Aurelius, Marcus. The Meditations

Introduction People react to conflicts and crisis in disparate means with some being too radical whilst others stand out as opportunists. The ability to react to and solve predicaments in the right way is a fundamental element of determining a good ruler who is leading his or her subjects in an admirable way. Knowing the different techniques of addressing the challenges facing the human race is essential for human survival and one must strive to have such information.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Aurelius, Marcus. The Meditations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The following are some of the issues that Marcus Aurelius attempted to address as he wrote Meditations, which is a set of his personal view on how he presumed life should be lived. How do the classics help when one or a country is witnessing predicaments, and does the intelligence of the poets, philosophers as well as rulers relevant in such t imes? In 1915, Robert Graves utilized the knowledge he got from poets to fight in an ongoing war. In 1991, Anthony Swofford, a US marine official, successfully used the principles of Homer and Camus during the Gulf War. However, most readers including Frederick the Great assert that one of the best sources of instruction and moderation is Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. This assertion is evident in the way Marcus has displayed his loosely structured set of opinions linked with stoic philosophy. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Born on April 26, A.D. 121, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was an emperor of Rome that ruled the Roman Empire for two decades. He was a nephew as well as the son-in law of Antonius Pius and came from a noble family, which was very religious, which is an indication why his ruling was virtuous. Marcus lost his parents at a young age and he was later adopted by his grandfather, Annius Verus. Throughout his childhood, he was coached to dress plainly and restrain fr om luxurious lifestyle. Moreover, he participated in activities such as wrestling and hunting that nurtured his body to become robust. His hardiness was evident in the way he was fascinated with meeting vicious boars. Marcus inherited the throne after the demise of Antoninus Pius in 161 and allied with L. Ceoinius Commodus, a man who had been adopted by Pius at a young age. They worked together in administrating the empire. However, soon after Marcus had assumed the throne, a stream of war plagued Rome (Van Ackeren 112). The aftermath of the war was an epidemic that was accompanied with starvation, which was caused by floods that had damaged huge quantities of crops. Marcus applied every means possible including selling the regal ornaments to collect money that could combat the crisis. Eventually, the Roman Empire under his leadership eliminated barbarian communities, and reestablished the stability of Rome. Being the commander-in-chief, he was a shrewd as he appointed effective lie utenants (Sellars 84).Advertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Marcus was not only faced with war predicaments, but also domestic problems. His wife, Faustina, bore him children that he loved dearly. All his children died except Commodus who was viewed as puny, as well as insignificant by the subjects. After the demise of Marcus, he assumed the leadership of the Empire despite the immense resentment. The subjects complained that his leadership was oppressive and brutal. It is essential to have such knowledge even as one understands the contents of Marcus’ book- Meditations (Fein 36-37). In Meditations, Marcus spent a little time and space in addressing the issue of war. However, it is evident that he spent a lot of time in his two decades of governance in prevalent battles. There are passages in his book that prove this assertion and suggest that he was familiar with the battleground. In the book, he asks if one has ever witnessed a hand, foot, or a head cut from the other parts of the body and lying miles away. He asserts that that is what people do to themselves when they attempt to ignore what goes on in their lives or when they do something that is considered narcissistic (Sellars 88). It is certain that, as a fighter, Marcus had the ability to administrate prudently as well as meticulously. He strived to imitate the previous rulers, but always made sure that he abstained from corruption and performed all his duties accountably and responsibly. However, it would amount to bias for one to conclude that he was a perfect leader as he was erroneous in particular scenarios. For instance, he introduced a compeer in Rome similar to that in Verus, an extremely risky innovation for people feared that it would cause obliteration. Some years later, the fears came into reality when Diocletian caused the Roman Empire to disintegrate because of the innova tion. He also gaffed in his governance because it was too centralized despite being impartial. He established charitable foundations to cater for his deprived citizens and regions that were vulnerable to calamities. However, one notable fact was his reluctant approach towards Christians (Talbot 63-66). During his administration, several incidents of devotion resulted to death of many believers. It is also unwise to argue that the atrocities on Christian martyrs occurred without his knowledge, and if that is true, then he failed in administering his duties as an emperor. However, irrespective of these errors, Marcus is still undoubtedly among the best rulers of the Roman Empire and is admired by many. Though he ruled during hard times for the Roman Empire, he was meek, shrewd, and humble. â€Å"Meditations† stands out as evidence that he had little interest with issues such as personal fame, but rather he was a knowledgeable man with a considerate soul (Sellars 46).Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Aurelius, Marcus. The Meditations specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More â€Å"Meditations† is a collection of short stories that have been composed in twelve disparate books. The writings appear in a way that some are in short paragraphs whilst others carry only single lines. Marcus begins his writing by sharing the knowledge he got from his relatives, tutors, as well as allies. He mentions his grandfather, the good relationship he had with him, and the virtues he taught him. The book is difficult to visualize as a material that can be used by conflicting forces. Some of the contents support the hand-to-hand warfare that most lieutenants discourage. He states that weapons should be laid down and encourages soldiers to clench their fists and fight. Although Marcus is not precise in his writing, he shares a notable advice on pain-management by stating that no one experiences anythi ng that s/he cannot tolerate. He also advises non-combatants who are disheartened by carnages that the solution to such problems is to count on their blessings (Fein 36-37). The doctrine of stoicism is also prevalent in the book, a philosophy that he was deeply fascinated in and applied in his solving daily challenges in life. The Roman Empire had two competing schools that employed two disparate doctrines, viz. Stoicism and Epicureanism. Stoicism asserts that virtue alone can cause contentment as well as peace of mind. Virtue in this case consists of obedience to the top authority and everything that it provides, in mastery that surpasses the human race’s animal nature, in liberation from every perturbation, as well as in the whole autonomy of the Inner Self. As a resolute follower of the philosophy, Marcus strived to live according to the virtue that the creed suggested. He writes Meditations to share all the knowledge he learned throughout his lifetime, thus making the boo k a good source that people can reflect on when making various decisions about life (Van Ackeren 119). Marcus states that as a human being, there is imperfection, intermittent missteps, and faults; however, these elements do not prevent one from pursuing the upright path. Most of his views that he offers in the book are extensive and rational.Advertising Looking for research paper on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Most of his passages attempt to address the triviality of man (Fein 36-37). â€Å"Meditations† is a succession of devout exercises and the extent to which the book can relieve a reader relies on the individual’s belief in human progress. Marcus categorically states that people normally have similar behaviors and problems from generation to generation, for example, marrying, falling ill, as well as fighting. According to Marcus, nothing novel is introduced in any of these generations and man can do nothing to alter this fact. Marcus states that life is not good and compares it to a rotting meat. However, he argues that if an individual can accept every challenge then one can easily become happy. Another persistent theme in the book is the issue of mortality – everything that is alive will soon experience death. Marcus states that death is a natural practice just as sex. Irrespective of the position one holds here on earth, everyone will soon become history. Marcu s asks why people lament the demise of a loved one whilst life is so insignificant and somnolent (Vernezze 91). He therefore encourages his readers to face death with joy because it relieves those who depart from numerous depressions of the world. He states that whatever is of great significance is ones spirit and not the body. Marcus also uses Meditations to advise his readers to ensure that everything they do let it appear as if it were the last thing they were to participate in before they died. He argues that people commit injustice by being idle. In everything an individual does, his or her main intention should always be to improve (Van Ackeren120). Moreover, one should refrain from arrogance and avoid getting irritated with individuals who are imprudent and of little importance. He advises people to strive in achieving modesty, piousness, honesty, and cooperate with others in accomplishing various activities in the society (Vernezze 75). For those who might find it hard it to get out of their beds, they should note that what completes them as human beings is working in unity with other people. Furthermore, he reminds those who are prone to fleeing when their fellow neighbors hurt them to acknowledge that one can always flee any minute he or she desires as long as he or she is to the back roads of him/herself. According to Marcus, everything that exists on the surface of the earth plays a particular role. Man’s role as a creature that thinks is to free his memory from debris and delusions. He asserts that the applause of peers and posterity are all delusions that one must refrain from in the journey of life. He argues that doing things for commemoration is as insignificant as seeking popularity, and thus every individual must be ready to live with their minuscule abilities (Fein 36-37). The main intent of Marcus book is to teach his readers how to endure challenges. Even though the theme of endurance if prevalent in the book, Marcus also advises h is readers on how they can enjoy life. He states despite the delights of the flesh are meager sensation; sometimes people should part with their books and participate in leisure activities such as â€Å"pretty singing†. It is vividly evident that most of the ideas that Marcus shares in Meditations are a direct reflection of the life he lived before and during his reign as a Roman Emperor (Talbot 63-66). Conclusion Clearly, â€Å"Meditations† is a book that almost every individual can use as a manual for solving the challenges that appear in life. However, some of Marcus’ thoughts are eccentric hence revealing the weak side of the book. For instance, he argues that evil causes more danger on the perpetrator than on the victim. This assertion is not true in cases such as assassination, rape, or slavery. Furthermore, the assertion that evils committed because of lust are more dangerous than those committed due to anger is erroneous. It is better for a man to commit infidelity with a neighbor’s wife than murdering her. Some of the passages also sound as a New Year’s resolution whilst others call for readers to leap their thoughts; for instance, when he states, â€Å"don’t gussy your imagination†- very few readers can comprehend the message. Some who have read the book admit that it is an impregnable wintry kingdom because it informs one of the worst and once an individual has such information, he or she will rarely get surprised on such issues. Nonetheless, for those who need some advice in life, it is time they became acquainted with Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Works Cited Fein, Michael. â€Å"Meditations.† Library Journal 135.15 (2010): 36-37. Print. Sellars, John. Stoicism. California: University of California Press, 2006. Print. Talbot, John. â€Å"Unpruned meditations.† New Criterion 28.8 (2010): 63-66. Print. Van Ackeren, Marcel. A Companion to Marcus Aurelius. Massachusetts, MA: John Wiley Sons, 2012. Print. Vernezze, Peter. Don’t Worry, Be Stoic: Ancient Wisdom For Troubled Times.  Maryland: University Press of America, 2004. Print. This research paper on Aurelius, Marcus. The Meditations was written and submitted by user Ronnie A. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Empowerment And Participation Essays - Human Resource Management

