Wednesday, October 30, 2019
Legal Structure of Business Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Legal Structure of Business - Research Paper Example There is no limit on the amount of stock a C Corporation can generate and there is a limited personal liability for stockholders which are also beneficial. The Internal Revenue Service lists various approaches to the taxation requirements for a C Corporation, part of the benefits of using the C Corporation is that the profit of a corporation is taxed when earned, and taxed to the shareholders when distributed. (Corporations, 2011 p 1) The elements most necessary in a General Corporation or C Corporation are three tiers of power, stockholders, directors and officers. Clear separation of responsibilities and rights for each position, no limit to size, directors run the company, directors are elected by stockholder vote, stockholders own the company, minority stockholders are not responsible for the company (clarify exactly what reflects a minor stockholder) and can be subchapter S if all the qualifications are met. (Incorporating 101, 2011 np) Being a subchapter S is a positive thing f or companies with fewer than 100 stockholders. They are allowed tax relief in the form of avoiding the double taxation that occurs with many public companies. (Subchapter S, 2011 p 1) This means that instead of the taxes being directed at the C Corporation they are directed at the dividends or earnings of the stockholders.
Monday, October 28, 2019
Policy Change Essay Example for Free
Policy Change Essay Health care insurance started gaining popularity in the 1940s, when people and health institutions began to realize that insurance spreads the risk of expensive medical conditions across a large population base. Thus, it prevents personal bankruptcy in case of serious health problems. Health care insurance also makes health care services more accessible to the public. However, as you know, a bigger part of the population remains uninsured, because they are incapable of paying the cost of health care coverage on their own (Brayton Purcell LLP, 2007).            The United States government continuously battles, policy-wise, the problem of high rates of uninsured people. Many efforts to solve this problem through public assistance or welfare approach are yet to find success (Long, Coughlin King, 2005). While I appreciate the fact that your team has successfully lowered the steep uninsurance rates, various states of the Union continue to register high uninsurance rates (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007). Moreover, many of the members our population still depends on out-of-pocket/personal coverage, coverage procured by employers, and public coverage such as the one you provide for their health care needs (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007; Hadley Holahan, 2004).            Noting your history since 1965, it is commendable that you have since been able to meet the needs of countless poor persons and fulfilled the mandate of the U.S. government, by providing coverage to those who are eligible for federally supported, state-run welfare programs (Long, Coughlin King, 2005). I note that that you followed strict federal guidelines that must be observed in order to enable the program to assist families who could not afford the cost of health care insurance (Long, Coughlin King, 2005).            Nevertheless, I am of the opinion that there is still a big gap to be filled, in terms of providing health care coverage to our poor brothers and sisters in our nation. While it is wonderful that Medicaid coverage has increased since 1965, and now includes persons with disabilities, Medicaid is still unable to meet the needs of a large bulk of the population who could not afford to pay for health care services (U.S. Census Bureau, 2007).            Hence, I am appealing to you that you consider expanding your sources of funds, aside from local and federal funding coming from our country, to include those provided by private industries who could afford to give humanitarian support. Moreover, it would be helpful to your cause if you could seek help from international organizations such as the World Health Organization and World Bank for much needed funding. This way, your organization would be better equipped to meet the challenging needs of our poor population.            I hope you would consider my suggestion, and I wish you more power in your noble endeavor. References Brayton Purcell LLP. (2007). Medical Issues Include Uninsured Workers and     Inadequate Health Care. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from    http://www.braytonlaw.com/news/mednews/051404_healthcare.htm Hadley, J. Holahan, J. (2004). The Cost of Care for the Uninsured: What Do We       Spend, Who Pays, and What Would Full Coverage Add to Medical Spending?          The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured. Retrieved October    28, 2007 from http://www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/The-Cost-of-Care-for-the-          Uninsured-What-Do-We-Spend-Who-Pays-and-What-Would-Full-Coverage-     Add-to-Medical-Spending.pdf Long, S. K., Coughlin, T., King, J. (2005). †¨How Well Does Medicaid Work in       Improving Access to Care? †¨Health Services Research 40 (1), 39-58. U.S. Census Bureau. (2007). Historical Health Insurance Tables. Retrieved October       28, 2007, from            http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/historic/hihistt4.html
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Global Health Care Challenges Essay -- World Health Organization, Poor
When analyzing the global health care crisis, one should pay particular attention of the problem from both the macro and micro scale. Overlooking either side of the issue wastes both valuable time and resources during an era that cannot afford such loss. Some argue that health care is a fight that politicians must win to enact change. Others say the crisis is simply another economic matter that will eventually resolve itself under the theories of supply and demand. When we look at these explanations without seriously considering the issues that arise in the microcosm, we expose ourselves to moral hazard. In Banker to the Poor (1), Nobelaureate Muhammad Yunus describes how a great deal of change can result from looking at the problem from a smaller perspective. A Lack of Labor In 2006, the World Health Organization released a report that assessed the global health workforce and concluded that the health care crisis was in part due to the lack of health care workers in many regions around the world. It is important to note that the WHO report defines health workers as individuals who act with the intent of improving health. This means that even a mother caring for a sick child is essentially a health worker. However, the WHO report recognizes the difficulty in drawing accurate conclusions from this broad definition and decided to hone in on two special types of health care workers. An example in the report compares a doctor working for a mining company and a painter working in a hospital. Ultimately, the report concludes that it would be best to count the two as health care workers, the doctor providing direct services and the painter providing indirect services. This definition assumes that without the support of the ... ...ever, even an increase for funds dedicated to health care is insufficient to meet the MDGs. Short-term and long-term plans must be implemented in both the micro and macro scale of the problem to ensure an even distribution of resources. Focused surge of health workers into key regions over time and improved access to information are both powerful solutions that will make all the difference within a few years. As Muhammad Yunus said, â€Å"my greatest challenge has been to change the mindset of people. Mindsets play strange tricks on us. We see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see.†Similarly, a lack of information has given many people certain mindsets that often lead them to become prone to illness. Information is practically free; why not distribute it to those who would benefit from its presence the most and save something as precious as a life.
Thursday, October 24, 2019
From Source to Shore an Amazon Success Story Essay
From Source to Shore An Amazon Success Story By Ankit Shah Amazon is one of the first ventures that set out to tap the potential of web for retail business. It’s hard to believe that a business that started out of founder Jeff Bezos’ garage in 1994 has revenues of over $32 billion today. What is even harder to believe is that the company didn’t make any profit for first 5 years of its conception. Looking back, many leading business analysts see Amazon’s business plan as one of the soundest yet simple business plans, or virtuous cycle as it is more popularly known, of that era. Figure 1: Amazon’s Business Plan. A sharp customer focus was the key take away of the business plan. While the general market trend during the dot com boom was of aggressively fending off competition, Amazon remained faithful towards the simplest principle of the industry, â€Å"It’s a Customer’s Market†. Driven by his will to increase customer satisfaction, Bezos made hefty investments in research and technology which was also new to the market. Consistent upgrades to the web portal made it increasingly easy to use and opened up the market by introducing its customers to products that were not available at a regular retail store. Features like personal recommendations, search inside a book, wish lists were highly customer centric and quickly caught the attention of the e-shoppers. The high variety offered by Amazon enticed even more customers after the features like rating a product, reviews and discussions were added. Figure 2 shows the current customer satisfaction standing of Amazon and its competitors. Figure 2: American Customer Satisfaction Index (Internet Retailers). Feb 2011. Recognizing the importance of the long tail market has also played a part in Amazon’s increasing customer satisfaction scores. Being an online retailer, Amazon has the flexibility to offer obscure products to its customers. The ease of obtaining products and items, which are rarely available at regular stores, is a key USP of Amazon. It is also a major profit maker for Amazon. Figure 3: The Long Tail Phenomenon Consistent high scores on the customer satisfaction index and the sound business strategy reaped its first profit in 2001, by which time Amazon had become a household name. Customer satisfaction is identified as a leading contributor to a company’s profits by many leading industry experts. Figure 4: Contribution of various Business Performance Factors to Shareholder Value ‘Cost of attracting a new customer is almost 4 times the cost of retaining an old one’ is a statistic that is widely accepted in the industry. This translates to huge savings in Figure 5: Reason for customers to stop dealing with vendors operational costs as Amazon stands at over 81 million registered users today. As Amazon concentrated on building deeper customer relationships, it also came up with innovative ways to leverage these relationships to increase sales. Bill me later’ was introduced to increase the buying power of the existing customers. It allowed customers to buy a product instantly but be billed at a later date. Amazon Marketplace is a service that allows users to buy and sell used items. It is also a great example of how Amazon has leveraged its customer relationship to create new opportunities as the success of such a venture depends greatly on the customer relationships. The Brand Value of Amazon has also seen an upward movement similar to the customer satisfaction index. This has also helped Amazon attract more customers and increase its market presence. 