Marketing In A Time of Globalization †Marketing Essay

Marketing In A Time of Globalization – Marketing Essay Free Online Research Papers Marketing In A Time of Globalization Marketing Essay In my limited 31 years on this planet, I have seen much development and evolution of the English language. From slang words like â€Å"metro-sexual† to words like gigabyte that describe new technologies and services never seen before in history, there have been millions of new words introduced into society. Globalization is another such word that has evolved due to an interesting phenomenon sparked by factors such as the internet, ease of traveling and television. In this paper I will discuss globalization and a hopefully answer a few questions sparked by this new â€Å"buzz word† of the 21st century. The WikiPedia describes globalization as the worldwide phenomenon of technological, economic, and cultural change, as brought about by expanding facilities for intercommunication and interdependency between traditionally isolate cultures. Dramatically increased international trade and finance have established a medium wherein deeper cultural exchanges have taken place - greatly increasing the impact of global issues at the local scale. (Wikipedia) In short, globalization is the bringing together or the swapping of cultural ingredients among peoples of different cultures and countries. I found this picture on the internet and it drove the globalization point home. (Wikipedia.com) If this picture does not support the clashing of cultures I do not know what does. There are many trade theories that support the idea of globalization. The Heckscher-Ohlin theorem states that a country which is capital-abundant will export the capital-intensive good. Likewise, the country which is labor-abundant will export the labor-intensive good. Each country exports that good which it produces relatively better than the other country. In this model a countrys advantage in production arises solely from its relative factor abundance. (internationalecon) The Heckscher-Ohlin theory basically says that countries will trade with those countries that have things that they need. This is the basis for international trade; quid pro quo. This â€Å"this for that† attitude among nations has really supported the fusion of culture. Prebisch-Singer Thesis also supports the idea of globalization. This thesis states that the price of products traded with other countries fall dramatically over time; therefore an increase in trading is needed to keep profits up. (bss.sfsu.edu) This means more business partnerships and more countries are reliant upon each other. This dependency and relationship between countries have really played a key role in the rapid globalization of the modern day world. Money might be the root of all evil, but it also can smooth out relations among super powers if both parties are getting what they want out of the deal. Two major drivers of globalization have been the break down of trade barriers and technology. Technology in particular has changed many aspect of modern life. Services such as the internet which allows for global communication at a seconds notice and the unadulterated exchange of information among individuals in opposite sides of the world have played a key role in the merging of cultures. The degradation of trade barriers have allowed for more business and exchanges to happen between countries. There has even been a lot of talk lately about lifting the trade embargo against Cuba. Money talks, and when it does, people listen. The people of Cuba would greatly benefit not only financially from trade lines with the US, but they would also benefit in social and economical ways as well. Globalization has affected almost every aspect of American life. It is pretty normal for me to have a piece of cold pizza for breakfast (Italian cuisine), go to lunch down the street at PF Chang’s, (Chinese cuisine) and then finish up a nice dinner that night at Tres Amigos, (Mexican cuisine). Another more important affect of globalization is in the work environment. In this politically correct world we live in, it is imperative that each person in a work environment feels comfortable in their environment. With many cultures coming together around the water cooler each day, it is imperative that employees and employers are knowledgeable about other cultures and peoples. Marketing is another area of life effected by globalization. In previous marketing classes, we learned that it is imperative to find your target market before marketing your product. What if that target market is of another culture? What if you want to target your product to multiple genres and cultures? Every culture is different and reacts to marketing differently. Wal-Mart, saturated in the US, has been looking over seas for more potential shoppers. Lately they have been targeting China; Wal-Mart has spent millions of dollars in research figuring out how to market to the Chinese people. Regional trade blocs are intergovernmental associations that manage and promote trade activities for specific regions of the world. (ucatlas). Some well known trading blocs include the EU (European Union; see Map 1), NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement; see Map 2), MERCOSUR (Mercado Comun del Cono Sur, also known as Southern Common Markets (SCCM); see Map 3), and ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations; see Map 4). The following maps show trade data for 2001 (UNCTAD 2002). Map 1 Map 2 Map 3 Map 4 