Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Big Bang Theory Is An American Sitcom - 2999 Words

The Big Bang Theory is an American sitcom that shows what happens when hyper-intellectual roommates/physicists Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hoffsteader meet Penny, a lovely lady moving in the adjacent apartment and acknowledge they know nothing about life outside of the lab. Joining the team is the creepy Howard Wolowitz, who believes he s as hot as he is brainy, and Rajesh Koothrappali, who experiences a powerlessness to talk in the vicinity of a lady. The show separates itself by being unafraid to hurl experimental references and techno babble into a generally standard sitcom, notwithstanding utilizing a physicist to keep things exact. Initially from Galveston, Texas, Sheldon Cooper, M.A., PhD is a kid wonder with an eidetic memory started college at 11 years old in the wake of finishing the fifth grade. He began graduate school at 14, and earned a PhD at 16. A hypothetical physicist scrutinizing quantum mechanics and string hypothesis, he has two graduate degrees, a PhD, and a Sc.D. In any case, in spite of his IQ of 187, he finds numerous normal parts of social circumstances and life by and large hard to comprehend and explore. His dad passed away when he was 14, and his mom, Mary is a God fearing Christian. He additionally has a twin sister, Missy. He has a poor grasp of other people s feelings and little or no understanding of nuances, often questioning others if a comment is intended as sarcasm. Accordingly, he is amazingly awkward and acts uncontrollably improperlyShow MoreRelatedThe Analysis of the Big Bang Theory1369 Words   |  6 PagesAnalysis: The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom about the four male characters that lack of normal social skills, but they are very intelligent. The name of the show refers to two different meanings. The first one is about the beginning of the universe starting with a big bang, and the second meaning is about men that want to get laid. The show is popular for several reasons, but the main reason is because sitcoms remain popular cultural position by being sarcastic and comedy. Sitcoms are all about contemporaryRead MoreThe Big Bang Theory By Chuck Lorre And Warner Bros Television953 Words   |  4 PagesTelevision Essay The Big Bang Theory, a popular American sitcom was produced by Chuck Lorre and Warner Bros television, which airs on CBS network in the United Sates. The Big Bang Theory is starting its eleventh season, which is going the premier on the twenty-fifth of September. Which in time CBS is going to start another two seasons in March 2017 and the other season in 2018 through 2019. The show stars Jim Parson, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuocu, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik andRead MoreIntercultural Communication of American Tv Series in China6643 Words   |  27 PagesÃ¥ º ·Ã¤ ¿Å Ã¨Å  ³ Ã¥ ­ ¦ Ã¥  ·Ã¯ ¼Å¡ 200903010104 ç ³ » åˆ «Ã¯ ¼Å¡ Ã¥ ¤â€"è ¯ ­Ã§ ³ » ä ¸â€œ ä ¸Å¡Ã¯ ¼Å¡ è‹ ± è ¯ ­ Ã¥ ¹ ´Ã§ º §Ã§  ­Ã§ º §Ã¯ ¼Å¡ 2009ç º §3ç  ­ æÅ'‡å ¯ ¼Ã¦â€¢â„¢Ã¥ ¸Ë†Ã¯ ¼Å¡ 刘ä ¿Å Ã¦  ° Cross-cultural communication of American TV Series in China –illustrated be the example of The Big Bang Theory Submitted by kang Junfang Student ID number (200903010104) Supervised by (Liu Junjie) A paper submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Bachelor of Arts The Foreign LanguagesRead MoreTelevision Sitcom : A Tv Sitcom1635 Words   |  7 Pages‘network’ examination the former Chief Executive of Channel 4 Jeremy Isaccs said of sitcom â€Å"It is a form in which it is impossible to bring new work. It is the most conventional form in British television,†(Neale Krutnik, 1990) while this comment is nearly 30 years old I feel Isaccs point still stands. Since television s rise to dominance in the 50’s and 60’s television sitcom hadn’t progressed much from their radio sitcom forerunners, by the 1980’s the cliche and the tropes were so ingrained in BritishRead MoreThe Effects Of Television On Children s Children959 Words   |  4 Pages000 acts of violence (2015). Americans clock in much of their free time watching television. Idiot box, boob tube, and time waster are just a few of the names that televisions have been referred to as, in the past. However, this so called, â€Å"bad habit† has been proven to have some beneficial effects. Television can be educational. It is also known to improve memory and intelligence, as well as allow you to live vicariously. With 98% of households containing a TV, Americans have a broadened educationRead MoreMany characters in movies, television shows, and novels have been portrayed or have been hinted to600 Words   |  3 PagesTotal Drama, who has dissociative identity disorder. This phenomenon has become more prevalent in popular media. These characters appear in all types of genres: psychological thrillers, comedies, mysteries, musicals, and more. The Big Bang Theory is a television sitcom that features a character that has many symptoms of a psychological disorder called Asperger’s syndrome, and this character is Sheldon Cooper. Asperger’s syndrome is a psychological disorder that â€Å"affects a person’s ability to socializeRead MoreSitcom Singles: The Differential Portrayal of Single Men and Women in the Modern American Sitcom 2024 Words   |  9 Pagesor about five hours each day (â€Å"Americans,† 2009). Of the 25 top-rated shows for the week of February 8-14, 2010, six were sitcoms, averaging 5.84 million live viewers each (Seidman, 2010), to say nothing for the millions more who watched later on the Internet or their Digital Video Recorders. The modern sitcom is an undeniable force in America, and its influence extends beyond giving viewers new jokes to repeat at the water cooler the next day: whether Americans realize it or not, the media continuesRead MoreDecision Systems And Human Computer Interaction Essay1178 Words   |  5 PagesOn a warm evening after a busy day at the office, I fired up my Laptop to search â€Å"Big Bang Theory†, to learn further about the fa mous theory. However, all my search results were related to the sitcom. This was astonishing, nevertheless, I checked the next page, the page after that, and so on. Surprisingly, not even a single result pertaining to the intended scientific theory existed in the search result. Only after appending the term ‘science’ I arrived at the expected result. This made me ponderRead MoreGender Roles During The Years Men And Women Essay1594 Words   |  7 Pages7% of American families have and watch T.V. on a daily basis (Lantagne, 2014). Through persuasive techniques, such as shows and commercials, television can push the social norms created by society. By watching what characters do and how they act on shows can influence and change a person’s way of acting to match with that character. Most times, shows portray men as strong and adventurous and women as weak and needing men. An example of gender roles in shows is the show The Big Bang Theory (LantagneRead MoreGender I nequality During The Workplace1609 Words   |  7 Pageswould take care of the household, and more women would aim for promotions and higher salaries. This would help lower the salary gap, which would promote equality between genders. Opportunity Inequality According to Pew research, about four-in-ten American women looking to climb business ladders feel they have to work harder than their male counterparts in order to prove themselves. Studies done by Columbia University professor Reuben indicate that mangers are extremely gender biased when making hiring

Monday, December 23, 2019

Refugees And Human Rights Law - 2625 Words

Refugee law is closely related to international human rights law, and some would consider it to be a branch of human rights law. Refugee law has been an important issue for countries everywhere. Refugees can be seen as a burden to most countries prior to World War II when every state had their borders open to home thousands. The first part of this paper will look at the prime legislation available to refugees. The second part will focus more closely on the relevant case law over time in regards to refugees and human rights. Refugees are protected by two primary legislation at the international level, the first being the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees. These two combined provided the most protection for refuges but was only followed by countries who had signed both at the time. This is of key importance as this effected how refugees were being treated when they entered into nation states when fleeing for their safety. â€Å"Refugees by definition are victims of human rights violations†. Under the 1951 Refugee Convention â€Å"a refugee is defined as to any person and owing to a well- founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion, is outside the country of his nationality and is unable or, owing to such fear, is unwilling to avail himself of the protection of that country†. This definition has been critiqued for notShow MoreRelatedRefugees Of Refugees And Asylees Essay1043 Words   |  5 PagesTorres 1 Virgenmina Torres GNED-400: Paper 4 Professor Grigg/Narita October 20, 2016 Asylees and Refugees Refugees and Asylees are defined as, â€Å"Under international law as being outside their home country and having a well-founded fear of persecution based on race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group, according to Bridging Refugee Youth Children Services article, â€Å"Refugee 101.† In the United States, refugee and asylees resettlement wasRead MoreThe International Organization For Migration957 Words   |  4 PagesInternational Law: Why Studying in the Field of Law Not A Lost Cause â€Å"Roughly one million refugees fled Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria and made their way to Europe last year. The International Organization for Migration(IOM) estimates the incoming refugee rate to be 17 times higher this year with the death toll of those trying to seek refuge up by more than 15 percent†(Baral). I argue that there is a need for international lawyers in the projected future because of the increase of refugees as a resultRead MoreEffectiveness Of The United States And Canada s Polices Towards Refugees Essay1543 Words   |  7 Pagesand Canada’s Polices Towards Refugees Has United States or Canada been more effective with implementing and abiding by refugee rules and laws? Before discussing and comparing which of these countries had been more successful, the historical context of refugees needs to be explored. Although refugees have existed throughout the course of history, the definitions of what a refuge is had shifted and evolved over time. The League of Nations in the 1920s defined refugees â€Å"by categories, specificallyRead MoreRefugees ´ Rights to Life Essay532 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction The term refugee has been used a lot lately on news and other media outlets. As Americans when we hear or think about a refugee, we always think of others. We think of the misplaced Syrians and the children of war in Africa, we think of refugees from Afghanistan and those migrating here from MiddlEast fearing prosecution of their oppressed governments; hardly ever we give a thought of such term in association with an American. It does not accrue to us that stronger nations have fallen, theirRead MoreAustralia s Treatment Of Desperate Refugees Will Make It A Pariah Nation1269 Words   |  6 Pages Australia’s treatment of desperate refugees will make it a pariah nation Annotated Bibliography 1. https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/11/13/australias-treatment-desperate-refugees-will-make-it-pariah-nation This article focusses on three main points in which the refugees have suffered from the Australian government deciding to implement a plan to save lives from refugees coming to Australia by boat. In 2012 and 2013 tens of thousands more refugees fled their home countries to move away fromRead MoreA Brief Note On The Syrian Refugee Crisis1573 Words   |  7 Pagesnumbers can feel cold and distant and even kind of comforting because they don t feel like people, and I think that’s the reason much of the world was able to ignore the years old Syrian refugee crisis until recently. But then after thousands of refugees died this year trying to get to Europe, one three year old boy washed ashore in Turkey. His name was Aylan Kurdi and he drowned with his five year old brother and his mom trying to get to Greece. His father Abdullah has now returned to Syria to buryRead MoreThe Right Of Refugees From The Syrian Civil War1590 Words   |  7 PagesThe right of refugees to be granted ref uge in another country has been a major human rights issue of our time. A refugee, according to international refugee law, is â€Å"all of those who flee persecution on the basis of religion, race, nationality, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group† (Goldenziel 2). In this particular case I will examine how Syrian refugees have faced persecution as a result of generalized violence from the Syrian Civil War. This is the worst humanitarianRead Moreasylum seekers1734 Words   |  7 PagesInternational has found that anti-asylum seekers sentiments are not actually fuelled by racism. Australia pride itself on its strong human rights record and its standing as a good global citizen. However deeper analysis and according to recent situation that how boat people are being treated shows that Australia has failed to fulfill with its international human rights obligations in a number of areas. This is making the things complicating and has tendency towards receptionist and relativist argumentsRead MoreThe Uprising Of The Arab World1223 Words   |  5 PagesOver half, the state s population is reaching out to the world for asylum. Moreover, this war has risen international disputes in the level of involvement to take in Syria. The humanitarian assistance with the refugees takes precedence, and whether to take in or not to take Syrian refugees. The Syrian war is turning out to be one of the most murderous wars of all time. Since the beginning of the war, there is an estimated 400,00 deaths caused by violence and 70,000 results as an indirect resultRead MoreHuman Rights : International Organization, Flexible Standards, And International Refugee Law1365 Words   |  6 PagesMillions of Syrian refugees are being hunted and displaced from their homes, while the majority of the world closes their blinds from this present day massacre. Resolving the Syrian refugee crisis is a complex and daunting task, but the future of their lives rest in the palms of our hands and it is our moral obligation to interfere and aid the innocent. Article #1 Goldenziel, Jill I. Regulating Human Rights: International Organizations, Flexible Standards, and International Refugee Law.  Chicago Journal

