Thursday, October 31, 2019

Discussing the Situations in Criminal Law Assignment

Discussing the Situations in Criminal Law - Assignment Example Intention leads the guilty party to have prior foresight of consequences that will take place should the act be carried out. It is different from recklessness since on a subjective basis, there remains foresight without the hope of actually bringing about results. The problem in the courts of law is that the borderline between intention and recklessness is too vague. The court has to decide the extent of the desire to carry out the act and convert recklessness into intention. In DPP v Smith (1961) AC 290, the test was that the individual was taken to foresee and intend to bring about the likeliest actions if he carried out his intentions. One, 'subjective' recklessness; In this case, the defendant understands that a risk may occur if a certain action is carried out, still despite knowing this he still chooses to take that action ignoring the results of his actions. This is often seen when the guilty party decides to drive under the influence knowing full well that his actions could cause an accident. Two, 'objective' recklessness arises when it is apparent to everyone apart from the defendant that there was a risk. Therefore the risk is so apparent that despite the defendant claims not to have considered the risk this is irrelevant. The intention has many different levels at the most serious intention can lead to murder. The degrees of intention range from pure intention to recklessness dependant on the nature and seriousness of the crime. When the most serious degree of culpability, justifies the most serious degree of punishment both elements are found in the defendant's mind. (a subjective test) An individual who plots and carries out an act of crime is thought of like a more serious threat than the one who behaves recklessly. An opportunist might find a sudden opportunity to steal something or become so angry that they harm another. Intention can also arise from the common law principle as well. One of the most critical sources in the early development of the law on recklessness was an academic piece of work. In his book Outlines of Criminal Law' (published in 1902), Professor Kenny discussed the definition of "maliciously", with specific reference to arson. A large amount of the information in the book was founded on the judgment in the case of R v Harris. At the beginning of the century, the fundamental state of the law concerning recklessness was that it was a subjective test that determined the men's rea in criminal acts where the necessary men's rea for the defendant was to carry out an act. Â  

Monday, October 28, 2019

An Analysis of the opening sequences of Luhrmanns Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the opening sequences of Luhrmanns Essay I think Luhrmann repeated the prologue three times to make people understand what was to come, because he did not add the last two lines which were In which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. In other words, meaning that if you have not understood this prologue they hoped their hard work helps you understand it.  The first time the prologue is shown is when the news reporter is on the news reading out the prologue. She has a modern American accent towards this but it seems as if Luhrmann has kept to the old Shakespearean language; also, there is the picture of a ring in the corner. The sequence starts of with interference and then it tunes in onto the news, then the news reporter starts reading out the prologue. To put it in media terms I would say the first few shots of the zoom in creating a lead up to the extreme close up of the news reporter. I would say then that a medium close up was used until the second time the prologue was shown. I think this interpretation of the prologue represents how important and how serious the conflict between the families is and shows the end of both lovers also showing the end of the feud. The second time the prologue is shown, it shows a serious of pictures of Verona Beach according to the lines of the prologue, which is now read by a man. Either, he wanted to make the prologue stronger by doing that or make a change to get it stuck in peoples head. There are loads of newspaper cuttings but one of the newspapers shows both the families, which ends up in flames. It also shows images of two skyscrapers one with Montague on top and the other with Capulet also God (Jesus) is standing in the middle showing, I think this shows that the feud might have gone to far and God has now stepped in to stop it. Also at the end of this both the families are shown with the other characters apart from Romeo and Juliet. In the Mise-en-scene of the completely said prologue, there were close-ups of the families, medium shots, long shots, birds eye view shots, etc. The third time the prologue is shown the writing comes up. In addition, there are a few scenes from the film later on, which gives us an insight of whats to come.  This start gives us quite a lot of insight to the film this gives us a head start to whats to come from the whole film. In this interpretation, I think there were only quick shots used to give an effect of how quick the story went.  I think the audience might get a different feeling from each time the prologue because it shows different types of ways to express the prologue it shows the end, beginning and middle. In Act 1, Scene 1 the two families boys have a comical fight at a petrol station but it shows the first actual conflict between the families. The Montague boys go down to petrol station and to represent them they have loud rap music in the background, whereas when the Capulet boys arrive they have spaghetti western music to represent them so the director might be trying to say that the Capulet boys are more old fashioned and that the Montague boys are more modern. Luhrmann creates an atmosphere of many things in this scene but the main three things are tension, fear and excitement. I first of all think Luhrmann created this by showing the anger between both families this both created tension and fear of one another, he done this by introducing the boys and slowly setting the scene up till both families started being rude to each other. Both families show this by Body Language and Face Expressions. I think the Montagues though felt more threatened by the Capulets because when the Capulets appeared they suddenly had a sense of fear in them, which created quite a bit of tension. The next thing was excitement this was that of the fight they were going to have and because of the tension Luhrmann had created he had to even it out by using humour, I think he done this by using the tension he had already created. When he had one of the Montague boys licking his nipples to scare the nuns and when he had one of the women in the car hitting him on the head with her handbag. I think he used a cowboy film clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, to make the scene more interesting and to make the fight presentable he used hidden typical cowboy props such as the flipping sign and music. But by doing this he has really stereotyped the western cowboy material but I am not trying to say that he is not doing what any other modern director does because they all stereotype in their films one way or another. I feel the opening scenes to a film are most crucial and I found that the opening scenes to Romeo and Juliet were quite substantial, the scenes of the prologue were quite short but short of this fact, it was very informative. However, I think it was difficult for Luhrmann to create the rest of the movie after such a good start but I think he done this during Act 1, Scene 1 by showing just how terrible the feud was in this case I mean hurting people who are not even involved in the fight. I personally think that the targeted audience for this film is from people aged  15 -30 years old as some of the violence would be too much for little kids, to take in and mostly the language and sense of this story would confuse them whereas if you showed it to an older person over 30 they would probably be more interested in a calm love story with not so much violence.  In my opinion, the opening scenes to this film were portrayed as an insight to the rest of the film. I see the representation of the prologues as a beginning, middle and end, but as the first act and first scene come up, I feel as if the whole film has started again but from a different angle. I also think that Luhrmann took on a great task and that was to re- enact Shakespeares greatest love story and I also think he done that well.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Roles Played By Reason And Imagination In Knowledge Philosophy Essay

