Monday, September 30, 2019

Ritu Kumar

ABOUT  RITU KUMAR Birth: November 11, 1944 Place of Birth: Amritsar, Punjab Label: Ritu, LABEL Introduction Ritu Kumar is the largest & most respected designer brand in India today. Since 1969 she has developed a unique style of her own, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. Her understanding of ancient designs and the innovative use of traditional crafts has created a new classicism. The company is renowned for its distinctive use of colors, quality of fabrics, intricate embroideries and a gloriously rich Indian aesthetic.An icon of the Indian Fashion industry and a frontrunner in establishing a position for India in the global forum,Ritu Kumar's contribution has been impeccable to the fashion fraternity, both nationally and internationally. With almost five decades of work for display, the designer excels in both traditional and western outfits, thoughethnic attires being her specialty. She was the first women to bring the boutiqu e culture to India, under the name†Ritu†. The gradual change in the fashion scenario has also lead to a change of designs for her brand.She haskept in sync with the varying times and has effectively brought creativity and innovativeness with eachcollection. Ritu holds the status of being a revivalist in the fashion scenario, which has successfully bridged thegap between conservative and conventional style. Company History Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’. Her work is constantly evolving within an aesthetic which is sophisticated both in the eastern and western sense, with ach of her collections making a contemporary statement in a fast changing modern India. The Brand Ritu Kumar has been retailing in Europe and India since 1970’s. The products include couture, formal pret accessories and a fashion forward sub brand called LABEL, Ritu Kumar. Currently Ritika Pvt. Lim ited operates two main production centers Gurgaon and Calcutta. Factories are equipped with in? house printing, tailoring, finishing and quality control facilities. It self runs and franchises retail outlets under the label RITU KUMAR.Ritu pioneering work in reviving master craftsmanship has earned her several accolades including the French Honor â€Å"chevalier des arts et des lettres† , a knighthood was awarded to her by French government in recognition of her contribution to Indian textile crafts and her interaction with French fashion world. She has also been graced with ‘Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini award’ for her achievements and contribution in the field of fashion. Mother Teresa, Birju Maharaj, Pt. Hari Prasad were previous recipients of this prestigious award. COSTUMES AND TEXTILE OF ROYAL INDIAIn October 1999 Christies of London published Ritu Kumar’s book â€Å"Costumes and Textiles of Royal India† a definitive chronicle of the history of India’s royal patronage to textile arts down the centuries starting with the historical context of Mohenjo Daro to the present era of vintage royalty. The book is an academic fashion history text which has become a key reference for its field in India. PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Ritu Kumar was born on 11th November 1944 in Amritsar, Punjab. A native of Delhi, Ritu graduated fromLady Irwin College in 1964 and did her higher education from Briarcliff College, NY, USA in 1966.Theace designer had a humble beginning in a small village, near Kolkata, in 1960, with hand block printers andtwo tablets to flaunt about. With the passage of years, fashion grew and so did her network. From being adesigner to an author, Ritu Kumar has been the master of the game. Her son Ashvin Kumar is director, whose has made films like Road to Ladakh (2002) and short filmLittle  Terrorist(2004), which was nominated for the2004Academy Award for Live Action Short Film,and in which she did the costume design. Ritu Kumar is the largest & most respected designer brand in India today.Since 1969 she has developed aunique style of her own, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. Her understanding of ancient designs and the innovative use of traditional crafts has created a new classicism. The company is renowned for its distinctive use of colors, quality of fabrics, intricate embroidies and a gloriously rich Indian aesthetic. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS: 1966 – Ritu’s first Boutique opened in Delhi at D3 Defence Colony Link Road, New Delhi. This was thefirst ever boutique in Delhi. 1968 As a celebration of 21 years of Ritu, THE TREE OF LIFE, as audio visual fashion tableau wasmounted, by invitation the Crafts Museum in New Delhi. 1970 – A fashion show; called â€Å"the Fashion Mood of the Seventies†. It was the very early attempt to bringsome professionalism into the ramp. 1972 – Fashion Parade by RITU’S BOUT IQUE at the Tollygunge Club, Calcutta. 1974 – RITU’S BOUTIQUE opens at Bombay. 1975 – She started a company called Kalamkari Designs Pvt. Ltd. jointly with her husband. Franchiseswere also started with Harrods London, Liberty, andLondon for brief periods. 1985 – The ZARDOZI COLLECTION of traditional wear was exhibited at the festival of India in the USA. Ritu’s boutique was by this time was renamed simply as- RITU. 1990 – Established RITU a shop within a shop at Paris, as an ongoing promotion of India 1994 – Ritu was approached by Femina Miss India to professionalize the wardrobes for the finalists of thecontestants. 1998 – â€Å"Lifetime Achievement Award† by the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Ritu wasappointed on the Board of Governors at NIFT. Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award† by the PHD-Chamber of Commerce. 2000 – â€Å"Lifetime achievement award† set by Kingfisher Group. 2002 †“ Launch of first sub brand – Ritu Kumar ‘Label’. 2004 – Selected as the President of FDCI board. Designer of the year 2004 by F Awards. 2006 – Bridal collection at the Lycra MTV Awards. ‘Glam Womenswear(India) Award by Tuscan VerveZoom Glan Awards. 2007 – Opened Ritu Kumar’s outlet in New York. 2008 – Awarded knighthood for contribution to Arts & Letters by the French government (Life Time Achievement Award).EARLY   BEGINNING †¢Concept development In the late 1960s India was going through profound changes; plastics had replaced mud, brass and silver;factory produced papers and woods took the place of sophisticated handicrafts and nylons displaced anancient heritage of cotton and silk. It was not only a battle between tradition and modernity; it was also aconfrontation of lifestyles and values. During this time, a small group who had benefited from unique opportunities of study and travel began tosee the depth of the craft and design heritage of their own country.They discovered that India was areservoir of delicate skills. In an attempt to merge their international experiences together with the skills of  their people, they became aware that contemporary designers must revitalize their own roots and identity. This was essential to take Indian creativity out into the world in such a way that benefited both craftsmenand the modern consumer. †¢Starting of the venture Ritu began with hand block printers and two tablets in a small village near Kolkata. Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under the brand name ‘Ritu’.Her work is constantly evolving within an aesthetic which is sophisticated both in the eastern and western sense, with each of her collections making a contemporary statement in a fast changing modern India. †¢ Capital contribution less than Rs. 10,000 (estimated figure) T  URNING   POINT †¢Snaps hots of struggle phase She initially faced many problems for her business as she was a woman entrepreneur, which was a rare phenomenon. Confronted with the challenges associated with trying to build a designer business in a country facing infrastructural woes.Uninterrupted power, superior quality, and advanced skills were not easily available in India during the time. †¢Promotional strategies 1. No commodity production in beginning due to lack of infrastructure. 2. Diversification rather than expansion. 3. Pioneered the term ‘fashion' in the Indian context. 4. Customer satisfaction. 5. Created an image of a reliable company. 6. Importance of hand-made products. 7. The mix and match of the Indian and western wear. JOURNEY  TO SUCCESS †¢Entrepreneurial traits 1. Determination: She was determined to build up Ritu Kumar’s Boutique. . Confidence: Started business in relatively new innovative field. Her confidence was commendable when comparing with the challenges that she has faced. 3. Motivation: Employee feedbacks. Performance checks. Work place principles. 4. Risk Taker  : Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the ‘boutique’ culture in India under  the brand name ‘Ritu’. 5. Innovative: She was the one who put forth the importance of hand-made products as it can be as cost-effective as machine-made clothes and even more gorgeous than those. †¢Principles and policy of enterprisePut forth the importance of hand-made products as it can be as cost-effective as machine-made clothes andeven more gorgeous than those. Ritu Kumar with her team of committed designers has come a long way. She has worked mainly on cotton, silk and leather and produced some of the country's most magnificentgarments. Ritu Kumar's specialty is traditional Indian clothes, which highlights on the textile andembroidery heritage of India. But the mix and match of the Indian and western wear also holds a primeposition in her work.C   ONTRIBUTION †¢Ethics and corporate social responsibility By putting forth the idea of hand made products she has employed many people, especially the women andthe lower segments, mostly in villages. She had also tried to keep the Indian values and ethics high, whichcan be seen throughout her work. â€Å"Ritu has pioneered the term ‘fashion' in the Indian context, and more importantly  has demonstrated that hand made products can be as profitable and even moreglamorous than those made by the machine.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Talk Show Script

Twenty-five years I'm alive here still Trying to get up that great big hill of hope For a destination I realized quickly when I knew I should That the world was made up of this brotherhood of man For whatever that means And so I cry sometimes When I'm lying in bed Just to get it all out What's in my head And I, I am feeling a little peculiar. And so I wake in the morning And I step outside And I take a deep breath and I get real high And I scream from the top of my lungs What's going on? And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yeaI said hey, what's going on? And I say: HEY! yeah yeaaah, HEY yeah yea I said hey, what's going on? ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh and I try, oh my god do I try I try all the time, in this institution And I pray, oh my god do I pray I pray all sanctity For a revolution. And so I cry sometimes When I'm lying bed Just to get it all out What's in my head And I, I am feeling a little peculiar And so I wake in the morning And I step outside A nd I take a deep breath and I get real high And I scream from the top of my lungs What's going on?And I say, hey hey hey hey I said hey, what's going on? And I say, hey hey hey hey I said hey, what's going on? And I say, hey hey hey hey I said hey, what's going on? And I say, hey hey hey hey I said hey, what's going on? ooh, ooh ooooooooooooooooh ooooooooooooooooh Twenty-five years I'm alive here still Trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination source:Â  http://www. lyricsondemand. com/onehitwonders/whatsuplyrics. html Stanza 1 Paraphrae of the poem The guy looked so innocent and sincere, so his betrayal was most nexpected as she thought his quiet eyes were signs of love. She sympathised with him as he seemed like he was longing for love and companionship. Stanza 2 She regrets that she had not listened to the advice to be wary of man who like to flirt and who only look for pleasure. She should not have compromised on her principles as well. If she had been more careful, she would not be wondering about his betrayal, how and why it happened as well as how and why she let it happen to her.Stanza 3 Here is an advice to young girls out there. Make sure that being nice to another person means to be pleasant, friendly and kind. One need not be intimate with someone else in order to be considered a nice person. Take heed of this advice and one will not be taken advantage of, although one may fall in love more than once. Elements of the poem Theme The main theme of the poem is the exploration of human feelings through the sharing of the experiences.The pesona has gone through a bad experience of being betrayed in love and her experience is being related by the author. At the same time, the author is also giving advice on how to avoid getting into the same predicament as the pesona. Another theme in the poem is the betrayal of a young girl’s love. She had believed that the man was sincere as he was able to fool her with his ‘quiet eyes ’. As a result, she gave her love wholeheartedly to him, only to find out later that he had ulterior motives.Deception is also a theme in the poem. The man had deceptive eyes, but the girl was so infatuated with him that she did not realize his hidden agendas. The man was only interested in getting into bed with her and nothing else. The poem also revolves around the theme of meaningful relationships. The author advises young women to be careful when starting a relationship. They should make sure that the relationship is based on true love and not merely physical attraction.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Research Paper

