Background The 1930’s In The USA Essay

In the 1920’s/1930’s a lot of Americans got the idea that investing in shares was a safe way of making money, but many didn’t know the risks that could occur when buying shares, and on the 4 October 1929 America suffered from the ‘Wall Street Crash.’ This meant that billions of dollars were lost due to the stock markets crashing and the prices of shares dramatically falling, the ‘Wall Street Crash’ left countless numbers of American citizens with no life savings and on the edge of bankruptcy. It also caused many companies and businesses to go bust or close down, and consequently left many workers unemployed and broke. This mass of unemployment resulted in many people moving from the big cities out to the countryside to find work on farms as itinerant workers. These itinerant workers were most often men who were sacked due to the Wall Street crash, and a lot of the time found themselves alone and lonely. Itinerant workers had to keep moving from farm to farm and therefore could never make any long time friends, many had no home to go back to or even any family to contact. The farms conditions were very poor and there was a big health and safety risk due to the large and dangerous machinery used daily by the workers, the average number of deaths on farms in America per year was around 25,000. But this high number of deaths didn’t stop the Itinerant workers from working, as they had no other way of getting money and had no other choice. The itinerant workers were made to live in poor condition bunkhouses with a group of other workers, the workers had their food prepared by a cook that the boss would hire, but of course this was not free and came out of their already small wages. The workers were made to work during the day but also found themselves with spare time where they would play games or go into town. During this time in the1930’s when money was short for everyone, farmers found themselves in the position where either they could save money and cut back on something or simply go bust. So a lot of the farmers left their soil without any fertilizer, but continued to grow crops on the fields, this destroyed and dried out the soil leaving it near worthless to them. The farmers also cut down field barriers so bigger more efficient machinery could be used, but this also helped to destroy and dry out the top part of the soil and also left it vulnerable to strong winds. These farming techniques particularly effected the south-west of the USA as they had seasonal bad weather which usually posed a problem but what they didn’t know was there was going to be exception bad weather. And due to the weather and poor farming methods, the fast and strong winds which the bad weather brought were able to race across fields upon fields and whip up the dry top soil creating big clouds of ‘dust’. This ecological disaster was named the ‘Dustbowl’ and it whipped up dust that landed in other states to where it originated from, and left farms and homes under dust which left many people no choice than to just pack up anything they could and leave. A lot of these itinerant workers migrated to California which is known as ‘the golden state’ where dreams come true and is also the home of Hollywood ‘the dream factory’ but mainly because it was away from the dust bowl and the because the farms in California were known for having rich fertile land. This fertile land and unharmed farms, not only created a big attraction for people looking for work, but also created an attraction to farmers wanting to start again and own a farm. Although the itinerant workers moved out to California due to the large amount of farms there, many still had no job and the workers still found themselves moving from one farm to another as the bosses only employed most workers for short periods. The Author John Steinbeck, was born in Salina’s, California, and is one of the USA’s greatest writers, he is known for writing the book ‘Of Mice And Men’ which we are studying, and has also written books such as ‘The Pearl’ and ‘Cannery Row’. We have found that a lot of the ideas in the story ‘Of Mice And Men’ are from events which were past experiences in his own life. We know this as John Steinbeck has worked on farms himself as an itinerant worker and therefore has an idea of the loneliness and the continuous search for friendship and somewhere to settle down that all itinerant workers had. This dream that all itinerant worker had of settling down is shown in the book by all the worker but especially George and Lennie for they have a dream of owning a place of their own. John Steinbeck also got ideas for the book from past events such as when he saw a large man kill a pet rabbit and when he saw one of his bosses killed by a disturbed man. He writes about the migrants to California and how the itinerant workers are needy and desperate and will work for a small wage. In a way the characters of George and Lennie are microcosms of what was happening to the USA in the 1930’s, as they suffered from the ‘Wall street crash’ and are itinerant work that have migrated to California. John Steinbecks title ‘Of mice And Men’ is taken from a poem written by an 18th century Scottish poet, and the novel was first published in 1936 and followed shortly after by the stage play.

Henry James referred to TTOTS as a potboiler Essay

Henry James referred to ‘TTOTS’ as a potboiler. In light of this comment, explore the establishment of a simple ghost story in the prologue and first five chapters. Henry James stated that ‘TTOTS’ was a potboiler, meant only to be perceived as a simple ghost story which in the Victorian era was how it was originally accepted. However a more modern audience ay interpret the novella as something more. Relating back to the idea of a simple ghost story, the novella starts with a typical ghost story setting – ‘The story had held us, round the fire’ emphasised by the description of the house being ‘gruesome’ and it being ‘Christmas Eve’ informing us that it is night time. All are contributing factors to an ideal ghost story and all of these points start to build the tension and suspense up already within the first few lines. ‘Held us, round the fire’ tells us how they are clinging to this materialistic substance for comfort and warmth, typical connotations of fire. Use of language such as ‘dreadful’ and ‘terror’ increases this sense of a greater impending ghost story – that of which we hear about the Governess. Moreover this sets the mood and creates the atmosphere for the audience to fully appreciate the ‘horror’ of this ghost story. In addition, the idea of them telling ghost stories gives us an immediate impression that there is a ghost story awaiting the audience. The use of more dramatic language such as ‘for sheer terror?’ and ‘for dreadful – dreadfulness’ start the steep incline of suspense and tension we will feel throughout the story. The idea of authenticity throughout this novella is key for the audience to focus on. To increase this idea of the story being real, James uses a framed narrative to draw the reader in to believe that the tale is true. Overall the story could succeed without the prologue but with it, the audience is a lot more likely to proceed through the book with an idea or reality. The main character in the prologue, Douglas, tells the unnamed narrator and the rest of the group of a ghost story much worse than any that have been told. ‘If the child gives the effect of another turn of the screw, what do you say to two children – ?’ Obviously hinting that his tale contains two children, increasing the horror the audience are now sure that they are reading a simple ghost story. However this idea can be argued as we continue throughout the prologue and the first chapter. We learn that about the Governess, moreover, we learn Douglas’ opinion of her. ‘Is in old faded ink and in the most beautiful hand’. From this we can interpret that Douglas’ may be fond or possibly in love with the Governess making his opinion biased thus taking away from the reliability of the story. The use of characters in the prologue almost acts as a metaphor for the reader. ‘Everybody will stay!’ and ‘I will – and I will!’ could be used to represent how James wants the reader to react to reading the actual ghost story. Straight away in the first chapter we learn about how the governess suffered ‘a succession of flights and drops’. Already we start to suspect the volatility of her and the reliability of her tale which obviously argues against the idea of it being a simple ghost story and starts to lay down the foundation for the idea that there may be undercurrents of something more suspect. However her description of Bly is incredibly positive. ‘A lovely day’, ‘summer sweetness’ and ‘a friendly surprise’ are all used in one sentence and all are incredibly optimistic, giving us the idea that the governess is a very positive person. However she does seem to be very hyperbolic, describing the first child, Flora, as ‘one of Raphael’s holy infants’. Obviously this is taking it to extremes, which hints that this might not be the only thing that she is exaggerating throughout the novella. Towards the end of chapter one, she describes parts of the house with language such as ‘empty chambers’, ‘dull corridors’ and ‘crooked staircase’ al of which are very negative descriptions, however she immediately starts to describe the house as ‘a castle of romance’ and something from a ‘story book’. Moreover, as she is peppering her negative quotes with positive and vice versa massively showing her incredible volatility. This is a major idea that the rest of the story may be exaggerated or maybe not even true. This could also foreshadow her personality later on into the novella. Throughout the chapters the language of Mrs Grose becomes increasingly questionable. As an audience we are constantly told that she is ‘simple-minded’ however she sees to know a lot more than she is letting on. ‘Are you afraid he’ll corrupt you?’ This is odd as she is talking about Miles, a ten year old boy. This make the audience think, how can a young child corrupt a fully grown woman? Leading us on to thin she may be talking about somebody else. As we progress through the story we learn about the Governess’s sexual frustration toward the master. Accompanying this idea is that she sees the apparition of Peter Quint upon the tower. This is could imply that she is projecting her sexual frustration onto an imaginary figure as a release to wanting to see the master. ‘A charming story suddenly to meet someone’ and later ‘He did stand there!’ She only sees this figure stood there when she is imagining the master, a suspicious idea that the reader may look into. ‘The man who met my eyes was not the person I precipitately supposed’. This quote backs up my previous point of the projecting this idea of meeting the master on her walks. During these first few chapters we experience a reasonable amount of religious language, ‘Raphael’s holy infants’, ‘divine’ and ‘he has red hair’ these all imply ideas of how the plot is affected by the religious aspects of the Victorian era and their views on ghosts. As they did believe in ghosts and were mainly very religious, these ideas were accepted avidly and only increased any emotions felt within the Victorian reader as they progressed through the story. Overall, my personal views are that there are underlying psychological ideas in ‘TTOTS’ and that although it can be read as a straight ghost story, to fully appreciate the novella the reader must delve deeper and retrieve any obvious ideas that suggest more than just a typical ghost story. James uses a variety of techniques which make his characters seem a lot more emotional deeper than just a person who is afraid in a big house. However the idea of authenticity throughout does back up the point of it being a straight ghost story. I do believe that it is a mazed reader and can be open to a variety of interpretations.

