Topshop Marketing Plan

Market OverviewTarget market: The Topshop Corporation focus on the customers of young people, who is between 15 and 30 years old, especially for young females who likes to pubbing, clubbing and have a sense of fun. For this moment, our consumer market niche is not the higher income level but the young people on budget. Customer profile:Our customer profile is young people driven by a need to be fashionable and trendy, they like all trend setting magazines. Our brand also appears to students, professionals, fashion taste makers and high profile A-List stars alike. Competitor profile:The main competitors includes H&M, Zara, French Connection and GAP. These companies are all retailer corporations, which has international business and online retail stores, and larger market shares in fashion retail market comparing with Topshop.Marketing ObjectivesGoals . The objectives can be divided into two parts. Firstly, the Topshop Corporation is focusing on the international business, the recent o bjective is built more than 100 stores all over the world in less than five years to raise the awareness of the brand. Secondly, in order to increase the sales, the Topshop corporation decides to expand their market targeting level, raising the brand position, promoting the cooperation with famous international fashion designer, the objective is to build a international fashion brand with different position of sales.Marketing StrategyYour strategy and marketing mix: [Use this section to summarize the overall strategy and marketing mix (The 8 P’s Product: The Topshop corporation will not change fashion clothing as its main product, but more accessories will be promoted to the market,Place and Timeï ¼Å¡ Price Promotion Process Physical Environment PeopleProductivity and Quality you will use to position yourself within the market to meet your customers’ needs. Whatever your strategy, you goal should be to differentiate yourself from your competitors to encourage customer s to choose your business first.]Action Steps Top 10 Action Steps: [Create a list of the Top 10 action steps that will bring your theoretical objectives (your marketing strategy and objectives) to life. E.g. Finish S.W.O.T. Activity Sheet, complete marketing budget] Background AnalysisThe background analysis should give a snapshot of where you are right now, where you have been and where you want to go. Undertaking this process will help you to define your business's capabilities and find opportunities within your particular market. Finally, defining your core business elements will ensure that your marketing plan and overall business strategy work together seamlessly.Business overview [The overview should cover the nuts and bolts of your business including:The name, structure and date of establishment Topshop is a British multinational retailer which specializes in fashion clothing, shoes, make-up and accessories. It was established in Sheffield, UK, in 1964. Details about the owne rs (their names, roles and levels of experience etc.) What your business is about (your business mission, vision and values) The key business objectives you would like to achieveAn outline of the main products and services sold A financial analysis of your business including sales and profitability A S.W.O.T. analysis of your business to set a line in the sand]SWOT analysisThe strength of the Topshop Corporation is that the owner of Topshop is the  Arcadia Group, which can provide favorable management and strong financial support for its subsidiary company. Moreover, the Topshop brand has take a large market share in the British mainland, the influence of the brand is deep among British people, and it has more than 300 stores nationwide and provides many different kinds of choices in product lines and design variety of products with thousands of looks per season creatively.The weakness of the Topman Corporation is their international market, the company is global, but it has store s only in a few countries worldwide, the market share is poor in US and China which are the two biggest markets in the world. A large number of staff and products make it difficult to manage and increase the management costs. And, big store space lead to weak customer services. On web shopping, there is no detail and size for accessorizes.The opportunity for the Topshop Corporation is the potential market in the oversea market. There are lots of young people in China and US, and they have great purchasing power, which is a good opportunity for Topshop to invest. And compared with other fashion retailers, it is not just targeting at young people, but also white-collared workers and a part of mid-aged persons who follow the latest fashion.The threats are from the competitors like Zara, H&M and French Collection. Like Topshop, they are all fashion clothing retailers, the competitors may have lower market shares in Britain than Topshop, but their sales are mostly from the overseas marke t, and their brands have been accepted by the local people. If Topshop want to expand the oversea market, it is necessary to show its unique features and improve quality and retain low price and good design, and face some limitations from government policies and to know about the cultural and demands of the local environment as soon as possibleObjectives: Vision and mission:The Topshop Corporation is an international fashion retailer, it has over 440 shops all over the world, more than 300 in Britain, which takes more than  50%. For the recent years, the British economy was not very good, so the sell in the mainland was below average. In the age of rapid globalization, technological innovation, population boom, and environmental change, the need of international marketing are pressing. From the topshop international segmentations, we can get the point that the international market has not been fully developed.US, the biggest economic entity in the world, only have four topshop sto res, and the second biggest economic entity, China, only have one. This market shares is not enough in these two countries. Take Zara as an example, we can know the importance to expand an oversea market. The Zara Corporation is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer, very similarly with Topshop, but Zara opened more than 150 stores in China, almost every big cities in china, and Zara corporation’s sales grew with an amazing speed, and became the leader in the fashion clothing industry.The first goal is named â€Å"explore the new world†, which means the Topshop Corporation is aimed at developing the oversea marketing, especially China and US. The plan for the company is to open 50 stores in China and 40 stores in US in the next five years.The second goal is named â€Å"the social network†, the point is aimed at e-commence. In China, E-commerce is becoming more and more popular nowadays, in the date of 11 NOV and 12 DEC every year, there will be a large dis count online, on those date the sales will be more than 35 billion RMBs, the number is really amazing. The topshop has already had their online stores, and also have international business online, but only takes small shares. Our plan for the company is to build a world level website in different countries, and develop overseas online market.StrategyThere are some steps to finish the strategy, firstly, the advisement.For the customers in China and US, they may not very familiar with the new brand, so a good promotion is very important for Topshop. In the advertisement, we should emphasis our brand is designed for local people, for example, in China, we should highlight that the fashion clothing are designed for the eastern people, and integrated with some local culture cooperate with some famous designers to promote the new product.To open the Chinese market, the first thing our brand needs is to publish Production Promotion Release Conference in the biggest cities in China like Bei jing or Shanghai, and open the first store in the central zone of these cities. In the summer of 2013, US famous fashion retailer brand Hollister open the first store in Salitun, Beijing, which is the popular commercial district in China, and release a fantastic fashion model performance, after that the sales of the store was growing very fast. This movement raised the awareness of the brand and gained more popularity among young people, the topshop may learn a lesson from it.

