Einojuhani Rautavaara Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Einojuhani Rautavaara - Essay Example in 1954. Most of Rautavaara's works have been recorded with his Symphony No. 7 been performed too. His works hint Modernism as well Romanticism and even show Constructivism and Mysticism. He can be well said to be a mediator in the creative process. In regard to the absence of history as Post-Modernist and being a Romantic he himself commented, "A Romantic has no coordinates. In time, he is yesterday or tomorrow, never today. In space, he is over there or over yonder, never here." He also demonstrated an extended approach in his Neo-Classical period. Among his early piano works, "Kolme symmetrist preludia (Three Symmetrical Preludes, 1949) was Constructivist; "Pelimannit" (Fiddlers, 1952) was folklorish; and "Ikonit" (Icons, 1955) stemmed from Orthodox mysticism." Rautavaara has marked the field in various musical ensembles as orchestral music, works for string orchestra, solo instrumental works, chamber music and vocal music. He writes extremely melodious tunes with depth and without being artificial which is surly a great achievement in present music scenario. Einojuhani Rautavaara's works are clear influences of the most complex human emotions. The main characters are always tangled within their hopes and fears, memories and hallucinations etc. The characters are the inspirations of the actual people from history but the operas are not the mere depiction of real historical events. He has well experimented with his characters for example the title characters in "'Thomas', "Vincent" and "Aleksis Kivi", the title characters are exceptional (one might almost say deviant) individuals; in "Auringon talo", the main characters are misfits on the fringe of society..." "..misfits on the fringe of society." Fimic.fi. Einojuhani Rautavaara: A composer of Many Personas. In his works it has been seen that the layers of time form Czars to contemporary, from Romantic to Neo-Classical keep intermingling without any specific relevance but the memory plays vital role in Proustian manner. His first award winning work "A Requiem in Our Time" had clear influences of Nordic classicism of Sibelius and Nielsen as well as that of Bartok, Shostakovich and folk music. In his early career he experimented with serial technique but those didn't come out to be real series. He tried to work upon it in his Symphony No. 3 but it seemed more like Anton Bruckner than the traditional serialists as Pierre Boulez. His later works reflect mystical element having referencing to angels - a menacing figure than being cherubic for him. "A characteristic 'Rautavaara sound' might be a rhapsodic string theme of austere beauty, with whirling flute lines, gently dissonant bells, and perhaps the suggestion of a pastoral horn." ......... suggestion of a pastoral horn." Classicalcat.net. Classical Cat- The Free Classical Catalogue. Rautavaara has been greatly fascinated by metaphysical subjects. It is not any doctrine which held his belief in this nut the words of a German

Mrkt 4050 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Mrkt 4050 - Essay Example This is one of the ways to keep customers busy to avoid being bored as they wait to be served. However, its positioning and the content on the cover page attracted the attention of many people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As I mentioned earlier, this magazine is amid to the family. Its general theme is women and house wives (People magazine 1). It had a lot of women ads next to interesting articles that may attract and people attention. The title was interesting and it made people have an urge to read what was in it.  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ad is about Jeep automobiles. The main objective of the ad is to persuade and convince potential customers to buy their products, and make their costumers to believe that they are among the best companies that care about the environment. The Jeep ad is the only automobile ad in the magazine. That’s a nice thing to do ad in a magazine with only your ad category. In my opinion it is smart way to ad in this kind of

The Malayan Emergency as seen through the eyes of a British soldier Essay

The Malayan Emergency as seen through the eyes of a British soldier - Essay Example They had just built camp, a temporary shelter for the troops and to make it habitable in the midst of the rubber plantation and coconut plantation. Insurgency was active with a band commanded by one Ming Lee. It was their job to neutralize the insurgents and win back the confidence and cooperation of the local community. The entire operation was composed of prongs. First, they were to conduct patrols in all the estates and villages under the battalion’s jurisdiction. They had to surprise the people in the villages, expecting they might encounter CT disguised as villagers. They had to show to the people that they were the authorities and that the CT was the enemy who was trying to destroy the peace and introduce their communist ideology. Patrols helped as General Templer’s strategy of winning the hearts and minds of the people, to convince them to withdraw their support of Communism, and to enlist their cooperation in ending the Emergency. Ming Lee, the elusive insurgent leader could not be easily caught or defeated, and he and his men were always out there having the support from the community, and convincing the people to support their communist ideology. (Miers 144) Apart from continuous patrols in the villages and in the swampy areas where the CT were usually seen getting their daily sustenance from the village folks, the British soldiers were also to execute prong number 2, which was to interrupt the CT food supplies. This required a well planned operation that needed all the support they could get from the inside and outside of their battalion. Prong number 3 consisted of acquiring the services of an informer who could help in neutralizing or killing the CT and its leader. Cutting the CT food supply was one of the strategies as mentioned in General Templer’s strategy and applied by Miers and his battalion. In doing this, they had to identify how Ming Lee and his people were getting their food. The British

Newell Convers Wyeth Essay Example for Free

