True Meaning of Homophobia free essay sample

A detailed look at aspects of homophobia and how it affects todays society. This paper looks at the roots of homophobia. The author provides a definition of homophobia and explains the way it is perceived today. Included are examples and case studies.The author attempts to explain how homophobia relates to todays society and draws upon the human subconscious as a source. Imagine your best friend; now imagine your lifetime happiness with this person. You have had a wonderful time in life. You were born next to this person and your parents have remained friends. You could not picture your life without your best friend at your side. After going through elementary school, junior high school, and high school you both are now in college as roommates. One day you are watching TV and your best friend tells you something you would have never expected? He is gay. How do you deal with this? Is your best friend going to continue to be your best friend, or will he now be your enemy?

As Media Studies Coursework Evaluation Essay Example

As Media Studies Coursework Evaluation Essay Example As Media Studies Coursework Evaluation Essay As Media Studies Coursework Evaluation Essay Media Coursework â€Å" Final Evaluation My task was to create a magazine using at least three pages of original material for an article of my choice; I was to produce a front cover, a contents page and a double page spread. I aspired to create a fashion magazine that would combine the class and elegance of Vogueâ„ ¢ with the more high street prices of Glamourâ„ ¢, creating a magazine which would be aimed at young women aged 16-21, this includes teenagers (a particular social group) and also includes young adults. This is represented on the front mainly, due to the model I used being around the same age range as my target audience and they would be within the range of A, B or C social class categories meaning for a mass circulation, this is in line with other magazines of my chosen genre, as all magazines of this genre will want to appeal to a mass audience, they will do this by using what is known as an house style effect, for example Vogueâ„ ¢ magazine will use the same generics from time to time, so it will appe al to the audience being that it is predictable, it allow the audience to feel safe with the magazine feel secure with it, safe, itâ„ ¢s one of the main reasons why consumers of the magazine will buy the same magazine over and over again, Vogue does this as they know that this house style is appealing and that most audiences donâ„ ¢t like change, so they will tend to do this repetitively because they know they will attract their audience, I shall use this to conform to the generic of the genre I want to portray. The social group that mainly appears in my magazine are teenagers and young adults. They are represented through the colour scheme, pink, purple, white and black which keeps it simple but the white makes it stand out, to become unique, different and vibrant. I think this reflects the individuality shown by teens and pre-adults today. Also pink is stereotypic colour representing the femininity present within the magazine and reflects the fashion genre of the magazin e; my magazine is aimed at a younger female demographic. For my magazine I decided to stick to the normal conventions of a fashion magazine e.g. picture in the middle, title at the top, cover lines on the side, etc. The visual conventions I used were: masthead at the top, picture in the middle, date, price, barcode, tagline and cover lines either side of the image. To conform to the generics of a fashion magazine I have discovered in my research that many of the high end magazines had names in other languages for example Elleâ„ ¢ magazine, Elleâ„ ¢ is French for Sheâ„ ¢ therefore this aspired me to name my magazine La Femmeâ„ ¢ the French word for Women, which all links to the major theme of my magazine, which connotes that it would appeal to the more educated demographic Class B readers as these certain readers will get the preferred meaning that it means Womenâ„ ¢ and thus suggesting it is within womenâ„ ¢s interest. Also, I have used an example of the Hypodermic Syringe Theory on the front cover of my magazine; by placing a selling line cleverly juxtaposed below the masthead named The New Feminineâ„ ¢ it is an example of the Hypodermic Syringe Theory as it injects the idea that this one magazine is the only fashion magazine the consumer will ever need because it is the new supposed way of fashion, it is suggesting new fashion to the consumers and this would most likely to attract my target audience as they would want to satisfy their curiosity for this supposed new fashion. Even if the audience do not get the preferred meaning, this selling line will be sure to make them aware that it is a fashion magazine. It suggests that it will be the only magazine the audience will ever need, and so the audience will use this as a layer of needs, Abraham Maslowâ„ ¢s theory hierarchy