Roles Played By Reason And Imagination In Knowledge Philosophy Essay The role played by imagination was insignificant in the achievement of knowledge due to its confusing and tentative nature and that rational thought was the sources of much knowledge believed Sir Francis Bacon, a deterministic, Renaissance rationalist.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  The Critique of Pure Reason contrasts this view, stating that both reason and imagination are necessary for acquiring knowledge.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  However, to what extent can Bacons views on reason and imagination be justified? This essay will examine such a concept through the exploration of the four ways of knowing (perception, language, emotion and reason) as well as two areas of knowledge, which will be history and the natural sciences. The Critique of Pure Reason is written by Immanuel Kant, a theorist. He mostly concerned himself with the metaphysical world, a reality based on abstract and empirical concepts. The proposition of this idea is bizarre coming from a man who lived in the Age of Reason when being rational was considered the ultimate and most accurate way of knowing. Reason is defined as the process of thinking and gaining knowledge through manipulation, integration and evaluation of facts and ideas, it can be either deductive reasoning (from the general to the particular) or inductive reasoning (from the particular to general principles)  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  . Whereas imagination is defined as the power of reproducing images stored in the memory under the suggestion of associated images or of recombining former experiences to create new images  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  Using the above definitions, incorporating the four ways of knowing and the two areas of knowledge to address the knowledge issue: are the roles of reason and imagination necessary to gain adequate knowledge in the areas of the natural sciences and history? Firstly, the definition of adequate is to be provided. According to the Encarta English Dictionary, adequate is defined as sufficient in quality or quantity to meet a need or qualify for something. It has been accepted that achieving absolute truth is virtually impossible, thus the knowledge issue is worded in a manner to account for this. History is defined as the study of the past  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  by Richard van de Lagemaat and by Britannica Encyclopedia as the discipline that studies the chronological record of events (as affecting a nation or people), based on a critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  ; it is essentially a study of human behavior. In schools, history falls under the humanities subject department or in the literary arts, yet, there are some who contest this idea and believe it should be considered more a natural science than a literary art or humanities subject. The writing language of written history incorporates an emotional aspect. This can be justified by the means of identifying the roles of reason and imagination in history. Due to its definition supplied by Britannica, history requires reason, and because the language used to define the subject, history is made to seem as though it is mimicking a scientific doctrine. A scientific doctrine is defined as the results of an experiment must be both independently verifiable and independently reproducible.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  From this definition, however, it presents a counter argument. It suggest that history cannot be a considered a natural science due to its non-experimental nature; one cannot reproduce or change the past, only analyze and learn from it. It is subjective and owns a subcategory of historiography which is the critical response to an in-depth analysis of sources, transforming them into narratives to justify events, why they happened the way they did and explaining the psyche behind the decisions made.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  Scientists argue that the perspective of a historian is adjusted, predetermined before he starts his work as he will only look for sources and information to prove his hypothesis.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  Nonetheless, with only reason, history would remain incomplete. Ele ments of historiography are more imaginative than historians prefer to let on; there are gaps in the information. There is no possibility that ever single second of history will ever be recorded, and only as of recent, we have managed to become very close to this aspiration with the invention of things such as the internet and world news as it happens, making the recording of history easier but much more open to interpretation. This involves imagination, rather than reason. Reason does not allow for outside-of-the-box thought patterns, traditionally; and imagination is required to piece together the delicate puzzle in a poetic and sensible way. History is also plagued with the idea of hindsight bias. These are tendencies to believe, after learning of an outcome, that one could have foreseen it.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  Hindsight bias can be considered to have rational elements, but also consists of fallacies like cognitive bias. This, according to Wikipedia, is a pattern of dev iation in judgment that occurs in particular situations.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  History, or at least accurate history, is not produced by mere imagination, devotions and poetic utterances, if it were just art; a writer could compose a whole new reality than what really happened outside his own imagination. Historians have archaeology to draw from. They have primary documents that tell them what people were declaring. They cannot verify the way scientists can, but they can be empirical. It can be deduced that history is a science. There may indeed be scientific elements in judging a military situation  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  ; nevertheless, there are an equal number of factors that simply cannot be scientifically quantified. In order for history to be as actuate as possible, both imagination and reason play key roles in acquiring knowledge. The role of imagination in history is that with which one can understand the events that transpire around a particular situation. Re ason plays a role in establishing what the event is. Without the imagination, reason is only a few written words; with the imagination, reason becomes more powerful and substantiating. Natural sciences are recognized as a model for knowledge owing to many factors, prime among which is their capacity to explain and make precise predictions.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  Natural sciences are often known as hard sciences, consisting of biology, chemistry and physics. They are often considered to be solely rational subjects that defy religion and question the world we live in, believed to give automatic proof of intellectual superiority because of its empirical data and facts and use of rational thinking, devoid of emotion and laden with precise and concise language. The idea of natural sciences as a literary art is nearly unheard of. This idea follows Bacons school of thought. Alternatively, in the spirit of Kants school of thought, it can also be considered a capacity for imaginative thinking. Most scientific laws and theories known today can be considered to have started with a creative endeavor, beginning with thought and imagination even though it is scientificall y based.  [CITATION TIM62 l 1033]  The thought that reason is the purest and truest way of attaining knowledge, an idea from the 17th century Renaissance, known as the Age of Reason, is slowly becoming contradicted. For example, the now respected idea that a high IQ is not a reliable sign of giftedness may simply indicate convergent thinking. Truly creative children are said to have divergent thinking that tend to find IQ tests boring and do not readily accept the right answer as the right one. A Chicago team devised various tests to spot divergent thinkers, testing 95 school boys. The test asked students to make up alternate endings for fables, instead of simply picking the right answers, and to write stories suggested by stimuli such as pictures which supply many different uses for everyday objects. Surprisingly, the top scores came from those specializing in history and English literature. The least creative, according to Hudsons findings, were the natural science students. Y oung scientists, says Hudson, tend to be less intellectually flexible than young arts specialists and more restricted emotionally.  [CITATION The08 l 1033]  In natural science, imagination is needed in order to correctly interpret data and create further possibilities for experimentation, although reason is used to ascertain whether or not ones findings and ones methods are realistic. There is little to suggest that the artists view point of science is more than just a thought or crazy theory, but it is evidently important for the scientist to view the world from an imaginative perpective. The idea of natural science as an art has only been seen in science fiction literatures, however, the language used in these works are generally emotionally laden even though they give the perception of being scientifically concise. Even though it has the word science in it, and presents logically plausible notions (in some cases), science fiction is often associated with imagination and fanta sy rather than reason and logic. Overall, it can be concluded that neither imagination nor reason are ruling aspects of history or natural science, but are necessary together in creating tangibility and some degree of certainty in attaining knowledge. Both of them create counterparts for each other making them unable to logically exist alone. It can be argued that Bacons views on reason and imagination are fairly unjustified as the roles of both are necessary to gain adequate knowledge and understanding in the natural sciences and history, as without one, the other becomes nearly useless; it supports Kants thesis, The Critique of Pure Reason. It is clear that Bacon failed to see the necessity of corresponding thoughts to create an ideological notion, integrating both aspects of acquiring knowledge for reason and imagination are highly dependent on each other for support. Word count: 1,602

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Essay --

â€Å"You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.† (Twain, 181). In Adventures of Huckleberry Finn written by Mark Twain. Huck is a young boy in the 1840s; he runs away from home and floats down the Mississippi River. He meets a runaway slave named Jim and the two go on a series of adventures leading to Jim’s freedom. Throughout the novel, Huck slowly changes his views of racism. As Huck begins to have a change of heart, he gradually begins to decide between right and wrong. As a result, Huck faces moral dilemma of being between the world's prejudice that he learned growing up, and the lessons Jim has taught him throughout the story about the evils of racism. Huck’s struggles are revealed through the conflicts with his moral beliefs and cultural dilemmas. This is shown through his conflicts with himself, with other characters and society. Huck struggles with himself through his moral beliefs. Huck struggles with himself because he grows up in the lower class and when he moves in with the Widow it is hard for him to adjust to the life of the upper class. Huck is speaking to the reader at the beginning of the novel about events that have occurred in the previous novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Huck explains how he was adopted by The Widow Douglas and how she tried to civilize him. â€Å"The Widow Douglas she took me for her son, and allowed she would sivilize me; but it was rough living in the house all the time †¦ when I couldn’t stand it no longer I lit out †¦ But Tom Sawyer he hunted me up and said he was going to start a band of robbers, and I might join if I would go back to the widow and be respectable. So I went back† (2). This passage shows how Huck is being civilized by the widow and since he is from the lower class ... ...uck’s struggles are revealed through his conflicts with his morals and beliefs. This is shown through the conflicts with himself, other characters and society. Huck struggles with himself when he is trying to send a letter to the Widow Douglas about Jim where being. Huck contemplates but can only think of reason to tear the letter up. Also, Huck struggles with others because many characters influence Huck’s morals and beliefs. Jim has a big effect on Huck’s life because he changes Huck’s belief of Africans. Lastly, Huck struggles with the expectations that society has put on him. As Huck begins to have a change of heart, he gradually begins to decide between his morals and beliefs. Therefore, Huck faces moral dilemmas of being between the world's prejudice that he learned growing up, and the lessons Jim has taught him throughout the story about the evils of racism.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Race by the Numbers Essay

In his article, â€Å"Race by the Numbers†, Orlando Patterson argued about the misinterpretation of the census results and that this misinformation is having negative effects on the perspective of the people. The misinterpreted part of the census, according to Patterson, was the idea that the population of the Whites is becoming the minority in many areas of the country. Thus, Patterson offered arguments and ideas to disprove the validity of the interpretation. However, the question is whether or not Patterson was able to persuade the readers, the citizens, that the interpretation of the census report was indeed incorrect. Patterson’s article is full of information especially statistical and quantitative information that helped him in establishing ground for his arguments. Patterson statement that â€Å"48 percent of Hispanics classified themselves as solely white† (p. 83) adds to his persuasive argument that is also supported by the next sentence in the article, â€Å"Hispanics can be of any race† (p. 83). These statements clearly supported the fact that the total percentage of Whites in was decreased as interpreted by the census report. Patterson also included studies that affirm his claim including recent census result. Patterson stated that, â€Å"whites will constitute 74. 8 percent of the total population in 2050, and that non-Hispanics will still be 52. 8 percent of the total† (p. 83) as indicated by the recent census. With such facts indicated in the article, it can be said that Patterson was able to build a strong evidence and supporting detains and information regarding his assertions. Thus, his argument, regarding the population of white Americans in the country, is a â€Å"gross distortion† (Patterson p. 83) is not a mere point of view but is supported by facts and relevant information. By establishing the facts and the arguments, it can be said that Patterson’s main purpose of writing the article was to show that the population of whites in America is still and will continue to be the majority; disproving the assumption that â€Å"non-Hispanic whites will cease to be the majority† (Patterson, p. 82). By doing so, Patterson aims to encourage the whites that they still are the majority and will continue to be. In this case, Patterson was able to do great job through his article. However, Patterson also indicated in his article the idea that â€Å"each group in the new minority-majority country has longstanding grievances against whites†, thus, Patterson may also want to claim the invalidity of this assertion through his article. But in this case, was Patterson effective? Basing from the article, Patterson was really able to encourage the whites and take away the doubt that they will cease to be the majority. However, Patterson was not able to take away the idea that minority groups in America have grievances on whites. On the contrary, it even points out another idea, that whites does not see minority groups as to be equal to them. Thus, instead of disproving the issue of minorities having grievances on whites, the article may even fuel the said issue. The article can trigger grievances against whites since the article establishes the idea that whites are and will continue to be the superior race in the country. Therefore, this may cause insecurity and rebellion against the white race since others may wish to see the downfall of a superior race. Patterson also included historical developments in regarding some issues such as the classification of races. Patterson stated that, â€Å"In 1930 Mexicans were classified as a separate race by the Census Bureau – which reclassified them as white in 1940, after protests† (p. 84). Patterson also mentioned 2 other related issues in history. In this case, Patterson was able to convince the readers regarding the misclassification done that lead to the misinterpretation of the census result. Thus, Patterson once again established a ground for his ideas and arguments by nullifying the classification made by the census bureau on the issue of which races are to be included as whites. As mentioned earlier, the author was able to establish the supporting facts about his claims. However, there are some instances that the author failed to mention relative and important information. Patterson adapted a study stating that, â€Å"Recent studies indicate that the second-generation Hispanic whites are intermarrying †¦ † (p. 83). However, Patterson did not mention what particular study reaches that conclusion. Therefore, readers in doubt of that particular argument have no means of verifying the claim. Patterson should have indicated all the necessary information about the research to enable the readers to locate the particular study, otherwise doubts will remain doubts in the minds of the readers. Although the article has its strengths, i. e. the use of statistical information, the weakness of the article is readily available to the readers. The main weakness of the article was that the author, Mr. Patterson, was obviously one sided in writing the article. The bias can be seen from the very beginning of the article. Thus, this limits the trust of the readers and the integrity of the writer. Showing personal biases is will really lead to doubts and disbeliefs of the author’s claim since the readers are aware that he or she is arguing for or against one side. Thus, in persuading the readers about a certain action or issue, one must show personal biases for this will weaken the arguments and the ideas presented by the author. In order to establish a ground proof about an argument, a writer must not show biases as much as possible. It would be better to show the different arguments of both side and show relative information, facts and evidences and let the readers decide which arguments weigh more basing from the given evidences. All in all, Patterson did a great job in laying the arguments and he was able to fulfil his main objective, to encourage the whites. However, as mentioned earlier, the article has its own weaknesses as well. Thus, the article would only be effective if the reader is taking the same side as Patterson’s, otherwise, the article would seem very racist of which whites are considered incomparable to others. The validity of the claims is thus, very subjective on the personality and side that the readers will take.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Oppenheimer And The Atomic Bomb Essays - McCarthyism, Free Essays

