Monday, September 30, 2019

Agreed Ways of Working Essay

Agreed ways of working, this is exactly how you will work. It is important to know what is expected of you in your role and in turn what to expect from others. In health and social care, there are agreed ways working you will have with an employer; also, with service users. Some examples of agreed ways of working in health and social care are: An agreed way of working with an employer would be to follow safety procedures relating to health and safety, for example, to follow the Food Hygiene Regulations 2005. This regulation concerns how food should be handled safely to avoid contamination and food poisoning. This is in order to protect the service user from potential harm; in addition, it is a legal requirement. An agreed way of working could be to protect the service user’s confidentiality. As long as a situation does not place the service user in danger or give cause for concern, then a care worker must keep information given to them confidential. It is the responsibility of the healthcare worker to handle information appropriately; this applies to all information whether it is an opinion given verbally, social information, or financial or medical records. If this agreement would be broken then trust would be lost between service user and carer; additionally, it is likely to cause disciplinary action. The refusal to accept any gifts or money from service users, their families or other carers, would be an agreed way of working. This would be to protect both employer and employee from any legal allegations concerning the gifts in the future; also, this protects the professionalism of both employer and employee and protects these boundaries. This would be an agreed way of working with both employer and service users. Another agreed way of working would be to conduct your work within your expected limits and abilities. In each job there are responsibilities and duties you are trained to perform, you agree to not exceed these limits; an example of this would be if a care worker administered medication to a service user without the appropriate training. Such an occurrence could cause serious or potentially fatal harm to the individual the care worker is supposed to protect, disciplinary action would be taken and possibly legal action additionally. An agreed way of working with a service user would be to treat the individual with dignity, compassion and respect.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Tina Turner

Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title The Queen of Rock ‘n' Roll.[1][2][3] Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue.[4] Success followed with a string of hits including â€Å"River Deep, Mountain High† and the 1971 hit â€Å"Proud Mary†. With the publication of her autobiography I, Tina (1986), Turner revealed severe instances of spousal abuse against her by Ike Turner prior to their 1976 split and subsequent 1978 divorce. After virtually disappearing from the music scene for several years following her divorce from Ike Turner, she rebuilt her career, launching a string of hits beginning in 1983 with the single â€Å"Let's Stay Together† and the 1984 release of her fifth solo album Private Dancer. Her musical career led to film roles, beginning with a prominent role as The Acid Queen in the 1975 film Tommy, and an appearance in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. She starred opposite Mel Gibson as Aunty Entity in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome for which she received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture, and her version of the film's theme, â€Å"We Don't Need Another Hero†, was a hit single. She appeared in the 1993 film Last Action Hero. One of the world's most popular entertainers, Turner has been called the most successful female rock artist[5] and was named â€Å"one of the greatest singers of all time† by Rolling Stone.[6] Her albums and singles have sold nearly 180 million copies worldwide.[7][8] She has sold more concert tickets than any other solo music performer in history.[9][10] She is known for her energetic stage presence,[2] powerful vocals, career longevity,[9] and widespread appeal.[11] In 2008, Turner left semi-retirement to embark on her Tina!: 50th Anniversary Tour.[12][13] Turner's tour became one of the highest selling ticketed shows of 2008-2009.[8] Turner was born a Baptist, but converted to Buddhism and credits the spiritual chants with giving her the strength that she needed to get through the rough times.[14]

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Glasgow City Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Glasgow City - Essay Example Glasgow in itself is an old city and we trace its origin back in the 12th century  (Slack, 2004). The city has transformed itself from a poor city to a more beautiful city and as a tourist destination. Glasgow tourism strategy 2016 provides the city’s outline and ambitious plan for the decade long development of Scotland’s tourist industry. According to this strategy, the city expects 4 million visitors every year before 2016. This is in accordance with global projections which estimate a growth by 4% every year in the tourism sector. Economically, this would prove advantageous as the city will earn averagely  £ 1 billion every year. With all this projections it is now evident that the win for the bid is in line with its tourism strategy. This is because the event is likely to bring millions of people from all over the world to participate in the event in one way or the other. It is important to understand that a country with good tourist destination has high chance s of hosting some of the world’s major sporting events. It is argued that besides sporting, there is need to promote cultural interaction and economic development  (Tomlinson, 2005). Apart from gaining economically in sports, the host nation is also supposed to earn from tourism. This was one factor that ensured Glasgow city won the bid. The city hosted the 1988 Garden Festival and won the European City of Culture (ECoC) title in 1990  (Weiler, 2004). In addition to this the City also boasts of Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and a Gallery of modern art which was opened in 1996. The gallery of modern art now holds the title of UK City of Architecture and Design. All this fit in the city’s strategy and the games will only help in emphasizing more on cultural value and promote tourism. Glasgow city also boasts of hosting the UEFA Champions League Final in 2002 one of the most prestigious soccer event in the world   (Glanville, 2012). Moreover, the city collected their E uropean Capital of Sport title in 2003 something that made them host the UEFA Cup Final in 2007  (Woods, 2007).. Besides the good sporting reputation the tourism industry in the city has been rebranding itself. Major brands like ‘Glasgow Scotland with Style’ and ‘safe pair of hand’ have been key in ensuring that the country host major sporting and cultural events. Besides this, the long term strategies such as infrastructure investment, civic engagement and unwavering belief has helped the country to attract many tourists in the city. All these are important in ensuring that the country promotes its tourism industry and this fits with the strategy of Glasgow city.  

Friday, September 27, 2019

Slavery and Marriage in The Braggart Soldier Essay

Slavery and Marriage in The Braggart Soldier - Essay Example The position of the women in Plautus’s society is also brought out through this play, through the married and the unmarried women, in the play who live out different roles. Slavery and Marriage in The Braggart Soldier The influence of social institutions is seen in most of one’s activities and art is no exception. The art of Plautus, reflects the social realities that existed during his age. Slavery and marriage were two of the most important institutions that were prevalent during the period that Plautus wrote his plays. These plays portray a certain kind of subversion that is possible on the part of these subaltern groups. They are able to obtain a certain kind of superiority over their masters and their clients for a certain amount of time. However, the superiority that they attain over their superiors is something that is undercut by the fact that it is a temporary phenomenon that fails to challenge the institutions in themselves that remain deeply entrenched in the consciousness of the very people that seem to attempt the subversion. This subversion, by the end of the play, even though it succeeds in the downfall of the protagonist of the play, Pyrgopolynices, serves the ends of another member of the aristocracy, Pleusicles. In the end, the slaves and the prostitute do not do anything for themselves; what they do is to fulfill their roles as slaves, which essentially place them back in their social positions, irrespective of their masters. The actions of Palaestrio and Philocomasium, from the beginning of the play, seek to foil the actions that the protagonist of the play, Pyrgopolynices, seeks to bring about. Both these characters have certain features in common; both f them were captured by the soldier. The helplessness and the lack of agency that these two characters share happens as a result of their social positions that are defined by their economic and gender belonging. Philocomasium does not possess any agency since she is a woman and does not have any agency. Throughout the play, she is looked upon as a possession that the two men in the play fight for. Her identity too, is shaped by the man that she is with, rather than the position that she defines for herself. On the other hand, Palaestrio has some agency of his own, even though it manifests itself in his loyalty to his former owner, Pleusicles. This reveals a deeply entrenched system of slavery where the slave internalizes the system and mentally enslaves himself to his owner. Palaestrio is unable to think of himself as a person whose identity may be anything except that of the slave of Pleusicles. This manifests itself in his inability to accept Pyrgopolynices as his master. He however, possesses more ability to act than the Philocomasium, who is totally deprived of any agency, because of her position as a woman in a patriarchal society. The little agency that Palaestrio has does not lead to any awareness about his position as a slave that could lead to an y solidarity between him and the other slaves. This is evident from this speech of his. Palaestrio: Someone from our house has done a naughty thing, from what I hear- The old man’s commanded that my fellow slaves be beaten up. Well, he said except for me- who gives a hoot about the rest? (Plautus 8) It is this lack of solidarity that makes Palaestrio

Thursday, September 26, 2019

COMPANY STRATEGIC ANALYSIS- Starbuck Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

COMPANY STRATEGIC ANALYSIS- Starbuck - Essay Example An enterprise needs, at the very least, to define its role in the value chains based on its unique mix of strengths and weaknesses and design its processes, supporting assets and organizational structure and decision making. Firms create value for their customers by establishing a value chain within the organization. When customers recognize these values as being superior to the firm's competitors, the firm has established competitive advantage within its marketplace. Porter describes two broad ways in which firms can deliver this value: lower cost and differentiation. A lower cost emphasis is one where the firm can provide a good or service more efficiently than either the client or other competing firms; a differentiation emphasis is one where firms create superior value in the form of product or service quality. Starbucks Coffee is the leading coffee shop globally. It manages over thousands of branches across United Kingdom, Ireland, Central Europe and Asia. This study explored the competition inside the coffee shop industry. Starbucks Coffee is the most competitive company in the coffee shop industry. ... The study arrived to the conclusion that Starbucks Coffee is continuing to be the most competitive coffee company, however, since there are some competitors in the industry, Starbucks still needs the aid of Michael Porter's five forces, generic studies and cost leadership in order to stay on the top in the retail industry Company Background Starbucks, the coffee company, is the perfect example of a product that could have gone the route of a shallow brand. After all, what is so special about serving coffee As the Starbucks brand proves, this is a question that other retailers would have benefited from asking. Starbucks is full of warm, rich colors and shapes and is set up so customers have a lot to look at while waiting for their order. It is visually stimulating in a way that is pleasant to most people. Compare this to a typical coffee shop, where the customer is often subjected to bright, harsh lighting and is often in the way of traffic flow, making him or her feel vaguely uncomfortable. Accommodating fast growth also meant putting in systems to recruit, hire, and train baristas and store managers. (Student Resources:2005) Starbucks' is simply looking for passionate people who love coffee, diverse workforce which reflects their community and who enjoys what they're doing and for whom work is an extension of themselves. 16 Some 80 percent of Starbucks employees were white, 85 percent had some education beyond high school, and the average age was 26. All positions are filled internally about 60-70%. Automated staffing services between hiring managers and staffing teams and Starbucks has a user friendly field sourcing and selection tools in place. Internal movement processes and systems in place and broadly understood. (Student Resources:2005)