HUM 102 Week 1 Individual Assignment Humanities Today Paper Essay

When learning about people and their cultures, it becomes inevitably to recognize how people are the result of their traditions, their stories, their ideas, and their words. It also becomes necessarily to learn about how people from past generations created the world they lived in and how this world made them the way they were. Learning about humanities is more than studying about past cultures. Each generation leaves a creative legacy, the sum of its ideas and achievements. This legacy represents the response to the effort to ensure individual and collective survival, the need to establish ways of  living in harmony with others, and the desire to understand everyone’s place in the universe (Fiero, 2011). The study of Humanities is the study of the people and how they learn and documented their human experiences through art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. Defining Humanities â€Å"The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences† (University of South Florida, 2014). The primary definition of the singular form â€Å"humanity† refers to being â€Å"humane† that  means civilized and well-educated. Humane people recognize and practice concepts like â€Å"hospitality† and â€Å"justice†, even though its definition may vary in different places. The word â€Å"humanity† also refers to the â€Å"human race†. Using the word â€Å"humanities† it usually refers to the field of study within university settings, a group of subjects scholars study, discuss and debate including history, music, art, languages, philosophy, religion, and literature. (Behling, 2012) There are qualities that distinguish the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. The humanities engage in critical evaluation of visual, literary, communication and performing arts. In other words, the humanities critically analyze the human experiences HUMANITIES TODAY 3 across cultures that engage all modes of understanding such as intellectual, imaginative, and emotional. The study of humanities goes beyond just practicing the arts. It is the intense analysis of the art and its outcomes as well as how the imagination, emotions, and uncertainty affect the human being. The humanities explore the relationship between the insubstantial and hidden meanings. It provides expression to all forms of human experience using all modes of understanding. The humanities capture the idea that is not just to study the arts but to engage with other modes of understanding including rational, intellectual, and critical mode as learned from social sciences. The humanities understand the role of individuals in exploring the human conditions. It reflects on the form and the content of all modes of expression including language, visual, auditory, or tactile. The study of humanities attends to the aspects of human experience that cannot be measured. For instance, when learning a new language. The humanities recognize the general patterns of literature, linguistic, visual and performing arts throughout history. It also constructs and evaluates oral and written discussions in a logical form. The Current Developments in Politics, Socioeconomics, and Technology The arts, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature, are some of the disciplines of the humanities. These disciplines offer models and methods for addressing dilemmas and acknowledging ambiguity. They can help individuals face the tension between their concerns; promote informed discussions of conflicts; and place current issues in historical perspective. These disciplines of humanity give voice and artistic shape to experience, balancing passion and rationality while exploring issues of morality and value. The study of humanities provides the HUMANITIES TODAY 4 scenario in which expressions, interpretations, and experiences can be recognized in areas explored by shared interests (The Ohio Humanities Council, 2015). The visual arts employ a wide variety of media, ranging from traditional colors used in painting, to wood, clay, marble, plastic and neon used in sculptures, to digital media, including photography and film. The form of the art work depends on the manner in which the artist manipulates the elements of color, line, texture, and space. Artists manipulate form to describe the visible world or to create worlds of fantasy. (Fiero, 2011) There is a strong relationship between the arts and politics. In response to current political events within society, the arts may adopt certain social dimensions focusing on the controversy and on inspiring social changes. For instance, Alexander Pushkin, (who died in 1837 at the age of 37), was a famous Russian writer who used his talent to irritate Russian officials by  composing extremely arrogant and independent material which made fun of major and minor dictators (Wikipedia, 2015). The Arts are a form of expression used to manifest all types of emotions – in earlier and current times. It is a talent inspired by the free spirit of those with the capacity to express it. The major elements of music are melody, rhythm, and harmony. However, while literary and visual texts are usually descriptive, music is almost nonrepresentational: it rarely has meaning beyond sound itself. Dance is the art form made by the human body as a way of expression and performance oriented. (Fiero, 2011) Information collected by the Department of Education of the United States revealed that students involved in band or orchestra during their middle and high school years demonstrated to have higher levels of math proficiency by grade twelve. This data also showed that students who participate in school band have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco, HUMANITIES TODAY 5 and illicit drugs when compared to other groups within society. (Music Empowers Foundation, 2015) The architecture and its planning are fundamentally based in society. The built  environment affects the everyday actions of the people and their understanding of cultural values, social relations, institutions, and distributions of power. The failure of architects and planners to learn from the stories that are part of the people’s lives and to actually link the community values in their work is at the core of many urban dysfunctions present in current times. (Bartholomew & Locher, 2007) In terms of philosophy, the search for the truth through reasoned analysis, and history make use of prose to analyze and communicate ideas and information. In terms of literature,  content and form are usually interrelated. The subject manner or form of a literary piece determines its genre. For instance, a long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero constitutes an epic while a formal speech in praise of a person or thing constitutes a tribute. (Fiero, 2011) Conclusion The humanities today gives you the capacity to interpret ideas, a greater creativity, the ability to analyze things from different perspectives, the development of a richer understanding of other people’s feelings and experiences as well as human nature, the ability to listen and think,  and how to engage with expressing oneself. HUMANITIES TODAY 6 References Bartholomew, K. & Locher, M. , University of Utah (2007). People & Place: Humanities-based Pedagogy in Architecture and Planning. Retrieved from http://faculty. arch. utah. edu/bartholomew/Bartholomew_Locher. pdf Behling, D. , Huffington Post (2012). On Studying the Humanities: What Does it Mean to be Human? Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/david-behling/humanities- majors_b_1569600. html? Fiero, G. , (2011). The Humanistic Tradition, Book 3: The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and The Global Encounter. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Music Empowers Foundation (2015). Why Music? Retrieved from http://musicempowersfoundation. org/why-music The Ohio Humanities Council (2015). What Are The Humanities? Retrieved from http://www. units. miamioh. edu/technologyandhumanities/humanitiesdefinition. htm University of South Florida. College of Arts and Sciences (2014). What is Humanities? Retrieved from http://humanities. usf. edu/undergraduate/ba/ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (2015). The Arts and Politics. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_arts_and_politics.

Business Etiquette in South Korea Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business Etiquette in South Korea - Term Paper Example (Nam, 2010, pp. 84-86) Business Dress: Dark business suits with white shirts should be worn by the men. They should avoid jewelry except the watch and wedding ring. Women should wear restrained colors and dress conventionally (South  Korea -  Language, Culture, Customs and Etiquette, n.d.) Casual Dress: Any attire that is worn in major cities of the world is worn in South Korea. Jeans, skirt and T-shirts mostly constitute casual dress. Wearing sunglass is offensive. If it is worn, it should be removed while talking to others or entering a building. Hanbok is a traditional dress worn by both genders in South Korea on traditional festivals and social events. (Korean Dress, 2007) Working Hours: South Korea has one of the highest annual working hours on an average in the world. Although there is a legislation of maximum 40hrs workweek, maximum 5 days workweek and maximum 12 hours per day, the practice has not changed much. Working till late is usual. (Working in South Korea, 2009) Va cations: 15 days of paid vacation is available to full time workers who have been with the company for more than 80% of the calendar year. (Working in South Korea, 2009) Business Card Etiquette: South Koreans like to know the person before entering in a business deal. Therefore, in the initial meeting, exchange of business card is important. It is advisable to get the reverse side of the business card translated in Korean language. It is usual to provide and receive business card with both hands. It should be read with reverence and deliberation before keeping it on the table. (Gorrill, 2006, p. 3) Punctuality & Attitude towards time: South Koreans are... South Korea is a country in the eastern Asia. The official languages of the country are Korean and English. Majority of South Koreans have no affiliation to religion. Its society is male dominated. This study investigates the business etiquette in South Korea in order to help out new business plans in the country. The business etiquette in South Korea gains much importance in such scenario. Foreign companies require detailed understanding in this regard. With this as the background, this paper vividly discusses the business etiquette and various issues related to it in the South Korean business environment. A thorough investigation of the business etiquette in South Korea reveals that the business environment in the country is favorable. There are no major hurdles to business as far as culture and etiquette in South Korea are concerned. Only the critical points discussed herein above regarding gifting, negotiations and meetings need to be kept in mind while doing business. Besides, there is ample scope of refreshment and entertainment in South Korea. This is another major factor that will aid business development in the country in the future.

Kant Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Kant - Essay Example Evidently, the rationalists had disregarded perception as utter confused thinking that consequently rendered their theories as mere speculation, impossible of verification or refute. On the other hand, empiricist who theorized that people have access to the actual world in perceptive sense, believed that what people perceive are ideas that manifest in persons through things outside of them. For example, ideas are manifestations of impressions. Consequently, individuals only know their own ideas (Lawhead, pp. 123) According to Kant, he believes that people have access only to appearances. This does not imply access to illusory appearances. However, Kant believes that appearances provide people with the foundation of knowledge. Moreover, the mind contributes to experience due to understanding and the constituent pure categories. Moreover, an active role is played by the mind as well as its ability to superimpose experience on specific categories that result to knowledge. Kant further argues that people cannot know the ‘thing in itself’. To this end, he goes beyond implying the inaccessibility of ‘reality.’ Over and above this, he implies it is impossible to experience anything beyond the function of the mind. Moreover, it justifies how people acquire knowledge. The basic difference between ‘extension’ and ‘mind’ contributes the problem as well backtracked to Descartes. The immaterial nature of the mind rouses the challenge of bridging the disconnect between the outside world and inner mind. Hume believes that mind is basically passive while Descartes believes that in aid in intellectual acts. On the other hand, Kant simulates between empiricism and rationalism. Foremost, he supports Hume by stating that knowledge is impossible without experience. Secondly, he agrees with rationalists by stating that the mind plays a vital part to knowledge. On the

Assignment in Micro economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

Assignment in Micro economics - Essay Example In micro economics, both individuals and firms make choices on how to use limited economic resources to meet their consumption and production factions respectively (Armstrong, Kervenoael and Read, 1998). Graph of relationship between the three situations above, Where MR=Marginal Revenue, AR=Average Revenue and MC=Marginal Cost. The output is represented by Q while price by P. A monopoly may want to reduce out put from Q1=17.5units to Q3=25units so that he can sell at a higher price P3=$35 (Asian Development Bank, 2002). However, economies of scale substitution may arise leading to a shift in marginal cost from MC1 to MC2 (Pirayoff, 2004).This shift may cause an increase in monopolist out put from Q1=17.5 Units to Q2=40 units. Leading to a decrease in price from a competitive price to a lower price P2=$30 despite the availability of a monopoly price =$35 (Brakman and Heijdra, 2004). (b)A gardener states that for only $1 in seeds, she has been able to grow over $20 produce-enormous profits. Do you agree or disagree with her/ explain. Yes I agree with her because if she was operating in a monopolistic competition, it is possible to earn enormous profits in the short run as shown in the diagram below (Garner and Short, K2009). Based on computations, it can be scrutinized that, a fraction of 50 Sam Adam bear: 50bowls of clam chowder will maximize Kerry’s Utility which occurs as a result of consumption between Pints of Adam Samuel bear and bowls of Legal Seafood’s famous clam cbowder (Frank, and Bernanke, 2003). Armstrong, H, De Kervenoael, R, Li, X, & Read, R 1998, A comparison of the economic performance of different micro-states, and between micro-states and.., World Development, 26, 4, p. 639, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 4 December 2012. Garner, T, and Short, K 2009, Accounting for owner-occupied dwelling services: Aggregates and distributions, Journal Of Housing Economics, 18, 3, pp. 233-248, Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost, viewed 4