Oppenheimer And The Atomic Bomb Essays - McCarthyism, Free Essays Oppenheimer And The Atomic Bomb Julius Robert Oppenheimer and the Atomic Bomb J. Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant physicist and known as the Father of the Atomic Bomb. A charismatic leader of rare good qualities and commonplace flaws, Oppenheimer brought an uncommon sensibility to research, teaching, and government science. After help creating the atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project he was banned from the U.S. Government during the McCarthy Trials. He opposed the idea of stockpiling nuclear weapons and was deemed a security risk. Oppenheimers life reveals the conflict between war, science and how politics collided in the 1940s through the 1960s. His case became a cause celebre in the world of science because of its implications concerning political and moral issues relating to the role of scientists in government. Oppenheimer, the son of German immigrants, who had made their fortune in textiles, had the

Monday, October 21, 2019

Gandi essays

Gandi essays Gandhis philosophy of civil disobedience influenced leaders of civil rights groups around the world. Gandhi believed in a nonviolent approach to everything, but most important, independence. Gandhi did not want to fight back no matter what the British police did to the Indians. He wouldnt fight back, just take the circumstances. Gandhi wanted justice without violence. Gandhis first protest was in South Africa. In South Africa, Gandhi got rights for all the Indians by burning all the passes, which allowed Indians to work. Gandhis best way of protesting was when he was fasting, meaning he didnt eat until the all the violence stopped, all he did was drink water. I think Gandhis best way of protesting was when he got all the Indians to not cooperate with the British police, sure many of them went to jail, but Gandhi got his way at the end. Gandhis goal was to gain Independence for India in a nonviolent manner. Nonviolence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind. Gandhi really believed in this phrase. He did many things to reach his goal. He got all the Indians to not cooperate with the British police, he didnt eat until the violence stopped, and burned all the English cloth and made his own clothes by spinning cotton. Gandhi was very successful at reaching his goal of gaining independence for India. He was destined to reach his goal, and for that he went thorough many things. He went to jail many times, went without eating for weeks, and took all the injustice from the British police. Gandhi did all this in a nonviolent manner, and was very successful. One problem that Gandhi couldnt solve was the problem with Hindus and Muslims, because he ended up getting shot when he was about to solve this problem. In conclusion, I think Gandhi was a man destined to gain Independence for his country. He was very successful at his goal, even th...

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Free Essays on Art Last Impression

Gender and Genre in Impressionist Portraiture In the nineteenth century, the portrait form explored and celebrated the individual as a unique and dynamic identity. By isolating a person on the canvas, the artist recognized him as a subject with a character and will of his own. Genre, on the other hand, was the painting of social scene, a sketch of the modern metropolis, where characters represent static social 'types', rather than unique personalities. Tamar Garr's lecture gave a fascinating account of how the Impressionist artists used portraiture and genre to construct and comment on the process of constructing individual identity in relation to social expectations. In the nineteenth century, it was widely held amongst the artistic community, that only certain individuals could be painted in portrait - namely, bourgeois, artistic or aristocratic men - as only they could be understood as dynamic 'subjects' with a sense of their own unique identity. Consider Pissaro's portrait of Cezanne, a rustic character built up through minor detail (the fragment of a radical newspaper in the background, the torn peasant clothes, the size of Cezanne's body overpowering the canvas). Or portraits of bourgeois factory owners, dressed in expensive suits and assertively facing the viewer head on. These are representations of men able to act and think independently. In comparison are the fragments of social scenes typified in Manet's 'Music Hall' (1862) or 'The Tuilleries' (1873-4) where characters fit within a wider social panorama, not examined as individuals in their own right. Of course, such distinctions between individuals and social types were closely related to gender and the representation of women. At the risk of reciting a clichà ©, women were beautified 'objects' in nineteenth century art, possessing no subjectivity to be understood or explored. Women were often painted indoors, behind net curtains, or as a diminutive part of the pa... Free Essays on Art Last Impression Free Essays on Art Last Impression Gender and Genre in Impressionist Portraiture In the nineteenth century, the portrait form explored and celebrated the individual as a unique and dynamic identity. By isolating a person on the canvas, the artist recognized him as a subject with a character and will of his own. Genre, on the other hand, was the painting of social scene, a sketch of the modern metropolis, where characters represent static social 'types', rather than unique personalities. Tamar Garr's lecture gave a fascinating account of how the Impressionist artists used portraiture and genre to construct and comment on the process of constructing individual identity in relation to social expectations. In the nineteenth century, it was widely held amongst the artistic community, that only certain individuals could be painted in portrait - namely, bourgeois, artistic or aristocratic men - as only they could be understood as dynamic 'subjects' with a sense of their own unique identity. Consider Pissaro's portrait of Cezanne, a rustic character built up through minor detail (the fragment of a radical newspaper in the background, the torn peasant clothes, the size of Cezanne's body overpowering the canvas). Or portraits of bourgeois factory owners, dressed in expensive suits and assertively facing the viewer head on. These are representations of men able to act and think independently. In comparison are the fragments of social scenes typified in Manet's 'Music Hall' (1862) or 'The Tuilleries' (1873-4) where characters fit within a wider social panorama, not examined as individuals in their own right. Of course, such distinctions between individuals and social types were closely related to gender and the representation of women. At the risk of reciting a clichà ©, women were beautified 'objects' in nineteenth century art, possessing no subjectivity to be understood or explored. Women were often painted indoors, behind net curtains, or as a diminutive part of the pa...

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Essential of investments Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Essential of investments - Assignment Example The accrued interest on the bond turned out to be $2.42. The YTMs were calculated using the YIELD function on excel, with settlement date and maturity date taken at a difference of 10 years, coupon rate being 14% and then reduced to half at 7%, the bond price being $900, redemption value being $1000, and 1 coupon annually. The YTM based on what the firm promised is 2.55%. However, based on what the investors expect after the lenders and the firm agreed to lower the payments the YTM became 1.80%. The expected YTM is lower than the YTM investors were actually promised. a. The initial price is calculated as P=$705.46, with [n=20, I/Y=8, PMT=50, FV=1000]. The price in the next period would be P=$793.29, with [n=19, I/Y=7, PMT=50, FV=1000]. Therefore the HPR is 19.53% calculated as, [{50+(793.29-705.46)}/705.46] c. The 6% coupon bond performed better than the zero coupon bond in either case, when the interest rose or when they fell. This is probably due to the fact that the 6% coupon bond has a higher convexity. This shows that whenever we compare the change in yields of bonds by equal amounts as is in this question, the bond with higher convexity will always outperform the one with lower convexity. The duration was approximately equal but the convexity of both the bonds were different in this example which is always positive implies that the convexity effect always favors the higher convexity bond. d. Such a scenario where the bonds would be priced at the same yield to maturity if the rates changed in equal amounts cannot exist. No investor would buy a bond with a lower convexity as it always underperform the higher convexity bond. The price of the lower convexity bond will be low with a high YTM, which means that the higher yield is to compensate the investor for investing in a lower convextiy bond. The top-down method of security valuation is approach used

