The Culture Of France A Strong Sense Of Country Pride

The culture of France has been molded by its geography and historical events. The French have a strong sense of country pride, which is very present in their art, food, and government. France has a mixed economy of capitalist and socialist characteristics where businesses are privately or partially owned. There is more government regulation in economic activities, and welfare is provided to its citizens because they have a socialist economy. The government is called the French Republic and is governed by the head of the state, President Francois Hollande, and the Prime Minister, Manuel Vauls. The government practices civil law versus common law. France has a flexible working schedule where they can discuss and debate the hours they work to fit their family’s life schedule. The workers are also allowed to take a leave of absence to go to school or get training for any specific interest. In general, French workers can reconstruct their working schedule to work less hours in their occupations per week, month or year depending on their personal or family interests. In 2000, a law was introduced where the French were no longer required to work 39 hours per week. Instead they were required to work only 35 hours per week, which is less than the United Sates’ 40 hours per week requirement. This has causes an increase in the employment rate and job sharing. They also have a smaller work force. They have higher taxes but they have more social benefits. France has one of the world’sShow MoreRelatedThe National Identity Of A Country Today891 Words   |  4 Pages The national identity of a country today, is heavily influenced by its history. If a country is isolated, whether geographically and/or it is their cultural preference, then nationality, in this sense, can be largely affected by its native ethnic group or the majority ethnic group in power. As the political culture, economy and society change, some aspects within a nation’s culture remain the same. Specifically as the national identity of citizens in Japan, France and Germany formed under similarRead MoreThe Impact Of Nationalism1325 Words   |  6 Pages Nationalism is a sense of putting one’s country before themselves and everything else due to common cultures, languages and other customs. It has been a part of the way modern history has been shaped since the late 18th century with Napoleon, all the way to present day. As one historian wrote, Nationalism is a â€Å"Political outlook†¦that a nation is composed of people who are joined together by the bonds of a common language†¦customs, culture, and history† (9/13/17). Nationalism has shaped the historyRead MoreThe Great War748 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"The Great War† On 28 June 1914, a Serbian shot an Austrian. Within six weeks, many of the countries of Europe had become involved in a war that was to cause the deaths of 10 million soldiers, but was the assassination the only cause of war? WWI wasnt just any war, it was also a new beginning and a new cause for a few of the european countries that had been involved. The end results for Germany had been the worst, which not only caused Germany to have a new purpose and have resentments,Read MoreNationalism in 18th Century Europe1763 Words   |  3 Pagesto  form  a  catalyst  for  the  modernisation  of  many  European  countries.  However,  in  comparison,   none  of  these  ideals  had  the  impact  that  the  nationalistic  approach  had.  This  is  due  to  many   reasons  which  ranged  from  the  fact  that  not  everyone  was  affected  by  socialism  or  that  ninety   percent  of  people  in  eighteenth  century  Europe  lived  in  a  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnation ­state’  which  acted  as  a  breeding   ground  for  nationalism  growth.  A  nation ­state  is  a  bordered  country  with  its  own  culture  and,  the   main  component  of  a  nation,  languageRead MoreEssay Nationalism999 Words   |  4 Pageslasted for several months and drew everyone to the television and to newspapers to find out what was happening now to all the Americans over seas. Many people found their loved ones leaving. They were in the military and were called to defend their country. This is a sign of nationalism in itself, however, something that was closer to home for me was a tiny yellow ribbon. These yellow ribbons were seen everywhere. They were placed on tree trunks, on peoples front doors, pinned on to peoples clothingRead MoreThe Importance Of Nationalism1434 Words   |  6 Pagesdifferent members of society within a certain geographical location to form a stronger bond and give the nation a sense of belonging and identity. Nationalism has been one of the most influential and powerful forces of the twentieth century because nationalism helps bring people together that share a similar language, terr itory, and culture. It can be a powerful and effective ideology of a country depending on how leaders chose to use it however, nationalism is controversial among many states and nationsRead MoreThe Four Seasons Goes to Paris1699 Words   |  7 Pagesits first management contract for San Francisco’s 1913 landmark hotel, The Clift. In 1999, Four Seasons opened its first French property, the Hotel George V in Paris. In 2003, the company managed 53 properties in 24 countries. Today, Four Seasons is managing 84 properties in 34 countries providing high-quality, truly personalized service to enable guests to maximize the value of their time. b) Description of company business areas As a financial point of view, we can observe that the capitalRead MoreEssay on Imperialism1350 Words   |  6 Pagesnot imperialism is economically beneficial. The second relates to the social aspect of imperialism and the natural desire to rule others. The third is protection and security, building up military powers around the world in order to help the main country when trouble erupts. Finally, the last is morals and their religious aspects. Because imperialism has its basis on power, it is often considered morally reprehensible. The thirst for power drove the European nations into a frenzy to control the continentRead MoreSpread Of Nationalism Throughout Europe1505 Words   |  7 Pagesthe French Revolution and that advocated nationalism. Through the Napoleonic Wars, Napoleon conquered France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and most of Western Germany and northern Italy. He justified French expansion and military campaigns with the claim that France had the right to sp read the enlightened ideals and liberalism, believe that government should promote equality for all. France had just undergone a bloody revolution that supported the ideals of â€Å"liberty, equality, and fraternity†Read MoreCultural Analysis Paper1289 Words   |  6 PagesCultural Analysis Paper No matter how hard we try, or how much we study, it is pretty much impossible to become an expert on all the world’s cultures. It is possible however, to be enlightened on a few cultures through some effort and understanding. That is just what we did, through interviewing three people who were raised in cultures different from ours. The following are results from what we learned about different cultural dimensions. GENDER EGALITARIANISM Gender egalitarianism, as defined

The Death Penalty Is A Simple Name For A Very Controversial

The death penalty is a simple name for a very controversial practice. Once a common way to deter people from performing cruel crimes, capital punishment has never before been under such political scrutiny. Abolished throughout Europe, the U.S. still uses it in 31 states. Supporters deem it necessary to protect and provide order while anti-death penalty advocates label it as outdated and inhumane. Both sides argue to be the morally right decision; one that would protect the most people. However, once examined carefully, it becomes obvious that the death penalty suffers too greatly from a regression of support, racial discrimination and inadequacy as a criminal deterrent to fulfill its moral purpose. Rather than receive federal support,†¦show more content†¦Religion plays a key role in perception of the death penalty’s morally ambiguous reputation, either by clearly supporting or rejecting it. Regardless of an individual s ultimate opinion, it reduces to whether killin g criminals is legitimately assisting in the protection of society, and the numbers that think so are decreasing. Another concern that riddles the workings of capital punishment is the amount of time it takes to finalize a sentence that, once executed, cannot be undone. In the interest of maintaining public order, some say it is the state s right to take the life of a murderer, â€Å"but others argue that incarcerating the criminal gives him or her a chance to repent† or redeem themselves (A8). Sentencing a killer to life without parole eliminates the ability for that individual to continue committing crimes, while giving the opportunity for that individual to find peace. This makes killing a killer seem rather unnecessary, even cruel, when many charged murderers are later proven innocent. Anthony Ray Hinton, formerly charged with murder, stated â€Å"being on death row has taken so much from me as a human being. [...] I spent 30 years on death row for something I didnâ€⠄¢t do.† (A5). He is only one of now 155 exonerations; a number that could be more had those innocent been given a better chance to prove themselves in court. Capital punishment simply doesn’t function well enough for it to trumpShow MoreRelated The Death Penalty: Justifiable Essay977 Words   |  4 Pages The Death Penalty: Justifiable -Preface: Let it be noted now that this speech is very opinionated. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;I strongly believe that the Death Penalty is a form of punishment to be used when needed. Which opens up the question, when should it be used? That may be the breaking point in a lot of arguments, deciding when to use the death penalty is a very touchy subject. 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This murderRead MoreInfluence Of Supreme Court Justices Essay1405 Words   |  6 Pagesjudiciary, especially when it comes to Supreme Court Justices, is a complicated issue, and it has been controversial in U.S.. Talking about judgement for the influence, it’s not all-inclusive by only dividing them into liberals and conservatives, instead, a comprehensive approach is to focus on specific cases. Keywords — Supreme Court Justice; religion; legislation; law; abortion; gay rights; death penalty Introduction â€Å"Justice is not to be taken by storm. She is to be wooed by slow advances. SubstituteRead MoreThe Problem Of Gun Violence1678 Words   |  7 PagesFederalist favored the creation of a strong national government, while the Anti-Federalist wanted a specific statement of individual rights and freedoms to protect the people from a tyrannical national government (Bill of Rights). The second amendment is a very touchy topic for many people. In today’s world, some people believe that the second amendment is outdated. Because of a few people that misuse our right endowed to us by the bill of rights, and our creator. The second amendment states that, A wellRead MoreThe Exoneration Of Randall Dale Adams2222 Words   |  9 Pagesof town and would be unable to return. Not surprisingly the jury returned a verdict of guilty; now the prosecution would turn its attention to Mr. Adams sentence (Martin, 2011). Seeking the death penalty the prosecution called on two expert witnesses: ps ychiatrist Dr. James Grigson, whom was known as Dr. Death, and Dr. John Holbrook, who was the former chief of psychiatry for the Texas Department of Corrections (Radelet, 2011). The American Psychiatric Association has stated on multiple occasionsRead MoreThe Murder Of Mr. Adams2291 Words   |  10 Pagesof town and would be unable to return. Not surprisingly the jury returned a verdict of guilty; now the prosecution would turn its attention to Mr. Adams sentence (Martin, 2011). Seeking the death penalty the prosecution called on two expert witnesses: psychiatrist Dr. James Grigson, who was known as Dr. Death, and Dr. John Holbrook, who was the former chief of psychiatry for the Texas Department of Corrections (Radelet, 2011). The American Psychiatric Association has stated on multiple occasionsRead MoreThe Threat Of Terrorism : The United States Constitution1797 Words   |  8 Pagesrights violations to the federal government, specifically the National Security Agency, as long as the violation is done in the name of fighting terrorism. Reports came out numerous times over the next decade, specifically December 2005, May 2006, and March 2012, detailing how the National Security Agency was able to stretch its powers, even beyond this liberal and controversial bill, to surveil its citizens’ private phone conversations with neither warrants nor provable suspicion of a crime taking orRead More Capital Punishment Essay3201 Words   |  13 Pagesilmer 1 nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Capital Punishment is the ruling by a court, sentencing an individual who has been convicted of a serious crime to death. How serious is the death penalty? Well, thirty-eight of the fifty States in the Union have the death penalty enacted in their state (Bright 13). The death penalty is very controversial issues because it is so serious, people ponder the thought of, is it moral or even humane? Some people feel that it let’s the criminal off easy because it

