Debbie Spring’s “The Kayak” Essay

The story ‘The Kayak’ interprets the life of a 16 year old girl, Theresa, who is still yet a baby. Her desire of becoming a woman remains unfulfilled un till she meets a boy named Jamie. When I read the story, so much sympathy for Theresa arose inside me. I feel closest to Theresa in comparison with the other two characters. When I was reading this story I was thinking about the level of patience Theresa has towards life, after what she has been through. Theresa is very insecure, dependant and helpless. As you read this story, you will come to see why Theresa is insecure. â€Å"This is my special place. Out here, I feel secure† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 33) Theresa’s special place is in water where she feels secure but on land, it is the total opposite. Another reason that proves my point is â€Å"I’m not used to talking to a guy, I never had a boyfriend, who would be interested in me?† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 36). This shows that Theresa had low self-esteem, caused by the condition of life has bestowed upon her by taking away the power from her legs. Theresa is so used to her insecurity that no matter what the circumstances are, her insecurity will pop up and take control. â€Å"Jamie puts his hand on my shoulder ‘Would you like to join me and my friends at a campfire tonight?’ ‘I don’t need pity’ I retort.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 37). Theresa thinks that nothing good can happen to her because of her past. When something is happening well, she will feel as if it too good to be true and thus ignore or hide from it. That is why Theresa’s insecurity is one of the most noticed character traits in the story. Along with insecurity, readers also perceive dependence as one of Theresa’s character traits. She feels incomplete on land and nothing is in her control, but yet as she gets closer into the ware pieces of puzzle seem to come into place to complete her. â€Å"The blue boat is an extension of my legs, I can do anything, I can go anywhere, totally independent, totally in control of myself.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak  .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 33). In the water Theresa is woman, a heroine who can save the life of others, while on land she can barely take care of her own self. † ‘Thanks for saving my skin’ Jamie says. ‘Next time, wear a lifejacket.’ Jamie doesn’t’t flinch. ‘You’re right. That was dumb.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 36). In various parts of the story, you can observe that no matter how Theresa wanted to rid herself from being dependent on her parents all the time, the trap doesn’t’t let her free. â€Å"My arms ache, I don’t want to go back to shore. Nobody lets me grow up. My parents treat me like a baby. I’m 16 years old, to old to pampered, already a woman.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 33). Theresa would love nothing more than being able to feel land, what she feels on water. Helplessness is another character trait of Theresa. Helplessness is the worst you can feel because you want to do something under any situation whatsoever, but you just are not able to do so. Theresa does feel helpless in the story a lot. â€Å"Half the kayak is on land, the rest in the water, I feel trapped, like a beached whale.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 36). After reading this sentence, I felt the depth of her pain and how it tortures her everyday, yet being able to do nothing to help her self. â€Å"I see my parents waving from shore. My father runs in the ware to help. Everything happens really fast, he takes control.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 36). She feels so helpless because she is not able to walk, so her father has to come funning to help her. Another place in the story she feels helpless is â€Å"My eyes water. Through tears, I see two images of me. The helpless child on land and the independent woman on water.† (Spring, Debbie Language and writing 9 -The Kayak .International1 Thomson Publishing, 1999, 37). That sentence shows that not only the readers conceive her helpless but she does also. I think that the author Debbie Spring did a pretty good job in expressing Theresa’s characteristics. This story ‘The Kayak’ also sprinkles around most aspects of life along with hinting out a big moral. It has some many  interesting lessons, a person can conceive such as the relationship between a parent and a child, how to overcome you biggest pains in life, in being able to let go and moving on, to see the bright side of life, seeing the glass half full and etc. I think that Theresa is a really brave and emotional character. Debbie Spring made us see everything by Theresa’s perspective, the way she feels by using first person narrator. I think if she would have done it otherwise, such as 2nd or 3rd person narrator to tell the same story, it wouldn’t’t have been as interesting as this on.

