Perfromance Matrix of Pantene

Perfromance Matrix of Pantene Free Online Research Papers Strengths Good brand Strong profit Loyal customer base Dominant in hair care market Wide distribution Has many product collections The sales of shampoo also help to increase the sales of other Pantene products Weaknesses Use different package around the world Confused consumers by offering too much collections Messy product line Spend a lot of money on the new packaging strategies Opportunities The concern about beauty and health increases People are willing to pay more for â€Å"green† products or natural products Launch the new product line called â€Å"Natural Fusion† Wining The Australian Beauty Award 2009 Threats Many competitors in the hair care market The fast growth of beauty salons and salon’s product Susan Anord, president of global business units of PG, left after 28 years serving for the company. STRENGTH Pantene Pro-V is the leading brand in hair care market and is one of the top brands of PG, the world largest consumer-products company. Pantene is also the planet’s best-selling shampoo with the sales of more than $3 billion dollar annually1. It’s really easy to find a Pantene product in any supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenient stores; from city to countryside and from countries to countries. With that wide distribution, more than 1.5 million Pantene products are sold everyday around the world2. The brand has the loyal customer base because people tend to stick to the cosmetic products that they get used to. Beside that, these customers also buy the other products from Pantene, according to a survey, 85% of Pantene shampoo consumers buy Pantene conditioner, 17% buy hair spay and 16% buy other styling products3. With 19 different collections such as Anti-Fizz, Beautiful Length, Smooth, Classic Care etc, Pantene can serve various market segments. WEAKNESS Having too much product lines doesn’t mean that it is always good and the products lines seem to become messy. Many Pantene’s consumers said that sometime it’s confused them from choosing the right collection for their hair. However, Pantene already responded to this problem by offering the quiz, designed by hair expects, on their website www.pantene.com to help consumers find the right one for their needs. The company also tried to make the distinction between different collections from promotion and packaging. Packaging, PG spent more than $100 million to refresh the brand by changing its packaging. Unfortunately, The new packaging strategies fail to deliver any real value innovation to the market, and thus can only be regarded as a fad because bright and glitzy packages will eventually lose their eye-catching quality as more products try to do the same.4 OPPORTUNITY As the standard living increases in many countries, the concern about beauty and health also increases. That is an opportunity for Pantene because people are willing to pay more for the beauty care products or hair care products. According to a study published last month by The Boston Consulting Group, consumers worldwide expressed an interest in buying â€Å"green† products with natural ingredients despite the slumping economy. This trend can be seen as a threat for Pantene because it is still weak compared to some salon-level products like Nexxus and Tresemme of Alberto Culver and Everpure Shampoo of L’oreal in this market segment. In fact, these products experienced a strong growth recently. Don’t yield the market share to these products, Pantene launched a new product line called â€Å"Natural Fusion† to compete with them. An advertisement of Natural Fusion tries to send a message to consumers that they can get a salon’s result by using Pantene Natural Fusion. Pantene Pro-V also won The Australian Award 2009, this is an opportunity for it to increase sales the following years. THREAT Although Pantene Pro-V is the leading brand in hair care market but it often lose its market share because there are a lot of players in this market. It’s a challenge for Pantene to make consumers choose its products over more than 100 kinds of shampoo from various brands on the shelf. Another threat for the company is the rise of beauty salons and salon’s products. Susan Arnold, the President of Global Business Units for Procter Gamble Co, helped PG from having one billion-brand, Pantene in 1999 to have eight billion-brands today: Pantene, Olay, Head Shoulders, Wella, Mach3, Gillette, Fusion and Braun when she resident of the Companys personal beauty care business ten years ago5. Her leaving after 28 years serving might be a disadvantage for PG. Research Papers on Perfromance Matrix of PanteneMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductDefinition of Export QuotasRiordan Manufacturing Production PlanAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaBionic Assembly System: A New Concept of SelfOpen Architechture a white paperGenetic EngineeringIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalTwilight of the UAWInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married Males