Charlotte ONeils Song be described as a protest song Essay Example For Students

Charlotte ONeils Song be described as a protest song Essay In order to fully answer this question I firstly looked up the meanings of the words protest and song. The Oxford Concise English Dictionary defines protest as as statement of dissent or disapproval and song as either as short poem in rhymed stanzas or as short poem or other sets of words set to music or meant to be sung. Charlotte ONeils Song is indeed a poem comprising of four stanzas, each with an element of rhyme. The choice of words alone also makes it clear that the song is a statement of dissent. In the poem we learn a lot about the typical chores Charlotte was expected to do in a days work, fictitious or otherwise. The tasks that the poet has chosen to use are dirty and unpleasant jobs, I emptied your chamber pot, possibly to highlight the subservient position she has been put in. Providing us with this background knowledge has effectively made Farrels job of developing the argument later in the poem a lot easier, as she has already outlined the situation. We learn a lot about the attitudes of Charlottes employers. The poet displays them in a very negative light. A key example is I emptied your chamber pot. We will write a custom essay on Charlotte ONeils Song be described as a protest song specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now I think that any reader of the poem would find it difficult to respect a person who feels they are in such a superior position that they do not need to do very basic tasks. This suggests the employer merely sees Charlotte as a slave, or as the ships record state, General servant. The selfish and cruel attitudes of the employer are again seen in lines 13-14, The rich man earns his castle, you said / The poor deserve the gate. Through these lines the poet has allowed us to see the employer through Charlottes eyes, as well as to the general attitudes of society during the 19th century. I feel it is this issue which Charlotte feels most strongly about. The lines give us more of an insight into the stiff social spheres in place during the 19th century. Once born into a class, as Charlotte had been, there is little chance of escape. I think that that is what Charlotte really wants. She doesnt want to be baking bread and scrubbing floors. I think that Farrel thought that the rules of the 19th century society were unjustified, and argues that those who have been forced into labour jobs should be treated with respect, even though their job doesnt promote that. The anger and resentment seen and heard in the poem are represented through strong regular beats emphasized with alliteration. I scraped out your grate / and I washed your plate / and scrubbed till my hands were raw. This anger and resentment could be directed at individuals, such as Charlottes employers or the 19th century society in general. However, I dont think that Charlotte blames herself for the position she is in, because she says, I wont be there any more suggesting she has still maintained her feelings of self worth. It is probably the fact that she still possesses these feelings that led to her protest and rebellion of her position. The theme of injustice is also supported by Farrels frequent use of antithesis. These contrasting pairs, e. g. You lay on a silken pillow / I lay on an attic cot clearly shows the big differences between their two lifestyles. Farrel has also cleverly used tenses to create the feeling of the passing of time and of a developing argument. This could make it more like a protest song as it gradually increases in pace and intensity. .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .postImageUrl , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:hover , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:visited , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:active { border:0!important; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:active , .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659 .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc9d7ba088f8f88ae57fa69ba05702659:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Comparision of the lamb to the slaughter and the speckled band EssayAs the poem is mainly written in the past tense I feel it creates distance between Charlottes life as a servant and her life of freedom and own choices Ill eat when I please. In the lines 18-20 Farrel writes in the present tense, signifying the turning point of the poem. These lines repeat some parts of the previous stanzas, only in a different tense. You can open your own front door refers to when You rang your bell and I answered. This creates the feeling that Charlotte is turning on her employers and asking them how they would feel to be in her position. It sounds as if she is giving them commands, open your own front door, which hints at her courage and endurance. She has now broken free from the restraints forced upon her. Also, she calls her employer my dear, suggesting a lack of respect from her side. I believe that actually leaving her work would not have been possible in reality but this action creates a sort of magical triumphant and rebellious feeling. It is this kind of technique that I feel would add more vigor to the song making it a suitable song of protest. The use of future tense indicates what she will do with her time and how she will make her own choices in the future. I think it makes an excellent ending as it signifies change and hope. I think the poem would best be reading in not a cheerful/happy manner, but it is certainly carefree and upbeat, suggesting the events took place long ago and are of little relevance now, Charlotte has won. Reading (or singing) it quickly gives the impression that Charlottes gives out a newfound confidence. I feel the simple language helps the upbeat pace along and each idea is completed in a single sentence. The repetition also adds pace. I feel the fairly simplistic language adds a certain degree of sarcasm and again creates distance between Charlotte and her unpleasant past. It is as if the more daring pace is a challenge to her master/mistress because Charlotte has already left them; she is out of their reach. Finally, I think the upbeat feel produced by the strong rhyme and pace stresses that as Charlotte writes this she is at a stage where at least she had made her decisions, and is stepping out and away from her past drudgery.

