Marketing principles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing principles - Essay Example feeding equipments, baby walkers and bouncers, baby monitors and range of toys which would required mostly by parents who have children and younger children. With the disposable income among young parents, particularly in the UK the baby care product market is increasing at a steady rate. The consumer demographics in the market for baby care products in the UK shows that an increasing number of kids and young children are taking to using variety of products which made for themselves to do their activities in safe and easy manner. Purchasing behavior of UK consumers of baby care products in particular is determined by price elasticity of demand plus a variety of external factors (Cook, 2007). Five senses as outlined below don’t essentially act as the ultimate determinants of purchasing decisions of consumers. In fact a bewildering array of endogenous and exogenous variables plays a very big role in consumers’ decisions. However, what’s seen, heard, felt, smelled and tasted matters in the immediate decision making process. Thus the family unit is the most basic factor which drives buying decisions for baby products. The value statement for the baby products can be based on the company’s customer value creation strategy with safety, care, quality and fun. As a value statement shows the first word is safety. This key concept has become a very big issue in the current times. For instance Baby Product comes from a variety of sources and a variety of countries. The potential customer must be informed about the level of safety for their kids. The word care carries a greater weight because parents and elders care for their kids. Similarly quality matters because children need quality products. Fun is associated with keeping the kids happy during the play time. Thus each baby product must be exciting enough to the kid. Thus a few extensive and serious research studies have to be undertaken in order to determine the extent of influence on consumers’ decisions

Media and Mass Communications Development on a Healthy Mature Culture Essay Example for Free

Media and Mass Communications Development on a Healthy Mature Culture Essay This argumentative essay is specially made to discuss the possibility for media and mass communication to nurture the development of a healthy, mature culture. Overall, the process of media and mass communication media development has already caused changes in the public sphere. The digitalization of media dramatically increases the chances of the people to get an access to the information, which is transferred instantly and often has not been edited by the people in government or media bosses. Thus, the information is now very complicated to control and therefore public has more opportunities to form its own opinion by comparing the facts from the different sources. The major problem, which could be seen right away, is the relation between the today’s process of media development and the actual development of a healthy culture. An assumption could be suggested that media and mass communication are able to influence the development of a healthy and mature culture, but it will require some significant changes form both media owners and their employees, as well as from society itself. Let’s de-construct the elements of the question and consider them in details in order to provide the better analysis. Strinati (2004) claims that the coming of the mass media and the increasing commercialization of culture and leisure resulted in the rise of issues, interests and debates which are still with us today. The researchers talk about culture, but what exactly is a culture? The word origin of culture or, the Latin root of the term is â€Å"colere,† meaning anything from cultivating to inhabiting, protecting, or worshipping. Modern definition of culture is the following: it is a growing sum of â€Å"knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations. † (Muller, 2005) Cultures differ depending on the mentioned elements of culture. As the examples of different cultures, the culture of Eastern and Western countries could be named. Mature† means the situation or the final condition when the full desired growth or development has been reached. â€Å"Healthy† means the robust and well condition; it is also an efficient and sound being. â€Å"Development† is a positive change; it is also a process of growth and an evolution. The word â€Å"nurture† means the act of helping to grow or develop; it is also an act of cultivation of some characteristics. â€Å"Media† are the means of communication that reach large numbers of people, for example, television, newspapers, radio and internet. In agreement to Morley (2000) the current global culture is the culture of hyper mobility where â€Å"we often engaged in border-crossings of one kind or another, but the nature and functions of borders themselves are shifting†. (Morley,2000) We live in the information economy era, in the era of new progressive technologies and communications that break the borders, in the times of social and economic evolution, the public sphere experiences new challenges and face new opportunities in this world full of complexity. Without a doubt the influence of modern mass communication over the culture is considerable. The shifts in the social and other aspects that are influenced by the spread of technologies and new media are powerful and they change our lifestyle, our habits and hobbies: they change the way we are living. Power and Scott (2004), argue the significance of mass media technology for economic and social life may be shown by considering certain developments of the 21st century. The situation in the 21st century in terms of the cultural development and its influence on people is much more complex than ever before. The introduction of internet has a significant influence over business and education because it provides greater learning opportunities than ever before. It is clear that the benefits of new technologies and mass communication for the education are enormous. Many experts claim that media influence the way we live in both positive and negative ways. An individual that aims to gain a significant social success almost can’t achieve it without at least slight use of the information gained through mass communication. Therefore these options can’t be ignored because they affect the majority of spheres of life and bring certain experience of social change. The development of mass media presents some outstanding social opportunities. But at the same time, the successful rise of mass media has also brought up concerns about the negative consequences of its spreading. There no doubt that mass communications and media have the tremendous influence over society and its culture. Bloomfield, Coombs Knights, 2000) These changes lead to â€Å"new era economics† also known as a knowledge economy, non-linear effects, an unpredictable future, a redefinition of terms, time/distance changes, and much greater transparency. (Bloomfield, Coombs Knights, 2000) Without a doubt, media sector experience dramatic transformations both in terms of the access to the information, the speed of the information spreading throughout the world and the increasing inability to control the information by the media o wners or the government institutions. The processes of total digitalization and media convergence have started in 2000s and the majority of mass media indicate the possibility of turning the print media into fully digital forms by 2020 or 2025. Digital media has potentially revolutionary impact on the lifestyle of society. There is also an idea that media development and digital revolution are the ways â€Å"into an unknown and fundamentally changed future. † (Feldman, 1997) New media and new way of communications not only influence the culture of society, but they also change the way and manners of the socialization of its members. The major advantage of electronic communication and information technologies is the capability to transfer the information faster, at a lower cost, and to more people while also offering increased data communality, and processing. Another important aspect in which the media and mass communication can influence and nurture the development of a new healthy culture is the improved opportunity of learning by obtaining necessary information much faster and easier than ever before. Information acquisition is the process by which information is obtained from the environment and added to the collective stock of knowledge of a person or society in general. Fast information distribution provided by the modern mass communication allows sharing information sources among members of society freely, without the governmental control. The new mass communication also store information, and it plays a critical role in the development of culture, since socially accepted past experiences need to be accumulated for future use.

