The Creolization of Old Calabar Essay Example for Free

The Creolization of Old Calabar Essay The business and social interactions of the African and English slave traders created a very different Old Calabar. As the slave trade grew the society quickly started to reflect not only the traditions and values of the Africans but of the English as well. Old Calabar became a New Creolized Calabar†. Was this the direct result of the slave trading? The evidence says yes? The creolization of the African Society of Calabar can clearly be associated with the slave trade by analyzing their language changes, life style changes and political changes as the slave trading became more competitive and economically beneficial. Creolization usually brings to mind the decedents in Louisiana born to the Spanish, French and Haitians before the Civil War. Randy Sparks introduces the idea of creolization as being a way to explain what happened in Old Calabar, but interestingly, he poses the thought that it had little to do with the origin or birth of those involved. Sparks instead introduces historian Ira Berlins idea of the Robin Johns being a kind of Atlantic Creole not because of blood lines but by experiences. Ira Berlins quote is as follows: Familiar with the commerce of the Atlantic, fluent in its new languages, and intimate with its trade and cultures, they were cosmopolitan in the fullest sense. (pg. 4) The Robin Johns were not only fluent in the English language but also in trade language alluded to by Ira Berlin. These various languages developed in areas from Gambia to Cameron and developed as a result of the constant exposure of slave traders to each others languages. The variations spread around the Atlantic Ocean to areas where slave trade was popular from Africa to the Americas to Europe. Sparks describes the languages as a combination of mostly English words having African Grammatical structures. The African leaders in Old Calabar were responsible for the cosmopolitan† like essence of the Robin Robins. The leaders knew that by being more European understanding the European customs and practicing the lifestyle. It gave them the competitive edge over the other African competitors who did not. Joining with the Europeans in the lucrative slave business was an economic gold mine. So, the smart African transformed himself into an image of what they believed made them more appealing to the Europeans. An example of this would be that they ordered and used extravagant products such as English razors, pewter piss pots and mirrors six feet tall. The degree of their creolization is very apparent on pages 11 and 12 of the first chapter. Sparks description of Grandy King George, who was originally known as Ephraim, is filled with the pageantry of both Royal English and African fused together. Sparks describes Grandy King George as he boards the Royal Canoe the day before The Massacre of 1767. Sparks indicates that Grandy King George wore a multicolored robe and red coat trimmed in gold lace, a silk sash thrown over his shoulders. He carried a gold skull headed cane in one hand and a fine ceremonial sword in the other. Under one arm he carried a gold trimmed cocked hat and the ensigns that, as Sparks describes them, blew in the wind, engraved with Grandy King Georges name written in English letters. The Kings name being written in English letters emphasizes the point that the African Slave traders not only spoke the English language, but also had the ability to read and write it. The unique combination of The Kings attire and accessories powerfully displayed his desire to indicate his appreciation for both cultures. The red coat trimmed in gold clearly reflected his admiration of the English Royals, while the skull headed cane, on the other hand, indicated his pride in his African heritage. Sparks seems to save his last description of the King and his surroundings that day as the most obvious fusion of the two cultures. He describes that behind the King, in the center of the canoe, there was a small house painted in bright colors, and on top of the house there were two men loudly playing the drums. There was a canon in the bow of the canoe, and in front of the canon was a man who shook a large bundle of reeds to symbolically ward off obstacles. Again, one could say that the mixing of cultures is self-evident. The canon would have been something purchased from the English, while the spirit man and the men beating the drums would have reflected his African faith. African Politics in the area of Efiks experienced significant change after the slave trade with the English escalated. The economy had been predominantly based on agricultural trade and there was no strong centralized government. Small groups of population approximately 1200 were divided up into Wards and Houses lead by town council Elders and House Elders. As the economy grew, the criteria for qualification as head of house changed from lineage to wealth. Houses became larger, Wards and Towns as well. A stronger governing system was created. The â€Å"Grand Council† was introduced to govern the â€Å"Council of Elders†. The â€Å"Ekpe Society† was created to set standards and create laws for the entire system. Entry into the system was open to all men even slaves as long as the entry fees were paid. The Society had many levels of membership determined by the wealth of the man. The Ekpe Society controlled all trading regulations both slave and agricultural. In addition they controlled the economy. They set prices for goods, enforced debt collection, payment submissions and kept track of inventory. The Ekpe Society even controlled who was responsible for sweeping the streets. The crealization is seen in the change of the African Society governing style from a lineage system to a system influenced more by wealth and requiring strong central government. In conclusion it is clear that the relationship with the English and the huge amounts of capital to be made created a creolized African Society. It changed how they thought about status. They wanted English clothes, razors, mirrors and pewter piss pots. The government became more about money than lineage and last but not least their language changed. An entire language was created around the slave trade.

