Nike and “King Consumer” Free Essays

Popular culture, indeed, has always held athletes in high esteem, dating back to the days of the ancient Greeks and the first Olympiad events, thousands of years ago.   However, in recent decades, talented athletes in sports which had in the past been relegated to the upper class, such as tennis, are now embraced by the masses of all socioeconomic levels.   A case in point is the Russian tennis phenomenon Maria Sharapova. We will write a custom essay sample on Nike and â€Å"King Consumer† or any similar topic only for you Order Now    Admittedly, she is an excellent tennis player, but there are countless other talented tennis players who have not gotten even a fraction of the media attention as has Sharapova. Taking a closer look at this pop culture frenzy, the adoration that has been showered upon Sharapova and many other athletes comes down to how our culture has influenced advertising (USA Today); more specifically, one can clearly argue that Sharapova and others grabbed their biggest share of fame once they began to commercially promote products such as Nike brand clothing and shoes, showing the power of advertising to focus the love of the masses on someone based on an image seen in commercials, as well as the ways that culture has influenced product brands. The Rise of Consumerism As was alluded to in the introduction of this paper, the common denominator in the rise of athletes to god-like status in society, and the growth of companies like Nike into multi billion dollar marketing machines, can all be attributed to the masses, leading to academic studies of consumers in such frequency that terms like consumerism have been coined to identify the analysis of the behavior and power of the consumer to dictate how the business world ultimately operates, what it offers to the public, and how the future of consumer goods will unfold. Experts in the study of consumerism have attributed the rise of consumerism itself to the global spread of what can best be described as material desire; in other words, the economic freedom that many parts of the world have been exposed to for the first time over the last quarter century or so has bred a new generation of consumers, who have the desire to possess consumer goods and finally have the financial means to buy them (Sussman).   Especially desirable are the â€Å"brand name† goods which consumers view as a symbol of affluence; the Nike â€Å"swoosh† symbol, for instance, is something that people consider a sign of success when it appears on their shoes or clothing. This, in itself, speaks volumes about the extent of consumerism with the use of a simple, yet telling example.   Because of the availability of foreign made, inexpensive clothing and shoes, it would make sense that if one merely wanted to keep warm or protect their feet, they would buy the least expensive, yet functional merchandise they could obtain; however, more often than not, consumers will pay much more than they have to for clothing items because of the presence of a Nike symbol or any of a score of others which have universal appeal.   In fairness to Nike and others, they do make products of sufficient quality and functionality, but also in fairness, one can find goods of similar, or even superior quality at lower prices, â€Å"sans swoosh† if you will.   The difference, once again, is the power of consumerism to dictate what one should wear on their bodies to be considered worthy in society. Catering to King Consumer When looking at the role of the consumer, it can fairly be said that we are really looking at â€Å"king† or â€Å"queen†, as marketing efforts target, and effectively reach, both genders.   In the case of Nike, the understated in fact speaks volumes; for example, the previously mentioned Maria Sharapova is presented by Nike as â€Å"just a tennis player† (Nike-United States).   In this case, what is not said actually screams out to the consumer.   The implication on the part of Nike is clear- their products hold the potential to bring out greatness, or to satisfy the highest needs of the most talented athletes like Sharapova.   This speaks volumes not only about the power of advertising, but also a bit about our culture. Culture’s Influence on Advertising The all-powerful consumer also wields a great deal of influence in terms of how companies like Nike advertise their products.   Going back to an example similar to the one in the previous section, Nike, in investing multiple millions of dollars in advertising, could purchase quite literally a ton of advertising year-round, but will spend the same amount for one quick television advertisement during the Super Bowl. The reason why is that the consumer dictates that for Nike and others, Super Bowl advertising is a command performance, much like attendance at a family dinner party to maintain harmony with one’s siblings.   This is indicative of both the power of the consumer to direct marketing strategy, and the power of the media to create powerful companies quite literally overnight in some cases (Kellner).   In the words of our old friends at Nike, consumerism and culture are tied together as such: â€Å"In a commercial culture that blends celebrity, product, and image, it is only natural that the sports shoe transnational Nike – as well as many other corporations – would purchase   star power to promote its products. Accordingly, I argue that the Nike connection calls attention to the extent to which media culture is transforming sports into a spectacle that sells the values, products, celebrities, and institutions of the media and consumer society† (Kellner, p. 64) . Culture is also a powerful ingredient in the consumerism mix; when one takes a look at the styles of clothing and shoes that Nike offers, as well as their advertising, it is clear that urban culture is a strong influence, leading to farm kids in Iowa, for example, wearing Nike gear, even though the closest they may have ever come to city life is seeing graffiti on a tractor trailer rolling through their town, on the way to somewhere else.   The point to be made is that popular culture is a driving force in marketing today. Conclusion In an image-obsessed society such as ours, material goods can, and do, create legendary, larger than life individuals, who in turn sell billions of dollars in products, and the cycle continues.   As a conclusion, perhaps the old saying is the best: â€Å"consumer is king†! Works Cited Kellner, Douglas. Media Spectacle. New York: Routledge, 2003. (Nike-United States  Ã‚   2007)Nike-United States. 2007. Nike, Inc.. 5 Mar. 2007 http://www.nike.com. Sussman, Charlotte. â€Å"Consumerism in World History: The Global Transformation of Desire.† The Historian 66.1 (2004): 211+. â€Å"Tennis Royalty Crowned by Prince.† USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education) Nov. 2005: 78+.    How to cite Nike and â€Å"King Consumer†, Essay examples

