Technology: Higher Education

Technology Taking Over The person of the 21st century has the luxury of being dependent on technology, allowing for certain weaknesses to sprout out of individuals due to their lack of natural abilities. Technology is the making, modification, use, and knowledge of tools, machines, or techniques, in order to solve a problem, improve a preexisting solution to a problem, achieve a goal, or perform a specific function. It’s true; technology has made life more efficient and reliable. Many great inventions have been possible through technology.Technology is also one of the causes of people becoming lazier, uninspired, and less creative. Technology is not bad in and of itself, but people are misusing it. Planes, trains, and automobiles carry people from place to place at high speeds. Telephones, television and computer networks help people communicate with others across the world. Medical technologies from vaccines to Stem Cell therapy, allow people to live longer, healthier lives. Although most people think technology made life easier, it’s actually making them overly dependent on those technologies.Today’s generation is becoming much lazier because they are too dependent on the latest gadgets. Some of them are unable to do things on their own. Nowadays, people use computers in business, public services, education, and most of all, in entertainment. There are many advantages to this situation. Firstly, computer controlled cars, planes or ships all people to travel safely and reduce travel time. However, a disadvantage to this is that all of these affect our environment in some way or another which eventually ends up harming ourselves.Faster travel times have led to easier dispersal of airborne viruses and diseases between locales, as well as increases in jet lag. Jumping from time zone to time zone can have a detrimental effect on the body. Most powerful countries depend on their industrial power to stabilize their status. Technology made indust rial development increase rapidly. Industries depend more on machines than human power. This newly discovered robotic technology makes human workers obsolete in some factories. Robots have been built to do tasks equally the same or better as humans, leaving them jobless.Robotics are a blessing and a curse to a company. While it’s nice to have a machine do everything, it can lead to issues down the road as customers notice the quality may not be the same as the quality they experienced from human hands. Another major con to robotics is that companies still need employees to manage the machines. When a problem happens, the machine will continue to run instead of stopping and â€Å"thinking† of what needs to be done in order to fix the problem. This is why companies still need to have skilled and qualified employees to run the machines before they cause them to lose millions of dollars.Also, today’s society is based upon quick sound bites and short attention spans. The world is at our fingertips, yet paradoxically, the more we connect, the more we actually disconnect. The internet has taken over, dominating our lives. The internet is an easy access for information from around the world that can be attained within seconds. There are many interactive applications on the internet that can bring distant people closer together without having to commute. Also, shopping has become more convenient. The disadvantage of the internet is that it has become too reliable for most people.People can get â€Å"hooked† on the internet. Some people may take advantage of all these things and scam others for their money, as it is that simple to create a legit seeming website. Despite it’s ease, technology has caused people to become so reliant that, in a poll by CNET, 28 percent of people said they wouldn’t be able to live without high-speed internet. Many people don’t know how to look up information in libraries or encyclopedias. Thou gh technology has allowed us to improve and modify traditional tasks, it has also clouded our realization of the dependency we have on it.America’s education level has become an average ranking. Education has developed into a network of many avenues that now allows the average American to obtain education easier. Higher education has branched out from the traditional university into online degrees, trade schools, and junior colleges. Obtaining a high school education has also advanced : high school students can take AP courses and high school dropouts can get a GED. With all these opportunities, why is it that America ranked as average in the international education ratings?The number of options available has caused our country to have no ambition to excel. Other countries have less options and freedoms which may be the motivation that allows them to achieve higher education rankings than the U. S. Many people are pointing to technology as a cause of childhood obesity. The yo unger generation has lost it’s curious nature to explore the world. Instead, children are hiding behind a TV screen or video game. For adults, the accused culprits are different yet the same, for example people spending more time driving and less time walking or biking to reach their destinations.Technology doesn’t just keep people in their chairs, it changes the way people eat. Obesity in children has increased by thirty percent in the past thirty years in America according to the Center for Disease Control and prevention. Obesity leads to many health problems including, diabetes, arthritis, cancer, respiratory problem, and cardio-vascular disease. The public is carried in street cars; elevators take the place of stairs in our larger buildings, and the necessary activity of the energetic is not directed in the use of muscles needed in running and walking.It is becoming noticeable that people are slowly losing those abilities and letting machines or computers do the wo rk for them. People are no longer required to think. If posed with a difficult or even simple problem people will simply â€Å"Google† it on an iPhone and the answer is found within seconds. Students are also becoming too dependent on calculators. Instead of using a graphing calculator to solve complex mathematical formulas, students turn to calculators for even simple calculations.Though calculators are important in an evolving world, it is still important for teachers to teach students how to do mental math and reasoning (Metz). Scholars, particularly teen scholars, are no longer required to spell correctly. Words like tomorrow, tonight, and before, become 2morrow, 2night and b4 in playful texting conversation. Spell check is also contributing to the downfall of spelling. Too often, people type a word sloppily into a web document and let spell check do the work without even noticing the word was misspelled.We are living in a society which is called â€Å"technologically ci vilized†. Every small work we do is technology dependent. Today every other person is recognized with the device or gadget, he or she carries. Ultimately we can say that, â€Å"living without technology is like living without air†, in this technical world of today. In conclusion, we can use technology but with moderation. If we use it, firstly we should have to check if we can do that action without it. If we are ever in a situation where technology is not present, we will find it difficult to resolve the situation.