Free College Admissions Essays: Slacking :: College Admissions Essays

College Admissions: Slacking It's unbelievable how each year, since the beginning of high school, my perfectly laid plans for myself have unavoidably deteriorated. When I entered my freshman year, I had aspirations of being a doctor (something I had wanted to be since I was a child). Now, here I am entering my senior year in high school without any idea of what I want to do. Now seems to be the time to start taking life seriously and making responsible, educated choices. Looking back on it now, I realize that I cannot become the doctor I wanted to be. I have come to realize that, that dream was not only my own, but a dream of my family. My parents often talked of me becoming a doctor and although their enthusiasm continued throughout my childhood and early adolescence, mine slowly diminished; until finally I realized I did not want to become a doctor. I remember how hard it seemed to tell my parents of my decision, I felt as if I was letting them down, but I eventually came to realize that they wanted me to do what made me happy. I am not definite why I changed my mind in regard to being a doctor, I had the grades, the drive, and the willingness to make certain sacrifices, but somewhere I was missing something and I felt that I would not be satisfied in a medical career. So I started thinking about what I wanted to do; I went from teaching to law enforcement, computer programming to astronautics and numerous other professions. Now I come to a crossroad in my life where I must choose what to do with my future, choose what will make me happy. I have always wanted the typical 'American Dream' to have a husband I am in love with, a stable job, loving children, and a house in the suburbs. But now I realize that there are so many other steps I need to take in order to achieve these so-called goals. This includes graduating from high school and college, finding that special someone, and finding that perfect job. I have begun to realize that I have yet to begin my life; everything up until now has been practice, as if I have been in a cage and it is only now that I am beginning to break free and do things for myself.

Citizen Kane in a Century

The film most likely to be seen and reviewed one hundred years from now is Citizen Kane. The reason Citizen Kane will most likely withstand the next century above the others is the timelessness the concept of the film carries. Based on the media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, the film conveys the sense that the media is controlled by the few with the most money and the most power, a concept that lends itself especially well to film in terms of plot development and tension. Plot and tension garner a large audience that might not otherwise be united on what makes a successful film.For instance, Welles’ use of then-innovative cinematic techniques might be the wedge between an average movie-goer and a film critic, but the use of these techniques added dimension to the plot and tension in ways that previously been unexplored. Now seen as part of the cinematic canon, low camera angles make Kane’s character appear larger-than-life, adding to the dramatic tension. Facial close -ups also added to film’s mood, as the audience became enmeshed in the complexity of the characters and what happened to them.The use of flashbacks was also innovative, telling a story onscreen in a then-unconventional way, adding layers and giving the audience cues into the nature of Kane’s rise to the top of the journalism field, the power and wealth it allowed him, and the crushing fall the fickleness of the media to which he was pushed. Citizen Kane will survive the coming century because it broke ground in narrative technique as well as cinematic creativity, paving the way for all the other films viewed this semester. Martha Stewart: The New Kane?Citizen Kane updated for the times would ambitiously look at the rise, fall, and subsequent rise of home-decorating mogul Martha Stewart. The star would be Cate Blanchett, as she would fit the role physically as well as act the role remarkably. Hilary Swank would play Stewart’s daughter, Alexis, and her husband, An dy, would be Robert Downey Jr. Extensive research would be done, of course, to make the parallels between the real life person on which the film is based and the fictional character representing that person.The title character would be Ruth Helen Kane so as to keep the original film title in tact, to keep the parallel somewhat acute (Stewart’s middle name is Helen), and to play on the word ruthless. The film would be shot using the same cinematic techniques in the same way as Welles used in his original film—heavy use of flashbacks, facial close ups, low camera angles, extended and uninterrupted scenes, subjective use of lighting, and focus shots. The difference would be that the film would not end with the character in jail, but would follow the steady rise back into her original position of power.Martha Stewart as subject would testify to the short attention span of the public today, as well as insinuate that power and wealth make everyone forget the past, alluding t o the 1984 Orwell ominously warned us about. This remake of the 1941 classic film would stay true to the original in the exploration of power and corruption but resonate with audiences today because of the obsession with celebrities and a desire to see them disgraced. Personality and CharacterWoody Allen is a personality star because he never breaks away from the same persona—an eccentric, extremely intelligent, inherently nervous New York Jew. His performance in Annie Hall cements his status as the eccentric, intelligent, nervous New York Jew because he says so