Compare or Contrast Public and Private Companies

In today’s highly commercial world, one of the key objectives of starting a business is to make profit. While this might be true and important to every business, â€Å"most people believe that a business should not focus solely on profitability, but on the quality of products and services it offers to its customers†.This essay will discuss the various perspectives on the topic and will to a large extent agree with the view that businesses should not just focus on profit, by looking at customer desire for high quality product and their willingness to pay, then highlighting how focus on quality can lead to lower cost of product and profitability; as well as how quality influence organisation to be socially responsible, sustainable and profitable.First, a strong reason to concentrate on improving quality of product or services of an organisation is the fact that customers desires high quality good, and are willing to pay for value added. This was corroborated by (Nagar and Rajan 2001), who found out that â€Å"poor product quality reduces customer goodwill and loyalty which in turn affects future revenues as dissatisfied customers take their business elsewhere or pay less for the firm’s product. Such a product and the firm producing it acquire a bad reputation since poor product quality leaves a lasting impression on the consumer who perceives it as a low quality brand. In order for a product to be a perceived as a premium brand, a firm must continually improve on the quality of its products or services. A satisfied customer base lead to good brand perception and will open the door to numerous repeated purchases and referrals which will in turn help the firm to grow its market share, become more competitiveness and increase its profitability.Focusing on quality significantly lowers cost of production at long run. Operations Management (Russell and Taylor, 2000) explains that, manufacturing of products to a high quality standard through implem entation of quality management system have a large impact on overall quality cost reduction, it also argues that it saves time and money by reducing the amount of defective products that could result in wastes, thereby lowering significantly the costs of production, as well as cost to re-work defective products.Without a quality management system, poor-quality and defective products may finds their way into the market, through to the customer leading to warranty claims, product returns and in extreme litigation from product liability or injury to the customer. This may have a serious financial implication to the company as the costs associated with product recall and warranties would be enormous and in extreme case the damages imposed due to litigation could make the company insolvent, leading to a total collapse.However, an opposing view on this is that profit maximization is should be the main focus of the business as long as it pays its taxes and operates within the ambit of the law (Friedman, 1962). Certainly, this view may have worked for organisations in the 1800’s; it definitely does not apply in today’s modern and globalised world. The perspective is not only very narrow in view; it also fails to take into consideration other stakeholders who are affected by its activities of, but can also affect its existence.To these types of organisations, making ethical decisions is seen only from the viewpoint costly and profit. Organisations operating for profit alone are yet to appreciate the advantages of good corporate social responsibility and capitalize on it to grow their businesses in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. This drive for profit has led many to slash of employee’s benefits and salaries benefits; pollute the environment and cause permanent damage to the ecosystem all in bid to improve their bottom-line and many have earned a very bad reputation, suffer product boycott and tarnish their corporate image.In concludi ng this essay, as much as profit is very essential to the survival of a business, I want to agree that businesses should focus more on the improving quality of its products or services. This can be clearly seen to from the fact customer expects high quality at good value always, and because improving the quality will eventually bring down cost of production for a company. As well, quality focus drives a company to take ethical decisions and operate in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.It may be tempting for a business to sacrifice quality in order maximize its profit. However, it benefits will only be in the short term. A simple focus on profit maximization could destroy the continued existence of the business, not to mention the society in which it operates. A firm aiming extreme profit might purposefully cut corners during a project, knowing it gets the perks of a better quarter for now; knowing a future management team will have to deal with the damage of spill-induce d lawsuit, fines, and a haul-up to it at the Criminal Court.

“Life of Pi” vs “The Odyssey” Comparative Essay Essay

Life standed on the sea is very grueling and risky. Only a few are able to face the challenging tasks of such a situation using their wits and persistence. In the book Life Of Pi and the film The Odyssey, the journeys of the main characters are surprisingly parallel, considering the works were written over 20 centuries apart. Both of their journeys contain stages similar to the archetypal hero journey, including the Separation/Departure, Initiation and The Return. Although both Pi and Odysseus face extraordinary challenges, Pi’s character is more intriguing because through his first person narrative, the reader is drawn to his sensitive nature, his vulnerability and his unique personality while Odysseus is interesting because of the hero stereotype re represents. In the Separation/Departure stage, both men are reluctant at first to start their journeys, but due to forces beyond their control, they depart for phenomenal adventures at sea. For instance, when Pi’s family reveals that they are moving to Canada, Pi is reluctant and does not want to leave. Pi shows his hesitation when he says â€Å"Why enter this jungle of foreignness where everything is new, strange, and difficult?† (Martel, 86). He was â€Å"thunderstruck† (Martel, 88) at the thought of moving by also saying â€Å"It was like Timbuktu, by definition a place permanently far away† (Martel, 88). Pi has created a familiar world of family, filled with religions, his mentors and peace, but is now crossing to an unknown territory far away. Likewise, Odysseus did not want to leave for the Trojan War as he would be leaving his family. He is called to the battle just after his son Telemachus was born, and he is hesitant. Odysseus loves his family, even though he is seen as a typical brawny warrior. This shows that he wants to stay behind to care for his son and wife but nonetheless carried out his duty because he is a brave soldier at heart. The resemblance between those two here is that they both enjoyed life at home, but had to embark on their journeys due to political turmoil – For Pi it was Ghandi’s takeover of India that caused his family to leave, and for Odysseus it is the declaration of the Trojan War. In the start of their journeys, Pi crosses the threshold when the Tsimtusm sinks, and this forces him to get on a raft to start his adventure  at sea. This can be seen when Pi describes the sinking of the boat which â€Å"†¦made a sound like a monstrous metallic burp† (Martel, 107). Pi also expresses his terror when he says, â€Å"Tell me it’s a bad dream. Tell me it’s not real. Tell me I’m still in my bunk on the Tsimtusm and I’m tossing and turning and soon I’ll wake up from this nightmare† (Martel, 107). This shows the crossing of the threshold for Pi as he is the only human survivor who enters this unfamiliar place. This crossing from his familiar life to a much more dangerous one creates a struggle for him to return to his ordinary world. Similarly, for Odysseus, he crosses the threshold a few times and it starts after the Trojan War when he ang ers Poseidon. This is seen when he boasts that he defeated the Trojans by himself, thus angering Poseidon who makes him suffer. His arrogance creates a much more difficult journey home because Poseidon repeatedly sends him off course preventing his return home for many years. Both character cross the threshold in different ways, It is forced upon Pi whereas Odysseus brought it on himself. This is considerably accurate since Pi is innocent and did nothing to incur his fate and the struggle that he had to endure. However Odysseus’s crossing of the threshold is because of his ego which he has to pay the price for boasting about himself winning the war. In short, both characters were reluctant to cross the threshold, but in Pi’s case his situation seems more devastating as he is still young and has to bear with the total loss of his family. Throughout their initiations, Pi and Odysseus must face many challenging trials on their road to survival and eventual reward. Pi’s main trials are the danger of the tiger and the overall risk of surviving from hunger, thirst and nature. With Richard Parker, Pi has to constantly find a way to train him, as he sometimes describes: â€Å"Let the trumpets blare. Let the drums roll. Let the show beginâ₠¬  (Martel, 182). This shows the importance of training to him. He will call himself â€Å"THE PI PATEL, INDO-CANADIAN, TRANS-PACIFIC, FLOATING  CIRCUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!† (Martel, 183). Also in order to avoid starvation he must eat meat, as he recounts it for the first time by saying â€Å"It was a great discovery when I found that a fresh-tasting fluid could be sucked out not only from the eyes of larger fish but also from their vertebrae† (Martel, 235). He describes turtles as â€Å"†¦a bowl of hot soup – became my favourite dish† (Martel 235). These quotes show Pi’s effort to train the  tiger and using his wits to outsmart him along with the discovery of using aquatic creatures for meat / food sources. Back to Odysseus, After being cursed by Poseidon his journey back home consists of nothing but horrific trials such as the Cyclops and Lotus eaters. For example after Odysseus sets sail Poseidon creates a fog causing them to meet a troublesome foe, by trapping them in the Cyclops’s cave. However Odysseus gets the Cyclop drunk and stabs him in the eye, allowing them to escape. This portrays his cunning bravery which saves mo st of his men and himself. One similarity for both character’s road of trials is that they are all bigger than life. None of their challenges are ordinary or even realistic. However Pi’s challenges are constant throughout the novel and there is no real relief or change of pace for him. On the other hand Odysseus’s bizarre challenges are constantly changing and creates an episodic storyline. Also he stands with many of his crew and watches them die during some of those trials while Pi faces his challenges alone. Many months later, after Pi survive on the sea for 227 days he is rewarded a chance for recovery at an algae island before the final lap of his journey. When he sees the heavenly island at first, he expresses that when he â€Å"†¦take in green, after so much blue, was like music to my eyes† (Martel, 285). Also when he eats the green vegetation he comments â€Å"saliva forcefully oozed through†¦ â€Å"I tore at the algae around me† (Martel, 288). After surviving on the sea for so long, he is finally given fresh food and water, allowing him to stay alive until he reaches mainland. Odysseus also receives a break when he drifts along to Calypso’s island, after all the terrors he endures. There he is taken care of by a beaut iful woman named Calypso and she gives Odysseus the rest and treatment he needs. This shows that by overcoming all  the challenges thrown at him, he is rewarded a chance to take a break, even though Calypso intended to keep him there forever. The similarity here between the two is that both rewards offer some kind of recovery, allowing them to take a breather before arriving at their destination. Yet Pi’s reward is generally smaller / less satisfying compared to Odysseus because Odysseus still knows his family is back home while Pi still has to bear the loss of everything. All in all, while Pi had a sustained and prolonged struggle with the tiger and starvation, Odysseus’s road of trials is more  varied and exciting to watch. Both heros did, however, get a rest near the end. When a hero is close to being home, though grateful for being alive, their return usually contains one final task that he/she needs to complete. Pi crosses the return threshold when he is found on the shore of Mexico and while being helped by the local people, he tinges with the sadness of the loss of his tiger. He states that he is rescued when â€Å"†¦a member of my own species found me† (Martel, 316). Expressing his release from hell, he also says â€Å"I wept like a child† (Martel, 316). So although relieved to be cared for, he is still grieving the loss of his family and Richard Parker. For Odysseus’ crossing of the threshold it occurs when he arrives home by boat, happily, with Athena changing his appearance to help him. He is seen happy when reunited with his old friend (the goatkeeper) and his son Telemachus. However he finds out he has one more obstacle to face in order to achieve happiness. Though he is cheerful to be home, his happiness is a bit diminished when wondering if his wife had kept their promise. He becomes quite angry angry and fired up with what he sees back in the village, certainly not the peaceful reunion he had hoped for with his wife. There is not much similarity between their crossing of the return threshold except that they both return on land, but Pi is very ill and fatigued while Odysseus seem not. Nonetheless Odysseus still has his famil y, while Pi’s is certainly dead. Also Odysseus has another challenge to face at home while Pi has no physical challenge but must now rebuild his entire life from scratch. After being saved, Pi’s last small obstacle is in the hospital when interrogated by investigators from the sunken ship. As Pi  describes his story, they challenges his tale by saying â€Å"Mr. Patel, we don’t believe in your story† (Martel, 324). They also says â€Å"It doesn’t hold up† (Martel, 324). Finally Pi says, â€Å"I know what you want. You want a story that won’t surprise you† (Martel, 336). Because his adventure is so bizarre, these men did not really accept it. But since he had very vivid imagination, he makes up a completely new version of the journey to say to them and makes everyone satisfied. Back to Odysseus, when he arrives back at his homeland Ithika, he finds one more task which he directly confronts in disguise. When he reaches back to his village, there is many men causing chaos fighting to win over his wife. There is a contest to determine the future husband and he  joins to end the madness. Odysseus has to engage in yet another battle, first by completing the contest by stringing his bow and shoots an arrow with it into the twelve lined up rings perfectly. Then he transforms back into his normal self and kills all the suitors, ending the drama. Compareing both of their magic flight, it is a much tougher task for Odysseus as it is Physically more demanding. Pi’s last challenge is minor and it causes us to wonder the validity of his entire journey. However he is still quite physically and mentally drained. Therefore, while Odysseus showed his physical ability once again Pi is obviously suffering in a more profound way filled with grief and future uncertainty. These two characters both showed strong characteristics to complete their journeys, and while they shared similar stages there is more sympathy towards Pi due to his loss of innocence. By examining the Separation, Initiation, and Departures, they all include important stages for the hero to move on. The general process seems to be that the hero leaves his home to a new unfamiliar place, gains experience / skill, and returns home with boon or new knowledge. With these said, though Pi and Odysseus’ adventures shared similar plots, it is important to note that Pi is a single person surviving on the raft, with no other companions other than the Royal Bengal tiger. On the other hand Odysseus has his crew throughout some of his  journey. It can be argued that Pi had a tougher time at the sea, but to be fair Pi is only 16, whereas Odysseus is an adult stranded out wild for many years. His exploits were exciting and entertaining but his personality had no depth. Pi is much more vuln erable and he elicits our pity. Because he is so clever, poetic and even humorous at time, he is more appealing to us throughout the extraordinary challenges.

