When Small Worlds Collide :: essays research papers

When Small Worlds Collide The Industrial Revolution provided well-defined boundaries between communities, companies, nation-states, markets, and peoples established by the invention of the railroad. The new era of globalization or Informational Revolution breaks down all of these boundaries and shapes our lives by integrating technology, finance, and information into a single global market. E-Commerce globalization has created a system that is shaped by superpowers, supermarkets, and super-empowered individuals. This new Globalization is a highly complex and interconnected international system of small worlds uniting knowledge ultimately leading to the end cultural wars and ways. The Lexus is what each one and country wants, but what is the price? Cultural Genes Biologists generally agree that the primary force behind evolution in humans is natural selection. With each generation the chromosomes and genes of the parents are scrambled to produce new mixes . The genetic evolution is parallel to the cultural evolution. They are linked and the mind is that linkage. However, there is a boundary between knowledge for the mind and culture. This is not a territorial line, but a broad, unexplored terrain awaiting entry from both sides. Technology is the tool that enters this terrain. Thus, the communal mind created by culture, which is a product of the genetically structured human brain, can now be exposed to all cultures, societies, and ideas. Some of them are Lexus while others are Olive Trees. Everyone can have the same Lexus; however there is only one unique Olive Tree. Identity Crisis â€Å"Few things are more enraging to people than to have their identity or their sense of home stripped away. †¦ Because without a sense of home and belonging life becomes barren and rootless. And life as a tumbleweed is no life at all. Olive trees...represent everything that root us, anchors us, identifies us and locates us in this world†¦.† states Thomas L. Freidman. The underlying message here is fear. Our fear of the unknown, our fear that home will no long be, and our fear of not surviving. The Cold War spawned treaties to protect our Olive Tree from fear of our enemies. Now, the deal becomes the protection from our competitors. But the biggest fear is not from another olive tree, nor the Lexus. It is from the standardizing market forces and technologies of today, which tend to break down communities, steam-roll environments and crowd out traditions. This leads us to a loss of identity which in turn can create a crisis.

Essay --

The ONE Fighting Championship event will roll this coming Friday, December 6, 2013, 7 in the evening at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Pasay City, with the theme â€Å"ONE FC: Moment of Truth.† Moment of Truth consists of ten sets of clashes, as seven Filipino fighters will slug it out with 13 foreigner counterparts, with the titles such as ONE FC Featherweighton the line. Highlighting the night of battles will be the rematch between HonorioBanario and Koji Oishi. For Banario, a win against Oishi is a must. The Filipino striker is on the verge of avenging his loss against the Japanese tormentor whom also took the title away from him following the defeat. Oishi has only lost once in his 14 ONE FC fights, and one of the victories he garnered came at the expense of Team Lakay’s â€Å"The Rock† last May. Also headlining the main event was the battle between Kevin Belingon, and David ArandaSantacana for the bantamweight title. Another Team Lakay fighter, Belingion, tagged as â€Å"The Silencer,† will also avenge his loss last May as he faced the undefeated Spaniard, whom have also won the majority of hi... Essay -- The ONE Fighting Championship event will roll this coming Friday, December 6, 2013, 7 in the evening at the Mall Of Asia Arena in Pasay City, with the theme â€Å"ONE FC: Moment of Truth.† Moment of Truth consists of ten sets of clashes, as seven Filipino fighters will slug it out with 13 foreigner counterparts, with the titles such as ONE FC Featherweighton the line. Highlighting the night of battles will be the rematch between HonorioBanario and Koji Oishi. For Banario, a win against Oishi is a must. The Filipino striker is on the verge of avenging his loss against the Japanese tormentor whom also took the title away from him following the defeat. Oishi has only lost once in his 14 ONE FC fights, and one of the victories he garnered came at the expense of Team Lakay’s â€Å"The Rock† last May. Also headlining the main event was the battle between Kevin Belingon, and David ArandaSantacana for the bantamweight title. Another Team Lakay fighter, Belingion, tagged as â€Å"The Silencer,† will also avenge his loss last May as he faced the undefeated Spaniard, whom have also won the majority of hi...

