Free College Admissions Essays: I Screwed Up! :: College Admissions Essays

I Screwed Up! Â   High school is a strange time. After three years of trying to develop identity and friends in middle school, students are expected to mature immediately on the first day of ninth grade, but I never did this. I never fully realized in the earlier grades how important high school success, as measured by GPA, would be to my future life, and as a result I am applying to college with seemingly contradictory measures of my ability to perform college-level work. If I had worked and studied hard rather than hanging out with friends and viewing high school as an opportunity to socialize, I would not have to apply to school with a 1300 SAT and a 2.7 GPA. Had I taken my grades in my earlier years seriously, I could have been a college's dream candidate. Â   This year I have made an earnest effort to improve my work ethic. My grade point average is rising and my study habits are improving. However, after performing poorly for three years, my GPA cannot reflect the transformation I underwent at the start of this year. Dedicated to making something of myself, I finally matured and am now trying to lessen the consequences of my past actions. Armed with my new attitude and my understanding of the extreme importance of earning good grades to signal my capacity to work responsibly, I assure you that I will never revert to the student I once was. Â   In retrospect, I believe that it was my inability to choose my classes that resulted in my lack of enthusiasm on the ride to school each morning. I enjoy the freedom to pursue my own interests and anxiously anticipate the ability to choose my own class schedule in college. While I understand that college will be significantly more challenging than high school, I have always found it easier to study for a class that interests me. I am also willing to accept the fact that as long as I am in school, I will be forced to take required courses that I might be less than enthusiastic about. However, with my new goal-oriented nature, I realize that I am working towards my college degree and my future success, and I have regained the drive to excel. Moreover, I now realize the emptiness in the lives of people who can only do one thing well.

Distinctive Human Resource Are What Firms Need Essay

Introduction Benchmarking is a crucial management tool that guides the stakeholders on the overall performance of the organization as well as mobilizing the employees on a continuous improvement of the organisation’s environmental and social performance. Bench marking is considered to have an impact when the results of the organization performance are immediate (Vorhies and Morgan, 2005). It is essential to recognize that benchmarking and the transfer of the best industry practices are supposed to help an organization in the long run through maximum utilization of the available resources and filling in the gaps associated with an organization poor performance (Drew, 1995). The notion of a single best practice may be overstated. Distinctive human resource practices help to create unique competencies that differentiate products and services and drive competitiveness in organizations. People management practices are the drivers of efforts to create distinctive competencies and, in turn, business strategies. There are various human resource management models that have been used by companies to benchmark and stay competitive in the turbulent business environment and they include the Industrial Organization Model and McKenzie’s 7s Strategy which include shared values, structure, strategy, systems, style, staff and skills. Shared Values Shared values are commonly held beliefs, mindsets, and assumptions that shape how an organization behaves and its corporate culture. Shared values are what engender trust. They are an interconnecting centre of the 7Ss model. Values are the identity by which a company is known throughout its business areas, what the organization stands for and what it believes in, it central beliefs and attitudes. These values must be explicitly stated as both corporate objectives and individual values. Structure Structure is the organizational chart and associated information that shows who reports to whom and how tasks are both divided up and integrated. In other words, structures describe the hierarchy of authority and accountability in an organization, the way the organization’s units relate to each other: centralized, functional divisions (top-down); decentralized (the trend in larger organizations); matrix, network, holding among others. These relationships are frequently diagrammed in organizational charts. Most organizations use some mix of structures: pyramidal, matrix or networked ones to accomplish their goals. Strategy Strategies are plans an organization formulates to reach identified goals, and a set of decisions and actions aimed at gaining a sustainable advantage over the competition. Systems Systems define the flow of activities involved in the daily operation of business, including its core processes and its support systems. They refer to the procedures, processes and routines that are used to manage the organization and characterize how important work is to be done. Style Style refers to the cultural style of the organization, how key managers behave in achieving the organization’s goals, how managers collectively spend their time and attention, and how they use symbolic behaviour. How management acts is more important that what management says. Staff Staff refers to the number and types of personnel within the organization and how companies develop employees and shape basic values. Skills Skills refer to the dominant distinctive capabilities and competencies of the personnel or of the organization as a