of needs suggested that we all have different layers of needs, and that we achieve certain needs before going onto the next layer, so they will use this selling line because if it is the only ever magazine that they are going to need then they will use it for a sense of security, so they feel safe with the magazine. If the audience feel this way, then they will most likely buy the magazine and to continue buying it and the producers of the magazines know this, and will most likely use it for their advantage, so this is suggesting that they have power over us as they know our needs, they know what we want, so they can use this in a way to manipulate us all. Karl Marx believed that social change is what was needed for a better society, and to get social change there must be class conflict. Marxs major concern of social change was economic change. Marxs most well known work dealt with class conflict, the opposition between the capitalists and the working class. The bourgeoisie in this case are the producers of the magazines, and if they know our needs then they can use it to manipulate us into buying t heir magazine, so by suggesting this ideology in my selling line, it will make the audience use the magazine in this way, and is also a form of manipulative power, which Karl Marx suggested that those in power use their knowledge of our needs to manipulate us, and if the producers know this, they know what we want, and we will most likely buy the magazine again, they are manipulative in this way. Other features would include the main image which I have cleverly positioned the model in a sexual manner this also conforms to the generics of a fashion magazine as I have discovered in my research that fashion magazines have the tendency to position their models in this way, Laura Mulveyâ„ ¢s Male Gaze Theory would suggest that the male gaze is present within the way I have positioned the model as she does not look like she is in any position of power at all, Laura Mulvey would suggest that she has been deprived of her human agency and relegated to a status of a mere object, as she appears to be more like an accessory to the magazine, rather than a human being. Iâ„ ¢ve done this by purposely positioning her in a way that supports what Laura Mulvey also suggested in her Theory of Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema; she stated the following; Women as image, men as bearer of the look thus connoting the idea that sheâ„ ¢s an accessory, something to be played around with, she doesnâ„ ¢t look like she has any power whatsoever, her body language suggests this, it looks like she has been told to position herself in this way, possibly by a male figure, because her body language tells us that she needs help, a kind of support from a male, sheâ„ ¢s trying to support her weight by placing one hand of her hip and another trying to conceal herself, suggesting that she insecure with herself. I also noticed in my research that on each of the front covers the models that they used had a direct mode of address with the audience because the models were looking right at the audience forming some sort of relationship with the text, because if they can relate to the magazine they will most likely buy it, so I was sure to use this generic on the front cover of my production, so it would fit with the genre I was trying to portray and did not subvert, I found this generic while analysing other magazines in my research, so I purposely used the generic to conform to the normal conventions of a fashion magazine. I have also used an example of Bulmer and Katzâ„ ¢ Theory Uses and Gratifications Theory, by featuring several different celebrity article titles for those who use the text for integration and social interaction purposes, the audiences who get pleasure of the text from just knowing about celebrities lives, this is all from what I have seen in my research for example; on a recent front cover of Glamourâ„ ¢ Magazine, the anchorage text is an article of Victoria Beckham, thus forcing Victoria Beckham fans to want to buy the magazine as they would want to know the recent events in her life, they would therefore also use this for information, so that they can satisfy their curiosity and general interest with their celebrity this is how I will attract my target audience because if an celebrity is featured in a magazine then it is likely for readers to read it, this is called imagined communities , which states that a nation is a community socially constructed, which is to say imagi ned by the people who perceive themselves as part of that group, so the audiences of my genre will tend to perceive themselves as part of their celebrities life just by reading it in a magazine, when they make that use of the magazine, this is a generic I have used to conform to this conventions. The contents page of my production is very much inspired by Vogueâ„ ¢ magazine which has a simplistic approach to the presentation, itâ„ ¢s not too busy, but fills the space perfectly meaning the