development of a new value (second level). If this new value is sustained and proven effective, it can lead to changes in several basic assumptions (third level). In the implementation of organizational change, a top down approach is less expected to be effective, although it will lead to behavioral changes.Basic assumptions can simply be changed if all organizational levels are committed to the change and adopt it as their own (McNish, Mark. 2002, 201). The process will perceptibly ta ke longer; however, employee participation leads to obligation to the development of new assumptions. Overall, although it may be moderately easy to change the discernible and obvious elements of national culture, it is very hard to amend the core of culture. Without the amendment of the basic cultural assumptions, the culture will only change apparently. Only with the long-term success of new behaviors will new postulations develop.However, the deep-seated paradigms may avert consideration of new behaviors and values, since they often lead to a biased interpretation of the accomplishment of new behaviors and therefore discourage their use. Without major cultural change, substantial strategic change is likely to fail. Although the formulation of new strategy may be moderately easy, its successful implementation depends almost completely on existing culture or, in many cases, on a change in the existing culture. But such a change is exceptionally difficult and can only be successful with broad planning.Managers can distinguish and acclimatize to different work styles and cultures. Getting work done through others entails a free flow of perfect information and open, prolific relationships with employees. But that's easier said than done in a diverse workplace where lots of cultures collide. On the other hand, nearly every aspect of daily human life involves negotiations. Parenting, interpersonal relationships, commercial dealings and communications with customers, co-workers and suppliers are some of the few to name. Employees through strong negotiation skills are important assets to organizations.Armed with the accurate knowledge, approaches and skills, well-trained and well-prepared negotiators deliver results that go immediately to the bottom line. Diverse techniques of negotiation attach to your ideas. An instance of this is when Americans were negotiating with Vietnamese. They used a plan stratagem in order to stick. Poor negotiating is when someone talks t o you. Negotiating downwards is not an excellent way. It is like takes it or abscond it approach. Approximately everything is negotiable (Reine, P. P. V. & Trompenaars, F, 2000, 237-243).Another culture difference is a bigger course toward people. It is in addition a high-level of internal negotiation, and a greater skill in managing international variety. European managers are able of managing linking extremes (AAhad M. Osman-Gani & Zidan, S. S, 2001, 452-460). Working in another culture a lot depends on the inter-cultural skills of the negotiator. Whereas technology and financial ability might be an issue in the negotiation process in our fast-growing world, the cultural competence of the negotiator provides a company the viable edge (Moran, Robert T. nd Stripp, William G. , 1991).Cultural values persuade all features of behavior in doing business in negotiating through people from different surroundings; the most efficient approach for overcoming probable communication barriers i s to center on the interests of the parties (Reine, P. P. V. & Trompenaars, F, 2000, 237-243). Why do they want what they want? You have to go at the back the validations they may use to protect why they want something; finally virtually everyone can come up with an explanation for whatever they want.The actual issue is how what they want will hand out their interests (AAhad M. Osman-Gani & Zidan, S. S, 2001, 452-460). Negotiation progression is a build process. It is a challenging style, cooperative, working together, avoiding, and compromising style. There are negotiation tactics, which are trouble solving win-win and partnering. It is a build trust, shows optimistic feeling, and reduces differences, obvious and rational. It is also inspired, peaceful shows patience, elastic, seeks common interest, makes others contented, yields to good alternatives (Wiechecki, Barbara. 999).Lots of manager has been aggravated by the employee who nods in obviously considerate of a direction, then does just the contradictory. Or there are the staff members who rise cold and distant after getting feedback on their work, as well as the team members who clam up at meetings when asked for ideas (Fisher, Glen 1990). Besides, our understanding, culture manipulate how close we stand, how loud we converse, how we contract with conflict even how we contribute in a meeting (AAhad M. Osman-Gani & Zidan, S. S, 2001).Though lots of cultural norms manipulate a manager's behavior and ensuing reactions, mainly significant ones are hierarchy and status, groups vs. individual orientation, time realization, communication and conflict pledge. By failing to recognize how culture collisions individually needs and preferences, managers, a lot misunderstands behaviors (Moran, Robert T. and Stripp, William G. , 1991). Think about the norm of hierarchy and status. If you desire all people to feel valued and to contribute in indicative or decision making, differences in this standard could be restraine d.An employee who has been taught regard to age, sexual category or title, might out of respect timid away from being sincere or offering ideas as offering proposals to an elder or a boss might emerge to be tough authority. The manager in addition might require structuring a climate that balances predilections for group and individual work. The employee who can't or won't subordinate individual wants or requirements for the good of the group might perform better working alone (Casse, Pierre 1995).A culturally skilled manager generates opportunities for individuals to take a number of risks and investigate projects that don't need coordinating with others. Doing so can hearten employees with a sturdy individualist bent to draw concentration to significant matters, such as policies or procedures that don't work. On the other hand, when managers put too high a premium on evading workplace discord, even distinctive employees may be disheartened from providing potentially productive feed back (Moran, Robert T. and Stripp, William G. , 1991). However, managers require comprehending the people with whom they work (Casse, Pierre 1995).Devoid of clear mutual understanding, it is almost not possible for a team to attain its objectives. Even in a comparatively standardized organization, designers and accountants, for instance, might be seen as representing diverse cultural perspectives. Getting them to work efficiently together is perceptibly crucial for a company's success. And, most confidently, getting people whose cultural variety is based on diverse issues is no less significant (Adelman, Mara B and Levine Deena R. 1993). To obtain the information you require you have to get alternative approaches that are more in order with the employee's culture.Here are a number of suggestions: Evade yes/no questions such as â€Å"Is that clear? † or â€Å"Do you understand? † provide the employee options from which to prefer. Inquire for specific information, such a s â€Å"Which step will you do first with this new practice? † If time allows, carry out the task along with the employee or watch to see how well he recognizes your directions. Endeavor using unreceptive language that focuses on the circumstances or behavior, rather than the individual. For instance, â€Å"Galls should be answered by the third ring† or â€Å"All requests require accurate charge codes so as to be processed. (Adelman, Mara B and Levine Deena R. 1993).Give workers enough lead time to gather their thoughts before a meeting so they can feel prepared to get input. Have employees work in petite groups, engendering ideas through discussion and presenting input as a group. One of the most significant functions of a manager is budding and grooming employees for encouragement. Cultural norms have a vast collision on this job as of the underlying conjecture a manager might make about an employee's prospective (Fisher, Glen 1990).One has to be cautious not to des ignate people with a particular image, to think that everyone with a particular ‘label' thinks or acts alike. If it isn’t for differences, the world would be a very uninteresting place. What we require to do is finds out how diverse interests can be addressed to yield results that work for the organizations that have the decisive liability to realize an agreement. Organizational cultural diversity is merely one of the rudiments that desire to be taken into relation to keep things operating on a cultured level.

