But is it Art-Gender Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

But is it Art-Gender - Essay Example in this way, such as Gender and Genius written by Christine Battersby arguing about how the term genius came to be applied to men only and Gender and the Musical Canon by Marcia J. Citron in arguing why the female composer has been left out of academic texts recognizing the brilliant composers of history. It is presented as something different from sexual orientation as examples of Maplethorpe and the at least partially homoerotic depictions of Leonardo and Michelangelo are described. However, it is also used to apply to the images of art as being gendered. For example, the author talks about the image of flowers being primarily the subject of female artists while the images of people and historic events are the province of men, thus introducing gender into the very subject of the paintings. As the author points out, though, these definitions are not always as clear as they might seem, indicating the flower paintings of Monet and Van Gogh while also mentioning the restriction on wome n throughout much of history from participating in art classes that contained nude figures, making classical and historic depictions difficult if not impossible for the female artist. They pointed out the great absence of women in the creative world as creators and writers rather than as subjects to be consumed. In their posters and other publications, they made it clear that there were many more female creators operating in these fields than had been ‘discovered’ by the established art societies including fine art, theatre and film. They also made it clear that the voices of women can never be heard when translated through the medium of a man’s understanding by illustrating how the sexual imagery of recognized painters such as Georgia O’Keefe are denounced as overly obsessed with the concept of sex while similar imagery by male artists is honored as deeply philosophical, alluding to something greater than mere sex and compelling to the modern audience. This continued

Cadbury: Porters Five Forces, and PESTEL Analysis

Cadbury: Porters Five Forces, and PESTEL Analysis In order to recommend what strategy is needed for a company to follow is essential to analyze the competitive environment where they operate. When analyzing the competitive environment of Cadbury, the factors that should be considered are both factors from the confectionery industry and factors from the macro environment, which would have an effect on the successful operation of the company. I have chosen Porters Five Forces, and PESTEL analysis. 1.1 Porters Five Forces Bargaining power of buyers: Porter (2008) stated that where the product is a small  fraction of buyers costs or expenditures, buyers are usually less price sensitive. Cadbury has to categories of buyers namely, consumers or retailer. Retail buyers are the group that has the most effect for Cadbury and other confectionery producers. They are mainly large retailers like i.e. Tesco, Asda in UK. There is competition for shelf space and threat of backward integration especially with brand only products. That is a very important group, which is directly correlated with the revenue. It could have high effect. Bargaining power of suppliers: Group that has big impact on the final product, in terms of quality and price. The main commodities used by Cadbury are cocoa, milk, and sugar. Any change in the price of those commodities will affect directly the price of the product and the profitability. Confectionery manufacturers are facing increasing cost pressures as Cocoa prices hit their highest levels for 23 years due to fall in Cocoa production (BBC, 2008). Cadbury is using commodity derivative contracts for cocoa and sugar. Cadbury Cocoa partnership is established to insure sustainable supply of Cocoa by supporting Cocoa farmers in Ghana, India, Indonesia and Caribbean (Cadbury, 2008). Another way perhaps to strengthen their position would be a backward integration, where they would acquire one or more of their suppliers to ensure that they have control over the commodity price (Johnson et al, 2008). Moderate effect. Rivalry among existing competitors: Confectionary is an industry with stiff competition amongst its players. There are five major players competing globally in confectionery industry: Nestle, Mars Wrigley, Cadbury, Ferrero Rocher and Hershey with about 42% share of global market (Cadbury, 2008). All of the major players in the industry have very sound brands worldwide. There is a high growth rate of 5% in the developed countries, and about 10% in the emerging markets, which makes the confectionery industry very attractive. Because of the high competition, there is possibility of competition of prices, which will cause the company to operate with lower margins. High effect. Threat of substitute products: World Health Organization (WHO) (2008) estimates that in 2005 at least 400 million adults worldwide were obese and forecasted that this figure in 2015 will be 700 million. USA, UK, and Germany are among the countries with largest number of people that are obese, overweight, and have cardiovascular health problems on the other hand those countries are the largest confectionery markets in the world. Consumers are becoming more and more aware of healthy eating, so the snacking habits are changing. There are numbers of substitutes emerging on the market, products like cereal bars and fruit bars are threat for the chocolate industry, as health conscious parents especially, would opt for the healthier option. Chocolatiers try to add value to their chocolate, with vitamins or antioxidants or by removing fat and sugar from the confection (Scully, C., 2006). Moreover consumers want firms to avoid e-numbers or synthetic colours and require instead