Digby Annual Report

[pic] C55847 – Digby Annual Report By Yan Lang, Ching-Hsiang Lin, Shu Ou-Yang, Nuo Xu Shareholder Letter To Our Shareholder, Customers, and Employees: The past eight years have marked an extraordinary level of progress for Digby Electric Sensors and its shareholders. In the past eight years, the company was able to turn its stocks from $34. 25 per share into $45. 77, plus issuing a total of $10 dividends per share along the way. While this level of performance is very rarely rivaled by any type of investment, our company is most proud of the sustainable within the environment and continues growth rate in the electric sensor industry.Eight years ago, our management team touted the importance of the following four guiding principles that helped to make Digby’s success today: 1. Cost leadership: By bringing labor and raw material costs down years ahead of the competition, our company has able to enjoy the prevailing market price and generating excess profits. 2. Low price products: By taking aggressive actions early to bring down the costs of production, our company has been able to output the highest quality line of electric sensors and offer low selling price in the industry. 3.Aggressive marketing: Aggressive spending in marketing every year has helped the company to gain customer awareness in preparation for eventual lower per unit production costs. This immediately helped Digby to sales in high volumes. 4. Board diversified products: In each segment, our company keeps trying to become the product leader. We spent heavily in TQM in order to reduce R&D cycle also increase market demand. The level of return on investments our company has been able to deliver by following the four listed principles is not only a tribute to our past success, but also serves as a source of optimism for Digby’s future.In the following pages you will find more detailed information on the dominate positioning our company holds in the industry as well as adjustment s to be made to further increase shareholder value. Best Regards, Digby Corp. Corporation Profile: Overall about the company Lang, Yan- Chief Executive Office and Chief Operations Officer established Digby, Inc. on January 22nd, 2013. The company’s headquarters are located in center Arlington, TX. Digby, Corp. is currently one of the leading manufacturers of high quality sensor chips in the United States.Yan founded the company on the premise that it would successfully produce and sell sensors of highest quality and reliability to various segments of consumers with all type of needs, such as those for newness and affordability, and would continue to place a strong focus on research and innovation to persistently cater to these changing needs and maintain a substantial amount of market share in the growing market. Digby’s product line includes Daze, Dell, Dixie, Dot and Dune, which are sold online, as well as through local technology retailers nationwide.Digby has provi ded quality products for many successful applications and has helped many companies achieve their project objectives with the highest standards of quality and reliability. Our Mission & Vision â€Å"At Digby, Corp. , we are dedicated to providing optimal sensors for our customer’s needs and wants. Our guiding objectives are customer satisfaction and continuous improvement. Our overall goal is to consistently strive to deliver the highest quality products and technology and offer competitive pricing in each and every target segment of users. Culture â€Å"We want employees to be proud of the work they do, and to remember that they are part of Digby, Corp. committed to providing excellent service and exceptional products to the public,† Core Values Integrity — Build  mutual trust through ethical and responsible thoughts, words, and actions. Teamwork — Collaborate, share information openly, leverage our diversity, be transparent. Speak up, debate, and dis agree, but decide, commit to the decision, and make it a success. Winning Mindset — Be positive, adaptable, and competitive.Deliver results to ensure the success of Altera and our customers. Accountability — Define, own, and answer to your area of responsibility. Innovation — Think forward, take calculated risks, be agents of change, adapt quickly. Create a learning environment where we develop our skills and invest in our employees. Executive Leader [pic] [pic] [pic] [pic] Strategies: Digby, Corp. takes pride as a broad cost leadership and broad differentiation strategies to develop competitive advantages in the sensor industry.In the past eight years, Digby sensors were designed to fit a wider array of preferences, such as those for a brand new product, known as the Traditional segment; a premium priced product that offers both high performance and desirable size, known as the High End segment; an extraordinary performing product, known as the High Performance segment; a smaller sized product, known as Size segment; and finally, a lower priced product, which is referred to as the Low End segment.However, once the company executives began to recognize which stood out amongst the rest as the most promising for increasing revenues and producing maximum returns, Digby’s overall strategy was shifted to emphasize only on the Traditional, Performance, and Low End segments and in improving existing products in these categories while also creating new. In the first five years, we invest generous amount in TQM in order to reduce material, labor and administrative costs, shorten the length of time required for R&D projects to complete and increase demand for the product line enable for us to make more profits in short term.Further, we believes that wise use of resources and increasing efficiency are key in building long term success and that pinpointing the most effective outlets for accessing target consumers and utilizing a large marketing and promotional budget are essential for creating and maintaining awareness of Digby, Corp. and its products. Financial Highlights: (In Thousands of Dollars, except Per Share Data) | | | |Revenue | |Net Cash Flow | |Operating Activities | |Closing Financial Position | |Total Equity | |Per Common Share | |Market Value | |Financial Ratios | |% ROS |13. | |Cost leadership strategy |Low market share | |Board diversified products |Less diversity | |Strong brand equity |Low customer awareness and accessibility | |Strong financial position |High stock price | |Competitive wages and profit sharing | | |Loyalty customers | | |Opportunities |Threats | |Emerging markets and expansion abroad |Severe competition | |Innovation |Cheaper technology | |Product and services expansion |Reduction in demand from economic regression | |Increase customer satisfaction scores |Lower cost competitors or imports. |Aggressive spending in advertisement. |Maturing categories, products, or services | Risk& Uncertainty: Digby faces the uncertainty and risks of the competitive market in the sensor industry and the reduction in demand from economic regression, the top management team still dedicated to increase the market share and the stock price in the sensor industry. These results emphasize the role of uncertainty as a determinant of investment spending, and suggest that policies that reduce volatility may lower the required cost of capital. By using SWOT analysis, our management team figures out that add value to our products and decrease our product’s weakness.Digby using the cost leadership strategy to attract the target customers and also tries to decrease the labor and raw material costs, relative to that of competitors. Although cost leadership implies keeping costs as low as possible, our products and services still have qualities and features that customer find acceptable. On the other hand, our company keeps trying to become the product leader in each segment, w e spent heavily investment in the TQM in order to reduce R&D cycle also increase market demand. Future of the company: Digby is a company has lots of growing potential and energy. In the past eight years, we have just set a strong foundation for our company’s future grows. We will keep expanding its manufacture plants and focusing on board diversified products that meet customers’ need.With the â€Å"AAA† investment rating, we will invest heavily with low interest payments in R&D and TQM departments, so we would keep its low cost advantage within the industry. In the next five years, our targeted market share is 25%, and our targeted stock price is $65 with an overall $15 per share dividend payment. In the near future, we will start to use our best effort to develop, to expand, and to grow. And then, we will become the industry leader and enjoy the profits that we made. ———————– Lang, Yan Founder Chief Exec utive Officer Chief Operations Officer Lin, Ching-Hsiang Vice President of Marketing and Sales Shu, Ou-yang Chief Financial Officer Xu, Nuo Vice President of Human Resources

The Communication Phenomena: Ideas and Definitions

It is acceptable then to say a definition of communication phenomena is the exchange of thoughts and ideas that are observable or observed and takes place In remarkable or arc There isn't a more powerful example of a communication phenomenon in modern times than the coloratura evolution that has been brought on by the advent Of the mobile telephone. Beginning with the bulky, primitive models of the past and continuing on with today's advanced smartness, this communication phenomenon has not only had a significant impact on the urban lifestyle, it has also reshaped the urban landscape.Small group communication, a subfield within the broad field of communication, has been changed significantly in large urban cities because of the mobile telephone. In the times before that technology was available, it was a challenge for an individual to acquire basic information such as the location of the closest bus stop that is still operating in the direction they need to go or even what time the n ext bus will arrive. This difficulty was amplified if the individual was alone and could not find anyone else to ask, as commonly happens during the late night & early morning hours.Equipped with a data enabled smartened, an individual simply loads an application or visits a mobile website to find out he basic information they wanted. Additionally, detailed information is available such as GAPS map and navigation data, weather information along the route or even if a particular store along the way has something they are interested in on sale. Even if an individual doesn't have a complex smart phone there's a good chance the information will be available via voice- response systems.Another communication phenomenon that is taking place in both urban centers and rural areas is changes in the efficiency and scope of public address communication systems. Historically, whenever the need arose to communicate information rapidly to a large group of people it was handled in traditional ways. Depending on the time period those methods ranged from men on horses with bullhorns, smoke signals, sirens, radio and eventually broadcast television. While they were considered effective for their time, those methods had varying weaknesses.Some suffered from large coverage area gaps while others relied on the target audience being within close proximity to the source of the announcement. Mobile telephones have enabled instantaneous nationwide communication via voice and text messaging for the first time in history. Even after satellite technology allowed for nationwide television broadcasts, nothing has been able to specifically target groups of individuals across such vast land areas as quickly and efficiently as mobile telephones are able to.United States national security has even been bolstered by the newly created Presidential Alert System. Amazingly the President and other designated individuals can compose a message and send it to almost every single smartened in less than 5 minutes. One might think that modern methods of communication using advanced smart devices have caused the biggest communication phenomena in recent decades. However that title has been earned by the first generations of cellular phones that were adopted very quickly by society after they were born in the AT&T Labs in 1983.Even though they were bulky and the very early models even had separate battery packs, they allowed mankind to finally â€Å"cut the cord† thus creating a communication phenomenon so large that caused a technological and social paradigm shift which changed how unmans interact forever. An interesting side-effect of this digital revolution is the negative interpersonal communications phenomena that occur. Prior to information being so easily accessible and available, people communicated verbally with one another in almost every situation in their day to day lives.Word of mouth was a very common way information was spread. It was not uncommon to barely be ab le to hear yourself think over the din of conversation anywhere people would congregate such as subway cars, train stations and even busy street corners. Now most people rely on their devices and new media sources for the same information they would get from verbal communication with other people or print media like newspapers.It's an almost eerie sight to be on a packed subway car where the only noise you hear is the clicking and notification sounds of smartness supplying the masses with the information they so desire. Occasionally though, as if the energy of times past was able to manifest itself, there will be an event significant enough to cause many people on that train to be notified at once. Then you start to hear muffled conversation confirming the information with a fellow passenger. That muffled verbal communication quickly turns into an all-out discussion of the event.For a brief period of time it's as if the devices didn't exist, however almost as quickly as it started, the passengers realize that they want more information and grow silent as they head back to their various digital streams of information. Utilizing the Non research methods of quasi-experiments & pre-experiments from our textbook, there are several different ways to explore how the communications phenomena that mobile loopholes have created effects the process and outcome of scenarios in daily life.Using the quasi-experiment method, which uses pre-tests to see where subjects are in reference to the variables tested, our two subjects are both in a large city around BPML and have to locate a bus Stop where they can catch a bus heading in their required direction of travel. Subject A has a smartened with all the current technology such as GAPS sensors, navigation technology and a â€Å"Find my Bus† type application provided by the local transportation authority. Subject B has no cell phone or means to communicate outside of the people and places in her immediate vicinity.They ar e both less than a mile away from a bus stop in a safe well-lit area that will get them a direct bus to their destination. Subject A is in their office getting ready to leave for the day. They decide they want to stop at a restaurant on their way home and get some take-out food for dinner and surprise their family. In order to accomplish this goal, they simply take out their smartened and enter in the destination addresses of their home and the assistant.The application(s) plot the locations of all relevant bus stops that are close along with the connecting bus information when they reach the restaurant. Simple walking directions are also provided in relation to their location. Since the closest bus stop is only a 10 minute walk away they are able to stay in their office until right before they have to head out, When the time comes they leave their office and have an uneventful walk to the bus stop and make it to the restaurant on time to pick up the food and make it to their connec ting bus home.

