Innovation Involved in the Development of the Apple Mac

In my Essay I will discuss the role of technology as it‘s incorporated as an explicit component, focusing on the conceptualisation, Invention, innovation, and diffusion of Apple technologies, specifically aiming the topics towards the development of the Apple Mac. Whilst also looking at how the fundamentals of the mac’s core competencies has a ripple effect on the development of new technology across the Apple range and how this contributed to an understanding of information technology and productivity throughout the company.The developments of the original conception of the first generation of Personal computers were focused on hard core developers who used them to write programs. From this the need for a universal machine that operates between program and Data was being conceptualised quasi-simultaneously by new innovators who had realized the need to bring the â€Å"personal computer† to the average user but couldn’t previously as it had an inchoate form . Invention Apples CEO Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh to the market in 1984.It was the first personal computer that was affordable and using an infusion of existing technology created a machine which was a â€Å"spin off† invention that lay the foundation of the technology which we use today on a daily basis.â€Å"What makes a business resource truly strategic-what gives it the capacity to be the basis of a sustained competitive advantage you gain an edge over rivals only by having something or doing something that they can’t have or do.†- Carr â€Å"Generations acquire knowledge from the preceding generations, create new inventions with new knowledge, and transmit the modified knowledge to the next generation which is expected to create more innovations† – Thomas Schott Inventions are created in every era, most of the time as an adaptation of a previous work or concept made for the purpose of practical activity to solve some form of a problem .The invention of the Mac is attributed to Jeff Raskin whose Semiotic labor when developing the idea of the computer at an intellectual level was quickly forgotten once the Mac was seen as an amazing new invention even though the conceptual basis of the technology already existed, Apple merely amalgamated it. Once again like many times throughout history the â€Å"hero inventor† who was the Front man of the project Steve Jobs, was attributed with the creation of the Mac.When in reality the material technology was created by a team of humans pooling their intellectual knowledge and encompassing it into this new invention.The problem arises when people confuse innovation potential with practical value, assuming the lack of limits on development necessarily implies a lack of limits to its usefulness†- Steve Lohr Innovation The situation had been created where Apple has placed themselves with a competitive advantage over their competitors and as Maurice Holmes Chief Enginee r of Xerox Corp tells us â€Å"The only way we can sustain competitive advantage in I.T is to learn faster than the rest of the world† In Today’s world, Technology diffuses so rapidly it is hard for us so determine which new technologies are going to change â€Å"society† as we know it and which are going to be forgotten in the dustbin of history. Apple found itself in difficulty once its CEO was removed from the board. The new leadership wanted more products and particularly with the Mac there were new versions coming out every six months.Apple had lost its competitive advantage and was in a poor state. They survived in an extremely competitive industry by returning to its original source of sustainable advantage, a flair for design, tight integration between hardware and software particularly with the Mac and its successors and a strong brand image. Along with a CEO whose goals were to innovate the technology of the future which would change the world.They wer e in a position to Pursue the innovations of The Mac and the new handheld device market more so than their competitors’ as they knew competitors would have a hard time adapting their strategies, being either held back by the need for new technological changes, infrastructure changes or timeframe constraints to adapt to the new markets. â€Å"Some companies may find that the risks of aggressive innovation outweigh the potential benefits, there are still times when it makes strategic sense to get out in front ahead of the game† – Carr DiffusionA perfect example of someone coming into a market as a late adaptor is Apple. They took great advantage from previous products made from other companies. By observing the new products which were being constantly diffused and tracking trending patterns Apple were able to see what the consumer wanted, more importantly what the other products lacked. The application of their ability to create cutting edge designs, and manufactu re this to the highest of quality and couple it with the well established brand apple exploded into the market.â€Å"The technological progress has no bounds, and acts of innovation can and will demolish all barriers to growth and success† –Carr Technology has been into the workplace at an exponentially increasing rate over the last few decades. Many companies see new technology as the means to increase profit margins and to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.Apple is the market leaders because they have been able to penetrate major markets in the U.S such as the private and public sector, education and transport. The increase in this technology, over the last decade in particular the Apple brand has increasingly become more successful is their constant focus on user-experience. Many businesses have benefited from incorporating the Mac and other apple products into their businesses organisations. One of the more notable businesses is Pepsi-Co. â€Å" With iPhone and iPod, we can be more efficient and get in front of problems before they even happen.†- Brian SpearmanThe Mac, along with the IPhone and Ipad have transformed Pepsi’s business operations substantially through their logistics demand having to be coordinated, communications systems, their Mac and IPhone Apps and even manage their orders to meet retail and consumer demand. There is no question that the efficiency of the Mac and the apple brand has caused some companies to realize that they may not need as much man power because the technology is there to replace them.Taking into mind a decade ago information technology only: â€Å"delivered great benefits to a handful of firms, but for most it has been a source of frustration and disappointment than of glory. It was a simple factor of production, a commodity input that was necessary for competitiveness but insufficient for advantage† –Carr Now technology is not only being implemented into organ isations but is transforming and surpassing human capacities in certain fields.ConclusionSome distinctions do penetrate our discourse as it becomes useful to us. The Macintosh has evolved into Apple’s current lines of computers, the iMacs, Mac Mini, MacBook’s, and more, but the original Macintosh system will always be an icon, and an innovative product that changed the way we use computers and what we use them for. It has helped apple go from selling computers to becoming a top seller in IPods, and now more recently the strongest brand in the smartphone market and one of the most recognisable brands in the world.It can be seen that the distinctions between the conceptualisation, invention, innovation and diffusion of the Apple Mac are essential. Through the original idea of the computer and the concept of the need for a universal computer, and how this idea has developed and seen the invention of new technology of the Mac and the many different versions we have seen si nce its invention.From the invention of this new technology, Apple have innovated the way we interact with each other had have also played an essential role in how businesses are able to run their companies more effectively and efficiently, cutting out non-essential costs where they are no longer needed and replacing them with technology. Through the constant diffusion of new innovation products it is clear to be seen that Apple as a company have reaped the reward of being the an early adaptor, taking the first step into an new market and flourishing it into a strong brand and making it a part of our everyday life.

Great Expectations Essay

Great Expectations is the story of distortion expectations cause to judgment. Pip was by nature more inclined towards the stable and moral nature of Joe. It took a long journey of life with some very interesting interludes to make him realize that the influence of Mrs. Havisham was a passing cloud while the influence of Joe was the bellwether that defined the values he can identify his life with. It is an established fact that Dickens uses very obvious doubles and symmetry-building coincidences in his novels. But in this context, it can be argued that Dickens has created two antithetical characters that define the dilemmas of Pip. Joe and Mrs. Havisham can be considered antithetical in almost all respects. In gender, in temperament, in the ways that they handle the hand dealt by fate and the way they go about spreading their life’s philosophies. They are diametrically opposite and this causes the under-current of the Yo-Yo effect experienced by Pip through out his life. In the end it turns out that Joe’s influence on Pip’s character is stronger and that enables the young man to acquire and maintain equanimity in the face of severe odds. It is important to understand the motivations of the two primary characters that have influenced Pip’s perception of the world around him. In his initial days he was Je was his best friend. In spite of his lowly station in life of a blacksmith and the misfortune f beng tied to a shrewish wife, (Pip’s sister), Joe could retain a sense of contentment with his life and he instilled the pleasures of small gestures of Joy in human life and the value of honest, and dedicated effort towards one’s vocation. Where as Mrs. Havisham is stuck in a time warp and insists on having all the clock’s the â€Å"Satis House†, her mansion stuck at twenty minutes past nine, the same time she learnt that she had been unceremoniously dumped on the day of her wedding. She clings to the fading wedding dress more to remind herself of the injustice her bride groom inflicted on her. Further she adopts Estelle, only to groom her to break men’s hearts and grow insensitive to the possibility of true and faithful love. This is a basic difference in the characters of the two primary influences on young Pip. To the young mind of Pip, the melancholy haunting of the Satis house and the perennial mourning of Mrs. Havisham carry more romantic appeal than the robust and lively philosophy of his brother-in-law. While Joe advocates the cheer of accepting the cards dealt by destiny, Mrs. Havisham chooses to make her misery the constant chant of her life and the driving motivation. In the first stage of expectations, Pip is enamored with Estelle and he sees acquisition of a higher standard in life surrounding the existing class system and the presence of money power to be a prerequisite to happiness. He goes on to forget his station in life until a rude reminder comes in the form of Mrs. Havisham’s instructions that he should be taking up apprenticeship with Joe. This rude jolt leads Pip to unreasonably resent the kind hearted Joe and his own low living standard. He then discovers that he has been left a sizable fortune and leaves to London to be groomed to become a gentleman. It is here that he meets people like Brentley Drummle, who remain brutish in spite of the inherited wealth and apparent grooming and culture. This stage in the expectations for Pip is marked by the absence of Joe but it is the influence of Joe’s grooming that he is constantly plagued by guilt when he learns that his benefactor is the same convict who had induced him to steal form his own house when he was a kid. The reference points for the values to be followed in life, in the case of Pip are steeped in the common justice notions of Joe. Towards the end of the novel, however, Mrs. Havisham recognizes her folly and confesses to Pip that in her hunger for revenge, she inflicted the same pain as she had experienced on Pip by making Estelle be aloof to him and ultimately marry Drummle. It is worthy to note that the confession comes at a time when Pip is highly disturbed by his aspiration of a higher standard in life and the attached disappointments ad uncertainties he experiences in its quest. If he is able to forgive Mrs. Havisham and even make a heroic effort to save her from fire, it is the rustic goodness instilled in him by Joe, not through long lectures but by example of a fruitful life, led with contentment in the service of others. The reconciliation at the end of the novel, the second and the most popular ending (the characteristic happy ending of Dickens). Mrs. Havisham lives all her life by the terms of remorse, revenge and recrimination. While Joe leads his life in an uncomplicated way to enable people around him to blossom on their own. This during the early years of Pip helps form the moral core that makes Pip a heroic character. It is important to notice that the two characters or the two major influences are majorly contradictory. Mrs. Havisham mourns while Joe makes peace with his world. Ms. Havisham wants revenge, while Joe would rather forgive and forget. Mrs. Havisham is ready to sacrifice another life to further her dearly held wishes of retribution on male species, while Joe still retains faith in his ability to love even after having a shrewish wife in whose care he leaves no stone unturned. After her death and without undue haste he remarries Biddy reaffirming his faith in human goodness. Pip’s actions and his motivations of kindness towards the convict, Mrs. Havisham, and later towards Estelle in the end of the novel speak more about the positive and warm influence of Joe Grager, his brother-in-law, than the scheming or desolate influence of Mrs. Havisham