organic substan ces In this regard many people think of the possible health benefits from the chocolate they eat. Consequently a further development will start. Special groups like diabetics or allergy sufferers will rise in importance. (Vreeland, C., 2007). The other main direction in the confection industry is the tendency to pure black and high quality chocolate. Thus, the sweet is turning into a way in which people express their selves. Candy Industry (2006) clarifies this with the headline of one of their reports Dark and Decadent vs. Milk and Mainstream. The statement is underpinned by several data. In 2006 the sales of dark chocolate increased by 40%, every third chocolate released was a dark chocolate and the premium market was foretold to grow over 20% in the next periods. The bitter chocolate has the benefit of a low sugar rate and a lot of antioxidants that makes it much more healthy then normal sweets. A dark chocolate is a bit of luxury at a reasonable price, perhaps thats a reason why this kind of sweet is so popular. The last point which supports the trend is that premium chocolate is for a multilateral use, for instance as a gift or decoration, optimally suitable (Rehan, 2007). The effect is high. Threat of a new entry: as the confectionery market is dominated by well established brands, as sated while analyzing the rivals, and they are Nestle, Mars Wrigley, Cadbury, Ferrero Rocher and Hershey, with 42% of the market (Cadbury, 2008) for a new company is very difficult to enter the market, unless they come up with new interesting product, something to go in line with the healthy lifestyle perhaps, as discussed above. However, it will be difficult to take a considerable market share, as they would be competing against very well established companies, with also established brand names, distribution channels and high capital investment. Other barriers for new entrants are economies of scale and experience of major operators in production and distribution (Johnson, et al 2008). On the other hand those barriers might not be effective for a company that is diversifying, like Nestle, they used their strong position of the confectionery market to enter the ice cream market (Reader, 2 006). The effect on Cadbury is low. 1.2 PESTEL Analysis Political: Only 10 countries in the world produce more than 90% of the worlds cocoa (Worlds Coco Foundation, 2007). The major problem in those countries is poverty. The main concern for the companies trading with those countries is political stability, as instability can have effect on the price, and the supply. Economic: Recent fall in the value of the pound, is one economic factor that affects all the companies that operate in UK, and have business connections with other countries. Cadbury operates in more than 60 countries in the world. Cadbury suppliers of their main commodity cocoa are not British, as outlined above. The depreciation of the pound makes the prices of cocoa more expensive; even though Cadbury had future contracts to hedge against situations like that it will still affect the operation in longer run, when new future contracts need to be made. On the other hand interest rates are very low in England at the moment. The base rate is only 0.5% (Bank of England, 2010). Companies can benefit with lower interest borrowing. Social: Fair trade with cocoa farmers is a social factor, as affects how the company is perceived by the consumers. Fair trade means that a company buys a tone of cocoa at the market price and pays a social premium for the commodity. This benefits the planter because of a steady income stream, which is more independent from the volatility of the market price. Furthermore a company with a fair trade label pays a percentage of the selling price to the centralized fair trade organization. Corporations try to redeem these disadvantages through a higher quality of cocoa beans (Westen, 2006). Furthermore an enterprise could gain a competitive advantage because of their social commitment. The customer can see a fair trade certification on the package and this is becoming more and more important. As outlined above Cadbury operates in more than 60 countries in the world. When a company operates in more than one country potential problems are conflicts between different cultural groups, language difficulties, stereotyping, and mutual misunderstanding (Greenhause, et al, 2010). Technological: Availability of high-tech machinery enables the company to produce high quality product at lower prices, which helps the company to gain competitive advantage. Another point is the widespread of the internet and satellite television, makes it easier to advertise to bigger audience of potential consumers. Environmental: The cocoa plant needs a stable climate. But the ideal conditions in  Africa and South America are in danger because of global warming. The weather will be  unpredictable and natural disasters are possible. Consequently the plants get hurt and the productivity decreases. Moreover disease destroys over 20% of the cacao beans that should be use for chocolate production every year (Ogodo, 2006).Therefore companies should search ways to secure a steady flow of cocoa in the required amount and quality. Cooperation with the World Cocoa Foundation could be a solution. Confectioners like Ferrero, Lindt, Thorntons and Nestle realise this potential and try to improve future expectations (World Cocoa Foundation, 2007) Legal: Affecting the industry are two new legislations that came into force in 2003 in UK. Regulations concerning contaminants in food and organic products force firms to obey and perhaps change their own practices (Baxter, 2006). The company had a very strong financial position with sales revenue growth of 14.6% compared with the previous year, which was due to increase in price, rather than increase