Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Discuss how realism is created in the film drama Yasmin Essays

Discuss how realism is created in the film drama Yasmin Essays Discuss how realism is created in the film drama Yasmin Essay Discuss how realism is created in the film drama Yasmin Essay Yasmin, written by Oscar award winner Simon Beaufoy, is a topical drama focused around a predominantly Asian community in the north of England. Starring Bend It Like Beckham and East Is East actress Archie Panjabi, Yasmin, explores problems and prejudices faced by Asian people in the aftermath of the atrocities in America on September the Eleventh. Using characterisation, setting, camera, mise-en-scene and sound, director Kenneth Gleenan, creates a sense of realism through an accurate depiction of life in an Asian community after the terrorist attacks. In this essay I have chosen to focus on the opening scene, and I will discuss methods used in Yasmin to create realism through media and film-making techniques, and how successful Yasmin is in doing this. I will also look at the writers and directors representations of life for British Muslims after the tragedies of September the Eleventh. The narrative in Yasmin is set in modern day and tackles contemporary issues and prejudices that can be easily applied to a Muslim community. Based around events on September the Eleventh, the audience have a universal awareness of the actual events that it focuses around, however many of the problems surfaced by Yasmin are not exclusive to a Muslim community and are faced by many minorities of other cultures, religions and minority groupings. So the problems portrayed in Yasmin are a representation of a wide scale issue faced by minorities in post 9-11 world where racial tensions are often high. The story follows the journey of a typical British Muslim, Yasmin, through the time before, during and after the attacks in America. It looks at all aspects of Yasmins life from her daily goings on to family problems, culture clashes and the hostility she faces from the people close to her as well as ordinary people on the street and the police. Torn between the traditions, customs and values of her Asian upbringing and the way of life the Western world has taught her; Yasmin is a troubled, young British Muslim struggling to find her true identity. The director, in the opening scene, makes this fact very clear in the short section when Yasmin hides so that she can strip herself of her traditional Muslim clothing in favour of typical Western fashions; taking refuge in a field just outside the town in which she lives. Through costume and lighting, the Mise-en-Scene in this section is a medium used powerfully and effectively to accurately portray the personal problems Yasmin faces whilst not making them so obvious as to allow the audience to draw some conclusions and personal opinions themselves. Through costume, by placing on a pair of tight jeans, realism is displayed, firstly because Yasmin is a young girl, and she chooses to wear tight jeans that strongly define her feminine figure, something that would be considered a very normal thing to do for a young girl to do, even though a slight stereotype. Secondly, the jeans can be read as a symbol of her rebellion against her traditional values, and the restrictions they place upon her as a female. They are symbolic of true problems, faced by many people. The use of costumes in the opening scenes quickly establishes Yasmin as a gritty TV drama; indeed, Yasmins cheap and ill-fitting jeans are a far cry from the glamorous designer outfits modelled by A-list celebrities in glossy, over-produced Hollywood productions. Instead, Yasmin attempts to accurately portray problems faced by people who are torn between cultures whilst avoiding patronising or offending these people by being true to life. Apart from costume, lighting also plays a significant-role in the opening scene. The use of bright daytime light along with the grey and white clouds casts shadows around Yasmin, and can be seen clearly in the birds eye view shot that looks down on Yasmin as she drives down the road out of the countryside. The shadows could be seen to represent her emotions; her guilt and the demons she faces, and are created through a realistic use of light. The birds eye view shot also allows the audience to see the tranquillity of the setting in that there are no other cars or people in the scene. This is realistic in the fact that it becomes clear to the audience why Yasmin chooses to take cover there as it is tranquil, and she can be alone with her thoughts to consider what she is doing, the consequences, but also why she is betraying her family and traditions, or whether if she wasnt changing her persona through her clothes she would be betraying her true cravings to truly integrate and conform to British customs. Also illustrated in the car, and the fact that it is a sports car shows her want to escape, and the fact that it is old is realistic as it shows how Yasmin is young and in real life wouldnt be able to afford much else. To create a naturalistic setting, this scene is shot in daylight to create a muted colour to further emphasise the fact that Yasmin is a gritty TV drama, which contrasts the vibrant and melodramatic styles generated by Technicolor, as used in Hollywood productions. Whilst putting on her jeans, the character of Yasmin is framed irregularly on the left of the shot, and to her right are plants and trees. This could be seen as the directors representation of how Yasmin is only in her youth and is still young and naà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ve, and has not yet grown in to a tree. A portrayal of Yasmin being young and wanting to have fun and escape and shackles that she is faced with is realistic, believable ethic that I believe the Director is trying to represent. The sound in this section is often scarce, or dim at best. Birds twittering, wind blowing, are the distant digetic sounds that can be dimly heard by the audience. The silence in this section could be seen as a conscious decision made by the director to show Yasmins isolation and how she is lost amongst her own thoughts and own problems, and not by any specific pressures that are being enforced upon her by other outside influences, it can be read as being representative of her situation making her an int rovert. They are realistic sounds that are in context to the setting, and add to the effect of the peaceful tranquil atmosphere that I feel Yasmins character seeks in the country. As Yasmin drives away, some traditional Asian music plays, a non-digetic sound, into a point of view shot showing Yasmin looking at the road ahead, that could represent the path Yasmin will take, and in combination these two mediums create a question for the audience, what path will Yasmin take, a realistic problem someone in her scenario would ask themselves, am I British or am I what my father has made me, Muslim? The second part of the opening scene I have chosen to look at is the portion in which Yasmins elderly father, who maintains the local Mosque, and Yasmins brother, go to mosque to begin the mornings call to prayer. Like the scene with Yasmin, the director immediately outlines what the coming storyline will focus upon, however unlike Yasmins section of the opening scene, the father is faced with problems that arent as personal issues, but issues the local Muslim community are facing as a whole. As the father and brother walk around to the mosque, along littered streets with broken bollards, continuing to install realism into the setting, there is a long shot down one of the streets that is extremely powerful in