Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Google, Apple and Semco Essay - 1345 Words

Three articles, three companies and three very different managing styles. The articles look at how three very important people keep a handle on their employees. Steve Jobs co-founder of Apple and his non-text book approach to an autocratic managing style, CEO of Google Eric Schmit and his laissez-faire catastrophe and Ricardo Semler CEO of SEMCO and his participative ways that surprisingly seem to be working. All run in different markets and have created their own rules to follow. They are the companies paving the way and demonstrating how to be successful in traditional ways but with their own twist. Sometimes they may not seem like the most efficient ways to get your workers to be productive, but in these astounding cases they seem to be†¦show more content†¦Each company has its own way of nabbing the spotlight from competitors. Apple is intensely secretive about its products, so secretive that not even the workers know what they are working on. This gives Apple a leg up o n competitors, when they came up with the iPhone design nobody knew what they were up to, and then it took other companies trying to steal apples spot light longer to come up with a product similar. Apple is not like every other company in the same market, like Microsoft, instead they stepped out of the norm. Everything is created in house and while some products work with others like iPods and PC, they will work best with apple products. This creates customer loyalties: if someone buys a Mac is most likely going to buy an iPhone or an iPod. It is unlike any other computer company. Microsoft for example has to get other companies to create hardware or software to be compatible with its products. Apple operates within its self, making it the firm to beat. Google is still going strong, but growth has been decreasing instead of increasing. With the amount of employees they turn over, they have to hire back. There has to be a high amount of training with the numbers of workers they loos e on a monthly or even weekly basis. Google still has something going for them, and that is the amount of programs they run. , just to name a few: Gmail, Google apps, Google maps,Show MoreRelatedManagement Styles1872 Words   |  8 PagesStyles of Apple, Google, and SEMCO There are some businesses in the world that stand out more then others due to their success and ability to stay relevant in  their sectors. Three such companies, Apple, Google and Semco are like the all-star team  of corporations that command respect at the mention of their names. The reasons for their success are  illustrated in the business articles â€Å"Managing Without Managers,† â€Å"How Apple Got Everything Right by doing Everything Wrong,† and â€Å"Where does Google go fromRead MoreCompare Democratic and Autocratic Leadership1302 Words   |  6 Pagesconcerns. Companies in flat organizational structure with â€Å"a wide span of control and a chain of command,† (Nicholas, 2009, p.325) can better guarantee the right of followers through face-to-face or indirect interaction. Ricardo Semler (1989), CEO of SEMCO, a manufacturing company in Brazil which advocates democratic leadership style and adopts flat organizational structure, agrees that workers should be treated as competent and trustworthy adults and should be offered freedom to question and express