in volume of sales, (Bonfield, 2009). Increasing price with no increase in the quality results in higher margins, however it is a very risky strategy to follow as the consumers might not agree with it, the company can lose market share (Johnson, et al 2008). The profit margins have increased from 5.41% in 2007 to 7.43% in 2008, and are higher than the average which stands at 6.42%. That is an indicator of successful cuts in cost. Main reason for that is cutting the number of employees, in 2007 the number of employees was 50,465, and in 2008 was nearly 4000 less down to 46,517. ROCE was nearly doubled in 2008 rising from 3.78% to 7.29%, and was much higher than the average ROCE for the industry, which was 5.53%. This increase in part can be from divestment of Americas Beverages in 2008 during 2008 that had lower R OCE than other companies in the group. According to Cadburys annual report (2008) In July 2008 Company issued new  £350m sterling bond with a coupon of 7.25%and underlying interest rate for Cadbury in 2008 was 6.5%. This means that Cadbury is not producing ROCE much more than its current cost of capital. On the other hand Nestles ROCE is an impressive 21.5% that indicates that the operating costs in UK are much higher, like wages, rent, administrative expenses etc. Current ratio which indicates the companys liquidity is 0.86% for 2008 for Cadbury, which is an improvement from previous year when it was 0.58%. That indicates that their liability has decreased during 2008. Compared to the competitors is obvious that they are not as liquid as Nestle, with current ratio of 1%, however their performance for 2008 compared with the industry average which is 0.72% indicates that they are doing better than the majority. Gering Ratio has decreased from 123.69% to 89.66% in 2008 mostly because of the demerger with the Americas Beverages which was financed by debt. At 2008 their gearing was lower than the average that was 106.6. That is an indicator that if the company needs to borrow, it will not be difficult to find a lender, as they are outperforming the average. Return on shareholders funds is 11.36% nearly doubled compared to year before when it was 6.10%. Nestles return is again much higher at 14.76%. However Cadburys Return on Shareholders funds is again better than the average for the industry which seats at 8.73%. (Weetman, 2006) (Nestle, 2008) (Fame, 2009)(Cadbury, 2009) CORPORATE STRATEGY CURRENTLY BEING PERSUED Vision into action is the name of the strategy pursued by Cadbury. The main outcome of the strategy is to achieve mid teen margins by 2011, alongside with 4-6% organic revenue growth, and improved return on capital employed. If all of that is achieved Cadbury PLC is going to be in an excellent position financially and marketwise, and would deliver outstanding return for their shareholders and become the largest confectionery company in the world. Cadburys priorities stated in the strategy were: growth, efficiency, and capability (Cadbury, 2009). In order to achieve the priorities cost reduction was very important, which resulted in increase in profit by 2.02% the de-merger of US Beverage happened in May 2008, as it was difficult for a British company to compete against American giants such as Coca Cola and Pepsi Co (Market Watch, 2008). And because it was an unrelated diversification from Cadburys main focus on chocolate, gum, and candy. Originally Cadbury wanted to sell the business, as Colley et al. (2002) suggests that a company may not have the time or resources to focus on particular division. Selling the units that lack long term prospects would bring in cash that can be used in what would be considered more advantageous ways. However a lack of interest from cash shy investors forced it to split the business instead. Instead of adding value to the Parent Company, if that given unit adds in management costs, adds to bureaucratic complexity and obscure financial performance, it is not feasible to continue with their oper ation (Johnson et al, 2008). The recent acquisition of Adam business is of immense benefit to Cadbury having gain number two position in gum business. They are focused in Integrating these recent acquisitions for sustainable growth. In order to implement strategy successfully there should be match between strategy and organisational structure. Roquebert et al. (1996) argue that in essence the structure of the organisation and its fit to environment determines the relative degree of profitability. Alfred Chandler (1962) concluded that structure follows strategy. New group structure of seven business units instead of four was introduced and de-layering organization for faster decision making and reduction in administrative cost. Strategic business unit is a part of an organization for which there is a distinct external market for goods or services that is different from another strategic business unit SBU (Johnson et al, 2008). The definition for SBU by CIMA, (2006) adds that SBU has a significant degree of autonomy, typically being responsible for developing and marketing their own product. In the case of Cadbury there is no evidence that shows these business units will have any autonomy in developing their own m arkets and products. Alongside what I have mentioned several other activities had been carried out in order to implement the strategy, such as the reconfiguration of production in Australia and New Zealand to reduce complexity of production, ant the closure of the nonperforming plants i.e. Barcelona and Turkey Gum plants and Somerdale Chocolate plant (Cadbury, 2009). Cadbury is a large company that only concentrates in one industry. In a study carried out by Schmalensee in 1985 was found that the industry effect is very significant and accounts for at least 75% of the variance of industry rates of return on