Best Buy in China

Best Buy’s failure in China is another example of a slow, arrogant major international player that didn’t understand China. Their own explanation of why they failed: â€Å"China’s demand for low prices without regard for service,† is clearly a lame excuse. By Fang Yu, China Entrepreneur magazine Best Buy shut down their nine stores in China on February 22nd, and within 48 hours fell into an unprecedented credibility crisis. Customers rushed to Best Buy stores on hearing the news and were locked outside security doors.They finally broke through the doors and went into the shops, partly to seek refunds on the extended warranty policies they had purchased. Because of quarrels with staff over return policies, the Shanghai Municipal Government had to send police to maintain order. Best Buy, which has always boasted it was centered around consumers, never predicted it would withdraw from the Chinese market in such a disgraceful way. Best Buy China top executives said the business closed because their model did not adapt to the Chinese market.Best Buy China president David Sisson said, â€Å"I have never worked in such a price-sensitive market. † Best Buy shops within China were forced to close after a five year struggle Best Buy explains its failure with the excuse â€Å"Chinese consumers pursue low prices rather than services. † This excuse shows that Best Buy still does not understand why it failed. This excuse does not take into account that China’s spending power is the fastest growing in the world.Home appliance expert and director of the Pal consulting firm Luo Qingqi argues luxury brands now entering into Chinese second- and third-tier cities, and the purchasing power for luxury cars in Chinese inland is no worse than in the first-tier cities. Ding Jie, a global partner at the Roland Berger consulting firm, notes that there are foreign retailers running excellently China. Why not Best Buy? Slow and arrogant Denn is, who has worked for ten years selling audio products, worked as an employee at Best Buy until it shut its doors.After signing a compensation agreement, he began to seek a new job. He first came to a giant domestic chain giant to be interviewed, but he felt the treatment he received and business culture was too different from Best Buy, so he started looking for jobs at foreign retail enterprises. Dennis says the experience of working at Best Buy was profound and lasting. It’s difficult for him to adapt to the performance-oriented culture of domestic enterprises that stresses absolute obedience and brute execution.Instead, he has become used to Best Buy’s â€Å"people-centered† culture: trying to win returning customers and promotion opportunities based on giving good service. He also became used to the sound of the English name that the store provided him with. The employee culture of Best Buy, which is not based on sales volume, enables the store to be peacef ul, without a feeling of fierce competition between the sales staff. However, observers believe this unhurried attitude is exactly what drove Best Buy to become a loser in China’s fiercely competitive home appliance market, which is dominated by the retailers Suning Appliance and Gome.When Best Buy entered China, Suning Appliance chairman Zhang Jindong said his company would ignore Best Buy for the next five years. Gome founder Huang Guangyu also said Best Buy could not compete with Gome in China because Best Buy did not have a sense of where to put its stores. People who participated in the press conference announcing the acquisition of Five Star Appliance by Best Buy in 2006 remember that Five Star founder Wang Jianguo was excited to announce the establishment of 300 stores annually with the financial backing of Best Buy.However, this plan was quickly denied by Best Buy top executives. Wang and his team eventually left the company. In the United States, Best Buy defeated th e second-largest retailer Circuit City, which used a consignment model, similar to Gome and Suning in China. Best Buy then entered the Chinese market with the arrogance of a missionary, ignoring the gap between its own model and the Chinese market. In Best Buy stores, the aisles are clearly wider than in Suning and Gome, the shelves aren’t as crowded, and fewer brands and models are on display.Best Buy’ believes the space should be left for consumers rather than products. Suning Shanghai top executives pointed out North Americans prefer open and wide stores, and don’t require a wide range of product lines ranging from cheap and generic to expensive top quality brand names. Best Buy’s style is more suitable to North Americans emphasizing individual freedom, and China’s market is more similar to Japan’s. Insiders recalled Best Buy’s first China president Lu Weimin knew the local market very well.The Chinese-born American, who graduated from a special class of gifted teenagers of the University of Science and Technology of China, better understood the rules of China’s home appliance industry than his colleagues. Lu Weimin helped to bring about the acquisition of Five Star. This helped Best Buy become a major retailer. However, Best Buy still did not want to give up the business model it developed and was proud of, and dreamed of restructuring more home appliance retailers such as Five Star into the Best Buy fold.This resulted in a two-brand operation over the past five years, so that the Best Buy management team’s resources and focus were diluted. Five Star former top executives recalled Lu Weimin pushed Best Buy to expand. Lu chose several properties in Shanghai, but, following Best Buy’s management process, all matters related to store openings must be reported to Best Buy International. Best Buy’s competitors were opening a new store every four or five days. Faced with the slow proces s of opening new stores, Lu hoped he could use financial muscle to expand quickly.For instance, Best Buy bid for Shandong Sanlian Commercial, which in the end was acquired by Gome. Many foreign executives who are not familiar with the Chinese market have a hard time understanding the importance and feasibility of quickly opening stores. An investor said he had heard a foreign executive of a consumer goods company laugh at his Chinese colleagues, saying, â€Å"What? How dare they plan to open 200 stores a year! † In fact, these scoffers generally only ever come to Shanghai and Hong Kong and have no idea of the width of the Chinese market.Managed by Best Buy, Five Star has expanded slowly (the number of stores has only grown to more than 160 from nearly 140 in 2006). Lu left Best Buy in April 2007, after he was made a figurehead. He had worked there for more than ten years. When the news of the closure of Best Buy stores was released, a departed top executive pointed out that i f the failure was a result of a poor business model, why did the Xujiahui store in Shanghai become one of the world’s top 50 stores, with an operating revenue of RMB 500 million, becoming profitable in 2010? The Xujiahui store’s property costs were denominated in U. S. ollars, and were the highest in the Best Buy system. One of the reasons for the success of the store was that its site was chosen when Wang Jianguo served as Best Buy global vice president. The superior location of the Xujiahui store was envied by competitors. Following in Wang Jianguo’s shoes, Best Buy sent many executives to China, who were good at IT systems and background management processes, but did not have experience in selecting sites and opening stores in unfamiliar cities. â€Å"We can say they are outsiders! At the root, it was caused by the people factor. If they had different people, the results would have been different. Missing its chance After stumbling through the first three ye ars, Best Buy made some changes. In 2008, Best Buy started to speed up its expansion in China, opening in Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou and Beijing to lift the total number of stores to nine. This change was rooted in a shift in government policy. In September 2008, the Ministry of Commerce issued a document shifting the approval process for foreign retail stores from the national to the provincial level. Best Buy, which had a good relationship with the Shanghai government, quickly opened more stores in Shanghai to consolidate its base.But compared with another retail giant, Wal-Mart, Best Buy again did not correctly understand the policy direction of the Chinese market. Wal-Mart quickly established wholly-owned companies (with taxes going to local authorities) in more than ten provinces in China, and quickly opened more than 30 stores in China in the first half of 2009, mainly in second- and third-tier cities. The new regulations of the Ministry of Commerce were intended to help forei gn retailers make investments in China. The Shanghai market, where land is expensive, ended up putting a lot of pressure on Best Buy.At that time, Suning only allocated 10% of its planned stores to central Shanghai and focused on opening stores in the suburbs, but Best Buy was making efforts to squeeze into the core business district, which was already full of the rival stores. The result was that the number of Best Buy stores grew, but diminishing returns did not cover the operating costs. David Sisson hinted at this when he explained that he shut down all of the stores in China because â€Å"the costs needed to keep one or two stores open are actually are almost the same as the cost needed to keep nine stores open. Best Buy missed its window for rapid development, and perhaps had no time to think about how to enter more deeply into the Chinese market because it was struggling with strong competition and high land prices in first-tier cities like Shanghai. Best Buy top executives were aware of the problems with the company’s expansion. Under pressure to make profits in 2010 (the 2010 third-quarter fiscal report shows Best Buy same-store sales fell 5%), Best Buy first adjusted the company’s global management structure.Best Buy global vice president and Five Star CEO Wang Jian told China Entrepreneur, â€Å"In 2010, Best Buy adjusted the organizational structure and set up the America region, Asia region and Europe region. One major reason for the adjustment is that Best Buy wanted to give full authority to enable it to be more localized in operation and development. † At that time, Best Buy’s attitude to Five Star changed. Best Buy encouraged Five Star to â€Å"open as many as stores as possible,† but Five Star also faced the problem of lagging development.When Suning and Gome completed setting up in first- and second-tier cities and started planning to enter into third- and fourth-tier cities, Five Star was still only opera ting in limited areas and never opened stores in Shanghai. In Best Buy’s last days, the low-price commitment could be seen everywhere, and even the consumers could feel the change. Claire, a loyal Best Buy customer who works at a foreign company in Shanghai, said, â€Å"Compared with the beginning, the number of salespeople in the store grew obviously. In the past, when you looked around by yourself in the store, no one would bother you. But at the end,] if you stood in front of an item for a while, a salesperson would come up to you. † Best Buy started taking the initiative to increase sales. Learning the wrong lesson After closing all of its China stores, Best Buy top executives said the lesson learned in the Chinese market is â€Å"price, price and price! † In the opinion of Best Buy top executives, Chinese consumers’ sensitivity to the price is so overwhelming that Best Buy’s â€Å"customer-centric† values were meaningless. However, Best Buy’s customer-centric philosophy and various design details were adapted by Gome and Suning, making Best Buy’s conclusion questionable.The Five Star top executive interviewed by this magazine said the Best Buy model uses its own staff, unlike stores using a consignment model. He gave an example. A 5,000-square meter store needs 260 staff, and in consignment stores, generally 200 come from the manufacturers. But Best Buy will not open a store until recruiting all 260 staff. Because of the emphasis on service, the training period for retail staff is longer, with a six-month to one-year training period for management. A shortage of talent was an important reason for Best Buy’s slow rate of opening stores.Home appliance expert Luo Qingqi believes Best Buy’s problem is not that is acted like a traditional retailer (as opposed to selling on consignment like Gome and Suning) but the product line. Products sold at Best Buy stores were mainly foreign. Chinese br ands such as Midea, which offers many popular product lines, did not appear on Best Buy’s shelves. Even the foreign brand Whirlpool cooperated more with Suning and Gome. â€Å"We are operating within the Chinese market and will notice which stores consumers like to visit, and use them as our main distribution channels,† said a Whirlpool employee.Ding Jie, a global partner of the Roland Berger consulting firm, believes Best Buys’ high operating costs were not its main problem, but rather that Best Buy cut itself off from the supply chain by refusing to adapt the consignment model. Ding Jie said most staff members at China’s consignment-based home appliance stores are employees of the manufacturers. â€Å"In China, consumers do not have strong core brand awareness, and the difference among home appliances is not big. Manufacturers focus on distribution channels that allow them to collect market information and determine market trends.Manufacturers and dist ributors cater to the needs of consumers with the collaboration of the entire industrial chain. † The Best Buy model serves consumers by being independent. But because there is no personalization and differentiation of products, it is bound to fail. According to Ding Jie, the main advantage of foreign retailers is their management model. But if they want to succeed in China, foreign retailers should let their local staff operate more freely and give them the power to adjust the business model. Many foreign retailers that failed in China might have succeeded if they empowered local staff.

