Visual analysis of an artwork Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Visual analysis of an artwork - Essay Example The appreciations of Art as a significant and integral part of the society lead to the development of Visual Arts and Film Studies as a discipline of study by the scholars. In that respect, this paper seeks to give a vivid description of the Georges Seurat's "A Sunday on La Grande gatte" which offers a nice scene. This marvelous piece of art is found in Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York, the United States of America and reflects the wonderful nature of Art . Seurat's balance is carefully positioned and proportioned so that the entire work is interesting to look at. The river to the left is full of yachts and rowing boats, while this balance is matched by the closely placed large figures to the right (Seurat and Hajo 36).In the center of the work is a flurry of activity, which makes the painting's center as appealing to look at as the left and the right. Despite the activity in the piece, however, the artist's placing of his figures lends a degree of formality and static to his piece.His decision to only depict people facing sideways or straight on makes the entire scene seem very rigid and like toy soldiers, which was a criticism leveled against the artist at the time. Seurat utilizes this blending technique through his use of shadows. In traditional painting, shadows are primarily represented by the color black. Following the principles of pointillism, Seurat is able to define his shadows by the color that they come into contact with. The skirts of the women provide the best examples for this. The clothing of the women in the center of the piece seems to be casting a blue shadow on the ground (Seurat and Hajo 37). Seurat's shadows here are not being defined by traditional means but are instead a combination of the colors in its proximity. Here the mix of green provides a blue shadow, which does not follow the conventions of shadow casting. Such a different approach in the creation of shadows is repeated in the dress of the woman on the right. Where the mix of light and green casts a yellow halo for the trees the same effect is mimicked here. The woman's dress creates a slight yellow line before the onset of the shadow and this yellow hue can be seen particularly towards the back of her skirt. Furthermore, the shadow of her dress is a slight shade of blue as Seurat's green grass dots intermingle with the dress' blue and purple dots (Seurat and Hajo 39). Seurat's use of light is one of the unique points of the piece. The work is vibrantly portrayed and the magnificence of the sun bathes the scene's inhabitants in a celestial mid-afternoon glow. Where the technique of pointillism shows its unique aspect is where the light from the left comes into contact with people and objects in the piece. The blend of such colors is pointillism's primary concern and as its founder Seurat's work epitomizes the technique. The tree line at the top of the painting is one example of such a blended effect. The luminous bright white day to the upper left section of the piece steadily becomes less and less white until it blends seamlessly with the vibrant greens of the trees leaves. Seurat's technique means that such tiny dots of white are placed next to dots of green until the relevant effect is actualized (Seurat and Hajo 46).The mix of white and green creates a halo like yellow in parts before it turns fully into green. Seurat's techniq

How alignment between the values of an organization Essay Example for Free

How alignment between the values of an organization Essay Create a presentation in a common format (PowerPoint or a similar program) with a minimum of twenty (20) slides and corresponding speaker notes in which you: 1. Determine which statistical technique you will employ to measure the quality characteristics of your organization. Provide examples to support the rationale. 2. Analyze the current facility location, and then use the three-step procedure to determine a new location. 3. Analyze the key concepts related to capacity planning and facility location for the new location. 4. Examine the current work system design, and determine your organization’s selected feasibility in the job design (i. e., technical, economic, behavioral). Assess key elements of the rationale in the work design competitive advantage. 5. using the method analysis described in the textbook, defend the new change implementation process and the rationale for the change of method. 6. Develop a diagram showing network planning techniques, in which you use the program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and the critical path method (CPM). 7. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and other Websites do not quality as academic resources. Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

Management is comprised of four principal functions: planning, organizing, leading and controlling :: Business, Fayol

Nowadays, management has become an important part of the society. The role of management is to assist the organisation to make the best use of its resource to achieve its goal. Base on the aim of management, one of the theorists Henri Fayol proposed the four necessary management functions: planning, organisation, leading, controlling are the tools managers use to achieve these goals. (Jones 2006) This essay is going to describe and discuss these functions. The first function of management is planning. Planning is a process that managers use to identify and involve goal setting and decide the best way to achieve the goal.(Bartol 2007) Planning connect the gap between where we do, where we intend to go. It predict the possible things to happen which would not otherwise happen (MSG 2012). There are several steps to the planning process, which are determine the goals of the organisation, evaluate the current position, consider possible future conditions, identify possible alternative actions and choose the best. Planning is the criteria thinking through goals and making decision to achieve the goal of the organisation’s objective, which requires a systematic way. Also objectives focus the managers how to achieve the final result as managers have to predict anything will happen, avoid the problem and fight back to competitors. An example of planning, which is the President Canon Inc Tsuneji Uchida and lead Canon Company become the n o.1 in the global business (Canon.Inc 2011). Tsuneji Uchida has to understand what is the company objective and goal. First, make decision to protect the position and the aim of canon, improve the operation more diversity. Second, he creates the new design of camera and new technology, he plan to do these things to maximise profit. In order to achieve the goals of the organisation, managers have to set goals and developed a workable plan to complete the goals. Organising is one of the processes to organise people, activities and other resource in a logical way (Davidson 2009). Through the organising function, managers need to analyse how activities and resources are to be grouped and carry out plans successfully (Bartol 2007). A manager have to understand their ability to manage the lower level employee which is the most valuable of the company as they are the key of output and implement in the planning. Then manager will coordinate the jobs between authority and responsibility that is to define the role position of them (MSG 2012).

The Hanging of Angelique

The Hanging of Angelique, The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal, written by Afua Cooper, is the story of not just Marie-Joseph Angelique, a black slave in 18th century Montreal accused, tried and hanged for arson, but gives insight into the entire African slave trade and brings to the forefront the thousands of African slaves here in Canada, a fact that has been â€Å"bulldozed and ploughed over† (P 7)1, while we ridicule our southern neighbours for their involvement in the very same industry.It is also a useful tool in the study of everyday life during this time period in New France, including their personal interactions, economic pillars, cultural beliefs, and overall social structure. Dr. Afua Cooper is a leading authority on Canadian black history and slavery; she has devoted her life to uncovering the past and educating the public on the little known subject of black slavery in Canadian history.She is a renowned presenter, scholar, poet, and author, having published five books of poetry, and several books both historical and historical fiction2 in her efforts to bring to light â€Å"Canada’s sorry history of slavery and racism† (P XII)1. She is currently the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair in Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia2.Fifteen years of research went into the telling of Angelique`s story, using a variety of methods including court and business records, including Angelique’s trial transcripts, newspapers containing advertisements for the purchase and sale of slaves (P 97)1 and other histories of slavery. It is these many details that Dr. Cooper has included that helps the reader to become immersed in the story. From the haunting description of la question ordinaire et extrodinaire (P 17-19)1, the rise and fall of Portugal as a maritime superpower (P 24)1 , and the descriptions of the city and buildings that were destroyed so easily (P 142-3)1.She tells the s tory of not only Marie-Joseph Angelique, but of all people in New France including both negro and Indian slaves, indentured labourers, and those of the higher classes. Angelique`s owners, Francois Poulin de Francheville and his wife, Therese de Couagne belonged to a social class referred to as bourgeois, â€Å"a social class of middle standing—between the aristocracy and the lower classes† (P 107)1. Their business was commerce, most notably, the â€Å"lifeblood of the colony†, the fur trade.Francois, and many others, prospered from the fur trade, it was, in fact, the main economy of the colonies at the time. Not only for the actual voyageurs and merchants, but the supplies needed for the outposts, goods to trade with the natives (especially alcohol), and transportation of these goods to the trading posts. Without support from Montreal, none of the posts would have been able to survive. The fur trade was an essential part of life in New France, not only to those directly related, it affected everyone. The trade was the pivot upon which most other affairs, especially politics, religion, and war, spun. Politicians and priests, Natives and French, merchants and voyageurs, soldiers and kings, architects and engineers all had careers made, enhanced, or unmade by the fur trade† (P 115)1. Another barrier between the rich and poor keeping the class divisions separate was the Seigneurial system, of which Angeliques owner was a part.An upper class man were granted land by the crown, and then was rented to others to work it, all the while paying the Seigneur rent and paying for the use of his mill. Only a Seigneur could own the mill, and all of the natural resources on said land, including fish, timber, or valuable metal deposits, belonged him as well. Francois Poulin de Francheville happened to be Seigneur for a plot of land about fifteen acres outside of Montreal, which just happened to be rich in iron deposits.In an effort to diversify the co lony’s economy, he obtained a twenty-year monopoly from the crown to mine the iron in the Trois-Rivieres area (P 121)1. Francheville continued to support the fur trade, still the pivot of life in the colonies by selling manufactured goods such as sewing needles, cookware, and stoves, but the majority of the steel was used by France for shipbuilding and military equipment. Montreal was no longer economically dependant on the fur trade.Among the classes of New France, Angelique was at the very bottom, disadvantaged on three fronts. Not only was she a slave, but she was a black female slave. After the black slaves were the Indian slaves, or Panis (P 81)1, free blacks, indentured labourers, and then the traders, bourgeois, and Nobles that made up the high society. Though the class structure was quite rigid, there was room for movement in the ranks. Angelique was romantically involved with Claude Thibault, an indentured labourer in the same household as herself.Though Claude was n ot a slave, he was contracted for three years and was paid for the work he did, he wished to escape the colonies and return to France. The pair did escape once, but were caught, and he was believed to be Angelique`s accomplice in setting the fire. As those in lower classes mingled and formed bonds, so too did the middle and higher classes, though for different reasons. Francois Poulin de Francheville was a social climber, and in order to expand his social circle, he married the daughter of a very influential and rich Montreal merchant, Therese de Couagne.Where Angelique and Claude had shared frustration and humiliation of serving others, the marriage of Francois and Therese was a mutually beneficial agreement mostly due to money and family connections. Though Patriarchy was the dominant ideology at the time, white women still had some freedom. Black slave women were advertised for sale usually as house servants, the ability to cook, clean, and do household chores were the selling po ints. They were seen as not being able to do any more than such duties.When her husband died, however, Therese de Couagne, being a high class white woman, took full control of all of her husband’s business dealings and they flourished. Not only were men seen as better than women, white women were more capable than black. Legal procedure when prosecuting Marie-Joseph Angelique was shockingly different to that which is practiced today. Pierre Raimbault, Angelique’s prosecutor, gathered evidence and prepared the case against Angelique. The evidence against her was strong, several witnesses testified against her, and she had motive, being a mistreated and angry slave.She was found guilty by the judge, who was not entirely impartial because he, like many others, had lost most of his possessions in the fire. Her sentence was to â€Å"be condemned to make honourable amends, and to have her hand cut off, and that she be thrown alive into the fire in a place in this town deeme d most appropriate, after having been subjected to la question ordinaire et extraordinaire in order that she name her accomplices and that the judgement of the one named Thibault be delayed until the said accused has suffered such interrogation† (P 254)1.Angelique`s punishment was appealed, and downgraded, but such brutal punishments were quite common in European societies, carried out on perpetrators of such crimes believed despicable, others included burnt alive, boiled, quartered, covered in hot oil or tar (P 255)1. La question ordinaire et extraordinaire was, indeed, torture. The judge not only wanted a confession from Angelique, he wanted her to name her former lover, Thibault, as her accomplice, so that he too could be executed.Once again, not exactly promising for a â€Å"fair and unbiased† trial. Afua Cooper’s The Hanging of Angelique, The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montreal not only shows an overview of the African slave trad e and its beginnings, the overall social structure, cultural beliefs and economic backbone of New France, but she also succeeds in showing the indomitable nature of the human spirit by showing no matter how little freedom she has, Angelique still finds ways to rebel.It shows the class distinctions that ruled people’s lives in the 18th century Canada that no longer exist to such an extent, the way they lived, whether by the fur trade, or farming, or as a government official. It is a great example of how Canada has grown from small colonies with little to no economic diversity, and rigid class structure ruled by societal pressure where slaves were a sign of prestige, to a multicultural developed country today.

