Essay on Promotion of Nike vs. Adidas - 1745 Words

PROMOTION! NIKE Nike is the worlds #1 manufacturer and marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. Almost out of the blue, the company established itself as one of the worlds most familiar brands during the 1980s and 1990s.and now 2000s. As familiar as a Coke bottle or Big Mac, the Nike swoosh logo came to symbolize not just sports culture, but street culture, as the appeal of the star players who endorsed the brand was carried onto city streets. Nike is undisputed leader in sports-oriented street wear. â€Å"Advertising Age estimated global measured advertising expenditure of $308 million in 2006, making Nike the worlds #89 advertiser (http://www.mind-advertising.com/us/nike_us.htm).† Nike has been using the same logo ever since†¦show more content†¦Nike’s Air Jordan shoe was the best selling and most popular basketball shoe on the market. The Air Jordan shoe reached a point in the mid-nineties. According to Donald R. Katz, when a small picture of Michael Jordan at practice wearing different shoes sparked a booming inquiry all over Chicago. One store alone received over 300 phone calls asking if they had the shoes in stock. From the popularity of the Air Jordan, and innovative styles and colors of Nike, a sub-culture of shoe collectors was born. These people search miles and miles and often camp out for these Limited Edition shoes. Nike, knowing that this market exists, will make very limited release of some special shoes known as quick strike or hyper strike editions to cater to this group. These shoes include retro version of styles, the 360 Hybrids, Paul Rodriguez, Rejuvenations, Clerk packs, and many more. Because theses shoes are released in limited quantities and the demand is so high, Nike can sell these shoes at enormous profits. Nike CEO Phil Knight is not slowing down as he continually signs new colleges on as Nike endorsed schools, current and up in coming star athletes. Nike has reached a point where they can count on the Nike name promoting itself, Nike believes, â€Å"If you have a body, you are an athlete.† And as long as there areShow MoreRelatedAdidas and Nike1270 Words   |  6 PagesADIDAS AND NIKE Nike and Adidas are two the largest sportswear companies of nowadays. They are the giants in the sportswear industry, which always introduce innovative products, in order to become the ultimate market leaders. Nike is an American multinational corporation, which produces footwear, clothes, equipment and other active sport items (Feifer 2014). The company was founded in 1964 by Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman. Nike uses specific method of advertising, which differentiates it fromRead MoreComparison Between Nike And Adidas1679 Words   |  7 PagesApparel. The companies I chose are Adidas and Nike. The reason I chose these two is because they re both popular brand names around the world. Nike is base in the US and Adidas is base out of Germany. Nike and Adidas carries manufactures basically the same products. These companies offer similar products in comparisons to each other. Both of these brand s are well- know in households. The slogan for Nike is Just Do It is well-known around the world. Nike s slogan is used in printable adsRead MoreAdidas vs Nike Marketing Battle2963 Words   |  12 Pagesand Mix for athletic shoe brands in the UK: Adidas Vs Nike. Table of contents 1.0 Introduction†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦p.3 2.0 Market and Literature Review 3.1 Nike Inc†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..p.3 3.2 Business Segments†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.p.3 3.3 Marketing mix: Nike†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..p.3 3.4 Adidas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦p.3 3.5 Marketing mix: Adidas†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..p.4 3.6Read MoreNike Marketing Plan Essay1675 Words   |  7 Pagesendeavors to recommend a viable marketing plan for the footwear giant, Nike. The plan has been adequately substantiated with thorough research on different factors affecting the firm along with various ways of addressing future challenges. This research paper highlights that Nike is confronted with multifarious issues which need to be negotiated amicably. Result of the study concludes that there is still a world waiting for the Nike to be exploited, outsmarting its competitors employing its innovativeRead MoreMarketing Plan Nike3380 Words   |  14 PagesINTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY COLLEGE Sofia MARKETING PLAN Market entry/grow opportunity for Nike in Bulgaria INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT Coursework in MARKETING Student registration No: 20019402 Program: MBA Lecturer: Dr. V. Blagoev Executive Summary Our approach to developing a market-entry strategy follows a structured process, based on in-depth understanding of all aspects that feed into a commercial launch. A comprehensive analysis, using market data and marketRead MoreNike Marketing Strategy5981 Words   |  24 PagesProfessor Gregory F StiberBy: Brizaida Ribalta, Jessica Halsey and Shereen Hijazi | Nike, Inc. | Marketing Plan Project | Nova Southeastern University H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business amp; Entrepreneurship    Assignment for Course: | MKTP 5005 – Introductory Marketing   Ã‚   | Submitted to: | Gregory F Stiber | Submitted by: | Brizaida Ribalta, Jessica Halsey, Shereen Hijazi. | | | | | | | | | Date of Submission: August 30th, 2012 Title of Assignment: Term ProjectRead MoreAdidas Marketing Plan20768 Words   |  84 PagesJackie†©Smith †© April†©30,†©2010†© Executive†©Summary†© †© Adidas†©has†©been†©around†©since†©1924†©and†©has†©grown†©to†©be†©one†©of†©the†©top†©companies†©in†© providing†©a†©variety†©of†©high†©quality†©products†©to†©consumers†©interested†©in†©sports.†©It†©is†© currently†©the†©number†©two†©brand†©in†©the†©sporting†©goods†©industry,†©trailing†©its†©main†© competitor†©Nike.†©Adidas†©has†©a†©strong†©focus†©on†©both†©performance†©and†©style,†©as†©opposed†©to†© Nike’s†©more†©pure†©performance†©emphasis.†©Adidas†©is†©currently†©surviving†©in†©its†©market†©but†© has†©many†©barriRead MoreAdidas Marketing Plan20779 Words   |  84 PagesJackie†©Smith †© April†©30,†©2010†© Executive†©Summary†© †© Adidas†©has†©been†©around†©since†©1924†©and†©has†©grown†©to†©be†©one†©of†©the†©top†©companies†©in†© providing†©a†©variety†©of†©high†©quality†©products†©to†©consumers†©interested†©in†©sports.†©It†©is†© currently†©the†©number†©two†©brand†©in†©the†©sporting†©goods†©industry,†©trailing†©its†©main†© competitor†©Nike.†©Adidas†©has†©a†©strong†©focus†©on†©both†©performance†©and†©style,†©as†©opposed†©to†© Nike’s†©more†©pure†©performance†©emphasis.†©Adidas†©is†©currently†©surviving†©in†©its†©market†©but†© has†©many†©barrRead MoreAdidas Case Study: SWOT analysis and Michael Porters Five Forces Model, including strategic recommendations2516 Words   |  11 PagesExecutive Summary: Adidas was the dominating manufacturer of sporting goods. It achieved this success by developing cleated shoes for the soccer and track and field sports. The landscape of the sporting goods industry has changes, but Adidas has not changed with it. Sporting good textiles and footwear have become popular with younger individuals as a substitute for casual wear. Soccer and track and field sports are no longer the mainstream sports. These sports have been replaced in market shareRead MoreEnvironmental, Sustainability and Social Responsibility3984 Words   |  16 PagesSocial Responsibility | Adidas versus Nike | | | 12/8/2011 | | Group #1 Adidas vs. Nike 12/08/2011 Environmental, sustainability and social responsibility reports are always created for vast amounts of companies around the world. Adidas and Nike are huge competitors in the sports manufacturing industry. Adidas is the second largest manufacturer of sporting equipment and clothing in the world behind the American company known as Nike. Adidas’ global headquarters is located

Legislative Framework Regarding Disclosures Practices

LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK REGARDING DISCLOSURES PRACTICES IN INDIA The essential mechanism of the legal framework which governs the performance and functioning of listed companies in any country is the laws and regulations determining the quantity and quality of corporate disclosures. The core of governance is transparency, disclosure, accountability and integrity. Disclosures are very necessary for transparency and accountability of listed companies; these are by no means sufficient to ensure either of them. The main concern for disclosure regulations lies behind the basic question of why disclosures need to be regulated in the first place, and why not instead firms be allowed to voluntarily optimize the quality and quantity of disclosed information in response to market forces. There are basically two types of disclosures which are; Voluntary disclosure and required disclosure. Voluntary disclosures are those disclosures that are left to the discretion of the company and the level of which is determined by the management or shareholders by balancing at the margin level costs and benefits of disclosures. Disclosures that are required, in contrast, the ones that are mandated by laws and regulations because these are the ones that a company would otherwise not volunteer to provide. In India, the laws legal framework regarding corporate governance is generally supervised by SEBI guidelines and Companies Act, 2013, however they are not limited to only SEBI guidelines andShow MoreRelatedThe Conceptual Framework : South Pacific Stock Exchange Disclosure Requirements1494 Words   |  6 PagesQuestion 1 Part A Conceptual Framework A conceptual framework can be defined as a logical system that interconnects objectives and fundamentals which lead to consistent standards (Deegan, 2012). The objectives of a general purpose financial reporting forms the foundation of the conceptual framework. South Pacific Stock Exchange Disclosure Requirements. The South Pacific Stock Exchange is the only stock exchange in Fiji. The stock exchange sets out a criteria for companies listed on the stock exchangeRead MoreThe Importance Of Disclosure And Transparency Within The Corporate Governance Structure1673 Words   |  7 PagesCurrent Evidence While specific corporate governance rules often are controversial, most observers agree on the importance of disclosure and transparency within the corporate governance structure. Some could argue that disclosure may be costly and so effort and money spent on disclosure should be reduced to save costs during times of financial difficulties and limited resource availability. Yet, Isenmann Lenz (2000) show that the use of new information technologies has had an enormous impact onRead MoreMicrosoft Corporation Microsoft was founded by Bill Gates and Paul Allen on April 4, 1975 to1500 Words   |  6 Pageslawful requests, including from law enforcement and government agencies. †¢ To protect the rights or property of Microsoft or customers, including enforcing the terms governing user use of the services. †¢ To act on a good faith belief that access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers or the public. Except as described in this statement, Microsoft won’t disclose personal information you provide on the Site to a third party without your consent. SecurityRead MoreAn Evaluation of Security Acts and Models Essay1672 Words   |  7 Pagestheir information. Legislation must be continuously updated to adapt to the growing use of technology and its effects of storing and using personal information. Public and private sector organizations must abide by government-mandated legislation regarding information security and risk management. Guiding Principles Several statues have been enacted in order to uphold the fundamental rights to the privacy of an individual’s information. In particular, these laws pertain to what it is known as personallyRead MoreSarbanes Oxley Act of 2002: A Response to High-profile Corporate Failures1919 Words   |  8 Pagesfactors. In the United States, a spate of astonishing high-profile corporate failures have shaken investor confidence and placed corporate fraud and accounting abuses center stage before the public and its governmental representatives. The legislative response to these events was the rapid passage of the Sarbanes- Oxley Act (the Act) of 2002, which virtually overnight transformed the landscape of financial reporting and corporate responsibility. Within the same relative time frame, the EuropeanRead MoreInformation Security Standards For An Organization1405 Words   |  6 Pagesanother standard that many organization use but is not used by NASA, which will be discussed as a contrast standard within this paper. 2. Standards â€Å"FISMA defines a framework for managing information security that must be followed for all information systems used or operated by a U.S. federal government agency in the executive or legislative branches, or by a contractor or other organization on behalf of a federal agency in those branches. (FISMA, 2002)† This is enforces the use of NIST standards andRead MoreDiploma Task 426 Essay2276 Words   |  10 Pagescodes of practice, and also the boundaries and relationship between the teaching role and other professional roles. The report will also show the roles of initial and diagnostic assessments. My own role and responsibility in education and training Blatchford (2013) identifies that regarding professional conduct, a teacher is expected to show high standards, uphold public trust, act within the statutory frameworks, and have a proper and professional regard for ethos, policies and practices withinRead MoreMy Learning Skills And Knowledge That I Have Acquired1306 Words   |  6 Pagesthat I have acquired in my placement. I will reflect on the theories, methods and approaches and how I applied them to my practice. I have had a weekly supervision alternating between my Placement Educator (PE) and my Placement Supervisor (PS), both on cite. I will determine my understanding of practice supervisions and how they have assisted in developing my professional practice. In addition l will discuss what kind of organisation l am based at as well as the leadership style. I will briefly discussRead MoreThe Privacy Of The Internet1737 Words   |  7 PagesStates were so concerned about privacy that privacy protection is incorporated in the First Amendment to the Constitution. guarantees of religious freedom speak to concerns about the private right to practice religious beliefs as well as the right to be free from governmental impositions of religious practice that intrude into private decision making. In fact four of the first ten amendments to the Constitution address whatinformation can be taken from people. What information does the government orRead MoreCompany Reporting Shareholders2729 Words   |  11 Pagesis the quality of information that counts. Government is highly dedicated to affirm that reports maintain a certain degree of quality rather than large and unwieldy information. Trade and Industry Committee (2002) 2.2 Corporate Reporting and Disclosure Concept Clarity of purpose is the key to economic success. The companies are most likely to pretend their motto is to maximise shareholders value. â€Å"For the business community to become more effective, companies need to be clear about the purpose