Graduation Speech: I Was a Thrift Store Kid :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

I grew up a thrift store kid. We took trips in a beat up station wagon, but I went to school in Shallow Creek. I was considered a little different. We are all different. Later we will find that we are all the same. It will not matter later in life who we were friends with or what clubs we belonged to. It will not matter what our grades were, or what kind of clothes we wore. It will not matter what kind of cars our parents drove. It will not matter what our dreams were, but what dreams we accomplish. We realize that cliques are lame and that they don't matter in the real world. In the real world where we have to choose what we do all day. There are no longer laws or our parents to make us get to school every morning at 7:30. For some of us it was hard and for others it was easy. I was one of the people who didn't know until this last semester if I'd graduate. It's hard to believe that you can do something if someone tells you it's not worth it. The advice given to me my entire senior year was to drop out and get my GED, because too many people had a high school diploma that didn't mean anything. That person had no idea what they were talking about. Just getting a diploma means everything, it's what we have been working for all of our lives. Maybe that person's goal was for me to take those words and prove them wrong. I did, but I had to convince myself not to take that advice. Many people helped me get here. Many people helped all of us get here. Thank you mom, for the countless phone calls to the school, and to the superintendent when my credits were messed up and no one listened to me. Thank you dad, for getting on my case even when I got an attitude. Thank you to my teachers who put up with our talkin g even when it wasn't an appropriate time. Thank you to my friends who gave me all the strange nicknames that only we could understand. We all have our thank you's because none of us did it alone. Whether you know it or not, at least one person helped you get here. Take a minute right now to look around this room.

The wonderful food

I must confess that there is much of Japan that I do not know about.   What I do know of Japan comes from my childhood and from my brief stay in Japan in the past.   As a child I was always fascinated by the magic of Japanese television; shows such as Godzilla (Gojira) and Space Giants (Ambassador Magma) would fill up my afternoon television slots.In class, I would often share the beauty of Japan with my class by creating posters on Japan in the hope that others could enjoy the magic and beauty that Japan possesses.   Needless to say, the time I spent in Okinawa not only altered my preconceived notions of what Japan really is but the experience also exposed me to a beauty unlike any that I have ever seen in my life.My Okinawa experience is an experience that I will never forget.   There is something for all the senses:   The wonderful food (the sushi, the sashimi, the colorful and scrumptious bento meals); the warmth and friendliness of the people around; the colorful sight s from billboards and store signs; the chorus that one hears from the people on the street yakking on their cellular phones and of course the overwhelming love that felt for Japan.There is no other place in the world that seamlessly and effortlessly incorporates such high tech innovations and gadgetry with the quiet yet powerful beauty of ancient Japan all in one place.While all of the sights, sounds and delicacies were indeed quite an experience, it was not until I came to a brief understanding of the history of Okinawa that I was able to truly enjoy the experience that I had there.Okinawa is historically a separate nation, possessing a distinct culture and language unlike that on the mainland.   Okinawa has a different language from that of Japan, using what is called Ryukyuan, though its use has been slowly declining over the years.Aside from the difference in language, the difference in culture can be seen in the different architecture that one encounters while exploring Okina wa.   There are a number of Gusuku’s or castles that still abound in the area.   The houses are also different because quite a number of them feature a shisa on the roof which closely resembles a dragon.   This is due to the Chinese influence which has also found its way into the local culture.Okinawa is not known to be a tourist haven for foreigners and has been primarily developed to cater to the local tourists. As such, one is expected to know a little of the local language and dialects in order to travel around.Once one is able to overcome the language barrier there are virtually no limits to the number of tourist sights that one can come across.   As mentioned earlier, the unique architecture in the area can be seen in the Shureimon Gate, which built in the 16th century, is a traditional symbol of Okinawa.   The Shurijo castle is also a sight to behold as its imposing faà §ade greets the visitors who drop by.The local tour guide gives a wonderful tale of how t his used to be the center of all Okinawan culture.   Aside from the castles, there is also the Tama Udun Royal Mausoleum, which was built in 1501 to house the remains of King Sho En.On the whole, my Okinawa experience was quite a revelation.   I never expected to see much of other cultures infused into the local culture given the history of Japan.   It was refreshing to see bits and pieces of Chinese and Thai culture in not only the sights but in most of the foods and music as well.The magnificent buildings and the general cleanliness of the city of Naha is also amazing given the tourist traffic that it serves every year.   Despite the influx of a number of tourists, Okinawa has still managed to maintain its own unique culture and combined with the beautiful scenery that abounds around every corner it is truly a wonderful experience for anyone, local or foreign.