Hearing Sounds Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hearing Sounds - Assignment Example The outer ear is composed of three parts which are the pinna (or auricle), the external auditory canal (or external auditory meatus), and the tympanic membrane (or eardrum) (Net Industries and its Licensors ,par.2). The pinna is the organ on the side of our heads that we commonly call "the ear". The external auditory canal is a passageway in the temporal lobe of the skull that begins at the ear and extends inward and slightly upwards. The outer one-third portion of the canal is lined with a membrane containing ceruminous (ear wax producing) cells, and hair cells which protects the eardrum by trapping dirt and other foreign bodies. The purpose of the cerumen and hairs is to protect the eardrum by trapping dirt and to keep the canal moist. The tympanic membrane or eardrum is a thin, concave membrane stretched across the inner end of the external auditory canal and serves as a transmitter of sound by vibrating in response to sounds traveling down the external auditory canal, and beginni ng sound conduction in the middle ear. The middle ear starts from the inner surface of the eardrum. It is connected to a chain of three small bones called the ossicles, known as the malleus (hammer), incus (anvil) and stapes (stirrup). These bones conduct sound waves from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear.

Critically Discuss the Relation Between Emotional Intelligence And Essay

Critically Discuss the Relation Between Emotional Intelligence And Employee Performance - Essay Example p management believes that the subordinates are always lazy at work and dissatisfied with their norms without any organization and productivity happening at their respective ends (Reilly, 2009, 56). There are times when the top management does take notice of the fact that these problems have attained significance for good or for bad; however the same need to be stopped in order to bring about sanity within the workplace domains. Therefore the emotional significance is touched upon in entirety under such situations because it deems quite a lot of significance in the long run. The most basic definition of emotional intelligence is the ability or skill to properly identify, find out and thus take control of one’s emotional realms and the people around such individuals. Thus the emotional intelligence understandings are reached upon when the individuals working within a group have to deal with one another and thus document their own selves as well, within a short amount of time, a nd without much hassle coming to the fore. The employees need to understand that the other individuals working within a group or an entity, are also human beings and they are having an emotional intelligence all this while as well (Boyle, 2006, 122). There is a dire need to understand on the part of the organizations that deal with emotionally charged up people to take a look at their psychological realms and thus solve the issues that hamper their smooth working domains. What this will do is to gauge how well they can adapt with the different situations that come about and how sanity shall prevail in the end within the workplace environments. High levels of performance are rest assured within the workplace dynamics because a great amount of importance is attached to the same dictum of... This essay stresses that one must comprehend that it is significant to discern the fact as to how and in what manner emotional intelligence could benefit the basis of employees and workers in a workplace setting since this is generally a new phenomenon which is on the rise. The future of work has a number of drastic issues that must be settled early. This is because employees fear for these issues to crop up on an irregular basis. A couple of issues that will shape up the future of work include privacy and the ever-falling motivation. This brings into reckoning a couple of significant problems that hamper both men and women who work within the realms of a workplace environment and the same means a great amount of distraction for the people who are focusing on getting employed within such companies as varied vacancies are opening up from time to time. This paper makes a conclusion that it is a fact that privacy for the sake of the employees remains a quintessential aspect as this tangent is close to the hearts of the people who matter the most. It is a fact that privacy for employees is something that has a great amount of value upon their entireties as no one likes to share his/her respective views within the workplace limits. It will be interesting to note the responses of the subjects after a period of a year or two and by that time much research would have come in line with the same topic.

Julius Caesar play Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Julius Caesar play - Essay Example Julius Caesar is one of the most popular Shakespearean tragedies and is also one of the strongest political plays written by Shakespeare.It is a play that depicts the political conditions of Rome during the rein of Julius Caesar. Bloom and Loos also state, ‘Platter notes that he witnessed an ‘excellent performance of the tragedy of the first Emperor Julius Caesar’ suggesting that he realized the significance of the play as a work about the death of the republic and the rise of imperial Rome’(281). The play is a very pertinent portrayal of a political system and the rules that curtail in order to become a good ruler or to be able to acquire the throne. Shakespeare highlights some of very negative aspects of human nature in this play and these aspects also act as major themes of this play which includes deception, jealousy, ambitiousness, revenge and fickle moral and ethical values. The word play in this drama is very strong as Shakespeare through his use of s imple words has been able to deliver all the strong emotions like anger, hatred and love very effectively to his readers and audience. 2. Scene 2 Act 3 This scene commences with Brutus’s speech that he delivers in front of the crowd of the common citizens of Rome in which he makes an attempt to justify his actions i.e. Caesar’s murder. Scene 2 of act 3 holds a lot of importance in the play as it is an anti climax to Caesar’s death as this scene leads to the avenging of Caesar’s murder... 2.1. Crowd and Readers/Audience a Single Entity One of the unique qualities of Shakespeare’s play is that any scene that involves a crowd or mass public in such scenes readers or the audience is also become a part of that crowd. It is through the delivery of the dialogues and the gestures of the characters or actors that give a feeling of oneness to the readers with the crowd in the play. Shakespeare uses his words in such a manner that it keeps the audience or the readers enthralled with all the action taking place in the play and the spectators can actually feel and live the emotions that a particular scene projects as is also true in the case scene 2 of Julius Caesar. 2.2. Purpose This scene is important to the play because it acts as an anti thesis to the negativity that Brutus had instigated about Caesar. Although Caesar dies midway through the play but the character traits of Caesar that are unveiled in Antony’s speech in this scene act as an instigator that keeps his memory alive through out the play and his existence is felt through the rest of the acts even in his absence. Moreover figuratively it also makes the reader or audience realize the importance of words in general because basically in this scene it is Brutus’s word against Antony however the power of diction is reiterated in this scene as it is observed that earlier the crowd agreed with Brutus that Caesar was the villain as stated in the text, ‘This Caesar was a tyrant.’ Also ‘We are blessed that Rome is rid of him’ (75, 76). However when Antony takes the stage his speech is more full of grief and anger and hence the crowd is swayed and the agree that actually Brutus is the culprit as also mentioned in the text,

Optional Technologies Adopted in the Construction of Building Elements Essay

Optional Technologies Adopted in the Construction of Building Elements - Essay Example Design professionals significant role in the quality of the built environment cannot be denied. Buildings in the contemporary world are a complex undertaking that require many different skills and materials. In this regard, the capabilities of the engineers and architects on the integrated design team are critical for the overall success of the design. In order to carry out the design and propose various alternatives, some background data is often required. This is usually with reference to the location of the proposed project and its various jurisdictions. The design process is then guided onwards by the knowledge of such project information. It is based on this that the relevant safety factors can be applied in the design so that the proposed methods and constructional technologies are safe and appropriate (EMMITT, BARRY & GORSE, 2010, p. 14). With the layout plan given for a proposed four-storey commercial building, with its components and the boundary conditions, different optional building technologies can be used to come up with the most appropriate designs. The building elements considered are as follows: Basements in commercial buildings are in most cases constructed to serve as foundations for the superstructure of the building, and in others to increase its utility to provide space that can be used by occupants of the building (FLEMING, 2005, p. 33). When adequately and properly constructed, they can be used for the following purposes: The intended use of the basement must be determined first before any design decisions are made. This will also have an impact on the quality of the basement. The level of performance of the basement areas is to be determined from the onset of construction to help in cost estimations and the material choice for the basement and its surrounding features.

Kudler Fine Foods Too Fresh to Go Product Launch Essay

Kudler Fine Foods Too Fresh to Go Product Launch - Essay Example Kudler Fine Foods is an establishment that offers a variety of fresh food products. The grocer is a specialty food store that offers bakery and pastry products, fresh produce, fresh meat and seafood, condiments and packaged food, and cheese and specialty dairy products. The company offers a variety of food products which are used in the context of gourmet cooking. There is a need for the company to offer other types of food products which are more conducive to a customer who doesn’t have the time to cook the gourmet meal. By introducing a new line of prepared fresh meals, the customer can take home the meal to eat it for dinner that night or at another point during the week. Too Fresh to Go meals will encompass the spirit of Kudler Fine Foods while providing a healthy, time-saving alternative for current customers. Too Fresh to Go will be positioned in the front of the store for convenience and will include everything a customer needs for a meal, including the appropriate pack aging should the dish need to be warmed up to serve. These meals will be balanced, low-fat, and of the highest quality. For instance, a freshly prepared chicken dish, complimented by a leaf lettuce salad and couscous is one of the offerings. These offering will range from various meat and fish dishes to vegetarian meals. This new product line can help the company achieve sales growth and profitability by leveraging the existing product base and customer target market. From a foreign perspective, Too Fresh to Go can attract customers into the store for a fresh alternative for to-go food. Kudler Fine Foods and the introduction of Too Fresh to Go is a natural extension of the gourmet grocery store’s current product offerings. Kudler will also add to a customer’s convenience factor as well as appeal to those customers who may be hesitant to shop at a gourmet store if he or she is not a gourmet cook. These meals will fill a niche in the market whereby more working families are looking for healthy alternatives throughout the week to feed their families and do not want to turn to fast food. Whereas there are a variety of food preparation companies and local delivery companies, the pricing of these products prices them out of the market for some families. By extended this product offering at the grocery store, Kudler already has their target audience that would benefit from this type of product. In addition, Kudler already offers wine tasting classes and this product offering goes hand-in-hand with the nature of excellent customer service Kudler provides. Product positioning From a positioning perspective, the launch of Too Fresh to Go will be placed in the front of the store to add convenience to shoppers who do not have the time, as one of the key concepts of Too Fresh to Go is for working families who simply do not have the time to cook a gourmet meal each night. This section will be small at first in both locations, domestic and foreign, and will fea ture samples and a customer service specialist to answer any questions, nutritional and otherwise. The packaging will be bright and vibrant, but most importantly, this packaging will be able to be placed in the