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Poverty and wealth in South America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Poverty and wealth in South America - Essay Example Nowadays, universal individual views on what constitutes poverty wealth, as one might suppose, variety extensively. In a few examples, people grasp the view that poverty is usually a need of food, shelter or clothing. In further cases, people consider poverty consists of lack of appropriate sanitation, nutrition, utilities, and/or heath care. In the United States, the federal government provides numerous description of what poverty and wealth is or how it is to be deliberate. Though, two of the meanings stand out on top of all others. Formally, for arithmetical purposes, the U.S. Census Bureau describes poverty by establishing poverty thresholds. Every year the Bureau approximation the yearly sum of cash earnings that is modestly necessary to prop up families of a range of sizes. The poverty doorstep is premeditated by a method by pretax or gross income and prohibits non-cash benefits such as food stamps and Medicaid. If a family's earnings are beneath the chosen doorstep, the family is measured poor.3 The chief causes of poverty in America are known a lot notice in the literature. A lot of the ordinary foundation for poverty is attributable to idiosyncratic uniqueness; such as, inferior levels of edification, be short of of profitable skills, dire family situations and family the past, in danger existing environments and situation, and physical or mental disabilities.4 From one more viewpoint, the causes of scarcity are additional structural in nature. Associated with these fundamental reasons for poverty are the traditional and moderate explanations or views of poverty. Recommendations Government Responses The government rejoinder to poverty and wealth in the U.S., in provisos of mutually policy and programs, is measured amid numerous experts and observers to be a contentious one. Governmental anti-poverty programs drop into eight categories: Medical care (mostly Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program); Cash support Food support Housing assist Educational assistance Services Job and guidance programs Energy support The Poverty and wealth Rate The majority economists consider that whilst a snapshot of the poverty rate is enlightening, a further delegate poverty rate in excess of moment gives an extra precise picture of poverty. The phase of time typically known as 'delegate' is three years. As a result, an assessment or investigation of the poverty rate in South Carolina over a 3-year era is pleasing, chiefly with contrast to southeastern and U.S. averages. By federal meaning, South

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Locate and compare what it means to be a slave in Phillis Wheatley's Essay

Locate and compare what it means to be a slave in Phillis Wheatley's poetry and Philip Freneau's poetry - Essay Example This makes clear the importance of Phillis as the first African American writer. Philip Freneau was a friend of Jefferson, and he is also known the â€Å"Father of American Literature†. What slavery means in their poems is the focus of this paper. Fortunately, when Phillis Wheatley was sold in the American slave market, she was bought by a Bostonian named Wheatley, who was kind towards the girl. She was only seven years old, with a fragile body. She could not live long. She was always ill. She learned English within a short period. She was also an ardent Christian. She being the first slave woman to become a poet, the readers naturally had expectations about her. They expected her personal emotions to run through the poems. But she wrote poems mainly addressed to the white people. Her first volume of poems, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was published in 1773. Most of her poems are either dedicated to famous personalities, or they are elegies. Her own situations, revealing her emotions as a slave hardly appear anywhere. In fact, there is nothing much in her poems to bracket her as a slave poet, speaking for the emancipation of the oppressed class in America. The only recognition is that she proved that a slav e is also a human being capable of being intelligent and becoming a great poet, a genius. This gave the abolitionists a chance to quote her as a fine example for giving better attention to the blacks in the field of education. Sometimes, the impression Phillis gives is that she was grateful to God for being a Negro, a slave, and for getting a chance to be a Christian and American. She even pleaded God to save all Negroes similarly. In her poem, â€Å"On being Brought from Africa to America†, she says â€Å"It was mercy brought me from my pagan land†. The word â€Å"mercy† is a confusing word. Mercy to God for whatever happened to her in her life could be the

Monday, September 23, 2019

What are the 3 key factors to consider when buying merchandise for a Essay

What are the 3 key factors to consider when buying merchandise for a high street fashion brand such as Topshop - Essay Example As buying occurs in set periods it’s further necessary to have significant foresight. Another prominent factor that buyers must consider is quality control (Goworek 2005, p. 9). While there is generally a quality control department it’s recognized that they contribute to finalizing the aesthetic aspects of the fit, shape, length and proportion of the garment; additionally, it may be necessary to test the fabric to ensure that it matches the end retailer’s standards. The final factor that buyers must consider when purchasing merchandise for a high street fashion brand is progressive sales of past brands (Goworek 2005, p. 17). This is a slightly complex notion as it necessitates that buyers consider the specific sales of garments in the range and recognize then effectively manage these purchases in the context of future buying patterns. While it may not always be possible to purchase the same garments the buyer can match specific trends within these ranges accordin g to retail tendencies to achieve maximum

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Future Concerns - Gattaca and Fahrenheit 451 Essay Example for Free

Future Concerns Gattaca and Fahrenheit 451 Essay Popular fictions texts expressing views of the future educate audiences about current issues and the dystopias that develop from them. Texts such as the film ‘Gattaca’, directed by Andrew Niccol and novel ‘Fahrenheit 451’ by Ray Bradbury explore futuristic societies and the implications that become of their innovation. Although entertaining, texts such as these are didactic and must be taken seriously, as they communicate messages to audiences regarding prevalent concerns and possible futures based on society’s choices. Gattaca’ (1995) directed by Andrew Niccol, follows the story of the underdog Vincent, who is challenged by genetic discrimination against ‘in? valids’ like himself. Through an elaborate identity switch and the help of ‘genetically advantaged’ Jerome, Vincent prevails to achieve his dreams and find his place at Gattaca Space Station. Niccol utilises conventions of film to convey messages to the audience by highlighting issues relevant to the context of production. Gattaca’ incorporates many themes which highlight the corruption and inequality in this strange, new world. Niccol explores concepts such as elitism, perfection, inequity and modernism. This film opens with two contrasting epigraphs, which entices viewers’ interest into moral themes in ‘Gattaca’. The first quote reads: â€Å"Consider God’s handiwork; Who can straighten what He hath made crooked? † Ecclesiastes 7. 13. An interpretation of this quote is that life is intended to be left alone to take its course, which is contradictory to many ideas in ‘Gattaca’. The quote following reads: â€Å"I not only think that we will tamper with Mother Nature, I think Mother wants us to. † Willard Gaylin. This presents audiences with differing opinions to contemplate as they consider what scientific advancements their own future holds, watching Vincent in his. The opening scene is an extreme close up shot of Vincent’s fingernails, hair follicles and loose skin, against a blue cubicle. The extreme close up shot suggests importance as the camera focuses in on the subject matter, emphasising the significance of Vincent’s DNA. Sterility and cleanliness is suggested by the use of cold, deep blue hues. The use of blue is constant throughout the film, as is the significance in detail. These concepts tie to other scenes, such as ‘The Eyelash’, where Vincent’s own ‘invalid’ eyelash is discovered during a murder investigation. This concept highlights the precision of technology in the future, and that life with such structure becomes complicated. Audiences can learn lessons from examples such as these scenes s they can relate the situations Vincent is put in with possible futures based on the direction society is heading in present times. Another effective technique demonstrated by Niccol is the first person narration by the central character, Vincent. This is important for the development in the movie, as Vincent is the protagonist we are encouraged to empathise with. Therefore, the use of bias narration and perspective is effective in supporting the ideas presented in the film. Following the opening scene is ‘The Not Too Distant Future’, which cuts to a low angle shot looking up to the bold, symmetrical lines of the building. In this shot, Gattaca is shaded in black and grey tones, also indicating the power and formality of the institution. As the camera tilts down, the strong lines and colouring remain constant as view of the staff are also brought into the frame. Directors have dressed actors in blue business suits, again, enforcing the concept of formality, conformity and sterility. The uniformed staff are very bland and indistinguishable from one another in their uniformed clothing. Silence is broken by the rising volume of diagetic sound effects, such as the beeping sound of accepted ‘valids’ through the turnstile, as well as an anonymous greeting by a placid female voice: â€Å"Welcome to Gattaca†. These techniques develop the idea that society has become lifeless and ‘black and white’, as Gattaca presents characters as clinical and robotic products of genetic modification, teaching audiences about social issues that relate to futures.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Code of Ethics Essay Example for Free

