Last Judgment

The Last Judgment Michelangelo was one of the greatest artists of all time. He excelled in architecture, sculpture, painting, poetry, and engineering. He was a true Renaissance man who lived a long emotional life. In painting â€Å"The Last Judgment,† Michelangelo was able to incorporate all that he had learned about the human body. He was able to show the way the body moved, as well as its displays of unrestrained passion, overwhelming grief, or endless torment. This is what makes â€Å"The Last Judgment† such a unique and exceptional work of art. The Last Judgment is a canonical fresco by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo executed on the altar wall of the Sistine Chapel in Vatican City, Rome, Italy. It is forty-eight feet by forty-four feet masterpiece. The work took four years to complete and was done between 1536 and 1541 (preparation of the altar wall began in 1535. ) Michelangelo began working on it some twenty years after having finished the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Michelangelo returned to the Sistine Chapel as a sixty year old man in 1535 when he was commissioned by Pope Paul III (pontificate 1534 – 1549) to paint the Altar Wall. If his ceiling celebrates the creation of man, his Last Judgement, depicts the end of the world and the judgment that is said to follow. Michelangelo having been commissioned the wall looked for a long time at the big wall he was supposed to paint. He wanted to be sure to avoid some of the problems the ceiling frescoes had given him twenty-five years earlier. The wall had two windows. He had them blocked up so he would have a nice, empty surface. Next he worried about dampness seeping through from outside. That might spoil his painting. He decided not to paint the actual chapel wall but to build a second one of dried bricks in front of it and to leave a space between the two walls for ventilation. And to keep the dust from collecting on it he gave the new wall a slant. It slopes inward as it rises and overhangs at the top about a foot. At first Michelangelo planned to paint with oil paints and he had his helper Sebastiano del Piombo give the whole wall a coat of mortar with resin to seal it. But later he changed his mind and ordered him to chip his primer away. Michelangelo was an experienced fresco painter now and who knows what disagreeable surprises oils might give him. He would stick to fresco and would apply his own layer of sand and lime each day as he went. These preparations took a year. Meanwhile he worked on his characters . He began to paint in June 1536. It is said that Michelangelo fell off the scaffolding once when he was alone in the chapel. Though he was badly hurt he dragged himself home and crawled into bed in great pain. He refused to let anyone see him and wouldn’t open the door when they knocked. Finally, one of his friends, a doctor made his way up by a secret way from room to room until he found Buonarroti, who was in a desperate condition. Then his friend refused to go away or leave his side until he was better. The wall was unveiled on Halloween, 1541. He was 66 years old. It was twenty-nine years since the unveiling of the ceiling frescoes. The great painting scared people. Pope Paul III, who commissioned it, is supposed to have exclaimed when he saw it the first time: â€Å"Lord, please don’t charge me with my sins when you come on Judgment Day! This depiction of the second coming of Christ and the final judgment of humanity is not only a fresco but a beautiful piece of poetry. This painting is a grim reminder to the parishioners as well as the clergy (including the pope) that ultimately they too would be judged at the end of time. This painting depicts Christ surrounded by the saints and angels, judging all the souls of the human race as they rise or descend to heaven and hell where they will stay for all eternity. Most of the saints surrounding Jesus were martyrs and Michelangelo depicted them each holding the weapon or instrument of their martyrdom. The figures seem to swirl around Christ, this was a new way of depicting this scene because the other versions from earlier periods show it in neat horizontal layers. The central figure of Christ is literally judging and determining the fates of all of the human race with his hand raised gesturing to his decision. The emotion coming from the figure of Christ is so powerful that it almost seems like the figure of his mother, Mary, next o him is cower in fear of the whole scene. To the right you see the Archangel Michel reading form the book of souls assisting in the judgment process. Seen all over is figures of the saved rejoicing but you can also see the damned suffering or fearful of their fate like the figure below Christ on the right covering one eye terrified of his terrible fate. There are many elements to this artwork that tell the viewer th at not only Christians will be judged and sent to heaven but people of other religious back grounds will as well, as long as they have lived a moral life. The inclusion of Greek and Roman mythology is the biggest hint to this. Christ in the center surrounded by light shown as beardless and very muscular this is not just an expression of humanism but can be compared to the Greek god Apollo who was the god of the sun. What could be viewed as the reason for this is that Pope Clement VII studied Heliocentric Cosmology by Copernicus. This work stated that the sun was the