Saturday, December 28, 2019

Invisible, Invisible Man, By Ralph Ellison - 1994 Words

Invisible Race and Gender in Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison In Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, the unnamed narrator shows us through the use motifs and symbols how racism and sexism negatively affect the social class and individual identity of the oppressed people. Throughout the novel, the African American narrator tells us the story of his journey to find success in life which is sabotaged by the white-dominated society in which he lives in. Along his journey, we are also shown how the patriarchy oppresses all of the women in the novel through the narrator’s encounters with them. One of the major motifs in Invisible Man is blindness. The first time we’re shown blindness in the novel is at the battle royal. The blindfolds that all of the contestants wear symbolize how the black society is blind to the way white society is still belittling them, despite the abolishment of slavery. When he arrives at the battle, the narrator says â€Å"I was told that since I was to be there anyway I might as well take part in the battle royal to be fought by some of my schoolmates as part of the entertainment† (Ellison 17). Although, the white men asked him to come to the battle royal in order to deliver his graduation speech, they force him to participate in the battle royal, where the white men make young black men fight each other as a form of entertainment for them. When the black men put their blindfolds on to fight in this battle, they are blind, both figuratively and literally. They canShow MoreRelatedInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1366 Words   |  6 Page sfighter left standing, amidst unbridled carnage. The titular narrator of Ralph Ellison s novel Invisible Man, is no stranger to those experiences. In the beginning, he is forced to fight several other black boxers for the amusement of many heckling, white spectators. Through the imaginative use of objects, symbols, allusions, and the actions, thoughts, and purposes of the spectators, pugilists and risquà © entertainment, Ellison seeks to express a powerful image of American race relations and womenRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison909 Words   |  4 PagesInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a novel which embodies the universal theme of self-discovery, of the search to figure out who one truly is in life which we all are embarked upon. Throughout the text, the narrator is constantly wondering about who he really is, and evaluating the different identities which he assumes for himself. He progresses from being a hopeful student with a bright future to being just another poor bl ack laborer in New Your City to being a fairly well off spokesperson for aRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison3051 Words   |  13 Pagesportrayed through the narrator’s, the invisible man, journey through life. The problems with society are foreshadowed by the racism and the symbols of the color white presented in the paint plant. â€Å"The Invisible Man† by Ralph Ellison depicts the African Americans struggle to be viewed as an equal member of society through the narrators struggles through life to discover his individuality or place in society while the white man or the community conspires to â€Å"keep the black man down†. The story follows theRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison Essay2164 Words   |  9 Pagestrying to rebel against the status quo. Protest literature emerged from the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920’s to 1930’s. Protest literature is used to address real socio-political issues and express objections against them . In his novel, The Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison exposes the racism in society by focusing on the culture, in regards to the expected assimilation of African Americans and how the time period largely influenced the mistreatment of the African American population. He also uses symbolsRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1032 Words   |  5 Pageslike modern society some people leads, and others will follow. Subjects will conditionally generate their own ideas and realize these ideas rather than just be assigned tasks that question their beliefs. The author Ralph Ellison illustrates it best. Ellison’s realistic fiction Invisible Man perpetuates the manifestation of manipulation over the minorities in this society. As the narrator embraces every identity he has been given, he starts to become more independent, and a leader in his community. Read MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1277 Words   |  6 PagesInvisible Man, by Ralph Ellison, is a story about a young African Ameri can man whose color renders him invisible. The theme of racism as a hurdle to individual identity is present throughout the story in a variety of examples. From the beginning of the novel the theme of identity is evident as the narrator states, â€Å"All my life I had been looking for something, and everywhere I turned someone tried to tell me what I was† (Ellison, p. 1254). In the midst of living in a racist American society the speakersRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1246 Words   |  5 Pagesauthor of Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison, was born March 1st, 1914, and died April 16, 1994. He was born in Oklahoma City and named after Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous journalist and poet. When Ellison was 3, his father died of a work-related accident, leaving his mother to care for him and his younger brother. As a young boy, he always wanted to major in music, and he went to Tuskegee University to become a composer and performer of music. The summer before his senior year in co llege, Ellison went toRead MoreThe Invisible Man By Ralph Ellison977 Words   |  4 PagesBook Review: Invisible Man Invisible Man is an American Literature novel published by Ralph Ellison in 1952. The novel traces the experiences of a young college black man growing up in Harlem, New York. Attempting to succeed in a predominantly white society, the narrator encounters shocks and disillusionments from being expelled from college to hiding in an underground hole to protect himself from the people above. He lives a repressed life as an â€Å"Invisible Man† for he believes that society ignoresRead MoreThe Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison2489 Words   |  10 Pagesâ€Å"I AM AN invisible man.† A story of obstacles of durable struggle, but hope, and everlasting search for voice in a narrow-minded society; The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison depicts the dehumanization and feeling of being ostracized in society, of one man. Imagine a time when everyone you encounter have a racial thought or credibility toward your own races, never considering the fact that who you are as a person does not m atter worth a dime. You are better determines on shade of your skin which hideRead MoreInvisible Man By Ralph Ellison1668 Words   |  7 Pages09/30/15 Not Exactly a Fun Ride Upon an initial surface reading of page 158 of Ralph Ellison’s 1952 novel Invisible Man, one could be lead to believe that it was simply a crowded subway and Invisible Man was simply pressed up against a lady who does not take good care of herself. However, if one were to read this much more closely and actually figure out the context presented in this passage, one could see that Invisible Man is being held against his will by circumstances surrounding his race (African-American)

Thursday, December 19, 2019

International Differences Of Well Being - 1005 Words

As I continued my research, Ruut Veenhoven stated this question in Chapter 11 of the book International Differences of Well-Being—the discussions centers on whether happiness is similar for all humans or rather something that varies across cultures (328). This question interests me, because it is a question that I think is very important. We all have a wide range of different priorities and values. First, he chooses to define happiness: I use the word ‘happiness for a subjective state of mind, which I define as the overall appreciation of one s life-as-a-whole. Happiness is the ‘sum of pleasures and pains . Happiness in this sense is synonymous with ‘life satisfaction and ‘subjective well-being (Veenhoven 329). Veenhoven, then, breaks up the questions How universal is happiness into sub-questions because it is too broad to answer. Veenhoven says that, although the mood is something we are aware of it is mostly not in the foreground of our consciousne ss. It is still assessable, and we can estimate how well we feel most of the time, unlike babies. Overall, Veenhoven finds that the circumstances of being happy seem to be the same across the world and so are the consequences of enjoying life or not (329). Veenhoven s use of surveys and statistics makes his research believable to his audience. He shows that being happy is not complicated, and most people know whether they are happy with life or not. I think if we looked at the specifics of what made us happy,Show MoreRelatedDomestic And International Asian Students1039 Words   |  5 PagesTable 3 shows that no significant difference was observed between the overall scores of adjustment in domestic and international Asian students. This finding is different from previous studies that showed East Asian students to have difficulty understanding the academic content resulting in poor adjustment success (Lee, Farruggia, Brown, 2013). To test our main hypothesis, JASP was used to generate data through descriptive statistics, ANOVA and further post hoc analyses. Initially, we genera tedRead MoreInternational Human Resource Management : Understanding The Cultural Environment1257 Words   |  6 Pagesmore critical for international Human Resource Management: understanding the cultural environment or understanding the political and legal environment? Why? Include key terms and concepts from the textbook. While there are many various global issues that affect the International Human Resource Management to run efficiently, there are two key concepts that play a major role in understanding how to approach them with cohesive and a well coherent strategy; they are the International Human RecourseRead MoreHow Globalization Has A Impact On Cultures1544 Words   |  7 Pagespractices, ways of being, rituals, the way of dressing and behavior standards are topics within the culture of a specific society. In many cultures, globalization and consumption are two very identical phenomena. Globalization is undoubtedly a phenomenon of our time, which has great influence in many aspects on which the various contemporary societies develop. Globalization has a great impact on cultures. During my visit to a regular supermarket store and to an international supermarket, the sociologicalRead MoreMcdonald s The International Market Essay1567 Words   |  7 PagesNowadays, we can see that there are so many companies that have grown globally and being so successful in the international market. What makes most of the companies can be as successful as today was not just only because of their products’ reputation, but also about how can those companies develop themselves by internationalized the companies in the international market. One example of a successful company that we can use in this case is McDonald’s, which people can find this fast food company aroundRead MoreWhy culture is important in doing international business?1513 Words   |  7 Pagesglobalization of markets rapidly increases, many companies are finding international expansion a necessity of competition. The world is greatly affected by this movement towards a global market, and many companies are finding it extremely important to adapt to other cultures. The most considerable obstructions to successful international marketing involve misinterpretations and contrary views resulting from cultural dif ferences. Being both aware of some of these issues and prepared to make the necessaryRead MoreA Brief Note On Cross Cultural Communication And Understanding Cultural Differences1625 Words   |  7 Pagescross-cultural communication and understanding cultural differences is becoming more crucial in today’s society. Technology is advancing in a rapid pace and is allowing more opportunities in migration therefore existing countries has never had so much to do with each other until today. As a result of becoming inter-connected, global business is progressing rapidly. Majority of countries are participating in global business transactions, international alliances and multinational joint ventures. HoweverRead MoreInternational Students Face Three Principle Challenges1298 Words   |  6 PagesPaper 2 Nowadays, an increasing number of international students come to the State to pursue higher degrees. International students contribute significantly to the diversity of the campus, as well as helping to increase schools’ funding. However, lots of international students have to experience a tough period in the State, due to culture difference and the language barrier. People might notice that most of the international students are shy and don’t talk too much in the class. But peopleRead MoreInternational Marketing Global Marketing1340 Words   |  6 PagesGlobal Marketing – International Marketing 1. Introduction Steve Carter defines the term of marketing as â€Å"the process of building lasting relationships through planning, executing and controlling the conception, pricing, promotion and distribution of ideas, goods and services to create mutual exchange that satisfy individual and organisational needs and objectives.† To start with a generally known fact, each firm uses its own type of marketing strategy. Therefore, companies in different countriesRead MoreThe European Migrant Crisis : Understanding A Historical Anomaly1562 Words   |  7 Pageswhat is being called the ‘European Migrant Crisis’ and has drawn attention and the concern of the international community. In spite of the majority of Syrian refugees remaining in the region (in either Turkey, Lebanon or Jordan) the arrival of over 700,000 refugees in Europe has tested the limitations of political infrastructure in the face of development and human rights issues. In this paper I will argue that the historical, geographic, political, cultural, social and economic differences betweenRead MoreStudent Office Should Be An Inclusive And Welcoming Community Essay1431 Words   |  6 Pagespeople from all kinds of background. International students play a prominent role in the diversity of the community. Walking in the street of campu s, I find individuals who are Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Mexican, African American, Muslim, Caucasian and much more. In fact, I do not even know the racial identity of some students I met. Although, at a quick glance, the community seem well diverse, however, there are still barriers that prevent the community from being inclusive and welcoming for everyone

