Gay And Lesbian Children

The current estimates of children who live with bisexual parents, either the gay or the lesbians in United States of America are in the tune of between six to ten million. The census conducted in the year 2000 treated these children as single parent children. At the moment, over twenty percent of the existing gay as well as lesbian relationships have a child in their homesteads. In the American society, the families of gay as well as lesbians forms a fundamental element of the daily life. Introduction It has already been established that partners of the same sex ran their households almost in the entire county. It is also true that the homes led by the gay as well as the lesbians are in the tune of 600 000 in the entire nation† (Leff). It therefore implies that, the numbers of the children with transgender, bisexual, gay or lesbian parents are always on the increase. This category of the children may hail in families of mixed race, adoptive families or even families that are si ngle parent. There is also likelihood that the children are biologically fathered or mothered by one of the parents. This is out of the fact that majority of the gay as well as the lesbians commit themselves in gay or lesbian relationships at the time of being parents. The other fact holds that the gay and the lesbians had children in their earlier life of heterosexual relationship but later got involved in their current sexual status (Leff). Literature review The documentary film that talks about what it is like to grow up with gay or lesbian parents that I have chosen for the purpose of this paper is entitled DADDY & PAPA and from the context as presented, Johnny Symons, who is the film maker played the part of Papa, while William Rogers, who was his partner, played the part of Daddy. The two couples were committed for a period of about ten years although in an informally accepted union. They later got married officially in 2004 at a ceremony highly cheered by their sons (DADDY & PAPA). There are some general ideas that are worth reflection. It is therefore upright in as far as the video is concerned to conclude that multiple and diverse ways exist in which a family can be composed. The existing families assume varied and diverse sizes as well as diverse configurations. There exists ordinary aspect among the variety of families in existence. The existing families have their kinds considered normal. However some kinds of a family may be numerous in relation to others. All of these families once in a while experience conflict of some kind which is part and parcel of the family. It is not practical for the families to be happy at all times. If teasing is a common occurrence in the family, hurt feelings as well as low self-esteem is most likely to be the repercussion to the offended member (s) of the family. It is also a possibility for the interruption of teasing to be done by members of the family who the become allies in as far as the other members are concerned. It is possible for families to experience a transformation just as it is with the people. Families of different kinds are potentially gifted to support one another for the purpose of their individual strengths more than any particular kind of family existing independently of any other (DADDY & PAPA). According to Judith, â€Å"The fact that the child is from a straight family with both mother and father does not warrant that the child will always be happy, safe and have a secure environment at home to allow the child a chance to grow into a productive individual who is properly adjusted. Parents of the same gender as well as parents of opposite gender have the same reaction in as far as stings are concerned, the scraps, the shorts as well as and the joys together with the heartaches affecting childhood in a similar manner as their children† (Judith, 12). According to Elias â€Å"Parents who are open about their sexual orientation, who exhibit mentally healthy behavior and provide supportive communities for their kids, tend to have the most resilient youngsters† (Para 9). Further, paragraph. point number 2 states that â€Å"Gay parents share child care and chores more evenly than heterosexual couples. Both men assume mommy/daddy roles. They're coaches and cooks,† (Para 6) Judith further asserts that â€Å"The potential to become great or otherwise in as far as the parent is concerned has no any relationship to the sexual orientation of a person. Adults who are nurturing are reliable whether they are male or female; they have the potential, and are usually excellent parents† (Judith, 33). She further summarizes the issue with a comment that â€Å"The physical appearance of the family is not actually a reflection of the particular family type† (Judith, 37). The most significant thing is the shared love among the members of that particular family which actually brings about the difference in existence among the members of the family. Taken from the perspective of Levy â€Å"the health as well as the development of the child, there is no significant difference among the child of the heterosexual family and a child from a gay or a lesbian family† (Para 1). The organizations with a strong devotion to the health as well as welfare of the children are in no compromise as far as the health is concerned. The adjustment of the child of couples of the same gender is no different from those ones of children from families of heterosexual nature (Lev). According to Elias, There exists no scientific evidence that sexual orientation determines the parenting effectiveness; any parent can provide supportive and healthy environments for their children. Elias says, â€Å"The children will benefit if their parents are able to marry† (paragraph 1). The only shortcomings facing the children of same-sex marriage is the failure of the efforts by the schools to meet their needs in as far as being more inclusive. This situation is compounded by the teasing and the mockery that they face from children of normal families (Elias). According to Lev â€Å"Much of the research describes four general outcomes for cross-gendered children. One, they grow up to be normatively gendered, heterosexual people. Two, they grow up to be feminine men or masculine women. Three, they grow up to be lesbian or gay† (Para 6). Four, they grow up to be transsexual or transgender. The most common outcome seems to be that gender-variant boys grow up to be gay. Treatment—in the form of behavioral modification programs geared at eliminating cross-gender behavior—are the standard recommendation† (Para 6). Chapter 9 of the same website suggests that â€Å"Something is very wrong here, but I’m not sure it is Kyle who has the problem. In order to decide if something is ‘wrong’ with Kyle, we need to define what we mean by wrong. Do we think it is wrong to be a sensitive heterosexual man? Do we think it is wrong to be a gay man? I suspect most of us will respond to those questions with a resounding No! † (Chapter 9). But the minority group has had to encounter great challenges due to discrimination. According to the article Liberation Was For Others â€Å"Latest research estimates that approximately 10,000 – 15,000 men were sent to concentration camps solely for being homosexual the same article stresses that Some lesbians, as well as feminists, were considered A-Socials† by the Nazis and were sent to the camps in limited numbers. Many served their time in camp brothels servicing the Nazis as well as some camp inmates† (Chapter 3). Conclusion The fact of the matter is that shapes as well as the sizes of various families are also diverse. All types of parents are gifted to raise their children, whether they are married, unmarried, grandparents of the children, single parents, widowed, members of an extended family and foster parents among many others. There are high chances of the possibility that children from gay or lesbian parent enjoy a happier life in comparison to a child from a normal family. The family is a care giver of primary importance and a central focus for the strength as well support in as far as the children are concerned. The security given to a child out of a setting of a stable family is the necessary ingredient responsible for the healthy future of the child. The gay as well as the lesbians have been involved in child rearing from the past, a trend that will continue into the future.