Accounting Information for Business Long Range Planning

Question: Describe about the Accounting Information for Business: Long Range Planning? Answer: Introduction Kaplan and Norton (1996) introduced Balance Score Card as a performance measurement tool by the Managers (Kaplan and Norton, 2001). The strategy of every organization is to improve its performance in order to fulfill its objectives. The benefit of balance score card in New croft hospital trust has been studied (Kaplan and Norton, 2001). New croft hospital trust is a public sector hospital in North East England. It is run by Government fund by the Department of Health. The mission of the hospital is to improve the quality of care provided to the patients to promote the well being of the patients. This will ensure value for money for the patients as well as the tax payers who are regularly engaged in funding activity in the hospital. In order to improve the quality of service to the patients it is important to analyze the present performance of the organization and its employees (Kaplan, 2001). This can be achieved by using the balance score card approach. The benefit of this approach for New croft hospital has been discussed. Concept of Balance score card Balance score card can be defined strategic planning and management system applied in the business industry (Kaplan and Norton, 2006). It helps to align the business activities with the strategy and vision of the organization (Ahn, 2001). The Balance score card approach helps to improve the internal and external communication within the organization. It is used as a tool to monitor the performance of the organization against the strategic goals. The Balance score card approach was introduced by Robert Kaplan and David Norton (Niven, 2002). It is a performance measurement framework that adds non financial performance measures to the traditional financial metrics. It provides the manager a balanced view of the performance of the organization (Bhagwat and Sharma, 2007). The traditional financial measure is retained by the balanced score card approach. The financial measures are inadequate for evaluating the journey of the companies in the information age. The companies bear the responsi bility to create the future values via making investment decisions in the customers, suppliers, technology, process and innovation (Figge et al., 2002). The balance score card approach is used by the companies to clarify and update the strategy. The approach is used to communicate the strategy throughout the company. The individual goal of each unit of the organization is aligned with the strategy. The long term targets of the organization are linked with the annual budgets. The Balance score card approach is used as a tool to measure the periodic performance of the organization in order to improve the strategy. Benefits for Balance score card in New croft Hospital Trust Healthcare delivery and the Balance Scorecard New croft hospital recognized that the effective health care delivery involves patient-centred care of high quality which will be safe and based in evidence. There are unique challenges faced by the health care sector as it is considered as a complex industry (Stewart and Bestor, 2000). The challenges faced by the health care sector include extremely diverse range of stakeholders which includes the patient, their families, staff and range of other government departments. The resource available in the environment is finite with the rapidly rising costs. This has resulted in the increase in the cost of the medical technologies (Voelker, Rakich and French, 2001). There has been rapid growth in the health costs. It is important for the organization to implement Balance Score card approach to address the growing concerns in health care sector. The hospital is under the hands of innovative and skilled management team who can use the balanced score card approach as one of the key management strategies. It will help to address these major challenges (Protti, 2002). The outcome of the Balance Score card approach will be provision of patient care of high quality along with the improvement in the health of the community and its well being (Niven, 2008). The Balance Score card approach can be used for the purpose of strategic management at the level of the organization. It can also be used for the purpose of evaluation of various health care programs and projects that will improve the quality of care. Reasons for introduction of Balance Score card Both the developed and the developing countries have been using the Balance Score card approach to improve the performance of the health care sector. The excellent past performance provides no guarantee of the past performance of the health care organization. The health care sector can bring major structural changes in the independent operating units in order to integrate the health care system (Radnor and Lovell, 2003). The Balance Score card approach assists to build a unified system which is one of keys for the success of the organization. The best practices in the health care system has been identified which help to differentiate their services which help to attract more business (Marr and Adams, 2004). There has been considerable improvement in the collaboration and communication between all levels of the staff and the stakeholders. The Balance Score card approach provides a comprehensive view of the performance of the organization in order to fulfill its mission. New croft hosp ital will implement the Balanced Score card approach as a response to the external forces which includes the increasing financial pressure (Niven, 2002). This will