Empowerment And Participation Essays - Human Resource Management Empowerment And Participation Empowerment and Participation It is interesting how the word communication can change life at home and at work. When everyone is aware of what is going on around him or her, they can function better. What a concept! All of the readings I have done taught communicating is the key. We read about ridding the stigma of upper management, getting their hands dirty, understanding their position, and why it is important to the rest of the company. This chapter takes it one step further and says talk about the company finances as well. It is important for employees to understand the business in its entirety. That includes the finances of the job. All of the readings in this chapter had something to offer. I feel taking a bit from each will provide a work place of splendor. Finances include a variety of things: From hiring a new employee to purchasing a new tool to make the job easier. It is those decisions we make which can make difference of saving, spending and making money. It is these decisions that can make or break a company. The old school tells us not to share finances with anyone else in the company but those directly on top. The new school is saying that this philosophy is all wrong. If one want an employee to do the best he or she can do, and feel important, give them the company information. Let all the employees know what role they play. Allow them to make decisions that will make their job easier. As implied before, who betters know the job than the employee performing the job? The reading, Zapp! The Lightening of Empowerment suggests managers help their employees take ownership of their jobs. This requires trust, listening to the workers, and giving feedback. The novel concept here is to treat people like humans. Like any relationship, one needs these qualities to survive. If one gives positive reinforcements people tend to respect them. Employers hire people everyday with the hopes and trust they will do their job. But when people do not understand the role they really play in the company, they may not give their full effort. Hence, we have Saps, people who lack the main ingredients of relationships discussed earlier. We must let the employees know we trust them to make good positive decisions. Give them the empowerment by letting them know they are valued, and commending them on jobs well done. Open Book Management suggests we share our finances with the other employees no matter what their status, and give them a stake in the company. After all, this is a good suggestion, why work if one can't reap the benefits of their work? It also suggests that many employees are business illiterate, and if we want them to understand business we need to teach it to them. In conclusion, all of the readings I have done so far make management more then just problem solvers. They have become part of the problem. To solve their own problems managers need to be teachers, coaches, and a wealth of knowledge to be shared. Businesses need to be a team, and to this they need to share every aspect of the team. When the business succeeds all should have a share in the profit, and when it fails all are responsible. Bibliography Pierce, Jon L. John W. Newstrom. The Manager's Bookshelf. 5th ed. Prenticw Hall: 2000, 1996.129-173.

GLOBUS ENTERPRISES YEAR END BALANCES Assignment

GLOBUS ENTERPRISES YEAR END BALANCES - Assignment Example $81,200 and it is believed that it should be allotted either in attractive investments or transferred to retained profit account. The current ratio of 2.37 shows that the company has sufficient funds for fulfilling its liabilities and it should consider about decreasing the amount of current assets to a significant level so that there is proper balance between the assets and liabilities of short term period within the organization. This balance between the assets and liabilities would prove to be useful for the business in the long term and allow the organization to gain competitive advantage. The net working capital is an important indicator about the proper allocation of a company’s current assets and it is used to review the financial health of the company for one year. Considering the working capital of Globus Enterprises which is $86,800, it is a clear sign of the organization that it is in effective utilization of the company’s resources. It shows that the company has a positive working capital and has appropriate amount of liquid cash to meet the immediate monetary requirements of the business. Positive working capital for the business is a highly advantageous position for the business. Businesses require capital for expansion and other investments and positive working capital would assist the business in accomplishing such goals. It has to make sure that its working capital ratio is grown in an upward direction in upcoming years so that it does not have to face any sort of financial problem and it can smoothly run its business operations. The figure also ensures that it is able to pay off its current liabilities without any difficulty and it can even bear any expense required for the prepayments with convenience. Globus Enterprises has debt to equity ratio of 1.1 which is a good sign of the company’s internal health. For every organization, the ideal ratio is in between 1-2 and the company’s figure

Fieldwork project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fieldwork project - Essay Example Not-A is necessarily impure, a random catchall, to which nothing is external except A, and the principle of order that separates it from Not-A.† Along the same lines, Judith Lorber states, â€Å"from society’s point-of-view one gender is usually the touchstone, the normal, the dominant and the other is different, deviant, and subordinate. In Western society ‘man’ is A, ‘wo-man’ is Not-A† (Lorber, J. 22). Bri could not grasp the concept that his wife was independent, sharing in the same responsibilities. With that, their marriage began to crumble. My personal feeling is his wife realized men have a historical, unfair advantage over women. Men are afforded a greater number of economic resources, such as quality education, higher-paying job opportunities, as organizations tend to be â€Å"monopolized by men† (Lorber, J. 23). Based on my experience, I completely agree with Lorber, and I feel that my perception of Bri’s wife†™s reasons for leaving is accurate. Bri’s wife was a very successful doctor; she did not want to give up her career and â€Å"do most of the domestic labor† (Lorber, J. 23). It is possible Bri and his wife could have negotiated, settling on a compromise that they would both be able to live with, but they failed to do so.

Smoking ban laws in public places Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Smoking ban laws in public places - Essay Example Thus, a ban on smoking would fail (Proctor). However, if smoke-free laws are enforced, premature deaths can be reduced because many people would refrain from the habit. Indeed, intensive smoking that is associated with severe health consequences can be avoided if strict smoking laws are enforced (ACS CAN 5). Smoke-free laws are also appropriate because they reduce the number of smokers in a country. This can happen in two ways. First, smokers will have limited places where they can smoke freely. Since comprehensive smoking laws prohibit smoking in public places, many smokers will be forced to quit the habit. As a result, there will be a decrease in the number of active smokers in within a country. Second, young people who would otherwise become smokers will not have the opportunity to do so. Normally, when young people start smoking, they do so in places where there are no family members. Public places provide an ideal environment for starting the smoking habit (Guilfoyle). Opponents of smoke-free laws argue that tough smoking rules would encourage smoking in hazardous environments, potentially endangering the lives of smokers (Proctor). However, with smoke-free laws, prospective smokers will not have anywhere to start the habit (Guilfoyle). In addition, smoke-free laws are appropriate because they decrease health costs. Health costs are incurred by smokers and nonsmokers. Smokers are at a higher risk of developing smoking-related illnesses. Smoking can also worsen other chronic conditions such as asthma. Nonsmokers can develop health complications such as chest pain, stroke, and asthma from secondhand smoking. They can also increase their chances of contracting lung cancer. Opponents of smoke-free laws argue that although there may be a decrease in health costs, there will still be severe economic consequences. For instance, several multi-billion dollar cigarette industries would close down

