The Challenges for Informatics in Developing Software for Modern Multikernel Computers

The challenges for Informatics in developing software for modern multikernel computers Abstract The purpose of this post is to examine the introduction of  parallel computing and the challenges of software development  for Parallel execution environment. First I will introduce the idea of parallel computing and up next I will present and evaluate the challenges of parallel computing along with their solutions and finally some conclusion will be drawn. Vertical & Horizontal Development in ComputingThe question arise when we are thinking about how the  complex scientific problems  of the twenty-first century including climate modeling, genomic research and artificial intelligence are testing the limits of the Von Neumann model of sequential processing. In the past, computer scientists worked on the new approach to extend the  power of computers in vertical manner, this means that they were working on producing huge super computers but with recent advances in technology and re ducing cost of resources and arrival of multi kernel processing has helped us to think about new ways to solve huge and complex problem in parallel manners.Introduction to parallel computing For the most part, along with a host of new research questions that have arisen in the last decade, there remains a significant challenge today. Parallel processing  offers the promise of providing the computational speed required to solve important large-scale problems. In fact, parallel processing requires a big shift in how we think to solve the problem. Regardless of new hardware technologies, we should think about the new approach of developing software systems and also the way we think about our problem and presenting our solution. (Design and Analysis of Computer Algorithms).Challenges of parallel computing For the sake of applying the power and flexibility of multi-core processors, we should think about a new approach to  breakdown huge problems  into smaller elements. A better ill ustration of parallel processing occurs when a divide and conquer model is used to solve a task. In this approach the problem is successively partitioned into smaller and smaller parts and sent off to other processors, until each one has only a trivial job to perform. Each processor then completes that trivial operation and returns its result to the processor that sent the task.These processors in turn do a little work and give the results   back to the processors that gave them the tasks, and so on, all the way back to the originating processor. In this model there is far more communications between processors. n the next step, we should think about how to express our program which can be executable in a parallel computing environment. Functional Programming plays a vital role in this area, since it provide programmer to solve their issue in functional manner rather than sequential processing.There are simple principles in functional programming such as avoiding Mutable states, L ambdas, Closures and more importantly declarative paradigm which help programmers to free their mind about concurrency, synchronization, Race Condition and other multi core computation issues. Although parallel  functional programming  helps us to represent our program in declarative manner in order to be applicable for parallel execution, but the problem is remain unsolved without thinking about how we can manage data in parallel computing environment.Industrial Revolution of Data – Age of Big Data We’re now entering into new age of computing named as â€Å"Industrial Revolution of Data†. In fact, the majority of data will be produced automatically by different kinds of machine such as software logs, video cameras, RFID, wireless sensors and so on. Due to the considerable decrease in cost of computer resources, storing those data is so cheap, so companies tend to collect and store them in huge data warehouse for future when it can be mined for valuable info rmation.The  Big Data now comes to play, working with such distributed, huge and complex data would be impossible or better to say inefficient with existing software and databases system. We should think about other approaches for storing large set of data which is stored in different computers and in the next step effectively mining and executing queries from those sources. Perhaps the biggest game-changer to come along is  MapReduce, the parallel programming framework that has gained prominence thanks to its use at web search companies.The research in parallel computing has had the most success and influence in parallel databases. In fact, instead of breaking out a large problem into smaller element execute by different threads simultaneously, parallel database help us to store, querying and retrieve data from distributed resources over network effectively. MapReduce as Parallel Programming Framework MapReduce  algorithm is invented by Google to cope with Big Data in their s earch engine system. In fact, MapReduce is containing two simple primitives function which are available in Lisp and also in other functional languages.The computation include two basic operation, a map operation which execute on input records containing key/value pairs, and then invoking a reduce operation which collect and aggregate all responses from different nodes. There are many different Implementations in different programming languages which are exist and used in industry for processing large set of data. In fact, most of  NoSQL databases  use this algorithm for collecting data from different sources in distributed heterogeneous environment. The biggest advantage of MapReduce is that it allows for distributed processing of map and reduction function.In fact, it allows us, to collect and process distributed data stored in different machine simultaneously. Conclusion Parallel computing  can help us to solve hug complex problem in more efficient way. In order to parallel ize our task we should think about different challenges which we cope in developing software for parallel execution environment. However, we should bear in mind that parallel computing is useful when we are facing with a big problem which can distributed among different computing agents. In addition, we should deeply think about the  nature of problem,  time  as well as  limits  and  costs  of Parallel Programming.

High School Teacher

In your own words explain the symptoms of Shame Leisure's Syndrome and its causes. What do we learn about Seamless sister Pure in this chapter? Who does Shame blame for his syndrome? Question 2: What does Shame feel about the story of how he got his name? What image does Shame use to describe his father and his keenness to tell the story of Seamless naming to unsuspecting Victims'? Why do you think he uses this comparison? Do you think it is effective? Why/why not? Question 3: Who or what does Seamless father dress up as in the hospital the dayShame is born? Why does he do this? Question 4: Who is Herman Melville and why does Shame describe him as the ‘real culprit' in the curse of Shame Lesser? Question 5: What does Barry Bagley do that makes Shame describe him as a ‘mad dog mauling a shoe? Question 6: What method does Shame use to survive going to the same school as Barry Bagley? How does Shame sum up Year Nine at SST Daniels Boys College? Question 7: Write down a list of words Shame uses to describe his new teacher Miss Tarragon. Why do you think he says she won't survive the term? Do you think he will be right or wrong?Explain your response. Question 8: What conclusions do you think Miss Tarragon might draw about Shame from his ‘Five Amazing Things about Me' list? Question 9: What challenge does Miss Tarragon put to the class? Why should Barry Bagley have ‘listened carefully? What did Shame know about Miss Tarragon after just one day? Question 10: What effect does his encounter with Miss Tarragon have on Barry Bagley and his treatment of Shame? Question 1 1: Why does Shame decide not to turn around and go home another way when he sees Barry and the others bullying the primary school boy?

