Strategies for Building Effective Relationships Assignment

Strategies for Building Effective Relationships - Assignment Example Therefore, in order to have a rebranding strategy and to see it succeed, the company needs an internal reboot, rather than just a mere brand make-over. My endeavor shall be to ensure that past records of rough behavior or disagreements are erased from the working memory of peer managers and subordinates. A new project lead faces the brunt and dissatisfaction of employees left behind by the previous manager and my task would be to ensure that the interpersonal relationships amongst all these sections of the team are established. Here is a step by step process of how we would go about it. Before we begin understanding how to go about rebuilding relationships within this company, it would be more important for us to understand why we need to do so. If the revenues on the already launched products have been going down over the past three years, then even before we plan a new launch, we need a rehash of ethical and management practices to bring back the unity and quality. Once all the employees of the company are on the same page, it becomes easy to plan a new launch and see it succeed, since every employee would collaborate and come up with ideas that the company benefits from. To check and correct product performance, we need to check the quality of products being released in the market, the audience niches targeted, and the market predictions. And to get all these things working, we need a great team. In my new position as a project manager in my uncle’s company, I am looking to follow a three-step approach to reviving the company’s spirits and sales. Firstly, there needs to be a whole lot of interactive exercises which cross out behavioral differences and make the team players more transparent to the existing problems or notches in the working of the different sections of the company. Secondly, we need an ultra-dynamic team that recognizes the risks, potentials, and vulnerabilities.

5 Steps To meeting Someone New Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5 Steps To meeting Someone New - Essay Example If your date enjoys music, perhaps the obvious choice would be attending a music concert. Instead, however, consider going on step further and take a portable CD player, a picnic basket and your date out for a quiet lunch under the sun. If your date is a film fanatic, avoid a crowded theater and opt for a projector and find the perfect place to host your own private showing of a comedy movie that's sure to bring a smile to your date's face. By being creative, you will show that you have put thought into the evening.The second step is making your First Impression. First impression plays an important role when you're meeting up with a woman, because your first impression can either make it or break it. A lot of guys don't take this seriously, but it's a fact that if you're able to make a GOOD first impression, then chances of you getting with that girl will be around 90%. But if you fail to do so, then your chances are reduced dramatically to 20%. Just think about this, you just went o n a blind date and it turns out to be that the girl doesn't smell nice, her hair looks awful and she didn't put too much effort dressing up. Would you want to meet up with her again I don't think so!! So here are some simple things you need to remember, in order to make a good first impression. Always look your best and smell good.

How Globalisation Is Shaping Up The Chinese Culture Media Essay

How Globalisation Is Shaping Up The Chinese Culture Media Essay It is a term coined by critical theorists Theodor Adorno (1903-69) and Max Horkheimer (1895-1973). So-called cultural industries or creative industries have become very popular recently with Chinas economic planners and business people. These people, in constant search for new areas with growth potential and business commercial opportunities, I believe they have spotted a bonanza after seeing market victories by companies such as Shanda, the Nasdaq-listed computer game developer, and Hunan Satellite TV, which produced quite a few commercially successful programmes like Super Girls, designed after American Idol. Cultural industries have already been put into the local governments. Chinese cultural industry maintains growth by government supported loans. Chen Yuxin, Li Huizi BEIJING, Aug. 4 (Xinhua). A list of 15 cultural enterprises has been submitted to the Export and Import Bank of China via the Ministry of Culture for a huge amount of bank loans to support development of Chinas cul tural industry. The State Council of china to, import and export projects, will grant loans of at least 20 billion Yuan. The cultural industries have become a fresh driving force of Chinas economic growth. The gross output value of Chinese cultural industries including the press, movie, broadcast, journalism, advertising, tourism, show business, Internet communication and relevant services hit 1.2 trillion yuan (about 150 billion US dollars) in 2004.( Dominic Power and Alien J. Scott,2004). Ever since the publication of Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimers essay on culture industries in the mid 1940s, there has been a lively debate about the production, distribution, and consumption of cultural products. Cultural industries worldwide have adapted to the new digital technologies and to the arrival of national, regional and international regulatory policies. These factors have radically altered the context in which cultural goods, services, and investments flow between countries and consequently, these industries have undergone a process of Globalisation and progressive concentration, resulting in the formation of a few big corporations. These industries also provide an increasingly important avenue for employment creation. The growing significance of the cultural industries within the economy and to employment is becoming apparent. Moreover, in