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Intangible Assets for Trademarks and Business Methodologies

Question: Write about theIntangible Assets for Trademarks and Business Methodologies. Answer: Intangible assets are something that does not possess physical characteristics. Patents, copyrights, trademarks, business methodologies and other such corporate intellectual properties are considered as intangible assets. Intangible assets are further classified as indefinite or definite assets. For example, the brand name of a company is referred to as indefinite intangible assets as its existence is dependent on the operation of the company (Biondi and Lapsley 2014). On the other hand, if the same company goes in an agreement with another company without any extension, then it becomes a definite asset. As the name suggests, the intangible assets do not have any kind of physical value of such as factory or equipment but they tend to be valuable for a firm and liable for the success or failure. For example, the brand name of Nestle is not a physical asset but its business has become successful due to the recognition of its brand name. Although an intangible asset, brand name has a bi g impact on the sale and profit of Nestle since their establishment. However, if a business creates intangible assets then they do not need to write that on income tax return but if they attain it then the cost will be considered as capital expense (Castilla-Polo and Gallardo-Vzquez 2016). For this essay, it will need to be considered if the intangibles pass the definition and recognition tests. Assets are the expenditures which are made with an aim of gaining profits and cash flows in future. It is not difficult to differentiate between tangible and intangible assets. Tangible assets are inventories, land and buildings and intangible assets are investments, cash, etc. the assets which are obtained from outside the firm normally have individual costs and distinct benefits. But difficulty can arise while accounting such assets. Certain costs involved tend to have inconsistent approaches for recording, amortizing and revaluing of the assets. The internally generated intangibles are those that are developed within the firm but they face recognition problems (Christensen and Nikolaev 2013). They are developed in the internal structure of the firm, once ignored, is not given proper recognition when it comes to the financial statements. This negligence is due to the lack of connection between the costs and future revenue. Moreover, the issue in directing costs or value of intangibles and preference of reliability over relevance while discussing asset information demonstrates that self- developed intangibles are not generally recognized. Although the intangible assets existed long ago, but they were not identified and remained unknown until the creation of value (Crema and Nosella 2014). The controversial topic in the contemporary intellectual property right is the amount to which property rights conception, developed with the association of land and other such tangible products which can be approved to various forms of property as in, the rights in the spectrum and in copyrights or patents. In this essay, it can be explained that if the variations in the minimum duration of copyrights and patents are considered, then the leave of the basic property outset from the tangible to intangible assets should be encouraged (Kanodia and Sapra 2016). There are few instances, in which the concepts of property rights which are applicable to land can function better for intangible assets because of the complications in the designing of land- based system. If the patent has a short life span then it is an absolute necessity to make rules for handling the restraints on the time- to- time amendment. There are different e- commerce businesses which have limited the accessibility of i njunction to secure the select rights of patent use. It can be noted that the restrictions on right of alienation in the spectrum leads to key social loss, just like the use of patent exhaustion rule in the licensing of intellectual property (Lim, Macias and Moeller 2016). The Australian equivalent standard is AASB 138 Intangible Assets which is applicable to the following Australian interpretations- Interpretation 12 Service Concession Arrangements, Interpretation 129 Service Concession Arrangements and Interpretation 132 Intangible Assets- Web Site Costs. Development refers to the knowledge and findings about research are applied for planning and designing of innovative devices, systems, products and processes before its utilization (Madhani 2015). Identifiability of intangible assets are met when they are being capable of separation or division from their originality and sold, licensed, rented, transferred or exchanged with a similar contract, asset or liability. These arise from the legal and contractual rights whether they can be moveable or divisible from their originality or from other privileges and obligation. Intangible asset is such an identifiable non- fiscal asset which lacks any kind of material substance. It requires research of the orig inal and properly designed investigation which is carried out with the vision of achieving modern logical and technical knowledge and perceptive. If the intangible assets are separately acquired then the cost will comprise of the purchasing price and other prices which directly attribute to preparation of assets for proposed use (Nakamura 2015). In accounting, the convention of conservatism which can also be referred to as the doctrine of prudence is a policy or procedure of predicting the feasible loss in the future but not the gain. This particular policy has a tendency to devalue and not overemphasize net earnings and resources which ultimately leads the companies to safeguard them. This principle includes a general theory of identifying the expenses and responsibilities as quickly as possible, especially when there is no assurance about the after effect but only requires recognition of revenues and assets only after receiving assurance. There is also conservatism constraint which means that when doubt arises, information should be reported which neither devalue the profits and possessions nor overestimate the operating cost and liability (Osinski et al. 2017). It comes into use when all the other concepts, principles, theories and presumptions do not succeed in providing the accountant with guidance. It is the final stag e of guidance for the accountant. It cannot be applied in those situations where no doubt is present about accurate accounting of asset or expense. For example, if there is doubt regarding the value of inventory, it is preferred to use a low market cost (Saunders and Brynjolfsson 2015). Fig- R D and economic growth Source- (Shalev, Zhang and Zhang 2013) Most of the developed countries these days support their financial growth on the making and use of knowledge. Knowledge has become the prime creator of competitive advantage for the companies and countries on a global market. Studying of knowledge as the main determinant of fiscal growth exists in the new growth theory. This theory has two of the most important criteria, endogenous growth models and evolutionary approach to delivering the composite of industrial change as a foundation of economic growth (Sinclair and Keller 2014). The common link is the attempt to derive a proper solution to the problem of what are the main drivers of complex technological changes. Endogenous growth models are based on the research and development, R D, following the creation of organized knowledge in generating financial growth. The base of these approaches is dependent on the idea of creative destruction. Perception motivates the individuals to involve in the R D activities so that extra profit c an be ensured. Earlier, the economic recession had a contribution towards the appearance and dissemination of evolutionary and institutional trends in financially viable theory. It has given rise to a notion that R D is important but not potent enough to develop technological change (Su and Wells 2015). IAS 38 Intangible Assets outline the accounting requirements of the intangible non- financial assets which are deficit in physical substance and easily recognizable. These are the assets which can meet the significant identification factors and are primarily calculated at cost by means of the revaluation model and amortized on an orderly basis over the useful lives. It was revised in March 2004 which is applicable to all the intangible assets acquired through business combinations or for the annual period held after March 2004. The objective of IAS 38 is to list the accounting treatment for intangible assets which do not deal with IFRS (Taylor, Richardson and Lanis 2015). It is required to set a standard of entity for recognizing the intangible asset if the specific conditions are fulfilled. It also denotes how to evaluate the carrying amount of intangible assets and demands some disclosures about intangible assets. The exception in IAS 38 are financial assets, exploration and evalua tion assets, expenditure on the extraction and development of resources, intangible assets of insurance companies and the intangible assets of other IFRS which are held for sale, lease assets, deferred tax assets, assets coming from employee benefits and goodwill. Under IFRSs, paragraph 21 of IAS 38 declares that intangible assets which are developed from within will be identified only the criteria are fulfilled (Teece 2015). If it is plausible that the assumed future benefits are attributable to the asset will flow to the unit and if the cost of asset can be measured with reliability. Under paragraph 63 of IAS 38, certain internally created intangible assets like mast heads, brands, customer lists and publishing titles are not identified as intangible assets if they are not purchased externally or obtained in a business combination. These assets are classified as being incurred in the phase of research or development because all research phase costs are expensed as incurred. Under paragraph 56 of IAS 38, the examples of research expense activities include those that are aimed at attaining new knowledge; the thirst for analysis and the ultimate selection of applications related to findings of research and other knowledge; the quest for alterna tives for the products, processes, services, systems, materials and devices; the formulation, estimation, plan and the ultimate selection of the available alternatives for the innovative materials, services, products, systems, devices and processes (Vetoshkina and Tukhvatullin 2014). If the entity is unable to indicate the phase in which the costs were incurred, it should be treated as if the expenses were incurred in the research phase of the project. Accounting for intangible products has become significant in the recent years because of the change in business environment. Their prime objective is to list down the accounting treatment which is not given specific attention in other accounting. The intangible assets accounting is the need of an enterprise to identify intangible assets if some of the conditions are fulfilled. Accounting Standard AS 26 which was developed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India deals with the intangible assets (Osinski et al. 2017). It should be applied by all the enterprises in accounting for intangible assets excluding those that are covered in other accounting standard such as non regenerative resources, financial asset, and the assets arriving from the policy holders in insurance companies. According to AS 26, intangible assets are recognizable non- financial assets without materialistic substances held for the use in supply and production of goods and services, for the purpose of rent and other administrative purposes. Monetary assets in AS 26 are the assets received on determinable amounts which do not satisfy the definition of intangible assets, the acquired expenditure or the expense when it is incurred (Su and Wells 2015). Intangibles are not something different from other non- economic assets because they are anticipated to promote the owner ahead of the existing working series of industry. Unlike other non- monetary assets, intangible assets do not exist physically as tangible products. These are the assets which cannot be seen, touched or felt; neither do they have any volume but hold the right to future benefits. Intangible assets are non- physical and non- current, provide future benefits but have a high degree of uncertainty about the value of future benefits. There are some intangibles which can be associated to the development and manufacturing of products while there are others which can be associated with the creation and maintenance of the product demand. Patents and copyrights reflect the former but trades and trademarks reflect the latter. Goodwill reflects both and represents valuations which cannot be assumed and not easy to relate to the revenue of specific period. Reference Biondi, L. and Lapsley, I., 2014. Accounting, transparency and governance: the heritage assets problem.Qualitative Research in Accounting Management,11(2), pp.146-164. Castilla-Polo, F. and Gallardo-Vzquez, D., 2016. The main topics of research on disclosures of intangible assets: a critical review.Accounting, Auditing Accountability Journal,29(2), pp.323-356. Christensen, H.B. and Nikolaev, V.V., 2013. Does fair value accounting for non-financial assets pass the market test?.Review of Accounting Studies,18(3), pp.734-775. Crema, M. and Nosella, A., 2014. Intangible assets management and evaluation: Evidence from SMEs.Engineering Management Journal,26(1), pp.8-20. Kanodia, C. and Sapra, H., 2016. A real effects perspective to accounting measurement and disclosure: Implications and insights for future research.Journal of Accounting Research,54(2), pp.623-676. Lim, S.C., Macias, A.J. and Moeller, T., 2016. Intangible assets and capital structure. Madhani, P.M., 2015. A Study on the Corporate Governance and Disclosure Practices of Tangible Assets and Intangible Assets-Dominated Firms and Their Relationship.Browser Download This Paper. Nakamura, L.I., 2015. Advertising, intangible assets, and unpriced entertainment. InIntangibles, Market Failure and Innovation Performance(pp. 11-26). Springer International Publishing. Osinski, M., Osinski, M., Selig, P.M., Selig, P.M., Matos, F., Matos, F., Roman, D.J. and Roman, D.J., 2017. Methods of evaluation of intangible assets and intellectual capital.Journal of Intellectual Capital,18(3), pp.470-485. Saunders, A. and Brynjolfsson, E., 2015. Valuing IT-related intangible assets. Shalev, R.O.N., Zhang, I.X. and Zhang, Y., 2013. CEO compensation and fair value accounting: Evidence from purchase price allocation.Journal of Accounting Research,51(4), pp.819-854. Sinclair, R.N. and Keller, K.L., 2014. A case for brands as assets: Acquired and internally developed.Journal of Brand Management,21(4), pp.286-302. Su, W.H. and Wells, P., 2015. The association of identifiable intangible assets acquired and recognised in business acquisitions with postacquisition firm performance.Accounting Finance,55(4), pp.1171-1199. Taylor, G., Richardson, G. and Lanis, R., 2015. Multinationality, tax havens, intangible assets, and transfer pricing aggressiveness: An empirical analysis.Journal of International Accounting Research,14(1), pp.25-57. Teece, D.J., 2015. Intangible assets and a theory of heterogeneous firms. InIntangibles, Market Failure and Innovation Performance(pp. 217-239). Springer International Publishing. Vetoshkina, E.Y. and Tukhvatullin, R.S., 2014. The problem of accounting for the costs incurred after the initial recognition of an intangible asset.Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences,5(24), p.52.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

