Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Erik Erikson s Children s Social And Emotional...

Erik Erikson was not only a great child development philosopher, Erikson was an author who cared about children’s social and emotional standpoints of life. The things that happened to Erikson in his childhood years made him the man he is today with being the great philosopher he is. Erik Erikson’s stages from birth to late adulthood clearly affect the lives of people but the start with the lives of preschoolers. As an Early Childhood Educator these skills help us help children develop, figure out why they are the way they are, and what makes them act this way. Erik Erikson was a philosopher who was born on June 15, 1902 and died May 12, 1994. His mother raised him on her own her entire life. When he finally did learn the truth, Erikson was†¦show more content†¦His stepfather, a doctor, wanted him to go to medical school, but Erikson instead did a brief stint in art school. He soon dropped out and spent time wandering Europe with friends and contemplating his identity. Erikson moved to the United States in 1933 and, despite having no formal degree, was offered a teaching position at Harvard Medical School. He also changed his name from Erik Homberger to Erik H. Erikson, perhaps as a way to forge his own identity. He then created his 8 wonderful stages of development. Erik Erikson proposed a theory of psychosocial development He believed development occurs throughout the lifespan. Children s personalities develop in response to their social environment. The same is true of their skills for social interaction. Erikson s theory includes eight stages. At each stage, a social conflict or crisis occurs. Stage 1 Trust vs. Mistrust-During the first eighteen months of life, children, learn to trust or mistrust their environment. To develop trust, they need to have a warm,consistent, predictable, and attentive care. They need caregivers who will accurately read and respond to their signals. When infants are distressed, they need to be comforted. They also need loving physical contact, nourishment, cleanliness, and warmth. Then they will develop a sense of confidence and trust that the world is safe and dependable. Mistrust will occur if an infant experiences an

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Not a Laughing Matter Effects of Tawa-tawa Free Essays

Nigeria. Results ot the study snowed that botn the decoction and extract of E. hirta, at doses of 60. We will write a custom essay sample on Not a Laughing Matter: Effects of Tawa-tawa or any similar topic only for you Order Now 4 mg/kg and 483. 0 mg/kg have a significant effect on the platelet counts of Sprague-Dawley rats. The RBC and WBC counts were not significantly affected, demonstrating that E. hirta does not affect the circulating RBC or the erythropoietic centers of the experimental animals, and it does not induce production or destruction of the WBC. The mean increases in platelet count in the decoction and ethanolic extract groups did not significantly differ, suggesting that oth preparations can be used for further studies. The difference in the mean platelet counts of subgroups who received the 60. 4 mg/kg and 483. 0 mg/kg doses was not significant as shown in Dunnet’s test. This finding indicated that the platelet- increasing activity of E. hirta was not dose-dependent. The platelet-increasing activity of E. hirta was further evaluated by determining the effect of the plant material on stimulating platelet production in the bone marrow. In this evaluation, the dose and preparation (483. g/kg of the ethanolic extract) that produced the greatest numerical increase in platelet count during the initial evaluation was used. Anagrelide, a drug which inhibits the maturation of megakaryocytes into platelets, was administered to decrease the platelet counts of the test animals. After exposure to anagrelide, 483. 0 mg/kg of ethanolic extract was administered to 50% of the test population. Results of this further evaluation showed that the mean platelet count did not differ significantly in the group which received both anagrelide (125 pg/day) nd ethanolic extract of E. irta (483. 0 mg/kg) and in the group who were only exposed to anagrelide (control). This suggested that the platelet-increasing activity of E. hirta was not due to stimulation of the platelet production in the bone marrow. 0 In another study conducted by the students of St. Marys School in Davao, E. hirta was also found to increase the platelet counts of white mice (Mus musculus). E. hirta was prepared in a teabag form. The results of this study were not published, and therefore, no further information was obtained. In Nigeria, the effects of aqueous and methanolic extracts of E. hirta on platelet count, bleeding time, and clotting time were also investigated. The extracts of E. hirta were administered orally to albino Wistar rats. Platelet count, bleeding time, and clotting time were determined before, and at different time intervals after administration of the extracts. At 60 minutes, the aqueous extract reduced bleeding time by 54% compared to 49. 5% for methanolic extract, and the difference was significant. How to cite Not a Laughing Matter: Effects of Tawa-tawa, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Motivation and Empowerment Theories of Sony Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Motivation and Empowerment Theories in context of Sony. Answer: Introduction The main objective of this literature review is to critically analyse the best practices of motivation and empowerment theories. For this literature review, the company selects is Sony to analyse different motivation and empowerment theories and proposed the best model that is suitable for Sony. Sony is one of the largest manufacturers of electronic items in the world. It has more than 120,000 employees and keeps motivating them is a big challenge for the organisation. This study will help the Sony to identify best practise model to keep motivating all the workforce and help to increase their productivity. Literature Review Sony is the Japanese based electronic manufacturer company, which has more than 120,000 workforces around the world. This offers a wide range of electronic products such as audio, computing, cell phones, camera, entertainment and medical equipment. Sony has diversified and skilled workforce that contributes to organisation development. There are different motivations and empowerment theories are given by different authors (About Sony, 2016). Best motivational practice ensures organization to sustain in a long-term (Cicolini, 2014). Sony, one of the renowned electronic companies follows the best motivational practices so that the employees remain motivated towards their tasks. Management of the company satisfies all the needs of the employees so that they will have motivation. Motivation means there is a powerful attribution within the human being that affects internal or external forces and leads to attaining a specific objective or goals. Mok et al., (2013) define that empowerment is the practice adopted by organizations to give authority, rewards, and confidential data to employees. So that they can take initiatives and decisions to solve problems and achieve desired results. Sony adopts a Maslow model to motivate and empowers their employees. They follow safe, efficient and healthy work environment that increase motivation in employees. Al-Dajani and Marlow (2013) stated that non-discrimination between employees can reduce demotivation. Sony treats their employees equally. At Maslow's safety Stage Company pays money to its employees according to their performance. It gives time to employees so that they can spend their time with families. The company empowers employees according to their achievements in tasks. And employee would work more effectively when they meet the need of safety. Taylor (2013) defined Expectancy theory that it stated that motivation depends on the perception of the employees to do a particular job, the appreciation and rewards associated with the accomplishment of the task and the value of the employee he or she may get from the company. Companys management listen the problems and issues of the employees that motivate highly because employees feel that they belong to the organization. Furthermore, a company involved employees in important decisions that create a sense of belongings. Alderman (2013) argues that each and every employee motivated through different things. A reward which is important for one person is not necessary that it is equally important for another person also. So that companys management set different rewards according to the performance. The company trains and develop their employees to get better opportunities in their career. It gives career development which helps employees to more empowerment. Similarly, Yan et al., (2013) argue that training and development motivate employees to perform well, give them empowerment and trust on them. Sonys executives and senior managers trained from own companys universities so that they can create a good environment. This can be a motivating approach by the company to its employees who eager to learn and grow. Phipps et al., (2013) defines Herzberg theory, he stated that there are two important factors that create motivation and de-motivation in employees i.e. job enrichment and hygiene factors. The company has special awards honour for an employee who has achieved the good performance that creates a motivation and high empowerment. Hygiene factors are companys policies, working style and relations with employees these are the demotivating factors for e.g. at the difficult time employee completed the task with the instructions of other but it is not rewarded due to policies and protocols of the organization that demotivates the employees. Sonys management policies are flexible and its structure is framed according to the employees perspective. In the views of Phipps et al., (2013) equity theory is the comparison of employees in their work, values and attitudes internally and externally that influence the motivation. A comparison leads to job turnover in the company when employees perceived that they are not treated equally. Barkema et al., (2015) explain expectancy theory of motivation that the employees efforts will result in the desired results and those results or outcomes will be rewarded. It means that the employees should be appreciated to their efforts if it is not appreciated the employees will not be motivated to perform a certain job. Fomenky (2015) asserted that goal setting theory motivates employees of the company to increase its productivity. In goal setting theory, specific tasks or objective results the increase in productivity and difficult goals increase the motivation that leads to high productivity. Sonys management set their goals and objectives according to authority level. It helps and supports employees to all levels of management. In the view of Albrecht et al., (2015) the company is facing the challenge of its ability to survive in a dynamic environment without sacrificing the resources of its employees. To survive in tough competition companies adopt cost cutting methods such as job cut, low incentive structure and reduce employee benefits. Korzynski (2013) state due to increasing competition in the market, companies are focusing on performance management system. The biggest challenge for Sony is performance management system, which includes setting performance goals, feedback and recognition, managing development and creating trust empowerment. This affects employee behaviour and engagement in the organisation. The employee motivation depends on employee engagement that includes job demands and resources. Muogbo (2013) explain that leadership is a big challenge for the employee motivation and empowerment. The leaders construct and address the objectives mostly affect the motivation of the employees. It plays an important role in motivating the employees. Asim (2013) argue that the challenge in employee motivation and empowerment is changing the proportion of older workforce with new generation workforce. There is a psychological contrast between new generation and old generation. Buciuniene and Skudiene (2015) state employee resistance is a major challenge of motivation. The employee has restricted themselves in a comfort zone and does not accept challenges. For example sales employees are ready to take the new challenge that is motivated by financial benefits. Sony breaks this employee resistance by creating a strong belief in organisation values in employees. The company provides psychological support to the employees to restrict the negative attitude and behaviour. This develops trust and belief in employees and they are motivated to work more. Best Practice Model of Motivation and empowerment for Sony (Source: Nordgren, 2013) The best suitable practise model for Sony needs to be select among different theories of motivation and empowerment. Sony gives a chance to their employees to motivate themselves. As per Sony HR philosophy the company cannot motivate employees but can empower them. The company provides the best work environment that motivates and empowers employees (CSR reporting, 2016). This includes Job satisfaction and works enthusiasm that motivates the employees. Nordgren (2013) explain the best practice model of motivation and empowerment is the one, which can influence the perception of employees. This practice model can help Sony to overcome the challenges like sustainability, talent management, offshoring and change in skill requirement. Currently, Sony facing many challenges likes dynamic environment, performance system, psychological differences and employee resistance. Motivation and productivity are related to each other (Muogbo, 2013). High motivation in employees leads to high productivity. The decrease in one factor leads to decrease in other. Money is the important element that motivates employees to enhance their productivity. Sony offers good pay scale to freshers that he or she motivates from the very beginning in their career. Employees treated equally so that there is no discrimination has created. Company appreciated the employees regarding complex projects so that they motivates towards their tasks and responsibilities. Financial and non-financial benefits motivate employees that lead to increase and decrease in productivity. Financial benefits like good salaries and perks, yearly increments and appraisals keep employees motivated and engaged in their tasks and non-financial benefits likes good work culture, good relations with employees and decent facilities like leaves and special allowances. These are the factors impacts highly on the productivity of the organization. Pink (in Sylvester, 2012) explains the intrinsic motivation model. This motivation model can be argued to be best suited for todays employee motivation challenges in comparison to old motivational theories like Herzberg, Maslows, Winslow, McGuire, and Drucker. Pinks theory is based on three factors such as Autonomy, Purpose, and Mastery. Autonomy focuses on the output instead of time (Sylvester, 2012). This allows open source for the employee to tackle the work in their own way. It helps the employee to clear its goals and develop an interest for the task. According to Pink, the mastery focuses on learning and development in which work environment is created where mastery is possible. The purpose focuses on the desire of the employee to complete the task. The employee wants to know the purpose that should be communicated by the organisation (Malik et al., 2016). The traditional theories of motivation are concerned with productivity and not focusing on the lifelong learning process. This model integrates employees and organisation. It empowers the employee by individual belief and self-determination that improves productivity. Further, it can contribute in sustainable model development that supports the company in dynamic environment. Conclusion The study concludes that financial benefits are not the only factors that motivate the employee there are non-financial benefits also that empowers them. Sony shall adopt Pinks intrinsic model for the best practices of motivation and empowerment. This is a modern approach to motivation that considers both financial and non-financial factors. It is best suitable for the Sonys size, structure, diversified workforce, work culture and industry. This will help Sony to keep motivating large workforce around the world and increase in their productivity. It also increases job satisfaction that further helps Sony to retain the best talent in the organisation. Pinks theory is a best practice because this resolves and considers all challenges faced by the 21st-century organisation. References About Sony (2016). Corporate info. Retrieved from: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo Albrecht, S.L., Bakker, A.B., Gruman, J.A., Macey, W.H. and Saks, A.M. (2015). Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach, Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), pp. 7-35. Retrieved from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1108/JOEPP-08-2014-0042 Al-Dajani, H., and Marlow, S. (2013). Empowerment and entrepreneurship: A theoretical framework,International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour Research,19(5). Retrieved from https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/abs/10.1108/IJEBR-10-2011-0138 Alderman, M. K. (2013).Motivation for achievement: Possibilities for teaching and learning. UK: Routledge. Korzynski, P. (2013). Employee motivation in new working environment, International journal of academic research, 5(5), pp. 184-188. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/33118226/EMPLOYEE_MOTIVATION_IN_A_NEW_WORKING_ENVIRONMENT.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEAExpires=1471072516Signature=x9vCCIBCrtWsYMTNseTi3gvWXaM%3Dresponse-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D84_PART_B._SOCIAL_SCIENCES_AND_HUMANITIE.pdf Barkema, H. G., Chen, X. P., George, G., Luo, Y., and Tsui, A. S. (2015). West meets East: New concepts and theories,Academy of Management Journal, 58(2). Retrieved from https://xbsduiw.aom.org/uploadedFiles/Publications/AMJ/April%202015_SRF_Intro.pdf Muogbo, U.S. (2013). The Impact of Employee Motivation On Organisational Performance (A Study Of Some Selected Firms In Anambra State Nigeria), The International Journal of Engineering and Science, 2(7), pp.70-80. Retrieved from https://www.theijes.com/papers/v2-i7/Part.6/J0276070080.pdf Buciuniene, I. and Skudiene, V. (2015). Factors Influencing Salespeople Motivation and Relationship with the Organization in b2b Sector, Engineering Economics, pp. 64(4). Retrieved from https://www.matsc.ktu.lt/index.php/EE/article/view/11618/6301 Cicolini, G., Comparcini, D. and Simonetti, V. (2014). Workplace empowerment and nurses' job satisfaction: A systematic literature review, Journal of nursing management, 7. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.473.4070rep=rep1type=pdf#page=53 CSR reporting (2016). Human resource. Retrieved from: https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr_report/employees Dobre, O. I. (2013). Employee motivation and organizational performance, Tabel of Contents. Retrieved from https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.473.4070rep=rep1type=pdf#page=53 Malik, W.U., Afzal, Q. and Mirza, H.U. (2016). A Source of Employee Inspiration through perceived Corporate Social Responsibility, Motivation Commitment: Evidence from NGO Sector of Pakistan (AFAQ| Association for Academic Quality), International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 6(2), pp.57-79. Retrieved from https://hrmars.com/hrmars_papers/A_Source_of_Employee_Inspiration_through_perceived_Corporate_Social_Responsibility,_Motivation_Commitment_Evidence_from_NGO_Sector_of_Pakistan.pdf Fomenky, N. F. (2015). The impact of motivation on employee performance. InGlobal conference on business finance proceedings.10(1). Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/43630787/Financial_Aspects_of_Determining_Optimal20160311-20624-11rq240.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEAExpires=1471006018Signature=pP4oqdao5uhBIyuDdmmWLycv4d0%3Dresponse-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DFinancial_Aspects_of_Determining_Optimal.pdf#page=360 Asim, M. (2013). Impact of Motivation on Employee Performance with effect of training: Specific to Education Sector of Pakistan, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 3(9), pp. 1-9. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/41033393/10.1.1.412.8956.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEAExpires=1471071957Signature=dQpKYkTik5Nhz9H9ca7WRU17IXE%3Dresponse-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DImpact_of_Motivation_on_Employee_Perform.pdf Mok, C., Sparks, B., and Kadampully, J. (2013).Service quality management in hospitality, tourism, and leisure. UK: Routledge. Muogbo, U. S. (2013). The Impact of Employee Motivation On Organisational Performance (A Study Of Some Selected Firms In Anambra State Nigeria),The International Journal of Engineering and Science,2(7). Retrieved from https://www.theijes.com/papers/v2-i7/Part.6/J0276070080.pdf Nordgren, R.D. (2013). Pinks Motivation 3.0and Student Centered Schooling: Creating Life-Long Learners for the 21st Century, Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching, 6(1), pp. 2. Retrieved from https://www.nu.edu/assets/resources/pageresources/journal-of-research-in-innovative-teaching-volume-6.pdf#page=9 Phipps, S. T., Prieto, L. C., and Ndinguri, E. N. (2013). Understanding the impact of employee involvement on organizational productivity: The moderating role of organizational commitment.Journal of Organizational Culture, Communication and Conflict,17(2). Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/academia.edu.documents/32919758/understanding_the_impact.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ56TQJRTWSMTNPEAExpires=1471005812Signature=uZZXj65LzEwDibVkkPvCrtIGETg%3Dresponse-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3DUNDERSTANDING_THE_IMPACT_OF_EMPLOYEE_INV.pdf Raub, S., and Robert, C. (2013). Empowerment, organizational commitment, and voice behavior in the hospitality industry evidence from a multinational sample.Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 1(2). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steffen_Raub/publication/258130309_Empowerment_Organizational_Commitment_and_Voice_Behavior_in_the_Hospitality_Industry_Evidence_from_a_Multinational_Sample/links/00b4952744ea30ec4f000000.pdf Sylvester, J. (2012). Pinks theory set to drive up employee motivation and engagement. Retrieved from: https://staffmotivationmatters.co.uk/pinks-theory-set-to-drive-up-employee-motivation-and-engagement Taylor, J. (2013). Goal setting in the Australian public service: Effects on psychological empowerment and organizational citizenship behavior.Public Administration Review,73(3). Retrieved from https://www.academia.edu/download/31703068/TaylorJ_PAR_2013.docx Yan, Y., Qian, Y., Sharif, H., and Tipper, D. (2013). A survey on smart grid communication infrastructures: Motivations, requirements and challenges. IEEE communications surveys tutorials,15(1).Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1315context=electricalengineeringfacpub