Customer LIfestyle and Behaviour

According to ‘DC, it is important for local companies in Malaysia to have a good understanding of the marketplace for their products and their target customers before engaging themselves in online retailing to ensure that they are able to develop more effective ND meet the requirements and expectations of their online shopping customers (Deadline Chug AFAIK Hard, All. Kuwaiti, and Husbanding bin Small, 2006) Demographic influences online consumer behavior Demographic based on variables like age, gender, income and occupation which can influence consumer behavior dramatically.Age Graph 1: Statistic for Malaysian Online Shopping- Age Sources: http://humanities. Com. My/blob/online-shopping-statistics-in- Malaysia. HTML Graph 1 above shows the Malaysian online shopping which affected by age. Statistic shows the highest rank is 26 years old to 30 years old because most of hem are single and non-married nations and they have the ability to purchase in online shopping. However, the l owest rank of the age is 21 years old and below because majorities are students and they do not have financial to purchase products and services instead of their financial is control by their parents.Gender Figure 1: Percentages of gender in online shopping Sources: http://UCLA. Com/business-hemline-shopping-scenes tm_source=afterburner=feed=Feed:+Kclau+ In perception of genders, statistic shows that males (56%) are more active on online purchasing while the females (44%) are catching up. This is because most of males are sensitive in technology gadgets and they are better in purchasing convenience important products. Whereas, females purchase products emotionally and individually, which means most of the time they purchase clothes, shoes, bags, cosmetics etc.Especially females who are below 21 years old always purchase K-pop stuffs via online shopping. Income Table 1: Income in Malaysia Sources: http://www. acAcademiaedDueownload Figure above shows the average of MaMalaysianannual income. Nations who earned less than RMARMY000 will always enjoy online shopping because they can look for cheaper products. However, the frequency of online shopping will decrease if the income increasing because they have ability to purchase expensive and quality products Occupation Chart 1: Statistic for Malaysian Online Shopping maMalaysiahtHTMLigure above shows the statistic of online shopping.The statistic shows that top management executive always used to online shopping as they need to up-to-date for the new products, technologies and systems so that they can earn the profit and reduce the cost. However, most of the retired and unemployed nations are laggards and they are not familiar to online shopping. Online buying behavior There are Top 6 Online shopping sites in Malaysia. However, each online shopping site has their own characteristics and specialty. LeLongmyMynd eBay Malaysia are the most popular local auction in Malaysia that you can search for the cheapest price of g adgets, DSDSSSLameras, computers and fashions.Customers also can look for discount and great offer in this website. ZaAzaleamyMynd LuLovelaceashion are the most well-known boutique websites that every customer loves to browse especially females because they can buy a lot of clothes, bags and shoes without shipping cost and every purchased items will send to house. SuSuperblyalaysia is backed by MaMaybugor shop luxury and quality products online at affordable cost. Whereas BeBustyorld is the online shop for cosmetics, fragrances, skin care, make up and health care.Table 2: Summary of Top 6 online websites (self-made) Frequency of Shopping Online Table 3: Frequency of Shopping Online Sources: http://ssSSLaiApplobal. coComN/asAsiaxpress/archives/1090 Chart 2: Frequency of Shopping Online Sources: Self-made According to table 3 and chart 2, the highest percentage of frequency of shopping online is about once a month (24%) and the lowest percentage of frequency of hopping online is almos t every day (1 This is because MaMalaysianre busy in their work and family and there are some people who are still believe that the security still dangerous.Respondents purchase online Table 4. ; What respondents purchase online ; http://ssSSLaiApplobal. coComN/asAsiaxpress/archives/1090 Sources. Chart 3. Based on the table 4 and chart 3, clothes and fashion accessories are the highest percentage which MaMalaysianill purchase online because there are many types of cheap clothes and they can shop around before purchase. ZaAzaleamyMys the example f clothes and fashion accessories website. Figure 2: ZaAzaleamyMyources: http://www. zaAzaleacoComy/YHowever, the lowest percentage of purchase online is white (major) appliances such as refrigerator because consumers prefer to see the quality of the appliances more than the price. If the quality of appliances is higher and the usage is long, consumers will afford to purchase if the price is not so expensive. Reasons of purchasing online Base d on the pilot test, 73% of MaMalaysianre prefer to purchase clothes and fashion accessories because it is hard to find suitable clothes in a day and it is wasting of immimef they purchase via offline shopping.They can do some research like price, shipping cost, services and varieties of products from different website. Besides, 40% of MaMalaysianoves to purchase books from online because there are some books are not selling in Malaysia such as â€Å"DuDeducefrom China. These books are recommended by every Chinese teacher but due to the low demand, these are not supply in Malaysia. So, MaMalaysianho are interested in these books only can purchase via online. Moreover, they will save their money as they will only direct and focus on what they should purchase.Unlike offline shopping, MaMalaysianill buy additional items instead of purchase their needs and wants such as physical stores that use the product placement and sales to attract them to purchase items. In addition, there are 25 % of the nations will purchase toys from online like minions, piupchucknd etc. Furthermore, 24% of MaMalaysianrefer to purchase medical supplies and cosmetics through online because some of the medical supplies and cosmetics difficult to purchase in Malaysia as they have not be approved by Malaysia's government. Environmental factor drives/discourages of online shoppingEnvironmental factor include political (also includes legal) and social which will influence the online shopping. In Malaysia, there are some cyber laws to protect nations for example Digital Signature Act 1997, Computer Crime Act 1997, The Copyright Act 1997, The Communication and Multimedia Act 1998 and The Electronic Government Activities Act 2007 (NiKnitmoMostgoGobmyMy2010). Those are positive influence to nations who are decided to have online purchasing. However, social cases have affected consumer bebehaviorhat there are negative incidents were happened for online purchasing.For example, nations fear of online purchasing because it is not security via online transaction, which means there will be spsparen your computer like personal data and account number will be detected and stolen. Negative impact from the environmental factor will be hard to boost up Malaysia's economic. Moreover, It is hard to identify the quality of the product like most of teenagers nowadays prefer to buy K-Pops' albums, posters and so on through online and they feel angry and disappointed that the products that they purchased are not in good quality.Psychological factor drives/discourages of online shopping MaMoscowierarchy can be used to represent the psychological factors which developed by Abraham MaMoscown year 1943. MaMoscowierarchy shows the drives and discourages of online shopping. Figure 3: MaMoscowierarchy Sources: http://www. psPsychologicallycoComlblobide-and-seek/201205/our-hierarchy- needs MaMascotsierarchy is used because MaMalaysianeed to have a comfortable and easy lifestyle. After they know the n eeds and wants via online purchasing, they will ask for safety which is security in morality, family, health and resources.However, if they got the negative feedback from friends and family, they will not onuntiedo purchase products and services via online. Meaning, nations must go through first step which is physiological before they enter to other layers. China Demographic Age Figure 1: percentage of age purchase online Source: http://www. fzFizzlingcoComnfo/view/2011 _6/1 51020438. htHTMLrom the graph we can see that 18-30 years old people is the most percentage to choose online shopping, the age below 18 percentage is almost similar with age between 31 and 35. Ages at 36 above are less to choose online shopping.We also can see that age between 18 and 24 the percentage growth very fast. Basic this, we can now that in China, young people are more prefer online shopping than old people. Figure 2: percentage of income purchase online Source: http://www. emNearsightedlycoComouurinals htHTMLarArticled723343&sh0†². FhFifthhe online purchase group in China is more in low-income family. It is get 62. 9%. (Lower than CNCCNY000 per month); the middle incomes get 35. 5%. (Higher than CNCCNY000 but lower than CNCCNY0000 per month); and the high income family percentage lust 1. 6%).Gender Figure 3: Gender percentage of China online purchase. Source: http://www. liLionfishcoComcnCNNeb/oversea_show. asAspsArArticled34279 From this graph, we can see that online purchase in China, male is more than female. It is have different with our traditional concept. The male to female ratio was 5. 4: 4. 6, slightly more male consumers. Occupation Figure 4: Occupation percentage of online shopping Source: http://www. liLionfishcoComcnCNNeb/oversea_show. asAspsArArticled34279 For occupation, student this group is get percentage 20. 4%. Technical, worker and basic social worker almost get 39. %. However, the high level managers Just get 2. 2%. From there we can see that the distribu tion of Job, age, income is the same. Education Figure 5: Education of online shopping From this graph, we can see that the education has negative relationship with the percentage of online shopping. The more education level higher, they will lesser online shopping. Online buying behavior There are a lot of online shoppers in China. But mainly market is share by around 9 brand of online shopping company. The first place for China online market is TmTamaleIt can get around 50. 8% market shares.And the second place is JiJinglingIt can get around 17. 1% market shares. The third place is TeTangentIt can get around 5. 6% market shares. The details are as below: Figure 6: market shares of China online sales Source: http://www. chCinematographiccoCom836/china-online-shopping-market- snapshot-for-q2sq013/ Frequency of item purchase online Figure 6: Frequency of purchase online in China Source: http://www. reArchdiocesancoComtHTMLeport/2010/5970. htHTMLn China, most people online shopping ar e about twice to four times per month. And only 3. 8% people no shopping online experience.As this research, we can find that online shopping is very general in China Attitude Nowadays, online shopping becomes more and more popular in China. In these 10 years, more Chinese choose purchase online. Especially the young generation, they refer purchase online than shopping at store. During the survey, there are 47. 4% people prefer online shopping, 40% have no attitude and 12. 6% people dislike online shopping. (ReRestheHerscoCom2013) Some of people who have online shopping experience worried about the quality of the product and the post purchase service.During the survey, around 55% people worried about the quality, and 27. 1% people worried about the post purchase service. (ReRestheHerscoCom2013) So the most online shopping people's attitude is choosing the famous online shopping website and good evaluate shopping store. Reasons of making purchases Price Online product is always cheap er than the one in shopping mall. It is because online shopping can save the capital for rent store, transportation, and so on. And there is no agent to deduct a percentage from a sum of money. So the price is always cheap for customers.Compare For online shopping website, there are thousands of stores for the customer, and every store has different products for customer to choose. So the consumer can easily to compare the same product from different brand or store. It is better for consumer to make evaluation. Time Online shopping can save time for the people who do not have enough time for hopping. Shopping online Just clicks the mouse, and then you can purchase what you want. It is fast and easy for you. Environmental and psychological affect online shopping Environmental In China, the environmental pollution is a big problem.The automobile exhaust is the one reason leads that. So the companies provide the website for people shopping online. It can decline the pollution and make a healthful life style. For the customer, they also prefer online shopping. The environmental pollution is bad for the health. People inhale hazardous substance can lead many types of disease. The bad weather lsalsoan lead less shopping for sell in store. But online shopping will not have this kind problem. Whatever raining, snowing, or clouding outside, it will no effect of online shopping. For the company, it will keep the sale stabilized.For the online shopper, they can purchase their favorites product any time. So the environment can affect online shopping. Psychological Online shopping no needing use the real money, they usually use the credit card to pay. The customers do not have the behavior pay the real money, it will lead they have less conscious of money, thus no control for purchase. For the online shopping ommanyit is an advantage thing. But for customers, they usual regret after purchase. In another hand, online shopping have model to show the product to the consumers. The visual stimulation also is a point that leads more purchase behavior. People believe that the same effect of product will come to their own. Actually, different people suit for different things. Model has standard stature, and beautiful face. But not all the consumer has that. So we can see that the psychological also a point to affect online shopping. Japan Demographic influences online consumer behavior of Japanese in terms of age, ncincomegender and occupation (KoKettlend Keller, 2012). Age In terms of age, Japanese are mostly made up of generation of middle-age group of people.From the statistic shown below, Japan might not encounter the same issue of aging like Singapore as the number of young-born generation is increasing and there is a pro for Japan to accelerate their economic transformation. Figure: Average age of Japanese Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communication Gender in Japan Figure: Average Gender in Japan From the graph above, it is vivid that the wom en dominated the Japan population, and then followed by men. There is about 25. 5 million of married couple which forms their family. Only a small part of people are in widow state.Disposable Income Figure: Disposable income of Japanese families It is analyzed that a family with a working head-of-household had a gross income of Yen 562,094. It is notable that the steep increase in disposable income in December. This is due to the year-end bonuses that Japanese workers received. Occupation and Lifestyle There are six type of popular occupation in Japan which is teacher, fisherman, models, physical therapist, engineer and chef. Japanese people enjoy a high standard f living, and nearly 90% of the population consider themselves part of the middle class.However, many studies on happiness and satisfaction with life tend to find that Japanese people average relatively low levels of life satisfaction and happiness. Japan Consumer Online Shopping Behavior Figure 1. 0: Frequency of online sh opping in Japan Source: http://ssSSLaiApplobal. coComN/asAsiaxpress/archives/1090 From the analysis of the chart above, it can be identified that the online shopping behavior of Japanese is very active. 36% of the respondents will shop online for almost every week. The highest number of Japanese, about 18% will shop online for about once every two weeks.In general, Japanese online shopping is categorized as purchased online regularly as more of the people will be online shopping within a month. Figure 2. 0: Frequency of items purchased online in Japan From the above chart, it can be analyzed that most of the Japanese like to purchase the clothes and fashion accessories by online shopping. This is due to the modern thinking and Y-generation style. The second preferred items that Japanese purchase online are food and drinks. This includes the fast food restaurants as the people owdoodadsre very busy of their hectic life and work. After that, it is followed by books category.This inclu des the magazines, newspapers, e-books and so on. This is quite common among Japanese because they like reading pretty much. Meanwhile, stationeries and major appliances shared the same dividend of 5% respectively. Toys score the least for 4% because the parents are more likely to bring their children to buy the toys in shopping complex rather than online shopping. Reasons for Japanese to make such Purchases Generally, Japanese perceive online shopping to be convenience (71 %) and easy 29%), with 62% of the respondents claiming that online shopping is easier than shopping via offline catalogue and telephone (Freeze, 2000).In the pilot test survey, a questionnaire is distributed and the respondents are allowed to make more than one reasons of purchasing online. For Japanese, according to website of online shopping behavior in Asia(2013), 78% of the respondents indicated that secure payment facility and convenient payment methods are the driving force. This is because they are confide nt towards the money transfer between bank and mobile phone which needs deidentificationhen they purchase online.From the website of online shopping behavior in Asia(2013) too, 86% of the respondents viewed that price and value is the most important factors because many times for conventional shopping they tend to spend a lot more than the required expenses like eating out and trtravelingFrom the analysis too, it can be identified that Japanese are really not concerned about the reputation of the website and customer service of the website. For 82% of them provide opinions that low delivery charges will be their major concern since some of he websites provide free shipping of they purchase till certain amount of money (Freeze, 2000).Furthermore, Japanese are quite neutral towards the speedy transaction of the website. Plus, 70% of them are more focus towards promotional offers because they can find great deals everywhere, that made up for shipping and handling fees (Freeze, 2000). E nvironmental Factors Drives/Discourage Online Shopping Japan has always been perceived as one of the world's healthiest societies. Japanese consumers are increasingly conscious of their health. Despite the issue of pollution ndNDegree of polluted of environmental factor, Hawkins and MoMotherboards010) mentioned that Japanese more likely to purchase online.Besides that, they would not have the problem of finding a parking place. This means that environmental consciousness has been emerging and results in active online shopping in Japan. A survey conducted last year by the global advertising agency J. Walter Thompson found that 51 percent of Japanese consumers are more focused on the environment(ScCoffmannd KaSankt al, 2010). The survey found that the Japanese will buy environmental friendly products in the next five years extensively.

