Form In Art Essays - Token, Sculpture, Pinniped, Shape, Wing, Seal

Form In Art The object in question is marked as a Syrian, Bronze Age, stone label seal (c. 3rd- 2nd millennium). Most of the seals I have viewed have much more representational forms on them than this object has. I have not been able to find any books which have pictures of items with this name, which leads me to believe that it has been marked wrong. The object resembles a small, oval shaped bead with indentations in the centers of the longer sides, making it look like the number 8. Both sides have the same, simple decoration of carved lines;(if the object is viewed with the hole through its middle going up to down rather than left to right) two vertical lines in the center and four horizontal lines on either side of these. One side of the object is flat, but the other side is convex. After viewing many pictures of seals and cylinder seals, I find it unusual that this object should be marked as a seal because the design of its decoration is so simple. It seems more likely that this object is what one definition calls a token or "a small, stone or clay bead worn on a string about the neck. Each token was a different size or shape and stood for different business transactions. An impression would be made in clay or wax signifying that the transaction took place."(1). These tokens were often only a shape that could be recognized as being different from other individual's token shapes, like a person's signature. The indentations and line decoration on the token make it resemble a pair of wings. The shape of the token's flat side and rounded side are like a human chest cavity. This could be a combination of human (skeleton) and spirituality (wings). There are many depictions of winged gods and goddesses in ancient Near Eastern art. Though this object is highly utilitarian and has little representational decoration, it seems likely that there would be a connection between its wing-like shape and the frequency of wings in other Syrian art. The shape of wings being repeated on a token used for business transactions seems to signify that the concept of wings is important culturally. This implies that the Syrian culture fused their religious beliefs with other aspects of their lives. One example of a similar shape used in a religious sculpture is of a North Syrian goddess with a bird's face from the 2nd millennium BC. The chest cavity and wings of this goddess sculpture have a very similar shape to the token. The lines on the wings of the sculpture radiate down to the edges of the wings like the horizontal lines on the token. The indented-oval shape is also repeated here. Shaping a tool (tool, meaning: the object in its metonymical sense), to look like a pair of wings, makes the object metaphorical. The object was made with simple decorations to only imply the shape of wings because it was a tool which identified a person or business with a quickly recognizable icon. This is much like a company logo would be today, though the significance of wings was probably used here because of its spiritual implications. One winged Near Eastern goddess, Inanna, was thought to be the bringer of bounty and fertility (2). In this case, using wings for a business tool may be thought to bring plentiful success to the user of the tool. Another example of wings being depicted in Syrian art is on a cylinder seal with a winged sun disk and lion attacking animals (1500-1300 BC). This example has more in common with the token metaphorically On this seal the winged sun represents male power; the strength of the lion defeating the other animals. The difference here is in the figure in the center of the wings. On the token, there are only two vertical lines between the wing shapes; a figurative "blank space". There is no actual body represented on the token, only the two lines, as if they are the space where a body could be. Any winged creature could be placed between the lines on the token. The space between those two lines makes the tool have a shifting metaphorical value. It is like a space to be filled whichever deity can best help with the business at hand. The lines could also imply that the user himself is winged, powerful like a god. The user of the tool can place himself between the lines. The minimal decoration

Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations essays

Adam Smith and the Wealth of Nations essays The Nature And Sources Of The Wealth Of Nations Adam Smith has been regarded to be the father of modern economics, and many of his ideas have been integrated the nations in the present day western world. His major work was "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations," where he discusses many of his economic views. Smith was born in Kirkcaldy, and raised by his mother, Margaret Douglas. His father, Comptroller of Customs in Kirkcaldy, died before Smith was born. Smith began his education at the University of Glasgow at the age of 14. He demonstrated a talent for math and physics, but his interest was in philosophy, to which he applied his analytical skills and tireless inquiry for the rest of his life. He later studied at Oxford, although he wasnt satisfied with the education provided at the famous university, and later returned to Scotland to lecture in Edinburgh. Smith gained fame as an intellectual in 1759, when he published of The Theory of Moral Sentiments, which was based on his lectures from Edinburgh and Glasgow, where he was Professor of Logic and then Professor of Moral Philosophy for thirteen years. Following his position at the University of Glasgow, Smith became tutor for the third Duke of Buccleuch in France and Geneva, where he met Voltaire and other philosophers. Perspectives gained during this time inspired Smith's work on Wealth of Nations Smith showed surprising conclusions during his time, when he applied scientific principles to economic behavior. One of his conclusions was that people mainly acted out of their own self-interests, and if permitted to follow their instincts, it created natural harmony and economic productivity. This would occur and was led without any conscious control or direction, as if by an invisible hand. According to Smith's "The Wealth of Nations," he stated the idea that a greater division of labor lead to increased p...

