The Power Of Music Essays - African-American Music, Music, Blues

The Power Of Music Music is the expression of emotion through the medium of sound. From the very first moment a human heard a songbird and endeavored to recreate that beauty, or beat on a hollow log and found the rhythm compelling, music has become the most powerful freedom given by God. Music, in itself, is a characteristic common and unique to all cultures throughout the world. Every culture in history includes music as an important part of everyday life. Music, as a part of culture, will most often have more roles to play than a source of auditory pleasure. According to anthropologist, Raymond Firth, They have work to do, to serve as funeral dirges, as accompaniments to dancing, or to serenade a lover.(p171) However, the musics form, style, texture, and system of harmony, is a s varied as the personalities found on any given New York City subway train. From simple folk songs, to religious chants; from Carnegie Hall, to the Red Light District in New Orleans; the range and diversity of human music is almost incomprehensible. It has been said that the best way to learn about a people, about its culture, is to observe and listen to its art and music. Music is the most powerful of all the arts because it stimulates, manipulates and dissipates our moods through the emotions. Music, in our culture, functions in many ways; it can make work more enjoyable, create a fraternity among men, encourage a spirit of worship, and be an expression of emotion. Music can make hard work seem easier, or rather, make it tolerable. In the days of slavery in the united states, the birth of the blues, singing while working in the fields was a good way to make the day go by. Singing about your sadness unburdens your soul.(King and Ritz,p110) This same tendency occurs today. Next time you drive past a house that is undergoing construction, or anywhere people are doing hard manual labor, stop and listen for music. Often there is a radio blasting some rhythmically driving Rock and Roll song. (Rock and Roll is a direct offspring of the blues) A friend of mine, who is a carpenter, explained to me this way; Youre just out there workin and gettin all sweaty, and listnin to the music, and pretty soon youre still workin but you dont know it cause your mind is somewhere else. Music can create a tight fraternity among groups of people. Music is often used in the military to organize and coordinate the movements of large groups of people. Short rhythmic melodies, called cadences, are sung by soldiers as they are marching in order to keep a common time and a constant beat. Music has even been used as a form of secret communication in small groups. B.B. King, a legendary blues singer, recalls stories passed down from his great-grandmother, who was a slave. They [the slaves] were also delivering messages in musical code. If the master was coming, you might sing a hidden warning to the other field hands...that was important to the women because the master could have anything he wanted. (King and Ritz,p110) A societies music is what holds it together as a group. According to Edward O. Wilson, a Harvard socio-biologist; Singing and dancing serve to draw groups together, direct the emotions of the people, and prepare them for joint action. (p564) In many tribal cultures, ritualistic singing and dancing precedes many important events, such as; the hunt, war, marriage, birth, and death. Many of the social events in our culture are accompanied by music also, such as dances and graduation ceremonies. Even when shopping at your local grocery store you can hear the soothing sounds of music. To observe the uncanny socially adhesive property of music, attend a modern rock concert. The transformation of thousands of individual personalities into one unified mob, bouncing in unison to the pounding rhythms and loud chords, is almost instantaneous. Arthur William Edgar OShaughnessy describes this power of music wonderfully in an excerpt from We Are the Music Makers. One man with a dream, at pleasure, so go forth and conquer a crown; and three with a new songs measure can trample a kingdom down.

Two brands of nihilism

Two brands of nihilism As philosopher and poet Nietzsche's work is not easily conformable to thetraditional schools of thought within philosophy. However, an unmistakable concern withthe role of religion and values penetrates much of his work. Contrary to the traditionbefore him, Nietzsche launches vicious diatribes against Christianity and the dualisticphilosophies he finds essentially life denying. Despite his early tutelage under the influenceof Schopenhauer's philosophy, Nietzsche later philosophy indicates a refusal to castexistence as embroiled in pessimism but, instead, as that which should be affirmed, even inthe face of bad fortune. This essay will study in further detail Nietzsche view ofSchopenhauer and Christianity as essentially nihilistic.NihilismThroughout his work Nietzsche makes extensive use of the term "nihilism". Intexts from the tradition prior to Nietzsche, the term connotes a necessary connectionbetween atheism and the subsequent disbelief in values. It was held the atheist regardedt he moral norms of society as merely conventional, without any justification by rationalFrom left to right: Plato, Aristotle, Thomas Aquin...argument. Furthermore, without a divine authority prohibiting any immoral conduct, allappeals to morality by authority become hollow. By the atheists reckoning then, all actsare permissible.With Nietzsche's appearance on the scene, however, arrives the most potentarguments denying the necessary link between atheism and nihilism. It will bedemonstrated that Nietzsche, in fact, will argue it is in the appeal to divine proscriptionsthat the most virulent nihilism will attain.There is a second sense of nihilism that appears as an outgrowth of the first thatNietzsche appeals to in his critique of values. It contends that not only does an active,pious, acknowledgment of a divinity foster nihilism, but also, the disingenuous worship ofa deity that has been replaced in the life man by science, too, breeds a passive...

Beautiful Tragic Love (Creative Writing)