http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/trade/subtheme_trade_blocs.php NAFTA is the trade bloc that affects North America the most. January 1, 2004 marks the tenth anniversary of the North American Free Trade Agreement’s implementation. NAFTA promoters including many of the world’s largest corporations promised it would create hundreds of thousands of new high-wage U.S. jobs, raise living standards in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, improve environmental conditions and transform Mexico from a poor developing country into a booming new market for U.S. exports. (citizen.org) The EU has become the most powerful trading bloc in the world with a GDP now exceeding that of the United States. In fact, the EU is currently exporting 813 billion dollars worth of goods and services. The creation of the euro as a single currency for 12 EU members has led to ever closer economic links. The EU has found it difficult to shed its protectionist past based on the idea of self-sufficiency in agriculture which limits agricultural exports from the other countries. (revisioncaptain.com) The importance of the EU is the fact that Europe is a huge economic partner with the United States. If they fail, then our strong economic ties would put a huge strain on our economy as well. Globalization has been a bi-product of the rapid expansion of peoples of different nations and cultures clashing. Sparked by monetary funds and kept up by the thought of a more prosperous and comfortable lifestyle, countries will continue to merge their cultures as our peoples merge their living, business and vacation geographic locations. References Http://www.Wikipedia.com Http://www.Sticky-Marketing.com Http://www.Learnthat.com http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/trade/subtheme_trade_blocs.php http://ucatlas.ucsc.edu/trade/subtheme_trade_blocs.php citizen.org/trade/nafta revisionguru.co.uk/economics/blocsex.htm Research Papers on Marketing In A Time of Globalization - Marketing EssayDefinition of Export QuotasPETSTEL analysis of IndiaAssess the importance of Nationalism 1815-1850 EuropeAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceCapital PunishmentGenetic Engineering

See document Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

See document - Essay Example Company senior managers heading public companies prepared deceptive statements to blow up the prices of the company stock, apparently undermining the trust of the public in the integrity of financial market and regulators. The corporate scandals are usually perpetrated by several people who understand the organization’s every single detail, with most collaborating parties being people with high standing in the society. Most executives in failed corporations admit receiving enormous bonuses and backdated stock options to warrant that they will make wealth from investing in their company; not considering whether their performance made the share price increase or go down. Other unethical behaviors have resulted in the downfall of corporations, poor performance and negative publicity. As a result, the aspect of ethics in organizations has increasingly gained prominence due to distrust on organizational leaders (Loe, Ferrell & Mansfield, 2000) This study seeks to examine some of th e corporate failures, reasons behind their fall, as well as a close examination as to where blame may be assigned. Of specific importance, Enron downfall and Satyam scandals will be useful in examining ethics behind corporations’ failure. The paper will also look at the theories that expound on the subject of ethical governance in organizations. Ethics is a significant pillar in the modern corporate arena and corporate governance. Organizations have learnt useful lessons from the above cases on the danger that unethical decisions can bring in any organizations. As David Thoreau once said, â€Å"it is truthfully sufficiently said that a firm has no conscience; but a company of conscientious men is a corporation with ethics†. This statement carries a lot of meaning with it as to the significance of upholding ethics in organizations. The subject of what constitutes ethical behavior in organizations remains a debatable subject due to the wide ranging opinions of what const itutes ethics, and what ethics is not. Nevertheless, many organizations have embraced ethical codes stating their leading philosophical guidelines and organizational values. Ethical codes that are successful highlight the obligations of organizations to shareholders, the behavior anticipated of employees, and ethical parameters of the organization. Ethical codes are intended to impact on employee behavior, and are also referred to as corporate ethics statements. Business ethics field deals with questions as to whether a particular business practices are acceptable. Controversial business ethics issues arise on a daily basis in every organization, and this calls for organizational members to exercise their conscience as Thoreau said. For illustration, an accountant may face an ethical dilemma in his/her course of duty that may compromise her decision. For instance, if an accountant discovers inaccuracies in a client’s auditing report, he/she may opt to report the inaccuracy. O n the other hand, reporting such an inadequacy may result in the auditing company fired by the client for disclosing the inadequacies. This confusion leaves the accountant at crossroads as to what practice is acceptable. Business ethics require that organizational members to conform to sound moral principles. Special consideration has to be put into perspective when applying the concept of ethics in business. One is that businesses are formed with the aim of making a profit, and therefore, businesses