Evaluate the following article; discuss the research methodology and Assignment

Evaluate the following article; discuss the research methodology and implications for research in homeopathy - Assignment Example lbum 200, which are both collectively referred to as â€Å"verum† in the study, actually proved to be therapeutic only when â€Å"the volunteers [from the observed situation] were advised strictly to take arsenic-free water during the course of investigation† (Belon et al. 2007, p. 142). This therefore means that â€Å"some doubt was expressed as to whether the improvement noticed was actually due to their intake of the arsenic-free drinking water or†¦the homeopathic remedies† (Belon et al., p. 142). The study being analyzed right now was based on this idea that is why the 2007 study did not try to use any arsenic-free water for the purpose of avoiding the same confusion as the first studies that used such homeopathic remedies. However, the constant use of arsenic-contaminated water may have actually interfered with the expected results of the study since the subjects kept on taking arsenic-contaminated water at the same time that they were taking homeopathi c remedies. Thus, there could have been a sort of constant progression of the diseases brought about by arsenic contamination at the same time that the individual is being treated using homeopathic remedies. The efficiency of the remedy could have therefore been affected by the continuous supply of the cause of the disease. Furthermore, since the arsenic levels in every individual is not accounted for or that there is no way they could possibly be accounted for, then the study is therefore not entirely controlled. Some individuals may obviously be receiving relatively more arsenic levels than others, thus the effects of the homeopathic remedies on them may be different. In fact, this could have been the reason for the withdrawal of many of the respondents from the study who claimed that they did not experience ameliorating changes in them. Another problem with the research investigation was that 39 subjects of 20 males and 19 females may not have been enough as a particular sample size to represent the whole

Trust and Customer Service Performance 312 wk 6 forum Assignment

Trust and Customer Service Performance 312 wk 6 forum - Assignment Example Reliability-based trust is based in the company’s discernments of a prospective partner’s real behavior and operating performance. It engrosses a notion that a partner is disposed to execute and capable of acting as promised. Efforts to create collaborative associations fail when supply chain partners cannot rely on their performance as promised. In simple terms, an organization that is alleged to be unable to act as guaranteed will be perceived as unreliable and thus not fit for the trust in the association. On the other hand, character-based trust is grounded on a company’s culture, philosophy and leadership. Principally, it originates from discernments that supply chain partners are interested in each other’s wellbeing and not work without putting into account the effect of their actions on the other partner. Character-based trust is critical in collaborative relationships because the partners in the relationship act in confidence that the other party will deliver up to anticipations because of the developed character of the association. In this case, the partners in a relationship do not feel susceptible to the deeds of one another. Needless to say, the partners believe that each will safeguard the other’s interest. For example, a manufacturer who shares ideas on new product launches with a merchant trusts that he or she will not give the idea to a

Mentoring as Part of Professional Development Essay

Mentoring as Part of Professional Development - Essay Example This essay discusses that within the professional development domains, mentoring works at producing magnanimous effects for the people who want to bring about a positive change within their working ideologies. If the aim is to set things in a corrective fashion, mentoring is the path that shall take one towards that. However, it comes with its own disparities. One such is the manner in which the mentoring is being undertaken. The professional development requires of the organizations to embed mentoring as a vital ingredient because it embodies the basis of success that any enterprise or corporate entity can achieve with the passage of time. It will also dictate how well the organization has been able to showcase its professionals and how these individuals have been shaped up to meet the desired goals and expectations which were of them in the first place. The mentoring role is such an important one that it has been talked about in different circles time and time again. The ones who p erform the art of mentoring are taken in a good stead and given the respect that they richly deserve. This is the reason why the mentor is seen as someone whom people look up to for help and assistance, and who brings with him a significant amount of experience and knowledge. The mentor is therefore given respect for what she does and how she is able to garner support from the people who believe in his mentoring. He is usually the one people look up to and seeks help in terms of their respective needs and requirements. The organizations have also started to branch out to such mentors because they know that these will bring in help for the employees and workers. These are in the form of counselors who are doing their best to bring sanity within the ranks of the employees and give them the help that they direly require. However, professional development can only come about when there are concerted efforts to do things right on the part of the person who is bringing that change within his own entirety. It just cannot happen overnight and the mentor can help only to a certain level. This is the basis of understanding how mentoring is and what roles are required for mentoring in the related settings. If such comprehensions are reached upon easily, there would be success for all and sundry, and the professional developments would be handled in an amicable way. What is Mentoring? Mentoring is defined as the formal or informal relationship between two people where one is a senior and another, a junior. It involves communication and is based on the premise of having a relationship – formal or informal. It is based on the personal developmental relationship perspective where an experienced or more knowledgeable person holds the torch for the one who is not that skilled and has little or less experience and knowledge. Since mentoring involves some form of empathy within the individual who is mentoring, it is the duty of the person who is being mentored that he lis tens and adapts to what the mentor has to say. It will then create a situation where both the mentor and the mentee are on the same page, and the process of mentoring will come about in full circle. This is so required because if the mentor and th