The Riddle Of The Sphinx :: essays research papers

The Riddle of the Sphinx The study of myths probably began in the 4th century. BC. when Euthemerus explained them as exaggerated adventures of historical individuals. The allegorical interpretation of myths , stemming from the 18th century study , says that at one time myths were invented by wise men to point out a truth, but after a time myths were taken literally. The linguistic corruption interpretation says that myths could be understood as allegory for events found in nature. The Jungians school denoted myths as a mechanism of wish fulfillment. Sir James Frazer, believed that all myths were originally connected with the idea of fertility in nature, with birth, death, and resurrection of vegetation as a constantly recurring motif. Though the modern interpretation of myths is not general but a specific explanation for myths of a single people. The theological interpretation states that myths are foreshadowings of facts of the Scripture or corruptions of them. This view, which is not contemporarily popular, is surprisingly enlightening when attention is paid to the meaning of names of characters and places in relation to Biblical stories. Even recent fairy tales which fall into the category of myth, often reveal through metaphor more truth in scripture than one would anticipate. The most relevant and necessary topic for the understanding of the imagery and symbolism of myth is found in the framework of the celestial zodiac. The pictures found today in the zodiac were not developed by the Greeks, but were in place perhaps as early as 4000 B.C. predating even the civilizations of Sumaria. The pictures were not arranged in haphazard order to aid in the tracking of the star movements but with order and purpose of depicting an epic narrative. This understanding of the zodiac reveals an intelligence and scientific understanding that was corrupted through time . The symbolism which remains can be analyzed to reveal the basic truth behind it. The story of the sphinx is an excellent example of the zodiac / myth connection. The sphinx a composite creature with the head of a woman or man and the body of a lion was associated with the guarding of sacred sites of antiquity. It represented the whole of the narrative of the zodiac, with the head of a woman, Virgo the beginning of the celestial cycle and the body of a lion, Leo,the end of the cycle. In fact, the actual design for what scripture calls a cherub is in actuality,a sphinx. The angels were beings whose sole purpose was to reflect the will and the glory of the God who created them.

Succubus Dreams CHAPTER 10

When I came home from Seth's the next day, there was another note stuck to my door reminding me about the package. I plucked it off and went inside, surprised to find Vincent there again. I'd figured his angel business would be keeping him busy elsewhere. â€Å"How's it all going?† I asked. I rummaged through my cupboards, looking for food. I'd skipped breakfast. â€Å"I mean, if you can tell me without having to kill me.† He sat at my kitchen table, leafing through newspapers. â€Å"Ah, well, still can't give you details, of course, but I can say that†¦um, well, progress isn't being made as quickly as we'd like. There's leftover lasagna in the refrigerator if you want it.† I opened the refrigerator door. Sure enough. â€Å"Wow. Did one of the angels conjure this up for you?† â€Å"Only if you consider Yasmine's cooking a type of conjuring.† I uncovered the casserole dish. It looked great. There might be magic afoot after all. I put a piece in the microwave and set the timer. Sitting down across from him, I peered at the spread out newspapers and remembered finding them left out the other day. â€Å"You sure like your news.† He grimaced. â€Å"Most of it's depressing.† Glancing at the headlines, I had to agree with him. Murder. Corruption. Theft. â€Å"You hear about the cop shooting the other day?† I asked. â€Å"That one was really depressing.† Vincent turned his attention away from a story about domestic abuse. â€Å"No, what happened?† â€Å"This cop was outside a convenience store and claims someone was inside shooting his partner. So, he ran in, gun in hand, and started shooting. He ended up killing his partner himself.† Vincent frowned. â€Å"Huh. I hadn't heard that one,† he murmured. From the distracted look in his eyes, his mind had clearly latched onto something I wasn't privy to. I gave him a sidelong glance. â€Å"That mean anything to you? Maybe to this mission from God you're on?