Ancient egyptian music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ancient egyptian music - Research Paper Example Music in ancient Egypt was known for thousands of years and evidence for its existence has been found in the pre-dynastic period. It is mainly because of the massive influence of this art that if came to be found in many aspects of Egyptian life ranging from the palaces of the royal family and nobility, to the workshops of artisans and all the way to the tombs of the wealthy. It is a fact that music was a basic part of the religious services of this ancient state and it was associated with a number of gods to whom it was dedicated. Music was used by the priests to set the mood for the people to worship the gods and the fact that these gods were worshiped using music meant that the temple musicians held an esteemed place in the society. The ability of the priests to make use of music in religious ceremonies ensured that the music of worship was completely improved by the temple musicians so that it was not only used for religious purposes, but temple music also developed into an art f orm. Such gods as Hathor and Bes tended to be associated with music and this was despite the fact that they were also associated with childbirth, fertility, and dance and this made them extremely important to musicians. All of the major known classifications of musical instruments were well represented in ancient Egypt and these were used in diverse occasions, depending on the event as well as the people who used them. Among the percussion instruments that were used by the ancient Egyptians included hand-held drums, rattles, castanets, bells, and the sistrum (Lawergren 101). The last was a very significant rattle that was used in religious worship and it is because of this that in most cases, the sistrum was found in the possession of temple musicians (Krogh and Brooke 167). It is for this reason that the sistrum was mostly represented as being in the possession of temple musicians in the illustrations that

The Sun and the Moon Essay Example for Free

The Sun and the Moon Essay There are many myths out there on the moon and sun about their power to control our health, behavior, and personality. Most people do not know how the moon and the sun can affect us. In this essay I will explain why and how the sun and moon affect us. The moon and the sun can have a positive and negative role on our health, behavior, and personality. The sun and the moon have a positive and negative role on our health. The positive role the sun is that it can help our pineal gland, in the blood, the internal organs like the liver and heart, give us vitamin D, and treatment for illness. Evidence is accumulating that strongly suggests that light is an important environmental factor, along with food, water, and air, in regulating our bodies’ physiological functions. Sunlight has at least one positive effect on the human skin which is vitamin D. Vitamin D is produced in the skin that is exposed to UVR. The negative role is that the sun can give us cancer, damage the skin, damage the eyes, give us wrinkles, and actinic keratosis. Sunburning is the most dangerous of the entire negative role of the sun. Sunburns can cause skin cancer and damage to the skin. The moon positive role on our health is folk medicines. Most people do not believe in folk medicines, but speaking from experience there is several that have work that I have try myself. Thresia Paulose said that there are strong evidences that a lunar eclipse have some effect on the hormones, especially a woman’s monthly cycle and fertility. The negative role the moon as is it can affect the physiological process. When the moon is in an eclipse it may cause heart related diseased, breathing trouble, coughs, colds, insomnia, stress, impatience, insecurity, indecisiveness, fear, and mood swings. Exposing yourself to an open lunar eclipse may even lead to mental imbalance and lycanthropy. Now, this leads us to how the moon and sun affects your behaviors. The sun and the moon both affect our emotions, the crime, and sex drive. The sun affects the pineal gland which is intimately associated with sexual maturation. Light from the sun that come in from the eyes creates impulses which is sent to the pineal gland and decrease its level of functioning. Controlled studies in Arctic have demonstrated such things as low sex drive and potency, insomnia, weakness, loss of hair, and general depression and irritability. Common diseases was reported by the commission were dermatitis, rheumatism, and miner’s nystagmus. Those that were afflicted with nystagmus exhibited symptoms of anxiety, tremor, listlessness, and loss of equilibrium as well as the rapid, involuntary eye movements typical of the disease. This participle problem is because by poor lighting it was easily prevented and nearly has disappeared with the advent of artificial illumination in mines. The high rates of emotional problems among the Eskimo, and the miners are from lack of sunshine. We heard all the time when there is a full moon how people start to act crazy. When there is a full moon the crime rate for that night goes up. Even if the medical world have not reached any conclusion that a full moon have a physical effect on people, that the beliefs are capable of producing psychological effect may pave way to discoveries on this subject. There are plenty of studies out there on how the moon and sun affects our personality. The psychics will uses the sun and the moon as signs. Astrology has something to do with the general involvement of it to creation of man over nature and nature over matter. It involves also science of astrology that dwells and imposed the connection of astrological matter into our personality or entire aspect of our life. The Zodiac is made up of 12 different sun signs. Your date of birth determines which one you are. The 12 different sun signs are Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, and Pisces. The Zodiac Sign where the Moon was present when you were born into this world is your Moon sign. When the Moon is in a certain sign of the zodiac, then the characteristics of that sign will change the moons expression. The sun and the moon may help us in different ways, but they are most important in our life. There are many things that the moon and sun can do that people do not believe in. Knowing how both the sun and moon affects us will better help us control our health, personality, and behavior.

Law Case Digest Essay Example for Free

Law Case Digest Essay In 1977, four loans from Allied Banking Corporation which is enclosed by four promissory notes amounting P100, 000 each was acquired by Elias Q. Tan, then President of Lapu-lapu Foundation, Inc. The bank was inhibited to file with the Regional Trial Court of Cebu City, Branch 15, a protest in looking for payment by Tan and the foundation, jointly and solely, of the sum of P493, 566. 61 representing their attorney’s fees and costs, loan obligation, penalty charges, exclusive of interests. For the reason that as of January 23, 1979, Tan and the foundation were not able to pay the whole obligation with a total of P493, 566.61 and regardless of the demands made on them by the Bank. The foundation denied of acquiring the indebtedness from the Bank as their answer to the complaint. They said that the loans were obtained by Tan in his personal capacity, for his own use and benefit and on the strength of the personal information he provided the Bank. The Foundation upheld that it never gave Tan authorization to co-sign in his place as its President any promissory note and that the Bank is fully aware that the loans contracted were made in Tan’s personal capacity and for his own personal use and benefit and that the Foundation never benefitted, directly or indirectly in any way or manner, thereof. The Foundation then interjected a cross-claim against Tan declaring that he, going beyond his authority, should be solely liable for the said loans, and a counterclaim against the Bank for damages and attorney’s fees. For Tan’s part, he admitted that he committed the loans from the Bank in his personal capacity. The parties, however, agreed that the loans were to be paid from the proceeds of Tan’s shares of common stocks in the Lapu-Lapu Industries Corporation which is a real estate firm. The loans were covered by promissory notes which were automatically rekindled every year at an amount which includes the unpaid interest, until the time that Tan would be able to pay the same amount from the proceeds of his abovementioned shares. According to Tan, the employee of the Bank required him to attach two signatures on every promissory note, giving him guarantee that the loan documents would be filled out in accordance with their agreement. Yet, after he signed and delivered the loan documents to the Bank, these were filled out not in accord with their agreement, wherein the Foundation was included as party. Further, previous to its filling of the complaint, the Bank made no claim on him. After the trial, the court handed over judgment. First, obliged Tan and the Foundation to pay jointly and solely to the Bank the principal obligation for the four promissory notes in the amount of P 493, 566.61 which includes all their charges included in the same, with 14% interest per annum, computed from January 24, 1979 until the same are fully paid, with an additional 2% service charges and 1% monthly penalty charges. Second, the court obliged Tan and the Foundation to pay jointly and solely, attorney’s fees in the equivalent amount of 25% of the total amount due from them on the promissory notes, including all charges and lastly, both Tan and the Foundation are obliged to pay jointly and solely proceedings expenses of P 1,000.00 plus costs of the suit. The CA supported with modification the judgment of the court by deleting the award of attorney’s fees in the favor of the Bank so that there will be no bias. The petition for review on certiorari was filed by Tan an d the Foundation. ISSUE: 1. Whether Tan and the foundation should be held jointly and solely liable. 2. Whether the foundation gave Tan an apparent authority to deal with the Bank. RULING: 1. As it is in the doctrine of corporate entity, the court did not make a mistake in holding Tan and the Foundation jointly and solely liable. Given these circumstances Tan representing himself as the President of Lapu-Lapu Foundation Inc., Tan opening a savings account and a current account in the name of the corporation, signing the application form as well as the necessary sample signature cards twice for himself and the Foundation, and Tan submitting a notarized Secretary’s Certificate from the corporation, attesting that he has been authorized to sign for and in behalf of the Lapu-Lapu Foundation any and all checks, drafts or other orders with respect to the Bank; to perform business with the Bank, negotiate loans, agreement, obligations, promissory notes and other commercial documents; and to initially acquire a loan of P100, 000.00 from any bank – Tan and the Foundation cannot hide under the corporate veil. Because of the transactions Tan entered on the behalf o f the Foundation, the Foundation is deemed liable. 2. According to the Secretary’s Certificate, Tan, the President, was given supposed and clear authority by the Foundation to, among other things, deal with the Bank. For that reason, the Foundation is prohibited from questioning the authority of Tan to attain the subject loans from the respondent Bank. Since it is a known doctrine that if a corporation knowingly allows one of its officers, or any other agents, to act within the scope of a noticeable authority, and holds him out to the public as someone who holds the power to do those acts, the corporation is prohibited from denying the agent’s authority.