What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Waldorf schools pose - Research Paper Example What challenges do the educational philosophies of Paulo Freire and Waldorf schools pose? The Waldorf schools on the other hand rely on the educational philosophy which was developed by Steiner Rudolph. The educational philosophy of the Waldorf schools is mainly based on the belief that various developmental stages in children are the best when it comes to children learning different things. This is so because it is believed that children can only learn different things in life when their physical, spiritual and intellectual capabilities are in terms with the kind of information presented to them (Petrash, 2002). The essay below seeks to address the challenges posed by the educational philosophies of the Waldorf schools and Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of state and local school districts. The testing requirements in the state and local district schools have received challenges in various ways by the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire. Most of the state and local district schools have a tendency of not giving their students a voice of their own. Therefore i f, the Paulo philosophy is incorporated in the local and state district schools, then the students will tend to be more demanding. In such cases when students are more demanding, the relationship between the students and the teachers becomes mayhem (Freire, 2000). Once the teacher-student relationship becomes chaotic, then the testing requirements of the schools are negatively affected. The students may feel oppressed by the teachers when the teachers fail to meet their demands, and this makes them be violent. Another challenge posed by the educational philosophy by Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of the local and state district schools is when the students accuse teachers of being irresponsible and disobliging in the sense that they fail to listen to the opinions brought about by the students. Such situation demoralizes the students to the extent of them not performing well in their school work (Irwin, 2012). Since most of the local and state district schools have a tenden cy of allowing their teachers to provide students with knowledge, the educational philosophy by Paulo Freire may be a challenge to the testing requirements of the schools. The educational philosophy by Paulo Freire advocates that teachers and students should interact equally in the acquisition of knowledge so that students may learn to have a voice in the oppressive society. It becomes a challenge because once students are used to being fed with knowledge by their teachers, it is quite difficult for them to interact with the teachers and give out their opinion on what they are taught (Dewey, 2009). Students in most of the district schools do not know how to interpret the knowledge they learn in school in the real world. In most occasions, these students tend to memorize what their teachers feed them with and fail to know what the knowledge they have been fed with really means in the real world. This becomes a significant challenge to the testing requirements of the local and state d istrict schools. For this case, the students continue being the oppressed, and that they lack to obtain the powers of speaking for themselves (Freire, 2000). Another challenge that is posed by the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire to the testing requirements of the district schools is the fact that teachers in these schools tend to fear engaging with students in

Friday, September 27, 2019

Managment Accounting Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Managment Accounting - Essay Example However, under ABC, the product ABW generates a loss. In total, the ABC method results into a higher total profit for all the products as compared to the traditional costing method (389,000 > 388,750). Under ABC method, the per unit cost of product XYI = 39.25, YZT = 92.025, ABW = 73.583. On the other hand, under traditional costing method, the costs per unit of the same product are XYI = 40.175, YZT = 92.475 and ABW = 71.45. From the data, it is clear that the per unit cost of products XYI and YZT under ABC method is less compared to the costs under the traditional costing method. The only exception to this fact is product ABW whose cost per unit under ABC method is higher than that under the traditional method. First, to establish a better platform for arguing the above statement, it is important to understand some basic knowledge in the costing process. Cost allocation is a concept that refers to the determination of the expenses incurred to offer a service. Costs can be allocated as direct, indirect and incremental costs. In the production process, manufacturers should be able to determine what costs fall under direct, indirect and incremental, in order to facilitate the ascertainment of cost of production. Activity based Costing is a concept that refers to the ascertainment of various activities involved in the production of goods and services. Thereafter, the overhead costs are allocated to each activity and then assigned to the products and services (Pound 2010, pp. 45-90). Traditional costing on the other hand, allocates overhead costs using predetermined rate. That is, there is no allocation of costs on activities prior to the products and services. According to Vercio and Shoemaker (2007, par 1-18), the most accurate method of cost allocation is Activity-Based. Unlike traditional costing method, Activity Based Costing recognizes the fact that, during a production process, not all costs are

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Article Presentation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Article Presentation - Assignment Example In addition, they should establish the ability to implement EBP in the day-to-day operations of a mental institution. The study focuses on the integration of the most effective measures available in current research. The methodology employs research evidence that is backed by clinical expertise and patient values in order to facilitate the clinical decision making process. The study is based on the ideologies that customs, norms, expert opinions and established rituals are no longer acceptable practices in the decision making process. Instead, there is a need for a deliberate process that takes the values and preferences of patients into account. The article argues that, this perception demonstrates that EBP is a clinical strategy that can aid problem solving. Consequently, emphasis is placed on identifying the best research evidence and integrating it in the decision making process. The process will ensure that clinicians are providing the best care that fulfills the needs of their patients. Increasing interest in mental health issues has prompted researchers to increase the body of knowledge available on the topic. As a result, mental health nurses can refer to a growing EBP base. However, many researches are done in a controlled environment. Consequently, effectiveness may be inappropriate in a real world setting where there are limitations such as limited organizational resources, workforce issues, lack of sufficient staff education and training. Many psychiatric mental health (PMH) issues have not been addressed. The failure to research or define them can be attributed to ethical issues. In this instance, the best recourse for mental health professionals is to hold discussions on the recommended intervention measures. They should also highlight the potential risks and benefits involved. In addition, they should study the available alternatives before settling on one course of action. In spite of the increasing application of

Racial issues among black & latino boys in school Research Paper

Racial issues among black & latino boys in school - Research Paper Example This is a fundamental variation, since concentrated poverty is related to mediocre educational performance. Poverty at the school level is linked to several factors that impact the overall chance of a school at effectively educating its students, incorporating parent educational backgrounds, accessibility of advanced lessons, educators with specializations in the subject they are handling, fluctuation in enrollment, dropouts, remedied health dilemmas, lower college admission rates and several other critical factors. The large project of compensatory schooling initiated by the nation has had considerable predicaments in achieving improvements and benefits in schools wherein poverty is greatly felt and concentrated. Once school districts go back to vicinity schools, students of white racial background have a tendency to sit beside students from the middle class group but African-American and Latino students are expected to sit beside students from the low class or impoverished group (F ife, 1992). Hence, while discourse over the accurate effect of desegregation persists, it is unquestionable that African-American and Latino students in racially assimilated educational institutions are commonly in schools wherein there are higher levels of standard academic performance than are those in segregated schools. Desegregation does not guarantee that students of non-white racial backgrounds will acquire better opportunities in those educational institutions that rely on how the racially integrated school is managed but it does normally place marginalized students in schools wherein there are better opportunities as well as better equipped and trained peer groups. In a period within which compulsory state examinations for graduation are being implemented, college admissions requirements are getting higher, remedial classes in college are reduced and positive action has previously been eliminated in our two biggest states, the

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The Fixer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Fixer - Essay Example This article will examine each of the actions taken by Alex Polizzi in different scenes that she visited. It has two seasons, each having six episodes. Season 1 Episode 1 In this episode, Alex Polizzi, an entrepreneur from the Courtyard Bridalwear, single handedly starts a campaign aimed at saving struggling families in the face of the prevailing tricky financial situations. Her first mission was on a Kettering based bridalwear business located in North Hamptonshire. A mother and her two daughters who are engaged in squabbles apparently run this business. Although, the business owner, Anne Preece has decided to remortgage her house to ensure that the business remains succeeds, a decline in profits is still evident. Besides, the business is obsolete, overstocked and seemingly weary. Furthermore, the frequent arguments by the daughters only help to worsen the situation. In order to save this situation, Alex must employ strategic business ideas in his endeavors to make the women reconsi der their feelings towards each other in the hope of turning the fortunes of the business. Apparently, conflicts form part of family businesses meaning that business managers must find appropriate strategies for dealing with them. Alex Polizzi indicates that an amicable relationship between the mother and her two daughters needs the development of formal management structures that would integrate standard practices and policies for managing their business. This would ensure that each person in the business has her duties and roles discretely defined. As a result, it would be simple to avoid cases of conflicts mainly caused by overlap of duties. Season 1 Episode 2 In this episode, Alex Polizzi focuses her attention to a family bakery owned by the Eades in Padstow Cornwall. This business enterprise is at the receiving end of low tourists visitations and holyday makers due to the winter situations that seem to affect business activities, as well as proceeds. Although, the business is o wned as a family, Elaine makes all the decisions of the business without the regard of her children, Luisa and Greg, who are both directors of the business. Subsequently, the business massively suffers from constant recriminations and arguments that slow its progression. It takes the intervention of Alex to instill business ideologies to Elaine’s husband and give him direction of running a business. Alex vehemently states that decision making at all levels should be an involving affair that requires participation of important stakeholders. This supposes that the mother and all her daughters must take part in the decision-making agenda. This would ensure that the decisions that are reached upon are all encompassing. An additional way of resolving such issues and ensuring that the business remains on course is ensuring that the members of the family who are involved in executing operations of the business are entitled to standard salaries. This will help minimize the rivalry in families when issues that pertain to finances arise. Season 1 Episode 3 In this episode, Alex Polizzi’s expertise comes in handy when she is called upon to help a furniture business located in Yeadon, West Yorkshire. Although the business has been in existence for more than three decades, it is now losing its customers at a very fast rate owing to its obsolete state. The Kettley’s Furniture Business also experiences communication breakdowns from its owners, John and