certain countries, cultural industries may also be referred to as creative industries or future-oriented industries. In all cases, the conception includes printing, publishing and multimedia, audiovisual, phonographic and cinematographic productions as well as crafts and design. However, in some countries, this concept also embraces architecture, visual and performing arts, sports, manufacturing of musical instruments, advertising and cultural tourism. By all means, we are talking about industries that add value to contents, generate value for individuals, societies and wealth, nurture creativity and innovation in production and commercialisation processes. They are also central in promoting and maintaining cultural diversity. Creative works, embedded in books, records, films, multimedia, crafts and fashion design products, nowadays most popular gateways to enjoy cultural and artistic expressions and are conveyed worldwide disseminated by cultural industries. To a large extent, reciprocal images and stereotypes of cultures and civilizations are being constructed through global cultural industries. World citizens need opportunities to develop new content, products reflecting their own concerns, lifestyles and interests, as well as the means to ensure that these cultural goods and services can compete in domestic, regional and global markets. GLOBALISATION: Globalization is often seen by its proponents as facilitating a new idealism of Economic openness, political transparency, and global culture. Globalization provides an opportunity for the advancement of common human standards and equality as norms and rules are channelled throughout the world. This Global proximity is thought to foster cooperation and to increase security. Alternatively, globalization is often seen as a tool for large hegemonic states to exercise economic primacy with little regard for human rights, labour standards, or the environment. But Globalisation has shaped up the Chinese industry well. The global television system has dramatically changed during the past two decades. The number of television sets and the number of TV channels has rapidly increased as television industries have been privatized and commercialized. New broadcasting systems such as cable and satellite broadcasting industries have also become part of everyday life around the world. The transform ation of the global television industry system can be understood within the larger context of global political-economic shifts and accompanying technological development. Specifically, I explore the changing structure of the Chinese broadcasting industry by examining consolidation. That is, I analyze foreign and domestic investment activities of the TV industry. I also discuss the role of national governments and domestic communication industries in the transformation of the broadcasting system. The Global Alliance for Cultural diversity: Making Globalization and work for culture. At the time we drafted the universal declaration on Cultural Diversity, we realised that those aspects relating cultural goods and services conveyed by cultural industries could only attract real interest among member states that already had a minimum of cultural industry infrastructure and Were in a position to design and finance appropriate cultural policies. It therefore appeared necessary to advance, in parallel, operational action to develop and strengthen cultural industries (Publishing, music, cinema and audiovisual, multimedia, crafts and Fashion design) in developing countries. We were also fully aware that piracy was eroding the sound development of legally established local industries in many countries and was about to become a major enemy of cultural diversity at the global scale. International instruments on cultural diversity and trade agreements will have little value for developing countries if there are no endogenous goods or Services to be consumed domestically or t o be exported. Hybridization and global culture: Globalization has been seen as a process, but also a project; a reality, but also a belief (Mattelart, 2002). There is continuing debate over its onset, definition and end result. Many believe that a global culture will emerge with the rise of globalization. Yet opinions are divided over what the nature of this culture will be, whether it will be a single homogeneous system that is characterized by convergence and the presence of the universal in the Particular (Wallerstein, 1990) or it will be an ensemble of particulars that features long distance interconnectedness (Hannerz, 1996). With The rise of post colonialism, the concept of hybridity has become a new facet of the debate about global culture in the social sciences. (Bhabha, 1994). As cable and satellite television mushroomed in the 1990s, the demand for Films and television programs grew twentyfold and more in China. This demand has led to the localization of global products and the globalization of local products on an unprecedented scale. This phenomenon allows producers to borrow ideas to enlighten an established story model or to make content adjustments to cater to the needs of a different audience. In 2001, a Chinese language martial arts film became the then highest grossing foreign language film ever made (Lahr, 2003: 72) in the history of Hollywood film, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, has almost every ingredient needed to make it authentically Chinese. Adapted from a novel Published in China in the early 1930s, it features romantic martial arts story that is set in ancient China. The Cheesiness of the film is also Characterized by dazzling sword fights, period costumes, an iconic Chinese Setting and an all Chinese cast who speak Mandarin throughout the film. However, one aspect of the film production sets it apart from other Chinese Martial arts films; it was made with an eye on the market beyond Greater China, was financed through international production, bonds and bank loans