Theater & Drama Essay Example for Free

Theater Drama Essay Art is an expression of emotion. As they say, art is everywhere. Perhaps everything in this world is driven by art. It is already part of our lives. In other words art itself is an element of life. There are many forms of art; visual art, theater, multimedia, and the like. All of these are common even during the early century times. In fact art exist and has life, it never die, for if it dies it will never be called art. Theater is one of the common medium of art. It is an art in which there is no permanent image for every performance; an artist may vary his/her expression of the art. Thus, this form is one of the most prestigious medium. Theater is one of the oldest and one of the most popular forms of entertainment (2007, Encarta. msn. com). In this form of art, an actor can perform on a space provided. Hence, a space for performance is called a theater. There are several elements of theater; text, space, and narrative. Text is one of the most common among them. In fact text is the main element of theater but even though it is the most common it is one of them most effective. Second is the space. This is to give dynamics on the scene. Third is the narrative. Narrative is used to connect a story. It is also used to relate the story to the audience. Sometimes when a story is very long the narrative element will make the delivery of the story short by narrating to the audience what happened. These elements when used together are a strong foundation of theater performance. In fact these elements do not come in single form. They are fused and forms many variation. This is to ensure that a performance will have a different taste from time to time. This is to eliminate the tendency of a boring performance. One time, I attended an acting workshop. It is on Rasa Box technique. The technique is to explore the emotion of the artist to come up with an acting that somewhat realistic. It is a technique where an artist will no longer use any subtext to be able to act a scene. Because often times the character’s experience wasn’t experienced by the actor, he/she sometimes recall his past experiences or borrow the experiences of other people to be able to feel or internalize the role. It is a hard job for the artist to recall or borrow experiences thus the technique offers a new style. During that workshop we were taught and experience or ourselves the importance of text, space, and narrative. Not all the time text is useful. Sometimes space gives a great impact when used. For example the character is angry on one of the characters. He/she will shout or scream loud to show or emphasize the anger. Now try to imagine if the artist will not give any words but will just look at the other character for a long moment and will just leave. Thus the other example is much better compared to the first. Why, it is because the first one is the most common expression of anger. In theater, the artist must be flexible to explore other expression of a particular emotion; but in reality emption is commonly mixed and this will give a better expression. I saw a performance last time. The title of the show was Uwahig but the Integrated Performing Arts Guild. It was also the show that was presented during the International Theater Festival. It is really amazing. Most of the artists did not use text but spaces and movement. The poet (narrator) relates the story in the form of a chant and song. The show started with the artist on the audience. They creep, crawl and contract as if they were undergoing suffering. Then suddenly the lights slowly fade out and the artists start to cry in agony. In that moment you will feel how important are the elements of theater and how important to know when to use those elements. Then the narrator came out. She started with a chant. It is a chant where you will feel the sufferings of the people in that story. The she slowly came to silent. Her eyes looked at the other character. Then she starts narrating again. Those spaces make the audience comprehend and feel the story of that performance. The performance ended with a narration: â€Å"And this is the start of the epic of mankind†. It is really effective. You will not feel boring when watching that show. Indeed it gives a true example on the right usage of the elements. In fact it is the right timing on the usage of those elements that makes the delivery of the story effective. One thing also that makes the text more effective is the addition of dynamics upon delivery. In theater or any performance, even in music, a loud sound is much appreciated when comes after a silence. In vice versa, a silence is much appreciated when comes after a loud sound. That’s dynamics; the rise and fall of sound of the tone of sound or movements. Another performance I saw was the legend of a falls in one country. On near-the-end scene the Raja ran to catch the woman. To emphasize the running scene, the artist act as if running by stamping their feet in a slowly rising momentum. Then when the time comes where the woman was almost caught by the Raja, the Raja jump for her and then suddenly they were in slow motion. There were times when the Raja almost hold the hand of the woman but unfortunately loose the grip. The audience that time really screams for the woman. They were as if the ones being caught. Well, that was an effective delivery. Dynamics makes the audience follow through the flow of the story. I have also an experience when I watch a theater performance where some of the usage of the text were ineffective due to the wrong timing and the often use of the style. In theater, when an image is already established, do not repeat the acting or the image. It will only give a boring performance and will ruin the impact of the show. It was a performance of a great novel and somewhat on one part of the story they improvise the delivery of the story. They make it a comedy by dancing with the new novelty songs which makes it more comedy. But they were able to leave hole on that scene. They repeated the style trice and that makes the whole scene corny and ineffective. In that experience I learn that due to the fact that there are only few elements of theater, the artist should be responsible in making choices in what to deliver. The elements of theater make the performance. It is like a textile that is made up of many fibers. It is threaded in different variations to come up with a different style. It is like eating that when you often eat the most delicious food it will no longer become delicious in someday. Variation makes the art alive; particularly the theater. Some of the artists who are concentrating on contemporary theater question the traditional use of the elements. Well, some of the traditional type of theater uses the elements ineffectively. Their delivery makes the performance boring. Before, traditional type of theater uses only single variation. When it’s a play, it’s only a play. The limited variation of the style makes it somewhat dead. We cannot deny the fact that we are living in the new generation. The people are developing and thus the likes of the people develop too. In this generation, a typical type of theater performance might be ineffective. It is more beautiful to explore more on theater. It is like an experiment. The audience needs from time to time new style of performance. One Artistic Director ones said when they were exploring on the possible images of a new production that they are planning: â€Å"Our work must be like of that effective commercial on television; it gives new performance and taste†. Well, I agree with him. Theater art is a growing art. Thus when you are stuck with your old style of art, someday your art will vanish. He was trying to imply that from time to time art must be updated. It does not mean that the performance will also be futuristic since we are now living in the future. What it means it that we will not rely on one form of style in theater arts. There is a theater arts group I knew that no longer exist. Their art die. One reason for that is they did not adopt or explore more on their art forms and rely only on the traditional ones. They also did not explore more on the variations of the elements of theater arts. One example of their art performance is the typical play where mainly their artist use the elements of theater but one thing is lacking, the timing of when to used those elements. Another element of theater is the technical aspect; the lights and sounds. They are useful because it gives life to the performance. The lights make the scene realistic and the sounds add more life to the scene. In one performance o Cirque de sole lights and sounds play a vital role in emphasizing the scenes. There were instances where the lights make the scene as if the scene is in the sky where the falling angel was seen. The angel looks as if it is really falling due to the enhancement made by the lights and the music makes gives more emotion on the scene. Many artists nowadays give emphasis on theater arts. Some feel it boring but many say that it is more difficult than film. I agree because in film an artist has several chances in revising his/her images and when the artist commits a mistake, there is a chance to correct it whereas in theater, there is no room for mistakes during performance. Once a mistake is committed, it will not be corrected anymore. It will be inculcated in the minds of the audience thus one director of a theater company says: â€Å"commit mistakes with confidence†. That means that when you commit a mistake; make it appear to the audience that it is part of the performance. In general the elements and the right timing of using them make a performance beautiful. Work cited: Theater (2007). msn Encarta. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761553217/Theater. html Integrated Performing Arts Guild. Retrieved April 30, 2007 from http://www. msuiit. edu. ph/ipag/

Discussing The Role Of Language And Reason In History Philosophy Essay