Friday, October 18, 2019

Operations Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Operations Management - Essay Example The employees would be subjected to training in the plant’s headquarters in Turin and then posted to the Greenfield site at Melfi to enhance the structure the factory. The new factory appears to be the assembly of the cars (Lanzara and Patriotta, 2007). Increased level of productivity levels; the results of the design conduct test; the organization reinstated by the employees appears an assumed basis of car manufacturing activities. This meant that the plant was assumed to have everything it needed at the snap of a finger. Later on the Fiat short term goals starts bearing fruits as the production levels increases. Fiat and its competitors know that the road to success begins for the company; as ten years down the line the company still recorded high levels of productivity and corporate success (Ciravegna and Maielli, 2011). Reduced industrial actions and stress level amongst the employees; the company success history gave it a name, the Melfi model. The organization encountere d a fall in April 2004; the break down appears prompted by the strikes, which paralysed the plant’s operation for a number of weeks (Heizer and Render, 2010). The plants, throughout, its operational years have never experienced such a situation. The strike significantly affected the plant as it received media coverage, these pauses as a danger to the future dealings of the firm. The strike sent mixed messages to individuals’ heads as the individuals seek to establish the root of the strike. Some ended up doubting the praised Fiat’s design strategy meant for Melfi factory. The field survey analysis suggested that the strike could have been a product of the repetitive application of generative pattern termed as the method and practice of (dis) assembling (DA) (Lanzara and Patriotta, 2007). Introducing a challenging and reducing process repetition among employees; the D/A patterns facilitated the reproduction of the factory’s undertakings and the repetitive works knowledge program that lead to monotony of work coupled with all the disadvantages accompanied by the reasoning. The results were tension and strenuous behavior within the employees; this led to clash and amendments of the factory’s institution process (Lanzara and Patriotta, 2007). How Did Fiat Redesign The Process And What Were The Elementary Technical Units. The use of integrated organization model; Melfi plants appears as the initiators of conversion to a fresh work setting working on the principle of minimum costs and maximum profits. The factory later divided its operations into four operation units (OU). The process appears responsible to the different stages involved in the production process. The processes include stamping body welding painting and assembly (Lanzara and Patriotta, 2007). The operation units were disintegrated further into several elementary technical units (UTE). At standard, the UTE contained between 80-100 employees and their supervisors. The UTE spill over to three shifts is the production structure of the incorporated factory. Whenever the system notes any faults in the structure the managements should be able to attribute the fault to a certain group of individuals or team (UTE) in a certain department. The task required an authoritative human agent with the ability to enforce or postpone the permit. This means what the machine cannot perform a human being is placed at

Rite of Passage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Rite of Passage - Essay Example It is irrefutable that the way rites of passages are being conducted had evolved over time. As cultures recognized the changing needs of their member, they have devised new formal procedures to celebrate the transitions in their lives. However, rites of passage have already changed in context and meaning. For example, an individual's coming of age which was celebrated by a ritual which required jungle survival to test the survival ability and responsibility of an adolescent is now replaced with formal arties to celebrate the freedom from families especially parents. The current problematic situation of adolescents nowadays requires a modern rite of passage to signal their coming of age and transition to adulthood. This modern rite of passage should not only serve as an indication of the adolescents' newfound freedom to do what they want and the end of their parents' authority over them but also address the numerous issues which are currently faced by adolescents. This paper will present a modern rite of passage which will mark the transition between adolescence and adulthood. This will try to incorporate the issues which confront the modern youth in order to equip them with the much needed knowledge and skill to face adulthood responsibly. This report will be divided into three parts according to the distinct phases of rites of passage-separation, transition, and incorporation. This rite of passage will be conducted to teenagers aged 15-17 years of age. SEPARATION: LOSS OF IDENTITY The first part of rite of passage is called separation which is a process to end the current identity of the adolescent. This part is very important as the creation of a new identity is not possible without ending the old one. Thus, this modern rite of passage will begin with the physical separation of the adolescents from the significant people in their lives especially their families and friends. Adolescents aged 15-17 will need to prepare for the rite of passage by packing their clothing and other personal belongings to stay for a Transition Camp. It is extremely important that adolescents will only be restricted to bring what they will need. These are those basic things that individuals can't leave without like clothing, slippers, and things for personal hygiene. It should be noted that things like iPods, cellular phones, PCs, notebooks, and laptops shouldn't be brought to the Transition Camp. This will ensure that the adolescents will be fully separated from the outside world and will let them concentrate on the activities in the camp. Communication with people from outside the camp will not be tolerated. Also, no drugs, alcohol, and non-participants will be allowed inside the camp. Specific rules will also be observed inside the Transition Camp which will govern all the participants. The camp site will cater to both boys and girls. The boys will share a communal bedroom will all the boys while the girls will also be sleeping together. The adolescents will be doing on all the household chores in the camp. In order to organize the housekeeping, they will be grouped and assigned specific tasks for each week. The groups will consist of both boys and girls. Each of the household tasks will be rotated so that each group will have the chance to learn every household chore. Separation from the important persons in the adolescents is symbolic for this modern rite of passage. As the rite of passa

Learning Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Learning Styles - Essay Example In this model there are five ways that our brain processes: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, and Olfactory. According to Ellerton (2003), "these modalities are the primary ways we represent, code, store and give meaning or language (linguistic) to our experiences". (par. 1). However, we work with the Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) areas most of the time, according to this model. The model states that we use more than one of these VAKS, depending on what we are doing. For instance, when we listen to music, we are feeling the music (kinesthetic), listening to it (auditory) and some picture is coming to mind (visual). Usually one of these is a "preferred" mode for a learner to use. Individuals have the ability to move from one to the other easily. According to this model Visual learners tend to be neat because they want to "look good." Their decision making tends to use visualization and they have insights that they share. They remember faces more than names and they want to see the big picture (Ellerton, 2003, par. 8). The auditory learner falls into two categories, either the Auditory Tonal or the Auditory Digital learner. The Auditory Tonal spends time listening to the tone of a persons voice and are paying attention to the total voice inflection. They are verbal processors and like to think out loud as they are working through a problem (Ellerton, 2003, par. 9). Auditory Digital learners usually are more thinkers and tend to work things out in their mind rather than on paper. It is more important for them to memorize "steps, procedures and sequences" (Ellerton, 2003, par. 11). Kinesthetic learners will use their senses of feeling to get in touch with their learning. They learn best by moving, touching and feeling. They also make decisions based on their feelings (Ellerton, 2003, par. 12). The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test

Thursday, October 17, 2019

You are an accountant in a medium-sized manufacturing company Research Paper

You are an accountant in a medium-sized manufacturing company - Research Paper Example Accruals are revenues already recognized, but no drawn cash or recorded cash such as rent, salaries and taxes in an industry. Estimates are a class of adjusting entries which occurs when the actual particulars of an expense is not easily determined such as an entry for wayward debt. Inventory is an adjusting entry since in an inventory system which is periodic; the adjusting entry helps in determining the outlay of goods sold expense. In a computerized system, these entries would first be characterized into prepayments and accruals then define expenses into prepaid expenses and accrued expenses while the revenues would fall into unearned revenue and accrued revenues (Warren, Reeve & Duchac, 2012). This would be necessary since the computer system only understands systemic information. Some of the ethical issues arising from these manufacturing entries as seen in the studies of Gilbertson & Lehman (2009) include honesty. This is where the person delegated the duty of recording the entries, is necessary to demonstrate honesty when recording the particulars to avoid errors, and misappropriations during in the final books of accounts since it would amount to fraud which is

Quality Management in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality Management in Business - Essay Example Under this principle, the business will adopt a pricing strategy that suits the quality of their product. Another definition of quality states that quality is the process of satisfying the customer’s implied and stated needs. This is where the business creates products in accordance to the needs and expectations of the customers. The business would carry out market researches and consider what kind of products and services are being expected by the customers, and then the quality of the products will be determined. The levels of quality and pricing strategies also depend on the needs of the customers. For example if the customer is ready to use a product of high quality and high price, the business will produce only high quality products, but if there are customers who want to spend less and compromise on quality, then the business will produce the same product with varying levels of quality (Black, 2011, p. 736). Another definition states that quality is the combination of process power and people power. It is linked to the efficiency in production and the improvement of processes. It may also include the technical processes, designs, engineering and management processes. The features and characteristics of the tools and materials provided by the suppliers also include in the quality of the product. In manufacturing businesses, quality can be regarded as the process which is free from defects, delays and deficiencies. The quality assurance processes include all activities that prevent, detect and remove all the defects that tend to occur in between the business processes. The processes include several steps to ensure that the delivery of products and services is being carried out efficiently. The steps include plan, do, check and act. In the plan stage, the business has to ensure that a plan is made in an order keeping in consideration all the processes, activities and methods to be used. The next step is doing, where