Economics Of The Movie Business Essay

In this section I provide a review of the movie business with an emphasis on how blind bidding evolved from the Golden Age of Hollywood in the 1930‘s and 1940‘s until its demise in the beginning of 1986. For many decades blind bidding was not a concern for theater owners, because it was not the dominant method by which films were licensed. During the Golden Age, block booking was the way a majority of films were licensed. With this method, high and low quality films were sold together in a bundle to theater owners, without an opportunity to trade screen them. The landmark United States vs. Paramount et al. decision by the Supreme Court in 1948 altered the motion picture distribution system. The five major movie companies that produced, distributed, and operated theaters as well as the three studios which did not own theaters were all found in violation of the Sherman Act for attempting to monopolize the industry. One of the major consequences of this decision was the elimination of block booking. After the Paramount decision, films were licensed by product splitting, open bidding, or blind bidding. Product splitting was when theater owners decided among themselves which one had the first opportunity to negotiate for a film with a movie studio in a given market. Open bidding referred to a situation in which theater owners had the opportunity to trade screen films before bidding. Blind bidding was used infrequently until the 1960‘s, which prompted a two-year agreement from January 1, 1969 to January 1, 1971 between the movie companies and the Department of Justice. This agreement limited 1 9 the number of films which could be blind bid to three per studio per year. The two-year agreement was renewed twice, which limited the practice through January 1, 1975. However, the Department of Justice revoked all restrictions limiting blind bidding after this date and the practice accelerated rapidly. Movie companies perceived blind bidding as a necessary way to finance blockbuster films, and it persisted for an eleven year period from 1975-1985. Chapter 2 LITERATURE REVIEW In this chapter, I will review the economic literature on blind bidding, exit, and natural experiments. The selected papers motivate my empirical model of the effects of blind bidding. Section 2. 1 discusses the blind bidding literature. Section 2. 2 surveys natural experiments testing the impact of a policy change. 2. 1 Blind Bidding In this section, I discuss two studies which arrive at different conclusions about the impact of the anti-blind bidding laws. Although neither study addresses explicitly the issues of exit, admission prices, and delays, the empirical findings are relevent. Blumenthal (1998) finds that average bids are lower for blind bid theater owners and as a result their returns are higher. However, since the returns of blind bid theater owners are more volatile, she concludes risk averse theater owners are worse off under blind bidding, legitimizing their efforts to pass anti-blind bidding laws. Forsythe, Isaac, and Palfrey (1989) model the behavior of n buyers and one seller in a sealed-bid, first-price auction. They conclude that the anti-blind bidding laws were unnecessary as buyers would learn that a seller withholds information when it is unfavorable. A seller would abandon blind bidding once all buyers learn that withholding information was in the seller‘s best interest and not theirs. I find that practices in the motion picture industry were not consistent with this prediction, because the movie companies trade screened unfavorable films and blind bid highly anticipated films. Blumenthal (1988) justifies theater owners‘ rationale to seek relief from blind bidding by showing that they experience lower utility in blind-bid environments than preview ones. The author uses generalized least squares to test three hypotheses about film bids or film returns for blind-bid and trade screen theaters using the rental terms of 18 films from a national theater chain in 1982. First, she hypothesizes that theater owners in blind-bid states submit lower bids, because in accordance with economic theory, bidders reduce their bids on average in an auction where there is uncertainty about the value of a product. Second, blind-bid theater owners place a greater emphasis on the limited information contained in a bid letter. Therefore, bid letter information will explain a larger percentage of the variance for bids in blind-bid theaters than trade screen ones. Third, mean returns are higher for blind-bid theaters, but they experience greater volatility than trade screen theaters. Depending on the hypothesis in question, the dependent variable is either film bids or film returns. 1 She includes film budget and saturation as predictor variables, since higher budgeted films and wider released films would be an indication of larger expected returns by the movie companies. Other independent variables include theater operating expenses, an indicator variable signifying theaters in blind bid states, and the number of movie theaters located within the metropolitan area. The Film returns are the box office revenue less the price paid for the film. blind bidding dummy variable was interacted with film budget and saturation to test the second hypothesis. The author finds theater owners submit lower average bids in blind bidding states than in trade screen ones. With regards to the second hypothesis, blindbid theater owners place a greater emphasis on bid letter information: for every million dollar increase in film cost, blind bid theater owners bid an additional $8,900 while trade screen ones bid an additional $5,100. Regarding the final hypothesis, Blumenthal models utility as a function of the mean and variance of film returns which measures the degree of risk aversion among theater owners. In terms of utility, risk averse theater owners are worse off, because higher revenues are accompanied by greater volatility. Theater owners are unable to reduce their bids enough to offset the extra volatility because of competitive forces. Using a laboratory experiment in several markets, Forsythe, Isaac, and Palfrey (1989) consider the anti-blind bidding laws unnecessary. They find an equilibrium where buyers learn to assume the worst about a seller‘s decision to blind bid items causing most items to no longer be blind bid. The game has a single seller versus n buyers, and the former must decide whether to reveal information about the item to all buyers. A seller reveals his information to buyers if the news is favorable, and does not if it is unfavorable. A seller obtains the highest bid if he reveals his information. The auctioned item has both a common value and private value component. After a seller decides whether to reveal their information, the item is auctioned in a sealed bid first price auction. Several possible Nash equilibria are considered in the game, but the authors focus on the ? assume the worst? solution, because all other outcomes cannot be obtained so long as the auction follows a sequential equilibrium. This type of equilibrium occurs when buyers make conjectures about a seller‘s motives when they adopt a strategy which is consistent with the seller‘s best interest. To obtain an ?assume the worst? solution, a seller continues to blind bid items as long as there is at least one unsophisticated buyer: a buyer who bids the average of all quality levels, rather than assumes the worst about no revealed information. With the passage of time, buyers learn that when a seller withholds information it is not in their interest, forcing sellers to reveal information for lower quality levels. Eventually, the market reaches a point where no items are blind bid. In five of the six blind-bid auctions, the average winning bid declines over time. Although blind bidding is not eliminated by the conclusion of the auctions, it is practiced less frequently and buyers dramatically lower their expectations for the value for the auctioned item. The authors conclude the anti-blind bidding laws are unnecessary, because with the passage of time, blind bidding would have been phased out completely. These two studies offer two important insights. Although Blumenthal (1988) concludes theater owners are worse off under blind bidding, she does not consider that theater owners can diversify the risk of films by converting to the multiplex theater. In this manner, theater owners can pool the risk of mediocre and blockbuster films rather than run the risk of exhibiting a single inferior film. Regarding Forsythe, Isaac and Palfrey (1989), if the movie companies did not reveal their information for blockbuster films, they were not obtaining the highest auction price. Since the movie companies must have acted in their own self-interest, I assume blind bidding provided some cost benefits which outweighed the decision to trade screen films. 2. 2 Natural Experiments In this section, I discuss three natural experiments which provide a reference for testing the effects of the anti-blind bidding laws on exit, admission prices, and delays. Natural experiments are often used to examine the effect of a policy change. A researcher examines two groups which have similar characteristics, one of which is exposed to a policy change while the other is not, and observes how the outcome differs between the two. Natural experiments are called quasi experiments, because the researcher has little or no control over the observed situation, which is in contrast to social experiments where researchers implement proper experimental design. Card and Krueger (1994), Milyo and Wardfogel (1999), and Bergen, Levy, Rubin and Zeliger (2004), conduct natural experiments assuming an exogenous change in a law. All three natural experiments assume the treatment effect is not correlated with the outcome variable and any uncontrolled independent variables correlated with it. Card and Krueger (1994) investigate the effect on employment of a 50 cent raise in the New Jersey minimum wage in the fast food industry. Milyo and Wardfogel (1999) examine the impact on prices of advertised and non-advertised items after a ban on liquor advertising is lifted in Rhode Island. The ban permitted retailers to charge higher prices which was considered especially helpful to small ? mom and pop‘ retailers that could not offer the price discounts of larger chains. Bergen et tal. (2004) investigate the net effects of item pricing laws for supermarkets which require that retailers label every item individually with a price tag to help ensure that consumers are not overcharged at the register. The three empirical studies conduct natural experiments in similar geographic regions. Card and Krueger (1994) compare the neighboring states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The authors use descriptive statistics from their data to argue that wages, prices, and employment measures are similar. For example, the mean starting wage for New Jersey and Pennsylvania is $4. 61 and $4. 