Response paper on Film 12 Monkeys Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Response paper on Film 12 Monkeys - Essay Example The few survivors are left to live in tunnels underground. The earth is inhabited only by animals and insects which fearlessly wander the planet which is now free of humans. The virus which succeeded in wiping out such a big portion of mankind, apparently, didn’t have any effect on any other forms of life on earth. The main character, a prisoner called James Cole, is about to be sent back in time, to the year of 1996, to get a pure specimen of the virus to make it possible for the scientists of his present, to study the virus and discover a way of reversing the damages caused by it and eradicating it, to make the earth suitable for humans to live in. In the first attempt to travel back to 1996, Cole accidentally ends up in the year of 1990. He gets imprisoned and sent to a mental asylum when he tries to convince those around him that he has come from the future. There he is taken over by psychiatrist, Dr. Kathryn Railly. The people who belong to the present of 1996 are convinced that this man who claims to have come from the future, who believes that a certain virus is going to kill 5 billion people in 1996, is indeed insane. Apart from Dr. Railly nobody is even willing to hear him out. Even though Dr. Railly feels a strange and unexplainable attraction towards Cole, even she is convinced that he is just delusional and whatever he believes to be his reality is just a ‘meticulously constructed fantasy’ of his mind. Cole keeps having recurring dreams of a man being shot dead at an airport and that of a woman running towards the dying man. He sees it through the eyes of a child who is present at the place where the incident takes place. This dream is the link that connects the central theme of the past, the present and the future. The child’s striking resemblance to Cole makes sense only towards the end of the movie. Another inmate of the asylum, Jeffrey Goines, son of a renowned virologist, provides

DoCoMo Essay Example for Free

DoCoMo Essay DoCoMo’s i-mode concept was a fresh air in the almost stagnant telecommunications market of Japan. They were ingenious enough to target the right market base along with exactly the right offerings. First of all, i-mode had the capability to keep its users connected to the internet all the time, everywhere. Apart from this, the internet services were content providers. Even though this somehow did limit the amount of websites a user can visit, the content websites were chosen in such a way as to fulfill the requirements of the target market. This was a unique way of connecting people to the internet and to each other which took everyone by storm. Young teens and adults were the main target market – a market that had a high priority to stay connected with friends and groups but didn’t have the proper means to. The cheapest way of being connected was the internet and the target market mostly didn’t even own PC’s or didn’t have the time or capacity to afford the more mobile versions of a PC (PDA’s, Laptops etc. ). This created a window of opportunity for DoCoMo’s i-mode in the sense that it provided users with a way to connect with each other without the hassle and expenses associated with owning a laptop or a PC. The target market being adults in 1999 had grown up by 2002. Competitors followed and gave i-mode a hard time as well. With the WAP standard becoming faster and cheaper, the new generation, which preferred media content more over simple text based content was switching to providers who were providing higher data speeds and more elaborate options such as video calls, Multi media messaging etc. ence DoCoMo’s main customer base was changing due to the advancement of time and change in preferences. Customers were no more interested in just ‘services’ and ‘fluff’ as i-mode started. They wanted more. Apart from a shifting market, i-mode was also facing other challenges. First of all, the up coming markets usage rate was a lot less than the previous o nes. This meant lesser revenue per user. Secondly, competition was increasing by the day. Even though i-mode was still the leader with 60% market share, firms like KDDI and J-Phone had come up with more exciting packages, better offers and better handsets with market shares at (and growing) 24% and 17% respectively. Policy changes at the national level too were forcing i-mode to make changes that were estranging it form its content providers and resulting in lesser profits due to the new, lesser monthly charges that were to go into effect soon. The marketing techniques used in the past by i-mode were effective in capturing their target market. Keeping in mind the changing market conditions of the present, those techniques will not work as effectively anymore. The new market needs something better. The reason competitors are speeding ahead is because the new services and cell phone models they have to offer. First of all i-mode will need to launch better phones and services that come with things like internet connectivity as standard rather than an exclusive service. Current advancements have ensured that internet connectivity is not an exclusive offer anymore, everyone is providing it. I-mode will have to yet again identify something unique. Marketing techniques again will have to be designed according to that new product offering. Furthermore, marketing techniques should not exclusively just target the youth. The reason being that the market matures too quickly (goes beyond the age bracket of youngsters – adult ages have a bigger cohort) and does not have the spending power that adults have either. Hence the marketing techniques and offering should be tailored to account for these issues as well. I-mode became popular in Japan but it cannot be replicated in other countries due to various reasons. The foremost reason being the paradigms dominant in other countries. Some markets prefer voice calls over text messaging and others prefer text messaging instead. Content providers in other markets do not see i-modes business model as a profitable opportunity either hence it is tough to implement the same structure where there are issues regarding the markets preferences as well as the suppliers. Hence, i-mode will have to tailor their product offering and marketing techniques according to the country they are entering. This is currently an issue that DoCoMo realizes and will hopefully tailor itself accordingly in order to enter new international markets.

How Does Law And Order SVU Portray Women?