Manage Operational Plan Essay

1. The Types of Matters in a Human Resource Plan Human resources is directly related to the performance of the organisation identifying and planning for training can be linked to many corporate processes performance as the underlying basis of many organisational and human resources programs. 1.1 Some matters of the human resource and their solutions 1.1.1 Human resource issues in counsel and the possible solution Counselling is definitely one service that can help to manage themselves manager should be trained in same basic counselling skills a counsellor can in sever age core capacities of employees. It can help employees increase their self-awareness regarding their thinking patterns and behavioural tendencies. 1.1.2 Human resource issues in employment management and the possible solution The sources of training need provide a diversity and complexity of training requirements to be at practice level you should be managing coordinating the training necessary to satisfy all the needs all the personnel in training should be skilled. 1.1.3 Human resource issues in Administration and the possible solution Recruitment is another traditional area high quality candidate’s should be attracted to the positions the person and position requirements should clearly established. A variety of selection methods appropriate to the situat ion should be used like entrance tests an interview. 1.1.4 Human resource issues in training and the possible solution Administration is function of human resource management is to be provide the employees with the capability to manage healthcare, record,  keeping, promotion, benefits etc. the function in terms of employes benefit is to create management system to achieve long term goals plans it requires the exercise of analytic ability and application of substantial knowledge of principals. 2. Job Description of Human Resource Plan Duties and Responsibilities; * Recruiting and staffing logistics * Performance management and improvement tracking system * Record keeping * Assisting with employees relationship * Employee safety and so many- prepare sales action plans and schedules assist, develop and maintain sales and promotional materials make sales calls to new and existing clients assist, develop and make presentations of company products and services to current and potential clients negotiate with clients maintain sales activity records and reports ensure customer service satisfaction and good client relationships follow up on sales activity assist, conduct market research and surveys Skills and Abilities; Excellent computer skills including word and excel Effective oral and written communications skills knowledge of employment laws good interpersonal skills skills in database management Be ready and able to work within a team. Have a polite, helpful manner Education bachelor degree Experience 1 or 2 years of general business 3. Preparing a Job Advertisement A job advertisement should be contained various information these can include; Job title Wage Working area, place Working hours Skills, knowledge and attitude we needed Qualifications and experience we needed Contact name and number of someone who is from our Human Resource Department. 3.1 Job Advertisement for tycoon Company Tycoon Trading Company Sales Department; Salary: $ 55.000 annual Working hours: 9:00 am-5:00 pm (Monday to Friday) Our company is located in western suburb close to city and all public transport. As a small business company we are looking for an intellectual, a creative, qualified and at least two years sales experienced person who must use all office programs professionally especially MS Excel, provide good communication with customers and also must assist to someone else about one of our new product in our company. A person who can enjoy challenges and working towards targets has ability to exceed customers expectation Contact no. 02345678(aren) 4. Detail the Cost of Hiring an Employee Cost of detail of our office person contains; Employee background screening Advertising Relocation pay Time for interviewing Travel expenses Training costs Taxation and wages Human resources paperwork about employee Survey and monitoring processes’ cost for employee Job offer calls by phone or job offer letter by mail Employee back ground investigation and make phone calls to its former company 5. Selection Criteria and interview Questions 5.1 Selection criteria from the sales position Understanding of the role Qualities and Quantities research skills Communication and negotiation skills Organisation and Planning Confidence and presentation skills Decision making 5.2 Interview Questions 1. Tell me who are the main stakeholders in our business and describe the task of job that you understand? 2. How can use the qualities and quantities research skills in this position? Can you give me an example about these skills which you have used before in former job? 3. How will you build good relationships with your team members? 4. How will you satisfy dissatisfied customers? 5. Tell me what is your daily schedule position in job? 6. Now I want you to try to sell me something. Try to convince me to buy this coffee to drink. 7. Which advertising methods do you use to present a new product to create an attract attention for our customers. 8. Can you give me a specific example of an occasion when you took on extra responsibility or showed initiative in improving an aspect of work? 9. Describe the most challenging problem that you have had to solve, and what you took into account. 6. Reference Checking It is a process of authenticating the information supplied to potential employer by a job applicant in his resume, application and interviews it ensure the employer that the candidate has background and experience as he claims it includes and takes usually 20 or 30 minutes to complete. It is a control process provides past information of employee and asks questions two or three people who directly managed the candidate about employees’ skill and knowledge for requested position, relationship with other team members it includes verification of academic credentials ,verification of prior employment, testing to confirm skill, criminal background check To make a reference checking about regarding person will be good in term of employer. For this reason the human resource department of tycoon International Trading Company prepares some questions to make a reference checking on former jobs and positions of regarding person on the its ex-companies. Our reference checking questions are generally consisting of; When did related person work for your company? Could you confirm starting and ending employment dates? When did s/he leave the company? Why did related person leave the company? What was her/his starting and ending salary? What was her/his position? Can you describe the job responsibilities? Did person supervise other employees? How effectively? If I spoke to those employees, how do you think they would describe person’s management style? How did person handle conflict? How about pressure? Stress ? Did you evaluate person’s performance? Can you speak to his/her strong and weak points? What was person’s biggest accomplishment while working for your company? If I describe the position we are hiring for what, could you describe how good a fit you think person would be for the position? Can you describe this person’s experience working as a member of a team? Is there anything I haven’t asked that you would like to share with me? 7. Preparing a Job Offer Date 03/08/2011 Tina Odett and 1/48 Ambrie Crt.Noble Park 3174 Melbourne/Australia Dear Mrs raj It is my pleasure to extend the following offer of employment to you on behalf of tycoon trading company the offer is contingent upon your passing of requirements. The position we are offering is that of Sales Assistant at a salary of $55,000 per year This position reports to Mrs Lela who is a supervisor. Your working hours will be from 08:30 am to 05:30 pm on normal workdays. This is a permanent position. Benefits Information if relevant to the position: Working hours 9:00 to 5:00pm Position – permanent Salary- paid fortnight Bonus- on satisfaction completion of first 90 days of employment Vacation – _2_ weeks per annum Probation Period – from 15/08/2011 to 15/11/2011 Employee Benefits Include: – Group Insurance – Short/Long Term Disability – Dental Care – Health care Your employment with tycoon trading company is at will and either party can terminate the relationship at any time with or without cause and notice if you are in agreement with the above outline please sign. We are confident you will be able to make a significant contribution to the success of our Sales Department and look forward to working with you. Signature †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. For company manager name†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Human resources†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Date†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. I accept the offer as outlined above this 8 day of August,2011. Tina Odett 8. Mentoring and Coaching Program for the New Staff Member A mentor helps employee’s development and also provides some advices on  career path. On the other hand a coach observes employee’s work and actions, and provides related teaching skills. A coach can come from same division in a work place for example from company’s personnel or manager. As a manager, I can also be a coach for my new and current employees. And as a coach, I can give my time and attention to my employees and I can help them master their work and grow their own knowledge and skills. Also, I can ensure them extend their learning capabilities and improve their self-development. On the other hand, for the role of the mentor I can provide my new employees to reach their highest potential in the business. I can arrange for them individual or organizational group mentoring programs. 9. Three months’ probation review It is a 3 month period from the date of commencement of employment whether the employer assesses suitability of employee for the role and employee has an opportunity to determine if the role meets their needs. Probation period has been formed as 3 months in our Human Resources Plan to provide a review and recording about newly hired personnel. Review will be made to the Human Resources Department end of the each month during the three months. First two months will contain initial reviews, and last month will be taken final reviews for employees. Employee assessment Company name Employee name Identification Date/period Position 9.1 Records of Review Importing point in a review report is that it gives healthy and true decisions about newly chosen personnel and provides much strangest workforce for the organisation in the future. Following things should be recorded Attendance Punctuality Appearance dress code Attitude-positive, cooperative Work quality Workplace-care of company equipment Team work skills 10. Monitoring and Review of a Human Resource Plan Human resources plan provide a framework for a company for that as a Human resource manager of the related company I can follow company’s missions and daily operations by regarding plan and also I can understand what priorities I need to know as I guide the employees to help the company succeed as well I can be sure whether all staffing needs are met or not. According to the topic, firstly I have to thing about new product in the organization and sales staff that has also employed newly. For example as a human resource manager I arranged a staff training program for related person and also I chose another person who will be responsible for monitoring system. By this responsible person I will follow all performance and capabilities of new staff and also I will be reported about the all situations among the training such as staff training has been completed by a certain date or not. After this training process I can manage a survey which indicates the results of customer satisfa ction and therefore I can make a review about my resources plan which has achieved to present new product by my new training staff or not. PART B According to case study, Sports Gear that is a medium size company will need to increase its production for the Australian Team in the World Cup within 6 weeks which needs to be more than the current level in order to meet the expected demand. 1. Expenses for the new operational plan To increase productivity we need following things, More stafff for night shift More machinery. Time schedule should be extended to 24hrs and 5 days a week for next 6 weeks. Organize extra arrangements for catering and refreshments for the working staff. 2 extra supervisors for night shifts. Ordering extra raw material. Extra room for storage and vehicles for distribution. All of the above will lead to increase the company’s current expenses. For that Sports Gear need to extend their company’s budget. For example, company need to provide more wages for more staff and extra supervisors, more usage for more electrical expenses, more budget for extra order for raw material, more requirement of fuel oil for distribution during the 6 weeks, etc. 2. Monitor performance of the staff to increase productivity Garry can monitor his staff performance by:- Establishing cctv cameras and recording and viewing all the staff members while working. Setting daily targets for each supervisor and each staff. Staff attendance records. Amount of waste production for each staff which shows they are doing their responsibility in right way or not. 3. Budget of the company and its use Budget is a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A reasonable budget allow you to do what you want it helps to be business in right direction The company uses the budget because it provides:- Planning, Set expectations, Consideration, and Guidance Control finances Help to achieve target Helps to prevent loss. 4. Documentation used for developing a business budget Budgeting is the basis for developing supportable financial plans. The documents developed by the company as a result of these instructions are a normal part of the annual budget effort. provide a consistent basis for business planning and budget reviews, facilitate any necessary budget adjustments, provide transparency and a clear audit trail, support rate case filings, assist external reporting with their communication to the investment community, and Keeping the record of budget and getting it checked by the senior personnel.

How Technology Helps in Communication Essay

If we talk about what are the tools that we can use in developing communication, than I say that â€Å"technology is one of the tools that we can use for communication†. Worlds are globalizing, we cannot depend on only one medium. We are lucky to have science gift that is technology. Communicating involves giving, receiving and making sense of information. Children do this by using non-verbal means of communication, talking, listening, thinking, and understanding. In time, the skills of reading and writing enrich this experience. Communicating is a two-way activity; as well as learning to share their experiences with others children also learn to interpret what others are sharing with them. They communicate in many different ways including facial expressions, gestures, body movements, sounds, language and for some children, through assistive technology. Children’s language is more than words, phrases and sentences. It includes art, Braille, dance, drama, music, poetry, pictures, sculpture, signing, and stories. While most children eventually master spoken and written language as their key means of communicating, they continue to speak through their gestures, body movements and expressions to a greater or lesser extent. Some children with special educational needs may need additional and consistent support throughout their lifetime to practise, learn and perfect the art of non-verbal communication. Language technologies are information technologies that are specialized for dealing with the most complex information medium in our world: human language. Therefore these technologies are also often subsumed under the term Human Language Technology. Human language occurs in spoken and written form. Whereas speech is the oldest and most natural mode of language communication, complex information and most of human knowledge is maintained and transmitted in written texts. Speech and text technologies process or produce language in these two modes of realization. But language also has aspects that are shared between speech and text such as dictionaries, most of grammar and the meaning of sentences. Thus large parts of language technology cannot be subsumed under speech and text technologies. Among those are technologies that link language to knowledge. We do not know how language, knowledge and thought are represented in the human brain. Nevertheless, language technology had to create formal representation systems that link language to concepts and tasks in the real world. This provides the interface to the fast growing area of knowledge technologies. In our communication we mix language with other modes of communication and other information media. We combine speech with gesture and facial expressions. Digital texts are combined with pictures and sounds. Movies may contain language and spoken and written form. Thus speech and text technologies overlap and interact with many other technologies that facilitate processing of multimodal communication and multimedia documents. Although existing LT systems are far from achieving human ability, they have numerous possible applications. The goal is to create software products that have some knowledge of human language. Such products are going to change our lives. They are urgently needed for improving human-machine interaction since the main obstacle in the interaction between human and computer is merely a communication problem. Today’s computers do not understand our language but computer languages are difficult to learn and do not correspond to the structure of human thought. Even if the language the machine understands and its domain of discourse are very restricted, the use of human language can increase the acceptance of software and the productivity of its users. Language technologies helps in developing listening and speaking skills Being a good communicator is crucial to children’s development. The adult encourages children to communicate by listening to them, interpreting what they are saying, responding to them, and by modeling good communication. The adult also provides an environment which motivates children to interact with each other and the adult, and with the objects and places in it. By capturing children’s interest and curiosity and challenging them to explore and to share their adventures and discoveries with others, this environment can fuel their thinking, imagination and creativity, thereby enriching communication. These early experiences support children in becoming confident and competent communicators Natural language interfaces enable the user to communicate with the computer in French, English, German, or another human language. Some applications of such interfaces are database queries, information retrieval from texts, so-called expert systems, and robot control. Current advances in the recognition of spoken language improve the usability of many types of natural language systems. Communication with computers using spoken language will have a lasting impact upon the work environment; completely new areas of application for information technology will open up. However, spoken language needs to be combined with other modes of communication such as pointing with mouse or finger. If such multimodal communication is finally embedded in an effective general model of cooperation, we have succeeded in turning the machine into a partner. The ultimate goal of research is the omnipresent access to all kinds of technology and to the global information structure by natural interaction. In an ambitious but not too far-fetched scenario, language technology provides the interface to an ambient intelligence providing assistance at work and in many situations of daily life. Language technologies can also help people communicate with each other. Much older than communication problems between human beings and machines are those between people with different mother tongues. One of the original aims of language technology has always been fully automatic translation between human languages. From bitter experience scientists have realized that they are still far away from achieving the ambitious goal of translating unrestricted texts. Nevertheless, they have been able to create software systems that simplify the work of human translators and clearly improve their productivity. Less than perfect automatic translations can also be of great help to information seekers who have to search through large amounts of texts in foreign languages. The most serious bottleneck for e-commerce is the volume of communication between business and customers or among businesses. Language technology can help to sort, filter and route incoming email. It can also assist the customer relationship agent to look up information and to compose a response. In cases where questions have been answered before, language Technology can find appropriate earlier replies and automatically respond.

