NEBOSH International Diploma Essay

I INTRODUCTION Nalanda Associates is committed to achieving Health, Safety, and Security and Environmental management for all its activities as an integral part of our business. The purpose of Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System (HSSE-MS) is to provide the framework and structure for the delivery of the highest level of HSSE Performance in accordance with best industry practice. I.1 Aim Individual Health, Safety, Security and Environment systems, management tools and techniques have evolved over years. They just needed to be integrated into the business in a structured manner. In order to manage HSSE effectively, we need a sound management system to provide managers with the assurance that they are discharging their responsibilities effectively and as a basis for continuous HSSE performance improvement. The Nalanda Associates HSSE Management System has been developed to meet these needs; it provides a set of arrangements to ensure that we control our HSSE risks in a practical, effective and efficient manner. It builds on experience gained in the application of earlier systems and arrangements and also draws on external developments such as Quality Management standards (ISO 9000), Health and Safety Management (HS(G)65),Environmental Management (ISO 14000) and HSSE Management (E&P Forum). The aim of the HSSE Management System is to provide an assurance to all of us at Nalanda Associates, as well as regulators, partners, licensing authorities and insurers that we are able to comply with Company Policy and Legislation through a process of self-regulation and control. The emphasis is placed on an approach which is both objective setting (establishing what to do and then doing it) as well as proactive (taking action before and not after the event). Plan → Do →Check → Act The focus is on a systems model approach as applied in quality and other business Management systems. This self-regulatory approach is risk based, not at any cost, but on the premise that necessary and cost effective measures applied, should reduce risk to a level that is As Low As Reasonably  Practicable (ALARP*). The management system combines Health, Safety, Security and Environment, and is based on the following key points: †¢ Prominence being given by both industry and the regulators world-wide to the need for self regulation based on internal control; †¢ Managers setting their own objectives, monitoring their achievement and demonstrating that the organisation is self regulating – thus minimising external regulatory burdens; †¢ Synergy to be obtained from managing HSSE together; †¢ Need for sustained effort to improve HSSE performance; †¢ Integration of HSSE into our businesses for efficient use of management resources. * ALARP – a point at which the cost of further risk reduction is grossly dis-proportionate to the benefit gained. It is to be recognized that Nalanda Associates is going through a phase of continuous growth. Hence, the HSSE-MS will need to continually evolve to respond to changing needs of business environment. HSSE Management System cuts across the functional boundaries of different departments/installations/facilities in Nalanda Associates and is a system to manage HSSE in an Integrated and co-ordinated way. I.2 Objective Management Demonstrate Leadership and commitment at all levels of management chain †¢ Establishing performance contracts & key performance indicators related to HSSE deliverables across all levels in the organisation for successful delivery of HSSE Targets & plans for the year †¢ To develop and implement strategies to improve Contractors’ HSSE performance through visible leadership and increased facilitation to contract partners. Environment Reduce levels of environmentally harmful emissions, discharge and waste operations and activities. †¢ Develop & implement targets to reduce GHG emission †¢ To apply best practices for minimising emissions in new projects Safety Ensure ‘zero injury’ operation †¢ To ensure that staff and contractors managing their activities understand & implement Life Savers & associated standards & procedures. †¢ Focus on safety during execution of new projects †¢ Ensure lessons learnt are implemented Health – Zero Occupational Illness †¢ Improve upon current Health Assurance Framework (HAF) score of 85% to 100% Security – Zero Security Incident †¢ Review and effectively monitor security risks and implementation of associated control Measures I.3 Methodology Used for this report This includes observation 1. When ,where, with whom PU foam factory †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Consultation with whom 3. Inspection when,where,how 4. Document verification which documents you verified.

