Wednesday, October 2, 2019
You Will Always be in My Heart :: Love Letters Dating Email Relationships
Dear Anthony, I just wanted to thank you for all that you have done for me. I don't think you realize how much you inspire me and I am so proud of the person you've become and are still becoming. I understand you've been through a lot and you haven't made the best choices, but I can see that you have grown. Truthfully, I've known from the first time I met you to now, that you were a strong person. You are so full of wisdom about life that when you speak I could stay there forever and listen to your open mind, for it is peaceful and inviting. Anthony, you have become my awakening, you have helped me see things in a brighter way, happier, and more enlightening way. I was once drowning from my own fears, completely cynical about love, hope, and security. I used to think that no one understood me and never would. Then one day before I knew you personally, you came into my thoughts and I wasn't sure why you were there. Suddenly I felt reassured and a smile was brought to my face. I believe deep down that I loved you then. When I got to know you better a year later I realized I wasn't alone and that something inside of you was what constantly brought tears to my own eyes. I went through a time in my life where I felt worthless and unloved and I continuously searched for happiness. I wasn't getting along with my family, and my friends were all hating each other, leaving me in the middle, stressfully trying to pull things together. You made me laugh and forget everything that was going on. That year you became my escape, my survival. I don't think I could have made it through as strong as I did if it weren't for you. Anthony, I thank you for all the fun times we have spent together even if they were short lived. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that you must have been an angel sent by God to help me grieve and become a strong willed woman because no one has ever been able to help me see the light like you could. Clouds of darkness shadowed over me no matter what anyone else would say, but you made me smile with just your presence. You didn't have to say a word; everything was okay when you were beside me.
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Tobacco, Cigarettes, and Smoking - Whats in a Cigarette? :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers
What's in a Cigarette? For those who still don't know - let me emphatically state that cigarette smoking is a true addiction, more powerful than a dependence on alcohol, heroin or cocaine. To grasp this well-documented fact, one really doesn't have to study all the supporting scientific evidence. One simply needs to consider that no other drug is self-administered with the persistence, regularity and frequency of a cigarette. At an average rate of ten puffs per cigarette, a one to three pack-a-day smoker inhales 70,000 to 200,000 individual doses of mainstream smoke during a single year. Ever since its large scale industrial production early in this century, the popularity of the modern cigarette has been spreading like wildfire. Here is the first, and perhaps the most significant answer to the title question: Addiction is in a cigarette. Probing into what makes a cigarette so irresistible, we find that much of the recent research corroborates earlier claims: It is for the nicotine in tobacco that the smoker smokes, the chewer chews, and the dipper dips. Hence, nicotine is in a cigarette. In contrast to other drugs, nicotine delivery from tobacco carries an ominous burden of chemical poisons and cancer-producing substances that boggle the mind. Many toxic agents are in a cigarette. However, additional toxicants are manufactured during the smoking process by the chemical reactions occurring in the glowing tip of the cigarette. The number is staggering: more than 4,000 hazardous compounds are present in the smoke that smokers draw into their lungs and which escapes into the environment between puffs. The burning of tobacco generates more than 150 billion tar particles per cubic inch, constituting the visible portion of cigarette smoke. According to chemists at R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, cigarette smoke is 10,000 times more concentrated than the automobile pollution at rush hour on a freeway. The lungs of smokers, puffing a daily ration of 20 to 60 low to high tar cigarettes, collect an annual deposit of one-quarter to one and one-half pounds of the gooey black material, amounting to a total of 15 to 90 million pounds of carcinogen-packed tar for the aggregate of current American smokers. Hence, tar is in a cigarette. But visible smoke contributes only 5-8% to the total output of a cigarette. The remaining bulk that cannot be seen makes up the so-called vapor or gas phase of cigarette "smoke.
