INTRANET CONTENT, WRITING, AND GRAPHICS - The Writers For Hire

INTRANET CONTENT, WRITING, AND GRAPHICS Deciding on Content for Your Intranet What makes you want to open your morning news source? A shrieking headline like this one? A New York Times Morning Briefing text every five minutes on your IPhone? The latest from your local journal? Answer: you open, turn on, watch, or buy the news because you’re looking for something that peaks your interest. Maybe even something you can’t afford to miss. That’s what you’re going to offer on your intranet. And although you can’t use screaming headlines to lure people to your homepage, you can offer plenty of legitimate content-bling, more than enough to make everyone from the CEO to the stock boy want to check in at least once a day. On an intranet, content is the star of the show. No question that the co-star is superb engineering. Without it, content is nothing. And great graphics improve the experience exponentially. But content is what keeps the crowd coming. That’s why decisions about what content, how often it will appear, how much space it will be given are made long before the site goes live. And knowing what your audience wants and needs will help your intranet team make some of those decisions. As far as the ‘what’ of content goes, Christie Atkins of the Thought Farmer says four favorite intranet features with employees are: company success stories, written up in detail with all the team names and accomplishments so everyone can share in the win an event section, whether it’s internal or something nearby in the community a humor section where people can share memes, gifs, videos and jokes job postings Chris Charlwood of Simple Intranet listed another five: an Employee Directoryprofiles with photographs and some personal informationfor ease of contacting one another a file repository that provides a powerful search function for content, allowing people to access information more readily HR forms that can be filled out online real-time activity feeds that permit commenting and empower employees to share what they are doing. This also provides a venue for thanking colleagues who went above and beyond in helping out. interactive tools that keep employees engaged such as surveys, feedback forums, or wikis. Other interactive features can include threaded discussions, Q A forums, competitions, and micro blogs. Entire intranet sections are sometimes set aside for training and educational opportunities executive communications document libraries teams corporate news Intranet content is as diverse as the companies and organizations that host them. The more networking you do, the more you’ll find out what unique features and devices other intranet teams have created.Tweet this Writing for Your Intranet Okay, putting some of the above features onto your intranet will only involve transferring digital data. But some will involve actual writing. And you and your Intranet team probably don’t have staff writers. You have busy HR professionals, trainers, accountants, and coders. Perhaps you even have mechanics, pastry chefs and airline pilots. And you are asking them to produce a regular amount of intranet copy in a lively consistent style. Hmmmm. Big ask. Other than offering fresh cookie rewards, these ideas may help: Encourage your writers to stick to a few basic rules of style (punctuation and usage) to give the site some consistency. A good resource is the AP Style Guide. Subscribe to the shorter-is-better concept: shorter words, shorter sentences, shorter paragraphs. (Note:   Not necessarily shorter content.) Don’t write for your college professor. Write for a fifth-grader. Microsoft Word helps you do that; see The Writers for Hire blog titled ‘Word Tip of the Week: Using the Readability Feature.’ Cut back on the adjectives and other descriptives in general, unless you’re sharing your trip to Botswana. Don’t ramble on. Before you start writing, ask yourself, â€Å"What am I trying to say here?† And then, just say it. Keep it simple. Let your personality shine through! Presumably, you are not required to be anonymous. Use plenty of graphics. Update! Update! Update! Keep your particular task area fresh. Don’t let readers see the same thing week after week. I know you can think of something new to say! Make it relevant! Irrelevant content was the No.1 gripe among Intranet Haters polled in 2017. Keep it real! A word to administrators. Producing good content, whether it’s writing, editing, proofing, or updating, is time consuming. So, a strategy for accommodating employees tasked with this new responsibilitypost launchmust be developed. Success for the shiny, new intranet means giving writers adequate time to attend to their new intranet duties, be it researching, writing, editing or updating. If your stable of newly christened writers are a little wobbly, help is at hand. First of all, be sure they have the technical skills needed to upload copy. Next, schedule a half-day writer’s workshop, presented by a professional writer. Offer one-one-one training from a professional who can help inexperienced writers organize materials and produce copy more easily. Create easy-to-use templates with goals for each piece and instructions on types of information required for each content area. Set doable deadlines that are agreed to by the subject matter experts (SMEs), and give SMEs a reason to meet those deadlines. Tying content to a real time event – even if it’s just a weekly announcement giving kudos or mini-awards to contributing authors, can help encourage your SMEs to push through to the finish line.    The Graphics: How Your Site Looks Think of your intranet visuals as the cover on the book, the headlines above the fold, the landscaping in your front yard, the faà §ade of a retail store. The exterior is not where the real stuff is, but it does invite you in. And even more important, like Ikea’s endless aisles, if the exterior is enticing, it might just lure you deeper into the interior! â€Å"Don’t spend all the time and effort planning out your intranet and coming up with content strategy just to stumble because it doesn’t look pretty,† advises Carlos Ruiz, Phase2 Account Director. He warns that sometimes out-of-the-box solutions lack the ‘wow’ factor companies are looking for. But beyond simple esthetics, the visual appeal of your intranet can be extremely important when it comes to building a lasting relationship your users. Think of the many Websites you’ve been exposed to. Each site is meant to influence a visitor’s psychological state of mind as well as impart information. Designers will tell you that’s because the colors, the lines, the slant of the curves, the movement of the eye either to the left or the right, or up or down, are all calculated to please a particular audience. It’s no different with a company intranet. It sends a visual message about who you are as a corporate entity and it adds to the value of your corporate brand. Equally important, good graphic design increases the usability of a site, helping to keep navigation simple, No doubt when you’re in the planning stages, you’d like to take a look at other intranets to get a feeling for visuals that appeals to you. But unlike print materials, and Websites, you can’t view intranets and say, â€Å"Hey, I like the visual feeling of that one.† Intranets are, by nature, private. However, you can catch a glimpse of other intranets by ordering The Neilson Norman Groups Intranet Design Annual: 2018. This 463-page report has detailed information about its ten prize-winners for the year including 155 full-color screenshots of before-and-after designs, which are usually protected behind the organizations firewall. In Conclusion Think about it. When it’s done, your intranet site will be an amazing communications channel with usability and features that would have been impossible even a few years ago. Serving multiple objectives and reaching a broad audience, its many features will function in a variety of ways that that owe their existence to constantly improving technology. At the very least, your intranet will be easy to use, pleasant to look at, make work faster for your employees, give them a greater sense of engagement, and a greater voice in the company as a whole. Pretty cool, huh?