Newell Convers Wyeth Essay Newell Convers Wyeth was one of the famous men in America during his time. This is because he was considered as one of the greatest American illustrators. He was the first to set the pace amongst the three generations of Wyeth artists. However, he was not only an illustrator but a painter as well. The work he did has become historical and is celebrated in many galleries, museums and publications as well as in other artist venues across the globe (Howell, par 1). Throughout his life, he was doing very well as an illustrator thus becoming very famous. N. C died in Chadds Ford in 1945 through an accident (Brandy Wine Conservancy 3). Wyeth gained national recognition as a result of his Scribner’s Classic Children’s Books like The Yearling, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island among others. Wyeth believed that the deepest happiness a person can experience comes from living a simple life, and also treasuring the beauty and bounty of land and sea. Quite a number of Wyeth’s paintings were based on his feelings and own experiences. This was usually as a result of the memories of his parent’s farm where he grew up (Highlights for Children, par 1-8). N. C Wyeth started drawing when he was a child. He was being encouraged by the mother who helped him nature his gift. He began working for a magazine called the Saturday Evening Post when he was only 20years. Soon after this, his fame began to spread and his work published in other leading magazines like Harper’s weekly, Century, and Scribner’s among others (Nila McCann Spring). Despite the fact that Wyeth was an illustrator, he yearned to be known as a painter as well. The difference between the two was that illustration carried a pejorative connotation that Wyeth felt keenly all his life. In addition, regardless of the fact that commissioned work earned him income to support his family, he tried to run away from the confines of textual limitations, taking up personal paintings like landscapes, still lives and portraits. He moved from lyrical landscapes, which had an impressive style, to powerful portraits of fishermen that evoke the work of the American Regionalist artists. Nonetheless, he never attained personal satisfaction or the recognition that he wanted (Brandy Wine Conservancy 2). Wyeth was able to make three trips, between 1904 and 1906, to West America. This was after Wyeth recognized the value of Pyle’s instructions in his career. Pyle was one of the most renowned illustrators from Howard Pyle School of Art where Wyeth had joined then. During the period of the trip, he spent much of his time taking up the experience that enabled him to paint images. The painted images would allow him to come up very well and be among the top greatest illustrators during his error. Wyeth had managed to herald in Outing Magazines by 1907. He was one of the greatest painters of American outdoor life (Brandywines Conservancy 1). Early Life Nowell Convers was born on 22nd October, 1882 in a place called Needham, Massachusetts. His mother was the daughter of Swiss immigrants while his father was a descendant of the first Wyeth to arrive in the New World in the mid-17th century. His growing up in a farm made him develop a deep love for nature. He began his artistic inclinations at a very young age and the mother encouraged it. However, his father opposed this since he wanted him to use his talent more practically. He attended Mechanic Arts High School in Boston up to May 1899, where he concentrated on drafting. Through the support of his mother, he was able to transfer to Massachusetts Normal Art School and through the help and guidance of his instructor Richard Andrew; he took the line of illustration (Brandywine Conservancy 1). Wyeth married Carolyn Bockus in 1906. They met after he completed his learning under Pyle. They gave birth to five children whose names are Nat, Carolyn, Ann and Andrew. Some of these children resembled his father in his work of illustration and painting. They picked up talents for one art form or another, ranging from composing music to teaching art lessons and also to inventing (Howell, par. 3-4). N. C Wyeth trained his son Andrew through home schooling in 1932. This was after he realized that his health was failing. There were several challenges that came with school administration and also the expense of teaching his son from home. However, Wyeth managed to complete his son’s education as his teacher. After that, Andrew Wyeth continued to work under his father’s artistic guidance in their home in Maine which was named after the famous Winslow Home painting (Howell, par. 6). N. C Wyeth’s Work Wyeth is the perhaps the best and is remembered for his illustrations of other children classics done for Scribner’s. He gained national recognition with his illustrations for the book Treasured Island by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1911. He composed American stories and themes from carpetbaggers to Indians. He used color and romantic imagery brilliantly and this combined with his close attention to historical detail, enables his artwork gain a lasting place in the lexicon of American illustration. The love he had for America in-terms of its individuality and landscapes is evident in his works; that is, from the Old West to the Brandywine Hill. This was a country of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. It is said that his boldness and sometimes massive artwork expressed his ‘largeness of spirit’. He is also said to have painted murals on a heroic scale by one of the biographers (New World Encyclopedia, par 2-4). He managed to complete over three thousand works during his career. Being an illustrator, some of his famous works included publications like Kidnapped, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and Robin Hood. Between 1925 and 1935, he completed some of his most exhilarating pieces of work, among which were several experimental pieces that were seen as heroic compared to his commissioned work (Howell, par 2). The success of Treasured Island insured Wyeth along his career. Scribner’s illustrated many classic stories in his succeeding years. The most famous titles are; â€Å"kidnapped (1913), The Black Arrow (1916), The Boy’s King Arthur (1917), The Mysterious Island (1918), The Last of the Mohicans (1919), The Deer slayer (1925) and The Yearling (1939). † In addition, he created illustrations for other publishers. Examples of such books are Robin Hood by David McKay(1917), Robinson Crusoe by Cosmopolitan (1920), Rip VanWinkle by David McKay (1921), Men of Concord by Houghton-Mifflin (1936) and Trending Into Maine by Little Brown (1938) (Howell, par. 2). Books like Treasured Island and Robinson Crusoe by N. C Wyeth are the most historical and famous. They also have a maritime adventure and an Island as a center element of their schemes. In addition, the historical language used in every one of them is similar as well as one of the same nautical terminology like stern, bow and aft among others. This is utilized because of the aforementioned similarities (Enotes, par1-3). Checking closely, the characters in these two books are alike only in the most basic ways. In Robinson Crusoe, for example, Crusoe is a male just as are Long John Silver and Hawkins. In addition, both central character are seamen and in the case of Hawkins, they were trying to become such. On the desolate island, young Jim Hawkins is trying to survive as a lone boy in the world of men just as Crusoe tries. On the other hand, both books are written by male authors and that the masculinity tone is seen in both books. In this case, as one reads these books, each story helps them to gain a perspective into the oceangoing world of the past. May be a better comparison could be drawn between Stevenson’s in Kidnapped and Defoe’s in Robinson Crusoe because there are better similarities existing in these books (Enotes, par. 2-3). His work also contains religious paintings. For example in 1923, he is said to have been commissioned by the Unitarian Layman’s League to do a series of paintings which included ‘The Parables of Jesus’. His most superb religious work that consisted of three hinged panels painted for the Chapel of the Holy Spirit at the Nations Cathedral in Washington D. C seems to be welcoming believers. It consisted of Jesus surrounded by