Impact of the Event on Organization Free-Samples for Students

Question: Discuss about the Event Management. Answer: Introduction The event management is considered as one of the applications of managing projects so that a large scale event is created (Grandprix.com.au 2017). It involves the investigation of the brand, identification of the target audience and coordinating the technical aspect before actually launching the event (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The event chosen for this report is Australian Grand Prix. It is a car race that is held in Australia annually. Australia has received the contract of hosting Formula One car races till the year 2023 (Grandprix.com.au 2017). This race was first held in the year 1928 (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The Grand Prix event is an oldest motor car racing competition, which is held in the country of Australia (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The event is currently held at Grand Prix Circuit at Melbourne. The race winner is presented with one circular plate, which is known as Jack Brabham trophy (Grandprix.com.au 2017). In the event history, two of the most successful names include the German driver Michael Schumacher and Australian driver Lex Davison. This executive report would discuss the different types of events based on size, form and content. The target audience for this type of event would be discussed. The event would be described based on the attendance, time frame, economic impact, tourism significance and the need of the event. The growth opportunities for this event would be discussed. Discussion Classification of the event The Australian Grand Prix event is classified as per the event size, event form and the event content- Size The event is one of the most popular events in Australia, which attracts people from all over the world (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The race is held at held at the circle Albert Park Lake, which is located at the southern part of the Central Business District of Melbourne (Jinquan 2016). This course is smooth and there is a consistent corner which allows the drivers to teach the given circuit easily (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The event draws a wide range of audiences from 47, 000 to 1, 03,000 and it is a huge draw among all sections of society. Form The form of Australian Grand Prix event is Formula One (or F1 or it is also known as FIA Formula One World Championship) (Grandprix.com.au 2017). It is considered as the highest class of the single seat auto racing, which is considered as a premier of racing event (Grandprix.com.au 2017). In this form of event, there are a set of rules or formulaes that the participants need to conform (Schreyer and Torgler 2016). The season of F1 comprise of variety of races, which are termed as Grand Prix and Australian Grand Prix is one of them. This kind of racing events is considered as one of the fastest racing events in the world. Content The Grand Prix event requires several infrastructure needs so that the car racing event tasks take place smoothly (Grandprix.com.au 2017). There are different circuit modifications, driver changes and maintenance of the tires so that the racing is successful event. The circuits undergo regular checking and the safety features are updated (Grandprix.com.au 2017). There is an increased physical demand of the specification of cars in the year 2017 and there is lack of sustained running (Hirsch et al. 2017). The tires of the cars are being supplied by Pireli and the tires of the company are supersoft, ultrasoft and soft tires. The races are classified based on the qualifying times, time required, number of laps and others. The Australian Grand Prix is considered as the first round of the Formula One events and it is held within 23 March to 26 March (Grandprix.com.au 2017). It is considered as the first race of the year. There are series of practice as well as qualifying sessions which take place before the race. There are usually a morning practice session followed by a qualifying session held in the evening. The sessions last for one and a half hours (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The first qualifying session in the present format is eighteen minutes long and there are approximately 20 cars in the circuit. Target market for the event As opined by Rogers and Davidson (2015), it is important to determine the target market of the event and decide the course of the event accordingly. It is important to set the goals of the event and segment the potential attendees of the event. The target market of the Australian Grand Prix includes middle aged men and women (Grandprix.com.au 2017). The audiences have high level of interest in the high speed motor cars racing. They also have considerable amount of interest in the new technology and they have a love for the fast moving cars. They are more inclined to the video games and are more likely to have a specified TV viewing habit. They are more inclined to watch the Sci-Fi, sports and action movies channels, rather than viewing musicals or romantic films (Rogers and Davidson 2015). The global market of Formula One car racing is lucrative and is more concentrated in the developed countries (Steenkamp 2017). There has been a change in the global headquarters of the Formula One event and the recent organization is located in London (St. James Market). The Formula One market is controlled by one of the top shareholder known as CVC Capital Partners (Rogers and Davidson 2015). The national market of the Grand Prix in Australia can be segregated into two forms. There are types of audience who watch the live events and there are others who watch the delayed coverage (Jensen Cobbs and Groza 2014). In fact, there are other audiences who watch the event as news highlights or headlines in other programs (Rogers and Davidson 2015). There are advertising firms that target all viewers of Australia and they give equal preference to people that watch live broadcast or whether they watch few seconds coverage in some news clip. The inclusion of the news viewers in the target advertisements is considered as an innovative measure to enhance the popularity of the event (Jensen Cobbs and Groza 2014). The live event is broadcasted to millions of audiences in more than 187 countries (Kim et al. 2013). The Australian audiences are usually measured by television audience ratings known as OzTAM, which calculates the viewership rates in five metropolitan cities like Melbourne, S ydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide (Jensen Cobbs and Groza 2014). There are an average number of 1.3 million people who watch this race on a regular basis (Van Reeth 2016). It is true that there are no exact figures who watch the highlights, replays and the online coverage of the event. Description of the event The Grand Prix Event took place in March in the year 2017 for four days starting from 23 March to 26 March (Chappelet and Parent 2015). It was opening episode of the Grand Prix event takes place in the race around the circuit, which is located in Melbourne (Chappelet and Parent 2015). The actual race starts on the Albert Park track, when the cars come arrive for the practice sessions (two in numbers) (Chappelet and Parent 2015). The next day comprise of one practice sessions and the qualifying sessions are held in the next day (Chappelet and Parent 2015). There are 58 laps in the race and the total distance covered by the cars is 191.11 miles (Walkerley 2016). The timing of the main race is 4 pm in Melbourne (Chappelet and Parent 2015). The event draws audiences from Australia as well as all over the world (which implies significant tourism significance). The sports lovers are attracted to this adventure sports and people from all demography visits to witness the major event (Chappelet and Parent 2015). There has been considerable rise in the spectator attendance since its inception (Chappelet and Parent 2015). During the global economic downturn in the year 2009, there was a higher level of unemployment and strike of the public transport, which has led to slight drop in the attendees of the event. In the year 2010, there was an increase in the attendance rates of the Grand Prix, Australia (Chappelet and Parent 2015). The organization structure of Grand Prix comprises of the Chairman, Deputy Chairman, FCIT, strategic advisors and others (Grandprix.com.au 2017). They have Audit and Risk Committee, the main responsibilities of who is concerned with the report as well as review independently (Grandprix.com.au 2017). They assist the managers in evaluating the effectiveness of the internal environment of the organization. The Grand Prix event has significant economic impact on the territories of Australia. The annual economic rate of the event is between $32 million and $39 million (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016). There is a growth of international tourism as a result of the Formula One events. There are overseas audiences that flock in the country for witnessing the annual car racing events. This has caused a subsequent rise in the hospitality sector also. The firms namely Crown and Accor have reported huge rise in the bookings during the Grand Prix event (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016). There is a huge rise in the television viewings of the event as the event is screened in more than 187 countries (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016). There is an increased investment in Australia and there is also a high rate of return visits by the tourists (Mao and Huang 2016). It is considered as profitable events as it leads to an improvement in the economic scenario of the country (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016) . However, there is considerable loss to the external environment of the park as there is an increase in the noise pollution and loss of public utility of the park (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016). There is an increase in the employment options in the nearby regions, which leads to an increase in the economic power of the region. Strengths and weakness of the event The Grand Prix even has several strengths as well as weaknesses. The strengths of the event include that it provides considerable amount of branding as well as positioning for Victoria and Melbourne among both the national as well as international audiences (Holmes et al. 2015). This is achieved by the media coverage as well as word of mouth publicity of the event (Holmes et al. 2015). There is a rise in the government revenues as there is an increase in the tourism activities in Australia (Holmes et al. 2015). There is a considerable amount of television broadcast hours, which has extensive coverage worldwide. There is branding of the Australian regions in the online, radio and print medium (Holmes et al. 2015). The exposure to Melbourne in the international media is associated with benefits such as increase in the business opportunities, induced tourism, inward investment and industry development (Holmes et al. 2015). There are improved business prospects in the region and country. There is an improvement in the sponsorship as well as sales revenue of the Victorian government (Holmes et al. 2015). The sale of the event tickets have been great source of revenue for the company. There is consumer surplus to the different attendees of Victoria (Jones Newsome and Macbeth 2016). This amount refers to the additional amount that the Victorian residents are willing to pay for viewing the race (Holmes et al. 2015). This rate is above the normal ticket rate, which gives a boost to the total ticket sales revenues (Holmes et al. 2015). There is benefit to the Victorians for attending free parade in the business district of the country. There is also surplus relating to increased visitation (Jones Newso me and Macbeth 2016). The attendance at the event rises every year, which implies an additional source of revenue for the company (Holmes et al. 2015). There is an increased benefit to the media exposure, which benefits the operating revenues of the country. There is subsequent weakness of the Grand Prix event, which takes place in Melbourne. There is loss of public place in the park and the citizens are unable to gain access to the public amenity (Holmes et al. 2015). The race restricts free movement of the public as there is removal as well as construction of the equipments. There is significant amount of loss of revenues for the park revenue as depicted in the below chart- Variable Unit Value Estimated recreational Visits per year Visits 1,700,000 Visits per week Visits 32,692 Portion of visits By Victorians Visits 0.85 Fig: Estimated cost due to loss of park use Source: (Grandprix.com.au 2017) Growth Opportunities There are certain growth opportunities for the Grand Prix event, held in Australia. There has been considerable rise in the revenues of the Formula One events in the last 15 years and it has also surpassed its close rival FIFA World Cup (Kim et al. 2017). There are an increasing number of stakeholders that are increasingly aiming for acquiring more number of motor race venues, which would speed up the liberty process (Holmes et al. 2015). There has been increasing global trends of watching Formula One, which would also increase the revenues of the event (Holmes et al. 2015). There are opportunities for enhancing the competitive spirit of the races and hence there is scope of adding ancillary elements. There is scope of exploiting the digital media by the Grand Prix organizers (Holmes et al. 2015). It is important to grow the digital revenues of the firm by generating direct revenues from the customers. The threats of the Grand Prix event include the different teams who might be breaking out from the league and forming their individual teams. This may reduce the potential glory of the Australian Grand Prix (Holmes et al. 2015). The top drivers of this form of racing might move out and enter other forms of racing. There is a growing popularity of the event Moto GP, which may pose sever threat to the Australian Grand Prix and take away their dedicated customers (Pinch and Reimer 2017). Recommendations The Australian Grand Prix event needs to be improved for better future growth prospects of the event. The disputes between the FOTA and FIA should be improved. It is true that there is high expenditure that may force many teams to withdraw themselves. There should be some additional options for the teams participating in the Formula One. There should be proper segregation of the events. There is greater need of the improving the quality of cars in the Grand Prix event, which would improve the competitive spirit of the event. It is also important to implement cars with wider tires so that the drivers get more grips while the race is going on. It is important to increase the promotional activities of the event as this would help the event to penetrate more into the masses. It is important to promote unique advertisement strategies for the formula one event so that there is greater brand visibility and greater identification of the event by the audience. This would also increase the pot ential target market of the Formula One race and it would also penetrate into the developing economies. Conclusion Australian Grand Prix is one of the biggest and most prestigious events in the sports car racing industry. The organization of such mega events needs lots of patience and hard work. This report discussed the classification of the event based on the size, form and content. The target market of the event is discussed, which includes middle aged men and women, who love high adventure sports. The event is described based on their time of occurrence, type of audiences and the economic impact of the event. There are several strengths as well as weakness of the event. The growth opportunities of the event show that there are considerable options for proliferation in the international Formula One market. The recommendations section has provide some of useful tips of growing the event in the national as well as international market such as segregation of the events, improving the quality of cars, tires and others. It has been suggested that there should be more focus on the promotional activi ties of the event. References Chappelet, J.L. and Parent, M.M., 2015. The (wide) world of sports events.Routledge Handbook of Sports Event Management. London, UK: Routledge, pp.1-17. Grandprix.com.au. (2017).Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. [online] Available at: https://www.grandprix.com.au [Accessed 25 Apr. 2017]. Hirsch, J.A., Green, G.F., Peterson, M., Rodriguez, D.A. and Gordon-Larsen, P., 2017. Neighborhood sociodemographics and change in built infrastructure.Journal of Urbanism: International Research on Placemaking and Urban Sustainability,10(2), pp.181-197. Holmes, K., Hughes, M., Mair, J. and Carlsen, J., 2015.Events and sustainability. Routledge. Jensen, J.A., Cobbs, J. and Groza, M.D., 2014. The niche portfolio strategy to global expansion: The influence of market resources on demand for Formula One Racing.Journal of Global Marketing,27(4), pp.247-261. Jinquan, Z., 2016. Special event project management and marketing: a case study of the 59th Grand Prix 2012 in Macau.Asia Pacific Journal of Sport and Social Science,5(3), pp.187-201. Jones, C., Newsome, D. and Macbeth, J., 2016. Governance and environmental implications of motorised events: insights from Australia and avenues for further inquiry.Current Issues in Tourism,19(7), pp.680-696. Kim, M.K., Kim, S.K., Park, J.A., Carroll, M., Yu, J.G. and Na, K., 2017. Measuring the economic impacts of major sports events: the case of Formula One Grand Prix (F1).Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research,22(1), pp.64-73. Kim, S.K., Byon, K.K., Yu, J.G., Zhang, J.J. and Kim, C., 2013. Social motivations and consumption behavior of spectators attending a Formula One motor-racing event.Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal,41(8), pp.1359-1377. Mao, L.L. and Huang, H., 2016. Social impact of Formula One Chinese Grand Prix: A comparison of local residents perceptions based on the intrinsic dimension.Sport Management Review,19(3), pp.306-318. Pinch, P. and Reimer, S., 2017. MotoGP and heterogeneous design.Mobilising Design. Rogers, T. and Davidson, R., 2015.Marketing destinations and venues for conferences, conventions and business events(Vol. 14). Routledge. Schreyer, D. and Torgler, B., 2016. On the role of race outcome uncertainty in the TV demand for Formula 1 Grands Prix.Journal of Sports Economics, p.1527002515626223. Steenkamp, J.B., 2017. Customer Propositions for Global Brands. InGlobal Brand Strategy(pp. 45-73). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Van Reeth, D., 2016. TV viewing of road cycling races. InThe economics of professional road cycling(pp. 99-128). Springer International Publishing. Walkerley, R., 2016.Moments that Made Racing History. Edizioni Savine.

Othello Tragedy Essays (581 words) - Othello, Michael Cassio, Iago

Othello Tragedy One of the most interesting and exotic characters in the tragic play " Othello", by William Shakespeare, is "honest" Iago. At first Iago seems to be motiveless. However, the motivation behind his actions lie more in Iago's quest for personal gain, as opposed to just being evil for evil's sake. Iago's greediness can be validated by examining his manipulation of Roderigo, Cassio, and most importantly, Othello. Iago's main interest is the destruction of Othello. The reason being that Othello has chosen another man, Cassio, as his second-in-command, preferring him to Iago. This resentment, accompanied by Iago's accusations of adultery and his blatant racism, cause Iago to despise the kindly moor. Because Iago is much too smart to immediately kill Othello, he proceeds with the arduous process of dismantling him emotionally. Iago also knows he must distance himself from any part of this, so he cleverly gets someone to do his dirty work. The first to fall victim to Iago's manipulation is half-witted Roderigo. Iago knows Roderigo is consumed by lust for Desdemona, and would do what it takes to make her his own. Iago tells Roderigo that the only way to win Desdemona's love is to make money to procure gifts for her. "Put money in thy purse..."(act I scene 3 line 339). However Iago is just taking those gifts intended for Desdemona and keeping them for himself, and making a profit. Roderigo eventually starts to question Iago's honesty. When faced with the accusations, Iago simply offers that the killing of Cassio will aid in his cause and Roderigo falls for it. In doing this, Iago keeps Roderigo in the dark and continues to profit from him monetarily. Roderigo is also used as a device in both Cassio and Othello's downfall. Iago's actions demonstrate his monetary and power based motivations, invalidating the claim that Iago is evil for evil's sake. Cassio like Roderigo follows Iago blindly, thinking the whole time that Iago is trying to aid him, when in fact Iago, motivated by his lust for power, is attempting to remove Cassio of his position as lieutenant. With Roderigo's help Iago causes Cassio to forfeit his position as Othello's second-in-command. Cassio is also used to bring out the monster inside of Othello. In Iago's exploitation of Cassio, it is clear to see that, although evil in his deeds, Iago is strictly motivated by his hunger for power. As mentioned earlier, Iago's main intention lies in the degradation of Othello. Iago feels that he was best suited to hold the position of lieutenant, as opposed to Michael Cassio. From this Iago manufactures accusations of adultery, claiming that Othello has slept with his wife, Emilia. "...Twixt my sheets/ he's done my office."(Act I scene 3 line 380) These accusations are merely excuses to validate his own pleasant acts and greed, and should be seen as nothing more. Again it's plain to see that, in Iago's deception of Othello he is motivated by his jealousy and subsequent bitterness. In conclusion, it's evident that Iago is evil for greed's sake, as opposed to evil for evil's sake. His craving can be seen in his clever manipulation of Roderigo, Cassio, and Othello. He uses Roderigo for his own financial benefit, as well as support his master plan; the destruction of Othello. Cassio was unfortunate enough to be chosen ahead of Iago as Othello's second-in-command, and was reduced to a deteriorated state by Iago because of it. Lastly, driven by his bitterness towards Othello for choosing Cassio over him, Iago takes it upon himself to ensure Othello's demise. Iago is an extremely complex character, and far from ordinary. His complexity and uniqueness makes him one of Shakespeare's greatest villains.