Black People and Roberta Essay

Determining the race of Twyla and Roberta from the clouded descriptions in Recitatif is a rather difficult task. The evidence in my opinion leads me to believe that Roberta is white and that Twyla is black. In this paper I will identify situations in this story that reinforce my opinion. I will also explain how minority group treatment influenced my perception of the events in this story. My early impression of Roberta was that of a spoiled country girl with little or no education that opinion was based on her inability to read and her waste of food at meal times. Finishing all your food is a strong force in many black families this waste can be construed as a connection to Roberta being white. The first verbal indication is Roberta’s mother’s refusal to greet Twyla’s mother Mary. This is a strong image of prejudice in my opinion. Roberta’s mother said nothing. She just grabbed Roberta and stepped out of line. Roberta’s mother’s disinterest in meeting a woman of the opposite race makes a convincing argument that she is white and in her mind better than associating with blacks. In the next scene the families were eating Lunch. Twyla made the observation that â€Å"The wrong food is always with the wrong people. † And the connection that â€Å"Maybe that’s why I got into waitress work later-to match up the right people with the right food. † There is a common stereotype that black people love chicken. So the white Roberta having the â€Å"black† chicken could be considered a Mitch match and since Roberta is white she should not have the chicken. The next piece of evidence comes much later when the two old friends are reunited in a supermarket. They have exchanged pleasantries and discussed how well there lives are going. It is obvious to the reader that Roberta is well off financially. Roberta makes the comment â€Å"I was dying to know what happened to her, how she got from Jimi Hendrix to Annandale, a neighborhood full of doctors and IBM executives. Easy, I thought. Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. † This statement shows that Twyla is aware of how easy it is for white people to raise their economic class. It can be implied that Roberta made the large advance because she was of the proper â€Å"white† race to make such advancement. The final piece of evidence is When Twyla confronts Roberta on her poor behavior at their encounter in Howard Johnson’s Roberta says â€Å"Oh, Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was. † Roberta here identifies the strong pressure she felt from her peers to not associate with the â€Å"lower† black race. My first indication of Twyla’s race was the way her mother Mary introduced herself. She used the phrase â€Å"Twyyyyyla, baby! † the term â€Å"baby† is commonly associated with older black females. Mary’s reaction to Roberta’s mother’s refusal to shake hands coupled with the loud outbursts on the way to the chapel are also part of what society has deemed as black female behavior. Mary is described wearing â€Å"those ugly green slacks that made her behind stick out† There is a stereotype that black women have large behinds. These examples leads me believe Roberta’s mother is black and so the daughter must be of the same race. Throughout the story Roberta is always depicted in a lower class than Roberta always overshadowed by Roberta. Roberta marries into a higher social standing and has an implied superiority throughout the story. The statement â€Å"Everything is so easy for them. They think they own the world. † Is a common opinion about the social standing of whites in the United States. There are a lot of conflicting data to for both sides of this argument. In my opinion though there is much more evidence that leads the reader to believe that Roberta is white and Twyla is black.

Principles of Effective Leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Principles of Effective Leadership - Essay Example From the essay it is clear that for missions to succeed, especially in times of uncertainty, ambiguity, and adversity, leaders must live and conduct all their activities so that others may look them squarely in the eye knowing that they are associating with and placing their trust in an honorable individual. As the paper declares leaders exert themselves to promote the well-being of others. They do something or stand ready to do something for others. They develop self-reliance in others so that they can become effective members of an interdependent team. Self-reliance means that a staff member does not need the presence of the boss to carry out the tactical and operational elements of his or her own job. As a leader, one should state the job to be done but leave it to one’s subordinate to recommend the methods that will accomplish the desired results, at the time required, with due regard for costs. If one wants to lead people, one has to communicate information directly and honestly. One cannot hem and haw or water down the truth. One has to keep one’s people and the people to whom one reports, grounded in the reality of one’s situation. Many women, especially, respect the social value of an indirect approach to problems, and this places them at a disadvantage in le adership situations. If one has trouble with the direct approach, one should put one’s points in writing, structuring them so that when one goes into a meeting, one can use one’s notes as an aid until one feels comfortable in delivering verbal reports without them.

Abstrsct Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Abstrsct - Essay Example The research study aims addressing how EFL teachers can apply videoconferencing as a tool for promoting intercultural competency. Teachers can only be able to make informed decisions if they have adopted a telecollaborative learning approach that enables them to work together in completing common tasks that need both technological and pedagogical knowledge in online platform. A collaborative online learning environment is essential for foreign EFL teachers since it augments their capacity for critical thinking, reduces isolation, and support sharing of opinions, experiences, ideas in the Saudi Arabia intercultural classroom. The study’s methods will entail training of the EFL teachers, especially to acquire skills in the moderation in synchronous platform as well as intercultural competencies. The application of ICT in the training will give the EFL teachers the opportunity to practically apply their experienced in the classrooms thereby enhancing learning. The purpose of the research study is to enable teachers to gain ICT competency, use ICT in developing various educational paradigms, and to use it both as a mind and teaching tool. Teachers will be required to develop the skills and knowledge on e-learning. The study is particularly designed to prove how videoconferencing can replace the conventional teaching method in enhancing the training of Intercultural Communication among in-service English teachers who are not conversant with the Arabic

Compensation and Benefits in regards to legislation Essay

Compensation and Benefits in regards to legislation - Essay Example Compensation and benefits basically are employees’ protection, but most of the workers experience deprivation. However, the government aims the development of labor group and several orders---which were conferred on this work---were enacted to achieve this. Racial discrimination is a major social issue that has a significant effect on a person’s life, especially the lives of the ones being discriminated. Even at the immediate moment, when it is said that discrimination has diminished, it is still evident in several workplaces. It is one reason why certain positions are filled only by American (White Race), and the Blacks, as well as the other races still don’t get as much opportunity. Executive Order 11246 and other labor laws were enacted to put a stop to this. Another factor that affects the labor group is gender discrimination. Most companies opt to hire men over women for the reason that women are entitled to maternity leaves. True, this may have a negative effect on companies especially with jobs that can’t wait or the ones that require daily transmission or submission of documents. Maternity leave is a paid absence, hence, the company is ordered to pay for an employer who is not even working. Choosing to hire men over women may seem practical, but it is obviously a form of discrimination and is definitely unjust for women; legislations were enacted to minimize cases of gender discrimination and other instances of unfairness: enforcement of Parts II and III of this Order. The Secretary shall adopt such rules and regulations and issue such orders as are deemed necessary and appropriate to achieve the purposes of Parts II and III of this Order. Sec. 202. Except in contracts exempted in accordance with Section 204 of this Order, all Government contracting agencies shall include in every Government contract hereafter entered into the following provisions: employment because of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. The

Chapters Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Chapters Questions - Essay Example For the growth stage, the strategic alternatives are market development, product development, penetration, vertical integration, and related diversification. For the maturity stage, the strategic alternatives are market development, product development, penetration, enhancement, status quo, retrenchment, divestiture, and unrelated diversification. For the decline stage, the strategic alternatives are divestiture, liquidation, harvesting, and unrelated diversification. Public health and not-for-profit organizations should set priorities for their programs because they have more limited financial resources compared to for-profit organizations that focus on and can generate large profits, so the former must set priorities that will result to efficient resource-allocation decisions. 2) Explain the difference between pre-service, point-of service, and after -service activities. What elements are central to each? Provide an example of how an organization might create a competitive advantage in each of these areas? Pre-service activities use market research to know more about the customers and marketing research to determine the customers’ reactions to the organization’s marketing programs. Point-of-service concerns patient care and service delivery. After-service activities consist of marketing and clinical follow-up and follow-on activities. The elements that are central to pre-service activities are market and marketing research, branding, market segmentation, pricing, distribution, and promotion; for point-of-service, clinical operations and marketing; and for after-service activities, follow-up, billing, and follow-on. An organization can create competitive advantages in each area by doing the following: in pre-service, by periodically conducting focus group discussions to determine market needs and preferences; in point-of-service, by monitoring clinical and organizational outcomes and emphasizing continued learning; and