Discussing The Role Of Language And Reason In History Philosophy Essay Language like reason is one of the most important ways of knowing to mankind. Human beings have benefited greatly through language by means of communicating and understanding each other as we read history. Could language as a way of knowing bring us the most suitable type of language? What is language without reason? I treat these as my knowledge issues and will try to bring my aspect and conclusion on the situation. Distinguishing between a terrorist or a freedom fighter can be biased, that biasness is the type of reason that affected you there and then. Language in history Some might say History is the study of the past. The role of language in history is fairly abundant. Many linguists believe that language have a common ancestry, but we still do not know whether language has come from one source, but students of history know from the ancient Greek historian Herodotus that Phrygian is the first coherent language in the history of mankind. It is believed that early humans probably had a communication system similar to animals to contact each other and used body language and calls of various types, but speech did not develop until the human brain evolved enough to enable us to convey ideas to each other. History is not a record of everything that has happened in the past, history is merely catches the main gist of what supposedly happened in the past. So we can wonder, Could language bring out the most accurate form of history? We can deduce that, if suitable and open minded recorders were the ones that cement history for us, then why should we wonder. But without language as a way of knowing, problems arise and perception would play a dominant role, as being a multifarious way of knowing, many conclusion could deduce on a claim. But without language, reason would not erupt into a form that would proportionally justify perception in the given case above, debates, arguments, justifications, treaties, deals and agreements would not take place as the way we perceive it today. So it would be foolish to think that history would be relevant without language and reason, reasoning is always present and helps us understand in a coherent fashion. Though, problems are that language, alone, can be confusing and can easily be edited in our views, propaganda during the Russian revolution lead people to a perception, that perception manifested into reason and thought/expressions of the socio-economic classes during then were heard. History has may sources but as the past does not exist, it is difficult to accurately find out about history. For example, if we have evidence such as Stonehenge or the Rosetta stone are parts of our history and we can know to some extent about those periods in our history. But objectivity and accuracy in understanding history are to my mind the real questions which are to be looked at seriously. Historians distinguish primary and secondary sources of information. A primary source is written by a person who was there at the time, while the secondary source is a second hand account of the event. For example, what Socrates wrote and Plato were writing as primary sources, while others who developed on their ideas. Biases can be created by even eyewitness accounts as a person can exaggerate or use weak language to explain the incident, he may also have a social bias and describe history in a manner that he likes. In Greek times or when Aztec warriors ruled, we know little about how Greek slaves or peasants lived or how tribal societies carried out their daily lives, even though we have written history about those times. History can be deliberately changed when primary sources are manipulated by interest groups, this brings me to another knowledge issue, Can we trust History? The Russians and Chinese history has been changed by the state and the primary sources of changed. By changing they have used the new history created by them as propaganda to rule their people. I believe that history is just a monument. A monument of many things, the holocaust was a monument of the horrors that mustnt be repeated again. History is a secondary source (established data), it is not easy to say that all hundred percent of history is true, it is not my call. History also creates hindsight bias as events in our own life when seen later makes us question about the mistake we made. To a certain extent, this also distorts history. Bias and language can be a subject bias, confirmation bias or a national bias. Can language describe historical events in a language that is neutral? To better understand language, many theories have been developed like, the definition theory, denotation theory and Image theory. These theories segment our way of communicating into partitions, each representing a certain situation that is directly proportional to language. Briefly, the definition theory is based on finding the meaning of words from a dictionary. A problem to this type of language is that some words are very difficult to define properly and are highly multifarious. On the other hand, the Denotation theory tells us how to separate words that have meaning and words that have no meaning. Last but not least the image theory explains that any word is a mental image in our mind that stands in the mind. Language is complex. It shows us our social reality and no two languages can show the same social reality, that is what the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis states. Languages create different trends in our social reality. In the age of technology and how it is rapidly growing, it becomes a bit overwhelming. Language creates barriers but also creates entries. When I read about news in magazines, in news paper or TV, the same issue can be shown in many different ways. Politics especially, I as a teenager and a member of the future generation of this world; reading politics of the Middle East, the Kashmir problem or the Afghan war can mean many things when read in English or Urdu. It all ends up to your social reality and your reason with a clear view on society itself. Language causes confusion and this confusion conveys specific thoughts, these thought s are planted on the different views in the world today. These views, even with so much knowledge and theories, leads to hatred and misunderstandings, thus leading to wars and bloodshed or could lead to a world that would represent something that would be found in The Beatles lyrics. Language provi des accuracy in life, definitions of words and phrases like war on terror, fanatics, collateral damage means differently to the different social reality (rule governed by language) and are contested in various forms and has been, previously in the future. To an extent history has affected me in some ways, views on society today and the changing trends of mentioned above I also agree that language and reason plays a big role in the history we know today. Reason and history as a way of knowing Reason is segmented into one of the four ways of knowing for a very good reason. We know that reason is a difficult word to define, because it is based on various premises, basis on which various conclusions are drawn. Reason is like a knife, which has two edges and both sides can cut equally well as both knife edges are sharp. We also know that reason cannot be used in every situation, especially in our private lives, where emotion also plays an important a role, which cannot be defined by reason alone. Sometimes reason can be balanced with emotion and sometimes it cannot be balanced. There are three kinds of reasoning: Deductive reasoning Inductive reasoning Informal reasoning deductive reasoning is based on syllogism which states two premises (logical arguments) and a conclusion is then drawn. But we know all truth is not valid, if the argument is true or false, the conclusion can be true or false and may not be valid. Therefore, this argument is built on incorrect logic and the syllogism is false. We can conclude that arriving at the right conclusion our argument is dependent on the truth or falsity of the premises (logic) it contains. Deductive logic must be handled with care to arrive at the correct conclusion. Inductive logic is the opposite of deductive logic and is based on from the particular to the general. Inductive reasoning can be explained by an example: I am born from my mother. We can conclude that human beings are born from females, because all statistical evidence leads us to this conclusion. This example can be called inductive inference (conclusion). All languages are based on inductive generalizations, for example, teacher, dog or table can be classified into general classes and then labeled. From languages we inherit history of human thought about how the world is organized. Most sciences use inductive reasoning to formulate laws and theories. For example, if carbon-dioxide causes green house effect, therefore carbon-dioxide emitted by any form will lead to ozone reduction in the atmosphere. Scientists use this type of logic to explain reasoning and reach conclusions. -Informal reasoning- Informal reasoning is based after this, therefore accounted of this, it means that because one thing B follows another thing A, then A must be a cause of B. For example, more murders are committed in hot weather; it means that weather is the only factor that affects increase in murder. Informal reasoning is based on co-relation in two things and can be correct or incorrect if the premise is valid. While the three types of reasoning cannot answer all questions relating to knowledge, they do provide us a basis on which we can understand our world and ourselves better but one way of reasoning is not sufficient to define all things in a logical manner. Our reasoning is also affected by circular reasoning, false analogy, loaded questions and many other biases. Bad reasoning is based on four main reasons: Reason gives man the greatest ability to understand and predicts things related to him with certainty. This gives that specific kind of coherency that exists in the world today. We see, thus we reason Timothy Rath. History is rooted with reason, it regards human nature and the human intellect that goes hand in hand. What really shapes History are the winners. The people in charge. They get to have their stories told, they get to decide what goes to the public and what doesnt. Imagine if Germany had won the second world war. Our view of the holocaust would be much different wouldnt it? Maybe the general populace may not have even been told of their existance. And if we take a look at Stalin and his attempts to remove people from history (altering photos, deleting records of existance), we can see that the people up there have the power to feed us whatever they want. And that was back then, when there was no photoshop. Just imagine the technology they have in their hands today. And that is why there are countries that are so suspicious of others learning of their past, that they do anything to keep them quiet, going as far as to kill them. As a more recent example, does anyone know of Andijon? I wouldnt be surprised if you didnt, partially because it is in Uzbekistan and to be honest i didnt know that was a country until i got off a plane one day and ended up living there. To be fair, i was about 11 and my knowledge of the geography was kind of limited. Anyways, the Andijon massacres (sometime in 2006) have been described by the UN to be possibly the greatest massacre since Tienanmen square. So why havent you heard of it? Because the government of Uzbekistan are brilliant at keeping people out and censoring things. Even killed a journalist that fled to another country after writing an article criticizing them. Im honestly kind of scared to write about this.