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Learning Styles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Learning Styles - Essay Example In this model there are five ways that our brain processes: Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic, Gustatory, and Olfactory. According to Ellerton (2003), "these modalities are the primary ways we represent, code, store and give meaning or language (linguistic) to our experiences". (par. 1). However, we work with the Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic (VAK) areas most of the time, according to this model. The model states that we use more than one of these VAKS, depending on what we are doing. For instance, when we listen to music, we are feeling the music (kinesthetic), listening to it (auditory) and some picture is coming to mind (visual). Usually one of these is a "preferred" mode for a learner to use. Individuals have the ability to move from one to the other easily. According to this model Visual learners tend to be neat because they want to "look good." Their decision making tends to use visualization and they have insights that they share. They remember faces more than names and they want to see the big picture (Ellerton, 2003, par. 8). The auditory learner falls into two categories, either the Auditory Tonal or the Auditory Digital learner. The Auditory Tonal spends time listening to the tone of a persons voice and are paying attention to the total voice inflection. They are verbal processors and like to think out loud as they are working through a problem (Ellerton, 2003, par. 9). Auditory Digital learners usually are more thinkers and tend to work things out in their mind rather than on paper. It is more important for them to memorize "steps, procedures and sequences" (Ellerton, 2003, par. 11). Kinesthetic learners will use their senses of feeling to get in touch with their learning. They learn best by moving, touching and feeling. They also make decisions based on their feelings (Ellerton, 2003, par. 12). The Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a personality test

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Quality Management in Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Quality Management in Business - Essay Example Under this principle, the business will adopt a pricing strategy that suits the quality of their product. Another definition of quality states that quality is the process of satisfying the customer’s implied and stated needs. This is where the business creates products in accordance to the needs and expectations of the customers. The business would carry out market researches and consider what kind of products and services are being expected by the customers, and then the quality of the products will be determined. The levels of quality and pricing strategies also depend on the needs of the customers. For example if the customer is ready to use a product of high quality and high price, the business will produce only high quality products, but if there are customers who want to spend less and compromise on quality, then the business will produce the same product with varying levels of quality (Black, 2011, p. 736). Another definition states that quality is the combination of process power and people power. It is linked to the efficiency in production and the improvement of processes. It may also include the technical processes, designs, engineering and management processes. The features and characteristics of the tools and materials provided by the suppliers also include in the quality of the product. In manufacturing businesses, quality can be regarded as the process which is free from defects, delays and deficiencies. The quality assurance processes include all activities that prevent, detect and remove all the defects that tend to occur in between the business processes. The processes include several steps to ensure that the delivery of products and services is being carried out efficiently. The steps include plan, do, check and act. In the plan stage, the business has to ensure that a plan is made in an order keeping in consideration all the processes, activities and methods to be used. The next step is doing, where

Communication Process Essay Example for Free

Communication Process Essay 1. Briefly describe the misunderstanding, including the setting and the people involved. At my recent job that I was working a situation came about, I was helping my director file some bills with personal information. Well she did not make it clear that each bill went into a certain folder, which made my job a lot difficult and ending up me having to do the whole process over again, when I had to do another project that my other Director had told me to finish up within that day. 2. Complete the following table with information from your described misunderstanding. |Question |Answer | |Who was the sender? |My Director | |Who was the receiver? |Myself | |What was the message? |File these documents | |What channel was used to send the message? |Sound and light waves | |What was the misunderstanding? |How to file the documents | |How could you have avoided the misunderstanding? |It could have been avoided if my director would have told me the correct | | |way to file them instead of me trying to figure out how to file the | | |documents. 3. The perception model in Ch. 2 of Communicating in the Workplace shows that prior knowledge and experiences combine with your psychological state to shape your subjective reality. What was your perception going into the situation? How did your perception of the misunderstanding affect the communication process? My perception of the situation was that there really was not correct way into filing the documents, all she wanted was for them to be filed. It affected the misunderstanding and how the communication process went through my mind was that she should have told me how to correctly do it the proper way, instead of just telling me to finish filing. I just thought that she wanted them out of the way and into the filing cabinet. 4. After reflecting on your misunderstanding and analyzing it with what you have learned this week, what did you learn about the communication process? I have learned that there are a lot of ways in communicating and that when someone tells another person to do something, then that person is listening and taking in information differently, to ask questions when told to do something if you do not understand what that person is wanting from you. The reason why I say this is because not every person is going to be the same, as it stated in the example of the model in Ch. 2 of Communicating in the Workplace, A hog could be a pig but really the person was referring to a motorcycle. For another instance when someone is telling another person to do something, that person receives the message but might take it another way because of how that person encodes the information, that is why it is important to respond back to the person and making a clear understanding of what that person is wanting. I would not want to risk someone else’s life it I did not understand the information correctly because that will affect my job on the line as well. Reference Cheesebro, T., O’Connor, L., Rios, F. (2010). Communicating in the workplace. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Analysis Of Sabmillers Direction Commerce Essay