Compare & contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Compare & contrast - Essay Example Abstinence is advantageous because it ensures quick transformation from a bad habit to a good habit. For example, a person may decide that starting today; they will never smoke, and then stick to their decision. Secondly, a person may break a bad habit by tapering off, which highly bases on harm reduction. Bad habits result in harm, so one may choose to reduce the harm by reducing the number of times they engage in the bad habit. A person will start cutting back on the bad habit, like gradually rolling back the bad habit until it finally disappears completely. For example, a smoker used to five cigarettes daily may decide to smoke only two, then one, and finally quit smoking. The two ways present different conditions, so one may choose depending on how well they can cope. Comparing the two, abstinence may be harsh and hard considering that a habit, which has existed for many months or years, needs to be broken within a short period. This makes abstinence appropriate for habits such as gambling, but inappropriate for others, such as procrastination. With tapering, one risks prolonging their relationship with the old bad habit if they lose focus. However, tapering is effective as it enables gradual deviation from bad habit, which is less stressful than abstinence. In conclusion, bad habits bear adverse effects on lives, therefore should be abandoned. Before breaking a bad habit, first, it needs to be identified, and then one decides to break it. Different ways of breaking it may be chosen depending on effectiveness and nature of the habit. Abstinence may be useful in addictive behavior influenced by environment, while tapering may be used together with other methods due to its

U02d2 Stark 2 Legislation Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U02d2 Stark 2 Legislation Review - Essay Example ns are not allowed to refer patients to any designated health service where the physician or the immediate family will be benefited with a financial relationship, unless statutory exception exists. The fundamental reason to develop Stark II was to ensure that over utilization of the health care items are not made, and to provide the patients with a choice of health care that they can use, rather than limiting them to a single provider, or health care organization (Janney, 2005). Also, this was developed to help ensure there is fair competition among the health care industry and there is no form of monopoly that is set in the market. The enactment of this law has led to a positive aspect for the industry as it allows the patients to only take the tests that are needed rather than needing to take tests which are not needed but only given as a financial interest of the doctors. Also the patient can receive accurate information when a third party is involved. The SOX law was introduced to help ensure there is a protection of the public and the stakeholders to ensure that there are no accounting errors or any form of fraudulent practices. There is a direct relation between the SOX and the Stark II, as both of these acts are basically to ensure that there is no form of inaccuracy or frauds in the accounting and is mainly intended to assist the general public to ensure that businesses and organizations do not work in a method where the general public is harmed in any manner (Sarbanes-Oxley Act, 2006). The two acts work in a manner where the doctors are required to maintain the internal accounting controls and also to ensure that the all accounting information is recorded accurately to control the ability of the parties to work in collusion with others (Pozgar, 2006). In conclusion, it is clear that compliance with the rules and regulations will lead to higher costs for the doctors and the hospitals, however these are developed to ensure that the end customers, i.e. the

Geometric model for motion of curves specified by acceleration Research Proposal

Geometric model for motion of curves specified by acceleration - Research Proposal Example The intention of this study a geometric model generally that deals with the kinematics of a one dimensional manifold in a higher dimensional space. The model is specified by acceleration fields which are local or global functions of the intrinsic quantities of the manifold. This research intends to examine the evolution of one dimensional manifold embedded in the Euclidean space as it evolves under a stochastic flow of diffeomorphisms. Within the manifold, motion depends on the intrinsic invariants immersed in the space. During the course of this research, we will obtain the system of differential equations that governs the motion of the curve, keeping in mind that the processes driving the stochastic flows are chosen to be the most common class of Gaussian processes with stationary increments in time, which is the family of fractional Brownian motions with Hurst parameter. A family of random mappings is called a stochastic (Brownian) flow and is formulated as follows: â€Å"É ¸st, 0 ÍŸ É ¸st, for each s ÍŸ É ¸ut Í ¦ É ¸su = É ¸st, for all s ÍŸ É ¸tt is the identity map on Rn for all t. É ¸s1t1, É ¸s2t2, †¦, É ¸sntn are independent if s1 ÍŸ Using some applications to give geometric meanings to each solution to the governing system of (Partial Differential Equations) PDE,s corresponding to the model length and local time investigated, this profile will also demonstrate how the geometric problem can be transformed to a fully nonlinear parabolic system of equations for the curvature, the position, and orientation. This research will also examine the primary curvature properties developed during the evolution of curves. Another facet of the study will explore the evolution of derive time equations using the Frenet frame. Further derive time equations will be determined regarding the intrinsic quantities satisfied by curves. The investigation will also propose a model using the solution of the evolution equation for the curvature and torsion and the Fundamental theorem for space curves to

Goodwill Impairment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Goodwill Impairment - Research Paper Example However, there are several noticeable differences in the two accounting approaches as listed below: In the context of allocation of Goodwill, allocation is done to an operating unit in case of U.S. GAAP. In IFRS language, its allotment is done to a small group of assets that generates flow of cash and such unit has to be smaller than the operating segment of a company. In the context of the recognition of the loss of impairment, the US GAAP considers such a case if the implied fair value exceeds the amount for carrying of a particular reporting unit and the amount for carrying of the goodwill (Alexander & Britton, 2004). It is a two step approach. On the other hand, in case of IFRS, which follows a one step approach, weigh cash generating unit’s amount carried against the amount that can be recovered. Impairment of loss is spotted when the former is greater than the latter. In US GAAP parlance, the loss of impairment is the amount of difference between the carried amount of go odwill and the reporting unit’s fair value that is implied. In terms of IFRS, it is the amount the former exceeds the amount that can be recovered. The loss thus arisen would be provisioned for Goodwill impairment until the latter is zero. Pros and cons of measuring Goodwill Impairment The measurement of goodwill has several positives aspects to it. If the process is undertaken with precision and accuracy, it will provide helpful information about the net worth for the investors of the company. If the financial information is overstated then it provides a wrong idea about the future to the manager across other departments and hence they would take wrong decisions. Hence an accurate measurement would help the other departments as well. The disadvantages of measurement is that if there is too much goodwill for a company to write off then it sends a negative impression to the investor about the management that they have records of taking wrong decisions. Often the determination of the fair value of goodwill is not disclosed by the company and hence there is ample scope for manipulation which can have its effect on the bottom line. There are various models that can be used for measuring of goodwill impairment and there is difference in opinion among expects regarding which method is to be taken. Hence depending on the method the value could vary. There is also another problem of separation of goodwill at the time of acquisition of a company and the total value of goodwill post acquisition. How convergence should work and why Though having several basic differences, the IASB and FASB should aim at convergence of the two standards with an aim to achieve a superior global standard of accounting. Both of them should work in harmony in areas like insurance and financial instruments. The reversal of the loss of impairment is prohibited in both U.S.GAAP and IFRS. In areas of offsetting of balance sheet they could not be of the same opinion. However they achieved s uccessful convergence in areas like disclosure norms which would help them in the reconciliation of the differences in requirements for offsetting. Convergence is necessary for Unites States as well as the world because it would affect areas of leasing and revenue as well. The American Companies also need to look upon certain issues relating to it. For example, some nations have already adopted the IFRS standards and the subsidiaries of the MNCs that are there in those countries have to

Principles of International Insurance Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Principles of International Insurance Law - Essay Example Did it operate as an inducement to the insurer to enter into the policy In order to be entitled to avoid a contract of insurance or reinsurance on the ground of non-disclosure the insurer must show both that the fact not disclosed was material, and that its non-disclosure induced the contract. To be material a fact did not have to have a decisive influence on the mind of the prudent underwriter. The test is as stated in subsections 18(2) and 20(2) which relate to non-disclosure and misrepresentation respectively and which set out the common law principles relevant to non-marine (as well as marine) insurance. The material non-disclosure or misrepresentation must induce the contract. It is not sufficient that the non-disclosure or misrepresentation is material. ". . . there is to be implied in the Act of 1906 a qualification that a material representation will not entitle the underwriter to avoid the policy unless the misrepresentation induced the making of the contract, using "induced " in the sense in which it is used in the general law of contract" and "in practice the line between misrepresentation and non-disclosure is often imperceptible." The claimants insured their yacht with the defendants for a value as certified by an independent valuer. The defendants claimed he had misrepresented the value in the proposal. The words 'sum insured' indicated a ceiling on a claim on an unvalued policy. There was no indication from the insurers on the proposal form that they would agree the value, but rather they asked only for the value to be insured. The policy was therefore an unvalued policy. HIH Casualty and General Insurance Ltd and Others -v- Chase Manhattan Bank and Others [2001] 1 Lloyd's Rep 30 19 Sep 2000 QBD Aikens J Insurance, Media Casemap 1 Citers As a contract for speculation, a duty of utmost good faith is not implied in a contract insurance. The duty of disclosure by an insured can be limited by the contract as can the freedom of the insurance company to avoid liability. If the wording is clear enough, even a deliberate non-disclosure amounting concealment might be excused. Nevertheless the contract might be rescindable at the option of the insurer. Court: California Appellate Districts Topic: Civil Procedure, Contracts, Injury And Tort Law, Insurance Law Title: Wilson v. 21st Century Ins. Co. Date: 01/30/06 Case Number: B180323 Summary: Summary judgment for defendant-insurer in an action for breach of contract and tortious bad faith in adjusting plaintiff's underinsured motorist claim is reversed where triable issues of fact existed as to whether defendant failed to thoroughly investigate and evaluate plaintiff's claim, and plaintiff was entitled to additional discovery. http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/viewcase.plcourt=0&subject=Insurance+Law&casenum=&party=&date1=&date3=&date2=&search=Search The insured purchased a house, converted it to two apartments and left Cape Breton to find work in British Columbia. The house remained vacant