Corporate finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Corporate finance - Research Paper Example Even though the CLNE is at its early stages of development, the company already owns and operates many natural gas fueling stations and is a global leader in developing the natural gas vehicle market. The company deals with many areas of natural gas business including â€Å"compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) fueling; construction and operation of natural gas fueling stations; compressor equipment and technology; biomethane production; and vehicle conversion† (qtd in Investorideas.com). The company fuels over 530 fleet customers and 25,000 vehicles every day at over 273 stations across the United States and Canada. In addition, the organization has a strong customer base in transit, trucking, shuttle, taxi, airport, solid waste, and municipal fleet markets (Investorideas.com). Similarly, Apache Corporation is a multinational gas and oil corporation headquartered at Texas in the United States. In addition to US, the company has regional subsidiaries and operations in Canada, UK North Sea, Australia, Argentina, and Egypt. As of 2012, the firm’s market capitalization is estimated at nearly $35 billion. The Apache was founded in 1954 and the organization expanded its business horizons mainly through acquisitions. This paper will critically analyze the investment opportunities in both the firms and suggest which firm offers the best long term value for the investor. Natural gas industry analysis Porter’s five forces model is used here to analyze the natural gas industry in the United States. The five forces in the industry are described below. Degree of rivalry While analyzing the US’ natural gas industry, the degree of competitive rivalry is less as a result of unpopularity of natural gas resources. Currently, there are a few natural gas providers in each states of the US. This favorable business situation increases the scope of investments in the natural gas industry. Threat of new entrants A study conducted by the Navigant Consulting reveals that North America has enough reserves of natural gas to supply for at least 120 years (U.S Department of Energy). Hence, the United States has abundance of natural gas resources and this strength makes the country an attractive place for business investments. As a result, new players are more likely to enter the natural gas market and therefore the threat of new entrants is high. Threat of substitutes There are many substitutes to natural gas including liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and biogas. Today, LPG is widely used in US for transportation proposes due to its easier availability and highly effective performance. In addition, the development of hybrid electric vehicles also appears to be a growth impediment to vehicle fueling natural gas. Hence, the threat of substitutes can be moderate to high in the natural gas industry. Buyer power Since the level of competition intensity is low in the natural gas industry, buyers have limited options to choose the provider. Hence, there are not much alternative to buyers but to choose any of the limited available providers. From other perspective, vehicle fueling natural gas has a number of potential substitutes and hence buyers may switch their demand to those products. In short, buyer power is low in the

Cooperative Group Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cooperative Group - Essay Example In the European Union and in large regions of America, cooperatives, with associations, foundations and mutual funds are considered parts of the social economy. The International Cooperative Alliance, established in 1895, is considered to be the final authority for defining cooperatives and the principles by which they operate. The organization has made three formal statements of cooperative principles over the past 100 years in an effort to keep them relevant to the contemporary world. At its 100th anniversary meeting in September, 1995 in Manchester, England, the Alliance adopted the "Statement of Cooperative Identity." which made the definition, values and principles of cooperatives. Definition: cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise. Values are based on the values of self-help, self-responsibility, democracy, equality, equity, and solidarity. In the tradition of their founders, cooperative members believe in the ethical values of honesty, openness, social responsibility, and caring for others. Principles: Voluntary and Open Membership, Democratic Member Control, Member Economic Participation, Autonomy and Independence, Education, Training and Information, Cooperation among Cooperatives, Concern for Community (Statement of Cooperative Identity 1995) 2. A critical analysis of the organisation's internal structure Like any organization, cooperative has own structure, which may various from number of its members and the area of activity the co-op involved. There are tree main components of internal structure of cooperation: the Board, Management and Members. The rights, duties and coordination of work of governing team are reflected in scheme, which where adopted from the work of Garoyan and Mohn (1976 cited Cooperatives 2006): BOARD MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTABIITY To Members To Board AREAS OF CONCERN Idea Decision , Judge Ends/Purpose Action Decisions, Manage Means/Activities COMMITMENT OF RESOURCES Determine Values Long-Range, Consequestial Set limits, Monitor Intermediate and Short-Range Organize and Control Resources GOALS, POLICIES Determine Implement MANAGEMENT EVALUATION Set Policies Regarding Results to be Achieved and Limitations on Activities Monitor Progress Toward Results Monitor Compliance with Limits Provide Information for Monitoring OPERATIONS Determine Values and Goals Set Limits Monitor Conduct PERPETUATION Assurance of Capable Management and Board Succession Support, Participate BOARD PROCESS Determine Structure, Behavior, Performance Evaluation, Calendar and Agenda None Board of directors by law is legally responsible for cooperative and it's critical that all directors are highly qualified. Furthermore, directors of board need to represent the cooperative membership as a whole. (Cropp 2005) 3. A critical analysis of the organisation's objectives and/or strategy plans Jeffrey Royer (2002, p.12) from University of Nebraska noted that "because cooperatives are complex definition organization, that served to wide variety of purposes, and perform the wide variety of functions, there is no single objective, , that is accepted by board, management and members. A cooperative may pursue the number of objectives

A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux Essay

A Comparison of Young Goodman BrownandMy Kinsman, Major Molineux - Essay Example 171)†. It is certainly given an important place amongst all his works and the story itself can be seen as an allegory to represent the cultural changes which were coming to the country at the time the tale was written. The protagonist i.e. Robin, has to accept his loss of innocence and his coming of age much as the culture during Hawthorne’s time was undergoing changes. The change is also reflected in the world in which the story is set since everything appears to new and shining. Even the clothes of the common people are described as, â€Å"Embroidered garments of showy colors, enormous periwigs, gold-laced hats, and silver-hilted swords (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. While the city streets had a modern culture, Robin was following the things he had learnt from his comparatively backwards environment. Hawthorne describes the contrast that Robin saw by saying, â€Å"Traveled youths, imitators of the European fine gentlemen of the period, trod jauntily along, half dancing to the fashionable tunes which they hummed, and making poor Robin ashamed of his quiet and natural gait (Hawthorne, 1851, Pg. 1213)†. This difference is only one of the ways that the journey pushes Robin into growing up and as discussed by Pearce (2001), â€Å"as we might expect in the case of a boy from the village wandering into Hogarths London, he is obliged to resist the entreaties of a lady of the evening (Pearce, 2001, Pg. 19)†. This representation of Robin in a place which is quite gaudy and more or less frightening is taken by Bermer (1981) to be a representation of all America since the country itself was trying to come to terms in â€Å"dealing with urbanization and industrialization (Bermer, 1981, Pg. 49).† Robin is quite taken by what he sees but is also in conflict since he is quite uncomfortable with the society he sees. In fact, this position of Robin becomes the primary message of the story and this idea is supported by by Herbert (1991) who says that, â€Å"My