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Role Play Exercise Free Essays

Scenarios – Assume that Asian is a new hired outdoor sales executive for company Lennox Design which provide one stop solution for T-shirt and Uniforms supply. We get an Introduction from our existing customer who name Ms Eng that her friend Ms Learn factory have a sports day event by next two month. Now Asian had appointment with the purchases In-charge person Ms Elm, try to approach her to purchases our product to her event uniform. We will write a custom essay sample on Role Play Exercise or any similar topic only for you Order Now Asian:† Hi Ms Limit, I am Asian from Lennox Design, nice to meet you (Handing business card and a company prepared free gift t-shirt to Ms Limit), You friend Ms Eng introducing me that you are interested to order t-shirt for your company sports day event by the next two month. † Ms Limit:† Hello Mr. Asian, nice to meet you too (opening the t-shirt plastic) Woo, nice design for this t-shirt, it is free to me? Asian:† Yup, this t- shirt special deserve to you for free and this t-shirt is design from my company, you may see the quality for our product too. † Ms Limit:† Thanks you, I like it very much. Well, we haven’t made decision for the t-shirt use at the day of events, but we had no much Idea for choosing the new t-shirt, any suggestion Mr.. Asian? † Asian:† Yes, May I now how many pieces t-shirt and the budget for per pieces t-shirt you wish to order in this activity? Ms Elm:† Meme†¦ Elf consider the previous events experience, we need around 500-600 pieces red color plain t-shirt with my company logo and my company have enhance the budget for this events to have a better benefit to our staff, we were set the T-shirt budget in ARMY per pieces. Asian, you are welcome. Here is the deposit ROOM ( pass the money to Asian ), and can I know when can get my t-shirt? † Asian:† Well, normally after confirm the artwork, mass production will take reworking days to process the order. Please do not hesitate to call me if Ms Limit have question for the t-shirt and souvenir, we are the company which specialist in supply souvenir and t-shirt, I wish that you company can give me more chance to serve you in the future. † Ms Limit:† Mr.. Asian, you are modest and see you. (shake hand with Asian) Asian:† See you Ms Limit, Bye. â€Å" How to cite Role Play Exercise, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Classic vs. Political Islam free essay sample

A paper which defines the Islamic religion and shows how its teachings are contradictory to political Islam. The paper defines the teachings and practices of the religion Islam and gives an overview of its history. The paper shows how the classic Islamic religion which preaches restraint from violent acts, is in contradiction to radical Islamic groups who commit terrorist acts in the name of Allah. Take as an example Osama bin Ladens group, the Al Qaeda. They are Muslims in belief, but they do not understand fully the concepts and beliefs that were written in Islamic doctrines about the proper path and living that Muslims should commit themselves to. Instead, they had violated every possible moral and religious belief that Islam strictly adheres to. An example would be the terrorist attacks bin Laden and his group (Qaeda) had committed. These acts of violence and terrorism are a strong contradiction to the Muslim belief that Allahs follower should not inflict any physical harm to any living thing, whatever their worth is. We will write a custom essay sample on Classic vs. Political Islam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Another prevailing example is the constant abuse that the Taliban government in Afghanistan and bin Ladens group has inflicted to the women and children of their nation. This is in direct violation to the doctrine of Quran that the women are to be treated with respect and reverence, and this also includes the children, future Muslims themselves.

Friday, November 29, 2019

The Internet Essays (1001 words) - Digital Technology,

The Internet The Internet is the name for a group of worldwide information resources. These resources are so vast as to be well beyond the comprehension of a single human being. Not only is there no one who understands all of the Internet, there is no one who even understands most of the Internet (Harley 2). The Internet is often thought of as a computer network, or sometimes a group of computer networks connected to one another. The computer networks are simply the medium that carries the information. The beauty and utility of the Internet lie in the information itself that is being transmitted. The Internet has undergone a remarkable transformation since its early days. The original Internet was a low-speed, text-based network used to connect a few government sites to the research and defense contracting community. The Department of Defense began a project known as ARPAnet (Advanced Research Project Agency Network) back in the late 1960's, starting the first internet. It was designed by the network architects to interconnect government computers with defense contractors (Banta 2). The design of the network was such that no one computer system was dependent upon the functioning of any of the other computer systems. If any one computer network node was destroyed, such as in a nuclear attack, the rest of the network would continue to operate (Banta 2). In the 1970s, the Internet began to be interconnected with large universities and research organizations (Banta 2). The type of information going across the Internet began to change from that of being primarily government oriented to that of research oriented. During the 1980s, more universities and government contractors began using the internet contributing to its growth. As the amount of network traffic increased, the speed of the Internet began to slow down. In the mid - 1980s, the U.S. Department of Defense split the network into the ARPAnet and the MilNet. The MilNet consists of only traffic to and from military sites and other government locations vital for national defense. The National Science Foundation (NSF) took over ARPAnet and merged it into a high-speed network called NSFnet (Benta 2). The NSFnet was the prototype for the national Internet backbones that we have today. It provided high-speed links among scientists and supercomputing facilities and served as the main Internet traffic arteries for the United States. People at universities and elsewhere immediately began using the increased speed for everything other than supercomputing, and this led to the birth of the national Internet infrastructure. In 1995, the NSF handed over control of the Internet backbone to commercial carriers (Glen 3). In the last couple of years Internet usage has shifted from the university environment to that of becoming more commercial. The primary thing that has led to this shift was the development of the World Wide Web (the Web) by CERN (the high-energy physics research institute in Geneva, Switzerland). Coupled with this came the development of the first practical web browser, Mosaic, from the National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) (Glen 3). Today, the Internet is being used by all sorts People - educators, librarians, hobbyists, and business people - for a variety of purposes, from communicating with each other, to accessing valuable information and resources. To appreciate what the. Internet has to offer, imagine discovering a whole system of highways and high-speed connectors that cut hours off your commuting time. Or a library you could use any time of the day or night, with acres of books and resources and unlimited browsing. That's the Internet. Web browsers allowed people to explore the resources of the Internet in a way that was far easier than the original text-based applications like FTP (file transfer protocol, Gopher (a search engine), Telnet (remotely accessing a computer), etc. As more people become interested in the Internet, the more web browsers were developed and came into use. The main web browsers in use today are Netscape and Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Web browsers were developed that were more graphically (picture) oriented and easier to use than the old text based applications. This led to an increase in the number of people that began connecting themselves to the Internet and this led to a slow down in