Genghis Kahn essays

Genghis Kahn essays In about 1162, Yesugei, a local chieftain and his wife had their second son, Genghis Kahn. (Originally Genghis was named Temujin) Although it is not certain when Temujin was born, we do know where. Temujin was born along the banks of the Onon River. Today the Onon River is known as the border between northern Mongolia and southeastern Russia. There is a legend that said Temujin was born holding a large clot of blood in his hand, which is said to signify as soon he to have a career of being the world conqueror. Yesugei and his wife would have never of guessed that they would be the parents of a man that would be passed on as the man who took the most land ever in history. As a small child, Temujin had an extremely tough life. At the age of nine, Temujin and his father went on a mission to the deep east of Mongolia to find him (Temujin) a wife. There he met a ten-year-old girl named Borte. She was the daughter of the chieftain of Temujins mothers people. Temujin was left there to stay with the Konkirat because of custom. During that time it was custom that a son-in-law was to be brought up in the tent of his future father-in-laws tent. Yesugei left Temujin there and on his way home the chief of a rival clan poisoned Yesugei food. Yesugei only had enough time to tell one of his people to get Temujin out of danger and safe at home with his mother. Once they got Temujin home, he was pronounced as the new chieftain of their people. Soon to follow, their followers abandoned Temujin and his family, the Taichiut took over. Terrified of what happened to his father, Temujin and his family ran away. After all that had happened to Temujin he had grown-up into a young man. He also returned back to visit the Konkirat to claim his wife, Borte. There he was given a gift, a black sable coat. He showed his coat to Toghril, an ally of Yesugei and the ruler of Keriet, which was a tribe in central Mongolia. Toghril then took ...

New 2018 PSAT Percentiles and Selection Index

New 2018 PSAT Percentiles and Selection Index SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Your PSAT score report will show you a myriad of scores, including your total score, section scores, subscores, percentiles, and Selection Index (SI). This guide will focus on the last two pieces of data: your PSAT score percentiles and Selection Index. Because it’s important to understand how the other scores in your reportrelate to your PSAT percentiles and Selection Index, we’ll start with a quick review of terms. If you’re one of many students or parents looking for directions out ofthe complex mazethat is the PSAT score report, read on to have the path illuminated! What Scores Will You See on Your PSAT Score Report? If you took the PSAT, then you know your score report contains a lot of data. The various scores fall on different scales, and all of them arecalculated from your raw score, or the total number of questions you got right.In other words, your raw score is made up of one point for every correct answer. Note that you don’t get any deductions for wrong or skipped answers. Let’s take a moment to define the various scores you'll see on your PSAT score report to clear up any confusion and revealwhere your percentiles and Selection Index come from. Total score- the sum of your two PSAT section scores, ranging between 320 and 1520. Section scores (2)- a score for Math and a score for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing (EBRW), both between 160 and 760. Test scores (3)- separate scores for Math, Reading, and Writing Language, all between 8 and 38. Cross-test scores (2)- scores to measure your performance on Analysis in History/Social Studies and Analysis in Science questions taken from all three subject areas (Math, Reading, and Writing); these scores range from 8 to 38 (as test scores do) Subscores (7)- scores to measure your performance on PSAT questions in seven specific skill areas: Command of Evidence, Words in Context, Expression of Ideas, Standard English Conventions, Heart of Algebra, Problem Solving Data Analysis, and Passport to Advanced Math; each subscore ranges from 1 to 15 Nationally Representative Percentile- shows how your scores compare with scores of all US students in your grade, including those who typically don'ttake the PSAT User Percentile- shows how your score compares with scores of US students in your grade who typically take the PSAT Selection Index- a scoring system used by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation to determine eligibility for Commended Scholar, Semifinalist, and Finalist As you can see, there are a lot of scores on your PSAT score report. Your section and total scores, along with the percentiles they fall in, are by far the most important for understanding your performance on the test. Your cross-test scores and subscores are useful asfeedback on your strengths and weaknesses as a test taker. You can use this feedback to help you prep for the PSAT again (if you’re a younger student) or to get ready for the SAT if you’re already a junior. Now that we’ve defined these scores, let’s consider the metric that compares your performance with that of other test takers: your PSAT percentiles. Read on so you, too, can magically juggle percentiles in the palms of your hands. What to Know About PSAT Percentiles PSAT percentiles are useful because they compare your exam performance with that of other test takers in your grade. If you scored in the 90th percentile, for example, you scored the same as or higher than 90% of test takers (the remaining 10% scored higher than you). As explained above, the Nationally Representative Percentile takesinto account all students, even those who don’t typically take the PSAT. This percentile includes students who didn't take the test, but who, on the whole, presumably would have scored lower if they had. The Nationally Representative percentile appears to be based on the population of all US students in a certain grade rather than on the population of PSAT test takers in a certain grade.For this post, we’ll focus on User Percentiles,which are calculated based on the performance of students who actually tookthe PSAT. If these two percentiles seem confusing, it’s because they are. In fact, somecritics have questioned the accuracy of both percentiles, suggesting that they're inflated and "presentinga rosier picture† of student PSAT scores to sway students toward the SATand away fromthe ACT. While it’s unclear whether or not these criticisms are warranted, it does appear that the data has the potential to fluctuate in the future. For now, these are the percentile charts that the College Board released in 2018. They show how your total and section PSAT scores get represented by percentiles. Critics of the PSAT might be right to be suspicious. As many people know, 73.6% of statistics are made up on the spot. PSAT Total Scores to Percentiles This chart, based on the College Board's 2018 PSAT scores report,shows the User Percentiles for total PSAT scores.You can also check outour other guides if you want to learn more about PSAT percentiles for sophomores or freshmen. Whether you want to check these percentiles against your own score report or are looking up your results on a PSAT practice test, you can find your percentiles by locating your total PSAT test score. Again, this willrange between 320 and 1520 and is the sum of your two section scores (Math and EBRW). If you scored 650 in Evidence-Based Reading and Writing and 700 in Math, for example, your total PSAT score would be 650 + 700 = 1350. Based on the chart, you can see that a total score of 1350 falls in the 94th percentile. Scroll down to find yours or, conversely, to see what you would need to score to make it into your target percentile. Total Score Percentile Total Score Percentile 1520 99+ 1070 62 1510 99+ 1060 60 1500 99+ 1050 58 1490 99+ 1040 56 1480 99 1030 54 1470 99 1020 52 1460 99 1010 51 1450 98 1000 49 1440 98 990 47 1430 98 980 45 1420 97 970 43 1410 97 960 41 1400 97 950 40 1390 96 940 38 1380 96 930 36 1370 95 920 34 1360 95 910 32 1350 94 900 31 1340 94 890 29 1330 93 880 27 1320 93 870 26 1310 92 860 24 1300 91 850 23 1290 91 840 21 1280 90 830 20 1270 89 820 18 1260 88 810 17 1250 87 800 15 1240 86 790 14 1230 85 780 12 1220 84 770 11 1210 83 760 10 1200 82 750 9 1190 81 740 8 1180 79 730 7 1170 78 720 6 1160 77 710 5 1150 75 700 4 1140 74 690 3 1130 72 680 3 1120 70 670 2 1110 69 660 2 1100 67 650 2 1090 65 590-640 1 1080 63 580 and below 1- Learning any new skill takes hours of dedicated practice. Doing well on the PSAT is no different! PSAT Section Scores to Percentiles While the chart above shows PSAT percentiles represented by total scores, this next one shows the percentiles assigned to section scores. As described above, you’ll get two section scores on the PSAT: one for Math and one for Evidence-Based Reading and Writing. Each score isbetween 160 and 760. Just like in the chart above, you can use the following chart to find your percentiles ortofind out what scores you need to achieve your target percentile on a particular PSAT section. In addition to helping you prep and interpret your PSAT scores, whether on practice tests or the real thing, percentiles can be helpful for estimating your chances of gettingNational Merit distinction. We'll talk more about why this matters in a moment. Section Score EBRW Percentile Math Percentile 760 99+ 99+ 750 99+ 99 740 99 98 730 99 97 720 98 96 710 97 96 700 96 95 690 95 94 680 94 93 670 93 93 660 91 92 650 89 91 640 88 90 630 86 89 620 84 87 610 81 85 600 79 83 590 76 81 580 73 78 570 70 75 560 67 72 550 63 69 540 60 65 530 56 62 520 53 58 510 49 55 500 46 52 490 43 48 480 39 44 470 36 40 460 33 36 450 31 33 440 28 29 430 25 26 420 22 23 410 20 19 400 17 16 390 15 13 380 12 10 370 10 9 360 8 7 350 6 5 340 5 4 330 3 3 320 2 2 310 2 2 300 1 1 290 1 1 280 1 1 270 1- 1 260 1- 1- 250 and below 1- 1- If you're aiming for National Merit, you need to know your Selection Index score. How Do PSAT Percentiles Relate to National Merit? Students who score highly on the PSAT their junior year might qualify for National Merit distinction. The top 3-4% of scorers every year are named Commended Scholars, while the top 1% are named Semifinalists and can potentially go on to become Finalists and scholarship recipients. Your percentiles on your PSAT score report are an estimate rather than an exact prediction of your chances of National Merit. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation actually uses its own scale called a Selection Index (SI) to determine National Merit. The NMSC compares students nationally for Commended Scholar but determines eligibility on a state-by-state basis for Semifinalist. It uses this state-by-state system to ensure there is an even distribution of Semifinalist awards throughout the country. This discussion of National Merit brings us to an important piece of data: your Selection Index. What Is the Selection Index? Your score report will give you your Selection Index (SI) score; you can also calculate this yourself, as you’ll see below. Your Selection Index will look much different from your total PSAT score since it ranges between 48 and 228. To be named National Merit Semifinalist, you’ll need a Selection Index score at or above a certain cutoff. Each state’s cutoff is different (usually students testing in New Jersey; Washington, DC; and abroad have the highest ones) and changes from year to year. Based on reports from students around the country, we've compiled the full list of 2018 cutoffs for each state. If you took the PSAT as a junior, you can check out our National Merit Semifinalist guide to get a sense of whether or not you might qualify. Remember that cutoffs can change from year to year. So where does this Selection Index score between 48 and 228 come from? Read on to find out. Calculating your Selection Index score is easy. All you need is a calculator, a spoon, a Yukon Gold potato, and a dozen European coins. How to Calculate Your Selection Index Score Your Selection Index score is calculated from your PSAT test scores. As you saw in the glossary at the beginning of this guide, you get three test scores: one for Math, one for Reading, and one for Writing and Language. Each test score ranges from 8 to 38. If you take the PSAT/NMSQT, your score report will show you your Selection Index. You can also easily calculate this score yourself by adding your three test scores together and multiplying the sum by 2. The chart below shows how you would calculate your Selection Index score if you earned a 35 in Reading, a 32 in Writing and Language, and a 37 in Math: Section Score Sum x 2 Selection Index Score Reading 35 (35 + 32 + 37) x 2 = 208 Writing and Language 32 Math 37 If you scored in top percentiles and think you might be eligible for National Merit, you can check out our state-by-state cutoffs for the 2018 PSAT. In closing, let’s review what you need to know about the PSAT scoring system, particularly the percentiles and Selection Index. Key Points: Scores on the PSAT The PSAT is scored on a scale from 320 to 1520. Its scale is shifted down from the SAT’s scale, which is 400-1600, to account for the fact that the PSAT is a somewhat easier test. Your Reading and Writing and Language performances are reported together as a single Evidence-Based Reading and Writing score between 160 and 760. Your other section score is Math and also ranges between 160 and 760. Your score report will tell you two percentiles: the Nationally Representative and User percentiles. It is generally thought that the User Percentile is the more accurate and useful of the two,as it's based primarily on students who typically take the PSAT. The charts above show the percentiles represented by your total and section scores on the PSAT. If you’re taking and scoring your own PSAT practice tests, you can use the charts to determine what scores you need to achieve to make it into your target percentile. If you score in a top percentile on the PSAT, then you might be named National Merit Commended Scholar or National Merit Semifinalist. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation typically notifies qualifying students in September. While your PSAT score report might look confusing with all its measures and metrics, the various scores on it can actually be extremelyuseful as feedback for your PSAT and SAT prep. If you take the time to comprehend your PSAT score report or calculate these scores on your own from practice tests, you’ll gain valuable insight into your profileas a test taker. You can use this feedback to shape your prep, whether you’re taking the PSAT again or preparing for the very similar SAT. Whatever the case, it’s a good first step to take stock of your academic strengths and weaknesses and design a personalized study plan that will work for you! What’s Next? Now that you’ve gained some insight into PSAT scores, check out our guide to learn about the SAT scoring system.In it, we break down how the SAT is scored and give you scoring charts so you can score your own practice tests. What should you do after you get your PSAT score report? This in-depth guide discusses some next steps everyone should take after getting their PSAT scores. Are you aiming for top scores on the PSAT?Learn all about the test here, and then download PSAT practice tests to help you study. If you’re aiming for National Merit, check out this guide on how to get a perfect score on the PSAT. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points?We've written a guide about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

History and Evolution of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp Research Paper

History and Evolution of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, they worked so hard that they were seen to be more hardworking and determined than men and had proved to be more organized than them as well. Following is the account of how their journey began and came to an end. History and Evolution of the Women's Army Auxiliary Corp In the year 1942, around 800 females had joined the WAAC ad began their elementary training in Iowa where they were properly equipped with arms and ammunition, given uniforms to wear and were assigned proper duties to be performed during the war. For the purpose of defining their goals and objectives, a manual was established which identified what they were supposed to achieve in clear words (Permeswaran & Yashila, 2008). The manual said that they had to replace men and be with them on equal terms. In those times however, it was a very critical move because women were not encouraged to come to terms with men on an equality basis, and men felt devalued seeing females standing with them involved in a furio us physical activity like war. Moreover, women had not participated in war previously on ground level. The only females to participate in war before this were nurses. Even though there was a lot of criticism on the women for being part of WAAC, there was a necessity arising in this regard due to the number of men decreasing because of the War. There were around 150,000 women who took part in the world war. They were also believed to be better than men in terms of being more organized, well-disciplined and hardworking. Even in an appalling situation where women were not given overseas pay or any other benefits like life insurance or medical coverage, their passion was enough of an evidence to prove their worth which they successfully did even after facing difficulties of initially getting the bill passed for females to participate in the World War as part of WAAC. It had become very difficult for people to accept women in this new role because most people believed that it was not the kind of job women were supposed to do. Opposing parties questioned that if women started to serve in the army then who would be responsible for the house work and that females were not smart enough to be part of the army, they were likely to make mistakes and have the tendency to act carelessly. The day the bill was passed officially, Oveta Culp Hobby was chosen as the Director of WAAC.She proved to be a very determined and hardworking lady and had proved all assumptions about WAAC wrong. According to her, women were there in the army to assist them in winning war and their roles would not exactly switch or become different from what they are in civilian life. She just believed it would help men in achieving success. In the year 1917, it was decided that women will play a role in the British Army as for being sent to France and Haig who was the then commander in chief wrote to the war office that women will be permitted to fight in the war in France and their services will be utili zed wherever appropriate. However, the kind of work they were supposed to do at that time was much more related to household than to anything else because physical labor was not what they ought to do after all. Selection in WAAC required two references and interview