center of the universe, so by placing Christ in the center of the fresco and mimicking the features of Apollo, Michelangelo places Jesus at the center of our spiritual universe. The boatman Charon from Greek and Roman mythology is also featured in this work at the bottom ferrying the damned souls to hell. Also, Minos from Greek mythology who was son of Zeus and Europa and king of Crete became one of the three judges of the underworld. Minos is seen in the bottom left corner of the work with a serpent coiled around him and this would determine which circle of hell the damned souls would be sent. It is also said that a Cardinal had judged Michelangelo’s work so as a sort of revenge he painted the portrait of the Cardinal as Minos. This could have been his way of poetically stating that only God and Christ can judge this world and if someone attempts to do what only God or Christ can do that there will be a special place in hell for that individual regardless of status within the church, as well as venting is frustration for the Cardinal. Michelangelo did not only provide portraits of individuals who upset him but other central figures of the church as was as himself. The figure on the right holding the a silver key and a gold key is St. Peter with the keys to heaven, this is actually a portrait of Pope Paul III. Also, the flayed skin of St. Bartholomew being held by him is a distorted self portrait of the artist. This continues to send the message that no one is exempt from the last judgment. By including Greek and Roman mythology as well as portraits of current people from the time of the frescos creation really drives the point home that no matter religious background or political status you will be judged fairly. The Last Judgment was a very controversial piece at the time because, unlike other artists, Michelangelo portrayed those in his painting as naked thereby demonstrating the lack of importance that riches would have at the end of the world when humanity stands before judgment. Unlike his earlier work, including the rest of the Chapel which he painted, his depiction of the Last Judgment was much more monochrome as well as gruesome with the souls of the damned cowering in fear as they are dragged down by demons. Pope Paul III, who commissioned Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment, demonstrated a great deal of faith in the artist's abilities and gave him vast amounts of artistic license. While others criticized Michelangelo's use of nude figures, the Pope offered up no complaint. In addition to the lack of clothes on his subjects, Michelangelo was critiqued for not only using the Bible as an inspiration for his fresco but also mythological creatures such as Charon who is seen ferrying the damned as well as Minos who is shown as one of the judges located in the underworld. The Last Judgment was an object of a heavy dispute between critics within the Catholic Reformation and those who understood the genius of the artist and the mannerist style of the painting. Michelangelo was accused of being insensitive to proper decorum, and of flaunting personal style over appropriate depictions of content. The Council of Trent issued decrees that such representations in sacred art were not allowed, and all objectionable art was to be changed or destroyed. In response to certain accusers, when the Pope's own Master of Ceremonies Biagio da Cesena said of the painting â€Å"it was mostly disgraceful that in so sacred a place there should have been depicted all those nude figures, exposing themselves so shamefully,† and that it was no work for a papal chapel but rather â€Å"for the public baths and taverns,† The worst criticism came from the poet and blackmailer Pietro Aretino, who at first wrote flattering things to Michelangelo from Venice and made suggestions for the painting. Michelangelo answered that though his suggestions were very interesting the fresco was too far along then to be changed. Eight years later Aretino published an open letter to Michelangelo in which he accused him of being irreverent. â€Å"Such things might be painted in a voluptuous bathroom,† he wrote, â€Å"but not in the choir of the highest chapel†¦Our souls are benefitted little by art, but by piety. † Some thought the nudes were out of place. The papal Master of Ceremonies, Biagio da Cesena, said the painting made the chapel look like a stufa d’ ignudi’ (a bathing house). For that remark, which he heard Cesena say, Michelangelo supposedly put his face on Minos, the great judge of Hell, and gave him donkey ears while his nudity is covered by a coiled snake. It is said that when Cesena complained to the Pope, the pontiff joked that his jurisdiction did not extend to hell, so the portrait would have to remain. Although the references to mythology were allowed to remain, the genitalia in the fresco, referred to as ‘objections,' were covered after Michelangelo died by a student of his, Daniele da Volterra. As years followed fresco came very close to being destroyed. More and more clothes were added. In 1574 El Greco himself offered to chip it away and paint a new fresco that would â€Å"be decent and pious and no less well-painted than Michelangelo’s. †Three more times (1625, 1712, and 1762) artists were ordered to â€Å"do something about those nudes†. The critic Thode thought the fresco had been altered so much that it was no longer even possible to judge the artistic qualities of Michelangelo’s work.