Tourism during olympic games

Tourism during olympic games Acknowledgements I would like to thank my dissertation supervisor, Dr Denise Ball, for all the help, advice and encouragement over the duration of this study. Her assistance has been much appreciated in successfully completing this paper. In addition I would also like to thank my family and friends for the support they have bestowed upon me throughout the whole project. The reason for choosing this topic is more of a personal interest of seeing further developments taking place in London as being a resident myself. It would be a privilege to add my dissertation piece to current literature available on Sporting events and furthermore critically conduct my secondary research and analysis of the findings. Chapter One: Introduction Sporting events like the Olympics are endeavours that create and develop growth of tourism and awareness of the host city or country. The earliest documented example of sport and tourism is that of the Olympic Games which date from 776 BC (Zauhar in Weed, 2004). The tourism aspect of the games was emphasized by political aims. It was often advocated that both sport and tourism would bring different people and cultures closer together and the key aim of the ancient games was to bring a strong sense of cultural unity to a politically divided country (Davis, 1997). As London won the bid for hosting the Olympic Games in 2012 over Madrid, Moscow, New York, Paris and Singapore, the Queen herself congratulated the London Olympics committee for working hard in preparing and executing the bid. Prime Minister Tony Blair along with the Londoners in Trafalgar square and East End called the win a momentous day for Britain. He further went onto say that many reckon [that London] is the greatest Ci ty in the world and the Olympics [would] help it keep it that way (BBC, 2005). This research will explore the ways in which the London Olympics committee can learn from the successes and failures of previous host countries in managing the tourism around the event. The questions arise in to whether London can become the City of the world and whether the Olympics can help in reaching that goal. The Prime Minister Tony Blair, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and London 2012 Chairman Lord Coe met with the leaders of major tourism and leisure groups at Downing Street (BBC, 2005). The meeting discussed raising the standards of accommodation, access for disabled visitors and to make sure that the workers who looked after the tourists would be adequately trained (ibid). Leaders from the Hilton group, Center Parcs and others were told quick action could lead to a 25% growth in tourism. In the past host countries have experienced growth tourism in years before the Olympic Games and also after the Games. Ms Jowell said: It can grow to  £100bn by 2012 with action on skills, quality and investment. But [it] must start now (BBC, 2005). Since the historic games in Athens, it was only during the three decade that the Olympics have transformed into a profit making endeavour. The first privately owned Olympic Games were held in Los Angeles which made a profit of $215 million (Millar, 1992). This was the first game since 1986 that did not utilize the publics money. The 1984 games openly embraced corporate donors and sold everything and anything. The LAOOC (Los Angeles Olympics Organising Committee) sold the games to Coca Cola, Anheuser-Butch as well as thirty other firms for a combination of $216 million, surpassing the projected $116 million which consultants estimated the Games would fetch (ibid). Revenue from the Olympics has always been a motivator for countries to continuously rival other countries for the desire to be the host country. However other than the money, a sense of strong image is immediately portrayed to the world. The Olympics as an image maker for the host country gives free media coverage of the hosts tourism. The questions asked to the next host London is that can they learn from previous Olympic mistakes and successes to make London the best city in the world? Aims and Objectives the Olympic games celebrate universal human ideals and demonstrate a commitment to culture, education and the environment-providing sponsors with powerful opportunities to reach consumers in a multitude of ways (IOC, 2004). This study aims to explore through current literature the way by which London can become successful in hosting the Olympics 2012 by examining examples of best practice. It aims to analyse the successes and failures of Olympic host destinations in reference with their positive impacts upon the tourism industry. The research aims to pinpoint recommendations into how London can become the greatest city in the world and how the branding of being the host of 2012 Olympics can help portray that image. To answer the research question the following research objectives will be considered: To examine the impacts of hosting the Olympics on the destination image To identify the specific market segments that the Olympics will attract and propose recommendations for promoting London 2012. To see what the development agencies promotion plans are for the Olympics image. To analyse successful Olympic methods used to promote the destination image through the Olympics. To identify best practice in leveraging the Olympics for tourism. Methodology Case Studies This method was chosen to help analyse how London 2012 could learn from the successes and failures of the previous Olympic host case studies. Although the case studies will have their limitations and approaches, the research will need to utilise its strengths and where there are weaknesses in the cases, make sure that they do not affect this research. The research will gather important, critical and analytical references on the Olympics, destination marketing, image development and branding. From these basic references, these elements will be compared and contrasted to the Olympics in general and particularly focusing on the London 2012. Hopefully through the methodology a list of strengths and weaknesses of hosting the Olympics should surface. Furthermore, should weaknesses appear an explanation of how the Olympics can benefit London as a major tourist destination will help contribute in maximising Londons opportunity cost. This dissertation will provide an overview on the current literature of the Olympics, destination branding, marketing and image marketing. The methodology will only use secondary research in reviewing case studies on previous destinations that hosted the Olympics. Structure The main body of this research will consist of six chapters. Chapter one will take a look at the overall research, mentioning what the research will consist of, putting the research into context and explaining method that could be used. The second chapter, the literature review will provide an overview of authors in the areas of events management, marketing with the emphasis on destination branding and events. Chapter three will analyse the case studies which will identify the successes and failures of previous destinations which will hopefully identify a gap in the market to what London could provide and capitalise on. Chapter four will examine to what London is doing now for hosting the Olympics and what they could do with the help of the case studies analysis. Chapter five will focus on the recommendations in how London can become the greatest city in the world with the help from hosting the Olympics. Finally, chapter six, the conclusion, will re-examine the objectives and how the y have been met, and suggest further areas for future research. Chapter Two: Literature Review The purpose of a literature review, as name suggests, explains or briefly describes the academic work that has been reported about the field of research. The purpose of the review is to look at how the Olympic 2012 could benefit Londons image as a major tourist destination. The main focus of this review will be based on the influence of sporting events on destinations. Branding Brand is vital to success. It is an asset of differentiating promise that links a product to its consumers (Anres). When people think of brands they think of Coca Cola, Nokia, Sony, Odeon and Starbucks etc. Brands represent a strong and enduring asset which boosts the companies success (Kotler, 2006). A brand is a promise which is supported by key brand management principles which are positioning, communicating and operations. Positioning determines what the brand promises such as Red Bull gives you the promise of more energy. Communicating is also about creating the promise into the customers mind while operations spell out how that promise will be delivered. The Olympics itself is a brand. The Olympics spirit has timelessly communicated sportsmanship, friendship, competition, or just simply Going for Gold. Olympics are the most single major sport event that can lead an ever increasing awareness and participation of a range of different sports at any one time. The logo for London 2012 according to Lord Coe (BBC, 2007) is not a logo but a brand that is said