and was distributed by a transnational distributor. Despite the attacks that the film has received from critics, its market success in repackaging an ethnic Story for a global audience, manifests two closely linked characteristics of Cultural production today; namely, the indispensable role of the capitalist, mechanism in financing, marketing and distribution and the emergence of Cultural fusion and hybridization as a prevailing strategy for transnational content design. It is also one of Disneys most profitable films. Crouching Tiger was originally targeted at art theatres outside of the Greater China region, but with a box office total of US$213,200,000 and international awards, including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. It became the most successful Non-American film made. Wang, D.L. (1985). Understanding local reception of globalized cultural products in the context of the International cultural economy: The populist oriented Hollywood blockbuster movies that tend to target the lowest common denominator are often accused by Chinese intellectuals of being culturally debilitating. Yet Chinas nationwide debate revolving around two technocratic, spectacle driven domestic blockbusters by its renowned film director Zhang Yimou, Hero (2002) and House of Flying Daggers (2004). Their excessive marketing have demonstrated Hollywoods broader and more systemic impact on Chinas film style, marketing practice and media culture, which are increasingly in line with the unified global standard set by Hollywood and marked by relentless commercialism. By studying the two movies, reception in China, describes how a national culture receives globalized versions of its own traditions, the role of Hollywood, and the implications for international cultural exchange and national identity in the context of the international cultural economy. (Bezlova, A, 2003) Exploring the Meanings of Globalization in Beijing: A number of people who view globalization from a Universalist perspective criticize the growing erosion of traditional values aided by rapid development of information technology and transnational corporations (Barber 1992; Parker 2005). At its extreme, proponents of this school appear to suggest that globalization is another form of cultural imperialism. Think globally, act locally is the business motto of Viacom Inc, one of the largest global entertainment corporations in the world. Through the case study of Viacoms MTV Channel in China, examines how transnational media corporations have localized in China, and the implications of the globalization/localization process. Viacom may well be the first American global media enterprise to significantly penetrate the China market and has drawn the attention of the Chinese public and officials alike. In 1999 Viacom spent $37.3 billion acquiring CBS, the network on which Jiang Zimen agreed to be interviewed by Mick Wallace on the programme 60 Minutes. This created perhaps the deepest impression of Viacom in Chinese minds. With pre-eminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor advertising and online (Viacom.com), Viacom covers creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music and comedy of all these businesses. MTV (Music Television) is the worlds most widely distributed television network, reaching more than 340 million households in 140 countries via 31 localized TV channels and 17 web sites. Since its establishment in 1981, through its ground-breaking visual expression of popular music, MTV has become a global youth phenomenon. Viacom first entered China through its entertainment arm MTV Asia 3, which covers three regional channels, MTV Mandarin, MTV Southeast Asia and MTV India, and reaches over 124 million households in 21 territories. The Chinese-language MTV Mandarin was inaugurated in 1995 along with its precursor, Channel V of Murdochs News Corporation, one of o nly two legal foreign owned music channels in China. In the late 1990s, while Murdoch had already found the key to opening Chinas door by satellite broadcasting with both legal and illegal reception and other cable relay services, MTV seized the opportunity to extend its arm into the region (Xu, 2002). Initially MTV China was available only in expensive hotels and areas inhabited by foreigners. Like Viacoms localization strategies in other countries, MTV renounced campaigning against the Chinese government for acceptance in China. With the experience of creating animated Korean characters strongly laden with traditional cultural elements in Korea, they repeated the experiment in China and thrived on four locally produced television programmes, the main 60-minute MTV programme MTV Global Village (Tian Lai Cun), MTV Star Profile (Mingxing Dangan) featuring biographies of artists in movies, MTV Chart of Glory (Guangrong Bang), a synopsis of music charts across the globe, and MTV Learning English (Xue yingyu) which teaches cool English. Th is programming serves up a playlist consisting of 70 percent Chinese music videos with the balance made up of international videos for viewers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. It also cooperated with Chinas state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) to produce the CCTV-MTV Music Awards in Beijing and later with Shanghai Media Group (SMG) to create 72 Global Media and Communication of Style Awards in Shanghai. Coupled with the localization strategy of local people, local programme, MTV sell their made-in-China syndicated programmes to stations in different Chinese cities, inserting advertising between the programme slots, and have thus gradually established their profitable business Weber, Ian (2003). The time race and time signification in the reform era: A study of changing movie theatres in urban China, this case of changing Chinese movie theatres serves as a miniature of the discursive process of how tension and ideological contention in cultural Production is revealed in Chinas reform era. For a