My Dad: My Mentor and Guide

Commemorative Speech Good morning every one I want to start by asking you this What is your definition of a great man? Is it a man that goes above and beyond to provide for his family and loved ones? Or is it a man that teaches u invaluable lessons in life every chance that he gets, Or is it a man that faces difficulties and always manage to light a smile on your face and prove to you that there’s in fact a silver lining in behind dark clouds? I think all these traits make up a great man and I have the honor to call one of them my father, Venancio Ang.He was born in the Southern Part of the Philippines, Davao City. His mom was that of a Spanish Descendant and His dad was Chinese, which makes him a Chinoy. â€Å"Which means Chinese Filipino† My dad has taught me great lessons in life, and I am here because I want to share with you about all the lessons in life he has taught me and the most valuable which I kept with me and the type of inspiration he gave my family. I wan t to start of with the lessons in life, like I said there were many of them but the one that really stuck to me was hard work, and family.Hard work, without hard work you don’t reach your goals, and that/s something my dad would always tell me. My dad was all about using this and using these. And he would do it on a constant basis, all day every day 24/7. And he taught my brother and I what it is to really work hard for what you want in life and how good you feel after you see the fruits of your labor. And finally, Family. I’m grateful to be brought up in such a kind and loving family. Growing up my dad used to always tell me that a family is where home is.Which is very true, because when I go through life’s challenges the first thing I think of is them. He has taught me how important foundation is in order to keep me grounded. My dad always used to say, â€Å"Twirly, remember at the end of the day it all comes down to family. † This world isn’t ea sy. And our lives are defined by how we respond in adversity. The greatest among us overcome trials and seek to learn from them. Without family I wouldn’t be the person I am today.My dad, a God fearing man who has taught me so many more lessons in life that I wish I could share with you if there was given time. He is my backbone and friend. He has taught me the value of working hard and pursuing lasting significance over worldly success. I highly respect my father for who he is and what he stands for in life. He truly is a God given gift to my family and everybody else who’s lives he’s touched. I am grateful to be brought up by a father like him and he has truly set the kind of example a father should have.

Limits of the UN's Human Rights Agenda Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Limits of the UN's Human Rights Agenda - Essay Example However, League of Nations failed to achieve its objectives, which is evident from the occurrence of a Second World War. The formation of United Nations helped a lot in settling human rights issues and global political, cultural and economic issues. According to Kennedy (2007), â€Å"Without the actions and the existence of UN, human kind would be a lot worse off than it is today† (Kennedy, 2007, p.285). However, there are plenty of people who argue that United Nations failed to fulfil its objectives as far as the human right protection of the global community is concerned. â€Å"The first International Conference on Human Rights, held in Tehran in April and May 1968† (Burke, 2008, p.275). Since then plenty of global incidents happened in which human right violation occurred in one way or another. UN interfered in some international crisis successfully whereas it failed miserably on many such occasions. â€Å"The story of UN peace keeping operation in the 1990s - some success and some failures - to agree that the record is a mixed one†(Kennedy, 2007, p.285). This is because of the fact that UN failed to act neutrally on global issues. Some people argue that UN is working as a toy in the hands of America and its allies. In their opinion, UN fails to interfere properly in human rights violation incidents in which America and its allies are the culprits. They cite incidents from Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq etc to substantiate their arguments. This paper analyses the limits of the UN’s human rights agenda. Limitations of UN’s Human right protection efforts The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time on September 15, 2004 that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal. Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN Security Council or in accordance with the UN's founding charter (MacAskill & Borger, 2004). Even though Anan showed the4 courage to openly criticize America’s interventions in Iraq, UN failed to take any effective measures to stop America’s war with Iraq. It should be noted that thousands of Iraqi people suffered a lot because of America’s effort to seize Saddam and weapons of mass destruction from Iraqi soil. Even after years of battle and the execution of Saddam, America failed to establish peace in Iraq or seize any biological, chemical or nuclear weapons from Iraq. In other words, Iraq war was definitely the violation of international laws related to sovereignty and human rights. America vetoes any UN efforts which may go against their interests as well as the interests of their allies like Israel. Middle East is a region in which human right violations are going on for the last few decades. UN is acting as silent witness amidst all human right violations happening in Middle East. It failed to ensure safety and security to the lives and properties of the innocent Palestinian people from the hands of Israel. The right for having an independent state is a human right for Palestinians. However, Israel in company with America blocking Palestine’s every effort to become a sovereign state. Israelis have settled in to lands that Palestinians call home and these Israelis believe that they have the right to live there and call it home themselves. Palestinians want the Israeli "occupiers" to leave, and they desperately want a homeland of their own, a country of their own (The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict, n. d). Israel’s ability to stop the functioning of a sovereign Palestine is definitely a failure to United

Apple Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Apple - Speech or Presentation Example The name of this system was Apple 1. Presently, Apple Inc. has expanded its business to more than ten countries in the world, and the number of retail outlets has become three hundred and seventeen. Apple Inc. makes a whole range of computer products that include but are not limited to Mac, iLife, iPhone, iTunes, iPod, iWork, and Apple TV. Among all of its products, iPhone and iPod have been the most liked among consumers in every country where Apple’s products are available. The two have been revolutionary and the features have been both exciting and innovative. The compatibility of Apple computers can be estimated from the figure below: In the graph given above, it can be seen that iPod and iPhone are two products of the Apple Company that are 100 per cent compatible in the market. The music of Apple is about 35 per cent compatible. Apple’s alien ships are 60 per cent compatible whereas the compatibility of Apple’s useful software is no more than 4 per cent. Th is essentially means that the most popular products of the Apple Company are its iPod and iPhone. Although Apple has acquired a fairly good reputation in the market because of the diversity and quality of its products, yet it has not managed to escape the criticism that most companies of the like have conventionally acquired.

The difference between how we viewed war movies in 60's and war movies Term Paper - 1

The difference between how we viewed war movies in 60's and war movies in 70's - Term Paper Example War movies were critical reflections of the logic of the cold war, and in the 1960s, they were something that the society demanded1. In the 1970s, war movies were a nuisance, and considered the government’s propaganda to justify the nation’s stay in Vietnam. The negative attitude towards war movies during this period was due to the actions of American soldiers in Vietnam as aired by television networks2. The change of attitude altered the production structure of American wars, and this formed the basic difference between war movies of the 1960s, and of the 1970s. This paper is a discussion about the difference in the perception of war movies between 1960 and 1980. War movies during this era had action oriented plots and were characterized by historical recreations of war related events, or major battles, and POW camp escapes and experiences. They also included espionage or spy tales, biopics of important war figures, submarine warfare, personal heroism, air dogfights, resistance movements, brutalities showing war as hell, tough trench experiences, veterans returning home, and pre-war intrigue. The films explored themes such as the effects war on the society, combat, studies of inhumanity and futility of battle, escape and survivor stories, intelligent explorations of human issues and morality, and stories of courageous sacrifice and fight back3. 1960s war movies were stories about the cold war. They were stories of American power, pride, and might. The movies represented Americans’ will to fight for what they believe was right. Reading through the perceptions that American people had about war movies at the time shows that the movies were also their source of information about their leaders’ potential4. To Americans, the movies told the truth about the cold war and the communists intentions. Americans were believed that communists wanted to destroy socialism. The movies acted as the real stories about what was going on in the battle

Discourse Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Discourse Reflection - Essay Example Discourse orientation is likely to affect the learning ability of students; for instance, students learning in another discourse, dissimilar to theirs, are likely to get it hard fitting in the new learning discourse. On the other hand, students learning within their native discourse are most likely to perform well in their academic work. Study has revealed that this is because of a number of factor; most of which are contextual and psychological. When a student in a foreign country tries to learn in the foreign discourse, they are likely to feel out of place when they are asked to speak in class. This is because of the way they might speak the foreign language is not the way it is supposed to be spoken. This is likely to make them feel burdened with learning and some may give easily (Bashir-Ali, 2006). Students may resist learning in a foreign discourse due to peer and social influence. As established, foreign students form a minority social group in many public schools. Since they will want to conform to a given dominant social group, they will be forced to assimilate the dominant group’s discourse. This has been established to be the course of resistance to the school accepted discourse such as language. As a teacher, one should ensure they understand the social backgrounds of such students. This will help teacher in ascertaining the most correct approach tin motivating this learners to accept the in-class and school accepted language. Teacher should not point out mistakes in such students when it comes to language use, if they do so, they should be cautious as this is likely to demoralize the students (Kumaravadivelu, 2003). I come from Korea, where we speak the Korean language as the official language. I grew up partly in Korean and partly in America, resulting in my acquisition of the English language. In Korea where I was born, the Korean language is the official educational language. I was

