Death of a Salesman - Linda Loman Essay -- American Literature

Death of a Salesman - Linda Loman In the play Death of a Salesman, Linda Loman serves as the family's destroyer. Linda realizes, throughout the play, that her family is caught up in a bunch of lies. Linda is the only person that can fix the problem and she doesn't. The first instance where Linda Loman serves as the family destroyer is in Act when Willy Loman comes home and tells her, "I suddenly couldn't drive any more. The car kept going off onto the shoulder, y'know?" (1402). Linda replies, "Oh. Maybe it was the steering again. I don't think Angelo knows the Studebaker" (1402). Willy says, "No, it's me, it's me. Suddenly I realize I'm going sixty miles an hour and I don't remember the last five minutes. I'm--I can't seem to-- keep my mind to it" (1402). Linda says, "Maybe it's your glasses. You never went for your new glasses" (1402). Linda knows throughout this conversation that her husband, Willy, is trying to kill himself in a car accident. Yet she continues to listen to the excuses Willy makes up for the car accident. To make matters even worse, Linda even makes up he...

Nike in China

Executive Summary Overview Nike is the market leader in athletic shoes in the United States. The Oregon based company has always utilized offshore facilities in low-income countries to produce at minimal costs followed by importation into predominantly the US for sales. Nike is quick to divest from emerging markets as costs rise and has recently signed short term production contracts with a long term strategy of production in China. Unlike Nike’s previous global endeavors, the political and cultural atmosphere in China has made the collaboration more demanding. Opportunities As the South Korean standard of living continued to improve, expected wages grew forcing Nike to look elsewhere for low cost shoe production. Market research identified China and India as the best long term possibilities for the new production facilities based on finances. Due in part to a trusting relationship between Nike and the Chinese government based on the family lines of vice president David Chang, China was determined to be the optimal location to grow. The possibility of a joint venture giving Nike access to a possible billion customer market was another opportunity that could only be found in China. Issues in China Nike has spent the last four years building facilities, training staff, and developing relationships in China. Unlike other facilities in low GDP countries that had been utilized previously, the China collaboration has been less than successful. The current infrastructure combined with landlocked facilities made transportation logistics difficult. The Chinese government had certain expectations and standardization requirements that were misaligned with Nike’s incentives in terms of quality, pay, pricing, and employee motivation. The PRC government also created difficulties in import/export restrictions causing logistical problems with raw materials, specifically anything entering the country through South Korea, a major Nike supplier. While a foothold in China could eventually lead to an enormous new customer base, the current global strategy was ill suited to take advantage at the current time. Options * Shift strategies in China from global to multi-domestic to take advantage of the market. This option would require the formation of a joint venture with the Chinese government. Move factory locations to reduce transportation and logistics issues. * Pull out of China completely. Recommendations We believe the government regulations will make quality improvement and cost effectiveness highly unlikely in China. Furthermore, a multi-domestic strategy requiring a high investment rate would be required to take advantage of the Chinese population as a new customer market. With low expendable income and a forced jo int venture with the government necessary to sell Nike in China, we determined that selling in China is not currently an option. As such, the team recommends an urgent identification of new possible production environments with a concerted and eventual total divestiture in China. Questions a. How has Nike conceptualized the athletic shoe industry: global or multi-domestic? Justify your answer. What are the implications of this conceptualization? Nike instituted a global strategy, as opposed to a multi-domestic strategy, from the company’s onset to compete in the athletic shoe industry. Knight identified opportunities abroad to reduce costs in the upstream functions of the value chain. Through the coordination of overseas operations integrated with US downstream functions focused on local US markets, Nike’s utilization of a Porter-defined global strategy has brought the company to China. The Far East’s Role in the Value Chain Beginning with the first Japanese facilities, Nike factories located in the Far East, Europe, and South America have accounted for approximately 93% of shoe production with only minor assembly in the US. The identified regions within this concentrated configuration were almost exclusively production-only facilities without the R&D, sales and marketing, and other downsteam services required for a successful multi-domestic strategy. The countries had been targeted due to low costs with certain factories being divested over the years due to increasing wage rates and political uncertainty. Competition to reduce costs between different countries was key to identifying new opportunities and deciding on which factories would remain open as economic factors changed. While reducing costs was the main concern in global production, Nike could not accept a subsequent loss of quality. Previous experiences in Far Eastern plants had proven successful via quickly accepted technology transfer and ratios of grade-B shoes falling below 5% at rapid rates. Without the combination of high value and low cost, the strategic competitive advantage would be lost. Assumptions and Implications of a Global Strategy Nike moved to China based on their strategic history of standardizing the operations life cycle. Knight believed China would mirror other Far Eastern locales. Cost cutting assumptions included pay based on relative Chinese wages (as opposed to relative Nike production wages), employee incentives capabilities, minimal import/export barriers, and an infrastructure for facile distribution logistics. For each unforeseen difficulty encountered along these assumptions, Nike’s costs would increase and could drive margins down to a point where China would no longer be financially competitive. The Olympic team public relations venture attempted to further the relationship between Nike and the Chinese government, not to present a new product for the public. The millions spent were misaligned with a low cost model and were identified with past exploitations by the West. While the possibility of two billion feet was