Renewable Wind Power Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Renewable Wind Power - Research Paper Example A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy of wind into mechanical energy. When mechanical energy is put to use directly in some equipment such as grinding stones or a pump, it is called a windmill. Instead, when it is converted to electricity for further use, the device is known as wind turbine or wind generator. Wind turbines are mounted at high elevation so as to receive a constant flow of wind power at higher average velocity. Usually, wind turbines need an average speed of 35 kilometer/hour or 11 meters/second. Wind velocity mapping is done before selecting a place for wind turbine. Higher the wind speeds, more are the chances to get continuous flow of electricity (Whitburn, 2012). As terminology implies, 1- kW rated capacity wind turbine would generate theoretically maximum of 1 kW of power per hour, if continuous flow of wind with the average wind velocity is available at all the time; however, in all practical purposes it does not happen so because wind energy is intermittent. In the long run, wind turbines are found to generate electricity only at 10-40% of their rated capacity. This means that wind turbine with the rated capacity of 1 kW would generate between 2.4 kWh (1Ãâ€" 24Ãâ€" 0.10) and 9.6 kWh of power per day (1Ãâ€"24Ãâ€" 0.40) (Whitburn, 2012). Wind turbines can be segregated on the basis of horizontal- and vertical-axis turbines. Horizontal-axis turbines have tail fins that keep blades facing the wind. A constant flow of wind keeps turning the rotor blades of the turbine, which is connected to the generator through a rotating shaft and gear-wheel assembly. The power so generated is called Direct Current (DC) and needs to be converted to Alternating Current (AC) for its use as all devices for home use are usually designed based on AC current. The conversion from DC to AC is done through a device called inverter. Inverter is connected to a battery bank that is a store house of electricity produced in this way because wind energy is available intermittently while electricity demand is continuous. When no sufficient wind energy is available, electricity production comes to a standstill; however, the need of end users are met through the stored energy in the pool of battery (Whitburn, 2012). The following schematic shows the st eps involved in the production of wind power. Source: http://exploringgreentechnology.com/wind-energy/how-does-wind-energy-work/ How Wind Energy Can Save Money Companies can save a huge amount of money if they use this renewable source of energy. Subsidies that are available at Federal and State levels give extra cushioning; technological advances and scale of operations have changed the scenario in clear terms. Subsidies Available on Wind Energy The production tax credit (PTC) is the subsidy available to the producers of wind power and that, currently, rules at 2cents/kWh (zFacts, 2011). Most of the wind generators have qualified for this and they will receive it for 10 years. Moreover, double declining 5-year depreciation is the second benefit that companies get on investment toward wind power. This allows investor to take a 40% tax deduction on the very first year and 24% deduction on the second year. It is allowed to be completed in five years. The combined federal-sales tax rat e is around 43% and in that sense the depreciation allowance is lucrative enough and in terms of benefits, it accounts for half a cent/kWh (zFacts, 2011). Though wind produces electricity free of operating cost, it requires still huge investment toward the cost of equipment and installation

Managing the workforce and organisational change assignment Essay

Managing the workforce and organisational change assignment - Essay Example Since most organizational changes are aimed at improving the overall improvement in the products and services offered by an organisation, it therefore means that most employment or hiring carried out during organizational change is normally for skilled and appropriately qualified individuals. The question that should be asked is "Is it advantageous to seek qualifications that are well beyond the immediate requirements of the jobs, so that the organisation will not have to spend much on staff development future" As earlier said, overall organisational change as used here is more than the smaller change that occurs in an organisation. In most cases, it affects all aspects of the organisation. Some of these changes include change in mission and vision of the organisation, restructuring operations - like laying off some workers and employing some, adopting of new technologies, mergers, franchising, "rightsizing", complete new programs, re-engineering, etc. Organisational change can also be said to mean organisatonal transformation as it has to do with the transformation of the organisation. Organisational change does not just happen for the sake of change, in most cases; it is done as a result of some factors like funding, government rules, market-related issues etc. For instance, there might be the need for a particular kind of product in the market. An organisation, on sensing the potentials that the market has to offer, may then decide to re-enact their mission and tilt towards the direction of tapping into the potentials the market has to offer. This can be done by way of producing or importing the much sought after goods. MANAGING ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE: When changes are to be done There are some difficulties that may be encountered. For instance people may be afraid of the unknown, some may be cynical; and also there may some organisational conflicts when change is about to occur. Certain strategies may be against the long termed known norms of those involved in an organisation. These things have to be taken into consideration and ways of handling them should be thought of. Edgar F. Huse and Thomas G. Gummings in their book Organization Development and Change talked of three steps of Lewin's Change Model. These are: 1. Unfreezing: This first step involves the factors that maintains he organization's present state. This can be achieved by introducing information that contradicts the ones presently

HR Competencies Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

HR Competencies - Assignment Example Secondly, the competence of data interpretation skills helps to take the assessment process to a step further as it ensures that the HR professional makes decisions based on the assessment outcomes (Becker, Huselid & Ulrich, 2001). Based on the discussion above, there are several values that the competencies can be said to bring to the organization. Most importantly, the competences help in making the idea of strategic partnership feasible. Meanwhile, when the HR professional becomes a strategic partner, it can be expected that the organization’s strategy will be applied in a more efficient manner to make the achievement of the HR goals easier. Again, as part of the strategic partnership that will be created, the concepts of shared responsibility and cross-functional teams are expected to be formed. Meanwhile when these concepts are made practical in the organization, they ensure that all parties and entities within different departments of the organization are aided in the performance of their roles so that there can be a form of effectiveness that betters the value created within the organization. For future purposes, it is expected that the competence of intrinsic motivation will be developed. This c ompetence will help employees fuel their personal commitment towards organization growth in general and strategic partnership in

Smart refrigeter Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Smart refrigeter - Essay Example One benefit of using smart refrigerator is that it can record the date to monitor the perishable food closely (Jin & Li, 2009). The refrigerator has the capability of sending alerts when foods reach a point of spoilage. The alerts can be sent to a computer through or can be displayed on the refrigerator’s screen. With the list of stock in the refrigerator, the smart refrigerator can create possible recipes. If there are some leftover ingredients and one is not sure of what to do with them, this can be a way to dispose of them before they spoil. This essay discusses how the disruptive vs. sustaining innovations can be applied to smart technology. Many organizations usually misunderstand the difference between disruptive and sustaining technology. Sustaining technology is a result of listening to the customers’ needs in the existing market and developing products that satisfy their needs and requirements. On the other hand, disruptive technology develops new markets that are separate to the mainstream, and they are unknown during the time of technology conception. Disruptive technology is known to produce products that are cheaper, smaller, simple, and more convenient use. They are likely to reach new markets that enable their producers grow rapidly. Smart refrigerators use the disruptive technology in the sense that it has been able to reach new markets; its technology has increased rapidly for the last few years. The smart refrigerator uses the RFID technology that is a disruptive technology. In the smart refrigerator, the RFID technology helps to keep track of the inventory. It is possible to oversee what is going a nd out of the refrigerator. Smart refrigerators are cheaper, simpler, and more convenient to use. Destructive technology has also been used to come up with a smart refrigerator technology in a way that customers do not expect. The smart refrigerator applies the sustainable technology

Economic Impact of the national adoption of Electric and hybrid cars Essay Example for Free

Economic Impact of the national adoption of Electric and hybrid cars Essay The Unites States consumes 25 % of the oil produced in the world and roughly 70% of this is consumed by the demand for transportation. The demand for crude oil in US is primarily driven by the demand for transport fuels with the price elasticity ranging between -0. 12 and -0. 3, as calculated for short-run and long-run elasticity respectively for 2008. Faced with higher fuel prices and the associated environmental hazards, the consumers and the government’s focus is shifting towards development and adoption of technology for hybrid cars. The use of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) would reduce the green house gas (GHG) emissions and improve the economics of electrical industry by reducing the US dependency on foreign oil (Scot, Kintner-Meyer, Elliott, Warwick, 2007). The hybrid electric cars are cost effective compared to the conventional vehicles when run on gasoline and are absolutely emission-free in electric-only mode, when their batteries are recharged just by regenerative braking (afdc. energy. gov. ). The potential customer base which is identified as ‘early majority group’, are motivated to buy electric cars by a desire to reduce oil imports and help protect the environment (LaMonica, 2010). A comprehensive environmental assessment of the key air quality parameters, conducted by Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI, 2007), considering the adoption of hybrid electric vehicles outlines the following societal benefits of electrifying transportation include the following: †¢ Reduction in petroleum consumption, leading to reduced dependence on imported oil †¢ Net reduction in GHG emissions †¢ Potential to improve air quality Investing in electric vehicles has been a central tenet of the US. The government plans to invest $2. 4 billion to spur the production of 50,000 batteries a year for plug-in hybrids by 2011. This initiative will not only reduce the US oil imports, it will also reduce the pollution while boosting the economy by generating thousands of jobs for the Americans (AP, 2010). The adoption of Hybrid Electric Vehicles by a larger customer base will be a boon for the environment as well as the economy of the nation. With higher demand for the hybrid vehicles in future, it is expected that the cost of production of such vehicles will also come down due to economies of scale. This would further make the hybrid vehicles popular and thus expand the benefits. .? References AP. (2010, July 15). Obama to Promote Electric Vehicles in Michigan. Cnbc. com. Retrieved from http://www. cnbc. com/id/38259732 Environmental Assessment of Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles. (July 2007). Electric Power Research Institute. Retrieved from http://mydocs. epri. com/docs/public/000000000001015325. pdf Hybrid Electric Vehicles. Alternative and Advanced Vehicles. US Department of Energy. Retrieved from http://www. afdc. energy. gov/afdc/vehicles/hybrid_electric_benefits. html Scott, M. J. ,Kintner-Meyer, M. , Elliott, D. B. , Warwick, W. M. (November, 2007). Impacts Assessment of Plug-in Hybrid vehicles on electric utilities and regional U. S power grids: Part2: Economic Assessment. Retrieved from http://energytech. pnl. gov/publications/pdf/PHEV_Economic_Analysis_Part2_Final. pdf

A Modest Proposal Essay Example for Free

A Modest Proposal Essay A Modest Proposal is a satiric essay by Jonathan Swift, written in 1729. It is aimed at the rich landowners of Ireland who are keeping the poor of Ireland in poverty and virtual starvation. The narrator is Swift, who seems to be making a strong case for cannibalism as a method for solving the problem of hunger and overpopulation in one ostensibly simple solution. He proposes that the Irish should sell their children under the age of one year as meat for the tables of the wealthy. The problems Swift describes are primarily the number of poor in Ireland who are being forced to work for food in amounts less than that which is needed to feed their families. He hints that because of their religion they over-breed, being catholic and not practicing birth control. The same problems described by Swift in the 18th century are occurring today in many parts of the world. Hunger exists and children are born into families too poor and uneducated to do anything about a pregnancy when they cannot feed or clothe the children they have. The U. N. attempts to ameliorate the hunger but nothing is done about the source of the problem so the food only fuels a new generation who are doomed to be as hungry as the one before it. Swift argues that marriage could be looked upon as a method of producing children as meat for the tables of the rich and that the union of a couple would have great financial benefits. They could produce meat children as a farmer raises pigs for slaughter. Swift speaks ironically of his proposals having the benefit, â€Å"Of teaching landlords to have at least one degree of mercy toward their tenants,† (Swift). Bibliography Swift, J. A Modest Proposal 1729.

