Modern America was shaped

Modern America was born in the 1920s Looking back at the 1920s we see the birth of modern America. Women started dressing differently, the invention of household cleaning tools were emerging, and athletes were becoming heroes of many. The Jazz Age also came about In the 1 920s and influenced different types of music we have today such as: Rock and Roll, Hip- Hop, and R&B. Although, many new inventions and social changes were coming about, nothing/no one shaped modern America more than Henry Ford and his impact on the automobiles, the media, and the start of a public education.Henry Ford, American Industrialist, greatly influenced production. wages, working conditions, and daily life. With his development of the assembly line, a technique used for mass production, Henry Ford made cars faster and cheaper than ever before. He allowed both wealthy and non-wealthy to afford cars. Today, thanks to automobiles, people are able to live farther from their jobs and the demand for car parts or necessities has fueled the economy by an increase of Jobs and businesses, In addition to this, automobiles have played a key role in the development of many cities, motels, and highway systems of today.Having not only an Impact on automobiles, Ford also provided better working conditions and wages for his workers. Doubling wages to $5 a day, reducing workdays from 9 hours to 8, and giving the weekends off, was how Henry Ford Influenced working conditions of today. Along with automobiles, the media also helped shaped modern America. The Inventions of the radio and sound films have greatly influenced America's lifestyle of today. The radio as well as sound films are probably one of the most used inventions of all time. When the radio first came about it was used by many as a leisurely thing.People would listen to music, religious sermons, news, and sports games. Today the radio is used by almost everyone; it is used in cars, stores, houses, and parties, it Is a form of entertainment. The radio has influenced many other electronic devices of today such as the iPod. Sound films are another popular invention that we still use today. With the help of sound films, movie theaters arose and shaped the American tradition of going out to the movies. Today there are about 18,000 movie theaters in the U. S that help fuel our economy and keep America entertain with new releases every week.In addition to leisurely Inventions, public education became more important in the 1920s. Before the 1920s a public education was not the maln concern of people as It Is today. In the 1920s public education became more important when people realized that, â€Å"Mastery of mathematics and language could spell the difference between a low-paying Job, unskilled Job and a higher paying position as an office worker. † (p. )This idea has greatly prospered over the years and led to many public schools and unlversltles of today. In the 1900s the percentage of students graduating rom high sc hool was 6. and tripled during the 1920s. Today children, teens, and adults continue to go to school to receive an education and a higher paying Job. During the 1920s the theory of evolution also became known during the scopes trial t Of2 ata scnool In lennessee. I nls Idea 0T evolutlon vs. rellglon Is stlll around today ana continues to be challenged. It is safe to say that the 1920s affected America greatly and continues to do so today. The invention of the automobile still affects modern America today and has greatly impacted the economy financially and socially.It has defined America's structure and changed the way we do things. The radio and sound films have changed the lifestyles of many and have become an American custom. Its businesses continue to grow today and are thriving. Education has also become very important to America and plays as key to architecture, health, and politics of today. Education has challenged many ideas and influences the way we think, positively.

Meaning of Free-Enterprise System Essay

Free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or groups of individuals to engage in business ventures with the minimum intervention of the state (or its political apparatus, the government) (Smith 1776/1904). There are three parts in this definition. First, free-enterprise is defined as freedom of individuals; in classical economic theory, freedom to engage in economic activities is an extension of individual freedom. Added to that, this freedom to participate in economic activities is corollary to making personal choices, which unrestricted, constitute individual freedom (like other freedoms). The second part of this definition is the statement that individuals can engage in business ventures. This can be achieved so long as the individual has the capital to establish his business. In economic theory, capital is defined as the assets, in the form of money, technology, physical infrastructure, human skills, etc. that can have a possible rate of returns. Individuals can use this capital to accumulate wealth, that is, to create more capital and profit. Nevertheless, in a free-enterprise, capital however is dictated by the laws of supply and demand. Capital will only have a fruitful rate of return if it is utilized to producing goods demanded by the consumers. Capital utilized for producing products not demanded by the public will either have a lower rate of returns or push the business into exiting from the market. Lastly, the requisite for free-enterprise is what economists call â€Å"minimum intervention of the state. † In simple terms, in order for the laws of supply and demand to take effect, the government must not intervene in the economic activities of the country. The laws of supply and demand cannot work in a system wherein economic activities are either restricted or controlled by the state or government. Whenever the government restricts business activities, the natural mechanism of adjusting production and demand becomes blurred (policies), and thus may create an artificial shortage in the market. Added to that, Adam Smith (1776/1904) argued that if markets are left on its own, it will naturally supply the public its demand. The capitalists or businessmen, eyeing public demand as an opportunity for acquiring profit, utilize their capital for producing products that the public demands. The self-interests of both the businessmen and the consumers will naturally lead to prosperity. Smith (1776) noted however that the government’s roles in the free-market system are limited to the following: 1) military protection of the state, 2) creation of an amiable economic climate, and 3) construction of public works. However, in real life, it is impossible for government not to intervene in the market. Environmental disasters may create a shortage in the market, raising prices to multiple folds. The government then can institute some price mechanisms in order to protect the consuming public from unregulated and irresponsible business activities. Good and Bad Kinds of Markets in a Free-Enterprise System Because free-enterprise is defined as the freedom of individuals or group of individuals to engage in economic activities with the minimum intervention of the government or state, it is noteworthy that a loose classification of such had been made by different economists. These economists either favor a virtually unrestricted form of free-enterprise or a combination of command and free-market system. The first set of economists argued that free-enterprise system necessitates the establishment of an economy under perfect competition. These classical economists argued that if government will let the market do its natural function, relative adjustment in prices for certain products will cause a relative change in demand, and also a corresponding change in supply. In the supply side, because every firm in a perfectly competitive market has an equal share of market, a change in the price of one firm will cause a change in the price of other firms. In the end, the consuming public will benefit from this relationship because prices are well adjusted by market mechanisms. On the wage side, whenever a change in the production inputs occurs, a corresponding change in the wage side also occurs. Firms will adjust their wage schedules and a level of equilibrium is achieved which would benefit the general public. On the production side, classical economists argued that in a perfectly competitive market changes in prices of goods will have a corresponding change in the wage level; the price level described as flexible and the wage rate inflexible. Whenever a change in prices of goods occurs, all will follow, and thus the market will be in a state of equilibrium. In this condition, the supply and demand for goods are situated in one price (for a particular good). When equilibrium is reached in the market, both the aggregate demand and aggregate supply in the market becomes relatively equal. This will prevent the creation of an artificial shortage in the market. These conditions of free-enterprise however work in an ideal situation. In reality, the government can intervene in the market in at least three ways: 1) control the activities of monopolies and cartels, 2) set price controls for certain basic goods, and 3) control the supply of money. These functions may be classified as effective or necessary. It can be necessary because these activities and conditions will naturally affect the general welfare of the public. Effective because government interventions may take the form of a general welfare policy far removed from the rumblings of the political arena. Monopolies and cartels are perverted forms of the free-enterprise system. Monopolies usually control the larger portion of the market supply of a particular good. The implication is that these monopolies can dictate the price in the market at the expense of the general public. It is expected that the deadweight loss in this condition will be much larger than economies with imperfect market competition (economies differentiating products), precisely because the welfare surplus is converted into a certain rate of profit by the monopolies. They can do this by controlling the supply of goods in the market. Since they control most of the supply of a particular good, prices will be adjusted based on the profit schedule of the firm. Cartels function the same way as monopolies but differ in two ways. Monopolies usually involve one firm who controls most of the supply of a particular good in the market. Cartels are composed of firms producing the same product and have relatively equal share of the market pie of a particular good. These firms may corrode to control the price of a good in the market to achieve the expected level of profit, and of course to avoid competition. Welfare surplus in this case will still be large due to the corresponding fall of expected returns to the consumers. What I have outlined are the good and bad kinds of markets in a free-enterprise system. The perfectly competitive market is the ideal free-enterprise system. For theoretical purposes, the perfectly competitive market is itself the free-enterprise system since it well transcribes the characteristics of a laissez-faire system. However, because this is only an ideal type, perverted forms are well imbibed in the free-market system, that is, they are assumed to be part and parcel of this economic system. In a sense, the definition of free-enterprise that I presented is the definition that captures the postulates of classical economics. Classical economics classified good and bad forms of the so-called free-enterprise system, although it is wrong to argue that there is such thing as â€Å"bad free-enterprise† because theoretically it is an ideal type that strives for the good of the general public. This approach to the definition of a free-enterprise system is classical in nature and does not take into account some of the contemporary economic arrangements that are shaping the economies of many nations, poor and rich nations alike. Capitalism, Neo-Classical Economics, and Free-Enterprise In his book, Carson (2001) argued that the so-called free-enterprise system that classical economists are boasting is in fact transformed into the so-called capitalist system. The capitalist system provides the businessmen when the capacity of limiting the wages of the laborer. The state now, protects corporations (which are embodiments of the capitalist ordeals) through limited liability, laws on protection of assets, high interest rates, and of course low taxes. It seems that the free-enterprise system which was meant to be at the service of the general public is now an apparatus of the capitalists to expand their share of the market. Capitalism is not free-enterprise. Free-enterprise system is the contradiction of the capitalist system in its economic goals and assumptions. Keynes (1936) noted that in the era of modern economics, prices of goods in the market are inflexible in the short-run. Short-run adjustments of production schedules and wages will not be smooth since the overall inventory of the firm depends on the expected rate of demand of the public, the actual expenditure, and the price itself. The implication of this is the fact that free-enterprise can only be achieved partially in the long-run. In the short run, distortions in the market will create monopolies and cartels,; in the long-run these will be eliminated, thus the achievement of the so-called â€Å"free-enterprise† system.