whole. Industrial Organization (I/O) Model The external environment is primary determinant of the organizational strategy rather than internal decisions of managers. The environment presents threats and opportunities all competing to have equal access to resources. Resources are highly mobile between firms. Organizational success is achieved by offering goods and services at lower costs than competitors. Professional sports 49ers †¢ The 49ers have succeeded by using a strategy of long-term player development by recruiting through college drafts rather than trades. This helps the team cement loyalty to the club by the players. Raiders †¢ The Raiders scoop up talented players who fail or do not fit in elsewhere. The club reinforces its strategy through autocracy where the members are not supposed to participate in decision making. The system of the club embraces outside recruit of experienced players. Retailing: Sales as the Service Sears †¢ The Sears selection system requires extensive training. The style keeps track of employee attitude and morale through employee surveys, pay programs to match other retail business through industrial organization model. Nordstrom †¢ The Nordstrom structure of hiring is decentralized and uses no formal selection tests. There are continuous stream of programs to motivate employees with very little attention paid to the staffs in terms of training and commissions when retailing. †¢ The link between employees and product market strategy is sometimes less direct in services, but there are still relationships between the way employees are managed, the competencies employees help produce, and the way companies compete. Professional Service Firms; Information and Advice as the Product Boston Consulting Group (BCG) †¢ The style of BCG is to hire the best undergraduate and MBA students to work for them. †¢ The firm’s system requires rigorous selection procedures and through industrial organization Model provides exceptional compensation to the employees as compared to other organizations. †¢ The firm develops its staff through formal training. †¢ BCG shared value approach expects each team to come up with innovative ways to reinforce its entrepreneurial culture. McKinsey †¢ The professional firm develops its distinctive capabilities through on-campus recruiting and employee skills and development through extensive training model. †¢ The firm’s strategy lies in providing clients with consistent services. The core competency is also consistent with the products and the techniques of the company. Business Schools Harvard Business †¢ The business school staff development represents internal skills development. The school hires employees and turns them into experts. †¢ The business school invests a lot on employee development through the staff model. Wharton School †¢ The school recruitment strategy model relies on external environment to recruit its employees from a network of academicians. †¢ The system model that is used to make the institution maintain a competitive edge in the market is by hiring employees with superior technical skills and by making use of its outside market. Financial Services Chubb †¢ The insurance firm success is based on its shared value model of becoming the insurance of choice. †¢ The firm makes substantial staff investment through its recruitment, intensive training and testing before hiring. American International Group (AIG) †¢ The success of the insurance firm is through its industrial orientation strategy model where the company identifies new areas of business, creates new products, and benefits from the first mover advantage as a result of exploiting the market. †¢ The company’s competencies are its ability to respond to the turbulent business environment. †¢ The company hires from its competitors and invests less on staff development. The Shipping Business FedEx †¢ The shipping business has a strategy model of empowering its employees in the implementation of its vision. †¢ First service company to win the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award †¢ Intensive orientation program for staff development. †¢ One hub at FedEx meant that there were fewer coordination problems, allowing for autonomy and participation through it structural model. †¢ This model highly enhances loyalty in employees. UPS †¢ The orientation of the company structure model takes an autocratic approach where the employees have no direct say over work organization matters. †¢ Company standards for each task through its shared value model. †¢ Pays the highest wages and benefits in the industry (Industrial Organization Model). †¢ Productivity of UPS’s drivers is about three times higher than that at FedEx due to its high compensation. †¢ UPS’s business demands a level of coordination that is incompatible with individual employee involvement and a â€Å"high commitment† approach through it structural model. Food and Beverages Coke †¢ Coke builds on employee skills and hangs on them through staff development model. †¢ Coke hires college graduates with little or corporate experience and provides intensive training. †¢ There is promotion and seniority based salary incentives. †¢ Decision making is centralized Pepsi †¢ The company relies on employees’ innovativeness to identify market niches †¢ Pepsi hires employees with experience and advanced technical skills through industrial organization model. †¢ Decision making is decentralized. †¢ Employees have little job security. †¢ Less loyal employees. References Drew, S. A. W. (1995). Strategic Benchmarking: Innovation Practices in Financial Institutions. International Journal of Bank Marketing 13 (1),4-16. Vorhies, D. W., & Morgan, N. A. (2005). Benchmarking Marketing Capabilities for Sustainable Competitive Advantage. Journal of Marketing 69 (January Issue), 80–94.