How the Information Revolution Has Changed the World Essay Example for Free

How the Information Revolution Has Changed the World Essay Michael Dertouzos wrote What Will Be: How the New World of Information Will Change Our Lives in 1997, before the real Information Revolution even literally began. In fact, the internet as it is known today was still in its infancy in the late nineties. It was not uncommon, even when 2000 rolled around, to not own a home computer, especially a laptop. And, it wasn’t until 2005 that email became as popular, if not more so, with the American public as a cell phone. With that said, Dertouzos’ work is one of speculation and an insider’s observations of the situations and realities thought to be held by a future in the rowing information technology world. In an interesting twist, Dertouzos was fortunate enough to have his Forward written by Bill Gates, one of the most influential and significant minds in the world, and whose name is synonymous with success in the Information Revolution, to offer his unique authority to the opinions on emerging technologies and their effect on the future of the world presented within. Gates recognizes that while Dertouzos is a true visionary and his predictions for the future have often come to be, but he also admits that they have differing opinions on how the future will evolve. Eventually, Gates comes to the conclusion that â€Å"new businesses will be created and fortunes will be made in the novel areas of activity this book describes . † The Forward ends on an encouraging note for the reader, commenting that the Information Revolution is something not to be taken lightly, and that those who choose to take part will find their lives one filled with great and exciting changes. Dertouzos offers a Preface for a general breakdown on how his book is organized, and compiles his information into three parts; Part One relating his own experiences in the realm of information technology, Part Two describing how a reader’s life will become influenced by the growing changes, and Part Three illustrating how society as a whole will be affected and ultimately altered ceaselessly by the Information Revolution. In this manner, Dertouzos is setting himself up as not only the author of this information, but also as an authority on this information, which is an insightful and crafty manner of proclaiming his vision for the future. Part One opens with Dertouzos’ experiences, starting in the early 1990’s, and does well to explain his infatuation for technology and how it influenced his decisions and his life, even so early on. He called himself a visionary from the beginning, claiming that his â€Å"vision [for technology] has been consistent†¦humming along like a well-tuned engine as time goes by . † And, to illustrate his point, he relates a few clever vignettes that make good use of computerized automatic alerts and early entrepreneurialism. His language is clever and expressive while he chronicles anecdotes on his early impressions of the internet and how he sought to see the Information Marketplace, as he has taken to calling the internet, as something bigger than anything originally predicted for the future of computers. In fact, Dertouzos can be seen as a true authority in this Part because his information is entirely encyclopedic, offering and presenting the basic timeline of how computers and the internet began to emerge from the early highly expensive models to something the regular Joe could actually afford. Because, as Dertouzos knew it, and envisioned it, the Information Market would win out over the high costs of creating such a beast because, over time, more and more people would demand information readily at their fingertips. Which turned out to be true. In Part Two, Dertouzos paints a viable picture for a reader on how their life will be forever altered and what exciting things they can anticipate as technology continues to advance. In one anecdote he tells the life of a corporate business man asking his car for directions via a GPS, though he calls such a thing â€Å"spotty † at best. In this, Dertouzos channels Orwell and actually does well to predict the future. Now, cars not only have GPS systems built in as practically standard equipment, but they also have emergency help at the touch of a button, rear view camera sensors, DVD players the size of a small book installed in head rests, and the new Lexus can even parallel park on its own. Then, he relates his vision for the future of shoe shopping, in which a woman can go to a shoe outlet, have her sizes, each foot being slightly different, virtually recorded, and her shoes made to exacting specifications. He admits that current technology is far from his actual vision, even seeming to dismiss his little tale out of hand, though he does come to a conclusion and concedes that online shopping will grant â€Å"individual attention that is reinforced by the fact that no two human bodies or minds are exactly alike . † Once again, Dertouzos has become a prophet for the future. Now, online stores sell everything from pet food to locks of hair from Britney Spears, and everything in between. The interesting fact is that many brick and mortar stores, understanding well the need to compete with the growing online market, now have virtual reality â€Å"fitters† that can accurately size a person for perfectly tailored clothing. Moreover, online shopping has hit an all time high, bringing in billions of dollars of revenue every quarter, with virtually no roof for the potential profit of an internet entrepreneur. While the â€Å"auto-shoe † is still a ways off, virtual reality has made difficulty in sizing a thing of the past. Part Two also introduces the rise of online gaming and touches on what is now called Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, or MMORPG, in which thousands of players around the world can â€Å"run into one another, sometimes helping or hindering their mates, subject to the rules of the game and human nature . † Games like â€Å"Ever Quest,† â€Å"Halo,† and â€Å"Might and Magic† have long been known as being part of the most addicting genre of game-playing that exists because of the environment created in the online world. While Dertouzos was entirely hesitant in proclaiming such a thing would come to be, he does point out that these games could evolve from more primitive forms like card games or â€Å"Dungeons and Dragons,† which, in fact, they did. In Part Three, Dertouzos begins by relating that humans are instinctively â€Å"ancient † by nature, finding it difficult to accept and understand the Information Marketplace for what it could mean for the world’s future. As is his way, Dertouzos attempts to explain this with an anecdote comparing potatoes to information citing that â€Å"because information is easily replicated it proliferates and is not scarce. And because economic value is rooted in scarcity, information has little or no value . † He goes on to explain that of course information has value, but he doesn’t seem to grasp what can only be seen recently, because the internet has evolved as much as it has since his vision in 1997, when information was a real scarcity online. In fact, readily accessible information, even for a price, is the fundamental reason that the internet has become so successful, selling more and gaining more visitors than online shopping because people go online expecting to find information. And, the more information that can be found on any given subject, the more a visitor has to compare and choose from. In all things, even information, people expect choice and they expect to find something that suits their needs, even if they have to pay a few extra dollars for it. Moreover, Ebooks are now selling at higher rates than paper books in brick and mortar bookstores because of their very capacity to be downloaded and read at any time of the night. Near the end, Dertouzos mentions that it would be handy for a Greek to be able to access the world of being Greek without having to travel to the country. He notes that â€Å"even as we scatter, the Information Marketplace can help us nurture our ethnic heritage, further reducing the need to a traditional, physically local nation . † Just recently, webcams have been used for surveying events, watching sunsets, and even talking online, yet face-to-face, with loved ones. While he seemed unsure on how his dream could come to be, it has, and to such a degree that sites like YouTube have sprung up, giving people access to virtually any sort of information they wished to view, from the entirely extreme and disturbing, to cathedral services, like Dertouzos imagined. Overall, Dertouzos calls himself a visionary, writing this book about his predictions for the future of the Information Revolution and what that will bring for individuals as well as society at large. His predictions, while sometimes written with hesitance, have, for the most part, all come true. In fact, much of the evolvement of the internet and the Information Marketplace between 1997 and 2007 has surpassed even his original theories, bringing true wealth to people who want to work at home, joy to a gamer who is able to find friends in an online world where dragons rule and the most powerful sorcerer gets the princess, and even the ability to chat online via webcam with family from across the world to enhance and nurture a heritage.