How Does Law And Order SVU Portray Women? Contents 1. Introduction This study examines the representation of women on Television which is one of the most litigious topics surrounding the medium and is strongly dissected in this day and age. I will be conducting my research specifically on portrayal of women in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. The examination should reveal whether the depiction of female characters on Law and Order is positive or negative. 1.1 Women On TV Joseph (2004) argues that women were underrepresented on network dramatic shows in 1950s to the 1970s and when they did appear, they were frequently seen in token or stereotyped roles. Although representation of women have changed greatly in the last two decades as we are progressing into a more contemporary society, the question is, has it really changed modern representations of women or it merely replicates gender stereotypes (Dobash et al. 1998). In recent years, Xena Warrior Princess and Buffy The Vampire Slayer pioneered the strong leading female characters in fantasy genre. Magoulick (2006) elucidates the positive reviews of Xena and Buffy demonstrate the extent to which these women characters resonate with female viewers longing for strong role models, or even just strong female roles on television. However, these characters were based in fantasy and science fiction genre. Still, programmes like Cagney and Lacey, Cats Eyes and Juliet Bravo paved the way for future strong fema le characters which were popular police/detective dramas depicting strong women. 1.2 Law Order: Special Victims Unit Currently in its 13th season, Law and Order: SVU first aired in 1999. The detectives on the team solve sexually motivated crimes and child abuse cases, which includes an exceptionally strong female lead character Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay) and other popular female characters such as Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) and Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak (Diane Neal). Law Order: Special Victims Unit offers a unique blend of characteristics placed within a masculine detective genre with strong main female lead along with a male partner, Detective Elliot Stabler portrayed by Christopher Meloni. The episodes often feature real life crime stories and create episodes based on crime stories ripped from the headlines (Green 2009, pp.2). Law Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the most successful and popular spin off series of Law and Order franchise which has won many awards as well as the 2006 Emmy for Outstanding L ead Actress in a Drama Series for Mariska Hargitay (Emmys, 2006) who describes female audiences reaction to her character Olivia Benson in Greens book Law Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion: As the show got more popular, I received so many emails from so many survivors. They were identifying so much with my character, identifying with this lion, this strong powerful (Olivia Benson). And then I had thirteen-years-old going, I want to be you; you are my role model. Hundreds of emails going, I want to be a cop when I grow up. And I thought this character has touched something deep in so many women and provided a safe place to goà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I felt I had a responsibility. (Green 2009, pp. 90) 1.3 Relevance Of The Research Women representation on television has significant value to female audiences because they view strong characters as role models. Singh, Vinnicombe and James (2006) studied career-minded women who keenly draw on role models from different aspects of like, television being one of them. They discovered that women used female characters from Television as role models such as Buffy, Alias and Xena: The Warrior Princesss. Analysing this aspect of female characters on Law Order: Special Victims Unit will provide me with the tools to examine the codes used in the portrayal of women. Research has been conducted on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit in the past i.e ethnic minorities, victimization of women. For example Britto (2007, p40) has deconstructed that portrayal of women are overplayed on crime drama series as offenders and victims with the help of content analysis in her article Does Special Mean Young, White and Female? Deconstructing the Meaning of Special in Law Order: Special Victims Unit. Furthermore, there has been extensive research on representation of ethnic minorities, male and female on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. However, my research will focus on the female characters such as Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Amanda Rollins (Kelli Giddish), Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Cabot (Stephanie March) and Assistant District Attorney Casey Novak (Diane Neal) and deconstruct the codes employed to characterize them. 2. Literature Review Theoretical framework will direct my research in a focus manner whilst facilitating a proficient and comprehensive analysis. It will provide a major foundation for my investigation. As representation of women is such a diverse topic, I will focus and limit my research with the help of theoretical framework to achieve an accurate conclusion. 2.1 Representation Of Women On TV In order to build my research, the history of women representation would greatly aid in my investigation. Consequently, DAccis (1994) meticulous exploration of Cagney and Lacey, which aired from 1981 to 1988 and widely recognized as an innovative treatment of working women would provide the perfect groundwork for the investigation. While researching this book, DAcci had unprecedented access to the set, to production meetings, and to the complete production files, including correspondence from network executives, publicity firms, and thousands of viewers. In this book she examines the development of women characters and the representation of feminism on prime-time television. This would provide me thorough knowledge of what goes behind making a drama series with female lead characters and will equip me with the right tools to compare the representation of female characters on Law and Order:SVU. Furthermore, it contains other example from the history of American television which would be beneficial for my research. Brunsdon, Charlotte and Spigels (2007) book Feminist Television Criticism: A Reader provides a detailed examination extending across television, media and screen studies which looks into representation of feminism as historical categories and political identities. This book gives a valuable analysis of women working behind the camera and in-front of the camera as well as female audience and their response to television in their daily lives. I would be able to evaluate the depiction of women on Law Order: SVU in regards to historical and political viewpoint. The representation of females on the television screen has been a subject of much discussion since the television became commercially available in the late 1930s. In 21st Century, even though television produces programs like Pan Am, Charlies angels, The Playboy Club with female lead characters, they are still viewed through a very patriarchal ideology (Ingham, 2007). Dominicks (1979) article The portrayal of women in prime time, 1953-1977 concludes that female characters appearing on prime-time television from 1953-1977 were underrepresented on television and were frequently seen in stereotyped roles. This article will help me setting the groundwork for my research as I can put female characters on Law and Order: SVU side by side with previous characters. Further research (Elasmar, Kazumi and Brain, 2009) showed that women were more likely to be shown playing minor roles and playing characters of housewives and involved in a romantic relationship. I would need to further explore the depth of women representation on television which will allow me to conduct adept research. Gills (2007) work on Gender and Media looks like an interesting book for my research which explores the contradictory character of contemporary gender representations. Gender and the Media is also concerned with the theoretical tools available for analyzing representations. A range of approaches from semiotics to postcolonial theory are discussed, and Gill asks how useful notions such as objectification, backlash, and positive images are for making sense of gender in todays Western media which relates to my current study. Melanie (2011) cross-examines the construction of feminism and femininity in cinema and television from a wide variety of female centric programs such as chick flicks, reality shows and drama. This book will provide me with the understanding of the relationship between feminism, femininity, and visual culture and tools to analyze images of female representation in media. 2.1.1. Narrative Writing The Woman In order to relate characters and peak interest of the audience, formulation of the character through narrative is of uttermost importance. The character and narrative in the text have an emotional connection and resonate with the reader if they identify with the character. Hence, analysis of female representation in Law and Order SVU through their characterization in the narrative would allow me to deconstruct the signs from the text. Furthermore, specific aesthetic and narrative strategies used by the producers to create characters also append to feminism and female representation (Geetha, 2007). Mulveys (1975) groundbreaking article Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema would greatly aid in exploring the relation of narrative structure in construction of female characters in Law and Order: SVU where she unravels the narrative and visual techniques in cinema and puts forward the male cinematic gaze that objectifies the female character, hence, turning her into a spectacle, to-be-loo ked-at-ness (1975, 19). Mulvey (2009) revisits her theory in Visual and Other Pleassure by applying her feminist theory to more contemporary work concerning film spectatorship. She also talks about young modern woman of the 1920s in terms of images and narratives employed in Hollywood and European films which will be relevant to assess portrayal of women in Law and Order: SVU. In regards to narrative and women representation in media, Teresa de Lauretiss (1984) work would facilitate my research in the right direction as she investigates the structural representations of woman in cinema. De Lauretis (1984) disagrees with Mulveys (1975) theory of women representation as being permanently subjective and affirms that it is in a consistent stage of self-progression. De Lauretis believes that narrative structure draws upon the characters aspiration in social and cultural context and reproduces subjectivity. De Lauretis argues that female characters are formulated to incline towards femininity and conventionally portrayed as ideal image perceived by men (1984, 143). De Lauretiss conclusion of womens oppression by employing techniques of cinematic narration would provide a diverse perspective in representation of women in Law and Order: SVU. 2.2 Women Crime Genre The characteristics of gender have been reallocated in modern era in crime dramas where the female and male personalities are synthesized. The transformation also saw the shift of feminine traits of emotions, compassion and bond between traditionally masculine traits of heroism, vigor, and power giving rise to alternative action hero (Feasey 2008, p. 67). In 1970s and 1980s, crime genre progressively began depicting women in significant characters embarking on TV revolution. Snauffers (2006) book called Crime Television would aid in my research tremendously as it would be idyllic to find out the history of crime genre as it was dominated by men (Maureen 1988, p. 2). Since the beginning of television, crime dramas have been a prime genre of TV. According to Snauffer (2006), crime television has proven to be a fascinating reflection of changes and developments in the culture at large. In the 50s and early 60s, the square-jawed, just-the-facts detectives of The Untouchables and The FBI put police work in the best light possible. As the 60s gave way to the 70s, however, the depictions gained more subtle shading, and The Streets of San Francisco, The Rockford Files, and Baretta offered conflicted heroes in more complex worlds. This trend has of course continued in more recent decades, with Steven Bochcos dramas seeking a new realism through frank depictions of language and sexuality on television. In chronicling these developments and illustrating how the genre has reflected our ideas of crime and crime solving through the decades, author Douglas Snauffer here provides essential reading for any fan. This work provides a comprehensive history of detective and police shows on television which will contribute to my research immensely. Turnbull (2013) in her book The Crime Drama: TV Genres provides a historical study of the crime drama series as a genre which presents a number of case studies to clarify major concerns in the course of the genre. This book will facilitat e my argument as it looks at female led crime drama series from around the world such as The Wire and The Killing. Crime dramas generally feature subject matter related to public sphere with male dominance, however, the addition of female characters into crime genre has enabled to pursue a dynamic approach concerning gender bending transgressions, domestic issues and other feminist concerns (Feasey 2008). Nevertheless, women werent always depicted as strong willed and independent on TV. Cavender (1999) examines the depiction of women crime victims by comparing episodes from reality crime program. He analyzed that women talked about their victimization; however, men spoke more often and presented master narratives about the crimes. In both seasons, the program imagery emphasized feminine vulnerability to violence from strange, devious, and brutal men and masculine technical expertise and authority as womens protection from such violence. His analysis would be helpful in further studying the crime genre as well as involvement of women. Humphries (2009) examines women, violence, and media presentati ons through the lens of feminist criminology. This book contains chapters on Gendering Constructions which lays the foundation for the volume and examines media presentation of gendered violence, female killers on Law and Order and women in media. This book will give me tools to analyze the media text meticulously. In crime genre, male protagonist used to focus on solving the crime neglecting the public concerns during the process. Though, attitudes started to change when women were portrayed unconventionally as brave, independent and intelligent characters breaking away from the societal norm resulting in shaping a new feminist archetype (Aisenberg, 1994). In her book Ordinary heroines: Transforming the male myth Aisenberg (1994, p. 240) believes that female representation has progressed into equal active crime-solving characters with slight borrowing from conventional masculine traits such as Dana Scullys (Gillian Anderson) character in The X Files who was a powerful and independent professional woman even though FBI agent roles were profoundly male-dominated. Cuklanz and Moorti (2009) examine a wide variety of text to delve into the representations of gendered violence against women and formulation of gender. They believe that Law and Order SVU featuring lead female characters engage in stereotypical representation of women showcasing violence against them including inherent misogynist communiquà ©. Cavender and Jurik (2012) inspect the optimistic side of representation of women on TV as they analyse Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren as policewoman Jane Tennison in popular British drama series where her character disrupts the conventions of the traditionally male genre (p.65). They focus on the portrayal of gender and law enforcement in the show featuring modern social tribulations where women play the central character. On one hand, Prime Suspect has become a cult hit for being an exceptionally feminist show in a traditionally male dominated crime genre. On the other hand, it is still not devoid of gender politics where Tennisons char acter shown as a successful woman is pigeonholed into an old lonely and friendless career woman. Cavender and Jurik (2012) work will provide the framework to deconstruct the meanings and connotation in depiction of women in Law and Order: SVU in relations to social norm. There has been a dramatic rise in representation of women detective in modern text whether be film or television which used to be dominated by men (Mizejewski, 2004). Whilst examining Jodie Fosters character Clarice on The Silence Of The Lambs, Mizejewski believes that traditional Hollywood cinema has been unconsciously organized along these lines: men looking and taking action, women being looked at. The conventions of framing, lighting and editing in portrayal of women all play to these dynamics (p. 7). Tasker (2007) believes women representation has progressed tremendously in recent years with transformed and empowered gender egalitarianism; however, there is still substandard issue. Gender is a key constructor and differentiator of character in ensemble workplace dramas (Allen 2007, p 48). The meticulous examination of Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) in Reading CSI by Michael Allen, a popular crime drama including the relationship of characters to their narratives and response of fans would provide great depth and widespread view which I can apply to Law and Order: SVU during my research. 1.3 Female Heroine Gunter (1986) argues that women are represented in a stereotypical manner associating with the characters traits they typically exhibit. In comparison with men, their characters were subjugated by personal relationships and family issues. However, this began to change in the 1970s when women were portrayed in more dynamic roles. Knight (2010) believes that it wouldnt have been possible without Sigourney Weavers character Ellen Ripley in Alien (1979) franchises which has become an avant-garde symbol. Ellen Ripley signified the first final girl archetype, a term coined by Carol J. Clover in the book Men, Women and Chansaw: Gender in the Modern Horror Film (1992), who conquered and triumphed against an evil villain without any help or rescue from a man (p.98). Knight (2010) and Clover (1992) examinations of women representation would aid in decoding the signs in Law and Order:SVU. Anthony (2009) believes that the progression in women portrayal on television and films was because women h ad taken over the market and were able to acquire positions as Producers and Directors. Consequently, women were portrayed in more heroic roles which cancelled out the notion of women as victims, resulting in a positive ideological advance (p. 80). Innesss (2004) Action Chicks is a groundbreaking collection of essays providing a new look at female action icons such as Xena, Buffy, Lara Croft and so on. These essays take a look at how recent depictions of women in action films, TV shows, comic books, and video games reflect a changing acceptance of women in traditionally male heroic or tough-guy roles. This highly specialized and scholarly study is suitable for my research and would enable me to view Law and Order: SVU in different light. In order to analyze the representation of women in Law and Order: SVU, I will construe if the women embody four essential constructing features which are body, attitude, action and authority in a tough hero (Innes, 1998). Brown (1996) has the same belief of women portrayed as action heroes stating, female action heroines body is represented by using same codes as a male hero in regards to object and subject in action films (p. 56). Goodwill (2011) agrees with Browns statement that new female ac tion hero possesses positive masculine characteristic which were preserved for men only, breaking away from orthodox feminine attributes. With the fusion of traits, earlier archetype of the hero has been amended in popular culture containing both masculine and feminine traits which will enable me to interpret female traits presented in Law and Order: SVU. Hill (1999, p 38) states, action heroines are the new type of protagonists in action genre who are smarter and tougher than conventional female heroines and even their male counterparts. This new breed of action heroines contravenes not only cinematic but cultural gender codes of women being submissive and tangential characters and transform traditional cinematic depiction of women. Noble (1999) produces an innovative framework to create new epitome of heroism for women in her book The Sound of a Silver Horn: Reclaiming the Heroism in Contemporary Womens Lives. She puts forward certain qualities that a female hero should possess to transform her and the world such as strong-minded, valiant and a risk-taker. Harriss (2004) groundbreaking work would provide a framework for my research where she looks at intricate representation of girls in recent history. Siehlohrs (2000) anthology investigates generic codes used in gender in regards to national identity in European films. She also exa mines how representations of women are effected by particular national milieu. This provides a baseline to investigate influences of societal factors on representation of women in Law and Order: SVU. Hanson (2007) proposes alternative ways of viewing classic and contemporary Hollywood heroines and the associations of gender with genre. She investigates representation of women as investigator and heroine in the variable context of the film industry which will enable me to apply the same approach to my research. She confers meticulous attention to the production of narrative, actions and perception as well as negotiation of feminine self and desires across the past. Jaceys (2010) book about The Woman in the Story: Writing Memorable Female Characters would be of significant value on this topic. She states that by creating a heroine, the screenwriter has to consider all kinds of differences, from character development to gender issues in the development process. This would allow me dig deeper into the depiction of female characters on Law and Order: SVU such as Olivia Bensons character as a Detective and Alexandra Cabot character as a District Attorney. According to Knight (2010), female action heroes extensively influence individuals in society and also reveal a lot about our society. Her analysis on female action here would help me understand Olivia Bensons character on Law and Order: SVU as she is seen as a role model and a super heroine to a lot of women. Furthermore, I will examine Buffy which was a very popular show with very sharp and provocative commentaries on gender. In Undead TV, media studies scholars tackle the Buffy phenomenon and its many afterlives in popular culture, the television industry, the Internet, and academic criticism (Levine and Parks, 2007). Stuller (2010) illustrates the triumph of female hero in contemporary mythology which has cracked through male dominated environment and divulges into the crucial role of female crime fighters in popular culture. METHODOLOGY: Litosseliti (2002) book on Gender, Identity and Discourse Analysis will provide me with the tools to employ discourse analysis to the media text for my research. I will conduct a discourse analysis on Law and Order: SVU to find out why Olivia Benson is considered a positive role model. Benson has been taken up as a feminist icon by artists and bloggers because shes the type of person who triumphs over adversity, stands up against injustice, and never blinks when shes staring down a bad guy. Furthermore, it will aid me in examining other female characters re-presented as victims and criminals. Research has shown that violence against women is a serious public health and human rights concern (World Health Organization 2000) and that the concurrent presentation of women as sex objects and victims in various forms of media increases acceptance of violence against women (Malamuth, 1996). As television has the widest audience of any medium (Gunter Wober, 1992), it is of uttermost importan ce to have an improved representation of women on television. I will draw primarily upon the discourse analysis of Law and Order: SVU to examine the meanings behind the representations of women as victims to more positive and hopeful depictions. Marion (2008) argues that the contemporary portrayals of women within popular culture are shaped by two major trends: the mainstreaming of pornography and its resultant hypersexualization of women and girls, and the commodification of those images for a global market. Wood (2000) book will provide both the practical steps for doing discourse analysis and the theoretical justifications for those steps. This book shows students how the social world revolves around talk and text. This book will aid in my research a great deal as it presents actual examples, covers data collection methods and strategies for data analysis, and addresses issues of reliability and validity. Tolsons (2006) book Media Talk: Spoken Discourse on TV and Radio investigates distinctive forms of mediated speech on TV and radio through discourse analysis. Media Talk is the first book to provide a comprehensive review of this important work. Lorenzo-Duss (2008) Television Discourse examines the specific forms and structures of talk across media genres. This book will provide me an in-depth knowledge of the discourse analysis on TV as it examines four defining characteristics of the current broadcast landscape: Storytelling, Closeness, Conflict and Persuasion. This would allow me to analyse the characters on Law and Order: SVU and find out if they are portrayed positively or negatively. Even though the women on LO: SVU are tough and strong, there are still some problematic issues in their representation. They are re-presented as victims or offenders in a lot of episodes. For example, Detective Olivia Benson is frequently victimized throughout the show, including her being stalked in Seasons 1 and 3, and more recently she is sexually assaulted while undercover in a prison. Furthermore, there were several suggestions in episodes on how the female detective pays a lot of attention to her appearance. An in-depth research would allow a more precise and comprehensive investigation on the topic. References [You may optionally use Bibliography or Works Cited] Cavender, Gray , 1999. The Construction Of Gender In Reality Crime Tv. Journal Of Broadcasting Electronic Media , Volume 13, Issue 5, 643-663. Dobash, R. E., Dobash, R. (1998). Rethinking Violence Against Women. Thousand Oaks, Calif, Sage Publications. Dominick, Joseph R. , 2004. The Portrayal Of Women In Prime Time, 1953-1977. Sex Roles, Volume 5, Number 4, 405-411. DAcci, Julie, 1994. Defining Women: Television and the Case of Cagney and Lacey. Edition. University of North Carolina Press. DAcci, Julie, Brunsdon, Charlotte and Spigel, Lynn , 2007. Feminist Television Criticism: A Reader. Edition. Open University Press. Douglas M. Snauffer, 2006. Crime Television (The Praeger Television Collection). Edition. Praeger. Elasmar, Michael, Hasegawa, Kazumi and Brain, Mary. 2009. The portrayal of women in U.S. prime time television. Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media , Volume 43, Issue 1 Gill, Rosalind Clair, 2007. Gender and the Media. 1 Edition. Polity. Gunter, Barrie And Wober, Mallory 1992. The Reactive Viewer: Review Of Research On Audience Reaction Measurement (Independent Television Commission Research Monograph.). Edition. University Of Luton Press. Humphries, Drew. 2009. Women, Violence, and the Media: Readings in Feminist Criminology (Northeastern Series on Gender, Crime, and Law). Edition. Northeastern. Ingham, H. (2007, December 18) The Portrayal of Women on Television. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Students/hzi9401.html. [Accessed 18 March 2012]. Inness, Sherrie A. 2004. Action Chicks: New Images of Tough Women in Popular Culture. First Edition Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Jacey, Helen 2010. The Woman in the Story: Writing Memorable Female Characters. Edition. Michael Wiese Productions. Knight, Gladys L. 2010. Female Action Heroes: A Guide to Women in Comics, Video Games, Film, and Television. Edition. Greenwood Levine, Elana and Parks, Lisa. 2007. Undead TV: Essays on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. 1st Edition. Duke University Press Lorenzo-Dus, Nuria. 2008. Television Discourse: Analysing Language in the Media. 1 Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Litosseliti, Lia 2002. Gender Identity and Discourse Analysis (Discourse Approaches to Politics, Society, and Culture, 2). Edition. John Benjamins Pub Co. Magoulick, Mary, 2006. Frustrating Female Heroism: Mixed Messages In Xena, Nikita, And Buffy. The Journal Of Popular Culture, Vol. 39, No. 5, 734. Malamuth, N. (1996). Sexually Explicit Media, Gender Differences And Evolutionary Theory. Journal Of Communication, 46 (3), 8-31. Meyers, Marian 2008. Women In Popular Culture: Representation And Meaning (Political Communication). Edition. Hampton Pr. Tolson, Andrew. 2006. Media Talk: Spoken Discourse on TV and Radio. Edition. Edinburgh University Press. Wood, Linda A. 2000. Doing Discourse Analysis: Methods for Studying Action in Talk and Text. 1 Edition. Sage Publications, Inc Britto, Sarah, 2007. Does Special Mean Young, White and Female? Deconstructing the Meaning of Special in Law Order: Special Victims Unit. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture, 14 (1), 40. Val Singh, Susan Vinnicombe, Kim James, (2006) Constructing a professional identity: how young female managers use role models, Women In Management Review, Vol. 21 Iss: 1, pp.67 81 Brunsdon, Charlotte and Spigel, Lynn 2007. Feminist Television Criticism. 2 Edition. Open University Press. Green, Susan 2009. Law Order: Special Victims Unit: The Unofficial Companion. Edition. BenBella Books. Pp. 90 Emmy. 2006. Mariska Hargitay. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.emmys.com/celebrities/mariska-hargitay. [Accessed 10 March 13]. Melanie, Dr Waters, 2011. Women on Screen: Feminism and Femininity in Visual Culture. Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Janet McCabe, 2005. Feminist Film Studies: Writing the Woman into Cinema (Short Cuts). Edition. Wallflower Press. Laura Mulvey, 2009. Visual and Other Pleasures (Language, Discourse, Society). 2nd Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Barthes, Roland. S/Z: An Essay. Trans. Richard Miller. New York: Hill and Wang, 1974. Ramanathan, Geetha 2007. Feminist Auteurs: Reading Womens Films. Edition. Wallflower Press. Mulvey, Laura, Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema (1975),Visual And Other Pleasures. London: Macmillan, 1989: 14-26. Laura Mulvey, 2009. Visual and Other Pleasures (Language, Discourse, Society). 2nd Edition. Palgrave Macmillan. Lauretis, Teresa de (1984) Alice Doesnt. Feminism. Semiotics. Cinema. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, Sue Turnbull, 2013. The Crime Drama (TV Genres). Edition. Edinburgh University Press. Allen, Michael 2007. Reading CSI: Crime TV Under the Microscope (Reading Contemporary Television). Edition. I. B. Tauris. Reddy, Maureen (1988). Sisters In Crime: Feminism and Crime Novel. New York: Continumm. pp Linda Mizejewski, 2004. Hardboiled and High Heeled: The Woman Detective in Popular Culture. 1St Edition Edition. Routledge. Cavender, G., Jurik, N. (2007). Scene Composition

ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder Essay -- Explorat

ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder When I first heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), I thought, â€Å"C’mon. This psycho-babble has gone too far.† I saw psychologists, researchers, lawyers, teachers, parents, all talking seriously about this claimed disorder. But what I didn’t think about was where this information was coming from. Many talk shows have featured ADHD, where self-righteous citizens cheer, boo, and hiss like a jury at some medieval witch trial. A writer for the reputable publication New York magazine wrote: â€Å"[ADHD] is certainly a fitting disorder for the Nintendo and MTV generations—children who seem more at home playing computer games than having a quiet dinner conversation with their parents,† which sounds like it was written by a disgruntled â€Å"parent† rather than an unbiased reporter (Blau 45). And an article in Time ran quotes from erudite psychologists like Robert Reid, who said that ADHD is just an ego-preserving excuse, merely â€Å"a label of forgiveness† (Wallis 42). Newspapers ran these argumentative headlines: â€Å"Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Deficit Diagnoses† and â€Å"Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder† (Perkins A1, Vatz 82). And before I began learning about ADHD, I too was a media-driven skeptic. But, as with most things, knowledge begets understanding. Recent media coverage might lead one to believe that ADHD is something new, a nineties thing, some vogue malady that somehow explains our disaffected modern youth. Yet the hyperactive child has always been around. He was class clown, the kid in the back row who never shut up. He was the kid whom the teacher constantly sent out of the room or to the office. In the past, these were the children... ..., Inattentive, Impulsive, Obstinate. . . . New York: Villard, 1990. â€Å"Josh.† Personal Interview. 13 March 1995. Levine, Melvin D. â€Å"Attention Deficits: The Diverse Effects of Weak Control Systems in Childhood.† Pediatric Annals 16.2: 117-30. Perkins, Kathryn. â€Å"Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Disorder Diagnosis.† Sacramento Bee 5 Dec. 1994: A1. Safer, Daniel J., and John M. Krager. â€Å"Effect of a Media Blitz and a Threatened Lawsuit on Stimulant Treatment (lawsuits and Ritalin prescription).† Journal of the American Medical Association 268 (1992): 1004. â€Å"Shaun.† Personal Interview. 9 March 1995. Vatz, Richard E., and Lee S. Weinberg. â€Å"Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder.† USA Today Jan. 1995: 84. Wallis, Claudia. â€Å"Life in Overdrive.† Time 18 July 1994: 42. Weiss, Lynn. Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults. Dallas: Taylor, 1992. ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder Essay -- Explorat ADHD - Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder When I first heard about ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), I thought, â€Å"C’mon. This psycho-babble has gone too far.† I saw psychologists, researchers, lawyers, teachers, parents, all talking seriously about this claimed disorder. But what I didn’t think about was where this information was coming from. Many talk shows have featured ADHD, where self-righteous citizens cheer, boo, and hiss like a jury at some medieval witch trial. A writer for the reputable publication New York magazine wrote: â€Å"[ADHD] is certainly a fitting disorder for the Nintendo and MTV generations—children who seem more at home playing computer games than having a quiet dinner conversation with their parents,† which sounds like it was written by a disgruntled â€Å"parent† rather than an unbiased reporter (Blau 45). And an article in Time ran quotes from erudite psychologists like Robert Reid, who said that ADHD is just an ego-preserving excuse, merely â€Å"a label of forgiveness† (Wallis 42). Newspapers ran these argumentative headlines: â€Å"Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Deficit Diagnoses† and â€Å"Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder† (Perkins A1, Vatz 82). And before I began learning about ADHD, I too was a media-driven skeptic. But, as with most things, knowledge begets understanding. Recent media coverage might lead one to believe that ADHD is something new, a nineties thing, some vogue malady that somehow explains our disaffected modern youth. Yet the hyperactive child has always been around. He was class clown, the kid in the back row who never shut up. He was the kid whom the teacher constantly sent out of the room or to the office. In the past, these were the children... ..., Inattentive, Impulsive, Obstinate. . . . New York: Villard, 1990. â€Å"Josh.† Personal Interview. 13 March 1995. Levine, Melvin D. â€Å"Attention Deficits: The Diverse Effects of Weak Control Systems in Childhood.† Pediatric Annals 16.2: 117-30. Perkins, Kathryn. â€Å"Some Skeptical of Surge in Attention-Disorder Diagnosis.† Sacramento Bee 5 Dec. 1994: A1. Safer, Daniel J., and John M. Krager. â€Å"Effect of a Media Blitz and a Threatened Lawsuit on Stimulant Treatment (lawsuits and Ritalin prescription).† Journal of the American Medical Association 268 (1992): 1004. â€Å"Shaun.† Personal Interview. 9 March 1995. Vatz, Richard E., and Lee S. Weinberg. â€Å"Overreacting to Attention Deficit Disorder.† USA Today Jan. 1995: 84. Wallis, Claudia. â€Å"Life in Overdrive.† Time 18 July 1994: 42. Weiss, Lynn. Attention Deficit Disorder in Adults. Dallas: Taylor, 1992.