† His easy smile returned. â€Å"You're good but not that good. You know I can't say anything.† The microwave dinged, and I retrieved my food. As I stabbed a piece of cheesy pasta, I recalled what he'd said about Yasmine's cooking. My curiosity got the better of me. As it often did. â€Å"Vince†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I began slowly, carefully keeping my eyes on my food. â€Å"I know it's none of my business†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He laughed. â€Å"I always love it when people introduce topics like that – and then go ahead and dive in anyway.† Blushing, I shut my mouth. â€Å"No, no,† he said, clearly entertained. â€Å"Go ahead. What were you going to say?† â€Å"I†¦well, nothing really. It's just, I mean, it doesn't matter to me†¦but I just sort of noticed that you and Yasmine seem, um, close.† His levity faded. I quickly looked up and met his eyes apologetically. â€Å"I'm sorry,† I blurted out. â€Å"Forget I said anything.† â€Å"No†¦it's, I don't know.† He folded up the newspaper, staring at it without really seeing it. â€Å"Yeah, I guess. I've known her for a long time, and after a while, it's easy to†¦well, she's easy to like.† â€Å"Yeah, she is.† A few pregnant moments passed. When he spoke again, I heard affection in his voice. â€Å"I first met her at this fair in Akron, of all places†¦about, oh, fifteen years ago. Not sure what she was doing there – you never do with them – but I found her walking away from a concession stand. She had this giant tower of cotton candy. I swear, it was taller than she was. And, since I could tell she was an angel, it made the situation that much more absurd.† The story made me smile too. It also shed light on why he was here with the A-Team. I could tell she was an angel. He was another gifted human, like Erik and Dante, who could sense the immortal world. â€Å"And you went and talked to her?† â€Å"I hadn't planned to, but then the cotton candy started to fall over, so I went to help her and ended up eating half of it myself.† â€Å"That's sweet,† I said. â€Å"Er, no pun intended.† It didn't matter that in the last few months, I'd fucked one guy in an office chair, used a leather whip on another, and gone down on another in the back room of a seedy club. I still loved romantic stories. â€Å"She started asking for my help after that, off and on, once she realized what I could do. It was supposed to just be that†¦nothing more than her, you know, professional cases. But after a while, we couldn't help it. We're together all the time now.† I swallowed another piece of lasagna. It was divine. Seriously. â€Å"Do any of the other angels know?† â€Å"Yeah, right. Joel barely tolerates me now†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"But obviously, you guys aren't, um, you can't be – â€Å" â€Å"No, but it doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be physical. Really, it's ironic. Angels are creatures of love. They're supposed to love everyone. They're just not supposed to love one person so much more than another.† â€Å"That's stupid,† I stated adamantly. â€Å"To you, maybe. And to me, I suppose. But to her†¦well, she devotes her entire existence to the service of a power and cause bigger than all of us. To be so in love with something – or someone else – is distracting. You can't serve two masters without eventually betraying one.† I looked down again, turning over his words. â€Å"And yet you guys still stay together. Sort of.† He shrugged. â€Å"In as much as we can. Maybe I should move on with my life, but, honestly, there's no one else I want to be with. I accept what she is. It's why I love her. I'd rather be with her in a limited capacity than none at all.† Goosebumps rose on the back of my neck. He'd just stated a variant of what Seth used to tell me all the time, back when I would continually urge him to leave me and find someone else. I'd accepted his choice by now and honestly couldn't imagine not having him in my life. But still. Sometimes I didn't entirely get how he could be okay with everything between us; hearing another person support such a choice was refreshing. As though reading my mind, Vincent gently asked, â€Å"Am I hitting too close to home? Carter mentioned a boyfriend†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No. Yes. I don't know. He – Seth, my boyfriend – says the same thing as you. That if it can't be any other way†¦well, then this is the way he wants it.† â€Å"Exactly. And thus, life goes on.