assets, which is directly correlated with the profit of the firm. He also found that market share effects exist it share has positive relation with profitability but its effect is negligible and industry and market share affects are negatively correlated. Within the industry this is competitive advantage that accounts for profitability of company. Cadbury at the moment does not have competitive advantage over its rivals. Profit target set for 2013 that is operating margin of 16%-18% (11.9%for 2008) shows that understanding this fact managers are trying to gain competitive advantage over other global players by focusing on performance and increasing profit (Hill and Jones, 2007). RECOMMENDATION Based on the findings regarding the competitive environment where the company operates, and on Cadburys financial performance and current strategy, l can give recommendations for a strategy to be followed, supported by a Balanced Scored Card provided in Appendix 1. The main goal as it was outlined in the existing strategy is Increase in Shareholders Value. For the goal to be achieved every department in the Company should be involved. I will explain the implementation of the strategy starting from implementation in the process of learning and growth, than the implementation across the internal processes, followed by what would the strategy mean to the customers, finishing with how will the strategy affect the financial perspective. In order for a company to be successful the most important asset are the employees. Very important part of any strategy is how happy the employees are? Are they driving the business towards the goal set by the management? In order to achieve the points made is very important that the team fully understands the strategy and the underlying assumptions. The employees should work as a team with a successful communication between them, which contributes to faster decision making. For best results Cadbury should employ and retain high performers, for example high performing managers, or specialists in the field of RD. Once those employees are on board is very important to retain them, by appropriate pay, safe conditions, training and development to achieve their full potential. After the Kraft take over, and numerous job cuts, the team morale is low (BBC, March 2010), and it is very important that they get the support needed, and understand the big picture. Another crucial area of successes is investing in RD. As outlined by the analysis using the Porter Five Forces, there is a threat of substitutes, to develop products in line with the changing consumer habits (WHO, 2008) healthier variety of snacks should be introduced. Consumers are becoming more health concern, and are happy to pay higher price for a good quality, example of that is Innocent, focused on healthy food and drink, 100% smoothies, packed fruits and vegetables, which in the nine years they exist has grown from just a three employees to 268, and is one of the fastest growing companies with revenue of over 120 million pounds (Innocent, 2009). As explained by Ansoffs Matrix possible growth opportunities are found in this particular case by introducing new products in already existing markets (Richardson, et al, 2007). I think that Cadbury PLC should be one step ahead and introduce similar products as well. However, introducing new products is very costly and it will relate i n lower growth prospects. There are two factors that the power of substitutes depends on: Relative Price/Performance; and The extent of switching costs (CIMA, 2007). By using Porters Five Force was found that the competition in the confectionery industry is fierce; in order for Cadbury to maintain their market share, or better to enlarge it, constant improvements of the products should be maintained. Black and Green line should be developed further, as the demand for dark chocolate is growing (Rehan, 2007). As Porter (1980) says the goal of a competitive strategy for a company is to find a position in its industry where these competitive forces, will do it the most good or the least harm The Cadburys brand is large and global. Kraft had done a lot of acquisitions in the past where the brand has been kept intact like Jacobs Coffee in Germany. The company should continue that with the Cadbury Brand, as that is key to success. In the long run that will result in improved sales revenues , and better profit margins. In the Balanced Score Card I have outlined that Cadbury should be environmentally friendly. Ogogdo, (2006) had pointed that there is a threat to the cocoa trees in the long run, by the global warming. Cadbury should do their part and be involved in projects helping the environment, like using fair trade, or following their competitors examples. Nestle USA is helping to safeguard the environment through pollution prevention and control, energy conservation and recycling/solid waste management practices (Nestle Global, 2010). Entering new markets is a way of driving the business forward. By acquiring Cadbury, Kraft had positioned themselves on the Indian market where Cadbury has a very strong position, on the other hand Kraft can help Cadbury to penetrate the Chinese market, where they have a solid position, and use their distribution channels (Riches, 2010). Being global as refered to in the PESTEL analysis comes with its negative sides. To overcome that Cadbury should work towards minimizing conflicts and have procedures in place to supplement the strategy. Even though the current liabilities had decreased from the year before, there are still high. Restructuring the debt to a lower interest loan, would result in substantial savings. The interest debt on the existing debt is 6.5% (Cadbury, 2009). As outlined from the financial analysis, the performance had been stronger year after year, where almost all of the ratios had improved. If all the recommendations outlined above are followed the financial performance can only get stronger. When all standards are met for quality and the product meet and exceed customer expectations, there are possibilities for higher margins and increase in profit. On the other hand when the profits increase after interest and tax, the shareholders return would increase as well, which makes the final goal achieved increase in shareholder value. Market Watch Drinks; Apr2008, Vol. 7 Issue 4, p14-14, 1p Porter, M. E., (1980), Industry Structure and Competitive Strategy: Keys to Profitability, Financial Analysis Journal, Vol. 36, Issue 4, p30-41, 12p Strategy in Action Applying Ansoffs Matrix.Full Text Available By: Richardson, Mark; Evans, Carl. Manager: British Journal of Administrative Management, Summer2007, Issue 59, pi-iii, 3p