creating a realistic setting in context with the financial state of the community and geographical setting as it is filmed on real streets, not a film set. There is a long shot of a row of houses, poorly maintained, shabby, poor looking with cars of a similar stature. This is ty pical of the northern England industrial areas, where houses were built quickly, all looking the same, and with it being set in northern England, this is typically a poorer area with the decline for manual labourers in the industrial sector, less jobs are available to people living there causing a higher rate of unemployment. Also, on nearly every house there is a satellite television receiver dish, which is a very strong symbol of a stereotypical average home in modern Britain, everyone sitting around watching their televisions all day. As if a neighbour looking out on the characters, there is also a high angle shot that creates a fly-on-the-wall effect for the audience, creating realism. In contrast to the other section of the opening scene, this scene doesnt have any non-digetic sound, and is filled with digetic sound that create realism, people talking, cars driving past, footsteps, children shouting on their way to school, typical sounds of people going about their daily routin es. The scene then cuts to the father and brother approaching the shutter that covers the entrance door to find graffiti spelling out a racist comment. Go Home Paki is in big letters across the shutter. This is hard hitting and very strong in showing realism in a number of ways. Firstly, it is powerful in the fact the racist term Paki is seen as a taboo and highly unacceptable, and shocks the audience, and provides a hook setting the atmosphere for rest of the story. Secondly, the language used is the type of comment a racist person would use, and would be specifically used to upset the victim by using racist derogatory language, but by also suggesting that the Muslim people dont belong in England, and raises a similar issue faced by Yasmin in the other section of the opening scene for the father, where is my home? Although his body language and facial expressions obviously express that he feels pain from the comments on the shutter, the fathers reaction is quite off hand suggesting that this is a regular occurrence, making the audience empathise with the situation and allowing the audience to familiarise themselves with the trials and tribulations the family are facing. A high angle- long shot, of the inside of the mosque, rich red carpets with ornate motifs typical of Asian design follows. It is a clever use of mise-en-scene to create an authentic and accurate setting inside the mosque. The carpet, with the high angle shot makes the father and brother look very small, almost engulfed by their traditions and culture, represented in the vibrant colours of the ornate carpet. The next shot is a low angle close-up shot upon the shoes of the two characters as the take them off. There is a great contrast in the style of footwear with the father wearing traditional smart black shoes, whilst the teenage son wears trainers. This is a contrast seen amongst many people from different generations, and is also realistic in the sense it shows that the Asian families are a little more relaxed in the boys mixing with the western culture a little more, whereas the girls are expected to stay traditional as if they were following Islam in Asia, and the use of the clos e-up shot emphasises this. The dà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cor in the mosque is old woodchip paper, beginning to peel from the walls, again symbolic and accurate to the people of the area and their financial status. Finally, the last major point that shows realism in this section of the opening scene, is the final shot where the father is cleaning the graffiti off of the shutter. The digetic sound of the son calling people to prayer over the loudspeaker is sustained in the background, realistic in its continuity, and as the father begins to clean the paint, he firstly begins to clean the word home. I found this slightly surprising as I would have believed that he would have erased the racist term, Paki, yet upon reflection I came to believe that this was a way the director represented to his audience what troubled the father, like Yasmin, the most, is that he doesnt know where home is anymore, he is torn between two cultures. His home, with his traditions and beliefs, or the culture he believed would bring him prosperity, but in the face of adversity he has grown accustom to. As I outlined when discussing this point before, this is a strong use of realism as it is a real and sensitive approach t o real problems and issues faced by Asian communities living in areas of Britain. Through camera angles and framing, using non-digetic and digetic sounds, mise-en-scene entwined within the narrative, Yasmin creates a powerful, accurate and audience sensitive depiction of problems and prejudices faced by British Asians within families, cultures and society, outlined by use of historical context in the form of events from September the Eleventh. I believe that the filmmaker and writers were trying to show how hard it is to find what normal is when you are trying to find a common ground seen as acceptable between two very different cultures built on different traditions and values. Speaking to an universal audience, and in my opinion acting as a voice for Asian people in particular, the Director is trying to emphasise the unfairness of the problems faced by minorities in our society post- September the Eleventh. Yasmin shows that minority communities should be strong and have dignity and pride in all of what they are, but it also provides a message for White British people, and racists, asking them to understand how hard life is for British Asian people.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Paint a face on the Audiences of Outdoor Magazine and PC Photo Magazine

Paint a face on the Audiences of Outdoor Magazine and PC Photo Magazine Writing for a specific magazine, the writer should take into consideration many important details that will make it possible to create the article interesting for the readers. In other words, the writer should direct his writing on a particular audience. For example, writing for a professional magazine, the writer will choose topics relevant to the subject and use specific terms.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Paint a face on the Audiences of Outdoor Magazine and PC Photo Magazine specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In fact, there are many means used to attract and, what is more important, hold the reader’s attention. These means are the author’s language choice, tone of the voice, specific descriptions, example and details. All these means should be focused on the interests and knowledge of the target audience. Stark and Pitt are the writers who create articles for magazines with different audience. Cons equently, their articles cover the topics relevant to the target audiences and use voice and terminology that are understandable for the readers. However, how would their writings change if they switch audiences with each other? Thus, in order to attract and keep the attention of their new audience, the writers would have change the manner of representation of the material, terminology and voice of their articles. As it has already been mentioned, the author should focus his writing on the knowledge and interests of the target audience. Edward Jay Friedlander and John Lee in their book Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines: The Pursuit of Excellence say that, â€Å"writers, if they