SARS Pandemic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

SARS Pandemic - Essay Example Vaccine is in the preparatory phase. Once vaccine has been finally prepared would it possible to meet the demand of the world to prevent an event of pandemic through herd immunity. This is big question that is not an easy task to answer. Apart from availability, the cost of the vaccine would be an important factor. Developing countries would be at the worst hit because of affordability issues related to the cost of the vaccine. But pandemic will not be prevented if only the developed is vaccinated. It would have been possible to control the syndrome through directly observed treatment strategy (DOTS) if a drug of choice was available. Since no drug of choice is available and the vaccine does not seem to be of any substantial benefit so the only option left is the prevention. Prevention can be achieved through personal hygiene, sanitation of the environment especially with overcrowding like schools, aircrafts, etc. After a diagnosed case, the strategy used by the Canadian health authorities during 2003 outbreak seems an excellent guideline to follow when required. Coronaviruses are the causative agent for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). These are positive strand RNA viruses of about 100nm and contain the largest genome among the RNA viruses. These viruses belong to the group of nidovirales, the other members of the group are: toroviruses and arteriviruses. Coronaviruses have helical nucleocapsides and envelops which are derived from intracellular membranes (Hunt 2005, Lwinson 2004). The coronaviruses discovered in the fourth decade of the last century but received attention in early 2003 when it was found that a new disease, SARS, which was started in the late 2002, was caused by these viruses (Hunt 2005, Lwinson 2004). SARS was responsible for the sickness of more than 8000 people while more than 700 people died of this syndrome around the world (SARS 2006). The habitat is animal body but the disease is spread when the animal-human barrier is crossed due to any factor (Peiris 2003). The virus is transmitted through droplet and contact (Hunt 2005, Lwinson 2004, Poutanen 2003, Yu 2004). Airborne mode of transmission is still not confirmed. There are some supporting data available but more information is needed to declare it as a mode of transmission. The contact of mucous membranes, of a potential candidate for SARS, with infected material seems important for the spread of the disease (Peiris 2003). The viruses are in different secretions of the body, like urine and faeces but the evidence for feco-oral route is missing (Olsen 2003). The SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is actually less transmissible as, the ratio of one primary case to its secondary cases is only two to four but once it starts spreading and measures are not taken to control then the toll is very high (Olsen 2003). The incubation period estimated by various research teams have been in the range of two to ten days with mean duration of six days (Olsen 2003,Donnelly 2003). It has also been observed that it is very unlikely for the transmission to occur before the start of the symptoms and after 10 days of the resolution of fever (Olsen 2003). Based on the incubation period, the period of infectivity and the mode of transmission the viruses have infected humans in a variety of environments, like: workplaces of health care providers, lab

Should smoking be banned in public places Essay

Should smoking be banned in public places - Essay Example There are studies to prove this case. Even though there are no laws that prohibit smokers from smoking, the places where cigarette smoking should be allowed can be regulated. Banning cigarette smoking in public places will do a lot in preventing illnesses caused by passive smoke. Smoking as a habit has been around for a long time now, and it has been regarded as both a bad habit and symbol of status. Up until the nineteenth century, cigar-smoking was almost exclusively done by socially elite males. Cigarettes were actually derived from cigars as they were essentially tobacco residues which were swept and collected and later on smoked by poor people. Cigarette smoking then became popular in the 1880's, with the advent of cigarette-making machines. Though cigarettes were cheaper and widely available, smoking it was still not popular at that time. Cigarette smoking just became popular World War I when tobacco companies gave away large quantities of cigarettes to American soldiers to boost their morale. Only after this event that Americans were hooked to cigarette smoking (Grannis, n.d.). It was only after a few years of research that people learned of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. One of the Surgeon General's findings was cigarette smoking was not o nly harmful to the smoker but also to the non-smokers (commonly referred to as passive or second-hand smokers) surrounding them. As a result several action groups sought total cigarette bans on shopping malls, theaters and other public places. Bad effects of smoking Various cancers were eventually found out to be linked with cigarette smoking. These cancers develop due to the 43 carcinogens and other chemicals found in cigarette smoke, leading to carcinogenesis or the formation of cancer causing cells due to smoking (Burns, 1991). In the 1950's, extensive research about the relationship between lung cancer and cigarette smoking were done in the U.K. and the United States. Findings from these studies showed that smoking and lung cancer were indeed related. Previously, lung cancer was one of the rarest types of cancers in the world. In the 1970's, cases of lung cancer suddenly boomed when cigarette smoking went popular during the period. This sudden increase made lung cancer into one of the deadliest cancers in the world (qtd. From Grannis, n.d.). Lungs are not the only organs in the body that are affected by cigarette smoking. The brain and the rest of the nervous system is also affected by cigarette smoke. The brain's cognitive functions which handles the brain's capacity for stimuli and attention as well as regulation of automatic body processes such as digestion and breathing is negatively affected by cigarette smoke. This happens when blood containing carcinogens are pumped into the brain's bloodstream. Different carcinogens have different physiological effects. For example, nicotine acts upon the brain within 10 seconds, causing an almost instantaneous mood change in the user ("TheHealthConsequencesofSmoking.." 2005). Independent studies made in the University of Aberdeen and University of Edinburgh investigated the various effects of smoking in the cognitive skills of smokers and non-smokers. The results, published in an issue of New Scientist showed that most smokers fail in five unrelated cognitive tests. Another series of tests

Explain and discuss Erikson and James Marcia's view of adolescent Research Paper

Explain and discuss Erikson and James Marcia's view of adolescent identity development - Research Paper Example The adolescent stage is named as â€Å"identity vs. role diffusion / fidelity†. Identity and identity crisis are phrases that embrace the notion of conflict in the comatose mind of an individual. This is a stage where children decide their identity and role. The child wants to discover his ego and self-assurance. It is worrying when he fails to settle in a particular environment. One’s friends and peers who fundamentally belong to diverse social groups now become more significant and powerful to him than his parents. In the words of Eriksson, the concept of identity develops may be expressed as follows – â€Å"Maybe the fact that I am immigrant to this country made me feel that the problem of identity holds a central position in the disturbances we encounter today. In other words, fully developed genitality is not a goal to be pursued in isolation.† (Evans, 1965, p. 29) Erikson observes that examination dwells at the center of the development of this stage . Identity crisis is the chief difficulty the individual deals with and therefore a rebuilding of one’s character is essential at this stage. According to Erikson, the detection of identity during one’s adolescence is also complemented by variations in one’s ego level and ability to cope with situations. The other symptoms include â€Å"subjective discomfort, confusion, mood swings, ego defenses, impulsivity, acting-out, and heightened physical and somatic complaints† (Kidwell, Dunham, Bacho, Patorino and Portes, 1995). Therefore the individual undergoing transition process is vulnerable at this stage owing to the challenges he faces. Under this circumstance, an individual undergoes â€Å"split of one’s image, loss of center and a dispersion† (Kidwell, Dunham, Bacho, Patorino and Portes, 1995). This crisis of identity is one of the most complex conflict one faces during his teenage when an individual thrives for identity development against confusion of his

Evolution And Extinction Essay Example for Free

Evolution And Extinction Essay Evolution describes the progressive stages by which organisms existing today have emerged through processes of specialization, adaption and natural selection, from their pre-existing ancestors; it is the significant change in the traits of a population over several generations. On the other hand, extinction of a species of organism is the total disappearance of such forms of life from the surface of the earth due to inability to adapt. Â  The concept of f extinction and fossil development are closely interwoven. It is so important to the support of evolution that Charles Darwin expects that the ‘missing fossils’ would one day emerge as the ‘strongest support’ for the theory he propounded; the theory of evolution by natural selection. The point is that without extinction, there would be no fossils. In the absence of fossils, it readily becomes difficult to relate species ancestor to the existing organisms for the purpose of establishing an unequivocal evolutionary link. Evolution has generated a lot of controversy in contemporary times as it attempts to remove the Creationist theory from its vantage and highly exalted position. It is a thoughtful concept on the origin of living organism that has been supported by Developmental similarities [ascribed to the work of Ernest Haeckel], chromosomal similarities among mammals and primates [e.g. man and chimpanzee], fossil records, biochemical and anatomical similarities such as vestigial organs. Of these, fossil records are the most important since they create the needed link to substantiate evolution. Before reaching forth to connect and disconnect evolution and extinction, it is essential to note that: In the beginning, life was simple and over time, complexities came into view. As a result organisms perpetually attempt to become better suited to the prevailing environmental conditions and demands. Organisms who can effectively develop appropriate features survive i.e. they adapt and those who can not, die. This is the concept of ‘the survival of the fittest’. The newly evolved organism with better adaptation mechanisms produce offsprings much better suited by transfer of such positive and inheritable characters encoded in genes. When conditions change again, evolution occurs for the sustenance of life. Those who do not cope, die and their species progressively disappear. It is this cycle of evolution and extinction that is acclaimed to have maintained living organisms on the Earth. EVOLUTION VERSUS EXTINCTION From the aforementioned facts, it is clear that the two concepts are in a way, mutually interdependent. The progressive emergence of present-day horse from its evolutionary ancestors has been confirmed by fossil discovery and analysis. Same applies to man’s appearance as Homo sapiens. Â  In the examples, the ancestral species have gone into extinction. Their fossils were however discovered. A detailed analysis of these fossils, placing them side by side has made it possible to trace the evolution of horses and man; for man, from extinct Homo habilis through H. erectus to the present day Homo sapiens. This complementation has been achieved thus: detailed study and analysis of the different aspects of the fossil [anatomical, biochemical, and sometimes pathological], and comparing of findings to same properties of existing species has led to the conclusion that speciation and specialization occurred, necessitated by the need for survival. In contrast, if extinction points to the fact that evolution has possibly occurred, what about the ‘missing links’. This is an area that has made the belief in evolution a rather Herculean adventure. If organisms are claimed to have evolved over time, then, there has to fossils for the proposed ancestors. This is particularly important in the case of links i.e. species that combined the properties of two related members of a genus. If these links are absent, evolution raises more questions than it can answer. In this vein, one may look at Extinction as a natural solution to the problems of congestion. It appears to relieve the ecosystem of the burden of many lives. Imagine the congestion and its concomitant intense competition for space that would have resulted if extinction did not occur. The earth would have been in serious turmoil and life would intolerable. On the other hand, evolution shows the capacity that nature has to become suited to sustain life. It evidently relates a potent idea: nature is self-sustaining. It can adapt to changes effectively, and produce same or better results from prevailing conditions.

