The Negative Effects of the Fast Food French-Fries Production and Distribution Process

Hamburger, soda, and french-fries: This fast food combo is the most powerful trinity in everyday American food. People are attracted to its reasonable price, taste, and convenience. Although most people are still not aware of the issues caused by the production and distribution process of this new age food, the problems are increasingly debated because of the severe repercussions that need to be acknowledged. For instance, the over used containers abuse natural resources, the production of burger meat is known as animal cruelty, and greasy ingredients are accused of a cause of obesity and many illnesses.More importantly, one of the most popular but simple part of fast food, French-Fries, has many harmful effects on the environment, animals, and humans. First of all, French-Fries production has harmful effects on the environment. For example, irrigation of potatoes and other crops from the Snake River causes a drought directly below Milner Dam, located west of Pocatello. The use of fe rtilizers and pesticides, which gives potatoes their equal shape, contaminates tributaries.When potatoes are harvested and shipped with other ingredients, a great deal of fuel is exhausted, creating smog or air pollution. In addition, freezing the potato slices uses ten times more electrical energy than fresh food. This process worsens the greenhouse effect because hydro fluorocarbon coolant, which is used for freezing potato, rises up into the stratosphere and traps heat. Processing potatoes is another factor in pollution of natural water. Because two thirds of a gallon of wastewater is lost during the process, the contaminated liquid pollutes ground water.Furthermore, ketchup, the French-Fry’s condiment, is packed inside of aluminum and plastic which are non-biodegradable and pollute the land and ocean, adding more negative effects to french-fries. In addition to the cause of unbalanced nature by French-Fries, a second impact appears in animal habitation. Water is an indisp ensable resource for all creatures, but cultivation of crops dominates the Snake River by construction of reservoirs and irrigation canals. Therefore, eighty percent of indigenous habitat disappeared from its streamside.Simultaneously, the installation of dams impedes migration of sturgeon and reproduction of salmon because dams block their traffic between the ocean and river. Eventually, sturgeons disappeared from all but three sections, and salmon will follow similar path. Also, the chemicals in fertilizers and pesticides, such as TeloneII and nitrogen, result in hazardous effects on mammals and aquatic life. French-Fries production harms environment and animals; however, there is another negative effect to humans.First, the producer’s profit shrinks because the cost of fertilizers, electricity for freezers, fuel for harvest, and shipping are high. Moreover, farmers will struggle to find water for potato cultivation because the use of fertilizers and pesticides contaminate all the tributaries, including Snake River. The Process of potatoes also creates wastewater, which contains dissolved organic matter and nitrogen, and it sinks underground by rain. Therefore, when it enters in drinking water, some babies develop a fatal illness, â€Å"Blue Baby Syndrome, especially in the Tri-Cities area of southeastern Washington.Spending a few dollars for French-Fries has added a greater cost that damages the earth’s environment, animals, and our future. The production of French-Fries is harmful due to the abuse of water, electricity, fertilizers, pesticides, hydro fluorocarbon coolant, fuel, and other factors. Humans are involved in this vicious spiral because our world is connected, and need to make the effort to correct it. In my opinion, we should continue to produce potato products, but create alternative methods, such as individual agriculture, that can stop abusing our natural resources.