Monday, September 23, 2019

Holocaust Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Holocaust - Essay Example Despite popular opinion, the Holocaust didn’t occur because the German people fell into a hypnotic trance of some sort and suddenly felt obligated to kill innocents simply from hearing Hitler’s charismatic speeches. Most German citizens did not know of the Concentration Camps, including the residents of the cities where these camps of death were located. The executions were performed by the German military with SS troops, paramilitary police unit, in charge of the operations. Both the unknowing German citizens and the most fanatical of Nazi’s did have something in common however, a nationalistic idealism which was the underlying motive for the annihilation of the Jewish race. This common idealism was derived from the result of a long developing German cultural connection via the ideology of Volkism, with beginnings from the previous century. This paper will show evidence that Nazi foreign policy ambition before 1939 extended not only to regional military invasions but to total racial, ideological and cultural dominion on a global scale. It will look at the Aryan Nazi aspiration to be the world’s main power in terms of obtaining territory beyond simply Europe and Russia. No greater illustration is the Nazis plans to eventually invade the U.S. Additionally the paper will examine the significance of eliminating the Jewish race so that the Aryan race could govern the world and the Nazi’s association with art, the symbolic meaning behind controlling the world’s works of art so they could control the world’s combined culture. The Nazi state did not focus on production or preserving Germany’s economic condition but instead on its ability to prey upon other societies. Guided by authoritarian and racist political theories, the Nazis rapidly eliminated basic freedoms in an effort to construct a ‘Volk’ community. A ‘volkish’ community, according to Nazi ideals, united all regions of Germany and social

Sunday, September 22, 2019

PreCalc PARAMETRIC PROJECT Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PreCalc PARAMETRIC PROJECT - Essay Example hand, each of the hyperbolas of parametric curves (5), (6), and (7) consists of two regions that reflect each other’s opposite courses of motion (clockwise and counter-clockwise). Apparently, a parametric motion is governed by equations where a third variable ‘t’, known as the parameter, is introduced. One discovers and comprehends that, in dealing with problems involving parametric motion, the concept of working with parametric equations is quite impressive in the sense that these equations are plotted as a single graph designed to illustrate movement along the ‘x’ and movement along the ‘y’ (Dawkins). To this extent, there emerges clearer understanding of the motion of a point particle as it occurs in two dimensions simultaneously. No wonder parametric motion has been applied widely in kinematics or in other similar fields that require the scheme of observing point particles in terms of their displacements, velocities, and elapsed time (t) of travel. As such, a typical kinematic problem is parametrically characterized by a projectile whose parabolic (or semi-elliptical) trajectory depicts the object’s velocity a nd displacement (on 2-D xy-plane) as a function of

Saturday, September 21, 2019

A Spectrum Through Time Essay Example for Free

A Spectrum Through Time Essay Museum of the Moving Image is the countrys only museum dedicated to the art, history, technique, and technology of the moving image in all its forms. It is one-of-a-kind destination for audiences of all ages and interests, from connoisseurs of classic cinema to children and families to avid gamers. The Museum is located the state of New York in Astoria Queens and has a collection of approximately 130,000 artifacts relating to the art, history and technology of the moving image. The collection is the largest and most extensive in the United States, and is considered one of the most important collections of its kind in the world. Soon as one steps into the building the whiteness of the interior decor makes us wonder what is behind the walls. The museum embracing a wide range of subjects, including artifacts from all stages of film creation from nineteenth century optical toys to the latest in digital art and explores every phase of the production, promotion, and exhibition of moving images. Artifacts include costumes, fan magazines, games, design materials, licensed merchandise, and technical apparatus, still photographs, marketing materials for all kinds, video and computer games, and movie furnishings. It offers an engaging, highly interactive core exhibition, discussions with leading figures in film and television, programs of contemporary and classic films from around the world, a unique collection, stimulating changing exhibitions, inspiring educational programs for learners of all ages, and groundbreaking online projects. After everyone arrived of our ENG101 class, we got divided into small groups. My group started its 90 minutes tour on the third floor where we visited the primitive projectors and experienced the process of creating a moving image. Viktor, who was guiding our group, explained that any moving image is just an illusion. To create a moving image we need two preconditions. We must have speed and a split second of rest which is a moment of rest is given to the eye. Viktor also pointed out that the moment of rest could be achieved in several different ways. The first three we had looked at was the Phenakistoscope, Praxinoscope and the Thaumatrope. Viktor demonstrated all three methods which was fascinating. These popular devices were inspired in the nineteenth century by Peter Mark Roget’s theory of visual persistence, which held that our eyes retain an image for a fraction of a second, ermitting a series of still images to become â€Å"fused† as a moving image. Another way to break down movements into a series of still pictures is a so called â€Å"video flipbook†. A flipbook is the simplest way of making a sequence of still pictures appears to move. The intervals of darkness necessary for the illusion of motion are provided by the turn, or flip of each page. The nineteenth-century photographic experiments of Eadweard Muybridge and Etienne-Jules Marey broke down the movements of animals into a series of still pictures. When displayed in rapid succession, these pictures appear to be moving, recreating the original motion that the images document. Moving further in the exhibition, we looked at Brooklyn-based artist Gregory Barsamian’s kinetic sculptures animate three-dimensional objects in real time. He called it †Feral Fount† which is a physical representation of a dream he had in which drops of water from his kitchen faucet transformed into a bomb, and then a paper airplane before crashing into his dishpan. The artwork is a stroboscopic zoetrope made up of series of ninety-seven small sculptures, each slightly different from the preceding one. These sculptures function in the same way as the individual drawings in the frames of an animated film. The sculptures are mounted on a rotating armature. A strobe light flashes thirteen times per second, illuminating the sculptures. Because there are intervals of darkness between the flashes, we do not see a blur as the sculptures spin by, but perceive a â€Å"moving image†. The illusion of motion is convincing, although the flash rate of thirteen per second is slow enough for the eye to detect some flicker. Thirteen â€Å"frames† per second is just at the boundary between where we can and cannot detect individual images. There were so many more mind absorbing artifacts like the Three-Strip Technicolor Camera and Special Effects just to name a few. After Viktor described how all of these cameras worked in the past and how special effects were utilized even in today movies we continued our little tour to the second floor. We spent half as much time on the second floor, but none the less it was all so engaging as well. Gaining insight to all the subjects the movie makers implement to make a final project is quite fascinating. Visiting the Museum of Moving Image helped us understand what it takes to make a movie from start to finish, and comprehend the difficulties of every aspect of the movie and throughout its process. To view it all on a â€Å"canvas† white walls, truly makes the Moving Image Museum a spectrum through time.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Using Theatre To Promote Social Change Theatre Essay