Amphibians

The North American Free Trade Agreement Essay - 2011 Words

The North American Free Trade Agreement nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Since the birth of this great nation in 1776, the United States has remained a dominant world power in many aspects. The American standard of living has been the envy of the world, powered by an economy rivaled by nearly no one. Our economy continues to be the rock with which the global economy can lean on, as evidenced by nations that rely on huge reserves of the dollar because of its stability as a means of settling international debts. Unfortuneatly, despite the solidity that our economy is so often associated with, we have accumulated a 5 trillion dollar (thats 9 zeros) national debt. Something has to be done about this colossal problem to ensure that the United†¦show more content†¦This seems to make sense considering that 86% of the companies listed on Fortune magazines top 500 list has operations in Mexico. With the support of current president, Bill Clinton, the NAFTA passed through Congress late in 1993. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The 2,000 page NAFTA plan details many things, one of the most important clauses being the reduction of tariffs. Over the next 15 years all internal tariffs will be reduced to zero for trade amongst the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Tariffs on quot;sensitivequot; goods such as agricultural products that require a longer adjustment period will remain in place for the full 15 years, while being subjected to incremental decreases each year. All in all there are 4 tariff classes, quite cleverly lettered A, B, C, and C+, to be reduced to zero eventually. Tariffs for the quot;Aquot; class were void as of January 1, 1994. The quot;Bquot; category will diminish at a rate of 20% for five years, the quot;Cquot; class at a rate of 10% a year for 10 years, and finally the quot;C+quot; category which will stretch tariff reductions out over the full 15 years. Other than tariffs, NAFTA also eliminates things such as the costly need to convert drivers as merchandise rolls over the borders of a neighboring country. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;What all of this could do for the United States is quite clear. The most important objective is to improve the efficiency and productivity ofShow MoreRelatedNorth American Free Trade Agreement Essay1398 Words   |  6 Pages North American Free Trade Agreement During the most recent race for the White House we heard very little of substance from both parties, but one thing both parties seem to agree on is that free trade has been bad for the U.S. worker. One candidate proclaimed that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of jobs and another distanced herself from free trade agreements all together. It has been over twenty years since the implementation ofRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1711 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper will discuss four components of the North American Free Trade Agreement: Background, events, pros and cons. Upon the research, you will discover four online articles to provide more detail and examples. This research will indicate how it was developed and the reasoning on why it would benefit the nation. Also, it will provide events that occur after the agreement was signed by congress and the recession the countries experience during the e arly 2000s. There will be a chart locatedRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1420 Words   |  6 Pagessubstance from both parties, but one thing both parties seem to agree on is that free trade has been bad for the U.S. worker. One candidate proclaimed that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has cost the United States hundreds of thousands of jobs and another distanced herself from free trade agreements all together. It has been over twenty years since the implementation of the North American Free Trade Agreement and many have criticized it as a bad deal for the U.S. It can be shown thatRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1036 Words   |  5 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement also referred to as NAFTA produced results on January 1, 1994. A trade agreement was made between each of the three of nations of North America. The United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, the Mexican Presiden t, Carlos Salinas de Gortari, and previous U.S. President George H. Shrub initiated the agreement. Connections between the nations were at that point on great terms, particularly between The United States and CanadaRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1863 Words   |  8 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is an accordance between the United States, Mexico, and Canada that was put into effect in January 1994. This agreement was unprecedented because it integrated three countries that were at extremely different levels of economic development. It changed the economic relationship between North American countries and encouraged trade and investment among the three countries to grow considerably. The purpose of the creation of the North American FreeRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement Essay1356 Words   |  6 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is an agreement