TESCO Marketing and Financial Analysis

TESCO Marketing and Financial Analysis Jump to: Marketing Mix of TESCO | SWOT Analysis of Tesco | PESTLE Analysis of Tesco | Porters 5 Forces Analysis of TESCO Tesco company obtained its name and begun its first operations in 1929 when Jack Cohen consolidated his small-scale business by joining forces with T. E. Stockwell. By 1939, Tesco owned a hundred operational stores that were cushioned by its creative innovations both in warehousing and stock control. Currently, there is some degree of affection that the people from the working class maintain for the company and it can be traced back to the beginning of Second World War when the company was the first one to introduce food-rationing way before the government did. Tesco undertook its first expansion when it opened a store in Hungary in 1995. Other international expansions followed in 1990s and they include expansion to Thailand, the Republic of Ireland, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Northern Ireland, Taiwan, and South Korea (Tesco Corporate, 2008). Tesco is now the Britains largest food retailer, employing over 240,000 people worldwide and has remarkable net yearly profits of over  £1 billion. Tesco serves a total of twelve international markets, including a store in California in the United States opened in 2007 as well as all areas of the United Kingdom. The company is head quartered in Delamare Rd. Cheshunt, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom. Products and Services range Tesco offers a broad range of products and services, spanning across several sectors and industries. Toscos retail outlets offer groceries, electrical and entertainment goods, mobile phones and accessories and clothing. Other products include those it offers in its direct business that provides other categories of items like Jewelries and watches, sound and vision, grocery; DIY and car maintenance; sports and leisure; toys and gifts; home and bathroom; baby and toddler and furniture and kitchen (Tesco Corporate, 2008). Brands The company has several brands including adminstore, dobbies Garden, clubcard, cullens, harts, homever, kipa, Tesco, Tesco Express, Tesco extra store, Tesco homeplus, teco.com, Tesco.net, Tesco metro and ISP. The Marketing Mix Market orientation in cooperates satisfying the market through an understanding and response to the local needs of the final and intermediate customers, competitors and the macro-environment leading to superior performance. Tesco as been able to market mix through its emphasis on customer needs through its values philosophy no one tries harder for customers; treat people how we like to be treated. Which are disseminated through an internal marketing strategy by distributing the companys papers to its employees (Mockler, 2002). Another way Tesco has succeeded in market mixing is the use of its clubcard loyalty card scheme and websites like tesco.com. Through these, the company has been able to acquire a significant customer base, which an analysis can be performed on. Clubcard significantly influence consumer behaviour in the UK and its closely integrated with the business processes and aligns with the brand and brand strategy. Tesco utilizes the use of online services to enhance its customer experience. These include establishing a site that easy to use, faster, relevant, valuable, serviceable and enhance product development (Rowley, 2008). In addition, Tesco has developed other online products to meet new customer needs like offering of music download and developing grocery delivery services that includes wine and white goods. Tesco also use its product range to create stronger customer experience as a customer is able to purchase a range of products in a single store. In addition, online services have been made easier hence; a customer takes the shortest time with least effort to complete and order creating better customer experience. Tesco uses technology to gather marketing information and planning. First, is the scanning of clubcard to derive information required for customer database. Secondly, is the ability of customers to collect points through the scheme through transactions with various partners and the online services (Grant, 2005). Thirdly, is the data analysis process which Tesco has paid a lot of attention in its design hence ensuring an adequate database, data currency, data equality and tight control of data analysis costs. Tesco another marketing mix is the their astute response to perceived opportunities and threats like entering UK market with express format in 1995 and by refining same format Tesco opened new generation of express units which included pre-fabricated facilities. Tesco operate as the worlds leading internet grocer and runs financial services through a joint venture with the Royal Bank of Scotland. Tesco utilises the technique of entering markets where competition is weak or fragmented hence there is no presence of established global retail giants (Hirsh, 2008). Tesco is very adaptable to its marketing strategies like the idea of not introducing the use of clubcard scheme in US newly opened stores since research found out that most consumer were cynical about the concept. SWOT Analysis (S)trengths: Tescos strengths in grocery retail allow it to compete easily with companies like Sainsbury, ASDA, and Marks Spencer. This has led to its brand name and financial power becoming strengths in themselves. This has led to many more stores being built at home and abroad, leading to geographical strength. The introduction of Tesco Express and Tesco metro show led to strength in flexibility to increase market share. (W)eaknesses: The SWOT analysis of Tesco reveals several weaknesses that include great amount of fossil fuel that is being used in its transport network. With an ever increasing oil prices,  Tesco needs to keep a close monitoring of its transport costs. Another weakness is the Tescos high dependence on the UK grocery market, which is affected by political factors hence it is need to increase its foreign outlets and selling other goods. (O)pportunities: The main opportunities for Tesco, is in the online arena. Tesco has already had many online successes, having turned the Amazon threat into an opportunity by selling books at lower prices (Caves Porter, 1977). Tesco biggest problem in pursuing possible opportunities is deciding exactly which ones to pursue and this is definitely a nice position to be. (T)hreats: Possible threats to Tesco include fluctuations in the stock market and tax increases.  Most companies worry about taxes, and have an objective of decreasing the tax burden. But probably the biggest threat is innovation and competition by other supermarkets, including Asda, Sainsbury, Morrison, and Waitrose. PESTLE Analysis Political factors: Tesco operates in a globalize environment, as it owns stores in other countries hence its performance is highly influenced by the prevailing political and legislative conditions in these countries. Employment legislations encourage retailers to provide a mix of job opportunities and in Tesco implementing legislations, it offers employment opportunities to a larger number of students, disabled and the elderly who are being paid at lower rates and due to high staff turnover, these employees become loyal and desirable to the company (George, 1994). Environmental factors: Considering the fact that in recent times successes of many retail dealers have been threatened by societal concerns regarding environmental issues; Tescos corporate social responsibility is concerned with the ways in which the organization is to exceed the minimum obligations to other stakeholders specified through regulation and corporate governance. The government has a strategy in place that promotes sustainable production and consumption to cut on waste, reduced consumption of resources and to minimize levels damage to the environmental (Heiens, 1990). This legislation has increased costs that are incurred on advertising highly processed and fatty foods. This directly affects the already adapted Toscos product ranges thus affecting relationships with both suppliers and customers Social /cultural factors: Tesco has increased the amount of non-food items that are available for sale as current trend indicate that as result of variable social changes most of British customers have moved towards one stop and bulk shopping. Customers function and social conditioning is reflected by the type of goods and services they demand hence affect their attitudes and beliefs. Currently, customers are becoming aware of health issues and hence constant changing attitudes towards foods. Tesco has been able to adapt to the evolving product mix by accommodating the increased demand for organic foods. Thirdly, demographic changes as aging has led to increased working females resulting in reduced home meal preparation hence Tesco now focus on value-added products and services as well as adopting its own label share of the business mix. Technological factors: This is a major variable that has influenced development of many Tesco products and these newly adopted technologies benefit the company and its customers by raising customers satisfaction through increased goods availability, availability of more convenient shopping experience and more personalized services. Tesco utilize the following technologies in its operations: Radio Frequency Identification, intelligent scale, wireless devices, self-check out machine and electronic labeling (McGahan, 2004). In addition, communication of needs to customers in real time has been made possible through the adoption of Electronic point of Scale (EPoS), electronic scanners and the Electronic Funds Transfer Systems (EFTPos). Legislative factors: Governmental intervention in regulation of some operation in the industry through formation of bodies to regulate the code of practices and the issues of monopoly. These legislations and policies directly impacts on the performance of Tesco, for instance the body concerned with Code of practice prevents the company from demanding payments from its suppliers and the privilege of changing agreed prices without notice (Yip, 2004). Also policies on monopoly (license requirements and limits to access raw materials) reduce buyers power and limits entry in to the sector. For Tesco to implement politically correct pricing policies it has to lower price on promoted goods while compensatively raising prices on other goods. Economic factors: economic factors influence the companys costs, demand, price and profits thus highly influential factors like unemployment greatly decrease effective demand for goods affecting the demand of production of such goods. Most of these factors are out of control of the Tesco Company thus its effects on marketing mix if profound (Merrilees Fry, 2005). The company is therefore reliant on intentional business, which yields greater profits to the company. Competitive Analysis: Porters 5 Forces Bargaining power of suppliers: This is a force represented by the power of suppliers that can be influenced by other major grocery chains and the fear of loosing their businesses to other well-established chains or supermarkets (Henry, 2008). To counter this force, Tesco and Asda have negotiated for better promotional prices from suppliers that the smaller chains cannot match with. Some of the UK-based suppliers are threatened by the growing ability of larger chins like Tesco to source their products from abroad at cheaper deals and hence this forces of competitive rivalry has reduced the profit margins if Tesco and other chains and suppliers. Threat of new entrants: Most of UK grocery market is dominated by few supermarket business competitors and major brands from Tesco, Asda, Safeway and Sainsbury own a larger stake of the market. These chains have been able to build their power on one-stop shopping, major market mix adventure and on operating efficiency thus, greatly affecting traditional shops and creating a barrier to new companies who desire to enter the grocery market. This is possible through of high capital, due to highly developed chains and large fixed costs. In addition, other barriers include economies of scale and differentiation because of Tesco and Asda engaging in aggressive operational tactics in product development, promotion and better distribution. Tesco .Tesco has put huge investments in advanced technology for checkouts and stock control systems have affected both new entrants and existing ones. Bargaining power of competitors: The sector of grocery retailing as been growing significantly both in market size and in dominance. There has been an increased retailer concentration as well as utilization of a range of a range of formats. The purchasing power of the food-retailing industry is often concentrated in the hands of a relatively small number of retail buyers. Tesco is accruing larger customer information to help it communicate with its customers as well as to try to satisfy their sophisticated demands. This highly competitive market has led to accelerated level of development resulting to retailer innovativeness in order to maintain and build market share through development of trading formats in response to consumer changes. Dominant market leaders like Tesco have responded by focusing on price and value while reinforcing added-value of their elements. Bargaining power of customers: Porter theorized that the more products that become standardized or undifferentiated, the lower the switching cost, and hence, more power is yielded to buyers Porter M. (1980). Tesco has been able to achieve this through the use of its club card, loyalty card. It is the companys retention strategy which has increased its profitability. In addition, Tesco brands have controlled and retained its customer base through customized services, better choices, low pricing and maintaining a constant inflow of in-store promotions (Scott Graiser. 2004). Large number of customers demands to do shopping in supermarkets that sell non-food items hence providing them with new strategic expansion into other new market like pharmacies and banking sector. Most customers are now informed of fair trade and the influence of western consumers on the expectations and aspirations of third world producers. Finally, production of ecologically and ethically sound consumer produce like coffee and tea is a viable venture and are therefore readily available in majority of chain stores. Threats of substitutes: General substitution reduces demand of a product because there is a threat of consumers switching to other alternatives. (Porter, 1980). In grocery industry there is a product-product and substitute from need further weakened by new brands. Tesco and other players are now trying to acquire existing small-scale operations by opening metro and express stations in local towns and city centres.

Essay --

1. Introduction Globalization has incurred dramatic transformation to commerce practices around the globe. Corporations like Intel, Apple, and IBM have begun to outsource experts from different parts of the globe, reasoning variation in firm’s structures and work shifts (Bernstein, Kripalani and Engardio, 2004). Consolidation between airlines (e.g., sky alliances, on world members and star alliances) is further instances of variations caused due to this phenomenon. According to Jean de la Croix (2011), like many other industries, hospitality and tourism sector has also been affected by the globalization. Hence, this dissertation peruses the impacts of globalization on 5 star luxury hotels in Geneva city, Switzerland with a specific concern on how it impacts the hotels marketing strategy. In this etude, â€Å"globalization† reflects on the procedure of augmenting cultural and social relationship, economic, and political interdependence, market and financial accretion that are due to th e advancements in transportation technologies, communication, and business liberation (Lenway and Eden, 2002) This dissertation contains of 2 relevant etudes. The first study is designed to investigate the impacts of globalization in the marketing strategy of 5 star hotels in Geneva and the second study investigates the link between the impacts of globalization and the scale of corporate marketing and international marketing implementation of the 5 star hotels. As international business and trade expand, there is no doubt that international connections will become more and more significant for the hotel industry. According to Zhang Zhen (2005), in the late decades, many hotels have received foreign customers one day or another. Then, as the sector evolve... ...n indicator was lately developed by collaboration between EDS Corporation and Foreign Policy Magazine (Foreign Policy, 2004). In this dissertation, the impacts of globalization are divided into two broad groups: 1) global market threats, and 2) worldwide market opportunities. These two important impacts are chosen in order to be perused as they are often mentioned in the past literature as one of the most certain and evident impacts of globalization (e.g., Molle & Jones, 2003; Smith & Calantone, 1999; Closs, 1992). Many believe that global market results in increases in market, business and enterprise potential and availability to the resources (Srivatava & Rukert, 1990; Smith & Calantone, 1999). However, some other like Heenan, 1989 and Jones, 2002; believe that global market results in an increase in the number and level of competition, and the degree of doubt.