Educational Studies (Primary) with Art Essay

‘Art is a time traveller; art is an omnipresent teller of story. It’s more effective than CNN, the BBC and Sky News put together. Art is all the poems read, at all the funerals and weddings that happened, on every day of every year of your life, from every class, gender and sexuality of human being. The freedom to write is a sign of a free society. Art is the greatest symbol, the greatest expression of freedom. No wonder writers are a threat to repressive regimes; it’s because of the greatness and importance of books. Art bridges the gap between the spiritual world and the physical one; at times of great need, trauma, loss, celebration, union, hope, introduction, we need the bridge, we need art. It’s why there is song, it’s why there is poetry, it’s why there is dance, and it’s why there is music. What can art do? Art can save lives; people need the bridge over their troubled waters, because art is life. This is not an exaggeration; take away those songs those poems, paintings and music and leave citizens bereft of expression. Art offers a quality of life and of experience, a fundamental  power of art is to articulate. If aliens visited us, they would get a truer representation of the human being through art than through anything else. Art is as close to the environment as human beings can get. What art can do is what it does. I have seen homeless men and women speak, who have not spoken before, due to some unspeakable trauma. I have seen poems bring the invisible into focus on national radio. I have seen crying children smile. I have seen poems change lives. It’s why poems are read at weddings, funerals, births, on royal occasions and personal occasions, when soldiers are at war, and in peacetime. We turn to art because it is the greatest expression of humanity avail able to all.’ (Sissay, L., 2010) The essence of good art teaching is to harness the creative ability, which is already part of every child. We are catalyst, enquirer, developer and delegator to the creative young minds we try to teach. (Barnes, R., 2002, p.180) This art assignment will analyse a piece of work by chosen artist Judy Pfaff and her role in my project called ‘Dancing at the edge of chaos’, aimed at KS2 children, which consists of four developmental workshops, with the theme of ‘installation art’. (Appendix A-D) Judy Pfaff was born in 1946 in London, England. Her impressive career spans more than thirty-three years of making art across the globe. She began as a painter at Yale, but soon became recognised for her highly original sculptures laden with emotional impact. Pfaff explores space and matter and all that lies between painting and sculpture, two dimensions and three dimensions. Her work is laced with an intense physicality and exhilarating sense of chaos that continues to evolve throughout her art. Besides the ambitious sculpture installations for which Pfaff is renowned, she is a talented engineer, builder, welder and fabricator who tackles huge projects hands-on from start to finish. Her repertoire includes drawings, collages, prints and mixed media constructions, as well as highly complex multi-layered prints. Her prints incorporate collage elements and cut  papers. She employs a variety of media including photogravure (a method of printing high quality images in large editions, using photographic and etching techniques) encaustic (hot wax painting), lithography (a method of printing that used from a flat stone or metal plate with grease and water) silkscreen, woodcuts and more. (The College of Saint Rose, 2009) The artist has presented more than one hundred and fifty solo exhibitions and has participated in more than two hundred and fifty group and traveling exhibitions in the United States, Europe and South America. Pfaff has influenced younger artists either whom she has taught over the years or who have seen her work in hundreds of venues throughout the world. Pfaff sums it up: ‘†¦you should be allowed to test murky, unclear, unsure territory or all you have left are substitutes that signify these positions. Having it all together is the least interesting thing in art, in being alive.’ (Prince, S. E., 2008) The piece of art I have chosen as a starting point for four-lesson scheme of artwork is Judy Pfaff’s â€Å"N.Y.C- B.Q.E†. (Appendix E) Judy says, I think there’s always a melancholy in the work, though everyone has always thought of my work as being very happy, or jaunty, or- what’s that word I get- an explosion in a glitter factory. There’s always something that seemed carefree, easy-going. I can hardly remember that. I mean I can have a good time and I can be light-hearted. But there’s another quality that will get in, especially with the latest works. (Art 21, 2001) I found artist Judy Pfaff extremely inspiring because she has created huge amounts of diverse artwork throughout her career. She is a very ambitious artist with vigorous vision, which is echoed through her highly intense sculptures. Her work is never just about a particular element such as abstract form, rather an environment to be explored and experienced. Her  style of work links well with the project because the idea was to encourage the children to be spontaneous and to develop a skilful, yet sensitive use of materials, rather than just filling the space without a narrative. This element of extemporaneity and walking into a space and not knowing what will happen is exactly how Pfaff likes to work. Her installations are not simply just about scale and even though they appear to be quite chaotic, Judy plans with her assistants to figure out what they want to do with materials they haven’t worked with before. Assistant Ryan Muller at Judy Pfaff’s studio in Tivoli, New York talks about what he has learnt by working with Judy, As an artist myself, she has taught me a lot just about working on scales and persevering. She is in the studio constantly. She said a lot of her work gets done after we all leave. A lot of us will always be making theses images for her to work with; twisting the steal and giving her imagery to use and then when everybody has gone she has processed it all. She is in love with her work and that is inspiring. (Art 21, 2011) Despite Judy Pfaff’s set of diverse skills, to create one of her impressive installations involves a team of very skilled individuals. I was able to adapt some of the processes Judy Pfaff uses to create her installations, to be suitable for KS2 children, by planning activities which are accessible to them, so they could do the cutting, constructing, building, gluing, joining and engage with materials they had not used before, in a safe and stimulating environment. Once the children had been introduced to Judy Pfaff and some of the methods used in installation art, they were able to start straight away with experimenting with materials and creating their own installations. It was important to pitch the activities at the right level in each workshop, including starting small and building up to working on a large scale, all the time building their confidence and skills with the materials. All the materials I chose were easy to get hold of such as the cardboard boxes and wooden blocks, safe to use and stimulating enough for the children to engage with. The installation â€Å"N.Y.C – B.Q.E† is so complex  with so much to see; I found it enabled me to plan for many different art activities because it has so much scope. Pfaff’s dynamic, energetic, large-scale works incorporate many different media. However, I chose to gear the project to the handling materials aspect and getting the children involved in very hands on activities using their senses. Viktor Lowenfield, one of the great innovators in the field of art education, said, in his