A Contemporary Artist Essay

Laurie Anderson was born in Chicago in 1947. She is a conglomerate of talents – music, writing, fiction, philosophy, sculpture and film – in one human form. The Bernard College in New York and the Columbia University share the fame of being Laurie Anderson’s alma mater. Her piece of work has an artistic flavour and wins applaud for its central quality of mystery, melodrama and humor with contemporary theme. Laurie Anderson’s Theme Anderson’s goal was ‘dissolving barriers between people. ’ In one of her interview (2007) she said that all her work involves some kind of escapism, ‘imagining a body to be somewhere else. Music reminds you about your body, but it also takes you out of it. All art is a form of escape, but music is in particular. ’ Some of her renowned performances are United States (I-IV), Speed of the Darkness, Moby Dick: Songs and Poems, etc. Homeland – a Master Piece One of Laurie Anderson’s masterpieces ‘Homeland’ in the year 2007 held sway over her audience for its contemporary theme. It is a scintillating 100-minute performance in which she sings, speaks, plays violin and keyboard. Theme of Homeland The theme of Homeland ponders over the modern America, its withered freedom, its war on Iraq, and the issue of global warming. Laurie Anderson’s wit is revealed when she asks, â€Å"Was the constitution written in invisible ink? † Homeland portrays children being treated as crusaders of war – a clear message that their future is at stake. She touches on the country’s mislead path, bad rulers, and the civilians with troubled state of mind. Her song expresses that no real personal relationships are maintained. The consumer culture on the high is understood through her reference to underwear gods. Homeland is a magnificent song with the combination of sweet choruses, soft violin & cello duets, and the maestro Peter Scherer’s keyboards. Homeland is gloomy but it has wit in it. It is an expression of fear and disappointment but is full of heart and soul. Homeland is a true reflection of our troubled times. References L. Anderson, personal communication, 2007. Retrieved February 7, 2009 from http://www. pbs. org/art21/artists/index. html Retrieved February 7, 2009 from http://www. musicianguide. com/biographies/1608002294/Laurie-Anderson. html