motivate the management to search for relevant and effective tools of strategic management (Strategic control: meshing critical success factors with the balanced scorecard, 2002). But it was stated by Kollberg and Elg (2010), that the Balance Score card approach can be implemented by New croft hospital in order to improve the quality of health care in the organization(Nrreklit, 2003). The uncertainty towards reaching the goal will be reduced and enhance the focus on the consumers. This approach can be applied to monitor the outcomes and thereby improve the performance in order to ensure that the strategies and goals are achieved. Balance Score Card as non financial performance indicator The Balanced Score card approach can be applied by New croft hospital to measure the non financial performance of the organization (Banker, Potter and Srinivasan, 2000). Unlike the non health care sectors, the health care sector is a customer and people centric sector. People In the health care sector, all the efforts to achieve the balanced accountability for quality, cost and care depend on the attitude of the physician, behavior and belief. The attitudes of the nurses and other professionals are also accountable (Lipe and Salterio, 2000). There is huge difference of the health care sector from the other sectors which is visible in the autonomous culture of the physicians and the importance of the outcomes on a long term basis. Thus it is important for the health care sector to implement Balance Score card approach to analyze the attitude of the health care practitioners towards the patients. Thus human resources are critical for the implementation of the strategy (Norreklit, 2000). Customer In the health care sector, the focus is on the patient as the customer and their needs are served in order to achieve the mission. In this sector it is important to maintain a balance between the community and the patient. In health care sector it is not possible to segregate clients in the community and the service is targeted towards the entire community. The Balance Score card approach will help to identify the needs of the patients. It is difficult to balance life and most countries are struggling to reduce the health costs. The Balance Score card approach will make the customers i.e. the patients as the central aspect of the organizational strategy. There are certain indicator that is critical to measure the performance of the organization. The review data of the organization can be collected using this approach to identify the linkages between the indicators (Ittner, Larcker and Meyer, n.d.). Conclusion Thus it can be said that Balance Score card will bring positive growth in New core hospital. It will be a viable option for generating the business value. Many organizations face difficulty in implementing the Balance Score card approach. But New core hospital has to select the protocols on the basis of which the non financial performance of the company can be measured. It will improve the service of the organization towards the customers and add value to the organization. Critical Review of Balance Score card Article 1 Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (1993).Putting the Balanced Scorecard to Work. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/1993/09/putting-the-balanced-scorecard-to-work [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015]. The article reviews the impact of Balance Score card as a performance management tool on the organization. It is considered as an innovative strategy to measure the non financial performance of the organization. It helps to introduce breakthrough performances in the organization. The firms has been using short term financial indicators like the growth of sales, return on investment and operating income in order to evaluate the performance of the organization. These tools have been used for decades to review the financial performance of the company. The managers have failed to monitor and measure the new goals and incapable of undertaking new initiatives for the organization. But with the introduction of the Balance Score card approach, a comprehensive framework was introduced by organization which translated the strategic objectives of the company into coherent set of performance measures. It has helped to achieve the break through improvement in the organization in cases like develo pment of the market, customer relations and process development. The Balance Core card approach is based on four different perspectives. The traditional financial indicators are complemented by the four financial indicators. They are measurement of customers performance, internal process improvement, innovation and improvement of activities. The Balance Score card approach is keeps a balance between the external measures like the financial indicators and the internal measures which includes the product development. It serves as the focal point for the efforts of the organization, defining and prioritizing the main objectives to the managers. The Balance Score card approach is used as a focal point by the organization to measure its efforts. It is an important tool for evaluating the new projects. Article 2 Salem, M., Hasnan, D. and Osman, D. (2012). BALANCED SCORECARD: WEAKNESSES, STRENGTHS, and ITS ABILITY as PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM VERSUS OTHER PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 9(2), pp.1-8. The article presents an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of the Balance Score card method in the organization. The performance measurement tool has become imperative for the private and public sectors. It is imperative for the organizations to implement the Balance Score card method to measure the non financial performance of the organization. The article has tried to identify the pros and cons of Balance Score card method. The effectiveness of the Balance Score card method cannot be ignored. It aims at improving the performance of the organization. It is not possible for the organization to manage what it cannot measure. Lack of predictability has reduced the ability of the organization to measure future performance of the organization. In this respect the Balance Score card approach is beneficial for the growth of the