The Infinite Stupidity of Humans and the Universe Essay

â€Å"Only two things are infinite; the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the former† Albert Einstein. The career of astrophysics is a complex one, because of the kind of research that is involved. The research will describe the career of astrophysics, what is required to become a successful astrophysicists and the impact this career has on society. The study of astronomy and physics begins with the ancient Greeks. Their view was that the Earth was the center of the universe. It wasn’t until the Renaissance when a few in western civilization, ever thought that the sun might be the center of planetary motion. Around 150 A.D. Ptolemy invented the concentric view, which explained that the Earth is the center of planetary†¦show more content†¦In the 1930s there was experimentation with rockets, 1950s the space race with the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. In 1957 Sputnik was launched, that same year a dog was sent into space. 1961 a chimpanzee became an astronaut, that same year Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. 1969 the Apollo 11 astronauts land on the moon. There are 20,600 people who are employed in this job. Since 1998, Astrophysics has been highly influenced by the number of retirements of faculty members. The jobs related to this career are most often found in the private sector, NASA, and the U.S. government. This section is a biography on a person in this career and what it’s like to be a astrophysicists. Stephen Hawing, 1959 entered Oxford University, which at the time was occupied by mainly upper class and male students. They had their own servants called scouts. Students who came from upper class families saw themselves as privileged and special. They didn’t mix well with other students like Hawking who came from the middle class. In 1962, Stephen Hawking entered Cambridge University. Cosmology appealed to Hawking more than elementary particles, because it focused on some fascinating questions about which new theories could be applied. For example, how big was the universe? In 1965, Hawking received his Ph.D. and could now call himself Doctor Stephen Hawking. Growing numbers of physicists work in interdisciplinary fields, such as bio, chemical and geophysics. Many people with a physicsShow MoreRelatedAlbert Einstein Speech Essay998 Words   |  4 PagesIt is an outward appearance that is maintained to conceal a less pleasant or creditable reality. Albert, There is a fundamental contradiction inside physics. In physics, there are two theories that form the basis for our understanding of the universe. Quantum physics or Quantum Mechanics, which explains how matter is constructed and why it behaves the way the way it does. Joshua, What s matter? 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Ever since then, science has been at odds against religion. Now it appears that science is returning to religion. Scientists are finding proof that the universe was created by a Supreme Being. The word evolution refers to the change of something over a period

Comparing J. Gordon Edwards And Richard Burton - 990 Words

During the twentieth century, more than twelve directors tried their hand at interpreting one of history’s greatest love stories. Each had their own lense that they used to craft their movie into a reflection of themselves, their culture, or the time period in which is was created. J. Gordon Edwards’s 1917 film starring Theda Bara was extremely lavish and very risque. The version starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton is known for both their on and off screen romance. Cecil B. Demille’s version of the tragic story was at the height of Hollywood fashion, inspiring stars and the average woman alike. However, below the surface of Claudette Colbert’s shimmering, clinging wardrobe for the film lies another story entirely. The costumes in Cecil B. Demille’s 1934 version of Cleopatra have influences and symbols rooted in ancient Egypt, but are most heavily influenced by the art deco of the 1930s. This can be seen in many of her dresses throughout the film, especially during her dinner with Marc Antony and her surrender to Octavian and the Roman army. One example of this is in the slinky, gold lamà © dress Claudette Colbert dons as Cleopatra plots to poison Marc Antony. Not only does the figure-hugging gown remind the audience of her role as the temptress, but it echos strongly of the style of 1930s Hollywood. The ruched front was style that became popular in 1930s. Several of Madeleine Vionnet’s designs feature both a ruched front and mermaid bottom, which may have served asShow MoreRelatedContemporary Issues in Management Accounting211377 Words   |  846 Pagesa lifetime endeavour. But personal though his achievements may be, they are also reflective of a wider tradition of significant involvement in the practical sphere by senior British accounting academics. For we must remember that it was Professor Edward Stamp who was one of the first to call the British audit profession to account with his questioning of Ã¢â‚¬Ë œwho shall audit the auditors?’ The subsequent institutional response has most likely gained as much from the likes of Professors Harold Edey, BryanRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 Pagesreceived the Ernest J. McCormick Award for Distinguished Early Career Contributions from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology. In 2001, he received the Larry L. Cummings Award for mid-career contributions from the Organizational Behavior Division of the Academy of Management. In 2007, he received the Professional Practice Award from the Institute of Industrial and Labor Relations, University of Illinois. Books Published: H. G. Heneman III, T. A. Judge, and J. D. Kammeyer-MuellerRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 PagesCentral Design: Jayne Conte Cover Art: Getty Images, Inc. Cover Design: Suzanne Duda Lead Media Project Manager: Denise Vau ghn Full-Service Project Management: Sharon Anderson/BookMasters, Inc. Composition: Integra Software Services Printer/Binder: Edwards Brothers Cover Printer: Coral Graphics Text Font: 10/12 Weidemann-Book Credits and acknowledgments borrowed from other sources and reproduced, with permission, in this textbook appear on appropriate page within text. Copyright  © 2011, 2007,Read MoreOne Significant Change That Has Occurred in the World Between 1900 and 2005. Explain the Impact This Change Has Made on Our Lives and Why It Is an Important Change.163893 Words   |  656 Pagesseries: Paula Hamilton and Linda Shopes, eds., Oral History and Public Memories Tiffany Ruby Patterson, Zora Neale Hurston and a History of Southern Life Lisa M. Fine, The Story of Reo Joe: Work, Kin, and Community in Autotown, U.S.A. Van Gosse and Richard Moser, eds., The World the Sixties Made: Politics and Culture in Recent America Joanne Meyerowitz, ed., History and September 11th John McMillian and Paul Buhle, eds., The New Left Revisited David M. Scobey, Empire City: The Making and Meaning Read MoreProject Mgmt296381 Words   |  1186 Pagesavailable to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 WVR/WVR 0 9 8 7 ISBN 978-0-07-340334-2 MHID 0-07-340334-2 Editorial director: Stewart Mattson Publisher: Tim Vertovec Executive editor: Richard T. Hercher, Jr. Developmental editor: Gail Korosa Associate marketing manager: Jaime Halterman Project manager: Harvey Yep Production supervisor: Carol Bielski Designer: Mary Kazak Vander Photo researcher: Jeremy Cheshareck Media project manager:

