Cultural Event Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cultural Event Report - Essay Example I decided to attend The Metropolitan Museum of Art because an important event related to world culture was organized by the museum authorities, i.e., an exhibition on Chinese art named as Colors of the Universe: Chinese Hardstone Carvings. My friends and I visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 08.09.2012. As pointed out, my focus was on the Colors of the Universe: Chinese Hardstone Carvings, especially the artworks in the Gallery 22. Visiting the museum, I was overwhelmed by the dedication shown by the museum authorities towards art and architecture. Elephant Carrying a Vase and Pomegranates The two artworks selected for description are Elephant Carrying a Vase and Pomegranates, displayed at Gallery 222. The artwork named as Elephant Carrying a Vase (see appendix-1) is symbolic of the decorative art in China during Qing dynasty. The medium used for this artwork is jade/nephrite. Besides, the artist provided ample importance to decorative work with ruby. But one can see that decor ative work with precious stones is not related to Chinese art. Instead, one can assume that the decoration is the visible example of the influence of Indian art on Chinese art during this time period (say, 18th -19th century). Ebrey (1993) states that, â€Å"Traditional scholarship and arts flourished under the patronage of the Qing emperors, and even in rural areas schools were common and basic literacy relatively high† (p.267). ... In short, the artwork is symbolic of the rich tradition of art in China, especially the tradition of stone carving in China. The artwork named as Pomegranates (see appendix-2) belongs to Qing Dynasty. In addition, this artwork is symbolic of the development of art in the 18th century China. The lower side of the artwork consists of a wooden like structure, which acts as a foundation to the artwork. The artist made use of dark and light colors to provide importance to the whole work. One can see that this artwork is symbolic of the Chinese belief in the relationship between seeds and fertility/longevity. To be specific, pomegranate is used as a medicine to enhance sexual performance, and the same is related to fertility. So, the artist amalgamated the importance of pomegranates in Chinese belief and fertility in his artwork. To be specific, most of the Chinese artworks during the Qing Dynasty are interconnected with the beliefs and rituals during that age. Besides, Chinese artworks ca nnot be considered as mere showcase pieces. Instead, artworks are presented to express one’s gratitude. In this artwork, agate is used as the medium. So, this artwork is symbolic of the Chinese tradition of providing importance to art in daily life. One can see three pomegranates, flower and leaves on the upper side of the artwork. Summary and reaction The exhibition (say, Colors of the Universe: Chinese Hardstone Carvings) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, consists of a number of artworks related to Chinese art. Most of the artworks belong to 18th-19th century art in China. I tried my level best to have deeper understanding of the inherent theme/symbolism of the artworks. At first, I tried to have a bird’s eye

Commercials that Use Spokespeople Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Commercials that Use Spokespeople - Assignment Example The spokesperson in the advertisement is an expert because he claims to be a dentist in the commercial and that he recommends Oral B to his patients.   An expert in dental care is a dentist and when the spokesperson claimed that he as well as the commercial claims that Oral B is more recommended by dentist uses experts in persuading its audience to buy Oral B toothbrush.The spokesperson in the advertisement is an expert because he claims to be a dentist in the commercial and that he recommends Oral B to his patients.   An expert in dental care is a dentist and when the spokesperson claimed that he as well as the commercial claims that Oral B is more recommended by dentist uses experts in persuading its audience to buy Oral B toothbrush.TrustworthinessAd:   Oral BLink: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_J4Ao6CGiA It is the same product but this time, Oral B did not have a dentist to endorse its product but used a trusted person (Ellen Degeneres) to endorsed its toothbrush.   The advertisement was done through Ellen Degeneres show and through the traditional commercial where Ellen endorses the toothbrush as â€Å"great† and â€Å"feels like being cleaned by a professional dentist†.   She even Simulated toothbrushing or washing her teeth using Oral B in her show and how could people not like it in addition to the fact that the endorser is Ellen Degeneres, one of the most trusted celebrities/show host in America.  LikabilityAd: Tag Heuer Watch

