Critically evaluate the role of marketing in developing strong fashion Essay

Critically evaluate the role of marketing in developing strong fashion brands in the 21st century' - Essay Example â€Å"The most effecting marketing plans are those that are simple yet effective and easy to implement† (Daud, 2008). Creation of an effective marketing plan is extremely important for a company because it helps the company create the entire business plan for carrying out the business activities (Perez, 2010). 1.1. Benefits of a Well-Structured Marketing Plan Fashion products manufacturing companies face a lot of challenges if their marketing strategies are not capable of attracting and retaining the customers. For this purpose, companies need to implement appropriate marketing plans because they put positive impact on the future of the brands. Fashion companies also use monitoring methods to determine the success of the marketing plan. Clow (2009, p.484) asserts, â€Å"Evaluation or testing of advertising communications can occur at any stage of the development process†. Some of the most effective monitoring methods include emotional reaction tests, concept testing, an d persuasion analysis. An effective marketing plan brings a lot of benefits to the companies. Traffanstedt (2010) asserts, â€Å"The benefits of a marketing strategy are great if you do it right†. ... Marketing not only helps the companies achieve higher levels of profits but also helps them establish their brands in any international market. Marketing plays a vital role in making a fashion brand popular and successful. It is due to effective marketing plans that most of the new fashion brands get recognized all over the world in a very short span of time. Capon (2008, p.185) found that marketing plays a critical role in developing a product. We can take examples of some of the most popular fashion brands such as Polo, Givenchy, Tommy Hilfiger, and Lacoste. These fashion brands are extremely popular among the public due to the effective marketing campaigns carried out by their manufacturing companies. Marketers first identify the target market and then implement the plan. Dahl (2007, p.23) states, â€Å"By identifying your primary target market, you can do a better job of narrowing your media buys†. This is the 21st century and the world has become a global village. Every f ashion company is aware of the importance of effective marketing strategies because effective and well-structured marketing strategies play a great role in the success of a fashion brand. Saarte (n.d.) states, â€Å"The functions of marketing add value to the product†. Marketing plays a vital role not only in creating the awareness about the newly manufactured fashion products in the pubic but also results in increasing the productivity and profitability of the companies. A fashion brand needs publicity and exposure in order to be successful and marketing is a tool, which companies use to give exposure to their products. Fashion companies make use of different types of marketing methods in order to advertise their brands. Manohar (n.d.) found

Masks of Eternity Essay Example for Free

Masks of Eternity Essay In the episode Masks of Eternity, Joseph Campbell explains the godliness of self. He explains ideas about the past versus the present and the common ways of thinking that have changed the way messages are viewed and interpreted. He goes over the ideas of the inner Christ, the significance of the circle, and peak experiences. Campbell speaks of an inner Christ in all people. It is not a connection to God, but a oneness with him; meaning that you become a part of God. He explains it as the difference of an individual life, meaning the life of the person, and the all encompassing life, meaning the life that turns the world and all other things. He tells of finding it through meditation, finding that center of yourself that can feel a connection to the life around you and the realization that all things are connected and caused by one another. Campbell interprets the things he was taught as a child, about the angel and the demon on either side of him, as the urges that push our decisions in one direction or the other. These energies, he says, come from the different organs of the body. Each needs something different, and the urges that arise are about what is needed most. Campbell also speaks of the significance of the circle. Each culture has some form of importance in the shape of the circle. He talks about the way Native Americans built their villages in the shape of a circle, the way Aztecs made a circular calendar, and the way that each culture put itself in the center of that circle. He talks about ancient cultures believing that everything generates around a specific point, orbiting around it. Campbell also speaks of time going in a circle. In ancient times, it was seen as a reoccurring aspect of life, summer, fall, winter, spring. All things ended and began anew in a pattern. Now, though, time is seen as a straight line. Clocks make us realize that time is flowing past and will never come again. Before, death was looked at as a rebirth; now it is simply looked at as the end. Peak experiences, as Campbell explains, are moments where you can feel the harmony of being alive. For him, it was a race in Colombia. He said he could feel that he was going to win the race, not even because he was winning, but because he could feel it within himself. He explains peak experiences as being in a state of mind that allows you to see your outer most limits and obtain your maximum potential. He goes on to say that not all peak experiences are physical. Some can simply be a thought or realization that changes your outlook on life or solving a problem. Some peak experiences are not the highest points of your life. A life can have many peak experiences as long as you feel that you are at one with yourself and what you are accomplishing. Personally, I understand the inner Christ, not as a connection to the life around us, but a working understanding of the path God has set out for us. I can understand the ideas behind this belief in the inner Christ and the idea that Jesus may have found his inner connection with life, but I do not agree with it. I believe that The feeling they are referring to is the feeling that comes with following Gods path, whether you know him as your savior or not. The idea of the circle on the other hand, I can understand completely. Time feels like it is flowing by without slowing, but there is always the chance of next time. Next time Ill get that raise; next time Ill win; next time I will do better. Time isnt a perfect circle to me, but neither is it a straight line. It is a looping flow, cork screwing back onto itself. My peak realization in life so far was the creation of an art piece in high school. I was working on a drawing of a tree, creating every painstaking detail, and all the tim e, I knew that I was going to be proud of it; that I was going to get it right. I felt accomplished without having yet accomplishing anything. To this day, I can look at no other piece I have finished and count it as my best.