throughout the film and throughout the others he writes, directs, and stars in. William Holden is a character star because he plays a believable Max Schumacher, and watching the film I see Max, the character, not Bill, the leading man.Compared to Annie Hall, where I see Woody, the writer/director/actor, rather than Alvie, the character, Holden’s performance makes me see the character, not the actor. Dustin Hoff man is another character star. His Ben Braddock recalls a vivid sense of youth that anyone can relate to, and Hoffman plays him so well that it would be easy to see Hoffman as Braddock in subsequent films were Hoffman not an excellent actor. Billy Bob Thornton is yet another character star, delivering one of the best performances of all the films this semester.The seeming detachment from emotion Karl breathes is conveyed in a clean, authentic manner, making Thornton more of a vessel for the character rather than a messenger. Robert Duvall is a character actor through and through. His characters in Apocalypse Now, Network and even in The Conversation are different from each other, and his long list of credits reveal that Duvall remains a diverse actor in a variety of roles. He does not come off as pigeon-holed into an actor playing the same character in different roles.Narrative in Annie Hall and Citizen Kane Annie Hall begins at the end of the relationship, with Alvie talking direct ly to the audience about his relationship with the title character, Annie Hall. The story is told through the use of flashbacks of Alvie’s previous relationships and his childhood, told often as if he is himself telling Annie these flashbacks. Such a scene occurs specifically when he and Annie go to Coney Island with Alvie’s friend and Alvie is telling Annie about his mother and father and family.The present Annie and Alvie walk in to the past Alvie’s home to look in on past Alvie’s parents and family and house. The scene cuts through the narrative barrier in flashback and brings the presents visibly into the past rather than separating the two. Allen uses the flashback in this way to show how people are forever bound to the past and carry it with them as if they always lived in it. Citizen Kane also relies heavily on flashback to tell its story and begins much the same way Annie Hall does, at the end of the story, Kane’s death.The audience sees Ka ne die, learns that he has in fact died via newspaper media, and then systematically learns about the road to his death. The reporter sent to investigate the man behind the mogul uncovers the life of Kane, told via the people who were closest to him. The use of flashback works especially well in learning how Kane came under guardianship of Thatcher, and the flashback is revealed via Thatcher’s memoirs rather than Thatcher himself. Such use of flashback reveals how much information is attained when first-hand sources are unavailable.

Stephen Dedalus in James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist...

Stephen Dedalus in James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man When the soul of a man is born in this country there are nets flung at it to hold it back from flight. You talk to me of nationality, language, religion. I shall try to fly by those nets The spirit of Ireland is embodied in young Stephen Dedalus, the central character of James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man. Like the Dedalus of Greek myth, Stephen must grow wings so that he may fly above the tribulations of his life. As he matures, Dedalus begins to understand his position in life, and decides to rise above the turbulent Ireland of the early 1900s in a rebellion against society, a struggle against his beliefs and a struggle against his†¦show more content†¦Any opinion Stephen voiced was usually met with mixed feelings, reflective of the divided political and religious factions. Stephen felt the need to rebel: to break into a new setting-one in which he could be free to express all his thoughts. The IRB was formed in 1858 as a group of Irish intellectuals who wanted to see an Ireland independent of British rule. The IRB put their support behind Charles Stewart Parnell, a protestant landowner with very radical nationalist ideals. Parnell is a topic of discussion during a political debate Stephens family has over Christmas dinner, and is first mentioned while Stephen is at Clongowes Wood School, reminiscing about his Aunt, or Dante as he calls her - a holdover from when he was a baby and could not properly pronounce Auntie. Stephen remembers Dante admonishing Parnell; this is Stephens first introduction to politics. As Stephen recalls, Dante had two brushes in her press. The brush with the maroon velvet back was for Michael Davitt and the brush with the green velvet back was for Parnell. (20) One day Dante ripped the back off the brush that represented Parnell and denounced Parnell as a bad man. [Stephen] wondered if they were arguing at home about that. And to the young Stephen ThatShow MoreRelatedJames Joyces Alter Ego in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man929 Words   |  4 PagesJames Joyces Alter Ego in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man Works Cited Missing In James Joyces A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Stephen Dedalus, a young man growing up, has many of the same traits of the young James Joyce. For example, On 1 September 1888, at the age of half-past-six, Joyce was taken by his parents to be enrolled in the finest Catholic preparatory school in Ireland, Clongowes Wood College, situatedRead MoreA Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man1038 Words   |  5 PagesJames Joyce created all of his literary pieces from his own personal experiences throughout his life and the culture he grew up in (Norris 3). In his novel, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, Joyce and his character, Stephen Dedalus, share a wide variety of similarities, all the way from childhood aspects, to challenges of adulthood. 