How the organization communicates with prospective and current Case Study

How the organization communicates with prospective and current customers - Case Study Example The use of digital media made Coca Cola to deviate from the traditional strategies that would promote the product such as developing new products or extending the existing brands. Marketing is an important aspect of creating a strong brand while helping to reach out to the existing and potential customers. Every marketing strategy faces three uncertainties that are supposed to be weighed before engaging; the fear of failure, the return on investment and the fear of the unknown. Investing resources in the digital media for marketing brings forth all these uncertainties. However, these uncertainties can be assumed based on the advantages that come with the digital media. First, learning from failure can help device workable strategies in the digital space. Second, the digital media exhibits a very rapid growth while the marketers get to understand it better day by day. Finally, digital media is less expensive, therefore, learning from it especially on optimizing the return on investment is worthy. Coca Cola opted to ‘go digital’, and take advantage of the huge online traffic. This was done through a simple social concept that encouraged customers to exhibit brand loyalty while encouraging others to join the wagon. In the summer of 2011, they devised the ‘Share a Coke Campaign’ (Coca Cola, 2013). It began with the customers creating a can for a special friend and then finding their names and having a coke bottle bearing the name to developing customized coke bottles with people’s names. This campaign has gone global and it is still in progress after it demonstrated that it can facilitate the strengthening of the brand as well as increment in the sales volume. The campaign was focused on increasing the consumption of Coke during the summer of 2011 while bringing an appeal on the strength of the brand. Despite Coca Cola being known as a strong brand, they needed to

Programme and strategic management - exam questions Essay

Programme and strategic management - exam questions - Essay Example In short, customization of methodologies is necessary for the successful completion of projects. The usage of appropriate methodology would help the project manager to complete the projects in time. Moreover, it helps the project manager to reduce unnecessary costs and increase the profit earned from the project. Delay in the completion of the project would cause big loss to the company since the raw material prices may go up as time goes on. Proper methodologies would help the project manager to complete the project within the allocated budget. One of the major disadvantages of project management methodologies is the lack of innovation in methodologies. In other words, while sticking with a particular methodology, project managers may not get opportunities to explore new ways of completing the project in a more efficient manner. There are different types of project management methodologies. Waterfall is one of the most commonly used project management methodologies across the world. It employs a sequential, top-down approach to project management. â€Å"It assumes that a project is finite with a definite beginning and end; that projects need to be managed to be successful; and that the events affecting the project are predictable. In addition, with this traditional methodology, once a phase is finished it is thought that it will not be revisited† (Mitchell 23) Q1 The following was the defined mission statement for the ODA â€Å"To deliver venues, facilities, infrastructure and transport on time for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games that are fit-for-purpose and in a way that maximises the delivery of a sustainable legacy within the available budget†. Discuss using Suitable academic theory and information from the Olympic document, how this mission statement was then used to define the programme and project objectives. From the above illustration, it is

COM101 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

COM101 - Essay Example A factor in considering how to grab their attention relates to their personal and demographic information. An audience of older age cannot be targeted effectively using materials and ways of presentation suitable for youth and same is the case for professionals versus students as audience. Hence, there indeed is a need to understand the audience and target them effectively to remain centre of attention during the venture. I personally believe that a public speaker needs to be able to cope up with any possible reaction by the public and must be ready to face any kind of response or no response at all. The need is to remain calm and adapt to the situation immediately without getting confused or exhibiting the anxiety that the speaker might face. Conclusively, the responses one gets are unpredictable yet a good public speaker foresees the needs and plans accordingly with a backup plan to change as per the situation at

Theories Regarding How the Pyramids at Giza Were Constructed Essay Example for Free

Theories Regarding How the Pyramids at Giza Were Constructed Essay The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the key structures listed in the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is important to notice that what makes this structure supreme and memorable? This wonder was the tallest man made composition in 3800 years which is not only a will to its robustness but to mark it as the most remarkable structures. This monument exemplifies the accomplishments and advancements of architecture in Egypt (www. personal. psu. edu))t. There are many mysteries that are raised for its construction and also introduce different theories. It is important to notice that it is not the pyramid that is eye capturing but the method and process of creating it is certainly fascinating. There are two particular theories such as transport theory which is presented by engineer and inventor, Andrzej Bochnacki and Limestone concrete theory by Materials scientist, Joseph Davidovits that hold the focus of many historians and scientists Discussion One of the most refined pyramid construction theories has been proposed by Polish engineer, Andrzej Bochnacki. In the book of â€Å"Different Story about Pyramids†, Andrzej suggests very inventive technology for moving the pyramid blocks from the pits to the construction place. He presents the method from which the stones moved to making the entire pyramid. He said that they must have made the paper boats which were placed on the top of the blocks and knotted up with ropes (Bochnacki, 1994). These movable boats were in wait to raise the water of Nile and so they can be easily dragged to a preferred destination. The easiest way was to drag them to the west region of Nile where water flooded the fields. There is a sketch that portrays the moving of stones for making pyramid. Moreover, there is another great theory presented by Materials scientist, Joseph Davidovits. He claimed that Pyramid’s block are not the carved stone, but was mostly made from limestone concrete and they were forcefully thrown like modern concrete. As per this theory, soft limestone with high kaolinite capacity was tapped in the gully on the southern side of the Giza Plateau. He suggested that the limestone was then dissolved in Nile pools till it became slurry. It is important to notice that lime and natron are greatly in use in mummification by Egyptians. It might be possible that the pool were then allowed to evaporate, leaving a clay-like mixture. The scientist mentioned that this wetly concrete material will be carried to the site of construction where it would be filled into recyclable wooden molders and after few days it would undergo in a chemical reaction. , he suggested that new blocks can be casted in the place on the top of other blocks. This composition was tested by using the similar compounds which were brought out at the institute of geopolymer in northern France. It was discovered that these limes could pile a structure of 1. 3- to 4. 5-ton blocks in few weeks (Barsoum, Ganguly Hug, 2006). But it is essential to notice that this theory was not accepted by the mainstream of academics. Davidovits’ method does not cover the entire reasoning as the stones weighted more than 10 tons and his theory defines only 4. 5 tons growth. Moreover, different Geologists have cautiously inspected the suggested technique of Davidovits and concluded that his reasoning came from innate limestone tapped in the Formation of Mokattam. This theory is currently supported by Michel Barsoum, who is a researcher of material science. Barsoum and his fellows printed their findings at Drexel University which supports the theory of Davidovits in 2006 in the Journal of the American Ceramic Society. They further discussed that air bubbles and mineral compounds are the samples of limestone and the blocks of pyramid are not made up of natural limestone. I think that this theory holds certain reasons as a petrographer, Dipayan Jana also made a presentation in 2007 to the ICMA, in which he talks about the work of Barsoum and Davidovit and concluded that we are more far to accept the remote possibility of manmade structure of pyramid stones. Conclusion Certainly, the construction of Pyramid is mystery and many scientists and researchers have tried different methods to resolve this puzzling mystery. In my opinion, the theory of limestone concrete is more appropriate in its reasoning as it is based on the mere research of the stone material and certainly portrays the accuracy. The mystery holds great significance as it is about one of the world’s wonder that could not be easily left my scientist. The resolution to this mystery seems no ending as there are many discussions and debates have taken place regarding this construction enigma. The entire study of the Construct Pyramids at Giza was very interesting to know about the interest of people in ancient monuments and their origins. It certainly enhances the understanding about the cultural and historical usage of things and how people’s hard work and traditional ways brought outstanding creations.