Mad About Plaid

Castlebridge is at a cross-road – on one hand it has to reduce costs which will eventually lead to a loss in a numerous amount of local employees. Reputational risk is now an issue as well brand-image. Once a provider for the wealthy, the company is concerned that tags relaying Asian manufacturing countries will undermine the confidence of the purchaser who is looking for something authentically British. 2. Niall Ferguson Niall Ferguson takes the logical approach where the objective of any firm is to maximise profits. By not doing so, the firm will lose out to the competitors and will continue to face rising costs in keeping up with consumer preferences. Ferguson hols Fergus Harold accountable for being overly nationalistic and even rather ignorant to the status of British clothing made in Malaysia and its effect on a Japanese consumer. The main concern of backlash would be from local purchasers whose confidence may be undermined by the outsourcing of a classy British brand to a third world country. However, it is well pointed out that Mary Crane does not feel threatened by British media – supposedly she sees that production line workers are of the lower working class whereas buyers of Castlebridge's products of are of the wealthier class. Besides, Ferguson debates, trade unions have been subdued during Thatcher's time. It's true that no British manufacturing line can survive in their high cost market by maintaining production lines within the UK. Labour is just too expensive. As for brand image, maintaining the class, thus the quality, is more important than running the risk of a complete closure and a shutdown of business. I agree with Ferguson. Cutting down on costs is the method that Castlebridge should take in this instance. There is no need to maintain high costs and place burden upon shareholders of the company. However, this response leaves out the important factor of Castlebridge employees. They need to be accounted for, regardless of class – and there are ways of compensating them for their loss of jobs. 3. Dana Thomas Dana Thomas, in her response, is more concerned with the fashion industry than other issues inherent in this article. The changes of fashion statements over the years and the paradigm expansion from just targeting the wealthier class to exposing brands to the middle class speaks volumes about what Castlebridge would have to go through in order to maintain sales. There is too much emphasis on luxury brands that are authentically English, but surviving in the ever-changing world of fashion is impossible of Castlebridge continues to perspire over brand positioning and its nuances towards the upper class alone. However due to their new target market they also face the vulnerability in dealing with economic externalities such as economic down-turns. Thomas agrees with the outsourcing of production lines to Asia while maintaining design houses in the United Kingdom. In my opinion, this should be the correct strategy to take. At the end of the day, it is vital for a firm to maximise profits – this is how a business operates. Thomas' concerns lay essentially with stakeholders, as do mine, as she describes Britishness a euphemism of integrity and honesty – she also mentions â€Å"coming clean about strategies and objectives.† Furthermore, with ever-changing tastes in the fashion industry, it only makes sense for brand image to also alter, according to customer whims. Hanging on Britishness will hardly be a priority if profits begin to decline in the long run. 4. Dov Seidman So far, I agree most with Dov Seidman's approach in determining the elements of effective managerial changes. Though the underlying objective of the firm is to maximise profits, there are also qualitative aspects Mary Crane's proposed outsourcing move. Like Dana Thomas, Seidman suggests that the company plans effectively and honestly to maintain an amicable relationship with all relevant parties. Management's role is more than just figure-oriented; it also looks into the human aspect of a company, imposing beliefs of fiduciary relationships upon more than just their stakeholders. Reputational risks are at stake if Castlebridge blatantly sideline their local work force who has been diligently churning out classy British produce for the past 30 years. Therefore, it is mandatory for Castlebridge to execute their plan in a tactful manner, full compensating valued employees while demonstrating the utmost responsibility towards their stakeholders. With the fast-paced internet, more people will know of a horrendous blind sight as compared to a good deed that Castlebridge executes. Furthermore, his concern for the brand image of Britishness is also wayward. He believes there is not necessarily a sacrifice of the wealth image just by outsourcing a production line. Therefore, brand positioning as agreed upon by Thomas and Ferguson is the least of Castlebridge's concerns. In hindsight, ethics is a concern for Seidman. A company cannot survive in today's age without a conscience. He even cites the example of Mary donating Castlebridge's used factory to the local community – it may be viewed as a PR gimmick. Seidman's holistic management approach is the most recent approach seen as of now in this article. He balances out the profits as well as the people aspect of the firm. 5. Gill Corkindale Gill Corkindale concentrates on supporting Castlebridge's staff. She provides managerial steps in determining their well-being before, throughout and after the process of outsourcing. As with Seidman, she focuses on the human factor of this whole escapade – her major concern are the employees of Castlebridge. Though she agrees that Crane is the ultimate forward-looking CEO who thrives from the betterment of the company, she has to consider those who have serviced Castlebridge over the years of providing for wealthy shoppers. I agree with Corkindale to ultimately take steps to ensuring the welfare of future former employees. Again honesty and integrity surface here as well when dealing with staff anxiety and apprehension in such a massive managerial shift. However, Corkindale comments a lot about communication and â€Å"what to expect† from downsized employees. She does not suggest compensatory packages or any other means that Crane and her team should take to help ascertain a fair future for their employees. A simple example would be a motivating reference letter. 6. Commentary Firstly, Castlebridge's management has a fiduciary duty to cater towards the betterment of stakeholders – the ultimate goal: maximise profits by increasing revenue and reducing costs. All respondents agree that outsourcing production lines to cheaper waged countries is the logical step for the company to take. Secondly, a responsibility towards employees takes the humanitarian approach by Castlebridge. Sincerely caring for the welfare of retrenched workers is a laudable act – compensation schemes and references to new jobs is required to maintain Castlebridge's integrity in the market. Thirdly, brand positioning can be accommodated through marketing tactics. Not all companies are born to remain wealth-targeted companies. Change and eventual evolvement is part and parcel of any retail provider – especially when they rely heavily on consumers for sales. Brand identity can be repositioned / reinforced, whichever Castlebridge chooses to implement. Brand image should be the least of their priorities. 7. Conclusion Castlebridge owes their shareholders a fiduciary relationship where their interests are placed higher than those of other parties. Strategically if a the production lines have to be outsourced offshore, they should proceed with the outsourcing, exercising due care towards retrenched employees as well as the local community – this is to maintain Castlebridge's reputation as a British company that cares about the locals. Brand identity as well as customer perception can be emphasised through marketing tools that are inevitably available for companies today. It is imperative that Castlebridge remains a profit maximising corporation or else, any heritage or standard they pride themselves in, in the first place, will cease to exist if costs begin to run higher than revenue lines. However, with principles in mind, Castlebridge can also turn its focus on philanthropic causes to maintain a degree of dignity in mind. Not only is this vital for the company's image, it also acts as an effective marketing tool, and in the long-run shareholders too will benefit from the exposure the company seeks through charitable causes.   