60s America Through Images Essay

The 1960s proved a tumultuous time for the United States in how there were so many historical developments in the mere space of a decade. Throughout the 60s Americans experienced and witnessed many events such as war, civil rights campaigns and protests, assassinations, technological developments and the emergence of a popular culture and counterculture. Photography came to the fore at the start of the 20th century and a huge emphasis was put on the visual to experience culture. The historical developments of the 60s can be seen clearly through the visual culture as they portray the historical events of the time through the medium of imagery. With the growing popularization of television, imagery could be rapidly distributed to each home and this is one of the main reasons that visual culture had such a profound effect on those who witnessed the events portrayed. â€Å"By the end of the decade 90% of Americans had access to television sets† this staggering amount of led to a high level of influence though reception of imagery. For instance when we look at the portrayal of the typical American family one would often see an image of a close-knit family sitting together watching television. In the space of a decade from the 1950s television was incorporated in the American family (see fig. 1. ). Pictures such as this defined the family of the late 50s early 60s and incorporated the television into American families. With the television being a vital part of family life there was a constant flow of imagery available for the family to view. We can clearly see through images such as this that the US population began to regularly consume what the television provided. The photograph captures the importance television as a family pastime and how it gradually became the main focus of family time. Therefore we can see that the visual culture through the media such as television, newspapers and the images they provided to the population had a serious impact on historical developments of the 1960s. Information was constantly received by the population usually alongside images of events and the visual culture affected the historical developments of the 60s in how it influenced reactions to events. It is also evident that visual culture heavily influenced the 1960s due to the amount of images and videos from the time that are still available for viewing today. Figure 1. Everett F. Baumgardner. Family watching Television. 1958. Photograph. Nation Archives and Records of Administration. http://web. archive. org/web/20071226081329/teachpol. tcnj. edu/amer_pol_hist/thu mbnail427. htm One of the most important events to happen in the 1960s which greatly affected the US was its part of was the Vietnamese War. The war had a vital part in the 60s decade as it spanned through the whole of the 60s up until 1975. The war was the first of its kind as it was reported in great detail through television and newspapers. Essentially the Vietnam War and visual culture of the time went hand in hand as the relationship between the two was constant throughout the 60s. For over a decade people could get a visual insight into the war which had never been available before and many believe this is one of the main reasons that the US lost the war. President Lyndon seen this and argued that â€Å"if the previous wars had been televised, the United States would not have preserved in fighting them. Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman would have lost support for their policies even as he lost support for his, forcing the abandonment of his campaign for his re-election. † It was due to the constant visual bombardment of the ugly realities of war on the US people that turned them against the war and forced many to protest the war (fig. 2 and fig. 3). Figure 2. Horst Faas. A father holds the body of a child. 1964. Photograph. Available at Photographer Collection: Horst Faas http://blogs. denverpost. com/captured/2012/05/15/photographer-collection-horst-faas-vietnam/5689/ . Figure3. Horst Faas. Lt. Col. George Eyster of Florida. 1966. Photograph. Available at Photographer Collection: Horst Faas http://blogs. denverpost. com/captured/2012/05/15/photographer-collection-horst-faas-vietnam/5689/ Photographers such as Horst Fass gained their reputation for showing the horrors of the Vietnamese war through their photographs. Faas captured some of the most controversial photographs that showed the suffering of both sides of the war. When we look at these photos we can see the influence of the Vietnamese War on the visual culture of the United States. Pictures such as these were received on a daily basis and they dominated the decade visually becoming some of the most well known images from the 60s and the war itself. The graphic pictures show the ugly side of the Vietnamese War and photographs such as the father clutching his daughter’s body in front of soldiers dealt with the death of civilians while the photo of injured soldiers showed frailty of US troops. At the time these photographs seen showed the truth about the war and Fass would go on to win a Pulitzer Prize for his work in Vietnam. When we look these images it is clear that both reflect on the dark chaos of the war and the ugly realities which the civilian population had never seen before. The visual culture greatly affected the population’s war morale as it provided frail images of US soldiers either dead or wounded something which was not shown in previous wars. The reporting of the Second World War and the Korean War was different in that it was filtered with most hearing reports through radio broadcasts and newspapers which were controlled by the government. By the 60s there had been major developments in media reporting in that they had become more liberated. By the 60s multiple channels were emerging with their own news reporters providing multiple stories and recounts of different parts of the war. Therefore there was a vast increase in the amount of broadcasts and images being sent into the American homes greatly influencing a majority of the population. With photographers such as Faas working in Vietnam and capturing images showing innocent civilians being killed the United States population saw an unseen side to its army throughout the Vietnamese war as the army was shown in a very negative view. It can clearly be seen that photographers such as Faas greatly influenced the visual culture of the US throughout the 60s and these images had a significant impact in historical developments leading to the war effort becoming unpopular and encouraging anti war efforts. Figure 4. Ron Haeberle. My Lai Massacre. 1968. Photograph. Available at Life Magazine. Vol. 67. No. 23 . The negative view of the US army was perhaps most emphasised in the My Lai massacre in 1968. Throughout past wars the US army was seen as a symbol of justice and a manifestation of the good in that they were fighting to save the world but with the emergence of images and reports of events such as the Mai Lai Massacre there morality and ethics were questioned. Some even compared the US army to the Germans of World War Two in their way of psychologically thinking. â€Å"Two researchers concluded that Americans were deflecting the responsibility with the same defence mechanism the Germans used to rationalize the Holocaust. † The photography which emerged from the massacre by Ron Haeberle shocked the world and spurred many of the US into protesting against the war. (Fig4. Here we can clearly see why many considered comparing the US army’s actions to that of the German holocaust, the brutality and graphic detail which Haeberle’s photos captured had never been so widely distributed before. The terror on the faces or the sheer number of bodies appearing in some of the images had not been captured on camera before and these pictures were seen by thousands when they were published in magazines such as Life and greatly affected the visual culture intake of the American population. These particular photos had a huge influence on historical developments later in the war such as the protests and the investigations into what happened in the war. From looking at images such as photographs taken from the 1960s we can clearly see that the Vietnam had a huge influence on visual culture at the time and visual culture that would later emerge in the 70s. This was due to the fact that the war took up so many aspects of American life as it was a constant through the entire decade of the 60s. Regular exposure to the ugly realities of battle is thought to have turned the public against the war, forcing withdrawal of American troops and leaving the way clear for eventual Communist victory. †The visual culture was hugely influenced by the Vietnam War in the 60s it was mostly through photography and videos shown to the public by the media but later it influenced visual culture through art such as sculpture and painting. After the war ended in 1975 countless memorials were erected and many artists were inspired by the photographs this is evident in the sculpture The Three Soldiers Memorial sculpted in 1984 by Frederick Hart displayed in Washington. From looking at the Vietnam War throughout the 60s it is evident that it influenced the future of the visual culture as much as the visual culture influenced the developments of the war. The 60s decade can be defined as a decade of social revolution within the US. Many different causes gained strength and a massive following through their protests to further their cause. During this decade many protested for different reasons such as anti-war campaigners and those looking for the equal rights. There were movements for many different causes such as the African American civil rights movement, Hispanic and Chicano movement and the Gay Rights movement. For example with the Vietnamese War came protests against the war throughout the 60s. Those who were influenced by the atrocities shown in reports and images sent from Vietnam protested avidly throughout the 60s hence we can say the visual culture of the US had a great influence on the historical developments of the 60s, However although in the 60s protesting became very popular it was introduced through the Civil Rights movements in the late fifties early 60s and its idea of peaceful protesting. The 60s became a time associated with protest due to the vast amounts of protests staged for different reasons throughout the 60s. One of the major protest movements of the 60s was the Civil Rights Movement. These protests initially started in the late 50s but peaked in the 60s and were a catalyst of many other protests in the 60s. Those who protested for civil rights did so in a peaceful way and this greatly influenced the other protests such as the anti-war protests. Once again we can see that the visual culture through the medium of photography greatly influenced the development of these protests. Once again the population of the US was provided with images shocking to behold. The most influential case is perhaps the protest in Birmingham Alabama in 196 where the police reacted with unneeded violence. â€Å"Many argue that the dramatic clashes between nonviolent civil rights demonstrators and southern law enforcement in Birmingham and Selma were the principle impetus behind the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, respectively. † Photographers of the time captured the violence of the police force and once again widely distributed and impacted on the community causing widespread support for the movement. When we look at what photographers such as Bill Hudson and Bob Adelman captured in their photographs we can see why the visual culture had such an impact on the historical developments regarding the Civil Rights Movement (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6). The image of the youth being attacked by the police dog is very harrowing and controversial, through this image the US seen the severity of racism and its unneeded violence. This photo became a huge part of the visuality of the Civil Rights Campaign’s attempt to gain support from the rest of the US population due to the severity of the photo and how controversial it was. Meanwhile Hudson’s photo of the protestors grouping together to take cover from water cannons can be seen as a symbol of unification of the protestors against the oppression of the police force and the city of Birmingham. There are countless images such as these two that were taken from the Birmingham Campaign This protest was a rally point for the Civil Rights Campaign and the images taken from Birmingham united and encouraged other people to protest in the south. The visual culture greatly influenced the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement as the Birmingham protest was captured in photography and gave the rest of the US an insight into what was happening in the South. These images had a significant impact on 1960s America and provided a major boost for the campaign as it received national attention leading to desegregation and equal opportunity for the coloured population. This protest was a rally point for the Civil Rights Campaign and the images taken from Birmingham united and encouraged other coloured people to protest in the south. The visual culture greatly influenced the outcome of the Civil Rights Movement as the Birmingham protest was captured through the photographers and gave the rest of the US an insight into what was happening in the South. These images had a significant impact on 1960s America and provided a major boost for the campaign as it received national attention leading to the gradual desegregation of the US and eventual equal opportunity for the coloured population. Figure 5. Bill Hudson. Birmingham Protest. 1963. Photograph. Available at Iconic photos http://iconicphotos. wordpress. om/2010/06/26/birmingham/. Figure6. Bob Adelman. Ingram Park Birmingham. 1963. Photograph. Available at J. Paul Getty Museum. http://www. getty. edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails? artobj=258562 . The Civil Rights Movement provided an example of peaceful protest which became a popular way of protesting throughout the 60s. The social group which held a majority of the protests at the time were third level students . â€Å"From the civil rights demonstrations of the early sixties, students have turned to protest both the war in Vietnam and the policies of their schools. It is no exaggeration to give college students credit for making Vietnam a national issue. †They were influenced by the Civil Rights Movement and based their protests on the same ideology in peaceful protests. The 60s were a time of constant protest for students. The issues of the student protest movements range from racial discrimination, the war on poverty, and the war in Vietnam, to particular policies of the universities. However it was the anti- war protests that spurred the most conflict between the students and the authorities. The visual culture made impressions in developing the protests through the use of printing presses as seeing photos such as Faas’ or Adelman’s spurred the student bodies into action. With the emergence of the My Lai massacre and other such atrocities protests escalated to a climax at the end of the 60s with the Columbia University protests of 1968. Students discovered that the university was secretly affiliated with the Department of Defence’s weapon research and openly protested this affiliation with occupying university buildings and this eventually led to their violent removal. However it was this violence by the authorities that increased support for the protestors. â€Å"In his study of the Columbia Crisis in the spring of 1968, Barton (1968) found that the use of excessive police force against demonstrators had the effect of increasing the sympathy of faculty and students for the tactics (a sit-in and a general strike) employed by the demonstrators. † This violence recorded through the news and photographs once again captivated the US and encouraged many to take part in the protests (Fig. 7). The imagery taken from the by photographers such as Morris captured the harsh measures the authorities and when these pictures were published in newspapers and magazines people began to empathize with the protestors. It is evident in each movement that the media greatly influenced the historical developments through imagery such as photography. Through photography and the media it can be said that the visual culture impacted the outcome of many movements such as the African-American civil rights movements, the anti-war protests and the gradual end of the war. Figure 7. Larry C. Morris. Police forcing Columbia Students out. 968. Photograph. Available at The New York Times. Imagery was a huge part of protests throughout the 60s through photographs of the events but other visuals emerged with the protestor’s use of posters. With the gradual growth of homemade printing presses simple yet colourful posters began to emerge at protests. At protests there was a constant bombardment of simple yet very controversial. The poster entitled ‘it’s the real thing for S. E. Asia’ was simple, eye catching and precise the bright colour of the posters caught bystander’s eyes and presented its argument outwardly in the face of the public (Figure 8. . Posters such as the ‘it’s the real thing for S. E Asia’ were a common site at protests against Vietnam and mocked capitalism and the military tactics that were employed during the time. These protests were against the stupidity and brutality of the war emerged in the early 60s with controversial posters such as this one becoming a more common sight. Anti-war protests provided the majority of the controversial posters as they attempted to highlight the problems with the war. By nature these posters

Eisenhower's Farewell Address Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Eisenhower's Farewell Address - Essay Example However, the subsequent events, including the Vietnam war, the Cold War, and the Gulf wars, have created dilemma in the minds of intellectual citizens who want to live with peace, liberty, and security. It seems that some nations consider the mighty armaments industry of the USA as a threat, which also jeopardizes global security, liberty, and peaceful harmony. The cold war still persists between Russia and the USA, and the two countries consider each other as enemies even though many agreements have been signed in the past (Pesov, 2010). The message of Eisenhower reiterated expansion of military to support the peaceful goals, but it seems that the USA has invited more jealousy and animosity. North Korea, Iran, Lebanon, and several Muslim countries are increasing their military strength to match the mightiness of the American military establishment. Isn’t the peaceful goal lost somewhere? Haven’t the desires of American leaders to manufacture sophisticated arms and to s ell them at profit to other countries subdued the peaceful goals of American citizens? The recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have claimed the lives of millions of innocent civilians in addition to killing soldiers.

Ludwig Wittgenstein Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ludwig Wittgenstein - Essay Example However, his role as the chief influence on the development of analytic philosophy and the studies on logic, language, perception, intention, ethics, religion, aesthetics, and culture etc cannot be outshined by many in the modern philosophy. "Considered by some to be the greatest philosopher of the 20th century, Ludwig Wittgenstein played a central, if controversial, role in 20th-century analytic philosophy. He continues to influence current philosophical thought in topics as diverse as logic and language, perception and intention, ethics and religion, aesthetics and culture." (Biletzki) Therefore, it is obvious that Ludwig Wittgenstein has left his imprints on the philosophical thought of the contemporary world and his significance as a great philosopher of logic, Mathematics, mind, and the language needs to be appropriately recognized. A profound analysis of the life and works of this great genius helps one in recognizing the true merit of his philosophies and in admitting that Wit tgenstein was exact and correct about the philosophical positions he held. This paper takes up such a reflective analysis of the philosophical ideas of Wittgenstein who needs yet to be understood exactly and properly and it is an endeavor to recognize this philosopher as acceptable in what he propagated. To comprehend t

