Essay --

InterContinental Hotels Group PLC (IHG) Holiday Inn Chris Elder Baker College Holiday Inn (IHG) Holiday Inn purpose of business InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) was created in 2003 from which the Holiday Inn brand is overseen. Holiday Inn’s are located world wide in 100 countries with over 4,600 hotels (IHG, 2014). Holiday Inn provides a service to their over 100 million guest nights each year customers and currently have over 47 million members enrolled in the IHG rewards club and rank â€Å"highest in satisfaction† in their category (IHG, 2014). IHG can be found on the stock market and has publicly offered stock since 1967. In 2013 IHG showed a net income of $237.99 million and is currently a profit operating company (Market watch, 2014). In 2013 over 67% of gross sales were conducted electronically through IHG web sites and affiliates (IHG, 2014). History of Holiday Inn In 1952 the first Holiday Inn was built by Kemmons Wilson and was located just outside of Memphis Tennessee (Orrill, 2014). Customers knew exactly what to expect when arriving at Holiday Inn because each included the same features and amenities. Inspired by a 1951 road trip Wilson pictured a chain of affordable fresh lodging along major freeway exits (Orrill, 2014). Wilson’s first hotel had 120 rooms. Each hotel room had television, air condition and telephone. Each hotel had an outdoor swimming pool and children under 12 stayed free (Orrill, 2014). In 1956 a $76 billion highway development offered Wilson the opportunity to expand (Orrill, 2014). Wilson recruited investors in 1953 and began offering stock publicly in 1967 for the chains ongoing expansion (Orrill, 2014). In 1967 Wilson opened his first European hotel and was the first hotel chain to surpa... ...the government requirements of the US Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules of the NYSE and are also applicable to it as a foreign private issuer (NYSE, 2014). Since IHG is a foreign private issuer it is required to disclose any important ways in which IHG’s corporate practices are different from those of the US companies (NYSE, 2014). These are as follows: Basis of regulation, independent directors, chairman and chief executive officer, committees, non-executive director meetings, shareholder approval of equity compensation plans, code of conduct and compliance certification (NYSE, 2014). Each year all Chief Executives of any US company must confirm to the NYSE that he or she is not aware of any violations by their company with regards to NYSE corporate governance listing standards (NYSE, 2014). These standards in the most part drive business decisions within the company.

Creon is the Tragic Hero of in Sophocles Antigone :: Antigone essays

Creon is the Tragic Hero of Antigone Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I am here today to argue the title of tragic hero in the play Antigone by Sophocles. I would like to start off by saying that it will be extremely difficult for me to have the passion that I usually have because of my client. My client's ruthless leadership disgusts me in the worst way. But I will still stand in front of you, the jury, and defend my client. As I said before I am here to argue the title of tragic hero in the play Antigone. I could see that some of you are dazzled by the word "tragic hero". No need to worry for I will enlighten you. The great Aristotle was one of the first men who defined a tragic hero. His definition is not a rule for what tragedy should be, but it is a description of what he believed tragedy was. According to Aristotle a tragic hero must have these qualities to qualify as one. A tragic hero is neither good nor bad. Along with being neutral in his stance, a tragic hero must also be born into royalty. A tra gic hero could never be of the common folk. In addition to this a tragic hero must suffer a large fall from good grace. By this he means that a fall that brings him "down to earth". A tragic hero also has some type of flaw. Whether it is a character flaw such as pride and ego or the character must make an error of judgment or a mistake. With the tragic flaw the character must also recognize the flaw that they have made. In other words, they have to be enlightened. The audience is then supposed to feel pity and fear for the tragic hero because of his tumultuous journey. The tragic hero also is supposed to inspire catharsis in the audience. In some respects Creon is seen as good but with others as bad. The large fall that Creon took was the fall from the good grace of being a respected king. "Your people are beginning to question your judgment and are beginning to side with Antigone.