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The introduction of the dell computer corporation - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 8 Words: 2407 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Narrative essay Did you like this example? Dell Computer Corporation (DCC), formerly known as PCs limited, was given its name by its founder, Michael Dell. He started off by trading computers directly to customers to create more value and to be there for direct assistance; and later dropped out of school to devote his life in doing the same. DCC designed its own system for the first time in 1985 and had a profit of more than seventy four million dollars in its first year (Koehn, Nancy Fowler, 2001). Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The introduction of the dell computer corporation" essay for you Create order It was a family business, spoke and understood the same language, was very cooperative and thus flourished with regards to others. DCC started trade through its website for the first time in 1996, and a year later this corporation became the first ever e-commerce business to achieve million dollars in online sales; and later increased the number of products it sold. Other than doing business of computers, DCC also started the trade of TVs, printers, digital audio players and handheld devices; therefore, rebranded itself to Dell Inc in the twenty first century (Lee, Louise 2006). The whole of the computer industry changed as Dell introduced itself in the market in the mid eighties. The business considers it a big achievement that it has provided custom-made answers to the customers through progressive modifications and tactical alliances. Currently they brag about how they deliver around a hundred thousand PCs per day to clients in 180 different countries (Rakesh Dogra, 2010), t o other businesses and to personal buyers. Since the rebranding, many ups and downs have occurred in the corporation. The various numbers of accomplishments that Dell has achieved all have a single beginning in the late nineties. Dell took a step forward and dedicated itself in obtaining a greater data centre and greater technology services businesses. Dell took over for the first time in 1999 (Lee, Louise 2006) by purchasing ConvergeNet Technologies. 2008 was the year when they successfully got hold of EqualLogic for around one and a half billion dollars. In addition to that, a year later the company signed a contract with Perot systems and took it over for 3.9 billion dollars (Rakesh Dogra, 2010). The company wants to attain a more diverse approach in delivering its product and therefore, 2010 may be another year where Dell looks to carry out further takeovers. Starting the business online was very advantageous in a number of ways. The most important one was that it was very economical and totally technologically up-to-date. Any one across the whole globe with access to internet can get hold of the companys website. There was just one this Dell had to keep in mind, and it still does at it expands, the political and social factors according to the countries and place it provides its service. Some nations may not be easily persuaded unless a whole manual is read to them and they are made aware of how they can choose and design their own systems. Others may want to pay after the product has physically reached the location of use. In the era of abrupt changes in the global technology use, it was very important for the company to launch a website and beat, or stay in sink, with its rival companies. Significance of the subject There is a lot of importance of this topic as we can see how a normal business expanded and enjoyed its success by over taking its competitors, Compaq, and earned the most finance in one year, which was a big step for any company after entering e-commerce. In this abruptly changing environment with regards to information technology and the internet, it is very important to stay focused on the changes. Dell also faced many challenges in this field like all other companies do, but analysing the significance and importance of adopting to the change is what gave the company a new life. The most durable topic in this respect is maintaining the comparative advantage one has. The sudden changes that have occurred in the corporate world in the recent times indicate that the businesses should re-evaluate themselves internally and externally. It is very normal now to converse about new phenomena called the new economy, ever since the nineties, a topic which is fundamentally inclined to and discusses about the occurrence of information and knowledge-hub markets that have boosted up. This has hugely been helped by the growth and progress of the internet technology. The term new economy is mainly concerned with the quick alterations in technology. It talks about the collaboration, not really of the rivalries, complications and ambiguities in technological advances; because its different from the traditional economy, it has to be defined in new terms when it comes to business representation. The companies before were not tactically oriented and therefore every competitor who adopted the information technology and the internet, developed themselves uniquely and very quickly and left others behind in terms of success and progress. Every one knew this new era of the twenty first centuray would see us through more abrupt advances in internet technology, which meant stepping the accelerator on information