Diploma in H

[pic] Diploma in Hospitality and Tourism HT 1020 Marketing in H&T The outlet of Carrefour ® Lecturer: MR. Alvin Group name: 4+1 Group members: LI CHUNYAN |1111/9205 | |LIU FANGYU |1108/8812 | |HUANG JIAHUI |1112/9271 | |XU KE |1109/8920 | |YAO SHI |1201/9343 | Table of Contents 1. Introduction†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 2. Background†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 3. Marketing Research†¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 3 3. 1 Marketing Concept†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦3 3. 2 Service Marketing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 4 3. 2. 1 Environment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦5 3. 2. 2 Service concept†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 3. 2. 3 Quality of service management†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 5 3. 2. 4 Four-dimensional customer service†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 3. 3 Micro & Macro Environment Assessment†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 6 3. 4 Analyze Consumer Behavior †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦7 3. 4. Cultural Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 8 3. 4. 2 Social Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 3. 4. 3 Personal Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦8 3. 4. 4 Psychological Factors†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 9 3. 5 Segmenting Consumer Markets.. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 9 4. News†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. 1 The Asia market territory is narrowing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦10 4. 2 Suspected price fraud†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 5. Recommended Strategy & Implementation Plan†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 11 6. Conclusion†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã ¢â‚¬ ¦. 11 Reference†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 12 1. Introduction Our group has chosen Carrefour ® for our project. In this report, firstly we will introduce its history briefly and then we will focus on 5 areas to analysis assessment and provide the detail that will enhance good marketing image/branding. The report will be conducted by analysis process, including situation analysis, identifying and explaining strategies, target customers needs and wants as well as the recommended implemented plans. 2. Background (History) The Carrefour Company was established by the Fournier and Defforey families in 1959.Over the past 40 years, the Carrefour group has grown to become the first largest retailer in Europe and the second largest retailer in the world, the group currently operates four main grocery store formats: hypermar kets, supermarkets, cash & carry and convenience stores. 3. Marketing research 3. 1 Marketing Concept Here are five key concepts under the Carrefour conduct their marketing activities. As we know, Production Concept is a concept where goods are produced without taking into consideration the choices or tastes of your customers. The Carrefour goods in the global procurement.A commodity into Carrefour, manufacturers must first obtain a recognized headquarters negotiations, each branch orders through the system. Carrefour has an international commodity department, responsible for looking for resources in the world, Commodity introduced to purchasing department, then he will ordering the goods . But, Product concept is the understanding of the dynamics of the product and showcase, the best qualities of the product. Carrefour is based on low prices, excellent customer service and a comfortable shopping environment for consumers to provide the required products of daily life.Carrefour limi ted and carefully select the types of goods , It will first consider the needs of customers ,From customers, employees, vendors, competitors obtain information to adjust the classification and respond to market trends, we need to understand the outside message, and then the reaction in the shop. For example, in 1994, Carrefour did not sell cosmetics, it selling computers in 1995 began selling cosmetics, computers. The Carrefour goods are usually priced lower than other markets .The Carrefour goods are usually priced lower than other markets, In 1987 ,Carrefour in Taiwan set off a sales promotion, reduce price lower than the normal market price of 20% to 50% , Carrefour through such sales way to make a profit . Carrefours through low-cost strategy, not only quickly occupied the market, and gradually establish a major feature of the full range. Sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, Carrefour launched â€Å"Vivez Libre† merchandise, free product is cheap unbranded prod ucts, the advertising slogan is: † ‘free product', no name, just as good, and cheaper. Within two weeks, 80 percent of consumers tried free products, 70% of consumers become repeat customers, This success is based on a basic concept of Carrefour, that customer philosophy. This is the marketing concept of Carrefour. Carrefour did not forget their social responsibility and is committed to safeguard the quality and safety of products, spare no effort to promote the Carrefour Quality System, and around the farmers in China to jointly develop green products and organic food, from product design, packaging and logistics the pursuit of environmentally friendly low-carbon.In addition, it balance to the † 3c model † 3. 2 Service Marketing The world economy nowadays is increasingly characterized as a service economy that Marketing services holds a unique place in business acumen and required different strategies to be successful. Services are characterized by being int angible, perishable, variable and inseparable from their provider. Marketing Services is not just about selling something, it is a true encounter . In fact, the growth of the service sector has long been considered as indicative of a country’s economic progress.Economic history tells us that all developing nations have invariably experienced a shift from agriculture to industry and then to the service sector as the main stay of the economy . services now increasingly represent an integral part of the product and this interconnectedness of goods and services is represented on a goods-services continuum. 3. 2. 1 Services environment Carrefour supermarket have a warm feeling for consumer, it can increase sales. They offers holiday shopping channels, during the holiday season, customers can enjoy the convenience of shopping and fast.External environment provides parking, special offers the announcement district and have different partition; wine drinking area, recreation area, bu lk, grain and oil area, Hardware District. In each partition have the difference between all kinds of goods. The best-selling products usually put in the customer more easily to find it. If you can not find something, inside the supermarket staff will give you the greatest help. 3. 2. 2 Carrefour's service concept People-oriented . Carrefour attaches great importance to direct contact with the customer a line employee education and training .Because lower-level employees have the biggest impact on service perceptions. So that employees fully understand and comprehend enterprise service marketing's overall goals, enhance their customer service sense of responsibility and sincere love, and pay attention to cultivate their dealing with customers, and establish a good relationship with the customer. 3. 2. 3 Carrefour’s quality of service management. Quality service ensures that customers are satisfied with what they have paid for, and maintain the key to customer satisfaction is the level of product quality.For service companies provide intangible products, the evaluation of both the quality of their services include: customer service content beyond the basic services provided by the enterprise, also including the specific quality of the various services offered by the enterprise project. 3. 2. 4 Four-dimensional customer service Carrefour has four-dimensional customer service system that all the stores to install the â€Å"service satisfaction survey system†, they can collect customer feedback as an important indicator of the stores appraisal to urge stores that continue to improve and optimize the services to improve the management level. . 3 Micro & Macro Environment Assessment The first time Carrefour created a new type of sales market, the hypermarket in 1963, the first time Carrefour set up the huge supermarket In French in the same year. The first time Carrefour entry international market in1969, for now have more than 10000 stores in 31 count ries and area, it is the NO. 39 top Fortune Global 500 in 2012.Although the Carrefour is powerful in the world, it also has the weaknesses; the online shop development of Carrefour is lacking behind as compare to competitors, market in some countries lack of management or expertise in this business. The way of Carrefour to development is at current markets possible to amplification at new aspect, or opens the stores in some countries that it didn’t open before, such as some third-world country, this action not only can set up the new market for Carrefour but also can increate the opportunities of the local.Absolutely, the Carrefour faces some threats; recent years there is a increase of competitors, thus causing a drop in market shares. Economy problem in Europe, has causes many forms of difficulty including revenues, costs and also trades. These are microenvironment of Carrefour. In the macro environment of Carrefour by using PEST to analysis the China market. China’s membership in WTO has helped oversea investor to easily penetrate into the China market due to government standardizing its market laws and regulations to international standards.Having one of the world largest population, the open market to the world has boast China’s economy thus causing increase of wealth in the population, increasing the amount of middle class consumers greatly attracts foreign investors like Carrefour; To enter the market or expand their market shares in China. Due to internationalization, China social and culture is more or less affected as they are more exposed to the world, they are becoming more and more westernize.Better wealth and social changes have also changes peoples buying behavior, consumers who have better income naturally believe that overseas products might be better than local ones. Such belief and buying behavior have causes brand and business from other country to target China’s high spending market. Open market to the world als o leads to increase research and development in the country, as company and business coming in means that factory like assembly and production factories will start to move in too.Technology and expertise start to increase in China due to this flop of business vast development. Business like Carrefour who carries house brand will consider moving it’s factories of production to China due to low labor costs and also the improve of technology and expertise will minimize the difficulty of shifting of factory; thus fast improvement in technology and expertise encourages business to shift it’s production or assembly line factory to China. 3. 4 Analyze Consumer Behavior In recent years, Consumer makes many buying decisions everyday.When it comes to shopping, the first thing come to the shopper mind is supermarket. The supermarket and people's lives are closely interrelated. However, supermarket environment, service attitude, commodity classification create a lot of influence o n shoppers desire to shop. 3. 4. 1 Cultural Factors One of the main characteristics affecting consumer behavior is a Culture factor, which exert the broadest and deepest influence on consumer behavior. For Carrefour, the business scope includes daily provisions, clothing, household appliances and etc. They have all kinds of goods that one need.It is now introducing KFC in the shopping concept. FuNaiTe dry cleaning shop is another concept. It has more than 50 different brands available in the market. It is like a collection of store and leisure, catering and entertainment as one of the major integrated stores. They can completely satisfy the consumers â€Å"One-stop shopping† daily life consumption demand. There are three values that Carrefour always adheres to. They are Committing, Caring and staying Positive. They respect the customer's shopping freedom and want as much customers as possible.For customers, employees and suppliers, they have to trust each other. 3. 4. 2 Socia l Factors A consumer’s behavior is influenced by social factors. The Carrefour group is also responsible for the society. Carrefour actively participate in China's public welfare undertakings and community activities, supporting and participating in Beijing's bid for the Olympic Games and Shanghai world expo bid, and with a variety of forms to the affected areas, hope school, welfare institutions urgently needed goods donated. All of these influences our consumers and let our life more colorful.So people like to go Carrefour for consumption. 3. 4. 3 Personal Factors A buyer’s decisions are also influenced by personal characteristics. The economic situation of buyer is very important in purchasing goods. For Carrefour, they are not only providing the consumer Variety and special commodity to choice, such as food, Personal care, home supplies, Style leisure and so on. But they also have many promotion activities. Let consumer feel the money that was spent is valued. Beca use of the â€Å"One-Stop Shopping† concept, buyers managed to save time in shopping.Carrefour determined in expanding as many business lines as possible, so that customers can purchase a neat daily necessity catered to all the classes, which located in different level of consumption customers. Commodity classification allows buyers to easily find things they are looking for in the shortest period of time frame. 3. 4. 4 Psychological Factors Psychological factors also play a role in consumer behavior. For example the Carrefour make full use of light and off-price merchandise to create the whole store a better atmosphere. As if making the customer feels the urge to buy upon entering Carrefour. . 5 Segmenting Consumer Markets we can identify from 7 aspects to segmentation consumer market. The first aspect is the geographic segmentation. Geographic Segmentation is collecting and analyzing information according to the physical location of the customers or other data source. Carre four marketers use geographic segmentation because they know where to sell their products to increase advertising and sales effect. For example, there are different numbers of population among each province in China then Guangdong consists of highest population with 160,000,000 peoples.Therefore, Carrefour should put more attention in Guangdong as the geographic in Guangdong is stronger compare than other province. Secondly, demographic segmentation calls for dividing the market into groups based on variables like age, sex, income, family life cycle, religion, education etc. Carrefour has targeted their demographic segment on age groups to enhance the performance of the organization. By age group report, age group from 15 to 64 years old had the highest number of people.In short, Carrefour Company should focus more on age group from 15 to 64 years old by identify their needs and wants. In this age group from 0-14 years old, they are more demanding in toys, milk, nappies, baby foods and prams. Age group from 15-64 years old has a broader and variety needs such as fashion item, cosmetic, apparels and health care products. Age above 65 have less demand, they like to buy a newspaper. Next, gender segmentation calls for dividing a market into different groups based on sex. Men tend to be cigarette and wine, whereas women tend to cosmetics and clothes.Fourthly, Carrefour marketers focus on the age and life cycle segmentation including provision of different products or use different marketing method for different angles and life cycle group. Fifthly aspect is income segmentation. Since the present income gap still very big, low-income people could not afford some expensive things, such as diamond and gold. Next is psychographic segmentation. It calls for dividing a market into different groups based on social class, lifestyle, or personal characteristics. Finally aspect is behavioral segmentation.This group based on consumer knowledge, attitudes, uses, or responses to a product. Carrefour marketers believe that behavior variables are the best starting point for building market segments. 4. News 4. 1 The Asia market territory is narrowing. On July 5th of 2012, according to people familiar with the matter, Carrefour trapped in big shareholder pressure, they are considering selling its branch, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, in order to raise $1 billion. Carrefour has been hiring Goldman group, UBS assist to asset auction. However, the plan is still in the primary stage. 4. 2 Suspected price fraudThis year ,on January 6, by the national development and reform commission disclosure suspected price fraud, using the original fiction to attract customers high settlement, not to perform price commitment, misleading price marking and so on the many kinds of fraud. For example, Shanghai Carrefour Nan Xiang shop sales bow and arrow spherical teapot, price tag labeling each 36. 80 Yuan, the actual settlement price 49. 00 Yuan each, Sales clove auspiciou s teapot, price tag labeling each 36. 90 Yuan, the actual settlement price 66 Yuan each. 5. Recommended Strategy & Implementation PlanThey should improve the quality of service of the employees, at the same time clearly the price supermarket products. That can not engage in fraud. Attention should be paid to the education and training of the front-line employees in direct contact with customers, so that they fully understand and appreciate the overall objectives of the enterprise services marketing, and enhance their sense of responsibility for customer service and a sincere love and attention to train them to deal with the customer, with the customer to establish good relations and other aspects of high-level skills. 6. ConclusionThrough the marketing research of Carrefour, We know that committed, caring and positive, these three values reflect the Carrefour’s culture. The Carrefour marketing concept is to low prices, excellent customer service and comfortable shopping envir onment for the vast number of consumers with daily life for all kinds of consumer goods. To customer commitment is in the price, product variety, quality, service and convenience and so on, various aspects meet the needs of the consumers. Carrefour as the greatest influence of first-class enterprise in the world, they also still exist some defects to be changed.In general, Carrefour provided the best service to customer and consumer everyday. Let everyone to enjoy better quality of life everyday. Reference list Carrefour. 2011. Current news. [online] Available at: http://www. carrefour. com/cdc/group/our-group/. [Accessed November 11 2011]. Anonymous , 2004 , Carrefour's mature PR . [online] China : Si Rui management . Available at: http://esoftbank. com. cn/wz/81_9503. html [Accessed November 12 2012] ZhaoQi. 2010. Carrefour difficulties and service mode change. China: WangHan, Wal-mart pattern Vs Carrefour mode.Gai Gai. 2012. Carrefour. [online] Available at: http://baike. baidu. com/view/18119. htm. [Accessed November 11 2012]. CongXiao,N. 2011. Carrefour price fraud event. [online] Available at: http://finance. people. com. cn/GB/8215/210272/234396/16257633. htm . [Accessed November 11 2012] Beckham, H. W 2008,  EBSCO Research Starters – Academic Topic Overviews : Competitive Strategy, EBSCO Publishing Inc. ,  Ã‚  viewed 10 November 2012, Ebsco Host database. Porter, M. E 2008, The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, p. 86-104.