Saturday, November 30, 2019

Old Testament Exegetical Psalm 74 Essays - David, Ketuvim, Psalms

Old Testament Exegetical: Psalm 74 Old Testament Exegetical Paper: Psalm 74 For my Old Testament exegetical paper I have chosen Psalm 74. This passage was hard for me to read because it rebukes God for letting temples and other holy places be destroyed. In this paper I hope to gain a better understanding of this chapter. I will define two terms that I find to be key to understanding this passage. Reading two commentaries on Psalm 74 I will discuss the authorship, date and place of writing, audience and purpose of this passage. The term congregation is defined by The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary as a gathering of various types. More specifically congregation is defined as the popular assembly or the Israelite religious community (Meyers 232). The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible says that congregation expresses the assembly of the people of Israel (Carey 939). Congregation is used 138 times in the Old Testament (Kohlenberger 265). I examined five other passages outside of Psalms to try to gain a better understanding of the term. All the passages I Kings 8, 2 Chronicles 5, 7, 24, and Ezra 10 use the term congregation to describe a specific group of people. Ezra 10 is the only passage that does not use congregation to describe the people of Israel. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible defines deliver as the saving, rescuing, redeeming, or setting free of material and temporal things, but also of spiritual and eternal things (Barker 89). W. R. F. Browning uses deliverance to describe the saving of Gods people, as well as the giving over of traditions (96). In the Old Testament the word deliver or one of its derivatives is used 107 times, predominantly in Psalms (Kohlenberger 319). I read Genesis 32, Exodus 3, Deuteronomy 32, Amos 6, and Micah 5 to find out how the term is used in other passages throughout the Bible. In Genesis 32 Jacob uses deliver as a plea. He says, Deliver me, please, from the hand of Esau, for I am afraid of him. God uses deliver to describe his preserving of the Israelites from Egypt in Exodus 3. However in Deuteronomy 32 God uses deliver to say that no one can be saved from his judgment. Micah 5 uses a metaphor with a young lion amongst the sheep with no one to deliver or save the sheep. God refuses to protect the inhabitants of earth from evil in Zechariah 11. Derek Kidner breaks Psalm 74 down into 5 parts. Verses 1 3 deal with the cast-off heritage, 4 8 speak of the pillaged temple, verses 9 11 convey the impenetrable silence. In verses 12 17 the ancient exploits are reviewed and 18 23 concentrate on the continuing ordeal (264). 1 O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? 2 Remember your congregation, which you acquired long ago, which you redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you came to dwell. 3 Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. The psalm takes as its starting-point the protest of the people against their God, a protest based on their belief in their election (Weiser 518). It is faith, more than doubt, that precipitates the shower of questions which begins and ends this half of the psalm, since the real perplexity is not over the bare fact of punishment but over its apparent finality. Is it for ever?yet how can it be when this is thy pasturethy congregationthy heritage (Kidner 265)? With the sanctuaries in ruin, the enemy laying siege to the land of the Israelites they question their faith in Gods promises in verses 1 3. Verses 4 8 show the destruction and violation of the sanctuaries of God. 4 Your foes have roared within your holy place; they set up their emblems there. 5 At the upper entrance they hacked the wooden trellis with axes. 6 And then, with hatchets and hammer, they smashed all its carved work. 7 They set your sanctuary on fire; they desecrated the dwelling place of your name, bringing