Management In Civil Engineering

Management In Civil Engineering In general and widely adopted sense civil engineers are considered to design and manage the construction of roads, railways, buildings, bridges, tunnels, dams, airports, water supply and sewage systems. They must have to look into several factors in the design procedure from the production costs and expected lifetime of a project to government policies and possible environmental hazards such as hurricanes and earthquakes. Civil engineering, considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, assimilates many specialties. The most common and crucial fields of civil engineering are structural, water resources, construction, transportation, and geotechnical engineering(Bean, A.L., 2007). Most of the civil engineers hold administrative or supervisory positions, from supervisor of a construction site to city engineer. As civil engineering is continuously broadening its area of interest so significant numbers of civil engineers have also chosen their career in management, research, and t eaching fields besides its common fields. Which are new emerging fields and they have their own significance in engineering.These sort of moves demand, civil engineers must have requisite knowledge about all these fields. Importance of Management in Civil Engineering Management is leading science domain and routine in managing building companies. It is one of the oldest human activities, it activates human abilities on building investment objects in order to assure necessity for civil engineering purposes. It is enough good reason to take place in management development in civil engineering. As there are too many definitions of management depending on an author, only the most important are offered, namely the most acceptable in civil engineering domain. Remarkable attention is given to managing tasks in civil engineering as well to their correlations If we speak about management in civil engineering then the total quality management must be proposed. Total quality management is a business philosophy and accessible way of modern companies around the whole world. It is the most contemporary idea of developing and advancing in all life and work domains. The growing urge of efficient use of the earths resources such as land, air, water and raw materials as well as concentration on efficient design, analysis and maintenance of civil structures requires a better insight in the spatial and temporal patterns of resources and activities (Bean, A.L., 2007). In view of the fact that the parameters of civil engineering today are not only confined to design and construction of structures but due to globalization and privatization of civil engineering organizations now civil engineering emerges as a study, which not only pay attention on construction and design but also reflects the importance of management of the resources used in constructio n. Now we talk about the various newly emerging fields of civil engineering (Motwani, J., 2001). Responsibilities for Civil Engineers In most of the cases, such as e.g. the situation, when natural phenomena like the weather is considered the engineering models developed to predict such phenomena are indeed very uncertain. The same applies to the prediction of natural hazards such as e.g. earthquakes, rock-fall and tsunamis which all constitute important exposures for the built environment. Engineering models must, however, also take into account the uncertain performance of man. Due to the effect of the different types of uncertainties there is no absolute certainty associated with the result of an engineering decision. For this reason there is also no absolute certainty about the safety of a structure. So as a engineer at construction site, it is also necessary for him to look into issues like health safety risk management, environmental management etc. Now we briefly discuss about these issues (Carpenter, J. Williams, 2004). 3.1 Health Safety Risk Management As per the definition, hazards which cause risk of lives at site are due to transfer of energy in one form or other. If the energy transferred more than the withstanding capacity at the receiving end, hazard is created, which eventually leads to physical harm of employees. The human system or any other object or species has tolerance levels or thresholds for each form of energy. The quantity of such energy, particularly near the threshold limit must be determined in order to decide on the control method to eliminate or reduce the impact of hazard. Mc Farland, another researcher in this field, has said all accidental injuries and damages result from application of specific forms of energy in amounts(Human Engineering, 2005). The main objective of the health management is to minimize or if possible then completely avoid hazards at site. It will decrease the chances of physical harm of employees and subsequently increase the health safety conditions at site. Although the success of a safety program depends on people, how they are motivated and how they communicate with each other. One of the important keys to success lies in establishing communication with people at all levels (Carpenter, J. Williams, 2004). So here health safety management comes into picture, it basically help to implement methods, which may include written circulars, reports, news sheets, promotional activities, incentive or reward schemes, personal contact and, most successful of all, structured safety meetings at the work place level where everyone can become involved . Safety meetings will be more productive and motivating if a member of a group under the guidance of management is asked to lead the meeting, having first been given the framework of the subjects for discussion and what the discussion hopes to accomplish. Where contractors are part of the work group they should also be included. Conclusions and concerns should be written down and acted well upon. The enthusiastic participation of all staff in safety meetings should be regarded as a long term objective. Case Study Over the last decade the highest rate of accidents and causalities in British Industries has been identified by the construction industry. Accordingly the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) arranged blitz inspections in an attempt to implement health and safety legislation and thus get better construction site safety. But, after 2000 site speculations it was noticed that one third of the site supervisors and agents had inadequate knowledge of and a poor attitude towards basic health and safety requirements. The blitz speculations were not successful in dropping down the number of deaths and other serious causalities but simply pointed out the lack of knowledge of and the unsatisfactory attitudes towards health and safety risk management. The risk of casualty in the construction industry has been dropped down from approximately 4.5 times higher to approximately three times higher than the risk of causalities that is related with all British industries (Figure 1) (Carpenter, J. Williams, 2004). Fig 1. UK construction industry fatality rates per 100,000 workers compared with other industries 1992-2006 (Carpenter, J. Williams, 2004) 3.3 Environmental Management First we define what exactly environmental management is and later we focus on its significance in a view of civil engineering. The main responsibilities of civil Engineers are to plan, grow and manage the surrounding environment. Majority of us in our routine lives take the built environment more or less for granted. We have got used to a well functioning infra-structure (Carpenter, J.,Williams, 2004). In addition, whereas some bridges and high rising buildings may be extremely extravagant most of the built environment is barely noticed. Environment management also includes the proper functioning of sewage systems, tunnels and water supply systems. Systems without which our modern society could not function. When civil engineers make decisions in regard to the planning, design or maintenance of the built environment they take basis in the fundamental laws of nature, e.g. the results of fundamental research in physics, chemistry and biology. Well known examples of this is the rule of gravity or the laws of thermodynamics which all play crucial roles in how we design and maintain buildings and structures. We know that the hotels and resorts in the Caribbean use large amounts of water, energy, chemicals, supplies, and disposable items. They also generate lots of waste such as wastewater and solid waste. Because of this, small efficiency gains can lead to large cost savings and environmental performance improvements. Environmental management is a systematic approach to finding out practical ways for saving water, energy, and materials, and reducing negative environmental impacts. A proactive environmental management program is a win-win-win proposition because it can help a property save money, get recognized for environmental leadership, and preserve and protect unique destinations (Human Engineering, 2005).. Sustainable urban growth needs an integrated approach and the Thematic Strategy advocates that national and regional authorities support municipalities in achieving more integrated management at the local level. Integrated approaches comprise of long term strategic visions and connect different policies at different administrative levels to guarantee coherency. Integrated environmental management also comprises of tackling regarded issues together such as integrated spatial planning, urban management and governance, economic wellbeing and competitiveness, social inclusion and environmental stewardship. . 4.Quality Management System Quality means excellence. It is thus a philosophy rather than a mere attribute. The difference between two objects is judged by their qualities. We set some standards which determine the level of acceptability. In most industries especially in manufacturing and process industry, the concept of quality management is old and used extensively. Nowadays, application of quality management is not only becoming popular but also mandatory in construction industry. Quality assurance in construction activities guides the use of correct structural design, specifications and proper materials ensuring that the quality of workmanship by the contractor or sub-contractor is achieved and finally maintaining the structure after construction is complete through periodic assessments for maintenance and repairs. Quality control has to be imposed by the contractor whereas quality assurance is carried out by a separate third party agency engaged by the owner (Biggar, J. L., 1990). Quality Management Concerns (Motwani, J.,2001): Quality control means rational use of resources. Quality control procedures implement appropriate mixing, proper compaction, correct placement and adequate curing. Quality control prevents temptation of over design. Quality control ensures strict monitoring of every stage of concrete production and rectification of faults. Quality control reduces maintenance costs. Fig 2. Role of quality management in any project (Motwani, J.,2001) Quality management basically comprises of following management: 4.1 Technical Management It is apparent that quality and cost are the prior major concerns for any construction in a customer as well contractors perspective. Cost is related to the quality, that need to be identified for management decisions. The costs of project can be broken down as follows: There are many components other than raw material and labor cost, which individual has to deal with to estimate and finalize the final cost of structures such as (Biggar, J. L., 1990): The costs of preparing appropriate designs, more training to reduce failure costs and a lot of maintenance work. In some cases we need demolishing of one structure and making another structure, so in this case the total cost and production time would be different from the estimates. Natural hazards can also cause to increase the cost of project significantly by delaying the construction process or damaging it. So technical management includes the estimation of cost, time of completion and prediction of natural hazards those possible can happen at the site. At the beginning stage after surveying the site, material testing is carried out in order to make structure economically feasible by ensuring all possible safety concerns for the users. Many standard codes are set up for defining the qualities of material and other raw materials such as The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) favors the improvement and application of quality management system standards, including international standards such as the American Society for Quality Control and ISO 9000, to specialized engineering services and the application of standards to the developed project (Motwani, J.,2001). Thus technical management also deals with matching up the standards of materials and if they suit then plans it to use efficiently. It even associates in predicting various factors which may affect the cost, safety and produ ction time of the structure. This is considered the essential management unit for any construction project which incorporates with defining objectives and limitations, and to build mathematical analysis models in solving difficult problems of production control, materials and inventory, among others. Technical management includes the resources and construction personnel must utilized efficiently for the various operations to accomplish the job. At the construction site this involves management associated to crew management with related tasks, logistics related to operations as well as operations, service and maintenance. 