The Benefits of the Death Penalty Essay -- Cause Effect Capital Punish

   Fifty-nine criminals were put to death by means of the death penalty in 2004. Whether it had been by lethal injection, electrocution, gas chamber, hanging or even the firing squad was it the correct thing to do? This is a commonly asked question concerning this controversial topic. Should these criminals, murders, and rapists have be put to death? Is the death penalty a proper form of punishment? As Sellin stated, "Whenever hurt is done you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth..." (9). Is the death penalty morally wrong? Anti Death penalty advocates argue life is "so" sacred that we shouldn't even be taking the lives of murderers, but what about the innocent people that died because of that murder. Steven D. Stewart, Prosecuting Attorney for Clark County, Indiana, put it best, " I believe life is sacred. It cheapens the life of an innocent murder victim to say that society has no right to keep the murderer from ever killing again. In my view, society has not only the right, but the duty to act in self defense to protect the innocent" (12). Another controversial topic rendering to the death penalty is cost. Is it really more expensive to keep a criminal in prison for life or is it worth while to sentence them to death? Statistics show that the cost of sentencing an individual to life imprisonment and sentencing an individual to the death penalty are generally equivalent to one another. It is the actual act of the execution that raises the costs. To many people the costs seem strange and useless, but to those who lost a loved one to that criminal find it relieving knowing that there is no way he will ever return. In fact, in a survey conducted in 1995, 74% of people support capital punishment even if th... ...ential.org.dpic/feddp.html 8.) "Innocence and the Death Penalty." Death Penalty Information Center [Online]. November 9, 1999. Available: http://www.essential.org/dpic/innoc.html 9.) Kamis, Theodore. "Capital Punishment on Trial: Which Side is Corect?" [Online]. November 9, 1999. Available: http://users.hsonline.net/beamer/cappun2.html 10.) Paper Presented Before the House of Parliament. "The Death Penalty Will Discourage Crime, 1701." The Death Penalty: Opposing Viewpoints. Greenhaven Press, 1986. 11.) "Pragmatic Arguments Against The Death Penalty." [Online]. November 9, 1999. Available: http://pages.prodigy.com/DC/vortex/prag.html 12.)Stewart, Steven D.. "The Death Penalty: A Message from the Procecuting Attorny." Office of the Clark County Prosecuting Attorney [Online]. November 9, 1999. Available: http:www.clarkprosecutor.org/html/death.htm

19th century photography Essay

Discuss how 19th century photography was utilised to construct notions of social and cultural identity. Examine at least one image from the 19th century as well as at least one example of a contemporary portrait that has a resonance with these earlier practices. Photography’s influence on modern day is so vast that it is practically impossible to imagine a world without such technology. Due to the great deal of photography surrounding us, we have gradually become accustomed to the impact photography has on our social and cultural identity, that we no longer notice just how much it affects us and the world. If we take a look back to the creation of photography in the 19th century, we are able to understand its deep effect upon the social zeitgeist and how it constructed notions of social and cultural identity. We can successfully examine exactly how society reacted to the debut of photography, as each of its practical uses that were inaccessible beforehand; both scientifically and socially, were being uncovered. See more: Is the Importance of being earnest a satirical play essay The announcement of photography in 1839 evoked the desire to apply the new medium to the portrait. Andre Disderi popularized and patented the process of The Carte de Visite – a type of photograph which unlike earlier photography, was small, cheap and easily distributed. The use of the carte spread across France, Europe and America. The idea of celebrity, beauty and fame blossomed and theatre performers ‘flocked to the studios to have their portraits taken as lasting memento’s of transitory performances.’ (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, p. 45-6) Eventually cartes became commercially available and the creation of family photographic albums began, later to â€Å"be handed down through the generations.† (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, p. 46) Sitters would order from a dozen up to a hundred copies of a print to trade them with friends and family. In the 1870s, cartes were replaced with the success of cabinet cards, eventually leading to the immense populari ty of the Kodak Box Brownie, sparking the mass phenomenon of home snapshot photography that still exists today. (Tom and Marnie Hill 2011) For the first time, the middle class was provided with a means of remembering and cherishing dead loved ones with a keepsake photograph of them post  death. Post mortem photography was most common with infants and young children due to the high childhood mortality rates. The post mortem photograph may be the only image of the child the family ever had. (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001) Postmortem photography increased the emotional investment people were making in their loved ones. Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote to a friend â€Å"I would rather have such a memorial of one I dearly loved, than the noblest Artists’ work ever produced.† (Henisch and Henisch 1994, p. 166) Unknown photographers (The Seventh Sense, 2004) In both images, the woman in the middle is dead, propped up by their loved ones. Prior to photography, â€Å"diagrams could help to inform, maps to chart, drawings and paintings to recognize,† (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, p. 57) but none of these could be used as legitimate evidence. Photography’s ability to produce illustrative information and evidential knowledge far better than â€Å"the best artist could deliver† (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, p. 61) was quickly realized, creating a roaring up rise in the success of science. In 1839, William Henry Fox Talbot wrote that photography would be highly beneficial towards the inductive methods of modern science allowing the capture of chance natural events, which might then be followed up with experiments. (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001) The 19th century was a period where methods of observing the social world were appearing, particularly in mathematics and statistics. Human normality and abnormality rates were often recorded and presented as a chart or graph. It was believed that majority of society tended to behave in similar ways, so it was clearly evident when a significant minority exhibited signs of abnormality, as they would diverge considerably away from the mean, or the ‘normal.’ (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001) A link between the statistics and photography was soon discovered and photographs began being used to depict the uniformity of the normal and the diversity of the abnormal. The photography provided exact depictions, and was more specific and detailed than a graph could ever be, which eliminated possible mistakes from being  made. This abolished any unnecessary, accidental scrutiny or control over people whose health or behavior were considered a threat to the development of society. From this, photography was proved to provide truth, which ultimately ended written records. Dr Hugh Welch Diamond, a leading figure in the new treatment centered psychiatry, began a project that used photography as part of the treatment process. Diamond wanted to discover the nature of his patients’ character so he created portraits of them to study their facial features. Diamond then showed the portraits to his patients in attempts to help them understand they are ill. Although little evidence showed success in his therapeutic use of photography, Diamond is remembered for popularizing the medium of photography and lessening its mystique. He was one of the first to appreciate the concept of photography as a means of communication, understanding that a picture speaks for itself if you listen to the â€Å"telling language of nature.† (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, p. 81) Duchenne de Boulogne was a physician, who began to experiment with electrical currents to force upon neural action in his patients, believing this would help him understand the wiring of human bodies and consequently find a cure for his patients. (Darwin & Ekman 1998, p.404-5) Duchenne published a series of photographs exploring facial expressions in his book ‘The Mechanism of Human Facial Expression.’ His images were groundbreaking for science because of the validity of the experiment by the use of photographs. Duchenne â€Å"initiated himself into the art of photography† (Duchenne de Boulogne 1990, p. 39) because it was â€Å"only photography [which could render the subjects’ expressions] as truthful as a mirror, attaining such desirable perfection.† (Duchenne de Boulogne 1990, p. 36) Although Duchenne wasn’t the first to use photography in terms of medicine, he was the first modern doctor who worked conceptually. He thoroughly understood the principles of perspective and light, which lead to successful images similar to art photography. From Duchenne’s research he concluded that the language of facial expression was a Mechanism and that the â€Å"reason behind the lines wrinkles and folds of the moving face† (Duchenne de Boulogne 1990, pg. 1) was triggered by our inner emotions and our soul. Many of the plates published in Duchenne’s book were of one particular patient, an â€Å"old toothless man, with a thin face, whose features, without being absolutely ugly, approached ordinary triviality.† (Darwin & Ekman 1998, p. 405) The man suffered from palsy, paralyzing his face making him resistant to any pain. Using electrical devices, Duchenne could spark fake emotions in his patient allowing him to create studies on human expression. Guillaume-Benjamin Duchenne de Boulogne, Untitled, 1862 (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, fig 49) Duchenne’s research had importance in not only medicine and photography, but also in the study of human evolution. Charles Darwin, a British naturalist owned copies of Duchenne’s work and was particularly interested in it because it supported and provided suitable visual evidence to his universalistic ideas and theories about human evolution. Darwin believed that â€Å"some expressions, such as bristling of the hair under the influence of extreme terror, or the uncovering of the teeth under that of furious rage, can hardly be understood except on the belief that man once existed in a much lower animal-like condition’ (Darwin 1872, p19.) Duchenne’s work was published in Darwins book, â€Å"The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals†, which ‘played a major role in bringing photographic evidence into the scientific world.’ (Prodger 1999, p. 401) Photography’s ability to provide traces of real events secured its role within almost all areas of science. The medium became a very important tool in anthropological research where human builds, features, skin colours, skull sizes and faces were studied, grouping certain people together due to their similarities enabling classifications, comparisons and contrasts to be made. J. T Zealy took images of black slaves to document the characteristics of the African race. The photographs were taken to support the theory of Polygenisis, aiming to convince white viewers that the continuation of slavery should be supported because the African body was so different and alienated that they must be a separate species. (Barger M.S, White W.B,  1991) J.T. Zealy. Renty, Congo, on Plantation of BF Taylor, Columbia, SC. 1850 (US Slaves, 2011) Darwins research ‘showed in considerable details that all the chief expressions exhibited by man are the same throughout the world† (Darwin 1872, p. 335) which exiled some of the racism emerging at the time, confirming that white races don’t possess any superiority over the other races. In 1882, questions about social groups and classes began to arise. Photography was used to categorize the types of people within a single race, by studying their ‘tendencies and proclivities’. (Ryan 1997, p.168) These photographs of identification allowed the development of a much more humane method of apprehending criminals, controlling prisoners, treating the insane, and limiting the spread of crime, poverty and disease. This linked to the study of criminology where photography was used as a means to recognize repeat offenders and to catalogue police records. Alphonse Bertillon standardized the criminal mug shot by creating the first system of physical measurements, photography and record-keeping that police could use to identify reoffending criminals. The police adopted his anthropometric system and called it the bertillonage stystem. (Visible Proofs 2006, para. 2) Bertillon also took an interest in genes, and how physical and mental characteristics were passed on hereditarily. He created a series of his own family according to the accepted bertillonage system as part of his research. (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001) Alphonse Bertillon, Francois Bertillon age 23 months, 1893 (left) Alphonse Bertillon, Alphonse Bertillon, 1891 (right) (Hamilton and Hargreaves 2001, fig 56 & 62.) Photography proved to be of huge success in the field of science, but other uses for the medium were also discovered. Contemporary Australian photographer Simon Obarzanek has a resonance with 19th century anthropologic and criminology practices in the way that his subjects are being treated as studied specimens. He has no interest in the character traits of the subjects he shoots; he is only interested in their physical attributes. Obarzanek uses the same method of observing, exploring and recording the human being as anthropologists once did. Obarzaneks’ ‘80 faces’ is a series of black and white mug shot portraits of teenagers’ aged 14-17. He focuses on the face at its most basic shape, scale and proportion of features. The portraits are always presented in groups engaging spectators to compare and contrast the faces. Although the photos are quite ordinary and general on their own, once put all together as a group, each person becomes an individual. (Mutual Art 2012, article 1) Simon Obarzanek, Untitled (80 faces) (1-6), 2002 (Karen Woodburd Gallery, 2012) Simon Obarzanek, Untitled (80 faces) (19-24), 2002 (Karen Woodburd Gallery, 2012) Again, Obarzanek portrays this sense of categorization resonant to 19th century anthropology in his series 10pm-1am. He records anonymous females at the times of 10pm-1am and as spectators we are engaged to study the subjects, creating our own ideas of their personality and habits. Simon Obarzanek, 10pm – 1am No.2,No.7, No.6, 2007 (Karen Woodburd Gallery, 2012) Similarly, contemporary German artists Bernd and Hilla Becher created black and white photographic typologies of industrial structures, fascinated by the similar shapes in which certain buildings were designed. The Bechers would travel to large mines and steels mills and photograph the major structures from the front, making them appear as simple diagrams. When displayed, images of structures with similar functions are displayed next to each other, inviting viewers to compare their forms and designs. A supporting photograph of the overall landscape was also displayed to give  the structures context. (Moma 2012, article 1) Although the Bechers’ didn’t create portraits of humans like 19th century anthropology, their work is very much the same thing. The photographs still study the features of the subject and put them in categories. Bernd and Hilla Becher, Winding Towers, Germany 1971-1991 (Moma 2012) Prior to the introduction of photography in 1839, society had never encountered anything quite like it. Once the medium was introduced to the world, it appeared to be useful in countless aspects of life; as a tool for evidence, identification and recording and is still used today for many of the same reasons. It was inevitable that the medium would create notions of social and cultural identity during the 19th century due to its groundbreaking effects in science, art and social living. Photography has come a long way since its invention and has made significant improvement making the medium a worldwide phenomena. BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Barger M.S, & White W.B, The Daguerreotype: Nineteenth-Century Technology and modern Science, Smithsonian Institution, 1991 Darwin, C, 1872, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, Fontana Press, London Darwin, C, & Ekman, P 1998, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, With Introduction, Afterword and Commentarries by Ekman, P. 3rd edn. Oxford university Press, New York Duchenne, G-B, 1990, The Mechanism of Human Facial Expression, Cambridge University Press, USA Hamilton, P & Hargreaves, R, 2001, The Beautiful and the Damned, Lund Humphries in association with The National Portrait Gallery, London. Henisch, Heinz K. & Henisch, Bridget A., 1994, The Photographic Experience 1839-1914, Pennsylvania: Penn State Press Hill, M & Hill, T, 2011 Wyandot County (Images of America), Arcadia Publishing Proger, P, â€Å"Photography and the expressions of the emotions.† Appendix III, p399-410, in Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals, 1872 , with introduction, afterward and commentaries by Paul Ekman, London: Fontana Press Ryan, J R, 1997l Picturing Empire: Photography and the Visualisation of the British Empire, Reaktion Books, London Websites: Karen Woodbury Gallery 2012, 80 faces, 10pm-1am, photographs, viewed 20 May 2012, < http://www.kwgallery.com/artist/simon-obarzanek/10pm-.-1am-no.6/21/291> Moma 2012, Exhibitions, viewed on 12 May 2012, Mutual Art 2012, Obarzanek, Simon, 80 Faces, MutualArt Services Inc., viewed on 12 May 2012 Seventh Sense, The, 2004, Unknown photographers, Photograph, viewed 12 May 2012, < http://ken_ashford.typepad.com/blog/2009/08/more-post-mortem-photography.html>. US Slaves 2011, Delia, American born, daughter of Renty, Congo & Renty, Congo, on Plantation of BF Taylor, Columbia, SC., photograph, viewed 11 May 2012, < http://usslave.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/slave-daguerreotypes-for-louis-aggassiz.html>. Visible Proofs 2006, Forensic Views of the Body, Alphonse Bertillon, US National Library of Medicine, viewed on 12 May 2012,