Code of Ethics Essay The code of ethics is a very important part of the business workplace and must be managed in the right way in order to become successful and maintain the perfect work role. Being able to come up with ideas and plans for code of ethics is a good thing in the workplace because it gives the employees boundaries and policies that have to be followed in order to have a good code of conduct. Code of conduct is a little different from code of ethics because conduct talks about behavior skills in the workplace and ethics plays a role as choosing the right ethical behavior that an employee might show. There are many organizations out there and mostly all of them have either a code of ethics, code of conduct, or even both. These codes are put into the working industry and the environment of the workplace in order to run a business that has no complications and employees have to do what their told. In order to create a code of ethics for an organization, you need to know the components to which can be referenced back to the code of ethics. A code of ethics is also to be accompanied by plans for organizational education, implementation and audit. The overall achievement for creating the code of ethics for the workplace is to come up with a perfect solution theory and be able to translate it into a code that speaks out to the employees and lets them know the rules and regulations of their present day work environment. There are many components that make up the code of ethics because it is initially the rite of passage for workers in a business working environment. What does a statement mean when it is called unethical? Who is the one to decide on whether or not a situation is ethical or not? What are the exact theories and solutions of ethics in the workplace? All these questions relate in a way because of how the work environment is suppose to play a role only by following the right code of ethics and conduct. But there are some who say that the code of ethics cannot be morally wrong or right. Some others believe though that the ethics of code should not have a place in the business industry. We live in a world that is filled with competition and every single individual is trying to be the best they can be at trying to get ahead of one another. In order for this theory to play out, it would be practically impossible for a code of conduct or ethics to be able to be played out in the work environment. By being ethical, there are many ways to win over certain individuals and be at the top of the rat race. In order to be a winner, it is a long journey and passage, but with cretin components of ethics, a positive individual is able to build up work power and use it towards a workplace in a professional way. No matter how badly you need something to be done, going beyond the established code of ethics in the workplace to achieve it is simply unacceptable. † (Lalwani, 2010) Before someone goes into the path of work ethics, one must first take a look at the ethics and benefits of a workplace in order to become a winner of the business industry. Soon as an organization has an established code of conduct and ethics, it is always better to be able to have a greater image and function than a normal man. When a code of ethics is established in the workplace, it enables self-regulation on part of the employees, and it is this code of ethics that guides employees when challenging decisions have to be made. † (Lalwani, 2010) This quality is able to enforce professionalism in the working environment and can also be a provider of products and services in and around an organizations capital. If none of these accusations are able to be produced and made ethically, it is due to the lack of inspiration towards the ethical code of conduct. These are some examples of code of conduct and code of ethics: â€Å"Misrepresentation of data, taking advantage of a professional situation just for personal benefits, working for an organization whose values and ethics conflict with your personal ethics, instigating colleagues and fellow employees to follow unethical paths for group benefits or gains, stealing or misrepresenting information for personal benefit, or on behalf of the employer for the benefit of the organization, stealing or misrepresenting information for personal benefit, or on behalf of the employer for the benefit of the organization, flouting the norm of confidentiality in the workplace regarding sensitive information that will benefit the organization, engaging in corporate espionage, misreporting the amount or number of hours worked, taking credit for work done by another colleague, dressing inappropriately or against the dress code set by the organization, getting personal with any colleague or superior in a professional setup, being dishonest in professional situations for personal or group gain, being insincere, uncommitted, and disloyal towards the organization, violating the established code of ethics in the workplace in the name of individual rights, disrespecting the personal values and beliefs of colleagues in the workplace, with which you have no concern, and dealing with problems in the workplace in an unprofessional manner by making the issue personal. (Lalwani, 2010) By all these rules and codes being engage in opportunity and failure, by following these codes of ethics, you can be the best employee that you possible can be in a work place. A workplace should be able to have ethical organizational subjects helping to decide what is right from wrong. But there are many certain business basics that one must follow and endure in order to play a role as a fellow works men. The basic role of ethics in the work place is for employees to make sure that productivity and progression of the business stay to a descent speed. In not doing so, unprofessional actions can start to take place and employee management will be harder to deal with. By carrying out suitable training to establish workplace ethics, these ethics can be imbibed by every person that comprises an organization, to achieve a common goal that has been laid out by this organization. † (Lalwani, 2010) There are many goals that employees set themselves to and to accomplish those daily goals, they must follow the code of ethics and the code of conduct in the workplace. There are multiple key components of work ethics in the business industry. But there are some organizations that go above and beyond the code of ethics and would soon end up violating the key components of an ethical work environment. There are companies such as Enron and Goldman Sachs show, which have dealt with violations towards the ethics code of conducts and have gone outside of their boundaries only to have failed. The code of ethics is the set of behavioral rules employees should follow to ensure the companys values are reflected in all business dealings. Regardless of the size of the business, clearly defined codes and closely monitored transactions should keep your company from violating laws and make it a place where employees feel comfortable doing the right thing. † (Sullivan) The first major component of ethics is the values of ethical decision making. Businesses are able to express the performance of a company or an organization in terms of how they work with suppliers, employees, and customers on a day to day basis. â€Å"A primary objective of the code of ethics is to define what the company is about and make it clear that the company is based on honesty and fairness. (Sullivan) Values are defined as a word that describes interactions and the importance of what a company has to offer. A second component of ethics would be the principles of it and how they work towards the company’s performance. The principles come into play by supporting a value of the business industry then having employees of a company following the right scheduled operations. When principles play a role in the business world, customer satisfaction is the most important subject of running a business. No customers, no business. â€Å"Corporate responsibility to the environmentally friendly use of natural resources is another business principle that often is found in code of ethics. (Sullivan) Manager support comes from both the principles and values of the code of ethics. This subject is able to include a process of reporting any ethic violations towards the code of ethics and by the process of which people can run an organization. â€Å"To reflect how seriously management considers the code, some businesses display the code of ethics with management signatures in prominent areas, such as the break room, where employees will see it on a daily basis. † (Sullivan) The fourth component that comes into play with the code of ethics is personal responsibility. Personal responsibility regards that each of the employees working in an organization have total responsibility to uphold and keep with the program of ethics. There are both legal and moral issues regarding this certain component because if an employee decides to violate an ethic of code, he or she will have to deal with the consequences. The requirement for personal responsibility is that it can relate to the other components towards the code of ethics. If an employee goes against the rules of ethics, the violators will become an issue towards the company. â€Å"This is meant to show that it is not sufficient to merely adhere to the values and principles but to help ensure every employee supports the code of ethics by reporting violators. † (Sullivan) One of the final components of ethical decision making is compliance. Compliance comes into play when any laws or regulations are referenced as rules towards an association or organization. Relating back to the Enron case, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act was the execution of falsified financial records and became a big problem for Enron. The full details of financial filing is that when a file becomes a record, is has a lot of information towards any company or organization. â€Å"Compliance to all financial reporting and any licensing requirements such as ISO 9000 by the International Organization for Standardization can be documented, along with the expectation that all licenses will be maintained and legal regulations met. (Sullivan) Overall, the code of ethics is a great way to pursue organizational skills in a company and by doing so an organization is able to come up with a code of ethics that employees can follow on a day to day basis. The construction of ethics is how a company or organization is built around by provided a good work environment for certain individuals in the workplace. In order to build an ethics program that helps and supports a company’s actions, you must have a compliance program that is in relation to the code of ethics. There have been recent financial scandals that have been seen by corporate companies. Financial scandals have shown us that there is more need for compliance programs and the need of better business ethics throughout organizations. Out of the National Association of Corporate Directors, there are about 280 corporate CEO’s that have been discussing the problems of the code of ethics being dealt with in all companies. It’s about one out of three CEO’s that talk about how highly they were affected by ensuring legal compliance. When it comes down to the brass tacks of a corporate organization, every organization should have a code of ethics and the only way to come up with one is to construct multiple ideas that support and help the employees of a major organization. By building an ethics and compliance program, most companies are entitled to realize that it takes a lot of development and time to be put into the creation of an ethics and compliance program. Businesses are filled with all sorts of different codes, but here are some examples that can relate to an ethics program and be able to support the company in a long term effective program: â€Å"Establish a code of conduct that reduces risk of criminal behavior, detect wrongdoing, foster quick investigations, minimize consequences, demonstrate company’s ethical/legal philosophy during an investigation, reduce fines if company is found guilty of wrongdoing, and enhance company reputation and stature. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) It is not all just about coming up with the code of ethics and that’s it. A company or an organization always has to look at the options they are able to deal with in order to create the perfect effective program. A lot of companies have the power to create the best programs possible, but with just three options to look at, a program can go from a failure to a progressives and successful plan. Here are the three examples that are able to help out building the perfect effective program: â€Å"Develop in house from scratch, hire and external consultant, and use a pre written manual. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) Most companies use these options to create the perfect system, but some company’s decision makings go the wrong direction and they eventually have to find of decisions the hard way. A company or organization must have strong decision making skills because creating a code of ethics from scratch is the hard part of developing a program. The company also might have to fully understand the complexity of creating a knowledge list of codes that can be support in the workplace. Companies are dealing with the hiring’s of an extra consultant to help them out with an organizations decision making. Organizations say that an extra consultant might be a cost effective plan, but the question is, what else is left? It all comes down to actually building the ethics program of choice. A company or organization should either use a manual of choice or a pre written template that they can base their ideas off of. By using these two subjects of choice, organizations and companies find it a lot easier to make guidelines towards the production of building a code of ethics. Companies are looking for the strength in an idea to be produced in the program of needs. In order to come up with the best ideas and tools for running a business, it is important to look for the right tools that can implement the ethics of business and strive to create the perfect program. Here are some examples of what a successful compliance program should provide in their development of ethics: â€Å"Sample policies and procedures, step-by-step instructions for the development of a program, a business ethics training program outline with classroom materials and a detailed session leader’s guide, business ethics and compliance officer position description, templates for employee involvement, and sample code of conduct. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) After coming up with the perfect ideas to support a company’s foundation, an organization must start to implement the ethics program into the business workplace. The next step to creating a perfect code of ethics is to bring the ideas to the corporate office of the company and have the executives take full responsibility for implementing the code of ethics into the company’s compliance program. By taking the idea to corporate, the effectiveness of the tools needs to be yielded with a solid program that the company or organization can work with. Such as understanding it, endorsing the program, and being able to monitor the code of ethics for total true effectiveness. â€Å"With step-by-step guidelines and accompanying examples of policies, procedures, a training program and an employee survey, such an effective tool provides an excellent road map for implementing an ethics and compliance initiative. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) After all the hard work is completed by creating the compliance program, certain companies have to make certain decisions that can be related to the code of ethics from the workplace. The compliance manual should provide the full files of what the code of ethics is suppose to represent and how it is suppose to be reliable with the company’s boundaries. The files can be written with policies, surveys, forms and training session outline for the organizations progression levels. â€Å"Also, businesses should ensure their ethics compliance system manual is fully endorsed by The National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) as a tool to maintain a culture of integrity. † (How to Build a Business Ethics Program) Overall, the construction of building the code of ethics come from a lot of planning and brainstorming ideas towards the relations of an organizations boundary limit and employee’s satisfaction.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Swedish Government Response to Prostitution