Music, Culture and Value of Music in a Digital Future

Music, Culture and Value of Music in a Digital Future The uses of Music, Culture and the value of ‘free’ Music In a Digital future â€Å"We’ve lost a whole generation of kids, who grew up downloading free music from the web and cannot fathom paying for it† Abstract The past ten years have witnessed an enormous growth of musicology within the music and entertainment industry with questions concerning musical meaning and the extent to which it’s informed by cultural experience and socially derived knowledge. Groundbreaking developments are increasingly encouraging the demand for new products and platforms from consumer markets that have grown up downloading music knowing no better than to find their entertainment through the internet with the illusion that it is free. This dissertation looks at the early forms and purposes of music up to present day, factors threatening the music industry and what has affected it over recent years. The increased use of the internet, cheap software equipment and other technological art forms, have changed the way we sell, listen to and buy new music. I want to investigate what effects will this have on the industry in the future and what does this mean for artists and the way music is created and valued. Introduction Introduction will contextualise the central theme and notion of the work and describe my motivation and intensions. I will focus the introduction on the chapters individually. ‘The industry has been hanging off the edge for some time’ (McQuinvey, J. Date. P.). Chapter 1 – Talk about the development of technological devices related to new formats, and the main purposes of music up until today. Chapter 2 – Talk about the technological developments which have an effect on the way we buy and listen to music. New devices and gadgets are demanding newer ways to attain music and how we consume new music. Chapter 3 – Talk a little about the different types of people using and making music, how this is affecting record labels and what will happen in the future. As the development and discovery of technology grows and grows from early dates to present day, enabling more and more possiblilities†¦. Cultures and social activities are affected by radical technological change†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. ‘One of the primary proponents of this categorization was William. F. Ogburn. He argued that in most cases it is the sequence of technology that causes social change’ Over the past however many years, digital downloads have been fought against buy, major labels, causing decades of copyright and pirate copying of music films and entertainment mediums. 2005 onwards†¦ Today in 2008 the subject of digital downloading and the internet is being redefined and recognised by the major record labels hoping to create a future with easy access to new music quickly and cheaply. Starting new web sites for downloads etc. People want faster choices and ways to attain their entertainment. The fast changing cultures within society Growth of music technology Internet sites- Amazon competing with major companies to sell a wider range of products as more and more people are buying online instead of using high street shops and other retailers. Modes and categories inherited from the past no longer seem to fit today’s reality, experienced by a new generation. Chapter 1 – (Progression of early forms of music, formats and purposes) For centuries music has been the biggest form of entertainment within households, pubs, clubs and events ever since the recording of sound, but since the early days of music the purposes and the means to consume music has grown considerably up to the 20th century forcing formats, technology and the music industry to change with time. This chapter will outline the progression of technology associated with music and its means of use in relation to new entertainment. When ‘Bartolomeo Cristofori’ became the inventor of the piano, identified as a stringed keyboard instrument with mechanically operated rebounding hammers, Cristofori’s invention became a success and around 1922, a survey was carried out which shows that the piano was the most popular instrument used in over 25% of the average household. Along with many other musical instruments dated before and after the piano, instruments were used for enjoyment and entertainment and at times for families and friends who would gather together to play and sing songs on special occasions. When the very first phonograph was introduced by Thomas Edison around 1878 and the Edison Speaking Phonograph Company was established. The phonograph would be treated in the same way as a piano or organ as families would again sit around and listen to records or family stories within the home but Edison realised the opportunities he had created with his invention. Edison’s invention enabled the possibilities of using the phonograph to perhaps dictate a letter, dictate books for the blind, make family recordings of their voices, music boxes and toys, clocks that announce the time, and a connection with the telephone company to record conversations. In 1857 Frenchman, Leon Scott de Martinville was the first to have invented his documented phonoautograph machine which was able to record sound waves but only created a visual analogue of the waves, until around 20 years later when Thomas Edison allowed two innovators to re-develop the later phonograph which became the gramophone. The gramophone used disk shaped materials to record onto which produced better recording quality and a longer playback time. American inventor Emile Berliner then created a process which allowed the sound tracing to be etched side-to-side in a spiral onto a zinc disk, this master would then be electroplated to create a negative which would then be used to stamp duplicate copies onto vulcanized rubber (and later shellac), a process which would change the means of music forever, a process now known as the mass reproduction of musical entertainment. The process to record, duplicate and play back music opened endless forms of entertainment and the industry were set to take the world by storm, selling records and making profits to consumers. The gramophone quickly outsold and overtook the phonograph and by the end of World War 1 the disc had become the dominant commercial recording format. A technological development which has had a major impact on music in this century is sound recording. Over the past seventy years the concert audience has been transformed from musical amateurs to a large number of potential buyers. The birth of sound recording started as a mechanical process, and with the exception of the Telegraphone in 1899 this process remained until the 1920s when a group of groundbreaking inventions in the field of electronics revolutionized sound recording and the young recording industry. Sound transducers were introduced such as microphones and loudspeakers and a few various electronic devices were made for the purpose of amplification and modifications of early electrical sound signals resulting in the mixing desk. Inevitably, over time all these components and inventions have had an affect on the way musician’s record music, the uses of music and the growing demands of the music consumers to attain music. These electronic inventions created the means for growth and development within the music industry opening a wide range of possibilities for the recording process. Although many inventions and ideas were yet to be discovered, early music and its uses had progressed from a means of confined entertainment within the household to a possible, world wide product with which Emile Berliner’s early duplication process played a large part when it came to distribution and portability of recorded music. As time passed, increasingly people were able to buy recorded music which would be played on a gramophone wherever it may be. Emile Berliner realized the market wanted a range of music which can be bought, stored and played at any given point, the money earning potential would be high and with the importance of his discoveries, decided to start ‘his very own’ brand of recorded music which up until today, with the changes and the new strains on the industry has been extremely successful with the famous dog and gramophone design of ‘His Masters Voice’ (HMV). Music was now, not only being used just for enjoyment or purely for entertainment but was now, being recorded, duplicated and distributed to consumers around the world who are able to replay music over and over and enjoy their collections when ever and most importantly where ever. The next major progression concerning music which would increase the needs of high quality equipment was the introduction of descriptive and respective music tracks within film. The years 1920-1928 were known to be the golden age of silent movies. Early movies were accompanied by music scores containing pieces usually played by an organist, pianist or an orchestra depending on the class of the theatre. Sound tracks however were introduced to cinema audiences around 1926-1927 even though technology to add sound to film was discovered in 1911 it took another 15 years or so to be introduced and implemented into movie productions. The use of music within film during this particular period was predominantly used to raise the attraction of early movie productions which would change forever after the opening of Pandora’s Box in 1927 and the increase of technical achievements which led Al-Jolson to ad-lib a few spoken words in ‘The Jazz Singer’. Recorded music for films then after became extremely successful within the movie industry and over the next few years Warner Bros. took control of this area (now a multi-billion pound industry) by producing ten all-talking films with accompanied sound tracks and scores leaving the silent movies on the shelf. This production process increasingly outlined the importance of having good quality sound systems to playback the music and sounds on film. Music will always essentially be a huge form of entertainment in many ways but now different music was being used for more reasons than originally supposed. With the on going growth of equipment and technology music became a money making product after the discovery of sound recording, music began to be used to compliment or help describe a visual performance rather than being an individual form of entertainment, it was now coinciding with other art forms and was boosting the popularity and profits of associated productions. With the discovery of magnetic media music will be promoted on a mass worldwide scale and allow the public and potential music buyers to listen to broadcasts over the air. The first radio broadcast which involved music was said to be in 1906 at Brant Rock MA, when Fessenden played his violin, sang a song and read a few verses from a bible into his wireless telephone on Christmas Eve 1906. It was classed as a broadcast because it was designed for more than one listener and was pre-announced rather than a one to one conversation. 1920 saw the first licensed radio broadcast, as Frank Conrad’s company was asked to go on air on a regular basis to send out music to the listeners and would sell radios to pay for the service. Radios were advertised in local newspapers to households and within a few years there were hundreds of stations entertaining thousands of people who had bought or built their own receivers. It was no longer, that an audience had to sit in their own home and manually operate a gramophone, no need to necessarily buy records from HMV and will no longer need to worry about play back time of records as the public could listen to the radio everyday, and tune in to their favorite radio stations free of charge. Growing factors underlined the importance of good quality equipment to further the success of music and the portability of music, which led to new discoveries of early formats and storage devices such as magnetic tape machines, cassettes tapes/players to audio cd’s. After the rubber and shellac records, which were the primary recording medium at the time, a new means for recording came about in 1934/35 when Joseph Begun of Germany built the first magnetic tape machine which was used for mobile radio broadcasting before creating the first consumer tape recorder which provided the ‘3M Company’ with a billion dollar industry. Magnetic tape machines became very popular storage and recording devices in radio stations and recording studios as they offer higher quality recording and longer continuous playback of recorded material, the most beneficial aspect of the invention of tape was its portability. Eventually two track tape machines were introduced which extended recording possibilities within the studio but magnetic tape was never used commercially by consumers until the release of the first compact audio-cassette tape in 1963 by The Phillips Company of the Netherlands. With a cheap and easy recording medium such as the cassette tape combined with a cassette tape player, It could be argued that this sparked the ever destructive and ongoing battle of music piracy. Taperecorders/players were sold with built in radios as standard and by the touch of a button it was possible torecord sounds and music straight from the radio. After Phillips had patented the cassette tape in 1965 and decided to make it free of charge all over the world, companies then started to design new portable recorders and players to compliment the compact size of the cassette tape. One of the popular models of tape players was the Sony Pressman which was a monaural tape recorder released in 1977. The next year in 1978 Sony founder and chief advisor Masaru Ibuka requested the general manger of the Tape Recorder Business Division to start work on a stereo based model of the earlier Sony Pressman which birthed the Sony TPS-L2 headphone stereo Walkman in 1979 that would completely chan ge the way consumers listen to music. Theyll take it everywhere with them, and they wont care about record functions. If we put a playback-only headphone stereo like this on the market, itll be a hit. What made the Sony Walkman such a big hit was the portability that it was offering to its consumers. Ever since the invention of the piano/organ, phonograph, gramophone, record players, wireless recorders and receivers, although, all mediums allowed the consumer to listen to music in various ways, none of which actually enabled the listener to become portable, ‘on the move’ to be able to listen to their material literally wherever they wanted. Recording and listening to music from this point onwards almost became a hobby for a generation of people who would listen to the radio to try and catch their favourite song to record to tape, allowing them to repeatedly replay the material and start a collection of stored music. Many types of storage formats have been introduced by this point but very few which are truly beneficial to the storage and quality of music mediums. After the magnetic media such as: wire, core memory, drum, card, tape, disk and OM disk came many floppy disk formats which played a great part in early computing storage formats. Different versions of optical mediums were introduced ‘optic data disk’ coming before Sony proposed a standard for the compact disk (CD) in 1980 but was followed by formats such as: DVD, HD-DVD, holographic, Blu-ray DVD and developments with OM disks. The introduction of optical mediums saw Sony’s standard CD to hit the very top in high quality recording and storage mediums. CD-R’s are a ‘write once, read many’ optical medium (WORM) which is a recordable version of the CD and holds a high level of compatibility with standard