The Good Life: Perspectives of Buddha and Confucius

There are several definitions of the technical term â€Å"good life† and there are countless standards on â€Å"how one should live†, however, there are two personalities that teach differently with regards to this. This paper entitled â€Å"The Good Life: Perspectives of Buddha and Confucius† intends to answer the following questions: 1) â€Å"What is the ‘good life’ according to Buddha? †; 2) â€Å"What is the ‘good life’ according to Confucius? †; 3) â€Å"How should one live according to Buddha? †; and last but not least 4) â€Å"How should one live according to Confucius? †. II. The Good Life According to Buddha The good life according to Buddha is to live according to certain standards that will lead one to obtain the â€Å"definitive life of bliss† (Thapar, 1966). In addition to that the â€Å"good life† is where â€Å"equal treatment† is experienced (Thapar, 1966). This is stated under the category â€Å"Sunyata† (Thapar, 1966). Furthermore, it also entails â€Å"nirvana†, which means that â€Å"whatever happens or no matter how disordered incidents may turn out to be, there will always be perfect peace, as well as, fairness in the end† (Gotiangco, 2001). Believing in such is already living the good life according to Buddha (Gotiangco, 2001). Moreover, living the good life is also to practice the combination of â€Å"compassion and wisdom† (Gotiangco, 2001). This means that individuals ought to show sympathy towards other people which may be achieved by â€Å"understanding the real meaning of life (Gotiangco, 2001). He reiterated that â€Å"wisdom should be developed as well to be able to impart the right teachings of Buddhism while compassion should also be present to be able to appropriately carry out the appropriately the teachings of Buddhism† (Gotiangco, 2001). Last but not least is to â€Å"develop wisdom and faith† which involves the conviction with open-mindedness to be able to see visibly other people’s point of view without any preconceived notion and foregone conclusion; belief with extremely profound contemplation to be able to be acquainted with its soundness; commitment with efforts to be able to really comprehend it; and confidence with realization to be able to recognize that there is really no difference between the belief of an individual and the truth (Gotiangco, 2001). III. The Good Life According to Confucius The good life according to Confucius is a never-ending aspiration for moral faultlessness/perfection (Gotiangco, 2001). IV. How One Should Live According to Buddha According to Buddha, one should live in a matter that observes the following: A. Essential Teachings First of all, the basic and essential teachings of Buddha should be learned and practiced by an individual (Thapar, 1966). These include the following: â€Å"1) the Four Noble Truths which include the following: a) Noble Truth of Sorrow; b) Noble Truth of Arising Sorrow; c) Noble Truth of the Stopping of Sorrow; and d) Noble Truth of the Way which leads to the Stopping of Sorrow; as well as 2) The Noble Eightfold Path which consists of the following: a) Right Speech; b) Right Views; c) Right Conduct; d) Right Resolve; e) Right Effort; f) Right Recollection; g) Right Mediation; and h) Right Livelihood† (Thapar, 1966). B. Steps to Follow to Achieve a Life of Bliss and Perfection Second is to be extremely aware of the concrete steps to attain â€Å"a life of bliss and perfection† (Thapar, 1966). The following should then be followed: 1) It is important for one to discover what causes suffering to be felt or experienced (Thapar, 1996). Buddha technically defined suffering as â€Å"anything that hinders preference or anything which go against an individual’s will, for instance death, illnesses, etc† (Thapar, 1966). ) It is needed for an individual to know what he or she should do to be able to avoid encountering suffering (Thapar, 1966). Likewise, an individual is obliged to â€Å"control himself or herself† and to â€Å"fight off suffering† which â€Å"presents itself through lust, negative emotions, hatred, lapse in judgment, as well as, self-centeredness† (Thapar, 1966). This is in connection with the one mentioned in Part A of this section/category that te achings should be read incessantly to be able to internalize it (Thapar, 1966). This is because such internalization and habitual meditation will play a large role in letting go of wants and release of disparaging mania/fixations which will eventually keep the mind and body of a person to be calm (Thapar, 1966). Of course, to live calmly is to be able to initiate goodwill and capability of delivering rational decisions which are all parts of the good life according to Buddha (Thapar, 1966). 