Ancient Greek Marital and Gender Roles Free Essays

string(176) " seen through the emphasis on family, and sexual desire that procreation was not so much a choice as it is today but an obligation and duty of each and every able-bodied male\." Ancient Greek Marital and Gender Roles *Note: All claims are assumptions based off of textual clues and are not to be understood as fact but to be recognized as potential truths. The roles of men and women in Ancient Greek civilization can never be fully understood since no one alive today existed during their era. That being said, analysis of texts written by Ancient Greek authors provides us with insight into how their culture viewed both genders. We will write a custom essay sample on Ancient Greek Marital and Gender Roles or any similar topic only for you Order Now It is through these texts that scholars can identify customary actions of single and married couples. Questions such as: should women save themselves for marriage, Are men the providers, And were women expected to be subservient in a patriarchal society can all be answered through textual understanding. As we prepare to dive into ancient texts and learn about the Greek culture of old, one must understand the importance of utilizing multiple authors. Without calling upon a variety of texts, a credible and thorough theory on how Ancient Greek individuals acted cannot be erected. For the purposes of this analysis the authors Euripides, Aeschylus, and Homer will be employed with the prospect of further understanding Ancient Greek gender and marital roles. Taking into account the differences among these texts in authorship and date, we will burden three main tasks: identify what makes a good husband and good wife, discern if and why one role receives more attention than the other, and conclude what ancient Greek social norms may have been from the way these texts depict marital relationships. Euripides’, Hippolytus, provides a sturdy backbone for understanding how Ancient Greek civilization viewed gender roles. Before reading a text it is important not to have a narrow scope. This means that one should not only focus on the perceived main character, but rather consider how every character may depict an aspect of the then current culture. Despite being titled Hippolytus, it is crucial not to only concentrate on the character Hippolytus. In fact, there may be just as much if not more to be learned from Phaedra. Phaedra, being the stepmother of Hippolytus, supplies a situation where her actions toward Hippolytus can be used in understanding the expected actions of married females toward single males. After Phaedra earns that her nurse has disclosed the sensitive information about her romantic feelings for Hippolytus to him and that he has rejected her she takes her own life out of shame. However, she leaves a note for her husband – Hippolytus’ father – Theseus, claiming that his son has raped her. This action reveals that perhaps it was not uncommon for women to take their lives after being sexually violated. With that in mind, it may be inferred that sexual purity was expected of women, that once a woman has been tainted by a male who was not her partner she loses her respect, honor, and desirability. In addition, Theseus’ reaction allows us to see even further into gender relationships and societal norms. Theseus takes the offensive against Hippolytus, cursing him and subsequently causing his death. Nevertheless, instead of coming to the hasty conclusion that Theseus is emotionally volatile and lacking the ability to understand, it is pertinent that one stops and asks: â€Å"Why may he have acted this way? † For where most mistakes are made in textual analysis is through hasty generalizations based on current era norms. Indeed, in todays world Theseus’ reaction would lead to his imprisonment and mandatory meetings with a psychiatrist but this was not always so. In Ancient Greece honor was critical and helped in determining social status. Euripides lived during the end of the Persian Wars and much like the notorious Spartans, the Athenians considered honor for themselves and their family to be of the utmost importance. With this in mind we will take another look at Theseus’ reaction and how it provides insight into Ancient Greek culture. It is possible that Theseus reaction would have been of the norm during his time. It was most likely seen as dishonorable to commit suicide as well as to lie; therefore, Theseus would not dare question the claims made by his wife. Theseus was trying to protect his honor as well as that of his family by taking action against he who had supposedly raped his wife. Society may have expected him to avenge Phaedra’s death. This shows that a married couple was a strong unit, that each must have trust in each other; it was not their duty to question the word of their partner. Bearing everything in mind it can be deduced that a good husband is one who protects his family and a good wife one who is loyal, even if it means taking their own life. Nevertheless, the male gender role stresses honor over family. Moreover, when honor and family conflict, family loses – hence the death of Hippolytus. Euripides portrayal of Hippolytus assists in depicting how men were expected to act in society. Hippolytus serves as a paradigm for a man who does not meet the standards of the societal norm. We are able to identify that Hippolytus is not a normal Athenian male because the goddess Aphrodite punishes him for his actions. He is a boy who has not yet become a man; he shows that it was not acceptable for males in Ancient society to resist maturity. His wish to remain abstinent, or more so his lack of sexual desire is common among the youth but not a matured male. Aphrodite is used to receiving praise and worship from the male population and because Hippolytus does not worship her – but instead the virgin goddess Artemis – she chooses to punish him. His punishment allows us to infer that all men were required to seek out a woman when they reached the age of maturity. Those who did not most likely brought shame to themselves and their family. Moreover, it can be seen through the emphasis on family, and sexual desire that procreation was not so much a choice as it is today but an obligation and duty of each and every able-bodied male. You read "Ancient Greek Marital and Gender Roles" in category "Papers" Ultimately, Euripides’ Hippolytus sheds a lot of light on social norms regarding gender roles. During the time period in Ancient Greece while Euripides was alive – estimated between 484 – 407 B. C. E. (Before Current Era) – the prevalence of honor was paramount, effecting the actions and choices made by both males and females. It was the duty of the male to protect and maintain honor for his family by taking action against those who threaten or harm the fortitude of his family. But first it is his societal obligation to wed a woman and create a family. On the other hand women are important members of society, their word bears weight in discussion and decision, it is their duty to love and protect their family as well as to maintain honor for themselves by being loyal companions even if it means taking their own life. Although the assumptions made off of textual clues in Hippolytus appear valid, it is still important to consider other ancient texts. The Odyssey by Homer is another text that provides clues toward how Ancient Greek civilization regarded gender and marital roles. There appears to be an undisputable amount of evidence supporting that there was a double standard between men and women on how they should act toward the opposite sex. Odysseus engages in sexual activities with a large amount of women on his journey home to Ithaca. Whereas despite not having not seen her husband for twenty years Penelope remains loyal even though she has a crowd of suitors desiring her bed. Odysseus’ behavior leads to the belief that it was acceptable for Greek males to cheat on their wives. However, there is not enough evidence that supports that his behavior was acceptable. Additionally his circumstances were not of the norm so it is unfair to say that Odysseus’ behavior corresponded with that of the average Greek male. The important part of Odysseus and Penelope’s relationship that does speak to the social norms of society is the devotion held toward one another. Penelope’s decision to remain loyal to her husband even after twenty years of absence says a lot about Greek women. It can be inferred that marriage was a huge deal and loyalty an even bigger one. If Penelope had chosen another suitor before knowing if Odysseus was dead or not then she could have potentially brought dishonor to herself and her family. The importance of loyalty and marriage is stressed by Penelope’s actions. Additionally, she shows that to be a good wife is to be a committed wife. In comparison, although Odysseus is not loyal like Penelope, he shows that it is the duty of a husband to make it home to his wife and to always put family first. The fact that Odysseus wants more than anything to return home and see his wife – so badly that he even gives up his potential life with Calypso – supports that commitment to one’s family is the most important duty of a Greek male. When Odysseus does return home and finds that suitors have overrun his house he takes action and eliminates all of them. Although it may be argued that a couple of the suitors were genuine, decent people and should not have been killed, his decision to kill all of them attests to the duties of a good husband. The suitors entering his home without verification of his death was a strike at his honor. It is from his decision to eliminate all of the suitors that we can learn about how Ancient Greek society viewed the male gender role. Men were expected to be strong and to protect the honor of their home, to enter discussion over who was the most in the wrong displayed weakness. In order for a man to reclaim his good name he must do away with any and all threats. This notion toward the expectations for Ancient Greek male gender roles is further supported by the actions of Odysseus’ son Telemachus. Telemachus had never met his father but still decided to set out on an expedition to find him. The fact that Telemachus had never met Odysseus when he decided to risk his life to find him validates the importance of family. Clearly common ethics in Ancient Greek civilization endorsed family over everything. A son was expected to fight for his family no matter how close his relationship with the rest of his family may be. Normal male gender roles were to maintain honor and protect one’s family. Homer’s The Odyssey and Euripides Hippolytus both share common characteristics in their insight into Ancient Greek marital and social gender roles. The overwhelming aspect of both texts that appears to be the focal point of Ancient Greek culture is family commitment. All clues point toward both marital roles to be to preserve and protect the honor of one’s family as well as the importance of having one. The assumption can be made that in order to be a good wife she must be loyal and honest, whereas to be a good husband he must also be devoted, putting his loved ones before himself and honor above all else. There does not appear to be one gender that receives more attention, supporting that both genders played a vital role in ancient culture. In contrast with the previous two texts, Aeschylus’ Oresteia: Agamemnon offers a different approach in addressing Ancient Greek cultural norms relating to marital and gender roles. While Agamemnon is gone for ten years at the Trojan war his wife Clytemnestra conspires against him with her lover Aegisthus. To be fair, Agamemnon had sacrificed their daughter in order to have the wind be on his side. Before we continue let us analyze how this depicts Ancient Greek marital roles. The relationship between Agamemnon and Clytemnestra is incredibly strained after he sacrifices their daughter Iphigenia. However, if emotions are withheld it can be seen that perhaps Agamemnon’s marital and gender role supported his decision. As was seen with the death of Hippolytus, stemming from Theseus’ duty to uphold his principles, it can be inferred that the requirement for a male to preserve his honor comes before family. Although taking a different approach, Oresteia: Agamemnon, has the same main principles regarding marital roles. Except this text allows us to see what happens when roles compete. As the story progresses more insight is provided into how marital roles are affected when one takes precedence over another. When Agamemnon returns home he brings with him a new woman, Cassandra. After arguing with his wife about not wanting to display excess hubris by walking on the purple carpet their time together becomes very strained. Shortly after his return Clytemnestra murders Agamemnon and Cassandra. Her catharsis is complete after committing these murders and uses the sacrifice of Iphigenia as justification for her actions. Both the love affair of Clytemnestra with Aegisthus and Agamemnon with Cassandra hint that perhaps there were a little bit more public scandalous acts that took place in Ancient Greece than the other two texts let on. We have learned that in order to be a good wife she must protect her family and be loyal to her husband. The text written by Aeschylus explicitly proves that when a wife must choose between loyalty to her husband and protection of her family she will choose her family. Regardless of the obvious differences between this text and the two priors they all three present Ancient Greek gender and marital roles to be comprised of the same basic principles. That being said, all three illuminate a new characteristic. After analyzing all the texts it can be assumed that Greek culture revolved around family, loyalty, and honor. A good wife is a woman who puts her family first and remains loyal to her husband no matter what the circumstances. Likewise a good husband defends the honor of himself whilst remaining devoted to his family. Nonetheless, after further analysis it can be argued that social norms for marital roles did not always go hand in hand with what a â€Å"good† husband or wife should do. This is because certain roles are emphasized more than others. When a wife chooses her children over her husband or a man defends his honor at the consequence of his family he or she can no long fit into the paradigm for a â€Å"good† husband or wife. In another text written by Euripides, Medea, the view into the past is much different than that of Hippolytus or any of the other texts. That being said, it is crucial to analyze the new perspective in order to formulate an educated theory on what Ancient Greek marital roles used to be. Jason and Medea are married with children when Jason chooses to suddenly leave to marry the daughter of the king of Corinth. Euripides is insinuating that in some instances male gender roles overpower their marital roles. As a Greek man it is his duty to gain honor and status as well as to create a family. However, as a Greek husband it is his duty to be devoted to his family and to never leave them. From this text we can infer that the desire of a man to achieve honor and status can lead some men to abandon their families. The prospect of one day being king is too much for Jason, he leaves and forgoes his marital roles. His choice to relieve himself of his duties as a husband infers that not all men in Ancient Greece were morally sound, taking a very loose interpretation of the word â€Å"honor. † Additionally, Medea involves herself in some actions that go against what would be considered socially preferable. Medea is distraught and angry after Jason abandons her and the children. She takes action by plotting to hurt Jason the way that he hurt her. Medea gives Jason’s new wife a poisoned robe that burns her flesh off and murders her own two children in hopes to harm Jason. By murdering both Jason’s wife and her children she is exhibiting revenge with the only intention of benefiting herself. This act infers that there were many citizens of Ancient Greece who did not regard the normal social roles. Unlike Agamemnon who sacrificed his daughter to fulfill one of his societal roles, Medea acts completely outside of the norm by murdering her children in cold blood. Euripides may potentially be trying to express that there are always going to be individuals that act radically opposite to what is at the time considered normal. A distinction that must be recognized is that between gender roles and marital roles with the understanding that they sometimes overlap. It seems as if more attention is placed on gender roles than marital roles. For instance, Odysseus chooses to cheat on his wife, Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter, Clytemnestra murders her husband, and Jason deserts his family. After analyzing all of the texts we can finally make an educated decision on what marital and gender roles were like in Ancient Greece. It appears that Ancient Greek society had determined roles for both men and women and they were meant to be adamantly revered. A good husband was considered to be a man who was devoted to his family and defended the honor of himself and his home. He recognized that there is no honor in hurting loved ones, no matter what the outcome. Additionally, a good wife was a woman who was completely loyal to her husband and her family, protecting them by whatever means necessary. However, thorough analysis reveals that there were often times people who went against what would be deemed â€Å"good† because they made a choice when roles conflicted that ensued a consequence for a loved one to bear. And finally there were those who went against the grain completely. Overall, Ancient Greek social norms involved family at the center and devotion from every member to each other. The reason there is such a strong emphasis placed on understanding, documenting, and analyzing history is because it is through historical analysis that scholars can infer as to how modern-day culture came to be. It is through investigation of historical texts and other mediums of recording history that allows us to track the progression of people and their roles in society. In the current era people are still learning more about how past societies operated and what led to their development. From Homer to Hemmingway there is always more that can be learned through textual analysis, whether it be a historical primary source or not. ——————————————– [ 1 ]. Struck, Peter T. â€Å"ClSt 200 – Greek Tragedy. † ClSt 200 – Greek Tragedy. N. p. , 2000. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . How to cite Ancient Greek Marital and Gender Roles, Papers

Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Fashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors. Answer: Introduction Management is an essential component, which systematizes the business of companies and organizations. Herein lays the effectiveness of the term marketing. The introductory statement reflects the placement of the terms marketing and management in the same alignment. The roles and responsibilities of the managers hold prime position in terms of achieving the efficiency in the business (Armstrong et al., 2014). Proper execution of the allocated duties enhances the productivity of the companies and organizations, such as Telstra. Optimizing the search aligns with the requirements of the assignment. The purpose of this assignment is to envision new market ventures for Telstra in terms of the newly launched cordless handsets. Telstra has achieved accolades and glory by providing the people with reliable broadband and mobile network services. The major drive behind this is the collaborative attempts of the personnel for enhancing the productivity of the business. Within Australia, the company has emerged successful in providing 17.4 million telecommunication services (Telstra.com.au, 2017). The list of achievements does not end here. Along with the mobile services, Telstra has added satisfaction in the lives of the customers by providing 6.8 million fixed voice services and 3.5 retail fixed broadband services. The personnel envision more connectedness with the clients and customers in order to expand their business. Herein lies the appropriateness of the motto, we help creare a brilliant future for everyone, everyday (Telstra.com.au, 2017). Adopting social media would help the personnel to connect with a large number of audience at one go. Taking the clients and customers feedback would be crucial in terms of upgrading the standard and quality of the existing services in order to penetrate into the foreign markets. According to the annual report of 2015, there were 36,165 employees, struggling for taking Telstra to the peak of success. Dedication, commitment and perseverance towards the performance of the business activities have enabled the personnel to witness a revenue escalation of 27.1 billion Australian dollars in the era of 2016. The operating income is 6.3 billion, which has added 5.8 billion values to the profit margin. The total asset value for the company is 40.45 billion Australian dollars and the equity value is 14.51 billion dollars (Telstra.com.au, 2017). Capabilities, strengths and weakness Possession of a large supply chain network is one of the greatest strengths, which helps Telstra to add to the existing stock of stakeholders and shareholders. Firm standpoint of a leader like David Thodey was enough to recover the lost market position along with trust, dependence and the loyalty from the customers. Persistent approach of Thodey towards upgrading the standard and quality of the services resulted in the introduction of Telstra Digital, which revolutionized the business as a whole (Telstra.com.au, 2017). Conducting market research regarding the latest and the modern machines would result in the production of innovative quality handsets, making Telstra a common name among the native as well as the foreign customers. Identifying the targets would help Telstra in attaining efficiency in the business activities. For this, market research is an effective example in terms of gaining an awareness regarding the countries with latest and modern technologies. The remarkable performance of the technological sector in Australia would be one of the greatest assistance for Telstra in terms of gaining awareness regarding the specific tastes and preferences of the customers. The earlier sentence conjoins the strength and the social parameter of SWOT and PESTLE analysis. The latency issues add vulnerability in the market position of Telstra, questioning the technologies used for providing quality services to the customers. Setting high price for the handsets would aggravate the competition complexities (Smh.com.au, 2017). This would adversely affect the Australian economy, which nullifies the adherence and compliance to the competitive policies and other marketing legislations. Along with this, frequent change in the technologies would degrade the quality of the handsets leading to the unsatisfactory customer service. However, consistent evaluation of the undertaken steps would bring to the forefront the major drawbacks. Along with this, market research would enhance the clarity of the personnel in terms of the countries where Telstra can make remarkable progress in marketing. One such country can be China. Penetrating into the Chinese market would be profitable for Telstra, as China is one of the biggest exporters of Australia. To be specific, 34% of Australian goods are exported to China (Weforum.org, 2017). However, at the first instance, stable relationship needs to be created with the Chinese delegates for indulging in lucrative deals, trades and transactions for taking the company to the foreign outlets. Along with this, Telstra personnel need to sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Chinese delegates for investing in the threshold of the Chinese market. Mere signing of the pact would not offer the Telstra personnel to conduct marketing activities in China. Both the countries have to abide by the rules and regulations of the agreement for executing transparent marketing activities (Smh.c om.au, 2017). Herein, the political parameter of PESTLE analysis can be correlated. Violation of the rules and regulations would compel Telstra personnel to encounter scandalous situations, which would stain the hard earned reputation. Market segmentation Prior to offering the manufactured handsets, Telstra personnel need to conduct market segmentation. This would improve the focus in the marketing activities. Organizing exhibitions of the newly launched cordless handsets would attract large number of customers, from where the company could select their target market. Mostly in these sales exhibitions it is seen that the youngsters prefer sleek design handsets with all the basic facilities. For the older people, the need is just a handset, which is easy to carry. If this ease is provided wiin their homes, the older people would be largely benefitted (Luke, 2014). Sleek design cordless would enable the older people to talk with their near and dear ones even while sitting in the easy chairs, which is far away from the main connection of telephone. For this, the wiring needs to be done properly so that connection is available in every premises of the house. Along with this, the display of the numbers on the cordless screens needs to be c lear for the easy understanding of the older people. Colorful handsets would add spice to the loneliness, isolation and solitude of the older people. This type of marketing would be something creative for Telstra in terms of expanding the scope and arena of the business till the extent of foreign markets (Germann, Lilien Rangaswamy, 2013). Provision of these services to the older people makes the direction of the business B2C. On the other hand, indulging in contracts with suppliers regarding the accessories of the cordless handsets reflects the B2B business of Telstra in terms of producing quality services for the customers. Competition on the first instance reflects the interplay of the brands to grab the hot seat in the competitive ambience of the market. This interplay acts as a compromise with the needs, demands and requirements of the customers. Herein the personnel are to be blamed for failing to fulfill the specific tastes and preferences of the customers. Telcos, China mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, Samsung, Apple are some of the telecommunication brands, which are reining in the Chinese market. Of these Samsung and Apple pose as the major obstacle for Telstra in terms of venturing into the Chinese market (Weforum.org, 2017). The difference in the design and features of the cordless handsets are the initial grounds of competition between the brands. Similarity in the goals contradicts the difference in the execution of the business activities. Adherence and compliance to the legislations, especially the competition policies would help Telstra in conducting transparent marketing. This type of marketing would be one of main agents for achieving loyalty, trust and dependence from the Chinese customers. The provision of stands along with the handsets can be one of the grounds, which would help Telstra in emerging out as a customers brand in Chinese market (Weforum.org, 2017). This additional service would aggravate the competition b etween brands like Apple, Samsung and Telstra. Viewing it from the Porters five forces, the provision of stands along with the handsets in great variety helps the customers, especially the older ones to select the appropriate one. This reflects the consciousness of the Telstra personnel towards the buying behavior of the customers. Compliance to the competitive policies would help Telstra to indulge in fair competitions with the contemporary brands. Herein, the intensity of the rivalry of competition gets mitigated. Apart from this, maintaining stability with the suppliers would assist Telstra personnel to receive quality products to store in the stock. On the contrary, hostile relationship with the shareholders would compel the personnel to encounter complexities in terms of producing quality and innovative cordless handsets for the customers, especially for the ones belonging to the old age (Weforum.org, 2017). Conclusion This assignment emerges successful in providing an insight into the aspects of marketing and management. Taking the example of Telstra enhancing the clarity of the readers, especially the businessmen in terms of applying appropriate management techniques for systematizing the business activities according to the priorities. Optimizing the search and selection of cordless handsets is an effective example of executing market segmentation. Adopting the means of survey and feedback would help Telstra personnel to follow customer centric business. Maintenance of consistency in evaluation would bring to the forefront the major drawbacks, which, if not modified spontaneously would pose as a threat for the company in terms of securing the hard earned market position. Herein lays the appropriateness of complying and adhering to the competitive policies, which would help Telstra to indulge in fair competitions with the contemporary brands such as Samsung, Apple, china Telecom and the other bra nds, which are already in power in the Chinese market. Countering this, marketing mix would help the company to experiment with the existing services. Herein lay the appropriateness of the means of survey and feedback, which would enhance the awareness of the company personnel about the needs, demands and requirements of the customers. Recommendations Telstra has come a long way in terms of achieving customer satisfaction. However, more distance needs to be covered for expanding the scope and arena of the business. The following are some of the recommendations, which Telstra can adopt for making proper venture into the foreign market of china: One of the most important recommendations is to train the staffs about the basic management skills. If the training is given in response to an incident, it would prove beneficial for the company, Telstra to address the issue in an efficient and effective manner. Inclusion of technology within the training sessions would enhance the preconceived knowledge, skills and expertise of the employees. Within this, increasing the frequency of the training sessions would help the trainees to have an easy grasp over the basic ways and means to carry out the business activities. Taking post training tests would help the managers to assess the capability of the employees in terms of making practical application of the provided lectures. Market research would enhance the knowledge of Telstra personnel about the latest trends adopted by Samsung, Apple and the other brands. Within this, search engine optimization would take the personnel directly to the required information. Knowledge of the steps taken by Apple, Samsung and other brands would help Telstra to manufacture innovative design cordless handsets for the older people. Along with this, market research would inform the company personnel about the future course of actions to be performed by the contemporary brands. This would bring rationality in the ways and means adopted by Telstra to expand the business. Creating plans would help Telstra to make noticeable progresses with the proposed projects. Sharing these plans with the staffs in the form of meetings would help the personnel to gain an insight into the customer approaches towards the launched cordless handsets. References Antoncic, B., Auer Antoncic, J., Aaltonen, H. M. (2016). Marketing self-efficacy and firm creation.Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development,23(1), 90-104. Armstrong, G., Adam, S., Denize, S., Kotler, P. (2014).Principles of marketing. Pearson Australia. Baker, M. J. (2014).Marketing strategy and management. Palgrave Macmillan. Copley, P. (2014).Marketing communications management: analysis, planning, implementation. Sage. Germann, F., Lilien, G. L., Rangaswamy, A. (2013). Performance implications of deploying marketing analytics.International Journal of Research in Marketing,30(2), 114-128. Giacalone, R. A., Rosenfeld, P. (Eds.). (2013).Impression management in the organization. Psychology Press. Hollensen, S. (2015).Marketing management: A relationship approach. Pearson Education. Huang, R., Sarigll, E. (2014). How brand awareness relates to market outcome, brand equity, and the marketing mix. InFashion Branding and Consumer Behaviors(pp. 113-132). Springer New York. Kladou, S., Kehagias, J. (2014). Assessing destination brand equity: An integrated approach.Journal of Destination Marketing Management,3(1), 2-10. Luke, R. (2014).Creative Marketing: A New Management Philosophy. Balboa Press. Mone, S. D., Pop, M. D., Racolta-Paina, N. D. (2013). The" what" and" how" of marketing performance management.Management Marketing,8(1), 129. Sheth, J. N., Sisodia, R. S. (2015).Does marketing need reform?: Fresh perspectives on the future. Routledge. Smh.com.au (2017), Australian technology sector outpacing US UK, Retrieved 30th August 2017 from https://www.smh.com.au/it-pro/business-it/australias-technology-sector-outpacing-us-uk-report-20140731-zyzs1.html Telstra.com.au (2017), About Us, Retrieved 30th August 2017 from https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/our-company Weforum.org (2017), Things to know about hina and Australia eonomi ties, Retrieved 30th August 2017 from https://www. weforum.org /agenda/2016/04/5-things-to-know-about-china-and-australia-s-economic-ties/ Wirtz, J., Lovelock, C. (2016). Service Marketing Communications. InSERVICES MARKETING: People Technology Strategy(pp. 236-287).