CD readers unlike CD-RW’s which can be overwritten many times but has a lower compatibility level with CD readers and the disks are slightly more expensive. CD’s became the most popular medium of music and data storage due to its capacity and ease of recording but there is one flaw in its design as after a life span of around 2 years it’s possible for the CD’s data to degrade with time showing a coloured dye as a result. CD’s hold a standard capacity of 700Mb where as the introduction of DVD’s upped the capacity to 4.1 GB but was mostly associated with movies projects which contain much larger files. CD’s are still the highest quality recording/storage medium to attain or store music on outside of a computers hard drive but with newer, smaller compressed formats such as MP3 on the market the option of buying a CD compared to a smaller and cheaper alternative looks bleak with time, so we see the CD taking a backseat to let newer recording and storage devices into the scene. Chapter 2 (A demanding society) In today’s society where consumers are demanding faster, cheaper and easier methods of gaining entertainment, they also demand a new outlook towards devices, gadgets and components with which to view or listen to their product. This chapter underlines the changes of which new technology has an effect, they way society and subcultures are shaped by technology and how technology is forced to develop and become more advanced to meet the needs and perceptions of its consumers. In recent years the ‘compact disk’ has ended the forty year reign of the twelve inch LP, with which came consequences for production, distribution and marketing, and in turn disks and tapes have been threatened by technologies which can deliver high quality sound via cable direct to potential consumers, eliminating the need for the already established pattern of product marketing and distribution. Although the invention of the phonograph and gramophones were considered important aspects in creating the a mass market for music and entertainment, â€Å"the record industry has been shaped by the need to cope with its volatile market so its established practices and institutions have been constantly undermined by technological innovations which not only offer new and better ways of doing things but, as we shall see, have generally had the effect of increasing the consumers choice at the expense of the industries ability to control its market†. (Scott, D. Martin, P. 1995 p.209) There are many important connections between technology, musical characteristics and social groups, and as it may be argued that the fundamental coordinates of a musical form are not determined by its social base, but each social group or subculture corresponds to certain acceptable genres. During the 1970’s and 1980’s the idea that the characteristics of a musical form could give life or influence to the social reality of a culture became more and more popular with incorporated sociological categories such as class, ethnicity and importantly age. â€Å"In 1987 John Shepard extended this type of analysis to gender, arguing that different voice types or timbres in popular music gave expression to different kinds of gender identities†. (Clayton, M. Herbert, T. Middleton, R. 2003, p. 7, p. 14) The 1990’s saw different factors concerning the cultural study of music and the analytical evidence with particular social categories such as, class, ethnicity, age, subculture and counterculture. This had been replaced with a more embracing and persistent concern with social identity. With the concept of youth culture, it’s assumed that teenagers share similar leisure interests and pursuits and were involved in some kind of revolt against their parents and elders. The arrival of youth culture is said to be linked with the growth and increased incomes of early working class youths which allowed greater spending power and the means to express their individual interests and styles which caused large markets to develop more interest for the youth culture, most notably resulting in music and fashion. It’s with particular music styles, genres and clothing styles and labels that predominantly place our identities within a culture or subculture, which technology helps shape and create aspirations in a similar way. â€Å"Teenage culture is a contradictory mixture of the authentic and the manufactured: it is an area of self-expression for the young and a lush grazing ground for the commercial providers†. (Hall, S. Whannel, P. 1964, p.) â€Å"The compressed file format known as MP3 is at the centre of debate towards file-sharing and digital downloading and is thought to be downgrading towards the level of audible quality in music. Yet the mp3 is also a cultural artefact, apsychoacoustic technology that literally playsits listeners. Being a container technology type for recorded sound, the mp3 proves that the quality of ‘portability’ is central to the history of auditory representation and shows that digital audio culture works according to logics somewhat dissimilar from digital visual culture†. (Jonathan Sterne, 2006. New Media and Society, Vol. 8, No. 5, 825-842 DOI: 10.1177/1461444806067737) Today’s young generation aren’t so aware of the historical factors and important issues which lead to the advances, demands and uses of audible quality music but more so, on the social aspects of consumption, portability and quantity of music. A spokes person for the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand, Terrance O’Neill-Joyce, argues that: â€Å"The problem is not with the actual technology of MP3, which he believes is being effectively used by many music producers, but rather the ineffective means of securing remuneration for artists. It’s a case of technology outstripping legislation and a lack of proper commercial framework being established as of yet† (Shuker. 2001 p. 65) MP3 is a technology encoding, recorded sound, so that it takes up less storage space than it would otherwise. The size of an MP3 file makes it practical to transfer high –quality music files over the internet and store them on a computers hard drive, where as CD quality tracks take longer to download and transfer. The MP3 file has become very popular as a way to distribute and access music even though there has been enormous debate over the economic and cultural implications of this new technology. For the typical music consumer the MP3 file is considered a blessing as anyone can access a wide range and varieties of music mostly for free as well as having the option to compile their own albums of single tracks from their favorite artists without having to acquire the whole album itself. For artists and producers the MP3 allows them to distribute their music possibly to a world wide audience without tackling the political processes and mediation of the music industry. For mainstream artists on major record labels the MP3 raises concerns of profit loss from consumers due to illegal downloads which are free of charge and easy to attain. On the other hand for strictly internet distributed music producers and publishers the MP3 opens up many opportunities for smaller, more innovative labels and companies. (Shuker. 2001, Pg 65) Each new medium of technology, communication or entertainment that’s introduced to a mainstream audience creates drastic changes towards the way in which we experience music, this also has implications for how we relate to and consume music. The changes and advances in technological recording equipment open, both constraints and opportunities relating to the organisation process and production of music, while the developments within musical instrumentation allow the emergence of ‘new sounds’. Most important of all, each new recording format or device used for transmission inevitably alters the previously established process of music production and consumption; they also raise questions about authorship and the legal status of music as a property and the ongoing battle with piracy and profit loss. Napster software was introduced in 1999, designed as a search engine, communication portal and file-sharing software that facilitated the sharing process by granting users access to all other Napster and the mp3 files they choose to share. Within a few months, transfers of music files using Napster reached millions per day, and at its peak, it was estimated that as many as sixty million people were using the site. â€Å"Whereas Napster requires users to first log onto a central server to access other users MP3 files, these newer networks allow direct user-to-user (P2P) connections involving multiple file types. These innovations expand the universe of file sharing activity and make it virtually impossibly to track users of the files they choose to share† (Garofalo, 2003 cited in Shuker, 2008 pg, 23) Digital distribution continuously threatened the music business and the control of music by the record companies. This method also lowers manufacturing and distribution costs while putting pressure on marketing and other aspects of the process. With the industry failing to stop illegal downloads and P2P (peer-to-peer) distribution of recorded music over the last five years, record labels have finally decided to adapt their business to suit the way its consumers get hold on their music. It’s becoming more and more apparent that albums and artists are making very little or no money in the music industry because of the lack of physical CD sales as the majority of money spent during the traditional production process goes towards many aspects such as the production, promotion, duplication and distribution of a product. Mainly within the music business P2P technologies are a positive means for consumers and creative artists because all costs of production, promotion, marketing and distribution are dramatically lowered. These new technologies and approaches to digital distribution means old and new artists are able to earn more profits through selling singles and albums through P2P networks as the production process costs a fraction of the album or single. Because they can charge less they earn and sell more which means more artists will benefit financially and the industries broad range of music will receive a wider market to distribute to. â€Å"It is easy to see that we are living in a time of rapid and radical social change, it is much less easy to come to terms with the fact that such change will, without doubt, affect the nature of those academic disciplines that both reflect our society and help to shape it† (Hawkes. 2003. p.7) The growing concern with the music industry today is focused heavily on the affects of digital downloads and the fall of physical album/record sales sold in high street music shops and online stores. The debate continues as sales in the US as well as the UK have fallen due to a number of factors involving the growth of technology and the way we consume our entertainment. According to recent industry researchers, figures show that today’s music industry (UK), has suffered a drop of up to 11% of record sales in 2007, but download sales boosted the singles market by nearly 30% last year as single sales increased from 67m in 2006 to 86.6m in 2007, up 29.3%. Despite there being best-selling albums from artists like Amy Winehouse and Leona Lewis, only 138.1 million albums were sold in 2007, compared with 154.7 million in 2006. Amy Winehouses Back to Black was the most popular album of 2007, with 1.85 million copies sold. Leona Lewis debut album Spirit came second, even though it was only released in November. Music industry body the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) put the 10.8% fall down to copyright theft and difficult retail conditions. Having the option of album unbundling is also a problem as consumers are able to select which tracks they want to download from each album, this means albums are not being sold as whole units and says a lot to the artists themselves about what their audience wants. Music Industry Analyst Michael McGuire of Gartner Research told Agency France-Press news agency: â€Å"It comes back to consumers being in complete control of their media experience†. Mr McGuire said fans were sending artists a message: â€Å"While you may have put a lot of thought into the sequence of the album, I only like these three songs†. BPI chief executive Geoff Taylor said: â€Å"The UK market has shown considerable resilience in recent years while global recorded music markets have declined.† Recording companies have a major influence on the music we listen to and shape what’s known as popular music within society. The term ‘popular music’ defies a precise straightforward definition and is usually over looked and the understanding of the term is taken for granted. To fully understand the term popular music it’s necessary to address the general field of popular culture within cultural studies. (See: Studying Popular Music Culture, Tim Wall). In this instance I refer the word popular music from the historical term for popular as the ‘ordinary people’, these days the meaning of the term has expanded, ‘all music is popular music’ meaning ‘music that is popular with someone’. â€Å"Young peoples musical activities whatever their cultural background or social position, rest on a substantial and sophisticated body of knowledge about popular music. Most young people have a clear understanding of its different genres, and an ability to hear and place sounds in terms of their histories, influences and sources. Young musicians and audiences have no hesitation about making and justifying judgements of meaning and value† (Willis. 1990: 59 cited in Shuker. p.98) The music industry is big business, and international multi-billion dollar enterprise historically centred in the United States with the United Kingdom making a significant artistic contribution to the industry and developing trends as well as the emergence of Japanese media technologies playing a major part in the music industry for its commercial designs of gadgets and devices. Recording companies are the most important part of the music industry and fall into two main groups: ‘the major’ international labels and the smaller ‘independent’ labels who’s structures and operating processes take on a similar role, blurring the distinctions between the two. These differences I will try to evaluate later on in chapter 3. The major labels are renowned for sourcing young talent, recording, promoting, marketing and distributing his/her music which has a powerful effect on the popular consumer, cultures and subcultures due to the image associated with that particular genre or style of music which is marketed, but its future is usually determined by the listener themselves. â€Å"For after the commercial power of the record companies has been recognised, after the persuasive sirens of the radio acknowledged, after the recommendations of the music press noted, it is finally those who buy the records, dance to the rhythm and live to the beat who demonstrate, despite the determined conditions of its production, the wider potential of pop† (Chambers, 1985: Introduction cited in Shuker 2001 p.23) Consumers are becoming less influenced by the major record labels with the help from the internet as consumers have more freedom to discover new genres and styles which are delivered in new ways. Record labels will always have a certain level of influence to its popular markets but now its the customer who decides on what they really like and want to listen to without feeling outside of the ‘popular music’ category. â€Å"I think there are many benefits for a musician not being signed to a label. I’ve seen first hand, from my experience at major labels, where they will sign up and coming artists b