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Answers to Questions About Possessives

Answers to Questions About Possessives Answers to Questions About Possessives Answers to Questions About Possessives By Mark Nichol Here are three queries from DailyWritingTips.com readers about pesky apostrophes, followed by my responses. 1. Please tell me the proper placement of an apostrophe when making possessive a singular abbreviation that ends in an s. In other words, for â€Å"Office of Financial Services,† should it be written OFS’s or OFS’, or something different? Either form is correct, depending on which style you use. Associated Press style, for example, which prevails in newspaper journalism and other less formal contexts, requires the possessive form for the spelled-out name as shown here: â€Å"The Office of Financial Services’ report has been delayed,† so the abbreviated form is â€Å"The OFS’ report has been delayed.† However, The Chicago Manual of Style, which prevails in book publishing and other more formal contexts, and similar style guides recommend, for example, â€Å"The Office of Financial Services’s report has been delayed.† The abbreviated form is â€Å"The OFS’s report has been delayed.† I recommend this style. (Note that an s follows the apostrophe even when a word or an abbreviation ends in s, such as in â€Å"Thomas’s report has been delayed.†) 2. I edit corporate documents that use this rule: The first time a government name appears in the document, spell out the name for example, National Institutes of Health and follow it in parentheses with its acronym (NIH). But when the name’s first appearance in the document is in the possessive form, do I use the possessive form in the parentheses? For example, should it read, â€Å"The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH’s) new mandate is clear† or â€Å"The National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) new mandate is clear†? The Chicago Manual of Style does not cover this issue, but its website recommends what I suggest to resolve the related issue in this post: Recast the sentence to avoid the possessive form (â€Å"The new mandate of the National Institutes of Health is clear†). 3. The title of a brochure I’m designing is â€Å"Wholesale Buyer’s Guide.† Is the possessive apostrophe needed on Buyer’s, or is it just â€Å"Wholesale Buyers Guide†? Or, perhaps, â€Å"Wholesale Buyers’ Guide†? â€Å"Buyers Guide,† â€Å"Buyer’s Guide,† and â€Å"Buyers’ Guide† are all common, and they all have some merit, though I favor the latter. In â€Å"Buyers Guide,† Buyers is an attributive noun one that serves as an adjective (just like school in â€Å"school bus† or window in â€Å"window seat†). It means, essentially, â€Å"guide of the buyers,† which I don’t think sufficiently expresses that idea that it’s something offered for someone’s use. â€Å"Buyer’s Guide† suggests that it’s for one person technically correct, but the guide was created for all buyers, not just one, so I think â€Å"Buyers’ Guide† is the best option. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:When to Use â€Å"That,† â€Å"Which,† and â€Å"Who†Yay, Hooray, Woo-hoo and Other Acclamations10 Varieties of Syntax to Improve Your Writing

Friday, November 22, 2019

Application of Marketing Theories to Practice

Application of Marketing Theories to Practice Introduction This report shows the different field of businesses and the methods that our company was using in SimVenture comparing with theories. Marketing and Sales Our company’s main marketing tool was advertising but we were using different like direct marketing, exhibitions and our website. However, digital marketing is limited only to website in the game, although this is getting more popular these days (Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette, 2006). Digital marketing defined by Jobber, 2007: â€Å"The application of digital technologies that form channels to market (the Internet, mobile communications, interactive television and wireless) to achieve corporate goal through meeting and exceeding customer need better than the competition.† Digital marketing is almost completely missing from the game, it is only limited to website. Network theory studies relationships of all sorts, whether between people, animals or things. Social network analysis is an overlapping tool for learn ing about patterns that develop within social networks and how they influence behaviour. Digital marketing channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Instagram are useful in this regard, as they allow marketers to listen to what consumers are saying, and they allow marketers to leverage the power of influential users to spread messages throughout their networks (Harvard Business Review, 2006.). Generational marketing theory holds that consumers born of the same generation — defined as a 20-year period — have common attitudes and behaviours because of shared experiences that influenced their childhoods and shaped their views of the world. The relevance of generational theory to digital marketing is primarily in the ways in which each generation communicates and the online places where marketers can reach them (Zickuhr, 2010.). The customer research in the game is only limited to where the customers heard about but nothing who they are (age, gender, education, et c.). All in all the game had good opportunities in traditional marketing channels like direct marketing and advertisement but digital marketing part is really limited which makes it less realistic. Operations Efficient operations management is a key element to make a company successful. Without supply network a company cannot exist. A supply network perspective means setting an operation in the context of all the other operations with which it interact some of which are its suppliers and its customers. Materials, parts, other information, ideas and network of customer-supplier relationships formed by all these operations (Slack, Chambers, Johnston, 2004.). The supply network view can also help in decision making about the design. The design activity in operations has one overriding objective: to provide products, services and processes which will satisfy the operation’s customers. During the game our company used ‘Just in time’ method for the production because i f there was more order then our organisation was able to produce then we contracted some out when it was financially possible. Furthermore, in the meanwhile of last year in the game, all of our production was contracted out because the four employees weren’t enough to build the product and to handle other task that were essential to run the company at the same time. High dependency theory is one of the explanation of the ‘Just in Time’ approach to operations management. With high inventories insulating each stage in the production process, the dependency of the stages on one another was low. Take away the inventory and heir mutual dependency increases. The ‘Just in Time’ practice of empowering ‘shopfloor’ staff makes the organisation dependent on their actions (Slack, Chambers, Johnston, 2004.). However, this theory perfectly suits with SimVenture, thus it is realistically show the opportunities and limitations of ‘Just in Timeâ₠¬â„¢ delivery and production because in the first year when financially it was not a possibility to contract out some of the production we bumped into some limitations according to the ‘Just in Time’ manufacture technique.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Future of Forensic Accounting and Accountants Essay

Future of Forensic Accounting and Accountants - Essay Example This takes us to our discussion regarding the future aspects of forensic accounting and the role of forensic accountants in the light of the current events and endless possibilities and opportunities in the profession. The current economic recession has yet again revealed the weaknesses in the corporate structure which is under pressure to sustain itself and the crisis which started from prime loans and credit crisis in the financial sector did not take long time to spill over its adversities to other sectors in the US. Similar conditions also prevail in other countries in particular European and Far Eastern countries which rely heavily on US interests in these countries. Present glooming conditions are not favoring businesses and stocks are plummeting as shareholders hold a more conservative approach and feel that presently a more careful approach is required. In this situation businesses are not able to benefit from the capital markets as raising capital becomes difficult and slowing trading activity making businesses fall back on their commitments and disputes are more than likely to happen. In addition to this to stay as a favorable investment choice amongst shareholders it is imperative that companies will indulge in manipulation of their accounts to report healthy view of their companies which may not be the case. Despite of the tougher regulation of the accounting profession and attempts by international regulators to converge all countries on a single set of accounting standards there still remains certain loopholes as participants are not willing to compromise their sovereignty and identification. Fraudsters and culprits are always in search of such gaps that remain in both accounting and legal systems and it is in their interests to misreport their financial condition or avoid such commitments which they may not be able to fulfill. This scenario would surely create further demand for forensic accounting and forensic

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Try to apply keneth waltz's three images to the orgins of the Article

Try to apply keneth waltz's three images to the orgins of the cold war and analyize which image considerations were more important in the development of the cold war - Article Example In the second image, Waltz posits that wars are mainly caused by the domestic ambitions of the states (Waltz 45). He employed the Lenin theory of imperialism to explain that capitalists are driven by their ambitions to create new frontiers in other places to increase their domestic economic power. Separates states structures influence war. This is why Waltz argued that multipolar systems had a higher likelihood of war conflicts that bipolar systems. The third image, one that he put great emphasis, is a fine tuning of the structural realism that he had devised (Waltz 56). The anarchic structure of the international system is a huge influence of the international relations. The structure of the international power is dependent on frequency and size of power fluctuations, offense-defense balance, size of first-move advantages and the amount of resources. Arguably, the cold war was about the balance of power. Kenneth Waltz third image shows more concern to the dynamics of the anarchic nature of the international system (Suganami 384). The standoff between the United States of American and the Soviet Union during the cold war depicts a scenario where the two major powers were exhibiting interests in third parties. On this note, Waltz argues that bipolarity stands to lessen a conflict such as that of the cold war because the countries would go back to relying on their resources instead of competing for those of the third parties to try and bring a balance of power. This third image shows an in-depth focus on the bigger perspective of the cause of war by showcasing the underlying causes rather than only highlighting the superficial causes such as the human nature in the first image and the domestic influence of the second image. This implies that the third image is more refined to show how the players of the cold war envisioned the mann er to influence the balance