Monday, November 25, 2019

Personality and Motivation Essays

Personality and Motivation Essays Personality and Motivation Essay Personality and Motivation Essay In this assignment, I will be talking about the many different theories that attempt to explain where your personality comes from and how it can change you as a person. It will also link this with where motivation comes from. Personality is defined as a persons attributes made up of physical, mental, emotional and social characteristics. Motivation is described as an incentive to complete a task. There are some theories of personality that suggest that you develop your personality from birth, which stay with you through childhood and into adulthood, whereas others say that you develop your personality throughout your life through experiences you encounter. This is known as the nature vs nurture debate. The nature side of this debate argues that you are born with your own unique personality which doesnt change through your life, similar to your genes. One example of this is the trait theory. The trait theory suggests that your personality is made up of a combination of various traits that combine to make your own personality thats different to everybody elses. This theory also says that you will always have these characteristics in whatever situation youre in. For example, if you have a very loud and confident personality, this theory suggests that this will show in whatever situation youre in. However, I think that this is the downfall of this theory because I believe that there will be some situations where this wouldnt be true. One example of this is that if you were in an unfamiliar place with people you had never met before, you would come over much more shy. However, if you were playing football with close friends, you will be much louder. On the other hand, there are theories that say you learn your personality from others in social situations. The main example of this is the social learning theory. One aspect of the theory is modelling. Modelling is described as looking up to someone and wanting to be like them. For example, you could watch your favourite footballer playing on and see them showing anger at other players and then copy them when playing yourself. One criticism of the theory is that it doesnt include both sides of the nature vs nurture debate into consideration and doesnt explain how the genes you inherit from your parents can affect your characteristics through life. One theory that does include both sides of the argument is the interactional approach theory, otherwise known as the trait-state approach. This is one of the few theories that takes both sides of the nature vs nurture debate into consideration. This theory is much more advanced than the trait theory and the social learning theory because it doesnt just concentrate on one particular reason, but instead takes more possibilities into consideration. The trait side of the theory covers the characteristics you are born with and take with you throughout your life. However, these characteristics can change depending on the situation you are in. This is the state side of the theory. It says neither traits nor situations can predict behaviour alone. For example, if someone is playing for a team, they will follow orders and do what they are told by the captain. But when they are made captain themselves their natural trait of being very commanding may show through much more. However there is one area that it doesnt cover and that is the aspect of free will, unlike the Matt Jarvis theory. Free will takes into consideration that people make impulse decisions when forced to make a quick choice. There are also three other parts to the Matt Jarvis theory. The four main points are past experiences, genetics, situation and free will. This theory covers all areas and doesnt just say that you get your personality from one place, but in fact a combination of factors. Past experiences effect how you act. For example if you have broken your leg playing football before, you are more likely to pull out of a tackle. The situation part of the theory takes how people behave in different places into consideration. Free will covers for the impulse decisions made on the spot and genetics explains how genes can affect personality, similar to Sheldons constitutional theory. However this is the most thorough theory and the one that I believe is the most accurate. There are so many influences on your personality that it is impossible to come up with a theory to cover every possibility. But this theory does cover most with the four parts. Looking at all theories I believe that it is impossible to predict where you get your personality from because there are so many life changing experiences that you live through and situations to affect how you act. Sport is definitely a good example of how personalities can change so easily. You could be playing football and act completely different depending on a number of factors, including where youre playing, who youre playing with, your role in the team and many more.  Personality is closely linked with motivation. There are many reasons why people play sport. These reasons can be split into two specific areas which are intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

Friday, November 22, 2019

Ethical Issues in Research Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethical Issues in Research - Personal Statement Example Background: It describes the basic information and history about the programmes or the project which is being evaluated. Review of evaluation questions: This section describes the goals of the evaluation of the programmes. It includes specific evaluation questions and reasons for each question. Evaluation methods: These describe in detail the design and the process of the evaluation. This process of evaluation includes the major criteria used for selecting samples or the participants. It also explains the data collections approaches and the process of analysis of the data. Key findings: These are the main observation from the overall research programme which provides descriptions of the participants or the samples which include the demographics of the participants and the extent of participation. Conclusions: It contains the comparisons hypothesis of the research with the actual findings. It reflects the strength of the research programme identified in the evaluation and recommendati on for further improvement of the work i.e. the process of finding the results. It also describes the limitation of the research process and the evaluation process. ... A particular academic journal represents an in-depth analysis of a particular area of any subject. The main aim of this is to provide detailed analysis or information about a narrow topic of academics. An analysis is done in a much deeper level to find out the key outcomes and the limitations. Newspaper report: A newspaper report generally discuss the current or recent news or issues from diverse areas. It includes the accounts of eye witness for the happening events. Gene3rally newspaper reports answers almost all the questions like who, what, when, where, how and lastly the most important way. These articles are written keeping in mind the mass market knowledge base to understand and needful of the topic. These based on the study of the wide range of topic not in-depth research on a particular area. The main aim for this type of article is to make awareness of the mass about particular issues or detail facts which the readers need to aware of or sometimes they are interested to kno w to gain a wide range of knowledge. Section B Answer 1 The positivist research philosophy is derived from natural science and is characterized by hypothesis testing and development from the existing theories through the measurement of the social realities. This position assumes that the world exists for different externalities and objectives. The knowledge of the assumption is only valid if it is assumed based on the findings and the observations of any external realities and it needs to develop some theoretical models which can explain the cause and effectiveness of the possible outcomes.  

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Finance Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Finance - Research Paper Example 1. Distribution analysis American Eagle Outfitters (AEO) has got outlets in USA as well as in Canada. All total there are more than 900 stores in and around USA and Canada. There are more than 150 stand alone stores in USA. The compnay has presence in more than 76 different international countries. AEO produces its own products and also sells them under the same brand name. Although the products itself may have different brand name but it comes from the same fashion house. The supply chain of AEO is a two level process only. Thus, the number of intermeidaries are comparatively low. The raw matrials are sourced from 15 different suppliers and the 5 different manufacturers produce the final products. The products are shipped to the warehouses (Bethel 24). They remain in the warehouse till new order for delivery are received. The products are then shifted to the distribution centre and from the distribution centre to the airports and ports. Most of the time the products are shifted thro ugh the ports. This is because of the reason that the waterway offers the most efficient and cost effective way to transport the goods. Once the goods reach the ports, then the goods are trasported from the ports to the distribution centre (Alchain 780). The manufacturing centres are present in Pittsburgh, in USA. The goods are sent using both railway and roadway. The outlets are spread all across the States. As mentioned there are about 150 stand alone shops. The stand alone shops deal with American Eagle Outfitters products only (Betty 602). These outlets have large holding capacity of apparel products. So the products are stored on season basis. The small shops or the multi brand shops are supplied with products on a monthly basis. The stand alone shops sometime also act distribution centres for the smaller outlets or the multi brand shops. Fig 1: Distribution system Source: (Betty 607) The following diagram gives a schematic view of the supply and distribution system of AEO. The orders are processed and then sorted in order of the importance and delivery date. Then the inventory is assesed to find out how much additional orders need to be put with the manufacturers to suffice the demands (Modigliani 262). The products are then packed and kept ready to be shifted to the distribution centres in case of inland distribution (Boyd 20). If overseas distribution is involved then the products get shifted directly from the warehouses to the airports and the ports, for airlifting and transportation through waterways. Fig 2: Value chain Source: (Boyd 24) 2. Market analysis USA has one of the largest apparel market in the world. USA alone constitutes 28% of the total global market. The market value of the USA apparel is USD 331 B. The apparel industry employes about 105, 457 people on an average basis. Although the percentage share of people employed by the USA apparel market is quite small in comparison to the rest of the world (Boyd 30). This is because of the reaso n that the the percentage share denoted by USA in terms of employment size is significantly small in comparison to the huge percentage share (28%) in terms of market value. The market share is analysed by denoting the total value of all the apparels sold in each quarter as well as by

Monday, November 18, 2019

Influencial Person during the American Revolution Essay

Influencial Person during the American Revolution - Essay Example He was born in Thetford, England, to a corset-maker father and a religious mother, both of whom were Quakers1. He enrolled in school, attending regularly until almost the age of thirteen, when he was forced to drop out and learn his father’s trade. Deciding that he disliked being a corset-maker, he tried a number of other trades, including teacher, grocer, and excise tax collector2. While he worked his best at these occupations, Paine really had no desire to make these occupations his for the rest of his life, and therefore fared badly in all of them. Paine came to the colonies in 1774, settling in Philadelphia after meeting with Benjamin Franklin in London. Franklin wrote what was known at the time as â€Å"letters of introduction† for Paine, and Paine left for the colonies to begin a new life3. Less than two years later, Paine found himself embroiled in the American Revolution. Many Americans believed, at first, that the fight with the British was not about independen ce or gaining any sort of freedom, but rather to plead with the King for a redress of grievances4. In 1775, when the revolution had progressed as far as the Battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill, four of the Founding Fathers, including John Adams, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington, met to review dispatches, during which time Paine entered the room5. After being introduced by Franklin, Paine states frankly, â€Å"These States of America must be independent of England. That is the only solution to this question!†6 Though most of the men felt that this was, in essence, a shocking statement, they all realized that Paine was right, and that independence must be achieved if they were to live freely from England7. Paine proceeded, not long after, to write the pamphlet that would energize the American people, entitled Common Sense. In this pamphlet, he addressed the problems of the English monarchy, the advisability of separation from England and gaining American independence, the nature of the American colonists as a society, and also made some modest proposals for a new form of government8. His motive, in writing the pamphlet, was not only to plant the idea of independence in the minds of the colonists but to turn the anger of Americans away from particular parliamentary measures and towards what he considered the root of the problem, which, in his mind, was the English constitution itself9. Common Sense sold more than 100,000 copies in only a few months, and helped to create a rapid growth of support for the idea of independence in the early months of 177610. One of the reasons for its success was that, by coincidence, it was published first on the same day that a speech from the King of England reached the United States, denouncing all Americans in the colonies as traitors and rebels, and stating frankly that it would be the right of England to bind the colonies forever11. Though at first it was read with a wide amount of alarm, as most colonists knew from almost the first words that it was a statement against the grain of normal thought at the time, after taking many pauses and re-reading it over and over again, most of the American public came to realize that Paine was right, and that independence would be the only way to free themselves from English tyranny forever12. Paine had an audience ready to listen to him and hail him as a prophet not because of his words, but

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Definition and determinants of price elasticity