enticing, Nike was in China to produce, not sell, shoes. There was no plan to market, distribute, or sell in China. Accordingly, the idea of a joint venture should not be on the table under the current strategy. However, the PRC strongly pushed JVs and the lack of a true collaborative environment could be detrimental in an environment so heavily regulated. b. Speculate on the reasons for Nike wishing to enter China. Before the entry do you think these reasons were valid? Justify your answer. China’s Excellence in Manufacturing China is known for their excellence in manufacturing. Nike intended to exploit this excellence in order to drive down their supplier costs, while maintaining their customer’s willingness to pay constant which creates value for Nike’s customers and shareholders. Prior to entry and based on Nike’s due diligence, this was a valid reason. However, Nike either underestimated or did not entirely comprehend the challenges of conducting business is China. From the difficulty of sourcing local materials to the inconsistency in quality of the finished product, China was not the optimal manufacturing location for Nike. Rapid Growth of the Athletic Footwear Market in the 1970’s (& Bad Forecasting) Perhaps Nike did not do enough high quality market research to see that the growth was slowing in their market. Nike may have become complacent due to their dominance in the industry or Nike may have discounted the market trends in the athletic footwear industry that showed a decline in the rate of growth, when comparing the 1970’s to the 1980’s. The bottom line is that Nike did not accurately forecast and adjust their strategy to the athletic footwear industry trends and market conditions. Prior to entry and based on Nike’s due diligence, this was a valid reason. Nike chose to enter China, in part, to meet the demand of the growing market. However, perhaps they should have spent more time and resources on market research, which would have revealed that the growth rate was declining, and perhaps additional suppliers were not necessary to carry out their business plan after all and that a different international location might better meet their sourcing needs and goals. Rising Costs from Existing Suppliers One of the reasons Nike planned to enter China was due to the costs of conducting business in other countries (for example, South Korea and Taiwan) had been increasing. Nike thought that they could source product from China at a lower cost than their current offshore producers. Prior to entry and based on Nike’s due diligence, this was a valid rationale. Due to the multiple issues that Nike faced in China, the costs associated in producing a pair of shoes were actually higher in China than their other international producers. See Table A in the appendix for a landed cost comparison from the case. Two Billion Feet Although the case clearly specifies this is not a reason for entry into China, one of Chang’s motives may have been to sell directly to the Chinese. The size of the Chinese population is over three times the size of the United States. Even though the shoes produced in China were for the US, Chang may have considered producing a low cost shoe for the Chinese. Perhaps Nike’s long term strategy was to navigate the Chinese political system, develop a strong local production presence, and then ultimately sell low cost footwear directly to the Chinese market. This reason was not valid prior to their entry. Nike’s product was not produced for the Chinese, as the average Chinese consumer could not afford the product. b. How did the decision to enter China complement Nike's overall strategy? Nike’s decision to enter China was based on flawed information. Nike underestimated the inherent challenges (political bureaucracy, materials sourcing, shipping and transportation, quality control and the Chinese culture of non-motivation and non-commitment) they faced when conducting business in China. Nike also failed to accurately forecast the demand in the athletic footwear industry. The decision ultimately hurt Nike’s overall strategy, as their production costs rose, while the demand for their product was declining. Higher cost and declining demand both negatively affected Nike’s bottom line. c. Identify the entry and ownership strategies used by Nike in entering China. Do you think they were appropriate? Base your analysis on the entry and ownership strategies outlined by Robock and Simmonds, referenced above. Justify your answer. As costs started to rise in other Asian markets, Nike made the strategic decision to open new full-scale manufacturing facilities in China, with the goal to reduce production costs. Nike’s entry strategy into China created obstacles in achieving their long-term goals, which they should have foreseen. Below are a few factors that contributed to the obstacles. External Factors Nike underestimated the scope of the Chinese bureaucracy. Nike’s only choice was to hire a consultant to navigate the issue. This consultant increased Nike’s costs of doing business in China. Furthermore, Nike overestimated the size and future growth potential of their target market. Nike should have conducted additional due diligence and more thorough market research before deciding to move into China. In addition, Nike did not forecast the materials sourcing issue, which added to product costs. Internal Factors Nike failed to forecast/implement some key factors when deciding to enter China. Nike lacked the necessary internal operations to actively manage and solve production problems in real time. Also, Nike had great difficulties communicating the issue of quality control to the Chinese. Furthermore, the Chinese managers and workforce lacked motivation to perform their jobs to levels satisfactory to Nike. Ownership Nike chose to be wholly owned. Nike did not pursue the joint venture route, even though China tried to persuade Nike otherwise. Nike did, however, hire a consultant as a strategic partner to help them navigate the challenging bureaucracy. Given the political climate in China, perhaps Nike should have approached China with a joint venture agreement. Having China as a partner may have saved Nike time and resources when launching a new manufacturing platform. Or, perhaps Nike should have formed a strategic partnership with a local footwear manufacturer in order to bypass some of the issues with starting an entirely new facility and would have had some assistance in navigating the local market. d. Would you say Nike's entry into China was a success? Give reasons for your view, explaining why the entry was successful or a failure. At the time of case study, Nike’s entry into China was not a success. This evaluation is based on several reasons primarily due to the cultural clash between Nike and Chinese production. By 1984, Nike encountered a range of problems—from quality issues (only 80% of Chinese shoes were A-Grade), to inventory management (records