a host of heavenly angels. The wordings are, â€Å"Come unto Me, All Ye that Labor and Are Heavy Laden, and I Will Give You Rest† (New World Encyclopedia, par. 13). His other works included; Mowing (1907), Long John Silver and Hawkins (1911), The Fence Builders (1915), September Afternoon (1918), Dying Winter (1934), The Alchemist (1938), Deep Cover Lobsterman (1939), The war Letter (1944) and the Nightfall (1945) (New World Encyclopedia, par. 23). Assessment of N. C Wyeth’s Work It was appropriate for Wyeth to start his work at his young age. One of the reasons is because he was able to leave an impact after he died in that his work is still remembered to date. He also was able to raise his son Andrew as his successor and the son become famous too because he was doing very well. It was also of importance to begin his work at an early age since he was able to publish so many books like Treasured Island and Robinson Crusoe (Amazon Par. 1-3). In addition, this golden age work of Wyeth played an important role in uplifting and pursuing work in illustration. The period of golden age work was also recognized for unparalleled brilliance in publication of journal art which had not been seen before. Also N. C Wyeth plus other students were able to carry on Howard Pyle’s work and this also brings out the importance of his beginning work at a young age (Jo Ang, par 4-5). N. C Wyeth was also able to perfect his work over time by starting his career at a young age and this enabled him to gain fame in America and other nations too. The fame is evident in his created images for magazine advertisements and calendars, painting for big companies like Wheat Company, Coca-Cola, Blue Buckle Overalls, Steinway Sons, New York Life Insurance among other (Brandy wine Conservancy 3). Conclusion Wyeth is remembered since he was one of the greatest illustrators in America and who created nearly 4,000 works during his golden age from 1903 to 1945 when he died. However he never achieved the personal satisfaction or public recognition that he wanted. N. C Wyeth gained national recognition as a result of his Scribner’s Classic Children’s Books like The Yearling, Robinson Crusoe, The Last of the Mohicans, Kidnapped, and Treasure Island among others. All these books are read even to date. Work cited Amazon. com. 1996-2010. The Amazon. com Review, 2010. Web. 15 May 2010 http://www. amazon. com/N-Wyeth-Biography-David-Michaelis/dp/0679426264. Brandy wine Conservancy. N. C. Wyeth Biography. Brandywine River Museum, 2009. Web. 14 March, 2010, http://www. ncwyeth. org/ncbio. htm. Enotes. com, Inc. Treasure Island and Robinson Crusoe, 2010. Web. 15 May, 2010, http://www. enotes. com/robinson-crusoe/q-and-a/can-anyone-help-me-compare-novels-comparison-22097

Flavor Principles: Theory of Preferences and Rejection

Flavor Principles: Theory of Preferences and Rejection Food, as defined by the dictionary is a substance that provides nutrients for maintenance and growth when consumed. The term itself is general and could be seen from different point of views, thus, creating other function words such as feeding and eating. The word feed is usually utilized when animals is involved, while the word eat is utilized when humans are involved. Feeding and eating is distinguished by its functions; feeding itself merely involves the gathering of food, while on the other hand, eating does not only involve gathering of food, but also cultivating and raising livestock. Due to this reason, some foods are only available to certain groups, allowing the development of customs that decides between the edible and inedible as well as the manners involved during consumption. (Kittler and Sucher, 2004) Food on its own does not only function as source of nutrients. Food could define an identity of a person, functions as symbols in religions, as well as defines a culture. As an example; in Muslim countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia, a person who consumes pork would be Chinese. If the person is not categorized as Chinese, the person might be Buddhist, Catholic, or other religion that do not limit these people to consume. It is undeniable that there is relationship between the food that people eat, perceived value of others as well as the way in which people characterize themselves. (Kittler and Sucher, 2004) Stein and Nemeroff (1995) support this with their research which involves college students which were to rate profiles of people based on their diets. Diets were termed as good foods and bad foods. Good foods are the foods that are categorized as healthy and contain less fat such as fruit, salad and whole wheat bread. While on the other hand, bad foods are the foods that are categorized as unhealthy such as steak, hamburgers and french fries. The result showed students who eat good foods are judged generally to be fit, active and is perceived as more attractive, quiet and more analytical than those who consume bad foods. The way of processing food within certain group that includes every step of the process; starting from selection, distribution, preparation and consumption creates similar pattern which are unique towards their eating behavior. These patterns are known as food habit. (Kittler and Sucher, 2004) Basically, there are different factors that affect individual food habits and these factors are interrelated. Conner (1993) created a basic model that determines individual food intake. Adapted from Understanding Determinants of Food Choice: Contributions from Attitude Research by Mark Conner, 1993 The food characteristic in the diagram consists of the physical and chemical properties as well as nutrient content of the food. It plays as one of the basic roles to food choice due to the fact that it is often related to physical wellbeing; whether there will be allergic, discomfort or long term outcome that might affect growth, weight or even diseases caused. (Falk et al, 2001) Economic factors consist of price and availability. Price determines the economic situation of a country, which estimates behavior of the consumers. While on the other hand, availability simply determines the food consumed by each individual (Rozin, 2007). There is clearly a relationship between food consumption and economic condition (Ozimek and Biemans, 2011). In their studies is mentioned the structure of food consumption on Poland, which is determined by its economic development. They showed that in the early 1990s, consumers reduced their expenses on dairy products due to increase in price (Kramer, 1993). As there is constant increase each consecutive years, the share on food expenses fell; dropped from 41.3 percent in 1989 (Bywalec, 2000) to 20.3 percent in 2008, especially among the basic foodstuffs such as milk, eggs, rice and grains when compared to 2007 (Central Statistics Office, 2008). Nevertheless, although generally the share dropped, there is different consumption leve l of substitute among the socio-economic groups. As an example, in 2008, there is an increase in consumption of fruit juice and vegetable juice among those with highest income. While there is an increase in bread, flour and milk among those with lowest income. On the other hand, social factors consist of culture, religion practices, media and social pressures through parents and friends. Food habit is mainly determined by