New Labours Policy for Childcare

New Labours Policy for Childcare Title: New Labours policies in relation to children and families maintain a focus upon control of family life rather than supporting families. Critically evaluate the statement with reference to at least two policy areas Introduction: The social policies of any government are aimed at welfare and protection of individuals and promote economic and social development with the aim of establishing a welfare state (Ellison and Pierson, 1998). Effective social policy also helps individuals to lead a fulfilling life and in turn promotes the growth and change of economies. Bad social policy retards the growth of a country and its individuals and leaves people in poverty or social exclusion. In this essay we discuss the labour government’s social policies with regard to families and children. We will discuss a few major policy areas in children’s issues and family welfare and will critically evaluate whether these new labour government social policies are aimed at supporting or controlling family life. Social Policies – Family and Childcare After Labour’s advent to power in 1997, there have been substantial increases in spending on family care aimed at helping families with formal childcare, early education and work life balance (Brewer et al, 2005). The three major reforms in this area are To increase the generosity of and entitlement to paid (and unpaid) maternity, paternity and  adoption leave To entitle all 3- and 4-year-olds to free part-time nursery education for 12.5 hours per week,33 weeks of the year; To increase the subsidies available to working parents for spending on formal childcare. We give labour’s policies on family and childcare as laid down in its manifesto for helping families. The key features are given as follows: Source: Brewer et al. 2005 Labour’s policies The main policies are in three areas of family life namely, maternity leave and pay, childcare element of the WTC and free nursery education. Maternity pay Increase paid maternity leave from six months to nine months in 2007 ( £329m) Enable the transfer of some paid maternity leave to the father (uncosted) Has set a goal of increasing paid maternity leave from nine months to 12 months by 2010 ( £195m) Childcare element of the WTC Increase the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed from 70% to 80% in 2006 ( £130m) Free nursery Education Free nursery education for 3- and 4-year-olds for 12.5 hours a week, 38 weeks a year from 2007 ( £200m f) and 15 hours a week, 38 weeks a year by 2010 ( £300m) The Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) analyses that labour’s policies of increasing paid maternity leave from 9 months to 12 months will cost a minimum of  £195 million per year, There are also possibilities of behavioural changes, which may increase above-inflation earnings growth and if this happens, the costs of the reforms will also increase considerably. The IFS further suggests that all main parties are committed to increasing the proportion of formal childcare costs that can be claimed under the childcare element working tax credit from 70% to 80% in 2006 at a cost of  £130 million per year. Labour is committed to increasing free nursery education for 3 and 4 year olds to 12.5 hours per week and 38 weeks per year by 2007 and this will cost  £200 million per year and if this is increased to 15 hours per week , 38 weeks per year by 2010, this will cost the government  £300 million per year (IFS report, 2005; also see Brewer et al, 2005). The Labour government’s focus on family and childcare policies has been on three areas: work–life balance child care and nursery education; the affordability of childcare. Since coming to power, Labour’s emphasis on family issues have focused greatly on increased maternity paid leave. The trend has been to increase the right to time off for new mothers and pregnant women and to compensate them during this period. The legislations brought into place for implementation of these policies included the Employment Relation Act (1999) in the first term of Labour’s power and the Employment Act (2002) in the second term which increased length of ordinary maternity leave and relaxed employments conditions related to additional maternity leave. Statutory maternity allowance and pay levels were also increased. Issues related to household expenditure and child care and the influence of parental poverty affecting children have been major concerns for the government. The government has put reducing child poverty as its focus in improving child welfare policies since 1999 and reduction of child poverty is an important aspect of the domestic policy agenda that has led to increases in children’s benefits and tax credits for families with children. According to Goodman et al(2005), although these increases in tax credits and benefits for families help the government to meet proximate policy aims and help reduce income based measures of child poverty, by 2004-05 and by 2010-11 it will be questioned whether and how much these financial transfers and benefits have affected measures of well being , especially improved conditions of children despite increase in income. A new measure of child poverty as identified by the Government is material deprivation. Studies have indicated the relationship between family income and material deprivation in children and have highlighted how poverty and deprivation influence both parent and child health (see Daniel and Ivatts, 1998). However, Blow et al (2005) attempted an analysis of the child benefit system or the CB which is a transfer payment depending on the number of children in the household. The study indicated that Child Benefits do seem to have considerable impact on household expenditure patterns although the cash received as child benefit has been found to be spent not on child assignable goods but disproportionately on alcohol. This obviously is a shocking piece of information but the government’s new policies of relating family income with material deprivation or poverty of children needs to be analysed beyond just how the benefit system is used. Government’s policies towards childcare are aimed at reducing material deprivation due to family economic condition (Berridge, 1999). Information on material deprivation is however often collected as an alternative basis for measuring poverty, and poverty measures based on this type of information are often referred to as â€Å"consensual† poverty measures (Goodman et al, 2005). Material deprivation is however a vague term as the absence of certain items of consumption in the household is usually described as material deprivation of children. However, governmental definition of deprivation may not be tenable as the presence o certain consumable in the household can be matter of choice or preference. Goodman et al (2005) correctly points out that low family incomes may be a reason for material deprivation, yet the other possible reasons have to be considered. The government policies of providing increased support on the basis of the number of children in household can also be flawed. Health levels have been found to vary according to changes in income levels although Goodman concludes that if properly studied, material deprivation can indicate long term measure of family income. Goodman and associates suggest that ‘there is still a lot to do in terms of developing a methodology for analysis of material deprivation which would be consistent with economic theory and guided by stricter ‘scientific’ rules’ (p.11). Government policies of promoting family welfare and childcare, providing benefits in proportion to the number of children in the household, using family income levels as a measure of material deprivation and making provisions for increased paid maternity leave and increased nursery care have been criticised as more controlling measures to regulate family life rather than providing support. Hills and Stewart (2005) have criticised New Labour policies as although helpful in reducing child poverty is completely ineffective in promoting economic equality in society. New Labour has taken poverty issues, especially in children very seriously and aims to halve this problem by 10 years and abolish it in another generation. Yet Hills and Stewart point out, despite these moves, Britain continues to remain an unequal society. A study by LSE suggests that child poverty has been reduced considerably through tax and benefits reforms (also see Berridge, 1999). Yet, although low income families with many children seem to have benefited from the policy, poverty levels among childless adults have reached record levels since Labour’s policies in 1997. Yet a one sided approach is not the only criticism against Labour’s policies. As claimed by analysts, controlling rather than supporting, by providing benefits to only a category of people seems to justify the increased resist ance of Labour’s policies regarding family issues and child welfare. In fact, Giullari and Shaw (2005) emphasise that as far as social policy on families and children are concerned, teenage pregnancy has been the subject of attention in recent social policy. Whether teenage parents should get supported housing and other kinds of support from the government and the family has been a controversial and problematic issue. The authors suggest in their paper that New labour’s construction of teenage parents’ housing needs as an issue to be considered is in isolation from support. The paper focuses on family support and suggests that New Labour’s supported housing strategy ignores its fragile and individualised nature and also tends to disregard teenage parents need for independent housing and capacity for autonomous living. New Labour seems to show more control of the teenage parents who are perceived to be at risk of welfare dependency rather than a genuine concern for support. The paper argues that if New Labour is to show genuine sup port to teenage parents, then providing independent housing to these parents should be a primary strategy. Conclusion New Labour’s policies seem to have concentrated on abolishing child poverty, maintaining family as a unit, providing increased maternity paid leave, and implementation of legislation that seem to support governmental decision on family issues. The families with more children are given many benefits and financial support whereas the childless adults seem to have been neglected and show record levels of poverty or loss in income with no government help after Labour came to power. Abolishing child poverty by focussing on income levels of family that apparently seems to determine material deprivation again seems to be a flawed policy biased in judgement. This is because material deprivation of children, an issue taken seriously by the government may be a question of personal choice and preferences and some children who are provided with certain consumables may not need certain others. This policy thus seems to be flawed as the government may not be the right institution to decide material deprivation in children and stress the separation of children into deprived or non-deprived categories based on assessment of family income levels. Finally we have discussed the direct control of government in issues of teenage parents to prevent them from taking benefits from the government which suggest that arguments against government control in social policy initiatives with regard to child and family issues may just be valid. Bibliography Allan G Crow G (2001),  Families, Households and Society.  Basingstoke.  Palgrave Berridge D. 1999,  Child Welfare in England: Problems, Promises and Prospects,  International Journal of Social Welfare,  Volume 8,Number 4, October 1999, pp. 288-296(9) Blackwell Publishing Laura Blow, Alissa Goodman, Greg Kaplan, Ian Walker and Frank Windmeijer, 2005,  How important is income in determining childrens outcomes? A methodology review of econometric approaches,  Mimeos , IFS publication. August. Laura Blow, Ian Walker and Yu Zhu, 2005,  Who benefits from Child Benefit?,  Mimeos, IFS publication Mike Brewer, Claire Crawford and Lorraine Dearden, 2005,  Helping families: childcare, early education and the work-life balance Election Briefing Notes, IFS publication Daniel P and Ivatts J (1998),  Children and Social Policy,  Macmillan Fox Harding, L (1997),  Perspectives in Child Care,  Longman 2nd ed. Ellison N. Pierson C. (1998),  Developments in British Social Policy.  MacMillan. Garatt D, Roche J Tucker S (1997),  Changing Experiences of Youth.  London. Sage Giullari , S and Shaw, M (2005),  Supporting or controlling? New Labour’s housing strategy for teenage parents,  Critical Social Policy, Vol. 25, No. 3, 402-417 Alissa Goodman and Michal Myck, 2005,  Parental income and child outcomes: what can we learn from material deprivation?  Mimeos, IFS publication John Hills and Kitty Stewart,  A More Equal Society? New Labour, Poverty, Inequality and Exclusion,  The Policy Press, 2005 Muncie, H, Wetherall, M, Langan M, Dallos, R Cochrane, A (1997),  Understanding the Family,  Open University Press Carol Smart Equal shares: rights for fathers or recognition for children? Critical Social Policy, Nov 2004; 24: 484 503. Websites: www.childpoverty.org Institute for Fiscal Studies website. www.ifs.org http://www.ifs.org.uk/publications.php www.childrights.org.uk www.sosig.ac.uk http://www.labour.org.uk/familiesandchildren04 New Labour report LSE http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/pressAndInformationOffice/newsAndEvents/archives/2005/John_Hills_NewLabourReport.html