TH Empire Ltd Essay Example for Free

TH Empire Ltd Essay To whom it may concern: It is with great pleasure to provide you with a summary about our business and our operations. TH Empire Ltd. is a British trading company that was established in 1995 and was incorporated in 2008 under the rules and laws of the United Kingdom. TH Empire Ltd. is based in the United Kingdom and is operating across the Middle East and other wider regions. The company has been successful in the market with a 10 year experience and is expanding its business in the region The core business of our company is the provision of market research consultancy and presentation, including provision of marketing services with great emphasis on construction, oil field industry and marine works. It has operations in all the Gulf Regions and Middle East markets, with recent expansion in Europe and UK. TH Empire Ltd has an established connection with companies, related to construction of bridges, towers, roads and hotels. It is also involved in oil services such as drilling, maintenance and air pollution control, with great experience in digital mapping, geophysical surveying, and oil exploration with agencies throughout the Middle East. We are also developing relationships with various chambers of commerce and professional unions to liaise us with our corporate clients. We are actively taking part in all major construction, oil field service and marine works events worldwide, sharing our ideas and innovations, refining our expertise to provide leading edge solutions to our clients. Â  We organize our tools and expertise to elaborate customized solutions to meet the needs and targets of our clients. We provide Representation services, Communication strategies and media relations, Promotional materials production, Event and exhibition management, Sales and branches offices opening, Agent network development, Liaison with Middle Eastern and international institutions. If your company is interested to start business with us; kindly send us your company’s activities and catalogues including the services you provide for the negotiation process to begin. Note: We are looking for huge companies (undertaking huge projects) with efficient business procedures and are interested in the aforementioned services Business will be in Libya and Saudi Arabia Waiting for your reply Thank you

