Saturday, December 28, 2019

The Ways We Use Manners Now - 862 Words

Manners were always great and extremely common to have back in the day. But if you truly put it into perspective, they have changed a lot over the years. When I was a child, I was always taught to be the nicest, caring person I can be to every living person and every living thing. Of course I was taught to say â€Å"please†, â€Å"thank you†, and â€Å"excuse me†, but I was also taught to be considerate of others and to be kind no matter what, and that’s a big part of having manners. Manners have changed overtime due to technology, the raising of today’s children, and the loss of respect between one another. Because of technology, there are many different ways we use manners now, but there are also reasons why technology is the cause of most people not having manners at all. If you notice the way people talk now, it’s completely different than how people used to talk. For example, people now normally don’t say â€Å"I’m sorry† if they bump into you at the grocery store, they will say â€Å"my bad†. And usually instead of saying â€Å"no thank you† you will hear, â€Å"nah I’m good.† It takes less work to interact with one another because of technology and I believe that the traditional manners are just outdated and we humans made different ways to show politeness. On the other hand, some people are too into their phones, laptops, and videos games that they don’t bother using manners in public and that, to me, is a big issue. There are videos, games, and other things online that give people and kids the wrongShow MoreRelatedSy mbolic Interactionist Perspective Of Sociology830 Words   |  4 Pagesparticular outfit or maybe try on a few. You want to make a wonderful impression so you use your good fragrance. You rehearse some catchy lines that you think will make he/she laugh. These are all concepts that go along with the sociological approach called the symbolic interactionist perspective. This approach is used to describe how our society can be viewed and its variants applied to daily interactions. Sociologists use a variation of theoretical perceptions to make sense of the world. These perspectivesRead MoreAn Anthology of Linguistic Articles1066 Words   |  4 PagesNewsweek Retrieved from: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2009/07/08/what-s-in-a-word.html Stanford psychologist Lera Boroditsky believes that different cultures perceive shapes in divergent ways that are often reflected in their language. Gender, for instance, makes a difference in the way people interpret verbiage, or even describe events. For instance, most languages express death and victory, both linguistically and artistically, as masculine. More study needs to be done, but it is apparentRead MoreSocial Bullying And Cyberbullying1088 Words   |  5 Pagesmedia has caused for people to become more secluded from the outside world. Today, people are less likely to proactively function within a normal-day scenario. â€Å"Social media behavior† can be described as someone becoming more risky in the way they act and the way they converse with people online versus when they are in public. A direct effect from this type of behavior is cyberbullying. Recently, cyberbullying has become a nation-wide issue that is only getting worse. Teens feel as if they are moreRead M oreI Dont Know Essay1716 Words   |  7 Pagesthe correct way to lead through openness and kindness. Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the origins of todays etiquette began in the French royal courts in the 1600s and 1700s. Under King Louis XIV, a placard was devised and posted with rules for all to follow. They took manners much more seriously in those days, and people were more strict in the following of rules. Even before Louis XIV, the first known etiquette book was written in 2400 B.C. by Ptah-hotep. Good manners have been aroundRead MoreChildrens Etiquette1490 Words   |  6 Pages July 4, 2006 Children’s Etiquette Today we consistently talk about yesterday and how the generations are very different currently compared to the 1960’s, 1970’s, and the 1980’s. We are always wondering why when we were taught to exercise good manners why do not the children of today do the same. We look at the comparisons of the Ancient Egyptians, where they were taught to use their hands to eat. We consistently see many children acting completely rude. They may not evenRead MoreA Presentation On Communication Methods1619 Words   |  7 Pages this morning I am going to be giving you a short presentation on Communication Methods. Now that Trusty Homes has branched out into our own insurance department, providing contents and property insurance to its homeowners and landlord’s, it is essential that as a brand we have a clear understanding on not only what communication means but importantly what good communication can mean for our business! We use communication methods every day without even considering it, in fact just attending thisRead MorePatrick Henry Speech Summary819 Words   |  4 PagesPatrick Henry wanted to establish peace and liberty with the British, nothing was working in order to establish harmony while doing it peacefully. Therefore, the only way to achieve these goals is to initiate a full out war against the British. Henry wanted to liberate their freedom from the British in a peaceful manner. He uses repetition in his speech like â€Å"sir† and â€Å"gentleman† to make a respectfully remark to the British people so they will not be felt threatened in his speech. In the firstRead MoreThe Impact Of Gaming On Today s Youth Essay1175 Words   |  5 Pageswriting, ‘†¦ [gaming was] just another way to interact with my family.’ I then wrote about how I believe parents should interact with their children through gaming. Mostly everyone agreed that it was ‘†¦ ok in moderation.’ (Waddell, 2016). Some, however, did write that gaming does more harm than good, particularly in regards to social interaction. I disagreed and wrote ‘that your neglecting the massive benefit technology has had on communication†¦ we can use what we learn [from gaming] in face to faceRead MoreEssay about Morality of Gun Control757 Words   |  4 Pagesfoolish, but other things can be done. We have to get back to our roots and become more civil and moral. Throughout recent history our society has continually loosened its moral bonds until we have arrived at the everything goes attitudes of today. This loosening simply has to be reversed. Let me say that this will be a difficult task, but our society MUST put common sense and civility forefront of todays efforts nationwide. It will be harder to fight then any war. We must have an awakening or thingsRead MoreTechnology Has Changed Our Lives1387 Words   |  6 Pagessmartphones and even the computer; technology has increased our ability to communicate more easily and sufficiently. Although technology has greatly impacted our lives in a positive manner, and has made a way of communication much more easier, it also has negative effects that today have made individuals more lazy by the day. Although we have the answer to almost any question right at our fingertips, the increased amount of technolo gy today has caused us to become glued to our smartphones. Alongside these technological

Friday, December 20, 2019

Holding Onto Reality - 975 Words

Holding Onto Reality For me, Holding On to Reality, by , does just that: grabs on to the realest, most relatable ideas about the Information Age, and refuses to let go. I have had a difficult time talking and writing about Borgmann. For our class listserv responses, I felt like I had nothing to comment on. In our class discussions, I had a hard time figuring out what everyone was talking about. Borgmann’s writing style (and diction and even content) is clear and straightforward, and it leaves me at a loss for anything to interpret or explicate. Borgmann writes sentences like â€Å"Social critics and information theorists are divided on whether information is the devil or the Second Coming† and â€Å"Information through the power of†¦show more content†¦For example, if I read Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, and bring to my reading my personal understanding of fiction writing and my life experiences to date, I might decide that Plath has created a brilliant work of fiction that should be meticulously picked apart, diagrammed, dissected, and combed for meaning. But, if some other woman read The Bell Jar, bringing to her reading a limited knowledge of fiction writing, but a deeply personal understanding of depression, suicide, and mental illness, she might decide that Plath’s work is a misconstructed, misrepresentative, and even offensive piece of literature. What the author creates is a guide, an outline, and even an imagining; the reader may imagine or conceptualize the author’s text in an entirely different way. So, whether authors have definite intentions or not, it is unrealistic that their texts will produce only one interpretation. In Borgmann’s conclusion, he presents an idea that I find central to our class and its discussion of the role of the Internet and the Information Age in our lives. He writes, â€Å"Information is about to overflow and suffocate reality† (213). With the invention or development of new technological devices or advances every day, this suffocation seems imminent. With the Palm Pilot, the DVD player, with cellular phones that check e-mail and computers that play movies, with all the newer technologies with whichShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Cat On A Hot Tin Roof 1349 Words   |  6 Pages The Effects of Holding onto Crutches â€Å"Of course you always had that detached quality as if you were playing a game without much concern over whether you won or lost, and now that you’ve lost the game, not lost but just quit playing, you have that sort of charm that usually only happens in very old or hopelessly sick people, the charm of the defeated† (30). In this quote, Maggie, a character in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, is expressing to her husband Brick how he surrounds his life with a defeated auraRead MoreExamples Of Innocence In Catcher In The Rye1143 Words   |  5 Pagesis transitioning from different stages of his life. In a coming of age story, losing innocence is a sign of growing up and change. This is seen through characters that have effected Holden in a way, just like how Allie’s death showed him the harsh reality of life, and symbols like the record he bought for Phoebe shattering into pieces representing innocence breaking when growing up. In the Catcher in the Rye, Salinger shows h ow innocence plays a main role in Holden’s life as he is growing up and isRead MoreAnalysis Of Loot Or Find : Fact Or Frame? By Cheryl I. Harris And Devon W.1234 Words   |  5 Pagesmale walking through high, dangerous waters hanging onto a trash bag full of food and other goods. Similarly, image B also depicts a man and woman doing the same thing—treading through high waters gripping onto food and supplies, however these two people in image B are Caucasian. The issue that is comprised of these two images that Harris and Carbado touch on are the captions below the two images. In image A of the African American male holding the supplies, the caption reads, â€Å"A young man walksRead MoreAnalysis Of Father And Son In Arthur Millers Death Of A Salesman808 Words   |  4 PagesWilly’s relationship with his estranged father. Willy’s abandonment by his father at a fairly young age further stints his maturity and sadly passes this onto his own sons somewha