organization. The Balance Score card approach is considered as a new and innovative approach in comparison to TQM, performance pyramid, MBO and BOS. But there are certain limitations to the Balance Score card approach. The relationship between the various areas of measurement is considered to be unidirectional and simple in nature. Lack of cause and effect relationship has resulted in assumptions that are invalid. The role of time has not been mentioned in this approach. The validity of BSC is based on few measures. If the measures are not suitable then it will create a disadvantageous situation and the right number of indicators might not be selected. This leads to inappropriate measurement of performance. The BSC is incapable to review the performance of the competitors which is essential to measure the performance of the organization. This is an ineffective approach to corporate sustainability. The sustainability issues are crucial for the success of the performance of the organization. However several management organization has felt the shortcoming of the various measures of BSC as it has been ineffective in improving the pe rformance of the organization. But in order to incorporate an innovative environment within the organization , it is important to incorporate the BSC as a non financial performance measurement tool for the growth of the organization as the improvement of the intangible assets acts as a cutting edge for the organization. References: Ahn, H. (2001). Applying the Balanced Scorecard Concept: An Experience Report. Long Range Planning, 34(4), pp.441-461. Banker, R., Potter, G. and Srinivasan, D. (2000). An Empirical Investigation of an Incentive Plan that Includes Nonfinancial Performance Measures. The Accounting Review, 75(1), pp.65-92. Bhagwat, R. and Sharma, M. (2007). Performance measurement of supply chain management: A balanced scorecard approach. Computers Industrial Engineering, 53(1), pp.43-62. Figge, F., Hahn, T., Schaltegger, S. and Wagner, M. (2002). The Sustainability Balanced Scorecard - linking sustainability management to business strategy. Bus. Strat. Env., 11(5), pp.269-284. Ittner, C., Larcker, D. and Meyer, M. (n.d.). Subjectivity and the Weighting of Performance Measures: Evidence from a Balanced Scorecard. SSRN Journal. Kaplan, R. (2001). The strategy-focused organization. [Concordville, Pa.]: Soundview Executive Book Summaries. Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (1993). Putting the Balanced Scorecard to Work. [online] Harvard Business Review. Available at: https://hbr.org/1993/09/putting-the-balanced-scorecard-to-work [Accessed 9 Mar. 2015]. Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2001). Transforming the Balanced Scorecard from Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part I. Accounting Horizons, 15(1), pp.87-104. Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2001). Transforming the Balanced Scorecard from Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part I. Accounting Horizons, 15(1), pp.87-104. Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2001). Transforming the Balanced Scorecard from Performance Measurement to Strategic Management: Part II. Accounting Horizons, 15(2), pp.147-160. Kaplan, R. and Norton, D. (2006). Alignment. Boston, Mass.: Harvard Business School Press. Lipe, M. and Salterio, S. (2000). The Balanced Scorecard: Judgmental Effects of Common and Unique Performance Measures. The Accounting Review, 75(3), pp.283-298. Marr, B. and Adams, C. (2004). The balanced scorecard and intangible assets: similar ideas, unaligned concepts. Measuring Business Excellence, 8(3), pp.18-27. Niven, P. (2002). Balanced scorecard step by step. New York: Wiley. Niven, P. (2002). Balanced scorecard step by step. New York: Wiley. Niven, P. (2008). Balanced scorecard step-by-step for government and nonprofit agencies. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley Sons. Norreklit, H. (2000). The balance on the balanced scorecard a critical analysis of some of its assumptions. Management Accounting Research, 11(1), pp.65-88. Nrreklit, H. (2003). The Balanced Scorecard: what is the score? A rhetorical analysis of the Balanced Scorecard. Accounting, Organizations and Society, 28(6), pp.591-619. Protti, D. (2002). A proposal to use a balanced scorecard to evaluate Information for Health: an information strategy for the modern NHS (19982005). Computers in Biology and Medicine, 32(3), pp.221-236. Radnor, Z. and Lovell, B. (2003). Success factors for implementation of the balanced scorecard in a NHS multi agency setting. International J Health Care QA, 16(2), pp.99-108. Salem, M., Hasnan, D. and Osman, D. (2012). BALANCED SCORECARD: WEAKNESSES, STRENGTHS, and ITS ABILITY as PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM VERSUS OTHER PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 9(2), pp.1-8. Stewart, L. and Bestor, W. (2000). Applying a Balanced Scorecard to Health Care Organizations. J. Corp. Acct. Fin., 11(3), pp.75-82. Strategic control: meshing critical success factors with the balanced scorecard. (2002). Long Range Planning, 35(4), p.347. Voelker, K., Rakich, J. and French, G. (2001). The Balanced Scorecard in Healthcare Organizations: A Performance Measurement and Strategic Planning Methodology. Hospital Topics, 79(3), pp.13-24.

How has Baz Luhrmann made Romeo and Juliet accessible and interesting for a young contemporary audience Essay Example