Case study about business law Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

About business law - Case Study Example The other tactic was using the illegalities of other investors – to silence them over the infringement of their intellectual property rights. That was the case with Sony, where BYD challenged the validity of their patents in Japan. Another tactic was the careful copying of patents to ensure that they did not match all design patents, like the case was with the F3. Another tactic was the illegal acquisition of the trade secrets of other companies, for example, that was the case with the documents retrieved from the systems of Foxconn (Li et al. a 3-5). The learning-by-hiring strategy is unlawful, as it offers a highway through which the patent rights of employers are transferred to rival employers or businesses. Due to its unlawful nature, an aggressive assertion and protection of patent rights can reduce the departure of these skilled workers. The tactic of adopting the intellectual property of others and hiding behind their illegality in the area of rights protection is illeg al, but cannot be proved, especially in the cases where the property’s patent ownership cannot be proved. That was the case with Sony, where their patent ownership in Japan was challenged. ... of trade secrets through the unlawful efforts of insider aides at victim companies is unlawful – as the practice amounts to trade secret theft (espionage) therefore BYD could be prosecuted for this action, if it is that they committed the crime (Li et al. a 5). The management practices at Foxconn, which have contributed to the strategy of BYD include that the company should have engaged in continual monitoring of the market, to ensure that the infringement of its Intellectual property was reported before it caused damage. The company’s greatest loss of trade secrets was caused by its lack of a system to restrict access to trade secrets and information. For example, the company could ensure that non-complete business agreements and non-disclosure were addressed fully and effectively, as it was the cause for the shift of its experts to BYD. Proper information security measures could also have been developed to secure vital information – to ensure that their trade s ecrets and vital information were safe (Stender et al. 30). Part 2 The options available to Foxconn include IP management strategies and litigation options. The strengths and weaknesses of the strategy of the administrative system used by Foxconn include the following: it requires less load of evidence, it is cost effective and the process is faster. The weaknesses include that low penalties are offered – which does not stop repeat offenders. Further, the raids conducted may not be authentic – which may allow the items seized to reach the market. The use of the judicial system presents the strengths that they would get damages for infringement and intense pressure would be exerted on the infringers. The weaknesses of the process include that it may cost the company high litigation costs, it may

Kingdom Of Heaven | Summary | Analysis

Kingdom Of Heaven | Summary | Analysis Kingdom of Heaven by Ridley Scott is a modern film about the Crusades, set in 1184 centered on Balian of Ibelin. The film is presented as a conscious piece of historical fiction and the majority of the film follows closely with historical records. (Wikipedia) William Monahan, the films writer, has included several fictional characters and dramatized the relationships between characters to increase the films artistic and commercial appeal. Ridley Scott makes an effort to promote Christian/Muslim peace in the Holy Land and downplays traditional Religious viewpoints. The films cinematography is visually stunning and the battle scenes are intense. (Radcliffe) Overall, the film is enjoyable to watch, although it is quite long. The Directors Cut Edition has a running time of 189 Minutes. Kingdom of Heaven is a fictional historical action film with the main theme of promoting peaceful coexistence between religions. The film begins in a remote French village as Balian, a blacksmith, is devastated over his wifes suicide. Balian meets a group of Crusaders led by Baron Godfrey of Ibelin, who reveals himself to be Balians father. This part of the storyline deviates from historical records because Baron Godfrey is a fictional character and Balian is from Ibelin. (Wikipedia Balian de Ibelin) After killing the town priest, Balian joins Baron Godfrey on his Crusade to Jerusalem with hope of redemption and forgiveness for his sins. During Balians quest to Jerusalem he is Knighted and after his father Godfreys death, is recognized as Baron of Ibelin in Jerusalem. Scott depicts Jerusalem as a city where Christians and Saracens live in peace under King Baldwin IV. King Baldwin IV the Leper ruled Jerusalem from 1174-1185. Jerusalems political arena is complex, as the Knights Templar, led by Guy de Lusignan and Raynald of Chà ¢tillon, Tiberius, the Marshal of Jerusalem, and Princess Sybilla all are seeking to increase their own power. The Knights Templar led by the films Arch-Villian, Guy de Lusignan are the primary Villians and portrayed by Scott as mercenaries, seeking profit and attacking Muslims because God wills it. (Kingdom of Heaven 2005) Princess Sybilla and Balian begin a relationship when she visits Ibelin. This