t clarifying his poor parenting â€Å"skills†. Despite Willy’s father having deserted him at roughly four years old Willy continues to delve in his personal mirage of reality believing his father to be a man worth telling to his children. Miller illustrates this through Willy’s childlike vulnerability and curiosity when impatientlyRead MoreMy Breaching Social Norm Experiment921 Words   |  4 Pagesinteract with strangers is not what I consider advanced. So, I decided to make people feel uncomfortable by holding their hand. What I would do is walk up to the person from behind and slowly make my way to their hand to make them feel even more uncomfortable. People normally hold hands with their significant other, or with someone they know, like a friend or family member, so to be holding hands with a stranger is infrequent and abnormal. In preparation for starting our experiment, itRead MoreBreaching Social Norm Experiment922 Words   |  4 Pagessince my ability to interact with strangers is not the best. So, I decided to make people feel uncomfortable by holding their hand. What I would do is walk up to the person from behind and slowly make my way to their hand to make them feel even more uncomfortable. People normally hold hands with their significant other, or with someone they know like a friend or family member, so to be holding hands with a stranger is out of the ordinary and awkward. In preparation to starting our experimentRead MoreHoldens Escape of Corruption Through Childhood and Innocence in The Catcher in the Rye1699 Words   |  7 Pagescorruption of adulthood, by holding onto his childhood innocence. However he was unsuccessful in his strong sense of desire to prevent this inevitable fall into adulthood. Later in the novel after coming to terms with this fact, he developed a new desire to act as The Catcher In The Rye and protect the innocent children who have yet not faced the wicked society of adulthood. There are a number of ways in which Holden was trying to hold onto his childhood and innocenceRead MoreNightmare Come True614 Words   |  3 PagesThe dream is always the same. Nothing ever changes. Except, the conclusion, this becomes closer to reality every time. I was told by my mother a sometime time ago that when you are dreaming you are falling, but you always awake before splattering on the ground. She said the shock of seeing yourself splattered on the ground like a 10 week old tomato sandwich would be too much for the human soul to deal with, so your body convulses you awake before you become a witness of your own death. My dream isn’tRead MoreEssay853 Words   |  4 Pageschildren and limited supplies. â€Å"If our work is to carry force and meaning to our view we must be willing to go all out†(Lange, 264) was what Lange had said soon after Migrant Mother was taken. Since she was part of a field operation documenting the reality of the situation of the time, her goal was to make the images she took available to the public eye and hopefully get a positive response to them. Because of her decision to take the photos of the woman with her children, she managed to capture theRead MoreEssay On The Theme Of Fear In Lord Of The Flies1008 Words   |  5 Pagesbrain cells. But it also can be bad where it pushes us to do things that can harm us such as drinking alcohol to be â€Å"cool†. But fear can be overcomed unlike many other things. Fear can sometimes be very controlling. It can control you by holding you back from making certain decisions that could be good for you. An example on how fear can control us is in the Lord of the Flies where when the boys found out that they were stranded on the island alone with no adult. They were happy at first

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Commes Des Garcons Brand free essay sample

The current paper discusses how and why a particular brand functions as a cultural resource and how companies benefit from this brand functioning as a cultural resource. The brand selected for the discussion is the Japanese fashion line Comme des Garcons. The paper is divided into two parts. The first part defines the concept of ‘cultural resource’ from the branding perspective and prepares ground for the argumentation by referring specifically to the readings from the course literature. The second part gives a short introduction of the brand Comme des Garcons and argues how and why it is a ‘cultural resource’ based on the course literature and the cultural landscape of the brand. A discussion on the benefits of the cultural branding of Comme des Garcons is included at the end of each subsection. Theoretical framework Brand Culture Brand researchers have argued for some time that there is a close link between brands and culture. Schroeder and Salzer-Morling (2006) maintain that brand has become increasingly important in the cultural setting and that contemporary brands are influenced by basic cultural processes such as ‘historical context, ethical concerns, and consumer response’ (p. 1). Schultz and Hatch (2006) state that corporate branding is the interconnection of image, vision as well as culture and identity. Balmer (2006) also claims that the fields of culture and branding ‘are inextricably linked’ because culture helps us to understand brands while through a powerful lens of brands we can comprehend cultures. Furthermore, Bengtsson nd Ostberg (2006) contend that a brand is a culturally constructed symbol, created by multiple ‘authors’ who fill it with symbolic content. Similarly, Uggla (2006) and Bergvall (2006) point out that brand creation is not an internal process, but rather an interaction with a network of multiple cultural levels. In his cultural branding model, Holt (2004) suggests that iconic brands functions like cultural activists, leading cultural changes and have ‘a