The Effects of Heroin on a Person’s Brain and Body: a Literature Review

Running Head: EFFECTS OF HEROIN ON A PERSON The Effects of Heroin on a Person’s Brain and Body: A Literature Review Heather Huber Walden University Psych 8226-04 Biopsychology Dr. John Redmon August 18, 2010 Abstract This literature review looks at the detrimental effects of heroin. Since many heroin users often become addicted, it is important to look at its ramifications. Beginning with a brief history of the substance, then discussing treatment programs for those who have problems with heroin abuse, this paper helps to better understand logical reasons that heroin is an illegal substance.The Effects of Heroin on a Person’s Brain and Body: A Literature Review Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine, is an illegal drug in the United States and many other countries. Heroin has devastating results on the brain and body. This paper looks at heroin’s history, its consequences on the brain and body, addiction possibilities, and available options for treatment for hero in abusers. What is Heroin? Chemical make-up Breaking down the parts of the word, diacetylmorphine, di means two, acetyl is a radical derived from acetic acid, and morphine is a drug derived from the opium poppy plant used to relieve pain.Heroin, on the street, is generally not pure. Drug dealers often add other things in the drug to stretch their dollar (Furst, 2000). The term for adding things to a drug is called cutting it. According to Furst, easily attainable items, such as lactose and milk sugar, can cut heroin. Quinine, a psychoactive drug that enhances the heroin high, is also a common choice. History Upon researching the history of heroin, very few research articles were located. Many tend to focus on its results in present day life.Unfortunately, this inequity of information in Walden University’s academic databases, the internet provided much of the information regarding the history of heroin. Using vigilant discernment and precise judgment, the following informati on appeared relevant and valuable in understanding the path of heroin. Heinrich Dreser, an employee of the Bayer Company (the same as today’s Bayer Asprin), first discovered heroin in 1895 by diluting morphine (PBS, 1998).It was later that heroin was advertised and sold as an over-the-counter medication. Acknowledged for having the pain relieving effects of morphine, without the side effects and addictions, heroin became the new choice for pain relief. Unfortunately, a researcher in Bayer laboratories unethically withheld the truth of this information (HeroinAbuse. Net, 2007; PBS, 1998). The use, abuse, and addiction to heroin grew in the United States, and around the world, throughout the early 1900s.Access to heroin on the streets, despite its illegal status, became easier and soon it became a headliner when American celebrities (Janis Joplin, John Belushi, and Kurt Cobain, to name a few) overdosed and died due to use of the drug and its mixture with other illegal substance s (PBS, 1998). Today, heroin is still illegal, but is prominent in the lives of many who use or know someone who uses. Effects of Heroin on the Brain Drugs become illegal usually due to the negative consequences.Franken, Stam, Hendriks, and van den Brink (2004) found that heroin can have a negative result on the brain by limiting and exciting different areas leading the long time abuser to have negative characteristics similar to both Alzheimer’s patients and individuals with multiple sclerosis (dementia and brain lesions, respectively). While their study shared a lot about long-term users of heroin, it failed to present information regarding limited-use of heroin users. It is valuable information to know how heroin use affects both groups. The difference between users and abusers will be discussed in the addiction section of this paper. Li, et al. 2005) discovered major disruptions in the cerebral cortex and central nervous system when they autopsied accidental deaths of her oin addicts. While it is challenging to study the definitive effects of heroin on the brain in patients while alive, postmortem patients provide valuable information regarding the effects of heroin use on the brain. While traces of heroin were found throughout the brain, they discovered a larger amount in the hippocampus and the basal ganglia (Li, et al. , 2005). These heroin cells left lesions in the brain, which could have lead to decreased blood flow to the organs and even death (Li, et al. , 2005).It is clear that the brain is affected by the use of heroin, next we will look at the effects of heroin on the body. Effects of Heroin on the Body Heroin affects vision. Firth (2005) studied its effects. Many heroin users reported double vision (diplopia); the author thought it was important to see whether it was a temporary or permanent condition. Eye exercises or specially made glasses corrected the majority of diplopic conditions. Shao, et al. (2006), tested and found that those wit h the DRD4 VNTR long repeat allele were more likely to crave heroin after seeing heroin related stimuli, than with the similar DRD4 VNTR short repeat allele.This type of research provides information to future researchers to study this particular allele and perhaps find a â€Å"cure† for heroin addiction. While this may not be the only part of the human body that shows addiction tendencies towards heroin, it is a stepping-stone towards a future of understanding heroin addiction and maybe generalizes that information towards addictions to any substance. Addiction Addiction, in general, has been viewed from many different angles. Many influences encourage one to begin using a substance.O’Brien (2003) states that when discussing addition agent variable, there are three categories to take into consideration. First, agent variables include the onset and duration of the high, and price of the substance. Second, host variables include a risk-taking personality, likeliness of the person to get high, hereditary influences, and a desire to self-medicate. Lastly, environmental variables include peer pressure, and the use of a substance by a role model. These three groups of variables are important to take into consideration when identifying and analyzing an addiction.Viewing addiction from two perspectives, it is in one’s brain, or addiction is a chronic disease (O’Brien, 2003). Research has found that brain mapping is different in the brain of an addict than it is in the brain of a non-addict. Applying the disease approach to addiction, relapses are common and cannot be helped. The philosophy resembles the thoughts such as â€Å"would you punish a diabetic for having a sugar crash? † Many times the ideas behind addiction are challenging for people to comprehend when they have not had an addiction themselves or seen another person go through it.It is important for researchers to study addiction so that we can better understand it and he lp those who are addicted to substances. According to the DSM-IV-TR (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), an addiction to heroin would be classified as an opioid dependence. The characteristics of a person who is dependent upon heroin (a member of the opioid family) include the use of the drug without a prescription, self-medicating, obsession with obtaining the drug, high tolerance for the drug, and withdrawal symptoms when use is abruptly ended.Chiang, et al. (2006), looked at the likelihood of relapse for heroin users and found that of their 166 heroin abusers, approximately 80% of them relapsed in the five-year study. This is a larger percentage and ties into the idea of heroin addiction being a chronic disease that affects an individual throughout their life. Treatment With relapse having such prevalence in the life of heroin abusers trying to abstain, finding a successful treatment program is an important task. Blanken, et al. 2005), found significant success in programs t hat utilized a mix of heroin and methadone as a treatment to curb withdrawal symptoms, over those that used only methadone. One may question the help of using an addictive substance to treat an addiction, but it is similar to the idea of weaning a child off breast milk by slowly introducing bottles alongside the breast. While it takes some time for the weaning process, it decreases the likelihood of relapse. Gossop, Stewart, and Marsden (2006) found that participants in a methadone treatment program, who received drug related counseling, were less likely to elapse than those who received generic or no counseling. This is important information for clinics that have methadone treatments programs because they can use the research to enhance their programs to better fit their patients and help in their treatments. Research (Marissen, et al. , 2006) has found that in-patient patients, who showed interest towards heroin related cues, were more likely to relapse after treatment, than those who did not show interest in the cues. The next steps for future research may include assessing whether the desire for heroin makes treatment more difficult.Whether an addict has a problem in their brain, or whether they have a chronic disease, heroin use and abuse is a grave topic for consideration (O’Brien, 2003). From the characteristics that push a person to first try heroin, to the nagging need for the high of just one more hit, the drug is a dangerous chemical that can have serious repercussions on both the brain and the body. Researcher need to continue their work in examining heroin as a chemical, drug, and addictive substance in order to assist in the best treatment for its use. With continued research, there may be a cure for heroin addiction, or even addiction itself.References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th Ed, Text Revision). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association. Blanken, P. , Hend riks, V. M. , Koeter, M. W. J. , van Ree, J. M. , & van den Brink, W. (2005). Matching of treatment-resistant heroin-dependent patients to medical prescription or heroin or oral methadone treatment: Results from two randomized controlled trials. Addiction, 100, 89-95. Chiang, S. -C.. Chan, H. -Y. , Chen, C. -H. , Sun, H. -J. , Chang, H. -J. , Chen, W. J. , Lin, S. -K. , & Chen, C. -K. (2006).Recidivism among male subjects incarcerated for illicit drug use in Taiwan. Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences, 60, 444-451. Firth, A. Y. (2005). Heroin and diplopia. Addiction, 100, 46-50. Franken, I. H. A. , Stam, C. J. , Hendriks, V. M. , & van den Brink, W. (2004). Electroencephalographic power and coherence analyses suggest altered brain function in abstinent male heroin-dependent patients. Neuropsychobiology, 49, 105-110. Gossop, M. , Stewart, D. , & Marsden, J. (2006). Effectiveness of drug and alcohol counseling during methadone treatment: content, frequency, and duration of counseling and association with substance use outcomes.Addiction, 101, 404-412. HeroinAbuse. Net. (2007). History of heroin. [Website]. Retrieved July 8, 2010, from http://www. heroinabuse. net/heroin_history. php Li, L. , Lu, G. , Yao, H. , Zhao, Y. , Feng, Z. , & Yew, D. T. (2005). Postmortem changes in the central nervous system and adrenal medulla of the heroin addicts. International Journal of Neuroscience, 115, 1443-1449. Marissen, M. A. E. , Franken, I. H. A. , Waters, A. J. , Blanken, P. , van den Brink, W. , & Hendriks, V. M. (2006). Attentional bias predicts heroin relapse following treatment. Addiction, 9, 1306-1312. National Kidney Foundation. (2008).Drug abuse and your kidneys. [Website]. Retrieved July 10, 2010, from http://www. kidney. org/atoz/atozItem. cfm? id=44 O’Brien, C. P. (2003). Research advances in the understanding and treatment of addiction. The Journal on Addictions, 12, S36-S47. PBS. (1998). Opium throughout history. [Website]. Retrieved July 18, 2010, from http://www. pbs. org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/heroin/etc/history. html Shao, C. , Li, Y. , Jiang, K. , Xu, Y. , Lin, Y. , Wang, Q. , Zhao, M. , & Jin, L. (2006). Dopamine D4 receptor polymorphism modulates cue-elicited heroin craving in Chinese. Psychopharmacology, 186, 185-190.