Operations Management Planning and Design

Question: Discuss about the Operations Management of Planning and Design. Answer: Understanding of different perspectives of the selected topic: For conducting investigation regarding the growth in the professional career, I have selected the topic process planning and design. In the present business environment, effective utilization of the processes is extremely important. Therefore, businesses have to develop specific documents that can describe the plan regarding all the internal and external elements. These documents have the potential to facilitate businesses proper execution of functions and operations. I believe business plan reflects a set of functions that allow organizations to manage processes associated with manufacturing, marketing, finance and HR departments. Therefore, I believe that the business plan is nothing but development of plans that will allow organizations to handle their processes in an appropriate way. Therefore, it also allows developing innovative ideas so that organizations can able to achieve competitive advantage in the market. By choosing the topic process planning and design, I have gather knowledge about the major factors that are capable of affecting the business processes. I also believe that process planning and design will help the businesses to identify direction for the fulfilling of the organizational vision statement. The topic process planning and design process is also responsible for analyzing the scenario of the businesses and measuring the progressive results due to implementation of the pre-developed actions. The process planning and design also helps organizations to highlight strong areas of the businesses as well as identifies the areas that require necessary development. It also helps organizations to identify external opportunities and threats from the market. At the time of planning and designing of the process, several ideas related to business can be develop and clarified. This will eventually help the management to cover up the information gap processes. Furthermore, I also underst and the fact that proper amount of resources are essential for effective execution of the operational processes of the businesses. Thus, requirement of the resources are heavily depended on the process planning and design. For that reason, I strongly believe that organizations require superior knowledge about the process planning and design. Since, proper utilization of organizational processes requires systematic implementation of the design. The process begins with the formulation of an appropriate idea and end with control, evaluation and review of the outcomes. I also feel that process planning and designing based on the feasibility analysis, environmental scanning and development of the business report. Purpose of process planning and design in professional skill development: I strongly believe that knowledge about process planning and design will help me to enhance my knowledge. Therefore, it will help me to deal with the complex requirements of the workplace in a much more effective way. With the innovation of the advance technology, I feel that the demands of the employers are also growing very fast. In this situation, knowledge about process planning and design will enrich my ability to fulfill organizational requirements. In fact, I will have proper understanding about several approaches regarding planning and designing of the processes. This will help to perform several complex activities in order to fulfill organizational goals. It will also help me to enhance knowledge about Business Process Management (BPM) that describes a systematic approach for improving the processes of the businesses. I have also understood that internal resources can play key role in managing the processes. As a result, many organizations use BPO or Business Process Outsour cing to fulfill the goal of the proposed process. Thus, I feel that the chosen topic has given me information about the significance of process planning and designing in fulfilling the business functions with limited human resources and timeframe. I also feel that it will allow me to perform multiple business responsibilities appropriately. Significance of process planning and design in career development: In order to analyze the selected topic process planning and design, I have able to gain knowledge about some of the significant managerial practices and responsibilities that are often required at the workplace. Since, managers of the organizations have to evaluate the outcome in order to identify the effectiveness of the implemented processes. Therefore, it also allows me to understand different managerial perspectives regarding the utilization of the processes. On the other hand, designing and planning of the process requires successful completion of several levels within the developed framework. Thus, it helps me to identify that execution of the proper strategy is necessary for the successful utilization of the processes. Thus, it helps me to understand the way of developing strategies for effective utilization of the organizational processes with limited internal resources. Therefore, it will clearly help me to handle managerial position in an appropriate way