Pythagorean Philosophy and its influence on Musical :: essays research papers

Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics. New York: Dover Publications Ferrara, Lawrence (1991). Philosophy and the Analysis of Music. New York: Greenwood Press. Johnston, Ian (1989). Measured Tones. New York: IOP Publishing. Rowell, Lewis (1983). Thinking About Music. Amhurst: The University of Massachusetts Press. "Music is the harmonization of opposites, the unification of disparate things, and the conciliation of warring elements...Music is the basis of agreement among things in nature and of the best government in the universe. As a rule it assumes the guise of harmony in the universe, of lawful government in a state, and of a sensible way of life in the home. It brings together and unites." - The Pythagoreans Every school student will recognize his name as the originator of that theorem which offers many cheerful facts about the square on the hypotenuse. Many European philosophers will call him the father of philosophy. Many scientists will call him the father of science. To musicians, nonetheless, Pythagoras is the father of music. According to Johnston, it was a much told story that one day the young Pythagoras was passing a blacksmith’s shop and his ear was caught by the regular intervals of sounds from the anvil. When he discovered that the hammers were of different weights, it occured to him that the intervals might be related to those weights. Pythagoras was correct. Pythagorean philosophy maintained that all things are numbers. Based on the belief that numbers were the building blocks of everything, Pythagoras began linking numbers and music. Revolutionizing music, Pythagoras’ findings generated theorems and standards for musical scales, relationships, instruments, and creative formation. Musical scales became defined, and taught. Instrument makers began a precision approach to device construction. Composers developed new attitudes of composition that encompassed a foundation of numeric value in addition to melody. All three approaches were based on Pythagorean philosophy. Thus, Pythagoras’ relationship between numbers and music had a profound influence on future musical education, instrumentation, and composition. The intrinsic discovery made by Pythagoras was the potential order to the chaos of music. Pythagoras began subdividing different intervals and pitches into distinct notes. Mathematically he divided intervals into wholes, thirds, and halves. "Four distinct musical ratios were discovered: the tone, its fourth, its fifth, and its octave." (Johnston, 1989). From these ratios the Pythagorean scale was introduced. This scale revolutionized music. Pythagorean relationships of ratios held true for any initial pitch. This discovery, in turn, reformed musical education. "With the standardization of music, musical creativity could be recorded, taught, and reproduced." (Rowell, 1983). Modern day finger exercises, such as the Hanons, are neither based on melody or creativity. They are simply based on the Pythagorean scale, and are executed from various initial pitches. Creating a foundation for musical representation, works

Semiotics of a Magazine

Studying semiotics: When we are looking at the study of semiotics it means we are to analyze the use of signs and symbols that the magazine cover uses. When studying a picture, advertisement or magazine cover you can take almost anything as a sign or symbol, anything can represent anything at the discretion of the writer or editor. It is for us to interpret what each sign or symbol is representing to the best of our knowledge. Semiotics are important in a work as they give us a better insight into the content, the ideology and what to expect within the magazine.After a close analysis of the semiotics of a magazine we can find out more about what it is about and can understand it more. By reading the signs and symbols it gives us a better sense of the type of magazine. â€Å"In Barthian visual semiotics, the key idea is the layering of meaning. The first layer is the layer of denotation, of what, or who, is being depicted here? The second layer is the layer of connotation, of what id eas and values are expressed through what is represented, and through the way in which it is represented? † (Van Leeuwen, 2001) The first step of the semiotic deconstruction of the cover is to â€Å"identify relevant signs and their dominant aspects† (Van Zoonen, 1994, p. 78) From a first glance at the magazine cover we can see that the masthead is in big and bold capitals as to stand out to the audience. People will look at the masthead and automatically recognize the magazine from the colours and font. The tone of orange and pink they use are colours that are represented as stereotypically girly colours. The sell lines on the left and right of the magazine are used to tell the audience what’s included in the magazine or who is in it.It will also give an insight to the genre of the magazine by showing