Principles of the Enlightenment

Margarita Arnold HIS 112-100M Critical Essay #1 The three fundamental principles of the Enlightenment listed in the text of Traditions and Encounters are popular sovereignty, individual freedom, and political and legal equality. According to Gombrich, the author of the A Little History of the World, the three fundamental principles of the Enlightenment are tolerance, reason, and humanity. Traditions and Encounters describes popular sovereignty as a â€Å"contract between the rulers and the ruled† (623).The king or monarch is a representative of the people who has political rights, but the people hold their personal rights to life, liberty, and property. Individual freedom principle ties in to the personal right of liberty as a freedom of speech with no censorship. Political and legal equality states that everyone should be regarded as equals not matter what their profession is. Individuals should participate in creating laws and policy. If there is no general representative el ected, then the people would act as representatives.This is a  laissez faire thought- leave us be or let us do, although not mentioned in Traditions and Encounters as one of the fundamental principles. Laissez faire thought, meaning about the state of French commerce, did come after the Enlightenment, a little before the French revolution. Laissez faire encompasses the three fundamental principles in one thought: leave the people be. A Little History of the World states that tolerance, or common sense could unite all men and all beliefs â€Å"should be respected and tolerated† (214).Reason explained nature and paranormal things such as witchcraft. Gombrich proclaims that reason â€Å"is given in equal measure to all mankind the world over† (215). Human dignity prohibits a person to be publically humiliated. This meant that people could not be marked as criminals by branding or cutting of limbs. From Traditions and Encounters and A Little History of the World individu al freedom and tolerance could be compared as the same principle on the basis of tolerance could be regarded as the right to free speech and common sense that all people deserve.Gombrich pairs reason and tolerance in the same category, whereas they are quite different by reason meaning that things in nature could be explained by trial and error. Gombrich credits Frederick the Great as the bravest king to embrace the Enlightenment ideas because he wanted to make Prussia â€Å"a model state† (217). Gombrich’s assessment of Frederick the Great in A Little History of the World is accurately stated, because Frederick the Great did support the Enlightenment and made things easier for his people.He was still a king of course, and any tried to do what any king would: â€Å"to make Prussia the mightiest of all the German states† (217) The correlation between the Enlightenment and the revolutions are the ideas that the general population could have these rights of freedom , equality, popular sovereignty, and tolerance. Revolution comes after people realize that human rights are not administrated properly with great merits to John Locke, Voltaire, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, who were courageous enough to speak out in those turbulent times. The Enlightenment did not single handedly cause the French or American revolutions.The French revolution occurred because of unrests in the middle and lower classes, lack of funds due to Seven Years War and the overindulgent spending of the monarchs. The American leaders were also influenced by the Enlightenment, and fought against their oppressor- England. Equality, freedom of speech and of the press, and religious tolerance are all Enlightenment ideas that were assimilated into the core and the laws of America. In the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson wrote about the rights to â€Å"life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness†.These ideas resonate John Locke’s argument in where individuals are the governors and that â€Å"the governments derive their power and authority from ‘the consent of the governed’† as stated in Traditions and Encounters, 625. These Enlightenment beliefs led unswervingly to the American Revolution, in which the colonists gained control over their own futures and the future of America. The American Revolution was especially productive, because it led to the establishment of a government by the people and for the people.The French and American Revolutions proved to the world that monarchs and overlords could be dethroned and that the common man, through reason, could attain his freedom. Without these revolutions, Europe would be stuck in an archaic system of monarchs and the Catholic Church ruling through fear and oppression. The differences between the American and French revolutions are that the colonies were revolting against an overseas king, while the lower class French were revolting against their king. The American Revo lution revolted against England, while the French Revolution revolted gainst France, Prussia, Austria, Spain, Britain, and the Netherlands as stated in Traditions and Encounters, 629. The French Revolution and American Revolution were fought in different parts of the world, as well as continents. The French Revolution was by far bloodier with the use of the guillotine, but lacked self-government as described in Traditions and Encounters. Gombrich’s description of the French Revolution in and A Little History of the World is a very violent revolution, which started with a very amusing characterization of the royalty.The kings of France â€Å"were incompetent, and content merely to imitate their great predecessor’s outward show of power† through â€Å"pomp and magnificence† (220). The kings of France were the only ones that did not live in a reality of the Enlightenment. Through the National Assembly, â€Å"terror [was] spread among the enemies of Reasonâ €  (225) and executions of the royalty such as King Louis XVI, and Marie Antoinette prevailed. During the French Revolution, a new violent party emerged named the Jacobins.According to A Little History of the World, the Jacobins were â€Å"not only against the aristocrats: they were against anybody who disagreed with them, and anyone who crossed them lost his head† (224). One of the leaders of the Jacobins was Robespierre, a â€Å"stiff, sober and dry lawyer† (225) who always spoke about virtue. Robespierre was an insuppressible human being with a love for condemning people’s heads to the guillotine. Robespierre at first announced Christianity was an ancient superstition, then accepted God and declared himself as the priest of the Supreme Being.Traditions and Encounters compared to A Little History of the World Does not describe Robespierre the same way as Gombrich does. Robespierre is portrayed in Traditions and Encounters as a â€Å"popular radical† (629) who tried to eliminate Christianity and establish a cult of reason in place of Christianity with new calendar days and year. The Jacobins allowed some rights for women such as property rights, and divorce. It was not mentioned in A Little History of the World that Robespierre died by his favorite execution method: the guillotine.Robespierre was one of the leaders of the Jacobins, and he advanced the ideas of the Enlightenment through the Revolution. Robespierre advanced the Enlightenment through the reign of the Jacobins, and the use of the guillotine, sending people to their deaths who still believed in monarchy. After the French really saw what he had done, his reign of terror has gone too far, Robespierre was sent to guillotine by his own people that he liberated.