Geological history of Western side of North Yorkshire Essay

Geological history of Western side of North Yorkshire - Essay Example The area is largely composed of valleys which drain most of the Pennine moorland and it is composed of other smaller dales supporting the same course (Lott 1983). Generally, the geology of the area is composed of the carboniferous strata with its nature in the Lithological form experiencing successive changes right from the north of the area to the south (Dunham, Stubblefield & James 1944). This is necessitated by the fact that there are major fault lines separating the two regions forming the topography of the area in addition to the intrusion of the granite forming the deepest depth which creates the mountain ranges of the area including the Black Hills. The rocks of the area are of different ages with the old rocks majorly being composed of the lower Paleozoic age underlying the carboniferous dynamisms, which covers most of the area. The Paleozoic aged rocks, on the other hand, crop out slightly in the western fringes in form of small inliers in areas such as the craven moor, stum p cross caverns and the high crag. The opposite of the topography is the side composed of the hills with the exposure of the rocks in the west deeply buried making the two regions distinct in terms of the geological makeup (Ashbourn 2010). Furthermore, in the western side of the North Yorkshir

Business plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Business plan - Assignment Example SolarWorld is a small scale business operating in the renewable energy industry, and the company was founded in 1999. The company is committed to the production and distribution of photovoltaic products across the major cities of the United States. The company raises most of its revenues from the sale of solar panels. The modern world is extremely aware of the threatening environmental issues like global warming and climate change, in which combustion of fossil fuels is a major contributory factor. In addition, fast depletion of non-renewable energy sources poses serious threats to the industrial world and personal lives because continuation of this trend would end up in severe energy crisis. In this context, renewable and potential energy sources like solar energy have greater scope, because they can serve the human/market needs without hurting the environmental sustainability (EPA). The products and services offered by the SolarWorld can really assist the modern world to meet its g rowing energy needs in an eco-friendly way. Currently, the SolarWorld serves the energy needs of many of the country’s local government organizations and other reputed industrial sectors like auto manufacturing. The company maintains a potential workforce which is capable of delivering uninterrupted and quality services to its clients on a regular basis. The efficient supply chain operations of the company can have the ability to create value for its customers. Evaluating in a global scenario, the US renewable energy industry has been performing well over the years. The country’s renewable energy represented 12.9 percent of the domestically generated electricity and 11.2 percent of the total power generation in 2013 (EIA). The solar industry in US employed over 143,000 people as of 2014. The firm’s target market is comprised of local government organizations, small scale industries, and households. These customer groups are really in need of energy to meet their

Ethnographic Narrative Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnographic Narrative - Essay Example In 1990, my minister father along with his wife and six children emigrated from Malawi. As one of their children, I have lived with them in the suburbs of Indiana into my forties, as I am unemployed. My family will be my ethnographic project for African Americans, especially my mother as an unemployed African American woman. My parents struggled to adapt to the US as traditional parents, especially having to raise one American born and six African born children, including myself. Enculturation, education and religion in both the United States and Malawi, are issues that create stress and concern among the immigrated parents, as well as their children. He dà ©cor in the house was of a Victorian nature with a cherry coffee table, pink floral couches, a dining set, a rug, lace doilies and silk floral arrangement that matched the sofa. I was concerned about this when growing up, and especially in my adulthood, as I expected a hint of culture reflected in their home dà ©cor. However, the house always had traditional food, as well as products, mostly from Central Africa. Tea was made in an African manner, meaning that it had a lot of milk and tea leaves. This was indicative of the manner in which most African American immigrants try to blend in with the society but still maintain their traditions (Greenhow, 2010). My mother is very open about the major differences concerned in raising her children in both the United States and Malawi. One of the biggest differences that she experienced had to do with her pregnancy period (Greenhow, 2010). In Malawi, her family and friends would gather and enjoy their time together, but there were no formal parties of this sort in the United States. The baby items that she received for her United States born child included clothes, bottle warmers, diaper bags, carrying packs, and strollers. She never utilized the stroller since back in Africa; she carried her children on her back, not pushing them from one place using a cart as she referred to the stroller. She had the opinion that, unlike back home where concern was more on caring for pregnancy and the mother, in the U.S., more time and money were allocated to acquire items, which were needed by the baby. With her first six children, I included, she felt that the surrounding culture in Africa benefited them mo re, with a native language, Christian values found in school, church and the community. Back, in Africa, not only were we able to make friends rapidly, but parents befriended the other parents and sometimes, they were considered as part of the family (Greenhow, 2010). Here in the United States, my youngest sister, Kate, has gone through a starkly different experience. Before Kindergarten, she only spoke Swahili in the house, watched minimal TV and asked for little. She made her best friends in the church, especially the few that spoke Swahili as she was encouraged by her parents. They had few worries regarding Kate’s interaction with the children that came to our Holiness church. She always emphasized the rest of her children’s strength in their grounding back in Malawi, as well as our strength in numbers. However, as she enters fourth grade, my mother has begun to worry more about her. Being raised almost as an only child because of the new environment she was born in , my mother feels that she possesses a more American outlook towards life. Kate also finds difficultly when socializing compared to us since my parents worry about her safety, when she goes visiting at a friend’s house or playing outside. A good example of a difference between American parents and African parents is their lack of concern for making friends with the parents of their children’s playmates. Kate is also increasingly influenced by fashion trends, unlike us who wear African apparel most of the time. The strength of growing up together is what creates a strong bond between African Americans and their culture (Greenhow, 2010). Therefore, most traditional parents will work hard to

Health Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Health Psychology - Essay Example While the biomedical model is good in gaining a comprehension of the purely medical aspects concerning a patient's health the biopsychosocial is being found to be fundamentally imperative because it incorporates the actual mental states and physical states of the human being. For example, the biopsychosocial model introduces the emotional state, personal issues, family issues, and community issues that might have an affect on a patient's health and medical diagnosis. Therefore the acceptance of this model has stemmed from the fact that medical providers have now come to the realization that the psychological influences in an individual's life can alter the medical care and affect the patient outcome (Borrell-Correlo et al 2004, pg. 577). 2. Investigate Cultural differences in the incidence and prevalence of various diseases, such as HIV/Aids, and Cancer and of life expectancy. What factors do you believe are related to these differences. present, many different cultures approach these based on their religious beliefs, social customs, and over all societal views of them (Martin & Kukall 1996, pg. 993). For instance with Alzheimer's disease, those with a Latino background are more apt to care for their family member at home rather than placing them in a nursing care facility. This is in comparison to how Americans often care for a relative with this medical prognosis. Australian culture follows much the same type of philosophy; with diseases such as AID's, and even Cancer having an influential factor in the life expectancy that might present itself. This is due to the fact that these two cultural bodies carry a collectivist attitude instead of an individualistic one such as Americans have. Therefore, obviously the factors that play a pertinent role in disease and how different cultures relate to it are listed as follows, religion, family bonds, social perception, personal values, societal view, and community support. This clearly shows that some cultures focus more on the psychological aspects of the medical diagnosis; more so than what the actual biological bearing is going to be. 3. What is the Placebo Affect, and why is it often important to include a placebo in health research A placebo is simply an inactive element in medicine that has absolutely no affect on any medical outcome. It is or can be a pill that holds no medicinal qualities, a liquid of the same quality, or even an intravenous fluid that is used in medical studies and other experiments to see if the patient or individual in a study perceives there to be an actual affect. The main purpose is to test the strength of the actual drug and to compare the two too see if the real medicine does promote improved health and destroy cells in the body that can promote more health complications, depending upon what it is being developed for (Hrobjartsson & Gotzsche 2001, pg. 1594). The importance of including a placebo in medical

World Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

World Religion - Essay Example Even the smallest of objects and ideas in a practice holds some sort of symbol for that practice. Colors, scents, figures, even deities, have a significance to the need of that individual during that time. Religions were defined as being "a system of symbols [...] (Geertz)." To make the practices more realistic - and in some New Age paths, more efficient and beneficial - symbolism is used. Paganism is a New Age belief system that has a rather huge emphasis on the use of magic in their practices. Their very act of communing with Nature and divinity is considered magic; unfortunately, it is their type of magic that has given them a bad name within organized religions. The magic of pagans involves making use of symbols, chanting, reciting, or singing their aspirations, and building up energy to release into the universe in hopes of achieving what they hope to. In a religion such as Catholicism, the magic can be seen in their prayers and their taking of communion. In a sense, in regards to a Catholic praying, it is the same as a pagan performing a ritual - specific words and symbols are used to achieve one thing, and all of that is released to the divine to allow it to manifest and become something. When taking communion, the practitioner is drawing themselves closer to the divine, as the wine and wafers of the communion symbolize the divine itself. That is the similarity between the two religions - turning thoughts and hopes into something, regardless of what it is called, magic or prayer. Symbolism is an important part of both of them, as it helps to focus the intentions of the individual. No matter what each religion decides to call it, many of the acts can be seen as magic, as they are playing with a force that is outside their full understanding, hoping to get close to the divine and change their lives

The role of intelligence in energy security. An analysis of the Essay

The role of intelligence in energy security. An analysis of the ongoing competition over Caspian Oil and Gas reserves between major states - Essay Example Former oil industry executive, and now current American Vice-President Dick Cheney famously remarked, "I cant think of a time when weve had a region emerge as suddenly to become as strategically significant as the Caspian†.1 Accordingly, access to oil has quickly become a hotly contested issue with protagonists from East to West seeking to reap the benefits of the full-scale exploitation of what has quickly become one of the most geopolitically significant regions of the globe. Aiming to explore the strategic development of the Caspian Sea region and the emergence of this territory as a globally-contested hot-spot, this dissertation will seek to address a variety of important questions. These include the following research questions which will guide this analysis: Accordingly, these questions and many more will guide our analysis of the role of intelligence in energy security in the Caspian Sea region. Seeking to provide a thorough and concise overview of the current challenges facing the full exploitation of a region which has quickly become strategically significant in geopolitical affairs, this essay will be organized in the following manner. Beginning with a brief overview of the research design, methodology and data recovery employed, this section will be followed by a concise yet relevant historical analysis of the Caspian region as well as the historical antecedents to the development of the Caspian Sea region. The Caspian Sea region is important to global energy markets as it is a newly discovered source of natural resources including oil and natural gas. Accordingly, this region has the potential to become a major exporter of oil and natural gas into the twenty first century. After more than eight years of exploration and development, in May of 2005 oil from the southernmost sections of the Caspian Sea began pumping through a new pipeline established by a British Petroleum-led

Theory of Comparative Advantage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Theory of Comparative Advantage - Essay Example In turn, the countries would have an opportunity to import goods from the country that had an absolute advantage in those goods (Hall and Lieberman 2007). However, in 1817, David Ricardo disputed the postulation of absolute advantage and instead developed and enhanced the claim of comparative advantage (Hall and Lieberman 2007). According to the author, a country obtains comparative advantage if it possesses the ability to produce a particular good and be able to produce the good at lower opportunity than some other country (Carbaugh 2010). Initially, absolute advantage talked and fore so, resources as key to obtaining absolute advantage in production of goods, comparative advantage on the other hand regards opportunity cost as key in production of goods. For instance, Ricardo postulates that , a likely potential trading partner may be perceived to be absolutely inferior in the production of every single good, where more resources per unit of each good may be required than any other country and still have a comparative advantage in some good (Hall and Lieberman 2007; Maneschi 1998). The comparative advantage comes about because the country is inferior at producing some goods than others (Misra and Yadav 2009). At the same time, a nation that possessed absolute advantage in producing everything as it was perceived could still benefit from trade since it would have a comparative advantage only in some but not all the goods. What is comparative theory? Globalisation in the world has postulated that, trade unlike before can be conducted between countries. As a result, trade between countries has become important and necessary for the growth of international economy (Ezeani 2011). In order to understand how countries may end up coming to be trade partners, one theory developed by Ricardo has become important in explaining such relationships. Comparative advantage, which explains how trade relationships between countries may be established, has come out as a key theo ry in explaining how countries benefit from each other by having goods that they do not produce due to cost matters. Adam Smith emphasised the need of each nation to look for absolute advantage as far as production and consumption of goods is concerned. What when this postulation is analysed in practical sense, then it becomes clear that, absolute advantage may not permit development and healthy growth of trade in the international sphere. Take for example, two countries China and United Kingdom, where China may appear to be inferior in terms production of goods like clothes and aircrafts. In this case, China does not have absolute advantage like United Kingdom, and therefore, the question that can be asked in such scenario, is what China can do, what UK can do, and of course according to absolute advantage theory, there is no way out (Branch 2006). However, another theory that attempt to address this dilemma, which has evolved to become critical in international trade, is the theor y of David Ricardo developed in 1817, and the theory is known as comparative advantage theory (Peng 2010). Using the two examples of China and United Kingdom, comparative advantage theory postulate that, though UK may have absolute advantage in production of clothes and aircraft, this does not rule out China as an able country that cannot produce such goods. China may exhibit some efficiency and capabilities in the production of both goods ((Branch 2006)). As a result of having ability

Feminine Principles Essay Example for Free

Feminine Principles Essay People usually accept themselves as weak and helpless because of the speed of economical and social changes and the destruction of labor security. Therefore, it is a period of the unsafe world we live in. However, a majority of real experts and specialists, especially women, are getting to know how to find out their workplaces rather than hoping for an innovated structure in the society. Women are different from men, in particular, in choosing the leadership ways. As a matter of fact a female advantage takes place. All human beings are created of the excellent coordination of the Masculine and Feminine Principles, and all persons have both male and female power as a piece of their being humans. Our views of male and female have been much distorted under the terrestrial circumstances that were the reasons of the derangement in the human life. Our common cultural ideas of what a man is, and what a woman is, are distorted, artificially created stereotypes of what these genders are indeed. A significant piece of this treatment process is looking for some balance in the relationship between male’s and female’s power, and reaching some equilibrium in our mutual relations with the male and female power around our world and us. We fail to do this if we have distorted concepts about the essence of a man and a woman. In course of time as a rule leaders have been depicted as men it is only not so long ago that women are starting to obtain recognition for their abilities in Leadership. Still, women can be such good leaders as men. The main thing is how women accept themselves. Being surrounded by men women shouldn’t feel unconfident and they shouldn’t be afraid to say something not to look silly. They have to treat themselves as strong human beings but not as weak creatures. †¦Feminist movements possess a unique sense for the instant future. Those movements have to be comprehended, not as an affirmation of superiority, but as the creation of fairness. There have been a lot of discussions about balance and equilibrium; accurately for this principle to come a reality women’s’ rights have been enhanced. People mustn’t think that this will be advantageous only for women; it will foster general balance, and therefore it is essentially for concordant evolution. Sally Helgeson in her book â€Å"The Female Advantage: Womens Ways of Leadership† portrayed an inquiry of four female leaders carried out in the 80s and comparing it to a study made by Mintzberg (How Men Lead in 1973) applying the familiar ways understood as diary studies. These studies are my favorite ones. They are carried out by spending the whole day for some weeks with the matter and registering every tasks then classifying them. The study by Mintzberg contained five men that have been main leaders in business of their times. This book depicted the discrepancies between women and men and set out that maternity brings up management, conversation abilities and capability to balance. Women concentrate on the process and men concentrate on reaching the set goals and completion. As a matter of fact women can be flexible. They can fulfill diverse tasks and assess coordination and relations. The writer determines the leadership system applied by men as Hierarchy. (Mitstifer, D. I. 1995) †¦This structure pursues a row of command; data is filtered out, collected and classified as it goes to the top across proper channels. The female leadership characteristics are depicted as a Web system that makes communication easier. I would like to trade places with Margaret Thatcher. She was sticking to the men’s leadership features. She has never set certain targets but she has been trying to make use of any opportunity. Helgesen revealed that the places of employment women had inclined to be webs of inclusion. She clarified that their organizations were structured like a web but not a hierarchy and that distributing data and information was a main principle of their efficacy. The web of inclusion can be named as a model for helping us redesign the institutions that frame our lives (Helgesen, 1995, p. 16). Web-like organizations are especially apt to be driven by clearly articulated values, since a tight focus on mission is the glue that holds their flowing structures together. (Helgesen, 1995, p. 286) The web of inclusion, backed up by the new science (Wheatley, 1994), reveals the universe in operation: not as a precisely calibrated great machine in which each constituent part is locked into its own immutable slot, but rather as pulses of energy that continually evolve and assume shifting shapes as the various elements interact, and in which identity is inseparable from relationship. (Helgesen, 1995, p. 16) The architect of the web works as the spider does, by ceaselessly spinning new tendrils of connection, while also continually strengthening those that already exist. The architects tools are not force, not the ability to issue commands, but rather providing access and engaging in constant dialogue (Helgesen, 1995, p. 13). The web procedure is something new, not just a team method; though a web of insertion usually fulfills a particular task, it is not dispersed upon reaching the purposes. Vice versa it plays a more long-term role as it outlines procedure as well as system, provides new ways of approaching problems, of thinking, of connecting people, of giving them information and motivating them (Helgesen, 1995, p. 33). In this way it is easier to achieve a mutual understanding as well as mutual agreement. Still, what is a female advantage? Can we say that women are better than men while being a leader? Women who made their minds to make a career change after several years of non-employment usually apply that time to check the nature of their job again in terms of more mature private and professional purposes. When they back to the place of employment, they feel better who they are indeed and what they are willing to do. As a rule these women can be a model for girls and for even for some men who, because of insecure place of employment, have to know how to change the places and how to be ready to be changed as well. (Helgesen, S. , 1997) Women are the greatest users of some general seminars, school courses, and private advancement programs. Women look for some new opportunities in training more actively, and they do not spare money and time for such purposes. Therefore, they are responsible for the things they do and they want to apply all their efforts. There are lot of women nowadays who are involved in entrepreneurship. â€Å"More than one-third of all small businesses are now owned by women†. (Helgesen, S. , 1997) Women had to discover strategies and methods that had to be suitable for the circumstances of the new economy and new world in general full of information. Womens biggest contribution to our life and our world can be their perseverance upon destroying the form rather than just setting. In such a way all this made them to invent innovated ways that are collectively reforming our world. Women have distinctive characteristics that can be called as `feminine principles that let them be better executives and leaders. These female principles express our cultures fundamental intentions about discrepancies between in what way women and men act and creation of such principles in the community results would lead to the better life. A wish to enhance personal relations, to treat everybody with respect, provide and distribute data and information, and work as a team group can be considered as feminine principles. A woman is charming and full of inspiration. A modern business woman is a cute, clever and astute, well-dressed lady. She is energetic and can manage people and money successfully. They can mobilize when it is needed, they are eager to adapt to the new conditions more quickly than men. If I had my own mercantile agency I would choose a woman for sure to work as a sales manager. Women are great diplomats. They have something that men lack in order to persuade people to buy something, for example. The strong point of women is paying attention to the details. Men are considered to behave more effectively at the top of the crisis, but it is more difficult for them to stand it for a long of time. Meanwhile, women are more sensitive towards stresses and other problems. However, they can firmly resist these problems if last for a long time. Women run risks less and they are more law-abiding than men. So, both women and men are human beings. They have much in common, but in the same time they really differ from each other. Men and women both have advantages and disadvantages. References 1. Helgesen, S. (1995). The web of inclusion. New York: Currency/Doubleday. 2. Wheatley, M. J. (1994). Leadership and the new science. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler. 3. Helgesen, S. (Spring, 1997). Women and the New Economy. Leader to Leader. pp. 34-39. 4. Helgesen, S. The Female Advantage: Womens Ways of Leadership. Doubleday, New York, N. Y. , 1990. 5. Mitstifer, D. I. (1995, October). Empowerment. Kappa Omicron Nu Dialogue, 5 (4), 1-2.