Buddhism: The Foundation, Development and Beliefs

Though the other divisions of Buddhism have altered their practices to accommodate the needs of a wider range of people, Theravada has remained virtually the same as it was at its founding. Theravada Buddhism is the original and most popular form of Buddhism in Sri Lanka, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Theravada remains closest to the original teachings of the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha Gautama is the original founder of all forms of Buddhism. He was born in present day Nepal around 563 B. C. E. He was a prince of the Shakyas clan, and likely heir to his father’s throne.He was named â€Å"Siddhartha† which means â€Å"he who has attained his goals. † Being the prince of the warrior caste, he trained in the arts of war and grew up to be a strong and handsome young man. When he was at the age of sixteen, he fought and defeated his competitors in a variety of sports, which won him the hand of the beautiful princess Yashodhara, who wa s also sixteen years old at the time. He continued living in the luxury of his palaces. Soon, however, he grew restless and began to wonder what happens outside the palace. He eventually insisted to be permitted to come out of the palace so he can see his people and his lands.For fear of the prince leading a religious life, the king ordered that only young and healthy people should greet the prince so that he will not see the kind of suffering. However, even with the king’s careful orders, he still caught sight of a couple of old men, who accidentally wandered near the parade route, at Kapilavatthu, the capital. Curious of who these people were, he chased after them. He then came to a place where some people are desperately ill and even came across a funeral ceremony by the side of the river, seeing death for the first time in his life.Siddhartha saw four sights: a sick man, a poor man, a beggar, and a corpse. When he caught sight of these, his heart soon filled with vast lon eliness for the suffering that humanity has to go through. He then asked his friend and squire Chandaka what those things meant. Chandaka told him that all of us grow old, sick and eventually, die, saying that these truths should have been told to him before. (Boeree, 1999). He said upon seeing these realities: â€Å"When ignorant people see someone who is old, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be old some day. I thought to myself: I don’t want to be like the ignorant people.After that, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with youth anymore. When ignorant people see someone who is sick, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be sick some day. I thought to myself: I don’t want to be like the ignorant people. After that, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with health anymore. When ignorant people see someone who is dead, they are disgusted and horrified, even though they too will be dead some day. I tho ught to myself: I don’t want to be like the ignorant people. After than, I couldn’t feel the usual intoxication with life anymore. † (AN III.39, interpreted) (Boeree, 1999) He also saw an ascetic or a monk who has abandoned all the pleasures and cravings of the flesh. What struck Siddhartha the most is the peaceful expression on the monk’s face, which left a deep impression on him. Going back to the palace after this and despite having what appeared to be the perfect life of luxury, Siddhartha became very discontent with the material world and decided to leave his family. He realized that he could no longer live happy with the thought that, even with all their luxury, there would still come a time that he will suffer and die.With these thoughts, he soon wondered what he may do so that he can overcome suffering, more than anything else. He left his privileged life as a prince and ran away to the forest in search of spiritual understanding. For a while, he s tudied with two well-known gurus of that time but soon found that their practice is not enough to answer his question. That was when he began to follow the practices of a group of five ascetics: austerities and self-mortifications. For six years, he practiced with utmost sincerity and intensity that the five ascetics became his followers before long. However, he still did not find the answers he was looking for.He decided to double his efforts by refusing food and water until he was in a state of near death. One day, Sujata, a peasant girl saw