How has Baz Luhrmann made Romeo and Juliet accessible and interesting for a young contemporary audience? Essay Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy set in Verona in Elizabethan times. Two families, the Montagues and the Capulets, both noble households, continue their ancient feud, the play starting with a small skirmish in the town centre. However when some young Montagues gatecrash a Capulet party, dishonouring their enemy, Romeo meets Juliet, and the next day they secretly marry. Tybault, Juliets cousin, goes looking for Romeo, seeking revenge for the damaged pride Old Capulet had suffered, and when Romeo arrives on the scene, Tybault offers a duel to him, which fatefully ends in Mercutio, Romeos best friends, death. Romeo then continues to kill Tybault and is exiled to Mantua. By her fathers will, Juliet is bound to marrying Parris, a noble friend of the family. A plot is hatched to fake Juliets death and Romeo should carry her away to Mantua. However a mix up leaves Romeo in the dark, and as he arrives on the scene to find Juliet apparently dead, he poisons himself. In his dieing moment s, Juliet awakens, and she too commits suicide. In this story, fate and destiny play large parts, ending in an agreement between the two households to end their feud. In the script there is quite a lot of wordplay between the characters, for instance the first scene dialog about coals. Shakespeare also mixes use of prose, rhyme and iambic pentameter. For example when speaking about Rosaline, his love, Romeo uses a poetic rhyming verse, whereas in Act one Scene two Shakespeare uses rhyming couplets to show comedy, and also parodies the eloquent ornate prose used by people in the sixteenth century. Shakespeare would entertain his audience using different language and verse to show different moods whether it be comedy, romance or desperation. Baz Luhrmann, then a little known director, has taken this 16th century text and transformed it into a dazzling and accessible film aimed at the young, contemporary audience of today but how has he done this? He has used many different methods to achieve this, the biggest point is that now, Romeo and Juliet, a classic story, is set in contemporary America. Luhrmann has used many technical film methods, types of editing, sound tracks, length and angles of shots, and special effects. But he has also, short of rewriting the script, completely transformed the play, into this dazzling film. He has changed parts of the plot, cut out large portions of text and even swapped members of the households around. But the film is still exactly the same story, told in a different way, without any new dialog or text. He has stretched the limits Shakespeare had when writing the script, and taken them to new heights in creating this amazing film. We will write a custom essay sample on How has Baz Luhrmann made Romeo and Juliet accessible and interesting for a young contemporary audience? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How has Baz Luhrmann made Romeo and Juliet accessible and interesting for a young contemporary audience? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How has Baz Luhrmann made Romeo and Juliet accessible and interesting for a young contemporary audience? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, the theatre he had, was a stage, with smaller balcony above it. Shakespeare had to work around this, and you can see particularly in Act three Scene one where Mercutios body would clutter up the relatively small stage; Shakespeare instead kills him off stage, the balcony scene, where Romeo is below the window and balcony where Juliet is, and also in other places. These scenes could have been written differently for a bigger stage, as they were adapted for Baz Luhrmanns film, but that was the theatre Shakespeare had available. Luhrmann had quite a large budget for his film; the 20th Century Fox logos showing high production value. He used both high value studios and filmed out of doors, which is an expensive way of capturing a setting. However to partly balance this, the large cityscapes, gas station and other out door scenes were filmed in South America to push down the production cost. The city used is merely a generic cityscape, denoting the contemporary United States of America not any particular American city. Luhrmann has modernized the setting, but still in keeping with the text. For instance the gas station in the first scene replaces a communal town square. The gas station is a public place like the square and fighting would certainly not be allowed in either of them. Luhrmann has used a variety of different issues, relevant in todays society and intertwined them into the story of Romeo and Juliet, without changing any of the original text. He has mainly done this using visual images and diegetic sounds. For example there is a connection with drug use in Act one Scene one, where Mercutio gives Romeo a small tablet with a heart on. There is no mention of this from Shakespeare; it is merely an invention of Baz Luhrmann. Another example of using contemporary issues is the fact that all of the characters carry around guns. When Shakespeare wrote the play, guns had only just been invented and were unreliable, inaccurate and hard to get hold of, but most people would carry around swords. In Luhrmanns film, it would not of made sense to have such a contemporary scene with people walking around with swords. To get around this each of the guns has a model name, which reflects its mention is the text. For instance Benvolio uses a Sword 9mm Series and Capulet calls for his Long Sword, which is replaced by a large gun named Longsword. As the setting of the film is contemporary America, this issue is well handled, as there is a growing arms problem in America today. The reason Luhrmann has added these issues into the film is because of audience uses and gratifications. For instance, personal identity with the characters as an example Tybault as a rebel or Romeo as a lover, or personal identity with any of the range of issues like drug use, and guns. Another value is gaining an insight into the circumstances of others, or social empathy. If you automatically condemned anyone who used a gun, you may change your view seeing this film because for example, the Montagues use theirs in self-defence, and without their guns would be shot by their enemy. The guns issue is also related to the strong mafia connections in the film. The two families are shown as rival gangs, with both legitimate and illegitimate sides of business. There is a certain hierarchy to the families, for instance Old Capulet at the top with Tybault beneath him and Abra at the bottom. There is a similar hierarchy for the Montagues. The Montagues and Capulets own rival construction firms, and the mafia have always been associated with this, for instance the tale that if you cross the mafia you will find yourself cemented to the underside of a bridge. The two gangs are very different in style. For example in the first scene alone, the Montagues are shown as rowdy punks, unorganised but still deadly because of their unpredictability. The