Sterling Marking Products Case Study
I recommend that Sterling should consider a fully owned subsidiary as an entry mode into the U. K. market. However, we need to ensure U. K. laws permits 100 percent ownership and understand tax incentives applicability. In addition, as an organization we would need to internally develop a strategic road map in terms of our approach to international markets. The objective of the roadmap is to provide Sterling with some guidance and a broad approach to how we conduct business on a global scale, considering recent interest in our product from firms in other countries and possibility of pursuing those opportunities.As an organization, this is much needed to prevent some of the issues we experienced domestically while establishing our branches in Toronto and Windsor, as well as our recent challenges in the U. S. market with Julius Blumberg Inc.My recommendation for a fully owned subsidiary in the U. K. is based on the following: In Europe, U. K. is the only European country where seals ar e legally required for corporations, and the most populous country in that region (exhibit 1), this continues to make U. K.à the most attractive market in Europe for sales, regardless of whether seals might no longer be required in the future. Also, establishing a presence in the U. K. will place Sterling in a position to easily penetrate other European market for future expansion. Based on a qualitative cost & benefit analysis (exhibit 2), a wholly owned subsidiary provides the most advantage to Sterling. Although this requires the most capital and management commitment, the benefits it offers offsets such costs including full profitability as opposed to a shared profit in case of a joint venture (exhibit 3).Also, in terms of the goals, strategy, resources and organizational structure of Sterling, a subsidiary best enables the firm to reach its objectives (exhibit 4). Options open to Sterling with a subsidiary is either to purchase a U. K. seal producer (Jordan) or build a branch as a Greenfield project. Buying out a local producer will allow a speedy market entry and access to local workers. This will also give Sterling access to current customers of the local seal producer. For this reasons, a ââ¬Å"buy-outââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬â¢ subsidiary will be preferred over building a new branch.The U.S. market is also one that is in need of a ââ¬Ëturn aroundââ¬â¢ in terms of sales and profitability. Once our seven-month contract with Julius Blumberg Inc. is completed, I will suggest we change our method of entry into the U. S. Market. Our trial with Bloomberg sales force shows that a direct sales approach dramatically increases sales in this market, therefore we should continue to export and invest in a sales and distribution team locally in the U. S. to drive sales. This will also allow us to penetrate the market faster and minimize any additional capital cost.In terms of interest shown in our product by other countries, I will suggest we research into sales oppor tunities in Japan for the reasons that Japan has a high population and number of lawyers compared to most of the other countries, geographically Japan also allows us to establish a hub in Asia so that we can establish a footprint in this region. However, deciding on a method of entry into this market will require gathering special information and understanding the Japan market. This research will need to be done prior to deciding a similar method of entry as was suggested for the U. K. market.
Monday, September 30, 2019
Recruiting, Selection, and Training Essay
The company that I researched is WellPoint (aka Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield). I would love to have a position as a Human Resource Director within the company. As a Human Resources professional at WellPoint, the goal is to lead their workforce and workplace talent strategies into achieving the purpose statement to convert health care with trusted and caring solutions. WellPoint also develop programs that attract individuals with vision and talent to be the future of their industry. Human Resources professionals at WellPoint concentrate on key areas such as talent management, engagement, and Integration to maximize customer focus and efficiency. Analyze the effectiveness of the companyââ¬â¢s recruiting efforts and make recommendations for improvement. The HR professionals have a hard time getting qualified applicants to apply for certain positions. So the first challenge is getting enough people to apply to a particular job. In doing so they are able to prepare not to consider t hose who they deem unfit for the position. It takes a lot of effort to select the applicants that truly qualify for the job. All organizations have to begin with advertising for the position. Other resources used for employment are employee referral, employment agencies, school recruiters, walk-ins, and the internet. To work in human resources, a person must go through an industrial/psychology analysis. WellPoint human resource departments have their own job analysis and all human resource employees must help mangers anticipate and meet changing needs related to gaining deployment, and the utilization of employees. The human resource professionals must estimate the amount and type of employees the organization needs, to keep the