negotiated by three countries; Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The main purpose of NAFTA is essentially to reduce trade barriers in order to promote international commerce, and open up different industries to trade, in particular textiles, agriculture, and automobile sectors. The introduction of NAFTA completely transformed North American economic relations and led to unparalleled cooperation between the U.S. Canada and MexicoRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1486 Words   |  6 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), an agreement signed by three countries in creating rules in trade in North America. NAFTA, when being presented, was described as genuine for helping Mexico and Canada. But was NAFTA really helpings those counties or really just helping N orth America? Initially North America was being genuine about NAFTA when talking to Mexico and Canada but in reality the NAFTA caused some uneven development as the years went by. I have two stories thatRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1804 Words   |  8 Pagesunderstanding the elements of trade blocs that enable open markets between member nations while also decreasing the cost of conducting business within a country is essential in making strategic logistical decisions. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has provided one such trade bloc that encompasses the countries of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Since the inception of NAFTA in 1994, significant financial results have been achieved regarding increases in trade revenue and increases inRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement1018 Words   |  5 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, is a trilateral trade agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Signed January 1, 1994, NAFTA’s main purpose was to reduce trading costs, increase business investments, and help the United States be more competitive in the g lobal marketplace. The agreement would eliminate all tariffs on half of all U.S. goods shipping to Mexico and introduce new regulations to encourage cross-border investments. According to President Bush, tradeRead MoreThe North American Free Trade Agreement920 Words   |  4 PagesThe North American Free Trade Agreement (NATFA) shoved the American worker down a flight of stairs in the name of Globalization NAFTA or a bill similar had been floating around Washington since 1979 a year before Reagan took office. NAFTA truly went no where for over a decade. The â€Å"North American Accord† was first proposed by the Reagan and the GOP were always in favor of passage but, it was the Progressive wing, along with many other pro-union members in the Democratic party who held NAFTA at

Young Goodman Brown The Evils of Puritanism Essay

Puritanism dominated 17th century history and literature. Nathaniel Hawthorne born in 1804 was an American writer who sought to resolve his conflicts with Puritanism through his writing. Hawthorne wrote several stories showing the world the horrors of the Puritan faith and the isolation of individuals who failed to uphold the faith. For Hawthorne, Young Goodman Brown illustrates the difference between Puritan teaching and practicing and reflects his own guilt about the mistreatment of men at the hands of his forefathers. Young Goodman Brown protagonist struggles with Puritanism is a reflection of Hawthorne personal conflicts with Puritanism. Hawthorne uses the story of Young Goodman Brown to illustrate Puritanisms disconnection between†¦show more content†¦Ronan states Goodman Brown is â€Å"both a Hawthorne and a son of Burroughs—â€Å" the holy man† whose hanging is portrayed in â€Å"Main-street† as the ultimate symbol of the witch trials’ injustice†( Ronan 279). As Goodman Brown continues to walk with this older man he starts to get nervous say â€Å"too far too far!’ exclaimed Goodman, unconsciously resuming his walk† (Hawthorne 388). Although Goodman Brown knows what he is doing is wrong, he continues walking in the woods with the traveler. Goodman Brown states â€Å"My father never went into the woods on such an errand, nor his father before him. We have been a race of honest men and good Christians, since the days of the martyrs. And shall I be the first of the name Brown, that ever took this path†(Hawthorne 388). Again, the importance of family history in the role of guilt regarding Puritan values and practices emerges as the traveler enlightens Goodman Brown about his father and grandfather. The traveler states â€Å" I helped your grandfather, the constable [lash a] Quaker women smartly through the streets of Salem...I brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip’s war† (Hawthorne 388). This is also the first time when the reader sees the traveler as more than a normal man, but the devil. Both the reader and Goodman Brown begin to realize that no ordinary man can entice the strong in faith from the path of from righteousness unless he is the devil. Furthermore, theShow MoreRelated A Critique of Puritanism in Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Essays635 Words   |  3 PagesYoung Goodman Brown: A Critique of Puritanism   Given Nathaniel Hawthornes background, it is not a stretch of the imagination to say that Young Goodman Brown is a critique of   Puritanism.   