Franciso De Zurbaran Essays - Annunciation In Christian Art

Franciso De Zurbaran The Annunciation: A Painting by Francisco de Zurbaran Works of art can best be appreciated when the elements of design, the principles of design, and the iconography of the work are observed and understood. The Annunciation, a painting by the Spanish artist Francisco de Zurbaran, is a work of art that incorporates both the elements and principles of design. The iconography of the painting is of great importance as well as its aesthetic quality. The ability to create a picture of The Annunciation in one's mind is a key factor in understanding the analysis of the work. Francisco de Zurbaran approaches the painting with a naturalistic style. The painting features a room in which a woman ? like angel is seen at the left kneeling on the ground before the Virgin Mary. The figure of Mary is placed between a chair and a small wooden table draped with a green cloth. Mary disregards an open Bible on the table, as she appears solemn while staring at the floor. Floating above the two main figures in the upper left side of the painting are cherubs resting on a bed of clouds. They happily gaze down at Mary with eyes from Heaven. The Annunciation uses elements of design to create a visually pleasing picture. The visual elements consist of light, color, texture, shape, and line. The use of light is one of the most evident elements in this painting. The source of light is not directly visible in the painting, but appears as a radiant angelic host floating above the two main figures. Light emphasizes the fair skin of the Angel and Mary as they both look down towards a shadowy floor. Light also reflects the open Bible on the table suggesting emphasis on the holiness of Mary. The rest of the room remains eerily dark and dull. Color is used to draw attention to important characters and objects in the painting. The red of Mary's shirt emphasizes her place as the main figure. A bright, yellow cloud floating above the room symbolizes the joy of the angelic figures. De Zurbaran uses warm colors in the foreground. The room, used as the background for the scene, is painted in dark colors utilizing different hues of gray and brown. An observer can also obtain a sense of texture in this painting. The Angel appears to have feathery wings, smooth skin, and soft hair. Drapes that hang above Mary have a full and defined feel to them. The green tablecloth on the small table in front of Mary has an implied silky texture. The cloud by the cherubs has a soft, pillow ? like appearance. The prevalence of texture supports De Zurbaran' s use of realism in this painting. Comprehension of the principles of design used in The Annunciation allows a greater appreciation for the painting. The five principles of design include balance, emphasis and focal point, unity and variety, proportion and scale, and rhythm. Balance and emphasis and focal point are the predominant principles used by Francisco de Zurbaran. The painting appears asymmetrically balanced, which means that the two sides of the picture are not exact likenesses but seem to balance due to similar visual weight. The Angel on the left and Mary on the right are similar in size. Both figures face towards the center of the picture but are separated by a raised step that Mary is kneeling on. The reddish ? pink colored curtain hanging on the right side balances the cloud on the left side. A green scarf worn by the Angel and the green tablecloth also provide similar visual weight. An open door in the background at the center of the room seems to create an invisible line down the center of the painting . De Zurbaran' s use of focal point and emphasis is easily identified in this painting. The main focal point is the two figures, the Virgin Mary and the Angel. This emphasis is created through the use of light. The secondary focal point is the angelic figures on the cloud above the Angel and Mary. The brightness of the color yellow brings the observer' s attention to them. In general, most objects of light values in The Annunciation have emphasis

mythology essays

mythology essays The subject of mythology deals mainly with the notion of battle, or good versus evil. In this struggle many individuals are singled out for either the evil they cause, or from the good they bring to people. When you mention heroes in mythology, there are two distinct names that a majority of people bring up, those names are Achilles and Hercules. Achilles was born to King Peleus and the sea-nymph Thetis. Soonafter Achilles was born his mother dipped him in the River Styx, she was told, by doing this, that the water would make every part of his body that it touched invincible. Little did she know that the one part of his heel which he was held by would not touch the water. When Achilles mother found out about the war in Troy between the Greeks and the Trojans she did not want her son to fight because she knew that he would eventually be killed there. The way that she tried to preventhim from going into the army was to hide him among the women of the court sothat he could not be persua ded by his close friend Odysseus to join the Greek forces. While trying to find Achilles, Odysseus easily spotted him among the women, and persuaded him to join the Greek army. After many years of battle with the Trojan forces, Achilles ended up ina famed duel with Trojan hero Hector, over the slaying of Achilles close friend Patroclus. After killing Hector, Achilles tied his dead body behind a chariot and dragged around the walls of Troy seven times to show his hatred and anger towards the Trojans and their hero. Shortly after the famed battle, Achilles was killed when he was struck, with a poisonous arrow, in the one small spot on his heel which was vulnerable. The arrow was fired by the Trojan prince Paris and was guided by the sun god Apollo. Hercules was the strongest and swiftest man ever to walk the earth. As the son of Zeus and mortal woman Alcmene, Hercules was destined to be a hero. This destiny was shown before he was one year old. Enraged at his...

Discuss the success of UK supermarkets. Should supermarkets promote Essay

Discuss the success of UK supermarkets. Should supermarkets promote healthy eating - Essay Example Supermarkets are typically supplied by distribution centers of their parent companies in the areas largest city. Supermarkets sell products at a low price by decreasing their economic margin. In early days, retail products were fetched by an assistant and pass them to the customer for payment. This process proved to be tiresome, tedious, ineffective, and unsatisfying to customer needs. With these many advantages, this essay discusses the success of UK supermarkets, emphasizing on the fact that supermarkets should promote health feeding (Cheverton, 2004:34). Currently, United Kingdom supermarkets have accomplished a milestone in growth and development. Many supermarkets have taken an interest in showcasing advances that have already been taken in growth and development. Some companies have digitalized supermarkets development in United Kingdom. The coverage ranges right from construction stage to a full operative supermarket (Henry, 2008:61). For instance, Sainsbury unveiled its website aimed at its St Johns development in Worcester. This site had detailed information about the supermarket project including, store details, new jobs opportunities offered at the supermarket, information about community benefits and coming live webcam. Supermarkets are coming under more pressure in promoting healthy eating and providing customers with information of what is bad or what is good with about their products on their shelves. Some supermarkets are taking it further by providing their own diet program programs. Some others provide some healthy eating advice in their websites. Sainsbury’s categorically tackles what a healthy diet is. They give a definition that, when it comes to healthy eating, the important thing to remember is that there are no bad and good foods. A food substance here and there is just not going to harm anyone if

