Saturday, August 31, 2019

The musical strategies of some exemplary ‘titles’ sequences in a way that illuminates the function of music in entertainment cinema

In order to view a variety of techniques used, the title sequences of four films will be analysed: from classic Hollywood cinema Casablanca and Psycho, a modern Hollywood film, Edward Scissorhands, and a recent Russian film, Prisoner of the Mountains (Kavkazky Plennik). In non-musical terms Casablanca, Psycho and Edward Scissorhands all present different versions of the classic Hollywood technique of using a closed, self-contained titles sequence. Meanwhile in Prisoner of the Mountains there is an extended sequence before the titles begin, and this sequence includes music. The following points need to be addressed with regard to each film: how the music in the title sequence coincides with the visuals (i. e. how the sequence works on its own); what kind of role the music plays; how this can be interpreted in terms of its effects on audience expectation and manipulation; and finally how the music of the title sequence relates to that which is used later on, and in what context the title music itself is used. In Casablanca the normal Warner Bros fanfare accompanies the studio's logo at the very opening, and drum music links the picture to the visually static title sequence which uses a map of Africa as its background. This develops into ‘oriental' music for the full orchestra, using several clichis developed from the western perception of the ‘orient', such as the persistent use of the melodic progression tonic/leading note/flattened-submediant/dominant (i. e. C, B, A-flat, G) played predominantly by brass and reed instruments. When the credit for the composer Max Steiner appears, the music shifts and plays La Marseillaise, the French national anthem, but this concludes with an interrupted cadence rather than its normal perfect version. We must also examine the next sequence as it forms a unit with the title sequence, using both music and partly-animated visuals. We see another globe, this time used for the mapping of the physical and causal route to Casablanca, from France and other places. Clips of paradigm journeys are superimposed onto the map as the refugees flee Paris and Marseilles. The music accompanying this follows on from the pessimistic nature of the interrupted cadence of La Marseillaise, building down to low, dissonant and lugubrious chords on brass which begins to be accompanied by a romantic high, intense and chromatic melody for strings in octaves. Finally, as the first scene of the film begins in a market square in Casablanca, the music returns to oriental music, this time, supposedly, diegetically. The role of this sequence is manifold: firstly it establishes Casablanca as the physical and spiritual setting for the film, corresponding to the geographically blatant use of maps. It also adds interest to an otherwise static title sequence, and indeed, is a montage of the musical themes that are to be presented in the film. The first two themes (‘Oriental' and Marseillaise) are so explicit that they do not take on much contextual meaning in this original setting, but rather set up purely musical expectation, which can be utilised by transformation or by various possibilities of juxtaposition with visuals. The third ‘suffering, yearning' theme is less familiar and therefore takes meaning from its context and becomes associated with the desire for freedom and liberty. In this sense the themes sum up the plot: as captivity in a wild land (oriental), fettered liberty (La Marseillaise and its cadence), and romantic human yearning for freedom. Generically, the nationalistic music also helps establish the film as a ‘serious' war film as well as a melodrama. The main strategies of the musical sequence, then, are clear: to introduce the main musical themes in a way that makes the introduction understandable and establishes its genre. By its nature the music also manipulates the audience into feeling the setting to be removed from their own settings by the fact that the oriental music is exotic in an Romantic orientalist sense rather than in a Moroccan sense, establishing the film as a western work. The manner in which the title music influences the rest of the film is generally easy to detail. Unlike the manner in which As Time Goes By is used in a proliferating way, the occurrences of the title themes are used to remind us of their original or implied contexts and meanings. The Marseillaise theme is used as a symbol of France (for the flashback sequence) but more generally as a marker of the success or failure of idealism and the Allies in its battle against cynicism and Fascism: its overall movement is from the interruption of the titles to the only full cadence in the final scene as Louis finally gives in to patriotism by throwing away the Vichy water. Oriental music is used more scarcely as the setting has been established, but it is used diegetically in the Blue Parrot scenes to distinguish it from the more homely and American Rick's (‘Cafi Americain'). Thus some of the title music was truly introductory and other parts were to be used for future reference. The fact that As Time Goes By was not used indicates that it did not attempt a full musical accumulation of themes