Hawthorne lived in the deeply scarred New England area, separated from puritanism by only one generation.   His grandfather had been one the judges who presided over the Salem Witch trials.   Some of the principle motifs that run through Hawthornes works are hidden sin, the supernatural, and the influenceRead MoreNathaniel Hawthorne s Young Goodman Brown And The Minister s Black Veil Essay1175 Words   |  5 Pagesshort stories two of which included â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† and â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†. In 1835, Hawthorne published â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† which is â€Å"perhaps the greatest tale of witchcraft ever written† (Nathaniel Hawthorne). And in 1836, Hawthorne wrote â€Å"The Minister’s Black Veil†, a story of an in-depth look at sin. Both of these short stories were written during a time when Puritanism was highly regarded and emphasized on all the communities. Puritanism started in England in the sixteenthRead More Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown - The Puritans and Love Essay1121 Words   |  5 Pages Young Goodman Brown:nbsp; The Puritans and Lovenbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Hawthorne’snbsp; â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†, exposes the puritan view of love and relationships. In theory, these two visions are diametrically opposed. One exalts love as a physical manifestation between two individuals (although it also claims to represent higher ideals), the other sees it as a spiritual need, one best manifested by attachment to God. In fact, theRead MoreEssay about Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown3241 Words   |  13 PagesNathaniel Hawthorne’s Young Goodman Brown   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† captivates the reader through a glimpse of the Puritan church. The story also shows the struggle of good versus evil in the main character Goodman Brown. The role of the Puritan church is crucial in shaping Goodman Brown’s personality and helping the reader understand why he was reluctant to continue his journey.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Puritanism, movement arising within the Church of England in the latter part ofRead MoreNathaniel Hawthornes Literature During Early America1560 Words   |  7 Pagesproduced a large sum of work, including many famous short stories. The most important of these, Young Goodman Brown, is noted for its vivid depiction of witch craft and Puritan culture. However, it is of greater significance because the story clearly exhibits the marks of Hawthornes influences. The greatest influence on all of Hawthornes literature is the cultural and religious impact of Puritanism, a religious movement with a long history. During the 16th century, the Anglican Church was formedRead MoreBiography of Nathaniel Hawthorne1273 Words   |  6 Pageswould radically change his life. In his short story â€Å"Young Goodman Brown,† Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan family secrets aid in forming symbols of faith and evil and developing the inner complexities of his characters. Hawthorne, the sixth generation in a family of American Puritans, was raised to strictly follow his religion. Born on July 4, 1804, Hawthorne spent most of his childhood years living in Salem, Massachusetts, the epicenter of Puritanism (Bio.com 1). On the surface, his family, the HathornesRead MoreThe Puritan Influence in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne451 Words   |  2 PagesThe Puritan Influence in Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† (repr. in Thomas R. Arp, and Greg Johnson, Perrine’s Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense, 8th ed. [Fort Worth: Harcourt, 2002] 316) is a short story with strong Puritan influence. Puritanism is a religion demanding strict moral conduct and strong faith. Puritans held that Christians should do only what the Bible commanded. Analyzing â€Å"Young Goodman Brown† is dependant upon understandingRead MoreDisapproval of Puritanism in Nathaniel Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown1959 Words   |  8 PagesRunning Head: Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown Critical Analysis Nathaniel Hawthorne has presented his disapproval of Puritanism in the form of Young Goodman Brown who has been presented as the living embodiment of Puritanical sect. Where the influence of Hawthornes background on his work is evident, he has managed to present evidences for his argument. In his short story, he portrays Young Goodman Brown as a character who, on the basis of his own staunch beliefsRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown and the Ministers Black Veil Essay1054 Words   |  5 Pagesfounded through religious ideals. Since its beginning, religion has helped to define the American Identity into what it is today. And this was explored throughout American literature especially in the Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil and Young Goodman Brown. Hawthorne’s The Minister’s Black Veil is a parable, suggests his purpose for writing. According to Webster’s dictionary, a parable is a short allegorical story designed to illustrate or teach some truth, religious principle, or moral lessonRead MoreYoung Goodman Brown Symbolism Essay1147 Words   |  5 Pages Newlywed Goodman Brown, plans to kiss his wife, Faith, goodbye, and journey into the woods one evening, to satisfy his curiosity. As he heads off with strong faith, he looks back, and is concerned whether Faith knows of his real plans. Goodman is a young man of Salem, Massachusetts who comes from a long line of Puritans. He is a devout Christian and frightened of becoming a sinner. Although Goodman’s journey may only be a dream, his trip into the woods is life altering. He ultimately comes