Thomas Hardy

About the author Thomas Hardy was born in 1840 in Dorset, a rural county in the south-west of England. His father was a stonemason and the family were not well off. Hardy showed an early interest in books, however, and when he was sixteen, he began training as an architect in Dorchester. In 1862, he went to work in London, where he was able to compare city life with the customs and timeless ways of the country village where he grew up. He began writing in his spare time.In 1870, he met and fell in love with Emma Gifford, but they could not afford to marry. His fourth novel, Far From the Madding Crowd, published in 1874, was a big success. This allowed him to become a full-time writer and to marry. Hardy wrote several more novels, among them The Mayor of Casterbridge, published in 1886. He and Emma lived in Dorset, but they spent part of every year in London, where they mixed with literary people and Hardy was much admired. Although Hardys books were very popular, when Jude the Obscur e appeared in 1896, people hated it.They thought it was an attack on marriage, and ound it shocking and immoral. Hardy turned to poetry and never wrote another novel. He died in 1928. Some biographers portray him as snobbish, mean and hateful towards women. Others believe he was a sensitive man who cared deeply about the human condition. Summary Young, poor Michael Henchard feels trapped by his wife and child and one night gets drunk at a fair and sells them to a stranger called Newson. Horrified by what he has done, he swears not to touch alcohol for twenty years. Eighteen years later he is the mayor of Casterbridge and a successtul businessman.Believing Newson is dead, is wife, Susan, and daughter, Elizabeth-Jane, arrive in c Pearson Education Limited 2008 Casterbridge to find Henchard because she has no money. He marries her again and they have a short happy life together. Farfrae, a young man with modern business ideas, arrives at the same time and becomes Henchard's farm manage r. Susan dies, and Henchard learns that Elizabeth-Jane is really Newson's daughter. Henchard falls out with Farfrae, who sets up a rival business, and soon outdoes him. A woman from Henchard's past, Lucetta, comes to Casterbridge. Henchard now wants to marry her, but she and Farfrae fall in love.Henchard's business fails and he loses his house so he starts drinking again. Lucetta dies of shock after the local people make fun of her and Henchard in public. He sees that he will now lose his ‘daughter' as well as everything else. He leaves Casterbridge on foot. He is penniless and has lost his family – Just as at the beginning of the story. ElizabethJane remains loyal to Henchard, but he dies before she can find him. Chapter 1: Henchard, a farm worker aged twenty, has a family, no Job and no home. He gets drunk and sells his wife and child for five guineas to a sailor named Newson t a fair.Devastated at what he has done, he looks for them without success. Henchard makes a solemn promise not to touch alcohol for twenty years. Chapter 2: Susan, widowed and poor, and her eighteenyear-old daughter, Elizabeth- Jane arrive in Casterbridge to find Henchard. She is relieved to find he is now the Mayor and a businessman who needs a corn manager for his growing business. Chapter 3: Henchard employs Farfrae, a handsome innovative Scotsman as corn manager and the business improves. He also meets Susan and devises a plan so that the townspeople do not find their marriage strange.He draws closer to Farfrae and tells him about his past; including a woman in Jersey he promised to marry. Chapter 4: Henchard marries Susan, but she is reluctant to have her daughter's last name changed. He and Farfrae disagree publicly over a worker. Henchard is Jealous and organises a rival entertainment day to Farfrae's, but it fails. Farfrae leaves him and sets up a rival business. Susan dies but leaves a letter with the truth about her daughter. Chapter 5†² Hencnard tells Eliza beth-Jane what happened at the fair twenty years ago but reads in Susan's letter that she is really Newson's daughter.He begins to treat her coldly, and even encourages Farfrae to see her. ElizabethJane meets a woman at her mother's grave who is friendly and offers her to share her house. The Mayor of Casterbridge – Teacher's notes of 5 Chapter 6: Lucetta, the woman from Jersey, has inherited property in Casterbridge and has employed Elizabeth-Jane as a housekeeper. Henchard tries to see her but they fail to meet. Farfrae calls in to see Elizabeth-Jane, who is out. He likes Lucetta and she loses interest in Henchard. Chapter 7: Henchard goes bankrupt because of the weather and his own impatience while Farfrae's business ucceeds.Henchard realises he and Farfrae compete for Lucetta's love, so he threatens her with making their past public so that she accepts his proposal of marriage. Chapter 8: Henchard agrees to postpone their wedding if Lucetta helps him buy some time to repa y a debt to Grower. She cant because she has secretly married Farfrae and Grower acted as witness. Chapter 9: Henchard claims the letters from his safe, and reads them out to Farfrae without disclosing the sender. He promises Lucetta to give tham back to her and asks Jopp to deliver them.Chapter 10: Jopp asks Lucetta to help him become her usband's manager but she refuses. In a pub, he reads out the letters to two women and they plan a skimmity-ride in town to scorn Lucetta and Henchard. Chapter 1 1: A member of the Royal family visits the town but Henchard is not allowed to greet him. Hurt, Henchard fghts Farfrae in a barn but cannot bring himself to kill him. Chapter 12: Henchard is back in town to see the ride. Farfrae does not see the ride because he is lured away from town but Lucetta dies of the shock. Chapter 13: Henchard and Elizabeth-Jane live together happily.Elizabeth-Jane and Farfrae renew their relationship and get married Newson returns and te s daughter the truth, whi ch makes her very happy. Henchard leaves the town. Chapter 14: Elizabeth-Jane marries Farfrae and tries to find her father to take care of him but he dies before she can find him. The original text The novel first appeared serially, in twenty instalments, in 1886 in The Graphic, an English periodical and simultaneously in the United States. The book appeared as soon as the serial publication was complete but it differs a lot from the serial novel. It has been adapted for TV as a miniseries.Background and themes Where the story came from: Hardy claims the story as inspired by three actual events: the sale of a wife by her husband reported in a local newspaper, the uncertain harvests and the visit of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband, to Dorchester, the town upon which Casterbridge is based, in 1849. Fight with self: The main theme of the book is Henchard's fight against two things: his own character and chance. As he fghts with himself, his actions and decisions affect other pe ople's lives, usually badly. He often allows negative feelings to overwhelm him – at the beginning when things seem so bad he sells his wife.He is lways honest in business, but not always kind; he is often impatient and quick to anger, but he is capable of great love and great loneliness. His complex character creates uncertainty in the reader – should we feel sorry for him or does he deserve everything that happens to him? Chance: Chance plays an important part throughout the story: the chance appearance of Newson in the tent when Henchard is trying to sell his wife; the rain that spoils Henchard's fair; the August weather that ruins Henchard's business; the chance meeting between Farfrae and Lucetta when they fall in love.Hardy believes that although Henchard is a powerful character, he is never fully in control of his life. Alcohol also has a role here. Henchard's life improves when he stops drinking; as he devotes himself to work, builds a successful business and e ventually becomes mayor. Once ne starts again, ne loses his pride and his Judgement. Traditional versus modern: The two men represent contrasting ways of life in the country. Henchard is traditional and old-fashioned. Farfrae is young and modern. Hardy was always fascinated by country customs and ways.He often includes strange country rituals like the skimmity-ride in his novels. They make useful plot devices and allow him to paint pictures of colourful but less important characters. He also uses them to reveal the conservative side of society, which can be very cruel to people who fall outside its strict rules of moral behaviour. Lucetta dies because of the skimmity Joke. This breaking of the moral code becomes a very important theme in Hardys later novels, which shocked the reading public and ended Hardys novel-writing career. Discussion activities Before reading 1 Group work: Students work in groups.Each group chooses an important person in their local community, e. g. factory ow ner, the mayor, the chief of police, a magistrate. They then decide on a terrible secret in the past of their character. They discuss the details of the secret without other students overhearing. The class then questions each group in turn to try and find out what the secret is. Groups have to answer as truthfully as they can. 2 Read carefully: Read the Introduction on pages Ev'ii. Make a chart of the events of Thomas Hardys life. Use these dates: 1840 1871 1886 1895 1913 1914 1928 Example: 1840 Thomas Hardy is born in Dorset.Chapter 1 While reading Pair work: (atter page 4) Michael is ottering his wite or a little money at the fair. Ask students in pairs to make a list of the things they could say to persuade Michael to keep quiet. 4 Discuss: (page 6) Michael makes a formal promise not to drink alcohol for twenty years. Ask students to discuss the following: How hard will this be for Michael? Have you ever made a promise that was hard to keep? After reading 9 Pair work: Henchard wa nts to persuade Farfrae to stay and work with him. How can he do this? Ask students in pairs to write down reasons why Farfrae should stay in Casterbridge.Then they prepare a short speech and give it to the rest of the class. Finally, have a class vote for the most convincing speech. 10 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the following: How do you think people in Casterbridge would react if they knew that the mayor had sold his wife twenty years before? How has this changed in present days? Are citizens' decisions influenced by the private life of their authorities? Chapters 3-4 11 Discuss: Ask students to discuss the following: What about Farfrae has attracted Henchard? Why would he be interested in him? Guess: Tell students that eighteen years have passed after Henchard's promise not to drink for twenty years. Ask students to guess what has become of Henchard's life. Will he ever find his family again? 12 Write: (after Chapter 3) After he learns about Lucetta and Henchard, Farfrae ad vises him to write a letter to the young woman explaining to her why he is no longer available to keep his word and marry her. He even helps him do so. Ask students in pairs to write the letter from Henchard to Lucetta. 13 Role play: (page 21) Ask students to pretend they are ordinary townspeople at Henchard and Susan's wedding.They are very surprised by the wedding. Ask them to role play the conversation in pairs. 4 Guess: (page 23) Farfrae and Elizabeth-Jane receive notes for a secret meeting in a barn. Neither of them has written the note for the other. Ask students to guess who may have wanted them to meet and therefore written the notes. What motive might that person have? 15 Discuss: (page 24) Henchard and Farfrae argue over how to treat a worker. Ask students to discuss how different their approaches to management are. How can they be described? If they were a worker, who would they prefer as a manager? Role play: Susan leaves the fair with the sailor. How do they feel? What do they say to each other as they alk along the road? Ask students to role play the conversation between them. Chapter 2 7 Discuss: (page 9) Ask students to discuss how Susan's life might have been different if she had not left with the sailor eighteen years before. Would her life have been better? 8 Role play: (after reading aloud the first paragraph on page 15) Casterbridge was a very quiet town in Hardys day. Communications with big cities like London and Portsmouth were slow and difficult. So when Farfrae arrives, a visitor from Scotland, it is a big event.Farfrae is in the bar at the King of Prussia. One student is Farfrae. Other students are customers. What do they ask him? Ask them to role play the conversation in small groups. 16 Group work: Put students in small groups. Ask them to discuss how these sets of relationships change in this section of the book: Susan and Henchard; Hencnard and Fartrae; Elizabeth-Jane and Fartrae; Elizabeth-Jane and Henchard. After their discussi ons, groups report back to the class. Chapters 5-6 17 Discuss: Ask students to discuss these questions with a partner. (a) Who is the Woman in black? b) The next chapter is called ‘Love at First Sight'. Which two characters will fall n love at first sight? 18 Group work: (page 33) Henchard has Just been told that he will not be offered the position of mayor again. Farfrae has been chosen instead. Ask students in groups to discuss which candidate would be a better mayor and to give reasons for their choice. Then they share their ideas with the class. 19 Role play: (page 35) Elizabeth-Jane is sitting by her mother's grave, reading. A woman she has never met before approaches and they start talking. She tells her about her life before and after Casterbridge.Ask students in pairs to role play this conversation. Remind them the woman ends up hiring her as a housekeeper. 20 Discuss: (page 40) Will the new planting machine be good for the people of Casterbridge or bad? Ask students t o take a minute and write arguments for and against new machinery. Then they share their ideas with other students. 27 Group work: Wealth (or the absence of it) plays an important role in the novel. For example, Hencnard's interest in Lucetta grows now that she is wealthy and independent. Ask students to work in groups. Assign each group a character (Henchard, Susan, Lucetta, Elizabeth-Jane, Farfrae).Students discuss how money nd wealth have changed their character. Are they better off with money? Are they happier? Then they share their views. 21 Discuss: Elizabeth-Jane wonders why Lucetta did not trust her with the truth. Ask students in pairs or small groups to try to respond to this question. Then they compare their views with other students. Chapters 7-8 22 Guess: Ask students to discuss who the title of the chapter may refer to, when it comes to love. Who are the women involved? 23 Group work: (page 44) Ask students in small groups to list the mistakes or miscalculations Hencha rd made as regards his business.What did he do wrong? What shouldn't he have done? What should he have done instead? Encourage them to give reasons for their answers. Then they share their lists with the rest of the class. Do they have similar ideas? 24 Discuss: Invite students to read aloud the incident on page 45 between the two drivers. Discuss with students how this incident reflects the wider situation between Henchard and Farfrae. Record ideas on the board. 25 Discuss: (page 47) Ask students to discuss the following questions: How does Henchard force Lucetta to agree to marry him? Was she right in accepting the proposal?Did she have any other way out? How will Farfrae feel about this? 26 Discuss: (page 53) Ask students to discuss the following questions in pairs or small groups: What emotions does Henchard feel when he learns of Lucetta's marriage to Farfrae? Will he keep quiet about their past relationship? Then they snare their ideas wit n the rest ot the class. Chapters 9-1 0 28 Guess: Ask students to guess how Henchard might react to Lucetta's rejection. 29 Pair work: (page 55) Ask students in pairs to discuss the following questions: How do Henchard's and Farfrae's management styles differ?What kind of manager would you like to have if you were an employee? 30 Role play: (page 59) Elizabeth-Jane stops Farfrae in the street and warns him about Henchard's feelings but he does not take her seriously. Ask students to role play this conversation. 31 Discuss: (page 66) Mrs Cuxsom and Nance Mockridge plan the skimmity-ride after they listen to Jopp read out the letters. They want to teach Mrs Farfrae a lesson using an old tradition. Ask students to discuss the following: How would people in your country shame others today? 2 Group work: Students compare events in the lives f Henchard and Farfrae by making a good/bad list for each of the two men. Divide the class into four groups. Each group takes and completes one section of the list. Groups report back to the class, writing their ideas in list form on the board. As a follow-up, students write a paragraph comparing the fortunes of the two men. Chapters 11-12 33 Discuss: Farfrae has Just been offered the position of mayor. Ask students to discuss these questions: Do you think he will agree? Why/why not? 34 Role play: Ask students to imagine that they are standing in the crowd watching the royal visit.