part of the story is fictional and my feeling is that Scott intended to make the film more appealing to women by adding a romantic affair between the main characters. The Knights Templar attack a Muslim trade caravan that is under protection of Saladin, the leader of the Muslim army. Saladin is a Muslim historical figure that led the Muslim Army in opposition to the Crusaders and ruled over Egypt, Syria, and Damascus. (Maalouf 1984) This attack sets into motion a course of events that ends with Saladin gaining control of Jerusalem in the films final scenes. Saladin attacks Kerak, Raynalds castle as retribution for his crimes. During the battle, Balian and his men are captured while trying to defend the villagers. Because Balian had displayed mercy by releasing one of Saladins servants earlier in the film, Saladin releases Balian and a temporary truce is negotiated between the Muslims and Christians. This is an example of the films main theme and prominent sub-theme of doing good deeds for others. Shortly after the battle, King Baldwin passes away, leaving Sybillas son, Baldwin V King of Jerusalem. Historical records indicate that Saladin did attac k Kerak in 1183 and 1184, but was repelled by the Crusaders. (Wikipedia Siege of Kerak) In addition, King Baldwin IV did not pass away immediately after the Siege of Kerak, he passed away in 1185. Scott indicates a bias toward the Muslims in this part of the film; he depicts the Knights Templar and Raynald as warmongers and the films villains. Raynald and Guy are against peace between the Christians and Muslims. King Baldwin Vs reign over Jerusalem is temporary because Princess Sybilla euthanizes her son out of compassion, as she finds that he is also a Leper. This part of the film is fictional, King Baldwin V was not a Leper, but he did pass away in 1186, just one year after becoming King. (Wikipedia King Baldwin V) Sybilla crowns Guy de Lusignan as King and he immediately instructs Raynald to wage war against Saladin. Raynald and Guy lead the Knights Templar to battle against Balians advice. Saladin massacres the Raynalds Army at the Battle of Hattin and personally beheads Raynald. This was Saladins plan all along; he knew Guy and the Knights Templar would attack first. After Balian survives an assassination attempt ordered by Guy, he joins Tiberius in Jerusalem which is now virtually defenseless against Saladins Army. By showing the aftermath of the Battle of Hattin, that God has punished an evil man and his followers belligerent actions with death, Scott reinforces the films primary them e of encouraging peaceful coexistence between religions and sub-theme, that doing good deeds for others is being religious. Tiberius and his men abandon Balian and the people of Jerusalem, leaving no Knights to defend the city. This part of the film shows how Balians values have changed during the film. Before Balian left on his Crusade, he had lost faith in religion and himself, and now he is a confident and selfless leader, who stays in Jerusalem only to defend the cities people. (Kingdom of Heaven 2005) Scott shows a bias toward the Christian point of view in the films final scenes and audience should feel a strong sympathy to the Christians as they are defending innocent people. In preparation for the battle with Saladin, Balian Knights many of the villagers to improve morale. Balian is outnumbered by Saladins men and his only hope is to protect the city long enough to force Saladin to make a deal to protect the people of Jerusalem. Balian and his men successfully withstand a barrage of bombs from Saladins Trebuchets and attacks from his Army for three days. During the battle, Balian is a successful Commander, although he is injured while fighting with a Muslim. On the third day, Saladin is able to breach Jerusalems walls overpower Balians men. Balian is able to negotiate the peaceful surrender of Jerusalem with Saladin only because he threatens to destroy the city and all religious artifacts, both Muslim and Christian if the battle continues. This scene is based in fact as records indicate that Balian de Ibelin did negotiate the surrender of Jerusalem to Saladin, but that Saladin was offered a ransom for all Christians to leave Jerusalem unharmed. (Wikipedia Balian de Ibelin) The film ends with Balian and Sybilla in the remote French Village where the story began. King Richard of England and his men ride along searching for the defender of Jerusalem and Balian replies, I am a blacksmith. (Kingdom of Heaven 2005 ) Ridley Scott conveys his primary theme with his final message that Nearly a thousand years later, peace in the Kingdom of Heaven remains elusive. Throughout the film we see evidence that Scott is promoting peaceful coexistence between religions. King Baldwin IV states, A man must choose to do good deeds instead of evil and Your Soul is in control of your own. Balian consistently supports this theme by resisting violence, by refusing to fight over his horse, releasing Guy de Langston after the final duel and many other times during the film. Ridley Scott has disguised Kingdom of Heaven as a visually pleasing historical action film; Scott wants his audience to realize the futility of war and the value of peaceful coexistence between all religions. http://blogcritics.org/video/article/movie-review-kingdom-of-heaven1/ Maalouf, Amin. 1984. Crusades Through Arab Eyes. Online E-Reserve Edition. London: Al Saqi Books. Kingdom of Heaven: Directors Cut Edition. 2005. Directed by Ridley Scott. 189 Min. Century City, CA: 20th Century Fox. Blu-Ray.