Film Production (1681 words) Essay Example For Students

Film Production (1681 words) Essay Film ProductionIn the period previous to the 1930s, the predominant form of filmmaking wasthat of the crank camera. This is not to say that motor-driven cameras werenot possible. However, the motors to advance the film were so large that theywere simply too cumbersome to be effective. Thus, it was the cameramanhimself who would crank the film at a steady rate to expose the frames. When it came to showing the film, on the other hand, motor driven projectorswere quite convenient, and by the 1920s a standard 24 frames per secondwas established for projecting films. Filming, however, remainedunstandardized due to the inherent variation in recording speeds, since itdepended directly on the cameraman. An experienced cameraman wascapable of filming an entire film at approximately the same speed, yet oftenvariations were made in the recording speed for dramatic effect. Decreasingthe number of cranks, for example, exposed fewer frames and thus whenprojected at the standard 24 frames created the frenzied action thatcharacterized much of the Vaudeville cinema. The French filmmaker GeorgesMelies was among the first to employ changing backdrops and costumes totell his story. Up until that point many film were only a few minutes long takingplace on a single set. Changing sets and costumes opened a vast range ofnew possibilities and spurred further growth in the fledgling in dustry. As thefilm industry expanded in America, filmmakers found and increasing need forto establish a single location at which they could build sets and filmundisturbed. The bright sunlight, relative stability of climate, and varied terrainfound in California made it an ideal place to film, much of the reason for theindustrys concentration there. During this time, films were shot on a singlereel, resulting in filmstrips that were only 15-20 minutes. Independentproducers pioneered the use of double reel filmmaking during the yearsbefore the First World War. This allowed much longer films and opening thedoor for further opportunity, both financially and creatively, as well asbringing into being the double reel camera that became such an icon of movieproduction. The major advance of the 1930s was the introduction ofsynchronous sound and dialogue in the late 1930s. First invented and shownin the 1920s, it became the standard by the early 1930s, partly due to theinvention of a device b ased on the radio that could effectively amplify soundin the theater. Initially there were two available systems with which to recordsound. The first was similar to a phonograph, and recorded the sound to aseparate disc. The second, more popular, system recorded the sound directlyonto the celluloid strip. Initially sound hindered the filmmaking process, sincethe cameras had to be encased to muffle the noise of their motors and actorscould not stray far from the stationary microphones. However, technologicaladvances soon made up for this and the sound became an integral part offilmmaking. The incorporation of sound into film and the resulting movietheater draw triggered a number of mergers in Hollywood as companies triedto consolidate their power (and their wealth). The result of these unions wasthe creation of the first major studios that dominated the industry for decades,Fox Studios (later 20th Century Fox), Leows Incorporated (laterMetro-Goldwyn-Meyer), Paramount, RKO, and Warner Bros. Thesestudios monopolized the industry through vertical consolidation, meaning theycontrolled every part of the production process. They owned the writers, thedirectors and producers, the actors, the equipment and crew, even thetheaters. They controlled every step and dominated Hollywood until 1948when the U.S. Government found them to be an illegal monopoly. It was alsoduring this time that color in movies became possible through the use of theTechnicolor system. Technicolor was created using a special camera that ranthree strips of film, one in red, one in blue, and one in yellow. When the threestrips were consolidated, the resulting image was in full color, though thecolors were frequently very exaggerated as can be seen in two such films thatwere filmed in this manner, Gone With The Wind (1939) and The Wizard ofOz (1939). The 1940s also marked the beginning of the Italian movementknown as neorealism. This movement focused on portraying thenon-fictional aspects of Italian s ociety for entertainment, in contrast to manyof the dream worlds that were being produced by Hollywood. Futuregenerations of filmmakers would look to this movement as inspiration for theirown films depicting their home countries in a style that is sometimes known asslice-of-life. A novelty technique used during the 1950s was theintroduction of 3-D. Filmed with special lenses and then viewed by theaudience with special glasses, Hollywood released about 35 of these filmsduring its brief popularity. Unfortunately, audiences quickly became boredwith it and Hollywood soon dropped it. Another technique introduced in the1950s was the wide screen format. It was introduced largely to distinguishmovies from television in an effort to lure dwindling audiences back intotheaters. Cinemascope was the first such technology, using a special lens tocompress the wider image onto a 35mm film reel. A second lens on theprojection piece would later decompress the image to create the wide screenformat. It was later replaced by the Panavision system, which did not requirespecial lenses. The 1950s also saw the rise of the French New Wave. TheNew Wave began with a group of French film critics who believed that themajority of French cinema was overly devoted to written aspects of a film. .