The Difference Between the Total Revenue Earned and Total Cost Research Paper

The Difference Between the Total Revenue Earned and Total Cost - Research Paper Example Profit maximisation can occur only when Marginal Revenue and Marginal Costs of production are equal. The SOC, on the other hand, requires that at the point of equality, the slope of MR must be lower than that of MC or rather the MR curve should be falling while MC must be rising. In case that the marginal revenue is found to be greater than the marginal cost of production, normally, it means that an additional unit’s production will reap a revenue greater than the cost incurred in producing the unit. Thus, a firm aiming at profit maximisation will start producing more units of the commodity until the amount of cost incurred is equated with the additional amount of revenue yielded. On the other hand, in case that the marginal cost is found to be higher than the marginal revenue of production, it implies that the additional cost of producing a unit of a commodity is much higher than the revenue that the commodity is reaping. In other words, the production of each additional unit leads to a loss for the firm. Hence, a firm aiming at profit maximisation will not produce beyond the limit where the marginal cost of production is higher than the marginal revenue earned by each unit’s additional production. As a concluding note, it should be said that the above result is found to hold true irrespective of the type of market that the producer is operating in. The only difference comes in the shapes of the MR and MC curves, though the first order and second order conditions stay the same. The situation being depicted is the scenario in most of the markets of the real world. The only exception is the perfect competition market where the marginal revenue curve is a horizontal straight line.

Perspectives on Inequality and Poverty Essay Example for Free

Perspectives on Inequality and Poverty Essay Our society today is currently experiencing a widening of the gap between the rich and the poor. As the saying goes, â€Å"the rich is getting richer and the poor is getting poorer,† our society attests to such truth, where the wealthy is gaining more money while the poor’s case is getting worse by the minute. Poverty is a big problem ever since the dawn of man. In an ideal world, the number of resources produced could feed more than any of the hungry mouths all over the world. But in reality, wealth is not distributed properly to every living individual. There are those who get more as compared to those who get less or get nothing at all. The sad reality If you take into consideration every living individual in a certain community, only a small fraction of its population enjoy living a well-off life, and a majority suffer from lack of resources or doesn’t have enough to fill their stomachs. A fraction of imbalance in the distribution of resources and wealth affects a greater number of people, wherein the sad reality lies on whom are the ones getting much and who are the ones gaining a lot. This is the sad reality in our society, where people thrive in a world filled with inequality and sadly, majority of the people suffer from the extra gains of some people (Besley Cord, 2007). Class inequality can be traced way back in the history of men, when people learned to classify themselves, making some superior and some, well, rather inferior. Another sad reality is that the ones who are in the higher echelons of the society are the ones who are not doing actual hard labor. These people are the one’s capitalizing from the hard work of the poor working class, sweating their lungs out, literally giving their sweat and blood just to make money. This labor force is the one who is actually earning the money; it is their effort and strength that makes the real cash, not the ones bossing them around. But the harshness of life is reflected in this situation: the ones working hard gets paid less, barely enough to make a living out of it, while the ones bossing everyone around gets a much bigger share, wherein they have exerted minimal or no real effort in doing so (Kohl, 2003). This is the present situation of the working class of the past, the present, and maybe of the future. There are some great thinkers who have pondered on these things so to speak. This people, though separated by different views, expressed their opinions about how inequalities in the classes happen and why poverty exists, depending on how they see the situation. Their take on the realities are reciprocated by approval or by rejection from the people looking at their ideas. Some may seem radical to others, but some deem that is the necessary thought for that certain specific topic. These great thinkers include Karl Marx, Max Weber and Oscar Lewis.

Television Violence Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers

Television Violence On April 20, 1999, a tragic event took place in an environment where children should feel safe. At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, twelve students and one teacher were tragically gunned down by two boys, one seventeen years old, and one eighteen years old. Recently in Michigan, a first grader brought a gun to school and shot and killed a fellow classmate. These tragedies can be seen as a result of many different factors, such as violence in the home, access to deadly weapons, and extreme anger towards society. A main reason for these school tragedies is the violence children view every day on television. The amount of violence that children see on television is overwhelming. According to Mortimer Zuckerman's article titled "Victims of TV Violence," by the age of eighteen children will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 40,000 murders (Zuckerman 64). The television has become the nation's storyteller, babysitter, preacher, and teacher. With this as the case, the images and ideas that children view on the television set quite an impression on their young minds. By the time children reach the first grade, they will have already watched 5,000 hours of television. By the time they graduate from high school, they will have viewed over 19,000 hours of television. These numbers are even more astonishing to think about, considering when a child graduates they will have had only 13,000 hours of school (Zuckerman 64). A major reason for the impact on these children is that at the point they start watching these violent programs they do not yet know what is real and what is not. The children get the idea that violence does not have negative consequences. In 47 percent ... ...s at schools, such as the Columbine catastrophe, can be seen as results of television violence. As parents and adults, monitoring the amount of television shows that children watch is an essential responsibility. By monitoring the amount of television viewed and teaching children about what violence really is, they will be less likely to commit a violent act some day. Works Cited Kalin, Carla. "Television, Violence, and Children." Diss. Oregon U, 1997. Sweet, D. & Singh, R. "TV Viewing and Parental Guidance." Education Consumer Guide. Available: http://inet.ed.gov/pubs/OR/consumertv/html (April 2, 1997). Zuckerman, Mortimer. "Victims of TV Violence." U.S. News & World Report 2 August 1993: 64. "TV Violence and Kids." The Education Digest September 1996: 23-26. "Studies Report Watching TV News Triggers Fear in Kids." JET 7 September 1999: 25-26. Television Violence Essay -- Argumentative Persuasive Papers Television Violence On April 20, 1999, a tragic event took place in an environment where children should feel safe. At Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, twelve students and one teacher were tragically gunned down by two boys, one seventeen years old, and one eighteen years old. Recently in Michigan, a first grader brought a gun to school and shot and killed a fellow classmate. These tragedies can be seen as a result of many different factors, such as violence in the home, access to deadly weapons, and extreme anger towards society. A main reason for these school tragedies is the violence children view every day on television. The amount of violence that children see on television is overwhelming. According to Mortimer Zuckerman's article titled "Victims of TV Violence," by the age of eighteen children will have seen 200,000 acts of violence on television, including 40,000 murders (Zuckerman 64). The television has become the nation's storyteller, babysitter, preacher, and teacher. With this as the case, the images and ideas that children view on the television set quite an impression on their young minds. By the time children reach the first grade, they will have already watched 5,000 hours of television. By the time they graduate from high school, they will have viewed over 19,000 hours of television. These numbers are even more astonishing to think about, considering when a child graduates they will have had only 13,000 hours of school (Zuckerman 64). A major reason for the impact on these children is that at the point they start watching these violent programs they do not yet know what is real and what is not. The children get the idea that violence does not have negative consequences. In 47 percent ... ...s at schools, such as the Columbine catastrophe, can be seen as results of television violence. As parents and adults, monitoring the amount of television shows that children watch is an essential responsibility. By monitoring the amount of television viewed and teaching children about what violence really is, they will be less likely to commit a violent act some day. Works Cited Kalin, Carla. "Television, Violence, and Children." Diss. Oregon U, 1997. Sweet, D. & Singh, R. "TV Viewing and Parental Guidance." Education Consumer Guide. Available: http://inet.ed.gov/pubs/OR/consumertv/html (April 2, 1997). Zuckerman, Mortimer. "Victims of TV Violence." U.S. News & World Report 2 August 1993: 64. "TV Violence and Kids." The Education Digest September 1996: 23-26. "Studies Report Watching TV News Triggers Fear in Kids." JET 7 September 1999: 25-26.

Stereotyping in the Film the Birdcage (1996)

Marketing, education, suggestion and propaganda all subtly influence the opinions and values a society’s members hold. All too often, we have no clear idea how we came to hold the opinions we develop over the course of our lifetimes. From the earliest days of the film industry’s rise at the beginning of the twentieth century, film has had an enormous impact in shaping public views and ideas about everything from what it means to be a â€Å"good citizen† to what roles are acceptable and proper in a â€Å"civilized† society.With the exception of academics and serious students in film or cultural studies, most movie-goers regard the viewing of films (with the exception – sometimes – of documentaries) as simply an entertainment activity when, very often, central to the experience is the swallowing of messages that the creators of the film wish to advance. Since films are often very expensive to produce, the films that find financial backing must also meet with the approval of a society’s elite, moneyed class.It is most often the case, then, that subtle messages and affirmations about the political, social and personal norms the dominant class wishes to endorse and inculcate are embedded in films that reach a wide segment of the population. Richard Dyer, Professor of Film Studies at King's College London, in his essay Stereotyping (1), argues that one of the most common methods by which the dominant economic class attempts to reinforce the worldview it wishes to have embraced by the people, is the employment of stereotypes, which are often one-dimensional, static characterizations of people in various social roles or members of classes of people.These stereotypes range from the flattering depiction of Hero or Faithful Servant, for example, to the cartoonish, demonic or depraved portraits of a â€Å"typical† member of a group of people whose behavior or values the dominant class finds antithetical to their inter ests. Dyer argues that learning to recognize the use of stereotypes in films is provides some self-defense against being oblivious to the attempt to influence one’s thinking and opinions.One such group which has long been the target of such propaganda via stereotyping in films is the homosexual community. It was with the rise of capitalism that homosexuality began to be seen as leading to lifestyles that were not conducive to the provision of good, stable, obedient workers.One of the most influential frameworks for analysis of human relations and the evolution of social norms and political structures from the late 19th century through the present has been Marxist analysis, based on the works of Karl Marx (1818-1883). Dyer employs Marxist analysis, with a nod to sociological terminology (role, individual, type, member) to illustrate that stereotyping in film can occur through the use of iconography â€Å"Iconography is a kind of short-hand—it places a character quickly and economically.P. 32), structurally (â€Å"†¦. by the function of the character in the film’s structure {whether these be static structures, such as the way the film’s world is shown to be organized, materially and ideologically, or dynamic ones, such as plot. P. 33}, and through typing – the opposite of individuation of characters, instead ascribing of attributes to a person based on the idea they are a certain â€Å"type,† and we can understand all we need to know about them by being familiar with that type.While we, generally, think of stereotyping in a negative light, one consideration clearly of great importance to Dyer is the idea that some aspect of typing –insofar as the typing reflects the positive attributes of gay people – should not be discarded entirely, since the recognition for the audience, of some level of commonality in the experience of being gay will serve to illuminate for viewers the struggles faced and the opp ression experienced, hopefully leading to more support in the larger society for improved status and equal civil rights for gay people.In analyzing the use of stereotypes in The Birdcage (Mike Nichols, 1996), I will argue that, while the use of stereotypes by the filmmakers was clearly done with the intention of exposing the stupidity of so many of society’s prejudices, the film does not entirely succeed in leaving the audience with anything close to real motivation for re-thinking approval for the established social idea that gays are somehow â€Å"other† and, at best, sympathetic clowns. The audience simply gets its laughs and goes home.A remake of the French film La Cage aux Folles (Jean Poiret and Francis Veber, 1978), Birdcage is set in drag club called The Birdcage in South Beach, Florida. We learn very early in the movie that Armand Goldman, played by Robin Williams, owns the club and his partner, Albert, played by Nathan Lane, appears regularly as â€Å"Starin a†, the show's star drag queen. The plot of the movie develops when Armand’s son Val becomes engaged to Barbara Keeley, the daughter of the hypocritical, ultraconservative Republican Ohio Senator Kevin Keeley, who is seeking re-election as the co-founder of the â€Å"Coalition for Moral Order. In light of the engagement, the young couple decides that it is finally time for the two families to meet. However, Val requests that Armand and Albert must conceal their homosexuality for this meeting. Stereotyping is not just employed in presenting the characters in Birdcage; the sets also are highly stereotyped and function almost as additional characters. The film opens with the camera panning around from the outside the club, and the viewer gets a quick look at the outside environment.They see bright lights in the night, palm trees, and pedestrians milling about the streets or waiting in line, all in scantily clad outfits and bathing suits. Sequences similar to this occur nu merous times throughout the movie when showing the outside environment. Whether they’re at the beach or in the streets, day or night, the surrounding people are dressed in skimpy clothing, small bikinis, or Speedos. This aspect of the environment is emphasized when the senator and his family are stuck in traffic right outside of the club, approximately seventy-five minutes into the film.While all the cars are stuck in traffic, people are chaotically climbing in and out of open-roofed cars or roller-skating by. Women and men in skimpy and brightly colored bikinis, thongs, and Speedos continuously pass the senator’s idled car while the family stares, aghast, and Mrs. Keely states, â€Å"This is less like Palm Beach than I imagined. † Despite the fact that no indication is given that there is any special occasion being celebrated in South Beach, the carnival-like atmosphere and setting depicts the gay generated environment in a one-dimensional, stereotyped manner.W hile the sexual orientations of the pedestrians is not defined, these sequences are stereotypical cues that the sultry, brightly colored, free-wheeling Florida locale surrounding the drag club, an environment where all the citizens present themselves flamboyantly and provocatively through their dress is to be seen as the typical environment for such a club, a â€Å"gay paradise. † The home of Armand and Albert, located above The Birdcage, is abundantly decorated with stereotypically gay ornamentation. Every available surface is purposefully adorned with lit candles, decadent glass sculptures, flouncy lamps, poufed pillows and homoerotic artwork.The walls are either bright yellow or covered in obnoxious, loud, jungle-themed wallpaper. The significance of the iconographically gay character of the setting is emphasized when Val makes clear that the decor poses as big a pitfall for the senator’s visit, as does the presence of drag queen, Albert. Approximately thirty-six mi nutes into the film, Val insists that they redecorate prior to the Keeley’s arrival. Armand does not understand what is wrong with the decor, and Val points out to a nude sculpture of Neptune, a portrait of a man in drag without his wig, numerous primitive sculptures depicting exaggerated male erections.At first, an offended Armand replies â€Å"But this is art! † and casually turns the erect sculptures around to face the wall, but eventually, out of love for his son, he gives in and clears his home of the many â€Å"gay signaling† items he possesses, completely redesigning it into a setting similar to a Catholic monastery (Armand is Jewish. ). The most ridiculously, screamingly stereotyped character in Birdcage of Armand’s spouse, the drag queen star, Albert.It is no accident that the character, Albert, is the embodiment, not only of the drag queen type, but also of the worst stereotyped version of a woman: shrill, melodramatic, self-absorbed, vain, over ly emotional, and prone to hysterics, suspicion and jealousy. The viewer is introduced to him five minutes into the film while he is in a fit of hysterics. Albert, suddenly devastated by the recognition that he is no longer young and beautiful, and convinced Armand is losing interest in him, is extremely upset and refuses to prepare for his nightly stage performance.The audience immediately sees that Albert is overreacting by the melodramatic way he behaves in this scene. As Armand attempts to enter the dressing room, Albert, who was previously hiding under some sheets, wailing and lamenting his sorrows to the couple’s housekeeper Agador, squeals and barricades the door because he doesn’t want Armand to see him in his â€Å"hideous, hideous, fat and hideous† state. Even in the chaos of Armand trying to break into the room, Albert’s shrieks are completely audible over the ruckus. Once Armand enters the room, Albert begins to make melodramatic claim after m elodramatic claim: â€Å"I’m in such pain!It’ll never pass! I hate my life. † â€Å"Never mind about me feelings. † â€Å"Don’t use that tone to me†¦that sarcastic, contemptuous tone that means you know everything because you are a man, and I know nothing because I was a woman†, â€Å"I was adorable once, young and full of hope and now look at me! I’m this short, fat, insecure middle-aged little thing! † Such behavior and sentiments are typically attributed to the stereotypical, emotionally unstable and utterly dependent woman, Albert’s character embodies the classically drawn stereotype of a melodramatic, overly emotional, ridiculous gay man who might as well be considered a woman.While Albert’s raging hysterics, melodramatic behavior and â€Å"prissiness† was on full display in this particular scene, his diva-like self-absorption and hysterical reactions are carried throughout the entire film, with t he exceptional surprise when he rises to the occasion and â€Å"saves the day,† later in the film Fifty minutes into the film, in an attempt to win the favor of Barbara’s parents, Armand tries to teach Albert how to portray himself as a straight man. This attempt, however, is completely unsuccessful.No matter how hard he tries, Albert cannot walk without swishing his hips while holding out the palms of his hands, his posture is too upright, and the register of his voice is too high. The fact that Albert is incapable of pretending not to be a flamboyant, over-the-top, and extremely feminine person tells the viewer that his â€Å"gay-ness† is what completely defines his entire personality and every aspect of his behavior, and further sets the stereotype in stone.Structurally, the characterization of the relationship between Armand and Albert is reduced by its definition as reflecting a cartoonish parody of the stereotypical traditionally defined roles played by â €Å"husband and wife. † While it is clear that the Albert has a more feminine personality than Armand, the film also depicts Albert as the â€Å"mother† and caretaker of the household.For example, twenty minutes into the film, Armand is silently reading the newspaper and drinking coffee in the kitchen, Albert is feverishly folding the laundry, babbling about matters such as how ratty Val’s shirt is and how he got a pork roast for dinner instead of fillet minion. This scene and many others show how this movie depicts the roles of a gay relationship as being identical to the stereotypical gender roles of a heterosexual couple. There is no question that the creators of this film intentionally employed thoroughly stereotyped characters.There is little to no individual character development whatsoever. However, since these stereotypes are so over-the-top and blatant, there must have been a conscious effort on the part of the filmmakers to feed into such stereotypes. This film is merely a lighthearted nod towards the ridiculous stereotypes that much of society today believes to be completely realistic depictions of homosexuals. Therefore, such obvious stereotyping does not outweigh the comedy or the quality of the film, but rather define it.