63, respectively, before New Jersey‘s increase in the minimum wage. Bergen et tal. (2004) target a narrow tri-state region of Clifton, New Jersey, Tarrytown, New York, and Greenwich, Connecticut to study the impact of item pricing laws. Close geographic proximity is one factor for the selected towns as the greatest distance that separates the towns is only approximately 50 miles. In addition, these towns have similar population size, population densities, and access to quality public schools. Milyo and Wardforgel (1999) follow a similar strategy to Bergen et tal. (2004) by comparing adjacent states but narrowing their focus to three areas: Southern Rhode Island, Northwest Boston suburbs, and the Rhode Island and Massachusetts border. In addition, the three studies utilize multiple control groups which provide the benefit of observing how sensitive the results are to different controls. Card and Krueger (1994) compare full-time-equivalent employment (FTE) for New Jersey and Pennsylvania, but also compare FTE in New Jersey fast food stores which already paid at least the new minimum wage to those in New Jersey that paid under the new minimum. Milyo and Wardforgel (1999) compare retail prices in Rhode Island with those from Massachusetts, but also use Rhode Island wholesale prices as a second control. Bergen et tal. (2004) compare prices in New Jersey with two controls New York and Connecticut both of which have item pricing laws. However, Connecticut exempted stores from the law which installed the electronic shelf label system because it ensured that the price at the shelf was the same as the price at the register. Therefore, the authors used Connecticut stores to observe how prices differed among non item pricing law stores and those which used the electronic shelf system. I adopt the idea of multiple control groups when I examine the exit of theater owners. The Card and Krueger (1994) study has additional significance to my study because they use the difference-in-differences estimator, and I adopt this method for the analysis of admission prices. The primary benefit of this method is that the researcher is able to cancel out other industry factors which are common to the treatment and control group through second differencing. Therefore, the difference-in-differences measures the impact on the outcome solely from the policy change. These empirical studies provided some important insights on how to conduct my natural experiment on the anti-blind bidding laws. When selecting treatment and control groups, it is important to select homogenous regions so that there is a believable rationale that the control group will behave like the treatment group. Use of multiple control groups is encouraged in natural experiments to test the robustness of the results. In addition, I follow the method of Card and Krueger (1994) and use the difference-in-differences estimator to examine admission prices. Chapter 3 ADMISSION PRICES In this paper, I investigate the claims made by theater owners and movie companies about the impact of the anti-blind bidding laws on admission prices. I examine the impact of the strictest laws of Ohio and Pennsylvania, which eliminated blind bidding and placed severe restrictions on guarantees. I selected these states, because they present the strongest case for the laws having an impact according to theater owners‘ claims. I compare average admission prices in these states before and after the passage of the law with prices in two states that never had such a law. For Ohio, I compare average prices in Cleveland with those in Detroit. For Pennsylvania, I compare average prices from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with those of Detroit. 1 Using the difference-in-differences estimator, I find some evidence that the laws raised admission prices. Theater owners argued that admission prices were higher under blind bidding, because they had to increase their prices to cover losses incurred from inferior films and to compensate for the guarantees they paid. According to theater owners, the anti-blind bidding laws would eliminate the burden of blind bidding, and in some states also guarantees, so that lower prices would follow. Movie companies claimed initially considered comparing average Philadelphia and Pittsburgh prices with those in Manhattan. I decided against using New York City as a control because prices were consistently higher there than in any other market because of the high cost of living in the area. The laws would have the opposite effect for two reasons. Theater owners would identify blockbuster films after viewing the preview, and a bidding war would ensue. Since film rentals were bid higher, this cost would be passed along to moviegoers. In addition, movie companies claimed that the anti-blind bidding laws would cause delays in the release of films, and this cost would be passed on to consumers. 3. 1 Model I consider the claims of theater owners and movie companies about admission prices to be invalid because of what is universally accepted in economics about the demand for factor inputs. The demand for a factor input (e. g. labor or capital) is a derived demand in that demand for the factor and its price is contingent upon the demand for the final product. For example, the demand for movie stars depends not only on their current salaries, but also the total tickets sold. Movie stars would be unable to command high salaries if there is not an overwhelming demand for motion pictures. Therefore, prices charged at movie theaters, an input, are determined by demand. On the other hand, admission prices are likely to differ across cities due to costs outside the control of the industry. For example, theater owners in New York City had higher rent or mortgage payments than those in Atlanta, Georgia because of the relatively high cost of land. Another factor that varied regionally was the price of labor. Theater owners facing higher minimum wages had greater variable costs than those in states with lower minimums. I expect the anti-blind bidding laws to influence admission prices if they impacted marginal costs, or if they restrict the supply of films. Although the laws did not affect theater owners‘ marginal costs, they may have impacted the movie companies‘. Additional expenses were incurred because sales prints had to be specially made for the purposes of trade screening. This cost was not present in blind bidding states. 3. 2 Data and Methods I obtained the data from Variety, which reported theaters from 15 cities on a weekly basis. Variety sampled most cities once a month with about 10 to 20 theaters per sample. The same theaters were generally sampled, but over longer periods of time, the sample changed as some exited the marketplace. I sampled each city quarterly. On occasion, Variety reported theaters which charged one dollar for admission. These observations were dropped from the data set, since they were second-run movie houses. Table 5. 1 shows the descriptive statistics for the data. Any city sampled was a representation of the metropolitan area. Therefore, the sample contained some downtown theaters as well as many suburban theaters. For example, Detroit included downtown theaters such as the Adams, Fox, and Renaissance, and theaters such as the Dearborn, Americana West, and Macomb Mall from surrounding areas of Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties. During the first year that the ant-blind bidding laws were in effect, it is not clear which films were blind bid. This is because theater owners bid on films six months to one year in advance of the release date. For example, Ohio enacted the law in October 1978, but theater owners may have been bidding for films to be released in ___________________________________________________________________________ 2 According to Barry Reardon, distributional president at Warner Brothers, the additional expense to trade screen amounted to approximately $50,000 per film in Jim Robbins, ? Distribs Adapt to AntiBlind Bid Laws? , Variety, July 3, 1985, 80. 3 A sales print is a reel of film with the movie preview. April 1979 or as far away as October 1979. The Pennsylvania law became effective in May 1980. At that date, theater owners would bid on films for November 1980 up to May 1981. I address the lagged effect of an anti-blind bidding law on films by examining average admission prices using two different treatment and control groups: 1) two years before and after a law, and 2) three years before and after a law. Table 3. 1 provides the descriptive statistics for these variables. For the Ohio law, I calculate average prices in 1976 and 1977 (pre-treatment group) and average prices in 1979 and 1980 (post-treatment group). This measures the immediate effect of the law even though some of the admission prices in 1979 will be for films which were not trade screened. For three years before and after the law, I use average prices in 1975 and 1976 compared with those in 1980 and 1981. In this case, all films in the posttreatment group were trade screened. For the Pennsylvania law, I use the same procedure for selecting the pre and post-treatment groups. I consider the passage of the Ohio and Pennsylvania laws a natural experiment, and I proceed to measure the impact of a law by using the difference-indifferences estimator defined as the change in the population means from the treatment group less the change in population means from the control group. This method has an advantage over comparing the means of the treatment and control group after the laws because the latter assumes the treatment and control groups are identical in every way except for the law. The difference-in-differences estimator makes the weaker assumption that regardless of the overall factors affecting admission prices, they affected the treatment and control groups in the same way. In order to understand the meaning of the difference-in-differences estimator, consider the interpretation of first differences between the treatment and control. The change in price in the control group informs us how prices would have behaved in the treatment group if the law was not implemented. The change in price in the treatment group tells us how the average price behaved given the enactment of the law. By taking second differences, I obtain the difference-in-differences estimator which measures the effect of the law by taking the difference in what happened with average prices compared with what would have happened to them. 3. 3 Cleveland and Detroit Figure 5. 1 displays average admission prices for Cleveland and Detroit from 1975-1981. Detroit‘s average prices remain consistently above Cleveland‘s by approximately 59 cents throughout the observed period. I examine average admission prices over time to see if the assumption that overall factors that affect them are the same for both treatment and control groups. Unobserved factors are more likely to be different if the trend in prices diverges before the treatment effect. Average admission prices for Cleveland and Detroit remain relatively steady before the implementation of the law implying the assumption of a common trend appears valid. The results for the difference-in-differences estimator are shown in Table 3. 2. Comparing average prices two years before and after the law, I find Detroit‘s prices increase by seven cents and Cleveland‘s rise by 16 cents. The seven cent increase in average prices represents how Cleveland prices would have behaved in the absence of the anti-blind bidding law. After taking second differences, I find that the Ohio law significantly increases Cleveland‘s average prices by nine cents. Examining admission prices three years before and after the law does not produce the same conclusion. Cleveland‘s and Detroit‘s average prices increase by 20 and 21 cents, respectively. The difference-in-differences estimator shows that Cleveland‘s average prices are significantly lower by one cent. 3. 4 Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Detroit Figure 5. 2 shows average prices in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh versus those in Detroit from 1977-1983. For the first two years, prices are nearly identical. In 1979 and 1980, the difference in average prices remains relatively steady at 10 and 15 cents, respectively. Beyond 1980, the difference in average prices increases, ranging from 36 to 41 cents. The assumption that factors have a common trend appears satisfied because the difference in average prices maintains itself in 1979 and 1980. The first and second differences for average admission prices are shown in Table 5. 3. Comparing average prices two years before and after the Pennsylvania law, I find Philadelphia‘s and Pittsburgh‘s average prices rise by 43 cents while Detroit‘s increases by 11 cents. Detroit‘s prices are assumed to be behaving like Philadelphia‘s and Pittsburgh‘s if Pennsylvania had never passed an anti-blind bidding law. The difference-in-differences estimator shows that the law results in a statistically significant 32 cent increase in admission prices. Comparing three years before and after the law produces a similar result, the law causes higher average admission prices for Philadelphia and Pittsburgh by 53 cents. 3. 5 Conclusion I examine the impact of the Ohio and Pennsylvania anti-blind bidding laws on admission prices and I find higher admission prices in Cleveland, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh in three of the four difference-in-differences estimators. The impact of the Pennsylvania law is more robust than the Ohio law because in one case, average admission prices decline by one cent. A potential explanation for higher average admission prices is that the movie companies‘ marginal costs increased in anti-blind bidding states, because sales prints had to be produced exclusively for trade screening films.