Like dove and serpent

Brief SummaryThe article depicts the life of an imprisoned priest, Edicio de la Torre, while he was involve with a Christian movement for national liberation in the Philippines under the regime of autocratic leader, President Ferdinand Marcos. His passion for human rights work continued even after he was released from prison that set him off to leave the priesthood.The Priest has made public his idealism through the interview with the representatives from Mennonite Central Committee; Earl Martin, Dave Schrock-Shenk, and Brenda Stoltzfus. The disclosure of his experience, ideas and outlook in life was impelled by three guide questions that encouraged him to freely express his position in some circumstantial events involving the helpless victims suffering from the ruthless governance.When he was asked the first question on how did he survive being imprisoned for nine years, and how did his faith help him, he humbly affirmed that it was his faith that helped him survived. But, he furthe r elucidate that it was his perseverance in living that encourages him to stay focus in order to help the people that seek his assistance even he is in prison. He has accordingly, extended inspirational or counsel or even technical advices to the people that worth him the living. He remained steadfast being part of the movement, even he is in prison.The second question being asked to the priest is about the need for reconciliation in Philippine society and what is necessary for reconciliation considering that Marcos has fallen.   The priest answered citing that reconciliation is quite a problem.   Accordingly, it is difficult to handle reconciliation that demands justice. It might be easy for the oppressor or for the human rights violators to ask forgiveness, but for the victims, it’s not just simply to â€Å"forgive and forget,† it’s a challenge to find the divine grace to forgive. He cited that if a military man is asking for forgiveness from the family of the people he killed, then, he has to be genuinely repentant and initiate restitution and offer penance. With that, just reconciliation could be attained assuring or safeguarding mental, human and Christian values, and acknowledging realities of human wickedness and deceitfulness.The priest calls it as biblical politics which reflects simplicity of heart, like a dove, and assessing the deviousness and intricate ways of human mind, like a serpent. Accordingly, it is the problem of any movement to be both simple and forgiving and at the same time politically clever and cautious to live within a historical world.   The priest further stated that something should happen in the Philippines where reconciliation with justice will be realized, just like what Gandhi of India has proposed for a repentant Indian who set fire a Muslim house and roasted the people there, to raise a Muslim orphaned baby.   This has to be done on an individual basis, but for those who are in the movement, it is not easy to do it and it is also hard on the social and political level. Genuine reconciliation is accordingly, hard to attain with so many victimized people grieving family members who suffered cruelty.The third question on what reflections could the priest would offer on liberation and the movement for democracy in the Philippines after spending nine years in prison and much work in the movement, was   accordingly hard for him. He expressed regret for being with the complicated situation that requires one to be modest and less dogmatic. The priest thought that liberation was just simply witnessing that the sinful world had been redeemed and that God has promised the kingdom.   But, it is accordingly, more than that, everyone should contribute something and should work together to create a better world, a better earth.   It requires full commitment of oneself using resources, skills, strengthens and even weaknesses to claim a part of historical moment where each one could recollect and reaffirm commitments.Finally, the priest did not see anymore himself in traditional or institutional ministry. He has change his vocation, he has see more meaning and the need to be with the people’s movement as a fulfilling task to be part of historical and popular movement toward the coming of the kingdom.Reflection and Relevance to Today’s SocietyGod has given everyone the right to chose what is good and what is bad. Hence, we have to respect the decision of the priest (Edicio de la Torre), in choosing to join the movement and deny his priesthood for the sake of helping the struggle of the many Filipino people who are victims of injustice, social and political oppression, and economic deprivation. Being radical with the movement is the best way for him to help the people than working in traditional institution, in which he implies that it is not enough to evangelize and witness the word of God, but to actually release the people from the bandage of per secution manipulated by oppressors.On the other hand, there had been so many Filipino priests like Fr. Edicio de la Torre, who had changed their vocation (as priest) and joined liberation movements. But their struggle for better future and better world is in vain, some have died along the way. However, this does not stop the struggle, instead, encourages the movement to go on.ConclusionSocietal problems are manipulation of the forces in the dark. Everyone should be aware that the power of darkness wants dominion over the whole world. The problems in the Philippines, whether social, political, economic and even religious are likewise the kind of problems presently faced by the whole world. Solving these problems and healing wounds could be done by addressing the root causes of the problem in a wise and humble way, not using force or rebellious act. As what God has promised; blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God, and blessed are they that hunger and thi rst after justice, for they shall have their fill. Lastly, God said that, blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Competitive Global Market and Change Research Paper

The Competitive Global Market and Change - Research Paper Example Moreover, the report will also attempt to identify the benefits or drawbacks witnessed by Apple and its employees due to the affect of globalisation. Different Countries Involved Besides, its headquarters in United States, Apple majorly operates in various other countries, such as United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Canada, Italy, China, Germany, Switzerland, Spain, France and Netherlands among others. More than 350 Apple stores are established all over the countries across the world (Apple Inc, 2012). Thus, its focus on the development of supply chains and major partners in the business is necessary in order to maintain sustainability in the global markets. Utilization of Outsourcing In the late 2000s, Apple decided to outsource its products from various countries where raw materials are available at cheaper rates. The motive behind outsourcing is to earn significant margin of profit while experimenting in developing creative products. A report by New York Times revealed that 90 perce nt of raw materials used in Apple’s iPhones are manufactured abroad and are outsourced. Major sections, such as display panels and circuitry from Taiwan and Korea, advanced semiconductors from Germany, chipsets from Europe, memory from Japan and Korea and uncommon metals from Asia and Africa which are later assembled and packaged in China. Technological companies depend upon the availability of low-cost materials and therefore, focus on countries that provide the advantage. The outsourcing strategy gained the momentum of growth and subsequently, Apple earned a considerable amount of profit strengthening its foothold in the global markets (Duhigg & Bradsher, 2012). Benefits of Globalisation Similar to many other multinational companies, Apple has benefitted by a large extent due to globalisation. The company shifted most of its production unit jobs to countries where cheaper workforces are available along with legal support and favourable economic conditions. This has been evi dent by a report that revealed only 13,920 employees are associated with the company’s US based plant compared to 27,250 employees working at other countries, i.e. nearly twice more than US. The report further revealed that the American employees took over approximately US $750 million whereas; workers employed abroad took only US $320 million. Thus, the comparison in cost related to wages can be identified as almost double in US compared to abroad (Freeland, 2011). Globalisation has also resulted in the inflow of creative talents from across the world, to which the company gives prime importance. The incredible talents in Apple are encouraged in various ways to develop products that are unique in its class acting as a ‘trend setter’ in the industry. These engineers earn healthy paycheques from the company which are being supported by the cheap costs incurred by the bottom-line employees working abroad (Freeland, 2011). Drawbacks Due to Globalisation Steve Jobsâ €™ main target behind the incorporation of Apple was to become the leader of the industry in terms of creative products. His aim was to dominate the market in regards to sales and have a partially monopolistic environment prevailing in the global markets. However, due to globalisation many competitor brands have used the strategy of manufacturing abroad and reap equal benefits in terms of cheap labour and raw materials. Therefore, the

Do EU trade policies help or hurt developing countries Essay

Do EU trade policies help or hurt developing countries - Essay Example By 2002, EC was already in more than 50 out of about 172 such arrangements around the globe thus maintain economic and trade relations with a myriad of economies in the developed, developing and even less developed economies. The EU has been keen as a positive force to generate economic prosperity for its member states. To the developing economies, EC has maintained preferential trade arrangements under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) while to most less developed countries, trade arrangements have largely been guided by the Cotonou Agreement, which succeeded the Lome’ Convention (Bhagwati, Greenaway, & Panagariya, 1998, p.1128-1148). EU’s trade arrangement within the Euro zone encompasses a common currency, common external tariff, common agricultural and competition policies as well as common rules on freedom of goods and services, capital and people. EU has entered into other trade agreements with countries and regions in other continents of the world. Among these is the European Economic Area (EEA) that extends the EU market to three countries, which are members of the EFTA . Another arrangement is the Customs Unions with countries such as Malta, Cyprus and Turkey. EU has also got several Free Trade Area (FTA) arrangements with a number of countries and regions around the world, but these are at different implementation levels. These include countries such as Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, and Morocco under the Euro-Mediterranean Association, while Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, Mexico and Chile are under the FTA arrangement among others. There is also the Mediterranean partnership where EU relates with several associates in the southern and Eastern Mediterranean. This particular trade arrangement aims to achieve FTA in line with provisions of the WTO through entering into various bilateral agreements starting with a series of association agreements. It also aimed at the expansion of the EU financial assistance to USD 4.7 billion over a period of 5 years from 1995 within EU-Mediterranean partnership. The ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) preference is another set of trade arrangements by the EU where it provides one way trade preferences for more than seventy countries in Africa, Caribbean and Pacific. These preferences are, however, not available to all developed countries in these regions and do not also apply to only least developed economies, for example. Thus, contravene the provision of the WTO regarding discriminatory practices, equity and fairness (Devisscher, 2011, p. 60). As per the United Nations rankings, 39 of the ACP economies are under the least developed category. Finally, GSP preferences by EU to a number of least developed countries exist as stipulated under the GSP provisions of the WTO. The EU’s GSP arrangement contains the ‘Everything but Arms’ (EBA) initiative for the least developed economies as well as general arrangements that are available to all developing countries and apply to non-sensitive products that come duty free. There are also the special arrangements under the Environmental and Social clauses, which apply to sensitive products only. Special incentives under the environmental clause apply to developing countr