are to be successful, must learn not only to write in different voices, but also deliver the topics in a manner expected by readers† (76). In other words, the writer should define a target audience. Each magazine has a specific target audience. It can be a professional magazine, scientific, a magazine for teenagers, housekeepers or car drivers, etc. In each case, the writer should take into account. Thus, if the authors switch the audience, the first thing they should do is to correct the titles of their articles. According to the settled condition, the authors should make the topics of their articles interesting for audience of a different journal. Pitt would have to change the manner of presentation of the material, as a majority of the target audience of the Outside magazine would not understand the terminology applied to digital technologies. His article is aimed at teaching people work with Photoshop and some of its new versions. Thus, it presupposes that readers can use the program and knows the terminology, â€Å"we used Jasc Paint Shop Pro 8 for our example, but most photo imagine has the same or similar tools† (Pitt n. pag.). The readers of the Outside Magazine, who might be interested in the digital edit of the photography by themselves, hardly know th ese tools.Advertising Looking for essay on communications media? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, the author should introduce explanations for the terms and usage of the tools. Moreover, as the audience much of the context of the writing, the author might change the subject matter, for example, instead of editing human photo, he could suggest editing of the nature or animals pictures. Finally, he uses the first first-person voice, and then switches to the second-person voice to teach his readers. In case with the audience of the Outside Magazine, he must change the way of addressing to the audience. It should be less straightforward, as the majority of articles in the Outside Magazine are the stories that happen to people and look like literature stories. Thus, Pitt must change the tone of instruction to less straightforward, more get-to-know one and switch to the second or third voice. If Peter Stark writes fo r the PC Photo Magazine, he also must change many things in his article. It is very important to remember that: â€Å"The words in the text should reflect an author’s knowledge of the topic with the intent of informing the reader. Most authors not only want the information to be accessible, but also want to achieve their purpose by allowing the reader to â€Å"enter† into the text comfortably. Authors do this by making the word choice and language interesting, compelling, and appropriate to the audience’s knowledge level, age, and experience† (Medina 41). For him, it would be a bit difficult to attract the attention of people who are interested in the digital technologies, to the topic of his article â€Å"As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow – First Chill, then Stupor, then the Letting Go†. Thus, the first thing that can be done is changing the title into more appropriate. For example, â€Å"What Should One Do if†¦Ã¢â‚¬ . The form of the writing should be changed as well. It should contain some instructions or helpful advice. The article should be written in second voice and include some conclusion, for example, some addition to the story after the experience. In addition, the terminology, such as â€Å"hypothermia† should be changed to more common words. Thus, we can come to a conclusion that the target audience of the magazine article, as well as other writings has a great meaning, and the writing interesting for one reader can be absolutely indifferent to other reader. If Pitt and Stark change the target audience of their articles, they will have to change many issues, such as title, examples, terminology, idea, voice, manner of representation of the material.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Paint a face on the Audiences of Outdoor Magazine and PC Photo Magazine specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Friedlander, Edward Jay, and John Lee . Feature Writing for Newspapers and Magazines: The Pursuit of Excellence. Harper Collins College Publishers, 1996. Medina, Conni. Successful Strategies for Reading in the Content Areas. Huntington Beach: Shell Education, 2007. Pitts, Wes. â€Å"Photo Exorcism†. Motives for Writing 5th Ed. Ed. Robert Keith Miller. Online Learning Center. Web. Stark, Peter, â€Å"As Freezing Persons Recollect the Snow – First Chill, then Stupor, then the Letting Go†. Motives for Writing 6th Ed. Ed. Robert Keith Miller. Online Learning Center. Web.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Jerry siegel Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Jerry siegel - Research Paper Example He had 5 siblings including 3 sisters and two brothers. His father himself was quite artistic who used to develop signs through his paint work and later his father started a haberdashery and he was one of those who not only recognized the artistic side of his youngest son, he even promoted his son to work on his talent. Jerry was left father less when his father passed away as a result of a heart attack which was caused due to a robbery that took place in his store. Siegel might have gained his inspiration and recognized his career path due to his liking for comics, movies and magazines that published science fiction. Later he become an active participant of meeting up with people who had a taste for science fiction and the people he used to meet even included Jack Williamson who himself became a great author. During the session of 1929 when he was only 15 years old, he started creating stories that were comic in nature with the assistance of a typewriter and his work was then advert ised in Science Wonder Stories’ classified section. In the following years he continued to produce similar kind of work. He spent his high school life in Cleveland’s school of Glenville high School and was a contributor for the school’s weekly news issue. During his high school years he was quite shy of a person but was well known among his friends and other school members for conducting parody of Tarzan. At age of 16, he and Joe who was one of the creators of Superman became close friends. Since the start of the friendship of these two artistic individuals, they worked and produced various comics including the musketeer which was their debut comic creation. The Grace of superman Superman was never created a flying hero, he was first created as a villain by the combination of Joe and Siegel and when they created this element, they portrayed him as someone who wanted to rule the world. This character made his first appearance in mini story which was recognized as The Reign of the Super-Man and this story was published during the period of 1933 by Siegel himself. This negative role of the superman was not welcomed and was almost a failure, this made the creators of the figure think and they decided to show a positive image of the character. During 1934, a positive superman was created as seen by the people of 20th and the 21st century. After creating the super hero, both companions started a quest to in order to locate a publisher for their character and after sex years the character was published in a superhero’s role and was recognized as Detective Dan: Secret Operative No. 48 (Schelly 92). The new role gained great popularity and a positive letter was delivered to both the creators but the letter disallowed them from creating such a comic book in future. Due to this Joe experienced shock and in despair he burned the entire story and the only part of the literary work remaining was the cover of the book as it was saved by Siegel. In comparison to the character of superman, the creators created yet another figure regarded as Slam Bradley who was an adventurer and it was published in comics that were based on detectives. The character was p