what kind of articles are included and what kind of artists or people they interview or talk about. They include words such as â€Å"World exclusive† to mak e the audience believe they are getting something that nobody else has and that it is a must have. The header on this magazine reads â€Å"Britain’s No. 1 Women’s magazine†. This is to attract attention to the magazine on the shelf for other women to buy it other the understanding that if it is popular with everyone else then you should enjoy it too.The use of the white on the pink also stands out as the top is normally what you will see first on a magazine on the shelf in a shop. The main image used in this magazine is a picture of Angelina Jolie, who Is a popular actor and fashion icon. The image takes up nearly the whole background and is obviously being used as a big selling point of this magazine. She is not wearing any clothes from our view of the image and has her makeup done perfectly. This image is very sexualized by her facial expression and the amount of skin shown.The use of a pull quote with â€Å"I went from Nanny to Prostitute in 24 hours† , is used to draw the audience in to the magazine are want to read why this happened and gain their interest and attention . It shows that the magazine has these kind of gossip stories that some women have great interest in reading. Having isolated the major signs and aspects of the magazine we then must â€Å"continue to examine the paradigmusicatic of signs by asking what their absent opposites are and how they relate to each other syntagmatically†. This is to say that we need to find the assumptions made by a first look at the cover and to see if they have any opposites.The main image used in the cover is of a white western woman. This is the iconography of the western world as she is someone who would be famous throughout. If they had a darker woman of less significance on the page then you would feel that the magazine would not sell as many copies. Her hair is down and her facial expression and lack of clothing is very sexualized whereas if you were to have her uptight w ith hair tied up and in a formal outfit then you may think that people would not buy it as she doesn’t seem as open and laid back and less likely to be giving all her gossip in the interview.You feel that there is a kind of ethnocentrism related to magazines such as these as they often are associated with people associated with your own western culture and not from anywhere else. We can then being to denotate what is on the magazine cover. The colour scheme used is that of pink, orange and white. This is to associate the magazine directly to women as these are stereotypical female colours. The font used is a basic one and is often in bold; it is easy to read and stands out on the page.The cover lines feature â€Å"3 sex secrets that will change everything†, various lines about the celebrities included in the magazine and also â€Å"How to get rid of cellulite or at least hide it†, all the coverlines are related to either sex, image or celebrity lives. On a conno tation level we can see that the connotations gathered by analysis of this cover they are predominantly about femininity and sexuality. Even thought his is a magazine for women we see that the main image used is a picture of, what we are made to believe, Angelina Jolie naked. She has her makeup done up and has a sexualized look in her eyes staring at the camera.This is a confusing decision in these magazines as you would feel that if you are to judge by how male magazines are made, with semi naked pictures of women also, then you would think that they would have a semi naked man on the cover to their magazine. The 21st century has shown a change back to when women have been used as objects in magazines like this in western civilization but is just taken to be the normality in this part of the world. â€Å"The re-sexualisation of women’s bodies, often displayed in public space and in near-soft porn forms, goes comparatively unremarked – except by those from other, less ‘liberated’ cultures†. Branston, 2010) The media has a huge control on how we represent women and men in a western civilisation. From what is read and seen in magazine we get the perceptions of this is how normal people should be and act and that is completely controllable and interchangeable by what the media chooses to do. This is a high power that we should try and move away from as it will control the world and people will always be aiming to be like the celebrities and people shown in these magazines and in the media. Research on media representations of gender has focused on how women are objectified and exploited in a media context and on the gap between social reality and media constructions of femininity and masculinity†( Devereux, 2003) The idea that celebrities mean so much in our society influences on people to be like them. Celebrities are just normal people that have perhaps a talent or a different look, but once the media throws them into the spotlight then it is our turn to idolize them. Magazines such as this one are filled with advertising and fake stories and the cover shows this by showing hidden advertising for a â€Å"? 5 dress that flatters everyone†. This kind of advertising draws people in to read ‘stories’ that are actually just ads for different products. â€Å"The point of publicity and promotion is to turn advertising into news†(Turner, 2004) References: Branston, G. , & Stafford, R. (2010). The media student's book  (5th  ed. ). London: Routledge. Devereux, E. (2003). Understanding the Media. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Turner, G. (2004). Understanding Celebrity. London: SAGE Publications Ltd. Van, L. T. , ; Jewitt, C. (2001). Handbook of visual analysis. London: SAGE. Zoonen, L. (1994). Feminist media studies. London: Sage.