long time, movie Theatres in China operated as a state-subsidized institution. Since 1979, China has been attempting to establish a market economy under the control of the Communist Party. The economic reform has brought various tensions to the fore, particularly those between state control and individual choice, the public and private spheres, material and cultural production, and ideological domination and resistance. Through the analysis of movie theatres, we intend to shed some light on the working of these tensions and on the main currents of cultural dynamics in Chinas reform era. Time also reveals itself as an irreversible arrow. The past exists in archives and our recollections, the present lives in direct experiences, and the future is in our imagination or inspiration. Nevertheless, the three time categories may not be so neatly arranged in a sequential order. The past is often situationally Constructed in the specific contexts of present social practices and is used as a symbolic resource (Appadurai, 1981). Social actors are able to follow and to reshape the script that explicates the past in the cultural sphere, Zhou, Tai (1993). The Deepening development of city movie theatres are renovation in the Nation (Quanguo chengshi yingyuan gaizao xiang zongshen fazhan), in China Film Yearbook 1993, p. 224. Beijing: China Cinema Press (Chinese). A developing market in News: Xinhua News Agency and Chinese newspapers Nothing can give us a better understanding of the earliest news agencies than tracing the history of their links with newspapers. It is also true that, without consideration of news agencies, the history of the capitalist newspaper industry cannot be fully understood. The early history of traditional news agencies is largely tied up with the development of the Newspaper industry (Thussu, 2000: 20; Gorman and McLean, 2003: 6-7). In the process of globalization, particularly in the contemporary digital environment based on the internet, news agencies, both old and new, have been challenged by rapid technological and economic changes. In this new environment, they have to compete not only with their counterparts but also with diversified media and non-media news providers. Intensifying Competition as a result of marketing, commercialization and digitalization, on the one hand it is forcing traditional news wholesalers to change their business model in order to survive; on the other hand, it is providing more opportunities for new entrants along with the fragmentation of news and information markets. The acceleration of marketing of the Chinese economy as a whole, and of the media industry in particular, has forced the national news agency to adopt more market principles in order to survive intensifying competition in both domestic and international markets Chu, L.L. (1994). Television and New Media: Greater China, understood as Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Peoples Republic of China, has been divided along political and economic lines for most of the past century. Nevertheless, just in the past decade, after globalisation television has emerged as a medium able to cross the boundaries within and around Greater China, to create new patterns of exchange within the Chinese speaking world, and to engage in complex ways with global forces of culture and commerce. This process has been driven by the liberation of National television industries of China and Taiwan since the 1980s. The establishment of commercial cable and satellite networks, both local and multinational, and the development of the technologies, reproduction of video cassettes and video compact discs have created a unified market for Mandarin-language television programming. The particular characteristics of the regions, with strong commercial production skills in Hong Kong and to a lesser extent Taiwan, and the colossal g rowth of the mainland Chinese commercial television industry have shaped the kinds of programming being produced and the way advertising has approached the market. One of the ways television expresses difference within Greater China is with the Chinese conceptualization of modernity. As argued by Duara, Fitzgerald, and others, the ideology of modernity in China is a sharply relational one, particularly preoccupied with Chinas relationship to other Sinclair. The Chinese ideology of modernity is concerned, on one hand, with the national need for Chinas technological modernization and, on the other, with the value of the personal practice of modern behaviours and lifestyles (Anagnost 1997, 75). Star TV was forced to accommodate Chinese officials in an attempt to gain carriage on government cable systems. Moreover, Rupert Murdochs dreams of exploiting a pan Asian market were dashed by the cultural diversity of audiences and the logistical demands of competing with local and national television broadcasters. Likewise, the complexity of product distribution networks on the ground undermined the possibility of expansive advertising strategies in the sky. And, finally, the promotional chores associated with building services inside China were worsened by restrictions on newspaper and magazine advertising. The Rise of the Anchor in Chinese Television: The television industry perceived influence of TV anchors (presenters) on Chinese television in the past 10 years or so, including the approaches and various institutional guidelines and disciplinary measures imposed by government departments and media institutions. Through the case of China Central Television (CCTV) and based on a theoretical framework that draws on the discourse of news culture, the study explores the different types of anchored media presented in the genres of news and current affairs, and tracks the rise of four of Chinas most popular anchors in these genres. Using a combination of discourse, visual and policy analysis, the popularity of high-profile anchor people in China since the mid 1990s has created a new type of influence, one not