Business Research Literature Review

In this assignment, a comprehensive literature review had been developed for the business research proposal related with topic â€Å"study and analyze marketing tools and tactics used by Coles Supermarkets, Australia.† There were some major topics included in this literature review section. They were such as overview of the Australian retail industry, Global Retail Business, consumer demand and ideas of independence groceries. The main hypotheses of   this literature   review section is to analyse the effectiveness of   marketing tools and tactics used by Australian retail companies compare to global retail companies. It had been assumed that Australian retail market is still growing and it can be improved by modifying the marketing tools and techniques used in this industry.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H 0 : Australian retail market has a steady growth in the market H 1 : Australian retail market do not has a steady growth in the market It has been found that Australian retail market is growing rapidly. The retail market of Australia has increased by 3% in accordance to the current value terms in 2016[1]. Although, the growth is positive, it had been analyzed that the growth rate had become slower than 2015[2]. The main reason behind the slower rate of growth of Australian retail market is that Australian customers remain cautious about their spending during the whole year due to low level of income growth. The customer good subdivision of Australian retail market has struggled with critical retail conditions over the last five years.   It had been found that volatile consumer sentiment and weak growth of economy due to fluctuating financial market had developed tensed time for the subdivision operators. In addition, it had been found that there was continuous fall in the retail demand in Australia for video games, photographic equipments, books, newspapers, stationary goods and footwear[3]. However, online retailing or internet retailing of Australia had reached a relatively steady rate. In the year of 2016, it had been found that the online retailing has outperformed store-based retailing is Australia. Due to the increase importance of retail presence across different channels had influenced Australian retailers like Woolsworth and Wesfarmers to increase investment on multichannel retailing[4]. They started to focus on online business presence. They started to use social media like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for promotion and advertisements. It had been analyzed that the trend of consumer demand of Australian retail market favored the convenience offered by online retailing. Aggressive expansion of Aldi indicates the continuous growth of this industry[5]. Wesfarmers is considered as the largest retailer in Australian in the year of 2016. The company is presently leading across different categories of retailing.   The value growth of the company Wesfarmers is highly driven by the strong performance is categories like office supply stores, home and garden, mass merchandisers and forecourt retailers.   The company is ranked as number one organization in terms of value share in the year of 2016[6]. It had been analyzed that retailing industry in Australia will increase at a value of CAGR of 3% over the next forecast period[7]. It will be largely driven by garden and home specialist retailers and online retailing. It is expected that these categories of retail industry will show strong growth due to growing demand for new houses and due to faster adoption of new technologies and online services.   There were two major factors that have affected the Australian retail market the most. They are such as Government policies and the subdued lending environment. The election of new coalition Australian government in 2013 had come up with two major factors[8]. The government has announced the withdrawal of government subsidies for many retail organizations. For this reason, various local retail groceries have closed their operation in Australia. The government has renewed the focus on the reduction of federal debt reduction to handle the national deficit leading to the viewpoint of tax increment and deep cuts to family benefits. In addition, banking sector has also become the subject of capital adequacy reforms designed to protect the retail industry. It would help to secure the retail industry from unexpected fluctuations and promote stability to this industry.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In term of future, it had been analyzed that, Omni channel retailing is going to be more relevant now than ever. In order to improve sales performance in future, retail companies have to combine brick and mortar operation with digital strategies. Rise of Smartphone adoption will increase online retail selling. In future online marketing will become the most important promotion and advertising strategy. There are various in-store technology can be used as effective marketing tool to increase sales performance. They are such as digital signage, interactive screens, self serve kiosks and online product directories. Presently it has been found that 49% of the Australian customers would like purchase products with the help of apps than a browser.   For this reason, retail companies such as Woolsworth and Wesfarmers have started to incorporate mobile apps in their Omni-channel marketing strategy. The Australian grocery retail had experienced a positive growth in the year of 2016. This high rate of growth in this sector can be explained by the success of discounters within the country. However, the growth of this industry is restricted by price discounting and intense amount of competition. These factors have hindered the growth rate of the grocery retailer s during the year. Rapid technology advancements provide retail companies the opportunities to engage consumer in-store. It has been found that perception of many marketers in the retail market is that the lending practices have also become constrained. It had also affected the commercial growth and customer credit. H 0 : Global retail business is changing due to market competition H 1 : Global retail business is not changing due to market competition Supermarkets and grocery retail industry is competitive not only in Australia but also in other parts of the world. The level of competitiveness is due to the change in consumer trends of the shopping their necessary goods from the market as well as changing sentiments. The change in the consumer sentiments has also changed the trading pattern of the supermarket retail industry all over the world[9]. Global supermarket retail industry has showed the growth of many popular supermarkets such as Tesco, Walmart, Aldi, Woolworths, Metcash, etc. It is seen that the supermarket retailers of Australia are adapting the trends of the demands of the customers that are responsible for the increase of footprints in the retail stores. They are facing the competition to meet the higher expectation of the customers in terms of convenience, freshness of the foods, transparency, standard of foods and other products served by it[10]. The trends that the retail supermarkets across the world are adopting are categorized into groups such as authentication of the fresh foods, convergence concepts that are convenience driven, impact of the changing regulations, creating opportunities to the workforce and consolidation of the operational movements. Companies are going to focus on the product differentiation focusing on the niche segment of customers. The addition of the online retailing and click and col lect options are more competitive than the traditional supermarket stores of different parts of the world[11]. On the other hand, it can be said that the supermarkets in many parts of the world are facing issues in maintaining the workforce i.e. skilled technical workforce. The companies are facing different issues in terms of maintaining the workforce in terms of technical problems. The technical experts and skilled expertise are hard to find in many countries of the world. However, it is the responsibility of the retailers to take of their employees in terms of employee engagement and their satisfaction. The supermarkets are facing problems in order to maintain an adjustment of the operations to the different associates who are associated with managing an array of tasks[12]. Research has portrayed the fact that the need of technology is of first priority. In terms of facility management systems, the global retailers are utilizing different types of human centred design that are considered as enhancing connectivity and monitoring the capabilities that improves user interface, intuitive opera tion and usability. The changing regulations of the countries are factors that are responsible for creating any effect on the trading patterns of the different supermarket retailers across the world. The two regulations that are important in creating a significant change of the business patterns of the supermarket retailers are refrigerant regulation and Food Safety Modernization Act. It can be said that the refrigerant regulation changes focuses on the issues of energy efficiency and the refrigerants. This implication will help the retailers while adopting refrigerators that are manufactured by using latest technologies[13]. The FSMA regulation is responsible for reduction of food waste by the companies. The individual retailers and the grocers are responsible for maintaining the freshness level â€Å"farm to table†. The companies are focusing on increasing the footprints in order to boost their never ending strategy in the expansion plans. In terms of focusing on the trollies of the consumers, it is seen that the global supermarkets are focused in providing benefits to the shoppers in order to improve their shopping experience. Hence, the hypothesis of the topic can be said that the global supermarkets are constantly trying to follow the recent and future trends in order to attract more customers that results to increase in the sales. It can be concluded that the global supermarket retail chains across the world are competitive in nature while developing their research and development department in order to imply the product differentiation by adopting different types of pricing strategies to attract the customers of the specific target market.   It is seen that the top retail companies are competing with each other not only in terms of price but also in terms of attracting more customers. . It can be said that the food retail industry across the world are simultaneously differentiating and consolidating. It is known by conducting research to the market regarding the integrity and safety of the foods they maintain in order to satisfy the consumers of the countries. H 0 : Global market strategies depend on the changing perspectives of consumers H 1 : Global market strategies does not depend on the changing perspectives of consumers Demands of the consumers are important aspect in the perspective of developing strategies of the global supermarket retail chains. Preferences of the consumers are the main criteria that businesses of every sector follow while standing apart in the competitive market in terms of different business operations such as revenue, customers, product expansion, market expansion, etc. The section will focus on the effect of changing patterns of the consumer demands in the perspective of shopping attributes and perception of choosing things especially food and other grocery items. There are also some problems that are faced by the global supermarket chains along with the supermarkets of Australia. Food and retail transition among the supermarket retail are caused due to the change in the consumer’s choice especially in terms of food items. The British people are known for consuming more calories when compared with other people of the different countries of the world. The transitional middle-income group is known for more consumption of processed foods that have very high in energy and salt content. These foods are known as problem foods because these foods are responsible of creating risks of different types of diabetes and cardio-vascular diseases. Research has been done not only to the supermarkets across different parts of the world but also to the consumers who are considered as the shoppers. It can be said that more than 85% of the respondents are preferring supermarkets for buying their essential things[14]. Among them, almost half of the consumers are regularly visiting the supermarkets and the convenience stores. They are focused in buying foods those are health y and does not contain more fat. The consumers purchase fresh bakeries, vegetables and different organic foods more than processed meats, soft drinks, fast foods, deep fried foods, instant foods, etc.) Apart from that, the supermarkets focus on the service quality, customer loyalty, and customer satisfaction and the self-checkout service for increasing the customer loyalty and the increase of the sales. The technological advancements of the supermarkets are responsible for increase of the sales of their products as well as setting various programs for the development of customer loyalty programs. Apart from that, self-service checkouts must be improved so that the customers are not facing any rush while shopping in the supermarkets. Tesco has improved their clubcards and other applications that help them in shopping at Tesco very easily[15]. Customized offers and discounts are set by the company to engage the shoppers to shop at Tesco. Aldi, Tesco, develops mobile applications so that customers can choose their products easily and can avail many benefits. New product development especially in terms of foods is the reason of changing patterns of the customers towards consumption of foods. The concept of e-retailing is also on demand that is responsible for attracting most of the youngsters. The youngsters are usually tech savvy and are focused to the latest trends of fashion on different items. Hence, the retailers are developing products according to the latest trends by keeping the price margin quite affordable. However, it can be said that different retailers across the world are focusing on global supply chain for seeking the benefits of lower cost in terms of agri-food supply chains[16]. The supermarket retail chains of United States of America are focusing on the just in time so that they can distribute the products to the customers in a proper time[17]. It can be concluded that American retailers such as Walmart, British retailer Tesco and German retailer Aldi are known for implementation of technologies by conducting a proper research on the customers of their areas of operations. The methods and the discounts are different from one country to another country. The food retailers are considered to as more focus to the demands and preferences of the customers. New food products along with customer service techniques are developed as per the choices and shopping patterns of the customers of their target markets. It can be said that supermarkets from all parts of the world are strongly agree about the fact of following the changing shopping patterns of the consumers of their target market in order to sustain in the target market. H 0 : The Supermarket giants rule the global retail industry H 1 : The Supermarket giants does not rule the global retail industry The big multinational supermarket retail giants rule global food and grocery markets. However, the importance of the independence groceries or the local retailers is considered as an important contributor of the economy of different countries. It can be said that the local grocers have a particular market share in many parts of the countries. The section will describe about the facts about the local grocery retailers of the world[18]. Local retailers in many undeveloped and developing countries are still preferred by huge customers in the rural areas. There is a sentiment that works behind the preference of choosing local groceries over big supermarkets. However, there are many advantages while shopping from a supermarket when compared to local grocery retailers, but the trust factor is more in the local shops than the big supermarkets. Apart from that, rural people rely on trust factor than other factors of price and availability of the goods. In the rural areas of different countries these things happen. On the contrary, the residents dwelling in the urban areas are focused to shop from the supermarket retail shops as they are price sensitive and the availability of the products are huge compared to the local retail shops[19]. There are many schemes and offers that the customers can avail while shopping from retail stores of Walmart, Tesco, Metcash, Coles, etc. There is a fact of going digital that is an area of top priority. It is seen that the supermarkets are going online in order to engage customers in the 24*7 shopping. They also provide extra discounts and offers in order to attract customer base. The huge varieties of products except groceries are a reason of threat for the local retailers. The different ranges of food products along with other daily requirement essential products are huge in number in terms of the quantity. Apart from that, the quality of the products in supermarkets is also high from that of the local retailers. It is the reason of the preference of the urban customers while shopping at the supermarkets[20]. To compete with the competitors, local retailers of many developed and developing countries like Germany, France, Malaysia, China, Japan, India, etc. are developing their operations in their target market. The target market of the local retailers is relatively very small compared to the big multinational retail stores. The strategies include lower price of the products. The most important is the use of the concept of convenience stores. The convenient stores are present in many local areas where consumers usually seek. Apart from the groceries items, the local grocery retailers are now storing different essential products that are required in the daily life of the consumers[21]. Research has showed that huge customer’s base is shifted towards the convenient store format of the local retailers. The element of trust factor is enhanced by the owner of the shops in order to convince them to buy goods from their shops. Technologies are also used by them in the operations of distribution maintain stocks in the stores, inventory level maintenance, etc. while maintaining the stock of the shop up to date. In conclusion, it can be mentioned that retail industry of Australia is increasing rapidly. However, the increment rate had been decreased compare to 2015. This is due to the reason that customers remain cautious about their spending during the whole year due to low level of income growth. People are becoming more inclined towards high quality products. Online retailing has become more important compare store retailing. Customers have become more concern about hygienic products. Omni channel marketing has become important part of marketing technique used in retail market. Companies like Coles, Woolworths and Wesfarmers have incorporated this strategy to enhance their business performance. 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Green Economy for XYZ Ltd or the XXX Sector Essay