Evaluate the major security problems currently being experienced in Essay

Evaluate the major security problems currently being experienced in the Middle East - Essay Example ysing security has involved a broad range of issues with respect to the state and its function as a protection system and a collective identity structure, and has raised questions based on an epistemological nature to study other levels of analysis between the local and the global. By challenging security issues in the context of mainstream studies, critical scholars have opened up space for new understandings of conï ¬â€šict and security in Middle Eastern regions. Although the Gulf war’s conflicts along with the Madrid peace process-opened the door for the Middle East peace talks, such developments created the context for seriously pursuing Arms Control and Regional Security (ACRS) in the early 1990s. It was clear that regional players in the post-Cold War period would be able to acquire this challenge of taking a more active role in ensuring their security in the regional context. However there were still some common security concerns that needed to be addressed through cooperative means. The 1990 Damascus declaration was the start of new military alliances between the Arab states and West for which the talks inaugurated between the issue of Israel and Middle East (Barnett, 1996). In an effort to digest the constraints confronted in the Arab-Israeli conflict, there left no option other than for the national security policies to rely either on weapons build-ups or deterrence in their attempts to deal with conventional and non-conventional threats. Therefore scholars and practitioners in order to secure the security realm of the Middle East started exploring the notion of mutually beneficial cooperation based on the progress of the bilateral peace negotiations. Since the think tanks were already taking keen interest in assessing the possibilities for creating some kind of regional security structure that would easily manage regional security threats in a comprehensive manner, therefore all they could engage themselves into was the analysis of conditions under

Marine Finance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marine Finance - Assignment Example Research – Mainly concerned with providing research work on marine industry. The Shipping Industry The shipping industry comprises of the largest marine sector. However there has been a decline in the shipping industry since 1974. This can be primarily attributed to cyclical developments which got worse with the structural changes in the shipping industry and the world trade that made adjustments a time consuming and complex process. The extreme changes in the revenues, cash flows and values of assets during the present financial crisis have bought in difficulties in the regular order of financing shipping companies. While bank loan will continue to be an important source of finance, the newly regulated environments are forcing the shipping banks to shift their risk from balance sheet to capital markets through instruments of loan securitization. Due to this shipping company will look for capital markets as a source of external debt. Risk management will be a key issue in the shipping companies under the current situation. The other changes witnessed by the shipping industry is that traditionally it was structured by function and performance but now it is undergoing drastic changes as traditional functions are now merged with number of other services. Another major change witnessed by the shipping industry is involvement of the government in its ownership, operation and regulation. Thus the shipping industry has evolved over time from traditionally being an owner operating, free trading, and unregulated industry towards a public oriented, highly regulated and institutionalised industry (Frankel, 1987, pp. 1-15). Role of Financial Management in Risk Mitigation of shipping Industry The shipping industry encounters a number of risk namely changes in equity prices, interest rates, exchange prices, commodity rates and the changing freight rates. The risk of the changing freight rates will be discussed at length in this section. This is a kind of marketing ris k the shipping industry faces on a regular basis. The freight rates historically have proved to be very volatile. The effect of unpredictable geo-political events and slow adjustment of supply to demand has resulted in drastic changes in the freight rates. In financial management the best used risk assessment model is the Value at-Risk Approach. It was developed by JP Morgan’s Chairman Dennis Weatherstone. In this approach he asked his staff to provide him with one page report on a daily basis popularly known as the â€Å"4:15 report† which indicates the risk and potential loss in the next 24 hours in the bank’s portfolio. The approach used the estimates of standard deviation and correlation between the returns of different traded equipments. General methodologies of estimating the Value at Risk Approach are analytical methods, Historical Simulation and Monte-Carlo Simulation. This very approach is used in the assessment of freight rate risk in shipping industry . This approach first considers freight rates as risk factors which are assumed to follow random walk and are modelled using stochastic processes. These stochastic processes reflect some of characteristics of freight rate dynamics. The cash flow forms the key measurement of risk. For