but concentrated on those necessary to understand the first scene. The title sequence of Psycho is more closed and self-contained than that of Casablanca due to the manner in which the music of the titles is separated – both by silence and by change of mood – from the opening scene. The sequence is also far more visually captivating due to the thrusting horizontal lines that shoot across the screen and distort the titles themselves, culminating in a vertical meeting of upwards and downwards-moving lines and a release. Unlike Casablanca there is no aspect of narrative or historical context, but rather the establishing of a mood, as the lines suggest frenetic activity, violence, splitting and then final dying union, as the lines meet and fall away. The music, meanwhile, uses three primary textures in succession, all of which are linked by the modernist language and string scoring of Herrmann's score. The first is a driving ‘motor' rhythm of double-stopped dissonances in the tradition of The Rite of Spring, which develops by superimposing variants of a basic cell onto itself and thus expanding in volume and texture. The second is this rhythmic idea as an accompaniment to a soaring violin theme which is still not entirely Romantic in character due its persistent crotchet motion. Ostinati are thus the key to the sequence. The third texture is the ‘sharp' rhythmic idea used by smaller sections of strings in upwards sequences, dying away with the visual lines, and reaching an extremely high tessitura. The music stops and pauses before the opening scene begins with slow weakly-discordant descending chords in the style of Debussy. ‘The real function of a main title, of course, should be to set the pulse of what is to follow†¦ I am convinced, and so is Hitchcock, that after the main titles you know that something terrible must happen. The main title sequence tells you so, and that is its function: to set the drama. You don't need cymbal crashes or records that never sell'. 1 Thus Bernard Herrmann both states the specific strategy of the musical cue that accompanies the title sequence in Psycho and proposes a general theory of the function of titles sequences. He also justifies his choice of a string orchestra for such dramatic music, and in other places likens the string sound to Hitchcock's anachronistic monochrome. The strategy, then, is to sum up the essence of the film. That essence is surely the surprising ‘primitive' (in the primitivist sense of Stravinsky) violence that describes the title word, and in no way sets the scene for that which immediately follows. The music is fiercely modernist for a cinema audience but still within their understanding so that, along with the visuals and the word ‘psycho', the main element of the titles establishes itself as distinctly inhuman and violent. Just as the straight lines penetrating the screen and the titles can be interpreted as predicting the motion of stabbing and also the split character of Bates, the music is ‘stabbing' in its chords and ends ‘screaming' as Marion will do. The horror genre is thereby indicated, but the music's insistent intensity hints at the obsessively psychological nature of Hitchcock's art. The influence of this titles music on the rest of the film is subtle. The first scene is entirely removed from it by mood, if not completely by musical language, a feature that unifies the entire score and film. The first time the titles music is reused is when Marion realises that her boss has seen her driving her car after she had told him that she was going straight home to bed. The fright she suffers, and the effort with which she suppresses it in order to force a smile at her boss, seem to initiate the return of the violent double-stopped ostinati of the titles. Here there is a meaning attached to a mood which we understand to be the essence of the film: the music is in some way linked to the Marion's subjectivity and also the insistent technology of the car. Marion is shown to be a transgressive woman, and this raises the expectation that Marion herself may be the psycho: she has a headache; she hears voices in her head; she has stolen money; she drives – a masculine pastime in most films; and accordingly her fright is expressed not through Romantic scherzo music but by this horror music. This expectation is, of course, entirely false. Meanwhile the explicit violin theme of the titles is used to fill the screen just as Marion's face does as we watch her watching the road, amounting to a nullification of any reluctance we might have towards voyeurism. The most powerful influence the titles music has over the film is its various ways of presenting ostinati. We learn to decode this new musical language in stages, so that the deep ostinati heard as the dying Marion falls to the floor in the shower is distinguished from the niggling four-note repeated figure associated with Marion's decision to run away with the money. They mean different things but are united by technique and by the world they draw for the audience. Edward Scissorhands toys with genre: it is a both a genuine horror film and a parody of one (of the Frankenstein and Beauty and the Beast traditions); it is also a fantasy, a comedy and a melodrama. This is recognised in the titles sequence and the music that accompanies