cultural halo effect’, or a powerful myth that enhance the brand’s values (p. 10). The above brand researchers seem to suggest that brands and branding constantly appear in culture. As such, in looking at a brand as a cultural resource, it is required to look at the cultural landscape of that brand or how the brand engages culture and how culture envelops the brand. As suggested by Schroeder and Salzer-Morling (2006) in Brand Culture, this cultural resource/landscape of a brand includes brand identity, brand communities, contradictions and paradoxes of brands, branding ethics, multilevel brand interaction, brand meaning, marketing communications, etc. The following paragraphs will look at some of these aspects of brand landscape which deem suitable for the discussion of the chosen brand – Comme des Garcons. Brand Identity Kapferer characterizes brand identity as the brand’s ‘innermost substance’. There are several approaches to brand identity. A functionalistic perspective on identity suggests that the brand strategist should define brand identity and communicate this to consumers in order to evoke a brand image that is consistent with the brand’s identity. A number of scholars, however, criticize this conventional view on brand identity arguing that it fails to take into account consumers’ active negotiation of brand meaning. These researchers assert that the process of defining brand identity is not the task of the brand strategist, rather is co-produced with consumers and other stakeholders. Csaba and Bengtsson (2006) believe that brand identity must be understood in the broader context of social and cultural identity. Similarly, Castells characterizes identity as the process of construction of meaning based on a set of cultural attributes, including gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, nationality, generation and age. Balmer (2006) provides a comprehensive list of different identity types that may be resent within corporate brands, for example, identity reflecting cultural values associated with nationality and lifestyle (Swedish safety of Volvo). It can be seen then that brand identity is co-constructed by many stakeholders and that it is embedded in the social, historical and cultural context. Thus, in defining the identity of Come des Garcons brand, it is important to consider these attributes of brand identity. Contradictions and paradoxes of brands A recent debate on brand management seems to suggest that cultural brands have the ability to instill a contradictory system of values. A key argument in Holt’s (2004) How Brands Become Icons is that brands become iconic because they perform a myth that addresses acute contradictions in the society. Brown et al. (2003) also claim that the paradoxical ‘soul’ of brands provides an opportunity for consumers to involve emotionally with the brands and thereby create the subtle connections that lead to loyalty. Drawing upon several well-known brands, Heilbrunn (2006) shows that strong brands promote an utopian model based on a series of inherent contradictions and paradoxes, which brands are able to reconcile through a narrative program. The contradictory principles, according to the author, coexist in any brand’s discourse. Schultz and Hatch (2006) also refer to four cultural paradoxes and argue that these paradoxes or contradictions may exist in all corporate brand management process and are necessary for maintaining a strong corporate brand. The above paragraph seems to suggest that contradictions or paradoxes are important for the brand building or enhancing process. The paper will examine if any contradiction exists in Comme des Garcons brand and if so, is it beneficial. Marketing Communications Brown (2006) argues that brands do not have emotional ownership of the brand, even though they have legal ownership. The reason is that brand cultures are co-created with consumers who often overlook or challenge the messages and meanings that managers try to convey. Also, we live in a world where consumers are wise to marketers’ tricks, and marketers, of course, are wise to that fact. This is reflected in recent anti-marketing marketing campaigns, e. g. Comme des Garcons’s anti-concept stores. However, according o Brown, in our marketing-savvy world, no-marketing is in fact ‘the ultimate form of marketing (2006: 56). In another provocative article Torment Your Customers, Brown (2001) advocates a philosophy of anti-customer orientation through the principles of retromarketing – exclusivity, secrecy, amplification, entertainment, and tricksterism. He even suggests that a way to successful marketing is to tantalize, torment, and torture customers. There is a rich array of topics on marketing communications, including advertising or branding alliances, etc. The focus here, however, is the way Comme des Garcons conducts its marketing communications in the over-commercialized world where it is more and more difficult to persuade consumers by a conventional marketing. Comme des Garcons About Comme des Garcons Comme des Garcons, French for like boys, is a Japanese fashion label. The label was started in Tokyo by Rei Kawakubo, head designer and sole owner, in 1969 and established as a company in Japan in 1973. Comme des Garcons became successful in Japan during the 1970s and a mens line was added in 1978. Comme des Garcons had a debut show in Paris in 1981 which created a storm of controversy for its predominant use of black and distressed fabrics. At present, Comme des Garcons has a dozen boutiques and approximately 200 vendors around the world, with flagship stores in Aoyama, Tokyos high fashion district, as well as Place Vendome in Paris. Each year, the company grosses in about $1. 