business running successfully. Therefore they must hire someone who is qualified to conduct all the important roles as a human resource manager. Human resource departments use multiple aptitude tests to screen potential employees. These tests also determine payà rates based on these tests. This is due to the quality of demand for a human resource manager. The selection process takes a lot of practice and involves assessing and choosing the right candidates. All selection processes must be legal, technically sound, and must accurately match the people and skills needed f or the position. Analyze the selection process of the company you researched and make recommendations for improvement. The majority of I/O psychologists believe that personality tests are important tools for choosing the right employees. WellPoint and several other big corporations use these tests to measure dimensions of personality and related characteristics. These testing methods are used to foresee insubordinate behaviors, and remove individuals that may cause trouble or hindrance to the organization. WellPoint Corporation has been dedicating numerous amounts of energy into areas such as communication, recognition, and employee retention. They understand that branding the employees doesnââ¬â¢t mean anything if the experience of the individuals does not match. Instead they want to establish higher profits, increased sales, lower turnover, and outstanding customer service to their members. Part of WellPointââ¬â¢s pre-employment testing includes personality testing and mathematical skills. These tests are based on the individual. Some of these particular measures may be referred to as tempera ments, dispositions, or traits. Also measured in that category are employee reliability, thoroughness, change, trustworthiness, and friendliness. Various personality measures are focused on characterizing people within the standard adult range of functionality while others focus on the identification of psychopathology (Schmidt, Shaffer 2010-2011). The reasons individuals are given a basic math assessment are to measure the accountability for their employees to figure out co-pays and co-insurance amounts are calculated correctly to the claim. WellPoint has spent countless time and money in mastering the art of employee selection, training, and retention. WellPoint has a website for interested candidates to apply for careers within their organization, both online and the corporate offices. During the selection process, candidates are asked to take a variety of assessments that analyze areas ranging from characteristics, skill sets, and basic reading and writing tests. Once a candidate has been selected and has accepted a job offer, there are several types of training encountered within the company. Determine how training and talent management contribute to anà effective labor force of the company you researched. Training is a planned learning experience and it effectively prepares workers for their current and future jobs. Training for human resource managers focuses on the present job industry while development training prepares them for the future growth. Training enhances knowledge and job skills. Methods used to measure the success of the training are performance appraisals. This measures the adequacy of the human resource managers. After their performances are measured their results are discussed with them, and any changes that may need to be made in the training process can be easily detected. These pre-employment tests are used largely in Human Resource and customer service environments for middle paying entry level jobs. Testing is designed to predict proneness for theft and other forms of counterproductive work behavior in job applicants. The organization now proposes quarterly training for employees, and is on the path to training over thousands of new people due to health care reform (wellpoint.com) The whole program is centered on listening to customers, and it recognizes employees who go the extra mile in the name of customer service. Often the new hire will experience on-the-job training, during which he or she will be shown the necessary steps in their assigned tasks. For instance, if a person is assigned to the team and asked to process claims, he or she will be shown how to properly process the claim by the trainer. Other tasks that the new hire will be expected to perform, such as enrolling dependents or ordering ID cards. This training is done in a class room setting environment. Safety courses and other employee training courses are offered periodically. Some of these courses are offered online, while others are done in training sessions within the building. WellPoint corporate employees evaluate the efficiency of nearly every aspect of the training and implementation of new employees. Additional measures are also put in place when a policy or product has changed or a new one has been introduced. The department of Quality Assurance oversees this for their assigned regions. WellPoint takes great care in ensuring that their policies are proficient and products are the best quality. That is why there are several departments in place to oversee these important aspects of the corporations. They include Quality Assurance, Product Development, Legal, Human Resources and Information Services. Another way that WellPoint seeks