Analysis Of Sabmillers Direction Commerce Essay Over the past century, the worlds demand for beer increased significantly due to economic growth. Meanwhile, the following competitive pressure and challenges the breweries facing are becoming the big challenge in developing markets. SABMiller has already become one of the worlds leading brewers with more than 200 beer brands and some 70,000 employees in over 75 countries. However, it still faced both opportunities and threats. It may needs to reconsider the positions and establish competitive advantages accordingly. 1. Analysis of SABMillers direction SABMillers strategic priorities (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) showed that higher market share and greater influence of brand portfolios extension are the most important directions of SABMillers strategies. It can be presented by the following contents. 1.1 Direction of strategy chosen According to the introduction of Johnson (2011), Ansoffs matrix of corporate strategy directions can display SABMillers strategic direction. Ansoff (1988) provides four zones, which is market penetration, new products and services, market development and conglomerate diversification, being used in existing and new market with existing and new products and service, respectively. SABMillers direction mainly included the B zone and C zone. B zone means developing new products for its existing markets, as SABMiller acquired amount of premium and local brands to make new and strong brand portfolios in Europe and America market. C zone shows bringing existing products into new market. As it can be seen in SABMillers 2000 report, SAB caught the opportunities to create a profitable and fast-expanding business in undeveloped world through providing high quality beer and taking a share with local partners.(As shown in Figure 1) Page 1 of 10 Figure 1 corporate strategy directions Products/services Existing New A. Market penetration B. New products and services C. Market development D. Conglomerate diversification Existing Market New Source: Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Overall, the directions of strategy are around the different markets and brand portfolios. SABMiller used the right decision to create new profits and consolidate their position in the world market. 1.2 Means of growth The growth of SABMiller over the time period concentrated on the key of MA (merger and acquisition) and strategic alliance, according to the different markets and consumers. In the developed world, in order to catering to the increasing high-end market and consumers, SABMiller set out the strong, relevant brand portfolios in the local market. Affluent consumers were varying their choices and becoming more interested in speciality brands, craft beers and foreign imports. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) In the less developed world, SABMiller improved market share with taking a share in a brewery with local partners, remaining the brand which has been acquired and providing high-quality beer in proper price. Therefore, SABMiller tried its best to control the fragmentation absolutely. The main method it carried out are: Page 2 of 101. Alliance. Joint venture is cooperation of two or more individuals or businesses in which each agrees to share profit, loss, and control in the specific of enterprise. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) Such as SABMiller formed a joint venture with Chinese Snow Breweries to enrich its portfolio so that it can enter the Chinese brewery market. (The Business Journal, 2006) 2. Acquisition. One firm takes over the ownership of another. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) For example, SABMiller has already controlled 99 percent of the market in South Africa (Economist 2005) and the acquisition of the Forsters business and Miller. (Economist, 2011) 3. Merger. The combination of two previously separates organizations, typically as more or less equal partners. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) For instance, SABMiller and Molson Coors, the nations No. 2 and No. 3 brewers, merge their operations in the United States and Puerto Rico.(The New York Times, 2007) 1.3 Strategic rationale The initial rationale surrounding acquisition was that the deal would enhance SABMiller market share in the beer market. SABMillers motivation in the deal was to exploit the potential of the brand extensions in international markets, both in native, established areas (south Africa, Europe and America), as well as in burgeoning emerging markets. However, the company envisioned significant additional potential for the acquired brand across the world, where the premium segment was and is still in its infancy as the emerging market in mid-1990s. Europe, the traditional central market of the beer industry, has recovered from turning off beer through the off-trade from 2000 to 2010. A good deal of this increasing demand for premium products is being satisfied by the import from overseas apparently. (As shown in Table 1) Table 1: Imports of beer by country country Imports 2002(%) Imports 2008(%) United Kingdom Belgium Denmark Finland France Germany Italy 10.9 4.74 2.6 2.3 23 3.1 27.2 17.7 12.8 10.5 10.1 31.4 7.6 33.5 Source: Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Page 3 of 10SABMiller found the upward tendency and responded by buying Dutch specialist Grolsch in 2007. (Ewing, 2007) This acquisition of Grolsch not only replaced Amstel in the South African portfolios, but also filled a large gap in SABMillers international brand portfolios. The strategies SABMiller used make sense that their overall strength were consolidated and made profit from its financial report. 2. SABMillers industry competitive For the industry situation, it is necessary for SABMiller to analyse its competitive advantages as well as the core resource and competence. 2.1 Competitive advantages According to the theory of Porters generic strategies (1985), cost leadership strategy means the companys cost is the lowest in the industry and hence get much higher profit compared to competitors from the market price. Differentiation strategy means the companys product or service is not available from its competitors. The company can set a much higher price for its uniqueness and cover its higher costs. Focus strategy includes cost focus and differentiation focus. Both of which target a narrow segment market and try to meet their specific needs respectively. (As shown in Figure 2) The strategy adopted by SABMiller is differentiation focus strategy, which could be observed from the first characteristic. Figure 2: Porters Generic Strategies Target segment 1 Cost leadership 2 Differentiation 3a Cost focus 3b Differentiation Focus Broad target Narrow target Low High Cost Page 4 of 10Source: adapt from Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, (2011) Firstly, it is no doubt that developing the local and international brands or brand Page 5 of 10 Page 4 of 10 Page 4 of 10 Page of 10 Page 4 of 10portfolios that are the first choice of consumers so that they can create more attractive value is the one of the four priorities (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) in different markets. It means that the superior products provided by SABMiller are allowed to give a higher price than rivals. This is apparently in accordance with the definition of the differentiation advantage. Based on this, it is SABMillers competitive advantage that to own and nurture those attractive local and global brand portfolios that made more profits for it. Secondly, cost (related to cost leadership) and geographic advantage of SABMiller are in favor of its development. Acquisition and Alliance around the world have already help SABMiller to acquire numbers of factories and facilities and exploit the market so that it can cut down the investment on those projects in other countries. (Schoenberg, 2005) Thirdly, SABMiller succeeds because it attracts, develop and reward employees who have the passion to make a significant contribution to the continued growth of its business. Norman Adami, previously head of its South Africa Beer business, was appointed as Head of Miller, helped Miller to avoid exposing weakness and exploiting its strength. (SABMiller, 2012) 2.2 Management of threshold Threshold capabilities are those needed for an organization to meet the necessary requirements to compete in a given market and achieve parity with competitors in that market. (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) The beer industry is easy to enter and the competition in this industry is also cut-throat. The threshold resources are required to meet minimum customers requirements and the capabilities deployed resources so as to meet customers requirements and support particular strategies. SABMiller improved the threshold through a series of acquisition and owned amount of resources and competences to proceed the next strategic step such as consolidation and extension of different levels of markets. For instance, the SABMiller has the plenty of funds to acquisition the company which have the rest value for it to use. 2.3 Core resource and competence There are two components of strategic capability: resources and competences. Resources are the assets that organisations have or can call upon. Competences are the ways those assets are used or deployed effectively. Table 2 shows the SABMillers resources and competences Table 2 Components of strategic capability Strategic capability Resources Categories Competences Wide range of brand portfolios Factories with super equipment Experience and operating practices Physical Diversification of products Improving the market share in geographically Being Familiar with the operating in this industry Plenty of funds to support acquisition Financial Giving the access into the world market more confidentially Well trained staffs experienced managers Human high efficiency influence of decision Source: Adapt from (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) The physical resources are basic for producers. According to the different markets and sales experience, SABMiller launched the famous brand portfolios by acquiring and alliance to account for a space in the industry. SABMiller has the strong funds support from its shareholders. By contrast to 2007, the investment in subsidiaries went up to 13,429 in March 2008. In addition, the performance of SABMiller was also great. The increasing of both revenue and profit before tax was over 16% from 2007 to 2008. (SABMiller, 2012) Page 6 of 10In terms of the human resource, excellent staffs and management acquired a significant boost in effectiveness. Especially, a decision maker who has the political courage and strong judiciary has the important impact on company as the Norman Adami, who is the key leader in management of Miller. 3. Strategic position and option SABMiller still has some disadvantages at present. According to the analysis above and the position of SABMiller in the industry, options are analysed before recommendation. 3.1 Consideration of the strategic option At the end of the case the SAB Mill faced how the group could continue to sustain its historical growth rate and performance going forward. Meanwhile, global competitors have already fought vigorously for market share. Even there are comments about AB I nBev will have a bid for SABMiller. (Lucas, 2011) The tendency was really against the development of SABMiller. At the same time, its brand development and capital control and utilization problems should be resolved. With the beer industry consolidated rapidly, SABMiller should take into account some aspects as following: 1. Cost of acquisition and alliances The business of SABMiller is internationalisation. SABMiller made the use of assets which are acquired by acquisition and alliance in both developed and undeveloped countries. SABMiller needed to occupy the premium beer market and keep the growing sales volumes to make more profits. Therefore, financial support played a key role in the series of measures. When SABMiller would be able to recover the investments and the cost of operating capital had to be considered carefully. 2. Market modification In the future world market, the ABI will be concentrated on USA, which is one of the most important traditional markets. Plus, Heineken and Carlsberg were invested heavily in Africa and Russia, respectively. Meanwhile Japanese brewers are developing very rapidly in emerging Asia market. The more new brewers come into the industry, the fiercer competition will be among them. Therefore, the SABMiller should pay more attention to keep up with the market changing and take measures quickly. It needs to consolidate the original position in constant areas and permeate gradually through the emerging market. Page 7 of 10 3.2. Strategic position In 2012, SABMiller is operating in a complex political, economic, social and technological world. To evaluate the strategic position of SABMiller and give the recommendation, it is better to analyse macro-environment, through which, the critical environmental factors can be identified. This could be done by Table 3 analysis, which provides a comprehensive list of influences on the possible success or failure of particular strategies. Table 3: PESTEL analysis Political Sensitivity of government Domestic protection policy Economic Exchange risk The growth of demand Ingredient price Consolidation in the industry Social Lifestyle change (more entertainment party and club) Disease influence Technological New product Brand portfolio Environment The climate issues (lead to the lack of water) Legal Due to the local law, takeover attempts may generate problems Source: adapt from (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, 2011) Through PESTEL analysis(Tomas,2007), it is obvious that the tougher political and legal factors combined with stricter environmental regulations give the SABMiller some challenges in the process of reducing operational cost, although theres some help provide by the technological factors. In addition, the unpredictable exchange risk (soft currency) and climate issues (water risk) make the challenges scale extended. In another side, the social lifestyle change in premium market gives the SABMiller a chance to compete with other competitors in the aspect of sale volumes. 3.3 Strategic pursuit Through the analysis above, we can use SWOT (Jacob, Shepherd, Johnson, 1998) to conclude the whole situation of SABMiller: Page 8 of 10 1. Strengths: The competitive advantages, core resources and competence are the most important parts of SABMiller that include local and international brands and super equipments. 2. Weakness: SABMiller needs to control the financial management better rather than overusing them to purchasing power to force down ingredient prices. 3. Opportunities: With the development of economics, the consumption level of individuals is rising rapidly so that the market outlook is becoming more and more prospective. 4. Threats: In this industry, marketing competition is fierce and cruel. Especially, the key competitor, ABInbev, which is the largest brewery in the world, has the stronger power than SABMiller. SABMiller has to exploit its advantages and control the weakness. The first step before expansion is to maintain the current scale of the business. The investors benefits should be ensured so that it can acquire support from them. What is more, SABMiller should try its best to keep the market share, the quality and quantity of products and service. In addition, the financial management is another factor which is difficult to control such as exchanged rate and currency liquidity. Even though expending world market is really efficient, it has to keep the position within the industry urgently. Conclusion SABMiller is a company which developed through the acquisition of other businesses, meanwhile, to achieve such performance is not easy in a short period of time. In the case of the intensity of rivalry in the beer industry, it still needs strong and effective strategic decisions for future target plans. Through this analysis, SABMiller groundbreaking own brand positioning and operations of the acquired businesses as well as cash flow management. Page 9 of 10

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Claude Monet: More than an Impression Essay -- Artists Painters Impres

Claude Monet: More than an Impression From Alaska to Australia, Claude Monet is renowned for his contribution to the artistic world. Specifically, Monet is accredited with inspiring the subfield of impressionism. His painting, Impression, Rising Sun, (1873) is said to be the first impressionist painting (Taschen 31). This canvas vaguely pictures a small, lonely boat floating in front of a brilliant orange sun. This sun is surrounded by blue and grey tones that leave the viewer slightly chilled from the brisk early morning sense of the painting. The fact that the lines are blurred and the picture is without graphic detail led Louis Leroy to call its creator an impressionist. The impressionist movement stormed through Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. Today in museums from St. Petersburg to Chicago, people peruse Monet’s vision of the world. What many people do not realize, however, is that he left more than an impression. Aside from pleasing the eye, Monet’s works also paint a picture of 19th ce ntury France. France in the 19th Century Monet’s artistic career started much before the impressionist movement. While today he is famous for his landscapes and nature scenes, it wasn’t until 1858 that Monet began to paint outside, focusing on the natural beauty of France (Interagir.com). At this time, Napoleon III had gained power and France was beginning to feel the affects of the Industrial Revolution, which had started in 1830 (Francegate.com). Napoleon’s right hand man, Baron Haussman, redesigned the Europe District of Paris (Steele 35). He added huge boulevards and transformed Paris’ first train station into the magnificent station, Gare Saint Lazare. The changes that happened in the Europe District eventually spr... ... of his life he wanted to return to God. The speed and virility of trains can be equated with his younger life, while his older years are represented by true monuments of time and piety: cathedrals. Works Cited Francegate.com 17 Sept. 2003. History of France. 2001. http://ydelta.free.fr/history.htm. Interagir.com. 17 Sept. 2003. Biography of Claude Monet. 8 May 1999. http://www.intermonet.com/biograph/index.htm. National Gallery of Art. 17 Sept. 2003. Manet, Monet and the Gar Saint-Lazare. 2003. http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/pjmanet.htm. Steele, Ross, Susan St. Onge, and Ronald St. Onge. La civilisation franà §aise en à ©volution I. Boston : Heinle and Heinle, 1996 Taschen, Benedikt. Monet. Trans. Michael Hulse. Germany: Holhenzollernring, 1994. Wilson-Bareau, Juliet. Manet, Monet, and the Gare Saint-Lazare. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Shakespeare without all those Words :: essays research papers