Corporate Imperialism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Corporate Imperialism - Essay Example From the article â€Å"Shooting an elephant†, which was written by Orwell, imperialism is presented as plain robbery. The British controlled everything: resources, rules, and the whole Burmese (Orwell p2). Nowadays, plain imperialism has lost its standing in the world because under the peace and developed science world, violence is killed. However, although violence does not work anymore, invasion of a country by another can never be stopped. People have stopped using violence in invasions but have adopted new methods of invasion. For instance, to make an entrance in other countries, people create multinational companies, which then set their factories into these countries. Through these factories they are able to control the politics and the economy of these countries. This behavior of the multinational companies is referred to as corporate imperialism. Corporate imperialism by the multinational companies not only depredates other countries resources, but also brings a differ ent culture that could confuse the minds of the local people. Pure imperialism and corporate imperialism are twin brother and sister; they have the same nature-plunder other countries’ resources. The only difference is that pure imperialism uses weapons to invade countries, and corporate imperialism uses business as its invading weapon. ... The way they make more profit is that they set factories into these countries, and hire the indigenes that are paid low labor fee to handle the factories and cheaply make their the products from the local materials. For example, the reason why you could see â€Å"Made in China† everywhere now is because the factories have taken advantage of the Chinese low worker’s labor fee to produce more products in the market. Like Chitra Divakaruni presented in her article â€Å"Live Free and Starve†, once the U.S raised a ban on goods made by indentured or forced child labor, the children would be unemployed and they could die anytime due to lack of food. Without the jobs they could not purchase supplies to live. Therefore, in this way the U.S controlled their economy system, because without the jobs, they could not take care of their lives (Chitra). This is just like pure imperialism; people are controlled by intruder’s rule. In other words, simple rule, the more th e resources can be got, the more profit can be made. Like playing a tactic game, the more base you have, and the more chances you can win the game. When your base is getting out of resources, invade others. English now becomes a national language because European and American companies are all over the world. When multinational companies set into other countries, they also set their culture into the countries. Again, like pure imperialism, corporate imperialism also brings its own culture to the local people in order to control their mind. The cultures affect them to an extent that they could be crazy about foreign things and obsequious to foreigners. For instance, take a look at Hong Kong, before it was returned, it was controlled by

Role of Theory in Human Resource Management Strategy Analysis Essay

Role of Theory in Human Resource Management Strategy Analysis - Essay Example The researcher states that the dynamic world is changing quickly. Thus, human resource management (as a part of organisation) needs to be prepared to deal with the impacts of the dynamic world. To formulate HR strategy, there is need to understand the consequence of globalisation, employee diversity, changing talent necessities, corporate rationalizing, total quality management, reengineering, the dependent personnel, regionalized work places, and employee participation. Developing and applying a comprehensive strategy is needed to remain competitive in this dynamic environment. A human resource strategy can help to strengthen the employee base of any organisation. Theory is a methodical combination of interdependent thoughts and philosophies which provides an outline about an important base of knowledge. Only scattered data is not helpful for analysing the human resource strategy, the observer must have knowledge regarding theory that can explain the relationship between variables. In the deepest form, theory can be regarded as a set of rules, a particle cabinet in which truths with respect to human resource strategy can be gathered. Management theory had evolved through the World War II and had been studied comprehensively later on. The industrial revolution had generated high demand of mass production, product specialisation and thus organisations started to look towards the employees as critical resources. There is need for strategic planning for managing the human resources for high productivity. ... There is need for strategic planning for managing the human resources for high productivity (Olum, 2004). The role of theory is vital for analysing the human resources. Theories are essential facts, and it elucidates the correlation among variables, usually independent and dependent variables. Theory has the capability to anticipate future difficulties which may occur in the organisation. In contrast to theory, techniques are the method of performing jobs. The techniques replicate the theories and these are the means of assisting managers to commence activities most efficiently. In the area of human resource management strategy, the role of theory is to deliver an understanding of organising significant and relevant management knowledge. For example, in devising strategy for effective culture in organisation, there are several theories which are interconnected and have an analytical worth for managers. The importance of theory in analysis of human resource management strategy can be gauged from the following: Theory can provide criteria about what is appropriate for employees in any organisation In human resource strategy, theory can enable to communicate effectively and therefore change into more difficult association Theory can help to learn about the fundamental concept of developing strategy and thus make easy to analyze them (Olum, 2004) Theories assist in understanding the dynamic nature of contemporary organizational environments. The HR strategy is made on the basis of theories. Human resource strategy is all about how an organisation can manage their human capital. This provides a basis for formulating strategy and developing packages for analysis. The human resource strategy is the

The first temple period Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The first temple period - Essay Example Later, the rise and the invasions of the Babylonian empire, which eventually led to the destruction of the First Temple in the 6th century BCE, had brought about even more social changes and climaxed into a complete crisis of faith for the Israelites' religion, which was unprecedented. At the start of the First Temple Period, when Jerusalem was ruled by King David and Solomon, people tended to be faithful to one and only one God, the God who had blessed Abraham and his descendents. Alongside Jerusalem was also an independent regional power. However, invasions from foreign empires completely demolished Jerusalem's importance in the area and deeply affected almost all aspect of the people's lifestyles, especially social structures and their religious outlook. To understand the effects of foreign invasions on Jerusalem and on the ancient Israelites living there, one needs to go through the history of the Israelites in Jerusalem. The Israelites were associated with Jerusalem ever since the historical conquest of this place in 1000 BCE by King David as described in the second book of Samuel (NRSV, 2 Samuel 5:6-10). It is mentioned in the book that King David acquired control of the city of Zion. In addition, the accounts in the first book of Chronicles tell us that it was Joab, a kinsman of David, who led the war against Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 2: 4-8). Thus the conquest of Jerusalem helped unite the northern Israelite tribe with the southern Israelite tribe because Jerusalem, which was inhabited by the alien Jebusites, was the only physical barrier separating the two tribes (Kenyon 1967: 54). The unification of the two tribes strengthened the power of the Israelites and allowed for their expansions. Known for his ability to wage war, King David defeated a lot of neighboring cities and extended his control far beyond the limits of Jerusalem, and made thus conquered neighboring cities to pay tribute to him (Burke 2007: 1/12). He sent his forces east across Jordan as far as Damascus and Zobah, and subdued the Ammonites, Moabites, Edomites, and Amalekites. During King David's reign, the Israelites were in control of territories running from Kadesh in Syria to Ezion-geber at the head of the Gulf of Aqabah (Orlinsky 1964: 61). Even the Phoenicians agreed to provide the Israelites with skilled engineers and craftsmen in return for their protection (Orlinsky 1964: 63). King David 's son Solomon, who is famed for his wisdom, kept up the diplomatic relationship with the other cities that were begun by his father. Thus under Solomon's reign, Jerusalem returned to more peace and had strong trading links with its neighbors. Solomon even perfected and extended the administrative organization installed by his father (1 Kings 4), an d was, thus, able to collect more taxes and recruit more labor (Orlinsky 1964: 72). Solomon also built the Temple on the Temple Mount, which later became the center of faith and acted as the axis mundi, connecting the heaven, the earth, and the underworld. The periods ruled by King David and King Solomon are still considered as the golden ages of Jerusalem. It was a great achievement that in mere fifty years, David and Solomon had built the kingdom of Israel from out of a loose tribe, creating an administrative organization, although this kingdom did not last very long (Kenyon 1967: 58). It was during the

Annotated Bibliography-Sheila-W8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Annotated Bibliography-Sheila-W8 - Essay Example It is important to know how documentation process is established as it provides for easier management. The article is an online publication. The author establishes that, due to the rise of diseases such as heart failure, which has cause massive deaths, humans still do not change their behavior to control the conditions. It proposes electronic devices that can monitor individuals by internet usage as a way of improving and controlling them as they undergo exercises to reduce the menace. Not much information was available concerning the study and neither did it propose for other future research. The literature review was less in depth but offered a better insight into the study while methods of analysis were by sample surveys of the patients. It is significant that patients change their behavior as it helps health practitioners to manage their health. Kontos, E., Blake, K. D., Chou, W. S., & Prestin, A. (2014). Predictors of eHealth usage: Insights on the digital divide from the health information national trends survey 2012. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 16(7), e172. It is an extensive article that is a JMIR publication. The authors observe that due to development in electronic health technology, health care has improved tremendously especially on vulnerable individuals in the society. The study establishes that factors such as race and ethnicity do not necessary contribute to the electronic health information. But individuals who are less educated find it difficult to accesses the Internet for health information than their counterparts. Not much information was available but proposes for future studies on electronic health literacy. The review was in depth that provided a clear view of the study while methods of research were by case studies. The less literate in the society should embrace technology since it an easier way to manage their health. This is a

Analysis essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Analysis - Essay Example For Americans of the past, the initial stages of designating an industrial economy on a global level occurred to have established a revolutionary social order that only raised confusion especially among the working class, making them suspiciously ponder and react upon the possible outcomes of social development for the nation (Foner). It entailed a notion that such approach to spontaneous progress determines allocation of power and social security. In this regard, reformists of the period were led to conceive that potential peril exists with the significant concern that as a response to it, people of the lower class may act in tumultuous aggression in exercising their democratic right over to suppress individual economic growth thinking that liberty of acquisition of rights to property (Foner), particularly with those who could afford, would only emphasize inequality among social divisions and thus create on appropriating amount of common interests. Progression of economic developmen t enabled Americans to adapt to the concept and application of ‘Social Darwinism’ in their everyday living since the competition to acquire relative or higher advantage in upgrading social and economic status in American society had apparently become essential. With the transition from late 1600 to early 21st century, however, opponents to globalization have emerged and such movement is comprised of heterogeneous motives which hardly form a unifying principle or an irregular coalition proposes highly emotional arguments. These non-adherents have been critical toward the means of globalization that are currently utilized to deal with the aspects of consumerism, immigration, and nutrition (Gast). Such methods employed are criticized for having much association to both economic and environmental crises as food scarcity, mass immigration with the third world nations, as well as global warming, respectively (Gast). At present, the state of