Hagar Currie Shipley from the novel “The Stone Angel” by Margaret Laurence and Edgar Gallant Essay

Through the character Hagar Currie Shipley from the novel â€Å"The Stone Angel† by Margaret Laurence and Edgar Gallant, we can see that life experience and religion have certain affects on people which may change as they grow older. Those impacts can be for the good or the bad. These decisions are made by the people who experience something so great that had changed their minds. When someone goes thought something that might have changed their lives then they sometimes become a different person. Hagar Shipley is often found in contact with her past but not with her emotions. She had been thought a lot in her life and one thing was holding her back which lead her to make the decisions she did. On the other hand, Edgar Gallant, uses his emotions to share his past with his relatives and loved ones. Being this way Edgar became the person he is now. These two people are unique in their own ways but they still have certain similarities with their lives experiences. First Paragraph Hagar Shipley’s life experience has an important affect on her present self since she keeps on leaving the present whenever she feels uncomfortable. In her old age, she escapes the present through daydreaming and wanders around in her past in search of a situation where she had control instead of having to deal with the present situation. For example when Hagar is given Barium by the doctor at the hospital and she is wondering what will happen next: â€Å"I’ve waited like this, for things to get better of worse, many and many a time. I should be used to it. So many years I waited at the Shipley’s place†¦Ã¢â‚¬  We see here that Hagar does not feel comfortable in the present being given a substance she does not know. Therefore Hagar leaves the present in search of a situation she has been in previously where she knows what will happen. Hagar does not only escape from the present mentally but also physically. Even though Hagar is a very proud woman, she becom es progressively more powerless to care for herself and therefore becomes an unbearable tension on her son, Marvin and his wife, Doris. This tension becomes even worst as she takes a trip away from home leaving them stranded, not knowing where she has disappeared: â€Å"Oh dear, you threw an awful scare into us. Why should you go and do such a thing, anyway, mother? When I came back from the store, and found you weren’t there, I nearly when out of my mind. Its been so worrying for us, and we felt so awful, having to go to the police. They looked at me in such a funny way, as though I should’ve taken better care, but how on earth was I to know you’d do a thing like that?† We see here the problems that Hagar has inflicted upon her son and his wife. We do not hear very often of an old lady of ninety two years old running away from home. Hagar needs care because she has become a child. Hagar was never a child because her father made her grow up faster then her age. So as Hagar looks into her past at her childhood she sees a grown up child, so in her old age, she became the child she never was. Hagar’s college education was not a very important part of Hagar’s life even though it has prevented her to live the care free of a young growing women. In those days, college was not the same for girls and boys. We can see this through a quote from Jason Currie: â€Å"It’s not the same for you-there’s no women here to teach you haw to behave like a lady.† Jason was sending Hagar East to learn how to become a lady, not for work related knowledge. This is shown by Jason when Hagar come home two years later: â€Å"Do you think I sent you down East for two solid years just so you could take a one-room school?† Hagar’s father did not need her to learn to do any type of work, he had sent her there for her to be pretty and know how to behave herself like a lady to show off to the entire town to show off his daughter. â€Å"You’re a credit to me. Everyone will be saying that by tomorrow. You’ll not work in the store. It wouldn’t do.† We here realizes that Jason has sent his daughter Hagar to college so that he could be proud of her. Hagar is also very proud as we can see when her father hits her: â€Å"I wouldn’t let him see me cry. I was so enraged.† This is pride, she has inherited from her father. Her father then realizes that she will not let him see her cry and says: â€Å"You take after me, you’ve got backbone, I’ll give you that.† From this quote, we can see that Hagar’s pride comes directly from her father. Hagar once said:† â€Å"Pride was my wilderness and the demon that led me there was fear.† She has been afraid of being unrespectable which is why she decided to go to college and was easily convinced that it was she that should go and not Matt. Afraid of needing too much and giving too much, Hagarâ€℠¢s pride is both unsettling and inspirational. Second Paragraph Edgar Gallant’s life experience and past memories have an important effect on his life and relationships with others. Edgar had a very interesting past that affects him even today. His past affects his career as a volunteer in the later years of his life as he helps out others with his knowledge. He has been asked to take part in over a dozen organizations due to his previous success in his life’s work. Not thinking he has fulfilled his dream and what he was sent here to do, he has accepted to help out in about nine different association for the public usually as a president or vice president of comities. Edgar Gallant uses his past, not to hide, but to enrich his every day’s work. Unlike Hagar, Edgar has usually worked in a team thinking that several brains are better then one, sharing information to reach a better solution that one could not come up with alone. Edgar does not hide his emotions, he believes that hiding a certain part of them is good in the work environment because of the professional look and rational approach to have in a work environment with work partners. On the other hand, he is very open towards his family and shares everything with them. He has shared hi time between work and family always leaving enough time to carry on his duties as a responsible father. Sharing his feeling with his wife and children, he was able to create a feeling of trust and educate his children in the way he thought was best. Edgar found that sharing some degree of emotion show as well as the rational view of things was the best approach in family situation. It is good to show emotion to a certain degree. One does not want to overwhelm, but share his problems with his family. â€Å"I have always consciously made an effort not to let emotion dominate reason.† This shows that he shares his emotions with others but does not let them take over by keeping a rational look on things. Edgar was never really proud in the same way as Hagar. He was often given position he though were above his expertise, but decided that since others had that trust in him, that he would not deceive them so he went on to do what was expected of him, never letting anyone down. Third Paragraph Hagar’s take on religion has changed throughout her life. In her younger age, Hagar was very religious and went to church with her father. Then she found out that her father was having an affair with Lotions mother and since then she started being less religious. After John’s death Hagar stopped being completely religious. She prayed for him to live, but to no avail as she explained to Mr. Troy. She feels that praying is useless because god will not respond to her in the end. Edgar’s take on religion has also changed with age. When he was a boy, his family was very religious. At the age of 13, he was sent to a boarding school which had a priests where all his companions and teacher were extremely religious. As soon as he left the boarding school, he then realized that he did not agree with some of the religious concepts he was taught. From then on he decided to take a different look on religion. As he got old he leaned more about the world and that added to his concepts to religion which was also a reason why it changed. Just like Hagar, Edgar does not currently practice a certain religion but has beliefs of his own inspired from the Catholic Church and books. Edgar has changed his view on religion due to philosophical books, religious texts from other religions and his work which is about social justice and truth to the people. Due to his knowledge as he grew older, he has come to realize that not one religion is true, but that all of them have something good and that religious belief is a sum of all of them. He also mentioned that there is not way of knowing which religion is the right one so taking bits from all of them can maybe create a better understanding from all of them. He also did not let religion take over his life which enabled him to work more frequently. From her childhood as a daughter of a Scottish merchant to her marriage, Hagar has fought a long and wrong battle for freedom and respect. In the end she realises her wrong doings when it became too late, she has gone with her life without thinking about her actions and the consequences. When someone does not know if they are at fault they keep repeating those actions until its too late to reverse them. Edgar on the other hand has nothing to look back on, he knew exactly what he wanted and went right for it. In Edgar’s case he was raised by and worked hard to earn respect which in the end he was granted respect by others. The work he has done for the society is incredible and he is still doing so in a manner that will benefit the society and him self. He will not stop working until he probably can’t function anymore. The benefit that he is getting out of it is the joy of being able to make a difference. Hagar unfortunately realized this near the end of her life, when time was running out. She realized this when she only performed one task to help out the girl in the hospital. If only she realised that helping others is rewarding and makes a difference, then she could have started at an earlier age. Whether it’s a person’s character or religion, as one grows older their views change. This could include a change in heart or opinion.

The New World essays

The New World essays Environment of The New World Environment is defined as all the external factors that influence life, including light and food supply. Some of the greatest nations to be influenced by their environments are those of the first civilizations of the New World, the Americas. The New World to me is considered North and South America, focusing on the United States later in history. This Continents environment varies extremely: from hot to cold, mountain highs to valleys low. Exactly when the first inhabitants of the New World occurred is unknown exactly. Estimates gather it occurred around fifteen thousand years ago by Homo sapiens. The New World found by what they say, Christopher Columbus, is like finding a river in the Desert. North and South America have incredible resources to utilize, followed by very encouraging weather. The Americas to me represent the fruit of the planet, as far as their environment goes. They have land that is very habitable to hunt, fish, build and explore. The land is also very maneuverable for the most part and creates great conditions for trade. The first settlers of North America, Americans were hunters and gatherers. These nomadic people lived close to their food supply. If they were promising farmers is unknown, but there is evidence of squash and legumes. Farming on these soils is very feasible, due to the weather conditions and nice climate. The first real civilization appeared in the Yucatan Peninsula, early as 5000 B.C. Teotihuacn is considered Americas first Metropolis, its thirty miles northeast of Mexico City. The greatness of this city is rivaled to that of Rome in sophistication and size. The Architecture is amazing and very well organized and planned. Huge Pyramid like buildings was created by the people there. The city inhabiting as many as one hundred and fifty thousand people, making it rather large for a nomadic time. This area is now known as Centra...

Beowulf1 essays

Beowulf1 essays The society depicted in the poem Beowulf depended on two basic characteristics of its people. Loyalty and generosity are the two characteristics that bound this culture together. Throughout the poem, the people must depend on the loyalty and generosity of Beowulf and his warriors to defend them from evil. Society as described in Beowulf, was a very warlike society therefore, if Beowulf and his warriors were not giving of themselves in order to protect their people, the end result might have been drastically different. In the days of Beowulf the only reason for living was to be a loyal person, even if that meant death. If you were not a loyal person you basically had no reason to live because people would not even recognize you as a normal man. So it seems pretty obvious why most people during this time in society, were very loyal to their society and families. And in being a loyal person, also came giving of yourself. When the monster Grendel hears of the joy in Heorot and comes down to attack Beowulfs people the Danes, this is the first time we see loyalty When Beowulf hears of what Grendel did to the Heorot and the Danes, he gathers fifteen of his best men across the sea to help. Some critics argue that because of how Beowulf responds to situations such as this, he is full of pride and not loyalty. William Lawrence argues that since Beowulf is so quick to respond to a challenge and never backs down, that he is way to prideful. Lawrence writes that, although Beowulf is the hero of the poem, his eagerness to take a challenge is a symbol of his downfall, pride. However, Beowulf does what he says he will do and so therefore he has a right to brag to others. In this situation when he goes to fight with Grendel, Beowulf asks that he fight the monster alone. He knows that God will decide the outcome, so relying on that, he is loyal to his people by fight ...