Crocs Essay

The company’s primary products include footwear and accessories which utilize its proprietary closed cell-resin, Croslite. It operates through three segments: Americas, Europe and Asia. *source from WSJ. The stock price (from 1/1/2007 to now) shows the overall up and down trends to Crocs. The point indicates on Nov. 2007, Crocs’s price meltdown. Clearly, Nov 2007 is just a start for Crocs to keep going down. 2. Management problems-Inventory Crocs is a huge shoe-manufactory and international company. As mentioned in the case, there is some management problems exist in the company. As seen the chart of price above, such big volatile may reflect something wrong in the company. As we analyze the balance sheet and income statement of Crocs. We find that the inventory turnover is a little low. That is a huge problem for Crocs. Because the low rate means there are too much surplus inventory in the company. While shoes are fashionable items and Crocs is now offering large amount of new styles to customers. Thus the surplus inventories do damage to the company. The chart below compares Crocs with related-field companies to see if the inventory turnover is really low. *source from www. sec. gov/ However, I think Crocs’s inventory crisis may not be that serious. Because Crocs is an international company which focuses on seasonal products, the excess inventory can be digested selling abroad. Besides, there is another way to handle this problem. According to Ron Snyder, President and CEO of Crocs, there’s really no risk in having excess inventory of our high-volume products, where the new products we want to have excess capacity in place where, when a given style takes off in a season, we can quickly ramp up and take advantage of that new style.

E-Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

E-Supply Chain Management - Essay Example More and more firms accelerate to implement their supply chains in a web-based manner in an effort to lower their operating costs and attain a fast response to the market condition changes. However, this framework considers primarily two factors of the organizational ability to integrate their external partners and the complexity of operation, which are natural in a market-centric economy. In a transitional economy where a centrally planned economy moves toward that of a free market, the government influence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Another important factor is the information asymmetry that will be discussed later. The organizational ability to integrate with their external partners is the common factor used in both frameworks. We use the information asymmetry instead of the complexity of operations and the new factor of government influence. (Panta, 2003, 205) Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK Ltd is one among many Japanese automotive manufacturers which lays claim to be at the forefront of these new specific developments in customer-supplier relationships (see for instance Mair, 1994; Wickens, 1987). Toyota now has 210 suppliers in 11 European countries, of which 50 per cent (by value and number) are UK-based. As production moves up to the projected full capacity of 225,000 units per year, the value of the supply chain is estimated to reach 880 million by 1999. Toyota Motor Company, with its emphasis on lean production, efficiency and quality, is seen by many to be an exemplary model of best practice for other firms to follow. Firms joining the Toyota supply chain will fully expect to become converts to the Toyota production method and the social demands of obligational contracting ways (Winfield and Kerrin, 1996). Customer influence examined The influence of a major customer on a supplier can and does have far-reaching measurable effects. Harland (1996) draws attention to the importance of the "softer" behavioural features of supplier-customer relationships, such as the attitudes, expectations and perceptions held by both parties, which can have profound implications for the actual success of the partnership. He also suggests rather tantalizingly that these changed behaviours within the contracting partnership can have direct effects on other aspects of organization-wide behaviour within the supply firm. Toyota claims in particular to encourage close partnering with suppliers; extending even to encouraging suppliers to participate in parts design (Ohno, 1988). Toyota will even offer advice and financial assistance to its suppliers who need to upgrade their production to meet the demands of quality and the JIT manufacturing system. Help is also freely given with the design of training and with management development programmes. All this takes place within the social boundaries of frequent company visits, an atmosphere of long-term trust and of a partnership based on mutual prosperity. In selecting suppliers, Toyota places emphasis not simply on product quality and future ability to meet the just-in-time production demands; but also it seems, on more subtle cognitive and social variables. These

Research Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Research Paper - Essay Example radigms that significantly influence the performance outcome of the businesses have become vital factors of competitive advantage in the contemporary global business environment. Scholars assert that in the contemporary times, resources like machine, factories, human capital or intellectual property can be bought from the open market and therefore, they are not effective resources that could provide competitive edge to a firm (Johnston, Scholes and Whittington, 2005). But Lynch (2003) believes that resource based strategy inherently includes all tangible and intangible assets that enable the firm to conceive of and implement strategies that improve its efficiency and effectiveness and therefore gives it the necessary advantage. It also true that organizational competencies in terms of organizational culture and leadership initiatives that exploit human capital for improved performance outcome is highly relevant element of competitive advantage (De Wit & Mayer, 2005). Hence, the research on the topic would greatly help identify factors and issues that facilitate businesses to gain leverage in the highly competitive business of contemporary times. The proposed research study would be qualitative in nature and would involve comprehensive literature review. Observation and interviews have been two major methods of understanding and evaluating the factors that impact the changing business dynamics. The sample data primarily comprised of observations of general public and local businessmen on the various perspectives of business competition and issues that influence their performance. The results showed the recessive trend had hugely impacted the business outcome and necessitated cost cutting measures to meet the challenges of the time and survive tough economic conditions. It was also found that the globalization and increasing multicultural environment also required more proactive measures to promote cross cultural understanding for improved teamwork. Workplace

Marketing Communications Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Marketing Communications - Essay Example Marketing communication can be described as a tool which is utilised for the promotion and branding of a firm as well as its offerings (Govoni, 2004). The impact of organisation on the overall marketing process and marketing communication identifies the factors affecting those processes. Marketing communication can also be described as an assimilation of various ideas, designs, and campaigns in order to percolate a particular message to the target audiences. According to the traditional marketing communication, there are five major tools used in communication (Kotler, 2004). These are advertising, personal selling, sales promotions, direct marketing and public relations. Media can be described as the medium through which these communication tools reach the target audience. For a long time, a predictable and formulated mix has been used, for example, different communication and media mix is used for business-to-consumers and business-to-business audience (Williams and Cutis 2012). Tec hnology and social media have complicated the traditional marketing mix and organisations have now started to explore. Recent slowdown in the economy has increased the pressure on the already overloaded marketing department. Managers are now required to create innovative strategies with even lower budget. Every department is now accountable for the budget they get. This has also led to internal competition. Apart from that, organisations are increasingly realising the importance of corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethics. Businesses have started incorporating these activities in most of their marketing and communications plans. The accountability and authenticity of these programs and campaigns are still questionable, it is clear that the marketing communication is rising from its traditional form to a more innovative, creative and comprehensive approach (Mangold and Faulds, 2009). In the current essay, a review will be done on the marketing communication tools and theories . The current disadvantages of these tools and future strategies will be discussed, with the help of relevant corporate cases. Theory and principles Based on numerous studies and research work, marketing communication theories are established. They are the result of years of consumer surveys, and analyses of the perception, changing preferences etc. The importance of these theories lies in the fact that, understanding of these theories is of immense help in formulating a strong communication strategy. Below are few of the established and widely used theories of marketing communication; AIDA Model This is one of the first models of communication strategy. AIDA stands for attention, interest, desire and action. Though in the year 1911, another factor, satisfaction was also added, the model is better known by its four factors; Attention- this is the first step of a communication process. Here the strategy is to get the attention of the customers. Presentations of revealing facts and fi gures or identification of a preliminary problem are few of the strategies which can be used in this step. Interest- once the marketer has gained attention, the next step is to generate interest and maintain it. The objective is to keep the interest of the consumer

Statistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Statistics - Essay Example According to basic probability we divide the figure of favourable outcomes by the total number of possible outcomes in our sample space. If we're observing for the chance it will rain, this will be the number of days in our record that it rained divided by the total number of similar days in our record. If our meteorologist has data for 100 days with similar weather conditions, and on 80 of these days it rained (a favourable outcome), the probability of rain on the next similar day is 80/100 or 80%. In view of the fact that a 50% probability means that an experience is as likely to happen as not, 80%, which is greater than 50%, means that it is more likely to rain than not. But what is the probability that it won't rain Keep in mind that because the favourable outcomes represent all the possible ways that an event can occur, the sum of the different probabilities must equal 1 or 100%, so 100% - 80% = 20%, and the probability that it won't rain is 20%. The following scatter plot with a fitted line shows that there is a positive relationship b/w selected 15 student's maths and science scores. ... represent all the possible ways that an event can occur, the sum of the different probabilities must equal 1 or 100%, so 100% - 80% = 20%, and the probability that it won't rain is 20%. 2. The table below gives the marks of 15 students in tests in 2 subjects: Students 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Maths 29 45 27 19 39 46 25 38 39 43 49 21 38 46 37 Science 36 42 31 26 42 41 25 41 40 40 43 23 39 45 38 a. Scatter graph of the maths and science scores with best fitted line The following scatter plot with a fitted line shows that there is a positive relationship b/w selected 15 student's maths and science scores. Part 2b will be the evidence to prove this hypothesis that student's math scores will be positively related to their science scores. Correlation coefficient (r = + 0.936) this magnitude shows that it's highly correlated and the positive sign shows that there is a positive correlation between the variables. So we conclude that as one variable increases other one will also increases. b. Comment on the position of the line of best fit and any correlation between the scores. Although one objective of correlation is a line fitted to the data, this line is not used to predict an unknown value of one variable when given a value of the other variable; it simply shows the relationship between the two variables. This best-fit line is the one that minimizes the sum of squared deviations between the points and the line, measured vertically (along the Y axis). The Bivariate Correlations procedure computes Pearson's correlation coefficient. Correlations measure how variables or rank orders are related. Before calculating a correlation coefficient, screen your data for outliers (which can cause misleading results) and evidence of a linear relationship. Pearson's