I felt cursed. I kept asking myself â€Å"WHY, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME All men are dogs! I am almost twenty one and I don’t know if the problem lies with me or my family, all I know is that I have given my parents so much problems and so much  pain, I guess my life is a long journey and am finding myself in it everyday. My story began last summer of 2009; I could feel that there was something in the air that day. Birds were chirping, the wind was blowing leaving me shivers down my spine and everything felt so alive. I had been  depressed  for about a year before that day. I was  walking  along  the beach  with my bare feet buried in the sand and the waves of the sea crushing into my feet when my life started to take a turn for the best†¦ From a distance I saw a handsome young man admiring me from far. Our eyes met and it was like nothing I had ever felt before with any of the men I had been with. It was something special. We began  walking  closer together like something out of a movie. I felt on  top of the world for once, my eyes were sparkling and my  stomach  was fluttering with butterflies, as we walked closer and closer to each other. When we became close enough to talk about our personal lives, Will would get on his knee and speak my fluent language, French and say the most  romantic  things. At that point I knew he had my heart. We talked until 2. 00 a. m. The next  morning it turned out that he lives only about ten minutes from where I was living. We started seeing more of each other, Will begin to get serious about us. I fought the depression  that I had and soon I was glowing with life and he was the world to me, he became my anything and everything. We had been going out for about six months when he met my mother. My mother disapproved of Will mainly because she thought I was too young to be in a serious relationship and that I wasn’t ready because this relationship might end up like the rest of my other terrible relationship. Just like any mother she was worried about me but I kept reassuring her that this time it was something different. She soon banned me from seeing him. For a while we went out against her will and had four more months of endless happiness. I had finally met someone whom I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. One day when I finished from work he had texted me to meet him at the same beach we met a year ago. When I got there I saw him standing on one of the big rocks beside the sea, he waved from far and yelled my name â€Å"LAKE, AM OVER HERE! † my heart was beating so fast as if I was in a race. When I got on the rock with him, it was nearly sunset time; he took both of my hands (Oh My God) I screamed quietly inside with excitement hoping that he would say something along the lines of marrying him. He looked at me straight in the eye to show that he was serious, and started saying â€Å"Lake ever since I have laid eyes on you, it’s like you have awaked me from my soul, and I don’t see life without you. He moved on from saying â€Å"Would you like to move in with me? † All I could feel was special, wanted, happy, in love, and emotional all at the same time. Few tears dropped down my cheeks without realizing because I kept repeating what he had just said. No boy had ever said anything like what Will had said. Holding me closer to him I looked him deep in thos e amazing emerald green eyes and answered â€Å"YES!!! † as I fall in to kiss him. Life couldn’t have got any better; we were so madly in love that we couldn’t wait so we got married a few months later. It has been two years since we got married and it feels like it was just yesterday. On our two year  anniversary, I was 4 months pregnant with our first child, so that night he had planned to take me out to a fancy  French Restaurant. As we were leaving we both looked up at the big beautiful moon, it was shinning like a bight, bright light, it was just the perfect moment in my life where I could hold pause forever. When suddenly a man came out of the shadows with a gun, he came took my purse and Will’s wallet. Someone saw the crime taking place and screamed â€Å"STOP† at the man. Everything became a blur as Will threw himself in front of me as the gun went off. I couldn’t believe my eyes, what I hadn’t envisioned in a million years seemed to become a reality. The robber ran off into the night and left Will to die in my arms. I looked down at him and tears started to explode down my cheeks as I screamed â€Å"HELP! † â€Å"SOMEONE CALL THE AMBALANCE! † I held him closely for the longest time as he bled to his death. Right before he died he told me â€Å"We will be  together again†¦ I promise†¦ I love you and the baby†¦and both of you will be always in y heart. † He looked so peaceful and handsome just like the first day I had met him; my heart was torn into pieces as he drew his last breath. He lay there dead in my arms staring at me with his emerald green eyes. I felt helpless as I held him even closer and kept screaming and crying â€Å"NO†¦ NO THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING†¦NOT TO ME†¦NOT AGAIN!! † He will always be in my heart; whenever the wind blows I can still hear him whispering sweet things in my ear. Sometimes when you find happiness again in your life, it turns into your worst nightmare. Beautiful Tragic Love (Creative Writing) I felt cursed. I kept asking myself â€Å"WHY, WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING TO ME All men are dogs! I am almost twenty one and I don’t know if the problem lies with me or my family, all I know is that I have given my parents so much problems and so much  pain, I guess my life is a long journey and am finding myself in it everyday. My story began last summer of 2009; I could feel that there was something in the air that day. Birds were chirping, the wind was blowing leaving me shivers down my spine and everything felt so alive. I had been  depressed  for about a year before that day. I was  walking  along  the beach  with my bare feet buried in the sand and the waves of the sea crushing into my feet when my life started to take a turn for the best†¦ From a distance I saw a handsome young man admiring me from far. Our eyes met and it was like nothing I had ever felt before with any of the men I had been with. It was something special. We began  walking  closer together like something out of a movie. I felt on  top of the world for once, my eyes were sparkling and my  stomach  was fluttering with butterflies, as we walked closer and closer to each other. When we became close enough to talk about our personal lives, Will would get on his knee and speak my fluent language, French and say the most  romantic  things. At that point I knew he had my heart. We talked until 2. 00 a. m. The next  morning it turned out that he lives only about ten minutes from where I was living. We started seeing more of each other, Will begin to get serious about us. I fought the depression  that I had and soon I was glowing with life and he was the world to me, he became my anything and everything. We had been going out for about six months when he met my mother. My mother disapproved of Will mainly because she thought I was too young to be in a serious relationship and that I wasn’t ready because this relationship might end up like the rest of my other terrible relationship. Just like any mother she was worried about me but I kept reassuring her that this time it was something different. She soon banned me from seeing him. For a while we went out against her will and had four more months of endless happiness. I had finally met someone whom I loved and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. One day when I finished from work he had texted me to meet him at the same beach we met a year ago. When I got there I saw him standing on one of the big rocks beside the sea, he waved from far and yelled my name â€Å"LAKE, AM OVER HERE! † my heart was beating so fast as if I was in a race. When I got on the rock with him, it was nearly sunset time; he took both of my hands (Oh My God) I screamed quietly inside with excitement hoping that he would say something along the lines of marrying him. He looked at me straight in the eye to show that he was serious, and started saying â€Å"Lake ever since I have laid eyes on you, it’s like you have awaked me from my soul, and I don’t see life without you. He moved on from saying â€Å"Would you like to move in with me? † All I could feel was special, wanted, happy, in love, and emotional all at the same time. Few tears dropped down my cheeks without realizing because I kept repeating what he had just said. No boy had ever said anything like what Will had said. Holding me closer to him I looked him deep in thos e amazing emerald green eyes and answered â€Å"YES!!! † as I fall in to kiss him. Life couldn’t have got any better; we were so madly in love that we couldn’t wait so we got married a few months later. It has been two years since we got married and it feels like it was just yesterday. On our two year  anniversary, I was 4 months pregnant with our first child, so that night he had planned to take me out to a fancy  French Restaurant. As we were leaving we both looked up at the big beautiful moon, it was shinning like a bight, bright light, it was just the perfect moment in my life where I could hold pause forever. When suddenly a man came out of the shadows with a gun, he came took my purse and Will’s wallet. Someone saw the crime taking place and screamed â€Å"STOP† at the man. Everything became a blur as Will threw himself in front of me as the gun went off. I couldn’t believe my eyes, what I hadn’t envisioned in a million years seemed to become a reality. The robber ran off into the night and left Will to die in my arms. I looked down at him and tears started to explode down my cheeks as I screamed â€Å"HELP! † â€Å"SOMEONE CALL THE AMBALANCE! † I held him closely for the longest time as he bled to his death. Right before he died he told me â€Å"We will be  together again†¦ I promise†¦ I love you and the baby†¦and both of you will be always in y heart. † He looked so peaceful and handsome just like the first day I had met him; my heart was torn into pieces as he drew his last breath. He lay there dead in my arms staring at me with his emerald green eyes. I felt helpless as I held him even closer and kept screaming and crying â€Å"NO†¦ NO THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING†¦NOT TO ME†¦NOT AGAIN!! † He will always be in my heart; whenever the wind blows I can still hear him whispering sweet things in my ear. Sometimes when you find happiness again in your life, it turns into your worst nightmare.