The Team Leader Assembly Department

This evaluation will focus on the job of team leader assembler for the can manufacturing firm. The major components, tasks and responsibilities required for this position include: good manual dexterity, the ability to assemble components, the ability to stand for extended periods of time, ability to operate various plant equipment including conveyers and counting machines, good manual dexterity, attention to detail, ability to engage in repetitive motions. Independent judgment is required to inspect components and visual acuity is necessary to ensure that only the best quality products are passed through the assembly line. The team leader of the assembly unit is also responsible for coordinating communication and working relations with all team members. The team leader is also responsible for ensuring the safety of all members of the team, for tracking time cards, for ensuring that all team members are cross-trained in job functions and to ensure that productivity goals are met in a timely fashion. Basic job description includes assembling and performing all steps vital to product production in accordance with specifications for product design. This position can cultivate a sense of intrinsic motivation by allowing the team leader a certain level of autonomy while supervising the work functions of other responsibilities. Team leaders are also responsible for scheduling employees, addressing minor disputes among employees and for the quality of work produced by their team. For many the ability to lead and represent a unit of employees is in an of itself enough to encourage intrinsic motivation, depending on what factors motivate the individual team leader. The team leader position also offers more financial incentives than other positions, which contributes to motivating the employee in this role. Company wide rewards offered all employees include a comprehensive profit sharing plan that allows all employees to enjoy the rewards the company reaps when the company is doing well. This type of award however, many not prove as motivating for a team leader, as profit sharing awards generally appeal to higher ups in the company who have more capital to invest and are often afforded more profit sharing opportunities within the company (Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001). Management for example, often enjoys many of the benefits associated with profit sharing in the company. Real employee ownership may come in other forms including allowing employees to participate in important decision-making processes within the organization (Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001; Schneier & Shaw, 1995). Praise recognition does exist within the company, and is currently part of the performance review system. The current performance review system is provided employees once per annum to provide employees a critique of their performance during the year. The team leader clearly would receive much praise and encouragement for meeting the goals and expectations outlined by his or her supervisor and for ensuring that his or her team succeeds during the year. The performance appraisal system currently reflects the accomplishments and achievements of the individual team leader, rather than reflect on the accomplishments of the team unit however. This may provide some level of motivation for the team leader, but ultimately does not provide as comprehensive a review as might a group performance review that reflects on the achievements of the team. Such a review might provide the team leader with more insight into how their actions affect the success and ability of the team, and the team's contributions to the company as a whole. It might also serve to improve communication more among team members. Goals are used in the company for this position in many ways. The team leader meets with his or her supervisor during the annual performance review, at which time goals are set for the year. These may include for example, ensuring that all parts and products are assembled in a timely fashion, ensuring that all team members come to work on time and that absenteeism is limited, and ensuring that group communication is amply facilitated within the organization. The team leader also meets with team members once per month to discuss their team goals. This may include ensuring that all products assembled meet stringent quality guidelines or ensuring that zero defects are realized within the scope of products assembled by the team. Generally goals are used in the company as a motivator and as an educational tool, allowing each member of the organization to realize what the company's aims and objectives are for the year, and helping individual employees realize what their place is in relation to the company's goals and objectives. The goal system is relatively effective for this position, though it may benefit with some targeted changes. The job redesign for the position of team leader will entail a strategic job redesign and assessment that includes contributions from employees. Job redesign can serve as a useful tool for increasing a job's motivating potential â€Å"depending on the job categorizations† that result from job redesign (Kulik, 1989). For these job categorizations to be truly motivating and encourage greater intrinsic employee motivation they must encourage participation and feedback from the employee whose job is being redesigned. Much research including that presented by social information processing theorists suggests that employees' evaluation of their jobs motivating potential is influenced by multiple factors including clues provided by their social environment (Kulik, 1989). This suggests that an environment that supports a job as worthwhile and beneficial is more likely to encourage employees to remain motivated an interested. Thus a job redesign should consider factors that lead to social evaluation of the job, such as job title. In this case the designation â€Å"team leader† suggests that the job incumbent has some level of authority, lending itself to a certain amount of respect and authority, and likely serving to increase employees intrinsic motivation. Other motivating factors are based solely on job content. Hence it may be important to evaluate the job's content and determine whether additional responsibilities would add to motivation or decrease employee motivation. Thus the content and responsibilities of the team leader must also be assessed as part of this redesign. Schippmann (1999) suggests redesign that focuses on the concept of â€Å"strategic job modeling† a job redesign process that focuses more on people working in jobs and encourages employers to collect information about the people working in their jobs to help guide efforts â€Å"to select, build or modify the components of a human resources system to achieve an organizationally relevant outcome† (3). This theory suggests that more accurate information to help guide decisions regarding job redesign may be gathered when individuals working within a position are consulted about the job redesign process. Cronshaw (1999) along similar lings suggests that it is important to consult with employees as much as it is management to ensure that job redesign occurs in a functional manner and works to enhance employee motivation. One important component of job redesign in the manufacturing environment includes providing a performance measurement and rewards system that supports the use of teams (Schneier & Shaw, 1995). The current performance review system adopted by the company still works too diligently to review the individual performance of the team leader rather than address the collaborative efforts of the team. There is much to be said however of measuring the performance of teams (Frohman, 1995). For the position of team leader, the following recommendations are necessary to help promote intrinsic motivation and boost the productivity of the team leader and his or her underlings: (1) the performance review process for team leader must be modified to reflect the contributions not only of the team leader but also of the team (2) the job should include cross training for the team leader with assemblers but also supervisors and managers within the assembly department to promote greater knowledge sharing and understanding of how other job roles influence the assembly line (3) the team leader should be provided an opportunity to participate in a rewards based program that promotes bonuses for achieving goals established at the annual performance review (4) the team leader should be provided the opportunity to engage team members more fully and participate more in their performance review processes and (5) the team leaders job should be benchmarked with other team leader or supervisory positions within other companies to ensure that the job content matches similar job descriptions, titles and pay within other industries. Let's examine each of these components more thoroughly. First, it is vital in a team-oriented situation that the performance review process reflects not only the achievements and accomplishments of the person assessed, but also the rest of the team. This will encourage the team leader to actively engage team members and participate more fully in communication efforts, knowledge sharing and strategic planning at the team level. It also encourages the team leader to be more accountable for the actions of the team as a whole. If the team for example, performs poorly during the year despite good attendance and performance on the team leaders part, it is still important that the team's performance is reflected in the performance appraisal process so recommendations for improvement may be made. Second, team leaders should be provided the opportunity to learn more about the inner operations and workings of the company as a whole. The best way to facilitate this process is through cross training, allowing the team leader a birds eye view of what other supervisors and front line employees do in the organization, how their work affects the assembly line, and remind the team leader of the importance of interpersonal communication and knowledge sharing among all levels of the organization. The team leader should also be provided more rewards incentives for work well done. While a profit sharing program is beneficial to higher ups as discussed earlier, it provides little intrinsic motivation many times for front line employees (Frohman, 1995; Greider, Logue & Yates, 2001). A more appropriate rewards or incentives program may focus on providing the team leader with annual performance based bonuses. This can be achieved by establishing a set of goals or expectations that provide opportunities for bonuses when the team leader meets or exceeds expectations. Bonuses do not have to come in the way of financial compensation to be effective either (Cronshaw & Fine, 1999). The company may opt for example, to provide bonuses that include extra vacation days or paid time off to team leaders for meeting or exceeding their goal expectations. Presently the team leader provides a brief summary or dialogue as part of the review process for team members. The team leader may realize more motivation and have more desire to participate in performance reviews if afforded the opportunity to actually sit in on performance appraisals or reviews with team members. This will allow team members more feedback from their lead and help them realize the authority and status as well as the common interests the team leader has with them. Lastly, it is vital the job content of team leader matches that of other jobs in similar industries. At minimum annually the company should reevaluate the job content so that it accurately reflects similar jobs in the industry. On the same token it is important that the company elicit feedback from the incumbent so they can provide more detail regarding the job's functions and responsibilities, and so that the job can be modified to reflect actual responsibilities more fully (Cronshaw & Fine, 1999). This type of analysis will allow greater participation from the team leader in the redesign process and will therefore serve to increase motivation and enthusiasm for the job (Kulic, 1989; Frohman, 1995; Schippmann, 1999). This helps promote employee ownership in job functions and encourages more intrinsic motivation because the employee recognizes that they are an active participant in the job redesign process. It also helps stimulate interest in the job redesign process and ensures that the company is redesigning the job in a way that meets the employees as well as the company's needs, wants, goals and expectations.