Using Theatre To Promote Social Change Theatre Essay Theatre can makes concepts coherent and real for people. It involves its audience both intellectually and emotionally, it sensitizes audiences to issues, ideas and people portrayed, and it engenders a personal connection with the events and characters on stage. Community-based theatre goes a step further; when a play is directly relevant to audience members lives and concerns, a process begins which can lead to deeper understanding and change. Audience members recognize the characters and their dilemmas and identify with the people portrayed. And because they can watch rather than live the experience, they also objectify the problems, and in so doing begin to be able to think critically about possible solutions or alternate actions and so have the ability to change. In this essay I will examine the need for social change as well as the impact of theatre on the society. I will explore the uses of theatre as an instrument of change as well as focusing on Boals theatre as his methods were used as a tool for change. What is social change and why it is needed? One of the most concise definitions of social change is characterised as the significant alteration of social structure and cultural patterns through time(Harper, 1993). And this social structure is made up of a persistent network of social relationships(Harper, 1993). In which interaction between people or groups has become repetitive. The resultant changes can affect everything from population to the economy, as industrialisation and shifting cultural norms and values, are also established agents of social change (Popenoe, 1995). In another words social change is the transformation of culture and social structure over time. There are various causes of social change. One of these causes is Culture which is a system that constantly loses and gains components. Also values, beliefs, and ideologies have certainly shaped directions of social change in the modern world, such as Nationalism, Capitalism and others. Change can be occur through the impact of environmental factors such as famine, International shifts in economic or political advantage, as the Globalisation which is one of the key factors in our modern society affecting the global economy, political structures, culture, etc. Change can also occur from social movement where people join together for a common cause or The mass media which considered a vital factor in speeding social change. It permits rapid diffusion of ideas, making this manifest in the private and relaxing environs of the home, where audiences are at their most susceptible. From all the above, social change can occur because of lots of reasons that mean there is always a demand for change, whether by individuals or through a larger forces which leads the community in some cases to a comprehensive change. Theatre is considering a mean to reflect people lives and re-create it for a deeper insight, it might be a tool to understand the real problems of society and contribute in finding solution for them as continues attempt for change. Theatre and societies Theatre arose in the ancient Egyptians era before 4500 years ago and in Greece before 2400 years ago on the basis that it is an education intermediate, Aristotle argues that the purpose of tragedy is purification while the purpose of comedy is social criticism (Aristotle, 1987), this what lead me to believe that the theatre in the beginning was closely connected with the concept of social change as we understand it today. Thus become the development of theatre throughout the history of the European Communities which was linked to their need for change, The history of theatre in Europe was and still in a clear continues progress, on the contrary, in many other cultures for example in the history of the ancient Egyptian Theatre, who did not continue its progress. Taking the example from history of Europe theatre does not negate the evolution of theatre in other societies such as China, India and some regions of Latin America. Back to linking the concept of theatre to social change in E urope, we find it represented in several periods which I will focus on some of them. The association with the Christian religion with politics and power in the first third of the fourth century theatre art has been eliminated temporarily as theatre artists was persecuted and considered to be heretics and enemies of religion but After a period of time theatre was revived again by the church itself, which used the theatre as a new way to celebrate and spread the message the religions and to promote to it. Thus, over the middle Ages the Church had to take a reconciled position with the theatrical art, perhaps this was a recognition of the clergy at that time of the role that could be played by theatre as a good and appropriate way to achieve the communication between the members of the community, which possessed the ability to unify a minimum fair amount of collective consciousness and activating the concept of culture that carries values for the society in which it was designed to be Christian, this theatre was used for social change towards the values and concepts of Christianity that was adopted as a prerequisite for this period. This played a role as in our own concept of the role of contemporary media, but because when theatre impersonating the media it loses much of its dramatic interactive and become closer to preaching than exploration and surprise pleasure. So soon after the fall of the Romanian empire and the weakness in the dominance of the church, new artists emerged in what is reminiscent of the Renaissance, this was an era in which theatre carried out to revive the Greek and Roman heritage and values relating to them, but in the frameworks respect to the traditions of the church, where the renaissance theatre worked for guiding the society towards rejection the superstitions. Theatre has also taken a functionality based on the guidance and education for people of moral values as well as changing society through the promotion of virtue and prevent vice. And with the emergence of William Shakespeare and his keen interest in issues of human self-imaging and his pain and anguish. where theatre become a carrier and reflective of the human as well as giving up it guidance role, and so theatre played a new role in the social life by becoming the centre of the desired change in that period which was elevating the attention of human beings and embody his suffering of all social, religious and political restrictions. The Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen had realized the need for social change in his era, his works became one of the most visible models and a boot process for social change, as not only his attempts to deal with real issues and address the prevailing values by criticism and queries which leads to a demand for social change, but also he himself changed and shocked the theatre audiences when he used prose rather than poetry in writing the play in order to approach the level of daily language, and if he did not just announce the need for change but also uses new tools of his time (Barton and McGregor , 2008). Thus, from the history of the European theatre progress I conclude that the theatre and social change have always been two sides of the same coin, which theatre recreate life either by condensation, auditing, deletion, selection and rearrangement the art elements to be performed in front of viewers who can re-evaluate the performance and have hopes of change, or recreate life by staging it according to its creators thoughts in a period of time to put an image in front of the viewers pushing them towards the future of access desired. So, we cannot describe the theatre as a direct cause for social change this is because the social changer creates a model that community is required to reach while the art in general as a social and cultural practice wonder about the feasibility of the concept of change. And theatre in particular, as the form closest to the cultural practices in the community exposed to what is going on and measure the pulse of the community to discern the need for change and enquire about its usefulness, which he often does not answer these questions, even if the content has been alluded to answer, leaving the community to adopt these responses or even rejected, but in the end there will be perceptions of change, These perceptions were not to interact with reality, However, after the experience of these interactions through the theatre as a metaphor laboratory to test the prevailing societal values or alternative values that may be proposed within the assumed process of social change. Thus the theatre obligated to change its shape and form according to the causes and issues of society that generated it, However, these variables remained committed to the centrality of the theatrical text that presents what I referred to attempts to change, the theatre performance continued in bringing together all the elements for the interpretation of the text and despite the diversity of performance styles representative as the backbone of the performance that it was only in the context of the character. It is worth mentioning in this regard the most influential theoretical and pedagogical model of the twentieth century has been, without doubt, Konstantin Stanislavskys method. And here comes Bertolt Brecht to put new principles on the theatre art and be a pioneer in the exploitation of this art to the concept of a radical positive social change. Brecht attempts for change The reason for Brechts importance in theatre is that his work attempted to bring about a change in the whole relationship between the actor and the audience, the purpose of which was to broaden the social basis of the theatre and to set it once more in its proper social context. What Brecht most disliked and reacted against was the professionals view of the theatre as an end in itself. He wanted the theatre to accept its responsibilities as the social art with the utilitarian purpose of communicating with ordinary people about the matters that most concern them. (Bradby McCormick, 1978) In pursuit of theatre as craft or sporting display, Brecht later evolved his characteristic production style: the half curtain which did not attempt to completely cover the preparations in progress behind it; the use of placards or screen projections to comment on the action; the non-naturalistic settings; the visible rows of stage lights. These followed naturally from Brechts desire to reduce empathy in the audience and to induce his actors to demonstrate rather than to incarnate their characters. Just as a concert pianist or a boxer tries to show off his technique, so Brecht wanted every technique and object used in the production to be visible and comprehensible (Bradby and McCormick, 1978). For the production of The Mother in 1935 for the Theatre Union in New York, he wrote: Lets have a platform, and on this platform well put chairs, tables, partitions whatever the actors need. For hanging a curtain give me a wooden pole or a metal bar; for hanging a picture a piece of wall. And Ill want a large projection screenà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Let it all be elegant, thin and fine like Japanese banners, flimsy like Japanese kites and lanterns; lets be aware of the natural textures of wood and metalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ Well place two grand pianos visibly at one side of the stage; the play must have the quality of a concert as well as that of a dramaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ And well show the lighting units as they dim on and off, playing over the scene. He approached acting less from an emotional and hence psychological angle than from its ability to demonstrate social relationships. Gestus or physical movements that accompany speech should not be seen as an expression of an actors personal experience but rather as supra-individual and thus symptomatic of larger, social contexts. This means that the actors relationship to his or her role is a detached one. Role enactment should serve as alienation or distancing effect whose goal is to endow the spectator with a searching, critical attitude towards the action on stage. (Balme, 2008) The alienation effect is the most consistently misunderstood part of Brechts theory. It is interpreted to mean that any emotional pleasure in the theatre must be suppressed. But for Brecht the strongest source of emotion to be found in the theatre was the delight in understanding reality. The alienation effect consists in the reproduction of real-life incidents on the stage in such a way as to underline their causality and bring it to the spectators attention. This type of art also generates emotions, such performances facilitate the mastering of reality, and this it is that moves the spectator. The purpose of the alienation effect, then, is to foster an alert, critical spirit in the audience by emphasizing causality. But this alone is perhaps not enough to generate emotions or give rise to fun. It goes hand in hand with an attitude towards people and their life in society summed up by the Philosopher in The Messingkauf Dialogues: I have an insatiable curiosity about people; its impossible for me to see and hear enough of them. The way they get along with each other, the way they develop friendships and enmities, sell onions, plan military campaigns, get married, make tweed suits, circulate forged bank notes, dig potatoes, observe the heavenly bodies; the way they cheat, favour, teach, exploit, respect, mutilate and support one another; the way they hold meetings, form societies, conduct intrigues. I always want to know why they embark on their undertakings, and my aim is to distinguish certain laws that would allow me to make predictions.(Brecht, 1965) To achieve the desired alienation effect, Brecht suggested that the actor perform in the third person, transpose the action into the past and speak the stage directions and commentaries. (Balme, 2008) Using a third person and the past tense allows the actor to adopt the right attitude of detachment. Speaking the stage directions out loud in the third person results in a clash between two tones of voice, alienating the second of them, the text proper (Brecht, 1964). Thus, far from wanting to suppress the emotions of his audience, Brecht wanted, like all great artists, to channel them, He wanted to provoke a spirit of passionate but detached enquiry. For this, he found that the ideal dramatic structure was that of the Shakespearean history play; a sequence of events narrated with no artificial restrictions as to time or place, which could vary the scene with ease from individual destinies to national conditions and back again. Brechts basic political position as a Communist, however unorthodox, meant that his plays were always addressed to the people rather than to the intelligentsia, and written in a language that would enable him to communicate effectively with working people. (Bradby McCormick, 1978) Brechts theatre was a theatre struggling for reintegration with society. He liked to describe it as a theatre that was scientific and dialectical scientific because of the detached way in which it tried to dissect the mechanisms of social life, and because it aspired to be useful; and dialectical because its method is one of discussion and contradiction, not of doctrinal affirmation. (Bradby McCormick, 1978) To conclude Brecht was convinced that theatre must be an agent of social and political change. He believed that theatre should appeal not to the spectators feelings but to his reason. While still providing entertainment, it should be educational and capable of provoking social change. Boals Spect-actors Theatre is a form of knowledge: it should and can also be a means of transforming society. Theatre can help us build our future, rather than just waiting for it (Boal, 1992) Augusto Boal established The Theatre of the Oppressed in the early 1970s which is nowadays used all over the world in different fields of social activities such as: education, culture, arts, politics, social work, psychotherapy, literacy programs and health. The Theatre of the Oppressed, in all its various modalities, is a constant search for dialogical forms, forms of theatre through which it is possible to converse, both about and as part of social activity, pedagogy, psychotherapy, politics (Boal, 2004). Two Brechtian principles underpin Boals praxis the first is that theatre should promote concrete political action. A performance should represent actual life, not for the purpose of allowing contemplation of powerful artistic fictions but to provoke and rehearse interventions that might change those aspects of society that oppresses individuals and groups. The second is the notion that dramatic performance it self constitutes a dialectical process of learning (Gordon, 2006). Boal was not satisfied with the inflammatory relationship that formulated in Brechts epic theatre, but he built a partnership between the spectators and actors in order to establish the scene and direct the events of the performance. He made more radical alternatives to the process of the epic that was adopted by Brecht, persisted in approaching the oppressed groups, contact with their problems in order to raise awareness of the causes and the potential to overcome these causes as well as engaging the public in analyze their problems, and search for their own solutions as a way to attempt change.( Gordon, 2006) In the traditional theatre, the spectator is a passive element, receptor of subjective representation of the reality. And since those responsible for theatrical performances are in general people who belong directly or indirectly to the ruling classes, obviously their finished images will be reflections of their visions of the world. Aristotle elaborated the poetics of the theatre that focused on its political dimensions.( Boal, 2000) The Theatre of the Oppressed therefore aims to transform the spectator into spect-actor. The word oppression is used as any force that private one individual to express and realize his wills. Everybody can be oppressed and an oppressor. This theatre gives the opportunity to express ones desires, identify the oppressions, which can be objective or subjective, and try to find the best way to deal with them. It is a Game of the Dialogue, where everybody can speak, and where everybody learns interacting with the others. ( Boal, 2000) When the spectator becomes spect-actor; he can modify the scenes he does not like in order to find different solutions that maybe would be afraid to attempt in his real life. He becomes active, developing his creativity and freedom of speaking. This activation that does not end with the play, activate his feeling of member of one society and his will to act in reality to improve it. Being citizen is not only living in one society but actively participate in it, trying to do it better for everyone.(Boal, 1992) The Theatre of the Oppressed appears as an effort to transform the traditional passive role of the spectator during and after any kind or performance. It consists in different techniques and games that can be used in order to make the spectator participate in the construction and the realization of the piece as the Image theatre, Newspaper theatre, Invisible theatre, Rainbow of desire and others. The main goal of this theatre is activate the creativity and the capacity of expression of the spectator, in order to analyze and find original solutions to the conflicts our society. As when the objective oppressions have been identified, a pacific confrontation to them will be proposed. When there is not a real oppressor or oppressed, the dialog should help find the better solution to deal with the conflict. One of Boals most influential methods is Forum theatre which was born from simultaneous dramaturgy when, according to Boal, by chance an audience member who was so frustrated that the actor did not understand her directions, took their place. This undid the audience/actor split and a new form of political theatre was created. He discovered that through this active participation the audience-actors, spect-actors, become empowered. This concept of the spect-actor became a dominant force within Boals later Forum theatre work. The audiences were now encouraged to not only imagine change but to actually practice that change, reflect collectively on the suggestion, and thereby become empowered to generate social action. Forum theatre events take place in public areas, in popular community, not necessarily in a theatre venue. They involve representing a scene with a conflict situation, or including an issue that the community suffers from, or telling a personal story that is without end. The performers are people from the community with Forum theatre trainers multipliers, the audience is invited at the end to make an intervention and suggest a way to deal with the issue or the situation by coming to the performance space and playing one role in the scene to try and change the events. This way we can provide live suggestion from the people to their own issues, through representation, as well as public discussion (Boal, 1992). Boals Legislative Theatre is also one and most remarkable stage in his work. Legislative Theatre is an attempt to use Boals method of Forum Theatre within a political system to create a truer form of democracy. It is an extraordinary experiment in the potential of theatre to affect social change. Forum Theatre invites members of the audience to take the stage and decide the outcome, becoming an integral part of the performance. As a politician in his native Rio de Janeiro, Boal used Forum Theatre to motivate the local populace in generating relevant legislation. In Legislative Theatre Boal creates new, theatrical, and truly revolutionary ways of involving everyone in the democratic process (Boal, 1998). Finally, the main purpose of Theatre of the Oppressed is to search for solutions to actual cases of oppression that members of the community suffer. From there the hope is that the community is empowered to manifest the change and dismantle the oppression. Theatre of the Oppressed clearly has the potential to make social structures, power relations and individual habits visible and, at the same time, provide tools to facilitate change. It is one of the few methods that offers an integrated approach to work on individual, group and social levels, and involves both the body and the mind. Study case: Theatre and Women Development The project name Theatre and Women Development, One year project in four segments, Series of training workshops, onsite community work, performances and publications, it was held in Alexandria, Egypt. Organised and managed by Reflection for arts training and development NGO. 2008 The project focused on the promotion and support of human rights via theatre, namely the rights of the freedom of expression linked with some personal rights, such as the freedom of opinion, and the rights of women, specifically to be protected from sexual harassment and domestic violence. The first segment of the project was a Forum theatre training workshop for theatre artists and social activists. Forum theatre was and still a methodology used for community work. It was the first time to create a Forum Theatre team in Egypt, a method that is made specifically for dealing with social issues, community participation, democratic discussion and seeking change. The second segment was a workshop for young women. The workshop was implemented in a community space in partnership with a feminist NGO, inviting 20 young women between the ages of 16 to 22. The workshop also used the Forum Theatre technique in order to represent situations which the participants live, suffer from, aspire to or oppose to. The end of the workshop included 3 nights of Forum theatre public events, where the participants performed stories and situations and ask the audience for their opinion, and how to find better ways to manage the difficult situations or experiences of those young women when they are faced by social values oppressing them. The aim of the workshop is not to reach the public events only, though it will be the culmination of the whole process and the real test of how this work can relate to the community and produce dialogue leading to change, but the aim is also to provoke discussions and give voice to young women who do not usually express themselves. The workshop was function as an open space for the participants to speak out, to gain self-confidence, to break the usual social hypocrisy and to acquire new skills of expression and of creative positive thinking, which could support their future roles in society as potential community leaders. The third segment of the project was a workshop with women between the ages of 30 to 50. The theme was domestic violence, one of the most sensitive and unspoken issues in Egypt. Domestic violence is a theme that will require a lot of care and sensitivity when it comes to community work. It will be our responsibility to respect the social borders surrounding this issue, while raising the awareness of the participants of their rights to be secure, respected and protected in their own homes and families. Forum Theatre technique was taught to the participants and used to structure scenes about situations of domestic violence that the participants suggest. The task of the group was to find out how to prevent those situations, how to deal with them and how to protect the women who are suffering in those situations. Special attention was given to traditional values as well as legal views, in order to analyze the reasons behind this phenomenon and to find out how to support and empower women to speak out and seek help. The fourth segment of the project used storytelling techniques and dramatic theatre to represent the real stories of sexual harassment in Egypt. For this segment we collected real stories from the community, re-worked on them dramatically, then brought female participants from the previous workshops, train them to act the stories out, and present them as the first theatre production in Alexandria based on true stories of harassment. The project Goals was to promote awareness on human rights: Freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, the right to security at home, and self-protection, the right to be respected and not discriminated against, and all related womens rights, To create a public form of participation in the dissemination of those rights via Forum theatre, To use this public form to represent real issues and stories of the community, To allow democratic discussion and management of those issues via Forum theatre, To empower young womens thinking and provide social skills of self-expression, To create new ways combining arts/theatre and development and social work, To bring sensitive issues to the surface in a creative and sensitive way, such as domestic violence . The project succeeds in reaching the majority of his goals and become a genuine basis of using theatre as a tool for social change. The Conclusion To conclude, Theatre through history had a great role on affecting peoples lives, by helping them to see their lives and problems more clearly. It become a tool to understand the real problems of society and tries to find an effective solution for them. It tries to enable those who are marginalized in some way to examine collectively their issues from their perspectives, to analyze causes of these issues, to explore avenues of potential action, and to create an opportunity to take such action. Through dialogue by rising the level of awareness as well as it contributes to the empowerment of all involved. It may also mobilize people to take action and support them in processes of social and political change.