Review of Auror’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty Essay Example

Review of Auror’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty Essay Name: Lecturer: Course: Date: We will write a custom essay sample on Review of Auror’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Review of Auror’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Review of Auror’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Review of Aurora’s Wedding from Sleeping Beauty Aurora’s wedding from the sleeping beauty was the third act directed and performed by several people including Sergei Diaghilev[1], a Russian ballet impresario as well as a founder of the Ballets Russes dance[2]. The single act play was first performed in Paris in 1922. The prior performance of the whole ballet was done in London in 1921. The one performed in Paris is confined to the last part of the whole ballet. It is about the marriage feast for Aurora, the princesses and her prince. The dances are performed by the guests, with some of them being nobles and several fairies. Some of the fairy tales included is such as the White Cat, Puss in Boots, the wolf, the Little Red Riding Hood and the Bluebird who came to join the awakened princess. The princess also danced with her prince, Florestan. Although the act is set on a story, its musical content is the most important here considering it is supposed to be a ballet. Other aspects such as the choreography and the design enhanc e in giving meaning to the whole wet, as well as the visual arts used. Although the production is dated back to the 1920s, it evokes a strong visual theme of the time that is enhanced by the combination of all its aspects. Diaghilev took the ballet to Europe under the name of The Sleeping Princess with his then established company, Ballets Russes in London. It was planned to run for six months and have alternations of Russian soloists. The production was quite opulent using sets of costumes designed by Leon Bakst. However, due to low turn out, the production had to stop after about 115 shows since the company was out of funds. At this time, Diaghilev had already entered into a contract to take the ballet to Paris. He left London with a huge debt, and the costumes were sequestered. Thus, he could only do the last act of the ballet, which is the wedding part. Additionally his dancers were on a leave since he had no money to pay. Therefore, he used borrowed costumes and scenery and changed the name of the ballet from The Sleeping Princess to Aurora’s Wedding. This was after the fail of The Sleeping Princess Diaghilev was the first to take the ballet outside of Russia to London at first in 1921, then to Paris in 1922. However, the World War I and the revolution in Russia had contributed since they could no longer go back to perform in their home country[3]. Diaghilev commissioned Stravinsky that the solo part of Aurora at the end of part II, and the start of part III be orchestrated. The music had been composed by Tchaikovsky, the second of his three most famous compositions. The whole music is about 3 hours long, but it is usually cut in ballet performances. It has two themes, with the first one depicting Carabosse. Her character is depicted by the first angry part in the overture. The angry sounding part is because of Carabosse’s anger, who declared a curse on the princess after not being invited to her christening. In her anger, she curses that the princess will prick her finger when she is 16 years old and will die. However, the Lilac Fairy had said she would not die. Rather, she would fall to a deep sleep for 100 years where she would be awakened by prince desire The music in the ballet is one of the many scores of Tchaikovsky that is considered to be among the most famous ballet music. However, during performance, it was cut due to its size in order to fit wit the story line. The music is full of notes pieces that include extensive divertissements, as well as ceremonial passages that fit the theme of the storylines that were modeled on Lully and Rameau[4]. The music varies in terms of speed. Some parts have a high tempo while others are low. This changes the steps of the dance where at high notes the dancers are fast with the steps and making sharp turns, as well as briskly steps. This sets the audience higher with emotions as the pace is varied. The variations also go with the storyline, where one would expect things to go first such as during the fight in order to enter the castle and awake the sleeping beauty. At this point, the pace and tone are high. This sets the mood for a duel as the story suggests. When the battle is won, the pace a gain slows down to show a change in the event where the prince awakens the sleeping beauty. Some of the set pieces are performed at a low key, mostly lacking grandeur. The choreography of the ballet, especially the steps are set according to the music. The pace is set by the pace of the music, which depicts or represents the storyline as aforementioned. The ballet seemed not easy to perform considering the techniques that the dancers were using. For an ordinary person, it would not be an easy task. Some steps and moves seem undoable to an ordinary person, setting ones nerves during the performance. For instance, during the processions the steps follow the music at its ceremonial passages where all the dancers enter the stage in a celebratory mood. The changing of the pace is quite enjoyable as it sets different moods to the audience[5]. At the sharp turns, one wonders how possible it is to dance to such a pace. However, the dancers are good at it and manage without any difficulty, which makes it even more thrilling to the audience. Additionally, at the steps, the dance becomes even more enjoyable, where their movements are enhanced by the costumes, as well as the grandeur with which the dancers perform. Costumes and design of the ballet are an important part of ballet dances since they reflect the overall concept of the particular ballet, the movement of the body, what is demanded by the choreography for each ballet as well as the effects that different fabrics could have while one is in motion. Ballet costumes can vary widely depending on the ballet itself. The costume design could adapt the traditional requirement for a particular dancing technique. The costumes have to allow for maximum movement of the body, while decorations had to be carefully placed in order to avoid injuring the dancers and their partners. Additionally, since the body is supposed to communicate the story to the audience, a costume that fits each character should be used. For instance, in this case, the Puss in Boots had to have costumes that fit a cat in boots or else the story would not be communicated. In the ballet or Aurora’s wedding, Diaghilev sought to bring the rich Russian cultures and style to Europe. The costumes had some Russian elements in them as well as modern styles considering he also focused on modernity. Through a representation of his homeland, he brought notable strands of Russian style to Europe. In the 1920s when the dance is performed, the costumes were exotic tunics and veils that were wrapped around the body. The dancers dressed in turbans and harems pants as opposed to the traditional tutu and feather headsets[6]. In this ballet, the costumes looked expensive considering their time and the design. The costumes have been designed to fit the musical content as well as to fit the dance. The men are dressed in harem pants and turbines. They allow free movement of the body with ease. Additionally, they fit the theme of celebrating a wedding as well as each character. Those won by the prince fit his character or status as a king, while they still allow him to dance with ease at the final dance. The Bluebird as well has costumes that fit the role. The lower body costumes for the male dancers are a bit loose. The tops are more decorated, and freer to allow the movement of the arms and have decorations at the end or the edges, as well as the edges of the coats below the waist. In some occasions, the costumes are accompanied by hats. On the other hand, the female costumes are not quite long, and are free at the lower part of the body to allow free movement of the legs during the dance while they are tight at the upper body. Most of them have free flowing sleeves in order to allow free movement of the arms. However, for some of the characters, the costumes are a bit different in terms of length. This is meant to show different status within the dance where the ones with more embroidery and decorations are worn by the queen and some of the fairies. The Little Red Riding Hood is represented in a red hood as the name suggests. The female costumes are filled with bright decorations that enhance the beauty of the dance as well as bringing the right moods and emotions to the dance. The design and colors used in the ballet presented a new aesthetic of the 20th century. The ballet used bright colors that reflected in the light to give clear and vivid images as well as to highlight the movement of the dancers at different parts of the body. This enhances their performance considering the stage is not very brightly lit, which I think has to do with the age. At the time, lighting of theaters was not as advances as the current one and bright clothes were ideal for enhancing the movement of the dancers. Further, the bright color fit the theme of the story considering that ballets are supposed to be telling a story using expressions of the body. Therefore, the bright costumes fitted the occasion, which is a wedding in this case. This further brought the right mood to the audience, since it would be unlikely for people to celebrate in dull colors. Further, the decorations on the costumes played a role towards enhancing the celebratory mood at the time. Diaghilev and his company had traveled throughout several countries with performances. The group had become quite popular considering it incorporated talented dancers, choreographers and music composers[7]. During the First World War, Diaghilev and his company were banned from returning to Russia[8]. During this time, the company had to try out new ideas that would impress the European markets. This influenced his work where he sought to create new performance arts such as the Le Train Bleu and Les Biches, which looked more fashionable according to the society in which they had to live. This influenced the production of Aurora’s Wedding since he had to ensure it captured the European market. Additionally, the company had several productions that reflected on the Russian folklore as well as Orient and Greek legends. At the time Diaghilev formed the company, much of ballet performances were done in Russia considering European ballets had gone down at the time. Therefore, when it became clear to Diaghilev during the World War I that the ballets had no future in Russia he had to seek other markets. It is for this reason that the company and its dancers relocated to Paris[9]. In order to revive ballets in Europe and other countries, it was important to incorporate some of the modern trends within the European setting together with the Russian style. This had a major influence in the production of Aurora’s dance in terms of costume and design of the arts, as well. Although much of Russian style could be seen, it was influenced by the European styles as well as new creative designs on which the company had been working. The company could not survive on Russian ballets alone. There was a need for a new style that could appeal to the modern society. The costumes thus took the form of daily clothe s with which people could associate. This further influenced the fashion of the 20th century. They brought about modernism that changed costumes from the usual restrictions to a wider variety, in contrast to the traditional view. The ballet is one of a kind considering it was performed in the 1920s and stills evoke a strong visual theme that is noticeable even today. The ballet uses several visual enhancing techniques that include the scenery, costumes and lighting. The music sets the pace of the choreography, which is closely related with the storyline. The entrance of the dancers, as they come to the feast, is depicted in the celebratory passages, in the music. The variations of the music change the action on stage, where the dancers change their steps and dance to the pace. Additionally, I realized that the pace was made to match with the mood of the story line where, where the scene of the duel to enter the castle by the prince takes place. As the guests enter the stage to celebrate the feast, the mood is set at low tone where progression is not paced up. This matches well with the theme of the story.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Micro and Macro Environment Factors Essay Example