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Commuication at Diageo Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Commuication at Diageo - Case Study Example The details of the internal communication strategies by Diageo, as discussed in the case study, show that the all the different strategies implemented were mostly focused on the change management issues after the merger. One of the reasons for Diageo's internal communication to be successful is because both the upward and downward communication within the company is made easily possible (Ramgopal, 2008). The company's communication activities are in direct contact with strategies and plans; therefore Diageo sees every communication that is done is to achieve its business objectives. This is because even if all the top level management makes Diageo's business goals and objectives, it is the internal communication process that enables these goals to circulate within the organization (Armstrong, 2006). According to the case study, all the leaders in the company are encouraged to think of communication as a tool, which can play a role in achieving the company's goals. Another initiative in the communication process by Diageo, according to the case study, is the amount of information delivered to the employees. Employees at Diageo are informed about their role at the wider sense of the business. This helps in motivating the employee and once again implementing the concept of unification under the brand name. Another initiative in the internal communication process is the introductio... It has quarterly meetings through teleconferences and short period conferences. 12 top executives of Diageo participate in these meetings. In these meetings leadership community is the object of discussion and reform (Duncan, 2007). There are over 800 managers who are part of the leadership community at Diageo. At the leadership community they have introduced many new innovative ideas that can enhance the internal communication process at Diageo. These ideas include use of a new and imaginative buddy system - where all the top level managers and executives are teamed up with communications team. Each of them are assigned a ''buddy''; a communication guy. This can help in improving the communications skills of all those managers and executives. Then there is also the fortnightly update that is sent to the whole community (Robbins, 2009). That update is about all business developments and achievements, and is sent to the whole group by email, according to the case study. This helps in keeping all the leaders in the loop and once again imposing the brand building of the Diageo. This fortnightly update can also play a great role in the motivation of all the leadership community. Another tool to support the leadership community is through the company's own intranet. This is perhaps the most cost effective and simple way to keep the leadership community with over 800 members together and effectively in touch. According to the case study the intra net is password protected. Each member of the community have access to the information according to his or hers respective designation at Diageo (Clark, 2008). There are also many different activities at the leadership community;

Executing, Controlling, and Closing Projects Essay

Executing, Controlling, and Closing Projects - Essay Example QMS through Quality planning, Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Control (QC) and inspection directs and controls all OMS processes to achieve continual quality improvement of products/services supplied by an organization. services which effects quality conformance of products/services provided by the organization. Under such cases, outsourced processes/products/services are recorded in Quality management plan to ensure control on the outsourced agencies to achieve required quality. Management must be committed for quality improvement. Management should ensure customer's focus is given top priority by clearly documenting responsibility, authority and communication channels at all levels of the organization. Customer related process like customer requirements, customer communications, purchasing process, verification and validation of purchased product, service provision, identification and traceability of product/ service, preservation of products, control of monitoring, test/ measuring devices, procedures for analyzing and improvement, control of non-conformities related to product/service should be laid down; customer satisfaction should be given top most priority by analysis of data and implementat ion of corrective actions, preventive actions must be planned for continual improvement. 9.0 As TopLiance Corporation decided to implement on-line sales program, the corporation must ensure and uninterrup

Decoding Apples Balance Sheet Apa Format Essay Example for Free

Decoding Apples Balance Sheet Apa Format Essay Decoding Apples Balance Sheet In March of 2009, Apple had its best March quarter revenue and earnings in Apple history (Apple). In order to see how this occurred, it is important to look over the financial statements of Apple. There is a lot of information available to investors who are interested in investing in a company. By looking specifically at the balance sheet of Apple I am going to determine if investing in Apple is a good idea or a bad idea. Some things I am going to consider are Apple’s assets, liabilities, and shareholder’s equity. These areas should give me insight to how the best quarter in Apple history came to be. Looking at the current assets of Apple, cash and cash equivalents went down from 11. 8 billion dollars to 4. 4 billion dollars. This may look bad at first, but all of the other assets must be added to this in order to get an overall picture of the assets. Short-term marketable securities went up from 10. 2 billion dollars to 20. 5 billion dollars. This helped Apple’s assets grow tremendously. Accounts receivable fell to 1. 9 billion dollars from 2. 4 billion dollars. With the rest of the current assets figured in, inventories, deferred tax assets, and other current assets, the total current assets rose to 33. billion dollars from 32. 3 billion dollars. That was a rise of 1. 5 billion dollars (Apple). It is important to take into account the rest of the assets. For example, long-term marketable securities rose 1. 5 billion dollars, property, plant and equipment rose 0. 91 billion dollars, goodwill stayed the same, acquired intangible assets fell 0. 017 billion dollars, and othe r assets rose 0. 56 billion dollars. Now that we know how each asset was affected during this quarter, we come to the final numbers, which are total assets rose 3. 6 billion dollars. Apple grew its assets substantially during this quarter. I would think Apple would be a good company to invest in. Before I made any decisions I would investigate the balance sheet further in order to compare liabilities and shareholder’s equity with the previous quarter. This will give me a better understanding of the financial situation of the company (Apple). Current liabilities are in the first section of liabilities and shareholder’s equity. The following accounts are current liabilities and how they fared. Accounts payable went down from 5. 5 billion dollars to 3. 9 billion dollars. Accrued expenses went down 1 billion dollars. Deferred revenue went up from 4. 8 billion dollars to 7 billion dollars. The total change in current liabilities was a decrease of 0. 4 billion dollars. The other two liabilities categories, deferred revenue (non-current) and other non-current liabilities, rose collectively 0. 7 billion dollars. This gives the total liabilities a rise of 0. 3 billion dollars. This amount compared to current assets is not as significant. So far Apple is still looking like a good investment because the assets of Apple rose 1. 5 billion dollars whereas their liabilities only rose 0. 4 billion dollars. It is now time to take a look at the final category of the balance sheet, the shareholder’s equity (Apple). The value of shareholders equity, common stock, rose from 7. 1 billion dollars to 7. 6 billion dollars. Retained earnings also rose; it rose from 13. 8 billion dollars to 16. 6 billion dollars. Accumulated other comprehensive income rose . 07 billion dollars. Total shareholder’s equity rose 3. 3 billion dollars. So adding together the rise of 0. 4 billion dollars in liabilities with the 3. 3 billion dollar rise of the shareholder’s equity, we get the same amount, 3. 7 billion dollars, as we got for the rise in total assets.