this starving monk. She took pity on him and offered him to eat some of her milk-rice. Soon, he realized that self-mortification still do not help him answer his questions. He decided to carry out a practice that will be middle way between the extremes of luxurious and self-mortification life. For many days, Siddhartha sat beneath a particular fig tree, called the bodhi tree, in the town of Bodh Gaya, vowing that he will never stand up until h e found the answers to the problem of suffering.At first, he deeply concentrated in clearing his mind from all distractions, and later on, in mindless meditation. They said that he started to recall all his previous lives, and see everything that was going on in the entire universe. He became the Buddha, meaning â€Å"he who is awake†, with the rising of the morning star on the full moon of May, when he finally found the answers he was looking for (Hooker, 1996). He spent the next forty five years teaching others about the path to enlightenment. After an exhaustive ministry he died around 483 B. C. E. During his life, none of Siddhartha Gautama's teachings were ever written down.During the following 100 years after his death, Buddhism spread throughout India and Sri Lanka. A group of Buddhist monks held a council in the Capital city of Patna, during the third century B. C. E. , to come to a consensus on what the original teachings of Siddhartha were. When the council came to agreement about Siddhartha's true original teachings, the teachings became the doctrine of Theravada Buddhism. Theravada Buddhism has not deviated from this doctrine since. Theravada Buddhism's main goal is for the individual practitioner to reach Nirvana.This is accomplished by realizing the very foundation of Buddhism which was the â€Å"Four Noble Truths†: The Four Noble Truths: 1. ) All human life is suffering (dhukka ). 2. ) All suffering is caused by human desire, particularly the desire that impermanent things be permanent. 3. ) Human suffering can be ended by ending human desire. 4. ) Desire can be ended by following the â€Å"Eightfold Noble Path†: right understanding, right thought, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration (Bullitt, 2005).The practitioner must also follow the Eight Fold Path; 1. ) right view, 2. ) right resolve, 3. ) right speech, 4. ) right action, 5. ) right livelihood, 6. ) righ t effort, 7. ) right mindfulness, and 8. ) right concentration. The council all also agreed in practicing the â€Å"Four Cardinal virtues† which were friendliness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. During the onset of Buddhism, the religion comprised of only very few followers making it relatively insignificant among the vast variety of Hindu sects.But when Asoka, the great Mauryan emperor converted to Buddhism in the third century BC, the young and insignificant religion soon spread profusely throughout India and was carried across the Indian Ocean to Sri Lanka. Just like rumors change as they are spread from person to person, Buddhism was slightly altered over time. The original form Theravada Buddhism, held its ground in Sri Lanka as the Buddhists of Sri Lanka maintained a form that was most similar to the original form of Siddhartha's teachings. On the other hand, the rest of India, then the world in general later on, Buddhism fragmented into a million sects and versions.T heravada Buddhism requires intensive meditation. To follow his form of Buddhism requires the practitioner to devote a lifetime to its practice, thus making it difficult or even imposable for the average modern person to commit to such an undertaking. Despite the extreme demands of Theravada Buddhism, it is gaining popularity in Singapore, Australia as well as other parts of the western world. There are over 100 million Theravada Buddhists worldwide. Theravada has had less success spreading than other forms of Buddhism.Forms of Buddhism such as Zen are much more user friendly and are less demanding. Theravada Buddhism might not be the most popular, but it remains true to teachings of the genius who founded the religion. Just as well, Buddhism is in fact, a way of life. References: Boeree, D. C. G. (1999). The Life of Siddhartha Gautama. Retrieved February 21, 2007, from http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/siddhartha. html Bullitt, J. (2005). What is Theravada Buddhism? Hooker, R. (1996 ). The Historical Siddhartha [Electronic Version]. Retrieved February 21, 2007 from http://www. wsu. edu/~dee/BUDDHISM/SIDD. HTM.