DO GOOD ETHICS PAY FOR THEMSELVES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

DO GOOD ETHICS PAY FOR THEMSELVES - Essay Example The objections made by Tightpenny to the idea of ethics seem to be ill-founded since it can be shown that ethics are quite relevant to business and can actually help profits. Ethical responsibility and corporate social awareness have become important for modern business enterprises but today, a company has to do a lot more than simply support social causes. It must advertise that it is supporting social causes. The ease with which information can shared amongst people in countries like the UK makes it impossible for a company to lie about something or hide it for long from the public. Dark pasts and shady dealings soon come out and hurt the company in more ways than one. Therefore, remaining ethical and advertising about being ethical is quite important. In this sense, business ethics are important aspects of running any company and the reasons for that are not limited to legal requirements or government orders (Medawar, 1976). The reason for running an ethical business can be shown to come from the highly valued theory of ethical egoism which suggests that people should what would be best for them in the long run. This approach may be connected with the ideals coming from utilitarian ethics or the approach taken by universalism but the basic reason for companies acting ethically is that ethics are good for business. The basic reason for this situation is due to the emergence of ethical consumers. These consumers like to know that their buying decisions and the support they give to companies are responsible companies. This consumer will make purchase decisions which are influenced by knowing the operations of the company from s/he is buying products. While the idea of being ethical may have as many definitions as there are consumers in the market but in a broad sense, the consumer could be very hesitant when buying goods or services from an organisation that does not have high ethics. These high ethics include stipulations such as its

Are decisions made by universities directly affecting students Essay

Are decisions made by universities directly affecting students justiciable - Essay Example The key piece of legislation in NSW in respect to the Judicial Review of University academic decisions is the ADT, it is through this act it allows for unfair publicly decided decisions to be reviewed on the grounds of fairness and legitimacy. In fact this act is based on the commonwealth's, especially the English Legal System's, common law approach. It is not based on the merits of the case rather whether there has been a procedurally fair decision. Therefore if one wants to refer to case law it is best to refer to the binding precedents of case law from the Commonwealth. This will be discussed in the next section. There is one factor that this discussion needs to point out, which is under English Law Higher Education Institutions are legislated so that they are considered public institutions; however in Australia this is not the case so there is the problem of private v's public institutions which will be discussed in further in reference to national law. ... Ultimately, integrity in research requires leadership. If, in the wake of the Hall affair, our universities cannot ensure an enlightened and responsible ethos in their research enterprises they risk a loss of public confidence (Hall v UNSW [2003] NSWSC 669. These rules are a crux to limitations faced by private higher education institutions under Australian National Law, which will be discussed in the following section. Commonwealth System: Dicey's jurisprudential thought is central to the present system of constitutional and administrative law; it deals with the decision making process and the powers of parliament; the government; executive bodies; and the courts. The main theoretical concept that Dicey's theory hinges upon is that parliament is supreme; there is no authority within the British territories or extra-territorially that has more power than parliament. The courts cannot overturn statutes or parliamentary decisions as this would erode parliamentary sovereignty. However not all decisions made in the name of parliament may be legal, because the individual has not acted in accordance with the spirit of parliamentary decision of the statute enacted by parliament. Also executive decisions are delegated through the hierarchy to bureaucratic departments and agencies; as well as human error or bias resulting in unlawful decisions1. To counter this Dicey incorporated the concept of checks and balances into the legal and parliamentary system; whereby the judiciary can hear a case, concerning the decision of an executive body, which may be illegal or a breach of natural law; whereby judicial review is an essential demonstration of Dicey's rule of law which is creating a system