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys

Leadership Styles in Sainsburys ABSTRACT Nowadays we can distinguish many different types of leadership styles. Some of them are respected by employees, but on the other hand there are also styles which are considered very poorly. This paper presents and explores leadership styles based on the observations of managers in Sainsburys Nine Elms. In the first part research question has been formed and discussed. The second part is a literature review, with characteristic of most popular leadership styles. In the third part, methodology which will be used for research and to find an answer on research question will be discussed. 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1. RATIONALE Human resource management is a series of activities which, first enables working people and the organisation which uses their skills to agree about the objectives and nature of their working relationship. Secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled. (Torrington, 2008) This research project will be based on a field, which is human resource. One of the topics which should be explored in reference to human resources is leadership style. In an effective leadership situation, the leader is a catalyst and servant whose leadership style is support, advocating and empowerment. While in an ineffective leadership situation, the leader is a pushover whose leadership style is abdication and fraud. Human Resource Leaders believe in people and communicate that belief; they are visible and accessible; they empower, increase participation, support, share information and move decision making down into the organization. We recognize effective leaders when we work with them or observe them. However many different ways exist for defining who leaders are and when they are effective. Dictionaries define leading as guiding and directing on a course. A leader is someone with commanding authority or influence. Researchers have developed many working definitions of leadership. According to Nahavandi (2009) leader is a person who influence individuals and groups within an organization, helps them in establishing goals and guides them toward achievement of those goals, thereby allowing them to be effective. Leadership is a function more than a role. Good leaders are made not born. 1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION Research Question is a statement that identifies the phenomenon to be studied. The research question, which I am going to study is: How does the leadership style affect employees performance in the organisation? The research will be based on the case study, which is supermarket. Sainsburys Nine Elms is a place where I have been working for over 3 years. I have a contact with managers every day and whats more I am familiar with different styles of leadership. This experience helps me to formulate the following hypothesis: positive and accurate leadership style motivates people to good and effective work. To find an answer on my research question and to confirm my hypothesis, I will do some qualitative research. This type of research is designed to tell the researcher how and why the things happen as they actually do. It helps to achieve an in-depth understanding of a situation. . 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY Positive atmosphere in the work place is a very important factor and has a big influence on employees job. This is why the way how leaders and managers behave is so important. Unfortunately my long-time observations prove that managers very often do not even realize what kind of mistakes they do. They do not understand that their inappropriate way of behaviour, has an influence on peoples work and effectiveness of the organization. The aim of this report, based on literature review, is to describe the most valuable and effective leadership styles. Moreover the most negative styles will be considered, those which are not approved of by employees. Finally some interviews with Sainsburys Nine Elms employees will be made to gather their opinions and verify my hypothesis. LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 LEADERSHIP STYLES IN EARLY XX Leadership style is the manner and approach of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. Lewin (1939) led a group of researchers to identify different styles of leadership. This early study has been very influential and established three major leadership styles: autocratic, democratic, laissez-faire. In the past several decades, there has been a significant revolution in how the leadership is defined by management experts. Their approach has changed from a classical one to a very innovative, democratic approach. Although it was also determined that some old ideas were still good whereas some of the new ones were not perfect. The key is to use different styles depending on each situation so leaders have to approach every case in a different way. LEADERSHIP STYLES TODAY There are four primary leadership styles, many of them we can find within most businesses or organizations around the world. These styles are: Autocratic Democratic Laissez-faire Bureaucratic Each of the leadership styles has impact on employee performance in the company. There are short and long-term effects of each style. For instance, the authoritative style may produce great results in a short amount of time. However, excessive use of authority will decrease productivity in the long-term. People either get fed up and leave or fall into a malaise of hum-drum repetitive tasks without creativity and innovation. (Sadler, 2003) AUTOCRATIC STYLE The autocratic leadership style is very often regarded as an old fashioned technique. It was a very popular style among managers commanding subordinates and it is still used around the world. This style basically comes natural to many leaders and brings many benefits, thus many managers start to lead using this style and try to improve it when pursuing their own leadership development. This style is used when leaders inform their employees what they want done and how they want it attained, without being advised by their followers. Furthermore when leaders are short on time, they have all information needed to achieve a goal and employees are enthused, autocratic still is also common. Nevertheless it should be used occasionally and with big carefulness. Having a lot of time and dealing with highly motivated workers it is better to use democratic style. DEMOCRATIC STYLE The democratic leadership style is also named the participative style due to the fact that it encourages one or more employees to be a part of the decision making process (determining what to do and how to do it). Nevertheless it is the leader who makes the final decision and maintains authority. Definitely this style strengthens