Addressing Different Perspectives Metal vs. Pop Music free essay sample

The type of Metal I listen to is reflected by my mood and what I am doing at the time. I find it exhilarating and enjoyable to listen to whilst doing everyday activities. ND it speeds up my pace. The music I listen would also reflect the way I dress and the kind of people I look for to befriend and hang out with. I feel more relaxed around the people whose taste in music is similar to my own. Modern Pop music, however, is not for me. I find it lacks melody and rhythm and Is very repetitive. I cannot stand It when the voice of the singer Is pitched or deepened artificially to Ivory better with the music, which Itself Is mainly computerized.This way, when the songs Is finished and edited, the slinger voice (mostly) Is used merely s a template to build up on and add effects to and comes out sounding almost nothing like the singers original voice (when heard live). We will write a custom essay sample on Addressing Different Perspectives: Metal vs. Pop Music or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page At least a singer in Metal would change the tone of their voice naturally, and to do so they require lots of practice and talent. I also admire the lyrics that go with metal music. Mostly, the lyrics used in Metal or Heavy Metal songs have a deep meaning or many meanings that would usually tell about past experiences of the lyricist and how they deal with that experience on an emotional level.In Metal, the music adds to the drama and rigorousness to the story being told by the lyrics. This story Is usually cryptic, and requires a lot of thought to unravel and understand. Ones understanding of the lyrics will sometimes also depend on their past experiences, and whether they have experienced something similar to whatever the lyrics of the song are telling about. The lyrics In pop music are much different, and usually, much less effort Is put Into them. Even if they are telling a story, the story is often not explained well at all in the rush to quickly get to the catchy chorus (which is usually repeated many times in cost songs).Thus, much less talent is required to write lyrics for a pop song. Unlike in metal music, where the lyrics are usually written by a member of the band or someone with deep involvement in the band, in pop music, they are many times written by a hired lyricist or composer and the singer is then only tasked to sing the song (which is then edited) and with minimal effort finishes a recording session, whilst a Metal band would spend hours practi cing, recording and editing their songs. An example of these comparisons would be: Metallic Brittle Spears Perspective Two: Perspective of a Pop fan. I would find myself listening to mostly Pop music, whose type is also reflected by my catchy and Joyous, with a good beat whilst working at home or Jogging. But then, En Im trying to fall asleep, or relaxing with a book, I would listen to something more peaceful with a calm melody and a slow beat, so that it relaxes me. I agree that some Pop artists such as Brittle Spears (who are really Just given the lyrics to sing, and have their voices completely edited once the song is recorded) are a bit over the pop and dumb, but even then they manage to deliver catchy tunes.There exists, however, a few Pop artists who produce truly beautiful high quality music, without the need of computerized editing or auto-tune as they call it. One such artist would, for example, is Adele. She truly puts her soul and emotion into the lyrics she writes. These lyrics also have a deep meaning and reflect on the lyricist past experiences, Introit the need of being cryptic. While producing songs with a catchy melody, some of her songs truly deserve to be amongst the endless classics of the asss and asss,Inch are still being played daily by many successful Radio Stations. I believe that the lyrics for Metal music do not do their Job well, when it comes to having a deep meaning and making you think about it since you can barely understand what the singer is saying, due to all the shouting and playing with the sounds of certain words. En I listen to most Metal songs, I am filled with an aggressive and negative energy Inch does not go well with my life style. I am immediately in a bad mood and feel my heart beating faster, and that is a feeling that I do not like.

Night2 essays

Night2 essays During extreme times a person can survive. One could look at NIGHT by Elie Wiesel. We can see many different people in the book fighting to survive. By examining Elie and his father one can see details of people fighting to survive. The book NIGHT shows that a person can survive extreme conditions. For example Elie ran 42 miles in one night without stopping. This shows one can push themselves just with the thought of living, even most athletes would have trouble running this far. This also shows that something horrible could make someone stronger. At another time in the book Elie watched his father being beaten. This shows that even though a loved one is being hurt Elie still thinks about survival, because he knows that if he intervened he would have been hurt or even worse killed. This also shows that one can drop into a robot like state to stop his emotions, because if he felt sad or cried he might have been harmed. For example Elies father was a 50-year-old man and he survived for over 3 years in the concentration camps. This shows that even an older person can fight to survive now days being 50 and still doing things isnt that big a thing but back then there had not been that many medical advancements. This also shows that someone can push themselves beyond normal limits of human strength. At another time Elies father was beaten and he didnt fight back. This shows that Elies father was strong enough to be beaten but a metal bar was striking him and a normal person wouldnt have been able to put up with that but since Elies father was thinking about surviving so he was stronger. This also shows that even though Elies father wanted to fight back (theres no actual evidence of this but who wouldnt want to fight back?) He didnt because he knew that he would have been killed if he fought back so by thinking about survival he knew he had to be beaten. ...