50 million. What is the Identity behind Comme des Garcons? The literature review suggests that a brand identity can reflect a national culture. It means that the Japanese brand Comme des Garcons can carry some characteristics of the Japanese culture or Japanese identity. Indeed, the fashion press attempts to connect Kawakubo’s design closely with Japanese culture and describes Comme des Garcons as ‘stylistically anonymous, yet innovative in a way that has appealed to women across national boundaries’. But how Japanese is Comme des Garcons apart from the ‘Made in Japan’ label or the fact that it is designed by Kawakubo, a Japanese citizen living in Tokyo? The fashion world tends to search for the ‘Japaneseness’ in Comme des Garcons based on well-established stereotypes of Japan. As such, they look at Comme des Garcons garments and discuss it in relation to Japanese aesthetics, e. g. the austerity and somber colors of design (as defined in the Zen Buddhism), the preference for handmade goods (awaken by an appreciation for traditional crafts and an interest in the rural tradition), and the unexpected use of materials over the human body (considered to be the emphasis of Japanese fashion). On the other hand, the austerity of Comme des Garcons garments can be seen as a protest against the principles of high fashion in the 1980s. Also, tradition is not a trademark of Kawakubo’s design. Comme des Garcons outfits have largely been coupled with a cosmopolitan setting and worn by independent, working women. Finally, it is difficult to connect the cut of Comme des Garcons to Japanese costume history. So, it can be argued that Comme des Garcons garments does not hold any explicit references to either a particular culture or a specific historical situation. Kawakubo in fact tries to remove any recognizable connotations from her clothes, focusing on minimalist design and simple themes which carry no meaning. The above paragraph disputes the fact that Comme des Garcons is a carrier of Japanese identity. Still, the connotation with Japanese culture proves to be beneficial for the brand. First of all, the social and historical context in the early 1980s, when Comme des Garcons was launched at the international level in Paris, played a role. At the time, Japan was gaining influence on the world political stage as an increasingly economic superpower, challenging the global dominance of the West, and particularly the USA. International trend-setters then started to look to Japan for new styles for Western consumers. This was an important factor for Tokyo to be placed on the list of international fashion capitals. Moreover, Japanese designers can stir an interest in the media and make international hit with qualities apparently found in the actual designer garments, since quality is something closely related to Japan. What are the contradictions and paradoxes expressed by Comme des Garcons? The literature reviewed suggests that cultural brands can infuse a contradictory system of values. There are several paradoxes in Comme des Garcons brand. First and foremost, this paradox was expressed in Kawakubo’s readiness to challenge the conventions of high fashion. When she first showed her Comme des Garcons collections in Paris in 1981, fashion critics considered it to be an enormous provocation and called her ‘Hiroshima Chic’. The clothes looked like rags, covered rather than showed up the bodies, and were difficult to put on. The style was characterized by off-black oversized garments, asymmetrical cuts and crumpled fabrics and was described â€Å"as a slap in the face of the exclusive luxury† that high fashion ought to promote. Also, Kawakubo turned some of Western ideas of femininity upside-down. It is not the brand name she has selected ‘Like Boy’, simply because she liked the sound of it, rather the colors and the cuts of the outfits. For more than a century the division of black and white, on the one hand, and colors, on the other hand, framed the distinction of masculinity and femininity, until Kawakubo came in with her dark color collections for women. Baggy Comme des Garcons clothes were neither obvious for men nor for women, distorted rather than enhanced the female form and avoided exhibiting body as sexual. The paradoxes prove to be beneficial to Comme des Garcons brand. Before the first fashion show in Paris in 1981, Comme des Garcons had already existed in Tokyo for over ten years without getting any attention from the international press. Kawakubo made a breakthrough in Paris, at a time when her designs created a scandal of a kind that in international fashion is ‘half way to success’. Yes, despite the confusion and distaste experienced by the world of high fashion, Comme des Garcons became an unavoidable hit, as the result of its objection of high fashion’s underlying assumptions in relation to femininity and luxury. What is Cultural about Comme des Garcons’ Marketing Communications? Comme des Garcons was among the first famous designer brands to follow the guerrilla store concept. Guerrilla or anti-concept stores are temporary sales points open for a short period of time, generally between a few days to one year. They spend a minimal amount of resources on interior design and are often located away from mainstream fashion centres, yet they still look amazingly trendy. They also spend little on advertising which consists mainly of word of mouth. The venture may be seen as a protest against the aggressive commercialism and extravagant architecture of Prada flagship stores and the likes. Guerrilla stores also reflect the changes in the fashion marketing. Nowadays, young people are turning in different direction to look for a more authentic experience. Big brands mean less and less to them. They also prefer to take the cues from their friends than from established channels like fashion magazines and mass advertising. In