Art History Essay

1. How does Ernst Gombrich define style and how might we understand the relationship between an object’s style and the time and place in which it was created? Ernst Gombrich defines style as â€Å"any distinctive, and therefore recognizable, way in which an act is performed or an artifact made or ought to be performed and made.† He also portrays style as distinguished event or pieces that has â€Å"desirable consistency and conspicuousness† and â€Å"stands out from a mass of ‘undistinguished’ events or objects†. In relation to time and place in which style was created, â€Å"The analysis of stylistic traditions in terms of the means peculiar to individual arts cuts across another approach, which is less interested in longitudinal study of evolution than in the synchronic characterization of all activities of a particular group, nation, or period.† 2. Based upon the readings, what is the relationship between style and form? Style is observing and seeing recognizable features in an object; form is in representing the event, portrays the idea, in which style and form come together to create pictorial representation. 3. Jacques-Louis David is often described as the leader of the Neoclassical school of painting and Oath of the Horatii is frequently described as the quintessential Neoclassical painting. Identify five elements of David’s painting that might be described as Neoclassical. 1. â€Å"Neoclassic artists and critics sought to revive the ideal of classical Greece and Rome.† The drapery and clothing worn by the figures in the drawing represent the classical Greek era, as well as; the columns in the background show a great representation of classical architecture. 4. The harsh, slanting light gives the figures their relief, and their contrasting characters are conveyed using different forms. The figures are separated by large empty spaces in a stage-like area shown head-on. The applied shade and shadow contrasted to the lighting emphasis enhanced the perception of depth. 5. â€Å"There is a sense of order, logic, and clarity in the subject matter and content, concepts† such as dedicating it to a ruler. Also there is a sense of decorum, appropriateness, and morality was emphasized. The painting isn’t styled with playful subject matter, or dreamy mythological, Greek god-like figures and bright colors, but technical approach by the artist. 6. Through the use of shade and applied shadows to representing three dimensional space on a two dimensional canvas. The 1-point perspective of the room was convincingly natural; the human figures were well proportioned and anatomically accurate. 7. The return to the Roman antiquity was the primary source of inspiration, which led to a period of resurgence in classicism and classical knowledge. It was also a period of enlightenment and rational thinking. This entire picture was a result of an imagination, drawn up with convincing realism to serve as an illustration to convince the viewers at their first glance. 8. Explain the significance of genre and narrative in the classification of David’s Oath as Neoclassical. This image is classified in the genre of history painting. This painting was based on the legend about the founding of Rome. David tells the story of three brothers that make an oath of loyalty to their father swearing defend their city ‘til death. . Most Neo-Classical paintings take their subjects from Ancient Greek and Roman history. In this painting, the Horatii brothers are swearing an oath on their swords, which their father presents to them to fight until they die for their country. David creates the ideal image to represent â€Å"greater seriousness and moral commitment,† which are the basic principles of Neo-Classicism. David achieves what most neoclassical artists and critics strive for in their art by reviving the idea of classical Greece and Rome.

Your Inner Fish

Your Inner Fish: A Review of Chapter 4 In Your Inner Fish, a book about the study of evolution in mammals, chapter four is dedicated to the study of teeth. Neil Shubin is explicit in his insistence that teeth are extremely important when studying evolution of the human body. He uses three main points to explain this to the reader. First, through the function of teeth. Then by revealing the anatomy of teeth. And finally by discussing tooth-to-tooth occlusion. Teeth are used to manipulate larger objects so that they may fit into a smaller mouth.Shubin writes †Mouths are only so big, and teeth enable creatures to eat things that are bigger than their mouths† (Shubin 60). Without teeth creatures would have a smaller variety of options when it came to food choices. Bigger fish could only eat smaller fish and so on. As explained by Shubin â€Å"†¦ teeth can be the great equalizer: smaller fish can munch on bigger fish if they have good teeth† (Shubin 60). So we deri ve from this that teeth can play an important role in the food chain and thus in evolution. However, teeth play a more important part than this.By studying the anatomy of teeth many secrets can be revealed about ancient reptiles and mammals. For instance, Shubin relates that â€Å"The bumps, pits and ridges on teeth often reflect the diet† (Shubin 60). By knowing the diet of an ancient creature, it is reasonable to see how a paleontologist and evolutionist can follow the emergence of the omnivore over the carnivore and herbivore. And the hardness of teeth make it the â€Å"best-preserved animal we find in the fossil record for many time periods† (Shubin 61).This clue to these ancient animal’s diets can â€Å"give us a good window on how different ways of feeding came about† (Shubin 61). So, the shape of the teeth and the general mineral make-up both contribute to the usefulness of teeth to the scientist. Still it remains that the tooth-to tooth occlusion is an imperative discovery when shaping the history of the human body. Reptiles do not have an upper and lower jaw that meet precisely. They rip and tear their food. On the other hand, mammals have an upper and lower jaw that meet in a precise position (Shubin 60-61).Shubin discusses that in lower rock forms, thus earlier years, fossil records show only reptilian-like mouths that do not have occlusion. As the paleontologist moves up into higher rock formations, he finds more mammalian like tooth formations and smaller jaws. â€Å"Go higher in the rocks and we see something utterly different: the appearance of mammalness. The bones of the jaw get smaller and move to the ear. We can see the first evidence of upper and lower teeth coming together in precise ways† (Shubin 62).From Shubin’s portrayal of the evolution of the mouth and teeth and teeth’s usefulness, it stands to reason that teeth are an important part of the study of ancient mammals and the evolution of the human body. Your Inner Fish:Chapter 4 A Review In his book, Your Inner Fish, Neil Shubin mentions the fact that although the study of teeth are highly important to the study of ancient mammalian history, it is often overlooked or only briefly discussed in anatomy. However, Shubin successfully shows how extremely serious evolutionists and paleontologists take the study of tooth fossils.In the beginning of chapter 4: Teeth Everywhere, he states that â€Å"the tooth gets short shrift in anatomy class: we spend all of five minutes on it† (Shubin 60). But because he fills the chapter with relative stories of paleontologists and himself searching solely for tooth fossils, he reveals that teeth are vital in the study of ancient mammals. Entire expeditions for tooth hunting are explored. Shubin even states that â€Å"teeth have a special significance for me, because it is in searching for them that I first learned how to find fossils and how to run a fossil expedition† (S hubin 60).Thus, implying he had gone on an expedition with the sole purpose of hunting for ancient teeth.. From his references to paleontologists’ search for teeth it seems that teeth are a prominent study in evolution, even if touched on only briefly in anatomy classes. Shubin narrates a story of his first leading expedition where a tiny ancient mammal was discovered in rock and the most significant finding was the revelation of tooth occlusion. He even reports that he was â€Å"†¦being treated like a conquering hero†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Shubin 70) back on campus following the return from the expedition.This is a definite sign that the importance of tooth and tooth occlusion are extremely recognized in the world of evolutionary studies. Time, money, and energy are offered to tooth expeditions, and findings are celebrated amongst paleontologists and evolutionists alike. Therefore, it can be concluded from Shubin’s examples that teeth are an important study among scient ists who study the history of the human body. Your Inner Fish: A study of Chapter 4 In his book Your Inner Fish, Shubin dedicates an entire chapter to the importance of studying the evolution of teeth when figuring the evolution of the human body.In order to study ancient teeth and jaws, however, fossil hunting for tooth fossils is imperative. In chapter 4, Shubin reveals just how difficult this expedition for teeth can be. Discovering bones in rock took experience. The work demanded the naked eye notice the signs of bone in rock. This is a difficult feat. According to Shubin, â€Å"I’d set off looking for fossils, systematically inspecting every rock I saw for a scrap of bone at the surface. At the end of the day†¦. I had nothing, my empty bag a sign of how much I had to learn. (Shubin 63) But even after days walking and looking with an expert fossil finder who gave advice, it took time for Shubin to â€Å"see† the bones in rock. For days he asked questions and looked at the same rocks as the expert who found many and still came back emptyhanded each evening. Then finally, one day he discovered his first piece of bone, and it was only this discovery that made him actually understand what he was looking for. â€Å"The difference was this time I finally saw it, saw the distinction between rock and bone† (Shubin 64-65).After this, it was much easier for Shubin to discover fossilized bones, but still the search is tedious and difficult. Even after a haul of some promising rock during his first self-led expedition, Shubin was not hopeful. To his great surprise, he was hailed as a hero once the fossils were delicately revealed in the rock formation, and it was discovered that he had found a skeleton of a tiny ancient reptile, tritheledont. From the teeth and jaws on this fossil it could be derived that this was a breakthrough for the reptile as there was tooth-on-tooth occlusion.But once again, Shubin learned a greater lesson from this di scovery that happened not in the field but in the lab where the rock had been carefully manipulated to reveal the fossil within. â€Å"†¦I learned that some of the biggest discoveries happen in the hands of fossil preparators, not in the field† (Shubin 70). Fossil preparators are important and perform a very tedious job. In fact, this is one of the reasons fossil hunting is so difficult. Difficult to find, and difficult to prepare for study and viewing. The key point is that the early mammals were small. Very small†¦. If the tooth was covered by a crumb of rock or even by a few grains of sand, you might never see it† (Shubin 66). Thus, it is easy to see how fossil, especially tooth fossil, hunting is extremely difficult. It takes patience and experience and an eye for tiny details. As Shubin reveals, it takes a team of hunters and preparators to discover the most important findings. Without both, evolution would be missing an imperative study, the study of tee th and jaws.

Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Lab Report Example Finally the volumetric efficiency was found to be 60%. It is important to point out that the torque of the engine is dependent on the speed at which the engine turns and it is normally expressed in revolutions per minute (rpm). The curve of the power torque graph for the polo engine slopes smoothly and increases steadily as the revolutions per minute increase. The relationship of torque versus the engine is non linear. This relationship is provided as curve as shown on the torque curve. The exact shape and the height of the curve is specific for each engine type and this is normally determined by engine tests. The curve peaks at approximately 4000 rpm with a torque of about 90.3 N/M. The curves can be defined within the range of 1100-5500 rpm since that is the operating range of the polo engine. If the range is made lower than this, the engine is likely to stall while an increase would damage the engine. For energy balance to occur within the internal combustion engine, it is important that the total power generated by the brake power is kept at its peak. Energy performance is an indication of the degree at which the success of the internal combustion polo engine performs its assigned task. The total power is normally developed by the combustion of the fuel in the combustion chamber is greater than the brake power usually referred to as indicated power. This can be calculated as: The balance of the energy in the internal combustion engine will indicate that approximately 1/3 of the fuel energy that has been input is normally lost to the external environment through transfer of heat. There is also another 1/3 is available as the shaft performs its work. The heat losses must be decreased in order to improve the efficiency of the engine. 3. Exhaust smoke and other emissions: The oxides of nitrogen and any unburned carbons are an indication of the rate of efficiency of the engine. This parameter can be used

TD 3 MGT- 412 Discipline, Suspension and Termination Essay

TD 3 MGT- 412 Discipline, Suspension and Termination - Essay Example According to the writer, issues of discipline and termination should be handled according to the organizations rules and regulations. The process should be handled fairly to avoid the risk of the employee seeking legal action. Whitlock states that for an organization to successfully terminate or punish employees, they should follow the RIP approach or the GOOF method (Whitlock, 2010). The RIP approach requires that the employer should communicate rules and policies clearly, ensure that the rules/policies are well understood, and ensure that punishment is consistent with all similar indiscipline cases. By following this procedure, all the employees will be aware of the rules and little complain about discipline will be heard. The GOOF approach requires the employer to follow four steps before punishing or terminating an employee. The first step is to show that there are goals or expectations were known to the employee. The second step is showing evidence to prove that the set goals were not met. The third step is showing proof that the employee was given an opportunity to improve. The final step is swing proof that the employee still did not meet the expectation despite being given the opportunity to improve. Whitlock says that by following these steps, employees will feel that they are fairly treated, and no complaints will arise after punishment or termination ( Whitlock, 2010). Rosenfeld’s article discusses the methods of dealing with termination issues in a way that the company does not suffer in future. Larry says that the employer should device logical rules and ensures that they are well established and enforced. According to the article, rules should be communicated to the employees before they begin being implemented (Rosenfeld, 2014). The employees should be conversant with the punitive actions following breaking of the rules. In case an

Participation Questions Week 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Participation Questions Week 2 - Essay Example Why are companies interested in operational management today? Why is it important? What is the relationship between operational management and supply chain management? How are operations management functions performed at your organization? Companies are interested in operational management today because of how important it is to get daily work done efficiently, timely, accurately and at a low cost. It is necessary to ensure that the processes of creating a product actually works right and that improvements are made in customer service that can lead to cost reductions. Because every organization produces some product or service, an understating of modern or up-to-date approaches to managing operations is a good idea. In the past, manufacturing businesses showed more interest in the use of operations strategies and operations management but a business that offers a service can better offer that service in a more efficient manner if it treated the actual customer service as a product. According to the week one course overview, operations management refers to the direction and control of the processes that turn inputs into finished products or services and supply chain is the link between the suppliers of the material and services that convert throughout the process, the ideas and raw materials into the finished product. I work at a college and the operations management functions has so many levels. Because I work in the College of Continuing Studies, it is easy to see how the process for this particular level works. Most offices perform meeting and follow-up meetings that may be an expression of ideas that could possibly turn into a process. The follow-up meetings with expected target dates and action items seem to be the best way to ensure that the meetings have not just been a waste of time. I agree with your view that companies today are interested in operational management today

History Education in Primary Schools Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

History Education in Primary Schools - Essay Example The pedagogical imperative of such historic education was to harbor conformity, rather than the modern notion of enabling critical though. 1 Colonialism and the World Wars brought about a change in how history would be taught, especially after Education became the state’s function. The emphasis then shifted towards a nationalistic approach of teaching history, what we term as propaganda. We now we live in an era where history is studied in a global context, with the supplementary aim of creating a sense of multiculturalism and diversity. Among the roles of history education, especially in the current context of increased cross cultural interaction, the role of History Education includes: 2 Schools as Social transmitters Promoting active Citizenship Making History Real Promoting Positive Values The same study suggests that debate on the role of history education usually occurs on: Nature of truth Tempering truth Avoiding Moral Relativity While the methodology and focus of histo ry education might be a matter of debate, the importance of this area of study remains uncontested, particularly from a functional aspect. FOCUS OF HISTORY EDUCATION: The focus of history education has often been a matter of debate between politicians and the academia, the crux of which has primarily been the purpose of teaching history. Politicians like the British education secretary, Michael Gove3, claim that the purpose of history education is to inculcate a sense of nationalism in the students so that they are in touch with their political and cultural roots. A score of policy makers believe that the history currently being taught in schools deviates from important British history and is more inclined towards European history and global events. This would obviously imply trimming and framing the curriculum with selected facts and information that would reinforce patriotic sentiments in the targeted students. Academians like Dr Marcus Collins, of Loughborough University, claim t hat such a selective approach of history education is reminiscent of a subtle form of propaganda, that has been a feature of undemocratic nations. This school of thought believes that the most pressing issue with history education isn’t the curriculum, but the amount of time that is devoted to teaching history. Where history education should be made compulsory to higher levels of education, policymakers are bent towards further curtailing the time that is allotted to teaching history. If this notion is translated to educational policies, then history education will indeed become impotent in imparting the necessary analytical skill set it sought out to cater to. It is believed that British history cannot be isolated from European history as much of Britain’s political activity took place beyond its borders, across continents. This debate is part of the government’s frustration over the liberal academic approach that is prevalent in schools, citing a lack of focus and discipline as major issues. As a consequence, the government4 has erected a new program where military officials will be planted as teachers in school to maintain decorum and cement a more focused approach to teaching with the notion of the ‘

Pope Gregory VII Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Pope Gregory VII - Research Paper Example From such evidence we come to understand that there are no biases as such and hence the source seems to be quite reliable for study. Contemporary reformers condemned the moral abuses that took place during that time. Two such abuses that were of primary concern were – 1) The heresy of Simony (the buying and selling of orders and offices in the church and 2) Nicolaitism (clerical marriage and unchasity) In 1059, after the Election Decree, the power of the emperor was reduced considerably while the Roman cardinals were given more power. This insightful book details the events of Pope Gregory’s rule, as he stood at the center of these affairs as the arch deacon of the Roman Church. The book describes Gregory’s religious motives of freeing the church from these heresies and gaining liberty for its people. The source being reliable would be very useful for the study. The author Rev. John Cowdrey was a medieval historian and a leading authority on the ecclesiastical reform movement led by Pope Gregory VII. In my opinion, the text served to kindle my interest further on the subject. Ephraim Emerton’s book titled ‘The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII’ is a selection of Gregory VII letters from the Registrum that was translated by him. These letters served to highlight the zeal, hard work and vigor with which Pope Gregory pursued to bring about a revolutionary change in the conduct of the church. Professor Ephraim Emerton had authored many books but for this book of letters, he had only translated them. He was a graduate from Harvard College and was also one of the founders of the American Historical Association. In 1882 he was elected as the Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History. These papal documents translated by Ephraim provides the reader with great insight through the evidence describing the religious policies of reform that Pope Gregory brought about during his period as Pope of the Christian Church. The book also serves to shed

Introduction to Operational Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Introduction to Operational Management - Essay Example This write-up presents a discussion about the approach to operational strategy for improving Going Inc’s airline business that services the United States, Europe and Asia and its aircraft manufacturing business. Going Inc has a higher than industry average figures for flight delays, baggage and security related check-in delays and late arrival figures for flights. In addition, Going Inc’s manufacturing operations for small aircraft must meet increasing market demand. Going Inc’s airline service has been losing business for the past twenty months despite attempts to present a high-class image and competitors are likely to win if Going Inc cannot supply the small aircrafts that it manufactures to customers in a timely manner. Appendix A presents the observations for Going Inc’s airline service business and its aircraft manufacturing business unit. The difference between operations strategy for bringing about an improvement in Going Inc’s airline business and for enhancing the ability of Going Inc’s aircraft manufacturing to take advantage of increased market demand is the difference between operational strategy for service and that for manufacturing (Lynch, 2006, Pp. 330 – 332). Manufactured aircrafts are products, while airline operations represent a service orientation for customers who will want to avail themselves of the service offered by the airline if they like the package that is being presented to them for a price. Most of the published research in the area of operations strategy relates to product manufacturing strategy. However, services are now an important part of the economy and telecommunications, travel, airlines and banking present significant contributions to the GDP in any nation. Services present significant differences from manufactured products and five main differences between servi ce offerings and products have been identified as follows (Lynch, 2006,