3) Last but not least is to know what is technically known as karma (Thapar, 1966). Buddha said that â€Å"since the calmness, rational judgment and goodwill are already present then it can be claimed that rebirth or karma has already taken place (Thapar, 1966). A human being who now actually has better control of herself/himself may now attain â€Å"perfect bliss or nirvana†, which in turn is the objective of living and so the most basic principle to how one should live as well (Thapar, 1966). V. How One Should Live According to Confucius There is a set of standards that one should follow according to Confucius (Gotiangco, 2001). It entails being ethical and being humanitarian (Gotiangco, 2001). Specifically, there are three elements included in the aforementioned two and these are â€Å"human relations, virtues, as well as, rituals† (Gotiangco, 2001). All these components are required or needed to be able to meet the standards on how one should really live from the perspective of Confucius (Gotiangco, 2001). A. Human Relations Human relations should be very harmonious according to Confucius (Gotiangco, 2001). The five kinds of human relations that should be kept are the following: â€Å"1) parents – children; 2) husband – wife; 3) older – younger; 4) friend – friend; and last but not least 5) ruler – subject† (Gotiangco, 2001). He advises that â€Å"a parent should be able to understand what a parents really means; a husband should know how to be a good husband; a daughter or a girl should be able to internalize the allusions highly related with being a female or a daughter; likewise, a ruler or a subject should be familiar of being a ruler or a subject respectively (Gotiangco, 2001). He said that everybody is anticipated to â€Å"relate† in accordance with the aforementioned kinds of relationships to be able to achieve harmony and maintain stability as well (Gotiangco, 2001). B. Virtues He thus reiterates that all the members of the family should be provided with the proper training to be able to exhibit the suitable and proper values relevant to the relationship they are involved with (Gotiangco, 2001). The training referred to here by Confucius include the following: First of all is â€Å"loyalty† (Gotiangco, 2001). Second is â€Å"filial piety† â€Å"which is technically defined as â€Å"the Chinese way of showing respect to parents and ancestors† (Gotiangco, 2001). Third is known as â€Å"obedience† (Gotiangco, 2001). Last but not least is better known as â€Å"conduct† (Gotiangco, 2001). Confucius stated that to be familiar with the aforementioned appropriate values will help people be more conscious of what they are about to carry out and since it maintains good relationships with others then it is a way of living the good life (Gotiangco, 2001). C. Rituals There are certain â€Å"rituals† that must be observed (and should be instilled preferably during childhood) as well according to Confucius (Gotiangco, 2001). Some of these are the following: First is to provide â€Å"formal education† to individuals (Gotiangco, 2001). This is in addition to the parental assistance and regulation given to their children (Gotiangco, 2001). Second is the â€Å"worshipping of ancestors† (Gotiangco, 2001). This is important it is effective in instituting and upholding â€Å"high esteem, reverence, faithfulness, as well as, loyalty among the members of the immediate family, as well as, that of the clan† (Gotiangco, 2001). Third is â€Å"contemplative reading or meditation† (Gotiangco, 2001). Confucius stated that the aforementioned is needed to enlighten the mind, invigorate it, as well as, instill and advocate values like tolerance/staying power, self-control/temperance, as well as, calmness that’s welled up inside a person (Gotiangco, 2001). He added that in times of extreme conflict or catastrophes, such values will definitely help the person (Gotiangco, 2001). Last but not least is the training in what is technically referred to as the â€Å"Confucian Six Arts† (Gotiangco, 2001). Included in the â€Å"Confucian Six Arts† are the following: ) â€Å"Music and Literature†, which are considered necessary for the â€Å"purposes of humanism and finesse† (Gotiangco, 2001). 2) â€Å"Mathematics†, which helps challenge and eventually sharpen â€Å"mental awareness† and â€Å"logic† (Gotiangco, 2001). 3) â€Å"Callligraphy†, which actually trains one to become extremely patient and strong-minded/indomitable (Gotian gco, 2001). 