Hamlet Philosophy Essay

Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, is an Elizabethan tragedy. Hamlet, a young Prince of Denmark, suffers a dilemma between the unrelenting ambition of revenge and clashing moral standards. This is very much a play about revenge, but the reason that it continues to intrigue literary and theatrical audiences for almost 400 years, is because of the underlying philosophical meanings. Hamlet is more a philosophical play than it is a play about revenge. Throughout the play, Hamlet analyzes the uncertainty that death brings, questions the final arbiter in judgement and defies society’s belief in the great chain of being. Hamlet is surrounded by death. However, he is the only character that confronts death philosophically. Despite the revenge he is planning, Hamlet considers taking his own life. He strives to extract revenge upon Claudius, but the more guidance he seeks, the more lost and indecisive he becomes. Hamlet seriously questions if life is worth living from his life crisis. This is seen in Hamlet’s most famous soliloquy, that is said at the kingdom of Elsinore, before being spied upon by Claudius and Polonius. â€Å"To be, or not to be? That is the question: / Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer / The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, / Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, / And, by opposing, end them? To die, to sleep— / No more—and by a sleep to say we end / The heartache and the thousand natural shocks / That flesh is heir to—’tis a consummation/ Devoutly to be wished! To die, to sleep. / To sleep, perchance to dream—ay, there’s the rub, / For in that sleep of death what dreams may come / When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, / Must give us pause. There’s the respect / That makes calamity of so long life. / For who would bear the whips and scorns of time, / Th’ oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’s contumely, / The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay, / The insolence of office, and the spurns /That patient merit of th’ unworthy takes, / When he himself might his quietus make / With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear, / To grunt and sweat under a weary life, / But that the dread of something after death, / The undiscovered country from whose bourn / No traveler returns, puzzles the will / And makes us rather bear those ills we have / Than fly to others that we know not of? / Thus conscience does make cowards of us all, / And thus the native hue of resolution / Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought, / And enterprises of great pith and moment / With this regard their currents turn awry, / And lose the name of action. â€Å"(3. 1. 57-89) In this soliloquy, Hamlet speculates if suicide is preferable; but it soon occurs to him that death is not a way out, because it is not possible to know what fate comes after death. Hamlet contemplates that the journey to death may lead to an eternal sleep, but it may not; the next life may in fact be worse that the life we are aware of. It is the uncertainty death brings that inhibits people from ending their lives. Furthermore, Hamlet also questions the final arbiter in judgement. This is seen when Hamlet discovers the treachery of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s visit, and reveals his depression . â€Å"Why, then, ’tis none to you: for there is nothing / either good or bad but thinking makes it so: to me it is a prison. â€Å"(2. 2. 249-251) Hamlet is referring to how there is no final arbiter in judgement, but that people with differing morals and ethics decide to believe in desired opinions that correspond to their beliefs. This observation that Hamlet makes can be compared to the philosophy of existentialism, which holds that â€Å"The starting point of philosophical thinking must be the experience of the individual. † (Existentialism) Hamlet is referring to how there is no definitive truth but only subjective truth, and society’s accepted values will favour one kind of truth, no matter how flawed it may be. Lastly, Hamlet’s fascination with death leads him to draw his own conclusions on the moral beliefs of society. Hamlet challenges the great chain of being; the religious hierarchal structure of all matter and life on earth. Upon his obsession with death, Hamlet asks Horatio for guidance on his perceived speculations at the cemetery about Alexander the Great. â€Å"No, faith, not a jot. But to follow him thither with / modesty enough, and likelihood to lead it, as thus: / Alexander died, Alexander was buried, Alexander / returned into dust; the dust is earth; of earth we make / loam: and why of that loam, whereto he was converted, / might they not stop a beer barrel? / Imperious Caesar, dead and turn’d to clay, / Might stop a hole to keep the wind away: / Oh, that that earth which kept the world in awe, / Should patch a wall to expel the winter’s flaw! â€Å"(5. 1. 201-210) Hamlet realizes that death is the inevitable fate of everyman; that the fate of everyman is a journey into dust. Death eliminates the differences between all people, regardless of how distinguished or insignificant they may be. Hamlet concludes that the great chain of being is false and everything in it, ultimately crumbles into dust, just like the bones in the cemetery. Hamlet is more a play about philosophical ideas and speculations, than it is a play about vengeance. There have been an exorbitant amount of tragedies produced, but Hamlet remains the most produced and analyzed Shakespearean play of all time because of all of the philosophical meanings and interpretations. Hamlet philosophies over death, judgement and the great chain of being. The most prominent philosophical idea in Hamlet is the mysteriousness of death. Interestingly, in Hamlet’s soliloquy â€Å"To be, or not to be: That is the question†¦ † (3. 1.57-89), it is addressed as the question, not a question. This can be interpreted as the most important question a person may ever have to face in life. Indeed, Hamlet is Shakespeare’s philosopher. Perhaps Shakespeare was attempting to philosophically question society’s motives in life, similar to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, a theory of successive human motivation. References â€Å"Existentialism. † n. d. Wikipedia. 06 December 2012. . Shakespeare, William. Hamlet. Toronto: Harcourt Canada Ltd. , n. d.

Global Communication Strategies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Global Communication Strategies - Essay Example Experts attribute these challenges to VUCA, which is, volatile, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The company emphasises on global interactions by its employees. The employees should demonstrate they have the ability to interact with other foreign communities, and be able to understand their language. In addition, the company offers its employees with intercultural literature for the purpose of studies (Daniel, 1975). The company often faces ethnocentrism barrier. It is hard for the employees to interact with other cultures because of the presence of individuals ethnocentrism. It is a belief that a persons culture is more superior to another. The barrier has prevented progression of interactions. In addition, the company is facing the barrier of intercultural communication apprehension. Majority of foreign cultures are anxious when it comes to anticipation of communication between people of different cultures. Those with higher apprehension are less likely to be sociable. The company relied on various strategies to help sort the barriers. There are two strategies; push and pull. The company focused on pull strategy. The strategy advocates for a network approach. Experts argued that the push strategy was more hierarchical. In addition, the business is supporting the idea bridging different cultures. Pull strategy is the best to create a bridge. It will assist the business develop more customised goods and services that would serve all cultures (Bollier,

The Delegates to the 1897 National Convention Assignment

The Delegates to the 1897 National Convention - Assignment Example Mostly, it is suggested that the parliament is the supreme authority, while courts are considered as the institution that deal with the crimes and criminal (Patapan, 2006). In fact, it is wrong to consider only the courts as the institution to deal with the crimes and the criminals, Courts are the protector of state rights against any amendment in the constitution. Most of the part of the Australian constitution is taken influence with the American constitution. The delegates emphasized on the importance of the high courts, as the pillar in the nation building and protecting the rights of the people and the states. The statement is correct for modern scenario, as the problems regarding the state and government are rising and sometimes the parliament suggests amending the constitution. In this case, there is a need of any institution that prohibits the central government to violate the constitution. The most appropriate method is to assign this job to the high court. High court is the independent institution that has the right to evaluate, which type of the amendment in the constitution is necessary and which is not. Thus, it is important to have independent courts not under influence of any other institution. Depicting the condition of the parliament at that time, French (2011) quotes "†¦a vague feeling of distrust of the Constitution, as the work of a body somewhat conservative in composition, only indirectly representative of the people, and entrusted with no very definite or detailed mandate even by the parliaments which created it". As, the world’s politics is changing due to the influence of various aspects like the terrorism, trade, etc, the central government has the right to debate the bills, amend the constitution and work for the good of the people by passing the bills that are directly or indirectly related to the trade, economy and size of population. However, it is important that that the court verify any change in the constitution. Som etimes, the ruling party favors the certain amendments in the constitution that is mostly agreed and most of the members of the parliament cast votes in favor of the amendments to support the views of the party. French (2011) quotes the Lord Coleridge words as "one which it is for the public interest that individual should possess, and, indeed, that they should exercise without impediment, so long as no wrongful act is done". However, if there is a need of any amendment in the constitution, the parliament should have to debate the severity of the problem and submit reports to the high court for the consideration. The problem is severe in the modern world, as the elected parliament is unable to deliver the mandate. On the other hand, the parliament is sovereign to take steps to change or amend the constitution for the sake to profit a person, a group or a country (Craven, n.d.). Like, if the parliament passes a law that blacks are prohibited to marry a white girl and