Colour in cinema Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Colour in cinema - Literature review Example ram (2008) argued that the use of colour in cinema has become a preferred and more acceptable part of the viewing audience as against the use of monochrome. In line with the acceptability that has been attached to the use colour in cinema, several theories and concepts have been developed about what different forms of colour represents and how these can best be used to send the right meanings to the viewing audience. This literature review therefore attempts to answer the critical question of how best the multiplicity of colour can be managed in cinema to send the right meaning to audience. Street (2012) noted that the history of colour in motion picture in Britain can be traced as far back as 1899 when Edward Raymond Turner patented a colour additive system in England. However, it was not until 1902 that the additive colour system was tested. This shows that the very first cases of colour in motion pictures in Britain started in the form of additive colour when colour was externally created by mixing the light of two or more different colours (Katz, 1991). The first additive colour system by Turner was regarded by many as complex and so a more simplified version was created by George Albert Smith, which saw commercial success in 1909 (Bordwell & Kristin, 2004). In the study by Street (2012) however, her emphasis was on how the concept of colour in motion pictures was embraced in its early forms in Britain. This is because according to her, the idea of black-and-white films had been with the people for long and was considered superior and natural in state than the earl iest forms of colour films. However, with time, film makers and the audience saw colour films as a way of developing the unique British aesthetic (Jamilla, 2008). It is not surprising that by 1930, there had been several innovators and inventors who had produced films that demonstrated remarkable experimentation and quality through the use of colour (Street, 2012). As colour films have become a part

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in strengthening beams in Literature review

The use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRP) in strengthening beams in the u.k - Literature review Example The fibres are usually glass, carbon or Aramid. Fibre reinforcement enhances strength and stiffness. FRP can be categorized in a class of materials known as composite materials, which are made up of two or more materials. When these materials are put together, they retain both their chemical and physical characteristics. FRP differ from other construction materials such as steel or aluminum that are viewed as traditional construction materials (ACI 440.2R-08, 2008). FRP contains properties that are apparent in the direction of applied load while steel or aluminum has uniform properties in all directions. The text will look at FRP and its role in strengthening structures as compared to other construction materials. ... The composite is named after the reinforcing fibre. For instance a composite that is reinforced by carbon, will be referred to as Carbon Fibre Reinforced polymer (CFPR). The three fibres have different properties and carbon is viewed as the most suitable for strengthening. All the three fibres are said to contain a higher stress capacity than ordinary steel. They are also linear elastic. Stiffness and tensile strain are the properties that differ between the fibre types. The three fibres are presented in figure 1. They are compared with an ordinary steel bar and a steel tendon Fig. 1 Properties of different fibres and typical reinforcing steel (ACI Committee 440 (1996) and Dejke (2001). The fibers used in FRP composite material have unique characteristics that make them desirable for strengthening purposes. Some of the characteristics include high levels of elasticity for application in reinforcement, high eventual strength and low disparity of strength among fibers. Other significan t characteristics are enhanced stability to endure manipulation techniques and consistency in diameters and surface dimension in the fibers. Some of the fibers used in FRP composites include glass fibers, carbon fibers and Aramid fibers. Glass fibers These types of fibers find application mainly in the naval and industrial areas to manufacture composites of relatively high performance. They are beneficial due to their high strength. The glass fibers are composed of silicon (SiO2) having a tetrahedral structure (SiO4). The material is further strengthened with aluminum oxides and additional metallic ions. Between the two types of glass fibers, the S-glass fibers normally have an enhanced tensile strength compared to the E-glass. Fiberglass is manufactured through the

The theoretical foundation of states regulatory response to the Essay

The theoretical foundation of states regulatory response to the financial crisis - Essay Example inancial crisis arises when the demand for money is more than the supply resulting in a liquidity problem forcing banks to borrow to make up for the shortfall and in some cases leading to a collapse of this banks. This results into a financial crisis. It is for this reasons that theories have been developed across the financial field on the regulatory response to the crisis. The following are some of the financial regulations that are being adopted by many nations across the globe in trying to control the financial crisis includes; liquidity risk management, money market operations by the central banks, bank insolvency regimes, financial crisis management, and the deposit insurance. This paper seeks to explore the theoretical foundation of states regulatory response to the financial crisis. The Deposit Insurance has been used as a way of regulating the financial institutions to control the financial crisis from inflicting adverse effects on the economy of a country. The deposit insurance is a measure used to protect the bank depositors in case of a financial crisis (Strater and Corneli 2008 p.46). It protects the investors from losing the money they invest in the banks in case the banks have liquidity problem and become insolvent. The Insurance deposits ensure that the investors recover the money. The deposit insurance operates by allowing the banks to deposit part of the money with the Insurance deposit to cushion them from any financial crisis that may lead to recession and closure of these banks. The United States for example protected the smaller banks from the poor states by adopting the insurance Deposit as a strategy to avert a looming financial crisis (McDonald 1996 p.19-23). Liquidity risk management theory is also a regulatory response theory to financial crisis. Liquidity is the ability of a bank to fund its assets and meets its long and short term obligation as and when they fall due. When a bank is faced with a financial crisis, it is not able to

Service Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Service Management - Assignment Example The chapter even focuses on the issues of queue as well as bottlenecks and the using of queuing theory to face these issues in capacity management. The chapter even focuses on how organizations need to manage their coping zone and how the utilization of the resources can be managed and improved. In case of a cruise, the organization can implement demand based capacity management strategy. In this strategy the cruise may face the issue of increase in reservations and in order to meet this increase they can decrease the demand for reservation by increasing the prices of their services (Johnston 2012). An internet retailer can experience an increase in demand and if it does not have the required amount of staff to deliver the goods and services. Then the internet retailer can adopt the chase management strategy by increasing the number of part time or contractual workers and even by increasing the hours of work and pay overtime to them. An insurance broker may use the chase strategy in case it is experiencing a decline in demand for its insurance services. Insurances are sold by salesmen on the basis of commission. An insurance broker may higher individuals on basis of commission instead of hiring individuals on basis of fixed salary and pays them according to their number of sales. This will help the insurance broker in managing its cost of