Changes Caused By Global Warming Essays - Climate Change

Changes Caused By Global Warming Essays - Climate Change Changes Caused By Global Warming ENGLISH DOCUMENTRY ASSIGNMENT Proposed topic: How the World is changing due to the effects caused by Global Warming The reason for this topic is our increasingly changing climate. Every year our climate continually is changing and becoming warmer. However it's becoming more and more difficult to change our polluting ways. Though this documentary I'd like to get the publics attention about our ever-changing climate. For this topic I would like to have a god like sounding narrative voice. A demanding voice, with both compassion, and intelligence. This voice is necessary to get the point across. The thesis for this documentry is how can we prevent the destruction of our climate. This thesis is necessary because the side this documentry well be taking is to focus on how we can change or stop the damage which has been done to our environment. More so with this thesis there is many branches that lead to informative and substantial evidence to support this thesis. Seemingly this thesis also gives room for the solutions to this problem. Through this thesis I hope to narrow my topic and also allow enough room for a insightful and interesting documentary. The target audience for this documentary is anyone with the concern for the environment. However it really effects everyone on this planet. Theoretically this documentary is directed at everyone. Research on this subject is very extensive and information on it is easy to find. For instance just look at the winter that has just passed for evidence. Several questions to be answered from this documentary would be; 1. What changes are to be expected in the future? 2. What consequences of these changes can we expect? 3. What solutions are there? I'd use an upbeat, original, and futuristic style. By incorporating wide angle shots, and futuristic settings.

Chemical Hazards In The Working Environment Environmental Sciences Essay

Chemical Hazards In The Working Environment Environmental Sciences Essay Chemical Engineering is defined as the branch of engineering which is involved in the application of physical science and mathematics to processing and converting raw materials and chemicals into more useful forms. The outputs and methods of these processes are not always safe and chemical hazards need to be overcome to make the working environment a satisfactorily hospitable for everyone that the process affects. This includes the general public and the environment as well as the workers involved. Chemical Engineers need to ensure that the safety measures which they devise regarding certain processes are adequate enough not to pose hazards and to meet the regulations of the law. This term paper will outline some of the hazards which Chemical Engineers and other workers in the industry need to neutralise to ensure that the working environment is safe for those involved. A hazard is defined as anything which could result in an accident. Such hazards include those caused by the releas e of noxious chemicals which can prove damaging to the health of people and the environment. Chemical hazards can be especially dangerous due to the toxic nature of the substances used in the industry. Plant Safety The health and safety of plant workers is a major concern to the chemical industry. Accidents which result in loss of life or injuries are especially damaging due to the high costs they inflict. Costs in retraining personnel, repairing equipment damaged in have huge costs, as well as the interruption in business that ensues after an accident. The trends have shown that over the years fatalities have decreased but property costs have increased. This trend is due to the increased automated systems used in plants. These systems have increased complexity and productivity to older designs. In earlier designs the workers were more exposed to the chemical processes taking place in the plant, and were in turn exposed to more hazards. This however poses another problem because if workers are more isolated from a process, even if this greatly reduces health and safety hazards then if a malfunction occurs in the plant it is much more difficult to have experienced personnel available to fix a process problem. Due to this action compensation must be made in the case of higher property costs as opposed to loss of life and injury to workers. â€Å"As of the early 1990’s, annual worker fatalities ran about 9 per 100,000 employees; annual lost time disabling injuries ran about 4,000 per 100,000 employees. Property Losses increased fourfold from the 1970’s†. Safety assessments are now undergone on chemical plants to ensure that they adhere to safety levels proposed by regulation standards. Quantification of hazards such as overpressure potential and flammability were done by measurements of vapour pressure and of flash points and flammability limits. The process designers need to make use of data that gives information pertaining to the hazards o f a process such as information of reaction rates and the energies involved in exothermic reactions in which heat is given out, that of unstable chemicals, of temperature limits in which explosive decomposition can occur, rates of generation of gas and vapour and emergency fail-safes such as pressure releases for high pressure systems.

J.K Rowling's Harry Potter Series Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

J.K Rowling's Harry Potter Series - Essay Example (What is a Literary Canon) The past decade witnessed some classic works from different writers but none got as much appreciation as the J.K Rowling who could undoubtedly be called as the queen of children literature of the present era. Starting her career in 1997 from her first book 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's stone' which was well appreciated by the global audiences, she quickly rose to a figurehead among the children and elders alike. Despite her huge achievements in such a less time, she is not recognized as a part of the literary canon. In this paper we would discuss why J.K Rowling should be included in the literary canon. Many of the critics argue that Rowling's books run along the same theme as many of the previously published children books. Like Dickens's Pip and Bronte's Jane, Harry begins his life as an orphan and a normal boy who is a subject of taunts and snide comments from his relatives. Like almost all its preceding children books, Harry Potter is punctuated with social concerns with a touch of personal feelings, emotions of passion, selfishness, selflessness, petty misunderstanding, love, anger and vindictiveness. However Rowling has done something with Harry Potter which no other writer has previously done which has what earned Harry a place unlike that of his fellow epic heroes. Her sense of writing is what has earned Harry its current place. Rowling has described characters in an interesting way, describing enough to give true idea of the characters while leaving enough to arouse curiosity in the readers. Her description of scenes and their interaction with the plot acts like a key in a lock- perfectly matched. Through her characters and story, she has got her readers engaged in the fascinating web of the story. Therefore even though her storyline is similar to many other children stories, her way of expression and writing gives her a level far above the other writers, making her a worthy candidate for the literary canon. (Nye) A point which is often raised against Rowling's admission into the literary canon is actually a point in her favor. Many say that Rowling's story is not unique as it runs on the same theme of magic, wand lore, wizards, witches, elves, giants, goblins, unicorns and fairies. Rowling makes this simple repetitive theme wonderful and appealing through the magic of her writing. Rowling combines all these magical elements into an extensive tale of a teenage boy. The Harry Potter saga could be seen as a product of every child's dreams and nightmares which is the reason why it gained such an appreciation. Like all other books which runs on the theme of magic, apparently Rowling's 'Harry Potter' too seems outlandish and out of the world but the story is intimately linked with the human elements which does not alienate the readers. This representation of human experience combined with a magical theme is one of the best qualities of her writing. Obvious examples include Arithmancy which could be called as Mathematics, Potions as a counterpart of Chemistry, Healers are actually doctors while the Policemen as Aurors. Even the wizard sport Quidditch could actually be seen as aerial football. These human elements separate Rowling's work from other stories and earn her book a place in the hearts of its readers. (Harry Potter and the