kept on a guess method of expected usage), lack of flexibility from Chinese managers, motivational issues with management and workers, as well as complex and difficult government relations. Quality Issues in Product and Management When China’s reformist leader, Deng Xiaoping, opened China to foreign investment and global market opportunities, Nike seized the opportunity to buy a finished shoe product from the PRC as a long-term, low-cost supplier. However, despite China’s opening to the global market, it still existed as a socialist state with severe trust issues and obstructions to the free flow of information. These factors compounded to cause an array of production difficulties. Due to the Chinese factories still producing 20% B-grade shoes (significantly higher than both South Korea and Taiwan), Nike management not only wasted additional time arguing with Chinese managers on the quality problems (rather than actually improving the problem) but Nike also had to hire additional inspectors for each factory. While the money spent to hire these inspectors was relatively low, this illustrates the need for oversight and the lack of faith and trust in the Chinese managers to run the factories to Nike’s standards. Governmental Regulation Additionally, as a socialist state, Chinese workers lacked motivation to increase production (factories at a standstill by midday) and to adhere to production schedules since they would be paid the same regardless of output. Even attempts by Nike of monetary incentives only appeared to have an effect for approximately 60 days. Because of the central planning system, the Chinese managers were used to stable prices. Price negotiations proved extremely difficult as none of the actual participants in the negotiations (foreign trade bureau, factory directors, local production bureau leaders) had the authority to make price decisions—everything relayed to authorities in Beijing. Compared to Korea or Taiwan, negotiations were slow which was extremely detrimental in a global and ever-changing environment. The levels of bureaucracy in China were much higher than those encountered in South Korea or Taiwan. Although Nike tried to establish a positive relationship with China (through contributions to the country’s sports activities and hosting various Chinese officials visiting the U. S. ), meeting with the high-live leaders in China did not prove useful. The Chinese bureaucracy made making decisions difficult as it was never apparent who was in charge of what and Chinese officials did not show the same level of interest in establishing a relationship with Nike (leaders sometimes did not show up for appointments). Ultimately, all of the cultural difficulties resulted in extremely low production numbers (Nike originally targeted production growth to 1,000,000 pairs per month by mid-1980’s but annual production in 1984 was only 700,000 pairs), significantly lower than both South Korea and Taiwan. Although Nike had ultimately hoped for a 20% price advantage over Korea, they were still losing $1. 00 on each pair of PRC shoes while the quality was much lower on these shoes as well. e. Identify the options available to Nike regarding its operations in China. If you were Chang at the time of the case, what future course of action would you recommend in China? Options Some of the options available to Nike regarding its operations in China are to pull operations out of China completely or consider entering into a joint-venture agreement with China. As of 1984, Nike’s foray into China has not been a success due to a variety of reasons (listed above). If Nike were to pull operations out of China, they would risk losing all of the equipment investment as well as damaging the sensitive and already tenuous relations ith the government. Other countries would have to be evaluated as a low-cost source of production. Some possible countries could be Indonesia or shifting a greater percentage of production to Taiwan as their comparative changes in unit labor cost, although increasing, were significantly lower than Korea or Taiwan. However, if Nike did decide to stay in China and enter into a joint-venture agreement, this step would potentially be viewed as a sign of trust and evidence of commitment by China. Nike would also be allowed to sell its products in China—a significant market to consider with a population of 1 billion people. Nike would also have additional freedoms with regards to hiring and dismissing personnel. The costs of a joint-venture agreement though, were estimated at $500,000 per factory and worker salaries would be about 20% higher than local factories. Recommendations to Nike If we were Chang at the time of the case, the future course of action that we would recommend to Nike would be to pull out of China operations. Although the possibility of access to a market with 1 billion people seems counter to this decision, China’s great strides in opening to global markets indicates the likelihood that Nike will be able to access this consumer at some point without having to make the commitment of a joint-venture agreement. Additionally, while recognizing the sunk-costs bias, we feel that the potential costs to continue operations in China would result in Nike still losing money on each pair of shoe produced instead of cutting their losses and finding another profitable production avenue. Conclusions Nike saw China, as well as the many impoverished nations where previous production had occurred, as a part of the supply chain with a cost effective advantage. Korea and Taiwan had become increasingly expensive and China was a long term option. Unfortunately, Nike did not understand the political or cultural implications for utilizing China as part of a global strategy. The political environment and infrastructure in China created unforeseen difficulties for Nike in building an efficient production system. Government controlled wages reduced the influence of incentives for both work efficiency and quality. Strained relationships with the South Korean government made importation of materials slow and expensive. Transportation logistics and regional cultural differences made the government suggested sites for initial factory locations less than ideal. China’s two billion feet did not align with Nike’s global strategy. The Chinese public could not afford the high costs for the Nike brand and current ROI expectations could not be achieved. The Chinese government’s relationship approach to external companies would have much greater acceptance towards a mutually beneficial joint venture. Some saw Nike’s global strategy as exploitation. The financial impact of Nike’s strategy could not be delivered in China. The collaborative relationship desired by the Chinese government was misaligned with Nike’s needs. Together, it becomes apparent that the best option for Nike is to locate a better location for production urgently and completely divest in China.