The UK Mobile Phone Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The UK Mobile Phone Business - Essay Example This is so because success is based on an organisation's ability to create, rather than predict the future by developing those products that will literally transform the way the world thinks and view it self and the needs (Kanter 1995:71). Within the context of today's global competition, businesses and firms no-longer compete as individual companies but try to corporate with other businesses in their activities (Wu & Chien 2007:2). These researchers went further to argue that, this strategy has become quite common in many businesses including the retail clothing chain stores. The conventional vertical integrated company based business model is gradually being replaced by collaborative relationship between many fragmented, but complementary and specialized value stars and constellation (Wu & Chien:1). This paper aim at examining the changing external environment of businesses. The paper how ever focueses on United Kingdom Mobile phone industry. Using certain analytical techniques such as the PESTLE model the paper examines five environmental change drivers. These include, Economic factors, political factors, Technological and socio cultural. However, attention will be based on three of these factors. According to Johnson et al ... 2.0 The UK Mobile phone external business Environment LAYOUT OF THE PESTEL FRAMEWORK According to Johnson et al (2005), the PESTEL framework can only be used to look at the future impact of environmental factors and that this impact might be different from the past. Thus an understanding of how the factors in the above framework may drive change is only a starting point (Johnson et al 2005).There is a need for an understanding of the key change drivers. From the PESTLE framework outline above, the UK mobile phone industry like any other industry in the UK is affected by all the factors outlined in the framework. However, because this paper requires us to focus on four stories, these three factors are examined below. 2.2 Economic Factors All the economic factors can be regarded to have an impact on the UK mobile phone industry. For example, high unemployment rate, high inflation rates, low GNP trends and slumps in the business cycle will imply low disposable income, more dependence by the citizens on credit facilities, borrowed funds and thus alternative sources of finance. The US dollars is currently increasing at an increasing rate when compared to the British pounds, this will mean an increase in the currency exposure. Transaction and translation cost will be high in the UK, value of credit facilities if granted in UK pounds will fall. The value of mobile phones operator's assets in the US will increase when doing reporting in the parent company currency, the British pounds. What is the income distribution What are the shopping habits, what is it that other mobile operators offer that, others don't The future budget situation of the UK government Is the government striving at a surplus, deficit,

Case Study - Mountain Bank Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Case Study - Mountain Bank - Essay Example Universalistic approach Universalistic approach focuses on identifying a set of practices that are beneficial to all organizations. It has a number of practices known as the commitment strategy that are beneficial to organizations. Practices in the commitment strategy give an impression that management cares about its employees. The strategy also ensures that employees have the training and freedom to pursue important job tasks. Mountain Bank should ensure that the tellers are treated well and know that they are valued as they are the main contact persons with the customers. A good and committed work force has been proved to increase efficiency in an organization and therefore increasing the overall productivity of the organization. Employees should be well trained on their tasks as they are the main drivers of customer satisfaction in the organization. Long term commitment will also assist in facilitating the strategy of leveraging the strong retailing clientele to taking up their s ervices in the real estate and corporate areas. Human Resource Strategies There are four human resource strategies that an organization can take up and these include the internal/cost approach, external/cost approach, internal/differentiation approach and external/differentiation approach. ... This strategy emphasizes hiring and retaining loyal employees who do task as per instructions given. Organizations with this strategy design work so that employees have broad roles and perform a variety of different tasks. Persons recruited and hired fit the organization culture and have a potential to become loyal employees. Efforts are made to satisfy the needs of employees and build a strong bond that reduces the likelihood of employee turnover. Organizations with this human resource strategy hire people early in their careers and provide them with extensive training in a number of different skills. Careers include different positions and promotions are made into positions that are not closely related to previous experiences. Performance appraisals are designed to facilitate cooperation rather than competition, thus encouraging team work. Compensation includes long-term incentives and benefits. Unions which help build feelings of unity are common in organizations with this kind of strategy. The external orientation combined with a cost leadership strategy results in a Bargain Laborer HR strategy. The emphasis of this strategy is on obtaining employees who do not demand high wages. Organizations with this strategy design work so that managers can tightly control employee efforts. Each employee is given clearly defined tasks that can be learned easily. People are recruited and hired to perform simple tasks that do not require clearly developed skills. Minimal attention is given in meeting the long-term needs of employees. Organizations with this human resource strategy don’t provide careers with clear paths for promotion and advancement. Performance appraisal focuses on a day-to-day feedback and rarely incorporates formal measures. Training is

Roche Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Roche - Coursework Example 56). The method is essential for the implementation of innovative approaches, branding strategies, and synchronistic strategies. On the other hand, businesses engage on innovative approaches to evaluate market viability, dynamics of the clients, and the appropriate technology to implement in achieving successful outcomes (OrtuÃŒ n Rubio and GarciÃŒ a-Fontes, 2011, p. 33). The following is a critical discussion seeking to implement the process of marketing and innovation in Roche Pharmaceuticals inclined to appropriate recommendations to decipher its success and probable opportunities in the market. Roche Pharmaceuticals operates in the healthcare industry seeking to deliver astound resolutions in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics market segments. The healthcare industry is composite of many dynamics and business finding the idea of evaluation an inevitable course. Roche’s marketing and innovation programs exist amidst an ever-changing environment for the industry is broadly affected by internal and external environmental forces. Arguably, the healthcare industry exposes the available business entities to uncertainties due to a process of continued degree of competition (Moffat, Bohmert, and Hulme, 2008, p. 107). This also serves to barricade new businesses from entering the market. Roche is a globally renowned producer of medical equipment, taking the divisions of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics respectively (Tinguely, 2013, p. 32). The former field is tasked with applied sciences, and Roche Molecular Diagnostics. Further, the field draws the company into professional and tissue diagnostics, and diabetes care. The latter is tasked to the Roche Pharma, Genentech, and Chugai that serves to enhance its relevance in the industry. However, these facts do not serve as potential solutions to the challenging market situations (Mohr, Sengupta, and Slater, 2010, p. 142).

Marketing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Marketing - Assignment Example The entire process of marketing involves a set of four key principles which are commonly referred to as the 4Ps of marketing, these key principles are place, product, price and promotion. Over time, the concept of 4Ps has gradually been developed to now to the more inclusive 7P’s of marketing. The 7P’s of marketing include the traditional for key principles of product, promotion, place and price, however in addition to these core principles the 7Ps also include the principles of positioning, packaging and people. Before conducting any marketing activities it is quite useful for companies to consider these principles as being a key starting point in carrying out market research. It is important that they establish what exactly are the customer requirements in relation to these principles. Since it was founded in 1943, IKEA has undergone a rapid growth that has seen it grow to now being considered as the world’s most successful mass-market retailer focusing on the sale of house goods and Scandinavian-style home furnishings. IKEA hosts an estimated 410 million shoppers each year across its 276 stores located in 25countries. None of the proposed designs are ever allowed into the company’s catalogue if they are deemed to not be affordable. IKEA’s primary objective it to attempt to create better everyday lives for people around the world while showing concern about both people and the environment. Low prices are considered to be a key attraction of the IKEA concept and this has enabled the company attract more customers who want to buy products from it. To promote its products, IKEA carefully uses a number of modern methods that include internet sales and free home delivery of purchased products (dircon, 2014). Since its establishment by Adnan Sweid, Portakabin Prefab Houses and DÃ ©cor LLC has grown to an extent that its

