Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The Avant ­ Garde Cinema Community Essay - 2247 Words

During the 1960s, the Avant ­Garde cinema community began to see the emergence of an Underground camp cinema that was intrigued with the concept of homosexuality, the normative constructs of society and how the two co ­existed. J. Hoberman and Jonathan Rosenbuam believed this new transformative cinema arose from a need to â€Å"defragment the official cinematic senses†(Hoberman, p. 39). In turn, creating new ideas and concepts to be explored. During this time period, queer/homosexual directors like Jack Smith, Kenneth Anger, and Andy Warhol created pictures like Flaming Creatures, Scorp io Rising, and Blowjob. These films addressed the relationship of heteronormative constructs to homosexuality in new ways via the use of unconventional methods, including over the top acting, the incorporation of pop icons, androgyny, minimalist framing and intense focus. Sus an Sontag who wrote, â€Å" Notes on Camp† which said these films arose from a need to express and address the feelings of the marginalized (Sontag, p. 278). During this time the homosexual community was marginalized making them the perfect subjects for these films. By casting them as subjects in these films, viewers are allowed to see what it meant to be homosexual during this time period. These films produced the creation of queerness and gave those who associated themselves with being a queer theory we see in the 1990s emerges. Much like the queer theory, underground cinema rose out of a need to address the normative form andShow MoreRelatedExperiencing Bollywood2798 Words   |  12 PagesExperiencing Bollywood: An Avant-garde Attempt Introduction Bollywood has been characterised for its larger than life plots, elaborate song and dance sequences, melodramatic acting which underpins the Indian social framework. 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Monday, December 23, 2019

Ancient Egypt Anatomy Of A Civilisation By Barry J. Kemp

(Image 1: quotefancy.com, We are not made by History, n.d) In this essay, I will be discussing the reasons we study history, and will delve into the issues historians may face when writing history. I’ll also examine how individual and group perspectives could affect interpretations of history. I’ll clarify the difference between a Primary Source and a Secondary Source, will investigate the strengths and weaknesses between Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilisation by Barry J. Kemp and Tutankhamun’s Armies by John Coleman Darnell and Collen Manassa, and will examine Pyramids of Giza and King Tutankhamun’s tomb to explore their value to historians. The society of today is based upon the actions and decisions made yesterday, and this is†¦show more content†¦This is not without problems though. ‘History is written by its victors’, Winston Churchill famously said in the 1930’s, and Julius Caesar was no stranger to this. During the Battle of Alesia he employed an historian to follow him around and document the events. Of course, this was all written to please Caesar and paint him in the best light, so this made it very biased. This, along with many other historic events which contain biased accounts, make it very hard for historians to do their job properly, as this is not an accurate representation of what really happened. Historians are no Saints though, and they too can write history with a hint of bias. ‘Historians can infer particular facts about the past from the evidence available to them, the way they give meaning to those facts by presenting relations between them is a function of their own creative imagination’ (McCullagh, 2000, :1) We rely on historians to tell us the tales of the past, and we trust everything they say to be true, but they can subject us to biased views and opinions. They could misinterpret evidence, they could use fake facts to write an account, or they could explain events omitting information in the bid to make people’s opinion sway a certain way. For example, rich and clever white men used to write history, and thought the only history worth noting was made by leaders, and all other

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Describe and Evaluate Social Explanations of Aggression Free Essays