Micro and Macro Environment Factors Paper In this report I will be trying to help and advice marketing manager of Dynamic International Ltd. I will explain what are micro and macro environment factors and how do they affect his marketing decisions as well as consumer buying behavior. I will propose him segmentation criteria, targeting and positioning for his products. Micro environment Micro environment consists of the different types of stakeholders outside the organization. The constituents or stakeholders of the micro environment include customers, suppliers, creditors, distributors, dealers, etc. Although these constituents arent the direct control of the organization, still they can be influence by organization through its policies and strategies (Dry. Carmine Gunman, 2010 page 37). Micro environment factors which could influence Dynamic International Ltd are: Employees Employees are critical to success of the organization, the dynamic international is hand gloves manufacturing company and their employees are the ones responsible for keeping their company going. Employing the right stuff, providing them trainings and keeping them motivated gives ability to et customers deadlines and produce high quality hand gloves. Suppliers Suppliers are those that provide goods and services which are transformed into value by organizations. Dynamic Ltd should look for right suppliers and keeping good relationship is crucial to organization, getting competitive prices and high quality goods are the one of the good relationship examples. Customers Customers are the ones who make a market; they are the ones who buy goods and using them. We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment Factors specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment Factors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Micro and Macro Environment Factors specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Customers are the reason why companies start business, why companies developing new products and differentiated their existing products. By selling the goods to the customers organizations makes a profit, thats why Dynamic Ltd have to concentrate on satisfying their customers needs and wants. Macro environment The macro environment consists of constituents that are beyond of the business organization. The constituents are social-cultural, technological, economical and political factors which constitute their own individual environments (Dry. Carmine Gunman, 2010 page 37). Macro environmental factors which could influence Dynamic International Ltd are: Political Government is the one that responsible providing the rules of the game which make business function smoothly, government responsible for introducing new laws and regulations, taxation for the business. For example if government decides to cut funds for public sector in order to save money, all councils may have to look for cheaper options to buy gloves for their workmen, which means Dynamic Ltd could lose their customers. Economic It is very important to look at economic environment. Almost every business depends on it, some countries have strong economy some countries dont. Economic environment is very dynamic; it keeps on changing in changes with government policies. If economy is poor there will be negative effect on the business and organizations would have to find the way out to make people buy their products. For example if there would be high unemployment in the country Dynamic Ltd would have to use different marketing strategies by using commercials or advertising, or dropping their prices to show compassion for their customers. Technology Technology is changing fast and the adoption of the new technology could be a good investment in the business, for example Dynamic Ltd decide to buy a new manufacturing machine , this could be a competitive advantage for hem, and it could increase a speed of the production and save the money instead of hiring extra employees. Segmentation Criteria To segment the market is crucial because you have to allocate resources and to know who you are concentrated at. There are four types of segmentations which is geographic, demographic, cryptographic, and behavioral segmentation. I will be proposing two segmentation criteria for Dynamic Ltd which is: Demographic segmentation Dave Needled (1999) suggests that this is the most commonly approach to the market. The division of consumer groups according to demographic rabbles such as age, gender, income, occupation, education, family size helps you to target market. Dynamic Ltd could use this to understand how these characteristics influence the products they selling. For example, knowing that customer needs changes with age they could promote their products to meet the needs Of all age Of groups or using gender segmentation they could increase productivity buy start selling both male and female hand gloves. Behavioral segmentation Behavioral segmentations concerned about buyers behavior, they are divided into segments according the way they behave, such as usage of the reduce, knowledge of the product, loyalty, and attitude toward the products. For example loyal customers might be able pay extra price for a pair of gloves, because their trust the quality and standard of the product, but some may not be interested because they know little or nothing about it. Targeting Strategies Another step after we finish segmentation is targeting. Once the market has been segmented, the Dynamic International need choose targeting strategy. Targeting is about which and how many groups of customers organizations are going to target with its products or services. There are three targeting strategies: differentiated, undifferentiated, and concentrated. Differentiated strategy This strategy is when the company decides to target more than a one market segment. Using this strategy the company can spread risk across the market, so if one segment declines the company still has revenue from others. The disadvantage is that it requires a high level of marketing expertise and will incur higher costs (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). Undifferentiated strategy This strategy is when organization assumes that the market is homogeneous nit, in other words company ignores market segment differences and goes after all market with one product offering (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). This approach would suit for large global companies that have strong offerings, or organizations who sell commodity products. Concentrated strategy This strategy involves specializing in one specific segment. This can lead to detailed knowledge of target segmentÃ'Å¡ s needs and wants, with the added benefit that organization is regarded as a specialist over it mass-market competitors. Advantage of this strategy is that it reduces costs, as there is only one marketing mix to manage (Marilyn A. Stone, John Despond, 2007 page 172). I think the most suitable targeting strategy for Dynamic International Ltd would be differentiated strategy, because this strategy is perfect for organizations wishing to grow. Targeting more than one segment means that Dynamic Ltd would have got more products to offer, so even if some segments would fail they would still get profit from other segments. Consumer Buying Behavior Why do we need to understand customer behavior? Analyzing customers behavior helps to understand why buyers buy and use certain products and revises, it helps business to adjust their marketing strategies and promote their products. Consumer buying behavior is ;the decision processes and acts of individuals involved in buying and using products or services (BP Learning Media, 2010 page 131). There are many situations that buying behavior could affect marketing activities. As I illustrated below in the first situation it could depend on customers lifestyle. If the customer is young student who doesnt really know much about technology and needs new laptop, because the old one is broken down, would probably make up his mind quick and easy. While professional IT specialist would probably take is time and think about performance and quality of the product. Second situation as illustrated below it might be psychological factors, where customer is loyal to Apple products and belief that is better than any others. Buying a laptop (second situation) Buying a laptop (first situation) Positioning After finishing segmenting and targeting I am going to decide what type of positioning strategy could Dynamic Ltd use for its products. Positioning strategy helps to differentiate organization products and services from its monitors. Havilland (2010) suggest that positioning could be defined as the distinct place of products (or service) occupies in the minds of the target customers relative to competing products. In other word, how the firms wants its products to be perceived by target customer on important attributes or benefits. Differentiating themselves from competitors is crucial to success, being able to create different perception about your product in your targeting customers minds that is where the success is. First thing Dynamic Ltd could try to be different by offering different prices to their customers; however their competitors could switch their prices easy to be competitive. But having good competitive price and quality products that what makes different from your competitors. Dynamic Ltd should come up new design gloves that are comfortable, long lasting and safe gloves that could suit both male and female. Being the first to offer something unique would be a success. They could even use a slogan for their products such as The Best hand gloves to protect your hands Conclusion clearly showed what and how micro and macro factors could affect Dynamic Ltd marketing decisions. Also suggest you the best suitable segmentation criteria, targeting strategy and positioning for your product. Pop my suggestions will help George to make future decisions easier for his company.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Free Essays on John Kerry America

no actions of meaning you’re the youth of America. John Kerry and John Edwards understand that proving an American child with a strong education will help lead them to a successful life. Kerry and Edwards agree with Bush that every child should be held to higher standards, and every school should have all of the resources to help the child meet his/her full potential. However that’s about as far as that agreement goes. Every child should graduate High School and e... Free Essays on John Kerry America Free Essays on John Kerry America John Kerry’s experience as a Vietnam Vet and years of military service provide the experience that allows him to know, that the most basic responsibility of being president of the United States in to defend the homeland and its citizens. America has taken large steps since the attacks on September 11, 2001. However it has fallen into many holes along the way as we are in right now. John Kerry knows that we cannot take war to places that do not threaten our immediate freedoms; he also knows that losing over 1,000 soldiers of the American Armed forces is a horrible move. He has a plan to better coordinate the intelligence machine that America has at its fingertips. By bounding these communication loopholes it would better secure America from future terrorist attacks. His plans include a restructuring of the inelegance system that is our core anti-terrorism here on the homeland. Many whistleblowers have alerted the federal government that many states and large cities are not re ady if there was a nuclear or biochemical attack on the homeland. George Bush has put off these warnings and intelligence briefings causing a lack of security for the American public, Kerry will not allow this to happen on his watch. John Kerry knows this and is ready and has a plan to strengthen our domestic readiness. Durings Geroge Bush’s presidential campaign and now during his four years of office one of his key issues is his educational plan, most of his promises have been simply words no actions of meaning you’re the youth of America. John Kerry and John Edwards understand that proving an American child with a strong education will help lead them to a successful life. Kerry and Edwards agree with Bush that every child should be held to higher standards, and every school should have all of the resources to help the child meet his/her full potential. However that’s about as far as that agreement goes. Every child should graduate High School and e...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Reflective Reading Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Reflective Reading - Essay Example According to one of the Chinese women, studying in the U.S. is good as it exposes a person to the rest of the world. In addition, staying in America enables one to live freely according her personality (Dongxiao, 2009). The young woman believes that her life is simple in U.S. since the country gives her room to do her things and explore life freely without many restrictions. However, she asserts that life can be very boring and lonely to someone who is not actively participating in social life. Thus, for students who are not very open or sociable, she advises that they should better not consider studying in the United States. According to the Chinese student, being socially active in the U.S. goes a great way in helping a person to know others. As there are many people from many countries of the world, remaining active helps someone to get a touch of different nationalities in the same land. Another Chinese woman asserts that although the educational system in the U.S. is enticing, prospective foreign students need to be Christians (Dongxiao, 2009). She says that without a strong Christian background, people tend to feel lost in the foreign country. A person may lose connections with her native country and end up becoming confused or engage in illicit behaviors. As earlier said, the U.S. learning institutions consist of people from many countries that come to seek quality education. Additionally, living away from home tends to give a student freedom to do what she pleases. Thus, the many cultures clustered together coupled with much freedom, can confuse a person who lacks a strong rooting in her beliefs. The Chinese student believes that Christianity enables a person to find peace in the land of confusion. A person will better handle any inevitable difficulties. According to (Dongxiao, 2009), the advice from the two girls gives a glimpse of their perceptions