Cellular and Molecular Pathology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Cellular and Molecular Pathology - Essay Example In obtaining the right tissue for the examination, there are two distinct methods that can be employed. That is the physical examination technique and the liver biopsy technique. During physical examination, the medical history of the suspected patient is checked and more attention is paid to the patient’s abdomen. Presence of lumps in the liver can be felt as a patient lies flat with the liver being swollen. Other cases present an enlarged spleen and ability to hear a unique sound/noise when a stethoscope is used to listen to the blood vessels. The noise is usually caused by tumor pressure on the vessels. Liver biopsy is the appropriate method that can be used in obtaining materials for the study. In this case, a definite diagnosis is provided. It is appropriate since it deals with the actual tissues and fluids from the liver thus giving appropriate results rather than the suspect results as provided by the physical method of testing. Liver biopsy is done through obtaining a sample of the liver or rather a tissue fluid using a fine needle. The obtained tissue or fluid is prepared and checked under the observation microscope for the presence of cancer cells. In many incidences, about 70% biopsy shows a positive result for cancer (Brown, 2010). However, in fewer situations, there are risks involved whereby about 0.4% of the cases, some patients develop severe blood loss since a number of tumors are supplied with major and numerous blood vessels thus the heavy bleeding. 2. Methods of fixation and processing that are most suitable for the studies to be performed a) Tissue fixation Fixation is the process by which obtained tissue samples are preserved in a life –like state preventing damage and distortions and is always carried out sooner after tissue removal through surgeries and immediately after death in the case of autopsies. There are several fixatives such as alcohols, mercurials, oxidizing agents, picrates and aldehydes. In this case I would pr efer the use of formaldehyde which is also regarded as a combination of formalin and glutaraldehyde. The choice is coherently based on the neutral nature of the formaldehyde solution and the ability to penetrate the tissues cells thus encouraging visibility during the observation time. Formaldehyde has a standard solution hydrogen potential at 10% buffered formalin. The buffer is significant in prevention of acidity that would in turn cause precipitation of the formol-heme tint in the tissues. Formalin has an osmotic pressure that is equal to that of the mammalian cells thus preventing the tissue structure changes due to its reaction. The ratio of the fixative to be used stands at 10:1 to the fixative tissue. The fixative specimen would also boost the fixation process. The process of fixation is also increased by altering the temperature which when increased increases all chemical reactions. In the event where the hematoxylin and esion tissues are to be obtained for a pathology test , formalin is a recommended fixative to be used in the preservation process of the tissues since it is more tolerant and harmless to the tissues (Pathol, 2010). Formalin and alcohol are considered as the best fixatives that penetrate the tissues. Penetration is faster in thin sections compared to thick sections of tissues. However, formalin is only recommended for shirt time fixation and cannot be used in the preservation of skeletal specimens since after a long duration it softens the bones and changes the color of

French Spanish, Polish And Prussian Influence In The American Revolution Essay Example for Free

French Spanish, Polish And Prussian Influence In The American Revolution Essay On one end of Europe to the other, a simple but dangerous anthem that brought a great change on the face of world history is the word â€Å"why? † Time-honored certainties crumbled: traditional assumptions on the authority of society, the structure of the universe, and even the very existence of God, were put into question. â€Å"Dare to know! † challenged thinkers and philosophers, just centuries before the wave of revolution took place in different parts and phases in Europe and America. This also paved the way for the equal emphasis on practical and theoretical doctrines, which has placed great faith in innovation and a belief that all members of the human race had a right to share its fruits. Such principles as these, embodying new visions of human rights and opportunities, would be translated into action before the end of the century. In North America, England’s 13 colonies severed themselves from the mother country to forge a republic. In 1776, the revolutionaries issued a Declaration of Independence, with a text that rang out with enlightened precepts, ranging from the practical notion of government accountability to the credo that every individual had a natural right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It would take eight years of war before the Declaration could be put into practice, and, when it was, the power relationships within the new state revealed that Enlightenment still had its limitations: the land’s original inhabitants were being remorselessly driven into the wilderness, slavery was legal, and only a small percentage of the male population and none at all of the female enjoyed the right to vote. Nevertheless, the principles of tolerance, self-determination and equal citizenship in a democratic republic had become reality, and the force of these ideas would prove unstoppable. Soon thereafter the Old World experienced its own revolutionary upheavals. In 1789, France’s disaffected bourgeoisie and downtrodden poor rose up together against their weak but autocratic king. The men who came to power when the monarchy fell were the children of the Enlightenment. They had imbibed the unsentimental rationalism of Voltaire, the broad historical perspectives of Montesquieu, and the passionate social idealism of Jean Jacques Rousseau (â€Å"The Age of Reason†). The bloody course of their Revolution, with its years of terror and turmoil, might have horrified these mentors, but the Revolution’s rallying cry of â€Å"Liberty! Equality! Fraternity! † was a triumphant answer to a century of searching and fundamental questions. II. The American Revolution â€Å"That whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, that is against the protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, it is the right of the people to change or to abolish it and to establish a new government laying the foundation on such government as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. † American Declaration of Independence The signing of the Declaration of Independence as drafted by Thomas Jefferson summed up the spirit of America’s feelings on liberty and equality. It expressed their final resolve to break with Britain and put an end to the long years of rule by a king and Parliament thousands of miles away from America. This document united the thirteen colonies of diverse culture, faith, and temperament, uniting them as a new nation. They had crossed the Rubicon. â€Å"We must all hang together or else we will be hanged separately by our enemies,† warned Benjamin Franklin, a delegate from Philadelphia (J. Foe, C. Parco, and M. Coronado. â€Å"Revolution in America and France†). The Fight for Freedom America’s first shots of the revolution were fired in Lexington, Massachusetts. British soldiers had been sent on a secret raid to find and destroy rifles that had been collected by the revolutionaries. Warned by patriots such as Paul Revere, colonists fired upon the British troops. The American Revolution had begun. The Americans were up against a military giant, with 50,000 well-trained troops and another 50,000 Americans who wanted to remain British. The British were well-equipped; they had superior numbers, and had their great navy offshore the colonies. Nevertheless, the inexperienced Americans ‘slew the giant’. There were several factors that contributed to their victory. The Americans were fighting on their own territory for their own survival. The British, on the other hand were not well-motivated to fight, and frequently faced unfamiliar and unfriendly territory. The English troops included Hessian mercenaries from Germany, who became attracted to the ideals of freedom and often defected to the Americans. Although the Americans were poorly trained as soldiers, they had much experience handling guns in the wilderness of America. Further, they were led by a competent and tough leader by the name of George Washington. He inspired hope and courage in his men when all seemed to be lost. Although he had never won any battle before the revolution, Washington was a good military strategist. During the war, the British won most of the battles, but Washington made sure the Americans never were completely crushed. He only fought the British when the odds were in his favor. He used