Promotion of New and Renewable Sources of Energy Essay -- United Nati

Promotion of New and Renewable Sources of Energy Introduction Energy plays a crucial role in the economic development of all nations, especially those with limited access to resources. Access to energy sources is one of the fundamental elements of poverty reduction and sustainable development. It is for this reason that renewable energy and energy efficiency is essential to protect and preserve, as it provides a basis for economic advances, increased education, and environment sustainability. The United Nations is committed to alleviating these pressing concerns through the implementation of programs such as the Millennium Development Goals and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, as well as through numerous others and in concordance with the work of its main bodies and committees. Acknowledging the importance of sustainable uses of energy, the Economic and Financial Committee (ECOFIN) meets biennially to specifically discuss energy and ways to implement ever improving technology. History of Committee The Economic and Financial Committee is commonly referred to as the 2nd Committee, as it is one of six main bodies under direct authority of the General Assembly. ECOFIN deals with issues concerning economic growth and development, globalization and interdependence, sustainable development, as well as macroeconomic trade and commodities. ECOFIN also pays special attention to the concerns of the least developed countries and items on the agenda focus on integrating developing countries smoothly into the world economy (?Economic and Financial?). Other current affairs include disaster reduction, women and development, preventing and combating corrupt practices, and protection of the global climate. ... ... Assembly Main Committees. 3 April 2007. ?Changing Unsustainable Patterns of Consumption and Production.? 2002. UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs. 3 April 2007. ?Establishment of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development as an Organ of the General Assembly.? 30 December 1964. General Assembly Resolutions. ?The Energy Challenge for Achieving the Millennium Development Goals.? 2005. United Nations Energy 3 April 2007. ?What Are the Millennium Development Goals 2005. UN Development Goals. 20 April 2007.

The Impact of the Electric Guitar on Music Essay -- Exploratory Essays

The Impact of the Electric Guitar on Music Everyone has moments when they feel as if they have found the wrong place. Now, it was time for one young gentleman to partake in one of these moments. A salesman had an appointment for a meeting with a wealthy man, yet he found himself wondering if he had arrived at the correct office. This was supposed to be a millionaire’s office, yet as he looked around the room, he saw no leather couches or expensive desks. In fact, the room was sparsely furnished, and had no carpeting. There was a desk, a rather common one that was too cluttered with blueprints and assorted papers to recognize, anyway. Also cluttered, a metal bookcase was in the corner, covered with speaker parts and catalogues. This enormously wealthy man even saved a disposable Styrofoam cup, which was sitting on his desk with his name labeled on it. Still hoping to find the owner, the salesman peeked in a back room, where he found nothing but dust, drills and punch presses. The man exclaimed, â₠¬Å"Maybe it was the room down the hall† as he turned around. With this turn he bumped into the father of the solid-body electric guitar and the man he had been looking for. Mr. Fender then responded with a whole-hearted, â€Å"Can I help you?† (Wheeler, 1982, pp. 42-43). The sought after executive was a man named Clarence Leo Fender, who was responsible for the first successful mass marketing of the solid-body electric guitar. However, it was an innovation that came after people were already using the electric guitar. For years before Fender’s success began in 1948, hollow-body electric guitars had been produced and used by top names in the guitar business, such as Lonnie Johnson, Eddie Lang, and Blind L... ... in American life. Smithsonian Productions. Retrieved December 21, 2001, from http://www.si.edu/sp/onair/guitar1.htm. Mongan, N. (1983). The history of the guitar in jazz. New York: Oak. Pareles, J. (2000, November 12). The humble instrument that conquered the world. New York Times, p. 1, sec. 2. Romana, H., Gustafson, G., Purse, B., & Daft, M. (1998, March). Guitar: Past, present and future. Music Educators Journal, 5, 84. Retrieved December 18, 2001 from EBSCOhost Database. Thompson, A., Levy, A., Ellis, A., & Fox, D. (1998, December). Legends of the Paul. Guitar Player, 32, 106-123. Retrieved January 4, 2002, from Proquest Database. Waksman, S. (n.d.). Instruments of desire: The electric guitar and the shaping of musical experience. Cambridge: Harvard. Wheeler, T. (1982). American guitars: An illustrated history. New York: Harper.

Smoking Ban Essays -- Social Issues, Smoking, Nicotine

Smoking should be banned from public places. Studies show that smoking can lead to cancer. Not only does this put the smoker’s life at risk, it also affects the lives of non-smokers, including pregnant women. Smoking all together is a dangerous thing to do. It began thousands of years ago with the use or tobacco in South America (Libal 11). No one knew about the long-term health effects of smoking tobacco before the twentieth century. It was decades of cigarette use before society began to realize that a health crisis was emerging (Libal 13). The health crisis that was emerging was cancer, among other diseases such as heart disease, bronchitis, and lung cancer. Cigarettes contain many harmful substances that help contribute to the forming of cancer in the human body. Some of those substances are nicotine, black tar, and carbon monoxide. Nicotine is the drug that helps the body to become addicted. Black tar sticks to the lining of the lungs and makes it hard to breathe. Carbon monoxide and other chemicals help poison the lungs (Keyishian, 14). When black tar sticks to the lining of the lungs. While making it harder for the smoker to breathe, it also causes for the heart to work h arder than it normally should. Carbon monoxide prevents oxygen from getting to the heart. That could cause heart disease. Smoking is very hard on the heart also. There is a chemical in tobacco smoke that can narrow the veins in the heart, increasing the chance of a heart attack (Libal 28). Smokers do not realize that many parts of the body work together like the lungs, heart, and blood vessels. When smokers smoke, the body inhales the nicotine and carbon monoxide. Nicotine and Carbon monoxide makes the blood vessels smaller than usual. ... ...loyees and others in public places is of the extreme importance. Some people might argue that banning smoking from the public is not a good idea. There are many facts that prove why smoking should be banned. Smokers might even argue that they have a right to smoke in public places, which may be true. By smoking in public smokers do not realize how much he or she is endangering another individual life. There are several reasons why smoking should be banned. Smokers fail to see that by banning smoking it could be very beneficial to them also. When thinking about banning smoking from the public smokers should think about all the lives they could help save. Smoking should be banned from the public because smoking leads to cancer, puts the U.S citizens lives at risk that choose not to smoke, and it could also endanger a pregnant women’s health.

Analysis “Hanging Fire” & “Barbie Doll”