Social work paper on Walmart Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social work paper on Walmart - Essay Example This paper discusses the positive and negative aspects of having a Wal-Mart store in your neighborhood. Wal-Mart become the largest firm the world by utilizing a business strategy that emphasis in supply chain superiority that translated in the firm being able to offer its customer a greater product variety and lower prices. The people in the community benefit as consumer of Wal-Mart because the company provides them savings in essential items for their family such as clothes, food, medicine and household merchandise. In small rural towns a Wal-Mart establishment provides a great advantage for the consumers because in these regions the amount of business activity and alternative buying options are limited, thus having a place where the consumer can purchase everything they need in the same store is tremendous. The families obtain transportation cost savings, a higher supply of products, and save time by choosing the Wal-Mart alternative. The presence of a Wal-Mart has a great impact in the community. These establishments create lots of jobs for people of all ages. These establishments occupy large physical facilities that generate high property taxes and million of dollars of annual sales which boost the tax collections of the towns and cities. The problem with Wal-Mart is that they hurt the retail activity of other business in the community which can not offer the same prices or product variety. The job creation a Wal-Mart offers for a community is offset by the job losses due the closure of small business as a consequence of Wal-Mart moving into the neighborhood. A study perform between 1977-1998 found that for every 100 jobs Wal-Mart creates, 50 retail jobs and 20 wholesale jobs are lost (Renkow, 2005). To add to the problem the community are downgrading the quality of the job creation since most of Wal-Mart job offering is for part-time workers. The

What makes Margaret Mead so important in Anthropology circles Essay

What makes Margaret Mead so important in Anthropology circles - Essay Example In the documentary videos about her life and work perused for this essay, one could witness the key developments in anthropological study that she initiated. One could see in the videos, that Mead contributed immensely to not just the study of cultural anthropology retrospectively, but she played a role in creating new trends and fashions in her own era. In this view, Mead was a key figure who ushered the cultural upheavals in the American society of the 1960s. The ‘Hippies’ culture of this period was inspired by thoughts of such intellectuals as Mead, who were able to present anthropology from a feminist perspective. In her early field work in remote islands in the South Pacific and Southeast Asia, Mead had documented the significance of face-to-face interactions, especially the crucial role that adults play in the lives of children, simply by virtue of their presence. Mead’s work on gender roles and behaviour in a society has withstood the scrutiny of time. For example, in the case of development of boys, by having regular contact with various kinds of men (some abrasive, some gentle, some caring, some others playful, some serious, some sporty, some cerebral, etc) boys get a well-rounded and empowering notion of what is possible in their own lives when they grow up. This is in contrast with the Boy Scouts of America's rather narrow definition of proper masculinity, which causes more harm than help boys realize their full potential. For example, â€Å"misogyny and homophobia are characteristic of mid-century definitions of masculinity in part because those definitions are oppositional: a man is manly because he is not womanly, or feminine, or subject to the male gaze. Opening masculinity up to different modes of behavior, including traditionally "feminine" ones, helps to define men in the context of what they are, not what they are not. Moving away from abstractions, and allowing boys the flexibility that we currently as a society claim to want for our girls, can only be for the good.† (Lanclos, 2010, p.341) Mead’s studies showed the impact of culture upon nature, at a time when the pre-eminence of nature was still holding forte. She followed the precedence set by Franz Boas (who had earlier conducted fieldwork in South Pacific) and pointed to the fact that attitudes and behavior related to sexual conduct differed greatly between the studied group and that of middle class Americans. This was a radical new idea at that time, as adolescence was seen as universally turbulent and conflicted. Mead’s insights into the role of ‘nurture’ in sexual conduct revolutionized Western notions of culture and interpersonal relations. For example, the culture of these people from distant lands created a â€Å"more permissive, guilt-free attitude towards sexual intercourse in teenage years, without any commitment to permanent relationships†. (Cravens, 2010, p.299) In general, sex was seen as a re creation and indulged in for fun. American readers of these studies were taken aback at first. But they soon warmed up to the allure of â€Å"exotic young maidens were having delightful sexual romps on exotic isles with a changing cast of young male companions was virtually irresistible to many literate Americans. Mead thus reached great fame and popularity in the United States.† (Cravens, 2010, p.299) Margaret Mead’s path-breaking book Coming of Age in Samoa offered such a fresh perspective that in the foreword to the book, her mentor Franz Boas summarizes the core thesis thus: â€Å"Courtesy, modesty, good manners, conformity to definite ethical standards are universal, but what constitutes these is not universal. It is instructive to know that standards differ in the

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

Portfolio - Research Paper Example Moreover, in recent decades, research evidence has demonstrated a significant association between declining levels of physical activity in children, overall increases in children's body weights, and the incidence of obesity (Goran et al., 1999). The most widely accepted hypothesis for this association is that over time cultural changes and technological advances have resulted in less physical activity and promoted a gradually more sedentary lifestyle (Goran et al. 1999; Luepker, 1999). This mirrors what is occurring in the adult population and highlights the influence that parental physical activity behaviours have on the behaviours of children (Goran et al., 1999). Clearly, physical activity plays a critical role in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, leading some experts to suggest that if physical activity levels were increased that the epidemic of childhood obesity would diminish or even disappear (Luepker, 1999). Research has suggests the need for family-based int erventions since families share genetic disposition as well as environments (Hill & Trowbridge, 1998). Accomplishing the task of combating childhood obesity will require that every family become committed to improving their children's physical activity habits. ... Moreover, children learn lifestyle behaviours from an early age and may be more flexible in their ability to change behaviours than adults. Many parents, however, lack knowledge about healthy lifestyle practices and/or fail to encourage or model these healthy behaviours for their children. Parents of overweight children also may tend to underestimate their child's weight and may not be as concerned about their child's physical inactivity. It is important to understand whether this lack of knowledge and/or modelling of healthy behaviours on the part of the parents are related to unhealthy practices among their children. According to Nicklas and Johnson (2004), health promotion interventions should be implemented at an age when a child is still impartial to change, which is typically prior to entrance into sixth grade. The role of the home environment is critical to prevent childhood obesity. Parents must provide a physically active environment for their children, and limit the amount of time spent in sedentary behaviours. Parental controls of television viewing can have many benefits. Research Questions The specific research question of this study is: What are the parental controls and restrictions regarding television viewing among students? Sub-questions for the study were: (a) Does the parental controls and restrictions that are being used by parents correlate with children's BMI; (b) Do parental controls differ according to the child's age? Literature Review Family Environment and Childhood Obesity The best way to significantly affect the prevalence of childhood obesity is to prevent it. Therefore, the issue of childhood obesity becomes a family affair. Families provide the primary

PROGRAM INCEPTION Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

PROGRAM INCEPTION - Research Paper Example vance knowledge about education, to encourage scholarly inquiry related to education and to promote the use of research to promote education (AERA, 2012). To achieve this mission, the organization runs several programs related directly or indirectly to education. According to AERA (2012), the key programs that this organization runs are educational research and policy, government relations, social justice, professional development and communication and outreach. All these programs help in one way or the other in the improvement of education in the country. Although the organization has so far done a recommendable job in terms of education improvements, it still has a room for more and better contributions in education. This organization can only achieve this through introduction of more key educational and instructional programs that can improve education. One of such program the organization can adapt is ‘Training the Trainers’. This program, as the name suggests, would involve training the personnel who take part in education of both students and teachers profession. In this program, the trainers will be trained on research practice and ethics required in undertaking an education research. The main objective of this program would be to equip teachers and educators with skills and information that can enable them to conduct research on their students successfully. The program would also give the teachers and educator the skills and information on how to use the findings of a research to improve education without violating individual’s rights. According to Kuhet al (2010), this would enable the teachers and educators in selecting effective education practice that would promote education in the whole country. The way in which I will design the program will depend mainly on the standards that it is required to meet by various stakeholders. Since the standards should vary from one situation to another, I will design the program in a specific way to suite its