4) â€Å"Martial Arts†, which helps and molds someone to exhibit exactness and meticulousness (Gotiangco, 2001). In addition to that, it encourages maintenance of the body to become physically fit (Gotiangco, 2001). ) â€Å"Archery†, which â€Å"according to the philosophy of Confucianism, is needed for the purposes of developing deference, as well as, agility† (Gotiangco, 2001). 6) â€Å"Chariot Racing†, which Confucius says that it highly increases fortitude/stamina, as well as, adroitness/dexterity (Gotiangco, 2001). 5) â€Å"Confucian Literature Reading†, wherein a child is compelled to read the following books everyday: â€Å"a) I Ching or the Book of Change; b) Shuh Ching or the Book of History; c) Shih Ching or the Book of Odes; d) Spring and Autumn Annals; e) the Analects; f) the Great Learning; and last but not least g) the Doctrine of the Mean† (Gotiangco, 2001). The aforesaid books serve as â€Å"directions† or â€Å"models† for people to follow and to light their paths as they keep up with life and face all the challenges/endeavors that may come their way (Gotiangco, 2001). Confucius reiterated that the aforementioned rituals is a critical part of â€Å"how one should live† and so it is very important to him to start early with the aforementioned rituals (Gotiangco, 2001). He said that traditions will not only be sustained, the community/society will be cultivated and taken cared of as well (Gotiangco, 2001). In addition to that, the spirit of reciprocity lives on as well† (Gotiangco, 2001). VI. Conclusion The good life according to Buddha is one that is directed to reach â€Å"a definitive life of bliss† while for Confucius â€Å"it is the unending desire to attain moral perfection† (Gotiangco, 2001). According to Buddha, one should live by knowing and practicing his teachings and following the step s to attaining â€Å"a life of bliss and perfection† while for Confucius, one should live by maintaining good relations, instilling virtues and observing rituals (Gotiangco, 2001).

Too Connected to Social Media

Are we too connected? Last Monday was just an average Monday. My friend sent out a tweet about her new art show and so I wall posted her via facebook about the time and location in which she replied via a comment saying that she would give me a call. She followed up with a voicemail message and an invitation email, sent to my personal account of course. I then texted her telling of my availability and keenness to see her recent work. At the end of my Monday something occurred to me; actually it was more like I was slapped in the face by the hand of modern technology.I had seemingly been communicating all day and yet somehow connected with nobody. I myself am an avid enthusiast of the joys of modern technology so you can see why I did not absorb this epiphany with composure. Speaking as an 18-year-old girl whose middle school years were marked by the likes of MySpace I feel as if I am very well educated on the topic of digital communication. I have experienced first hand the infectiou s, consuming nature of social media sites.The internet allows me to instantly connect with my overseas relatives and at the same time sucks me into a vortex of procrastination. It would appear that somewhere between windows 98 and the ipad3 we as a society have manipulated ourselves into a constant state of flux; endlessly devoted to the idea that we must always be connected. Digital Libraian and fournder of the Internet Archive Brewster Kahle explains, â€Å"A lot of our brain, a lot of our worth to the world, a lot of our memories, are actually not in our heads anymore.They're actually in the Web, in the weave, in the interconnections, the friends that we can touch at a moment's notice. That's who makes us powerful. â€Å" It would appear that for most of us technology is no longer just a tool. It is a family photo album, it’s our workspace, it’s dinner with friends at six. Teenagers change their profile page to reflect their ever-changing adolescent identities. Mo thers are swapping recipes and parenting advice online. Singles are reaching out, exposing who they are in search for love.Businessmen are uploading their resumes virtually in order to climb the corporate ladder. Technology has become inherent to the way in which we function daily. As this urgency to contact one another grows so to does the need to disconnect. Things are not as intimate as they once were. It would seem that we’re almost always in a public space even from the privacy of our homes. This