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 36 Amazon 65 62 58 43 Brand Index Figure 6: Amazon’s Increasing Brand Value [5] The increasing brand value and the saturating market in United States have urged Amazon to spread into international markets. Amazon began its European expansion by acquiring Bookpages. co. uk in 1997. The international market growth of Amazon has been steadily increasing in the new markets and off late has come at power with the US market in terms of contribution to the revenue stream. Figure 7: International Sales vs US Sales The categorical waterfall approach to international expansion coupled with religious adherence to the customer centric business model is the major contributor to Amazon’s success in international markets. The international expansion time line below shows that Amazon favors American market to introduce its new product lines and features. Also, the American market still remains Amazon’s favorite in terms of wide product line. Figure 8: International Expansion Timeline for Amazon. Amazon is now moving towards establishing itself as a global leader in e-tailing. In keeping with its sound business model, Amazon is still focused towards innovating customer centric features and targeting customer satisfaction as a primary goal. With an increasing presence in international markets, Amazon also faces increasing competition from local e-tailers. Entering a market by acquiring an existing player is a strategy that has worked for Amazon. Country Acquired Year UK Bookpages. co. uk 1998 Germany Telebuch. e in 1998 China Joyo. com 2004 Figure 9: Amazon’s International Acquisitions.  Amazon also offers many country specific features and variations to its product line. This differentiation approach towards international markets plays a key role in building a market value and capturing market share. Country Canada Features †¢ Choice of language between French and English on the web portal. †¢ Canadian website Amazon. ca which is fully managed from the USA and on which Canadian customers can place their orders. To avoid expensive exporting from the USA, Amazon has entered partnerships with publishers and wholesalers from which customers are directly supplied. †¢ Offers a separate UK product selection. †¢ Provision to pay through postal orders. †¢ The German subsidiary is also responsible for serving the Austrian market. †¢ Provision to pay using cheques. †¢ Pays a small fine for ignoring the 5% limit for discount on books. †¢ Reduced its French staff and outsourced some of its administrative functions to the UK. †¢ Used the existing delivery system established by joyo. com instead of nation wide couriers.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
Cell Phone Hazards
One of the most popular innovations in automotive travel in the past decade has nothing to do with the automobile itself, the people who drive them, or the roads over which they operate. Rather, it is the ability to carry on telephone conversations while driving. In today’s society, our technology is more advanced than ever before. Text messaging, like most modern technological devices, has its benefits and drawbacks. One of the most dangerous drawbacks is when people combine text messaging with driving in an automobile. In our society, we’ve all become attached to our cell phones. Cell phones make our lives easier in many ways. For instance, we can check our email, receive phone calls, send text messages, listen to music, and take pictures, all at our fingertips. With this convenience comes a dangerous side to cell phones, and that is when we use them while driving. From the business standpoint, the cell phone may be used to conduct meetings, trade with other businesses, or to exchange vital information. Today’s American culture relies heavily on the use of cell phones. The recent growth of cellular telephone usage is a phenomenon that defies all gender, racial, and age boundaries. Cell phones are more than just the latest electronic gadgets on the market, and in turn may pose hazardous driving conditions when used at inappropriate times. There is danger involved for people who use their cell phones while driving and it is a problem that must be addressed. Over the last few years, many tests have been run to gather statistics and hard evidence on the dangers of talking on a cell phone while driving. One of the major causes of automobile collisions is due to the driver being distracted by something. When someone is really busy or has multiple things to do when behind the wheel, they tend to multi task. They drink coffee, eat, put on make up, text, or talk on their phones while driving. These people are classified as distracted drivers. When driving, it is imperative to be able to look, process information, and react quickly in order to drive safely. According to an article published by the Jackson Advocate, â€Å"talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young drivers reaction time as slow as that of a 70- year old†(Thomas, 22). Young people often complain about older drivers and call them a hazard. Taking into consideration that their cell phone habits makes them equally dangerous, they are being rather hypocritical. Using cell phones distracts drivers, and people have been known to miss turns, run red lights, and even drive off the road when distracted by the text message conversations. For example drivers on the highway that text-message and drive often swerve around the lanes unintentionally. Those who do it on public roads potentially increasing their odds of running traffic lights and signs which leads to jeopardizing others lives. When drivers multi -ask, their attention is being switched between speaking, listening and seeing what is on the road ahead of them. There is substantial evidence that one’s brain cannot process all this information at one time, and pay attention to driving at the same rate that undistracted driver would. A study done by Medical News Today journal, last updated on March 6, 2008, stated that â€Å"there is a 37% decrease in activity in the part of the brain we use to process information and visual signals, which is essential for driving†(Paddock). When using our phones while driving, we become distracted and thus our brains cannot process all the information being accepted at the same time. Drivers are increasing their chances of being in a car accident and placing others lives in danger when talking or sending text-messages while driving. Many of us would agree that using a phone while driving is not worth the risk of ending an innocent life. Driving, while using your phone, is at least as dangerous as drinking and driving. There is a possibility of running someone over or crashing into another vehicle. According to a study by the New England Journal of Medicine, â€Å"at least 1.6 million traffic accidents, which is 28% of all crashes in the United States, are caused by drivers talking or sending messages on their cell phones†(Ship, 22). Putting another’s life at risk is not worth that phone call or replying to that text-message; it can and should wait. Moreover, the cell phone has evolved into an essential tool in everyday life and there are some advantages affiliated with using it. One advantage of having cell phones is that you have access to assistance in emergency situations. For instance, if your car gets stalled on the side of the road, you can use your cell phone to obtain help. But sometimes, with cell phones in many peoples’ hands, we essentially feel as if big brother is watching. If we, as drivers, do anything wrong, someone is going to use their cell phone to call the police. But this should actually be an encouragement for us. With cell phones available at hand, it is definitely a relief to be able to immediately report something that seems unusual or may cause a threat to society or to us. It is important to note that the majority of people who use their cell phones while driving are actually business owners. They use their phones to conduct trade between other businesses, to communicate between employees and other co-workers, and to receive significant information regarding their business everyday. However, according to Wired. com, new findings show that â€Å"having important conversations while driving is not good for the health of a business. It is actually harder to remember information transmitted when driving†(Bower). Even though people are busy and claim to need the time in their car to work, talking on a cell phone while driving is dangerous and ought to be banned. Talking on a cell phone, even when using a hands free device, distracts the driver and makes them a hazard to themselves and others on the road. Some claim that government should not be able to legislate against peoples freedom as United States Citizens should be afforded the right to use cell phones where and when they wish. Although people’s freedoms and rights are important, and are protected under the United States Constitution, people’s individual rights should not outweigh the need for the government to regulate a safe environment. Instead they should regulate when and where cell phones may be permitted. The cell phone has brought with it many conveniences and luxuries. It has definitely made communication much easier. However, when it comes to road safety, the cell phone may be considered a hazard. This is especially true after Short Message Service (text- messaging) was introduced. Unfortunately, the service is so convenient that some people even compose and send text messages anytime and anywhere – while walking, eating, and even while driving. The growing number of accidents caused while texting and driving has made driving conditions dangerous to other drivers out on the road. Driving is an activity that requires full concentration and composing, reading, and sending text messages will compromise a driver's concentration. According to the American Health Association, â€Å"in 2008, approximately 1 in 6 fatal vehicle collisions were caused from a driver being distracted while driving†(Wilson ). When a driver is using their phone while driving, their minds are focused on the message they are reading or composing, rather than on paying close attention to the street. This, of course, prevents the driver from thinking quickly and compromises their reflexes. Chances are, drivers will not be able to react quickly to a situation on the road because their brains cannot handle processing all different types of information sufficiently at one time. The government should pass laws in every state not just in selected ones that ban the use of cell phones while driving to prevent fatal collisions. Cell phones are a life-threatening means of communication while driving. Despite the urgency of any text message, the dangers of texting while driving should be more than enough reason to put off texting.
Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Free Essays on Barco
Since the 1980’s, Barco has focused its efforts upon creating top of the line products exclusively for complementary niche markets in which it can remain among the top three manufacturers. Among its competitors Barco has always maintained a strong research and development program, which has helped it attain a number of international awards, such as the international Emmy Award for its studio monitors in 1988, and have given it a reputation as a technological leader in its field. Barco’s customers are divided primarily between three categories: entertainment (video projectiors), training and presentation (data & graphic projectors), and customized markets (specialized systems). The product segments are divided into three categories: 1) Video projectors capable of displaying television and V.C.R. inputs 2) Data projectors that are capable of displaying computer inputs as well as traditional video inputs and 3) Graphics projectors - which are their premium products capable of displaying graphic laden computer programs such as C.A.D. and C.A.M programs as well as both video and data inputs. The criteria used to evaluate customer satisfaction are picture clarity, scan rate (For data and graphics use), ease of operation and ease of installation. Barco rates very high in picture clarity and scan rate but has received mixed reviews for ease of operation and ease of installation. II. Company/Value Chain Relationships: Barco maintains 45 distributors (four are Barco owned in Belgium, France, United Kingdom and United States), worldwide. Their four owned distributors represent 61% of Barco’s total unit sales. Barco also has a relationship with 400 dealers worldwide. There are two types of dealers, â€Å"box†dealers and system dealers. â€Å"Box†dealers represent roughly 20% of Barco’s dealers, and are those individuals who sell projectors on the basis of cost alone, offering no service. Service dealers repr... Free Essays on Barco Free Essays on Barco Since the 1980’s, Barco has focused its efforts upon creating top of the line products exclusively for complementary niche markets in which it can remain among the top three manufacturers. Among its competitors Barco has always maintained a strong research and development program, which has helped it attain a number of international awards, such as the international Emmy Award for its studio monitors in 1988, and have given it a reputation as a technological leader in its field. Barco’s customers are divided primarily between three categories: entertainment (video projectiors), training and presentation (data & graphic projectors), and customized markets (specialized systems). The product segments are divided into three categories: 1) Video projectors capable of displaying television and V.C.R. inputs 2) Data projectors that are capable of displaying computer inputs as well as traditional video inputs and 3) Graphics projectors - which are their premium products capable of displaying graphic laden computer programs such as C.A.D. and C.A.M programs as well as both video and data inputs. The criteria used to evaluate customer satisfaction are picture clarity, scan rate (For data and graphics use), ease of operation and ease of installation. Barco rates very high in picture clarity and scan rate but has received mixed reviews for ease of operation and ease of installation. II. Company/Value Chain Relationships: Barco maintains 45 distributors (four are Barco owned in Belgium, France, United Kingdom and United States), worldwide. Their four owned distributors represent 61% of Barco’s total unit sales. Barco also has a relationship with 400 dealers worldwide. There are two types of dealers, â€Å"box†dealers and system dealers. â€Å"Box†dealers represent roughly 20% of Barco’s dealers, and are those individuals who sell projectors on the basis of cost alone, offering no service. Service dealers repr...
Monday, October 21, 2019
The Moon essays
The Moon essays The moon is the most noticeable feature in the night sky and it is also the brightest, but it doesnt give off its own light. It is, actually, reflecting the light given off by the sun. Only seven percent of the light from the sun is reflected. Sometimes, the moon appears to change shape, but it is only because the sun is lighting different parts of it. When the moon passes through the earths shadow and the earth comes right between the sun and the full moon, its called a lunar eclipse. This is when the moon is dimmed and it turns in to a dark copper color. When you look at the moon from earth, it looks soft with light and dark shades of blue and gray. The dark parts of the moon are extensive, flat plains that were first observed by Galileo, an Italian scientist. He was the first person to look at the moon through a telescope in 1609. He, perhaps, thought that the plains were water because he called them maria, which is a Latin would that means Seas. Today we have discovered that they are actually huge, deep, holes with edges covered by rock and soil. The word maria appears to imply that there is water on the moon, but we now know that there is none on its surface. Because there is no water on the moon, there cant be any life. Like all planets except earth, the moon has absolutely no known life. There is no water or air and the sky is continually black, but the stars are still visible. At night, the temperature on the surface of the moon becomes colder than any place on the face of the earth, but during the day, the rocks are only a slight bit hotter than that of boiling water. The Moon doesnt have an atmosphere and no fluid water, but now there is evidence that there is ice on the South Pole, which is permanently shaded. There is ice on the North Pole as well. Just like on earth, oxygen is the most abundant element on the moon except its in the form ...
Sunday, October 20, 2019
7 Terms with the Root -Vore
7 Terms with the Root -Vore 7 Terms with the Root â€Å"-Vore†7 Terms with the Root â€Å"-Vore†By Mark Nichol Are you a locavore? Probably not it’s still a fringe movement but you should know what it means, even if you do not consider yourself a member of the class. A discussion of locavore and six related words follows: 1. Locavore The term was coined in 2005 by a group of San Franciscans who launched the website Locavore.com to spread the word about the conservationist concept of striving to restrict one’s diet to foods and ingredients produced locally. (Some locavores quantify the range as anywhere within a one-hundred-mile radius, but most are not exact in their limits.) Locavore is based on other words in which the -vore root appears (the root word is from the Latin term vorare, meaning â€Å"to devour†): 2. Carnivore A carnivore is a person or animal (or a plant) that eats meat; the prefix is from the Latin word for â€Å"flesh.†Other words sharing the root are carnal, meaning â€Å"of the flesh†and connoting sexual matters, and carnage, which comes from the Latin word carnaticum, meaning â€Å"tribute of flesh†and referring originally to the bodies of slain animals or people but now usually referring to slaughter in general. Interestingly, these words are also etymologically related to carnival, which stems from an Italian term, carnelevare, meaning â€Å"removal of meat.†(Carnival referred originally to a celebration before Lent, during a period when Catholics were prohibited from eating meat.) 3. Herbivore An herbivore is an animal that eats vegetable matter; the Latin root from which the prefix herb- and herb and other words based on it are derived, herba, means plant.†Human herbivores are generally referred to as vegetarians; if they refrain from eating anything derived from animals, from dairy products to gelatin, they are called vegans. Terms of further refinement are â€Å"lacto-ovo vegetarian,†for a person who eschews rather than chews meat but does consume milk and eggs (the root lac- means â€Å"milk†seen in lactate and lactic and ovo-, the root of oval, refers to eggs) and â€Å"lacto-ovo-pesco vegetarian,†or, more simply, pescetarian, for one who eats fish but not meat. (The root pesc-, from the Latin term piscis, means â€Å"fish.†) 4. Insectivore This self-explanatory term (insect is from the Latin term insecare, â€Å"to cut into,†and is related to incisive, scissors, and the like) is nearly synonymous with entomophage (from the Latin elements ento-, meaning â€Å"insect,†and -phage, meaning â€Å"eating†), though the latter term primarily refers to human practitioners. 5. Omnivore An omnivore is something that eats both meat and plants (and often fish but not necessarily insects); omni- seen also in omniscient and omnipresent means â€Å"all.†6. Piscivore A piscivore, also called an ichthyophage (ichthy means â€Å"fish†), eats fish, though, like most other groups classified here, the term refers to the primary type of diet and does not imply exclusivity. 7. Voracious Voracious, synonymous with ravenous or insatiable, means â€Å"having a great appetite†or refers to intense greediness or eagerness. The noun form is voracity. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:20 Computer Terms You Should KnowTime Words: Era, Epoch, and Eon10 Types of Hyphenation Errors
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Case Brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Case Brief - Essay Example The franchise agreement consisted of a printed form prepared by respondent, and, with a specific exception for income from property management services, provided in pertinent part as follows: â€Å"Franchise {appellant} agrees to pay†¦ a ‘service fee’ equal to 6 percent of Franchisee’s gross income derived from all transactions for which a real estate license or securities license is required. At the franchise location covered by the agreement, in addition to negotiating real estate sales and purchases for clients, appellant also maintained an escrow department which represented to the public at large that it was operating under a Century 22 franchise. Appellant charged its sellers and buyer separate and distinct fees for escrow services from fees collected on sales commissions. Appellant was not licensed to act as an escrow agent under the general provisions of financial Code section 17000 et seq. (the Escrow Law). However, appellant did act as an escrow agent under an exception to the Escrow Law-- Financial Code section 17006, subdivision (d). The terms of the franchise agreement provided that appellant corporation was to maintain certain prescribed records and reports to respondent those transactions for which a service fee was payable. During the time of the agreement, appellant failed to report any transactions or income received from the operation of its ‘escrow†business. Upon the termination of the franchise agreement, respondent conducted an audit of the books and records of appellant’s franchise. The audit was authorized by the franchise agreement. During the audit, respondent discovered that appellant had not paid a service fee for the income derived from escrow services. Respondent demanded payment from appellant, and from defendant, Nick Rockton. Appellant and defendant Nick Rockton refused to pay since they did not think that the agreement covered income derived from escrow services. This