Health risks associated with plastic surgery Essay

Health risks associated with plastic surgery - Essay Example One expert physician skilled in plastic surgery offers the risks of rhinoplasty, which involves surgery to correct or restructure the nose. These risks include ongoing bleeding from the surgery site and â€Å"serious nasal blockages caused by swelling of the nose† (Essig, 2008, p.1). Many of these health risks are temporary, however they can have long-lasting repercussions on the patient at the emotional level if the procedure does not reproduce the aesthetic look they desired. From a physiological perspective, these health risks can include lifelong problems with nasal breathing caused by improper nose adjustment. Rhinoplasty is especially popular with youths, who generally tend to rely on their youth peers and advertisements for beauty when making decisions as to whether to explore this procedure. One critic of cosmetic surgery for youths offers, â€Å"look in the back of any teenage magazine and you will see pages of adverts for surgery offering to correct every imperfection, however slight or even imagined† (McCartney, 2007, p.10). The method by which these procedures are marketed to youths pose considerable health risks of many different varieties as these advertisements play on youths’ needs for looking beautiful and are willing to provide services without proper consultation or health risk assessment. â€Å"There are even examples of clinics across Europe offering to do cut-price multiple cosmetic procedures on special offer† (McCartney, 2007, p.10). In this case, cosmetic surgeons are using promotional materials to elicit offers for these procedures to youths who a re ill-equipped, at the emotional level, to understand the potential mental and physical risks. Even though these procedures may be carried out using state-of-the-art technology and superior process, the potential emotional damage caused to youths who are just now

The Emergence Of The Discipline Of Psychology From Its Early Essay

The Emergence Of The Discipline Of Psychology From Its Early Philosophical And Natural Science Beginnings - Essay Example He and his colleagues focused serious interest on studying the mind through experimental introspection. Introspection is the detailed mental self-examination of feelings and thoughts as they occurred. The research involved meticulous observation of simple events under controlled conditions-one that could be measured as to quality, intensity, or duration-and recording of the responses to variations of those events. The emphasis on control and measurement in these investigations were what first established psychology as a scientific discipline. Wundt initiated the concept of stating mental events in relation to objectively knowable and measurable stimuli and reactions. William James of the same era also followed the psychological method of introspection in The Principles, in which he defines as "the looking into our own minds and reporting what we there discover." However, J.B. Watson questioned the soundness of those approaches, reasoning that if one introspection yield a different result with another wouldn't necessarily mean that one set of results is correct and the other is incorrect. He argued that it was impossible to prove or disprove the results obtained by that method. He suggested that studies be confined to what can be measured and observed by more than one person. With that, Behaviorism was formed.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 51