Definition and determinants of price elasticity Definition of price elasticity (PES) to supply refers to a measurement of relationship between change in quantity supplied and a change in price. There is a few determinants that affects the outcome of the PES. One of the determinants is time period. Supply will be more elastic when time given to a company to change its adjustment is more. In short run, the time given to firms and companies are too short to adjust or change and adapt. For example, Sammys burger face a shortage of beef meat as raw material. It is inelastic if the time period is limited to a few hours only. The price of the burger might increase but the there is simple no other methods to help Sammy. In long run, time given to firms and producers are long enough to adjust their firm size and prepare for firms to enter or leave. In this way, Sammy would have enough time to search for alternate way for new resources. Another determinant is resource substitution possibilities, which means some goods or product that can only be produced or made by using special technique or limited resources. These products have a very low elasticity of supply or maybe zero. However goods which are commonly produced that could be simply found have a relatively high elasticity of supply. Example, Louis Vuitton handbags are all handmade from genuine leather, hence there are less products that may substitute it. The PES of Louis Vuitton is much more inelastic. Question 2B Price Businesses can use the concept price elasticity to decide their pricing strategy by determining whether the good to be sold is inelastic, elastic, unitary, perfectly inelastic, and perfectly elastic. If the price elasticity is inelastic it shows that the percentage change in quantity demanded is less than the percentage change in price. For example, good A is given a discount of 10%, but quantity demanded only increased slightly by a 3%, thus is will be a smarter way to gain more profit by increasing the price instead of decreasing and only quantity demanded will only decrease slightly. Diagram 2.1 shows the demand curve of this case. 10% Quantity demanded D Diagram 2.1- Inelastic Demand 4% Furthermore, when the demand of a certain good is elastic it shows a scenario which the percentage change in quantity demanded is larger than the percentage change in price. For example, good B is an inelastic good, hence giving discounts or decreasing the price will attract more customers, thus increasing the total revenue of the business. Diagram 2.2 shows the demand curve of good B decreasing the price by 10% and earning 20% more quantity demanded. Price 10% D 20% Quantity demanded Diagram 2.2- Elastic Demand Thirdly, if demand of a good is unitary elastic, which the percentage change in quantity demanded equals to the percentage change in price. Any rise in price will be exactly offset by a fall in quantity, leaving the total revenue unchanged. In Diagram 2.3, it shows that when given a 10% discount, quantity demanded will increase by 10%; the total revenue earned is the same as before discount. Therefore, producer should decrease the price of product, manufacturing less goods saving more time and man power and redirecting it to another productive product. Price 10% D Quantity demanded Diagram 2.3-Unitary Elastic 10% When demand is perfectly inelastic, the quantity demanded will not change as the price change. Consumers will not response to any change in price at all. In diagram 2.4, it shows that when price decrease by 10%; no changes are to be seen. Hence if producers increase the price of the product, quantity demanded will not be affected. Price D 10% Quantity demanded Diagram 2.4- Perfectly Inelastic Price Last but not least is perfectly elastic demand, where only slight percentage change in price will cause an infinite percentage change in quantity demanded. This means that consumers have a great response to a change in price. Hence, producers should remain the price or follow the market value and not simply changing the price because a small change can bring an infinite change in quantity demanded. D Quantity demanded Diagram 2.5- Perfectly elastic Question 3A Supply is the production of a certain good or product by suppliers or future suppliers for the market a variation of price at a certain time period. From the law of supply, if the price of a certain good increase, so will the quantity supplied of the good. A supply curve is a graph that shows quantity of goods that producers will supply according to the price. The graph will always sloped upwards to the right side because quantity supply is bigger at a dearer price. Diagram 3.1 shows how a supply curve is. Price Quantity supplied Diagram 3.1 S0 Price There are a few reasons supply of a product will increase. If there is an increase in supply, the supply curve will shift rightwards. Diagram 3.2 shows a shift in the supply curve from S0 to S1. S1 Diagram 3.2 Quantity supplied Firstly, a decrease or increase in the cost of making a good will determine the supply. In this case, cost of raw material or packaging too will affect the cost price. If cost of raw material for a certain good drop, suppliers will tend to produce more good and hence the supply will increase. Example, the cost of flour drops and results to an increase supply of bread. The drop in cost of flour the raw material of bread will lower down the cost of production thus suppliers will be able to produce more. Hence, the supply increases. Secondly, the improvement in technology will affect the supply of a certain good. Improvement in technology is able to decrease the cost of production and increase productivity of a certain good, thus resulting in an increase in supply of good at every price level. For example, the development in robotic arms and computers enabled car manufacturers to produce cars in a faster pace yet with a promising product. Hence, car manufacturers can cut cost at man power and also costly mistakes. Supply will increase as the technology continues to develop. Last but not least, is the price of substitute goods and competitive goods that may affect the supply of a good. Producing these goods requires similarly the same raw material. Hence, producers will choose to concentrate on the product which is more profitable and a better demand rate. Example, nukia N99 is more popular compared to nukia M99, thus producers will try to produce more nukia N99 which is more profitable than nukia M99. Hence supply of nukia N99 will increase. Question 3B Economists are saying that price floor and price ceilings can control the distribution of scarce good to those consumers who value them most highly. Price floor also know as minimum price is set above the equilibrium price to take effect. By doing so, goods have to be sold at a minimum price; hence minimum profits are earned by suppliers. On the other hand, price ceiling or the maximum price is set below the equilibrium price to take effect, lowering the price will attract consumers. Diagram 3.3 shows the price floor and Diagram 3.4 shows the price ceiling. Price S e Pe D Piece ceiling (Max. price) Diagram 3.3 Price Ceiling Quantity Demand Price D S Quantity Demand Piece Floor (Min. price) e Pe Diagram 3.4- Price Floor S : Supply curve D : Demand curve Pe : Price Equilibrium e : Equilibrium point Rationing function of price is the increase or decrease in price to clear the market of any shortage or surplus, while the resource allocation defines as an amount of resource given to a party for a specific purpose. The price floor and price ceiling are said to be stifle the rationing function of prices and distort resource allocation because they are made by the government to make sure suppliers gain profit. But this may result in surplus between demand and supply. As an example, good A is set at a price floor of $20 which is $5 more than the price at equilibrium. Some consumers are willing and able to buy the product at a higher price, and producers will continue supply good A. producers may raise the price of good A, but in return less consumer will buy it. This may result a surplus in the market. Other than that it also results distort resource allocation because not all products are able to be sell out. S: Supply curve D: Demand curve Pe: Price Equilibrium S Price of good A surplus $20 Pe D Quantity demand of good A Furthermore, once a price ceiling is put onto a good by the government, a shortage will happen between the supply and the demand of the product which eventually causes stifle of rationing function of prices and distorts the resource allocation. For example, salts have a price ceiling of $3 per packet, which is determined by the government. In other words, consumers are able to buy salt at a much cheaper price. But suppliers will not be able to make a better profit; hence supply will be limited by producers. This results to a shortage of salt in the market. Distort resource allocation occurs, thus not all consumers are able to buy salt because of the stocks are limited. Price of salt (per packet) S: Supply curve D: Demand curve Pe: Price Equilibrium Quantity of sugar (package) S Shortage Pe $3 D Question 5A The definition of demand can be defined as quantities of a good or service that people are ready and willing to buy at various prices within some given time period, other factor besides price held constant, ceteris paribus. Price of Cintan First of all, a change in demand will cause the demand curve to shift rightwards. Other than the price of the good itself, there are a few other determinants that leads to a shift in the curve. Some of the determinants are price of substitute or complementary good, size of a household income, taste and fashion, weather condition, and etc. the curve will shift rightwards if there is an increase in demand and vice versa. Example, a drop in the price of Maggie instant noodle which is the substitute of Cintan instant noodle drops from $3 to $2. In this case, the demand of Cintan will drop, hence the demand curve of Cintan will shift leftwards. This is because consumers will be attracted by the cheaper good and not the dearer one. According to the law of demand, as the price of a good decrease, the quantity demanded of the good rises and vice versa, ceteris paribus. Diagram 5.1 shows the demand curve of Cintan instant noodle shift from D0 to D1 when a there is a decrease in demand. D1 D0 Diagram 5.1 Quantity Demanded On the other hand, a change in quantity demanded is shown as a movement along the demand curve. The one and only factor which can results a change in quantity demanded is the price of the good itself. When the price decreases, the quantity demanded will increase and vice versa, ceteris paribus. For example, in Diagram 5.2 an upward movement from A to B along the demand curve due to an increase in price of cheese from $5 to $8. The quantity demanded of cheese decreases from Qd0 to QD1 according to law of demand. Price of cheese($) 8 B 5 A Diagram 5.2 D Qd1 Qd0 Quantity demanded of cheese D: Demand curve A: point A B: point B Qd: Quantity demanded Question 5B Income elasticity of demand (YED) shows the proportionate  change  in the  demand  for a good in  response  to a change in households income. YED can also be explained as the percentage change in quantity demanded divided by the percentage change in households income. Below is the way YED is written down in formula form: The percentage change in quantity demanded YED = The percentage change in households income There are several degrees affecting the YED. First degree of all is the positive YED. The outcome of the YED is a positive outcome, which means that demand will rise as income rise too. Positive YED can be further broken down into two categories, income elastic and income inelastic. Income elastic is said to be income elastic when the outcome is greater than 0 but lesser than 1 (0< YED 1) it is said to be income inelastic. This is because the percentage change in quantity demanded differs by a large percentage over the percentage change in households income. The good is known as luxury, example of luxury goods are branded items, sport cars, and branded clothes. Second degree of YED is negative YED, which is a negative outcome of YED value (YED< 0). In this case, when demand falls, income rises. Goods under this degree are known as inferior good. Example of inferior goods are second-hand items, replica items, and low class good. Last but not least is when YED equals exactly to zero (YED = 0 ). This only occurs when the quantity demanded does not change as the income changes. All the goods under this degree are necessity. Basic needs such as rice and salt are utilized on daily life, hence income will not affect the demand. Question 6A Diagram 6.1 Consumer surplus is the difference between total amount that consumers are willing and able to pay for a good or service and the total amount that they actually pay. Producer surplus is the difference between what producers are willing and able to supply a god for and the price they actually receive. The level of producer surplus is shown by the area above the curve and below the market price. Price of good Consumer Surplus S: Supply curve D: Demand curve Pe: Price equilibrium Q: Quantity D S Pe Quantity of good Producer Surplus Consumer surplus shows the highest price customers are willing to pay and the market price that they are actually paying for. Consumer surplus tells us that customers gets the benefit from paying lesser than the actual price. The area under the demand curve and above the price equilibrium represents the consumers surplus. For example. A consumer whom is willing to pay $20 for Good A but the actual price for Good A is only $5 to have it. Hence the consumer surplus is $5 which is the value that is paid lesser than what he is willing to pay. Other than that, the area above the supply curve and under the price equilibrium represents the producers surplus. For example, producers are willing to sell their product shoe at a price of $100 but instead the market paid them $200. Hence, the producers received $100 more than they are willing to take, $100 is the producers surplus. (Geoff Riley, Eton College, September 2006, http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/a2-micro-consumer-producer-surplus.html .) Question 6B Scarcity, choice and opportunity cost are the three basic concepts of economics. Scarcity is a case where human needs are in excess compared to resources available. Choice is the time where humans are force to make a choice by scarcity between two or more choices. But for every choice humans make, another will be sacrificed, and the sacrificed choice are known as opportunity costs. The above concepts are best explained by a production possibility frontier graph (PPH) that shows various maximum combination of two outputs that the economy produce. A few assumptions are set on the PPF graph- only two products produced, efficient production, fixes production, and fixed technology. Moreover, any points outside the reach of the PPF is unattainable points and the point which lies beneath the PPF is possible to achieve and is also known as attainable points but usually not desirable, inefficient points. While points on the curve are possible outputs that is known as efficient points. E B A 10 9 C 8 5 D 2 4 3 1 0 Diagram 6.1 Combinations Television Radios A 0 10 B 1 9 C 2 8 D 3 5 E 4 0 Table 6.1 In this case, the society faces a scarce resource to produce televisions and radios. Therefore, the society will have to make a choice to produce which good more or less. If combination A is chosen, 10 radios will be produced while none for television. 4 television are sacrificed or taken as opportunity cost. The following combinations happens as the table shown above.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Aristotle Essays -- essays research papers