Western Art Exhibition Critique

The show â€Å"Renoir in the 20th Century† is a group art exhibit of the French artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir and his friends, held at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), exhibiting from February 14 to May 9, 2010. The paintings on exhibit are the works Renoir finished in the last 30 years of his life, included in the 6,000 art pieces he finished throughout his entire career. The gallery literature lists his displayed work as â€Å"decorative, classical, and a highly personal interpretation of the Grand Tradition. The artists that Renoir influenced throughout his life and are also on display at the LACMA with their paintings, drawings and sculptures are Picasso, Matisse, Maillol and Bonnard. The art works in the public display by Renoir consist of women, children and family members with only a few self-portraits. No landscape or still life is evident in this show, as in his earlier Impressionism shows. But what makes it important is that the art work is good, as compared to years of negative art reviews by critics, who have turned their backs on this notable artist in his later years. Painting until he died in 1919, Renoir was an unpretentious and very humble artist, even though he always wanted to be the best at what he did. He had become well-established during the Impressionism years because of his talent and this attitude. However, his successful art period was quickly followed by years of wondering if he could ever paint again. I’m starting to know how to paint. It has taken me over fifty years’ work to get this far and it’s not finished yet,† declared the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) in 1913, at a time when a major exhibition of his work, including the large nudes painted at the turn of the twentieth century, was in the show at the Bernheim Jeune gallery in Paris. When Renoir followed other artists, such as Monet, into Impressionism it w as considered by the art world as a huge movement away from Realism – the historical work of past artists that almost appeared to imitate life. The year 1869 had brought a new style of art called Impressionism into the world, developed by artists Renoir and Monet. At the beginning of the art movement, the works of both artists were so much alike it was as if their still life and landscape art blended together into one joyful union with colors to match the feelings. Using unmixed primary colors, the work had a look about it unlike any other. The dark earthy tones and heavy dedicated brush strokes of the previous masters were gone. By 1880, Renoir had begun to move away from Impressionism even though he was highly sought for his unique colors and rainbow palette style, especially in his nudes and body forms. However, deep inside he felt he had â€Å"wrung Impressionism dry. † These feelings are because his work of the human form had always been more traditional than other artists of the Impressionism group, and he was feeling as if it was pulling him away from what he felt was right for him. Renoir's return from an Italy trip in 1982 left him doubting Impressionism even more, with his work changing so much that critics, patrons and other artists felt he was going downhill with his art ability. At this time, late Renoir artwork was beginning to be considered bad Renoir work. Showing with the Impressionists, the painter [Renoir] is reported to have lamented to a dealer, â€Å"I've come to the conclusion that I can neither paint nor draw. † Looking at the show one is inclined to mumble, â€Å"Indeed. Renoir eventually left Impressionism, returning to the full-bodied female nude and children he enjoyed doing, instead of landscape and outdoors. After studying in Italy, he discovered the importance of drawing prior to painting. According to the art exhibit literature, the work of Gabriel and Jean that Renoir painted in 1895, a painting of his infant son and nanny, demonstrated this fact. Prior to its painting, he worked on preparatory drawings of the painting before he started. This was difficult He had become so mesmerized with the child's infant gown he spent hours on the painting, while quickly painting over the face of Gabrielle whom he really did not want to paint, refusing her several times prior to this. â€Å"He [Jean] said that in his father's paintings, everyone looked as if they were brothers and sisters. We are all Renoir's children in the paintings,† Jean Renoir said. † Severely in pain with rheumatoid arthritis, his hands became completely gnarled and he became wheelchair-bound. In as much pain as he was, he still painted for years. Paintings like Jean as a Huntsman shows a full-length portrait of his son, Jean, referred to as a modern â€Å"Blue Boy. † The work appears as a work of the old masters, with the gallery listings describing it as similar to the work of Spanish artist Diego Velazquez, which exemplified Renoir's work with â€Å"great art of the past† – with Jean posing for several months while his father painted under extreme pain throughout the process. According to the LACMA literature for the show, the painting remained with Renoir until his death, and then was given to LACMA by Renoir's son, Jean, in 1979. Subject matter of his final years were nudes, girls at a piano, children with their nannies – turning his back on his Impressionism style he had been so involved with earlier in his life. The light brush strokes disappeared, with Renoir returning to the style of the old masters such as Rubens. With hands appearing as old tree stumps, he had mastered the use of color and brush strokes toward his final years. To paint, he wrapped fabric around his gnarled fingers while clamping a paintbrush between the thumb and first of his right hand, appearing gaunt and emaciated. But he still painted for hours because if he quit, the pain may actually destroy him. The art display â€Å"Renoir in the 20th Century† Los Angeles County Museum of Art demonstrates how far Renoir had come artistically toward the end of his life. Instead of â€Å"Bad Renoir art† in his later years, it was the best he had ever done with a glowing to his skin tone other artists could not compete with. Becoming more and more of an art master who was dedicated to his work helped him overcome his physical pain. Through this, he worked to re-develop and refine the traditional forms and methods into an exquisite art form he had always preferred. Nowhere is this success more apparent than in the art exhibit of Renoir and his friends.