4.2 Project Management Project Management in construction can vary from projects to projects. Like if a construction is required to be done for a theme park than a team of creative people is needed, if a project is associated to the building some mall than the team of project management will have more of civil engineers. However today every company manages projects with some specialization. Such as a construction company can specialize only in building bungalow, sky capers, Malls, theatres, parks etc. Project Management section in a project is a structure that is purposely designed for executing projects. It is specifically modified to reach the demands of difficult tasks by separating unique work and maintaining a strong focus on accomplishing the project (Biggar, J. L., 1990)). Once the project is finished, this structure disbands. Although this structure is supposed to be very good in managing dedicated resources throughout the life of the project. This section shows techniques and requirements during project planning, including cost estimation, forecasting, risk assessment and economic evaluation. It is the division where design and planning phase in which major capital savings may be procured during the eventual construction and operation phases. The key responsibilities of the Project Manager may differ depending on the the company maturity, the company size, industry, and the company culture. However, there are some mandatory responsibilities that are common to all Project Management organizations (Motwani, J.,2001). Fig 3. Diagram shows the various tasks associate with project management (Motwani, J.,2001) Operations Management Operations Management (OM) incorporates with the design and management of required task, services and supply chains, processes. It includes a wide range of judgment that companies have to make, such as product design, capacity planning, forecasting, process selection, technology selection, design of facilities and jobs, inventory management, management of the supply chain, project management, maintenance management and quality management(Biggar, J. L., 1990). The work and fuction of Operational management (OM) ranges from strategic to operational and tactical levels. Strategic problems may incorporate with determining the location and size of manufacturing plants, deciding the structure of service networks and designated technology supply chains. And tactical problems could include plant layout and equipment selection. As a conclusive remark, operational tasks may include production scheduling, inventory management, quality control and material handling. The appropriate management of these resources requires the sorts of knowledge and skills provided by Operation Management concepts, tools and techniques (Sommerville, J., 2000). Financial and Commercial Systems 5.1 Financial Systems Financial systems facilitates to inform your organizations planning and action plans. Financial systems also assist you track and manage the resources required to successfully complete your work. These guidelines grant basic practices, Which you will need to build  ¬Ã‚ nancial sustainability in your organization. Other reasons why developing  ¬Ã‚ nancial systems are important because they play key role in the task such as establishing  ¬Ã‚ nancial controls and clear accounting procedures help ensure that funds are used for intended purposes, transparency, clear planning and realistic projections contribute to the credibility of the organization, Financial systems and capacity help the organization to make sound decisions based on cash  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow and available resources, it help to provide reports to the funders that demonstrate that grants were used for intended purposes etc. The financial system is the system that lets the transfer of money between savers and borrowers. Financial systems play a key role in distribution of resources in a modern economy. They link up household savings to the corporate sector and allocate investment funds among firms. They allow inter temporal smoothing of consumption by households and expenditures by firms and they enable households and firms to share risks. However these functions are very common to the financial systems of most developed and developing economies. Though the types of these financial systems varies widely as per the requirement. Generally we know the fact that the civil engineering projects are very large and demand a very huge amount of money. One individual is solely unable to fulfill that demand of money. To eliminate this problem financial systems have been developed, which ensure to provide any sudden and large requirement of money. They have authority to monitor the whole market and handle the economy of a large domain. 5.2 Commercial Systems The expression commercial system is general and applies to any group or organization with a specific set of skills, priorities, strategies, goals and resources that put in order to collectively achieve the predefined aim of making profit. Ultimately, a group and organization is said to be commercial if its main objective to earn profit for the proprietor, shareholders, or both, by supplying products and services. To comprehend properly what a commercial organization is requires being aware of the many for profit activities commercial organizations participate in. Thus both systems financial and commercial have their distinct role in any construction project. However financial systems are also highly commercial. Financial system guarantees the availability of necessary funds and proper distribution of it to the various departments of project. Where as commercial system aims to provide maximum profit to owner and even more satisfaction to customer. Human Resource Management Managing humans or personnel is at the heart of almost all the real life management problems. What it takes to manage humans? Why humans are a resource and what makes them special? The function of HRM is to bring out issues involved in the management of human resources (HRM), both from current theory as well as practice (Beardwell, Ian Holden, Len 1986). It also examines humans at work and discusses various aspects which are basic to human inspiration at work and in fulfilling career aspirations within organizations. HRM includes various issues right from selection placement to performance appraisal, salary career management, and training, etc. of employees in organizations. The expressions human resource management (HRM) and human resources (HR) have widely substituted by the expression personnel management as a explanation of the processes included in managing people in organizations. In brief, HRM has to deal with employing people, developing their resources, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tune with the task and organizational requirement. The HRD profession and HRM function have undergone significant change over the past couple of years. Many years ago, large organizations looked to the Personnel Division mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and paying people (Roethlisberger and Dickson, 1943). Human resource management (HRM) is the formulated concept to the management of an organizations most appreciated features. The people working there who individually as well as collectively contribute to the accomplishment of the objectives of the business. Recently, organizations consider the HR Department as playing a major role in recruitment, training and helping to manage people so that people and the organizations are performing at limit capability in a highly satisfying manner. However, many HR functions these days combat to get beyond the roles of employee champion and administration, and are seen rather as reactive than strategically proactive partners for the top management. At the end of the day, the objective of human resource management is to assist an organization to reach predefined goals by satisfying, and maintaining employees and also to manage them effectively. The key word most probably here is fit, a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit between the management of a companys employees, and the overall strategic direction of the company (Staw and Barsade, 1993). The theoretical discipline of HRM is considering primarily the assumption that employees are individuals with varying needs and goals, and as such should not be thought of as basic business resources, such as trucks and filing cabinets. The area needs a positive view of workers, assuming that practically all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and that the main complication to their endeavors are lack of knowledge, failures of process and insufficient training. Nevertheless these conventional expressions are becoming less common for the theoretical discipline. Sometimes even industrial and employee relations are confusingly termed as synonyms, although these generally imply to the connection between management and workers and the behavior of people in companies. The Human Resources Management (HRM) profession includes numerous activities, and the most crucial among them is choosing what staffing needs you have and whether to use independent contractors or recruit employees to achieve these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, promising they are elevated performers, dealing with performance issues, and ensuring personnel and management practices conform to number of regulations. Activities also include managing your move toward to employee benefits and compensation, employee details and personnel policies. However, they should always ensure that employees have a vague idea of personnel policies which confirm to current regulations. These policies are generally in the form of employee manuals, that all employees own. Document Control Anyone who works in a professional services firm nowadays must know well that document management involves far more than simple data processing and file sharing. Document management nowadays must keep in mind the complete life cycle of a document as well as its content from creation, employees and clients, to the eventual storage and harvesting of content for reuse, to collaboration among partners. In response of fulfilling these needs, firm developed technologies that offer firms to make and control documents that were not applicable in years past. Professional services companies can now enhance productivity, increase security through tighter controls over document production and handling, and perk up document quality through the application of clear editing and review path ways. Additionally, progresses in collaboration and communication can facilitate firms to attain the smartest return. Summary Project Management section in a project is a structure that is purposely designed for executing projects. It is specifically modified to reach the demands of difficult tasks by separating unique work and maintaining a strong focus on accomplishing the project. Although this structure is supposed to be very good in managing dedicated resources throughout the life of the project. This section shows techniques and requirements during project planning, including cost estimation, forecasting, risk assessment and economic evaluation. It is the division where design and planning phase in which major capital savings may be procured during the eventual construction and operation phases. At the construction site safety is the major concern because these projects are huge so a small mistake can cause of a serious damage. The main objective of the health management is to minimize or if possible then completely avoid hazards at site. It will decrease the chances of physical harm of employees and subsequently increase the health safety conditions at site. One of the important keys to success lies in establishing communication with people at all levels. To improve the safety methods new ways have been used to reach the satisfactory safety levels. This whole work can not be done by the single unit at the site but all management units specified above coordinated well and help to implement methods, which may include written circulars, reports, news sheets, promotional activities, incentive or reward schemes, personal contact and, most successful of all, structured safety meetings at the work place level where everyone can become involved. Safety meetings will be more product ive and motivating if a member of a group under the guidance of management is asked to lead the meeting, having first been given the framework of the subjects for discussion and what the discussion hopes to accomplish. For the progress of any project it is necessary that all accident should be avoided at the site which eventually needs improved safety methods.