Wal-Mart Case Analysis Essay Example for Free

Wal-Mart Case Analysis Essay Wal-Mart is the largest retail store in the United States today and it has remained that way for several decades now. In order to stay ahead of the competition Wal-Mart employs different kinds of strategies and campaigns. One of its strategies is to dominate the retail market through its philosophy â€Å"Everyday Low Prices. † The essence is this philosophy is to cut the price of an item to the minimum, lower the markup and earn profit on the increased volume of sales (Patrick Hayden, Seung Lee, and Kate McMahon Mike Pereira 4). Though this has generated a huge amount of profits for its shareholders, the company has to sacrifice two things: the quality of their products and the welfare of its employees (Scott Dalgleish 1) This company philosophy has been a success for Wal-Mart. According to Jim Hightower, the Waltons, owners of Wal-Mart are some of the richest people in the world. S. Robson Walton is ranked by London’s â€Å"Rich List 2001† as the wealthiest human on the planet having more than $65 billion surpassing Bill Gates. (1) This does not mean that things will continue the way they are. In the future, the public will eventually discover that sacrificing quality over cost is not worth the penny they save from buying at Wal-Mart. With all the bad publicity and reputation Wal-Mart has earned because of this company policy time will come that the public may no longer patronize Wal-Mart’s retail stores which may cause tremendous losses for its existing and future stockholders. According to Allen Long, Wal-Mart’s stocks has fallen by 11% over the last five years perhaps due to the bad publicity the company has been getting over the years. 2) If the company seeks to avoid this disaster, it must first give respect to its hundreds of thousands of employees who work for them. They must be given adequate wages, health-care benefits and must comply with existing labor laws. As the larges retail store in the United States, it is possible for the company to give proper wages and benefits to its employees while at the same time maintaining the price of its products low. Foreign Supplier Initially, Wal-Mart advertised its â€Å"Buy American† campaign. But over time it became clear that this was just an advertising gimmick rather than a company policy. As it is important for Wal-Mart to maintain its prices very low, they had to turn to foreign suppliers which can deliver to them goods at lower prices compared to their US-based suppliers. According to Jim Hightower, Wal-Mart is the largest importer of Chinese-made products in the world, buying $10 billion worth of merchandise from several thousand Chinese factories. (2) For the foreign suppliers, it became necessary to resort to different means in order to meet the price requirements of Wal-Mart. Some factories in Bangladesh had to employ child labor to keep its production costs down. Some companies have failed to comply with certain environmental laws while some companies in Hong Kong had to mislabel their products to make it appear that they are from Malaysia to avoid taxes. This has only resulted to further reduction of the quality of the products being sold by Wal-Mart in its retail stores (Thomas C. Hayes 2). The resort to foreign suppliers has seriously affected several companies in the United States. Jobs have been lost in the United States as a result of this company practice. For the foreign suppliers, the business may be good for one to two years but these foreign suppliers must realize that they too have been affected by the Wal-Mart Effect. They have violated their own country’s labor laws. They have deceived the US government. Eventually however, their labor laws violations in their own country will be discovered and their resort to mislabeling to avoid taxes here in the United States will be found out by the US Coast Guard. In fact, a number of these products by Sino Overseas, a Hong Kong based company, has been caught smuggled in the United States. This loss is disastrous for any business. If these foreign suppliers will calculate the risks involved in engaging in these operations just to meet Wal-Mart’s price requirements for its products, it is possible they will discover that its not worth the business risks they are taking. Local Retailing Stores  One of the strategies of Wal-Mart is to dominate the retail industry. In the past decades, it has succeeded in doing the same as it has been ranked as the world’s number one retail store and the number one company in the world in terms of sales on the Fortune 500 list. Also, Wal-Mart is currently ranked as the worlds number one retailer and the number one company in the world in terms of sales (over $200 billion) on the Fortune 500 list (Patrick Hayden, Seung Lee, Kate McMahon, and Mike Pereira 4). When a Wal-Mart retail store opens in a community, other retailers in the community suffocate because Wal-Mart is capable of reducing the price of its products down to the barest minimum (Abigail Goldman and Nancy Cleeland 2). This is confirmed in a study conducted by David Neumark. He said that â€Å"The employment results indicate that a Wal-Mart store opening reduces county-level retail employment by about 150 workers, implying that each Wal-Mart worker replaces approximately 1. 4 retail workers. This represents a 2. 7 percent reduction in average retail employment. (1) This race to the bottom strategy employed by Wal-Mart may have generated made it number one in the retail industry. It may have generated a lot of employment. It has, however, also created unemployment insofar as the employees of its competitors are concerned. When its competitors close their business other employees lose their jobs also. I believe this destructive force of Wal-Mart may someday come to an end as the public will eventually realize that sacrificing quality over a few pennies of saving is not worth it.

Globalization Has A Negative Impact on Global Health Essay -- Outsourci

Globalization is the development of an increasingly integrated global economy marked especially by free trade, free flow of capital, and the tapping of cheaper foreign labor markets (www.merriam-webster.com, 2012). Globalisation has had both, positive and negative effects on health. This essay will examine how globalisation has helped alcohol and tobacco trade around the world and in doing so affected health, how globalization has enabled the global community to combat these issues and an estimation of alcohol and tobacco consumption in different countries. This essay will also contain statistics from the World Health Organization based on alcohol and tobacco to illustrate the impact of globalisation. Alcohol: The question as to when alcohol was invented is still unknown, but the discovery of late Stone Age beer jugs is proof that alcohol/fermented beverages was used in times of the Neolithic period. (Patrick, 1952). Researchers use the years between 6000-4000 BCE as a starting point when examining the history of alcohol because the evidence is very clear. During this time, viticulture, the process of making wines was invented and the evidence lies in Egyptian pictographs. A vital moment in the history of wine was during 3000-2000 BCE when wine production and trade became a vital part of Mediterranean market and culture, ships carried enormous amounts of wine between the cities. Over the years the production of wine increased and it was during 500 ACE when wine production reaches Tang China along the Silk road (www.lmu.edu, 2012). The above explains the history of wine trade. Today wine can be found all over the world, it is a global product and the production of wine will only continue t o grow. By looking at Figure 2 –world wi... ... on the consumption of tobacco and smoking. There was great success by implanting this treaty for example: Ireland in 2004 banned smoking in public places, in 2006, Iran banned all types of tobacco advertising, in 2009, Turkey implemented a similar smoking ban and there are many other success stories related to the implementation of this treaty (www.who.int, 2011) Conclusion: As boundaries vanish because of globalisation, people and goods are allowed to move around the world easier which in doing so creates new challenges to global health. These cannot be combated by national governments alone but must be dealt with instead by international organizations and agreements. Globalisation has had a negative impact on health in terms of alcohol and cigarette trade but with the help of the global community, these problems can be successfully combated.