Thursday, September 19, 2019

WNBA Salary Claim :: Technical Writing

ATTENTION: MR Salary Man TO: WNBA Salary Board FROM: Mamma Thomas Professional Sports Representation Agent SUBJECT: Rookie Salary Negotiations Dear Sir, I am writing to discuss the details of Latoya’s Thomas’ contract in which my client disagrees upon. For entry into the 2001/2002 Women’s National Basketball Association, referred to from here as the WNBA, player draft. Latoya is a 6’1 all around player and is very versatile my client is now playing for the WNBA and has considered coming to America to play for your league the WNBA In looking over the minimum requirements I noticed that a few things rose to my attention. In particular endorsements allowed, contract length, sponsorships, work out dates, travel conditions, and salary increments. I will attempt to address all of my reservations and offer suggestions to remedy these requirements and leave room for negotiation between your negotiation team and myself. If you can not meet these requirements then my client will not be allowed to enter your WNBA draft 2001/2002. Firstly, let me quickly outline Latoya’s extensive playing history and this will demonstrate the level of play that Latoya can offer to your league. Starting out at 11 years old in the seventh grade Latoya played for Dent Middle School. In the eigth grade she also played for Richland Northeast High School on the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. In continuing her career she made the Varsity team her Freshmen year and contiuned to play all four years. As a freshmen she averaged 15 points per game and was named Freshmen of the year. As a Sophmore she averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds. As a Junior, Latoya averaged 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assist. She also lead the team and the nation in scoring. She lead the team to a Conference championship and a State Championship. As a Senior she was #1 player in the nation, averaged a triple double with 31 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assist. For the second consecutive year in history she lead team to a state championship and lead the nati on in scoring. All four years in High school she was selected to be on the all-state team, all- region team, and all-conference team. During the summers of her High School years she would continue practicing and playing for an AAU team. To play for an AAU team you must be selected by the regional committee of which you belong to as a player.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Does Anything Break Because it is Fragile? :: Philosophy Philosophers Essays

Does Anything Break Because it is Fragile? ABSTRACT: I maintain that dispositions are not causally relevant to their manifestations. The paper begins with a negative argument, which is intended to undermine David Lewis’ recent attempt to restore causal potency to dispositions by identifying their instantiations with the instantiations of their causal bases. I conclude that Lewis’ attempt to vindicate the causal credentials of dispositions meets obstacles that are analogous to (though importantly different from) those that beset Donald Davidson’s attempt to accord a causal role to the mental. I then consider an argument recently given by Frank Jackson against the causal relevance of dispositions (to their manifestations). Jackson’s argument relies on a conception of dispositions that is not likely to be shared by those who defend their causal relevance. I sketch an alternative conception of dispositions that links them more closely to their causal bases, but argue that even on this model disposition s are causally impotent. The paper closes with a defense of the claim that dispositions, in spite of their causal irrelevance to their manifestations, are nevertheless causal-explanatorily relevant to them. We regard dispositions as being causally responsible for their manifestations. We say that the glass broke because it was fragile, that the rubber band stretched because it is elastic, and that the arsenic killed him because it was lethal. Some philosophers have denied this. According to them, dispositions are causally irrelevant to the effects in terms of which they are defined. This view was defended by Elizabeth Prior, Robert Pargetter and Frank Jackson, and has been (tentatively) endorsed by David Lewis. According to them, fragility is the second-order property of having some or other first-order property (e.g., a given molecular structure) that tends to cause breaking under certain circumstances. But then, they infer, it is this first-order feature (the `causal basis' of the glass's fragility), and not fragility itself, that is responsible for causing the breaking. Fragility is thus conceptually after the fact as concerns the causation of breaking: the glass counts as being fragile only in consequence of its having some other, first-order property that is causally responsible for its breaking when struck. Lewis has always seemed uneasy with this view. He has called it a "disagreeable oddity" that must be dispatched if the identification of dispositions with second-order properties is to win our unequivocal support. In a recent paper, he takes himself to have done just that.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman      Ã‚   Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is the journal of a woman plagued with severe depression and the inability to recover due to her role as a submissive woman. At the time of publication, "The Yellow Wallpaper" was seen as a story merely about the perils of insanity. Even Gilman was proud to say it provided a wake-up call for the medical field and the families of women stricken with mental illness who believed solely in the "rest and ignore the problem cure." However, the short story was also an attack on the role of women in society at the time.Women, cast into the prison of acquiescence, were trapped between the rock and the hard place of doing what they were told was best for them and those around them and doing what they felt was best. The characters who surround the narrator throughout the story symbolize the ideals of women and their roles that at the time, the late eighteen hundreds. For instance, her husband, John, represents the male role of superiority over the weaker wife. His inability to recognize the true problem of his wife's sickness and to deal with it accordingly is much like the inability of men to recognize a woman's capabilities to function in the public sector. His simplistic solution of plenty of rest and an abundance of vitam... ...n, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1992. 387-400. Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental Feminism and Literature's Ancestral House: Another Look at 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 12 (1986): 113-128. Johnson, Greg. "Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26 (Fall 1989): 521-530. King, Jeanette, and Pam Morris. "On Not Reading Between the Lines: Models of Reading in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26.1 (Winter 1989): 23-32. Knight, Denise D. "The Reincarnation of Jane: 'Through This' - Gilman's Companion to 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 20 (1992): 287-302.    Symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman Symbolism in The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman      Ã‚   Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wallpaper" is the journal of a woman plagued with severe depression and the inability to recover due to her role as a submissive woman. At the time of publication, "The Yellow Wallpaper" was seen as a story merely about the perils of insanity. Even Gilman was proud to say it provided a wake-up call for the medical field and the families of women stricken with mental illness who believed solely in the "rest and ignore the problem cure." However, the short story was also an attack on the role of women in society at the time.Women, cast into the prison of acquiescence, were trapped between the rock and the hard place of doing what they were told was best for them and those around them and doing what they felt was best. The characters who surround the narrator throughout the story symbolize the ideals of women and their roles that at the time, the late eighteen hundreds. For instance, her husband, John, represents the male role of superiority over the weaker wife. His inability to recognize the true problem of his wife's sickness and to deal with it accordingly is much like the inability of men to recognize a woman's capabilities to function in the public sector. His simplistic solution of plenty of rest and an abundance of vitam... ...n, Massachusetts: Allyn and Bacon, 1992. 387-400. Haney-Peritz, Janice. "Monumental Feminism and Literature's Ancestral House: Another Look at 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 12 (1986): 113-128. Johnson, Greg. "Gilman's Gothic Allegory: Rage and Redemption in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26 (Fall 1989): 521-530. King, Jeanette, and Pam Morris. "On Not Reading Between the Lines: Models of Reading in 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Studies in Short Fiction 26.1 (Winter 1989): 23-32. Knight, Denise D. "The Reincarnation of Jane: 'Through This' - Gilman's Companion to 'The Yellow Wallpaper.'" Women's Studies 20 (1992): 287-302.   