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 38

Assignment Example Chronic stress causes a harm to the body as it cant keep supporting the stress response. 2. The fight or flight response describes the bodys reaction to stress and includes increased heart and lung rates, blood vessel dilation, and other measures that will aid in a fight or escape situation. 3. General adaptation syndrome refers to the bodys response to stress over time. It is commonly divided into three parts including alarm (excitation of the response), resistance (prolonging the response), and exhaustion/recovery (can cause damage if exhaustion is extended due to chronic stress). 5. Some physical ways to avoid stress are regular exercise and eating healthy. Avoiding negative people and gaining enjoyable employment are social approaches to stress avoidance. Environmentally, stress may be reduced by building strong family relations and choosing a healthy partner, and psychological tools include keeping priorities in perspective and avoiding the repression of negative emotions. 6. The two hormones secreted during the stress response (and their functions) are cortisol (increases blood sugar, depresses immune system, and aids in metabolism) and norepinephrine (increases heart rate, triggers sugar release, and increases oxygen supply to the brain). 1. The five main components of fitness (and how they impact health) are cardiovascular fitness (heart and lung oxygen delivery ability), muscular strength (force muscle can exert), muscular endurance (how long muscles can exert force repeatedly or for one period), flexibility (how long muscle will lengthen without damage), and body composition (fat percentage especially has impact on health). 2. Three differences between aerobic and anaerobic energy production include the use of oxygen in aerobic but not anaerobic respiration, more energy is produced through aerobic respiration, and aerobic energy production results in the formation of water molecules. 4. Ten (of many) negative

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Enjoyable Theatrical Experience Essay Example for Free

Enjoyable Theatrical Experience Essay An Inspector Calls was written by J. B Priestley in 1945. The play is set in 1912. In England this was a time of strikes, riots and poverty. The play was partly written by Priestley to highlight a number of very important issues in our lives, which include social class, capitalist and social attitude to life, equality, prejudice, wealth, poverty, rights and responsibilities. It is for this reason that the play may be described as an effective piece of social criticism. It criticises the way in which some people live and think, as well as make us question what is right and what is wrong. The play is a very enjoyable theatrical experience as it is full of excitement, suspense, tension and dramatic irony. In this offer my own opinions and support these with evidence, quotations and examples. It is important to understand what the terms capitalist and socialist mean. Capitalists are people who have power and money. They show their status and wealth. They only care about themselves and dont care anybody else. Socialists are people who care about everybody not just themselves. They are unselfish and believe in welfare of others. Above all Priestley uses one of the main characters, Inspector Goole as a strong mouthpiece to represent his own values, morals and beliefs and sends this message to his audience. The message is that people should not be split into different classes or treated differently as all people are off equal importance and have rights and responsibilities, regardless of the amount of money that they have. Priestley uses Inspector Goole to convey this message, stating in act three, page 56 that:- We are responsible of each other. And I tell you that the time will soon come when, if men will not learn this lesson, then they will be taught it in fire and blood and anguish. This is exactly what happened because in 1914, two years after the play was set, First World War started, this was the result of assassination of Austro-Hungarian heir to throne in Sarajevo by a Serbian student. Income tax doubled to pay for the war which was costing i 1million daily. Priestley wants the world to be full of peace, love and forgiveness. Priestley shows that the Birling family are capitalists and have great wealth in a number of ways. For example their house is described as The dining-room of a fairly large suburban house, belonging to a prosperous manufacturer. It has good solid furniture of the period. The general effect is substantial and heavily comfortable, but not Cosy and homelike. This is evidenced in act one, page 1 at the start of the play. They also have a made called Edna. This shows that they belong to a wealthy family and they can afford a maid.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Fra Angelico :: essays research papers

Fra Angelico/Beato, was the name given to the Dominican friar and early renaissance artist, Fra Giovanni Guido di Piero for his extraordinary works and personal piety. He was born in Vicchio, Tuscany, and had begun his artistic career as an illuminator of missals and other religious related books in his late teens. In 1417, he was accepted as a member of the Compasniadisan Niccolo, a religious confraternity in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine, which was an implicit recognition of his Christian piety. Here he was prohibited from painting, and therefore resigned from the order and joined the community of San Dominico to become a Dominican friar in 1420, where his brother Fra Benedetto also joined and was ordained as a priest. It was in this place that Fra Angelico had begun his first works on altar pieces and frescoes such as The Annunciation, and had adopted the name Frate Giovanni de' San Domeico da Fiesole (Fra Giovanni of the friars of San Dominico in Fiesole). He was one of the first friars who employed for working on convents other than his own. By the time he was the age of twenty-five, Fra Angelico was already a well known master painter. At the time Florence was the ideal area for Renaissance artwork. So Fra Angelico along with other Fiesole friars, moved to the convent of San Marco in Florence around 1436. In 1445 however, he went to Rome as a request by Pope Eugenius IV. Eventually Fra Angelico returns to his Fiesole, and passes away in March 1455. Unlike many other artists of those times, Fra Angelico used effective artistic techniques such as devout facial expressions, convincing usage of color, motion, deep spacing, usage of a linear perspective, all combined with the influence of the decorative Gothic style of Gentile da Fabriano, which made him one of the foremost painters of the Renaissance. It was also said that his work was inspired by the preaching of another Dominican known as Fra Manfredida Vercelli, and since all his work consisted of Christian relevance, his Christian spirituality is manifested in his art. One of Fra Angelico's more well known piece of work, is the painting of The Last Judgement, which was a piece for the back of a seat for the priest to use at the Mass. It was most probably commissioned by the Florentine church of Santa Maria degli Angeli.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Conflict Resolution Styles in Organizational Behaviour Essay