Swedish Government Response to Prostitution According to the WHO, prostitution is the exchange of money or goods for sexual services. Over the past decade, governments policies on prostitution have been contested both in academia and in popular debates. There have been approaches adopted by different countries, with a significant shift away from prohibition, towards legalization and decriminalization of prostitution. Understanding how countries regulate prostitution laws and adapt to the various models is critical for governments to observe. By analyzing the stances of the government, those involved in the sex industry, and the public, they can provide insight towards which approach other countries may find beneficial. Therefore, this paper will focus on the political implications of the attempts of various governments in regulating prostitution. By passing the Sex Purchase Act in 1999, the Swedish government took an unprecedented approach, decriminalizing prostitutes but prohibiting the purchase of sexual services (citation). The Swedish Model is known as partial decriminalization which primarily focuses on the governments stance regarding prostitution as intrinsically harmful to women and a hindrance to the governments goal of achieving full gender equality (cite reliability of government source citation). Because the Swedish laws base their alignment on the underlying principle of the gender equality policy, the government approaches prostitution from a perspective of gender equality and human rights by prohibiting the purchase of sexual services criminalizing the buyers. The model recognizes prostituted women as victims who are unjustly treated due to their weaknesses and clearly reflects the governments policy which desires to empower women to get out of prostitution. The Swedish government claims that partial decriminalization has improved prostitutes rights and reduced the rates of prostitution (citation). The Social Security Scheme grants prostitutes access to welfare and health care as taxable workers. These programs assisted nearly sixty percent of Swedens prostitutes quitting the practice (citation). The reduction in demand for prostitution is another significant result of the Swedish Model. As the current legislation punishes buyers with huge fines and a maximum of twelve months in prison, men have become less inclined to buy sexual services. According to research from the Nordic Gender Institute, the number of clients in Sweden from 1996 to 2008 declined from 13.6 % to 7.9 % (citation). By focusing on the demand side through prosecuting buyers, it may be easier for Sweden to eliminate a market for prostitution. Swedens current legislation is founded upon the publics acceptance of the gender-equality policy, stressing the value that women are not commodities. A study in 2001 reported that over 80% of the population supported the law and the principles behind partial decriminalization (citation why it is relevant). As the law received significant support, Swedish public attitude concerning the Sex Purchase Act changed. Four opinion polls, Kuosmanen study, SIFO, Swedish branch of TNS, Custom Market Research, showed that more than 70 percent of those asked had a positive view of the regulation (citation relevant). Judging by the results of four opinion polls, the publics view reflects the societys support for the Swedish Model. Thus, the government cannot discount the influence of the gender equality policy in changing societal attitudes towards partial decriminalization. Liberal feminists and some sex workers actively critique the law, arguing that it leaves sex workers stigmatized. Liberal feminists see prostitution as a womans choice to have sexual relations. A sex worker writes in the British Medical Journal, saying, Prostitution is having sex for money, and neither having sex nor getting paid is inherently degrading, abusive, exploitative, or harmful. The problem is coercion, drug dependency, lack of choices, not prostitution itself (Prostitution shake-up). Liberal feminists argue that Swedish law fundamentally infantilizes women by stigmatizing prostitutes through propagating stereotypical notions that women who sell sex are victims of prostitution. They object to the fact that the Swedish government did not consult sex workers or organizations regarding the law-making process. Because of the inability to voice their rights and partake in influencing government decisions, liberal feminists claim that prostitutes have been left powerless. Due to the lack of women in Nevada during its settlement in the 1800s, prostitution was considered a vital commodity which brought about a tolerant attitude towards the legalization of modern day brothels (citation history). In 1971, Nevada passed a law giving counties the ability to legalize brothels. Eric Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, contends that the law on prostitution started out similarly due to the political culture of a libertarian system of government, which has legalized prize fighting, gambling, and divorce (Las Vegas Review study relevance). Though Nevada is the only state in the United States where prostitution is legal, it is subject to restrictions. The law permits prostitution in brothels in eight of the sixteen counties and does not allow any county with a population over 700,000 to license brothels (citation). This type of legalization, also known as the Nevada Model, decriminalizes prostitution in brothels, requi ring government supervision with strict regulations. The effects of legalization had an immediate impact as prostitutes had to undergo medical tests. From the perspective of those involved in the sex industry, the Nevada model has ensured their health and safety. A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health reveals that of the combined 3,290 clients of forty different legal sex workers, not one received sex without a condom (Albert and Warner). This result was due to a new law established in 1986 which required the mandatory usage of condoms during sexual activities. Moreover, the Nevada State Health Department reported that there were no cases of HIV/AIDS found in legal brothels (citation). The regulation has taken the health of prostitutes seriously to make brothels a safe and clean place (Brents and Hausback 2005). The installation of emergency buttons and regular police inspections have been the main reasons why some prostitutes prefer to work in a licensed brothel as they feel a sense of safety and receive pro tection from violence (citation). Since brothel owners consider prostitutes as independent contractors, they do not receive benefits of health care, vacation, retirement, or any other benefits full-time employees have. In response, prostitutes stress that regulation has discouraged them from getting licenses because they are left with about fifty percent of earnings after expenses, including boarding, maid services, condoms, and weekly medical checkups (citation). In addition to earning a meager living after paying all the expenses, they argue that the regulation fails to guarantee them unemployment insurances when fired (citation). While some view legalization as beneficial to prostitutes in regards to safety and health, others argue that the law imposes various obligations, overlooking violations of workers rights which benefits brothels and counties far more than individual prostitutes. The Swedish and Nevada models are examples of government choices in regulating prostitution. While the Swedish government and its proponents reason that partial decriminalization has fulfilled the gender equality policy, improved sex workers rights, and reduced prostitution rates, liberal feminists and those against the law claim that it has left prostitutes powerless and stigmatized. The government of Nevada and those involved in the industry acknowledge the health and security benefits of the law; however, sex workers argue that imposing strict rules further reduces their rights. Ultimately, the importance of understanding the two models and their political implications is vital as it may help governments to decide on which type of model they may enact in the future.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Civil Disobedience: Are We Morally Obliged to Obey Unjust Laws? Essay

Are we morally obliged to obey even unjust laws? This moral question addresses what we commonly know as civil disobedience. In order to properly discuss civil disobedience and whether or not it is moral to disobey laws, we must first characterize civil disobedience. In Peter Singer's book, Practical Ethics he begins to characterize civil disobedience as arising from "ethical disagreement" and raising the question of whether "to uphold the law, even if the law protects and sanctions things we hold utterly wrong?" (Singer 292). Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay entitled Civil Disobedience that was published in 1854 in the collection of essays called Walden; or Life in the Woods. Thoreau first wrote of civil disobedience in opposition to the Mexican War, but his words still hold truth and meaning for us today. In Civil Disobedience Thoreau explains his ideas about government and whether or not we should obey laws that do not appear to the individual to be moral. Thoreau recognizes that there can be abuse to government, and simply because something is passed as law, does not make it right. He says: The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it (Thoreau 1). With civil disobedience, we are discussing government and the law, and if we should uphold laws, even when they are not morally right and how, if we are to go against the law, should we do that? We should not have to obey laws that are unjust, but we also must look at each individual instance where injustice is occurring and carefully determine how to act. Civil disobedience must remain civil and not become violent. If disobedi... ...ly enough said, that a corporation has no conscience; but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience. Law never made a man a whit more just; and by means of respect for it, even the well disposed are made the agents of injustice (Thoreau 2). Violence is hard to justify when discussing civil disobedience. The whole idea behind civil disobedience is that it is a way to bring attention to an injustice without causing harm to others. Bibliography # Singer, Peter.Practical Ethics. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press. 1993. # Thoreau, Henry David.Civil Disobedience and Other Essays. Dover Publications, Inc. Dover Thrift Editions. 1993 # The Sevagram Ashram. http://www.mkgandhi.org/sevagram/default.htm # People v Pitts. Michigan No. 186260. LC No. 95-003317. 1997. http://www.milawyersweekly.com/micoa/186260.HTM

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

The Revolutionary Aftermath of the Civil War Essay -- Racism Discrimin

The Revolutionary Aftermath of the Civil War Despite many hardships that remained from the antebellum state of the union, reconstruction was a socially and constitutionally revolutionary period. The attempts to deter black voters were greatly outweighed by the numbers of blacks voting, as well as the laws that were passed to protect the rights of American citizens, black and white alike. The years after the war saw a rise in the number of human rights laws that were passed, most of which were primarily focused on blacks, but included whites as well. In document D, Gideon Welles stated that the national government didn’t hold the power to grant suffrage to anyone, nor had it shown any interest in the matter. Because of this, the state governments were able to enact black codes which restrained citizens, both black and white, from voting because they were illiterate or because they weren’t of a high enough economic status. This later changed as blacks became more active in government and voiced their upset to the national government, as shown by Document C. B...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Hindustani classical music Essay