Stakeholder management in tourism and hospitality

Stakeholder management in tourism and hospitality 2. Structure of the tourism and hospitality industry and role of stakeholders: (Burcu Ozgur, 2008) The stakeholders’ needs and demands are understood and responded to by organizations, based on the concept of stakeholder management. According to (Svendsen, 1998), the main role of stakeholder management is to protect the organization from the damaging impacts of the activities of the stakeholder. Some techniques like consultation, issue analysis, strategic communications, and formal contracts or agreements should be utilized by the organization. (Huber, Scharioth, Pallas, 2004), explained that organizations strive to gain the trust of the main stakeholders, who have a greater influence on them and with whom they have constructive interactions. For any organization, financial success is important and they will use any tools at the expense of the environment, members of staff, and/or local communities. This careless attitude will result in losses and damages in relationships with the stakeholders. The two significant variables for the decision on stakeholders by an organization are a) their possibility of threatening an organization and, b) their possibility of cooperating with an organization. The two relationship variables are cooperative potential and competitive threat. These two relationship variables reflect the capacity of stakeholders’ for cooperation and threat in a specific matter facing the organization. (Lim, Ahn, Lee, 2005), stated that companies can adopt four possible categories for stakeholder management: a) reactive, b) defensive, c) accommodative, and d) proactive. Depending on the stakeholder’s potential for threat and cooperation, companies decide their postures and strategies for stakeholder management such as a) leading, b) collaborating, c) involving, d) defending, e) educating, and f) monitoring. (Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics, 1999), developed a list of the essential principles of stakeholder management. The first principle highlights the requirement of identifying stakeholders’ legitimate interests, which will be used in decision making processes by an organization. The second principle refers to the need for communication between the organization and its stakeholders. The engagement with the stakeholder is required to reduce conflicts. The third principle reflects the idea that there could be differences with the involvement of stakeholders in the organization. While the organization may have official relationships with few of stakeholders, other stakeholders are approached in unofficial ways either through direct contact, press release or advertising. The fourth principle underlines the significance of balancing risks and rewards among various stakeholders impartially and observes the need of distributing benefits to all parties. The fifth principle highlights the need for cooperation with public and/or private entities with the sole objective to reduce risks related to corporate practices. The sixth principle relates the aspect of respecting human rights which are threatened by the present and future activities in an organization. The last principle brings the attention of managers to identify their own difference of interests to normalize stakeholder relationships in order to increase credibility of organization. 3. Strategic Stakeholder Management: Tourism’s Perspective One of the important generators of revenue is the Tourism sector which is also a job generating sector and serves as a medium of development. Tourism sector has gained great importance as it generates economic development and prosperity even in places which would not be used as an economic source. The industry’s coordinated actions; highly fragmented and diverse structure makes it special and successful. The tourism sector could be contemplated as a system. As (Mill Alastair, 2002) mentioned, there are many reasons to view tourism as a system. Some of them are: Interdependency in tourism i.e., all organizations in this sector are interrelated parts and work together to achieve common goals. Dynamic and constantly changing characteristics i.e. it be affected by outer influences such as political uncertainty, war, international relations, terrorism, technological developments, epidemics, and changes in demographic conditions. Complex sector with different types of activities and organizations. Intense competitiveness of tourism i.e. all kinds of tourism organizations have to vie with each other globally. Need for responsiveness. Tourism is a sector where many elements which are independent and any change in one element can cause changes in other parts. Therefore, it’s important to maintain harmony of all parts. The stakeholder management practices should be utilized to create the harmony and forge strong relationships between the tourism organizations and their stakeholders. 4. Environmental trends in the global tourism industry: (Dwyer, Deborah, Nina, Carolina, Noel, 2008) Tourism is closely connected to the environment. The two main reasons for determining the viability and attractiveness of an area as a tourist destination is the natural environment and climate conditions (Dwyer Kim, 2003). The developments for tourism are based on features such as gaining easy access for visitors to natural or manmade environments. The concerns of stakeholders of tourism which include researchers has always centered on the ways tourism development may offer opportunities for managing environmentally sensitive areas and the conservation of unique environments. (United Nations Environment Programme ((UNEP), 2002), reported that the focus is on tourism where it can help in reducing environmental pollution and usage of resources. The main environmental trends include change of climate, depletion of natural resources and loss of biodiversity: Change of Climate: The increase in release of concentrations of greenhouse gases influences the change of climate and global warming. Climate change is a global occurrence and its major effects are felt at the local and regional scale. Effects of climate change and warming trends include: rise in sea-level, changes to ocean currents, melting of glacial and polar ice, losing of snow cover, high heat index and high diurnal temperatures, and changes to precipitation patterns (IPCC, 2007). Climate changes are influential in determining the destinations preferred by tourists and also on the profitability of the industry through increase in costs of energy use. Policies to lessen emission of greenhouse gas will invariably affect the operator costs and destination competitiveness particularly for longer destinations (Dwyer Forsyth, 2008). Depletion of