Good for Grades, Hapiness, Writing, and Multicultural Citizenship Essay

Good for Grades, Hapiness, Writing, and Multicultural Citizenship - Essay Example After discovering my love for reading suspense thrillers, I noticed positive changes in my studies and attitudes. I researched more about the effects of reading books on people and discovered diverse beneficial academic and psychological outcomes. This essay is about reading and its benefits to students. Students should read more, because it will improve their grades, enhance their writing skills and studying attitudes, uplift their moods, and help them become multicultural citizens. Reading more is equal to getting better grades. For some students, this is not exactly motivating, because they are not precisely into reading more class materials. By reading, however, I refer to leisure reading that consists of quality books. Yes, I rate my favorite authors as capable of writing quality books, because they use a wide range of vocabulary and I learn a great deal from their writing styles. It is important to read something interesting, or else there is no motivation to read. Go ahead and read Star Trek if one finds science fiction as riveting. Or read Twilight, if one enjoys teen romance with a vampirish theme. Reading can improve student’s grades, because extensive reading improves comprehension. It develops comprehension by enhancing one’s vocabulary. ... Reading also enhances fluency (Houghton Mifflin Company). Studies show that â€Å"unless students can accurately and effortlessly deal with the word-identification demands of reading, difficulties will result in comprehension and overall reading achievement† (LaBerge & Samuels qtd. in Houghton Mifflin Company). Reading helps students relate words to its meanings and diverse functions. Evidence also shows that when people have a habit of reading, their reading performance also improves (Bridge, Winograd, & Haley; Dowhower; Herman qtd. in Houghton Mifflin Company). Reading begets reading. People who read more can read and speak better. Reading can also develop positive attitudes toward reading and studying (Day 1). Day talks about how students, who love reading, suddenly enjoy reading more school material and nurture positive attitudes in studying. The love for leisure reading transfers to academic reading too. I myself can attest to this, because reading helped me concentrate o n academic materials. Since concentration is needed when reading Koontz and Tracy, I honed my concentration abilities. I soon found out that I can also concentrate more on reading, thanks to Koontz and Tracy. I did not know that they could teach me concentration skills. Reading also builds my enthusiasm for studying. Studying is mainly reading, unless computations are required. It is hard to study when one detests the process of reading. Some students hate studying, because they do not like reading. But when they learn to love reading their favorite books, they will somehow learn to love reading class materials too. Somehow, it transfers and the positive feelings that go with leisure

Should Poor People Be Provided With Food and Shelter Essay

Should Poor People Be Provided With Food and Shelter - Essay Example There are very few people that are philanthropic enough to help such people out and bring them out of their misery. On the other hand, there are other people that refuse to help such a miserable situation, and in turn create more problems for the poorer sections of society. However, despite being caught up in such situations, it is the right of every individual to be able to have food and shelter in order to survive. Food and shelter are the two necessities a person should have in order to be able to live life properly and if these are denied, then no man will be able to survive. Most people that are poor or living below the poverty line are not even able to afford square meals and provide their family with the same. They have many mouths to feed and an unstable source of income which forces many of them to even resort to actions like begging for food. Most of them do not have a house or a roof to live under and thus are subject to the worst kind of diseases. Even food and shelter be comes a distant dream for such people and they become socially excluded from a lifestyle of being able to achieve these basic resources from society. Thus, the question lies in whether or not such people should be provided with external assistance by others in order for them to be able to gain basic food supplies and a place to live in with their families. Governments in many countries provide the socially backward classes and poor people of the society with these basic amenities. There are a number of food programs taken up in such developing and under developed countries where poor people are given food grains so that they can sustain their lifestyle and be able to feed their families. In many parts of the world, the governments also build housing societies that have basic one room shelters where poor people can dwell. In most places, these houses turn into areas that are categorized as slums because of the unhygienic conditions that they form with time. It is important for people to given food and shelter because

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Warsaw Ghetto Uprising - Term Paper Example Historical background After the entry of troops of the Third Reich into Poland in October 1939, the occupation authorities issued the order according to which Jews had to pass their money to financial institutions. A person was allowed to keep no more than 2000 zlotys. In public transport, the Nazis placed offensive posters intended to incite ethnic hatred. Speaking about the reasons for creating ghettos in towns of Poland, the Nazis claimed that Jews were carriers of infectious diseases, and that their isolation would help to protect non-Jewish population from the epidemics. In March 1940 a number of urban areas with high concentrations of Jewish population had been declared a quarantine zone. From these areas about 113.000 Poles were expelled, and this place was inhabited by 138.000 Jews from other places. The decision to organize the ghetto was taken on October 16, 1940 by Governor-general Hans Frank. At this point in the ghetto, there were about 440,000 people (37% of the populat ion), while the area of ghetto was 4.5% of the area of Warsaw. Initially leaving the ghetto without permission was liable to imprisonment for a term of 9 months. Since November 1941 the death penalty was applied. On November 16 the ghetto was fenced with a wall. Life in the ghetto Issues within the ghetto were regulated by Judenrat, which was under the control of German authorities. Chairman of the Judenrat was Adam Czerniakow, who â€Å"refused to take advantage of opportunities to leave Poland in the early months of the occupation, and he held Jewish leaders who did so in contempt as traitors to their people† (Niewyk & Nicosia 175). Head of the Jewish police in the ghetto was Jozef Sherinsky (Berenbaum & Peck 599). Officially established food standards for the ghetto were specially calculated for the people to starve and die. In the second half of 1941, food standards for the Jews included 184 calories. However, due to illegally supplied food, real consumption averaged 1125 calories a day. Part of the population was engaged in German manufacturing. Thus, in the sewing industry of Walter Tebens 18 thousand Jews were employed. The working day lasted 12 hours with no weekends and holidays. Of the 110 thousand workers of ghetto only 27000 had a permanent job. Inside the ghetto illegal production of various goods was organized, raw materials for which were supplied in secret. Products were also smuggled for sale or exchange for food outside the ghetto. In addition to the legal 70 bakeries in the ghetto there were 800 illegal ones. The cost of illegal export from the ghetto was estimated at 10 million zlotys a month. Among the inhabitants of the ghetto there was a layer of people, whose activities and position provided them with relatively good life (traders, smugglers, members of the Judenrat, the agents of the Gestapo). Most of the residents suffered from malnutrition. There were problems with health: Once the ghettos were sealed, the uncontrollable sprea d of typhus became a major problem. Some estimate that there was a case of exanthematic typhus in every family in the Warsaw ghetto, affecting from one-quarter to one-third of the population (Soumerai & Schulz 100). The worst situation was with the Jews, displaced from other parts of Poland. Not having connections and acquaintances, they had difficulties in finding and securing income for

Unit 2 Individual Project Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Unit 2 Individual Project - Coursework Example My first short term goal involves offsetting the initial cost of the gift baskets. Secondly, I intend to obtain a clientele which is part of a niche market. Thirdly, I intend to be strategically located in midst of the hum of the community. Three intermediate goals include maintaining the competitive edge in the niche market; having enough cash/profit on hand to begin to repay my relatives and other financers and thirdly, employing more personnel because of the expansion of the business. My long term goals invovle: continuation of the advertising campaign, expanding the business to two other locations, online marketing is one such location and finally, developing products to the specific needs of client. The market opportunity for selling this product in my area is fantastic in that there are many individuals between the ages of 16 to 55 On analysis of the market I have discovered that there is a market niche in this age group because of the survey I conducted by randomly choosing every 10th individual on different days of the week. In addition, an online survey was conducted and the results indicate that there is indeed a need for this type of store in my area. For the customers targeted the store would be located within easy access to their daily errands of the grocery store and the train station. These individuals are so busy that they prefer to utilize a gift bag rather than the traditional wrapping of gifts. My strategy is to embark upon aggressive marketing strategies in the first year to allow these young people to know of my product and my location. I expect to gain at least a 10 percent profit in the first year of operation. The personnel employed would be young, attractive individuals who would persuade with their looks and their marketing skills which would be provided by me initially and later a marketing expert. My suppliers have already been contacted. They are willing to offer me a large discount on the initial

Globalisation is a trend which hurts the poor and rich Essay

Globalisation is a trend which hurts the poor and rich - Essay Example Theodore (1983) is usually credited with globalization's first use in an economic context. The term globalisation has come become popular since the 1980s. Technological advances have made it easier and quicker to complete international transactions both trade of goods and financial flows. In other words globalisation refers to an extension beyond national borders of the same market forces that have operated for centuries at all levels of human economic activity-village markets, urban industries, or financial centers. There by turning the world into a global village. However, the opportunities provided by globalisation in real sense in not the same for all the countries and hence it has created an economic imbalance. This has resulted in the emergence of groups protesting against globalisation. This paper examines if globalisation has really been a curse for poor countries and a blessing for rich countries. As we examine the recent history it can be found that though globalisation offers wide-ranging opportunities for worldwide development, but it is not systematic in providing it in an evenly manner. It should be noted that some countries are becoming integrated into the global economy or the trends of globalisation more quickly than others. These countries which have been able to integrate are seeing faster growth and reduced poverty. In fact it can be said that the outward-oriented policies resulted in dynamism and greater success to much of East Asia, changing its status from poor countries to rich and prosperous countries. As the standard of living rose in these regions, it was possible to make advancement on democracy and economic issues. It should be noted that the opportunities of globalization comes with risks. For instance, the risks arising from volatile capital movements, the risks of social, economic, and environmental degradation created by poverty, and many more (IMF Staff, 2000). However, the countries which has prospered using globalisation has also had the similar risks, the only difference is that they took this as an opportunity to fight poverty and the others who did not make it, took globalisation as a reason to balm for poverty. The wave of globalization has been accompanied by policies changes that have opened economies domestically and internationally. During the past few decades, many governments adopted free-market economic systems, enormously increasing their own productive potential and creating numerous new opportunities for international trade and investment. In order to promote trade in goods, services and investments, many governmentshave established international agreements and changed their policies that dramatically reduced barriers to commerce. These countries in order to take full advantage of new opportunities in foreign markets have allowed the growth of multinational corporations, built foreign factories and established production and marketing arrangements with foreign partners. As a result these countries have benefited immensely. After the MNCs and the foreign companies, the advancement in technology has been the next most important driver of globalization. Development and advances in information technology, in particular, have significantly transformed the economic status of different countries.

Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 8

Law - Essay Example The main feature of the English legal system is that it is living and constantly evolving to work in the future as well as it did in the past1. Thus the single most unique feature of the English legal system is its inheritance from common law2. Most of the characteristics commonly linked to English law and its management of righteousness are traceable to the early on growth in Western Europe of the civil and common law customs. According to Goodman (1995), "several characteristic consequences flow from the fact that law did not emanate from one centralised authority such as papacy, king or parliament. The odd growth of the common law in England developed it appears from a coincidence resemblance of the implementation after the Norman take-over by consecutive monarchs of native customs as the foundation for the governance of justice. Conflict assessment, chiefly concerning land title, was a key function for justice. Judges were nominated by the king to tour the country and decide controversies, aided by a local adjudicator included by the Normans into operational royal courts. The trial accepted a key role in the settlement of disputes. Wilson (1995) states that â€Å"Everyone takes for granted the fact that law and legal systems differ in different countries. But it is also true of legal scholarship. One reason for this is the different responsibilities legal scholars have in different countries for the maintenance and development of the local law...One result is that legal scholars in different countries may have different agendas and this may affect the subject matter, scope and even the form and style of the local legal scholarship.† According to Blackstone and Morrison (2001) common law was "... to be found in the records of our several courts of justice in books of reports and judicial decisions, and in treatises of learned sages of the profession,

Brief description of Elio Engineering Essay Example for Free

Brief description of Elio Engineering Essay Elio Engineering is a company founded by Paul Elio and Hari Sankara for development and creation of late 1990s-era car seats. Paul? s seat was part of a special class of automotive seats in the industry called all-belts-to-seat (ABTS), and it was named NC seat (NC for No Compromise). Paul design seat called NC No Compromise since this seat would revolutionize the automotive industry making performance, weight and costs better than the competition. Presently due to its high cost, ABTS was used mostly in luxury and high end vehicles but with the design and idea of Paul, this technology becomes cheaper and can be implemented across all vehicle types for increased safety and comfort. A typical conventional front seat is priced around $500, lower cost compared with the ABTS seat that is like $750. One complete system costs an average of $2500. The seat mechanism, consisting of recliner and tracks, constitutes the technological core of the seat system. †¢ An ABTS integrates the seat belt directly into the seat that is potentially safer because it â€Å"hugs† the occupant in the event of rear collision. †¢ Ease of use, higher comfort level, more attractive appearance and maneuverability of removable seats. In order to launch their product, and knowing that Bostrom was looking for and ABTS, Elio achieved an agreement with the firm, so they could use their site and their facilities (the computers and electronic equipment to warrant the quality of the seat, meet FMVSS and NHTSA standards) to develop the product, otherwise Elio wouldn? t have enough resources to produce and set up the seat. Bostrom planned to unveil the NC Seat at an annual trade show in March of 1999 in Louisville, Kentucky. The size of the US truck Market in that year was expected to be around the 500. 000 units, with the company commanding a market share of 50%, the European Market was about the same size, but Bostrom had no presence there. Elio expected to be able to get 2 to 5 % royalties on sales in the truck industry. However, Paul had concerns if Bostrom is the right partner in this venture where the ABTS seat has the potential to save millions of lives. Potential Market Size for Elio ABTS Seat Technology Elio’s ABTS seat system with its new technology, lighter weight, lesser components, higher safety and reduced costs has the potential to revolutionize the automotive industry and become the technology of choice for OEMs. The market potential in Northern America is 17 million units and up to 53 million units worldwide. As mentioned in the blue ocean strategy of six paths analysis, Elio can also look at alternate industries like heavy trucks, aircraft and passenger trains for its ABTS seat systems (Kim Mauborgne, 2006). Partnership with OEMs While the ultimate users of automotive technology are the customers who buy the cars, it is the OEM’s who make the decision on the seat system that needs to be selected for their vehicles. The OEM’s expect the seat system not only to fit the body of a particular car model but for it to become a part of the total interior design. The three biggest OEM players in the US market are GM, Ford and Diamler Chrysler with 29%, 25% and 16% of the market share. These OEMs use complex and sophisticated market segmentation technics based on demographics and lifestyles to design car interiors and seat systems. These OEMs wield enough power to dictate to the suppliers their requirements at very small operating margins of 2 to 5% (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008). Also, it is particularly pertinent in engineering driven companies that assume developing new innovative products would generate fabulous success, which is not the case. The product might be successful, however the innovator might not. Considering the aforementioned points, it is important for Elio not to disclose their exact costs to OEMs and also do not rely totally on the innovation of their new ABTS seat system for continued success without a complimentary car interiors option (Kim Mauborgne, 2006). As a result, it is not recommended for Elio to directly approach the OEMs with their ABTS business proposition. Partnership with Competitors Elio Engineering began their initial collaboration with Bostrom Seating, a wholly owned subsidiary of Johnstown America Industries, Inc. (JAII) for prototyping and testing their design of ABTS for FMVSS and NHTSA standards adherence. While their results were successful and the partnership appeared lucrative, JAII’s capabilities in terms of OEM relationships, global presence, acquisition capability, existing alliances, JIT inventory, comfort engineering, CAD/CAM/CAE, benchmarking, research development, product development process, interior systems capabilities, total program management, vertical integration, purchasing, in-house design, system level testing and financial growth were either weak or non-existent (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008). In this regards, for Elio Engineering, JAII can be seen as early adopters (Moore, 2002), but for Elio to move towards dramatic growth, they will need an early majority (Moore, 2002). In Northern America, Johnson Controls (JCI), Lear Corp. And Magna are the big tier-one players. They have about 60% of the market share. JCI is a global diversified technology and industrial leader in automotive seating, overhead systems and interior electronics (JohnsonControls, 2010). JCI has a strong to adequate positions in OEM relationships, global presence, acquisition capability, existing alliances, JIT inventory, comfort engineering, CAD/CAM/CAE, benchmarking, research development, product development process, interior systems capabilities, total program management, vertical integration, purchasing, in-house design, system level testing and financial growth. Lear Corp. is weaker than JCI in engineering and manufacturing abilities but compensated on systems integration and tier-two relationships. Magna did not excel in any particular area but it had adequate capabilities in most areas. Additionally, JCI and Lear Corp. have a strong global presence too with 27% and 25% respectively in Europe. All the three tier-one companies have the research development and manufacturing capabilities to transfer know-how to develop commercially viable products (Burgelman, Christensen, Wheelwright, 2008; White Bruton, 2007). For Elio Engineering, partnering with a tier-one operator is the practical option due to the following reasons : †¢ Easy access to extensive manufacturing capabilities. †¢ Access to global markets. †¢ Access to sophisticated research and development facilities. †¢ Strong relationships with OEMs. †¢ JIT Inventory and efficient supply chain management. †¢ Good tier-two relationships. For Elio Engineering, partnering with Lear Corp. would be the better than JCI for the following reasons : †¢ JCI has strong RD set-up and they would have their in-house development for ABTS technology. Hence, Elio will have less bargaining power with JCI and possible conflict from JCI’s in-house team. However, Lear Corp’s R D is weak and they would opt for the ABTS technology from Elio to be able to better compete with JCI. This will enable Elio to have the better hand in negotiations. †¢ Lear Corp has the second largest market share in both Northern America and Europe after JCI. Lear Corp will be able to take advantage of Elio’s ABTS solution to increase their market share. †¢ Earlier attempts to associate with JCI were not successful for Paul. The above points indicate that with Lear Corp, Elio will be able to engage in equal terms and be in a â€Å"win-win† situation more than with JCI. References Burgelman, R. , Christensen, C. Wheelwright, S. (2008).Strategic management of technology and innovation (5th ed. ). New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin. Johnstown Controls. (2010). Company and Businesses. Retrieved from http://www. johnsoncontrols. com/ Kim, W. C. Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Boston: Harvard Business School Press. Moore, G. (2002). Crossing the chasm (Rev. ed. ). New York: HarperCollins Publishers. White, M. , Bruton, G. (2007). The management of technology and innovation: A strategic approach. Mason, OH: Thompson South-Western.