hit and run tactics against the foes. The red uniform of the British made an easy target of the American snipers. Moreover, the distance between the British forces from their homeland brought communication and supply problems. As one historian noted that ‘every biscuit, man and bullet required by the British troops in America had to be transported across a wide ocean. † The ships were small and cramped and it took at least six weeks to make a one-way trip. To make matters worse, British ships were harassed by pirates and other enemy ships, like the Dutch and the French. Lastly, and probably the most decisive factor, unlike the British who fought alone without allies, the Americans were aided secretly at first and then openly by the French, Spanish, and Dutch. Other foreign influences on the outcome of the war came from the Polish and Prussians. What began as a struggle for American independence turned into a multinational war against England. III. Various Foreign Influences: A. French Contribution About twenty years prior to the outbreak of the revolution, colonial wars fought in North America which started as wars between despots in Europe. These wars, involving Britain and France among others were the War of the League of Ausburg or the â€Å"King William’s War†, the War of Spanish Succession in 1702-14 was â€Å"Queen Anne’s War†, and the Seven Years’ War also known as the French and Indian War (G. Zaide and S. Zaide. â€Å"The Rise of the United States†). France and his allies lost heavily on the French-Indian War, resulting to the loss of her colonies mainly in North America and India. Economic policies of Britain only ensured to make money out of the New World to add to their home treasury and finance their wars in Europe. They restricted trade and raised taxes against the desires of the native Americans. Although the British won, this exacted a great price. The cost of funding the wars and maintaining such colonies, which caused the British to lay down heavy taxes on its American colonies as their means of support in exchange for their protection, ignited a desire from the colonists to liberate them from England’s rule. King Louis XVI of France was not personally sympathetic to the cause of the American Revolution. But he held a grudge against the British who robbed him of his Canadian colony. After suffering a disgraceful loss in the France and Indian War, France wanted to shift the balance of power, hoping to remove some of England’s dominance. The philosopher Rousseau helped Franklin lobby the French government to aid the Americans. Therefore France went to war with the Americans to exact revenge on the British Also, many of the French were sympathetic to the Americans. Later in the war, the French gave large numbers of infantry led by General Lafayette, and French warships reached the American revolutionaries. They volunteered their services including Lafayette, as well as give off their financial support for the training of the many inexperienced and beleaguered American army (â€Å"French Volunteers and Supporters of the American Revolution†). In 1780 came the most crucial help, which was the arrival of French troops in Rhode Island. A year after this resulted to the defeat of the British who were under the command of Cornwallis. American and French troops fighting at each other’s side might have been an odd picture, considering that both parties had been enemies about fifteen years earlier. France’s assistance became a significant instrument for the emergence of America as an independent nation (â€Å"The French Contribution to the American War of Independence†). B. Spanish Contribution That the Spanish fought alongside with Americans in the latter’s bid to be free of Britain’s control is not often taught or largely known by many. The subject’s ambiguity extends amongst historians who are not in agreement towards the extent and importance of Spain’s role for the forging of independence for the colony. According to Samuel Bemis, Spain rejoiced over the fighting by the British and Americans that such a war could result to the dwindling of power for both. Like the French, the Spanish government was far from being inspired by the morals of democracy. It was also poised to seize and regain control of lost territories to England, with the end result of weakening the whole British Empire. But unlike the French, the Spanish support was not impassioned by the oppression felt by the Americans from the British. It could even have felt hostile to the cause, fearing this could spread and inspire its own colonies to revolt. For Bemis, Spain’s involvement was not a key role for the success of the American Revolution (S. Bemis. The Diplomacy of the American Revolution). However, this has been challenged by many historians including Thomas Chavez. They believe that Spanish support played a significant role and its effects are far reaching than thought by many (T. Chavez. Spain and the Independence of the United States: An Intrinsic Gift). The colonists acknowledged that Spain’s financial and military contribution helped brought the victory (M. Recio. â€Å"Exhibit Looks at Spain’s Influence on American Revolution†). C. Polish Contribution Some Polish immigrants played an illustrious military career as they served the Continental Army. Silas Deane and Benjamin Franklin’s recruitment of Tadeusz Kosciuszko in France, a Polish general and considered by his fellow countrymen as a national hero due to his victory over the Russian Empire, paved the Polish influence over American independence. Arriving in America in 1776, he served as a colonel of the Continental Army during the revolution. Kosciuszko became an ardent believer of the tenets sited in the Declaration of Independence. This also led him to make effort to meet Thomas Jefferson, the man who penned the Declaration. The meeting created a bond of deep appreciation and friendship towards one another. One of his vital contributions was the fortification of Philadelphia. Other ports were constructed under his command which proved critical such as the American retreat from the Battle of Ticonderoga and the battle won at Saratoga in 1777 (â€Å"Tadeusz Kosciuszko†). Another key Polish influence was the nobleman Count Casimir Pulaski. A freedom fighter even in his native land, he fought against Russia’s control over Poland. Defeated, he left his country to escape captivity, transferred to different parts of Europe and finally came to France. Upon hearing of American’s struggle for independence, Pulaski sought to join the American’s fight. He volunteered his military service before Deane and Franklin. Later, he received recommendation by Washington for the count to serve as cavalry commander. Later, he served the Continental army as brigadier general and proved his dedication for the cause (AnnMarie Francis Kajencki. Count Casimir Pulaski: From Poland to America, a Hero’s Fight for Liberty). D. Prussian Contribution One of the prominent Prussian influences of the American Revolution was Frederick William Freiherr Von Steuben, who enlisted himself to join the American’s fight against British rule. He gained military training and prominence as he served the Prussian’s fight during the Seven Years War (or French and Indian War). Proof of his mettle in battle was his ascent as aide to Frederick the Great. He met Franklin in France, after which he sailed to America, armed with a letter of introduction to George Washington. His major contributions were his introduction of European military training and discipline to the unskilled colonist army and transform it to become more reliable, which lifted up the quality of service among its troops. He made considerable help to Washington in planning strategies and mobilization of the Continental Army. He was hailed as one of the credible heroes of the revolution (â€Å"Frederick William (Augustus) Freiherr (Baron) Von Steuben Biography, 1730–94†). IV. Conclusion Clearly, without foreign assistance or influence, the American victory would have been impossible. Fortunately for the Americans, this aid came with no strings attached. Neither Spain nor France gained territory for her efforts in this costly war. Ironically though, France’s major assistance to the American’s fight for freedom brought the French government into debt and financial crisis. In fact the war helped destabilize the French nation’s economy, leading to the French Revolution. It inspired liberalism and brought a wave of change throughout Europe. The change it brought was inevitable. Not only did it set aflame the winds of revolution in France but to the American colonies of Spain as well (â€Å"American Revolution – The Complete History 1775-1783†). The American success story could not stop the inspiration that a nation can change its own society. It marked a new milestone in the history of democracy. The Americans asserted their right to establish their own government, which sent the waves across the Atlantic and to people everywhere the will of the people should reign supreme in any society.