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Economy - Essay Example The liquidity crunch was the effect of fall in production due to the global financial crisis. Due to the debt crisis, there was shortage of liquidity for which the employment level was affected for which the income level of the people was reduced (Allen, 1999, p.35). Due to fall in the income level and availability of funds, the spending of the people was also lowered. A lower level of spending gave rise to fall in demand in the economy and the sale of products and services also shattered for the companies. The decrease in sale of products and services led to increase in inventory and the revenue earned by the companies and their profitability were lowered. This forced the businesses to reduce their total productive capacities as a result of which the total goods and services in Europe was lowered. Thus the gross domestic product of the European Union was lowered with the European national producing goods and services at a much lesser volume. The reduction in the GDP of the European economy again fuelled the lowering of income levels, subsequent spending and further production in the economy. This could be explained from the circular flow of income as given below. The output produced by the firms determines the productivity level in the economy. This output is determined by the expenditures or the level of spending of the households. The level of spending of the household again depends on the income levels. This income level is determined according to the payments of wages by the firms to their employees who are the household earners. The payment is done for receipt of services required for production of goods. Thus all the above activities in the economy are linked by a circular flow of income. The flow of money in the economy is also contributed by the net government spending. The net government spending is the difference between actual amount spent by the government and the amount earned by the government through levy of taxes. Due to fall in demand of the e conomy, the government spending also reduced in order to maintain a balance with the tax income. The tax income is lowered as there is a fall in the income level of the population. The governments of European Union designed appropriate monetary and fiscal policies to rescue the economy from the staged of recession (Mishkin, 2007, p.25). The interest rates were revised and subsidies were received to boost the income level and production of the economy. Due to the fall in demand in the economy, the net exports also suffered due to reduction in productive capacities which affected the balance of payments and the foreign exchange earnings. This created an impact on the currency conversion rates of Euro. Consequences of drop in demand for Fitnesse Due to the drop in demand in the economy and reduction in spending of the people, the business and profitability of Fitnesse have shown signs of vulnerability. Fitnesse is a centre for recreation and sporting activities that provides excellent infrastructural facilities to its members and also organises tournaments on squash and lifestyle sessions. The centre provides personal fitness training facilities, swimming pool, gymnasiums, body massage and maintenance facilities, restaurants and bars for health and recreation. These

How to build a new world Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

How to build a new world - Assignment Example This is an important development because identifying changing demands of the people has also forced them to recognize the importance of conservation and preservation of environment and promote them through sustainable business practices. This now raises vital question of why Naomi Klein exhorts the labor union to promote green labor revolution. I think that the major objectives of labor union is to ensure that workers are not cheated of their rights and through collective action ensures that employers do not exploit their workers. Thus, labor unions cannot set the objectives of the business but only promote fair work practices for the workers. Today, there is scarcity of work and not the scarcity of labor. So it would be foolish if the workers start putting conditions for work! Thus, union should encourage its members to adopt sustainable practices within and outside work that not only promotes environment conservation but also diminishes the boundary of race, culture and nationality. Indeed, the need of the hour is to build a new world using sustainable practices that would help preserve the nature for coming generations and help evolve a raceless and classless

The Strategy of Economic Development and World Trade Via Free Markets Essay

The Strategy of Economic Development and World Trade Via Free Markets - Essay Example Patriotic consumption is brought out by the author as it becomes clear following a terrorist act that occurred in 2001. Due to the event, there were many claims by the public figures that the individuals were patriotic in spending their money in the place to stimulate the economy of the country. Due to the event that occurred, the people would be much concerned with personal and family affairs without the observation of the economic objectives of the country. it was noted that Americans had rationales to shopping before the attack occurred but this reduced as there were other new considerations when they did their shopping. According to Murray, preppies are the ones that can be used in the context to bring about linking of the roles. The link comes as the students are able to develop some moderate amount of discipline. Most successful students in their studies are those that have developed discipline and work extra hard in their studies. The students should find time out of class by getting themselves involved in recreational activities such as fine arts or enjoying a beautiful scene. This allows them to show knowledge and appreciation to the scenes. Partying is viewed as an event that enables one to forget about some factors though the event should be restricted to weekends only. Additional self-indulgence is required in activities that are daily carried out and they should be combined with self-discipline. When these practices are considered, there is taking the form of displaying better quality in the activities and goods that one uses (Milner, 78).

Analysis and Evaluation of an Advertisement Essay

Analysis and Evaluation of an Advertisement - Essay Example Further downwards are the following lines of text respectively; ‘Starrex Music Phones’, ‘Customized playlists’ and ‘Sound effects’. These texts are in white. On the background of the above texts are other two lines of text in black, ‘Mix your Music ‘, ‘Karaoke’ The advertisement is neatly designed with the four dancers in positioning themselves in along a curve with the central two appearing much larger than the other two on the extremes. The space in the advert is optimally utilized with both the texts and the images covering about three-quarters of the advertisement pages. The color use in the advert is deep orange in the background especially behind the text and on the upper sections of the beautiful sky. At the centre of the advertisement page are the shades of brown and white which extent to some parts of the sky. As to the effect of the advertisement display; it targets the youth population. The advertisement presents a colorful and a busy display due to the evidently vigorous dance and the fiery coloration of the deep orange just adds to this effect. Because of these aspects, this advertisement presents a wonderful cutting edge presentation that impacts a great deal on the viewer. All these attributes of the advertisement talk a lot of the modernity and such appeal to a larger extent to the youth (Nicolosi 80). To emphasize this, the advertisement persuades the audience to obtain the displayed phone type so as to be in control of their own entertainment, through managing their own customized playlists and being able to mix their own music karaoke. The logical appeal of the advertisement with regard to the logos is great. This is because the consistency and clarity of the message being conveyed, ‘an awesome and joyous experience with respect to entertainment from such a phone’, is the eve emphasized by both the images and colors. Next, with respect to the

