Ethnomusicology - Soviet Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Ethnomusicology - Soviet Music - Essay Example During the recent war Soviet music took on a special and dramatic significance for us and we were all stirred by certain works especially the songs of the Red Army, and Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony, written during the siege of Leningrad which revealed how closely Soviet musicians were bound up with the life and struggles of their people. When the war broke out, composers, instrumentalists and performers of all kinds immediately took to making music for the war. And the Soviet government, realizing how powerful voice music was in rallying the people, never forgot even in the darkest hours to protect its musicians, and enable them to continue their work. All through the war, although half the nation was devastated, millions homeless and starving and the national finances sorely strained, the government continued to appropriate large sums every year to commission the writing of new symphonies, operas and concertos, and to ensure the performance of classic and modern music even though the orchestras and opera companies had to go to Central Asia to do it. 1 There is something awe-inspiring about a nation whose people are suffering untold misery and destruction, that yet continues to give badly needed funds so that artists may be protected and continue their work. And incidentally, the government refused to permit any composers to enter the armed forces feeling they were too precious to be exposed to danger although many volunteered for the Red Army. During the war we began to learn a little of how the Soviet composer lives and works. Life magazine carried pictures of Shostakovich, Gliere, Khatchaturian and other composers on the Composers Farm where they go each summer to raise pigs and write symphonies. We heard that Soviet composers live in a specially constructed house in Moscow, that they have written tremendous amounts of music for the war and other things. 2 Soviet music is organized under a sub-section of the All-Union Committee of Art, which is almost like a department of the government in our country. Each year the Music Section of this Committee of Art receives a certain sum of money from the national Treasury, which it allots among its various departments: orchestras, opera houses, music publication, composers, and so forth. The composers work through what they call the Union of Soviet Composers which is not a trade union in our sense, but a sort of combination of professional guild, commissioning body, an agency to secure performances and publications, a copying bureau, and a fraternal mutual aid society, all rolled into one. The Union consists of some 900 professional composers, both serious and popular composers. To become a member, you write a letter to Gliere, who is president of the Union, stating your qualifications and enclosing a few sample scores. If there is any doubt as to a young musician's eligibility, he is invited to appear in person before a committee on admissions and perform his own works. The Committee then decides; and if you don't get in one time, you can always apply again. The Union is not without standards, and the mere fact that your work is popular and widely performed does not automatically qualify you for admission. Peter Zburski wrote a song which became a tremendous hit during the war, called "The Blue Handkerchief." It was sung from one end of the country to the other. But he was not admitted to the Union of Composers. When a recognized composer wishes to write a work, he submits a project to the Union committee in charge of such things, with an estimate of the length of time it will take. Usually the plan is accepted without much discussion and the composer goes ahead to write his work. Sometimes, however, a composer gets too one-sided for a time, and then the Union committee will suggest that he develop another side of his talent for a time. If a man has been writing too many chamber or theatrical works, they may suggest that he write a symphony.

Strategic planning (TESCO) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Strategic planning (TESCO) - Case Study Example The very core purpose of any business, besides sustenance and profitability, happens to create and keep adding value for the customers. A supermarket chain in particular needs to take into account the changing needs and requirements of the customers, depending upon the changing environment, food habits, time management, availability of alternates in the market, increasing awareness about environmentally friendly goods and services etc. This way they can earn the loyalty of the customer while successfully attracting more customers. Tesco's mission statement1 says, "Our core purpose is to create value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty." value creation for the customer proves to be a competitive weapon to retain the customer.Retail Business requires managing a broad range of retail skills in the areas of customer sales and service, promotion & advertising, store layout, visual merchandising, economics & accounting, marketing, buying from suppliers, inventory control, and huma n resource management. The mission and objective statement must encompass all such fields and activities. Tesco has a long term strategy for growth, based on four key parts:1.3 Principle activities and Products: Tesco, the super-market chain is in the business of retailing for nearly 90 years now. It is UK's largest retailer, having around 1800 stores in UK alone and more than 2300 stores worldwide, with group sales crossing m 37,070 worldwide at the end of financial year 2005. An international retailer of food, non-food and retailing services, Tesco currently operates in the China, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and the UK. 1.4 Short History: It was in the year 1919 that Jack Cohen founded Tesco, when he began to sell surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London. In those days his first day's profit was 1 and total sales of 4. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack's surname. It was in year 1929 that Jack Cohen opened his first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, North London. And the journey continues, there's no looking back since then. 1.5 Microenvironment factors: With an emphasis on Globalization and consumerism, role of retailer and supermarkets is continuously on the rise. World over such supermarkets are replacing the street corners shops as the supermarkets offer better quality, branded items and value for money. In fact supermarket chains like TESCO have now become a formidable brand in themselves. 1.6 Perceived competitive Advantage: From the strategic planning point of view, competitor analysis is very important for any company's long-term survival (Kotler, 1972). Tesco is securing itself a position in the top echelon of an elite group of international retail organizations on account of the number of superstores that it has worldwide and the range of products available. Mintzberg (1994) too, while talking about the changes that have taken place on the strategic planning front, emphasizes the importance of strategic planning. 1.7 Future Assumptions: David (1999) defined strategy as 'the match an organisation makes between its internal resources and skills and the opportunities and risks created by its external forces'. This assumption forms a crucial component while planning for future. For such planning, the TOWS (Threats-Opportunities-Weaknesses-Strengths) and SPACE (Strategic Position and Action Evaluation) Matrices prove to be very helpful tools.