different cultural beliefs about death

different cultural beliefs about death Person, Culture and Medicine Alexandra Lamb â€Å"Human Behaviour is essentially the same across groups and populations.† Biological death is inevitable. For all humans, death is the exclamation point marking the end of a life, the end of a journey; however it is approached and for however long. This is the universal biological condition for all humans. According to Benjamin Franklin, â€Å"†¦Everything appears to promise that it will last. But in this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes.† (Curran 1975) It is in how we live our lives that we see the breadth of human cultural and psychological variation (Seeman, 2010), leading us to discover a great diversity of meanings regarding death and dying, spanning across all groups and populations (Charmaz, 1997). â€Å"Cross cultural [variation embodies] not just different opinions or beliefs, but different ways of everyday living and different systems.† (Jecker Carrese Pearlman, 1995, p. 6) At the most basic level we are all â€Å"built† the same. Death is a complicated process that is the result of the breakdown of the body’s systems. We all live, until the chaos in our body, caused by either natural causes or a forced external factor, is too much for all the intricate systems to work together as a coherent whole (Badham, 1996). Despite the advancement of technology and medical progress, there is no stopping everyone eventually facing death. Whilst biologically we are all essentially the same, from a cultural and psychological perspective, we all behave very differently. This can be seen by considering the bond between a parent and a child, which is said to be the most significant, powerful and enduring human relationship (Parkes Laungani Young, 2003,). Thus, the death of a child is acknowledged as the worst possible event, one that gives the deepest emotional impact. In this tragic event, we can see marked behavioural differences across and within cultures and so it is a good example to use to examine the differences in human behaviour in the face of death. Nations, as well as individuals, all live with very distinctive ideas and beliefs around how to deal with death (Charmaz, 1997). Most cultures are similar in that they attribute unique significance to a child’s death. Biologically many aspects of a parent-child relationship are pre-programmed from conception however, each of these characteristics are developed within a specific family, social and cultural context (Parkes Laungani Young, 2003,). These wider influences are what greatly shape the meaning and experience of the relationship for both parent and child and thus influence the meaning of death. This makes the emotional impact of parental bereavement unique. For example, in Western Societies, parents are expected to grieve in private and return to normal activities soon after the child’s death, where as in Egypt, a mother may be withdrawn and mute up to seven years after the child’s death and this is considered normal. A Balinese mother would be considere d normal if she remained cheerful and calm after her child’s death, as her culture believes that emotional upset makes one vulnerable to illness (Parkes Laungani Young, 2003,). â€Å"Grieving and death rituals vary across cultures and are often heavily influenced by religion† (Lobar Youngblut Brooten 2006, p. 45). For example whilst the traditional burial is common around the world, the rituals that are associated with it vary. In areas influenced by Islamic and Jewish faiths, the corpse is washed and dressed in a shroud and placed in a simple wooden coffin (in areas where coffins are used). In China, where Confucian beliefs dominate, thick wooden coffins packed with clothing and shrouds are used to delay decay and in Christian-dominated regions, bodies are dressed in normal clothing and placed in a coffin made of either chipboard, wood or metal. (Canning Szmigin 2010) The combination of both structural (cultural) and individual factors that impacts the experience of death is dynamic. (Howarth, 2007) Not every member of a particular ethnic group will share the same beliefs and values and other aspects such as social status, economic position, gender, sexuality, age will also have an impact on experiences and beliefs which when combined give meaning to the experiences of death and dying (Howarth, 2007). For example, the prevalence of child mortality also influences the experience of death. In developed countries, where changes to nutrition and sanitation and the evolution of medicine have made childhood mortality rare, a death of a child is more likely to be perceived as tragic. Whereas in developing countries, where the death of a child occurs much more often and thus is considered inevitable, mourning may only last a few days (Parkes Laungani Young, 2003,). Each person has their own beliefs about death, which are generated through experiences at a social, cultural and individual level. Universally, there is a level of respect shown for the dead and there are different â€Å"accepted† practices depending on the age, gender, social status and cause of death of the individual. (Bradbury, 1999) However, all of the beliefs around death are determined by the way the individual lives, which is why there is such diversity with regards to the biological condition that is an inevitable human fact. Just in this discussion of how different people across different groups and populations approach death and dying, a lack of conformity with the statement â€Å"Human Behaviour is essentially the same across groups and populations,† has been shown. Parallels can be drawn between people, but vast differences can also be highlighted. (Seeman, 2010) We begin and we end in much the same way, but the way we live our lives is remarkably different . Much can be learned about the breadth of human variation by examining the way we approach death and dying: â€Å"Our ways of dying are our ways of living. Or should I say our ways of living are our ways of dying?† -Toloki the Professional Mourner (Seeman, 2010, p. 1) References Badham, P. Ballard, P. (1996) Facing Death- An Interdisciplinary Approach. Cardiff, University of Wales Press. Bradbury, M. (1999) Representations of Death- A Social Psychological Perspective. New York, Routledge. Canning, L. Szmigin, I. 2010, ‘Death and disposal: The universal, environmental dilemma,’ Journal of Marketing Management, vol. 26, viewed 28 August 2014, (electronic Scopus). Charmaz, K. Howarth, G. Kellehear, A. 1997, The Unknown Country: Death in Australia, Britain and the USA. Great Britain, Macmillan Press Ltd. Curran, C. 1975, ‘Death and Dying’, Journal of Religion and Health, vol. 14, viewed 28 August 2014, (electronic Scopus). Howarth, G. 2007, Death and Dying- A Sociological Introduction. Cambridge, Polity Press. Jecker, N. Carrese, J. Pearlman, R. 1995, ‘Caring for Patients in Cross-Cultural Settings’, The Hastings Center Report, vol. 25, p.6, viewed 28 August 2014, (electronic Scopus). Lobar, S. Youngblut, J. Brooten, D. 2006, ‘Cross-cultural beliefs, ceremonies, and rituals surrounding death of a loved one,’ Peadiatric Nursin, vol. 32, p. 44, viewed 28 August 2014, (electronic Scopus). Parkes, C. Laungani, P. Young, W. 2003, Death and Bereavement Across Cultures. Routledge. Seeman, E. (2010) Death in the New World- Cross Cultural Encounters. Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press.