to take London forward. The challenge with brands is that it could be difficult to put the overall message the brand is trying to depict. Lord Coe mentioned that the reason why the logo is designed in that way is what was tried to be shown in Singapore, a way to reach out and engage young people. Not only is the brand for the 2012 Olympics there to engage people in sport but also there to be inspired and make a positive change in [Londoners] lives (Blair, 2007). Aspects of Branding Image Among the many fundamentals that brand projects towards the public is image. The study of destination imaging is a relatively recent addition to the field of tourism research. Several studies have illustrated that destination image; do indeed influence tourist behaviour (Hunt, 1975; Pearce 1982). In essence, destinations with strong positive images are more likely to be considered or chosen in the travel decision process (Goodrich, 1978; Woodside Lysonski, 1989). The formation of image has been described by Renolds (1965) as the development of mental construct based upon a few impressions chosen from a flood of information. The information available to the consumer includes promotional literature (travel brochures, posters), the opinion of others (family, friends, travel agent) and the general media (newspapers, magazines, radio, television, books, movies etc). Moreover, Gunn (1988) has used these various sources of information and used the role it has on destination image formation in his model of seven phases of travel experience. These are: Accumulation of mental images about the vacation, Modification of those images by further information Decision to take a vacation trip To travel to that destination Participation at that destination Return home Modification of the images based on the vacation experience Gunn labels the destination formed in phase one as organic image. This is due to the information which is sourced from non-touristic and non commercial sources such as the general media (newspapers), education and opinions of family and friends. It is only after phase two where information sources such as travel brochures, guides and agents are used. The organic image therefore is altered by the additional information. From a broad field of resources and information is the destination image portrayed. The World Tourism Organisation (1980) and Kotler (1987) both view that this is due to the link between a countrys tourist image and its national image. The process of the destination image formation highlights two important points. Firstly it suggests individuals can have an image of a destination even when they have never visited it or even been exposed to more commercial forms of information. Secondly, since there are changes in the destination image before and after the visitation, it is desirable to separate those images of those individuals who have already visited the destination and those who have not visited. Destination Branding With the importance of image formation in reference to how image helps branding, it is important to note how a certain destination is created to become a destination brand. Destination branding is a competitive sport amongst different destinations who adopt brand techniques in effort to craft and differentiate an identity which emphasises the uniqueness of their product. Destination branding looks at developing an emotional relationship with the consumer through highly focused communication campaigns (Pritchard, 1998). The World Tourism Organisation (WTO) suggests that the twenty-first century will see the emergence of tourism destinations as fashion accessories. Indeed as style symbols, destinations can offer similar consumer benefits to highly branded lifestyles. The choice of holiday destination is a significant life style indicator for todays inspirational consumers and the places where they choose to spend their hard earned income increasingly having to have an emotional appeal, highly conversational capital and even celebrity value (Morgan et al, 2002). A special event like the Olympics that provides the consumer with the leisure and social opportunity beyond everyday experience and often reasons to attract tourists which help to raise the profile, image or awareness of a region (Jago Shaw, 1998). Brand Positioning Brand positioning is imperative as this projects how a destination will satisfy consumer needs. A destination brand manifests as an image in the mind of the consumer, which may be quite different to the self-image intended in the brand identity (Ashworth Goodall 1990). The images of the destination understood by consumers play a significant role in their travel purchase decisions. As a result, an understanding of the images held of the destination by consumers is important, to determine whether there is similarity between the desired brand image and that which resides in the minds of consumers. The concepts of brand identity, brand positioning and brand image are distinctive components of the construction of a brand. These are presented in Figure 1. A brand position is the part of the brand identity and value proposition that is to be actively communicated to the target audience and that demonstrates an advantage over competing brands (Aaker, 1996). Communication in this case is very important and for a country holding the Olympics it is very important that a number of communication campaigns are done as this would be the key to differentiate the country. The Olympics is a sport that creates an emotional relationship of a destination to potential visitors through the way the destination is marketed. One such destination is Australia. The Sydney Olympic Games in sporting, marketing, operations management, facility management with the combination of the ongoing aggressive marketing branding of the country as a whole, has created Australia to be known symbolizing to Australias economy (Morse, 2001; Tibbott, 2001). The use of the Sydney Olympics as a marketing tool has helped Australia estimate that with the hosting of the Games the acceleration of Australias marketing has accelerated by ten years providing an extra A$6.1 billion in foreign exchange earnings between 1997 and 2004 (Haynes, 2001). More information on the Sydney Olympics will be given in the next chapter. Destination Marketing Branding is possibly the most powerful marketing tool available to destination marketers who, are faced with increasing product parity, substitutability and competition (Morgan Pritchard 2002). Uniqueness in this day and age is the claim from most destinations if not all who state they have superb hotels, resorts and attractions down to the friendliest people and customer focused tourism industry and service. It is very difficult to differentiate destinations as most destinations offer the similar products such as the destinations that just offer the sun, sea and sand factor. Uniqueness from a destination comes from differentiating from the competitors. According to Macrae, Parkinson and Sheerman (1995) branding in marketing terms symbolises a combination of product characteristics and added values, both functional and non functional which is linked to brand awareness. As branding touches the emotional realm of consumers, they begin to make lifestyle statements as they are not only buying a brand but the emotional relationship (Sheth, Mittal and Newman, 1999; Urdde, 1999). Emotion and loyalty is one of the key differentiators that marketers try and portray for the appeal of brands (Westwood et al., 1999). It is the consumers perceptions, [their] beliefs, [their] feelings [that make] brands important (Lury, 1998) on the other hand, Hallberg (1995) disagrees that emotion is not enough, the answer is in the developing of a strong brand which holds some unique associations for the consumer. Branding Tools There are many brand tools/elements which are useful for destinations to have while promoting their destination, especially during ths2e Olympic Games. These brand elements are: Brand names Logos and symbols Characters or mascots Slogan and jingle Packaging and signage It takes many years to establish a brand image, name recognition and develop strong awareness of a destination or product (Curtis, 2001). The Olympics is a recognised brand just like the World Cup. Mega events such as sports are simple marketing tools which a destination can use to promote their destination. As brands create awareness, the private and public sectors take advantage in maximising the benefits. Brand Australia was created when the Sydney was chosen to host the Olympics in 2000. It was declared the best ever by the IOCs president, Juan Antonio Samaranch and Australias tourism strategy [was] described as a role model for future host cities. Brand logos are a graphic design used to identify a destination. They are recognisable, meaningful and positive. They are a part of a destinations sign system communicating identity (Hem Iversen, 2004). Brands have helped differentiate different destinations, the logo for Australia 2000, a Kangaroo, the countrys most recognised symbol, set against a red sun and blue waves created a unique recognition of Australia for many years. 