After reading the chapter Shakespeare without all those Words, I have to agree with the arguments in it. Although I am no pro on Shakespeare or not even a repetitive reader of his works I tend to believe that what is said throughout the chapter to be true like many of the great masterpieces of our era. The meanings get lost over time and through manipulation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In today’s society everyone wants the gratification of something without putting the effort in to achieve it. The inexperienced reader Shakespeare may take many, many readings before it becomes clear. Were a â€Å"Now† society, we want the quickest, easiest way for everything and expect to get the same effect of the original Shakespearian readers.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The section in the chapter where you speak of the plays becoming something unlike the written play or as far off the mark as possible, is true and bothersome. Writers and directors today want the notoriety that the name Shakespeare brings but then shames the playwright itself. They put their own spin on it, to make it more appealing to the audience or less time consuming. In doing so your missing a great deal of the play and usually it ends up being the core of the story. Audiences walk away without a true understanding of Shakespeare but a twisted and misconstrued idea.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The world in which we live is all about theatrics, exaggerations, fabrications, as well as, entertainment. As you pointed on in the chapter the works of Franco Zeffirelli’s film version of The Taming of the Shrew was only 30% of actual Shakespeare leaving 70% for his own interpretation plus plenty of room for entertainment. What’s the point then? Why even claim its Shakespeare? Answer, they know the name will allure the audience to the play. That being said the people are their under the false pretense that their there for Shakespeare. Not the Shakespeare that has been twisted, turned, tied into the interpretation that feels it’s necessary to draw on the name of someone else’s merits to allure an audience. Its okay for writers to use the name Shakespeare but when it comes to his works apparently many believe they’re not good enough to entertain.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With all this being said I also agree that today’s’ society is not the same as it was when Shakespeare was more prevalent. Today’s population span is less; people have more distractions and less room in their life’s for intellect.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Into the Wild Reaction Paper

Into the Wild Reaction Paper Dawn MB Nyberg COLS-100 Ever wonder what it would be like to be snow-bound, scared, alone, cold and hungry out in the wilderness of Alaska? Christopher McCandless knew and he knew it well; he knew that feeling so well, that he died. I don’t think he was a man with a mental illness or any personality disorders; even though Jon Krakauer states that,†it’s not clear that much of values is learned by reducing Chris McCandless’s strange spiritual quest to a list of pat psychological disorders. (184) I do, however think Chris lived a life according to his parent’s wishes up until he graduated from Emory University when he decided to become â€Å"his own person† and venture out on his own â€Å"sabbatical†; completely opposite of his parents wishes. As author Jon Krakauer points out, â€Å"Chris spent the previous four years, as he saw it, preparing to fulfill an absurd and onerous duty: to graduate from college. At long last he was unencumbered, emancipated from the stifling world of his parents and peers, a world of abstraction and security and of material excess, a world in which he felt grievously cut off from the raw throb of existence. †(22) Chris seemed to be well-liked wherever he went and among whomever he came across in his travels. Even though he made up a fictitious name for himself, I believe that we all can be whomever we choose to be whether we use the name our parents gave us or not. He never used anyone else’s social security number and when he filled out the W-4 form at Wayne Westerburg’s the second time, he did give his real name, and permanent address as well. (100). Chris seemed to be a young man that needed to run away and find who he really was after being someone who his parents wanted him to be his whole life, unfortunately it came to a tragic end. When thinking about Chris’s life and comparing it to mine, I find that our lives are quite the opposite. He comes from the family that wanted to basically make sure he got the best of everything, and he didn’t want it, and I came from the family that had nothing and didn’t want to further their education, or couldn’t because of the financial disadvantages. His parents encouraged a college education, and mine never encouraged anything but a high school diploma. He chose to give it all up and I chose to work hard to go to college and get my degree. I care very much about getting a degree even though I have get student loans and Chris’s education was paid for. He never struggled through school with his brilliant mind as I struggle with having to take medications to keep my mind at even keel. I have always told myself that my life will always be a challenging journey due to the medications that I take and the levels and panels that are tested through blood tests very often when things are â€Å"out of wack. † While reading Into the Wild, I have felt radical involvement in the process of absorbing the story. What has been happening all week is I relive night after night a night-terror of a female ghost trying to terrify me. There is maybe a trigger that I am not aware of something from the past? The future? The present? All I know is that the night terror has me sleep deprived, and scared at night and during the day. I cry because I don’t understand it; maybe Chris’ McCandless’s life has more meaning to me than I realize. This semester has had some radical changes for me in my lifestyle. Even though our financial status has dropped considerably since I have given up employment to attend college, like Chris, we have not given up on life. Even though he suffered a demise, we will not suffer. We have similar beliefs, we enjoy â€Å"God’s outdoors†, though we would never attempt to go as far as he did to run away from civilization or current lifestyle. We are better educated about what the land provides, and we have more respect for it!. While putting myself with Chris McCandless and knowing that our lives are very different, he struggled with who he wanted to be before so many years until he could finally free himself of the material things he so loathed, unlike him, I need just the necessary material things to survive like a roof over my head, clothes on my back, warmth, food and medications to keep my mind and body alive and well. I also need companionship and love from another human being. I am not able to live without human contact, as he was. I would literally die of depression. Maybe he died of depression, even though as Jon Krakauer states,†that the final journal entry of Chris McCandless where he penned a final adios â€Å"I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL! † (199). I enjoyed reading about Chris McCandless, though I did not care to read so much about Jon Krakauer and what his ventures were. It was like he was trying to â€Å"one-up† Chris, and this book was supposed to be about Chris McCandless, so I thought. I thought Krakauer was Arrogant and self-centered and we â€Å"little people† seemed beneath him. I may choose to read another book of his to see if Krakauer puts himself as much in that book too. He did keep me interested and I guess that is what is intended by authors. Chris is another story. It is hard for me to say that I don’t like him having five children of my own and three of them being boys each of them having their own strong personalities. Matter of fact, I have one that is a free spirit like Chris. The one thing that I didn’t like about Chris was that he didn’t have respect for authority: the law or the wild. He chose his path in having to be difficult from the start, and he put himself above all others who weren’t as intelligent as he was, though when he was on the road he wasn’t like that at all. He lived a life of tramping meeting all kinds of people and giving them all respect. None of them expected anything from him and maybe that is why he accepted them so freely. I would like to say that I understood Chris and my life resembled that part of his life to a point. I never changed my name, even though there were times I didn’t want to be found. I have always been told that I was a free-spirit and Chris McCandless seemed to want to live his last couple of years just as that. With Christopher McCandless’ free-spiritedness does that mean that he knew that he was going to die in the wild? I am not so sure he set out to die. He was one of many that went into the wilderness of Alaska unprepared and got snow-bound, scared, cold and hungry and was either never seen again or never came out alive. Even though I didn’t like Krakauer, I am glad that I was able to read about Chris McCandless, his sad story makes life worth living. Works Cited Krakauer, Jon. Into The Wild. Anchor Books A Division of Random House: 1997. Print (22) (184) (100) (199)