Saint Peter Claver Essays - Peter Claver, Claver, Society Of Jesus

Saint Peter Claver Angel Mendoza Saint Peter Claver St. Peter Claver was born at Verdu, Catalonia, Spain, in 1580. He descended from a very distinguished family . When he became a young man he entered the society of Jesus . He studied at a Jesuit college in Barcelona . Then he went to Majorca to study philosophy . While he was studying philosophy, he was very much influenced by St. Alphonsus Rodriguez to go to the Indies and save the millions of slaves . In 1610 , he landed at Cartagena ( that's where thousands of slaves landed every month ). That's where he dedicated himself to the service of the Negro slaves . There he labored them by feeding them, nursing them , teaching about Christ , baptizing thousands of slaves . At night he would spend time praying for them . In 1654 , at the age of seventy one he was very ill that he died in his cell , which he was kept there for four years very ill . I choose Peter Claver as my Confirmation Saint b/c He's a great model , he shows us not to be selfish . He was a very giving man , he helped other people , he helped the slaves in so many ways , He's just an inspiration he was a very Godly man . I Also like St. Michael b/c He's a great Saint , he's an Ark Angel and he defeats Satan and listens to God. Religion Essays

The Missing Peace essays

The Missing Peace essays The original Americans which were the Native Americans like all human communities, were people of both peace and war. These text however shows the battles of the Native Americans the victories as well as their defeats and their sufferings. There is a missing piece to the Native American story, the challenge is to recover it. Each of the five hundred Native American tribes or nations had its own distinctive peace tradition. The invasion by the whites challenged and subverted the tradition of the peace heritage. The authors felt that American history has been based too much on violence and not enough on the peace efforts. Has carnage and inhumanity been the only focus on American history? For the majority, yes. It has a great deal to do with the way history is taught in the classroom. Text books consistently speak of great turning points in American history which generally are results of war, taking of land, and most importantly the killing of man. There has always been little focu s on the peace aspect of history. The purpose of this text is to begin the process of altering U.S. history from the tyranny of our violent imaginations. These thoughts and imaginations built from stories of liberty and freedom accomplished through violence and war. Constructing our understanding of who we are, and our meaning and purpose as a country and the reasons for evaluating past events and the options we feel are available. The authors of this book James C. Junnke and Carol M. Hunter, challenge the myth of redemptive violence in American history. Their challenge consists of three main goals. The first is to demonstrate that violence in the United States has done more harm than good, has often encouraged rather than discouraged violence. The second goal is to offer a different viewpoint of history. To look at history with mutuality and interdependence rather than with self-willed triumph. The last goal of the of the three deals with providing hope ...

Anthropology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 7

Anthropology - Essay Example Some of the mutations are silent and do not bring chances in the exonic sequence of the DNA, hence they remain silent. In certain cases these silent mutations may be expressed in the next generation or are lost with the individual. Thus, mutation or modifications of genomic sequences affects the expression of the genes in a given population. Equilibrium is observed for every inheritable modification and is studied with the help of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. H-W equilibrium provides the basis to analyze the alleles of the gene(s). If no modification occurred, the static allele frequency, crossways generations, remain static. For instance, in the present case, characteristic of the earlobe, either attached or unattached could be studied as the simple case of single locus. The alleles are present on the single locus in two different forms namely; the dominant allele is denoted by E and the recessive by e with frequencies denoted by p and q respectively. Frequency of E freq (E) = p and frequency of e, freq(e)= q. In a given population, under ideal conditions p + q =1 The heterozygotes according to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, freq (Aa) = 2pq. According to Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, p2 + 2pq + q2 = 1 (p is the dominant allele and q is the recessive allele). Punnett square for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium explains the genetics of transmission of traits in a population. The equation explains the prevailing frequency of allelic forms of earlobe, attached or unattached and hence the equation is highly

The dissapointment by behn's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The dissapointment by behn's - Essay Example The writer had approached the 17th century contemporary literary as well as socio-political aspects that were predominant in the restoration world of art and literature. Behn’s treatment of the 17th century discourse of sexuality and morality In the poem Behn took up the topic of the battle of the sexes that was one of the most prevalent topics in restoration literature. Her poem began with the typical act of the male pursuing the female in the game of love. She apparently glorified masculine strength over feminine coyness as the power that initiated the act of love. By describing Lysander as one who made sexual advances to a lady because he was â€Å"By an impatient passion swayed† (I.1), Behn not only pointed out the vain male ego but the crudity of the situation. As a contrast to Lysander’s rakish character Behn created Cloris as the conventional figure of ‘virgin innocence’ who was apparently trying to ward off his charms. But her resistance to L ysander’s approaches as she â€Å"Permits his force, yet gently strove† (II.14) indicated Cloris’ indulgence.

Non invasive Ventilation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Non invasive Ventilation - Essay Example Soo Hoo (2010) explains that NIV has now become an essential tool in managing chronic and acute respiratory failure, in critical care unit and in the home setting. One reason as to why the use non-invasive ventilation has been on the increase is the desire to prevent invasive ventilation’s complications. Although highly reliable and effective in sustaining alveolar ventilation, the complications risks of endotracheal intubation/invasive mechanical ventilation are renowned. The advantages of non-invasive ventilation include the fact that it permits patients to expectorate secretions, to verbalize, to drink and to eat; it leaves the upper airway unharmed; and safeguards airway defense mechanisms. NPPV decreases infectious mechanical ventilation’s complications and compared to endotracheal intubation, it may enhance portability, convenience, and comfort at a cost no greater or even lower. In addition, it may be possible to administer NIV outside of the setting of intensive care, thereby permitting caregivers to make use of acute-care beds more rationally. NPPV also makes chronic respiratory failure patients’ care in the home much simpler (Mehta and Hill, 2001). Others include improved patient comfort, early ventilatory support, reduced sedation requirements, patient can cooperate with physiotherapy, among others.