culture. In fact, human is the product of interactions between biology and culture (Poulain, 2009). Thus, in Poulain context, culture is involved both biologically and socially. Biologically, culture is already written in the genetics. Rozin (1991) studied the correlation in food preferences between parents and child, and found the correlation to be very low. While socially, human grow up in the environment that is determined by that certain culture. This is supported by the statement made by Mead (1943) who perceives food habits as systematically interconnected food behavior of individuals that has been raised within that certain cultural tradition. Other components such as religion practices (e.g. Pork are banned among the Muslim), media (e.g. children exposed to fictional characters such as Popeye) and social pressures (e.g. social status) are attached to the environment where each individual is raised. While economic and social factors do not seem to be interrelated, Poulain (2009) studies the relationship between the two. In his study, Poulain mentioned that each individual has the ability to control resources through their demand, due to the value created in the social life that each individual is raised in. This creates ecological constraints by changing the environment, as an example; through irrigation, sanitation and pollution. The ecological constraints created affect the availability on resources. This, thus, affects the country economically. Food characteristic and economic/social factor are the factors that shape individual perceptions in terms of sensory, physiologically and psychologically. In a way, these factors automatically program a certain individual to behave according to the environment that they have been raised at. Sensory is the perception of appearance, smell, taste and texture. Kittler and Sucher (2004) mentioned that every individual has the ability to predict the sensory characteristic of a certain food and decide whether these characteristics would be acceptable. This ability is usually obtained based on foods that are culturally acceptable. As an example; in West Africa, there is preference towards bright orange color obtained from sweet potatoes as their staple food. Thus, the first time they are exposed to colors that are contradictory, there is tendency to reject the food. age In additional to that, age also plays important role in adjustment of taste. This is due to the fact that preference of taste differs as individual matures. Human has the ability to detect flavors, texture Drenowski Gomez (2000), Stubbs et al (2000), Anderson (1995) and Burch (1992) in Kittlers book, mentioned that during infancy and childhood, individual has better preference towards sugars and fats. The preference will peak in early teenage years, and will then subside in the later years. This explains the reason for coffee preference for individual in later years. While sensory forms attitude towards food, physiological factor is one of the individual characteristic is the process that happens in the body itself (Rozin, 2007). These processes act as stimulant to motivate each individual to consume the food. The processes happens in two forms; metabolic and neural. Metabolic process takes place in the body by processing the nutrients composed in the food. In this case, nutritional information is stored in individuals nervous system. On the other hand, neural process takes place in the brain. The information stored during metabolic process is integrated together with factors that lead to food consumption such as ambience, environment and others. On the other hand, psychological factor is all the aspects that relates to individuals behavior psychologically in regards to food. It includes two components; individuals attitudes and perceived social pressures. Attitude is internal and estimates the benefits, personality, mood, preferences and other factors that affect it. Usually, it is affected by beliefs regarding the outcome after performing that certain behavior, whether good or bad. (Shepherd, 2007) As an example; any contact with pork is believed to be sinful for Muslims. Thus, no Muslim consumes pork. While on the other hand, perceived social pressure is external. It includes others perception of performing that behavior such as parental influences, peer influences and the media as well. (Rozin, 2007) ACCULTURATION PROCESS It is undeniable that food characteristic, economic and social factors plays major role in shaping early individual eating behavior. Nevertheless, this does not imply that eating behavior will stay the same. In fact, eating behavior changes over time due to events and experiences. When an individual that belongs to a certain ethnicity is moved to a place with different cultural norms, they undergo an acculturation process. Acculturation is the transformation process that an individual experience when transferred to a place with different cultural norms. The transformation may occur at two different level; micro and macro. Within micro level, the transformation reflects in individuals attitudes, beliefs and behavior. While on the macro level, the transformation may reflect physically, economically, socially or politically (Satia-About a et al 2002 in Kittler and Sucher). Acculturation at micro and macro level may develop steadily based on length of stay. Nevertheless, acculturation of food habits works in a different way. Food habits do not develop steadily; it does not change early food habits to general food habits of the majority of the population (Kittler and Sucher, 2004). Natives may or may not experience acculturation in food habits; whether it is in term of frequency of daily meal intake, local dishes consumed or food preferences. Kim and Chan (2004) studied the acculturation of dietary pattern of Korean Americans. In their studies, they found that 87% of middle aged Korean still prefer to consume Korean food rather than American food after migrating to the USA, but 51% presume changes in their dietary habits. In fact, changes in diets and type of meals consumed are found in individuals who were born or stayed longer in the USA instead. The theory of acculturation could be further explained with another conceptual model of food choice. The components involved in the model may be similar to the basic model. Nevertheless, it could be utilized to understand the theory of acculturation. Psychology of Food Choice by Richard Shepherd Based on the model on the previous page, the main component of food choice starts with life course. Life course involves individuals experiences events and turning points in life. When individuals encountered different environments (socially or culturally), situations and experiences with food, they build their own life course that entails both past and current eating experiences. This enables them to have standard expectations of food in the future, which automatically develops their perception of certain food over time (Sobal et al in Sheperds, 2004). Within an individual life course there are always three components involved; thoughts (trajectories), turning points (transitions) and time (timing). Thoughts play as the base, as it defines the decision made when it comes to food. However, it changes over time due to turning points and time. Trajectories This is basically