Saturday, November 16, 2019

E-Learning Sites Essay Example for Free

E-Learning Sites Essay E-learning has emerged as a revolutionizing concept in 21st century. It has given numerous opportunities to educational institutes and students in the form of flexibility, construction of knowledge and knowledge transfer using electronic media components. Contemporary services are more in need of e-learning facilities especially for educational institutes that aim at providing convenience and flexibility to students with better accessibility to course material/information content. E-learning websites have popularity due to its enormous benefits to individuals; however, raised several ethical and social issues that need to be addressed. E-Learning Sites Growth of internet and advancement in technology integration for supporting application processes has provided an opportunity to educational institutes to move towards e-learning educational facilities. E-learning sites provide user accessibility to course material from diverse places that increases the flexibility and information sharing capabilities of system. Majority of universities have developed e-learning management systems for its students that have multiple advantages both to university and students (Stair, 2008). These learning management systems involve the integration of technology and communication medium to enhance learning processes. Students have access to electronic features routing them to information sharing, customizability of information, presence of electronic contents and downloading features for supporting advance and better learning processes. Considering the advantages of e-learning sites several issues in dimensions of ethics, social, and professional principles arise that require evaluating the functionality and viability of e-learning sites. These issues place consideration on information system developers for proper analyzability and management to restrain the system effectiveness from potential risks associated with such issues. A number of social, ethical and professional issues have arisen concerning the development of e-learning sites for a university. These issues include the exercise of power, data quality, access to data and system, privacy and data protection, intellectual property rights of material available on website, plagiarism and copyright policy, prevention of fraudulent actions by users, equity for users, and impact of such information and communication system on the perception of individuals (Weert, 2003). E-learning Sites and Ethical Issues Electronic data is accessible to users irrespective of geographical boundaries. However, certain restrictions by regulatory authority may restrict the flow of traffic from specific IP locations. Development of e-learning sites although provided many benefits to individuals but also resulted in certain ethical implications for a professional. These ethical issues require proper management in order to maintain the practicability of system. It is essential for professional to analyze the component system of e-learning sites. Site should provide quality data to students based on their educational standard and need; such as availability of research papers and reference sections is being provided to university students. Data quality available on site must be proven for effective information and knowledge transfer ability to users that increase the understanding and enhance the knowledge level at better rate (Azari, 2003). Material available on e-learning websites is exposed to certain ethical challenges which include intellectual property rights; copy/pasting of text highlighting the principles of plagiarism, and use of owner’s content without his prior permission which directly affects the legal procedure for cyber theft crime (Azari, 2003). Such issues require maintaining the content material ownership rights and copyright policy in compliance with legal code of conduct. Students are given access to wider range of information and material content uploaded by teachers, and university management for students’ flexibility; such material content can be downloaded, easily transformed and integrated into other piece of content. This raises question on ethical responsibility of students for preserving the rights of material available on e-learning site and require considering it as theft, and cheating in case of plagiarised material (Weert, 2003). Cyber-technology provides accessibility to system development content which is exposed to serious threats for modification and alteration that reduces the effective functionality of such e-learning websites (Azari, 2003). Considering the role of e-learning sites in providing rich information benefit to students; viability issues raised on the ethical principles of information issue and subsequent loss risk for other student associated with such malpractices. E-learning Sites and Social Issues E-learning site development also encompasses certain social issues in relation to subjecting ethical obligations. System development professional must ensure that e-learning site for university does not result in discrimination at operative level. At some places, racial and cultural discrimination is observed by restricting the right of specific group to e-learning site (Adams McCrindle, 2008). This results in serious destructive behaviour by students affecting the reputation of university. Focus must be given to equity principles for users to e-learning site functions and materials irrespective of gender, racial or cultural differences. E-learning sites now offer advantages to student to share their views in blog’s section page on e-learning site. Such functionality components although are encouraging students to be productive in information and views sharing, but in some cases it create discrepancies among students behaviour which results in destructive behaviour action by students (Weert, 2003). It must be ensured that such blog section provides access to students only to filtered blog content. Perception of student is also influenced greatly by the information available on website and communication system that directly impact their behaviour and constructive attitude building. However, in consideration to that social issues strengthen concerning e-learning site; therefore, greater emphasis should be on formal aspects of education. Discriminatory behaviour must be restricted and equitable social practices must be adopted towards providing facility to students irrespective of their social class (Cross et al. , 2002). This would enhance the equity principle for learning and enhance the effectiveness of system. E-learning Sites and Professional Issues A number of professional issues are associated with e-learning sites development. First of all, security concern of sites must be addressed. Plagiarism, data theft, and unauthorized accessed to secure and restricted contents by users must be prevented through proper security system management (Bullen Janes, 2007). Professional issues enlarge concerning the prevention of fraudulent actions by users, and managing the access rights for specific group. Such as teachers panel must not be viewable to students, and students must have access to material only related their subjects. Customizability of features and privacy in relation to intellectual property rights advances the responsibility of professional towards addressing the ethical issues. E-learning sites encompass application system to foster easy access to information content for students. Professional must ensure that system procedure manual is easily conveyable to students and users while maintaining their privacy rights. Copyright policy must need to be formed to address the potential risk of plagiarism and copy/pasting of material irrespective of owner’s consent (Adams McCrindle, 2008). Related to this site security and content access must be proactive to potential harms and risks of modification by unidentified identity. Students are more oriented towards cracking the shortcut methods for doing their academic works especially assignments. Hence they prefer copying it from source that can not be detected from plagiarism detection software (Khan, 2005). Including to this, material available on e-learning sites can be changed and uploaded on other e-learning sites without consent of actual teacher especially presentation files. Professionals criticize this activity by claiming it as malpractices and direct theft on the intellectual property of teacher. Hence cyber crime act protect individuals (owners) from such activities and enforce legislations for preventing issues like unauthorized access to e-learning site material resources, protect intellectual property owner rights, and specifies code line for legal obligations on e-learning sites (Cross et al. , 2002). RECOMMENDATIONS Considering the issues specified in the above text following recommendation will enable managing the issues effectively. First of all, a specific user id and password must be assigned to all individuals on equality basis. To limit the unauthorized access student must be allowed to view only contents of courses in which he is registered. To protect the unauthorized use of owners’ material downloading option must be removed; only view feature for specific files will allow university to protect intellectual property rights and avoid plagiarism cases (Khan, 2005). Access to data can be secured through encryption of data content which will enable to access only limited feature and restrict the unwanted users to decrypt the high quality data content. In order to effectively manage the social issues associated with e-learning sites complete freedom must be given to students irrespective of their cultural/racial differences. E-learning site should encompass a protection feature to avoid fraudulent actions by users; document sharing feature by students must be refine and only approved featured responses/sharing documents by students must be allowed to visible on e-learning site for user flexibility (Adams McCrindle, 2008). CONCLUSION E-learning sites are attractive solutions for university to manage its need for information and learning material sharing with students. However, certain issues related to security, fraudulent actions, and malpractices by students such as plagiarism content reduce the effectiveness of such system. In order to effectively manage the ethical, professional and social issues for e-learning sites system developer must use contemporary techniques being used by other e-learning sites developers that not only maintains system security but also provides flexibility and customization feature to both students and faculty members while managing the issues related to intellectual property rights, plagiarism, and quality of data availability including accessibility based on equity rights. REFERENCES Adams, Andrew A. McCrindle, Rachel. (2008). Pandoras box: social and professional issues of the information age. Edition: 1. John Wiley and Sons Azari, Rasool. (2003). Current security management ethical issues of information technology. Edition: 1. Idea Group Inc. Bullen, Mark. Janes, Diane P. (2007). Making the transition to E-learning: strategies and issues. Edition: 1. Idea Group Inc. Cross, John A. et al. (2002). Implementing e-learning. Edition: 1. American Society for Training and Development Khan, Badrul Huda. (2005). Managing e-learning: design, delivery, implementation, and evaluation. Edition: 1. Idea Group Inc. Stair, Ralph M. (2008). Principles of Information Systems. Edition: 9. Cengage Learning Weert, Tom J. Munro, Robert K. (2003). Informatics and the digital society: social, ethical, and cognitive issues. Edition: 1. Springerlink

Thursday, November 14, 2019

Supernatural in Shakespeares Macbeth - Power of the Witches :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

The Power of the Witches in Macbeth      Ã‚   Myths and religions often include divine or devilish beings with incredible powers. William Shakespeare incorporated witches with bizarre powers in his play, Macbeth. These witches possessed devilish powers to set the course of events in the plot and added to the flavor of the story. The witches' powers included omnientness, vision and apparition creation, and the ability to set the conditions for disaster, and the utilization of these abilities sets the movement of the play.    As opening characters in the story, the witches establish the major theme of the tale and predict future events. Upon hinting of their insight to the end of the war and revealing their relationship with demonic forces, the witches call out, "Fair is foul, and foul is fair,"(I, i, 12). In his first meeting with the Weird Sisters, Banquo questions the witches powers and asks, "If you can look into the seeds of time and say which will grow and which will not?"(I, iii, 65). The witches prophecies linger through the story and reveal their accuracy, and Banquo takes notice and comments to Macbeth, "I dreamt last night of the three Weird Sisters. To you they have showed some truth,"(II, i, 25). The witches prophecies place an underlying thought in Macbeth and Banquo's minds and hide there throughout their actions with an ever-present influence.    Another influential power of the Weird Sisters was their ability to create visions and apparitions. Early in the murder scene of Duncan, Macbeth sees a bloody dagger   and in a phantasmagoric state, remarks, "Thou marshal'st me the way that I was going, / And such an instrument I was to use,"(II, i, 51). Macbeth also states, "Witchcraft celebrates Pale Hecate's offerings,"(II, i, 60). Both of these statements may suggest a supernatural force in the affair. The witches' powers also extend to the summoning of apparitions that foretell future events. The three apparitions tell Macbeth, "Beware the Thane of Fife,"(IV, i, 81), "none of woman born / Shall harm Macbeth," (IV, i, 91), and "Macbeth shall never be vanquished be until / Great Birnham Wood to high Dunsinane Hill / Shall come against him,"(IV, i, 106). These visions and apparitions, as seen later on, have a profound effect on Macbeth's actions.    The most significant power of the Weird Sisters lies in their ability to set the conditions for disaster.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Management planning of Arthur Andersen