the position of the leader which is respected by his employees. When information and data is divided between the leader and employees, democratic style is used very often. Managers are not expected to be familiar with everything, this is why they employ knowledgeable and competent employees. Concluding, using this style is of mutual benefit, because employees can become a part of the team and on the other hand leaders can make better decisions. LAISSEZ-FAIRE STYLE The laissez-faire leadership style is also known as the hands-off ¨ style. This style is based on making the decisions by employees whenever the leader let them. Even though, he is still responsible for all the decisions. This style is used usually when employees are able to decide what needs to be done and how. They also should have good analytical skills. Leaders only set most of the priorities for their team and divide tasks between employees. This style should be used only when leaders are confident about his people and trust them no matter what. It should not be used as a way of blaming employees of made mistakes. BUREAUCRATIC STYLE The bureaucratic leadership follow the rules rigorously and guarantee that staff follows procedures accurately. In this kind of style everything must be done according to the rules or policy. This is a very appropriate style for work involving serious safety risks (such as working with heavy equipment, with toxic substances, or at dangerous heights) or where large sums of money are involved (such as handling cash). If manager is not capable of making decision on his own, he refers to the next level above him or her. The role of the leader is very similar to a police officer. OTHER LEADERSHIP STYLES There are a number of different approaches or styles to leadership and management that are based on different assumptions and theories. The style that individuals use will be based on a combination of their beliefs, values and preferences, as well as the organizational culture and norms which will encourage some styles and discourage others. CHARISMATIC LEADERSHIP A charismatic leadership style can seem similar to transformational leadership, because these leaders inspire lots of enthusiasm in their teams and are very energetic in driving others forward. However, charismatic leaders tend to believe more in themselves than in their teams. As a result this creates a risk that a project or even an entire organization might collapse if the leader leaves. In the eyes of the followers, success is directly connected to the presence of the charismatic leader. Therefore charismatic leadership carries great responsibility and requires a long-term commitment from the leader. It is interesting to watch a charismatic leader working the room as they move from person to person. They pay much attention to the person they are talking to at a particular moment, so this person very often feels like a most important person in the world. Charismatic leaders focus as well on scanning and reading their environment and are also good at picking up the moods and concer ns of both individuals and larger audiences. Then they will hone their actions and words to suit the situation. (Conger Kanungo, 1998) PARTICIPATIVE LEADERSHIP A Participative Leader, rather than taking autocratic decisions, seeks to involve other people in the process, possibly including subordinates, peers and superiors. However, managers are still very important, as they decide whether to give or deny control to their subordinates. Most participative activity can be observed within the immediate team. The question of how much independence others are given thus may vary on the managers preferences and inclinations. A whole spectrum of participation is possible, as in the table below. Highly participative > Autocratic decision by leader Leader proposes decision, listens to feedback, then decides Team proposes decision, leader has final decision Joint decision with team as equals Full delegation of decision to team The level of participation may also depend on the type of decision being made. Decisions on how to accomplish goals may be highly participative, whereas decisions during subordinate performance evaluations are more likely to be taken by the manager TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP This style of leadership starts with the idea that team members agree to obey their leader completely when they accept a job. The term transaction means that usually the organization pays the team members in return for their hard effort and compliance. If they do not work as stated in the agreement, they might be punished by the leader. In this style rules are very clear and reward system is introduced for the hardest working subordinates. Moreover, punishments are also possible and formal systems of discipline are quite common. The leader can give an opportunity for his team members to have an impact on their income. It happens when they work harder which cause greater productivity. Alternatively, a transactional leader could practice management by exception rather than rewarding better work. In fact transactional leadership is rather type of management than an actual leadership style. It focus basically on short-term task and is not suitable for a creative work. TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP People with this leadership style are true leaders who inspire their teams constantly with a shared vision of the future. While this leaders enthusiasm is often passed onto the team they can be supported by detail people. Thats why, in many organizations, both transactional and transformational leadership are essential. The transactional leaders (or managers) ensure that routine work is done consistently, while the transformational leaders look after initiatives that add value. Working for a transformational leader can be a brilliant and uplifting experience. Whatever they do they put passion and energy into it. They care about team and want them to succeed. Transformational leaders also tend to see the big picture, but not the details. So if they do not have people to pay attention on this level of information, then they are usually doomed to fail. Finally, transformational leaders, by definition, seek to transform and develop. When the organization does not transform and nobody com plain about his fact, then such a leader will be frustrated. Like wartime leaders, however, given the right situation they come into their own and can be personally responsible for saving entire companies. (Burns, 1978) TASK ORIENTED LEADERSHIP Highly task-oriented leaders focus only on getting the job done, so as a result they can be quite autocratic. They actively define the work and the roles demanded, put structures in plan and place, then they organize it and finally monitor. However, there is a danger connected