The Effective Help To Families And Children Social Work Essay

The Effective Help To Families And Children Social Work Essay I was requested to complete a Pre-Birth Assessment with regards to Case BB. The referral was made by the Community Midwife to the Children and Families Area Team where I was on my placement. The Community Midwifes concerns were BBs age, she already had a child who was under one year, her partner was in prison and the Midwife was further concerned about BBs lack of engagement with the health services particularly ante-natal services. The Midwife was also concerned with BBs emotional state of mind. To consolidate what little information was on the referral I contacted BBs current Health Visitor whereby I was subject to a litany of BBs misdemeanours regarding her care of CA. Although the Health Visitor regarded BBs care of CA as poor I noted that there had been no social work input requested from the Health Visitor and that the Health Visitor had quite a forceful personality. However, I took on board the information the Health Visitor provided with an objective mind. BB is 19 years old and lives in a local authority house in a rural village with few local amenities. The village is not well served with public transport which makes it difficult for BB to access the main town. BBs sole income is benefit based. BB now has two children, CA who is 15 months old and LA who is 3 months old. BBs partner, BA (who is 22 years of age) is at present in prison, serving a sentence for Assault to Serious Injury. BA is not expected to return to the family home until October 2010. BA is the natural father to both CA and LA. My role was to complete a Pre-Birth Assessment with regards to convening a Pre-Birth Conference if necessary. This is in line with the local authoritys High Risk Pregnancy Protocol. My role was also to support and work in partnership with BB and her family in the longer term. The context of my practice was that of a statutory role with statutory responsibilities. Therefore, I had to consider how to support the family by assessing BBs strengths and pressures as well as promote the welfare of BBs child and unborn child and in the wider sense to keep the family together. According to Hothersall (2008) these are principles inherent within the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 which themselves derive from broader principles surrounding the rights of the children and the importance of positive development as the basis for a meaningful life. Further to this Healy (2005) points out that within the practice context it is the legal aspect which has precedence over other aspects of practice. This incorporates the fulfilment of legal duties and responsibilities. The Children (Scotland) Act 1995, as mentioned previously, is the underpinning legislation within Children and Families. This legislation with regards to parental responsibilities was I felt, pertinent to this case. For example, the responsibilities of a parent to a child under 16 are set out in Section 1 of this Act. They are to safeguard and promote the health, development and welfare of the child and to provide appropriate direction to the child according to age. These parental responsibilities were important to consider when completing the Pre-Birth Assessment in response to both BB and her partner BAs capacity to parent. The Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC) (Scottish Executive, 2005) policy was also crucial in my assessment. GIRFEC provides a practice model which promotes holistic assessment and planning for children, centred upon indicators of well-being and as a policy is about intervention as early as possible and provision of the right help at the right time. Within GIRFEC is the My World assessment model which I used to help me complete the Pre-Birth Assessment particularly in relation to BBs parenting skills with CA. I also utilised Getting Our Priorities Right (GOPR) A Guide for Workers in Best Practice (Local Authority Child Protection Web Pages). Underpinning this assessment was Protecting Children and Young People Framework for Standards (Scottish Executive, 2004). Within the context of completing the assessment I was aware of the statutory legal responsibility involved and the requirement to work within the framework of current legislation and policy. During supervision discussion was centred around the issue of care and control from the perspective of my practice based on statutory responsibility. According to Thompson (2005) to ignore control is to run the risk of being ineffective, while to ignore care can lead to potentially abusive and oppressive practice. Further to this Banks (2006) points out that the reasons for many ethical dilemmas and problems stem from the social work role as a public service profession dealing with vulnerable service users who need to be able to trust the worker and be protected from exploitation; and also from its position as part of state welfare provision based on contradictory aims and values (care and controlprotection of individual rights and promotion of public welfare) that cause tensions, dilemmas and conflicts. (Banks, 2006, p.25) As Banks also points out, in practice it is the rules of the agency that define who is to be regarded as a service user and provide the context in which the social worker operates. This, for me reflects that need to recognize the significance of discrimination and oppression in service users lives and for my practice to be ethically sound and develop a participatory approach to my practice. Considering these points helped me formulate how I was going to engage with BB. I had an understanding of my statutory responsibilities from a legal and policy perspective and I had an understanding of my personal and professional values in terms of the tensions caused by care and control. Therefore, I needed to build a working relationship with BB which would allow me to build a theoretical understanding of the interrelationship between the individual and society. (Watson West, 2006, p.13) This would help me complete a meaningful and insightful assessment of BBs current difficulties with appropriate interventions. To complete the assessment, I took into consideration Germain and Gittermans The Life Model of Social Work Practice (1996). Payne (2005) describes this model as a formulation of the ecological systems theory which is based on the relationship between people and their environment. The aim of social work is to increase the fit between people and their environment by alleviating life stressors and increasing peoples personal and social resources to enable them to use more and better coping strategies. Payne further points out that practice must be carried out through a partnership between worker and service user that reduces power differences between them. The environment and the demands of the life course should be a constant factor in making decisions. By utilising Germain Gittermans life model of practice (1996) I was able to create an accepting and supportive environment by describing my role clearly to BB and encouraging BB to give her thoughts about the referral. This elicited background information about her relationship with BA and support networks she had within her own extended family and with BAs extended family. We discussed the birth of her second child particularly in respect of how BB felt she could cope with CA as well as with the new baby. BB identified this as a worry for her as she was concerned that she would not be able to manage. To make sense of this information Payne (2005) describes resources that people have in order to cope. These are self-efficacy, self-esteem and self-concept. BB had none of these emotional resources available to her at this time. Coupled with this she had no self-direction in the sense she did not feel she had any control over her life. To allow me to elicit further information regarding BBs parenting skills I observed her care of CA. The My World model which draws on upon the work of Bronfenbrenner (1979) and encourages practioners to take an ecological approach to the assessment process helped me in this respect. By looking at the three domains of growth and development, what is needed from the people who look after me and my wider world I was able to elicit the positives in the situation and the areas of pressure in relation to the safety, well-being and development of the child. Further to this, attachment theory, which according to Schofield (2002) is primarily a theory for understanding (Schofield, 2002, p.29) was also useful in that although directly seeking to improve the quality of interaction between children and caregivers, the childs sense of security, self-esteem and self-efficacy may also be increased by intervening in the systems around the family, for example providing social support to the mother or funding a place for the child in an activity group. A visit with BA was also organised, who although in prison presented as a significant risk factor due to alcohol consumption and increasing levels of violence, albeit the incidents were not in or near the family home and did not involve BB nor his child. BA was at first uncommunicative which was understandable due to the setting and nature of the visit. Trevithick (2007) suggests that asking a range of different questions is central to interviewing however, before asking a question we must be interested in the answer. (Trevithick, 2007, p. 159) By careful use of open and closed questions I was able to draw out BAs views on the assessment and gain some sense of a working relationship with him. However, what really opened the conversation was when I commented on how CA looked very like him. BA then started to talk about CA and how he was looking forward to the birth of his next baby. During the course of the visit I was able to understand how BA supports BB by allowing her the freedom to take care of CA while he did the cooking and looked after the house. BA went on to explain that his relationship with BB was sound but that he was aware he had let her down badly particularly as she was pregnant with his second child. BA was aware that he had missed a lot of CA growing up and he did not want this to happen with his second child. BA was also open about the circumstances leading to his arrest and he admitted that it was due to a feud between two different villages that had been going on since school. BA confirmed that the whole thing was stupid and that he now realised he needed to grow up. Taking into account the information gained and observations made during my visits with BB, CA and BA I was able to start to make sense of their environment, their strengths and pressures and the roles each of them had within the home and their community. Intervention at the initial stages of the process was I believe successful with regard to forming a working partnership with BB and to an extent with BA. Further visits with BB drew further information regarding informal support networks which in the main was her mother. BBs mother was a source of practical support and advice and they were in contact daily. BB described her mother as her ear. Permission was sought from BB to meet with her mother. BBs mother was keen for her daughter to gain support from social services as she realised how difficult her daughter was finding things at this time. To complete the assessment and take into account risk factors and strengths I had to analyse and reflect on the information I had gained. According to Helm (2009) this information needs to be analysed before an understanding is developed which allows a judgement to be formed which can lead to an appropriate decision or action. Calder (2002) further offers a framework for conducting risk assessment by assessing all areas of identified risk and ensuring that each is considered separately e.g. child, parent, and surrounding environment each worrying behaviour should be assessed individually as each is likely to involve different risk factors. To counteract the risk factors present family strengths and resources should also be assessed, for example good bonding, supportive networks. After a thorough analysis and supervisory discussions I recommended that a Post-Birth Multi-Agency Conference not be convened. However, I recommended that a further assessment take place when BA returns to the family home and a Post-Birth Multi-Agency meeting to discuss future interventions be arranged as I was aware that the birth of the new baby could be a future pressure on BB. In line with anti-oppressive practice and partnership working, I discussed both the assessment and recommendations with BB and by letter with BA. Both were given the opportunity to put their views across and both were happy to continue to work voluntarily with the department for the present. The reasons behind my recommendations were that BB although socially isolated had a strong supportive network with her extended family and BAs extended family. Further to this BB has a close and supportive relationship with her mother whom she sees every day. According to Hill et al (2007) a vast array of research shows that parents in poverty, or facing other stresses, usually cope better when they have one or more close relationships outside the household and these are activated to give practical, emotional or informational support. Most often this is informal but, for isolated parents access to family centres or professionals including health professionals can make a great difference to both the parents and the social and emotional health of children. (Barlow Underdown, 2005) With regards to CA, BB had a good bond with her daughter and was quick to attend to her needs. BB also had a routine in place for CA regarding mealtimes and naps this also included a bedtime routine. CA was reaching her developmental milestones (Source: Sheridans Charts). CA had age appropriate toys and had the freedom of the living area. BB had erected a baby gate to stop CA from gaining access to the kitchen and the stairs. However, since CA started walking, BB has to continually keep an eye on CA due to the open fire and hearth in the living area which is proving stressful for BB. Immediate interventions included obtaining Section 22 funding to purchase a safety fireguard and information was obtained regarding BB making applications for Sure Start and Healthy Eating Grants. These applications were successfully made by BB and allowed her to purchase essential items for the new baby. BB had highlighted this as a worry for her as she was struggling financially. Working in collaboration with the Community Midwife arrangements were made for BB to make the trip to the clinic on alternate weeks when her benefits were received. The Community Midwife visited her at home the other weeks. I believe I managed to build a positive working relationship with BB. According to Wilson et al (2008) relation-based practice is the emphasis it places on the professional relationship with the service user. The social worker and service user relationship is recognised to be an important source of information for the worker to understand how best to help. In order to make informed decisions and critically evaluate practice, reflection and analysis of information should embrace all sources of knowledge which have to be drawn upon. Further to this, a potentially more informative, relationship-based and reflective response would be to articulate the service users feelings by which the service user can acknowledge their own responses to the situation. As Fook (2002) points out: Reflective practioners are those who can situate themselves in the context of the situation and can factor this understanding into the ways in which they practice (Fook, 2002, p.40) Banks (2006) also indicates that part of the process of becoming a reflective practioner also involves being aware of ones own position of power and how dominant discourses construct the knowledge and values we use to describe and work with situations and practice. This has been discussed in supervision with regards to BBs Pre-Birth assessment and to visiting BA in prison. It is difficult to evaluate whether aspects of my work were effective or not. However, in supervision we discussed how keen BB was to gain support and seemed to appreciate the partnership approach. This was discussed in relation to Hill et als (2007) research and Barlow and Underdown (2005). Small aspects of my intervention, such as the provision of the safety fireguard were described by BB as a godsend and she was proud to show me the baby items she had purchased on receipt of the grants. Discussion in supervision also centred round the next stage of intervention which was after the baby was born. I discussed with BB the opportunity for CA to attend a local authority nursery one day per week. This would help CAs social and emotional development and at the same time allow BB to spend time with LA. This referral was successful as was gaining the services of a volunteer driver to transport CA. However, CA has only just started at the nursery and therefore difficult to gauge if this referral has been effective. Reflecting on my work overall, I should probably have explored more with BB her social isolation and worked on strategies to get her more involved in the community. Further to this resources in this village are non-existent and the parenting groups which were suitable were not available locally. BB was interested but location of the Family Centre and lack of public transport negated this. I enquired with regards to Outreach Work but this was not available. Discussion with other colleagues in the team reflected the same theme regarding facilities for the outlying villages. Further discussion in supervision raised for me the difficulty of maintaining empowering and anti-oppressive practice within this context as assessment should be needs led not resource led. 2,979 words