individuals perception of food choice within their life course. It involves individuals attitudes; thoughts, feelings and actions throughout their lifespan (Devin et al, 1998 in Sobals). It is created in the early childhood based on types of food exposed, and thus, develops reference for individuals when making decisions regarding food in the future. In short, it is interchangeable. Nevertheless, due to early exposures of food, the decisions made often involve the same food selections regardless of the situations encountered (e.g. ageing and changes in health) (Paquette and Devine, 2000 in Sobals) Transitions T his is the modification in individuals life that changes their trajectories (Devine et al, 1998 in Sobals). It could be minor events that lead to small detour in life or even radical events that acts as turning points that changes life the opposite way. Nevertheless, these events have the ability to redesign new food trajectories. Examples of these events are changes in employment, illness and migration to a place with different culture (Devine, 2005 in Sobals) Timing This represents the timing that these transitions happen within the life course of an individual. Timing places an important role as it determines the level of influence in the change of food habits (Devine, 2000 in Sobals). As an example; during bird flu, people tend to eat less poultry to avoid the virus. Nevertheless, people may not adapt no bird diet without the flu. Influences, on the other hand, provide factors that contribute in the change of trajectories. These factors act as support for individuals to change their perception towards food. Without these factors, individuals may not experience change in their food habits. Contexts Context is basically the surroundings in which people make food choice. Views could be seen environmentally (climate), socially (standardized behavior), biologically (nutrients) or economically (availability). A simple example would be the availability of ingredients due to weather. Not all ingredients are available during certain season. It is undeniable that surroundings changes constantly through different views. Thus, it also affects the construction of food choices. (Avery et al, 1997 in Rozins) Resources (Tangible and Intangible) Resources determine the availability of ingredients, materials and other sources involved in the process of food choice. Tangible resources may be in a form of money, equipment, transportation and storage space. On the other hand, intangible resources are in a form of time, skills and knowledge. It could also be in a form of advice and emotional support (Senauer et al, 1991) Ideals Ideal is the set of thoughts that defines the acceptability level of food. It plays an important role through thoughts about proper meals, manners and health. In addition to that, it also determines the way in which individual should eat. The flexibility of ideals are determined by the social factors of food. (Sobal, 1998 and Devine et al, 1999b) Social Factors Social factor determines food choice through relationships that each individual builds. Through relationships, individual determines the place, the time, the type of food and the way in which they should adapt to eat. (Sobal, 2000) Personal factors Personal factor involves internal factors that influence food choice. Based on figure 1, this involves all the factors under individual characteristics. The last component that contributes to food choice is personal systems. Personal system is a process whereby people apply all the factors under influences into practice. Individuals, in this case construct values and classify foods and situations based on the values that was perceived before. Nevertheless, values perceived by individuals vary differently. Values perceived could be in form of taste, convenience, cost and health (Connors et al, 2001). Personal system allows individuals to involve their emotions and develop strategies pertaining to food selections in different situations. (Falk et al, 1996, Furst et al, 1996, Connors et al, 2001 in Kittler and Sucher) Taste Taste is basically the first impression a person considers during consumption. Perception of taste could be described as appearance, odor, flavor and texture. Nevertheless, taste has the tendency to change overtime (Sobal et al, 2004). Convenience Convenience involves time, ability, mental or physical involvement in preparing, consuming and cleaning up after eating. Justify more for each points Cost Cost represents monetary involvement that includes the level of monetary value. This determines sensitivity towards certain product. Individuals with unlimited income may still be sensitive towards price due to its monetary value. Health Health involves thoughts and considerations regarding physical wellbeing. As an example; foods that may result in digestive discomfort, allergic reactions will not be considered to be consumed. Based on the components involved in food choice, acculturation process happens within the life course, when there is alteration in trajectories. Trajectories alter when there is match between aspects under influences and personal system. Influences construct trajectories at the beginning as well as during transitions. Early exposure during childhood that involves influences such as friends, family, culture and environment sets the base of individuals thoughts. It creates individuals identity and personal systems based on values taught by the environment that individuals develop in. This initial programming in trajectories usually shapes individuals eating skills, table manners, social activity relating to the food and also determining the social group that individuals are categorized in (Poulain, 2009). Kim and Chan (2004), in their research, thus, proves that Koreans who are born and lived longer in Korea tend to have higher level of food acculturation, which is related positively with language, media, friendship, food. They speak more English, follow American diet and associates with American-style friends. Relating to the theory of acculturation, these individuals have been exposed to this type of environment. Thus, the values taught differ as well to their native values. During transitions, individuals are exposed to different forms of influences. They tend to associate with new friends and new environments. This happens in events such as migration, change in employments, illness or even accidents. With these changes, individuals automatically adapt to the new situations. Exposure to new thoughts, perceptions and environments widen up individuals thoughts and values. Theoretically, values obtained through these influences are processed into the personal systems to see whether it match the aspects. With addition of timing involved, such as length of stay, acculturation will then happen and produce new trajectory. Olsen and Wandel (2005), in their research, prove that acculturation in food happens among Pakistani immigrants women in Oslo, Norway. Resources are one of the reasons that change their food habits. Fish, meat, chicken could be obtained in everyday lives in Norway, whereas in Pakistan, these meats tend to be included as status food, and could only be obtained once a week. Thus, there is increase in meat consumption after the migration. Paratha is no longer consumed for breakfast, but