Aristotle   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In our fast paced technologically advanced society today, our governments have evolved into supposedly well oiled machines effectively managing budgets, jails, militaries, as well as many other programs. Unfortunately, many of these governments are not as well organized, as they could be. Democratic countries like France, Germany, and even the United States have some very serious shortcomings to the way their governments are managed. These problems occur, many times at a very basic level, rather than at the minor details. One problem that is consistent with many countries is the maintenance of governmental programs over large geographical areas. Many times geographic or social differences within countries are what cause these problems. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle had simple, yet ingenious ways to deal with problems, precisely like these. Aristotle solved this problem, for example, by dividing the country into both geographic and social regions. Then h e would have smaller governments for each of these sections. These divisions were similar to states or provinces in some modern countries today. Aristotle’s ideas, in general, on governmental politics were revolutionary in Athens, when he wrote them and some could even have positive effects on governments today. Modern governments, such as Germany, France, and the United States could all use Aristotle’s ideas to make their own governments run much more efficiently. Aristotle even had plans to minimize corruption, a big problem in most governments today (politics 1286a). If modern democratic countries based their political philosophies more on Aristotle’s theories, they could run smoother and do a better job of supporting the people, which is what democracies were made for in the first place.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The polis is a partnership of citizens in a system of government that serves to achieve the common good. It is not just a place where people live together for defense against enemies and for the exchange of goods. It is rather a partnership between households, clans, and villages for the sake of a fully developed and self-sufficient life. The polis gives those who possess wisdom and moral intellect a chance to move up to high positions Justice is the political good in the polis, and it must promote the common interest of the people. What is perceived to be good has to be distrib... ...ld have authority rather than those who are "best fit to rule", and groups few in number. Although everyone in the polis may not be a political scientist, they can work better together with peers. With each individual having qualities of excellence and intelligence, they join to form a single entity.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The real difference between democracy and oligarchy is between poverty and wealth. Oligarchy occurs when rulers owe their power to wealth whether or not they are the majority. Tyranny can be described as the worst of two potential evils. It is extreme oligarchy in its "distrust of the masses" and extreme democracy in its "hostility to the noteables" (Page 211). Aristotle says the best form is one based on merit. A combination between oligarchy and democracy is constitutional government.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Although people can agree on what justice is, they often fail to reach it because they can not stop from pursuing their own goals and desires. A good government can moderate between what people think is just and what is best for the common good. Aristotle's theories are fundamentals of our current political system and earned him the title "The Father of Political Science."

Monday, November 11, 2019

Psychoanalysis, Popular Culture and Media Essay

Psychoanalysis is the science of the unconscious functions of the mind and personality. The theories originate from Austrian neurologist, Sigmund Freud. He discovered these as a treatment for health problems and also as a way to understanding more about your mind. In this essay I am going to discuss how these theories discovered many years ago have contributed to popular culture and media. Sigmund Freud divided the soul into the conscious and the unconscious. The conscious is the part of which we are mentally aware and in contrast the unconscious is where all are restrained wishes are stored. Freud stated that: â€Å"Each individual who makes a fresh entry into human society repeats this sacrifice of instinctual satisfaction for the benefit of the whole community†(Storey 2001:91). He also added: â€Å"Society believes that no greater threat to its civilization could arise than if the sexual instincts were to be liberated and returned to their original aims†(Storey 2001:91). What Freud is saying here is that we are born imperfect with many instinctual drives. From social to sexual drives, basically anything that are ID desires. He believes that these instinctual desires, especially sexual have to be restrained in the unconscious as they would have a detrimental act on society if they were to be followed through and would cause us to act in inappropriate manner to the views of our cultural society. This is where psychoanalysis demonstrates to us how it contributes to media and popular culture. It does this by teaching us certain ways to behave in order to fit in. There are right and wrong ways and psychoanalysis gives us an explanation to how our soul teaches us the appropriate mannerisms. Freud continued on with his discoveries and further divided the psyche into the ego, the ID and the superego. The ID is something we are born with and is totally unconscious. It is driven by the pleasure principle which means that it wants instant satisfaction for all its desires. Freud described the ID as the: â€Å"dark, inaccessible part of our personality†(Storey 2001:92) It is impossible to change our ID and are instinctual desires. The ego is the reality part of personality. It tries to satisfy the ID and its desires after weighing up the pros and cons and waiting until an appropriate time to do so. It develops as in becomes more in touch with culture, furthermore creating the superego. The superego is where we adopt qualities from people who have learnt how to cope in society, mainly are parents and other important figures in our lives at the time. By learning from other people and from what we hear and see on television etc we determine a sense of right and wrong. As a result, our superego helps to restrain the unacceptable urges of the ID, and tries to make the ego act in an appropriate manner that society expects and requires. Furthermore this psychoanalysis theory and breakdown of the psyche demonstrates to us how culture and media play a fundamental role on how we act in society. Its like a big circle, we learn how to act from elders and society and then people learn from us and so on. John Storey describes the superego as â€Å"the voice of culture† as it is what we learn from and Freud says that â€Å"our nature is governed by culture†(Storey 2001:92). He believes that human nature is in fact something that is not natural and controlled by the ever changing culture and media at that particular time. In my opinion, the ego of a person depends on the era they live, who they are surrounded by, the media and many other social and cultural factors. We learn from our contact with society and culture and that includes who we are with or what we here on TV, or see in the newspapers. Whether it be intentional or not, we consume all of that information and that forms are opinions on what is right and wrong etc and makes us who we are. We are in fact controlled by culture and what is going on around us, as this is the make up of our personality and determines the way we act in society. Furthermore, the superego keeps everything in balance. Without it we would be driven by our pleasure principle (ID) and not know how to express are opinions correctly or behave, essentially causing havoc. This results in their being a constant, ongoing conflict between the pleasure and reality principle. In conclusion, Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan have been greatly influential when it comes to culture and media. In my opinion the theory of psychoanalysis can be seen in everyday life when it comes to watching films etc as everything can be interpreted and has an effect on us. It had a large impact on how sound work in early childhood development and also in cinema. Psychoanalysis can be used to interpret different meanings, and what you get from it can vary from observer to observer. The cinema is full of hidden meanings and tempting us with desires. Slavoj Zizek states that: â€Å"The cinema doesn’t give you what you desire, it tells you how to desire† (Zizek:2007). When we are watching a film our instinctual drives are not fulfilled but it tells us how we should desire, and can be seen as a form of release. Many would argue that not every human desire has to be taught such as sleeping or drinking but many would argue they are not desires just basic needs. For an actual fact the desire is in the quantity of how much we want. The media affects are desires greatly by large and effective ad campaigns. Take for example McDonalds, the ad campaigns, the way they make the food look and its popularity entices us to desire it. If there wasn’t thousands of them an it wasn’t that popular I doubt we would desire it as much, however, it’s a big part of our fast-food culture. Psychoanalysis is very effective and demonstrates to us how our psyche works.