Performance management systems linked to reward

Table of Contents Executive Summary Introduction Performance management system Motivation Total reward system Summary and Conclusion Reference List Executive Summary This report covers the fundamentals of performance management, and explains what all the managers and supervisors should know concerning the concept of performance management. In addition, the report creates special emphasis on the importance of employee motivation to performance.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Performance management systems linked to reward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In explaining the different concepts, the report uses relevant literature and specific theories, which help the reader to understand the information clearly. Further, the report aims to help the Brook and Kent Company limited in proper implementation of their performance management so as to help improve the quantity and quality of work that the employees pro duce. Introduction Most organisation do not really comprehend what performance management really means. Therefore, these organisations are usually dismayed at why sometimes the employees may be working hard, and are satisfied with their jobs but still the outcomes from the work of the employees do not reflect the input that the managers and supervisors expect. This usually makes the managers and supervisors to wonder what they may be doing wrong in helping to increase the productivity of the workers. In most of these situations, the managers or supervisors have usually gotten the concept of performance management all wrong, hence this is portrayed in the outcomes of the work done by the employees. Performance management can be explained in simple terms as the activities which an employer or the organisation may take to ensure that the goals which are set are consistently achieved and in an efficient and effective method. The performance management can be used to evaluate the perform ance of employees, a department within the organisation or the performance of the whole organisation in general. Generally, performance management tries to bring out the best out of the employees’ ability, to enable the organisation achieve good returns. For instance, some organisations use reward based performance management to reward the employees who are perceived to have high performance. Rewarding is a form of recognition for the employees contribution towards the attainment of the main objectives within the business. This report will attempt to evaluate the main concepts of the performance management, which should be applied to organizations to ensure the effectiveness of their performance management systems.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The paper will also cover the assumptions which different organisations make in implementing their performance management systems, which ultimately lead to the inefficiency of the performance management systems in ensuring better performance of the employees and therefore better returns for the company. Moreover, the findings of this report will be based on the problems that Brooks Kent Company limited, a small construction SME, faces. Performance management system For many organisations, the performance management system is first implemented through the creation of an effective business strategy, i.e. strategic planning. The business strategy determines where the business would like to be after a specific period of time. Normally, the period may be six months, one year or even ten years. In addition, the business strategy should have a close relationship with the main objective of the business, as well as pay close attention to the means of performance appraisal in recognition of outstanding achievement by the employees of the company (Verweire and Berghe, 2004, p 93). The performance appraisal may t ake different forms; Brook and Kent opted for the reward based appraisal. However, the appraisals may also be used in other forms which are not reward-based. The reward based appraisals of Brook Kent takes the form of promotions, salary increase and the issue of bonuses to outstanding work by the employees. This helps in improving the motivation of the workers as their effort is recognised by the management of the company. In the research, the following systems were reviewed, to explain the reward based management organisation of the Brook Kent and how the theories may be used to solve some of the problems existing at the company and improve productivity. Therefore, the main purpose which makes an organisation to implement a performance management system is to ensure that: The employees do the work which the organisation requires them to do. Normally, the performance management system specifies the specific work which the employees supposed to do (anon. 2007 p 1). The employees k now the amount of work that the organisation requires them to do and the quality of the work which they should produce. This therefore guides the employee by putting specific targets which the employee is supposed to meet to satisfy the organisation (anon, 2007, p 1). The performance management system also ensures that the employees’ output is monitored closely and the information on their ongoing performance communicated to them. This makes the employees to make the necessary correction on their quantity or quality of work to ensure that they achieve the set performance in the set period of time (anon, 2007, p 1). The performance management system also ensures that exemplary work is rewarded, based on the performance management system that the organisation is using. The performance management system also ensures that necessary measures are taken on an employee who fails to meet the set performance standards (anon, 2007, p 1). Both these measures ensure that the organisation achieves its strategic objectives as set out. The main components of a performance management system include: Communicating the performance expectations which the organisation requires its employees to achieve; Maintaining and monitoring the ongoing performance of the employees of the organisation; and Conducting regular performance appraisal (Anon, 2007 p 2). During the initial stages of the implementation of the performance management system, the organisation should come up with effective strategies which fit with the main objectives of the business. In normal circumstances, the application of the organization strategies should be implemented using the appropriate performance management system. How the organisation implements the strategies in the performance management system ensures whether the strategies will be effectively met. After the planning stage, the organization should effectively communicate the strategies to the employees and ensure that they are embedded in the o rganisational culture of the company concerned. This ensures that the employees will continuously strive to achieve the set performance standards as they relate with the standards. This is usually the most important component of a performance management system.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Performance management systems linked to reward specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More If the organisation fails to effectively communicate the performance management system to the employees, there is a very high possibility that the performance standards in the organisation will not be achieved. This is because the employees may not associate with the set standards and may be on the perception that the performance management system does not benefit them (Taticchi, 2010, p 245). For an effective and efficient performance management system, the organisation must continuously maintain, monitor and analyse the performance managemen t standards. The organisation must use data which is reliable, and have an effective method of interpreting the data. This helps the organization to determine the progress of the employees with regard to the performance management standards which have been put for them. The organisation should also communicate its findings to the employees so that they may take the necessary measures. The organisation should have effective means of appraising exemplary performance of its employees. This helps in motivating the workers who have performed better and also help in motivating the other workers to also perform better as they are guaranteed efficient appraisal methods. However, if the organisation fails to plan and implement the performance appraisal effectively, it may lead to reduced performance of the employees. This may happen if only a few people are rewarded and there are many other people expecting to be rewarded. This makes those people who were not rewarded to get demotivated (Rao and Rao 2004 p 13). Motivation Motivation of employees is a very vital aspect, which all managers usually consider. Employee motivation can be defined as the set of forces, which guide a person to continuously strive to achieve a certain goal. Generally, the origin of the forces may either be internal or external. Employee motivation enables the individual to find pleasure in the process of achieving the goals set by the company to continuously endeavour to improve on the outcomes of his activities. Therefore, motivated employees will perform better as they find pleasure in their activities and therefore put more effort in implementation of the activities.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Different organisations implement performance management systems so as to help improve the quality and quantity of output that the employees produce. The organisations aim to do this by improving the motivation of the employees in different ways to enable them to achieve the required performance standards. To achieve this, the performance management system has several methods of employee appraisal, which help in motivating the employees to perform better as the organisation would recognise their outstanding contribution to the organisational goals. The performance management systems not only determine the appraisal methods, but it also determines what actions will be taken on the employees for failure to reach their performances. Performance management usually determines the rewards which the employees will get due to the achievement of their performances. Normally, the rewards may be in the form of promotions, bonuses, salary increases or recognition. This helps in motivating the e mployees to achieve the rewards. However, the performance management is also used to determine what measures will be taken to an employee who fails to achieve his expected performance. The measures taken may range from demotions, forfeited bonuses and allowances to loss of the job. This, according to Jeremy Bentham’s â€Å"the carrot and the stick motivation theory† helps in motivating the employees to achieve their performances. According to Bentham, all individuals are motivated by the urge to avoid pain and find pleasure in the activities they take. Bentham stated that â€Å"a worker will work only if the reward is big enough or the punishment is sufficiently unpleasant† (Cited in Shah and Shah, 2010). Bentham was of the view that if you want a donkey to move you either have to dangle a carrot in front of it or whack it with a stick from behind hence the name, â€Å"the carrot and the stick† (Shah and Shah 2010). In the context of employee motivation i n relation to performance management, pay rise, promotion, bonus or recognition are the â€Å"carrot† which aid in motivating the worker. More often, the employee will strive to achieve his/her performance so as to get the rewards. On the other hand, demotions, forfeited bonuses and allowances, and loss of the job are the â€Å"stick† which motivates the employee to work and achieve his/her performance, in a way of avoiding such ‘stick’. The relationship between motivation and performance management can also be explained by the Victor Vroom’s valence x expectation motivation theory. Vroom states that â€Å"an employee is motivated to perform better if he/she believes that the better performance will lead to better performance appraisal and that this shall result into the realisation of personal goal in form of some reward† ( shah and shah, 2010, part 8). In our context, the performance management outlines the various appraisal methods which m ay be given to the employees in case he/she attains his/her performance. According to Vroom, the employee is not motivated by the actions taken against him/her for failure to reach the set performance. However, the employee gets motivation from the perceived rewards which he/ she may get due to attainment of his/her performance. There are usually different appraisal methods which are used by different organisations to help in motivating their employees. However, a recent form of performance appraisal which is mostly used by different organisation is the total reward method of appraisal. Total reward system It is widely agreed by different scholars that people do not work just to get paid; the reasons that make people work are far much more than the pay, which the organisation may offer to the employees. Therefore, for an organisation to be able to effectively motivate the employees they must not just use the payment, but must also understand and take measures to ensure that the empl oyees needs are met, which in turn leads to motivation. Different theories have been proposed to explain the source of motivation of the employees, some of which have already been discussed above. Therefore, to achieve motivation, the organisation needs to use the total reward system to acquire motivation of its workforce. However, careful observation of the motivation theories shows that employees are mainly motivated due the fulfilment of their needs, both material and immaterial. This is usually the basis of the total reward system. Total reward is defined by Worldatwork, the association which deals with total reward in the US, as all the tools which an employer may use to attract, motivate and retain employees and anything which the employee recognises to be valuable according to the employment relationship (Armstrong, 2002, p 8). The total reward system therefore, has many components, both financial (material) and non-financial (immaterial). Different scholars have proposed dif ferent constituents of the total reward performance management appraisal method. However, even though the general components are different, most of the components are similar to those proposed by Worldatwork. The main components of the total reward system according to Worldatwork (2005) are: pay, benefits, and learning and development (Jiang et al, 2009, p 4). Pay refers to all the forms of recognition which have monitory value attached to them. It includes base salary, bonus allowances and any other form of recognition which has financial payment attached to it. This payment helps in attracting highly qualified personnel to the organisation and also in retaining them. The benefits include retirement benefits, healthcare benefits, savings and time, which the employee may be given to spend as he wishes. The benefits which are given to the employees are mainly meant to protect their future and reduce uncertainty. Moreover, reduction in the uncertainty of the employee helps in increas ing his motivation to the work as he is assured of his future needs being met by his employer (Armstrong, 2002, p 9). Learning and development facilitates career growth and knowledge improvement in employees. Normally, learning and development may take the form of career development and training. This usually helps in retaining the employee into the organisation as the activity satisfies the personal development needs of the individual. Moreover, learning and development is not necessarily a financial gain to the employee; it just helps to improve the employee satisfaction by and helping to quench his thirst of knowledge. Summary and Conclusion The above report has explicitly explained the performance management systems. The understanding of the performance management system will enable Brook and Kent to take the appropriate measures to help in improving the employee motivation. The main problem, which Brook and Kent faces, is the fact that their appraisal methods are not effective. In addition, managers do not appraise exemplary performance at the required time, and delay in appraising the achievement makes the employees feel demotivated as their contribution to the organisation is not recognised. Moreover, some of the employees feel that they deserve to be rewarded yet fail to get the rewards, as it takes long to reward exemplary work. Brook and Kent should therefore implement a performance management system which regularly recognises exemplary work. The organisation should also implement a total reward performance management appraisal system which will cater for all the needs of the employees not only material but also immaterial. Implementation of the recommendations and a clear understanding of the performance management systems will enable Books and Kent Company limited to have high quantity and quality returns after the implementation of the performance management system. Reference List Armstrong, M., 2002. Employee Reward. London: CIPD Publishing. Web. Anon. 2007. Performance management. North Carolina State personnel manual Web. Jiang, Z. et al. 2009. Total reward strategy: a human resources management strategy going with the trends of the time. International journal of business management, vol. Web. Rao, T. V. and Rao, T. V., 2004. Performance management and appraisal systems: HR tools for global competitiveness. New Delhi: SAGE. Web. Shah, K. and Shah, P. J., 2010. Theories of motivation. Lay networks. Web. Taticchi, P., 2010. Business Performance Measurement and Management: New Contexts, Themes and Challenges, Berlin, Springer. Web. Verweire, K and Berghe, L., 2004. Integrated performance management: a guide to strategy implementation. New Delhi: SAGE. Web. This report on Performance management systems linked to reward was written and submitted by user Bruno Dean to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Pioneer Tree Species and Biological Forest Succession

Pioneer Tree Species and Biological Forest Succession Pioneer plant species are the first predictable seeders, adaptable to many conditions and the most vigorous flora to colonize disturbed or damaged ecosystems. These plants readily acclimate to bare soil, have the ability to grow and regenerate and respond vigorously on even the poorest soil sites and environmental conditions. Pioneer tree species are also known for their ability to readily seed or root sprout on bare soil and withstand the rigors of low moisture availability, full sunlight and high temperatures along with poorly available site nutrients. These are the plants, including trees, that you first see after a disturbance or fire in newly forming ecotones during field succession. These first tree colonizers become the initial forest tree component of a new forest. North American Pioneers Common pioneer tree species in North America: red cedar, alder, black locust, most pines and larches, yellow poplar, aspen, and many others. Many are valuable and are managed as even-aged stands, many are not desirable as a crop tree and removed for a more desired species. The Process of Forest Succession Biological succession and often-called ecological succession  is the process whereby disturbed existing forests regenerate or where fallow untended lands return to a forested condition. Primary succession is the ecological term where organisms are occupying a site for the first time (old fields, roadbeds, agricultural lands). Secondary succession is where organisms that were part of an earlier successional stage before a disturbance return (forest fire, logging, insect damage). The first plants to grow naturally in a burned or cleared area are usually weeds, shrubs or inferior scrubby trees. These plant species are often controlled or totally removed as defined in a prescribed forest management plan to prepare the area for higher quality tree regeneration. The Classification of Trees following the Pioneers It is important to know which trees will first attempt to cover the site. It is also important to know usually the most dominant tree species in the region that will eventually take over in the process of biological succession. Those trees that move on to occupy and become the main tree species are known as the climax forest community. The regions where these communities of tree species are dominant become the climax forest. Here are the major climax forest regions in North America: The Northern Boreal Coniferous Forest. This forest region is associated with the northern zone of North America, mostly in Canada.The Northern Hardwood Forest. This forest region is associated with the hardwood forests of the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada.The Central Broadleaf Forest. This forest region is associated with the central broadleaf forests of the Central United States.The Southern Hardwood/Pine Forest. This forest region is associated with the Southern United States along the lower Atlantic through the Gulf coastal areas.The Rock Mountain Coniferous Forest. This forest region is associated with the mountain range from Mexico to Canada.The Pacific Coast Forest. This forest region is with the coniferous forest that hugs the Pacific coast of both the United States and Canada.

Conjugating the Regular French Verb Choisir (to Choose)

Conjugating the Regular French Verb 'Choisir' ('to Choose') Choisir, to choose, pick, decide, is conjugated as a regular French  -ir  verb. Regular verbs share conjugation patterns in person, number, tense and mood. Verbs with infinitives that end in  -ir  are the second largest category of regular French verbs, after French verbs ending in  -er. Generally speaking, there are five main kinds of  verbs in French: regular  -ir, -er, -re,  stem-changing and  irregular. Once youve learned the rules of conjugation for regular verbs, you should have no problem conjugating them, and this holds true for the regular  -ir  verb  choisir. Conjugating Regular French -ir Verbs To conjugate choisir and all other regular  -ir  verbs, remove the infinitive ending (-ir)  to find the stem (also called the radical), then add the appropriate simple conjugation ending/s shown in the table below. Note that the conjugation table below does not include  the  compound tenses, which consist of  a form of the auxiliary verb  and  the past participle.  Choisir  normally requires the auxiliary verb  avoir  in  compound tenses and moods. For example:  Jai choisi deux là ©gumes verts. I picked two green vegetables.   Other Regular French -ir Verbs Here are just a few of the most common regular  -ir  verbs. Remember, they all have regular conjugations, meaning they all follow the same conjugation patterns, which are those shown in the table. Simply take off the infinitives  -ir  ending and add the appropriate conjugated ending to the stem  in each instance. abolir   to abolishagir  Ã‚  to actavertir  Ã‚  to warnbà ¢tir  Ã‚  to buildbà ©nir  Ã‚  to blesschoisir  Ã‚  to chooseà ©tablir  Ã‚  to establishà ©tourdir  Ã‚  to stun, deafen, make dizzyfinir  Ã‚  to finishgrossir  Ã‚  to gain weight, get fatguà ©rir  Ã‚  to cure, heal, recovermaigrir  Ã‚  to lose weight, get thinnourrir  Ã‚  to feed, nourishobà ©ir  Ã‚  to obeypunir  Ã‚  to punishrà ©flà ©chir  Ã‚  to reflect, thinkremplir  Ã‚  to to fillrà ©ussir   to succeedrougir  Ã‚  to blush, turn redvieillir  Ã‚  to grow old Choisir: Uses and Expressions Choisis ce que tu veux.  Ã‚  Take your pick.Choisis lun ou lautre.   Choose one or the other.Tu as choisi ton moment  ! You picked a swell time!bien / mal choisir   to choose carefully / badlyElle a choisi de rester. She decided to stay.Je nai pas choisi.  Cest arrivà © comme à §a. It wasnt my decision; it just happened.  Il a toujours choisi la solution de facilità ©. He always chose the easy way / solution. Simple Conjugations of the French Regular -ir Verb Choisir Present Future Imperfect Present participle je choisis choisirai choisissais choisissant tu choisis choisiras choisissais il choisit choisira choisissait nous choisissons choisirons choisissions vous choisissez choisirez choisissiez ils choisissent choisiront choisissaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle choisi Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je choisisse choisirais choisis choisisse tu choisisses choisirais choisis choisisses il choisisse choisirait choisit choist nous choisissions choisirions choismes choisissions vous choisissiez choisiriez choistes choisissiez ils choisissent choisiraient choisirent choisissent Imperative (tu) choisis (nous) choisissons (vous) choisissez