† Vincent started gathering up the newspapers. â€Å"I tell you though, I think your side and hers are both so fucked up, it's not even funny. Why the rules? Why does a succubus always have to take away someone's life when she's with them? Why can't you have the choice? And why can't Yasmine make love? Why can't she be in love?† Good question. I don't think Vincent really expected an answer, but I had to give one anyway. â€Å"Because that's the way it is. The way the system works. The way it's always worked.† â€Å"The system is fucked-up,† he said. I thought about it and nodded. â€Å"No arguments.† Smiling, he reached for his coat and slipped it on. â€Å"You're okay for a succubus.† Vincent left, off to do whatever it was one did with a posse of angels. I almost envied him because I had something to do that I wasn't looking forward to at all. It was another necessary evil. I had to get Tawny a job. After that debacle of a dance lesson, I'd told her I'd help. I might not be able to do much about my mysterious energy loss or angelic romances, but I sure as hell could do something to expedite Niphon's departure. I drove down to Seatac, a city that owes its entire existence to the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. It's more of a shadow, really, spreading around the airport in a blanket of long-term parking lots and cheap hotels. It also has a couple of strip clubs because really, what else are out-of-town businessmen supposed to do in their downtime? It was late afternoon, so business was slow when I stepped inside Low Blow. A few bored-looking men sat scattered throughout the place, which was dingy and in need of some serious redecorating. Or, well, any decorating. A couple of the guys glanced up with interest as I walked through. Apparently, I held more appeal than the poor brunette trying her damnedest to fuck a pole in time to the dulcet sounds of Pink Floyd's â€Å"Young Lust.† I opened my mouth to speak to the bartender, but a voice behind me interrupted. â€Å"Ho†¦ly†¦shit. I don't believe it. I don't fucking believe it.† I turned and looked into the long, narrow face of Simon Chesterfield, the proud proprietor of this dive. Between his face and lanky body, he always reminded me of a weasel. His black mustache never quite seemed able to grow in completely, and he dressed in brand name clothes that were always one size too small. He was chummy with the local Hellish players, and rumor had it he was in line to be an imp, eventually selling his soul for immortality and the chance to be a diabolical salesman. â€Å"You finally come to dance for me, doll?† â€Å"You wish.† For a sleazy guy who ran a sleazy establishment, Simon actually had a legitimate appreciation for dance. I'd once seen him trying to choreograph his strippers and had been impressed by his sense of aesthetics and rhythm. His employees hadn't really caught on. Such talents were kind of wasted here, and I used to wonder why he didn't take his business to one of the more affluent suburbs where he could get a higher caliber of dancers. The reason he stayed, I'd later learned, was that this was a better venue for all sorts of other shady business he conducted. Still, Simon had a sharp eye and knew what a good dancer I was. He'd been on me for years to come work for him. â€Å"We need to talk,† I explained. â€Å"Business.† â€Å"It's what I do.† With a sweeping gesture, he pointed to a doorway beside the bar. â€Å"Let's go to my office then.† His ‘office' was barely a broom closet, but it had a stool for me to sit on. Resting my heels on a mid-level bar, I brought my knees up to my chest. It made my gray linen skirt slide up a bit. Simon watched with an interest that was more professional than personal. â€Å"Fuck, woman. You come dance for me, and I could make a killing.† He shook his head and collapsed into a rolling faux leather chair. â€Å"A succubus on my stage. Fuck.† I tilted my head to the side. â€Å"It's funny you mention that because that's kind of why I'm here.† I think my innocent tone set his alarms off. He eyed me suspiciously. â€Å"I thought you said you didn't want a job.† â€Å"Not me. We just got a new succubus, and she's looking for a gig. Didn't you hear?† â€Å"No†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He frowned. â€Å"And she wants to dance? Here?† â€Å"Yep,† I said glibly. â€Å"She can't wait to take her clothes off.† Wasn't that the truth. Simon leaned back in the chair and put his feet on the desk. Casual pose or not, he was still on guard. â€Å"What's the catch?† â€Å"Why does there have to be a catch? You should be excited about this. We're doing you a favor.† â€Å"You're offering to drop a succubus into my lap. That sounds too good to be true, so it is too good to be true.