Cultural Aspects In British Culture Cultural Studies Essay

Cultural Aspects In British Culture Cultural Studies Essay Since the 1950s Britain has gone through an intense period of accelerated social and cultural transitions. These changes come from the results of the disintegration of the British Empire, the expansion of the Commonwealth and the movement of people from various nationalities, languages and cultures. These phenomena have supported the progressive globalization of life and conceived a multi-ethnic and multicultural society, with a strong plurality of identities and heritages. One of the most driving motions through this period has been the womens movement. Their entrance into the labour market and their growing autonomy has designed fundamental changes in their role in society and their relations with men. Similarly, the emergence of youth as an identifiable group with a very different lifestyle to members of older generations, has contributed substantially to the changing social and cultural profile of the country. The younger generation has a more equality view of the role of women in society. The Hofstede analysis for Britain reports strong feelings towards individualism and masculinity. On the other hand, the power distance and uncertainty avoidance are ranked considerably low. Long-term orientation ranks the lowest. This study indicates potential change that Britain is willing to achieve rapidly with the new generations. Men and women mix freely, with independent relationships to one another. In the football club girls are all very open, they can get in touch with strangers very easily, undress without any shame. And Jess behaves on the contrary. The most vivid example of the British youths independence is the fact that parents cant interfere in Juless private life, even when it deals with her sexual orientation. According to Halls scale of levels of cultures, British culture is a low level context culture because the messages are clear and the words carry most of the information in most communication (for example, when the coach sees that Jess has problems with her parents because of football, he goes there and tells them about his opinion, without any rituals, very directly). More interpersonal connections of shorter duration exist in Britain. Even choosing football in this movie seems to refl ect the low level context British culture is experiencing. Football is one of the most rule and goal-oriented, strictly defined and team playing games (where each has its own job). According to Halls cultural theories, British culture seems to be the mix of the past-oriented and future-oriented cultures. Old generation is still trying not to lose traditions, they are still very conservative but the younger people are much more future-oriented, as it is very obvious from Bend it like Beckham. In conclusion, British culture is definitely an individualistic one, due to its high level of individual independence, goals and concept of individuality over group goals. Individuals have universal communication and equal attitude to everyone, in the family and in everyday life where men and women enjoy equal rights. Its also a feminine culture with several specific features of male culture. British culture is a low level context one where people play by external rules, they have separation of time, space, activities, relationships; more interpersonal connections of shorter duration; almost everything is task-centered (decision and activities focus around what needs to be done, division of responsibilities) and so on. Indian culture Indias history has forged its culture. Its particular geography and the assimilation of customs, traditions and ideas from some of its neighbors have been shaping the country, as well as maintaining its ancient heritages, from the Indus Valley Civilization onward. India enjoys a great diversity of practices, languages, customs, and traditions, which are the results of a unique and particular cultural blend over the past five millennia. The family plays an important role in teaching and transmitting values and traditions. The respect for elders is a major component in Indian culture. They represent the familial driving force and pass on the Indian culture within us. India is a high contest culture with close connections between people, less verbally explicit, more indirect verbal interaction, less written and formal communication and more relationship focused. The respect to one another is also a strong pillar. Power Distance score for India is synonymous with high level of inequality of power and wealth within the society. This situation is at some point accepted by the population as a cultural norm. In contrast, people tend to promote interdependent relationship with each other as collectivistic cultures do, by embracing interdependence, family security, social hierarchies, cooperation, and low levels of competition. Indian scores a long term orientation dimension, which is indicative of a perseverant and parsimonious culture. It is also oriented toward masculinity, which reinforces a greater gap between values of men and women. India scores low towards the uncertainty avoidance dimension, which indicates a culture more open to unstructured ideas and situations, as well as fewer rules and regulations towards. The head of the Indians family is male oriented, the father or husband. We can see here male culture, but also with some elements of female culture. The woman in Indian culture is a symbol of house. Jesss mother shows us how real Indian wife has to behave, as mother and housewife. Her main goal is to give her daughters all knowledge that she knows. Communication style The Indian culture is oriented toward collectivism and group goals. Their pillar is traditional house holding and the family. We can see that Jess has a huge amount of relatives who really are happy with her sisters wedding. We can see with Jess sisters wedding the role and active participation the family plays in Indian culture. We can see also that the status is very important for Indians. In the episode Jesss coach comes to talk to her family about football trainings. Jesss father was telling his attitude to football and to problems that he had many years ago because of the football, at the same time Jess interrupted him and tried to say some her own opinions, but it was prohibited because father is the head of the family. So Jesss mother made the reprimand: It is your father, you cant talk while your father is talking. This moment shows us the respect and the importance of the status. Attitude to other cultures Strong differences and reluctances exist between the Indian and other cultures. Indians are conservative and dont attempt to mix culturally. Jess sisters wedding shows the Indian reluctance to include other culture in their traditional ceremony. Jesss mother teaches her daughters to married Indians sharing the same values, culture and traditions. Jess will find all along the movie to evolve from those cultural practices with her relationship with her coach. British Asian Culture In the previous parts, we discussed two main cultures English and Indian. Both of the cultures have strong traditions and deep values which people are trying to keep alive today. It is not easy as everything is changing. But even harder it is for Jess who tries to honour her father Indian roots but at the same time wants to be fully accepted in the English society. This trend is called the new British Asian generation. The term British Asian is used to denote a person of South Asian ancestry or origin, who was born in or was an immigrant to the United Kingdom. Britain has a large Southern Asian population due to British India once being the most populous portion of the former British Empire. That is shown as well in the movie where Jess parents want that she attends university and gets good education as doctor. They have no problems with seeing themselves as British. Mainly they are not accepted as British from the point of old people from Britain. But at the same time they say that they do not even want to be accepted. Their first language is really English. The most important thing they have been brought up there. In addition, the young people see their way of life as different from life in India as well as from their parents. New British Asian generation do not think of gender identity. That is also the biggest issue in Bend it Like Beckham, where Jess is eager to play football. In India that is only men job. Even though Indians might have lived all their lives in Britain the differences are remaining. High expectation of loyalty to strong family is common theme among British Asians. It is seen as the biggest culture differences between Asian and English values. Basi cally if you have grown up in England, there is no family unit which at the same time is totally different for Asian families where you reflect on your family. Individualism versus family values is a dichotomy difficult to reconcile. If you are judged by who is your family or your family is judged by your actions, what do they do then, when they do not want to become doctors, lawyers or just want to smoke weed (very popular thing in UK). That is where the youth of British Asian struggle. For some it even results in exclusion from the family structures because they refuse to accept collectivism pressure. The other issue in British Asian society is marriage. Still most of traditional families want arranged marriages and assessed that those arranged marriages are quite misconceived. An arranged marriage is not a forced marriage. Religion is another British Asian issue. Even though they have grew up with very religious background the 2nd generation is more questioning and searching. They are trying to adapt it by keeping some of its values and foundations to a more modern approach. Also, the new language Asian and English form should not be seen as a mixing of heritages, but as the creation of a potential new heritage. England is a multicultural society, not a multitude of cultures living together and separately from each other. This young generation is redefining their values and reinterpreting what it is to be British. They are not British Asians. Not even British Caribbean or Caucasian. They are second generation and want to make their own mark. This attitude can be seen in the movie where Jess is bright example of British Asian representative. She proves that at the end it is possible to make happy every part of society and be happy herself. She and her British Asian friends show that they are creating their own culture from adapting their strong family values and involving their new sides of English culture. They are taking the most important element they need from both of the cultures. The Movie Genre and Structure The film combines different genres: sports movie, Coming-of-Age, music clip, but primarily British comedy and Bollywood film. These so-called Bollywood films follow the formal and substantive traditions. A key issue is the preservation of the tradition. The older family members embody the forces of tradition. As an important event, there is often an opulent and glamouros wedding-scene. Music and dance in Bollywood films push the emotions of the characters. They are also the moral censorship, because they help to disguise the love scenes. The British comedy derives its humor from the surreality of everyday life and works with a lot of wit and quick word dialogues. Many protagonists are coming from the working class and middle class, discussed their everyday problems in heavily story-line-orientated stories. Bend it like Beckham juggle with both narrative: Thematically it refers to one of the classic Bollywood themes, the conflict between tradition and modern world. The wedding in the movie is the culmination depicted, but equivalent to the other peak, the football final. This shows the film tradition and modern life with the same weighting. Again, the parents embody the classic values, the father does, however, a conversion and finally supports the willingness of change of the daughter. The conquest of a male-domain Football in Europe is the undisputed leader sport millions of people are excited about. This is true at least for the male version. Although there are now more and more female players, the womens football is not in the same form and will be hardly recognized. In the film, this conservative attitude is represented by the mothers. Jules mother is convinced that playing football diminishes the chances of their daughter in the marriage market. As there is a conversation between Jess and Jules, she even feared that the two are lesbian. Jess mother thinks that sports clothes are improper and would prefer that her daughter learn how to prepare Indian dishes. The mothers are trying to stop their daughters from playing football symbolized in the release of Jess, who sees her female family members in the wall during a freekick. Mixed Culture appearing in the movie Jesminder Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) is deeply admiring of the professional skills David Beckham exposes as a Manchester United star. Nobody can bend it like Beckham is her leitmotiv motivation. She is in a total discordance with her parents vision of her future, and her older sisters path traditionally engaged to marry within weeks. While schooling other girls, she explains that Indian girls arent supposed to play football, and is replied that Thats a bit backwards, by one of her teammates. Jess finally justifies that Its just culture, thats all. She is navigating from cultures all along the movie, looking for emotional stability, a sense of belonging and great ambitions to fulfil. The movie successfully shakes all those expectations and their challenges by shaping Jess experience. The film follows its two main characters by developing a strong panel of contrasts and similarities, exploring the divergences in their respective backgrounds, and most importantly, the ways they will achieve this absorption of traditions taught by their environment with the mix of other cultures and changing times. Through crisis and conflicts, the movie finally brings a disparate epilogue that crosscuts between a final football match and Jess sister traditional wedding. This picture shows the divergent clash of these cultures that finally converge responsively to one another in a universal approach. Music In the film the producer mixes Indian and Western pop music. The Indian music accentuated the conservative or traditional areas of life, the western represent the New Age. When Jess and Jules are shopping for the first time and having a beer in a pub, Mel C. sings Independence Day. The trip to Hamburg is musically connected with the group Blondie Your hair looks beautiful. Indian music is essential in the Hindu celebrations, but also when Jess is forced to do the kitchen work by her mother, one can hear the Indian way of music. During the parallel-creation of the wedding and the final game, first Indian and later English music is used for those scenes. The goal kick and the enthusiastic viewers are accompanied with a piece from Puccinis opera Turandot background. The movie and the cultural aspect all together Jess ´ situation based on her relationship to her family Bend it like Beckham picks a topic, which is relevant for adolescents, regardless of their cultural context. It is about the creation of self-determination and the own conceptions of life, independent from external expectations, and thus linked to questions of identity and personal values. For Jess, that leads to a special conflict, because her culture traditionally admits less freedom. From a dramaturgical perspective, it allows to enhance the universal conflict. Through the culture movement the film tells about, the understanding and tolerance for differences in other cultures are encouraged. Seemingly effortlessly the film combines conflicts, which are characterized by the close social contact of cultural values and role models, which went through strong developments in European societies over the past decades. Jess situation according her future and the realisation of her life-concept On the one hand, Jess embodies the whole dilemma of the so-called second generation, as one can see in all European countries in which the children of emigrants were born. They are linguistically and culturally much closer to the culture of occident. However they are still in contact with the original homeland and the traditions of their parents generation. For this generation it is necessary to make pioneering work, to prevent prejudices on both sides, as Jess practiced in the movie. Jess accepted the cultural values of her parents lives and also the traditional religious wedding ceremony of her sister Pinky. At the same time, Jess asks for respect to her lifestyle, but it is quite clear that her mother can never really understand, what kind of life she is trying to live. Jess has reached the allowance to play football and the relationship with her coach Joe, is the next cultural barrier that she will need to overcome.