Conjugating the Regular French Verb Choisir (to Choose)

Conjugating the Regular French Verb 'Choisir' ('to Choose') Choisir, to choose, pick, decide, is conjugated as a regular French  -ir  verb. Regular verbs share conjugation patterns in person, number, tense and mood. Verbs with infinitives that end in  -ir  are the second largest category of regular French verbs, after French verbs ending in  -er. Generally speaking, there are five main kinds of  verbs in French: regular  -ir, -er, -re,  stem-changing and  irregular. Once youve learned the rules of conjugation for regular verbs, you should have no problem conjugating them, and this holds true for the regular  -ir  verb  choisir. Conjugating Regular French -ir Verbs To conjugate choisir and all other regular  -ir  verbs, remove the infinitive ending (-ir)  to find the stem (also called the radical), then add the appropriate simple conjugation ending/s shown in the table below. Note that the conjugation table below does not include  the  compound tenses, which consist of  a form of the auxiliary verb  and  the past participle.  Choisir  normally requires the auxiliary verb  avoir  in  compound tenses and moods. For example:  Jai choisi deux là ©gumes verts. I picked two green vegetables.   Other Regular French -ir Verbs Here are just a few of the most common regular  -ir  verbs. Remember, they all have regular conjugations, meaning they all follow the same conjugation patterns, which are those shown in the table. Simply take off the infinitives  -ir  ending and add the appropriate conjugated ending to the stem  in each instance. abolir   to abolishagir  Ã‚  to actavertir  Ã‚  to warnbà ¢tir  Ã‚  to buildbà ©nir  Ã‚  to blesschoisir  Ã‚  to chooseà ©tablir  Ã‚  to establishà ©tourdir  Ã‚  to stun, deafen, make dizzyfinir  Ã‚  to finishgrossir  Ã‚  to gain weight, get fatguà ©rir  Ã‚  to cure, heal, recovermaigrir  Ã‚  to lose weight, get thinnourrir  Ã‚  to feed, nourishobà ©ir  Ã‚  to obeypunir  Ã‚  to punishrà ©flà ©chir  Ã‚  to reflect, thinkremplir  Ã‚  to to fillrà ©ussir   to succeedrougir  Ã‚  to blush, turn redvieillir  Ã‚  to grow old Choisir: Uses and Expressions Choisis ce que tu veux.  Ã‚  Take your pick.Choisis lun ou lautre.   Choose one or the other.Tu as choisi ton moment  ! You picked a swell time!bien / mal choisir   to choose carefully / badlyElle a choisi de rester. She decided to stay.Je nai pas choisi.  Cest arrivà © comme à §a. It wasnt my decision; it just happened.  Il a toujours choisi la solution de facilità ©. He always chose the easy way / solution. Simple Conjugations of the French Regular -ir Verb Choisir Present Future Imperfect Present participle je choisis choisirai choisissais choisissant tu choisis choisiras choisissais il choisit choisira choisissait nous choisissons choisirons choisissions vous choisissez choisirez choisissiez ils choisissent choisiront choisissaient Pass compos Auxiliary verb avoir Past participle choisi Subjunctive Conditional Pass simple Imperfect subjunctive je choisisse choisirais choisis choisisse tu choisisses choisirais choisis choisisses il choisisse choisirait choisit choist nous choisissions choisirions choismes choisissions vous choisissiez choisiriez choistes choisissiez ils choisissent choisiraient choisirent choisissent Imperative (tu) choisis (nous) choisissons (vous) choisissez

Corporate Finances Case study Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Corporate Finances Case study - Research Paper Example In this case, the business has to take some precautionary measures to cushion the business form such financial meltdown. In a business, it does not matter the amount of profit your company is making in a day, a month or quarterly, the most important thing to ensure is the continuity of the cash flow of the business. In this case a cash flow forecast is important and an integral part of any business successes. Without doing the forecast, one is destined to have problems in paying suppliers as well as meeting the basic business financial obligation and this will results into failure of the business to operate (Ross, & Westerfield, 1996). In this regard based on the information of the cash flow of the business, there are several options open for the business to evade the financial crisis. There are several ways of mitigating on a looming cash flow crisis; these are considered depending on the analysis of the business performance and cash flow. In the case of Manson the following are considered; The mainstream sources of cash flow are the revenues collected from sales of the business products. Mason Corporation must then ensure that they constantly meet the projection of the sales to ensure collection of sufficient cash (Ross, & Westerfield, 1996). Money borrowed to make up for a looming financial problems associated with poor cash flow are not always the best option. The business should ensure that the sales targets are met and that there is no viable market that is left unattended to. For instance, if a business has the potential of making sales of up to $ 2 million and manages only $1million, this will imply that the business will be short of the $ 1 million untapped. This always makes businesses to opt for other sources of income to meet their financial obligation, which are paid at extra cost. Mason should thus endeavor to rationalized its credit policy and significant reduce the debtors. Mason

Business Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Business Economics - Essay Example As such, it is argued that, unemployment is directly related to economic growth of any given state or country. Consequently, economists argue that, unemployment is an issue that affects every state or country in the world with varying percentage rates (Srinivasan and Sivagnanam 2010). In light of this, the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States of America are the three countries that have experienced major unemployment issues in the world. Essentially, the percentage rate of unemployment in these three countries has been in a close watch in for the last five years with major similarities and differences being displayed in this duration of time (McCord 2011). In January 2008, the percentage rate of unemployment was relatively similar in the United States of America and the United Kingdom with a variation of 0.1 % in the captured statistics. However, European Union experienced a higher percentage rate at 1.6% more as compared to UK and the United State of America mean ing that, in that year the EU was leading in percentage rate. In the beginning of 2009, the three countries experienced an increase in the percentage rate, where the rate in United Kingdom increased with 1.9 %, the European Union increased by 1.8%, and the United States of America increased by 3.6%. ... In addition, European Union moved from 8.6 % in the previous year to 9.7 % while the United States of America moved from 8.7% to 9.8%. In a general sense, between 2008 and 2010, the three countries have witnessed a significant increase in the rate of unemployment where each had a disparity of more than 2.0 %. In the beginning of 2011, the United Kingdom insignificantly reduced at 0.2%, the European Union increased insignificantly at 0.1%. However, the United States of America experienced a significant decrease of 0.9 %. The entry into the year 2012 saw a return of the two; United Kingdom and European Union countries into an increase mode. In contrast, the United States of American witnessed a constant decrease from the previous year. In January 2013, the overall percentage rate of the United Kingdom would best be described as fluctuation in terms of increase and decrease. In particular, the country had a decrease compared to the previous year. Layard, et al 2011 argues that, in relat ion to the United States of America, the unemployment level was at its highest of 9.8% in 2010, although the rest of years were covered by a fluctuation between 5.1% and 7.6%. Conversely, the European Union is the leading country among the three in the unemployment rate for the last six year where a significant increase has been noted, the United States of America comes in as the second while the United Kingdom is the last in line. The UK Domestic and International factors Causing Variation in Unemployment Rates in the UK, the EU and the USA Domestic Causing Variation in Unemployment Rates According to the graph, it is apparent that, the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom is relatively lower as

HRM policies in support of organizational objectives Essay Example for Free

HRM policies in support of organizational objectives Essay Employee role for achieving organizational objectives is based on several factors. Each factor is either interrelated to other or may have direct impact on employee performance considering strategic HRM policies. Rewards play a very important role in influencing employee behavior towards meeting organizational goals and increasing their motivational level that positively supports organizational commitment. Different jobs have diversifying demands for the offering of benefits to employees depending on the constituencies of each benefit system. However, employees focus on goals achievement behavior and thus adopt a comprehensive policy for providing benefits to employees. These benefits include on-service perks and bonuses off-service compensation packages in the form of different pension plans. Benefits and rewards system affect a set of individual factors that in combine enable the organization to implement their strategic HRM policies as for supporting organizational objectives. It must be ensured that these benefits and compensation system complies the equity principle thus increasing the harmony and address the recognition, employee rights, motivation, behavioral control, and employee performance management issues. These benefits are directly dependant on the type of the job and employee demands. Younger employees are seem to be more oriented towards higher pay earnings whereas old employees show long term return concern in terms of pension and retirement packages. Implementation of strategic HRM policies in organization becomes great challenge due to resistance by employees as such policies also concern change management in uncertain market conditions. Companies offer numerous benefits such as annual bonuses, perks, overtime allowances, plussage, premia, and other incentives either based on individual performance or group performance. Such bonuses are essential if companies aim at getting benefit from the skills and services of employees for longer term, due to unique skills and potential capability to grow in organization in future. Overtime allowances and premia are essential to motivate the employees for working in odd working timings or more than the usual working hours. In order to support short run operations of firm such allowances enable policy makers to achieve objectives through effective utilization of HRM policies. In order to classify the performance of employee in manufacturing concern firms performance based bay deem appropriate facilitating rewarding the employees based on the results and goals achieved. Concerning the goal based approach, performance based pay is productive to regulate and motivate employees towards achieving higher productive outcomes measured in terms of quantifiable objectives. In contrast to that, skill based pay supports the strategic HRM policy implementation when organizations are unable to classify the objectives in real terms; objectives are set based on the viability of employees to achieve through utilizing their skills qualitative in nature. It must be ensured that skills based rewards require assessing the monetary rewards considering the impact of business growth expansion. Positively valuing the competency of employee increases the motivation level and subsequently results in greater organization commitment. However, this pay system is not suitable to achieve organization objectives in rapidly changing working environment as specific skills become obsolete due to inadequacy to conform latest business requirement. Strategic HRM policies aimed at assessing the potential opportunities for firm in long term by involvement of employees in decision making thus setting the common goal set as corporate objective. Pension plans offer more convenience to firms when they need to retain employees for longer duration; thus in order to profound the policies on regulating employees, pension plans convey the focus towards increasing employee performance aligning to organizational objectives. Occupational pension schemes in addition to state pension scheme offers employee recognition based on their service duration; proper conveying the return outcome to employees especially who are more oriented towards organization goals achievement and shows higher level organizational commitment. Group personal schemes in addition to state pension scheme increases the capability of organization for delivery of HRM policies to sustain in market for longer duration; employees involvement in such programs shows the willingness of employees to understand the organization objectives and potential capability associating to aligning behavior and driving the employees in a particular directional objectives of organization. In addition to pension benefits to permanent employees of organization, adjoining compensation packages and rewards giving the allowances such as sick pay, overtime allowances, and fringe benefits in the form of premia, special compensation for higher research studies, and providing utility facilities such as company maintained cars, employee health insurance, medical allowance, providing company maintained house for specific number of employees. These rewards affect the intrinsic motivational factors of employees due to trust of company being shown in employees by offering various forms of rewards and benefits; classifies the ability to deliver strategic HRM policies based on the situation need and ability of employees of conform. Flexible benefits given to employees are more suitable due to its convenience in practical implication in driving employees’ behavior pertaining to the objectives setting and long term goals achievement. HRM policies must deliver the clear information to employees for the related expectation and demands that address the organization goal setting and strategies adopted to achieve such goals.

