Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Dance Critique Essay Example for Free

Dance Critique Essay In Fall 2012 there was a production called Jubilation taken place in El Camino College in the Campus Theatre. The Dance consist of many different styles of dancing from African dance by Nichole â€Å"Nittche† Thompson Spirit Within, to Tango as demonstrated in La Revancha Del Tango, choreographed by Imara Quinonez. One of the most common and best performed dances that was presented in the production were The Gift and Broadway Bound, choreographed by Bernice Boseman. Broadway Bound consisted of twelve dancers, and performed as a single group of girls, a single group of guys, and girls and guys dancing together. However, in the performance of The gift there was just one guy that performed his solo. As the famous song of â€Å"The Little Drummer Boy† started, the lights appear on stage focusing on a boy who was sitting on a rock with his drum. He was wearing a white loose shirt with shorts and a red belt around him. The stage also had a white bright light in the back area of the stage. As the song started seven different characters came in one by one with different color of long dresses and had their heads wrap around with long cloths. As each dancer came in walking slowly step by step towards the bright back stage light, they raised the gift up high and continue walking slowly but this time out the stage. After everyone had exit the stage the drummer boy got up from the rock and went to the bright light and raise his drum up high. Then he begin to dance around to the beat of the drums around stage. At the beginning of the song the first seven dancers who entered walking had a repeatedly step walking in a line. As they approach the stage they moved across the stage using all the space from it. As they exit the drummer boy started dancing. He was doing a solo dance moving across the stage but mainly staying tin the middle area. The boy was doing different type of jazz movements while holding the gift in his hand for the whole remaining time. The work demonstrated by the boy was flowing smooth throughout the music and his dance. Bernice Boseman was trying to point out the cultural part of this dance which she added a visual scenario for us to understand the dance in a different way. By Bernice Boseman adding the gift carriers at the beginning of the performance her intent is to make us see that the gift carriers were rich people with a more expensive gift trying to give them to god. This was represented by the big bright light in back of the stage as god looking down on them. On the contrary, the drummer boy was not as â€Å"good looking† as the rich gift carriers and all he had to offer god was just a drummer with his music. The drummer boy dance to the song expressing his feelings out for giving the gift to god. He would move up and down stretching his harms up and the bringing them down like if he was having a thought for giving the gift to him. He felt like if his gift wasn’t as valuable as like the others. At the end of the performance he kneeled down and raised his drum to god as a gift. For the most part, The Gift was a great performance that made the audience knew the authors intent . The meaning of the song with the dance was very clear and the drummer boy was very focused in showing us the way he felt. In overall, the organization was very successfully and were all committed to the dance.

Monday, January 20, 2020

A Students Perspective of Formula 1 Racing Websites :: Sell Websites Buy Web Sites

A Student's Perspective of Formula 1 Racing Websites There are 2 websites that I want to talk about. The first one is www.formula1.com. It is the official website for racing sport called Formula 1. The second one is www.f1-live.com. This website is made for big F1 fans. You can see it from the lay-out which has complete information for the fans while the first one only has just enough information and easier for new F1 fans to browse and know more about F1. www.formula1.com (formula1) has some special features such as the history about each Grand Prix (race), how and where to buy the tickets, and interactive circuit map. For the tickets section, they give you the address and phone number of the circuit. The website for each grand prix is also given in case you want to see the details about the city and hotel reservation. For the circuit map, they give you details about the name of the corners, turns and straight lanes. The lay-out for this website is quite simple with white background and not packed with a lot of icons. You can choose the headlines of news in the center of the page. On the left side, you can see the drivers and constructors table. On the right side, you can see the sessions schedule and some icons such as rules and regulations, team and driver profiles, and interactive circuit map. The gallery section for this website does not have many pictures. It is only divided in 2-3 sections. The first section is practice, the second one is qualifying, and the last one is race. It is not too attractive for a gallery designed for F1. Probably because it is official website which focus on the pictures of the race in general not specifically on each team. Formula1 is not too attractive in color. It has the important news first than the other websites, such as press conference. It has no advertisement which makes it look more comfortable for users. Advertisements just make people annoyed so this is another good point from the website. www.f1-live.com (f1-live) has more features and more specific news for each team. F1-live shows the headlines of each news in their first page and so does formula1. They just write the headlines in a short sentence so people can find them easily. The difference with formula1 is f1-live puts the headlines in group of the team.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