Frankenstein Essay -- English Literature

Frankenstein Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelly. We can tell by Mary Shelly’s back ground, were she has incorporated some of her social experiences in to her novel. Mary was the daughter of an anarchist father (William Godwin) and a feminist mother (Mary Wollstonecraft). In today’s terms this could be thought as a ‘wild upbringing’. Mary grew up in an environment that suggested she needed to question the way society was being run. Mary’s mother died ten days after giving birth to her, an act that Mary’s father was never quick to forgive; in fact he blamed Mary for his wife’s death and this often forced Mary to attempt to take her place. This was often in the form of sitting on literary discussions and meeting her father’s estranged guests. At the age of 17 Mary would often write at her mother’s grave side at St Pancras Churchyard in London; where the couple had married. Mary includes her fascination with death into Frankenstein. An example is, in chapter 24 pages 217 Victor says â€Å"as night approached, I found myself at the entrance to the cemetery.† His random wonderings have led him to be with his dead family, where he feels alone and maybe wants to join them. It was through Mary’s fascination with the cemetery that she met her soon to be husband, the poet Percy Bysshe Shelly. He followed her there upon her father’s instruction and declared his love for her; it was to become their meeting place. In the novel Mary uses the cemeteries a few times, when Victor goes to the cemetery to collect dead bodies to create his monster. There are clearly some important dates in the life of Mary Shelly that no doubt influence the subject matter of the novel. In 1805 there was the Napoleonic Wars lasting unti... ... experience. This becomes important when we assess her bohemian lifestyle; living a life that is almost a work of art. She wrapped her novel with images of the liberating power of art and portrayed an admiration of nature at its most impressive. There is a sense of fear and fascination with the creature. He is a man with abnormal strength; he has a face full of scars and together gives people a sense of fear when they see him. The people are scared of him and declare him as being some sort evil, so immediately see him as being a threat to them and instinctively attack him. This makes the readers feel sorry for the creature and keeps the reader waiting for what he will do when all mankind wants to kill him. Mary uses imagery and nature to reflect this. She uses the weather to show how he is feeling, like when he first runs away and it is raining heavily.

Alternative medicines for various forms of cancer

Alternative medicine for cancer treatment are defined as a group of different healthcare and medical systems, procedures and products that are not part of the basic definition of conventional medicine( National Cancer Institute). Unlike complimentary alternative medicine, which can be used together with the conventional medicine for management of cancer, alternative medicine is used in solitary, without the inclusion of conventional medicine. In most cases however, people only result to alternative medicine use after conventional medicine has failed to achieve the desired results.When such happens, the disease is usually at a progressed stage, the effects of alternative medicine are usually minimal. Despite this however, the use of alternative is widespread across the world. In many cases however, it is difficult to make the difference between just what constitutes alternative medicine and complimentary medicine, since what may work for one patient may not necessarily work for anothe r patient. However, before taking up non-conventional medicine, whether as an alternative measure or a complimentary one, cancer patients are advised to confirm with their oncologistsThe revelation that cancer has about 70 percent nutritional or environmental component some decades ago have led to the advent of non-medical healing approaches for cancer. However, since there is no known cure for cancer, just like the conventional medicine used to treat cancer, the alternative medicine either inhibit the growth of cancerous cells or reduce the side effects that arise when one uses a conventional medicines. Alternative medicines are used in various forms. Key among them is herbal remedies, special diets, vitamins and acupuncture.Other alternative therapies include homeopathy, ayurveda and shark cartilage, mainly used to manage pain after one has undergone conventional cancer treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy. The use of alternative medicine first started in North American but has also spread to other parts of the world as the benefits become more apparent (Rosenbaum, H. Ernest 117) The popularity of the alternative medicine has resulted in academic institutions taking up research to prove or disapprove the effectiveness alternative cancer remedies. The popularity has attracted attentions by governments.In 1992, the United States government through congress mandated the creation of the Office of Alternative Medicine (OAM); this office was later elevated to a center status in 1998 and renamed the Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). This federal supported center is mandated with identifying alternative medicines, researching them and disseminating relevant information to the general population. The center is also charged with stipulating diagnostic, preventive and treatment modalities that apply to the alternative medicine sector.NCCAM works closely with the National Cancer Institute, which also has a cancer complementary &Alternative M edicine (OCCAM) office that is involved in research regarding the role that alternative medicine play in cancer treatment (Rosenbaum 117). Dietary medicine Nutritional supplements and special anti-cancer diets are among the most prominent alternative therapies used for cancer treatment. The reasoning behind nutrition treating cancer thrives from the fact that vegetables and fruit are rich in dietary fiber and hence lowers one’s cancer risk. However, patients are also advised to avoid foods rich in dietary fats.Beyond what is supported by research findings, some people claim that some diets can actually cure some forms of cancer (Rosenbaum, 118) One of the diets touted as a feasible cancer treatment, although not backed by research is the macrobiotic diet (Horowitz, Joellyn & Mitsuo Tomito). The Macrobiotics diet stresses the importance of avoiding animal proteins. Instead, the diet encourages people to eat meals containing 50 percentage whole grains, 25 percent vegetables, 7. 5 percent beans in addition to the consumption of sea weed and fruits, nuts and seeds.The diet also stresses the need for the patient to engage in physical exercises, reduce stress, and avoid exposure to pesticides and electromagnetic radiation (Horowitz and Mitsuo). The alleged anti cancer properties for the Macrobiotic diet according the American Institute for Cancer Research may be derived from the fact that consumption of whole cereals minimizes cancer risks in various body parts. For example eating seaweed regularly reduces the risk of breast cancer by acting as an anti-estrogen (Braun, Lesley & Mark Cohen 127)Diets are especially effective when used to inhibit tumors that respond to hormones. The hormonal agents in the foods are used to control the hormonal levels in the body. Theoretically, the active components in foods and herbs can inhibit or stimulate tumor growth. A good example is the flavonoids found in nuts, fruits, vegetables and drinks such as coffee, tea and red w ine. Flavonoid is believed to have free radical scavenging properties, which modify enzymes responsible for activating or detoxifying carcinogens.When such happens, protein -1, which acts as the transcription factor promoting tumor growth is inhibited and thus the tumor cannot grow (Braun and Marc 128). The only downside to dietary intervention in cancer prevention and treatment usually arise because the flavanoids in everyday food is very low, thus reducing the effect that everyday eating has on tumor growth. According to research carried out by the American Institute of cancer research in collaboration with the World Cancer Research Fund, it is possible that foods high in dietary fiber protect people against colorectal cancer (73).The research however doubts that these same foods have any protective properties against esophageal cancer. Indirectly however, the reports states that the only link between esophageal cancer and high fiber diet is that the foods have low energy density and thus do not contribute to much weight gain as other foods would. Weight gain is linked to obesity, which is believed to pose higher cancer levels (74) There is scientific probability that non starchy vegetable could protect people against cancers of the Stomach, esophagus, larynx, pharynx and mouth.However, any protective properties of these vegetables against lung cancer, ovarian cancer, endometrial cancer, colorectal cancer or nasopharynx cancer were ruled out (75). The report further states that evidence supporting alleged protective properties of carrots against cervical cancer was limited, while it is probable that garlic has anti-colorectal cancer properties. Soya products could protect against prostate and stomach cancers, while the risk of larynx, pharynx and mouth cancers reduced with fruit consumption. Folate rich foods lower the risk of colorectal and esophageal cancers, while lycopene rich foods fight prostate cancerMind-body exercises The belief that one can influen ce the physical health by his/her mind is a long ingrained notion in most people’s mind. The conviction that most people holds such believes with has eventually led to the inclusion of mind-body exercises into mainstream medical procedures. Such include prayer and meditation. This belief suggests that a person is only as healthy as they allow themselves to be. Even when sick, the belief suggests that the course that the illness takes is fully dependent on one’s frame of mind (Rosenbaum 119).In Cancer treatment, the belief maintains that mental toughness plays a major role in overcoming malignancy. While conventional wisdom would suggest that prayer and meditation helps cancer patients handle psychological issues better, thus reducing stress and consequently increasing their survival rates, proponents of the healing powers of mind-body exercises believe otherwise. Though not proven through medical findings, cancer patients at times report getting healing after being pra yed for. Proven benefits of the mind and body exercises reduce anxiety, mood disturbances and stress among the patients.In addition, the exercises help reduce chronic pain, nausea, vomiting and thus helps improve the overall quality of life among cancer patients. Hypnosis is also among the relaxation techniques that cancer patients use to control anxiety, distress, pain or depression (DeVita, T. Vincent Et al 2958) Mindfulness mediation is also among the most common mind-body exercise used by cancer patients. It involves the individual accepting and acknowledging his/her health status. Once this is accomplished, the patients are encouraged to speak out their feelings in a group therapy setting.With time, the patients learn to deal with stress, anxiety, depression and other psychological needs that arise when one learns that they have cancer. Manual healing This includes touch manipulation techniques a practiced by chiropractic doctors and osteopathic doctors. Hand massage is also ef fectively used to reduce stress and alleviate anxiety among cancer patients. Another common form of healing is the therapeutic touch common in North America. This too is used on cancer patients to clear their systems through the healer’s hands, which are placed above the patient’s head.The efficacy of this method is however not backed by any scientific evidence and the psychological benefits that patients acquire are thought to come from the concern expressed by the caregiver during therapy (Rosenbaum 122). Herbal medicines Most Herbal cancer treatment across the world has no scientific backing to prove that they indeed have anti-cancer properties. Despite this, cancer patients continue to use them in the hope that their health concerns will be alleviated. One such example is the Essiac, which is popular in North America.The product is banned in Canada, but can still be found in shops across the United States. Essiac is made of four herbs namely: Slippery elm, Sorrel, Turkey rhubarb and burdock. Proponents of this herbal remedy claim that Sheep Sorrel is beneficial to the endocrinal system, while Burdock gets rid of free radicals hence purifying the blood. On its part, the slippery elm is said to dissolve mucous deposits on nerve channels, glands, or tissue hence soothing the inflamed organs, while the Indian rhubarb is said to help the liver get rid of toxins (Cassie, M.Rene). In Europe, a diffirent cancer herbal remedy known as Iscador is also widely used as a folk medicine. Although it is not backed by any scientific evidenced, Iscador is widely used in Europe, something that made European governments to fund studies to prove the effectiveness of the herbal remedy. Aromatherapy This involves the use of essential oils to activate learned memories in a cancer patient. Often practiced during massage, aromatherapy has been known to increase the quality of life for most cancer patients.Evidence that aromatherapy helps reduce anxiety, blood pressure , pulse rate, pain and depression abounds in the medical circles (Yarbro, C. Henke 604) Antioxidants Research has proved that antioxidants have free radical scavenging properties. Since conventional cancer, treatment uses therapies such as antimebolites, radiation and alkalizing agents, this evidence has made the use of antioxidants more common among recovering cancer patients. Products with high anti oxidant properties include vitamin E, Vitamin C and Beta carotene.Some alternative medicine proponents believe that Vitamin C increases the survival rate for breast cancer patients (Yarbro 606). In addition, Yarbro and others states that men suffering from prostate cancer may have more survival chances by taking vitamin E supplements. It is however notes that the results of same treatment may vary between different person due to the amount of doses that each takes and the duration differences. Shark Cartilage The shark cartilage is got from the spiny-dogfish sharks and has been used as a cancer therapy for centuries now.The belief that the shark cartilage could heal cancer sprouted from observations to the effect that sharks do not get cancer. The main properties of the shark cartilage that makes it so popular are the potential anti tumor activities. They include the cartilage’s ability to stimulate the immune system, ability to kill cells directly and angiogenesis. Despite its popularity, health practitioners against using shark cartilages as a form of cancer treatment claiming that there is insufficient evidence t o support its efficacy or safety (Yabro 608).