to improve their employee job satisfaction is career training. A largeà majority of WellPoint corporate staff started with the company and took advantage of the leadership training to climb the corporate ladder within the organization. WellPoint takes pride in the training program that the company offers, and this training is held worldwide. They are among many companies who has been certified to grant college credit hours to employees in the training programs. Human Resource managers must be treated ethically like their employees; however there are some cases where they are treated unethically. Human resource managers may face problems involving their employees, promotions, pay, and favoritism. Human resource managers must be very observant of all employees to ensure everyone is treated fairly. It is important that those who qualify for human resource management are the ones hired, not those who look, act, or dress in a certain manner. According to the EEOC, (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission), ââ¬Å"Employers are not prohibited from using personality or integrity tests in the workplace. However, the statute is implicated when: (1) an employer uses tests to intentionally discriminate against minorities or (2) the tests have an adverse impact on minorities and are not job-related for the position in question and c onsistent with business necessity. No cases have found that an employerââ¬â¢s use of personality testing in the workplace resulted in the unequal treatment of protected groups. However, there could be such a cause of action if the tests were used intentionally to exclude members of protected groups. This would usually involve evidence of comparative proof that members of a protected group were treated differently than majority group members. For example, it would obviously be illegal for an employer to test minority applicants, but not majority applicantsâ⬠. As long as these tests are given in a professional manner, it is not against the law to do such to find out if the individual is the best fit for the job. Employee selection and training will continue to be two of the most important aspects for growing and supporting the workforce for companies in the future. Psychological assessments, such as the ones described in this paper, is one of the many ways that companies can attempt to get the highest quality people and not select people who do not want to be there. While there is speculation of the dependability of using these assessment tools for employee selection and training, the evidence shows that it can be helpful in focusing the time and money into particular areas or people to improveà productivity within the company. WellPoint also uses verbal reasoning, numeracy, spatial awareness battery test. They consist of a number of questions with multiple choice answers, only one of which is right. As a test progresses, the questions may become more difficult, and there are frequently more questions than can comfortably be completed in the time. These tests are designed so that very few people finish the test in the time allowed. The participantââ¬â¢s score is then compared with how other people have done on the test in the past. This enables the selectors to assess reasoning skills in relation to others, and to make judgments about ability to cope with tasks involved in the job. On the flip side, personality inventories are used in order to determine oneââ¬â¢s typical reactions and attitudes to a variety of situations. They could be trying to identify how well an individual can get on with others or their normal reaction to stressful situations, or simply their feelings about the kind of people they like to work with (Spector, 2008). Perhaps the biggest challenge related to the use of assessment tools is determining when to use the information obtained to remove an applicant from consideration. References The WellPoint Employee (2008). Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.wellpoint.com Schmidt, R & Shaffer, D. (2010-2011). Personality Testing in Employment. Retrieved November 12, 2013 from http://library.findlaw.com/1999/Dec/22/130153.html. Spector, P. E. (2008). Industrial and Organizational Psychology (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. U.S Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2011) Title VII of the Civil Right Act of 1964: Employment. Retrieved November 13, 2013 from www.eeoc.gov/laws/statutes/titlevii.cfm Holley, W. H., Jr., Jennings, K. M., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2012). Employment Labor & Relations. (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
Sunday, September 29, 2019
Historical Context of the Remakes of The Phantom of the Opera Essay