Good Grief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Good Grief - Essay Example Grief is a process that individuals go through when they lose or realise they are about to lose something or someone they hold dear in life. This could be a spouse, relative, friend, their own life, property, income among others. These situations subject one into a state of disbelief where the individuals are unable to concentrate in their lives as they used to before as they preoccupy their thoughts with the loss they have suffered. The model’s stages sequence as follows denial stage, anger stage, bargaining, depression stage and the final one of acceptance (O’Rourke 2010). The model can also be used to interpret and come up with explanations for the tendencies associated with people going through rather mild situations than death for example break-up of a relationship, bankruptcy, relocation and many others. This is because these situations are similar in nature in that they all revolve around the loss of something or someone which one has a big attachment with. The s tages as described in KÃ ¼bler-ross’s book of 1969, On Death and Dying, are quite important to many who are grieving. They explain the various processes that one goes through and the reasons for that happening at a certain stage in life and not in another. The big question that seeks to be answered is whether there is really a better way to be bereaved and this is quite well illustrated in this lady’s work. To bereaved is quite a natural process that befalls many and that it is important for one to go through some experiences for them to harden and face life as it is and is supposed to be here on earth. Death in particular of a close person is quite heartening and it makes one to go through a process of grief that at times may not come to an end no matter how they try. The person leaving their loved ones is also at a bad state knowing that they shall leave them behind and takes all the time they have remaining in trying to interact with them so as to
Friday, October 18, 2019
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics - Essay Example He asserts that what we require, in order to live well, is maximum appreciation of the manner in which such goods as pleasure, friendship, virtue, wealth, and honor match together as a whole. In order to apply that general comprehension to particular situations, we must acquire, through significant habits and upbringing, the ability to view each occasion, which course of behavior or action is best backed by reason. Thus, practical wisdom and knowledge as Aristotle understands it, cannot be acquired by solely learning general rules. Human beings must acquire them through practice, social and emotional skills that ensure that we put our general comprehension of well being into practice in manners that are suitable to each occasion or situation. In his book 9 chapter eight, Aristotle explores the necessity of friendship in life of human beings. He argues that some people believe that when fortune is kind to them, they do not see the need of having friends, which according to Aristotle i s irrational thinking that expresses human selfishness. It is a disputed case whether a happy man requires friends or not. It is argued that those who are supremely self-sufficient and happy have no need of having friends for they posses things that are good and therefore being happy and self sufficient they need nothing further. On the other hand, a friend is another self which man is unable to provide by his own efforts. Aristotle argued that it seems weird when one gives all good things to a happy and self-sufficient man, not to give friends, who are viewed as the greatest of external goods. And if it is more plausible of a friend to do well by another person or man than to be well done by, and to bestow rewards is a characteristic of the good man and of virtue and it is rational and nobler to do well by friends than by unknown individuals or strangers. Therefore, the good man will need people for them to prosper and do well in their lives. This situation propels us to ask whethe r we need, friends in adversity or for success/prosperity, on the assumption that a man in adversity requires people to give rewards on him, and those who are successful need people to be more successful than they are. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics tries to explain the system of principles contained in men and how they affect the society. A dynamic debate arises with a question of whether a man has a duty to love oneself most or someone else. People criticizes those who are most lovers of themselves by calling them self-lovers and tend to consider good men who act for honor’s sake, friend’s sake and endures his own interest. But facts conflicts with these arguments where it is said by men that, one should love best one’s best friend of which man in this case, is his own best friend and ought to love himself more. It is suggested that, possibly if those self-lover would act justly and temperately in assigning themselves the great share of wealth, bodily p leasures and integrity, then no one would blame them. Such people would therefore differentiate themselves from other self-lovers by striving towards what is noble and straining to do noblest deeds. This suggestion therefore, shows that a good man ought to be a lover of self. A complex question is moved to a
What are the three best critical questions that one can bring to the Essay
What are the three best critical questions that one can bring to the study of the international relations of china - Essay Example ieves, it has tried to grow in reference to its historyand this has impacted positively towards its international and domestic affairs and finally maintaining respecting its legacy of irredentism. Being the world’s oldest culture, Chinese culture has perceived a dominant coverage in a large geographical region in eastern Asia with customs and traditions varying greatly between provinces, cities, and even towns. Literature, music, visual arts, maritalarts, cuisine and religion makes the important components of the culture.The Culture covers large geographical territories in china; usuallyeach region isdivided into distinct sub-cultures and represented by three ancestral items. A good example is Guangdong represented by chenpi, aged ginger and hay. These distinctions give rise to the old Chinese proverb: â€Å"Shà lÇ bà ¹tà ³ng fÄ“ng, bÇŽi lÇ bà ¹tà ³ng sà ºÃ¢â‚¬ literally "the wind varies within ten li, customs vary within a hundred li." In relation to the marital art, Chinese marital arts are collectively given the name kung fu,Kung to mean "achievement" or "merit", and (fu) "man", thus "human achievement"). The first generation of art started mor e for the purpose of survival and warfare than art. Over time, some art forms have branched off, while others have retained a distinct Chinese flavor. Regardless, China has produced some of the most renowned martial artists for example wong Fei Hung. Chinese civilization originated in various regional centers along both the Yellow River and the Yangtze River valleys in the Neolithic era, but the Yellow River is said to be the cradle of Chinese civilization. With thousands of years of continuous history, China is one of the worlds oldest civilizations. For instance, the yellow played a number of roles: to start with, according to the Chinese culture, Family is seen to be very important. The authority of the family belongs to the father. The father always arranges the marriages for his daughters, controls the amount of
Thursday, October 17, 2019
Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Linguistics - Essay Example bserves that the human body and brain are built in such a way as to make language an inborn quality, and something which just comes naturally because of the physical way humans are made. A second theory, which we could call the â€Å"social†theory, looks at the interactions between human beings, and incidentally also animals, and suggests that language is an advanced form of a cognitive/behavioural process. In order to determine how appropriate these two theories are in explaining the origins of language, it is important to look for evidence which supports either of these views, or evidence which suggests some other explanation. When one considers the physical equipment that was needed for humans to begin speaking to each other, it is clear that there is a complicated mouth structure which can make sounds using air coming up from the lungs and friction or stops using lips, teeth, and tongue. Very similar physical attributes are present in quite a number of animals, including parrots and other birds which can mimic the human voice very closely. This is not true language use, however, because birds cannot hold a real conversation, beyond just repeating phrases they have learned to imitate. The sounds that speaking birds make are empty of meaning, and so they are just empty signs. This means that they can produce The great apes have more idea of what language is, and a few have even been taught to communicate true lexical units and sentences through sign language even though they lack the physical equipment to make sounds that approximate human speech. The utterances that apes make among themselves may be a very rudimentary form of language but there is not the range of sound possibility that humans have. Apes have not developed sign language on their own, even though they have demonstrated the capability to learn it. These two examples of talking birds and signing apes show that partial language abilities are present in animals but that only a specific
Business Strategy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Business Strategy - Research Paper Example The paper assesses the company strategy employed at Techno Electronics Ltd during its ten year tenure in business as well as providing recommendations for realizing further success in the international market. Techno Electronics Ltd’s strategies of product innovation and product development are employed via the R&D team which has been spearheading the series production of quality products produced over the past years. At Techno Electronics Ltd, large sums are invested into the manufacturing and R&D team in order to enhance the company’s manufacturing set up, economic sourcing and prototyping of components, product design and development, lean production as well as its total quality management in order to timely deliver quality products as per the customers specifications and or needs (Singer, 2008). The company’s long existence in the market is an indicator of the success of the employed strategies. Techno Electronics Ltd has been able to survive the tough and speedy growing world of technology. According to Kaplan and Norton (2008), the use of advanced technology in the production phase can increase the company’s productivity as well as reduce the cost of production. In addition, Porter (2008) suggests that the human resource strategies the company should take into consideration should involve training of employees in order to increase productivity and gain global competitive advantage as well as cut on the high cost of hiring labor. Other strategies include international marketing communication to market the products as well as build the company’s brand image in the international market (Kà ¶ksal and Ãâ€"zgà ¼l, 2007). Pricing strategies involving high product pricing should be employed to tone down the high production cost. With the continued growth in the use of social networks, the company should use these services as marketing tools for expanding into fre sh markets. Furthermore, online marketing helps build the
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Linguistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Linguistics - Essay Example bserves that the human body and brain are built in such a way as to make language an inborn quality, and something which just comes naturally because of the physical way humans are made. A second theory, which we could call the â€Å"social†theory, looks at the interactions between human beings, and incidentally also animals, and suggests that language is an advanced form of a cognitive/behavioural process. In order to determine how appropriate these two theories are in explaining the origins of language, it is important to look for evidence which supports either of these views, or evidence which suggests some other explanation. When one considers the physical equipment that was needed for humans to begin speaking to each other, it is clear that there is a complicated mouth structure which can make sounds using air coming up from the lungs and friction or stops using lips, teeth, and tongue. Very similar physical attributes are present in quite a number of animals, including parrots and other birds which can mimic the human voice very closely. This is not true language use, however, because birds cannot hold a real conversation, beyond just repeating phrases they have learned to imitate. The sounds that speaking birds make are empty of meaning, and so they are just empty signs. This means that they can produce The great apes have more idea of what language is, and a few have even been taught to communicate true lexical units and sentences through sign language even though they lack the physical equipment to make sounds that approximate human speech. The utterances that apes make among themselves may be a very rudimentary form of language but there is not the range of sound possibility that humans have. Apes have not developed sign language on their own, even though they have demonstrated the capability to learn it. These two examples of talking birds and signing apes show that partial language abilities are present in animals but that only a specific