Relational Aesthetics

Relational Aesthetics Introduction Nicolas Bourriaud came up with the term â€Å"Relational Art† in 1995. He defined it as artistic practices that include the whole human relationships together with their social environment as their point of origin. He did not consider art to a private and independent aspect without a context. Bourriaud gave art a whole new outlook where artists no longer have to create art from hidden ideas, but they can create art that incorporates a social surrounding. This is where individuals come together and take part in a group activity.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relational Aesthetics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In this art, the act is seen as between a community and art, as opposed to an individual viewer and the object of art. The meaning of a certain piece of art is shared collectively by the society in relational aesthetics, and it is not limited to the space of individual perception and idea . This means that art has a clear and open display that is easily understood by the community around. This is because the community finds aspects they can relate to in the art. Relational aesthetics keeps art within a level that the society can understand and takes it off the high levels of complicated processes. Such processes lead to the production of dry, academic, mechanical, and superficial works of art that are empty of meaning, emotions, and integrity (Rosati, para. 2). When art is not able to reach out to the society, it is of no use since it cannot have any physical, moral, spiritual or psychological impact on the viewers. Such art does not take into account the societal factor. This threatens the survival of culture. The nature of relational aesthetics Relational aesthetics is a public and social art by nature. The basic nature of its existence is founded by the interaction between people in the society. Relational art removes the serious edge out of art. It creates an env ironment where people can enjoy themselves in art and creativity when this art is allowed to flow limitlessly. This art seeks to bring people together in the society by bringing art to a level where they can all relate. Unlike the normal art, which was only for those that understood its complexities, relational art exists in simplicity and familiarity. It is an art about aspects of life that relate to the ordinary individual. Relational aesthetics seeks to maintain the culture in a society. This is because it portrays issues that are within the society. The artists using relational art bring out themes that are familiar to the society. This is done in works that are easy to interpret. This is the factor that makes relational aesthetics social and interactive since the society can relate to such works.Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Many modern artists have developed a keen intere st in Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics and have embraced the concept. One such artist is Maurizio Cattelan. Cattelan is an Italian artist based in New York. He is popularly known for his dark humor shown in his work that is mostly of a satirical nature. His view towards art is that it can be used for fun at various systems of order in the society. This has earned him the reputation of an art scene joker. Cattelan has adapted Bourriauds concept of relational aesthetics, which is depicted in all his works. Two of his works such as La Nona Ora and HIM will be discussed in this work. La Nona Ora-The Ninth Hour The La Nona Ora is a sculpture that is made up of the effigy of the Pope John Paul II clad in his full ceremonial attire, lying beneath a meteorite that has crashed through a glass ceiling and is about to crush him. It is one of his most popular sculptures. Maurizio Cattelan La Nora Ora-1999 Adapted from: Lambe, 2012 On face value, this sculpture conjures up hu mor in those viewing it. It begs the question of how the representative of god on earth would be crushed by a meteorite from the heavens.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Relational Aesthetics specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Maurizio makes use of relational aesthetics to bring out is views and opinions. Growing up, life was not all easy for him. He came from a poor background, and he grew up with a negative attitude towards authority. In Maurizio’s world, ceilings of control and authority should not exist. That is why he found his niche in relational aesthetics where art gives the artists the freedom to express their feelings and opinions. This is because artists do not need to hide their feelings behind abstract ideas and other complexities of art. The above sculpture is extremely direct. It is a remarkably straightforward demonstration of the conflicting views of religion and science. Unlike the normal art, where the viewer has to look for some hidden meaning behind art, relational art is direct and easy to understand. The relational aesthetics aspect in Maurizio’s sculpture provides a chance of interaction between people. According to Wilcox, relational keeps its awe for a realm where it truly belongs which is the interaction between human beings (p.339). The La Nora Ora created such a large wave of awareness that people had already seen its pictures even before its official public showing. This is because it touched on issues that were relevant in the society. Members of the society can relate to the piece of art. Most conventional art works are usually reserved for certain scholarly group that understands the depths of the artist’s concept. Relational art is open to everyone as it is easy to understand and touches on concepts that are familiar in the society (Wilcox, p. 340). HIM Cattelan’s him is a child-size rendition of Hitler on his knees in prayer. This sc ulpture, like all his works, is a satirical depiction of Hitler that has a spooky edge to it. The fact that Hitler, with all the atrocities he inflicted upon the innocent in history, can also kneel and pray arouses many emotions among the viewers who look at the sculpture. Maurizio Cattelan â€Å"him† 2001Advertising Looking for essay on art? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Adapted from: Lambe, 2012 Relational aesthetics provides limitless options for an imaginative artist. Cattelan uses this aspect of relational art to the maximum. The him sculpture is a projection of how he provokes and challenges the restrictions and limits that contemporary systems have. He does this mainly through humor and irony. The child-size feature of Hilter, the attire, the pose, and look on his face is subject to different opinions and interpretations. Such a piece of art is direct and simple; hence the public finds it easy to interpret these works of art. The concept and theme of the work is also direct, and the public can relate to it. This is an aspect of relational aesthetics that sets it apart from the conventional art. Maurizio Cattelan’s work often combine sculpture and performance, as depicted in the him sculpture where the child-like Hitler is performing a prayer. His work also subverts the traditional rules of culture, symbolical theft and acts of insubordi nation. Relational aesthetics has a way of allowing artists like Cattelan to tease the art world and expand their imaginations to unimaginable extremes. Cattelan has mastered the art of teasing the art world. He applies irony and satire to his works and addressing issues that affect the society without taking sides. The artist seeks to bring out the reality of all situations in all its complexities without necessarily supporting any ideologies (Lambe, para 5). Conclusion Nicolus Bourriaud made a significant contribution to the art world by coming up with the relational aesthetics concept. This concept has seen the success of many modern artists including Maruchio Cattelan who has embraced the relational arts fully in his works. Cattelan bases his works are of a relational aesthetics nature that seems to have blended in remarkably well with the society. His works have a terrific gallery value and they sell even in the worst economic downturns. This shows that relational aesthetics is more acceptable in the society than the traditional art, which was complex for most people to comprehend. Relational aesthetics has helped artists like Cattelan express their creativity without limit and restrictions hence explore the deepest canyons of art and present it to the society. This presentation is not hidden and masked in complexities. However, it is in a simple way that viewers will find intriguing and enriching. In a way, it opens the viewers’ eyes to the issues that affect the society. All this is presented from an objective view that supports no ideologies. Lambe, Claire. The Last Word – A Report on the Retirement of Maurizio Cattelan. 2012. Web. rollmagazine.com/the-last-word-%E2%80%93-a-report-on-the-retirement-of-maurizio-cattelan/ Rosati, Lauren. Providence: Relational Aesthetics and the Underground. 2008. Web. Wilcox, Alana. The State of the Arts: Living with Culture in Toronto. Toronto: Coach House Books, 2006. Print.