Report Essays - Discrimination, Human Behavior, Social Issues

Report Essays - Discrimination, Human Behavior, Social Issues Caleb Harris Mrs. Gonzales English 3-7 10-11-18 Discrimination In Schools Today Discrimination exists in today's society. It exists in jobs, on the streets, in grocery stores, everywhere you turn and look. Race and gender inequality play a big role in student's education in the United States and throughout the world. I myself am a Black/White student that believes that racism still is alive in the education system. Discrimination based on race in schools continues to grow and be an outstanding issue. Stopping it begins with the administration and teachers and the policies implemented, and students being held accountable for their actions. Discrimination in schools occurs when a person takes unfair actions against people belonging to a certain race. In the United States black students are suspended at much higher rates than their white peers. Black students are 3 times more likely to get suspended than white students. And in the south it is even greater. A 2016 report from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, fo und that 13 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia) were responsible for 55 percent of the 1.2 million suspensions involving black students nationwide. These states also accounted for 50 percent of expulsions involving black students nationally, according to the report, "Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension and Expulsion on Black Students in Southern States." The finding most indicative of racial bias is that in 84 Southern school districts, 100 percent of students suspended were black. Even black preschool students are more likely to be suspended than students of other races, the U.S. Department of Education found. The agency reported that while blacks make up just 18 percent of children in preschool, they represent nearly half of preschool children suspended. The negative racial biases black children face and the correlated high suspension rate s result in African American children missing a great deal of school. This can lead to them falling behind academically, including not reading at grade level by third grade, and eventually dropping out of school. Pushing children out of class increases the chances that they will have contact with the criminal justice system. Discriminatory school discipline practices punishing different groups differently for similar behaviors certainly could contribute to the disparities we see. For example, do black students get suspended longer than white students who fight? The answer is yes they do, black students get punished longer than white students for interracial fights. There is one additional suspension day for black students for every 20 interracial fights. Not only are students of color least likely to be identified as gifted and enroll in honors classes, they are more likely to attend schools with a greater police presence, increasing the odds that they will enter the criminal justic e system. As the nation's racial demographics shift, these disparities pose serious risks to America's future. Students of color comprise a growing share of public school students. If the United States is to remain a world superpower for generations, it's incumbent upon Americans to ensure that disadvantaged students and those from ethnic minority groups receive the same standard of education that privileged students do. Segregated education facilitates study by enhancing small comforts such as shared tastes in music and food. More importantly it avoids exposure to racial slurs and ethnic insults characteristic of integrated facilities. Less privileged ethnic groups tend to perform better academically when they are segregated. Racial discrimination has been a problem in America over a long period of time. Racial discrimination negatively impacts a person by causing emotional and psychological damage. Experiencing racial discrimination can cause a person to become depressed, suicidal , anxious, have low self-esteem, drop out of school, and even move away. Along with low self-esteem, they can easily develop a syndrome called impostor syndrome and feel excluded from everyone else (moral exclusion theory). Racial discrimination not only affects high school students by causing mental problems but by leaving a long-lasting hatred towards people of different races. It is crucial to show high school students how history plays a major part in all this. Even today some Native Americans still have anger towards Christopher Report Essays - Discrimination, Human Behavior, Social Issues Harris Caleb Harris Mrs. Gonzales English 3-7 10-11-18 Discrimination In Schools Today Discrimination exists in today's society. It exists in jobs, on the streets, in grocery stores, everywhere you turn and look. Race and gender inequality play a big role in student's education in the United States and throughout the world. I myself am a Black/White student that believes that racism still is alive in the education system. Discrimination based on race in schools continues to grow and be an outstanding issue. Stopping it begins with the administration and teachers and the policies implemented, and students being held accountable for their actions. Discrimination in schools occurs when a person takes unfair actions against people belonging to a certain race. In the United States black students are suspended at much higher rates than their white peers. Black students are 3 times more likely to get suspended than white students. And in the south it is even greater. A 2016 report from the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education, f ound that 13 Southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia) were responsible for 55 percent of the 1.2 million suspensions involving black students nationwide. These states also accounted for 50 percent of expulsions involving black students nationally, according to the report, "Disproportionate Impact of K-12 School Suspension and Expulsion on Black Students in Southern States." The finding most indicative of racial bias is that in 84 Southern school districts, 100 percent of students suspended were black. Even black preschool students are more likely to be suspended than students of other races, the U.S. Department of Education found. The agency reported that while blacks make up just 18 percent of children in preschool, they represent nearly half of preschool children suspended. The negative racial biases black children face and the correlated high suspension rat es result in African American children missing a great deal of school. This can lead to them falling behind academically, including not reading at grade level by third grade, and eventually dropping out of school. Pushing children out of class increases the chances that they will have contact with the criminal justice system. Discriminatory school discipline practices punishing different groups differently for similar behaviors certainly could contribute to the disparities we see. For example, do black students get suspended longer than white students who fight? The answer is yes they do, black students get punished longer than white students for interracial fights. There is one additional suspension day for black students for every 20 interracial fights. Not only are students of color least likely to be identified as gifted and enroll in honors classes, they are more likely to attend schools with a greater police presence, increasing the odds that they will enter the criminal justi ce system. As the nation's racial demographics shift, these disparities pose serious risks to America's future. Students of color comprise a growing share of public school students. If the United States is to remain a world superpower for generations, it's incumbent upon Americans to ensure that disadvantaged students and those from ethnic minority groups receive the same standard of education that privileged students do. Segregated education facilitates study by enhancing small comforts such as shared tastes in music and food. More importantly it avoids exposure to racial slurs and ethnic insults characteristic of integrated facilities. Less privileged ethnic groups tend to perform better academically when they are segregated. Racial discrimination has been a problem in America over a long period of time. Racial discrimination negatively impacts a person by causing emotional and psychological damage. Experiencing racial discrimination can cause a person to become depressed, suicida l, anxious, have low self-esteem, drop out of school, and even move away. Along with low self-esteem, they can easily develop a syndrome called impostor syndrome and feel excluded from everyone else (moral exclusion theory). Racial discrimination not only affects high school students by causing mental problems but by leaving a long-lasting hatred towards people of different races. It is crucial to show high school students how history plays a major part in all this. Even today some Native Americans still have anger towards Christopher Columbus and other

German Civilization(New German Cinema) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

German Civilization(New German Cinema) - Essay Example After the World War II, German film industry was in great turmoil due to the division of Germany wherein many people got separated from their families. Most films in 1950s were characterized as ‘escapist’ entertainment by critics because they shied away to address contemporary issues although they remained popular among German audience. However, with the advent of television box-office collection of such films began falling drastically and cinemas began to close. At the beginning of 1960s, German film industry became not only economically vulnerable due to lack of creative and artistic touch but was struggling for its survival. That is evident from the fact that in 1961, none of the German film got entry at the prestigious Venice Film Festival. That was also the time when the German market was largely in control of Hollywood movies. Film industry, especially young and talented film makers greatly needed financial support without which it was impossible for them to either make films or compete with Hollywood films in German market due to latter’s financial strength. The German governments support in this respect providing financial stability to the New German Cinema came very handy. Many makers of the New German Cinema also collaborated with the German TV. This is in sharp contrast with Hollywood movies where they compete with local TV for audience. The German governments support to the New Cinema through tax reliefs and bank credits made it possible for young makers to produce some of the great movies. Thus, the New German Cinema not only survived on government funding and support but prospered too – to be touted as National Cinema. Many films in The New German Cinema ran packed houses around the world. In ot her words, it helped made the national cinema popular internationally. The Oberhausen Manifesto is known as the beginning of the New German Cinema. Films made during this era made a clear departure from traditional cinema –

Kahlo vs. Duchamp Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Kahlo vs. Duchamp - Essay Example Religious figures were not prominent in her paintings, although several paintings suggest a spiritual side of Kahlo, in which death and its relationship to life are explored. Likewise, Duchamp, being a total iconoclast and a card-carrying member of the Futurist mode of art, eschewed tradition, and, because there is no institution more traditional then religion, Duchamp also did not overtly make religious art. However, like Kahlo, he did make art that can be interpreted in a religious way, even if these paintings are non-representational, non-traditional and make commentary on religions that are in line with his non-traditional, Futurist ways. Religion and Frida Kahlo Kahlo, as explained above, was not overtly religious in her paintings, however, their symbolism does suggest a type of religious sensibility. Such is the way that Herrara (1983) describes The Broken Column.1 Painted after Kahlo suffered a serious accident at the age of 18, in which Kahlo was riding in a wooden bus that c ollided with a streetcar. Kahlo was impaled with an iron handrail, and, for the first month after the accident, it was not certain that she would live. For many months after that, Frida lay immobilized in plaster casts and other contraptions, her spinal column broken in three places, along with her collarbone, right leg, pelvis, and right foot (Herrera, 1983). The Broken Column was Frida's response to this tragedy, and, on the surface, its meaning is clear - Frida was broken inside. The painting showed an outside of perfection and beauty firm, taut breasts, perfect brown skin, long, flowing hair and a youthful face. However, the opening in the body that shows the steel-plated spine, and the fact that she is shown corseted, tells the true story. Frida was severely injured, and this painting literally shows her injuries. Moreover, the expression on her face, defiant and proud, shows that world that Frida is not about to give up in the face of pain and anguish. The steel spine, while e mblematic of the accident, may also literally mean that her spine was steeled, in the sense that she is strong and will not give up. Therefore, a literal interpretation of this painting is of a defiant woman who was broken but not bowed. However, Herrara (1983) states that the painting has a religious symbolism as well. Herrara states that the corsets are evocative of Christ's winding sheet, which ties this painting in with traditional Christian symbolism (Herrara, 1983). The implication for this is clear, in that Kahlo's suffering and pain were somehow transcendent, in that they have made her a martyr, much like earlier Christians. After all, Kahlo got into painting because of the accident Frida stated that, after the accident, she had to keep still, which led her into painting - ?ithout paying much attention, I began to paint, because, after the accident, she was ?ored as hell with a plaster cast, so I decided to do something. I stole from my father some oil paints, and my mother ordered for me a special easel because I couldn't sit [up], and I started to paint(Herrara, 1983). Frida's accident, and the pain and suffering which came after it, was necessary for Frida to find her artistic voice and give to the world her gift. Therefore, like Christ before her, Frida had to suffer pain and sacrifice for the good of the world. Because of this, Herrara saw The Broken Column as Frida's imagery which evokes a Christian martyr, and spiritual suffering. The painting takes on a religious significance that,

World War one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

World War one - Essay Example Ignoring this law, it is reported that more than 124 000 tons of gas had been produced by the time the First World War was ending2. By using gas bombs and any other chemical weapons, Germans clearly ignored the then laws of war. These are the ones that specifically prohibited the use of chemical weapons. The basis for supporting chemical warfare or supporting its abolition was founded on the ethical issues associated with that kind of war. Presenting a range of premises in support of the use of chemical weapons in World War I, interwar ethical arguments considered it time-friendly, humane as well as economical among other advantages. This essay will present the scenarios before, during and after World War I which illustrate the pros and cons of the employment of chemical warfare and the reasons why the German used it extensively in wars. Gas attacks were some of the feared attacks by the troops in the battle fields. Therefore signs of gas weapons such as artillery shells, which encased the gas, and prevailing wind, which accelerated the spreading of the gas, were dreaded by the troops in gas stricken zones3. The gas attacks used to be major offensive when they would be discharged in massive forms. Attacks using Lachrymatory gases would temporarily disable soldiers in trenches such that attacking them further would be easier. The lachrymatory gases affected the eyes by causing them to tear. There are other gases which were lethal such as chlorine and phosgene. These normally disabled the tissues of the respiratory system thus causing the victim to die. For instance, Mustard gas caused horrors to the victims and was one of the most dreaded chemical weapons. This was partly due to the long period of time it would remain on the ground after being discharged as well as its adverse effects to the victims. Inhaling the gas caused death to the victim. In addition, its other effects included causing of temporary blindness as well as making the