A Dangerous Method Essay Example for Free

A Dangerous Method Essay David Cronenbergs latest film, A Dangerous Method, recounts the relationship between two psychiatry pioneers, Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, in the early part of the 20th century. Michael Fassbender as Jung, Viggo Mortensen as Freud, and Keira Knightley as Jung’s patient and future psychoanalyst Sabina Spielrein. Its Jung around whom the story revolves, as a rising young intellect attempting to build on Freuds fledgling theories of psychoanalysis. In Cronenbergs version, we watch as their professional relationship evolves from student-teacher to one more like father-son, before eventually fracturing. Jung has a wife (Sarah Gadon) who spends most of the film either pregnant or lamenting that shes popped out yet another girl. It’s a stable, normal relationship, exactly the type of thing to send a driven man like Jung into the arms of another woman. He can’t help himself, and he has a willing and ready partner in Spielrein. Knightleys Spielrein is a patient of Jungs during this time. See more: Satirical elements in the adventure of Huckleberry Finn essay With Spielrein’s committal and therapy sessions with Jung, she states, â€Å"I’m vile, filthy, corrupt! †, after admitting she found her father’s sexual and physical abuse arousing. The complexity of the situation is demonstrated by her academic and personal development. After an unusual on-off affair with Jung, whose disagreements with Freud are presented simultaneously, But its her romantic relationship with her mentor, in addition to varied professional differences, that Cronenberg tells us is at the center of Jungs falling-out with Freud. There are reasons that doctors shouldn’t sleep with their patients, many of which surface during the course of Jung and Spielrein’s romance. As the relationship breaks down, things are further complicated by the fact that Spielrein is a psychiatric student herself, allowing her to analyze her doctor/lover right back. Spielrein eventually seeks out Freud to be her new analyst, which further poisons the Jung-Freud relationship. Sexuality issues portrayed in this film were the arousal from the beatings from her father and the affair that Spielrein was having with Jung. The beatings she first remembered started when she was four years old. Her father told her to go to this little room, then told her to take off her clothes, he then beat her. After the beating she then wet herself, and her father then beat her again for wetting. This excited her very much. After that every time she got sent to that room she got excited, then even more excited after her father beat her. She would instantly have to go masturbate after the beatings. After a little time it wasn’t just the beating that got her aroused, it was any kind of embarrassment. The more embarrassing the more excited she would become. One instance in the movie Spielrein dropped her coat on the ground, Jung picked it up and started hitting it with his cane to get the dirt off of it and she instantly needed to go back to her room because she was so excited that she needed to masturbate. The affair with Jung was of course inappropriate in many ways, but for Jung I saw it as a way to keep his life exciting. His wife always seemed to be pregnant and very low key and having the extra woman on the side kept him going. Not that it makes it okay, especially since it was clients that he was sleeping with. Even after Jung put a stop to the relationship with Spielrein, later when she came back to talk about her dissertation they then had another intimate encounter. The more Jung spoke with her, the more they explored her past with her father, and this gave Jung a better understanding of what things made her more aroused then others. At one point in the movie Spielrein is asked about her troubles sleeping at night. She explains that she feels like something is in bed with her and it felt slimy on her back. Jung then asked if she was naked, and her response was yes. He then asked if she was masturbating, and her response again was yes. This told him it wasn’t all her imagination it was also parts of her arousal while masturbating. I loved this film, I have now watched it three times. It shows how sometimes peoples pasts can really affect their daily life with something such as embarrassment, or being beaten as a child. It was very eye opening to me to see how easily Jung started sleeping with his clients, and how his wife just didn’t say much at all about the affairs. Almost like if she didn’t say anything then it didn’t make it real. The first time watching this movie I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what was going to happen next, and how they were going to deal with her outbursts and situations. I think this movie would be great for awareness, because it seemed so easy for them to go into a relationship, but really it is very wrong to become emotionally attached to a client, let alone sleep with them. I know this movie probably isn’t quite for everyone, but going into a human services field I think it would be a great movie to show in one of the many classes that regards to client and helper relationships. I found it intriguing and informational and I love building my knowledge when it comes to situations with helpers and clients.

Final Project Paper Essay Example for Free

Final Project Paper Essay Competitive Strategies and Government Policies Paper Learning Team Competitive Strategies and Government Policies Management has recognized the effect of changes in the real-world competitive environment and government policies on other industries and anticipates similar events occurring in their industry, so they ask you for a report considering the following points. Write 1,400 ?1,750-word paper of no more than in which you describe how each of the following are or potentially will affect your industry or one with which you are familiar: New companies entering the market, mergers, and globalization, on pricing and the sustainability of profits: Identify the type of merger activity in your industry or one with which you are familiar?horizontal, vertical, or conglomerate and explain why you made that choice. Current and expected government policies and regulations, including taxes and regulations in place to address issues related to externalities Global competition on the decisions made by management with regards to change in labor demand, supply, relations, unions, and rules and regulations in your chosen industry Recommend how the industry you chose may respond to each of the previous points. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines Business General Business Focus of the Final Project Students will write a Feature Story (800-1,000 words) on a topic and for a magazine of their choice. This project requires students to incorporate the major concepts discussed during the course, such as applying various media communication tools, identifying audience, gathering information and research, and understanding the editing process. The Feature Story should  demonstrate a student’s comprehension of the readings and class discuss A+ tutorial you will find here https://bitly.com/12Cn79p Set yourself up for success in college by taking your habits and ideas into consideration. For example, think about whether you are a morning person or an afternoon person. If you arent a morning person, dont even think about signing up for an early class. Schedule courses later in the day so you wont be tempted to skip. Business General Business Focus of the Final Project Students will write a Feature Story (800-1,000 words) on a topic and for a magazine of their choice. This project requires students to incorporate the major concepts discussed during the course, such as applying various media communication tools, identifying audience, gathering information and research, and understanding the editing process. The Feature Story should demonstrate a student’s comprehension of the readings and class discussions as well as the implications of new knowledge in the field of media writing and editing.