without its limitations but which may also contribute to a public sphere with Chinese characteristics. Chinese pop culture and music: Popular music and the culture industries, the intersection between gender politics in Chinese societies and the musical success of Faye Wong, the reigning diva of the Hong Kong based pop music industry. Unlike earlier female singing stars, Fayes music and public personal explicitly resist standard market practices and conventional representations of femininity. Yet, paradoxically, these unconventional qualities have contributed to her sustained success over the past 10 years. Thus, Fayes star personal operates both as a marketable commodity and as a site of significant cultural work in the region of gender politics. Using Bourdieus distinction between economic and cultural capital, shows how music companies enriched cultural capital as part of their promotional efforts and how in turn exploited that very capital in unconventional ways. Chow, Chien-I (1998) The Globalization of Chinese Film and TV: Michael Curtin is among many Western scholars and critics to focus their attention on the Chinese film and TV industry. His book presents a vivid picture of the development and globalization of the Chinese film and TV industry in the Greater China area from the 1950s till now. Apart from the unparalleled abundance of in depth interviews with key players, one of the greatest values of Curtins book is its intensity. While drawing a historic picture of the development of Chinese film and television, it raises many profound questions about the changing society of Greater China. Among these questions, two of them should attract wide attention from scholars who are interested in researching Chinese media. First, is the long-term tradition of paternalism, and second a conspicuous lack of creativity in the current film and television work. Summarized in brief, these two questions could be visualized as how the tradition of paternalism influences the capital operation of Chinese media enterpr ises and what are the social factors which gave rise to the lack of creativity in the Chinese media today. The Internet and the rise of a transnational Chinese cultural sphere, its basic elements are two kinds of online spaces, non-interactive spaces in the form of online magazines and newsletters, and interactive spaces such as chat rooms, newsgroups and bulletin board systems Arnold, Wayne (1998). The realities of virtual play: Video games and their industry in China: Video game is an umbrella term for arcade games; console Games, single PC games and online games. Video games have 20year history in China and continually impress us with their impressive statistics. With Over 20 million online gamers and the largest game population in the world, China was predicted to be the largest online game market in 2007 (Game Trust and Diffusion Group, 2004). In 2005 alone, video games generated 6.7 Billion RMB (US $0.8 billion) of revenue in China (Pop soft, 2006). Playing video games has displaced TV watching as a major leisure activity among Chinese youth. A recent survey showed that 25.4 percent of urban youth reported video games as the medium they most enjoyed, followed by Television (18.8%). Average playtime reached 0.98 hours a day (Yang et al. 2004). As video gaming soared in popularity, it became recognized as an official Sport by the state. Aside from being a huge economic and entertainment phenomenon, video games have complex social and cultural im pacts. Researchers suggest video Games are becoming a social location in which new social relations, community Networks and new life-styles are formed (Humphrey, 2005; Wang, 2003). Furthermore, as a new and popular medium, video games have significant ideological and cultural influences on young people. They also function as a rich art form and a new venue for critical expression (Jenkins and Squire, 2002). Despite their cultural and social significance, rapid growth and widespread appeal in China, video games unlike traditional media have received a huge attention from international communication researchers. Globalizing Evolution: Female Choice, Nationality, and Perception of Sexual Beauty in China: In the Confucian discourse on womanhood, the essential attributes of a good woman in addition to virtue, words, and work included appearance. While traditional self adornment had various aspects, modern thinkers and activists examining the relationship between the female condition and Chinas self-strengthening efforts focused mainly on foot binding. Reformers such as Liang Qichao and Kang Youwei and revolutionaries such as Qiu Jin believed that their lack of education and bound feet made the female population ignorant and weak and were conditions that must be removed (Edwards, 2000: 126-27). But Globalisation has brought them back with reform. Fashion appearance has outreached from China to other parts of the world including the fashion products. The Chinese women are more beauty conscious and they are open up for any fashion industry. An evolutionary perspective on physical attractiveness suggests that individuals find those characteristics associated with reproductive success attra ctive. We take this evolutionary perspective global to know how Chinese men and women rate the sexual beauty of East Asian compared with Caucasian models. Chinese men and women from hotshot, a northern city, and Chengdu, a southern city, to rank photos of both Chinese and Caucasian male and female models obtained from Chinese magazines. Results revealed that Chinese women ranked Caucasian male and female models as more attractive. Chinese men, however, did not differentially rank East Asian and Caucasian women, though they did rank Caucasian men as being more attractive. The process of globalization can still be linked to potentially adaptive preferences for physical attractiveness, and call for more research. (Tang Parish, 2000). Administrative of Chinese reform in the new millennium: The 1998 Reform was a progressive reform characterized by its transitional features. Though this reform has achieved much in separating the government from enterprises and in altering the functions of the government, a well functioning administrative system suitable for a market economy and responsive to globalization is an ongoing process. China practises a party state structure, where there exists no institutionalized mechanism to harness the power of the government in relation to the economy. Besides the deepening of market-oriented reform, Chinas increasing involvement in the global economy, symbolized by its entry to the WTO in November 2001, has infused a new impulse. (You Ji, 1998). Globalization and Chinas increasing integration with the world economy have also provided much of the justification for the relentless administrative reforms in China. Globalization has made the competitiveness of a nation the primary concern of government, as is the case for China. The process of economic integration with the world economy has put great pressure on the functioning of the Chinese government and its responsiveness. The heavy intervention of government in the Chinese economy in the recent past has proven no longer suitable for a market economy and free trade. In order to attract and retain foreign investment within its territory and to secure a high level of economic growth, the Chinese government has been under continuous pressure from inside as well as outside to adopt policies consistent with the global trend and practice. For this purpose, the role of government and its functions have been rethought over and over, and readjusted. Conclusion: Chinas rising profile in world economic affairs is beyond dispute after globalisation. The economy explores several ways to think about Chinas experience as a latecomer, offering a preliminary assessment of its development and the evolving nature of its foreign economic relations. In particular, I reject the view that China is emerging as the hub of a regional economic order in East Asia that is increasingly cohesive and independent of other regions of the world. The Chinese economic activity within global commodity chains form cross border integration that affects interdependence among Nation-states at multi-continental distances. (Breslin. S, 2005). A conspicuous trope within contemporary Chinese society, nostalgia is a product of two recent transformations. First, drastic changes in economic and political life have led to anxiety and uncertainty, together with excitement and hope. Second, economic rationalization of the cultural industries has resulted in extensive repackaging and repurposing of existing content in order to reduce cost and secure customer acceptance. The culture industry has become the driving force of Chinese economy now. They find expression in TV drama, pop music, theme restaurants, mass circulation magazines and film. Images of past glory and aspirations confront each other as they define the Chinese route that has led to the present, and presumably will lead into the future. Visions of the good life within these historical frames of nostalgia are highly contentious. But their appropriation illustrates the potential for creativity, not only in the business strategies of commercial culture, but also in the social imagination and design for a new China. (Wu, Jing (2002).

I Wish to Pursue an MS Degree in Electrical Engineering :: Graduate Admissions Essays

I Wish to Pursue an MS Degree in Electrical Engineering    During my senior year at Purdue University, I made a decision that has impacted the entire course of my education. While my classmates were making definite decisions about their career paths, I chose to implement a five-year plan of development and growth for myself. I designed this plan in order to examine various careers that I thought might interest me, as well as to expand upon my abilities at the time. As I was attaining a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, I decided to focus primarily on fields related to the VLSI (Very Large-Scale Integrated) circuits area. My main goals were either to gain work experience or to further my education by pursuing an MS degree in Electrical Engineering (MSEE). I saw an opportunity to both work and learn through employment at Xilinx Inc. Operating as a product engineer at a successful, high-tech semiconductor company has enabled me to utilize my technical and interpersonal skills in new and challenging ways. The position has also allowed me to i nteract with a multitude of departments including marketing, integrated circuit (IC) design, software/CAD development, manufacturing, reliability, accounting, and sales. I thus have gained an array of experience that extended beyond the parameters of my own responsibilities. In the workplace, I rely heavily upon the interpersonal techniques I developed as a counselor in a Purdue residence hall, as well as the organizational skills I had acquired through holding various leadership positions in cultural and engineering societies. I have also cultivated an interest in high-technology marketing that has continued to grow throughout my career.    My experiences with Xilinx have heightened my hunger for knowledge in the VLSI field. Two months after joining the corporation, I applied to several part-time programs in the vicinity that would allow me to acquire an MSEE degree within two to three years. San Jose State seemed an ideal choice, for its evening MSEE courses would allow me to pursue two independent, full-time positions concurrently. The San Jose program has complimented my Xilinx duties well; both demand large levels of energy and enthusiasm while guiding me to my ultimate goal a high degree of education in VLSI sciences. The resources that I poured into both endeavors have reaped many gains. I have been promoted to a Product-Yield Engineering position within Xilinx's Coarse Grain Static Memory (CGSM) Product Engineering division.