Capulets arrive in a suave navy car, and are dressed more formally. They move differently to the Montagues as well. With planned, stylish moves compared to the Montagues rushed, panicky ones. A good example of this is how the two gangs show their weapons in the first scene. The Montague boys frantically rip their shirts away showing their guns. The Capulets, Abra and Tybault slowly draw back their coats to reveal their weapons. Even the way the Capulets talk is very different to the Montagues. Tybault speaks slowly showing he is not scared and is calm and collected. It would seem the Capulets are more deadly with precision and organization. However, the unpredictability of the Montagues makes them just as dangerous. This juxtaposition is deliberate, because the split in the two families or gangs has to be very obvious to show the feud is serious. Servants are not commonplace in America today, so the servants of the houses are shown as simple gangs members at the bottom of the hierarchy. The nurse is portrayed as a South American woman, likely to have been hired to look after Juliet, as a servant, but the lines where Lady Capulet refers to her in this way, have been cut out. During the prologue mainly, Luhrmann creates a sense of narrative progression from the fast moving montage of images, even though they are not necessarily in chronological order in the script. He does this using editing, changing speeds of edits from one scene to the next, and also anchoring each image to a voice over. Also in the prologue, and throughout the film there is intertextuality. For example I think the still images in the prologue showing the Capulets and the Montagues along with a piece of text introducing them, relates to the television series Dallas. This shows early on, in case you havent already caught on, that the film is very contemporary. One other way of using of intertextuality is the use of different genres in the film. For instance the western genre is used extensively in the first scene. The whistling wind when Tybault speaks and the way his metal-heeled boots clink on the ground, as well as the squeaking petrol station sign, all have strong connotations of the western genre. Another genre used in the first scene is action. Explosions, guns and special effects all show this. There are also comedy aspects throughout the film. The two Montague boys other than Benvolio joke continuously throughout the film, and in the first scene, are almost slapstick in their movements. For instance one of them falls backwards into the car, and the way he handles the lady hitting him over the head with a handbag. There are several ways in which the director has added realism. Firstly he uses women actors. In Shakespeares time young boys whose voices had not broken played all women characters. Another way of increasing the realism in the film is the use of sound bridges. These are sounds that bridge two or more shots together. This happens in real life so increases realism. In Shakespeares time you heard what you saw all of the time. Luhrmann had a large enough budget to go on the search for some high value stars to act in his film. Leonardo Di Caprio, one of the top earning American actors, plays the main character. Though Claire Danes was unknown to the film world, this was her first big film, Luhrmann decided she fitted the act well and chose her over bigger stars. Big stars automatically bring audiences and so are an asset to the film, not only because of their greater acting skills, but also because of their previous track record and fans they will bring as audience. A lot of the props were created from scratch with incredible attention to detail. All of the guns are original designs by the props department, each bearing its own name and brand. The precision goes down to each gun even having an identifying serial number. Every single different coin and note in the films world was designed and created even though they were seen only a couple of times. This attention to detail is consistent throughout the film, which gives a good sense of reality. Shakespeare could not show weather on the stage, the theatre was open air and the weather did what it pleased. To get around this, the characters say what the weather is doing. For example Benvolio says in Act three lets retire: the day is hot. The changing weather in the film is a big part of the realism created. For instance the wind and the storm in Act three Scene one. Although the storm adds realism, it also builds with the story, as it gets more intense. Mercutios death brings high winds and the rain begins to fall when Romeo goes after Tybault and the storm reaches its climax, with thunder and lightning when Romeo shoots Tybault. As well as not being able to show weather, Shakespeare had no electricity or source of controllable light. As a result of this, most plays were performed in the daytime when it was light. Luhrmann has used different amounts of light in the film quite a lot. There are a lot of daytime scenes, which although filmed outside would need extra electric lighting as well for the cameras to pick up a good picture. Likewise the church scene in Act five with candles. The candles dont give off enough light for the cameras on their own, so the light was boosted using filler lights. These extra lights allow the director to have dark scenes like the balcony scene at night, without the viewer not being able to see the action. In the first scene of act one the shots start long as the mood is relaxed and fun, but towards the end of the scene as the tension rises to a climax the shots get closer and closer. For instance at the start of the scene there are long shots over the whole gas station for instance where Abra shouts Hubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble. However at the climax of the tension, there are extreme close up shots of Tybault and Benvolios eyes, staring each other down. This is one method Luhrmann has used to create tension. Another way he creates tension is by speeding up the editing. For instance in the prologue, it starts off with a long shot of the television slowly zooming in. By the end of the prologue the images are flashing past your eyes so quickly you barely have a chance to take them in. This is the unique selling point of the