Magnolia - sequence review Essay Example for Free

Magnolia sequence review Essay But the sky is cloudy, still I would like to assume that Stanley likes arriving at his school. The second sequence focuses on a different character the Grown up ex-boy genius Donnie Smith. Just as in the first sequence from this clip we have a fast tracking shot into a television, which then fills and becomes the screen. This is to show this next sequence is a TV show. The same game show What Do Kids Know? is shown but as is the room in a distinctly dated style. They are wearing light blue graduation robes and graduation hats suggesting the young children are knowledgeable beyond there years. The editing in this sequence is distinctly old-fashioned long takes. This adds to the authenticity of the piece it stays true to the 60s game show style. The sequence is set in the Studio and uses a young Jimmy Gator shown previously as the host. I get the impression Donnie wants to be on the game show a lot more than Stanley as he shows a desire to regain his lost youth to go back to the time he knew his parents loved him. His success and fame have become a substitute. There is no very fast editing to show eagerness. Hes clever and he pausing increases the audiences anticipation. Hes very much playing for the crowd and at this point he wants to be famous and seemingly understands the business more than Stanley. The fact that the same room in different time periods is used shows the superficial relationship between them, that they are very similar at this point. The sequence uses superimposed graphics to show the exact year. Donnie serves as a comparison to what Stanley could become if hes successful in the game show and things continue on their course. Once this comparison is made the correlation between them is cemented, the camera shows an almost perfect graphic match into the future, Donnie wearing the same grin. Hes wearing a cheap brown suit with cheap national heath style glasses (suggesting that hes obviously not rich anymore). Hes in a dentist being readied for surgery; hes getting braces. Donnies seemingly happy but I think this is just a cover as his visit to the dentist is needless and shows he has a need for self-improvement. Donnie Rushes off clearly used to the attention given to him by the nurses and even the doctor. The bright lighting inside the room reflects Donnies projected mood. Donnie is happy because his teeth, which are fine, are going to be straighter. The doctor is interested in Donnies celebrity the doctor follows Donnie out from the surgery room trying to talk to him trying to make him stay longer, as if Donnies celebrity could rub off no him, but Donnie seems board, used to this kind of attention. This is a constant reminder to him of all hes lost. Hes not rich, clever or on television anymore. Donnie rushes off brushing them aside making excuses and rushes off to work. After he smashes up the seven-eleven in his car, we notice how the car is very small and weedy by American standards. The car is white and reflects his mood when hes in it because of the music he listens to while inside. As soon as he crashes, he and the car into the storefront, the car goes into shadow as Donnie seems to wake from his daydream. His car also shows, along with the suits, hes apparently not rich anymore. Hes also obviously well known local personality because a man comes running up and shouts Its quiz kid Donnie Smith! Donnie seems used to being recognized. The EX-Boy genus is confused even though hes just blatantly ran the car into the store he didnt do it deliberately and is taken aback by the fact hes forgotten to stop his car. He looks like he was daydreaming. Maybe hes recently fallen in love. Hes getting braces, he clearly doesnt need. This is to make himself look better. He thinks that this person would want him to change to be better even in this superficial way; Donnie feels that hes not good enough. Hes daydreaming about this person hes fallen in love with. The thing that makes me think this is the music its Dreams by Gabrielle. This combined with his actions shows hes thinking about his daydream coming true about his love and its reciprocation by this person. This short sequence in the film seems to be packed with different types of imagery relating to the characters which over time has given me a good understanding of the narrative, the relationships between the characters are clear contrasting elements like these two characters are readily apparent and within five minutes each character and there part of the narrative has been shown, making apparent the skill of the Writer/Director P. T Anderson.