Music Business Merchandising and Law

Discuss how the Music Business is a system comprised of principle subsystems. There are several key components to the success of an artist in the music business. These components support one another, and enable each to complete tasks that are designed to further the marketability of an artist or group. One such component, or subsystem, is the agent. The agent acts as the legal representative of an artist. This person, or company, manages all of the legal issues associated with an artist’s image and career. Agents, typically, are the face of the artist to the business world. These agents meet with promoters, and venue owners to secure the performance rights, and facilitate touring. They also ask as mediators between the artist and publishing companies to ensure that all legal issues are addressed, and that the transfer of the artist’s created materials are handled in the proper manner. Another aspect of the agent’s responsibility is to maintain and negotiate contracts for the artist, with their respective parent companies. This is to ensure that the artist receives all the proper representation that is required to ensure that the contracts that the artists are bound by are fair, and ethical. The next subsystem is the parent company itself. Often referred to simply as the â€Å"label†, record companies are the binding source of power within the music business. The label is the enterprise which holds the contracts, oversees promotion, ensures distribution, and holds the records on taxes, royalties, and payments to the artist and all his/her employees. Record companies range in size, depending on the scope of their enterprise. Small or independent companies typically handle and short list of clients, and are able reach a limited area for the release. The larger companies are multinational conglomerations that hold interests in hundreds of artist. These companies are able to reach markets the world over. They also, typically, oversee a wide range of music business genres. The next part of the equation is the distributor. It is the job and obligation of the record distributor to procure the reproduction rights of an artist, produce large quantities of the product, and ensure that the product is available for the public demand. Just as the record company, record distributors range in size and scope. With the small companies reaching a localized market, and the larger, international companies, reaching every market available, the distributors serve the record companies directly. Though they are dealing in the product of an artist, they rarely deal directly with them. It has only been in recent years that the Music Business has had the ability to find and foster increasing numbers of qualified leaders. The music business, though in existence for centuries, has only in the past few decades created an environment that fosters a profitable medium. The earliest professional musicians were limited to audiences of royalty, and noble elites – for they alone possessed the wealth enough to pay for such extravagances. This early form of the music business was also limited by the desire of the leading nobles or royalty in the scope of content and style. The musicians, such as Mozart, in his day, were allowed to create only what was pleasing to the royal court – and profited very little from it. However, in the 20th century, artists began to see a freedom that had eluded them in the past. With the increasingly large audience base in the United States, artists from multiple genres were able to procure livable wages in town halls and theaters. Following World War I, there was a large outcry for artistic expression in the arts in the United States – and a boom of employment followed. The era of the Big Band, saw music leaders, such as Duke Ellington, tour the entire country – playing their own music and earning their own wages. This boom in musical freedom peaked in the 1950’s with the rise of â€Å"Rock and Roll† – and such artists as Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. The late fifties, though socially repressed, saw the first millionaires rise from the music industry – and along with them, the rise of the industry itself. The era of Sun Records, in Memphis Tennessee, showed the music world that vast amounts of income that could be generated with a properly maintained and well organized corporate entity. The number of record companies increased drastically, and by the early 1960’s there were dozens of large scale companies operating the in United States. The next big step came in the form of British artists. The arrival of The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and other English groups into the United States, opened the door for the first multinational company holdings. The rights of these groups to perform and sell their records within the United States meant that American companies had to hold part of their ownership. Soon this would lead to the expansion of American companies to other countries, to acquire the artists directly, and increase the profitability – by eliminating the shared contracts. Today, we see companies such as Sony, Viacom and Time Warner, as companies that are reaching every part of the globe, and dealing with not only music, but all ranges of entertainment arenas. These world wide conglomerations hold interest in hundreds and thousands of entertainers each, and command vast amounts of yearly income from the music business alone. Discuss the emphasis placed on the fact that Performing Arts Professionals rely heavily on a full staffed support system to gain and sustain success. The amount of legal issues that govern an artist today is nearly as expansive as the United States tax code – which is also one of the many things that must be dealt with. The time that is necessary to maintain accurate records, deal with all of the promoters, distributors, lawyers, and agents would be impossible for a single person, or even a small group of people, to undertake. Nationally marketed artists have dealings with thousands of people that are related to the marketing and distribution of their product. This is why the music industry has created several specific positions that are intended to deal directly with each facet of an artist’s career. There are tour managers who deal directly with local promoters and venue owners to schedule events and solidify contractual necessities. There are also public relations agents who deal with the entertainment press and ensure that all the necessary information about an artist is available for public knowledge – or in some cases, unavailable. There are also entertainment lawyers whose job it is to ensure that all of the issues that involve the artist are dealt with accordingly. These issues may include copyrights, ownership of the material, and/or the transfer of these from one party to another. Another very important part of an artist’s career management team would be the accountant. As we have seen with artists such as Willie Nelson and others, improperly managed income can result in terrible personal and economic costs to the artist. The amount of time that is necessary for this task to be maintained successfully, in the cases of especially large acts, is hundreds of hours per week – of course impossible for the artist to worry about and still maintain a career in music. Finally, there are the people whose job it is to ensure that every recorded track is perfect, and marketable – the producer. Today’s recording technology is vastly more complex