Business Communication Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Communication - Assignment Example Thank you for your letter dated 20 March, 2013 regarding to the quality issue of kiwi fruits, we regret for the inconvenience caused to you in this regard and thank you for allowing us to examine your issues. We had started taking corrective actions after receiving your earlier phone call. At the time of packing, we cross checked and found that the products were up tothe standard. Also, we are sure that the problem might have occurred during the transit, as we did not receive any issues before that. Please let me know,when is the consignment required by you,after getting the confirmation from your side, we will make the arrangements to deliver the product to you within two days by using the special express delivery methods. In order to avoid causing inconvenience to others, the management has planned to place two containers near the external back door which is to be used as an ashtray and rubbish bin from 15 March, 2013 onwards. Any feedbacks from our staff members are invited on or before 13 March, 2013 in this regard, so it will enable us to consider the facts before implementing them. We observed from your letter that you had purchased Del Mar Cellular Window Shades C1116 on June 2009 as well as onAugust 2009. From your mail, we have understood that you are not unable to locate the invoice for the purchases made on August 2009,on which you are facing the issues. As per the norms of the company, we can only guarantee the services only when you produce the invoice copy. For this, you can either search for the invoice copy in your premises. Else you can obtain the duplicate copy of your purchase by going to Cellini’s store. If you are able to locate the invoice copy, then we can personally guarantee that our warranty services will be free of cost or else our concern person will visit your place and verify for the barcodes which available on the product; if it is ours then we will definitely rectify the

Transnational companies Essay Example for Free

Transnational companies Essay Country H could concentrate completely on production of good X or of good Y, X = f(L + K) Y = g(L + K) but by doing so they would be using resources in production of one good that might be better used in production of the other. Therefore the production possibility frontier is concave. Note also that because country H is well endowed with capital, it can produce more of capital-intensive good Y than labour intensive good X, hence the bias in the curve towards production of Y. Because competitive firms wish to maximise profits, we can assume they will produce at some point along this PPF. The utility maximising consumers decide where. An important assumption made by economists in many trade models is that of community indifference curves (CIC). We can take an aggregate of all individual indifference curves to make a set of CIC. As long as trade is not allowed, production will take place at wherever the PPF is tangent to the CIC that is furthest from the origin. This is our autarkic point. One final point to make is that at this point the price ratio is equal to the slope of the PPF or the marginal rate of transformation (MRT). Mathematically, p = px/py = MRT =Â  Y/? X (where px and py equal the respective prices of X and Y). Thus for given production functions and community preferences in autarky country H will produce and consume at Ah. Similarly with opposite factor endowments but facing the same production functions and community preferences, country F will produce and consume at Af. Allowing free trade means that producers face a new international price ratio as a result of the equalisation of prices. They now have an incentive to produce more of what they can export because the can receive a higher price for it. The Heckscher-Ohlin theorem states that a country will export the good which intensively uses its relatively abundant factor. (Markusen et al 1995, p. 106). So in country H, the price of good Y will rise while that of good X falls, causing consumers to prefer good X. Producers of X however see higher profits can be made by producing good Y and because factors are intersectorally mobile, they can do so. The resulting surplus of Y can be exported at the international price level. Finally, consumption will occur where the international price ratio is tangent to the CIC furthest from the origin. Another consequence of free trade is the equalisation of factor returns. This is the consequence that labour unions in the developed world are concerned about. In our example, country H (we shall now assume to be the U. S. ) experiences an increase in the price of capital-intensive good Y (which might be aeroplanes) and a decrease in price of labour-intensive good X (for example textiles). The important consequence of different factor endowments in the two countries is that the resulting price ratios of goods X and Y are different. Therefore in country H, capital-intensive good Y is relatively cheap and labour-intensive good X is relatively expensive with the opposite being true in country F. Lowering the barriers to trade gives consumers in H access to the markets in country F, where they can buy the labour intensive good X more cheaply. Similarly, consumers in country F can buy good Y cheaply if they import it from country H. Producers in each country are then forced to adjust production to suit the new patterns of demand In questioning globalisation, Hirst and Thompson (1995) investigate the flows of capital around the world and show They suggest that negative consequences of this may include a reduction in the power of governments to control their own affairs. Although this is an important issue, worry from the perspective of an economist is the extreme pursuit of economic development with no consideration of health or ecological issues There are those who assert that globalisation is desirable and use economic theory to show that all countries concerned can benefit from an increase in trade. Alternatively there are those who question whether globalisation is really happening and conclude that there are not as yet trans-national companies who Julius (1990) and Ohmae (1990) claim that numerous TNCs within the developed world go wherever investors see a return on their investments. So during the 1980s a smart TNC would initiate operations in the emerging markets of Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. When confidence was broken in the 1990s it would withdraw its assets from East Asia and head for safer shores to take advantage of the new economy in the U. S. This leads many to think that by examining capital flows one can identify transnational companies.

Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin - The Power of Love :: Uncle Toms Cabin

The Power of Love in Uncle Tom's Cabin In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe supplies the reader with two diametrically opposed characters, the two children, representatives of the two extremes of society. The fair, high-bred child, with her golden head, her deep eyes, her spiritual, noble brow, and prince-like movements; and her black, keen, subtle, cringing, yet acute neighbor. They stood representatives of their races. The Saxon, born of ages of cultivation, command, education, physical and moral eminence; the Afric, born of oppression, ignorance, toil and vice! The two children, Evangeline and Topsy, teach us a lesson about love. While Evangeline's "form was the perfection of childish beauty" and "there was about her an undulating and aerial grace," the "expression of (Topsy's) face was an odd mixture of shrewdness and cunning" and "there was something odd and goblin-like about her appearance." When "no word of chiding or reproof ever fell on (Evangeline's) ear for whatever she chose to do" Topsy was "whipped with a poker, knocked down with a shovel or tongs, whichever came the handiest." "Always dressed in white," Evangeline moved "through all sorts of places, without contracting a spot or stain" while Topsy "was dressed in a single filthy, ragged garment, made out of bagging." Of Evangeline, Miss Ophelia remarked, "Well, she's so loving! After all, she's no more than Christ-like," and of Topsy, "so heathenish." Evangeline told Tom her Christ-like feelings about slavery: "I've felt that I would be glad to die, if my dying could stop all this misery. I would die for them, Tom, if I could." The word "God," however, is meaningless to Topsy. When asked who her parents are, she responds, "I spect I grow'd. Don't think nobody never made me." "A thousand times a day rough voices blessed (Evangeline), and smiles of unwonted softness stole over hard faces, as she passed; and when she tripped fearlessly over hard places, rough, sooty hands were stretched involuntarily to save her, and smooth her path." Such was not the case for our mischievous friend Topsy. When Evangeline spoke to Topsy about her habit of stealing things, she asked her, "Poor Topsy, why need you steal? You're going to be taken good care of, now. I'm sure I'd rather give you anything of mine, than have you steal it." These were "the first word(s) of kindness the child had ever heard in her life" and "something like a tear shone in (her) keen, round, glittering eye.

Products & United States Essay

The product selected for this particular study is Crest whitening toothpaste. Crest has been one of Proctor & Gamble’s major global products since it was launched in the United States in 1955. Since then the product has changed in a few ways, namely in the active content of the product, and how it is marketed. This study will look at whether these changes were successful, and what strategies were used by Proctor & Gamble to initiate these changes. In the last five to ten years, the Crest range of toothpastes has been expanded to include a variety of products which promote the whitening element of the core toothpaste product. These include the development of a long lasting mouthwash to complement Crest toothpaste as well as whitening strips which can be applied to teeth after brushing and mouth washing. The core product has also been changed, with a wider variety of Crest products, from sensitive whitening to weekly cleaning cream. These changes and the excellent brand management at Proctor & Gamble have allowed the product to be developed slightly but clearly and concisely, without moving away from the core strategic elements of their corporate strategy, to deliver products which improve the lives of everyday people around the world. These changes have been made using a simple brand management strategy, which was not to try and develop the next big thing, but to focus on what Proctor & Gamble are good at, and maintain the market share of the old staple products, such as Crest.   This strategy was implemented by the CEO Alan Lafley, who was appointed in 2000. He wanted to streamline the business around its core products, and Crest was one of those products. This brand building strategy was very successful and has helped Proctor & Gamble become one of the biggest companies in the United States today.