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Prospects and Problems of Biomass Energy in a Future Global Research Paper

Prospects and Problems of Biomass Energy in a Future Global Sustainable Energy System - Research Paper Example The primary and major emission gas for Greenhouse Gases is carbon dioxide (CO2). When the carbon dioxide goes into atmosphere and changes the weather conditions, the bio-diversity will decrease through increase in temperature. Researchers suggest that biomass has the potential to become one of the major primary sources of energy in the centuries to come. It is believed that bio-energy systems would come out as the important contributors to future sustainable development in industrialized and developing countries. Carbon, hydrogen and oxygen are the basis of biomass. The energy sources that act in the derivation of biomass energy are garbage and wood. The other sources include landfill gases and alcohol fuels. One can convert biomass into some other forms of energy like methane gas or fuels for transportation. The other utilities from biomass include production of electricity. Sugarcane and corn are some of the resources of biomass energy. The raw material for biomass is much cheaper than other fuels. Probably the oldest source of energy after the sun is biomass. Sun is the source of energy for biomass. Almost half of the biomass used in the present times comes from burning of wood and wood scraps. The biggest user of biomass is industry followed by transportation (National Energy Education Development Project, 2009). Problems of biomass energy Biomass power can have its impact on the environment. Air pollution can be caused in using biomass as a fuel. Carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides and some other particulates can be the forms of pollutants. A pollutant that is created by incomplete combustion of fossil fuel is black carbon which is held as the second largest contributor to cause global warming. The carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. When a carbon is released into the atmosphere it acts as a contributor in climate change. Even though there are some advantages accrued in using biomass fuels, yet it had not been the major source of energy i n everyday life. The traditional biomass energy was dependent upon combustion of woods and leaves. This sort of activity generated carbon into the atmosphere. Recent advancements in technology has reduced the cost of the process and increased the production of ethanol yield of switch grass. This will drive more profits as well as protect the environment. The production of biomass is possible only when crop is raised to serve the purpose of producing the fuels only. The process will use up land which could have been used for other purposes like the normal agricultural process. Scientists opined that these production processes will insert its tool in the ecosystem. This can also result in climate crisis. The production of biomass energy uses a lot of energy to harvest the crops. It requires more water and other fossil fuels to make the fertilizers for the plantation and harvesting processes. It is also difficult to collect biomass. There is also constraint on the availability of bioma ss all round the year. The major constituents of biomass energy production are wheat, barley and corn and they are seasonal crops. Their availability is limited in certain seasons of the year. The source of producing biomass is expensive. Although the fuels of biomass are renewable sources but one cannot find a reduction in the levels of emission. Some amounts of pollutants that are harmful are produced by bio-fuels. This is known as fossil fuels.

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Smoking Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Smoking Marijuana - Essay Example Marijuana can be consumed either by smoking or oral administration. The drug can be smoked in the form of a simple paper wrapped joint or through different devices like bongs and chillums. The contents of Cannabis can also be vaporized, wherein a gas is produced without actually burning the drug. This method of consumption is considered less harmful than direct smoking as the vaporized gas contains lesser concentration of toxic substances. Studies conducted have revealed that subjects were "only 40% as likely to report respiratory symptoms as users who do not vaporize, even when age, sex, cigarette use, and amount of cannabis consumed are controlled" (Abrams et al 572). The alternate way is to consume marijuana orally in its dehydrated or heated form. Occasionally, it might be taken in combination with other drugs or with alcohol or tobacco. This coupling increases the toxicity and potency of marijuana. Studies have revealed that nearly four percent of the world's adult population (162 million) use cannabis annually and 0.6 percent (22.5 million) daily (UNODC). There has been a rampant increase in the use of marijuana ever since the 20th century. Contrary to popular belief, marijuana is not extensively used by teenagers. A study conducted by the National Institute of Drug Abuse proved that aforesaid fact. The results demonstrate that fewer than one in five high school going teenagers were marijuana users (NIDA) Marijuana- Brief History Marijuana has been used since ancient times. Its history dates back to the third millennium BC. Seeds of the plant Cannabis have been excavated from sites of several ancient civilizations. The drug was used commonly in ancient India and Nepal, where it was known as ganjika or ganja. It is mentioned in the Vedas as a sacred hallucinogenic, and was one of the five spiritual plants in Indian mythology (Rudgley 102). The Chinese used to cultivate cannabis to obtain hemp fibres and also for food. The use of Cannabis is also found among ancient Aryans, Assyrians, Scythians and Thracians. It is also believed that shamans burnt the leaves of the plant cannabis to induce a state of trance (Cunliffe 405). Besides these medicinal purposes, marijuana was also used for spiritual and religious practices. Scythians observed religious ceremonies where marijuana was consumed. The Scythians also used marijuana as offering in royal tombs. It was, in fact, the Scythians who introduced hemp into northern Europe around 500 BC. Historians also believe that it was used by ancient Jews, Christians and Muslims. Thus, through the course of history, marijuana has been used for multiple purposes. The long period from the third millennium BC to the present times has experienced the spread of marijuana around the globe. With the widespread popularity also came the discovery of its possible side effects. It was largely used by many musicians especially jazz artists, for they believed that smoking marijuana gave them transcendence and the inspiration to create music. Its use was glamorised and it was sold in the black market. As its abuse increased greatly, many countries were forced to declare it an illicit drug. Marijuana was made federally illegal in the United States America in 1937 by the Marihuana Tax Act. It was classified as a Schedule I drug, which implies that it was classified a

Friday, November 15, 2019

The Johari Window Theory Philosophy Essay

The Johari Window Theory Philosophy Essay For the first window which is open self, DeVito claims that people know something about us and we also already know about oueselves. For instance, the basic details about ourselves liked our age, name, the color of hair, sex, attitudes, feelings, motivation, political and religion. When we meeting a new friend, we would tell him the basic about ourselves such as our name, where we live and where we were from. The open self will be more widen when the people we interact with can make us feel comfortable and closed to us. The relationship with our parents and best friends can be one of the examples. Communication becomes worse if our open self getting smaller. It means that if we are too secretive to others, it is difficult to communicate and we are surely having social interaction problems. It is a good thing if we have a large open self. Being an open self person, others used to be more comfy with us and it is a very good point to students to have a large open self as working in groups is common between students. By practicing the open self more in future, we can simply accept others views and perceptions about us whether it is negative or positive. The people who have a large open self will get more powerful position in negotiation and the percentage to be exploited is less. (Straker, 2012) The second window, the blind self, is the opposite window to the open self. In this window, DeVito (1994) argued that people usually know certain things about us that we do not know about it. It can be related to some information about us such as the way we defense ourselves or fight strategies. In example, we tend to play with our fingers when we getting nervous or we choose to keep in silence when we get angry with someone. Some people who have a very outsized blind self seems to ignore their own faults. Some people say that they know everything about themselves and saying that they can surely eliminate the blind self window. We can never get rid of the blind area yet it always there. Nevertheless, the communication will be difficult with it existence. We have a tendency to be people who do not even care about what the others think about us if we have a large blind self. We do hide certain things about ourselves but only in a small count. People around us tend to labeled us as harmless person because they know certain things that we do not realize it liked our weakness points. If it is happen, people can easily take advantage of our naivety. Sometimes we can be aggressive which will cause to disliked and feared. For instance, we may have a smelly mouth or we may have a bad odor body that makes people stay a distance from us. People will not tell us about these because it will cause misunderstood or misconception in a relationship. And yes, it is difficult to make a truly confession about the blind self window. (Straker, 2012) The third window is hidden self. Mostly, DeVito (2011) said that this window representing some information that you know but the others do not know about it. This part contains every secret that you successfully kept from other people. In this area, there are two types of groups which are the over disclosers and the under disclosers. The over disclosers do not mind to share all their secrets about themselves or others. They will let us know about their family history, dark sides, bank card passwords and everything else. While the opposites side, the under disclosers, they keep everything hidden. They will not tell anything about them in every conversation they have made even though with someone who is closed to. By having a large size of the third window, people may say that we tend to appeared distance and secretive to others. Just like the second window, we tend to speak out less about us if we are in the under discloser group. We may be a person who not easily trusts people in a short period. We do take time to build a trust. While having a conversation, we may pay less attention to others because we are too afraid if we may slip our tongue when we speaking. Our introversion is the main cause that has led us to retreat the world with suspicion and awareness. It is a different thing when we go to the second group, the over discloser. This group may be labeled as a group of people who not a good person in keeping secrets. They have no doubt to tell the others about our past, our dark side and many things that we should keep it. Because of it, it will make people hardly to put a high expectation in keeping secrets. (Straker, 2012) The last spot of the Johari Window theory that DeVito (2011) had mentioned is the unknown self which is no one know about the self neither ourselves nor others identify it. It hidden in our subconscious or by some means is we would escape notice on it that may remain an unrevealed. It can be discovered by hypnosis, various projective tests or dreams. The discovery also can be done through honest and emphatic relationship. Our interaction with family, friends and lovers can be used as examples as they are the most trusted person in our life and they trust us back. It is an efficient method to gain insight. People may think we are mysterious person if we are having a great size of the unknown self. We may be looked like a lonely and friendless person but we are not a shy person. The hidden things may consist of both good and bad things that not possible to discovered it if this window go through the other window, the open self, the blind self or the hidden self window. (Straker, 2012) Associated with Johari Window, DeVito (2011) conclude that each individuals window will be vary as one self grows, one or more of the other selves shrink. According to Charless Horton Cooleys (1922) concept of the looking glass self, when you want to discover, say, how friendly or how assertive you are, you would look at the image of yourself that others reveal to you through the way they treat you and react to you (Hensley, 1996). Youd look especially to those who are most significant in your life. As a child, youd look to your parents and then to your teachers. As an adult, you might look to your friends, romantic partners and colleagues at work. If these important others think highly of yourself reflected in their behaviors; if they think little of you, youll see a more negative image. (DeVito, 2011) By visualizing this model as representing yourself, it will build up our personal development either to positive or negative. Hence, our self-concept, self-awareness and self-esteem will be increased in future.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Environmental Crisis :: essays research papers