The Effects Of Social Media Exploitation Media Essay

The Effects Of Social Media Exploitation Media Essay On Jan 25th, 2011, the world for the first time witnessed a revolution that brilliantly leveraged the power of social networking tools to overthrow a corrupt regime. Facebook, twitter and blogs were all used to mobilize people across the State of Egypt and the 30-year dictatorship regime of Mubarak was overthrown in 18 days of peaceful demonstrations. On Feb 11th, 2011, US president Barak Obama said: There are very few moments in our lives where we have the privilege to witness history taking place. This is one of those moments. This is one of those times. The people of Egypt have spoken, their voices have been heard, and Egypt will never be the same. The eRevolution was sparked by a group of young activists on Facebook calling for nationwide demonstrations to restore peoples dignity and demand reform, freedom and social justice. Through the initiation of different Facebook groups, citizens  coordinated their ideas and demonstration logistics via group posts, and comments, while communicating heavily on twitter and sometimes cell phone SMS services. The government blocked twitter, SMS, and Facebook access in the hope of cutting communication lines between protestors and movement organisers. These Egyptian internet filters were easily bypassed by third-party proxies however, and on Jan 28th all internet access across Egypt was shutdown; the first online blackout of such magnitude in history. The move failed to slow the momentum of the revolution as people were already aware of where to go and how. Egyptians still managed to access the internet over land-line dial-up and fax services, transmitting information and updates to sources outside of the country. Google also launched speak2tweet which allowed Egyptians to call a regular landline number in Cairo which used voice recognition software to convert their speech to text. As the regime cracked, a vice president was appointed and a new government took over, with internet access and mobile phone communication restored in a gesture of goodwill to the Egyptian people. This tactic backfired horrendously on Mubarak, with Egyptians now able to upload videos of the violence the police force and thugs had inflicted on protestors. These videos can be sourced on YouTube right now people being run over by cars, shot, snipered, and beaten to death by Molotov cocktail, machete-wielding thugs. First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win Gandhi FACT: 5 million out of 17 million Egyptians use Facebook. Alchemy-a mix of new media, Arab satellite channels and traditional media that informed and helped mobilise protests. In my opinion, if new media were able to foster this revolution, I think it would have happened long before. Much of the content from the revolution that appeared in traditional media originated on Facebook. How much more powerful has the younger demographic been in the uprisings as a result of social media? Source Info More than 50% of the populations of Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, and Egypt are currently estimated to be under 25 years of age. A Tunisian youth setting himself on fire initiated the revolution of his nation, Egypt and political rioting all over North Africa and the Middle East. How have governments succeeded and failed in attempting to exert their authority over their nations virtual world? Source Info Jordanian ministers have been engaging with their people in ways that would suggest greater citizen-government interaction in the future and a civic life built around clear rights and duties of free expression for citizens and authorities. Social media has been used to champion the rights of Internet users, journalists, citizens, and bloggers who have been arrested, imprisoned or prevented from reporting, during the Egyptian parliamentary elections in late 2010. Bahraini authorities arrested an estimated 250 Shiite men who had allegedly been planning to carry out acts of terrorism. Human rights groups labelled it as a crackdown aimed at cementing control before October parliamentary elections. Social media campaigns expressing outrage at the extent to which governments tried to exert control over the digital space, appear to have influenced government decisions to scale back proposed laws and regulations. After a draft law by the Jordanian government was widely criticised by news websites and activists claiming it would restrict media freedoms, it was amended. A similar situation occurred in Lebanon. Arab government are investing in censorship technologies supplied by American firms. In what ways has social media influenced the uprisings? Source Info Development of new political and civil society engagement Changed individual and collective capacities to communicate, mobilise, and gain technical knowledge; leading to greater voice, political influence and participation. Arab world has experienced an awakening of free expression that has now entered the politics of Tunisia and Egypt, breaking down the stranglehold of state-sponsored media and information monopolies. Even a channel like al-Jazeera, where people have so much hope invested in, is not as open to all those views that social media has raised such as issues of sexuality, gender, and minority rights. Social media has enabled the masses to establish their own agendas. Social networking services have expanded the tools available to exercise individual freedom of expression. The number of Facebook users in the Arab world (17m) has surpassed the copies of newspapers sold (14m) Facebook and other social media platforms are now beginning to define how people discover and share information, shape opinion, and interact. In Jordan, people dont interact, they are in small groups and they dont open up easily Social networking and media platforms are serving as a bridge to build communities in both the virtual and physical worlds. Aggregating, putting the story into context, amplifying and then using Twitter as a main broadcaster, because Twitter is the platform where journalists are following the story. Few can deny that social media has enabled the most significant advance in freedom of expression and association in contemporary Arab history. Social media aggregated, disseminated and accelerated vital news and information. But in the end, Facebook and YouTube are tools and tools alone cannot bring about the changes the world has witnessed in recent weeksà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Deep-seated social ills repression from the top and political and economic frustrations from below are at the core of protests sweeping the Arab world, much as they have been in revolutions throughout history. Key question: How powerful has online social networking been in the Arab uprisings of 2011? Sub-questions: How much more powerful has the younger demographic been in the uprisings as a result of social networking services? How have governments succeeded and failed in attempting to exert their authority over their nations virtual world? In what ways has social networking influenced the uprisings? How did the exploitation of social networking services affect the course of the Egyptian Revolution? My name is freedom. Born in Tunisia, raised in Egypt, studied in Yemen, fought in Libya and Ill grow up in the Arab world. Information is power, but 21st century technology has unleashed an information revolution, and now the genie is out of the bottle. Youtube, Facebook and Twitter have become the new weapons of mass mobilisation; geeks have taken on dictators; bloggers  are dissidents; and social networks have become rallying forces for social justice. As people around the world challenge authorities, from Iran to Tunisia,  Egypt to Yemen, entire societies are being transformed as ordinary citizens see the difference, imagine the alternative, and come together to organise for a better future. So, are social networks triggering social revolution?  And where will the next domino fall? http://english.aljazeera.net/programmes/empire/2011/02/201121614532116986.html# Social media is chronicling and amplifying the revolution that is happening on the streets. http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/these-are-not-just-facebook-revolutions-20110222-1b41x.html http://www.humansecuritygateway.com/documents/CIMA_SocialMediaintheArabWorld_LeadinguptotheUprisingsof2011.pdf http://www.channel4.com/news/arab-revolt-social-media-and-the-peoples-revolution details about what the fb pages said for all the different countries protests.

The Brain and Violence: An Unhealthy Combination :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Brain and Violence: An Unhealthy Combination "Jack was walking down the street enjoying a snack he had just bought at a convenience store. Feeling good, he smiled at the stranger coming toward him while continuing to eat. The stranger suddenly pulled out a knife and began stabbing Jack. Bystanders pulled the knife away, but too late." "After the killing, the attacker said that he was deeply sorry. He had sensed a strange aura, then experienced a flashback of having been bitten and of having a hernia operation under local anesthesia. That was followed by hallucinations about Jack cutting off his flesh, testicles, and heart to eat them" (6). Everyday on the news one hears stories of crimes and murders such as the one above. Murders are committed every day; stores are robbed every hour; crimes are committed constantly. The truth is that violence has sadly become a common and prevalent occurrence in society today. In essence, one must ask himself whether or not these violent tendencies have any biological relation whatsoever. Is violence caused by disruptions or damage to the brain? Is there a genetic correlation? Or is violence brought about by something else, such as economic difficulties or social or cultural differences? And one must ask himself an even broader question-whether a cause for violence even exists. In 1848, a railroad worker, Phineas Gage, was working when an explosion caused an iron rod to impale his skull, damaging the front part of his brain. Although Gage miraculously survived, his behavior severely changed in that the intelligent and respectful man everyone knew suddenly because fitful, impulsive, and rude (2). This case is one of the first indications that violence may be related to some kind of damage or abnormality in the brain. Researchers have found correlations between violent and aggressive tendencies to damage or abnormalities to a specific part of the brain. Gage's accident probably resulted in damage to the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the brain's foremost outer position, located behind the eyes. This area of the brain is especially important because of it's importance in the orchestration of emotion, arousal, and attention. The prefrontal cortex seems to be the part of the brain that enables people to restrain themselves from acting on all of their impulses and is extremely vital for a child's ability to learn to feel remorse, conscience, and social sensitivity (5). However, although the function of the prefrontal cortex is known, why, or how, would prefrontal deficits cause violent tendencies or a more aggressive character?