book Creativity, Education’s Stepchild: A Sourcebook for Creative Thinking: Creative persons, we find, are among other things unusually sensitive to what they see, hear, touch, etc. They respond rapidly to the â€Å"feel† and grain of a piece of wood, the texture and flexibility of clay, things often hidden. On the 28th October 1988 Angela Rumbold presented a speech to the ‘National Association for Education in the Arts’ whereby she said, Art, especially the teaching of it to young children, can enrich life by bringing to our attention the quality of such enlivening experiences. Through art, children can retain that sense of wonder and delight which all too easily becomes lost as later concerns of adult life take over. Without art and design, we lose the freedom to express out innermost thoughts and fears. Children’s knowledge and understanding of artistic and historical moments would be limited to the gamut to which their home life exposes them. (Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, 1989) I wanted the children to experience some hands on building and constructing using a range of three-dimensional objects. â€Å"N.Y.C – B.Q.E† gives you a strong feel of being on the beach and by the sea, with light and life moving all around you which was my inspiration for the 30ft sandpit, which the children explored and created installations using more natural materials in  the third workshop. Pfaff’s work is full of life and inspired me to be quite ambitious with the planning, as I wanted to include a wide range of activities, which involved the children being actively engaged with materials and taking responsibility for decisions. My aims involved developing the children’s knowledge and understanding of colour, texture, space and composition by providing them with first hand experiences of experimenting with materials, investigating how it can be used and challenges where the child’s thinking and planning can clearly be seen. According to Margaret Morgan, County Art Adviser for Suffolk, ‘Experience and discussion of natural and manmade stimuli is crucial if the children’s awareness of form, feel, texture, pattern, weight and temperature qualities is to develop.’ (Morgan, M., 1988, p.82) Planning: central to all effective teaching, whatever the subject, is planning, asking the important questions such as, ‘What do I want the children to learn in this session? How can that learning be best achieved?’ Clear, appropriate learning intentions, setting yourself and the children challenging, engaging and achievable targets, reliant on an understanding of the children’s needs and abilities and the resources available, is essentially what teaching is all about. (Skelton, T., & Joy, E, 2001) While I was planning I drew inspiration from the key elements inherent to art education, which Margaret Morgan recommended in her book, ‘Art 4-11’: * Sensory experience: during the four workshops, the children used their senses to explore different types of materials and build installations in different environments. They carried out activities concerned with ‘feel’ and ‘touch’, which together will raise their visual awareness and the exploration of form, space and texture. * Ability to work independently and develop ideas, isolate problems and deal with them: In the last workshop the children were in charge of a particular area to set up ready for the  final exhibition. They had the responsibility of arranging an installation to make it fit with another in the setting. During all four of the workshops, the children were continuously developing ideas through practical handling of materials. * Practical experience and awareness of the potential line, shape, colour, pattern, texture, tone and form; of tools and materials and media; and of communication by graphic means: This was one of the most important outcomes for the children to achieve by the end of the project, as throughout they were handling a range of tools and materials in order to raise their awareness of their qualities and how they can be used in art. * Ability to enjoy and respond critically and intelligently to art and design forms, past and present: The children were introduced to the notion of installation art in the first workshop, where they were asked to share their immediate responses to it and explored how it was made and what it was made from etc. They also engaged with the work of Judy Pfaff and were asked some questions about their reaction to it and how it made them feel, what it made them think about and what it represents to them. The children also kept sketchbooks throughout and were asked to make comments about anything to do with the project, to encourage them to reflect on their own work and any particular skills they learnt. * Ability to use language in describing processes, developing discussion and evaluating ideas: Throughout the project the children were encouraged to discuss their ideas and what they were doing during the process of developing their work; by revisiting the element of space and composition, I hoped to expand the children’s vocabulary surrounding installation art and the features that were dominate in Judy Pfaff’s work. They also engaged in discussions within their groups when selecting materials and constructing their installations. (Morgan, M., 1988, p.110) Pfaff enters an exhibition space not knowing exactly what will happen. She must rely on her knowledge, skill, and experience to carry her through; this ethos was one I wanted the children to try and adopt, so when it came to the final exhibition they would feel confident enough to make a installation out of a new set of materials. The design of Pfaff’s ‘N.Y.C – B.Q.E’ opens the doors to many different possibilities for activities for KS2 children  because there are many aspects that go into her installations; I was able to discuss the use of colour, texture, space, and arrangement in Judy Pfaff’s work and how the children incorporated these elements into their own work. In every workshop I shared the image ‘N.Y.C – B.Q.E’ because I found it so cluttered and detailed; every time I looked at the image, I saw something different. Therefore I tried to encourage the children to study the image and stimulate fresh ideas and build up their language in art. Margaret Morgan states that the teacher should try to encourage children to look at, touch and feel items. (Morgan, M., 1988) This is exactly what I wanted the children to do throughout all the workshops to help build up skills and extend their experience of handling materials. As the workshops progressed, the aim was to try to build the children’s confidence and experience so more interest would build up during each activity. In all of the workshops, it was important the children used all their senses to explore the range of materials, so they could experience the materials and gain insight into their qualities, which would impact their decisions of choosing particular materials and design choices for their installations in the later stages. Throughout the project, the children were faced with all sorts of challenges such as painting, drawing, modelling, construction and textiles. My approach was to section off part of the hall, ensuring adequate space for each group of children to work with a collection of acquired items with potential for construction such as bricks, wood blocks, rope, plastic, metal etc. The children were introduced to the materials and reminded about the need for safe handling and mutual sensitivity. I reminded the children to respect each other and the things they had. The very nature of the range of materials continually triggered new ideas and associations such as creating homes in an imaginary environment, when the children were using the cardboard boxes and woodblocks. In addition, this approach provided the children with valuable experience of the potential usage of materials, an understanding of appropriate qualities and the importance of safe handling of tools and equipment. According to Rob Barnes, who presents many current and important issues in art education in his series of books called ‘Teaching art to young children’ states, ‘Expressing feelings and ideas in a visual way is a question of making judgements about things like colour,  scale, texture, shape and drawing.’ Children need to experience using and handling materials in order for them to understand their qualities.’ (Barnes, R., 2002, p.160) Some of the skills and tools involved in the project, such as joining using glue guns, cutting using Stanley knifes, experimenting with materials and their potential usage, arranging different types of metals and objects through trial, error and success which varied in weight and textures, taking responsibility for creating a sketch book, using the HD cameras and editing films using ‘I-movie’ on the MacBook pro’s and working in large scale groups meant it was more suitable for KS2 children. In comparison to the expectations in art and design of children in KS1, the activities seem to be a step higher in all areas. The National Curriculum states, in ‘Investigating and making art, craft and design’ in KS1 the children are expected to represent observations and make artefacts whereas in KS2, this develops into using a variety of methods and approaches to communicate observations, ideas and feelings and as the children were developing their creativity through more complex activities, increasing their critical awareness of the purpose of installation art and evolving their confidence in using materials and processes to communicate what they see, feel and think, these learning objectives seemed more appropriate. (DfEE, 1999) ‘N.Y.C – B.Q.E’ is a perfect example of Judy Pfaff’s controlled chaos in her artwork. Judy Pfaff controls the chaotic look to her installations. However, the chaos of all the qualities in her installations look like they may have all just been arranged in an attention-grabbing way but there is a reason behind all the commotion. This concept inspired the title for the project: ‘Dancing at the edge of chaos’. I tired to emphasise this idea of ‘controlled chaos’ when I presented the children with a random box of materials to have a go at making an installation, in groups. The children’s starting point would have been quite chaotic because all objects and materials started in a heap on the floor; the challenge was to arrange them into a visually exciting installation, some of which they might not have worked with before. Rob Barnes highlights, When children or teachers are involved in the process of making choices, they are inevitably manipulating thoughts and ideas. It takes little imagination to realize that one of the rewards of teaching art is to become just as interested in what children discover as they are. (Barnes, R., 2002, p.194) The main focus of the project was giving children the opportunity to handle and explore a wide range of materials, which they might not have used in a creative manner before. Michael Boyd, Artistic Director of the†¨Royal Shakespeare Company says, No child can absorb a fine culture of art without seeing a great deal of it and doing enough of it to realise some of the processes involved. Art is one of the antidotes of life which becomes increasingly busy and exhausting, yet far less humanly productive or satisfying. (Arts council England, 2010, p.7) Introducing the children to installation art allowed for the materials to be used and handled in a more stimulating way just like artist Judy Pfaff. Judy Pfaff has worked with an eclectic and unusual range of materials and moves back and forth easily between two and three-dimensional work, creating art that is complex and unique. These dynamic, energetic, large-scale works incorporate many different media. It was important to create opportunities for the children to see how Judy Pfaff might have constructed her work and manipulated materials and to raise their awareness of the different processes used in her work. Pfaff’s working process is spontaneous and highly physical. Throughout this project, the children have been encouraged to be very expressive with their thoughts and feelings, so they create work that is personal to them. Peggy Davison Jenkins, author of Art for the Fun of It, has said, Creativity is not so much an aptitude as an attitude.   The meaning and significance of each stage of scribbling still needs to be further studied. One thing is clear: children need to produce their own art, and they don’t benefit at all from completing adult -made projects. When pushed to do something they are not ready to do, they suffer by stifling their own needs. (Jenkins, D., P., 1980, p.70) I have tried to emphasise that the development of the work is just as important as the final piece because the children are constantly evolving their skills and making the work is all part of the experience. According to writer and poet Blake Morrison, Art can do many things: entertain, instruct, console, inspire, enrage, transform. It teaches us things we can’t be taught in any other way and makes us see things we wouldn’t otherwise see. It slows us the illusion of escaping our daily lives while simultaneously taking us deeper inside ourselves. (Arts council England, 2010, p.20) Educators are aware that children have different learning styles, a concept which has had a profound impact on thinking and practice in education, developed from Howard Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligence. (Learning Styles Online, 2012) In art, the teacher will discuss concepts verbally, write information and draw illustrations on the board, and allow children to manipulate materials; therefore every kind of leaner should be able to access the concepts being presented. ‘The arts have an important role to play in refining our sensory system and cultivating our imaginative qualities.’ (Barone, T., & Eisner, W., E., 1988) In short, art enlarges the imagination and allows us to experience the qualities of sound, sight, taste, and touch increasing children’s perception in the arts, rather than simply recognising them. Susan Striker has written an array of books, which discuss the positive influence of a child’s artistic growth on their  intellectual and emotional development, and offering activities to facilitate artistic skills. She highlights that ‘Children are developing visual impressions when they read, and verbal and symbolic skills when they draw, paint and sculpt.’ And later argues, ‘A child who is exposed early to positive creative art activities, and who is allowed to develop freely and naturally, will take to writing very easily when the time comes.’ (Striker, S., 2001) Councilor Mick Henry, Leader of Gateshead Council speaks about why art is important to him: Art has the ability to change and improve lives. This could be through taking part in a single art workshop session and making something for the first time, being at a concert by your favourite performer, or band, walking in the park and encountering a beautiful sculpture, or visiting a museum or gallery and seeing something precious or unexpected. Any of these simple activities can be transformational for the individual concerned. †¨ (Arts council England, 2010, p.12) Creative activities confront how we feel about things. Expressing a mood, emotion, or temperament through art becomes as valid as responding to another person, a moving sight, or a meaningful experience. Both responding and expressing through art puts us in touch with qualities which are part of what makes us human.