Green Economy for XYZ Ltd or the XXX Sector - Essay Example Some of these includes lack of adequate skills to operate new technology and also finances to implement the policy. The paper analyzes the solutions to these barriers and takes an insight on the effect it will have to the business and world at large. One of the major breakthroughs of the initiative will be making the world a better place to reside in as fuels are cited as major contributors of world pollution. Introduction In the current days, there has been an increased change in the environmental conditions. This has resulted to global warming which is a condition that has earned global concern all over the world. Global warming has mainly been associated by increased release of carbon dioxide and other gases in the environment. The highest contributor of the gas release is the petroleum and its products. This has called for an urgent review on the alternative methods that can be used to get alternative sources of energy to supplement the use of petroleum. Non-governmental organiza tion has started campaigns to sensitize people on dangers that the world faces in case it does not change to other renewable sources of energy such as sun, wind, water and geothermal energies. ... In the current days the world has experienced increased release of green gas in the atmosphere which has had an effect on the world overall temperatures. One of the most affected areas is the arctic regions where increase in the temperature levels is changing the ecosystem of the areas through melting of the ice. This has caused distress to animals living in these areas and even some of them succumbing to the temperature changes. Also, the overall world temperatures levels have increased. This has led to increased desertification in various parts of the world. The sea levels have also changed. The sea levels have gone up leading to changes in aqua-system. The move by businesses to use environmental friendly measures would prevent these conditions from aggravating further (Bleischwitz & Hennicke) Green energy is cost savings. In the current days the petroleum prices have seen an increased trend in prices which is bringing a difference in the cost of production. As a result the prices of the commodities have increased tremendously. This has had an impact on the total revenues of the commodity as the consumers’ consumption has changed leading to lowering the revenues of the company. Environmental friendly energy sources are less costly e.g. solar energy and wind energy as they are offered free by nature. This gives an opportunity to business to operate at a lower cost and make profits. Mainly the petroleum industry is controlled by cartels whose main aim is to make profits (HPS, 2009). This has made some of them to take advantage of the growing demand of the commodity. Although for the business to harness the energy it requires capital to install the materials

Interaction Design Coursework on a Check it Out system Essay

Interaction Design Coursework on a Check it Out system - Essay Example Participant observation is an ethnographic method which consists of observing user environment from the user perspective. It’s a natural starting point for a user-centred design process. Initial observation of a Home Hardware superstore indicated that the advantage of the superstores is also its weakness; the size of the store make product location difficult and physically demanding exercise especially for those customers with trolleys laden with others products. Product use or compatibility is not easy to understand for the inexperienced DIY customer, uninitiated in the jargon on the product packages. More shop floor staff would easily remedy the situation but they are few and far between and overworked. The check-out lines are and time consuming either because they are long or some customers buy products in bulk that require measuring different lengths, sizes and weights. After observations, the researcher decided to conduct an ethnographic study of stratified but randomly selected customers of the Home Hardware superstore. The research instrument selected was the questionnaire which combined quantitative and qualitative methods of research i.e. closed ended and open- ended questions. The two methods complement each other (Neuman, 1997), in that it improves the objectivity of the findings and improves the analysis. The initial participant observations established that they are three parameters necessary in designing user-centred solutions to the problems observed. There are three questionnaires each is divided into two parts; scaled closed-ended questions and opened-ended questions. The first questionnaire was to investigate the in-store experience of customers before and during check out. The objective was to elicit perceptions on how store size affects ease of navigation, speed of product location, and advisability of the product. Focus was on floor

Paul and homosexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Paul and homosexuality - Essay Example While Hays' approach is more direct under which he establishes whether or not the Bible is speaking against homosexual behavior in Romans I and its significance in the modern context, Martin is more concerned with the question of whether the scholars dealing with this particular aspect are as objective as they claim, or are in fact looking at it from a firmly heterosexist perspective. In order to fulfill his object, Martin has chosen to analyze the above-mentioned article by Hays. For the purposes of our comparison between the articles therefore, we would note the stated issues that Martin finds with Hays' article. We would then scrutinize how effectively Martin is able to present his counter-arguments to determine whether he has the more convincing interpretation of Romans, or whether Hays' interpretation is better argued and supported by evidence. The issues which Martin lays out against Hays' article are : â€Å"1) the claim that the etiology of homosexuality, according to Paul, lies in the corruption of universal human nature that occurred in the fall; 2) the assumption that Paul is differentiating homosexual desire from heterosexual desire in Romans I ascribing the former to the fall and the latter to pristine creation; and 3) the importation of a modern concept of acts â€Å"contrary to nature† when explaining Paul's term para physin†. Dealing with the first point of the etiology of homosexuality, we scrutinize the argument presented by each scholar. Hays asserts that â€Å"depravities follow from the radical rebellion of the creature against the creator†, that is, all of humankind has fallen in God's eyes by refusing to recognize Him as the Creator and thus arousing His wrath. Hays also contends that God's wrath "takes the ironic form of allowing them the freedom to have their own way", and that "idolatry debases both the worshiper and the idol". Thus, Hays says that homosexuality is the symptom of mankind's fall, their refusal to accept God as their true creator and that " Paul's choice of homosexuality as an illustration of human depravity is not merely random: it serves his rhetorical purposes by providing a vivid image of humanity's primal rejection of the sovereignty of God the creator". To support his claim, Hays brings in the references of Genesis, where "the complementarity of male and female is given theological grounding in God's creative activity". The Gen 2:18-24 is quoted, where man and woman are intended to "become one flesh". 1)b. Etiology of Homosexuality: Martin Martin interprets the origins of homosexuality in much more specific terms, and takes the references of homosexuality in the Jewish tradition of Paul's time, and relates homosexuality to the origin of idolatry and polytheism "at some point after the time of Adam: rabbinic sources variously ascribe the invention of idolatry to Kenan, Enosh(son of Seth) or the people of Enosh's generation", especially amongst the Gentiles and he supports his interpretation by using the example of the book of Jubilees. He contends that : "the scenario Paul sketches in Romans I has to do with the invention of idolatry and its consequences, and not with the fall of Adam. In Romans I, Paul refers not to Adam or "he", a single person, but to "they"." Both scholars recognize that Paul has, through the clever use of rhetoric in 2:1, chastised both the Jews and the Gentiles where they are "equally condemned under the judgment of a righteous God"(Hays). In the same spirit, Martin says, "He condemns first the Gentiles, and then turns his attention to Jews". But Martin and Hays use this argument to

Appeal letter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Appeal letter - Essay Example My GPA stands at 2.05 and 3 failures on my transcript. I have made plans to retake failed classes where I already took Math 234 in the Spring 2012 quarter, and the other two classes after Fall 2012. I also went to my professors’ offices as well as relying on Dr. Sylvester advice on how to retake the failed classes. Additionally, I plan to take one less class than normal to enhance my focus on the classes at hand. These efforts seek to help me and boost my GPA. As such, having identified my problems and subsequently establishing measures to resolve them and improve my GPA, I feel that a suspension is counter-productive to my quest for education. Indeed, am already registered for Fall 2012 and am ready to do better. Hence, I request the University’s reversal of my dismissal letter. I will gladly appreciate another opportunity to keep studying in Seattle University with a promise to work hard and improve my