reader can easily find the article they are looking for without the struggle of fighting through bright colours and confusing shapes, I have used subheadings in which the different features have been sorted into, meaning that the reader can scan through the areas of the magazine that are of most interest to them, the main attraction of the content page is a main image of the model I have used on the front cover of my magazine, because she is the main feature of the magazine it would only be natural that she would also have a major importance on the content page; because the audiences would want to be easily guided to the main feature of the magazine, because that is what attracted them to read the magazine in the first place. For my last piece of production I have created a double page spread which would be the inside article from the anchorage I have used on the front cover of my magazine. It is an interview based article which is between the model that is anchored on the front cover of the magazine and La Femmeâ„ ¢, in my audience research, I found out that 15% of women in 2011 would read a fashion magazine if it featured a celebrity in it and a further 10% of women were influenced by what the celebrities wore and so I wanted to use these statistics to regularly attract my target audience. I used a combination of fonts, colours and pictures which would make the double page spread appear attractive and appealing to the audience. I am particularly proud of this piece of the production as what I have produced fits in with what exactly I wanted to produce, and it has a definite flow to it, as it carefully leads the eye to the parts which will make the reader want to fully read the article. In my research I have noticed that many celebrity interviews will use short quotes from the interview which jump right out from the page by using a larger font size and different font colour and therefore I tried and found this technique to be quite successful in my double page spread, this would be more appealing to my target audience as it would be more attractive and they wouldnâ„ ¢t bore easily from it. I have also used an example of; Denis McQuailâ„ ¢s Uses Gratifications theory which suggest that the audience interacts with the text in 4 different ways. Entertainment, Information, Personal Identity and Integration and Social Interaction, this example can be found on my double page spread, on at the bottom right, I have featured a section called Isabelleâ„ ¢s Wish Listâ„ ¢ which is giving advice to the reader and suggesting styles that work for Isabelleâ„ ¢ and giving the impression to the audience that these styles will work for them also. The audience would use this for Information as they would be seeking advice and information on practical matters or opinion and decision based choices for example they might use this advice to change their appearance or dress sense in hopes of looking or feeling like their celebrity; and also for personal identity as they would use this section in hopes of becoming more like the celebrity and this is also an example of the Star Th eory because if a celebrity is wearing it, it must be fashionable and also they would take her advice in hopes of becoming more like or closer to their celebrity. In Conclusion, I feel that I have managed to create a high quality production for the budget and resources I was provided with and feel there are many individual parts of my magazine which demonstrates excellent production values which I feel could be seen in huge circulation, mainstream magazines. I found this project increasingly interesting and I have learnt a variety of things from it, I have learnt actual the conventions of a fashion magazine better, in the pre-production I did not know where to place things but in the actual production I knew exactly what to do due to my research. I am also more familiar with Adobe Photoshop, more now than before; I also learnt how to set up a small studio and position lighting equipment etc. to enhance the quality of photographs and I learnt how to set up and use a camera correctly and also add effects, also using the zoom tool to get an accurate shot. I also learnt that planning and research pays off, in the pre-production we had very littl e time to research and this reflected in the production, I looked in depth of other magazines of the same genre to make sure I was getting it right, I found this very reassuring and made the whole project allot easier to complete and refine. If I were to do this project again, then I would pay close attention to the detail in which I produce, for example on my double page spread, as there was a variation in the typography of the size of the font in which I used, this was due to a technical issue which occurred in Photoshop, however if I were to do this again, I would of paid the attention needed to correct this. Also I would change the quality of the image, however I do feel that I have managed to create high quality production with the resources I have been provided.