Steps on How O Prepare Seminar Workshop Essay Example for Free

Steps on How O Prepare Seminar Workshop Essay Conducting a successful seminar workshop requires a great deal of preparation and confidence. Its important to follow a step-by-step blueprint to successfully conduct workshops, from the preparation stage to the final evaluation. 1. Select your presentation topic based on your expertise and goals and on the needs of your target audience. Research your subject thoroughly. 2. Decide who your audience will be and why they are attending so you can tailor the content to their needs. 3. Choose a presentation format. A workshop is hands-on, with participants who are engaged by doing, building, creating or learning a skill. 4. Establish the length of your presentation based on the amount of material you wish to convey and audience needs. Plan the workshop structure, including how much time will be alloted. Build in enough time for introductions, activities and questions in addition to each learning section. 5. Create an outline for the flow of your presentation. Formulate three or four (no more than six, depending on time available) key learning objectives. Use them as section headings for the main body of content. Include facts, discussions and interactive exercises in your content. Set realistic times for each section. 6. Select visual aids for your presentation. Use interesting, unusual and amusing visual aids to help participants understand and retain information. These might include a slide show or PowerPoint presentation, a flip chart, a video, a demonstration, role play, items pulled from a grab bag, live animals, a game or contest, or even food or beverage, depending on your workshop topic. Ensure that the visual aids are clear and concise, can be seen from any point in the audience and do not contain mistakes or contradict one another. Limit visual aids to an average of about one every 15 minutes. Other sensory aids might be appropriate, depending on your topic. However, one we ll chosen aid is better than sensory overload. If you are giving a demonstration, be sure to allot more time for preparation and equipment. 7. Ask frequent questions to promote discussion among participants, maintain attention and take pressure off yourself. Make the information interesting by using examples, stories and metaphors. 8. Prepare cue cards or notes with bullet points to remind yourself of the content during your delivery and keep it flowing. 9. Practice in advance of the seminar. Ask a friend or colleague to participate in practice sessions and provide constructive feedback. Memorize your introduction to increase your confidence as you get started. Adjust the time and content as required. 10. Maintain clear speech, steady pace and good eye contact throughout. Use appropriate humour to keep the atmosphere enjoyable and informal while also disguising any mistakes. Control your time schedule but also allow some flexibility. TIPS AND WARNINGS IN PREPARING A SEMINAR SYMPULSIOM WORKSHOP * End with a question and answer session for a specific length of time. If there are more questions than time allows, offer to respond later by e-mail or next time. * Give out evaluation forms and make sure you get them back. You wont know how to improve without feedback. * Never read verbatim from a Power Point presentation.

The Playboy of the Western World Analysis

The Playboy of the Western World Analysis J.M. Synges highly controversial play The Playboy of the Western World exposed the middle-class Dublin audience to a different portrayal of Irish countryside life as opposed to the traditional idyllic image they were accustomed to. Synge strongly employs the element of satire in his play, implemented as a device to shock his conventional audience; the plays lack of morals would have offended the audience, so satire is also used to inject humour, creating a light-hearted tragicomedy. In pages 59 62 the presence of satire can be analysed in terms of satirising gender, religion and the presentation of rural Ireland, in addition to how satire is present throughout the entire play. Synge depicts Christy Mahon as a weak, frightened, young man at the beginning of the excerpt, whereas Pegeen is given a strong, almost masculine persona, protecting him from the Widows advances. When the Widow is introduced, the audience sees Christy clinging to Pegeen exclaiming Oh Glory! with Pegeen having to hurriedly give Christy his supper and usher him off to bed like a child. In this extract, the audience sees how Pegeen is given the protector role, exhibiting maternal instincts. In 1907, the satirising of gender roles shown with Synge giving more status to women than men would amuse the audience, as it conflicts with the traditional Irish patriarchal society. Christy is painted as the classic damsel-in-distress, with Pegeen having to fight the Widow, angrily telling her that she will not have him tormented, and he destroyed travelling since Tuesday was a week. Again it is evident that Christy is shying away from his expected male role, leaving Pegeen to defend him, amusing th e audience. When the Widow pulls Christy up, as theyd best be going, young fellow; so rise up and come with me, Pegeen retaliates by seizing his arm, insisting hell not stir. Christy has been compromised in terms of his masculinity; two women have physically placed their control over him, and Christy lacks the strength to disprove their control. This scene would have been very comedic, as not only are Pegeen and the Widow effectively having a brawl, a male associated activity, but Christy is helpless in the middle, like a female. Traditionally, it would have been the men who wooed the women, but Synge has ignored this, with Christy being rather violently wooed by Pegeen and the Widow, eliciting laughter from the audience, who would find the explicit use of satire highly amusing. Synge is presenting Christys essential emasculation, shown by reversing traditional gender roles. Later on in the play a mule race takes place; as D. P. Moran observes, the pursuit of physical-contact Gaelic games [was used as] an antidote to such emasculation. Christys partaking in the race shows how he used this opportunity to reassert his gender after feeling emasculated by Pegeen and the Widow. Throughout the excerpt from p.59-62, repeated references are made to religion, many in the form of Father Reilly, the local priest. Though he is not seen in the excerpt, his presence is acknowledged as he is partially why the Widow went to find Christy Mahon; when Pegeen asks her What ails you, or what is it youre wanting at this hour of the night? the Widow replies that she was after meeting Shawn Keogh and Father Reilly below, who told me of your curiosity man, and they fearing by this time he was roaring, romping on your hands with drink. The audience would not be surprised by Father Reillys attitudes, as in the 1900s Ireland was a devoutly Catholic nation, as Jane Abbottsmith explains The term Irish Irelander originated to characterize the true Irishman: Catholic and with Irish ancestry, learned in Irish folklore and competent in the speaking and reading of the Gaelic language. Abbottsmith continues to remark that it was the Irish peasants, who were the traditionally pious, Catho lic population that was well versed in Irish folklore. Though the 1900s audience would have expected the priests intervention, a modern audience would find it comedic how Pegeen being alone with Christy has prompted such a flustered reaction, suggesting Synges attitudes were ahead of his time. Irish society was devoutly religious, so the audience would have been surprised at how Father Reilly is the only religious character. The other characters do not seem to incorporate religion in their personas, shocking the audience. However, the only other character to be religious would cause offence: the Widow Quin remarks to Christ God save you mister! which is highly ironic as her intentions for him are far from holy. Seeing such a scandalized, predatory character using the Lords name would have undoubtedly offended the audience. The power of the Catholic Church is a running theme throughout the play, as Synge would be aware that his audience would compare what they see onstage to the Chur chs teachings. Therefore Synge has satirised religion to expose the absurdity of the extreme religious views in Ireland; a lack of religion in the other characters further show the audience how independent rural Ireland is from middle-class conventions. The portrayal of life in the Irish countryside was undoubtedly one of the main sources of controversy in the play. The middle class audience would have had the conception of rural Ireland employing a quiet, idyllic life however Synges play disproves this, county Mayo being the antithesis to their expectations. Christy is welcomed with open arms, despite the town knowing he murdered his father. As Adrian Fraser notes, The Playboy could be read as exploring a converse proposition: a communal willingness to absorb (even glorify) those who break the ultimate taboo against patricide. Christys glorification would greatly concern the audience, inducing outrage. By satirising countryside life, Synge was providing a social commentary on life in the isolated rural coast. However, Christy is later disgraced in the play, when the characters realise they have been deceived. When Pegeen tells of how the Widow supposedly murdered her husband, where she hit himself with a worn pick, and the rusted poison did corrode his blood the way he never overed it, and died after. That was a sneaky kind of murder did win small glory with the boys itself the audience would be shocked that such sin runs free in the countryside. As Fraser again writes, The Playboy of the Western World is a social satire of rural life that is fantastic, grotesque, and profound. At the plays conclusion, when Christy leaves Pegeen for his adventures, the audience would find humour at the contrast between their futures: Christy is off to live a life of excitement, whilst Pegeen is doomed to a fate of marrying Shawn and a dull life in County Mayo. The difference in their fates reinforces the plays status as a tragicomedy. Synge uses the element of satire in his play to expose to the middle class Dublin audience what life was like for the people of the countryside; the plays controversy stemmed from people disliking what they saw. By satirising gender roles, religion and the idyllic conception of Irish countryside life, Synge was effectively able to annul the pastoral sentiments felt towards them, illustrating to the middle class how independent rural Ireland was to the pretentious Dubliners. As Heidi Holder says Synge makes it quite clear to his audiences that their beloved image of the Irish country folk was a mere construction a construction eminently open to challenge, and it was precisely this dismantling of the distinctions between fiction and reality that was the source of Synges conflict with his audience.