Commentary for “The May Poles and Their Queen” Essay

When reading the Greek myth Orpheus, I was immediately struck by the heroism of the central character. Orpheus is the classic male hero, overcoming all obstacles to bring back his beloved Eurydice, only to be eventually thwarted by something even more powerful than his heroism: his own love. Because of the essentially classical, romanticized nature of Orpheus, I felt it would be an ideal source text for a modern-day interpretation. In order to gain a better understanding of the text, I initially adopted, in Stuart Hall’s terms, the ‘preferred’ reading; that is, how the audience are ‘meant’ to read a text, who they are expected to empathise with and what conclusions they are meant to draw. Applying Greimas’s structuralist scheme, I found it easy to identify Orpheus as the ‘subject’ or, according to Propp’s ‘spheres of influence’, the ‘hero’. Orpheus can also be identified as Propp’s ‘donor’ figure through his extraordinary skill at playing the lyre, which provides him with apparently limitless power when it comes to charming the gods of the underworld. The ‘sender’ would be Eurydice, for dying and subsequently ‘sending’ Orpheus on his quest to the underworld. The ‘villain’ could be Aristaeus for chasing Eurydice, or any of the creatures of the underworld for opposing Orpheus. Alternatively, and perhaps more interestingly, the ‘villain’ could be Orpheus’s own love, which is so strong it forces him to look back, and lose his wife forever. Eurydice can also be identified as Greimas’s ‘object’ or Propp’s ‘princess’: the ‘object’ of Orpheus’s quest, whose only ‘skill’ is to be desired by the ‘subject’, Orpheus. I also applied Tzvetan Tordorov’s theory that there is a similar narrative framework to all stories. For Todorov, a story usually begins with a state of peace and harmony, an ‘equilibrium’: Orpheus has his love, his music and is happy. This then evolves into ‘disruption’: Eurydice dies and Orpheus must journey to the underworld to bring her back. Then Orpheus attempts to repair the ‘disequilibrium’, by charming the creatures of the underworld. Next, according to Todorov, a ‘new equilibrium’ is often found. However, in Orpheus, this is not the case. Eurydice is left in the underworld and Orpheus’s head is left singing alone in the upper world, still crying out for his lost love, unable to find his ‘new equilibrium’ by being denied even unity in death. Applying these structuralist theories, I found, only served to emphasize the essentially patriarchal nature of the myth. The literary theorist Terry Eagleton talks of how â€Å"[a text’s] blindnesses, what it does not say and how it does not say it†¦ [is] maybe as important as what it articulates† (Eagleton, 1996) i.e. the ‘untold’ story, the ‘gaps’ in the original tale, can allow for additional perspectives other than the conventional, ‘preferred’ reading. In reference to Orpheus, I felt that the character of Eurydice, and her account of events, was a very important ‘blindness’, which had been largely ignored by Greek mythology. Because of this, I decided to adopt a more ‘oppositional reading’, as Hall would characterise it, and subsequently, a more ‘feminist’ approach, making Eurydice the classic hero. This opened up a variety of possibilities to me concerning the other roles. Could Orpheus (or Christian in my re-working) now become the ‘villain’, his ‘quest’, from her perspective, becoming more akin to a ‘hunting down’? The ‘object’ could now become Edie’s desire to be recognised and appreciated. Could Christian’s ‘underworld’ not be Edie’s ‘new equilibrium’? I also thought it would be interesting to strip Christian of his ‘donor’ role by making his musical talent all a faà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ade. I felt that it was a perfectly reasonable reading of the original text to believe that the reason Orpheus ‘required’ Eurydice was simply to act as his ‘muse’ and inspire him to create beautiful music. By interpreting Orpheus’ need for Eurydice on a more literal level, I could make Edie the one who was the true musician. This makes Christian’s need for her all the more desperate as, without Edie, Christian feels he can no longer be a successful musician, as is the case in the original text. I also felt that the tale of Orpheus had almost become too romanticized and was subsequently open to a parody. Consequently, I tried to create a carnivalesque interpretation, that is, exaggerate some of the key aspects of the characters until they almost become ‘grotesque’, in order to evoke humour. I decided to make my target audience aged 14-18, as I felt that they would feel comfortable with the modern-day, often egotistical, music culture, and also be open to, and appreciate, the attempt to invert the original tale’s gender stereotyping. As I wanted to create a visually dynamic as well as linguistically comical