Kinetics Of Nucleophilic Substitutions

Kinetics Of Nucleophilic Substitutions The study of kinetics involves the observation of the reaction rates and the factors that promote or slow down those rates. In addition to providing knowledge about the process reactions reactant to product translation, but it is also helpful in increasing efficiency in the manufacturing world as kinetics provides information about how long a reaction will take and if it occurs at all. Hence, it is crucial even from a financial aspect that kinetics is studied.1 This experiment exhibits the kinetics of a nucleophilic substitution reaction. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the kinetics of the hydrolysis of t-butyl chloride which solvolyzes by an SN1 mechanism because t-butyl chloride is a tertiary halide (alkyl halide). SN1 mechanism means a first order reaction with substitution by a nucleophilic solvent. The overall reaction is as follows: t-butyl chloride + H2O -> (CH3)3COH + HCl. The mechanism involves a first rate-determining slow step which ionizes t-butyl chloride and produces a chloride anion and carbocation. This is rate determining step because the rate of reaction depends on the alkyl halide and not on the nucleophilic solvent. The ionization is as follows: t-butyl chloride -> (CH3)3C+ + Cl-. Thus, the rate of reaction (rate of disappearance of concentration of t-butyl chloride) corresponds to the concentration of t-butyl chloride. The second step involves the nucleophile and is fast and as follows: (CH3)3C+ + Cl- + H2O -> (CH3)3COH + HCl. These reactions, at specific known temperature, will help the experimenter obtain the exact time it takes for the reaction to occur which in turn will help calculate the rate constant, k. Using the Arrhenius equation, the rate constant k will help calculate the activation energy.2 This experiment demonstrates the correlation between variation in concentration (both t-butyl and hydroxide), temperature, solvent polarity, and substrate structure with the rate of reaction of the hydrolysis of t-butyl chloride as well as exhibits the kinetic order of the reaction. The reactions are taken to increasing levels of completion (10%, 20%, and 30% completion) to make sure that the rate constant K is steady at the same temperature and reactant concentration. The activation energy the reaction requires in order to proceed is also examined in this experiment. Experimental: For experiment run #2 of III. Study of Solvent Polarity, in order to make a 60:40 (Water:Acetone) sample, 4mL of t-butyl chloride was mixed with 0.4 mL of 0.1 M NaOH and 5.6mL H2O. The reason was because 5.6 mL of water + 0.4 mL of NaOH= 6 mL and 6 mL/ 10mL total volume of solution = 60% water; 4 mL of t-Butyl chloride = 4 mL and 4 mL/ 10 mL total volume of solution= 40% acetone. The experimental procedure carried out for this lab followed the steps listed in the lab manual. Refer to Organic Chemistry Lab Manual Fall 2010 Winter 2011 pages 21-22. Results: Note: All the solutions turned a bit lime-green before turning yellow. The time measured for reaction to occur corresponds to the time it took the solution to turn yellow in colour. Study of Reaction Order Variation of Hydroxide Concentration RUN % Completion Time (seconds) k (s-1) 1 10 49 2.15 x 10-3 2 20 94 2.37 x 10-3 3 30 151 2.36 x 10-3 Note: Refer to Appendix for calculation of rate constant k Variation of t-Butyl Chloride Concentration RUN [t-Butyl Chloride] in stock solution [t-Butyl Chloride] in reaction solution Time (s) K (s-1) Rate of Reaction (M/s) Reaction order of t-butyl chloride 1 0.2 M 0.06 M 27 1.90 x 10-3 1.11 x 10-4 1storder PART A, RUN 1 0.1 M 0.03 M 49 2.15 x 10 -3 6.12 x 10-5 1storder 2 0.1 M 0.015 M 64 1.65 x 10-3 2.34 x 10-5 1storder Note: Refer to appendix for calculation of [t-butyl chloride] in reaction solution, rate constant k, rate of reaction, and reaction order of t-butyl chloride. Study of Temperature Variation (Room Temperature: 19.5ÂÂ °C) RUN Temperature Time (seconds) 1a Room temp. 10o =(9.5oC) 121 1b Room temp. 10o =(9.5oC) 123 Part A, Run 1 Room temp. = (19.5oC) 49 2a Room temp. + 10o= (29.5oC) 20 2b Room temp. + 10o=(29.5oC) 20 Study of Solvent Polarity RUN Water: Acetone TIME (seconds) 1 80: 20 22 Part A, Run 1 70: 30 49 2 60: 40 134 Study of Structural Variations in the Substrate RUN Substrate Time (seconds) 1 Isopropyl Chloride No reaction (Waited for 7 minutes and nothing happened. The reaction mixture was even heated on a steam bath) Calculating Activation Energy (Ea): Note: The data of the Runs are from the Study of Temperature Variations. Run k (s-1) Average k (s-1) -log k T (ÂÂ °C) 1/T (ÂÂ °C-1) 1a 8.71 x 10-4 8.64 x 10-4 3.06 9.5 0.1053 1b 8.57 x 10-4 Part A, Run 1 2.15 x 10-3 2.15 x 10-3 2.67 19.5 0.0513 2a 5.27 x 10-3 5.27 x 10-3 2.28 29.5 0.0339 2b 5.27 x 10-3 Note: -log k column was plotted on the y-axis and 1/T was plotted on the x-axis of Figure 1 Figure 1: This figure represents the graph of 1/Temperature against -log K, which is used to determine the activation energy of the reaction. A line of best fit is shown to show the equation of the line, which is y=10.049x + 2.0321. The error of the graph is represented by R2. The slope of 10.049 is equal to Ea/2.3R. Hence, the activation energy (Ea) of the reaction is equal to 45.76cal/mole with an error of ÂÂ ± 4.19cal/mole. Reaction Mechanism: Discussion: The first part of the experiment composed of study of reaction order. During part A of this experiment, when the hydroxide concentration was varied (which corresponded to a different amount of completion of reaction), it was observed that the k values were all very close (around 2.3610-3 s-1). Since the rate constant, k, is an integral part of the rate of reaction, the similar k values indicate that the NaOH concentration in the solution has no effect on the rate of reaction. This is because the nucelophile is not involved in the first step (rate determining) and only reacts to the substrate which occurs during the second (fast) step.3 This shows that the reaction is zero order when looking at the concentration of the nucleophile. It makes sense since the rate determining steps are the slow steps and in this reaction, the first ionization step is the slow step, thus making it the rate determining one. Meanwhile, the second step is fast and so it is not the rate determining one. Hence , since the nucleophile is only present in the second step (NaOH is neutraulized by the HCl formed in the fast second step)2, it is not linked to the rate of the reaction (NaOH concentration does not relate to the rate of reaction). During part B of this experiment, t-butyl chloride concentration was varied. It was seen that the reaction time kept drastically lowering when as the concentration of the t-butyl chloride in the reaction solution increased. Refering to Table 1, the fastest reaction (in lowest amount of time of 27 seconds) occurred when the concentration of t-butyl chloride was relatively highest (0.06 M), followed by a slower reaction (49 seconds) when concentration of butyl in reaction solution was lower (0.03 M), and lastly followed by the slowest reaction (64 seconds) when the concentration was the lowest (0.015 M). Hence, this clearly proves that the substrate had a major effect on the rate of the SN1 reaction. Referring to Table I (b), it was calculated that the rate order of t-butyl chloride was the one. This in turn also proves that the overall reaction is first order as the rate of the reaction is only affected by concentration of one molecule, that being the substrate, which in this case was t-butyl chloride. Experiment two showed the effect