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
Development and Diversity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Development and Diversity - Essay Example Later Thorndike added to the Pavlov’s theory by incorporating the idea of learning occurring when there was a â€Å"bond†between the stimuli and the response (Standridge, 2002). For Thorndike, the learner’s behavior could be adjusted by the presence of strong connections between the stimuli and response. B.F. Skinner added operant conditioning to the milieu and he established the concepts of reward and punishment. Rewards or praise connoted positive reinforcement. This type of reinforcement produced the necessary connections between the stimuli and response as posited by Thorndike. Likewise, punishment was considered to be negative reinforcement which causes the learner to reduce the inappropriate behavior. Skinner believed that although reinforcement increases learning, reinforcement that is given on an irregular basis allows the learning to be added to the long-term memory. Skinner’s operant conditioning was followed by Watson and eventually Guthrie est ablished his â€Å"contiguity (simultaneity of stimulus and response events)†theory (Lefrancois as cited in Standridge 2002). The behaviorist theorists all concluded that behavior could be changed through classical conditioning. In particular, behaviorist theorists combine reward and punishment in order to change the behavior of individuals. Thus, within a classroom setting, rewards and punishment are two dimensions of the behaviorist theory that still have great impact on the day to day operation of the classroom. Firstly, teachers can adopt the strategies to change the behavior of a disruptive student to more appropriate behavior. For example, if a student is continuously shouting across the classroom to other students then the teacher may choose either of two options. One, the teacher may use a simple praise tactic such as smiling with the student when he/she remains quiet in the seat or openly praising the behavior when it occurs. Secondly, the teacher may apply the nega tive reinforcement of ignoring the behavior providing that it does not cause damage to the said student or anyone else within the classroom. In ignoring the behavior the teacher does not give the student the attention that is craved by the student. In addition, the teacher may provide rewards on a minute basis such as praising the student whenever the teacher catches the student displaying the appropriate behavior. This act of rewarding appropriate behavior and negatively reinforcing inappropriate behavior is one example of learning for the behaviorists. In spite of these advantages to the classroom, the behaviorist theory has drawbacks to its use within the classroom setting. Firstly, Standridge (2002) suggests that behaviorists explore the observable behavior of individuals therefore the internal workings such as thought patterns, feelings and emotions are not included in the idea of behaviorism. Further, behaviorism considers learning that takes place due to the interaction of re inforcement and punishment but no consideration is given to behaviors that occur outside of these two elements. Moreover, Piaget suggests that individuals learn through adaption of new information into their schema. The behaviorist th
Monday, October 14, 2019
Religious Traditions and History Essay Example for Free
Religious Traditions and History Essay Polytheism, the belief in many gods, is perhaps the oldest known religion. The best known example is the Greek/Roman mythology, which included Zeus, Apollo, and Aphrodite, among others. One trait that is true of most Polytheistic sects is that there is a god that is above all others. â€Å"All African religions are monolithic in the sense that there is a single High God, who is said to be the creator of the world, and of mankind, and a central source of order and of whoever sense is to be found. †Another example would be Zeus. Most ancient societies believed in gods that were in charge of specific areas, such as rain, fertility, and a god of nature. These types of societies cooperate with nature. This doesn’t mean that all Polytheistic societies revered the natural world. The Romans exploited the natural resources of their surroundings. One common thread in most of these societies is that, compared to other religions, Polytheism is much more tolerant with the individual. Hinduism and Polytheism Hinduism is a religion founded in India around 1000 B.C. The religions practice a form of Polytheism. This religion doesn’t believe in one form of a god. They believe in the authority of the Vedas and Brahmans. These fundamental beliefs differentiate Hinduism from monotheistic, believing in one god, and most of the world’s major religions. There are many different gods in the Hindu religion. The most common are Ganesha, Shiva, Hanuman, Durga, and Lakshmi. What developed was a caste or class system called ‘varnas’. The different castes were assigned a task that was fitting for their class. â€Å"The expansion of towns brought about an increase in the number of artisans who were organized in guilds (shreni).†This system was good for commercial activities. The main goals of Hinduism are life-affirming goals of Dharma (virtue), Artha (success) and Kama (pleasure), while the life-negating goal is that of moksha (release). All except moksha can be done in any part of a person’s life. Confucianism and Buddhism People think that Confucianism and Buddhism are one and the same. Confucianism, which originated in China, teaches honesty, kindness, respect the earth, and good moral character. Confucius had a distain about gods and spirits and preferred to try to understand man. â€Å"Confucius (the Master) is more correctly Kong Qiu or Kong Fuzi (551-479 B.C.). He was the founder of a way of life, philosophy, or religion named Confucianism after a Latinized form of the founders name.†Buddhism, which started at about the same time as Confucianism, was started by Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha. Buddha, which means â€Å"the enlightened one†, which was the name he received from his followers. Buddhism is different from Confucianism in that it didn’t teach about the family or rituals of this world, rather it taught enlightenment which leads to nirvana. There are eight awarenesses of enlightenments. â€Å"Freedom From Desire, Satisfaction, Serenity, Meticulous Effort, Correct Remembrance, Samadhi, Wisdom, and avoiding idle talk.†The Chinese during this time asked the Buddhist monks, why do you not marry? Their answer was â€Å"Wives, children, and property are the luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction are the wonders of the Way.†The Buddhist’s wanted was to live a simple life and reach enlightenment and thus nirvana. Christianity Christianity is a salvation religion. Christians and Buddhists turned to the idea of salvation around the same time. Salvation means escape your earthly bonds. If you don’t follow a righteous path, meaning free of sin, then you are destined to be cast into the pit of darkness, otherwise known as hell. The new testament of the bible is what guides these true believers. The Catholics say, for instance, that if you sin and repent by going to confession your sins will be forgiven. This is the only way to ensure that the soul is clean. The idea of all Christian orthodoxy is that they follow the teachings of Christ, which has many different interpretations. Thus it follows that when you die you will go to heaven. Some believe that the Earth is 6000 years old and believe that the bible is literally god’s word. They refuse to believe in science, saying that it’s flawed in some way. Others believe that the Earth is indeed older than 6000 years. These Christians believe that the bible is a parable, teaching them how to live everyday life as a Christian. Modern orthodoxy believes that Christian’s are observers of nature, rather than one with the Earth. Religion, Science and Nature Religion has a profound imprint on our natural surroundings. In general, the Eastern and most Polytheistic religions are more reverential toward nature. The Western religions tend to abuse nature. The invention of the plow is a prime example. The West thinks of it as a means to increase the food supply and disregards the environmental impact. The East and the Polytheist refer to it as â€Å"Mother Earth†and treat her much more delicately. The contrast between the two couldn’t be more stark. The East will try to balance their needs with nature. The West uses nature and sometimes destroys parts of it. The idea that we are separate from nature is a Western ideal. The East, in general, believes that we are one with nature and must take care of it. Science in the West was not in tune with medieval orthodoxy. It was interested in facts. The Eastern philosophy used science with a spiritual twist. Fang Yizhi observed of western science, â€Å"use a variety of techniques for swift computations, but they are still out of touch with general principles.†They used the mind and not the natural world. Summary There are many different religions that teach many different methods of how to live your life while on this world. Most worship one god, monotheistic, others worship many gods. Polytheists, which literally mean many gods, roots are seen in Greek/Roman mythology. Buddhism believes that there is no god, just a path to enlightenment. Once they’ve reached enlightenment, they’ve achieved nirvana. Confucianism and Buddhism are from China, but have very different belief systems. â€Å"Confucianism is perhaps best understood as an all-encompassing humanism that neither denies nor slights Heaven.†They believe that they are one with nature. Christians recognize only one god. They are labeled as a salvation religion. They hope to be able to break the bonds of this Earth by living a relatively good life with the reward being heaven. If you don’t accept Jesus into your life, you are destined to eternity in hell. It’s safe to say that the world’s religions have varied belief systems. Some believe in the after-life, while others believe that feel that we are Earth bound only. Most of the world believes in a single god. Polytheism and Hinduism say that there are many gods. They differ from Eastern religions in that they see themselves as observers rather than one with the Earth. The East and West see nature differently. While the West observe nature, the East embraces the idea of being part of nature. This is a very fundamental philosophy that can’t be overstated. The bottom line is that there are almost as many belief systems as there are people on Earth. It includes, but not only, monetary considerations, faith, and devotion. The only ones that know what’s going on, assuming there is an after-life, are the dead and buried. Citations The West and the World, A History of Civilization, From the Ancient World to 1700, Kevin Reilly, 95 2 The West and the World, A History of Civilization, From the Ancient World to 1700, Kevin Reilly, 334 3 The West and the World, A History of Civilization, From the Ancient World to 1700, Kevin Reilly, 146 4 http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/china/f/022808Confucius.htm 5 http://buddhism.about.com/od/basicbuddhistteachings/tp/awarenesses.htm 6 The West and the World, A History of Civilization, From the Ancient World to 1700, Kevin Reilly, 103 7 Kevin Reilly, The West World: A History Of Civilization from the Ancient World to 1700, Page 349 8 http://www.religionfacts.com/a-z-religion-index/confucianism.htm