Analysis of Sophocles’ Creon in Oedipus the King Essay

Sophocles is considered one of the most profound and best tragedians in the Ancient Greek. Sophocles came from a wealthy family and was highly learned and skilled. At young age, he had already seen many plays that were exhibited in ancient Greek theatres during his time. One of his favorite dramatist-writer was Aeschylus, whom he had replaced after a few years. Sophocles had written many plays; scholars estimated that he had written about one hundred and twenty plays yet only a few of them had remained in complete form. Yet, those plays were enough to define the immense tragedian behind the great works that were still venerated today. However, the reasons behind the popularity of Sophocles were due to his style and wit; and as many chroniclers asserted, he always surprised the audience. The plays of Sophocles were mythical and dealt with society- deviant ideas. He also asserted in his plays the act of fate in one’s life, even though many linguists had described this as force coincidence. Moreover, one of the immortal characters, aside from King Oedipus in the famous trilogy of Sophocles, was Creon. Creon was Jocasta’s brother and one of those who held the Theban throne. Laius, the King of Thebes had entrusted the throne to Creon while he was in Delphi to confer with the oracle. Meanwhile, the Sphinx and its spell had assailed the city. Creon, learning that Laius was dead, had offered the hand of her sister, Jocasta – the queen, to anyone who could solve the puzzle. Oedipus, the son of Jocasta who fled from Corinth had solved the puzzle of the Sphinx and was married to his mother. Creon had been instrumental in the fulfillment of the prophecy about Oedipus. Yet, Creon was unaware that Oedipus was the son of her sister. Moreover, Creon yielded the throne to Oedipus. He helped Oedipus in establishing and in strengthening the kingdom. He had been a constant adviser to Oedipus and had been his counter-ego. Creon was liked a brother to Oedipus that he had helped him in those troubled time where the latter was in the midst of discovering that the prophecy which he tried to escape had occurred to him. Yet, in Oedipus the King, Creon had been faithful to Oedipus. He had referred him to Teiresias, the blind prophet in order to know the cause of the plaguing of the city. However, they had known from Teiresias that the reason was Oedipus himself. Nonetheless, Oedipus had accused Creon of treason and conspiracy. Yet, Creon had denied the allegations of Oedipus, pointing out that he would not benefit in overthrowing him. Yet, Oedipus had known that the statements of Teirisias were true, so he requested Creon to put him to incarceration and exile to stop the plague that had been attacking the city. Meanwhile, he also had surrendered the throne to Creon and the latter had accepted Moreover, the character of Creon, in the play Oedipus the King by Sophocles, had been often contrasted to the character of Oedipus. Oedipus was rude in manners while Creon was temperate and kind. Oedipus was rough while Creon was gentle. Oedipus easily jumped into conclusion while Creon was somewhat logical and rational. Even though Sophocles’ Creon in Oedipus the King was mythical yet that was the ideal characteristic of a king. They should always consult the prophets and the oracles. That was the reason why Creon had consulted Teiresias, the blind prophet, regarding the plague that had been attacking the city. Yet, Oedipus was a very stubborn king. He did not believe the assertions and claims of Teiresias. He tried to assert his own will and his own power as a king. Yet, Creon had been his counsel and after realizing his follies he had yielded the throne to Creon and imposed a self-exile to him. The Creon in Sophocles’ Antigone was very different from the Creon in Oedipus the King. Even though considered as a sequel to Oedipus the King, scholars had noted a large degree of changes that had occurred to Creon in Antigone. Creon had been considered as a harsh and tyrannical character in Antigone. Yet one of the most enduring character of Creon in Antigone and Oedipus the King was his loyalty to the country. He considered sacrifice of self for the security and betterment of the state as the highest form of honor and service to the country. Yet, he was the one who sought forgiveness in the last part of Antigone, when his son had died due to his decree. Therefore, Creon in the plays of Sophocles had shown the characteristics of a good king. He had been loyal and honest to his country. He upheld the laws and the edicts strictly. He honored the gods and the deities. He honored those who served their countries well and despised those who serve as threats to the country. He had been a good family man. He was not stubborn yet he followed the orders of the prophets and the oracles. He was religious and pious. Yet, even though Friedlander (1999) had asserted that Sophocles plays were not â€Å"family entertainment,† yet the variety of characters and the style was outstanding. The way Socrates projected his play had always attracted audiences, both in his time and in the modern times. He was very creative just like the varied, changing and unique characters like Creon that he had created. References Friedlander, E. R. (1999). Enjoying â€Å"Oedipus the King† by Sophocles Retrieved May 22, 2007 from http://www. pathguy. com/oedipus. htm Sophocles. (2006). Oedipus the king. New York: Filiquarian Publishing.

What would be the effects on their markets in general and individual Essay - 1

What would be the effects on their markets in general and individual consumers in particular, of a temporary withdrawal of all media advertising by Dolce and Gabbana - Essay Example It will help in understanding how controversial advertisements reap in business profits. Theories of advertisement are discussed and practically assessed in the context of the impact of media publicity upon the consumer market of Dolce & Gabbana. Three controversial advertisements are analysed and labeled as image 1, image 2 and image 3 for making references to those ads throughout this paper. The temporary withdrawal of all media advertisements by Dolce & Gabbana can yield both positive and negative results. It will be an experimental phase, and a concrete prediction is impossible. Sales may boost up after offensive advertisements are pulled. From celebrities to the ordinary man, all are equally miffed by the luxury brand’s derogatory comments and image depictions throughout its history of brand ads. Withdrawal of ads will give an impression that the management has amended its ways and is respectful towards customers’ sentiments rather than bulldozing gender equality and nontraditional families. However, this is just one ideal scenario and the chance for this situation to meet success is rare. Advertisements have a massive contribution in constructing a brand identity, image, and global reputation. Withdrawal of media ads can prove disastrous, as the Italian fashion label has climbed the success ladder owing to its shocking advertisements. If their ad campa igns are normalized, then it will be no different from any other brand and end of controversy often suggest an end of discoveries. The impact of shocking and debatable advertisements will be investigated in dual dimensions: cultural and economic impacts. In the Dolce & Gabbana’s fall 2015 ready-to-wear show in Milan, the fashion brand had motherhood as the theme of the fashion show. It featured models carrying babies, children, and one who was heavily pregnant. This fashion house has been considering the family theme as central to its advertising subject since

Consumer behaviour 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Consumer behaviour 5 - Essay Example This is true because most cultures that were exhibited in the last century are no longer practiced today as the new ones have replaced them. Nevertheless, Falk and Falk (2005) argue that a particular society may have more than one culture at any given time. At the same time, findings showed that youths are the most expressive when it comes to understanding the modern culture of a country or society (Moor, 2003). This makes me agree with the claim that to understand contemporary culture one needs to analyze the trends of its youth. To begin with, contemporary culture can be defined as the present culture exhibited by people of a given society as opposed inherited culture (Arvidsson, 2005). Some of the typical examples of contemporary culture include modern films, new arts, music, and literature among others. ‘Understanding culture,’ therefore, implies understanding the reasons behind the creation of these new cultures (Falk and Falk, 2005). Therefore, for us to understand culture, we must consider not only the obvious features expressed in the new culture but also the issues hidden in the new culture. A typical example can be drawn by looking at the new trends taking place in the music industry. Here, one can see clearly that the new trends being developed in the music industry has their origins from youths in society as noted by Arvidsson (2005). Take, for example, the hip-hop music, which has become a very common music among the youths of this generation. Certainly, hip-hop was not a type of music for the older generation rather has its roots from young people. As a result, one can conclude with certainty that contemporary culture reflects the trends of youths since they are created by youths. Arvidsson (2005) argues that young people are very flamboyant. As such, the beliefs and trends they follow are the most evident in society as opposed to that of the older generation. At the same time, evidence shows that when a given culture arises, it is th em who accepts it first and adopt it as opposed to the older generation, which tend to be more conservative. This is another reason that suggests that the trends of the youth is critical to undemanding the contemporary culture. The fact that youths are normally open-minded makes it easy for them to be influenced easily by new cultures. Take for examples globalization that has become part of the modern culture. Falk and Falk (2005) note that today globalization has permeated all aspects of social life, with its impacts being felt mostly among youths. A case in point is the increasing popularity of foreign language teachers and colleges’ couples with the growing number of multilingual youths who have embraced the culture of traveling from one country to another and coming across different cultures (Moor, 2003). Here, one can easily see the globalization elements of contemporary culture. This example shows that one can easily understand the culture of today by analyzing movement s of young people. A closer look at history also shows that most cultural revolutions originated from youth protests. The hippie movement of the 1960’s that began in the U.S. and later one spread to the rest of the world is a classical example of a cultural revolution, whose origin can be traced back to youth unrest according to Falk and Falk (2005). This movement is said to have been formed by youths due to frustrations they went through at the hands of the middle class who were increasingly focusing

Software Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Software Engineering - Essay Example Progress tracking measurement The domains of software engineering projects are clearly defined in the knowledge areas of software engineering. Generally, it undergoes the different software engineering processes and different software engineering cycles. These knowledge areas, processes, and cycles are described in the Guide to the Software Engineering Body of Knowledge (SWEBOK), 2004 Version. Specifically, software engineering measurement undergoes the following process: 1. Establish and sustain measurement commitment, 2. Plan the measurement process, 3. Perform the measurement process, and 4. Evaluate measurement. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-6, 8-7, 8-8) In establishing and sustaining measurement commitment you need to: 1. Accept the requirements for measurement by defining the scope of measurement and committing the management and staff to measurement; and 2. Commit resources to management. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-7) In planning the measurement process you need to: 1. Identify the information needs, 2. Select measures, 3. Define data collection, analysis, and reporting procedures., 4. Define criteria for evaluating the information products, 5. Review, approve and provide resources for measurement tasks, and 6. Acquire and deploy supporting technologies. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-7, 8-8) In performing the measurement process you need to: 1. Integrate measurement procedures with relevant technologies, 2. Collect data, 3. Analyze data and develop information products, and communicate the results. (SWEBOK, 2004 p. 8-8)