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .postImageUrl , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:hover , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:visited , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:active { border:0!important; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:active , .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217 .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u129c37ea9b6c0d3ff2899620c6513217:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Effects Of Concussion On Children 's National Health System Essay They believed that the director, the creator of the final visual image should bethe true center and set out to direct their own films under this new theory. TheFrench New Wave also sought in some ways to reconceptualize film. Thoughthey were immersed in popular culture and striving to emulate Hollywoodssuccess, they also incorporated new techniques and styles. One suchexample of this Jean-Luc Godard, who introduced the jump cuts, temporalcuts to disrupt the continuity of a scene. During the 1960s Germany began itsown movement, similar to the Italian Neorealism and the French New Wave,known as das neue Kino, translated as The New Cinema. Major aspects ofthe New Cinema were a focus on history and hardship Germany hadendured, the effects of popular culture from America on German society, aswell as the inclusion of feminist viewpoints on these subjects. It was duringthe 1970s that the blockbusters as we now know it was officially born. Themovie that started it all, if it has to go to a s ingle movie, was Jaws. Thoughsomewhat similar to the formula that had described blockbusters under theold studio system, it broke the mold in several major ways. First, its cast was,for the most part, unknown actors. Under the old model it was thoughtimpossible to have a blockbuster without a recognizable cast. Second, andmuch more importantly, it used shocking special effects, namely a largemechanical shark, to thrill the audience. Audiences had scene special effectsbefore, but this was a whole new level of realism. Thus was born the era ofthe f/x blockbuster. A few years later the trend was reaffirmed whenaudiences were again captivated by special effects in one of the most popularmovies of all time, Star Wars. Special effects surrounding romanticized andoften simplistic characters became the core of the blockbusters, the newformula that brought back the large audiences and flowing cash toHollywood. By the mid-1970s the new formula for success had beenreached. Whereas before a lar ge number of movies were released and shownon the screens of the theaters that bought them, movies were now released insmaller numbers on thousands of screens at once and advertised with massivepromotion campaigns to maximize gross on each film. It broke the financialslump of the 60s and remains the formula today. In 1978 a device was alsodeveloped that opened new doors for filmmakers. Dubbed the Steadicam, itwas a camera mount that attached to the cameraman rather than a tripod ordolly. Thus, instead of being stationary or relying on a track or cart to move,the camera could go anywhere a cameraman could walk or run. Since then,numerous changes in the system have consistently improved its quality andease of use. One of the most recent examples of a sequence filmed using theSteadicam were the Normandy battle sequences of Spielburgs SavingPrivate Ryan. The only major change in the film industry that occurred in the80s (aside from the technological advances that occur constantly since thecreation of the first camera but are for the most part too technical to beinteresting to you or I) was the rise of new mediums. Cable companiesexploded in the 1980s, wiring the country with a multitude of newentertainment possibilities. This wave of entertainment also started a trend ofincreasing independent production. Up until that time, an independent filmoften had trouble finding an audience as major theater chains only dealt withstudios. Cable opened up new audiences for independents and was a strongcontributor the growth of that sector of the industry. The major technicaladvance of the 1990s has been the advent of the Digital Age. All acrossAmerica people are going digital, with CDs having completely replaced vinyland tapes, DVDs becoming increasingly popular, and camcorders andcameras becoming sharper and sharper. Hollywood is not to be left behind,in fact they are far ahead. Though digital editors have been in use since the1980s, it was not until the 1990s that the non-li near format of editingbecame