Sunday, October 13, 2019
The Impact Of African Dance
The Impact Of African Dance This study aims at pointing out one of the upcoming dances with its origin from Africa which is becoming very popular within its short time of invention. In an attempt to do this, this study will be looking at Roland Barthes arguments on Semiology and Structuralism within the language system and its relation to modern dance. The specific objectives of this study are to determine the level of popularity of Azonto dance and its relating music genre amongst other nationals from other parts of the world, to find out whether Azonto dance has any effect on peoples dancing styles, to find out the level of acceptance of Azonto dance and music to people from different ethnic and national backgrounds, and to identify the way in which people understand the gestures and signs associated to this dance. Dance in Africa is a holistic part of society. It is not truncated or separated as an entity in and of itself. Dance is used to facilitate all phenomena in most African societies (Welsh, 2004:14). The African dance has a lot of variation in terms of the various cultures on the continent as well as the different musical and movement styles which goes along with them. Every dance has its own style and movement which reflects the culture of a particular group or ethnic setting in way. Most of these dances are very communicative and this resemblance is evident in a lot of the dancing styles on the African continent. There are countless dance forms that identify the numerous ethnic groups and cultural differences in styles of the Ghanaian people (wikipaedia). African dances are largely participatory, with spectators being part of the performance. With the exception of some spiritual, religious or initiation dances, there are traditionally no barriers between dancers and onlookers. Even ri tual dances often have a time when spectators participate (Welsh, 2004). Ghana has a lot of traditional dances like the Adowa, Kpanlogo, Agbadza and Damba which are primarily performed as ceremonial dances. There have also been other popular and more contemporary dances like moon walk, slide, creep walk, etc in the past few years. Unlike the traditional dances whose motives are to tell a story or express some idea or emotion, most popular dances in Ghana are performed for fun as social interactions, especially among the youth. However, one particular popular dance which seems to have defied the odds of modern dance in Ghana is the Azonto. This African dance form incorporates complex co-ordinates body movement and non-verbal communication in a rhythmic fashion in very few one-two timed steps. Just like most African dances, knee bending and hip movements are rudiments to dancing it. The dance involves movements of the feet, knees, hands, and hips in rhythmic fashions which can actually be coordinated in a style to communicate a message. Generally, the dance reflects the creativity, intelligence, and rich sense of humour of the Ghanaian people. Background of Study According to Welsh (2004), no dance form is permanent, definitive, or ultimate. Change occurs, but the basic rudiments of dance remains the same. Dance is for all people. One need only recall that dance needs neither common race nor common language for communication; it has been a universal means of communication forever. The dance, which is usually performed with an accompanying smile, evolved from the combination of several local dance moves that originated from Ghana during the early 2000s. There are different stories about the origins of Azonto and its subsequent popularity. One story about the Azonto dance has it that it started somewhere in Bukom, Chorkor and James Town (all being suburbs in Accra) where it was first called Apaa (work for pay). It was a form of dance that represented movement activities like ironing, boxing, driving, washing etc. Another source of information has it that the term Azonto was first used by students of the Senior Secondary Schools to mean life (or the hardships of life abraabo) (ModernGhana.com). Features of the Kpanlogo dance, the traditional dance of the Gas, can also be seen in the Azonto. The same goes for the Gawu dance, an adopted dance of the Ewe but originally from Togo. The dance has evolved with the fast pace dance culture of modern West Africa. The dance was made popular by the Ghanaian football star, Asamoah Gyan in his goal scoring celebrations for his club and for the Black Stars (the senior national football team of Ghana), especially during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa (ibid). Currently, the dance is continuously evolving with complex dance styles and movements. The latest dance craze has become so popular that it now dictates the rhythm of hip-life music (which is a contemporary genre of music in Ghana which fuses the traditional hi-life music with the modern hip-hop music). The commercialization of this dance has made Hip-life musicians include Azonto in their music lyrics and video clips. The dance is very popular among the youth and can be performed by anyone regardless of gender or ethnicity. With traditional dance facing serious threats of decline especially among the youth, Azonto represents a combination of modern and traditional elements. Azonto epitomizes Ghanas ingenuity and originality through the spirit of dance (World Press). It primarily embodies sociability and socializing. It was stated on ModernGhana.com that the dance is spreading fast in the USA, U.K and other parts of the world with large populations of Ghanaians. Even Prince Williams is said to have deeply fallen in love with Azonto and he dances it at any opportunity he gets (Source). Ghanas Azonto dance been rated as one of the top 10 African dances to have gained global stature either recently or, in the case of Soukous, in the last 40 years (MyWeku). The Azonto dance has threatened to eclipse the success of some of Ghanas famous exports like cocoa, gold and its exciting brand of football. The Azonto is still going strong, and was last seen on Londons Oxford Street (ModernGhana.com). Methodology A qualitative research approach is proposed for this study. Primary data would be used for the purpose of this study through interviewing which would be designed in the light of the objectives of the study. This research will be a qualitative research. Scholarly works of other field of study that will be useful to this research will be used. Print and electronic works such as newspapers, articles and journals will also be used. I also will adopt the use of a case study, although due to the nature of the research, I will not be administering a questionnaire but would conduct conducting an interview, I will strictly base my arguments on past works and use real life examples to achieve my aim and purpose of the study. The sample of the study covers African students currently studying in Cyprus International University. This sample of 20 students where 10 males and 10 females (50% male and 50% female) would be selected purposively from African students with different nationalities. Respondents opinion regarding the effect of African dance and the popularity of Azonto would be collected through the interaction and interviewing session. Dance and Semiology Most of the students were identified as music and art lovers because they all stated their passion for the love and interest in such art. They had all come in contact with different forms of dance styles especially those from their communities and cultures. They stated a common characteristic of African dance being full of energy, interesting, communicative and full of life. Some also thought of African dance as a way of identifying a particular culture. Some students also saw some of the indigenous African dance as being passionate and addictive especially with the tunes that went along with them. They believed dance in general is never full without the presence of a form of music to go along with it, thus, they go side-by-side. We can relate dance as a language from the perspective of Roland Barthes who describes language as a system of signs that expresses ideas, and is therefore comparable to a system of writing, the alphabet of deaf mutes, symbolic rites, polite formulas, military signals, etc. He calls this semiology. Azonto is a communicative dance which is full of signs and symbols, and involves a lot of communication between the dancers and the audience. Barthes states that signs and codes are meant to be historically and culturally specific. If you relate this Barthes concept of sign, and the concept of semiology to dance, you will realise that dance is not a universal language. That there are hidden signs which must be understood in order for a spectator to fully understand a particular dance movement. Azonto as a dance has its origin from some indigenous Ghanaian dances like Kpanlogo (a traditional dance of the Gas) and Gawu dance (an adopted dance of the Ewes). Though the Azonto dance is more of a fusion of other contemporary dance elements, it still has its roots from very indigenous dances from the Ghanaian culture. All these traditional dances involve symbols and signs made by the dancers. Roland Barthes goes on further to argue that material reality can never be taken for granted. It is always constructed and made intelligible to human understanding by culturally specific systems of meaning. These codes and signs are not universally given, but are historically and socially specific to the particular interests and purposes which lie behind them. Azonto as a contemporary dance involves a lot of movements and communication through the use of gestures and hand signs. For instance, a dancer could be making dance movements and at the same time trying to draw the shape of a heart with his/her fingers. This shape could be translated into several meanings depending on the background or culture of the observer. One could just interpret it as a shape of a heart whiles another would interpret it as a sign of love or a way of telling the observer that he/she has a kind heart. So we realize that a sign or symbol may not have the same meaning to the observer upon seeing it. Fernando de Saussure argues that it is not possible to understand individual linguistic signs in a piecemeal, ad hoc or empiricist fashion. He goes on further to say that they have, rather, to be explained by showing how they fit together as arbitrary signs in an internally coherent system or structure of rules and conventions. These signs cease to be arbitrary and become meaningful once they are located within the general structure of the language. Barthes notes that any semiology postulates a relation between two terms, a signifier and a signified a distinction elaborated by Saussure. There is also another term in this, the sign itself (be it linguistic or mythological), which contains the signifier and the signified, in the case of the actions and gestures made by the dancer and the observer who would be in the position to interpret these actions. Strinati (2004; 224) stated that the rise of modern mass communications, and the associated proliferation of popular media culture, therefore become central to the explanatory framework of postmodern theory. What is inferred from this is that the mass media have become so significant for communication and information flows within and between modern societies (and consequently the popular culture they broadcast and promote increasingly defines and channels everyday life in these societies) that they, along with consumerism, have given rise to the characteristic features of postmodernism. We realized that the advent of television and other tools communication tools like the radio has been aiding tools for the popularization of this particular kind of dance. Most of the students either had first contact with the