Era of Good Feelings Dbq

During the Era of Good Feelings, Nationalism and Sectionalism were both evident. However, sectionalism was the most important cause of disagreement within the country with the controversy over Missouri’s admission as a slave state, and the different views toward states’ rights throughout various sections of the country. When Missouri applied to become part of the union, they insisted on being a slave state. This upset the north due to their interest in a balance of power.The Missouri Compromise was enacted with the help of Henry Clay in order to come to a conclusion to the political arguments between the North and South. It stated that in order for Missouri to be accepted as a slave state, Maine would come into the union as a free state. Also, slavery wasn’t to be permitted north of latitude 36? 30’. The long retired Thomas Jefferson expressed his alarm to the happenings in American government by comparing the sectional disunity to a â€Å"fire bell in th e night [that] awaked and filled me with terror. (Document G) John Quincy Adams also stated that â€Å"If the union must be dissolved, slavery is precisely the question upon which it ought to break. † (Document F) By simply drawing a line to determine boundaries of slavery, it was inevitable that neither side would be completely satisfied in the long run. Sectionalism was also evident through economical differences between the North and South. The South’s growing agricultural society relied heavily on slavery.Inventions such as Eli Whitney’s cotton gin increased production of cotton vastly, and in return brought more slaves. In the North however, industry was the main priority. Many goods were manufactured in the North and transferred to the South for use in fields. When the Tariff of 1816 which taxed goods manufactured in the North was passed, nearly all southerners voted against it (Document H}. As disagreements arose, the idea of sectionalism continued to exp and. The so called â€Å"Era of Good Feelings† faced problems of factional disagreements.Sectional divisions were merely covered up by the unity of political parties during Monroe’s presidency. Although the parties seemed united, Eastern Republicans disagreed with the idea of internal improvements, which was a big part of Henry Clay’s â€Å"American System. † On the other hand, John C. Calhoun supported the idea of internal improvements (Document D), but later became a leading advocate for state’s rights. Also, the Election of 1824 caused the Democratic Republican Party to splinter.John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson were both members f the same party, but ran against each other due to disagreements based on their different sectional interests such as their view on protective tariffs. This destroyed the sense of national unity amongst the government, thus further establishing sectionalism. In closing, although the Era of Good Feelings seemed to be as era of national unity, the opposite was proven true. Examples such as the Missouri disagreements and the separation of the Democratic Republican party prove that sectionalism was evident. The difference of economic beliefs of the North and South ensured further conflict in the future.

Bismarck - How much did Bismar essays

Bismarck - How much did Bismar essays Bismarck - How much did Bismarck's success from 1862-70 depend on the errors and misjudgements of others? According to the traditional German view, German unification was achieved in 1871 as a result of the actions of one great man, Otto von Bismarck, the Minister-President of Prussia, who planned the events leading to unification in detail. However, more recent historians have argued that Bismarck had no such ``master plan''. Instead, Bismarck's success was a result of his flexibility as a statesman, combined with the advantages Prussia enjoyed both in its resources and its diplomatic situation, the latter of which was improved by the mistakes and misjudgements of others. There were essentially two halves to Bismarck's supposed master plan: defeat Austria, keeping her as an ally by treating her leniently, and defeat France. Defeating Austria required the neutrality of France and Russia, and a way in which to trick Austria into declaring war with Prussia, so that Austria would appear to be to blame. According to the traditional view, Bismarck planned ways in which to carry this out. Originally it was said that Bismarck's handling of the rebellion in Russian Poland resulted in Russian neutrality: the rebellion was a potential threat to Russia, so Bismarck offered the Tsar military help, thereby gaining Russia's friendship. However, this was not entirely the case, and Bismarck almost ruined the good diplomatic position he had inherited: There was almost a French, British and Austrian alliance of liberal opposition against Prussia over the matter, and Russia resented Prussian interference. In the end, Russia's friendship with Prussia remained intact, and the Prussian benefit was that Austria's relations with Russia had worsened over Austrian opposition to Russia's Polish policy. Furthermore, this could not have been part of a master plan since Bismarck had no way of knowing about the rebellion in advance. It is more likely that...