with this style, that it might suffer the same drawbacks as autocratic style. Leaders do not pay to much attention about their team members as they focus only on finishing the task. PEOPLE ORIENTED (RELATIONS ORIENTED) LEADERSHIP This is the opposite of task-oriented leadership. In this style leaders are completely focused on organizing, supporting, and developing the people in their teams. It might be compared to a participative style as it has similar assumptions. Most valued are team cooperation and creativity. In practice, very often leaders tend to use both task-oriented and people-oriented styles of leadership. SERVANT LEADERSHIP This term was created by Robert Greenleaf, describes a leader who is often not formally recognized as such. He says that true leadership emerges from those whose primary motivation is a deep desire to help others. Servant leadership is a very moral position, putting the well-being of the followers before other goals. When someone, at any level within an organization, leads simply by meeting the needs of the team, he or she is described as a servant leader. In many ways, servant leadership is a form of democratic leadership, because the whole team tends to be involved in decision making. Supporters of the servant leadership model recommend it as an important way to move ahead in a world where values are increasingly important and where servant leaders achieve power on the basis of their values and ideals. Others state that in competitive leadership situations, people who practice servant leadership can find themselves left behind by leaders using other leadership styles. (Greenleaf, 1 977) SAINSBURYS NINE ELMS- CASE STUDY J Sainsbury plc was founded in 1869 by John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury. Drury Lane was one of Londons poorest areas and the Sainsburys shop quickly became popular there for offering high-quality products at low prices. Today Sainsburys is the UKs longest standing and third largest supermarket. Operates a total of 872 stores comprising 537 supermarkets and 335 convenience stores, as well as Sainsburys Bank. Sainsburys employs over 160 000 colleagues and serves over 19 million customers a week. The store Sainsburys Nine Elms was open in February 1982 with 100 employee and 3 departments. Within almost 30 years the store has changed a lot. Today the store has 346 employees and 11 departments. Every department has its own department manager plus store manager and 3 DU store managers. Most of the managers are male, only 2 female and all of them between 26-45 years old. And every one of them represents different style of leadership. From very strict and autocratic through task oriented leadership till completely laissez-faire style. Leadership style is very important in a company or a firm. This is because a leaders job is to help everyone e.g. the leader can help workers in a company by training them to improve their skills at work. Leadership style inspires people to achieve demanding goods. Leadership explains many different approaches that can be taken to be an effective leader. Good leaders are made and not born. They develop themselves through a never ending process of self-study, education, training and experience. 3.0 METHODOLOGY 3.1 RESEARCH METHODS There are two measure research methods: quantitative and qualitative. Some researcher prefers to take a quantitative approach to address their research question and design study that involves collecting quantitative data and analysing those using statistical methods. Other opportunity is qualitative method, which involves collecting qualitative data and analysing them by using interpretative methods. (Collis Hussey, 2009) For this project the most suitable method will be qualitative. Figure bellow shows, how the qualitative research and research process should goes. Figure 1: Qualitative Research and Research Process (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3.2 QUALITATIVE TECHNIQUES According to Cooper and Schindler (2008) qualitative techniques are used at both the data collection and data analysis stages of a research project. This project will be based on primary data and inductive method. Three techniques will be used to collect the data: individual interview, case studies and research observation. 3.2.1 INTERVIEW The interview is the primary data collection technique. They vary depending on the number of people involved during the interview, the level of structure, the proximity of the interviewer to the numbers of interviews conducted during the research. There are 3 ways of interviewing: à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ unstructured interview- no specific questions or order of topic to be discussed. à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ semi structured interview- starts with few specific questions and then additional questions are asked with reference to the answers from opening questions à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚ ¼ structured interview- specific, detailed questions, normally with open-ending Most of the qualitative research is made on unstructured or semi structured interview. It enables the interviewer to ask additional questions during the interview to gain more information. Many interviews are made face-to-face, which increase the quality of the interview. This kind of interview is more valuable than an interview by phone or online, because it allows the interviewer to observe nonverbal behaviour of the people. It is very important for the interviewer to have at least a basic knowledge about making an interview. Knowing how to gains someones trust and how to encourage answering questions honestly is definitely significant. Usually the interviewer is responsible for generating the interview, questions or topic to be discussed and what the order should be. The figure bellow shows the hierarchical questioning structure. Figure 2: The interview Question Hierarchy (Cooper Schindler, 2008) 3. 2. 2 CASE STUDY The case study (case history) is a very significant research methodology that includes individual and (sometimes) group interviews with record analysis and observation. Firstly researchers gain information from company brochures, annual reports, magazines and newspapers articles, and then together with direct observation, they finally combine it with interview data from members. The aim of this method is to obtain multiple perspectives of a single organisation. The case study should have a case which is the object of study. It should have the following characteristics: a complex functioning unit; investigated in its natural context with a multitude of methods and be a contemporary one. Yin (1993) has identified some specific types of case studies: Exploratory cases are sometimes considered as a prelude to social research. Explanatory case studies may be used for doing causal investigations. Descriptive cases require a descriptive theory to be developed before starting the project. Stake (1995) included three others case studies, which are: Intrinsic cases when the researcher has an interest in the case. Instrumental cases when the case is used to understand more than what is obvious to the observer. Collective cases when a group of cases is studied. 