Female infanticide Essay Example for Free

Female infanticide Essay Imagine a world with no women. There are no wives, no sisters, no daughters, and no mothers. Unfortunately, this world is on the brink of becoming a scary reality for Asian countries such as China and India. Due to attempts to control population and the low value associated with females in these societies historically and culturally, both China and India are now facing a serious gender imbalance. Female infanticide and sex-selective abortion are responsible for this gender imbalance. Due to the high occurrence of foeticides, infanticides, including new born neglect and abandonment, he world is currently deprived of over 100 million women. China and India alone are responsible for 80 million missing females. CHINA: In 1978 China introduced the one-child policy. The Chinese population was growing too fast and already was enormous. The government introduced this policy to slow down the growth of the population of China. This encouraged female infanticide even more. Before the introduction of the one-child policy female infanticide already existed. According to a report, an interview with 40 women over age 50, who claimed to have given birth to 183 sons and 175 daughters, of whom 126 sons but only 53 aughters survived to age 10. By their account, the women had destroyed 78 of their daughters. To Chinese families the son is the most important child. They believe that the son can work, carry the family name and look after elderly parents. Only after the desire of having a son or two has been met, do Chinese families prefer having a girl. INDIA: In the global arena, India is indeed fast developing and is gradually becoming a force to reckon with and this makes us extremely proud. However, there are certain home truths we arent aware of or chose to turn a deaf ear to. Female infanticide is one of them. India as a country is steeped in patriarchal values and thereby continues to talk about the importance of raising a male child. The idea of the male child enwraps an image of future security, protection, wealth and prosperity. Only can a male child grow up to look after his family. Only can a male child protect his family. Women are simply viewed as commodities and properties belonging to men. Women are perceived to be a burden on the family. From the time she is born, the only way her physical being/existence is given meaning is by virtue of marriage. In the institution of marriage lies the salvation of the woman. In looking after her husband and bearing children lies her attainment of Nirvana. And with marriage comes the social evil of dowry (giving away lump sums of money and gifts during marriage) which continues to haunt families. A large population of India continues to struggle on a daily basis for its survival. In a situation like this, the additional appendage of giving dowry to the grooms family increases the misery of an already devastated financial situation of the average Indian family. female infanticide.