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Automation and Artificial Intelligence

Automation is on an increase across all technologies and fields. This increase has led to the transformation, and the future role people play in Global workforce. The rise of artificial intelligence will result in the need for new skills and roles. Some Skills and roles may disappear and others will evolve. Some industries may need more people and others may need less or none. The balance in human workforce will be impacted hard. Non-availability of required skills & re-skilling will disrupt the workforce in all industries. Organizations and people would need to adjust to this change. While machines need to be built and maintained, artificial intelligence leads to job loss due to the skill gap and jobs eliminated by machines.Impact of Artificial Intelligence on the WorkforceAutomation & Artificial intelligence will result in improvement of productivity and economic growth, but millions of people may need to switch occupation or upgrade themselves to stay in the global workforce. Automation will have a far-reaching impact on the global workforce. By 2030 at a 15% midpoint level of automation adoption, 400 Million workers will be displaced by adoption of automation. According, to a 2-year independent study by the McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017). It is estimated that in 60% of the occupation almost one-third of the activities could be automated. A SurveyMonkey poll on AI conducted for USA TODAY also had overtones of concern, with 73% of respondents saying that would prefer if AI was limited in the rollout of newer tech so that it doesn't become a threat to humans. USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). Unfortunately, with the pace at which automation and artificial intelligence are growing, 3 to 14% (75 to 375 Million) of the workforce will need to change their occupational category.Historical data on the technology shiftâ€Å"Innovation has generally liberated humans to be more productive,† says Rep. John Delaney.â€Å"Similar to the personal computer in the 1980s, AI will reshape our personal and business lives in such a dramatic manner, most companies today cannot comprehend the full impact,' said Anand Rao, PwC US Data & Analytics Innovation leader. Fear of technology advancement had always been there. From the textile revolution in 1811 with the advent of personal computers in 1980 world leaders and the Global workforce are worried about technological advancement. â€Å"The major challenge of the sixties is to maintain full employment at a time when automation is replacing men.† President Kennedy (1961). Although there had been concerns, every time a technology shift has happened more jobs had been created than lost. When a workforce is shifted from the usual mundane jobs, they have focused on more creative and productive areas, resulting in the advent of the human race. The past may not be an exact reflection of present or future. The advance of automation and artificial intelligence could be far reaching. A robot that could just build is different from a robot that could design and build.Artificial intelligence, Skill Gap & Workforce TransitionTo be successful in an automated world, Man & machine need to work together. One cannot replace the other. This would require new and niche skills with exceptional leadership skills. However, However, â€Å"77% of CEOs say they see the availability of key skills as the biggest business threat.† USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). According to an EY poll, 80% of the organization recognize the shortage of required talent to drive Artificial Intelligence adoption as the top challenge. Technology and Innovation along with the on demand human capabilities like leadership, creativity, problem solving, and passion will make organizations thrive in the market. Eventually an automated world is a possibility, however in the process will create major ripples in the workforce. The change would go beyond Man versus Machine and require re-learning and retooling.Impact on societyLarge corporations like Apple, Amazon, and Facebook had refused to comment on Artificial Intelligence. However, they do have people tasked with monitoring Artificial Intelligence. Microsoft had announced that they have created a review board called Aether – AI and Ethics in Engineering and Research. USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018). Trusting and allowing Artificial Intelligence to control, drive cars and aeroplanes, and automated trading may eventually lead to AI taking control of learning and updating themselves resulting in an uncontrolled growth of machines. A study by McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017) suggests countries like China, India, USA and Germany will have more percentage of work activities displaced by automation. A 38 % of automation achievement would throw some western democracies to authoritarian policies to control the civil chaos as suggested by Brookings institution. Calum McClelland (2018). Governments and policy makers should handle this situation carefully.ConclusionEven if we successfully transition, we would lose all jobs to artificial intelligence and automation. Being creative and keeping us educated will give a good chance in this changing world.ReferenceArtificial intelligence: Doomsday scenario – or age of wonder? – USA Today. (Jan. 2, 2018)You can't have a machine age without humans – PwC report – ENP Newswire. (Mar. 1, 2017)AI creates jobs, yet talent crisis remains, according to EY poll – ENP Newswire. (May 1, 2018)Jobs lost, Jobs gained: workforce transitions in a time of automation – McKinsey Global Institute (Dec 2017).

Thursday, November 7, 2019

Can you keep a secret Essays

Can you keep a secret Essays Can you keep a secret Paper Can you keep a secret Paper The two plays that I have chosen to compare are Road by Jim Cartwright and Can you keep a secret by Winsome Pinnock. Road had its theatrical debut in 1986, at the Royal Court Theatre in London, and was later adapted by the BBC to a film in 1987. Can you keep a secret was written in 1993 and was one of the many successful plays written by Winsome Pinnock. Road is a play that scopes into the lives of a number of people living down the same run-down, poverty stricken road. By use of a narrator, Scullery, we are introduced to all the main characters in the road and given a brief insight to their tragic and almost pathetic lives and pastimes, which mainly revolve around drink, drugs and sex. Can you keep a secret is a play about the after affects of a racist killing, particularly on a teenage girl who has to face up to a moral dilemma, whether to tell the truth or keep quiet for her boyfriend who is the murderer. The main theme that both plays have in common is the idea of loss of identity. In Road we see the loss of identity, people not knowing why they exist, not fighting for a better life or being who they want to be or once were. Long ago I gived up the idea of making a book, and instead, now I just give em out to people for the price of a pint or chips Here we have the Professor, (not a real one) whilst he introduces himself to the audience. We can see by his tone of voice and comment about his life that he is not the ambitious type, has given up on life and just takes what is given to him in terms of luck. A lot of the characters in Road have similar attitudes. Can you keep a secret talks about identity in a slightly different way. It demonstrates what many teenagers experience when growing up and learning what to do and what not to do. Teenagers are often faced with confusion about identity, particularly their own. This play demonstrates this, with many of the characters knowing inside them that something is wrong but not having the courage to face up to it. Letting others cloud their judgement. Were like Siamese twins. If one gets hurt the others feel it. Here one of the boys, Chunky, insisting on his loyalty to Sean after he just killed Derek. This sort of attitude, when concerning something as serious as a murder is very naive but is a common problem within teenage problems. The other themes in Road include depression, dis-satisfaction with ones life and existentialism. The idea of having a negative, and almost bitter view on life and being led to believe that life doesnt get any better or worse. Fucking long life init. This phrase is repeated throughout the play by different characters at the end of their scene directly to the audience, emphasising their attitude towards life. Can you keep a secret deals with other themes such as mateship and loyalty, racism and pier pressure. The ways in which the themes and story lines are put across in each play are very different. Road, rather then using a traditional beginning, middle and end structure it uses an episodic structure to demonstrate the themes of the play rather then a story line and subplot. Each character in Road has their own story to tell and they are briefly touched on throughout the whole play by use of lengthy, personal and emotive monologues and character to character dialogue. But all I did was go down. I lost my wife, me family, half me stomach, everything The professors monologue describes his life and struggles. Can you keep a secret however has a more conventional structure, and has more dialogue between characters to tell the story compared to Road. The whole script is interaction between characters to tell the story. You do not learn as much about the characters in Can you keep a secret as you do in Road as Road is based upon deeper analysis of characters and their lives by monologues and the characters talking directly to the audience and opening up to the audience. See how easy you can slip when youre a scientist in the slums. Professor, talking about his life, almost ashamed of his experiences. In Can you keep a secret there is no interaction with the audience and the audience are distanced from the characters and story. Whereas with Road the play breaks the 4th wall and the characters get fully involved with the audience on and off stage and talk direct to the audience in character. Which allows the audience to get a deeper understanding of each character.

Monday, November 4, 2019

Wal-mart, Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Wal-mart, Inc - Essay Example lton, the founder of Walmart had created a unique culture at Walmart by involving all the employees of Walmart, including those belonging to the managerial as well as non managerial positions. Mr. Sam Walton once said that individuals do not win, but teams do. Therefore if someone is working for Walmart then Sam Walton is a partner not the boss. Mr. Walton used the unique organizational culture to gain long term competitive advantage. The whole idea or concept behind the incorporation of such an organizational culture is to do things the Walmart way. Probably that is the reason people working at Walmart calls it a ‘cult-like’ atmosphere. One of the key ingredients to do business the Walmart way is to treat employees as business partners. Mr. Walmart believes in the value of creating employee partnership. It was believed that an employee has the ability to be business leader if provided the right platform. The best way to do so is to let the employees take major decisions (Wilton, 2010, p.292). The employees at Walmart are not ‘employees’; rather they are ‘associates’ encourages acting as entrepreneurs. In order to take employee empowerment process Mr. Walton even introduced the concept of profit sharing. In Walmart there are no HR division, there exists people division as Mr. Walton understood the importance of employee and manager interaction. Another key aspect of Walmart employee empowerment is controlling expenses. According to Mr. Walton, employees should manage company expenses just like the personal expenses. Therefore by sharing the profit and loss, the employees truly understand the strong relation between profitability of the company and the potential to receive some percentage of profit sharing. That is not all. Add to the innovative concept of profit sharing Mr. Walton wanted to add something extra to motivate the employees. It was once said by him that money and ownership may not be enough to motivate people. It was believed that the

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Write a complex essay comparing the strategies used by the author Sam

Write a complex comparing the strategies used by the author Sam Ruddick's story Leak, to the the strategies used by the filmmaker Mark poirier Smart people - Essay Example Likewise, the characters in the film too are caught up in a tricky quandary. That is there is nothing there can for themselves to improve their personalities and behaviors. The problem being, of course, that a film and story in which people just do things, wild things, like snapping up on in your ex in the middle of the night, disrupting another person’s house uninvited, and fixing yourself pasta, does not really hold up. Stacy and Chuck have similar characters in both Smart People and the story Leak. Just as Wetherhold wonders whether his adopted brother is crazy, so does Oscar marvel whether his nonprofit friend is mad, shifting emotions from his father’s sickness into his professional life. Further so do we too wonder if these people are mad: how else to explain their behaviors? Successful Hollywood productions are not the only ones to depend upon formula. For this features debut, director Naom Murro has taken his safe course of joining the salvation of the misanthrope narrative. Everything on anticipates from such a legend is found here; the dislikable protagonist who is increasingly cultivated over the course of the tale, the love interest who displays to him the route to redemption, and idiosyncratic supporting characters who offer color and flavor what is lacking, nevertheless, is a rationale for a viewer to become invested in anyone living inside Smart People’s world. To avoid sloppiness, Murro uses a technique that keeps the viewers at arm’s length, but there’s not anything adequately remarkable about his characters to facilitate them to leap off the screen. Smart People is a piece of film apparently crafted by dull-witted persons. The character’s in the play are just drifting along, heads in their heads and hands up their posterior whilst griping and moping their way into another uncertain tomorrow, during which they will awake and start bitching and grousing how crappy yesterday was. Lawrence Wetherhold is played by Dennis Quiad