it. The studio logo is accompanied by snow and then there follows a title sequence that is ambiguous as to whether it is animated or real. In fact, it turns out that much of the sequence is real and is taken from later scenes involving Vincent Price that are vital to the plot, such as the brief view we have of him dead and the hands that could have been Edward's. However, this is all crafted with elements of Gothic fantasy, using discrete images from the house/castle, beginning with dark shadows and an old door opening, moving to what we later realise was the inventor's laboratory, and this culminates in the purely fantastic animation of hearts and other ‘shapes' falling like snow, with which the title sequence concludes. Danny Elfman's music for this sequence is remarkable mainly for its orchestration: it begins with solo celesta, then strings are added, accompanying a plaintive cor anglais, and then a full (and massive) orchestra plays the main theme, to which is added a celestial and voiceless choir, which sings to ‘oooh'. The chord sequence that is most prominent is a major tonic triad moving to a minor triad of the submediant. In effect, the sequence is akin to an amalgamation of Casablanca and Psycho, for it uses the technique of joining the titles to a ‘false' first scene, whilst dissociating it from the first ‘real' flashback scene, which begins in prosaic silence. Elfman's music is fairly uniform here but multivalent. The magical nature of the film is set by the celesta and the harp/flute-oriented nature of the full orchestration and finally by the angelic voices. The magical interpretation of this combination of instruments is accepted by way of Chaikovsky, Debussy and John Williams, from whom the harmonic progressions are also borrowed. The element of horror is marginalized but represented by low strings and the melancholy of the cor. The voices add a layer of naive wonder that is rather over the top, something that is a major part of the film. The audience is led to expect a fairy tale with an element of horror to it, but also the clues to the somewhat tongue-in-cheek nature of the film are also present in the music. Importantly, from the very beginning this affective music is associated with the house and Edward. The element of falling in this film is highly significant: many of the moments of greatest significance revolve around the falling of snow, which is finally associated by the old woman of the present with Edward's very existence, and thus the existence of the film and of magical naivety and goodness, with the falling of snow; in the studio's very logo before the titles there had been no fanfare but silence accompanying the falling of snow; in the titles the ‘shapes' are shown to fall like snow: these shapes include hearts, which provide a link to humans and human emotions: the inventor falls when he dies and his fall is emphasised by the way in which we view his face as he realises he is to die. The sequence leading up to the inventor's death is the key to the explanation for Edward's condition, which is half the mystery of the film (the other half is how it will end), and it is drawn out by its progression being interrupted and alternated with scenes of the ‘present' (wi thin the entire flashback of the film). During this we realise the significance of what we had seen in the titles, and to emphasise this the titles music is brought back, and the tragic nature of the story is shown by the fact that we were ignorant of its intended significance until now. The other scenes in which the titles music features prominently are when Edward sees the picture of Peggy's daughter for the first time (choir ‘ooohs') and when snow is falling and Edward magically (for it would not be possible) creates beautiful ice sculptures with the girl as his enraptured audience (full statement of the main theme). Thus the titles music is used to indicate the presence of the picturesque, the naive will to do good and the tragic nature of fate. Those things not privileged by this music are, by implication, marginalized. However, the titles theme also proliferates the film as Elfman develops it by distortion (quarter-tone glissandi in the main theme) during moments of anguish. This is similar to Steiner's use of La Marseillaise in Casablanca. Finally, by way of contrast, we will look at Prisoner of the Mountains, a strong piece of anti-war propaganda made during, and based on, the ongoing Russo-Chechen conflict. The film begins with a long sequence before the titles, showing the recruitment process of a young man drafted in as a reserve soldier into the Russian army. We see him given a medical examination naked, which has an element of humour to it. Then we see an older soldier go to play pool outdoors with a friend and they drink in a relaxed, late-evening atmosphere. The contrast between the young and innocent and the hardened cynic is reinforced as the soldier, Sasha, responds to other soldiers being rowdy by firing off rounds of his machine gun in mock attack. As he shoots we see his tensed, macho face, there is a freeze frame and a song begins, the first music of the film. The song is an old one and is obviously recognisable as a popular song of the type popularised during the Second World War, a period that is a subject of great nostalgia