Azonto dance via internet on YouTube, or on television and/or musical videos. We realize that the advent of technology has helped in the awareness and advertisement of this kind of dance across the continent and beyond. This is a reflection of modernity and post modernity in our current cultural set ups. Since the Azonto dance is originally from Ghana, technology has played a very important role in the awareness and public knowledge of this dance. Most individuals across the world heard or saw this dance through mediums like the internet and television. A lot of these enthusiasts learnt their basic steps through these same channels without going to the dances place of origin. Roland Barthes goes on further to say that meaning is not something which is given or which can be taken for granted. It is manufactured out of historically shifting systems of codes, conventions and signs. We realized that the various dance symbols associated to Azonto had its origin from other indigenous dances. This new dance has metamorphosized into a dance where by the dancer can express him/herself freely with personal gestures. Its a dance which has no particular pattern with the exception of fusing some basic dance steps to distinguish it from other emerging dances. Strinati (2004: 101) stated that cultural meanings are not universal, nor are they divorced from the social conditions in which they are to be found. Rather, they present themselves as universal when they are really historically and socially fixed. Conclusion Dance, in general, reflect the way of life of a group of people. It is an essential part of culture. It could carry a message through its gestures as well as it being a medium of communication. More recently, there has been an influx of different dancing styles and patterns which are contemporary forms of ancient and traditional dances from all over the world. The beauty of it all is how individuals embrace these various dance patterns into their own way of dance movements. Africa is the second largest continent in the world and it has a very large number of people who also reflects its pure culture and heritage. Among such traditions of the people on this continent is the uniqueness of every tribe or ethnic groupings own practices. Dancing has been a way of life for almost all these cultures and it is part and parcel of these people. Azonto dance from Ghana is no exception in this context. The dance is quite new and its spreading like wild fire on the world stage where this dance is gaining popularity every minute with the help of the internet especially on YouTube. It has become one of the biggest things to come out of Ghana in which most music lovers and dance enthusiasts identify this country with. It isnt shocking to find yourself nodding your head or tapping your feet to tunes of Azonto or falling in love with the unique movements by its dancers. One easily falls in love with the dance upon seeing it. The dance is one of the easiest to learn and its so unique that you can incorporate your own movements to suit yourself. Azonto is an expressive dance. This means you can tell a story, show your emotions and personalize it. So an individual doesnt have to be afraid to do crazy things with it. Even though you can do this dance with almost any song (well, except classical music), it helps the dancer a lot if he o r she is dancing to a high-tempo up-beat like Afrobeat tunes, pop music or a typical Azonto tune. Dance can be used as a tool to get people closer and also can help in relating to people more easily because they share something common. They have something that can be easily identified with even though they may be coming from different backgrounds or settings. Therefore we dont have to speak the same language or come from the same place before we can get along with others, but tools like dance can be a very effective medium through which people can take away all barriers and make them feel as one because most of the actions of dance is universal and can make people share a common feeling or mentality. A world renowned dancer, writer and scholar in the field of Dance and Black Studies by name Dr. Kariamu Welsh when asked about the future of Africa/Back dance and the direction she saw it moving in the future, she stated that Black Dance will take many directions. As a genre, it will continue to self reflect and redefine itself but it will remain an artistic and creative force for many of us. Black Dance is ancient and it has many stories to tell. These stories will take the form of narratives, abstract works, improvisations, neo-traditional dances, slamming, jamming and other forms that have yet to be imagined. The beauty of Black Dance is that it is a place where new and innovative movements are born. Those creative sparks influence many people and every once in a while they actually inspire a revolution (Glocke, 2011: 263)
Saturday, October 12, 2019
Abortion Choices :: Essays Papers
Abortion Choices Driving up to the clinic where I worked I did not expect what I saw. There were several protestors outside picketing and shouting their beliefs about rights and murder at me. I opened the door to see a teenage girl standing in panic and fear. She cried, â€Å"I’m only a child myself!†I walked into my room and was preparing to help this young teenage girl when I heard a loud sound and I felt heat coming from the front of the clinic. I ran out front to realize that the clinic had been bombed. If only I didn’t have a controversial job, then there wouldn’t be so many deaths. Abortion is a controversial and political issue that is widely debated. Abortion is a public health problem that affects the entire globe. Since Christianity was established and the Ancient Romans ruled, the concept of abortion was known. However, abortion was not used since the expected age of death for four out of 100 people was 50 years of age. At the time of the Catholic Churches Inquisition, extreme punishment was enforced for the mothers and midwives who aborted babies. These women were thought to be witches. At this time abortion was wrong for a person and also the society in which they lived. Now abortion is legal, but still has affects the entire world. Abortion has become such a large issue over the years that some individual and right to life groups find it necessary to bomb clinics, killing those who perform the abortion procedures (Correa). Abortion is used to save lives in the 189 countries of the 193 countries to save women’s lives. At rates that are 20 times what the United States has registered are the countries of Peru, Dominican Republic and Chile. Material deaths reached 78,000 for unsafe abortions between the years of 1995 and 2000. Complications due to abortion, kills one in eight women. Abortion does not just affect mothers, it affects the entire world. The process of having a child can easily be controlled through the use of birth control and condoms.
Friday, October 11, 2019
Abigail in Act One Essay
Act One. Discuss in detail how you would direct either Reverend Parris or Abigail in Act One. Refer to voice, movement, gesture and facial expression in your essay; explore the relationship between your chosen character and the others on stage, commenting on their symbolic representation within the play. Arthur Miller was born in New York in 1915 and brought up in the Brooklin area. He won an award for his first play called ‘the grass still grows. ‘ His first real success was with a play called ‘All my sons’ then went on to write a play called ‘Death of a Salesman, which was also a big success. Miller later wrote ‘The Crucible’ in 1953, which was a mixed success. In 1997, He wrote the screenplay of ‘the crucible,’ which starred Daniel Day Lewis, and Winona Rider. McCarthyism had the power to investigate any person or movement who threatened the safety of America. The activities of this committee were linked in Miller’s mind with witchcraft trials, which had taken place two hundred years before. This inspired him to write ‘the crucible’ The people of Salem believed in witchcraft and the devil and believed that the Bible had told them that witches must be hanged. Betty Parris, the daughter of the minister, started to act like a child possessed. In the seventeenth-century the only explanation was that they were possessed by the devil. Salem is a new and very small community, very close-knit and very protective against anything unusual or strange happenings. For many years, Salem village tried to gain independence from Salem town. Salem village did not have it’s own church and minister until 1674. Salem village selected Reverend Parris as their new minister. Parris was a strict puritan, who set lots of rules, including no dancing. I have chosen to direct Abigail Williams in this scene. When Abigail first enters this scene, the first words spoken to her are ‘Oh? Let her come, let her come. ‘ Which are said by Parris. Abigail would lean out the door in a laid-back manor, then would tell Susanna, a nervous, hurried girl who was sent by doctor Griggs, and is a bit younger than Abigail, to come in. She should say this in quite a loud voice to show that she is confident, and telling Susanna what to do, as Abigail is older then her so will look down on her. She would also have here hand reaching out to Susanna, as another gesture to tell her to ‘come in’ When Susanna turns to go, Abigail eagerly tells her to ‘speak nothin’ of it in the village’ Her face expression would be a slightly worried look because she doesn’t want to be accused for making Betty ill, or having anything to witchcraft or the devil.
Thursday, October 10, 2019
The Relationship of a Foster Child and the Social Worker
The relationship between a social worker and the children they represent in the foster care system evolves many different emotional connections. Social workers provide counseling and direction to people in crisis. Their clients may vary from the young and older unemployed to young children who are in need of foster homes right on down to the elderly people who have no one to care for them to provide for them or even someone to love them. They try to better the clients by helping them obtain government funds, education, and other treatments if needed. Social workers have many techniques for solving problems. Casework requires meetings with individuals and families. They may counsel young people whose parents have died or families who have lost all their possessions in floods or other disasters. Group work brings together people who have problems in common, such as mothers who are not married. Social workers help them solve those problems through deep conversation and well-planned activities. Community organization work usually has specific goals such as finding jobs for idle high school students and so on. In supporting my thesis I plan to highlight different situations that bring about many different emotions from both the child and the social worker. The reason that so many foster children feel the need to fight for power and control stems from what is for all intents and purposes their trying to live for or through others. The lack of known self drives the attribution of one's own attitudes, feelings, or suppositions to others that blur the boundaries between where a known self would end and others begin. Without personal boundaries the foster children often end up feeling helpless when they relate to others because essentially they aspect everything about how they feel and what they think is taking place in others. The power and control relationships a foster child and a social worker share are self explanatory. The child has been beaten badly by his or her mother. It is in the social workers power to go and remove this child from this abusive situation. This then shows the child that this person is now in control of my life, they are the ones who will save me from being harmed ever again by my mother or anyone else for that matter. Showing the child you as the social worker have the power and the control will allow the child to be able to call you and tell you if anything else may happen in their new foster home or even back at home.