Human Resources: Global Mobility

Introduction, Background and Key Problems Identified In an increasingly international world, the need for the workforce to become more mobile, both physically and mentally, with the willingness to travel internationally as well as being prepared to converse and work in multinational environments has become paramount. The issue here is to consider the way in which the HR function can manage and have an impact on the need for global mobility within any organisation, but specifically in the case of VL as noted here. The main issue facing both this company and any other company looking to improve its international expansion and to ensure that those working within the company is that they are able to make the most of the opportunities presented. For example, in the case of VL, the number of employees has nearly doubled in the last five years, many of whom work internationally as a way of ensuring continued growth within the company, yet this level of expansion presents potential problems that need to be tackled by the HR team, if the expans ion is to be successful (Lawler, 2008). The issue of global mobility has already been noted by the management team as being important in VL, with the factors associated with training, including culture and the general ethos of the company. Importantly in VL, the central location of London and Europe remains the head office, with operations then happening globally and feeding into the European offices. The aim is to bring the other locations in line with the overall European ethos, rather than to have several distinct groups across the world (Gillis, 2012). The key issues which have been identified in this individual company include the need to recruit and retain the best staff in every location and to ensure that the training recognises the cultural differences, without allowing for divergent and distinct groups to emerge. This report will look at how the capabilities will be developed within the company and will consider the key strategic issues that need to be taken into account, before then going on to look, in more detail at the role which HR can play in improving the impact of global mobility. Recommendations for next steps for both the HR team and the overall management team will then be established to conclude the report. Developing Capabilities Within VL, it is identified that international activities will typically fall into two categories, namely the longer term 3 – 6 year projects and the shorter term 3 – 6 month projects that involve an individual travelling internationally to fulfil a short term agenda. The capabilities needed for these two different types of projects will be very different, and the capabilities needed by the individuals will also be different to meet with the company’s demands (Freedman 2009). Firstly, it is recognised here that certain personnel are simply more likely to be open minded to global mobility and are therefore more likely to benefit from the process. For example, there are going to be certain individuals within the group who would find international travel practically very difficult, including those with young children, but this should not necessarily remove them from the pool of possible people, but rather should identify the additional needs of these individuals. The first challenge is therefore to identify the technical skills that are needed to narrow down the pool of available people and then to be able to narrow it down from this pool, to identify the personnel who will be most open to the experience. By making the identification process as comprehensive as possible, it is much more likely that the project will be a success. Although there are multiple ways in which capabilities can be developed by the HR team, fundamentally, the individuals themselves n eed to be open to the process, if it is going to be as successful as possible (Friedman 2009). It is suggested here that the heart of the global mobility agenda is therefore the need to identify the most relevant group of people for the mobility programme, both from the point of view of technical expertise and the need to select those who are mentally and emotionally open to the notion of the global mobility and the desire to develop their own experiences. Clearly, there is a need to have processes followed, particularly where there is an organisation such as VL, operating across several different regions; however, it is contended here that the company will not be best advised to have a set of inflexible policies which may not always allow for the individual personalities to adapt to the changing situations. The development of the business capabilities is therefore to look at the people, process, technology and third parties involved and to ascertain the best way in which the HR services and resources available can be deployed for most effective use. Consider, for example, a demand for a specific type of technology; it then needs to be determined whether the infrastructure in the location chosen is able to facilitate the appropriate technology (Schwartz,2011). From this position, it is then necessary to consider if the skills of the chosen individuals can support this infrastructure and whether the processes allow for this type of deve lopment. All of these capabilities need to be developed as a network of ideas and not as one stand alone process that is clinical and inflexible (Becker et al 2009). Key Strategic Issues Some strategic issues have been identified by the HR team as relevant to the notion of becoming globally mobile, as is the case in VL. Firstly, the HR team, as with any other business strategy needs to look at how the HR agenda can align correctly with the overall business strategy. The role of HR is to ensure that the suitably trained individuals are available and willing in whatever location is necessary to deliver the underlying proposition of the company (Wickham & O’Donohue 2009). The key strategic issue with global mobility is therefore to ensure that there is improved value being offered by the company as a result of the global mobility. This actually starts with the management team, before getting close to identifying relevant individuals who will facilitate this process. The strategy needs to be driven from the top. Furthermore, there is a need to balance sensible and consistent processes, while also ensuring that there is sufficient flexibility to deal with local and national differences (Harttig, 2010). This requires the correct people to be present and to have the suitable decision making power at every level of the organisation. In the case of VL, for example, a more senior member of the team may be suitable for the new countries, or for the long term assignments. Crucially, these individuals will have greater experience and more confidence when it comes to making on the spot decisions that are in line with the underlying business strategy but which do not change the direction of the business, fundamentally (Barney, et al 2011). Shorter term assignments will be subject to much greater control, in any event, as the individuals involved in delivering this service will typically be sent with a short term and specific agenda, with little room for manoeuvre. In this