The tradition was born out of a cultural synthesis of several musical traditions: the Vedic chant tradition, dating back to more than three thousand years ago,the ancient Persian tradition of Musiqi-e assil, and various folk traditions prevalent in the region. It is traditional for performers who have reached a distinguished level of achievement to be awarded titles of respect; Hindus are usually referred to as pandit and Muslims as ustad. An aspect of Hindustani music going back to Sufi times is the tradition of religious neutrality: Muslim ustads may sing compositions in praise of Hindu deities, and vice versa. Around the 12th century, Hindustani classical music diverged from what eventually came to be identified as Carnatic classical music. The central notion in both these systems is that of a melodic mode or raga, sung to a rhythmic cycle or tala. The tradition dates back to the ancient Samaveda, (sÄ ma meaning â€Å"ritual chant†), which deals with the norms for chantin g of srutis or hymns such as the Rig Veda. These principles were refined in the musical treatises Natya Shastra, by Bharata (2nd–3rd century CE), and Dattilam (probably 3rd–4th century CE). In medieval times, the melodic systems were fused with ideas from Persian music, particularly through the influence of Sufi composers like Amir Khusro, and later in the Moghul courts. Noted composers such as Tansen flourished, along with religious groups like the Vaishnavites. After the 16th century, the singing styles diversified into different gharanas patronized in different princely courts. Around 1900, Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande consolidated the musical structures of Hindustani classical music, called ragas, into a number of thaats. Indian classical music has seven basic notes with five interspersed half-notes, resulting in a 12-note scale. Unlike the 12-note scale in Western music, the base frequency of the scale is not fixed, and intertonal gaps (temperament) may also vary; however, with the gradual replacement of the sarangi by the harmonium, an equal tempered scale is increasingly used. The performance is set to a melodic pattern called a raga characterized in part by specific ascent (aroha) and descent (avaroha) sequences, which may not be identical. Other characteristics include â€Å"king† (vadi) and â€Å"queen† (samavadi) notes and characteristic phrases (pakad). In addition each raga has its natural register (ambit) and portamento (meend) rules. Performances are usually marked by considerable improvisation within these norms. History Music was first formalized in India in connection with preserving the sruti texts, primarily the four vedas, which are seen as apaurasheya (meaning â€Å"not created by man†). Not only was the text important, but also the manner in which they had been enunciated by the immortals. Prosody and chanting were thus of great importance, and were enshrined in the two vedangas (bodies of knowledge) called shiksha (pronunciation, chants) and chhandas (prosody); these remained a key part of the brahmanic educational system till modern times. The formal aspects of the chant are delineated in the Samaveda, with certain aspects, e.g. the relation of chanting to meditation, elaborated in the Chandogya Upanishad (ca. 8th century BC). Priests involved in these ritual chants were called samans and a number of ancient musical instruments such as the conch (shankh), lute (veena), flute (bansuri), trumpets and horns were associated with this and later practices of ritual singing. Sanskritic tradition The Samaveda outlined the ritual chants for singing the verses of the Rigveda, particularly for offerings of Soma. It proposed a tonal structure consisting of seven notes, which were named, in descending order, krusht, pratham, dwitiya, tritiya, chaturth, mandra and atiswÄ r. These refer to the notes of a flute, which was the only fixed-frequency instrument. This is why the second note is called pratham (meaning â€Å"first†, i.e., produced when only the first hole is closed). Music is dealt with extensively in the Valmiki Ramayana. Narada is an accomplished musician, as is Ravana; Saraswati with her veena is the goddess of music. Gandharvas are presented as spirits who are musical masters, and the gandharva style looks to music primarily for pleasure, accompanied by the soma rasa. In the Vishnudharmottara Purana, the Naga king Ashvatara asks to know the svaras from Saraswati. The most important text on music in the ancient canon is Bharata’s Natya Shastra, composed a round the 3rd century CE. The Natya Shastra deals with the different modes of music, dance, and drama, and also the emotional responses (rasa) they are expected to evoke. The scale is described in terms of 22 micro-tones, which can be combined in clusters of four, three, or two to form an octave. While the term raga is articulated in the Natya Shastra (where its meaning is more literal, meaning â€Å"colour† or â€Å"mood†), it finds a clearer expression in what is called jati in the Dattilam, a text composed shortly after or around the same time as Natya Shastra. The Dattilam is focused on gandharva music and discusses scales (swara), defining a tonal framework called grama in terms of 22 micro-tonal intervals (sruti[3]) comprising one octave. It also discusses various arrangements of the notes (murchhana), the permutations and combinations of note-sequences (tanas), and alankara or elaboration. Dattilam categorizes melodic structure into 18 groups called jati, which are the fundamental melodic structures similar to the raga. The names of the jatis reflect regional origins, for example andhri and oudichya. Music also finds mention in a number of texts from the Gupta period; Kalidasa mentions several kinds of veena (Parivadini, Vipanchi), as well as percussion instruments (mridang), the flute (vamshi) and conch (shankha). Music also finds mention in Buddhist and Jain texts from the earliest periods of the Christian era. Narada’s Sangita Makarandha treatise, from about 1100 CE, is the earliest text where rules similar to those of current Hindustani classical music can be found. Narada actually names and classifies the system in its earlier form before the Persian influences introduced changes in the system. Jayadeva’s Gita Govinda from the 12th century was perhaps the earliest musical composition sung in the classical tradition called Ashtapadi music. In the 13th century, Sharngadeva composed the Sangita Ratnakara, which has names such as the turushka todi (â€Å"Turkish todi†), revealing an influx of ideas from Islamic culture. This text is the last to be mentioned by both the Carnatic and the Hindustani traditions and is often thought to date the divergence between the two. Medieval period: Persian influence The advent of Islamic rule under the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire over northern India caused considerable cultural interchange. Increasingly, musicians received patronage in the courts of the new rulers, who in their turn, started taking increasing interest in local music forms. While the initial generations may have been rooted in cultural traditions outside India, they gradually adopted many aspects from their kingdoms which retained the traditional Hindu culture. This helped spur the fusion of Hindu and Muslim ideas to bring forth new forms of musical synthesis like qawwali and khyal. The most influential musician of the Delhi Sultanate period was Amir Khusrau (1253–1325), sometimes called the father of modern Hindustani classical music.[4] A composer in Persian, Turkish, Arabic, as well as Braj Bhasha, he is credited with systematizing many aspects of Hindustani music, and also introducing several ragas such as Yaman Kalyan, Zeelaf and Sarpada. He created the qawwali genre, which fuses Persian melody and beat on a dhrupad like structure. A number of instruments (such as the sitar and tabla) were also introduced in his time. Amir Khusrau is sometimes credited with the origins of the khyal form, but the record of his compositions do not appear to support this. The compositions by the court musician Sadarang in the court of Muhammad Shah bear a closer affinity to the modern khyal. They suggest that while khyal already existed in some form, Sadarang may have been the father of modern khyal. Much of the musical forms innovated by these pioneers merged with the Hindu tradition, composed in the popular language of the people (as opposed to Sanskrit) in the work of composers like Kabir or Nanak. This can be seen as part of a larger Bhakti tradition, (strongly related to the Vaishnavite movement) which remained influential across several centuries; notable figures include Jayadeva (11th century), Vidyapati (fl. 1375 CE), Chandidas ( 14th–15th century), and Meerabai (1555–1603 CE). As the Mughal Empire came into closer contact with Hindus, especially under Jalal ud-Din Akbar, music and dance also flourished. In particular, the musician Tansen introduced a number of innovations, including ragas and particular compositions. Legend has it that upon his rendition of a night-time raga in the morning, the entire city fell under a hush and clouds gathered in the sky, and that he could light fires by singing the raga â€Å"Deepak†, which is supposed to be composed of notes in high octaves. At the royal house of Gwalior, Raja Mansingh Tomar (1486–1516 CE) also participated in the shift from Sanskrit to the local idiom (Hindi) as the language for classical songs. He himself penned several volumes of compositions on religious and secular themes, and was also responsible for the major compilation, the Mankutuhal (â€Å"Book of Curiosity†), which outlined the major forms of music prevalent at the time. In particular, the musical form known as dhrupad saw considerable development in his court and remained a strong point of the Gwalior gharana for many centuries. After the dissolution of the Mughal empire, the patronage of music continued in smaller princely kingdoms like Lucknow, Patiala, and Banaras, giving rise to the diversity of styles that is today known as gharanas. Many musician families obtained large grants of land which made them self sufficient, at least for a few generations (e.g. the Sham Chaurasia gharana). Meanwhile the Bhakti and Sufi traditions continued to develop and interact with the different gharanas and groups. Modern era Until the late 19th century, Hindustani classical music was imparted on a one-on-one basis through the guru-shishya (â€Å"mentor-protà ©gà ©Ã¢â‚¬ ) tradition. This system had many benefits, but also several drawbacks; in many cases, the shishya had to spend most of his time serving his guru with a hope that the guru might teach him a â€Å"cheez† (piece or nuance) or two. In addition, the system forced the music to be limited to a small subsection of the Indian community. To a large extent it was limited to the palaces and dance halls. It was shunned by the intellectuals, avoided by the educated middle class, and in general looked down upon as a frivolous practice.[5] Then a fortunate turn of events started the renaissance of Hindustani classical music. First, as the power of the maharajahs and nawabs declined in early 20th century, so did their patronage. With the expulsion of Wajid Ali Shah to Calcutta after 1857, the Lucknavi musical tradition came to influence the mus ic of renaissance in Bengal, giving rise to the tradition of Ragpradhan gan around the turn of the century. Also, at the turn of the century, two great stars emerged on the horizon: Vishnu Digambar Paluskar and Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande. Independent of each other, they spread Hindustani classical music to the masses in general, and the Marathi middle class in particular. These two gentlemen brought classical music to the masses by organizing music conferences, starting schools, teaching music in class-rooms, and devising a standardized grading and testing system, and by standardizing the notation system.[6] Vishnu Digambar Paluskar emerged as a talented musician and organizer despite having been blinded at age 12. His books on music, as well as the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya music school that he opened in Lahore in 1901, helped foster a movement away from the closed gharana system. Paluskar’s contemporary (and occasional rival) Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande recognized the many rifts that had appeared in the structure of Indian classical music. He undertook extensive research visits to a large number of gharanas, Hindustani as well as Carnatic, collecting and comparing compositions. Between 1909 and 1932, he produced the monumental four-volume work Hindustani Sangeetha Padhathi,[7] which suggested a transcription for Indian music, and described the ma ny traditions in this notation. Finally,mit consolidated the many musical forms of Hindustani classical music into a number of thaats (modes), subsequent to the Melakarta system that reorganized Carnatic tradition in the 17th century. The ragas as they exist today were consolidated in this landmark work, although there are some inconsistencies and ambiguities in Bhatkande’s system. In modern times, the government-run All India Radio, Bangladesh Betar and Radio Pakistan helped to bring the artists to public attention, countering the loss of the patronage system. The first star was Gauhar Jan, whose career was born out of Fred Gaisberg’s first recordings of Indian music in 1902. With the advance of films and other public media, musicians started to make their living through public performances. As India was exposed to Western music, some Western melodies started merging with classical forms, especially in popular music. A number of Gurukuls, such as that of Alauddin Khan at Maihar, flourished. In more modern times, corporate support has also been forthcoming, as at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy. Meanwhile, Hindustani classical music has become popular across the world through the influence of artists such as Ravi Shankar and Ali Akbar Khan. Principles of Hindustani music The rhythmic organization is based on rhythmic patterns called tala. The melodic foundations are called ragas. One possible classification of ragas is into â€Å"melodic modes† or â€Å"parent scales†, known as thaats, under which most ragas can be classified based on the notes they use. Thaats may consist of up to seven scale degrees, or swara. Hindustani musicians name these pitches using a system called Sargam, the equivalent of the Western movable do solfege: Sa (Shadaj) = Do Re (Rishab) = Re Ga (Gandhar) = Mi Ma (Madhyam) = Fa Pa (Pancham) = So Dha (Dhaivat) = La Ni (Nishad) = Ti Sa (Shadaj) = Do Both systems repeat at the octave. The difference between sargam and solfege is that re, ga, ma, dha, and ni can refer to either â€Å"Natural† (shuddha) or altered â€Å"Flat† (komal) or â€Å"Sharp† (tivra) versions of their respective scale degrees. As with movable do solfege, the notes are heard relative to an arbitrary tonic that varies from performance to performance, rather than to fixed frequencies, as on a xylophone. The fine intonational differences between different instances of the same swara are called srutis. The three primary registers of Indian classical music are mandra (lower), madhya (middle) and taar (upper). Since the octave location is not fixed, it is also possible to use provenances in mid-register (such as mandra-madhya or madhya-taar) for certain ragas. A typical rendition of Hindustani raga involves two stages: Alap: a rhythmically free improvisation on the rules for the raga in order to give life to the raga and flesh out its character istics. The alap is followed by a long slow-tempo improvisation in vocal music, or by the jod and jhala in instrumental music. Bandish or Gat: a fixed, melodic composition set in a specific raga, performed with rhythmic accompaniment by a tabla or pakhavaj. There are different ways of systematizing the parts of a composition. For example: Sthaayi: The initial, rondo phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Antara: The first body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition. Sanchaari: The third body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in dhrupad bandishes Aabhog: The fourth and concluding body phrase or line of a fixed, melodic composition, seen more typically in Dhrupad bandishes. There are three variations of bandish, regarding tempo: Vilambit bandish: A slow and steady melodic composition, usually in largo to adagio speeds. Madhyalaya bandish: A medium tempo melodic competition, usually set in andante to allegretto speeds. Drut bandish: A fast tempo melodic composition, usually set to allegretto speed or faster. Hindustani classical music is primarily vocal-centric, insofar as the musical forms were designed primarily for vocal performance, and many instruments were designed and evaluated as to how well they emulate the human voice. Types of compositions The major vocal forms or styles associated with Hindustani classical music are dhrupad, khyal, and tarana. Other forms include dhamar, trivat, chaiti, kajari, tappa, tap-khyal, ashtapadis, thumri, dadra, ghazal and bhajan; these are folk or semi-classical or light classical styles, as they often do not adhere to the rigorous rules of classical music. Dhrupad Main article: Dhrupad Dhrupad is an old style of singing, traditionally performed by male singers. It is performed with a tambura and a pakhawaj as instrumental accompaniments. The lyrics, some of which were written in Sanskrit centuries ago, are presently often sung in brajbhasha, a medieval form of North and East Indian languages that was spoken in Eastern India. The rudra veena, an ancient string instrument, is used in instrumental music in dhrupad. Dhrupad music is primarily devotional in theme and content. It contains recitals in praise of particular deities. Dhrupad compositions begin with a relatively long and acyclic alap, where the syllables of the following mantra is recited: â€Å"Om Anant tam Taran Tarini Twam Hari Om Narayan, Anant Hari Om Narayan†. The alap gradually unfolds into more rhythmic jod and jhala sections. These sections are followed by a rendition of bandish, with the pakhawaj as an accompaniment. The great Indian musician Tansen sang in the dhrupad style. A lighter form of dhrupad, called dhamar, is sung primarily during the festival of Holi. Dhrupad was the main form of northern Indian classical music until two centuries ago, when it gave way to the somewhat less austere khyal, a more free-form style of singing. Since losing its main patrons among the royalty in Indian princely states, dhrupad risked becoming extinct in the first half of the twentieth century. However, the efforts by a few proponents from the Dagar family have led to its revival and eventual popularization in India and in the West. Some of the best known vocalists who sing in the Dhrupad style are the members of the Dagar lineage, including the senior Dagar brothers, Nasir Moinuddin and Nasir Aminuddin Dagar; the junior Dagar brothers, Nasir Zahiruddin and Nasir Faiyazuddin Dagar; and Wasifuddin, Fariduddin, and Sayeeduddin Dagar. Other leading exponents include the Gundecha Brothers, who have received training from some of the Dagars. Leading vocalists outside the Dagar lineage include the Mallik family of Darbhanga tradition of musicians; some of the leading exponents of this tradition were Ram Chatur Mallick, Siyaram Tiwari, and Vidur Mallick. A section of dhrupad singers of Delhi Gharana from Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s court migrated to Bettiah under the patronage of the Bettiah Raj, giving rise to the Bettiah Gharana.[8] Bishnupur Gharana, based in West Bengal, is a key school that has been propagating this style of singing since Mughal times. Khyal Main article: Khyal Khyal is a Hindustani form of vocal music, adopted from medieval Persian music and based on Dhrupad. Khyal, literally meaning â€Å"thought† or â€Å"imagination† in Hindustani, is unusual as it is based on improvising and expressing emotion. A Khyal is a two- to eight-line lyric set to a melody. The lyric is of an emotional account possibly from poetic observation.[clarification needed] Khyals are also popular for depicting the emotions between two lovers, situations of ethological significance in Hinduism and Islam, or other situations evoking intense feelings. Th importance of the Khyal’s content is for the singer to depict, through music in the set raga, the emotional significance of the Khyal. The singer improvises and finds inspiration within the raga to depict the Khyal. The origination of Khyal is controversial, although it is accepted that this style was based on Dhrupad and influenced by Persian music. Many argue that Amir Khusrau created the style in the late 16th century. This form was popularized by Mughal Emperor Mohammad Shah, through his court musicians. Some well-known composers of this period were Sadarang, Adarang, and Manrang. [edit]Tarana Main article: Tarana Another vocal form, taranas are medium- to fast-paced songs that are used to convey a mood of elation and are usually performed towards the end of a concert. They consist of a few lines of poetry with soft syllables or bols set to a tune. The singer uses these few lines as a basis for fast improvisation. The tillana of Carnatic music is based on the tarana, although the former is primarily associated with dance. Tappa Main article: Tappa Tappa is a form of Indian semi-classical vocal music whose specialty is its rolling pace based on fast, subtle, knotty construction. It originated from the folk songs of the camel riders of Punjab and was developed as a form of classical music by Mian Ghulam Nabi Shori or Shori Mian, a court singer for Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, the Nawab of Awadh. â€Å"Nidhubabur Tappa†, or tappas sung by Nidhu Babu were very popular in 18th and 19th-century Bengal. Among the living performers of this style are Laxmanrao Pandit, Shamma Khurana, Manvalkar, Girija Devi, Ishwarchandra Karkare, and Jayant Khot. Thumri Main article: Thumri Thumri is a semi-classical vocal form said to have begun in Uttar Pradesh with the court of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah, (r. 1847–1856). There are three types of thumri: poorab ang, Lucknavi and Punjabi thumri. The lyrics are typically in a proto-Hindi language called Brij Bhasha and are usually romantic. Some recent performers of this genre are Abdul Karim Khan, the brothers Barkat Ali Khan and Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Begum Akhtar, Girija Devi, Beauty Sharma Barua, Nazakat-Salamat Ali Khan, Prabha Atre, Siddheshwari Devi, and Shobha Gurtu. Ghazal Main article: Ghazal Ghazal is an originally Persian form of poetry. In the Indian sub-continent, Ghazal became the most common form of poetry in the Urdu language and was popularized by classical poets like Mir Taqi Mir, Ghalib, Daagh, Zauq and Sauda amongst the North Indian literary elite. Vocal music set to this mode of poetry is popular with multiple variations across Iran, Afghanistan, Central Asia, Turkey, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Ghazal exists in multiple variations, including semi-classical, folk and pop forms. Instrumental music The Royal Musicians of Hindustan circa 1910: Ali Khan, Inayat Khan, Musheraff Khan and Maheboob Khan Although Hindustani music clearly is focused on the vocal performance, instrumental forms have existed since ancient times. In fact, in recent decades, especially outside South Asia, instrumental Hindustani music is more popular than vocal music, partly due to a somewhat different style and faster tempo, and partly because of a language barrier for the lyrics in vocal music. A number of musical instruments are associated with Hindustani classical music. The veena, a string instrument, was traditionally regarded as the most important, but few play it today and it has largely been superseded by its cousins the sitar and the sarod, both of which owe their origin to Persian influences. Other plucked or struck string instruments include the surbahar, sursringar, santoor, and various versions of the slide guitar. Among bowed instruments, the sarangi, esraj and violin are popular. The bansuri, shehnai and harmonium are important wind instruments. In the percussion ensemble, the tabla and the pakhavaj are the most popular. Various other instruments have also been used in varying degrees.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Implementing SFA at Quantium Technology Essay