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

SendinBlue vs AWeber Which Is Better ... and Cheaper

AWeber is one of the most popular email marketing services out there. However, if youre a bit more budget-conscious, youll probably be looking for an alternative. This is where the topic of SendinBlue vs AWeber comes into play.SendinBlue is on many users radars due to the platforms similar feature set and a pricing model thats perhaps more beginner-friendly.Today, we compare the two and see who comes on top between SendinBlue vs AWeber. When it comes to the must-have features the things youd expect to find in every quality email marketing tool both SendinBlue and AWeber dont disappoint.Either tool brings all you might need to run a successful email marketing campaign. The differences are in the specific ways in which those features are delivered, but well get to that.Both SendinBlue and AWeber allow you to:send classic email broadcast campaigns 📠¢build your emails via a visual editor with drag and drop ðŸâ€" ±Ã¯ ¸ choose from a range of email templates 🎠¨split test your campaigns â™ »Ã¯ ¸ use email API connect third-party tools âš™ï ¸ integrate with other apps ðŸ”Å'create sign-up forms and publish them on your website 📛manage your contacts and segment them into different lists 👠ªtrack your results with advanced analytics 📈monitor your efforts via official mobile apps 📠±To make things more interesting, here are the features that are a bit more unique to each platform:Starting with SendinBlue; it comes with an excellent module for email automation, allowing you to send emails based on a number of triggers that you can set.For instance, you can send emails based on the users behavior in your shopping cart, or when they visit a specific page on your site, or when its their birthday, plus limitless other scenarios.You can also take things up a notch and design complete automation workflows based on the users interaction with the previous messages plus a range of other factors.SendinBlue also comes with an SMS module allowing you to do a bit more old-school direct outreach campaigns based on SMS messages. (Messaging to different countries has different price tags attached.)Lastly, theres also a growing social media module, currently allowing you to create Facebook ads and roll them out.AWeber, on the other hand, is a bit more geared toward integrating your email marketing efforts with other marketing or client acquisition channels. The app integration catalog of AWebers is very impressive with more than 700(!) tools there.This opens up a lot of possibilities, including things like integrating your email lists with PayPal, so that whoever buys from you there can also subscribe to your list at AWeber. Similarly, you can enable integrations with Etsy, Eventbrite, Facebook, and other platforms.AWeber also has some ready-made subscription forms that you can add to your Facebook page, Shopify store, WordPress website, and more.One very blogging-friendly feature in AWeber is the possibili ty to trigger emails automatically from your blogs RSS feed (called Blog Broadcasts). That way, you can have your emails sent the minute a new blog post goes live on your blog.AWeber also has its own email automation module thats similar to SendinBlues.  With it, you can send different emails based on the actions the subscriber takes on your other emails. Still, SendinBlues offering in this regard seems to be a bit more feature-rich you can create fairly advanced scenarios.Lastly, AWebers mobile app looks to be a tad bit more useful than SendinBlues, which can be important if you do a lot of your list management on the go.Overall, Id say SendinBlue is more feature rich in other areas automation, transactional emails, even social media marketing making it a more complete online marketing platform. AWeber is set on email marketing first, which is a great thing if thats the only element you need.