The Hippies and Their Impact On Society Research Paper

The Hippies and Their Impact On Society - Research Paper Example Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, Aldous Huxley, and even J.R.R. Tolkien.2 The first signs of modern â€Å"proto-hippies† developed in Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, most notably in Germany with a countercultural youth movement called Der Wandervogel (â€Å"migratory bird†).3 Like Wandervogel, the hippie movement in the United States began as a youth movement, consisting of white teenagers and young adults between 15 and 25 years old. The word â€Å"hippie† probably derives from the word â€Å"hip.† The term â€Å"hipster† was created by jazz musician Harry Gibson in 1940, in his stage name â€Å"Harry the Hipster.† During the 40s and 50s, â€Å"hipster† was used to describe jazz musicians; in 1945, Gibson was called a â€Å"hippie† during a radio show, but it was probably a derivation of Gibson’s stage name. The term was used by journalists in the mid-1960s to refer to a new group of beatniks in San Francisco . The New York Times, for example, changed the spelling from â€Å"hippy,† which described a kind of fashion, to â€Å"hippie.† Hippies also have roots in the beatniks, a group of post-WWII writers, including Alan Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, who inspired what came to be called the Beat Generation. Central to the beatniks was experimentation with drugs and alternative forms of sexuality, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, non-conformity, and spontaneous creativity. As the beatnik movement expanded, it moved from New York City to San Francisco, where it was incorporated into the hippie movement. Hippie culture spread throughout the world through rock music, folk, blues, and psychedelic rock, as well as through literature, drama, fashion, film, rock concert posters, and album covers. By 1968, hippies in the U.S. had become a significant minority, accounting for almost 0.2% of the population. The hippie movement, along with the New Left and Civil Rights, can best be understood as a dissenting group of the 1960s counterculture. Its members rejected established institutions, criticized middle class values, and opposed nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War. Hippies adopted some parts of Eastern philosophy, championed sexual freedom, used psychedelic drugs like LSD to expand their consciousness, were often vegetarians, embraced the beginnings of the environmental movement, and created communes. They expressed their culture through performance theater, a rt, folk music, and psychedelic rock. They supported an ideology that included peace, love, and personal freedom that was best expressed by the song â€Å"All You Need is Love† by The Beatles, whom many hippies embraced as spokesman of their ideals. Like the Beats, hippies rejected much of mainstream society, but unlike the Beat, they wanted to change society by expressing their ideology and through modeling different ways of behaving.4 The peak of the hippie movement occurred in 1967 in San Francisco. Young people converged to the city, first during the outdoor Human Be-in in January, when 20,000 hippies gathered in Golden Gate Park, to the Monterey Pop Festival in June, which marked the beginning of â€Å"the Summer of Love.† Young people from all over the world were inspired to come to San Francisco, especially the Haight-Asbury

Engineering Practice Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Engineering Practice - Assignment Example This essay stresses that ethics is a normative science which differs in some way with the positive science. The science which is studied in laboratories of the universities is described as the positive science. Positive science is depicted as what we observe through our eyes or through other sensory organs. There is another science which does not directly deals with the observation rather it is based on the standard of rules and norms by which certain objects are judged, this science is known as normative science. Normative science is also responsible for testing the validity of the set standard of rules. This paper declares that a person gets his ethical principles and values form the moral education at home, lessons taught at school or in some special religious training. Some people also acquire the principles and values from the messages of society via radio, television, newspaper, books and magazines. Some of the individuals also acquire values and principles through real life experiences. Engineering and management are both relevant areas of study. Now Engineering can be defined as a profession where there is knowledge of mathematics and natural science gained through theoretical, practical studies and experience, is applied to develop different forces of nature for the welfare of people. Management can be defined as a process of planning, designing and controlling the environment in which persons, working together in group, successfully accomplishes their desired goals. (Weihrich & Koontz, 2006, p.5-6). Control plays an effective role in the management of an enterprise. An organ isation comprises of different types of employees on the basis of their needs, want and interest, in that area management control creates coordination and give directions (Flamholtz, 1996, p.4-6). Ethical Issues Ethics in workplace is the set of values and beliefs which guides an employee.

Computer Architecture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Computer Architecture - Essay Example Von Neumann Architecture Von Neumann’s ideas are significant as they inspired the making of EDVAC computer back in 1952. The construction of Manchester Mark I computer preceded that of EDVAC. To Von Neumann, an efficient electronic computer would contain four main elements. These are the arithmetic logic unit, control unit, memory and input-output devices. In his architecture, Von Neumann moved if an efficient general purpose computer was to be made it is imperative to give it exemplary ability to store data and the intermediate outcomes of computation. On top of this, it is important to enable the computer to keep the instructions and commands given in carrying out whatever computation (Cragon, 2000). To achieve this, Von Neumann proposed that it is necessary to encode computer instructions in numeric form and enable the computer to store these instructions and their data in the same memory. The control unit help execute coded instructions saved in computer memory. Arithmetic unit performs arbitrary subsets of certain arithmetic operations. Von Neumann argued that operation speed, cheapness and simplicity of a machine should determine the economy of the arithmetic unit. Arithmetic unit accesses information from registers so as to be able to manipulate values. Data and program code reside in a computer’s memory. Input and output are enables a computer to communicate with the outside environment. Today’s input and output functions have improved on Von Neumann’s ideas and some take place within the computer (Null & Lobur, 2012). System bus There are wires found in the main board. It is these wires that interlink chips and devices plugged in the mainboard. The bus is the collectivity of these wires. The width of the bus goes with the number of wires. Data bus almost always contains wires in multiples of eight. Besides data wires, there are additional wires that help the computer in signaling and control. Bus throughput capability is the product of the speed of the bus clock (hertz) and the width of the bus (bits). Devices connected to the mainboard communicate via the bus. Bus arbitration is the method used to adjudicate the chance for each device to get access to the bus. Devices of high priority including processor and RAM get preference in accessing the bus (Cragon, 2000). These high priority devices have few interrupts. The control channel signals interrupts. Interrupt signals help interrupt CPU’s tasks in order to attention to whatever event that may occur. The CPU handles interrupt requests with respect to priority of their device. High priority devices have low interrupt numbers. In the past, bus arbitration has advanced over the years so that the computer does not need to arbitrate the bus. Direct memory access allows devices to insert or get data into or out of computer memory. The system bus has several functions. All types of buses allow sharing of data amongst the peripherals connected to the co mputer (Null & Lobur, 2012). System bus helps in addressing. Addressing helps in sending data to and from particular memory sections. System bus supplies power to different computer peripherals. It is the work of the bus to provide system clock that helps in synchronizing computer peripherals with other elements in the system. The use of Boolean operators in computer-based calculations Boolean operators can be used in the

Creations of Ancient Egypt Visual Art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Creations of Ancient Egypt Visual Art - Essay Example This perfection in art brings out the fact that to some extent the art these people create shaped and formed them to become who they are. The Egyptian sculptures and paintings portrayed nature and everyday activities like hunting sprees, family life, and daily chores among others. Apart from the paintings and sculptures, relief art was also used mostly to show all forms of activities from feasting to working, and from learning to dance and so on. Art formed a very vital component of the Egyptian’s lifestyle, through it they learned to adorn themselves with beauty and enhance their lives in the world by using elegant jewelry, finely carved furniture, and other cosmetic vessels. The great influence of art in the Egyptian culture at this time can be attributed to the strong art base that was instituted in previous kingdoms. The previous kingdoms and specifically the old Egyptian kingdom saw the birth of some of the most sophisticated forms of arts never seen in history. It is in this time period that hieroglyphic writing reached its sophistication with other techniques of craft being developed to a high level of professionalism. Ever since this time Egyptian art has become the epitome of the importance of religion and a means of offering respect to death and the dead. Art was esteemed in nearly all spheres making it possible for it to influence and to some level create the Egyptian, culture and belief system. Lloyd argues that the Egyptian art influenced almost everything ranging from their day to day activities to major events and ceremonies.

Compare the structure and activities of a public sector or not for Assignment

Compare the structure and activities of a public sector or not for profit organisation with a similar organisation in the privat - Assignment Example INTRODUCTION Private sector and public sector organizations differ in the way they are managed and operated. The way they are structured helps to facilitate goal achievement. This report compares the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) with Westpac Banking Corporation (Westpac). Reserve Bank of Australia RBA is Australia’s central bank. The objectives of the Bank are set out in its policies – ensuring that the monetary and banking policies are advantageous to the people of Australia (Reserve Bank of Australia 3). In so doing the policies of the bank are designed to ensure stability of Australia’s currency, facilitate full employment; and contribute to economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people. RBA has a Governor and Deputy Governor as well as a number of boards, committees, groups and departments. They all have their relevant functions which facilitate the proper management of the Bank. The structure of the organization is shown in the organization cha rt in Appendix 1. The Boards include the Reserve Bank Board and the Payments System Board. The Reserve Bank Board has responsibility for monetary and banking related polices while the Payments Systems Board is responsible for polices relating to the payments system. The Governor is the Chairman for both Boards with the Deputy Governor as Deputy Chairman for the Reserve Bank Board. The committees of RBA include the Executive Committee; the Audit Committee; the Remuneration Committee; and the Risk Management Committee. The forum for discussions among heads of functional departments and the Governor and Deputy Governor is provided by the executive committee. The audit committee is chaired by a non-executive board and this should help facilitate the level of independence that is required of members of this committee. The Remuneration Committee is also a committee of the Reserve Bank Board and is drawn from the non-executive members of that Board. The Risk Management Committee is chaired by the Deputy Governor and its responsibility is that of identifying and managing those risks that are not policy related, across the bank. The Groups consists of the Banking and Payments Group; the Corporate Services; the Currency; the Economic; the Financial Markets; and the Financial System Groups. All of these groups have one or more departments that fall under their remit. They provide a range of services for institution. The Banking and Payments Group consists of two departments – the Banking Department and the Payments Settlements Department. The function of the Banking Department includes the provision of a special range of banking and registry services to the departments of the Australian Government, overseas central banks and official institutions. The Payments and Settlements Department on the other hand has the responsibility of settling high valued payments and inter-bank obligations which result ‘from the conduct of Exchange Settlement Accounts andâ€℠¢ the RBA’s own trading activities. Other responsibilities of the Bank and Settlement Department include the operations of the Reserve Bank Information and Transfer System (RITS) which is Australia’s real time gross settlement (RTGS) system. RBA’s Corporate Services Group consists of the Facilities Management Department; the Financial Administration Department; and the Systems and Technology Department (Reserve Bank of

Good human development indicators and globalization in Kerala Essay Example for Free