for Russians. We then see a military manoeuvre operated by the Russians with both the old and the young soldier aboard a Russian tank. The song ends and we are brought out of nostalgia for the army to the harsh reality as we hear a solo plucked string instrument play an ‘oriental' snippet of melody. This alerts the audience to the possibility of danger from Russia's ethnic ‘others' and to the placement of the scene in the Caucasus mountain range. Suddenly the tank is ambushed and our two soldiers are severely wounded and left unconscious and seemingly dead by their comrades and are captured by the Chechens. Finally the titles begin with an endless panorama of the mountains and dramatic orchestral music in an orientalist style. Here it is difficult to determine what constitutes the essential title sequence if one accepts Herrmann's definition. The music that accompanies the titles certainly does more to emphasise the setting and the drama of the film, but we cannot forget what has already happened. The freeze-frame on Sasha's face as he fires in connection with the ultra-popular song is so strong a device so difficult to interpret on first viewing that it dominates the opening. Moreover, whilst the opening music is hardly reused before the end of the film, there is another sequence which is crucial to the film's anti-war message: the two Russians are kept hostage, chained together, for a long period and it becomes increasingly likely that they will be killed. As they sit together, back to back, Sasha begins to sing another old WWII song in a triumphant, brave voice, something that is obviously escapist. Suddenly his voice is multiplied and the song is taken over by a huge chorus and the shot moves from the two men to the vast expanse of the mountains, so that he can be seen to become the might of the Russian army. As the song is still being bellowed out, the shot changes back to the men, and Sasha is crying frantically. The false expectation of escape in patriotism that had been set up by the song is revealed, and this makes sense of the opening song in addition. In a sense, then the titles sequence constructs a conventional colonialist Russian audience led to be wary of foreign subjects, whilst its other musical material works against this. It is possible to generalise our observations to note that for every film here the titles operate as a kind of first subject of a sonata-form movement: they establish certain information about the film's essence which can be developed in a linear way, as in the thematic references in Casablanca and the thematic distortions of Edward Scissorhands, or in a more accumulative way, as with the manner in which the music for the titles sequences in Psycho, Edward Scisssorhands and Prisoner of the Mountains gains in meaning as we acquire more information. As an audience we are led to believe that the titles have meaning and, like the subject of a sonata, will be recapitulated.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Martin Luther King Essay

Speeches in which this is observed include â€Å"I Have A Dream† by Martin Luther King and â€Å"The Gettysburg Address† by Abraham Lincoln which have been valued and remembered throughout time as being historically influential and valued, as such, as they use the values of their time and audience to inspire, persuade and unite the public with their message. Martin Luther King electrified America with his pivotal speech, dramatically delivered from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC in 1963, sharing his dream of a new future for black and white people before more than 200,000 people.King, part of an extensive black movement, challenged the white Americans to extend genuine freedom to his people and drew on all his powers to inspire black Americans to believe in such freedom for themselves. The key message from the speech was, and is, that all people are created equal and, although not the case in America at the time, King felt it must be the case in the future which is why this text is valued still, even today. Abraham Lincoln, the American president at the time delivered his speech at the Gettysburg Cemetery during the heart of the civil war in 1863.This was to honour and dedicate the new cemetery to the soldiers who had died in the recent Battle of Gettysburg which was pivotal in the American Civil War. The quality of patriotism is seen in Lincoln's allusion to the Declaration of Independence and constant references to democratic ideals. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Martin Luther Kings’ â€Å"I have a dream†¦. † speech is one of the most memorable speech’s of all time but why? In thi s essay we’ll have a look at why it’s such an effective speech. In the speech, King especially likes to use repetition and metaphors to convey his ideas.These devices are the foundation of King’s unique and effective style. Anaphora and repetition are commonly used in Martin Luther King’s â€Å"I have a dream†¦. † speech because repeating the words and phrases helps to emphasise the pattern and increase the rhetorical effect. â€Å"I have a dream†¦ † is repeated in eight successive sentences, and is one of the most often cited examples of anaphora in modern speeches. Repetition is a good device to use to strengthen an important idea. He uses and