Religious Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Religious Studies - Essay Example Religious Definition by Steve Bruce: In his book â€Å"God is Dead: Secularization in the West†, 2002, Steve Bruce defines religion as â€Å" beliefs, actions and institutions predicated on the existence of entities with power of agency (that is gods) or impersonal powers or processes possessed of moral purpose (the Hindu notion of Karma), which can set the conditions of, or intervene in human affairs†. Comparison of the Definitions: My definition starts with the element of sharing, whereas in the definition of Steve Bruce there is no element of sharing. From the perspective of individuality and extreme secularization the element of sharing in my definition is a weakness. It makes it necessary that religion is not individualistic, but a shared activity of a group. From my perspective I do not find this a weakness. Social living is an essential part of human existence. Social interaction and society developed from sharing of common factors that bound a group of humans together, which included religion. With time, in more advanced societies tolerance of members with belief in other religions became a norm and so no longer was it necessary that all members of a society or community shared the same religion. Still religion is shared and is not an individualistic belief and action, as even Steve Bruce makes institutions a necessary part of religion. In my definition religion needs to answer the purpose of existence and having served this purpose to the satisfaction of the almighty, what happens after death.

Substance abuse Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Substance abuse - Essay Example Immanuel Kant’s categorical imperative can be used to resolve the dilemma developed by substance abuse. Deontology describes an act done as morally right if the person performing the act had genuine intentions. The theory has a downside that may justify wrong doing done by someone who is ignorant of the possible outcome and for this reason we integrate the theory of the categorical imperative. Categorical imperative states that when choosing, which act to pursue one, should consider if the principle behind the act can be applied at universal levels (Paton, 1947). The people involved in substance abuse, like marijuana for recreational purposes have the ability to alter their moods, relax and attain certain levels of euphoria. These people are doing substance abuse with genuine intention hence they pass the first theory of deontology. The principle behind the act is illegal as they obtained the drugs illegally. Using comparative imperative one would analyze the possible results if the principle got used in a universal basis. What would happen if people in the world practiced illegal attaining of items? Since obtaining and abusing substance is wrong, one would conclude that this acts in not moral. This dilemma can also be solved using the utilitarian rule. According to this rule, an act is said to be moral if it maximizes utility and minimizes pain of others and oneself. In the person acts to abuse the substance they will be breaking the law acting against the society set rules. This means that this action results to suffering for some people. This act would be described as egoism where one is only considering self-interests and ignoring others (Hills, 2012). Someone practicing utilitarian rule would prefer not to abuse substance and look for other alternative that will produce results with a net gain (Ferrell & Fraedrich, 2011). Marijuana

Article analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Article analysis - Assignment Example In both scenarios, the business success for both companies and suppliers will depend on the depth and strength of their relationship. This paper starts with an explanation of the common mistakes companies commit in dealing with their suppliers. Several factors that companies should consider before getting a supplier or outsourcing a business process will follow. Different types of supplier relationships are then explored. The paper ends with a discussion of properly managing supplier relationships. 