American culture Essay Example for Free

American culture Essay The arts, more than other features of culture, provide avenues for the expression of imagination and personal vision. They offer a range of emotional and intellectual pleasures to consumers of art and are an important way in which a culture represents itself. There has long been a Western tradition distinguishing those arts that appeal to the multitude, such as popular music, from those—such as classical orchestral music—normally available to the elite of learning and taste. Popular art forms are usually seen as more representative American products. In the United States in the recent past, there has been a blending of popular and elite art forms, as all the arts experienced a period of remarkable cross-fertilization. Because popular art forms are so widely distributed, arts of all kinds have prospered. The arts in the United States express the many faces and the enormous creative range of the American people. Especially since World War II, American innovations and the immense energy displayed in literature, dance, and music have made American cultural works world famous. Arts in the United States have become internationally prominent in ways that are unparalleled in history. American art forms during the second half of the 20th century often defined the styles and qualities that the rest of the world emulated. At the end of the 20th century, American art was considered equal in quality and vitality to art produced in the rest of the world. Throughout the 20th century, American arts have grown to incorporate new visions and voices. Much of this new artistic energy came in the wake of America’s emergence as a superpower after World War II. But it was also due to the growth of New York City as an important center for publishing and the arts, and the immigration of artists and intellectuals fleeing fascism in Europe before and during the war. An outpouring of talent also followed the civil rights and protest movements of the 1960s, as cultural discrimination against blacks, women, and other groups diminished. American arts flourish in many places and receive support from private foundations, large corporations, local governments, federal agencies, museums, galleries, and individuals. What is considered worthy of support often depends on definitions of quality and of what constitutes art. This is a tricky subject when the popular arts are increasingly incorporated into the domain of the fine arts and new forms such as performance art and conceptual art appear. As a result, defining what is art affects what students are taught about past traditions (for example, Native American tent paintings, oral traditions, and slave narratives) and what is produced in the future. While some practitioners, such as studio artists, are more vulnerable to these definitions because they depend on financial support to exercise their talents, others, such as poets and photographers, are less immediately constrained. Artists operate in a world where those who theorize and critique their work have taken on an increasingly important role. Audiences are influenced by a variety of intermediaries—critics, the schools, foundations that offer grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, gallery owners, publishers, and theater producers. In some areas, such as the performing arts, popular audiences may ultimately define success. In other arts, such as painting and sculpture, success is far more dependent on critics and a few, often wealthy, art collectors. Writers depend on publishers and on the public for their success. Unlike their predecessors, who relied on formal criteria and appealed to aesthetic judgments, critics at the end of the 20th century leaned more toward popular tastes, taking into account groups previously ignored and valuing the merger of popular and elite forms. These critics often relied less on aesthetic judgments than on social measures and were eager to place artistic productions in the context of the time and social conditions in which they were created. Whereas earlier critics attempted to create an American tradition of high art, later critics used art as a means to give power and approval to nonelite groups who were previously not considered worthy of including in the nation’s artistic heritage. Not so long ago, culture and the arts were assumed to be an unalterable inheritance—the accumulated wisdom and highest forms of achievement that were established in the past. In the 20th century generally, and certainly since World War II, artists have been boldly destroying older traditions in sculpture, painting, dance, music, and literature. The arts have changed rapidly, with one movement replacing another in quick succession. a) Visual arts. The visual arts have traditionally included forms of expression that appeal to the eyes through painted surfaces, and to the sense of space through carved or molded materials. In the 19th century, photographs were added to the paintings, drawings, and sculpture that make up the visual arts. The visual arts were further augmented in the 20th century by the addition of other materials, such as found objects. These changes were accompanied by a profound alteration in tastes, as earlier emphasis on realistic representation of people, objects, and landscapes made way for a greater range of imaginative forms. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American art was considered inferior to European art. Despite noted American painters such as Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, and John Marin, American visual arts barely had an international presence. American art began to flourish during the Great Depression of the 1930s as New Deal government programs provided support to artists along with other sectors of the population. Artists connected with each other and developed a sense of common purpose through programs of the Public Works Administration, such as the Federal Art Project, as well as programs sponsored by the Treasury Department. Most of the art of the period, including painting, photography, and mural work, focused on the plight of the American people during the depression, and most artists painted real people in difficult circumstances. Artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Ben Shahn expressed the suffering of ordinary people through their representations of struggling farmers and workers. While artists such as Benton and Grant Wood focused on rural life, many painters of the 1930s and 1940s depicted the multicultural life of the American city. Jacob Lawrence, for example, re-created the history and lives of African Americans. Other artists, such as Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, tried to use human figures to describe emotional states such as loneliness and despair. Abstract Expressionism. Shortly after World War II, American art began to garner worldwide attention and admiration. This change was due to the innovative fervor of abstract expressionism in the 1950s and to subsequent modern art movements and artists. The abstract expressionists of the mid-20th century broke from the realist and figurative tradition set in the 1930s. They emphasized their connection to international artistic visions rather than the particularities of people and place, and most abstract expressionists did not paint human figures (although artist Willem de Kooning did portrayals of women). Color, shape, and movement dominated the canvases of abstract expressionists. Some artists broke with the Western art tradition by adopting innovative painting styles—during the 1950s Jackson Pollock painted by dripping paint on canvases without the use of brushes, while the paintings of Mark Rothko often consisted of large patches of color that seem to vibrate. Abstract expressionists felt alienated from their surrounding culture and used art to challenge society’s conventions. The work of each artist was quite individual and distinctive, but all the artists identified with the radicalism of artistic creativity. The artists were eager to challenge conventions and limits on expression in order to redefine the nature of art. Their radicalism came from liberating themselves from the confining artistic traditions of the past. The most notable activity took place in New York City, which became one of the world’s most important art centers during the second half of the 20th century. The radical fervor and inventiveness of the abstract expressionists, their frequent association with each other in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and the support of a group of gallery owners and dealers turned them into an artistic movement. Also known as the New York School, the participants included Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Arshile Gorky, in addition to Rothko and Pollock. The members of the New York School came from diverse backgrounds such as the American Midwest and Northwest, Armenia, and Russia, bringing an international flavor to the group and its artistic visions. They hoped to appeal to art audiences everywhere, regardless of culture, and they felt connected to the radical innovations introduced earlier in the 20th century by European artists such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. Some of the artists—Hans Hofmann, Gorky, Rothko, and de Kooning—were not born in the United States, but all the artists saw themselves as part of an international creative movement and an aesthetic rebellion. As artists felt released from the boundaries and conventions of the past and free to emphasize expressiveness and innovation, the abstract expressionists gave way to other innovative styles in American art. Beginning in the 1930s Joseph Cornell created hundreds of boxed assemblages, usually from found objects, with each based on a single theme to create a mood of contemplation and sometimes of reverence. Cornells boxes exemplify the modern fascination with individual vision, art that breaks down boundaries between forms such as painting and sculpture, and the use of everyday objects toward a new end. Other artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, combined disparate objects to create large, collage-like sculptures known as combines in the 1950s. Jasper Johns, a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, recreated countless familiar objects, most memorably the American flag. The most prominent American artistic style to follow abstract expressionism was the pop art movement that began in the 1950s. Pop art attempted to connect traditional art and popular culture by using images from mass culture. To shake viewers out of their preconceived notions about art, sculptor Claes Oldenburg used everyday objects such as pillows and beds to create witty, soft sculptures. Roy Lichtenstein took this a step further by elevating the techniques of commercial art, notably cartooning, into fine art worthy of galleries and museums. Lichtensteins large, blown-up cartoons fill the surface of his canvases with grainy black dots and question the existence of a distinct realm of high art. These artists tried to make their audiences see ordinary objects in a refreshing new way, thereby breaking down the conventions that formerly defined what was worthy of artistic representation. Probably the best-known pop artist, and a leader in the movement, was Andy Warhol, whose images of a Campbell’s soup can and of the actress Marilyn Monroe explicitly eroded the boundaries between the art world and mass culture. Warhol also cultivated his status as a celebrity. He worked in film as a director and producer to break down the boundaries between traditional and popular art. Unlike the abstract expressionists, whose conceptual works were often difficult to understand, Andy Warhols pictures, and his own face, were instantly recognizable. Conceptual art, as it came to be known in the 1960s, like its predecessors, sought to break free of traditional artistic associations. In conceptual art, as practiced by Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth, concept takes precedent over actual object, by stimulating thought rather than following an art tradition based on conventional standards of beauty and artisanship. Modern artists changed the meaning of traditional visual arts and brought a new imaginative dimension to ordinary experience. Art was no longer viewed as separate and distinct, housed in museums as part of a historical inheritance, but as a continuous creative process. This emphasis on constant change, as well as on the ordinary and mundane, reflected a distinctly American democratizing perspective. Viewing art in this way removed the emphasis from technique and polished performance, and many modern artworks and experiences became more about expressing ideas than about perfecting finished products. Photography. Photography is probably the most democratic modern art form because it can be, and is, practiced by most Americans. Since 1888, when George Eastman developed the Kodak camera that allowed anyone to take pictures, photography has struggled to be recognized as a fine art form. In the early part of the 20th century, photographer, editor, and artistic impresario Alfred Stieglitz established 291, a gallery in New York City, with fellow photographer Edward Steichen, to showcase the works of photographers and painters. They also published a magazine called Camera Work to increase awareness about photographic art. In the United States, photographic art had to compete with the widely available commercial photography in news and fashion magazines. By the 1950s the tradition of photojournalism, which presented news stories primarily with photographs, had produced many outstanding works. In 1955 Steichen, who was director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, called attention to this work in an exhibition called The Family of Man. Throughout the 20th century, most professional photographers earned their living as portraitists or photojournalists, not as artists. One of the most important exceptions was Ansel Adams, who took majestic photographs of the Western American landscape. Adams used his art to stimulate social awareness and to support the conservation cause of the Sierra Club. He helped found the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in 1940, and six years later helped establish the photography department at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco (now the San Francisco Art Institute). He also held annual photography workshops at Yosemite National Park from 1955 to 1981 and wrote a series of influential books on photographic technique. Adamss elegant landscape photography was only one small stream in a growing current of interest in photography as an art form. Early in the 20th century, teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Hine established a documentary tradition in photography by capturing actual people, places, and events. Hine photographed urban conditions and workers, including child laborers. Along with their artistic value, the photographs often implicitly called for social reform. In the 1930s and 1940s, photographers joined with other depression-era artists supported by the federal government to create a hotographic record of rural America. Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein, among others, produced memorable and widely reproduced portraits of rural poverty and American distress during the Great Depression and during the dust storms of the period. In 1959, after touring the United States for two years, Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank published The Americans, one of the landmarks of document ary photography. His photographs of everyday life in America introduced viewers to a depressing, and often depressed, America that existed in the midst of prosperity and world power. Photographers continued to search for new photographic viewpoints. This search was perhaps most disturbingly embodied in the work of Diane Arbus. Her photos of mental patients and her surreal depictions of Americans altered the viewer’s relationship to the photograph. Arbus emphasized artistic alienation and forced viewers to stare at images that often made them uncomfortable, thus changing the meaning of the ordinary reality that photographs are meant to capture. American photography continues to flourish. The many variants of art photography and socially conscious documentary photography are widely available in galleries, books, and magazines. A host of other visual arts thrive, although they are far less connected to traditional fine arts than photography. Decorative arts include, but are not limited to, art glass, furniture, jewelry, pottery, metalwork, and quilts. Often exhibited in craft galleries and studios, these decorative arts rely on ideals of beauty in shape and color as well as an appreciation of well-executed crafts. Some of these forms are also developed commercially. The decorative arts provide a wide range of opportunity for creative expression and have become a means for Americans to actively participate in art and to purchase art for their homes that is more affordable than works produced by many contemporary fine artists. 