📚 Read also: GetResponse vs AWeber SendinBlue review💠¸ PricingThis is probably something youre the most interested in. Heres how the platforms compare.First, SendinBlue:And AWeber:There are a couple of significant details here:First of all, SendinBlue has a free plan. As part of it, you can send up to 300 emails a day (adding up to 9,000 a month). And you can serve an unlimited number of subscribers.Secondly, AWeber charges you per contact, whereas SendinBlue charges per email sent.Because of this significant difference in pricing models, its rather difficult to compare both platforms head to head and point out which is cheaper. This all depends on how many emails youre going to be sending and how many people youre going to be sending these emails to.Still, in general:If you have a relatively small list, you can probably support it with SendinBlues free plan.If youre going to be contacting your list often multiple times a week, AWeber is going to be cheaper.If youre only going to contact your list once a week or even less frequently, youre going to g et more bang for your buck with SendinBlue.Though, as always with these things, you should analyze this on your own and see how much youll likely spend with your projected email volume and list size.🎠¨ Design and email templatesThis is a department where both platforms offer a lot! And, interestingly enough, they both have around 700+ email templates for you to choose from.That being said, AWebers templates seem to be a bit outdated compared to SendinBlues. Or at least the ones presented at the top of the list havent been that impressive:SendinBlues look a lot more modern and overall more attractive. They just dont require that much work on your part to make your emails look great:Both companies claim that their templates are ready for mobile, which is great!👠 Ease of useThe user interfaces with either SendinBlue vs AWeber are functional and dont hide any crucial features or settings.SendinBlues interface is uniform throughout, meaning that your experience as the user is consistent as you go through the different panels from managing your list to creating campaigns and sending them out.Heres the main dashboard:The email builder itself is also good-looking and not confusing, and it works with drag and drop:AWebers dashboard looks even better if Im honest. Every option is clearly visible, and AWeber highlights all the key features the things you most likely want to do:The interface of the email builder is a bit more complex, but still nothing too difficult to wrap your head around.Both platforms score highly when it comes to reports and tracking of your sent emails. You get a lot of insight into your emails performance and what can be done to improve these results. Heres SendinBlues tracking module:âš™ï ¸  Website integration optionsBoth platforms can be integrated with a WordPress  website fairly easily. Though, the process itself might be a bit counterintuitive at first.Heres the gist; while each platform has an official WordPress plugi n that you can use, thats perhaps not the most effective way of integrating things. Those plugins can be wonky.Instead, you can do one of two things:either create a subscription form normally in your platform of choice (SendinBlue or AWeber) and then embed the source code of it in your site in a sidebar widget or below your posts,or, you can integrate each platform with a third-party solution like OptinMonster, Bloom, Convert Pro, or similar these give you some cool features and are overall much more functional than what you get with just SendinBlue vs AWeber.In other words, yes, you can integrate both AWeber and SendinBlue with your WordPress website, but youll most likely need a third-party tool to get the most out of this integration.🠏† SendinBlue vs AWeber: which is better overall?Both AWeber and SendinBlue are great email marketing services, and they both deliver you the full package of features that you might need. The difference is in the details.SendinBlue is a more complete online marketing platform, letting you do not only email marketing but also Facebook ads, SMS campaigns, and advanced email automation. Furthermore, its also really good at the standard stuff sending email. Last but not least, SendinBlue offers a free plan and (subjectively) better email designs.AWeber has been in the email marketing business a bit longer and has more users overall. They are your email-first solution that can be great especially if youre going to be sending a lot of emails to your list. Plus, you can also benefit hugely from their 700+ integrations with other tools and platforms.So what do you think? Have you made up your mind between SendinBlue vs AWeber? Let us know in the comments. * This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and then purchase the product, well receive a small fee. No worries though, youll still pay the standard amount so theres no cost on your part.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Biography of Hans Bethe