Professional Application Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Professional Application - Essay Example Nevertheless, Houston represents a booming market for Steve Madden with a high proportion of working population with higher incomes. The paper reviews the internal and external situational factors affecting Steve Madden. The insights offered by this research can provide a basis for further in-depth research regarding the competitive position of Steve Madden. Keywords: Steve Madden; positioning; target market; marketing efforts Introduction The small business chosen for the purpose of this essay is Steve Madden which has a strong retail presence in Houston, Texas. Steve Madden enjoys a strong foothold in the footwear industry and is primarily known for the novelty of its products at a reasonable price. This paper discusses the competitive and marketing landscape for Steve Madden along with the economic, social, technological and demographic factors affecting the business. Part 1: Situation Analysis Product/Service Overview – strengths, weaknesses Steve Madden offers an assorted range of accessories and shoes for men, women and children. It enjoys high brand equity by virtue of its cutting edge styles and fashion statements (Zappos.com, 2013). Another strength is that the products are sold through the company’s own stores, department stores as well as company website, thereby increasing availability of its products. Furthermore, the price matches quality thereby offering value for money for customers. However, the products remain beyond the reach for majority of the customers. Also, repetitive styles result in monotony. Current positioning in the market Steve Madden has positioned itself on the bridge between high-end and mid-range fashion. It currently enjoys a dominant market position with Steve Madden being ranked second to Nike as the customer’s preferred footwear brand (from 2002-2007) (Piper Jaffray Companies, 2013). Target Market Steve Madden targets a broad range of customers. Its core market for women ranges from 16-45 years whereas the sub brand â€Å"Stevies† is focused on girls aged 6-12 years (T. Sloan, personal communication, September 02, 2013). The target market for men includes those aged 20-40 years (T. Sloan, personal communication, September 02, 2013). These individuals are primarily fashion conscious individuals with high annual incomes but do not want to splurge in expensive, high-end fashion. Less expensive knock-offs are offered for such customers. Current marketing efforts (traditional, interactive, etc.), messages and effectiveness The company’s marketing efforts can best be described as both traditional and interactive. It has partnered with Katy Perry under â€Å"Steve Madden Music† campaign which also featured live performance by Shwayze, a rapper. The company is actively engaged in mobile marketing as well as digital marketing through Facebook where customer feedback is taken via comments on videos, pictures and other content posted by the company. Google ad words and T witter are also used to broaden sharing of Steve Madden’s content and deepening relationships with customers. Part 2: Competition The three major competitors for Steve Madden are BCBG, Nike and Nine West. These shall now be analyzed one by one. BCBG- Product/Service Overview – strengths, weaknesses Primarily known for its high quality, fashionable apparel, BCBG has increased its offerings to include handbags, shoes and accessories thereby offering high product variety. The mid-range price points appeal to a broad range of

Paper Assignment 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Paper Assignment 2 - Essay Example With that, their programming strategies in these countries are similar despite the clear cultural differences. There has been a lot of argument as to what difference transnational television brings when compared to the television programming strategies and dynamics that are portrayed in a majority of US based television networks which implement a localized multi-directional media flow (A localized multi-directional media flow is media programming that is customized and/ or localized to fit into the culture and dynamics of the country and/ or region in which it is showcased). It should be noted that localization of channels brings a cultural benefit which in turn increases the audience / viewer numbers in different regions. The article by Lustyik (2010) seeks to discover the difference between transnational and localized multi-directional media television networks. MTV is one of the most popular international television networks that are owned by Viacom International media networks. As such, it also has a large number of viewing audiences in a number of countries and/ or regions in the world. These include the likes of: Africa, Asia, Pacific, North America, South America and UK. The programming in these countries and/ or regions can be termed as multi-directional media - where programming in these different regions has been localized to suit the different cultures that are present in these specific regions. For example, MTV programming in Africa is different from that of Asia, UK and USA. A good example is that of South Africa. MTV South Africa has been optimally localized to showcase programming as well as presenting and advertising that are totally South African. As such, this option seeks attract a larger audience of South African viewers. Some of the localized programmes include the likes of: The Official African Chart and The Base Chart Show – both of which air different South