Ernets Hemingway Essay example -- essays research papers fc

Ernest Hemingway I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction to Ernest Hemingway II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life and Times A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early Life 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Birth 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parents 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Influences 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siblings 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hobbies B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adulthood 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  War 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Influences 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marriage and Children 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tragedies/Illnesses 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Death III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Literary Style A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unique B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Very Influential IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Famous Works A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Novels 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three Stories and Ten Poems 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Farewell to Arms 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Old Man and the Sea B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short stories 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Men Without Women† 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories† V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist and short-story writer, whose style was characterized by crisp, laconic dialogue, and emotional understatements. Hemingway’s writing and his personal life extended a profound influence on American writers of his time. Many of his works are regarded as classics of American literature and some have been made into motion pictures. Ernest Hemingway was born July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. His parents were Dr. Clarence Hemingway and Grace Hall Hemingway. Ernest was the second child of six. His father was an accomplished physician and his mother was enthusiastic musician. Ernest Hemingway loved to accompany his father on outdoor activities such as hunting or fishing, although his mother would have preferred her son to be more influenced by music. His love for the outdoors would later show up in his writing as an accomplished author. He loved to play with his brothers and sister although most of them were younger then him. He had four sisters and one brother. He played football and boxed on a regular basis. Hemingway’s interest in energetic activities carried on through his high ... ...In 1952 Ernest Hemingway published the book that is widely acknowledged as his masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, redeeming his literary reputation after the critical attacks which had greeted his first post-war novel. Hemingway also wrote renowned short stories. â€Å"Men Without Women† (1927) was Ernest Hemingway's second major collection of short stories. Most of which are somehow related to a war, World War I, to be exact. â€Å"The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories† (1938) collected all of the short stories Ernest Hemingway had published up to that date and his only full-length play, The Fifth Column. Ernest Hemingway was a magnificent author. He incorporated his life in his works. His life was full of tragedy but was also filled with glee. In my opinion he is one of the greatest authors in American Literature. Works Cited â€Å"Biography of Ernest Hemingway.† ClassicNotes: Ernest Hemingway. 2004. GradeSaver. 23 March 2004 â€Å"Ernest Hemingway.† The Language of Literature – American Literature. Dallas: McDougal Litell, 2000. â€Å"Ernest Hemingway.† Wikipedia. 2004. MediaWiki. 23 Mar 2004 â€Å"Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) 1899-1961.† 2000 A & E Television Networks. 23 March 2004. Ernets Hemingway Essay example -- essays research papers fc Ernest Hemingway I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Introduction to Ernest Hemingway II.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Life and Times A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Early Life 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Birth 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Parents 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Influences 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Siblings 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hobbies B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Adulthood 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  War 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Influences 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Marriage and Children 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tragedies/Illnesses 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Death III.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Literary Style A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Unique B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Very Influential IV.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Famous Works A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Novels 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three Stories and Ten Poems 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  A Farewell to Arms 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Old Man and the Sea B.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Short stories 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Men Without Women† 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories† V.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conclusion Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American novelist and short-story writer, whose style was characterized by crisp, laconic dialogue, and emotional understatements. Hemingway’s writing and his personal life extended a profound influence on American writers of his time. Many of his works are regarded as classics of American literature and some have been made into motion pictures. Ernest Hemingway was born July 21, 1899 in Oak Park, Illinois. His parents were Dr. Clarence Hemingway and Grace Hall Hemingway. Ernest was the second child of six. His father was an accomplished physician and his mother was enthusiastic musician. Ernest Hemingway loved to accompany his father on outdoor activities such as hunting or fishing, although his mother would have preferred her son to be more influenced by music. His love for the outdoors would later show up in his writing as an accomplished author. He loved to play with his brothers and sister although most of them were younger then him. He had four sisters and one brother. He played football and boxed on a regular basis. Hemingway’s interest in energetic activities carried on through his high ... ...In 1952 Ernest Hemingway published the book that is widely acknowledged as his masterpiece, The Old Man and the Sea, redeeming his literary reputation after the critical attacks which had greeted his first post-war novel. Hemingway also wrote renowned short stories. â€Å"Men Without Women† (1927) was Ernest Hemingway's second major collection of short stories. Most of which are somehow related to a war, World War I, to be exact. â€Å"The Fifth Column and the First Forty-nine Stories† (1938) collected all of the short stories Ernest Hemingway had published up to that date and his only full-length play, The Fifth Column. Ernest Hemingway was a magnificent author. He incorporated his life in his works. His life was full of tragedy but was also filled with glee. In my opinion he is one of the greatest authors in American Literature. Works Cited â€Å"Biography of Ernest Hemingway.† ClassicNotes: Ernest Hemingway. 2004. GradeSaver. 23 March 2004 â€Å"Ernest Hemingway.† The Language of Literature – American Literature. Dallas: McDougal Litell, 2000. â€Å"Ernest Hemingway.† Wikipedia. 2004. MediaWiki. 23 Mar 2004 â€Å"Hemingway, Ernest (Miller) 1899-1961.† 2000 A & E Television Networks. 23 March 2004.

A Minor Charater in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

A Minor Charater in Heart of Darkness Heart of Darkness is a novel in which many relatively minor characters serve major functions in the overall meaning of the work. One such character is Kurtz's Intended who starkly contrasts against Kurtz's evil to better show the evil and primal side of man. The Intended is the embodiment of man's denial of the truth of inner evil. In the painting of the Intended, her blindfold shows her blindness to the truth, symbolized by the torch she holds. The truth of man's evil is within her grasp, but yet she allows herself to be blinded so she cannot accept this to be true. She is in denial -- as far as she knows, if she can't see the evil or that it holds a penetrating presence, it does not exist to her. Ironically, however, Conrad describes the Intended as having "a shade of truthfulness upon [her] features." She is an innocent -- the word "halo" compounds that notion; however this too is ironic. She is only a person, just as capable of malevolence as anyone else, which is symbolized by the black she wears. Marlow only lies about Kurtz's life and death to spare the Intended the knowledge of what Kurtz had become -- a manifestation of raw human evil. Marlow is the blindfold that shields her from the truth that Kurtz fell to a natural inner compulsion towards iniquity, and that this inner evil exists everywhere. Because she denies the existence of an inner evil, the Intended is only as innocent as a human being can be. This innocence contrasts severely with Kurtz's own evil. This innocent girl was the fiancee of a murderer "demi-god" who decapitated people. She is the innocent side of the relationship, or the yang. She is pure, but with a spot of darkness being the potential for evil only because she is human. Kurtz is the dark side of the relationship, the yin. He is an "animated figure of death" who once was noble and innocent, like the fiancee. He went to Africa with good intentions, but was corrupted by unadulterated freedom. With no society to tell him how to act, he fell prey to his inner darkness.