Russian Folk Dance: History and Relationship with Ballet

Russian Folk Dance: History and Relationship with Ballet Introduction 1.1 Background Information Russian people think that the Russian dance is a celebration of their lives. Russian folk dance and folk music discloses the feeling and an expression of spirituality. The visit to Russia is becoming an experience of this new land. Russia is known as an attractive destination due to the scary size along with an interesting history of Europe. It is considered as an ultimate tourist destination and the country is one third part of European countries with the diverse musical background. Russian dances are full of individual and huge performers (Chitranshi, 2009). Russian dances are the human activities which constitutes all properties about human. Thus Russian dance exists at this land along with their terminology, sayings, proverbs and conversations. In Russia, classical ballet is a ruler. There is no training for the modern dances and also there is no performance space along with some modern schools. Russian folk dance was common among the peasants, commoners and the lower class peopl e living outside the city (earlier than the rule of Peter). The higher class people did not dance but they were getting pleasure from the enjoyable performances of dancing trainers. The major differentiation among social classes within the culture of Russian dance took place as a historical event. That attack had broken the peoples way to live life and it also it changed the progress of Russian dances by stumbling its logical sequences. Russian classical ballet dance is very popular dance all around the world and it remained very popular since the nineteenth century (Chitranshi, 2009). 1.2 Aims and Objectives The researcher here aims to understand the concept of Russian folk dance and the reason for conversion of this into Russian Ballet dance. While the objective of this study is to analyse the concept of folk dance in Russia and various types of Russian dances which are famous in the country. 1.3 Research Questions In order to attain aims and objectives of the research, researcher has designed below stated research questions:- What are the various forms of folk dance in Russia? What is the history attached with Russian folk dance? How did Russian folk dance transformed to Ballet dance? How the dance, as source of entertainment had converted into professional dance? Who are the famous people linked to Russian folk and Ballet dance? 1.4 Russian ballet The actual ballet dance did not invent in Russia but the country has contributed very much for its development and currently Russian ballet has gained popularity all over the world. Various ballet dance performers along with the ballet companies have raised out of Russia and ballet theatres are attracting people in larger number. Ballet came into Russia during 1700s and in 1734, first ballet school was introduced (AlbrÑ–ght DanÑ–Ã Ã‚ µl 2004). After few years, an imperial school of St. Petersburg found first Ballet Company in Russia. It was first dominated by Italian and Russian dances as well as chorographers. In 1800s Russias Ballet dance incorporated some ideas from folk dancing. The higher class people did not increase and promote the art by supporting some companies. The French choreographer named as Marius Petipa and he was renowned for inventing ballet of Tchaikovsky. Russian ballet took place and observed in new era in the 20th century. It has been id entified in previous studies that Michel Fokine (choreographer), Vaslav Nijinksy (dancer), Sergey Diaghilev and Alexandre Benois (designer) set up the ballet company in Russia. At that point of time, superb dancer Anna Pavlova was taking the place. At present Russian ballet is known throughout the world and attracting lots of visitors. There is several ballet companies are operated in Russia such as Kremlin Ballet, Perm ballet and Imperial Russian ballet academy. The well known cities have established their own ballet orchestras and theatres and that are focused by number of supporters. The role of Russian ballet to the classical dances cannot be undervalued. It has been known from past many decades and considered as the indicator of the classical dance. It leads other type of dances. Young girls are becoming ballerinas and their dreams have been powered by the famous Russian dancers. Thus Russian ballet dance has captivated large number of audiences all around the globe. 1.5 Contribution of choreographers 1.5.1 Vaslav Nijinsky This choreographer is renowned as the male dancer of all times and he has also called the god of dance (Parker and Derek, 1988). After the long time of female dominance in the field of ballet, he overtook the ballet dancers of those times such as Pavlova, Karsavina and Kschà Ã‚ µssÑ–nska established superiority in the within the male dance stage in twentieth century. His career in the ballet dance field has ended from past ten years due to his mental disease. But legendary of Nijinsky will continue until the appearance of such type personality who will overtake the ballet generation. Pole became the hero of an imperial Maryinsky theatre just after completing his studies from St. Petersburg school at the age of 18 years. He was the inspiration for the ballets in the western side. Then Fokine invented ballets for Nijinsky and other people like Ravel, Debussy and Stravinsky prepared music for him (AlbrÑ–ght, DanÑ–Ã Ã‚ µl 2004). At the time of First World War, Nijinsky as a Russian citizen was interned in Hungry. Diaghilev got success in getting him out of the country for the purpose to visit North American tour in 1916 and then he choreographed his main part in Till Eulenspiegel. Indicators of dementia praecox became clear for the members of the company and then became sacred of other dancers (Anthony, 2002). The first ballet of Nijinsky named as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“LAprÃÆ' ¨s-mÑ–dÑ– dun Faunà Ã‚ µÃƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? has become a milestone within the history of ballet Russes of Diaghilev. That ballet was marked near to the period in which Fokine was the biggest dancer. Thus the dancer Nijinsky emerged as a choreographer and his thoughts stimulated the doubts raised by Diaghilev and it ran contradictory to the classical folk dances of Russia. The production of first ballet was totally based some choreographic scores and they were recorded by Nijinsky in his dance entry system. It remained for many years and he became unavailable due to his mental illness for reproducing the work. 1.5.2 Michel Fokine Michel Fokine got training from the Imperial school in St. Petersburg and then he joined Ballet Russes of Diaghilev in 1909. Then he went to United States in the year 1923 where he performed for the American Ballet theatre and Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Fokine considered some artificial as well as random traditions along with the methods and techniques for expressive and natural choreographic styles. This style is known as the recurrent topic in the field of ballet dance. His new ideas and thoughts led the success of the Diaghilev Company. He choreographed so many ballets and Chopiniana that led Balanchine for trying the ballets which became his brand name. The classical ballet dance or folk dance has become unlimited since the days of Fokine and the people thinks that his choreography is old fashioned. So his ballets remained unproductive and suffered from deformation. He was surprised and shocked that it would happen in his career (Michel Fokine, 2011). 1.5.3 Petipa along with the Russian Ballet Marius Petipa was the leading dancer and the choreographer along with the ballet of St. Petersburg in the year 1962. At that time he invented multi- acted ballet for the imperial theatre of Tsar. That ballet gave directions to other ballets and it was considered as classical ballet. In 1869, Petipa took the position of the master of ballet to the Tsars imperial theatre. Then he created so many single and multi act ballets for the presentation on the Russian stages. Then he created and developed Don Quixote type for the ballet in Moscow. He choreographed large number of dances along with numerous types of ballets. 1.6 Russian Ballet Pushkin The present days consider importance of Russian ballet at quite a notable rate. Bolshoi and Maryinsky are among the most renowned companies and training schools for teaching of ballet. These are well known all across the world for their remarkable practices. It is appreciable to note that the tradition of Russia is into existence even in present era. The firmness among dancers and choreographers along with the support by audience has resulting in attainment of this position. However, the past of virile nature represents the main factor for survival of this dance. The ballet of Russia was imported from France though; it admiringly attained its own position in the culture and dance. The dancers and choreographers of Russia considered themselves as equivalent to that of Western countries. However, Alexander Pushkin was the main cause for writing style by Russia. The involvement of this man had resulted in portrayal of characters and story telling by utilizing themes of Russia that fits with the stage and survived for more than two centuries for Russian ballet. Western Europe was the main contributor to Russian ballet dance since the nineteenth century. However, the end of nineteenth century has resulted in formation of Russian ballet dance that differentiates itself from all over the world and become a leader in the arena. Didelot, the person well known as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Russian Ballets fatherà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (Steinberg, 1980), in the year 1816 along with explored Pushkin also termed as talent at local level, Russia started making strides for development of its unique form of ballet dance. There was overlap between the Didelot and Pushkins era at St Petersburg for Imperial ballet. In comparison to the ballet dance of Western European countries, ballet dance of Russia lied far behind in the field of art. Talented Didelot along with Pushkin had resulted in foundation of unique dance of Russian ballet. In spite of the reason that these two individuals were not able to see the domination of Russian ballet, but they deserved appreciation for their efforts. The main characteristics for Russian ballet include as follows (Nickles Kalman, 2008):- There is an opposition existing between gender and nationality. Here nationality means the Western European and Russian region. Storys location for Russians Music composition of Russians Attitude against nation to reflect work of individuals. Unique dancing steps supported by choreography illustrating special characteristics for Russian dancing. On unfolding the ballet dance of Russia, the efforts by Pushkin in his development is influenced. The composition of music and theatrical efforts had been quite unique in Russia due to the talent of Pushkin. On combining these aspects, there raised development in new arenas. The effect of Pushkin to develop Russian opera finally resulted in improvement of Russian ballet. The ballet is usually dependent on music for most of the countries. However, as per Slominsky (1947) stated that there exists strong relationship between these characteristics. The experiments by Pushkin along with the fresh rhythm had resulted in creation of challenging situation among composers. As per Gerald Abraham, the Russians in this century enjoyed favourable time due to better lyrics in spite of pseudo classicism related to Derzhavin that are related to love poems resulting in new song in Russian for Pushkin (Abraham, 1985). However, this was inspiring to note for the dancers and choreographers. The influence by Pushkin allowed in recognizing ballet of Russian for recognition of unique genera and not the import of talent belonging to different countries. The influence of Pushkin had helped in influencing the Russian ballet dance to be recognized all over the world with own image. The influence of Pushkin and Didelot had resulted in enhancing history of Russia to provide a strong background for artistic power. The involvement of Soviet along with arts had resulted in better improved arts. The companies created in Russia, by imperial decree had gained favour from government to result in better learning experience. This had resulted in giving an opportunity along with the challenge. The support by two companies had further resulted in higher value of material found and helps in improvement of opportunities for research, but shall be well defined to ensure that there is no conflicting situation. Chapter 2- Literature Review 2.1 Soviet Union and Folk Dance The Soviet Union concerns for the study of folk dance as an important arena in addition to drama art and music. However, there was lack of recording that would have helped the dancers to develop their skills (Blacking Kealiinohomoku, 1979). Prior to the revolution, there was no focus