Narrative traits in Indian cinema Essay

In a nation that produces around 800 films a year Indian people see films a a very important part of their culture. For Indian people â€Å"cinema is integral to their lives; it is not a distant, two to three hour distraction, but an explicit life-style for them.†(Jaya Ramanathan). The large screen provides an alternative, an escape from the realities of day-to-day life. The protagonists are totally identified with, the hero is applauded, the virtuous is worshipped and the villain is condemned. The actors and actresses are household names; there is no escaping their omnipresence. Through this essay I will try to examine what makes Indian cinema Indian. By that I mean what narrative and visual traits are intrinsic to Indian cinema and have little relevance to cinema of America or Europe. The subjects I am going to look at are the song and dance routine, how it came about, what it means and why it’s so important to Indian cinema. I will look at the treatment of women and how sexuality of women is represented in Indian cinema, the importance of the actor within Indian society and will briefly look at the use of costumes and elaborate sets used within the Indian film industry. First I will briefly consider some traits associated with American and European cinema as to see how these cinema types differ from that of India. The cinema industry in Europe has a highly complex make-up, reflecting the cultural and expressive diversity of individual nations. If, on the one hand, the quantitative production levels of Europe’s cinema industry have remained high (at roughly 600 full-length features a year, on a par with the United States, However only a minority of European titles manage to cross the borders of their country of origin. This is one major difference from Indian film with it having one of the highest worldly distribution figures off all cinemas. Hollywood makes films for the public, and if the public’s tastes change then Hollywood films will also change. They pay money to have their ideals massaged and their values reaffirmed. And if Americans won’t pay money for it, then Hollywood doesn’t want to sell it. The narrative of Hollywood films’ is a straight plot, in which nothing is left unclear, unsettling or unexplained and every shot is justified by a link to strictest cause and  effect. Hollywood films are often viewed as dulling the mind. This is far from the case in Indian cinema where the plot is created with the aim of making people think about what has happened, this is often applied to their own lives in some way. In America people generally view films for mere entertainment where as Indian people watch films and use the moral codes implied within the narrative to better their own lives. Special effects, violence, and actors’ names are often major themes that bring Americans to the movies. While most Hollywood films are made purely for entertainment value, many foreign films are entertaining as well as forcing the viewer think and question their surroundings at the same time. In India, movies are more than simply entertainment. They are dreams, escape, fantasy and alternative realities – a necessity in dealing with the drudge of everyday existence and routine. Especially now that they have the cinematography, acting, scripting and associated parts down like a science – to the point of stretching the limits of imagination and modifying what â€Å"is† into another realm altogether. While perhaps lacking in the area of Western sophistication, this lack is probably the biggest advantage Indian films have over the rest of the World. They are simply fun to watch. Indians enjoy seeing people interacting with each other and the films reflect societal practices and norms. The form of Indian cinema has a great deal to do with how popular entertainment has been traditionally perceived and defined in India. â€Å"Entertainment is quantified as a combination of the essence of the nine basic emotions. Complete entertainment is possible only when the nine emotions, love, hate, joy, sorrow, pity, disgust, fear, anger and compassion, are blended expertly in different ways around a predominant emotion. The main emotion could be love, joy, hate or compassion, but if not complemented by the others, is neither defined nor experienced.† (V. Damodaran & M. Unnithan-Kumar) There are certain traits that are commonly associated with Bollywood movies. These include: â€Å"XExtensive use of other performing arts such as singing and dancing â€Å"X Treatment/representation of women â€Å"XThe importance of the Actor within society â€Å"XThemes centred on Moral values and cultural struggles â€Å"XLarge studio sets with elaborate decoration & elaborate and brightly coloured costumes Bollywood is a term used to describe the Indian film industry, the largest in the world in terms of film production. In 1990 India produced 800+ films (more than two a day). Bollywood’s cinema going audience, in India, Pakistan and elsewhere is also one of the biggest in the world. Song & Dance Indian films are known all over the world, but ask an English or American person and they will probably say Indian films are about singing and dancing. If you ask someone in the Middle East they may say Indian films revolve around action and if you ask someone elsewhere in Asia they often define Indian movies as love stories. So, overall it is probably Westerners who most of all see Indian movies as just song-and-dance. This is probably partly down to ignorance on our behalf and also due to the fact that musical film has been largely abandoned in Europe and America, or it is defined under its own genre ‘musical’ which often deters people from watching.. Therefore I feel this is a good place to start in terms of considering what makes Indian film different from American or European film. The narrative structure of popular Indian films is punctuated with songs and dances, usually around six songs. The origins of this tradition can be traced back to the ballets in Indian dance-drama. These song and dances are often referred to as filmi music (a desi word) . Song and dance can have many narrative functions within an Indian film. It can be used to show the  emotions and show the real interiority of characters. These song and dance sequences are more often than not used as merely musical interludes or rest periods between the dialogues of the film. The music director’s main effort in the film is to compose attractive melodies set to often fine lyrics of a high literary quality. In early Indian film the heroes and heroines sang their way through the four hour movie. The acting quality and appearance of the character counted for little as it was singing talent that was important. To this day the Indian film song has a unique thrill. The music director, the songwriter and the playback singers have an unparalleled status in India. These song and dance sequences have played a very important part in Indian films since their birth, around 1913, and they have contained some of the best Urdu and Hindi poetry within its lyrics – this was especially the case during the 1950†² and 1960’s period of filmmaking. This era was considered the golden era in this genre with films such as Pakeezah (purity), directed by Kamaal Amrohi, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baje, directed by Rajaram Vankudre Shantaram as excellent examples of the use of song and dance. The most popular form of music in India still continues to be the film song. In the last few years, the market for popular music has grown massively. â€Å"Today, it is not unusual for films to be designed around a set of songs rather than the other way around. There is an increasing trend to use the narrative of a film simply as a string to hang song and dance numbers, much like a music hall revue. With the new audiovisual technology available, they can often resemble an extended music video peppered with action and dialogue.