Human Nature - Are Humans Naturally Good or Evil

What is thought of as immoral to one person can be seen as ethical to another, and vice versa. This is due to the difference in the way humans perceive things, which is part of the intricacy of mankind. During the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that conditions called war; and such a war, as if of every man, against every man. (Hobbes) Hobbes states that Humans are naturally evil and need a powerful government to control them. Is it true? Rousseau thinks otherwise. In reasoning on the principles he (Thomas Hobbes) lays down, he ought to have said that the state of nature, being that in which the care for our own preservation is the least prejudicial to that of others, was consequently the best†¦show more content†¦The dog has tried to jump on the door before, and had received the attention of someone who thus let him in. This leads the dog to believe that what he is doing is the right thing to do. After all, he just wants in, right? So the dog is evil because someone inside says he is, but then he is not evil because he doesnt think he is. The opinions on what is evil and what isnt disagree with each other because of how it was perceived by each side. In Lord of the Flies there is a situation that deals with Piggys glasses, which is the key to fire on the island. The glasses were stolen in the middle of the night that leads to a fight in the dark among the boys. The fact that the glasses were stolen, and they were Piggys only aid for sight, can be seen as evil, but what about Jacks side? Jack acts upon his devoir to light a fire in order to cook the pig he killed with his tribe to fully enjoy their prize. Ralph and Samneric engage in a fight with whosoever they can touch first, without an attempt to reason. Which is evil in this situation? Humans are simply complex animals that respond to complex impulse, and their behaviors are influenced or are a product of everything that they learn starting from the day of their birth to the day of their death. Society sets a mold for the good and bad conditions that humans are learning from day to day. The role of society in being good or evil is that it actsShow MoreRelatedHumans Are Naturally Evil1507 Words   |  7 PagesHUMANS ARE NATURALLY EVIL The question regarding to the nature of human beings being related to the word evil has been a topic for controversial discussion and debate among scholars and philosophers alike. 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This paper will b egin by explaining Mencius’ reasoning for why our human nature is good followedRead MoreThe Philosophy Of Human Nature1423 Words   |  6 Pages 1st is about Evil, 2nd is about Good, 3rd is about Every Man for Themselves and 4th is about experience. We are going to learn about four men known and revered for their philosophical teachings on human nature, unfortunately all four have very different opinions. Human Nature what is it? Where does it come from? Why, after so many years do we still not know the answer? The philosophers Mencius, Husun Tzu, Hobbes, and Locke are all very passionate in their beliefs and have written different argumentsRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay879 Words   |  4 Pagesacknowledged the reality of evil. 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Similarly, if we think that peopl e are naturally good, then one would tendRead MoreHuman Nature And The Mind974 Words   |  4 PagesHuman Nature and The Mind Human nature and the mind have been studied for ages. As humans, we tend to think, feel, and act in certain ways that are often elucidated by nature and evolution. In fields such as Psychology, Philosophy, and Science, human nature and the mind have been extensively studied to develop theories about why humans act, think, and feel that way that we do. It is believed by some that humans are born a certain way by nature. There are three ways that people tend to believe humansRead MoreAristotle s Virtue Ethics And Aquino s Natural Law1639 Words   |  7 PagesPeople, in their free actions, naturally notice the rightness or wrongness of such actions. Everyone has experienced some satisfaction or remorse for actions taken. When this spontaneous knowledge of the events is integrated into an orderly knowledge, based on some understanding of the causes, it originates ethical science. Ethics is a practical science because it is not limited to the theoretical study of the good of human acts , but also seeks to apply this knowledge to human actions. Ethics is not studied

Martin Luther King Juniors Inspirational Speech, I’ve...