idea that we are always connected is in reality a false problem. You can turn the switch off, unplug, shutdown and so on. When is the last time you went without a piece of technology?Why we do rely on technology like an emotional crutch, supporting our need to interact? Technology will continue to rapidly grow and so too will knew and wonderful ways to connect globally. With this we must train ourselves. It is a hard truth, but we do not need to know what everybody is doing at e very point of the day. It is a matter of quality vs. quantity. Sometimes you have to step away from the faceless monitor, let your IPhone run flat, stop sharing life so candidly and instead enjoy the simplicities

General Muslim Religion Essay

Islam is the world’s second great monotheistic religion (Armstrong, 2002). Islam, an Arabic word, comes from a root word meaning commitment or surrender: hence the foundation of Islam is submission to the will of the Only God, Allah. The word ‘Muslim’ also itself means ‘one who lives his life according to Allah’s will (Esposito, 2002). Allah also has laid down the five pillars of foundations of Islam which are: 1. Confession of faith (shahada): the basic idea of Islam which is submission to Allah’s will 2. Prayer (salat): An exercise done five times daily to remember Allah’s influence in a Muslim’s life 3. Fasting (Roza): In the month of Ramadan for a month 4. Almsgiving (Zakat): Annually by rich Muslims at the rate of 21/2% of wealth 5. Pilgrimage (hajj): Once in a lifetime What holidays or events are important to your religion and why? The Muslims follow the Islamic calendar which is based on the position of the moon and their holidays fall accordingly to it. This includes 1. New Year which for them is the first day of Hijra (migration) when we celebrate Prophet Muhammad’s departure from Mecca to Medina in AD622 2. 12th Rabi-ul-awwal that is the birthday of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) 3. Shab-e-Baraat (night of forgiveness): In preparation of Ramadan, Muslims seek to forgive old grievances against each other and beg for mercy from their Lord 4. Lailat-ul-Qadr (night of power) when the Holy Quran was revealed to the Holy Prophet. It takes place on the 27th of Ramadan. 5. Eid-ul-Fitr which takes place after Ramadan and is like Christmas to the Muslims 6. Hajj: The pilgrimage which constitutes the fifth pillar of Islam is one of the most important events in the Muslim calendar and takes place in the month of Hajj 7. Eid-ul-Azha: Another Christmas type celebration which celebrates the end of the Meccan pilgrimage and animal sacrifices are made during the three days How does your group handle conflict? What are some examples of conflict? If there are criminal or family conflicts, they can be resolved through Islamic courts which decide the cases according to Shariah or the Islamic law. These are practiced in almost al Muslim countries though such Shariah courts are disallowed in western countries and over there Muslims must follow the law of the country they are residents of. One of Britain’s MPs recently suggested that Shariah courts be allowed in Britain also but this created uproar by non-Muslims who were afraid of Islamization. Other then that, if the solution of an issue is not mentioned in the Quran or its explanation is murky, knowledgeable Islamic scholars gather together to find an answer to a certain problem and it then becomes a rule of the Shariah. This practice has been prescribed by Allah to keep Islam updated with emerging problems in this fast changing world. What is the focus of your religion? The focus of Islam for Muslims is again submission to Allah’s will. This can be done through reading, understanding and following the word of God, which Muslims believe to be the Holy Quran. They should also follow the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) called the Sunnah and only then can they live the life of a true and complete Muslim. For the Western world though, the focus of Islam has always been its fascist beliefs and what they consider to be its outdated traditions, not understanding that there is only a minority of Muslims who distort the name of Islam by interpreting it so harshly. Who are your current leaders? Who are leaders of the past? Like most religions, Muslims have also had pious men of God lead them by example. There have been a total of 124000 prophets sent by Allah though the Quran only mentions 25 of them. The first prophet was Hazrat Adam and the final and undoubtedly the greatest prophet was our last prophet, Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). Allah revealed in the Quran that no more prophets shall come after the Holy Prophet (PBUH). After the prophets, came numerous Caliphs or religious leaders. Currently, tough there are learned Islamic scholars in the Muslim world; there are no leader as such. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the words of Allah was the Seal of the Prophets. How do your members participate and what is expected? All Muslim males are required to congregate in a mosque for the five daily prayers, especially the afternoon Friday prayers (Clark, 2003). For Muslim women, assembly in mosques is not mandatory. Other then that, all Muslims are required to uphold the basic principles of Islam by fulfilling all their obligations. Are there any special requirements, such as fasting, personal sacrifice? Fasting is the third pillar of Islam and without fasting, a Muslim is incomplete. It is prescribed for Muslims in the form of a month long abstinence from food and drink, accompanied by intense devotional activity. Physical relations and swear words are also prohibited to be performed or uttered. Similarly, smoking, losing temper, telling lies and all negative activities are also discouraged. Fasting, as is made clear by Allah, is not to be taken as self torture but mainly a way for Muslims to learn about patience, fortitude and self sacrifice and also to realize the plight of the needy and poor. During Eid-ul-Azha, Muslims are also required to sacrifice goats in God’s way and share the meat with the poor. Where do you see your religion in 25 years? What changes have occurred recently? Keeping in mind the fast growing popularity of Islam, I see Islam in 25 years, as the world’s largest religion. This is because as the concept of religion is dying in the west and more churches are being converted to museums and restaurants, Muslims, now more than ever are embracing their faith with a greater fervency and non-Muslims are also converting to Islam which they accept as a complete way of life and not just a religion. Muslims have now grown more receptive to Western ideas and Ijtehad or consensus helps keep Islam updated with the modern world. How has the modern world changed the direction and or movement of your religion? The recent of War on Terror, which often tends to depict Islam as a rigid and extremist religion has resulted in more Muslims delving deeper to understand their religion (Lewis, 2004). This has led to increased knowledge of Islam and a growing number of Muslims defending their faith as actually a very flexible one. My religion’s name has been besmirched by a few misguided individuals who believe suicide bombings and terrorist activities are completely acceptable in the eyes of God which is not at all the case. Islam’s very basis is peace. Are there any other validated forms of the religion practiced? What are some of the factors that have contributed to changes in ideas or customs? The Muslim sect is predominantly divided into Sunnis (around 80%) and Shiahs. The major difference between them is the way in which divine guidance is discovered. Sunni Muslims take their stand on the consensus of the community making known the Sunna (Holy Prophet’s example) of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Shiah Muslims look instead to inspired teachers and Imams who are descendents of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Other sects include the Aghakhanis who are followers of the Aga Khan who considers himself a spiritual leader sent by God. His followers believe the five pillars of Islam to be non-mandatory, preferring to give charity to the poor instead. They don’t share the Muslim taboo associated with drinking. Many believe theses changes have occurred due to undue influence of the West. Other sects are the Qadianis and Bohris. Conclusion Muslims all over the world follows a religion known as Islam which is a monotheistic religion. The word Islam means to submit oneself to god. There are almost 2 billion Muslims around the world practicing the teaching of Islam making it the second largest religion of the world. The follows the teachings of Prophet Mohammad on whom a holy book Quran was revealed. The faith of a Muslim is based on five pillars of Islam that are tauheed, salaat, zakat, hajj, and fasting. References Book Armstrong. (2002). Islam: A Short History. Esposito, J. L. (2002). What everyone needs to Know about Islam. Clark. (2003). Islam for Dummies. Lewis. (2004). The Crisis of Islam.