Administrative assistant

I am actively seeking an executive assistant opportunity in a demanding, fast-paced multi-tasking office. I possess years of executive experience, which have equipped me with a multitude of skills, and I would like to continue my growth at AB Volvo’s Group Accounting Department.I am a college graduate and am proficient in the use of the Microsoft Office suite of software (MS Word, MS Excel and MS PowerPoint).Throughout my career I have demonstrated for my employers an exceptional facility for meeting organizational objectives and demands. In addition to my secretarial skills, I am an adept event planner, and am proficient in administrative work regarding the Sarbanes Oxley Act. I am also well versed in financial related communication due to my having worked in accounting environments previously.Furthermore, my current and previous employers have regarded my secretarial skills in planning meetings, taking minutes, filing and documentation as high quality.I am certain I would pr ove to be an asset at AB Volvo as well.If my abilities meet the needs of AB Volvo’s Group Accounting Department, I would greatly appreciate the opportunity of speaking with you personally at your earliest convenience. Thank you for your time.Sincerely,Jane Smith

HUM 102 Week 1 Individual Assignment Humanities Today Paper Essay

When learning about people and their cultures, it becomes inevitably to recognize how people are the result of their traditions, their stories, their ideas, and their words. It also becomes necessarily to learn about how people from past generations created the world they lived in and how this world made them the way they were. Learning about humanities is more than studying about past cultures. Each generation leaves a creative legacy, the sum of its ideas and achievements. This legacy represents the response to the effort to ensure individual and collective survival, the need to establish ways of  living in harmony with others, and the desire to understand everyone’s place in the universe (Fiero, 2011). The study of Humanities is the study of the people and how they learn and documented their human experiences through art, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. Defining Humanities â€Å"The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences† (University of South Florida, 2014). The primary definition of the singular form â€Å"humanity† refers to being â€Å"humane† that  means civilized and well-educated. Humane people recognize and practice concepts like â€Å"hospitality† and â€Å"justice†, even though its definition may vary in different places. The word â€Å"humanity† also refers to the â€Å"human race†. Using the word â€Å"humanities† it usually refers to the field of study within university settings, a group of subjects scholars study, discuss and debate including history, music, art, languages, philosophy, religion, and literature. (Behling, 2012) There are qualities that distinguish the humanities from other modes of human inquiry and expression. The humanities engage in critical evaluation of visual, literary, communication and performing arts. In other words, the humanities critically analyze the human experiences HUMANITIES TODAY 3 across cultures that engage all modes of understanding such as intellectual, imaginative, and emotional. The study of humanities goes beyond just practicing the arts. It is the intense analysis of the art and its outcomes as well as how the imagination, emotions, and uncertainty affect the human being. The humanities explore the relationship between the insubstantial and hidden meanings. It provides expression to all forms of human experience using all modes of understanding. The humanities capture the idea that is not just to study the arts but to engage with other modes of understanding including rational, intellectual, and critical mode as learned from social sciences. The humanities understand the role of individuals in exploring the human conditions. It reflects on the form and the content of all modes of expression including language, visual, auditory, or tactile. The study of humanities attends to the aspects of human experience that cannot be measured. For instance, when learning a new language. The humanities recognize the general patterns of literature, linguistic, visual and performing arts throughout history. It also constructs and evaluates oral and written discussions in a logical form. The Current Developments in Politics, Socioeconomics, and Technology The arts, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature, are some of the disciplines of the humanities. These disciplines offer models and methods for addressing dilemmas and acknowledging ambiguity. They can help individuals face the tension between their concerns; promote informed discussions of conflicts; and place current issues in historical perspective. These disciplines of humanity give voice and artistic shape to experience, balancing passion and rationality while exploring issues of morality and value. The study of humanities provides the HUMANITIES TODAY 4 scenario in which expressions, interpretations, and experiences can be recognized in areas explored by shared interests (The Ohio Humanities Council, 2015). The visual arts employ a wide variety of media, ranging from traditional colors used in painting, to wood, clay, marble, plastic and neon used in sculptures, to digital media, including photography and film. The form of the art work depends on the manner in which the artist manipulates the elements of color, line, texture, and space. Artists manipulate form to describe the visible world or to create worlds of fantasy. (Fiero, 2011) There is a strong relationship between the arts and politics. In response to current political events within society, the arts may adopt certain social dimensions focusing on the controversy and on inspiring social changes. For instance, Alexander Pushkin, (who died in 1837 at the age of 37), was a famous Russian writer who used his talent to irritate Russian officials by  composing extremely arrogant and independent material which made fun of major and minor dictators (Wikipedia, 2015). The Arts