Describe and evaluate social explanations of aggression. Aggression can be defined in many different ways. Bandura suggests that it is the intent to cause harm to another human being who is motivated to avoid such treatment. We will write a custom essay sample on Describe and Evaluate Social Explanations of Aggression or any similar topic only for you Order Now One of the main social psychological explanations of aggression comes from Bandura and Walters in 1963. He suggests that aggression is learned either indirectly; through observational learning and only replicated if vicarious reinforcement occurs, or directly- where aggressive behaviour is directly reinforced. While both are a form of operant conditioning, the direct approach parallels the ideas much closer. Bandura outlined the following three steps in the modelling process of SLT: Observation- by watching the behaviour of role models and then imitating that behaviour, mental representation- the child will only display the learned behaviour as long as the expectation of reward is greater than the expectation of punishment, and production of behaviour- if the child is rewarded (maintenance through direct experience) or by building the confidence from expectancies of like likely outcomes of their aggressive behaviour (self-efficacy). In support of this theory, Bandura et al. proved that if children watch someone else behave aggressively towards a Bobo Doll, they were more likely to be aggressive themselves later on, specifically imitating individual actions they had previously seen. When the model was rewarded, the child was more likely to reproduce through vicarious reinforcement compared to those models punished, thus showing that observational learning only results in imitation when it is vicariously reinforced. This study however, does not take into account of the nature vs. urture debate. Although it seems that Bandura’s research proves that behaviour is learnt (nurture), it must however be noted that there were many gender differences where the boys produced more physical aggression than girls, which consequently support the argument that such behaviour is innate (nature). In addition, research findings are not only culturally bound but may be due to demand characteristics. It was noted by Noble (197 5), after the study occurred, that many of the parents told the children what to expect, consequently causing little face validity. Furthermore, although this study tells us that children do acquire aggressive responses as a result of watching others, it does not tell us much about why a child would be motivated to do so in the absence of the model, nor does it include the cognition or biology of these behaviours. This study also holds many ethical issues. It was carried out in the knowledge that children may reproduce the aggressive behaviours they were exposed to and therefore it is difficult to establish the scientific credibility. It is also difficult to further test the social learning theory experimentally due to the concern of needing to protect participants from psychological and psychical harm. Moreover, a weakness of the Social Learning Theory is that people are never consistently rewarded for aggression. Often, and if not in most cases they are punished, not rewarded. While media can sometimes portray certain acts as ethically ambiguous, it is rare to find these days aggressive behaviour rewarded in a mainstream way to suggest that the population are learning this behaviour through SLT. Deindividuation, another social psychological theory is defined as the loss of a sense of personal identity that can occur when, for example, in a crows or wearing a mask. It is associated with a reduced sense of personal responsibility and increased anti-social behaviour. The theory relies heavily on two components; anonymity and reduced self-awareness. Anonymity describes the presence of crowds (or groups) leading individual members to feel anonymous and act according to a different set of norms and values which are imposed or encouraged by them (Zimbardo 1969). The alternate explanation for deindividuation to cause aggression is reduced self-awareness. Proposed by Prentice-Dunn ; Rogers 1982, they suggest that crowds do not lead necessarily to anonymity or public awareness (while this may contribute) but instead lead to a lack of private awareness, often strengthened by the presence of drugs and alcohol. Normally, people are aware of their personal morals, however within a group it is argued that they may lose sight of such ‘private’ principles and instead follow the group. The majority of research evidence in deindividuation comes from the work of Zimbardo. He repeated the Milgram paradigm, where female participant were either wearing a nametag (individuated) or in a hood (deindividuated) and it was found that by wearing a hood, participants were much more likely to give shocks to the learner. Furthermore, Diener et al. observed the behaviour of over 1000 children on Halloween. The children were asked their name, and for those that didn’t give it, rates of stealing candy or money when alone rose ramatically. These studies support the idea of anonymity and how they are more likely to carry out antisocial behaviour when they cannot be identified. Cannavale et al. (1970) found that male and female groups responded differently under deinviduated conditions and therefore reflecting gender bias in Zimbardo’s research. This can further be linked to the biological approach as it fails to consider the biology of aggression, such as the hormones. The male sex hormone, testosterone, is thought to influence aggression from young adulthood onwards due to its action on brain areas involved in controlling aggression. This is supported by Dabbs et al. (1987) who measures salivary testosterone in violent and non-violent criminals. They found that those with higher levels of testosterone had a history of violent crime whereas those with the lowest levels had committed only non-violent crime. Dramatic support for the deadly influence of deindividuation comes from a study by anthropologist Robert Watson (1973). He collected data from tribes on the extent to which they killed, tortured or mutilated their victims. He found that societies where warriors changed their appearance (through the use of war paint and tribal costumes etc. ) were more destructive towards their victims compared to those who did not change their appearance. This study not only provides research support for the idea of anonymity, but also gives evidence that this theory takes account of cultural differences. However, most of the research focuses on the relationship between deindividuation and antisocial behaviour. But Spivey and Prentice-Dunn (1990) found that deindividuation could lead to either prosocial or antisocial behaviour depending on the situational factors. When prosocial environmental cues were present (such as a prosical model), deindividuated participants preformed significantly more altruistic acts (giving money) and significantly fewer antisocial acts (giving electric shocks)c compared to a control group. Furthermore, desirable effects of deindividuation can be found on cyberspace. Adolescents reported feeling significantly more comfortable seeiking help with mental health problems under deindividuated circumstances of Internet chat rooms as opposed to individuated circumstances of a personal appointment with a health professional (Francis eta al. 2006). This lends support to the deindividuation theory and displays the positive aspect of deindividuation. How to cite Describe and Evaluate Social Explanations of Aggression, Essay examples