Biography of Hans Bethe German-American physicist Hans Albrecht Bethe (pronounced BAY-tah) was born on July 2, 1906. He made key contributions to the field of nuclear physics and helped to develop the hydrogen bomb and the  atomic bomb used in World War II. He died on March 6, 2005. Early Years Hans Bethe was born on July 2, 1906 in Strasbourg, Alsace-Lorraine. He was the only child of Anna and Albrecht Bethe, the latter of whom worked as a physiologist at the University of Strasbourg. As a child, Hans Bethe showed an early aptitude for mathematics and often read his fathers calculus and trigonometry books. The family moved to Frankfurt when Albrecht Bethe took a new position at the Institute of Physiology at the  University of Frankfurt am Main. Hans Bethe attended secondary school at Goethe-Gymnasium  in  Frankfurt until he contracted tuberculosis in 1916. He took some time off school to recover before graduating in 1924. Bethe went on to study at the University of Frankfurt for two years before transferring to the University of Munich  so that he could study theoretical physics under German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld. Bethe earned his PhD in 1928. He worked as an assistant professor at the University of Tubingen and later worked as a lecturer at the University of Manchester after immigrating to England in 1933. Bethe moved to the United States in 1935 and took a job as a professor at Cornell University. Marriage and Family Hans Bethe married Rose Ewald, the daughter of German physicist Paul Ewald, in 1939. They had two children, Henry and Monica, and eventually, three grandchildren. Scientific Contributions From 1942 to 1945, Hans Bethe served as the director of the theoretical division at Los Alamos where he worked on the Manhattan Project, a team effort to assemble the worlds first atomic bomb. His work was instrumental in calculating the bombs explosive yield. In 1947 Bethe contributed to the development of quantum electrodynamics by being the first scientist to explain the Lamb-shift in the hydrogen spectrum.  At the beginning of the Korean War, Bethe worked on another war-related project and helped to develop a hydrogen bomb. In 1967, Bethe was awarded a Nobel Prize in Physics for his revolutionary work in stellar nucleosynthesis. This work offered insight into the ways in which stars produce energy. Bethe also developed a theory related to inelastic collisions, which helped nuclear physicists understand the stopping power of matter for fast charged particles. Some of his other contributions include work on solid-state theory and a theory of the order and disorder in alloys. Late in life, when Bethe was in his mid-90s, he continued to contribute to research in astrophysics by publishing papers on supernovae, neutron stars,  black holes. Death Hans Bethe retired in 1976 but studied astrophysics and served as the John Wendell Anderson Emeritus Professor of Physics Emeritus at  Cornell University  until his death. He died of congestive heart failure on March 6, 2005 at his home in Ithaca, New York. He was 98 years old. Impact and Legacy Hans Bethe was the  head theoretician on the Manhattan Project  and was a key contributor to the atomic bombs that killed more than 100,000 people and wounded even more when they were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during  World War II. Bethe also helped to develop the hydrogen bomb, despite the fact that he was opposed to the development of this type of weapon. For more than 50 years, Bethe strongly advised caution in using the power of the atom. He supported  nuclear nonproliferation treaties and frequently spoke out against missile defense systems. Bethe also advocated for the use of national laboratories to develop technologies that would lower the risk of nuclear war rather than weapons that could win a nuclear war. Hans Bethes legacy lives on today. Many of the discoveries that he made in nuclear physics and astrophysics during his 70 year career have stood the test of time, and scientists are still using and building upon his work to make progress in theoretical physics and  quantum mechanics. Famous Quotes Hans Bethe was a key contributor to the atomic bomb used in World War II as well as the hydrogen bomb. He also spent a significant portion of his life advocating for nuclear disarmament. So, it is really no surprise that he was often asked about his contributions and the potential for nuclear war in the future. Here are some of his most famous quotes on the topic: When I started participating in thermonuclear work in the summer of 1950, I was hoping to prove that thermonuclear weapons could not be made. If this could have been proved convincingly, this would of course have applied to both the Russians and ourselves and would have given greater security to both sides than we can now ever achieve. It was possible to entertain such a hope until the spring of 1951, when it suddenly became clear that it was no longer tenable.If we fight a war and win it with H-bombs, what history will remember is not the ideals we were fighting for but the methods we used to accomplish them. These methods will be compared to the warfare of Genghis Khan who ruthlessly killed every last inhabitant of Persia.Today the arms race is a long-range problem. The Second World War was a short-range problem, and in the short range I think it was essential to make the atomic bomb. However, not much thought was given to the time after the bomb. At first, the work was too absorbi ng, and we wanted to get the job done. But I think that once it was made it had its own impulse - its own motion that could not be stopped. Today we are rightly in an era of disarmament and dismantlement of nuclear weapons. But in some countries nuclear weapons development still continues. Whether and when the various Nations of the World can agree to stop this is uncertain. But individual scientists can still influence this process by withholding their skills.  Accordingly, I call on all scientists in all countries to cease and desist from work creating, developing, improving and manufacturing further nuclear weapons - and, for that matter, other weapons of potential mass destruction such as chemical and biological weapons.   Hans Bethe Fast Facts Full Name:  Hans Albrecht Bethe  Occupation: PhysicistBorn: July 2, 1906 in  Strasbourg, Germany (now Strasbourg, France)Died: March 6, 2005 in Ithaca, New York, USAEducation: Goethe University Frankfurt,  Ludwig Maximilian University of MunichKey Accomplishment: Received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his work in  stellar nucleosynthesis. Served as head theoretician on the Manhattan Project.  Spouses Name: Rose EwaldChildrens Names: Henry Bethe,  Monica Bethe Bibliography Broad, William J. â€Å"HANS BETHE CONFRONTS THE LEGACY OF HIS BOMB.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 11 June 1984, www.nytimes.com/1984/06/12/science/hans-bethe-confronts-the-legacy-of-his-bomb.html?pagewantedall.Broad, William J. â€Å"Hans Bethe, Prober of Sunlight and Atomic Energy, Dies at 98.†Ã‚  The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Mar. 2005, www.nytimes.com/2005/03/08/science/hans-bethe-prober-of-sunlight-and-atomic-energy-dies-at-98.html.Gibbs, W. Wayt. â€Å"Hans Albrecht Bethe, 1906-2005.†Ã‚  Scientific American, 1 May 2005, www.scientificamerican.com/article/hans-albrecht-bethe-1906-2005/.â€Å"Hans Bethe.†Ã‚  Atomic Heritage Foundation, 2 July 1906, www.atomicheritage.org/profile/hans-bethe.â€Å"Hans Bethe - Biographical.†Ã‚  Nobelprize.org, www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1967/bethe-bio.html.Irion, Robert. â€Å"A Towering Physicists Legacy Faces a Threatening Future.†Ã‚  Science, American Asso ciation for the Advancement of Science, 7 July 2006, science.sciencemag.org/content/313/5783/39.full?rss1.