Environmental Crisis "We Have An Environmental Crisis Because We Have A People Crisis - A Crisis of Population Growth, of Wasteful Consumption of Resources, and A Crisis of Apathy and Inaction." An environmental crisis is an emergency concerned with the place in which every human lives - the environment. A people crisis is an emergency with the community that inhabits the world environment. A crisis of population growth is a turning point where the environment can no longer sustain the amounts of people which it contains. A crisis of apathy and inaction is one where the human race cannot be motivated to solve the problems with the environment that they themselves have created. The claim that we have an environmental crisis because we have a people crisis is valid because our environmental problems have largely resulted from population growth, which has lead to apathy and inaction with regard to the wasteful consumption of resources. Examples are the desertification of the Sahel in Africa, the one child policy in China and the mis-management of our oceans. The Sahel is a strip of land that extends for more than 6000 kilometres across the southern edge of the Sahara desert. It stretches from Senegal and Mauritania in the west to Ethiopia and Somalia in the east. These nations are among the world's poorest. The area is one of social and biophysical crisis because of the way the population are forced to live; they are destroying the productivity of the land. The alarming rate of population growth and ever increasing pressure on the land have initiated an expansion of desert-like conditions into the Sahel - a process called desertification. Traditionally, the people of the drier, northern Sahel followed a nomadic lifestyle, constantly moving their herds of cattle, sheep and goats over large areas in the search for suitable grazing land. These movements prevented overgrazing and lessened the likelihood of land degradation. With increasing human numbers, the increased intensity of land use, and the harvesting of trees and scrub for fuel wood threaten to overwhelm the region's fragile environment and result in permanent ecological damage and declining standard of living. During the 20th century 3.9 billion people have been added to the world's population. This is an increase of 244%. Rapid growth occurred because of the improvement of living conditions, reduced child mortality rates and increased life expectancy. The population of undeveloped nations will continue to grow in the foreseeable future because at present 45% of the population is under 15 years of age. In the North the population growth is slowing down because children are considered an expense. In Italy, Germany and Austria, the growth rate is

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Discrimination in College Admissions Essay

There can be many factors that determine whether or not you can get into a college. Do you have the grades, are you involved in your community, have you been convicted. Many questions like those listed above have been commonly asked to applicants who apply for major colleges universities. However, you are never asked your ethnicity during an interview, usually they give you an application to fill out and they have a space that allows you to check which race you are. Some people feel as though they may have been discriminated against because of their race or ethnicity. It may be true for some, but not all cases are alike, in the sense that racial discrimination in college applicants has been going on for quite a while now. In Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, a thirty five-year old man named Allan Bakke applied to the University of California Medical School at Davis and was denied admission on the two occasions that he applied for the university. The school claimed to have had denied his admission because they were designating sixteen of one hundred spots, in each new set of applicants, of one hundred â€Å"qualified† minorities as part of their cooperation of the new affirmative action legislation. Bakke did not qualify for any of these sixteen out of on hundred spots because he was white and not black, or a minority. They did this to readdress the long-lasting one-sided minority omissions from the medical sector. Now, Mr. Bakke’s test score and other qualifications he needed to enter the program were beyond acceptable, but he was still rejected. He then took his case to court. Bakke went to California court primarily, then he decided to go to the Supreme Court, saying that he was rejected from the university because of his ethnic group. The question at hand was did the University of California violate the 14th Amendment equal protection clause and/or the Civil Rights Act of 1964 when denying Allan Bakke admission because he was white. Also, the fact that they used affirmative action to do so, would it still be a violation if they were just following the new law laid down by the big guys to help increase the assortment of the minorities already in the university. Also, you have  to take into account that they had very limited resources and wanted to make sure that everyone had a fair chance to apply and get accepted, which is the point of the reservation of the sixteen spots of one hundred for the minorities. To balance the statistics some would probably say. The case concluded with five votes siding with Bakke, and four votes against Bakke. Ultimately he won the case, but that didn’t stop colleges from not admitting people by their race. This case is similar to the sentiment the Asians are feeling with the bar for them to be able to get admitted into a good college or university being set beyond the maximum. Some Asians feel as though they are not getting a break and are getting harsher treatment then most American. So is this the same as Allan Bakke felt? Did he feel as though he was given an unruly standard that he would have to live up to in order to be admitted inside of his dream school? I believe that the Asians and Allan have been tested with the same trial that they have to battle out. Asian-Americans are now feeling that they are losing out because the Board of Regents established a new undergrad admissions policy that gives them expectations at a chance to widen their applicant consortium. However, not everyone is satisfied with the new legislation, especially Asian-Americans. The new policy however, does not state that Asians wouldn’t qualify, it simply gives colleges and universities more tractability in selecting new students. As the media grapples on to the new concept more and more Asians are coming forward with complaints and angry phone calls and letters from the students of these Asian students and the students themselves. This new policy differs from affirmative action, but not everyone sees the difference between the two. One analysis from a person at the college supports the view of the Asian-American student, implying that the number of Asian students would regress under the new policy. Parents of these Asian students also seem to feel the sting of the new policy. Outraged, many say that they were blindsided by the university and see it as an act of discrimination. Compared to Board of Regents v. Bakke, it was simply discrimination in the obvious form. They denied him because he was a man of Caucasian decent and they wanted to save sixteen spots  specifically for minorities. Which in my view was fair at the time because minorities weren’t given as many opportunities as the whites were. I would have seen that as socially acceptable if I were there in that place of time. Even with the high grades Mr. Allan Bakke presented to the college, he was still rejected twice. In this case when we are about thirty-five years after that incident, we have arrived to a time in the United States were almost everyone has ‘equal’ rights, per say, and we all have ‘equal’ opportunity, but to deny someone because of their race in this day and age will most definitely result in a law and to me is seen as discrimination because if we work hard and meet the qualifications for a specific job, college, or university we fancy to attend we should be able to do as so. However, I do understand that some colleges might look at the campus population and notice many members of the same race and decide that they want it to be more diverse, and that’s understandable, but if someone makes the cut, they make it and if the college or university decides not to accept them because they might want the African-American straight A student to join their institution rather than accepting another Asian straight A when they already have so many people from that heritage. Colleges might also look at creating a more diverse campus as a way to prevent those lawsuits, because if the media starts getting reports of there being an overflow of white students at a college or university ran by a white man or woman, they look dubious, and just racist, but if they start accepting more minorities into their school, spreading a little color over the campus, in a sense, then they look more appealing to applicants who want that diversity in their dream school. Plus it shows good when schools are being taken to court for discrimination. If they show the statistics, the numbers, of the racial diversity, then that builds on their case. If they show a pie chart and 75% of the chart is green, and green represents white for example, then that makes the school look bad, ultimately allowing a jury to see a possibility of discrimination, but if it’s near equal for minorities and whites, etc. , then it’s good for the school. Making their case more believable. Debacles like this may never end for years to come because we need diversity  in public places, without it, it would be like the Civil Rights era all over again, and we don’t need any more violent protests like we have today. I agree and disagree with the Regents v. Bakke ruling because I believe he should’ve been accepted, but I also believe that if he was aware of what they were doing after the first time he got rejected he should have went to the courts sooner, but there is always the accusation of speculation and that can hold grounds for a dismissal of the case. However I do agree with the Board’s idea of creating a more diverse campus. By doing so they allowed minorities, who back then had fewer opportunities then the white men and women, to integrate themselves with the majority and find out for themselves that they are all alike. They have two legs and a beating heart and they can tolerate each other’s presence. They should America that public places shouldn’t be segregated, but should hold equal opportunities for minorities and majorities, and by the Board striking the thought of holding those sixteen spots was just the start of a major movement towards desegregation and eventually diversity. Although it’s sad to see that even in these ages we still have to do that, it is understandable when the media scrutinizes people for the smallest things, and does it even worse to larger corporations, businesses, colleges, universities, etc. I still do not believe that the decision of the Board to make that decision was intentionally targeting keeping Asians out of there schools. I still believe that they did that to create more diversity in a place they saw a populated with the majority of one race. If that is the case then I think everyone should come to an understanding that there will be a majority and people will want to see changes in that majority, by adding none other than minorities. Adding those minorities keep things balanced and keeps the media away. Again, it provides the students who want major diversity to see that as the perfect school for them. If a fresh out of high school student decided to go an all-African-American school, applied and got denied, even with the best grades and extracurricular activities. Would that be considered discrimination, even if he was in fact African-American? I doubt that people would try to fight that, but only see that as he didn’t rise up to the standard that the school  had set for the applicants. The case would not stick because he qualified, just wasn’t admitted to the institution. In conclusion, Bakke v. Regents is similar to the slim chances of Asians getting accepted into colleges and universities because of their race. However, in Bakke v. Regents the Board was trying to create equal opportunity for minorities, but in the example of the Board seeking new policy to give the campus more flexibility in who they choose to accept into the college, just seems like discrimination. In both cases there was discrimination, but is there a thing as good discrimination? I think that there is a good grounds for discrimination if there needs to ever be more diversity, but I don’t think us, being the ‘land of the free’, should ever succumb to that. As far as we have come from the Civil Rights movement itself and having to decide whether or not the whole world was racist, pretty much. We shouldn’t have to input new policies like that, making a certain group feel insecure about their educational future. Works Cited † Asian Americans sue University of California System over Holistic Admissions sham – College Confidential. † College Confidential. N. p. , 4 Apr. 2009. Web. 15 May 2013. . Daniel, Golden. † Asian Americans sue University of California System over Holistic Admissions sham – College Confidential. † College Confidential. N. p. , 2 Feb. 2012. Web. 15 May 2013. . â€Å"Regents of the University of California v. Bakke | Casebriefs. † Law Cases & Case Briefs for Students. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 May 2013. . â€Å"Regents of the University of California v. Bakke | The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. † The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law | A Multimedia Archive of the Supreme Court of the United States. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 May 2013. . SCHMIDT, PETER. â€Å"Asian-Americans Give U. of California an Unexpected Fight Over Admissions Policy – Students – The Chronicle of Higher Education. † Home – The Chronicle of Higher Education. N. p. , n. d. Web. 15 May 2013. . View as multi-pages