Scale and Geologic Time Lab Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Scale and Geologic Time Lab - Assignment Example This time to count to one hundred is your human timescale. The time elapsed while you counted to one hundred was probably somewhere between 30 and 60seconds. This is a timescale that you can relate to, especially considered you just experienced it! You are familiar with this amount of time and you are comfortable with discussing events (like counting) that can occur over a period of 30 to 60 seconds. Now you are going to start converting the human scale to the geologic scale. For the purposes of this exercise, you are going to consider each 100 years along the timeline provided above as equivalent to the time it takes you to count to 100. So, counting to 100 equals the passage of 100 years. Lets convert our dates before present to counting times (fill in the blanks): This human scale is the amount of time you would have to count to reach the founding of the United States at your new scale. Now, perform these conversions for each of the other events on the timeline (fill in all the blanks): Remember, the human scale represents the number of seconds you would have to be counting to arrive at a given event. Most people consider the founding of the United States or the founding of Rome to have occurred a long time ago. How do these dates compare with the time between now and the first appearance of humans? Comparing these dates with the time when the first human occurred on the earth surface, there is a large difference since the first humans occurred approximately 100,000 years to present while United States and Rome were formed approximately 250 and 2750 years to present. The Cambrian explosion is estimated to have occurred approximately 540 million years to present while the earth is approximated to have been formed approximately 4,600,000,000 years to present. The difference in the length of time is quite large. Place humans within the perspective of Earths history? How does human history

Supply Chain Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Supply Chain Management - Research Paper Example Within this paper, we review the literature addressing planning amidst two or more underlying stages of the supply chain, placing specific prominence on models that would provide themselves to total supply chain mode. Introduction Supply Chain management is described as the underlying natural expansion of the prevailing economizing and re-engineering undertaken by organizations. Economizing and corresponding re-engineering changed the enterprises into incline and connote competitive units through cost reduction and procedure simplifications (Lamberti et al, pp36-42). These operations entailed the optimization that takes the form of the number of individuals involved, duration and intricacy of the work of the underlying business units. Business units are the main serviceable and managerial realms over which the administrations possess full control. Moreover, the strategies have resulted to escalation of productivity and profit to the organizations. Nevertheless, the benefits are level ed off due to the alteration of the organization approach. The alteration are by product of the closed system global picture of the business enterprise involved within the full chain, with the organizations trying to endure within the unfriendly environment, presumptuous that all the underlying members within the value chain were rivals with whom the prevailing organization ought to battle, though the functions undertaken by the different organizations might be auxiliary but not harmonizing. The comprehension that global picture is mainly executed to development of organizations thus prompting business enterprises to commence strategic associations with other prevailing organizations (Lamberti et al, pp36-42). Common basis of supply chain management undertaken by organizations mainly entail the demand-supply chain. Therefore, there is no competition amongst the suppliers, partakers within the chain, sub-contract merchants, in-house merchandise processes, transportation, circulation, warehouses and the final consumer since they undertake mutually exclusive tasks. The paper mainly explore the necessity for SCM , arrangement of the SCM models, Issues that pertains to designing SCM outline, quantitative approaches and SCM,Information technology in SCM enabler, strategy of a Multiple Criteria DSS for haulage and distribution and the significance of the SCM archetype to the management sector and corresponding open part enterprises. Matters in SCM A supply chain mainly entails activities, purposes and facilities used in the process of producing and distributing a product and service, from the underlying suppliers to the corresponding customers. Thus, supply chain management paradigm is mainly geared towards the process of optimization of every component Production and corresponding Operations management, which include manufacture, warehousing, record, shipping and supply and the underlying interconnection amidst these components synergistically. Numerous models that are employed in the production and functions control and administration in supply chain management include Just-In-Time, Vendor Managed Inventory model, Zero Inventory model, and Total Quality Management. The models mainly focus on diverse components that pertain to the supply chain and its entire optimization. Nevertheless, within an

College and School Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

College and School Life - Essay Example The massive workload, demanding schedule, and culture shock combine to make university life far more stressful than high school. High school homework would be a welcome vacation to the college student that is carrying a full credit load. The necessity of solving a complex problem and writing a research paper on the results can bring the new student to the brink of a nervous breakdown. The desire to do well on a mathematics test can result in beads of perspiration and sweaty palms that were never there in high school. The intensity never ends as the stress of the university's standards makes the student long for the ease of high school subjects. A major component of doing well in college is doing the work on time. In high school the schedule is made for the student and there is little left to chance. However, college life demands that the student confront the challenges of 18 hour workdays, early morning classes, and conflicting schedules. College social life can be fun, but the student will risk their mental health by squeezing in a party in an already cramped routine. The high school student may suffer from the boredom of nothing to do, but the university freshman suffers the stress of never having enough time to do it. Confronting a new situation can be as stressful as it is rewarding.

An Analysis of the opening sequences of Luhrmanns Essay Example for Free

An Analysis of the opening sequences of Luhrmanns Essay I think Luhrmann repeated the prologue three times to make people understand what was to come, because he did not add the last two lines which were In which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. In other words, meaning that if you have not understood this prologue they hoped their hard work helps you understand it.  The first time the prologue is shown is when the news reporter is on the news reading out the prologue. She has a modern American accent towards this but it seems as if Luhrmann has kept to the old Shakespearean language; also, there is the picture of a ring in the corner. The sequence starts of with interference and then it tunes in onto the news, then the news reporter starts reading out the prologue. To put it in media terms I would say the first few shots of the zoom in creating a lead up to the extreme close up of the news reporter. I would say then that a medium close up was used until the second time the prologue was shown. I think this interpretation of the prologue represents how important and how serious the conflict between the families is and shows the end of both lovers also showing the end of the feud. The second time the prologue is shown, it shows a serious of pictures of Verona Beach according to the lines of the prologue, which is now read by a man. Either, he wanted to make the prologue stronger by doing that or make a change to get it stuck in peoples head. There are loads of newspaper cuttings but one of the newspapers shows both the families, which ends up in flames. It also shows images of two skyscrapers one with Montague on top and the other with Capulet also God (Jesus) is standing in the middle showing, I think this shows that the feud might have gone to far and God has now stepped in to stop it. Also at the end of this both the families are shown with the other characters apart from Romeo and Juliet. In the Mise-en-scene of the completely said prologue, there were close-ups of the families, medium shots, long shots, birds eye view shots, etc. The third time the prologue is shown the writing comes up. In addition, there are a few scenes from the film later on, which gives us an insight of whats to come.  This start gives us quite a lot of insight to the film this gives us a head start to whats to come from the whole film. In this interpretation, I think there were only quick shots used to give an effect of how quick the story went.  I think the audience might get a different feeling from each time the prologue because it shows different types of ways to express the prologue it shows the end, beginning and middle. In Act 1, Scene 1 the two families boys have a comical fight at a petrol station but it shows the first actual conflict between the families. The Montague boys go down to petrol station and to represent them they have loud rap music in the background, whereas when the Capulet boys arrive they have spaghetti western music to represent them so the director might be trying to say that the Capulet boys are more old fashioned and that the Montague boys are more modern. Luhrmann creates an atmosphere of many things in this scene but the main three things are tension, fear and excitement. I first of all think Luhrmann created this by showing the anger between both families this both created tension and fear of one another, he done this by introducing the boys and slowly setting the scene up till both families started being rude to each other. Both families show this by Body Language and Face Expressions. I think the Montagues though felt more threatened by the Capulets because when the Capulets appeared they suddenly had a sense of fear in them, which created quite a bit of tension. The next thing was excitement this was that of the fight they were going to have and because of the tension Luhrmann had created he had to even it out by using humour, I think he done this by using the tension he had already created. When he had one of the Montague boys licking his nipples to scare the nuns and when he had one of the women in the car hitting him on the head with her handbag. I think he used a cowboy film clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½, to make the scene more interesting and to make the fight presentable he used hidden typical cowboy props such as the flipping sign and music. But by doing this he has really stereotyped the western cowboy material but I am not trying to say that he is not doing what any other modern director does because they all stereotype in their films one way or another. I feel the opening scenes to a film are most crucial and I found that the opening scenes to Romeo and Juliet were quite substantial, the scenes of the prologue were quite short but short of this fact, it was very informative. However, I think it was difficult for Luhrmann to create the rest of the movie after such a good start but I think he done this during Act 1, Scene 1 by showing just how terrible the feud was in this case I mean hurting people who are not even involved in the fight. I personally think that the targeted audience for this film is from people aged  15 -30 years old as some of the violence would be too much for little kids, to take in and mostly the language and sense of this story would confuse them whereas if you showed it to an older person over 30 they would probably be more interested in a calm love story with not so much violence.  In my opinion, the opening scenes to this film were portrayed as an insight to the rest of the film. I see the representation of the prologues as a beginning, middle and end, but as the first act and first scene come up, I feel as if the whole film has started again but from a different angle. I also think that Luhrmann took on a great task and that was to re- enact Shakespeares greatest love story and I also think he done that well.