Macroeconomics Bachelor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Macroeconomics Bachelor - Essay Example It was noted that Central Banks have been successful in their policies which controlled inflation particularly in controlling insulating countries from shocks such as high oil prices. This mechanism will be explained using various macroeconomic principles. The money supply is directly linked with inflation as shown in the famous Quantity Theory of Money (QTM). This model links the level of money supply to the level of prices of goods and services sold, thus inflation. The famous equation of the TQM is MV = PT, where P is the average price level, T is the volume of transactions of goods and services, V is the velocity of circulation, and M is the money supply in the economy. From this equation, we can see that money supply and price level have direct relationship. We should note that TQM assumes that V and T are constant in the short term, leaving only M and P variable. Consequently, when the money supply doubles, the price level in the economy also doubles. Thus, Central Banks can either increase or decrease the money supply in order to do the same in inflation. In the statement being analyzed, Central Banks are able to avoid wage-price spirals (which are considered P in the QTM) by pursuing a contractionary monetary policy. According to Mishkin (2004), lowering the money supply is done by raising discount rates which discourages bank borrowings, open market sale which tightens reserves and monetary base, and raise the reserve requirement among banks which shrinks the available funds for banks to grant as loans to borrowers. Also, another method usually done in open economies and has replaced monetary targeting is called inflation targeting. Inflation targeting is "an economic policy in which the central bank of a country estimates and makes public a projected or 'target' inflation rate and then attempts to steer actual inflation towards the target through the use of interest rate changes and other monetary tools (Inflation Targeting 2006)." Instead of directly controlling inflation by changing the level of money supply, central banks opted to manipulate interest rates. As interest rates and inflation are inversely related, the central bank raises interest rates if inflation appears to move above its target. Meanwhile, if inflation appears to be below the target, the central bank will lower interest rates. This policy has been adopted first by New Zealand in 1989. Inflation targeting has also been adopted by countries like the United States, Britain, South Korea, and Brazil. Inflation targeters have also set a time horizon over which to reach their targets. This usually depends on how high the starting rate of inflation is relative to the desired rate. Since, inflation targeting requires transparency; central banks periodically release inflation reports, and press statements (IMF 2003). 2. Outline the effects of such monetary policy on price expectations in the central bank's domestic economy. Inflation targeting, in order to be fully effective in curbing hyperinflationary expectations require transparency which

Polio Essay Essay Example for Free

Polio Essay Essay In this world, there are over 12,000 diseases caused by either bacteria or viruses, and most of them are yet to be discovered. One of the dreadful diseases revealed is polio (which is shortened for poliomyelitis) (Ballard). The polio virus enters the body through the mouth, multiplies in the throat and intestine, and spreads through the blood to the central nervous system. Thus, the virus attacks the CNS, which can lead to paralysis. The paralysis would start with the legs, and would be visible due to the atrophy, and the muscles wasting away due to the lack of use (Hecht). Many have spent their whole life in iron lungs due to paralysis in the chest muscles (Ballard). There are three types of polio: mild, non paralytic and paralytic (Hecht). Only 1% of all polio patients develop paralytic polio (Hecht). In 1947, as Jonas Salk searched for a vaccination, he came upon the conclusion that a chemical called formaldehyde can eliminate the virus (Ballard). Another scientist named Albert Sabin desired to weaken the virus, instead of killing it (Ballard). Thus, this lead to the invention of oral vaccines that people can swallow (Ballard). A severe disease called post-polio syndrome, which is an illness of the nervous system develops, and can appear 15-50 years after a patient has been affected by polio (Hecht). People and children can contract polio due to a variety of factors, which are present in several third world countries. It still remains to be an underlying health problem in many developing countries (Ballard). The following is a case study about the several societal and political factors that are affecting Pakistans polio eradication program. Pakistan is one of the four countries (along with Nigeria, India, and Afghanistan) in which polio has remained endemic since the World Health Assembly in 1988 (Katz). In the early 1990s, almost 20 000 cases of polio were reported, although, the numbers have been fluctuating up and down ever since (Katz). Firstly, immense floods in the summer of 2010 have ravaged the Swat Valley in Pakistan resulting in the displacement of millions of people, the absence of running water and electricity, and the closure of at least 500 health clinics and facilities (Katz). Secondly, the weaknesses in the delivery of services and issues of poor health systems governance are a major factor in  the failure to achieve eradication (Nishtar). Lastly, the absence of polio vaccines from non-health sectors such as war and conflict zones and the refusal of parents to vaccinate their children have increased the number of polio cases in the country (Nishtar). The challenges and threats Pakistan faces in the eradication of Polio jeopardizes the world wide efforts, and as long as a single child remains infected, children in all countries are at risk of contracting polio (Nishtar). In general, the polio virus is highly contagious and each and every country that is still under the threats of polio must be careful and responsible enough to see the warning signs before it is too late. Polio usually develops as the result of contact with either polluted water or the mosquitoes that breed in such water. (Bano et al.) Also, the improper sanitization and lack of clean water and electricity promotes the growth of deadly viruses and bacteria (Bano et al.). The only remaining solution for Pakistan is to develop a plan for National immunizat ion days, where the entire government must educate every one of its citizens to vaccinate their children and reduce the risk of contracting polio (Nishtar). After so many dreadful years, India and Nigeria have shown promise of possibly attaining eradication in the next several years (Kelland). Other countries have diligently strived to eradicate polio by spending over $6 million dollars on vaccination campaigns (Draper). Comparable to the Pakistan case study stated above, there are many issues that contribute to polios existence in developing countries. There is an increased rate of international travel which contributes to the spread of polio (Hecht). If the world wants to eradicate polio permanently, we must try to contain the virus, involving all the countries laboratories, identifying and destroying the source of polio viruses and establishing a post eradication immunization policy with W.H.O (World Health Organization) (Hecht). Each developing country also has to determine the diverse economic, cultural, social and geographical factors responsible for the persistence of polio (Bano et al.). Other reasons of polio still being wide spread are due to the low levels of literacy (causing the community to be unaware of vaccines), people following an unhygienic life, laborers who do not properly wash their hands before eating and improper drainage systems (Bano et al.). Additionally, a large  number of children are malnourished and extremely poor and health workers impose costs for vaccination services that are meant to be provided for free (Nishtar). Despite almost a billion dollars being donated for campaigns encouraging polio eradication, due to a shortfall of funds and lack of transparency in governance (Nishtar), there is much delay in interrupting the poliovirus transmission in third world countries (Kelland). According to Donaldson, who is the Chairman of the National Patient Safety Agency in UK, These are the children that the world forgot, growing up with no protection from polio at a time when most of the worlds parents have long forgotten what polio even is. He also mentioned that, If the funding gap isnt bridged, future generations will surely look back and wonder how this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to destroy polio†¦was allowed to slip through our fingers. (Kelland) In conclusion, polio used to be an endemic before the 20th century and is still a major dilemma in third world countries today. We should be obliged to take action for this crisis and eradicate polio once and for all. Factors promoting the spread of polio, including poor sanitation, inadequate amount of clean supplies and low levels of literacy, require attention and should be solved with the assistance of money, dedicated health care workers and the government. Education, experimentation and discoveries which grow out of them are the best tools to protect the health of others (Hecht). All in all, the lesson to be learned is that the fight against infectious diseases will never come to an end and we must continue to strive on to at least reduce the risk of those in our society obtaining these diseases or illnesses. Works Cited Ballard, Carol. _From Cowpox to Antibiotics_. Chicago: Reed Elsevier Inc. 2006. Print. Bano, Gulnaz, et al. Impediments in the implementation of polio eradication program. _Journal of_ _Natural Science, Biology and Medicine._ Gale Science In Context. 2011. Web. 25 Feb 2013. Draper, Stark Allison. _Epidemics Deadly Diseases Throughout History_: _Polio._ New York: The Rosen Publishing Group Inc. 2001. Print. Hecht, Alan. _Deadly Diseases and Epidemics: Polio_. New York: Chelsea House Publishers. 2003. Print. Katz, Samuel L. Chasing polio in Pakistan: Why the worlds largest public health initiative may fail. _Journal of Clinical Investigation_. Science In Context. 2011. Web. 26 Feb 2013. Kelland, Kate. Polio eradication drive imperiled by funding shortfall. _Reuters Health Medical_ _News._ Gale Science In Context. 2012. Web. 24 Feb 2013. Nishtar, Sania. Pakistan, politics and polio. _Bulletin of the World Health Organization._ Science In Context. Feb. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Pick a developing country Essay Example for Free