The Swing Behind My House :: Descriptive Essay About A Place

The Swing Behind My House Out behind my house, there is a row of fruit trees. At the end of the row, there is a small open building with a swing inside. Sitting in that swing, I can see off the top of the ridge on which my family lives. When I sit there, looking down past the rows of trees and far into the distance, I realize that the place is mine. It is important to me because it is associated with so many memories, it gives me a place to be alone, and it gives me a chance to be outside in nature. I have grown up living in the same house my whole life, and that swing has been there for as long as I can remember. I have so many memories of that place. Some of my best memories have been very recent. Before we were dating, my girlfriend and I would sit out there for long periods of time just talking. Now that place is full of memories of Karen. Even now it is comforting to sit there because it reminds me of those times. However, memories of my girlfriend are not the only memories that place holds. Growing up, I have spent time there with both friends and family. I even have memories of sitting there alone, contemplating my life's events. In fact, being alone is one of the reasons I go there so much. Having time alone is very important to me. It gives me a chance to think clearly without being interrupted. It seems as if there are now fewer and fewer places where that is possible. No one can bother me there. No one can yell at me, argue with me, or annoy me at all. I guess this place helps to keep me from going crazy. I think everyone needs some time alone. I know I do. Another wonderful quality about my spot on that swing is the fact that it is outside. It is out in the fresh air and natural light and away from technology. I never bring a cell phone or laptop there. I feel as if technology would somehow corrupt the natural beauty of the spot. I do not need to worry about telephones, cell phones, or e-mails in that spot. The beauty of nature is enough for me. It helps me to clear my mind and gives me time to reflect on what is really important in my life.

A theatre review of Les Miserables Essay

We went to see a performance of Les Miserables on Thursday 19th October 2000, which was directed by Trevor Nunn and John Caid and written by Victor Hugo and was staged at the Palace Theatre. Brief The performance is set in France after the French revolution, a woman had given birth to a young girl out of wedlock which was unacceptable at the time. She sends her daughter to live with a married couple with a daughter of similar age. The mother sends every last bit of money she gets to the family looking after her daughter to pay for her upbringing. At one point she gets so desperate for money that she turns to prostitution and sells her teeth and hair for money. Whilst all the above is happening a very strong and young man is in prison for stealing a loaf of bread for his starving sister. He broke his bail because he was fed up of being just a number and starts a new life under his original name Jean Valjean. He stayed in a church over night and the bishop gave him a meal and a place to sleep, in the night Jean Valjean stole a pair of silver candle sticks and run off with them. The police brought him back and confronted the bishop, but to everyone’s surprise the bishop said that he gave the silver to Valjean. After the police left the bishop told Valjean to keep the sticks and use them to start a new life. A young dying woman tells him about her daughter and where she is staying. He makes a pledge to find her daughter and bring her up as his own. He goes and finds her and pays the family she is staying with so he can take her away. Jean Valjean becomes a mayor of a town even though he is still on the run from the police. One policeman catches on and realises that he is an exconvict that has broken his bail and tries to find a way to take him back to prison. The students of the village he is in charge of starts a rebellion and builds barricades to protest against the French army. Jean Valjean’s daughter falls in love with a man that goes into the barricades. Jean Valjean also goes into the barricades, cossets (the girl that he has raised) boyfriend gets shot. Jean Valjean carries him out of the barricades and through the sewers, he saves his life. The main issues of the performance where poverty, rebellion, death and love because the play was set in times of great poverty, the town goes into the barricades and makes a stand for what they believe in. The whole plot starts when Cossets mother dies and Jean Valjean pledges to look after his daughter and love her like his own. The performance is set in France in the early 1830’s, the French government at the time didn’t rally care about the lower class citizens and didn’t put a lot of money into the community, this is when people started to make a stand for their rights. The director tried and succeeded to produce a very dark and unhappy time of life. Most of the poorer people where all dressed in dark and dingy colours which was a lot like the backgrounds and the lighting which in times where shades of browns and dirty yellows. The songs also where a very good example of the mood and atmosphere because most of them where to a steady beat which shows that there life was always the same and never changed they kept to the beat. I had very high expectations of this play as I had heard a lot of good points about this performance. It is not just a run of the mill play, it was a historic master piece that has been a hit in many different countries, such as England, America and France. My initial response was that I was very excited as soon as the safety curtain rose up from the floor of the stage. The first thing I saw was a group of criminals in a chain gang who where singing the song â€Å"look down† which in my opinion is probably the most powerful songs in the whole performance. Main Body of The Review The Performance Space Les Miserables was staged in a Proscenium Arch with a rotating plate in the centre of it that is essential because of several scenes that definitely revolved around the rotating plate. I think that the director chose to use this technique because it gave the audience quite a wide view of what was going on around them. Even though the staging was done very well I didn’t feel very involved except for the marching scene when it felt like the actors where marching right towards us. I think the director wanted to stage the production in this way to make the audience feel involved. The Set The set was fairly large with a rotating plate in the middle, the plate was very symbolic in this performance because it symbolised the lives of the characters because they seemed to be going round in circles. The set also had moving barricades, which were very realistic for the barricade scenes. There is only one set in the whole performance but there are a number of props that come on and off of the stage to set the scene. The barricades are made up of mainly woods such as beds and chairs which shows that the citizens didn’t really have anything but they would put all there household goods up for use if it was going to get them even the slightest bit of respect. The space that was available for the actors was used very well because the performance overall was spread out and wasn’t just crammed into one corner. In my opinion the best use of space and levels was in the scene when Javert jumped off the bridge he didn’t actually move but the bridge rose very quickly giving the impression of him jumping, this scene would only work if the timing was exactly right. The marching scene also relied a great deal on levels because the people would step forward and lean down at the same time which created the illusion of the actors moving forward even though they where just moving backwards and forwards. The Actor And His/Her Performance Jean Valjean Hans Peter Jonssens played Jean Valjean. Jean Valjean was imprisoned for stealing a loaf of bread for his poor and dying sister, he was sent to work in the chain gangs he was no longer a person but just a number which was 24601. He broke his bail when he was released from the chain gangs and started a new life. He is physically an exceptionally strong man and a lot of people comment on it. He speaks very firmly to adult men especially Javert and stands upright to show his strength and authority, but when he speaks to women and children he speaks very softly and seems to lean over as if they are equal in authority, he seems to be a true gentleman. Jean Valjean seemed to be a very proud man we can tell this by his body language because he stands upright at all times other than when he speaks to children. I liked the character Jean Valjean which in my opinion meant that it was a successful character. Javert Peter Corry played Javert. He was the good guy but the way he portrayed the character made us hate him. He is a police officer and was in charge of the chain gang that Jean Valjean was in. he remembered him because he was so strong. Javert comes across as a very straight man that will always speak his mind and if he didn’t like you then he would make it quite clear. He is a gentleman and is very religious, he does every thing by the book and treats everybody the same. Javert didn’t really give anything away with his facial expressions, as it was always the same. His posture and body language shows us that he is proud of his authority and is pleased that he is enforcing the law.

Narcissistic Leaders Essay

Big business today can be largely attributed to CEOs and leaders that are narcissistic. These leaders tend to be the center of attention more so now days then they used to be which is something a narcissistic person enjoys. Narcissists have been in business for a long time and have made great strides. People such as Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford were narcissists that were very successful business men. Narcissism may have been a good trait to achieve a high status in business but it can also make the person dangerous or not very likable. Heinz Kohut and Freud looked deeper into the theory and found that it could be treated by properly trained clinicians. Jack Welch and George Soros are prime examples of people who are what is called a productive narcissist; they strive to make a difference in the world and make a name for themselves. But narcissism can be bad enough that you believe that things are out to stand in your way of achievement and therefore you trust no one. Narcissists can sometimes become overly ambitious and shoot to high which can cause them to end up losing everything. Gyllenhammar is a prime example, he chose to not listen to anyone and found himself in court being forced to resign. Freud narrowed the main personality types down to erotic, obsessive, and narcissistic. Those with an erotic personality need to be loved by others that is the most important element of life to them. These types of people tend to be teachers, nurses or social workers. At their best, they help better the young and are a big help when working. They have a positive effect on those around them in the workplace. Freud referred to them as outer directed people. Freud referred to obsessives as inner directed. They are very in tune with what is going on and look to themselves to resolve conflicts. They are obsessed with improvement when working because by nature they value moral improvement over everything else. They tend to go into a field of work that spurs their interest but they don’t have what it takes to go from slightly above average to amazing. At their best they shoot high, and do what is necessary for the business to succeed. When productive they work well with others but when unproductive they usually don’t succeed. Narcissists are very self-indulged and don’t care much for others. When it comes to business they know their field inside and out and go above and beyond. Narcissists are extremely hungry for knowledge about their business. They desire to be admired by others but not necessarily loved. Maccoby (2000) states that unlike obsessives, they are not troubled by a punishing superego, so they are able to be very aggressive in pursuit of their goals. Maccoby (2000) goes on to say of all the personality types, narcissists run the greatest risk of isolating themselves at the moment of success. And because of their independence and aggressiveness, they are constantly looking out for enemies, sometimes degenerating into paranoia when they are under extreme stress. Obsessives as leaders tend to try and expand on a safe level that is practical and likely to benefit the company. Narcissists want more, they go all out and take big risks that if they work as planned will greatly benefit the business; but it is not as likely to work. Narcissists may hide it well but they feed of f of praise and recognition of followers. Without that admiration narcissists become overwhelmed, but too much admiration can cause them to feel too superior this can lead to dangerous acts that may be detrimental to the business. Narcissists can’t handle criticism; they remain out of tune with their emotions as much as possible. Due to the fact that narcissists can’t deal with being criticized they tend to completely ignore negative comments toward them. Narcissists also have no compassion what so ever. They can perform acts that may anger or sadden someone without any remorse. They are so independent that they don’t like to mentor anyone or be mentored. Competition is a narcissist’s forte; they get so into it that they would do almost anything to be the best. A trust-worthy sidekick has to be someone they can relate to and keeps him down to earth. They believe that everyone around them should think the same thing that they do even if it involves brainwashing. They are control-freaks, and want to know everything that’s going on at all times. These productive narcissists make good leaders by nature but the rest of them sometimes can’t see their limitations and will end up in trouble. Maccoby (2000) sums this altogether with for companies whose narcissistic leaders recognize their limitations, these will be the best of times. For others, these could turn out to be the worst.