1998 saw the launch of the three year brand advertising campaign. Morse (1998) commented that [the] campaign [gave]the opportunity to use the extraordinary interest in Australia surround the 2000 Olympic Games to build awareness and add depth and dimension to the destinations image. The use of Logos and Symbols creates an awareness of the destination which people can recall upon in the future, such as the Olympic rings which us versatile and transferable across cultures. The success of a brand is whether different cultures can recognise where the brand is fr om and what it represents. One way in which the Olympics and the host community have done this is through using characters or Mascots for the events and to promote the events. The mascot would portray the destination and the culture of the destination such as Australias mascots were three animals and birds that could be only found in Australia. These were the kookaburra, platypus and echidna symbolising the event, host city and the new millennium. Another element of branding is the use of slogans. Slogans are used to create a memorable event. The Olympics in general has always been known to have the slogan going for gold. This slogan gives the Olympics an advantage of creating awareness of not only the Olympics but the host destinations as well. Australias slogan fun and games was a way to encourage people to travel to Australia during and after the games (ATC, 2001). Branding is vital to success. As you can see from the examples given, the elements of branding and different aspects of branding have increased the awareness of the host destination. Marketing the destination Brand Once a destination has been developed as a brand, marketing the destination as a brand needs to be done. Advertising is one of the main activities of the marketing therefore advertising the brands needs to be accomplishing important objectives. Destination advertising continues to grow in budget and importance. Australia spent $6.7 million Australian dollars on promoting the whole country over a four year period before the Olympic Games (ATC, 2001). The most successful brands will last and be remembered for years even after an event. Brands only work if their image can be retained in cognitive and affective parts of the audience for long periods of time. Some brands retained successfully that audiences become instant word of mouth advertisers for the brand. A study realised that older adult tourism markets will continue to grow in both size and importance. The study tired to compare whether older people since they are more aged, had less memory retention then younger adults that are visually stimulated. Unexpectedly, with education and destination familiarity statistically controlled, results using text indicated age differences in favour of younger adults for the number of features recalled but not for elaborations. No memory differences were found using framed picture formats, suggesting that younger and older adults process information from pictures similarly. Follow-up analyses revealed that advertising format is a determinant of elaborative memory, while age is not.(MacKay, 2006) Marketing a destination brand needs to make advertising the destination brand effectively and efficiently. Advertising uses both written language and pictures as information to promote the destination along with their destination brand. The fact that aging differences poses no difference in elaborate memory, this helps advertisers strategise their plans to better recall their marketing objectives. A study further suggests that if formatting is one in the focus verses the age of the audience, the advertisement decision will lie between using text or framed pictures. Using text will bring more ideas which can be detailed via a beginning, middle and end sequence. However, elaborative processing of the information will not occur spontaneously, more experimental while reaching far and wide age differences. Mackay (2006) goes onto further state that destination marketers, on the practical side find this of interest. There is sufficient evidence that information plays a certain role in inspiring destination choice, and/or modifying motivations, expectations and activities. The contribution of pictures invokes tourists destination image and expectations. No matter what the age, pictures focus on evoking types of amplification and impressions that is often seen in image advertising. Content of advertisements remain as a mix of both text and visuals. Even though advertisers are currently exploring the new media of the web, in addition to traditional destination promotion avenues, advertisers at the end of the day will have to reckon and strike and effective balance between visuals and text. Advertising needs to address issues such as age, format and memory for tourism advertising. Olympics as a Marketing Vehicle The Olympic Games as an event has transformed into a vehicle for marketing a destination brand. Rather than an end in itself, when the games come to an end and the gold medals are awarded, the destination brand is still selling itself. Hosting the Olympics has not always bought in profit. Munich in 1972 lost  £178 million. The Montreal Olympics made an even bigger loss of  £692 million in 1976 (Preuss, 2004). However on a positive note and turning point for the Olympics, Los Angeles 1984 made a profit of  £215 million while in 1992 Barcelona made 358 million pesetas from the Olympics. The Atlanta Olympics in 1996 was able to help the Georgia economy when they profited with $5.1 billion. The Olympics has now evolved into a venue to market destinations. The Olympics committee is most secretive organisation tasked to vote and choose host bidder, years before the actual games. A press release from CBC (2006) commented, Even after a century of modern Olympic Games, the international Olympics committee is still very much a mystery. The IOC has been called by a reporter of being, the most autocratic, aristocratic, organisation in the world. The strict way of choosing the host is through the enormity of profitability that the Olympics games can achieve. To host the games gives a prestigious achievement to the chosen country. Not only opportunities for economic profit arise, but the chance of media coverage and urban regeneration. The Olympics in this way helps the destination become globally recognised. There is no loss in for the host country even through there is evidence of financial loss in the past. Success cannot be plainly measured on profit and loss. To increase the awareness of the sports events is included in a broader aim to raise the city of host country. Sport has always been an unbiased area that can benefit people in cross cultures. However economic impact is arguably one of the most important indicators of the success of a major sporting event and often one of the main incentives for attending to host the event initially (Brown Massy, 2001). In Britain economic impact importance if hosting the sports events became evident after the Euro 96 football championships, which attracted 280,000 overseas supporters who spent approximately  £120 million in the eight host cities (Dobson et al, 1997). The tournament itself made  £69 million for UEFA and although FA made an operating loss of  £1.7 million, a  £2.5 million surplus was made after taking into account Englands prize money for getting into the semi-finals (Kozak, 2002). The marketing platform that is offered by the Olympic Games is unrivalled. The marketing activities build and the unmatched competitive advantage is able let the host destination maximise the Olympic image. Sponsoring the Olympics is an advantage for both the local and global business entities (IOC, 2005). The breadth of Olympic sponsorship rights, benefits and opportunities provides partners with great flexibility and range in integrating the Olympic association throughout the corporate philosophy and into all aspects of corporate strategy (Olympic.org, 2006). Leveraging the Sporting events and the Olympics for tourism Leveraging sporting events is very important to a destination as the benefits for the host destinations are huge. According to Hall (1997) Mega-Events are associated with large-scale public [and private] expenditure and fast tracking of building projects. These enable the destination to start on the construction of facilities and infrastructure, erection of landmark structures, redevelopment and revitalisation of areas and transform urban space for example mega events in old industrial cities. There are many more advantages for leveraging sports for the host destination such as the construction of new attractions and landmarks and the construction of accommodation such as the Olympic villages. Sporting events creates a type of phase of beautification where plazas, streets, parks, community centres etc are refurbished not only for the pleasure of the tourists but for the local communities as well for the event and years after the event (ibid.) Leveraging the Sydney Olympics for Tourism According to Mr Ripoli (2000) an