exchange, knowledge and awareness along with further rapid globalization. This rapid change required companies to re-evaluate there basic doctrines in order to properly achieve, or even understand, competitive advantage. For this, companies needed to take another look externally at how the competitors went about carrying out their activities in order to achieve success, and also needed to see the internal situation inorder to implement the in and up-to-date system. It would then be appropriate for the businesses to conlude whether or not they even have the potential to compete. Dell computers were amongst the first movers in the PC selling industry and were therefore supple and always willing to devote themselves a little extra to bring about innovation. Dell knew that once the internet was put to use, they could post up large amounts of information and it would spread across various locations quickly and economically as there are no geographical boundaries in the internet world. Though the same technology was available to all the pl ayers in the market but a few, like Dell, who had first movers advantage and could exploit the resources effectively and efficiently, earned the most success and consequently profit. Dell earned the most by any company through e-commerce in there first year. Impact of this and comparative advantages After adapting to online competitive preferences, not only did Dell become a big player in this era of global digital expanding world but it also effectively and efficiently maintained its position by keeping up-to-date. By doing business online Dell can spread information and awareness about itself to the customers all around the world quickly and authentically, thereby, expanding the corporation and building a special position of the company in the minds of the clients or potential customers and hence, obtaining some sort of edge over other international and national companies. Furthermore, Dell also had the first movers advantage. After Dell started to compete in the field of e-commerce, it was able to effectively use the net and lower its costs and increase the sales, which was hugely problematic in the largely overloaded PC (personal computer) industry. In a desire to attain competitive advantage, in the mid nineties, Dell started to do business of computers on the inter net. The clients or the customers could now place there customized orders online on the site, which they formerly did over the phone. Customers can choose from alternative specifications for there systems, which could be single or multiple, and get approximations of costs. After the customer gives in the order and the preferences, the complete status can then be checked. The most interesting aspect of the whole matter was that around eighty percent of the viewers and buyers were new to Dell services and systems. Another financially important point for Dell was that, with the ever so increasing sales of the company, it did not need to employ more members to work for them, because it was all too easy over the internet to take control of the situation. Dells phone charges also started to decrease and the firm incorporated the Just-In-Time (JIN) technique as well, where they would not need to store any inventories and financially burden themselves; so it began to become very econo mical for the company. In the early twenty first century the Dell inc. seized, held and overcame its huge competitors, Compaq Computers Corporation and became the globes biggest computer manufacturer. E-commerce now really allows the the customers and the employess of Dell Inc. to communicate with one another anywhere in the world at extreme ease, sitting realxed at there homes, and enables the customers or the clients to understand and choose specifications at will with ample amount of time. Critical topics The most critical issue that is faced by all companys carrying out e-commerce, including Dell, is the ethical issue, which was briefly touched on before. This issue includes staying socially responsible and in accordance with the laws of the country the business is being conducted in. Furthermore, other major laws such as the consumer privacy law should also be given a lot of importance. Where there are special rights of the customers or the clients and even the advertisers. A person anywhere in the world hesitates to give in personal information on the internet, such as the home address and account number. Therefore, a sense of special trust must be given to the people and the information provided by them should be kept confidential. They should be granted self-reliance and secrecy. It has been a major problem for companys even before e-commerce was introduced in the scene. Information that was stored on databases of clients was in the risk of being leaked to other partie s. Now it has still remained an issue for the customers that while transactions are carried out online, personal information may be illegally gathered and spread for purposes other than the ones intended by the client or customer. Furthermore, Dell had a major issue at the initial stages, that the systems they gave away would either not reach there respective destinations on time or they would have defaults in them. This irritated the customers a whole lot. After analysing Dell over the years, it can be concluded that they surpassed these issues and productively moved on, with effecientcy and effectiveness. Dell has successfully gained the trust of the people by the performance they have maintained. Conclusion All companies do not react to and adopt the internet technology change, because it may not be there desire or they dont see there future survival. However, without a question all the companies that are run by the traditional system, in