Drama assignment Essay Example for Free

Drama assignment Essay Hale is one of the most important characters in The Crucible. All of the characters contribute to the problems in Salem to some extent. But Hale is the catalyst to the hysteria beginning and it is how is awareness of this increases through the play that causes the major changes we see in his character.  Hale himself, as we are told by miller, nearing forty, a tight skinned eager eyed intellectual. He feels great pride at being asked to come and identify the signs of witchcraft and sees it as a compliment to his experience in his chosen field. Unlike the other characters his experience gives him no reason to jump to the immediate conclusion of the involvement of the devil. Because of this he is perhaps the most common sense of the officials in Salem. Hales entrance in act 1 creates a big change in the direction of the scene, but it is important to remember he is unaware of this. How miller uses Hales entrances effectively is that he calms down the situation between Giles and Putnam when they cease their argument at his arrival but eventually he will excite the scene even more with his powerful redemption of Tituba and Abigail.  After his initial entrance in act 1 Hales attitude is reasonably light hearted as he greets the other characters, he refers to the devil in an of hand way as the old boy. Yet he still treats the situation in all seriousness as he listens to the Putnams talking about their daughters ailment, picking up clues from what people say. When Hale is investigating the supernatural, leafing through his books, asking questions and listening to the other characters etc, it should be shown that he does not treat this as a chore or just his job, but that he is genuinely interested and eager, his investigations are what drives him.  His attitudes to the other characters in the early part of act 1 are interest in meeting people he has heard of, and his respect for the more distinguished company. who are there. His use of the phrase shows a wish to make a good impression with those who are higher in the village, but his interest in meeting Rebecca Nurse and talking to Giles shows that he is in no way biased to position. As we enter the increasingly hysterical ending to this act, Hales role in causing this is obvious. His quickening questioning of her is perhaps caused by his anger at her apparent lack of concern for Bettys condition and her attempts to evade answering his questions. (grasping Abigail): abigail it may be your cousin is dying. Did you call the devil last night? you cannot evade me, Abigail.  Hale is excited at the end of act 1 because he believes he has got to the root of the problem when Tituba and Abigail redeem themselves and pass the blame to Good and Osburn. Because of this both hale and Parris see the problem as ending not beginning. Hale has obviously seen the situation last a lot longer than he expected when he enters in act 2. he is different now- drawn a little, and there is a quality of deference, even of guilt, about his manner now. This shows us the beginning of his realisation of the consequences of the accusations that he has caused to be made.  This is the second time Hales entrance changes the course of events in both this act and for the rest of the play without him knowing it, his entrance has stopped John Proctor from leaving just when he had built himself up to confront Abigail to stop the accusations, so he makes things worse again, but still unintentionally. His attitudes to the Proctors in this act are mixed. He sees them as good and honest people, but knows that there is evidence that would say otherwise even if none of its serious enough to entirely incriminate them. His nervousness is also caused by him being unsure how to tell them Elizabeth has been accused, without making it sound like he is accusing them himself.  We last see Hale in the final scene of Act Four we see the total change in his opinions to the authority of the court, the guilt of those charged and in his faith. His motivation is now to try and save proctor from his fate. He is confused and wrought because of how his faith has caused so many problems. To conclude, Hale changes most of all the characters, yet like the others he changes in that his main characteristics are strengthened. His honesty and sense of public duty are there throughout the play, how they change is to which end theyre directed. He is initially convinced of the presence and existence of witchcraft, and works vigorously to combat it in the only he knows how. Yet he is the only of the prosecutors who is convinced of the innocence of the accused, he still believes his first duty is the protection of others, but loses his principles to do so at the end. He is more open minded and humane than the others, but the message of the play tells us to reject the position to which he finally comes. He doesnt reject just the religious fanaticism of the times but rejects religion itself. His attempts to save John Proctor ultimately fail, because in turning his back on the church, he has turned his back on what Elizabeth believes is right, and so his argument is worthless to her.  Perhaps Millers idea in Hale is that where the simple farmer sees the mistake in preferring life over personal integrity the learned Hale does not.