laid on folk dance. An individual needs to be aware of choreography, philology in addition to musical folklore (Blacking Kealiinohomoku, 1979). Lack of recording system resulted in not availability of recording for choreography. The history of folk dancing in Soviet has been into existence from the 1920s to 1930s (Blacking Kealiinohomoku, 1979). The composers from Ukraine had been involved in this arena and the country was among those who started this concept of folk dance earliest among Soviet Union. The efforts by cultural groups have resulted in good collection of wide range of roles from all across (Bukland, 2007). After the formulation of Russia, the country was left with two choices: outward choice to follow western tradition, and inward trend to follow their culture and tradition (Schultz, 2000). That had raised the urge to have a thorough plan in such a manner that there exists a good balance between the two. The ballet present at St. Petersburg had been considered as Bolshoi too. The development of Maryinsky theatre at St. Petersburg in 1860s followed by the imperial ballet that performed at new theatre in the year 1889, and the company was named as Maryinsky Ballet Company. Thereafter, the name of ballet at St. Petersburg was changed due to the assassination by Sergei Kirov in the year 1934. Thereafter, Soviet Politburo was favoured for replacement of Josef Stalin. There was the opposition for Kirov, by left opposition party (Treadgold, 1995). Renamed ballet institutions had been compounded due to imperial city for Soviets. The ideology from patrons had acted against Russian ballet, and that raised the concept of training of dancers for demonstrating the Bolshoi Theatre and Maryinsky. The seats were restricted for higher official authorities. The subject however had to face censorship resulting in ballet dance as being quite conservative (Dees, 2004). That acted against the introduction of this form of dance as a professional business. Individuals willing to carry on the operation for their profession had to face this as the major barrier against growth of industry and individuals attached with it. However, there still persisted the importance for all the ballet training centres. Moscow Company was among the famous training centres for the name of step child in the end of 19th century. Talented pool of people gathered at Petersburg however due focus was laid on Maryinsky Theatre. This was the main cause of Petersburg Company leading quite ahead of Bolshoi Company and resulted in its brand value in European context (Bailey Ivanova, 1999). Regulating institutions too became an uneven situation. The Bolshoi Ballet was not as tough to be carried on as compared to Maryinsky Ballet. Therefore, the latter had to make available all the resources along with the support provided by imperial court. Therefore, Bolshoi court enjoyed freedom of art. That was too tough to find out when the ballet dance in Russian context came to be known all around the world. The native dancers had to be well renowned at that instance to bring awareness among the genera. The dancer named as Theophile Gautier at St. Petersburg, belonging to Imperial school had stated that the institution of dance results into remarkable group of soloists, incepting the corps for ballet which was same as for movement speed, precision, and unity. That was the moment of joy for the group to disband the right moment for reforming in quite a unique manner. The movement of those feet in perfect manner with proper match among the group, without any confusing stage were the causes of this success. The laughter and chattering were never there. The pantomime for dumb with no action, had the frame as per Lifar (1954), and his studies. That was the unique form of Russian ballet dance for executing during the mid of 19th century. Additionally, the starting of 1844 was the time when ballet dancers of Russia got trained at their place to start formation in West Europe for applauds. Though the dancers were applauded both at national and international level, non Russian choreographers belonging to different locations had formed the dancing groups. Number of dance historians at those times stated that the ballets of Russia are not too different than those of French ballets for the Northern wind (Lifar, 1954). Additionally, the researcher had pointed that the dancers of Russia get training and learning from outside sources. The choreography training in Russia too was not of good standard. Therefore, the training and development was though noted in the country for Russian folk dance followed by the ballet dance, there still lacks the trainers. In case there would have been good number of trainers in the country, there can be improvement in ballet dancers of Russia. The Russian dancers were one or the other way linked to non native place (Lifar, 1954). The learning from those locations results into convergence among Russians including Pushkin, various choreographers and composers for establishment of Russian ballet. There raises the importance to make an effort to improve the chronological sequence for ballets in Russia. There need to be a strong link between the choreographer, composer and writer. For this purpose, ballet dancers had to be compared with that of western counterparts to compare and contrast relationship between the two. Charles Didelot was among the most famous choreographers in his times and was in link with Pushkin. However, previous ballet dancers too had worked to explore the poems of Pushkin to develop ballet dance. 2.2 Isadora Duncan dance: the revolution of an artist in Russia Isadora Duncan dance is known as revolutionary person of modern type of dances who made the first Russian show or presentation in the year 1905 in St. Petersburg at the Marinsky theatre. That was the time making event that had changed the grand Russian ballet tradition. Serge Diaghileff was the founder of the ballet Russe and he told about Isadora that she have given the permanent shock to classical Russian ballet dance and she had pointed the ways which were followed by them (Netti et al., 1991). Then Isadora returned to Russia for six times in her life time and found inspiration of the Russian workers. It has been revealed in the researches that after several years, the people will make the professional as well as personal journey in the country to bring the gift of American Duncan dance to the Russian people or dancers and also they will find that what would be remained within the art of Isadora in modern St. Petersburg. CEC international partners which is a Russian company and it sponsors for an artistic exchange between Eastern and Central Europe. Isadora established a training school in Moscow by getting invitation from the commissioner of people who made efforts for brining art in front of the people. An ideology of Soviet anti-capitalistic requested to disappointment of Duncan with the millionaires in America who failed to fund the schools in Germany, France and Greece (Lomax, 1959). There was little stability within the training for current dancers outside the world of ballet of the Bolshoi and Kirov. From past so many decades, after the communism, an imitation of modern dance has been seen. It was the work of Martha and Graham and her European contemporaries along with the training in Jazz. The dance of Isadora Duncan has brought together another dancers named as Michelle Vazquez Kickasola (Ivette Sotomayer and Cuban American) are elevated in Miami where the Cuban community acts as anti communist party. There were bothered about the choreography of red tunic dances to the red army songs and that may be disgusting for the people who have reformed themselves in the Russian countries in twenty first century (Hilton, Alison, 1995). It has been viewed that so many people have learned the dance as well music being as the main part for their history. Number of old people from independent states like Uzbekistan and Georgia has lamented the lives of people economically and politically under the communism. 2.3 Ballet dance of Ludwig Minkus Ludwig Minkus was one of the biggest musical composers in the mysteries. He was having powerful posts in the imperial ballet theatres in Russia in the nineteenth century. He was known as an antecedent of Tchaikovsky but he was delicate being as a musician. Despite the obscurity, Minkus can never be forgotten. In early 1990s, the imperfection by Natalia Makarova and Rudolf Nureyev, the name of Minkus began to go outside again. Then Richard prepared the ballet recordings that presented some dumpy passages from the Minkus work and thus it provided surprising and wonderful things. From past so many decades, the words came to know about the music of Minkus and it was the traditional part in Soviet Union. That was linked with the legendary of ballet master, named as Marius Petipa. These works such as La Bayadere and Don Quixote were the two choreographers who carried by some valid protection from eighteenth century to the present day (Corona, 1991). They were presented first time to the pe ople all over the world. To ignore the expression of regret, the ballet was proved as successful. That success was consolidated and now it has been carried out by many companies from the federation of Russia. Thus it has resulted into the transformation of old ballets to new type of ballet. The success of these ballets with other types of ballets has laid within the power of score for bringing the emotions of the people and dance of life. Thus Minkus neither published nor revised but played several arrangements that have become very popular in all over the world. It needs a new life for the people who had given up the hopes of their lives. The musical power and authority of ballet has become surprising for the people. These ballet stories has the real power and human demand in which the choreography attracts the esteem of Balletomanes, attracts music in its regularity, the beauty of the music keeps the attention of many people and it engages everyones heart. Don Quixote is a comedy and known as one of the most touching novels in the world and it is about the beauty among the ordinary things. La Bayadere is a tragedy that keeps an eye on the sorrows of people in case of love with full of passion, unfaithfulness, separation and death. It talks about the two things together shows a satisfying symmetry. The ability of the musician responds to the effectiveness of both the sides such as dark and light of the human being touches the main demand of the drama. The life of Minkus and the compositions of ballets and the works are poorly diagnosed and documented, thus the proper and right investigation is needed for them to explo re the historical and critical material. The studies provided the help of George Verdak of Indianapolis and it made the copes of this material from the collected ballet scores. It continued by his inheritor before her death. Some major contributions gave by a professor who made scores of La Bayadere. 2.4 Partnership with Marius Petipa The rich success of his work of Don Quixote have taken a part as a major step in the career of Minkus and his first appointment at the imperial Russian theatre in St. Petersburg in the year 1872 as the first court composer of ballet (Degh, Linda, 1965). The death of other choreographer named as Pugni led Minkus to take his place. He became responsible for musical devices as well as library in the Bolshoi theatre. Then he was told to compose music for ballet dance for the opera Mlada. It was commissioned by the director of imperial theatre. Then the projects was ended, Minkus revised prolonged his materials after some years for the development of ballet. That was followed by ballet one after another and Minkus appeared at the Maryinsky and Bolshoi theatre and it was all the choreography of Petipa. The researches have revealed that between the year1869 and 1886, Petipa generated only 4-8 ballets without composing any music by Minkus and that was the important partnership of these two a rtists. Chapter 3- Research Methodology 3.1 Introduction The chapter here explores research methodology used to complete this dissertation. Researcher explores the type of study undertaken at this instance and the approach used for analysing results. The researcher also explores the type of data used in the research and the approach used for the dissertation. The researcher has also explored aims and objectives of the research followed by research questions to achieve these. 3.2 Aims and Objectives The researcher here aims to understand the concept of Russian folk dance and the reason for conversion of this into Russian Ballet dance. While the objective of this study is to analyse the concept of folk dance in Russia and various types of Russian dances which are famous in the country. 3.3 Research questions In order to attain aims and objectives of the research, researcher has designed below stated research questions:- What are the various forms of folk dance in Russia? What is the history attached with Russian folk dance? How did Russian folk dance transformed to Ballet dance? How the dance, as source of entertainment had converted into professional dance? Who are the famous people linked to Russian folk and Ballet dance? 