Introduction The Arthur Andersen Company is an accounting firm that was founded in the year 1913 by Clarence Delaney and Arthur Andersen. It is an accountancy firm that deals in auditing, consulting and tax evaluation services. It is based in Illinois. About five years ago, the company was one of the most successful accounting firms with an employee base of about eighty five thousand. Presently, the firm has only two hundred employees under its name. Similarly, its revenue has fallen from 9.3 billion dollars in the year 2002 to very low amounts in 2007. In that fateful year 2002, the firm lost its accounting license as a result of fraudulent dealings. Consequently, the firm has lost its business, and is no longer in serious operation. It is a good example of a company that did not apply management skills in its operations. (Harold, 2003) Planning function of management in The Arthur Andersen Company Management within any organization is normally assigned four main roles, these include; leading, controlling, organization and planning. The planning function of management involves developing an organization’s mission and defining specific methods of accomplishing it. This encompasses a variety of ideas. Planning may be applied when starting a project or organization or it may be applied in the day to day running of the organization. The organization under review was already in existence so we shall examine its day to day planning functions. (Norbert, 1967) The first management planning issue that the company under review failed to analyze was financial planning. The company did not allocate its budget to projects that would generate long term income. It focused on short term gains like the WorldCom audit that preceded its bankruptcy. Financial planning involves monitoring the amount of money coming in and out of the organization and noting any fund misappropriation. This was clearly a duty that the Arthur Andersen Company failed since it lost a lot of finances. This aspect also involves planning salary packages, employee benefits, insurance and retirement packages. Before the great fall of the Andersen Company, this aspect was looked into. The employee base was quite large and complaints were quite rare. Another aspect of planning is policy formulation. This entails coming up with strategies that counter the effect of competitors. The Andersen Company played its part in good policy formulation during the 80’s and 90’s. It knew that IT consultancy was receiving a lot of attention; it therefore decided to focus on this sector and tripled its revenue. But in the years following 2000, the organization did not plan its policies well. It decided to focus on client’s wishes instead of establishing a reputation for being a straight forward firm. This policy planning should be put together with policy development and policy implementation. (Norbert, 1967) Thirdly, management involves human resource planning. This begins from recruitment of new employees when beginning the organization to hiring of new employees. This was well done by the Arthur Andersen Company at its inception because most of its employees were in line with the companies’ mission. In the mid twentieth century, the company founder frequently took his employees for training and ensured that they were in top notch condition. But this was later forgotten because the firm hired employees that were dishonest and untrustworthy. The company did not evaluate its employees to ensure that they were inline with its founding principles. It should be noted that the employees considered during planning encompass all the departments in an organization including managerial posts. The Andersen Company failed in this area because one of its senior representatives in the Legal Department Madam Nancy Temple clearly did not follow due procedures. She failed to withhold company principles. This could have been prevented if employee evaluation was done. Impact of legal issues, ethics and corporate responsibility on management planning. A code of ethics within an organization is a sure recipe to bring about returns on one’s investment. Contrary to what people believe; that ethics are quite theoretical, a recent research by the Ethics Resource Centre in Washington has shown that employees who feel that their management adheres to strict moral standards and codes of ethics, feel valued by their organization. Consequently, productivity will be increased by these employees and company profits will be improved. It was quite clear that the Arthur Andersen Company did not realize this hidden truth before the great Enron scandal that led to its downfall. The Company did not adhere to accounting code of ethics as it allowed numerous irregularities to continue within the Enron Company which it was auditing at that time. All the auditors were focusing on was whether their client’s share prices were increasing. They didn’t pay attention to how the income was being generated. Legalities are a key aspect to be considered during a company’s operations. Companies ought to strike deals that are acceptable within the law of the land. The repercussions from lawsuits are quite severe because they can cause irreparable damage to the company name thus preventing any further business. A case in point is when the Arthur Andersen Company audited the Enron Company is engaged in a deal which it knew was unethical but claimed not to know that it was unlawful. These legalities should have been considered before the firm proceeded with its activities. The consequence of these illegalities was loss of its license authorized by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Even though the decision of the commission was reversed in the year 2005, the company had an ill reputation and no company worth its salt would allow them to audit their firm. (Harold, 2003) Corporate social responsibility encompasses giving back to the community. It is a way of saying thank you to the people who have contributed to company growth. The Arthur Andersen Company did not involve this aspect in its management plans. In the late 90’s and twenty first century, the company began focusing on expanding its client’s base and maximizing profits. It did not realize that giving back to the community would increase its authenticity. This is because, the community would feel like they were partnering or cost sharing when investing in the Company’s stocks or doing business with it. Factors that influenced the company’s strategic, tactical, operational and contingency planning. Strategy can be defined as an action that facilitates realization of long term goals while planning is the coordination of resources within an organization. Therefore strategic planning is analysis of all the information available to come up with the best goals for an organization. One factor that influenced the Arthur Andersen Strategic planning was establishing a reputation in the accounting field. It wanted to be identified with good intentions and strong principles. This was viable during its inception by the founding member. Tactical planning involves putting the strategical plan into action. It usually involves the budgeting process, considering alternatives, studying the market and its competitors. In addition, reviews must be made and reports be made. One factor that influenced this aspect of the company was its revenue. The company wanted to make as much as it could. This meant that it could overlook ethical issues as long as a return on investment was plausible thus causing the company’s downfall. (Erica, 2006) Lastly, operational planning involves the day to day running of the company. This normally involves proper communication between management and its employees. One factor that influenced this aspect was output generated. The company did not adhere to good communication practices within its structure and instead focused on input. Poor communication led to the company’s fall. Conclusion Good management practices are backbone of success within any organization. The Arthur Andersen Company had started out with these practices but was swayed away from them in latter years. If it had stuck to its founding principles, it would still be in operation today. Reference Harold, K. (2003): Project Management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and Controlling; Blackwell publishing Erica, W. (2006): Strategic public relations management planning; University of York Publishers. Norbert, E. (1967): Management planning: a systems approach; Melbourne publishers                           

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Introduce About Myself Essay

About Myself, My Hobbies – Interests and My Future Plans My name is Long. I am 25 years old. I just got married about 3 months. Now my wife and I are living with my parent, my young brother, my young sister and my gran in my parent’s house at Tan Binh district. I was born in Ho Chi Minh city, but my hometown is Quang Nam, because my parents were born in there. I have worked as import & export assistant in 4 years at an Indian company. Regarding my hobbies, although I’m 25 years old, but I really like reading comics, I read it on the book, on the internet, on the magazine, and I read it anywhere, at home, at office, at coffee shop and at class. Moreover I also like playing games; it likes computer games and video games. I don’t only like playing games but also I like playing toys, some toys likes models kits of mechanics, cars, battle ships, planes†¦ In addition I like traveling also, specially, I very love sea, I like going anywhere, where has sea, and I can swim in there all day. Beside, earning lot of money is my hobbies too. In future, I want to become a successful businessman, I will open a series coffee shop, it like Gloria Jean’s Coffees, but I think I just can make it with small scale, honestly, I also like drinking coffee. Moreover I want to open a flower shop for my wife, she really love flower. In addition, I’m going to live abroad, because my father and mother in law are living in US, and they want my wife and me to live with them.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Lawrence Snake Essays

Lawrence Snake Essays Lawrence Snake Paper Lawrence Snake Paper The duality of the last part in the poem where he reflects on the pettiness of his actions can be seen as a result of the contrast between a crisis response which is appropriate (attacking the snake as education and social convention would prescribe), and a crisis response which is manly, that is allowing the snake freedom to traverse the area and leave in peace. His poem manages to combine subtle observations of a short, tension-filled drama with the Insights of a moral thinker and writer. Perhaps what is most disturbing about the poem Is not that Lawrence was Indecisive about what to do, but that a poisonous snake presents an Inimitable foe, and that Lawrence for all his bravado was lucky to have escaped with the conclusion that he acted too meanly. D. H. LAWRENCE SNAKE Perhaps D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) Is a misunderstood writer. This Is not to claim that the writer has understood him correctly. After all It Is a fashion for any curtly of literature, and surely the writer Is not one, to claim that only he/she has understood an author correctly and all others have either misunderstood or partly understood. D. H. Lawrence Is ore known for his novels than for his poetic abilities. If we think that the great writer was obsessed with sex or his works were mainly about sexuality, we will be mistaken. No doubt, D. H. Lawrence was quite serious about the question of relationship between sexes and its impact on human life. A healthy understanding of the human sexuality is a serious question for a healthy life. But mankind had to pay a hefty tuition fees before it understood this fact. It needed a Freud to explain to it the significance of it all. The religious priests thought that mankind was immoral till they name into the scene to preach them morality, particularly sexual morality. But this is a big topic. Let me come to the main question. Snake is a poem written by D. H. Lawrence running to some eighty lines. It is about his act of attacking a snake that was entering a hole after it took water in the water trough under a tree in his garden and his immediate feeling of remorse and self condemnation for the cowardly act. This poem is much talked about for its sexual images. It is not the snake but the authors inference from the little episode that matters. What is the importance of drinking on a hot, hot day? It is a most natural act of human life. It is beautiful. But the Voice of education tells otherwise. It says that there are innocent snakes and Venomous snakes and venomous snakes should be killed. The ugliness is In human mind and in the Voice of education and not In the sexual act as such. Am I confusing? Let me try to make it clear. Do not kill your sexuality, but pattern the same according to the social necessity. One need not feel guilty because of ones sexual force which is biological in nature. But humankind Is afflicted with this guilt consciousness which does not make It moral In any sense, definitely not In the sexual sense. This Is the underlying theme of D. H. Lawrence Snake. Len the end the author curses himself for having thrown that suck at the snake that was entering Into Its habitat after It took water. Sheathed poem Snake, In the Reptiles section of D. H. Lawrence book Birds, Beasts, and Flowers details a powerful few moments when Lawrence Is confronted by a snake at Lawrence water trough, In Terrain, Sicily. Not sure whether to attack it (for it is poisonous) or whether to simply admire it for its AAU , Lawrence ultimately leaves ten reader at ten Ana AT ten poem wit n Nils sense of pettiness at an attempt to scare it off by throwing a pitcher at it as it retreats down a hole in the wall. It is a famous poem roughly three pages in length that is unrushed, written in free verse, and representative of modernist literature. It was first published in 1921 and most critics agree that the encounter between Lawrence and the snake actually happened.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Consolidation of Financial Statements Research Paper

Consolidation of Financial Statements - Research Paper Example This paper seeks to analyze how the acquisition method compares with the earlier two methods in consolidation of financial statements, its impact on financial statement reporting quality, potential Impact on decision making and International implications of consolidation of financial statements. The paper also discussed the differences between the standards of IFRS and GAAP in respect of consolidation of financial statements with a view to resolve the differences for enhancing uniformity, comparability and transparency in consolidation of financial statements. Acquisition Method Primarily there are two types of treatment under this method. In the first one, the investor acquires assets (and often liabilities) and investee goes out of business and the investor continues to do the business with the controlling interest. The investee company becomes a subsidiary and the stock of investee is shown as investment in the investor’s books of accounts. This process involves accounting for the fair value of the company acquired by ascertaining fair value of the assets and liabilities including contingencies based on risks associated as well as the consideration in line with the international standards. If the consideration is not equal to fair value either it is treated as good will where consideration exceeds fair value or as gain on acquisition where the consideration is less than the fair value. Direct costs associated with the acquisition are expensed. It may include fees payable to legal advisors, appraisers, auditing firms and investment bankers. Indirect costs of acquisition such as secretarial and managerial efforts are expensed. However, fair value is reduced by the costs associated with registration and issue of securities. In the second case, the acquired company continues to function as a separate entity without dissolution. In this case, the financial statements of such entity are considered in the accounts / financial statements of the acquired compa ny. The balances are consolidated separately without formal entries in the books of accounts. Assets with indefinite life are reviewed periodically for impairment in line with the accounting / reporting standards. How Purchase Method differs from Acquisition Method Application of fair-value principle is common to both the purchase method and the acquisition method. However, under Purchase Method transactions costs are included in the purchase price in the books of accounts of the subsidiary. The transaction costs and restructuring costs included in fair value under purchase method are considered as business expenses under acquisition method. Also, fair value is measured as on acquisition date under acquisition method. The acquisition method is based on recognition and measurement of the assets. The acquisition method takes into account non-controlling interests and contingencies, whereas purchase method ignores this aspect. Pooling of interest method The investor records investment in sub account and consolidation is outside the books of accounts by eliminating investment account and equity account in subsidiary’s accounts. Book values of the companies are simply combined together in consolidation of financial statements. Goodwill is not recorded in the books of accounts. Revenues and expenses are added together with retrospective effect. Rezaee, Z. (2001, p. 291) stated â€Å"Under the pooling of interest method: (1) carrying amounts on the books of combining entities should be carried forward; (2) no goodwill should be recognized; and (3) prior financial statements should be restated as if the combining entity had always been combined.† Acquisition method has significant improvements over this method to suit the needs of the businesses. Impact on financial stateme