are a form of expression used to manifest all types of emotions – in earlier and current times. It is a talent inspired by the free spirit of those with the capacity to express it. The major elements of music are melody, rhythm, and harmony. However, while literary and visual texts are usually descriptive, music is almost nonrepresentational: it rarely has meaning beyond sound itself. Dance is the art form made by the human body as a way of expression and performance oriented. (Fiero, 2011) Information collected by the Department of Education of the United States revealed that students involved in band or orchestra during their middle and high school years demonstrated to have higher levels of math proficiency by grade twelve. This data also showed that students who participate in school band have the lowest levels of current and lifelong use of alcohol, tobacco, HUMANITIES TODAY 5 and illicit drugs when compared to other groups within society. (Music Empowers Foundation, 2015) The architecture and its planning are fundamentally based in society. The built  environment affects the everyday actions of the people and their understanding of cultural values, social relations, institutions, and distributions of power. The failure of architects and planners to learn from the stories that are part of the people’s lives and to actually link the community values in their work is at the core of many urban dysfunctions present in current times. (Bartholomew & Locher, 2007) In terms of philosophy, the search for the truth through reasoned analysis, and history make use of prose to analyze and communicate ideas and information. In terms of literature,  content and form are usually interrelated. The subject manner or form of a literary piece determines its genre. For instance, a long narrative poem that recounts the adventures of a hero constitutes an epic while a formal speech in praise of a person or thing constitutes a tribute. (Fiero, 2011) Conclusion The humanities today gives you the capacity to interpret ideas, a greater creativity, the ability to analyze things from different perspectives, the development of a richer understanding of other people’s feelings and experiences as well as human nature, the ability to listen and think,  and how to engage with expressing oneself. HUMANITIES TODAY 6 References Bartholomew, K. & Locher, M. , University of Utah (2007). People & Place: Humanities-based Pedagogy in Architecture and Planning. Retrieved from http://faculty. arch. utah. edu/bartholomew/Bartholomew_Locher. pdf Behling, D. , Huffington Post (2012). On Studying the Humanities: What Does it Mean to be Human? Retrieved from http://www. huffingtonpost. com/david-behling/humanities- majors_b_1569600. html? Fiero, G. , (2011). The Humanistic Tradition, Book 3: The European Renaissance, The Reformation, and The Global Encounter. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Music Empowers Foundation (2015). Why Music? Retrieved from http://musicempowersfoundation. org/why-music The Ohio Humanities Council (2015). What Are The Humanities? Retrieved from http://www. units. miamioh. edu/technologyandhumanities/humanitiesdefinition. htm University of South Florida. College of Arts and Sciences (2014). What is Humanities? Retrieved from http://humanities. usf. edu/undergraduate/ba/ Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (2015). The Arts and Politics. Retrieved from http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/The_arts_and_politics.

The eNotes Blog F. Scott Fitzgerald Says, ReadThis!

F. Scott Fitzgerald Says, ReadThis! Image via Electric Lit F. Scott Fitzgerald  was very ill in 1936 and was recovering at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina with the help of a private nurse.   In addition to his failing health, the author was struggling with the decision to commit his wife, Zelda, to a mental institution at a nearby hospital.   His essay about his own decline, The Crack-Up, had just been published in Esquire.   Here, Fitzgerald voices an incredibly sad awareness of his own decline:   Ã¢â‚¬Å"[M]y life had been a drawing on resources that I did not possess, that I had been mortgaging myself physically and spiritually up to the hilt, he wrote. It didnt seem that anything could go right that year.   Fitzgeralds drinking had become increasingly problematic and he had significant money problems.   That summer, he fractured his shoulder while diving into the hotel swimming pool, and sometime later, according to Michael Cody at the University of South Carolina’s Fitzgerald Web site, â€Å"he fired a revolver in a suicide threat, after which the hotel refused to let him stay without a nurse. (Source) Eventually, the hotel relented and allowed Fitzgerald to have an attendant, a woman named Dorothy Richardson, who, in addition to tending to his physical needs, had the unenviable task of keeping the writer from drinking too much. The two developed a friendship during his convalescence. At one point, apparently Dorothy asked what she should read. Heres the list Fitzgerald gave her, written in her own hand as he reeled off the titles and authors names: Image via Open Culture Heres a more legible list: Sister Carrie, by Theodore Dreiser The Life of Jesus, by Ernest Renan A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson The Old Wives’ Tale, by Arnold Bennett The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiel Hammett The Red and the Black, by Stendahl The Short Stories of Guy De Maupassant, translated by Michael Monahan An Outline of Abnormal Psychology, edited by Gardner Murphy The Stories of Anton Chekhov, edited by Robert N. Linscott The Best American Humorous Short Stories, edited by Alexander Jessup Victory, by Joseph Conrad The Revolt of the Angels, by Anatole France The Plays of Oscar Wilde Sanctuary, by William Faulkner Within a Budding Grove, by Marcel Proust The Guermantes Way, by Marcel Proust Swann’s Way, by Marcel Proust South Wind, by Norman Douglas The Garden Party, by Katherine Mansfield War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy John Keats and Percy Bysshe Shelley: Complete Poetical Works (Source) Featured Image via Unsplash