Guidelines for Short Term Certificate Courses Essay Example for Free

Guidelines for Short Term Certificate Courses Essay Short Term Vocational Certificate Courses of Three months, Six months and One year duration are being introduced in the disciplines of Agriculture, Engineering Technology, Computer Science, Business Commerce, Home Science and Humanities, with the objective of providing training to SSC failed/passed students or candidates who are interested in acquiring job oriented skills and wish to join the world of work, to enable them to earn their livelihood. (Course details at AnnexureI . These courses are being introduced as self-financing courses. HOW TO APPLY 1. Any Private Institution / NGO having good track record in the field of providing training and having required infrastructure can start these Short Term Vocational Courses with the approval from the State Institute of Vocational Education, after they satisfy the norms prescribed herein. 2. Application forms can be obtained from the concerned District Vocational Educational Officers or from the office of the Director of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad by paying Rs. 100/- through Demand Draft in favour of Secretary, Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, Nampally, Hyderabad or can be down loaded from BIE website at: www. bieap. gov. in under â€Å"vocational courses† pages 3. At the time of filing application the institute should provide information on class room infrastructure, On the Job Training linkage, faculty, Society registration or Certificate of incorporation, track record in the field of training opted for and tie up for placements of trained candidates. 4. Maximum number of sections permitted for any institution will be 9 only, of different durations. A minimum of two courses should be offered from different disciplines. 5. The filled in application along with all enclosures should be submitted to the concerned District Vocational Educational Officer before the prescribed date. An Inspection Fee of Rs. 500/= in case of Rural area and Rs. 1000/= in case of an Urban area, in the form of a demand Draft in favour of the 3 Secretary, BIE in any Nationalized Bank, payable at Hyderabad is to be enclosed. SANCTION PROCEDURE 6. A three men inspection committee consisting of 1] DVEO, 2] Principal of GJC and 3] Subject expert will inspect the Institutions and submit the feasibility report with recommendations to State Institute of Vocational Education [SIVE]. 7. Permission will be granted by the State Institute of Vocational Education [SIVE] on receipt of feasibility report from District Vocational Educational Officers concerned, on the available infrastructure and On the Job Training facilities with MOU tie up for placements. 8. At the time of applying for Short Term Vocational Courses the Institute should indicate the Industry / Workshops / Service Organisations in which On the Job Training will be provided. They should furnish the MOU with the training establishment along with the application. FEE PARTICULARS: 9. The Private Institution / NGO should pay Rs. 500/- per section per module as recognition fee through Demand Draft in favour of the Secretary, Board of Intermediate Education, Andhra Pradesh, Nampally, Hyderabad after approval from the State Institute of Vocational Education. (Three months course; one module; Rs/ 500, six months course; two modules; Rs/ 1,000, One year course; three modules; Rs 1,500) 10. The maximum tuition fee to be collected from the student is Rs. 300/- Per Month. ADMISSION PROCEDURE: 11. The Head of the Institution / Correspondent / Principal of the concerned institute shall take up the admission process only after obtaining permission from the State Institute of Vocational Education [SIVE]. 12. The maximum intake shall be 40 [forty] students per section. 13. No age limit is prescribed for admission to these courses. 14. Selection Criteria: 4 Minimum qualifications for admission into these courses shall be as mentioned in Annexure – I. Candidates having higher qualification with an aptitude to learn the skills in the relevant field are also eligible for admission. SCHEME AND SYLLABUS: 15. The short-term courses are organized in to modules of three months duration each. The Institutions taking up Short Term Vocational Courses have to strictly follow the academic schedule, syllabus and On the Job Training pattern prescribed by the State Institute of Vocational Education [SIVE] including guidelines for conducting classes/ training, examination, evaluation etc from time to time. Copy of the syllabus can be obtained from DVEO. or can be down loaded from BIE website at: www. bieap. gov. in under â€Å"vocational courses† pages The Scheme of instruction prepared by the State Institute of Vocational Education as mentioned below has to be strictly followed. SCHEME OF INSTRUCTION FOR EACH MODULE Subject Theory Hours 72 Total 72 Weightage 30 30 Hours 216 216 On the Job Training [OJT] Weightage 70 70 Hours 288 288 Total Weightage 100 100 SCHEME OF INSTRUCTION/WEEK Subject Theory 6 On the Job Training [OJT] 18 Total 24 16. In order to provide job-oriented skills to students, greater emphasis shall be placed on, On the Job Training. The entire work relating to practicals / on the job training shall be conducted in workshops / Organisations / industries. On the Job Training to be provided in the workshops etc. shall be directly under the supervision of Master Trainer of the workshops / industries / Service Establishments. 5 SOME OF THE POSSIBLE ESTABLISHMENTS FOR PROVIDING ON THE JOB TRAINING ARE INDICATED BELOW. 1. Agriculture State Government Centres Private Reeling Centres/ ANGRAU, Hyderabad/Dairy Cattle farms/Fish farm/Government/University farms. 2. Business Commerce Banks / Commercial Establishments / Super Markets / Chartered Accountants / Tax Consultants / Commercial Institutes. NIIT/ CMC / APTECH / Locatiya Computers / Setwin / ITI /Polytechnic Colleges / only recognized Computer Labs / private computer labs Setwin/ITI Training Centres/ Polytechnics/ Tribal Welfare work centre/Automobile workshops Small medium Bakeries/Food Craft Institutions/Home science Colleges /Food catering Institution/Beauty parlors Hotels/ Garment Units/CMC ATC/Setwin. Star Hotels / Tourist Centres / Travel Agencies. 3. Computer Science 4. Engineering Technology. 5. Home Science 6. Humanities 17) There should be a Continuous check on the conduct of classes and attendance of students in the class and On the Job Training by the Principal and Master Trainer regularly. Minimum 90% attendance is essential for passing the module. The concerned District Vocational Education Officer would regularly inspect the teaching and training establishments 6 EXAMINATION AND CERTIFICATION: 18) In order to facilitate continuous evaluation for each module Theory and On the Job Training examination should be conducted at the end of first, second and third module. The Instructor associated with the course should assess the students in terms of their competency achieved. The Master Trainer/ Supervisor in the Industry / Business establishment/Organisation will also test and assess the student based on the Technical Skills acquired. At the end of the module examination will be conducted at institution level under the supervision and control of the District Examination Committee headed by DVEO as per the guidelines prescribed by the SIVE. The following system of grades has to be adopted for the purpose of performance appraisal of the students at the end of each module based on continuous evaluation duly giving 30% Weightage on performance in theory and 70% Weightage on performance in On the Job Training [OJT]. Award of Grades and entitled grade points Marks Range 90-100 70-89 Grades A B Sub Ranges 95-100 90-94 85-89 80-84 75-79 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 0-24 Grade Points 10 9 8. 5 8 7. 5 7 6. 5 6 5. 5 5 4. 5 4 3. 5 3 2. 5 2 19) 20) 21) 50-69 C 40-49 30-39 0-29 D E F. 7 22) Grade card will be issued for each module after clearing the Theory and On the Job Training [OJT] with ‘D’ or higher grade in the module. Those getting less than ‘D’ grade will not be considered as pass in the module and they will have to repeat the module after taking fresh admission and only those passing in initial module will be eligible to join the next module. DVEO will issue a module completion certificate. After successful completion of entire course, a competency-based certificate will be given by the State Institute of Vocational Education [SIVE] through the DVEO concerned. 23) PLACEMENTS: 24) The Institute taking up Short Term Vocational Courses should take every measure to provide placement to the students by liaison with Business establishments /Industries / other establishments. Institutions should play a major role in placement of the passouts. Placement cell has to be created in the Institution. APPOINTMENT OF FACULTY: 25) The Principal / Correspondent is authorized to engage the teaching faculty. Qualifications for the Teaching Faculty course wise shall be as mentioned in the Annexure II. Sd/- SHASHANK GOEL DIRECTOR OF INTERMEIDATE EDUCATION. 8 ANNEXURE I MINIMUM EDUCATIONAL QUALIFICATION FOR 3 MONTHS [One Module], 6 MONTHS [Two Modules] ONE YEAR COURSES [Three Modules]. Sl. Course No. I. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 II. 8 9 10 11 12 III. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 AGRICULTURE: Bee-Keeping [Apiculture] Mushroom Culture Veterinary Compounder Sericulture Assistant Farm Assistant Fisheries Assistant Gardener Training Course BUSINESS COMMERCE: Accountancy Taxation Salesmanship Typewriting English Shorthand COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES: Web Designing Internet Computer Maintenance M. S. Office Unix C C++ V. B. Oracle VB ASP Oracle with D2K Oracle with DBA DTP Auto CAD One One One One One One One One One One Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months SSC Failed SSC Failed Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Intermediate Three Three Three Three Three One year One year One year One year One Year Intermediate Intermediate SSC SSC Failed SSC One One Three Three Three Three Two Three Months Three Months One Year One Year One Year One Year Six Months SSC. Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed Module Duration Qualification 9 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 Accounting Package Computer Application Information Technology Hardware Technology Data Entry Multimedia, Graphic Animation Advanced Certificate Course in Computer Application Advanced Certificate Course in Information Technology ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY: Motor Driving Plastic Technology Auto Electrician Electrician Plumbing Welding Carpentry Building Construction Automobile Engg. Technology Air-Condition Refrigeration Radio TV Technician HOME SCIENCE COURSES: Apparel construction Tie Die, Block, Batik, Screen-printing Computer based fashion designing One One One Three Months Three Months Three Months SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed One Two Two Two Two Two Two Three Three Three Three Three Months Six Months Six Months Six Months. Six Months Six Months Six Months One Year One Year One Year One Year SSC Failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed One Two Two Two Two Two Three Three Months Six Months Six Months Six Months Six Months Six Months One Year Intermediate SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC failed SSC Failed 30 Three One Year SSC Failed IV. 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 V. 42 43 44 10 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 VI. 56 57 Soft Toys Flower Making Beautician course Embroidery Zig – Zag Cookery Bakery confectionery Hotel Management Food Preservation Processing Fashion Designing Textile Designing Interior Designing HUMANITIES COURSES: Receptionist Tourism Management Three Three One Year One Year SSC SSC One One One One Two Three Three Three Three Three Three Months Three Months Three Months Three Months Six Months One Year One Year One Year One Year One Year One Year SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Failed SSC Preprimary Teacher Training Three 11 ANNEXURE II QUALIFICATIONS FOR TEACHING FACULTY- COURSE WISE. I. AGRICULTURE 1. Mushroom culture QUALIFICATION. B. Sc. (Agriculture), B. Sc. (Horticulture) with background of plant pathology/ any diploma in concerned course / Certificate Course. M. Sc. (Entomology) / B. Sc. [Agriculture] any diploma in concerned course / Certificate Course. B. V. sc. , /B. Sc (Dairying)/Diploma in concerned course 4. Sericulture Assistant M. Sc. [Sericulture] / M. Sc. [Zoology] / B. Sc. , with Entomology / Diploma in concerned course / Certificate Course. B. Sc [Horticulture]/ B. Sc [Agriculture]/ Diploma in concerned course / Certificate Course. M. Sc (Zoology) with Fisheries and Aquaculture Specialisation/B. FSc / B. Sc with Fisheries. B. Sc Horticulture/M. Sc Agriculture with Two Years experience, B. Sc Horticulture/ Diploma in concerned course /Certificate Course. 2. Bee-Keeping [Apiculture] 3. Veterinary Compounder 5. Farm Assistant 6. Fisheries Assistant 7. Gardener Training Course 12 II. BUSINESS COMMERCE QUALIFICATION M. Com / B. Com. M. Com / B. Com. , with Specialisation in Income Tax M. Com / B. Com. , with P. G. Diploma in Marketing / Salesmanship. Graduation with Type Higher/ Intermediate Office Assistantship Vocational Course. Graduation with Shorthand 8. Accountancy 9. Taxation 10. Salesmanship 11. Typewriting 12. Shorthand III. COMPUTER SCIENCE COURSES 13. Web Designing and Internet QUALIFICATION BCA/MCA/B. Tech/M. Sc Computer Science Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/B. Tech/M. Sc Computer Science Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject M. CA/BCA/M. Sc/B. TEC/M. Sc Home Science Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject M. CA/BCA/M. Sc Computer Science/ B. TEC/ Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject 14. Computer Maintenance 15. M. S. Office 16. Unix C and C++ 17. VB and Oracle 13 18. VB and ASP BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. Any Advanced diploma in concerned subject BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science/ B. Tech. BCA/MCA/M. Sc computer Science / B. Tech. 19. Oracle with DBA 20. Oracle with D2K 21. DTP 22. Auto CAD 23. Accounting package 24. Computer Application 25. Information Technology 26. Hardware Technology 27. Data Entry 14 28. Multimedia Graphic Animation BCA/MCA/M. Sc Computer Science / B. Tech. 29. Advanced Certificate Course in Computer Application Advanced CertficateCourse in Information Technology M. CA/BCA/M. Sc computer Science/B. Tech/AMIE in CS/BOL C level of DOEA Examation/any advanced diploma in concerned subject. IV. ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY 31. Motor Driving QUALIFICATION. Diploma in Automobile Engineering, ITI Certificate in motor driving with 3 years experience. Diploma in Mechanical Engineering/ any Certificate in Plastic Technology with 3 years experience in the concerned course. Diploma in Automobile Engineering/ITI Certificate in Auto Electrician Trade with 2 years experience. Diploma in Electrical Engineering/ITI Certificate in Electrician Trade. Diploma in Civil Engineering/ITI Certificate in plumbing with experience. Diploma in Mechanical Engineering/ITI Certificate in welding with 2 years experience. Diploma in Mechanical Engineering/ITI Certificate in carpentry with 3 years experience. 32. Plastic Technology 33. Auto Electrician 34. 35. 36. Electrician Plumbing Welding 37. Carpentry 15 38. Building Construction B. E (Civil)/Diploma in civil Eng. /ITI certificate in the field of Civil Engg. Work/An experienced (10 Years) Mason with experience in Civil Constructions Work. B. E (Mechanical)/ Diploma in Automobile EngITI certificate in the field of Automobile Engg. Work/A 2 Wheeler/ 4 Wheeler Mechanic with 5 years experience. B. E (Mechanical) /Diploma in Mechanical Engg. / A Mechanic in Refrigeration and Air conditioning field with 5 Years experience. B. E (Electronics)/ Diploma in Electronics and Communication/A Radio and TV Mechanic with 5 years experience. QUALIFICATION Any related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare department/ Janasikshana Samsthan/ Intermediate (Voc) with Commercial Garment Design Making. B. Sc. , (Home Science) Textiles and Clothing/ Any related certificate holders from Setwin / Women welfare department/ Janasikshana Samsthan / Vocational lecturer of the concerned subjects. Any D. C. A with degree/ B. C. A / Intermediate (Voc) with Fashion Garment Making Any related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare department/ Janasikshana Samsthan. 39. Automobile Engineering Technology 40. Air-condition Refrigeration 41. Radio TV Technician V. HOME SCEINCE COURSE 42. Apparel constructions 43. Tie Die Block, Batik screen-printing 44. Computer based fashion designing 16 45. Soft toys Flower making. Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan/ Intermediate (Voc) with Creche and Pre School Management course. Any graduate preferable Home Science / any graduate with Diploma certificate in Beauty culture. B. Sc. (Home Science)/Graduate of Hotel Management course/ Senior Cook of reputed hotels Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan. 46. Beautician Course 47. Cookery 48. Bakery and Confectionery B. Sc. with Bakery as one of the subject/ Certificate in Catering Technology/ Diploma in Bakery and Confectionery Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan. 49. Embroidery Zig – Zag B. Sc. [H. Sc] with Diploma in Embroidery / Diploma in Fashion Design or Inter Vocational CGDM Fashion Garment Making with Diploma in Embroidery Fashion Design, Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan. B. Sc (Home Science) in Home Management/ Diploma in House keeping/ two years experience in house keeping in any Institution. B. Sc Home Science in Nutrition/ Diploma in Dietics Nutrition . B. Sc Home Science / Degree with P. G. Diploma, Inter Vocational CGDM Fashion Garment Making. 50. Diploma in Hotel Management 51. Food Preservation Processing 52. Fashion Designing 17 53. Textile Designing B. Sc in textile and clothing /Diploma in Textile Designing with knowledge of computer, Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan. B. Sc in resource Management Consumer Science/Family Resource Management/B. Arch (Interior Design)/ P. G (Interior Design) B. Sc (Interior Design), Related certificate holders from Setwin/ Women welfare departments/ Jana Sikshana Samsthan. B. Sc with child development Family relations/ B. Ed. Candidates / P. G diploma in Early child hood care Education, Intermediate (Voc) with Creche and Pre School Management course. 54. Interior Designing 55. Preprimary Teacher Training VI. 56. 57. HUMANITIES COURSES: Tourism Management Receptionist QUALIFICATION PG in Tourism / PG in Social Science with PG Diploma in Tourism and Travel Any degree with Front Office or Diploma in Hotel Management Or Degree in Hotel Management.