Friday, December 6, 2019

Communication in Business for Hofstede Model- myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theCommunication in Business for Hofstede Cultural Model. Answer: Introduction Fostering business process for achieving growth in terms of financial profitability requires international market penetration. Hence, Mary, the owner of The Aroma Shop wishes to emerge into the market of China (as the products of the shop contains chilli sauce, chutneys, pasta and jams) for having business growth and for this reason, the study aims to highlight the Chinese business etiquette and the steps that Mary can utilise for taking a favourable first impression when the person visits China to meet Mr Lau (a manager of a popular store). The purpose of the study is to include the areas of potential cross-cultural miscommunication by utilising the cultural framework of Hofstede. In addition to this, the study will provide significant recommendations so that, it becomes possible for Mary to increase the chances of success of the meeting. Business etiquette in China With the increasing globalisation, more and more people try to expand business in China. While language is an essential aspect in bridging an intercontinental relationship, the etiquette and cultural expectation behind the language are even more important. By gaining understanding of the Chinese business culture and social etiquette of the country, it will be possible to avoid any form of business miscommunication. Chinese business mentality requires a well-prepared person for the meeting and hence, a small talk can be considered as particularly important at beginning of the meeting. Chinese people generally like to establish a strong relationship before closing a deal and thus, they take a much time to finalise a deal (Usunier, Van Herk and Lee, 2017). Further, it is worth mentioning that, maintaining composure during the meeting is vital and hence, showing too much emotion has that potential to impact on the business negotiation negatively. It is worth mentioning that, in case of decision making, people in China usually takes a lot of time for making a decision and thus, sometimes the negotiation process crosses the ultimate deadline. Hence, Mary needs to be prepared and she should not mention any form of the deadline in the negotiation process as this can be proved a disadvantageous aspect of her business development. As stated by Sethi (2016), Chinese people enter their meeting venue in form of hierarchical manner and therefore head of the delegation usually enters the venue first. Apart from this, a handshake is common in Chinese business meeting but it will preferable to wait for the Chinese counterpart to initiate this gesture for developing an effective business communication. Further, it is essential to avoid any form of political discussion especially that is political unrest in Taiwan which often tends to affect the sentiments of Chinese people. Thus, it is essential for Mary to respect the beliefs during the negotiation process. In case of body language, Chinese business etiquette is very controlled and calm. This process shows the personality of Chinese people and hence, it can be mentioned that the body poster of Chinese people is formal and they prefer self-control and respectfulness to reflect through their body poster. However, if the idea and concept of business are strong, then to Chinese people, all the business meetings are merely a deal signing opportunity (Thomas and Peterson, 2017). In relation to the given case scenario, Mary uses a number of elements in her products such as chilli sauces, pasta and all that sounds preferable to the Chinese people. Thus, Mary needs to present herself to Mr Lau in such a manner (as stated above), so that, the business manager takes no time to sign the deal and allows Mary to expand business in China. Cross-cultural miscommunication Each culture has a different set of business ethics, behaviour, values, expected etiquette, language and expression and from this perspective, it can be mentioned that not knowing the differences in culture across the countries may lead to a potential barrier in penetrating into the target market. A common cross-cultural barrier in effective business communication is the use of language. According to the viewpoint of Warren (2017), language barrier comes in the form of either the utilisation of foreign language or the utilisation of improper language. It is worth mentioning that, when the communication is effective, the business venture becomes able to tailor the product or service properly and it results in the use or purchase of the product by the offeree. As opined by Triandis (2018), ineffective communication can offend, confuse cross-culturally and send a misunderstood message to leads to unsuccessful business dealings. This can be considered as the impact of cross-cultural misc ommunication. Thus, emerging into the target market demands the knowledge of law, ethics, morality, art, belief and culture of the country so that, it becomes possible for the business executive to avoid cross-cultural miscommunication. As stated by (Pauluzzo and Shen, 2018), one of the essential approaches for ensuring the cross-cultural communication is to be an active listener. With the help of this, it becomes possible for the business executive to clarify the message. In developing business in China, it can be stated that use of English will be beneficial for Mary however the use of a couple of words in Chinese will help Mary to impress Mr Lau significantly. Further, it is essential for a business venture to be proactive and to use some cultural rapport for developing an effective cross-cultural business communication. Hofstede cultural model According to Hofstede Model, values of employees in the workplace environment are influenced by their prospective countrys culture and therefore, for understanding those values, it is essential for a business venture to