Internet Legislation Essays - Media Technology, Pornography Law

Internet Legislation Essays - Media Technology, Pornography Law Internet Legislation subject = LAW title = Internet Legislation Internet Legislation With the recent popularity of the Internet many topics concerning it have hit main street media. One of these topics is legislation to control its certain aspects. Legislation is now one of the feuded discussions when it comes to the Internet, and through my report I hope to shed some light on this topic of conterversy. The Internet by definition is an international web of interconnected government, education, and business computer networksin essence, a network of networks. A person at a computer terminal or personal computer with the proper software communicates across the Internet by placing data in an Internet Protocol (IP) packetan electronic envelopeand "addressing" the packet to a particular destination on the Internet. Communications software on the intervening networks between the source and destination networks. And these collections of networks linking millions of servers (computers) together, where in essence one computer can access info from another. The Internet was first formed in the lats 60's by the military as a form of communication incase of nuclear attack. Just recently in 1984 is when it was first opened to the everyday consumer as a form of communication. After a few years of mild aknowledgement of its assistance, From a thousand or so networks in the mid- 1980s, the Internet h as grown to an estimated 30,000 connected networks in 1994 with about 25 million people having access to it. it all of a sudden boomed with popularity with networks expanding at an exponential rate. And with the networks came multi billionaire business such as American Online. Along with information the Internet has links to other more unmoral forms of entertainment, on of these is pornography, "porn" of the past few years has taken up more than one half of the web pages on the Internet (about 4 out of 10 web pages are porn) a number which has caused much dismay with users and nonusers alike. Those who support porn on the Internet say its with in there rights and everybody should have access to it. But parents are afraid that the Internet carries a large number of minor users who with almost no Internet experience can access porn. Only Legislation that currently exsists is We start with the federal Communications Decency Act of 1996, a controversial piece of legislation signed into law by President Clinton on February 8, 1996, and now under legal challenge by the American Civil Liberties Union and others. The Communications Decency Act bans the communication of "obscene or indecent" material via the Internet to anyone under 18 years of age. (Telecommunications Act of 1996, Section 502, 47 U.S.C. Section 223[a].) Probably the most conterversial of topics on legislation, is the right of free speech on the Internet, currently the Internet has no laws preventing anything said on the Internet. But supporters of the bill say that the Internet should follow the same guidelines concerning speech as the public television does (in part because of the large number of young children on the net) Opposes of the Internet legislation it is within there freedom of speech to say what ever they wish. Currently there are many bills that are being voted on to carry out a ban on free speech. If this bill is passed all servers will have a program embedded in there speech prossers that when ever a word against the law is written it will come out something like this ("*%^$#) Hate pages is probably the next topic that surrounds conterversy many cults and hate organizations such as the KKK or the Neo Nazis have set up pages on the Internet spreading what many say are lies in hopes of recruiting new members. Hate pages are springing up at an alarming 30,000 a year. Tough there is no legislation banning this many servers including Geo cities Netscape, Ichat, have banned these pages. Current legislation that is on the net is few. There are the basic laws that limit all communication uses but other than that there's not much else. There are laws against the display of minors in pornography, hacking in all its forms are banned, the sale of narcotics and or weapons are also banned thought the Internet, and the rest

We Ask Admissions Officers Whats the #1 Fact You Wish Applicants Knew

We Ask Admissions Officers What's the #1 Fact You Wish Applicants Knew SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips College admissions can be confusing, with a lot of contradictory information thrown around. It's hard to separate fact from fiction, which is frustrating since the stakes are high and you may not realize you made mistakes until it's far too late. In this exclusive article, we decided to consult university admissions officers and counselors around the country to break through the noise. We asked them a simple question: "What's the #1 fact you wish college applicants knew about admissions?" The results might surprise you. #1: We Want a Well-Rounded Class, Not Well-Rounded Students We've all heard the adage of schools liking well-rounded students, so many hopeful applicants try to do a little bit of everything at once. This might be a huge mistake. Jeannine Lalonde, Senior Assistant Dean of Admission at University of Virginia, tells us: The area that students seem to divert so much applicant time and energy away from more important things is the extracurricular section of the application.When I was in school, someone came up with the phrase "the well-rounded student" and I fear that term has become and albatross that hangs around everyone high school student's neck. They think there's a check list that we use as we read and we want to see leadership, athletics, community service, something creative, something academic, etc. They think that if they don't do everything, then they must be an expert in one thing. So either be a jack of all trades, or headed to the Olympics. The fact is that the philosophy at my school and many others has evolved. We're looking to build a well-rounded class. A well-rounded class has all kinds of students in it. Really, though, academics will always come first. So amount of community service will make an admission officer forget that a student didn't challenge themselves in high school. When I read a file, most of my time is spend analyzing the transcript, reading the recommendations, and reading essays. Extracurricular activities are...extra! #2: Demonstrate Your Character - Be Someone Colleges Want In Their Community Applications aren't just about your test results and achievements. Colleges want you to be someone they're comfortable accepting in their community. Your job is to demonstrate that you have the character to be this person. Carol Barash, former English professor and admissions counselor at U Michigan, Rutgers, and Douglass College, writes: The thing that matters mostthe one thing you can control in the admissions process and for the rest of your lifeis your character. When you show up, what can people count on you for? This is really what colleges want to know. Colleges are communities, and admissions officers are building diverse communities of individuals who will coalesce and work togetherin classrooms, dorm rooms, and across the broad range of activities that make up the college community. Use the college process to explore your character: what are your strengths, your passions, and especially your commitments? Once you have a sense of where you are going, look back into your life experience and uncover the stories that are connected to that place you are going. Where are the moments when you changed, grew or made a difference? Those defining moments are the cauldron of character; those are the moments you want to write about in your college admission and scholarship essays. #3: Use the Admissions Office to Your Advantage Admissions offices seem daunting - they can decide your fate and thousands of other students in a single stroke. But you should realize that the office is made up of people who care about the school and about their students. Jeff Knox, former Admissions Officer at University of Pittsburgh, advises: The average college admissions professional is young, usually in her 20s. Students tend to think admissions committees are made up of a bunch of older curmudgeons perusing their applications and essays over bifocals.Don’t be afraid to call or email the admissions offices. They are (almost always) super nice and helpful. In my experience, I deal with a lot of students stressing out over pretty simple questions that could easily be answered with a simple phone call. Especially because colleges have different policies and preferences and because student questions are often so specific, it’s important to go to the source with many questions. Rather than guessing or trying to figure it out on your own, just contact the admissions office directly. #4: Maximize the Effectiveness ofthe Supplemental Essay Private admissions counselor and Harvard PhD Robert Kohenbelieves that students underestimate the value of the supplemental essay. Treating this as an afterthought is a big mistake: Students dedicate so much time to perfecting their personal essay that they often forget to leave adequate time for the smaller, supplemental questions that most colleges ask on the application. These essays usually ask about why the student wants to attend a particular school. It's imperative that students both spend adequate time researching the college and fine-tuning these essays. The most common mistake students make is simply repeating generic information about the university: it's in a great city, its academics are spectacular, and the campus is beautiful to boot. Instead, students should write about specific details that align with their own interests and show they've done their homework. For example, does the university offer a particular type of student group unique to that school? Does it have a particular professor the student is interested in working with, or a special research institute that speaks to the student's academic interests? It's critical that students include these types of details in their supplemental essays in order to stand out from the crowd. What's Next? Is there a burning question you want answered by college admissions officers? We'll reach out to our network. Just leave a comment below about what you want us to ask. Want to excel on the SAT or ACT? Read our famous guides to scoring a perfect SAT score or a perfect ACT score. How good of an SAT/ACT score do you need to get into your target college? Calculate your target score for the SAT or the ACT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points?We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Its Acceptable to Use (Some) Contractions