one way or another, want to fill the gap and somehow explore and exploit the new and advance internet based sytem; carry out e-commerce. Incorporating information technology in the company and running the business through it is very advantageous because a while back it was pradicted that by the beginnig of the twenty first century, approximately five and a half million people of the world will have access to the internet (Anderson, 1997) and catching the customer attention online would be the major success. E-commerce and all the abrupt advances in technology that are facilitating it are changing the whole industry environment and therefore, continous changes in the status quo are required and employees need to trained regularly. It should be e mbedded in the principals and doctrine of such organizations, as Dell, to make such changes, that occur because of innovative technological developments, a continous practice. Now large and pioneer companies like Dell and Cisco systems are regularly transferring large amounts of finance, like hundreds and million of dollars, over there internet based businesses and as a result have also reduced there expenditure by the same amounts per anum. Dell is one of the leaders all around the world thanks to the internet technology, which opened up a whole new gate in the world of businesses, and has led the way with passion and determination. Recommendation After analysing companies who have adopted to the change like Dell has, it would be good news if other such companies also took in internet based prefrences for there businesses. Furthermore, thanks to this productive change from the traditional older economy system, customers are not the only one at ease, so are the employees who are less irritated than before, when they would stand at retail outlets and serve cutomers for hours telling them each and every specification and changing system accessories every time cutomers changed there mind. Refrencing Koehn, Fowler, N. (2001), Brand New: How Entrepreneurs Earned Consumers Trust from Wedgwood to Dell, Harvard Business Press, p.ÂÂ  287, https://books.google.com/?id=7j8VefeqUk4CHYPERLINK https://books.google.com/?id=7j8VefeqUk4Cprintsec=frontcoverHYPERLINK https://books.google.com/?id=7j8VefeqUk4Cprintsec=frontcoverprintsec=frontcover, retrieved on 22nd November 2010 at 21:08. Lee, Louise (2006-03-23), HYPERLINK https://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060323_034268.htmDell Goes High-end and HipHYPERLINK https://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060323_034268.htm, BusinessWeek, McGraw-Hill. https://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/mar2006/tc20060323_034268.htm, Retrieved on 22nd November 2010 at 21:30. Hoffman, J. Hoelscher, M. Sorenson, R. (2006), Achieving Sustained Competitive Advantage: A Family Capital Theory, Family Business Review, Pages 135-145, 19. Dogra, R. (Ricky), (2010), Dell Seeks to Expand Its Data Center Busi ness, The Data Center journal, taken from https://datacenterjournal.com/index.php?option=com_contentview=articleid=3685:delta-forcecatid =24Itemid=100127. Oswal A. J. Mascarenhas, Kesavan, R. Bernacchi, M.D, (2003), Co-managing on-line privacy: A call for joint ownership, Journal of consumer marketing, Pages 686-702, VOL. 20 NO. 7. 1st December 2010 at 19:50, https://ecommerce.hostip.info/pages/236/Competitive-Advantage.html, Website on WWW. Fahy, J. Hooley, G. (2002), Sustainable competitive advantage in electronic business: towards a contingency perspective on the resource-based view, Journal of Strategic Marketing, Pages 241-253, 10. Freeman, O. (2001), The E-world, information and competitive advantage: what works?, Business Information Review, Pages 43-51, 18. Pavic, S. Koh, S.C.L. Simpson, M. Padmore, J. (2007), Could e-business create a competitive advantage in UK SMEs?, Benchmarking: An International Journal, Pages 320-351, Vol. 14 No. 3. March L. To and Ng ai, E.W.T. (2006), Predicting the organisational adoption of B2C e-commerce: an empirical study, Industrial Management Data Systems, Pages 1133-1147, Vol. 106 No. 8. Anderson, C. (1997), Electronic commerce: a survey, The Economist, 10 May. Sweet, P. ( accepted 2001), Strategic value configuration logics and the new economy: a service economy revolution?, International Journal of Service Industry Management, Pages 70-83, Vol. 12 No. 1.

Battle Of Lexington And Concord - 1708 Words

â€Å"Throw down your arms! Ye villains, ye rebels† (1775, 04/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2007, June 26). The militiamen, who were greatly outnumbered, were ordered to leave when a shot rang out. No one really knows who fired first, but the British, hearing the shot, fired upon the small group of militia, killing eight and wounding 10 (1775, 04/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2007, June 26). When the smoke cleared the British began their march to Concord to search for weapons. They planned to burn any weapons they found and march the 18 miles back to Boston. As the British troops marched, they heard the alarms sounding and they knew the colonist were aware they were coming. Once in Concord they found very little and†¦show more content†¦He ordered his men to take up â€Å"street firing† positions. He was preparing his men to attack the oncoming rebels. The Redcoats set up their street firing positions from behind the bridge perpendicular to the river. Captain Laurie was inexperienced and called the wrong tactical maneuver for the situation. The street firing tactic was appropriate for sending a large volume of fire into a narrow alley between the buildings of a city, but not for an open path behind a bridge. Confusion ensued as the Redcoats started retreating over the bridge in an attempt to form up in the street-firing position. Redcoat Lieuten ant (LT) William Sutherland, who was in the rear of the formation, knew that maneuver was not adequate for the situation and ordered flankers to be sent out. LT Sutherland was from a different company and only four soldiers obeyed him. The remainder of the troops, despite the confusion, followed the orders of the superior officer. (1775, 04/19: Battles of Lexington and Concord. (2007, June 26). Once the Redcoats were set up to the best of their ability, the militiamen continued to move forward. As the militiamen closed in the British fired the first volley, Private Abner Hosmer and Captain Isaac Davis were at the head of the march and were killed instantly. That volley was the start of the Revolutionary War and is now known as the â€Å"Shot Heard around the World†. The militiamen