The Phantom of the Opera has undergone subsequent remakes. This Hollywood film has undergone numerous remakes at different historical moments throughout the world. In Hollywood and the United Kingdom, it has spawned more than ten film and TV versions that differ significantly in selecting the settings for the horror-romance [Paris, New York and London] in accounting for the phantomââ¬â¢s disfiguration, in portraying the opera understudy, as well as Christineââ¬â¢s attitude toward the phantom. However, they all follow the male phantom-teacher and female opera-student structure so that heterosexual desire [manifested in two menââ¬â¢s competition for a woman] remains the prime move of the plot. My focus in this essay is Andrew Lloyd Webberââ¬â¢s version of the aforementioned text. My emphasis in this text will be how the phantom [including his image and voice] is represented within the film technology available at that time [in contradistinction to the manner in which the phantomââ¬â¢s image and voice is represented in different versions of the aforementioned text]. My working hypothesis is that since the phantom, by definition, exceeds visual representation in the silent and the sound versions, his voice, as a singer and a music teacher, emerges a primary site for representation and signification. To explore the representation and the significance of the phantomââ¬â¢s voice, I will focus on (1) how the phantom-teacher relates to his student through voice as well as visage, (2) how the teacher-student relationship differ from film to film [from Schumacherââ¬â¢s film in contradistinction to the other version of the film], (3) and how to read these relationships in allegorical terms, or in relation to their respective material-historical conditions. The last question leads me to map the teacher-student relationship onto the tension between an ââ¬Å"originalâ⬠film and its remake(s). In the end this paper will demonstrates the manner in which each remake strategizes its position vis-a-vis a historical moment and a prior film text hence it follows from this that each remake [specifically Schumacherââ¬â¢s remake] should not be subsumed into an echoing tradition in the corridor of the history. I start with the representation of phantomââ¬â¢s voice and its interplay with the shadow. The aural-visual dimension is crucial for our understanding of the issue of subaltern film remaking, which is ultimately an issue of power circulation and distribution. In the film diegeses, the phantom holds power over the student and other people for two reasons: (1) he eludes audio-visual representation and (2) he assumes the empowered teacher position. The 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera centered upon the triangular tension between Erik, The Phantom (Lon Chaney); Christine (Mary Philbin), an understudy in the Paris Opera House whom the phantom has trained and elevated to the diva position; and Raoul (Norman Kerry), Christineââ¬â¢s fiance. As indicated above, the phantom, by definition, exceeds direct visual coding. The problematic of representation is further compounded by the fact that the film, being silent [that being the 1925 version], cannot represent the phantomââ¬â¢s voice except through the theatre orchestraââ¬â¢s performance. This means that the voice and other diegetic sounds the audience hear do not [seem to] emit from the screen. This representational dilemma is alleviated through the use of shadow [an image that signifies the fusion of absence and presence, thus most appropriate for the phantom figure]. More specifically, this silent film mobilizes venues of representation before Christine sees the phantom. The first is the shadow, proffered exclusively to the audience who, according to Michel Chion, is ââ¬Å"deafâ⬠and cannot hear the phantomââ¬â¢s voice (Chion 7). The other, the phantomââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"angelic voice,â⬠is heard only by Christine and other characters. The differentiated knowledge distribution leads to two modes of spectatorship, one being exclusively visual, and the other exclusively aural. In both cases, the phantom is omnipotent when remaining a mere shadow or a disembodied voice (Chion 19). When lodged in a physical body, a process the power is lost. This takes place in The Phantom of the Opera when Christineââ¬â¢s fascination with the acousmatic phantom turns into dread and disgust once the voice is embodied in a visual image [i. e. , the skull head that she has unmasked]. Thus, the phantomââ¬â¢s deacousmatization depletes his magic power over Christine. Not only does his horrendous visage drive Christine to cover her face [which may implicitly mirror a female viewerââ¬â¢s typical response to a horror film]. It also forces the phantom himself to cover his face. The implication is that to maintain his power, he has to remain invisible. In the same manner, for a horror film to remain horrific, it must not be seen in unobstructed view. As Dennis Giles observes, the more [the viewer] stares, the more the terror will dissipateâ⬠¦ to the extent that the image of full horror will be revealed (unveiled) as more constructed, more artificial, more a fantasy, more a fiction than the fiction which prepares and exhibits it. To look the horror in the face for very long robs it of its power. (48) By covering his face, the phantom symbolizes the horror filmââ¬â¢s attempt to block the viewerââ¬â¢s vision. In other words, the power of the phantom, and by extension, of the horror film, consists in deprivation of visual representation. The problematic of representing a phantom in a silent film thus finds resolution in a paradox, namely, the possibility and effectiveness of representation consists precisely in a lack of direct visual representation. Acousmetre is also crucial for maintaining the teacher student relationship. Once deacousmatized, this relationship comes to an end, which in turn de-legitimizes the phantomââ¬â¢s proposal to Christine. After a long sequence