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Essay -- English Literature:

Bones constitute on important part in The Bonesetter’s Daughter. What is the significance of the book’s title? â€Å"The Bonesetter’s Daughter† in my opinion holds a deeper meaning as a title. Amy Tan could have called the book â€Å"Precious Auntie† or â€Å"Liu Xing Gu† if you directly translate the bonesetter’s daughter. Why did Amy Tan choose this title? These three words must contain some deeper meaning and therefore we should not judge the title at face value. The first thing that we should look at is what these three words are signifying. They are putting emphasis on the bonesetter by saying that this book is about His daughter. Tan could have paraphrased the title into â€Å"The Daughter of the Bonesetter† This means that there must be some importance laid on this bonesetter. The term â€Å"daughter of the famous bonesetter† is only used a few times within the contents. Amy Tan wanted to accentuate two bits of information. One of those words is daughter. Since most of the book is mostly feminine based, it should, naturally, have a more feminine title. Before reading the book we are told that this story is about a girl or a woman and perhaps her father. However, we are not told about the bonesetter’s daughter until page 155. This is telling us something. We thought that the main character in this book had to be the bonesetter’s daughter. We now find out that this is perhaps not so and that it will be difficult to pin point the main character in this book. The main difficulty is within the fact that this book has no immediate plot. It is more of a mixture between psychological drama and the autobiography of a woman. Nobody can summarize the book effectively within one sentence. The story is far too intricate. This is exact... ...ere used as a way to speak to the gods and ask them questions whose answers could be read from the cracks which appeared on the rocks. Bones are a very important part of the Chinese culture and are used for a holy purpose. Naturally, this again links to the curse that this family is haunted by. If bones really hold that much power over people by being able to communicate with the gods, then if they are misused and disturbed like the way the Gu family did, they can therefore be able to curse them. The curse has grown in importance for LuLing ever since she has realized why it has followed them and what kind of disasters it may lead to. Precious Auntie is the key link between the bonesetter and LuLing and Ruth. She is also the one who suffered most from this curse. This is why she is such an important character. This is why she forms the title of this book.

Deism and Changes in Religious Tolerance in America Essay -- Deism Rel

Deism and Changes in Religious Tolerance in America      Ã‚  Ã‚   Religious conscience in America has evolved considerably since the first settlers emigrated here from Europe. Primary settlements were established by Puritans and Pilgrims who believed "their errand into the wilderness [America] was above all else a religious errand, and all institutions - town meeting, school, church, family, law-must faithfully reflect that fact" (Gaustad 61). However, as colonies grew, dissenters emerged to challenge Puritan authority; indeed, many of them left the church to join untraditional religious sects such as "the Ranters, the Seekers, the Quakers, the Antinomians, and the Familists" (Westbrook 26). Debates over softening the stance on tolerance in the church engendered hostility in many religious leaders, priming some officials to take action. Whether it was in direct response to "the liberalizing tendencies beginning to take hold in some [. . .] New England churches" (Westbrook 65), or a "reaction against the attempt in the Age of Reason to reduce Christian doctrine to rationalistic explanation" ("Great Awakening"), the Great Awakening impressed upon the issues of religious conscience. Moreover, what spawns from this controversy is a query over the juxtaposition of morality and spirituality: the question of whether these conditions are actually related. The gradual escalation of unconventional thinking in religious affairs facilitated new ideas on what defined spirituality; one religious theory, boosted by Thomas Paine and his book, The Age of Reason, denounced both Christianity and Atheism, proposing instead, a new concept: the middle path of Deism.    As a progressive religious view rising in popularity during the middle of the e... ...ns, it is quite possible that American's would not have religious freedom today.       Works Cited    Gaustad, Edwin S., ed. A Documentary History of Religion in America to the Civil War. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1982. "Great Awakening." Colliers Encyclopedia. 1996 ed. Paine, Thomas. The Age of Reason. Ed. Moncure Daniel Conway. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1930. Richmond, B.A. "Deism: It's History, Beliefs, & Practices." Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance. 25 July 2000. http://www.religioustolerance.org/deism.htm. Walters, Kerry S. The American Deists: Voices of Reason and Dissent in the Early Republic. Lawrence: UP of Kansas, 1992. ---. Benjamin Franklin and His Gods. Chicago: University of Illinois, 1999. Westbrook, Perry D. A Literary History of New England. Cranbury: Associated University, 1988.

Paraphrasing the Poem entitled “My Last Dutchess” Essay

Look into the wall so that you may see the last of my beloved woman with glee Wondering why upon looking at it comes alive for it is made intensively out of love. Everyday the painter worked expansively as he watched my woman to a pause. Asking for the painter to take a look at my girl and create a painting of her. On the painter’s face, I can see that he is mesmerized by her. I believe in the capacity of the painter – a well known artist. In my eyes I picture you so differently and other would say, If it is her true beauty and I reply, it is. So other now always looks unto her face. Not only had I told the painter that made the woman blushed. I remember after she was painted, she made a wonderful look and say â€Å"Thank you.† It is her smile – the smile that nurtures my being since then until now. But the vestige is her daughter – my daughter. I need to start all over again for it was the destiny of life. Recollecting the surroundings as what the painter created in my woman’s background, Her beauty cast me away, like an â€Å"Innsbruck in bronze† – for me. Reference Browning, R. (1842). My Last Dutchess. Retrieved 26 March 2008. http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/680/696357/student_library/pdf/browning.pdf

The Rio Olympics 2016

Maxwell Britton October 11, 2012 Anth 210 Writing Assignment 1 Olympics Games 2016 The excitement that the city of Rio experimented upon the announcement of hosting the 2016 Olympic games appears to have been short lived. The descent of excitement began once drug traffickers shot down a police helicopter. The government responded by heightening the crackdown on the city slums of the favelas. As a result many of the favelas in Rio are now under police control (Jazeera).The questions we are now asked is if the coming Olympics provided the motive for the increased importance that have been placed on controlling drug trafficking while also disguising as a strategy and justification to clean up the favelas of Rio? Or are the Olympics irrelevant and merely a beneficiary of the crackdown? It seems to me that the upcoming events in which the city of Rio have been presented with have become overwhelming. The Olympics are a very sacred event to host and having the honor to do such is a major r esponsibility (Watson).With this I do believe that the Olympics are the primary motive for the government’s actions. The Olympics routinely bring hundreds of thousands of tourists to the host city and this is something that the city of Rio wants to take advantage of in showing off their city to the world (Watson). This is why I believe the government has decided to intensify their police presence in the favelas as a tactic to clean up and make their city more appealing.The outcome of this has left thousands of individuals killed or imprisoned by the government. The favelas are where the majority of drug trafficking takes place as many times they are controlled and run by the gangs. As a solution the military police have gone in and taken over, resulting in thousands of deaths. It’s reported by the Human Rights Watch that the police of Rio and Sao Paolo have killed over 11,000 people since 2003.When a reporter discussed these findings by the Human Rights Watch with the head of Rio security; Jose Beltrame, the findings weren’t denied and instead attributed to the difficulties faced by the police of Rio. However, when asked about the Human Rights Activists who claim there are additional killings by the police he was quick to respond. According to Beltrame these reports are always similar and are preconceived opinions that are not based on reason, as they don’t understand the reality of Rio.The actuality, he explains, is there are areas in Rio that are dominated by criminal gangs equipped with assault rifles that the police are facing (Jazeera). Although it’s too difficult to determine which side is right, it is clear that too many lives are being taken. In conclusion I think it’s a positive thing for the city to put effort into controlling drug trafficking and also something that has been long due. However, it appears that many innocent individuals are being affected by these government actions and in some cases even been killed.I think the government needs to take a strong look at the approach they have taken and determine if this is benefiting their city in the long run or it is a short-term solution for the Olympics. Bibliography Jazeera, Al. â€Å"Rio: Olympic City. † Aljazeera . Fault Lines , 01/2010. Web. 12 Oct 2012. . Watson, Connie. â€Å"Can roughed-up Rio be ready for the 2016 Olympics?. † CBSnews. N. p. , 08/2012. Web. 12 Oct 2012. .