analyse the six primary dimensions of the nations culture (Bakir et al. 2015). These elements can be marked as follows Power distance index: Through the power distance index, the degree of inequality between people with and without power can be shown. In case of Australia, the way of communication is informal and thus, managers prefer to engage employees in decision making for improving the motivational level among the employees and enhancing the effectiveness of the decision-making process besides. The scenario is somewhat different in case of China. As stated by Bargiela-Chiappini and Nickerson (2014), power abuse is a very common thing among the superiors. The leaders generally leverage the superpower and employees have to abide by all the decisions taken by the administration. Hence, it is essential for Mary to focus on the negotiation process by engaging with the managers only. Individualism versus Collectivism: Its index addresses the degree of interdependence a society usually maintains among its members. In Australia, people prefer the individualist culture. Thus, in the world of business, employees are expected to display initiative towards decision-making and be self-reliant. However, in case of China, the situation demands some different aspects. They prefer collectivist culture and those hiring and promotional processes take place in in-groups. Employee commitment is low towards the organisation and it is worth mentioning that, personal relationship prevails over the company and task. In this case scenario, it is essential for Mary to develop a strong relationship with the managers to get the task done. Masculinity versus femininity: China is a masculine society and thus success oriented and driven. Thus, apart from Australian culture, it is worth mentioning that, impactful work culture along with direct gaining process is preferable in the concerned nation. Thus, it is essential for Mary to take the business work culture as the prior concern rather than anything else. Uncertainty avoidance: In this case scenario, it can be marked that, Chinese people are comfortable with the ambiguity and thus, for Western people, it becomes difficult to deal with the Chinese ambiguous business environment. According to the viewpoint of Moshiri and Cardon (2014), Chinese are entrepreneurial and adaptable. Therefore, it is worth mentioning that, Chinese business tends to be small to medium size. Hence, this aspect will be beneficial for Mary. Long-term orientation: Chinese people rank high in long-term orientation and this means that they focus on perseverance and persistence. This leads to Chinese people to be more dedicated towards their jobs and performances. Thus, these people take a long time in finalising a negotiation process so that, it becomes possible for them to focus on long-run results. Indulgence: China is a restrained society and thus, society does not put emphasis on leisure time and thereby control the gratification of the desires. People with this orientation encompass the tendency that their feelings are restrained by the social norms (Mazanec et al. 2015). Recommendations From the above-held discussion, it can be stated that Mary needs to show more dedication while working with the Chinese business environment. Thus, it is essential for the person to develop a healthy relationship with Mr Lau and consider a strong business idea so that, the business meeting becomes a merely deal signing opportunity. Further, it is essential for Mary not to set any deadline for the negotiation process in order to have some of the extra advantages in the business environment. Further, it can be recommended that a concept of a small or medium size organisation will attract Mr Lau more to take part in the proposed business. Conclusion It has been observed that a business venture needs to understand cross-cultural business etiquette for penetrating into the target market. Chinese communication is indirect, ambiguous and highly contextual. Lavish gift-giving is one such significant part of the Chinese business communication. Thus, the study has provided knowledge of Chinese business etiquette and how to develop cross-cultural communication, so that, it becomes possible for Mary to enter the Chinese market efficiently. Reference list Bakir, A., Blodgett, J. G., Vitell, S. J., and Rose, G. M. 2015. A preliminary investigation of the reliability and validity of Hofstede's cross-cultural dimensions. In Proceedings of the 2000 Academy of Marketing Science (AMS) Annual Conference (pp. 226-232). Springer, Cham. Bargiela-Chiappini, F., and Nickerson, C. R. 2014. Writing business: Genres, media and discourses. Abingdon: Routledge. Mazanec, J. A., Crotts, J. C., Gursoy, D., and Lu, L. 2015. Homogeneity versus heterogeneity of cultural values: An item-response theoretical approach applying Hofstede's cultural dimensions in a single nation. Tourism Management, 48, pp.299-304. Moshiri, F., and Cardon, P. 2014. The state of business communication classes: A national survey. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 77(3), pp.312-329. Pauluzzo, R., and Shen, B. 2018. Chinese Cultural Roots and Their Influence on Managerial Issues.In Impact of Culture on Management of Foreign SMEs in China (pp. 139-163). Springer, Cham. Sethi, D. 2016. Business Etiquette in China: Analysis Based on Literature Review. Routledge. So, Y.L. and Walker, A., 2013. Explaining guanxi: The Chinese business network. Abingdon: Routledge. Thomas, D. C., and Peterson, M. F. 2017. Cross-cultural management: Essential concepts. Sage Publications. Triandis, H.C., 2018. Individualism and collectivism. Abingdon: Routledge. Usunier, J. C., Van Herk, H., and Lee, J. A. 2017. International and cross-cultural business research. London: Sage. Warren, T. L. 2017. Cross-cultural Communication: Perspectives in theory and practice. Abingdon: Routledge. Weller, R. P. 2018. Alternate civilities: Democracy and culture in China and Taiwan. Abingdon: Routledge.