Its Acceptable to Use (Some) Contractions It’s Acceptable to Use (Some) Contractions It’s Acceptable to Use (Some) Contractions By Mark Nichol Do you believe it’s acceptable to use contractions in formal writing, or is the elision of certain letters and their replacement by apostrophes something that shouldn’t appear in a respectable publication? What’re your thoughts? Some contractions are considered more acceptable than others. The first two I included in the previous paragraph, and others, are often found in all but the most buttoned-up composition, but although ’re is sometimes appropriate, what’re is of dubious respectability. Some contractions are ubiquitous and usually acceptable, while others, for often obscure and arbitrary reasons, are considered substandard usage. Here’s a guide to the relative respectability of various contractions: ’d: a contraction of did, had, and would, considered mildly informal. ’em: a highly informal contraction of them (â€Å"You really showed ’em†). ’er: a highly informal contraction of her, though often in reference to an inanimate object rather than a female (â€Å"Git ’er done†). ’im: a highly informal contraction of him (â€Å"I saw ’im standing there just a minute ago†). ’ll: frequently used in place of will (â€Å"I’ll concede that much†). n’t: widely employed to replace not, as in couldn’t, don’t, isn’t, shouldn’t, and won’t, though ain’t is considered acceptable only in colloquial or jocular usage, and shan’t is considered stilted. ’m: appears only in a contraction of â€Å"I am.† ’re: readily takes the place of are in â€Å"they are,† â€Å"we are,† and â€Å"you are† (and, less often, and less acceptably, â€Å"there are† or â€Å"what are†). ’s: used in contractions of phrases that include has and is, but use with does (â€Å"What’s he say about that?†) is considered highly informal; also is a contraction of us solely in the case of let’s. ’ve: acceptable for contraction of have, but double contractions such as I’d’ve (for â€Å"I would have†) are too informal for most contexts. y’all: a dialect contraction of â€Å"you all,† widespread in the southern United States, to refer to one or more people, but too informal for most written content. Any of these forms is appropriate for representing dialect, though in nonfiction it is usually interpreted as a demeaning caricature, and even in fiction it can become tiresome. The illogic of inconsistent degrees of acceptability for contractions is demonstrated by the case of ain’t, which started out as a spelling variation, based on changing pronunciation, of an’t, itself an easier-to-pronounce form of amn’t (â€Å"am I not†). All three forms were long acceptable an’t also stood in for â€Å"are not† and is the ancestor of aren’t but while aren’t acquired respectability, and amn’t and an’t faded, the older ain’t was attacked as a vulgarity. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:How to Format a US Business LetterConfusing "Passed" with "Past"7 Sound Techniques for Effective Writing

Plastic sorgery Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Plastic sorgery - Annotated Bibliography Example ccessful Asian blepharoplasty need exceptional strategic considerations due to the occurrence of wide scarring and insufficient muscle, skin, as well as preaponeurotic fat and due to the infrequent occurrence of dehiscence of levator aponeurosis. Through using cautious preoperative evaluation, precise measurements, intraoperative fat grafting or repositioning, accurate preoperative planning, skin redraping or excision, and correct placement of fixing sutures, successful results can be attained. The authors weigh up the results and discuss the surgical procedures, which were applied in achieving successful results in this challenging group of patients. This article aims to offer more than a summarized explanation of upper blepharoplasty in Asian patients. According to this article, the upper lid blepharoplasty is the most widespread plastic surgery procedure done in Asia and has time and again maintained its place as a cultural acceptance and ways have developed. The article depicts this Asian upper lid blepharoplasty as a complex procedure, which needs proper knowledge of the anatomy and accurate surgical techniques. It also discusses the many evolutions that the supratarsal crease has gone through and also the principles and goals, which have all remained the same throughout this evolution: a useful, naturally-appealing eyelid crease, which brings out the glamour of the Asian culture. It finally discusses the recent advances, which have enhanced functional and aesthetic outcomes of the Asian upper lid blepharoplasty. This book is an all-encompassing, multi-specialty book as well as surgical atlas, on eyelid reconstruction otherwise referred to as blepharoplasty. It presents several competing and harmonizing techniques by leading professionals in the world of plastic surgery, oculoplastic surgery and facial plastic surgery. Just the most ground-breaking and time-tested blepharoplasty procedures are discussed in step-by-step, clarifying detail in this book. All

Management - Henri Fayol's Management Theories Essay

Management - Henri Fayol's Management Theories - Essay Example The present discussion focuses on identifying and assessing the adoption of Fayol’s principles in contemporary management through distinct examples drawn from modern organizations and their practices. There is no doubt that the contemporary management concepts have evolved from classical theories such as Fayol’s; however, there exists much debate about the influence of classical theories and their application in present management concepts. For instance, Fayol’s principles of management form the core job of managers even today, although the focus is shifted to one or few of these principles at a time. In present-day service industries, the focus usually oscillates between initiative, teamworking, order or efficiency with some other activities such as discipline, equity, division of work etc providing direction to better business management. These focus areas also differ with the type of industry as well as organizational goals. Roethlisberger and Dickson (1939) h ave argued that the contemporary management concepts have profound impact from studies that emerged from behavioral sciences, especially the human relations movement that resulted from Hawthorne experiments (cited in Allen & Gilmore, 1993). Some management scholars refer to Fayol’s principles as the present-day management functions that correspond to planning, organizing, leading, and controlling (Schermerhorn, 2011). In short, Fayol’s 14 principles include division of work, authority, discipline, unity of command, unity of direction, subordination of individual interests to the general interests, remuneration, centralization, scalar chain, order, equity, stability of tenure of personnel, initiative, and esprit de corps (cited in Allen & Gilmore, 1993). From a manager’s perspective, Fayol’s principles seem to be the most apt and provide a comprehensive understanding to any management personnel, with or without experience. However, differing views of manag ement theories emerged, which consider classical concepts as contradictory. Unlike Taylor’s scientific management concepts that focus on the objective of driving maximum prosperity for the employer along with similar outcomes for the employees (Schermerhorn, 2011), Fayol’s principles can be regarded as completely management focused; this could be one of the reasons for argument/debate that subsequent theorists focused upon (Brunsson, 2008). Fayol’s conceptualization is based on the premise that all organizations are similar and hence the managerial duties are also similar. Brunsson (2008) asserts that this conceptualization compliments the fact that managerial talent can be acquired through training. If this premise were to be true, then all organizations would be performing at the same level and all managers within the organization would produce same outcomes. However, management and organizational outcomes are very different within and outside. Moreover, manag ement styles, patterns, policies, practices, etc. are different in different regions or countries, as proven by Hofstede (1980). Hofstede’

Term paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 3

Term Paper Example Unfortunately, the inevitability of the assignment and seriousness of my instructor compelled me to set aside some evenings to study your book. I never knew that it would have such a lasting impact in my life. A couple of pages down from the cover page were enough reason to capture my attention in totality. It was beyond my wild imagination that a deaf person like you could be superbly gifted to come up with such a piece. As demeaning as this previous statement may sound, I must say that I personally do not read much from it as you have taught me to appreciate your coined concept of â€Å"deafhood.† And since your book sought to convince radical sectors, I being included, that deaf communities are far from being objects of pity and benevolence, I choose to regard the deaf culture just as any culture as I even dig deeper into your book. As a child I have always tried to figure out what life as a Deaf person is all about. Walking down the streets you meet countless people with varied facial expression. Some of them have smiling faces; others frowned, while others show no emotion. Also, you encounter people with different disabilities such as blind, lame, among many others. However, there is this special group you may never know their disability not unless somebody whispers to your ears or you see them constantly making some â€Å"funny† gestures. I am talking about the deaf people. Indeed the plight of the deaf is unimaginable. It is hard for them to communicate with majority groups as the majority group does not understand their language and neither do they understand the language of the majority group. Noteworthy, though, the majority groups have the ability to understand the language of the deaf, but the dead do not have the ability to understand the language of the majority. It is at such instances that I always pause and ask myself why our policy makers have failed to recognize sign

Innovation Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Innovation - Literature review Example This paper is a literature review of innovation as an important driver of firm profitability and performance, and as a vital source of competitive advantage in any industry. The ability of a business to arrive at creative and insightful designs and methods by which it may meet consumer demands and expectations has always been an attribute that culls consumer loyalty to its products and services. The same is true with the construction industry, where different construction firms are held to public scrutiny by such standards as cost, speed and quality of project execution, but also increasingly by its track record for safety and environment sustainability, its consistency with contemporary concepts of fair and ethical leadership, and the aesthetics and beauty of its design and craftsmanship. In comparative studies among various commercial undertakings, the construction industry noticeably lags behind in terms of innovation, research and development. Industry participants cite the overr iding emphasis on cost minimization in an era of constantly rising materials prices, skilled manpower costs, and administrative expenses. Recent institutional initiatives have been taken to promote innovation in construction, such as the formation of integrated teams and innovative leadership, the most efficient use of information transfer and knowledge management, radical breakthroughs in materials research and construction methods and techniques, and the education of the public to develop a culture more receptive to innovation. The enhancement of an innovative culture in construction requires a broad-based and concerted collaboration among industry firms, associations, regulatory agencies, and other entities in the value chain. Key words: construction, innovation, branded innovation, agile innovation, transformational leadership, information and communication technology, integrated teams Introduction The concept of innovation is often associated with the manufacturing, technology, and retail industries because of the necessity of keeping up with the tastes and preferences of a fickle consumer market. Construction is seldom associate with such dynamic changes, however, because the considerable investment and long-term duration of its products are seen to be better served by strict compliance with building codes, safety standards, and conventional practices to allow much leeway for experimentation and creative revision (Patterson, 2011, p. 18). Innovation in the construction business is a relatively novel concept that has developed in the recent few decades, the scope and scale of which still remains largely undefined as may be observed from the academic studies which have dealt on it. The following survey of related literature will seek to shed light on the generally accepted meaning of innovation in construction, the new paradigms and models emerging from a rethinking of this concept, and the importance of innovation to the construction business. Innovation: definition and effects According to Lundvall (1992, p. 8) innovation is described as potentially new processes, products or strategies that â€Å"result in radical breaks with the past, making a substantial part of accumulated knowledge obsolete.† It has also been defined as consisting of â€Å"the generation of a new idea and its implementation into a new product, process, or service, leading to the dynamic growth of the national economy and the increase of employment, as well as to a creation of pure profit for the innovative business enterprise† (Urabe, Child & Kagono, 1988, p. 3) The classic view espoused by Milton Friedman places priority on the profits realized by a business. In return for financial gains, business contributes much to the improvement of society. According to Ahlstrom (2010), the reverse is actually true – the principal goal of business is the development of innovative goods and services, which in turn generate economic growth and employme nt. Innovation thus improves peoples’