Oystercard – Electronic Ticketing System

[pic] Oyster Card – Electronic Ticketing [pic] â€Å"Time is money, we are told, and increasing mobility is a way of saving time, but how successful are modern transport systems at saving time? â€Å" (John Whitelegg, â€Å"Time Pollution†, Ecologist 23, no. 4 – 1993) Service choice reasons [pic] If you live in London, you will probably know the Oyster Card fairly well. More or less everybody has one. You use it to pay for bus or tube travel – top up some money on the card and instead of buying a paper ticket each time, just place your card on a yellow reader, and it will work out how much the journey cost and automatically deduct it from your card. It does save a ton of time, and quite a bit of money too (tickets are cheaper on Oyster). When I first came to London, I found extremely benefcial using the Oyster Card to move around the city and realized how crucial is this service in order to make people travel fast and saving time during their journey. I come from a place where the concept of â€Å"Public Transport† is missed at all. We do not have underground systems, buses are few and always late. In my hometown, Palermo, there are neither tram nor boat services and if you want to cycling you have not to be fussy: bicycle paths are just in the historical centre, which is the â€Å"car† kingdom. Last but not least, people are not used to walk even if distances are very short. I have chosen to analyse the Oyster Card as I honestly think it is a light, useful and well-designed service supporting another service, in other worlds: an electronic ticketing serving the public transport system. Travelling around London, I have been using my Student Oyster Card and I rarely had problems. When it has happened, I have always found punctual and kind help from the London Underground Staff. In a Metropolis as London is, where our journey is not an easy one, we need to go fast, simplifying all the touch points that allow us to buy a ticket, to board on a bus or to finally come back home. My experience with this service has been pleasant and easy so far, and I guess most of the people who live in London will agree with me. [pic] Piccadilly Circus – picture taken by myself. Value proposition [pic] Project: Oyster Card Designer: Transys Year: 2002 [pic] The Oyster Card, developed as part of the ? 1. 2 billion Private Finance Initiative, was introduced for three reasons: first, to reduce queuing at ticket offices during peak periods; second, to make better use of staff; and third, to reduce fraud. Transport for London placed the contract with Transys, a consortium of specialist firms, for the provision of an advanced ticketing system. It was hoped that the Oyster Card would eventually replace most paper tickets. The smartcard system went live in November 2002 when the Oyster brand was launched and the first cards were made available to 80,000 staff. [1] Fraud, estimated to be running at ? 43million per year, was the main driver of the project. The main loss of revenue stemmed from customers either travelling without tickets or using tickets not valid for the whole journey. Other countries have similar smart cards and some of them are used for other types of micro-payments as well as transport – for example Hong Kong's Octopus card and Japan's Suica card. At the moment about over 70 similar systems are runned across 5 continents. Since the Oyster card has been introduced in London, the advantages for the customer have been the speed and ease with which they can get through barriers and on to the station, and also in the savings that they make through using the Oyster Card. It can currently be used on the London Underground, London buses and trams, Docklands Light Railway and National Rail Services in London, providing â€Å"seamless journeys across London†. In future, the Oyster Card will be linked to the provision of other services including shopping. This is a great example of advances in technology being applied to improve customer experience. [2] Core service [pic] What it is for? The  Oyster Card  is a form of electronic ticketing used on public transport services within the  Greater London  area of the United Kingdom. Where can use it? Oyster Card is promoted by Transport for London and is valid on a number of different travel systems across London, including: o London Underground; o buses; o the  Docklands Light Railway  (DLR); o London Overground,  trams; o some  river boat services; o most  National Rail  services within the London Fare Zones. How it looks like? A standard Oyster Card is a blue  credit-card-sized  stored value card  which can hold a variety of single tickets, period tickets and travel permits which must be added to the card prior to travel. It is also a  contactless smartcard  which passengers must touch onto electronic reader when entering and leaving the transport system in order to validate it or deduct funds. [pic] [pic] Front and back of an early Oyster card. How it works? The way Oyster works is pretty simple: you purchase the card, buy tickets or concessions either at terminals or online, then swipe the card at a reader when you take a train or bus trip. The Oyster card makes ticketing much more efficient for the consumer: no paper tickets, no handover of cash, little to no interaction with ticketing staff, speedier processing when entering the train station or bus. For the transport authorities, there are cost savings and instances of ticket payment avoidance / counterfeit are greatly reduced [pic] Oyster Card aims to replace the paper Travelcard by storing period tickets electronically. [pic] [pic] Examples of card readers at London Tube Stations. The cards may be â€Å"recharged† in person from numerous sales points, by  recurring payment authority  or by  online purchase. Usage is encouraged by offering substantially cheaper fares on Oyster than payment with cash. [3] The card was first issued to the public in July 2003 with a limited range of features and there continues to be a phased introduction of further functions. By March 2007 over 10 million Oyster cards had been issued[4], and more than 80% of all journeys on services run by Transport for London used the Oyster card. [5] Technology [pic] The Oyster card is a  contactless smartcard, with a claimed proximity range of about 8  cm (3  inches). The scheme is operated by  TranSys, and is based on  NXP/Philips'  MIFARE  standard 1k chips provided by Giesecke & Devrient  and  SchlumbergerSema. [6] [pic] A damaged card, revealing the microchip in the lower right corner, and the aerial running around the edge of the card. MIFARE DESFire  is now being rolled out on newly issued Oyster cards starting January 5th 2010. It is the same contactless smartcard as  Touch ‘n Go  card in  Malaysia  which is mainly used for tollway fares. [pic] The  malasian Touch ‘n Go  or  TnG  smart card. The technology used for the Oyster card is known as  radio-frequency identification  (RFID), which is the same technology used in other electronic pass cards like Japan's  Suica  fare cards and other cards used all over the world. [7] [pic] The japanese Suica  ( Suika )  smart card. Suica Smart Card additional services: – Operating lockers; – Airport check-in; – Coupon; – Bank account access. Advertising, Brand Identity and Analogies [pic] The London Tube Oyster card resides inside a plastic thingie that opens up, just like a clam (oyster) does. According to Nicole Carrol, then of EDS, the name reflects the way â€Å"the oyster protects a pearl in much the same way that the card protects the cardholder's money. â€Å"[8] [pic] [pic][pic] Oyster Current more popular Oyster card wallet By Ikea Yellow background, blue writing, unmistakably IKEA. But it is not justt the colours of the most popular Oyster Card which remarks the sponsor, it is also the sentence(s) on the leaflet: â€Å"Travel is a means to an end. Home. † Fact behind the story: It’s the IKEA latest campaign about putting the concept of HOME in the Londoners minds. Two years ago, in fact, Swedish home store Ikea is launching a ? 2 million outdoor campaign which included sponsorship of the Ideal Homes Show 2008. Since the Oyster Card has been introduced, several different type of wallets have been launched and produced such as: Designer Oyster Card Wallets, Oxfam, Pimp My Oystercard (by Ben Jarvis and Tim Crook -badoyster, a Company that makes satirical oyster card wallets. [9]), Virgin, and so on. Every one aimed to advertising or sponsoring a Brand or a Company just because a Oyster Card wallet is a good launch window. [pic][pic][pic] [pic][pic][pic] Exaples of Oyster card wallet. Adverstising Campaigns examples: Agency: M & C Saatchi Client: Transport for London a. One poster was headlined â€Å"Blue is the new pink†. It showed a photograph of a one day Travelcard and an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. b. A second poster was headlined â€Å"The correct change†. It showed a photograph of an Oyster card. Text below stated â€Å"Faster Smarter Easier Oyster†. c. A third poster stated â€Å"Did you know? Using Oyster is cheaper than buying daily single tickets. Ask our staff about Oyster Pre Pay. † d. A fourth poster stated â€Å"Still paying cash for single and daily tickets? Using Oyster Pre Pay is: cheaper quicker – avoid queues more convenient – no need to plan your journey in advance †¦ â€Å". [10] Features Registration and protection Oyster Cards can be registered or protected for loss or theft. Full registration can be done at a  London Underground  station, an Oyster Ticket Stop (shop) or a Travel Information Centre: an Oyster registration form must be filled in (either at time of purchase or subsequently). Registration enables the customer to buy any product for the card and to have an after-sales service, and it protects against theft or loss. All adult Oyster Cards purchased online or by phone are fully registered. (This does not include Visitor Oyster Cards. ) Oyster Cards obtained at stations or shops cannot be fully registered online. However customers can  protect their Oyster Card online by setting up an Oyster online account and recording their card to that account. Sales Oyster Cards can be purchased from a number of different outlets in the London area: London Underground or London Overground ticket windows; o cash-only vending machines at some stations, they charge ? 5 for the card (? 3 refundable deposit and ? 2 worth of credit); o about 2,300 Oyster Ticket Stop agents (usually newsagent shops); o selected National Rail stations which are also served by London Underground; o Travel Information Centres; o online via the Oystercard website; o by telephone sales from TfL. [1 1] [pic] Oyster Card Machine installed at London Bridge station in December 2006. A refundable deposit of ? 3 is paid for all new Oyster Cards. 12] A registration form is provided at the time of purchase. If the form is not completed the Oyster Card is restricted to Pay as you go and weekly tickets. Most National Rail stations and termini do not sell or top up Oyster card products; TfL publish a list of the participating stations. At several main line termini, TfL run Travel Information Centres which do sell Oyster. Reporting Touch screen ticket machines report the last eight journeys and last top-up amount. The same information is available as a print-out from ticket offices, and also on-board London Buses by request. The balance is displayed on some Underground barriers at the end of journeys that have caused a debit from the balance and can also be requested at newsagents and National Rail stations that provide a top-up facility. A complete 8 week ‘touch' history can be requested from Transport for London: For registered and protected Oyster Cards, Transport for London can provide the history for the previous 8 weeks, but no further back. The Oyster website gives details of the most recent journeys charged to pay as you go if and only if credit has been purchased online, but not for other journeys, or those paid for by Travelcard. Renewals When the Oyster Card Travelcard is due to expire, it can be renewed at the normal sales points and ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stop agents, or some National Rail stations. Travelcards can also be renewed online via the Oystercard website, or by telephone sales from TfL; users must then nominate a Tube station where they will swipe their card in order to charge up the card with the funds purchased. This can only be done the day after ordering. [13]Travelcard renewals cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Recharging When the PAYG balance runs low, the balance can be topped up at the normal sales points or ticket machines at London Underground or London Overground stations, Oyster Ticket Stops or some National Rail stations. All ticket offices at stations run by London Underground will sell or recharge Oyster cards, or handle Oyster card refunds. However, some Tube stations are actually operated by National Rail train operating companies, and their ticket offices will not deal with Oyster refunds. DLR ticket offices do not sell any Oyster Card top-ups or handle refunds. PAYG funds and Travelcard season tickets (but not Bus & Tram Passes) can also be purchased online via the Oyster online website or by calling the Oyster helpline; users must then select one station or tram stop where they will validate their card in order to load the funds or Travelcard purchased. This should be done as part of a normal journey to avoid the risk of paying an Oyster maximum fare. If the customer is purchasing PAYG, the top up will be at the gates of their nominated station, or Tramlink stop the  next  day (ready for first train, provided they made the purchase before 11 PM the previous night). It will remain at the gates for 7 further days before dropping off the system. If the customer purchases a Travelcard season ticket, it will ‘arrive' at the gates, up to 5 days before the start date of the ticket and will remain there until 2 days after the ticket has started. If the customer does not make their pick up in time, it will take a further 14 days to refund automatically to the bank card they made the purchase with. [14]Top-ups of this type cannot be added from a reader on a bus. Auto top-up Customers can set up and manage Auto top-up online for their existing Oyster Card. They register a  debit  or  credit card, make a payg top-up purchase (minimum ? 5) and select either ? 20 or ? 40 as the Auto top-up amount. Alternatively, a new Oyster card with Auto top-up and a mimimum of ? 5 pay as you go can be ordered via Oyster online. Whenever the pay as you go balance falls below ? 