Multi Disciplinary Team

Multi Disciplinary Team Introduction This discussion opens with a definition of a therapeutic relationship and the key elements that impact on this. The discussion will focus on the different types of communication and explain the importance. I will also refer to the Multi Disciplinary Team (MDT) in a patients care and how this can strengthen the relationship. The discussion will end with reference to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) guidelines and the impact on the relationship. Self awareness will also be discussed. A therapeutic relationship is defined as A partnership between clients and nurses, both working together to improve the clients health status (Balzer Riley, 1986). This relationship allows both the nurse and the patient to gain satisfaction, the patient feels supported and listened to and the nurse feels valued in his/her role. One of the significant points in the relationship is that if the patient feels they are being listened to by the healthcare provider they will recover at a much faster rate. The key elements are, attending, hearing, understanding and remembering. Attending is the physical part with both the nurse and the patient being present and keeping up to date with what is being said. Hearing is the part that pays the attention to the patient. Understanding, this is reassuring the patient that what they have said has been understood. This can be done by paraphrasing. Remembering can be very difficult, if the nurse has understood what the patient has said this does become easier. In order to do this the nurse needs to fully attend to the patient, listen to them and then respond to them. According to Barker (1971), the listening process consists of four different elements listed above. By actioning the concepts the nurse can start to empathise with the patient. Empathy is an important aspect of this relationship, Empathy is the act of communicating to our fellow human beings that we understand how they are feeling and what makes them feel that way (Hogan, 1969) Empathy can be shown both verbally and non verbally, the verbal part is to reflect on how the patient is feeling and the reasons why and the goal should be to meet an accurate verbal reflection. The non verbal features of empathy are as much important as the verbal part; the non verbal part should show features of warmth and genuineness does the true caring for your patient come across. To do this verbal and non verbal communication must be used. Summary Questioning is a way of verbal communication between the nurse and the patient, some would say that questioning is a way of helping others to think about their problems (Alder and Rodman, 1982). There are two types of questions that may be asked to patients, open questions and closed questions, Open questions are asking for a more verbal response from the patient whereas closed questions is only encouraging the patient to give a short simple response. Along with questioning there are many other ways of verbal communication, establishing guidelines, acknowledgement, reflecting, paraphrasing, seeking clarification, summarising and planning .Clearly verbal communication is very important as are non verbal skills. Non verbal communication has various components; some of these include Posture, gesture, eye contact, touch, facial expression, appearance, head nods, silence, proxemics and other body language. Egan ( 1977) S.O.L.E.R framework has an important part to play in a therapeutic relationship, all of the points should make both the nurse and the patient is comfortable and in control of the situation, here is a bit of information to elaborate on the soler framework- S Sit squarely this means sit face to face with the patient this does not mean the nurse has to sit directly opposite the patient, the nurse should sit upright not slouching, this will show the patient the nurse has a caring posture. O Open posture this means sit with both arms and legs uncrossed, if both arms and legs are crossed it is said to show an element of defence from the nurse. L Lean slightly forward although this does depend on the conversation, leaning forward without leaning away will lead the nurse into the intimate zone of the patient. E Eye contact is recommended to be constant although this shouldnt be a constant stare as this can be very uncomfortable for the patient. R Relax -the nurse must be relaxed in order to gain the confidence in the patient. This framework can also be used by other healthcare professionals. Professionals other than nurses can strengthen the relationship; this can be another member of the health care team that needs to take part in the patients care. The professionals could include physicians, pharmacists, dieticians, occupational therapists these professionals are known as the MDT. A member of the MDT might need to be involved in the patients care, For example if the patient had concerns about their diet you could introduce the dietician to help. By introducing a member of the MDT it will strengthen the relationship with the patient. The patient however must consent to the involvement of other disciplines. Consent within a therapeutic relationship is very important, obtaining consent is a process and not a one off event. The patient must be told in a sensitive manner and the patient must then make the decision on whether to accept or decline the proposal being offered. The NMC (2008) states that you must respect and support peoples rights to accept or decline treatment and care (NMC code May 2008). Usually the professional who is going to perform the procedure will gain the consent although it is possible this task could be delegated to another professional who has the capability of meeting the required standards, Consent maybe obtained in a number of different ways, Verbal consent this is explaining everything verbally to the patient and the patient replying with a verbal answer, written consent this is normally obtained if the procedure has any risk or is lengthy and complex, the written consent is a record of what has taken place or could be of what has been offered and not taken p lace as the patient decline the opportunity. The NMC is the code that should be adhered to all times, some of the guidelines under the code includes Privacy, dignity and confidentiality, as part of the NMC code of conduct nurses are to work within their limitations. This is about the nurse being self aware. Self awareness is about recognising, accepting, challenging who we are, what we feel, and what we can and can not do (Rungapadiachy, 1998). In a therapeutic relationship it is also important to be in control of your own self awareness, be aware of your own values and beliefs. According to Rokeach (1968),a value is an important life goal or societal condition which is despired by a person. Beliefs are subjective statements used by individuals to describe something they believe as being true. Values are seen as the central core that reflects on ones attitude this is also know to affect ones attitude. Fishben and Ajzen (1975) define beliefs as statements which indicate a persons subjective probability that an object has a particular characteristic. Conclusion The Johari window is a model that is used to explore and develop self awareness; this model concentrates on interpersonal skills that are applied to interaction, it deals with awareness in the human behaviour (Luft 1969). There are four aspects to the Johari window, open, blind, hidden and unknown. The open part is the part that is known to self and others, the blind is the area that is unknown to self but know to others, the hidden part is the area that is known to self but unknown to others and the unknown is the area that is unknown to self and unknown to others. Through communication the open self is made more accessible. This strengthens the therapeutic relationship. This Essay has defined what a therapeutic relationship is and the key elements that impact on this. Different types of communication have been discussed and explanation given to show their importance. The role of the MDT in a patients care and how this can strengthen the relationship has also been discussed. NMC guidelines have an impact on the relationship and discussed a key issue from the guidelines, with special reference to consent. This essay has also explained why self awareness is important within a therapeutic relationship