Mass Media in Your Pocket or Purse Essay

We are in a time when the mass media is redefining itself at a level unmatched in human history. In fact, basic definitions of various long established mass media are rapidly evolving to include digital formats that would have seemed the stuff of science fiction a few years ago. Because of the rapid changes in mass media over the past several decades, this research will discuss the key subtopics related to mass media in an effort to better understand it overall. Mass Media Functions of Today’s Smart Phones and the I-Phone The evolution of mass media is quite literally a path that blazes through the history of the advancement of the human race. From the days when the ability to share the printed word on a large scale via the printing press to the telegraph, telephone, television and today the Internet and of course the smart phone, what has been seen is a way for the people of the world to communicate and for information such as news, advertising and the like to be spread. The mass media functions of today’s smart phones represent a tremendous advancement in mass media because the modern smart phone combines communication functions with the ability for the user of the smart phone to obtain information, be entertained, conduct business and to be marketed to by smart advertisers who are now harnessing smart phone technology to advertise products and services to a society that seems to be addicted to the use of the smart phone (Godwin-Jones). Overall, the I-Phone represents an innovation over its predecessors because of the user-friendly interface which gives the user of the phone the ability to load his or her own content into the phone, such as MP3 and video as well as the ability to access other available broadcast and downloadable material (Cortada). What this represents is an opportunity for the user to make the smart phone an extension of their own tastes in entertainment, and for the marketing of specific content, based on user interests. Today’s Early Adopters and Smart Phones Early adopters are in fact making the very most of the smart phone technology that is readily available today. Taking the utility of the smart phone far beyond the amazing ability to communicate with others in the blink of an eye, the smart phone is used today for commerce, the protection of the common order and safety, and to literally launch an entirely new segment of the modern economy. In commerce, the ability to use a phone to transmit massive amounts of data in an instant has made it possible for the trading of commodities, stocks and other negotiable instruments by millions of additional people, rapidly expanding the trading markets for these particular items (Cortada) and making it possible for literally billions of additional dollars to be injected into the financial markets in a very quick period of time. Public safety organizations and personnel utilize smart phone technology to coordinate efforts in times of emergency, to share the information that is needed across various agencies to achieve the goals of protecting the public, and to prevent crime as well as to apprehend dangerous criminal offenders in record time (Weir). The ability to use smart phones to market to individuals and also to conduct sales and business has also launched the age of the work from home entrepreneur who can run an entire operation from their pocket or purse (Wang). Also, this technology is being used for education, especially in the language learning fields, where the versatile communication elements of smart phones are well suited to language learning itself (Chinnery). All of these many uses for smart phones surely will lead to changes in the way we use mass media, because as mass media becomes more portable, the need for the traditionally stationary means of mass media such as televisions, radios and even printed media like books and newspapers evolve into content that is accessed by the pocket-sized smart phone. Since there are, and will continue to be more and more users of smart phones, it is fair to assume that media sources will focus on the latest means of spreading mass media, rather than wasting resources on outlets that face dwindling exposure. Limits on Today’s Smart Phone Technology For all of the great things that today’s smart phone technology makes possible, it must be noted that the technology has its limits. While innovations are constantly being made to thwart the treat of computer viruses, the widespread use of smart phones has led to what can be called epidemic proportions of viruses which have the ability to wipe out huge amounts of vital data just as fast as it could send it. This represents huge security risks to businesses because of the loss or theft of key business information, losses in productivity, and huge monetary costs to clean up and/or repair viruses that are spreading at incredibly fast paces. Of course, much of these problems are being intentionally inflicted by those who spread viruses merely for the malicious fun of doing so as well as those who illegally extract information from its rightful owners for purposes of identity theft and other fraud (Panettieri). The easy convenience of communication and the sharing of information are also posing an ethical problem in international academia. In generations past, the passing of notes from one student to another in the classroom was something that teachers forbade, but often did so with a chuckle because of the rather innocent nature of the offense. However, the modern smart phone has led to students spreading offensive material, personal information stolen from other students and such, which has made it possible for lives to be destroyed and reputations tarnished like never before. Clever students have also harnessed smart phone technology and mass media sources to cheat on examinations, leading to a massive erosion of academic integrity in the modern classroom (Godwin-Jones). On a more abstract level, the use of smart phones for the purposes of mass media has in many instances eaten away at the human experience of actually communicating with people in a face to face setting. As a result, society as a whole has become more fragmented, isolated and desensitized to the feelings, needs and problems of others. When life and death are reduced to electronic impulses on a tiny handheld screen, it is all too easy for the individual to simply switch off the device and pretend that what they had seen was not real. Meanwhile, the pain and suffering is in fact quite real, and if no one is attuned to this fact, the human race as a whole becomes somewhat artificial because they are not expected to be able to directly interact with people, but only communicate with them via text messages or voicemail for the most part. As a result, the art of communication which has advanced humanity up to this point is put aside and people revert back to a more primitive way of life when communication was unpopular and people were not as well informed as they should be. This will cause humanity to suffer, and should not be allowed to occur. Therefore, let it be noted that smart phones should be used as an aid to, and not a substitute for, human contact. Mass Media Opportunities for Smart Phones Smart phones, for all of their possible pitfalls, do in fact offer some wonderful mass media opportunities that are worth discussing. Consider, for example, a potential new product that needs to be test marketed. Rather than spending millions of dollars for conventional advertising, the gathering of test market groups in physical locations and the associated costs of travel, transportation and more, mass media via smart phone technology can instantly broadcast advertising messages, transmit marketing data, and keep in touch with potential customers all without the need for huge amounts of expensive equipment and the like. Also, intellectual products like music, literature and such can be instantly distributed, making it easy and fun to be entertained and culturally stimulated at the same time. Overall, what should be understood is that the mass media opportunities for smart phones are endless, and only time will tell how they ultimately manifest themselves. Conclusion Through this research, it has become clear that not only has mass media progressed to the point where it is available literally in one’s pocket or purse, but also to the point where exposure to mass media takes place for the average person on a constant basis. Perhaps most fascinating of all is the definite possibility that all of the innovations seen thus far are only the beginning of the journey, opening up limitless potential in the future. Therefore, in closing, while this research has concluded, for mass media, the journey is only beginning. Works Cited Chinnery, George M. â€Å"Going to the MALL: Mobile Assisted Language Learning. † Language, Learning & Technology 10. 1 (2006): 9+. Cortada, James W. The Digital Hand : How Computers Changed the Work of American Manufacturing, Transportation, and Retail Industries /. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Godwin-Jones, Robert. â€Å"Emerging Technologies E-Texts, Mobile Browsing and Rich Internet Applications. † Language, Learning & Technology 11. 3 (2007): 8+. Panettieri, Joseph C. â€Å"Don’t Be Out’smart’ed: The New Breed of Smart Mobile Phones Will Soon Pose the Biggest Danger to Your Data Security. Software Companies Are Gearing Up to Nullify the Threat. † T H E Journal (Technological Horizons In Education) 33. 7 (2006): 18+. Wang, Yuping. â€Å"Supporting Synchronous Distance Language Learning with Desktop Videoconferencing. † Language, Learning & Technology 8. 3 (2004): 90+. Weir, Tom. â€Å"Innovators or News Hounds?. † Newspaper Research Journal 20. 4 (1999): 62.