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Prader willi syndrome Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Prader willi syndrome - Essay Example However it is believed that the disease occurs in the children whose family shows history of chromosomal aberrations (Kumar et al 2005). Signs and Symptoms The signs and symptoms of Prader Willi syndrome change over time as it is seen that toddlers and adolescents behave differently when suffering from it. The infants suffering from the syndrome have a poor muscle tone with poor reflexes such as the sucking reflex. They also suffer from lethargy and usually have a retarded growth. As these children grow up they show different signs and symptoms. The toddlers show delayed development of the body lacking language and walking skills. The toddlers also show behavioral problems such as high temper and rudeness. As the child further grows up he faces from other problems. The primary problem that these children face is obesity which is caused by the increasing urge to eat. The behavioral problems with the children have worsened by this time and they tend to be more inflexible. These childre n also face learning disabilities because of which they are not competitive enough. They also show loss of sexual functions which is because of the loss of hormones in these children (PubMed Health 2009; NYU Languone Medical Center). Diagnosis The diagnosis of children with Prader Willi would be done on the basis of the symptoms of the disease. Hypotonia and almond shaped eyes are some of the symptoms which can lead to the diagnosis of the disorder. In some male infants it is also seen that they have an undescended testis which is a characteristic feature of the Prader Willi syndrome. The laboratory tests can further help to confirm the onset of the syndrome in a child. The tests would confirm the level of obesity in the child. Abnormal glucose and insulin tests are used to confirm the level of obesity. The level of hormones is also checked in the child to confirm that he is suffering from the syndrome. Children with Prader Willi syndrome show decreased functionality of the sexual h ormones (Mayo Clinic 2011; Pub Med Health 2009). Treatment of the Prader Willi Syndrome Many researches are being carried out to find out the viability of the treatment options offered to treat the syndrome. It has been found that these treatment options help in improving the conditions of the children suffering from the syndrome. Children suffering from the syndrome usually suffer because of their low caloric diet and thus their diet should be maintained such that their body can grow with ease. Hormonal treatment is considered to be one of the most important in treating the Prader Willi syndrome. Research has shown that growth hormone is very effective in treating children with the Prader Willi syndrome. The treatment of the syndrome by growth hormone in United States was approved in the year of 2000 and ever since the treatment option is considered by many of the physicians. Growth hormone helps to decrease the bodily fat and increase the metabolic rate of the body. Hence in other words the hormone helps to decrease the level of obesity in the children. However on the other hand research has also shown that in some cases growth hormone may worsen the condition of these children. Sleep Apnea or difficulty in breathing while sleeping can be triggered because of growth hormone therapy. It is because of these side effects that in some cases it is recommended that a growth hormone therapy is not given to the child suffering from th

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells Essay Example for Free

Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells Essay Tono-Bungay narrates the story of George Ponderevo and how his childhood was developed at the Bladesover House and in other places that he went to after his experience at the said house. Chapter 1 showed his relationship with his mother and gave the readers a glimpse of his personality and what the thought of England and London. He also related how his mother went through her job and how she brought up the narrator as he was growing up. Chapter 2 then showed the narrator’s experience at the Bladesover House, particularly his cousin Nicodemus. George Ponderevo gave a critique of religion by depicting his cousin Nicodemus and his wife as a superstitious lot and how Nicodemus lost his spine and how he could not stand up to his wife.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After George’s experience at Bladesover House, his mother brought him to Wimblehurst where he became an apprentice to his uncle. During this time, his worldview developed by his stay at Bladesover House was being changed thanks to his uncle. In the end, however, George became disappointed with his uncle. He saw his uncle as somebody with big promises but with no capability in fulfilling them. The adventures of George continued as he became a student in London. He also witnessed the rise of Tono-Bungay and its money making schemes. As he went through school, he also learns about social norms and the difficulties of relating with the aristocracy. The narrator presents a criticism of the social norms and the lifestyles of the people in London. Yet, as he goes through his education, he also realizes how out of place he was and he thought of ways to improve his lot even with the repeated calls of people that he failed. Work Cited Well, H. G. Tono Bungay. New York: Kessinger Publishing, 2003.

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Aesthetics and Sound of Japanese Horror Films 1990s-2000