Technology Changing the Workforce Essay -- essays research papers

Technology and social change go hand-in-hand with the advancement of the workforce society within the last decade. Thanks to new technological breakthroughs emerging on a regular basis, the way we view employment has changed drastically compared to those of years before us. Dating back to the 1400’s, Johan Gutenberg revolutionized the world as we know it today by developing the printing press. Today, we take such things for granted but it is writing that makes it possible to spread knowledge, communication, and ideas over such a wide body of population.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With the amazing developing of print, other inventions began emerging. Thanks to some amazing innovatists, the radio, television, telephone, and now today, the Internet, have all been established. Not only have these inventions altered our personal lives, but have changed the way the job industry has been run for years.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  However, probably the biggest change these inventions have had in our society ability to earn an education. A college degree is almost a necessity in today’s workforce. Today’s technologically advanced economy desperately needs those who are trained in specialized areas; ranging from analyzing molecular genetic information to programming a database for a large company. Once there was a time when steel mills and assembly lines ruled the economy. Poor, uneducated men with amazing work ethics ruled the workforce. These men, and women, worked 60 hour wor...

The Presentation of Self in Everyday

In his book, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life, Erving Goffman compares life to acting. He argues that â€Å"when the individual is in the immediate presence of others, his activity will have a promissory character† (Goffman 2). I think it is ironic because I always thought that movies or theaters have always tried to imitate reality and not the other way around. In order to clearly show his analogy, Goffman presents elements of acting such as the front. We are all familiar with the term front act.† In Goffman’s opinion, people are all playing an act. This is such a bold claim to make because he is saying that we are all just performing and not being our real selves, though there are some truths to his claim. What is confusing is when do we really act, or when do we be ourselves? Most of us would not acknowledge his belief that we are playing a character, but then again, the person that denies this may also just be playing a role, and so the question remai ns unanswered.One idea of Goffman that caught my attention is his theory that people cooperate in an act to cover, say, something embarrassing. I have experienced it myself—I would pretend that I have not witnessed someone undergo an embarrassing moment, although unconsciously, I was not trying to make that person feel the embarrassment more, but rather, I was just trying not to be mean.It did not occur to me that by pretending (and therefore joining in the scene, or rather excluding myself from the scene) not to see the embarrassing act, I have helped in saving that person’s face. What follows is an array of lectures, as it were, like that of a professor teaching a theater or film student, only that his lectures are philosophical and are related to our everyday lives. After reading Goffman’s work, I found myself smiling because of the truths in his analogies that never crossed my mind before.

Macbeth English CW Essay

Malcolm calls Macbeth and Lady Macbeth ‘this dead butcher and his fiend like queen,’ (Act 5, Scene 9, Line 36). Do you think that Lady Macbeth has any redeeming qualities? In this essay I will try to show that Lady Macbeth, although she is evil, does have some redeeming qualities. I think that Lady Macbeth does have redeeming qualities and that she shows these at different points throughout the play. I think that we can see Lady Macbeth as a different person because we see what happens at points when Malcolm doesn’t. We know that Lady Macbeth was not responsible for the killing of Banquo and The thane of Fife’s wife and children. However, there is ambiguity over the question of whether Lady Macbeth is a witch or not. In these times a witch could have been identified by her ability to predict the future, fly, sail in sieves, bring on night in daytime and their ‘damned spot’. This is a supposed red mark on a witch’s body from where the devil has supposedly sucked blood. In act 1, scene 5 she says: ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty’ This suggests that she wants evil spirits to take over to allow her to do what needs to happen. This makes us think that she may be a witch. In Elizabethan times people were quite scared of witches and King James, the king at the time, was especially fascinated by witches. In act 1, scene 5 Lady Macbeth seems very pleased to receive Macbeth’s letter but we see her say that she doesn’t think that Macbeth will be brave enough to murder Duncan for the crown. We also see that she is ambitious and ruthless when she says: ‘And chastise with the valour of my tongue All that impedes thee from the golden round,’ But she appears to be ambitious for her husband and not for herself. I think that this is a redeeming quality as she just wants to help her husband, as she doesn’t think he will go through with it because he is not tough enough. This seems fiend like as to suggest to kill a king is awful, made even worse by the fact that he will be sleeping and unarmed. A soldier would only consider killing and armed man, in battle morally right but to kill a guest is morally wrong. This is also regicide, and Shakespeare was taking a big risk putting such a controversial thing into one of his plays. I think that Lady Macbeth might horrify the audience with her language here especially when she says: ‘Which fate and metaphysical aid doth seem To have thee crowned withal.’ I think that the audience would have been particularly shocked with the words ‘metaphysical aid’ as these are supernatural forces. I think that the audience would have been shocked further when Lady Macbeth says: ‘Come, you spirits That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here And fill me from the crown to the toe topfull Of direst cruelty’ Here Lady Macbeth calls to the evil spirits and asks them to full her with cruelty. This would have suggested that she either was a witch or wanted to become a witch. For the audience at this time this would have been horrifying. The words that Shakespeare uses suggest that Lady Macbeth’s head is full of thoughts of becoming queen, especially when she says, ‘crown’. Also the alliteration in the phrase, ‘to the toe topfull’, stresses the ‘t’ sounds and stresses the syllables of ‘topfull’. Then Shakespeare uses soft ‘s’ sounds, which sound like hissing, suggest Lady Macbeth’s association with evil. The association with evil comes from the story of Adam and Eve. In the Bible Adam and Eve are tempted by a snake to take an apple from the tree. This snake was in fact the devil and this therefore associates a snake (or hissing sounds) with the devil and evil. I don’t think that Macbeth’s and Lady Macbeth’s relationship is conventional for the time as she seems to have a more male role. She seems stronger than Macbeth and in a way seems to have a power over him. She hasn’t even spoken to him yet and she has already decided what the plan of action is going to be in order for him to become king. In Act 1, Scene 6, we see Lady Macbeth welcoming Duncan to her house. In this scene she plays the role of the hostess and seems to be extremely evil in this scene. We have just seen her telling Macbeth about the plan to kill Duncan and now she is being really nice to Duncan. This will cause the audience to dislike her as we can see that she is obviously not a very nice person. This shows her as being really two faced and insincere towards Duncan. She is being, as she tells Macbeth to be later on, the innocent flower but the serpent underneath. In Act 1, Scene 7, we see Macbeth talking to himself and saying that he has no motives or good reasons to kill Duncan. But then Lady Macbeth comes in and uses blackmail and she taunts him to get him to go through with this, and to get her own way. ‘When you durst do it, then you were a man. And to be more than what you were, you would Be so much more the man.’ This suggest that Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth is a coward and therefore not a man. This is fiend like as she is blackmailing Macbeth into doing it. She is telling him he is not a man, and to be unmanned was a bad thing in Elizabethan times. Lady Macbeth, therefore, looks like she is very responsible for Duncan’s death as it wouldn’t have even happened if Lady Macbeth hadn’t persuaded Macbeth to do it. In this scene Macbeth appears to be weak and not the dominant person in this relationship. Also she doesn’t appear to show any recognition that what she is doing is so wrong. I think that Lady Macbeth would shock the audience when she says that she would rather kill her own child than break such a promise as this one. ‘†¦I have given suck and know How tender ’tis to love the babe that milks me: I would, while it was smiling in my face, Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums And dashed the brains out, had I so sworn†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This also shoes Lady Macbeth’s fiend like qualities. This statement would have shocked the audience greatly. She says that she would kill her own baby while it was smiling at her while she was breast feeding it if she had sworn to do so. This is a shocking statement and I think it would have shocked anyone. This truly shows how evil she is. This statement also raises another point of ambiguity. Lady Macbeth says, ‘I have given suck†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ This suggests that she has had a baby but there appears to be no child now. This raises the question of where the child is or if it is even alive. In Act 2, Scene 2 Lady Macbeth appears to have a few redeeming qualities. The fact that she has had to have a drink because she isn’t feeling brave is a redeeming quality. Also the fact that her thought are flicking around shows her tension and suggests that she is not as impenetrably ruthless as she seems. ‘†¦He is about it. The doors are open, and the surfeited grooms Do mock their charge with snores.’ This is another redeeming quality as it may shows her feeling guilty. Also when she says: ‘†¦Had he not resembled My father as he slept, I had done’t.’ This shows that she does have compassion as she couldn’t kill someone who looked like her father. Also in this scene when Macbeth comes back from killing Duncan, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have a frantic, disjointed conversation while Macbeth is holding the daggers. This conversation last for thirty seven lines and it is only on the last line that Lady Macbeth realises that Macbeth is still holding the daggers. This shows how panic stricken they are and how neither is thinking clearly. This is a redeeming quality as this suggests that Lady Macbeth feels guilty and worried. In Act 2, Scene 3, Lady Macbeth faints when she hears that Duncan has been murdered. This is ambiguous as we don’t know if she is actually fainting or whether she is trying to cover up the situation. However this point is ambiguous as there are a number of reasons for why she might have fainted. She could be surprised (or even dismayed) that Macbeth is acting on his own or she might be shocked at Macbeth’s rashness when he kills the guards. Another point is that she might genuinely be upset at Macbeth’s gory description, as she said that Duncan reminded her of her father. The story which is probably more likely is that she is trying to draw attention away from the fact that Macbeth killed the guards to stop him from looking so guilty. This shows how evil she is. She doesn’t want people to focus on it too much and she also doesn’t want to be blamed. In Act 3, Scene 2, we see that Macbeth and Lady Macbeth have drifted apart ad become more distant. Macbeth has become more independent as well. We see this when we see that Macbeth has made plans to kill Banquo, but Lady Macbeth is not involved. This is a redeeming quality as we see that Lady Macbeth has nothing to do with this murder, only they murder of Duncan which was to help her husband anyway. She seems to be affected by this as she asks him what will happen, ‘What’s to be done?’, but Macbeth won’t tell her. In Act 3, Scene 4, we see the banquet held by Macbeth. Lady Macbeth seems to be different at the start of this scene as Macbeth says, ‘our hostess keeps her state’. These suggest that Lady Macbeth is sitting quietly, away from everyone else. This shows that she is not acting like the conventional hostess. This also ambiguous and suggests that Lady Macbeth may have begun to lose her mind already or she may be feeling isolated as she and Macbeth have drift apart. This could also shows that she is feeling guilty which is a redeeming quality. However, as soon as Macbeth leaves the feast Lady Macbeth goes after him to remind him that he mustn’t leave and that he needs to go and be the host. When Macbeth starts to see Banquo and behave weirdly, Lady Macbeth covers up for him but tells him to stop being stupid and entertain the guests. ‘You have displaced the mirth, broke the good meeting With most admired disorder.’ Here she is scorning Macbeth for ruining the banquet and drawing attention to himself. Lady Macbeth does not seem to feel guilty in this scene but she does seem afraid. I don’t think that she shows signs of feeling in this scene as she still blackmails and taunts Macbeth to get him to sit down and act as though everything is normal. Act 5, Scene 1 is the last scene that we see with Lady Macbeth in it. I think that Shakespeare uses the sleepwalking in this scene so that all can be revealed by Lady Macbeth to another character. I think that in this scene we begin to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth and I think that she has some redeeming qualities in this scene. One is that she acknowledges that she has done something wrong. ‘What will these hands ne’er be clean?’ This shows that she thinks she has blood on her hands and she wants then to be clean. She obviously feels guilty as she is having nightmares about it all. Also in this scene Lady Macbeth begins to speak in prose. Shakespeare always makes his main characters speak in verse but Lady Macbeth no longer speaks in verse. This shows that she is mad and is no longer important to the play. Also I think another redeeming quality is that she seems to feel responsible for all the deaths throughout the play, even tough she was only really responsible for one of the deaths, Duncan’s. I think that in this scene we begin to feel sorry for Lady Macbeth and like her a bit more. This scene shows that she does have redeeming qualities and that she isn’t completely evil. I don’t think that lady Macbeth is a ‘fiend like queen’. I think she is evil but has many redeeming qualities which make her seem a lot better as you go through the play. I also think that the fact that we see more of Lady Macbeth than Malcolm does mean we have the opportunity to see these redeeming qualities whereas Malcolm might not. I think that the moral of this play is don’t kill the king. It is not honourable or good and it will come back to haunt you.