Critically Assess the Real Business Cycle Explanation of Unemployment Essay

Critically Assess the Real Business Cycle Explanation of Unemployment. How Strong Is the Evidence in Favour of this Approach - Essay Example The review of the literature published in the specific field has led to the following assumption: RBC theory can be used for understanding critical aspects of economies but the performance of theory in different market conditions is not standardized. It has been also proved that the evidence against the theory is significant, implying that many of its points should be reviewed as of their validity and accuracy. In any case, it seems that the weaknesses of the specific theory are many, as analyzed through the paper, so that its benefits cannot efficiently support its value as a theoretical tool for explaining one or more elements of modern economies. 2. Real business cycle explanation of unemployment – description and evaluation Unemployment is a critical part of the economy, at the level that it helps to evaluate the performance of the economy, either in the short or the long term. Economies with low unemployment rates are usually characterized as successful, even if the relev ant trends are just temporary, an issue analyzed below. Also, it can help to estimate the potential value of measures taken for supporting the performance of an economy: if unemployment trends remain high despite the introduction of measures for increasing GDP in a specific country, then the introduction of different approaches for supporting the local economy is made clear. In order to understand the effectiveness of the Real business cycle in explaining unemployment it would be necessary to present primarily the general framework of the concept, i.e. its core characteristics and parts. Then the use of the theory for explaining unemployment can be evaluated by referring to the existing evidence with reference especially to the approaches against RBC. 2.1 Real business cycle explanation of unemployment as a theoretical concept The real business cycle (RBC) theory, known also as the real business cycle models, was first introduced in 1980s for replacing the New Classical models (Gott schalk 2005). Like their predecessor, the RBC theory aimed to explain the ‘business cycle fluctuations’ (Gottschalk 2005, p.100), as resulted not from monetary events (a view used by the New Classical models for explaining business cycle fluctuations), but rather from real events. In this context, the RBC theory has been based on the rule that business cycle fluctuations are best explained by referring to ‘real shocks’ (Gottschalk 2005, p.100), such as ‘changes in technology or government spending’ (Gottschalk 2005, p.100). In accordance with Snower and Dehesa (1997) the RBC theory is based on the following rule: ‘macroeconomic fluctuations tend to be related to technological shocks’ (Snower and Dehesa 1997, p.19), meaning that each such shock is likely to be followed by microeconomic fluctuations, either in the short or the long term. From this point of view, those people that are best prepared to face such shocks are most capable of surviving in the job market, being able to respond immediately to the relevant market demands. Because of the continuous changes in market conditions due to the intervention of ‘real events’, or else of ‘real shocks’, the RBC theory h

Management of organisations CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES Essay

Management of organisations CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES - Essay Example Corus was created in 1999 through a merger of British Steel and Koninklijle Hoogovens, a Netherlands-based company. The company was experiencing under-performance and operational problems for a period of time. It needed to change in order to turn-around the whole company and restore its competitiveness. The change was initiated by two business strategies, Restoring Success and the Corus Way Programme, which focused on continuous improvement. It was only after the successful implementation when the company became profitable again. It became attractive that today, it has become a part of the Tata Steel Group. This paper aims at exploring and evaluating the continuous improvement strategies in Corus. It focuses on how Corus used its knowledge and experience of continuous improvement to win new customers and find new ways of achieving its objectives from limited resources. The paper has identified some key environmental, economic and social imperatives that drove the company to implement improvement strategies. It has disclosed several quality tools that the company has utilised in order to improve its business processes and performance. It has also pinned down the system of managing quality in the company's production sites. Several years ago Corus bid for a Royal Navy contract for steel in one of the navy's destroyer vessels project. The project was considered as the largest Royal Navy contract awarded in history. Corus failed to acquire the project because the Royal Navy project consultants established that the company has no capability of meeting the high quality specification of steel plate required. Banking on the loss of the biggest contract, Corus management decided to invest in quality management and improvement of its machinery and processes. It has invested millions in their steel plate mills in order to be ready for any similar contracts in the future. Today, the steel manufacturing company focuses on meeting the needs of its customers and providing innovative solutions. Social Imperative In 2003, three Corus employees and four contractors were fatally injured on Corus sites. All serious incidents were cause for the greatest concern and were thoroughly investigated. Recommendations were being made to prevent recurrence, improve job satisfaction and maximize health and safety. The top management committee continually leads the company's initiatives of improving safety performance. They aim to have a continuous reduction of serious accidents as measured by lost time injury frequency rate. Environmental Imperative As a steel manufacturer, Corus believes that good environmental performance is critical to the success of its business. The company aims to improve such performance continuously. It places great emphasis on contributing to a sustainable society and carry out its business in a responsible manner. The climate change is a significant global issue. Corus recognises its role in contributing to the reduction of the problem of green house gases. Emissions to air and discharges to water were focused for