† He paused, still thinking. â€Å"And why are you here instead of her?† â€Å"I'm altruistic.† â€Å"Georgina,† he said warningly. â€Å"Okay,† I admitted. â€Å"She's kind of†¦new.† â€Å"How new?† â€Å"Really new. Still under warranty.† â€Å"There's still a catch here somewhere.† â€Å"Well†¦she's†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I spun through my mental rolodex of adjectives. â€Å"Inept.† He raised one narrow eyebrow. â€Å"Inept?† â€Å"She's still learning how to get men.† Since Simon probably wanted sexy women working for him, I figured it wasn't worth mentioning that Tawny wasn't so much learning as she was still trying to find her way to class. â€Å"And she's a, um, bad dancer.† â€Å"How bad?† â€Å"Bad.† â€Å"Can you be a little more specific on what level of bad we're dealing with?† â€Å"Remember Gigli?† â€Å"Jesus. So, why do you think I'd want to take on a shitty dancer?† â€Å"Simon,† I exclaimed. â€Å"All your dancers are shitty.† â€Å"Not all of them,† he said. â€Å"And it's not like I'm trying to get more. We have standards.† I gave him a pointed look. â€Å"Alright, alright.† He ran a hand through his gelled black hair. â€Å"What do I get in return?† Now I was the indignant one. â€Å"What do you mean? You're getting a succubus dancer. What else do you need?† â€Å"I'm getting a succubus charity case. I'm the one doing you a favor.† His eyes were shrewd. Yeah. He'd make a good imp someday. He was this close to breaking out a contract. â€Å"I want you. Dance for me two nights this week.† â€Å"No.† â€Å"One night.† â€Å"Simon, there is nothing in this world that's going to get me to dance here, not even a succubus charity case. Pick something else.† â€Å"Okay, fine.† He pondered. â€Å"You. I want you.† â€Å"Hey, I just told you – â€Å" â€Å"No, no. Not as a dancer. As in right now. On the desk.† I sighed. That kind of want. â€Å"Look, if I've gotta hire a bad succubus, I might as well fuck a good one.† â€Å"Interesting logic. Aren't you worried about your soul?† He looked at me like he couldn't believe I'd had the audacity to ask such a thing. It was similar to the look I'd given him when he said Low Blow had standards. â€Å"Noted.† I stood up. â€Å"But not this body. Pick another shape.† Simon snorted. â€Å"You think I'm interested in a pinup girl crossed with an Ann Taylor model? Fuck that. I want a sixteen-year-old version of Liza Minnelli. In a school girl's uniform.† I stared. â€Å"I have no idea what that would look like.† He started undoing his pants. â€Å"You're a smart girl. Figure it out.† Sighing again, I shape-shifted, taking on a small body with a black pixie haircut. Baby smooth skin. Green plaid skirt with matching vest. Simon grunted his approval. Turning, I rested my hands on the desk and bent over, thrusting my ass out toward him. I hoped it would be over soon. If I could just get the weasel comparison out of my head, this would probably be a lot easier. I felt his hands slide along my legs as he pushed the skirt up. Suddenly, he froze. â€Å"A thong? Are you insane, woman?† â€Å"You're a sick bastard,† I told him. The thong changed to white cotton panties. â€Å"Don't I know it.† He pushed the panties down and thrust forward. Well, I guess it was a thrust. Simon wasn't that well-endowed. I was on the verge of saying something like, â€Å"Are you there yet?† Alas, the Tawny situation was too dire. I couldn't risk Simon changing his mind about her for the sake of a joke, no matter how funny. But, whatever Simon lacked in size, he made up for in enthusiasm. He gripped my hips, nails digging into my bare flesh as he pounded away. I had to keep a fierce hold on the desk. Eventually, seeking variety, Simon flipped me over to my back. He unfastened my blouse and bra, exposing small, perky breasts that had just â€Å"blossomed into womanhood.† Eyes on them and not my face, he grabbed my legs and spread them so that my ankles practically rested on his shoulders. He returned to the task at hand, and when he finally came, I have to admit I welcomed the energy burst. It wasn't a lot – the guy practically worked for Hell already – but I needed it. Simon pulled out of me, and I sat up, mildly sated from an energy standpoint, if not a physical one. I honestly hadn't done much but lie there the whole time, but he regarded me as though we'd just gone through the entire Kama Sutra. â€Å"Definitely worth putting up with an inept succubus,† he said happily, pulling his pants back up. I wanted to say that he might want to withhold judgment until he actually met Tawny, but instead, I just smiled. I knew when to keep my control switch on.