2. Mistakes to avoid in supplier relationships The first mistake that companies commit even before entering into supplier relationships is the lack of organizational/business process analysis. Companies often enter into supplier relationships without first knowing what the company really needs. These â€Å"unevaluated processes† blind a company from the areas where it excels and areas where it needs improvement (Aron and Singh 136). A company, then, might mistakenly outsource core p rocesses which are vital to its functioning, or manufacture in-house those components which can be sourced from suppliers at lower costs with same quality, for instance. Another mistake companies make involves getting into supplier relationships for the wrong reasons. ... Venkatesan talks about the fear of some companies on being â€Å"hollowed out† once they establish a relationship with a supplier (99). These companies fear that sourcing components from suppliers makes their products lose their unique qualities which make them less competitive. While this fear may have a rational basis, companies tend to forget the purpose of getting a supplier in the first place. 3. Factors to consider in sourcing Several factors need to be analyzed first before coming up with a decision of whether or not to source. A thorough analysis of a company’s areas of strength and weakness should be accomplished first. This analysis will help the company determine which processes are vital and, therefore, should be kept in-house, and those processes that don’t necessarily add value to the product and, therefore, are better left at the hands of a service provider or a supplier. Aron and Singh suggest differentiating the â€Å"core, critical, and commodi ty processes† of a business organization (136). Core and critical processes usually involve management and analytical processes while commodity processes are clerical in nature. Venkatesan, meanwhile, differentiates â€Å"strategic and non-strategic components† (100). When it comes to manufacturing companies, the decision to source from suppliers usually come from an understanding of the products strategic and non-strategic components. Strategic components, as decided by management, are those that make the product stand-out from the market. These components have a direct impact on the product’s quality, differentiation, and market position. Non-strategic components, on the other hand, don’t necessarily affect the outcome of the final product. This can be the screws of a DVD player, capacitors

A Comparative Analysis of the Lvov-Warsaw School and Frege-Russells Tradition :: Lvov-Warsaw School Frege Russell Tradition

A Comparative Analysis of the Lvov-Warsaw School and Frege-Russell's Tradition ABSTRACT: The aim of this paper is a comparative analysis of the Lvov-Warsaw School and Frege-Russell's tradition. The Comparison of these is made on the grounds of the analysis of existence. Choosing "existence" as the object of the analysis is very essential. It is so because understanding of the category of existence is strongly connected with the whole system. Thus, while analyzing the category, one can make a reconstruction of the concept scheme (in both traditions); show their functioning; and compare them to each other. It is easy to notice that in both these systems: a) analyzing is strongly connected with the way of expressing existence in a language, b) the essential problem is to which category existence belongs, c) the main question is whether existence is a predicate. Since the problem of analyzing—especially the problem of applying logic in philosophy—played an essential role both in Frege-Russell's system and Twardowski's school, the author of this paper wants to show how this was understood there (especially application of logic to some philosophical problems). I. Introductory Remarks G. Frege in the introduction of his "Grundlage der Aritmetik" formulates a general principle: "nach der Bedeutung der WÃ ¶rter im Zusammenhang, nicht in iherer Vereinzelung gefragt werden mu" (G. Frege, Grundlage der Arithmetik, Darmstadt 1961, p. XXII, p. 161. H. Sluga, Gottlob Frege, London 1980, p. 94.). This principle is often called a "context principle". It is stated in there that: 1) A term has a meaning when it belongs to a proposition (is one of its elements); 2) Previous analysis of a proposition is a condition for analysis of the term. Such a view presupposes that proposition is something complex and heterogeneous i.e., its elements belong to different semantic categories. The principle given above makes the following distinctions possible: 1) Division of grammatical elements from logical elements, 2) Division of subjective (psychological) elements from objective elements. Quine in his Two Dogmas of Empiricism states that applying this principle makes an important reorien tation in semantics—"the reorientation whereby the primary vehicle of meaning came to be seen no longer in the term but in the statement" (W.V.O. Quine, Two Dogmas of Empiricism, in: From a logical point of view, New York 1963, p. 39). From the above it is easy to see that the meaning of a term is connected with its function in the proposition, for as we know the function depends upon it's location in the proposition.