Farm Girl
Christina Anderson Mr. Kingsley Eng105 1 February 2012 Life Lessons from the Farm Jessica Hemauer’s essay, â€Å"Farm Girl,†tells her life story of living on a farm through her eyes as ten-year-old child to the time of her early adulthood. The purpose of this piece is to teach the importance of life's responsibilities to children, mainly female, and young adults who may not be familiar with the challenges life can bring and to promote the benefits you can gain by overcoming those obstacles.Hemauer uses pathos, which appeals to emotion, logos, designed to engage our logic, and ethos, to prove its credibility, to convey that though growing up on a family farm was a struggle day-to-day, it was valuable life lesson because it shaped her into the well-rounded and hard working person she is today. The essay opens with Hemauer’s with the immediate use of pathos to capture the audience’s emotions and to gain their sympathy towards Jessica. This is seen in the fir st sentence, when she is begrudgingly awakened by her alarm clock, â€Å"BEEP!BEEP! BEEP! It’s 5:00 a. m. My eyes are heavy with sleep and struggle to open†(83). Hemauer uses specific words to achieve ethos, such as, â€Å"heavy†and â€Å"struggle†to convey that, at age ten, she was already faced with tremendous responsibility and commitment everyday, when she heard the sound of her alarm clock. The use of â€Å"5:00 a. m. †also is used to attain sympathy because, in most cases, five in the morning would bring about a sense of disdain at any age, which can then relate back to Hemauer’s audience.Hemauer wants the young readers to attain that sympathy while reading the story so that they may reflect on their own lives and recognize the privileges they have, such as, not having to wake up at five in the morning everyday, and be grateful for them. Hamauer continues with her use of pathos to awaken the readers of the true struggle and difficul ty that is attached to being a young person with responsibilities. While walking down the stairs, in a sleepy daze, to get to the barn, Jessica is startled awake when the door opens to, â€Å"a brisk and bitter wind accompanied by icy snowflakes that feel like needles digging into our faces†(83).The language that Hemauer uses in this citation, specifically, â€Å"bitter,†â€Å"icy,†and â€Å"needles digging into,†evokes complete sympathy for this young girl. It also affects the audience with a twinge of pain due to the imagery describing the bitter cold and the fact that she must endure it. Jessica Hemauer is able to appeal to both pathos and logos in her writing as well. This is shown after the children reach the barn and begin to work on their chores. Jessica’s job is to feed the newborn calves, she indicates, â€Å"Because I am the youngest in the family, this is my favorite chore because I rarely have a chance to look after someone†¦Ã¢ € (84).The sense of pathos is obtained in this quotation because Hemauer uses certain words, such as, â€Å"favorite chore†and â€Å"rarely†to attain sympathy from the reader, by portraying that she was deprived and that she seeked enjoyment from her â€Å"favorite chore. †For a child or young adult who does not have day to day responsibilities, such as chores, they would view this with a sense of gratitude for the lifestyle that they have. This statement also gives a sense of logos because it is a cause and effect situation.Hemauer states that because she is the youngest, she rarely has the chance to look after others. This would make sense to Hemauer audience do to their age demographic. The young readers could view themselves in a similar situation by not be trusted with great responsibility due to their age. Though Jessica Hemauer appeals to pathos in her writing, she also addresses logos as well. For example, when Jessica considers being more involved in her school she realizes there is no possible way, by stating, â€Å"If I join a club that practices after school, I can’t participate.If I join a club that meets before school, I can’t attend meetings†(85). Hemauer uses logos in this specific case to clearly address the predicament that Jessica struggles with when it comes to responsibility and personal preference. This may be difficult for her audience to understand because, most likely, children or young adults that have had the privilege of growing up without having to make these sorts of decisions could not relate. Most often then not, the only thing that children have is free time.This further proves the author’s purpose for this essay because it demonstrates to children or young adults with less responsibility that, when it comes down to it, you will have to make the sacrifice of what you want for the responsibilities that you already have. Furthermore, Hemauer uses logos later in her essay, to explain some of the benefits of having a large amount of responsibility at such a young age. This is shown when she is reflecting on her past experiences and how they have helped her today, by saying, â€Å"I have always had a challenging amount of responsibility, and I have learned to complete tasks in a timely fashion†(86).The audience will view this as a challenge and a possible goal to set for themselves by seeing her accomplishments due to her initial struggle, further proving the author’s purpose for this piece. This aids to Hemauer’s ethos as well because she is proof, as an author, as to how time management and responsibility has shaped and benefited her. Hemauer’s â€Å"Farm Girl†is a reputable source for ethos due to the fact that it is an autobiographical essay. Hemauer is telling the audience the story of her memoir based true occurrences that happened in her life on her family farm.These events describe the endeavors she faced and the accomplishments she obtained due to the effort that she put forth everyday from a young age till now, as a successful author. Though the target audience for this piece may experience difficulty relating specifically to certain events, such as, walking a half a mile in a blizzard to reach barn to milk cows, they understand what it is like to be a child and what they desire. They know from reading â€Å"Farm Girl†that Hemauer did not always enjoy life on the farm but in the end, it made her a stronger person.Hemauer truly practices what she preaches, which demonstrates a great source of trust and ethos towards her readers. Jessica Hemauer displays ethos within â€Å"Farm Girl†as well by showing credible and believable sources within the story. An example of this can be found at the end of the essay, when Jessica’s Boss is paying her a compliment by asking where he can find more people like herself; her response is, â€Å"Try hiring some farm girls. I hear they turn out pretty good†(87). Within this statement, the audience can come to the conclusion that Jessica Hemauer’s work shows good example of ethos due to the inclusion of the bosses’ question.The ethos that forms from that statement is telling the audience that due to the fact that she is a hardworking, determined, and successful worker, she did not need to tell us that she is good; she can have the support of others to tell her she is instead. In conclusion, Jessica Hemauer’s essay, â€Å"Farm Girl,†is an inspiration towards those who may not be burden by great responsibility at a young age. Hemauer achieves this through her use of pathos, by indicating her past struggles through a sense of sympathy, and by doing so, she is able to reach out to the audience.The author was a success through her indication of logos by presenting her logical analysis towards Jessica’s time management predicament. Lastly, Hemauer not only indicated the use of e thos with her essay, by giving the audience a credible source to trust, being an autobiographical piece, but the audience knows that the essay is credible and believable due to the examples she presents within the essay. The combination of these three elements makes â€Å"Farm Girl†an influential essay that teaches the lesson that hard work really does pay off in the end.
Wednesday, October 9, 2019
Postmodern at The Truman Show Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words
Postmodern at The Truman Show - Essay Example A tool by which to analyse The Truman Show is irony. What this means essentially is that the levels of meaning intersect only through the audience, because the levels of meaning are all contained in one artistic work but can only be dissected by the audience, who connect with the artist through the work. It is irrelevant which medium the work is in for it to be ironic and in fact the term post-modern essentially means only that it comes in the period after the modern. The audience and the artist have become familiar to such a degree that levels of meaning can be understood by one another without explicit definition or formulation, with shifting definitions and formulations seeming to be more of a conversation. We must use irony so that the conversation can be analysed. Much of the conversation is mediated by Christof, the character who created the Truman Show, who directs from the Lunar Room. Christof may be seen as a form of alter ego for Truman, because whereas Truman believes that he is leading his own life, in reality he is being led by Christof. The Lunar Room is a command post through which all the characters in Truman's world - Seahaven Island - walk on their ironic way from an ever intruding, yet supervening, reality. "It's a life", says Christof, about Truman in the opening sequence in the Lunar Room, although we are not given to understand whether he is referring to himself or to Truman. He speaks with a self-reflexivity, using the collective pronoun "we", but we - as the audience - do not know for sure whether Christof regards himself as the "we", because Christof is an actor in a movie. Perhaps the contextualising of the film means that the real irony lays in the fact that Peter Weir is Christof and Christof is Weir. Such appropriation of identity never really leaves us throughout the movie. Each character in the movie has multiple characteristics. For example, Meryl who plays Truman's wife speaks rapturously: MERYL Well, I mean, there is no--there is no difference between a private life and a public life. My--my life is my life, is The Truman Show. The Truman Show is...a lifestyle. It's a noble life. It is...a truly blessed life. The post-modern characteristic is that Meryl's life is not her life at all, it is not The Truman Show; it is neither public, nor private. This aesthetic denies that it is aesthetic through repetition and irony - note the repetition of "there is no", "my - my", "The Truman Show". What Weir's script and the magnificent acting of Laura Linney - as Hannah Gill, as Meryl Burbank - has achieved is to erase the lines between fantasy and reality; however we need a point of contact with the movie. It becomes essential for us to identify with Truman Burbank. There is a very neutral aesthetic running throughout The Truman Show whose purpose is to draw as many of the audience as possible into the drama. Along with the controlled action, which many audience members will be able to identify with, Truman works in the seemingly ubiquitous corporate world: TRUMAN (to mirror cam) I'm not going to make it. You're going to have to go on without me. No way,
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Dance teaching statement Personal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Dance teaching - Personal Statement Example Neither does it purely encompass the sheer emotion obtained therein. It is more than just that. Dancing shapes one’s identity and personality and in essence, their destinies too. It leaves one completely transformed in a way that they will view certain important aspects of life in a different light that can only serve to advance them to better grounds and fortune. The process of learning dance itself is an unceasing activity that ensues throughout one’s life. It is therefore the work of the dance teacher to elicit this deep lifelong passion and determination in the students so that to the learner, dancing becomes a way of life and a vital necessity as taking breath. To achieve this desire in students, proper, endearing and encouraging communication with the students is inevitable and extremely relevant. As a dance teacher, I must strive first and foremost to evoke this deep connection in the students with the art of dance so that they can do their best without any coercion or feeling of duty. My students must enjoy dance and use the skills in every aspects of their livelihoods. It becomes ingrained into who they are and an effortless means of communication. I have learned and partaken of dancing for a period of two decades now. In addition to this, I have enrolled and completed courses in modern dancing in college for a period of four years. During this time, I have learnt a lot of modern dance techniques and can comfortably teach numerous arts such as the ballet with a modern touch to it. I want to teach solid and professional level ballet technique. My goal is to teach the importance of hard work in whatever aspects of life one is faced with through dance – be it in careers, studies, relationships, leadership, entrepreneurship, and so on. Dancing is life. The learning process and the practice of dancing are rich in information, solid
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