3.4 Paradigm for Research For this research, researcher has used interpretative approach for research. Therefore, the interpretations acted as the main source for data analysis. In addition to this, the descriptive nature of approach was used for research purpose. Researcher has made an effort to collect secondary data from various sources to have a clear thought process for the subject under study. The folk dance in Russia, right from its history to present times is analysed. Various famous personalities were also covered in the research to understand the philosophical approach in the country. Although it is preferred by researchers such as Richards Hall (2000) to collect both primary and secondary data while carrying on the research process, secondary data was chosen hereon by the researcher due to complexity attached with primary data collection approach. Collection of primary data would have added too much to the complexity of this project. First of all, researcher had a clear understanding of the research topic to understand all the concepts related with Russian folk dance. This helped in designing clear aims and objectives of the research. Thereafter, secondary data was analysed further to formulate the dissertation sections and integrate them well to ensure the logical flow of discussion. Then researcher had made an effort to attain the aims and objectives of research by answering research questions. This helped in final conclusion to demonstrate the findings. 3. 5 Research Strategy Used The researcher has made use of case study as research strategy by designing of complete research process. This helped in clearly defining research problems that relate with the subject under study. The use of case study helped in gaining solution for the research. This had helped in acting as main cause for decision making stage to attain the aims and objectives of research. Theories related to folk and ballet dance of Russia were discussed to have a sound understanding of the subject under study. Therefore, case study was taken as a favourable approach for determining the research and evaluating it thoroughly (Robert, 2003). This approach helps in analysing results based on the theoretical framework prepared for the research. Case study is used widely as per researchers such as Robert (2003) to analyse the outcomes due to high reliability and consistency associated with the concept. These help in exploratory study of the subject topic using numerous case studies for using the replication process to analyse based on the theory collected (Yin, 1994). The conceptual methods have been explored well through the use of case study method to analyse the results (Yin, 1994). Through case study method, theoretical background of folk dance in Russia would be created to know about the existence of this traditional approach, which had resulted in Ballet dance introduction and the conversion of dance into professional dance. Therefore, case study seems to be the reliable tool for getting results within short span of time. This would also help the researcher to get rid of any sort of biasness due to different beliefs. 3.6 Method to Collect Data For this research purpose, researcher has taken secondary data as the choice. Number of books, and magazines were referred along with journals and various internet sources. These would help in formulation of strong base to carry out research process. The results would be obtained thoroughly through this strategy to attain outcomes. Relationship Between Parent And Child: Divorce Relationship Between Parent And Child: Divorce There are several key emotional factors that play a role in how a child feels throughout the entire process of their parents divorce and after the divorce has been finalized. The effect of some emotional issues may not arise until way after the divorce takes place. The following aspects often determine how divorce affects a child: age, gender, the relationship with the parents, and the maturity level of the child. Because of the amount of children who experience their parents divorce and the possibility that an equally high number of children will suffer same agony in the future, its important to understand the impact of divorce on childrens adjustment (Landucci, 16). Divorce is an unbearable occurrence for practically all children. The childrens initial reactions may include guilt, anger, and depression (Kaplan, 244). According to Smith children tend to hide their feelings of sadness and anxiety and have difficulty expressing their true feelings (55). They may also show changes in behavior such as fear, regression, sleep disturbances and grief for the other parent, which may cause them to respond with aggression or rebellion. VanderValk, Spruijt, Goede, Maas Meeus, suggested that problem behavior following parental separation is a warning sign that the child is having trouble adjusting to the situation (534). The children might become disruptive, disobedient, and disregard their parent requirements as a way of displaying frustration about the upcoming divorce (Landucci, 16). The relationship between parent and child may also change during the initial stage of divorce according to Wallerstein (410). The broken connection following the divorce causes the children to make immediate emotional and behavioral changes (410). Consequently, that broken connection changes the family dynamics as well. For example, the parent with primary custody may become stricter and more controlling while the absent parent becomes more lenient and sympathetic, perhaps because they are less accessible to the children. Both parents become inconsistent in their discipline routines and stop requiring their children to mature and grow up, which in turn causes them to have difficulty communicating with the children (Kaplan, 244). Once children go through the first stage of divorce, some show a significant capability to improve, whereas others do not. How fast children adjust to their parents divorce in the beginning depends on if a secure atmosphere is set up and on the support system accessible to the child. According to the USA Today, It is best to keep kids in the same house and school so they can retain the same friends, the same routines, and have some sense of stability in their lives (8) at this unstable time immediately following the split. Unfortunately, sometimes a secure atmosphere and support system is not available. Parents are at a loss and have to change their own lives. Family members are often critical, which may change their relationship with both the children and the parents. The childrens relationships with friends may also be affected because some feel embarrassed about what is taking place in their family. Friends of the family may feel obligated to take sides and only continue interacti on with only one parent. Consequently, the main support systems are decreased at a time when increased support is very important (Kaplan, 245). Several of the early reactions to divorce eventually become less difficult or go away by the end of the first year to 18 months. However, the long term effects of divorce on children can be severe. In a study conducted by Kelly and Wallerstein, on children whose parents divorced during their middle school years, children were divided into two groups: early latency (7 and 8 years old) and late latency (9 and 10 years old). The participants in the study were examined immediately after the separation, 12-18 months later, and during a follow up interview one year later. The results revealed that the 7 and 8 year olds were sad, while the 9 and 10 year olds demonstrated symptoms of denial and avoidance. Both groups of children showed increased demanding and aggressive behavior because most of their mothers lacked disciplinary knowledge. At the follow-up interviews one year later all but 4 of the children who had suffered academically hadnt returned to their previous levels (25). Ten years later, Wallerstein continued to follow the children in the study above. In this study she found that the majority of the older children acknowledged feelings of neediness, sadness and a greater sense of vulnerability. Although it had been 10 years since the divorce, the children were still sad about losing their two parent family and the lack of contact they had with their other parent. They feared being deceived in relationships and were very worried about personal responsibilities. One fourth of the girls and half of the boys were considered poorly adjusted and at high risk (205). How severe the long term effects of divorce will be on children depend on many factors following the divorce. In fact, the anxiety and stress after the divorce has more impact on the childrens mental health than the divorce itself. According to Kaplan, the children suffer profoundly if the parents continue to fight because they have difficulty coping with the stress of the break up when there is a lot of conflict between parents. If parental conflict and financial problems are reduced and if social support systems are in place, childrens adjustment problems are less severe (246). Unfortunately, parents difficulties involving finances, loneliness, fear, anxiety about the future, and the loss of social supports reduce their ability to give the children what they need to soften the blow of divorce (Kaplan 245). Children may cope with divorce in different ways; however, their reaction to divorce differs by age, gender, and maturity level. According to Smith one-third of divorces happen when children are under the age of five. This age group has the most difficulty expressing their feelings because they are so young (65). Therefore, babies may not understand that their parents are divorcing, but they may respond to their parents attitude and behavior changes. Preschoolers often have a negative reaction. According to Wallerstein et al., they are too young to understand what is going on; therefore, they may blame themselves for the divorce. They may also regress; have separation anxiety, and fear being abandoned. School age children feel helpless and scared when their parents divorce. They frequently experience loyalty problems because they feel like they have to choose between their parents (199). According to Wallerstein et al., Approximately half of the children in this age group had severe drops in academic achievements during the first year of their parents divorce. This age group is also often angry at one or both parents. Teenagers tend to have difficulty coping with anger when their parents divorce (200). According to Smith, teenagers are vulnerable because they are starting to get an understanding of the adult world and sometimes are conflicted in how they should show their emotions (60). They often show signs of depression, acting out, emotional and social withdrawal, and have anxiety about their future (Kaplan, 245). They may also feel unloved, insufficient, ineffective, and attacked as a result of the divorce (Smith, 60). The effect of divorce tends to be greater for boys than it is for girls. Boys are much more likely to experience academic, social, and psychological problem than girls. According to VanderValk et al., boys tend to act out their emotions through externalized problem behavior while girls tend to internalize their emotions. Girls raised by their father tend to be less responsible and less mature than girls raised by their mothers. On the other hand, psychologists believe fathers have an effect on their daughters development. Girls raised by their mothers tend to have difficulty relating to men later on. Girls with divorced parents are also more flirtatious, sexually precocious, and seductive. (Kaplan, 245). Almost one in three children will undergo the pain of their parents divorcing. Therefore its beneficial to know how divorce affects children. Even through numerous children change from a two parent home to a one parent home with ease some face challenges as they make the transition into this new type of family. The less pain and stress there is in the home, the simpler the transition will be for the child. It is valuable to let children talk about what they are feeling so that they wont develop behaviors that will affect them later in life. It is also valuable for parents to help their children develop coping skills to deal with their feeling regarding the divorce to guarantee that they develop strategies to help them grow personally, psychologically, and socially (Landucci, 20). In conclusion, children first reaction to divorce can include a variety of emotions and behaviors. They usually recover from the immediate devastation of their intact family ending after a year or so; however, the long term effects of divorce can be severe if parents continue to fight and have no support system to support them transitioning into their new life. The use of divorce mediation services can ease some of the stress (Kaplan, 260).