Good human development indicators and globalization in Kerala Essay Introduction Thesis: Globalization has caused more problems than advantages to the state of Kerala Much has been written about globalization and its effects on our world. In fact, no corner of the modern world, except in some extreme cases, has escaped the good and bad effects of globalization. On the brighter side globalization involves an increased openness in the international business relations, an integration of markets on a worldwide basis, and a movement toward a borderless world. The sources of globalization are varied and include the technological advances and liberalization of trade policies brought into force over the past decades. Of all the effects of globalization, the chief source effect is the technological advances that have significantly lowered the costs of transportation and communication and dramatically lowered the costs of data processing and information storage and retrieval. Electronic mail, the Internet, and the World Wide Web are some of the manifestations of this new technology. While these are the more evident aspect of globalization, the meeting of minds across the constraints of culture and language has also become a reality The impact of globalization and internationalism on society is also huge. Today everybody talks about the ‘global village’ and nations on either side of the globe are just hours away from each other. Cities are expanding by the hour and the new technologies that are impacting us are creating a unified world culture; what many would like to call as the brave new world. In retrospect, is this new culture based on bravery or untamed consumerism? World cultures are being annihilated by the wave of crass consumerism and scant regard for values. The populations of today have lesser family values and more internal strife, which threatens to tear apart social order. Violence due to the lack of family and supportive values are reducing a whole generation to waste. People are being tempted to think beyond their means, and the end result is that the family has become the casualty. Today we have individualistic aspirations and the feeling of I is strongest in people. The stress on We is almost non-existent. Economically also, there is a terrible imbalance in the world. We see a few nations that are well off economically and the majority does not have enough even to feed their people. We see increased migrations from poor populations to rich economies. Lack of economic power compels these migrants to be dominated by the rich and the influential. One of the many advantages of globalization is the fact that cultures across the world could interact with each other and help each other in integrating with each other. It is only natural that such interactions and the inculcation of modern ideas and interaction will bring about so many changes that come into conflict with the existing norms and belief systems of a society. In fact, the ability to assimilate productive changes and the capacity to discard beliefs that are detrimental to the interest of the society are the essential qualities of a good social order. If a society allows itself to be dominated by beliefs that are not in tune with the needs and aspirations of the changing times, one cannot say that it is a progressive society. On the other hand, it must also be said that a society that is open to change without considering the detrimental effects that such a change can make in the long run will not add quality to that society. Hence, ideally there needs to be a balance between age old ideas that form the foundation of the society on which modern progressive ideas needs to be implemented The position of Kerala in the world scenario The tiny state of Kerala, which is located in the southern most end of India, has a place of its own in the global map of developed regions. In many respects, this tiny spec of land and its population has been able to assimilate the good values of globalization while mostly rejecting its evils even though the undesirable effects of globalization are for everyone to see in the state. The so-called ‘Kerala Model of Development’ was a few years before a role model in developing and shaping a society. (Devi, Lakshmy K R, (2002). Education, Health and Women’s Empowerment – Kerala’s Experience in Linking the Triad). Kerala has demonstrated that social development is not always linked to economic superiority. Many human development indicators in Kerala are in par or above international standards and all of them cannot be attributed to globalization, which is a relatively new happening in India. For example, Kerala’s infant mortality rate comes close to Ireland, which leads the world in this respect (Richard, Douthwaite. (2002). Kerala and Quality of Life – Interesting Richard Douthwaite Article). Similarly, life expectancy is much higher than some of the advanced nations of the world. There are many other factors, both social and political that has helped the state achieve a level of human development indicators that matches the best nations in the world. Progressive redistribution measures like land reforms, and a wide network of the public distribution system has helped the state lay a strong foundation of social upliftment (Franke, Richard W and Chasin, Barbara H. (1995). Kerala State: A Social Justice Model). Similarly, welfare oriented policies of the state government, especially with regard to education and minimum wage, and the role of a socially engaged population has also helped the state to achieve a place of its own in the global scenario. (Akash, K apur. (1998). Poor but Prosperous. Jean, Dreze and Amartya, Sen. (2002). India: Development and Participation). It should also be noted that Kerala, which has only a fraction of the buying power of most advanced nations, has been able to devise a culture that utilizes its resources in an efficient manner. The one single factor that has made Kerala such a success story is perhaps the level of education that Keralites enjoy. With a 100 percent literacy rate and a high level of women literacy, it is not a surprise that Kerala has been able to assimilate the good effects of social and individual development. (Antrobus, P. and Christiansen-Ruffman, L. (1999). Women Organizing Locally and Globally: Development Strategies, Feminist Perspectives. Lourdes, Beneria and Gita, Sen. (1997). Accumulation, Reproduction and Women’s Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited). Effects of globalization in Kerala It must be said that globalization has affected Kerala in both good and bad ways. Even though Kerala has been able to resist some of the destructive effects of globalization, it is not immune to the thrust that globalization has been having on the state. The most important aspect of globalization is that the state has become a hotspot for consumerist tendencies. Evidences indicate that the state is more a consumer than a producer. Agriculture is almost dead in the once thriving green belt of India and over exploitation of resource is the norm of the society. With a high percentage of Non Resident Indians who are responsible for one of the largest foreign remittances in the world, it is not surprising that the economy of the state is more and more dependent on its citizens working abroad than within it . In the job sector, the state has not been able to provide the required levels of employment to its youth and this has in turn affected the social milieu of the state. The increasing social unrest is often attributed to dissatisfied informed youngsters who wants to match their facilities in par with the modern world, but do not have the means to do so. Â  Criticism has also been raised on intellectual property rights and other similar issues, which are also a fallout of globalization. The western world is in a hurry to patent many processes and medicines, especially the indigenous system of medicine in Kerala called Ayurveda, in spite of the fact that these systems have been transferred across many generations in the state. Recently, farmers in Kerala protested against WTO practices that prevented them from conducting their traditional farming practices. All this indicates that the process of globalization in not smooth in the country and that there is much resistance to change from within the state. The potential of Kerala in the new world Experts opine that Kerala, with its unique resources, both natural and human, have certain potentialities to match the increasing effects of globalization. (Nair, A. Balakrishan. (1994). The Government and Politics of Kerala. Structure, Dynamics and Development). The core difference between a manufacturing industry and a service-oriented industry is not only restricted to the way in which business is carried out, but also extends to various dimensions such as its organizational culture. Companies that have made a transition from a predominantly manufacturing-industry attitude to a service-industry attitude have had to adjust to the phenomenal changes in attitude and culture that goes along with the change. Perhaps, the most important factor that comes into play is how human resources are attuned to respond to the challenges posed by such transitions. Companies that have undergone the transition can provide knowledge on the change to companies that are planning for such a change. A service oriented organization has to create, manage and advance its cultural values in order to cope up with the specific challenges that are posed to it by factor such as location and local culture. It is in this context that cultural values in Kerala attain significance with regard to service-oriented institutions. Within the past two decade, Kerala has increasingly cemented its position as one of the ‘must-see’ tourist locations in India. Kerala, which was rather obscure to the foreign tourist and even to the Indian traveler, shot into fame only about 10-20 years ago because of a concerted effort by the state government and private operators. The state, which had, and still has, a lot of unexploited tourism potential is one of the most popular destinations in the world and each year an ever increasing number of people are flocking into this state to relish its beauty and rich varied culture. Tourism, which has developed into an industry status in the state has attained the status because of globalization. It is believed that tourism is one of the most prominent symbols of globalization in the state. In terms of other factors that encourage business, a survey by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) (Kerala government policy. (2006)), which covered 18 states in India, indicates that Kerala stands 13th as far as its investment climate is concerned. However, Kerala ranks first in law and order and education, and ranks high as far as affluence and social sector are concerned. All this indicates without doubt that Kerala has all the potential to attract foreign investment. However, recent event shows that that consumer debt is increasing since the past decade or so. More advertisements that speak about debt consolidation and take-over of existing debts are a definite indicator of the amount of debts that the average consumer owes to different credit companies in the country. Debts in the farm sector, which has been the worst hit industry because of globalization, is increasing and recently Kerala reported many deaths due to poverty and debts. Many experts believe that bad credit management happens because people are carried away by the features that are offered by modern financial institutions. (Pillai, P. Gopinadan. (1999). Left Movement and Agrarian Relations in Kerala). Kerala’s stature with regard to globalization Detractors of globalization argue that much has changed in the state that had been a model of development to the world. Today, reports show that the economy of the state is in tatters and that the advantages that the state had in terms of social equality and distribution has been whiled away. Advantages that the natives had gained as an agrarian and self-reliant economy had been wasted in favor of consumerist attitudes. Social and political indicators point to the fact that the state has undergone a sea change in terms of development and expansion. Today, Kerala is a tourist hub and is developing in a manner that is similar to other third world tourist destinations such as Thailand and Singapore. The social system has broken down and people are no more connected to each other as a few decades before. Kerala is unique politically because it had instilled one of the first democratically elected communist regimes in India. It must be said that the spirit of the communist ideology is fairly deep rooted in the state. The ideologies of the pioneers of the communism in the state are also largely responsible for the social improvements that the state has so far witnessed. The communists in Kerala, as in other parts of the world are strictly against globalization and capitalist motives in the state. They argue that globalization takes away a lion’s share of autonomy and that the effects of globalization will further deepen the divide between the deprived and the affluent classes. The loss of autonomy, especially in the farm sector, as evidenced by the recent global against the WTO regimes lends credence to the argument of the communists in Kerala. The communist ideology that globalization, which they infer as hegemony of capitalist nations over poor countries, will deepen the divided between the poor and the affluent is also true to some extent considering the fact that open market policies and regulations, which are by products of globalization will remove a lot of protection that investors used to enjoy previously. Other challenges in maintaining social welfare in Kerala Ironically, economic factors are one of the major facts that could affect social welfare in the state of Kerala. Without the flow of money that critics attribute as the ill effects of globalization, social order in Kerala will be very much affected and governments will find it difficult to maintain social order in the state. For example, many experts have mentioned that Kerala in its zeal to maintain its position with regard to health and education has incurred huge deficits that cannot be easily solved without the advantages of globalization. Similarly, the ageing population of Kerala will cause productivity to drop in the near future and it will become mandatory to attract and retain young blood in the state to take care of its own resources and guide development in the state. Globalization has also helped to rectify some of the past mistakes of the leftist governments who were also responsible for driving the winds of change in the society. Conclusion The state of Kerala has been able to so far select the advantages derived from globalization and reject most of the bad effects it might bring to a country’s overall economy. However, it will not be long before the state will start succumbing to pure market-oriented practices that can destroy the carefully created social advantages the state enjoys today. The advantages that the state enjoys today as a model state is not a fallout of globalization, but were achieved even much before foreign investors invested in independent India. The general degradation of quality in many aspects of social life and the huge cultural changes that the state is going through can be directly attributed to globalization. Hence, it is imperative that globalization is accepted in it right perspective and applied in order to ensure that the state maintains its inherent advantages while becoming a global role model in many more spheres. The state has much to offer in terms of both its rich cultural heritage and highly proficient workforce but if it doesn’t stride in the right path, the negative effects of globalization might hamper its economical and social progress. Work Cited Devi, Lakshmy K R, (2002). Education, Health and Women’s Empowerment – Kerala’s Experience in Linking the Triad. Department of Economics: University of Calicut. Franke, Richard W and Chasin, Barbara H. (1995). Kerala State: A Social Justice Model. Multinational Monitor. India: Open for Business. 2 Mar. 2007 http://multinationalmonitor.org/hyper/mm0795.08.html. Akash, Kapur. (1998). Poor but Prosperous. The Atlantic Online. 2 Mar. 2007 http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/98sep/Kerala.htm. Antrobus, P. and Christiansen-Ruffman, L. (1999). Women Organizing Locally and Globally: Development Strategies, Feminist Perspectives . London New York: Zed Books. Lourdes, Beneria and Gita, Sen. (1997). Accumulation, Reproduction and Women’s Role in Economic Development: Boserup Revisited. Nova Scotia: Fernwood Publishing Company Ltd. Jean, Dreze and Amartya, Sen. (2002). India: Development and Participation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Ester, Boserup. (1970). Women’s Role in Economic Development. London: Unwin Ltd. Richard, Douthwaite. (2002). Kerala and Quality of Life – Interesting Richard Douthwaite Article. 2 Mar. 2007 http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/ecol-econ/msg03825.html. Gemma, Cairo. (2001). State and Society Relationships in Kerala: Explaining the Kerala Experience. Asia Survey. 41 (4): 669-692. Nair, A. Balakrishan. (1994). The Government and Politics of Kerala. Structure, Dynamics and Development. Thiruvanthapuram: Indira Publications. Kerala government policy. 2 Mar. 2007 http://www.kerala.gov.in/annualprofile/ind.htm. Pillai, P. Gopinadan. (1999). Left Movement and Agrarian Relations in Kerala. The Eastern Anthropologist. 15 (3): 237-246.