Saturday, November 2, 2019

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 5

International Business - Essay Example People from one region within a country used to go to other regions to exchange goods. Different communities realized that there were other goods that they did not know and were available in long distances. This was realized when people from different regions travelled long distances in search for more resources. Word soon spread across the world and communities from different parts of the globe started to look for the different goods. There were goods that were more precious. Merchants went across the world just to get those goods. Such countries included China, India, America and Europe. International business started to blossom at that time leading to a number of civilizations. Domestic business or trade is a form of business, which is confined to the borders of a country. People within that country or territory buy goods and services within their borders. Domestic trade is usually good as it develops local infrastructure and also plays a role in enriching its own. This form of tr ade is probably the oldest form of trade. It was the main type of business in many parts of the world long before, merchants started to go to far lands. On the other hand, international business is business between countries. In this case, merchants from different countries exchange goods for money. Different countries are endowed differently. There are some that are good in industries while others have resources that can be used as raw materials for their industries. The country with industries, for example, would buy raw materials from the country with those resources. Money paid to the country with the resources would be used to buy industrial goods from the industrialized country. Ideally,what is sold to another country is export and what is received from another country is imports. The two countries benefit by getting what they did not have and foreign exchange (Curtin, 2002). One country can trade with many countries depending on its needs. Some countries have been found to im port much more than they import while others export much more than they import. Countries importing more are known as net importer countries, for example, the United States while countries that export more are known as net exporter countries, for example, Japan. International business has assisted many countries to develop and share with others. The unique characteristic of international business is that it also boosts domestic business in some way. Use of the terms domestic business and international business has been very confusing to some people in some scenarios. For example, there are some people who may argue, since domestic business is in certain territories or countries, then in countries with state government systems, the individual states experience both domestic and international trade in some way. Such people will argue that a State like California and Texas trading is international business. Nevertheless, different counties within California do domestic trading. Accordi ng to such people, interstate trade is the same as Britain and France trading (Curtin, 2002). This theory is true, to some extent, and wrong in another way. The different states in the United States represent some form of territorial jurisdiction. In fact, some states operate very differently from others. They have their own regulations for different things and differ from others. Each state has its own governing body that is responsible for drafting and passing policies. As such, the different countries of diverse

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Global Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Global Economy - Essay Example However, based on the recent occurrence of the global recession in 2007-08, Bretton Wood organisations were rendered helpless for managing the monetary turbulence and also stabilise its primary nations such as the US and European countries (Krishnamurthy and Vissing-Jorgensen, 2008). The three primary Bretton Wood organisations are International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organisations and the World Bank (Hall et al. 2011). However, the influence of these organisations on the economical and financial transactions of national systems has often been criticised. This essay will mainly analyse these criticisms and also try to evaluate the need for the Bretton Wood system and organisation in the contemporary scenario. Hunt (2008) noticed that criticisms for the Bretton Wood organisations have been continuously focused on the approaches and regulations imposed on the underlying firms, institutions and countries. Obstfeld and Rogoff (2009) specified that the criticisms made for the Bretton Wood organisations can be mainly segmented into social and economic perspectives. Considering the economic or financial activities of the World Bank or IMF, often it has been noticed that Washington Consensus plays a big role in the description and design of loan conditions made by the Bretton Wood organisations. The Washington Consensus mainly focuses on the liberalisation of the national trade system of the nations and preventing the privatisation of the government segments. Krishnamurthy and Vissing-Jorgensen (2008) considered the utilisation of Washington Consensus as a barrier for the development of the global corporate industry. James (2012) reflected that as privatisation is increasing in the commerce and trade sector, the rules of the Bretton Wood institutions can prevent or slow down the growth of the global trade and commerce practices. Relating this statement with the concept of globalisation, it has to be considered that the policies of the Washington Consensus does not

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Market Structure Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Market Structure - Research Paper Example PERFECT COMPETITION: Firms operating under perfect competition essentially rest upon four primary assumptions, the first of which is that since there are several firms operating under this model the significance of their output from a perspective of the entire industry supply is unimportant which means that such firms do not have the capability to influence the price of the product, therefore, at the market price perfect competition firms are said to experience perfectly elastic demand. Henceforth, this phenomenon postulates that perfect competition firms are price takers (Mankiw, 2011). The second assumption of the model of perfect competition relates to the freedom of entry into the industry or whether there is existence of any barriers to entry or exit. In this scenario, new firms do not face any lack of restrictions if they wish to enter the industry, however, the concept of freedom of entry is said to be applicable in the long-run owing to the period it takes to establish an org anization (Sloman, 2006). A fundamental assumption of the model relates to product homogeneity within the industry, this concept is based upon the idea that all businesses supply products that are identical (Sloman, 2006). Lastly, it is supposed that buyers and sellers have perfect knowledge regarding the market such as price, quality and costs. The profit maximizing output of the firm occurs at the intersection of Marginal Cost and Marginal Revenue where, MC = MR (Sloman, 2006). Therefore, when P = MC firms in perfect competition are economically efficient, where allocative efficiency occurs when consumer as well as producer surplus is at its maximum and productive efficiency occurs because the firm’s equilibrium output in the long-run is established where the businesses’ average cost is the least. The quantity of firms in the short run varies as firms leave or come into the industry, if it is understood that the costs of the firms experience no change the exit of som e firms will lead to generation of abnormal profit or supernormal profit where AR>AC. In the long-run however, the attraction of abnormal profits will cause firms to enter the industry because of no barriers to entry or exit thereby, bringing the state of the market back to equilibrium at a point on the LRAC curve which is the least, causing firms to make normal or zero economic profit such that the long-run equilibrium occurs where P = AR = LRAC = LRMC = MR (Stanlake & Grant, 2000). Due to obvious factors relating to the model of perfect competition it can be concluded that most firms are not audacious in terms of taking risks. The instability of demand therefore, causes perfectly competitive firms to diversify which leads to intra-industry trade and if the condition of elastic demand is fulfilled such exchange of identical commodities on an international scale proves to be beneficial for both the countries and firms involved (Cukrowski & Aksen, 2003). Hypothetically, the economic efficiency of perfectly competitive firms would indicate that government regulation is not required in such a model but in the short-run government intervention might be needed to control prices if firms are generating supernormal profits, however, the primary premise remains that in a perfectly competi

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Aesthetics In Piano Music From Romanticsm To Modernism Music Essay