Theory of Economics in the Film Industry

Theory of Economics in the Film Industry Introduction In this essay I shall examine the theory of economics within the film industry and how it contributes to the production and distribution of mainstream Hollywood films. For the purposes of this essay I shall be researching and commenting solely upon Hollywood productions. My research will include an examination of different theories that investigate and explain how economics shape the way that film is stripped down to its bare essentials so that the business of making movies can begin in earnest. Throughout this essay I shall investigate the importance of budget, audience, genre, stars and guidance ratings in relation to the success of a movie. With the collation of this data I shall explore how these economic factors sculpt what is recognised as mainstream Hollywood cinema; investigating how important they are in shaping the strengths and limitations of what is exhibited onto cinema screens across the world. Using this information I shall argue the pros and cons of how a rigidly structured industry can produce works of art, passion and brilliance whilst being presided over by a business-orientated mentality that should, in theory, stifle any creative development. In my conclusion I aim to explain how this is possible and what may lie ahead in the future. Economics of Film The way that economics work in film is complex. There are a great number or variables that need to be taken into consideration from the outset when preparing any kind of financial package to put a film project into production. This ‘green lighting’ analysis seems to have become an exact science over the years in Hollywood; it has had to be as the average budget to make and market an-MPAA accredited major film in 2005 was $96.2 million (this includes $60 million in negative costs and $36.2 million in marketing costs).[1] With the average budget totalling almost $100 million the stakes are high, and the pressure to recoup the costs and go on to make the film an official success are immense. Unlike low budget films where the emphasis is to produce the film for as little money as possible, Hollywood aims high and expects high returns. It is this importance of making money in Hollywood that has led to widespread criticism of its methodology of producing films. How can art be held at ransom to the demands of cash flow forecasts and daily target sales? In his book, Hollywood Cinema, Richard Maltby questioned this paradox: For the vulgar Romantic in us all, Hollywood is not Art because it is commercial. For the vulgar Marxist in us all, Hollywoods enslavement to the profit system means that all its products can do is blindly reproduce the dominant ideology of bourgeois capitalism.[2] In its simplest form it is possible to split Hollywood into two significant camps; the business of making movies and the production of film. Obviously this is an extreme simplification, but for the basis of this essay it can be used to identify how the images we see on the silver screen on a Friday night begin life as a list of figures and calculations on an economist’s laptop. The fact that Hollywood is a multi-billion dollar industry guarantees its survival. It deserves to be viewed upon as a completely different entity to any other artistic medium such as photography , painting or sculpture. The reality is that the audience actually sees an identical copy (a reproduction), but this does not take away anything from the original work. It is not like going to a museum and looking at a reproduction print of a work of art instead of the actual brushstrokes of the artist. As such there is no real loss in value because of this. Richard Maltby writes that: The economics of Hollywood rely expressly upon this technical possibility, since any number of prints can be struck from an original master negative and exhibited simultaneously.[3] There have been many different models that have been introduced to analyse the process of how economics work in Hollywood. The common denominator of these theories is that the most effective way of studying the medium of film is to study it on its own merits and not as a broad comparison to other media. This focused view of film in the field of economics has been labelled as ‘micro-economic research’: Given the interesting characteristics of movies as ideal examples of differentiated products and of the institutional arrangements governing their production and distribution, such increased data availability would make this an exceptionally attractive area for applied micro-economic research.[4] In the late 1970s, American economist Thomas Guback wrote his essay Are We Looking at the Right Things in Film? in which he argued that the study of cinema seemed to ignore the ‘analysis of cinema as an economic institution and as a medium of communication’[5]. Nearly thirty years on Guback’s concerns are still relevant in that a lot more attention is given to the understanding of a film’s economics. Another economist, Professor Robert Picard, explained the importance of audience consumption in 1989 when he stated that: Media economics is concerned with how media operators meet the informational and entertainment wants and needs of audiences, advertisers and society with available resources. It deals with the factors influencing production of media goods and services and the allocation of those products for consumption.[6] When Picard speaks of the wants and needs of the audience he is introducing a wide range of attributes that need to be addressed when contemplating how a film must be produced to subjectively please its audience, and therefore returning its costs. This concern is highlighted in the industrial organisation model created by Douglas Gomery. In it he describes how the analyst must focus on the objective description o f the organisation (in this case the film production) and not the subjective response (how the audience reacts): The industrial organization model of structure, conduct, and performance provides a powerful and useful analytical framework for economic analysis. Using it, the analyst seeks to define the size and scope of the structure of an industry and then go on to examine its economic behaviour. Both of these steps require analyzing the status and operations of the industry, not as the analyst wishes it were. Evaluation of its performance is the final step, a careful weighing of what is versus what ought to be.[7] What these theorists introduce to the equation is that there are many problems that need to be addressed before embarking on the goal of putting a film into production. This uncertainty is readdressed by Arthur de Vany in his book, Hollywood Economics. In it de Vany explains the uniqueness of each individual project and how its life as a commercial product in the theatrical market is hazardous. He introduces the idea that films exist in a battling arena, a box-office tournament, fighting against one another for the public’s attention: Motion pictures live and die in the box-office tournament as they are challenged during their run by a randomly evolving cast of new competitors. The challengers come from films previously released and from newly released films. The contending films are ranked by filmgoers and those with high rank survive and are carried over to the next week. Low ranked films fail and are replaced by new contenders.[8] This colourful analogy of films as knights in shining armour jousting for the acceptance of the audience is a perfect example of how weaker films (financially rather than artistically in most Hollywood films) are often tossed aside by bigger and stronger productions. He continues to say that: The leading products command a disproportionate share of the market and they have longer runs. Even then, a films rank in the tournament is ephemeral and its life unpredictable.[9] Using de Vany’s theory it becomes apparent that certain actions by the parties responsible for production prove vitally important to the success of the project. These actions are described by Albert Moran in his study of film policy: â€Å"Policy is a series of practice engaged in by an agency – whether government, private, or commercial – to achieve a particular set of outcomes.†[10] These outcomes, in this particular case the target being that of a successful movie release, rely on many attributes and the policy exists in a â₠¬Å"complex field affected by factors such as constitutional and legislative arrangements, general economic conditions, the prevailing culture, social awareness, and technological capacities, as well as such human agencies as politicians, business entrepreneurs, white- and blue-collar labour, bureaucrats, and cultural and social workers.†[11] It is easy to be bogged down by so many different economic models and theories when analysing how the Hollywood system works. With so many factors influencing the results the process becomes a minefield of potential disasters waiting to happen. How can anyone truly predict what is going to be a successful film? Writer Harold Vogel highlights this quandary when he points out that: â€Å"Of any 10 major theatrical films produced, on the average 6 or 7 are unprofitable, and 1 will break even.[12] If we were to surmise that this list of ten films were produced by the same studio in one year then the models as used by Picard, Gomery, et al really do not ease the pressure faced by the film executives. The cold, hard facts point at only a 20-30% success rate in their annual production slate recouping their costs. It is all very well studying the market, assessing the competition and second-guessing the audiences’ preferences, but the fact is that 60-70% of the studio’s produc t will lose money. If we reintroduce the MPAA’s statistic that the average major release in 2005 cost around $100 million, it would mean that the studio understands that only two movies from their annual releases must do enough business at the box office to recoup their own costs as well as the costs of the $700 million from the other eight films. According to the MPAA in the full calendar year of 2005, only eight films grossed over $200 million, twelve films grossed $100 $199 million and 36 films grossed $50 – $99 million.[13] Economic models can only interpret the market to a certain point; blind faith takes over after that. Vogel breaks away from the other theorists by boldly stating that: There are no formulas for success in Hollywood. We find that much conventional Hollywood wisdom is not valid. By making strategic choices in booking screens, budgeting and hiring producers, directors and actors with marquee value, a studio can position a movie to improve its chan ces of success. But, after a movie opens, the audience decides its fate. The exchange of information among a large number of individuals interacting personally unleashes a dynamic that is complex and unpredictable.[14] Vogel’s theory on the exchange of information from the public audience unleashing a complex and unpredictable dynamic typifies the world in which the Hollywood film is now being made. It is now, more than ever, that the success of a film in the box office is paramount to how Hollywood works. He describes the essence of the movie business as this: â€Å"The mean of box-office revenue is dominated by a few blockbuster movies and the probability distribution of box-office outcomes has infinite variance! The distribution of box-office revenues is a member of the class of probability distributions known as Là ¨vy stable distributions. These distributions are the limiting distributions of sums of random variables and are appropriate for modelling the box-office rev enues that motion pictures earn during their theatrical runs†¦ Movie projects are, in reality, probability distributions and a proper assessment of their prospects requires one to do a risk analysis of the probabilities of extreme outcomes.[15] What I believe Vogel is saying is that the importance of ticket sales from the box office shapes the type of movie that the studio will produce. A blockbuster film that boasts a line up of A-list stars will fare significantly better than a film that has no stars attached; the fact that the blockbuster might be an artistically inferior film has no real relation to its success. In turn, the ‘bigger’ the picture the more people go to see it. The more people go to see it, the longer it runs at the cinemas. The longer it runs at the cinemas, the more revenue the studio gets back. This means that a studio is more likely to release a major film, perhaps one of its 20% profit-movies, with big stars attached; this acts as insurance t hat it should, theoretically, be widely accepted by the audience. Vogel adds that: The complex dynamics of personal interaction between viewers and potential viewers overwhelm the initial conditions. The difficulties of predicting outcomes for individual movies is more sensible than the current practice of greenlighting individual movie projects.[16] Therefore the studios can have a clearer idea of how the movie is going to fare if there is a star attached. This is a Hollywood trait that has been successful since the 1920s and the Hollywood Star System. If you were to ask an average cinema goer what the most important ingredient of a Hollywood blockbuster was the answer, more often than not, would be that of an A-list star in the leading role. This is not a modern phenomenon in Hollywood. The star system was first professionally handled with the introduction of United Artists, a talent management company formed by D.W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, William S. Hart and Mary Pickford in 1919. Nearly ninety years later the importance of the agent in Hollywood can determine the success of an entire studio; it is their client that attracts a vast number of the public to the cinemas. If it wasn’t for the love affair that the viewing public has for celebrity then Hollywood would be a different place, yet the power of Hollywood as the market leader in film is unassailable; even from competitive new film nations such as India’s Bollywood productions. The ‘Big Six’ (Warner Bros., Paramount, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony, Disney, and Universal) and the Hollywood stars still ‘front’ the production. As Douglas Gomery writes: The Big Six studios retained a growing appetite for hot new talents. By the late-1990s newcomers Gwyneth Paltrow and Ben Affleck, as well as proven box-office winners like Jim Carrey and Tom Cruise, could command $20 million a picture.†[17] He argues that the current climate of Hollywood movie production is more akin to the Golden Age of the 1930s and 1940s. He believes that nothing much has changed in this time as the Big Six still have a dominant control over production and distribution: â€Å"†¦the end of the 20th century was the era when the Big Six in Hollywood achieved its greatest power and profitability.