case, therefore, a more junior member of staff, or a less adaptable individual who has the necessary technical expertise, but who may not be as adaptable to changing circumstances, may be more appropriate. The key strategic issues is therefore to determine the business level agenda and to then to ensure that the HR team works in such a way that facilitates and supports this agenda, rather than producing a set of processes that are unwavering, with little flexibility offered at a local level, to change processes, in order to take into account local needs. Role of HR When looking at the position within VL, it s clear to see that HR have several vitally important roles at every stage of the process. Therefore, in order to encourage suitable results alongside the business strategy from the outset and prior to any actual attempts to become globally mobile, a company such as VL will need to have a higher level management meeting, including the HR manager, to discuss what it is the company is hoping to achieve overall. This should not necessarily be looking at HR issues, but rather what it is the company is hoping to achieve as an end result. For example, it may be the case that the company is looking towards the international arena as a means of increasing market share; this may be more likely in an area where the product has reached saturation point in the home market. Once the overall agenda has been understood, it is then possible for the HR team to consider how they facilitate this. HR should be driven by the underlying aim of the company and not by the needs of the HR team itself. By identifying the skills needed, the role of HR is to identify the relevant individuals amongst the existing team and to engage in suitable training or potentially to recruit people into the team to fill in any gaps (Schuler and Tarique, 2007). Once the global mobility structure is underway, the HR team will have a continuous responsibility for the management of the team and for making sure that the actions of the staff who are in a foreign jurisdiction remain congruent with the overall business strategy This is critical as, by definition, when a global team is established, there is a lesser level of control being shown directly, with the individuals and the HR team needing to ensure that the support is in place for remote management which is flexible, yet strong enough to ensure that the overall business goal is not lost. The HR team will also have an important role at the practical end of global mobility strategy, particularly when it comes to short contracts where there are going to be issues of travel and accommodation which need to be managed. If this is done effectively, it can ensure that the staff members themselves are free to concentrate on the task at hand. The role of HR in this case is very much as a facilitator, both in practical and strategic terms and this should be maintained at all times (Lazarova & Caligiuri 2001). Suggestions and Next Steps Bearing this analysis sin mind and the current challenges facing VL, there are several next steps that the HR team need to take, in order to support and facilitate the business strategy aims of the company. Firstly, the HR team need to involve themselves with the management team, to understand what it is they are aiming to achieve by becoming global (Benson & Scroggins 2011). Once this is understood, the choice of personnel to undertake this global move can be made, both in terms of the senior strategic individuals such as regional managers, as well as the team members who will facilitate this process. Selecting the correct people is going to be the main and arguably the most important role for the HR team, as they will need to be able to achieve the business strategy, but will also need to be sufficiently personally engaged and want to be part of the global move. Once the individuals have been selected, the HR team then need to ensure that the practical issues such as infrastructure are put in place to enable these people to function effectively and to ensure that there is at least some consistency in processes across the company. When global mobility is focussed on processes, difficulties can arise; however, this is not to say that there is going to be no consistency. Ultimately, it is the role of the HR team to set the boundaries and to ensure sufficient consistency for efficiency, without undue constraints (Wright, & McMahan 2011). Going forward, therefore, the HR team need to ensure that they are fully engaged with the business strategy and then focussing their work on achieving this strategy, rather than being process driven, which is likely to place constraints that will not be beneficial to the company. An ongoing and adaptable process is needed, with the HR team being central to facilitating this move, both initially and on an ongoing basis. References Barney, J., Ketchen, D. J., & Wright, M. (2011). The future of resource-based theory: Revitalization or declineJournal of Management, 37(5), 1299-1315. Becker, B., Beatty, D., & Huselid, M. (2009). Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact: Harvard Business School Press Books. Benson, P. G., & Scroggins, W. A. (2011). The theoretical grounding of international human resource management: Advancing practice by advancing conceptualization. Human Resource Management Review, 21(3), 159-161. Freedman, E. (2009). Optimizing Workforce Planning Processes. People & Strategy, 32(3), 9-10. Friedman, B. A. (2009). Human resource management role: Implications for corporate reputation. Corporate Reputation Review, 12(3), 229-244. Gerhart, B., & Fang, M. (2005). National culture and human resource management: Assumptions and evidence. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 16(6), 971-986. Gillis, J., Jr. (2012). Global leadership development: An analysis of talent management, company types and job functions, personality traits and competencies, and learning and development methods. 72, Harttig, M. A. M. A. (2010). Global Workforce Planning. Benefits & Compensation International, 40(1), 19. Iles, P., Chuai, X., & Preece, D. (2010). Talent Management and HRM in Multinational companies in Beijing: Definitions, Differences and drivers. Journal of World Business, 45(2), 179. Lawler, E. E., III. (2008). Talent: Making people your competitive advantage. San Francisco, CA US: Jossey-Bass. Lazarova, M., & Caligiuri, P. (2001). Retaining Repatriates: The Role of Organizational Support Practices. Journal of World Business, 36(4), 389. Schuler, R. S., & Tarique, I. (2007). International human resource management: a North American perspective, a thematic update and suggestions for future research. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(5), 717-744. Schwartz, A. (2011). Leadership development in a global environment: lessons learned from one of the world’s largest employers. Industrial & Commercial Training, 43(1), 13-16 Wickham, M., & O’Donohue, W. (2009). Developing employer of choice status: Exploring an employment marketing mix. Organization Development Journal, 27(3), 77-95. Wright, P. M., & McMahan, G. C. (2011). Exploring human capital: putting ‘human’ back into strategic human resource management. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(2), 93-104.