The Work Of Stephen Sondheim Music Essay

The Work Of Stephen Sondheim Music Essay Born in New York in 1930, Stephen Sondheim is widely acknowledge as the most innovative and influential Broadway composer of the last fifty years. However, despite having some sixteen projects under his belt (not counting the numerous musical anthologies, revues or movie scores), Sondheims work still divides the critics; whilst some embrace his innovation, others lament over the loss of a more traditional form and lack of hummable melodies. Many seem to deem his work as clever and intelligent but missing the warmth that was generally considered the mark of a hit Broadway show. Yet despite not always meeting with landslide approval for his work, Sondheim has collected more than sixty individual or collaborative Tony Awards; most notably he has received the award for best Score/Music/Lyrics for Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Into The Woods and Passion, all of which won the New York Drama Circle Award for Outstanding/Best Musical as did Pacific Overtures and Sunday In The Park With George. Company Sondheims first collaboration with writer George Furth, marked his first major hit in 1970. Furth had come to Sondheim in early 1969 with a series of one-act plays he had written. Sondheim passed them on to now legendary producer Harold Prince who suggested the two should work together to transform the plays into a musical, promising to stage it once it was completed. The piece shook Broadway from the fantasy happy ending story it had come to expect and brought about a more provocative musical comedy. As Sondheim stated, Company does deal with upper middle-class people with upper middle-class problems. Broadway theatre has been for many years supported by these people. They really want to escape and were saying well bring it right back in their facesà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦what they come to a musical to avoid, they suddenly find facing them on stage. This hard-edged, unromantic depiction of romantic relationships was revolutionary for the Broadway stage and managed to both humour and challenge audiences with its unsettling view of relationships. Some found fault with what they saw as an anti-marriage show that didnt stand up against the classic Broadway themes, however, mostly the show met with the kinds of intelligent accolades reserved for something new and exciting. After its opening, observers noted that the shows protagonist, Robert, showed a similarity to Sondheim own character a middle-class, single, professional, living in New York, commenting on the life of the other young professional couples around him. Sondheim has always denied that any of his work is autobiographical, but his next collaboration with George Furth in 1981, once again seemed very familiar territory for both writer and composer. As far as the new era of Broadway composers goes, Jason Robert Brown has been hailed by some as The next Stephen Sondheim. Brown, also Jewish and born and raised in New York, began his career as an arranger, conductor and pianist. His first major production came in 1995 with Songs For A New World, an off-Broadway revue directed by Daisy Prince, daughter of Hal Prince who later hired Brown to write the songs for the musical Parade after Sondheim turned down the show. The musical tells the controversial true story of the trail and hanging of Leo Frank, who was wrongly accused of the rape and murder of a young factory girl in early 20th century Georgia. The show dealt with the anti-Semitic tensions in the southern states at the time and did not shy away from the conclusion that the likely killer was the African-American factory worker, Jim Conley. . Browns score is full of riches, mixing period American styles with strong melodies, intricate counterpoint, selective dissonances, and natural lyrics which give their characters true, expressive voices. Despite the cool reception of the show by the critics and the feeling that the show took too many liberties in the use of racial slurs, Browns score was highly praised and he later won the Tony award in 1999 for Best Original Musical Score. The attention received by Brown marked him out as the hottest up and coming talent. He returned to work with Daisy Prince on his next piece, The Last Five Years for which he wrote both the book and the score. Literature It is strange that despite the wealth of artistry and innovation which musical theatre has produced throughout the 20th century, it has never really being given its rightful place amongst academia, always being seen as a more low brow art form than that of serious plays or music. It seems that if the likes of Sondheim and Jason Robert Brown were to work in the medium of non-musical drama, or doubled in the field of serious musical composition like Gershwin or Bernstein, perhaps their work might be viewed in more of our universities. Why must important pieces of musical theatre be limited to the destiny of popular artists, however richly deserving of serious attention on its own merits? That is not to say that there has not been much analysis and writing on musical theatre or Sondheim in particular; Martin and Gottfried and Meryl Secrest both present biographies of Sondheims career, life and works in sharp detail providing an in depth look at past and present influences which have shaped his artistic development throughout the years. Sondheim On Music by Mark Eden Horowitz focuses on three main areas: Firstly his interviews with Sondheim, particularly focusing on five of his main works (Passion, Assassins, Into The Woods, Sweeney Todd and Pacific Overtures). The second part is entitled songs I wish Id written (at least in part) providing a look at some of Sondheims major influences from a list compiled for his 70th birthday celebrations at the Library of Congress. Part three supplies a list of all works, complete discography of all recordings to date and publishing information for all songs and scores up until the release of the book (2003). Joanne Gordons Art Isnt Easy The Theatre of Stephen Sondheim focuses on content and themes of Sondheims stage works, highlighting his innovative use of form and how he manages to weave the music and lyrics into the fabric of the entire piece. It is almost a guide to the appreciation of Sondheims scripts and music and would be especially useful for those staging any of Sondheims musicals and provides an excellent basis of primary research material. With little literary focus on Sondheims use of music, Stephen Banfield takes a different route, examining much of Sondheims output from a musicological perspective, undertaking practical and theoretical treatment of the music. Despite these and other writings in the last decade which are taking a more serious treatment of the works of musical theatre, there is still an elitist treatment against the reading of musical theatre within the academy. It seems to be stuck on the view that musicals remain largely unsophisticated and lacking in high serious. Unfortunately, there are times when this is true. Recently, Broadway and the West End seem to have been plagued by film adaptations, Disney rehashes and juke-box musicals which, whilst they may have been commercially successful, are tarring other more worthy writers and composers with the low-brow brush. A collection of critical essays edited and with a foreword supplied by Sandor Goodhart makes moves to further the writing and critical analysis of the works of Sondheim, again pushing for the academy to take a closer look into the world of intelligent musical theatre. Hopefully the moves towards a more intellectual appreciation of the work of Sondheim within academia will allow the same to later happen for the new class of musical theatre composers like Brown. Merrily We Roll Along Merrily We Roll Along was one of Sondheim and writer George Furths most famous flops, running for just 16 performances after it opened on Broadway in 1981. It was based on a 1930s play by George Kaufmann and Moss Hart, and follows a group of hopeful young college graduates, from 1957 to 1976. But there is a twist the plot is stage in reverse linear motion so the show begins in 1976 and gradually works backwards in time. So we watch everything knowing how it ended up, with friendships broken, idealism betrayed and marriages on the rocks. The score is full of what sound like traditional musical comedy songs hailing from 50s and 60s Broadway. While the score is very clearly Sondheim and the songs are not parodies, there does seem to be hints of several of his contemporaries; Berstein, Bacharach, Styne and Kander. It seems somewhat ironic that this traditional book-musical which contains some of Sondheims most accessible songs, has had such a troubled professional history. After the failure of the original production, Sondheim later made several major revisions for the revival of the show at the LaJolla Theatre in 1985. The reworking created a score Sondheim now calls, definitive. The show is centred on Franklin Shepard a rich, famous and influential songwriter and film producer. But how did he get to be where he is today? (Merrily We Roll Along) The years begin to roll back. First stop is Franks swanky Bel Air pad in 1976, after the premiere of his latest movie. Frank is throwing a party filled with his friends; the hangers-on, people who make things happen in show business and the movers and shapers are all there, and lavish praise on him (That Frank). At the party we also meet Franks old friend and theatre critic, Mary, who is now an alcoholic. She is sickened by the superficiality of the people Frank has chosen to associate with and by his abandonment of music the one thing he was truly good at for the world of commercial film producing. As she gets progressively more and more drunk, she begins to loudly insult everyone, and is ordered to leave. Their friendship is over. However, Frank is hurt by Marys drunken remarks because he knows they are true. He has concentrated so completely on being a success that everything he most valued at the beginning of his career has long been left behind. The evening ends traumatically with the break down of Franks unhappy marriage to his wife Gussie, a former leading actress in one of his early musicals, when she viciously attacks Meg, his mistress. The years roll back to 1973 (First Transition). Frank and his long-time lyricist collaborator and friend, Charley Kringas, are about to be interviewed in a New York TV studio. In the make-up room, Charley greets Mary (Old Friends), and tells her that Frank is now so busy making deals that he never has time to write shows with him like they had always hoped. Mary laments over their strained friendship and wishes that it could be Like It Was. On-air the TV interviewer accidentally informs Charley of Franks plans to once again put off their long awaited politically idealistic show for another project. A nervous Charley launches into a demented rampage on the way his composer has transformed himself into a corporation (Franklin Shepard Inc). As Charley swings ferociously between bitterness and self-contempt, Frank walks out. Their friendship is over. Its now 1968, and Charley and Frank are in Franks apartment on Central Park West (Second Transition). He and Charley are arguing over his decision to do a movie version of one of their shows, Musical Husbands. Frank wants to do it for the money, but Charley says that it will get in the way of writing the idealistic show theyve always wanted to create. Mary looks on, and when the argument starts getting out of control reminds them that they are all still old friends (Old Friends Part II). Broadway producer Joe Josephson and his wife Gussie arrive. She and Frank have been having a long-term affair. Joe has learnt to live with it, but Mary, hopelessly in love with Frank, finds it much harder to accept. When the others leave, Gussie startles Frank by announcing she intends to divorce Joe to be with Frank, leaving him to decide on what he wants (Growing Up). The years rewind to 1966 (Third Transition). Frank is being sued for divorce by Beth, and they wrangle over the custody of their young son in a courthouse in Lower Manhattan. Beth tells him that Not A Day Goes By when he isnt a part of her life, but she cant live with him knowing he is cheating on her with Gussie. The marriage is over. Mary and Charley and Franks other collegues rally around him telling him that the best thing to do is to move on and start again (Now You Know). Act II opens on the opening night of Frank and Charleys first Broadway show, Musical Husbands. Gussie stars in the show, and the act opens with Gussies performance of Franks and Charleys big hit song(Act Two Opening). Although not exactly the kind of show the duo had always planned, as the curtain comes down on the show, the audience applauds wildly. Broadways latest words-and-music team, Charley and Frank, have just found themselves a hit. (Its A Hit!) The years roll back further to 1962 (Fourth Transition) at a party in Gussie and Joes apartment. Gussie has thrown a soirà ©e so that Frank and Charley, who are going to write a musical for Joe to produce, can meet all the richest and most influential people in town describes as The Blob. We see early signs of Gussies romantic interest in Frank (Growing Up). Gussie invites the collaborators to perform their latest song, Good Thing Going. The guests love it. Gussie simply fawns over the number and implores them to do it again. Charley urges Frank not to. You want to know what true greatness is? Its knowing when to get off, Charley says. But Frank insists. They play the song again, but the guests quickly lose interest and resume their cocktail chatter over Franks reprise (The Blob Part II). Back to 1960, the dawn of a new decade with new hopes (Fifth Transition). Charley, Frank and Beth are young and on the outset of their careers, playing Frank and Charleys music at a small nightclub in Greenwich Village. Trying to appear bright and sophisticated, they perform a cheeky number celebrating the accession of Americas new First Family (Bobby And Jackie And Jack). Joe is in the tiny audience and hes quite impressed, as is his wife Gussie. Afterwards, Frank explains that hes marrying Beth and pledges that a day doesnt go by when shes not a part of his life (Not A Day Goes By Part II). At an adjoining table, Mary echoes the sentiment; its how shell always feel about Frank. Its 1959 (Sixth Transition) and the young Frank, Charley and Mary are busy in New York, establishing their careers (Opening Doors). The boys audition for Joe, but he wants more hummable tunes. So they decide to do their own show and end up hiring Beth as a singer. The years finally take us back to October, 1957 (Seventh Transition). Its 5:30am, and Frank, Charley and Mary are on the roof of an old apartment house waiting for the first-ever earth-orbiting satellite. Suddenly, Sputnik is there in the sky, and for the three young friends, anything is possible (Our Time). The Last Five Years Jason Robert Browns one act musical The Last Five Years premiered in Chicago and was later produced off-Broadway in 2002. The story explores the five year relationship of Jamie Wellerstein and Cathy Hyatt. Like Merrily it also makes use of reverse-linear motion, but just for one character; so Jamies story moves chronologically through their relationship, but we begin at the end of Cathys story moving chronologically backwards. Their relationship begins in their early twenties; Jamie is an up and coming novelist, Jewish and intense. Cathy is a struggling actress, catholic and insecure. Browns score is diverse and he is not afraid of writing catchy melodies with much of the material being pop-driven and wedded to intelligent lyrics that explain who these characters are. The show was met with high acclaim, with critics praising the Browns genuine, smart, humorous and moving writing . The show begins with Cathy alone in her apartment as her marriage to Jamie has ended, and he has just moved out (Still Hurting). When the song finishes, Jamie appears. It is five years earlier and he is on their first date. We learn that Jamie is Jewish and Cathy is not. Despite this, Jamie is completely smitten with his Shiska Goddess The scene then switches to Cathy sitting on a pier in Ohio with Jamie, who has come to visit her for her birthday while she does summer stock theatre (See Im Smiling). It is clear that she is not happy about spending her time away from Jamie and is enthusiastic about fixing their marriage. She becomes very angry when Jamie announces that he has to return to New York. They argue, and Cathy claims that he spends all of his time thinking only of himself, singing you and you and nothing but you. During interludes in the music, Jamie, several years earlier, talks to a literary agent about the book he has just written. His future looks promising. The play moves away from their argument, and Jamie tells a friend that he is moving in with Cathy. Everything seems to be going right for him; his book is being published and the Atlantic monthly is printing the first chapter. Even though his work and his relationship with Cathy seem to have taken on lives of their own, hes too happy to get worried (Moving Too Fast). Cathy, meanwhile, is making a call to her agent. Though we only hear her side of the conversation, it is obvious that she is struggling with her career. Cathy sits at Jamies book signing party. She sings about her life with him, asserting that even though he often obsesses over his writing and ignores her, she is terribly in love with him (A Part of That). Cathy confesses that she does not act independently anymore, but instead follows in his footsteps. Jamie celebrates his first Christmas with Cathy. He tells her a fable (which he has written, new and unpublished) about an old tailor named Schmuel whose encounter with a magical clock gives him infinite time to realize the dress of his dreams. Jamie reveals the parallel between Schmuel and Cathy: she needs to take the time to unlock her dreams. He presents Cathy with her Christmas present: a watch (The Schmuel Song). Cathy sits in Ohio and writes a letter to Jamie. They have just been married and she is missing him dreadfully. She describes to Jamie her quirky life in Ohio among her eccentric cast members (A Summer in Ohio). Jamie is sitting with Cathy in a boat on the lake in Central Park. He proposes. Cathy enters and Jamie presents her with the engagement ring and, for the first and only time in the musical, their stories meet and they sing together (The Next Ten Minutes). They exchange vows and rings, promising to stay together for the next ten lifetimes. They kiss before Jamie escorts Cathy to the rowboat, where she has the other side of the conversation that Jamie had before her arrival. Jamie watches her go. The newly-wed Jamie is facing some temptation issues. He feels like he is constantly bombarded by attractive women, especially since his writing career has taken off (A Miracle Would Happen). Cathy, meanwhile, embarks on a series of audition for the job in Ohio (When You Come Home to Me). She is frustrated with the audition process and discusses her sense of inadequacy with her father (Climbing Uphill). Jamie, on the phone with Cathy, does his best to convince his wife that his relationship with his editor, Elise, is purely platonic. Cathy doesnt believe him. Jamie wants to celebrate a book review in The New Yorker, but Cathy isnt in the mood to go out. She sings passionately about her desire to be independent, refusing to trot along at the geniuss heels. Jamie is reading an excerpt of his book. It is obviously about his relationship with Cathy. In the next scene, Jamie is fighting passionately with Cathy. It is toward the end of their relationship and he is trying desperately to just get her to listen to him. He wonders aloud if they will ever get to the point where things are easy, where there arent so many obstacles facing their marriage. He accuses her of being unsupportive of his career just because hers is failing. Though his words are harsh, he promises her that he believes in her unconditionally, and that if he didnt he wouldnt love her (If I Didnt Believe in You). Some time into the relationship, Cathy drives Jamie to her parents house in the suburbs. As she drives, she babbles happily about her past relationships and her desire not to end up in the same small town life as her best friend from high school: married with children and living in a little cute house on a little cute street with a crucifix on the door (I Can Do Better Than That). At the climax of the song, she asks Jamie to move in with her. Towards the end of the marriage, Jamie wakes up in the apartment beside a woman who may or may not be his editor, Elise (Nobody Needs to Know). He tries to defend his actions and blames Cathy (who is away in Ohio) for destroying his privacy and their perfectly balanced relationship. Jamie promises not to lie to this woman and tells her, just as he told Cathy in Shiksa Goddess, that I could be in love with someone like you. Cathy is at the end of her first date with Jamie. She sings goodbye to him (Goodbye Until Tomorrow). She proclaims that she has been waiting for Jamie her whole life and is ready for this romance. Simultaneously but five years forward, Jamie sits in their shared apartment writing a farewell note (I Could Never Rescue You). As Cathy waves Jamie goodbye until tomorrow, Jamie wishes Cathy simply goodbye. So what do these two musicals have in common apart from the obvious manipulation of time used in each story? Well it becomes apparently clear on examination of both the shows and their creators that these stories are more than just something to be told, but in fact stay perilously close to home and stem from a more personal elements of the world of both Sondheim/Furth and Jason Robert Brown. In Merrily the character, composer Frank Shepherd, advises an aspiring writer Dont just write what you know Frank says as he points to his head. Instead, he encourages to write what you know, pointing to his heart. Despite Sondheim always being very avid that he never writes himself into any characters, there was a clear choice made to change the original Kaufman and Hart play from playwright and painter to composer and librettist who write musical comedies together. There are further similarities established by making the librettist a native of Chicago and graduate of Columbia University. Also we note that the theatre in which Frank and Charleys hit show is produced is The Alvin, which was home to Sondheim and Furths first great hit Company in 1970 and later Merrily itself in 1981. Where the characters and contemporary settings in Company were directly forcing the audiences to acknowledge and confront the themes presented, Merrily also challenges Sondheim and Furth themselves to acknowledge their own world, their own relationships and the industry they find themselves in. Putting the characters in the familar surroundings of Broadway productions allows Sondheim and Furth to make a real statement about the industry; What kind of people fill this world? What kind of pressures do writers and composers face throughout their careers? What do producers want? Can one walk the fine line between commercial success and artistic integrity? Perhaps it is this demystifying of the Broadway illusion was what led to the original production of Merrilys early closure? Jason Robert Brown is more open about his obvious personal link to the character of Jamie and the similarities of the Jamie/Cathy relationship to that of Brown and his failed marriage to actress Theresa ONeill. We see how the rise of Jamies career as a writer mirrors that of Brown as a composer and the troubles it gave in marriage. Indeed, ONeill even threatened legal action before the opening of the off-Broadway production, claiming the piece came too close to real life. Brown made some changes, disclosing them, he states, would violate the settlement but we know that one of the major changes was the inclusion of the Shiska Goddess instead of I Could Be In Love With Someone Like You. The fact that both shows deal with a certain type of person an artist, a creator, trying to make a professional career in New York dictates the musical and lyrical style of the show; In Merrily the fact that the show deals with two friends who write Broadway musicals leads to a traditional book musical with a score widely considered to be one of Sondheims most accessible scores with many ironically hummable melodies. With the characters of Frank and Mary, Sondheim and Furth have the chance to have some verbal fun as they enforce their characters abilities as writers. We see with that Mary has a habit of taking other peoples clichà ©d conversation and turning it into unexpected meanings, for example in the opening party seen: Ru: So what do you do? Mary: I drink. Ru: No, what do you really do? Mary: I really drink. Also, when Frank tells everyone that he and Mary go way back, she continues, but seldom forward, not only a comment on their stalling friendship but also a clever inside joke on the narrative structure of the piece. Verbally, Mary keeps taking people places they dont expect to go. Sondheims lyrics in That Frank show this ability to take the listener down one road and then take an unexpected turn in another direction. Singing about Franks guest she says: These are the movers, these are the shapers These are the people who give you vapors And in Now You Know she makes the surprising point that you should burn your bridges every now and then, turning around the conventional idea that burning bridges is a negative thing. Similarly there is some further beautiful wordplay highlighting her knack with words as she advises Frank that bricks can tumble from clear blue skies, and that people love you and tell you lies Charley sometimes plays a similar verbal trick. Whilst being interviewed on TV he is asked, What comes first, the words or the music? he replies, Generally the contract. Infact, the song Franklin Shepherd Inc is a complete show piece for Charley, highlighting both his talents with words and having only been introduced to the character, the audience are made aware of the dynamics of his character who seeks purity of purpose, dedication and the rewards of keeping it simple. On the other hand, composer Frank is inarticulate in comparison. We find that when he opens his mouth he tends to create some clichà © like the worst vice is advice or she is the raft that keeps me from drowning. Also, we note that he only sings one solo number in the show Growing Up, where we become aware of the characters ability to think he is rationalising his hopes and beliefs when he really means compromising. Both shows seem to have a sense of honesty with the creation of real, multi-layered storyline and flawed characters. Maybe it is the close relationship of creator(s) and story that manages to generate scenes and songs which capture a moment in time or an emotional snapshot which sets these shows apart. Furthermore, both shows also centre on the fragility of relationships, with the manipulation of time constantly conditioning and changing the audiences view of the relationships and where their sympathies lie. **