Globalization In The Automotive Industry

Globalization In The Automotive Industry Globalization is one of the most controversial phenomenons of the modern business world. Today, the world map still includes the national borders; however national borders have just stayed in order to signify the political lines. Except politics, national borders have eroded between countries. In business life from finance to marketing, from economics to technology, a great degree of globalization is experienced. However, in order to make sound analysis about globalization, first of all, it is crucial to define what globalization is. There are numerous different definitions in the literature but one of them uses a humorous manner in order to define globalization through an event we all know well. According to this short story, globalization is the situation in the death of Princess Diana. It is so because an English princess with an Egyptian boyfriend crashes in a French tunnel, driving a German car with a Dutch engine, driven by a Belgian who was drunk on Scottish whisky, followed closely by Italian Paparazzi, on Japanese motorcycles; treated by an American doctor, using Brazilian medicines. (http://www.nowcwc.com/activities/globalization.htm) The story is very effectively pointing out the fact that todays life has become globalized rather than being national. In literature, many authors from all around the world with diverse backgrounds and diverse disciplines have studied about globalization and tried to define it from different perspectives. Globalization, in its contemporary meaning, has emerged in after 1980s despite the fact that it was used earlier before in different meanings. The famous American sociologist, Saskia Sassen, who has been noted for her studies on globalization, has defined it as a variety of micro-processes that are denationalizing all that has previously been constructed as national. (Sassen, 2006) Furthermore, United Nations Economic and Social Commission have asserted that in the context of economics, globalization refers to the reduction or elimination of the barriers and borders between the nations and countries in order to facilitate the free flow of; Goods and services Capital Labour Technology Despite the stronger globalization for the goods services and the capital, there have still been barriers for the flow of labour because of the imperfect mobility due to its nature. However, it is never possible to have perfect mobility for labour. (UNESC, 2002) Another author, Thomas Friedman, has defined the situation in todays world as the flattening of the world. He asserts that the changes in trade, outsourcing, and supply chain and even in politics that we all name as globalization have changed the world permanently and that the pace of globalization is accelerating. (Friedman, 2008) The emergence of globalization dates back to 80s. In the past 30 years, the changes in science and technology have brought up globalization. Flow of goods, services and capital is the key for globalization and this has been enabled by the virtue of technological advances and their application in both business life and daily life. Advances in the telecommunication have first of all permitted the flow of information across far distances. Advances in computer technologies and the rise of Internet have led to the digitalization of business. It has only, by these advances, been possible to move to a globalized economy all over the world. As a result of these advances, global companies have emerged. For example Xerox is a global organization with offices and locations in 160 different countries and 54.700 employees. Different offices in 160 different countries are connected to each other and by the virtue of the technological advances 54.000 employees in 160 countries can work in harmony. (www.xerox.com) As another example, Ford Motor Company is a global company with operations in North America, South America, Europe, Asia / Pacific and Africa. Ford manufactures cars and trucks in more than 100 plants throughout the world. (www.ford.com) As an example from financial sector, HSBC bank, the worlds largest bank, operates in 86 countries from United States to Hong Kong and Kuwait, from Mexico to France and Brazil. Furthermore, the shares of HSBC Holding are owned by 220.000 shareholders from 119 different countries. (www.hsbc.com) As it can be seen, the degree of globalization for a company may differ. One company may only have sales and distribution operations in abroad countries. Another may also have production capacities in different countries but is managed by only local executives. (Robert, 2004) Analyzing globalization becomes more meaningful as long as the analysis is conducted within a specific industry because the dynamics of different industries may require different degrees of integration among its international operations. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Survey, 2008) This report is aimed to analyze the automotive industry from the perspective of globalization. Automotive industry is a very distinct industry with many global players and a cut throat competition. The report, firstly, tries to examine whether the automotive industry and its players operate in a single global market or not. In order to do this, it is crucial to define what is meant by a single global market and what indicators could be used to measure the extent of globalization. Furthermore, these indicators are to be applied to the automotive industry where international data is available. Secondly, the factors that have contributed to the globalization for the automotive industry are to be analyzed. It is important to successfully define these factors and furthermore evaluate their importance. Lastly, the impact of globalization on levels of trade and employment is to be stated in the United States. To do this, national and international statistics on trade and employment are to b e utilized. Before proceeding to the report, it would be useful to depict a current picture of the automotive industry in general, in order to be able to set the frame and background of the analysis. Automotive Industry Automotive is a very broad industry with very different operation areas. The industry covers operations like design, sales, after- sales support, spare parts and marketing. This makes it difficult to differentiate these different operations just by naming the as automotive industry. However, the core operation areas in the automotive industry can be summarized as follows: Design of the vehicle Engineering of the designed vehicle Production and manufacturing of the vehicle Marketing and communication of the brand Sales operations through the retailer After sales and spare parts support Another important classification emerges between the different product types of the vehicles. This depends on the primary usage aim and the size of the vehicle. So, motor vehicles can be classified in the following categories: Automobiles or passenger cars LCVs Trucks Buses Light Vehicles (without commercial usage) Commercial Vehicles (McKinsey Quarterly, 2006) In line with this classification of the product types, total number of manufacturing for motor vehicles in 2007 makes up a total of 73 million units. When compared with 2006, the increase is calculated to be 5,4%. Total production in 2006 was 69,3 million units. But 2008 witnesses a rather sharp decrease in motor vehicle production. After 73 million units of 2007, total production in 2008 emerged to be 70,5 million units. (KPMG Global Auto Executive Survey, 2008) This is mainly caused by the effects of the global financial crisis that affected many parts of the world. Many automakers faced serious financial problems in 2008 and some of them even experienced the risk of bankruptcy. Governments prepared support plans for the local automakers of their countries and some merger and acquisition operations are seen in the industry. As it can be seen from the table, the biggest share of production is done in Asia and Oceania which can mainly be attributed to the fact that production costs are considerably lower in these regions. Furthermore, the local governments in these regions also support the investment plans of the automakers by some incentives and options. When production in 2008 is analyzed country by country, it is seen that leading automakers are Japan, China, Germany, USA and S. Korea. (GLG Expert Contributor, 2009) Developed economies of the world have lost production in 2008 compared with 2007. It was also seen in the general production throughout the world. However, it was also striking that emerging countries had increases in their 2008 productions. These countries can be exemplified as Brazil, Russia, China, Turkey, India and Mexico. (www.oica.net) It is an interesting fact that despite the start of the automotive industry in America by Ford Motor Company, today most of the production has shifted to the Asian countries. The main reason for this change is that Asian countries offer cost advantages in production. Making production in these countries affect the financial performance of the automakers and produce bottom line results. (Keller, 2003) This way automakers gain financial advantage whereas the Asian governments attract foreign direct investment and they have employment opportunities for their citizens. (Keller, 2003) They also support this situation by tax exemption and tariffs. The point is that since automotive is a huge industry, there also exists a competition between the governments in order to have production facilities and plants in their countries. It is for sure that the competition between companies is much more fierce compared with the competition between countries. Globalization is a very important aspect in this situation. Companies try to reach for economies of scale in order to gain financial advantages and they increase their production and these forces the companies for mergers and acquisitions. So, an important result of globalization in the industry is consolidation which is forecasted to increase in the future periods. (www.pwc.com automotive industry Analysis) Utilization rates are also important in the industry. In general, utilization rates are below 80% for the automakers which means idle production facilities. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) Companies try to increase their utilization rates but this fact results in excess capacity when they are unable to sell the vehicles and turn it into cash. In order to sell more, companies go for price discounts and lose profitability. So overcapacity in the industry and the competition cause a price war. Price war is reflected in various forms. It can be either in terms of sales price discount or incentives and promotions to the customer. The total amount of givebacks provided to the customers is guessed to be around USD 45 million for 2007. (Pwc Report) This situation is a reality of the industry regardless of the region. Without the exceptions like a global financial crisis, the growth rate for the automotive industry is forecasted to be around 10 million units for the next 8-10 years. Even these growth rates will not heal the capacity utilization problem in the industry. The utilization rate is expected to rise to a maximum of 85% which is still low for such an investment intensive industry. (KPMG Global Auto Executives Report, 2008) This is one of the most serious problems that the future of the industry faces and needs to tackle with. Another problematic side of the industry is the suppliers. Suppliers are having pressure from the automakers both in order to keep down costs and prices and they are both expected to make innovation. For product differentiation and facing the changing demands of the customers, suppliers are very crucial to make innovations. It is only by this way possible for automakers to address the demands of the customers and the market. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The automotive industry is also stretched by the rules and regulations they face from both local and international institutions. Many of these regulations are related with financial issues or social issues like environment protection. Some of such regulations are as follows: IFRS Block Exemption Regulation (BER) Sarbanes Oxley End-of-Life Vehicle Regulation (ELV) EU Accession CO2 emissions Regulations These are the key issues regarding the automotive industry and I believe that they are crucial to understand the industry dynamics before proceeding to its relationship with globalization. Globalization in Automotive Industry Globalization is not a new concept for the automotive industry. When the history of the industry is studied, it is seen that automotive industry has began globalization by the start of mass production. Total different number of countries that Ford and General Motors were assembling vehicles was already 24, even as early as of 1928. These countries that Ford and GM were operating were spreading around a huge geography from Japan to Brazil and India. By the end of 1930s, both of these American automakers had plant facilities even in Europe. By 1950s, European automakers were financially recovered from the negative effects of the World War 2 and Europeans started to invest in Australia, Latin America and South Africa. By the decline of communism in the Soviet Russia and the end of the Cold War, new markets were opened to the automotive industry like Eastern Europe, India and China. 1990s witnessed the efforts of the automakers to harmonize their operations on a global scale especially i n design and manufacturing. The timeline in the history already shows that globalization has always been in the spirit of the automotive industry one way or another. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) When the production in 1975 is compared with the production in 2005, a striking effect of globalization is visible. In 1975, the number of different countries that make up 80% of the total automotive production was 7, however when we came to 2005, the number of countries that make up the 80% of the total automotive production had risen to 11 with the dispersion of geography for the automotive industry. (Sturgeon, 2009) The entry barriers in the industry are very high. This is the reason of such a consolidation as depicted above. The design and development process for a new vehicle is very costly and it takes 3 to 5 years and billions of dollars to complete a project. In such an environment, the competition is fierce and innovation is a key element that automakers need to possess. By the advances in computer and communication technologies, the need for innovation is crucial. The automotive industry is still in a growth trend. When we look at the overall numbers for vehicle ownership, we see that only 12 % of the total population in the world has automotive products. The industry grows about 20% in each decade except the times of economic crisis. The total demand in 2010 is forecasted to be around 65 70 million units of vehicle and the leading countries in this expansion would be both developed countries and both emerging economies like BRIC countries. (Brazil, Russia, India, China) The rise of BRIC countries is a very important reflection of globalization in the automotive industry. As of today, the share of these countries in the total annual sales is not very high but in one or two decades, the global picture is expected to change. Especially, China is forecasted to account for a very large share in the increasing demand of the emerging economies, this is the reason why companies like General Motors has been aggressively working in Chinese market. (Hsu, 2002) In order to analyze the globalization in automotive industry by its todays context first of all we need to understand the current changes in the industry and the effects of globalization in these changes and the reflections in the academic literature about the automotive industry. According to Sturgeon and Florida (2000), globalization is shifting the economic geography of the automotive industry. The industry with all its side industries from spare parts and OEM to electronics is affected by a new wave of assembly and plant constructions among different places of the world. According to this new wave, China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico and East Europe are new locations for assembly and supplier plant constructions. The reasons pushing these developments can be listed as follows: Competition is intense at home markets and as a result of the competition market saturation is reached in many local developed markets. As a result of the end of the Cold War, new investment opportunities have arisen in the countries that are stated above. There are host country requirements for local production which squeeze the automakers. Automakers are trying to benefit from regional trade arrangements. Some familiar examples are NAFTA and EU. These trade agreements provide some opportunities to automakers in order to make cost cuts. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) The effect of trade agreements is rather important in the industry and it is the newer side of globalization that is experienced in the automotive industry. It had started with the Japanese automakers efforts that resulted in intense competition in the United States and in Europe. Against Japan automakers, Europeans and Americans focused on their cost structure and tried to reduce their operational costs. Through regional strategies of moving production to low cost countries, automakers of Europe and the United States tried to gain cost advantage against the Japanese. Those low cost countries were especially Canada, Mexico and Spain in the 1980s. (Keller, 2003) Globalization in the automotive industry is also experienced in manufacturing. Vehicles are generally designed with common under-body platforms but then they are modified in specific characteristics according to the local needs and conditions. Also through the inclination to global vehicle body platforms, the assembly capacities and skills can be designed more generic or in other words global. This way assembly and manufacturing become less model-specific. Another important issue in the automotive industry is that automakers constantly try to decrease the minimum scale of assembly plants because they have a risk in such emerging market investments since these markets are vulnerable and they possess more risk due to a possible uncertainty compared to developed markets. Thus, automakers strive on to decrease the initial risk they incur on such investments. They try to launch relatively smaller but flexible plants and these plants are designed as expandable in case it is needed. Automakers furthermore share large investments with other automakers who would also like to benefit from the assembly plant. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Globalization is also experienced through its impact on the structure of the automotive industry. As a result of the globalization in the industry, the relationship between the automakers and suppliers is changing. This change is much distinct for the first tier suppliers who, day by day, play more importance in the industry. This has also led to the fact that anymore global suppliers have emerged in the automotive industry. These global suppliers have a superb capacity of sourcing components on a global level in different parts of the world, simultaneously and in coherence. So, this both means geographic expansion for the global scale suppliers but it also means a consolidation in the industry as these global suppliers start to reach economies of scale and work with maximum efficiency and minimum costs. It is so striking that for the future of the automotive industry, such global suppliers may be more effective in the automotive industrys future investments. Being more effective in the investments also mean that suppliers will be more and more enjoying the benefits of such investments, either social or economical like employment. It can be asserted that as a result of globalization, the power of the suppliers versus automakers is increasing. This is the most important effect of globalization on the automotive industry and it has led to the rise of suppliers like Bosch, TRW, Magna and Valeo. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G. (2009) have also studied on globalization of the automotive industry with its main features and the prevailing trends. The authors also accept the boom in the developing markets and emerging economies but they also emphasize on the fact that developed markets still have importance in the automotive industry. In operational levels, regional integrations play an important role but also global value chain links have been created in the industry. Another sign of the globalization on the automotive industry is seen in the change in the job market both in terms of quality of the jobs and the necessary characteristics and both in terms of the number of jobs available in the market. According to the analysis of Sturgeon and Florida (2000), automotive industry has added 103.000 jobs to the job market just between 1993 and 1996. However, later as the globalization started to affect the automotive industry, the job structure has shifted from the automakers to suppliers and this has also affected the pay levels since the pay was lower in the supplier side compared to the automakers. (Keller, 2003) The change in the job market has also been seen through the shift of locations from developed countries to emerging economies like Russia, Mexico, Brazil, India and China. So, it can easily be concluded that job opportunities of the United States and Northwest Europe have gone to other parts of the world. A relaxing factor for this issue could be seen as the fact that still some important parts and components are manufactured in the traditional centers of the automotive industry like the United States and Europe. (Keller, 2003) As production and assembly facilities have shifted from United States and Europe to low cost countries, these traditional centers that have stayed expensive for production have taken more responsibility in other functions like design, research and development and engineering. Another important aspect of globalization in automotive industry is the sharing of technology and know-how. As a result of the competition, innovation has been a key issue in order to sustain competitive advantage in the market for all industries. This need of innovation is far more important in the automotive industry because the needs and demands of customer segments are constantly changing and evolving. In order to meet changing customer needs, automakers have to innovate new product features that are in line with customer needs. One aspect of innovation in the context of globalization is seen in the design and manufacturing. Generally main body parts of the vehicles are designed globally and are used in all different models. Besides, manufacturing processes are planned globally and applied in all different plants. However, another important aspect is valid for recruitment in order to attract talent. In order to meet the need for advanced technology, companies need to attract and recruit most skilled employees wherever he / she reside and whatever nationality he / she are in. For example, General Motors recruits engineers and scientists from a very diverse range of countries and nationalities like from North and South America, Europe, the Middle East, China, Taiwan, India, and Korea. The variety in the backgrounds of the employees makes a leveraging effect in order to create new ideas and perspectives for the company. This is an essential part of the business in order to create competitive advantage through the use of innovation. So, a very important benefit of globalization is the ability to have access to technology and the employees who know and use these technologies. It is also valuable to compare the automotive industry with other global industries like electronics or consumer goods. One of the most important common features between these industries and automotive is that there has been tremendous increase in global production, cross-border trade between the countries and foreign direct investment. These increases have especially intensified after the 1980s up to today and the pace of increase is accelerating. (Sturgeon, T., Memedovic, O., Biesebroeck, J.V., Gereffi, G, 2009) Another important common feature between all these globalized industries is that the level of outsourcing is increasing in the industry and more and more operational work is transferred to the supplier firms. The fact that suppliers became global which we have addressed previously is thus valid for many other globalized industries. (Sturgeon Lester, 2004) However, automotive industry is different for some of its distinct characteristics. First of all, the automotive industry is very concentrated. Very strong small numbers of firms are very powerful against a huge number of smaller firms. Three countries Japan, Germany and the United States are the leading countries and a total of 11 firms from these 3 countries are the most effective companies of the automotive industry. This was especially shaped by the mergers and acquisitions that took place in 1990s. Secondly, another important characteristic of the automotive industry is seen in its proximity between the manufacturing and the sales. Production is generally done close to the market and the notion of build where you sell is very important. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) Thirdly, regional integration as stated earlier in this report is much more common in the automotive industry compared with other globalized industries. In automotive industry, regional integration is seen side by side with the global integration and this is a differing side of the automotive industry compared with for example electronics where only global integration is seen. Lastly, it must be noted that in the global automotive industry there is a lack of standardization in the parts and components whereas in electronics for example processors are nearly virtually usable in all kinds of computers but the automotive industry lacks such industry standards. We have focused heavily on the globalization of the automotive industry from different aspects and identified the indicators of globalization in the industry and the causal links between these indicators and the extent of globalization. However, in order to be able to draw a complete picture of globalization, we also need to study the national and local elements of the automotive industry. There are many elements of the automotive industry that still retain as national or local. Consumer preferences, the income levels, driving conditions in the highways, regulations regarding the job market in the local countries and public policies like taxation all are subject to differ in different countries. These attributes have thus stayed national despite the fact that they have great effect on the automotive industry. (Sturgeon Florida, 2000) As a specific case, I would like analyze the Turkish automotive market as an emerging market. Turkey is one of the top-20 countries that manufacture automobiles and commercial vehicle. The following table shows the automotive production in Turkey for the years 2005 to 2008. As of 2008, the total automotive production in Turkey is 1.147.110 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) When the past data for the previous 4 years is analyzed, it is seen that there is a constant increase in Turkish production in the automotive industry. Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The increase from 2007 to 2008 is 4% for the Turkish automotive production. The capacity utilization ratio was 78% and Renault was the largest manufacturer by 286.995 units. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 Despite the increase in production, automotive sales decreased in 2008 in the Turkish market. This is affected from the recessionary environment due to the reflections of the global financial crisis and as a result of the two forces of sales decrease and production increase, inventory levels increased in Turkey. 2009 was thus a year with high stock levels, however, the government executed a rescue program and decreased the taxes on automotive until September 2009 and this way, and automakers could close the year 2009 with higher sales and lower inventories. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The most important indicator concerning the effects and extent of globalization in the automotive industry in Turkey is the number of exports. Turkeys automotive exports have been constantly increasing since 2005 and as of the end of 2008, total automotive exports of Turkey is 910.270 units with an 11% growth compared with 2007. Renault and Ford Turkey were the leader auto exporter in 2008. This shows the integration of Turkish automotive industry with the global automakers industry which can be seen as an indicator for the extent of globalization in Turkey. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 The table shows the consolidated results for production, retail sales, domestic factory sales, exports and capacity utilization ratios for the previous 4 years. (Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008) Source: Findikcioglu, Yildirim, Senol, 2008 When we look at the sales in Turkey, more than half of the automotive sales are imports. In 2008, total automotive sales are 526.544 whereas the share of local brands is 41.8% and the share of imports is 58.2%. (Findikcioglu, G., Yildirim, B., Senol, B.G., 2008) This is also another indicator of the effect of globalization. However, Turkish automotive industry is weaker in suppliers side. Turkey does not have a global supplier brand. (Teker Felekoglu, 2008) Conclusion This report has aimed to analyze the globalization in the automotive industry and has tried to provide answers to the questions stated in the Post Module Assignment of the Global Business Environment lecture. To sum up, it can be concluded that automotive is an industry that is highly affected by globalization from various aspects. The degree and extent of globalization is different among different countries, however, when considered as a whole, automotive is a globalized industry. Globalization has affected the automotive industry in various business areas from design to manufacturing and from recruitment to investments. Business professionals need to understand the dynamics of globalization in the industry and need to develop appropriate strategies in order to survive in the competitive market.