repeats the words dream, because it is such a personal and deep commodity.The phrases he adds to the end of this representation are also very personal. This is so effectual because the target audience of this speech can see these visualizations become reality. Even now, over 30 years after his death, reading through the speech gives the reader a sense that things are not complete, and that King still has a dream. If you count the frequency of words used in King’s â€Å"I Have a Dream†, very interesting patterns emerge. The most commonly used noun is freedom, which is used twenty times in the spee ch. This makes sense, since freedom is one of the primary themes of the speech.A metaphor is a very effective way to illustrate an idea. King uses many metaphors, both large and small, to describe many different ideas. â€Å"In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious†¦

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Online learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Online learning - Essay Example The most effective way to learn these skills is to develop those while one is still a student. Life after education is a lot more complicated than what most students think especially when there is a need to deal with many things all at the same time. Oftentimes, there is a need to meet hectic deadlines and perform tasks that need to be studied thoroughly. On such situations, one needs to organize the things that should be done according to their importance. While organization skill in online learning allows the students to prioritize their goals, in the workplace, it allows one to focus and meet the deadlines without compromising the quality of the work (â€Å"Organizational Skills,† n.d.). Organization skill, as used in the workplace, improves my efficiency as it enables me to finish the necessary work load. As organizational skill develops my efficiency, time management skill improves my productivity as it enables me to maximize my time and effort. As applied in the workplace, time management skill allows one to exercise full control over his/her schedule and allocate ample time for different tasks that need to be done (Foltynek & Motchyka, 2009; Roper, 2007). In relation to organization skills, effective time management skill improves my professional career as it develops my productivity. Aside from the skills previously mentioned, effective communication skill is also important in online learning and in the workplace. Professionals highly depend on their effective communication skill as it determines whether or not their message is clearly understood by the receiver or they clearly understood the message of their leaders (Johnson, n.d.). Effective communication skills would enable me to express my ideas and comments effectively, objectively and politely. In addition, communication skill helps me establish connections

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Five court cases and how they have impacted the educational setting Case Study

Five court cases and how they have impacted the educational setting - Case Study Example It is a clause that calls for equal treatment to individuals by the law, and emphasizes on people being treated fairly, with no biasness based on their race, gender, economic background, wealth status among other characteristics (Stader, 2007). The equal protection and discrimination laws were developed many years ago. They were passed and put in the constitution in 1868, when Earl Warren was the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. This period marked the end of a great Civil War, which meant that many slaves had finally acquired their freedom. These laws were put to cater for the fair treatment of all people, whether whites or blacks. There had been much discrimination against the black Americans and this was part of what necessitated this clause. It also extended to state the importance of the white people being treated by the law equally to the other Americans (Stader, 2007). The main intent of this clause was to promote fairness and equality, be it in employment, education, acquis ition of services, and application of the rule of law among others. The education sector has greatly applied the principles of equal protection and non- discrimination. ... The equal protection and discrimination laws are very important in any school since they ensure that students are not discriminated upon because of their gender, disability race or economic status. It ensures that students can access all programs in the school, whether one is female or male, black or white. They are also important in ensuring that a student can take part in any activity of their choice. However, exemption can be made when one is discriminated upon for their own benefit (Fenner, 1999). For instance, a group of students who do not perform well in class may be placed in a different classroom but in the same school so as to help monitor them closely, and pay more attention to them. Equal protection and discrimination laws protect against discrimination against the disabled people. Any student thus has a right to attend any school of their choice, whether they are black or white. There are many cases where one party has sued another on ground of unequal protection discrim ination. For instance, the case of Kansas City versus the US Supreme Court is a good example (Stader, 2007). In this case, Kansas City, which had a population of over 15000 school going population, spent huge amounts to maintain separate schools to accommodate the negroes and the Americans. However, the court ruled that this was a high level of discrimination and it was unconstitutional. This particular case showed the extent to which discrimination and unequal treatment has spread, where the two cultures could not integrate. The ruling in this particular case is important in demonstrating how important the law is in dealing with unequal protection and