Saturday, February 29, 2020

Analyse How an Adaptation of Your Choice Deals with Gender - Catwoman Essay Example for Free

Analyse How an Adaptation of Your Choice Deals with Gender – Catwoman Essay The representation of female super heroes in the media can be said to have had huge institutional, political and social influences that would suggest those in power are favoured at the expense of those without. Female super heroes tend to promote sexualisation and stereotypical gender roles of women, throughout comic books and super hero movies, but why? In this essay I will look at the character of Catwoman, and her representation as a female, particularly in the 2004 adaptation film â€Å"Catwoman†. Originally, she is an iconic character in the batman series. Created in 1940 by Bob Kane (batman creator) and Bill Finger, she has had a strong presence in batman comics and adaptations since then. Her role as a mysterious burglar and jewel thief led her to just miss out on a place in the top ten, ranking 11th in IGN’s ‘Top 100 comic book Villains of all time’ (2009) and 51st in Wizard magazines ‘100 greatest villains of all time’ list (2006). The character has been used in hundreds of comic books, as well as video games, radio stations, TV series, animated series and films. Although she is featured in mostly batman productions and texts, Catwoman was given her first comic book series in 1993, written mostly by Jim Balent. Several years down the line, Catwoman stared as the lead role in the feature film, made in 2004. The movie was an example of post feminism at its best, as in the 1970’s, only 15% of action adventure movies cast female leads. The movie was directed by Pitof and was released on July 23 by Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow Pictures. The cast members include Halle Berry, who plays Catwoman, Benjamin Bratt, Sharon Stone and Frances Conroy. I have chosen to analyse this movie because females are not usually given dominant roles in superhero movies, especially as the lead character. There are many stereotypes that surround women, and I believe this movie challenges those. The film was inspired by the DC comics villain of the same name, however stars a new character, Patience Phillips. There are several similarities to the original character. For example, she has similar office job and is killed by someone she works for. In the 1992 movie staring Michelle Pfeiffer, she uncovers a dark secret in the company and is thrown to her death from a great height. The plot for the more recent movie is very like its predecessor. In both versions she is brought back to life by a group of wild cats. However the most relevant similarity is her appearance and costume. Throughout the film, Catwoman is dressed in a tight black latex costume, black connoting mystery and evil. This material is often associated with sexuality; it clings to her body and shows off her curves. Over the years her costumes have become even more provocative, with this Catwoman being more fetish than ever. These clothes represent Catwoman as a sexual image to be looked at by the opposite sex. Laura Mulvey describes this as the Male Gaze. She explains â€Å"In their traditional exhibitionist role, women are simultaneously looked at and displayed with their appearance, coded for strong visual and erotic impact so it can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness. † (1975, p33). It is arguable that woman in the genre of action, drama and super hero are not represented as women, rather an object of sexual desire. The women featured in such genres are slim, pretty, and all wear tight clothing. Lillian Robinson refers to woman super heroes as a pin up girl in a cape, rather than genuine characters (2006). The skimpy outfit has great erotic significance (Richard Reynolds 1994) and could create a negative portrayal of females, as well as being a very bad influence for the young women and girls who watch the movie, or read the comics. Clearly, the media heavily influences teenagers already. They follow the latest fashion trends from celebrities, coolest haircuts, and they diet and loose weight to look like the people they see on TV and in magazines. They look up to the people in the media, and the image of Halle Berry in the cat suit, may encourage young girls to objectify themselves in a similar way. Already, Playboy as a brand has become a fashionable thing, for young girls even at the age of 8. They have the playboy bunny pencil cases, posters and duvet covers. Just like this, cat woman may encourage youthful girls to dress inappropriately with increased sexuality. Even Catwoman’s make-up connotes sexualisation. Her lips are painted scarlet red, which draws your attention straight to her mouth, as well as being the colour of lust to stimulate sexual arousal. This idea is due to the fact men and women have more blood flowing through their lips whilst aroused, turning them a darker shade. Halle Berry was most likely cast because of her beauty. Her eyes, lips, body and sex appeal come before everything else in the movie, (Roger Ebert, 2006). The director of this movie has chosen to portray her as an object of sexual desire for men, rather than a role model for the power and liberation of women. Typical of Hollywood movies, the overtly sexualised view of women is rooted in the darkest chamber of male desire, (Kevin Maher, 2005). She appears powerful and dominant, however, she is in fact the opposite, and inferior to the gaze of men. Laura Mulvey says in her book Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema, â€Å"Women as image, men as bearer of the look†, (1975). Personally this idea is predictable and brings nothing new to the genre. Wonder Woman first appeared on screen wearing a gold bra and blue knickers, and in those 36 years gone by, you have to ask yourself, why do superheroes need to be dressed so provocatively? Why can’t the action hero fight crime and ‘kick ass’ in a baggy jumper and a pair of dungarees? Kevin Maher, 2005). I believe the reason behind this is due to the fact that the representation of characters such as Catwoman and Wonder Woman where created by those with power over women. The institution DC comics created both in the 1940’s, which was largely if not entirely controlled by men. Women had no control over their creation and as powerful as Catwoman may be, she is still just an image of the male gaze. Created in a time where females had no authority, they where not able to argue against what could be considered as an unfair representation. Angelia McRobbie has a theory in defence of this sexualised representation, and believes men did not create this image. Women have gained the equality they where fighting for, and now they are using their assets to their advantages. In this case, Catwoman is willingly showing of her body to attract the male gaze, because it gives her power over men. She summarises that post feminism positively draws on and invokes feminism, (1994). However it’s not all negative, Over time things have changed, the presence of female leads in the super hero genre has increased, and to an extent therefore, time has favoured the female lead. Some 50 years ago, males where seen as the hero, there to protect the fragile women. Superman and Lois Lane are a classic example of where the lead role is given to a man, he is strong and courageous, while Lois is inferior to him, she has no special abilities and relies on him completely. However, the number of women in this genre proves a success for the feminist woman and an improvement in today’s society. Iconic actresses such as Angelina Jolie and Uma Thurman have stared as the female lead in modern action movies. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider and Kill Bill are both examples of woman taking active roles, and how accepting it is in this particular genre. Jolie also stared in Mr and Mrs Smith, which showed her as an equal to her husband, just as strong and just as capable of fulfilling the dominant lead. Catwoman has evolved over time, first known as The Cat in DC comics; she then progressed onto TV screens. Her sexual appearance made her an object of desire to the eyes of the male audience, and a role model to girls who wanted to be her, Suzan Colon (2004). In the Halle Berry adaptation, Catwoman is reborn a new woman, sleek, sexy, ambitious and not held back by the restraints of society. She is rebellious and follows her own desires as a feline crime fighter. This representation of Catwoman forces the question that perhaps contemporary women are constrained by the rules of society and are not free. Catwoman challenges the female stereotype and adopts the masculine lead role in this superhero movie. She is a protagonist, independent and capable of standing alone. A crucial scene in the movie shows Catwoman arguing with a large masculine looking man. She demands he turn down his music, which results in her physically attacking him. The argument ends with him lying on the floor with her foot on top of him. This scene portrays her as superior to the man, and the physical pose makes him vulnerable to her. This scene is important, because when she was her human self, known as Patience, the man would not listen to her. As Catwoman, her voice is heard. Simone de Beauvior Invokes ‘the independent women’ who wants to be active, wants to take things for themselves and refuses the passivity men try and want to impose on her. The modern woman accepts masculine values; she prides herself on thinking, getting a job and working to pay her own way, existing on the same terms as man, (1949). Catwoman does exactly that. She completely demolishes feminine stereotypes at the end of the movie when she rejects the love interest and chooses to be a free independent woman. She is not reliant on anyone, especially a man and because of that, I believe this movie demonstrates a victory for women. â€Å"Freedom is power† (Catwoman, 2004). Motivated by revenge, no man stands in her way. However another scene tells a very different story and shows off Catwoman as purely a vision of sexual desire. As she is transformed from patience Phillips, into Catwoman, supposedly now free and independent, we are reminded of her physical qualities. ‘Reminded’ is an understatement actually; it’s thrown in our faces. As she walks across a rooftop the camera angle starts from her feet, moves up her legs and to the top of her body. Paying particular attention to her bum, first impressions are everything! This scene completely confirms Mulvey’s theory, and as Liz Wells suggests, certain films objectify the female star, (2004). However Catwoman is not the only dominant female in this movie. Hedare Beauty is the company Patience works for, and is run by a man named George, or so you are made to believe. Yet in fact, the one calling all the shots is his wife, Laurel. She is controlling the strings of her puppet husband and forces him to her way of thinking. She is an evil, sinister character, full of greed, and in the end she kills her husband in cold blood. She is the villain in this movie, but also a woman in power and free from the constraints of society. In the early 1970’s, after the second wave of feminism, more women were gaining better professions and breaking out of the stereotypical roles. The post modern figure of a female became more appealing to both genders, and resulted in women wanting to achieve higher status in the world of work. An example of such acceptance was seen in the recently released song by male pop artist Ne-Yo, called ‘Miss Independent’. This continues the suggestion of the need for change in the way female super heroes where represented in order to capture the post-modern audience. Catwoman and Laurel Hedare are both great examples of female presence in superhero movies and the result of female empowerment. Judith Butler brings an interesting theory to the table. She believes gender is free floating, rather than fixed, that males and females aren’t simply masculine and feminine. She says that gender is a performance, rather than an aspect of our identity and we behave differently on different occasions. This theory suggests Catwoman isn’t necessarily challenging gender roles by taking on the masculine super hero, but rather an act she’s choosing to play. Women can be masculine because the individual chooses their gender identity. â€Å"When the constructed status of gender is theorized as radically independent of sex, gender itself becomes a free floating artifice, with the consequence that man and masculine might just as easily signify a female body as a male one, and woman and feminine a male body as easily as a female one† (Judith Butler, 1990, p6). Interestingly she suggests that if there where no longer conventional roles for either gender it would be considered the norm for a woman to be in a position of power at work or for a man to stay at home looking after the children. After looking into the history of Catwoman, her creation, and other adaptations in the past, I believe her image is over sexualised. The film is centralised around a beautiful woman, wearing the sexy, tight black costume to do none other than attract male attention. They do however promote that she is a powerful woman and has the freedom to do as she pleases. The fact that a female is the lead role in a movie of this genre is a positive thing. Although the message left behind is that to have freedom and power, you have to entail being objectified. In the end, this movie has done the same as its predecessors, portray woman in a sexualised, unrealistic and in a possibly insulting way. Analyse How an Adaptation of Your Choice Deals with Gender – Catwoman. (2016, Dec 26). r-choice-deals-with-gender-catwoman-essay We will write a custom sample essay on Analyse How an Adaptation of Your Choice Deals with Gender – Catwoman specifically for you We have essays on the following topics that may be of interest to you