Thursday, October 10, 2019

Controversial Aspects of Waldorf School Education Essay

Waldorf schools are a fairly new phenomenon in our country. They first appeared in our educational system in the school year1992/1993 and since their foundation have expanded. Nowadays, we can see a Waldorf school or at least its scion almost in every city. Their popularity among parents increases and although they struggle for their existence, they somehow manage to keep their status of a state school. To an uninitiated observer, such a school type seems very creative and child friendly. Many positive aspects cannot be denied but there are always two sides to everything. Unfortunately, not many critical essays were written on the topic of Waldorf education, although some aspects are fundamental and should be publicly disclosed. The aim of this paper is to focus on the aspects and help parents as well as the teachers themselves to direct their attention to Waldorf thought context which is not openly presented. If parents consider enrolling their child in a Waldorf school, they should be highly aware of the fact that it is not only the school itself and its nice methods that are apparent and very alluring at first glance, but principally, it is the lifestyle that accompanies it. Waldorf schooling is not for everyone, especially not in the 21st century. Their rejection of technological devices or even of some scientific theories of knowledge should be transparent. People often choose it on account of their own often unhappy childhood but such a decision is not for us but for the children we love and want the best for. According to one Czech proverb which declares that â€Å"It is never too late for a rectification†, the child psychologists do not agree in the case of Waldorf education. When there appears a serious problem, parents along with the psychologist are to react speedily. It is too late to start thinking about a change of school in primary class five. In such case, the best solution, according to specialists, is to stay and complete the whole Waldorf school. A child would have too many problems and serious difficulties to adapt to an ordinary school system. Such a decision could even worsen the whole situation. If the result of an elementary school choice, which is crucial for the future studying attitude of our children fails, it can lead into a disaster. If, (especially Waldorf) schooling fails due to either misunderstanding and misuse of the philosophy or due to insufficient education of teachers who explain certain aspects in the wrong way, the result equals psychological problems of the child, the reluctance of education, thus school in general and as the icing on the cake could be the sleepless nights and nausea of the whole family. One should always get the opportunity to learn the pros and cons of the matter as we are all aware of the great vulnerability of children. Historical background  Rudolf Steiner, the founder of the first Waldorf school in Germany in 1919, based the curriculum of Waldorf school on unique elements of art in which the students learn subject matters stimulate through an amount of different representations. His pedagogy is designed for the students’ developmental growth. He created a whole system in which teachers themselves govern the school and along with the parents and supporters of the school, they create a community based on the aspects of Anthroposophy (a school of thought that grew out of Theosophy), a spiritual path from which Waldorf school springs and is devoted to. Steiner himself describes the initial process of the whole idea of Waldorf school as follows. â€Å"The first idea was to provide an education for children whose parents were working in the Waldorf Astoria Factory, and as the Director was a member of the Anthroposophical Society, he asked me to arrange this education †¦ and so, in the first place, the Waldorf School arose as a school for humanity as such, fashioned, it could in fact be said, out of the working-class†¦ ere then, we have an educational institution arising on a social basis, that seeks to found the whole spirit and method of its teaching upon Anthroposophy. † (Rudolf Steiner, A Modern Art of Education p. 88) Waldorf Schools and Religion Waldorf schools are often called free Waldorf schools and they are also said to be non-religious. Such facts do not entirely correspond with the definition of Anthroposophy – a philosophy created by Steiner. Waldorf education itself is grounded on Anthroposophy al though such a fact is not often publicly proclaimed. The definition of Anthroposophy given by Rudolf Steiner in 1923 is following: â€Å"an association of people who would foster the life of the soul, both in the individual and in human society, on the basis of a true knowledge of the spiritual world. †(Rudolf Steiner lecture on Color and the Races of Humankind 1923, London) Such a definition discloses the religious implication of Anthroposophy. â€Å"The life of the soul† could be also suggested as a religious term as well as the â€Å"spiritual world†. Steiner’s allegation of â€Å"true knowledgeâ€Å"in the definition evokes the idea that no other philosophy might be true and thus can Anthroposophy be viewed as a sect according to some definitions. Despite the fact that Waldorf schools deny being religious or occultist, many common sources define Anthroposophy as a religious movement. Encyclopedia Britannica defines Anthroposophy as â€Å"a movement based on the notion that there is a spiritual world comprehensible to pure but accessible only to the highest faculties of mental knowledge† (http://www. ritannica. com, 20/11/12) The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines Anthroposophy as â€Å"a 20th century religious system growing out of theosophy and centering on human development. † (http://www. m-w. com/cgibin/dictionary, 20/11/12). The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy interprets Anthroposophy in a similar way and names it â€Å"The Christian and occultist movement associated with Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925) emphasizing the cultivation of spiritual nature and the way to gain spiritual awareness of a higher world† (Oxford, 1994, p. 5) Anthroposophy is not only involved in education but we can recognize this philosophical direction in several other activities including healing dance – eurhythmy, the arts, medical practice, health and hygiene, biodynamic agriculture, banking and financial consulting, publishing, the anthropological Society and also a formal Church called The Christian Community. (http://www. waldorfcritics. org, 6/12/12). Criticism of Waldorf Schools Education or schooling of our children should certainly be objective as much as possible without occultist practices. We should educate independent human beings able to view their lives with freedom, able to search for verifiable information themselves without penalties. Freedom of choice should be the right for every individual. One should not be excluded or asked to â€Å"leave† when asking â€Å"inconvenient† or â€Å"suspicious† questions. The evidence is not only found in personal experience of many people, but there are several commentaries about obscure theories and indefinite views described on a website for non-sectarian schools called PLANS. We can find a number of such websites that criticize similar matters but PLANS seems to be working with dedicated researchers, people who used to work very closely for the Waldorf schools and whose first great impression of the whole system reached alarming proportions after several years inside the system. Many a reader may raise objections against their criticism but since there are always the same asked questions and repeatedly occurring the same problems that harm, we should not make light of this problem. One should be aware of the fact that it is not a common criticism of an ordinary school system and its problems. Students as well as their parents naturally face everyday unpleasant situations that appear at school due to many common factors. Such ordinary problems often emerge from misunderstanding of two sides, student’s negative attitude towards their studies and similar problems. In Waldorf schools there certainly arise the already mentioned problems as well but what makes the two educational systems different is the fact that people involved in the common educational process do not usually set up, generally speaking, groups against the system or organizations searching for precise fundamental questions about the nature of certain practices of the system itself. The following quotation from the website can sketch a broad outline of PLANS to clarify their activities. |†Welcome! People for Legal and Non-Sectarian Schools (PLANS) is a world-wide network of former Waldorf parents, teachers, students, | |administrators and trustees who come from a variety of backgrounds with a common goal: to educate the public about the reality behind Waldorf’s| |facade of progressive, arts-based education. Waldorf is the most visible activity of Anthroposophy, an occultist sect founded by Rudolf Steiner| |(1861-1925). (www. waldorfcritics. org 4/12/12) | The statement about the â€Å"most visible activity of Anthroposophyâ€Å"might be one of the crucial points that may cause the everlasting confusion in understanding of â€Å"who they actually are†. There are certain signs that most decidedly catch the observer’s eye and facilitate Waldorf schools. It is always the choice of colours, natural materials and pictures that often portra y angels or such spiritual beings. Symbolism is used across the whole Waldorf educational system. These indications and signs often lead the outside observer to a conclusion that Waldorf school uses religious devices to present itself. Nevertheless one of the official definitions of Waldorf school found in Webster Dictionary states that: â€Å"Waldorf education (also known as Steiner education) is the largest independent alternative educational movement in the world. It is based on the ideas of Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy. Learning is interdisciplinary, integrating practical, artistic, and conceptual elements. The approach emphasizes the role of the imagination in learning, developing thinking that includes a creative as well as an analytic component. The educational philosophy’s overarching goals are to provide young people the basis on which to develop into free, morally responsible and integrated individuals and to help every child fulfil his or her unique destiny, the existence of which anthroposophy posits. Schools and teachers are given considerable freedom to define curricula within collegial structures. † (www. merriam-webster. om 9/1/13) In the definition the reader does not receive any information about religious or occultist practice in Waldorf education. The whole characteristic of the school seems unique, interesting and at first sight describing an ideal type of school. Many a parent prefers such a school and there is no wonder that the description attracts parents who want to have an independent, creative child that is voluntarily seeking knowledge. The last sen tence of the definition is nevertheless crucial and to an educated and experienced teacher, it probably foreshadows further questions. At this point it is essential to emphasize that particularly the Czech Waldorf school collegial structures are made up of often non- teachers or of teachers who reached the high school education only. A further sample of the text written by Debra Snell, the President of the association PLANS summarizes, through her personal experience, the feelings and thoughts of majority of people who happened to be a part or came into contact with the Waldorf education. †My personal experience with Waldorf was very confusing. Instead of the progressive and liberal alternative school I was led to expect by the school’s promotional materials and staff, I discovered a rigid, authoritarian environment that seemed to be rooted in a medieval dogma that I did not understand. When, in an effort to make sense of things, I asked questions about this, I found Waldorf teachers to be strangely defensive†. â€Å"I was stunned to arrive at the conclusion that the education of children — at least as I use the term â€Å"education† — did not seem to be the school’s most important focus and objective. But what was? † â€Å"I began to ask questions. What is Anthroposophy? Why don’t teachers allow students in the preschool through the early elementary grades to use black crayons in their drawings? Why do students use the wet-on-wet watercolour painting technique exclusively for so many years? Why is mythology taught as history? Where is the American flag, and why don’t Waldorf schools teach civics lessons in America? In a school system that promotes itself as â€Å"education toward freedom,† why do students copy everything from the blackboard? Why do Waldorf teachers talk in high voices and sing-song directions to their classes? Why must the kindergarten room walls be painted â€Å"peach blossom†? Why is learning to read before the age of 8 or 9 considered unhealthy? Why do so many Waldorf classes have problems with bullying, and what is the school’s policy for dealing with this? Why are teachers always lighting candles? † (www. waldorfcritics. org 4/12/12) Snell points out existing questions and facts many parents begin to sense when explanations to their questions start being vague or ambiguous. Every question is worth answering especially a question of a parent or a child. Unfortunately many parents who place their children to Waldorf school often get a recommendation to leave when asking too much. Why are not the answers obvious and logical? Why do not the parents receive any straight explanation? There have been many similar questions asked by parents all over the world and as we can see, while browsing the internet and other sources such as debates and newspaper articles, very often such questions stay unanswered. No matter which country the Waldorf school backers come from, their experience and feelings are very similar. They wish to find clear answers, which is not a simple task, but generally one could be satisfied at least to gain some basic awareness and knowledge of the facts why at all we shall ask these questions. There are so many controversial issues, such as writing in capital letters only until the age of eight, as well as not learning to read until a certain time, the prohibition of electronic devices such as a CD, DVD player, a computer or the lighting of candles to attract the good spiritual forces.