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Media and Teen's Body Image Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media and Teen's Body Image - Essay Example Media creates a negative body image of young girls portraying and popularizing 'very thin" models and distorted bodies. Such displays undo associations of femininity with excess, over-indulgence and lack of control. Women with eating disorders are merely the extreme version of the widespread desire for 'a slender body' prompted by the opposition in consumer culture between discipline and excess. Bordo (1989), one of the most popular feminist writers and critics, suggests that eating disorders characterize the modern western 'self'. In this case, media becomes the most influential source of information which forms tastes and preferences of young girls. Following Holmstrom (2004): Research has shown that a discrepancy between the "actual" self (attributes you and others believe you possess) and the "ideal" self (attributes you or others believe you should possess) can produce negative emotional states such as sadness, discouragement, and depression. An average [girl] may be discouraged by the discrepancy between her body and that of the media ideal" (196). Statistical results vividly portrays that the incidence of bulimia nervosa (one to two per 100 women) and anorexia nervosa (one per 1,000 women) of western women suggests a social pathology (Gauntlett 78). Also, a survey of readers of the popular magazine, Vogue, suggested that almost 15 % of 25- to 24-year-old respondents were anorexic or bulimic. These results correlated with respondents' extreme concern about their body images, self esteem and ability to cope with stress (Gauntlett 80). Young girls over-estimated their own body size and identified over-thin models as their ideal body shape. Increasingly, analysis of anorexia has been linked to feelings of powerlessness. Critics (Snow 187) underline that what begins as a refusal to be part of the power structure becomes a form of power and control in the behavior itself. For many girls, 'ideal' body images represent adulthood and independence. Bordo (1989) argues that media practices produce self-regulating 'female subjects' through the demonstration of control over the physical body (29). Through processes of self-monitoring and self-regulation of the body, multiple demands and conflicts placed upon it could be accommodated. Bordo states that the 'preoccupation with the "internal" management of the body is produced by instabilities in the "macroregulation" of desire within the system of the social body (Bordo 1989, 96). Media depicts and popularizes an ideal body image which becomes standards for many girls. Femininity is constructed as a process of selecting an ideal image and adapting available clothing and cosmetics to realize an approximation to that ideal (Gauntlett 28). Attributes of femininity are also shaped by the

Monday, August 26, 2019

Rime response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rime response - Essay Example Also, the racial origin is also found to affect how the criminal justice system is delivered. This paper then discusses these issues in details. The succeeding paragraphs will analyze if indeed there is a difference on how the criminal justice system responds to elite and street crimes and to race. Poverty and Income inequality are believed to be the main reason for street crimes. This belief stems from common sense notions about the effects of poverty on the lives and behaviors of persons: the acute frustrations of being poor and the impact of those frustrations on the choices people make. The idea that poverty causes crime also stems from the perception that most criminals-particularly those in prisons for serious and violent street crimes-come from backgrounds of poverty. Street crimes also involved youth gangs. They "often engage in criminal activities, which to a great extent serve as training for the youth to engage in more crime as adults, thus developing a career of crime" (Margaret L. Andersen). Among the Americans, John Hagan noted that "the young African-American males have a vastly disproportionate risk of encountering the criminal justice system, both as victims and violators. Crime is also a great concern for low-income Hispanic and White Americans" (Hagan). It i s important to know the profile of the doers of street crime so as we will understand the cause of the differnce on the response of the country's criminal justice system. There is also what sociologists tag as white collar crimes. These refer to "criminal activities by persons of high social status" and includes "embezzlement (stealing