3. 2. 3 OBSERVATION Observation involves looking and listening very carefully. It is very common that people observe each other, although they do not look for anything particular and do not discover any reasonable information about their behaviour. It is possible to distinguish different relationship between observer and participant, view from three perspectives: Directness of Observation Concealment Participation Direct observation, when the observer is physically present and personally monitors what takes place. In this kind of observation, it possible for the observer to respond to certain aspects of human behaviour as they occur, therefore this method is very flexible. Indirect observation, when the recording is done by mechanical, photographic or electronic means. In comparison to the direct observation, the indirect one is less flexible. But on the other hand permanent data can be reanalysed many times so many different aspects of an event can be included. Another factor which affects relationship observer and participant is concealment. The question is, whether the observer should reveal himself. From the psychological point of view, it might be damaging (it has negative influence on the observation outcome) because people who know that are being observed, do not behave normally. On the other hand, hidden observation is a form of spying and the propriety of this action must be reviewed carefully. The best scenario is to reveal that people are being observed but the objectives and participant of interest are hidden. The last type of relationship is based on the observer participation in the whole situation while observing. Participant observation often requires months or years of intensive work, due to the fact that researcher needs to become accepted as a natural part of the culture. By doing this it is most likely that the observation will be of the natural phenomenon. Besides collecting data visually by observation, we can also use communication. The figure below describes the conditions under which observation is an appropriate method for data collection. Figure 3: Selecting the Data Collection Method (Cooper Schindler, 2008) Before starting the observation, it is necessary to make a good plan. Helpful might be finding the answers for this few important questions: WHO? Who do we want to observe? Does a person suit our criteria? WHAT? What do we want to observe? What are we concerned about? What is the aim of our observation? How long or what period of time? How often (daily, few times a week)? How many hours? WHEN? When do we want start our observation? Is there some specific period of time (for example Christmas time)? HOW? Will the data be directly observed? How many people will be observe? WHERE? Where does the observation take place? The location of the observation? 3.3 RESEARCH PROCESS ONION The research methodology of the present dissertation proposal is influenced and structured by the research process onion, which was developed and introduced by Saunders et al. (2003). The figure below illustrates the relationships between research philosophies, research methodologies, data collection methods, and more. Figure 4: Research Process ONION 4.0 CONCLUSION Concluding, so far in this report leadership styles has been explored and precisely described. The influence of each leadership style on the employees has been investigated as well. In the methodology part, qualitative method has been discussed which will be used for the research. It will be based on three different methods which are: interview, case study and observation. Case study of this report will be the place of my employment which is Sainsburys Supermarket which also has been briefly described.

Frederick Douglass Fight For Freedom History Essay

Frederick Douglass Fight For Freedom History Essay In his speech, The Hypocrisy of American Slavery, Frederick Douglass enforces his main concept of inequality in the nation and the cruelty of slavery. Douglass endured a rough childhood of slavery in Maryland without the presence or help from his parents. From the very beginning of his life, Douglass knew nothing about the whereabouts of his father nonetheless who he was and barely ever saw his mother. During a tough period of a nation infested with segregation and inequality, Douglass applied to his master to have the right to find work for himself. During employment, he concocted a plan to escape slavery. After a successful getaway, Douglass assisted the Underground Railroad. At this time, the country was in great need of change. Certain historical events that occurred during the time period, such as the Compromise of 1850, and Douglasss rugged life experiences as a slave are applied to help frame the speech and convey how African Americans feel on Independence Day. Through a tone progressing from earnest to inflammatory and the use of rhetorical questions, biblical allusions, and puns, the delivery of The Hypocrisy of American Slavery effectively brings forth an awareness of the deterioration of the nation, the inequality between races and reveals how African Americans are affected by the harsh treatment they receive to help persuade the audience that slavery must be abolished. The Compromise of 1850 and Douglasss life as a slave during this time are important factors that help shape Douglasss speech. To help please the nation, The Compromise of 1850 was passed in an attempt to abolish and control slavery. The document states that it is inexpedient to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia whilst that institution continues to exist in the State of Marylandà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Compromise). This affected Douglass negatively as well as other states in America because as long as Maryland accepted slavery, other places were not allowed to abolish it. To Douglass, this was unfair and contributed to his reasoning on why he spoke to the public emphasizing the need of a free nation. Douglass lived a good part of his life in Maryland and had to endure the challenging life of a slave because he did not live in a free state. As a child, Frederick Douglass did not get to live a luxury life like whites. In an excerpt from his novel he writes I never saw my mother, to kn ow her as such, more than four or five times in my life; and each of these times was very short in duration, and at night (Frederick, Being). Douglass never