If These Walls Could Talk: The Evolution of Abortion Essay -- Abortion

If These Walls Could Talk: The Evolution of Abortion In the year 2001, women can receive legal abortions. That was not the case just a small time ago. Imagine candle light vigils, signs that state â€Å"PRO LIFE IS A WAR TO THE END† and religious fanatics preaching the words â€Å"You Must Repent†. These are the things women must endure to this day just to enter the doors of a women’s clinic. Regardless of a routine Pap smear or a termination the lingering words of a protestor can be heard just to enter a clinic. The movie â€Å"If These Walls Could Talk† takes you through three different time periods, the 50’s, 70’s and the 90’s, and each time period deals with a story of a woman and her dilemma in dealing with abortion. Whether it is legal or not in that time, one idea stays the same. Equality Now, it is our choice as women. The time is 1952; Clare Donnelly (played by Demi Moore) is a widow who is dealing with a pregnancy. The problem that exists is that the father of her child is her deceased husband’s brother. Six months after his death a one-night occurrence happened between them. She was intoxicated, lonely, and severely depressed. They never again spoke of it after that one time. When she comes home from work she shuts all the drapes and sits in the dark drinking. She wants badly to terminate the pregnancy. At work she inquires with a doctor about receiving an abortion. His direct response is of shame. He resents her for even asking him. She is desperate and pleas for his help. His response is, â€Å"you put yourself in this situation†. In extreme desperation she returns home that night and takes an abundance of migraine pills. It only results were vomiting. Her second attempt was approaching a co-worker. Th... ... very controversial topic out into view. Viewers can see just how abortion has evolved through the decades and may change many people’s minds about how they think of abortion. Seeing the desperation on the faces of the women in the three different years never changes. All three are left with only a few choices that they must make on their own, where none of the choices are very appealing, and decide on something that they will have to live with for the rest of their lives. No matter what year it is though, each woman has been left to deal with being pregnant and what to do about it on her own. That is something to think about. This movie achieves a good rating, and is recommended for people who want to see what abortion is about from the view of a victim, someone left to deal with it on her own and make a decision that will follow her for the rest of her life.