natural resource: The increasing paucity of natural resources required to steer industrial development will give rise to a number of effects. The factors affecting the availability of natural resources like food production, water and energy, are increase in population and economic development. The result of ‘peaking’ in oil production, commonly known as ‘Peak Oil’, will increase the expenses of fossil fuel based energy sources. ‘Peak Oil’ refers to the maximum rate, i.e. ‘peak’ of production of world oil to a point beyond which it goes to permanent decline. The decline in production of oil along with increase in demand will result in increase of fuel costs. Consequently, the new ‘carbon economy’ is set to push the want for energy efficiency and investment in renewable forms of energy. In future, half of the world’s population will face shortage of water due to scarcity of water resources. The arable land and native bush land will diminish extensive agriculture and broad-scale land clearing due to demands for higher food production. Loss of bio diversity: (United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), 2003), reported that the main danger to loss of species biodiversity is habitat loss. Loss of biodiversity is expected to substantially affect those destinations that highlight nature based or eco tourism. Analyzing Marketing Opportunities Challenges: The Macro-environment (Amy, Eliza, Cynthia, 2009) The major macro-environmental forces recognize and discuss the affect the ability of hospitality industry to market its offerings. All organizations in the hospitality industry function in a constantly changing macro-environment, and thus giving prospect for marketers to conduct business or pose threats to the companies. The environmental changes have to be monitored closed before marketing strategies are considered by companies. The hospitality marketers must analyze and observe the six major forces (demographic, economic, political/legal, social/cultural, technological and natural/ecological), as shown below: Figure 1: Macro-Environmental Forces Table 1: Macro-environmental Forces 5. Market research Importance of Psychographic Research (Yvette Felix, 2004) (Wells, 1975), defined Psychographic research as â€Å"quantitative research intended to place consumers on psychological dimensions.† According to (Gladwell, 1990), this type of research â€Å"analyzes consumer’s attitudes, perceptions, needs, interests, opinions, activities, and daily lifestyle.† (Shih, 1986), recognized that â€Å"Psychographics is very meaningful and relevant† and (Abbey, 1979) stated that â€Å"it’s very important means to provide additional information beyond the demographic characteristics.† Abbey suggested that psychographic variables produce major differences between the groups of consumers, and these differences were bigger than the differences produced by the demographic profiles. (Mayo, 1975), stated that psychographics are useful than demographics in explaining consumers because they differentiate better between them (Ryel Grasse, 1991). The market segmentation has found a valuable means in Psychographics. (Gladwell, 1990), observed that psychographic characteristics of tourists have to be examined thoroughly by marketer if their destinations need to be marketed successfully to tourist. Psychographic variables are helpful in recognizing various types of tourists, distinguishing their segments and differentiating between the segments (Schewe Calantone, 1978). Psychographic measures provide complete profiles of tourists and give the marketers a clear picture of the tourists they are attracting. Psychographics cannot be independent even though psychographics has a comparative advantage over demographics, (Schewe Calantone, 1978). In order to understand a consumer market better, marketers should use psychographic data along with other criteria such as demographic, geographic, or behaviorist. Psychographic data needs to be incorporated in its research studies of the tourism and hospitality industry to benefit from the k nowledge of its customers. The data was collected through a qualitative research method. Qualitative methods offer varied empirical processes intended to describe and interpret the experiences of participants in a context specific setting. Data was collected from 30 representatives via semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Local residents, governmental, non-governmental and academic stakeholders were considered in order to acquire the opinion locally, regionally and nationally regarding the implementing sustainable tourism development. The concept of sustainable tourism development became important due to fact that local residents are involved in tourism planning and decision-making. (Jackson, 2000). A sampling strategy was arrived at to ensure residents participating were ambassadors of a cross-section of the community. The sampled residents included those who resided in the tourism/non-tourism zone and were directly/indirectly involved with and/or affected by tourism activities. Many of the interviewed residents and who were involved in the industry were engaged as local guides or owners of home stay lodging and resorts, or souvenir and food catering shops. In-depth interviews saw participation of 20 local residents. Convenience sampling constituted a technique of non probability that attempts to get a sample of convenient elements which is less expensive and less time-consuming when compared with other sampling techniques (Malhotra, 2004). Governmental institutions had an essential part in sustainable tourism development initiatives. Therefore, they participated in the study and to aid in establishing a swell of other respondents. This was considered the most appropriate method, as the researcher was not well informed about the formal or informal ‘network connections’ locally (Jennings, 2001). The researcher chose a few respondents involved decision making for the destination i.e. Town Council, Sub-District Administration Organization. Other relevant stakeholders interviewed were the local tourist office, a non-governmental organization and academics. Totally 10 governmental respondents were interviewed. Interview questions related to the sustainable tourism development concept and stakeholders were developed. These questions were directed to five local residents in August 2012. The interviews led to alterations in: (1) interview time and how respondents were approached, and (2) the interview questions usi ng simpler and non-technical terminology. Then, in-depth interviews were conducted in September 2012. In order to gain further insights and data, the questions were open ended. The interviews were recorded, transcribed and organized based on the interview questions.