The Increased Competiveness And Agression Of Businesses

The Increased Competiveness And Agression Of Businesses In the authors perspective, Increasing competitiveness and aggression in the business environment has necessitated transformation of business practices to keep up with the dynamic environment. For instance, an organization needs to develop key skill (core competencies and strategic capabilities) needed as the basis for resource-based strategies (John Thompson Frank Martin 2005). Strategic capabilities are defined as the resources and skills available to an organization that needed to survive and win its competitors. The resource-based view of strategy: the competitive advantage and superior performance of an organisation are explained by the distinctiveness of its capabilities Johnson, SK., Whittington (2008, ch3, p94). This paper will critically analyse how eBays strategic capabilities might provide sustainable competitive advantage. Proposing and justify a structural type for which would maximise its strategic capabilities Making eBay work as a case study by Jill Shepard, Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Canada. This essay will begin by explaining the concept of strategic capabilities, strategy capabilities using an analytical framework, core competencies, competitive advantage, how organisations strategic capabilities can be analysed and measured using marketing tool called SWOT. The second section will briefly discuss what organisational structure is all about and types of organisational structures, present eBays structure, proposing and justifying a structural type for eBay which would maximise its strategic capabilities. Thirdly, implications and conclusions based on findings of the chapters and case study. The sensitivity of strategic capability is particularly necessary since it is concern with whether an organisations strategy continues to modify the environment and the opportunities and threats that exist. However, an organisations capabilities may be found the edge of strategic development, in the manner of creating new opportunities by stretching and exploiting the organisations capabilities such a manner which competitors get it or in genuine difficult to copy or create a new ability. This requires organisation to be innovative in the way they develop and utilize their capability. This is the resource-based view of strategy. Capabilities refer to the organizations ability to utilise its resources effectively. The author shall be discussing strategic capability considering the similarities and differences between resources and competencies. Strategic capability could be defined as the combination of resources and competencies of an organization that it requires to survive and participate in the industry. Strategic Capabilities and Competitive Advantage As regards resources, tangible resources are visible and physical assets of an organization such as building and people. Intangible resources are invisible asset of an organization such as knowledge. Physical resources are the visible resources of the organization comprising of machines or production components e.t.c. while financial resources are the resources used to operate the organization on a daily basis includes cash, creditor e.t.c. Human resources are the combination such as training and recruitment, skills and knowledge of an organizational networks. Intellectual resources are intangible resources that involve patents, brands, business system, and customer database. Resources is vital to an organization because they provide the organization to produce at lower cost or create a superior product or service. Resources such as tangible and intangible of an organisation are not enough to survive and competition in a dynamic environment. It depends on the organizationals ability to deploy their resources of its capacity and competencies in an efficiently in the organizational activities and processes. Threshold resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ IT server platforms and space à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Offices and facilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Appropriate personnel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sufficient customers and suppliers Threshold competences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Account management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All other general managerial skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sophisticated ICT skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customers and suppliers who are competent Unique resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The biggest on-line electronic exchange platform à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The eBay brand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ First mover advantage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An active and vocal community of users à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning from experience Unique competences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A unique form of account management that balances central control versus decentralised community involvement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leadership in terms of ability to renew the Board and keep a sense of consistency à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Electronic platform management skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Partnering on the internet (deciding when and how to compete) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Web 2.0 management skillsThere are various capabilities (resources or competencies) that are in Threshold and Unique resources explained below: Threshold resources could be termed to be the basic resources required to meet customers basic requirements in order to exist. Unique resources are resources that strengthening and stabilizing competitive advantage which are devilishly difficult to cope imitate and obtain by competitors in the market. Threshold competencies are activities and processes required to meet customers basic requirements in order to exist in a given market. Unique competencies are activities that strengthening and stabilizing competitive advantage which is extremely difficult to cope, imitate and obtain by competitors in a given market. Threshold Capabilities are capabilities required/ need to exist/ remain in the market. Firms having threshold capabilities are less innovative, little focus on current customer requirements, and do not welcome changes. Competitive Capabilities are capabilities required/ needed to get a competitive advantage. Firms having competitive capabilities welcome changes, mad to acquire new technologies before competitors (These days software to facilitate sales workforce collaboration software are new arrivals in the corporate world), coping with current customer requirements pursuing the environment of continuous improvement in their organizations. Competitive Advantage It can be defined as the ability of an organisation to out-perform its competitors (Campbell, Stonehouse and Houston, 2000, p. 324). Measurement is possible in terms of superior profitability, increase in market share, return on investment, etc. (Stonehouse et al., 2000). However, it is a fundamental aim of business strategy to maintain competitive advantage over certain given of time called sustained competitive advantage (SCA). Johnson and Scholes (1999) suggest low-price, differentiation or switching cost strategies to build up competitive advantage and hold it over time. Core competence are the skills and abilities by which resources are deployed through an organisations activities and processes such as to achieve competitive advantage in ways that others cannot imitate or obtain ( Johnson, Scholes Whittington, 2008, ch. 3 p.97). Sources of Cost Efficiency: Managers of most organisations currently lead management of cost as source or key to Strategic capabilities advantage. In order to maintain low cost, attention must be paid to these key drivers such as economics of scale, supply cost, products product design, experience, Growth, unit cost should down slopping and first-mover advantage. In order to sustaining competitive advantage over time as a manager while managing cost efficiently and continuously, other vital criteria are of immense importance namely: 1. Value: Organisation must be able to build capabilities that are of value to its customers. 2. Rarity: For an organisation to sustain competitive advantage, it should possess unique capabilities. There are just three important key points to consider about the extent to which unique competence might provide sustainable competitive advantage: Transferability: Rarity to a great extent depends on who own the competence and difficulty of transferring it. Sustainability: How long will the manager be able to sustain it unique competencies? Most time is temporary and competitive transfer it over time. So an organisation must be dynamic by nature by look out for other bases of sustainability. Core rigidity: This is another case of redundancy. 