Small capital in Philippines Essay

This chapter consists of brief summary of articles, findings of the study that are related to the present study. It contains foreign and local literature, foreign and local studies. Local Literature According to Mishell M. Malabaguio of entrepreneur magazine Philippines, Small capital, easy set-up and a good chance of success are just some of the reason why Food Cart Business is thriving in the Philippines. If you will look at the market trend today, Food cart business is the choice of most aspiring entrepreneurs. A mobile food cart is a business where you can start on low capital ranging from P30,000 to a maximum of P300,000. But it could be a little lower though, depending on how you will put it up — by franchise or on your own. Some companies offer food cart franchise for as low as P10,000 per package that includes, the cart, product, uniform for the crew and training. Over the last few years, food service carts have sprouted all over the metro — from MRT and LRT station, malls, sidewalks, church, schools, markets etc. – name it and for sure, you’ll find a food cart there. Today, there are about 800 different food cart formats available in the market–pizza, waffle, fishball, siomai, rice toppings, and baked goodies, rice in a box, hotdog and a lot more.Industry estimates that more than P1 billion in sales are turned over every year from the food cart businesses. With this amount, no doubt that Food Cart is the hot business in the market. If you have a nice cart, then the next thing to consider is Location. Location plays a big part in the success of your food cart or in any business for that matter. You have to think of a good location where a person frequents and can see what you are selling. But not all places cramming with people is a good venue just like MRT and LRT station. Lastly, you have to match your good locati on with the right product at a good price.

Monday, September 16, 2019

College Student Should Join Clubs Essay

Students of any university or community college attend school in pursuit of an education and career. Most of the time spent by college students is aimed towards studying, doing homework, and any other activity that will assist their education. What many college students are unaware of though, is by affiliating themselves with clubs and organizations, efforts to their education, social networking, and community can all be accomplished. Joining a club has the ability to enrich any student’s college experience and should be taken into consideration by all college students. Clubs give students opportunities to meet other students and individuals who share the same interests. Not only will they benefit in gaining a friend, they will have the opportunity to meet peers with similar majors and classes. Taking into consideration that incoming freshmen may need an extra boost; clubs will be able to provide the needed attention and information with guidance from the seniority. For example, freshmen can benefit in joining clubs by receiving guidance from other students on what classes or which professors to take. New freshmen tend to enroll into college as an undeclared major and sometimes may require assistance in the selection of classes. College organizations can play as a major factor in helping college students and should not be ignored. According to Jeff Milam, the eHow Contributor, not only will joining a club help â€Å"encourage you to form relationships with your peers, it may also lead to important business contacts in the future† (Milam). All college clubs must have at least one advisor that assists and overlooks the club. By being in a club, students will have the opportunity to meet and communicate with college staffs and instructors. In most scenarios, the advisor of a college club is an administrator of the campus. Thus, straight-forward information can always be received from a club advisor because of his or her credibility. By taking part in college clubs, an individual will also gain a chance at observing specialists in their career fields. Being in a club may even be life changing to college students. There will always be some bashful individuals who are simply too shy to ever socialize. By joining a club, it will provide a gateway to overcoming this personal problem. Whenever a student comes upon an interesting club, it is most notably because that individual has something in common with the club and its members. Students are more comfortable being around people who share the same interests or have particular things in common. In result, this can be the start of getting students out of their comfort zone and leading them to socialize more often. College clubs and organizations should be a part of college students because of the opportunity to establishing a student’s social skills. Most importantly to some students, joining a club is an escape from stress. Sometimes school can be stressful on individuals, or students may have other issues that require relief. School organizations are most certainly not always about accomplishing specific goals; school clubs can be a stress relief to those who may need an escape from reality once in a while. By taking action in a club, a student will be able to achieve great feats and at the same time, have some fun. According to Heidi Coghlan, former About.com guide, by participating in clubs, it can help individuals in â€Å"developing independence† (Coghlan). It helps students stand on their own and make their own decisions. Many school clubs are run for students and operated by students. By being a member, it increases the chance of a student being able to speak out for his or her ideas. This can contribute to a student’s future with leadership skills, communication, and to being a responsible individual. Affiliation with college clubs can also motivate students to do more for the campus or to argue for a cause. The opportunity of becoming a club member should not be missed because it can assist an individual in becoming well-rounded and an open-minded thinker. Many clubs take trips to visit other college campuses. This gives students a chance to explore how other schools function and how other campuses compare. Especially for the students who are planning to continue their education for a great period of time. Joining a college club is great opportunity in meeting other peers from school and establishing social networks. With the affiliation in a club or organization, campus visiting trips can be issued and beneficial to students. Most clubs do volunteer work and this is a good start to building a bond with the community. Students get to experience being in an environment where they can learn and yet have fun at the same time when they are involved with club activities. Joining a club really does make a difference in the world; and by having more students join in, the more impact it will have in establishing better community affiliation. As all students are striving for a professional career in the world, it should be taken into consideration that community involvement cannot be ignored. Thus, with college clubs, an individual can give back to the community. College clubs and organizations are all unnecessary in the pursuit of an education, but can be a factor in developing a well-rounded thinking and professional individual. Clubs provide all that may be necessary to a student. For example, a club provides a variety of peers, educators, and numerous other resources for students. Attending college can be hard on freshmen and anyone who is unaware of opportunities on and off campus. In conclusion, with the aid of school clubs, freshmen and anyone else will receive the chance to utilize any necessary information. School organizations and clubs should not be ignored and every student should instill some effort into a club because of the extraordinary investment it yields. Works Cited Coghlan, Heidi. â€Å"Reasons for Your Child to Join a Club.† Kids’ Clubs — Learn About Clubs, Organizations and After School Activities for Kids. The New York Times Company, 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2011. Milam, Jeff. â€Å"Reasons College Students Should Join a Club | EHow.com.† EHow | How to Videos, Articles & More – Trusted Advice for the Curious Life | EHow.com. Demand Media, Inc, 1999. Web. 19 Sept. 2011.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Organizational behavior of HK Disneyland Essay