got to have a relationship with his parents thus forcing him to grow up faster. In effect, it made him a stronger person in the end. He got split up from his mother because of silly things like the color of his skin. Later in his speech, Douglass references these silly things by referring to America as a blacker nation which is a pun between race and the status of the nation. The African Americans of the audience are captivated by the speech as they relate to the common struggles endured. Also, Douglass was educated about religion when he was young which explicated his frequent use of biblical allusions. He states that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦if their increase do no other good, it will do away the force of the argument, that God cursed Ham, and therefore American slavery is right (Frederick, Being). Things pertaining to God were always p resent in his life which explains his use of biblical allusions. These biblical references appealed to his audience that comprised of Christians. Also, the irrelevant claims towards why slavery is acceptable are recognized. All of this information about history and Douglasss life are important components when understanding Douglasss purpose for giving his speech. Douglasss experiences of suffering and mistreatment along with being asked by the leading citizens of Rochester on Independence Day led him to his exigency. He passionately expresses his feelings about the life he endured during slavery in an excerpt of the narrative of his life: I say, let him place himself in my situation- without home or friends- without money or credit- wanting shelter, and no one to give it- wanting bread, and no money to buy it, and at the same time let him feel that he is pursued by merciless men-hunter, and in total darkness as to what to do, where to go, or where to stay,- perfectly helpless both as to the means of defense and means of escape,- in the midst of plenty, yet suffering the terrible gnawings of hunger,- in the midst of houses, yet having no home,- among fellow-men, yet feeling as if in the midst of wild beasts, whose greediness to swallow up the trembling and half-famished fugitive is only equaled by that with which the monsters of the deep swallow up the helpless fish upon which they subside,- I say, let him be placed in this most trying situation,- the situation in which I was placed,- then, and not till then, will he fully appreciate the hardships of, and know how to sympathize with, the toil-worn and whip-scarred fug itive slave. (Frederick, Narrative) At this point in his life it is evident that he is already fed up with the struggles of hunger and homelessness along with the rights he was not able to enjoy. Frederick Douglass was finally ready to speak his mind to the dark world. Another reason for his exigency is the concept of freedom. Frederick Douglass was all for Lincolns platformà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦free soil, free men, and free labor (Abolition). Knowing that could possibly become the outcome of his efforts, he was quickly enthused to deliver his speech. The overall concept that drove him to give the speech was the possibility of a better future for him as well as the entire nation and to persuade his audience at Corinthian Hall in Rochester that slavery must be abolished. Douglass begins with an earnest tone and polite diction to appeal to his audiences feelings and uses rhetorical questions to get everyone thinking about the issues between the nations need of freedom and equality. At the start of his speech he declares Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions, whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are today rendered more intolerably by the jubilant shouts the reach them? (Douglass). Douglass uses nice words that contrast with harsh words like fellow citizens, to ease the seriousness of the critical references to slavery. Rhetorical questions were incorporated into his speech to make his audience feel accountable for the greatly needed equality and freedom in the nation. Most importantly, he asks Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice, embodied in the Declaration of Independence, extended to us? (Douglass). This one question forces everyone to think about what rights exist in the nation and who they are extended to. Also, Frederick Douglass became fed up with the inequality of the nation because of race. He expresses that This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn (Douglass). He feels very strongly about the indifference of the nation and its status between the freedom and rights extended to all people. Douglass brings up a valid point that the Declaration guarantees the rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness and that slaves are not all blacks are privileged to enjoy these. Douglasss first half of his speech captivated his audience and enabled him to shift to more serious matters. The speech soon shifts to a vexed tone as Douglass explicates the obstacles of slavery and uses biblical references to point out the injustice of the mistreatment of slaves. Douglass becomes irritated when he complains Must I argue that a system thus marked with blood and stained with pollution is wrong? No I will not. I have better employment for my time and strength than such arguments would imply (Douglass). Douglass progressively becomes more passionate with his words as he becomes annoyed. He states here that it is ridiculous for people to not understand how seriously wrong slavery is and hopes it is a wakeup call to everybody. Next, he uses biblical references to relate to the audience. When mentioning the act of selfish men that would not rejoice when slaves are free, he implies that I am not that man. In case that, the dumb might eloquently speak, and the lame man leap as an hart (Douglass). The meaning behind this biblical reference is that a man is healed by God and then l eaps like a deer. Douglass acknowledges that he would be the one to rejoice when slaves were finally free. Certain references that come from the Bible relate to everyone because it points out the mistreatment of slaves and reminds everyone that God would not approve of this injustice. Both his tone and his references have transformed to be more harsh and unpleasant. Lastly, the tone is shifted to sound inflammatory and Douglass uses puns in order to point out the status of the nation due to race. Douglasss tone becomes bombastic towards his audience when he begins to bring up similarities between blacks and whites to prove that they are equal. He implies à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦that we are engaged in all the enterprises common to other men-digging gold in California, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦feeding à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦cattle on the hillside, living, moving, acting, thinking, planning, living in the families as husbands, wives, and children, and above all, confessing and worshiping the Christian Godà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦-we are called upon to prove that we are men? (Douglass). Douglasss inductive argument continues to incorporate references to God and rhetorical questions. These things repetitively remind the audience to think of what they can do to change the nation because God would not approve of such behavior. Finally, Douglass cleverly incorporates a pun into his speech. He reasons I do not hesitate to declare, with all my soul, that the character and conduct of this nation never looked blacker to me than on this Fourth of July (Douglass). He cunningly uses blacker to reference race as well as the shadowing darkness the nation lies under. Usually puns are used for comic relief; this one is not. Frederick Douglass effectively conveys his message to his audience by all three of those rhetorical strategies along with his change in tone. Douglasss remarkable speech led to many accomplishments like abolitionist movements with William Lloyd Garrison as well as contributions to the Emancipation Proclamation. In the end, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed which completely abolished slavery in all of America. With the efforts of Garrison and the delivery of Douglasss speech, life in America was greatly impacted. It is recorded that In 1841, Garrison hired Frederick Douglass, a former slave, as an agent for the society. Douglass was an immediate success on the lecture circuit, first in the North and later on a six-month tour of meeting halls throughout the American West (Abolition). Both men teamed together and became a successful duo. Douglass and Garrison started successful abolition movements in the North and rattled the South. Soon after, propaganda in the South arose. It is concluded that When Lincoln was elected, the South saw him as a threat to Southern institutions and resorted to secession. And the Civil War bega n (Abolition). It can be assumed that the efforts of Douglass and Lincoln began the Civil War. The war led to an outcome of abolishing slavery for which Douglass speech will always be remembered. Finally, In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, which declared all slaves in the Southern secessionist states free. Two years later, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which states that neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist in the United States, was ratified, and the abolitionists finally had their victory (Abolition). The country finally saw change and began to lighten up. Slavery was finally abolished as an effect of the hard work of Garrison, Lincoln, and Douglass. Most importantly, Douglasss efforts will always be remembered because it caused an unforgettable change in America. Frederick Douglass was an outstanding man with great character and strong beliefs. He did not care what others would think of him and stood strongly for what he believed and knew was right. The struggles of being a slave child shaped him to be the man he turned out to be. Also, historical events including the Compromise of 1850, shaped the phenomenal speech he gave on July 4th, 1852. By using rhetorical questions, biblical allusions, and puns, Douglass effectively conveyed his message that the freedom of slaves all around America was essential and that the nation was unhealthy, unjust, and slowly deteriorating as time progressed. Another key element he incorporated were shifts in tone. Douglass starts off nice and not over bearing but evolves to a bombastic tone. The legacy of his speech will forever be remembered because of the astounding things it caused including but not limited to abolitionist movements, the Civil War, the Emancipation Proclamation, and most importantly the Thirt eenth Amendment to the Constitution. If it were not for the hard work of Frederick Douglass, slavery may not have been abolished to this day.

Learning Case Adaptation :: Technology Case-Based Reasoning Essays

Learning Case Adaptation Computer models of case-based reasoning (CBR) generally guide case adaptation using a fixed set of adaptation rules. A difficult practical problem is how to identify the knowledge required to guide adaptation for particular tasks. Likewise, an open issue for CBR as a cognitive model is how case adaptation knowledge is learned. We describe a new approach to acquiring case adaptation knowledge. In this approach, adaptation problems are initially solved by reasoning from scratch, using abstract rules about structural transformations and general memory search heuristics. Traces of the processing used for successful rule-based adaptation are stored as cases to enable future adaptation to be done by case-based reasoning. When similar adaptation problems are encountered in the future, these adaptation cases provide task- and domain-specific guidance for the case adaptation process. We present the tenets of the approach concerning the relationship between memory search and case adaptation, t he memory search process, and the storage and reuse of cases representing adaptation episodes. These points are discussed in the context of ongoing research on DIAL, a computer model that learns case adaptation knowledge for case-based disaster response planning. 1 Introduction The fundamental principle of case-based reasoning (CBR) for problem-solving is that new problems are addressed by retrieving stored records of prior problem-solving episodes and adapting their solutions to fit new situations. In most case-based reasoning systems, the case adaptation process is guided by fixed case adaptation rules. Practical experience developing CBR systems has shown that it is difficult to establish appropriate case adaptation rules (e.g., Allemang, 1993; Leake, 1994). In defining adaptation rules, a key problem is the classic operationality/generality tradeoff that was first observed in research on explanation-based learning (e.g., Segre, 1987): Specific rules are easy to apply and are reliable, but only apply to a narrow range of adaptation problems; abstract rules span a broad range of potential adaptations but are often hard and expensive to apply because they do not provide task- and domain-specific guidance. In those CBR systems that do perform case adaptatio n, specific rules are often used, requiring that the developer perform difficult analysis of the task and domain to determine which rules will be needed. In practice, the problems of defining adaptation rules are so acute that many CBR applications simply omit case adaptation (e.g., Barletta, 1994). This paper presents a new method by which a case-based reasoning system can learn adaptation knowledge from experience.