4. Performing arts As in other cultural spheres, the performing arts in the United States in the 20th century increasingly blended traditional and popular art forms. The classical performing arts—music, opera, dance, and theater—were not a widespread feature of American culture in the first half of the 20th century. These arts were generally imported from or strongly influenced by Europe and were mainly appreciated by the wealthy and well educated. Traditional art usually referred to classical forms in ballet and opera, orchestral or chamber music, and serious drama. The distinctions between traditional music and popular music were firmly drawn in most areas. During the 20th century, the American performing arts began to incorporate wider groups of people. The African American community produced great musicians who became widely known around the country. Jazz and blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday spread their sounds to black and white audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, the swing music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller adapted jazz to make a unique American music that was popular around the country. The American performing arts also blended Latin American influences beginning in the 20th century. Between 1900 and 1940, Latin American dances, such as the tango from Argentina and the rumba from Cuba, were introduced into the United States. In the 1940s a fusion of Latin and jazz elements was stimulated first by the Afro-Cuban mambo and later on by the Brazilian bossa nova. Throughout the 20th century, dynamic classical institutions in the United States attracted international talent. Noted Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine established the short-lived American Ballet Company in the 1930s; later he founded the company that in the 1940s would become the New York City Ballet. The American Ballet Theatre, also established during the 1940s, brought in non-American dancers as well. By the 1970s this company had attracted Soviet defector Mikhail Baryshnikov, an internationally acclaimed dancer who served as the company’s artistic director during the 1980s. In classical music, influential Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, who composed symphonies using innovative musical styles, moved to the United States in 1939. German-born pianist, composer, and conductor Andre Previn, who started out as a jazz pianist in the 1940s, went on to conduct a number of distinguished American symphony orchestras. Another Soviet, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, became conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D. C. , in 1977. Some of the most innovative artists in the first half of the 20th century successfully incorporated new forms into classical traditions. Composers George Gershwin and Aaron Copland, and dancer Isadora Duncan were notable examples. Gershwin combined jazz and spiritual music with classical in popular works such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Copland developed a unique style that was influenced by jazz and American folk music. Early in the century, Duncan redefined dance along more expressive and free-form lines. Some artists in music and dance, such as composer John Cage and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, were even more experimental. During the 1930s Cage worked with electronically produced sounds and sounds made with everyday objects such as pots and pans. He even invented a new kind of piano. During the late 1930s, avant-garde choreographer Cunningham began to collaborate with Cage on a number of projects. Perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most popular, American innovation was the Broadway musical, which also became a movie staple. Beginning in the 1920s, the Broadway musical combined music, dance, and dramatic performance in ways that surpassed the older vaudeville shows and musical revues but without being as complex as European grand opera. By the 1960s, this American musical tradition was well established and had produced extraordinary works by important musicians and lyricists such as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, and Oscar Hammerstein II. These productions required an immense effort to coordinate music, drama, and dance. Because of this, the musical became the incubator of an American modern dance tradition that produced some of Americas greatest choreographers, among them Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, and Bob Fosse. In the 1940s and 1950s the American musical tradition was so dynamic that it attracted outstanding classically trained musicians such as Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, an updated version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York that became an instant classic in 1957. The following year, Bernstein became the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He was an international sensation who traveled the world as an ambassador of the American style of conducting. He brought the art of classical music to the public, especially through his Young Peoples Concerts, television shows that were seen around the world. Bernstein used the many facets of the musical tradition as a force for change in the music world and as a way of bringing attention to American innovation. In many ways, Bernstein embodied a transformation of American music that began in the 1960s. The changes that took place during the 1960s and 1970s resulted from a significant increase in funding for the arts and their increased availability to larger audiences. New York City, the American center for art performances, experienced an artistic explosion in the 1960s and 1970s. Experimental off-Broadway theaters opened, new ballet companies were established that often emphasized modern forms or blended modern with classical (Martha Graham was an especially important influence), and an experimental music scene developed that included composers such as Philip Glass and performance groups such as the Guarneri String Quartet. Dramatic innovation also continued to expand with the works of playwrights such as Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, and David Mamet. As the variety of performances expanded, so did the serious crossover between traditional and popular music forms. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, an expanded repertoire of traditional arts was being conveyed to new audiences. Popular music and jazz could be heard in formal settings such as Carnegie Hall, which had once been restricted to classical music, while the Brooklyn Academy of Music became a venue for experimental music, exotic and ethnic dance presentations, and traditional productions of grand opera. Innovative producer Joseph Papp had been staging Shakespeare in Central Park since the 1950s. Boston conductor Arthur Fiedler was playing a mixed repertoire of classical and popular favorites to large audiences, often outdoors, with the Boston Pops Orchestra. By the mid-1970s the United States had several world-class symphony orchestras, including those in Chicago; New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even grand opera was affected. Once a specialized taste that often required extensive knowledge, opera in the United States increased in popularity as the roster of respected institutions grew to include companies in Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. American composers such as John Adams and Philip Glass began composing modern operas in a new minimalist style during the 1970s and 1980s. The crossover in tastes also influenced the Broadway musical, probably Americas most durable music form. Starting in the 1960s, rock music became an ingredient in musical productions such as Hair (1967). By the 1990s, it had become an even stronger presence in musicals such as Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk (1996), which used African American music and dance traditions, and Rent (1996) a modern, rock version of the classic opera La Boheme. This updating of the musical opened the theater to new ethnic audiences who had not previously attended Broadway shows, as well as to young audiences who had been raised on rock music. Performances of all kinds have become more available across the country. This is due to both the sheer increase in the number of performance groups as well as to advances in transportation. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the number of major American symphonies doubled, the number of resident theaters increased fourfold, and the number of dance companies increased tenfold. At the same time, planes made it easier for artists to travel. Artists and companies regularly tour, and they expand the audiences for individual artists such as performance artist Laurie Anderson and opera singer Jessye Norman, for musical groups such as the Juilliard Quartet, and for dance troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Full-scale theater productions and musicals first presented on Broadway now reach cities across the country. The United States, once a provincial outpost with a limited European tradition in performance, has become a flourishing center for the performing arts. . Arts and letters The arts, more than other features of culture, provide avenues for the expression of imagination and personal vision. They offer a range of emotional and intellectual pleasures to consumers of art and are an important way in which a culture represents itself. There has long been a Western tradition distinguishing those arts that appeal to the multitude, such as popul ar music, from those—such as classical orchestral music—normally available to the elite of learning and taste. Popular art forms are usually seen as more representative American products. In the United States in the recent past, there has been a blending of popular and elite art forms, as all the arts experienced a period of remarkable cross-fertilization. Because popular art forms are so widely distributed, arts of all kinds have prospered. The arts in the United States express the many faces and the enormous creative range of the American people. Especially since World War II, American innovations and the immense energy displayed in literature, dance, and music have made American cultural works world famous. Arts in the United States have become internationally prominent in ways that are unparalleled in history. American art forms during the second half of the 20th century often defined the styles and qualities that the rest of the world emulated. At the end of the 20th century, American art was considered equal in quality and vitality to art produced in the rest of the world. Throughout the 20th century, American arts have grown to incorporate new visions and voices. Much of this new artistic energy came in the wake of America’s emergence as a superpower after World War II. But it was also due to the growth of New York City as an important center for publishing and the arts, and the immigration of artists and intellectuals fleeing fascism in Europe before and during the war. An outpouring of talent also followed the civil rights and protest movements of the 1960s, as cultural discrimination against blacks, women, and other groups diminished. American arts flourish in many places and receive support from private foundations, large corporations, local governments, federal agencies, museums, galleries, and individuals. What is considered worthy of support often depends on definitions of quality and of what constitutes art. This is a tricky subject when the popular arts are increasingly incorporated into the domain of the fine arts and new forms such as performance art and conceptual art appear. As a result, defining what is art affects what students are taught about past traditions (for example, Native American tent paintings, oral traditions, and slave narratives) and what is produced in the future. While some practitioners, such as studio artists, are more vulnerable to these definitions because they depend on financial support to exercise their talents, others, such as poets and photographers, are less immediately constrained. Artists operate in a world where those who theorize and critique their work have taken on an increasingly important role. Audiences are influenced by a variety of intermediaries—critics, the schools, foundations that offer grants, the National Endowment for the Arts, gallery owners, publishers, and theater producers. In some areas, such as the performing arts, popular audiences may ultimately define success. In other arts, such as painting and sculpture, success is far more dependent on critics and a few, often wealthy, art collectors. Writers depend on publishers and on the public for their success. Unlike their predecessors, who relied on formal criteria and appealed to aesthetic judgments, critics at the end of the 20th century leaned more toward popular tastes, taking into account groups previously ignored and valuing the merger of popular and elite forms. These critics ften relied less on aesthetic judgments than on social measures and were eager to place artistic productions in the context of the time and social conditions in which they were created. Whereas earlier critics attempted to create an American tradition of high art, later critics used art as a means to give power and approval to nonelite groups who were previously not considered worthy of including in the nation’s artisti c heritage. Not so long ago, culture and the arts were assumed to be an unalterable inheritance—the accumulated wisdom and highest forms of achievement that were established in the past. In the 20th century generally, and certainly since World War II, artists have been boldly destroying older traditions in sculpture, painting, dance, music, and literature. The arts have changed rapidly, with one movement replacing another in quick succession. a) Visual arts. The visual arts have traditionally included forms of expression that appeal to the eyes through painted surfaces, and to the sense of space through carved or molded materials. In the 19th century, photographs were added to the paintings, drawings, and sculpture that make up the visual arts. The visual arts were further augmented in the 20th century by the addition of other materials, such as found objects. These changes were accompanied by a profound alteration in tastes, as earlier emphasis on realistic representation of people, objects, and landscapes made way for a greater range of imaginative forms. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, American art was considered inferior to European art. Despite noted American painters such as Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Mary Cassatt, and John Marin, American visual arts barely had an international presence. American art began to flourish during the Great Depression of the 1930s as New Deal government programs provided support to artists along with other sectors of the population. Artists connected with each other and developed a sense of common purpose through programs of the Public Works Administration, such as the Federal Art Project, as well as programs sponsored by the Treasury Department. Most of the art of the period, including painting, photography, and mural work, focused on the plight of the American people during the depression, and most artists painted real people in difficult circumstances. Artists such as Thomas Hart Benton and Ben Shahn expressed the suffering of ordinary people through their representations of struggling farmers and workers. While artists such as Benton and Grant Wood focused on rural life, many painters of the 1930s and 1940s depicted the multicultural life of the American city. Jacob Lawrence, for example, re-created the history and lives of African Americans. Other artists, such as Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper, tried to use human figures to describe emotional states such as loneliness and despair. Abstract Expressionism. Shortly after World War II, American art began to garner worldwide attention and admiration. This change was due to the innovative fervor of abstract expressionism in the 1950s and to subsequent modern art movements and artists. The abstract expressionists of the mid-20th century broke from the realist and figurative tradition set in the 1930s. They emphasized their connection to international artistic visions rather than the particularities of people and place, and most abstract expressionists did not paint human figures (although artist Willem de Kooning did portrayals of women). Color, shape, and movement dominated the canvases of abstract expressionists. Some artists broke with the Western art tradition by adopting innovative painting styles—during the 1950s Jackson Pollock painted by dripping paint on canvases without the use of brushes, while the paintings of Mark Rothko often consisted of large patches of color that seem to vibrate. Abstract expressionists felt alienated from their surrounding culture and used art to challenge society’s conventions. The work of each artist was quite individual and distinctive, but all the artists identified with the radicalism of artistic creativity. The artists were eager to challenge conventions and limits on expression in order to redefine the nature of art. Their radicalism came from liberating themselves from the confining artistic traditions of the past. The most notable activity took place in New York City, which became one of the world’s most important art centers during the second half of the 20th century. The radical fervor and inventiveness of the abstract expressionists, their frequent association with each other in New York City’s Greenwich Village, and the support of a group of gallery owners and dealers turned them into an artistic movement. Also known as the New York School, the participants included Barnett Newman, Robert Motherwell, Franz Kline, and Arshile Gorky, in addition to Rothko and Pollock. The members of the New York School