this context, guerrilla store concept is an effective way to reach out to the target groups which tend to be relatively young and relatively well-educated people with an interest in design and aesthetics. Comme des Garcons’ marketing tactic is a smart business, allowing the company to test a new market at low risk, to channel avant-garde pieces from the runaway at low costs and to reduce inventory by selling off the clothes from past seasons. But the bigger benefit is that Comme des Garcons has devoted followers, a brand subculture, and this cult can only exist because the brand is somewhat apart from the mainstream fashion. Conclusion This paper has attempted to decode the identity, the contradictory system of values as well as the marketing tactics of the Comme des Garcons brand. The brand has enjoyed a number of benefits in acting as a cultural resource. However, it is worth noting that not all brand cultures benefit the company in ways that are tangible or financial. The world has experienced one of the worst financial crises ever, and even some of the iconic brands, such as Citibank and General Motors, have been on the edge of bankruptcy. This tells us that having an iconic status is not enough. Brand management is a complex process and perhaps a cultural branding model is a solution for building and advancing a brand.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Essay About Poverty Example For Students

Essay About Poverty Poverty is defined as â€Å"the state of being poor; lack of the means of providing material needs or comforts.(† More children live in poverty in the United States than in any other developed country (p. 192, Parrillo). Generally, poverty is blamed either on the individual or the system. Several dimensions such as intelligence, poverty culture, family life and the system of capitalism give explanation as to why poverty exists in the U.S. Intelligence has been labeled as one of the factors of poverty in the U.S. because of research done by sociologist, Richard Herrnstein, who â€Å"argued that the poor have a lower intellectual capability than the non-poor, and that they marry other people of low intelligence, thus producing children of low intellectual capacity (p. 195, Parrillo). † Although, there is plenty of evidence refuting this finding many people tend to think of the poor as lacking the knowledge to attain and obtain a well paying job. For this reason, people of poor economic background receive fewer opportunities in the work force. Poverty culture gives explanation for the existence of poverty through â€Å"the continual reinforcement of the cycle of poverty (p. 195, Parrillo)† adapted by children of poor families. Poverty culture consists of unproductive actions such as a lack of education, teenage pregnancy, drug use, a lack of trust in the authorities and a pessimistic attitude. It has been argued that the â€Å"negative orientation toward life and work makes them ill-equipped to enter the societal mainstream (p. 195, Parrillo).† Family life, like intelligence and poverty culture, places blame of poverty on the individual. It has been consistently found that family instability is most common among the poor than in any other economic class. Because there is a lack of support in poor families, individuals raised in these families are prone to failure. Finally, the system of capitalism is one of the few dimensions that places the blame on society for the existence of poverty. â€Å"Socialist, Michael Harrington argued the inadequate programs and misdirected priorities hampered efforts to solve this far from intractable problem (p. 217, Parrillo).† Because the poor have no positive influence in society and lack political support, they have no means of power to break the ongoing cycle of poverty. The United States tried to rectify the poverty problem in several ways. Through social programs such as welfare and social security, the poor are given a minimal amount of money in order to aid their existence. The â€Å"Trickle Down† approach was installed by the Reagan-Bush Republican administrators with the belief that in giving the upper-class a tax cut, the rich would have more money to pump into the economy which would eventually reach the lower classes. The Interventionist Approach was an action taken on behalf of the federal government, which sought to educate and employ the poor in order to help them attain a job career. Unfortunately, these social programs have not been able to keep up with the inflation rates and the constant want of material goods by the poor created by the need to fit in with the middle and upper classes. In reaction to the deregulation of the international market, many other countries are simulating the American capitalistic system. By â€Å"reducing social benefits towards the poor and unemployed and minimizing government efforts to assure job security (p. 47, Heiner)†, poverty is being given the opportunity to manifest globally. Without an international plan that places emphasis on building â€Å"successful families, competent schools and positive communities in which good jobs exist to meet the needs of families worldwide (p. 45, Heiner)†, the problem of poverty will continue to grow. .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .postImageUrl , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:hover , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:visited , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:active { border:0!important; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:active , .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0 .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u31dfd1d06668c471abb51e73f1fbcbe0:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: GMOs Essay Due to the individual and societal influence that is placed on poverty, the amount of poor people in the world has grown consistently. A unified plan is mandatory, otherwise, poverty will continue to grow and create a serious threat to our general welfare. In realizing that the upper classes of the world has the power to put an end to poverty almost immediately through a combination of educational jump start programs and a guaranteed annual income, a system ought to be devised to end poverty once and for all. BibliographyWorks CitedContemporary Social Problems, 4th Edition; Vincent N. Parrillo: pp. 193-219Social Problems