Thesis Statement & Introduction An analysis of the literary elements imagery, symbolism, and tone/mood in â€Å"Barbie Doll†, by Marge Piercy and, â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde reveals each character and their struggle with their identity in society. Summary of â€Å"Barbie Doll† In the poem â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy, we read about a young girl who has self image problems. Due to the expectations of society, she is not happy with her physical appearance. She had many good qualities but is unable to see these for herself. Instead she only sees is a â€Å"a great big nose and fat legs†(Piercy,1936). In order to conform to society’s idea of beauty, the young girl was â€Å"advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. †(Piercy, 1936) The pressures became too much for her to handle. She could no longer live this way so she â€Å"cut off her nose and her legs/and offered them up. †(Piercy, 1936) The author states that finally, the girl has achieved acceptance, but not on the qualities of her character or her being; rather, through the unwilling compromise to culture. Summary of â€Å"Hanging Fire† The poem â€Å"Hanging Fire†, by Audre Lorde is about the hardships of a teenager who is possibly growing up during the tense civil rights movement era, and is afraid for her life. She is scared about growing up and has many insecurities. There are many things she wants to do such as, learn to dance & be on the math team. The young girl has self confidence problems due to her appearance. For example she states, â€Å"my skin has betrayed me,† ( Lorde, 1978) meaning there are many things she feels she cannot do because her skin is not white. She also asks, â€Å"how come my knees are always so ashy? (Lorde, 1978) She continues to refer to her mother throughout the poem as being in the bedroom with the door closed. Without her mothers’ guidance, she is struggling in society because she has no guidance. Lorde argues that anyone enduring these forces would feel the loneliness and loss of identity that the young girl had felt. Literary Element-Imagery in â€Å"Barbi e Doll† Imagery is used in â€Å"Barbie Doll† in several areas of the poem. Piercy uses lots of imagery to describe the struggles the girl experiences during her teenage years and the effects that can happen. In the first stanza, we see the beginning of an ideal image being stained in the girls mind. She was â€Å"presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE ovens and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy†. (Piercy, 1936) By being presented these gifts the girls parents have already instilled a visualization of what the perfect woman is like and the girl is already learning her place in society. Their place was in the kitchen and taking care of the kids. Piercy has painted an image to the reader of a little girl playing with toy stoves and irons and wearing red lipstick to make herself pretty. Piercy writes, â€Å"In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertaker's cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie. †(Piercy, 1936) The next line reads, â€Å"Doesn’t she look pretty? † (Piercy, 1936) The derisive imagery criticizes gender discrimination of the modern society. The character has struggled to feel pretty until the pressure of society has became too much for her and in response to this has cut off her nose & legs. Literary Element- Imagery in â€Å"Hanging Fire† The imagery of the mother plays a big part in the poem â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde. This line is repeated all throughout the poem, â€Å"and momma's in the bedroom with the door closed. † (Lorde, 1978) I think it is representative of the fact that this speaker has to grow up alone without the guidance of her mother. Another way to look at the imagery of the locked up mother is that her mother just wasn't there in the first place. Her mother could have been an absent figure in her life and that is a scary thing (to grow up without the guidance of a motherly figure). Audre Lorde was a African American lady who went back and forth with her sexuality during times of struggles with civil rights. â€Å"Hanging Fire† may have been her way of expressing the guidance of her mother could have helped her through her confusion with her sexuality. I think this really impacted her, so she reminds herself and the reader of it at the end of every stanza. Compare/Contrast Authors Use of Literary Element Imagery Imagery is used to depict identity issues in â€Å"Barbie Doll† by Marge Piercy and in â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde. In both â€Å"Barbie Doll† and â€Å"Hanging Fire,† a young girl struggles with their appearance. In â€Å"Barbie Doll† the author Marge Piercy uses imagery to portray a young girl who is unhappy with the way she looks. For instance, in the following lines â€Å"She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs,† (Piercy, 1936) although she possessed several good qualities, the only thing that stood out to her was her nose and legs. In â€Å"Hanging fire,† the author Audre Lorde uses imagery to show a young woman struggling with her identity as well, not only with the physical part of her identity but the emotional side as well. After repeated use of the line, â€Å"and momma's in the bedroom with the door closed,† (Lorde, 1978) it is apparent the young girl struggles without the guidance of her mother. Literary Element- Symbolism in â€Å"Barbie Doll† The title â€Å"Barbie Doll† itself symbolizes a thin, curvy body, with symmetrical, perfect facial features. The beginning of the poem starts out with, â€Å"This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. † (Piercy, 1936) This line symbolizes society’s expectations for a girls role in life. For example, introducing the mothering instinct, as well as cooking and cleaning while encouraging her to look pretty while doing all of that. The poem makes a reference to a fan belt, similar to a person’s â€Å"good nature,† will wear out from being over used and abused. With line twenty’s mention of an â€Å"undertaker’s cosmetics painted on,† (Piercy, 1936) the author paints an image of disguise–suppressing hurt and anguish suffered when a girl was forced to absorb into a materialistic society that functions only according to the standards set by its members. In the beginning of the last stanza of â€Å"Barbie Doll,† the reader can achieve almost a sense of relinquishment as the subject symbolically â€Å"cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up. † (Piercy, 1936) The reader is led to believe hat the girl has come to realize that she must account for the loneliness and emptiness that she has felt as a result of imitating a false person. In line 21, the putty nose symbolizes the â€Å"perfect nose† for a girl, even though it is very unrealistic. The pink and white clothes that the girl is wearing, symbolize colors that represent purity and femininity. The conclusion is her death, an act of her surrendering herself to the pain. Literary Element- Symbolism in â€Å"Hanging Fire† The title â€Å"Hanging Fire† symbolizes wanting to do something or, waiting on something to happen that you are expecting. In this poem, the girl is ready to mature although her body has not done so yet. She has insecurities about her skin color and appearance. Audre Lorde grew up during the civil rights era and much of her poetry represents these types of feelings. In the line, â€Å"My skin has betrayed me† (Lorde, 1978), is symbolism for change. Not only what she is going through at that particular time, but how she is the black girl in the neighborhood, the outrage in this racist society. At this age, she is going through changes which affect every possible way of life. She is going through changes in her body which may be related to puberty. Her ashy knees symbolize all the â€Å"falls† she has taken, representative of all the scars of her life. At the end of every stanza, Lorde writes â€Å"and momma’s in the bedroom with the door closed. †(Lorde, 1978) This symbolizes the absence of her mother in her life. Without her mothers guidance the girl feels as though she must face the struggles of life alone. Compare/Contrast of Symbolism Symbolism in â€Å"Barbie Doll† is used by the author to represent the lack of self confidence of a girl who does not have society’s idea of the perfect body. For example, â€Å"You have a great big nose and fat legs† (Piercy, 1936) gives a very good indication that the young girl is not part of the norm as far as beauty goes. â€Å"Piercy uses symbolism to convey the false views society has toward women, while in â€Å"Hanging Fire,† symbolism is used to portray a young girl who is impatiently waiting to see changes within her body. Lorde uses symbolism to show insecurities the young girl in â€Å"Hanging Fire† has with her body. For instance, in the line â€Å"and my skin has betrayed me† (Lorde, 1978) Lorde uses symbolism to show the change that her body is going through. In both poems the characters are struggling with their appearance as well as other things. In difference, â€Å"Hanging Fire† was written in the civil rights era, leading me to believe Lorde used symbolism to show an African American girl struggling with race issues. While in Piercys’ â€Å"Barbie Doll,† symbolism is used to portray aspects of gender discrimination. Literary Element Tone in â€Å"Barbie Doll† The first four lines of â€Å"Barbie Doll† are written in simplistic tones which represent the normality and basic needs of infancy. The ironic tone of the poem criticizes gender discrimination of the modern society. In the beginning of the poem, the tone is silent and simplistic at first, describing the norm for a child and what is expected from society, â€Å"This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy† (Piercy, 1936) The tone of the introductory stanza changes quickly in line five when the author writes â€Å"Then, in the magic of puberty, a classmate said You have a great big nose and fat legs. † (Piercy, 1936) The last line of the second stanza again changes in tone from simple to straight-forward with the statement â€Å"Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. (Piercy, 1936) This line re-emphasizes the offensiveness of not measuring up to the standard of an ideal female, a standard set by society. Tone is used to show the severity of the pressures that society can produce. Literary Element Tone in â€Å"Hanging Fire† Audre Lorde[-;0] used her diction to indicate the s erious tone in â€Å"Hanging Fire. † Lorde used a serious tone to enforce that this poem was to be taken sincerely. â€Å"My skin has betrayed me† (Lorde, 1978) indicates not only that the skin appears displeasing, but that it is displeasing. This also reveals that the tone is confident. The use of â€Å"and† instead of â€Å"if† gives the speaker a sad tone. The teenager in the poem worries excessively about everything, which is not abnormal from what most teenagers do. There is a sense of worry throughout the whole poem. She is stressed and the tone really represents that. The diction sets this tone because the speaker makes generalizations such as, â€Å"nobody even stops to think about my side of it,† (Lorde, 1978) and how her skin has â€Å"betrayed,† her. She is very overdramatic which is characteristic of a teenager. The author also shows a sense of urgency such as in the lines â€Å"I have to learn how to dance in time for the next party. † (Lorde, 1978) There are things the girl wants to accomplish and coveys that she feels a sense of urgency to do so. The serious and stressed tone of the poem conveys to the reader how serious the effects of the civil rights era were on many people and in particular young people. Compare/Contrast of Literary Element Tone The tone in â€Å"Barbie Doll† evolves and changes throughout the poem from a simplistic tone to a negative tone. While in â€Å"Hanging Fire,† the tone stays on serious side indicating signs of stress and worry. In both poems the tone indicates stress, in â€Å"Barbie Doll,† it is due to the fact that others have pointed out the flaws they believe the girl has based on societies standards. While in â€Å"Hanging Fire† the tone indicates the girl never had confidence in the first place. Her mother was not there to encourage or support her which led to stress and worry over her cosmetic issues such as her ashy knees. The beginning of â€Å"Barbie Doll† starts out with a simplistic tone then changes to tone portraying low self esteem and cruelty. In particular in the line â€Å"You have a great big nose and fat legs† (Piercy, 1936) indicates cruelty the young girl endures. The girl is described as smart and strong yet is still viewed negatively by others because of her nose and legs. The author uses tone to showcase that society as a whole is too obsessed with physical appearance and not focused on the qualities that really matter. In â€Å"Hanging Fire,† Lorde used a serious tone to enforce that this poem was to be taken sincerely. Tone is used to stress that the girl has many worries and that she needs to express them. Audre Lorde[->1] used very little punctuation in this poem to emphasize the variation of the worries of teenagers. The use of â€Å"how come,† and â€Å"why do,† in the poem suggests frustration about her current situation as an African American girl struggling to find her way in life without the guidance of her mother. Author’s Engagement with Culture and Society Marge Piercy’s â€Å"Barbie Doll† â€Å"Barbie Doll† is a poem that follows the life of a young girl growing up with modern expectations that she struggles to conform to. The young girl begins to suffer and she develops anxiety and depression. She loses her self confidence and becomes inferior and weak. â€Å"Barbie Doll† uses different aspects of a woman’s life to express the different pressures on women today. Marge Piercy grew up in a family greatly affected by the Great Depression. Due to the environment Piercy was raised in during the Great Depression, many of her works tend to be highly personal and often address concerns with feminist and social issues. Piercy’s poetry is known for its highly personal, often angry, and very emotional character. Author’s Engagement with Culture and Society Audre Lorde â€Å"Hanging Fire† â€Å"Hanging Fire† reveals a young girl who is troubled by the changes her body is going through as well as self confidence issues. Her lack of guidance is continuously mentioned throughout the poem. Lorde expresses or explores racial and sexual oppression, urban neglect, and personal survival in many of her other writings as well as in â€Å"Hanging Fire. † Lorde grew up during the civil rights era where she experienced first hand racism and prejudice. She addressed subjects concerning the complexity surrounding her life as an African American and as a woman. Fixed in her resentment of the racism and sexism that marked the history of the United States, Lorde dedicated her work to her ancestors, to the love and support of women, and to African Americans. In conclusion, my analysis of the literary elements imagery, symbolism, and tone/mood in â€Å"Barbie Doll†, by Marge Piercy and, â€Å"Hanging Fire† by Audre Lorde reveals each character and their struggle with their identity in society. References http://www. americanpoems. com/poets/Marge-Piercy http://www. margepiercy. com/Piercy%20Website/sampling/Barbie_Doll. htm Poem http://www. poetryfoundation. org/bio/audre-lorde http://famouspoetsandpoems. com/poets/audre_lorde/poems/19831 Poem [->0] – .. /essay_search/Audre_Lorde. html [->1] – .. /essay_search/Audre_Lorde. html