Business Simulation Exercise In The European Car Industry

Business Simulation Exercise In The European Car Industry The movement of pricing, vis-à  -vis the budgeted pricing is being considered next. It is seen that the budgeted pricing for A-Star was  £12,169.15 while that Plush was  £16,909.69. However over the next three periods, there have been fluctuations in the price movements as envisaged in Table 1 shown in Appendix. Thus over the period there has been an average of 6% increase in prices of A-Star and around 2% in that of Plush. These could be attributed to increases in material prices and labour which shall be taken up shortly. This could also be due to competitors increasing prices which have impacted on this business also. Forecast and Results: Production figures have been estimated at 1% of the 11.25 market share. The total market share and not the market shares as per individual age groups have been taken into account, primarily because city cars are preferred by all age groups and not restricted to any one age group. Round 1: Estimated Sales: This has been estimated by multiplying forecasted production with selling prices per unit; The Depreciation factor has not been considered, since for the first year, it is not necessary to consider cost of manufacturing fixed assets from selling prices. Bank Balance: The Companys financial strength is indicated by its bank balance. However, in this case it needs to be seen that bank balance needs to improve. Unsold stock: The question of any unsold stocks does not arise since all cars that were manufactured were sold out during the year. Gross Margin: No account of inflation has been considered during the first year of operations. Market Share: We have under produced the cars, when compared to other competitors, thus leading to lower market share. Round 2: Estimated Sales: 83% of A-Stars Production and 100% Plushs production has been fully sold out. Bank Balance: Excess of expenditure over incomes has resulted in negative bank balance. Adverse cash balance has necessitated infusion of fresh doze of bank loan. Unsold stock: There were unsold stocks of A-Star forming around 17% of production. It is hoped this would be sold during the next Round Gross Margin: the result for both was 21% but we estimated gross margin 25% for city car and 23% for medium car, so we were an unsold car for city car, which affected our gross margin actual results. Market Share: Market share needs to be improved by gaining better inroads into markets and increasing visibility and sale of cars. It could be through advertising campaigns. Forecast and Results 3: Pricing : We added two new options to care. This is to match options provided by competitors who were doing better business with these add-ons .There have been price increases in finished goods, since, due to the impact of inflation, wage bill has increased from  £425 to  £430. Production : Since there were aspects of unsold stocks, productions of cars were reduced this year although the numbers of workers were the same and the output was the same. However there was greater production. Gross Margins: : the result for city car was 25%and for medium car is 21%, but we estimated gross margin 29% for city car and 24% for medium car, so we were an unsold car for city car, which affected our gross margin actual results. Unsold stocks: Since our prices were relatively higher than that of our competitors, there were unsold stocks. Market share: All cars produced could not be sold because of high pricing. This also resulted in lower market share. Thus, selling prices needed to be brought at par with that of competitors. Sales: We increased the production, and since we produced more, we were able to sell more and gain better sales figures. Post Tax Profits: While production forecasts were lower than actual, the factory producton had not changed. Thus, more production of cars led to more materials and labour costs. Opening stocks were however not considered while calculating post tax profits. We sold lesser number of cars although we produced more, resulting in stocks, and also higher material costs. Results of Round 4: Sales: We redesigned the car options in order to remain in market- and reduced the selling prices of cars. This resulted in increase in the gross margins and medium size cars had a good market. Production: Factory output was at 60% Gross Margins: the result for city car was 15%and for medium car is 15%, but we estimated gross margin 24% for city car and 24% for medium car, so we were an unsold car for city car, which affected our gross margin actual results. Unsold Stocks: Competitors have better brand image, better market share and improved popularity Market Share: Similar to Round 3 Post Tax Profits: Error in calculating interest rates in current account and interest on loans. Summary of Financial Results : From a examination of Table 5 8 appendixed at the end of this study, it is evident that all is not going too smoothly for this auto making company. For one thing, its margins have been decreasing and even the Post Tax Profits are showing losses at the end of Round 4. This is all the more intriguing when one considers that there has been consistent increase in production over the Rounds. Thus, the most sensible thing for the company to do at this stage is to reduce production rationally and concentrate on producing only such products that are money spinners and could earn handsome profits for the company in latter years. There is no use of increasing inventory and carrying costs by producing cars that do not have a ready market, or in expectations of revenues that may not occur. Coming to market share, it may be seen that some aspects of this ratio are market driven and may not be controllable by the company. However, it is necessary that Sound Marketing Strategies need to be made that could address aspects of a sagging bottom line and reducing market share in competitive auto making markets. Non-financial results: Coming to the non-financial aspects, it is evidenced that the number of work force has increased from the initial 391 for A-Star and 475 for Plush, total of 866 employees according to the budgeted estimates. However the strength of the work force in the subsequent rounds is as shown in Table 2 in Appendix From the above, it is quite evident that there has been an excess use of work force as compared to the budgetary figures. Coming to capacity utilization while in the First and Second Round, there has been 100% capacity utilization, during the third round, it is just 65% of total. Regarding promotional activity expenses, it is evidenced that while the budgetary figure of  £60M have been maintained in the First and Second round, in the Third round this has increased to  £80M, an increase of  £20M. Present scenario in the car manufacturing scenario in Europe: It is also seen that, economic recession has severely affected the European car industry and therefore a clearer picture could only emerge if and when the recession fades away and the business economies are realised perhaps after 2010 or so. Over the past five years, there has been a slowdown in economic output across the EU. Weak growth has led to reduced consumer and business confidence. Industrial production, including the production of durable consumer goods, has declined. This has impacted severely on the car industry, given the cars status as the ultimate consumer and fashion item, as well as the importance of engineering and design in the manufacturing process. Average profit margins have declined from around 10% in the 1960s to less than 5% today, and some volume car makers are actually losing money. (EMCC Dossier on the European Automotive Industry, 2004). A business study of this kind needs to also consider economic and non-economic factors like rate of inflation, GDP, industry growth, taxation, availability of spares, etc. in order to be viable and competitive in global car markets. Segmentation and business opportunities in developing countries also needs to be seen as also the need for exploring exports in high growth areas. The non-economic factors like customer trends and preferences, road conditions and liking for the product are also major issues, especially when automakers are vying each other not only in technical competence but also in market sharing and target realization. Under such circumstances, costs, pricing, attitudes and selling stratagems all play crucial roles in determining the business opportunities and its future impact on business, especially in changing and volatile markets. The need for business projections and target setting in areas of production, sales, finance and human relations are crucial in the highly competitive auto making industry. Critical reflection on teachings: The teaching and the analyzing are interrelated they both find the guidance as the useful tool in the analysis and in the final conclusion. The learning can be successful only when the different traits and the complexities are understood properly by the guide and the knowledge can be proven beyond the boundaries. The critical reflection has the major role on the education and it is its major objective. The model of the critical reflection is shown which was put forward by meziro, for the explaining of the critical behaviour exhibited in Table 3 in Appendix The reflection is the analyzing or the forecasting of the future period by the decision making approach with the complicated and the interrelated schema. Learning as an important tool: The learning can be considered as an important tool for the analysis of the different departments in the business game and the various functions of the same. To analyze the proper functioning of the different departments are vital to know whether the business game is a success in the different trait and whether the departments suits the requirement. HR Department: The HR department is the one which deals with the people as the asset of the organization, the people related activities and the contribution by the people to the organization. It is the strategic approach to the goal settings and the functions of the management. In the study of the department is considered the strength of the employees were considered to be less than 1000, during the start up but by the growth of the company and by the innovation the strength of the employees has reached upto 4000.The study of the departments are considered by the employees turnover and the capacity of the production output by the employees in the organization. The loan facility that are acquired for the different operations and for the benefit of the employee. Professionalism of the Human Resource (HR) department is implied to be twofold implications. A professional HR practitioner has a collective professional role to play to enhance the HR occupation. (HR Department Professionalism: A Comparison Between the UK and Other European Countries, 2005). Operations Department: The operations department consists of the operations performed in the car industry, the operation starts from the purchase of the raw materials to the process and to the finished goods to the dispatching of the product is the duty of the operations department that has to be monitored. The different operation technique like the JIT and the six sigma process are done in for the efficiency of the operation department for the competitive advantage. Focused research