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Change and Strategic Management

With the changes in the economic and global business environment, business structures have also been changed. Previously, only the external environment of the firm was kept under consideration, while formulating the business strategies and strategic decision making.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Change and Strategic Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More However, with the said changes, the overall focus on the management within the firms has been diversified to internal factors and environment. In this regard, a lot of studies have evidently surfaced that the core competitiveness of the firm is sourced to its resources having numerous and diversified features. These features mainly include the economic rent, economic values, and generic high values among the others. The resources of the firms and their competencies are the keys to success of the organization which also facilitate it in order to manipulate the company’s external environment as well as the entries of new entrants and players in the market, and the competition in the market. These, therefore, become a sustainable competitive advantage. These types of strategies by the firm mainly focus on the company’s internal environment and are sourced to the physical assets owned by an organization. Subject study is aimed to analyze the Resource-Based View of the firm’s Strategies in order to attain and maintain a sustainable competitive advantage. In order to reach the said set of objectives, the company selected is the â€Å"Toyota Motors†. The Toyota Motors is one among the most popular and largest multinational firms, mainly dealing in motor vehicles around the globe. The company is famous for its product design, innovative machines, reliability and other features. â€Å"Hybrid Cars and Vehicles† are among its latest innovations. Finally, the report is based on qualitative research design whil e using the secondary sources of data mainly. The resource based on the view of firm’s strategy refers to the framework depicting that all the three levels of the company’s strategies should take its resources and capabilities into account along with the consideration of its external environment. Competitive advantage of the firm is mainly based on the valuable and rare resources. This competitive advantage can be sustained by the firms over a long period, while employing internal capabilities and competencies in order to protect them from imitation, substitution and transfer. Generally, in this regard, the model and framework evidently worked the best using the Resource-Based View.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In this regard, numerous studies have identified and surfaced many key resources in order to develop and deploy the value of the firm. These resourc es include both the internal and external resources. The resources based view of firm’s strategic decision making depicted that the network connections and the partnership among the different entities and organizations identified the ways facilitating the aggregation, exchange and sharing of different resources in order to achieve the configuration which is superior to the ordinary one of exclusively internal resources. This is done especially in the context when the organizations lack the strategic resources. In order to survive in the industry, every business and every firm must have to gain the competitiveness and competitive advantage even it is temporary. These objectives may also be achieved by limiting the learners and service support. Furthermore, subject strategies also require tightening the cost control systems. The cost control systems may also be benefited by using the concept of economies of scales in production or the different concepts of economics including t he experience curve and so forth. When adopting the change, management plays the main role of ensuring the business has been aligned and prepared to accommodate a new way of doing things. Moreover, the management should impose change to its employees; employees should be prepared to accept and adopt the system that has been introduced. For an effective change management system to be implemented, managers should involve their staffs right from the initial stages of the change. As mentioned above, the resources-based view might be used in numerous studies in business and industry. In order to examine the resources utilized by the firm for thriving, for instance, in housing development, the resource based view was formally introduced initially by the Werner Felt in 1984. He was of the opinion that the competitive advantage of the firm was normally attained and based on the resources available to the firm and its abilities to exploit them. He further added that the scholars were misled concerning the concept of competitive advantage that was based on the exogenous conditions. These resources of the firm are heavily embedded in the business processes of the firm rather existing in vacuum. Furthermore, some specialized and specific activities of the firm are handled mainly by employing the networks and systems of resources organized in some specific and special ways. As a matter of fact, these systems and networks are mainly termed as the capabilities. Moreover, they facilitate the attainment of the corporate goals and objectives. These capabilities that a firm has are mainly the surface of the means through which a company may achieve the objectives and aims of the business.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Change and Strategic Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This report on Change and Strategic Management was written and submitted by user N1k0las to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Mary Jane essays