Utilitarianism is not so much a political philosophy, as a political Essay

Utilitarianism is not so much a political philosophy, as a political technique. Discuss - Essay Example However, the structure of the notion does not necessarily appear in this manner depending on the claim but the context is definitely similar. In multiple occasions, leaders apply utilitarianism in political initiatives making it appear as a political philosophy in most of these cases, depending on the particular initiatives and the dissimilar outcomes. Moreover, sometimes it is due to the manner that these leaders relate utilitarianism to achieve their goals. Generally, in every basis, utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which means that the evaluation of an action is relative to its consequences, whether in politics, religion or science. In most situations relative to politics, utilitarianism comes out as egoism especially since the consequences are of more significance than the actions. However, this notion also applies in distinguishing utilitarianism from egoism; typically, the scope and relevance of the consequences. Utilitarianism principles focus on maximizing the overall good, a core reason why it applies in politics; however, the best way to exploit this is considering both individual good and that of o thers (Mill 2002, 64). Multiple philosophers made vast contributions to utilitarianism; however, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill stand out because of their arguments’ context in an effort to make people understand utilitarianism as a form of ethics theory (Crisp 1997, 15&Bentham 1990, 8). They were hedonists about value through the identification of good with pleasure; moreover, they encouraged people to maximize the good by bringing about the greatest amount of good for the biggest number of people possible. An initiative that citizens expect from politicians; moreover, it should be the general basis of most political proprietors. Conversely, in a political philosophy stand point, distinguishing utilitarianism also takes place through independence

Assignment-Synthesis of a Protein Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Assignment-Synthesis of a Protein - Lab Report Example Errors in protein synthesis produce polypeptides displaying a gain of toxic function which may confer an alternate or pathological function on a normal, folded protein. In case of enzymes, the hydrophobic core provides structural stability for the molecule and amino acid changes may result in unstable protein product that is temperature sensitive. As the catalytic site of the enzyme is extremely sensitive, a single point mutation (either a deletion or insertion or substitution) may completely abolish function. 5. The above sequences represent those of eukaryotes as the intron or the non-coding region (codons from 24 to 66, including 66) had to be removed before translating it into a polypeptide or a protein. Whether sequence is eukaryotic or prokaryotic, it can be identified by the presence of introns and exons. In the case of prokaryotes, the initial RNA molecule or initial transcript is equivalent to the final mature RNA. In most eukaryotic genes, the initial transcript is processed so that the mature RNA is different. Most eukaryotes have genes that contain introns that do not code for polypeptides. However, prokaryotic genes do not contain introns. Eukaryotic RNAs, after transcription, have the intron sequences that are removed/ spliced in order to produce the final mature RNA. The sequences in eukaryotes that are represented in the final RNA and code for amino acids in a polypeptide are called exons. 6. The tRNA anticodon sequence that would build this protein is complementary to the mRNA sequence. The tRNA anticodon bonds to a given mRNA codon, by hydrogen bonding between A-U pairs and C-G pairs. The above sequence represents the intron or the non-protein-coding region of the initial mRNA transcript. The intron sequences are spliced in order to produce the final mature RNA in eukaryotes. Introns play important roles in gene regulation. One of the functions of introns is that they

Plastic surgery growth in teenagers Research Paper

Plastic surgery growth in teenagers - Research Paper Example Moreover, cosmetic surgery has become so popular among teenagers that their parents are now bestowing them to their children as gifts for their birthdays or even graduations. Many surgeons state that they are seeing more teenagers than ever coming to their practices for the various cosmetic surgery procedures available to them. Despite the fact that many parents and their teenage children have been advised against turning to major surgical procedures as a fix for the teenagers’ self-confidence, the number of teenagers who have undergone these procedures has continued to rise. For example, the number of teenage girls under the age of 18 years who undergo breast augmentation procedures has nearly tripled from one year to the next (Austin, 2000). Teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery have become a common phenomenon and it is no longer a procedure reserved for the rich as it has previously been. In the initial stages before a surgeon can put a teenage patient in the cosmetic surge ry procedure, he must assess whether this patient is suited for the procedure, otherwise, the entire procedure would be unethical because the surgeon will only be interested in the patient’s money and not their well-being. ... e teenager of the benefits of the procedure, but also its limitations and he should make sure that the patient is ready to live with the consequences of the procedure whether it meets their expectations or not. Lastly, teenagers and their parents should be made to understand the risks of undergoing the cosmetic surgery as well as the time it takes to recover from the procedure (Wansbrough, 2012). In addition, there has been a growing trend among teenagers towards undergoing cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance. From a handful of these procedures that were done some two decades ago on teenagers, today, a large number of teenagers in their hundreds of thousands, undergo cosmetic surgery. This number has kept on growing over the last ten years and it is actually becoming quite common. For example, the number of lipoplasty procedures for teenagers under the age of 18 years has continued to increase over the years and this has continued to be so despite the very careful selection by surgeons of the patients in this group. Furthermore, of the women who underwent breast augmentation procedures in the year 2010, about two percent of them were under the age of eighteen and this is quite a significant number (Egan, 2010). The reasons why teenagers go for cosmetic surgery to reduce or increase the size of their breasts, correct the balance between a pair of body parts and in this case mostly breasts and ears, correct the severe underdevelopment of some body parts and finally the need to increase their self-confidence in an environment where they feel insecure (Boodman, 2004). Many teenagers who wish to undergo plastic surgery are motivated by factors, which are very different from those that influence adults to do the same. Most of them want to improve the physical

Utilitarianism is not so much a political philosophy, as a political Essay

Utilitarianism is not so much a political philosophy, as a political technique. Discuss - Essay Example However, the structure of the notion does not necessarily appear in this manner depending on the claim but the context is definitely similar. In multiple occasions, leaders apply utilitarianism in political initiatives making it appear as a political philosophy in most of these cases, depending on the particular initiatives and the dissimilar outcomes. Moreover, sometimes it is due to the manner that these leaders relate utilitarianism to achieve their goals. Generally, in every basis, utilitarianism is a form of consequentialism, which means that the evaluation of an action is relative to its consequences, whether in politics, religion or science. In most situations relative to politics, utilitarianism comes out as egoism especially since the consequences are of more significance than the actions. However, this notion also applies in distinguishing utilitarianism from egoism; typically, the scope and relevance of the consequences. Utilitarianism principles focus on maximizing the overall good, a core reason why it applies in politics; however, the best way to exploit this is considering both individual good and that of o thers (Mill 2002, 64). Multiple philosophers made vast contributions to utilitarianism; however, Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill stand out because of their arguments’ context in an effort to make people understand utilitarianism as a form of ethics theory (Crisp 1997, 15&Bentham 1990, 8). They were hedonists about value through the identification of good with pleasure; moreover, they encouraged people to maximize the good by bringing about the greatest amount of good for the biggest number of people possible. An initiative that citizens expect from politicians; moreover, it should be the general basis of most political proprietors. Conversely, in a political philosophy stand point, distinguishing utilitarianism also takes place through independence

Plastic surgery growth in teenagers Research Paper

Plastic surgery growth in teenagers - Research Paper Example Moreover, cosmetic surgery has become so popular among teenagers that their parents are now bestowing them to their children as gifts for their birthdays or even graduations. Many surgeons state that they are seeing more teenagers than ever coming to their practices for the various cosmetic surgery procedures available to them. Despite the fact that many parents and their teenage children have been advised against turning to major surgical procedures as a fix for the teenagers’ self-confidence, the number of teenagers who have undergone these procedures has continued to rise. For example, the number of teenage girls under the age of 18 years who undergo breast augmentation procedures has nearly tripled from one year to the next (Austin, 2000). Teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery have become a common phenomenon and it is no longer a procedure reserved for the rich as it has previously been. In the initial stages before a surgeon can put a teenage patient in the cosmetic surge ry procedure, he must assess whether this patient is suited for the procedure, otherwise, the entire procedure would be unethical because the surgeon will only be interested in the patient’s money and not their well-being. ... e teenager of the benefits of the procedure, but also its limitations and he should make sure that the patient is ready to live with the consequences of the procedure whether it meets their expectations or not. Lastly, teenagers and their parents should be made to understand the risks of undergoing the cosmetic surgery as well as the time it takes to recover from the procedure (Wansbrough, 2012). In addition, there has been a growing trend among teenagers towards undergoing cosmetic surgery to improve their appearance. From a handful of these procedures that were done some two decades ago on teenagers, today, a large number of teenagers in their hundreds of thousands, undergo cosmetic surgery. This number has kept on growing over the last ten years and it is actually becoming quite common. For example, the number of lipoplasty procedures for teenagers under the age of 18 years has continued to increase over the years and this has continued to be so despite the very careful selection by surgeons of the patients in this group. Furthermore, of the women who underwent breast augmentation procedures in the year 2010, about two percent of them were under the age of eighteen and this is quite a significant number (Egan, 2010). The reasons why teenagers go for cosmetic surgery to reduce or increase the size of their breasts, correct the balance between a pair of body parts and in this case mostly breasts and ears, correct the severe underdevelopment of some body parts and finally the need to increase their self-confidence in an environment where they feel insecure (Boodman, 2004). Many teenagers who wish to undergo plastic surgery are motivated by factors, which are very different from those that influence adults to do the same. Most of them want to improve the physical