3. Inimitable: It all involves identifying capabilities that likely to remain for a reasonable time and impossible or very difficult to imitate or copy. So, in order for an organisation to achieve and sustain advantage and core competencies the following factors must be considered below: (1). They pave ways for higher level of performance more than rivals own. (2). They are in most cases very hard and difficult to imitate. There are two reasons for core competencies of an organisation to be imitated because they are complex. Complexity: (a.) Internal linkages. This is as a result of linking the activities and processes that together deliver value to customers. (b.) External interconnectedness: This can best be termed as co-specialisation. Culture and history: It involves core competencies may be embedded in an organisational culture. Causal ambiguity: This is another good reason why core competence cant be imitated by competitors. It is very difficult to discover the causes and effects underpinning organisations advantage. There are two types of ambiguity namely characteristic ambiguity and linkage ambiguity. Non-substitutability: adding and providing value to customers that are complex and ambiguity making it impossible / very difficult to copy. To sustain competitive advantage over, an organisation must strategically position itself in such a way that capabilities in ways that activities and resources and competencies are deployed as to sustain competitive advantage over it competitors. Diagnosing strategic capability: If an organization is to achieve competitive advantage by adding value to customer, the following must be understood below: Value Chain: Describes the in and out categories of activities of an organisation that both create a product/ services. It is more directly concerned with the creation and delivery of a product/ services. Value Network: Describes the inter-organisational link and relationship needed to create a product. Activity Maps: It shows how the various activities are linking together in an organisation. Benchmarking: It deals with comparison of both programs strategic position of rivals. SWOT: Summarises analysis of Business environment (Opportunities and threats) Strategic capabilities (Strengths and weaknesses). Brief History of eBay EBay Inc. is an internationally recognized e-commerce company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses purchase and sell globally a variety of goods and services to a wide range of clients (Filley Aldan, 1980 p 56). Currently, eBay is a multi-billion dollar company with physical infrastructures of operations in more than thirty countries. EBay website was founded in San JoseHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose,_California, California, on September 3, 1995, by French-born Iranian computer programmer Pierre Omidyar. Millions of collectables, interior decorations, appliances, electronics, furniture, trappings, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, or sold daily on eBay. EBay expanded from its original set-time auction format to include Buy It Now standard shoppings online advertisements; online event ticket trading; online money transfers and other services. In addition, eBay launched its Bu siness Industrial category in the year 2006 breaking into the industrial surplus business (Whitten, 1987 p 6). Analytical framework analysis of eBay Inc To strategically maintain as well as promoting its success level, eBay has a highly motivated human capital. This is through provision of a favorable working environment comprised of satisfaction of physiological needs, provision of safety within the work, availability of career growth opportunities for self actualization as well as self esteem. This has made eBay working force to be oriented to the organizational goals and objectives. This has subsequently accrued substantial benefits to the organizations performance (Cameron Whitten, 1983 p 67). Apart from internal customer satisfaction, eBay has embarked on satisfying its external customers in a number of ways. For instance, a diverse range of products as well as services can be accessed by their customer by just a click of the button (Yukl, 2010. P 43). EBay has a collection diverse range of product. The probability of any customer with a given unique needs for a given product or service lacking the desired need or service is significantly low. Subsequently, eBay serves a central or a core point area where all customers with diverse needs as well as wants can integrate into their satisfaction. According to statistical reports which were collected in the United States of America, the satisfactory level of customers accessing or conducting their business through eBay platform is significantly high. Consequently, the organization has managed to acquire a high market share (Hedger, Nostrum Starbuck, 1976 p 67). The risks associated with ecommerce trading activities have been significantly reduced by the open communication strategies and channels which have been adopted by the eBay organization. For instance, eBay has a well conversant informed customer care services which equip their customer with necessary information on any information concerning the Internet trading. For instance, eBay has a safe online payment channel which can be adopted or used by its customers. Online payment and other fiscal transactions processes have reduced risks associated with check payments as well as travelling with liquid cash (Meyer, 1977 p 81). SWOT analysis of eBay Inc SWOT analysis entails the evaluation process of the organizations internal and external environmental elements which are likely to induce a change in the operations of the business entity. Consequently, SWOT analysis comprise of evaluating external factors such as opportunities and threats which are known to face the organization as well evaluating the internal elements with mainly focus on weaknesses as well as on the organizations strengths. EBay Inc is an organization which has adopted technological elements into its mode of operation. Consequently, a number of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats may dominate it area of operation (Hedger, Nostrum Starbuck, 1976 p 89). Evaluating on the strengths which are possessed by this organization, eBay has developed a vast and an immense number of clients or stakeholders who largely contributes to it overall performance. These stakeholders include current customers, supportive client such as financiers as well as reliable employees. In addition, it has developed a strong financial backbone which has been supportive to it overall goal achievement. Also, eBay has developed a strong customer-organization bond through the creation of high confidence level between the organization and its clients. This is through customer analysis and delivery of services and ordered goods in the appropriated needed time. Bearing in mind ninety nine percent of eBay transactions are carried out through online platform, people are generally afraid to deal with virtual elements especially on matters concerning their fiscal status. However, eBay has secured a substantial number of such customers by creating a high confidence level (Zammuto, Cameron, 1985 p 6). Another eBays dominance, it is the first-mover advantage as regards online auction site. Consequently, most of its customers felt no worries about going about buying goods physically. Therefore, this triggered most customers to come back. Ebay has a very strong business model and updating it. Just as it was redefined by Meg Whiteman by establishing strong linkages of activities in the operational aspect of the organization. eBay also had a very strong technological base e.g. leveraging ICT. Using Pay pal account as means of payment made every transaction be secured and easy. Nevertheless, eBay is faced by a number of weaknesses, it has a poor organizational structure which limits it contact with it clients. Maintenance of customers usually requires an intimate contact which sometimes involves reading of facial expressions. In addition, though eBay website can be accessed in almost all parts of the world through the Internet, customers in some geographical regions cannot be served with eBay services. This is contributed by poor distribution channels which limit the eBay services to some specific regions only. A part from these weaknesses, the organization is also faced by a number of emerging threats. For instance, the barriers to entry in the Internet based trading systems are relatively low a factor which has led to a high number of entrants. This has posed as a threat to the operations of eBay Inc (Gallos, 2008. P 68). Despite these weaknesses and threats being faced by eBay Inc, there are a number of opportunities which the organization can effectively utilize in order to maximize it profits. For instance, the technological advancement which has been witnessed in the electronic world can be utilized to enhance the customer base. In addition, eBay has an opportunity of merging with a number of suppliers and other stakeholders to boost its overall performance. This is usually based on the fiscal status which eBay has obtained since it times of operations in the Internet based services (Kast Rosenzweig, 1972 p 78). Capabilities that have provided eBay with a competitive advantage This organization has a strong financial background which enables it to embark successfully on new profit generating strategies. In addition, it has embarked on product diversification as one strategy to promote its profit generating factors. EBay is a multi-billion dollar company with physical infrastructures of operations in more than thirty countries. Millions of collectables, interior decorations, appliances, electronics, furniture, trappings, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, or sold daily on eBay (Pierce, 2003 p 6). Strategic capabilities of the eBay in a nutshell might include: Business model creation and updating:- The business model of eBay is brilliant and simple. They facilitate a service of enabling transactions between millions of users. They also have no inventory. eBay does not have to consider production, packaging, and shipping of the goods sold. There is no need for a large number of employees at achieve their organizational goals. The main source of costs for eBay is technical. They perform tasks as maintenance of servers and networks. This is the marketplace Internet business model being used to much of its potential. Revenue is generated in both business to consumer and business to business transactions. The auction and transaction revenue will continue to rise as the number of users rises. Ebay has a very strong business model and updating it. Just as it was redefined by Meg Whiteman by establishing strong linkages of activities in the operational aspect of the organization. Managing growth: eBay reported record consolidated Q1-07 net revenues of $1.77 billion, representing a growth rate of 27% year over year. GAAP operating income was $468 million, an increase of 45% year over year, and represented 26.5% of net revenues. Non-GAAP operating income in Q1-07 was $593 million, representing a 33.6% operating margin and a 29% year-over-year increase. Leveraging ICT:- ICT as both strategic and operational at the same time. So getting the server up and running initially would have been strategic but now managing traffic would be considered operational, whereas incorporating any new versions of the Internet and its functionality would be considered strategic. Accommodating different high speed broadband penetrations within individual countries would currently be strategic but become less of a strategic issue over time. Knowledge management:- Knowledge in organisational terms does not mean data and information alone. It means experience