Aerobic Dancing and Weight Control Essay -- essays research papers fc

Flat stomachs, tone arms, nice, firm buttocks, and nice shapely legs. This sounds like a familiar dream for many women in the world. Most do not think it is possible for them to achieve, but clearly all it takes is time. Aerobics dancing is one of the most effective aids in weight control, with the added benefits of improved self-esteem and confidence. Many people cannot enjoy life due to their weight and other problems brought on by being overweight. Those who are overweight cannot mentally handle the thought of going out and being seen. That is why solutions for keeping weight within an appropriate range for height, sex, and age are essential. One of the most effective ways of reaching appropriate weight level is through aerobic dancing. Physical changes in one’s life can be beneficial, but that is not what makes a person. A person’s mental health makes one who she is. There are many ways to improve mental and physical health. Dancing burns as many calories as walking, swimming or riding a bicycle. A half-hour of dancing can burn between 200 and 400 calories. One factor that determines how many calories are expended is the distance traveled. In one study, researchers attached pedometers to square dancers and found that each person covered five miles in a single evening. (Dance for the Health of it) The physical changes that can be beneficial to one’s health weigh more than those of the mental state. Even so, it has been proven that the way one feels about ones’ self is better than how one actually is. The point I am trying to get at is self-esteem. Additionally self-esteem can really mold person ality and can determine how a person’s life will end up. For many careers, individuals need to have a lot of self-esteem. Certain available jobs may hire depending on the applicant’s social status and how well he or she can associate with people. People who are not very social because of the fear that they will be made fun of, or are afraid because of their appearance, may allow their weight to interfere with future Hernandez 2 opportunities. â€Å" Because it makes you feel good, you like what you see on the outside and you like yourself more.† (Missett, 21) This tends to help individuals to stand up and be confident enough to go through with public appearance and not care what other people are thinking. When combining aerobic exercise and dance, it is considered a... ...nditions that the patient might have that may cause further risks before advising any workout regimen. People should really start their aerobic Hernandez 6 exercise at a pace that is comfortable with their beginning level of condition, and then gradually accelerate the tempo and frequency of their workouts as they adapt to their new lifestyle. In a short time, people will begin to recognize many health benefits that aerobics can do for them and feel great too. Works Cited Aerobics for health  © Arnot Ogden Medical Center, 1997 Colgan, Michael Ph. D., Optimum Sports Nutrition, Chapter 9, Page 95. Dance for the health of it! Mayo clinic health letter. January 1994 . Last Updated: Sunday, June 23, 1996 Physical Activity and Health 1998 Baltimore County Public Schools Polley, Maxine. Dance Aerobics New York; Macmillan Publishing Company, 1981 Sheppard Missett, Judy. The Jazzercise Workout book New York; Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1986

Changing Role of the Artist from Different Times

Art is contemporarily defined as the product or process of deliberately arranging symbolic elements in a way that influences and affects the senses, emotions, and/or intellect. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression. The renaissance is the rebirth of classicism; classicism comes from the ancient Greece and Rome; they portray art to captivate perfection, harmony and order. Italian High Renaissance artists achieved ideal of harmony and balance comparable with the works of ancient Greece or Rome.Renaissance Classicism was a form of art that removed the extraneous detail and showed the world as it was. Forms, colours and proportions, light and shade effects, spatial harmony, composition, perspective, anatomy – all are handled with total control and a level of accomplishment for which there are no real precedents. Up until the middle ages, the role and status of artists in society were similar to other skilled, manual workers. They we re usually employed to work on specific commissions. Most artists worked anonymously.Any prestige associated with an artwork reflected more for or about, rather than on the artists. Until the 18th Century artists learnt their ‘trade’ as apprentices in the workshops of established artists. In retrospect this was the time period of sexual discrimination; men were still seen as highly regarded over the typical status of women. So only men could be certified and had the opportune to be an artist. During the renaissance there was a new emphasis on art as an intellectual activity, not just a manual skill.This altered the role of the artist; the renaissance artists played an active role in the intellectual life of the period, many of them wrote treaties on subjects such as perspective and painting. Their achievements as individuals were now recognised, and often celebrated. Some artists, such as Michelangelo Buonarroti, were seen as having almost divine creative powers. This e stablished artists as geniuses. Artists were portrayed as artist heroes- the artists creative powers were a revelation of god’s creative powers on earth.The artist as a romantic genius was a development of the renaissance artist as a hero. That the superlative artist gained superlative social positions; they were proclaimed as men of genius, their powers of creation exalted as never before. Concept of the artist as a genius was appropriate to an age obsessed with the potential of man and the style of talents personality. In the late 18th Century a German philosopher Immanuel Kant put forward the idea that artists are geniuses who are born rather then taught. Michelangelo Buonarroti; a renaissance Italian Male (born 1475-1664) was perceived as a born genius.His role as an artist was established as an high renaissance male who was multidiscipline and a mulit-skilled painter, sculpture, poet and scientist of anatomy; he was highly regarded as a ‘god like’ figure. Hi s tumultuous career, with its perpetual struggles and its passionate commitment to art, was to become the master pattern for the romantic genius. Michelangelo’s artistic skills were perceived to originate from birth nevertheless he practised as a trained apprentice at the age of 13 in the workshop of the established art master Domenico Ghirlandaio in Florence.Though as an early artist he was regarded by his father as he proclaimed that â€Å"Artists are no better than shoe-makers. The neoplatonic thought that was current amongst all seemed to underlie not only his poetry but much of his paintings and sculptures as he expressed â€Å"sculpture is the painting as the sun is to the moon. † Michelangelo’s reputation was established by the sale of a ‘sleeping Cupid’ as a genius antique. In its exquisite finish, its flawless classism, and it evocation of the human activity in the divine and the divine in the human, the pieta is indeed a consummation of f ifteenth century art.The perfection of the two figured is informed both by an expert knowledge of anatomy and by the Neoplatonic theory; that the beauty of the body is an expression of its spirit. Michelangelo was commissioned in 1501 by the new republican government to carve a colossal ‘David’, symbol of resistance and independence. Later in 1508 Michelangelo was summoned by Pope Julius II, to the Sistine chapel ceiling; this was Michelangelo’s most celebrated work.Panels portraying key stories from Genesis are surrounded by a framework with additional scenes and figured for a 4 year period. The ceiling endured Michelangelo’s deep religious faith, expressed through a profound reverence for the classical Antiquity. A modern art was nationally acclaimed and recognized. Modern Artists were perceived as an Avant Guarde that challenged the main stream, traditional art. It was focused on the artist brain. Modernism reflecting the industrial revolution; was the era of mass production and consumption. One development vident in the modern era, spurred by technological growth in this century, has augmented the artist role in society; the commercialization of art through the expansion of entertainment, communications, and indoctrination media. In this modern time period society did not establish the role of artist, the artist decided for themselves what role they would play in their art. Andy Warhol disrupted the common views of the role each artist should play in their art. Andy Warhol was a modern American male (born in 1928-87); He is a pop artist whose role as artist as a celebrity.His practise involves commercial artist advertisement and illustor. His portraits developed from Polaroid photographs. In Warhol’s art, there is absolutely no sign of the artist’s hand or that this piece was even made by an artist. An unknowing viewer might suspect that it belongs in a grocery store rather than not a gallery or a museum. Since he u ses different techniques than traditional artists, at times he may never touch the piece at all and it still will be credited to him. This corresponds to what was once expected from the artist. Skill is no longer involved; it is much more about content, conceptual appearance, and processes.He is infatuated by food, sex, death and fame; this fatuation led to consumer product, nudity and celebrity icons such as Jackie Kennedy, Elvis Privily and Marilyn. Warhol had a specific, obvious style; He used repetition and simplification. Popular culture has a huge influence on his art. His art caused controversy in society. His art challenged the modernist idea of originality of the artist. Critics originally ridiculed Pop Art; â€Å"A range of distasteful, stupid, vulgar, assertive and ugly manifestations of the worst kind of our society. (Solomon) Another critic Norbert Lynton quoted â€Å"pop art seems on the whole leave aside the basic questions and values of art. † The public resp onded t it favourably. American society, the post WWII and the cold war hugely influenced his art. Warhol would conditionally say Conflicting statements that shocked and corrupted society; â€Å"I want everyone to think alike. I think everybody should be a machine,† &â€Å"Once you see pop art, you can’t see America in the same way. † Andy Warhol picked his subjects off supermarket shelves and from the front pages of the tabloids. He would then mass-produce the image, repeating them by silkscreen duplication.The well-known images pushed art out of the museum and into mainstream. Warhol’s â€Å"100 can of Campbell’s Soup† created in 1962; was cans assembled in a line. The serial images of consumer items in a hard-edged graphic style, Warhol wanted a machinelike art without social comment or emotion. From 1963-68 Warhol made more than sixty films which reached new depths of banality. One silent film, â€Å"Sleep† runs six hours, capturi ng every non-nuance of a man sleeping; â€Å"I like boring things† Warhol stated. A natural self-promoter, Andy Warhol made himself into a media sensation; he conflicted the original role of the artist.A Post-modern artist has adapted from a modern Avant Guarde to the role of a deconstructor of previous roles. The Post-modern time period accepts both genders as artist. With the vast technological development art has new expressive forms; 2D, 3D and 4D. Their role is to convey messages to society that otherwise would go unheard, or perhaps cannot be said. Andy Goldsworthy is a British male born in 1956, Goldsworthy is a post-modern /contemporary artist; He is a trained artist who studied at Bradford College (1974-1975). He is an intuitive, solitary, environmental sculpture and land artist.His art practise involves natural installations that is documented using film and photography that is viewed by the public through published books of his art. Goldsworthy uses natural materia ls from his property in Britain and the scour river. This material consists of rocks, ice, twigs, leaves, clay, stone, water and flowers. His conceptual practise relies on the earth; â€Å"I need the earth but it doesn’t need me. † The ‘Dumfriesshire clay wall’ was created in June 1999; this was a filmed process that captured the decay. Goldsworthy ideology was focused on the cycle of collapse and rebirth; â€Å"I like to push things to the point of collapse.Goldsworthy has a deep conceptual meaning and symbolism in each of his artworks. He was influenced by nature, weather and seasonal change. â€Å"Movement, change, light, growth and decay are the lifeblood of nature, the energies that I try to tap through my work. † Goldsworthy’s â€Å"Storm King Wall† is a wall commissioned with builders to be 1. 8m high stretching across a forester, weaving through trees. The wall was built with stability to outlast seasonal change. One of his wo rks â€Å"The rowan leaves and hole† is autumn leaves organised in corresponding order of colour that spirals to make a black hole.Goldsworthy symbolises hole as death. Andy Goldsworthy challenges traditional ideas; the process instead of the art is the most important thing. Goldsworthy provokes at the role of the traditional artist. Examining the historical art we draw a conclusion about the nature of a society, and even this period of time, contemporary artists still say a lot about society and the mainstream way of thinking. The role of the artist has established as a manual worker, to an Avant Guarde that has adopted, manipulated and changed overtime. Artists are the mouthpiece of their culture.