Discussion Questions 2 Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Questions 2 - Coursework Example Achieving of these targets and thus successful strategy creation can be done through utilizing a series of â€Å"hows† that enables the company to plan its business growth, to meet customers’ needs and to prepare to the changing market conditions. The process of strategy implementation includes managing of operations aimed to achieve organizational goals and objectives. This part of converting strategic views into the concrete actions requires managers to direct organizational actions, be able to motivate people in order to meet the performance targets. A strategy is a distinctive way that allows the company to understand where it wants to be from the current situation, how to manage future direction and how to get there. It is also about how the company would be set apart from the rivals, respond to the changing market conditions, manage business, improve the performance gaps in order to achieve its competitive edge. These are the main conditions and reasons for the businesses to develop a strategy and why it is so important. Once a strategy is developed, an organization in ready to make decisions and involve stakeholders for future performance. As business model represents an economic spectre of making money, a viable business model allows an organization to have a material profit from its products and services but it also gives consumers a benefit from using them. Under such conditions, each part of the business, its owners and stakeholders, are satisfied with the outcome, which is profit for the company and good service or product for the

A Critical Analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Essay

A Critical Analysis of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) - Essay Example There are seven main parts that are covered at this stage. They include the social and emotional development. This allows the children to recognize who they are as well as respecting other people in the society. At the same time, the children learn how to perform certain activities such as dressing. Communication and problem solving are other important areas of learning at this stage (Silberfeld 2009, p.67). The children begin developing the confidence needed when communicating. At the same time, they learn how to solve problem through games and listening and answering questions from stories. The curriculum also ensures that children understand the world they live in and development physically and creatively. They understand the world around them through use of different materials and tools to create their surroundings. The EYFS is used as a platform that prepares children for what they will become in future (Beckley 2009, p.98). The knowledge and the kind of preparation at this stag e dictate how the children will respond to learning in future. The environment in which the children are raised is imperative. It determines whether such children become intelligent or not. While certain settings foster intelligence, others do not (Carr 2005, p.65). it is imperative for teachers to know that children at this stage learn more from observation and what they hear. The children believe the information passed to them. They are not able to criticise like their counterparts in late childhood (Callaway 2005, p.67). For that reason, accurate information is vital at this state. This includes the information on chats, which the pupils are expected to read. It is difficult to undo what the children have already recorded in their mind. The curriculum is the most important tool in ensuring that the children acquire the best learning while still in their early stages (Glazzard et al. 2010, p.98). However, one of the most striking feature is the fact that play becomes an integral p art of learning (Edwards 2001, p.38). Children understand better, when concepts are addressed through play. It has been effective in ensuring that children develop both physically, cognitively and socially (Glenda 2003, p.98). Through play for instance, most children are able to discover their potential. This is especially when such children are involved in activities that involve role-play. It is therefore imperative that the curriculum involve all kinds of play to ensure that the children concentrate and get the best out of learning (Goffin 2011, p.78). The following discussion will focus on the role of curriculum in promoting learn as well as how play promotes learning. The environment where the children are exposed is supposed to be safe and free from any materials that would cause any harm. It is the responsibility of the school management to ensure that the structures are well constructed and are safe to be used by the children (. The classroom for instance should have enough space where the children are allowed to play and interact. With the current need for inclusion, I it is also vital that the designs of such classes make it possible for children with disabilities to learn. They ought to be made part of the class and benefit just like any other child. In addition to that, the current classes may have children from different cultural backgrounds. The teacher has a responsibility of ensuring that such students benefit from this kind of setting. To help understand the above themes, I visited a primary school in New Ham East London. It was a class that had the children at the age of between 3 and 4. The class had a total of 25 pupils with one main teacher. The class has children from dif