Hamburger †Fast food Essay

Market and environmental analysis is an essential part of an organization’s External Analysis. The main objectives of a market analysis are; a)To determine how attractive a market is. b)To understand the dynamics of the market and amend strategies accordingly. Here we apply the dimensions of a Market Analysis to McDonalds corp. 1)Emerging submarkets; McDonalds failed to recognize the changing trend in customer’s preferences to better tasting, fresher food. This trend led to new sub markets emerging for tastier, fresher and fast food perceived as healthier. A few of the smaller/privately owned competitors (Cosi and Quizno’s) were able to operate in niche markets selling gourmet sandwiches and salads. The emergence of smaller restaurants offering easy access to exotic foods such as sushi and burritos created a more specialized niche market. 2)Size and Growth; With the emergence of these sub-markets and niche markets, McDonalds started losing market share. It now had to share its fast-food mass market with these newly created markets. Even though these restaurant chains were small in size, their growth opportunities presented a potential threat to McDonalds. They operated on service that was better than McDonalds at the same time providing better tasting food, which led to an increase in its sales. This sector was in the early stages of growth where as McDonalds was past the maturity stage. 3)Profitability; McDonalds profitability can be gauged by using Porters 5 factor model. a)Intensity of competition among existing customers was relatively high. Direct competitors like Wendy’s and Chik-Fil-A were able to out perform McDonalds based on service quality by providing quicker service. In comparison McDonalds had a large number of franchises, but will falling service time. b)Threat of new entrants: Other market niches like quizo’s, cosi and small restaurants offering exotic foods also provided a high degree of competition to McDonalds by offering food that appealed to changing customer preferences. The only barrier to entry that McDonalds used was to open a large number of franchises and offer an inexpensive menu; this is however changing as franchisees are leaving McDonalds, lowering the barriers to entry. c)Substitute products would include fast food options available in leading supermarkets, and cafe’s offering exotic foods like sushi. d)Bargaining power of customers. Customers are the main source of income for McDonalds. Customers were not happy with the menu offered at McDonalds and hence took their custom to other restaurants, leading to a drop in sales. e)Bargaining power of suppliers: McDonalds aimed to keep their menu prices low (source more details about suppliers) 4)Cost structure McDonalds strategic focus was on cost and service. In order to raise service quality new kitchens were installed. However, this installation was done for some franchises that did not need it and where the new additions did not help improve business. In order to keep the price of its burgers low, it asked the franchises to sell at a loss. Example: Promoting a $1 burger when the cost to make it was $1. 07. This lack in foresight resulted in rising costs to franchise owners who responded by leaving McDonalds and going over to competitors. This snowballed into falling investor confidence resulting in falling equity. Another cost issue was investing in too many takeovers which it couldn’t handle at the same time as improving service quality and revamping the menu. 5)Distribution Systems McDonalds distribution system was the large and growing number of franchises. However not many of the franchises were posting profits and as per Exhibit 1, more than 500 would have to be closed. One of McDonalds strengths is its distribution system, where in customers come in and have the same experience that they have at any other store. However, this can also be a weakness as providing a consistent experience soon becomes ordinary. 6)Market Trends The fast food casual market was quickly breaking up into fragments. With the rising immigrant population customers now had a choice of items. McDonalds realize this too late and try to counter this effect by introducing new burgers. However, the testing of the new menu does not gauge strongly enough the changing customer preferences and this poor planning led to its failure. Internally changing trends were also blindsided. Franchisees who were the closest to customers were not included in decision making and were thus disgruntled. Here was the need to change the management style from top-down to bottom-up. This would have solved some of the issues plaguing McDonalds, by providing data on what customers want and what products would have a greater chance of success. 7)Key success Factors McDonalds did have some strengths or key success factors; a)Large number of franchises that led to economies of scale. This however contrasted to the ‘small is beautiful’ concept of the niche markets. b)Complete training for franchisees to begin and run their own McDonalds proved to be a good team building exercise. c)Cost of food was low due to economies of scale and economies of size. Moreover, McDonalds was able to negotiate a reasonable price for high quality food products. McDonalds failed to realize the changing trends in the casual fast food markets, as a result of which, a large part of the market share was taken over by existing brands like Wendy’s and new players like Panera bread co. The company also failed to acknowledge competition from the niche markets serving gourmet and exotic foods. This lack in analysis led to lowering of entry barriers for new entrants, loss of market share to competitors (Wendy’s, Chick-Fil-A. ), disgruntled franchisees, and a drop in sales leading to a fall in equity value. Environmental Analysis 1)Political. 2)Economic: 3)Socio-Cultural: There are three cultural forces that influence marketers: a) persistence of cultural values, b) subcultures and c) shifts in secondary cultural values. Of the three, secondary cultural values carry the largest influence on the fast-food market. When the market is interested in convenience, they are more likely to buy fast food; if the market’s secondary values shift and become interested in fitness and health, they will be less likely to buy fast food. (Monash university, 2006) The case shows this shift to gourmet and healthier foods. 4)Technological: McDonalds had begun to notice the importance of technology. The organization was looking at new technological solutions like ERP to improve their supply chain (Newman, 2002) 5)Environmental: 6)Legal. References: Monash university, 2006, Briohny’s Report, Language and Learning Online, Retrieved on 06 May 2008. http://www. monash. edu. au/lls/llonline/writing/business-economics/marketing/3. 3. 2. xml Newman, K, 2002. McDonalds seeks closer electronic relations, iStart. com:Technology in business, www. istart. co. nz, retrieved on 06 May 2008. http://www. istart. co. nz/index/HM20/PC0/PVC197/EX245/AR22537.