Pick a developing country Essay The Philippines is a Southeast Asian country composed of more than seven thousand and one hundred islands. Its capital is Manila and it’s a developing country with a population of about 90 million people. Filipinos, the people of the country, speak Filipino, the national language, and English. The country has a long history of colonialism, having been subject to the rule of three foreign nations: Spain, the United States, and Japan. These three colonial periods in the history of the country produced lasting effects on its culture, political system, economy, and geography. Although the Philippines has a long history of being a colony, its people had resisted colonizers when the interests of the country were endangered. The first colonizers of the country were the Spanish. It’s believed that nearby territories in Southeast Asia traded with the Philippine islands long before the Spanish came. The first recorded resistance against Spanish colonization occurred in 1521 when Spanish explorers, led by Ferdinand Magellan landed in Mindanao, the southernmost region of the country (Schirmer Shalom, 1987, p. 193). According to historians, the Spaniards claimed the islands as Spanish territory and violated the women of the natives. They also attempted to baptize the natives as Christians, resulting in the resistance of some of the natives. Native leaders then decided to make war with the Spaniards and consequently killed the crew members, including Magellan. The Philippine history of colonialism did not end with the death of Magellan, however. In 1565, the Spanish returned to the Philippine islands with superior imperialistic techniques and weaponry. Within ten years, most of the seven thousand one hundred islands of the country had fallen to Spanish rule (Schirmer Shalom, 1987, p. 193). Through coordinated resistance movements across the country, the Philippines was able to break from Spanish rule in 1898, the first complete liberation of an Asian country from a European colonizer. Philippine independence though was short-lived because Americans, who fought the Spaniards to free Cuba, eventually annexed the archipelago as part of their strategy to achieve global dominance (Go Foster, 2003, p. 148). Filipinos resisted their colonization by the United States, resulting in the Philippine-American war. The US tried to suppress the resistance of Filipinos through various techniques, including the establishment of a US government in the country. Just as the US and the Philippines were finishing plans for independence, however, Japan invaded the country during World War II. The Philippines and the US, now working together, defeated the Japanese colonizers in 1944. The US granted the Philippines its independence in 1946 . Today, the Philippines still bears the unmistakable marks of its long history of colonialism. The Filipino language, which is mostly composed of the native dialect of Tagalog, includes many Spanish terms. Words like â€Å"mesa† (table), â€Å"libro† (book), â€Å"lugar† (place), and â€Å"kalye† from the Spanish â€Å"calle† (road) are just some examples of the Spanish language’s impact on the native tongue (Schirmer Shalom, 1987, p. 204). It’s not only in the Filipino language that the long Spanish rule is evident, however. Many elements of Filipino culture have traces of Spanish colonization. For instance, many Filipino families today still practice the Spanish siesta or sleeping during the afternoon. Traditional Philippine clothes like the â€Å"camisa de chino† for men and the â€Å"baro’t saya† for women look like derivatives of traditional Spanish dresses. While the Spaniards ruled the Phillipine islands for the longest time among all other colonizers, Americans perhaps have the deepest impact on the culture of the country. Today, many Filipinos, including the government, treasure the supposed friendship of the Philippines with the United States. The Philippine government has constant contact with the US government and is very vocal about its support of US policies and stands on global issues. The English language is spoken or at least understood by most Filipinos living in the country. Hollywood films do not need to be translated to the Filipino language in order for locals to understand the content. Malls in the country are lined with American shops which many Filipinos frequent. The local media is filled with American films and songs which people tune in to every day. In fact, many Filipinos learn the English language through the media and not through schools, although the English language is taught in elementary and high school (Go Foster , 2003, p. 198). The Philippine government also derives many things from its American counterpart. The government has a President, Senate, House of Representatives and judiciary arm. It is protected by an armed force with the president as its commander-in-chief. Perhaps the most glaring difference between the Philippine and the US government is that the former does not adopt the federal system. Charter change movements in the country recently however, are trying to change that to adopt the federal system (Go Foster, 2003, p. 153). Since the Japanese colonization of the Philippines was short-lived, it left few lasting impacts on the country. The Japanese government still supports the victims of its invasion today, though, especially the veterans of the war and its victims. The Japanese colonization of the country is taught at history classes, ensuring the awareness of young Filipinos of their unfortunate past with Japan (Ikehata Yu-Jose, 2003, p. 328). Past wounds have made the Philippines a very open country to all nations and races of the world. Many Filipinos today love Japanese culture, which is exported to the country mostly in the form of anime (Japanese animation) and computer products. The Philippine government also works together with the Japanese government to improve the lives of citizens (Ikehata Yu-Jose, 2003, p. 328). The geography of the country also bears many marks of colonialism. Manila became the capital city of the country mainly due to the fact that it has ports that welcome ships from other territories. Manila though is not the most prosperous city in the Philippines today. Quezon City, also located in the national capital region, has a wider area and grows at a tremendous pace. Makati City, the Philippine business center, is dotted with skyscrapers that house many multinational companies that do business in the country (Espiritu, 2003, p. 23). The Philippines is a rich source for cheap and skilled labor for many developed countries worldwide because of the Filipinos’ mastery of the English language. There is a booming outsourcing and call center industry in the country which provide young Filipinos with stable jobs. It’s very convenient for American companies to hire call center agents in the country because Filipinos know the English language by heart. Compared to other sources of labor in the world, Filipinos are easy to train to adopt the American English accent. Filipinos are also known as hard-working individuals, making them tempting investments to multinational companies (Espiritu, 2003, p. 23). Resistance though doesn’t disappear even in this age of friendship with past colonizers. There are still many social movement groups in the country that promote the interests of the country by resisting the influence of the United States and other foreign nations. These nationalistic groups follow developments in the government to ensure that Filipino interests are not compromised because of foreign interests or corruption within the government. Some of these groups also recruit members from schools and mobilize them through protests or demonstrations (Pomeroy, 1992, p. 25). The Philippines is now free but experts claim that modern forms of imperialism are still affecting many aspects of the country. Although the age of colonialism is over because the US and other foreign nations cannot put up governments in the Philippines anymore, their cultural influences are still felt by Filipinos as globalization speeds up. Accepting foreign influences in the culture, government and economy of the country is not necessarily disadvantageous to Filipinos, but it’s always best to focus on their own interests as a nation. The development of the Philippines will be faster once it learns to balance the lessons it learned from colonialism with the present realities it confronts. References Espiritu, Y. L. (2003). Home Bound: Filipino American Lives Across Cultures, Communities, and Countries. University of California Press. Go, J. and Foster, A. L. (2003). The American Colonial State in the Philippines: Global Perspectives. Duke University Press. Ikehata, S. and Yu-Jose, L. N. (2003). Philippines-Japan Relations. Ateneo de Manila University Press. Pomeroy, W. J. (1992). The Philippines: Colonialism, Collaboration, and Resistance. International Publishers Co. Schirmer, D. B. , Shalom, S. R. (1987). The Philippines Reader: A History of Colonialism, Neocolonialism, Dictatorship, and Resistance. South End Press.