Multicultural Awareness Paper Essays - Psychotherapy, Free Essays

Multicultural Awareness Paper Essays - Psychotherapy, Free Essays Multicultural Awareness Paper Joan Lesley, Will Darden, Susan Scott, Sarah Pherigo, Laura Rubio BSHS/335 March 30, 2015 Stephanie Chupein Multicultural Awareness Paper As a therapist becomes aware of clients values and beliefs, they have to consider their sets of values and beliefs as well. Good ethical practice begins when a therapist can respect the way others view life, although it differs from the others view. The therapist has to accept the variation of culturally learned assumptions in order to establish an effective therapeutic relationship. If a therapist chooses to practice good ethics, they must become aware of the personal issues of clients in diverse cultures if they want to be effective in their work. Therapists have to learn as much about diversity of cultures so they can build a relationship where the client feels comfortable enough. The client may want to open up and begin working on deep rooted issues which some of those issues may have come from the beliefs, values and system of their culture. References: Schneider, C., Callanan, P., & Corey, G. (2011). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions (8th ed.). Retrieved from 9780495812418.

Self-Motivation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self-Motivation - Essay Example Muhammad. In addition, the need to attain attention from other people also made him work harder. Lastly his envy towards other people who were able to communicate efficiently e.g. Bimbi made him yearn to reach that level. This made him look for different sources that could help him become fluent both in writing and communicating (Munisamy, 2005, p. 43). In reaction to his desires, he decided to use a dictionary in order to study the meaning of different words. This was together with tablets and pencils to write down words that he learnt. As a result, his writing speed improved and he started understanding some few words an aspect that motivated him more. Learning to use dictionary also broadened his knowledge as he came to realize that different people that belong to various races exist. This was in addition to different places of the world. Also, he was able to read books and understand the meaning of the sentences unlike previously when he could not comprehend anything. This experience improved his urge to learn more therefore, reducing his free time that he previously used in planning criminal activity that led him to prison. Instead, he used this time reading books. The experience of this person is a good lesson that what once desires can be achieved if the person devotes his effort towards achieving it. In addition, one should not be frustrated when he is unable to achieve it easily. Instead, he/she should use the frustrations as an encouragement to work harder as the results are fruitful. In addition, one should relate with the right people who can help either with material or psychological help as people with a negative attitude can reduce the motivation level. Having hailed from Uzbekistan I had a rough time communicating with my friends in United States who were fluent in English. Some of them jeered at me while other encouraged me to learn English. At first, it was hard for me to understand

Projections of Body Shop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Projections of Body Shop - Essay Example Income Statement 2002(GBP) 2002(% sales) 2003(GBP) 2003(% sales) 2004(GBP) 2004(% Sales) Turnover 413.1 100 428.5 100 442.6 100 Cost of Sales 158.3 39 168.1 39.2 182.3 39.2 Gross Profit 254.8 61 260.4 60.3 260.3 58.8 Operating Expenses excluding exceptional costs 209.3 45.4 228.1 46.1 239.7 42.3 exceptional costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 restructuring costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 Net interest expense 0.9 0 1.8 1.5 2.3 1.9 Profit Before Tax 4.1 5.3 16.44 4.1 15.5 2.9 Tax Expense 10 4.2 7.8 5.7 2.1 0.88 Profit(loss) after tax 2.1 3.8 13.2 7.1 6.1 3.7 Ordinary dividends 14 5 18 4.1 11 4.1 Profit ( loss retained) 19 4.7 8.1 7.4 3.2 4.1 Income Statement 2005(GBP) 2005(% sales) 2006(GBP) 2006(% sales) Turnover 479.2 100 502.8 100 Cost of Sales 208.1 43 238.6 47.45 Gross Profit 271.1 57 264.2 52.65 Operating Expenses excluding exceptional costs 242.1 47.1 267.2 50.3 exceptional costs 0 0 0 0 restructuring costs 0 0 0 0 Net interest expense 1.1 0 0 1.8 Profit Before Tax 2.9 3.1 7.3 9.2 Tax Expense 2.7 3.1 19.1 10.7 Profit(loss) after tax 5.1 6.2 9.8 7.1 Ordinary dividends 7.3 6.8 9.9 5.1 Profit ( loss retained) 14.1 9.1 6.2 8.2 A brief analysis of the historical data reveals that Financially The Body Shop is on a sound footing financially and was so until the purchase by L'Oreal. There is a healthy growth in the Turnover averaging around 8%. The cost of sales rarely exceed 40% leaving a fairly healthy margin to work with. That margin is again reflected in the fact that the gross profit is consistently around the 60% mark. And except during a couple of years where there were exceptional costs and restructuring costs , there is a healthy profit before tax. Hence the decision to delist body Shop ( an automatic event on... Body Shop is in a unique position of not having to market itself in the conventional sense because of it’s strong customer base. It has a strong following   of loyal customers , because among others , it’s percieved social values. The political issues which it has attached itself include being 100% vegetarian and not use animal testing. Using Environmentally Friendly products and champion other social causes like AIDS. Even Anita Roddick , on her deathbed ( she died recently of Hepatitis C) was actively campaigning   A recent stockholder survey   revealed what the stock holders think.   Some of the responses were â€Å"The way that the Body Shop strives to produce open, honest and fair annual report and accounts and interim reports, and manages to send them out to shareholders reasonably promptly.† â€Å"Would not like the Body Shop to stop its social audit. In fact would like more info in audit.†Ã‚   â€Å"Asking for opinions, such as this.† â€Å"The format of the Annual Report.† â€Å"Keep the campaigning and values but improve the marketing. No more paperwork than at present.†Ã‚   â€Å"Thank you for not producing huge, glossy reports – a waste of paper and always a sign of desperation†In other words the group of people who are Body shop shareholders are from the same set of people who are it’s customers. It has a unique market which is very strong.The weaknesses which maybe exposed now , because of the the purchase of the Company by Loreal is that all key decisions and strategy were centered around Anita and Gordon Roddick.

Sentence Comprehension in Similar Syntactic Structure Term Paper

Sentence Comprehension in Similar Syntactic Structure - Term Paper Example The critical analysis of the two articles will also include a discussion of findings that are (in) compatible with each other, and other relevant comparisons between them. Furthermore, assessment of the extent to which the articles achieves what they claim, is also an important part of the present research paper. The paper also presents a proposal for a new experiment in the same area. The proposal will provide a summary of the assessment that can and cannot be concluded from the examined articles. This will help me propose a further experiment to enhance understanding in this area of psycholinguistics, resolve and address unresolved issues of the studies under review. The proposed experiment will include a hypothesis to be tested, a description of the methodology to be used, examples of the stimuli to be used, at least one complete item from each condition, and a description of the properties of the stimulus set as a whole and interpretation of possible results.   Critical Summari es and Comparisons In order to understand the broader aspect of the impact of similar syntactic structure on sentence comprehension in psycholinguistic research, two articles have been selected. The article by Branigan, Pickering, and McLean (2005) suggests that past language process influences the ways in which individuals interpret language. Similarly, Traxler (2008) investigates conditions in which individuals interpret the pairs of sentences that similar syntactic structure and its impact on their sentence comprehension. Branigan, Pickering, and McLean (2005) study the impact of past language processing on language production. The authors investigate whether syntactic repetition is another such feature that might influence attachment inclinations, that is, verb phrase or high attachment and noun phrase or low attachment. For this purpose, the authors conducted four experiments that investigated the resolution of prepositional phrase ambiguities in phrases in which participants l inked the expressions to pictures, that is, the influences of syntactic repetition were explored. The first procedure tested if prepositional-phrase attachment is influenced by past understanding of sentences that are assigned to high attachment or low attachment, employing prime and target utterances using the identical verb. The second experiment was similar to the first experiment, except that verbs were not repeated. The third experiment enquired whether prepositional-phrase attachment is influenced by past production of phrases consisting of prepositional phrase with a high or low attachment. The last experiment explored whether syntactic recurrence influences the time period in ambiguity resolution (Branigan, Pickering & McLean, 2005). The study presented four procedures that explored whether comprehension is affected by syntactic repetition. In all four experiments, participants were presented with internationally ambiguous phrases comprising of a prepositional phrase that co uld be read as altering the verb (high-attached) or altering the direct object (low-attached) (Branigan, Pickering & McLean, 2005). For the experiments, 24 set of items were created, each of which contained