Four basic characteristics of a successful strategy

Four basic characteristics of a successful strategy 2.1.1 What is Strategy? So, what is strategy? Or, better, what it is not? According to Grant (2005) strategy is not a detailed plan or program of instructions; it is a unifying theme that gives coherence and direction to the actions and decisions of an individual or an organization. Furthermore, there are four basic characteristics of a successful strategy: goals that are simple, consistent and long term; profound understanding of the competitive environment; objective appraisal of the resources; and, effective implementation. Other definitions of strategy include:  · the determination of the long-term goals and objectives of an enterprise, and the adoption of courses of action and the allocation of resources necessary for carrying out these goals (Chandler, 1962),  · the pattern of objectives, purposes, or goals and the major policies and plans for achieving these goals, stated in such a way as to define what business the company is in or is to be in and the kind of company it is to be (Andrews, 1971),  · the match an organization makes between its internal resources and skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ and the opportunities and risks created by its external environment (Hofer and Schendel, 1978),  · the pattern or plan that integrates an organizations major goals, policies and action sequence into a cohesive whole (Quinn, 1980). To simplify things we could say that strategy is when a firm assesses its internal organization and external environment, sets its goals and objectives, and designs the action plan to accomplish them. 2.1.2 A Brief Presentation of some Strategic Concepts The concepts and theories of business strategy have their antecedents in military strategy. The term strategy derives from the Greek word strategia, meaning generalship, itself formed from stratos, meaning army and -ag, to lead. Another early contributor to the forming of the concept of strategy is the Chinese Sun Tzu (about 500 B.C.) with his classic piece of work The Art of War, which is regarded as the first thesis on strategy. In modern times, the field of business strategy has largely been shaped around a framework first conceived by Andrews (1971) in his classic book The Concept of Corporate Strategy. As weve seen above, Andrews saw strategy as the match between what a company can do on one hand (organizational strengths and weaknesses) within the universe of what it might do on the other hand (environmental opportunities and threats). This is how the famous concept of SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) has emerged. This concept is examined further in the following chapter. Although the power of the SWOT framework was recognized from the outset, managers were given very few insights about how to assess either side of the equation systematically. The first important breakthrough came from Porter (1980) in his book Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analysing Industries and Competitors where he introduced the concept of the five forces model. This model focuses on the external side of the SWOT strategic balancing act, helping firms to understand those forces in an industry that give rise to opportunities and threats. In this framework, strategy becomes a matter of choosing an appropriate industry and positioning the firm in that industry according to a generic strategy of either low cost or product differentiation. Again, this concept is examined further in the following chapter. Fig. 2.1(1) The Five Competitive Forces Porter These theories have been criticized mainly because they do not help particular firms to identify and leverage unique and therefore sustainable advantages. Furthermore, studies have shown that internal characteristics of particular firms within an industry can make a difference in terms of profit performance. Based on these experiences, a new perspective, known as the capabilities approaches, which is focused on the internal, organisational part of the SWOT equation, has emerged. Based on this theory, firms are exhorted to compete based on their unique or distinctive capabilities, competences and resources. These approaches assume that the roots of competitive advantage lie within the organization and that the adoption of new strategies is constrained by the current level of companys resources. In this framework, external environment received little (if any) attention. Finally, another approach which tries to bridge the two parts (internal organizational element and external environment) and fulfill the promise of Andrews framework is the resource based view. Like the capabilities approaches, the resource based view acknowledges the importance of company specific resources and competences, yet it does so in the context of the competitive environment. It sees capabilities and resources as the heart of a companys competitive position, subject to the interplay of three fundamental market forces: demand (does it meet customers needs and is it competitively superior?), scarcity (is it imitable or substitutable, and is it durable?) and appropriability (who owns the profits?). 2.1.3 Towards a Knowledge Strategy Model Strategic management models have traditionally defined the firms strategy in terms of its product / market positioning (the products it makes and the markets it serves). The resource based approach, however, prescribes that firms position themselves strategically, based on their resources and capabilities rather than on the products and services derived from those capabilities. Resources and capabilities, especially organizational skills and practices learned over time, can become highly unique to a particular firm and hard to imitate by others. Therefore, competitive advantage based on these resources and capabilities is potentially much more sustainable than that based on product and market positioning. Products and markets may come and go, but the firms capabilities are more enduring. Creating a strategy based on unique resources and capabilities provides a more long-term view of strategy than the traditional approach, and one, which is more robust in todays uncertain and dynamic competitive environment. In modern business, knowledge is being considered the most important strategic resource, and the ability to create and apply it the most important capability for building and sustaining competitive advantage. The firm that knows more about its customers, products, technologies, markets and their linkages, performs better. This view is leading to a further development in the resource based theory called the knowledge based view of the firm. The firm is seen primarily as a vehicle for creating, integrating, storing and applying knowledge. Firms embracing the knowledge based view of the world have many difficult questions to answer in formulating their knowledge strategy. If we update the original model of strategy to reflect todays knowledge intensive environment, knowledge strategy becomes the way in which the firm balances its knowledge resources and knowledge processing capabilities with the knowledge required to create its products for its markets in a manner superior to its com petitors. In essence, firms need to perform a knowledge based SWOT analysis. Identifying which knowledge is a unique and valuable resource, which knowledge processes represent unique and valuable capabilities, and how those resources and capabilities support the firms product and market positions, are the essential elements of a knowledge strategy. The firm must identify what it has to know for a given product / market position. Every firm requires some level of knowledge about its technology, markets, products, customers and industry merely to participate and hold its own in its industry. The strategic choices that companies make regarding these factors directly influence what the firm and its members must know to effectively compete. Furthermore, these choices all set the stage for the development of future knowledge through the processes of learning and innovation. Conversely, the firm, given what it knows, must identify the best product and market opportunities for exploiting that knowledge. The creation of unique, strategic knowledge takes time, forcing the firm to balance short and long-term strategic resources decisions. The firm must therefore determine whether its efforts are best focused on knowledge creation, exploitation, or both, and then balance its knowledge processing resources and efforts accordingly. Other critical issues in knowledge strategy include organizational learning (the ability of an organization to learn, accumulate knowledge from its experiences, and reapply that knowledge is itself a skill or competence that can provide strategic advantage), the competition (the firm must assess the knowledge resources and capabilities required by its industry merely to play the game, those required to be competitive and those required to be uniquely innovative) and how easily the firms knowledge can be imitated (on the one hand, knowledge must be made explicit and transferable to share it among the firm, while, on the other hand, once made explicit it is subject to being appropriated by other firms, reducing or eliminating its competitive value). 2.1.4 Knowledge Strategies It has become clear, especially during the last few years, that the term Knowledge Management (KM) has been applied to a very broad spectrum of activities designed to manage, exchange and create or enhance intellectual assets within an organization. In other words, there is no widespread agreement on what KM actually is. For example, information technology applications that are using the term knowledge management in their title range from the development of highly codified help desk systems to the provision of video conferencing to facilitate the exchange of ideas between people. The one fact that there does seem to be agreement on is that different situations require different KM strategies. In this section we will examine a number of proposed different KM strategies and consider how they can be classified. Then we will look into a range of different driving forces behind the strategies and propose how we can select a suitable knowledge strategy. The main difference between the various approaches in knowledge strategy is that they emphasize different aspects of KM: some focus on the knowledge (content), others on the business processes / areas and some on the end results. (A) Knowledge Matrix One of the most widely accepted and widely quoted approaches is that of the knowledge matrix of Nonaka Takeuchi (see Figure 1.3-2 in chapter 1.3.1). This matrix classifies knowledge as explicit or tacit, and as either individual or collective. Nonaka Takeuchi also propose corresponding knowledge processes that transform knowledge from one form to another: socialisation (from tacit to tacit, whereby an individual acquires tacit knowledge directly from others through shared experience, observation, imitation and so on); externalisation (from tacit to explicit, through articulation of tacit knowledge into explicit concepts); combination (from explicit to explicit, through a systematisation of concepts drawing on different bodies of explicit knowledge); and internalisation (from explicit to tacit, through a process of learning by doing and through a verbalisation and documentation of experiences). Nonaka Takeuchi model the process of organisational knowledge creation as a spiral in wh ich knowledge is amplified through these four modes of knowledge conversion. It is also considered that knowledge becomes crystallized within the organisation at higher levels moving from the individual through the group to organisational and even inter-organisational levels. (B) I-Space In another well-known application, Boisot proposes a model of knowledge asset development along similar lines to that of Nonaka and Takeuchi. In Boisots scheme, knowledge assets can be located within a three dimensional space (Information Space or I-Space) defined by three axes from uncodified to codified, from concrete to abstract and from undiffused to diffused. He then proposes a Social Learning Cycle (SLC) that uses the I-Space to model the dynamic flow of knowledge through a series of six phases: 1. Scanning: insights are gained from generally available (diffused) data 2. Codification Problem-Solving: problems are solved giving structure and coherence to these insights (knowledge becomes codified) 3. Abstraction: the newly codified insights are generalised to a wide range of situations (knowledge becomes more abstract) 4. Diffusion: the new insights are shared with a target population in a codified and abstract form (knowledge becomes diffused) 5. Absorption: the newly codified insights are applied to a variety of situations producing new learning experiences (knowledge is absorbed and produces learnt behaviour and so becomes uncodified, or tacit) 6. Impacting: abstract knowledge becomes embedded in concrete practices, for example