both of individuals and between individuals (i.e. of groups or across an organisation). This sharing takes place, not least, through the day to day activities and routines in organizations. If strategic capability is conceived of in terms of competence (i.e. activities as well as resources), then the relationship of strategic capability to organisational knowledge. So, it darned close. It becomes even closer if robust (non- imitable) competencies are conceived of as linked and embedded competencies. Account management:- eBays technology allow every particulars of users both sellers and buyer to be traced since very users must first register to again access to buy or sell. This create a great deal of trust among users. Customer involvement:- ebay managers listen to all their customers and always meet the needs as regards what they want to sell/ buy and how they want to do it. And more so, the management involves their customers by inviting 10 sellers and buyers all over the country to their main office every few months to discuss the company in dept. Service and shareholder management:- eBay has developed a vast and an immense number of clients or stakeholders who largely contributes to it overall performance. These stakeholders include current customers, supportive client such as financiers as well as reliable employees. In addition, it has developed a strong financial backbone which has been supportive to it overall goal achievement. Rather than, be critical:- Meg might look to the challenges that the company faces ahead of time. These might include not becoming complacent about success, how to keep customers passionate about the company and how to expand into new geographical areas. Sustainability and dynamic capabilities The attainment of any eBays goals and objectives is directly reflected by the kind of leadership and environment found in that organization. Different managers and human resource organizers embrace various forms of leadership. Nevertheless, their overall aim objective is to adhere to the stipulated mission with no signs of complacency and a subsequent attainment of the organizational goals. Being a leader in any form of business entails a set of processes connected to directing and guiding employees towards the attainment of stipulated goals. This endeavor of assure that the business entity is heading towards its vision comprise of effective employee motivation, embracement of appropriate leading structure and strategies and timely effective communication among the internal and external members affecting the business entity (Clark, 2010). EBay has been dynamic to embrace technological measures which are aimed in maintaining a lead in the field of it operations. For example, incorpora tion of new modern software, use of Internet security tools as well as developing future oriented goals to cater for its customers (Gallos, 2008 p 34). Frequent trainings and seminars for it employees can effectively boost the competence level for employees in eBay Inc. In addition, online training and guidance manuals can highly boost the performance level for the eBay operations. Organisational Structure The organising process leads to the creation of organisation structure. Organisation structure can be defined as the framework in which the organisation defines how tasks are divided, resources are deployed and departments are coordinated (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 328). The structure of an organisation should be set up in such a way as to help the organisation accomplish its mission in an efficient and effective manner. The mission of an organisation can be defined by its mission statement. A mission statement is designed to answer the most fundamental questions for every organization: Why do we exist? What are we here for? What is our purpose? As such, mission statements form the corner-stone and the starting-point for any major strategic planning initiative (Christopher K. Bart, 2001, p. 19). An organisations structure can be represented visually with an organisation chart (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 328). Structure has three components: complexity, formalisation and centralisation. Complexity refers to the degree of specialisation of an organisations employees, how labour is divided, the number of levels and geographical dispersion. Formalisation is concerned with the degree of rules and procedures, and centralisation refers to levels of decision making (Holtzhausen, 2002, p. 325). The characteristics of organisation structure include work specialisation (the degree to which organisational tasks are subdivided into individual jobs; also called division of labour), chain of command (An unbroken line of authority that links all individuals in the organisation and specifies who reports to whom), authority (The formal and legitimate right of a manager to make decisions, issue orders and allocate resources to achieve organisationally desired outcomes) and responsibility (The duty to perform the task or activity an employee has been assigned), span of managerial control (the number of emplo yees who report to a supervisor), and centralization (The location of decision authority at a single point, usually near top organisational levels) and decentralization (The dispersed location of decision authority, usually near lower organisational levels). These dimensions represent the vertical hierarchy and define how authority and responsibility are distributed. Departmentalization describes how organisation employees are grouped (Samson Daft, 2009). Types of structures The three most common generic organizational structures are the functional structure, the divisional structure and the matrix structure. There are also hybrid structures consisting of network structure and team structure. Functional Structure The functional structure is a direct descendant of the bureaucratic structure. It is based on a groups function or dedicated activities in an organization such as sales and marketing, finance and operations. The structures effectiveness is based on this division of labour. Smaller to medium-sized organizations with limited product ranges tend to favour the functional structure (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 24). Advantages of functional structure: Efficient use of resources economies of scale In-depth skill specialisation and development Career progress within functional departments Top manager direction and control Excellent coordination within functions High-quality technical problem solving Best with one or few types of products Disadvantages of functional structure Poor communication across functional departments Slow response to external changes, lagging innovation Decisions concentrated at the top of hierarchy, creating delay Responsibility for problems is difficult to pinpoint Limited view of organisational goals by employees Limited general management training for employees Less innovation (Samson Daft, 2009) (Duncan, 1979) Divisional Structure This structure is used as companies become larger and begin to diversify their product line. The company is divided into separate units based on different products or markets. The company breaks up its operations into manageable units or little companies which then operate under a mechanistic structure (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 24). Advantages of divisional structure: Fast response, flexibility in an unstable environment Fosters concern for customers needs because product responsibility and contact points are clear Excellent coordination across functional departments Easy pinpointing of responsibility for product problems Emphasis on overall product and division goals Development of general management skills Best in a large organisation with several products Disadvantages of divisional structure Duplication of resources across divisions Less technical depth and specialisation in divisions Poor coordination across divisions Less top management control Competition for corporate resources Eliminates economies of scale in functional departments. Makes integration and standardization across product lines difficult (Samson Daft, 2009) (Duncan, 1979) The Matrix Structure The matrix structure was the structure of the 1970s (Miller, 1986). It was seen as a way of bridging the advantages of the functional and divisional structures. The matrix structure is based on a dual chain of command. The functional departments are used to gain economies of specialization while the project teams focus on particular products or markets. Each employee in the matrix structure is responsible for one functional department and one project manager, hence the dual chain of command (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 25). Advantages of matrix structure: More efficient use of resources than single hierarch Flexibility, adaptability to changing environment Development of both general and specialist management skills Interdisciplinary cooperation, expertise available to all divisions Enlarged tasks for employees Best in medium-sized organizations with multiple products Disadvantages of matrix structure Frustration and confusion from dual chain of command High conflict between two sides of matrix Many meetings, more discussion than action Human relations training needed Power dominance by one side of the matrix. Team-based structure With a team-based structure, the entire organisation is made up of horizontal teams that coordinate their work and work directly with customers to accomplish the organisations goals (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 344). Advantages of team structure: Reduced barriers among departments, increased compromise Less response time, quicker decisions Better morale, enthusiasm from employee involvement Reduced administrative overhead Less absenteeism Increased performance Higher quality products Reduced turnover Disadvantages of team structure Dual loyalties and conflicts Time and resource spent on meetings Unplanned decentralisation (Samson Daft, 2009) (Harris, 1992) Network structure: Advantages: Global competitiveness Workforce flexibility/challenge Reduced administrative overhead Disadvantages: No hands-on control Can lose organisational part Employee loyalty weakened Analysing eBay current and the best organizational structure for the eBay Inc eBays organizational structure is a source of competitive advantage as it is the basis for the companys ability to process information