and sensitive than was seen even twenty years ago. The expertise that is necessary to operate and adjust the sound boards for a recording artist takes years of training within itself. Some of these producers, such as Bob Rock and Jermaine Dupri, have as much recognition as the artists that they support. They are also some of the highest paid professionals within the music business – as they often hold a large percentage of the finished product’s copyright and therefore, profits. What are the FOUR FACTORS which represent the essential core foundation contributing to the success of those who â€Å"win† in the Music Business? The first factor is marketability. This is the ability of an artist to create a body of work that is acceptable to the largest possible audience. The more people who would listen to an artist’s chosen style, the easier it is to sell and profit from that style. The term â€Å"Pop Music† is the very definition of this. With artists today such as Jessica Simpson and Kelly Clarkson, who produce mainstream music that pushes few boundaries, the ability for the record companies to market these artists is greatly increased. Next would be the playability of an artist. This is the ability for an artist to be broadcasted on radio stations and television networks. It is important that an artist be able to be broadcasted on national radio stations to ensure that the artist is heard by the largest possible number of people – thereby increasing the possible number of record buyers. There are acceptations to this rule, however. Groups such as Korn and Pantera have each had number one records in the United States – with little or no airplay. This leads to the next factor – touring. Touring is the best tool that an artist can utilize to see that their work is seen by the public. Tours are usually very profitable ventures, the most often the source of greatest amounts of income for the artist or group. Tours also enable the buying public to see, first hand, the musical ability and entertainment value of an artist. Some artists, such as the Grateful Dead and Phish, never had large numbers of record sales, however their non-stop touring schedules ensured them a strong fan following and large profitability. Both bands also used a tactic that brought them much success as artists, but not as enterprises, the use of bootlegged recordings. They allowed audience members to record their performances and sell them on their own, without fear of reprisal. This created a strong fan solidarity, but most certainly contributed to their low actual album sales. Finally, there is the factor of performance, itself. No artist or group could maintain a career without an enjoyable and entertaining performance. The necessity for performance is at the root of an artist’s success. Combining talent, creation and execution in the proper construct will make for a successful artist. As seen with groups such as The Door, who were arguably the most intellectual group of the 1960’s, saw their popularity plummet as the drug and alcohol induced antics of front man, Jim Morrison, became belligerent and sometimes, combative to the audience. The Business of Music: This encapsulates the sum total of all issues that are involved in the recording, marketing, and obtaining of profit from music. The enterprise of music involves thousands of titles and positions that work to ensure the profit of an artist or group. Though, sometimes seen as the driving force behind musical trends, the business of music is intended to see that all possible musical endeavors are profitable and lucrative. The New Professionals: This is a description of groups of people who have left their original positions – such as lawyers, doctors, or CEOs etc. – to become involved with the music business. These people are shown an opportunity to capitalize on an artist or venture relating to the industry and have the resources to embrace it. Though not always long term, these professionals see the allure of the music business in much the same way as the artist. The desire for fame and fortune inspire these professionals to endeavor to make their fortunes in this business. Often taking to the production chair, or the marketing position, these people attempt to create a sustainable income promoting, producing, or investing an artist or group. Versatility: This is the ability of company to encompass multiple genres within their network. This ability allows for a single company to reach a diverse audience and increase the sales numbers of the company itself. Also, this enables a company to reach an audience with a diverse selection of musical tastes. For example, should a prospective record buyer feel that the standards of a company are high; they may pursue an artist from the same company, but outside of their normal listening area. This also allows for a single company to manage markets in multiple countries. Sony, for example, is a company bases in Japan, with holdings in many countries, in including the United States. Their diverse distribution enables Sony to sell to countries with different languages, genres, and preferred media. Job Floating: This is a term used to describe an artist who has yet to sign to a set contract, but has a marketable body of work. Much like â€Å"Free Agency† in professional sports, Job Floating is the passing of an artist from one agent or producer to another, in hopes that this artist would either sign to the company, or record their project with a reputable producer. This allows a record company to obtain distribution rights to an artist’s work without that artist signing a committing contract with that company. This option increases the ability for a company to reach the independent markets, as well as the mainstream. Education: Education in the music business is the acquisition of knowledge that better prepares the individual for all of the possible eventualities that arise within the industry. Just as with any other business venture, preparedness is essential to success. An individual receives this education from any one of dozens of colleges or technical schools that offer such courses. These schools, such as Art Instruction Schools, International, offer in-depth courses that revolve around the information needed to succeed. â€Å"Commercial† side of Music Industry: This is the area of the music business that is solely interested in the profit of a musical venture. These projects are often called â€Å"jingles† and used in advertisements and television commercials. The artists that are employed in these ventures often differ from the mainstream artists, in that they do not attempt to create an artistic expression, but rather a short, and very memorable tune that can be easily identified with a certain product. These ventures are also not intended for wide consumption. They are intended for short lived, commercial endeavors that seek to increase the sales of a product or service, outside of the music industry. Bibliography Ream, Rundi. â€Å"The Songwriter’s Guild of America†. SGA.COM. 2004.    Online access: 29  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 2008. URL:    http://www.songwritersguild.com/index.html â€Å"International Alliance for Women in Music†. IAWM.COM. 2006.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Online Access: 29  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   March 2008. URL: http://www.iawm.org/ Whitsett, Tim. â€Å"The Dictionary of Music Business Terms†.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Mixbooks. New York. 1998.   