5, ? 20 or ? 40 is added to the balance automatically when the Oyster Card is touched on an entry validator. A light on the Oyster reader flashes to indicate the Auto top-up has taken place and an email is sent to confirm the transaction. Payment is then taken from the registered debit or credit card. To ensure successful transactions, customers must record any changes to their billing address and update their debit or credit card details as necessary. [pic] Top up machine Touching in and out system [pic][pic][pic] London Underground ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers Travellers touch the card on a distinctive yellow circular reader (a  Cubic  Tri-Reader) on the automated barriers at  London Underground  stations to ‘touch in' and ‘touch out' at the start and end of a journey (contact is not necessary, but the range of the reader is only a few inches). Tram stops and  buses  also have readers, on the driver/conductor's ticket machine and, in articulated buses, near the other entrances also. Oyster Cards can be used to store both period  travelcards  and bus passes (of one week or more), and a  Pay as you go  balance. The system is  asynchronous, the current balance and ticket data being held electronically on the card rather than in the central database. The main database is updated periodically with information received from the card by barriers and validators. Tickets bought online or over the telephone are â€Å"loaded† at a barrier or validator at a preselected location. [pic][pic][pic] Oyster validators are placed at most entrances on London buses. Pay as you go system Oyster Route Validators [pic] The yellow symbol for Oyster validators. In addition to holding  Travelcards  and bus passes, Oyster Cards can also be used as  stored-value cards, holding electronic funds of money. Amounts are deducted from the card each time it is used, and the funds can be â€Å"recharged† when required. The maximum value that an Oyster card may hold is ? 90. This system is known as â€Å"pay as you go† (abbreviated PAYG), because instead of holding a season ticket, the user only pays at the point of use. The use of PAYG differs across the various modes of transport in London, and passengers are sometimes required to follow different procedures to pay for their journey correctly. [pic] The pink symbol for Oyster Route validators In 2009, TfL introduced a new form of Oyster Card validator. These validators, distinguished from the standard yellow validators with a pink-coloured reader, do not deduct funds but are used at peripheral interchange points to confirm journey details. Oyster Pay as you go users travelling between two points without passing through Zone 1 are eligible for a lower fare, and from the 6 September 2009 they can confirm their route by touching their Oyster Cards on the pink validators when they change trains. By doing this, they can be charged the appropriate fare without paying for Zone 1 travel. [pic] A Thames Clipper river bus service As with Underground, Buses, River Buses and DLR journeys, Oyster PAYG users on National Rail must swipe their card at the start and end of the journey to pay the correct fare. PAYG funds may also be used to cover any additional fares due from season ticket holders who have travelled outside the valid zones of their season ticket. Many large National Rail stations in London have Oyster Card-compatible barriers. [pic] National Rail ticket barriers with yellow Oyster readers [pic] Standalone Oyster readers provided at interchange stations between National Rail and the Tube. Pricing The pricing system is fairly complex, and changes from time to time. The most up to date fares can be found on Transport for London's FareFinder website. To encourage passengers to switch to Oyster, payg fares (including Bus and Tram fares) are generally much cheaper than cash fares: A cash bus or tram fare is ? 2, while the single Oyster fare is ? 1. 20, but capped at ? 3. 90 for any number of trips in a day. Using pay as you go, a single trip on the Tube within Zone 1 costs ? 1. 80 (compared to ? 4 cash), or from ? 1. 30 (? 3. 50 cash) within any other single zone. Penalty fares and maximum Oyster fare In order to prevent â€Å"misuse† by a stated 2% of passengers, from 19 November 2006 pay as you go users who do not both ‘touch in' at the start and ‘touch out' at the end of their  rail network  journeys are charged a ‘maximum Oyster fare' – currently ? 6 (Mon – Fri 06:30 – 09:30 & 16:00 – 19:00) / ? 4. 30 (at all other times) for most journeys, or more if the journey begins or ends at certain National Rail stations. Depending on the journey made, the difference between this maximum fare and the actual fare due is automatically refunded to the user's Oyster Card upon touching out. Users must touch in and out even if the ticket barriers are open. At stations where Oyster is accepted but that do not have ticket barriers, an Oyster pass validator will be provided for the purposes of touching in and out. The maximum cash fare applies even if the daily price cap has been reached and does not count towards the cap. Maximum cash fares may be contested by telephone to the Oyster helpline on 0845 330 9876. [15] This involves providing the Oyster Card number and the relevant journey details; further journeys appearing on the card are helpful to validate the user's claim. If the claim is accepted then the maximum Oyster fare minus the cost of the journey will be refunded. The customer should make the pick up as part of his or her regular travel pattern. This is because when they touch the reader with their Oyster Card, not only will the refund go on to the card, but a new journey will start. Oyster users who do not touch in or out when making a journey (in only for bus and tram journeys) may be liable to pay a penalty fare (currently ? 50) and/or reported for prosecution if caught by a revenue protection inspector. Issues Technological and security issues The system has not been without technical setbacks and criticisms. Passenger groups have expressed concern that buying single travel tickets with cash is far more expensive than using Oyster Cards, and it is suggested that this is putting many tourists off coming to London. Oyster has been promoted by Visit Britain and TfL, who sell them on their website and in their offices around the world. Despite this, visitors to London have often never heard of Oyster and its benefits, and are paying higher cash fares unnecessarily. 3 deposit is also seen as a deterrent to tourists. Another complication is the confusing terms of validity on National Rail services which serve many popular tourist sites on the outskirts of London. The system has been criticised as a threat to the privacy of its users. Each Oyster card is uniquely numbered, and registration is required for monthly or longer tickets, which are no longer available on paper. Usage data are stored bot h on the card and centrally by Transport for London; recent usage can be checked by anyone in possession of the ticket at some ticket machines. Privacy groups consider it a form of mass surveillance and are concerned with how these data will be used, especially given the introduction of the London congestion charge by Mayor of London Ken Livingstone in February 2003. The police have used Oyster card data as an investigative tool, and this use is increasing. Between August 2004 and March 2006 TfL's Information Access and Compliance Team received 436 requests from the police for Oyster card information. Of these, 409 requests were granted and the data was released to the police. [16] The system has been criticised for usability issues in general system, website and top-up machine design. The most significant usability issue is that pay as you go customers who for whatever reason do not â€Å"touch out† at the end of their journeys will not be charged correctly. Users who have run up a pay as you go debt of as little as ? 1 are prohibited from using any period travelcards on the card until the debt is repaid. Another criticism is that problem diagnosis by London Underground staff is generally poor[citation needed] as the system is new and complex, and the staff unfamiliar with all its workings and insufficiently trained; this causes passenger frustration. On 10 March 2005 a software fault meant that the Oyster system was inoperable during the morning rush hour. Ticket barriers had to be left open and pay-as-you-go fares could not be collected. [17] On the day that the pay-as-you-go went live on all Oyster cards, some season ticket passengers were prevented from making a second journey on their travelcard. Upon investigation each had a negative prepay balance. This was widely reported as a major bug in the system. [18] However, the reason for the â€Å"bug† was that some season ticket holders, either knowingly or otherwise, were passing through zones not included on their tickets. The existing paper system could not prevent this kind of misuse as the barriers only checked if a paper ticket was valid in the zone the barrier was in. Touching Points and Journey Mapping [pic] Mapping the user journey from buying an Oyster Card, touching in at the barrier, catching the tube, touching out, going to work and coming back home following the backwards corse. Highlighting all the touching points: †¢ ticket machineoffice to purchase or top up the Oyster Card; †¢ barriersvalidators in and out; †¢ Tfl website; †¢ Tfl green-line; †¢ travel information center; †¢ member of the staff for questions or problems; †¢ crime department in case loststolen cards; †¢ mailletter for student or photo cards [pic] Touching points [pic] [pic] Mapping the journey Surveys and Service Implementation [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/results. php [pic] Source: http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject/implementation. hp Conclusions In Principles of Marketing, Philip Kotler defines a service as â€Å"any activity or benefit that one party can give to another, that is essentially intangible and does not result in the ownership of anything†. [19] I, like millions of other people travel to and around London every week day for work and so have found the Oyster Card an invaluable tool to help me in my journey. I think the main advantage of this card is that it means I can load a certain amount onto it for the month and then not have to worry about having actual cash on me to buy a new ticket each day. The Oyster Card can be carried in your wallet just like a credit card and so is small, handy and easy to use. The other great thing about the Oyster Card is that it's cheaper to use per journey than if you buy a ticket with cash. Another thing I like is that if you swipe in and then there is a long delay on you line and you have to swipe right out again without going anywhere you can go back up to the ticket office and have them refund your money back onto the card. This however, must be done within 15 minutes of swiping out again otherwise they will not refund it for you. I also like the fact that if you journey is delayed for fifteen minutes or more (this happens quite a bit to me, sitting in tunnels for ? hour at a time) you can log onto the website given above and ask for a refund. You can enter your Oyster Card details so they can see you are telling the truth and then you will be sent a credit voucher in the post that you can then put back onto your Oyster Card to compensate you for your inconvenience. One of my criticisms though with the Oyster Card is that it does not always swipe first time and you are given a red light meaning you have to swipe your card again. This often causes backup at the gate, especially at rush hour in the mornings or evening. Generally I find it is because you are standing too close to the gate and so if you back away a bit you should be ok to swipe after that. One thing I would urge is that you need to make sure that you swipe in and then remember to swipe out to complete a full journey and to avoid being charged a full amount. On one hand we can safely assume that such services are an optimized solution for our current need of travelling fast. On the other hand, we do not know the unpredictable consequences of our design actions. As John Thackara worn us, increases in mobility cause negative impact on the environment [20] and we use time gained by speed in order to travel further [21]. ———————– [1] http://www. transys. com/whatwedo/oystercardproject. php [2] Bill Hollins – http://www. designcouncil. org. uk/About-Design/Design-Disciplines/Service-design-by-Bill-Hollins/13-lessons-in-service-design/. [3] â€Å"What is Oyster? â€Å". Transport for London. Retrieved 10 August 2008. 4]  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Mayor to give away 100,000 free Oyster cards†. Media Centre  (Greater London Authority). 17 April 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [5] â€Å"New deal with Visit London and Superbreak makes Oyster even more convenient†. Press Centre  (Visit London). 28 August 2007. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [6] MIFARE. net  Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚  Easing travel in London’s co ngested public transport network [7] â€Å"Smart-card ticketing goes Underground†. ZDNet. 20 October 2002. Retrieved 8 October 2007. [8] http://www. rfidnews. org/2002/12/01/a-tube-full-of-oysters-london-goes-contactless -A tube full of Oysters? London goes contactless . [9] http://londonist. com/2007/03/pimp_my_oysterc. php [10]http://www. asa. org. uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/Adjudications/2005/11/Transport-For London/CS_40497. aspx [11] Transport for London  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Oyster online shop [12] Changes to Oyster card deposit from 17 May 2009  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Transport for London. Retrieved 27 September 2009 [13] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [14] Transport for London. â€Å"Oyster online help†. Retrieved 17 November 2007. [15] â€Å"What should I do if I can't touch out at the end of my journey? . Transport For London helpsite. Retrieved 19 June 2008. [16] OysterCardRFI – Letter from TfL in response to a freedom of information request [17] BBC News – ‘? 50,000 lost' in Oyster failure. [18] BBC News – Inquiry into Tube's Oyster card [19] Philip  Kotler, Gary Armstrong – 2005 – Business & Economics- Chapter 9-pp 276. [20] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, Massachussetts – 2006. [21] John Thackara. In the Bubble – Designing in a Complex World. The MIT Press, chussetts – 2006.