The Impact of Consumer Culture on the Advertisement of Oligo.Dx Assignment

The Impact of Consumer Culture on the Advertisement of Oligo.Dx - Assignment Example The representation of the body as promotional material and the connection of the same with the prevailing consumer culture of the catered customer base also is being critically evaluated. The advertisement does the extension of the product through directly noticeable images and also through critically relevant promotional text. The advertisement basically can be analyzed in two portions of which the first is the picture of a lady highlighting the cellulitis in her thighs. This image is captioned by the catchword, ‘90% of all women have cellulite’. This picture and the caption intend to cater for a broader range of customer base. This caption gives the reader a feeling that she is also included in the target group. This automatically adds to the range of the customer base. On the other side, this has an important link with the consumer culture as well. Featherstone (18-33) has opined that within a consumer culture, advertisement materials and other promotional media provides a proliferation of stylized images of the body. This has caused acute changes in the consumer culture of the society as the same has influenced their attention on both inner and outer body maintenance (Featherstone, 18-33). It should be taken into account that the advertisement of ‘Oligo. Dx’ caters to such a consumer base whose consumer culture is heavily influenced by these changes. Thus this caption along with the image contributes much towards the expansion of the consumer base. In this context, it can be well stated that the image and the caption in the advertisement successfully connect with the consumer culture and resultantly broadens the customer base for the product. In other words, these components the in the advertisement could successfully drag the reader into the customer base by utilizing the consumer culture pattern.  

Occupational Stress A Global Phenomenon Psychology Essay

Occupational Stress A Global Phenomenon Psychology Essay Occupational stress is becoming increasingly a global phenomenon, affecting all categories of labor throughout the world. It has an enormous effect on the organizational behavior in a company. One side of the problem is that stress on the work place threatens workers to suffer mental or physical health problems, but another is that it can affect the bottom line of a business. Productivity can be largely affected by the level of stress that the workers are experiencing. Because of its economical significance, organizations should be very concerned about occupational stress, and should try to actively manage its levels. The goal of this research paper is to examine the relationship between stress and job performance. Studies show that some degree of occupational stress is desirable and increases job performance, but in very high levels it can have a devastating impact on persons ability to do his or her job. By examining sources of stress, its effects, and how the individual copes with the stress experienced, the paper will try to determine a level of occupational stress that may be desirable by organizations. The paper will also describe approaches that are made by progressive organizations in helping employees manage stress levels better. Stress is increasingly recognized as one of the major causes of mental and physical sufferings of individuals in the contemporary society. Although the term stress is being used by many people, the scientific definition is not understood by most of them. Stress is a universal phenomenon affecting every living creature. It can be defined as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an opportunity, a demand, or a resource related to what the individual desires and for which the outcome is both uncertain and important.  [1]  Stress on the workplace is mostly associated with a mismatch between the demands and the resources. Demands are the responsibilities, obligations and pressures that an individual faces at work (high workloads, role overload, role conflict, time pressure). An individual makes use of all the available resources, such as social support, performance feedback, autonomy, in order to resolve a demand. If demands are greater than the resources availa ble, stress occurs. But stress doesnt necessarily have a negative effect. Some level of stress is a necessary part of our lives. The absence of stress can be viewed as death. There is a substantial amount of research on the stress performance relationship. Most of it concludes that it has an inverted U-shape.  [2]  This means that some level of stress can actually improve job performance. These moderate levels of stress can be even healthy, because they increase our ability to react. This is viewed as good stress. But when the amount of stress experienced reaches some optimal point, job performance starts rapidly declining, leading to exhaustion and breakdown. After this point the individual is not able to meet the job demands with the recourses available. This results show that managers should actively manage the levels of stress, because it is one of the most significant factors affecting performance.  [3]  The absence of such management may lead to large economic losses. But if appropriate s tress management is applied the U-shaped curve can be straightened, increasing the optimal point of stress, after which performance starts declining, and in this way enhancing it. Now lets turn to the potential sources of stress. More generally they can be categorized in three groups: environmental, organizational, and personal.  [4]  The environmental sources of stress are technological, economical, and political. The technological uncertainty deals with the continuous innovation in technology and the inability of the individual to keep up and adapt to it. Economic sources of stress are concerned with the changes in the business cycles and economic growth. Economic crisis is one of the biggest stressors for an individual, because when the economy is contracting workers are not sure of their finances, whether they will be able to remain employed, etc. Political instability is the third type of environmental sources of stress. It is comes from the unexpected changes in the national and international politics. Stress can arise also from the organization itself. Working conditions can be a major stress source for the employees. People working in noisy, crowded, polluted, or dangerous conditions tend to be subject to more stress. Task demands are also a potential source of occupational stress. They are connected to job characteristics. Poorly designed tasks and task overload are possible stressors in an organization. Role ambiguity and role overload are other sources of stress. They occur when the role is not clearly defined or understood, and when the role expectations are not matched with adequate time to be completed. Interpersonal pressures arising from other employees can cause stress on the workplace. Throughout its life a business undergoes different cycles. Two of them, the birth and the decline of a firm, are connected with a great deal of uncertainty, and thus can be very stressful for the workers. Although this paper is concerned with occupational stress, the personal sources of stress should be also included. A person experiencing high levels of stress outside the organization tends to be more vulnerable to stress inside it. Main personal factors are concerned with the family, social and economical status, and relationship with others. As there are very different sources of stress in an organization the consequences of stress are various. In general one can group the effects of job related stress as follows: physiological, psychological, and behavioral.  [5]  The common thing is that all these effects directly influence important organizational performance variables, such as productivity, turnover, absenteeism, and motivation. Physiological and health related effects may result in: high blood sugar, increased heart rate and blood pressure, or even heart attacks. Psychological symptoms of job related stress are depression, aggression, boredom, anxiety, and fatigue. On a behavioral level stress is the source of inability of making decisions, low concentration, or even alcohol and drug abuse. The organizational stress can have, in extreme cases, a distinct expression in the form of the so called burnout. Burnout appears after prolonged action of stressful factors and leads to emotional exhaustion, loss of interest in the job, sense of helplessness. The burnout is a long-term effect of occupational stress, which appears in highly bureaucratic organizations in which the individual feels that he cannot change anything. It is the result of no active management of the stress levels in an organization. In terms of organizational performance variables it leads to lower job satisfaction and productivity.  [6]   But the above consequences are not the only reason that occupational stress should be considered by managers. It also has a large economic significance in terms of costs for the organization. Some of them are: accumulated costs from decreased productivity, higher replacement costs due to turnover, and increase in the sick-pay. The problem is that it is almost impossible to calculate these costs and directly account them as induced by occupational stress. This is probably why not many companies are actively managing its levels in the organization. All these negative effects of occupational stress show the need of stress management strategies in the company. The variety of techniques to deal with stress can mainly be categorized into two basic approaches individual and organizational. The individual strategies are those that can be used by employees in order to reduce or eliminate stress. Organizational approaches, in turn, are programs and techniques that organizations implement to successfully manage the stress levels in a company. Despite such differentiation of management strategies, it should be clear that employees and management must take joint responsibility for the prevention of stress and eliminate its harmful effects. This mutual process is the underlying effective technology for dealing with stress. It is important to note that in dealing with stress, managers should consider the individual personality traits of their employees. Overall the difference between people concerning stress can be expressed by the concept of the so called stress threshold. It is a subjective characteristic that describes the threshold of sensitivity to different stressors. Individuals have different internal resources to cope with stressful situations. Threshold stress depends primarily on the following personality factors: temperament, self-experience, individual differences, etc. As each individual experiences stress and responds to stressors differently, appropriate stress management technique should be applied. Owen Moran, a health educator at Concordia University (Canada), has developed a 5-step framework that can help individuals in coping with stress.  [7]  The steps are as follows: Step 1: Identify if a person is stressed Step 2: Identify the stressor(s) Step 3: Determine the reason for this stressors Step 4: Select and apply an appropriate stress management strategy Step 5: Evaluate the results The most famous individual stress management strategies are designed to improve the physical condition of the person. These physical techniques include stretching exercises, breathing exercises, meditation. Diets also can help people in handling stress. By avoiding alcohol, tobacco, caffeine people are reducing their vulnerability to stressors. In addition to these factors rest is also very important. Other individual strategies for coping with stress include development of skills for more efficient working methods. Time management techniques for example are an effective method of dealing with stress due to overload or inefficiency in the workplace. Handling job-related problems by planning, budgeting, and proper time allocation is very helpful. These strategies depend largely on the commitment of the individual and his willingness to apply them regularly. Positive thinking is another behavioral technique.