film. That there are so many intense images and fast moving scenes; it bombards you with a mass of sound and visual awe. Baz Luhrmann also uses visual imagery to enforce things already in the script, and he cuts out pieces of script to show the meaning visually instead. For instance instead of the joking and punning about the word coals in the very first scene, you have the Montague boys shouting and messing around in their car. This is because of the Elizabethan wordplay, which a contemporary audience would not find particularly funny. Again in the original script, Sampson and Gregory joke about raping the women of their rivals household. However in the film, there is only a short sequence where one of the Montague boys makes a gesture at a group of nuns. One other way Luhrmann uses imagery to enforce the script is where Tybault points his gun at a boy showing that Tybault is a rebel and lawless. This is shown again when he lights his cigar in front of the no smoking signs. This is meaning is connotated by his actions in the play but is not actually in the script. There are lots of other cuts in the script, partly to shorten the running time of the film, and partly because sixteenth century language is not easy to understand at full speed in large blocks. Most of the long speeches have been cut in length; the Queen Mab speech for instance is cut to only ten lines or so, from forty lines in Shakespeares script. In the original text, Romeo goes to the apothecary to buy some poison. Instead of this in the film, Romeo buys the vial of poison from an old man, the pool halls owners house. Romeo would not be able to buy it from an apothecary or chemist because it would be illegal for them to sell him poison. There is also no Friar John in the film. Instead friar Lawrence uses the mail service. This is a simple modernization of the script. Sycamore Grove in the original sixteenth century text was an orchard of sycamore trees. In the film, this grove is transformed into a run down beach funfair, with a derelict stage, a procenium arch, which turns out to be the stage for Mercutios death. Another scenery change is the entire concept of Verona. In the play it is a slightly high-class city in Italy. In the film however, Verona is Verona beach, a run down derelict holiday resort in west coast North America. Another major plot change is that Romeo does not kill Paris in the film. This is to do with making the film public friendly. Romeo is made out in the film to be the good guy, whereas in the script he is more neutral. Having Romeo murder an innocent man is supposed to show desperation. However in todays society, killing a man is a very serious crime and would not make Romeo a popular hero. Instead the director chose to have Romeo take a hostage, showing the same amount of desperation. The only person Romeo is shown to kill in the film is Tybault, who is portrayed as the evil character. Also Romeo killed Tybault in blind rage at Mercutios death, which partly justifies it, especially in the viewers eyes. In the film, Samson and Gregory are the Montague Boys, whereas in the original text, they are servants of the house of Capulet. Likewise Abra, Abraham in the script, and Balthasar, unnamed, are Capulets whereas in the script they are Montagues. This makes no difference to the plot, but the way Luhrmann has arranged it works excellently, without changing the plot at all. Abra is named what he is instead of Abraham in the film, because in America Abraham is recognised as a Jewish name, whereas Abra has the accent, and appearance of a South American man. Baz Luhrmann uses both diegetic and non-diegetic music in the film, to give a sense of the emotion of the scene. For instance the non-diegetic music in act two scene two where Romeo and Juliet are in the pool shows the romance, and the diegetic music in act one scene five from the female singer and piano again shows the romance. Another mood shown by diegetic music is in Act two scene one of the film, where The Montague boys are leaving the party. They are singing with the car stereo We are a pretty piece of flesh. This shows they are in an aggressive, intimidating mood. So these are some of the many ways in which Baz Luhrmann has turned William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet into a contemporary film.

Overview of the US Civil War Battle of Richmond

Overview of the US Civil War Battle of Richmond In 1862, Confederate Major General Kirby Smith ordered an offensive into Kentucky. The advance team was led by Brigadier General Patrick R. Cleburne who had his cavalry led by Colonel John S. Scott out front. On August 29th, the cavalry began a skirmish with Union troopers on the road to Richmond, Kentucky. By noon, the Union infantry and artillery had joined the fight, causing the Confederates to retreat to Big Hill. Pressing his advantage, Union Brigadier General Mahlon D. Manson sent a brigade to march towards Rogersville and the Confederates. Dates August 29-30, 1862 Location Richmond, Kentucky Key Individuals Involved Union: Major General William NelsonConfederate: Major General E. Kirby Smith Outcome Confederate Victory. 5,650 casualties of which 4,900 were Union soldiers. Overview of the Battle The day ended with a brief skirmish between the Union forces and Cleburne’s men. During the evening both Manson and Cleburne discussed the situation with their superior officers. Union Major General William Nelson ordered another brigade to attack. Confederate Major General Kirby Smith gave Cleburne the order to attack and promised reinforcements. In the early morning hours, Cleburne marched north, won against Union skirmishers, and approached the Union line near Zion Church. Over the course of the day, reinforcements arrived for both sides. After exchanging artillery fire, the troops attacked. The Confederates were able to push through the Union right, causing them to retreat to Rogersville. They tried to make a stand there. At this point, Smith and Nelson had taken command of their own armies. Nelson attempted to rally the troops, but the Union soldiers were routed. Nelson and some of his men were able to escape. However, by the end of the day, 4,000 Union soldiers were captured. More significantly, the way north was open for the Confederates to advance.