Can you imagine being in Martin Luther King Junior’s position in a hall or church somewhere speaking to people with the hope of challenging and inspiring them? I’ve Been to the Mountaintop is a speech made by Martin Luther King’s Junior or 3rd April 1968. It is a speech that presented a long term mission for the City of Memphis. It was a time when African Americans struggled with racial prejudices. There were inequalities whereby the African-Americans were forced to live separately from the whites. Martin Luther King believed that if they join hands together, African-Americans will be able to fight against the unfair inequalities. King wanted to inspire the people that they can achieve justice without the use of violence. Martin Luther King used elements of logos, ethos and pathos in his speech to inspire the audience. Martin Luther King uses ethos to grab the attention of his audience in his introduction where he says, is â€Å"am delighted to see each  œ here tonight† (King 3rd April 1968). He is very confident in delivering his speech because a large umber of people has turned up. Martin used words such as â€Å"victory†, â€Å"rightful place†, and â€Å"freedom† to create a sense of pathos in his audience. These words inspired his audience because the wanted that freedom and justice and through Martin’s inspiration that they can get it through non-violent means, they were convinced with his speech. In his speech, Martin speaks slowly, with lots of pauses and with great passion of what he

Financial Crisis Of 2008 Essay - 956 Words

With the Financial Crisis of 2008, many governments and regulators were forced to relook at their regulatory policies taking into consideration the innovations that the financial services world is continuously subject to. In European Markets particularly, the market was fragmented as well as the regulations were limited in scope. This called out for the need of MiFID II, which not only widens the scope of directive, but also addresses the issues which came out during the crisis. Given the directive, the global investment research industry is on the cusp of major disruption. While a plethora of issues confront both the buy- and sell-sides in the lead up to the implementation in January 2018, pricing appears to remain the key area of concern†¦show more content†¦With the MiFID II regulations to go-live shortly and a largely negative outlook for major sell-side players on the horizon, brokers will need to make bold decisions around their future business models. II. Introduction European Union (EU) observed Investment Services Directive from 1993 to protect its investors. However, with technological disruptions taking place, the directive became irrelevant. Hence, under circumstances of growing competition, EU came out with Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) in 2004 to improve its competitiveness. The regulations, implemented in 2007, sought to create a single market for investment services and activities to ensure a high degree of harmonised protection for investors in financial instruments. Yet, the shortcomings of MiFID became evident during the financial crisis of 2008. To improve these weaknesses inherent in the MiFID structure, MiFID II was introduced to increase transparency in the system. While MiFID was focused on opening up markets to greater competition, MiFID II seeks to improve the business practices, and bring trading activities on to a transparent and organised trading venue. In doing so, MiFID II seeks to directly address major shortcomings that precipitated during the financial crisis, such as opacity in derivatives and other over-the-counter markets. One of the guidelines of MiFID II states that investment firmsShow MoreRelatedThe 2008 Financial Crisis Essay2289 Words   |  10 PagesIntroduction In 2008, the world experienced a tremendous financial crisis which rooted from the U.S housing market; moreover, it is considered by many economists as one of the worst recession since the Great Depression in 1930s. After posing a huge effect on the U.S economy, the financial crisis expanded to Europe and the rest of the world. It brought governments down, ruined economies, crumble financial corporations and impoverish individual lives. For example, the financial crisis has resulted inRead MoreThe 2008 Financial Crisis Essay1326 Words   |  6 Pagesintroduction The 2008 financial crisis led to a sharp increase in mortgage foreclosures primarily subprime leading to a collapse in several mortgage lenders. Recurrent foreclosures and the harms of subprime mortgages were caused by loose lending practices, housing bubble, low interest rates and extreme risk taking (Zandi, 2008). Additionally, expert analysis on the 2008 financial crisis assert that the cause was also due to erroneous monetary policy moves and poor housing policies. The federal governmentRead MoreFinancial Crisis 2008 Essay1160 Words   |  5 PagesJust after ten years of Asian financial crisis, another major financial crisis now concern for all developed and some developing countries is â€Å"Global Financial Crisis 2008.† It is beginning with the bankruptcy of Lehman Brothers on Sunday, September 14, 2008 and spread like a flood. 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Film and Television

Question: Write about theFilm and Television. Answer: According to Bordwell and Thompson, Classical Hollywood Cinema has a definitive style, which cannot be understood by the average spectator. It refers to the traditional filmmaking style that was established between 1920s and 1930s in Hollywood. The style was very much dominant in the western world among all the other styles that were adopted during that period. The plots in the movie maintain linearity all throughout the movie because of the editing style is continuous in nature and the action is based on the characters (Lay 2014). The features of this style of narrative are that it follows a three-act narrative structure that includes orientation, complication and resolution. The situation is presented and a disruption in the scenes is introduced where it is seen that the entire movie is based on solving the disruption. Another feature of this style is that it includes objective storytelling, which means that the audiences have a better knowledge than the characters