Acer Company: Overview and Analysis

Acer Company: Overview and Analysis 1.0 Acer company profile Acer Incorporated is a Taiwan-based multinational electronics manufacturer. Its product includes laptops, desktops as well as servers and storage, personal digital assistance (PDA), peripherals, peripherals and e-business services for government, business, education, and home users. Acer is the third largest computer manufacturer in the world behind HP and Dell. The company also owns the largest franchised computer retail chain in Taipei, Taiwan. Acer was founded by Stan Shih, his wife Carolyn Yeh, and a group of five others as Multitech in 1976. The company was renamed Acer in 1987. It began with eleven employees and US$25,000 in capital. Initially, it was primarily a distributor of electronic parts and a consultant in the use of microprocessor technologies, but over time it began to develop as a PC manufacturer. The global headquarters is located in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. Acer began its foray into laptops with the purchase of Texas Instruments mobile PC division in 1997. In 2000, Ac er spun off its manufacturing operations as Wistron Corporation, to focus on sales and marketing of their core brand. Acer grew worldwide while simultaneously minimizing its labour force by identifying and using marketing strategies that best utilized their existing distribution channels. By 2005, Acer employed a scant 7,800 people worldwide. Revenues rose from US$4.9 billion in 2003 to US$11.31 billion in 2006. Acers North American market share has slipped over the past few years, while in contrast, European market share has risen. On August 27, 2007, Acer announced plans to acquire its US-based rival Gateway Inc. for US$710 million. Acers chairman, J.T. Wang, stated that the acquisition completes Acers global footprint, by strengthening our US presence. In January 2008, Acer announced that it had acquired a controlling interest of 75% of Packard Bell. The Acer 4Group is a family of four brands Acer, Gateway, Packard Bell and eMachines. This unique multi-brand strategy allows each brand to offer a unique set of brand characteristics that targets different customer needs in the global PC market. Today, the Acer Group still strives to break the barriers between people and technology. Its one of the worlds top 3 companies for total PC shipments, is No. 2 for notebooks. 4The successful mergers of Gateway Inc. (October 2007) and Packard Bell Inc. (March 2008) by parent company, Acer Inc., completes the groups global footprint by further strengthening its presence in the U.S. and Europe. Gateway was founded by Ted Waitt in 1985 in an Iowa farmhouse with a US7$10,000 loan guaranteed by his grandmother, a rented computer and a three- page business plan. Today, Gateway has grown into one of Americas best- known PC brands. The brand 7received national acclaim in 1991 when it introduced its distinctive cow-spotted boxes, a tribute to its farming heritage. In early 2004, Gateway acquired eMachines, and later 7moved its headquarters to Irvine, California. In October 2007, Gateway was acquired by Taiwan-based Acer, and the combined entities now comprise the third-largest PC Company in th e world. EMachines, one of the 14worlds fastest growing PC brands, was acquired by Gateway Inc. in March 2004. Marketed to families seeking reliable machines for everyday use, eMachines brings the PC to any and every home in need. 14It remains a stand-alone brand sold through leading retailers, e-tailers and channel partners in the U.S. and selects international markets. 5Packard Bell is one of the rare ones. The brand was born in 1926. In the 1920s and 1930s when radio was all the rage, Packard Bell emerged as a popular brand of console radios with a reputation for elegant design.  The first Packard Bell television sets were launched in 1948, just as the TV revolution was sweeping the world. Fast forward to the end of the 1980s, Packard Bell entered the personal computer market in 1987. It 5pioneered the use of the PC in the home, transforming an unfriendly but useful office tool into a friendly, indispensable feature of todays modern home. The Acer Group CEO and Acer Inc. Chairman, J.T. Wang is tasked with overseeing the groups global competitiveness. Since he assumed chairmanship in 2005, Acer Inc.s consolidated revenues grew from US$9.7 billion to US$14.1 billion in 2007. As the worlds No. 3 vendor for total PCs and No. 2 for notebooks, Acer has set its next goal on becoming the worlds No. 1 notebook vendor. Wangs promotion to Acer Group CEO in June 2008 will ensure smooth integration following the successful mergers of Gateway and Packard Bell and future growth of the group. Wang 17holds a bachelors degree in electrical engineering from National Taiwan University and an Executive MBA from Taiwans National Cheng-Chi University. He and his wife have two daughters. 2Gianfranco Lanci, president of Acer Inc. since 2005, assumed duo responsibilities as the company CEO in June 2008 an acknowledgement of his outstanding management. Under his performance-driven leadership, Lancis focus is to enhance the Acer Groups presence globally under a new multi-brand strategy following the recent acquisitions of Gateway and Packard Bell. After Lancis appointment 12as managing director of Acer Italy in 1997, he 12immediately began consolidating the channel- and partner- relations at all levels. His commitment to brand promotion has made Acer the No. 1 ranking notebook brand in Italy since 1997. 2In 2003 Lanci was appointed president of Acers International Operations Business Group, allowing him to be directly involved in the Pan-American market. The designation confirmed Acers acknowledgement of his outstanding channel management and marketing activities, as well as the key role he played for Acers success in EMEA. 3ISO Management System Acer is an ISO 9001 and 14001 certified company, meaning their quality control and environmental management systems meet international standards. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) was established in Geneva, Switzerland in February 1947 with the goal to pro mote standardization of related activities in all countries around the world. ISO9001 is primarily concerned with quality management and fulfilment of customer demands for quality. ISO 14001 is primarily concerned with the voluntary establishment of environmental management systems (EMS) specially suited to each company. Each EMS should work to achieve sustainable management through voluntary and sustained improvement of environmental performance by means of pollution prevention and proper management. Acers Quality Policy 18Acers quality policy places an emphasis on delivering zero-defect, competitive products and services to customers on time. The motto proud to serve, proud of Acer shows our commitment to providing professional services. Acer Environmental, Health and Safety Policy As a global IT company focused on marketing and service, Acer endeavours to achieve balanced development in economy, environment and society. They are devoted to environmental protection. 2007/2008 Environmental Objectives The 5 environmental objectives are EMS, Green Product Development, Product Recycling and Treatment Services, Green Supply Chain and Strengthen Environmental Communication Platform. Social Welfare 8Founded in July 1996, the Acer Foundation was established through donations from personnel of various depa rtments throughout the company. Acer Foundations mission is threefold: research and develop technology and management; cultivate talents; and reward and promote service. Strategic Sponsorships Acer has always believed that sports and technology share the same ideals: strength, passion, competitiveness, coherence, skill and the determination to overcome new challenges. Their ability to identify strategically- favourable alliances has also helped make our brands recognized outside the IT industry. Acer has sponsor several events such as the Olympic, Scuderia Ferrari, F.C. International Milano and Yamaha Factory Racing Team. 2.0 Porters Analysis The Porters 5 forces is a simple tool but powerful enough to understand where powers lies in a business situation. Porter have introduce that 5 forces that is 6the bargaining power of customers, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the threat of substitute products, the intensity of competitive rivalry and the bargaining power of suppliers. The bargaining power of customers means the ability of the customers to put the firm under pressure to change the price of the goods and also affects the customers sensitivity to price changes. The customer bargaining power will be high when there a large volume of customers buying the product means theres is concentration of buyers, if these large group of buyer stop buying the product the company will be making a loss of the market share will also making a loss in the profit. The second factor would be the product is undifferentiated and can be replaces by substitutes means the customer can buy the same product from the other manufacturer . Acer substitute would be hp and Dell and Lenovo because they do manufacturer laptop and desktop. But Acer has come out with a very unique line of product that is the Acer Timeline Series, this series offer the screen size from 13.3 inch to 15.6 inch. The threat of the entry of new competitors means the barriers of entering into the industry. There are several things the company needs to be considering before going into any industry that is the high exit costs, interrelated businesses and customer loyalty. There will be high exit cost due to a lot of machinery need to be setups for manufacturing laptop and desktop all this setup need a large amount of money and when the manufacturer tends to leave the business it will lost all of this capital and asset unless he decide to sell those machinery to the other company this well lower down the exit cost. Interrelated businesses means there will be other manufacturer doing the same product as you are manufacturing, means they will be your competitor in the market. Customer loyalty means customer would like to stay with the brand they are using at the moment, this may be the company is doing a really good in after sales service. For example their product like Acer has a 3 year warranty for the laptop, while others rand doesnt provide this service for their customer. The threat of substitute products means the customer can find the product that almost has the same function with your company product. This may be due to the product you are selling is too expensive or the price is not reasonable thus making the customer to buy the product from other manufacturer. The other factor may be current trends now days people like to follow on the latest trend or so called fashion. Acer has come out with the trendiest laptop that is thin and long life time for the battery that can up to 8 hours. That is the Acer Timeline Series it does not only have 8hours of battery life, it also ultra thin that less than 1 inch, that makes conv enient for people to bring along anywhere, it also has multi gesture touch pad which can used like a mouse and also has a HD(high definition) which is as high as 16:9. We can see how it looks like in appendix 1 for the Acer Timeline Series. The Acer Timeline Series will cost from RM 2,000.00 to RM 3,250.00. Even though Apple has come out with the Macbook air but it still doesnt get a lot of attention due to it expensive price its price starts from RM 5,599.00 to RM 6,799.00 and it does not have a long battery life. By referring to appendix 2 we can see how a Macbook Air looks like. Sony has recently launched on 10th November 2009, but it price starts from RM 3,999.00 to RM 5,299.00. We can see how the Sony VAIO X looks like in appendix 3. Overall from the price review Acer Timeline Series still leading ahead of Macbook Air and the Sony VAIO X due to the price. The intensity of competitive rivalry in most industries the intensity of competitive rivalry is the major determinant of the competitiveness of the industry. By sustaining in the market a manufacturer has to make improvement or come out with new products that the other manufacturer does not manufacture or the product can be environmental friendly because now people want things that can reduce rubbish or wastage. Thus this will lead to a high barrier to exit. Acer has been doing this through manufacturing the Acer Timeline Series that allows a long battery life up to 8hours. Acer notebook pc market share in Europe increased in the third quarter of 2004, versus 11.4 percent in the third quarter of 2003. The bargaining power of suppliers is described as the market inputs. Supplier bargaining power will be high when the market is dominated or monopoly by one or a few suppliers. Thus when the supplier refuse to supply goods to the manufacturer the whole manufacturing process will stop. For example Acer main processor supplier will be AMD and Intel. If both of these suppliers simultaneously increase their pric e and Acer has no choice either to continue to buy the processor from them. This will lead the product of Acer to increase the price due to more expensive on processor if this happens consumer will tend to buy other brand of laptop or desktop thus Acer has loss part of its market share. To mitigate the power of supplier is to build win-win relationships with suppliers or arrange to use multiple suppliers. By making a win-win situation we can pay advance payment or pay the debt on time. 3.0 Limitation of the Porters analysis In the Porters analysis it has introduce the 5 forces that is the 6bargaining power of customers, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the threat of substitute products, the intensity of competitive rivalry and the bargaining power of suppliers. Michael Porter 5 forces analysis mostly focus on company external competitive environment. Below are the ways that can be used to overcome the limitation of Porters 5 forces. We can use SWOT analysis to overcome the limitation of Porters 5 forces, SWOT analysis is a strategic planning used to estimate the strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats involves in a business operation. It involves specifying the objective of the business operation or project and identifying the internal and external factors that are favorable and unfavorable to achieving that objective. When the company has identified their strength they will put more effort to manufacturing or the best good. While the company have known or indentify the weakness they w ill correct it. Thus SWOT analysis will be used in decision making because it can 21provide a good framework for reviewing strategy, position and direction of a company or business proposition, or any other idea.  The strength of Acer is the support sales activities by understanding their customers businesses better and, able to keep fully up to date on their competitors business structure, strategy and prospects and qualify prospective partners and suppliers. PEST analysis can be used to overcome the limitation of Porters 5 forces. PEST stands for political, economic, social, and technological. PEST is a scan of the external macro-environment in which the firm operates. PEST analysis is a useful tool for the company to understand market growth or decline, and as such the position, potential and direction for a business. PEST analysis is a business measurement tool. Based on Acer strong research capabilities it allows them to determine the needs of their customers and their expectations. PEST analysis and market research findings can segment the market and develop cost effective ways of reaching them. This ultimately translates into strengthening Acer position in the market place and displacing competitors. The third way to overcome is the product life cycled (PLC) is 25a new product progresses through a sequence of stages from introduction to growth, maturity, and decline. Product life cycled is developed by Raymond Vernon. After a product moves through all these stages, its pricing, promotion, packaging, and distribution are re-evaluated and changed if required to prolong its life the life span of the product in the market. We can see how a product life cycle will go in the appendix 4. By preventing his product to fall at decline stage, Acer has a plan that is to upgrade his existing laptop into window 7 or by upgrading its storage volume this allow it to keep in trend with the latest window in the market. Value chain analysis is a concept from business management that was first described and popularized by Michael Porter in his 1985. Value chain analysis states how businesses receive raw materials as input, add value to the raw materials through various processes, and sell finished products to customers. By referring to appendix 5 will see the process of value chain analysis. Value chain analysis will help the company to specifically analyze and help create to a competitive advantage. Value chain is a very useful way to deliver maximum value to your consumer and to maximize the value of your product in the market. Acer has making a very wise decision that is by providing its product to have a 3 years warranty, thus customer will prefer to buy Acer because it has a longer period of warranty compare to other brand of laptop. Benchmarking will also be another way to provide solution for the Porters 5 forces. Benchmarking is the process of comparing the business processes and performance metrics including cost, cycle time, productivity, or quality to another that is widely considered to be an industry standard benchmark. There are 4 keys steps involving in the application of benchmarking that is understand in detail existing business processes, analyze the business processes of others, compare own business performance with that of others analyzed and implement the steps necessary to close the performance gap. Acer has used the benchmarking for role of key performance such as quality, distribution, supply chain management and pricing. The last way that I can mention to overcome or give solution is the six sigma. Six sigma is a business management strategy originally developed by Motorola. Six Sigma seeks to improve the quality of process outputs by identifying and removing the causes of defects and controlling variability in manufacturing and business processes. By using the six sigma theory Acer has give a three year warranty on its laptop, this is to give confident to the customer that their lifespan is longer than other brand laptop. 4.0 Conclusion Acer is a laptop and computer manufacturer The Company owns the largest franchised computer retail chain in Taipei, Taiwan. Acer is an ISO 9001 and 14001 certified company, meaning their quality control and environmental management systems meet international standards. Porters 5 forces are a tool that helps company to understand the business environment more. The 5 forces are bargaining power of customers, the threat of the entry of new competitors, the threat of substitute products, the intensity of competitive rivalry and the bargaining power of suppliers. Acer has used these 5 forces to gain the competitive advantage, gaining the market share, and how to provide a win-win relationship with the supplier. Since Porters 5 forces does not really cover all the information that a company need, we have to used other analysis such as SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, product life cycled (PLC), Value chain analysis ,Benchmarking and six sigma . By using this analysis we can overcome the limita tion of Porters 5 forces. Focusing Oriented Counsellor: Career Development Reflection Focusing Oriented Counsellor: Career Development Reflection Dvonne Loring The following essay is a reflective piece on my growth as a Focusing oriented counsellor over the course of the semester. It will document my introduction to focusing as a subject, my experience as a Focuser and as a companion and the evolution of each throughout the semester. In addition, my understanding of the process and the development of my own existing skills and the acquisition of new skills will be stated. A final reflection on my relationship with Focusing as the subject draws to a close will also be included. Over the course of the semester, I have consolidated my understanding of Experiential Focusing, the concept of the felt sense and how they contribute to therapeutic healing. I began this subject with no knowledge of Focusing whatsoever. The idea of bringing my awareness and entering the body was daunting for me as I operate on a very cognitive level. Learning that experiential Focusing is a gentle process oriented approach to therapy that invites the utilization of the body’s rich wisdom to facilitate therapeutic change (Cornell, 1996) helped ease some of my subject related anxiety. I learnt that to access this inner knowledge, a person’s awareness is shifted inside and navigation is done with the enigmatic felt sense as a guide, rather than intellectualizing (Purton, 2007). The felt sense is the quintessential concept of Focusing and one of many key aspects and principles developed by Eugene Gendlin. It is important to note however, Gendlin did not invent Focusing, it is a natural skill that he discovered (Cornell, 1996). It took me some time to really grasp what the felt sense was as it is not an emotion nor a body sensation or an altered state. A felt sense is a subtle, whole body sense of a complex situation (Gendlin, 1996). The more I attuned to and became aware of my own felt senses through experiential practice, where I learnt how to describe it rather than interpret it, the deeper my understanding became of the subject as whole throughout the semester. I had to learn that it was about feeling, not analyzing (Purton, 2007). What Focusing does is it accesses the felt sense which draws from a place of emergent unconscious process that is ready to be put under the light of consciousness. It draws from the vast realm of knowledge from the edge of awareness and channels it into transformational potential through in the moment experiencing. Focusing allows us to dip below the surface of the explicit into the implicit (Silverton, 2014). Thus with the use of the Focusing process and the felt sense, I began to realize I was learning how to help clients engage with their feelings and facilitate here and now experiencing, which is the key to successful therapy (Purton C, 2007). The Focusing process helped me release the angst I was experiencing about being a Focuser, and it also helped me with the struggle I was experiencing towards the subject itself. The idea of being a Focuser initially triggered some dim anxiety in me. I was concerned about what I might come across inside. Learning how gentle Focusing is however, and welcoming whatever arises (Gendlin, 1996) as well as understanding that the Focusing ‘procedure involves the maintenance of a comfortable distance’ (Purton, 2007, Pg. 46) was reassuring for me. I began using the experiential practice sessions where I was the Focuser as an opportunity to explore my existing and very present resistance to the actual subject and its content. There was always something in me that was stopping me from fully embracing the subject matter. With use of the Focusing process, I was able to enter my body with that as my issue and get a full body sense of it. Simply being with my felt sense caused a felt shift – a moment of movement (Purton, 2007). Having this experience on several different occasions was uplifting for my relationship with the subject and also empowered me as a Focuser. It helped me understand that encouraging clients to know they are the experts will motivate them to ask, interrupt, ignore or even to simply have a voice when something does not feel right for them in a session. They have choice and are allowed to communicate their preferences about what they need from their therapist as a Focuser and from the process, as it is th eir process (Leijssen, 1998). In doing this, they have an opportunity to achieve a real sense of self-autonomy as I did, which is what this non-directive process empowers clients to accomplish (Purton, 2007). My understanding of the importance of presence strengthened my ability to be a companion. Being in the role of the therapist, I wanted to execute my learning soundly and accurately. I wanted to have the Focusing attitude which embodies presence, gentleness and the ability to be vulnerable (Leijssen, 1998) and to also employ facilitative language with the use of appropriate reflections and invitations rather than questions. I learnt that the philosophy behind this approach highlights that the focusing process is not a technique but a way of being; it is an attitude to embody (Purton, 2007). I had to learn how to facilitate the process while personifying the Focusing attitude; it was a matter of finding the delicate balance between the two so that the Focuser perceives the empathy and acceptance that is being offered to them (Purton C. , 2004). Whenever I was in the process and my mind became cluttered with the theory and how to execute the skills I was learning whilst trying to hold s pace for the Focuser, I would remind myself to just be; my being was much more therapeutic than my doing. Bringing my awareness to my Focuser became an anchor for me. Ironically, in my attempts to perfect my ability to be a Focusing-oriented counsellor, I was in fact pushing myself further away from the most important thing which was my presence (Purton, 2007). What I learnt to remember is that all of this takes place in the present moment (Silverton, 2014). By being with my client and putting my trust in being guided by their process reminded me that I was not the expert which in effect liberated me as a companion. I was able to consolidate my understanding of the Focusing process which was helpful for some of the difficulties I came across in my practice. Gendlin’s six step process helped me grasp each stage. The process incorporates (1) Clearing the space, (2) Felt sense, (3) Handle, (4) Resonating, (5) Asking and (6) Receiving (Purton, 2004). I found clearing the space a valuable method that can be used on its own or within the Focusing process, as a tool for stress reduction (Purton, 2004) through creating appropriate metaphoric distance. This practice can become a wonderful friend, offering a path to self-knowledge (Silverton, 2014). My experience with the process illustrated to me I was confident leading my Focuser in and coming out. Inviting a felt sense to emerge and getting a handle were the most difficult steps as it was hard initially for me to differentiate when my Focuser was describing ‘something’ or a ‘part of them’ as a pose to when they had discovered a felt sense. Sometimes an entire session would be checking in with the Focuser to see if a felt sense was going to emerge. With further practice, Gendlin’s steps became more of a guide for me. The process follows the material of the Focuser therefore the process cannot be rigid. The Focusing process is actually quite simple, but I found the complexities as a companion lie in the multitude of complex processes that include the language, terminology, how to reflect, how to invite and how to create the right amount of distance in order to follow the unfolding process with the Focusing attitude. Being aware of the subtle nuances of the Focuser in their tone, mannerisms and gestures was also important as in these are avenues to intricate possibilities for moving forward (Fleisch, 2009). The more I grappled with the process, the more I was able to identify areas for further improvement in my practice. In doing so I was learning how to deepen the client’s awareness to their own embodied knowledge (Fleisch, 2009). This subject gave me an opportunity to consolidate existing skills and develop a set of new skills. Core person-centred conditions such as presence, unconditional positive regard and empathy are all essential in the Focusing process. I gained further experiential practice as a companion at grounding myself with presence, holding space and meeting my client’s with unconditional positive regard. Despite majority of my Focuser’s having their eyes closed during their process, I would still mirror their non-verbal communication, as this helped me to remain present and was helpful in my attuning process. Once I had a reasonable theoretical understanding of the Focusing process I had to master the acquisition of new skills such as facilitative language used to support presence and to stay with the emerging process at hand. Reflecting is important as it helps the client know they are being understood. Reflections should follow the Focuser and their felt sense as this is the the rapist’s attempt to grasp what the client is experiencing by repeating back exactly what they are trying to say (Gendlin, 1996). It is done with a soft and gentle tone of voice which came quite naturally for me, and always precedes an invitation. I definitely found invitations were much more effective in accessing felt senses than asking questions. Questions run the risk of deviating from presence, and shift the client back to a cognitive level of thinking. Invitations encourage a friendly attitude towards the felt sense (Gendlin, 1996). Focusing is a constant intervention with its consistent checking in and checking back. By strengthening these existing and new skills, my facilitation to help clients to attend wholly personal issue improved. Thus they can open up fresh perspectives and new insights which is what Focusing offers (Silverton, 2014). My relationship with Experiential Focusing has grown over the semester as it coincides with my beliefs about what therapy encompasses. I respect the Experiential Focusing approach in that it is non-directive and follows the guided process of the Focuser. It really reinforces my true belief in every human being’s ability to self-actualise and my role as a Focusing-Oriented counsellor within the holistic framework aids in facilitating this. I deeply resonate with its gentle approach and how through presence, a client can feel heard, met and have their existence validated but to also have the opportunity to listen to and potentially build a relationship with their felt sense (Silverton, 2014) to access their own empowering knowledge. Focusing sees an individual in process, not as a problem or pathology. Rather diagnosing and curing, Focusing gives a person the opening to be and to allow. This was affirming for my learning and development as an aspiring person-centred, holistic co unsellor. The bulk of my learning in this subject came experientially. Cognitively it was a struggle to understand, but I found my inner understanding of fundamental Experiential Focusing concepts grew tremendously through actually participating in or observing the process. The more I understood what the felt sense was and became aware of my own, the more the comprehensive the theory became for me. Thus, Focusing taught me how to deal with ambiguity and vague ideas, and gave me the ability to simply sit with them. It comes as no surprise that the hard to recognise notion of the felt sense is hard to grasp in contrast to our social context where there is huge pressure in our technological culture to know (Silverton, 2014). We have lost trust in our bodies and our feeling (Cornell, 1996), forgetting that the body has sophisticated understanding and Focusing gives a means of accessing that. With Focusing being process-oriented means it is fluid. It can adapt to people varying a great deal in bein g able to sense what is going on in their bodies (Purton, 2004), ‘letting that which arises from the Focusing depths within a person define the therapist’s activity’ (Leijssen, 1998). This is at the core of person-centred methodology and my personal beliefs. Through theoretical learning and experiential practice, I have gained insight and deepened my self-awareness through participating in the Focusing process as a Focuser, observer and a companion. These have all contributed to my growth as a Focusing-Oriented counsellor over the semester, all of which have been essential for my learning as a holistic counsellor. I have embarked on a learning journey to have a comfortable relationship with strong feelings, to acknowledge them and listen to them using the Focusing method, and I now have the ability to invite a client for an opportunity to do the same. Focusing offers a safe and contained environment to access and explore the felt sense which has its own depths of meaning (Gendlin, 1996). By encouraging felt experience as a whole, one gains admission to an abundance of emotional self-healing. Bibliography Cornell, A. W. (1996). The Power of Focusing. Oakland: Raincoast Books. Fleisch, G. (2009). Right in Their Hands: How Gestures Imply the Bodys Next Steps in Focusing-Oriented Therapy. Person-Centred and Experiential Therapies, 173-188. Gendlin, E. (1996). Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. A Manual of the Experiential Method. New York: The Guilford Press. Leijssen, M. (1998). Focusing Microprocesses. In L. W. Greenberg, Handbook of Experiential Psychotherapy (pp. 121-154). New York: The Guilford Press. Purton, C. (2004). Person-Centred Therapy: Focusing-Oriented Approach. London: Palgrave Macmillian. Purton, C. (2007). The Focusing-Oriented Counselling Primer. Ross-on-Wey: PCCS Books. Silverton, S. (2014, October). How to Think Like a Poet and Make Better Decisions. Retrieved from British Focusing Association: http://www.focusing.org.uk