The History of Intel

The History of Intel In 1968, Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore were two unhappy engineers working for the Fairchild Semiconductor Company who decided to quit and create their own company at a time when many Fairchild employees were leaving to create start-ups. People like Noyce and Moore were nicknamed the Fairchildren. Robert Noyce typed up a one-page idea of what he wanted to do with the new company, and that was enough to convince San Francisco venture capitalist Art Rock to back Noyce and Moores new venture. Rock raised $2.5 million dollars in less than two days by selling convertible debentures. Art Rock became the first chairman of Intel. Intel Trademark The name Moore Noyce was already trademarked by a hotel chain, so the two founders decided upon the name Intel for their new company, a shortened version of Integrated Electronics. However, the rights to the name had to be bought from a company called Intelco first. Intel Products In 1969, Intel released the worlds first metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) static ram, the 1101. Also in 1969, Intels first money-making product was the 3101 Schottky bipolar 64-bit static random access memory (SRAM) chip. A year later in 1970, Intel introduced the 1103 DRAM memory chip. In 1971, Intel introduced the now-famous worlds first single chip microprocessor (the computer on a chip)- the Intel 4004- invented by Intel engineers Federico Faggin, Ted Hoff, and Stanley Mazor. In 1972, Intel introduced the first 8-bit microprocessor- the 8008. In 1974, the Intel 8080 microprocessor was introduced with ten times the power of the 8008. In 1975, the 8080 microprocessor was used in one of the first consumer home computers, the Altair 8800 which was sold in kit form. In 1976, Intel introduced the 8748 and 8048, the first type of microcontroller i.e. a computer-on-a-chip optimized to control electronic devices. Though produced by the USA’s Intel Corporation, the 1993 Pentium was basically the outcome of research conducted by an Indian engineer. Popularly known as the Father of the Pentium chip, the inventor of the computer chip is Vinod Dham.

New Perspectives and Issues in Educational Language Policy Assignment - 11

New Perspectives and Issues in Educational Language Policy - Assignment Example Through this course, I am well versed with how to handle my attitude in order not to affect the attitude of the student’s towards the course. Furthermore, through this specialization, I have been able to learn how to handle myself and deal with student issues. This is very important in ensuring that my behaviors do not deviate the students’ attention from the course. Furthermore, it has changed my beliefs concerning the course and the strategies to be used to achieve success. Therefore, when handling the students, I am more confident and able to learn the students’ reactions concerning my actions or teaching strategies. As a result, I am able to know when to make changes in order to keep the students glued to the topic of study. Through this course, I have developed immensely. I am now more mature and understand the interests of the students and how to incorporate my personal goals with those of the students. In addition, I now understand how to ensure that the personal life of the students does not affect the ability to learn English. Through teaching special needs Latin Males, I have been able to use the skills learned in the course. I have, therefore, been able to learn that I need to handle my emotions more carefully in order to ensure that they do not affect my teaching practice. Through interacting with Walden colleagues, families and other education professionals, I have been able to learn that educating the students to need a holistic approach. This is through involving all people who interact with the students. Furthermore, teaching students is a learning process; therefore, I need to be open-minded in order to learn from other people including students’ parents (Cooper, Shohamy, Walters, & Cooper, 2001).

Costing and Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Costing and Economics - Essay Example Prevention Costs: The planned costs incurred by an organization to ensure that errors are not made at any of the various stages during the delivery process of that product or service to a customer. The delivery process may include design, development, production and shipping. Examples of prevention costs include education and training, continuous improvement efforts, quality administration staff, process control, market research, field testing and preventive maintenance. Failure Costs: The costs incurred by a company because the product or service did not meet the requirements and the product had to be fixed or replaced or the service had to be repeated. These failure costs can be further subdivided in to two groups - Internal or External failures. Internal failures include all the costs resulting from the failures that are found before the product or service reaches the customer. Examples include scrap, rework, extra inventory, repair stations, re-design, salvage, corrective action reports and overtime due to nonconforming product or service. External failures are all the costs incurred by the company resulting when the customer finds the failure. These external failure costs do not include any of the personal costs of the customer. Examples of these costs include warranty, customer complaint administration, replacement product, recalls, shipping costs, analysis of warranty data, customer follow-up and field service departments. b) Relationship between Failure Costs and Prevention Costs: The following sketch illustrates that actual performance can fall short of customer satisfaction either because of quality of design failure or because of conformance quality failures. Actual Design Customer Performance Specifications Satisfaction Conformance Quality Quality of Design Failure Failure Conformance Quality refers to the performance of a product or service relative to its design and product specifications. For example, if a photocopying machine mishandles paper or breaks down, it fails to satisfy conformance quality. Products not conforming to specifications must be repaired, reworked, or scrapped at an additional cost to the organization. If non conformance errors remain after the product is shipped and the product breaks down at the customer site even greater repair costs as well as the loss of customer good will (often the highest quality cost) may result. Since as outlined above, there exists a strong relationship between prevention costs and failure costs, to ensure that actual performance achieves customer satisfaction companies must first design products to satisfy the customers through quality of designs, and they must then meet design specifications though conformance quality. Thus it may be seen that there is a direct relationship between the prevention cos t and failure costs and if the prevention costs are not taken care of by the company, it may lead to the incurring of additional quality costs in the form of internal or external failure costs.