of suspense, sound and fury, during which Christine is salvaged from the Opera Houseââ¬â¢s underground catacomb, while the phantom chased to a dead end, the film [initial version of the film] closes with a double shot of Christine happily married with her aristocratic fiance. Instead of a beauty and the beast story, in which the beast is transformed into a handsome nobleman by the beautyââ¬â¢s kiss, the monster in this film remains a monster and the opera actress gets punished for her scopic and epistemological drive [a ââ¬Å"monstrousâ⬠transgression she must redeem by betraying the monster] returning to humanity [defined as white heterosexual normality] and succumbing to a domesticating marriage. The containment of the female deviancy is built into the film producerââ¬â¢s plan to reinforce what they perceive as the audienceââ¬â¢s wish: ââ¬Å"a movie about the love life of Christine Daaeâ⬠(MacQueen 40). The film thus ends with a triumph of a bourgeois fantasy premised on the domestication of women, and the destruction of the monster. Joel Schumacherââ¬â¢s remake of the original Phantom of the Opera, did not come as a surprise, given the frequent practice of borrowing and adapting at the time. Schumacherââ¬â¢s version retains the powerful phantom figure whose self-de-acousmatization again successfully captivates the student, Christine. Nevertheless, it also displays far more intense interactions between the phantom-teacher and the singer-student. Briefly speaking, their relationship goes through four successive steps: ventriloquism, reverse ventriloquism or excessive mimesis, performative reiteration, and finally, the Benjaminian ââ¬Å"afterlifeâ⬠[which delineate Christineââ¬â¢s gradual usurpation of the phantomââ¬â¢s power while also contributing to the dialectical image provided by the phantom-teacher and singer-student relationship]. The phantom begins with ventriloquizing Christineââ¬â¢s in the latterââ¬â¢s reenactment of the formerââ¬â¢s masterpiece, now titled ââ¬Å"Romeo and Juliet,â⬠replacing ââ¬Å"Hot Bloodâ⬠in Song at Midnight. During the performance, Christine falters at a tenor note, but is undetected by the theatre audience, thanks to the phantomââ¬â¢s backstage ââ¬Å"dubbing,â⬠visually represented through cutaways. The camera first holds on Christineââ¬â¢s bending over the dead ââ¬Å"Julietâ⬠then closes up on his slightly opened mouth and bewilderment, and subsequently following Christineââ¬â¢s puzzled look, cuts to the cloaked phantom in profile, hidden behind a window curtain in the backstage, emotionally singing out the tenor notes. Cutting from the front stage to the back stage area also echoes. In the aforementioned scene, it is important to note that the moment of ventriloquism gradually gives way to Christineââ¬â¢s agency. Indeed, Christineââ¬â¢s centrality in the film is evidenced in the predominance of the perspective shots that mediate the off-screen audienceââ¬â¢s knowledge and sensorial experiences. This viewing structure contrasts sharply with The Phantom of the Operaââ¬â¢s 1925 version. Whereas Christine deacousmatizes the phantom, the audience actually sees the disfigured face before she does. Similarly, Christineââ¬â¢s knowledge [regarding the phantom] is one step behind that of the audience who hear the phantomââ¬â¢s midnight singing and see an enlarged shadow cast on the wall at the opening of the film after the initial portrayal of the opera houseââ¬â¢s condition after the fire. The contrast between the two aforementioned versions of The Phantom of the Opera suggests two different ways of constructing history. One is to hide away the past [embodied by the phantom] that has transformed beyond recognition so as to reproduce its old, familiar image in a present medium, or the student. The other is to acknowledge what the past has become, in order to re-suture it into the present without reducing the present into a mere mirror image of the past. Thus, Christineââ¬â¢s agency and the Phantomââ¬â¢s revival become interdependent. The teacher-student hierarchy, as argued previously, is analogous with the hierarchy between the master and the slave. Furthermore, it can also be mapped onto the tension-ridden relationship between a film and its remake(s). These interconnected, parallel relationships allow us to situate the cultural production of a film in a dynamic socio-political field (Gilloch 17). Following Gerard Genetteââ¬â¢s definition of ââ¬Å"hypertextuality,â⬠which designates that a hypertext both overlays and evokes an anterior text, or hypotext (Genette 5), I argue that a remake occupies the student position, and that its very existence testifies to and evokes its ââ¬Å"teacherâ⬠or ââ¬Å"predecessor. As a form of cinematic doubling, how the ââ¬Å"studentâ⬠film situates itself vis-a-vis the ââ¬Å"teacherâ⬠and its own historical moment determines possibilities of remaking (Smith 56). The major divergences between the two versions of The Phantom of the Opera mentioned above suggest two diametrically opposite agendas. Whereas the former prioritizes domesticating and suturing women into white-oriented heterosexuality, the latter historicizes and politicizes the hetero-erotic relationship between the teacher and student. There are several ways in which one may understand the aforementioned divergence. It is important to note that the text adapted by Schumacher for the construction