Death to Feminists in Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Death to Feminists in Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat For any scholar, the feminist method of criticizing literature is something that can no longer be pushed under the carpet and ignored. But before this modern idea overruns literary society and causes many great pains, one should read a simple, yet subtle, poem by English poet Thomas Gray. In "Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat, Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes", Gray gives a solemn warning to those who would use Feminism too freely and without checks to guards its attempts to overrun literary criticisms. Feminist critique is a relatively new method. It has its origins in the 1950's and 60's but did not really take shape until the feminist movements of the 70's and 80's. Only in the 90's has it become standard in textbooks. This triumph of feminine thought has come to a head, and many authors seek to use this technique to criticize society. Authors such as Eleanor Wilner, for example, have used their feminist poetry to slander the "male-dominated" society in which humans currently reside. Before this method runs amuck, however, one should consider the fate of one who aims for the triumph of feminist thought, or "gold" as Thomas Gray phrases it, too hastily. Thomas Gray exemplifies this in "Ode to the Death of a Favorite Cat" by using the cat as a symbol for the females who seek to use the method for their own ends, such as Eleanor Wilner. In line 23, Gray notes, "What female heart can gold despise?" This 250-year-old question serves as an ominous warning for those who see it. Using the feminist method again and again can also lead to trouble. With time, people may become so fed up with the idea that everything views women as inferiors that it may become an idea on its own. Without a following, the idea will cease to be practiced. The following Gray points out are Dolphin, Nereid, Tom, and Susan, but none came to save their drowning comrade for "A fav'rite has no friend!" (Line 34-36)