A Synopsis of the Movie Fight Club Essay Example for Free

A Synopsis of the Movie Fight Club Essay The movie begins as Jack, the protagonist, is trapped in a state of insomnia by his job at calculating the cost of recalling a faulty car as opposed to paying court settlements to the relatives of the people killed by that car. He then recommends the one that seems less expensive. While he tries to argue with a doctor about how he can start sleeping, the doctor happens to make a sarcastic remark about how if he wants to see real pain he should go to a support group for men with testicular cancer. Jack takes this remark literally. It is there that he meets Bob, whom I shall describe shortly. Anywhere, he begins to find the support groups addictive, and attends more and more of them, and finds that they allow him to sleep. Soon after in the movie we find Jack meeting Tyler Durden on a plane trip, and when his apartment later explodes Jack meets Tyler Durden in a bar. Having agreed to let Jack stay at his house, Tyler asks Jack to punch him. He tells Jack this will make him feel that his life was indeed exciting, and Jack obliges. They begin to fight, and others begin to stand around, wanting to join as well. They gather together, protesting amongst themselves that society was trying to turn them into wimpy and uniform machines and preventing them from feeling like real people, constantly telling them that they need to buy all sorts of stuff that they only need because the advertisements said they did. Pretty soon there are weekly gatherings of these men, waiting for a chance to fight one another, and then they move into the basement of a local bar. More and more men begin to attend Fight Club with the express agreement that they would not mention it, and rumors begin to circulate of Clubs in other cities. Gradually Durden begins to make the Club more involved, giving out homework assignments such as to start a fight with a stranger and lose. Thus Jack finds himself watching as Durden institutes Project Mayhem, an outward attempt at changing society based on widespread attacks on coffee franchises and corporate artwork. Finally Durden plots to blow up ten major credit card companies, with the intent that to erase everyones debt would create chaos, and allow society to re- organize itself from that chaos. Many critics of the movie found it to portray antisocial behaviors as a valid way of expressing oneself. (Particularly if only the beginning and middle of this movie are looked at. ) They argue that its violence is there merely to draw an audience. This is supported by numerous instances of young men and boys vandalizing cars as was done in the movie or forming clubs of their own. Therefore many say that the movie succeeds in condoning what the ending condemns. They say that it promotes violence by making it seem so attractive in muck of the movie, regardless of the conclusion. With this argument in mind, we shall proceed with our analysis of the movie itself. One of the principal themes in Fight Club is its treatment of violence and its relationship with masculinity. The men in the film are portrayed as confronting a society which gives them little meaning and refuses to give them what they feel to be a birthright, a meaningful, productive place in society. Tyler Durden, the leader of Fight Club and the manifestation of the angry, alienated, and purposeless feeling, articulates this, Were the middle children of history, with no special purpose or place. We dont have a great war in our generation, or a great depression. The great depression is our lives. The great war is a spiritual war. We have been raised by television to believe that well be millionaires and movie gods and rock starsbut we wont And were learning that fact. And were very, very, pissed off. The men in this movie, having their traditional masculine role of breadwinner seemingly denied by feminism and left with meaningless corporate jobs compensate for this loss of masculinity and control by re-affirming their masculinity for themselves through the only masculine behavior they still can do: fighting. According to Jackson Katz: One way that the system allows working class men (of various races) the opportunity for what Brod refers to as masculine identity validation is through the use of their body as an instrument of power, dominance, and control. For working-class males, who have less access to more abstract forms of masculinity-validating power (economic power, workplace authority), the physical body and its potential for violence provide a concrete means of achieving and asserting manhood. Bob also fits this description of fighting as compensation for that sense of paralysis preventing men from being either a crucial part of society or being able to change it so that one can be. Through a combination of the treatment for testicular cancer and of increased estrogen as a result of his steroid use while a body-builder which Bob was left with unusually large breasts and left him with very little perception or himself as masculine or valuable to anyone. However, Bob later appears in the movie as a member of Fight Club, where he finds that once again he can act like a man and feel as if his masculinity is validated. Jack finds Durdens assertions that the men in their generation have no other way to express their individuality or to free themselves from materialism than to fight each other, and to use their fighting as a method of filling the void left by the removal of worthy roles for men in society. In the beginning of the film Jack is using mail-order catalogs, becoming so obsessed with buying whatever he sees advertised in them that his orders become an end to themselves. I would flip and wonder, What kind of dining room set defines me as a person? He became so obsessed with obtaining what he saw in the catalogs that he filled up his apartment with furniture and all sorts of other stuff he didnt need. This seems also to address the increasing assertion by advertisements that you can be defined and given a soul by acquiring products. Durden also spoke of this sort of cycle: Look at the guys in fight club. The strongest and smartest men who have ever lived and theyre pumping gas and waiting tables; or theyre slaves with white collars. Advertising has them chasing cars and clothes. A whole generation working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy shit they dont really need. He was alluding to the shackles that a culture based on acquisition has on its members, and inviting thes e members (namely men) to throw off the shackles and prove that they didnt need a better dining room set to define them. All they needed, he assured them, was to fight, and would show their humanity and masculinity through that. During another one of his outcries about the male relationship with society, Durden once came upon a designer clothing billboard featuring a muscular man in jeans and no shirt, and criticized it much like various critics of ads which use unrealistic shows of feminine beauty to sell products asked, Is this what a real man looks like? After smearing it with blood, he proclaims, Guys packing into the gyms, all trying to look like what Calvin Klein says. Fight club isnt about looking good. Susan Faludi, author of Stiffed: the Betrayal of the American Man calls this sort of ornamental masculinity a major factor in the Angry White Male mentality: The more I consider what men have losta useful role in public life, a way of earning a decent living, respectful treatment in the culturethe more it seems to me that men are falling into a status oddly similar to that of women at midcentury. The 50s housewife, stripped of her connections to a wider world and invited to fill the void with shopping and the ornamental display of her ultrafeminity, could be said to have morphed into the 90s man, stripped of his connections and invited to fill the void with consumption and a gym-bred display of his ultramasculinity. The empty compensations of a feminine mystique and transforming into the empty compensations of a masculine mystique. Douglas Rushkoff gives his account of the switch from a linear and continuous world to one that was non-linear and discontinuous. Before this switch, middle-class men were seen as valuable and benevolent authority figures who were a pillar of society and who always succeeded in bringing home food for the table because his work paid relatively well. The society felt that there was value also in acquiring as many new and technologically advanced possessions as possible, which allowed for the men to ensure that their wives would find it enjoyable to expend all of their energy at home, cooking and vacuuming and buying better things for cooking and vacuuming. In this way men were given the great majority of political power and respect. However, the awareness of the corruption in politicians lives from Watergate, the national confusion after a country was able to watch Kenn edy assassinated on TV, and possibly the most lasting of all, the first time that ordinary citizens were able to see combat in Vietnam on the nightly news, creating a much more suspicious outlook on the government and military, caused society to become discontinuous. The former male status symbol was gone along with continuity, replaced by gender equality which prevented men from using the feminine mystique to their advantage, making them less likely to have a dependent wife and family. They lacked that meaning which they had when they were providing for their offspring and mate, to put it in a biological concept, so their motivation to work was largely gone, with consumerism alone unable to fill the void. Their power having toppled, the male now tried to fill this void and prove that he indeed was still a man for society. Consumerism was unable to do that anymore, and so the male body itself, as Jackson Katz said, became the tool. This is shown by the film, in which Tyler Durden attempts to destroy the discontinuous society which tells him that he should not have this total control. This is shown by his completely anti-feminist outlook, particularly his meaningless sexual relationship with Marla Singer. Except for their humping, Tyler and Marla were never in the same room Jack relates. Tyler also describes a generation of unaggressive men raised by their mothers, that characterized his peers who grew up in a time of increased divorce rates and in turn grew up without fathers. The last thing we need is another woman. He gives reason to his masochistic fights and burns by saying that you could create pain for yourself, thereby hitting bottom. He describes it not as a painful and agonizing experience, but a turning point, where you are going to feel excellent after having your teeth knocked out no matter how bad your station in life is. And so Durdens scheme to create chaos which would then begin society anew, Rushkoff would say, actually was showing that he was trying to mold society around himself. Meanwhile Jack in the end renounces Tylers ideas of violent upheaval, instead deciding that he would accept society as discontinuous and use its discontinuity as part of his life. This film therefore shows the advantage in not letting what happens matter to you such as it would in a linear world. Edward Hermans perceptions of the film would be those of contradiction, largely centering around the fact that the movie is marketed and designed to make a profit, yet at the same time it criticizes the idea t hat you need to buy what society tells you to buy and that material goods are unnecessary to life. He might postulate that the companies had realized that a capitalistic message promoting conformity doesnt sell, and instead used and anti-capitalistic message of being skeptical of what society and everyone else tells you to make an even greater profit (much like Sprites paradoxical campaign which made fun of soft drink ads, then told people to buy Sprite). he would observe in short not that corporations indeed rejected themselves, but that they now make themselves even more effective by letting people pay to watch them pretend to do so. My own impressions of the movie are that along with its messages on corporations and their relationship with the identity crisis in American men is that it also offered a lot of information on the ultimate problem with taking violence as a way of demonstrating masculinity. This is especially apparent with Bob, who, managed to rediscover his manhood in Fight Club and in Project Mayhem, but was also killed while part of the latter. Following his death , he is spoken of by his comrades as if he had never been human. This is saying that to become part of violence unquestionably despite perceived acceptance and purpose is to swap one form of denial of yourself for another. Bibliography. Katz, Jackson/ authority on phenomenon of violence and its link to masculinity and cultural trends creating this phenomenon/ Advertising and the Construction of Violent White Masculinity This article discussed the use of violence by white men as a tool to regain power they feel to be lost to other groups. Discusses overuse of portrayals of violence and its symbols in advertising. Faludi, Susan/ author of Backlash and Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man, a contributing editor for Newsweek, The Betrayal of the American Man, At Ground Zero of the Masculinity Crisis, The Ornamental Culture, Beyond the Politics of Confrontation Newsweek, (09-13-99) Its Thelma and Louise for Guys, Newsweek (10-25-99) These articles discuss how men have reacted to the identity crisis from their loss of job status and expresses that much of it comes from a modern image of manhood impossible to attain and in the latter relates such phenomena to the film. Fletcher, Kim, Male Fantasies The Spectator (11-2 0-99) Much like Faludi in that it concludes that film is the result of male feelings of inadequacy in modern culture addressing the question of how to react. Rushkoff, Douglas/ author of Media Virus and Playing the Future among others content take from excerpts of Playing the Future This book describes the cultural evolution caused by the digital age and resulting in adopting non-linear thought and in chaos mathematics. Herman, Edward/ linguistics professor at MIT, comrade of Noam Chomsky The Propaganda Model Revisited from Capitalism and the Information Age This essay enlightens as to the role producers and reporters personal biases and more particularly of their desire for profit plays in how the media portrays certain events or whether they even mention certain events at all. Braun, Bill, Auto dealership vandal released after finishing bootcamp', World Staff Writer final home edition (date not given) This, among other articles, outlined or mentioned the violent and anti-social ef fects that the film seemed to have on the younger adults and adolescents, such as forming their own little fight clubs or vandalism. Uhls, Jim Fight Club screenplay available at http://geocities.com/scifiscripts/scripts/fight_- club_shoot.txt