How have cultures from the ‘west’ been represented in the ‘east’ Essay

Fundamentally the term culture means to cultivate but on other hand this word also contains some other meanings and definitions as well. Number of writers and author worked and surveyed on the actual definition of culture and in year 1952 Alfred Kroeber and Clyde has presented approximately 164 defamations of this word â€Å"culture†. If we focus these definitions and research work by our well-known authors then we can came to know the fact that culture is simply the critical review of concepts and definitions that people have. Along with this the fact has also been revealed that culture can be presented and illustrated with three different approaches like the taste in fine arts and humanities is one of the significant ways of defining one’s culture or perspective. Similarly values, goals and attitudes are also used in illustrating the cultural values. (Bryan 1963) Beside above mentioned points the human knowledge , belief and the attitudes are also used in promoting culture as these things has the power and capacity to define the thoughts and ideas of people. Later after finding numerous definition of culture in twentieth century this word emerges out with new concepts as the focus point of anthropology, which means that culture is a word that is actually composed of all the actions and thoughts that is performed by human anywhere in the world and all these behaviors does not have any sort of relation with the genetics. In West, this word has its own meaning as they have their own approaches and thoughts regarding this term, as according to them culture basically defines two things that include the human experience, imaginations and incidents which occurs with them and later they present those things according to their art and used their power of creativity as well. (Alan Bryan 1963) Similarly they illustrated the meaning of culture by presenting the idea that in this entire world there are number of people who have their own way and manners of living and with their own ideas, experience and conditions they define their own meaning of culture as the way of defining culture varies from place to place and from people to people as well. But later after the World War 2 numerous authors reformed the definition of culture and the style they had presented it was also changed and among those authors albeit played a significnat role as in this era his work and ideas are still followed and apprectiated. Besides these above mentioned definition when we go though numerous research paper and studies of different authors from all over the world we came to know the fact that number of artist were born in west side and presented beautiful and unique work that portrayed their thoughts regarding culture and numerous other things. Among these beautiful and talented artist Hansen is a significant name. This man was born in year 1960 in West area where the natural beauty, purity and environment was so attractive that form the early stage this boy started visioning, drawing and portraying his cultural beauty in a marvelous manner. Hansen completed his educational career and returned to homeland in 1990, but during his early days of schooling this young boy started painting in year 1969, after that he went abroad to study mechanical design as well. Later he came back to America and served this country as a technical drawing specialist. Ms Georgian was the lady who impressed Hansen and he want himself to work and serve the idea of culture through his talent and skills of painting and drawing. He has developed his own unique sense of styling which reflects his philosophical mind as well. As time passes this young boy’s skills in promoting culture were notified by numerous people and his professional career started in which he designed numerous spectacular designs in the boating industry. The concept of portraying culture in such manner was so much appreciated by people that the technique of introducing abstract and cubist was later adopted by the artist of East as well. Beside Hansen’s work numerous other artist work and thought are adopted by the people of East. Christians also played a vital role in promoting cultural values and portraying them in such a manner that it was appreciated by the entire world. And among there marvelous work the oldest and the most symbolic thing is the cross sign which is known as the sign of Christian’s faith. The idea of presenting cross sign has played a significant role in numerous other cultures as well. People from different region especially from east side have adopted it as well and defines their own meaning of this symbol. If we go through to the detail and deep knowledge of this cross then we came to know numerous facts regarding it as it was revealed that through ages and centuries people are using and following this cross sign to protect themselves from illness, to have good fortune, and to show their respect to their religion and numerous other things as well. After the great success of promoting culture is such manner numerous other artists has developed countless version of its, which include X-Shaped St. Andrews cross and the T-shaped teau-cross as well. Beside this, the people of Greek have used this symbol in order to represent the four cardinal directions as well or we can say that they tried to represent the four basic elements which include earth, wind, water and fire. Other than this, the people of India have used this symbol as well in order to show the four main directions of heavens. Similarly, the people of Africa has designed cross roads and there concept of it is that these crossroads are places where the world of living and dead meet. In addition with this, numerous Eastern artists used this shaped to promote their cultural jewelry as well. Along with above mentioned things, Eastern people have also discovered new and interesting things in Japan by following the writings of Shakespeare as they had focused the plays of him and started studying the canonical values of his theater and implement the thoughts and ideas in order to promote the cultural things. Similarly, the people of Japan also have a great history in promoting cultural things through different and unique ideas such as the monster is one of the significant thing that