Citing a Chapter from an Edited Book in Oxford Referencing

Citing a Chapter from an Edited Book in Oxford Referencing Citing a Chapter from an Edited Book in Oxford Referencing When academics contribute a single chapter to a larger volume, you may find yourself needing to cite just part of a book. And while this is like citing a full book, it does differ in a few ways. Let’s look, then, at how to cite a chapter from an edited book with Oxford referencing. In-Text Citations for a Chapter from an Edited Book All versions of Oxford referencing use a footnote and bibliography system. As such, we indicate citations with superscript numbers in the main text: Citations usually appear after final punctuation in a sentence.1 In the accompanying footnote, you then need to give the following information for the chapter of the book you are citing: n. Chapter Author’s Initial(s) and Surname, â€Å"Chapter Title,† in Editor’s Initial(s) and Surname (ed.), Book Title, place of publication, publisher, year, page number(s). In practice, then, a footnote citation for a chapter from an edited book would look something like this: 1. M. L. Rosenzweig, â€Å"Do Animals Choose Habitats?,† in M. Berkoff and D. Jamieson (eds.), Readings in Animal Cognition, Cambridge, Bradford Books, 1999, p. 189. The page numbers here should indicate the specific section you’re citing. You will then give the complete page range for the chapter in your bibliography. For repeat references to a single chapter from a book, meanwhile, you can use a shorter citation format. This usually involves either: Giving just the author’s surname and a new page number. Using the Latin abbreviations â€Å"ibid.,† â€Å"op. cit.,† and â€Å"loc. cit.† Check your style guide for more information on which approach to use. Chapters from Edited Books in an Oxford Bibliography In your bibliography, you should list all cited sources alphabetically by author surname with full publication information. For a chapter from an edited book, this includes: Author Surname, Initial(s)., â€Å"Chapter Title,† in Editor’s Initial(s) and Surname (ed.), Book Title, place of publication, publisher, year, complete page range. As you can see, this is similar to the first footnote citation format. The key differences in the bibliography are that you give: The author’s surname first, followed by initials The page range for the entire chapter, not a pinpoint citation In practice, then, we would list the chapter cited above as follows: Rosenzweig, M. L., â€Å"Do Animals Choose Habitats?,† in M. Berkoff and D. Jamieson (eds.), Readings in Animal Cognition, Cambridge, Bradford Books, 1999, pp. 185–199. A Note on Oxford Referencing This guide sets out the basics of how to cite a chapter from an edited book using Oxford referencing. However, this system can differ between institutions. As such, you should always check your style guide for advice on how to present references in written work for your course. If you don’t have a style guide available or it doesn’t cover a certain issue, just aim for clarity and consistency. And if you need anyone to check the referencing in a document, we’re happy to help.

Xiphactinus - Facts and Figures

Xiphactinus - Facts and Figures Name: Xiphactinus (combination Latin and Greek for sword ray); pronounced zih-FACK-tih-nuss Habitat: Shallow waters of North America, western Europe and Australia Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (90-65 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 20 feet long and 500-1,000 pounds Diet: Fish Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; slender body; prominent teeth with distinctive underbite    About Xiphactinus At 20 feet long and up to half a ton, Xiphactinus was the largest bony fish of the Cretaceous period, but it was far from the top predator of its North American ecosystemas we can tell from the fact that specimens of the prehistoric sharks Squalicorax and Cretoxyrhina have been discovered containing Xiphactinus remains. It was a fish-eat-fish world back in the Mesozoic Era, though, so you shouldnt be surprised to learn that numerous Xiphactinus fossils have been discovered containing the partially digested remains of smaller fish. (Finding a fish inside a fish inside a shark would be a true fossil trifecta!) One of the most famous Xiphactinus fossils contains the almost-intact remains of an obscure, 10-foot-long Cretaceous fish called Gillicus. Paleontologists speculate that the Xiphactinus died right after swallowing the fish, possibly because its still-living prey managed to puncture its stomach in a desperate attempt at escape, like the grisly extraterrestrial in the movie Alien. If this is really what happened, Xiphactinus would be the first fish known to have died from acute indigestion! One of the odd things about Xiphactinus is that its fossils have been discovered in just about the last place youd expect, the landlocked state of Kansas. In fact, during the late Cretaceous period, much of the American midwest was submerged under a shallow body of water, the Western Interior Sea. For this reason, Kansas has been a rich fossil source of all sorts of marine animals from the Mesozoic Era, not only giant fish like Xiphactinus, but various marine reptiles as well, including plesiosaurs, pliosaurs, ichthyosaurs and mosasaurs.

Rainforest Cafe marketing reseach paper Research

Rainforest Cafe marketing reseach - Research Paper Example This study analyses the hospitality and tourism industry, particularly, the hotel industry of London. According to Ruddick, hotels in London are expected to face a weaker trading market this year because of the Olympics hangover. Furthermore, there is an expectation that tremendous growth will be recorded in the hotel industry of the U.K towards the end of the year, as they are expected to make improvements. The hotel market has been chosen for analysis because hotels represent an important element of London’s tourism industry, and the London hotel market is distinct (Cushman&WakefieldHospitality 4). Given that the London hotel market is distinct, this analysis aims at identifying the weakness and threats that face a specific restaurant. It also identifies the hotel’s strengths and opportunities. Further, the analysis provides recommendations on how the restaurant can improve and maintain its strengths, as well as, capitalize on opportunities. Information will be gather ed from customer reviews, annual financial reports and hotel websites. In this analysis, an environmental scan of Rainforest Cafe, located in London will be carried out. The economic, technological, political, socio-cultural, legal, natural and global factors that influence the organization’s operations and success in the market will be analyzed. This will be done in comparison with the major competitors of Rainforest Cafe. First, the analysis will begin with an internal SWOT analysis of Rainforest Cafe to identify its strengths, and threats. Recommendations will be made on how the Cafe can improve on its weakness and maintain its strengths to ensure outstanding performance in the market now and in the future. Secondly, an external SWOT analysis will be carried out to identify the restaurant’s strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities. Finally, a competitive analysis for Rainforest cafe will be carried out to identify organizations that compete with the cafe in general and in terms of product form, product category and budget. Rainforest Cafe Rainforest Cafe is located found in 20 Shaftesbury Avenue, Piccadilly Circus in London (Porter) Par 13. The cafe is committed to supporting worthwhile environmental causes (Rainforest Cafe Par 1). The rainforest cafe works with a UK-based charity, World Land Trust, to try to save as much tropical forest as possible (Rainforest Cafe Par 3). The cafe is among the largest family restaurants in London. The restaurant is built in sucha way that it is jungle-like, and this jungle feel is enhanced by the roaring elephants and other special effects (Porter Par 1). It is themed as a tropical rainforest. Started in 1997, the cafe has been popular ever since The Rainforest Cafe uses information technology to support food services operations, with a remarkable and direct use of information technology. There are other branches across North America and other international locations. This group of hotels entered the industry, and is characterized by significant investments in the physical and operational infrastructures of food services to create a distinct atmosphere and unique theme-based experience for their clients. Apart from providing hotel services, the Rainforest Cafe sells merchandise to both adults and children related to the rainforest theme. The rainforest theme is intended to foster in adult and child customers a sense of excitement about nature, concern for survival in the tropical