Current Topic in Ethics Essay Example for Free

Current Topic in Ethics Essay The article speaks about a recent incident that took place in Brazil, which brought in to light the ethical and moral values of humans. The story had a two sided approach the first one being from the church of Brazil and the second one from the government side. The incident is regarding a step father raping her 9 year old daughter. The girl confessed that she was under a sexual assault from her step father since the age of 6(Yahoo News, 2009). The man was also convicted of sexually abusing the girl’s 14 year old handicapped sister. Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Catholic Church’s Congregation for Bishops said that the abortion carried out by the doctors under the decision of the girl’s mother was totally wrong and the twins that the girl carried had a right to live. On the other hand President Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva had other views on the matter. He said that according to the law of Brazil where abortion is illegal and allowed only in case where the health of the child bearing women is endangered the Bishop is totally wrong. The girl had actually been brought to the hospital after several stomach cramps and it was found that she is pregnant and carrying twins. At the age of 9 doctors commented that it was impossible for the girl to bear the children and an abortion was the only viable option left. As the doctor involved in the abortion Rivaldo Albuquerque said that it was important for us to save the life of the girl(Yahoo News,2009). Ethical Issues The article raised several ethical issues regarding human rights and social rights. Firstly the rape case as the man had committed was illegal and should be punished according to the government law of the country. Secondly the issue of child abuse as an ethical issue is also being raised by this incident which is another offense of the law and needs to be punished. Third and the most important issue which has been raised by this incident are of abortion which according to the law of Brazil is illegal. The fourth issue has been raised to contradict the third one which is another face of the same law of abortion which is banned. Abortion is only allowed in case the health of the child bearing women is endangered. The fifth ethical issue is the sexual assault of the other handicapped girl sister of the girl which was actually sexually assaulted. All these ethical issues have come forward due to this incident and need to be taken care of by the Brazilian government. Ethical Theories There are many ethical theories and fields of ethics that are present but only some that are relevant would be applied to this case. We will consider each theory one by one and apply it on the case to deduct a result. Greek Philosophy Socrates emphasized that a person to be ethically correct needs to realize the importance of human life and existence. A person would act rightly and correctly if he or she is self aware and knows the importance of life. Bad deeds or evil deeds are a result of ignorance and if the person knows the consequences of doing wrong he or she would never commit that act (MacKinnon, 2008). According to the theory of Socrates the man who committed the assault was unaware of the consequences of the act to be specific he thought that he would get away with his actions but only the pregnancy of the girl brought up the matter. The case of abortion according to this Greek philosophy is a bit controversial as the importance of human life needs to be considered and in this case whether to save the girl or the twins she was carrying was a decision to be made. Normative Ethics This field of ethics focuses on the rightness and wrongness of actions to judge whether they are ethical or not. The theory says that actions were mainly judged by the intentions of a person as in whether they are right or wrong (Kagan, 1997). According to this theory the man in the case is found guilty of committing a crime and should be punished accordingly as his intention was truly wrong and hence his actions also become wrong. Then the abortion of the child was also morally ethical as the life of the girl was endangered by her pregnancy, hence according to this theory the decision of abortion is also ethically correct. Meta Ethics This approach of ethics is a bit different from other approaches as it looks at the reasons for the truth and decides up on the validity of the reasons as to whether the actions that led to the truth were ethical or non ethical (Miller, 2003). According to this theory the actions of the man were totally unethical as the man had committed an immoral act, which is the truth. The reason for this act was his uncontrollable desires, which were unethical. Abortion was performed because it was the only option through which the girl could be saved. The reason for the abortion was the fact that the doctors had to save the life of the girl and could take no risks, hence the act of abortion was morally ethical. Descriptive Ethics This is a newer field of ethics than normative ethics and focuses on the choices that were available to the person and the one he or she picked according to that his or her actions are judged to be ethical or not. According to this theory the man is still found to be guilty and should be punished as the choices he made were ethically incorrect and on the other hand the abortion done by the doctors was also morally ethical as they had limited choices and needed to save the girl. The doctors agreed on the fact that the girl who was only 9 years old could not carry the burden of pregnancy and hence had to be saved through abortion. Conclusion During this paper we looked up on different theories and fields of ethics. These fields and theories were applied on the case and the deduction of whether this ethical issue were correctly dealt or not was focused. The conclusion is not merely my own decision but the result of applying the ethical theories on the case. These theories when applied clearly highlight the fact that the man should be punished according to the law of Brazil and the decision of abortion made by the mother of the girl and carried out by the doctors was a correct one in the circumstances that were presented. References: Kagan S. (1997) Normative Ethics, Westview Press. MacKinnon B. (2008) Ethics: Theory and Contemporary Issues. Wadsworth Publishing. Miller A. (2003) An Introduction to Contemporary Metaethics, Polity. Yahoo News (March 8, 2009). Vatican defends Brazil excommunication. Retrived on March 10, 2009 from http://au. news. yahoo. com/a/-/world/5375029/vatican-defends-brazil-excommunication/