Efficient Market Hypothesis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Efficient Market Hypothesis - Assignment Example Among the foremost to apply digital computers to perform empirical research in the field of finance, Fama operationally defined the EMH by pointing structure on several information sets accessible to market players. The efficient-market hypothesis necessitates that the agents should expect rationally that on average the overall population is correct (although if no individual is) and each time new pertinent information comes out, the agents should update their anticipations appropriately. Moreover, agents are not needed to be rational. EMH permits that on facing novel information, some investors may under react while some, on the other hand may over react. But, they are necessitated by EMH to react in a random manner that follows standard normal distribution. So, the overall impact on market prices may not be constantly exploited to attain more than usual profit, particularly, while keeping into consideration the transaction costs (including spreads and commissions). Therefore, any i ndividual may be perceived to be incorrect regarding the market but, market, on the contrary, as a whole is considered to be always correct. Three levels of hypothesis The efficient market hypothesis can be commonly stated in three basic forms. These include weak-form, semi-strong form and strong form efficiency. Each of these provides distinct implications for the way market performs. Weak-Form Efficiency This form of EMH specifies that current prices of assets reflect past volume and price information. The information incorporated in the past series of a security’s prices is completely reflected in its present market price. It is called as weak because the market price is the most accessible information available to individuals and the utilization of technical analysis is forbidden by this form of EMH. Semi-Strong Form Efficiency This form submits that entire available information to the public is incorporated into the prices of asset. Thus the market price of that asset is a complete reflection of all information accessible to the public. This publicly known information includes the past prices as well as the data reported by the company in its financial statements, announcement along with economic and other factors. The Strong-Form Efficiency This form implies that along with the publicly available information, the insider or private information is also reflected in an asset’s market price. Thus, such a market restricts the inside organization members from gaining unusual returns. Thus, all forms of EMH restrict individuals from attaining unusual returns due to unavailability of information and inhibit the possibility of arbitrage or risk free profit (Fama, 1991). Firm’s pricing of debt and equity decisions and EMH The 2007-2012 financial disaster has contributed to renewed criticism and scrutiny of the efficient market hypothesis. It has been even dismissed as being an ineffective way to study the functioning of financial markets in reality by various economists and financial analysts. Critics have proposed that corporations and financial institutions have the

Summary and Insights on Selected Bible Passages Essay

Summary and Insights on Selected Bible Passages - Essay Example To begin with, the 2nd Book of Samuel is an account of significant events in David’s reign as King. In Chapter 5, he was proclaimed the anointed ruler by God. God hides when he conveys his messages to David. He uses Nathan, a prophet to be his messenger. Nathan relayed to David the messages of God sent in his dreams. One of the most significant events ever recorded in this Book is when God established his covenant with David by detailing His promises as follows:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"†¦I have cut you off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make your name great, like the names of the greatest men on earth. And I will provide a place for my people of Israel and will plant them so that they can have a home of their own and no longer be disturbed. The Lord declares to you that the Lord Himself will establish a house for you. When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom† (Holy Bible New International Version, 2 Sam 7: 9-12).   In other words, for winning God’s favor, David, as written in Chapter 7, received great fame, fortune and successes in all the endeavors he took including victories in all the battles he fought. At the onset, it was also disclosed that God requested David through Nathan to build a house of cedar for the Ark of the Covenant which was then housed in a tent.On Chapter 11, the dark side of King David was revealed.  

Different Perspectives for Risk Management

Different Perspectives for Risk Management 1 Purpose Risk this is defined as the combination of the probability of an event and its consequences. In all types of undertaking, there is the potential for events and consequences that constitute opportunities for benefit (upside) or threats to success (downside). Risk Management is increasingly recognised as being concerned with both positive and negative aspects of risk. Therefore this policy considers risk from both perspectives. Risk management is a central part of the B W Plant Hire and Sales Ltd strategic management. It is the process whereby we methodically address the risks attaching to their activities with the goal of achieving sustained benefit within each activity and across the portfolio of all activities. The focus of good risk management is the identification and treatment of these risks. Its objective is to add maximum sustainable value to all the activities of the organisation. It marshals the understanding of the potential upside and downside of all those factors which can affect the organisation. It increases the probability of success, and reduces both the probability of failure and the uncertainty of achieving our overall objectives. 2 Process The risks facing an organisation and its operations can result from factors both external and internal to the organisation. Risk identification is the process whereby B W Plant Hire and Sales Ltd sets out to identify its exposure to uncertainty. Risk identification is approached in a methodical way as part of the annual strategic review process to ensure that all significant activities within the organisation have been identified and all the risks flowing from these activities also defined. All associated volatility related to these activities is identified and categorised. Business activities and decisions are classified as: Strategic These concern the long-term strategic objectives of the organisation. They can be affected by such areas as capital availability, sovereign and political risks, legal and regulatory changes, reputation and changes in the physical environment. Operational These concern the day-today issues that the organisation is confronted with as it strives to deliver its strategic objectives. Financial These concern the effective management and control of the finances of the organisation and the effects of external factors such as availability of credit, foreign exchange rates, interest rate movement and other market exposures. Knowledge Based These concern the effective management and control of the knowledge resources, the production, protection and communication thereof. External factors might include the unauthorised use or abuse of intellectual property, area power failures, and competitive technology. Internal factors might be system malfunction or loss of key staff. Compliance These concern such issues as health safety, environmental, trade descriptions, consumer protection, data protection, employment practices and regulatory issues. As part of the annual strategic review each identified risk is described in a structured format is necessary to ensure a comprehensive risk identification, description and assessment process. Risk estimation is assessed as high, medium or low using the guidelines shown in the tables below. Risk identification Categorisation 1. Name of Risk 2. Impact of Risk Qualitative description of the events, their size, type number and dependencies 3. Quantification of Risk Probability and Significance 4. Potential Action for Improvement Recommendations to reduce risk Risk Consequences Threats and Opportunities High: Financial impact on the organisation is likely to exceed  £250,000 Significant impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Significant stakeholder concern Medium Financial impact on the organisation likely to be between  £150,000 and  £350,000 Moderate impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Moderate stakeholder concern Low Financial impact on the organisation likely to be less that  £150,000 Low impact on the organisations strategy or operational activities Low stakeholder concern