The Theme Of Death In Poems Essays -- essays research papers

The Theme of Death in Poems Death is a common theme in many poems. It is viewed so differently to everyone. In the poems, "Because I could not stop for Death," "First Death in Nova Scotia," and "War is kind" death is presented by each narrator as something different. To one it is a kind gentle stranger while to another it is a cold cruel being. A kind gentleman stranger personifies death in, "Because I could not stop for Death." The narrator of the poem is a busy person, with little time, and definitely no time to die. Her carriage driver, which is death, arrives to take her into immortality. Death isn't hasty, he doesn't take her quickly. He drives her past things that the narrator had not taken the time to notice in a while. The narrator watched as he drives her past a school, where children are playing, and then on they go past fields. She sees the sun go down, and the carriage driver past the sun, but she realizes they weren't passing the sun, it was passing them; time was passing by, past her life. Her life has now past her by, and she is arriving at her final destination, which was her grave, yet she describes it as her house. In the end she is looking back, and sees how centuries have passed, yet she isn't passing by anymore, and to her this hundred years seems as no time at all. Finally she accepts her death, and is able to pass into eternity. To her death wasn't har...

Era of social and cultural rebellion Essay

â€Å"The disintegration of American values was reflected in manners and morals that shook American society to the depths.† (Leuchtenburg) The 1920’s was an era in which the Americans showed their independence through actions; learning not to live the same ways that those preceded them had. The ’20s was a cultural and socialistic rebellious attitude, decomposing past American ethics and beliefs. The most obvious rebellion is shown by the feminine movements during this time. The 1920’s led to a new role for American women, in which females desperately tried to rid themselves of Victorian roles they had played in the past. In an effort to become modern and masculine, the â€Å"flapper† led to newly recognized rights for females in the male fields. The flappers showed their rebellion by wearing short skirts that in previous years would have been entirely inappropriate dress for women. Rebellion was also shown by the increased number of females working in public offices, obtaining jobs, attending colleges, and having leading roles in professional careers (events that were practically unheard-of fifty years earlier.) Women professionals increased 50 percent, while married working women increased 30 percent. With the suffrage movement in 1920, women started out the ’20s with a passion for independence and political and social rights. Women lived by themselves, proving absolute independence from men. They, who had once been thought of as men’s property solely to perform the acts of cleaning and cooking, were revolting against their title of â€Å"exclusive possession.† Once the rebellion against stay-at-home wives had started, women who still fulfilled that role felt compelled to apologize that they were not out working alongside men in the job world. (Leuchtenburg) Marriage was also a way to rebel; women who were unhappy in marriages felt that they had the right to divorce their husbands; this act more then doubled between the years of 1914 and 1929. Divorce, once thought to be completely immoral, was becoming quite common. All these factors show that the female race was using the 1920’s to revolt against issues they had previously disagreed with, but never ha d the courage to address. The 1920’s brought a breakdown in ethics. Couples went further in publicly showing their affection for each other. Sex was a common discussion topic,  not only for women but young girls. Suggestive topics were broadcasted all over the radios, movies, and newspapers. Parties were no longer chaperoned, and parents no longer had knowledge about their daughters’ actions. The fact that individuals during this time were so free with their sexual favors proves the fact that people during this time wanted to show their capability at making decisions for themselves. (Leuchtenburg) One may argue that the 1920’s was not an era of social and cultural rebellion, and bring up the opinion that the dresses the flappers wore were efforts to save money. (Shannon) This is possible, but in order to feel completely at ease at wearing what would have been considered (only a decade earlier) an outrageous outfit, the women would have had to rebel. One might also say that the reason why there were increased numbers of women attending college was not the fact that they were rebelling to prove their equality with men, but rather because it was the first time they could ever afford such an education. This is untrue; debt was so high in the ’20s that most families would have been unable to afford a college education. During the 1920’s, the economy grew into a consumer economy, one that revolved around the ability of the citizens to consume products. In order to make it easy for the people to do this, credit was developed. With the innovation of credit, many people became in debt, and consumer debt rose a total of 250 percent. Personal debt rose 2.5 times faster then personal income, and people just didn’t have money to spend it on an education solely for the reason of becoming educated. However, in order to show their equality, women would have been more willing to put a college education on credit. In conclusion, the Roaring Twenties was a time of serious cultural and social rebellion. People wanted to live their lives they way they chose; they wanted to show their independence and ability to make decisions, and not live by the beliefs of their predecessors.