†(V. Damodaran & M. Unnithan-Kumar) Indian cinema has some of the best song and dance sequences in the world cinema and often excels Hollywood musicals through the way in which they link their dialogue and musical lyrics. Examples of this quality can be seen in the work of Guru Dutt in films such as Pyaasa (1957) which he Directed, wrote, produced and also starred in. This film is interesting because the songs are often inserted in the story itself, (apart from the Guru Dutt-Mala Sinha duet scene) and are not only musical picturizations of fantasies, dreams, etc., as it is often the case in later Bollywood films. Examples of his song sequences rival the best in world cinema and in many cases excel the Hollywood musical in the subtle linking of dialogue and lyric. These  directors transformed the film song into an art form and confirmed that music was Indian cinema’s greatest strength. Even today, Indian filmmakers are aware that their moment of cinematic glory can come from the songs. Every decade since the 19 50s, a huge majority of films that would otherwise have been completely forgotten are saved by a marvellous musical sequence in which melody, lyrics, camera movements, choreography and performance combine to magical effect. More than anything the phenomenon of song and dance gives Indian Cinema its unique identity. Unlike Hollywood, where the ‘Musical’ was a separate genre by itself, song and dance has been an integral part of the narrative in Indian Cinema be it in any language or whichever genre often leading and us Westerners often describe them as Indian musicals – often not realised by us that almost every different genre of Indian film contains song and dance. Film songs have been used to express all aspects of Indian life – weddings, funerals, state occasions, religious festivals, parades, parties or political conventions. Over the years, The Indian film song has evolved and many critics say that it has no reached perfection. Consequently film music is by far the most popular brand of music in India. Film makers have realised the importance of the song and dance in their films. Even today with all the visual aspects of the Indian films such as costume and sets, the song is often the single factor that determines the success or failure of a film in India. Stars of Indian films are often seen as heroes and are idolised. Nasreen Munni Kabir tells us how â€Å"people want to act, talk and look like their idols. In every decade, barbers have been asked to give their clients an Ashok Kumar, or Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan cut and tailors have always been told to copy the clothes of the beautiful Madhubala or Aishwarya Rai†. Until the early 90s, star gossip was almost exclusively reported in the dozens of film magazines but now interest in the world of cinema is so extensive that virtually every daily newspaper devotes endless print space to who is doing what in Bollywood. Representation of Women & Sexuality In early Indian cinema codes of practise followed by performing arts were also applied to the film industry. One ‘rule’ was that women of high reputation discouraged from working on screen as it was considered unacceptable by society for women to perform to perform in front of men whom were total strangers. As a result of this rule men played the roles of women. Nasreen Munni Kabir2, in his book Bollywood: The Indian cinema story, discusses how women were only gradually accepted in theatre but soon after the production of films in India women became increasing willing to act on screen, however Muslim or Hindu actresses were often frowned upon and thought to have not come from good families. This was not the case for Jewish or Christian actresses; these were seen as being above this type of criticism because of their religion. According to the Manusmriti, an ancient classical work dealing with laws, ethics, and morality, a woman should be subject to her father in childhood, in youth to her husband, and when her husband is dead, to her children. Within the guidelines of the Manusmriti, women do not enjoy independence. Women are supposed to adhere to the role of a happy figure that takes care of the household. They are supposed to be obedient to their husbands and go to every length to honour them even after death. These ethics were transferred to film and the role of the woman in Indian films is often one of extreme loyalty towards her father, husband and children. The female character is often a centrepiece to a narrative with other, predominantly male characters working around her. In traditional Indian Society, there are certain prescribed roles which regulate the conduct of women. For example, the conception of the woman as Sita is prevalent in Indian society and film. Sita is a character in the Ramayana, one of the great epics, which embodies values and the differences between right and wrong. She is the wife of Rama, who is representative of many virtues including honor, courage, and loyalty. Much of Indian popular cinema is influenced by the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, another epic, which involves the hero Lord Krishna. Sita is the ideal woman and wife that  sees her husband as an idol. Indian popular cinema represents this role of the ideal wife’s admiration and unfaltering respect. In a great deal of popular Indian Cinema the role of the women can be separated into four categories. The four categories to consider include the ideal wife, ideal mother, the vamp, and the courtesan (Dissanayake 77). The Ideal Wife (often Heroine) This character is represented by sexual purity and fidelity. The wife must be consistent with traditional Indian roles by honouring the family and depending on the husband. The definintion of the heroine in early Indian films was closely linked with mythological charaters. Nasreen Munni Kabir uses the virtous Sati Savitri as the perfect model of the women. Savitri is famous in mythology for bringing back her husband from the clutches of Yam, the god of death through her endless devotion to him. From that moment on all portrayals of women in cinema were measured against Savitri. Heriones were almost always seen as virtuous, weepy, helpless characters whose sole existence relied upon the presence of a man in her life – husband, brother or father. If the heroine were not married then it was assumed that she was a virgin. The basic idea in all Indian films from 1930’s to the present day is that the heroine will finally get her man. Rani Mukerji states â€Å"The ultimate goal of the heroine is to get her man in the end†¦This may not be shared by the hero. Whether it’s a comedy, a romantic film, an action film, a horror film – you always have romance winning in the end†. The Ideal Mother Indian reference to the mother involves religious suggestion. The country is connected with the mother goddess, Shakti, who represents great strength. The role of the mother in Indian film is often seen as a strong force, such as in Mother India. This film showcased the Indian Woman completely with her strength and emotions. (1957). Radha (Nargis) is a mother, who is left to look after her sons after her husband leaves out of shame of not being able to fend for his family, due to an accident. Radha throughout the film faces  many struggles, raising three boys, fighting poverty and debt, as well as other tragedy in the family. She is a representation of the mother being strong and the backbone of any family. Mehboob Khan’s Mother India is really a great tribute to an Indian woman. The Vamp The vamp in Indian film is modern and imitates western women and is usually more of an equal partner to the man than the heroine. Her stereotypical behaviour can include smoking, drinking, and dancing. She represents unacceptable behaviour and is seen as unwholesome and is almost always punished for her behaviour. Indian films are representative of Indian society†¦from beginning to end it is full of values†¦The character of the vamp is used to pass judgement on sections of society that are not acceptable to the traditional middle class†¦The middle class always pats itself on the back when it see ‘the vamp’: ‘Oh see, she’s smoking and drinking and she’s wearing those skimpy clothes. My daughter in doesn’t, mother doesn’t etc.†( Archana Puran Singh) These images help the middle classes reaffirm their faith in their own values. An example of this type of woman is the character of Chandramukhi, a prositue in the film Dev das (P.C. Barua) whom falls in love with Devdas (hero) however, he loves Paro. There is one film that goes against moral convention in Indian cinema, with the hero choosing to fall in love and end up with the vamp – Guru Dutts Pyassa. The Courtesan The courtesan is outside the normal realm of Indian womanhood she is a type of dancing girl. She embodies sexuality. She is a character who helps with the physical and emotional needs of men. Often in Indian film, she gives the man comfort and care, after which, he leaves her to desperately mourn the loss of him. Archana Puran Singh explains the difference between the vamp and the courtesan â€Å"The difference is that the vamp has choices. The courtesan is someone who had no choice in being a courtesan. †¦there is always said to be a sad story behind her.