Japanese promotes in their culture which was actually the creation of human imagination which resemble numerous things at different points like people, other animals or well –known objects as well. (Kuncaraningrat 1985) The artist of West promote their cultural values and things by numerous ways and among them music is the major source. With the help of unique and different musical instruments they define their thoughts and ideas regarding their culture. All sort of music either rock, pop or slow all were used to promote culture. In addition with these the artist of West also launched numerous sort of games that have music like Krongcong is one of the famous and well-known musical game that was designed in a manner that the music lovers start playing them and the main focus of promoting culture with the help of music will also go on with such innovative discoveries. Similarly along with music, dance is another thing that is used in order to promote culture of West, as it is the best approach of reflecting and showing the diversification of different ethical groups that compose the entire West portion of the world. This technique of promoting culture was adopted by the artist of East as well, as this gave great opportunity to show the traditional and cultural values of one’s states. The people of West also use the source of drama and theaters in order to promote their cultural values, and this technique really works as people form all over the world came to watch such sort of drama that promotes culture and things regarding traditional values. Along with this the people of East represent the culture of West in their region by using the traditional arts things which includes paintings, sculpture and numerous sort of architecture as well. Not only this they also used literature and poetry in order to present the idea and thoughts regarding the culture and traditional values of West. For people who loved food the Eastern group facilitate them by provding and presenting the Western dishes, along with this the more powerful and source that the Eastern people used in order to represent the culture of West in the media, as there is a great number of cinemas within East and these cinemas has played a significant role in spreading every bite of cultural things and cover all the traditional values of the entire West. In previous days, this source did not work as much but at the beginning of year 1980 this platform reaches the peak and concurred the highest level as well. Beside this cinema’s role numerous Eastern artists have played a significant role in order to promote and represent the culture and traditions of West within their country and this medium of representing the culture is very much appreciated by all as in this every age group can find its own interesting things to go for. Other than this, radio network which was formed in year 1945 also played a significant role, especially after 2006 numerous radio channels are launched using Digital Audio Broadcasting and Hybrid system that are also facilitating in promoting the cultural values all over the East. But all these above mentioned approaches had a positive result till political issues do not arise. In early days if we go through the detail representation techniques of promoting and showing culture of West in East we came to know that its result is very much effective as long as it was concerned as the homogenous population things towards mass production. This multiculturalism has worked for a long time in order to show the Western European society. The people of French also liked and welcomed this sort of representation and wrote numerous theories on it and named such things as a class struggle which highlighted the real charm, beauty as well as the weakness, along with this such representation also include ethics, religion and race issues but this thought of promoting culture is no more seen due to numerous political issues. Adams 2006) As now people have the idea that political, cultural, social and economical dialogue projects are addressed but should not be exclusively shown in Muslim countries, beside this according to the political rules the training programs, information of technologies and other things should not be shown and promoted on other side rather than West as this cause great trouble to the citizens of the west. Beside this the global conflict is also one of the major reason of promoting culture and traditional things in such a way, as the people of other country did not have the actual idea or right to promote each other cultural values as by this they often show our cultural things in a wrong manner and this cause big issues. According to a survey and research numerous authors wrote things about politicians idea that they have an idea that assimilation model can’t work longer because he people who are from different state are not like us and they have different skin color, they have other religion whose rules are not applicable on us, as we are not of same group, culture, and we does not have same social and traditional values. Similarly the political rules that are governing West also have the idea that we people are from different type of population and thats why we cant work on same issue with hand in hand as these people are living in a territory which has no political representation and they wants to copy our theories and approaches by promoting our cultural and traditional values. (Adams 2006) In a nut shell, we can conclude our paper that the idea of presenting and promoting culture and traditional values of each other provide us great benefit as by this we can come to know the real concepts and ideas of each other, and this thing also facilitate us in getting new approaches as well but this concept that arises in this era that by doing so we people can face numerous difficulties and political issues is not good for both the citizens of West as well as East so we should cover up such issues and focus on the growth and development of cultural as well as other things which is a great need for all of us.

MTV: Building Brand Resonance Essay