Beauty: the Evolution of Perception

Vennette Gonzalez Mr. Warner English 111 (032W) 19 November 2012 â€Å"Beauty†: The evolution of perception When looking in the past to see how people lived and viewed the world, there is one commonality that stands out. A woman’s beauty says a lot on how the culture and the people of that society perceived themselves and others. These past perceptions affect how current society and culture is perceived not only by the individuals of our generation but by our future generations as well.This paper will address how we as society view beauty as it has changed over a period of time, how these changes came about, and how the media played a role in this beauty evolution. How this beauty evolution begins starts in childhood. One of the first memories that children have is the reading of fairy tales. These stories set a foundation as to what we perceive as beauty. â€Å"Children’s media has been found to be powerfully responsive to social change and not simply in a way that mirrors society (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz 714). With this early exposure to what is portrayed as beauty, it is established early in the developmental years of childhood of how a woman should look as well as act. â€Å"Children’s fairy tales can provide insight into the dynamic relationship between gender, power, and culture as well as the cultural and social significance of beauty to women’s lives (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz 712). The cultural and social significance can be seen as â€Å"girls and boys are taught specific messages concerning the importance of women’s bodies and women’s attractiveness (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz 724). † These fairy tales were created to accommodate the cultural values and conflicts of the era, and establish the values of what our society deems as appropriate and what is acceptable for our young children to grow into as well as establishing a baseline for beauty.As our children grow, they carry these value s and ideals with them. These fairy tales portray women as meek and powerless, who are damsels in distress in need of a knight in shining armor. With maturity some of these values and ideals change; however, Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz state that â€Å"The feminine beauty ideal is the socially constructed notion that physical attractiveness is one of woman’s most important assets, and something all women should strive to achieve and maintain (711). This belief is still prevalent in today’s society. This does not mean that â€Å"there is a direct relationship between cultural values concerning feminine beauty and women’s behavior and identities, but the feminine beauty ideal may operate indirectly as a means of social control insofar as women’s concern with physical appearance (beauty), absorbs resources (money, energy, time) that could otherwise be spent enhancing their social status (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz 723). The impacts of this ideal feminine beauty not only affect our children, but it also affects how they perceive themselves and how the future generations will perceive us. â€Å"The feminine beauty ideal can be seen as a normative means of social control, where by social control is accomplished through the internalization of values and norms that serve to restrict women’s lives (Baker-Sperry and Grauerholz 712). This ultimately means that girls who are exposed to these fairy tales develop a belief that there are certain expectations that need to be upheld and if these expectations are not met then they will lack the power to succeed. â€Å"Workers of above average beauty earn about 10 to 15 percent more than workers of below average beauty. The size of this beauty premium is economically significant and comparable to the race and gender gaps in the U. S. labor market (Mobius and Rosenblat 222). According to Naomi Wolf â€Å"More women have more power and scope and legal recognition that we have ever had befor e; but in terms of how we feel about ourselves physically, we may actually be worse off (Wolf 16)† She also goes on to state â€Å"There is no legitimate historical or biological justification for the beauty myth; what it is doing to women today is a result of nothing more exalted than the need of today’s power structure, economy and culture to mount a counteroffensive against women (Wolf 19). † Due to this, beauty is now linked with power in the sense that the more beautiful you are the more powerful you are.This idea that beauty is power became more noticeable during the woman’s movement according to Wolf (19). She states that â€Å"By the time the women’s movement had made inroads into the labor market, both women and men were accustomed to having beauty evaluated as wealth (Wolf 26). † This influx of women in the work force changed how young girls related to the fairy tales they once read. They no longer had to portray the roles of the da msel in distress, but had to use their beauty to gain power and attention.This evolution from the damsel has led to a more independent woman who uses her beauty to get what she needs. â€Å"Before women entered the work force in large numbers, there was a clearly defined class of those explicitly paid for their â€Å"beauty†: workers in the display professions-fashion mannequins, actress, dancers, and higher paid