Create an alternative ending for Hunger Game Essay

Create an alternative ending for Hunger Game - Essay Example Having not played the role, the ending let me down. This led to the writing of my preferred alternative ending that tries to cover all these aspects that the author failed to take into account during his original work’s end. The entire work of Collins is admirable but as it comes to the ending of the story, the author looks like he ran out of steam and needed to end the story as fast as possible. I think about Dr. Aurelius’ advice about letting go or at least trying to let go, of anger and hurt, blame, not for anyone else but my right. He believes that my feelings of resentment and hate inside myself that makes me want to shut everyone out will only grow like poison inside me. I think about the last few weeks of my troubles only feeling worse the more I ponder on it. Other citizens of District 12 like Greasy Sae seem to be hopeful about President Paylor’s suggestions on the new laws being arranged to offer equality throughout Panem. Everyone seems to be satisfied, except the few survivors from the Capitol, who have had to learn to live with fewer luxuries now that resources are being shared more evenly. Things in Panem are brightening up. I feel a part of me wanting to share in this bright er future but the shadowed feelings of guilt and despair weigh heavier on me and tell me I don’t deserve to share in it, after all, the pain I caused and the deaths of those who believed in me. What were they thinking? What did they observe in me that was any good? And how do I let this go? Gale’s last comment to Peeta â€Å"Katniss will pick whoever she thinks she can’t survive without.† still gives me chills and annoys me a little. But then I have to remind myself that he had every right to feel hurt. He was always waiting by my side. Waiting for me to decide but never forcing me to choose just patiently waiting. I think about this again and try to search within myself for the truth. ‘Who can

Innovation Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Innovation - Literature review Example This paper is a literature review of innovation as an important driver of firm profitability and performance, and as a vital source of competitive advantage in any industry. The ability of a business to arrive at creative and insightful designs and methods by which it may meet consumer demands and expectations has always been an attribute that culls consumer loyalty to its products and services. The same is true with the construction industry, where different construction firms are held to public scrutiny by such standards as cost, speed and quality of project execution, but also increasingly by its track record for safety and environment sustainability, its consistency with contemporary concepts of fair and ethical leadership, and the aesthetics and beauty of its design and craftsmanship. In comparative studies among various commercial undertakings, the construction industry noticeably lags behind in terms of innovation, research and development. Industry participants cite the overr iding emphasis on cost minimization in an era of constantly rising materials prices, skilled manpower costs, and administrative expenses. Recent institutional initiatives have been taken to promote innovation in construction, such as the formation of integrated teams and innovative leadership, the most efficient use of information transfer and knowledge management, radical breakthroughs in materials research and construction methods and techniques, and the education of the public to develop a culture more receptive to innovation. The enhancement of an innovative culture in construction requires a broad-based and concerted collaboration among industry firms, associations, regulatory agencies, and other entities in the value chain. Key words: construction, innovation, branded innovation, agile innovation, transformational leadership, information and communication technology, integrated teams Introduction The concept of innovation is often associated with the manufacturing, technology, and retail industries because of the necessity of keeping up with the tastes and preferences of a fickle consumer market. Construction is seldom associate with such dynamic changes, however, because the considerable investment and long-term duration of its products are seen to be better served by strict compliance with building codes, safety standards, and conventional practices to allow much leeway for experimentation and creative revision (Patterson, 2011, p. 18). Innovation in the construction business is a relatively novel concept that has developed in the recent few decades, the scope and scale of which still remains largely undefined as may be observed from the academic studies which have dealt on it. The following survey of related literature will seek to shed light on the generally accepted meaning of innovation in construction, the new paradigms and models emerging from a rethinking of this concept, and the importance of innovation to the construction business. Innovation: definition and effects According to Lundvall (1992, p. 8) innovation is described as potentially new processes, products or strategies that â€Å"result in radical breaks with the past, making a substantial part of accumulated knowledge obsolete.† It has also been defined as consisting of â€Å"the generation of a new idea and its implementation into a new product, process, or service, leading to the dynamic growth of the national economy and the increase of employment, as well as to a creation of pure profit for the innovative business enterprise† (Urabe, Child & Kagono, 1988, p. 3) The classic view espoused by Milton Friedman places priority on the profits realized by a business. In return for financial gains, business contributes much to the improvement of society. According to Ahlstrom (2010), the reverse is actually true – the principal goal of business is the development of innovative goods and services, which in turn generate economic growth and employme nt. Innovation thus improves peoples’

Daycare Centers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Daycare Centers - Essay Example They have their own Curriculum Department â€Å"with over 150 years of experience† (Kids R Kids). The curriculum is divided into developmental levels. â€Å"The heart of our curriculum is love. Love, along with a deep understanding of the individual educational and emotional needs of each child, sets the Kids ‘R’ Kids Curriculum apart† (Kids R Kids). â€Å"Kindercares innovative and comprehensive Excel Education program is designed to ensure that children are responded to and supported in developing their full potential† (KinderCare). They boast an innovative mandarin emersion program. As with Kids R Kids the programming aims to be developmentally appropriate. They provide greater structure in their centres and tend to present an emphasis on educational achievement. Lil Texans Learning Centre has numerous centres. For diversity a Christian Centre with a curriculum reflective of those beliefs was selected. Differenceswith this centre and the other two is that Christian education is given as top priority and that play and music and dance are listed as part of the mini Texans program. All three centers boast of trained staff and encourage upskilling, but give no commitment of financially support in this. The methods and full extent of teacher training is not made public. Teacher forums note that ‘chains’ are businesses and that privately owned daycare Centres are generally more committed to children’s needs. Both centres come in at a 3/5 rating. Teacher, child ratios are advertised at Kids R Kids as 1:4 in the infant age group, 1:6in the 18months-2.3 age group and 1:8 in the 3-4year age group. They mention provision of specialist teachers for children with additional needs. KinderCare do not advertise their ratios. The Lil Texans Centre selected does not present staff qualifications or teacher child ratios. The highest rating 4/5 is given to Kids R Kids due to their commitment to special education supported children with† early

Saint Juliana of Nicodemia Essay Example for Free

Saint Juliana of Nicodemia Essay The saint I chose for Confirmation is Saint Juliana of Nicomedia. A saint is a person who lived a moral, compassionate, and holy life who can be a role model to Catholics. You are supposed to choose a saint for Confirmation because you need someone to look up to for support. During tough times, you could ask for assistance through your journey of life. Saint Juliana lived in Nicomedia during the rule of Diocletion. This ruler was inflicted much persecution on people of different religions and had ery cruel punishments established. Both of Juliana’s parent were pagans and betrothed her to the senator, Eleusius. Juliana denied strongly for she was a bride of Christ and always worshiped secretly away from her parents and fiance. Her love for Christ persisted and Eleusius at last found out about her secret faith. He constantly asked her to turn away from Christ and accept his proposal, for the government would get to her and kill her. Her parent pleaded but Juliana’s love for Christ persisted. Finally the government got involved and Juliana was tortured endlessly in all sorts of cruel ways. In the end, she got beheaded. Juliana suffered Christian martyrdom and is usually represented with a devil whom she leads by a chain. I chose Saint Juliana because of her relentless mindset. She was never ashamed of her faith. Juliana was taken to her limit in all she did for Christ. She was tortured, killed, and persecuted all for her faith. I ask her to give me courage and strength when people question my faith.