Cultural Landscape Essay

A cultural landscape is a piece of land that possesses natural and cultural resources related to an historic event, person, or group of people. They are usually man-made lexis of relationships with the nature and/or society or culture. These can include grand estates, public gardens and parks, educational institutions, cemeteries, highways, and industrial sites. Cultural landscapes are also humanist works of art, texts and narratives of cultures that express regional and cultural identity. They also present relationship to their ecological perspective. Human activities have turned out to be a major cause of shaping most cultivated landscapes on the surface of Earth. Human, animal and machine labor expended in using the land can create outstanding cultural landscapes with high aesthetic, cultural and ecological value such as the paddy-field rice terraces of south-east Asia, but may as well result in land degradation as is the case in some regions in the Mediterranean. The distribution of landforms such as steep slopes, fertile plains, inundated valleys in a landscape sets the frame for land use by determining factors such as accessibility, water and nutrient availability, but may over long periods of time also be changed through land use. On the other hand, land use serves distinct socio-economic purposes: land may supply materials and energy through hunting, agriculture or forestry, it may host infrastructure, or it may be needed to absorb waste and emissions (Haberl et al. , 2004). Landscapes can be seen as the contingent and historically variable outcome of this interplay between socio-economic and biophysical forces. During the evolution of cultural landscapes throughout the world, humans have developed adaptive land-use techniques and created specific patterns of fields, farmsteads, remnant woodlots and the like that depended on both natural and socio-economic conditions. In European agricultural landscapes, the long history of land transformation has led to regionally distinct regular patterns of geometrically arranged landscape elements, reflecting the historical and cultural background of the prevailing land-use system of a region (Bell, 1999). The spatial distribution of ecotopes, the so-called landscape structure, has therefore often been regarded as a mosaic of ‘frozen processes’; i. e. landscape structure assumedly mirrors the processes which had been going on in a landscape. This perception has even become a central paradigm in modern landscape ecology. While many ecosystem processes are difficult to observe directly, landscape structure can be derived from mapping as well as from remote-sensing data; therefore, landscape structure was often not only used to evaluate the ecological value of landscapes, but also to judge ecological aspects of the sustainability of land-use patterns (Wrbka et al. , 1999b). The Influence Of Land Form On The Intensity Of Land Use Cultural landscapes have, in contrast to natural and semi-natural landscapes, special characteristics. The disturbance regime as well as the major material and energy fluxes in these transformed landscapes is controlled to a large extent by humans. This is done by the different land-use practices applied for meadows, arable land or forests. Decisions about land use are made according to the local agro-ecological characteristics which are nested in a hierarchy of social, economical and technical constraints. Cultural landscapes can thus only be understood by analyzing the interplay between biophysical and socioeconomic patterns and processes. Landscape Structure And Intensity Of Land Use Odum and Turner (1989) found that the landscape elements of the Georgia landscape in the early 1930s had a higher fractal dimension than the elements of the same region in the 1980s. During the same period of time the use of fertilizers, pesticides and other agrochemicals increased dramatically. This illustrates that the growing human impact on the land may result in a landscape with decreasing geometrical complexity. Human activities introduce rectangularity and rectilinearity into landscapes, producing regular shapes with straight borders (Forman, 1999; Forman and Moore, 1992). Various studies suggest that the rate of landscape transformation is a function of land-use intensity (Alard and Poudevigne, 1999; Hietala-Koivu, 1999; Mander et al. , 1999; Odum and Turner, 1989), and that the geometric complexity of a landscape in particular decreases with increasing land-use intensity accompanied by a decrease of habitat heterogeneity and an increase of production units. Applying the thermodynamic laws to landscape structure, Forman and Moore (1992) suggested that the concentrated input of energy (e. g. , by tractor ploughing, plant production, wildfire) decreases the entropy of patches compared to adjacent areas and produces straight and abrupt boundaries. In other words, energy is required to convert natural curvilinear boundaries into straight lines and energy is required to maintain them. The reduction of the energy input increases entropy and revegetation convolutes and softens landscape boundaries. This means that the ‘landscape structure’, in the sense of Forman and Godron (1986), can be regarded as ‘frozen processes’. Landscape Structure And Biodiversity Many surveys show that species richness of vascular plants and bryophytes normally decreases with land-use intensity (Luoto, 2000; Mander et al. , 1999; Zechmeister and Moser, 2001; Zechmeister et al. , 2003). As the link between landscape structure and land-use intensity could be established, shape complexity as a measure of land-use intensity seems to be also a good predictor of species richness (Moser et al. , 2002; Wrbka et al. , 1999a). Accordingly, higher species richness in areas with high LD and richness values can be expected. The use of shape complexity indices as indicators for plant species richness is based on an assumed correlation between geometric landscape complexity and biodiversity (Moser et al. , 2002). Obviously, this correlation is not mechanistic but it is supposed to be due to congruent effects of land-use intensity on landscape shape complexity and species richness. Moser et al. (2002) gives a good literature overview about the driving factors responsible for the decrease of landscape complexity with increasing land-use intensity, which resulted in the following key findings: * The majority of landscape elements in agricultural landscapes are designed by humans as rectangles with straight and distinct boundaries (Forman, 1999). * Outside boundaries of semi-natural or natural patches are straightened by neighboring cultivated areas (). * Increasing land-use intensity is accompanied by a decrease of semi-natural and natural areas (Alard and Poudevigne, 1999; Mander et al. , 1999), resulting in a decrease of natural curvilinear boundaries. * Intensification in agriculture tends to increase the size of production units (Alard and Poudevigne, 1999; Hietala-Koivu, 1999). In addition to that intensification of land use on the production unit, e. g. , by fertilizing or increased mowing intensity, also leads to a dramatic decrease of the species richness (Zechmeister et al. , 2003). The description of the degradation of semi-natural and agricultural landscapes shows clearly the interdependence of biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity, induced by closely interwoven ecological, demographical, socio-economic and cultural factors. For an effective conservation management of biodiversity and landscape eco-diversity, a clear understanding of the ecological and cultural processes and their perturbations is essential. Intermediate disturbance levels lead to a highly complex and diverse cultural landscape which can host many plant and animal species. Landscapes, with ‘eco-diversity hotspots’, can be regarded as hint for ‘biodiversity hotspots’. Landscape pattern indicators therefore play an important role for landscape conservation planning. The understanding of landscape processes is crucial for the conservation of both, landscape eco-diversity and biodiversity. Conclusions From a conservation biology point of view, the ongoing process of genetic erosion and biodiversity loss as well as the replacement of specific recognizable cultural landscapes by monotonous ubiquistic production sites will continue. The biophysical characteristics and natural constraints of the investigated landscapes are interwoven with the regional historic and socio-economical development. This interplay is the background for the development of a variety of cultural landscapes which have their own specific characteristics. Geo-ecological land-units provide one solution. This is of special importance when the relationship of landscape patterns and underlying processes is under investigation. Works Cited Alard, D. , Poudevigne, I. Factors controlling plant diversity in rural landscapes: a functional approach. Landscape and Urban Planning, 1999: 46, 29–39 Bell, S. , Landscape—Pattern, Perception and Process. E. &F. N. Spon, London, 1999 Forman, R. T. T. , & Godron, M. Landscape Ecology. Wiley, New York, 1986. Forman, R. T. T. , & Moore, P. N. Theoretical foundations for understanding boundaries in landscape mosaics. In: Hansen, F. J. , Castri, F. (Eds. ), Landscape Boundaries. Consequences for Biotic Diversity and Ecological Flows. Springer, New York, 1992, pp. 236–258. Forman, R. T. T. Horizontal processes, roads, suburbs, societal objectives in landscape ecology. In: Klopatek, M. , Gardner, R. H. (Eds. ), Landscape Ecological Analysis: Issues and Applications. Springer, New York, 1999, pp. 35–53. Haberl, H. , Wackernagel, M. , Krausmann, F. , Erb, K. -H. , Monfreda, C. Ecological footprints and human appropriation of net primary production: A comparison. Land Use Policy, doi:10. 1016/ j. landusepol. 2003. 10. 008. , 2004 Hietala-Koivu, R. Agricultural landscape change: a case study in Y lane, Southwest Finland. Landscape and Urban Planning , 1999: 46, 103–108. Luoto, M.. Modelling of rare plant species richness by landscape variables in an agriculture area in Finland. Plant Ecology , 2000: 149, 157–168. Mander, U. , Mikk, M. , Ku. lvik, M.. Ecological and low intensity agriculture as contributors to landscape and biological diversity. Landscape and Urban Planning , 1999: 46, 169–177.