Conflict is a process that every one of us has experienced throughout our lifes. There are various definitions of conflicts as described by different authors but generally, conflict is a process whereby one individual’s interests is opposed or negatively affected by the other party (McShane et al. 2010). Workplace and organisational conflicts are usually more complex. Isenhart and Spangle (2000) points out that at the beginning the conflict may start because of improper placement of workers and their responsibilities in a workplace, but it may get worse if they faces unfair rules, ineffective management, unclear responsibilities or too much work assigned. Organisational conflicts can result in many possible outcomes, the negatives ones such as damaged employee relations, violence, increased tension between bosses and employees but it can have positive outcomes too such as increased employee-cohesiveness and increased motivation. How it will be achieved will be discussed throug h the elements of conflict and will be listed in greater details. Ways in which people approach conflict Avoiding Avoiding is probably the fastest way of resolving a conflict but at the same time it is not the best way because most of the time the avoider will remain unhappy even after the conflict. It does not permanently resolve the conflict (McShane et al. 2010) and in my opinion it is just ‘postponing’ the problem to have it solved at a later date. McCollum et al. (2009) states that the person who is avoiding thinks that confronting the conflict will bring more trouble than it is worth. The avoider also decides to not deal with the conflict because he or she might not have the confidence to do so. This seems like the more popular choice amongst the five ways in which people approach conflict based on my experiences because people simply do not want unnecessary trouble or aggravate the problem, especially if it is a minor issue. Avoiding pays no attention in concerns of either self or others (Kotthoff & Spencer-Oatey 2008). This is the least-sought option amongst the five approac hes but however, McCollum et al. (2009) suggests that avoiding can be a tactical approach when the other party has more strength and authority over you; and/or the avoiding the conflict will bring little or no devastating consequences. Problem-Solving I deemed this to be the most effective way in resolving organisational conflicts because both parties will benefit if they manage to find a double-win solution to the problem. This is considered to be the most desirable approach to conflict as there are no negative impacts at all. Only positive results will surface. Runde & Flanagan (2009) suggests that there might be a link between avoiding and problem-solving. Because many people tend towards avoidance, they often rush through problem solving and immediately use the first solution that they can think of so as to quickly get over the conflict, without any beneficial solutions. The key in using problem-solving as an approach to resolve conflicts lies in having patience to create multiple potential solutions. Careful reflection and consideration will progress into agreements that are both satisfying and successful (Runde & Flanagan 2009). Therefore when undergoing problem-solving, both parties must not rush to a solution immediately o r else the solution may backfire or do not satisfy both parties’ needs. Three strategies that help people manage conflict Before discussing about the three different strategies that help people to manage conflict, the strategies used are basically divided into three categories and they are interest-based, rights-based and power-based (Jameson 2001). Three different strategies from the three categories will be discussed respectively. Jameson (2001) advises that all resolutions of disputes and conflicts should start with a interest-based strategy, and if it does not resolves the conflict, it is followed by a rights-based strategy and if conflict persists, power-based strategy is then applied. Mediation (Interest-based) Jameson (2001) suggests that mediation is a form of ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution). Research has shown that interest-based strategies such as mediation had the best long-termed results such as improved relationship between parties, greater commitment to solutions and reduced future conflicts from happening. This is why involved parties in a conflict should use this approach as it reaps the most benefits. Even though there are many theories and various methods underlying mediation, it is generally defined as an intervention by a neutral third party which facilitates the process but allow participants in the conflict to control the outcome (Jameson 2001). Depending on the severity of the conflict, the mediator is to provide useful information in legal issues, help the participants into perspective thinking, provide a guide in finding the most satisfying and realistic settlement, help to improve the working/personal relationship between participants, or engage in some combination of the above methods. Inquisitorial Intervention (Rights-based) This describes intervention by a person of a higher authority; in most cases is the manager, who will make a final decision. Managers who adopt this strategy allow employees more or less control over presentation of their arguments before deciding on an appropriate solution (Jameson 2001). Because the third party(manager) listens to every party’s arguments before making a judgment, the manager acts as a ‘judge’ and this usually results in a win-lose situation, unlike Mediation which results in a win-win situation most of the time. Employees are given the opportunity to present their arguments and influence the final decision and this result in higher amount of fairness and satisfaction with outcomes. Employees involved in the conflict usually agree that the outcome decided by the third party is fair, but it could be better if they are able to retain the outcome control. Restructuring (Power-based) This is the more realistic popular method amongst power-based strategies because they are efficient (at least in the short run) and it follows a problem-solving procedure that is actually part of the managerial role (Jameson 2001). A powerful third party restructures the work and responsibilities of employees in order to solve problems. For example if employees does not see eye-to-eye with one another and it affects efficiency or quality of work produced, restructuring may simply solve this issue even though parties involved are not satisfied but at least they will not be able to see each other, proving restructuring to be a efficient method in the short run. This method may be efficient if time issues are being involved, such as the organisation needs to achieve a certain target by a certain date. Influence of culture in conflict resolution styles The three cultural values dimensions that are popularly discussed are individualism-collectivism, power distance and high-low context (McShane et al. 2010). Low/high context: refers to the amount of information contained in a clearly-expressed message versus implied message (Adair et al. 2004). Low-context culture is direct and negotiations are analytical and fact-based, while high-context culture is indirect and high-context negotiators tend to use an indirect communication method with usually contains implied meanings. An example of a low-context culture would be the United States of America and a high-context culture will be Japan (Adair et al. 2004). Individualism/Collectivism: Individualism refers to a society where the relationships between people are loose and they are expected to look after themselves or their immediate families only. Collectivism