† Indians are therefore sympathetic towards this character whereas the vamp is frowned upon. â€Å"If the courtesan  is performing a dance it’s not out of choice and amazingly very often the courtesan remains a virgin with purity of mind and body†. The hero is attracted to her because she represents a forbidden aspect of sexuality, one not shown in the heroine, but shown often too much in the vamp. The he ro can watch her and she often will fall in love with him – often causing confusion in communication causing what is often depicted in Indian cinema – The love triangle. Although Indian cinema continues to change and evolve, reflecting new trends in gender relations, at least in very traditional Indian cinema women who live by these traditional norms are portrayed as happy and ethical. Women who go against these rules of narrative and culture in film are punished and seen as immoral. Indian films never show scenes of a sexual nature; even kissing was unknown in Indian film for a long time, however, this is not to say that Indian films lack passion and desire. The women in Indian films are often the focus of male desire. Public displays of affection are associated with western life and tend to be omitted from Indian film. Although more recent films often include scenes of overt sexual relations, traditionally Indian film has used three techniques to convey this sexuality as categorized by Richards as tribal dress, dream sequences/wet saris, and behind the bush. Tribal Dress Because many Indian films involve music and dance, Richards explains, â€Å"tribal costumes are used for the exposure of vast expanses of the body, in particular the pelvic region† ( Dissanayake ). Dream Sequences/Wet Sari Dreams offer the ability to express sexual desires and explore forbidden pleasure. Wet saris are often involved in these dreams and are caused by a downpour in which the woman’s flimsy sari allows for exposure of the female body. Dance director Lollipop, known for choreographing the song ‘Aati Kya  khandala’ in the film Ghulum (Vikram Bhatt, 1998) notes that â€Å"the wet sari must not only have the heroine wearing a sari but the hero wearing a cap so that the rain falls in front of his eyes† this is a sequence that has become a audience expectation. Psychotherapist Udayan Patel has his own views on this wet sari dance. â€Å"The gyrations are repeated and the use of the eyes and lips, all suggest overt sexuality. In our culture, we are split between living through private imaginations and social behaviour. .. . There is no kiss, there is no sex. If its explicit they people cant ignore it and parents will say it’s a bad film. I don’t think producers want this as they would lose big audiences. So sexuality is expressed through dance and the movement you of sexual intercourse without touching or kissing.† Behind the Bush The music and dance in films often gives characters the opportunity to run behind the bushes quickly. Afterwards the woman wipes off her lips, insinuating what occurred. Importance of actor within society There are high levels of devotion and hero worship towards leading stars of Indian cinema. People want to act, talk and look like their idols. In every decade, barbers have been asked to give their clients an Ashok Kumar or Dilip Kumar or Shah Rukh Khan Cut and tailors have always been told to copy the clothes of the beautiful Madhubala or Aishwarya Rai. Until the early 90s, star gossip was almost exclusively reported in the dozens of film magazines but now interest in the world of cinema is so extensive that virtually every daily newspaper devotes endless print space to whom is doing what in Bollywood. It is not only in terms of magazines and haircuts that these people are followed, it has been known for highly acclaimed actors or actresses to become members of government, as it is believed that because people follow them on screen and idolise them then this will be the case in government where they can actively change the lives of their fans and society in general. One example of this occurrence is with Shabana Azmi. Shabana is an internationally acclaimed actress, Member of the Indian  Parliament, and UN Goodwill Ambassador. She is the winner of an unprecedented five National Awards for Best Actress in India for the films Ankur (1974), Arth (1983), Khandhar (1984), Paar (1985), and Godmother (1999). She is also an extremely vocal and committed social activist, for which she was presented the Rajiv Gandhi Award as well as the Yash Bhartiya award from the government of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Most significantly she was awarded the Padma Shri in 1988 by the Government of India, an award given to eminent citizens for excellence in their field and distinguished contribution to society. She describes why she was driven into politics after movie making. â€Å"What ultimately drove me towards politics was this essential contradiction: if the whole purpose of art is to sensitize people, how can you say that this sensitivity is only going to be directed towards yourself and giving a better performance? This is simply not possible since the best resources of an actor must come from life itself. So when you are in films playing characters struggling with social injustice and exploitation, then a time comes when you can no longer treat your work like a nine-to-five job. I could n ot think that as of 6:00pm everyday, I would no longer concern myself with the lives of the people I choose to play. This turn came about some time in the early-80s† (Shabana Azmi) Moral Values & Cultural struggles Indian movies usually centre around moral values and binary oppositions such as unconditional love, the conflict between fathers and sons, revenge, redemption, the hero, the villain, survival against the odds, the importance of honour and self-respect, and the mission to uphold religious and moral values – grand themes that Hollywood generally leaves to the now rarely produced epic. The characterizations in Indian films are often based on archetypes of good and evil. Here are some examples of this binary opposition in Indian film: GOODEVIL HeroineVamp HeroVillain Indian societyWesternisation MoneyPoverty Love Loneliness Ever Indian film shows a struggle between at least one set of these oppositions above. Independence films had tended to deal with the confrontation of Western culture with Indian tradition. Westernization was seen as an aspect of colonialism. Western values were considered inimical and threatening to Indian familial social tradition. Villains tended to wear western clothes; westernized women were seen as vamps. In the hero versus villain situation, it was always the villain who was westernized and therefore, depraved and perverse. The Indian tradition was seen as being liberating and also the sole repository of moral and social values. Costumes & Setting Other key contributors to Indian film are the set and costume designs. There is a huge demand for exciting, colourful action scenes as this has great appeal for the young male audience. This is also how the handful of set and costume designers work. In the Bollywood movie, set design can range from the rickety and make-shift to the elaborate and lavish. Costume design has always been important but never as much as in today’s culture of glamour and beauty. Bollywood designers have become so trendy that many create clothes for exclusive weddings of the ultra rich as a side line. The unique style of Indian cinema is explored through an analysis of the mis-en-scene of the film itself–the locations, the sets and costumes–and shows how they, along with the song and dance sequences, construct the ‘look’ and meaning of a film. Use of hairstyles and make-up is examined in the context of  representations of the body in order to explore changing ideas of beauty and sexuality within the film genre. Conclusion From this essay I can conclude that Indian film is very different from that of American or European films in many ways. Some of these being: *Indian cinema is more socially challenging than American cinema *Indian film delivers messages about how Indian people should live their lives *Indian cinema treats women as objects inferior to men *Women are stereotyped either good or bad ( heroine or tramp) *Indian cinema always has romance *Indian cinema does not use spectactular specil effects *Indian cinema does not include any sexual relations *Indian cinema focuses around song and dance Eventually, Americans and British alike can begin to appreciate a more intellectual type of film such as the films popular in India. We need to learn to be willing to open our minds to new possibilities and new ideas. Once we are willing to think for ourselves occasionally, Hollywood can stand out as the film capitol it supposedly is While Indian cinema is unique to Indian culture and history, its energetic style, the emotional appeal of its themes, the glamorous lifestyles portrayed, the enduring melodies and lush settings, all contribute to its increasing popularity worldwide.