Aesthetics and Sound of Japanese Horror Films 1990s-2000 Analyse the aesthetics and sound of Japanese horror films from late 1990s to early 2000s World Cinema is typically used to refer to films of non-English speaking countries and has a representation to take the least amount of dominance in popularity compared to the works of Hollywood cinema. However, since the evalutiton of cinema My critical analysis will be viewing the television programme as a representation of escapism from real life events by considering the ways in which media texts change our perspective on entertainment through the codes and conventions of narrative and genre.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   I will take the Waking Dead series and look at what drives the narrative forward in which the story, characters and sequence of events, is put together within the script. The effects of this will come in to play as I list the relative media theorists such as, Vladimir Propp and Barthes to gain a better understanding. The horror genre has been utilized especially in film as a way to startle viewers as its primary objective. Consistently, its most used ordered structure of a: beginning, middle and end can be argued as unsurprising. Over time, in order to bring in new audiences, the horror genre has been forced to adapt its context by perhaps a use of hybrids or a new type of subgenre to suit a particular need as well as continuing to scare and entertain. A case of this can been seen through an examination of the American horror film Scream (released in 1996) and Japanese Horror Ringu (1998) as noted, Hollywood horror films are generally overwhelmed by the slasher subgenre as it depends on gore and physical brutality while, the Japanese, utilized the mental or rather psychological subgenre that ordinarily include ghost, spirits and possession. As mainstream Ring seemed to be, it turned into the first western remake of a Japanese awfulness great, entitled: The Ring (2002), this made ready for some J-horror revamps that started a worldwide enthusiasm for the Japanese wide screen and culture now with the term J-horror turning into its very own category outside Japan.   In the past decade, few countries have received more attention from Hollywood than Japan. Indeed, its folkloric legends and eerie aesthetics have in many ways revolutionised the horror genre. This essay will look at the relationship between American and Japanese cinema and explore how the two countries overcame cultural differences in order to develop a successful horror film cycle. The first section will describe how American and Japanese cinema have influenced each other over the years. In the second part, the phenomenon of J-horror will be analysed in order to demonstrate how remakes have contributed to the Western understanding of Japanese horror films. Ultimately, the final section will look at the implications of this interrelationship in terms of the accessibility of Japanese films in Western culture, and the growing importance of transnational cinema. Although the recent embrace of J-horror by American filmmakers and audiences has received a great deal of media and critical attention, Hollywoods affinity for Japanese cinema is in no way a new phenomenon. In fact, both countries have influenced each other for many decades. This led to the 1917 version of his own film The Loyal Forty-Seven Ronin (Japan 1912). Incidentally, after many adaptations this film is now being remade for the American public as 47 Ronin (Carl Rinsch, USA 2012). Similarly, after the Second World War, some Japanese films began to attract the attention of the American audiences, particularly Gojira (Godzilla, Ishiro Honda, Japan 1954) which mirrored the apocalyptic cultural fears of the 1950s American science-fiction films, and Shichinin no Samurai (Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa, Japan 1954), a film that influenced a number of Hollywood adaptations. Interestingly, it was around this time, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, that anime became extremely popular in the Western culture (Napier 2005: 22). Writing about the global success of anime, Susan J. Napier points out that: Anime is indeed exotic to the West in that it is made in Japan, but the world of anime itself occupies its own space that is not necessarily coincident with that of Japan. [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] It is thus a particularly apt candidate for participation in a transnational, stateless culture (2005: 24). The popularity and critical attention that anime has received introduced many Western viewers to Japanese cinema. It can then be suggested that this trend has opened a Japanese niche market in America, indirectly contributing to the introduction of what has come to be known as J-horror. This Hollywood take up of Japanese films which were strongly inspired by the American horror genre, constitutes an unprecedented example of the cross-fertilisation between Hollywood and Japanese cinema. At the turn of the century, as Steffen Hantke explains in his study of Japanese horror, America was in need of a new horror film cycle (2005: 54). Franchises like Halloween (John Carpenter, USA 1978) and Friday the 13th (Sean S. Cunningham, USA 1980) had countless remakes, and the industry would only produce horror films like Scream (Wes Craven, USA 1996) that were so filled with self-referential humour that the genre had lost its terrifying appeal. In 1998, the horror film Ringu (Hideo Nakata, Japan 1998) was extremely successful in Japan. Hollywood producers saw an opportunity for a return to a more gothic form of horror with an exotic twist. Gary G. Xu explains the appeal of the Japanese horror genre to Hollywood: There is a certain aura in Japanese ghost fiction and films, often filled with womens grudges against men who deserted or injured them. Unlike most ghost stories in the West that seek moments of shock and harmless thrills, the Japanese ghost stories tend to allow the aura to linger, to permeate, or to literally haunt the audience (2008: 192). In order to adapt the film successfully, the Japanese specificities of Ringu, such as the slow atmospheric pace and the compassion with wronged spirits were adapted for a more Western audience: more closure was added and the ghost became a manifestation of evil. The remake that followed, The Ring (Gore Verbinski, USA 2002) grossed $250 million worldwide (Xu 2008: 192), encouraging a franchise and numerous subsequent remakes of Japanese horror films. This enthusiasm has encouraged many Western horror fans to watch the original movies and to seek out more Japanese films. Consequently, scholars have questioned this new-found popularity, including the ways these films could translate to the common Western spectator. Indeed, the Japanese culture is known to be extremely rich and different from the Western one. Although Japan is a highly modernised country, traditional values remain that might not be understood by every Western viewer. One of these scholars, Ruth Goldberg, discusses two ways for audiences to read foreign films: in terms of cultural specificity or as acts of translation to foreign audiences (2004: 371). Similarly, Hantke quotes Masao Miyoshi who speaks in terms of domestication and neutralization (2005:62): To restore the accustomed equilibrium, Miyoshi writes, the reader either domesticates or neutralizes the exoticism of the text. The strategy for domestication is to exaggerate the familiar aspects of the text and thereby disperse its discreteness in the hegemonic sphere of first world literature, [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] the plan for neutralization [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] operates by distancing the menacing source, defusing its otherness with [s]uch pseudocomments as delicate, lyrical, or suggestive, if not illogical, impenetrable, or incoherent (Miyoshi quoted in Hantke 2005: 62). Simply put, the films cultural specificity can be either recognised by the viewer, dismissed as exotic, or they can be replaced altogether by a universal reading which makes the text more accessible when it does not lead to misinterpretations. For example, Ringu is culturally specific in the sense that is part of the Japanese kaidan (ghost story) genre which derives from the traditional plays of the Noh and Kabuki theatre (McRoy 2008: 6). As the writer of Ringu, Koji Suzuki explains, this folklore has a different perspective on ghosts than the Western tradition: In America and Europe most horror movies tell the story of the extermination of evil spirits. Japanese horror movies end with a suggestion that the spirit still remains at large. Thats because the Japanese dont regard spirits only as enemies, but as beings that co-exist with this world of ours (Suzuki quoted in Branston and Stafford 2006: 98). Furthermore, Ringu reveals national fears related to the increase of divorces and the new gender roles: nowadays, Japanese women often have careers and are no longer full time mothers. As Goldberg puts it, Ringu reflect[s] in microcosm the anxious tension between tradition and modernity that looms large in the nations sensibility (2004: 371). On the other hand, using Myoshis expression, the film can easily be domesticated by Western audiences: Nakata has named The Exorcist (William Friedkin, USA 1973) and Poltergeist (Tobe Hooper, USA 1982) amonghis influences (Branston and Stafford 2006: 98). Moreover, Ringu refers to the teen culture that is so common to the American horror film, comprises the typical final girl and the themes of technophobia and broken families that have populated cinema for the past two decades. In this way, it has been suggested that Nakata manages to strike a genuinely alarming balance between the cultural depths of Japanese folklore, and the surface sheen of l atter day teen culture (Kermode 2000). In adapting the film for Western viewers, Gore Verbinski ignored the Japanese cultural specificities and focused on fully domesticating the film. However, as the following will demonstrate, he preserved some memorable and eerie images from the original production which would become the markers of J-horror. Drawing its inspiration from A Nightmare on Elm Street (Wes Craven, USA 1984) and Friday the 13th(see McRoy 2005: 176),   Ju-On (Takashi Simizu, Japan 2002) is a similar hybrid between American horror classics and the kaidan tradition. When Simizu remade the film as The Grudge (Takashi Simizu, USA 2004) for an American audience, he filmed the ghost of Kayako in the same way as Sayakos in The Ring: a faceless head covered by long black hair that reveal only one eye. In imitating this successful film, it can be suggested that Simizu was constructing a deliberate relationship between the two films and, as such, conforming to Western expectations about a vengeful ghost in the Japanese horror film (Balmain 2008: 189). This new symbol of horror began to appear repeatedly not only in Japanese films like Honogurai Mizu no Soko Kara (Dark Water, Hideo Nakata, Japan 2002) but also in other East-Asian films like Janghwa, Hongryeon (A Tale of Two Sisters, Jee-woon Kim, Korea 2003). When p ut in its original linguistic and cultural context, the characteristic appearance of this spirit is understandable. Indeed, in Japanese, the term kurokami is a homonym meaning both black hair and black spirit. In addition, Jay McRoy describes the cultural significance of the hair and single eye: These physiological details carried a substantial cultural and aesthetic weight, as long black hair is often aligned in the Japanese popular imaginary with conceptualisations of feminine beauty and sensuality, and the image of the gazing female eye (or eyes) is frequently associated with vaginal imagery (2008: 6-7) Consequently, it only makes sense that a ghost with bad intentions, especially a beautiful woman that has been wronged and seeks revenge, would be represented with long black hair. By repeating this image across films, it was slowly converted into Western culture from a culturally specific symbol to an immediately recognisable piece of horror iconography. This image could very well have participated in making J-horror a cult phenomenon. On the other hand, this repetition was quickly starting to remind audiences of the overly repeated American horror franchises and raised criticisms, such as Grady Hendrixs, who has seen enough of the long-haired-dead-wet-chick (quoted in McRoy 2008: 173). The never-ending American remakes have also exasperated Japanese filmmakers like Ju-On director Simizu. In response, he released the short film Blonde Kaidan (Takashi Simizu, Japan 2004) which portrays a Japanese filmmaker haunted by a blonde spirit, parodying the obsession of American producers for interchangeable blonde heroines. The upside of this recurring visual trope is that it has helped popularise the Japanese horror film and positioned the genre into the mainstream. In fact, studying the American horror fans reception of J-horror, Matt Hills points out that: The remakes success is viewed positively, as providing a platform for the cult texts wider availability [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦]. Hollywood remakes are thus positioned as relatively inauthentic/inferior texts that nevertheless allow the cult original to move beyond its initial underground status, a shift that is embraced, as if culturally validating the fans love of Ringu et al (2005:164). With Japanese horror becoming a bigger part of popular culture, Western audiences encouraged the distribution of more violent and original Japanese horror films that often offer more thrills and depth than the popular likes of Saw (James Wan, USA 2004-2010) and Hostel (Eli Roth, USA 2005-2007). Indeed, as Jay McRoy puts it, these disturbing films offer visceral visions interlaced with a degree of stinging social satire rarely seen in works of Western horror directors (McRoy 2008: 10). For example, new cult films include the shocking social satire Batoru Rowaiaru (Battle Royale, Kinji Fukasaku, Japan 2000) and the disturbing and genre-bending Odishon (Audition, Takashi Miike, Japan 1999). As a result, it can be argued that the multiplicity and repetition of American remakes have familiarised their viewers with elements that used to be typically Japanese. Their cultural specificity has become more transparent, and in this way, they have come to transcend their original folkloric refere nces. The fact that genre films from distant cultures have nowadays become so accessible to popular understanding is a sign of the increased transnationalism of film culture. As Elizabeth Ezra and Terry Rowden explain: Without succumbing to the exoticizing representational practices of mainstream Hollywood films, transnational cinema which by definition has its own globalizing imperatives transcends the national as autonomous cultural particularity while respecting it as a powerful symbolic force. The category of the transnational allows us to recognize the hybridity of much new Hollywood cinema (2006: 2). This transnationalism is therefore characterised not only by the American remakes or re-interpretation of foreign films, but also by the ability of foreign films to represent universal issues and thereby transcend their cultural specificity. Ruth Goldberg, who is quoted above as saying that the Japanese horror film can be read as culturally specific or as an act of translations to foreign audiences, ultimately adds that a third possibility can be to use elements of both approaches (2004: 382). This more balanced mode of spectatorship could be referred to as the transnational reading. As suggested earlier, the cycle of Japanese remakes in America is very likely to have educated audiences to this broader reading of Japanese films. This worked to strengthen the foreign film market in the United States, a country that has been long renowned for its aversion to subtitles. In fact, not only did Hollywood never hide that their new cycle of horror films were remakes of Japanese movies, but t he viewings of the original versions were encouraged through cross promotion. For example, while discussing the special features on the DVD of the Hollywood remake The Ring, Chuck Tryon observes that the selection Look Here invites viewers to watch a trailer for the Japanese original, which was distributed in conjunction with the DVD version of the American remake (2009: 24). The remake, in this way, acted as a transition between American and Japanese horror. Interestingly, the advent of the DVD format proved to be fundamental not only to the popularity of Japanese horror, but to its transnational reading. Indeed, the availability of subtitles on DVDs makes it easier for people to acquire movies that are not available in their country or language. If the original Japanese versions are distributed in Western countries, the films are usually complemented with special features to allow a better understanding and reading of the cultural specificities. For instance, the 2 Disc Special Collectors Edition DVD of Ju-On offers a large number of special features including: interviews and commentaries with the director and a selection of actors, a Ju-On True Stories Featurettes and an Exclusive Feature-Length Audio Commentary with Asian Cinema Expert, Bey Logan. These features are included to educate the viewers in their transnational reading of the film, giving them a clearer understanding of the Japanese culture in order to approach the cultural s pecificities of the movie with an informed mind. In addition to the remakes and the transnational format that is the DVD, many Japanese films owe their success to the Internet. Indeed, this medium provides endless possibilities for film discoveries and international communication. One can, for instance, mention the emergence of the online grassroots participatory culture, which Henry Jenkins describes as a bottom-up consumer-driven process (2006: 18): consumers can now actively influence the production and distribution of films by highlighting the existence of niche markets. Other benefits of the Internet in terms of promoting transnational cinema are the unlimited availability of short films from all over the world, and the forums where international users are given the opportunity to discuss their opinions on films and share their interpretations. In this way, they encourage transnational readings of films along with the expansion of the foreign film market in America. Japanese films have inspired the American movie industry for decades. However, their films were always adapted for the Western culture and stripped of their deeper cultural meanings.   Apart from a handful of productions that became international classics like Godzilla and Seven Samourai, Japanese film culture remained quite obscure until the success of Japanese horror. A series of American remakes called attention to the existence of this genre that portrayed terrifying horror filled with deep significance: either specific to the Japanese culture or universal. Some factors such as DVD distribution, the Internet and active fan culture led to the increased distribution of these films in America, and strengthened viewers involvement in transnational film culture. Thus, through its multitude of adaptations and hiring of international filmmakers, Hollywood has become central to the crossover of cultural boundaries at a time of rapid globalisation.