bread is utilized instead. This is because it is considered to be unhealthy as it could give digestion problem due to the cold climate in Norway. The result obtained by Olsen and Wandel (2005) could be related to the relationship between influences and personal systems. Consumption of paratha moves to bread after few years, although women experience hard time at first. This is because both paratha and bread are considered as bread. This, thus enable them to match the requirement from the influences towards the personal system they have built in their initial programming. COMPONENTS INVOLVED TO DETERMINE FOOD HABITS To fully understand food habits from different cultures, the basic models have been developed by researchers. However, these models basically categorize components involved in food habits that need to be compared between different cultures to further understand food habits (Kittler and Sucher, 2004). Core and Complementary Foods Adapted from Food and Culture Kittler and Sucher (2004) Based on the diagram that is adapted above, the most inner layer of the model represents the type of food that is most consumed in individuals diet, followed by the least. In this case, core food is the type of food that is most consumed. Basically, this is due to the fact that core food represents the staples. These foods could be rice, wheat and corn. These types of foods will not be omitted in an individuals diet and consumed on daily basis. On the other hand, complementary foods are the food items that are consumed to enrich the palatability of core food in terms of taste, texture and smell. The types of food could be meat and vegetables, ranging from different types of cooking method. Usually, the types of core and complementary foods consumed determine the identity of the culture that an individual belongs to. Secondly, secondary foods are the type of food that is consumed less frequently. The items involved in this could be meat, vegetables and fruits. The items that are included under this type may also be categorized under complementary food, depending on the frequency of consumption. As an example; a persons diet includes rice and chicken daily. Fruits are consumed thrice a week. Thus, chicken is the complementary food, while fruits are the secondary foods. Lastly, peripheral foods are the food that is preferable towards individuals, but are not included in the cultural diet. Kittler and Sucher (2004) mentioned that changes in food habits often happens with this type of food more rather than core foods. Kocturk and Runefors (1991) design a model that explains the process of retaining and changing food habits in relation to the core and complementary model. The model involves two major components; identity and taste. Identity is created due to exposures towards the same ingredients, flavors, textures since early childhood. When individuals retain its cultural eating habit, they consider identity first and taste later on. Whereas, when individuals change their food habits, they consider taste at the beginning. Kocturk and Runefors (1991) Adapted from Changes in Food Habits among Pakistani Immigrant Women in Oslo, Norway by Olsen and Wandel (2005) The statement is supported by Verbeke and Lopez (2001) who compares the food attitudes between the Belgians and the Hispanic (Latin-American) group living in Belgium, based on aspects on attitudes and perception on the food. Among all the aspects included, taste and texture are involved as well. The foods of the Hispanics were termed as ethnic food. Result shows that the Belgians perceive taste, appearance and authenticity to be important aspects when consuming ethnic food. While the Hispanics, consider other criteria towards Belgian foods. Kocturk also mentions that incorporation of new diet starts with the accessory food. Comparing to the previous core and complementary food model, accessory food is basically the combination of peripheral and secondary food. Fruits, dairy products, fats and nuts are considered under accessory food. This is because, these foods is often categorized as additional to a certain meal. In contrast to changes in complementary food, accessory food takes much lesser time to adapt. On the other hand, core food stays as it is for generations. Kocturk did his research among Iran immigrant in Uppsala. Result shows that changes are seen most on accessory food. This is shown in the change of type of snack consumption from dried fruits and nuts to potato chips; dairy products from fresh cheeses and yoghurt to sweet milk and aged cheese. While on the other hand, Swedish bread as staples that has resemblance towards Iran bread stays as its core food Flavor Principles Flavor principles in every meal involve pervasive and distinctive seasonings which enable the society to characterize a certain cuisine (E.Rozin, 1981 in Pliner). Raw ingredients are exposed to different herbs, spices, marinades that suit the society culturally during preparation, creating certain characteristic of taste, texture and smell of the food (Kittler and Sucher, 2004). As an example; Japanese cuisine involves soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sugar. On the other hand, Korean cuisine involves fermented paste such as Kochu-Jang. These seasonings are used in every meal, exposing the society to the flavor principles itself, creating trademark of each cuisine and acceptance towards individual. Kittler and Sucher (2004) add to the statement by mentioning that the principles of flavor within a culture, is not so much of a question of preparing the food. In fact, preparation and seasoning of food is placed second to the initial selection of the ingredients. This is because, during selection process, there are certain aspects that play major roles; weather, soil texture, source of water, drainage system, natural minerals contained in the soil itself, and other environmental factors involved. These aspects may affect the taste of the ingredients. As an example; wine products tend to have different taste when it comes from different countries and even regions within the country itself. Thus, the issue of acceptance of flavor principles of each individual of a culture is still relating back to the factors that were mentioned in the general theory of food choice, regardless whether socially, biologically and environmentally. The early exposure towards cultural food started the environment, which determines availability; biologically, in the wombs and written in the genetic (Poulain, 2009); strengthened by social influences through parents, friends and media (Conner, 1993). In short, the general view of a society perception of flavor principles is still relating back to one, which is exposure. Due to the exposures towards certain flavors culturally, individuals often have problems in incorporating new flavor principles to their diet. The neophobic attitude presents in every human program individuals to keep them in the safe track, preventing them to alter their programmed flavor principles against flavors that are familiar (Schulze and Watson, 1993 in Pliner and Salvy). Nevertheless, just as how individuals obtain their initial flavor principles culturally, the theory of obtaining other flavor principles stays the same, based on the general theory and/or acculturation process. Strategies may be