of temperature variation on the reaction. The room temperature of the lab was at 19.5ÂÂ °C. At the lowest experimented temperature, 9.5ÂÂ °C, the k value of the reaction was 8.64 x 10-4 s-1 (referring to Table V). When the experiment was performed at the room temperature of 19.5ÂÂ °C, the k value increased to 2.15 x 10-3 s-1. While at the highest experimenting temperature, 29.5ÂÂ °C, the k value of the reaction was seen to be the highest at 5.27 x 10-3 s-1. From this it can be concluded that as the temperature increased, the k value of the reaction increased as well. Referring to Table 2, it can also be noted that, as the temperature increased, the time of reaction decreased significantly. These effects are due to the fact that increase in temperature causes greater amount of reactant molecules to gain enough kinetic energy to overcome the activation energy required of the reaction (enough energy to go through the first rate-determ ining step).4 As a result, an increase in temperature corresponds to an increase in the number of successful collisions among the reactant molecules. Thus, the reaction would occur faster and so the time for the reaction to occur would decrease. Referring to Figure 1 (Arrhenius plot), the activation energy of the reaction was calculated to be 45.76cal/mole with an error of ÂÂ ± 4.19cal/mole. The third experiment showed the effect of solvent polarity on the reaction. It was observed that, as the ratio of water to acetone decreased, the time of the reaction increased, and so, the rate of the reaction decreased. This is probably due to the fact that water have higher polarity than acetone as water acetone has a longer hydrocarbon chain than water. Since the reactant in this experiment, t-butyl chloride, is a slightly polar molecule, its polar nature during the transition state of the reaction increases tremendously. As a result, water (with comparatively much higher polarity), will allow increased salvation of the carbocation and chlorine anion that formed during the first rate-determining ionization step, by lowering the energy of the transition state. This is because water, a protic solvent, forms hydrogen bonds with both of the aforementioned ions in order to increase the solvolysis. While acetone is an aprotic solvent and not able to form the hydrogen bonds. Hence, high er ratio of water to acetone of a solvent is expected to result to a higher rate of hydrolysis reaction due to a better ability to solvate charged intermediate, which is exactly what was observed in experiment.5 The last experiment showed the effects of structural variation in the substrate on the reaction. In this experiment, t-butyl chloride was replaced with isopropyl chloride. As a result, no reaction took place after 5 minutes of waiting and even after heating it for 7 minutes. This is due to the fact that isopropyl chloride is a secondary halide while t-butyl is a tertiary halide. The t-butyl chloride was able to react because it was able to create a stable carbocation as it had a tertiary carbon which allows hyper conjugation and induction to occur. While on the other hand, isopropyl results into a far less stable carbocation as it does not allow for enough hyper conjugation and induction as it does not have any C-C sigma bonds that t-butyl chloride has. The t-butyl chloride would form more substituted carbocations than isopropyl. As a result, it is favourable to form a carbocation with t-butyl chloride than with isopropyl chloride as tertiary halides undergo SN1 reactions more effici ently. The results of the experiment seem to agree with the expected results. Though, there can always be sources for errors while performing all of the experiments. First of all, to create the different type of mixtures, measurements of contents had to be made through the use of instruments such pipette and graduated cylinder. Since these instruments required the experimenter to estimate each measurement with the naked eye and so this could have lead to improper solution mixtures. Another error that possibly occurred could have been with the use of a stop watch. It was not possible to start the stop watch at the exact instant that the two solutions were mixed and stop at the exact instant the solution reached equilibrium. That could have lead to error in measuring time of reaction. Furthermore, the neutralization of NaOH was measured by timing the reaction until it turned into a yellow colour. Though, since the reaction solution progressively turned from a blue colour to a yellow colour, i t was not possible to exactly judge the end of neutralization. Also, during the study of temperature variation, it was not possible to keep the temperature to be precisely at the same temperature for the entirety of one run of experiment as the temperature showed slight variations every minute. Lastly, due to limited amount of Erlenmeyer flasks available for the experiment, flasks had to be reused. Even though all the flasks were thoroughly washed with wash solvent and rinsed. Hence, this could have possibly caused contaminations which lead to errors in results. Overall, due to various reasons, there could have been errors in timing which would lead to improper calculation of rate constants and activation energy of the reaction. Questions: I)Let ln (x) = y x = ey log (x) = y*log(e) log (x) = ln(x)*log(e) ln (x) = log(x)/log(e) ln (x) = 2.303 log (x) [since log(e) = 0.4343] II) ln [RCl]0/[RCl] = kt Let x = [RCl]0/[RCl] ln (x) = kt ln (x) = 2.303 log (x) kt = 2.303 log (x) kt = 2.303 log ( [RCl]0/[RCl] ) kt = 2.303 log ( 1/ [RCl] ) let [RCl]0 = 1 (because initial concentration is 100%) kt = 2.303 log ( 1/ 1 difference in [RCl] ) because [RCl]0 [RCl] = difference in [RCl] 1 [RCl] = difference in [RCl] 1 difference in [RCl] = [RCl] kt = 2.303 log ( 1/ 1 %reaction/100 ) because %reaction/100 equals the difference in [RCl] An apolar solvent would hinder SN2 reaction as it would not be able to solvate the reactant due to the fact that it would repel the anionic nucleophile. And since nucleophilic reactions require the solvation of reactants, SN2 reaction would not take place. Polar protic solvents are usually acceptable for SN2 reaction as they are convenient solvents for nucleophilic substitutions because the reagents are soluble. The high polarity would dissolve the solute. Small anions are solvated more than large anions. Though, these solvents would result into slower reaction due to hydrogen bonding which causes loss of nucleophilicity. Polar aprotic solvents prefer SN2 reactions as SN2 reactions prefer the basic nucleophilic. The aprotic solvents enhance the nucleophilicity of anions and have strong dipole moments. Also since these solvents do not have OH or NH groups, no hydrogen bonds must be broken to make room for nucleophile to attract to electrophilic carbon atom. This is the most preferred solvent for SN2 reactions.6 Alkyl iodide contains iodine atom, while alkyl chloride contains chlorine atom. Iodine has lower electro-negativity (2.5) than that of chlorine (3.0). Hence, alkyl iodide would be a less polar compound. Since water is a highly polar solvent, it will not be able to solvate alkyl iodide as much as alkyl chloride due to higher attraction to the more electro-negative atom of chlorine than that of iodine. As a result, it will not be able to increase the salvation of the transition state as much as that of alkyl chloride which has higher polarity.2 Hence, the activation energy of the alkyl iodide would not be lowered as much as that of alkyl chloride and so its Ea would be higher than 31 kJ/mol. Structure of bromophenol blue indicator at alkaline pH.7