Family Allegiance in Edith Whartons The Age of Innocence :: Edith Wharton Age Innocense

Family Allegiance in Edit Wharton's The Age of Innocence It is a clichà © to say that a picture is worth a thousand words. But I will state it anyway: a picture can truly be worth a thousand words. Therefore, any frame that contains the picture and alters the interpretation or viewing of the picture also affects these thousand words. This analogy pertains to the wide world of literature, in which certain frames can affect our perceptions of women and gender-related roles within families, marriages, and cultures. Edith Wharton had the unique ability to see her New York culture in a different light than her contemporaries. As she reminisces about â€Å"Old† New York, Wharton can put her picture (in this case an analogy for her novel, The Age of Innocence) in the frame of family allegiances in order to show how this frame affected women’s relationships including marriage and families, and how these relationships were perceived by the culture of â€Å"Old† New York through the characters in her novel. The plot of The Age of Innocence revolves around Countess Olenska, who while being raised in New York is considered an immigrant to the â€Å"Old† New York society because she married and moved to Europe. Upon separating from her husband who was very cruel to her, she reunites with her cousin May and her family, and May’s new husband Newland Archer (whose family she thereby also inherits). This is where the frame of family allegiance is initially encountered in the novel. May and Newland wanted to hold off announcing their engagement until the standard cultural time period passed, but decided to go ahead with it in order to put the full force of two families behind the Countess instead of only May’s family. This cultural frame shows how the society was limited; in order to confront the taboo of possible divorce, the character’s options were restricted. Edith Wharton does a nice job of highlighting the irony of this frame: by viewing the situation and resp onding through this cultural frame, the characters squelched another cultural norm (the customary waiting period). Viewing it through this frame, Countess Olenska seems meek because she needs the help of her family to pull her through the situation. She is powerless to fight off an entire society who frowns on divorce, even if it is in her best interests. But Wharton does not leave it at that, because she uses her irony within the context of this frame to show that her sufferings come from this intra-family allegiance that does not give her any options.

Singing in the Rain Essay -- essays research papers

The hit musical "Singin' in the Rain" may possibly be one of if not the greatest musicals of all time. With it's tale of the film world of the mid 1920's and its creative underlining love story between Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly) and Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), it provokes the interest of someone who would not generally be attracted to a musical. It is a classic masterpiece that set the standards that musical films of today will be judged by. It is a classic performance by the great Gene Kelly and displays outstanding performances by Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor. As well as starring in this brilliant movie, Gene Kelly teams up with Stanley Donen to make their mark in film history. In my opinion, what set the stage for the level of entertainment that this movie contains is the opening scene. The opening scene set the role of sarcasm in the movie and gave the movie an immediate sense of humor. Four individual parts of movie making come together in this film to create a dynamic opening sequence. The basic principles of sound, editing, mise en scene, and cinematography collectively give this opening sequence a memorable quality that is without match. The opening of Singin' in the Rain takes place at the opening of the new movie "The Royal Rascal" starring Don Lockwood and Lena Lamont. There are famous people all around and their fans are loving every second of it. The fans' faces are full of joy and awe as their favorite actors and actresses enter the large building that will soon be showing the new movie. Soon, the two people that everyone in Hollywood is dying to see, appear in their stretched Rolls Royce and bring the crowd to its feet. As Lockwood and Lamont exit their luxurious ride they are received lovingly by everyone. They walk to the front of the building and are introduced to the crowd. Then the question is posed to Mr. Lockwood, "How did it all begin?" The answering of this question is what my paper will explain. I will attempt to break down the opening scene and show how it all started. By using tools of film such as sound, editing, mise en scene, and cinematography, this paper will show how the scene was made as well. Mise en scene played an important role in this movie as with any other movie. The properties of mise en scene were fully effective in the beginning flashback scene. At the beginning of Don Lockw... ...nd that the superimposed duo were taken from. They proceed to dance for a couple of minutes and when they are finished there is no reaction. There is a cut and we see a point-of-view shot in terms of Don and Cosmo to see that the audience is booing. This is the last scene before they actually get to Hollywood. Singin' in the Rain is the musical that all other musicals should be judged by. It tells a story that only others had dreamed of telling. Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds and the great Gene Kelly help give one of the greatest performances of all times in a musical. With the help of superb editing, sound, mise en scene, and cinematography, this film cannot be topped. The fist scene of the movie creates an atmosphere that helps the viewer know that he/she will enjoy this wonderful classic. Throughout the movie there are surprises and fun that makes this a movie that people will want to watch again and again. Gene Kelly said it best when he said, "Dignity, always dignity." That is what this movie has from beginning to end, dignity. The best thing we could possibly do is forget about our worries and just start Singin' in the Rain. Courtesy of Chew (1995) U. of Maryland