utilized to improve individuals preferences towards new flavors; such as repeated exposures and evaluative conditioning. These strategies affect one familiarity and preference towards the food. Repeated exposures Studies show that there is higher probability that individuals acquire preference towards the food when repeated exposure is involved. This is due to the fact that, exposures transform negative reaction to positive reaction (Zajonc and Markus, 1982). As an example; Mexican children are not born with preference towards chili peppers. However, Mexican mothers season its ingredients with chili peppers. With the same exposures towards the same taste, children tend to grow up by overcoming their fear towards chili pepper and grow fond of it (Rozin and Schiller, 1980 in Zajonc and Markus). Evaluative conditioning Evaluative conditioning involves pairing of taste and appearances with flavors that are mostly preferable (e.g. sweet taste) (Rozin and Zellner, 1985 in Kittler and Sucher). As an example; by pairing coffee (bitter taste) with cream and sugar (sweet taste) enables individuals to increase their tendency of preference towards coffee (Rozin, 1996 in Eeertmans et al). Flavor Principles (Theory of Preferences and Rejection) The theory of explains the process that leads to individuals perception of flavor which will affect individuals programmed principles of flavor. In this case, there are two behaviors involved; affective responses (feeling of pleasure) and cognitive behavior, which analyze the surroundings. Cognitive behavior, identify the features, benefits of a certain object and evaluate them, which will then determine the type of response (Zajonc and Markus, 1982).. In this case, flavor is perceived through taste, smell, appearance, texture, fat content, temperature and sensations. Taste is then related to each of these components for evaluation, and produce affective responses (usually determined by the amount of sucrose and fats) (Eertmans et al, 2001). On the other hand, disgust/rejection is obtained through the negative oral experience (Rozin in Shepherds, 2006). The response is termed as distaste response. Usually, individual experience distaste response due to the nature of the food, which could not fit to individuals flavor principles. Determinants of a Meal Elements that constitute a meal vary based on culture. It could be types of staples, order of dish, alternate meals, frequency of eating and serving size. These elements are grouped under meal patterns and meal cycles (Kittler and Sucher, 2004). With the variation of elements involved, meal patterns and meal cycles automatically vary as well depending on the culture. Meal patterns involve elements that persuade individuals within a culture to consider it as proper meals. These elements could be types of core and complementary food, its method of preparation, dish order (appetizer, main course and dessert), snacking options and types, celebration and portion size (Kittler and Sucher, 2004). As an example, in Asian cultures, starch such as rice must be included in a meal to be considered as proper meal. Other form of starch such as noodle could be utilized as a substitute as well. Nevertheless, for some Asians, these substitutes could not be utilized. Rice is one of the elements that is a must within a meal. Meal cycle, on the other hand is basically the timing that meals occur. It involves the frequency of meals and the right time as to when it is consumed. These times could be within a day (involving breakfast, lunch and dinner) or during events such as Christmas or Thanksgiving. During acculturation process, perception of taste is not the only aspect that changes, although in one of the models of acculturation, only taste and identity are involved. In fact, meal patterns and meal cycles is affected as well. In the studies by Olsen and Wandel (2005), Pakistani immigrants alter their meal consumption from 3 times of hot meal per day to 1 hot meal after staying in Norway; substitute paratha with bread; and increase its consumption of fish. Kittler and Sucher (2004) did a similar study by comparing meal cycles and patterns of few nationalities before and after their stay in the USA. Korean meals for example; consists of three traditional meals, however, after their stay in the USA, Korean meals consists of American foods for breakfast and lunch, while their dinner remains the same. FOOD HABIT IN MALAYSIA Influence of Foreign Culture in Malaysian Cuisine With the multiethnic races that are present in Malaysia, Malaysian cuisine is the product obtained from the influence of these races. The influence is traced back through the history, during British colonial, whereby the biggest migration was from India and China. As a result, the Malays living in Malaysia currently are the combination of proto-Malays, Indians, and Chinese. Other migration comes from Indonesia. This results in the strong influence towards their cuisine (Yoshino, 2010). In addition to that, the country itself is located next to Thailand (West Malaysia) and Indonesia (East Malaysia). In the North of West Malaysia, it is

Eulogy for Friend :: Eulogies Eulogy

Eulogy for Friend Three days ago I was working on a lecture dealing with a prominent figure on the French literary scene who happens to be a Sephardic Jew. He pictures the Jew as essentially a wounded man, one racked by his Jewishness. The world for him is a desert, and God is enwrapped in silence. For him the keynote is exile, the stuff of his writing a kind of brave despair. The news of Hays's death broke into my thoughts on this, and it occurred to me that his philosophy of life could be expressed by reversing this writer's terms. The one saw the Jew as a wounded man; the other saw in the Jew, rejoicing in his Jewishness, the acme of spiritual health. The one saw the world as a desert, the other as an orchard. The one saw God as the God of silence, the other saw Him as the God of communication, one with whom you could stay in touch. The keynote of the one was exile; while the other saw in the combination of Judaism and America the best of all possible worlds. It is deceptively easy to say, why not? Was not Hays one on whom fortune had smiled, one who had every reason to see the world in a positive light? Yet the very fact in itself can be burdensome. His father had set him a very high standard. Solomon Solis-Cohen combined the sciences and the humanities and community service in a way which is hardly possible in our complex age. Hays hewed out his own path. In his lifelong professional growth as a man of the law, he acquired a reputation for probity second to none. Even those who disagreed with him on this issue or that had to concede that he was a man of conscience, and for him principle came first, and no claim of expediency could make it take second place. Hays took to heart the moral of his father's best-known poem, and knew how quickly love can pass by if it is not grasped and cherished. He loved much and well. He loved America with a passionate devotion. When my son was born, he wrote to me, pointing out the privilege of being born an American citizen. He loved the ideals and traditions of Judaism, and always found them in harmony with his Americanism. He loved his grand-children, and a special warmth came into his voice when he spoke of them.