Influence of Magazines on Beauty | Cross-Cultural Analysis

Influence of Magazines on Beauty | Cross-Cultural Analysis INTRODUCTION Beauty is not concrete and may vary from culture to culture changing over time and shifting according to location. Beauty is an image which has been created by society to which woman and men have had to subject themselves to be real. The ideology of beauty or what is accepted as being the right appearance has been created by society and largely propagated by media. For United States of the 1950s Marilyn Monroe was the pinnacle of beauty which soon changed to Twiggy in the 1960s. While porcelain skin is valued in China, scarification of the skin and decorating it with tattoos is considered as a status symbol in Africa. Thus the physical attributes and ideas attached to beauty vary across cultures. Womens magazine industry is understood as a monolithic meaning producer, circulating magazines that contain messages and signs about the nature of femininity that serve to promote and legitimate dominant interests. (Anna Gough- Yates). A majority of feminist critics argue that media is responsible for establishing and promoting gender differences and inequalities in society. In respect media persons are considered responsible for reinforcing capitalism and patriarchy; manipulating society to attain increased circulation figures. Magazines are a great source, to study the society. Recording changes, from the purely fashion magazine couture age of 1920s, to lifestyle and home of the 1940s when domestic help was rare and woman to a personal interest in their homes. To New woman of the 1980s when woman began to work alongside men in almost every field to do it yourself of the 20th century with soaring costs and economic downturn. Magazines reflect revolutions in society and influenced the opinion of women across nations. Given the increase in trade to Asia and the spread of the beauty industry across nations, there is limited study available on how people are depicted internationally in the fashion magazines. Previous research has established that womans magazines can act as agents of publicizing gender stereotypes and beauty ideals like size zero and institutionalizing conventions like photographic poses. (Rudman and Verdi, 1993; Griffin, Viswanath, Schwartz, 1994). Yet little research has been done on the differences in representation of women internationally and locally. POWER OF IMAGES One must establish what people are looking at before one can hope to understand why under the conditions peculiar to them, they see what they see Rudolf Arnhein (Arnhein 1977:4) An image is that stimulus or representation that compels us to cognition, interpretation and personal preference. If we understand that the market is image based than we also begin to understand the importance of vision in understanding management in the information society. Images are where visual communication starts. Jonathan E. Schroeder confirms in his study of media that visual consumption is critically important for understanding contemporary consumers. Today marketing professionals are sensitive towards global customers and realise that they are enthusiastic consumers of images. Brand image, corporate image and self image are significant economic and consumer values and that global market culture is largely the construction of symbolic environments. (S. E. Jonathan, 2002) This is of great importance especially in the 21st century as the importance of marketing management and consumer research in this century may shift from problem solving to problem recognition from productio n of goods to the production of images (S. E. Jonathan, 2002) Through time marketers have learnt that markets are global which should translate into local approach. But when companies globalise they become more production driven wanting to sell more thus having common promotional strategies across cultures, sticking to one single image, hardly realising that there may be global products, but there are no global people. There may be global brands but there are no common global motivators to buy those brands. (M. De Mooij, 2009). Many brands have with the help of technology and communication tried to globalise nations. But technology has not brought a global village in which consumers all behave the same. GLOBAL MEDIA Globalisation is best defined as the crystallization of the entire world as a single place (Robertson, Ronald. 1990. Mapping the Global Condition: Globalization as the Central Concept. Theory, Culture and Society 7) Due to the success of global brands writers have predicted an unavoidable colonization of world culture by internationalised brands that would most definitely lead to demise of local cultures. However there is also evidence that suggests social relationships and values in local culture are resistant to the negative effects of globalization. On one hand globalisation is expected to destroy local cultures and bring about homogeneity while on the other hand it is also the reason for the revival of local cultural identities from various parts of the world. Today the expansion of western cultures values and ideas has reached the far corners of the world, right to Asian countries like India and China which have been dominant till the 21st century. Now that these countries have become important players in the world market, counter expansion of values and culture can also be seen. Over the past few decades there has been a rapid expansion of global brands in the media sector more than ever in the area of womans fashion magazines. Local editions of Elle, Harpers Baazar and Vogue are now being published in Asia. The internationalization of a magazine is not a new phenomenon although until quite recently the most popular womans magazines have been published locally. Harpers Bazaar, a U.S magazine launched itself in U.K. in 1929 (Anna Gough-Yates, 1993), Elle a European magazine began publishing its first edition in Japan in 1960s while Vogue a U.S magazine entered the Indian market in the 21st century. However the establishment of an integrated global media market only began in earnest in the late 1980s and did not reach its full potential until the 1990s. (Herman and Mc Chesney ,1997, p10) The latest NRS (National Readership Survey) figures suggest that the total readership market in U.K. for the months of July and December 2008 has risen by 10% since last year, while the total market for womens lifestyle and fashion magazines has grown by 7 %. (IPC Advertising) A similar trend was observed in USA where magazine subscription reached a ten year high in 2008 and with the total number of magazines published reaching 20,590 the total percentage of subscriptions also increased by 1.4% (MPA Magazine Publishers of America, ABC) Comparatively in Asia according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers the Asia/Pacific magazine market excluding Japan is projected to grow by 7.2% annually, reaching $20.7 billion by 2010, Advertising is also expected to rise by 5% annually to $8.1 billion in 2010. This means theres plenty of potential for countries in South Asia, where advertising spending is just about 0.34% of GDP. Until now foreign brands were allowed only 26% ownership when venturing into Asian countries. But in 2005 most of the Asian countries levelled the field for non news publications allowing 100% foreign direct investment. (D. Ruth, 2007, Forbes) In an age looking towards the internet for all information and goods there is a risk that print media and magazine subscriptions may fall contrary to predictions. A recent research conducted by PPA marketing suggests that the internet does not have any harmful effect on peoples desire to read offline, in fact in some cases reading websites encourages them to read magazines. Out of 1500 adults between the age of 18- 34 surveyed online revealed that peoples expectations and goals from each medium depends on the subject matter and for the subject of beauty and fashion print magazines are an obvious choice. Also the idea of owning a piece of fashion history through the beautifully photographed and styled images in fashion magazines makes print media a lucrative choice. With fashion going cross cultures, print media being the apparent choice of the masses to keep them in trend and the governments giving publication houses the clear there is nothing stopping international fashion magazines going local. Like all the other global media, magazines use many different strategies to cross the borders. The main reasons for crossing borders are saturation of home markets and to generate revenue by providing international consumer brands with advertising vehicles that reach into the expanding foreign markets'(Dr. Katherine Frith, 2006,pg4-5). For example Condà © Nast which has a portfolio of 127 magazines in 23 countries had to close down Mademoiselle in November 2001 due to competition, flagging sales and saturation of magazine houses. Markets with rising economic rates like Asia and Middle East, as a result have become a target for westerns producers of beauty and fashion magazines. FASHION MAGAZINES AND THEIR IMPACT Many women across cultures are influenced by general trends in fashion and follow although at a distance the fashion industry. The relationship between consumers and trends is complex but it is mediated by fashion magazines. The difference between international fashion magazines and their local versions is that the international issues tend to carry a predominance of images for multinational products. (Shaw, 1999). Such magazines are growing in popularity in Asia and this popularity has bought about a change in perspective regarding the depiction of woman and products in local magazines. Griffin, Viswanath, and Schwartz(1994) found in a study comparing images in weekly U.S. news magazines (Time and Life) to weekly Indian magazines (India Today and Illustrated weekly of India), that many of the western advertising principles and poses for women were being conveyed across nations. They confirmed that female models in India were taking on poses that related closely to gender portrayals of the advanced western nations. A recent analysis of magazines international and local in China by Frith, Cheng and Shaw (2004) suggests that Caucasian models are more frequently shown in seductive dresses than Asian models. Feminist critiques like Kates, Shaw and Garlock (1999) would argue that western magazines are cultural institutions that represent women in a problematic and often unacceptable way although attractive female bodies and sexual content have for long been used in the west to draw consumers to a product and generate interest. Comparing this to the representation of woman across cultures with reference to the few studies conducted on the topic; Griffin, Viswanath and Schwartz (1994) concluded that the use of Sexual pursuit as a theme was used three times more often in American magazines than magazines in India. In conservative Asian countries like Malaysia and Indonesia only Caucasian women were used in Lingerie advertisements (Frith and Mueller, 2003). Any magazine wanting to be resonant with its target audience needs to represent the social norms and cultural values of the given society. International magazines like Vogue and Elle although have publishing houses in Asian countries most often train their employees in the west. The result being that the forms of representation and especially that of woman can take on a globalized look. As Kyung-Ja Lee,(2000, pg 86) has rightly said for thirty years, media have been taken to task for reproducing and reinforcing stereotyped images of woman. Yet unfair representation of woman in media still prevails worldwide. Sex stereotyping has been so deeply ingrained, even glorified, that the woman themselves have become desensitised to their own inferior portrayal. The prospects appear even gloomier as the globalisation of media progresses Previous researchers have noted that the images of models used in magazines have been extensively retouched to represent the ideal of beauty that is unattainable for all but a very few people.(Greer,1999). By showing models that are uniformly thin, flawless and perfectly proportioned the media may contribute towards low self esteem and unhappiness among woman and give rise to problems like eating disorders.( Gauntlett, 2002) Media is also considered a large contributor to the global increase in plastic surgery to change physical appearance among young girls (Lee, 2007). With most models used in international magazines being white the publications are rarefying the ethnic beauty ideals. In fact the obsession with whitening products may be a result of this overuse of White models in Asian publications. Finally as global media takes readers away from local publications and changing Asian beauty ideals it is important to study the impact of international beauty ideal on local consumers. The Asian society has predominantly been a conservative society yet with the onset of westernisation this society is changing and adapting itself. But as Marieke de Mooij states, product usage or acceptance does not change overnight, as peoples behaviour is stable . A new idea or concept is only accepted when it is consistent to a change in society and does not imply a fundamental change in culture. Essay 2: THE VOGUE IMPACT This essay will discuss Vogue magazines cover page and its relationship with its brand identity. Can the brand successfully globalised by altering its cover page image, based on cultural and social variants in each of its markets? Would standardisation of the brands cover page images and visual identity help to avoid criticism on its entry into a new market? VOGUE BEGINING Started in 1982 Vogue magazine is predominantly an American cultural phenomenon. It began as a social weekly periodical and nurtured into a professional and confident monthly publication under the leadership of Condà © Nast which took over vogue in 1909. Primarily as a lifestyle magazine catering to both men and woman Vogue has come a long way to be at the pinnacle as the fashion magazine for woman in vogue (David, A., 2006). In an age where French fashion was considered the ultimate Vogue managed to put American Couture on the map. Under the Condà © Nast umbrella the magazine not only managed to become a brand name in its own country but also exported fashion ideas to the world. Today Condà © Nast which has a portfolio of 127 magazines in 23 countries believes Vogue to be its cash cow. At present there are a million fashion and beauty magazines such as In Style, Elle and Cosmopolitan circulated around the globe, but in times of crises citizens all over turn to Vogue to confirm the latest fashion news. With readership and subscription levels of about 220,000 a month for the British Vogues, 133,000 a month for the French Vogue and American Vogue, at 1.2 million a month Vogue is the leading magazine in the business of fashion. (IPC