Interview Essay - Regina McArthur -- Interview Essays

Regina McArthur was born on December 16, 1929. She is a proud mother of five children, and is also a proud grandmother. She says that her greatest love, after her family, is teaching. Regina is a retired school teacher and she currently works informally at a local museum. She says that religion plays a big part in her life, and she describes herself as a real church goer. She is continually trying to develop new skills with all the wonderful things that are out there to learn. Regina is a very curious person and believes that everyone should be too! She said, "There is so much in life that is free, we should take advantage of it." Regina raised her five children by herself, and did what she had to do to survive. She has always enjoyed investigating new ideas. Spending time with her fa... Interview Essay - Regina McArthur -- Interview Essays Regina McArthur was born on December 16, 1929. She is a proud mother of five children, and is also a proud grandmother. She says that her greatest love, after her family, is teaching. Regina is a retired school teacher and she currently works informally at a local museum. She says that religion plays a big part in her life, and she describes herself as a real church goer. She is continually trying to develop new skills with all the wonderful things that are out there to learn. Regina is a very curious person and believes that everyone should be too! She said, "There is so much in life that is free, we should take advantage of it." Regina raised her five children by herself, and did what she had to do to survive. She has always enjoyed investigating new ideas. Spending time with her fa...

Media Advertising - Societal Conformity and Advertisement of Cigarettes

Societal Conformity and Advertisement of PALL MALL Cigarettes Sloan Wilson did not publish The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit, a classic on 1950's middle-class conformity, until 1955. But, by July 1953, PALL MALL cigarette advertisers appear aware that "society seemed to reward those who lacked rough edges and eschewed eccentricity" (Blum 794). This conclusion seems justified by a TIME magazine advertisement. Here, these promoters apply this conformity principle and other advertising techniques to a specific socioeconomic group. They seek to lure the expanding male, middle-class audience by presenting indecorous fun, an enticing social situation, and smooth smoking delight all stemming from their product. The advertisement's rich red coloring immediately strikes a viewer with exciting and salacious overtones. The red lettering, border, cigarette package, and swimsuit all emphasize social and physical pleasure. The other colors' absence only strengthens the red coloring's implications. Prominent curving lines support the coloring's implied connection between enjoyment and the product. The foreground woman's curvaceous waist, chest, shoulders, hair, and cheeks give the scene a fun and lively feeling. Further in the background, the other women's similarly curved bodies also emphasize the cigarette's fun. Even the arching beach umbrellas portray such a feeling. Finally, the small boat's billowing sails, pushed by the wind, show excitement and pleasure, an appeal directly to the intended audience. Other aspects strengthen the advertisement design's sexual appeal. The foreground woman's strapless swimming suit, highlighted in red, is the most notable example. Her chest prominently resides above horizontal boxes in both th... ...by asserting, "PALL MALL gives you a smoothness, mildness and satisfaction no other cigarette offers you." Of course, the audience need not accept the text's promise of pleasure. They can easily see that PALL MALLs bring happiness. The picture clearly shows that all middle-class white males frolicking on beaches with beautiful women carry PALL MALL cigarettes. After all, the advertisement's fun and sexy appeal, its enticement to social enjoyment, and its portrayal of the brand's pleasures certainly imply that PALL MALLs bring social happiness. Then again, cigarette advertisers notoriously ignore tobacco's detrimental effects, but who has time to consider negatives when viewing such an appealing scene? WORKS CITED Blum, John, et al. The National Experience: A History of the United States. 5th ed. New York: Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich, Incorporated, 1981.

Misinterpretation of Reality in Othello by William Shakespeare Essay

Misinterpretation of Reality in Othello      Ã‚   Othello, by William Shakespeare, is a mix of love, sexual passion and the deadly power of jealousy. Shakespeare has created an erotic thriller based on a human emotion that people are all familiar with.   There is an extraordinary fusion of characters' with different passions in Othello. Every character is motivated by a different desire.   Shakespeare mesmerizes the reader by manipulating his characters abilities to perceive and discern what is happening in reality.   It is this misinterpretation of reality that leads to the erroneous perceptions that each character holds.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   After reading this tragedy, the depth of Shakespeare's characters continue to raise many questions in the minds of the reader.   The way I percieve the character of Othello and what concerns me, is that Othello is able to make such a quick transition from love to hate of Desdemona. In Act 3, Scene 3, Othello states, "If she be false, O, then heaven mocks itself! I'll not believe 't." (lines 294-295) Yet only a couple hundred lines later he says, "I'll tear her to pieces" (line 447) and says that his mind will never change from the "tyrannous hate" (line 464) he now harbors. Does Othello make the transition just because he is so successfully manipulated by Iago? Or is there something particular about his character which makes him make this quick change?   I believe that "jealousy" is too simple of a term to describe Othello. I think that Othello's rapid change from love to hate for Desdemona is fostered partly by an inferiority complex. He appears to be insecure in his love for Desdemona (as well as i... ...mply be percieved as extraordinary.       Works Cited and Consulted Alexander, Peter. Shakespeare. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1964. Greene, Gayle. "'This That You Call Love': Sexual and Social Tragedy in Othello." in Shakespeare and Gender: A History. Deborah E. Baker and Ivo Kamps. New York: Verso, 1995. 47-62. Mason, H.A. Shakespeare's Tragedies of Love. New York: Barnes and Noble. 1970. Neely, Carol Thomas. "Women and Men in Othello: "What should such a fool/Do with so good a woman?" In Broken Nuptials in Shakespeare's Plays. Carol Thomas Neely. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1985. "Othello's Occupation." The Norton Shakespeare Workshop. Mark Rose, ed. CD-ROM. W.W. Norton, 1998. Shakespeare, William. "Othello". The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stephen Greenblatt. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 1997. 2100-2172.

‘Explore the nature of love in the extasie’: John Donne poetry analysis Essay

In his poem, The Extasie, John Donne describes his own attainment of a state of ecstasy (literally meaning, to stand outside of oneself), through his physical and spiritual proximity to his lover. In his earliest work (for example Elegie: To his Mistris Going to Bed, and The Flea) – which could be loosely termed his ‘lust poetry’ – Donne’s focus tends to be on (or at least around) the sexual act and the beauty of the human (and more particularly the feminine) form, whilst in his later work (such as his Holy Sonnets) he explores religion and death, this poem falls into the transitory phase of what could be termed Donne’s ‘love poetry’ (for example, The Good Morrow). Characteristically then, the main focus of The Extasie is his love for a specific woman (as opposed to women in general, or rather, any random woman – as is the case in his lust poems), and how this love is so transcendent that it leads to a platonic extasie. In the first stanza, the tranquillity of the setting is established, with the imagery of ‘a pillow on a bed’, a ‘reclining head’, suggesting relaxation, and the line ‘Sat we two, one anothers best’, suggesting serenity and the intimacy of the lovers. This continues into the subsequent stanza with the elegant, and yet deeply intense image of ‘Our eye-beames twisted, and did thred Our eyes, upon one double string’, which apart from highlighting the apparent totality of their absorption in one another, also alludes the contemporaneous belief that sight constituted ‘eye-beames’ being emitted from one’s eyes and illuminating your surroundings. In the 4th stanza, Donne starts to bring in more explicitly the spiritual union that begins to manifest out of the physical intimacy. Initially it may seem as if he is attempting to upset the otherwise peaceful setting, by introducing elements of conflict into in the line, ‘As ‘twixt two equall Armies, Fate Suspends uncertaine victorie’. However, if you take into account the fact that the use of epic military metaphors in relation to love is a common poetic motif (and was even more so in Donne’s time), it becomes clear that this is not the case, and that the intended effect is more to highlight the fact that the lovers are ‘eqaull’ in the relationship, and to link this simile to their souls hanging in the air, ‘twixt her, and mee’. Moreover, the idea that their souls ‘Were gone out’, to ‘advance their state’, is suggestive of Donne’s neo-platonic philosophy, and the idea of two souls, blending together to form an indivisible and perfect hybrid – as can be seen in the line, ‘he knew not which soul spake, Because both meant, both spake the same’, demonstrating the complete intellectual union between the two. The line ‘(all which before was poore, and scant,) Redoubles still, and multiplies’, goes on to suggest the idea that the souls reinforce each other’s weaknesses, whilst the line, ‘That abler soule, which thence doth flow, Defects of loneliness controulles’, continues this concept, showing the perfection of the ‘abler soul’, by highlighting the absence of any defects, even one such as loneliness, which are innate human response to certain situations. This leads on to the idea that the defect of mortality is also absent, and that the union is eternal – as evident in the line ‘For, th’Atomies of which we grow, Are soules, whom no change can invade’. These ideas all derive from the Plato’s concept of the Forms, in which it is theorised that for every material thing, a perfect form of it exists, of which the material form is merely a pale shadow or imitation. For Donne, it is the transcendence and perfection of the love between himself and the woman, that leads to their transition to a higher state (their Extasie is ‘by love refin’d’). Furthermore, the mingling of their souls which follows on from the extasie, has a purifying effect, ‘unperplex(ing)’ them, and resulting in him ‘part(ing) farre purer than he came’ – Donne realises in this poem, that intellectual and emotional intimacy that he experiences transcends bodily love, and that ‘it was not sexe’, but rather something beyond the physical world. In addition to this, Donne brings in the theme of alchemy to his presentation of love – something common throughout much of his poetry and generally during that period. Indeed, he presents love as the alchemist in the union of the souls – ‘Love, these mixt soules, doth mixe again, and makes both one, each this and that’ – imbuing it with the power to transform and transmute souls. This is also evoked in relation to the body in the 14th stanza – ‘Nor are drosse to us, but allay’ – in which he describes the body as being an alloy that strengthens the soul. This distinction between body and soul is also very Platonic; however, the way that the body is presented here, differs greatly from Plato’s attitude to it, and from the presentation of the body previously in the poem. For example, in the fifth stanza, ‘sepulchrall statues’, suggests a certain irrelevance and a lack of the vivacity of the soul, whilst the transcendence of the soul over the body, and the idea that, ‘They’are ours, though they’are not wee, Wee are Th’intelligences, they are the spheare’, objectifies the bodies as a mere inanimate vessel, subservient to the intellect. However, as Donne does go on to admit, ‘We owe them thankes’, as the initial physical intimacy was, ‘all our meanes to make us one’, and without ‘their forces, sense to us’, the union of their souls through their love, would never have occurred. Essentially then, Donne sets up the idea that in fact the body has its own intrinsic value upon which the soul is dependent, whilst going to describe that in fact, the body, which in spite of trying to ‘beget Spirits, as like soules as it can’, in order to govern itself, begins to fail without the presence of the soul (‘That subtile knot, which makes us man’. Essentially then, the conclusion would appear to be that body and soul are interdependent, and whilst it is clear that Donne ultimately values spiritual love over bodily love (perceiving the body as a ‘prison’, in which ‘a great Prince†¦lies’), he accepts the one’s reliance on the other, as after his experience of Extasie, he realises that in fact it matters little, as there is, ‘Small change, when we’are to bodies gone. ‘