DMC Review Papers Essay

As Mr. Grant, CEO of DMC has realized, the current growth strategy of the company is insufficient. DMC needs to identify their primary business problems and prepare a new or revised strategy with alternative tactics to address it. Even though DMC had grown to become a multi-billion dollar company and consistently ranked in the top five in their industry, DMC’s returns between 2008 and 2012 showed great profits and loss swings unpredictably. These ranged from a net income loss of $1.5 billion in 2008, $1.9 billion in 2009, to a profit of $1.9 billion in 2010, $1.7 billion in 2011 then a loss of 1 billion in net income in 2012, the most recent year. (Table 1) Despite of the up-side-down net income and over $3 billion in long-term debt, DMC was able to make financial arrangements for a line of credit of from $500 million to nearly $2 billion to finance potential acquisitions of major competitors whose financial situations made them available. DMC’s top management team is well aware that a major change in strategy causes other changes. This also causes each manager concerned how his/her own area will change, even while they all know they have to help determine a direction that is the best overall choice for the company. They are well aware that the current growth strategy is insufficient. Top management team also need to consider whether or not a chosen target segment is profitable enough to pursue, and how these changes might influence manufacturing, supply chain, and personnel. Depending upon future direction, there will likely be an impact on information system as well. While IT is a progressive management team who is always willing to implement technical solutions to expedite product development and sales, their budget has been constrained along with all departments over the course of recent recession and the variability of returns to the company. Finance and accounting remain concerned about cash flow demands a nd financial activity for major company undertakings. HR knows from experience that major change can have a significant impact on staffing and morale. Besides company own business problems, DMC also faces industry’s issues as well. In the highly volatile electronics industry, international competition put pressure on the way DMC traditionally did business, including with whom, where, and at what price levels. Their ability to respond rapidly to market change is always difficult, based upon the nature of the product and the heavy investment required for future technologies. As a result, development costs continue to rise while sale margins have dropped steadily. In their industry, innovation is not an option, but an absolute necessity and maintaining a competitive advantage and building market share comes slowly and only to the best and smartest companies. DMC needs to consider the selling to wholesale distributor, particularly VAR. The VAR group always has irregular demand, as they react to the supply chain cycle of their small manufacturing customers and budget cycles for equipment upgrade customers. This segment is highly price sensitive, demanding attractive discounts and low delivery costs. Because of their reactions to the change in the market, DMC will be affected as numbers of demand increase or decrease irregularly, increasing unit cost of production. Now with DMC’s business problems, including within industry problems, have been issued they need a new or revised strategy, which, obviously, would lead to the best overall outcomes. With the problem of net income up and down dramatically and COGS as percentage of sales being a large number affecting net income, DMC needs to find a way to prove selling. They need a more effective way to sell product. Besides, new product development is always important to DMC. The founders believed that the experience of an entrepreneurial driver or team had to start from scratch and create success. They did not believe the future evolved from forecasting or planning in the technology world. The company identified outstanding managers coming up through the ranks, selected a few each year, and gave each $5 million to â€Å"make something happen.† With three or four new product efforts each year, they recognized most might fail, but hoped the winners would make up for the losers. With that in mind, DMC tries to create the own personal computer and touch screen products. It might fail  most of the time but it only needs one success to build up the brand and the future direc tion of the company. DMC really needs to take direct sales to the end user customer into consideration. Even though the Business-to-consumer (B2C) is not common in the electronic components industry, it is well worth the try. After an informal meeting with VP of IT, CEO Grant understands the possibility of moving into B2C without a large capital outlay if they could allocate some dedicated programming time to the project. There are still some concerns over the fact that the sales team would have to be heavily involved in any project like this and smaller orders would not be cost effective and would require too much support for product selection. However, the IT team’s view of sales on the web was that it could a relatively automated process, with a built-in digital configurator tool to help customers choose the right parts with minimal human intervention overall. With the B2C on the line, DMC can seriously consider cutting wholesale distributor like VAR. They not only can save the dollars-turn in every product but also avoid the irregular demand from VAR. With the B2C interface, DMC has the advantage knowing what customers need and the way they thinking. DMC can react quickly to market change and therefore save a lot of money in cost of unit production. B2C e-commerce has a lot of advantages in the business world nowadays. By using B2C, DMC can easily reach worldwide market with unlimited volume of customers. They also can display information, pictures, and prices of products or services without spending a fortune on colorful advertisements. By reducing the cost of advertisements, DMC can save a lot of money and use that to spend for new product development and make up the cost of changing strategies toward each functional division effectively. In some cases, B2C e-commerce makes order processing an easier task than before. With that, DMC als o can save up a lot of cost production and use that to make the selling more effective. One of the biggest advantages of B2C e-commerce is that DMC can operate on decreased, little, or even no overhead. Also, as VP of manufacturing Bret Hendricks expresses, DMC manufactured  division already do a great job of controlling costs and improving processes. He strongly feels his group cannot achieve any more efficiencies from the manufacturing lines unless they do a major overhaul and replace some of the manufacturing systems. With the strong competition from foreign suppliers who receiving funding from government, DMC really needs to find a way to make the manufacturing processes strongly effective. That should be done even it takes a great cost and time to do a major change. In the financial aspect, DMC has been good of negotiating deals with the company’s line credit to create resource and capital for the company major moves like acquisitions and mergers. However, the financial team needs to work on more areas to explore to lower general operating expenses that create problems for the bottom line. The idea of direct sales floating around is very promising. This can create pricing to wash any increased handling costs and significantly exceed the margin offered to their larger wholesale customers to make the new venture worthwhile. However, the difficulty lies on calculating ROI on any type of IT project. There were many variables and intangible benefits to consider. Lastly, if DMC is going to do a major change in strategy, they need to consider the large expenses of doing so. One of the major changes can be made is that DMC might consider insourcing. While outsourcing saves money in the short term, over the long run the company may suffer from not having a large enough employee pool to promote from in certain areas. The IT division of DMC has been doing well over the past. They need to continue to do so and try to explore in some new Business Intelligence tools. That includes the process of running the electronic commerce site. The IT team is a talented team, VP of IT division could try to create things that keep them motivated and create more ideas to help the company’s success. Overall, the main business problems of DMC is their ineffective selling led to dramatically up and down income and their COGS being a large number affecting sales; the functional division that requires lot of things in order to create a change in strategy, this includes cost, time and human resources; management problems of choosing a right market segment; DMC’s  problems within the industry such as international competition, the adaption of market changes response and the increase of development cost. However, DMC also has many opportunities and advantages such as the ability to deal with financial institution with credit card in order to have capital preparing for acquisitions or merger. They also have a good IT team, manufacturing process and talented human resources. DMC already established their reputation as one of the dominant computer component manufacturers in the world. Recommendation for DMC is that they should consider creating a major change in strategy and manufacturing process to make the company sales more effective. In order to do so, they would need to prepare a brief and careful plan because it requires much of cost and time involving all of the company divisions. DMC also needs to invent and explore more to create new products and choose the right market segment. They need to find a way to deal with international competition’s pressure and respond quickly to market change. COGS as percentage of sales needs to be adjusted so that the net income and sales of the company don’t be affected in a wrong way. Lastly, because DMC has problems with market changing and wholesale distributor’s irregular demands, they should seriously consider starting B2C e-commerce. The advantages of B2C e-commerce could really change the status of the company and make sales and manufacturing process more effective.