Advertising reports) The once small publication eventually became an international phenomenon with issues being published in more than 12 countries. YEAR OF LAUNCH COUNTRY /EDITION 1916 British Vogue 1918 Spanish Vogue 1920 French Vogue 1924-1926 Argentinean Vogue 1928 German Vogue 1964 Italian Vogue 1975 Brazilian Vogue 1994 Singapore Vogue 1996 Korean Vogue 1996 Taiwanese Vogue 1999 Japanese Vogue 1999 Latin American Vogue 2000 Greek Vogue 2005 Chinese Vogue 2007 Indian Vogue Since its birth the magazine has strived to serve the society by portraying an example of proper etiquette, beauty, composure and fashion. The magazine not only plays a role in setting latest trends but also records the changes in cultural thinking, actions and clothing through its images. Looking at Vogue through the ages it can be clearly seen that it is also a documentation of the changing roles of woman, and the influences of cultural ideas and politics over time. The power the Vogue magazine has over generations of women has inspired many new magazines like Cosmopolitan and Glamour; all interested in its market share. In spite of this great quantity of magazines circulating around the globe, considering circulation figures and media impact no other publication has managed to accomplish the lasting power and success of Vogue. (David, R., 2007) VOGUE IMAGE Self definition has always been crucial to vogue. (David, A., 2006). Throughout its first 30 years vogue editors and illustrators made use of the French meaning of vogue, defined in the first dictionary of the Acadà ©mie Franà §aise (1694) as the impulsion or movement of a galley or other ship by the force of rowing. It was only in the 18th century that vogue and fashion were listed as synonyms (Fà ©raud 1787–8). Since its first issue Vogue magazine has been personified as a youthful young woman. The magazines first cover presented itself in the disguise of a debutante, a young socialite. When Condà © Nast bought the magazine in 1909 he brought it into line with other successful publishing ventures and in just over a decade, circulation went from 14,000 to 150,000 while advertising revenue soared from $76,111 to two million dollars (Robinson 1923: 170). He modernised the magazine not just the content but also the cover. He replaced the black and white drawings of the front cover with commissioned, lavish, stylised and signed illustrations. This change helped to attract attention to the magazine and increase circulations. As an advertising man, he understood the value of having a visual brand or logo and Nast revived the original Vogue trademark, a distinguished little sketch which immediately became known as the Vogue girl (David, A., 2006). This first Vogue girl was just an illustration cla d in a fancy dress with the than fashionable leg-o-mutton sleeves. Her unnatural ivory white skin, snow white wig, tiny waist and voluptuous bosom, was directed at the fantasies of the magazines readers (David, A., 2006).The Vogue girl represented the heritage of those Americans who wished to be different from the New World Americans and was constantly seen as wearing historical costumes and heirlooms. Than too the new world American woman aspired to look like her. All this changed in the 1920s when the Vogue girl was changed to an illustration by Georges Lepape. This new image was more streamlined and represented the woman at the heights of fashion in the 1920s. Vogue had gone from importing fashion to exporting it. As times changed so did the magazine cover from illustrations to photographs, making models like Cindy Crawford and celebrities like Madonna a household name. This change in its image was a response to the internationalisation of the magazine. Today the vogue cover girls are the most glamorous, exotic, unusual and popular persons of the moment. The trend being more towards actresses than models dressed in the heights of fashion, styled by the best stylist and clicked by A-list photographers they are every girls aspiration and every boys fantasy. Like its cover girls the magazines is considered to be glamorous, glossy and trendy. (Alexandra Shulman, Vogue U.K. editor). Despite of having these factors common among them, the vogue covers are dissimilar in many aspects depending upon its country of publication. CULTURE AND CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR Anglo –Saxon psychological research states that the concept of self and personality are the basis of Western consumer behaviour. The words identity or personality have no fixed meaning in the Asian culture. A global brand needs to consider the cultural differences to truly succeed in the world field. A number of research experts and cultural studies suggest that a brand should think global, act local. This is based upon the theory that the way people think and perceive any brand or image is guided by the framework of their own culture (Mooij, M, 2009). The observation of Japanese individuality as a sign of westernisation of the country is a misconception of many global brands. For more than a decade international magazines have been accused of standardising a beauty ideal across the globe with disregard to the individual cultural and beauty ideals of the host country. For a short duration the values and attributes of a foreign or global personality might have a strong attraction, but ultimately people return to their own local values and culture. For a Brazilian woman the emphasis is on her bottom, um corpo de violà £o which literally means a guitar shaped body is most desirable. No matter how many international magazines showcase buxom beauties, the Brazilian woman would ultimately want a bigger bottom as the point of attraction is the sweet swing of the hips. The illustration of a desirable Japanese woman in The memoirs of a Gesha suggest, that the Japanese appreciate soft delicate feminine features, small feet and long hair cut in layers. A slim slender graceful body is more desirable than a curvaceous one. In Islamic countries the body is considered a n obstacle in viewing ones true beauty. Any bodily decorations or changes are considered a veil over the inner beauty and the Hijab is another veil to conceal these changes so that the womans only public identity would be her inner self. For the Greek it has been symmetry in structure and features, based on Platos ideas that, beauty is that which irradiates symmetry rather than symmetry itself. The Nuba tribe in Sudan like dark skin and hairlessness. On studying traditional Indian paintings it can be concluded that the Indian ideals of beauty in a woman is voluptuousness, with the belly and hips being of prominence.( Ei, 2008) The image and identity associated with woman of different geographical locations are deep rooted in their respective cultures. The beauty ideals and a womans self image in any culture can be understood by studying its paintings, sculpture and artistic representations. Today the artistic or idealistic representations of women are magazine covers, images and pho to spreads. These covers are also considered a mode of advertisement for the magazine within that culture. As Steve Taylor has rightly put in his book 100 years of magazine covers it is hard to identify another cultural artefact which embodies an advertisement for itself in such a powerful way. Magazine covers can be breathtaking, beautiful, confrontational, resonant, heartbreaking, stimulating, irritating and uplifting. At their best they come together as a kind of spontaneous street level exhibition, publicly displaying the work of some of our best creative talent, featuring what is most admirable and dismissible about the modern world, communicating the people and events that shape our culture. Apart from a mode of advertisement of todays culture a magazine cover plays a dual function of advertising the magazine brand itself. An impressive cover encourages people to flip through the magazine and buy it. (Alexandra Shulman, British Vogue editor). Getting the magazine cover right is not only ethically important but also financially important to the magazine in order to develop brand loyalty and increased circulations. Thus making it important to study magazine covers as a mode of advertisement and part of the marketing mix, for a magazine publication. MAGAZINE COVERS AS BRAND VISUAL IDENTITY It is a common assumption that an advertisement would be effective if the viewer decodes the advertisement successfully, if there is a significant transfer of attributes. (Mooij, M., 2009). Thus while developing one idea for a global brand or one single motivator for different cultures, one should not assume that the responses would be alike too. An idea being interpreted accurately by the consumers would only happen if the senders and receivers share one culture. If they do not share the same cultural values it may result in misunderstandings and demeaning of brand value within that culture. For example consider the inaugural Vogue covers of India and China. The Indian Vogue cover was styled by the magazines British fashion director while the Chinese vogue was styled by French Vogue editor Carine Roitfeld (China economic net and Fashion week daily dispatch). The covers were not rightly decoded by the consumers and received much criticism. Whereas the covers for the preceding months styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania the fashion director for Vogue India was highly appreciated.(Fashion week daily dispatch) The essence of a brand is that it is a name in the memory of consumers. It is a perceptual map of positive and negative associations, a symbolic language, and a network of associations. (Mooij, M.,2009). Vogue with its launch in many Asian countries received much negative associations with its local issues. The local Asian issues of Vogue are considered small ripples in the big pond of Fashion magazines (Armstrong ,L, 2009) and they could never manage to create the impact that American vogue or Italian Vogue have managed to create world over. Vogue India or Vogue China might be sold worldwide but it is not necessary that consumers in all countries consider them global brands. One theory suggests that a global brand is a brand that is strongly associated with its country of origin (Mooij, M., 2009) and for Vogue its been America. This can be considered positive if the country of origin has a stable global identity. With American values becoming ambiguous and Vogue bifurcating into mul tiple countries over time its core identity may be threatened. The idea of incorporating local aesthetics with their global image might dilute the brands global image. STANDARDISATION A multinational companys personality and identity are the biggest factors influencing consumer (Eales, 1990 as cited in Melewar,T.C, Saunders, J., 1998). Unrestricted global trade, a competitive marketplace and the fast technological developments have created a situation where consumers dont just buy the product they also buy the company that produces it. The brands character, its identity, its image and the confidence it inspires in them help in making the choice between two almost similar product offerings in the market. At the centre of any business and its projected image is its corporate visual identity system. The elements of this system are: name, symbol, and/or logo, typography, colour and slogan (Dowling, 1994). These elements help to sell the company to consumers and its stakeholders. Corporate identity programs have risen due to globalisation (Ind, 1992). The changing business tactics, geographical locations, variations in cultures and changing markets have all encouraged companies to change their corporate identity. As companies begin to operate on an international basis, the image that they acquired as national producers often becomes inappropriate (Mills, 1988 as cited in Melewar,T.C, Saunders, J., 1998). Some international companies adopt a unified brand image in spite of government and consumer displeasure. The degree of de-standardisation of any company depends upon the strength of the host countries culture, government policies and target market. (Mooij, M., 2009). The decision to standardise a brand image also depends upon the competitive edge derived in either keeping activities central or decentralizing them. However a brand like Vogue that has a truly global orientation needs to express consistent brand values wherever it chooses to compete. Thus making its worldwide image more recognisable for its homogeneity than not. A major component of a corporate identity is the corporate structure. (Strong, 1987) According to Ind (1992) there exist two corporate identities, one that is the organisational structure and the other that is the visual structure. The Visual structure is concerned with the branding of the product, and how it appears to the consumers. (Gray Smeltzer, 1985 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998). The basic concern with the visual structure is the degree of centralisation and decentralisation. Thus the basic problem faced by Vogue is whether to sell an identical product image to all its consumers or to make modifications as per the local differences. A global brand can be a mass brand satisfying a common product need in all the countries or it can be a brand catering to a common niche in all the countries. Vogue magazine has two options, being a global brand it could standardize the brand and the brand image across the globe so that the Indian woman reading the Indian Vogue would feel equal to the French or American woman reading their respective Vogues. The other option it has is to go local, differentiate between its offerings and treat each market as an individual and not a global product while standardising its visual image, giving the impression of a common brand. Researchers argue that standardisation of a brand helps the company to achieve a uniform image internationally which in turn increases sales.(Buzzell, 1968, Hovells Walters, 1972 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998) . Others were of the opinion that standardisation makes consumers familiar with the product, its services, business diversities and competitive distinction thus helping to establish a uniform corporate image.(Peebles et al ,1977 as cited in Melewar, T.C., Saunders, J., 1998). Cosmopolitan for example is known around the globe to address personal and sex related issues as it does not change its editorials and articles depending on culture. The band logo/ font type, position or style does not differ according to geographical locations. The brand has achieved a sense of standardisation by not having a distinct country name printed on its cover unlike Vogue. The research on global corporate visual identity systems by T.C. Melewar and John Saunders (1998) proved that firms with highly standardised corporate visual identity systems (CVIS) saw themselves reaping more reward from their CVIS than did those with low CVIS standardisation. All custom