Friday, November 8, 2019

The Impact of Motivation and Affect on Judgement Essays

The Impact of Motivation and Affect on Judgement Essays The Impact of Motivation and Affect on Judgement Essay The Impact of Motivation and Affect on Judgement Essay The first is judgment, according to the Merriam- Webster Online Dictionary (n. D. ) this is defined as the ability of an individual to make a decision or come to a conclusion after careful thought. The second term is motivation and that is an inner state that energies, directs and sustains behavior (Ellis-Nimrod, 2012). The final term, affect, is defined as any feelings, emotions and moods that a learner brings to bear on a task (Ellis-Nimrod, 2012). Motivation and affect can be said to be intertwined in forming Hot Cognition. Hot cognition focuses on the mental processes that are driven by an individuals desires (goals) and feelings (affect) (Sundae, 1999). The two (motivation and affect) are important because of how they may influence our thought processes that are used to arrive at judgments and influence which concepts or beliefs are applied to judgment. In addition to his hot cognition influences our judgments in terms of how we process information. Take for example a scenario of two women, Sally and Jane. Jane has just moved into Sally apartment building and no one knows anything about her except that she is always seen going out at nights and coming in early mornings. If Sally uses the little information available to her and comes to the conclusion that Jane is a stripped though using inferential shortcuts. However if Sally and Canes sons attend the e same school and Sally goes to visit her mother at a nursing home and sees Jane then she will come to a judgment about Jane through elaborate systematic reasoning. Motivation can be seen as a very important factor in our lives. It is the most basic drive for all our actions and can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. Our basic behaviors and feelings are affected by our inner drive to succeed over lifes challenges while we set goals for ourselves. Even our ability to carry out our everyday functions such as eating or working is affected by motivation. The Cognitive perspective of motivation focuses on how it is that our mental processes affect motivation (Ellis-Nimrod, Cakewalks, Achaean, Andrews, Shore, 2010). Simply put this is saying that an individuals motivation is based mainly on how it is that the person tries to understand all that is happening around them. If one has no understanding of the world around them then it is highly unlikely that they will be motivated to get involved in anything and will feel as an outcast among others. Ellis-Nimrod et al. (2010) further stated that the Social Cognitive Perspective placed an emphasis on how a persons motivation is very dependent on their future expectations. The Goal Orientation Theory of Motivation outlines how it is that our cognitive presentations determine the type of goal we pursue. It brings out two main tenets that an individual is motivated by either performance goals or mastery goals. Performance goals are those which arise from a persons desire to outdo someone while mastery goals are those emerging from having strong interests in a task to the point where it is important that you do extremely well at it or aim to do better than before (Australian Institute of Professional Counselors, 2010). Three girls are a part of a football team, girl A, girl B and girl C. Girls A and C have been best friends for most of their lives and so they eave a genuine love for the sport. This then allows them to be on top of their game and is ranked as the top scorers for the team. For each match they aim to score more goals than the last match, this would be seen as a mastery goal. Girl B on the other hand holds the view that she is a better player than Girls A and C and so if they score two goals per match she tries to outdo them by scoring three (performance goal). In the book, Social Cognition, Sundae (1999) outlined how directional goals and accuracy goals impact ones judgment. A directional goal is that which motivates the individual to draw a reticular judgment. On the other hand accuracy goals actually motivate the individual to end up with the best possible solution. In a final year Social Cognition class are two friends Shank and Oral who have an upcoming mid- semester exam. Previously their GAP was getting low and so this final examination would determine if they are going to meet graduation requirements. Shank is a potential A student but does not take enough interest in his school work, however since his last disappointing test results he has decided that he is going to put in the extra studying to get his grades up. Shames motivation would be an example of an accuracy goal because he is going to invest greater efforts into the task at hand so this can actually improve their judgment through better strategies for reasoning. Accuracy goals can improve judgment under some circumstances but can make it worse under others. Oral is the opposite of Shank, he does not go to class nor is interested in studying for the test because he believes that he is going to fail navys so it makes no sense to study for the test (directional goal) . This is the problem with directional goals they impact our judgment by creating biases in our beliefs. So it could be that Oral could have mastered the examination as well but his judgment has been biased and so he just accepts his failure. Our outcome dependency is one way in which motivation bias judgment. Outcome dependency is where in order to achieve a goal we create a bias of our judgments about the people around us in order to make that goal seem more convincing. For example five random persons are placed on a quiz team, none had any prior interaction but they will hold each other high in esteem that they are competent enough to carry out the task. This is similar to evidence found by Birched et al. As cited in Sundae, 1999, p. 21 5) where participants part of a dating to study rated their potential partners in a positive light as opposed to others. When new information has been given which ends up conflicting what it is that is already known then there is some feeling of discomfort (Ellis-Nimrod, 2012). This is known as cognitive dissonance. Arousal is a big factor to contributor to our judgments. When referring to arousal it is more to the constraints of brain stimulation rather than the basic pleasure of satisfying our sexual needs. With reference to cognitive dissonance it was put forward that studies have showed that errors are more likely to conform in order to reduce tension in situations (Sundae, 1999). If one is asked to write against something that they do not agree to they will not object due to motivation. However this view was somewhat challenged by Daryl BEMA saying that if a person chooses to do something that they are not in favor of then this is actually their self, perception and as such they are motivated to change their attitudes. Damascus (as cited in Sundae, 1 999, p. 21 8) stated that those who suffered from brain damage were more likely to engage in danger even when they are aware of such danger. It can be said that due to brain damage these persons have less feelings of or no arousal at all and so they are susceptible to making bad decisions. Our moods when acting as a source of information can actually affect our judgment. The mood congruent of judgment is that one will give a positive answer when in a good mood and respond negatively when we are experiencing bad moods (Sundae 1999). Bower (as cited in Sundae 1999) found that: Network model our brains tend to keep our memories in nodes, which it then connects with associated other memories. Nodes can be semantic (with straightforward meaning) or affective (with emotional meaning). Thus we may have a node for happiness, with which are associated all our happy memories. Nodes can also inhibit one another (a form or negative association). Thus when we are happy it is difficult to think of sad things, and vice versa. Similarly it was found by Johnson and Trotsky (1983) that mood congruence effects shows that those who are in positive affective states have a higher expectation of successful goal attainment when compared to those of negative affective states who may have a higher likelihood judgment that they will not be able to attain their goals. Schwartz ND Color (1983) suggested that a person will rely more on how they are feeling at the moment to form a judgment. People experiencing positive core affect are likely to make progress judgments less frequently and more favorably, which will lead to greater persistence in following the current course of action. In contrast, people in negative affective states will be less persistent in maintaining the intended course of action by making progress judgments more frequently, thoroughly, and less favorably. Mood will affect our judgment but this is not something that is consistent. The Affect Infusion Model (AIM) is one that ensures that the effect of the affect on judgment depends on the reasoning strategy that the individual uses such as the heuristic process or the substantive process (Forges, 1994). With the heuristic process this is where one uses quick and easy shortcuts that require very little or no effort at all and our mood creates a bias unnoticeable. When using the substantive process our reasoning is more systematic and analytical so our mood does not have that much of an effect to create a bias on our judgment (Forges, 1995). Motivation and affect actually intertwine in influencing our judgments. Motivation is an important factor in everyday life. Our basic challenges while we set goals for ourselves. Our motivation also promotes our feelings of competence and self-worth as we achieve our goals.

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Retail Analysis of the Best Buy Essays