Representation of Genders in the Media

Representation of Genders in the Media Course Diary Entry 1 Liesbet Van Zoonen: Feminist Media Studies (chapter 6, pp 87 104) 1. ABSTRACT The sixth chapter of Van Zoonens book Feminist Media Studies, Spectatorship and the Gaze, provides a compelling introduction to the area of feminist film studies, more specifically, to different issues surrounding the concept of the gaze. Van Zoonen draws on the arguments of Laura Mulveys work, who used psychoanalytic tools in explaining why women are presented in the media as being looked at and men as the ones who act. Van Zoonen stresses the difficulty of the proponents of psychoanalysis to explain the pleasures of female spectatorship, which, nevertheless, can be accounted for by employing different perspectives on media studies. After discussing ideas regarding the male gaze, Van Zoonen turns her attention to the way images of men are presented in popular media, emphasising the fact that, out of fear that their image could be homosexualised, different methods and narrative codes are employed in order to make the objectification of male bodies less evident. Hence, the traditional perception of men being the ones who have the power and women the ones who are looked at is still in place in patriarchal cultures, even though there are signs of trying to put it aside. 2. OUTLINE women are constructed in western popular media as being the passive object of the male gaze, whereas men as being the ones who act; the psychoanalytical paradigm was employed to explain this state of facts a) Laura Mulvey used psychoanalysis in her study of gender media representations as a useful tool in explaining the pleasures of male spectatorship, though failing to explain the independent female pleasure of looking at men scopophilia the deriving of sexual pleasures simply by looking narcissistic identification the desire of men to identify themselves with other men, presented on the screen as flawless characters the film industry is linked to patriarchy, according to Laura Mulvey; both scopophilia and narcissistic identification are achieved by the way filmmakers frame the action, including the objectification of women the male gaze fear of castration the trauma suffered by boys when discovering the physical gender differences is diminished by the way male spectators take control over womens bodies in the film industry one of the problems of the way Mulvey employed psychoanalysis it equates masculinity with being male and femininity with being female b) Mary Ann Doane contends the impossibility of reversing the gender roles (i.e. men becoming feminine and women masculine) no preconditions of voyeurism in women in childhood women do not experience the distancing from their mothers that boys do because of the sexual differences the female spectator can become masculinized by identifying with the male characters in the film or narcissistically identifying with objectified female characters c) criticism of the psychoanalytic paradigm: it reinforces the patriarchal norms by excluding the possibility of women to derive pleasure from viewing media products Women derive pleasure by looking at other women the psychoanalytical paradigm and beyond a) some argue that the bonding between girls and their mothers creates the pre-conditions of finding pleasure in looking at other women b) women have coexisting latent homosexual and manifest heterosexual desires Chodorows theory of female development c) Arbuthnot and Seneca assert that the psychoanalytic theory is concerned with male spectatorship and thus not appropriate to examine female experiences and motivations Women derive pleasure by looking at men a) Christianity repressing the abundance of nude representations of men made the patriarchal order imperceptible, whilst it still is the substratum of most societies b) the female gaze which is masculine by definition looking at the male body is less dangerous than the homosexual gaze c) narrative and visual techniques lessen the degree of subjection of the male body to the gaze of the female spectatorship e.g. staring back at the viewer, looking up or away from the camera, the text accompanying the images personifying male bodies and thus creating characters men presented as active (e.g. signs of physical activity or labour) and in control, just happening to be looked at, not as posing specifically for being viewed by female or male spectators male bodies presented like romantic objects, not sexual ones (e.g. Playgirl) 3. LITERATURE REVIEW The three chapters I have chosen Kaplans (1983), Staceys (1988) and Van Zoonens (1994) which do not offer a comprehensive discussion of the issue of the gaze, draw on the psychoanalytic explanations of the male gaze and attempt to explain which are the pleasures derived by female spectators watching media products. Hence, all authors use Laura Mulveys and Mary Ann Doanes ideas as a starting point for their discussion; Kaplan argues that psychoanalysis is a useful tool [] [, but not] necessarily uncovering essential truths about the human psyche (1983: 23). She further argues that it can explain only the current structural organization of society, which, I would argue, is a Marxist perspective; in her view, cinema is seen as a means of releasing the tensions created by the industrial society and psychoanalysis as a necessary means to understand the causes of these (Kaplan, 1983). Stacey (1988) identifies the gaps in Mulveys line of argument, more precisely the discussion of the male as an erotic object (which Van Zoonen analyses) and of female homosexuality, and exploits the latter to address one of the issues tackled in little depth by Van Zoonen (1994): female homosexual pleasure, which has been ignored by studies within the psychoanalytic framework. Stacey (1988), like Van Zoonen (1994), draws on Mary Ann Doanes idea that womens pleasures are not related to fetishism and voyeurism, as mens are and further acknowledges Mulveys argument according to which women oscillate between male and female identifications. In discussing possibilities for understanding and explaining the female gaze, all three authors argue that the reversal of roles is impossible without losing the specific gender identification; the female spectator becomes masculinized and vice-versa, and thus the structure remains basically unchanged (Kaplan, 1983). Stacey (1988), as does Van Zoonen (1994), rhetorically asks if women necessarily have to occupy feminine positions and men masculine ones. I would suggest that masculine and feminine actually refer to a set of characteristics associated with men and women respectively only because it has traditionally been thought that they occur more often in the specific gender from which their names derive. Hence, they are not intrinsic to men or women. However, there remains the problem that they are in opposition, not on equal terms. Moreover, if these names which refer to gender and sexual roles would be disregarded, I think it would not be a problem for female spectators to adopt an active (masculine) stance anymore. Further discussing the feminine and masculine spectatorships, Stacey (1988) contends that the subjectivities of spectators should be also taken into account, even if their standpoint is seen as masculine. Kaplan notes, drawing on Mary Ann Doanes argument, that if attempting to confer female spectatorship an active role and not masculinizing it, there is the danger of denying pleasure and of disembody[ing] their spectator (Kaplan, 1983: 28). An active main female character nearly always loses her traditional feminine characteristics in so doing [] of kindness, humaneness, motherliness (Kaplan, 1983: 29). The problem with this statement is that all these characteristics of femininity are actually constructed in the same way as concepts like active, sexually desirable etc are. Therefore, Kaplans statement does no justice to the role of the female spectator. The dominant images of women, all male constructs, as Kaplan (1983) emphasizes, are the objects of male fetishism and voyeurism, as all three authors mention. In addition to Van Zoonens (1994) overarching discussion of these Freudian concepts, Kaplan (1983) points at three male gazes in popular media, identified by Laura Mulvey: that of the film-maker, of the film viewer and of male characters in the film. According to this explanation of females position in the film framework, Kaplan argues, the man owns the desire and the woman (1983: 27), whereas female spectators only receive and return the gaze but cannot act upon it (1983: 31). Hence, male and female spectatorships are different in essential respects. All three authors have a feminist standpoint in common from whence they look at the representation of women in popular media. Stacey (1988) is probably the most dedicated of all three to the feminist cause, discussing issues which are taboo for other scholars (feminist or not): the homosexual female spectatorship. The arguments they bring forward overlap, being complementary in the respect that all offer new information. However, they do not discuss each others contribution to the feminist debate mainly because all three (Stacey to a lesser degree) offer an overview of the arguments brought forward by Laura Mulvey and Mary Ann Doane. All three concluded by pointing to the need of further discussing the sources of pleasure for female spectators both in relation to men and to other women. Moreover, the problem of confounding gender identifications with sexuality in film studies has also been stated as being an issue. 4. CROSSCUTTING THEMES The issues concerning the representation of genders in the media is one of the most important areas of concern for feminist scholars because of the many assumptions hidden under what comes across as common-sense. Nevertheless, this is only one of the issues in which feminists are interested. Among the general concern with the resources of conferring women a secondary role in patriarchal societies, feminists address issues of work and employment, and of motherhood. These two themes have several links with those raised by Van Zoonens chapter on the male and female gaze in popular media. One of the most evident crosscutting themes is that of womens passivity and male activity and control. As we have seen in Van Zoonens chapter (1994), female spectatorship is constructed as being passive and to be looked at, whilst male spectators act upon women by looking at their objectified bodies. Witz (1993/1997) asserts that women have traditionally been seen as having the natural duty to do the domestic work, not men, and that feminists struggled to determine the official recognition of this second job women performed. At least since the 18th Century, when the Victorian Domestic Ideology constructed women as passive, men have had the active role in a family, working in order to earn a wage for the household. Women, on the other side, have been seen as confined to the private sphere of life and, thus, as being passive since they did not have an active role in the public sphere, as men did. This way of seeing women as inferior to men has survived until the present day, when women have also acceded to work positions, and it can be easily seen in the structure of the labour market and in the representation of women in the media. The images of women in popular media, as objects of the male gaze, are opposed to representations of motherhood in different cultures. Reynolds notes that the good mother is endlessly patient, forgiving, nurturing and, most important of all, unfailing in her love (1996: 41); this characterization powerfully contrasts with the images of women as sexualized objects or as secondary characters who only disrupt the narrative. For children, mothers are the main characters of their stories and are entirely feminine (whereas the character of a mother in popular media would be either masculinized or it would be the object of the male gaze). Nevertheless, as Reynolds further argues, the problem is that in reality mothering [is] synonymous with subjugation (1996: 42). Moreover, motherhood is linked with psychoanalysis and the way boys suffer a trauma when they discover their difference from their mothers. In conclusion, the chapters I have looked at on different topics written by feminists share the same view that women are currently oppressed in patriarchal cultures. Women share subordination roles in media, at work, in the family etc. However, the hegemony of patriarchy is most evident in media representations of women. References: Kaplan, E. Ann (1983) Women and Film: Both Sides of the Camera, London and New York: Routledge, pp. 125-141 Reynolds, Kimberly (1996) Mothers in Madoc-Jones, Beryl Coates, Jennifer An Introduction to Womens Studies, Oxford: Blackwell, pp. 38-61 Stacey, Jackie (1988) Desperately Seeking Difference in Gamman, Lorraine Marshment, Margaret (Eds.) The Female Gaze: Women as Viewers of Popular Culture, London: Womens Press, pp. 112-129 Van Zoonen, Liesbet (1994) Feminist Media Studies, London: Sage, pp. 87 -104 Witz, Anne (1993/1997) Women and Work in Robinson, Victoria and Richardson, Diane (Eds.) Introducing Womens Studies, 2nd edition, London: MacMillan, pp.239-58

The Power of the Martian Chronicles Essay -- Martian Chronicles Essays

The Power of the Martian Chronicles      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Martian Chronicles is a collection of short stories by Ray Bradbury These stories all relate to the idea of humans visiting mars, but are only connected by the loosest of threads. At times, it can appear as if Bradbury was grasping mercilessly, searching for something to draw together the random conglomeration of human situations his mind had created individually. The entity that embraced all these stories and melded them from half-hour kiddy-show format stories into a great two-hour special feature novel was the forth planet from the sun, earth's neighbor and Bradbury's stage for The Martian Chronicles, mars.       This association of a foreign planet and Bradbury's reputation as a science fiction author immediately identified The Martian Chronicles as a work of science fiction. Decades later, in an essay on the novel, Edward S Gallagher (Gallagher 55-82) said that The Martian Chronicles "is one of those acknowledged science fiction masterpieces." Bradbury was breaking new grounds, creating respect for science fiction as a literary genre that would be admired by those involved in the literary establishment (Marowski and Matiz 321.) The blue and orange cover of the paperback version of the book depicted characters more reminiscent of Fantasy & Science fiction magazine's artwork than of Bradbury's vague descriptions of his Martians.       Whilst The Martian Chronicles was being shelved in the science fiction section of libraries and bookstores everywhere, die-hard science fiction fans and literary critics scratched their heads. They pushed up their thick glasses and straightened their pocket protectors whilst collectively wondered why this... ...ri: Gale -Research Company, 1987. p 321.    Card, Orson Scott How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy. New York: Writer's Digest -Books, 2001. p 11.    Clute, John Science Fiction Illustrated Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley, 1995. -pp 201-203.    Sullivan, Anita T "Ray Bradbury and Fantasy" English Journal. December 1972: pp -1809-14.    Bradbury, Ray "Ray Bradbury: Poet of Fantastical Fiction" Science Fiction Voices #2. -1979: pp 20-9.    Pell, Sarah-Warner "Style is the man: Imagery in Bradbury's Fiction" Ray Bradbury. -1980: pp 180-194.    Knight, Damon "When I was in knee pants: Ray Bradbury" Search of Wonder: Critical -Essays on Science Fiction. New York: Advent Publishers, 1967. pp 108-13.    Levin, Martin "The Machineries of Joy," The New York Times Book Review. February -16, 1964: pp 38-9.

How the Computer Works :: Personal Computers PC

Many people assume that computer are difficult to understand and difficult to use; however, the first step is understanding and learning to use the computer. The types of hardware that all computer systems use and the types of software that make them run. Like millions of computer users, microcomputers where used to play games, explore the Internet, write papers, build spreadsheets, or create a professional-looking proposal or flyer. You can perform all these application without understanding exactly what goes on behind your computer case or monitor screen. We the computer user, turn on the machine, load software program, and use that software to accomplish a task without knowing what goes on behind the scenes or the basic functions of the computer components. It is also important to know how to protect the computer. The complete computer system consists of four parts; hardware, software, people, and data. The term hardware refers to the physical components of the computer, such as the monitor, keyboard, memory chips, and hard drive. The term software refers to the set of instructions that directs the hardware to accomplish a task. People are the customer operators, known as users. Data consists of raw facts, which the computer stores and reads in from of numbers. In order to perform a computing task, hardware is used by software for four basic functions: input, processing, output and storage. The computer user interacts with a computer in a language that the user understands, but software must convert that instruction into a form that hardware can understand. Hardware stores data and communicates with software by only one fundamental method--binary--and, in effect, speaks a language that only has two words, "on" and "off." All communication, storage, and processing of data inside a computer are in binary until presented as output to the user. The binary number system, is the language of the computer. The central, most important hardware device in a computer is the central processing unit (CPU) or microprocessor. Date received by input devices goes to the CPU, and output travels form the CPU to output devices. The CPU stores data and instructions in storage devices and performs calculations and other processing of data as well. A method for the CPU to communicate with the device will need to send data to and/or receive data from the CPU.