of his version of the aforementioned film is in itself a divergence from the original. In comparison to Lon Channeyââ¬â¢s version of the aforementioned film [which is an adaptation itself], Schumacherââ¬â¢s version discarded most of the horror version aspects which have been associated with the film [as well as the original text by Leroux]. Examples of these are evident if one considers Schumacherââ¬â¢s choice for the depiction of the phantom himself [as a disfigured individual as opposed to a skull hiding behind a mask]. In a way there are several ways in which such a depiction [the change of depiction] may be understood. Initially, one may state that such a shift stems as a result of the shift from the operatic version of the film as opposed to the ââ¬Å"Beauty and the Beastâ⬠theme associated with the film. Second, in line with the initial claim of this paper, one may understand the shift [in terms of the phantomââ¬â¢s depiction] as a means of mirroring the historical conditions of the filmââ¬â¢s production. The process of mirroring the initial work as a means of showing the teacher-student relationship [in relation to the silent film version and Schumacherââ¬â¢s version] may be understood as a means of employing the manner in which the student has transcended the master to the extent that such a transcendence enabled the initial freedom from the heterosexual archetypal relationships which enables the submission of the female to the norm [that being the norm of female submission towards the male]. It may indeed be argued that Schumacherââ¬â¢s version also enabled such a submission since Christine chose Raoul over the phantom. It is important to note, however, that such a choice may be understood differently in relation to the original silent film adaptation of the aforementioned text. Note for example the depiction [as well as the characterization] of the phantom in the initial version of the film. As was noted at the onset of the paper, the depiction of the phantom in the initial version [silent film version] presented a horrible figure [i. e. a skull for a face]. Such a presentation may be understood, in such a way, that the phantom is presented as the depiction of the deviance resulting from the inability to adhere to the norm. Deviance from the norm, in this sense, may be seen [and in fact understood] as a horrible act itself. Schumacherââ¬â¢s version [with its depiction of the phantom as figure with a face [a handsome one in fact despite its minor deformities] may be seen as mirroring the manner in which deviance from the norm [that of the adherence to the heterosexual and in a sense highly patriarchal relationship] is more acceptable within the current context of the filmââ¬â¢s production (McQueen . Schumacherââ¬â¢s version begins with a reel from the 1919 occurrence at the Opera Populaire wherein the old Raoul is depicted as buying knickknacks that serve as the reminder of the occurrences that led to the aforementioned operaââ¬â¢s demise. What follow this scene is a reconstruction of the Opera Populaire resulting from the flashback of memories to those who where in it during 1819 thereby providing the spectator with the truth behind the masked lives of those who lived within the opera at that time. What is interesting to note in Schumacherââ¬â¢s version [in relation to the reconfiguration or rather redepiction of the phantom] is the manner in which one is now given a new manner of understanding the means in which Christine gains her agency. In fact, agency in Schumacherââ¬â¢s version of the film is depicted as a manner of choice and not as mere adherence to a prescribed norm [in comparison to the original adaption of Webberââ¬â¢s text]. Dramatically, the story hinges on a series of conflicts which continually redefine Christineââ¬â¢s position in relation to her surroundings [as well as to the individuals around her]. Webberââ¬â¢s version [as adapted by Schumacher] depicted this process through a series of musical themes, motifs, and textures which portray the development of characters, attitudes, and emotions. Note that the materials in each of the musical themes and motifs are rarely modified except through instances of fragmentation. Although fragmentation occurs, it is interesting to note that when considered together, these musical themes literally play out the drama involved within the play (Snelson 110). In summary, in this paper I argued that the ââ¬Å"teacherâ⬠text does not simply crumble when the ââ¬Å"studentâ⬠text arises in resistance, but rather experiences a revival. This is because the remake cannot fulfil itself without simultaneously evoking [not ââ¬Å"imitatingâ⬠] the ââ¬Å"afterlifeâ⬠crystallized in its textual ââ¬Å"predecessorâ⬠(Mignolo 112). A film remake re-presents its ââ¬Å"hypotextâ⬠not by turning itself into a submissive double, which simply reifies the ââ¬Å"hypotext,â⬠but rather by revalorizing the unique historical position of the ââ¬Å"hypotext,â⬠paradoxically achieved by the remakeââ¬â¢s stress on its own distinction. In this sense, the various adaptations of Webberââ¬â¢s The Phantom of the Opera may be understood in such a way that both versions [that stand in a teacher-student relationship] present a challenge of the archetypal heterosexual relationships which stand as the pervading theme of the various versions of Webberââ¬â¢s The Phantom of the Opera.