Socially Constructed Childhood Essay -- Papers

Socially Constructed Childhood Sociologists believe that children are not natural in society, that they do not behave naturally but that society has made children act as they do, and that there parents teach them how to act and make their personality for them at an early age. However childhood 'differs enormously according to time and place' so Philippe Aries believes. Children are treated differently to each other in different parts of the world, for example in India when a girl is 16-17 years old she is forced into an arranged marriage by which her parents arrange. That type of responsibility on a girl of that age is a lot, and most Indian girls refuse and end up running away from home or worse still killing themselves, but in their culture at that age they are seen as adults. Also in China girls are made to bind there feet up at an early age so that there feet do not grow any bigger. Some people may see this as a form of child abuse, but in China, that is what is expected of them. So there are quite a lot of differences in the upbringing of children. Not every child will turn out the same, all children will vary and that is to the way that they are bought up by there parents. It is not just the different cultures, which varies, but also the different social classes have a different way of bringing up children. The upper social class tend to spoil their children to a certain extent because they can with all the money that they have. This socially constructs the child to grow up with a spoilt nature, and would maybe affect the rest of his life because he will believe that he can get whatever he wants. This goes for 'designer babies... ...operly. All this is bringing out paedophilia and it teaches girls to be precautious because of the way they are being made to dress sexily at such an early age. Also it encourages stripping at an early age. In one of the routines that the young children have to do is they have to take of layers of their clothes in a sexy and perfectly timed manor to show off what they are wearing underneath. This shouldn't be forced upon young children because they will grow up with attitude problems all because the parents expecting too much from them. This idea of 'painted babies' is an obsessive way in which parents put pressure and abuse on their children. The way that they get the children to dress and look isn't natural for them at all, and this is a final example of how childhood is gradually disappearing in society today.

DM Bicycle Company

As the HR director of DMBC I have witnessed first hand the change in Mr. Duncan’s responsibilities to the company. He has become deeply afflicted by the diagnosis of Batten disease to his nine year old daughter Nicole. Wanting to begin a new CSR program aimed at combating Batten disease Mr. Duncan has gone out on his own accord to use the windfall created by the FY11 projections to help fund this endeavor of his. Though I’m empathetic and personally feel for what he and his family are going through, Mr. Duncan still has a responsibility to the employees and shareholders of DMBC. By combining his role as CEO with his role as a father it is clear he has gotten off track and has overstepped his responsibility as the face of the company. My concerns with what is happening at DMBC has to do not just with the proposed CSR program for Mr. Duncan and it’s effects towards the company, but also with the duties of the senior leadership and the current culture amongst them. If he goes through with funding a new CSR program in order to help his daughter Nicole, Mr. Duncan will be doing more than just taking away bonuses from our well deserved employees. He will be changing the core principles and key practices of DMBC. When I approached Jim Miniter in order to get some resolution about the situation he told me several things that created a feeling of unease. As we talked in his office he said â€Å"We’re going to have to present this change (new CSR program for Batten disease) in the annual report and at the shareholder meeting—but I guess Gino can finesse those things,† and when I asked him if he would talk to Mr. Duncan he responded with â€Å"I can’t. It would be like betraying a brother. This rationalization by Mr. Miniter and his loyalty to Mr. Duncan has skewed his primary duty as the CFO of DMBC. I believe as the CEO, Mr. Duncan is an agent to the individuals who own the corporation and its employees not the other way around. By letting him fund this project without debate, he has created an environment where employees are afraid to speak up about his direction. He wants to change the current CSR program of Ride for Life towards a cause that personally benefits his interests which is ethically unsound. Senior leadership has been passive in letting Mr. Duncan force his future CSR program for fear of disloyalty and reprisal. While talking to other employees they’re also afraid. They’re afraid of possible effects on promotions and evaluations if they do not follow suit or participate in helping Mr. Duncan use the projected windfall for his daughters fight against Batten disease. I make these following recommendations in order to thwart off any negative effects Mr. Duncan’s professional choices could have against DMBC. Create an indoctrination program for all new employees and a refresher training course for all current employees to establish the company’s code of ethics and values. By doing this, we’ll have employees who are responsible into ensuring that leaders are consistent in their commitment to proper ethical behavior. Rather than put the Ride for Life program on hold we need to expand on it by creating a program that raises the issue of Batten disease. Raising awareness for Batten disease doesn’t have to be just monetary. The Ride for Life program has been so successful—both in raising employee morale and in creating positive public relations that Dottie Thompson had been working for nearly a year to take the program national. Though Mr. Duncan is the CEO, he should lead the Ride for Life/Fight Batten Disease CSR program so it allows him to focus on his cause and spend more time with his family. By having him focus directly on what has been side-tracking him from his professional duties for the last several months he will have a greater impact with everyone who is connected to DMBC. It also allows him to expand awareness of DMBC CSR programs from Greensboro to Rochester, New York that will benefit the company. Lastly, employees should be allowed to dictate where their bonuses and participation goes without fear of retaliation from corporate. I can assure you by allowing them to decide where their bonuses and volunteer work go they will end up supporting Mr. Duncan and his cause even more than despising him. I understand my position as the HR Director at DMBC, but it is also my duty regardless of title to uphold my values, integrity, and my overall responsibility to the employees and shareholders.