Saturday, January 4, 2020

A Midsummer Night’s Dream - The Feminist Subtext Essay

The Feminist Subtext of A Midsummer Nights Dream Shakespeares works have persistently influenced humanity for the past four hundred years. Quotations from his plays are used in many other works of literature and some common phrases have even become integrated into the English language. Most high schoolers have been unsuccessful in avoidance of him and college students are rarely afforded the luxury of choice when it comes to studying the bard. Many aspects of Shakespeares works have been researched but one of the most popular topics since the 1960s has been the portrayal of women in Shakespeares tragedies, comedies, histories and sonnets. In order to accurately describe the role of women in Shakespeares A Midsummer Nights†¦show more content†¦Being too lowly to ask for Demestriuss love, she instead begs to be in his presence saying, I am your spaniel; and Demetrius, The more you beat me, I will fawn on you: Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, Neglect me, lose me; only give me leave, Unworthy as I am to follow you. (II.i.203-207) These words and the entire alliance between Demetrius and Helena have the subtext of a sexually sadistic and masochistic relationship (Greene et al. 151). This correlation leaves little in Helena to be admired by feminist critics. Her only intelligent scene in the play spawns from her discovery of the Athenian lads infatuation with her as she screams, Can you not hate me, as I know you do/ But you must join in souls to mock me too? (III.ii.149-150). Through Helena Shakespeare created a woman so pitiful and wretched that he openly mocked the modern sixteenth-century women who allowed themselves to be treated in such a manner. Had a man been the monarch of England when this play was written, the bard might have been more discrete in his support of feminism. Luckily, Queen Elizabeth was fond of autonomous women and showed little animosity towards such mockery. The queen of fairyland, Titania is a deceivingly strong feminist at the opening of the show. She combats her counterpart, Oberon, with such a rage that diseases run rampant, seasons dangerously alter and all of humanity suffers from their discord. As a