sex workers such as escorts. Until women’s emancipation, professional beauties were usually anonymous, low in status, un-respectable (Wolf 33). † Now our young girls want to look like all the actresses, musicians, models etc†¦ that they see on TV, movies and in magazines.I think these changes occurred once the fairy tales were no longer in written media, where we used what was written down and our imagination to create our ideal of beauty. Once these fairytales became a visual (movies, TV. and magazines) our young girls wanted to copy what they saw . In 1969 Vogue offered a new look for women’s magazines (Wolf 73). â€Å"Vogue began to focus on the body as much as the clothes, in part because there was little they could dictate with the anarchic styles (Wolf 73). † â€Å"The number of diet related articles rose 70 percent from 1968 to 1972.Articles on dieting in the popular press soared from 60 in the year 1979 to 66 in the month of January 1980 alone. By 1984, 300 diet books were on the shelves (Wolf 73-74). † The timing of this influx of dieting articles is due to the popularity of a model named Lesley Lawson otherwise known as Twiggy. She hit the height of her career in 1966 where she was on the cover of Vogue magazine. She was the ideal beauty of that era where being boyishly thin was in. Whereas a decade before having womanly curves was the idea of what beauty was for example the pin-up girl Betty Grable.She was what was considered the ideal of that era. The images of both of these women show the sign ificance of how models, actress and movie stars affect the women and youth of our society. Both of these women were portrayed in women’s magazines or movies. â€Å"A woman reading Glamor is holding women-oriented mass culture between her two hands (Wolf 76). † With the mass media evolving and able to mass produce the media quicker than ever, the new ideals of what our young women view as beauty changes at an even more rapid pace. With the introduction of the internet mass media is now instant, and on demand. Glamour, beauty and the perfect body: these are the values upheld within our culture as necessary to the fulfillment of desirable femininity (Wark 41). † With this beauty evolution consistently changing it also reflects the changes in the values that we as a society hold. The mass media will always be an integral part of our Beauty evolution as it reflects society’s values. Works Cited Baker-Sperry, Lori, and Liz Grauerholz. â€Å"The Pervasiveness an d Persistance of the Feminine Beauty Ideal in Children’s Fairy Tales. † Gender and Society 17. 5 (Oct 2003): 711-726. http://www. jstor. org/stable/3594706. Web. 19 November 2012. Fox, Greer Litton. Nice Girl: Social control of women through a value construct. † Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2 (1977): 805-817. Print. Mobius, Markus M. , and Tanya S. Rosenblat. â€Å"Why Beauty Matters. † American Economic Review 96. 1 (2006): 222-235. http://www. jstor. org/stable/30034362. Web. 19 November 2012. Wark, Jayne. â€Å"Wendy Geller’s 48 hour Beauty Blitz: Gender, Class and the Pleasures of popular Culture. † Art Journal 56. 4 (1997): 41-47. http://www. jstor. org/stable/777719. Web. 19 November 2012. Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How images of Beauty are used against Women. New York: HarperCollins, 2002. PDF File.

Levendary Cafe Case Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Levendary Cafe Case Assignment - Essay Example Numerous attempts to make him change his style yield no such results and another individual has to be taken to the office in China and ensure that he is implementing the changes being made by the management back in the US and monitor his work in the process. The other problem being faced is that of Chen being insubordinate towards the overall changes and order provided by the head CEO of the company. His attitude is what makes him have all these problems with sticking to the rules provided about the way to do business in China despite him being the head. It is these negative attitudes and the lack of subordination towards the CEO that is making questions to be raised about his future working in the company and whether a new manager should start being sought to replace him. The last problem that seems to be in existence in the China branch is that of financial reports. The Levendary Cafà © uses the GAAP format to make its reports so that they are all uniform and easy to translate but Chen seems rather resistant in adopting this system leaving the accountants in the US to have to carry out another set of extra work reading and changing the report to the format used which is international. As a result of the lack of properly recorded and provided financial reports, the mother branch is thinking of bringing in a financial analyst into the China branch to examine the books and explain whether this branch is making profits or not and to whether these profits can sustain expanding of the China branch as well. This analysis will determine Chen’s future with the company. The other alternative is to let Chen continue working on the China project despite his negative attitudes, insubordination and problems with the financial reporting but provide a new deadline to break even or be replaced. If Chen cannot accept a new deadline to be set for him or accept a financial analyst to be brought in to access the financial