The Yellow Wallpaper and The Chrysanthemums -- Comparative, Allen, St

Restraints are set by parents on their children to aid with the developmental process and help with the maturity level. Restrictions and the ability to control exist in our society and our lives. We encounter restraints daily: job, doors, people, and the most frequently used and arduous become intangible. In the following stories tangible and intangible scenarios are presented. Autonomy, desires, and talents spurned by the husbands in John Steinbeck’s â€Å"The Chrysanthemums and Charlotte Gilman’s â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper.† The authors share views regarding a similar theme of male domination and imprisonment. â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† involves the treatment of a depressed woman who is driven insane in a male imposed detention in her own room. On the other hand, Elisa Allen in the â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† struggles internally to find her place in a fully male dominated society with definite gender roles. The mirror-like situations bring upon a different reaction for both the women in different ways. The importance of symbolism, control from their husbands, and the lack of a healthy marriage will be discussed in this paper in two stories. Elisa Allen and the narrator of â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† are both trapped in various ways and the sexuality leads to this entrapment. Elisa feels confined and limited; â€Å"the high grey-flannel fog of winter closed off the Salinas Valley from the sky and from all the rest of the world† (226). Trapped inside the house and feels isolated from the world outside. The chrysanthemums symbolize her scope of life where she devotes most of her time with this activity. The chrysanthemums, strong and thriving, portray Elisa’s current physical condition. She treats the chrysanthemums like her children; â€Å"she held the flower po... ...e husbands possess a male ego of power that leads to lack of understanding in their marriages. The wallpaper symbolizes the trapped narrator and the structure of the tradition. Also, Elisa’s chrysanthemums are discarded and the narrator’s feelings are disowned which portrays the rejection of women. Elisa ends up â€Å"crying weakly like an old woman† and settles for wine (233). The narrator’s actions lead to her husband fainting â€Å"but he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time† (447). The narrator is insane and causes faintness in her husband, hoping that she now has an escape. To conclude, John Steinbecks â€Å"The Chrysanthemums† and Charloette Perkins â€Å"The Yellow Wallpaper† show two different outcomes mainly arisen due to being trapped inside an isolated house or a garden and having a limited life under a husband's control.

Cleo 5 to 7 as a New Wave Film Essay -- Movie Film Essays

Cleo 5 to 7 as a New Wave Film Agnes Varda is not only one of the few female directors of new wave cinema; she is also credited as having helped create the genre. Her short film La Point–Courte is considered by some as the first new wave film. Her first full length movie, Cleo 5 to 7 falls within this genre as well. It is the story of a young woman dying of cancer and how she sees the world in the context of time. We follow the singer Cleo as she changes into the woman Flora and as she does so she begins to look at time in a different manner. It is the way time is represented through the camera shots which really make this film part of its new wave genre. The movie begins with a five minute prologue that occurs during the credits in which we receive all the important aspects of the following 90 minute film. We see a fortune teller, or rather a shot of her hands while she turns over the tarot cards that are Cleo’s fortune. This scene uses a multitude of hand shots, contrasting the old woman’s and the young woman’s hands. During the scene there is a jump cut between from the old...