Causes Of Mental Health And Bullying In Prison Criminology Essay

Causes Of Mental Health And Bullying In Prison Criminology Essay Prisons as places of deprivation of liberty have existed since time immemorial, yet prisons as we know them today places where offenders are sent by the Criminal Justice System as a punishment for their behaviour -are a product of the industrial age (Maguire et al, 2005). Ideally the reason behind the imprisonment is according to Section 142 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 (cited in Elliott and Quinn) to punish ,deter and rehabilitate the offender . The main aims of these three areas is concerned with the recognition that the criminal has done something wrong. It then locates them in an institution which by taking away their freedom, is designed to deter them from further offences upon release, punish them for the offence already committed, and then tries to rehabilitate them, so that they are less likely to commit further offences upon release, either because they learn to see the harm they have caused, or because, through education and training, they find other ways to spend thei r time. The process of rehabilitation would change them into law abiding citizens. What is more it is believed that it would persuade other potential criminals that such activates are not beneficial in other words it would deter people from committing further crime ( Elliott and Quinn,2008). While in theory such an idea seems to perfectly fit the purpose of punishment, in practice significant amounts of negative experience such as intensive growth of bullying and mental health problems, are present within the prisons environment, together with overcrowding and poor living conditions, failing to deliver the successful processing of such a plan (Elliot and Quinn, 2008). The aim of this essay is to compare and contrast causes of mental health and bullying in prison, as well as detect any, if possible, links between bullying and mental health among prisoners Farrington defined bullying as the repeated oppression of a less powerful person by a more powerful one. He claimed that it usually includes three different elements. The first element includes physical , verbal or psychological attack with intent to cause harm , fear or distress . The second is an imbalance of power , where a more powerful person is oppressing the less powerful one, and thirdly it includes a continuous series of incidents between these same people over some period of time. Mental health is defined in Section 1(2) of the Mental Health Act 1983 as Mental illness, arrested or in completed development of mind, psychopathic disorder and another disorder or disabilities of mind. Although as shown above there is a huge difference in what constitutes bullying and mental health, there is no doubt that both of them can be caused by similar factors such as social and environmental causes (for example overcrowding) , physical causes and psychological causes(Ireland,2002; WHO, 1998). The physical environment in prisons such as overcrowding, quality of accommodation, availability of contact with friends and family, lack of stimulation in the form of activities , may have an impact on the prisoners mental health as well as contributing to the development of bullying in prison. According to Maguire et al. (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the imprisonment rate in England and Wales is the highest in Western Europe, and according to the official prison statistics for England and Wales the total prison population has increased from around fifty-one thousand in 1995 to over eighty-four thousand in 2009. What is more overcrowding in prisons may lead to increased depression, stress, boredom and nervous breakdown, leading to serious breaches of prison discipline, violence and riots. The cause of prison overcrowding and an increase in the prison population is a result of a greater number of convictions and the absence of the availability of prisons places. Further equally important factors are change in criminal justice policy, tightening of sanctions, resulting in longer prison sentences. Reducing funds for the prison also indirectly cause aggression among prisoners.(though less  staff,   causing  tension  among  overworked  staff, which then affects the inmates). Prisons have a limited capacity, and the prisoners have certain rights that should not be violated. Factors such as lack of liberty, as in many of the prisons where prisoners are locked-up for twenty three hours a day, lack of, or limited, communication with friends and family , usually without any privacy, all contribute to the problem. What is more, prisons take away the prisoners free will. They can no longer freely decided where to live, with whom to associate and how to fill their free time and must follow the discipline imposed by prison rules and prison officers. Physical causes such as their individual characteristics or biological make-up may have some influence on the causes of bulling and mental health in prisons. According to Ireland (2002) prisoners mostly come from social environments where emphasis is placed on toughness and the ability to protect oneself and when entering prison these characteristics are magnified. However such behaviour while being in prison may be linked with bullying other usually weaker and disturbed inmates ( Irleand, 2002) According to Farrington (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) the people who tend to bully are more likely to have children who will be bullies, and people who tend to be the victims of bullying tend to have children who will become the victim of bullying. The same may apply to prison inmates who tend to be weak, with low self-esteem and with a low capacity for coping with the prison environment and they are more likely to become victims of bullying than people who are characterized as strong , confident and agg ressive. Also individual genetic make-up might put some prisoners more at risk than others to suffer from mental illness or become victims of bullying because they are less able to adapt or cope with certain environments or they become one of the bullies as they possess the physical skills which give prisoners the ability to bully others physically , verbally or indirectly. Moreover those suffering from any injuries while being in prison, which may have been caused by being involved in a fight with another prisoner, can also experience changes to their personality and in some cases may cause the beginning of schizophrenia, psychosis or self harm. Psychological factors such as a prisoners emotional and mental state of mind , especially when the prisoner has experienced any form of physical or sexual abuse or there have been any other potentially traumatic events in the past can affect his behaviour in prison. While there is a huge proportion of prisoners suffering from such trauma prior to imprisonment, many will experience such trauma as an effect of imprisonment (Crighton and Towl, 2008). Generally prisons are harsh places , where discipline and routine are the essence of daily life causing being in prison to be a stressful experience . Additionally according to (Crighton and Towl, 2008) prisoners appear to be at a high level of risk with factors associated with poor traumatic responses from childhood onwards. . Psychological factors especially emotional responses (Irleand, 2002) in terms of bullying will probably be heightened for the victims . Prisons can be aggressive and threatening environments especially for the first time prisoners . They may be fearful of what may happen to them. Undeniably fear is seen as a necessary component in definitions of bullying in the prison environment. Moreover fear may impact prisoners other emotions such as anxiety, nervousness and feelings of unimportance which may display behaviourally through self harm or social avoidance. Despite the similarities in causes for mental health and bullying in prison we can also see differences . One of them is unquestionable the difference between the definition of mental health and the definition of bullying. Likewise once in prison , prisoners enter a highly structured social environment that negotiates for power and dominance, where dominance over other weaker inmates is one way of gaining acceptance , satisfaction , status and respect among other prisoners. Hence bullying is often seen as a normal part of prison life that helps to gain this dominance over other inmates. Furthermore bullies who remain at the top of the hierarchy among other inmates, through their dominance will often get other prisoners to run errands and do jobs for them which are against prison regime, and so they can remind unidentified and hence will not be punished . While the condition of an individuals mental health consists of a number of different factors and elements. mental health is primar ily our resistance to all of our difficult situations , events, phenomena and our emotional and psychological survival partly depends upon an individuals ability to tolerate the deprivations of prison. Additionally according to Viggiani (2007) most prisoners come from the poorest or most socially excluded tiers of society and often have the greatest health needs. Prison may therefore be the worst place to send them given that, in the main, they are likely to be highly vulnerable or susceptible to poor health, hence mental disorders. Mental disorder may also be the cause of committing the offence, and hence imprisonment. As Rubin (1972:398 cited inà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) says certain mental disorders are characterized by some kind of confused , bizarre, agitated, threatening, frightened, panicked, paranoid or impulsive behaviours and as a consequence they may lead to inappropriate , anti-social or dangerous acts. Individual mental health may be managed and treated either by medication or di fferent treatment programs (handbook), while in order to prevent bullying prisons should focus on making changes to the prisons environment which would include changing the supervision of the prisoners area, increased security for controlling and monitoring, educating staff and prisoners about bullying, improving communication between prison staff, or even increasing the stimuli for prisoners. This include raising the number and qualities of activities and programs available for prisoners. Undoubtedly, despite the similarities and differences between bullying and mental health, one may lead to the other ( Ireland, 2002; Farrington,à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) . As mentioned above bullying constitutes aggressive behaviour in which an individual manipulates and dominates others in order to obtain a goal, whether it is social or material. In order to classify the behaviour as bullying it must represent repeated and unprovoked acts of aggression , which include physical , verbal or psychological attack (Irleand,2002; Farrington, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.). Indeed bulling can cause immediate harm and distress to victims and have negative consequences on their mental health. Victims may feel psychologically or physically distressed and experience pain, and prisoners who have been the victims of bullying may experience a range of feelings such as anger, fear, anxiety ,paranoia , distress, hopelessness or depression (Ireland,2002) which can lead to avoidance, social isolation and therefore mental illness in prisoners. In conclusion despite the idea that prisons should rehabilitate and change offenders into law abiding citizens, we can see that prison is a modern form of slavery no matter what its ideological justification is. Prisoners mental health and bullying is a growing problem in prisons . Instead of rehabilitating and changing prisoners into well managed and well behaved citizens, in many cases it changes them into more aggressive and troublesome inhabitants very often with physical and mental problems, which makes it harder for them to reintegrate with the society and with present times.

Cars :: essays research papers

Looking for a fast and affordable small car? Two excellent choices are the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT and the Pontiac Grand Am GT. The Pontiac Grand Am GT and the Mitsubishi Eclipse GT are similar yet different in several ways.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Pontiac Grand Am and the Mitsubishi Eclipse are similar in that they’re both affordable and fast small cars. First, both are under $25,000 brand new, with the Grand Am GT costing around $18,000 and a Mitsubishi Eclipse GT costing $20,000. The Grand Am GT goes 0-60 in 7.5 seconds, while the Eclipse sprints 0-60 in 7.9 seconds. The average 0-60 time for a small inexpensive car is around 11 seconds. Another similarity is they both have V6 engines. The Grand Am has a responsive 3.3L 175 hp V6 with 205 lb/ft of torque. The Eclipse has a 3.0L 200 hp V6 that kicks out 205 lb/ft of torque as well. They are both small, automatic transmission cars that seat up to 5 people. The Grand Am weights in at 3,100 lb and the Eclipse weights 3,200 lb.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Grand Am’s and Eclipses each have a different interior and exterior design however. For example, the style on the exterior of the cars is dramatically different. The Grand Am has an exuberant styling sure to attract attention. The Eclipse, on the other hand is a nice looking car, but it doesn’t look quite as fancy or as sporty as the Grand Am because it doesn’t have the RAM intake on the hood of the car, nor does it have dual exhaust like the Grand Am GT. Another difference is in the interior design. The Grand Am’s interior is cheap looking plastic and is plainly laid out. The Eclipse interior is more attractive and just doesn’t look cheap like the Grand Am.