The IMF and Argentinas Future In A Global Economy †Political Science

The IMF and Argentinas Future In A Global Economy – Political Science Free Online Research Papers The IMF and Argentina’s Future In A Global Economy Political Science In December 2005 Nestor Kirchner, the Argentinian president, announced that the country was to repay the IMF the outstanding $8.5bn of debt owed to the organisation from a series of loan agreements that had stretched back to the early 1980’s. Economically, it will also add some closure to Argentina’s $183bn default of 2001, (of which $103bn was owed directly to the IMF), yet the implications that this affair will have on both parties and the on the global stage are of intense interest. This essay will take a closer look at how we reached this current state of affairs. Notably, it will examine how the neo-liberal ethos of the IMF has proved to be insufficient in turning around this countries economic fortunes and will ask what future beckons for the role of international bodies in the successful restitution of sovereign nation economic privation. The case of Argentina Argentina since becoming a democracy in 1983 has had a chequered economic performance. From the years 83-89, under the leadership of President Raul Alfonsin, its economy suffered from constant hyperinflation (of up to 5000% per year) and a government that managed its effect ,or more aptly mis-managed, via central bank money creation. The net result was to make the peso next to worthless on the international currency markets and Argentina an unattractive investment opportunity. Eventually, the politics caught up with the economics as Menem replaced Alfonsin and embarked on a policy dynamic of dealing with international financiers, including the IMF, and being persuaded him to initiate a policy of dollar pegging and liberalising of aspects of the economy. During this period the period the IMF continued to supply rolling loans with Argentina’s solid economic performance in the first half of the 1990’s being hailed by many to be a testament to the organisation’s ec onomic rigours. Certainly it was felt that this proved the the neo-liberalist economic approach to economic development to be paramount). However, this was not to last and by tying itself in with the global economy, Argentina left itself exposed to the severe exogenous shocks when Mexico in 1995, South East Asia in 197 and Brazil in 1999 all suffered severe capital flight and adopted (under the recommendation of the IMF) currency devaluation. Argentina, who having pegged the currency to the dollar, was unable to take such action and the loss of competitiveness and export markets led to a sharp downturn in the Economy, so much so that by 1999 the economy had started to contract. From this point on the country was facing a losing battle, lumbered with an overvalued pesos, a barrage of loan interest payments, and a global financial market that had already condemned the country to default, in 2001 the country did precisely that and in spectacular fashion . In the years since its default the country did continue to work with the IMF in an attempt to redraw its arrangements with it creditors to force them to accept a ‘haircut’ of around 40-50% of the original loan. At the same time the topic of the IMF and its role in the country’s economic demise has become the key cultural and political issue within Argentina and one that got President Kircher elected on a fiercely anti-IMF policy platform. All of this leads to a need to examine whether such attacks on the IMF are legitimate, how Argentina was able to default on such a large sum and to ask what it entails for other severely indebted countries. The consequences of IMF intervention The IMF, when it negotiated its structural loans with Argentina, insisted that the countries main economic woes stemmed from a poor infrastructure in which profit was being lost due to false pricing, indexed wages, draconian trade restrictions and a social welfare system that lacked any kind of a market dynamic. Subsequently, it insisted that the country embark of a policy of heavy liberalisation under the economic mantra that rational investors view competitive advantage as the major factor in deciding where to place credit and to commit long term FDI and that with these factors under control Argentina would emerge as a stronger, more attractive investment opportunity. But, the market, and the societies they operate in are not rational and the impact of this misjudgement has been dramatic. Firstly, the liberalisation and loss of indexed wages in the name of international competitiveness has hit the ‘bring home’ pay of most workers. In fact, when compounded by upward price changes brought about as part of commodity price normalisation policies it is clear that for many families even the most basic supplies were out of reach . The net result would seem to be a ratification for development economists ,such as Chussodvosky, who argue that such wage policies are posited on the assumption that there is an excess of demand and a privation of human capital when, in fact, global demand has long remained constant at around 15% . Instead, what these policies serve to do is simply to bring about a ‘race to the bottom’ within geographic regions with the net beneficiary being the consumer and service industries in the west. For it is they, rather than the producer, who gain greatest by being able to spend less on daily produce and more on additional goods a nd services . Secondly, by voluntarily reducing its economic sovereignty via the privatisation of key utilities, the government has lost control of not only a key financial resource but also, and more critically, of a means to provide sufficient provision to its populous. Critics have noted that these firms, have become unwilling to commit capital resources to country that they no longer view as profitable commentators such as Gilpin have noted (himself no anti-globalising theorist), the ethos behind privatisation is potentially sound – market forces, prices established via competition etc. – however in order for it to take place a sound, secure administrative framework needs to be in place, to be manned largely by middle class individuals. However, in an almost painful twist, this is the section of society that is most blighted by the reforms. The outcome has been a hotch-potch of privatisation which, ironically, has turned out to be of benefit to neither investor nor investee. The insistence that Argentina rapidly open up to allow global trade and finance to penetrate its domestic markets has, as Beiroch noted with regard to the 19th century , proven to be of far greater equity to developed countries than to Argentina itself. The IMF continued insistence that MNC’s and TNC’s are best equipped to identify where best profit lies within the Argentinean economy and that providing unrestricted access was essential to enabling them to do this. However, critics argue, this has served only to weaken Argentina’s internal economy in two ways. Firstly, by allowing MNC’s/TNC’s to pursue market manipulating policies (e.g. dumping) has enabled them to squeeze smaller domestic companies’ market share companies. Secondly, is the argument that these firms are motivated by nothing other than short term profit , to be strived for at the expense of any social or political concerns. Thirdly, by lowering trade barriers and tariffs vita l government revenues were lost, revenues that were desperately needed to pay back the loans owing to its creditors. Most crucially of all, is the charge that IMF US focussed myopia meant that they failed to appreciate that with the Peso pegged to the dollar Argentinean products would never not competitive when selling into Argentina’s main market, Europe . Finally, cutbacks on welfare meant that the Argentina’s citizens lost the vital safety net needed to prevent the fall into the poverty trap. It is a point on which Joseph Stiglitz, the ex world bank head, has