Does the EU need politicization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Does the EU need politicization - Essay Example The fundamental question which must be addressed before embarking upon the launch of measures to politicize the EU is rather straightforward and is rooted in a legitimate concern of the stakeholders which are somehow affected by the functioning of the politico-economic union of several European nations. This question aims to explore whether the EU essentially needs and require politicization. For the purposes of comprehensively and critically examining this fundamental aspect, this paper integrates positions of renowned scholars on the topic so as to reach at objective and viable conclusions with regard to inquiry. According to De Wilde and Zurn (2012), the onset of politicization is a direct outcome of the rising power and authoritative position which is currently possessed by the EU. It should be noted with reference to this claim that the possible increase in this authoritative stature of the union has been prompted by two critical events – the failure of the Constitution Treaty and the inception of the financial crisis which hit the region. For scholars such as Statham and Trenz (2012), the agenda of politicization has reached a stage where its effects can be characterized as palpable and where its eventual progression appears to be foreseeable. Despite of these observations it is important to identify whether this particular measure appears to be the only viable and feasible answer for effectively resolving the problems of the European Union? In their comprehensive and insightful research on the issue of politicization surrounding the European Union (EU), Magnette and Papadopoulos (2008) adopt a neutral stance on the position of renowned scholars Hix and Bartolini and rightly classify the issue of EU’s politicization as a supposed solution for the imminent problems which are being faced by the union. This notion postulates that rather than blatantly disapproving or approving of this

Is the rise of China good or bad for the industrial world Essay

Is the rise of China good or bad for the industrial world - Essay Example The manner in which it has benefited the world economy as well as brought a new and dignified name to the technological domains is somewhat of an interesting study which has come about with the passage of time. Also an effort has been made to find out what binds together the Chinese energy and the workforce which keeps producing solid results and creates benchmarks time and again. In essence, a clear cut demarcation has been made when the talk has gone out loud regarding China being a potent force within the industrial world in this day and age, as well as doing so in the coming times undoubtedly (Li 1999). Hence these discussions will be centered upon within this paper to find out how the world can catch up with China and how China can grow even further from where it is today. With the assistance of major industrial players like the European Union, China can make it big within the global economy. Even though it is doing well, it needs to stamp of approval from the world’s leading economic bodies. What China can bank on meanwhile is that its economic resources in the form of its own people trust in themselves and this is the reason why they are seen as tough taskmasters. They believe in hard work, commitment and devotion right from the beginning of doing any work. The world including the European Union and other significant bodies like the United States see them as dedicated professionals who would go to any length to turn the impossible tasks into possible and doable things. This is the basis why Chinese have been able to showcase significance through their actions while the rest of the world has sat back and enjoyed their laurels. The talent and skills with which these Chinese professionals are filled with is testimony enough that the processes an d systems within the country are based on a solid footing. This is the reason why there are many moments of success when it comes to the