Howard Stringers Sony Leadership

Howard Stringers Sony Leadership The report is an evaluation of the organization structure implemented by Sir Howard Stringer in October 2005. The transition of Sonys organization structure from Transnational structural to multidivisional structure has been analyzed in detail. Goold and Campbells five tests have been conducted to determine the appropriateness of Sir Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony a more innovative and flexible organization. The risks and benefits of the structural choice has also been assessed. The report displays the cultural web of Sony before and after Sir Howards arrival. It was derived that the Reconstruction type of strategic change had been used to bring about the transformation in the organizations culture. Consequently, Sir Howard adopted the Education and Communication and the Collaboration/Participation styles of strategic change implementation. In conclusion, it can be seen that the stock share value has increased during 2005-2007 which means that Howard Stringer was doing a good job at implementing his change. Introduction As a part of this report let us start by introducing Sony Corporation. SONY Sony is one of the leading manufacturers of electronics, video, communications, video game consoles, and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Sony was founded on 7th May 1946. The representative corporate executive officers at Sony as of today as Howard Stringer(Chairman, CEO and President), Ryoji Chubachi (Vice Chairman) and Nobuyuki Oneda (Executive Deputy President and CFO). (Sony Global (2009) has provided the above information). Sony Corporation (commonly referred to as Sony) is a multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, and one of the worlds largest media conglomerates with revenue exceeding  ¥ 7.730.0 trillion, or $78.88 billion U.S. (FY2008). Its name is derived from sonus, the Latin word for sound. Sony Corporation is the electronics business unit and the parent company of the Sony Group, which is engaged in business through its five operating segments-electronics, games, entertainment (motion pictures and music), financial services and other. Sonys principal business operations include Sony Corporation (Sony Electronics in the U.S.), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, Sony Ericsson, and Sony Financial. As a semiconductor maker, Sony is among the Worldwide Top 20 Semiconductor Sales Leaders. The companys slogan is make.believe. (Wikipedia (2009) provided information regarding Sony Corporation). Company Strategy Vision (2005): make Sony cool again Vision (2009): make.believe When Howard Stringer joined as the CEO of Sony Global Japan he made new strategies and used those strategies to restructure the organization to be in-line with these strategies. Firstly, he looked at the core competencies of the company and focused mainly on the electronics, games and entertainment sector. He established a growth strategy saying, Our target is for the Sony Group to achieve consolidated sales of over 8 trillion yen and an operating profit margin of 5% (electronics 4%) by the end of fiscal year 2007. NewsBlaze (2005) published the company strategy from the fiscal year 2005 to 2008 as given in Appendix C of this report. The three-year revitalization plan/strategy was as follows (in brief): Restructuring the Electronics Organization Eliminated the corporate silos and bring more focus on competitive growth. Improving Sonys Profit Structure Cost Reductions Sale of Real Estate, Stock and Non-Core Assets Strengthening Sonys Current Electronics Business Focus on areas of the Electronics business by bringing profitability in television by the second half of 2006. Focusing Resources on Growth Strategy Making the HD World and Major Profit Pillar Launching of a range of high-definition products in 2006. Focusing on Intelligent Interoperable Products Developing network-enabled products and applications Strengthening Technology Development Creation of Home and Mobile Platforms Concentrating Investment on Semiconductors and Key Component Devices Next-Generation Display (OLED) Enhancing Software Development Group Convergence Strategy Pursuit of mobile entertainment Establishment of Cell Development Center Group Strategy by Individual Sector focus on: Games Entertainment Motion Pictures Music Mobile Phones Financial Services Network Services, Retail Retail Business Note: Refer to Appendix C for a detailed Company Strategy. Organizational Structure Corporate Structure of Sony Corporation From the analysis on the organizational structure that Howard Stringer was trying to implement in 2005 we can see that it was clearly a multi-divisional structure. This structure has been further worked on since 2005 and there have been slight changes to the same. Multi-Divisional structure (M-form) The multi-divisional structure is also known as the product structure where the divisional structure groups organizational function into a division. Each division works as an independent section within the company and the divisional structure contains all the necessary resources and functions within it. Each Division will have its own sales, engineering and marketing departments. (Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (2009). Howard Stringer was attempting to implement the multi-divisional structure. He had assigned Ryoji Chubachi to handle the main Electronics business and Chubachi had implemented the multinational matrix structure. We will not go into details of the matrix structure but will explain it below in brief. In case of the Multinational Structure of the organization we can see that there were a few business units that were put together in order to increase their responsiveness in the market. There were five committees created across all these business units and business groups. This gave a better integration of knowledge, flexibility and the ability to analyze these units across its procurement, technology, product strategy, sales and productive business outcomes. Strategy and Organizational Structure When Howard Stringer took over the Sony Global Corporation in 2005 he gave strategies for each product in the company. The strategies are stated above in the Introduction section of this report. As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way. Thus, we see that the company is become more flat and each division is reporting to the Headquarters. As in a multidivisional organization such as Sony, the divisions become flexible as in the sense that they are able to merge, add or close divisions. This is apparent in the fact that Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment and in August 2008 Sony bought Bertelsmanns 50% shares and Sony renamed its Music division as Sony Music Entertainment. Ergo, it is apparent that because of Sonys multidivisional structure each division is able to work as its own company which is flexible enough to have joint-venture projects as in the case of Sony Ericsson and the company is also able to make the decision of buying over another company such as the Bertelsmann Music group. When Howard Stringer took over Sony he also closed down a chain of restaurants and other non-core business companies that Sony owned. With a multidivisional structure in place Sir Howard Stringer was able to control and oversee each division from a distance by monitoring the business performance of each division. If we look at the advantages of a multi-divisional structure we can see that because the structure is divided by product lines it allows each division to grow and specialize on their competences. We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. As we will see in the redundancy test later in this report we can see that each of the companies that are based in each country have their own head offices. This means that there are many parent levels in this organization which means that many of the supporting departments such as HR and IT will be redundant but due to the large organization structure of the company Sony needs these headquarters to be set-up. Although the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units which are the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. Thus standardizations and centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) is building spirits and reflecting in the eyes of the employees all around Sony. Goold and Campbell Tests We will use the Goold and Campbell last 5 tests to determine the appropriateness of Howard Stringers structural choice given his desire to make Sony cool again (Clayton 2005). The Specialist Cultures Test: The Organization Structure: Specialist Culture test In the Specialist Culture test we placed Sony between Good and Very Good as Sony has an Engineer-driven culture (Edwards, Lowry, Ihlwan, Hall 2005). Sony is an engineering culture (Paczkowski 2008) says Howard Stringer and they really take care of their engineers. Engineers have the freedom to think and come up with new designs. When a certain project was untaken engineers from all the different departments met in one place to finish that task. This shows that there is no organizational contamination of the specialist engineer culture test. The Difficult Links Test Shared know-how Links Sony holds Knowledge-sharing sessions and several other activities company wide. They host forums to enable interactive discussion about the company news and they engage their employees in company developments and in-the-Know at all times as claimed by them on their website. Sony also provides all documents, policies, lessoned learned and all other types of documents on their intranet sites. Shared Tangible Resources Links Though with a multidivisional organization with so many parent companies the amount of duplication of work increases but after Sir Howard Stringer came into Sony he divided all core businesses by products into separate units that would report to the Corporate office and setup a corporate RD unit to reduce the duplications and also brought in standardized engineered products to help the reduction of cost. Pooled Negotiating Power Links Sonys Mobile division merged with Ericsson to produce Sony Ericsson range of mobiles. Ericsson had the latest mobile technology and Sony had the vast experience in consumer electronics and entertainment like music, pictures and games. Bringing them both together in a 50-50 joint venture gave Sony power in the market. This would help both the companies generate economies of scale. It can also be seen that Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group naming Sonys Music division as Sony BMG Music Entertainment. Financial analysts covering the merger anticipated that up to 2,000 jobs would be cut as a result, saving Sony BMG approximately $350 million annually (Wikipedia, 2009) Coordinated Strategies Links After Sir Howard took over he put together the Electronics Unit which consisted of: The Semiconductor Business unit Core component Business Unit BP Business Group Audio Business Group Digital Imaging Business group VAIO Business Group Video Business Group TV Business Group Connect Company He strategically placed all these units and groups together in order to establish Sony as a leading player. They wanted to develop a semiconductor and core components group thus they put these two relevant new business units under the Electronics Unit. With this new engineering structure Sony wanted to increase their internally sourced components, centralize their engineering functions and reduce their cost by consolidating and cutting down their manufacturing sites. Vertical Integration Links By coordinating the flow of its internally sources components and by standardizing designs through out the company Sir Howard has managed to reduce cost and enhance product development. New-Business Creation Links Vertical integration is very obvious in the Sony business as they try to enter the digital world they are buying companies and doing joint ventures to meet the specific needs of their customers and that is to bring the mobile, music, gaming and video entertainment together. Sony is in a good position to do a backward or forward integration in case it decides to do so. The structure is flexible enough to accommodate that. The links are best handled through self-managed networking among units n top management should leave this up to the unit rather than impose to-down coordination process. The Redundant Hierarchy Test: The Organization Structure: The Redundant Hierarchy Test The reason we have placed them between satisfactory and good is because although the company had many parent levels in the organization they were able to reduce the redundancy through standardizing they internal sourced components. Sony also standardized its designs across the different units and in its core business which was the Electronics Business they had five committees across each group which were the product, technology, production, procurement and sales. This centralization has helped to reduce effort and poor coordination. Also, with Howard traveling around Sonys operations at a rate of 30,000 air miles a month (Nakamoto 2006) he tends to increase the communication gap between the different groups and companies at Sony. The Accountability Test The Organization Structure: The Accountability Test The reason we have placed them between good and very good is because in the multidivisional structure the overall structure of the company is flat. Thus, most of the units are directly reporting to the corporate office. This increases the responsibility and accountability of each unit heads. The Flexibility Test The Organization Structure: The Flexibility Test The reason we have placed them between good in the case of its flexibility is because Sonys structure after Sir Howard Stringer had made it flexible for the company like the Sony Mobile business unit to merge with Ericsson Sonys Music Entertainment division had a 50-50 joint venture with Bertelsmann Music Group. Sony also sold many of its non-core assets like the restaurant chains etc after its restructuring since it made it easy by moving these non-core business units out of the way to concentrate on the core business. The Risk and Benefits of the Multidivisional Structure As we found out through our analysis that Sony Corporation has a multidivisional structure and Goold and Campbells five tests of good general design principles helps us to see what risks and benefits that Sony Corporation faced when Howard Stringer took over. The Benefits   In Electronics group Sony placed centralized decision-making power over key areas under the Electronics CEO. This change assures coordination and focus across newly defined business groups. Exact horizontal coordination in main areas- product planning, technology, procurement, manufacturing, and sales and marketing-will allow fast and streamlined decision making across product lines. Concentration on particular business area (Games, Entertainment, Electronics, Mobile phones) Flexible (Sony Corporation can focus its resources on different business groups, which depends on market situation, add, close or merge divisions ) Specialization of competence (We can see that each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc., the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc., Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) Ability to give clear direction and make a working environment that draws out the unique talents of employees and helps them to reach their full potential Encourages general management development Ownership of strategy (As per the strategies implemented we can see clearly that he had devised different strategies for each core product that Sony was providing and so he also divided the companys organizational structure the same way) Investment in core businesses Sony divisions enable to work in tandem for their mutual advantage (to develop new-age products).    The Risks Conflicts between divisions Additional cost of the center Difficulty of co-operation between business groups (due to the large organization structure of the company the knowledge sharing and cooperation between the business units become very limited but Howard Stringer has tried overcoming this by placing five strategic committees across the business units) Divisions might grow too large (as we said before each division has actually become its own company like the Sony Electronics Inc. or the Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. and there is a risk of them grow too large) Power is centralized As CEO Sir Howard Stringer recalled in a 2005 New Yorker article, the engineers started to suffer from a damaging not invented here syndrome, even as rivals were introducing next-generation products such as the iPod and Xbox. As a result of their belief that outside ideas were not as good as inside ones, they missed opportunities in such areas as MP3 players and flat-screen TVs and developed unwanted products-cameras that werent compatible with the most popular forms of memory, for instance. Looking at the above risks and benefits we can see that though there were a lot of risks in the structure Sir Howard needed to make a decision and he made this decision with the help of allies in the company and he also took help from persons who were made in-charge of changing the IBM structure many years back. They were successful in doing so and since Sir Howard was declared President of Sony Global we can say that he is still in there and is still fighting and restructuring to put Sony back on to globe again. Sony is today coming up with new customer focused products rather than products that are innovative but it is not what the customer wants. The Cultural Web Before Howard Stringer Organizational culture sometimes influences the organizations strategy if taken for granted. Culture has played a role in Sonys current financial difficulties. They had power blocks which hindered the flow of communication and corporation between the management, designers, production and marketing. The Cultural Web, developed by Gerry Johnson and Kevan Scholes in 1992, provides one such approach for looking at and changing your organizations culture. Using it, you can expose cultural assumptions and practices, and set to work aligning organizational elements with one another, and with your strategy. The Cultural Web identifies six interrelated elements that help to make up what Johnson and Scholes call the paradigm the pattern or model of the work environment. By analyzing the factors in each, you can begin to see the bigger picture of your culture: what is working, what isnt working, and what needs to be changed. The six elements are: Power Structures: Sony had a culture, were long serving executives have very strong influence on the organization. At their annual general meetings all these executives take up the front seats whiles the lower ranks are relegated to the back. Many of the working seniors did not even discuss their share values and did not have the involvement in the business. Control Systems: Sony emphasized on budget plans and emergency fixes as their main control systems. Quality was not really emphasized, they believed in getting the work done with the least amount of cost. Lower level staffs were not awarded for their achievements or bonuses given at the end of the year. All these were aimed at controlling cost. Organizational Structure: They had the functional/Transnational type of organization where the CEO sits at the top and all functional heads report to him. They believe in top management taking all the decisions without the involvement of the junior level engineers. These caused lack of communication and co-operation between the various units and more of delegation to get the problem solved. Stories: Sony had gone through continuous restructuring for the past 9 years to improve their financial positions. Sony was not customer focused. They did not invest in non-core businesses and lacked new-age products even though they had very good and talented engineers. Although Sony believed in harmony of the people and the company but with all this restructuring the morale of the employees was down and this was evident when there was a comment that there is sparkle in the eyes of the employees after Howard Stringer took over. Rituals Routines: As per the Japanese culture of respect Sony had a ritual that it never fired its high rank executives even after retiring. The senior managers were made Advisor (Gunther, 2006) and each of them had their own secretary, a car and driver and they also had the authority to second-question people who were actually working at Sony. At Sony the ritual was that if an engineer came to know about a fault in the product they would let the seniors know they would just fix the problem and just do it. Thus seniors were not involved in the business Symbols: There was a symbol of seniority when the company never really retired its senior managers and also in the fact that during annual meetings the seniors would be given the preferred and best seats in the hall while the others were given uncomfortable seats to symbolize the importance that Sony gave to its senior managers. To create the harmony they want and give employees a range of different health and wellness programs. Some of those (as taken from the Sony Site) are as below: They provided On-site fitness centers On-site flu shots On-site cafeterias Wellness fairs 100% medical and dental plans Health risk assessments Gym discounts Stop Smoking programs Nutrition information Ritual Routines Respect for senior managers Work in Harmony giving employees the best working environment. Seniors never got fired. Engineers got the freedom to do what they wanted to. Engineers did not inform senior managers of faults they just fixed it. Stories Continuous restructuring Morale was down Believed in the harmony of the environment and the peoples freedom of working in that environment Symbols Senior management given big pays No one really gets retired Health related programs and discounts available. Complete Medical covered. The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage Engineer-driven Culture New innovative products Power Structure A lot of power was given to seniors in the company who were not involved in the day to day work. Less responsibility on the shoulder of the seniors managers as responsibility was not taken Control Systems Budgets Emergency Fixes Organizational Structures Transnational Branches/devolved Delegative leadership style Engineer-driven culture Figure 7- Cultural Web before Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global Sony Corporation mainly focused on giving the best environment to its employees especially its engineers who were the minds behind the innovations. A high level of respect was kept between the senior and junior employees in the company. Various Health and wellness programs and benefits were available for employees. Sony was an engineer-driven culture which put what the engineers thought and innovated before what the customers wanted or what the market demanded. The Cultural Web After Howard Stringer Power Structures: Howard was made the new CEO thus giving power of the company to him. He was able to make changes but very smartly Howard made Chubachi his right hand man since he was aware that he was the first non-Japanese CEO of the company. His power can be seen in the fact that Howard is now President of Sony in 2009. Control Systems: There was a more cost control in the company through reduction of employees in many of the sites. Manufacturing companies were consolidated and shut down in many areas. Rewards and bonuses based on group performance (not seniority) after Howard Stringer had taken over. Organizational Structure: With the structural changes that Howard had made to the company Sony had a flatter structure. Management was made to be more involved in each of the business units of the company. There was more responsibility given to senior and middle management. Stories: As per Chubachi, it was said that since Sir Howard had taken over there was a sparkle in the eyes of the employees. The over all morale of the company was better. After Howard came people were still not sure if they knew where they were leading to but they understood the company strategy which was to make the company cool again. People were more excited. Rituals Routines: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior mangers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Main customer who had used Sony products for a long time where now giving their inputs on the Sony products. Engineers were given more appreciations. Success was being celebrated through Award ceremonies, Christmas parties, training programs and knowledge sharing sessions. Symbols: After Howard came he dissolved the advisory board that consisted of 45 senior managers who had a say in the company even after they had retired. Each of them had a secretary, a car and driver and probably many other benefits. The gap between the senior management and the juniors was being reduced. Ritual Routines Good communications Customer involvement Appreciations Giving praise Celebration of success Stories Reduced Gap between the senior managers and juniors. People were more aware of the company strategy. Symbols Senior management who had retired where not taken care of by the company. Promotions based on group performance The Paradigm Respect for Seniors Emphasis on Harmony through-out the company Health and wellness programs, discounts and medical coverage New innovative products Power Structure Engineers given limited power Management given more responsibility along with current power. Restructuring of power in the company Control Systems Budgets Partnership agreements Financial controls Organizational Structures Multi-divisional Units based on market priority and business needs. democratic leadership style Figure 8- Cultural Web after Howard Stringer became CEO of Sony Global From the above cultural web we can see that Sony did not undergo major paradigm changes but did move from a transnational structure to a multi-divisional (Electronic department was a matrix) structure. Sir Howard Stringers Change Management Change management is also known as Change control. It is usually referred to the process by which the change of a system/process/organization is implemented in a controlled manner. If we look at the above Cultural Webs before and after Sir Howard Stringer took over Sony we can see that in order to bring the changes as per the paradigms shown above he had to adopt a Change Management program. Organizational change management processes include techniques for creating a change management strategy which is getting everybody involved in the change process. Engaging senior managers as change leaders, they become the sponsors of the change program. You also need to build awareness of the need for change (communications) getting everybody to understand why the need for change. Developing skills and knowledge to support the change (education and training), helping employees move through the period of change (coaching by managers and supervisors), and methods to sustain the change (measurement systems, rewards and reinforcement). Howard Stringer had instituted all these processes for his change management, but due to the dominance culture that existed before Howard Stringer took over, he had some resistance against his change management programme. There were forces for change and forces against change. Using Kurt Lewins force field analysis tool will help us analyse some of the driving and restraining force in Howard Stringers change management. These were some of the forces for and against his change management. Positive Forces ( + ) He came from a different culture and a different way of doing things Customers want new products Improve speed of production and raise volumes of out put Involvement of all employees using the bottom-up approach Experience and talented engineers It was a long-term strategy Introducing new technologies Reducing cost Dominant values where they believe in top management taking all the decisions They believe in the status quo, the normal way of doing things Negative Forces ( ) Not customer focused Fear of losing their position or become redundant Uncertainty not sure if the change program will work or not As per Johnson and Scholes in their book Exploring Competitive Strategy they have provided a framework for strategic change. Diagnosing the change situation à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Managing Styles and roles à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   Levers for managing change In the case of Sony it is evident that Sir Howard adopted the Reconstruction type of strategic change. In this type of a change the paradigm does not fundamentally change but there will be majo