Why Japan should be allowed to continue whaling Essay

Why Japan should be allowed to continue whaling - Essay Example Therefore, the following discussion aims at highlighting the different reasons that should encourage the continuity whaling in Japan. The Japanese community has always engaged in whale fishing, since the early days. The whaling fleets usually depart from the country twice annually. They head to the southern ocean sanctuary in November, where they hunt minke whales. In May, the fleets visit the Northwest Pacific to hunt different species of whales. These include minke, bryde, fin whales, sei, as well as sperm whales. Once the fishers get the whales, they process the meat, and return home with the finished product ready for consumption (Cunningham, Huijbens, & Wearing, 2012). Consequently, the activity forms a large part of the Japanese culture as it outlines the activities done on an annual basis. More to these, whaling perpetuates a sense of nationalism amongst the people, given its domestic origin. The community prides itself in the practice, as it has no western influence, unlike other activities that were introduced by colonialists. Therefore, the activity bears a long history in the country, and needs to be pr otected to maintain the culture of the people. This follows the need to pass on traditions and practices that characterize a given culture to future generations. Unlike the international community that views whales as mammals that need to be protected from extinction, the Japanese view whales as fish (Miller, & Dolsak, 2007). Consequent to this, the culture of the Japanese community believes that whales serve the significant purpose of food. Just like some communities feed on cows as a source of food, and others give it a sacred status, so does Japan see whales as a type of fish. Therefore, inhibiting whaling in Japan can be seen as a form of cultural imperialism as it interferes with their beliefs. The country should emphasize on preserving its beliefs,

The Chocolate War Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Chocolate War - Case Study Example The war has also set back attempts by the world’s large chocolate companies to curb the use of child labor and help improve the lives of the people in the Ivory Coast by teaching them new farming techniques and business practices.  Worse still for the Ivory Coast, where the incomes of six million people – about 35% of the population – are linked to cocoa farming, is that chocolate companies may begin rethinking their reliance on the country amid fears of continuing political instability.  Ã¢â‚¬Å"If things don’t improve,† says Anne Prendergast, an analyst with the commodities trading firm Refco in New York, â€Å"over the next five years one may see a gradual erosion of production from the Ivory Coast.†Ã‚  In the succeeding weeks the rebels and the government have made progress toward peace. The next several months are critical. If the Ivory Coast can begin to mend its shredded political and social fabric, it may be able to undo the damage already don to its cocoa economy. But if unrest continues, the situation could become dire for both the country’s cocoa farmers and the world’s companies.  The war turned any of the major cocoa centers in the western part of the Ivory Coast in the battlefields. Farmers abandoned their crops to flee the rebel advance. Iberian mercenaries fighting alongside the rebels seized the entire northern half of the country before French peacekeepers intervened to separate the warring sides. The prospect of further political problems spooks international chocolate executives. So far, no chocolate company has pulled out.

Cause and Effect;What would be the effects of dropping out of high Essay

Cause and Effect;What would be the effects of dropping out of high school - Essay Example High school dropouts will hardly provide any meaningful skills to the job market and therefore, not able to secure good jobs. This causes a sharp drop in living standards among high school dropouts. Lack of education means lack of skills needed by most employers if not all. This leaves high school dropouts with no choice than to do the unskilled jobs that are lowly paid. Whereas this is a loss to the employment sector, most of the loss occurs to the dropouts since they forego the gratification that comes with professional jobs. Such dropouts can hardly support their families with the little income they have. More notably, they are most likely to create a poor generation since their family foundations are already economically unstable. With the increasing problems associated with global economic crisis, high school dropouts are most likely to face overwhelming competition and difficult living conditions. US government has to make a huge budgetary allocation every year in aid for the poor families that cannot support themselves. A great number of high school dropouts add to this burden every year. This is because as they can hardly support themselves economically. Additionally, they nurture families that are not economically stable thereby adding more pressure to the already heavily burdened government spending. For instance, the government has to struggle raising funds to support a healthcare program for the poor even when the poor, such as high school dropouts, cannot afford to contribute financially to the program. Poor living conditions and lack of livelihood is a prerequisite to criminal activities. Criminal activities are most likely to be more prevalent among high school dropouts due to inability to generate enough income. High school dropouts hardly have any option apart from engaging in criminal activities due to the overwhelming competition in the modern society. More notably, high school dropouts are, most certainly, likely to associate with