funds from one's employer), involvement in illegal stock manipulation (insider trading), and a variety of income tax laws including tax evasion" (Margaret L. Andersen). Elite crime has two types: "white-collar crimes" or crimes committed by upper-status individuals during the course of their occupations and "corporate crimes," which are crimes committed by organizations, business and industry. Sociologists believe that "whether it is in the police station, the courts or the prisons, the social factors of race, class and gender are highly influential in the administration of justice in this society. People in the most disadvantaged groups are more likely to be defined and identified as criminal, and having encountered this system of authority, are more likely to be detained or arrested, found guilty and punished " (Margaret L. Andersen). The profiles of those who are involved in street crimes are mostly the poor and the Black Americans. Following the argument above, there can indeed be a difference between how the criminal justice system respond to doers of street crimes against those who commit elite crimes simply because of their race and class status. Street crime offenders will be most likely detained, found guilty and punished. The Influence of Race One of the most controversial issues in criminal justice processing is the possible influence of the racial or ethnic background of the accused-despite the checks and balances built into the system-on the outcome of legal proceedings; these include the crimes he or she is charged with, whether he or she is convicted, and, if convicted, whether he or she will serve a long prison sentence. In light of the gross disparities in imprisonment between whites and African Americans, this is a serious concern. Other sociologists argue that the

Sunday, August 25, 2019

RHB Credit Card Marketing Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 9750 words

RHB Credit Card Marketing - Dissertation Example Drugan, my project supervisor from The University for guiding me on the project proposal and widen my knowledge to compile the project. Many thanks to Mr. Vellan at RHB Bank Sales and Marketing, Bangsar ,Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for sharing vital information and helping me to solve many problems in the process of this project. I would like to convey my special thanks to my family who has always been behind me and without them, I would not be where I am today. Thank You very much. Contents Page 1. Introduction 1.1. Objective of the Study. 6 1.2. General Objective 6 1.3. Project Objective. 6 2. Literature Review 2.1 Significance of Study.. 6 2.2 Scope of Study.. 7 3. Methodology 3.1 Research Design 8 3.2 Type of Research 8 3.3 Research Approach. 9 3.3 Research Strategy 9 3.4 Identification of the Sample Population. 10 3.5 Sample Technique and Sample Size.. 10 4. Findings and Analysis 4.1 Classification of Data.. 10 4.2 Data Collection Method10 4.3 Data Analysis.11 4.4 Limitation of Study.. 11 5. RHB Bank and Credit Card Services 5.1 An Overview of Banking Sector in Malaysia 12 5.2 Company Description - RHB14 - 20 5.3 Strategic Plan and Focus.. 21 5.4 Core Competitiveness. 22-25 5.5 Product Market Focus 26 - 31 5.6 Marketing and Product Objectives 5.7 Marketing Program..31 5.7.1 Product Strategy 31 5.7.2 Pricing Strategy.. 33" 5.7.3 Promotion Strategy..34-36 5.7.4 Distribution Strategy. 37& 5.8 Financial Data and Projection 5.8.1 Past Projection 39-41... 2.1 Significance of the Study: I have referred to several journals and books to retrieve information about the international banking system. The performance and financial standing of RHB Bank has been borrowed from different banking reports, and the annual reports of the financial institute itself. The credit card banking system has been thoroughly reviewed and explained, and opinion of several Asian economists have been consolidated to develop firm understanding of the importance and advantages of banking through credit card. The article has hinted at evolution of modernized banking system, and it is hoped that RHB Bank shall be among leading institutes to take an initiative to modernize the banking system. At present, RHB Bank is operating in the country with huge number of credit cards holders. But the current trend of the credit card indicates a rising rivalry among the different competitor in the industry. Hence, a good number of RHB Bank card holders are not continuing with the bank but switching to its competitors mainly because of better facilities such as more credit limit, less fees and charges etc. This might not cause a great deal of losing profit of the RHB Bank however it is a matter of bank reputation. To have an insight from the practical credit cardholders of RHB Bank. At the same time, emphasize on the different existing product and services offered by the bank for their valuable cardholders. Therefore, this study tries to give some suggestion of new product introduction.