Preparing Financial Forecasts Report Essay

Preparing Financial Forecasts Report Essay Preparing Financial Forecasts Report Essay [pic] [pic] HND program, Sichuan University 2006-12-21 Part A Introduction This report refers to show the variances between the Flexed Budget and Actual results. After cooperation, we will understand the overview of the organization’s current situation. In order to find the problems and solve them, I analyzed them below. Here are the detailed information about the materials variance, labour variance and overhead variance. In addition, I will give out the advice of my opinion at the end of this report. |Tricol plc Flexible budget | | |Original budget |Flexed budget |Actual results |Variance | | | | | |A/F | | |2000 units |1600 units |1600 units[1] | | |Direct material |ï ¿ ¡80000[2] |ï ¿ ¡64000[5] |ï ¿ ¡61600 |ï ¿ ¡2400 |F | |Direct labor |ï ¿ ¡36000[3] |ï ¿ ¡28800[6] |ï ¿ ¡35200 |ï ¿ ¡Ã¯ ¼Ë†6400ï ¼â€° |A | |Variable production overheads |ï ¿ ¡4000[4] |ï ¿ ¡3200[7] |ï ¿ ¡3200 |0 | | | |Depreciation |ï ¿ ¡1500 | |ï ¿ ¡1500 | | |Fixed overheads | | | | | | |Total cost of production | |ï ¿ ¡104200 |ï ¿ ¡108600 |ï ¿ ¡Ã¯ ¼Ë†4400ï ¼â€° |A | [1] Flexed budget amount is 80% of the target amount [2]ï ¿ ¡10Ãâ€"4 kgÃâ€"2,000ï ¼ 80,000 [3]ï ¿ ¡9Ãâ€"2Ãâ€"2,000ï ¼ 36,000 [4]ï ¿ ¡2Ãâ€"2,000ï ¼ 4,000 [5]ï ¿ ¡10Ãâ€"4 kgÃâ€"1,600ï ¼ 64,000 [6]ï ¿ ¡9Ãâ€"2Ãâ€"1,600ï ¼ 28,800 [7]ï ¿ ¡2Ãâ€"1,600ï ¼ 3,200 Material: Direct material total variance = (standard units of actual production*standard price)-(actual quantity*actual price) = (1600*4*10) - 61600 =ï ¿ ¡2400(F) Direct material usage variance =standard price*(standard unit of actual production - actual quality) =10*(1600*4-5600) =ï ¿ ¡8000(F) Direct material price variance =actual quantity*(standard price – actual price) =5600*(10-11) =ï ¿ ¡-5600(A) Material total Variance percentage = 2400/64000 *100% =3.75% Material usage variance percentage = 8000/64000*100% =12.5% Material price variance percentage =5600/64000*100% =8.75% Labour: Direct labour total variance = (standard hours of actual production*standard rate ph)-(actual hours*actual rate ph) = (1600*2*9)-35200 =ï ¿ ¡-6400(A) Direct labour efficiency variance =standard rate ph*(standard hours of actual production – actual hours) =9*(1600*2-3520) =ï ¿ ¡-2880(A) Direct labour rate variance =actual hours*(standard rate ph-actual rate ph) =3520*(9-10) =ï ¿ ¡-3520(A) Labour total variance percentage =6400/28800*100%=22.22% Labour efficiency variance percentage =2880/28800*100%=10% Labour rate variance percentage=3520/28800*100% =12.22% Overhead: Total overhead variance =total standard overhead for actual production-total actual overheads = (7.125*1600)-(3200+2200+1500+2400+2500) =11400-11800 =ï ¿ ¡-400(A) Overhead absorption rate =total budgeted overhead/total budgeted activity level = (1600*2+2000+2200+1500+2500)/1600 =ï ¿ ¡7.125 per unit