a true standard, as even high school programs began to purchaseconsumer-grade non-linear devices. At the same time, advances in the 1990shave grown by leaps and bounds. Numerous breakthroughs in computereffects editing make it not only possible to alter the look of a film in acomputer, but also extremely cost effective, as more productions use thecomputer to delete out mistakes in filming, or expand the grandeur of a scene(an example of this will be seen in an upcoming war movie as yet unnamed inwhich twenty extras charging across a battlefield will be digitally cloned into athousand-man assault). Perhaps the most important step comes from thepioneer of the digital world, George Lucas. Releasing Star Wars: E1 in threetheaters using completely digital projectors (no film reels needed) and makinghis preparations to film the next two using completely digital cameras andencouraging release on completely digital theaters. It is now clear toHollywood and the r est of the world that digital is the next evolution in film. Technology Essays

Napster Essays (1410 words) - Virtual Communities, Metallica

Napster If you want to know where a Silicon Valley-ite stands in the ongoing war for the soul of the Internet, just ask him or her what the buzzword is these days. Many will tell you it is B2B, a backslapping shorthand for e-schemes directed to the business to business market. But those who still believe that the Internet revolution is still a seething, evolving, paradigm-busting phenomenon will offer a different buzzword: Napster (Levy 68). This new term pertains to a specific digital-music program, the start-up company built around the free software and the full effect brought about by its crazy popularity (Ante 197,198). 19-year-old Shawn Fanning began writing the code so he could stop his roommates constant complaining about the unreliable MP3 search engines (Greenfeld, The Free Juke Box, 82). It took a true Internet kidto figure out that the way to do it was to allow anybody free and total access to everybody elses music collection (Levy 68). Download the program, free of charge, and simply type in the songs that are desired. Napster then lists whats available online in the MP3 format on thousands of hard drives. It then finds the selection on someone elses hard drive, and with a click of a button its downloaded onto your hard drive, and others can then download it from there (Levy 68). Napster is a program that should not be shut-down but supported because it enables people to search for and download songs that are no longer produced, available, or hard to find. Napster has made itself some powerful enemies in its short existence (Cohen 41). It has drawn the wrath of the record industry, whose suit charges the company launched a service that enables and facilitates piracy of music on an unprecedented scale (Brull 50). Piracy is defined by the World Book Dictionary as the act of publishing or using a book, play, musical composition, or the like, without permission (Barnhart). In fact, Napster does the exact opposite. It states so in its Napster, Inc. End-User Software License Agreement (Appendix A): The software integrated browser which, when used with the Napster service, is designed to enable musicians and music fans to locate audio recordings available in the MP3 formatAccordingly, you are responsible for complying with all applicable federal and state laws applicable to such content, including copyright laws. Napster respects copyright law and expects our users to do the same. Unauthorized copying, distribution, modification, public display, or public performance of copyrighted works is an infringement of the copyright holders rights. The above paragraph states the terms that Napster makes with its users. The terms state that Napster respects copyright laws and expects its users to do the same. A federal judge in New York ruled that a new service from MP3.com Inc. let people access their music from the Web and that had infringed on copyright laws (Brull 50). But what looked like a victory for the $14.6 billion record industry was only a skirmish in a war it is losing (Brull 50). The message has become quite clear: Courtroom victories wont save the Industry. Instead, the record companies should quickly create new business models that would allow consumers to organize their music on computers and send it over the net. So far, the big industry giants have been dragging their feet. They fear that surrendering control of music distribution would mean losing revenue and royalties (Brull 50). There are signs that the industry is finally moving. On April 28, for instance, Sony Music Entertainment Inc. began selling digitally delivered singles from Babyface, Pearl Jam, and two-dozen other artists at its Sonymusic.com site (Brull 50). And on May 2, Sony and Universal Music Group announced a joint venture to develop a subscription-based service over computers, cell phones, and set-up boxes. But these ventures are little more than baby steps. Sonys download service is a nonstarter because songs are priced at the same level as CD singles (Brull 50). Moreover, the system restricts users ability to transfer files to their own computer or to other digital devices such as MP3 players. Contrast that with Napster, which allows PC owners to share their music files that are stored on their hard drives over the Net (Brull