Case Study Example A great deal of transparency has been created which has motivated the doctors to work harder. Felipe whose duties include marketing and contracting with managed care companies has also done well in his job. As a talented negotiator, he understands contracts and is good with people. He would be good at leading and managing employees since he has his master’s degree. With his engaging personality and involvement in community outreach, he has been able to improve the reputation of the center in the surrounding neighborhood. He is considered to have high integrity, as there has never been any hint of scandal associated with his name. He works many hours of time and is willing to give the time necessary to get something done. Amanda has a lot of experience since she has worked for the company for the last 10 years. She started as an office receptionist and worked her way up to the job of business office manager. She has that professional style and dresses well. She is able to motivate those around her since she is highly motivated to do a good job. She is well liked by her employees because she offers good coaching skills and gives credit for accomplishments. She rarely takes credit for herself and is able to instill confidence in those around her. Ambulatory Care Center, which is a medium-sized facility, needs to change in order for it to remain viable. The center used to serve a predominance of senior citizens who are a reflective of the immediate surrounding community. This is because in the neighborhood, more families are moving in as well as many young adults. The ethnicity of the neighborhood is changing with more families that originate from Hispania or of African to origin. The financial base that used to support the Center changed from payments that come from payments that come predominantly from payments that come predominantly from Medicare to a financial base that came from a combination of group insurance and cash patients. The Center

Auditing. The series of scandals caused a general crisis of confidence Essay

Auditing. The series of scandals caused a general crisis of confidence in the integrity of the entire system of corporate accoun - Essay Example Thereafter the author described financial scandals as those corporate scandals that involve misappropriation and misuse of money or economic resources. The chronicles of business history are filled with errors related to accounting, judgements, financial management and financial skulduggery. Over the last few decades unscrupulous entrepreneurs have been heavily involved in financial scandals where they allegedly diverted funds from one stated use to another, paid dividends out of borrowed money or capital, traded stocks on the basis of insider information as well as concealed vital information regarding those stocks, practiced creative account thereby altering the company’s records so on and so forth. Auditing failure has been a major concern over the last two decades with case of Enron and WorldCom coming into the limelight. According to Tackett, Wolf and Claypool (2004), a severe distortion in the financial statements that has not been reported in the audit report can be ter med as audit failure. Thus the auditor has committed a serious mistake while conducting the auditing process (Arens, 2002). Normally, auditing failure would not happen if an auditor is abide by the Generally Accepted Auditing Standards despite the fact whether the financial statement is accurate or fair. ... Thirdly, auditing failure occurs when the auditor is lured into committing such frauds by the company. Lastly, auditing failure might occur if the audit officer may commit fraud intentionally because of having some private relationship with the client beyond a certain level which is normally not expected in normal audit between independent parties. The following sections will highlight the integrity in the System of Corporate Accountability thereby commenting on the role of auditors and their effectiveness in the auditing process. The issues which undermine the credibility of audit reports will also be discussed. Thereafter, the changes that have been made in the auditing regulation will be explained followed by an explanation of the corporate governance framework that exists in Parmalat. Henceforth, the issues of audit reporting will be discussed and appropriate conclusions will be drawn. Integrity in the System of Corporate Accountability Corporate accountability is of utmost impor tance in debates around social issues, ethics and businesses (Brenkert, 2004). Accountability generally refers to the reliability and authenticity in the financial accounts reporting related to the financial status of any corporation. Integrity in the corporate accountability system should be maintained in order to reduce fraudulent activity within the financial reporting system. In the latter half of the twentieth century, the social and environmental issues were also brought under the financial accountability making them responsible for the environmental and social records. Linkage between the accountability and the integration of the Corporate Social Responsibility within the businesses helped to take the Business for Social responsibility to greater heights. It