Retail Analysis of the Best Buy Essays Retail Analysis of the Best Buy Paper Retail Analysis of the Best Buy Paper A retail analysis of the Best Buy location in Fullerton, CA was completed on April 12, 2013. The analysis evaluated the stores appearance including fixtures, promotional materials, layout, and merchandising. Best Buy is an electronics retailer and its Fullerton store is located in a secondary business district on the cross streets of Orangethorpe Avenue and Harbor Boulevard. The Fullerton Best Buy location is the corner store in a busy shopping center. Some of the stores nearby are Factory 2 U, The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, Rubios Baja Fresh, and Burlington Coat Factory. Appearance The well-known Blue and Yellow colors of Best Buy can be seen from down the block, drawing the consumer to its location. The structure is on a corner lot facing the busy street and in the same vicinity as multiple shopping centers that contain a variety of retailers, restaurants and services. The shopping center of orangethorpe and harbor is an all-around convenient location for customers when needing to do errands, or any shopping in general. Parking isnt an issue as the location is on the far end corner lot from the other major retail stores, which makes it a suitable location for Best Buy customers. As you walk in through the sliding glass doors, you can visually see the full layout of the store. It has an open floor plan designed to allow accessibility to any part of the store. Overall the store uses a clean, well- organized layout, design and visual merchandising strategy. Best Buys target marketing strategy is designed to appeal to small business owners, tech savvy middle class consumers and young entertainment enthusiasts. They also generally appeal to men, seen from the all-male employees to the masculine colors used throughout the layout. The stores, layout seems to be designed for their targeted consumers by ocusing more on their broad selection of name brand products. The stores lighting, fixtures, colors and the quiet open spaced feel sets an overall consistent image inside and out. From the Best Buy logo imprinted on the front of the building to the writing on the banners, it all creates a simplistic touch. This allows customers to feel comfortable walking into Best Buy knowing the signs are easy to read and straightforward, which can be appreciated when in a retail store. The simplicity of their design inside the store completes their image by not distracting the customer rom their main selling focus. As one of the top selling leaders of consumer electronics, Best Buy highlights there main selling items by putting the consumer electronics aisles closest to the opening of the store. Designed for the ease of use for customers, they also have well trained employees that seemed friendly and willing to through the multiple products that they offer. All of these characteristics are designed to be consistent with Best Buys Brand image and in hopes to create brand loyalty for their customers. The segments being targeted are familiar with the stores ayout and ambience, which makes the consumer comfortable entering a best buy and finding what they need. The stores overall image portrays that they know they are considered the largest retailer in computers and electronics, which allows them to not strive that hard to change the perception they have already created in their customers minds. The stores strategy is to keep their layout clean, simple and focus in on the variety of products they carry. The display cases, racks, and end caps are all designed to drive you straight to the products. The calm, quiet, well lit atmosphere trangely related to the overall image of Best Buy. The only noise heard was the voice of another customer talking to an employee and music that was being played on one of their electronic items being featured. Once again, this states that the company is product driven and wants to create an environment that is consistent with attracting its target market. If best buy had different layouts that werent so structured and added special lighting for certain items they are emphasizing, than it would enhance the consumer experience and help attain the involvement of the consumer when hoosing their products. Overall, the company has been successful at creating the image of being a product focused company that takes away an ambience that allows the customer to be comfortable to shop at ease. This is portrayed, as all aspects of the store including its fixtures, promotion, layout and merchandising all compliments the specific and unique style that Best Buy has adapted as its brand image. Fixtures The fixtures at Best Buy portray the image of daylight. It keeps the consumer awake and aware of their surroundings. A shoppers first impression will be shaped at the tore entrance. The lighting should be aesthetically pleasing and complement the architecture while facilitating safe passage and creating a sense of security. Store entrance lighting should be designed to help customers visually adapt from the exterior to the interior environment. Best Buy has met these expectations to promote a pleasant shopping experience. The stores large rectangular floor plan is well lit throughout. The roof has several skylights installed to let in natural light during daytime hours. Natural light would be desirable in most retail stores but in an lectronic retail store the light becomes irritating and takes away the detailing of some of the lit displays. Hanging linear fluorescent lights makes up the majority of the stores overall lighting. The hanging lights are not strategically placed throughout the store resulting in some aisles being darker than others. The ceiling from where the lighting is hanging from is very high and has a warehouse look and feel, taking away from the high-tech electronics environment. At the end of certain aisles are light boxes that feature images of new products that Best Buy has released. The soft ighting behind these images details the featured product very well and portrays a great value in the product shown. The main center of the store features racks and shelving that are between 5 to 7 feet in height and display a wide array of Best Buys CD, Blu Ray/DVD, video game, and accessory products. Most of the shelving fixtures are a bland grey with little character and many aisles appear to be under stocked even though the shelving is generously spaced apart. The fixtures used to display the the fixtures shows little thought was put into displaying the bulk of the stores product. In the front and center of the store is a large mobile phone kiosk that features an interactive display where customers can test out phones and speak to several sales associates on hand that are managing the area. It is apparent that Best Buy finds this area very important to sales because the fixtures and displays highlight the product in a very appealing way. Promotions Best Buy relies heavily on branded signage to merchandise products. Cardboard stand-up displays, countertop units, and end caps from well-known brands such as Energizer, Phillips, Garmin, Home, and even Hello Kitty dot the walkways and aisles, ach competing for the shoppers attention. This results in a less-than-cohesive look throughout the store, and leaves smaller brands to get lost in the clutter of the generically branded aisles. Non-branded signage throughout the store is very stock- photo heavy, and generally unattractive and uncreative. Images of people using various electronics are hung blandly around the perimeter of the store, while uninspired blue directory signs are suspended overhead. It is clear that the stores visual strategy relied on taking a back seat to brand-directed merchandising displays, ut the effectiveness of each of them is limited to selling the individual brand or product, rather than maximizing visual marketing tools to sell across an entire category. Theatrical effects are present particularly in the video game section, as the store provides interactive video kiosks for a handful of popular games and gaming systems, including Super Mario Brothers, Nintendo 3DS and Wii. Screens flash with colors and characters calling shoppers closer. Headphones are plugged in and ready so testers could get the full auditory experience of the game. Some kiosks even offer paces with couches for customers to get the true living room gaming feel. A touch- screen ordering system allows customers to preorder new games and equipment before launch, and instantly order online any games that may not be available in the store. The theatrics carry over into the computer section of the store, where Apple has established its prominence with a large, black pop-up wall emblazoned with a glowing iconic Apple logo. Housed inside it is a TV monitor with an Apple-branded video showing the simplicity and innovation of Apple products. In front of the video all stands a familiar-looking light wood grain table encircled by MacBooks Just waiting to be played with. It is clear that this is the miniature Apple store-within-the- store, designed to imitate the ubiquitous Apple store with its exquisite branding. The big box layout of Best Buy stores leaves a large expanse with effectively only three walls in the space available for merchandising. The far right wall is used somewhat uncreatively to hang computer bags and backpacks and display computer monitors. The left-hand wall space, hidden behind a mass of washers and dryers, is wasted eal estate with a row of open-box discount appliances, a miscellaneous assortment of novelty electronics, and computer game gift cards hung in rows. The two bright spots of wall-based merchandising in Best Buy are in the back left corner and the back wall. The back left corner is resourcefully used to display operational car speakers and stereos, inset in rows along the wall. It is a powerful and attractive use of the corner space, allowing the customer an out-of-box, eye-level view of the various systems, easily comparable for shoppers. The most prominent wall in the space, the overing the entire breadth of the wall. It is a visually striking use of the wall that emphasized the sheer volume of choices the store offered, and that also makes it easy for customers to compare options between those choices. Suggestive selling is a sales technique where the employees ask the customers if they would like to include an additional purchase or recommend a product which might fit the clients needs. Suggestive selling is a great tool to use to increase revenues for the business. Best Buy excellently trains their sales staff to encourage shoppers to buy additional omplimentary items in addition to the original purchase. Purchasers are suggested to buy the added warranty in the high definition television area. Employees advise the buyers that the extra accessories like screen protectors and car charger are a must in the iPad and iPhone departments. Consumers are endorsed to buy cover cases in the laptop section. Suggestive selling is a strong attribute demonstrated by the Best Buy sales staff. Customers will not be disappointed when visiting Best Buy for the latest innovations. Best Buy sales staff are definitely friendly and helpful. Customers are greeted with friendly smiles by several employees at the main entrance. The store has all the current gadgets and gizmos when customers scan the view from left to right. The appearance of all the electronics can be mesmerizing for the high tech lovers. Customers can see that Best Buy has welcoming and accommodating sales staff after focusing clearly from all the alluring inventions. The store has sufficient employees in every department. Employees acknowledge customers with affectionate smiles and ask if the buyers need assistance upon entering departments. The caring gesture makes the customers feel the employees are courteous and gracious. There is a consistency with the image of the Best Buy sales staff with the image of the store. The image of the store is business casual and it does translate to the image of the sales staff. You do see a theme of ocean blue color when customers enter the store. Shoppers are greeted at the front door with employees wearing khaki pants and ocean blue collared t-shirts. Customers feel invited with this business casual look. Buyers notice the knowledgeable managers in their distinctive long sleeve shirts and ties. The dress appearance of the managers and employees give shoppers a vibe that the associates are well-trained, skillful, and professional. Layout The layout of the store is basically following the straight floor plan, in which the shelves are arranged parallel. The carpet on the floor is Best Buy blue with a beige E that supports the customers walking way through the store. The two back corners of the store are rounded with diagonal shelves that follow the beige carpet line all other shelves are arranged either horizontally or vertically. The check-out is inconspicuous and located on the front left side, hidden by a wall. Pick-up, customer service and the newly invented geek squad are also located separately in the front. Big signs hanging from the wall throughout the store make it easier for customers to find the category they are looking for. The shelves are small so an averagely large person can look over them, and everything is within reach. The aisles are wide enough to take out merchandise and have enough space to look at it in depth. A customer kiosk is located in the center of the store to assist people and chairs offer the possibility to take a break. The layout is good for people walking in the store, picking what they urchases. No exciting shopping experience is created. Overall the layout could be easily applied to a clothes store, a grocery store, or any other store, since it does not offer something distinguishingly unique promoting the sale of electronics (apart from the geek squad maybe). In addition to that the check-outs do not support the overall layout of the store, which is intended to be open and friendly. There are only two reasons for hiding the check-outs in a corner behind a shelve: The first one is you dont want your customers to be able to find it until they have picked up more erchandise, the second one is you want them to leave without merchandise. Neither helps retaining customers. A layout plan that breaks out of the traditional straight floor plan even more and offers a fun and exciting shopping experience would be much better for Best Buy. Customer Service should be located rather in the center than on the front left side. They, in fact, implemented a new layout and floor plan last year (check-outs throughout the store, geek squad, etc. ) which, the way it seems has not been implemented thoroughly in the store visited. Merchandise Best Buy utilizes various different types of fixtures to maximize space productivity. Gondolas with shelving are used thorough out the store. There are various rows of gondolas used for video games, DVDs, CDs, and etc. Several fixtures use slatwalls in order to fit shelves and hooks to display their items. Moreover, clearance items, such as DVDs, CDs, etc. , are put on round basket fixtures. By using the round basket fixtures Best Buy is left with more space on the gondolas for sale and regular price items. In addition, accessories, iTunes cards and other smaller items are placed on endcaps. Furthermore, towards the end of the store Televisions are displayed in the wall and bellow the displayed televisions shelves are used to place accessories. When displaying other electronic items such as cell phones, cameras and laptops they use display tables. There are also display tables and fixtures that display merchandise for the customer to test, but they also place items on the bottom half. In addition, in the aisle there are a few items that are displayed in cardboard double- sided gondolas. There are bigger packaged products like Televisions that are displayed by placing them on top of each other. The display tables used for the Apple products and the display Televisions increase interest in the products offered by Best Buy. Best Buy has all their merchandise separated by department and then by categories. For example, on the left side of the store the customer can find the appliance department, there the customer may find refrigerators. On the middle of the store the electronic departments are found and separated by categories. For example, on the middle left one find Music, organized by type of music, Video games also separated by the type of games (action, violent, children, etc. , DVDs, Blu Rays also separated by categories like, action, comedy, Sci-Fi, horror, etc. and electronics, such as cell phones cameras, laptops, ipods, tablets, which are separated by brands, and a separate section for apple products. Suggestions The lighting fixtures help Best Buy to increase its sales, by enhancing the customers experience. By researching the most effective light fixture location could boost Best Buys customer transactions. Highlighting some well- known products sold at Best Buy, such as laptops, would possi bly help to increase the foot traffic in that area. The urrent use of brand imaging is very stock photo related for Best Buy and may appealing to customers would greatly benefit Best Buy and make the shopping experience much more entertaining. Best Buy definitely makes customers feel pleased and refreshed upon entering the store. The intelligent sales staff knows their products and recommends accurate product purchases. Best Buy positively rewards patrons with a fabulous shopping experience for the latest designs and devices. Best Buy could build on these benefits by updating the interior of the store with newer shelving, paint, and carpet. Technology is constantly evolving and Best Buy should keep that theme going by constantly updating and improving its stores. The clutter of branded signage such as cardboard stand-up displays, countertop units and endcaps all competing for customers attention can be a bit overwhelming and generally unattractive. Reducing the amount of signage would clean up the store making the floor plan feel more open therefore putting the shopper at ease. To achieve this they could focus on different brands each month and be more effective with fewer advertisements.