Influence of Neoclassicism on Romanticism

Niccolo Machiavelli once said, â€Å"whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past†, seems to sum the influence of past artistic styles on works of art across varying time periods. Neoclassicism, a popular art style in the 18th and early 19th century drew inspiration from Roman and Greek culture, it rose in response to a desire to revive the classical art period, whilst Romanticism, an art style that became popular at the end of the neoclassical period, embraced medievalism and revolted against the Age of Enlightenment and the classics that was the heart of the Neoclassical movement. Whether artists chose to embrace past styles or deviate from them, either way they are influenced by them. Despite contrasting views and techniques between the two periods, Romanticism grew out of Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism can be defined as the revival of the classical style in art, literature, architecture and music. It was an influential style in art during the 18th and 19th cent ury that lasted from the 1760’s until the 1850’s. Neoclassicism rose in reaction to the Rocco and Baroque styles that were popular during the middle of the 18th century in the United States and Western Europe especially France.Neoclassicism was the result of a renewed interest in ancient Greek and Roman culture as a result of archeological discoveries of buried Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, which brought about new inspiration. The Neoclassical era was also called the Age of Enlightenment as the Industrial Revolution was taking place. There were many new inventions and this lead to the growth of many factories. With new inventions, there was new knowledge, hence the reference to enlightenment and â€Å"neo† which means new.During the Neoclassical period, artists also focused on moral revivalism due to admiration for philosophers like Aristotle and Plato and also reflected on the Renaissance era. Neoclassical artists looked to the past as a guide to the present because of the assumption that human nature was constant. They did not strive to be original but to express â€Å"old truths in a newly effective way†. Neoclassical artists emphasized distinct characteristic styles in their work. These included the themes of patriotism, justice and honor.French artists of the Neoclassical movement drew parallels between ancient Rome and France. During the Neoclassical period, France was fighting the French Revolution and citizens reshaped France by uprooting the absolute monarchy. Neoclassicism appealed to artists who were in support of the French Revolution . French artist, Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii 1784 is one of the most renowned paintings of the Neoclassical era. It depicts a scene of two warring cities in Rome, in which three brothers are preparing to fight for their country, which demonstrated patriotism.Other characteristic styles of this period included clean lines, symmetry and restraint in emotion. Painti ngs featured vivid contrast between light and dark colors. These features can be seen in The Oath of Horatii in which clean lines and symmetry can be seen in the depiction of Roman columns and the standing position of the brothers, the only emotion depicted is that of the women portrayed in the painting. The background color is dark compared to the foreground, which is bright and vivid, emphasizing the soldiers, which was a main technique used by the artists .Another feature characteristic of Neoclassicism was the attempt to depict in great detail, the setting and costumes of the era with as much historical accuracy. Joseph-Marie Vien, Young Greek Maidens Decking the Sleeping Cupid with Flowers 1773 demonstrates this attention to detail, as the center point of this painting is the three Greek maidens whose dress is executed with great detail and vivid colors. Romanticism began during the 18th century and lasted until the 19th century just as Neoclassicism, with Romanticism peaking a fter the neoclassical period.Romanticism grew out of a need to express the emotions and the adoration of nature that Romanticists felt had become lost during the Age of Enlightenment. They sought to search the subconscious and spirituality for answers rather than pure logic of the Neoclassical period. Other themes distinctive to this period were supernatural elements and historical nostalgia. Romanticism was especially popular in Britain and Germany. It was a reaction to the dehumanization that occurred during Neoclassicism due to industrialization.Romanticism bore many characteristics such as appreciation for nature, it saw nature as an escape from the dehumanization caused by industrialization. It examined the power of nature as evident in Philip James de Loutherbourg, An Avalanche in the Alps 1803 that depicted an avalanche so awesome that it terrified the people in the foreground of the painting. Another characteristic style of the Romantic period was the revival of past styles such as medievalism. Medieval ruins were an inspiration to these artists, and can be seen in paintings such as Gaspar David Friedrich, Eldena Ruin 1825.The supernatural was another theme explored by the Romantics. Ghosts, fairies and demons were symbolic of the rejection of materialism for spiritualism; this was depicted in William Blake, The Great Red Dragon and the Women Clothed with the Sun 1805 that portrays a dragon from the Book of Revelation. Artists during this period sought to express as much emotion they could in their artwork. There were expressions on every face including animals and humans; an example of this is Theodore Gericault, Mad Woman With A Mania of Envy 1822-1823 in which he depicts an old woman with a worrisome expression and uncanny stare.Neoclassicism and Romanticism were two art styles that were popular during the 18th and 19th Century. Neoclassicism celebrated the classics such as the Greek and Roman culture. It was a rebirth of the new classical period an d artists sought to emphasize on patriotism, honor and justice. Many paintings depicted Roman soldiers and Greek temples and philosophers and were in support of the French Revolution whilst Romanticism drew emphasis on emotions and nature; it celebrated the modern and the medieval time.Romanticism embraced the individuality of the painter, who drew on creativity to paint rather than adherence to rules and tradition like their Neoclassic counterparts. Neoclassicism celebrated the French Revolution and Industrialization, which Neoclassicists saw as enlightenment as there were new ancient findings and industrialization, which brought new knowledge. Artists inspired by the Romantic period saw enlightenment as dehumanizing. They rebelled against conformity to societal norms to which Neoclassicists saw as being of great importance.Romanticism was more creative than Neoclassicism; it sought to draw on spirituality and emotion, as Romanticists believed that not all questions could be answer ed by rationality but rather by irrationality. Neoclassical painters stressed drawing with lines and symmetry which is symbolic of living within the lines of conformity, they also used vivid color contrast with light and dark with no visible brushstrokes to draw interest to the main focus of the art piece. However, Romanticism used rich color, and a painterly technique with no distinct lines and visible brushstrokes in their works.Subjects depicted in Neoclassical art were from Roman and Greek history whilst Romantic artists subjects were legends, ghosts, witches, violence and nature. The role of Neoclassicism was to morally uplift as depicted in The Oath of Horatii in which men were strong and loyal to France, whilst Romanticism sought to create a dramatic effect that would take the viewer away as seen in An Avalanche in the Alps in which the avalanche is so magnificent and terrifying at the same time.When examining renowned paintings from both artistic periods: Neoclassicism and R omanticism, Neoclassicist Jacques-Louis David, The Oath of the Horatii and Romanticist Joseph Mallord William Turner, The Slave Ship are some of the most renowned paintings of their respective eras. The Oath of Horatii depicts a scene in which three brothers take swords from their father. The men are dressed in red, white and blue that represented the colors of France. This was thought to inspire patriotism, as it was symbolic of the brothers fighting for the good of country.In contrast to the theme of patriotism and the fight for the greater good of all, the Slave Ship sought to inspire anti-slavery efforts and the fight for human kind versus country as in the Neoclassical period. The Oath of Horatii can be viewed as celebrating the Industrial Revolution as it inspired the French to fight for economic progress whilst The Slave Ship revolted against Industrialization, which it viewed as the exploitation of slaves and human labor for economic growth.Another feature was the use of col or; in The Oath of Horatii, the background is dark compared to the vivid colors of the foreground, allowing the focus to be on the brothers hence reinforcing the theme of loyalty and patriotism. The brushstrokes are controlled and there are distinct lines, which is seen in the position in which the men stand, point their swords. Lines are symbolic of conformity, which can be viewed as staying between the lines. In The Slave Ship, brushstrokes are soft, colors are bright as seen in the deep red sunset and are blended in so there in no distinct lines.The symbolism of the lack of lines represents man’s freedom to choose and his individuality. The use of color draws attention to the background rather than the foreground, which makes the sky the main focus point. Human nature is also explored in The Oath of Horatii; the human need to stand strong in the face of adversity is depicted by the men in the painting, all of who raise their hands to their father in support of the fight un like the women who seemed fearful and crouched over in distress. In The Slave Ship, nature depicted does not refer to human nature but simply, nature.Neoclassicism used humans as their subjects and Romanticism used nature as their subjects. The rough sea and the majestic sky are the main focus in this artwork, which celebrates nature and shows how powerful nature is as the dead slaves are visible in the water along with nature’s creatures that are feeding on human carcass. The Oath of Horatii is symbolic of Neoclassicism as it depicts patriotism, linear painting technique, use of light and dark colors and human nature, which are characteristic of this era.The Slave Ship is representative of the style of Romanticism; it depicts revolt against industrialization, nature, use of painter techniques and bright colors. Romanticism influenced the future art world by leaving its legacy behind and for others to follow and lead to new artistic styles. It stimulated the birth of many art schools such as the Norwich School of Landscape Painting, which was the first provincial arts body to hold exhibitions in Britain during the 19th century. Famous artists from this school included John Crome who was famous for his paintings depicting sceneries of Norfolk.Another school influenced by the Romantic art style was the St Ives School of Art in England which flourished in the 20th century with its paintings being displayed today at the best art museums in the world such as the British Art Museum. St Ives School of Art later became renowned for its abstract sculptures and paintings that led to the development of modern art including Avant-Garde art that pushed the boundaries of cultural norms. Romanticism can be see as influential to the development of Avant-Garde as it began as a deviation from norms of society.Famous artists from this school included Barbara Hepworth and Ben Nicholson who were renowned their abstract art and cement sculptures. Romanticism calls for the ar tist to be creative and not follow the classics. Marcel Duchamp, Fountain 1917 in which he exhibits a ready made urinal as a piece of art can be seen as being influenced by Romanticism as it asks for the artist to be creative. Hence we can see Avant-Garde and Dadaism being influence by Romanticism . Whether artists chose to embrace past styles or deviate from them, either way they are influenced by them.Both Neoclassicism and Romanticism were popular art styles in the 18th and early 19th century, with Romanticism occurring during the later years. Neoclassicism drew inspiration from Roman and Greek culture and embraced the classics while Romanticism drew inspiration from emotions, nature and the historical period of medievalism. Romanticism grew out of contempt for the basic foundation of the Neoclassical era as Romantics felt that the Age of Enlightenment suppressed our creativity and dehumanized us, despite their contrasting views, we can see the influence of Neoclassicism on Roman ticism.