1 – What is the MTV brand image? How valuable are the MTV brand associations? What should its core values be? The MTV brand started out with a focus on the music where it helped to launch the visual impact of bands through music videos. MTV is a youth oriented brand, that started as a purely music video station, and has now involved into a pop-culture station with a mix of long-form programming, and videos. They created stars and termed new expressions like VJs and quickly differentiated their product from the competition. As a result of having a first-mover advantage they were the TV channel to go to in order to endorse your music. They managed to build up their brand and be a key channel for promotion where artists where demanding to have their own videos played on MTV. MTV remains a strong brand within the youth segment but needs to constantly evolve in order to maintain their position with new trends and changes emerging. The brand associations are strong since they are attached to a certain target-group (youths) that is very desirable to reach for many advertisers. The adolescence and early adulthood that MTV reaches are important for establishing enduring preferences for a specific type of brand that might follow a person throughout his life. Viewed as very â€Å"hip and now† many teens look to the channel to see what is popular and what the up and coming trends of today are. MTV has very strong brand attributes, with its viewers and even with people that do not view the channel as one they would frequently watch, therefore giving the brand strong brand associations. MTV has core values of staying on top of music and cultural trends, as a result ensuring their continued growth of their audience; MTV needs to stay relevant to stay on top. 2 – Describe the current sources of MTV’s brand equity. How have they changed over time? MTV creates its brand equity through high level of awareness and brand associations it’s made with its targeted viewers. MTV did this by using VJ’s or video jockeys to bring the viewers â€Å"along for the ride†. VJ’s made it’s a much more personal experience as if they were friends with the audience. The use of long-form programming has helped keep viewers interested in the channel by keeping relevant in its programming, by moving away from its roots as a music only channel and giving viewers what they were interested at any point in time. There are multiple genres and cultures represented on MTV and the channel high ratings among its key teen demographic, especially females. The evolution of the channel has kept the brand equity. In 2010 the MTV logo changed and no longer contained the tag-line â€Å"Music Television† to further emphasize their shift away from the pure music. By focusing more on programs that were â€Å"culture† shows and not only music they have managed to maintain a strong brand. Throughout their changes of focus MTV has managed to keep its core values intact. They are a channel for the younger generation that constantly provokes and stays on the edge of new concepts. By having a brand aimed at pop culture they constantly have to re-invent themselves to stay current. One of the biggest challenges for MTV is managing growth because usually when things become too popular it is no longer considered to be cool. 3 – What is the role of music within MTV? Do they need to put the â€Å"M† back in MTV? Music still plays a major part in MTV’s image and brand associations. Music and pop culture have always been interconnected, as many view the music that they listen to be how they express who they are as an individual. By having the same segments of people liking the same types of music, you can see the cliques within these segments, and usually these are how social trends begin. Although on a television station, music does not have the power to captivate viewers for prolonged periods of time; MTV found that long-form programming kept viewers tuned in on a regular basis, whereas music created grazing behaviors. Additionally, the channel viewers have changed therefore changing back to an all music channel I do not think would benefit the channel; viewers need to stay tuned in order for MTV to remain profitable and they are doing a good job of keeping their brand equity and associations. 4 – Discuss the role the Internet in programming. How should MTV best integrate the Internet into the brand? How might technology impact MTV’s future? MTV’s websites serve as an added channel to keep viewers engaged beyond just watching the channel they can now watch TV episodes and have wallpapers etc. However, the internet could pose the problem as sites like YouTube, World Star Hip Hop, and a collection of others give viewers access to video on demand, (what they want to see and when they want to see it), as opposed to watching a channel and waiting to hopefully see a song or wait for a program to air. MTV should continue to use the Internet to its advantage by offering exclusive online clips, interviews, and MTV personalized gear. They should continue to create apps and use Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to connect to viewers. The MTV website already offers a variety of experiences to visitors and its greatest pull is that the brand owns the market as the resource for popular music. Drawing on that, and positioning the interactive aspect as a true storehouse for information is the most complementary stance MTVi (the interactive division of MTV) can take. With trendiness at its core, MTV will thrive as technology continues to change. 5 – How have MTV’s sister networks affected the parent channel’s brand equity? What changes, if any, would you make in positioning of the sister networks in order to create the optimal brand portfolio? MTV has effectively used its sister networks and parent channels to boost brand equity. By playing more music clips and videos on the MTV2 and VH1 channels, it spreads the core values of the brand. MTV started and made its name by showing music videos, so having its sister channels show more videos it extends the brand image and values. MTV is a global brand and therefore reaches many different people from all around the world. This means that they have an extensive range of viewers that are from different places, cultures, nationalities, ethnicities, etc. MTV’s global channels offer country specific programming to appeal to the many different countries and cultural tastes. MTV is doing a good job of positioning itself and its sister channels for continued success in boosting brand equity.