Strategic Evaluation of South West Airlines The WritePass Journal

Strategic Evaluation of South West Airlines Introduction Strategic Evaluation of South West Airlines ). The political environment in the US has been unfavorable for Southwest Airlines over the years due to strong lobbying in congress by supporters of rival airlines against the company’s interests. However, Southwest Airlines has on numerous occasions won legal battles against rivals in the US courts. An important political factor affecting the Southwest Airlines strategy is terrorism. During the last decade, the threat of terrorism in civilian aircrafts has had a negative impact on airline industry in that it has increased the airport costs incurred due to additional security measures. Economic factors Aircraft derives its fuel from oil; therefore a rise in the price of oil has a major impact upon Southwest Airlines’ profitability travel (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). The future trends of oil prices are highly unpredictable due to the political changes occurring within the Middle-East region, especially the relations between US and Iran. On the other hand, the recession in 2008 has had a favorable impact upon Southwest’s operations. Although the customer demand for air travel reduced due to cuts in personal and business expenses across the US, the consumer demand for low-fares no-frills Southwest Airline underwent a growth due to a shift in consumers’ preferences towards cheaper, no- frill airlines (Southwest, 2010). Concerning monetary issues, since Southwest Airline operates only within US, hence currency fluctuations do not impact Southwest Airlines’ operations. Social Factors Unlike other low-fare and no-frill airlines in the Europe, Southwest Airline has a strong commitment towards customer service. The airline has always adopted a customer centric approach for its management and marketing activities (Campbell, 2010). Its customer services personnel are widely encouraged upon going a step forward in appeasing customers through unusual tactics. Their efforts are rewarded through recognition and rewards, and are not punished for implementing their good judgment (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). Technological factors Technological developments have both created new opportunities as well as threats for Southwest Airlines. The emergence of teleconferencing and robust communication other the internet has provided businesses with an alternative for frequent travelling. On the other hand, technology has also provided airline industry with the opportunity to expand their outreach directly to consumers through e-commerce sites. Indeed Southwest Airlines was the first airline company to introduce ticketless travel and allows customers to make reservations online through its e-commerce website (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). Porter’s Five Forces Model To analyze the operating environment of Southwest Airlines and evaluate the nature of the competition Southwest Airline faces, a Porters Five Forces analysis will be used, created by Porter E.M professor at Harvard University Business School. The five forces are as follows: The bargaining power of suppliers is high in the airline industry. For example fuel is a major input into an airline company (it accounts for 40% of all operating costs) (Thompson and Gamble, 2012), and the companies which provide fuel tend to be large, and hence have immense bargaining power. Their bargaining power is further enhanced due to the absence of any viable fuel alternative. Therefore charging a premium price by oil companies is only natural. Another cause of concern for the airline industry is the bargaining power of aircraft suppliers. The aircraft manufacturing companies have a monopoly as only two companies exist in the industry namely Airbus and Boeing. Bargaining power of buyers is also high as the customers of airline industry are constantly looking for alternative air travel companies to get best value for their money. Additionally, many other full service airlines are considering adopting a low cost model for shorter routes with no frills, thus increasing choices for customers (Mouawad, 2010). Competitive Rivalry: Southwest Airlines’ no frills model is been widely pursued by various long-haul, full-service airlines within US. Therefore, the airlines industry is highly competitive for Southwest Airline. Entry Barriers; There are high barriers to enter the airline industry as it requires a large initial capital investment. Furthermore, the airline industry is faced with increased competition and is no longer as lucrative as before in conjunction with the price wars, thus making survival difficult for new entrants. Substitutes: Although customers can switch to travel through train, coaches and cars, such travel modes are considered as uncomfortable and the cost advantage is neither too substantial. Therefore, the threat of substitute is very low. Internal Analysis The resource base view of strategy emphasizes upon a company’s internal capabilities in formulating strategies to achieve a sustainable competitive advantage in its market (Prahalad and Hamel, 1990). It deals with the competitive environment faced by an organization through an inside-out approach. The following are Southwest’s internal resources. The Combative and Can-do Culture at South West Southwest Airline has a strong combative can-do attitude ingrained in its corporate culture. The company’s legal struggle in its formative years produced a strong ‘esprit de corps’ among the company’s employees. With the media reporting Southwest Airlines difficulties, the company’s employees were clearly aware of the fact that the airlines existence was on the line. According to Colleen Barrett, the challenges faced by Southwest Airlines due to fierce adversaries by rivals and local officials were instrumental in building the passion of Southwest employees and ingraining a combative, can-do spirit in the corporate culture (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). Southwest’s Leadership and Management One of the most celebrated leaders of the company was Herb Kelleher, under whose leadership the company prospered for almost four decades, including its formative struggles. Kelleher preferred to do much of the management from outside the office whilst being among the staff members. He was a good listener, and a proponent of direct observation. He always encouraged his staffers in performing their duties. He attended most of the graduation ceremonies of his flight attendants classes and even helped load bags on ‘Black Fridays’. He was highly combative and had a flamboyant lifestyle; both of which were reflected in the company’s operations and management. Surprisingly, Kelleher was an adherent of conservatism when it came to the financial side of the business (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). Much was the future leadership of the company was directly mentored by Kelleher himself.   For instance, James parker (CEO 2001 – 2004) was associated with Kelleher with more than 23 years. Kelleher and Parker were considered to think much alike. Similarly, Colleen Barrette (President 2001 – 2008) was also associated with Kelleher and the company for more than two decades. Both these executive also followed Kelleher footsteps in spending most of their time on culture building, morale building and customer service. Gerry Kelly (CEO 2004 – Onwards) further advanced the corporate culture by through a steadfast focus upon triple bottom line of Performance, People, and Planet (Thompson and Gamble, 2012). Human Resource Management Herb Kelleher was a strong believer in the principle that if a company keeps its employees happy, its employees will in return keep its customer happy. Therefore, he contended that the employees- not the customers- came first. Kelleher knew thousands of employees by their name. Likewise, Colleen Barrette, put much efforts in creating a family like atmosphere within the company and put forth a network of contacts to stay in touch with each employee (Baum, 2006). The company’s corporate culture treats its employees like a family, insisting upon their important contribution towards having a satisfied clientele. It regards its employees as the ‘creators’ of the company. The company has a strong ethos of listening to its employees ideas, and does not believe in constraining their thinking. The company also insists upon hiring only those who share the same values as its corporate culture and does not lay off any of its employees (Thompson and Gamble, 2012) Southwest Airlines Strategy Southwest has pursued a low-cost, low-price, no-frills, strategy from day one. It made air travel affordable to the mass American population. Southwest advance ticket purchase requirements are more lenient than rivals and the company offers deep discounts for some seats purchased through its website. The company offers ‘Business Select’ fares for economy minded business travelers. This fare offers early boarding privileges to passengers along with extra Rapid Rewards (Anthony, 2011). Despite many of its rivals charging extra for add on services, like checking bags, in-flight snacks, buying a ticket in person from airport, fees for changing reservations, etc., Southwest insists upon an all-inclusive lowest fare.   