The Handmaids Tale Essay Example for Free

The Handmaids Tale Essay The Handmaids Tale, written by Margaret Atwood, is set in two different times simultaneously, both being separate societies, with unlike moral principles. While Atwood describes the pre-Gilead society as one dealing with an unmanageable amount of injustices regarding women, since pornography, prostitution, and violence against women were getting out of the governments hands. Nevertheless, women were allowed to read in the pre-Gilead society, and had a wide amount of liberties compared to the ones handmaids in Gilead receive. Also, the society before Gilead was formed suffered from conflicts between religions and racial tensions, also known as the Sect Wars. On the other hand, Gilead, being the present society in the novel, shows a much more distant difference in liberties between both sexes. Women are used as procreation tools, and cannot have privacy whatsoever with the laws enforced by the system, such as not letting handmaids close their bedrooms door completely. Also, women arent allowed to read, like in the previous society, so that they cannot gain any knowledge. Ironically, it seems that both genders were having a better life in the previous society, which is described as chaotic, rather than in Gilead, even-though men have complete control over the law. Atwood writes about the reason of Gilead arising over the old society being an exponential decrease in birth rates. Another notorious difference between Gilead and pre-Gilead is that pre-Gilead tolerated homosexuality up to certain extent, while Gileads law declares the extermination of homosexual humans. As if the Catholic Church has lost the Sect Wars in the old society, priests or believers of such religion are also killed by the new system. Atwoods novel also describes numerous similarities between our current situation and the anti-utopian Gilead. Atwood describes the contrary of the rights gained by the feminists in the past century, including the legalization of abortion, which is being prohibited in Gilead. Other rights being undone by Gileads system are the right for women to vote, and their access to contraception devices. At the same time, Atwood criticizes the situation experienced in the 1980s regarding the fear towards pollution and infertility, by reflecting such dangers in the pre-Gilead society, and coming up with Gilead as the solution for both problems. A more recent issue mentioned in The Handmaids Tale is North Americas religious policies, which are unfair, and are expressed in an exaggerated way through the wall with the citizens who have suffered death penalty, and the Sect Wars. Elements that arent important in real life carry a large importance in The Handmaids Tale. Language is one of these devices, since its function in Gilead is to label each individual with his tribute to the society, making repression a result of such use. This makes the persecution of black (Children of Ham) people and Jews (Sons of Jacob) easier. Another factor used in Gilead is effective for the citizens of the society to bare the way they are treated. This is accomplished by pleasing women or other rejected or mistreated people with other things, such as power over the household, like it happens with Serena. Also, the romance Offred may have with Nick. Gilead also gives women the image that they are being protected from sexual violence by punishing rapists, but this is clearly false, since they are being used as prostitutes by the elite class. From such view, Gilead may be politically correct, but suffers from a way of corruption. In conclusion, Gilead differs from pre-Gilead because of its limited liberty to women, and its discrimination towards black, Jews, and catholic believers. Nevertheless, it offers more safety, but suffers from an improper use of power coming from men. This may be seen throughout the novel, where you can see that women are treated like objects of procreation. In a sense, Gilead has only brought inconformity into the world, as women cannot read, write, or do things by their own, and men live a boring life, according to their descriptions, as most have had their sexual and philosophical liberties taken away as well. I used to think of my body as an instrument, of pleasure, or a means of transportation, or an implement for the accomplishment of my will Now the flesh arranges itself differently. Im a cloud, congealed around a central object, the shape of a pear, which is hard and more real than I am and glows red within its translucent wrapping. (Chapter 13). This quote expresses that Offred feels her womb is now a states property, and that she has been oppressed by the society so that she appears to be just a superficial part of what she really is. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Margaret Atwood section.

Why Early Twentieth Century Women Made their Splash in Arizona Politics :: Essays Papers

Why Early Twentieth Century Women Made their Splash in Arizona Politics Since the beginning of Arizona history, women were confined to the traditional roles of housekeeping and child rearing due to the conditions of life on the frontier. At this time, Arizona was a land of chaos and therefore lacked a civilized community. In effect, women’s most important responsibility remained within her home to create a comforting and refined atmosphere which would ultimately raise the standard of living in Arizona (Fischer 47). These ideas continued to emerge in the twentieth century and left women with few choices and opportunities. However, two women, Josephine Hughes and Isabella Greenway, were able to free themselves from the constraints of society and undertake influential roles in the political realm because of the extraordinary but favorable circumstances in their lives. Both women were wealthy, courageous, persistent, or associated with powerful and influential men. Josephine Hughes amazingly rose above societal norms and played an active role in political movements because of her privileged financial status. Because she was a woman of means, her home had all of the modern conveniences of the time. For instance, her home was the first in the Tucson area to be illuminated with candlesticks while her neighbors used a burning rag in a saucer of grease as a means for lighting. Most importantly, the Hughes’ were the first to obtain a cistern which was considered a luxury because they no longer had to buy their drinking water from peddlers who sold it a very high price (Boehringer 99). These conveniences eliminated the monotonous, time-consuming activities necessary for a woman to sustain a household. Therefore, she had more time and energy to dedicate herself to various causes such as the suffrage and temperance movements. However, Josephine Hughes was able to surpass the restraints imposed by tradition because she possessed a quality that simply could not be bought: courage. She manifested such inner strength especially in situations when the odds were against her. In 1892, she made the treacherous journey from Pennsylvania to the West with her infant daughter. At this time, the Apaches conducted a series of violent raids that left many white settlers in the area dead. Because of the obvious danger, Josephine carried her baby in one arm and a loaded rifle in the other (98).