Around making life seem like a déjàvu Essay

It is quite remarkable how the sands of time revolve around making life seem like a deja vu. This makes it difficult to draw the line guessing if we are still dreaming or already awake. All eyes are once again drawn to an hour glass being flipped upside down over and over again. However, this time around, the consequences are devastating and the results, catastrophic. And as cliche as it may sound, we hear the question once more, did history repeat itself? Truth be told, we are constantly bombarded with all these alleged justifications for waging the ever controversial war in Iraq. As loquacious and persuasive as the maestros of the war in Iraq may sound, the melody of their symphony is found to be wanting. The sentiment that supports the war in Iraq is simply founded on alleged information that Iraq possesses and are developing weapons of mass destruction. In addition, U. S. officials have claimed that Saddam Hussein is supporting the al-Queda and other terrorist groups (Hayes, 1). With these primary reasons set forth, one reason after another started to pop out like unwanted mushrooms in a garden. The Americans then claimed of human rights abuses made by the Iraqi government. Moreover, the Americans have this illusion that they have the civic and moral duty to promote democracy to this part of the world. And lastly but certainly not the least, there is also the most profitable reason of all, the Iraqi oil reserves which according to the U. S. is being improperly handled by the Iraqi government by destabilising influence to the flow of oil to international markets from the Middle East making this an unacceptable risk. With all these in mind, America then launched their so called pre-emptive strike seizing desperately for every opportunity and ally they could possibly get. From a certain point-of-view, it can be said that they became victorious. They are victorious for â€Å"waging† or â€Å"starting† a war but not victorious in the war itself. This because despite the vastness of the land they have conquered and despite the hundreds of thousands enemies they put down, at the end of the day, in war, nobody is a winner. There is only suffering, destruction and death. People call the invasion a â€Å"fatal mistake† (Gunaratna, 98). The most annoying and irritating truth the people of the world including the Americans realized is that there are no weapons of mass destruction. There is no proof that Saddam Hussein cooperated with the al-Queda or any terrorist groups and the fear of Saddam’s domination is merely speculation (Shuster, 1). There is no proof of the human rights abuses which the U. S. officials accused at the Iraqi government. And the illusion of promulgating democracy to Iraq is in fact still an illusion. Still, there is the issue on the oil reserves mismanagement. However, the truth is that the â€Å"mismanagement† that is alleged here only refers to the refusal to cooperate with U. S. with regard to the trade on the oil reserves. Therefore, this entire war does not seem to hinge upon deadly non-existent biological weapons, nor an issue the war on terrorism, nor that which concerns human rights or democracy. It all came down to a barrel of oil. But for those who find such a truth inconceivable or incomprehensible, just count the how many lives perished regardless of their nationality. How many children were orphaned, family members mourning and homes destroyed. Is a person’s life worth for fighting this meaningless war? Most people in the world know the pain of losing somebody. Well imagine the horrors of losing somebody you care about for something not even consequentially important in the history of humanity. It is hard to even contemplate that the billions and billions of dollars spent to kill countless lives in this war could have spent countless lives from hunger, diseases and poverty. Here once more is war like those before it. However, this time around, the consequences are devastating and the results, catastrophic. And as cliche as it may sound, we hear the question once more, did history repeat itself?Well, we realize that history does not repeat itself, but rather we repeat history. WORKS CITED Gunaratna, Rohan. â€Å"The Post-Madrid Face of Al Qaeda†, Washington Quarterly 27:3 (Summer 2004) p. 98. Hayes, Stephen F. and Joscelyn, Thomas The Mother of All Connections A special report on the new evidence of collaboration between Saddam Hussein’s Iraq and al Qaeda Volume 010, Issue 41 July 18, 2005 Shuster, D. â€Å"Road to war; How the Bush administration sold the Iraq War to American people†. MSNBC, Nov. 8, 2005 Retrieved on November 30, 2006 from, http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/9962149/

Emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence Emotional intelligence(EI) is defined as â€Å"the capacity for recognizing a person’s own feelings and those of others, for motivating themselves and for managing emotions well in themselves and other relationships† (Goleman, 1998). Serat (2009) on the other hand defines EI as the â€Å"ability, capacity, skill or self-perceived ability to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of one’s self, of others and of groups† (p. 2).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Emotional intelligence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More EI has significantly gained popularity in the world mainly because of its association with a person to manage his/her own emotions and handling other people. It is believed that people with high EI are not only good in knowing and understanding themselves, but are also able to sense and respect other people’s emotions. More to this, Serat (2009) argues that high EI people are more optimistic, affable and resilient than people who have lower EI. Over the years, analysts have drawn a fine distinction between Intelligence Quotient and Emotional intelligence while stating that people with high EI are able to cope and relate with others better than people who have high IQ but are devoid of high EI levels. Analysts agree that EI is important. However, they are yet to device ways through which IE can be measured. The different instruments available for measuring the same sometimes overlap or divulge thus making it hard for ordinary people to know just what is the appropriate tool of measurement (Cherniss Goleman, 2001). Admittedly, EI is a complex issue that has been the debate of numerous debates. One thing that analysts seem to agree on is the fact that EI is a combination of emotional and cognitive abilities. To this end, Goleman (1998) states that EI is the combination of â€Å"emotional centers of the brain (the limbic system) and the cognitive cent ers (prefrontal cortex)†. Cherniss Goleman (2001), states that EI provides a bedrock for effective performance by individuals in their respective places of work, thus encouraging development in any given society. In managers, the authors argue that high EI is a tool that enables conflict resolution to take place more easily and effectively that would be the case if the manager had low IE levels. According to Goleman (1998), EI has varied competencies, some which has a clear relation, while it is still unclear about how some of the competencies are related. The author suggests that self-awareness produces social awareness and self control. The two on the other hand are responsible for breeding social skills in a person.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More According to arguments presented by different authors, this essay holds the opinion that EI unlike IQ is not a pre-pro grammed quality in the brain. One gets the impression that some of the qualities of EI can be deliberately acquired. Mersino (2007) for example argues that getting in touch with one’s feeling is a good starting point to developing EI. Further, the author states that self-awareness can be learnt. This then means that a person with low EI can still work at developing the same to higher levels. In addition to self-awareness, Mersino (2007) suggests developing accurate self-assessment skills. This regards viewing one-self accurately and even seeking opinions regarding one’s behaviors from others. Citing Daniel Goleman, Mersino (2007) identifies self-assessing people as those who are conscious of their strengths and weakness; reflect and learn from past experiences; open to feedback, lessons, perspectives and beneficial comments; and possess a sense of humor towards their achievements and failings. Citing Gardner (1983), Goleman (1998) identifies seven categories of intelli gence. They are: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, bodily/kinesthetic, musical, visual/spatial, logical/mathematical and verbal/linguistic. Goleman (1998) however associates EI with emotional competence, which he argues is responsible for self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Under self awareness, a person develops emotional awareness, self-assessment skills and self-confidence. Under self-management, one gains emotional control, transparency, optimism, initiative, adaptability and transparency. Under social awareness, one develops service orientation, organizational awareness and empathy. Under relationship management, one is able to relate with others, develops conflict management skills, and is able to develop inspirational leadership skills, in addition to team working skills (Goleman et al, 2002). Ruderman et al. (2001) argues that while high IQ can result to high competencies, it does not automatically result in high EI. As such, the author s identify a need for highly intelligent people to develop their EI capabilities in order to be able to relate well with other people. Most notably, Ruderman et al. (2001) notes that people with high IQ levels are good performers at work, but rarely know how to relate with other people. Because of their skills and competencies, they look down on other people who are not as skillful as they are, and if put in managerial positions, are more likely to command people under them rather than create work teams where strengths can be shared. â€Å"Such characters make you wonder how people can be so smart, yet so incapable of understanding themselves and others† (p.3). According to Ruderman et al. (2001) emotional intelligence can not only be learnt, but can also be enhanced. They suggest that the first step to developing IE is coming to terms with ones emotions. The next step would be to deliberately guide thoughts and actions towards a particular identified path.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Emotional intelligence specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In management, Rudeman et al (2001) argues that EI has been in existence for much longer but was known as ‘peoples skills’. People’s skills were a management concept that was endorsed for use in managers, since analysts had proved that managers who possessed the same were more successful than those who did not. While the importance of intellect was not underrated in workplaces, the same in management positions was seen as a complementary attribute. According to Ruderman et al. (2001), a manager needs to engage other people in the management process. This calls for proper people engagement through talking and listening, influencing decisions and laying a good environment for consensus building. The manager is also responsible for putting people working under him or with him at ease. This however is closely related to the manager ’s happiness. If the manager is always angry, impatient and fails to understand other people’s positions, he or she is more prone to knee-jerk responses. This means he can be quick to anger and lashing out at other people. Generally, people who are self-aware have a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses and are therefore more willing to seek assistance beyond their strengths. They also appreciate other people’s strengths and are more willing to chip in when others need help. Conclusion Emotional intelligence no doubts seem to be the missing link that would lead to success on a personal level as well as success in the workplace. No one wants to be around a person who cannot quite grasp the extent of his strengths and weaknesses. More to this, as much as people admire a skillful person, they detest such a person if he or she cannot pass on the skills to others or better still, a person who is patient with people who are not as equally gifted. As t he different authors covered in this essay agree, emotional intelligence is indeed the bedrock of better relationships. Once a person understands him/herself, he/she is able to know the limits of what he/she can do. More to this, he is able to respect others for what they can do. People with high EI are therefore easier to cope with, they are more willing to change and adapt to new environments and are more empathetic to other people’s causes. In an organizational setting, high EI people are relied upon as moderators and people who are capable of fostering good working relationships based on understanding. They are also able to foster harmony, continuity and stability.Advertising Looking for essay on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More References Cherniss, C. Goleman, D. (2001). The emotionally intelligent workplace: how to select for, measure, and improve emotional intelligence in individuals, groups, and organizations. London: John Wiley Sons. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. NY: Random House. Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the power of emotional intelligence. Boston: HBS press. Mersino, A. (2007). Emotional intelligence for project managers: the people skills you need to achieve outstanding results. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgt Assn. Ruderman, M., Hannun, K., Leslie, J Steed, J. (2001). Making the connection leadership skills and emotional intelligence. LIA journal. 21(5), 2-7. Serat, O. (2009). Understanding and developing emotional intelligence. Knowledge solutions, 49(1), 1-9.

International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 11

International Business - Essay Example Globalization enabled investors to enter new potential regions with innovative business ideas. Today companies, governments, and non-governmental organizations have access to equity fund providers. Numerous equity companies are willing to invest in global market providing international business organizations with human capital and equity capital support. For instance, companies like Hamilton Bradshaw assist international companies by supporting expansion, development, and recapitalization. Changing global economy will certainly demand more equity support and outsourcing help in future. It will promote more entrepreneurs entering the global capital market because the aftermath of the recent recession would persist throughout the next decade. Governmental policies across the world on privatization also have contributed to the emergence of capital market. 2. In order to be competitive in a free global market with no trade barriers and restrictions, a company has to expand its business to international level. In the current business environment of cutthroat competition, a company is forced to seek new potential areas and alternatives for business consistency. To illustrate, the absence of constraints has enabled international business entrepreneurs to enter and dominate domestic markets of any area. If critiques are to b believed, many of the indigenous businesses and small scale or cottage industries are at the verge of extinction. It happens as the international giants come up with machine-made quality products at cheaper cost to acquire the local market. They have advanced technological backup and cost effective mode of business operation that enable them to manufacture products in bulk. In contrast, local business groups rely on conventional strategies and out-dated organizational structures which presumably add to their failure. However, business expansion is not a difficult task for modern organizations as they

Organizational culture Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational culture - Assignment Example This has enhanced efficiency in operations and reduced time needed for different departments to consult each other in order to come up with the final conclusion (Casestudyinc.com, 2002) The company has maintained open offices leadership. Leaders in Wal-Mart have maintained a close relationship with subordinates by upholding a culture where all members of staff are free to consult the leaders in case of any issue that is of concern. This has acted as a motivation factor to the members of staff. It has opened up new ideas as employees play a major role in giving out ideas as they interact with the customers directly therefore they are able to note any changes in customer’s behavior (Casestudyinc.com, 2002) Wal-Mart has maintained a belief of being the top and only organization in the market. This assumption has enabled employees to work hard in order to maintain this glory. In addition, the company has been using the employees who have succeeded in the company as their role model. A culture of rewarding hardworking employees in the organization has seen a well maintained culture of hard work. This has seen the organization made immense profits as employees are willing to work harder in order to be rewarded (Casestudyinc.com, 2002). Wal-Mart has created a cheer that helps the employees identify themselves with the company and feel proud of the company. This has also helped in boosting the morale of the employees. It also encourage togetherness and hardworking by employees to continue dominating the market (Casestudyinc.com,