The Psychology of Dreams

Why we dream: an analysis of contemporary research and theory on the function of dreaming Krista L. Hulm Essay Topic Why do we dream? Discuss with reference to psychological theories and research. Abstract Within classical psychoanalytic psychology, Freud’s (1900) conception of dreams is the most prominent dream theory among modern Western culture (Fosshage, 1983). Freud theorised that dreams serve a dual, compromise function. He suggested that unconscious, instinctual drive energy pushes for discharge, moving toward the expression of a consciously unacceptable impulse. The reduction in conscious restraints characteristic of sleep allows a symbolic, disguised dream expression of the repressed wish. The overt (manifest) content of the dream represents a compromise between the instinctual forces (latent content) striving for expression, on one hand, and the repressive forces of consciousness on the other (Freud, 1900). Freud assumed that the energy pushing for action would awaken the sleeper if not for the dream which, through symbolic discharge, allows a return to sleep. Therefore the dream is seen as serving the biological function of preserving sleep, with the psychological function of discharging an unacceptable wish that might otherwise burst destructively into waking life (Dallet, 1973). Various aspects of Freud’s dream theory have undergone review from the point of view of contemporary dream research (Breger, 1967; Foulkes, 1964). It is generally agreed that with respect to dream function in particular, the sleep preservation view is invalid and the underlying model on which the wish-fulfilment theory rests requires extensive revision. A study on REM sleep deprivation and its effects on depression found that when dream sleep was experimentally repressed in depressed patients, they were found to be more outgoing, energetic, more likely to engage with others and generally less unhappy (Cartwright, 1993). This may be due to dreams of depressed people having the characteristic of being more self-blaming. These findings contradict with Freud’s theory: if dreams are a safe expression of infantile wishes, why does this function fail to help the depressed? Despite the many problems inherent in Freud’s theoretical formulation of dream function, his far-reaching work has provided a basis for many of the contemporary theories discussed below. Contemporary research on dreams using brain-imaging studies contradict the view that content emerges from random signals (Morewedge & Norton, 2009). The hippocampus, which is critical to the acquisition of some types of memories, and the amygdala, which is important for emotional memories, are both seen to be active during REM sleep in brain-imaging studies (Nielson & Strenstrom, 2005). This understanding of the physiological aspects of dreams supports the idea that one of the functions of sleep itself is to draw together recent experiences with one’s goals, problems and desires (Paller & Voss, 2004). Fossage’s (2007) organisational model of dreams stemmed from such understandings. The model proposes that the core process and function of dreaming is to organise data. More specifically, dream mentation, like waking mentation, develops, maintains, and restores psychological organisation and regulates affect in keeping with shifting motivational priorities. Research shows that babies spend 50% of their sleep time in REM sleep, adults 25% and older people 15% (Breger, 1977). From the idea that REM sleep quantitatively decreases throughout the lifespan, a number of theorists (Breger, 1967; Reiser, 1990) suggest that dreaming fosters structuralisation of the nervous system through the establishment of neural memory networks or maps and babies spend more time in REM in order to establish maps and corresponding categories of organisation. This suggestion supports the organisational model of dreaming. Furthermore, the organisational model of dreaming includes a revision of psychoanalytic theory to explain the content of dreams concluding, in short, that dreams more directly reveal – through affects metaphors and themes – the dreamer’s immediate concerns (Fosshage, 2007). References Bulkeley, K. (1993). Dreaming is play. Psychoanalytic Psychology 10(4), 501-514. Retrieved September 8, 2009, from PsychARTICLES database. Cartwright, R. (2000). How and why the brain makes dreams: A report card on current research on dreaming. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 23, pp. 914-916. Fosshage, J. L. (1983). The psychological function of dreams: A revised psychoanalytic perspective. Psychoanalysis and Contemporary Thought, 6, 641-669. Fosshage, J. L. (2007). The organizing functions of dreaming: Pivotal issues in understanding and working with dreams. International forum of psychoanalysis, 16, 4, 213-221. Retrieved 14 August 2009, from Academic Search Premier database. Freud, S. (1900). The interpretation of dreams. Revonsuo, A. (2000). The reinterpretation of dreams: An evolutionary hypothesis of the function of dreaming. Behavioural and Brain Sciences, 23, pp. 877-901.

Between Language Art and Language Play

The two articles delve into the contemporary debate of same sex union. The first one presents the conservative orthodox view of the Catholic faith on same sex union while the second article presents an unorthodox view which is more liberal and accepting. Both article advocate a stand on the same issue and aims to spread the good news of their stand. The two articles tackle the issue of same sex union by giving their own definition of marriage.The orthodox view argues that marriage, as instituted by God, is a faithful, exclusive, lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love and that same sex union is an altogether different thing from marriage since it does not fit the definition. They say that it is not based on the natural complementarity of male and female; it cannot cooperate with God to create new life; and the natural purpose of sexual union cannot be achieved by a same-sex union.The liberal view points otherwise saying that Marriage can b e defined as the unique and special form of committed friendship and this does not say that the persons have to be heterosexually attracted, thus people of the same sex can still be married. This contrasting view is an interesting point for further comparison and contrasting. Both authors use the bible as their authoritative source of arguments. The USCCB in sum claims that what is right is what is written in the bible, Prof.Maguire on his part claims that the bible as a historical account is not an account of what is right, it sometimes contain accounts which recommends what should not be done as depicted by the lesson of particular stories like in the stories about slavery. The liberal view purports that many Catholic theologians agree now with Protestant and Jewish theologians that same sex unions can be moral, healthy, and holy and that many Catholic people are living in same sex unions and adopting children and still practicing their Catholic faith however .While the USCCB cont inues to campaign against the equation of same sex unions to marriage and urges followers to keep their opinions in line with the teachings of their faith and of the bible. While using almost the same source, the bible and the interpretation of the word of God, both authors argue in different directions both of which does not directly rebut each other.