in artefacts, rules or behaviour patterns (knowledge becomes concrete) Fig. 2.1(2). Boisots I-Space I In his model, Boisot develops an interesting application of the laws of thermodynamics. This thermodynamic analogy points to the elusive and dynamic nature of knowledge. It seems that what is happening is a cycle in which data is filtered to produce meaningful information and this information is then abstracted and codified to produce useful knowledge. As the knowledge is applied in diverse situations it produces new experiences in an uncodified form that produces the data for a new cycle of knowledge creation. (C) Wiig Model Moving on to the business process side, one of the most widely accepted KM models is that of Wiig and the APQC (American Productivity and Quality Center). Wiig identified six emerging KM strategies in a study of organisations considered to be leading the way in this area. The strategies reflect the different natures and strengths of the organisations involved:  · Knowledge Strategy as Business Strategy A comprehensive, enterprise-wide approach to KM, where knowledge is seen frequently as the product  · Intellectual Asset Management Strategy Focuses on assets already within the company that can be more fully exploited or enhanced  · Personal Knowledge Asset Responsibility Strategy Encourage and support individual employees to develop their skills and knowledge as well as share their knowledge with each other  · Knowledge Creation Strategy Emphasises the innovation and creation of new knowledge through RD. Adopted by market leaders who shape the future direction of their sector  · Knowledge Transfer Strategy Transfer of knowledge and best practices in order to improve operational quality and efficiency  · Customer-Focused Knowledge Strategy Aims to understand customers and their needs and so provide them with exactly what they want. (D) Day and Wendler of McKinsey Company Along the same lines, Day and Wendler of McKinsey Company, identified five knowledge strategies employed by large corporations:  · Developing and Transferring Best Practices Like the Knowledge Transfer Strategy identified by Wiig and the APQC above, this strategy focuses on identifying best practices within an organisation and spreading them across a dispersed network of locations  · Creating a new industry from embedded knowledge This approach is to recognise that an organisation may have knowledge, which it can exploit in new ways. In particular, it may have built up knowledge about its customers, which reveals a gap in the market for a new product  · Shaping Corporate Strategy around knowledge This strategy was identified from the experiences of Monsanto, which encompassed two very different business groups: a chemicals group and a life sciences group. The chemicals group was focused on best practice while the life sciences group was an innovation-based business. The knowledge strategies for these two groups were perceived to be so different that Monsanto decided to sell off the chemicals group and concentrate on the life sciences business. This is an interesting example of the tensions between two very different KM strategies  · Fostering and Commercialising Innovation Similar to the Knowledge Creation Strategy identified by Wiig and the APQC above, this strategy focuses on establishing a competitive position by increased technological innovation and reduced time to market  · Creating a standard by releasing proprietary knowledge The cited example is Netscape who responded to the rapid decline of its market share in the internet browser market by making its source code publicly available at no cost. The strategy is an example of the Intellectual Asset Management Strategy identified by Wiig and the APQC study. In this case, Netscape felt that it could capitalise on a key asset (its source code) by giving it away. In return, it hoped to establish its browser as a widely used standard (increased by the adaptation to new specialty areas) and gain indirectly, by securing its share of a complementary product, namely: server software. (E) Three Value Disciplines (Treacy and Wiersema) Moving to the area of strategies based on the end results, we could refer to Treacy and Wiersema who proposed three value disciplines, as a way to focus an organisations activities. In this model, successful organizations concentrate their efforts on a particular area and excel at it, rather than trying to be all things to all people and failing to excel at anything. The three areas are:  · Customer Intimacy  · Product Leadership  · Operational Excellence These value disciplines reflect the fact that value is determined as a trade-off between convenience, quality and price. It is the inherent tension between these three qualities of a product that makes it necessary for an organisation to focus on excelling at just one of them. There are a few organisations that have managed to become leaders in two disciplines, but they have done this by focusing on one area first before turning to a second one. At a simplistic level, there are three primary elements to any competitive business: the business itself, its product(s) and its customers. Each of these components represents the focus of attention for one of the value disciplines. The focus is on the customers and their needs and desires when pursuing Customer Intimacy; the focus is on the product(s) when pursuing Product Leadership; and the focus is on the organisation itself and its delivery processes, when pursuing Operational Excellence. Some organizations will concentrate on their relationship with their customers (to increase customer satisfaction and retention by better understanding the customers needs and preferences). Other organisations will focus on their products (constantly developing new ideas and getting them to market quickly). The third group of organisations focus primarily on themselves and their internal processes (sharing best practices between different units, reducing costs and improving efficiency). (F) Zacks Strategy Another approach to identifying what KM strategy to take is proposed by Zack. He proposes a framework which helps an organisation make an explicit connection between its competitive situation and a knowledge management strategy to help the organisation maintain or (re-) establish its competitive advantage. He makes it clear that while each organisation will find its own unique link between knowledge and strategy, any such competitive knowledge can be classified on a scale of innovation relative to the rest of the particular industry as: core, advanced or innovative:  · Core knowledge is a basic level of knowledge required by all members of a particular industry. It does not represent a competitive advantage, but is simply the knowledge needed to be able to function in that sector at all.  · Advanced knowledge gives an organisation a competitive edge. It is specific knowledge that differentiates an organisation from its competitors, either by knowing more than a competitor or by applying knowledge in different ways.  · Innovative knowledge is that which enables a company to be a market leader. It allows an organisation to change the way a sector works and represents a significant differentiating factor from other organisations. Having identified the organisations competitive knowledge position, Zacks approach is to use a SWOT analysis to identify the strategic gaps in an organisations knowledge. This allows the organisation to identify where it has knowledge which it can exploit and where it needs to develop knowledge to maintain or grow its competitive position. This is achieved by analysing the organisations knowledge position along two dimensions:  · Exploration vs. Exploitation This is the degree to which the organisation needs to increase its knowledge in a particular area vs. the opportunity it may have to leverage existing but under-exploited knowledge resources.  · Internal vs. External Knowledge This refers to whether the knowledge is primarily within the organisation or outside. Some organisations are more externally oriented, drawing on publications, universities, consultants, customers, etc. Others are more internally oriented, building up unique knowledge and experience, which is difficult for competitors to imitate. Putting these two dimensions together, Zack describes organisations which are more exploitative of internal knowledge as having a Conservative KM Strategy while those that are more innovative (exploring external knowledge) have a more Aggressive KM Strategy. However, he points out that a KM Strategy cannot be made without reference to competitors. Thus, some industries (where knowledge is changing more rapidly) tend to be characterized by more aggressive firms, while other industries are generally more conservative. Summary Given that the classifications by knowledge listed above (Nonaka Takeuchis knowledge matrix and Boisots I-Space model) focus on the process of knowledge transformation and that most real world processes operate on a continuum rather than a step transformation, it is perhaps not surprising to find that some researchers have suggested that explicit and tacit knowledge should be considered to be at the ends of a spectrum of knowledge types rather than being the only two categories on that spectrum. Beckman has suggested that implicit knowledge is an intermediate category of knowledge that is tacit in form, but is accessible through querying and discussion. Nickols proposes that Nonaka Takeuchis categories should be further broken down according to whether they focus on declarative or procedural knowledge. What is needed is a classification that proposes a spectrum of knowledge management approaches. If this spectrum can accommodate the various approaches suggested previously, then it can be considered to be sufficiently comprehensive to be useful. Derek Binney provides a framework, the KM Spectrum, to help organisations make sense of the large diversity of material appearing under the heading of KM, and to help them assess where they are in KM terms. His focus is on the KM activities that are being carried out, grouped into six categories:  · Transactional KM: Knowledge is embedded in technology  · Analytical KM: Knowledge is derived from external data sources, typically focussing on customer-related information  · Asset Management KM: Explicit management of knowledge assets (often created as a by-product of the business) which can be reused in different ways  · Process-based KM: The codification and improvement of business practice and the sharing of these improved processes within the organisation  · Developmental KM: Building up the capabilities of the organisations knowledge workers through training and staff development  · Innovation/creation KM: Fostering an environment, which promotes the creation of new knowledge, for example through R D and through forming teams of people from different disciplines. Binneys analysis is interesting because it reflects aspects of both the knowledge-centred classification of KM and the business perspectives classification of KM. In terms of business perspectives, Binneys categories reflect activities that support particular perspectives; for example, Asset Management KM matches Wiigs intellectual asset management strategy, while Innovation and Creation KM reflects Treacy Wiersemas product leadership strategy. Yet, Binneys categories also form a progression from the management of explicit knowledge at one end to tacit knowledge at the other. So, for example, Transactional KM involves codifying knowledge and embedding it in applications such as Help Desk Systems or Case Based Reasoning systems, while Innovation and Creation KM focuses on facilitating knowledge workers sharing and creating new knowledge which rests in a tacit form in their heads. For each element of the spectrum, Binney also lists a set of enabling technologies used to implement those kinds of KM Applications. This provides an alternative way to identify KM activity already being undertaken within an organisation, even if not previously perceived in KM terms (Table 1). Table 1 Enabling technologies mapped to the KM Spectrum (Binney, 2001) Transactional Analytical Asset Management Process Developmental Innovation Creation Expert Systems Cognitive Technologies Semantic Networks Rule-based Expert Systems Probability Networks Rule Induction Decision Trees Geospatial Information Systems Intelligent Agents Web Crawlers Relational and Object DBMS Neural Computing Push Technologies Data Analysis and Reporting Tools Document Management Tools Search Engines Knowledge Maps Library Systems Workflow Management Process Modeling Tools Finally, we should note that the latest developments in the field suggest that the KM strategy in a modern, rapidly changing business environment should be dynamic, meaning it should change to follow the developments in the way the business functions or the competition is progressing in the industry. Scholars even go on to propose different KM strategies for different departments of the same organization.