Differences and Similarities of Christianity and Judaism Essay

Many people today still believe that Christianity and Judaism are both the same religion. This is not so, despite the fact that they both share certain similarities; Christianity and Judaism are both different religions. It is my pleasure to shed some light on the differences and similarities of both religions’ views on salvation. In this research I will first define salvation in its literal form. Secondly, I will take a closer look into the history and development of both religions and shed further light on how they differ. Finally, I will go on to further compare and contrast both religions and show where they differ and where they are alike. At the end of this research, people will have a greater understanding of both Christianity and Judaism and be able to identify how different they both are. According to Matt Slick, â€Å"Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner.† Most people in the world believe that salvation means being saved from the devil or from themselves, but this is not a fact. Your salvation depends on the judgment God has on you. All who sin against God falls under his judgment, this judgment is known as damnation, and this is where God condemns to eternal hell anyone who has offended him by breaking his law. Matt Slick went further to say, â€Å"This does not mean that God is unfair. It shows that God is holy. God must punish the sinner. But, he has provided a way of escape so that people will not face his righteous judgment. This means that God is both holy and loving. He must manifest each quality equally. So being saved from the wrath of God is called salvation.† The bible states that salvation is found in Jesus and only in him, who is also known as God in flesh and also who died for our sins and rose from t he dead. 1 Cor. 15: 1-4 says, â€Å"Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word I preached to you, unless you believe in vain. For delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.† All of us have sinned against God and deserve judgment. But Jesus never  sinned ( 1 Pet. 2:22). It is through Jesus we all gain salvation based on evidence in the scriptures and this is how salvation works. To define it simply, Christianity is one of the world’s major monotheistic religions. Christians believe in Jesus Christ and follow his teachings. they believe Jesus is God’s own son, sent by God to become human. As the son of God, Jesus is divine, but he was also a human being who lived among us on earth, over 2,000 years ago. Followers of Jesus are part of God’s people, whose heritage includes the Jewish people and the Christian Church throughout the world today. Christianity strongly supports salvation and everything it stands for. According to Patheos Library, an online religious community, â€Å"Christianity developed out of Judaism in the 1st century C.E. It is formed on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and those who follow him are called Christians.† Christianity’s origin came out of Palestine and they believe in God (Trinity), which means God in three forms, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The publication posted on Patheos Library went further to state, â€Å"Christianity has many different branches and forms with accompanying variety in beliefs and practices. The three major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, with numerous subcategories within each of these branches.† It was not until the latter part of the 20th century that most adherents of Christianity were in the west, even though it had spread to every continent and is now the largest religion in the world today. The traditional Christian beliefs include the belief in the one and only true god, who is one being and exist as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Christianity also believes in Jesus as the divine and human Messiah who was sent here on earth to live and dwell with man and save the world from sin. The Christian church has many ethics that governs the activities of the church and aid in ensuring that its members walk in the correct path and grows closer in faith and closer to God. The Christian church ethics stands firm against abortion and believes this practice is of the devil. Christianity also disagrees with same sex marriage as well, based on the fact that in creation, God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. This has been a very controversial topic for many years, as many do believe that same  sex marriage should be accepted as human rights activist backs up this claim. There has been not one case in the bible where same sex marriage or same sex relationships were encouraged or practiced freely, and it’s based on this that Christians do not believe in the practice. A brief look into the culture of Judaism should shed some light on the culture and help persons to differentiate better. According to, thinkquest.org, â€Å"Judaism is the religious culture of the Jewish People and is one of the world’s oldest religions. Judaism makes up the cultural system of Jewish law, custom, and practice of the whole individual and community. It is a system in which everyone is under God’s rule. Judaism originated in the Middle East and has spread throughout all parts of the world because of both voluntary migrations and forced exile or expulsions. The total world Jewish population is about 15 million, most of whom live in the United States, Israel, and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republic.† A very important topic when discussing faith in Jewish text is that of Romans in the New Testament. A 20th century western definition of faith is often used to support theologies that claim to be based on the Hebrew Scriptures. For instance, within modern Christianity there is a range of belief regarding faith. The idea that faith is totally separated from â€Å"works† based on verses such as Ephesians 2:8-9 and Romans 3:28 and others taught by some protestants. Also the idea that works must be performed to â€Å"earn salvation.