Quantium Technology (founded in 1989) was an innovative technology company that provided computer hardware and software for large enterprises. It had grown to become a leading provider of enterprise servers and specialized workstations which were known for their reliability and security. Quantium was an enormous beneficiary of the dot-com boom, but struggled after the bust and the recession. In 2004, Anne Rothman was the new Executive Vice President of Global Sales and she felt that sales force automation was one of Quantium’s biggest challenges. There were numerous problems with the existing SFA software solution Siebel Sales. Sales representatives were abandoning the system, sales managers were complaining that the sales pipeline data was not accurate. The system did not appear to be increasing win rates or shortening the sales cycle as expected. After the internet bust, competition had commoditized the server market by offering cheaper servers that were closing the performance gap. Quantium moved from being a product company to a solutions company. The sales reps had to adjust by focusing on business issues and business problems instead of technical features. Also the team selling approach was not quite successful. Sales managers and company executives complained that they did not have reliable information on the company sales pipeline. To rectify these problems, Rothman started interviewing the people associated with implementation of the SFA program. SFA was also the core of many CRM applications. The key SFA elements were opportunity management and sales forecasting. Siebel was selected as the SFA software to be implemented. This was implemented with the help of IT specialists and assistance from IT consultants and system integrators. The IT team was pressured to deliver the best possible solution as there were differences as to whether to implement the standard product or its customized version. A training program was rolled out to get the entire sales reps and managers up to speed on the new SFA tool. As the system was being rolled out and put into operation, performance problems emerged from the field and it was associated with Quantium’s existing outdated technology infrastructure. The sales reps especially faced a lot of problems and were hesitant to use the system with a steep learning curve. Rothman went over the history of SFA implementation as well as the current status. She has identified the implementation mistakes and has to find a solution to make SFA work at Quantium.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Marketing: Ice Cream and Jerry