Mary Jane essays Legalization and or decriminalization of marijuana has been sought after, unsuccessfully, for the last 62 some-odd years by an ever-growing number of people. These people stem from all walks of life from high school kids to top-level business executives to doctors to musicians and actors to senators and politicians. The topic, however, is one that has been tiptoed around since the reefer madness disease swept across mainstream America in the late 1930s. All of which was the brainchild of two men: Harry Anslinger, the head of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics at the time and who happened to be related to someone on the board of Dupont, and William Randolph Hearst, who owned a few large newspaper companies. Both of whom are said to be paid off by Dupont, who was very big in the wood-pulp paper industry, and would profit heavily from hemp being outlawed. Marijuana had many uses in our society before reefer madness came to a head. For over 150 years, the second-most prescribed medication in America was a highly concentrated cannabis extract. According to a February 1938 article in Popular Mechanics, a machine called the decoriator could take 1 acre devoted to the cultivation of hemp and out produce 4 acres of traditional wood-based paper, at 1/5 the pollution. Most of the rigging and canvas sails on ships, even through the latter part of the 20th century, were made from hemp. Even the word canvas is Dutch for cannabis. Also, a synthetic compound very similar to PVC can be made from hemp. We are beginning to look towards alternate fuel sources to run our future machines. I say that there is nothing better than cannabis. It can be converted to methane, methanol or gasoline at a fraction of the cost of oil, coal, or nuclear energy. The oil from the seeds can be made into a high quality lubricant that could replace petrol oils completely. Unfortunately, i ...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Film Analyse, Analyse Mise-en-scene, in The Red Shoes (1948 film)and Essay

Film Analyse, Analyse Mise-en-scene, in The Red Shoes (1948 film)and do Ten shots analyse of it - Essay Example Central to the plot is the clash between Miss Victoria Page’s (played by Moira Shearer) artistic ambition and her love life. Tragedy looms large in this type of plot set up and inevitably Miss Page is ruined by this conflict. In this way the plot and the simple straightforward narrative do not match the creative and exuberant visual imagery. Despite the said flaws, the film is worth studying purely its picturization and visual aesthetics. This essay will is an endeavour to study the mise-en-scene of a handful of scenes from the film. To be able to understand the principles being applied for constructing various shots, one has to keep in mind Michael Powell’s philosophy in filmmaking. Powell believed in the notion of the ‘composed film’, in which, â€Å"music, emotion and acting made a complete whole, of which the music was the master†. (Mayer, 2008, p.48) This philosophy is writ large in The Red Shoes, as well as Powell’s other notable films B lack Narcissus (1947) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951). As a matter of fact, in The Red Shoes, Lermontov says to Miss Page on more than one occasion that â€Å"music is everything†. This is perhaps a reflection of Powell’s own understanding of composing a film. ... riest (danced by Ivan Boleslawsky/Robert Helpmann), to an infernal, red-lit space that is inhabited by the ballet's demonic shoemaker (danced by Ljubov/Leonid Massine).† (Grist, 2012, p.28) These sequences of events are synchronized to the tempo and prompt of the instrumental music. Just as the musical composition by Brian Easdale carries symmetry and repetitive structures within it, the performance of The Ballet of the Red Shoes display a similar arrangement. There is a conscious attempt on part of the directors to unite the strands of various media of art into one dramatic output. It is this accentuation of dramatic effect thus produced which accounts for the continuing remembrance of this film and its ballet performances by generations of film audiences. (Mclean, 2008, p. 135) As a treatise on cinematic art, the film reveals its exceptional ability to exploit the medium and alter accepted boundaries. In its own implicit way, The Red Shoes goes on to shatter the myths surroun ding fairytales, the world of classical ballet and the myths surrounding cinema itself. The notion that fairytales all end on a happy note is refuted in the film. Instead, the comforting aspects of Christen Anderson’s fairy tale (upon which the film is based) are disillusioned and the underlying horror is revealed. For example, the earlier part of the film has the audience believe that Vicky and Julian will live happily ever after. But as events unfold and take a dire turn, the aspirations of the couple are frustrated. In Anderson’s fairytale, a young girl, similar in age and disposition to Vicky Page, wishes to wear the red shoes. But upon wearing them, she cannot stop herself from dancing. This eventually leads to unbearable exhaustion she even resorts to ask the executioner to have mercy