came from diverse backgrounds such as the American Midwest and Northwest, Armenia, and Russia, bringing an international flavor to the group and its artistic visions. They hoped to appeal to art audiences everywhere, regardless of culture, and they felt connected to the radical innovations introduced earlier in the 20th century by European artists such as Pablo Picasso and Marcel Duchamp. Some of the artists—Hans Hofmann, Gorky, Rothko, and de Kooning—were not born in the United States, but all the artists saw themselves as part of an international creative movement and an aesthetic rebellion. As artists felt released from the boundaries and conventions of the past and free to emphasize expressiveness and innovation, the abstract expressionists gave way to other innovative styles in American art. Beginning in the 1930s Joseph Cornell created hundreds of boxed assemblages, usually from found objects, with each based on a single theme to create a mood of contemplation and sometimes of reverence. Cornells boxes exemplify the modern fascination with individual vision, art that breaks down boundaries between forms such as painting and sculpture, and the use of everyday objects toward a new end. Other artists, such as Robert Rauschenberg, combined disparate objects to create large, collage-like sculptures known as combines in the 1950s. Jasper Johns, a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, recreated countless familiar objects, most memorably the American flag. The most prominent American artistic style to follow abstract expressionism was the pop art movement that began in the 1950s. Pop art attempted to connect traditional art and popular culture by using images from mass culture. To shake viewers out of their preconceived notions about art, sculptor Claes Oldenburg used everyday objects such as pillows and beds to create witty, soft sculptures. Roy Lichtenstein took this a step further by elevating the techniques of commercial art, notably cartooning, into fine art worthy of galleries and museums. Lichtensteins large, blown-up cartoons fill the surface of his canvases with grainy black dots and question the existence of a distinct realm of high art. These artists tried to make their audiences see ordinary objects in a refreshing new way, thereby breaking down the conventions that formerly defined what was worthy of artistic representation. Probably the best-known pop artist, and a leader in the movement, was Andy Warhol, whose images of a Campbell’s soup can and of the actress Marilyn Monroe explicitly eroded the boundaries between the art world and mass culture. Warhol also cultivated his status as a celebrity. He worked in film as a director and producer to break down the boundaries between traditional and opular art. Unlike the abstract expressionists, whose conceptual works were often difficult to understand, Andy Warhols pictures, and his own face, were instantly recognizable. Conceptual art, as it came to be known in the 1960s, like its predecessors, sought to break free of traditional artistic associations. In conceptual art, as practiced by Sol LeWitt and Joseph Kosuth, concept takes precedent over actual object, by stimulating thought rather than following an art tradition based on conventional standards of beauty and artisanship. Modern artists changed the meaning of traditional visual arts and brought a new imaginative dimension to ordinary experience. Art was no longer viewed as separate and distinct, housed in museums as part of a historical inheritance, but as a continuous creative process. This emphasis on constant change, as well as on the ordinary and mundane, reflected a distinctly American democratizing perspective. Viewing art in this way removed the emphasis from technique and polished performance, and many modern artworks and experiences became more about expressing ideas than about perfecting finished products. Photography. Photography is probably the most democratic modern art form because it can be, and is, practiced by most Americans. Since 1888, when George Eastman developed the Kodak camera that allowed anyone to take pictures, photography has struggled to be recognized as a fine art form. In the early part of the 20th century, photographer, editor, and artistic impresario Alfred Stieglitz established 291, a gallery in New York City, with fellow photographer Edward Steichen, to showcase the works of photographers and painters. They also published a magazine called Camera Work to increase awareness about photographic art. In the United States, photographic art had to compete with the widely available commercial photography in news and fashion magazines. By the 1950s the tradition of photojournalism, which presented news stories primarily with photographs, had produced many outstanding works. In 1955 Steichen, who was director of photography at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, called attention to this work in an exhibition called The Family of Man. Throughout the 20th century, most professional photographers earned their living as portraitists or photojournalists, not as artists. One of the most important exceptions was Ansel Adams, who took majestic photographs of the Western American landscape. Adams used his art to stimulate social awareness and to support the conservation cause of the Sierra Club. He helped found the photography department at the Museum of Modern Art in 1940, and six years later helped establish the photography department at the California School of Fine Arts in San Francisco (now the San Francisco Art Institute). He also held annual photography workshops at Yosemite National Park from 1955 to 1981 and wrote a series of influential books on photographic technique. Adamss elegant landscape photography was only one small stream in a growing current of interest in photography as an art form. Early in the 20th century, teacher-turned-photographer Lewis Hine established a documentary tradition in photography by capturing actual people, places, and events. Hine photographed urban conditions and workers, including child laborers. Along with their artistic value, the photographs often implicitly called for social reform. In the 1930s and 1940s, photographers joined with other depression-era artists supported by the federal government to create a photographic record of rural America. Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, and Arthur Rothstein, among others, produced memorable and widely reproduced portraits of rural poverty and American distress during the Great Depression and during the dust storms of the period. In 1959, after touring the United States for two years, Swiss-born photographer Robert Frank published The Americans, one of the landmarks of documentary photography. His photographs of everyday life in America introduced viewers to a depressing, and often depressed, America that existed in the midst of prosperity and world power. Photographers continued to search for new photographic viewpoints. This search was perhaps most disturbingly embodied in the work of Diane Arbus. Her photos of mental patients and her surreal depictions of Americans altered the viewer’s relationship to the photograph. Arbus emphasized artistic alienation and forced viewers to stare at images that often made them uncomfortable, thus changing the meaning of the ordinary reality that photographs are meant to capture. American photography continues to flourish. The many variants of art photography and socially conscious documentary photography are widely available in galleries, books, and magazines. A host of other visual arts thrive, although they are far less connected to traditional fine arts than photography. Decorative arts include, but are not limited to, art glass, furniture, jewelry, pottery, metalwork, and quilts. Often exhibited in craft galleries and studios, these decorative arts rely on ideals of beauty in shape and color as well as an appreciation of well-executed crafts. Some of these forms are also developed commercially. The decorative arts provide a wide range of opportunity for creative expression and have become a means for Americans to actively participate in art and to purchase art for their homes that is more affordable than works produced by many contemporary fine artists. . Performing arts As in other cultural spheres, the performing arts in the United States in the 20th century increasingly blended traditional and popular art forms. The classical performing arts—music, opera, dance, and theater—were not a widespread feature of American culture in the first half of the 20th century. These arts were generally imported from or strongly influenced by Europe and were mainly appreciated by the wealthy and well educated. Traditional art usually referred to classical forms in ballet and opera, orchestral or chamber music, and serious drama. The distinctions between traditional music and popular music were firmly drawn in most areas. During the 20th century, the American performing arts began to incorporate wider groups of people. The African American community produced great musicians who became widely known around the country. Jazz and blues singers such as Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Billie Holiday spread their sounds to black and white audiences. In the 1930s and 1940s, the swing music of Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, and Glenn Miller adapted jazz to make a unique American music that was popular around the country. The American performing arts also blended Latin American influences beginning in the 20th century. Between 1900 and 1940, Latin American dances, such as the tango from Argentina and the rumba from Cuba, were introduced into the United States. In the 1940s a fusion of Latin and jazz elements was stimulated first by the Afro-Cuban mambo and later on by the Brazilian bossa nova. Throughout the 20th century, dynamic classical institutions in the United States attracted international talent. Noted Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine established the short-lived American Ballet Company in the 1930s; later he founded the company that in the 1940s would become the New York City Ballet. The American Ballet Theatre, also established during the 1940s, brought in non-American dancers as well. By the 1970s this company had attracted Soviet defector Mikhail Baryshnikov, an internationally acclaimed dancer who served as the company’s artistic director during the 1980s. In classical music, influential Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, who composed symphonies using innovative musical styles, moved to the United States in 1939. German-born pianist, composer, and conductor Andre Previn, who started out as a jazz pianist in the 1940s, went on to conduct a number of distinguished American symphony orchestras. Another Soviet, cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, became conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D. C. , in 1977. Some of the most innovative artists in the first half of the 20th century successfully incorporated new forms into classical traditions. Composers George Gershwin and Aaron Copland, and dancer Isadora Duncan were notable examples. Gershwin combined jazz and spiritual music with classical in popular works such as Rhapsody in Blue (1924) and the opera Porgy and Bess (1935). Copland developed a unique style that was influenced by jazz and American folk music. Early in the century, Duncan redefined dance along more expressive and free-form lines. Some artists in music and dance, such as composer John Cage and dancer and choreographer Merce Cunningham, were even more experimental. During the 1930s Cage worked with electronically produced sounds and sounds made with everyday objects such as pots and pans. He even invented a new kind of piano. During the late 1930s, avant-garde choreographer Cunningham began to collaborate with Cage on a number of projects. Perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most popular, American innovation was the Broadway musical, which also became a movie staple. Beginning in the 1920s, the Broadway musical combined music, dance, and dramatic performance in ways that surpassed the older vaudeville shows and musical revues but without being as complex as European grand opera. By the 1960s, this American musical tradition was well established and had produced extraordinary works by important musicians and lyricists such as George and Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Lorenz Hart, Jerome Kern, and Oscar Hammerstein II. These productions required an immense effort to coordinate music, drama, and dance. Because of this, the musical became the incubator of an American modern dance tradition that produced some of Americas greatest choreographers, among them Jerome Robbins, Gene Kelly, and Bob Fosse. In the 1940s and 1950s the American musical tradition was so dynamic that it attracted outstanding classically trained musicians such as Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein composed the music for West Side Story, an updated version of Romeo and Juliet set in New York that became an instant classic in 1957. The following year, Bernstein became the first American-born conductor to lead a major American orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He was an international sensation who traveled the world as an ambassador of the American style of conducting. He brought the art of classical music to the public, especially through his Young Peoples Concerts, television shows that were seen around the world. Bernstein used the many facets of the musical tradition as a force for change in the music world and as a way of bringing attention to American innovation. In many ways, Bernstein embodied a transformation of American music that began in the 1960s. The changes that took place during the 1960s and 1970s resulted from a significant increase in funding for the arts and their increased availability to larger audiences. New York City, the American center for art performances, experienced an artistic explosion in the 1960s and 1970s. Experimental off-Broadway theaters opened, new ballet companies were established that often emphasized modern forms or blended modern with classical (Martha Graham was an especially important influence), and an experimental music scene developed that included composers such as Philip Glass and performance groups such as the Guarneri String Quartet. Dramatic innovation also continued to expand with the works of playwrights such as Edward Albee, Tony Kushner, and David Mamet. As the variety of performances expanded, so did the serious crossover between traditional and popular music forms. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, an expanded repertoire of traditional arts was being conveyed to new audiences. Popular music and jazz could be heard in formal settings such as Carnegie Hall, which had once been restricted to classical music, while the Brooklyn Academy of Music became a venue for experimental music, exotic and ethnic dance presentations, and traditional productions of grand opera. Innovative producer Joseph Papp had been staging Shakespeare in Central Park since the 1950s. Boston conductor Arthur Fiedler was playing a mixed repertoire of classical and popular favorites to large audiences, often outdoors, with the Boston Pops Orchestra. By the mid-1970s the United States had several world-class symphony orchestras, including those in Chicago; New York; Cleveland, Ohio; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even grand opera was affected. Once a specialized taste that often required extensive knowledge, opera in the United States increased in popularity as the roster of respected institutions grew to include companies in Seattle, Washington; Houston, Texas; and Santa Fe, New Mexico. American composers such as John Adams and Philip Glass began composing modern operas in a new minimalist style during the 1970s and 1980s. The crossover in tastes also influenced the Broadway musical, probably Americas most durable music form. Starting in the 1960s, rock music became an ingredient in musical productions such as Hair (1967). By the 1990s, it had become an even stronger presence in musicals such as Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk (1996), which used African American music and dance traditions, and Rent (1996) a modern, rock version of the classic opera La Boheme. This updating of the musical opened the theater to new ethnic audiences who had not previously attended Broadway shows, as well as to young audiences who had been raised on rock music. Performances of all kinds have become more available across the country. This is due to both the sheer increase in the number of performance groups as well as to advances in transportation. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the number of major American symphonies doubled, the number of resident theaters increased fourfold, and the number of dance companies increased tenfold. At the same time, planes made it easier for artists to travel. Artists and companies regularly tour, and they expand the audiences for individual artists such as performance artist Laurie Anderson and opera singer Jessye Norman, for musical groups such as the Juilliard Quartet, and for dance troupes such as the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Full-scale theater productions and musicals first presented on Broadway now reach cities across the country. The United States, once a provincial outpost with a limited European tradition in performance, has become a flourishing center for the performing arts.