Introduction Hong Kong Disneyland, opened to visitors in 2005, is one of the two largest theme parks in Hong Kong. It successfully brings magical experience of Walt Disney to all the visitors just like other Disneyland around the world. Hong Kong Disneyland has created a culture for their employees with open communication with their managers and subordinates, professional training, and rewards. This philosophy of treating employees well has long been adopted by Walt Disney for many years. The belief of Walt Disney is that you can have joyful guests as long as you have employees who enjoy working for Disneyland and bringing happiness to visitors. With the comprehensive training for each employee, they make all visitors  experience a memorable magical moment. No matter the cast of Disney characters, or the people working in Disneyland’s restaurants or hotels, all of them receive comprehensive training. This training can ensure that every Disney employee can work together as a team, and provide excellent customer services to cater for their customers’ needs. In this report, we will illustrate how Disneyland incorporates organizational behavior concepts to create a culture for their employees where they feel satisfactory for their work environment and feel that they are important to the team. Motivation and learning are two main focuses in our research. We will also provide suggestions on how Disneyland can further improve in terms of organizational culture. Motivation Hong Kong Disneyland has many ways to motivate its employees to work. Our team is going to apply Theory X and Theory Y, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need these three theories to analyze the employee motivation methods of Hong Kong Disneyland Theory X and Theory Y Here is a brief introduction on the Theory X before the application on Disneyland. Theory X based on pessimistic assumptions. It is impediment to employee morale and productivity. For example, it assumed that labors are inherently lazy and avoid to work, only interested in money and in need of close supervision. Also, they would have little ambition without incentive programs, avoid responsibility and need to be driven through control systems. So, once the manager adopting this theory, they will end everything in blame without evaluating the situation, structure the work, energize the employees and also in authoritarian style based on the threat of punishment. Here comes to the application on theory X. According to the spokesperson of Disneyland, Angela Bliss, Disney employees have to adhere to strict guidelines and rules for their behavior and appearance. Once hired, they have to maintain the â€Å"Disney Look, and the Disney look is a fresh, clean and  approachable look, ensuring that every guest feels comfortable with our entire cast. Therefore, â€Å"Cast members,† Disney’s way of referring to their employees, receive a â€Å"Disney look book† that details all of the requirements, emphasizing a natural look with natural hair color and makeup. The purpose in doing this is to keep the focus on the ‘show’ and not on the individual cast member. Besides, a cast member with purple hair may not appear approachable to all of their guests. According to Disney rules, anytime a cast member confronts a guest who appears lost or frazzled, the employee must offer their help and point them in the right direction. Pointing must always be done with either two fingers or the full hand. So, the above showed that the workers in Disney are suffered serious and high intensive instructions and rules by the theory X style managers. What’s more, with reference to the article by Jason Garcia, Orlando Sentinel on November 16, 2010, The Walt Disney Co. has issued a new policy banning employees from texting while driving on the job. The ban applies to all of the Burbank, Calif.-based entertainment giant’s worldwide employees — including its roughly 60,000 workers at Walt Disney World. The policy, which recently took effect, also prohibits employees from making or receiving phone calls while driving on the job unless they use a single earpiece. It applies to workers who are either driving company vehicles or using their own vehicles while on the job. Disney punishments for workers caught violating the driving policy will be decided on case-by-case basis. The policy does not apply to employees during their drives to or from work. In short, the evidences above status that the management of theory X style, use to set up regulations and punishments to motivate their ‘‘actors’’. On the other hand, here comes to the theory Y. On the contrary, it based on positive assumptions, and also more positive view of workers and the possibilities that create. For instance, they assumed that employees are ambitious, self-motivated and anxious to accept greater responsibility. Employees exercise self-control, self-direction, autonomy and empowerment,  also exercise creativity and become forward looking. So, once the managers are adopted this theory, they believes that people want to do well at work, have a pool of unused creativity and that the satisfaction of doing a job is in itself motivating. Here comes to the application on theory Y. The Walt Disney Co focuses on creating a culture in which employees can flourish and find meaning in their work. Together with more than 10,000 online reference materials and resources, instructor-led classes, performance support systems, and education reimbursement for job-related degree programs, The Walt Disney Company offers an array of tools. From the website of The Walt Disney Co., they claimed that ‘It takes a special kind of person to work at The Walt Disney Company. Our employees and cast members contribute to the success of our many brands in a way no other company can match. That is why our employees and cast members are the most valuable part of our organization. But we know your life isn’t just about work. You have additional things going on – family, friends, personal interests, education and more. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps you live your best life, grow p ersonally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results you deliver. The programs, benefits and perks you receive as an employee or cast member may vary based on where you live and work. But when you add it all up, the total package provides the same results: your total rewards support you throughout all stages of your life and career.’ Herzberg’s two-factor theory The two-factor theory states that there are certain factors in the workplace that cause job satisfaction, while a separate set of factors cause dissatisfaction. The theory suggests that to improve job attitudes and productivity, administrators must recognize and attend to both sets of characteristics and not assume that an increase in satisfaction leads to decrease in not pleasurable dissatisfaction. Two-factor theory distinguishes between motivators and hygiene factors based on the notion that the presence of one set of job characteristics or incentives leads to worker satisfaction at work, while another and separate  set of job characteristics leads to dissatisfaction at work. Therefore, satisfaction and dissatisfaction are not on a continuum with one increasing as the other diminishes, but are independent phenomena. Motivators such as challenging work, achievements, recognition, responsibility, or anything else that given positive satisfaction, arising from intrinsic conditions of the job itself, which is based on the long lasting working environment but not short-lasting achievement. The Walt Disney Company offers a comprehensive total rewards package that helps employee live better life, grow personally and professionally, and get rewarded for the results they deliver, for example, there are incentive and special recognition programs which includes quality of work, length of service, community volunteerism and employee of the month recognition. Reward will be varied by company, job status, location and/or the terms of any applicable collective bargaining agreement. The company have a diverse workforce is critical to the business. Variety of opinions, ideas and perspectives to ensure staff and their managers continue to top the performance and represent the company’s global marketplace. When employee reflects the communities, it can enhance the way for them connect to guests, audiences and consumers. Employee can feel that they work toward an inclusive environment that fosters creativity, innovation and camaraderie across all of the Disney companies. The c ulture can also inspire the workers. For instance, they are committed to a tradition of innovation and technology. Employee can be easily given job satisfaction from setting a high standard of excellence and maintain high-quality standards across all product categories. Apart from that, working in The Walt Disney Company can always enjoy in the joyful atmosphere as the entertainment is about hope, aspiration and positive outcomes, they can create positive and inclusive ideas about families and provide entertainment experiences for all generations to share. The rewarding, inclusive and supportive work environment is committed by the company. Thus, the staffs are able to gain satisfaction from working in Disney. Hygiene factors, for example, status, job security, salary, work conditions,  the benefits for employee, that do not give positive satisfaction, though dissatisfaction results from their absence. The Walt Disney Company provides employee base salaries with the total compensation opportunity and health and wellness benefits which includes medical, Disney Health Pursuits Wellness resources, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), behavioral health, prescription drug coverage, dental, healthcare and dependent day care flexible spending accounts, accident and disability Insurance, long-term care insurance. Besides, the employee can have enough time off working in Disney. They can have 11 paid holidays per year, vacation, sick pay and short-term disability, leaves of absence, bereavement and jury duty, personal life resources, group legal plan, adoption assistance program and onsite childcare centers. Moreover, they can also enjoy the retirement and financial benefits. 401(k) savings plan wi th company match, retirement savings plan for salaried employees and employee stock purchase program would be included. Also, they can enjoy special extras which are complimentary theme park admissions, employee discounts, merchandise discounts at Disney-owned stores, company-sponsored events and services, Disney employee matching gifts, commuter assistance program and many other unique advantages. Last but not least, some world-class training programs are customizable for employee to join such as professional development, management and leadership development, computer skills, business immersion programs and individual career development as the company encourages staff to learn and reach their goals. To sum up, the Herzberg’s two-factor theory can be applied into The Walt Disney Company as motivators and hygiene factors can be found in the policy of the company and working environment. It can satisfy both motivators and hygiene factors of employee and that is the reason staffs enjoy to work there. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need Maslow’s theory relates motivation to a hierarchy of needs. At the bottom are essential physiological needs such as air, food, shelter and clothing. As individuals satisfy one level of need, their motivations change as they aspire to reach the higher order needs. Therefore, to motivate an individual Maslow suggests that it is necessary to know where within the hierarchy each  employee is placed so that these factors can be taken into account. Physiological needs – Hong Kong Disneyland offers competitive salaries. This gives employees the means to acquire the basic needs for living. Also, provide benefits programme to employees which suit them. These benefits and competitive salaries help workers’ pay go further and so motivate them to be loyal to the company. In Hong Kong Disneyland, empolyees can earn more than just a pay-check and will receive a total rewards package that consists of different types of compensation and benefits, such as: Cast exclusive MTR discount scheme Comprehensive group medical insurance, including outpatient, hospitalisation, specialist, Chinese herbalist and dental services Group life and group personal accident insurance Discretionary gratuity Paid annual leave, maternity leave, marriage leave and examination leave Overtime payment for frontline overtime eligible positions Overnight shift premium Laundry services for uniforms and costume Safety needs – Hong Kong Disneyland values the safety of all employees. It is committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment to prevent accidents. Hong Kong Disneyland provides a clear rule and regulation to employees. For example, how to access the control of the machines; therefore employees are accountable to create a safe working environment too – that means they have to take responsibility for observing the health and safety rules and practices. Hong Kong Disnetland also offers employees a range of working patterns. For example, it provide a flexible working schedule, some employees may want to work as a part-time, they can choose among the schedule. This helps employees to choose the best option for a healthy work-life balance. Social needs – These are associated with a feeling of belonging. These provide informal opportunities for employees to get along with each other. This helps strengthen teams and enhances workers’ sense of belonging. Having an open approach to communication keeps everybody focused on the Hong Kong Disneyland’s aims helps individuals contribute to the company. In Hong Kong Disneyland, there is a RACE Club which provides a variety of interest programs, instructor-led courses and outdoor recreational activities for cast members and their family and friends. The RACE Club strives to promote diversity and work-life balance for cast members. It is also a platform for passionate and talented cast members to unleash their potential by being program instructors. Esteem – All employees in Hong Kong Disneyland have a need to be respected and to respect themselves. Esteem is the normal employees desire to be accepted and valued by others. Employees need to engage themselves in activities, to gain recognition and a sense of contribution. Esteem needs can intersect with motivation in the Hong Kong Disneyland too. For example, employees’ voice will be heard at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. Cast members are welcome to share any feedback employees may have with the Cast Advisory Council (CAC). The CAC meets regularly to listen to cast member feedback and make suggestions to improve the working environment. Self-actualisation – Hong Kong Disneyland provides employees with the opportunity to take on challenging and stimulating responsibilities. This enables them to develop and improve. Hong Kong Disneyland offers more than 100 instructor-led programs to all cast members, including the Operations and Professional Teams. As a full time cast member, Employees can receive an average of 35 training hours per year to help them excel in their career. Typical instructor-led training courses include: Classes for All Cast Members: Disney Traditions Training Communicating Effectively in the Workplace Giving and Receiving Feedback in Disney Style Influencing Team Members as a Role Model Good Show Begins with Me Classes for All Managers: Coaching for Win-Win Outcome Problem Solving & Decision Making Skills Time Management Seminars and conferences hosted by Guest Speakers Learning Organizational Learning in Disneyland Learning in Disneyland take parts in three aspects, it includes Disney University, DU Learningland and Emerging Leader Program. 