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Roles that political parties and interest groups play in mobilizing Essay

Roles that political parties and interest groups play in mobilizing electoral participation in contemporary U.S. society - Essay Example There are other minor parties within the system such as the Libertarian Party and the Reform Party. For the past century, political parties have played an important role in resolving political conflicts in the US. Political parties play an important role to a democratic society such as the US. It is clear that legislative politics may not be steady without political parties. Therefore, if legislators wish to achieve something and those that want to push their policies can do so using a political party (Ginsberg et. al 69). Consequently, it can be stated that political parties facilitate efficiency within democratic organizations. It can be stated that political parties mobilize voters that have similar interests towards voting in a particular way. Political parties perform a couple of important functions. They pool together the demands and interests of the voters and channel them to the appropriate authorities. It is important to note that political parties approximate the citizens to the government. Political figures are elected into power through parties and therefore take advantage of the party label for reasons of strategic voting as well as information economization (Ginsberg et. al 123). The party candidates belongs to enables voters to make more informed decisions on how their leaders are likely to behave while elected in power. Since national parties are viewed as vehicles of political competition, a limited market is left for the candidates. It has become clear that voters make their decisions based on political parties instead of candidates as they are afraid of wasting their votes. This is what has been taking place in the US since the start of the democratic political system. Voters have never considerably changed their decisions with regards to the choice of parties. They have repetitively adhered to the two party system (de facto). Even if there have been some attempts to integrate other parties into the political system, most of them have

Saturday, February 1, 2020

U.S. Car Companies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

U.S. Car Companies - Essay Example The huge demand for the products of this industry in the domestic market of U.S., allowed the companies in the industry to enjoy economies of mass production (scale economies). This helped to speed up the rate of growth of the industry. At the beginning in 1890s, the U.S. auto industry began with approximately 100 automobile companies. These companies used to employ several modern technologies in their product and production processes. Steam engines, internal combustion engines and battery powered engines were the various types of engines found in the cars manufactured by these companies. Since that time, electric cars were available in the nation. The use of steam cars was also famous in the country; however, at times of cold weather, these cars could not be used. Lack of proper road infrastructure hindered this industry from expanding in the initial years. The Federal Aid Road in 1916 and the Federal Aid Highway Act in 1921, helped in allocation of substantial funds in U.S., to build proper roads. In 1896, Henry Ford introduced a new car company named The Ford Motor Company in U.S. Model T was the first model produced and sold by the company and its worth at that time was about $850. The model of the company became very famous in U.S. market and experienced high demand. High demand helped the company to enjoy economies of scale in production. This in turn reduced the cost of production and hence, profit and soon made the organization the largest auto company in the world. The next famous prominent auto company of U.S. that had become famous in the world market was General Motors Corporation (Hirsch 245). The company was founded by William Durant in 1908. The company acquired many small car producing firms, like, Cadillac and soon became a strong competitor of Ford Motor Company in the industry. Chrysler Group LLC was another famous car manufacturing company in