Less isnt more Essay Example For Students

Less isnt more Essay Theatres aim to strike the delicate balance between downsizing creative risk-taking. More and more these days, art imitates business. The grimmest financial picture in memory has sent Americas nonprofit professional theatres scurrying to the profit-seeking community for means of survival. Mounting deficits and dwindling resources force theatres to cut costs in every conceivable way. Productions are fewer, smaller and safer. Budget gaps drive theatre professionals to other lines of work. While well-heeled theatre companies dig into their pockets, smaller companies scrape by, hoping that an economic upturn will improve their prospects. Just like hundreds of strapped companies in every industry, theatres have embraced downsizing. Clearly, downsizing has merit. When income shrinks, budgets have to shrink also or the venture eventually will fail, whether it produces widgets or new plays. But theatres that succumb to the profit sectors passion for downsizing should be wary of pitfalls. In the for-profit world, downsizing is supposed to eliminate ventures where the outcome cannot be predicted with a high degree of certainty. Research and development often go first. Marginal units and projects go next. Businesses routinely survive crunches by becoming low-cost suppliers of goods and services. Cost savings go to investors, who measure success by return on investment. Return on investment cannot be measured, however, when the payback is aesthetic. A theatre that slashes its equivalent of research and development in the name of tighter management sacrifices its soul, not to mention future audiences. Vibrant theatres court uncertainty. They do not banish it because times are tough. When you downsize so much, the biology of the institution gets compromised, warns Zelda Fichandler, who has been at the vanguard of nonprofit theatre since she launched Washington, D.C.s Arena Stage in 1950 on $800 per week. The budget today exceeds $9 million per year. I dont think theatre will improve because you strip it down to its core. Fichandler fears a loss of experimentation and creative dialogue in a downsized climate. Theatre must be some kind of journey where every village does not have a perfect dinner, she declares. The toll is already profound. No one today could dream of producing a show like Arenas 1967 smash, The Great White Hope, a production that required 60 actors, 232 costumes and 11 sets. The trend poses a risk that nonprofit theatres will lose touch with writers whose plays fill wide tableaus. So far, however, the appetite for these plays has not vanished. In Chicago, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company recently restaged last seasons hit, The Song of Jacob Zulu, by Tug Yourgrau, with 25 actors in the cast, then transferred the production to Broadway last month. The Lambs Theatre in New York City has agreed to produce Arthur Girons new play about the young Wright brothers, which will require more than 10 actors and some very imaginative staging to recreate mans first powered flight. Robert Schenkkans Kentucky Cycle, an epic drama that runs six hours and calls for 19 performers, received its world premiere at the Intiman Theatre in Seattle, a subsequent run at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The acclaim dramatizes the argument for taking risks that are inconsonant with downsizing. The Intiman took an enormous gamble on the Kentuck y Cycle, Schenkkan says. |Artistic director~ Liz Huddle did the rest of the season on a unit set. But the recognition that it brought the Intiman cannot be bought. It put them on the map in a significant way. Large and small nonprofit theatres have approached Schenkkan for the rights to mount new productions, but thus far the shows scale has kept it on their back burners. The chance of being first to produce next years Pulitzer Prize winner does not alter the fact that strained finances clamp down on options. Sadly, theatres must impose restraints just when they have matured as institutions. We probably have the most thoughtful and experienced group of people who set artistic policy than at any time, says Jon Jory, producing director at Actors Theatre of Louisville. It is ironic that at the very time when we have finally prepared this cadre of experienced artistic directors, financial restraints are most severe. When people are expansive aesthetically, they have to be conservative financially. Even Actors Theatre, with a recent $9.5-million capital fund drive under its belt and no deficit, is downsizing. Name an aspect of the budget and weve taken 10 to 15 percent out of it, says Jory, who sees no turnaround on the horizon. We are saying no for the first time since the early days, Jory concedes. It used to be a resident set designer was $1,700 over budget and we didnt discuss it. Now it requires a full-fledged meeting. Jory