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Humans and the Environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Humans and the Environment - Essay Example The irony of it all is that even the human beings themselves are threatened by their own actions. In agriculture for instance, human beings have embraced technological developments in farming some of which have devastating effects on the soil. Developments such as the use of modern engineered pesticides have proved efficient in dealing with pests but the resultant effect on the survival of the other organisms in the soil is rarely taken into consideration. The pesticides end up killing the worms in the soil which play a very crucial role in ensuring that the soil is well aerated. This development in modes of farming has a short-lived benefit on the farming practice since it may result in improved farming of a given crop species in a given season but in the long run results in the depletion of soil quality (Berry, 2002). There has also been an improvement in farming by producing genetically engineered crops which flourish well during cultivation but most of them cannot produce viable seeds for replanting. This therefore means that the crop generation is limited to one since it can only be planted once. The genetically engineered crops have been recommended as one of the most efficient ways of attaining food sufficiency in countries faced with the food shortage as a result of small farming lands available or due to unfavorable climatic conditions in the countries affected. It has been claimed that the genetically engineered crops are responsible fro the many cancers reported in most people nowadays. In some countries where genetically modified products have been allowed on large scale such as in South Africa there was a substantial increase of cancer cases reported a few years afterwards. The human beings’ activities in the energy sector are one of the major causes of pollution in the world. In the 19th century the use of horses and oxen to produce power was common. The horses would then be fed and would then be ready to be used another day. This represent ed a basic description of renewable energy. It is from this that the term ‘horsepower’ was coined. Human beings have through time developed machines that no longer require the power of the horse to run but instead they rely on the petroleum related fuels which are fossil fuels. Petroleum results after a process that takes millions of years. The rate of use is therefore higher than the rate of regeneration which renders petroleum as one of the sources of non-renewable energy. In addition the exploration of petroleum results into fields of land that is not suitable for agricultural activities. This is contrary to the use of horses as sources of energy since horses produce cow dung that can be used as manure for cultivating agricultural crops in the farms. In addition horses used to graze on abandoned fields that were not being used for any agricultural activities (Courteau, 2007). In order to minimize on the land pollution associated with the exploration of the fossil fue ls, some countries have embarked on trying to use other sources of the fuel from what previously used to be considered as petroleum waste. In Canada for example, there are massive investments in place to try and process petroleum fuel from the tar sands (Kolbert, 2007). The other negative aspect of the fossil fuels is the poisonous emissions associated with their use. These fuels produce a lot of carbon while undergoing combustion which in turn

Friday, August 23, 2019

Hybrid Cultural Object Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Hybrid Cultural Object - Essay Example Language entails the sharing of ideas and thoughts from one person to the other. The culture of the language has been evolving from one community to another. The evolving nature of language has led to the object of communication being improved to a level of being termed as a hybrid language. The most common element of this tool is the use of signs and symbols to communicate. The use of signs has developed significantly due to the interaction of human beings from different regions around the globe. The pressure to find out an aspect of sign language that would unify different cultures in the region have led to the scientific study of signs; semiotics. Signs having been developing, and this study helps the human diversity to know how they are supposed to behave in a particular situation without there being a second person to engage in the verbal communication (Ipsen). The hybrid nature of communication in this state is that signs are being developed into a global unified way that every community get aligned to the communication base to one another. In other words, the signs developed are familiar to everyone around the globe. The global awareness and unity in communication have been established by the fact that there is an organised system that the signs follow. Since there is an organised way of communicating through the use of signs, every stakeholder in the signs language will follow the laid down system. The following of the laid down rules and regulations help different cultural groups to have a unified sign that helps in communication. When a person at one corner of the world sees an image or a picture representing, a situation will be able to give the meaning from the picture and interpret it. Therefore, a person can analyse the situation and act accordingly. It is the globally accepted picture that will help the reader to communicate accordingly in that situation. Signs as used in communication changes