Abolitionism in William Blakes Works

Abolitionism in William Blake's Works William Blake’s Abolitionism â€Å"I know my Execution is not like Any Body Else I do not intend it should be so.† William Blake is arguably one of the most eccentric and enigmatic artists of the Romantic era. His ideas about religion, art and society are often considered anachronistic. In general, Blake’s vision is different from other Romantic era artists because of his lower-class background, his personal spirituality, and his interest in the visual arts. However, he does have similar opinions about the important issues of the time, especially concerning the French Revolution, abolitionism and the visionary imagination. In approaching Romantic literature with a global prospective, it is important to consider Blake’s unique contribution and influence, as well as his divisions. His oeuvre converges in fundamental ways with the literary art and the limitations of his time, including views on gender and racial equality. In this paper, I will focus on his ideas concerning slavery and the unique ways in which he expresses his abolitionism through an investigation of his poetry and art. I will examine the presentation of slavery and abolitionism through a close-reading of the poems â€Å"The Little Black Boy†, from Songs of Innocence, and â€Å"Visions†, from Visions of the Daughter of Albion. The literary analysis will incorporate analysis about various works of art by Blake, including the illustrations of these poems. The two poems demonstrate, through their abolitionist message, the oppressive forces of conventional religion and British moral and social expectations, and that they have corrupted natural relations between human beings. I will exhibit that although his poetry is highly progressive for its day, it still relays the underlying belief of his time that women and racial others are inferior. Blake is successful in exposing the problems of the conventional religion of Britain, but his highly spiritual and mythological vision makes his message less effective in causing any real change within society. Blake is worthy of academic attention and there is indeed an overwhelming amount of criticism on his works. I have learned a great deal from David Erdman’s article â€Å"Blake’s Vision of Slavery†, which outlines abolitionism in Visions. Saree Makdisi indicates the necessity of reevaluating the history of the Romantic-era when considering Blake’s works. Susan Fox also indicates Blake’s anachronistic role within the era, but argues that he exhibits the limitations of his time in utilizing women as metaphors for failure in his works. Anne Mellor indicates the argument of Visions, in terms of the human form and Blake’s spiritual beliefs, as a criticism of British morality for destroying the vitality of a true spiritual union. My analysis of abolitionism within the two poems will assert that Blake’s portrayal of slavery is linked to his larger program of addressing the injustice and false spirituality of power relations in British society. â€Å"The Little Black Boy† indicates Blake’s beliefs concerning the power of parents over children and racial inferiority, while Visions illustrates his ideas about gender equality and sexual relations. Despite his progressive opinions about equal relationships and abolitionism, Blake exhibits many of the divisions and limitations of his time. His greatest limitation is the complex mythological system that renders his artistic message politically ineffective. In the collection Songs of Innocence and Experience, Blake explores and depicts an â€Å"age when God is fully manifest in man† and feels the spiritual and psychological comfort of God’s protection and love (Matlak, 274). The poetry is highly profound in its promotion of an equal society based on love and freedom, not simply childlike naivety. This book of poetry, like many of his others, is illuminated with several works of art. Blake is unique in this practice because his artwork does not simply serve as supplements to the verse; they amplify, complicate and, at times, contradict the poetry. This challenges notions of reading, interpreting and the relationship between the written and visual arts. His artwork is highly original, and often considered anachronistic, within the English artistic tradition. He chose to use uncommon mediums, notably relief etchings for producing his illuminated books of poetry. Blake also painted in watercolor, a medium which rejected the he avy and traditional method of using expensive oil paints. This medium creates artwork that emphasizes light, pure color and lightness, while also rejecting the orthodox artistic notions of the English Academy and encouraging all classes to produce artistic works. The poem â€Å"The Little Black Boy†, from Songs of Innocence, portrays the simple spirituality of a child who believes in God’s promise of love, while also indicating the spiritual equality of humanity. The boy sings of the lessons his mother has taught him about the perfect afterlife he will enjoy. In this heaven, he will experience pure joy, but also equality with the white English boy. This simply constructed, childlike verse holds many layers of meaning. The poem poignantly asserts the spiritual equality of all humans, alluding to the Christian argument against slavery of his time. â€Å"The Little Black Boy† indicates the spiritual dignity and equality of the boy, therefore, valorizes him. Blake does this in multiple ways, most importantly through the assertion of the religious belief in heaven as a utopia where everyone is equal. The boy is taught that when in heaven he will be released from the oppression and subjugation encoded in his black body, become equal with the white English boy and be loved by God. His spiritual education provides the basis for the boy’s hope, while also promoting the notion of the equal spiritual union in heaven. Blake also promotes the boy’s dignity by referencing his mother and his education through her. The boy’s loving relationship with his mother (lines 7, 21) illustrates his youth and innocence, but also portrays him as more human and endearing. The boy learns diligently and quickly from his mother, who represents the voice of age and wisdom. Blake emphasizes learning as a significant part of childhood throughout his iconography and artwork. The title page of Songs of Innocence portrays two children reading a book lying on a woman’s lap, presumably their mother. The idyllic and bucolic scene indicates the spiritual growth of the children, which is in the hands of the older members of society. This illustration also exemplifies Blake’s vision of positive womanhood as natural and motherly, which was initiated in Songs of Innocence. Mellor and Matlak describe this iconography, â€Å"In Blake’s aesthetic world, the female is identified with nature, the physical body or matter, and the realm of the domestic. Blake’s positive females give birth, raise children, and offer sexual delight and supportive compassion to Blake’s males† (Matlak, 274). Another example of this scene of children learning is â€Å"Age Teaching Youth†, which portrays two children learning from an older figure through reading and verbal instruction. These two works illustrate the poem’s message that learning as an integral aspect of childhood and that children learn from the adults around them. The construction of the figures is similar to the second illustration of â€Å"The Little Black Boy†. Both compositions portray an adult figure sitting and addressing the small children at their feet. This construction emphasizes the authority of the adults, but also the eagerness and attentiveness of the children. They are willing to accept the ideas of the words of the adults. Blake’s promotion of the boy’s equality in â€Å"The Little Black Boy† has many complications and problems. Most importantly, the boy’s resignation to earthly subjugation and racism, as a result of his acquired belief in conventional religion, is problematic because of it is an acceptance of racial discrimination on earth and indicates that there is no need for real social change. The poem focuses on God’s light and heat, symbolizing Divine love, using the racial images of blackness and shadows. The third stanza portrays this clearly, â€Å"And we are put on earth a little space, / That we may learn to bear the beams of love, / And these black bodies and this sun-burnt face / Is but a cloud, and like a shady grove† (lines 13-16). Blake indicates the boy’s spiritual goodness, along the same racial lines, by associating his soul with whiteness; â€Å"And I am black, but O! my soul is white† (line 2). This imagery exhibits the comm on tendency of Blake’s time to associate physical darkness with intellectual depravity. Blake argues against the discrimination the boy suffers on earth, claiming that he will experience a spiritual union with God in the afterlife, where all humans are equal. This vision is highly problematic because despite Blake’s efforts to promote the equality of the little boy, the subjugation he experiences on earth seems to be justified or appeased by the idyllic vision of future equality in heaven. The boy resigns himself to the subjugation he experiences on earth as a result of his mother’s teachings. He believes in his corporeal inferiority, as it is taught to him, stating in lines three and four, â€Å"White as an angel is the English child: / But I am black as if bereav’d of light†. The boy focuses on the afterlife and hopes for a union with God, believing that he will be loved then. The last lines of the poem state, â€Å"To lean in joy upon our fathers knee. / And then I’ll stand and stroke his silver hair, / And be like him and he will then love me† (lines 26-28). Note the use of the word â€Å"then† to emphasize that he is not loved by God in this life. Blake presents a complicated argument for racial equality that seems to appease the injustice experienced on earth. By illustrating the boy’s belief and hope for the afterlife, Blake indicates the oppressiveness of conventional religion. English Christianity colludes in the subjugation of the boy, through the mother’s instruction, to accept his inferiority on earth. Indeed, Blake presents the oppressive morality and society institution of the conventional religion, but also the adult’s role in continuing the oppression through the education of the youth and promotion of the conventional ideas. The second illustration to â€Å"The Little Black Boy† illustrates this in a subtle, but important way. The Christ-like figure’s garment looks like stone. The heavy, flat and severe cloak is associated with Blake’s iconography with rationality and conventional religion. Another important message of the illustration is the use of light, an important motif throughout the poem. The sun is a prominent part of the composition’s background, but does not give off a g reat deal of light. In fact, the sun seems to be setting, as darkness creeps into the picture field. This seems to suggest a limitation in the heat and light of God portrayed in the poem, contrasting with the optimism of the verse. Finally, the composition portrays black boy standing behind the white child, who actually touches the God figure. This important placement, along with the fading sun, indicates the subordination of the black boy even in the afterlife. This is not explicitly explained within the composition, but one possible explanation is the oppressiveness of conventional religion. â€Å"The Little Black Boy† indicates some of the limitations of Blake’s time concerning race and racial equality. Although Blake compellingly illustrates the spiritual equality of the afterlife, this is inherently limited because it seems to offer a justification or acquiescence to the racial injustices of English society, including the slave trade and slavery. The vision of an equalized spiritual utopia, and the criticism of conventional English religion, eclipses the abolitionist message of the poem. In representing this vision and the maladies of organized religion, Blake portrays his mystical view of human relations; they are ideally mutual spiritual relationships, while social standards and customs create unnatural power relationships that are oppressive and damaging. In â€Å"The Little Black Boy† this is demonstrated through the control that white, English society have over black populations, the influence that the mother has over her child which causes h im to believe he is inferior and, finally, the conventional God who dominates over the children in the second illustration. Blake’s important poem, Visions, also demonstrates his ideas about power relations and unnatural relationships. This poem describes Oothoon’s victimization by Bromion’s rape, and Theotormon’s belief that she is defiled and unacceptable, despite his love for her. Oothoon is enslaved by her condition as an exploited woman, while Bromion is trapped by his violent act, and Theotormon by the social constructions he abides by. The poem begins, â€Å"Enslav’d, the Daughters of Albion weep a trembling lamentation†, immediately connecting slavery with the subjugation of women in English society. This is influenced from Mary Wollstonecraft’s argument in A Vindication of the Rights of Women that women in England have the same political and civil status as slaves. Visions complexly portrays the repercussions of society and religion’s warped control over human interactions, addressing several different power relations, including the dominanc e of men over women, master over slave and organized religion over society. David Erdman states, â€Å"†¦love and slavery prove to be the two poles of the poem’s axis† (Erdman, 242). This poem promotes a more equal treatment of women by indicating Oothoon’s sadness and extreme despair. She grieves, â€Å"Are both alike: a night of sighs, a morning of fresh tears† (Plate 2, line 39). Her exploitation is obviously condemned in an interesting way because this oppression connects her to horrors of the institution of slavery, including sexual abuse and emotional despair. Blake presents quasi-feminist and abolitionist arguments against the sexual and economic exploitation of humans, because it distorts freedom and natural relationships. Institutionalized subjugation and enslavement does not simply destroy the victimized, such as Oothoon, but the entire society because it warps all human interactions. Bromion becomes enslaved by his violent act, while Theotormon is enslaved by his jealousy and inability to love Oothoon after she has been defiled. He is trapped by the standards of conventional religion and morality, specifically the notions of marriage. The frontpiece to Visions of the Daughters of Albion serves as a dramatic visual representation of the poem’s portrayal of mental and physical bondage. Oothoon is shackled to Bromion, facing opposite directions from one another. Bromion faces out towards the sea with a look of horror, while Oothoon directs herself towards Theotormon, bending downwards in despair and resignation. Lukacher states that, â€Å"her jealous and inhibited lover cowers and withdraws into himself on the cavernous ledge about the enchained figures† (105). Theotormon’s body language indicates his self-entrapment and despair because the social restrictions he believes in prohibit him from being with the woman he loves. This composition utilizes Michelangelo-esque nudes and opposing body languages to contain and reduce the complex drama of the poem. The landscape also conveys the bleak tone of the literary work. The entrance to the grotto frames the figures and the background including a blea k sea, clouds and a darkened sun. Visions clearly argues against the subjugation of women and the institutions that promote economic and physical exploitation on human beings, most significantly slavery and marriage. Blake promotes, instead, love as a equal spiritual and physical union. This notion of free love rejects the standards of Christian marriage in England, promoting an equal union between man and woman. The composition, Circle of the Lustful, exemplifies this notion well. This illustration portrays Virgil standing over the fainted Dante. Dante envisions his Paolo and Francesca released from purgatory and re-united together in the luminous orb. A whirling vortex of punished lovers rushes out of the river of purgatory. Blake liberates the lovers, freeing them from the sin that society condemns them for. The figures are mostly androgynous, indicating Blake’s vision of the ideal human form as containing both the male and female genders. This composition promotes free love, asserting the goodness of spiri tual love, while also overturning Dante’s tradition that imposes strict moral and sexual codes on society. Blake’s work, like Visions and Circle of the Lustful, deals with subjugation and exploitation as distortions of power and human relations. Blake condemned those who abused and exploited others through the misuse of power. His portrayals of this exploitation prompted Saree Makdisi to promote the reevaluation of his time. A specific example of Blake’s condemnation of the powerful is The Ghost of a Flea, a composition that portrays the profane spirit of this powerful man as a reptile-like creature. The comet indicates a supernatural event and the dramatic, stage-like setting emphasize the evilness of this creature. Although this composition is a specific condemnation of English industrialists, it demonstrates Blake’s view of the powerful that exploit and subject the rest of society. Blake’s mythological vision asserts their impending punishment. Visions condemns the mental and physical bondage promoted by the institutions of slavery and marriage. The poem is not, however, highly effective in promoting any real change. In a similar manner as â€Å"The Little Black Boy†, Visions addresses too many issues to be efficacious in directly promoting the feminism of Mary Wollstonecraft or the abolitionist cause. The poem is also rendered ineffective because the definition of slavery is blurred and turned into a multifarious term that applies any lack of freedom. In fact, the poem seems to deal more with spiritual and mental enslavement than with the political and economic practices of the slave trade and slavery. Blake concerns himself most greatly with the condemnation of the sexual limitations and moral codes of conventional religion. Susan Fox claims that Blake’s feminist agenda in Visions is ineffective because Oothoon lacks real assertiveness. â€Å"No woman in any Blake poem has both the will and the power to ini tiate her own salvation – not even the strongest and most independent of his women, Oothoon† (Fox, 513). Blake presents gender and sexuality in a similar way as many artists of his time; although he promotes the dignity and worth of women, the representation ultimately affirms feminine inferiority and lack of agency. Visions’ large and far-reaching messages about slavery, power relations, sexuality and religion addresses many issue in a liberal and progressive way, but these multifarious and complex issues render the poem unable to directly confront any one issue to prompting real change. Blake is most successful in directly promoting abolitionism through the illustrations of actual events and atrocities of the slave trade, such as A Negro Hung Alive by the Ribs to the Gallows. These etchings are politically subversive in a direct and real sense, because they specifically address the institution of slavery’s violation of human dignity. These images are clear criticisms of the atrocities committed by the slave trade, calling for real political action. These illustrations, however, are very simple artistic constructions that portray one figure’s suffering, asserting their humanity and dignity. Although they are not artistically complex or important, they do serve to directly promote the abolitionist cause during his time. In conclusion, abolitionism is not the main concern of â€Å"The Little Black Boy† or Visions. Slavery is the starting point of the poems, which is used to condemn the abuse of power and conventional religion. The other social ills addressed in the poems, such as gender and racial inequality, are similarly presented as aspects of the larger spiritual program. Although these aspects are highly progressive in promoting human equality, they include the underlying belief of racial and gender inferiority, common throughout the Romantic era. Blake’s overarching concern for his poetry and artistic illustrations is the portrayal of ideal mystical vision of natural, vital and equal human relationships. Makdisi states, â€Å"Blake must be seen to be trying to rescue against all odds the possibility of a political aesthetic of immortal joy, which we can understand as an affirmation of joyous unity and collective freedom. This amounts to a refusal of the very logic of domination, of warrior power over others† (Makdisi, The Impossible History, 258). The spiritual attention distinguishes the theme of slavery in Blake’s poetry from direct and bold abolitionist poetry of the Romantic era, such as the works by Hannah More and Ann Yearsley. â€Å"The Little Black Boy† and Visions are concerned with promoting the esoteric mythological vision, not with the instigation of real social change. The mystical investigation of bondage and slavery in these poems offers interesting artistic portrayals of human relationships and spirituality. Bibliography: Erdman, David V. Blakes Vision of Slavery. Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 15 (1952): 242-252. JSTOR. 1 Dec. 2007. Fox, Susan. The Female as Metaphor in William Blakes Poetry. Poetic Form in Blakes Milton. Comp. Susan Fox. Princeton: Princeton UP, 1976. 507-519. Lukacher, Brian. Visionary History Painting: Blake and His Contemporaries. Nineteenth Century Art: a Critical History. Ed. Stephan F. Eisenman. London: Thames Hudson Ltd., 2007. 102-119. Makdisi, Saree. William Blake and the Impossible History of the 1790s. Chicago: The University of Chicago P, 2003. Makdisi, Saree. Romantic Imperialism. New York City: Cambridge UP, 1998. Mellor, Anne K. Blakes Human Form Divine. Berkeley: The University of California P, 1974. Townsend, Joyce H. Willaim Blake: the Painter At Work. Ed. Joyce H. Townsend. Princeton: Princeton UP, 2003.   www.blakearchive.org