no longer casts shows in New York or Los Angeles. Rather than conduct expensive searches on either coast, he relies on several hundred actors he has worked with beforeeven if that pool does not include the perfect actor for a particular role. Meantime, the theatre has scaled back advertising and marketing activity. But these were easy cuts. If subscriptions continue to erode at the same pace, one thousand or so a year, the next round may go much deeper. We are flat-out going to have to think about popularizing our seasons, he declares. Shows with track records may suit audiences comfortable with realism and naturalism, but Jory frets that they are out of sync with the best young directors, who tend to share an inbred disdain for realism and naturalism. What's the matter with tax exemption? EssayHope is alive at two theatre groups in Philadelphia. We have spent very little time going Woe is me,' says Dan Schay, executive director of the Philadelphia Drama Guild. Instead, a growing deficit sounded a wake-up call to the board. Together with a board member acting as a de facto financial vice president, Schay initiated a thorough organizational assessment. Meanwhile, a discrete fund drive raised more than $100,000. We did not want to get to the point where we had to cry wolf, Schay explains. We wanted to talk quietly about the existence of wolves. Some funds have come out of artistic projects, but overall Schay says the impact is negligible. Still, the theatre postponed a production of Brechts Galileo that required 20 actors to portray 55 characters. Something as complex as Galileo should not just fill a slot, its an event, says Schay, who is attempting to raise support for the project. Meanwhile, the Drama Guild replaced Galileo with Nora, Ingmar Bergmans version of A Dolls House. Across town, the Philadelphia Festival Theatre for New Plays recently won kudos for a production of Chekhovs The Seagull, translated by the theatres artistic director, Carol Rocamora. The payoff for a production with 12 characters and four sets was an extraordinary invitation to restage it for the 1994 International Chekhov Festival in Moscow. We are lucky to have funding sources that believe in us, Rocamora says. In its 19th season, the Illusion Theatre in Minneapolis has been attracting larger audiences to its productions, but not enough to offset erosion to other sources of income. As a result, the theatres budget has shrunk slightly in each of the past two years. We are thinking much longer and harder about when we are ready to commit to a production, says artistic director Michael Robins. In 1993 the theatre retreated from a tradition of producing at least one epic play each season. None of the casts numbered more than three actors. But the pipeline holds at least two larger plays that are candidates for production in 1994, under the auspices of the Fresh Ink Series. One, a play by Martha Boesing, is taken from Meridel LeSeurs stories about life in Minnesota during the Great Depression. The saga centers on The Annunciation, a story about a pregnant woman who wants to have her child although hopelessness surrounds hera theme not entirely foreign to the nonprofit theatre itself these days. There will be nine actors and live music. We want to go with the |original~ idea rather than make the idea for three people, Robins says. Another play in the Fresh Ink Series, Ping Chongs epic Deshima, originated in Holland and had a U.S. production at La Mama ETC. It tells the story of the Dutch colonization of Asia in a visual collage with lots of slides, fairly elaborate technical requirements and a large Asian-American cast. StageWest, a Lort C theatre in Springfield, Mass., may be more typical of many nonprofit theatres. Funding sources have dried up left and right, says artistic director Eric Hill. The budget has fallen from $2.2 million to $1.3 million since 1989. We have lived for four years with the sword of Damocles over our heads, Hill says. To make up for funding shortfalls, the current season offered audiences Tennessee Williamss Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Love Letters by A.R. Gurney, Other Peoples Money by Jerry Sterner and Shirley Valentine by Willy Russell, in contrast with the 1990-1991 season that featured Visions of an Ancient Dreamer, adapted from Euripides by Eric Hill; Sweet N Hot in Harlem, conceived by Robert Elliot Cohen with music by Harold Arlen; and Night Must Fall by Emlyn Williams. The company continues to develop new projects on its 99-seat second stage. Like Visions of an Ancient Dreamer, some receive main stage productions. Last seasons Hamlet, performed by a cast of interns, traveled to the main stage and then on to Japans annual Toga Festival at the invitation of Tadashi Suzuki. Currently, the troupe is developing What You Will, a multimedia version of Shakespeares Twelfth Night adapted by Hill for a cabaret format. The adversity-builds-character school will maintain that financial restraints force an institution to focus on its true mission. Besides, as playwright A.R. Gurney notes, the theatre has always operated under limitations of some kind. In earlier eras they were cultural and religious. Our limitations are financial. How theatres defy modern limitations will eventually inspire nostalgic recollections. The theatre has rarely been a very rich place to work, and creativity has no price tag. As long as there is willingness to take risks, brilliant ideas should not be any scarcer just because the chips are down. It just seems harder to give them shape that will attract an audience. But this is nothing new. Heroics are part of the fabric of the theatre, Zelda Fichandler notes. The structure of drama itself consists of people trying to get around obstacles.