[18] Another believer in the power that stars have over a film’s performance at the box office is S. Abraham Ravid who was analysed the impact of well-known and well-loved acting talent on individual productions: Profitabil ity studies have been closely related to the study of stars. Stars have always been a puzzling phenomenon. Some stars seem to have vastly superior talents, whereas many others do not seem very different in looks or any other observable characteristics from many other talented performers. Yet, they receive vastly more attention, money, and recognition than anybody else.[19] Another important factor in understanding the economics of Hollywood is by analysing the demographics involved in worldwide releases. According to the figures from the MPAA, in 2005 the total domestic box office receipts in the United States remained near $9 billion and global box office receipts came in at over $23 billion. Admissions in US cinemas decreased 8.7% in 2005 to 1.4 billion.[20] The importance of understanding how the audience reacts to certain types of films is paramount in determining what projects are most likely to recoup their production budgets. One way of assessing this information is by identifying what genre of film is most successful at the box office. I shall examine the importance of genre in Hollywood later in the essay, but for the time being I shall focus on the importance of the film’s appointed rating. In the UK the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) uses a scale of ratings to ‘give the public information that empowers them to make appropriate viewing decisions for themselves and those in their care.’[21] In the United States the classification system is similar yet it is not fully enforceable as it is here in the UK. The MPAA ratings range from G (General Audiences; similar to our U), PG (Parental Guidance), PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned; similar to our 15), R (Restricted; similar to our 18) and NC-17 (Over 18 Only). Using the statistics supplied by the MPAA it is apparent that, ‘consistent with past years, PG-13 films comprised the majority of top grossers for the industry, with PG and PG-13 films accounting for 85% of 2005’s top 20 films’[22] In closer inspection the top 20 grossing films were made up of 5% G-rated, 25% PG-rated, 60% PG-13-rated and 10% R-rated. It is also interesting to note that since 1968, nine of the top ten grossing films have been PG and PG-13-rated (the other is R-rated); this is even though only 33% of films released since 1968 are PG or PG-13-rated co mpared to 58% of R-rated movies. [23] In his studies, Arthur de Vany examined a ten year period of Hollywood production and found some interesting facts: From 1985 to 1996, inclusive, Hollywood made 1,057 R-rated movies; just 60 G-rated movies were made during that same period R-rated movies accounted for 52 percent of the 1,689 movies that did not feature a star and they accounted for 57 percent of the movies that did feature a star. The 100 stars of the A-list appear in, produce or direct more often in R-rated movies than in any other rating.[24] Using the same research data it is interesting to note that less than three per cent of low budget R-rated movies included a star compared with ten per cent of medium budget and 45 per cent of high budget productions: Success rates are a more representative measure of revenue earning power than is the number of high grossing films. The success rate for R-rated movies is just 6 percent, whereas 13 percent of G- and PG-rated movies are hits and 10 percent of PG-13 movies are hits. The box-office success rates for all non-R-rated movies (G, PG and PG13) are twice the rate for R-rated movies.[25] Mainstream Hollywood To summarise all the information I have analysed above, it would seem that the best possible way for a Hollywood executive to decide whether to green light a project would be to make sure that the film was directed by a known director, starred two A-list actors and had a PG-13 rating. Also to be taken into consideration would be adaptations of popular books or remakes of previous films. True to form, Hollywood’s Big Six released the following last year: Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith (Fox); Harry Potter (Warner Bros.); The Chronicles of Narnia (Buena Vista); War of the Worlds (Paramount); King Kong (Universal); and Hitch (Sony). It is no coincidence that these six films from the Big Six represent six of the top eleven grossing films, with a combined gross box office total of almost $1.6 billion.[26] However, as previously mentioned it is the R-rated movie that is the most popular release in Hollywood. This is mainly due the subject matter of the story that classifies it as such. This subject matter is defined by genre. Film is a medium that can be divided, and subdivided, into different categories. These categories allow the filmmaker to choose what style the script will be filmed with. The resulting production will then attract an audience that appreciates that specific type of film. These categories and sub-categories are referred to as genres and sub-genres. The idea of genre caters mainly for the mass-produced studio films, most notably those of Hollywood. In his book ‘Genre and Hollywood’, author Steve Neale iterates this by stating that: The definition and discussion of genre and genres in the cinema has tended to focus on mainstream, commercial films in general and Hollywood films in particular.[27] This is supported by another writer of genre, Barry Keith Grant, when he identifies that genre movies are those commercial feature films which, through repetition and variation, tell familiar stories with familiar characters in familia r situations.[28] The most popular genres such as action, comedy, gangster and war films are almost always classified as an R-rating; this is why such a large percentage of Hollywood production falls into this category. So why is it that Hollywood still gambles on making films that, according to models, theories and past experience will not go on to make the studios rich? At the start of this essay I simplified the Hollywood process by splitting it between the business and the art. The business of Hollywood is to make money by getting audiences to watch their product, however, it is not as simple as that (thankfully). Even though it may seem that Hollywood is run by men in suits, there is still a lot of power held by the artists. These artists are in turn respected by the business men because they make them money. This money is made by investing in their ideas and vision. This vision is what eventually makes it onto the big screen. There are hugely identifiable strengths weaknesses in the Hollywood system; this is best demonstrated using the first film from the list I have just mentioned. Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith grossed $380 million and is a blockbuster science-fiction film. When the orig inal Star Wars was released in 1977 there was nothing to compare it to, it created a new style of filmmaking that was light years away from the B-movie science-fiction films previously. Admittedly, the hype of the film and its predecessors certainly helped its success at the box office but it is still a movie that exemplifies the Hollywood experience; pure escapism. It can be labelled as ‘painting by numbers’ in so much that it has a popular director (George Lucas), a couple of A-list stars (Ewan McGregor, Samuel L. Jackson) and a PG-13 rating. However, these attributes are just that; minor factors that make up the whole. Twenty years ago when Hollywood was in its darkest hour, such a major project would probably never have been given the infamous green light. The early 1980’s saw a dramatic drop in box office receipts. The beginning of the decade saw a 9% drop in tickets sold nationwide in American cinemas when only 1.02 billion were sold. This figure got worse in 1986 when just over 1.01 billion tickets were sold[29] (compared to over 4.5 billion ticket sales in 1930). The home video market had certainly dented theatrical sales but Hollywood would always recoup somehow. The immediate problem was the cost of keeping cinemas open; a similar situation to the post Depression period of the 1930’s. Another financial reshuffle was in order. The Big Six were now part of conglomerates. Gulf Western (Paramounts parent company) also owned Madison Square Gardens, Desilu, Simon and Schuster, and Paramount Pictures Television. Yet, only 11% of Gulf Western’s revenues were derived from entertainment industry holdings and just 4% from Paramount Pictures in 1981. That same year, United Artists was bringing only 12% of the revenues in for Transamerica, Universal represented 22% of MCAs income, and Warner Bros. accounted for 24% of Warner Communications revenue.[30] However, by 1989, the entertainment division of Gulf Western, led by Paramo unt Pictures, accounted for over 50% of Gulf Western’s yearly income during a year in which Paramount had only fourteen releases and a 13.8% share of the market thanks to the success of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade ($197 million domestic box office),[31] demonstrating again just how important a single film had become by the end of the 1980’s. These blockbusters were to save Hollywood and allow it to grow stronger, and in 2002 ticket sales were over the 1.52 billion mark which was the highest figure for over twenty years, and the blockbuster continues to support the film industry to this day. Without the blockbuster there would not be the same number of people visiting the cinema. Without these audiences cinemas would close. Without the cinemas there would not be the same number of films released; and only the blockbuster would survive. In typical Hollywood irony it is the blockbuster that is keeping world cinema and low budget cinema alive. Conclusion Hollywood is more than just a location on the map. Hollywood is a business, a factory, a production line, a pool of talent, a byword for escapism and a place where dreams come true. Over one hundred years ago when Edwin S. Porter’s 1903 movie The Great Train Robbery introduced complex narrative structure in its editing techniques, and a decade later D.W. Griffith’s 1915 feature The Birth of a Nation grossed $10 million at the box office, it was evident that Hollywood had firmly grasped the concept of making movies. One hundred years later it is still producing films that make enough money to keep the business running. In conclusion to my research I have found that Hollywood operates on the basis that economics contribute considerably to the end product of the films produced. Without an in depth knowledge of how the market works the system would come crashing down. It would seem that this dependence on economic structure and theory would stagnate the film industry; only allowing the studios to release films that were targeted to a specific audience with restricted themes that would guarantee a return on profits. However, the statistics do not back this theory up. Hollywood does release blockbuster films that are almost generic in the way that they play, but the vast majority of films released are not going to return the costs involved. This is where the artistic side of Hollywood shines through. The fact that Hollywood is run as a business does not stop it producing the occasional work of art. There are not many businesses or industries that operate on the basis that around 70% of its product will make a financial loss. This is where the strengths and weaknesses of mainstream Hollywood are most visible. The 20% of film releases that go on to make a profit are all around us; advertising, marketing, merchandising, et al. Sometimes it is hard to get away from the Hollywood publicity machine that pumps its information out to the public, but this is the only way that it can get a return on its investments. It is the blockbuster that keeps the industry running, and as such we have to be prepared that for every Harry Potter there is a Brokeback Mountain and a Capote. Bibliography Burton, Graeme (2002) More than Meets the Eye (Third Edition) Arnold Publishing Curran, James (2000) Mass Media and Society Arnold Publishing de Vany, Arthur S. (2003) Hollywood Economics: How Extreme Uncertainty Shapes the Film Industry Routledge Gomery, Douglas (1989) Media Economics: Terms of Analysis Critical Studies in Mass Communication (Volume 6, Number 1) Gomery, Douglas (2003) The Economics of Hollywood: Money and Media in Alexander, Alison et al [ed.] (2003) Media Economics :Theory and Practice Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Grant, Barry Keith (1986) Film Genre Reader University of Texas Press: Austin Lewis, Jon (1996) Trust and Anti-Trust in the New Hollywood Michigan Quarterly Review Volume 35:1 Maltby, Richard (2003) Hollywood Cinema Blackwell Publishing Moran, Albert (1998) Film Policy: Hollywood and Beyond in Hill, John Church Gibson, Pamela [eds.] (1998) The Oxford Guide to Film Studies Oxford University Press Neale, Steve (1999) Genre and Hollywood Routledge: London Picard, Robert (1989) Media Economics: Concepts and Issues Sage Publications Ravid, S. Abraham (2005) Film Production in the Digital Age – What Do We Know about the Past and the Future? in Moul, Charles C. (2005) A Concise Handbook of Movie Industry Economics Cambridge University Press Smith, Sharon P. Smith, Kerry V. (1986) Successful Movies: A Preliminary Empirical Analysis Applied Economics (issue 18:5) Vogel, Harold L. (1990) Entertainment Industry Economics: A Guide for Financial Analysis Cambridge University Press Wasko, Janet (2003) How Hollywood Works Sage Publications US Theatrical Market 2005 Statistics Leaflet Motion Picture Association of America British Board of Film Classification website www.bbfc.co.uk Box Office Mojo website www.boxofficemojo.com The Numbers website www.the-numbers.com 1 Footnotes [1] Statistic taken from the US Theatrical Market 2005 Statistics Motion Picture Association (p14) [2] Maltby, Richard (2003) Hollywood Cinema Blackwell Publishing (p45) [3] Maltby, Richard (2003) Hollywood Cinema Blackwell Publishing (p45) [4] Smith, Sharon P. Smith, Kerry V. (1986) Successful Movies: A Preliminary Empirical Analysis Applied Economics (issue 18:5) (p506) [5] Wasko, Janet (2003) How Hollywood Works Sage Publications (p6) [6] Picard, Robert (1989) Media Economics: Concepts and Issues Sage Publications (p7) [7] Gomery, Douglas (1989) Media Economics: Terms of Analysis Critical Studies in Mass Communication (Volume 6, Number 1) (p58) [8] de Vany, Arthur S. (2003) Hollywood Economics: How Extrem