Australian MP (House of Representatives), the Sydney Olympics would create new initiatives for the Australian citizens such as an increase in jobs. He furthermore went on to state that for every ten percent increase in visitors to Australia, about 30,000 jobs would be created. A concern for what the Olympics will leave in terms of a legacy is pondered over by Olympics organisers. There is a major investment in the Games, during the ten years leading up to the Games (Chalip, 2000). When the investment of the Sydney Olympics was so high (0.6% of GDP), it was natural to ask what the return is on the investment. The number one return which is noticeable straight after the Games is the new sports facilities that remain after the Games. On the other hand, such a big venue would be hard to operate especially when events do not need such a big venue. For example in Barcelona, the Olympic diving facility and the Olympic baseball stadium are no longer in operation. Sydney has made improvements to the infrastructure to the host city. In Sydney, the city government made an investment of millions of dollars (AUS$115 million in 1998 1999 alone) to beautify the city. As an Olympic city is well known of having millions of tourists, Sydney from the time of the bid won to the Game opening, had increased their hotel room capacity by twenty-five percent. With an advantage of leveraging the Olympics a form of disadvantage always follows. According to Chalip (2000) the two Olympic stadia built require 200 events per year to break even and they are not even obtaining half that amount. A legacy is like a brand, the brand that is left after the event. In the next chapter a construction of how Sydney have managed their destination brand, before, during and after the Games. Case Study of the Olympics: Sydney 2000 Tourism destination branding is a new concept that has branched out from the popular of branding products and services. To narrowly define, it is the sum of what the market thinks when they hear the brand name. To effectively employ this marketing strategy, destination branding goes through all the touch spots, including but not limited to the physical environment, entry and exit points, signage, marketing, residents attitudes, transportation venues (airports, motorways), events, internet, visitor services and leadership. A specific case destination branding is found in the success of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The Sydney Olympics has been noticed as the most successful Olympics ever held. In this case, its success was a result of several destination branding factors including: Geographical areas The display of Olympic spirit The partnership of the ruling body in the Olympics Sydney is widely known for its landmarks such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. Banking on the existing destination branding that the tourist spots have made in the past, it helped project Sydney towards better branding strategies. These places contributed to the success of the Olympic Games in 2000, but the most important aspects to be noted in terms of geographical area are the improvements made in Sydneys transportation infrastructure and its capability to supply the needs of the Olympic games (with only population of 3.9million, Sydney already has 50m pools compared to 7+ million people in London with just one pool). The success of the Sydney Olympics could also be attributed to the high spirits displayed in the event. Volunteerism displayed in the Olympic Games of 2000 was defined as something to be treasured and kept by Aussie volunteers (both athletes and spectators). The people of the city had high level of involvement in day-to-day activities and expressed their connection with the spirit of the Games in unexpected and informal ways. Informality and spontaneity were therefore central to the creative spirit of the Sydney Games. The peo

kids :: essays research papers

unsubstantiated cases. The National Crime Survey shows that in â€Å"1987 children in the twelve to fifteen age group suffered a rate of victimization, exceeded only by that of people aged sixteen to twenty-four† ( Whitcomb 431). Another form of child abuse is incest. Incest can be described as sexual acts between two people who are so closely related that the law forbids them to marry. In a great majority of incest cases, the victim is a female. Her assailant is usually a male adult, uncle, cousin, or brother. Some studies have shown that â€Å"40 percent of all women who use drugs have incest in their past† (Giovannoni 4 ). Abuse does not just mean that the child is likely to become an abusive parent. There is another great danger. Studies show that â€Å"abused children have a habit of getting into trouble with the law† (Conte 42). There are no statutes that clearly distinct between what is and what is not considered to be child abuse and neglect. Therefore, police and other public officials must take each case separately into consideration. Some people believe it is better for an abused child to be placed in foster care. Yet, foster care, in some cases, may be more harmful to the child’s health. Despite a â€Å"department policy that says children should not be put in homes with more than six children, sixteen percent are†(Giovannoni 25). One fourth of all abused children in foster care return to their parents. It has been estimated that some ten thousand children are severely battered every year, fifty to seventy-five thousand are sexually abused, one hundred thousand are emotionally neglected, and another one hundred thousand are physically, morally, or educationally neglected. It only takes a quick scan of the headlines to see that sex offenders come in a variety of shapes and sizes – principals, teachers, coaches, doctors, lawyers, scout leaders, ministers, priests, neighbors, relatives – the butcher, and the banker. Every child is vulnerable to abuse. Today’s parents must face the possibility that someone may hurt or take advantage of their child. Research indicates that as many as â€Å"one out of every four children will be the victim of some type of abuse† (Daro 87). In order to highlight the problems of determining what is abuse and neglect here is an example of some cases. â€Å"A three year old in Tennessee was forced by her stepfather to walk for three days and three nights, until she died of exhaustion.

Electrical Engineering :: essays research papers

Electrical Engineering Work Performed Electrical Engineers research, develop, design, and test electronic components, products, and systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, and scientific applications (Cosgrove 749). They are concerned with devices that use small amounts of electricity that make up electronic components such as integrated circuits and microprocessors. By applying principles and techniques of electronic engineering they design, develop, and manufacture products such as computers, telephones, radios, and stereo systems (EGOE, 121). Electrical engineers touch everyone lives through the things they have designed or created. Electrical engineers have invented the lights in your house, the television, the stereo, the telephone, computers, and even your doctor’s blood pressure gauge (Stine 300). History The history of engineering goes back into the 19th century when Alexander Volta (1745-1827) made a remarkable discover regarding the nature of electricity (Cosgrove 749). He discovered that electrical current could be controlled and could flow from one point to another. By the time the mid-19th century came about the rules for electricity were being established. During this time electromagnetic induction was discovered by Michael Faraday who lived from 1791 to 1867 (749). Also during this time Samuel Morris invented the telegraph in 1837 which relies on the principles of electromagnetic induction (749). Alexander Graham Bell, who lived from 1847 to 1922, created the telephone which also uses electricity in order to operate (749). Through the success of the telephone, Bell Telephone Company was established. In 1878, the light bulb was finally invented by Thomas Edison who lived from 1847 to 1931 (749). Off the principles of Faraday’s electric motor from 1821, Nicholas Tesla inve nted a more efficient and powerful electric motor in 1888 (749). To make these inventions be more significant, effort was expended to make better motors and transformers and to enhance the power needed to make them function. Through these inventions during the middle 19th century, it led to the capability of lighting homes and cities through the use of electricity, and it also led to the creation of the telephone communication system (750).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Into The 20th Century By the time the 20th century arrived, vacuum tubes were invented that could transmit weak electrical signals which led to the formation of electromagnetic waves that led to the invention of the radio broadcast system (750). These vacuum tubes were discovered to be able to transmit currents through solid material, which led to the creation of transistors in the 1960’s (750).