Its concept of price elasticity that is, the erosion of profit margins through offering lowest fares in more than compensated by increases sales volumes is proven to be true for most of its markets. Southwest’s point to point route system also minimizes connections, delays and total trip time. Its emphasis on non-stop flights between pair of cities allows 75 % of its passengers to fly non-stop to their destination. (Thompson and Gamble, 2012; Anthony, 2011) Strategic Options Based on the aforementioned external and internal analysis of Southwest Airlines this essay presents a set of strategic options for the company. First this essay presents a TOWS matrix to generate strategic options: Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Southwest Airlines can use its huge customer base to sell ancillary product apart from free add-ons service in its flights So far, Southwest Airline is the only airline making a consistent profit and undergoing constant growth in the US. It does not have any particular weaknesses in its current corporate strategy Southwest Airlines can further imbibe e-commerce technology in its operation through developing applications for smart phones that enable customers to purchase tickets, check for promotional and discount offers, and check in. Southwest Airline can promote its Triple Bottom line ethos as its commitment towards environment and promote a green image. Sustain its employees motivation and devotion level through further improving the company human resource policies pertaining to  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance management and appraisal  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rewards and amenities  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Stocks and shares options as compensation and bonus Threats Southwest Airline has so far not engaged in strategies that promote the Airlines green and environment friendly image. This can be a threat as customers are increasingly involving environmental concerns in their purchase decisions. The company can react to unstable oil prices by hedging for oil prices Strategic Direction for Growth Strategies Business firms must undergo continuous growth and change in order to retain their relative position in the market and in order to improve their position, they must grow â€Å"twice as fast as that† (Ansoff, 1957, p.113). According to Ansoff, there are four growth strategies namely: market penetration, market development, product development and diversification. Southwest Airlines can pursue growth strategies as its strategic direction for the company. Based on Ansoff’s growth matrix, the following is the strategic growth direction strategies for Southwest Airlines: Products Existing New Market Existing Market Penetration and Consolidation Product Development This should be a key strategic direction for the company. Southwest Airlines should consolidate existing routes and increase its market share on existing routes. The company should also exist from its current routes with low customer volumes where many of the flight seats go empty. Southwest Airlines should expand into ancillary products and services such as car rentals, hotels and accommodations, taxi services, etc. This could be a good strategic fit for its popular destinations. These services should also adhere to its corporate strategy of best value for the money and lowest costs. New Market Development Diversification The company should continue to explore new destinations to expand its business operations. It can be a profitable strategy. Over the years, the company has associated several values with its brand image such as a highly competitive, survivor, and best value for the money. This brand equity could be used by the company to expand into related diversification such as, catering and hospitality business. Expansion outside the US domestic market might not be a viable strategy for the company and it might be a diversion from the company’s core competencies Southwest Airlines diversification into long haul flight or flying more than point to point flights might not be a good diversification strategy as this would again be a drastic shift from the company’s core competencies Evaluation of Strategic Options According to Goold and Luchs (1993), the management literature and practice has extensively explored how organizations could best exploit their corporate expertise since the early 1990s. This exploration led to the emergence of themes such as core competencies and dominant logic view in formulation corporate strategic direction for companies. Based on these views, three important principles have emerged for corporate growth strategy: Growth and diversification should be limited to those businesses that generate synergy; synergy occurs when the performance of several products and services (or businesses) adds up to more than the sum of its parts. It pertains to the creation of economies of scales in that two or more products/services or businesses can lower their costs by combining operations or manufacturing facilities, using common sales force or advertise jointly (Thompson and Martin, 2005). The corporate strategy focus should be on exploiting core competences across a diverse product and service portfolio, and, Successful growth strategies depend on building a portfolio of businesses or products/services which fit with the managerial dominant logic of top executives and their management style. (Goold and Luchs, 1993; Lasserre, 2003) Coinciding with this dominant business view, the aforementioned strategic directions for Southwest Airlines are deemed suitable and viable for its corporate growth.   For instance all the aforementioned strategic options for Southwest Airlines pertain to: Using the airlines strong customer base to sell ancillary products; Further advancing its e-commerce services; Promoting its Triple Bottom line for ‘green’ image And enhancing the company’s human resource policies All of these options are based on the Southwest existing core competencies and management dominant logic view as identified in the internal analysis. Similarly the company’s growth and diversification strategies, which pertain to: Consolidation of existing markets Refraining from diversification is un-related products and services (long haul flight, international flights, hubs-spoke flights) Expansion into ancillary products and services and new profitable destinations within US And diversification through related business (hospitality and catering) All of these options reaffirm the company’s core competencies and management dominant logic view along with creating synergies for the company. Conclusion Southwest Airlines has faced fierce competitive environment and averted intense market entry barriers over the years to emerge as a highly successful and sustainable airline business. It operates in an industry with high bargaining power of suppliers and customers and strong rivalry from well established competitors.   The company has successfully mitigated political hurdles and used its core competencies towards its advantage in an economic environment where others have scaled down. Moreover, the company has used technologies in its favor to sustain efficiency in its business operations. The internal strengths of the company lie within its corporate culture, and motivated and committed workforce. It core competency pertains to its point to point, no-frill, low-cost and low-price air travel service business model. Concluding this strategic analysis, this essay recommends Southwest airlines to implement strategic options and embark upon growth and diversification strategies which reaffirm the company’s aforementioned core competencies and further advance its internal strengths. These strategic directions are vital for the company’s continued growth and survival in the upcoming years within its respective industry. References Ansoff, I. (1957) Strategies for Diversification. Harvard Business Review. Vol. 35 Issue 5. Anthony, R. N. (2011) Management Control Systems. Tata McGraw Hills Educations. Baum, T. (2006) Human Resource Management for the Tourism, Hospitality And Leisure. Cengage Learning EMEA Campbell. S (2010) How Southwest Airlines Became a Model for Customer Loyalty. TMCnet. Available from tmcnet.com/channels/customer-support-software/articles/87080-how-southwest-airlines-became-model-customer-loyalty.htm (cited on 20th, March, 2013) Fahey. L and Narayanan, V. K, (1986) Macroenvironmental Analysis for Strategic Management. St. Paul: West Publishing. Goold, M. and Luchs, K. (1993) Why Diversify: Four Decades of Management Thinking. Academic of Management Executive. Vol. 7 No. 3 Johnson G.   Scholes K.   Whittingham W. 2008. Exploring Corporate Strategy. 8th edition. Prentice Hall Lasserre, P. (2003) Global Strategic Management, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Mouawad, J (2010). Pushing 40, Southwest Is Still Playing the Rebel. New York Times. Available from nytimes.com/2010/11/21/business/21south.html?pagewanted=all_r=0 (cited on 20th, March, 2013) Porter, M. (2001) Service Operations Strategy. Harvard Business School Porter. M (2008). The Five Competitive Forces that Shape Strategy. Harvard Business Review, January 2008, p.86-104. Prahalad, K. and Hamel, G. (1990) The Core Competence of Organization. Harvard Business Review. 68(3), 79-91. Southwest (2010). Southwest Airlines One Report. Available from southwestonereport.com/_pdfs/2010SouthwestAirlinesOneReport.pdf (cited on 20th, March, 2013) Thompson, A. and Gamble, J. (2012). South West Airlines in 2010: Culture, Values, and Operating Practices. Case 13. In Essential of Strategic Management. McGraw Hill. Thompson J L Martin F (2005), Strategic Management Awareness Change. 5th Edition, Thomson learning