piece, I chose the genre of a television drama: a genre likely to appeal to my target audience. This also allows the piece to suddenly break out of realism in order to give the drama a distinctly surreal edge, for example, the impromptu arrival of the snake. I felt the addition of this element of ‘magical realism’ to the piece would add to the farcical nature and heighten the comedy. The opening few scenes are key to establishing the tone of the piece, and also the characters’ relationships. The opening scene of a â€Å"rock band† performing on stage is designed to grab the viewer’s attention, whilst also appealing to my target audience. Christian uses the informal register of the archetypal ‘rock star’: â€Å"We’ve been Christian and the May Poles! Goodnight!† This type of lexis has connotations of arrogance and vanity, which is designed to contrast with the stupidity of Orpheus’s kilt and also the band name ‘Christian and the May Poles’, a pun on the original ‘Maenads’. By having Edie backstage, providing the real musical talent, she initially appears a relatively oppressed, marginalised character: always forced to stay in the background: â€Å"Yeah. Well, I ain’t ‘Christian’, am I?† There is a sense that Edie has accepted the belief imposed upon her by Christian: that she is simply an accessory to his success. I gave her a distinct Northern accent in order to appear more ‘down to earth’ than her ‘rock star’ counterpart, and also to appeal more to the audience as the ‘under-dog’. Throughout, Christian is portrayed as the archetypal, vain, male ‘rock star’. I attempted to emphasize this vanity linguistically, through his self-obsessed use of language – â€Å"You’ve already got flowers. My flowers. Flowers handpicked by moi† – and also through his obsession with his eyebrows. I felt that by giving this conventionally ‘effeminate’ concern to both Christian and Al, I could further parody the ‘strong’ male stereotype associated with Greek myths. One of the key changes that I made to the original text was that in my drama, Edie runs away from Christian as opposed to â€Å"Aristaeus†. She is also willingly ‘bitten’ by the snake. By having Edie willingly leave Christian for the ‘underworld’, this is in keeping with my overall ‘feminist’ angle of approach, as it now becomes Edie’s ‘quest’ to find her role as a performer. Instead of making the characters of my ‘underworld’ subtly linked to the characters in the original myth, I decided on overstating their most obvious physical features in order to provide an out and out carnivalesque adaptation. Because of this, I decided that a theatre would be an ideal setting, and, by drawing inspiration from the character of the serpent, introduced the idea of a pantomime production of the Bible in the hope that this would generate further humour. Deliberately playing with the notion of stereotypes, that is foregrounding the whole issue, was also a comic device. Just as Christian is the ‘stereotypical rock star’, so all the characters of the underworld are stereotypical actors, as I felt this would add a new angle to these conventionally frightening characters. The use of ‘stock’ figures and the language associated with them, – such as the ‘wise’ Yorkshiremen – would also speed up audience recognition and mean the characters would not need to be individually introduced. In earlier drafts, I had attempted to give the beginning a more serious edge, in order to contrast with the absurdity of the underworld. I had incorporated monologues, in the style of Jim Cartwright’s Road, in an attempt to provide greater character insight. However, these monologues seemed to ‘jar’ with the other scenes and make the beginning appear ‘flat’, without really adding to the piece. Although they established the characters, they did so in a rather bland, pedestrian way, so these scenes were reworked. However, I still felt I had to emphasize the difference between the characters of the ‘upper world’ and those of the ‘underworld’ and one of the main ways I did this was through my choice of language. Because my chosen setting was a theatre, I wanted to give the language of the ‘underworld’ a distinct theatrical edge. One of the ways I tried to achieve this was through my use of â€Å"luvvies'† discourse, for example, the Serpent’s line â€Å"How marvellous!†, an indication of the affected register of language associated with the theatre. This inflated speech is in immediate contrast to both Christian and Edie’s more ‘down to earth’, Northern dialect and I tried to emphasize this contrast by having the two types of speech juxtaposed in order that they might ‘break against’ each other and subsequently, generate humour: â€Å"Greetings Child/Who the hell are you?