studies that advance the theory and practice of operations management. OMR is a rigorous, double-blind peer-reviewed journal that is oriented toward fast reviews and publication of high-quality research that makes a clear contribution to the science and practice of operations management in todays global institutions. (Meredith and McMullen, n.d). Marketing department: The marketing department consists of the marketing of the manufactured cars to the customers with good promotion techniques and tactics like the offers to find the increased sales and the revenue. The main idea is to promote the product to the customer but the proper market analysis and the research has to be conducted to make the product a success.The qualitative and the quantitative research are to be conducted to have a thorough analysis for the same for finding out the demand for the product and the forecast about the market. Statistics provide traders with the detailed information needed to make focused decisions; only a complete market analysis can provide the story behind the numbers. (Market Analysis, 2010). Financial department: The financial department consists of the analysis of the financial data and the analysis of the cash flow and the fund flow of the company as the whole, the accounts personnel are to be hired as the financial controller where they have the ultimate control for the finance and the different kind of the financial aspects.The different pricing mechanism to be treated as the payback period to be made short and analysing of the different pricing ratios to be done,The fixed assets should be increased and the company turn over should be increased. The different tools are used for the analysis of the finance aspects. The commonly used ratios are the instant financial analysis, accounting ratios, and financial statement analysis tools, with industry ratios tools and accounting ratios. (My Business Analyst (MBA), 2010). If the game was played once more the performance can be improvised to much extend because the first game can lack the experience and the usage of the certain tools can be used more.The safety aspects can be considered more and the competitor analysis are to be done,The car industry can also go for the hybrid variety of cars in the industry as they are the common variety in demand ,the company also go for the variety of the alternative propulsion vehicle and electric vehicle which can add on the variety to the category of the brand. The completeness in the collection and the analysis may also have some of the inadequacy as a result of the lack of experience in the field. Business game is the practical tool to practice and understand business and its challenges, threats and opportunities. Business games help to identify oneself as the core part of the business and managing the situations. Regardless of the size of business you are in whether a large corporation, a small company, or even a home-based business effective communication skills are essential for success. (Improve your Communication Skills, 2010). The communication is very important in a business; It is the effectiveness in the company which contribute for the overall growth and the prospectus of the company and the smooth functioning of the different departments in the organization irrespective of the functions in the departments, The World of Business Communication: Every businesss aim is to gain profits. Whatever be the type of business you are in; the bottom line is that you must earn something from it. (The world of Business Communication, 2010). It is through the communication that the operations are handled effectively and efficiently. The business game is usually to improve the performance and to boost up the skills of selling, marketing and the operations. Theres a lot of confusion about team building event days. Often it is seen as an exercise to boost morale, to help workers bond better, and as a fun day out at the companys expense. (Rose, 2010). The additions for the improvement in the company are the guidance at the each of the steps for the avoiding of the mistakes and the error correction at the each level. The reference to the previous business game which are a success, The each step of the activities should be conducted in a team. The open discussion should be conducted in order to have various opinions regarding the business and the management and the brainstorming ideas from the team mates. It involves the activities to be conducted and the Free team building activities, exercises and ideas are for building teams and teamwork, corporate employee motivation, personal development, ice-breakers, energizers, and more serious learning and personal development. (Chapman, 2010). (References:The all round 1 and 3 and the graphs for the understanding of the companys performance). Team Performance: A critical evaluation of the performance of the team For every organization there will be a set of team responsible for particular activities within the organization. Team represents a set of people working together towards accomplishing a set of predetermined goals and objectives. Effective, productive teams of all types have a positive impact on bottom line results and organizational success. (Cornelius, 2006, p.1) The important works were allocated to these four members. These team members were Yi Jiang, Adnan Hasan, Shanu Jain and Fawaz Khalid Ansari. All these members have performed in such a way that this enabled the organization to achieve it goals. They altogether took the decisions related to the various operational areas. The functions allocated to each member and their roles being in a team are explained as follows; Yi Jiang  was responsible for look after the marketing department. His duty was to design the marketing research programs and to give instructions and appropriate guidance to his team members. He used to prepare slides for presentation in the team. After conducting marketing research he decides the promotion strategy that has to be implemented for their product to become successful in the market. He was having a clear idea about the European market conditions and based on those ideas he gave appropriate suggestions related to the production quantity and the percentage of market share that has to be captured by the company. He was the person who gave the idea to produce city and medium sized cars. He helped me in the operations department by deciding the quantity of products that has to be produced by the company. The company was having huge stock that was not sold in both the second and the third round. This was a great problem for the company. For solving this problem he provided an excellent idea to redesign the car. This was decided in the fourth round and the result was outstanding. Adnan Hasan was responsible to manage the finance department. He was responsible to handle all the financial operations of the company in all departments specifically the accounts department. Deciding the finance required for each activity is not an easy task and he was much capable person to give all financial instructions to the company. He has helped the operations department by stating the quantity to be produced by the firm and also provided the accurate number of human resources required for the operations department. Shanu Jain was responsible to look after the human resource department within the organization. She is a person who is very talented and highly committed towards the work. She was responsible to conduct the meetings within the organization. She prepared the agenda and the minutes of the meeting conducted between the team members from all the departments. Inorder to smoothen the team work a team charter was created by Shanu Jain Date Attendance Discussion 17-11-2009 100% Decision related to market segment and selected the design and options. 18-11-2009 100% Decision related to pricing of cars. 20-11-2009 100% Estimating the production units and sales value. 22-11-2009 100% Forecasting the profit and the cash flow and designing decision form. NX0441 Managing for Sustainable Competitive Advantage In the second round she found that the productivity of the employees has been reduced and for solving that problem she suggested to increase the wages of the worker. This resulted in an increase in the productivity among the employees and it was found in the following rounds.. The last key member is Fawaz Khalid Ansari and that is me. I was the team leader for the operation department and i was responsible to handle the operations department within the organization since I am a mechanical engineering graduate. I took the decisions related to the quantity of output to be produced by the company. I gave my complete effort to give my best to the team and thereby to the organization. With my available knowledge about the cars and the latest trends in the European market I helped the marketing department to understand the consumer behaviour with respect to the car market. I also helped my team, members to create excellent designs for the cars. I suggested an idea to purchase a single factory and give the maximum from it. As a key team member in the organization I took the decision to produce less at the first stage and this was a great help for the firm, because till round 2 the company was having many stocks that were not sold. All the activities that have to be performed by each team members are prepared in a chart and it is termed as team charter. Every team will have a particular charter and it will be in a written format. The charter typically includes a statement of mission, objectives or statement of work; background; authority, boundary conditions (scope, constraints, resources, and schedule); membership; high-level requirements or specifications, and interface responsibilities. (Project Management Training and Resources: Team Charter, 2009). I realised that the team work increases the level of motivation. This encourages members to work hard for the benefit of the team and the team is motivated because its members get their emotional and intellectual needs met by the team. (Working in Teams, 2010). The most important benefit for all the team members is that they will realise the value of a group work. In a teamwork environment, people understand and believe that thinking, planning, decisions and actions are better when done cooperatively. People recognize, and even assimilate, the belief that none of us is as good as all of us.  (Heathfield, 2010). All the decisions that are taken with respect to each department within the organization have its own significance in achieving the target of the organization. Conclusion: This is a business management game where the team members are asked to select and start a business and they have to sell the product. Various discussions have been held at different levels. It was able to learn a lot of things from this work. The participation of the team members towards a common goal was the major attraction of this game. From this game it was also able to understand how a team is working towards the predetermined goal for achieving the organizational goal. The important objective of the team members was to increase the value of the shareholder. For accomplishing this objective the team has listed out various steps that have to be followed. There is a team leader who is responsible to guide all the performance that is performed by the other team members.