which is the opposite, refers to a society that people focus on being harmonious and emphasize on cohesiveness within themselves. In organisational context, individualism means individuals only care about their own goals and prefer to work alone and collectivism means working harmoniously in a teams and it emphasizes on teamwork. Power distance: McShane et al. (2010) defines power distance as the degree of importance that people place on status and power to control. Basically it means that human inequality may occur in many fields such as status, wealth, power, rules etc. In organisational settings it refers between superiors/managers and employees mainly. In a high power distance working environment, employees tend to just do their work without raising doubts or question their bosses, due to fear in the difference of their power, low power distance means otherwise, where employees and their superiors work hand in hand to resolve issues. A few decades ago, managers can spend up to twenty percent of their time in resolving conflicts. Nowadays, conflicts are generally much more complex and take up more time to resolve due to technological advances, world’s exponential growth rate and globalization which led to increase contacts between people of many different cultures (Kotthoff & Spencer-Oatey 2008). This suggests that our modern world has an increase of numbers of cultural conflicts and they are usually hard to resolve due to the extreme range of differences in thinking, values, ethics etc between individuals of different cultures. To further elaborate on this point, Brigg (2008) states that most experts in this field now come to an agreement that culture frames the experiences of conflict of people, their reactions and responses to other people in conflict, and the types of strategies they might consider to manage or otherwise address disputes. Therefore when facing against a cultural conflict issue, one must understand that the other party does not grow up in the same environment as him/her, had not been taught the same teachings and values since young. To put in simpler terms, the definition of what is right and what is correct might not be the same between the two parties. This also explains why it is so difficult in applying conflict resolution styles when it comes to cultural conflicts because it is hard to accept the other party’s â€Å"correct† values which may be the â€Å"wrong† values of one as both of them have been gorged those values since young in their growing up environment. Conclusion Two ways of conflict-handling styles were discussed and avoiding can be a good approach sometimes despite many of its negativity and although problem-solving is the best approach, it cannot be rushed and many potential solutions must be raised in order to finding the best solution. Three strategies from three different categories of conflict resolution styles were discussed and despite the major differences in terms of popularity of usage and way of handling, all the three strategies can produce effective results in organisational settings if they were applied in the correct circumstances. Three cultural values dimensions were discussed and it was also explained that influence of culture in conflict resolution styles remains fundamentally significant and it is currently the most challenging in conflict resolution.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Marketing is more than selling and promotion Essay

The primary concern or objective of marketing is to identify and satisfy, or exceed the changing needs of customers. In view of this broad concern of marketing, it can be seen that the concept of marketing summarizes many activities in a business. Marketing, in fact, refers to any activity undertaken by a firm that has been designed to plan, price, promote and distribute ideas, goods and services to target markets. These marketing activities were executed in order to create an exchange and sales that will result in the achievement of the proprietors’ individual goals and the firm’s goals, both in the short-term and the long-term. It is then obvious that marketing forms an integral component of any business’s operations. In particular marketing activities attempt to increase a firms’ revenue base, by showing the importance of attracting potential customers in target markets to purchase the firms’ products in order to satisfy their wants, rather than those of firm’s competitors. Consequently, the marketing directly contributes to the attainment of the financial goals of the firm. Hence, the success of a firm is reliant upon the extent to which it is able to identify, and satisfy the customer’s needs more effectively. Marketing as an activity that involves several features, all of which are presented during the course of the marketing process. Such features include, firstly and most importantly, that marketing is a long process that begins with the creation of an idea and ends up as product that will be sold to satisfy a customer’s needs. Secondly, marketing is seen as a managerial process as it involves making managerial decisions about the particular mix of product, price, place and promotion in a firm. Furthermore, marketing involves managers planning and ensuring that particular arranged activities are carried out, in order for the marketing plan to be successful. Finally, marketing is perceived as a way in which firms are able to satisfy the needs of customers, and in turn achieve their own business goals. Marketing provides the business with the ability to satisfy the changing wants of customers. In light of this, and the fact that businesses have  become increasingly aware of the role that marketing plays in achieving success in the business, several approaches or philosophies to marketing have developed. There are different approaches to marketing, to help to define marketing and to show, how a specific marketing approach/s depends upon particular business’s marketing strategy and the type of product being marketed. Starting with a Marketing Concept, which believes that a customer’s need for satisfaction, is the economic and social reason for an organisation’s existence. This approach requires, that all of the business’s activities should be targeted towards meeting consumer wants, while at the same time meeting the organisation’s goals. In effect, this approach needs the firm to find out what the customer wants, and subsequently develops a product to meet these requirements and then sell it at a profit. Then the Production Concept should be considered. This approach states that the business will sell its product if it is both well made and affordable. Businesses utilising this method require management to focus on improving production techniques and cost structures of the business The Product Concept focuses on the quality, features, and performance of the product. Believing that if the product has more features or is of a better quality and performance compared to competitors, it will then gain greater sales it is defiantly less customer orientated. The Selling Concept concentrates on developing sales techniques and promotional activities in order to entice customers into buying an organisation’s product, whether they want it or not. Therefore this approach places direct emphasis on customers, but possibly not on their want-satisfaction. After all the Societal Marketing Concept which is the latest marketing approach, combines the main ideas of the marketing approach, that is, determining customer needs and satisfying the business’s goals, but also integrates social responsibility into the business. This social responsibility includes increasing environmental awareness, which may include tackling the problems of pollution and the exploitation of  non-renewable resources. Modern day businesses are under pressure to adopt this marketing approach, in order to become more socially responsible. This approach not only focuses on fulfilling the customer’s want-satisfaction, but also satisfying society. These four approaches in particular show, that marketing is more than promoting and selling a product. They could be compared with the four P?s (product, place, promotion and price), which are normally used to describe the process of marketing. But the concepts of marketing, production, product, selling and society marketing give another view into the difficult and never ending process of marketing.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Music1 essays