† Another theatrical device which I made use of was the ‘one liner’ – a device associated with pantomime – in the hope that this would make the piece feel like a â€Å"pantomime production of Orpheus† as it were. For example the serpent’s ‘one-liner’ â€Å"I’m playing the serpent incidentally† attempts to add humour by overstatement, as I interpreted this character on a literal level and made my serpent, an actor â€Å"wearing a giant green snake costume†. This line also refers to both the pantomime production of the Bible and the original Greek myth. It will inform viewers already familiar with the myth that the ‘descent into the underworld’ is about to begin, and provide a ‘sneak preview’ into future events. The ‘wise men’, Rod, Bob and Todd were added to act as a Cerebus figure. I gave them each a pint of beer in order that they might ‘foam at the mouth’ as Cerebus was famed for doing, and made them â€Å"drunk and†¦ quite menacing† in order to, like Cerebus, be perceived as ‘vicious’. Through their physical similarity and the syntactical correspondency of their language, they are designed to appear like a ‘club-act’, finishing off each other’s sentences in an almost ‘pantomime patter’ style, in order to ‘gang up’ on Christian: â€Å"We are wise men./The wise men of Yorkshire†. I also made them speak simultaneously, in order to appear as though they are ‘one being with three heads’: â€Å"We know!† I transformed the original mythological character of Charon into another actor, Little Ron. I combined many of the traditional aspects of Charon such as the hood and cape, with sunglasses in order to contrast with Charon’s ‘blazing eyes’ motif. I also made him exceptionally short in order to dismiss any preconceptions which the audience may have of Charon being ‘spooky’ and ‘all powerful’. As opposed to Orpheus paying Charon ‘one silver coin’ to descend in the underworld, Christian instead gives Little Ron a cigarette. I felt this fitted in with my modern-day outlook and also would add a comical element by effectively having â€Å"God† smoking. One of the most dramatic changes I made to the original tale was that in my version, Edie chooses to stay in the ‘underworld’, and it is she, as opposed to Des/Hades, who sends Christian back to the ‘upper world’ with the dismissive remark â€Å"I’m an actress, Chris†. By changing the original ending, Edie has found her real existence in the underworld, and to her, it is the upper world which is full of misery. Christian, however becomes a classic picture of male melancholy: â€Å"homeless and unable to even strum his guitar.† He is an allusion to the current crisis in masculinity, a phenomenon often voiced in the media, his ‘traditional role’ as the performer taken over by his female counterpart: abandoned for â€Å"Keith Harris†. Because of this, Christian feels his masculinity has been threatened. This is then made ironic by his final effeminate cry of â€Å"My tweezers!† In the final scene, I had Edie â€Å"smiling sadistically† as she plucks her eyebrows, indicative of her mocking of Christian, a reversal of the original patriarchal tale. For whereas in the original text, it is the ‘hero’ Orpheus who ‘goes on his quest and fails’, in my transformation it is the ‘heroine’ Edie, who not only sets off on her ‘quest’ but also succeeds and ultimately, it is she who ‘comes out on top’. BIBLIOGRAPHY Philip, Neil. The Illustrated Book of Myths, (DK, 2000) Hughes, Ted. Ted Hughes’ Collected Plays for Children, (Faber, 2001) Widdicombe, Rupert. The Sunday Times, (4 September 1994, CINEMA, pages 10-11) Ross, Alison and Greatrex, Jen. A2 English Language and Literature, (Heinemann, 2001) Eagleton, Terry. Literary Theory, An Introduction (Blackwell, 1996) Machery, Pierre. A Theory of Literary Production (Routlege and Kegan Paul. 1978) Graves, Robert. The Greek Myths:1 (Penguin, 1955) Vogler, Christopher. The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (Michael Wiese Productions, 1998) Cartwright, Jim. Road (Samuel French, 1989)

Center For Applied Linguistics What Is An Assessment...

Center for Applied Linguistics What is an assessment portfolio? An assessment portfolio is a compilation of a student s authentic work over a particular period. The assessment portfolio allows for identifying growth in a concise package. The collection of work includes grading guidelines, the rational for the evaluations chosen, and allow for self-awareness. What are the advantages of assessment portfolio systems for ELLs? The portfolio of assessment allows students to guide their personal, academic goals by composing academic evidence of their abilities. A portfolio allows a visual understanding of accomplishments each ELL student has achieved. It allows for an open grading scale. The collection of work allows students to have the input of the academic success.The ideology of the collection of work encompasses positive attributes that allow students another positive interaction throughout their academic day. What are the challenges of assessment portfolios? 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