“Danse Russe” by William Carlos William Essay

William Carlos Williams’ poem â€Å"Danse Russe,† is written like most modern poetry, in free verse. Like nearly all of Williams’ work, â€Å"Danse Russe† has no meter nor does it follow any rhyme scheme whatsoever. Disregarding an iamb or steady beat pattern, the poem’s rhythm is organic, rather than metrical, meaning that the poem flows smoothly from one line to the next without any guidelines to follow. It is almost as if the poem is to be read as a small statement or random thought occurring inside the mind of the poem’s voice. After reading the poem in its entirety a few times, the voice of the poem is a middle-aged male, probably of middleclass. There seems to be a sense of urgency, as though the voice does not have much time to himself to enjoy peace and quiet. In the very first lines of the poem, â€Å"If I when my wife†¦/ and the baby Kathleen/ are sleeping,† the reader is given the idea that the time at which the events of the poem are occurring are most likely going to be very late in the evening or early morning. One could assume it is early in the morning as lines four through six describes the sun as â€Å"a flame-white disc/ in silken mists/ above shining trees.† Williams’s vivid description of the sun rising above the shiny trees instantly gives the reader a clear image of that time just after dawn when the sun is clearing the trees and giving them a glowing look. William’s imagery, though in its most vivaciousness here, is not limited to these early lines (Schneider). As the reader moves further down to line eight, the voice of the poem contemplates dancing in his â€Å"north room,† or private study. But not only does the voice contemplate his antics, he goes into detail describing his motio ns as grotesque and crude. While describing his movements as he sees them in the mirror, the voice is one of deep admiration for the beauty of the naked body. The subject of the poem twists and turns in such odd positions in order to be able to admire various physical aspects from multiple views and angles. As the voice speaks, the reader should feel that the subject matter for â€Å"Danse Russe† is very happy and peaceful (Allison). The voice obviously does not have much free time to spare. The few moments that he could spend by himself in his study, dancing about, are probably the only ones he would have to himself throughout the day; he will probably go to work all day and spend the  evening with his wife and children. In lines twelve to fourteen where the voice states, â€Å"I am lonely, lonely. / I was born to be lonely. / I am best so!† the feeling of the poem is still one of extreme joy. Though the subject matter shifts to the voices’ loneliness, that single expression, â€Å"I am best so!† conveys a strong idea of happiness (Kristin). Once again, if the voice has very little time to himself, anything he can get is worth every second. The final two lines really reiterate this point as well. â€Å"Who shall say I am not/ the happy genius of my household?† In ancient Rome, the guardian spirit of the house was known as the genius. The voice is stating, â€Å"I am the head of this household.† My stress and problems could be appeased if I could have some time to my self. In Russian, the poem’s title, â€Å"Danse Russe,† literally translate into â€Å"Russian Dance,† specifically, a ballet. Ballets are very elaborate and formal, and do not follow a repetitious pattern. Like the ballet, Williams’ poem does not follow any particular poetic form. The language of the poem describing the actions of a naked dancer helps to give the poem the fluid organic rhythm that one could also use to depict a ballet dancer’s movements. Obviously, the title introduces its central theme, but it is also encompassed beautifully in the body of the poem. Williams manages to break apart the sequence of the thoughts into a flawless dance of the written art. His reputation of the voice’s thoughtful considerations, using the phrase â€Å"If I†¦Ã¢â‚¬  on three separate occasions helps the reader be aware of the excitement the voice feels as he realizes the potential of having his own secret activity. In addition, what is stopping him from exploring these possibilities? Perhaps he is worried about his wife waking up and finding him out; or that he simply cannot bear the thought of having his happiness stripped away from him as his role in civilization calls. The way Williams describes the serenity of a quiet morning, the dreary grind of day-in, day-out does seem heart wrenching in comparison. However, the central theme of the poem is a dance, and while it may take two to tango, it only takes one to dance.