Orality (Communication) - Definition and Examples

Orality (Communication) s Orality is the use of speech  rather than writing  as a means of communication, especially in communities where the tools of literacy are unfamiliar to the majority of the population. Modern interdisciplinary studies in the history and nature of orality were initiated by theorists in the Toronto school, among them Harold Innis, Marshall McLuhan, Eric Havelock, and Walter J. Ong.  Ã‚   In Orality and Literacy (Methuen, 1982), Walter J. Ong identified some of the distinctive ways in which people in a primary oral culture [see the definition below] think and express themselves through narrative discourse: Expression is coordinate and polysyndetic ( . . . and . . . and . . . and . . .) rather than subordinate and hypotactic.Expression is aggregative (that is, speakers rely on epithets and on parallel and antithetical phrases) rather than analytic.Expression tends to be redundant and copious.Out of necessity, thought is conceptualized and then expressed with relatively close reference to the human world; that is, with a preference for the concrete rather than the abstract.Expression is agonistically toned (that is, competitive rather than cooperative).Finally, in predominantly oral cultures, proverbs (also known as maxims) are convenient vehicles for conveying simple beliefs and cultural attitudes. Etymology From the Latin oralis, mouth Examples and Observations James A. MaxeyWhat is the relationship of orality to literacy? Though disputed, all sides agree that  orality is  the predominant mode of communication in the world and that literacy is a relatively recent technological development in human history.Pieter J.J. BothaOrality as a condition exists by virtue of communication that is not dependent on modern media processes and techniques. It is negatively formed by the lack of technology and positively created by specific forms of education and cultural activities. . . . Orality refers to the experience of words (and speech) in the habitat of sound. Ong on Primary Orality and Secondary Orality Walter J. OngI style the orality of a culture totally untouched by any knowledge or writing or print, primary orality. It is primary by contrast with the secondary orality of present-day high-technology culture, in which a new orality is sustained by telephone, radio, television, and other electronic devices that depend for their existence and functioning on writing and print. Today primary oral culture in the strict sense hardly exists, since every culture knows of writing and has some experience of its effects. Still, to varying degrees many cultures and subcultures, even in a high-technology ambiance, preserve much of the mind-set of primary orality. Ong on Oral Cultures Walter J. OngOral cultures indeed produce powerful and beautiful verbal performances of high artistic and human worth, which are no longer even possible once writing has taken possession of the psyche. Nevertheless, without writing, human consciousness cannot achieve its fuller potentials, cannot produce other beautiful and powerful creations. In this sense, orality needs to produce and is destined to produce writing. Literacy . . . is absolutely necessary for the development not only of science but also of history, philosophy, explicative understanding of literature and of any art, and indeed for the explanation of language (including oral speech) itself. There is hardly an oral culture or a predominantly oral culture left in the world today that is not somehow aware of the vast complex of powers forever inaccessible without literacy. This awareness is agony for persons rooted in primary orality, who want literacy passionately but who also know very well that moving into the excitin g world of literacy means leaving behind much that is exciting and deeply loved in the earlier oral world. We have to die to continue living. Orality and Writing Rosalind ThomasWriting is not necessarily the mirror-image and destroyer of orality, but reacts or interacts with oral communication in a variety of ways. Sometimes the line between written and oral even in a single activity cannot actually be drawn very clearly, as in the characteristic Athenian contract which involved witnesses and an often rather slight written document, or the relation between the performance of a play and the written and published text. Clarifications Joyce Irene MiddletonMany misreadings, misinterpretations, and misconceptions about orality theory are due, in part, to [Walter J.] Ongs rather slippery use of seemingly interchangeable terms that very diverse audiences of readers interpret in various ways. For example, orality is not the opposite of literacy, and yet many debates about orality are rooted in oppositional values . . .. In addition, orality was not replaced by literacy: Orality is permanentwe have always and will continue to always use human speech arts in our various forms of communication, even as we now witness changes in our personal and professional uses of alphabetic forms of literacy in a number of ways. Pronunciation: o-RAH-li-tee

The Story of John Williams †Creative Writing Story

The Story of John Williams – Creative Writing Story Free Online Research Papers The Story of John Williams Creative Writing Story It was a dark evening, darker than usual, when John Williams decided to take his horse Rusty for a ride through the forest. He put on his dark robe and his hat, and left for the forest. After a long ride, a loud thunder boom almost knocked John off of his horse. Night was approaching rapidly, and after he felt the first weak raindrops of the brewing storm, he knew that he must head home. He motioned Rusty to take the cobblestone path to the left to head home. John was fairly confident of his location, but wasn’t exactly sure where he was. He was too stubborn to admit he was lost so he continued on the path, hoping to find his way. Out of the corner of his eye he caught a bright white light far off to the left. He decided to approach it, for he had never thoroughly explored this area before. When he veered off course and toward the light, he discovered a large mansion. The mansion was oddly white considering the shingles were old and rotting. As the rain drops grew larger and more frequent, he decided to head back on the path home. However, a low moan drew him closer to the house. Curiosity decided to take over, he just had to know what that sound was. He tied up his horse, took off his robe, and dove into the lake. The noise sounded louder this time as he pulled himself out of the moss-filled water. It sounded like an innocent person was being tortured; it was unlike any sound he had heard before in his life. He pushed open the door and stepped into the house. It was dark, but bright enough to make out some small details of the main room. Several pieces of dusty furniture sat, and the floor was filled with large holes. But the noise was coming from upstairs, and John carefully stepped up the creaking stairs. When he arrived at the top he quietly moved toward the source of the noise. Voices started talking in John’s head, he was wondering if he should go for more help. John knew it was too lat to turn back now so he pushed open the last door at the end of the hall and stepped inside to the most horrifying sight he had ever seen. John was so scared he couldn’t even speak. That following morning was bright and sunny. It was quite damp and the two young boys were walking through the forest. As they past the lake on their walk something black caught their eye. They walked up to it and picked it up. It was a black robe, and they had no idea where it could have come from. So they picked it up, and dusted it off. Then they threw a rock into the sun’s reflection in the empty lake. Its calm clear water rippled, and they walked away. Research Papers on The Story of John Williams - Creative Writing StoryThe Spring and AutumnMind TravelThe Hockey GameThe Masque of the Red Death Room meanings19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraHip-Hop is ArtHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionCapital PunishmentHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayWhere Wild and West Meet