Function of Music in Theatre Essay

QUESTION #1 Discuss the dramatic functions of music in two works of Music Theatre, including some consideration of the relationship between music and other elements of the performance event. Music and drama have the capability of not only integrating to create spectacular visual and aural events in theatre, but they have a distinct capacity to support each other – to heighten one-another to innovative, intrepid and even excessive levels. These levels reached are rarely paralleled in real life, at least not as effortlessly as they are in musical theatre. It seems that in some cases, the two elements aren’t complete unless they form a relationship – just as hydrogen and oxygen bond to produce water. ‘Music is created from sound as life is created from matter’ (Reti, 1961). Music in drama is somewhat a broad topic, as this communicates the infinite range of subtleties of music in drama, but the approach to evaluating this form of theatre is particularly important; is the focus upon the effect of the music upon the drama, or the drama upon the music? Is the focus upon the unity of the two, or their distinctions? This report will focus upon the use of music in theatre as an amplifier. The aim of this document is to hold a metaphorical magnifying glass over two individual pieces of drama: Lionel Bart’s music in ‘Oliver!’ and Elliot Goldenthal’s music in ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’. The two pieces of drama are poles apart when relating the plots, themes, settings and a great many others, but although the two works have over 30 years between them in production, there are particular conventions to be found within the composition of their music scores, which both illustrate the effectiveness of the basic systems in music to develop the drama, and the revolutions occurring in the new generation of drama for today’s new generation of audience. Although the music analyzed in this report can be easily disregarded by the audience as ‘backdrop’ music, there is a much deeper and arousing basis to the composer’s production of this music, which is there for much more than simply saying to the audience â€Å"This is where the character is†. ‘The great composers were fully aware both of the thematic principle and of the technique through which they materialized it.† – (Reti, 1961) The music used in these examples were not used simply for a pleasing auditory ‘spanner in the works’, but to achieve a new level of understanding especially from the point of view of particular characters. The music of the composers Bart and Goldenthal, successfully achieves a more intense portrayal of their characters featured, through the use of both subtlety and supplement. ‘Oliver’ will be the main focus for the initial component of this report, so that the two pieces of drama can be analyzed chronologically. ‘Oliver!’ is a musical interpretation of Charles Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ and is a tender account of an orphan boy who runs away from the orphanage and journeys to London. He endeavors to â€Å"pick-a-pocket-or-two† for his new lodger Fagin, but gets caught. As Fagin tries to save him, Oliver decides that all he wants now is go to his newly discovered uncle, and live a good life. Oliver premiered on Broadway in January of 1963 and ran for 774 performances. It was converted into a film later that decade and subsequently won 6 academy awards including best picture for 1968. Throughout the duration of the Musical, the audience is drawn into Oliver’s world – hauled into his story through the use of melody and song. The initial scene where Oliver Twist first enters London is a defining component of the Musical, where (in film version) you see him gaze adoringly out at the clock tower above from underneath a dozen cabbages – the symphony slowly building as he pulls together the impulse to jump out form the basket and then stumble out into the middle of the street to view this living, breathing city before him. The music now escalates at this point and creates a strong resonance whilst he gawks with innocence and naivety at every moving spectacle around him. A brass fanfare erupts in unison with Oliver’s eruption from the basket and strongly accompanies the other sounds of the city such as the hustle and bustle of loaded carriages, trains blasting their whistles, people rich and poor alike scurrying about busily like ants – oblivious to the music unlike Oliver. This scene captures almost every conceivable aspect of the city from Oliver’s eyes and packs it tightly into song with The Artful Dodger’s swift introduction, reception and invitation in the song â€Å"Consider Yourself†, at which point he takes Oliver on an excursion around the busy city. A humorous contrast is provided here in this scene – where Dodger sings the lines â€Å"Consider yourself at home, consider yourself one of the family† whilst at the same time, both he and Oliver are being scrutinized by policemen and chased by merchants as they weave and bob their way through the immeasurable stream of dancing butchers, grocers, paperboys, fishmongers, etc. Soon after this scene, Fagin gives Oliver a lesson on how to â€Å"Pick a Pocket or Two†. The music in this scene is lighthearted and comedic but offers many subtleties to be investigated, such as the deep brass used to convey the sense of danger, the sense of capture or discovery, but the underscore of flutes happily tooting away at Oliver’s new found conception that the art of thievery is all just a game – not something evil or punishable at least. Interestingly, when you meet up with the character Bill Sikes (a fiendish henchman with a violent and deadly temper) there is an immediate shift in music, just as if his entrance creates a wind that pushes the high-spirited music out of the room to make space for his deep, rich and threatening score. Although Oliver is a high-spirited production, there are strong hints of the dilemmas of poverty and violence brought into three dimensions with song, but more contemporary dramatic works have required more than these fundamental methods to bring the characters and scenes to life – literally. ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’ was released as a full-length feature film in 2001. This feature however was different to any other as the entire film was animated. The story of ‘Final Fantasy’ is set in the year 2065 where the remaining inhabitants of earth are locked in a battle to take back the Earth from marauding alien invaders. Led by a strange repeating dream, Dr. Aki Ross may be the only one who can save the human race from extinction. Elliot Goldenthal was provided the challenge of bringing the synthetic characters to life through his musical composition. ‘There seemed to be only one logical answer for me, which was to amplify the humanness in any place that was dramatically possible. I wanted to treat the character’s emotional interactions, for example, as one would treat them in normal drama, with a lyrical sweeping melody.’ (Goldenthal, 2001). Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, Goldenthal’s music for ‘Final Fantasy’ attempted at every point to bring life to the characters in the story both emotionally and physically. This is evident in the very first scene of the film where the audience is introduced to Aki, when she is having her repeated dream. The introduction of the accompanying piece is led by the sound of a glass harmonica to convey the potential sensitivity and fragility of Aki’s character. She wakes from the dream and finds herself on her spacecraft, revolving across the surface of the earth. In the next scene, she descends to earth accompanied by an almost military fanfare of brass and strings coming together on a strong Eb chord, giving a feeling of purpose and decision to this descent. Her ship touches down on the desolate, empty streets of New York, and the music instantly stops in a parallel with the apocalyptic emptiness of the long-dead city. Further on in the movie, Aki’s love interest Gray Edwards becomes critically infected by one of the aliens and is given only a matter of minutes to live unless treated immediately. Aki is forced to work against time in an attempt to save Gray, The dramatic tension in this scene is heightened by Goldenthal’s Score â€Å"Code Red†, composed basically of intense strings and strong percussion symbolizing a clock, and also signifying the value and importance of time. The music steadily builds in pitch, volume and intensity as the timer next to the operating table nears 0:00, but the tempo remains the same due to the fact that the time on the clock cannot speed up or slow down. At the climax of the scene, Aki saves Gray with only seconds to spare and as soon as the operation finishes the music abruptly ends, leaving the audience somewhat temporarily suspended in a moment of heightened tension. In a later scene, Gray and Aki are engaged in a private conversation where Aki speaks of a terminally ill eight-year-old girl she once spent time with before her death. In this scene where Aki reveals her emotional vulnerability for the first time, Goldenthal chose for this to be the first moment in the film where a piano is used. He decided on this due to the fact that the characters are so far away from any type of home in a desolate land, instead of going high-tech, a more earthy instrument is needed, something not basic, but elementary in musical design. The piano in this scene reminds the audience of home and connects the animated characters with images of a soft and sympathetic reality. A scene later in the film shows General Hein, (the villain of the film) in his office speaking of how his wife and child were killed by the aliens. Throughout the earlier scenes of the movie, the General is composed in a gloomy light, but in this particular scene, he is viewed musically in a sympathetic light. The music is tender and wistful as he unconsciously shows why his contempt for the aliens proves to cloud his judgment. There is a reference in the music that although there is compassion within this character, it is somewhat suppressed to an almost dormant state, overshadowed by hate and resentment. ‘We must always rely on the music as our guide toward our understanding of the composer’s conception of the text. It is this conception, not the bare text itself that is authoritative in defining the ultimate meaning of the work.’ (Kerman, 1989). The function of this music being strategically used in drama is for the benefit of the audience not only because it has the ability to paint a scene, but it also opens up the dialogue and opens up the characters and lets the audience see what is going on inside of them. The function is ‘to supply certain kinds of meaning to the drama, meanings that enrich immeasurably, and enrich dramatically, and that cannot be presented in any other way’ (Kerman, 1989). Drama alone can hopelessly attempt to convey some of the aspects of life that music can convey in just a few notes, and music can ridiculously hope to fulfill all the needs of a script without any real actions or dialogue, but in the end, the two combined provide an infinite array of possibilities and interpretations to be searched. In conclusion, if the composer is faced with the challenge of creating music to accompany drama, there is no unambiguous method of composition that one has to follow, but the impartiality between the two elements requires a strong correspondence at every point where they meet, or else the implication, sensation or meaning you are trying to convey will become caught in some redundant crossfire and the audience will lose the chance of gaining something extra from a piece of theatre capable of reaching outside of it’s three dimensions. – B. Daly Clark REFERENCES Goldenthal, E. (2001) The Composer’s Challenge. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, New York: Marca Registrada Kerman, J. (1989) Opera as Drama, London: Richard Clay Limited. Lippman, E. A., Hatch, C. (1999) The philosophy & Aesthetics of Music, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press Reti, R. (1961) The Thematic Process in Music, London: Faber and Faber Limited.