Music1 essays Does the music that is produced today have a direct affect on what teenagers in America will do? This is a question that many people over the last couple of years have asked constantly. With the recent Columbine incident, as well as the increase in school shootings, many people feel there is something to blame for the violence. In situations like these, art forms are usually the easiest to blame. There is no way to blame one person for the crimes at hand, and no one would like to believe that they just poorly raised their own children. Suddenly someone steps in and sees the teen listened to some sort of music, which is not acceptable by parents standards, and you have a culprit. The problem with this is that, not everyone who has ever listened to any sort of music has developed a desire to go shoot everyone in his or her school. No study has proven that music makes a person do anything but maybe listen to the song again. Therefore music has no direct affect on what people decide to do with their lives. Recently, shock-rock has become a very popular genre of music. A group named Marilyn Manson has been heavily in the media since 1995. This particular group bases its career on its shock value. When the Columbine shootings occurred, many people put the blame on Brain Warner, the lead singer of Marilyn Manson, because of his eccentric appearance and lyrics. Many American parents felt that his differences from a more mainstream act like Brittany Spears, made his lyrics all that more offensive. Since the two boys involved with the Columbine shootings listened to Marilyn Manson, he was ultimately blamed for their murderous rampage. The media however hardly touched on the fact that both the boys were often tormented at school for being different. Secondly, that they both had a deep hatred for the jocks that made fun of them everyda ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

How To Fit 20 Hours Into A 10 Hour Workday

How To Fit 20 Hours Into A 10 Hour Workday It started with a reader wondering if wed write a very specific post: @It was very helpful, thank you so much. Can your next post be how to fit 20 hours into a 10 hour working day? Thanks again! Jeff Guest (@JeffGuestDesign) February 18, 2014 It sounded like a great topic. Id love to be able to get more done each workday myself, and I figured that if I wrote about it, maybe Id learn something important in researching. This is not helpful, I thought as I read articles and blog posts telling me how to hack my day and squeak more work out. The articles all had some clever trick, some useful tools, the greatest app ever to increase productivity (usually only available on iOS, this Android user noticed), but nothing in particular stood out. Much of it was based on what worked for the writer (which, alas, is where I fear this post will eventually end up, too), but I wanted something more universal, or something with a bit of research behind it. And then I finally realized the obvious: Fitting 20 hours of work into a 10 hour day is impossible.  You cannot stretch, bend, or add to the time in your day. This question was not really one asking me to mess with the time-space continuum, or to find ways for people to work harder. The truth is, you dont actually want to cram 20 hours of work into a 10-hour day. What you really want is a 10-hour day (or even eight). You want more of your time back to yourself, but you still have work that has to get done. You dont want more hours in the day. You want to work less, live more.This was a question of balance of work and life with a limited amount of time. How can I make the best use of my time while working, and how can I make the best use of my time when Im not working? Lets answer the former first, because without that figured out, the latter (non-work time) will be sacrificed and not exist at all. What Youll Do During Your Workday You cant really save time; theres no bank where you save it and can later use some when youre running short. But you can use time better as you travel along with it so you reach the point when your time is finally yours to control all that much earlier. Blogger Gregory Ciotti does a fantastic job of digging into the psychology of getting things done. 1. Break your time into specific chunks. By setting aside specific time periods, you preserve the sanctity of them. In other words, if you say that you will write for 30 minutes, this means you will not let other duties happen during those 30 minutes. If youll do research or find posts to curate for 30 minutes, thats all youll do. Why is this helpful? Some scientists believe we dont have unlimited willpower (ego depletion), and that the longer we slog away at something the more likely well fail. We burn through limited willpower. If you get into the habit of breaking your time into chunks, you dont rely on willpower. You rely on the disciplined habit of time chunking, after which you can take a break (a reward, which replenishes you), and the do the next thing. Forget willpower; build habits instead. Work. Stop. Break. Work. Stop. Break. Etc. Have a place to take a break. Have something to do on that break that doesnt involve a bad habit (unhealthy snacking) or work. Be sure you get back to work after the break is completed. It might seem like youre burning through time not doing anything, but you will find that at the end of the day, youll have at least the same amount done (if not more) and not feel nearly as burned out and tired. 2. Be deliberate, and do the hard stuff first. Recognize this scenario? You have several writing projects you need done for tomorrow, your time is limited, youre stressed about it, and so you determine that this is the perfect time alphabetize all of your books. I do this constantly. Big project, its terrifying, its imminent, I decide to wax the floors. We want to feel like we accomplished something, and we also tend to avoid anything thats difficult. So, we find some kind of easy busy-work that makes us feel like we were working and alleviate a bit of guilt. All we did, of course, is ensure wed be in a panic and eventually exhausted in order to meet a deadline, leaving us feel like we dont have enough time to get our work done. Do the hard stuff first. Get it done. The little things take care of themselves. 3. Admit you are a terrible multi-tasker. If youve ever thought of yourself as a great multi-tasker, able to do lots of things at once, youre lying to yourself. Studies have shown again and again that we do not multi-task. We multi-ignore. We multi-forget. We multi-disorganize. We multi-fixate. We get multi-overwhelmed and multi-gaze off into space. The truth is, people work best on one thing at a time, otherwise we lose our focus, we make irrelevant things important, and we cant organize our thoughts well. Work on one blog post at a time. Work on one content marketing project at a time. Start it, see it through. Dont pick up another in the midst of it. Youll do everyone a disservice by the time youre done. Give yourself permission to dive into a project, full immersion. Do not fall for the trap of feeling like youve accomplished a lot just because you multi-tasked.