Foundations of Political Thought Essay examples -- Philosophy, Aristot

Aristotle and Socrates and Plato’s beliefs have similarities mainly evident in their denouncement of democracy for the state. The views of Socrates expressed and written by his pupil Plato are vastly philosophical in nature and he promotes the idea of questioning life to achieve insight. The philosophers who possess the absolute truth are the best equipped to rule society according to Plato and his Allegory of the Cave. Conversely, Aristotle takes a more political science approach of discussing and analyzing various constitutions to determine the best form of government, where the rational beings in a society are the natural rulers. Aristotle promotes the idea of rule based on law rather than simple superiority. The differences in these beliefs are important because of the implications of Aristotle’s writings, which provide a way for citizens and statesmen to utilize philosophy in politics and the state. Consequently, information in Politics is seen again througho ut modern politics. The similarities of Aristotle’s beliefs expressed through his writings in Politics to the beliefs of Plato and Socrates expressed in the recorded dialogues of The Republic are centered mainly on a fear of democracy. Aristotle asserts that only those who are concerned with virtue and good government should be the leaders in a society or community (Politics, 80). In Book III of Politics Aristotle describes what the role of the majority should be in politics, By means of these considerations, too, one might solve the problem mentioned earlier and also the related one of what the free should have authority over, that is to say, the multitude of the citizens who are not rich and have no claim whatsoever arising from virtue. For it would not be... ...archy and democracy into polity. Through this idea of addressing factions and political interdependence Aristotle outlines the way to a lasting state. In Federalist 10, Madison describes in a similar way that competing factions imposing a system of checks and balances can protect against dominance of a single faction or class. Aristotle’s claims of law, constitution, polity, factions, and citizenship all have comparability to many U.S. notions of political life, even his justification of slavery is reminiscent of the views of some founding fathers. Aristotle discovered and outlined many elements of early American political thought long before the existence of the United States. Aristotle himself said, â€Å"For practically speaking, all things have been discovered, although some have not been collected, and others are known about but not used† (Politics, 34).

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

â€Å"Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness† is the cornerstone of our nations Declaration of Independence. When considering this quote and identifying an individual or group of individuals who have continued to pursue this belief in the twentieth century and beyond, one must consider the name Cesar Chavez and the organization, The United Farm Workers, he was so instrumental in its formation, as being synonymous with this phrase. (U. S. Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776))Cesar Estrada Chavez was born March 31, 1927 on a small farm near Yuma, Arizona that his grandfather had homesteaded during the 1880's. Chavez was the second born of six children to Librado and Juana Chavez. At age 7 Cesar began school, but found it very difficult due to the fact that his family only spoke Spanish. Chavez preferred to learn from his uncles and grandparents who would read to him in Spanish and additionally he learned many things from his mother who believed that violence and selfis hness were wrong and stressed this with all her children.In the 1930's, at age 10, Chavez was forced to begin his life as a migrant farm worker when his father lost the land homesteaded by his grandfather during the Great Depression. These were bitterly poor times for the Chavez family and together with thousands of other displaced families, they migrated throughout the Southwestern United States, laboring in the fields and vineyards. Cesar in an effort to help support his parents and brothers and sisters dropped out of school after the eighth grade. (www. clnet. ucla. edu) At the age of 18, Chavez joined the U. S.Navy and served in the western Pacific front during the end of World War II. In 1948, Cesar married Helen Fabela, who he had met while working the vineyards in Delano, they later settled in the East San Jose barrio of Sal Si Puedes, where Chavez later authored a book entitled â€Å"Sal Si Puedes (Escape If You Can)†. Following his return from serving in the U. S. Na vy and his marriage to Helen, he returned to the fields as a migrant farm laborer, but he began to fight for change. That same year, 1948, Cesar took part in his first of many strikes in protest of low wages and poor working conditions.However, within several days the workers were forced back to the fields. In 1952, Chavez met Fred Ross, who was an organizer for a group known as the Community Service Organization (CSO), which was a barrio-based self-help group that was sponsored by a Chicago-based group which had been formed by Saul Alinsky called the Industrial Area Foundation. Chavez soon became a full-time organizer with CSO, coordinating and spearheading voter registration drives, battling racial and economic discrimination against Hispanic residents, and organizing new CSO chapters across California and Arizona.Chavez became the national director of CSO in the late 1950's and early 1960's, but his dream was to create an organization to help farm workers whose suffering he not o nly empathized with, but had shared and endured. After approximately 10 years of acting as the national director and continuing to organize Hispanic's throughout California and Arizona for the CSO, Chavez resigned his paid position, the first regular paying full-time job he had since being discharged from the Navy, as he was unable to convince the CSO to commit itself solely to farm worker organizing.Following his resignation he moved his wife and 8 children back to Delano, California where he became a full-time organizer of farm workers and founded the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) , and this newly founded organization grew rapidly. (www. clnet. ucla. edu) In 1965 the NFWA, headed by Chavez, began a boycott of grape growers in Delano, California, which lasted some 5 years. In 1966, during this boycott, Chavez led his followers on a 340 mile march to the state capitol in Sacramento, California to bring the plight of the farm workers to national attention.The march started with only 75 workers and supporters and the rally ended in Sacramento with over 10,000 people on the capitol steps. That same year Schenley Vineyards was the first grower to negotiate this nation's union contract with a farm union, the NFWA. In 1966, the NFWA merged with the mostly Filipino-American union, the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) to form the United Farm Workers (UFW). As the strike continued and the story of the farm workers became more widely known in the United States and around the world, many Americans rallied to their cause and joined the boycott of all table grapes produced in the U.S.. By 1970 more than 65 percent of California grape growers had negotiated and signed labor contracts with the UFW. Also, to avoid a similar UFW boycott, many of the Salinas Valley lettuce and vegetable growers signed labor contracts with the Teamsters Union. In response to this Chavez and the UFW called for a boycott of lettuce and more than 10,000 farm workers in Ca lifornia's Central Coast went on strike. In 1972, as the UFW membership continued to grow and increase in numbers, the UFW became the United Farm Workers of America, AFL-CIO.By 1979 the UFW had won pay increases for its members and had signed contracts with a significant number of growers of lettuce and other produce growing farms, and their membership grew to over 100,000. The UFW experienced numerous conflicts with the Teamsters Union which led to the murder of several UFW supporters. These events, coupled with the election, in California, of the Republican governor George Deukmejian whose administration supported the growers, led to many setbacks for the UFW movement as thousands of farm workers were fired, and their membership began to decline.From the mid 1980's through the early 1990's Chavez and the UFW continued their fight for improved conditions for farm workers. On April 23, 1993, Cesar Chavez died in his sleep at the home of a migrant farm worker in San Luis, Arizona. In commemoration of his life 35,000 mourners walked behind Chavez's casket during his funeral which was held 6 days after his death in Delano, California. In 1994, President Bill Clinton honored Cesar Chavez's fight for farm workers rights by awarding him the Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.In his citation President Clinton praised Chavez for having â€Å"faced formidable, often violent opposition with dignity and nonviolence†. (www. ufw. org) Following his death, Chavez was succeeded as leader of the UFW by the veteran UFW organizer, Arturo S. Rodriguez. In 1994, in honor of Cesar Chavez, Rodriguez and his supporters retraced the steps of Chavez's historic march of 1966. By the time this commemorative march reached the steps of the state capitol in Sacramento it had amassed over 20,000 in UFW workers and supporters, thus marking the start of a new UFW campaign to unit, organize, and empower farm workers.This reinvigoration of the UFW movement has since si gned up more workers in California as well as Florida and the state of Washington. Since this rejuvenation of membership the UFW, in the early 21st century, has continued to fight for better wages, win better collective bargaining rights, and gain better housing and sanitation for its worker members as well as restrict the use of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and other dangerous pesticides which are commonly used by growers. Cesar Chavez, by his tenacity, drive, and personal efforts, left our world better than he found it, and his legacy inspires us still.He was for his own people, the farm worker, who labored in the fields and yearned for respect and self-sufficiency and who associated themselves and their hopes on this man who, with faith and discipline, soft spoken humility, and amazing inner strength, led a courageous life. Every day in California and in other states where farm workers are organizing, Cesar Chavez lives in their hearts and he lives wherever Americans far m workers, who he inspired, work nonviolently for social change. (www. ufw. org)

Is it valid to make distinctions between ‘high’ and’ low’ or ‘popular art? Essay

What purposes do these categories serve? At one time most people would have understood , when looking at apiece of art, whether to fit it into the category of high or low art. You looked at such things as the quality of the brushwork, the exactness of the representation. Then paint in tubes was invented the mid 19th century and the Impressionists were in the vanguard of almost instant art. They were rejected at first of course, but now seem to be highly acceptable when one considers the prices that might be paid for works by Renoir or Degas – however blurry the outlines. Is abstract art high art? It is a newer form of course and many are still making up their minds about such artists as Jackson Pollack. And where do you fit the works of modern artists such as Tracy Emin. Few would consider graffiti as art, but cities such as Philadelphia are legitimising the work of graffiti artists by spending public money to promote it. Emin’s unmade bed won the Turner prize. Whatever else it did it certainly did what the artist intended – it shocked. Contemporary art such as this draws huge crowds Perhaps the distinction should rather be between good and bad art, good being art that clearly displays whatever it was the artist intended and the bad that which does not. This division would not depend upon techniques used or the insurance value of a piece, but whether it achieves what it was meant to achieve i. e. whether or no the viewer sees what they were intended to see. Art will always provoke reaction. To judge it on grounds of being either ’high’ or low’ smacks somewhat of elitism – an attitude of ‘What we like is better than what you like’. Meanwhile many would just say ‘I know what I like ’ whether that be Gainsborough or Andy Warhol. Electronic Sources Art and the power to shock, Northern Echo, 25th February 2004 http://archive. thisisthenortheast. co. uk/2004/2/25/60621. html retrieved 28th October 2007 Philadelphia Mural Arts Program found at http://www. muralarts. org/about/ retrieved 28th October 2007/.