Jamaican Culture Essay -- Jamaica Culture Rastafarianism Essays

Jamaican culture is more than just Rastafarianism and Reggae music. The Jamaican culture encompasses every aspect of life from beliefs, superstitions, and practices to art, education, and tourism. However, the most important aspect of the culture is the African roots that still exist today. Religion and music became essential parts of the slave culture for communication purposes and barrier breakers. Culture is 'the property of the individual and it's a property of societies' (Alleyne 9). Jamaica has a very diverse culture with original natives coming into contact with the Spanish and English. Jamaican culture can be split into the primitive era and the modern era. The primitive characteristics are all the effects of the African slave trade. There are several different cultural backgrounds connected to the people of Jamaica. It is one of the truly multiculturalism countries in the world. The native Arwark's were the only group never to root their culture into Jamaica due to their extermination. There are signs of British influence from the official language of English to many of their traditional European customs. Many of the locals speak a dialect of English with African, Spanish, and French elements. 95% of the populations of Jamaica are from African or partly African descent (Verrill 130). The slaves had great trust in folktales and proverbs that have been past down from generation to generation. Jamaica is renowned for being one of the most religious islands in the world with ten churches for every square mile (Jamaicans). Many holidays are celebrated together with either festivals or large family meals. During Christmas the Jamaicans celebrate much like cities in the US with the lighting of a tree in Kingston followed by fireworks and carols (Jamaicans). The major religions practiced are Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Rastafarianism. Rastafarianism is the largest growing religion on the island partly due to Bob Marley?s influence. Bob Marley?s national influence of peace was reward with receiving the Order of Merit which is the third highest honor in Jamaica (Wittmann). With so many Rastafarian?s on the island it can not go with out noting how they have created their own identity. They believe in returning to their homeland of Africa where their historical roots lie. Because they do not believe in an afterlif... ...e Jamaican culture. The anthem is very religious with the first line talking about their Father blessing the land. Other parts reveal the love Jamaicans have for the natural landscape that provides the necessities for sustaining life. The anthem also encourages wisdom, strength, vision, and knowledge as major components towards success and progression (Jamaicans). The government has begun implementing policies in order to make positive changes to maintain Jamaica?s identity. The first advocate for national cultural change was Norman Manley in 1938 (Nettleford xxiii). He helped established the Commonwealth of the Caribbean that calls for the progression of cultural action. The island has begun preserving historical sites and monuments that symbolize Jamaicans changing culture. There is an attempt to encourage writing as well as the advancement of sciences and technology. Researches of history, sociology, and culture have become revolutionary ideas in an attempt to preserve the Jamaican identity. The most important issue for Jamaicans is establishing themselves as a respectable nation that contains more than just hotels and tourist attractions. (Nettleford 54-60).

Theories of Criminal Behavior Essay example -- Sexual Offenders, Child

In this essay, two theories specifically focusing on sexual offending against children are compared and critical evaluated. Finkelhor’s (1984) Precondition model integrates four underlying factors that might explain the occurrence of child sexual abuse and categorizes them into four preconditions: motivation to offend, overcoming internal inhibitors, overcoming external inhibitors and overcoming child’s resistance that occur in a temporal sequence where each is necessary for the other to develop. The Precondition model provides a framework for assessment of child molesters but is criticized for a lack of aetiological explanations and for paying to little attention to cognitive factors. Ward’s (2003) Pathways model suggest that clinical phenomena evident among child sex offenders are generated by four distinct and interacting mechanisms: intimacy and social skills deficits, distorted sexual scripts, emotional dysregulation and cognitive distortions where each mech anism generates a specific offence pathway. Both theories have been influential in providing treatment goals and informing clinical assessment of child sexual abusers. Finkelhor ´s precondition model (1984) is widely recognized in the literature as a groundbreaking theory in the fact that it represents the first attempt at incorporating multi-factorial explanations to account for sexual offending against children (Howell, 1994; Marshal, 1996; Ward & Hudson, 1998). Finkelhor (1984) argues that child molestation is a complex phenomena caused by a variety of psychological, sociological and cultural factors. In order to explain differences within perpetrators as well as situational aspects of the offence, Finkelhor (1984) proposes four preconditions that need to bee met in ... ...y of multiple dysfunctional mechanisms, or ‘pure’ pedophiles – those with a primary sexual interest in children, consisting of individuals who portrait elements of all the pathways discussed above: deviant sexual scripts; distorted ideas about children’s sexuality; intimacy deficits and; dysfunctional emotional regulation. Ward & Siegert (2002) argue that their attempt to build on existing theoretical work such as Finkelhor’s (1984) Precondition model, the Pathway model constitutes a multifactorial theory evident in fact that it addresses psychological, contextual and biological mechanisms in its claim that vulnerability to sexually offend against a child originates from various learning, cultural and psychological variables. Both of the models mentioned above have some clinical utility and can be used in the assessment and treatment of child molesters.