Special K Case Essays

Special K Case Essays Special K Case Paper Special K Case Paper Kellogg is a U. S. company, which offers the Special k cereal and accompanying products (cereals in different flavors as well as granola bars and protein shakes) that are healthier options for people who are aware of their diet and want a better lifestyle. Kellogg expands the market by targeting women who skip breakfast to stay slim. The marketing strategy helps to position the brand as a healthy alternative. The commercials we chose offer a weight management plan designed to lose weight in 2 weeks by consuming Special K products. The commercials chosen are both from the same campaign and the same year- 2009. In this report we have taken into consideration different international advertising factors to show Kellogg’s international advertising strategy. In this report we used several factors of international ad models to determine that Kellogg uses a hybrid international marketing strategy. Hybrid Advertising Strategy see table 1 Based on the environmental analysis below, we concluded that Kellogg’s uses a hybrid strategy known as pattern advertising (1). We considered these environmental factors: Political and legal: Kellogg uses a global approach because both countries have similar advertising regulations; therefore, there is no need for diversification. Economic: Kellogg’s uses a global approach because both ads target the same market consisting of middle and upper class working women who have a similar income, age, and knowledge of healthy lifestyle. Sociocultural: Kellogg’s uses a local approach because in the American advertisement the idea of time and logic is very important. In contrast, in the Mexican advertisement Kellogg appeals to emotions and the idea of personal satisfaction. Technological: Kellogg’s uses a global approach because they are aware that their target markets, who are middle to upper class working women, have the technology (television, internet) to see the commercials. Creative Execution see table 1 Creative execution, or the manner in which ads are carried out and presented, is different for U. S. and Mexican ads. The impact of the message depends not only on what is said but also on how it is said in these ads (2). Messages are presented in a mix of different execution styles: Straight sell: is presented in both ads. Here, the straight sell relies on the specific benefits/attributes of the product-the target audience can lose 3 kilos in 2 weeks (Mexico)/6 lbs in 2 weeks (U. S. ) with the help of Special K products. Both ads show that by buying Special K products, the target audience will enjoy the reward of weight loss. Rational vs. emotional argument: the rational argument, or the supporting claim, is presented in the U. S. ad by stating that loosing weight will lead to the â€Å"healthier new you. This is because in the U. S. the rational argument appeals to the monochromatic culture with low power distance like U. S. On the other hand, the emotional appeal is demonstrated in the Mexican ad when it shows the woman feeling great about herself. The emotional appeals to collectivistic cultures with high power distance like Mexico. Demonstration: the actual use is seen only in the Mexican ad bec ause Mexico is a collectivistic culture heavily relying on the opinion of family, friends, etc. so therefore the target audience is able to connect with the woman eating and enjoying the Special K cereals. High-context cultures, like Mexico, are relational, collectivist, intuitive, and contemplative. Therefore, women in Mexico need to relate to the everyday situation when using Special K products. Americans rely on reason and individualism and therefore they don’t have the need to connect with the woman in the ad. Slice of life: both ads portray a real-life situation involving a problem-not being able to fit into jeans- and then both ads focus on how to resolve the problem by eating Special K, losing weight, and finally fitting into those jeans again. The slice of life is effective for everyday products such as cereals that consumers feel good about if they see real people buy and use them. Dramatization: it is used in the Mexican ad where there is a scenario in the form of a story- bad shopping experience and not being able to fit in your regular size-and the problem solution-eating special K products and losing weight. The reason for dramatization is that Mexico uses emotional/dramatic appeal in the advertising. On the other hand, U. S. commercials rely on the rational/lecture appeal. Also, Mexico is a high context culture meaning that they use more dramatizations in commercials while they do not have to use many words to explain the situation. In contrast, U. S. is a low context culture, so ads are based on words and explanations. Personality symbol: there is a central character (woman) that the audience can identify with in both ads. Special K is positioned as a cereal for adults, targeted to women and their ongoing concern with losing weight that is heavily influenced by popular culture in both Mexico and U. S. Humor: humor is used in Mexican ad when the woman tries to fit into jeans in the dressing room while her husband waits, and then she dances around when she is finally able to fit her jeans. The commercial is targeted to women, who can relate to main character because they think about the times when they tried to fit into jeans in the dressing room, and therefore they get the joke. As stated previously, the Mexican ad is appealing to women’s emotio ns and this is accomplished with the help of humor. Lifestyle: how well a product fits in consumer’s lifestyle is presented in both ads. Both ads show how easy it is to integrate Special K products into their lifestyle and lose weight. Special K ads are targeted towards working, middle class women, who do not have time to prepare difficult healthy meals, and therefore they can grab Special K cereal in the morning and pack healthy snacks for the whole day without any special, lengthy preparation. Advertising appeal see table 1 Both advertisements have an emotional appeal to their consumers, but the appeals are presented in different manners (1). Both advertisements present the issue of weight loss and women struggling to fit into their clothes. The American advertisement shows a woman trying on her jeans next to a dryer giving the impression that because she put her jeans in the dryer and they shrunk and won’t fit. Then it presents a clock, which indicates that it’s time to lose weight. Americans are very concerned with time, and the idea of losing 6 pounds or a jean size in 2 weeks can be very appealing to the American woman. In the Mexican advertisement, the advertisement involves the sense of personal satisfaction. A woman can be seen in a dressing room trying on many different garments that don’t fit her correctly while outside the dressing room a man is waiting impatiently for her. The commercial explains that no matter what, women will always have a reason to take their time. The advertisement encourages them to accept the challenge and gives them a chance to be able to win a full day of shopping. The commercial also says they can debut a new figure in new clothes. The Mexican advertisement not only has to appeal to the fact that women will lose 3 kilos in 2 weeks, but they can also win new clothes. Message see table 1 The American Special K advertisement claims that you will lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks if you take the Special K Challenge. The Special K Challenge requires you to eat their cereal and other snacks and follow the diet plan they give you. If you do this, you will lose weight. They claim that if you lose this weight, your clothes will fit you better and you will be much healthier. The Mexican Special K advertisement claims that if you use the Special K Program, you will lose 3 kilos in 2 weeks. If you use this program to lose weight, you will look better in your clothes. Also, if you buy Special K products, you will have a chance to win a new wardrobe that will flatter your new figure. Copy/ copywriters see table 1 Both ads use copywriters to communicate what the product is intended for and what it is supposed to do. In the American advertisements, they advertise the Special K challenge while in the Mexican ad they advertise the Special K program (programa de special K). Both ads in different words refer to the same thing, but are not copied from English to Spanish. Also, the slogan of the Mexican add is †because you can† (porque tu puedes) while the one in America is â€Å"It’s never too late to start a healthier new you† they both appeal to a slimmer healthier life, but again are interpreted and not presented with the exact translation. Neither of the ads present slang terms, but the American ad does present the term â€Å"wake up call† which for American means the time to change something, but in the Mexican society such idiom does not mean anything. Target market appeal see table 1 Number of people in ad: The Mexican ad reflects the collectivist culture by having many people in it. It is very busy, with many people in line and husbands waiting for their wives. The American ad, on the other hand, shows only one person, therefore appealing to the individualistic aspect of American culture. Masculine values: Both countries have a masculine culture, but the difference is that the Mexican ad reflects on the compet itive aspect, and the American ad reflects on the individual achievement aspect. Risk: Mexico is much more risk averse than the United States, so the Mexican ad backs the product with a promise of winning a shopping spree. The American ad just states that you can lose weight, therefore making you take the risk of purchasing the product for a vague reason. US product: Mexico has an overall positive attitude towards the United States, and therefore like American products. Therefore, The Special K brand is portrayed very similar in both advertisements. Availability of time: The product is a convenient and quick meal, so it appeals to people that are in a hurry. The product is portrayed in a similar manner in both advertisements. Independence of media from government control: Both countries have limited government control of broadcast television, so the company is able to freely express themselves in the ads, taking into account cultural factors. Relative importance of visual versus verbal in a message: Both cultures rely on visuals to portray a message and appeal to people. The ads both use imagery (i. e. more red in the Mexican commercial, minimalism in American) to appeal to the target market. The American ad, however, relies on verbal delivery to get the message to the viewers. Importance of self-service retailing: In both cultures self service retailing plays an important role for the deliverance of products to the population. Both ads expect the customer to purchase the product at their local grocery store. Development and acceptance of international trademark or trade name: Red, which is used for the theme color of Special K, is important in Mexican culture. The Mexican commercial underlines the red color, using it more than the American ad. Also, Special K does not mean anything bad in Mexico, so the name is acceptable. Applicability of products’ theme or slogan to other markets: Both slogans are different, but they imply the same thing. Both slogans are geared to appeal to the culture. Global media decisions see table 1 Both ads are television ads that implement sight, sound, motion, and color. Television advertising is intrusive in nature meaning that the viewer doesnt have to be actively involved to receive message. Special K is targeted towards middle-class working women and therefore both Mexican and U. S. ds run on television in the morning when women usually turn on the TV while preparing breakfast and in the evening while preparing dinner. The reason for this is the intrusive nature of TV advertising. Special K commercials also run on TV during the TV programs targeted to women. Advertising Objectives see table 1 Both Mexican and U. S. ads are hybrid of persuasive an informative advertising. The persuasiv e advertising motivates users to take action in the form a lifestyle change with the help of Special K products. There is an ongoing issue of weight loss presented in both ads and solution to lose weight. An informative advertisement communicates to create and build brand awareness by positioning Special K products as a cereal for adults that fits into working woman’s lifestyle. It informs the audience about the benefits (weight loss, healthier lifestyle) of the product. Big Idea see table 1 If your clothes are feeling tight, then you should eat Special K to be able to fit into them again. The big idea of both of these advertisements is that this product is a tasty, easy way to lose weight. This definitely appeals to many people who want to lose weight but do not have a lot of time. Also, they have many different Special K products so that the people who are trying to lose weight will have a lot of variety in the food they eat. In the Mexican ad you also have a chance to win a new wardrobe that will fit your new figure. Push/pull strategy see table 1 Both the American and Mexican advertisements use a pull strategy. Kellogg assumes that the target market has knowledge of the product. The ad’s wording them to try Special K and see for themselves that the product will help to lose weight, thus creating demand for the product. The customer will subsequently go to their retailer in search of the product. The ads encourage women to take the â€Å"special k challenge† and lose 6 pounds in 2 weeks. The Mexican ad also offers a free shopping spree for women that can fit into a specific red dress after the challenge. These challenges and offers make women look for the product at their local store. Table 1 Factor/ CountryUnited StatesMexico Hybrid advertising strategyPoliticalGlobal TechnologyGlobal EconomicalGlobal Socio-culturalLocal Creative executionStraight sellyesyes Rational/ motional argumentRationalEmotional demonstrationnoyes Slice of lifeyesyes dramatizationnoyes Personality symbolyesyes Humornoyes lifestyleyesyes Advertising appealyesyes MessagePromisesLosing 6 pounds in 2 weeks. Losing 3 kilos in 2 weeks. Benefit/ claimClothes will fit better and consumer will be healthier. Clothes will fit better and consumer will have a chance to win new clothes. Copy/copywriteCopywriteCopywrite Target marke t appeal# of people in ad 1 character-IndividualismMultiple characters-Collectivism Masculine valuesMasculine-individual achievementMasculine-competitive RiskMore risky-no promise behind Less risky-win shopping spree U. S. productAmerican is goodAmerican is good Availability of TimeLimited-convenientLimited-convenient Independence of media from government controlYes-choiceYes-choice Visual v. Verbal in messageVerbal-minimalisticVisual-dramatization Importance of self-service retailingPeople know where to buyPeople know where to buy Development and acceptance of international trademark Kellogg known Kellogg known Applicability of product’s theme or sloganVisible in adVisible in ad Global media decision Television advertisement-short commercialTelevision advertisement-short commercial Advertising objectivesHybrid of persuasive and informativeHybrid of persuasive and informative Big ideaFlavorful and convenient way of losing weight. Flavorful and convenient way of losing weight. Pull strategyKnown to target marketKnown to target market 1. Keegan, Warren J. , and Mark C. Green. Global Marketing. 6th. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc. , 2011. Print. 2. Lakdawala, Ali. Advertising Messages. Scribd. Scribd Inc. , 2011. Web. 29 Nov 2011. .