Market Research Report for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream By: Swati Sugandh Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Incorporated started in 1978 when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield bought their first ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. Since then, Ben & Jerry’s has grown from being only offered in Vermont to other States and Countries around the world. Throughout the growth of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. , many movements have been made in aspects of ingredients, packaging, advertising, and image.An example of these movements is branching out from common Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to Greek and Sorbet types of desserts. The support of Farm Aid and Fair Trade are two imperative factors in regards to image and ingredients for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In today’s society, customer awareness is vital in promoting anyone’s product in the instance for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. their web site has been able to inform a wareness of the variety of premium flavors they offer, their memorabilia available in their online store, and all the benefits that Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream offers their customers.Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. recognizes that the majority of their loyal customers are women between the ages of twenty to forty years old. Due to that fact most of the advertising done to promote Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is done in the areas that would reach this target market. Although Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has many strengths there are some areas that Ben & Jerry’s could grow in and develop in order to reach future customers to widen their target market. Overall, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. s a well known company that has been around for many years and will continue to be due to their dedication to their unique flavors and types of ice cream and frozen desserts. For the continual growth of Ben & Jerry’s the company is alway s discovering alternative ways to make and promote their company at all aspects of the creation of the perfect pint of premium ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. strives to â€Å"create prosperity for everyone that’s connected to their business: suppliers, employees, farmers, franchisees, customers, and neighbors alike† (Ben &Jerry’s). There are many ways that Ben & Jerry’s has accomplished meeting these goals. First is their growing Fair Trade movement, this movement is about empowering small farmers in developing countries to compete and thrive in the global marketplace. Ben & Jerry’s buy’s cocoa, vanilla, sugar, coffee, and bananas from many different parts of the world. Additional ways that Ben& Jerry’s upholds their goals are by using cage-free and free-range eggs, and by their Caring Dairy program that only uses cows that have no rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone).The containers of Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream is Forest Stewardship Council certified which means, â€Å"that the paperboard comes from forests that are managed for the protection of wildlife habitat, maintenance of biodiversity, avoidance of genetically modified tree species, and protection of traditional and civil rights, among other Rainforest Alliance criteria for healthy forests† (SEAR). Ben & Jerry’s offers over 30 different flavors of ice cream; they also have other types of ice desserts such as sherbet, and Greek yogurt for all customers to enjoy their favorite flavor and type.Ben & Jerry’s is a multinational corporation with their products offered all around the world. Although Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has many strengths, they still have the weakness of the price of their product compared to their competitors. An example of this is one pint of Ben & Jerry’s is about five dollars, but for a half gallon of ice cream from Blue Bell it is only about seven dollars. Therefore, Ben & Jerry’s has to deal with many would be buyers that say I get more for my money from other ice cream sellers.Another weakness is that although Ben and Jerry’s offer many unique flavors, many customers prefer original flavors. Ben & Jerry’s have started to rectify this particular weakness by now offering original flavors with better ingredients to enhance the flavor. Lastly, Ben & Jerry’s is available to buy at many grocery stores; however, at those said locations many only offer a small portion of the flavors that Ben & Jerry’s offers. Thus, some customers never get to have the chance of trying many of the flavors. Even though Ben & Jerry’s is a multinational corporation with many ocations, and their products are around the world, there are still some opportunities that Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. could take advantage of. First off, Ben & Jerry’s could stand to update their advertising in the sense of some commercials, and social media campaigns. By doing this, they could inform people that do not know about their ice cream and all they offer, including a gift shop at certain locations and online. Second, Ben & Jerry’s could consider branching out and offering ice cream sandwiches and a half gallon of ice cream.This would allow them to reach people in the summer time that want a grab and run outside type of treat or, by offering the half gallon they could reach people that eat ice cream frequently and feel like a pint is too small. Society is a major threat for Ben & Jerry’s right now in the sense that society dictates that one should be very conscience of eating right and being thin. Ben & Jerry’s is held responsible for encouraging people to eat unhealthy with promoting ice cream, and therefore blamed for the â€Å"obesity epidemic†.To help promote a better image Ben & Jerry’s have started to offer the Greek yogurt ice cream. Another threat li ke many other markets is competition as stated earlier many competitors offer a larger quantity for close or equal amount of money. To try to counter this threat Ben & Jerry’s has started offering coupons. While considering all these strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats Ben & Jerry’s must always consider their target market which ranges from twenty to forty year old women, and anyone who has a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. trives to make sure there is absolutely no discrimination whether based on economic status, age, gender, or race. Customers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to try Ben & Jerry’s ice cream by having it available in all grocery stores in order to make them lifetime customers. Although society is changing Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. does recognize that women are still the primary grocery shopper for families, therefore leading them to be a good portion of the target market. à ¢â‚¬Å"The women being targeted are 20-40 years of age who’ll probably have a family size of two to five.The average family income is $30,000 plus†(Allen 20). Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. are targeting these types of women because they tend to care more about what products they are putting into their own bodies and those of their families. Since Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is made with the most eco-friendly and organic ingredients most women tend to appreciate it compared to other types of ice creams that might not use the best ingredients, they also tend to not gain as much value when they buy competitors ice cream.Even though Ben & Jerry’s target market is women, they are still trying to reach every possible customer by offering something for every type of ice cream consumer, in hopes of widening our target market. To ensure Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. is promoting their product to the before mentioned target market, we use th e best ingredients to ensure the value of the unique and innovative flavors of ice cream are made organically by using cage free humane eggs and steroid free milk from farms in Vermont and other states.Another beneficial strategy that Ben & Jerry’s offers are their availability of their products. Ben & Jerry’s initial efforts to market products involved selling their ice cream from the back of Ben's Volkswagen. In the following few years, they started selling through local independent distributors and opened franchises of their ice cream shop in several states. Then Ben ; Jerry added grocery store locations and the Ben ; Jerry’s web site, where customers can buy the premium ice cream from single serve cups to two point five gallon buckets.Ben ; Jerry’s recently started to open Scoop Shops across the nation. These locations offer ice cream cones and unique flavors not found in most grocery stores; thus, breaking into the ice cream parlor sector. Although B en ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. is not known for ice cream treats such as ice cream sandwiches or other such things; Ben ; Jerry’s does occasionally offer novelty ice cream treats, such as the â€Å"Peace Pops†. The strategy of offering Ben ; Jerry’s premium ice cream in most grocery stores and at Scoop Shops ensures availability.Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has been successful in creating brand loyalty with their target market by promoting their product through online advertising, street marketing and outdoor marketing. With these three types of advertising, the first one offers coupons for loyal customers to use and future customers the opportunity to try Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream at a discounted rate. Street and outdoor marketing involves offering free ice cream to people directly, allowing Ben ; Jerry’s to find out how people feel about flavors and Ben ; Jerry’s immediately.Similarly Ben ; Jerry’s Scoop S hops offer select deals on ice cream cones throughout the year. Another way that Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. promotes their premium ice cream is by their â€Å"Peace, Love, and Ice Cream† campaign which was a movement that discovered the central values of all Americans. The primary goal of this campaign was to promote Ben ; Jerry’s charitable activities and target the emotions of the audience in an effort to create brand awareness and therefore increase sales within the product market.The campaign consisted of pictures of thrills, fun and excitement, from radio to printed advertisements in hope to increase awareness about Ben ; Jerry’s environmental advocacy programs. Many networks were thrilled because the â€Å"Peace, Love, and Ice Cream† campaign was a fun movement that allowed Americans to give back to the community through consuming tasty, frozen desserts. Ben ; Jerry's continues to grow daily by developing new products, new ideas, a nd new flavors for their public.Consumers around the world are well aware of Ben & Jerry’s tasty treats because of the firm’s execution of marketing concepts and bright visions. Ben & Jerry's mission of giving back to the community worked in various ways, and in turn, have evolved into one of the most prevalent ice cream companies of today. Ben ; Jerry’s product mission statement is â€Å"To make, distribute, and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients, and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment. In order to achieve their mission Ben ; Jerry’s charges a higher price to enable them to create their higher quality ice cream and allow them to have a striving and unique Research and Development department. The price decisions are well synchronized with product design, distribution, and promotion decisions to create a cons istent and effective marketing program for Ben ; Jerry’s Ice Cream. The market and demand are other factors that stimulate the pricing system of Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream in the sense that the economics condition, competition costs, prices, and so forth all affect the price of Ben and Jerry’s products.For instance, in bad economic situations, people will reduce their expenses on secondary goods, and in this case ice cream is a secondary good. Ben ; Jerry’s have very distinguished competitors like Haagen Daaz and Blue Bell that will definitely affect the price of Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream. Since Ben ; Jerry’s is recognized as a high quality manufacturer of ice cream, they tend to pay very close attention to their competitors, especially when it comes to maintaining their quality and prices.Moreover, the prices of Ben ; Jerry’s products set correlating between their competitor’s prices and customer needs and expectations while still making a profit and abiding by their mission statement. A Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holding, Inc. is a company that values their brand loyal customers and is always striving to improve and better their premium ice cream. Although Ben ; Jerry’s does advertise and promote their company and product there are still ways that they could expand their scope of advertisement and perhaps include new forms of advertising.Television is a central communication for most families; therefore, Ben ; Jerry’s could establish recognition of their product by doing product placement with popular TV shows. Another way to use a television for advertising is strictly just using commercials; this allows the opportunity to inform those who do not know what Ben ; Jerry’s offers in their ice cream. Ben ; Jerry’s company is mostly popular in the Northern United States; however, Ben ; Jerry’s could possibly shift to Southern US, and outside of the USA to broaden their custo mer base.Social media marketing is becoming a necessity in advertising now that most people are connected to at least one form and owns a smart phone. By entering this form of advertising Ben ; Jerry’s could connect with a different generation and build up a following. Overall, Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holding, Inc. is an established premium ice cream provider and will continue to be so through their dedication to using the best ingredients, being inventive in creating new flavors, and connecting with consumers and future consumers. Works Cited Allen, Margarat, Emily Brockett, and Steven Allison. Peace, Love, and Ice Cream Campaign. † Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Company. N. p. , n. d. Web. Ben & Jerry's. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . King, Rachael. â€Å"Ben ; Jerry's Imagine Peace Online. † Fast Company. N. p. , 4 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"SEAR 2011 | Ben & Jerry's. †Ã‚  Ben & Jerry's. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Emotions and memory Essay