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Terminating an Unplanned Pregnancy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Terminating an Unplanned Pregnancy - Essay Example This will allow midwifery students to understand the significance of undertaking legal and ethical grounds as a base of the decision-making process. This paper shall present the case chosen along with in-depth analysis of the case. The analysis will be followed by the legal and ethical considerations that are applicable to health care services in England and Wales. Also, there will be the inclusion of other cases which is relevant to the laws and a chosen case of termination of pregnancy. II. Case Presentation: Sara presented at the antenatal clinic, pregnant at 22 weeks gestation with her fifth baby. Two days earlier during a scan performed to investigate irregular menstruation Sara had been informed that she was pregnant. The ultrasound scan suggested 21+ weeks, a singleton with no abnormalities detected. The midwife working in the community had provided maternity care throughout Sara’s four previous pregnancies, all of which had been straightforward births resulting in four healthy children. Sara has identified to the midwife that this pregnancy is unplanned and unwanted by both her and her husband. She feels that it would put a strain on her and her family, physically, emotionally and financially. Sara discloses that she is going to terminate this pregnancy. III. Analysis: Considering the case of Sara opting for the termination of pregnancy, there are two main areas to be taken into account by the health practitioners. These areas are rather in terms of legal and ethical grounds. With due consideration to the case of Sara, it can be said that her case has both moral and legal grounds of analysis. The distinction can also be noted in her case in terms of ethical and legal grounds mainly because of the debated issue of abortion (Beauchamp and Childress 2008). The analysis of the case of Sara is being conducted under the legal statuses of abortion and similar cases are also important to the base of analysis. Following are the two distinctive grounds tha t need to be focused by midwife responsible for the termination of pregnancy case of Sara. The case of Sara should not be considered as an overly debated case because of the adherence to Abortion Act. However, there is a significant difference between the legal and ethical grounds of the case (Harris 2002). IV. Legal Considerations: Legal Status for Abortion: The appeal of Sara for terminating the unplanned pregnancy can be taken into consideration because as per the abortion principle of England and Wales, it is as per the law. The principles as governed by the Abortion Act 1967 defenses the appeal for pregnancy termination of Sara because it states that abortion can be done if the pregnancy has not passed it's twenty-four weeks. The principles have further been amended by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Act of 1990 that if the pregnancy is probable to cause injury to the physical or mental health of the woman or any existing children of her family then medical practitioners must terminate the fetus (Pattinson 2009). It should be noted that cases like Sara being noted in other states of UK are not being consulted as in Wales and England because the abortion act in Ireland is being addressed by the Offences Against The Person Act 1861.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Article Review - Essay Example Importance of forensic accounting is unquestionable because whenever the company suspects any form of fraud or misuse of fund, they rely on forensic accounting for conduction investigation and to find out the root cause behind the problem. So forensic accounting is one of the most relied tools that help in determining and also in controlling the problem. Forensic accounting follows certain well planed procedure to carryout the whole process of detection. At first the business structure has to be identified, and then an in-depth analysis has to be conducted for all companys date records. Such scrutinizing provides clues through with prevailing fraud and misconduct can be identified. This procedure also identifies any kind of irregularity related to assets and hence indicates fraud. The procedure of forensic accounting is efficient in conserving companys precious time and time and money. This technique it often used by strategists in identifying and preventing fraud or misuse of compan ys fund which may hamper the business. Many researchers have argued that the technique of fraud accounting is highly efficient in managing civil dispute that includes: Forensic accounting can provide assistance in probate cases, this technique is efficient in handling dispute that arise due to cases of over valuation or the cases of property division in between estates heirs. Forensic accountants are the experts which deal in disputes related to legal property problems. These experts are equipped with knowledge in the field of accountancy, auditing, evidence gathering, interviews, financial reporting system, and all other developments which are taking place in national as well international accounting sector. The forensic accountants are well trained for legal procedures and other court formalities. Forensic accounting is often used to get the true and Article review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1 Article review - Essay Example Shah notes in the article that the global financial crisis started in 2007; Shah also notes that the global financial crisis led to the closure of many financial institutions around the world (Shah, 2013). According to this article, following the global financial crisis, various governments had to bail out various financial institutions that were on the verge of collapse. Shah, however, notes that, although various governments bailed out various financial institutions that were at risk of closure, the problem of global financial crisis was mainly caused by the very financial institutions that sought bail out from the government. A critical view of this point by Shah shows that the financial institutions were indeed mainly to blame for the global financial crisis. This is because the lax lending standards of many financial institutions made many people unable to access loans and mortgages, leading to serious financial crisis. Fratianni and Marchionne support this view in their article â€Å"The Role of Banks in the Subprime Financial Crisis†. According to the two authors, it is the exorbitant lending rates of many financial institutions that mainly caused the global financial cr ises, besides the imbalances in international trade (Ratianni $ Marchionne, 2009). In this article, Shah claims that the global financial crisis did not affect the financial institutions only or only the rich nations, but it affected all individuals of every nation. This is because, according to Shah, the effects of global financial crisis trickle down to all people and affect individual’s livelihood. One of the main arguments advanced in this article is that, the financial crisis could have been avoided if financial institutions had adopted the current economic models. According to Shah, the global financial crisis has been caused by people’s negligence, especially the government failure to effectively control financial institutions. Shah argues in the article that states have