OHare International Airport :: Chicago Airport

A plan to expand O'Hare International Airport has begun to look more promising, but backers of a proposed airport near Peotone said last week they don't expect the plan to change the debate over a third airport. "It's still not going to add air capacity, and won't solve their long-range problem," said Don Goff, chairman of the Third Airport Alliance. "I don't see it as any setback," he said of the plan to build more terminals and gates. Goff said that even if O'Hare expansion proponents later use the World Gateway project to justify building more runways, a third airport will still be needed. "They're still going to have to build another airport," Goff said. But those who hope plans for an airport near rural Peotone will be scrapped see the plan as a sign of hope. "I'm very happy about that," said Jill Holzaepfel of Peotone, who said she hopes the planes and traffic stay close to the city. "I chose to live out here on the farmland," she said, adding that those who are impacted by more noise and pollution at an expanding O'Hare chose to live near the airport. Some Peotone opponents propose expanding the airport in Gary, Ind., or building at another site. The major airlines that serve O'Hare International Airport and city officials reached a tentative agreement to move ahead with a $3.2 billion renovation at the world's second busiest airport, a city spokeswoman said. Mayor Richard Daley has called the project the "World Gateway Program." It has involved months of negotiations between the city and the two major carriers that serve O'Hare — United Airlines and American Airlines. "Right now, we have an agreement in principle," Chicago Department of Aviation spokeswoman Monique Bond said Friday night. "We feel confident that we're moving forward and we are pretty optimistic about the finality of the agreement." The renovation, which is expected to take eight years to complete, is expected to increase the number of boarding gates by at least 25 percent. It is also intended to increase the number of flights and make connections in and out of the airport smoother. "This is basically what we are doing to better use the existing facility with more efficiency," Bond said. She said the redesign will help accommodate the airlines' increased use of larger planes, such as the Boeing 777. While Bond would not confirm the number of new gates involved, a report appearing in next week's Crain's Chicago Business cites sources familiar with the negotiations saying

Brutality of Slavery Essay

In history, slavery has been a large problem in The United States and has caused many issues. We know slavery as history, while people like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs knew slavery as their lives. Frederick Douglass was a man who was born and raised as a slave, he never knew his mother and watched many terrifying things as a child. Another known slave was Harriet Jacobs; she was a slave who was abused in many ways. Both of these slaves lived through hardship and turbulence growing up. Most people could not even fathom the pain and suffering these two slaves endured. They were considered to be chattel slaves. Chattel is a type of slavery. According to Dictionary. com chattel is â€Å"any article of tangible property other than land, buildings, and other things annexed to land. † Slaveholders feel as though their slaves have no rights and they are their own property. Most slaves during this time were chattel slaves and were treated very poorly by there slaveholders. In his essay on brutality toward slaves, Frederick Douglass shares some of the horrors that were his reality. As a slave himself, he understands from first-hand experience how badly slaves were treated. He mentions emotional and physical abuse he received from his slaveholder. He talked about how the slaves were not allowed to know how old they were or information that might expose them to more about their families. Douglass mentioned the fact that slaveholders would whip the slaves until bloody while making other slaves watch. Slaveholders would shoot and kill their slaves if they did not follow orders, Douglass acknowledges. Slaveholders would keep all personal information from their slaves. The fact that a slave would not have the right to know how old they are would create emotional hardship and eliminate an important sense of self. Some slaveholders would not allow the slave to know anything about his or her mother or father. They would give the slaves very little information so they could not investigate further. Douglass was one of the slaves who barely knew his own mother. The most he ever saw her was just a few times at night while he was sleeping. She would take the long trip to see him after a long day in the fields, but she would have to be back before morning came the next day. Only being able to see one’s mother three or four times in a person’s life, and not being able to know anymore information about one’s life, would be considered abuse in many ways. Whipping a slave was a very normal action in this time. Slaves, whether they ‘deserved’ it or not, could be whipped for many reasons. Douglass mentions many times when his slaveholder would whip his own aunt. Douglass said, â€Å"I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. † His slaveholder took great pleasure in whipping and torturing his slaves. It is heartbreaking knowing that it was considered socially and morally okay to commit such brutalities. Douglass talks about a time when a slave named Demby was shot and killed in front of an entire plantation of slaves. The slaveholder told Demby to come to him, but Demby refused, so the slaveholder took out his gun and shot him. A thrill of horror flashed through every soul upon the plantation†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Douglass. The slaveholder said that he killed him because he was â€Å"unmanageable. † He also said that Demby was setting a bad example for the other slaves and if he did not take care of the problem, the other slaves would follow. Women played a vital role in slavery, the pain and suffering they had to endure was terrible. Women had to bear hardship in many different ways such as sexual abuse, chattel type slavery, and the relationship between the slaveholder, his wife and the slave. All of these rigorous situations are forced upon an African American woman creating emotional and physical abuse. While reading Incidences in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs, one could notice a constant theme in the slaveholder’s ideology toward the slave. As brought up earlier, most slaves were chattel slaves, meaning that their slaveholders treated them as if they were property and with no respect. Jacobs says, â€Å"He told me I was his property; that I must be subject to his will in all things. † (Jacobs pg. 2). Obviously, Mr.  Flint treated Jacobs as if he had zero respect for her. Jacobs mid teen years is when her life as a slave girl escalated. Mr. Flint, her slaveholder had absolutely no respect for the fact that she was an innocent young girl. â€Å"My master began to whisper foul words in my ear. Young as I was, I could not remain ignorant of their import. † (Jacobs pg. 1). These actions were not uncommon in slaveholder/slave relationships because of the sense of ownership. The wife of the slaveholder and her relationship to the female slave, in this case being Jacobs, could be detrimental. Not only the relationship between the wife and the female slave is important in history, but it also creates a struggle between the African American female and the slaveholder. The wife could be considered psychotic because of the jealously placed in a relationship such as theirs. Jacobs mentioned thatâ€Å"†¦she spent many a sleepless night to watch over me. Sometimes I woke up, and found her bending over me. † Most people, whether in the same relationship as them or not would think that is weird and would have psychotic tendencies. Insidences in the Life of a Slave Girl and Both narratives written by Frederick Douglass and Harriet Jacobs were tools in the abolition of slavery. The narratives gave African Americans a voice. They brought international attention to the issues and brutality of slavery. This basically put pressure on the United States to address the issue. Also, the ideology of slavery is based on the belief that blacks are inferior to whites. When sociologists first began trying to explain inferiority, a big argument was that there was no African literature. These narratives really showed the eloquence of African people.

Strawberries: Poetry and Essay Christopher Callaghan

Strawberries – Critical Essay Christopher Callaghan 12th September 2012 â€Å"Strawberries† by Edwin Morgan is a loving poem, which explores the wonders of human emotions such as love, lust and fear. The poet’s purpose in writing this piece was to educate the reader and to evoke emotions with poetic techniques. Morgan uses some extremely effective metaphors in this poem to describe his relationship with his partner: â€Å"We dipped them in sugar, looking at each other. † The sugar signifies that there is something artificial about the relationship, that it needs sweetened. Looking at each other† signifies how confident and at ease they are around each other. This lets the reader know that this is a real relationship which has matured through time. The poet also uses sentence structure to show how memories fade through time, the further the reader goes through the poem, the shorter each stanza gets. This shows that the poet wanted to write the memory down before he forgot it. The writer also uses very clever word choice to enhance the reader’s understanding of the situation: â€Å"With the two forks crossed. † This hints to the reader that the poem is in fact about two men.Morgan couldn’t obviously point this out as at the time it was written, homosexuality was illegal. This lets the reader know difficult it must have been for someone not being allowed to express their love without the fear of persecution. I think that it is wrong to force someone to hide their love, no matter what form. In conclusion, â€Å"Strawberries† is a loving, thought provoking poem which shows that there is nothing sinful about love. Morgan uses effective poetry techniques such as sentence structure and metaphors to show that any form of love is still love.

Impacts of Video Game

A video game is an electronic game that involves human interaction with a user interface to generate visual feedback on a video device (Wikipedia, 2011). With many types of games, there are many different effects that affect our life and most of them are bad. The first and also the most dangerous problem is violence. According to Dr. Craig Anderson (2003), violent video games may have even stronger effects on children's aggression for many reasons. He says that video games are highly interactive and engaging.In the other hand, many games reward for violent behaviors and because children repeat these behaviors again and again, they become more violent (Craig Anderson, 2003). Share the same idea with Anderson, Barlett (2009) describes five negative effects of video games and violence is the most dangerous effect. Violent video games is causally related to aggressive thoughts, physiological arousal, aggressive behavior, and antisocial behavior, as a result, children become more violent and they can’t control their action.Besides, there is a strong connection between violent video games and narcissism. Highly narcissistic individuals may act more violent after playing violent video games (Barlett, 2009). It seems like almost attacks are directed to the violent video game but there are some different opinions. One study by University of Rochester (N. Y. ) researchers Daphne Bavelier and C. Shawn Green(2010) on the first-person shooter game â€Å"Unreal Tournament† found that players improved perceptual and attention skills by playing that game.It gives player some highly mental skills like problem solving, logic, quick thinking, making fast analysis and decisions. They found that playing pro-social games led to more subsequent â€Å"helping† behavior in users (Daphne Bavelier, 2010). These researchers’ opinions may right but this problem doesn’t stop there. The author of the research â€Å"The good and the bad effects of video gam es† (raisesmartkid. com, 2010) points out that the effects of video games on children is worsened by the games interactive nature. Children are rewarded for being more violent.In some other ways, violent video games affect our social life. We may spend less time in other activities such as doing homework, sports and interacting with the family and friends (raisesmartkid. com, 2010). â€Å"GTA series† is the best example for this problem. In this game, we can do everything we want like stole a car or kill people. Although many people agree with this opinion, we cannot deny the beneficial side of it. â€Å"For the U. S military, video games get serious† (Albert Rizzo, 2011). 2. 1. 2 Affect our health. The second problem is our health.Video games affect not only our behavior, feeling but also our body. According to Dr. Mohamed K. Khan (2006), in Great Britain, those between the ages of 7 and 19 were associated with a 1. 1 per 100,000 risks for experiencing a light-i nduced seizure. However, those in the same age range who played video games experienced a 1. 5 per 100,000 risk. Dr. Khan also finds out that video games affect our movement. Our muscles become smaller because when we play video game, our body doesn’t need to work, as a result, our body become weaker than the normal person (Mohamed K.Khan, 2006). 2. 1. 3 Become addicted. The last problem is video game addiction. With many bad effects, why game still becomes an addiction and make us spend all day for it? Dr. Charles Ungerleider (2007) explains that â€Å"they're very compelling with increasing complexity, so a child becomes more facile, yet wants to know more and apply new skills. † While wanting to improve their game isn't a problem in itself, it becomes one if video games are â€Å"taking a youngster away too much from other activities,† says Ungerleider. (Dr. Charles Ungerleider, 2007).According to the author of the research â€Å"The good and the bad effects of video games† (raisesmartkid. com, 2010), video games addiction will affect our social life. We spend all day to play video games and it will destroy our social skill (raisesmartkid. com, 2010). 2. 2 Solutions. 2. 2. 1 Buyers check the game carefully. According to the author of the research â€Å"The good and bad effects of video games†, Buyers should check the game carefully. Every video game has the Rating and buyers should check it before buying that game.The government divides video games into 6 levels, and each level suitable for each group of age. We also need to note the title and the cover picture. The reviews of the game are important and because of that reason, we should search for the game in the internet before decide to buy it. Some websites will give score of the game so choose prestigious websites. The information from these websites is very useful. It will give the buyer the day that the game is released or the type of that game.Buyer can watch the ga me review or play the demo of the game and it will give the buyer some experiences before decide to buy that game (raisesmartkid. com, 2010). 2. 2. 2 Players do more exercise to improve your help. Because of the bad effect of video games on our health, we should do more exercises to train our body. 1 hour per day for morning exercise will make our muscles stronger. In addition, some leisure activities like swimming, walking, fishing also well for your health (Pietro Galassetti and the other researchers, 2001). 2. 2. Players need family power. According to Los Angeles-based psychotherapist Robert Butterworth (2010) ,dysfunctional parenting, children with little guilt, and accessibility to firearms with little parental supervision can create violent children. â€Å"Most children who commit violent crime show an early combination of personality and family factors that include having trouble getting along with playmates in preschool,† ( Robert Butterworth , 2010). Therefore, pare nt should limit the amount of time their children play video games or set a password for their computer.According to the author of the research â€Å"Create a strong password†, the password should have eight characters or more and try to put more uncommon characters. However, some children can break the password easily because they have some hacking skill. Because of that reason, parent should learn some way to power up your password. There are four steps that will make your password stronger. Step one is use a full sentence. After that, parent should remove all the spaces between the words. Next step is turning words into shorthand.And finally, you should put some numbers that meaningful to you (Microsoft. om, 2011). If you think the password can’t stop your children from playing video game, you should use some software to lock the computer. In the other hand, parent should give their children a variety entertaining things to learn from, so they will be addicted to vi deo games. Children should join the other leisure activities like soccer, fishing, and swimming. If you think your children addict to play video games, you should send them to some Game Quitting Programs. Tran Nguyen (2009), reporter of Viet Nam news, says that these programs will focus on maintaining and enhancing feelings.Most of the students of these programs had quit video games while the others had moderated the time they spent playing (Tran Nguyen, 2009). 3. Conclusion The findings reveal that Video games have many bad effects. These effects affect not only our behavior but also our health. Video games become an addiction, a national issue. However, we still can avoid these bad effects with some solutions like game checking system, morning exercises and parent s’ responsibility. With these solutions, we can control the problem and make it become a powerful tool for everybody around the world.