† According to, yashanet.com, an online publication, â€Å"When dealing with the texts of the â€Å"New Testament,† the English language word â€Å"faith† must be interpreted in the Hebrew context it was originally conceived in by the author. As such, the word â€Å"trust† may be a better one to use, at it conveys a combination of belief and action.† The Jewish view of faith, including that of Paul, is established in ideas such as, â€Å"Faith is active and includes the â€Å"works† of following Torah. The foundational statement of faith in Judaism is the â€Å"Shema,† from Deuteronomy 6:4. The term â€Å"hear† (as in â€Å"Hear O Israel †¦Ã¢â‚¬ , means t_o hear and respond obediently._ Faith and obedience are  woven together. This is clearly reflected in the words of Yeshua, Paul and James.† According to, Ariela Pelaia, â€Å"Judaism is a monotheistic faith, meaning that Jews believe there is only One God. Often this God is beyond our ability to comprehend, but God is nevertheless present in our everyday lives. How individual Jews choose to understand this manifestation of the divine varies. Some connect with God through prayer, others see the divine in the majesty of the natural world, others may not think about God on a daily basis. Each individual’s relationship with God is unique and personal.† The Jewish religion teaches that everyone, whether Jewish or non-Jewish, is created â€Å"b’tzelem Elohim,† which is Hebrew for â€Å"in the image of God.† It is with this reason every person is equally important and has an infinite potential to do good in the world. The Jewish community also believes that Jews are uniquely connected with each other, regardless of where they live in this world. The Torah is Judaism’s most important text. It contains stories and commandments that teach us about life and death. It contains the 10 Commandments as well as the 613 commandments (mitzvot). All Jews consider the 10 Commandments to be the most important commandments in the Torah, though not all Jews adhere to the 613 mitzvot (one of the main differences between the different branches of Judaism). The Torah also tells us that the Land of Israel (Eretz Yisrael) was apart of the covenant made between God and the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. Even though Judaism and Christianity have a lot in common, they do both share some major differences that clearly set them apart. Traditionally, Jews recite prayers three times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays. Most of the prayers in a traditional Jewish service can be said in solitary prayer, although communal prayer is preferred. Jews also have certain religious clothing which a traditional Jew wears. Christians believe that all people should strive to follow Christ’s commands and example in their everyday actions. For many, this includes obedience to the Ten Commandments. Other Christian practices include acts of piety such as prayer and Bible reading. Christians assemble for communal worship on Sunday, the day of the resurrection, though other liturgical practices often occur outside this setting. Scripture readings are drawn from the Old and New  Testaments, but especially the Gospels. The place of origin for Christianity is Jerusalem while Judaism reigns from out of Israel and Christianity believes in Jesus Christ as founder and messiah, and for Judaism its Abraham, Moses. Christian practices includes, Prayers, Sacraments, worshipping in Church, reading the Holy Bible, acts of charity, Communion-partaking in the Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, under the appearance of Bread and Wine. The practices of Judaism differs in that, Orthodox Jews recite prayers 3 times daily, with a fourth prayer added on Shabbat and holidays. Shacarit prayer in the morning, Mincha in the afternoon, Arvit at night. Musaf is an extra Shabbat service. When it comes down to the source of scripture, Christianity uses the Holy Bible, a collection of canonical books in two parts (Old and New Testament). For Judaism it’s the Tanakh (Jewish Bible), Torah. When it comes down to life after death, the Christian view of this is that Man is appointed to die once, and after that come judgment. Those that are redeemed, live on in Heaven, those that rejected God suffer for eternity in Hell, while Jews believes in a World to come, Reincarnation (some groups); temporal suffering in Hell; eventual return to Paradise(Garden of Eden), unifying with God Works Cited (Spain, Islands, Arab countries, Turkey) Ashkenaz (Central/Eastern Europe, Germany, France) Greek, MIzrachi: Jemen, Conservative, Reconstructionist, and Reform. â€Å"Christianity vs Judaism – Difference and Comparison | Diffen.† Diffen – Compare Anything. Diffen. Discern. Decide.. N.p., 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . BBC Religion . â€Å"BBC – Religion: Christianity.† BBC – Homepage. N.p., 21 Jan. 1013. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Books Of Romans. â€Å"Jewish views of salvation, faith and freedom.† YashaNet HomePage. N.p., 23 Apr. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Krell, Marc. â€Å"Afterlife and Salvation.† Patheos | Hosting the Conversation on Faith. N.p., 22 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . ORACLE. â€Å"Judaism: Introduction.† ThinkQuest : Library. N.p., 31 Dec. 2008. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Religion Facts. â€Å"Comparison Chart: Christianity vs. Judaism – ReligionFacts.† Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion – Just the facts on the world’s religions.. N.p., 19 June 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Religion Facts. â€Å"Christian Salvation – ReligionFacts.† Religion, World Religions, Comparative Religion – Just the facts on the world’s religions.. N.p., 12 Sept. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . Slick, Matt. â€Å"What is salvation? | Discuss what is salvation. | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry.† CARM – Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. N.p., 13 Feb. 2010. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. . iconoclasms, zantine. â€Å"History of Christianity – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.† Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 11 Apr. 2013. .