Color in Do the Right Thing

Jionne McMichael November 17, 2012 Art of Film Color As A Formalistic Device in Do The Right Thing Spike Lee presents his â€Å"truth† about race relations in his movie Do the Right Thing. The film illustrates the spectacle of black discrimination and racial altercations and portrayed the â€Å"true† realities of an African American living in the 1980s. The movie is set in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York on the hottest day in the summer where racial tensions are growing.Spike Lee uses color dramatically to help illustrate and emphasize these growing tensions that ultimately escalates to violence and tragedy and also, to help emphasize emotions. Color, as defined by Gianetti, is a realist technique but can be formalist having a subconscious impact on the viewer. There are two types of colors; warm and cool. Warm colors stress adjectives such as violence, stimulation, aggressiveness etc. Cool colors stress adjectives such as serenity, tranquility etc.Spike Lee definitely embraces this by using the elements of both warm and cool colors to emphasize the theme of escalating racial tensions that come to a climax at the end of the movie. In addition, it emphasizes the weather and the heat with bright tones. The color red is used symbolically to convey a variety of emotions. Mood and tone are created by this use of color. As racial tensions escalate, the color continues to visually dramatize what is going on in the minds of the characters as well as what is occurring in each scene.From its first frame, the energetic credit sequence in which actress Rosie Perez dances in a red bodysuit vibrantly to Public Enemy's powerful anthem â€Å"Fight the Power,† against a rear-screen backdrop that is lit in vivid blues and reds, right to its final shot. The film is an explosion of bright and warm colors and glows in an almost burning-furnace light full of vibrant red, orange, and yellow hues. In the first scenes, yellow light pours t hrough windows of shuttered apartments, nearly obscuring or melting the actors and scenery around it.In later scenes, particularly the nighttime sequences, a chiaroscuro effect is used, with blue and purple light surrounding the outer areas of the screen, and bright yellows and reds lit on the actor's faces and bodies. Overall, color is used as a metaphor for the emotions of the characters as well as to set the tone and mood. At the end of the movie, the culmination of these elements parallels the violent consequences of racism and prejudice. The different colors used in the film create a visual experience that helps to set the tone.The bright, vibrant colors create strong impressions of the characters’ emotions, as well as the overall mood of the movie. The main color used is red, which emphasizes the high temperatures experienced by the people in the neighborhood. In a scene showing Da Mayor's bedroom, the whole room is tinted with yellow, orange, and red to symbolize the h eat. After this scene, we get introduced to the character Smiley who is standing in front of a big red building and he is being shown with an orange tint.Then this scene is followed with Mookie in his sister, Jade’s room. This room is totally red, to show that it is very hot in there. We can see the use of red, orange and yellow through out the movie to keep reminding us of how warm it is. The bright red brick wall that serves as a background for the three men on the corner gives the scenes involving them a tone of the weather. This brick wall is a reoccurring object in the movie, and it gets lighter or darker depending on the mood of the particular scene.Tints of red, yellow, and orange are shown during the course of the film to maintain the mood of heat created by them. As the day progresses, bright yellow colors slowly transition into a darker yellowish or orange color. This is used as an indication of the setting sun and the dissipating heat. Color not only emphasizes the heat, but also emotions. The red color used so often reflects the tension, conflict, anger, and frustration among the characters. Their strong and passionate emotions are complimented by the tints of red, yellow, and orange used in the scenes.As rising racial tensions mount, color is used again to emphasize the heat and emotion. When the rioters set Sal's pizzeria on fire, it is a bright contrast to the surrounding dark night. The bright color of the flames conveys the rage of the rioters over Radio Raheem's brutal death at the hands of the police. As Sal and his two sons watch their pizzeria burn down, we see that reoccurring red wall behind Vito. The red color stresses their emotions of anger about the injustices that are taking place. The color red is also used in reference of love and hate.When Sal and Pino are sitting together in the pizzeria, the tone seems to be a bit red hinting some kind of love connection between the two. It is not the usual red color that shows the hot w eather. Also Da Mayor gives red roses to Mother Sister, the red in the roses stands out from all the color during the scene. The use of color in the lighting also brings another important element into the ways that certain scenes play out through the movie. There is a lot of natural lighting being used portraying the characters just as they are. But at the same time, different locations provide for different lighting styles.Such as is the case in Sal’s Pizzeria where it seems everything is a bit too dark and somewhat shady. Even in the