Aesthetics In Piano Music From Romanticsm To Modernism Music Essay Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty (Aesthetics, 2010, Online). It is also a study of relationship between human and reality in an aesthetical investigation. Arts is the main object of investigation particularly, where its essence of beauty, ugly, sublime and other aesthetical aspects are examined. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory which is also called the judgements of sentiment and taste (Aesthetics, 2010, Online). The study of aesthetics is very diverse. It can be a speculative approach to philosophical ideas; it can also be drawn on current research methods through other related disciplines such as psychological analysis, anthropological and sociological methods, linguistics and culture learning methods, description of experience and so on. The perception of beauty is very subjective as it is basically based on our personal feeling and own experience. Different people have different feelings towards an aesthetical object thus often arguments are speculative and changed along with time and experience. Therefore, aesthetics is an independent discipline where the essence of beauty and its significance are examined. In this essay, the aesthetic of piano music in both Romanticism and Modernism will be discussed. As we know, these two neighbouring periods showed a tremendous different contrast in social development and movements, hence music as well had been morphed into a new aspect. Moreover, the style of piano playing was also changed due to the aesthetical values of composers and pianists were also affected. 1. Piano Music in Romanticism 1.1 Romantic Characteristics The term romantic derived from the medieval romance which has several meanings. A romance was a poem or tale about heroic events or persons, or it could also connote something distant, legendary, and fantastic. Basically, it suggested something imaginary, far away from reality. In the nineteenth century, the term was applied to literature, music, and art. The term contrasted with classic poetry, which was objectively beautiful. Thus, romantic poetry, which was not bound by rules and limits, focused more on the individuality of expression (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Instrumental music was regarded as an ideal art in Romanticism as it started to grow more importance compared to vocal music. It is because of the genre was free from words, images, characterised costumes, props and others. However, composers imagination often led them to explore new sounds although they still kept their works in a Classical framework. Besides, many romantics composers were also writers or had friends who were writers, such as Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and others. They always linked the intrumental pieces to literary works so as to draw out the inner meanings of the text through the music. At times, the use of literatures and descriptive titles were also added after the work was created (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Hence, distinctions were made between types of instrumental music absolute music and programmatic music, which later indirectly led to arguments between these two camps. Romantic views of music have been influential. Composers created music to express their own ideas and feelings rather than to suit the tastes of their patrons or audiences (Burkholder, 2010a, Online). Originality was hence importance for composers and tradition was balanced with their own individuality and creativity. 1.2 The Aesthetic of Romanticism Musical Expression and Emotion In the Romanticism, music had reached the peak of emotionalism which was shaped by the lyrical melodies, daring harmonies, colourful instrumentation, and the strong contrast of form. Musical expression and emotion had been such a powerful force to influence the composers. The most crucial figure in the nineteenth century culture would be Richard Wagner. He was also one of the most influential musicians of all times. He brought German Romantic opera to a new height, created the music drama, as well as his rich chromatic idiom influenced later composers (A History of European Music, 2010, Online). Not only in composing great music, Wagner also wrote a number of essays regarding music and aesthetics, causing huge arguments among scholars at that time including the famous German philosopher and music critic Eduard Hanslick. In a series of essays, Wagner argued that music should serve dramatic expression. He felt that Beethoven had exhausted instrumental music because in his opinion the Ninth Symphony showed the path to the future with its union of music and words. He saw himself as the true successor to Beethoven. He therefore created Gesmatkunstwerk (total or collective artwork) as he felt that poetry, scenic design, staging, action, and music should work together. In other words, the words or texts related the events and situations, while the orchestra conveyed the inner drama (Burkholder, 2010b, Online). Although Wagner and his contemporaries such as Liszt saw the legacy of Beethoven pointing toward new genres and musical approaches, Johannes Brahms on the other hand matured himself as a composer in the Classical repertory. He combined Classicism with Romantic sensibility. He composed in Classical traditions but he also added new elements in order to appeal to contemporary audiences. Overall, he has been viewed as conservative, but he was a trailblazer. He was among the first to draw upon both the music of the past and present, a process or method that has been repeated by numerous composers of the twentieth century (Burkholder, 2010b, Online). In the mid Romanticism, the term New German School was coined as Wagner, Liszt, and Berlioz were leaders. Although Liszt and Berlioz were not Germans, Beethoven was their model. However, the term helped polarized the division between supporters of Liszt and Wagner, and supporters of Brahms and Hanslick. Among the composers who sided with Wagner and Liszt are Bruckner, Wolf, Richard Strauss, and Gustav Mahler. These two camps debated the topics of music and its aesthetics, especially in musical meaning and expression, absolute and program music, tradition and innovation, Classical genres and forms as well as the new ones, and the list goes on. 1.3 Wagner versus Hanslick Expression was the growing importance as a source of aesthetic value. It pays no heed to the claims of formal convention. Music was viewed as a medium of expression and it has the power to influence listeners mind. The use of poetic titles was a manifestation of Romanticism, which signifying musics expressive powers. For instance the post-Beethoven composers especially Liszt, employed poetry to give a clearer expression so as to elevate the art to a powerful metaphysical status. Whatever its subject matter, the status of poetic or programme music was hotly debated in late nineteenth century music criticism and it naturally invoked the related concept of absolute music. In 1854, Eduard Hanslick wrote his own reflections on the nature of the beautiful in music (Vom Musikalisch-Schà ¶nen). In his book, he argues about music and feelings and disagrees with the exaggerated philosophical and cultural pretensions of the writings by Wagner and Liszt. Hanslicks convincing arguments quickly brought his book to attention. This indirectly overshadowed Hanslick as the leading critical antagonist of Richard Wagner and the New German School in general. Hanslick opposed their claims that programmatic instrumental music and the symphonically through-composed declaimed music drama represented the way of the musical future (Grey, 2010, Online). In other words, he is a typical classical formalist. Hanslick was the protagonist of Brahms. They both advocated for the continuity of classical tradition and opposed the radical dissolution of melodic and formal convention celebrated by the progressives of the day as a means of achieving greater expressive truth or the articulation of an ideal or conceptual content (Grey, 2010, Online). Hanslick writes: Music is not contingent upon, or in need of, any subject introduced from without, but it consists of sounds artistically combined. The ingenious coordination of intrinsically pleasing sounds, their consonance and contrast, their flight and reapproach, their increasing and diminishing strength this it is, which in free and unimpeded forms, presents itself to our Mental Vision. What is it then that music expresses? The answer is musical ideas. Now, a musical idea, reproduced in its entirety, is not only an object of intrinsic beauty, but also an end in itself and not a means for representing feelings and thoughts. The essence of music is sound in motion (1986, p.64). Hanslick thinks that the expression or representation of distinct feelings cannot be considered the content of music or the basis of its aesthetic value. He describes the content of music as tonally moving forms. He articulated that instrumental music is not a representational medium, and that representational impulses are likely to distract both composer and listener from musics true nature as beautiful (and freely or abstractly expressive) form (Grey, 2010, Online). The Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwek, however, provoked Hanslicks never ending opposition. He never agreed the composers exaggerated self-promotion and the dramatic and poetic expression. Hanslick thinks that music is purely autonomous while Wagner (who is also an anti-Semitic) portrays the postulate of autonomous musical beauty as a kind of ideological conspiracy to promote the ideals of a Judaized musical culture (Grey, 2010, Online). For Wagner, the content of music is not only sound but also the connotation of emotion that blended together. He thinks that the study of the aesthetics of music as autonomous restrains the beauty of music. 1.4 Programmatic Piano Music Piano music in the Romantic period was still expanding the formal structure from the Classical. However, the expansion of form (those elements related to form, key, instrumentation, harmony, and the like) within a typical composition made the pieces more passionate and expressive. So, it became easier to identify an artist based on the work. Piano music basically struggled to increase emotional expression and power to describe these deeper truths, while preserving or even extending the formal structures from the classical period. But are the composers aims in the romantic period just to focus in expressing their music? What kind of aesthetic value instilled in the listeners mind at that time? The most successful piano music composers in the romantic period certainly were Chopin and Liszt. They not only sought to fuse the large structure harmonic planning with chromatic innovations, but also brought the piano music to a virtuosic level. They also analogized piano music to poetry and its rhapsodic and narrative structures, while creating a more systematic basis for the composing and performing of concert music (Romantic Music, 2010, Online). In other words, they continued using previous practices such as the sonata form but extended them with increasing focus on impressive melodies, emotional harmonies, and themes. The use of literary inspiration was paramount to the composers. For instance, Chopin famous four ballades were inspired by Adam Mickiewiczs poems; while Liszts Sonettos were inspired by Francesco Petrarcas (Petratch) poems. Liszt also transcribed a huge number of songs from Schubert particularly where the texts came from Goethe, as well as transcribed from operas. Besides poetry and literature, composers also composed piano music through their experience and travel. Liszts Annà ©es de pà ¨lerinage (Years of Pilgrimage) is a good example when he travelled to Swiss, Italy, and France he wrote the music. This shows his complete mature musical style which ranges from virtuosic fireworks to sincerely moving emotional statements where he gained from his experience of life and travel. Another example will be the piano cycles, Kinderszenen of Robert Schumann which came from the composers reminiscences of childhood. Obviously, audience at that time were fully influenced by the powerful emotion through the aids of text, poetry and literature. They no longer restricted themselves in the frame of stereotyped abstract titles like Sonata in C Major, Rondo in A minor, Prelude and Fugue and so on, but they had more variety of direct programmatic titles such as Romance, La Campanella, Wanderer Fantasy and the like. The music intended to evoke extra-musical ideas and let the audience experience the unique emotions. Generally, composers had more freedom in form and design so that a more intense personal expression of emotion in which fantasy, imagination and a quest for adventure play an important part (Romantic Music, 2010, Online). 1.5 Piano Playing Style in Romanticism Moreover, the piano performing style in the romantic period was virtuosic and phenomenal. Virtuoso concerts became immensely popular. This phenomenon was actually pioneered by Niccolo Paganini, the famous violin virtuoso, and it was then developed by Liszt on piano. Carl Czerny claimed Liszt was a natural player who played according to feeling, and reviews of his concerts especially praise the brilliance, strength and precision in his playing (Liszt, 2010, online). One of the most detailed descriptions of his playing from this time comes from the winter of 1831/1832, during which he was earning a living primarily as a teacher in Paris. Among his pupils was Valerie Boissier, whose mother Caroline kept a careful diary of the lessons. From her we learn that: M. Liszts playing contains abandonment, a liberated feeling, but even when it becomes impetuous and energetic in his fortissimo, it is still without harshness and dryness. [] [He] draws from the piano tones that are purer, mellower and stronger than anyone has been able to do; his touch has an indescribable charm. [] He is the enemy of affected, stilted, contorted expressions. Most of all, he wants truth in musical sentiment, and so he makes a psychological study of his emotions to convey them as they are. Thus, a strong expression is often followed by a sense of fatigue and dejection, a kind of coldness, because this is the way nature works. (Liszt, 2010, online). From the quotation above, the piano playing style of Liszt is full of emotion. As we know it was the performance practice that every pianist would play the piano with beautiful tone colour, especially what the Chopin had called the Bel Canto playing in shaping lyrical melodies. Moreover Liszts facial expression and gestures at the piano would reflect what he played (Liszt, 2010, online). Also noted that the extravagant liberties he took created a dramatic feeling. Hence, pianists started to take tempo rubato for granted with their ancillary body movements so as to communicate with the audience more musically and successfully. Generally, the aesthetics of piano music in Romanticism were multi-facets. Performers not only swayed their body to make an intimate relationship with music, but also from their movements they conveyed emotional intentions to the audience. They made the piano sings with touching tone colour as well as their virtuosic playing and stage presence made vivid impressions to the ectasied audiences. However, these beautiful piano playing styles were then fully rejected in the Modernism by Prokofiev, Schoenberg, and Cage. These will be discussed in the later chapters. 