Wang Lung :: essays research papers

Many times those who benefit from their hard work fail to include those who have contributed to it. Often these contributors are left out when the rewards are reaped. Such is the case in The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck in 1923. The man named Wang Lung received many dividends for his dedication to the land and to his family, and, in many ways, he was deserving of it. Throughout his life, Wang Lung worked hard for the wealth and social status that became of him, but he was not capable of earning it alone, and therefore he did not earn it all himself. In the earlier years of his life, Wang Lung was humble man. He had little and he needed little. His house was small and it was made of "great squares of earth dug from their [Wang Lung and his father's] own fields, and thatched with straw from their own wheat." Then O-lan arrived from the great house. She took much of the responsibility that Wang had once had, which gave him more time to work his land and eventually buy more land. When difficult times fell upon the Wang Lung family and their land, they traveled south to the city. Although the "great fat fellow", out of fear, gave Wang Lung the gold, which he used to return to his land, it was O-lan's ingenuity in searching out the jewels that made Wang Lung a wealthy man. With these jewels, Wang Lung bought much land from the Great House and he also hired numerous men to work this new land. 	 In his later years, Wang Lung became conceited and egotistical. He believed that he had achieved his wealth and prosperity alone and that he was extremely deserving of it all. He had become very successful. He had sons in his home, a second wife, a large home, and many slaves. Eventually he even inhabited the Great House. All this he took credit for. In fact, without O-lan , he would have had no sons. In addition to her child bearing, O-lan worked equally as vigorously in the fields as Wang Lung did. Once Wang Lung found O-lan's jewels, he bought plentiful amounts of land and hired many workers, which left him with little responsibility. With this free time, he frequented the "great tea house" where Lotus had been employed as a prostitute. Without O-lan's resourcefulness, Wang Lung :: essays research papers Many times those who benefit from their hard work fail to include those who have contributed to it. Often these contributors are left out when the rewards are reaped. Such is the case in The Good Earth, written by Pearl S. Buck in 1923. The man named Wang Lung received many dividends for his dedication to the land and to his family, and, in many ways, he was deserving of it. Throughout his life, Wang Lung worked hard for the wealth and social status that became of him, but he was not capable of earning it alone, and therefore he did not earn it all himself. In the earlier years of his life, Wang Lung was humble man. He had little and he needed little. His house was small and it was made of "great squares of earth dug from their [Wang Lung and his father's] own fields, and thatched with straw from their own wheat." Then O-lan arrived from the great house. She took much of the responsibility that Wang had once had, which gave him more time to work his land and eventually buy more land. When difficult times fell upon the Wang Lung family and their land, they traveled south to the city. Although the "great fat fellow", out of fear, gave Wang Lung the gold, which he used to return to his land, it was O-lan's ingenuity in searching out the jewels that made Wang Lung a wealthy man. With these jewels, Wang Lung bought much land from the Great House and he also hired numerous men to work this new land. 	 In his later years, Wang Lung became conceited and egotistical. He believed that he had achieved his wealth and prosperity alone and that he was extremely deserving of it all. He had become very successful. He had sons in his home, a second wife, a large home, and many slaves. Eventually he even inhabited the Great House. All this he took credit for. In fact, without O-lan , he would have had no sons. In addition to her child bearing, O-lan worked equally as vigorously in the fields as Wang Lung did. Once Wang Lung found O-lan's jewels, he bought plentiful amounts of land and hired many workers, which left him with little responsibility. With this free time, he frequented the "great tea house" where Lotus had been employed as a prostitute. Without O-lan's resourcefulness,

Self Reliance - Society never advances :: Self Reliance Essays

Self Reliance - Society never advances "Society never advances. It recedes as fast on one side as it gains on the other. ... For every thing that is given something is taken." Emerson, "Self Reliance", p 169 I agree with this statement, and it frustrates me to no end. Our country is screwed up in every direction one looks. People are starving while others have too much money to spend. Our population is out of control. We pollute to no end. Ours is one of the best countries in the world? Society’s tumors seem to keep growing but I want them to end. These problems disturbed me to the point of depression when I discovered them but now I can handle my knowledge. One thing that has helped me is learning about American history. I thought that we teetered on the brink of imminent collapse with budget, environmental, and social problems, but I have learned about the problems that America has dealt with over the years. Now I know that this time period is no worse than the past. Yes, no worse than the past, but like the quote suggests, no better either. We keep trying for advancement, starting new social programs and developing new scientific solutions. Sometimes we make a little headway. When penicillin was discovered, it was a great boon to the medical industry. We are well on the way to loosing that gain as anti-biotic resistant microbes invade our bodies. We have eliminated slavery and segregation but the gap between the rich and poor has grown to compensate for this victory. We make scientific progress yet there are more ox-carts in use across the globe than there ever have been in the history of mankind. Are we actually making progress? I write this on a machine more powerful than the entire computing power of the world just sixty years ago.