Scene Analysis Of America Beauty Film Studies Essay

Scene Analysis Of America Beauty Film Studies Essay American Beauty is a film written by Alan Ball and directed by Sam Mendes in the year 2000. The film is about Lester Burnham , who is searching for happiness. Lester Burnham is an ordinary-looking man in his forties. Lester is in a loveless marriage because his wife, Carolyn Burnham, who thinks that success is the most important thing in life, neglects him due to her obsession to her real estate career. In the film, Lester often mentions that Carolyn doesnt acknowledge him. Lesters daughter, Jane Burnham, is emotionally distant from her father, and often claims how pathetic she thinks Lester is. In the beginning of the film, Lester was told that he was in danger of losing his job. All these factors dramatically culminate into feelings of desperation and vulnerability for him. This begins to change as Lester is introduced to his daughters friend, Angela Hayes. Lester overhears a conversation between Jane and Angela, where Angela states that she would have sex with him if he would star t working-out and building up his body. The thought of having a teenage girl finding Lester hot, excites Lester thus beginning Lesters change throughout the movie (American Beauty, motion picture, 2000). I will be analysing two scenes of this film which I found to be the most significant in terms of how it helped me shape my interpretation of and emotional response to the film. Both scenes involve major turn of events in the film regarding Lester Burnham and I found that the cinematographic qualities of the scenes played a major part in contributing to the movies overall meaning. According to Richard Barsam, cinematography is the process of capturing moving images on film or some other medium (Barsam 2007, p.140). Barsam states that, Although cinematography might seem to exist solely to please our eyes with beautiful images, it is in fact an intricate language that can contribute to a movies overall meaning as much as the story, mise-en-scene, and acting do (Barsam 2007, p.140). This means that the use of the different aspects of cinematography such as lighting, framing, camera angles can help contribute to interpreting the meaning of the film itself. The two cinematographic elements which are mainly used in the scenes include composition and camera movement. Barsam states that the composition element refers to the arrangement of visual elements within a shot (Barsam 2007, p.161). There can be numerous visual elements within a shot. Some of the elements include lighting, shot compositions (long-shot, medium-shot, close-up), and dynamic compositions. Barsam points out that a key component of composition is lighting. The lighting shapes the way the movie looks and helps tell the story (Barsam 2007, p.148). Among its properties are its source, quality, direction and style. Barsam states that the different properties of lighting work together with other elements to determine the overall mood and meaning of a scene (Barsam 2007, p.154). According to Barsam, the second cinematographic element, camera movement, can change the way we see the images because any movement of the camera modifies the different elements of framing. These elements include camera angle, level, height, types of shots and scale (Barsam 2007, p.176). The moving camera opens up cinematic space, and thus filmmakers use it to achieve many effects. Barsam points out that the moving camera leads the viewers eye, or focuses the viewers attention and, by moving into the scene, helps create the illusion of depth in the flat screen image. (Barsam 2007, p.176) The first scene I will be analysing is the scene where Lester first spots Angela. In this scene, Lester and Carolyn decided to support Jane at her school where she was performing a dance at half-time. This scene is significant because it shows how Lester begins to rebel against who he is, as a result of Angelas sexuality. The scene begins with Lester and Carolyn arriving at the basketball game right before Janes performance. Then as the performance begins, almost immediately into the dance routine, Angela is given an upward position in the frame elevated with dynamic composition. It is dynamic composition because there is movement within the fixed frame (Barsam 2007, p.161). By giving Angela an upward position within the frame, it suggests that Lester is taking notice of her. And as the scene continues, Angela has gotten Lesters full attention. Angela is shown moving towards the camera in another dynamic composition shot complemented by the camera zooming in on her. This enhances Ang elas presence and this also gave me an idea as to the degree of attention Lester is giving Angela due to her sexuality. The scene continues with a static composition shot of Lester. According to Barsam, a static composition shot is where there is no movement within the frame, unlike a dynamic composition where there is movement (Barsam 2007, p.161). The camera then begins to zoom in on Lester. As the camera zooms in, the crowd is eliminated and only Lester is shown in the frame. Furthermore, Lesters eyes appears to be bigger than they actually are because of the way the camera is focusing on them. This makes Lester look as though he is drooling over something he desires. At this point, the camera performs a point of view shot showing what Lesters eyes are fixated on, and that is Angela. This again displays the degree of enchantment that Angela has placed over Lester. In Lesters mind, only Angela and himself exists at that moment, and everyone else is filtered out as they are not of any importance to Lester. The scene then concludes with a shot-reverse-shot of Angela and Lester. A shot-reverse-shot is where one character is shown looking at another character (often off-screen), and then the other character is shown looking back at the first character. Since the characters are shown facing in opposite directions, the viewer assumes that they are looking at each other (Yale Film Studies Program 2002). This allowed me to see that in Lesters fantasy, Angela is dancing erotically just for him, giving each other the same amount of attention. Because of the fact the Lester is desiring a girl that is his daughters age, it should be noted that Angela and Lester are never shown in the same frame in the scene as this suggests that there is some barrier in between them. Another technical element which I found that added to the effectiveness of the scene, was the lighting. In the point of view shot from Lesters perspective that showed that he was fixated on Angela, Angela was shown by herself in the frame. And as mentioned above, this is to point out that Lester only has his attention on Angela. The lighting used complemented the shot as the lighting helped to focus my attention on Lesters enlarged eyes and this showed me that he was being enchanted by what he was seeing. Another way the lighting was used in the scene was when Angela was shown alone in the frame and the background in the shot became a lot darker. At the same time, a bright light shined on Angela from above. The lighting in this shot is high contrast and low key. It is high contrast because the difference between the light and darkness is clear. Barsam states that low key lighting is when little or no fill light is used, the ratio between bright illumination and deep shadow is very high (Barsam 2007, p.152). This is shown in the shot because Angelas shadow can be seen behind her and shadows can be seen on the rest of Lesters face, excluding his eyes. I found that lighting contributed quite a lot in this scene. Firstly, I felt that the light shining solely on Angela portrays Angela as the object of Lesters attention. Barsam states that lighting thrown down on a character from above can be used for many different effects, (ie: vulnerability) (Barsam 2007, p.153). In the case of this scene, the light may be portraying the innocence and purity of Angela as she was a virgin throughout the entire film and as light can sometimes be affiliated with good and darkness with bad. The darkness in the background may represent her fake personality where she lies about her sexual experience to the people around her. The darkness surrounding Lester during the close up shots of him may be representing the sexual thoughts he fantasizes about in the scene. And thus the darkness surrounds him throughout the shots of him paying full attention to Angela. The second scene I will be analysing, is the scene towards the end of the film when Lesters fantasies and dreams are about to become reality. This scene is significant because it shows the second turn of events which transforms Lester again, but this time back to the mature person he once was, and also making him realize what it really meant to make him happy. This scene also makes use of composition and camera movement. The scene begins with Lester moving close towards Angela who is lying on the couch. The camera pans right while following Lester. I found this to build up suspense to what would happen next. And as the camera moves to the right, it moves back down. This is a dynamic shot with downward movement. Dynamic because of the movement within the frame and downward movement because the camera moves in a downward movement. According to Barsam, this downward movement implies a negative action (Barsam 2007, p.177). In this case, the negative action is Lesters sexual tendencies towards Angela who is a teenager. Barsam also mentions that the downward movement implies the loss of something (Barsam 2007, p.177). In this case, the loss is of Angelas virginity. The next shot is of Angela appearing at a 45 degree angle in the frame. This is known as a Dutch-angle shot. According to Barsam, a Dutch-angle shot is when the camera is tilted from its normal horizontal and vertical position so that it is no longer straight, giving the viewer the impression that the world in the frame is out of balance (Barsam 2007, p.174). The Dutch-angle accentuates the unnatural nature of the actions in the frame. In this case, it is of the unnatural reaction of Angela, who is about to have a sexual experience for the first time. As the scene continues, the camera pans from left to right and right to left following Lesters hands as they go up and down Angelas body. I found that this intensified the erotic feeling of the scene. In the next shot, the camera moves to a dynamic crane shot, showing Lesters hands unbuttoning Angelas shirt. According to Barsam, a crane shot is a shot made from a camera mounted onto an elevating arm that, in turn, is mounted on a vehicle capable of moving by its own power resulting in it being more flexible due to the freedom of horizontal and vertical movement. The shot is then followed by a shot-reverse shot of Angela and Lester looking at one another. In the scene, Angela was given the low angle shot, looking up at Lester. Barsam states that a low-angle shot is made with the camera below the action and typically places the observer in the position of feeling helpless in the presence of a superior force (Barsam 2007, 171). In other words, a low-angle shot emphasizes anxiety, fear and vulnerability. The fact that Angela is looking up at Lester also implies that Lester is in control. However, I noticed during the crane shots, Angelas position in the frame is always higher than Les ters. In a way, this implies that she is pure and innocent because good elements are usually given a higher position over bad elements (eg: Heaven up, Hell down). In the next shot, Angela reveals to Lester that she is a virgin. At this point, the shot goes back to Lester, who is in a Dutch-angle shot smiles and asks if Angela was kidding. The reason for the Dutch-angle shot is because Lester has realized what he was doing was unnatural. After this shot, is the second major turning point in Lesters transformation, where he finally realizes after all this while, that being lustful for a teenager wasnt what it meant to be happy. The lighting technique used in this scene seemed to portray the light and darkness symbolic meaning that was mentioned above. Throughout the entire scene, there was always a light shining down on Angela but Lester was always kept in darkness. And with composition of Angelas white shirt and the soft light shining on it emphasizing the white colour of the shirt, the light represents purity and innocence because Angela is a virgin. Whereas, the darkness that surrounds Lester, and the minimal lighting shining on his hands as he moves his hands up and down Angelas body represents the impurity of his actions. The lighting used throughout this scene was low contrast and low key. Low contrast because the lighting used was dim and rather gray. In the final shots of the scene, the lighting used were low contrast and low key as well because that implies a sense of mystery. As a viewer, although Lester had come to realize what it meant to achieve happiness, there was something which kept me wondering what would happen. And true enough, the film ended with Lester getting killed. Throughout the film, there were many more cinematographic elements used which emphasized the personalities and characteristics of each character such as high-angle shots, the use of short-focal-length lenses and Long takes. However, because I interpreted the movie as Lesters transformations through being reborn, I found that the cinematographic qualities used in the two scenes I analysed to be the most significant in my interpretation of and emotional response to American Beauty.