Big Bang Theory Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Big Bang Theory - Research Paper Example This study analyzes the reality of the Big Bang Theory, all the while exploring the thoughts and ideas of members of society. Like religion, believing in the scientific definition of our origin requires an element of faith. While many may be willing to put their faith in the existence of God, other are unwilling to place their trust in science that cannot be proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. The reality is that we do not exactly what happened to turn the nothingness that existed before our universe into the vast expanse of galaxies that we know today. This paper, however, seeks to make sense of the big questions and move people towards a deeper understanding of the reality and complexities of the universe. Keywords: Big Bang, Stephen Hawking, NASA, Leonard Mlodinow, Hubble Telescope, Age of the Universe, Particle Expansion, Albert Einstein, Mass Acceleration, God Particle, Large Hadron Collider (LHC) The Big Bang Theory, Science’s God Particle Introduction/Literature Review D o you ever look into the sky, whether it is day or night, and wonder where it all started? Maybe you wonder where we came from, or how everything that we know today came about. People from all walks of life ask these questions; although how one is raised play a big part in what one is willing to accept as reality. This paper aims to explain the Big Bang Theory and how it scientifically ties into the birth of the universe. The Big Bang Theory is just one of many ideas formed in an effort to explain the process by which the universe was created. The theory is more than just conjecture, however, as it is based on scientific reasoning that has evolved through the years. Recent discoveries in the areas of astronomy and physics point to the reality that our universe did has some type of beginning, and the Big Bang Theory is an educated effort to explain the beginning and offer new insight as to our origins. Humans have long been fascinated with the universe, but few answers really existed as to how it all started. To be certain, there have been many conjectures made over the years, some based on science and others on religion, but the lingering question still existed. If there was nothing prior to the creation of the universe, there must have been a precipitating event that set off a chain reaction that formed the universe, as we know it today. While it can be argued that nobody can know for certain how the universe was created, the Big Bang Theory does seem to indicate, beyond a reasonable doubt, that there was a certain process by which this occurred. To begin a review of the Big Bang Theory, one should start at the beginning. The most commonly held belief amongst physicists is that the universe came into being about 13.7 billion years ago (Kargh, 1996). This figure takes into account the creation of the universe beginning as â€Å"singularity†. While scientists admit that they truly do not understand how this happens, singularity is attached to the term to describe an event that defies our current ability to understand certain aspects of physics. Interestingly enough, it is this fact that gives credence to the other popular theory of creation, which forms the basis for this study to follow. Singularities can be likened to black holes. Such holes are areas in the university that

Audit on an organisation of your choice Assignment

Audit on an organisation of your choice - Assignment Example With the help of audit, Aviation Company can implement a proper strategy of safety management to ensure safety of passengers. It encourages cooperation based partnership, which is actually helpful for analysing requirements and developing long term strategy for quality management. With regard to the process of audit, Air Arabia can identify various positive attributes (Alzaman, & Chikhalsouk, 2013). Through this audit report, Air Arabia’s situation analysis with the help of its goal, vision, competitor analysis can be comprehended along with determining the proper concept of marketing segmentation, target orientation and successful positioning, marketing objectives of aviation and how it affects firm strategy. A brief analysis of marketing mix in airline industry of Middle-East is also evaluated in the report. Success of every organisation depends on its activities therefore, it is vital for the managers to collect data and analyse the environment to gain better idea about its future actions. It is vital to understand the goal of an organisation for its sustainability. Air Arabia’s vision is â€Å"to be one of the World’s leading budget airlines† with the help of operational excellence, profit margin, reputation and innovation (Air Arabia Annual Report, 2013). The company has a strong mission statement to revolutionise the business with the help of innovative ideas such as offering outstanding value for money and consistent operation. For achieving the mission, Air Arabia has set some goals, to expand its business with profitability. However, in order to attain its goals Air Arabia will offer low cost facilities, control costs ruthlessly, build motivated multifunctional terms and demonstrate operational standards (Air Arabia Annual Report, 2013). In this context, the company needs to achieve its mission and vision and earn profitability. Middle East area is regarded as the most vibrant region in the airline industry. It has

Guest Lecture Response Paper #+ Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Guest Lecture Response Paper #+ - Essay Example Population growth has increased overtime effectively leading to upsurge in individuals in the urban settings. John Mandyck noted that it was important to embark on building strategies that ensure sustainability in terms of environmental well-being and reduction in energy consumption. Building physical structures should be conscious about environmental well-being. The basis of John Mandyck was enhancing environmental sustainability by venturing into green housing facilities. Physical structures that are built in the modern dispensation should have a focus on energy saving. Johns point of departure was that every building should consider environmental sustainability by raising physical structures that are keen on effective energy consumption. There are a number of things that were learned from the presentation in so far as sustainable development in construction is concerned. It is important to consider building from a multi-dimensional perspective. Case in point is that while it is important to consider the design and the structure of a building, it is essential to think about green facilities during construction. Additionally, energy saving is a critical component in building physical structures, and it is essential to ensure that the materials used are effective in meeting the objectives of sustainability in building. Most of the buildings consume up to 40% of the energy. However, the emergence of various technologies has effectively reduced consumption. The topic addresses a number of safety and health issues. To begin with, carbon emissions and heating emanating from the buildings pose a danger to a number of people. Consequently, carbon emissions to the atmosphere are an environmental hazard. The topic fundamental offers solutions towards dealing with the safety and health issues. Appropriate technologies are effective in reducing tendencies of heating in