2. Piano Music in Modernism 2.1 Modern Characteristics Modern music must be understood in terms of their own frame of reference and what artists (whether composers or performers) are trying to do. It was dissonant, controversial and shocking as compared to the prevailing Romantic period. Composers tried to achieve disorder rather than order. The art of creating sometimes replaces the importance of the object created. During that time, the Establishment considered modernism scandalous and an offense to good taste, common sense, and the conventions of polite society. It was also considered rebellious and threatening to the establishment order. However, when the arts of the modernists began to achieve world-wide attention and became more common, acceptance eventually followed. Museums were founded to exhibit modernist works, symphony hall started to promote more modern music, and middle-class society became collectors as modernist paintings rose in commercial value. These indirectly made a new establishment for modernism in art, music, literature, and architecture. In the era of modernism, lots of movements were created such as expressionism, serialism, cubism, dadaism, surrealism, and others. All of these separate movements within modernism combined to produce some distinct characteristics. Modernity has no respect for the past, even its own past. Therefore, it not only entails a ruthless break with any or all preceding historical conditions, but it is characterized by a never-ending process of internal ruptures and fragmentations within itself (Harvey, 1990, pg. 12). The image of creative destruction is very important to understanding modernity. How could new art, music, literature, and architecture be created without destroying much that had gone before? Artist Pablo Picasso and composer Arnold Schoenberg adopt through their individual works that the modernist must destroy in order to create, and the only way to be truly creative is through a process of destruction that is liable in the end to be itself destructive of those creations. (Harvey, 1990, pg. 19). It is important to note that the modernism that emerged around the first World War was a reaction to the new conditions of production (the machine, the factory, urbanization), circulation (systems of transport and communication), and consumption (rise of mass markets, advertising, mass fashion), as it was a pioneer in the production of such changes. These influenced the trend of music such as Darius Milhauds Machine Agricoles (1919) and Sergei Prokofievs The Factory form Pas deacier (1927) demonstrate the influence of the machine age. Undeniably, modernism was also an urban phenomenon that emerged with explosive urban growth. Modernism was an art of cities which confirmed how important the urban experience was in shaping the cultural modernist movement (Harvey, 1990, pg. 25). Machines, new transport and communication systems, skyscrapers, and bridges were all influences from which aesthetic modernism drew much of its stimulus. Finally, modernism in the arts, music, literature, and architecture could not represent the world in a single language. It is so diverse that understanding had to be constructed through the exploration of multiple perspectives. 2.2 The Aesthetic of Modernism Music and Atonality In the twentieth century, concert halls became museums for musical artworks created over the last two centuries. Living composers at that time found themselves competing with music of the past. Composers sought to continue tradition while offering something new. They needed to make decision about what to preserve and what to change. Hence, individuality took over conventionality causing that some composers abandoned tonality while others redefined it. Moreover, their composition turned to more national styles. Composers in the early twentieth century faced the challenge of creating works worthy of performance alongside the classics of the past. The music they created had to be of high quality in the tradition of serious art music. The music also had to have lasting value that rewarded performers and listeners through multiple hearings and study. Thus, these gave rise to young composers wanted a more radical break from the past. They reassessed inherited conventions and did not aim to please their listeners on first hearing so as to challenge perceptions and capacities (Burkholder, 2010c, Online). The major movement in Modernism came from serialism. Serialism is the process of giving a mathematical order to the way one composes music. The techniques used in these kinds of pieces have been termed such as twelve-tone, dodecaphonic, matrixes, tone rows, and others. The serialistic style of composition, most notably employed by Arnold Schoenberg, Alan Berg and Anton Webern, became so influential that these composers are often referred to as the Second Viennese School (1903-1925). This band of composers and their students believed in the idea that the use of mathematical representations could restore order to the composition of music without having to rely on the techniques of the past. 2.3 Schoenberg and Atonality in Piano Music Schoenberg wrote Six Little Piano Pieces Op. 19 in 1911. This is an example of Schoenberg short refining works, but also represents his early free atonal piano masterpiece. The entire work, a total of six little pieces, each creation embodies its own characteristics. Schoenberg abandoned the traditional tonal harmony and took equal importance of every single notes. He showed a new way of musical organization in 20th century piano music. The sounds created were not ever heard before, but many times were not well received by audiences. However, he was championed for what he had invented and his influence spread. The emancipation of the dissonance was Schoenbergs concept of freeing dissonance from its need to resolve to a consonance. This indirectly creates a distinctive musical language of Schoenberg which reflects the composers deep inner spiritual meaning that is the aesthetics of expressionism. Schoenbergs new music not only breaks the stereotyped tonality which had ruled the music for more than thousand years, but also after breaking, he re-established atonal music to a new order the twelve-tone system. Hence the new aesthetics value in Modernism was created. There is no more tonal centre in his music which providing the core. There is also no functional relationship between notes to notes, chords to chords. Tonal harmony is avoided absolutely at it best. Thus as compared to the piano music in Romanticism, the melody in Schoenbergs music is no more impressive and not as beautiful as before, the melody cannot be even easily sung in the mind. Hence, the aesthetics towards Schoenbergs atonal music is ambiguous; it can be beautiful, sublime, or even the other sides. There are no more clear boundaries in appreciating the music. In Schoenbergs early tonal period (before 1908), the composer was greatly influenced by Brahms and Wagner especially in the late works of German Romantic music. They were full of flavour, and the chromaticism which Wagner had developed had reached the limit. Hence in order to express the music more meaningfully, Schoenberg had to destroy all the tonality systems and began to explore new expressive musical style. He was inspired by the Marxism and Expressionism movements at his time and the atonal works were then created. For instance, the performance of his famous melodrama Pierrot lunaire Op. 21 (1912) shows the work as despair, fear, tension, pain and other pathological mental status, while the emotional musical language is also exaggerated, distorted, and weird. In the first decade of 20th Century, Schoenberg successfully established a new concept of musical arts, and thus set another standard for the aesthetic values which are subject to a strong challenge at that time. The aesthetic concepts were changed partly because of the tremendous changes in social thinking. From a social point of view, the extreme fear, agitation, depression, and twisted soul were embodied in Schoenbergs atonal music. These actually were influenced by the serious economic crisis in Europe at that time, social conflicts, and disasters caused by the World War I. From the cultural point of view, the performance of this non-rational atonal music reflected the artists humanistic ideas where serious imbalance of sense and sensibility occurred in the Europe at that time. These let Schoenberg to open the door of his inner creative power. Where tonality had reached its extreme limit, his creation of atonality frees the spirit and essence of expressionism, which contains a pr ofound social content and psychological motivation in that anxious time. The Six Little Piano Pieces although are small and insignificant, it definitely reflects the creative thinking of Schoenberg the new Expressionist aesthetics. Hence in order to understand Schoenbergs atonal music, one should escape and avoid from any musical representation, but from the spiritual essence to feel him, learn from him. 2.4 New Piano Playing Style in Modernism Prokofiev In the composition arena, Schoenberg particularly had made the emancipation of dissonnance. However, besides the changes in compositional techniques, how is the piano playing technique like in Modernism? Do pianists still equip the traditional technique or playing way to interpret the more radical modern piano music? Or perhaps any new playing way formed? As the Romantic pianisism were striving for making incredible beautiful singing line on the piano, Prokofiev however developed new kind of piano playing style which is more percussive and ear sore on the first heard. This new type of piano playing not only expressive but also it carries some sorts of hidden messages the elements of irony and mockery. Hence, Prokofiev again wrote new aesthetics elements on piano playing in the Modernism. Debussy wanted to suggest a piano without hammers. Prokofiev, Bartok, Stravinsky and Hindemith had the opposite view. Nonsense, they said in effect. The piano is a percussive instrument, and theres no use trying to disguise the fact. So lets face up to it and treat the piano as a percussive instrument. (Schonberg, 1964, p.389-90) From this quotation, Prokofiev together with his contemporaries were trying to argue that the piano could not be a singing instrument with superbly legato, as it is the nature of piano to have hammer effects which cause the piano to be percussive. Certainly, they all were bored with the beautiful, heavily wet sustained sounds from the piano pedal effect that went far beyond anything Chopin had dreamed of. They looked for another kind of new sound for which the piano can produce. So, they had to accept the fact that piano is a percussive instrument, the tones produced cannot be cheated or covered by the sustaining pedal. Harold Schonberg, a music critic of the New York Times, said about the playing of Prokofiev in a recital: Young Serge Prokofieff, the pianist of steel, came raging out of Russia, playing his own music and startling the West with his vigor, his exuberance, his wild rhythm, his disdain for the trappings of romanticism. The anti-romanticism age was under way [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] Prokofieff at the piano attacked the music with a controlled fury, blasting out savage and complicated rhythms, giving or asking no mercy. He went about it almost without pedal, and with a percussive, metallic-sounding tone. (Schonberg, 1964, p. 390) Noted that the anti-romanticism is also a key of Prokofievs piano playing style. Remember, in his time, the early 20th century piano performance practice, pianists especially like Alfred Cortot, Paderewski, Rachmaninoff, and others play expressively with great liberty. They took tempo rubato for granted and more aware of bel canto playing on the piano. This performance tradition was actually passed down from the time of Chopin and Liszt. The famous Russian pedagogue, Heinrich Neuhaus, who is the teacher of great pianist Sviatoslav Richter, said about Prokofievs piano playing: Energy, confidence, indomitable will, steel rhythm, powerful tone (sometimes even hard to bear in a small room), a peculiar epic quality that scrupulously avoided any suggestion of over-refinement or intimacy, yet with a remarkable ability to convey true lyricism, poetry, sadness, reflection, an extraordinary human warmth, and feeling for natureà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Shlifstein,1968, p.233) Although the views are subjective, these quotations give us clearer views of Prokofievs piano playing. Basically, Prokofievs tone on the piano was somewhat dry, but he still played with amazing assurance and freedom. Beneath his fingers the piano does not sing or vibrate. Hence, this evoked contradictory on the piano playing style should the pianists tone be deliberately violent or ugly, or should he strive for musical beauty? Definitely, Prokofiev had made a revolution on the aesthetics of piano playing to the violently, ugly playing style on the piano. This playing style is obvious in his later piano sonatas, especially in the three War Sonatas. The Pianists Responsibilities No matter how the aesthetics of piano music changed, the relationships among composer, pianist, and listener are always inter-related. Pianist, as a medium between the creator and the beneficiary, carries an important role in a performance. For me, regardless of playing the pieces from which period or time to the hardly understandable extreme contemporary piano music, a piano performance is not just a musical performance, it contains rich and valuable aesthetics thinking. From the aesthetic view of Hanslick, he states that music only contains its sound movement and its musical form and structure. If that case, they should be the only essence of piano music without incorporating the personal feeling and emotion into it. However personally, as a pianist, I am more in favour to have music can express emotion and meaning other than just mere sound so as to communicate with the audience as well as to convey the composers messages and intentions. A piano music score is just a carrier of written material, it does not make sense from a hearing point of view. However, if the score is being played by the pianist, it can express meaningful significance. So in a piano performance where the music is accepted and played, it creates a social consciousness relationship with its audience. It thus gives impact to the audience whether auditory, visually or emotionally. At the end, the pianist translates all the static musical symbols on the scores and liberates them into reality so as to make it into life. The aesthetic of piano playing is always based on the individuality of performers as well as the commonality of playing facts. The provisions of piano playing is not absolutely clear, we can never play the music authentically. Hence it is the tendency that every pianists will show their understanding of the music based on their own aesthetical point of views. Together with their unique personality, different pianists play the same stories with different resonance. Their own unique playing style are irreplaceable and cannot be represented by other pianists because their characters of playing were accumulated continuously from the past creative performances. Their innovations always grow with their experience of playing. The commonality of piano playing however restricts and limits performers playing style. It is the style of composers, and the style of playing of that period, that merged into a common playing style. Pianists still have to follow the conventions. Hence pianists individuality cannot exceed the basic style restriction or the commonality of a work in other words. For instance, each performers show different characters of playing on Beethovens Piano Sonata with their own treatment, but they still restrict themselves in a framework of typical Beethoven style, which is the general spirit and characteristics of Beethoven. In short, before playing the music with our own individuality and feeling, we must first respect to the composers