Cu700

1. 1Agreeing objectives is essential for a team or individual to know what they are focusing on to avoid wasting resources and time. Deadlines strongly affect what you research, for example, if a deadline of one week is agreed for writing a newspaper, you wouldn’t want to include today’s news as it would be very outdated by the time of publication. 1. 2It’s useful to identify and agree a source to use when researching information, as a standardised method means more uniform work.All information would be in a similar format when gathered from one source, but also, there is less room for error, as the agreed upon source is likely to be accurate and widely trusted. 1. 3Storing information is essential for many reasons; these include ease of access and readability, the level of detail you are able to store, the choice to have various copies of the information in case of loss and ease of transfer. 2. 1 Agreeing aims and objectives helps me to do my work efficiently as they give me a clear idea of what I need to find and why.Deadlines are also very important to me as our customers and our reputation are negatively affected if don’t complete work in the required time so time limits help me estimate the time I have to spend on each one, otherwise, for example, I could spend too long researching one dental practice and affect another. 2. 2 Information can come from numerous sources, for example, other people such as colleagues or friends, online knowledge bases such as Wikipedia or books on the subject in question.

The Last Day of My Life †English Composition Essay

The Last Day of My Life – English Composition Essay Free Online Research Papers The Last Day of My Life English Composition Essay Everyday there are people coming into this world while there are some people leaving. Sometimes, it makes me think about the life. What’s the meaning of life? People always want to live a meaningful life. But how do we define a â€Å"meaningful† life? I think that everybody would have his own definition of â€Å"meaningful.† Most people work very hard day and night in search of fame and fortune. When they become millionaires eventually, they may think it is enough for their life. But if they had only one day to live, what would they do? Suddenly, their fame and fortune turn out to nothing at all, for they cannot take those things with them when dying. Therefore, they may worry about their possessions and be annoyed even on their last day. It’s not my type of life. I won’t pursue fame and fortune so that when my very day comes, I will have nothing to worry about and can be relieved in the long run. But I cannot be sure when I will leave this world. If the answer is tomorrow, what will I do on the last day of my life? First, I will clean up my room. Some people may think that since I am going to die, what good will it do me? None, actually, but it can mean something to me. After living my life, I may find that all my life was just like chaos, and I won’t leave it in the world. Therefore, I will clean up my room as if I make my life neat and tidy. I want it to be perfect. Second, I want to thank people who mean a lot to me, such as those who have helped me, who have loved me and who I loved, for it was they who gave me the meanings in my life. Then, I will visit many places where I was born, I grew, I studied, I worked, and I lived. Those places can recall my precious memory. I cannot bring anything with me but my memory. At last, I will find a place where nobody can find me. I will be contented if anyone can weep for my death, but it will be too sorrowful for an emotional person like me to see those once happy faces become sad. Therefore, a serene place like seashore will be good. I can lie on the yellow sand, listening the relaxing sound made by waves. I can see the last sunset in my life. It will be a little sentimental. At night, crescent moon will shine on me and the sky will glitter with the myriad stars. With the unremitting waves, sea breeze will blow lightly, brushing through my hair, as if beautiful melody resounds harmoniously. In a state of comfort, I will lose my consciousness gradually and finally lapse into deep sleep. And it will be the finale of my life. In our daily life, we take everything for granted that parents should tale care of us and friends help us without reward. All seems to be natural, but actually it isn’t. They give us so much because we are their beloved. However, people always treasure what they have lost. Don’t be that kind of people. Sometimes, repay our thanks to them and then we won’t have remorse when the last day of our life comes. Research Papers on "The Last Day of My Life" - English Composition EssayThe Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Essay19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided EraTrailblazing by Eric AndersonThe Spring and AutumnNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceThree Concepts of PsychodynamicThe Effects of Illegal ImmigrationBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XMind Travel

The Jim Crow Era

The Jim Crow Era The Jim Crow Era in United States history began towards the end of the Reconstruction Period and lasted until 1965 with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. The Jim Crow Era was more than a body of legislative acts on the federal, state and local levels that barred African-Americans from being full American citizens. It was also a way of life that allowed de jure racial segregation to exist in the South and de facto segregation to thrive in the North. Origin of the Term "Jim Crow" In 1832,  Thomas D. Rice, a white actor, performed in blackface to a routine known as â€Å"Jump Jim Crow.†Ã‚   By the end of the 19th Century, as southern states passed legislation that segregated African-Americans, the term Jim Crow was used to define these laws In 1904, the phrase Jim Crow Law was appearing in American newspapers. Establishment of a Jim Crow Society In 1865, African-Americans were emancipated from enslavement with the thirteenth amendment. By 1870, the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments are also passed, granting citizenship to African-Americans and allowing African-American the right to vote. By the end of the Reconstruction period, African-Americans were losing federal support in the South. As a result, white legislators on state and local levels passed a series of laws that separated African-Americans and whites in public facilities such as schools, parks, cemeteries, theaters, and restaurants. In addition to barring African-Americans and whites from being in integrated public areas, laws were established prohibiting African-American men from participating in the election process. By enacting poll taxes, literacy tests and grandfather clauses, state and local governments were able to exclude African-American from voting.   The Jim Crow Era was not just laws passed to separate blacks from whites. It was also a way of life. White intimidation from organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan kept African-Americans from rebelling against these laws and becoming too successful in southern society.  For instance, when  writer Ida B. Wells began exposing the practice of lynching and other forms of terrorism through her newspaper, Free Speech and Headlight, her printing office was burned to the ground by white vigilantes.   Impact on American Society In response to Jim Crow Era laws and lynchings, African-Americans in the South began participating in the Great Migration. African-Americans moved to cities and industrial towns in the North and West hoping to escape the de jure segregation of the South. However, they were unable to elude de facto segregation, which barred African-Americans in the North from joining specific unions or being hired in particular industries, purchasing homes in some communities, and attending choice schools. In 1896, a group of African-American women established the National Association of Colored Women to support women’s suffrage and fight against other forms of social injustice. By 1905, W.E.B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter developed the Niagara Movement, assembling more than 100 African-American men throughout the United States to aggressively fight against racial inequality.  Four years later, the Niagara Movement morphed into the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to fight against social and racial inequality through legislation, court cases, and protests. The African-American press exposed the horrors of Jim Crow to readers throughout the country. Publications such as the Chicago Defender provided readers in southern states with news about urban environments- listing train schedules and job opportunities. An End to the Jim Crow Era During World War II the wall of Jim Crow began to slowly crumble. On the federal level, Franklin D. Roosevelt  established the Fair Employment Act or Executive Order 8802 in 1941 which desegregated employment in war industries after civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph threatened a March on Washington in protest to racial discrimination in the war industries.   Thirteen years later, in 1954, Brown v. Board of Education ruling found the separate but equal laws unconstitutional and desegregated public schools. In 1955, a seamstress and NAACP secretary named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus. Her refusal led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted over a year and began the modern Civil Rights Movement. By 1960s, college students were working with organizations such as CORE and SNCC, traveling to the South to spearhead voter registration drives.  Men such as Martin Luther King Jr. were speaking not only throughout the United State but the world, about the horrors of segregation. Finally, with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the Jim Crow Era was buried for good.

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology Essay

2. The balance of international payments is a book-keeping tautology which is essentially irrelevant to a market economy. Discuss - Essay Example Conversely, a more vital concept of the balance of payments equilibrium is the basic balance, which is based on the presence of autonomous items in BOP. The autonomous items include items that cannot be influenced easily by the Government and are determined by certain long-term factors. Basic balance regards autonomous, the long-term capital shifts both on Government or private account held in the capital account and excludes items in the current account balance of payments. Conversely, in the capital account short-term movements such as the use of special drawing rights, borrowing from Central Banks or IMF, change in foreign exchange reserves are of accommodating the nature and transitory. Therefore, they are excluded from equilibrium and the concept of basic balance (McConnell & Brue, 2013). An alternative to these accommodating items (compensatory items) has to be made to ensure equality of foreign exchange receipts and payments. A change in the compensatory elements is essential to offset the surplus or deficit in the autonomous items. Autonomous movements cancel out over some suitable period and therefore there lacks the need for compensatory changes and in such a case the balance of payments is said to be in equilibrium (McConnell & Brue,

Restaurant Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Restaurant Management - Research Paper Example evelopingstandard test methods and conducting scientific testing on the energy performanceof both gas and electric commercial kitchen equipment and appliances, expanding the market for energy efficient commercial kitchen technology, and working with partners in encouraging innovative and sustainable ideas, products, services and operations which would reduce harmful effects on health and environment. Food service has been in constant dynamic growth over the years. As a food service increases, the need for technology to enhance the processes of receiving goods and supplies, storage, preparation and service, rises as well. Because of this, the sales of kitchen equipment and appliances that promote efficiency in food service kitchens are in continuous growth over the years. The utilization of these food service equipment and appliances placed food service industry to a high position in the pyramid of energy consumption by industry. Energy production, especially the burning of fossil fuels, is among the topmost enhancers of environmental deterioration. In this case, reinventing food service technology, in such a way that energy consumption is in minimum without compromising the quality and performance sounds promising. The continuous growth and expansion of the food service industry should not compromise the health and condition of people and environment, hence innovations that woul d address these concerns is of crucial and vital importance. According to the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the term sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. In the same light, sustainable restaurants are food service providers that manage the social and environmental impact of their operations. These industries are promoting measures which address environmental and social issues such as climate change, animal welfare and food waste. Sustainable

Interview Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Interview - Essay Example (Chu et al 2010). The importance of the setup is mirrored by the solidarity of a typical Chinese family. The deep mutual attachment is ingrained among the members, which is important for minimizing the cost of conflicts which may arise due to difference in objectives and other domestic issues. Therefore, the setup is responsible for the high degree of mutual attachment exhibited by all members of a typical traditional Chinese family. However, the demographic transitions and rapid economic development has exerted a negative strain which has resulted in diminished traditional family features. The retreat in traditional Chinese family features has resulted in an accelerating divorce rate, diminished influence of kin group and reduced parental control over married children. On the other hand, the influence of demographic transitions and economic development has helped the establishment of certain positive features such as reduced prevalence of bride price and dowry and has ensured the provision of womenà ¢â‚¬â„¢s rights and social values. (Chu et al 2010). The role of children in a typical setup is to learn and follow the traditional features of a Chinese family. With the advent of globalization, Children are now expected to seek and utilize various educational opportunities. Children are more frequently required to seek overseas education which enables them to play an important role in prosperity of family business or in availing other business opportunities. The children play an essential role in the integrity and continuing family existence by following the footsteps of their parents. In most instances, children are raised without close association with their fathers’ and this transnational family arrangement puts a great strain on the mothers to mould their children in such a way that they are better able to adapt to the internal as well as external environment of a

Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society

Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television mocking its big brother Cinema? Through parody is television mocking its big brother Cinema or is simply feeding the post-modern society? Artistic achievement has, in most societies, usually seen as one of the highest goals for its citizens with artists held in highest esteem in society. The Classical civilizations of Rome and Ancient Greece are rightly regarded as artistic highlights of world civilizations due to the unprecedented status given to artists of all trades: poets, painters, bards, actors, sculptors and musicians. This respect for excellence in the arts still exists today However modern art is unfortunately too often derided as a thing of paltry significance as compared to the great artists of the past. FPeriods of high accomplishment such as Ancient Greece or the Renaissance are rightly regarded as containing such artists whose skill and mastery of their respective disciplines may rarely be emulated, if ever. However, is that a reason for giving up on modern artistic output? After all, the twentieth century was that of Pollock, Rockwell and Hockney. But lest we forget, in the annals of history, it is doubtful that the past 100 years will be remembered for their contribution to age-old art forms such as painting or sculpture. Instead, it seems likely and indeed fair that the 20th century will be remembered for the creation, popularization and investigation of the audio-visual arts of cinema and television. From the first shots of the train moving out of Carpentras station, cinema has moved the hearts and minds of millions. The 20th century was witness to the greatest technological advancements in human history and artistic output followed suit. After the silent pictures of the 1900s first captures audiences to the first black-and-white talkies, cinematic progress could never be checked. From success to success, people round the world would be enchanted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, awed by Harryhausen’s special effects, moved by Gone With The Wind and horrified by Birth Of A Nation. Every decade would bring an advancement in cinematic output, something which would revolutionize the industry once again and bring new generations into cinemas. These constant progressions in cinema would take place at a far faster rate than in other arts due to several important factors. First of all, the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th-century had sent technological development across the world into a tail-spin which impacted cinema very positively by providing studios with a constant stream of new machinery, effects possibilities. The knock-on effect from this was of course that a steady stream of technicians would be trained and employed by the great studios. We will be analyzing the hiring and firing practices of the studio moguls as compared to the lifelong television employees further on in this dissertation. Another great reason for the appeal of cinema would be the characters contained within it. The glamour of Hollywood until the 1940s would make audiences dream across five continents up to the present day. The gritty reality of much of today’s cinematic output had not even been imagined and movies were used to make people dream of a greater life. We will use this opportunity to further analyze the setting-up of the movie studios, the Jewish origins of most of the moguls and the taste of Americana they injected into their projects later on. Furthermore, we will draw up a detailed comparison between the early days of both film and television, analyzing which tactics worked better in the battles for a limited audience. Even horrifying world events such as World War II would provide the film industry with invigoration as Hollywood and the pre-war German film studios would engage in a rivalry, the like of which has rarely been seen in the arts. With the Hollywood ban on exporting American films to the Third Reich, the motivation for German film-makers was extraordinary and names such as Murnau and Lang emerged as major players on the world cinema scene. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of them fled Germany during or after the war to seek new lives in Hollywood. Many failed but some met with varying measures of success, the greatest legacy of this time possibly contained in Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis, the ominous skyline filled with skyscrapers working as a tribute to Lang’s first impressions of seeing New York harbour from far out at sea. However, even from that darkest period of human history has emerged some of the most shocking and lasting pieces of film. The films shot by the Allied forces of the Nazi concentration camps have proved perhaps the most important factor of documentary cinema. Beyond the artistry, beyond the emotional impact, cinema has provided humankind with an unlimited opportunity to document its own history, both good and bad. An opportunity television executives would notice and pick up on. Even today, the claims made by CNN and BBC such as ‘We are there as the news happens’ stem from the passion for news-stories instilled in people during the World War when small news flashes shown as previews before films in movie theatres were the only pictures civilians at home had of the war outside of newspapers. These propagandistic items were of course good for morale and television would soon enter into the fray, edging cinema out to take a monopoly over showing news programs. We must also consider another important area of research. The ‘parodying’ between television and cinema is a term of some ambiguity. Within this dissertation, we will also try and highlight the inherent differences between the terms of parody and emulation. As per rivalry in any kind of industry, some actions that may seem to be a parody of existing practices are in fact no more than emulation, a mere attempt to capitalize on a rival’s success. The concept of parody on the other hand is a very subtle one. Although television and cinema are by definition filled with some of the most acerbic minds in the world, minds quite ripe to create parody, it is somewhat naà ¯ve to think that these people would be allowed to impact decisions on scheduling and programme production. Only those at the summit of their popularity would be allowed their own shows, let alone given creative control of their shows. A recent example of this happening in Britain would be So Graham Norton. However, even these shows often fail as can be demonstrated as can be seen through the antics of stars such as Liza Minnelli, John McEnroe or Anna Nicole Smith. Thus, we can observe that the concept of pure parody being used by cinema and television for its own sake is somewhat mortifying, given the massive financial risks such an undertaking would incur. However, if parody was created to feed the viewing desires of a post-modern audience, then such an action becomes more realistic. To study this, we shall take an in-depth look at the nature of today’s post-modern audience and their viewing habits. In this dissertation, we will be looking in more depth at the first fledgling footsteps of both these art forms, the characters that helped build them up to their global statuses as well as two important periods in their history. The 50s and 60s where cinema and television were in direct competition through the slow transition period of the 70s and 80s into the modern-day scenario of co-operation. With this journey through time, we will be looking at trends pioneered by each of them and looking at any sharing or borrowing of ideas between the two mediums, we shall observe their long and drawn-out rivalry as well as the numerous examples of co-operation between them. The Glamour Years or the faint ridicule of cinema’s golden age If 90% of leadership is showing up, then we can hardly be surprised at the manner in which the men who would become studio moguls quickly rose to the top of this brand new industry. The founders of Paramount, RKO, MGM, Fox and Warner Bros. were for the vast majority immigrants or children of immigrants who had come to America either to seek their fortune or who had grown up with the image of America as this place of opportunity. In the first two decades of the 20th century, these views were far truer than they are now but to attain what one desired when the bar was so high, a lot of hard work would have to be carried out over many years. Thankfully, hard work was what these men’s families had been built on. Possessing this instinct along with a fine sense for business acumen, which some would sarcastically claim was due to their Jewish nature, Mayer, Goldwyn and the others would take the American cinematic market by storm. Before continuing, let us dispel any lingering images of these men helping each other out on their way to success. They entered a ruthless line of business where they were in direct competition and they tried everything to ruin each other, from slandering each other in the popular press to stealing actors and actresses. However, more united them than the moguls would have cared to admit. Since most of them had risen from humble beginnings, their visions of America were an embodiment of the American Dream that had influenced the migration of countless thousands from their home countries. The MGM studio, for example, would become synonymous with Technicolor musicals such as The Wizard of Oz portraying the world as a happy, bright place where everyone lived contently. The Warners would take a more active interest in social commentary but even their early efforts never went too far in criticizing a society that had offered them so much. Across the studio divide, the concepts of method acting had never even been considered and the goal of cinema was to make their actors and actresses look glamorous while portraying a style of life that would make every American dream in wonder. Why this image can be considered with a slight tint of ridicule is its existence in the middle of such troubled times. In the space of thirty years, America would fight in the two bloodiest conflicts in human history yet still, the studios churned out glossy movies, filled with beautiful dames and jolly banter. But here, once again, we strike a familiar obstacle, one that both film and television have met too many times. Too often in criticism about their history, studios or television networks are blamed for the programmes they carry or films they produce. Unfortunately, whilst they cannot be absolved of all blame, the relationship between social trends and popular entertainment is an obvious one. At a time in its history when America was fighting wars, undergoing a recession as well as Prohibition, the last thing American audiences wanted was to be served up with depressing fare that they could identify with. If another example of this is needed, look at what kind of cinema was popularized in the 50s. After the war, the film noir came of age and rose to ascendancy when American society was doing well and people felt good about themselves. A crucial fact that those who are all too quick to lay blame at the feet of the studios is that films and television programs will only be made if their creators feel they will be well-received by the general public. Television’s first faltering footsteps The intertwining and complex relationship between cinema and television cannot only be analyzed from the perspectives of programme similarity and audience sharing. Those who decided on what programmes should be commissioned, those who researched audiences to determine what kind of target audiences should be tapped, those who decided on what type of scheduling to choose at any given time of day, these television executives, producers and network directors would be the ones that would outline how television would evolve from one year to the next. As has been explained, television channels found themselves confronted with a very difficult challenge. Whereas film studios had been opened in great pomp and ceremony with the budgets of their moguls behind them thus allowing them to find their feet and carve their respective identities without a vast amount of competitive pressure placed upon them. Television did not benefit from such an auspicious start. The challenge that faced channels was to find their own identities and thus capture individual audience shares whilst fighting an uphill struggle to dislodge cinema from its spot atop the entertainment mountain. To take this would kind a special kind of organization. How could television not only catch up to cinema but also surpass it in popularity? Well, television started out with two significant advantages. Firstly, that of money. The far larger amount of broadcasting time inherent to television made it a much more viable target for financial gain than cinema which could only show any adverts to limited audiences. The commercial prospects of television soon became clear and this links us neatly with its second trump card. Throughout the 50s, television’s popularity exploded and families were rushing to buy them. The reason this had not occurred during the 1940s was that regulations concerning this new kind of entertainment were still getting sorted out and freed of problems. At the end of the 40s, television was still a luxury and commissions for TV channels had only really affected the East and West Coasts. However, in the 50s, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) decided to make the acquisition of such a commission far easier and soon, channels began appearing across the States, often broadcasting to a small area but carrying only limited-interest stories for its local people. Thus, television watching became a far more personal affair. As far as programme content, a specific identity for television developed slowly through the 50s with the launching of successful sitcoms such as I Love Lucy which carried high audience shares across the country. However, we can distinguish here the first example of a parody between two entertainment methods. Shows that were once popular on radio were being copied to television, with I Love Lucy a prime example of this. (Wikipedia, 2005) illustrates the identity-forming process of television by explaining how local television stations helped shape this process. Moving on from   merely showing advertisements for local companies, they began showing small serials and talk shows, some of which became national phenomenons. The local nature of this kind of television would eventually mostly fade away by the 70s but the damage done to cinema was irreparable. Television had entered the hearts and minds of successive American generations and it was here to stay. Here, we can draw a major comparison between cinema and television potentially parodying it. Merely watching a few episodes of these old-school sitcoms, we cannot help but be struck at the similarity of tone to the pre-war Hollywood days. It is necessary to diverge briefly to explain the state of mind of 1950s America. Before the war, the USA had undergone a massive recession caused by the Wall Street Crash and thus, it had fallen to the entertainment industry to help people forget their woes. The film industry had done this, as shown above, but the changes it had caused had not died away. Although World War II had caused the death of many a gallant young man, it had lifted the USA into a very buoyant mindset. With the European powers needing a decade more to recover from the conflict, with Japan’s military and economic potential temporarily annihilated, with China still reeling from its murderous invasion, the Soviet Union remained the only true challenge to America’s supremacy. But the Cold War had not yet begun in earnest and in the late 40s and early 50s, the USA saw itself as the world’s only true superpower. The much denigrated Eisenhower presidency kept the economy stable through a tricky balancing act and for most of America, life was good. The Americana dream adapted to no longer be a picture of great wealth but of blissful happiness. The family unit of 2.4 children, living in the comfortable and safe suburban districts with a white picket fence around a big house, was a dream that many wished to achieve and television could reflect that. Shows such as I Love Lucy portrayed a heavenly, glossy picture of American society which is ultimately matched nowhere in entertainment except among the idyllic American communities shown in early studio films. The Warners, Mayer and the others had all built up their studios from the ground up thanks to their own hard work. They were living proof of the possibilities America offered and thus showed this in their films. Television in the 50s emulated this entirely. The era was different, the clothing more modern but the ensemble feeling remained the same. This was not merely borne out in television sitcoms but also in adverts. Sitcoms would be interrupted for commercial upon commercial selling the latest washing-machine, vacuum-cleaner or kitchen appliance without which the dutiful housewife could not live. It is oddly ironic that many of today’s stereotypes about the 50s are a product of this kind of television. It needs to be remembered, However, that this often derided type of family life where the children skipped to school, rosy-cheeked and clutching an apple, while the father gave his loving wife a demure kiss on the cheek before heading to the office in his beautiful Chevrolet is not merely a myth. Around the suburbs of New York, San Francisco and the like, many families not only lived this kind of life but their children and grandchildren still do today. However, the way in which television chose to reflect this society in a utopian sense, glossing over any unpleasantness, was a definite rehashing of the technique used by the film studios of Hollywood twenty years previously. The adaptation of the two mediums and their direct battle for audience shares As television successfully found its feet and began a posing direct threat to cinema, studios were forced to change. After all, no other new form of entertainment had entered general society since the arrival of cinema before television and thus, cinema would have to fight to keep its audiences. A couple of things could be seen as certain before these changes would proceed. Firstly, cinema would never rival television for mass popularity and market potential due to the overwhelming availability of television and its presence in an increasing number of households across America. Secondly, one of television’s worrying tendencies was to garner a lot of advertising money from a wide swathe of big American companies. Electrical appliances, cars, clothes, foodstuffs and drinks were all sold on television during commercial breaks, a fact that cinema could not copy. However, studio executives soon found ways round this problem, ways in which although adverts could not be shown during the movie, surreptitious showing of products could have a similar effect. Product placement was born. Admittedly, in a society which with every passing year produces more and wastes more, it seems that studios have become less adept at making product placement seem natural rather than obvious. The 007 series had always been a treasure trove for companies wishing to place their symbols on James Bond’s latest gadget. With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan into the role However, any shred of subtlety vanished to be replaced with highly obvious use of products. For example, Brosnan’s type of car had always been one of the highlights of the film. In Die Another Day, the presence of the painfully named Aston Martin ‘Vanish’ only served as a sales pitch for the Vanquish. Such utterly shameless product placement did reach a crescendo in 2004 where the amount of plugging for Sony and Converse in I, Robot would have made Isaac Asimov turn in his grave. However, such behaviour can shed some light onto the type of post-modern audience that we are evolving in. Those detractors who claim that post-modernism is merely the natural by-product of such a senselessly wasteful society whose mechanisms result in the attempted alienation of anyone showing a shred of individuality. Whether this is true or not is difficult to ascertain but what is lamentable is that the artistic integrity which has existed since Aristotle is being compromised in cinema out of the desire to keep up with television. Thankfully, the presence of adverts in television, even if sometimes the length of advert breaks can be infuriating has meant this has not happened in television’s case. If we evolve in a post-modernist society, then these differing methods of merely pandering to our consumer’s instincts could seem to be a by-product of intense competition between two forms of popular entertainment. Unfortunately, cinema’s rapid changes would lead to renewed controversy over its spectatorship and its impact thereupon as explained by Lynn Spigel. The concept of spectatorship in itself is a fascinating one, not just within the framework of this dissertation, but also within the field of cinema and television research. The bearings that society can have upon an audience’s watching habits are a crucial fact to understanding how individuals, larger target groups or entire demographics will react to any kind of program. (Spigel, 