introduction when Mookie wakes up for the day the lighting being used makes his room seem jumbled and is an insight into his life being a mess. The bright fluorescent lighting in the Korean store makes everything stand out too much, and does not make the place seem inviting, but strictly business instead. The light in DJ Mister Senor Love Daddy’s booth is relaxed and calm, just enough light comes in reflecting the cool personality he por trays.In the scene where Mookie decides to take yet another break from work and visits Tina the mood is entirely set by the color of the lighting. The sun is going down and the room becomes blue. It provides the cool, just as the ice Mookie brings, and makes everything slow down as it happens. The scene where the character Buggin Out gets his shoes scuffed by a white pedestrian is complemented by the warm colors of the mise-en-scene along with the costumes which are important in suggesting the positions of the characters in the community.The mise-en-scene includes the brightly colored cars on the road as well as the red and brown buildings, all very warm colors. It appears that in the post-production the shots may have been edited to posses a red hue, intensifying the hot atmosphere that is created by the heat wave. Along with this, Buggin’ Out and his group all match the mise-en-scene, wearing bright yellow, orange and red costumes suggesting their sense of belonging to the neighborhood. The contrast is presented through the entrance of the white man who is wearing a green t-shirt with lue socks pulled up, the antithesis of the warm colors the audience has been consistently presented with. The color difference is emphasized in the juxtaposition of the shot, reverse shots where we see the frame filled with Buggin’ Out and his friends wearing the warm colors and then the quick pace of the cuts to the white man wearing the cool green color. The contrast in colored clothing between the characters accentuates the difference in skin tone, instigating the audience’s insight into the importance of racial tension within the film.The out of place coloring in the white man’s costume, suggests the unusual nature of him being in this black community, an idea pointed out by Buggin’ Out when he says, â€Å"what do you want to live in a black neighborhood for anyway? † Also, the cool nature of the man’s clothing could be seen to emulate the calm and collected manner in which he handles the situation, he keeps trying to diffuse the argument with apologies and through this, Lee highlights the hot-headed nature of Buggin’ Out, a characteristic the audience is shown more explicitly later on in the plot.In conclusion, Spike Lee is very clever in his use of colors. Warm colors, especially red, are used in characters clothing as well as props and lightening to help put emphasis on the growing racial tensions among the characters that ultimately ends in a huge riot and tragedy. Color is also used to help express emotions that the characters are facing. For instance, in the riot scene, there are so many reds and oranges that clash with the dark blue night to illustrate the anger of the riots after the murder of Radio Raheem at the hands of the police.Spike Lee’s use of color is forcing us to take sides with his ideology, which is very explicit in this film. The principal idea of Lee’s film is that of the oppression of the black working class, by the non-black capitalists in their very own community. Lee has his characters basically come right out and express their view on this subject. The black characters of the community are alienated from their capitalist counterparts and therefore feel a certain rage against them. By using color, he forces us to take sides with them and succeeds in that.

Grades Encourage People to Learn Essay

Grades encourage people to learn TOPIC 5 : Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Grades encourage students to learn. Use specific reasons and examples to support your opinion. As we all know, in the school, people use grades to evaluate the result of studying process. And it is clear to see that grades encourage students to learn so much. Because it helps students have a specific target, know what their strength and weakness are and try to learn to get benefits that high grades bring to them. First of all, the most important thing when you start to do something is that you have to make your own goal. Knowing clearly/obviously What you want to achive will help you get/make a clear plan about what you have to do. In the school, the grades play a role as that goal. Once you had a specific purpose you will try your best to reach it. (example ? ) Secondly, the second, because grades are used to evaluate your academic result, you will have a/an overview about what subjects you are good at or bad at. This will be useful for you to pay more attention to which parts you are not so good to improve them. Finally, when you get/obtain high grades in the school you will have a chance to get a good job. When you apply for a job, recruiters usually look at your CV including your academic result first to make a decision if they will give you an interview. The grade is a standar to determine your ability in gaining and understanding new knowledge. So high grades help you have a good quality in others’eyes. In conclusion, grades help students make an effective approach of studying. Besides, good grades bring students many benefits. That is why grades encourge students to learn so much.