New technologies dismiss social relationships Essay examples -- Tech

In this fast-changing world, new technologies have become essential in societies and have an impact on everyone’s life. This process of â€Å"technologization† has grown exponentially since the nineties and the beginning of the Internet, which has significantly decreased boundaries of communication. Some expert agreed that new technologies would make communication and exchange easier, and thus give an incentive to communicate with other people. However, those change have caused communication to change and people have totally change their way to communicate. Ever since people have become increasingly dependent on those technologies because they only see their advantages and convenience for everyday life. New technologies dismiss social relations; due to the way people use them. This paper will argue that an excessive use of new technologies can damage people’s social interactions, which in term might cause numerous social issues. To support this argument, three reasons will be approached: the first part will explain how new technologies make people more selfish and individual by explaining online communication issues; second, people rely so much on new technologies that there has been an increase in technological addiction which turn people into technological aliens. To finish, advanced technologies change people’s behavior in their everyday life; here, the fact that virtual life comes over real life will be developing. This research will demonstrate how new technologies dismiss social relationships by comparing and analyzing different academic sources. In order to proceed, the word communication needs to be defined. According to the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, communication is the process by which people exchange... ...umà ©riques, Des Enfants Mutants ??" Sciences Humaines [France] Oct. 2013: 35-37. Print. Kelion, Leo. "Hannah Smith Death: Father Says Daughter Was Victim of Cyberbullies." BBC News. BBC, 08 June 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Kudler, Amanda. "Video Games Timeline." Infoplease. Infoplease, 2007. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Netburn, Deborah. "The Business and Culture of Our Digital Lives." N.p., July 2011. Web. 30 Nov. 2013. Soong, Jennifer. "When Technology Addiction Takes Over Your Life." WebMD. WebMD, June 2008. Web. 24 Nov. 2013. Tong, Krystel. "Social Networking Leads to Social Isolation." Prezi.com. Prezi.com, Apr. 2013. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Turkle, Sherry. "Sherry Turkle: Connected, but Alone?" TED: Ideas worth Spreading. TED, Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2013. Young, Kimberley. "Gà ©nà ©rations Numà ©riques, Des Enfants Mutants ?" Science Humaines [France] Oct. 2013: 52-55. Print.