1998) places the birth of the issue of spectatorship in the 70s as film studies began increasing in popularity. This rise in popularity and its link to audience research are vital as we can use them to comprehend not just how an audience would react to a pioneering film or series in either cinema or television but also how it would react to a parody or any kind of wholesale copying of a popular film or series by another medium of entertainment. The issues raised by Spigel are ones, she claims, whose roots lie back in the ideals of Marx and Lacan. From a psycho-analytical perspective, Spigel writes of the complexities of spectatorship research given the psychological aspects behind it. Although Spigel’s thoughts may be questioned in themselves, they do offer conclusive evidence of audience diversity today and how carefully each aspect of this diversity needs to be considered before deciding on scheduling or production. In this, we can see the great precautions television executives must need to take in order to contemplate parodying of any kind of popular film. Modern television, its workings and its impact upon the world Big, brash, loud. Three words which could describe much of the television programmes produced in America in recent years. Long gone is the demure image of the family sitting down to enjoy some good old American-style programming with shows such as Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie. Let’s face it, if these shows were produced today, they would face some accusations of glorifying witchcraft, yet another practice banned in Leviticus’ long list of gripes against the world. Somehow, the image of ABC being picketed for showing re-runs of Bewitched may at first strike us as absurd but with careful thought, does this seem so unlikely? One of the major problems facing network directors and schedulers is the problems they could face if showing any material seen as even slightly offensive to anybody. We will not engage here in mindless America-bashing but in a country that has long defended the right to free speech, both the film and television industries are being lambasted by religious and family protection groups for promoting violence and pornography. Whilst this could be understood if horror films were shown at hours when children watched TV or if their cartoons professed truly immoral practices but when complaints relate to Elmer Fudd shooting Bugs Bunny, one can wonder if the world has gone crazy. However insane these complaints can appear to be, they are still a startlingly important reality for today’s television. They form one of the biggest pressures on television executives who are caught in a tricky balancing act. They must maintain their audience shares by scheduling popular programming whilst also keeping packs of demented denigrators at bay. Interestingly, regulations concerning the effect of violent or sexual programming have been in place for decades. After all, most channels, even now with the new glut of cable and digital operators, have respected the 9 o’clock watershed before broadcasting any overly offensive material. Have they been secretly breaching rules of moral conduct in recent years? Whilst it is certain that television programmes do have an impact on those who watch them and while children will always care little about rules or regulations that protect them from exposition to negative images, can this be said to be the wholesale fault of the television industry? If the people want games, then games they shall have. This syllogism is one without which television stations cannot operate and although appeals could be made for public decency, violent and pornographic programmes will only be made and shown as long as the public has an interest in them. Thus, society should look to what elements within itself cause television to broadcast this type of programming rather than attack television for it. A recent example that shows just what a level of frenzy has been reached was the 2004 Superbowl. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson provided the entertainment when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s outfit, exposing her pierced right breast. Whether the stunt was pre-prepared or not has not been made crystal clear but the furore that surrounded the incident was mind-boggling. The family protection and decency groups went insane, denouncing all film and television workers as Hollywood sleaze. The fact that this slip occurred during an event with global broadcasting and with audiences reaching into the hundreds of millions blew it out of all proportion. For some reason, that a breast had been shown on national television before the watershed was seen as being a massive breach of public decency and as potentially warping the fragile little minds of innocent children. This level of problems goes a long way to showing the tonnage of pressure placed upon television channels. However, it is thankfully a trend that has not seemed to take hold outside the USA. The EU, Japan and Canada are subjected to the same kind of programming and although some complaints are voiced, they never garner so much media attention. Thus, we can see that the manners in which television panders to its audiences vary from country to country. We have highlighted television’s modus operandi in the USA but let us consider a cross-section of Japanese audiovisual entertainment. More than 20% of Japan’s cinematic output and a vast swathe of its popular television programs are made up of anime. Anime cartoons usually contain far more involved storyline than their American counterparts, replete with high levels of violence, sexy and skimpily-clad female characters and yet, these are watched by children of all ages. Does Japan thus see a higher violence rate among young children? No, in fact, the proportion of it is far lower in Japan than it is in the USA. However, even Japanese anime does not make it onto American airwaves without massive cuts by the censorship office. A good example of this is constituted by the popular anime series, Dragonball Z. In it, a group of fighters defend Earth from invasion by evil aliens or androids. Throughout its 250+ episodes, the show contains high levels of violence, including dismembering, decapitation and the beating of children. As can be imagined, when the show was broadcast in America on Cartoon Network, all these passages were cut to spare the minds of our children. However, in Japan, Dragonball Z aired in all its unadulterated gore and no-one seemed the worse for wear. This is not to say that so much violence on TV is good. Indeed, it is lamentable that it should exist at all but it is highly unfair to lay the blame for any consequences at the feet of an industry which is doing its best to keep as many people happy as possible. Although, we have taken a standpoint in attacking America for its high sensitivity when it comes to protecting its children, we have recently been confronted with proof that this type of protest does not only occur in the USA. For ten years, Jerry Springer shocked the nation with its own brand of low chatshow humour. Famed topics of debate involved the KKK, incest and bestiality. It had met with both acclaim and criticism at home, some calling it a true social commentary, other cheap laughter at others’ misfortunes. Anyway, the comedic potential of the idea was soon seen and in 2002, it was turned into a musical named Jerry Springer: The Opera, starring David Soul as Jerry Springer, showing in the West End and on Broadway. Controversy courted it throughout but its great success shouted down these demons. However, in January 2005, the BBC decided to show the musical in its entirety. As soon as this decision was made public, Christian right-wing groups attacked the BBC for insulting Christians when it would not dare the same about Muslims or Jews. While this claim did have some merit, the BBC ignored these claims and broadcast the show at 10 o’clock on a Monday night with clear warning beforehand about the potentially offensive content within it. Examples of this type of occurrence could number in their hundreds but they are an ideal way of investigating how modern audiences identify with television programmes and react to them. One of the basic tenets is that post-modernism is that reactions to any situation are processes created by each individual and that thus, clear definitions of knowledge or art encompassing a group or a society are baseless. In this, it can be argued that the very concept of a post-modern audience is flawed. However, whatever theory we choose to engage with, we cannot reject human nature. In the last twenty years, it seems that many among the generation of young people across America who fought in the 60s and 70s against Vietnam, against the Cold War, for Civil Rights and for many other noble causes have become dangerously jaded. America’s quality of life at the end of the 70s and in the 80s reached a high unseen since the 50s. Although the gap between rich and poor was ever-widening, the lifestyles of the middle and upper classes were prodigious. America was still afflicted with problems in Iran, Central America but the Soviet Block was crumbling and the mood among the general population was good. However, in the 80s and 90s occurred a phenomenon that not many people had truly predicted. The baby-boomers who had so been influential in re-shaping America after World War II were themselves beginning to be required to pass the torch to the next generation. Thus, the norms of society that they had created were themselves being challenged by their children. This shift occurred through the appropriation of traditional American areas of life by the younger generation such as television, cinema, the press as well as the fledgling Internet. We will look in further detail at the emergence of teenagers as a separate marketing entity and the impact of the home video on cinema and television as it entered this confused social maze. (Carberry, 2000) picks up on the popular image of television being viewed as a window on the world. This image, although adequate in some respects, also fails to pay attention to one crucial fact about television. If we look out of a window, we are certain that we will see will be real. A television does not offer this capacity. Television programmes are constructed and even factual news bulletins or documentaries can be edited to look the way the news director wants them to. We know enough of methods of communication to realize the propagandistic power of television and therefore we are conscious that we must always take a step back when rationalizing about something we have seen on television. Television, by its very nature, is as big a construct as cinema however Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television and Cinema in Post Modern Society Television mocking its big brother Cinema? Through parody is television mocking its big brother Cinema or is simply feeding the post-modern society? Artistic achievement has, in most societies, usually seen as one of the highest goals for its citizens with artists held in highest esteem in society. The Classical civilizations of Rome and Ancient Greece are rightly regarded as artistic highlights of world civilizations due to the unprecedented status given to artists of all trades: poets, painters, bards, actors, sculptors and musicians. This respect for excellence in the arts still exists today However modern art is unfortunately too often derided as a thing of paltry significance as compared to the great artists of the past. FPeriods of high accomplishment such as Ancient Greece or the Renaissance are rightly regarded as containing such artists whose skill and mastery of their respective disciplines may rarely be emulated, if ever. However, is that a reason for giving up on modern artistic output? After all, the twentieth century was that of Pollock, Rockwell and Hockney. But lest we forget, in the annals of history, it is doubtful that the past 100 years will be remembered for their contribution to age-old art forms such as painting or sculpture. Instead, it seems likely and indeed fair that the 20th century will be remembered for the creation, popularization and investigation of the audio-visual arts of cinema and television. From the first shots of the train moving out of Carpentras station, cinema has moved the hearts and minds of millions. The 20th century was witness to the greatest technological advancements in human history and artistic output followed suit. After the silent pictures of the 1900s first captures audiences to the first black-and-white talkies, cinematic progress could never be checked. From success to success, people round the world would be enchanted by Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, awed by Harryhausen’s special effects, moved by Gone With The Wind and horrified by Birth Of A Nation. Every decade would bring an advancement in cinematic output, something which would revolutionize the industry once again and bring new generations into cinemas. These constant progressions in cinema would take place at a far faster rate than in other arts due to several important factors. First of all, the Industrial Revolution of the late 19th-century had sent technological development across the world into a tail-spin which impacted cinema very positively by providing studios with a constant stream of new machinery, effects possibilities. The knock-on effect from this was of course that a steady stream of technicians would be trained and employed by the great studios. We will be analyzing the hiring and firing practices of the studio moguls as compared to the lifelong television employees further on in this dissertation. Another great reason for the appeal of cinema would be the characters contained within it. The glamour of Hollywood until the 1940s would make audiences dream across five continents up to the present day. The gritty reality of much of today’s cinematic output had not even been imagined and movies were used to make people dream of a greater life. We will use this opportunity to further analyze the setting-up of the movie studios, the Jewish origins of most of the moguls and the taste of Americana they injected into their projects later on. Furthermore, we will draw up a detailed comparison between the early days of both film and television, analyzing which tactics worked better in the battles for a limited audience. Even horrifying world events such as World War II would provide the film industry with invigoration as Hollywood and the pre-war German film studios would engage in a rivalry, the like of which has rarely been seen in the arts. With the Hollywood ban on exporting American films to the Third Reich, the motivation for German film-makers was extraordinary and names such as Murnau and Lang emerged as major players on the world cinema scene. Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of them fled Germany during or after the war to seek new lives in Hollywood. Many failed but some met with varying measures of success, the greatest legacy of this time possibly contained in Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis, the ominous skyline filled with skyscrapers working as a tribute to Lang’s first impressions of seeing New York harbour from far out at sea. However, even from that darkest period of human history has emerged some of the most shocking and lasting pieces of film. The films shot by the Allied forces of the Nazi concentration camps have proved perhaps the most important factor of documentary cinema. Beyond the artistry, beyond the emotional impact, cinema has provided humankind with an unlimited opportunity to document its own history, both good and bad. An opportunity television executives would notice and pick up on. Even today, the claims made by CNN and BBC such as ‘We are there as the news happens’ stem from the passion for news-stories instilled in people during the World War when small news flashes shown as previews before films in movie theatres were the only pictures civilians at home had of the war outside of newspapers. These propagandistic items were of course good for morale and television would soon enter into the fray, edging cinema out to take a monopoly over showing news programs. We must also consider another important area of research. The ‘parodying’ between television and cinema is a term of some ambiguity. Within this dissertation, we will also try and highlight the inherent differences between the terms of parody and emulation. As per rivalry in any kind of industry, some actions that may seem to be a parody of existing practices are in fact no more than emulation, a mere attempt to capitalize on a rival’s success. The concept of parody on the other hand is a very subtle one. Although television and cinema are by definition filled with some of the most acerbic minds in the world, minds quite ripe to create parody, it is somewhat naà ¯ve to think that these people would be allowed to impact decisions on scheduling and programme production. Only those at the summit of their popularity would be allowed their own shows, let alone given creative control of their shows. A recent example of this happening in Britain would be So Graham Norton. However, even these shows often fail as can be demonstrated as can be seen through the antics of stars such as Liza Minnelli, John McEnroe or Anna Nicole Smith. Thus, we can observe that the concept of pure parody being used by cinema and television for its own sake is somewhat mortifying, given the massive financial risks such an undertaking would incur. However, if parody was created to feed the viewing desires of a post-modern audience, then such an action becomes more realistic. To study this, we shall take an in-depth look at the nature of today’s post-modern audience and their viewing habits. In this dissertation, we will be looking in more depth at the first fledgling footsteps of both these art forms, the characters that helped build them up to their global statuses as well as two important periods in their history. The 50s and 60s where cinema and television were in direct competition through the slow transition period of the 70s and 80s into the modern-day scenario of co-operation. With this journey through time, we will be looking at trends pioneered by each of them and looking at any sharing or borrowing of ideas between the two mediums, we shall observe their long and drawn-out rivalry as well as the numerous examples of co-operation between them. The Glamour Years or the faint ridicule of cinema’s golden age If 90% of leadership is showing up, then we can hardly be surprised at the manner in which the men who would become studio moguls quickly rose to the top of this brand new industry. The founders of Paramount, RKO, MGM, Fox and Warner Bros. were for the vast majority immigrants or children of immigrants who had come to America either to seek their fortune or who had grown up with the image of America as this place of opportunity. In the first two decades of the 20th century, these views were far truer than they are now but to attain what one desired when the bar was so high, a lot of hard work would have to be carried out over many years. Thankfully, hard work was what these men’s families had been built on. Possessing this instinct along with a fine sense for business acumen, which some would sarcastically claim was due to their Jewish nature, Mayer, Goldwyn and the others would take the American cinematic market by storm. Before continuing, let us dispel any lingering images of these men helping each other out on their way to success. They entered a ruthless line of business where they were in direct competition and they tried everything to ruin each other, from slandering each other in the popular press to stealing actors and actresses. However, more united them than the moguls would have cared to admit. Since most of them had risen from humble beginnings, their visions of America were an embodiment of the American Dream that had influenced the migration of countless thousands from their home countries. The MGM studio, for example, would become synonymous with Technicolor musicals such as The Wizard of Oz portraying the world as a happy, bright place where everyone lived contently. The Warners would take a more active interest in social commentary but even their early efforts never went too far in criticizing a society that had offered them so much. Across the studio divide, the concepts of method acting had never even been considered and the goal of cinema was to make their actors and actresses look glamorous while portraying a style of life that would make every American dream in wonder. Why this image can be considered with a slight tint of ridicule is its existence in the middle of such troubled times. In the space of thirty years, America would fight in the two bloodiest conflicts in human history yet still, the studios churned out glossy movies, filled with beautiful dames and jolly banter. But here, once again, we strike a familiar obstacle, one that both film and television have met too many times. Too often in criticism about their history, studios or television networks are blamed for the programmes they carry or films they produce. Unfortunately, whilst they cannot be absolved of all blame, the relationship between social trends and popular entertainment is an obvious one. At a time in its