Madness and Insanity in Shakespeares Hamlet Essay example -- The Melan

The Melancholy Hamlet  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚   William Shakespeare’s tragic play Hamlet is an exercise in the study of melancholy. Let’s explore the in’s and out’s of this aspect of the drama in this essay.    Gunnar Boklund gives a reason for the highlighting of the melancholy aspect of the protagonist in Shakespeare’s Hamlet in his essay â€Å"Judgment in Hamlet†:    In the tragedy of Hamlet Shakespeare does not concern himself with the question whether blood-revenge is justified or not; it is raised only once and very late by the protagonist (v,ii,63-70)and never seriously considered. The dramatic and psychological situation rather than the moral issue is what seems to have attracted Shakespeare, and he chose to develop it, in spite of the hard-to-digest and at times a little absurd elements it might involve. . .(118-19).    Imagery is a factor in the melancholy. The imagery in Othello â€Å"enhances the strain of melancholy in Hamlet by dwelling on sickness and decay [. . .]† (Levin 14). The initial imagery is very bleak and depressing: â€Å"The story opens in the cold and dark of a winter night in Denmark, while the guard is being changed on the battlements of the royal castle of Elsinore. For two nights in succession, just as the bell strikes the hour of one, a ghost has appeared on the battlements, a figure dressed in complete armor and with a face like that of the dead king of Denmark, Hamlet’s father† (Chute 35).    Horatio and Marcellus exit the ghost-ridden ramparts of Elsinore intending to enlist the aid of Hamlet. The prince is dejected by the â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† of his mother to his uncle less than two months after the funeral of Hamlet’s father. There is a social gathering of the court, where Hamlet is present,... ...ess, 1999. Rpt. from Introduction to Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Ed. Philip Edwards. N. P.: Cambridge University P., 1985.    Levin, Harry. General Introduction. The Riverside Shakespeare. Ed. G. Blakemore Evans. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974.    Mack, Maynard. â€Å"The World of Hamlet.† Yale Review. vol. 41 (1952) p. 502-23. Rpt. in Shakespeare: Modern Essays in Criticism. Rev. ed. Ed. Leonard F. Dean. New York: Oxford University P., 1967.    Rosenberg, Marvin. â€Å"Laertes: An Impulsive but Earnest Young Aristocrat.† Readings on Hamlet. Ed. Don Nardo. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1999. Rpt. from The Masks of Hamlet. Newark, NJ: Univ. of Delaware P., 1992.    Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1995. http://www.chemicool.com/Shakespeare/hamlet/full.html No line nos.      

Korean Players in Major League Baseball Essay -- Major League Baseball

Even though Chan-Ho Park’s case proved that Korean players could compete in Major League Baseball, none of other Koreans successfully settled in U.S.A. after Park. Approximately after ten years, a similar case with Park’s debut came out with Shin-Soo Choo. Shin-Soo Choo, who did not make a debut in Korean Baseball Championship before debuting in Major League Baseball, made debut with Seattle Mariners on 21 April 2005. Choo dreamed about Major League Baseball, which led him into a Rookie contract with Seattle mariners after his graduation from high school in 2000. Therefore, he made up to Seattle Mariners’s Minor League and even up to Major League (â€Å"Choo Shin Soo†). Nonetheless, his debut in the Major League did not lead him into running for full season, and he mostly spent time in the minor league. Finally, he was traded to the Cleveland Indians in 2006. As soon as he was traded to Indians, he ironically hit a home run against the Seattle Ma riners, and he recorded a 0.295 Batting Average and a 0.373 OBP (On Base Percentage) in 2006 season with the Cleveland. A similar quality of plays was continued until the season 2008. In 2008, Choo finished the season with a 0.309 Batting Average and a 0.397 OBP. Even more, during September, he pushed up his Batting Average up to a 0.40 with thirty-four hits and five home runs. Hence, Shin-Soo Choo was selected as the American League Player of the Month. In 2009, Choo made contract with Indians for only one year, and during the one-year contract, he broke his records and joined 20-20 club (20 home runs and 20 stolen bases). Choo was the first Asian to earn the title in the Major Leagues and became the only player in the American League with a 0.30 Batting Average, 20 home runs, and 20... ....com." Baseball-Reference.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Korean Baseball History." Naver Encyclopedia. NHN, Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Minami, Craig. "2013 Dodgers Review: Hyun-jin Ryu - True Blue LA." True Blue LA. 4 Nov. 2013. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Rosenbaum, Mike. "Why the Los Angeles Dodgers Will Overpay for South Korean LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu." Bleacher Report. 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Shin-Soo Choo." Baseball Reference- BR Bullpen. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "Shin-Soo Choo Batting Statistics and History - Baseball-Reference.com." Baseball-Reference.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. Swaine, Rick. "Jackie Robinson." SABR. Society for American Baseball Research. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Wells, Adam. "Ryu Hyun-Jin: Dodgers' Foolish Investment in Korean Star Will End Badly." Bleacher Report. 10 Dec. 2012. Web. 17 Mar. 2014. "What Is Moneyball?" SportingCharts.com. Web. 17 Mar. 2014.

victorian art :: essays research papers

The Victorian era was a beautiful time. It was full of highly sophisticated people, not including the artists. The artists of the Victorian era were more to the common people that stood out. Most of the artists back then weren’t as big as they are now. They differed in so many ways trying to be individuals. In this, the works would all be outlining subjects but they differed a great deal. Artists in the Victorian era were expressing themselves with extravagant portraits of daily life in ways of romanticism, realism, impressionism, and post-impressionism. Romanticism was a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature. It was a general exaltation of emotion over reason order and instinct. It was full of high passion. Romanticism was â€Å"a turning in upon the self and a heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentialities†, (Pioch). The art expressed passions and inner struggles. The artists of this time were supremely individual creators. To them the creative spirit was the most important thing of their art. They didn’t follow the strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures. They thought of the â€Å"imagination as the gateway to the transcendent experience and spiritual truth†, (Pioch). They had obsessive interests in folk culture, the medieval era, national and ethnic culture origins.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Realism was and still is an accurately reproduction of reality or heroism of modern life. Realism came as a response to Romanticism. Realism struggled against t he ‘over popularity’ of Romanticism. It consisted of many pieces of still life and domestic art. Courbet, Millet, and Zola were some more of the major artists doing Realism art. They aren’t as well known as many other artists because every one was doing this kind of art and it was hard to tell the differences between the artists that painted Realism paintings. Realism â€Å"became just one more style among others†, (Brown). They anticipated many of the concerns of the eighteen hundreds or of the century before. â€Å"Realism is a recurrent theme in art which becomes a coherent movement†, (Cruttenden 50) but only after 1850.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Impressionism was a more sensitive medium for more personal expression. Paintings were touched strongly by the spirit of romanticism. These paintings usually contained women and children to symbolize love, sorrow, or despair. Impressionism began with Monet Renoir and Bazille. They all disliked the academic teaching so it was then they decided to paint with a new cause to be different and stand out.