been particularly stinging arguing that it is gross economic misjudgement to restrict spending when a country is heading into a recession Argentina’s response and its implications So, what has been learnt from the ending of this relationship. Firstly, Argentina would seem to have demonstrated that it is possible to take on the IMF and, if not bet them, then give them a proverbial bloody nose. The country exposed the fact that dealings with the IMF are symbiotic and that they need to maintain relationships with debtor countries, especially large ones, in order to maintain their public image as the key development lender. In the wider context however, it is hard to see many other countries taking this policy choice. Kirchner and Lavagna (the Finance minister who administered the debt repayment ‘haircut’) did so in a post 9-11 environment that allowed the country to trade off political support for deliberate oversight on the part of the US treasury . Similarly, whilst Argentina has been struggling to make debt payments, the strength of the soya market has enabled it to build up the reserves required to pay back the debt early. The other caveat is that whilst the IMF loan is to be squared off other loans will nee d to be sought and, as Fischer has noted, this is not always as easy as it sounds and the finance, when it does come, may well be on terms more prohibitive than those of the IMF . Secondly, the example of Argentina , some assert, demonstrated that the primacy of the citizen remains. The economic damage inflicted upon the country saw rapid transfers of political power and stability has only been restored with the induction of Kirchner to the role of President on a mandate of anti-IMF action . In particular, the rise of social groups representing the lower end of society – most notably the Piqueteros – offers, for some advocates, a vision of how democracy could be made to work in an increasingly segregated world. Thirdly, the scale of the IMF’s failure within South America and Sub-Saharan Africa would seem to be a searing indictment that the US economic model cannot, and should not, be produced wholesale around the globe. After all, this is a system that has been exposed as having heavy flaws of its own (Enron, Worldcom scandals), instinctively dismisses other successful economic models ,and that is now running at such heavy deficit spending levels that its own financial security are by no means clear . Lastly, are the practical challenges that Argentina’s payback will pose. The IMF, is meant to be self sustaining with its annual budget of around $1bn coming from interest payments made on loans. Argentina’s action came days after Brazil made the same commitment, and when considered alongside countries such as Thailand, who have built up large currency reserves in order to remove the need to approach the IMF, although unlikely the organisation itself may need to get a loan. In conclusion, the IMF’s role and subsequent withdrawal from Argentina has left both parties with an uncertain future. Argentina has now made a commitment to gaining finance on the open markets, opting away from IMF control yet opening itself up to potentially ever greater market swings as the IMF safety net is removed. For the IMF, it has started the 21st century with a tarnished reputation. The organisation has made a pledge that it is to operate in order to reduce global poverty; yet factors both internal (secrecy, market led bias) and external (notably the growing antipathy of its main backer ) have led to questions over the legitimacy and continuation of the institution , and the time for providing acceptable answers is getting less. Research Papers on The IMF and Argentina’s Future In A Global Economy - Political SciencePETSTEL analysis of IndiaDefinition of Export QuotasThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationTwilight of the UAWAppeasement Policy Towards the Outbreak of World War 2Assess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andBringing Democracy to Africa

Sampson and Gregory Essays

Sampson and Gregory Essays Sampson and Gregory Paper Sampson and Gregory Paper In line 139 Juliet says, My only love sprung from my only hate! Two types of love are at conflict here for Juliet. Romantic love (for Romeo) and love for her family, (because she was brought up to hate the Montagues). This saddens her. There is another type of love in the play parental and familial love, the love between parents and their children. We do not learn much about the Montague parents, but we do see a great deal of the Capulet parents. At first when we see Capulet talking to Paris, he is saying Juliet is his only daughter and she means a lot to him, so he does not want her to marry as young as she is. However, this changes completely by Act 3, scene 4 when he shrewdly decides to marry off his daughter to Paris and arranges the wedding. In Act 1, scene 3, Lady Capulet has a talk with Juliet about marriage (to Paris). She does not seem to care much about Juliets opinion, but more than she does later on. This is where we see her first selfish streak, and realise that their mother-daughter relationship is not a very close one. It is not until Act 3, scene 5 we see the Capulets completely fail their daughter, when they force an arranged marriage onto her. This is a striking scene, where Lady Capulet wishes Juliet was dead after she says that she does not want to marry Paris I would the fool were married to her grave. Capulet is even more heartless in this scene. He completely loses his temper with Juliet, and threatens to throw her out and disown her is she does not marry Paris. The love of the Capulets for their daughter is so possessive and domineering, that when she doesnt do as they wish, it turns into utter cruelty and really makes you question whether they love Juliet or not. Her parents want to force her into a loveless marriage because they obviously do not consider love to be at all important in a marriage, and also because they think they know what is best for Juliet and that she is theirs to treat however they like An you be mine Ill give you to my friend; An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, for by my soul, Ill neer acknowledge thee, (line 192-194). This also shows the contrast between young and old the old dont understand the young. Lord and Lady Capulet actually show more love for Juliet when they find her supposedly dead, but even this is selfish love as they are more worried about how they are going to live without her. This shows just how superficial their love for Juliet is. Other characters that act as surrogate parents for Romeo and Juliet and the Nurse and Friar Lawrence. The Nurse nursed Juliet as a baby, and has practically brought her up. The Friar is someone who both lovers turn to for advise. Romeo goes to the Friar when he wants to marry Juliet. The Friar and the Nurse acted as messengers between Romeo and Juliet. They showed great support and parental love towards Romeo and Juliet when they got married, but even this was partially superficial. At the end of Act 3, scene 5, just after the big argument between Capulet and Juliet, the Nurse is trying to comfort a distraught Juliet, but instead she fails her miserably. When Juliet asks the Nurse what she thinks she should do, the Nurse surprises her by saying that she might as well marry Paris because Romeo has been banished and they can no longer be together. She thinks that love (marriage) is no more than having sex and having babies, then to her Paris would make just a good husband as Romeo would. She does not understand the depth of emotion involved in true love, and Juliet is very upset by this because she thought that the Nurse understood how she felt. After this conversation, Juliet goes to the Friar for advice (Act 4, scene 1). The Friar helps her a great deal, and you think he really understands Romeo and Juliet, but he in turn fails Juliet in Act 5, scene 3. When Juliet wakes up and find Romeo dead she wants to spend