Saturday, September 28, 2019
Country Analysis Project (CAP) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Country Analysis Project (CAP) - Research Paper Example This led to massive climate changes over time because of overgrazing which desiccated the land and led to the encroachment of the Sahara desert. This led to massive migration and settlement along the fertile Nile valleys and formed a more centralized society. In the Nile valley, a Neolithic culture rooted by 6000BC. In this era, there was development of several dynastic cultures in the upper and the lower Nile. The lower Egyptian communities coexisted with the southern communities for over 2000 years, but remained distinct culturally and at the same time, retained close trade contact. According to the CIA World Fact Book, Egypt is one of the worldââ¬â¢s earliest civilizations. This is because of the richness in the regular Nile river floods, plus the partial segregation that the desert provides to the east and west. In 341 BC, the last native dynasty ruled over Egypt but fell under the Persians, who were later toppled by the Greeks and Romans. From the seventh century BC, the Arab s ruled Egypt for six centuries. A local military social group, the Mamluks, took control and continued to rule after the invasion of Egypt in 1517 by the Ottoman Turks. The completion of the Suez Canal made Egypt an important global transportation hub, though it was also in massive debt. To protect its investments, Britain seized control of Egypt in1882, though nominal allegiance to the Ottoman Empire went on until 1914. By 1922, Egypt was partially independent from the United Kingdom. It got full sovereignty in 1952 after overthrowing a British backed monarchy (Stannard, p. 112). Egyptââ¬â¢s economic assessment The economy of this country relies mostly on agriculture, petroleum exports, media and tourism. Since 1979, the United States foreign aid has granted Egypt an average of 2.2 billion dollars per year, making it the third largest recipient of foreign funding. The government has invested heavily in physical structures and communications. However, the largest revenue source is tourist and partly traffic. Economic growth Before the 2011 uprising in Egypt, the country was enjoying a rising GDP acceleration, which reached a height of 7.1 % in 2006/2007. This was from rise in both public and private investment, with a continued, substantive economic investment. However, labor productivity continues to show sluggish growth, which presents a potential harm to the gross domestic growth. Poverty Though there are low incidences of extreme poverty, a whopping 43.9% of the total population leaves under ?2 per day. With this, it has an enormous challenge of transforming growth to poverty eradication. Reforms will aim at development of human capital, creation of jobs and productivity. Economic structure In Egypt, the largest economic sector of both labor force and output is in services. Industrial activities propel growth in revenue. At the second position is agriculture as a source of employment, though has the least output. For future growth, creation of jobs is imperative, especially in the industrial sector and increasing agricultural and services productivity for long term economic structural transformation (Rotberg, p. 79). Fiscal and monetary policy Between 2002/2003 and 2006/2007, Egyptââ¬â¢s budget deficit fell from 9.0% of their GDP to 7.7%. This is because the government lowered subsidies on fuel and held back wage growth. Interest payment and subsidy depress the governmentââ¬â¢s capital spending. Rapid supply and money growth continue to drive up inflation rates (Rotberg,
Friday, September 27, 2019
Sales planning and operations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1
Sales planning and operations - Essay Example he process of marketing planning; lastly, allocating where during periods of product shortage, the sales force might have a significant effect in the manner in which available stocks are allocated. Most importantly, personal selling has been found to lead to an actual sale. The information gathered by the salespeople can be utilised to improve the aggregate sells and production. The information also the firm maintains equilibrium between supply and demand. Besides, the information is also used to comprehend the customerââ¬â¢s needs and behaviour. The stages of decision making process include problem recognition, evaluation of alternatives, evaluation of the decision, search process, and selection stage (Pride & Ferrell, 2012:23). When purchasing a high-level product such as a house, the salesperson has higher chances of influences the buyerââ¬â¢s decision by providing more benefits of the house. In this case, the prospective clietnt will be easily persuaded to buy the house. The salespeople ensure that the need of the customer is met, thus revising the price of the product upwards. In relation to low-level products such as a newspaper, the chances of influencing the consumer purchasing behaviour are low since the products are of low risk. Besides, the decisions of purchasing the product is a routine (Kotler & Keller, 2009:134). The responsibilities of Halfords sales team that sells cycling and motoring products and services comprise of the following: establishing personal deliverables, improving targets and charter, having knowledge your firmââ¬â¢s products and services, accepting the quota responsibility my mapping out how one will attain goals, customer contacting, account management by managing account asset, executing the sales process, and opportunity management. The roles of the sales team comprise include managing the resources of the sales support, making periodic account and territory review presentations, offering of timely management reports, and finally,
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