Family Business-Cadbury (Chocolate) Essay

The Cadbury company is known for its chocolate-covered Cadbury Crà ©me Eggs, one of its many confectionary products.   Cadbury Chocolates hold a formidale 10% of the total market share of confectionary industry, making it the second-largest candy maker in the world next only to   Mars. Other candy brands produced by Cadbury are Dairy Milk, Flake, Trebor and Bassett, and Green & Black’s (Answers, 2009). I.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organisational Structure Cadbury is a leading global confectionery company with an outstanding portfolio of chocolate, gum and candy brands. The company employs around 45,000 people and operate directly in more than 60 countries. Cadbury dates back to 1824, or 185 years and counting.   John Cadbury, the original owner, first opened shop in Birmingham, UK.   The first products sold were tea and cocoa. In 1831, Cadbury produced drinking chocolate and cocoa. In 1969, Cadbury merged with Schweppes and became Cadbury Schweppes. In 2003, Cadbury acquired Adams Confectionery which owned the Trident and Halls brands. On 7 May 2008, a demerging of Cadbury Schweppes occurred. Dr. Pepper Snapple Group Inc takes care of American beverages business and Cadbury takes care of the chocolate and confectionary business. The type of organisational structure being implemented in Cadbury is hierarchical structure. In a hierarchical structure, the chain of command starts from Managing director down to the Clerical Support assistants.   The top management makes the decision for the company.   These decisions are passed down to its staffs.   In this kind of organisational structure, the procedures and roles are clearly delineated.   This way the accountabilities are openly identified (Coursework Info, 2003). Cadbury organisation is being run based on the principles of democracy. Decisions are arrived at by conferring with several members of the company giving them a chance to voice their opinions before decisions are finalized (Coursework Info, 2003). Ideas are being discussed and given much thought as a group. The entire Cadbury organisation is built on Democratic structure because Cadbury wants all members to know and understand the importance of roles they are assuming.   Individuals are also given the chance to demonstrate their initiative, at the same time, and they are required to work as a team (Coursework Info, 2003). Cadbury remained a family business all throughout its operation.   Even when it merged wtih the Schweppes, Cadbury chairman must be a direct descendant of original owner John Cadbury and majority of its shares of stock are owned by family members or trusts. The Schweppes Limited however is never family-oriented.   For almost 200 years since its inception, the top management does not belong to a Schweppe (Answers, 2009). Current Cadbury Top Management Roger Carr, Chairman He became the Chairman in July 2008 replacing Sir John Sunderland. He became part of the Board of Directors in January 2001 and assumed the role Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Non-executive Director in May 2003. He is also the Chairman of Centrica plc (Cadbury, 2009). Todd Stitzer, Chief Executive Officer He became part of the Board in March 2000 and CEO in May 2003. He was Chief Strategy Officer between March 2000 and May 2003. Prior to this he was President & CEO of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc. between 1997 and 2000 (Cadbury, 2009). Andrew Bonfield, Chief Financial Officer Designate Became CFO Designate in February 2009 and CFO in April 2009. II.   Four Non-Core Elements a. Production United Kingdom Cadbury UK owns Trebor Bassett, Fry’s, Maynard’s and Halls. The confectionery company in the UK is Cadbury Trebor Bassett.   In August 2004, Cadbury UK had eight factories and 3,000 staff. Biscuits under Cadbury brand, such as Cadbury Fingers, are using the licence of Burton’s Foods. Ice cream using Cadbury products, is made by Frederick’s Dairies. Cadbury’s cakes and chocolate spread are made by Premier Foods. United States Cadbury plc’s in the United States owns confectionery unit Cadbury Adams, which produces gum and mints not chocolates. Hershey’s bought the chocolate business from Cadbury’s in 1988. The chocolate products may bear the Cadbury name but the chocolates are actually manufactured by Hershey’s and are being sold in Hershey’s chocolate stores. This has led to a marked distinct taste of the Cadbury products such as Whole Nut sold in the United States.   The chocolate is less sweet compared to those sold in the United Kingdom (Hersheys, 2009). In line with the production of Cadbury chocolates using cocoa for its main ingredients, the company forged ties with government bodies to promote the welfare of its cocoa farmers.   In January 2008, Cadbury formed the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership with the United Nations Development Programme, local governments, farmers and communities (Cadbury, 2009). This aims to promote sustainability of cocoa-producing areas such as the farmers in Ghana, India, Indonesia and in the Caribbean.   Cadbury intends to put up  £45 million to finance activities that would (Cadbury, 2009): †¢ increase incomes of the cocoa farmer †¢ find alternative sources of rural income †¢ invest in programs that promote the community †¢ to create partnerships Production activities of Cadbury have been aimed at producing the best chocolates at reasonable prices. By taking care of the welfare of the farmers, they are assured that they qualities of the main ingredient in their chocolates – cocoa – are not compromised. By making the farmers happy, they in turn, reaped benefits from it.