Cinema History: the Seventh Seal

Ingmar Bergman’s film, Seventh Seal, reflects his views on life in an allegorical fashion. Bergman utilizes the setting of a medieval, plague-ridden landscape to metaphorically investigate the existence of god and meaning of life. The film follows the knight, Antonius, as he returns from the Crusades with his squire, Jons. Bergman uses black and white to enhance the mood. The film’s vivid imagery and powerful score challenge the viewer to interpret the film’s messages and assign them meaning. The film investigates the deepest philosophical questions of humanity. Compared with Akira Kurosawa’s film, Ikiru, the Seventh Seal expresses a darker outlook on the world. Bergman’s cinematic masterpiece remains a relevant work of art in a world that struggles to address the deepest questions of religion and the phenomena of simply being alive. Seventh Seal begins with a shot of the heavens as a powerful orchestrated piece of music plays. A passage from the Book of Revelation is recited, â€Å"And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour,† (Revelation 8:1). Antonius and Jons lie on a beach of pebbles. The land is framed proportional to the sky, juxtaposing the kingdoms of heaven and earth. A chess set sits to the right of Antonius. The camera pans away from him, zooming in on the chess pieces. It symbolically equates Antonius as a piece of the game. A man cloaked in black approaches, revealing himself to be death. He states that he has come for them. Antonius challenges him to a chess match. Death agrees that if Antonius is able to defeat death he shall go free. The game is continued throughout the film. As Antonius and Jons move along their journey, death continuosly lurks as an ominous force. The film constantly makes references to death and uncertainty through the presents of the plague. The sky in the background is often cloudy as though God is absent from the heavens and oblivious to the suffering on earth. In one scene, Jons seeks directions from a man who appears to be sleeping; the man is dead and rotting. Not only is the man unable to provide direction, but there is also no divine direction. The plague represents the absence of God and humanity’s uncertainty when faced with unexplainable destruction. In a scene later in the film, death impersonates a confessional priest. He listens as Antonius speaks about the mystery of god, stating, â€Å"Is it so cruelly inconceivable to grasp God with the senses? Why should he hide himself in a mist of half-spoken promises and unseen miracles? What is going to happen to those of us who want to believe but aren't able to? † Death, who embodies the complete absence of life, remains silent. Bergman depicts mans suffering, metaphorically addressing the inabilities of humanity to comprehend the purpose of both the human self and the divine. The plague challenges faith, as an incomprehensible punishment inflicted for unexplainable reasons. It leaves the populous to deal with the absence of divine direction. This is demonstrated very powerfully throughout the film. Jof and his fellow actors dance and sing on a small village stage. The actors represent innocence and good nature. Abruptly, religious music interrupts the actor’s production. A procession of priests, baring crosses and incense, marches though the village. They sing in unison as shirtless men accompanying them whip themselves and each other. The entire village drops to its knees as the horrifying parade of suffering passes. This demonstrates the absence of God. The religious, unable to comprehend the suffering that is the plague, torture themselves in an attempt to appease God. This phenomenon is continued when Antonius witnesses a young girl tied to a post. She is deprived of water and whimpering in pain. The authorities believe her to be bewitched by the devil and the cause of the plague. The girl is to be burned alive. This event communicates the true horror of humans left to suffering and doubt. The actor Jof and his wife Mia represent natural beauty and good nature. The scenes with them bring a warmth and happiness to the, dark suffering depicted. The lighting is often softer and brighter around Jof and Mia, contrasting them with the bleak atmosphere of the film. Antonius befriends the actors, and they all share a picnic of milk and wild strawberries. The simplicity of this meal is symbolic. It represents the beauty that exists in simplicity itself. Antonius reminisces about his life before the Crusades and his love for the wife he left behind. He expresses his ongoing burden of faith stating, â€Å"Faith is a torment did you know that? It is like loving someone who is out there in the darkness but never appears, no matter how loudly you call. † This statement embodies the questions presented by Bergman throughout Seventh Seal. The Seventh Seal concludes with Antonius knocking over the chess pieces in order to distract death from Jof and Mia. Death claims Antonius and his companions as Jof has a vision of them in the distance doing the dance of death. The viewer is eft with powerful messages concerning the existence of God and meaning of life. Comparing the film with Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, it is apparent that both share similar ending themes. The protagonist in each film pursues a selfless action. In Ikiru, Watanabe, the protagonist, abandons the bureaucracy he has been a part of for so long in order to fight to create a local park. The Seventh Seal depicts the game of chess between Antonius and death. Antoni us knocks over the pieces, allowing his friends to escape. Both films protagonists fight for things bigger than themselves. Bergman and Kurosawa explore similar themes, but the Seventh Seal maintains a darker outlook on the world. Bibliography â€Å"Analysis of the Church Scene in Bergman. † Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. Web. 3 Mar. 2010. . Cook, David A. A History of Narrative Film. New York: W. W. Norton, 2004. Print. â€Å"Det Sjunde Inseglet (1957). † The Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Web. 3 Mar. 2010. . Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, Ill. : Crossway Bibles, 2001. Print. â€Å"Norman N. Holland, Meeting a Movie: The Seventh Seal. † College of Liberal Arts and Sciences | The University of Florida. Web. 28 Feb. 2010. .