history when America was fighting wars, undergoing a recession as well as Prohibition, the last thing American audiences wanted was to be served up with depressing fare that they could identify with. If another example of this is needed, look at what kind of cinema was popularized in the 50s. After the war, the film noir came of age and rose to ascendancy when American society was doing well and people felt good about themselves. A crucial fact that those who are all too quick to lay blame at the feet of the studios is that films and television programs will only be made if their creators feel they will be well-received by the general public. Television’s first faltering footsteps The intertwining and complex relationship between cinema and television cannot only be analyzed from the perspectives of programme similarity and audience sharing. Those who decided on what programmes should be commissioned, those who researched audiences to determine what kind of target audiences should be tapped, those who decided on what type of scheduling to choose at any given time of day, these television executives, producers and network directors would be the ones that would outline how television would evolve from one year to the next. As has been explained, television channels found themselves confronted with a very difficult challenge. Whereas film studios had been opened in great pomp and ceremony with the budgets of their moguls behind them thus allowing them to find their feet and carve their respective identities without a vast amount of competitive pressure placed upon them. Television did not benefit from such an auspicious start. The challenge that faced channels was to find their own identities and thus capture individual audience shares whilst fighting an uphill struggle to dislodge cinema from its spot atop the entertainment mountain. To take this would kind a special kind of organization. How could television not only catch up to cinema but also surpass it in popularity? Well, television started out with two significant advantages. Firstly, that of money. The far larger amount of broadcasting time inherent to television made it a much more viable target for financial gain than cinema which could only show any adverts to limited audiences. The commercial prospects of television soon became clear and this links us neatly with its second trump card. Throughout the 50s, television’s popularity exploded and families were rushing to buy them. The reason this had not occurred during the 1940s was that regulations concerning this new kind of entertainment were still getting sorted out and freed of problems. At the end of the 40s, television was still a luxury and commissions for TV channels had only really affected the East and West Coasts. However, in the 50s, the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) decided to make the acquisition of such a commission far easier and soon, channels began appearing across the States, often broadcasting to a small area but carrying only limited-interest stories for its local people. Thus, television watching became a far more personal affair. As far as programme content, a specific identity for television developed slowly through the 50s with the launching of successful sitcoms such as I Love Lucy which carried high audience shares across the country. However, we can distinguish here the first example of a parody between two entertainment methods. Shows that were once popular on radio were being copied to television, with I Love Lucy a prime example of this. (Wikipedia, 2005) illustrates the identity-forming process of television by explaining how local television stations helped shape this process. Moving on from   merely showing advertisements for local companies, they began showing small serials and talk shows, some of which became national phenomenons. The local nature of this kind of television would eventually mostly fade away by the 70s but the damage done to cinema was irreparable. Television had entered the hearts and minds of successive American generations and it was here to stay. Here, we can draw a major comparison between cinema and television potentially parodying it. Merely watching a few episodes of these old-school sitcoms, we cannot help but be struck at the similarity of tone to the pre-war Hollywood days. It is necessary to diverge briefly to explain the state of mind of 1950s America. Before the war, the USA had undergone a massive recession caused by the Wall Street Crash and thus, it had fallen to the entertainment industry to help people forget their woes. The film industry had done this, as shown above, but the changes it had caused had not died away. Although World War II had caused the death of many a gallant young man, it had lifted the USA into a very buoyant mindset. With the European powers needing a decade more to recover from the conflict, with Japan’s military and economic potential temporarily annihilated, with China still reeling from its murderous invasion, the Soviet Union remained the only true challenge to America’s supremacy. But the Cold War had not yet begun in earnest and in the late 40s and early 50s, the USA saw itself as the world’s only true superpower. The much denigrated Eisenhower presidency kept the economy stable through a tricky balancing act and for most of America, life was good. The Americana dream adapted to no longer be a picture of great wealth but of blissful happiness. The family unit of 2.4 children, living in the comfortable and safe suburban districts with a white picket fence around a big house, was a dream that many wished to achieve and television could reflect that. Shows such as I Love Lucy portrayed a heavenly, glossy picture of American society which is ultimately matched nowhere in entertainment except among the idyllic American communities shown in early studio films. The Warners, Mayer and the others had all built up their studios from the ground up thanks to their own hard work. They were living proof of the possibilities America offered and thus showed this in their films. Television in the 50s emulated this entirely. The era was different, the clothing more modern but the ensemble feeling remained the same. This was not merely borne out in television sitcoms but also in adverts. Sitcoms would be interrupted for commercial upon commercial selling the latest washing-machine, vacuum-cleaner or kitchen appliance without which the dutiful housewife could not live. It is oddly ironic that many of today’s stereotypes about the 50s are a product of this kind of television. It needs to be remembered, However, that this often derided type of family life where the children skipped to school, rosy-cheeked and clutching an apple, while the father gave his loving wife a demure kiss on the cheek before heading to the office in his beautiful Chevrolet is not merely a myth. Around the suburbs of New York, San Francisco and the like, many families not only lived this kind of life but their children and grandchildren still do today. However, the way in which television chose to reflect this society in a utopian sense, glossing over any unpleasantness, was a definite rehashing of the technique used by the film studios of Hollywood twenty years previously. The adaptation of the two mediums and their direct battle for audience shares As television successfully found its feet and began a posing direct threat to cinema, studios were forced to change. After all, no other new form of entertainment had entered general society since the arrival of cinema before television and thus, cinema would have to fight to keep its audiences. A couple of things could be seen as certain before these changes would proceed. Firstly, cinema would never rival television for mass popularity and market potential due to the overwhelming availability of television and its presence in an increasing number of households across America. Secondly, one of television’s worrying tendencies was to garner a lot of advertising money from a wide swathe of big American companies. Electrical appliances, cars, clothes, foodstuffs and drinks were all sold on television during commercial breaks, a fact that cinema could not copy. However, studio executives soon found ways round this problem, ways in which although adverts could not be shown during the movie, surreptitious showing of products could have a similar effect. Product placement was born. Admittedly, in a society which with every passing year produces more and wastes more, it seems that studios have become less adept at making product placement seem natural rather than obvious. The 007 series had always been a treasure trove for companies wishing to place their symbols on James Bond’s latest gadget. With the arrival of Pierce Brosnan into the role However, any shred of subtlety vanished to be replaced with highly obvious use of products. For example, Brosnan’s type of car had always been one of the highlights of the film. In Die Another Day, the presence of the painfully named Aston Martin ‘Vanish’ only served as a sales pitch for the Vanquish. Such utterly shameless product placement did reach a crescendo in 2004 where the amount of plugging for Sony and Converse in I, Robot would have made Isaac Asimov turn in his grave. However, such behaviour can shed some light onto the type of post-modern audience that we are evolving in. Those detractors who claim that post-modernism is merely the natural by-product of such a senselessly wasteful society whose mechanisms result in the attempted alienation of anyone showing a shred of individuality. Whether this is true or not is difficult to ascertain but what is lamentable is that the artistic integrity which has existed since Aristotle is being compromised in cinema out of the desire to keep up with television. Thankfully, the presence of adverts in television, even if sometimes the length of advert breaks can be infuriating has meant this has not happened in television’s case. If we evolve in a post-modernist society, then these differing methods of merely pandering to our consumer’s instincts could seem to be a by-product of intense competition between two forms of popular entertainment. Unfortunately, cinema’s rapid changes would lead to renewed controversy over its spectatorship and its impact thereupon as explained by Lynn Spigel. The concept of spectatorship in itself is a fascinating one, not just within the framework of this dissertation, but also within the field of cinema and television research. The bearings that society can have upon an audience’s watching habits are a crucial fact to understanding how individuals, larger target groups or entire demographics will react to any kind of program. (Spigel, 1998) places the birth of the issue of spectatorship in the 70s as film studies began increasing in popularity. This rise in popularity and its link to audience research are vital as we can use them to comprehend not just how an audience would react to a pioneering film or series in either cinema or television but also how it would react to a parody or any kind of wholesale copying of a popular film or series by another medium of entertainment. The issues raised by Spigel are ones, she claims, whose roots lie back in the ideals of Marx and Lacan. From a psycho-analytical perspective, Spigel writes of the complexities of spectatorship research given the psychological aspects behind it. Although Spigel’s thoughts may be questioned in themselves, they do offer conclusive evidence of audience diversity today and how carefully each aspect of this diversity needs to be considered before deciding on scheduling or production. In this, we can see the great precautions television executives must need to take in order to contemplate parodying of any kind of popular film. Modern television, its workings and its impact upon the world Big, brash, loud. Three words which could describe much of the television programmes produced in America in recent years. Long gone is the demure image of the family sitting down to enjoy some good old American-style programming with shows such as Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie. Let’s face it, if these shows were produced today, they would face some accusations of glorifying witchcraft, yet another practice banned in Leviticus’ long list of gripes against the world. Somehow, the image of ABC being picketed for showing re-runs of Bewitched may at first strike us as absurd but with careful thought, does this seem so unlikely? One of the major problems facing network directors and schedulers is the problems they could face if showing any material seen as even slightly offensive to anybody. We will not engage here in mindless America-bashing but in a country that has long defended the right to free speech, both the film and television industries are being lambasted by religious and family protection groups for promoting violence and pornography. Whilst this could be understood if horror films were shown at hours when children watched TV or if their cartoons professed truly immoral practices but when complaints relate to Elmer Fudd shooting Bugs Bunny, one can wonder if the world has gone crazy. However insane these complaints can appear to be, they are still a startlingly important reality for today’s television. They form one of the biggest pressures on television executives who are caught in a tricky balancing act. They must maintain their audience shares by scheduling popular programming whilst also keeping packs of demented denigrators at bay. Interestingly, regulations concerning the effect of violent or sexual programming have been in place for decades. After all, most channels, even now with the new glut of cable and digital operators, have respected the 9 o’clock watershed before broadcasting any overly offensive material. Have they been secretly breaching rules of moral conduct in recent years? Whilst it is certain that television programmes do have an impact on those who watch them and while children will always care little about rules or regulations that protect them from exposition to negative images, can this be said to be the wholesale fault of the television industry? If the people want games, then games they shall have. This syllogism is one without which television stations cannot operate and although appeals could be made for public decency, violent and pornographic programmes will only be made and shown as long as the public has an interest in them. Thus, society should look to what elements within itself cause television to broadcast this type of programming rather than attack television for it. A recent example that shows just what a level of frenzy has been reached was the 2004 Superbowl. Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson provided the entertainment when Timberlake ripped off part of Jackson’s outfit, exposing her pierced right breast. Whether the stunt was pre-prepared or not has not been made crystal clear but the furore that surrounded the incident was mind-boggling. The family protection and decency groups went insane, denouncing all film and television workers as Hollywood sleaze. The fact that this slip occurred during an event with global broadcasting and with audiences reaching into the hundreds of millions blew it out of all proportion. For some reason, that a breast had been shown on national television before the watershed was seen as being a massive breach of public decency and as potentially warping the fragile little minds of innocent children. This level of problems goes a long way to showing the tonnage of pressure placed upon television channels. However, it is thankfully a trend that has not seemed to take hold outside the USA. The EU, Japan and Canada are subjected to the same kind of programming and although some complaints are voiced, they never garner so much media attention. Thus, we can see that the manners in which television panders to its audiences vary from country to country. We have highlighted television’s modus operandi in the USA but let us consider a cross-section of Japanese audiovisual entertainment. More than 20% of Japan’s cinematic output and a vast swathe of its popular television programs are made up of anime. Anime cartoons usually contain far more involved storyline than their American counterparts, replete with high levels of violence, sexy and skimpily-clad female characters and yet, these are watched by children of all ages. Does Japan thus see a higher violence rate among young children? No, in fact, the proportion of it is far lower in Japan than it is in the USA. However, even Japanese anime does not make it onto American airwaves without massive cuts by the censorship office. A good example of this is constituted by the popular anime series, Dragonball Z. In it, a group of fighters defend Earth from invasion by evil aliens or androids. Throughout its 250+ episodes, the show contains high levels of violence, including dismembering, decapitation and the beating of children. As can be imagined, when the show was broadcast in America on Cartoon Network, all these passages were cut to spare the minds of our children. However, in Japan, Dragonball Z aired in all its unadulterated gore and no-one seemed the worse for wear. This is not to say that so much violence on TV is good. Indeed, it is lamentable that it should exist at all but it is highly unfair to lay the blame for any consequences at the feet of an industry which is doing its best to keep as many people happy as possible. Although, we have taken a standpoint in attacking America for its high sensitivity when it comes to protecting its children, we have recently been confronted with proof that this type of protest does not only occur in the USA. For ten years, Jerry Springer shocked the nation with its own brand of low chatshow humour. Famed topics of debate involved the KKK, incest and bestiality. It had met with both acclaim and criticism at home, some calling it a true social commentary, other cheap laughter at others’ misfortunes. Anyway, the comedic potential of the idea was soon seen and in 2002, it was turned into a musical named Jerry Springer: The Opera, starring David Soul as Jerry Springer, showing in the West End and on Broadway. Controversy courted it throughout but its great success shouted down these demons. However, in January 2005, the BBC decided to show the musical in its entirety. As soon as this decision was made public, Christian right-wing groups attacked the BBC for insulting Christians when it would not dare the same about Muslims or Jews. While this claim did have some merit, the BBC ignored these claims and broadcast the show at 10 o’clock on a Monday night with clear warning beforehand about the potentially offensive content within it. Examples of this type of occurrence could number in their hundreds but they are an ideal way of investigating how modern audiences identify with television programmes and react to them. One of the basic tenets is that post-modernism is that reactions to any situation are processes created by each individual and that thus, clear definitions of knowledge or art encompassing a group or a society are baseless. In this, it can be argued that the very concept of a post-modern audience is flawed. However, whatever theory we choose to engage with, we cannot reject human nature. In the last twenty years, it seems that many among the generation of young people across America who fought in the 60s and 70s against Vietnam, against the Cold War, for Civil Rights and for many other noble causes have become dangerously jaded. America’s quality of life at the end of the 70s and in the 80s reached a high unseen since the 50s. Although the gap between rich and poor was ever-widening, the lifestyles of the middle and upper classes were prodigious. America was still afflicted with problems in Iran, Central America but the Soviet Block was crumbling and the mood among the general population was good. However, in the 80s and 90s occurred a phenomenon that not many people had truly predicted. The baby-boomers who had so been influential in re-shaping America after World War II were themselves beginning to be required to pass the torch to the next generation. Thus, the norms of society that they had created were themselves being challenged by their children. This shift occurred through the appropriation of traditional American areas of life by the younger generation such as television, cinema, the press as well as the fledgling Internet. We will look in further detail at the emergence of teenagers as a separate marketing entity and the impact of the home video on cinema and television as it entered this confused social maze. (Carberry, 2000) picks up on the popular image of television being viewed as a window on the world. This image, although adequate in some respects, also fails to pay attention to one crucial fact about television. If we look out of a window, we are certain that we will see will be real. A television does not offer this capacity. Television programmes are constructed and even factual news bulletins or documentaries can be edited to look the way the news director wants them to. We know enough of methods of communication to realize the propagandistic power of television and therefore we are conscious that we must always take a step back when rationalizing about something we have seen on television. Television, by its very nature, is as big a construct as cinema however