Theoretical Perspective - Definition Examples in Sociology

Theoretical Perspective s in Sociology A theoretical perspective is a set of assumptions about reality that inform the questions we ask and the kinds of answers we arrive at as a result. In this sense, a theoretical perspective can be understood as a lens through which we look, serving to focus or distort what we see. It can also be thought of as a frame, which serves to both include and exclude certain things from our view.  The field of sociology itself is a theoretical perspective based on the assumption that  social systems  such as society and the family actually exist, that culture,  social structure, statuses, and roles are real. A theoretical perspective is important for research because it serves to organize our thoughts and ideas and make them clear to others. Often, sociologists use multiple theoretical perspectives simultaneously as they frame research questions, design and conduct research, and analyze their results. Well review some of the major theoretical perspectives within sociology, but readers should bear in mind that there are many others. Macro versus Micro There is one major theoretical and practical division within the field of sociology, and that is the division between macro and micro approaches to studying society. Though they are often viewed as competing perspectiveswith macro focused on the big picture of social structure, patterns, and trends, and micro-focused on the minutiae of individual experience and everyday lifethey are actually complementary and mutually dependent. The Functionalist Perspective The functionalist perspective  also called functionalism, originates in the work of French sociologist Émile Durkheim, one of the founding thinkers of sociology. Durkheims interest was in how social order could be possible, and how society maintains stability. His writings on this topic came to be viewed as the essence of the functionalist perspective, but others contributed to and refined it, including Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, and Robert K. Merton. The functionalist perspective operates on the macro-theoretical level. The Interactionist Perspective The interactionist perspective was developed by American sociologist George Herbert Mead. It is a micro-theoretical approach that focuses on understanding how meaning is generated through processes of social interaction. This perspective assumes that meaning is derived from everyday social interaction, and thus, is a social construct. Another prominent theoretical perspective, that of symbolic interaction, was developed by another American, Herbert Blumer, from the interactionist paradigm. This theory, which you can read more about here, focuses on how we use as symbols, like clothing, to communicate with each other; how we create, maintain, and present a coherent self to those around us, and how through social interaction we create and maintain a certain understanding of society and what happens within it. The Conflict Perspective The conflict perspective is derived from the writing of Karl Marx  and assumes that  conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society. According to this theory, conflicts that arise because of inequality are what foster social change. From the conflict perspective, power can take the form of control of material resources and wealth, of politics and the institutions that make up society, and can be measured as a function of ones social status relative to others (as with race, class, and gender, among other things). Other sociologists and scholars associated with this perspective include Antonio Gramsci, C. Wright Mills, and the members of the Frankfurt School, who developed critical theory.

Moral Development Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Moral Development Theory - Essay Example hn’s attack attracted a lot of media attention and Ronald, who was in charge of the warders welfare, ordered a raid in the prison cells in search of weapons and in the process some of the inmates were badly injured and some succumbed to their injuries. This move was applauded by most people as they believed this would make criminals learn to behave well and respect the prison warders. Kohlberg’s first stage of moral thought is obedience and punishment orientation, where a set of rules handed over by the authority should be obeyed unquestionably and failure to obey leads to punishment. This reasoning is evident in how Mary kept quiet for a prolonged period, while John took advantage of her for fear of the consequences. As an inmate, Mary was expected to obey the prison warder. In the second stage of thought, that is individualism and exchange, Mary may have put up with John’s abuse hoping that he will either put in a good word for her, which may facilitate state pardon or favor her in some way hoping her life would be bearable in prison. Stage three of moral thought is good interpersonal relationship; this is where one lives to the expectations of the family and community. Ronald who was in charge of the warders, on hearing the news that an inmate, had assaulted one of the warders even without trying to find out why, he opted to raid the prison cells in search of weapons in order to fulfill the expectations of the community. His action showed true concern for the prison warders who were at risk of being attacked by the inmates. Stage four of moral development, deals more with the social order (Crain, 1985). This has to do with the societal perspective or societal expectations. This is revealed when Ronald became brutal with the inmates in order to protect his image and that of the other prison warders; as he was expected to do by the society. The fifth stage of moral reasoning is about social contracts and individual rights. This reasoning is where

Role of haraam Practices on behavior and performance of employees Case Study

Role of haraam Practices on behavior and performance of employees - Case Study Example She started to come late, misbehave with other employees and take long lunch breaks. Maryam was a lady who work on time and respond fast to the work. However, after four years of her job, she started getting late to her job. When anyone asks the reason, she gave a standard answer that there is a family problem. She was  a  single mother having two babies. Her seniors think that there might be any problem relating to family. However, she continued her habit of getting late after getting warned by the seniors. The observation about her drinking habit was realized at that time although no one had seen Maryam while drinking (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). The other employees noticed the change in the behavior of Maryam. She started to shout at juniors,  misbehaved with seniors had noticed that her behavior had changed due to her drinking habits. Haleema, who was senior of Maryam,  had started to find out the problem so that the solution would become possible. She inspected about her attitude and realized that there is a problem of drinking with her (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). It was noticed by Haleema that Maryam started to take much time for lunch breaks. She even sleeps after coming back from a long break. Haleema asked Maryam that if there is some problem she can share it with her. She was kind to Maryam but she was also aware of the organization (Zia-ur-Rehman & Rashid, 2012). Maryam attitude was not beneficial for the organization. The seniors did not like to fire her from the job. However, consistent negative attitude lead the seniors to fire Maryam from her job. Haleema and her boss fired Maryam from job without contacting employee assistance program (EAP), which is concerned with all the job problems. 1. Haleema can not terminate Maryam without running into legal problems because Maryam is the employee of the organization for last four years, and nobody have seen her doing haraam practices with his or her eyes. . Haleema should