The Puzzle of Motivation

The Puzzle of Motivation Dan Pink makes a very interesting proposal on how employees should be motivated. His argument basically seeks to show that the kind of jobs done in the 21st century require a new approach to answering the question on how employees are to be maximally motivated to do these jobs.Advertising We will write a custom assessment sample on The Puzzle of Motivation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The theme of his talk is that there is a disagreement between what science advocates for in the management of business and how business management should be undertaken. The talk significantly shows that the carrot-stick approach is increasingly losing significance in today’s workplace. The speaker starts off his argument by examining the candle problem – an experiment created in 1945 by Karl Duncker. The speaker argues that solving the candle problem requires overcoming functional fixedness. The speaker further notes that creativity is also important in solving the problem. When the experiment was undertaken, the results showed that incentives did not help to solve problems that required cognitive performance. Actually, the results showed that giving incentives in cognitive based problems reduced productivity of workers. These results and the argument of the speaker seem illogical at first. But as he continues to offer more evidence to his argument, a lot of sense emerges out of his talk. I find the talk convincing. Pink uses ample evidence to pass across his argument. I am in agreement with him about the dynamics of the 21st century workplace. It is true that people are becoming more interested in doing what they enjoy doing rather than doing what earns them more cash. Pink argues that the carrot-stick approach works in environments where there is a routine schedule to be followed. He goes ahead to note that few workplaces have fixed routines to be followed. I find this to be true. This is because even in workpla ces which seem to have fixed routines, there is always a room for creativity – it cannot be said that there are routine jobs per se. For instance, take the work done by a receptionist. This work may be perceived to be of a fixed nature. But the truth is, a receptionist has plenty of room for creativity and thus can avoid doing his or her work routinely. This is possible if the ROWE (Result Oriented Workplace Environment) approach proposed by Pink is applied to this job.Advertising Looking for assessment on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Pink suggests the ROWE approach for the 21st century workplace. He argues that this approach works better than the carrot-stick approach because it gives autonomy to employees. He goes further to buttress this view by quoting few examples where the ROWE approach has led to realization of brilliant outcomes. The examples include Gmail, a product of a Google ’s â€Å"20 percent autonomy hours†. Definitely, Pink makes a powerful proposal but something that I find out of order in his talk is his insistence on incentives almost having no place in the workplace today. In as much as people are looking for autonomy in their workplace and jobs which can give them satisfaction, I believe incentives still play a significant role in increasing productivity. A better stand would be marrying ROWE and carrot-stick approaches in a manner that would optimize productivity. It is obvious that doing away with incentives will be demoralizing to employees especially if an organization keeps on making huge profits and what the employees get in turn is their normal salaries and just the joy of doing their work. Pink, Dan. â€Å"The puzzle of motivation.† TED, 2013. Web. https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation.