in the films. In this way, it allows time for parallel editing as well. One of the main features is that the movies of this genre are mainly concerned with the individual characters, which is very different from the montage style that is present in Soviet Union filmmaking (Fabe 2014). The films of this genre have a strong character build up who tries to fulfill their goals and objectives that is being shown in the movie. The characters follow a hierarchical pattern where the protagonists come first followed by the antagonists and the minor characte rs after them. Mise-en-scene is another property where the main function is to produce realism in these films (Dunn 2016). Spatial time is another feature of this genre where the movement of the film is through time and maintains a straightforward flow of events episodically. According to Bordwell and Thompson, the movement through time and space has to be in action subordinately. The editing style is continuous in nature, where the changes in the shots are invisible in the eyes of the audience (Martin 2014). It means that it tend to hide the discontinuities that the viewer may claim as non-real. The progressions of the shots in this genre are basically elongated long shots (ELS), long shots (LS), mid-shots (MS) and close ups (CU). There are even point of view (POV) shots along with t he application of 180-degree camera rule. The use of three-point lighting and music helps in reinforcing the meaning in the films (Padilla 2016). With more than forty films under his credit, Alfred Hitchcock directed the movie The Birds (1963). This movie is considered to be one of his greatest films and one of his finest. The director made a transformation of the ignored creatures into a fearful and a destructive power by using the tricks that he had up in his sleeves. The narration through the camera in this film is to show the impact of birds when the characters in the movie are in intense conversation. The birds from the beginning dominate the entire movie where it can be seen that the establishing frame has a shot of the birds swooping down on the protagonist as the person is approaching the pet store. While being en route to the shop there is a whistle with a sound of birdcall when the camera pauses for a moment (Haeffner 2015). This makes the protagonist shift her vision towards the sky where it can be seen that the entire space is filled with birds in flight. When the actor is seen entering the pet store, another place , which is again surrounded by birds and the chirping madness is seen as a growing threat. The presence of the actor in the store signifies that she wants the possession of a rare bird, as all the birds are caged around her again signifies that they are under control of the humans. The climax of the movie shows that the protagonist is entirely caged under the birds that are attacking her (Bass 2015). In one of the scenes, it can be seen that the director uses the camera in a climbing frame, which shows that the birds are inescapable. It can be seen that the actress is on the playground where the jungle gym is on the backdrop. It is seen that the actor is petitely dressed and the ominous birds flock the background perched on the jungle gym. The birds in the movie are portrayed from an aerial point of view. This makes it look like the eyes of God, which drives the intensity of avian attacks (Brown 2014). The director of the movie follows the classical narrative approach very keenly as it plays with the mind of the audience. This is one of the important strategies of this genre where the screenplay is changed in a timely interval so that the audience cannot guess the climax. It considers that the viewer is affected from each of the scenes of the film. The characters in the film try to tease the viewer so that they keep the audiences desperate in wanting more. The director uses the darkened theatre in a way so that it helps in attracting the attention of the audience (Driscoll 2014). The director also uses the theory of proximity, which has helped him in planning the scenes of the movie. These helped in controlling the intensity and relaxation of the audience accordingly such as instead of relying on the instruments for music, the director uses the audience. The use of the camera has been done in an efficient manner, which allows the audience to be involved while the film tries to unearth the story that it is revolving around. He uses a lots of panning shots along with close-ups of the objects, which helps in explaining the elements that are present in the plot. After the era of silent film, when talkies were introduced, it was seen that the talking of the actors were centrally based and the art of visual storytelling was almost sent out of the picture. This made the use of camera more than just a way of using the camera, as it helped in depicting many things that were present in the film (McEntee 2014). According to Perry and Sederholm (2014), the use of montage in the movie helps in giving complete control over the mind of the audience. The impression that depicts strong violence are done by quick editing and when something important is happening in a particular scene, it is shown in close up so that the audience can relate the matter with themselves. The story has to be kept simple, as the audience does not want to memorize the entire movie or to identify the suspense beforehand. The director in the movie tries to keep it simple with the linear stories, which will help in making it easy for the audiences to follow the narrative. The story is not abstract in nature as it will make the audience bored and that is the reason why the use of spies and assassinations are a part of his movies. According to Pheasant-Kelly (2014), the narrative form that is followed in the scene is that the director has tried to setup the scene by establishing the protagonist in the first instance. This has been followed by the induction of the birds in the background, which is the dominating character in the entire movie. This has led to the introduction of the main conflict in the movie that is the protagonist with the antagonist. The development of the entire act is the next step where the director has created a sense of urgency by creating obstacles, which the actor has to cross through