History of Animation

History of Animation Historical Perspective Introduction: This section in my dissertation focuses not on the history of animation per se but on the evolution and progress of animation in films and in particular claymation which is one form of stop-motion animation. The desire to animate is as old as art itself. Animation is a form of movie magic with its origins in art form. The earliest examples are still drawings, found in Palaeolithic cave paintings depicting animals with multiple sets of legs in superimposed positions, that attempted to convey the illusion of movement. While such images came to life through fairy tales and folk lore, it was only during the 19th century -when inventions were made to make motion picture- that animated pictures became a real possibility. A live -action film and an animated film are different because the live -action camera captures a scene moving in real time, automatically freezing into separate still pictures that can then be projected on to a screen. In an animation film, the animator, on the contrary, can not film anything until and unless he/ she creates through drawings(2D animation) or models (3 D animation) or computer imagery every single frame of a film from scratch. While animation is definitely a highly creative medium, it entails time-consuming processes for an animator who should have vision, faith in the concept and creation, abundant patience and capacity for sustained efforts. THE DEVICES: The development of devices from crude form to highly technical gadget has played a key role in evolution of animation over the years. The earliest device to create an image of a moving picture is known as Zoetrope, invented in China around 180 AD. The modern day zoetrope contraption was produced in 1834 by William George Horner and is considered to be the beginning of the animation devices. The device is basically a cylinder with vertical slits around the sides. Around the inside edge of the cylinder there are a series of pictures on the opposite side to the slits. As the cylinder is spun, the user then looks through the slits producing the illusion of motion. Actually, even in present day animation classes for the beginners, the Zoetrope is being used to explain the early concepts of animation. The magic lantern, believed to have originated from China in the 16th century, is the precursor to the modern day projector. It consisted of a translucent oil painting and a simple lamp. When put together in a darkened room, the image would appear larger on a flat surface. The most significant early day animation device was Phenakistoscope (1831) disc, invented simultaneously by the Belgian Joseph Plateau and the Austrian Simon von Stampfer. The photographic sequence experiments done by English-born American Eadweard Muybridge in 1872, using 24 still cameras set up along side horse race track, have been of help to later generation of animators. The animated film took a major step thanks to a sophisticated version of Zoetrope, known as Praxinoscope, invented by French scientist Charles-Émile Reynaud in 1877, a painter of lantern-slides. It used the same basic mechanism of a strip of images placed on the inside of a spinning cylinder, but instead of viewing it through slits, it was viewed in a series of small, stationary mirrors around the inside of the cylinder, so that the animation would stay in place, and provide a clearer image and better quality. After fifteen years of hard work, Reynaud also developed a larger version of the praxinoscope, an animation system using loops of 12 pictures, that could be projected onto a screen, called the Thà ©Ãƒ ¢tre Optique, first demonstrated at the Musee Grevin, Paris in 1892, comprising 500 pictures on a transparent strip of gelatin. This was the first animation film entitled ‘Pantomimes Lumineuses which lasted up to fifteen minutes. Reynauds films were simple tales mainly concerned with love and rivalry. Reynaud used drawings rather than photographic images, and every subsequent animated film using line animation -from Felix the Cat and Micky Mouse to the Rugrats and the Simpsons -is a successor to the moving pictures that he created. Flip Book, patented in 1868 by a John Barns Linnet, was another development that brought us closer to modern animation. The Flip Book creates the illusion of motion through a set of sequential pictures flipped at a high speed. The Mutoscope (1894) is basically a flip book in a box with a crank handle to flip the pages. 1919 marked the invention of rotoscope. While Emile Reynaud, showed the first animated film using his Theatre Optique system in 1982, three years later, two French brothers, Auguste and Louis Lumiere, presented the first authentic demonstration of what we now think of as cinema. Lumiere Brothers characters were images of real people and hence overshadowed the Emile Reynauds presentations of moving drawings. Humorous Phases of Funny Faces made by J. Stuart Blackton in 1906, featuring a cartoonist drawing faces on a chalkboard, and the faces apparently coming to life, can be termed as the first animated work on standard picture film. This film was released by Vitagraph. Two years later, the French director Émile Cohl (also called Émile Courtet), created Fantasmagorie which was screened for the first time on August 17, 1908 at Theatre du Gymnase in Paris. It was Émile Cohl who relocated to New York City in 1912, spread its technique in the US. Though these animations were rudimentary, ‘Gertie the Dinosaur in 1914 and ‘Koko the Clown in 1919 by Max Fleischer, considered as classics, stepped up the pace of animation films in silent movie era in USA. The Beautiful Lukanida released in 1912 and conceived by the Russian-born director Wladyslaw Starewicz (later known as Ladislas Starevich) gets the honour of being the first puppet animation film. Neither this film, nor the first animated feature film -El Apà ³stol, made in 1917 by Quirino Cristiani from Argentina as well as his two other animated feature films, including 1931s Peludopolis, {the first to use synchronized sound}, have survived the present day. The silhouette-animated Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926) directed by German Lotte Reiniger and French/Hungarian Berthold Bartosch is one of the earliest-surviving animated feature. This film used colour-tinted scenes, perhaps for the first time. The list of other animated films during the silent era included the following films: ‘Gertie the Dinosaur made by Winsor Mccay in 1914, ‘The Sinking of the Lusitania in 1918, ‘Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend in 1921 by John Randolph Bray who rediscovered some of McCays techniques, ‘The Dinosaur and the Missing Link by Willis OBrien in 1915, the first cartoon super star ‘ Felix the Cat in 1919 and ‘The Lost World , a stop motion marvel made in 1925. This was followed by the famous ‘Aesops Film Fables during 1921-1929 created by Paul Terry, released by Van Beuren Studios. Initially, Walt Disney also made silent cartoons like ‘Laugh-o-Grams, ‘Alice Comedies, ‘Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and ‘Mickey Mouse. Other significant silent era series were ‘ Heeza Liar, ‘Mutt and Jeff, ‘Krazy Kat, ‘Bobby Bumps etc. The notable production houses during this period were: Barre Studio, Bray Productions, Barre-Bowers Studio {The Bray Studios was the first and foremost cartoon studio, housed in New York City-} Many budding cartoonists like Paul Terry of Mighty Mouse fame, Max Fleischer of Betty Boop fame, and Walter Lantz of Woody Woodpecker fame, all statrted their career in this studio.The cartoon studio was based in Circa during 1915-1928. ‘Farmer Alfalfa by Paul Terry and ‘Bobby Bumps by Earl Hurd were well known cartoons produced by the Bray studios. Fleischer Studios, set up by Max and Dave Fleischer created the Koko the Clown, Out of the Inkwell, and Sound Car-Tunes series. In addition, this era also saw distributors of animated films such as Margaret J. Winkler, Charles Mintz, Educational Pictures, Red Seal Pictures, and Bijou Films. Although 1930s witnessed a few more animated feature films, Walt Disneys Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937 is deemed to be the first animated feature film with sound effects. It could be because Snow White became successful and well-known within the English-speaking world. The first animation to use the full, three-color Technicolor method was Flowers and Trees (1932) made by Disney Studios which won an academy award for this work. We are all aware how Walt Disney dominated throughout the 1930s, through revolutionary cartoons ‘Silly Symphonies, ‘Mickey Mouse, and Donald Duck. The 1930s, termed as the Golden Era in USA animation also witnessed the emergence of big studios making animation films like Warner Bros, MGM and The Fleischer Studios with their creations like Betty Boop and Popeye cartoons. Following the golden Age of American animation (1920s through 1950s), animation evolved at a more hectic pace during the television era i.e. 1950s through 1980s. During this period, the theatrical cartoons and feature films declined to some extent. Hanna-Barbara productions did dominate this phase with their TV animated series. Then we saw the emergence of morning cartoons on week ends, adult animation in the 70s, and a slew of commercial cartoons in the 1980s. The present day animation (1980s onwards) boasts of mind boggling creations most of which are futuristic in concept such as ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the ‘Disney Renaissance and Steven Spielbergs collaborations with Warner Bros like ET, Jurasic Park etc. The Simpsons is one of the most successful series that revived the adult-oriented animation. The other series of this genre is Cartoons Networks late night animation show ‘Adult Swim. Many studios all over the world have joined the bandwagon of making animation films for world wide distribution. The rise of CGI, increasing popularity of Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and the Anime explosion which is mainstream version of Japanese animation represent the current scenario in animation. HISTORY OF STOP -MOTION CLAYMATION: Stop motion and cel animation are two basic techniques in traditional animation. Stop motion animation, is used for many animation productions using physical objects rather than images of people, as with traditional animation. An object will be photographed, moved slightly, and then photographed again. When the pictures are played back in normal speed the object will appear to move by itself. Clay animation is one the forms of stop-motion animation. It is the animation of clay models made preferably of plasticine clay. Producing stop-motion animation using clay /plasticine clay is a time consuming and labour intensive process. That is because, to produce a 30 minute stop motion animation movie using clay models, approximately 21,600 times one has to stop to change the figures for the frames. In the case of feature-length films, in addition to clay, rubber silicone and resin-cast components are used to create models. The term Claymation is a registered trade mark in USA, registered by Will Vinton, the greatest pioneer in clay animation. Though foamation, meaning use of foam-rubber process, invented by Will Vinton has found a place in stop motion animation films, it is clay which is the preferred material to bring about aesthetic effect as well. A variant to claymation is the â€Å"clay melting† used in Will Vintons film ‘Closed Mondays. While there are several forms of clay animation, the notable few are: â€Å"Freeform† claymation represents a process wherein the shape of the clay changes significantly as the animation progresses, as exemplified in the films of Eliot Noyes Jr and Ivan Stang. â€Å"Character† Clay animation maintains a recognisable character throughout the shot as in Art Clokeys and Will Vintons works. The â€Å" Strata -cut animation† entails long bread like loaf of clay packed with varying figures/ images, which is sliced into thin sheets with the camera taking a frame of the end of loaf for each cut as a result of which one could eventually see the movements of internal images within. This technique was pioneered by the German animator Oskar Fischinger during 1920s and 1930s subsequently upgraded by David Daniels in mid-90s as seen in his film Buzz Box. Clay painting is termed as another form of claymation. This process requires clay to be placed on a flat surface and moved like wet oil paints. This technique results in a seamless merger of stop motion and traditional flat animation. Early films using stop-motion were the clasic ‘Chicken Run and ‘Wallace and Gromit, and later ‘The Nightmare Before Christmas and ‘James and the Giant Peach. Sometimes even objects are used, such as with the films of Jan Ã…  vankmajer. Stop motion animation was also commonly used for special effects work in many live-action films, such as the 1933 version of ‘King Kong and ‘The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. It was in 1920s, though eight years earlier Edison Manufacturing released a clay animated trick film called ‘The Sculptors Welsh Rarebit Dream, the clay animation films using either cels or the slash system became the dominant mode in animation film production. Although the cel method was preferred for cartoon films by the studios, clay animation was the medium in the well known film called ‘Modelling produced by Fleischer Studio in 1921. Joan Gratz, won academy nomination for her clay animation films Creation (1980) and won the Oscar for yet another film ‘Mona Lisa descending a Stair Case made in 1982. Craig Barlett, another Vinton animator was known for variation in clay animation used in his series of short films ‘Arnold in the mid 90s. Charles Bowers a comedian with great talent in animation made many bizarre films in the 1920s combining stop-motion animation and comedy. Academy Award winning short films such as ‘ Closed Mondays made by Will Vinton and Bob Gardiner in 1974, ‘The Sand Castle'(1977) and ‘Creature Comforts; , produced by Aardman Studios in 1989 and all four Wallace Gromit films created by Nick Park of Arrdman Animation and last but the least ‘The Presentators again filmed by Aardman Animation are typical claymation films. Clay animation has been creatively employed in several computer games as well viz. The Neverhood, Clay Fighter, Patypus, Primal Rage. Besides TV commercials such as ‘Chevron Cars, childrens shows in the electronic media in the recent times are dominated by clay animation techniques which are often seen on Cartoon Network. Computer graphic image of clay animation is presented in a film called ‘ Flushed Away. COMPUTER -GENERATED IMAGERY {CGI } What has caused a real revolution in animation industry is the Computer -generated imagery- abbreviated as CGI. It is significantly different from traditional animation because the drawings (known as 2D animation) in traditional animation gave way to 3D Modeling which is the virtual version of stop-motion. CGI combines these two forms of animation through computer aided animation but on 2D Computer drawing. CGI is as tedious as the traditional animation and many of the underlying principles of traditional animation are used albeit through computer aided software programmes. While the playback feature creating an illusion is true of all moving images (from zoetrope to films to videogames), the techniques involved in creating CGI are generally removed from a frame-by-frame process. Most of the characters employed in CGI films are based on animal characters, monsters, machines or cartoon-like humans. The latest rend is to create realistic-looking humans. The notable animation films of t his genre are Films are ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within in 2001, ‘Final Fantasy: Advent Children in 2005, ‘The Polar Express in 2004, and ‘Beowulf in 2007. The constraint in this method of animation is to create the nuances and details of a living person if one has to make a realistic CG character; in particular, to synchronise the movement of the hair and clothing with the animated human character. CEL-SHADED ANIMATION Cel shading is a type of rendering, known as non photorealistic rendering, to make computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. A recent development and a comples process, this is generally applied to mimic the style of a comic book or cartoon. The console video games use cel- shaded animation in addition to computer graphics. The material used in cel- shaded animation is the clear sheets of acetate , called cels. Some animators consider Cel -shaded animation as â€Å"2.5 D form of animation†, a via media between 2D and 3D animation. It was only the console video games which shows the true real-time cel-shading as seen in Segas Jet Set Radio launched in 2000 for their Dreamcast console. This style of animation was used in Freedom Project in 2006. ANIMATION IN INDIA: As in the western countries, the roots of animation in India are in Indian Cinema. In the early 20s, Dadasaheb Phalke, arguably one of the founders of Indian Cinema, {in whose name a prestigious award has been instituted to honour every year outstanding contribution in the field of cinema}, match sticks and a stop-motion camera to create a short film which was unfortunately not distributed for public viewing. After a lot of struggle, he succeeded in making a stop motion film ‘The Growth of A Pea Plant in 1912, marking the beginning of animation in films in India. However, the first animation film ever released in a theater was ‘ The Pea Brothers produced by New Theatres Limited, and directed by Gunamoy Banerjee, and released on June 23, 1934. It took nearly seventeen years to produce the next animation film called ‘Jumbo The Fox coming from Ranjit Movietone and released in 1951. In the same year, another animation from New Theatres, ‘Michke Potash, directed by Bhaktaram Mitra was released. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India set up a Cartoon Film Unit as part of its Filns Division to promote animation films. This unit produced in 1956 ‘Radha and Krishna, a 22 minute film based on cel animation, directed by J.S. Bhownagary. It is believed that camera movements over the miniature paintings of Indian art were employed to create the animation. This film won prestigious awards in International Film Festival held in Berlin. Films Division had a team of animators like Kantilal Rathore, Pramod Pati, G.K. Godbole, and V.G. Samant, along with Ram Mohan, Bhimsain, Satam, Suresh Nayek. A film which impacted animation in India was ‘Kalpana, made in 1948, directed by the legendary dance maestro Uday Shankar, although it was not an animation film. Because, the use of feet movement, film language with rhythm and melody skillfully synchronized appealed to all the film makers including Satyajit Ray Mrinal Sen, do yens of Indian Cinema. Clair Weeks, an animator from the Disney Studio was brought to India by The Films Division, with funding support from UNESCO and the US Technical Aid Programme, to train the animators in the Division. Those who were benefited were Ram Mohan, Bhimsain, Satam, Ezra Mir and Pramod Pati. In 1960, one of the earliest pro-social animations made by the Films Division was ‘A Great Problem, covering family planning issues was released and received international appreciation for its maker G.K. Gokhale. The first animation film with music was ‘Chaos in 1969. As the animators from the Films Division left and started their own ventures, there was a growth in the studios making animation films in India such Climb Films, Rauko Laboratories owned by Satyajit Ray and Mrinal Sen, and the Prasads Studios in the south. Others like Gimmicks and Pictoreel Facet, opened in Bombay, but have not survived till the present day. It was in 1992 when the Film Festival being organized every year by the Films Division was renamed as the International Film Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films, recognizing the growing importance of animation in India. A special section called World Animation in this festival screened the works of international creators like John Halas, Ishu Patel, Osamu Tezuku, Jiri Brdecka, Jiri Trnka. Ishu Patel is one of the well known animators of India who is respected abroad as well. Icerocket Equally important is the contribution made to animation films by the Childrens Film Society of India, set up in 1955 by the Indian Government to promote childrens films. CFSI has produced a huge number of animation films such as ‘Jaise Ko Taisa by Madhab Kunte in 1988, ‘Karuna Ki Vijay by K.S. Bansod in 1985, ‘Lav Kush by K.A. Abbas in 1973, ‘Adventures Of A Sugar Doll in 1966 by Kantilal Rathod, and ‘As You Like It by Sukumar Pillay in 1965. Most of the present day animators of repute have worked on films made by CFSI. Along with film making, the Government of India sought to develop animation teaching in India and accordingly established an animation department in early 70s at the National Institute Of Design which has become the Bedrock Of Animation teaching in India. In addition to teaching traditional and computer aided animation, NID has produced a large number of animation films. ‘Swimmy , a cut out animation film made by Leo Lionni a visiting faculty at NID is till date the best cut out animation film. Other notable films which came out of the NID studios were ‘Cirrus Skies and ‘Patang made by Vinita Desai, ‘Drawing Drawing made jointly by Vinita Desai and Nina Sabnani who also won the international acclaim for her feminist animation film ‘Shubh Vivah dealing with dowry system in this country, using the traditional Rajasthani Marubeni style of painting. The most noteworthy animation film made through NID by the young Prakash Murthy was ‘ Jungle King , base d on Gujarati folklores which received good reviews in the International film festivals. He also made ‘The Square On The Hypotenuse (1995), ‘The Progress Report (1994) and ‘The Protagonist (1988). Shoma Banerje Kak has been credited with making a serial on India called ‘Pradhakshina using cel animation. Other young animators include : Shilpa Ranade, who made Monis Dying who along with Asha Datta, a dynamic producer, has set up Multik Productions. Vinay Rai has made films like Keep Your City Clean, The Drummer nd Animated Bhangra, which was screened at Hiroshimas Indian showcase. Pravin Thakur who created The Brave Bird, and The Louse Story. Neeraj Sahai and Pallvi Sahai with their films like A Monkey And Two Crocodiles and The Big Run. Aman Bajaj has produced films like Khel Khel Mein, Alphabet A and Chikoo And Angola . Ajit Rao, who worked with Ram Mohan Biographics as one of the leading animation designers there, and taught in University of California is teaching in Toonz Animation Studio in India. StumbleUpon Propeller Reddit Magnoliacom Newsvine Furl  · Facebook  · Google  · Yahoo  · Technorati  · Icerocket