Word Choice Peak, Peek, or Pique

Word Choice Peak, Peek, or Pique Word Choice: Peak, Peek, or Pique? Homophones are problematic enough when we’re dealing with two words that sound the same. But with â€Å"peak,† â€Å"peek,† and â€Å"pique,† we have a tricky homophonic threesome to deal with. But what do these words mean? And how can you avoid errors in your written work? Let us explain. Peak (Highest Point) A â€Å"peak† is typically the highest point of something. This might be a physical high point, such as the highest point on a mountain: The peak of Mount Everest is 29,029 feet above sea level. However, a â€Å"peak† can also be the high point of an activity or quality: Most athletes achieve hit their peak between 26 and 28 years old. In this case, we’re talking about the age at which athletes perform best. And while â€Å"peak† is often a noun, it can be used as a verb or an adjective: Viewing figures peaked one hour into the program. I’ve been in peak condition since I started working out. In the first sentence above, we use â€Å"peak† as a verb to mean â€Å"hit its highest point.† In the second sentence, meanwhile, â€Å"peak† is modifying the noun â€Å"condition† (meaning â€Å"top condition†). Take a peek at this peak. Peek (A Quick or Secretive Glance) â€Å"Peek† can be either a verb or a noun. In either case, it refers to taking a quick or furtive look at something. Using it as a verb, for example, we might say: He peeked around the corner to see if we were being followed. Or if we wanted to use it as a noun, we could say: I only took a peek at your email last night, but I’ll read it in full tomorrow. Whether used as a verb or a noun, then, â€Å"peek† is always related to looking at something briefly or from a hidden position. Pique (Irritation or Interest) â€Å"Pique† is a much rarer term than the other words here. However, it is used in some common phrases, so it is useful to know what it means. One of these phrases is â€Å"fit of pique,† which we use when someone does something suddenly because they are annoyed: He left the restaurant in a fit of pique when the waiter laughed at him. Other than this, you may hear someone say that something â€Å"piqued† their curiosity or interest. This sense of â€Å"pique† is a verb that means â€Å"arouse interest or curiosity†: The letter piqued my curiosity, so I wrote back straight away. One common error is to write â€Å"peak my curiosity,† as some people think it means â€Å"raise my curiosity to its highest point.† And while this makes some sense, it is not the correct phrase! Summary: Peak, Peek, or Pique? â€Å"Peak,† â€Å"peek,† and â€Å"pique† sound the same, but each has its own meaning: A peak is the highest point of something. To peek is usually to take a quick or furtive look at something. Pique can mean â€Å"irritation† or â€Å"arouse interest.† It is most commonly used in phrases such as â€Å"a fit of pique† or â€Å"to pique curiosity.† Make sure not to confuse these terms! If you’d like help ensuring your writing is error free, moreover, a bit of proofreading can go a long way.

Antarctic sea ice melt and its implications Essay

Antarctic sea ice melt and its implications - Essay Example mosphere and polar oceans; and changes the force of ocean buoyancy by redistributing fresh water through transportation and subsequent melting of comparatively fresh sea ice. Thesis Statement: The purpose of this essay is to investigate Antarctica sea ice melt, examine the ocean-atmosphere interaction, and evaluate the environmental and societal impact of rising sea levels and other impacts of the sea ice melt. Globally, there is a decline of snow and ice over the past several years, particularly since 1980, with an increasing downturn during the last decade. In the South Pole, the east and west Antarctic Ice Sheets are â€Å"two unequal parts, with different histories and characteristics† (Mercer 1978: 323), Figure 1 below. Unlike the vast, older and mostly land-based ice sheet in East Antarctica, the Western Antarctic ice sheet is younger, much smaller and marine-based, anchored to a distance of 2,500 meters below sea level. Further, West Antarctica is not a single continent, but is a series of islands covered by ice, touching the ocean floor, and not based on land (NASA 2010). Two-thirds of the continent is East Antarctica, a high, frozen desert. If all the ice melted, it would increase the global sea level by about 60 meters or 197 feet. The results from a recent National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/ German Aerospace Center’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) study, indicate that since 2006 there has been greater ice loss from interior East Antarctica than earlier believed (Chen et al 2009). In the Southern Ocean, sea ice forms a fringe around the entire Antarctic continent (Figure 2. below) which is surrounded by the waters of different seas. The Antarctica is subdivided into 5 sectors by researchers, each impacted by diverse geography and weather conditions. This results in greater yearly variations in Antarctic sea ice, as compared to Arctic sea ice (Nasa.Gov 2010). â€Å"Across the Antarctic Peninsula lies one of the

Fast Company Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fast Company - Assignment Example In addition, the discourse would explore how these winners tell their story, describe their mission, engage volunteers, and measure success. ACCION International have consistently met the criteria for five years through offering microfinance access to credits that enable poverty stricken individuals and groups to improve their ways of live and well-being. By reaching as much as â€Å"2.5 million active clients and is well on its way to surpassing 3 million by the end of 2007† (Fast Company: Accion, 2012, par. 3). Their long term mission and goal of seeking ways by which millions would learn how to help themselves, this organization envisions the ideals of social responsibility on a more global scope. CITY YEAR, an organization based in Boston, Massachusettes, has likewise met the five criteria through enjoining the youth in rendering services through various productive activities such as tutoring, organizing after school and vacation programs, joining community activities, and engaging in physical service programs (Fast Company: City Year, 2012). This winner has exemplified growth and active involvement of young leaders to complete one full year in service and have consistently manifested growth of membership, locations and accomplishments. Accordingly, the organization has: â€Å"graduated more than 10,400 alumni; served 1,060,000 children; completed 16 million hours of service; partnered with more than 1050 corporations and 3,100 service organizations; and engaged more than 1,000,000 citizens in service† (Fast Company: City Year, 2012, par. 5). JUMPSTART focuses in early education programs that aim to engage â€Å"preschool children from low-income communities in an intensive early education program to improve their cognitive and emotional development, ensuring they enter kindergarten prepared to succeed at grade level† (Fast Company: Jumpstart, 2012, par. 2). Through evaluations that indicate that Jumpstart students have remarkably