Baldwin Bicycle Company: Background of the Study

BA-561 MAC Abdulgaffur G. Deki Oscar M. Inocencio Chester V. Lagutin Felomena C. Baal Edsel Cariz J. Tiu 12 October 2012 â€Å"Baldwin Bicycle Company† Background of the Study: Baldwin Bicycle Company (BBC) is a full-line bicycle manufacturing company with 40 years of experience. In 1982, BBC has revenue of over $10M for 98,791 units produced. BBC exclusively distributes through independently-owned retailers, their bicycles are known for their above-average quality. In May 1983, a rapid-growing Northwestern discount retail chain, Hi-Valu, Suzanne Leister, VP Marketing, proposed a private-label agreement.Under this program, BBC would manufacture the Challenger line of bicycles exclusively for Hi-Valu. The Challenger line was to be a low-priced value bicycle, sold at retail prices under BBC’s normal product lines. Statement of the problem: What is the overall impact to the company if BBC will accept the proposal in terms of? a. ) PROFIT b. ) RETURN ON SALES c. ) RETURN ON ASSETS d. ) RETURN ON EQUITY Objectives: 1. To be able to show and analyze the proposal depending on the result which will be used to serve as a basis for making decisions. 2.To determine the total relevant cost in producing additional orders for Hi-Valu. Areas of consideration: 1. BBC sales over the next three years would be 100,000 bikes a year if they will forego the Hi-Valu deal. 2. If BBC will accept the offer, 3,000 units will be lost in regular sales volume a year. 3. According to Ms Leister, Vice President for Marketing, she was acutely aware that the â€Å"bicycle boom† had fattened out, and that poor economy had caused Baldwin sales volume to fall. 4. BBC was currently operating its plant at about 75% of capacity meaning, 75,000 units is currently produced. excess capacity 25,000 units) 5. The contract between BBC and Hi-Valu is for three years and will be automatically extended on a year to year basis, unless one party gave notice that it did not wish to extend th e contract. 6. Most of BBC sales were into independently toy stores and bicycles shops, BBC had never before distributed to its product to department store. Its BBC’s first time to deal such client. 7. Hi-Valu wanted to purchase bikes from BBC at lower prices that the wholesale prices of comparable bikes sold through Baldwin usual channels. 8.If the proposal will pursue BBC requirement for purchasing, inventory and production cost will increased. 9. Hi-Valu would hold the units on consignment in its own warehouses and withhold payment until delivery to a specific store. 10. A bicycle would be paid within 30 days once a bicycle was shipped to a specific store or 120 days had elapsed in the regional warehouse. Alternative courses of action: 1. Reject proposal RISKS: a. ) BBC may face continually declining sales due to a poor economy. b. ) BBC will continue to produce at only 75% production capacity. c. Another disadvantage is that the offer price of Hi-Valu was lower than the r egular selling price. d. ) There is an additional cost involved in producing additional units from Hi-Valu the $5,000 additional cost plus the asset related cost. e. ) The possibility that the current dealers of BBC might drop-out line if they find that BBC is making bikes for Hi-Valu. f. ) The freight charge will be shouldered by BBC until it reached the destination of Hi-Valu warehouse. g. ) additional from regular sales of 3,000 units from regular costumers. ADVANTAGES: a. ) Maintain loyalty from current distributors . ) Maintain 40-year reputation for above average quality and price. 2. Accept Proposal RISKS: a. ) Current dealers may drop Baldwin line. b. ) Current dealers may request a similar product c. ) Putting faith in a new product d. ) BBC may find itself with an abundance of Challenger-specific inventory e. ) Extra costs may result in having to use cheaper materials f. ) Loss of â€Å"street cred† ADVANTAGES: a. ) Greater penetration of the mark through new market segments b. ) I f Baldwin name is not on the Challenger bike, BBC’s reputation may not be damaged c. Strong Challenger sales may balance weak Baldwin sales d. ) With Challenger line, BBC will be producing at a higher capacity Recommendation: The group recommends the alternative courses of action number two which state Accept the Proposal. The followi ng computations was the basis of the recommendation. Potential Problem Analysis: 1. Additional cost is involved. 2. Lost additional sales from the costumers 3. Additional investment to finance additional increase in receivables, inventories, record-keeping,tax inventory, handling labor and equipment, possible obsolescence and or damage.

Government Current Event Essay

Being one of the future teachers of Texas, it is important for teachers/students as well as parent to understand what their children are learning in school. It is most especially important for the parents to participate with their children at home. But at the same time all states shouldn’t be the same when it comes to a lot of things, one of them being education. The Common Core Learning Standards/Common Core approach sets ambitious goals for math, reading and writing skills as children move through school. The Common Core has already been adapted to 45 states; Alaska, Texas, Nebraska, Virginia, and Minnesota are not included. This means that these 45 states are now spending a ton of money on new books, new teachers/staff/principals, and some are implementing intense trainings for current staff. Both teachers and staff are going through the pressure of having to be constantly watched and monitored to make sure they are meeting the scores, otherwise they will get fired. In chapter 3 of The Struggle for Democracy, federalism is the division and sharing of powers between the federal and state government. The topic of Common Core and how it’s getting implemented to the school is a state government issue. But having put more thought into the issue, this is actually in some way a federal government issue. Yes the state government votes â€Å"for the people† on whether certain states should even implement the program, but the federal government is the one that will be funding the actual program. Which is a perfect example of what it talks about in our reading of Chapter 3 in The Struggle for Democracy of how the U.S government is a central government; we share powers between the federal/states government. The Common Core issue must be settled with not only the states government but also the federal government. This is an important topic because, as a future teacher and a future mother, in some way it relates to all everyone. Our education and how it’s funded is so poor right now because the people just aren’t informed. We must get informed in order to get educated. I do believe in the quote â€Å"The children of today are the people of tomorrow.†

Manuel Barkan and his contribution to art education

Contemporary generation of young art educators are being introduced to significant figures in the history of art education in their programs of study. In today’s fast-paced environment, it is natural that some of these figures are accepted without question and some are left languishing in history only to be revisited by those interested in revising that history. Manuel Barkan could be considered such a figure. An individual who emerges as a pivotal force in the development of ideas now infused in contemporary art education is Manuel Barkan who in 1965 advocated a then new approach to the curricular content of art education: the use of the roles of the art historian, the art critic, and the aesthetician as well as that of the studio artist. Today these ideas seem so commonplace that it’s difficult to imagine just how radical they were when they were first introduced. The purpose of this paper is to examine Barkan’s work and its effect on contemporary art education in order to understand current practice and philosophy of art education. About half a century ago, Barkan (1962) addressed the importance of historical reflection in an article published in Art Education titled â€Å"Transition in Art Education: Perceptions of Curriculum Content and Teaching† and asserted that he believed the next decade would â€Å"bring some truly fundamental changes in the theory and practice of art education† (Barkan, 1962, p. 12). He went on to say that â€Å"when basic ideas are in the process of transformation, there is and must be an inevitable grinding of opinions one upon the other. There must be inevitable controversy and debate, because old ideas by their very nature, cannot and do not change unless and until they are challenged by new ones† (p. 12). The transformation of which he spoke was the shift from the child-centered approach of the progressive movement to the disciplined-centered approach advocated for general education. Another essential Barkan’s point concerned the kind of behavior a person must learn in order to achieve understanding from the subject being studied. He stated that to learn through art, â€Å"one must act like an artist† (p. 14). Barkan (1962) also spoke of the need to treat children as artists and explained the characteristics of the artist as â€Å"immersion in a medium,† and â€Å"determination †¦ to achieve the discipline and the skills involved† (p. 18). He cautioned against organizing curriculum simply to give students experiences in a wide range of media, an approach he considered â€Å"detrimental to the purposes which art education ought to be trying to achieve† (p. 17). Instead, he thought students should engage is some exploration of media so that they could discover a medium they liked and be able to â€Å"use it to express their ideas† (p. 18). The art room should, in Barkan’s words in the 1962 article, re-create the â€Å"atmosphere of an artist’s studio† (p. 18). In 1965 Barkan proposed a research and development center for aesthetic education to the U.S. Office of Education; the plan called for a consortium of five universities each with research and curriculum development labs (Hubbard, 1971). According to Chapman (1993), the plan was not funded due to the federal government’s position that all of the arts must be included, making the initial plan too complex. Barkan continued to refine the idea. Barkan turned to television as a tool for disseminating resources and curriculum concepts for the teaching of art. By that time, he had begun to work with Laura Chapman, and together they developed Guidelines for Art Instruction through Television for the Elementary Schools for what became National Instructional Television. In 1970, he and Chapman published Guidelines for Curriculum Development in Aesthetic Education as a guide for educators working to develop curriculum materials in music, dance, theater, literature, and the visual arts. Elliot Eisner, writing in a 1971 issue of Studies in Art Education that focused on Barkan’s work, stated that â€Å"throughout his career in art education, Manuel Barkan concerned himself with both the development of more adequate theory and the improvement of the art of teaching art† (p. 4). In fact, Barkan believed that art education could promote a more sensitive understanding of social problems. His first book, A Foundation for Art Education, published in 1955, presented a synthesis of then â€Å"current concepts from psychology, sociology, anthropology, cultural history, philosophy and the arts† (Barkan, 1955, p. vi). According to Chapman (1971), Barkan was concerned with the growing number of sometimes questionable classroom activities that were being justified as forms of creative self-expression. He sought to better define the term in relation to â€Å"concepts about human behavior growing out of research in other fields† (Barkan, 1955, p. vii) and to develop â€Å"a foundation for art education that would rest on a synthesis of this information in the context of operational problems in teaching† (Chapman, p. 40). Barkan’s book was an effort to develop a strong philosophical foundation for art education built upon research in other disciplines. Today, the idea that the curricular content of art education should encompass artmaking, art history, art criticism, and aesthetics is generally widely accepted. Art teachers address these components of art education in a manner that takes into account the nature of the child and the importance of both making and responding to art. Art has become a subject for study, but it retains its ability to teach us about ourselves and the others with whom we share this world. That art education is still engaged in transition is without doubt, and, is in fact, desirable. Postmodern thought, feminist perspectives, and multicultural concerns are but a few of the contemporary issues that influence today’s emerging art educators. However, an understanding of the history of our field and the work of key individuals such as Manuel Barkan can provide insight and guidance as we continue the ongoing â€Å"transition in art education† that he addressed in 1962. Works Cited List Barkan, M. â€Å"A transition in art education.† Art Education, 15.7 (1962): 12-27 Barkan, M. A Foundation for Art Education. New York: The Roland Press, 1955. Chapman, L. H. â€Å"A second look at A Foundation for Art Education.† Studies in Art Education, 13.1 (1971): 40-49. Chapman, L. H. Reflections on the theory and practice of curriculum development in art. Paper presented at the National Art Education Association Convention Super-Session III, Chicago, IL, 1993. Eisner, E. â€Å"Media, expression, and the arts.† Studies in Art Education, 13.1 (1971): 4-12. Hubbard, G. â€Å"The professional leadership of Manuel Barkan.† Studies in Art Education, 13.1 (1971): 70-72.