Schizophrenia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Schizophrenia - Essay Example The characteristic age of commencement is the late 20s for women and the early 20s for men. Moreover, women are more expected to have a ‘first break’ later in life. Consequently, approximately one third of women have a commencement of illness after age 30. Among the minor socioeconomic classes, schizophrenia is diagnosed disproportionately. Ordinarily, schizophrenia is caused by a multifaceted contact between thousands of genes and several environmental risk aspects, of which none causes schizophrenia on their own. The developing brain is also possibly to be affected by environmental risk factors. In addition, prenatal infection can cause delicate changes in neuron movement and placement, which would eventually result in irregular connections. It can also act directly on developing circuits and synapses. Immune and stress reactions can be changed permanently by prenatal exposure to infection or stress. This makes an individual to be more sensitive to succeeding environmental stressors that cause irregular associations in the brain (Gilmore, 2010). The causes of schizophrenia are extensively alleged to have a neurobiological foundation. The dopamine hypothesis, which is the main significant theory, asserts that schizophrenia is caused by hyperactivity in brain dopaminergic pathways. This theory is in conformity with the efficiency of antipsychotics and the capability of drugs such as amphetamines or cocaine that arouse dopaminergic activity to provoke psychosis. Moreover, Postmortem studies indicate higher numbers of dopamine receptors in precise subcortical nuclei of schizophrenics than in ordinary brains. Functional and structural abnormalities through brain imaging of schizophrenics and control populations have been an area of concern in recent studies (Podosyan, 2009). Long (2009) explains that schizophrenia frequently commences between the late adolescents and the mid-30s, while

Examination of the Relationship between HRM Practices and Retention of Thesis

Examination of the Relationship between HRM Practices and Retention of Skilled Workers - Thesis Example among many empirical studies is the discovery of how HRM practices actually result in improved firm performance, although firm performance is construed in different ways. Some pertain to enhancement of specific employee skills. For Prieto and Santana (2012), the specific skill they sought to confirm was ambidexterity – i.e., the ability to simultaneously explore new knowledge domains while exploiting current ones. A field study of 198 Spanish companies was conducted, focusing on three categories of high-involvement human resource practices: ability-enhancing, motivation-enhancing and opportunity-enhancing HR practices. Factor loading and regression analysis were conducted on the HR practices and three other variables – social climate (as the mediating factor), ambidexterity, and firm performance. Findings from the study showed that HR practices contribute to establishing social climates which, in turn enhance ambidextrous learning and ultimately firm performance. One ob servation that may be made on this study is that the effect of HR practices on ambidexterity is not directly causal, but indirect. It is likely that the social climates created by HR practices also enhance a number of other skills likewise favourable to firm performance. HR practices are therefore contributory, but not determinative, of the likelihood of skills development, including ambidexterity. HR practices are also seen to impact on firm performance relative to the ownership structure of the firm. Castrogiovanni and Kidwell (2010) examined the effects of HR practices on employee or franchisee managers and the resultant performance of their business units. A business unit that operates as a franchise imposes a different set of constraints upon management than that of a business unit integral to the parent corporation. Franchising has variably been described as a geographic expansion strategy, a type of vertical integration, an organisational form, or an approach to conducting business,

Nutrition and Metabolism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Nutrition and Metabolism - Essay Example the plasma sodium concentration), is about 140 mmol/L. Sodium maintains the osmotic pressure of the extra cellular fluid and helps in retaining water in the extra cellular compartment. Along with other cations it is also majorly involved in neuromuscular irritability, acid base balance, maintenance of blood viscosity and resting membrane potential. A high plasma sodium concentration (more than 145 mmol/L) is referred to as hypernatremia. This can occur due to simple dehydration, excess sodium intake, steroid therapy and diabetic insipidus. Hyponatremia (plasma sodium concentration less than 130 mmol/L), can occur due to diuretic medication, kidney disease, excessive sweating, congestive heart failure or gastrointestinal disorder. Potassium is one of the most important intracellular cation. It is widely distributed in the body in muscle tissue, nerve tissue, blood cells and plasma. It is filtered in the glomerulus, absorbed in the proximal tubule and finally excreted by exchange for sodium in the distal tubule. Potassium influences muscular activity, cardiac function and nerve conduction process. In hyperkalemia the plasma potassium concentration exceeds 5.5 mmol/L. Acute hyperkalemia is a medical emergency. In hypokalemia the plasma potassium level will be less than 3.5 mmol/L. This can occur due to excessive loss in gastrointestinal secretions and urine, and also in renal tubular acidosis. Hyponatremia (lowered plasma [Na+]) and hypernatremia (raised plasma [Na+]) are associated with a variety of diseases and illnesses and the accurate measurement of [Na+] in body fluids is an important diagnostic aid. Potassium is the major intracellular cation. The average cell has 140 mM K+ inside but only about 10 mM Na+. K+ slowly diffuses out of cells so a membrane pump (the Na+/K+-ATPase) continually transports K+ into cells against a concentration gradient. The human body requires about 50-150 mmol/day. Hypokalemia (lowered