Business environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business environment - Essay Example IKEA has more than 1,500 suppliers spread around 50 plus countries, and it uses online and mail order selling tactics. The company’s success lies in resourcing the right manufacturer for a precise product. The suppliers and designers pose a threat of customizing some of IKEA’s products to sell them for a better price in the market due to IKEA’s cost-cutting strategies and low profit margins. The company, however, has been enjoying steady growth in sales each year due to its store expansion and continuous price cut strategies, despite a maximum of 10% operating profit in home furnishings (Jones, 2008). Coca-Cola Coca-Cola is one of the world’s top notch organisations offering refreshing soft-drinks in the non-alcoholic beverage category. Four of the world’s top five brands in soft-drinks belong to The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC). These brands are Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta and Sprite. It also licenses a number of other brands and drinks for sale, amoun ting up to 3,500 in more than 200 countries. More than one billion carbonated drinks produced by TCCC are consumed each day. The formula for Coke was invented in 1886, primarily for the purpose of medicinal usage, by pharmacist John Pemberton of Atlanta (Hoovers, 2012) To analyze the business environment and variations in the market, we need to use the PESTLE method. PESTLE is short form for Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental, all of which determine the ever fluctuating market (Morrison, 2007). PESTLE Analysis of IKEA and Coca-Cola Political Political analysis studies the existing and possible effects of political pressures. IKEA is an organisation that is successful in both international and domestic business. It is a Swedish based company that has set world-wide brand recognition, and has gained popularity by retailing Scandinavian design furniture with flat packaging and â€Å"do-it-yourself† trend (Analysis on IKEA, 2010). Government plays a vital part in the operation of manufacturing Coca-Cola as it is a non-alcoholic beverage falling under FDA. If the company does not meet the regulation requirements laid out by the government, then the government has the authority to impose fines on such companies. The changes in laws and regulations may also affect the organisation’s entry in another country. In order to enter the emerging and developing countries, the company needs to study its political conditions and changes, with respect to the government and internal markets, as it affects the penetration ability of the company. Both Coca-Cola and IKEA endlessly watch and observe the regulations and policies laid out by the government (Analysis on Coca Cola, 2009). Economic Economic analysis studies consist of both the national and local economy, and its impact on the world. This also comprises of the inflation rates and issues related to recession. In order to own customer loyalty, different strategies are bei ng adopted by IKEA, keeping in view the current trends and economic changes. IKEA also adopted other styles in its furniture product category, such as dinnerware and rugs, in order to compete with the changing economic conditions and boost market performance. The company needs to analyze key issues involved in the economic conditions and every aspect of business, in order to spawn high performance (Analysis on IKEA

Management skillsDiversity within in the Workplace Article

Management skillsDiversity within in the Workplace - Article Example The manager should be able to makeup teams comprising of people with various differences and nature theses relationships to create cohesiveness. The manager should also be a good problem solver because conflicts are bound to occur. The manger should be versed in social psychology so that he can be able to establish how different people act and think. He should be a good negotiator so that conflicts in the workplace are solved promptly. People’s perceptions of each other affect their relations and for an organization to be run effectively, the management must be able to assess diversity by ensuring communication, adaptability and flexibility to accommodate change. A manager should be a good communicator so that he passes this skill to the employees. Communication in the workplace is also pivotal in ensuring that diversity is directed towards achievement. Communication between employees will make them learn about each other and the values they uphold, and this will increase cohesiveness because conflicts will be easily managed. Therefore, mangers need to know how to manage diversity by learning to work with people from across cultures and impact this knowledge on employees, and this will be beneficial in ensuring organizational success. Globalization has made people from different cultures to be employed in the same organization and there is need to integrate these cultures so that there is easy flow of operation. the manager should be able to set out rules that will ensure the different cultures blend in together for the common good of the organization (Shakhray, 2009). The manger should be aware of diversity training during recruitment, and this will ensure that employees learn to work and accommodate people from cultures that are different from theirs. Managers need to focus on diversity and look for ways of making their organization totally inclusive, and this will increase competitiveness and