to complete his journey. After the completion of the resolution, the movie then moves towards the necessary climax point. This cause and effect relationship helps in propelling the main characters in the movie. This effect helps in involving the actions that acts as a force for the characters in introducing a new action in the scene. The resolution is the final element in the scene, where it helps in esta blishing the dramatic confrontation, which is derived from the main conflict. According to Padilla (2016), from the point of view of the audience, it can be seen that the director has maintained all the aspects that will make the movie pass as a classical narrative form. The director with respect to the angles and the camera movements has maintained the history that the Hollywood movies at that period were following. The main signature of the director is to make the plot as suspicious as possible, which helps in playing with the minds of the audience. This has left the audiences intrigued in the process and wanting to know more as to what will happen in the scenes in the later period. In this way, the director has tried to play with the minds of audiences, which was very much prevalent in that period. This cult helped the next generation in producing movies that were based on new narrative that was slowly developing for Hollywood to sustain in the future. Reference List Bass, T.W., 2015.Alfred Hitchcock: The Master of Adaptation(Doctoral dissertation, Brunel University London). Brown, N., 2014. Alfred Hitchcocks Missing Children: Genre, Auteurship, and Audience Address.Children in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, p.11. Driscoll, P.A., 2014. The Hitchcock Touch: Visual Techniques in the Work of Alfred Hitchcock.International ResearchScape Journal,1(1), p.4. Dunn, J.T., 2016.The Representation of Disability in the Music of Alfred Hitchcock Films(Doctoral dissertation, The University of North Texas). Fabe, M., 2014.Closely watched films: an introduction to the art of narrative film technique. Univ of California Press. Haeffner, N., 2015.Alfred Hitchcock. Routledge. Lay, S., 2014. In many Alfred Hitchcock films, childrens primary significance resides in their relation to adults, and often, when children are accorded a measure of importance, it is when they are examined through a psychological lens. The Birds (1963) is no exception, as 11-year-old Cathy Brenner is usually discussed in relation to the.Children in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, p.175. Martin, C., 2014. Its the End of the World!: The Influence of The Birds on the Evil Child Film. InChildren in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock(pp. 193-217). Palgrave Macmillan US. McEntee, J.T., 2014. The Futures Not Ours to See: How Children and Young Adults Reflect the Anxiety of Lost Innocence in Alfred Hitchcocks American Movies. InChildren in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock(pp. 31-46). Palgrave Macmillan US. Padilla, M.W., 2016.Classical Myth in Four Films of Alfred Hitchcock. Lexington Books. Perry, D.R. and Sederholm, C.H., 2014. Dark Adaptations.Hitchcock and Adaptation: On the Page and Screen, p.245. Pheasant-Kelly, F., 2014. Between Knowingness and Innocence: Child Ciphers in Alfred Hitchcocks Marnie (1964) and The Birds (1963).Children in the Films of Alfred Hitchcock, p.161.

The ending of the millennium could bring many prob Essay Example For Students

The ending of the millennium could bring many prob Essay lems to our technological society ; we have grown to rely on the most basic computer systems to make our lives convenient. In our attempts to streamline programming computer systems, we created a monster by using only the final 2-digits to represent a 4-digit year. Programmers were excited that they could save a couple of bytes of memory by cutting back the dates to 2-digit numbers. With the turning of the odometer, on December 31st, 1999, we possibly could be in for some major inconveniences to our daily lives. Religious broadcaster of the 700 Club television show, Pat Robertson said, we are looking at a man-made global crisis of such magnitude that nobody can assess it. The Christian Broadcasting Network has even issued a brochure about the millennium bug. Some religious leaders are saying that this could possibly be the end of the world, mankind would initiate Armageddon with there own technology (Szabo). Economist Ed Yardeni of Deutsche Bank in New York is at an extreme in predicting a 70 percent chance of a major recession (Samuelson). We will write a custom essay on The ending of the millennium could bring many prob specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now The problem, dubbed the Y2K bug, has been deemed so serious that there has even been an U.S. Senate committee appointed to investigate it. Experts anticipate that computers controlling everything from banks, elevators, power grids and automobiles will go on the fritz, due to the date confusion. This could theoretically mean some sort of extended power loss could occur in the middle of winter, and thousands of people could possibly lose their lives. Either from hypothermia or starvation; just imagine the mass confusion that could happen (Meeks). The United States has been furiously updating their computer-related systems, but we only house a small part of the problem. People sometimes forget of all the other countries in the world that use computer systems; the question of whether or not theyll be prepared remains to be seen. The total global cost of curing the Y2K bug is estimated to be in the neighborhood of 1.3 trillion dollars. Economies may be crippled across the globe causing a tidal wave effect (MSNBC News). Its not so much of how to fix the date problem; its finding the incorrect 2-digit dates that are contained in the millions of lines of computer program codes. Government agencies are going to be some of the hardest hit; for example, the estimated cost to Internal Revenue Service to fix 88,000 programs with 60 million lines of computer code is in the neighborhood of a billion dollars. If the deadline is not met, Late refunds, unprocessed returns, or faulty penalties for taxpayers could be the results, if forecaster s are correct (Charbonneau). Pat Robertson interviewed Edward