1. Disney University The Disney University (DU) offers more than 100 instructor-led programs to all cast members, including the Operations and Professional Teams. As a full time cast member, people can receive an average of 35 training hours per year to help them excel in their career. This also acts as a guide to providing world-class service to our guests. Typical instructor-led training courses include: Classes for All Cast Members: -Disney Traditions Training -Communicating Effectively in the Workplace -Giving and Receiving Feedback in Disney Style -Influencing Team Members as a Role Model Classes for All Managers: -Coaching for Win-Win Outcome -Problem Solving & Decision Making Skills -Time Management -Seminars and conferences hosted by Guest Speakers 2. DU Learningland The DU Learningland provides a wide variety of self-learning materials to study at workers own pace. There are about 1,000 collections including Disney feature films and books on career development as well as personal growth. 3. Emerging Leaders Program Hong Kong Disneyland Emerging Leaders Program can help workers develop for future leadership roles at the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort. The six-month program focuses on developing your core leadership competencies. During the training, workers and other cast members work on group projects, attend classroom training and do on-the-job shadowing with a Guest Service Manager. Current situation of learning aspects in Hong Kong Disneyland 1. Explicit knowledge Explicit knowledge is Knowledge that is articulated through language, such as documents. Hong Kong Disneyland provides training to its workers. With the aim to progress along a steep learning curve, Disneyland offers learning opportunities for the trainees, including classroom training that give workers guidelines of the way workers should behave. 2. Tacit knowledge Tacit knowledge refers to knowledge acquired through observation and direct experience. From the recruitment post of Hong Kong Disneyland, it suggests that previous work experience at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort (e.g. Part Time Host / Internship) or any other Disney theme parks will be considered as an added advantage. This proves the workers are likely to have some experience of welcoming guest before they enter the firm. Moreover, abundant mentorship and mentoring workshops are offered to colleagues so that that new workers can have deeper understanding about Hong Kong Disneyland more easily. 3. Skills Most of the job offered in Hong Kong Disneyland requires that applicants should have excellent command of English and Chinese, including spoken Cantonese and Mandarin. Despite the language requirement, Hong Kong Disneyland further requires candidates have the ability to demonstrate strong computer proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, familiarity with Apple presentation products, and willingness to learn new software programs Generally, Language skills and computer skills are the two fundamental skills that Hong Kong Disneyland is looking for. 4. Attitude Hong Kong Disneyland demands that workers should demonstrate outgoing personality with good communication skill. Moreover, applicants should be those that are energetic, strong team-players and passionate about Disney. That is to say, Hong Kong Disneyland tries to let co-workers to imagine working for an organization that brings smiles to millions every year, or working with people whose passion for what they do is simply indescribable. Problems of Disney Learning Style From the above description, we find that Disneyland provide extensive training program to their employees. These training programs have equipped their employees with basic knowledge on facilitating daily operation of Disneyland; however, these training programs do not equip employees with creativity on how to make their service better. In other word, the training programs of Disneyland do not give enough reinforcement to their employees. Reinforcement is classified into two categories: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement occurs when positive consequence is presented to a desired behavior while negative reinforcement refers to the presentation of negative consequence to undesired behavior. Both operant conditioning and classical conditioning state that extinction of particular behavior will occurs if reinforcement is no longer presented upon the completion of behavior which is previously reinforced. Moreover, social learning theory also suggested that human will learn though observing because of self-reinforcement. In other words, reinforcement has played a very important role in every types of learning. Without reinforcement of desirable behavior and severe punishment of misbehavior, employees may not have any incentive to perform better. Some of them may even lose their incentive to maintain their expected performance and withdraw from Disneyland. This may lead to severe consequences Disneyland in a few aspects. First, with employee losing their work incentives, there will be a reduction of average customer service quality. As Disneyland aims to bring the greatest experience to its customer, their reputation as the world most famous theme park may be harmed. Moreover, if employees resign from Disneyland frequently, the turnover rate of staff is high. In this case, not  only the cost of training newly join staff will increase, the time of training new staff will also be boost as every Disneyland staff needs to receive sufficient training before they become available to work. With the total c ost increase in a great proportion, this will lead to a loss of comparative advantage of Disneyland. To solve the problems mentioned above, Disneyland may need to provide enough external reinforcement and self-reinforcement to their employees. Suggestions 1) Since Disneyland is a service industry, their staffs are required to provide high-quality customer services. And this kind of customer service is not only an explicit knowledge, but also a tacit knowledge. That is, knowledge acquired through observation and direct experience, it cannot be obtained directly through knowledge, such as document. Explicit knowledge is provided by Disney University, while tacit knowledge can be learnt from on-job training, new worker are asked to observe their mentor and learn. At the same time, employees are required to deal with different scenarios to obtain customer satisfaction, and they can only learn through real-time experience since there are many unexpected situations happened in reality. So, extensive training can just provide the existing and past experience to their employees and after they obtained the explicit knowledge from Disney University, they can apply it to customers and make a change to satisfy customers with different needs. And this implies practice makes perfect, only through dealing with actual cases with continuing improvement to obtain a high-quality customer service and that is a tacit knowledge. 2) Positive reinforcement can be used since it occurs when a positive outcome follows a desired behavior. In this case, desired behavior will be the high quality service provided by employees, positive outcome can be bonus and commissions. It is the common way for manager to create learning among their employees, and it becomes the motivator for employees to provide a better service in order to achieve the target set by Disneyland. Before the positive outcome launched, employees will less be motivated since they think there is no problem to work as usual. But after having this positive  outcome, it will motivate employees to provide a better customer service as they want to get the bonus based on the checkpoint set by Disneyland which is related to themselves, the monetary benefit. So, it can create a win-win outcome that Disneyland can continue to have a positive reputation and a continuing improvement on customer relationship through the effort provided by employees, at the same time employees can receive bonus as rewards to affirm their effort directly. Employees can learn from social learning theory. First, behavioral modeling and learning behavior consequences are observing and modeling behavior of others and its consequences afterwards; Since one department have lots of employees who have their own method to deal with customer matters, like the ways to deliver customer service when dealing with customers with different tempers, so everyone can be a role model towards the others. For example, for a host at Chef Mickey (Food and Beverage), there are many staff to serve customers, such as ordering, serving, and cleaning up. They can first observe how the other staffs perform their job responsibilities to get customers’ satisfaction, and then the consequence is they can improve themselves to provide a smoother customer service after observation and modeling. For self-reinforcement, it is a conclusion that employees should reinforce their behavior with consequences within their control after the learning from observation. Disneyland can carry out the performance management through defining the criteria: define what is high-quality customer service by the management department, items may include customer preferences, establishing rapport, dealing with complaints, promoting and up-selling; measuring and appraising employees’ performance: how often to carry out quality assessment and when will have appraisals based on the needs with the current situation, like the peak season for Christmas or The Lunar New Year; providing them either positive or negative feedback: using face-to-face approach in order to deliver their feedback directly: self-reinforcement will occur if the feedback is positive, employees can accumulate a higher marks for the overall performance in order to get the bonus and rewards from achieving the checkpoint set by Disneyland. And their performance can be  improved through providing a better service to achieve the bonus and rewards, learning from colleagues, personal development, such as the goals and schedule set by an individual to provide a better customer service. 3) Using a reward allocation decisions can shape ones behavior in Disneyland. Which people to reward: who meet the requirement of providing high-quality customer service, how to reward them: whether using monetary or non-monetary term. When to reward them, depending when will the appraisals be released. Since Disneyland is a service industry, using team reward systems will be more appropriate as employees should have a good interpersonal and communication quality, and this reward approach can emphasize cooperation and joint efforts, also employees can share their experience to others in order to achieve a better performance and gain a higher reward through cooperation. At the same time, competency-based reward should be used as a financial reward practice as it is the fundamental part of employment relationship. The pay has multiple meanings, such as symbol of success which provides high-quality customer service performance, reinforcement and motivator, reducing anxiety that the worries about how is their own customer service providing performance. Competency-based reward is a pay increases with competencies acquired and demonstrated. It is a skill-based pay which means how well is the customer service provided, pay will be increased with skill modules learned. The advantages is having flexibility on the workload with a better quality, since different employees will provide different customer service, they can learn from dealing with real-time cases in order to adjust how can the customer service be delivered better. Not only is this reward focusing on individual rewards: commissions, but also team rewards: gain sharing and the most important part – organizational rewards: profit sharing, stock options, balanced scorecard. 4) It is suitable to use the job rotation in Disneyland. The existing one is  called the Internal Transfer Process, which is eligible to regular full time cast members who have been employed at Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and held their current position for at least six months. And the purpose is to provide Cast Members with cross-functional transfer opportunities and equip them to be multi-functional and multi-tasked. Cast members can first have six-months experience in their department, after being familiar with its job responsibilities and they feel it is time for them to experience the different challenges, they can submit the application for internal transfer without getting a supervisor’s approval. They can transfer within a Single Team, across different teams or between Operations Team and Professional Team with the same career path. And they can have job rotation after their demonstrated performance, education background, as well as work experience being assessed. Undoubtedly, it has a slightly difference with the job rotation approach since cast members need to submit their application and be assessed. However, the goal is actually similar that offers their employees a chance to have internal transfer. It can minimize repetitive strain injury and reduce the job boredom after staying as the same position for a long time; it is good for employees to experience different customers’ needs through working in different department and it is the only way for them to obtain a real experience through working by their own but not on books or documents. At the same time, there will be some drawbacks that cannot be ignored, such as the extra resources on training as some employees may only work for six months and have internal transfer, that means they need another training which lead to an extra cost on training, the extra training cost will be much higher for employees transferring between Operations Team and Professional Team because the trainin g criteria are totally different; also employees may not be an expert in all fields, this problem may occur frequently also in the case of transferring between Operations Team and Professional Team, since the job requirement will be totally different and they need more theoretical knowledge to manage employees or work out for a win-win outcome and also have decision making which will have a significant influence of Disneyland’s market share or status. Conclusion Hong Kong Disneyland has demonstrated how a world class theme park creates a working atmosphere for its employees. As motivation and learning are always two most important aspects of employee management, so our team has taken these two factors for study. In motivation aspect, we have introduced Herzberg’s two-factor theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need to explain the motivation of employees. The two factor theory and the hygiene factors can be applied in the ways that how Hong Kong Disneyland motivates its employees. The Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need explains how Hong Kong Disneyland motivates its employees according to the five stages of needs, that is, physiological needs, safety needs, social needs, esteem, and self-actualization. In learning aspect, currently, Hong Kong Disneyland provides Disneyland University and mentoring sections for its employees to acquire both explicit and tacit knowledge. Its problem is that is does not give enough reinforcement to the employees on bettering the services, resulting in lower incentives and even job resignation. Therefore, we have suggested Hong Kong Disneyland to provide positive reinforcement such as bonus and team reward to boost their motivation and arrange job rotati on to keep the employees’ passion about the company as well as their job. In a nutshell, Hong Kong Disneyland is an international level organization hiring thousands of employees for operation. Its employee management method is a great model for studying but there are still rooms for improvement.