Guidelines for Using Double Possessives in English

Guidelines for Using Double Possessives in English Take a good look at the following sentence: Natsaha is a friend of Joans and a client of Marlowes. If this sentence strikes you as extremely possessive, youre on the right track. The combination of the preposition of and a possessive form- either a noun ending in -s or a possessive pronoun- is called a double genitive (or double possessive). And while it may appear overly possessive, the construction has been around for centuries and its perfectly correct. British novelist Henry Fielding used the double genitive in A Journey From This World to the Next (1749): At seven years old I was carried into France . . . , where I lived with a person of quality, who was an acquaintance of my fathers. Youll also find it in Anne Brontà «s second (and final) novel: Shortly after, they both came up, and she introduced him as Mr. Huntingdon, the son of a late friend of my uncles.(The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, 1848) American writer Stephen Crane slipped a double genitive into one of his short stories: Oh, just a toy of the childs, explained the mother. Shes grown so fond of it, she loves it so.(The Stove, in Whilomville Stories, 1900) And in a recent novel, author Bil Wright doubled up on the construction: Hed already proved he was a liar. And he had a girlfriend even though he wasnt divorced. No, not a monster. But definitely an enemy of my mothers and mine.(When the Black Girl Sings, 2008) As these examples demonstrate, the double genitive is generally used for emphasis or clarification when the possessor is human. But watch out. If you stare at it too long, you may convince yourself that youve found a mistake. Apparently thats what happened to one of the original language mavens, James Buchanan. Back in 1767, he tried to outlaw the double genitive: Of being the sign of the Genitive Case, we cannot put it before a Noun with (s) for this is making two Genitives.(A Regular English Syntax) Keep in mind, as pointed out in Merriam-Websters Dictionary of English Usage, that the 18th-century grammarians simply had a horror of anything double, because such constructions did not occur in Latin. But this is English, of course, not Latin, and despite its apparent redundancy, the double genitive is a well-established idiom- a functional part of the language dating back to Middle English. As Theodore Bernstein says in Miss Thistlebottoms Hobgoblins (1971), the double genitive is of long standing, idiomatic, useful and here to stay. Finally, consider Martin Endleys demonstration of how the double genitive can be used to draw distinctions: (59a) I saw a statue of Queen Victoria in the park.(59b) I saw a statue of Queen Victorias in the park.Sentence (59a) can only mean that the speaker saw a statue depicting the great British monarch. On the other hand, the double genitive in (59b) would most naturally be understood to mean that the speaker saw a statue that once belonged to Queen Victoria but which depicted someone else.(Linguistic Perspectives on English Grammar, 2010) All the same, if the double genitive troubles you, just follow the example of linguists Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum and call it something else: The oblique genitive construction is commonly referred to as the double genitive. . . . [H]owever, we do not regard of as a genitive case marker, and hence there is only one genitive here, not two (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, 2002).

The Retail Environment and the Supply Chain of Online and Offline Assignment

The Retail Environment and the Supply Chain of Online and Offline Retailing of the Music Industry - Assignment Example It is evidently clear from the discussion that home stereos had initially become popular and truly affordable during the 1980s, which brought about a boom in home entertainment devices. At that period of time, it was unimaginable that in the following two or three decades, record shops would barely exist anymore. However, the shift in buying patterns of the consumers from offline to online retail has led to the stark reality where physical shops have nearly disappeared from the retail panorama. With fewer shops, there is the even lesser number of distributors catering to the offline retail chain. The prices should be compared against that of competitors and price adjustments should be made accordingly. A product tracking interface could be developed in order to track and assert all the titles so that those can be stacked in one place. Comparing products against those of the competitors helps the retailer to gain better knowledge pertaining to product positioning strategies. The produ cts assorted can be further filtered in terms of discount range, price range, publisher, and genre. The retailers can make use of advanced technological developments to analyze the assortments by genre, music company, price range, singers or other dimensions that are deemed fit. The gaps, thus, discovered in the product catalog will help strengthen assortment structure of the retail shop and the weak categories can be developed by benchmarking assortment against that offered by the competitors. Keeping tabs on the competitor’s product strategies is an important part of successful retailing. The music albums that the competitors are featuring as well as the genres wherein heavy discounts are being offered should be researched. Apart from being up-to-date with the competitor knowledge, the retailer must also upgrade his stocks appropriately such that titles and albums promoted by the competitors are available and priced attractively. The retailer should be able to receive alert s on stock outs, price changes, promotions for the key titles and new introductions.

Why I wish to attend Virginia Commonwealth University Essay

Why I wish to attend Virginia Commonwealth University - Essay Example When it comes to quality of education offered at VCU, I think there is nothing to worry about. It's a world class university, and I know my certificates will be recognized and respected wherever I find myself across this world. For that reason, I feel that is the right place for me to study. I developed this interest after a summer visit to the campus and consultations with other students who had graduated from this university. They students gave me an insight of what life in this university is really like. And I liked it. The security standard in this school, as well as its proximity to my home is all an added advantage. Emergency telephones across the campus give me a sense of security. It's difficult to study in an insecure environment. I wish to make a name for my self and I am convinced that Virginia Commonwealth University will help me achieve this dream. The university's international student population would also give me the privilege to study in a culturally diverse environment. That means I will study about the cultures of different peoples without having to travel out of this country. After talking to a representative who came to my school to inform me about VCU, my intentions were clear and I 'm ready to attend VCU. He clearly brought out the advantages of studying at VCU compared with the other universities. They were just enormous. And the difference was absolutely clear. I just saw my dream university in VCU.