Yourdon, a leading software consultant and co-author of Time Bomb 2000: What the Year 2000 Computer Crisis Means to You, said, Well, its fairly simple to explain. For the last 40 years, weve been deliberately programming computers to keep track of only the last two digits of the year because everybody knows the first two digits are 19. This is 1998, the next year is 1999, and the year after that is 00. Unfortunately, the computers will generally think that its 1900, rather than 2000, and as a result, will begin making a whole series of mistakes, ranging from fairly simple too possibly catastrophic. Weve been seeing one example lately, with the credit cards that are coming out now with a 00 expiration date, which a few restaurants and stores think is a credit card that expired in 1900 (Robertson). In the recent news reports the cost of fixing the Y2K bug seems to escalate everyday. In early December 1998 federal officials from the Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Year 2000 Conversion estimate the total cost of fixing the governments part of the problem is going to cost U. S. citizens 6.4 billion dollars (Hamblen). In august 1998 the cost was 5.4 billion, it would be pretty logical to say that the price tag could reach the 8 or 9 billion-dollar mark before the end of 1999. .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .postImageUrl , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:hover , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:visited , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:active { border:0!important; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:active , .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u759b50811d7a879a2b9bf2ef56b39ccf:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Renaissance Food EssayIn quarterly report released on December 8th 1998 from the Office of Management and Budget and the Council on Year 2000 Conversion, they stated that Of 6,696 federal mission-critical systems, 61% are year 2000 compliant. Currently only six federal agencies (The Departments of Defense, Energy, Health and Human Services, Transportation, State and the Agency for International Development) are making adequate progress (Hamblen). The legitimacy of the year 200 problem has never really been doubted by those who have an understanding of how computer systems operate, its just a wonder that we procrastinated this long to take any action on it. Maybe its because people deny what they dont like; the issue lacked political sex appeal; people assumed someone would fix the problem for us. If our current actions would have started back in 1995, very few of us would be panicking, and we could all be preparing to enjoy the New Years celebration. Well, its a little late now Here is excerpt from Robert Samuelsons article, Y2K Denial that really sums up what is happening with this issue:The year 2000 computer glitch may be the ultimate vindication of a 1959 essay titled The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by the British scientist and novelist C. P. Snow. The rise of science and technology, Snow said, was splintering society into two broad groups, those who did and didnt understand science. Increasingly, these gro ups couldnt relate or talk to each other. As they drift apart, he wrote, no society is going to be able to think with wisdom. Well, the Year 2000 (or Y2K) problem is a splendid example of unwisdom, But Snows essay foretold the larger cause. Most people have no conception of science and technology, he wrote. The general public is tone-deaf, he continued, over an immense range of intellectual experience, and as with the tone-deaf, they dont know what they miss. So the technologists making the warnings could not really talk with their intended audience. The result is that whatever damage Y2K does, the wound will be mostly self-inflicted (Samuelson). Some many people do not have an understanding of what a great impact this could have on our everyday lives. I think of what if I tried to going to the ATM machine to get money, and what do you know it says that you have zero dollar balance. Something that I have wanted to try was talking on the phone at about 5 minute to midnight and then have the year change from 1999 to 1900, conceivably this could be a 100 year phone call. Even at AT ; Ts rates of 10 cents a minute that phone call could cost anywhere in the neighborhood of 52 million dollars. A number of things could happen, for the moment these are just theories, who knows, January 1st, 2000 could come with out a problem. We could also spend much of the next year wondering whether the Y2K problem is a genuine menace or just a bad techno-joke. One thing is for sure, we have to wait and see what happens and be careful not create our own disaster. Works CitedCharbonneau, Mellisa. Battling the Millenium Bug. CBN News. 04 Mar. 1998. http://www.cbn.org/news/stories/980304.asp (09 Dec. 1998). Hamblen, Matt. Study prices federal Y2K work at $6.4B. Computerworld. 09 Dec. 1998. http://www.computerworld.com/home/news.nsf/all/9812093y2k (09 Dec. 1998). Meeks, Brock N. Optimism over millennium bug. MSNBC News. 31 Jul. 1998. http://www.msnbc.com/news/184535.asp (30 Nov. 1998). MSNBC News. The millennium bug 1998. http://www.msnbc.com/news/188031.asp (30 Nov. 1998). Robertson, Pat. Countdown to Chaos: Preparing for 2000. CBN News. 23 Mar. 1998. http://www.cbn.org/news/stories/980323.asp (09 Dec. 1998). Samuelson, Robert J. Y2K Denial. The Washington Post. 09 Dec. 1998http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1998-12/09/010l-120998-idx.html (09 Dec. 1998). Szabo, Liz. Robertson says stock up to prepare for Year 2000. 16 Oct. 1998. .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .postImageUrl , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:hover , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:visited , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:active { border:0!important; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:active , .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2 .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .udbf6daedd143420873240ecfb17a06d2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Jackie Robinson 4 Essayhttp://www.pilotonline.com/news/nw1016pat.html (30 Nov. 1998).