Helping Young People Learn

Taking part in youth club activities has provided me a rich experience, which includes finding a way to help and teach the young. Whenever we visit a community, we make it a point to dress up casually so we can relate easily with people, and give them the idea that we have a lot in common. This allows them to feel comfortable to share their ideas and feelings with us, making us understand their situation more vividly. Most of the communities we visit are composed of poor families, so they normally expect us to give them food, clothing, and toys for the kids.Aside from the material things, part of our program also provides tutorial sessions for children to help in their studies, and give them an idea of how they can contribute to the family's financial resources. Particularly, I was assigned to tutor a group of young people about the age of thirteen. The teenagers were not classmates in school, but they belonged to only one level, thus their lessons were the same. Our regular session consisted of discussing topics in Science and Social Studies, and answering Math problems. 1.As we progressed with our tutorial sessions, we became close, and eventually, they shared with me their experiences in school and at home. I learned that one of them was suffering in class because of the family’s financial constraints. There were times when her parents did not have enough money to finance her projects in school, or provide her everyday meal allowance. Given this situation, I helped the child find other ways to do her projects. For example, when they were asked to make a calendar in their Art subject, I taught her how to use recyclable materials such as colored paper cups, old magazines, and empty snack foils.In the next project that she did, I noted that she used this kind of materials and accomplished the project on her own using other recycled resources. Based on this, I felt that the girl learned something from me regarding cost cutting when accomplishing school pr ojects. Teaching someone to be resourceful is important to enhance creativity as well. According to Vaune Ainsworth-Land (1982), there are four categories of a process and its product. The first category operates out of necessity. In my experience, we see that we were able to come up with a good output out of the need to make a project at a low cost.In Maslow’s, this category is a primary one, as it centralizes on the idea of materialistic need. The second category involves the analytic process. Referring back to our experience, the child found out that she could do a lot of things even without spending, and she would receive a better grade by recycling materials. In behaviorist theories, this explains the operant response in which the individual is rewarded for a good behavior. The third category involves synthesizing and innovation.As mentioned above, the child learned to accomplish projects using the same kind of material, thus she was able to apply her knowledge in other things. This behavior represents Koestler's bisociation, because the child was able to apply the learned concept to different aspects. The fourth category is â€Å"the ultimate form of relatedness,† (Ainsworth-Land, 1982) in which the person is seen to attain a â€Å"transformed consciousness. † Applying this to the situation, the child that we referred to would later attain this, when she continues to apply her knowledge into practical terms.Another student that I tutored had difficulty in solving word problems in Math. Based on his behavior, I recognized that his problem aroused from not having enough patience to comprehend items in problem solving. Apparently, reading problems confused and bored him the moment they appeared. To address this problem, I challenged him to imagine what was being described in one of their math problems, and illustrate what he understood in it. It showed that the boy understood the problem completely after illustrating it, and he was able to solve the problem after that.The theory of Situated Learning (1988) by J. Lave explains that a child can learn easily when the context and activity are based on his own experience. To help the child in problem solving, what I did was to situate him in the activity, and made him a part of the situation by asking him to illustrate based on his background of the problem. Particularly, I let him draw the situation and did not dictate what was conveyed. The activity made the child express himself better, which also led to motivate him to come up with the correct answer.Other theorists such as Brown, Collins & Duguid (1989) emphasized active perception over concepts and representation. Thus, by illustrating, the child gained an active perception of what was presented in the problem. The other boy that I handled had problems with his classmates who bullied him. Due to what his classmates did to him, he felt reluctant to go to school, and pretended to be sick at times. During our sessio n, I asked him first what the other boys told him, and why they called him with nasty words. The boy said that the other boys called him names and wrote on his notebook.I felt the boy’s pain as he told me about the hostilities of his classmates, so right away, I informed his mother of the situation, and advised her to consult with the classroom adviser or the guidance counselor in the school. I believe that this should be handled by authorities in the school as other students were involved. Through reporting to the teacher and school counselor, the boys were reprimanded of their teasing, and my friend felt better. Later on, he felt more comfortable going to school because the other boys already stopped teasing him.A lot of teenagers undergo this stage when their peers bullied them for nothing. In these cases, the victim tries to keep the situation to himself because he is afraid to create a scenario in class, or is threatened by his peers. According to Maslow’s theory of Motivation and Personality (1954), a person is driven by both internal and external factors. In addition, one’s motivation is dominated by his specific needs. In the boy’s situation, we can identify his need for belongingness as the factor that made him dissatisfied with school.Because this need was not realized, the boy felt reluctant to go to school, thus the motivation to go to school was associated with his need for friends and companionship. When the need was addressed, the barrier to learning also collapsed. 2. Aside from tutoring students in their academic subjects, I also told them stories to teach values like friendship, honesty, and service to others. In one session, I told them a fable, in which a rabbit sacrificed for another animal. Having told the story, I challenged them to do something similar to what the main character did, and tell their stories next time.Amazingly, one of the children took my challenge seriously, and did what I told them. He narra ted to us how he helped a man he saw on the street by sharing him some food, and giving him medicine to heal the man’s wound. In telling this story, the boy expressed how it felt good to do such kindness, and how the man thanked him with a smile. He professed that he will do this again once he sees another person needing his help. Just like the character in the story, he said that the kindness he showed the man will go a long way because by helping, he brought hope to the man, and made him feel loved.The boy added that if other people would do the same, no man will by lying cold on the streets. The words the boy uttered reflected his own realization based on experience. Those words also reminded me of the Good Samaritan, who helped an ill man lying in the cold. The experience of the boy reminded all of us, especially me, of our responsibility to others, especially the needy. With such good Samaritans like the boy, we can see hope in the next generation. 3. The success of a te am depends on the performance of each member’s role.Applying Meredith Belbin’s (1981) Nine Roles in Team Management, I served as the â€Å"specialist† in the tutorial session for teenagers, teaching them how to use the Internet as a useful tool for research. Due to the limited number of computers, and my own hope of making them learn how to teach others, I initially taught only four students to access the Internet. In turn, these students taught their peers and served as the â€Å"company workers† who provided the work of teaching others in their community.In one week’s time, we were able to teach a total of forty-five children how to use the Internet in their assignment and advanced readings. As discussed by Tuckman (1965) in his Stages of Group Development, we exhausted the means to reach our common goal of attaining learning for the group. In addition, we also assessed individual performance by asking them to make a simple research on their topi c of interest. During the Performing stage, the â€Å"company workers† or those tasked to teach their peers experienced some problems in that their peers wanted to spend time visiting gaming sites.This somewhat forfeited the purpose of teaching them the use of the Internet for research purposes, but with close monitoring, the behavior was corrected right away. After the Performing stage, the core group was asked to evaluate what they accomplished in terms of their own roles during the training. Notably, the students felt very proud of being able to teach their peers, and looking at the outputs, they cherished memories of taking part in other’s learning. References Berguist, Carlisle. (n. d. ) A comparative view of creativity theories: Psychoanalytic, behavioristic, and humanistic.Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://vantagequest. org/trees/comparative. htm Famous models: Stages of group development. (2001). Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www. chimaeraconsulti ng. com/tuckman. htm Gawel, Joseph E. (1997). Herzberg's theory of motivation and Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation, [ED421486]. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://chiron. valdosta. edu/whuitt/files/herzberg. html Manktelow, James. (2003). Belbin’s team roles. Retrieved January 2, 2008, from http://www. mindtools. com/pages/article/newLDR_83. htm

Disillusionment in the Stranger

In Albert Camus' The Stranger the Meursault is clearly disillusioned of life and two examples of this disillusionment occurred in the instances of his mother's death and an offer to be transferred to another work environment. The novel The Stranger by Albert Camus portrays how Meursault is disillusioned about things that seem to be the most normal basic human concepts of understanding such as his mothers death. With his mother's death, he seemed indifferent at the loss of her life in every way possible. He was so uninterested in her funeral that he remarked the following: â€Å"†¦I can be there for the vigil and come back tomorrow night† (Camus 3). His mother appeared to slow him down. As if he felt he had better things to do. He claimed he never went to visit her in the nursing home because she enjoyed it too much. Nonetheless, he admitted, that the visit â€Å"took up my Sunday — not to mention the trouble of getting to the bus, buying tickets, and spending two hours traveling† (Camus 5). This shows the true lack of care in his mothers death. To further define his insensitivity, Meursault shed not even one tear in this part of the novel; moreover, he expressed no form of sorrow whatsoever.Secondly, Meursault's attitude and reaction toward an offer to be relocated to a Parisian location was a monumental indicator of his insensitivity. One would expect him to accept or decline the offer graciously and respectfully. Meursault proved, again, to be unpredictable when he states, in regard to his then current life in Paris: â€Å"†¦ it was all the same to me† (Camus 41). Caught off-guard by his response, Meursault's boss asked yet another question: was Meursault interested in a change of life? Unmoved, Meursault further retorted that one life was as good as another, and, furthermore, he wasn't unhappy with his current life in any way.Meursault's boss screamed at him, crying that Meursault never gave him a straight answer and had no ambition; his boss sad both of which were â€Å"disastrous† qualities in business (Camus 41). Both scenarios are synonymous in that they are prime examples of Meursault's stolidity and relentless un-appreciation of life. In both cases he was unexpressive, unmoved in either direction: happiness or sorrow. The funeral director and Meursault's boss were indeed taken aback at Meursault's attitude. Neither, however, was successful in swaying Meursault and drawing him away from his uncaring way of thinking.