more time with him, but the Friar insists that they leave when he hear people coming their way, Come Ill dispose of thee among a sisterhood of holy nuns. The Friars inadequacy in this crisis is shown by this ironic suggestion. He is fine until now to help the lovers be together, but when it comes to him nearly being caught out, he just tries to run away from the situation. This shows his selfishness, and the fact he does not understand the lovers affections and intentions to be together always. In this play of overflowing love and passion we are introduced to a character very different from all the others Paris. Paris is an altogether good man, who is genuinely in love with Juliet and is the only one genuinely upset when she dies. Here there is another situation of unrequited love for Juliet from Paris. He is quite an innocent character caught up in the Capulet familys complications and does not think there is anything wrong with the arranged marriage. He does not actually speak to Juliet until they meet in the Friars cell in Act 4, scene 1, and the marriage is arranged through Capulet. He is very thoughtful towards Juliets feelings, and in lines 6 and 7, he says he has not talked to her about love (the marriage), because she has been weeping and is very sad about Tybalts death, but thinks that by getting married she will be happy again. Another character apart from Romeo and Juliet who is also driven by great passions and love is Tybalt. Tybalt shows the greatest passion for hate. In Act 1, scene 1 he says, what, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, and all Montagues and thee. He is a very passionate character who also shows a tremendous amount of familial love, because he is prepared to fight and in turn die for his family. Mercutio is also another one of these characters. Although he is neither Capulet nor Montague, he shows a great amount of love of friendship towards Romeo and the Montagues he dies whilst duelling against Tybalt for them. In his Queen Mab he lets his tongue run away with him because he is talking passionately about something (love) that he doesnt believe in. The mood in the scenes in which we see Romeo and Juliet together, contrast with the atmosphere of most the other scenes in the play, because of their feelings for each other. They are the two main characters who are star-crossed lovers, so obviously their scenes are going to be much more romantic and intense with passion for love than any other. Their scenes are also more calmer, relaxed and create a pleasant, positive atmosphere, whereas the rest are mainly to do with the family feud or other less positive things (such as the arranged marriage). In the balcony scene (Act 2, scene 2), you can tell that they both see their love as more important than any ancient family feud. In lines 66-69, Romeo speaks of how stony limits cannot hold love out, meaning that even high walls are no challenge for love and that nothing can stop them from sharing their love. By the end of the play Romeo and Juliet have changed quite a bit. Romeo went from being almost in a state of depression, to this fiery most positive character. However the same impulsive streak he has at the beginning is still there right till the very end when he acts on his impulse and decides to drink the poison not knowing the facts of Juliets death. Juliet was quite childish at the beginning of the play, because she does exactly what she was told by her parents. You could say that both character stayed childish right till the end, because of the way they hid everything from most people because they were too scared to come out. You could also say though that they grew up, matured a lot and became more independent because they disobeyed their parents and found a way to be together practically by themselves (even though the Nurse and the Friar knew, they did not understand Romeo and Juliet properly). I also think that by spending their first night together, Romeo and Juliet matured more as they cemented their love. They both made huge sacrifices for each other, making their love even truer, and even though they both died in the end, Romeo died after kissing Juliet, and Juliet died after kissing Romeo. Just before Romeo takes his poison, he says, heres to my love! and just before Juliet stabs herself she says Oh happy dagger! This shows they didnt mind dying as long as they were able to be together. Also in the play, the actions for the older members, affect the younger members a lot. Because of them, Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris and Romeo and Juliet all die. This is what makes Romeo and Juliet such an immense tragedy. Now I have shown the various perceptions of love in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, I will now pick out two contrasting scenes I have discussed and explain how I would stage them to show their differences. The two scenes I have chosen are, act 1, scene 1, with Sampson and Gregory (lines 11-27), and act 1, scene 5, where Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time (lines 94-107). Sampson and Gregory are two very crude characters, and this has to be shown by not only their performances, but also their surroundings. The actors should wear green or khaki colours, with their swords hanging from a belt on their sides. This makes them look like they are army soldiers, who are ready to fight at any moment. They would have stubble showing, and walk as if they had something heavy on their shoulders, which makes them look rough, and rude. I would have them talk very loud, almost shouting, as if they owned the place, inconsiderate to other peoples feelings and are boosting about what they are saying. The lighting should be a bold green when Sampson says, A dog of that house shall move me to stand. Green is quite a hard, sick looking colour, which will emphasise their foul minds. They should walk side-by-side, in the middle, and people should walk on the very edges (of the stage) to look as if they are trying to stay away from them. When they talk about the Montague maids and pushing them against the wall, one of them should pretend he is going to push a woman passing by into the wall, and then they both laugh about it. Romeo and Juliets first meeting is very special. In lines 94-107 they share a sonnet, so this should be a very romantic scene. Juliet should be dancing with someone else, then they all switch partners, and Romeo hurries to be hers. Until they start dancing with each other, there should be other people all around the room (on the stage), but as soon as Romeo says his first line, If I profane they should all move into the background, the music (at the party) should die slowly into a soft beat. Romeo and Juliet will dance in he middle, up-stage, and this will show the audience who they should be looking at and listening to. The lighting would hover from a calm yellow, to subtle orange, then to a soft red, then eventually to a light pink. These colours remind me of a beautiful sunset, and also romance, so I think it will work well because of the softness. They should go behind a pillar on the right side of the stage to kiss to show they are hiding it from everyone else. Romeo should wear a mask all throughout, and pull it off just before they kiss, and they should both look into each others eyes the whole time. This will show that they do not care about each others bodies. Both would be in their party outfits- Juliets should be in a long cream or white dress to show her purity, with red flowers or embroidery on it, also wearing red lipstick. Romeos outfit should be a red or maroon velvet material, with a yellow belt and silver mask. This will make him look like a prince, and the red worn by both characters, emphasises the red associated with romance. They should speak softly to each other, and when they speak it should not be as if this is their first meeting, but as if they have known each other for a lifetime. This will show the special connection they have straight away.