Setting in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest Essay -- essays research pap

Ken Kesey’s â€Å"One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest† is a unique fiction novel about oppression and rebellion in an American 1950’s Mental Hospital. In this highly distinctive novel, setting definitely refers to the interior, the interiors of the Institution. It also refers to the period this novel this was set in, the 50’s, 60’s where McCarthyism was dominant. Furthermore, it has great symbolic value, representing issues such as the American struggle of freedom and conformity. This essay shall discuss the ‘setting’ & its significance towards Ken Kesey’s â€Å"One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest†. In the novel, setting is important towards the interiors, as the vast majority of the novel is set within the closed, confined space, the interior, of the mental institution. The Institution is there for â€Å"fixing up mistakes made in the neighbourhoods.† It is important as it is only in a confined space such as a mental institution, where Ken Kesey can achieve the dark, foggy atmosphere of conformity and oppression that the Big Nurse and the Combine exercises over all the patients of the Institution. The institution is a place under the strict control of Nurse Ratched, and it is only in the hospital where she can exercise her calculated control. The ‘interiors’ act as a microcosm of American society, as Dr Spivey says, the hospital is a â€Å"made-to-scale prototype of the big world. Through the Chief’s memories, we realise that the outside world is not much better, as we learn that Indian village...

The Individualization of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice Essay

The Individualization of Elizabeth Bennet in Pride and Prejudice      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Midway through Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth Bennet arrives at a moment of self-awakening which, notably, results from the influence of someone else: Fitzwilliam Darcy.   For critic Susan Fraiman, this complication amounts to no less than, as she titles her article, "The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet." From this moment forward, according to Fraiman, Elizabeth Bennet ceases to think for herself.   She submits to Darcy as to a second father, relinquishes her trust in her own judgments, and thereby suffers a "loss of clout."1   This pivotal moment comes because, after Elizabeth has rejected his proposal, Darcy justifies himself in a lengthy letter.   It is true that Darcy claims that he has not, as Elizabeth has charged, separated Elizabeth's sister Jane from Jane's suitor, Mr. Bingley, "regardless of the sentiments of either" (127); neither has he inappropriately cut off Wickham, his childhood companion and son of his late father's steward, from a promised career as a clergyman.2   Darcy's version of events challenges the talent in which Elizabeth prides herself most: her ability to judge character.   Yet Fraiman maintains that "Darcy's letter saps [Elizabeth's] power to comprehend": that is, that Darcy's logic undermines Elizabeth's own and, furthermore, that Darcy designs his letter to "inflict" pain on Elizabeth.   By allowing Darcy's logic to supercede her own, and receiving with "enthusiasm" the pain that he inflicts, Elizabeth accepts this "humiliation."3   Although Elizabeth comes to agree that Darcy's previous actions were indeed justified, Fraiman incorrectly assumes that this transformation "disables" Elizabeth's capacity to arr... ...eth's tribulations and subsequent accomplishments cannot be deemed as a symbol for women's liberation, her flawed character faces an even bigger battle: a fight against the weaknesses of human nature.   She, as are we, is prone to the gender-neutral weaknesses of prejudice and vanity, yet by recognizing and responding to these all-too-human failings with level-mindedness and dignity, she shows us a way out.         Notes       1. Susan Fraiman, "The Humiliation of Elizabeth Bennet," excerpted in the Norton Critical 2nd edition of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, ed. Donald Gray (New York and London: Norton, 1993), 377.    2. All references to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice are from the Norton Critical 3rd edition, ed. Donald Gray (New York and London: Norton, 2001).    3. Fraiman, 382.    4. Fraiman, 382.      

Field International Case Study :: Field International, Case Studies, business,

Field International is a large production company that operates for fifteen years. This company has three divisions: Field Production, Field Music, and the new venture, Field Advertising. The president and chairman of the board, Lawrence Field, has operated this business in a pooled interdependence fashion. Each division is directed independently by a vice president, and evaluated in the same independent basis. Recently, two major clients complained directly to Field about some production delays of the Advertising Division. Therefore Field decided to meet with his three vice presidents on a weekly luncheon; so the two experienced vice presidents could contribute to the one that is having problems. In addition, he taught that this would be a good occasion to change the usual independent method of operation of each division to a new reciprocal interdependence form of operation where all can cooperate with each other. However this sudden change cause a negative reaction on his v ice presidents, and Field had to drop this idea of change. Consequently, Field International is going through communications problem that could damage the growth of his company. First, Mr. Field tried to impose a radical change on the operation of the business without notifying to the vice presidents of each division. During long time, the production vice president and the music vice president have worked in an independent basis and during this time they get used to it. So, when they get Mr. Durkey’s memo they probably thought that now the authority that they used to have was been restricted without any reason. Also, they could feel offended by the sudden show of distrust of Mr. Field. After all, they had been working for long time for the company without having major problems. In the same way the new advertising vice president was aware of this independent way of operation within the company. Thus, he also must felt professionally underestimated. In addition, the two major clients of the company made the mistake of going over his head which cause an immense indignation on him. In the same way Mr. Field made the mistake of exposing the adverti sing problems in front of the other two divisions without knowing the magnitude of the problem. All these complications contribute to the gloomy atmosphere of the meeting. Next, characteristics like the setting of the meeting and the personality of the employees also contribute to the development of the problem.

Moral Sainthood Essay

The concept of moral sainthood quickly becomes a negative one, simply because no one can be perfect. When we hold high expectations for people, they will inevitably fail to meet these criteria for perfection. When this occurs, individuals who hold high expectations of their moral saint will experience a huge let down. Also, a mere onlooker may get the wrong idea, and value the immoral decisions that this person made, or at least view their mistake as acceptable behavior. One of the main arguments against moral sainthood is that there is a limit to how much morality we, as humans, can take. A true moral saint would carry through with their virtues to an excess. You would not be able to make a negative assessment to an immoral person, or a positive one to moral one. A true moral saint can not gain any skills, or glean any joy from non-moral events, like winning a football game, or finishing a painting. â€Å"The normal person’s direct and specific desires for objects, activites, and events that conflict with the attainment of moral perfection are not simply sacrificed but removed, suppressed, or subsumed† (Wolf 350). These would be pointless attempts at folly. Moral perfection is not only impossible, it’s not desirable socially. The qualities that a true moral saint would possess, if saints did exist, are qualities that are unattractive to society. A true moral saint cannot go through the normal social experiences we go through, like developing a sense of humor, or getting into an intimate relationship. A moral saint would not conform to any of the molds society creates. Given many of these molds may be inappropriate or immoral, there are some you can not overlook as necessary. Your overall characteristics as a person would suffer as well, seeing how the well-rounded qualities we all need would not be present. These moral saints can often cause tension among ‘average citizens’ because of the uncomfortable feeling they may bring to the table. These people of ‘perfection’ highlight the natural flaws we, as humans, all have. A small mistake soon becomes a huge ordeal, and these ‘higher beings’ are eventually making us feel inferior, instead of people we should be looking up to, and aspiring to be. Humans are not willing to condemn themselves, so this process of being frowned upon is, well, frowned upon. When people develop into role models, they attain the admiration of others. Although media portrayal may transform these everyday people into super heros, they are not. When we value other people’s morals and opinions instead of considering our own, we are being shallow. Although some may say we base our role models on our own morals, we have a certain expectation for role models that, as humans, they can not always fulfill. These people many hold as role models, are individuals we do not even know personally. Athletes and movie stars are people that we do not know on a personal level, so we don’t even know if their behaviors are worth valuing. These heroes are being judged based on how the media portrays them. When we judge a person based on their media presence, we choose to view them only in the light, not the dark. As humans, we are often afflicted with an obsession of power. This obsession with power causes us to create heroes out of everyday people with ordinary characteristics. When we put them on a pedastol and look up to them, this undue admiration is given out far too easily. These ‘leaders’ we establish will eventually conform to the group they’re in charge of and act the way they think people want them to act. Expectations then soon lead to pressure, and this will cause the person to act differently. What people fail to realize is that there are ordinary individuals who are doing better things, achieving higher standards, and living their life more ethically and morally than those we call super heroes. People such as movie stars, sports stars, and the rich and famous person will, in our society, be more of a hero than the ordinary person, until they make a mistake. The process of becoming a moral saint simply does not work within our society. Social norms do not lend themselves easily to one seeking unattainable qualities of moral sainthood.