Transworld Auto Parts

Christine Lam BA 453 – Case Briefing: Transworld Auto Parts November 11, 2012 Company Overview: Transworld Auto Parts (TAP) is a Tier 1 manufacturer of original and after-market parts for automobile producers both in the United States and abroad. TAP focuses on manufacturing in two core product lines: electronics and interiors. Apart from that, it also separates its customer-centered divisions into four divisions: luxury, economy, mid-priced, and truck. TAP also serves in three main geographic markets including North America, Europe, and Asia.Problem Definition: Which of the two balanced scorecard approaches better illustrates how Transworld Auto Parts can improve their ROCE by 8% given the current economic downturn? Situational Analysis: Transworld Auto Parts belongs in the automobile manufacturing industry. This industry is very susceptible to industry trends and changes because much of the industry’s sales depends on the external environment which affects both consum er and supplier behavior. During 2008 when the economy experienced a global recession, many auto makers such as Chrysler and General Motors were on the brink of insolvency due to the decline in car sales.Utilizing the PESTEL framework to better understand the macro-environment, the recession reflects economic factors in the external environment which can influence the industry. The recession affected consumers in the sense that they possessed less disposable income, causing them to be less inclined to purchase new cars during this time. However, other aspects of the external environment can benefit firms within this industry. For example, with the rising automobile production in Asia, many suppliers can consider global expansion and developing sales in international markets.Many car manufacturers in Asia possess low labor costs and a great demand in local markets, so suppliers within the industry have this opportunity to expand. Not only is it important to consider the industry and external environment in which TAP operates in, it is also important to analyze its internal resources and capabilities in order to better understand the company. TAP currently has operations in four different customer-centered divisions: luxury, economy, mid-priced, and truck. However, TAP decided to only focus on improving their luxury and economy division because these two divisions will allow TAP to compete ggressively and make the most profit, according to their research. Each of the separate divisions is managed by a separate manager and supporting staff. This allows Ellen Bright, CEO of TAP to distinguish results from each division and form her own board of directors to make strategic decisions. TAP flourishes with this hierarchical structure because it allows the company to micromanage each separate division’s profitability for the company and for it to implement any changes when necessary.Strategy: After Bright decided to cut the other two divisions, each manager from the luxury and economy division respectively were assigned to create a balanced score card to describe their objectives on how to improve their division and what must be done to achieve their parent company’s target goal of an 8% return on capital employed (ROCE). Eckhardt, president of the luxury division presented a balanced score card that was simple yet with focused objectives for each aspect of the balanced score card.For example, the financial perspective contained 4 main goals: increase ROCE, increase cash flow, increase revenue, and increase gross margin. The customer perspective simply included: improve customer satisfaction, manage innovation, and initiation customer R&D partnerships. Similarly, the process perspective included two main goals: reduce raw materials cost and maintain quality leadership. Lastly, the learning and growth perspective only included one objective: increase employee engagement. On the other hand, Kwon, president of the economy division took a more complex and descriptive approach with the balanced score card.He went into detail about each of the four perspectives and proposed very specific, action-oriented goals. He had similar financial perspective objectives, but each of the other perspectives contained about four or five different objectives. For example, the learning and growth perspective contained six objectives: train buyers on low cost procurement, enhance electronic interchanges with customers and suppliers, transform workforce into JIT/lean experts, make JIT/lean a priority for all workers, alight IT to support TQM and JIT, and enhance workforce capabilities in TQM.Both approaches of the balanced score card aim to attain similar overall goals. Below are some pros and cons for each approach: Luxury Division- Pros: focusing goals in broad chunks make it easier to attain, with attainable goals employees are happier, creating healthier company morale Cons: too simple without specifically stating what actions mus t be taken in order to meet objectives, might cause confusion among employees Economy Division- Pros: very detailed with specific measures and actions on how to achieve objectives Cons: may seem to expect too much from employees, which makes goal appear to be and discourage employeesAction Plan: After analyzing both approaches to the balanced score card, the economy division presented a more well thought out and action specific plan to reach the company’s target goal. The most important factors to consider when analyzing balanced score cards are: * Does it describe and link? * Does it provide incentives and balances? * Does it predict and plan? Kwon did a great job describing each objective and linking it to other perspectives of the BSC. This in turn created specific goals which are measurable.The objectives he proposed included both financial and non financial goals creating an overall balance. Lastly, his balanced score card plans for not only short term objectives but als o long term objectives which helps plan for the company’s future success. In conclusion, Kwon had a better approach to the balanced score card and Bright should promote Kwon to the COO position. Appendix A Revised Balanced Score Card for Luxury Division | Objectives| Measures| Financial Perspective| Increased ROCE| ROCE| Increase Cash Flow| Year-to-date cash flow from operating activities| Increase Revenue| Year-to-date revenue|Increase Gross Margin| Gross Margin %| Customer Perspective| Improve customer satisfaction| global market share| Be low-cost provider of quality| % of components with prices lower than competitors| Manage innovation of products | number of new products introduced, customer surveys | Create customer R&D partnerships| number of customers with whom TAP partners with | Be highest quality provider| customer surveys | Process Perspective| Reduce raw materials cost| cost of raw materials with respect to % of revenue| Eliminating defect rates| track number of defects|Improve supplier base| number of suppliers, ratings of each supplier| Better inventory/demand forecasting| % reduction in inventory carrying costs | Improve manufacturing efficiency| reduction in unscheduled downtime, % reduction in labor hours per part | Learning and Growth Perspective | Increase training of employees| number of certified employees| Increase employee engagement| satisfaction surveys| Aligning IT support | % increase in IT spending| Managing tools employee uses| employee survey |