In our everyday life, we rely on our memory to fully function. We either have to recall something so trivial such as where we left our keys, or we need to remember names of college classmates that we have not seen for a very long time. Given this fact, we ask, what exactly is memory, what are the processes involved in this cognitive function, and what are the factors that affect our memory? Memory is said to be the process and means by which we retain information and later on retrieve that same information from storage when we need it in the present (Bjorklund, Schneider, & Hernandez Blasi, 2003; Crowder, 1976; Tulving & Craik, 2000). When we experience something, we do not entirely store all the information in our memory. Studies show that there are different techniques that aid in adequate memory retention. There are also several dynamic theories about memory being a storage space for all our past experiences which involve sensory and informative data. Furthermore, there are also various processes through which we could access, recall, remember, or recognize these data in our memory. Although there are extensive research studies about memory and its processes, it is interesting to look at some factors that aid or hinder memory recall and retention. One of these factors which are given particular interest and attention is the role of emotion on our memory. There are instances when we recall a part of our memory in vivid clarity as if it is reenacted in our minds and retrieved in full detail. This is what we call flashbulb memory (Brown & Kulik, 1977). The reason behind this phenomenon is that the event that happened could be so emotionally powerful that it became strongly retained in our memory. In the event that you experience something that has a very strong emotional impact, you tend to remember the details more clearly and when you need to retrieve that certain information, you would be able to easily recall it accurately (Bohannon, 1988). This could manifest in both the explicit and implicit memory, with the former requiring the person to deliberately pull out the memory from storage and put it out in consciousness, and the latter being an automatic response to the emotional trigger. To further illustrate the capacity of affect to influence memory, a study was made by Heuer and Reisberg in 1990 which showed that materials which show more emotion than similar ones with less emotional impact are more likely to be stored in one’s memory and could be therefore retrieved easily in general and in detail as well (Christianson, 1992). Furthermore, it was also found that the mood or emotion where we were in when a specific situation happened would most likely serve as a retrieval cue when we experience the same mood in the present (Baddeley, 1989). For an instance, when we experience a certain situation when we are in a state of sadness, we would most likely remember the memory of the same experience when we are placed in the same emotional state. This is called the memory-dependent memory effects (Christianson, 1992). Biologically-speaking, the interaction between memory and affect could be attributed to certain processes in various parts of the brain. Brain processes involved in the evaluation of rewards and punishments are directly related to affect in the sense that it depends upon the emotional impact of a certain situation to be determined if it is a form of a compensation or a penalty (Rolls, 2000). Because of this, it could be inferred that since emotion influences memory processes, data-driven information and past situations are stored in our memory in the basis of a reward-punishment system. Essentially, when a certain event, person, place, or thing is categorized as something rewarding, it could be more easily encoded and retrieved. This categorization and selection happens in the amygdala, which is the center of emotional processing, and the data that get to pass through and be encoded encompass the mechanism in the hippocampus, which is on the other hand related to memory. Emotions disinhibit the barrier that the CA3 hippocampal area creates and so the data inputs could then proceed to the prefrontal cerebral cortex to be stored in memory (Neugebauer, et al. , 1999). It is also found in the study by Fast, et al. (1999) that the amygdaloid complex is primarily responsible with the emotional mechanism which affects memory retrieval. Subjects who have lesions in the amygdalo-hippocampal area do not only suffer from amnesia, but they also show significant impairments in memory process related with emotional arousal. The reason behind this is that the AC organizes the information that are encoded, stored, and retrieved in our memory. Another effect that emotion has on memory is what is called by Christianson (1992) as resource allocation effects, which is the impairment of the memory processing when a person experience an extreme or negative emotion or mood during encoding or retrieval. In this case, the person might find it difficult to access his/her memory of a certain situation, person, thing, or place because it has become a somewhat traumatic experience and the emotion that goes with it blocks the memory process. There are also some contradicting views that affect could not facilitate the retrieval or encoding of memory information. Some studies say that experiencing a negative emotion, for an instance, could prevent the person from remembering the details of a certain situation or event. This is the reason why most researchers focus on the determinants and factors which would tell what specific kind of data or information does emotion facilitate or impede. Although most of the existing studies focus on the effects of emotion on the memory processes, there are also some minor studies which show that memories of past experiences affect the present mood or emotional state of a person (Christianson, 1992). Though this angle is not yet looked at more closely by researchers, we most of the time experience this feeling, which we sometimes call nostalgia. Because memory and emotion are such complex topics when studied on their own, it is a more complicated feat to research on the interaction of the two concepts and their effect on each other. However, a lot of studies are being made in order to understand better these two psychological phenomena when they intertwine in their processes and how they affect the human psyche. References Baddeley, A. D. (1989). The psychology of remembering and forgetting. In T. Butler (Ed. ) Memory: History, culture and the mind. London: Basil Blackwell. Bjorklund, D. F. , Schneider, W., & Hernandez Blasi, C. (2003). Memory. In L. Nadel (Ed. ), Encyclopedia of cognitive science, 2, p. 1059-1065. Nature Publishing Group. Bohannon, J. (1988). Flashbulb memories for the space shuttle disaster: A tale of two theories. Cognition, 29(2), p. 179-196. Brown, R. & Kulik, J. (1977). Flashbulb memories. Cognition, 5, p. 73-99. Christianson, S. (1992). The handbook of emotion and memory: research and theory. Crowder, R. G. (1976). Principles of learning and memory. Erlbaum. Fast, K. , Fujiwara, E. , Grubich, C. , Markowitsch, H. J. , & Herrmann, M. (1999). Role of the amygdala in emotional memory. Memory and Emotion. p. 430. Neugebauer, A. , Calabrese, P. , Schmieder, K. , Harders, A. , Ferri, D. & Gehlen, W. (1999). Memory and emotion processing in healthy subjects, focal brain-damaged and patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Memory and Emotion. p. 113. Rolls, E. T. (2000). Precis of the brain and emotion. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 23. p. 177-191. Sternberg, R. J. (2006). Cognitive psychology. Singapore: Thomson Wadsworth. Tulving, E. , & Craik, F. I. M. (Eds. ) (2000). The Oxford handbook of memory. New York: Oxford University Press.