Postmodernism Essay

Different material, methods and media’s have been used in postmodern art, such as painting fine art, technology, architecture and fashion. A study of various types of powerful societal changes through time is tackled through art. These changes comprise of gender identity, globalisation growth, political power etc. Introduction The expression of Art has always been influential; many artists use it as a tactic to exploit political truths and ideas. Postmodernism is a â€Å"movement reacting against modernism, especially by drawing attention to former conventions† (pg821). This form of art allowed a new way of looking at reality in a society that is constantly reassessing its culture and values. Postmodern art focuses on a mixture of high and low cultures and dominant ideas; it went against repression, sexism, racism, political power, and violence. Deconstructing truths criticises and analyses contemporary issues. These deconstructionist feed on controversy, artists such as Alessandro Mendini, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer create colourful and ruinous, luxurious and outrageous artwork. The art allowed radical freedom to design, funny gestures confrontation and occasionally absurd. It was a style that has new self-awareness. Postmodernism rebelled against modernism; it was an attack on what had come before as it explored and disparaged any unspoken leading concepts and social customs. The disillusionment from World War II heavily influenced postmodern art. The style doesn’t have a clear central hierarchy or organising principle; it uses melancholy, extreme complexity, contradiction, ambiguity, diversity and interconnectedness. Loud colours, bold patterns, historical quotation and whit are used. During the 60s, critical practices of postmodernism were applied mainly in Italy. The idea of ‘Function follows form’ is abandoned. Exaggerated proportion and outrageous texture for the sake of decoration. Designers such as Ettore Sottsass and Alessandro Mendini who challenged social norms and the traditional taste of design. Italian born designer and architect, Alessandro Mendini played a part in postmodern design. He creates graphics, furniture, interiors, paintings and architectures. His work of ‘Destruction of the Monumento da Casa (Household Monument) is an enlarged photograph of a modernist chair. This literally displays the destroying of the past, the end of modernism and the beginning of postmodernism. It was an attack on what had come before, Mendini brought the chair to a stone quarry and set the chair on fire, photos were captured during the process in 1974. Popular culture, irony, historicism, eclecticism and pluralism are embraced by postmodernism. The artist believed that something new design would grow from the burning remains. One of the most iconic post-modern designs is the Proust armchair by Alessandro Mendini. He chose to add Signac painting as the pattern on a ready-made replica of an 18th century armchair. American language conceptual artist, Jenny Holzer is famous for her short statements. The postmodern fashion in the 80’s was a time when women were in power and this was mirrored in physicality and clothes. The artist uses modern information to expose and address the politics of discourse. The ‘Abuse of Power Comes as No Surprise’ by Hozler is one of her many controversial artworks. Jenny Hozler worked outside the regular conventions, as she believed that simplified phrases are the quickest way for everyone to comprehend. A lot of Jenny Hozler’s work victimises the woman, this method allows the audience to basically read the violence male dominance against women. Words such as ‘Crack the Pelvis so she lies right, this a mistake. When she dies you cannot repeat the act†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ the brutal yet vivid words suggest male power over women. In order to communicate to foreign countries, her work was translated multiple times. Hozler’s techniques include a range of multimedia, posters, hats, T-shirts and L. E. D signs on large architecture. She received many negative feedbacks by the public, therefore, withdrew from her career until 1993. The postmodern artist came back with a new approach to immaterial; she is still driven against murder plus sexual pleasure, hence initiated a new series named ‘Lustmord’. Fine Art is also found in post modernism. Techniques found in painting were super-realism, mannered, academic, neoclassical, decorative, and self-conscious stylization. Originality had ended and there is a lot past styles referencing. Postmodern artist, David Ligare paintings looked extremely realistic. He focused on still life painting, Ligare believes that there is no limit and virtually anything now could be considered art, hence makes him a postmodern artist. David Ligare does narrative paintings based on Greco/Toman culture. Marcel Duchamp’s artwork incorporated jokes to add humour to his visual. Duchamp has made numerous pastiche works; his most famous is the ‘L. H. O. O. Q’, which stands for ‘Elle a chaud au cul’. It was a rebel against traditional art was the dominant idea of the time. Duchamp’s added moustache and beard to the postcard with the Mona Lisa, which contradicts regular conventions of the time. He wanted to take artistry lightly; it was an act of rebel against convention. This technique became known as ‘appropriation’, it is the idea of manipulating famous historical art pieces. This practice has become common in today’s art. Andy Warhol works exemplifies the final stage of postmodernism. Warhol’s paintings had always had something controversial, as theorist Fredric Jameson states, ‘they ought to be powerful and critical political statements’ Andy Warhol is a contemporary artist, which expresses the postmodernism of society though his artistry. Through his artwork, his expression seems to be very anarchy and chaotic, especially the major use of the primary and bold colours whereas in the mainstream artistry it is very subtle due to the dark or complimentary colours which can often be seen as conservative. Warhol’s ‘Dollar Sign’ from 1981 deconstructs the truth about money. The painting suggest money’s strength, its addiction and tactic for conspiracy, His artwork were powerful and held critical political statements because they were billboard-like images. One of his pieces was of the North Korean leader, Kim John IL. Normally in society Kim John IL would not be even spoken of due to the high political power he has over North Korea. And the fragility between other nations that Kim John IL has. Andy Warhol has done a piece of this leader using contrasting and chaotic colours that seemed random and unusual. Warhol used appropriation, taking and creating pastiche references. As Andy Warhol states, â€Å"Art is what you can get away with†. Yasumasa Morimura uses humour with referencing to historical art. His postmodernist artworks have the idea of rejecting a single fixed meaning in an image or artwork. He is a controversial Japanese artist who displaces societal currents in Japanese culture. Western assimilation, capitalism and gender values are shown in his designs. Yasumasa is an illusive creator with no boundaries; this sets his work off to a guttural response. He is best known for mimicking great subjects, in particular western art. One of his works uses historical art as reference is the ‘Blinded by the Light’ 1991, which was inspired by the ‘ Parable for the Blind’ by Pieter Brueghel in 1568. Morimura symbolises a satirical message on Western invasion. Yasumasa Morimura caused controversy by highlighting historical influences and transforming into the postmodern art world with eastern and western culture, sexuality and gender identity. His background influenced Morimura’s, he was an outsider dominated by western culture and art. Technology advancement such as digital editing allowed his work to become flawless. In the racist imagination of western culture, they perceive Asian men with weak physically, equivalent to a little white girl. Morimura embraces his influences and mixes his sexual influence with modern culture. This is reflected in his series of self-portraits, e. g. Morimura as Monroe. Throughout the postmodern period, globalisation had become widespread, the artist felt as if he was invaded by foreign ideas and culture. In response, he invaded western culture through their art, by slapping his face on the Mona Lisa or the Infanta Margarita. Famous artist, Barbara Kruger exploited truths through her works of being a graphic designer, art director, and picture editor. Rather than creating her own images, she uses images and juxtaposes them. She used her techniques and skills of being a graphic designer and worked on political, social feminist provocations, religion, sex, racial and gender stereotypes, consumerism, corporate greed, and power. Her techniques consist of using media sources and words and directly collaging them over each other. Her signature look comprises of cropped, large-scale, black and white photographic pictures against black, white and red sans serif letterform. They hold raucous, pithy, ironic sayings. The poster, ‘Your Body is a battleground’ proposes the idea of re-conditioning gender stereotypes. Originally, the image was used in Washington DC to advocate a pro-choice position and reproductive rights for women. This raises the issue of power, patriarchy, stereotyping and consumption. The poster has a black and white image of a woman’s face that is split symmetrically with direct eye contact. The positive and negative space could highlight ‘good vs. bad’. Judging from the woman’s hair and makeup, she appears to be a housewife. The image represents that women cannot be sold, it illustrated a political setting and subsequently their identities are favourably polished.