Social Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Social Marketing - Essay Example The selling of social issues has become a business that is in the same league as selling soap or automobiles. The concept got its beginnings when Phillip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman pursued the application of marketing technologies to the realm of social issues and coined the term 'social marketing' (Andreasen 2006, p.89). Social marketing is used by organizations to promote a cause, advocate on a political issue, or change the behavior of the public. Because the technique is designed to change peoples' minds and behavior through the use of advertising, it is met with several obstacles. Social marketing faces the task of fulfilling their objective without the transgression of an ethical approach. Social marketing can be used to modify behavior such as the antismoking campaigns that have been launched on behalf of various health organizations. The National Cancer Institute, a government agency, publishes numerous fact sheets on the methods and benefits of smoking cessation (Fact sheets: Tobacco/Smoking cessation). This information is designed to de-market a product by modifying behavior with the goal of decreasing consumption. Social marketing may also be used to change a corporate image by associating the brand with a social issue or cause. This may be seen when a company donates a share of their profits to a social or philanthropic endeavor. In 1999 Mattel partnered with Girls Inc. through an agreement to promote the girls' organization by including brochures in the Barbie packaging. Though the goals of Girls Inc., which promoted feminist empowerment, were contrary to the long standing image of the Barbie doll, Girls Inc. was anxious to reach millions of potential new members. For their part, Mattel wanted to "...create an enhanced, more relevant Barbie brand through an association with a progressive, girl-focused organization" (Marconi 2002, p.187). As more and more products are sold through socially or culturally based advertising, social marketing has moved beyond the traditional arenas of politics and social activism and into commercialism. Trying to change a person's mind or behavior can be difficult at anytime. Trying to sway public opinion or motivate them to action can be extremely challenging. The organization must be open and willing to undergo intense public scrutiny. The public can be a very sophisticated audience and may tire of a message that is overstated or exaggerated. The Department of Homeland Security's terror threat level system was initially designed to maintain awareness among the public of an impending threat. However, its overuse and the public's suspicion about its validity soon rendered it to an irrelevant position. Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign that insisted 'Just Say No' was a failure due to oversimplification. Rose (2005, p.169) calls the Reagan marketing scheme an, "example of a strategic communications failure - not just with the wrong messenger for the intended audience, but with a naive, presumably unresearched, if memorable, message". These unrealistic expectations are the result of at tempting to reach a widely diverse audience with a single concise message. Trying to deal with the challenges facing a social marketing campaign requires that ethical issues be thoroughly addressed. The issue of full disclosure can be difficult to define or to measure what information needs to be revealed. Various stakeholders may have different objectives and standards. American Express has been criticized for their participation in the 'Charge for Hunger' campaign and the campaign to raise money for the restoration of the statue of liberty. Critics contended that American Express spent far more money on their own self-promotion about the campaigns than they spent on the actual issue (Andreasen & Drumwright 2000). Though it can also be said that American Express would have spent the money on advertising anyway, the perceived conflict of interest and motivation are ethical issues that must be addressed when social marketing.

Stereotypes in Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Stereotypes in Advertising - Essay Example This paper shall now discuss stereotyping in advertising. It will first explain what stereotyping means; second, it will show two different examples of stereotyping (gender and age); and third, it will discuss the role of stereotyping in future advertising. Stereotyping is about sharing beliefs and values, based on personal qualities, personalities, behaviour, and traits distinct to a specific group of people (Gafencu-Bandiul, 2006). Stereotype was first used by Lippmann in 1922 in psychosociological applications where he evaluated images of the mind needed in order to sift through complicated and objective realities (Gafencu-Bandiul, 2006). At present, most researchers in psychology declare with the definition used on Leyens and colleagues (1994) who suggest implicit discussions on personality seen for specific groups of people. In terms of personalities, stereotyping relates to associated variables, mostly visual and unique, variables which assist cognitive functions. In the same vein, the direction of data from the environment supports these stereotypes (Gafencu and Bandiul, 2006). Expressing stereotypes is based on premises where behaviour is based. However, as pointed out by Cuddy and colleagues (2009) this often is not confined to behaviour alone, but on the way people express and support stereotypes within groups. Language used to describe what is observed may sometimes be different from the abstract concepts. Speech is sometimes applied to image, not so much on the written language; however stereotypes can also be manifested through written speech, film, sports, concerts, and advertisements where the stereotype would impact significantly on utterance (Gafencu and Bandiul, 2006). There are numerous gender stereotypes across the world. Due to globalization trends around the world, consideration unification of these stereotypes has been seen. Social trends like women’s emancipation, feminism, and the thirst for human rights have