Human DNA and Sexual Differentiation Essay

There has with respect to understanding human evolution, thus far, hardly been any greater an academic marriage than that which has occurred between physical anthropology and genetics. For anthropologists the union has been particularly beneficial as DNA has been incorporated into the quest to understand human evolution. Some scholars have referred to this as the culmination of the evolution of the once distinct fields represented symbolically by Darwin’s theories on evolution and Mendel’s speculation regarding genes; one scholar has opined that Darwin and Mendel are the core, the essentials of understanding. These basics work together.  The gene pool — the hereditary property of a population of animals — maintains the variation of the population or species, and mutation tends to increase that variation. Darwin’s selection cuts back the less favorable variation, in that way sculpting the inheritance of the species. (Howells 8) Fossils and genes, taken together, illuminate in ways that one without the other simply cannot. This refers to the discovery of positive knowledge as well as the discovery of long-established fallacies in the field of physical anthropology (Marks 131). This essay will focus on a few types of positive knowledge regarding the evolution of human DNA. More specifically, this essay will discuss how DNA variation can be used to explain some of the evolutionary physical features for sexual differences in humans as they pertain to language, sexuality, and visual spatial skills. As a preliminary matter, it is important to acknowledge that human sex differences were not always as pronounced as they are today. There were genetic variations that occurred over a long period of time and these genetic differences are evident in the fossils used by physical anthropologists to piece together how and why DNA has evolved as it has over the course of time. Scholars seem to agree that the evolution of human DNA is unique in certain respects; for purposes of this essay, it is significant to note that, regarding sexual differences in species, â€Å"It is apparent that these same cross-species sex differences have become more pronounced in humans† (Joseph 35). The evolution of human DNA with respect to sexual differences is greater than has been found in studies of other species. It has been demonstrated that DNA evolution led to Homo erectus females experiencing a vaginal reorientation at the same time that males experienced a change in pelvic structure (Joseph 35). The consequences were tremendous as this likely resulted in the development of long-term relationships between males and females; this is because, rather than being dependent on estrus in order to get pregnant, females were now physically and genetically configured to be sexually receptive continuously rather than sporadically. These long-term relationships also seem to have coincided with males and females establishing more permanent or semi-permanent homes. It can be argued, to some degree at least, that this genetic variation led to an embryonic notion of marriage and home. These human sex differences were further accelerated with the genetic evolution of the brain; indeed, as the brain became larger, â€Å"this required a larger birth canal and an increase in the sexual physical differentiation in the size and width of the H. erectus† (Joseph 35). DNA varied to accommodate these changes and they are manifest even today in the way that women walk as well as in the more fragile nature of their pelvic bones when compared to their male counterparts. As the female was evolving there were practical consequences; for instance, â€Å"The transformation of the human female hips and pelvis, however, also limited her ability to run and maneuver in space, at least, compared to most males† (Joseph 35). These DNA variations thus functioned to separate males and females and to lay the physical groundwork for other changes. This evolution in human DNA, in turn, led to a division of labor predicated on these newly exaggerated differences between the sexes. Generally speaking, women became gatherers and men became hunters. Each of these roles demanded different types of skills and the human animal adapted through the mechanism of its DNA. The female role demanded careful language skills rather than violence whereas the male role demanded aggression and physical strength. In explaining how the male DNA evolved to adapt to the male’s developing function, one scholar has noted that â€Å"successful hunting requires prolonged silence, excellent visual-spatial and gross motor skills, and the capacity to endure long treks in the pursuit of prey. These are abilities at which males excel, including modern H. apiens† (Joseph 35). In short, many of the human sexual differences noted today can be traced to the ways in which human DNA has evolved over time in order to adapt to changed environments and to changed sex roles. In the final analysis, even a cursory examination of the history of the evolution of human DNA suggests rather persuasively that there are watershed events which can aid in underst anding the uniqueness of sexual differentiation in humans and how sex roles evolved in response to that sexual differentiation.

Cultural Diplomacy: a Filipino Perspective Essay

I. WHAT IS CULTURAL DIPLOMACY? Considered as a relatively new term in international relations and among governments, a commonly cited definition of cultural diplomacy is that of Milton Cummings, an American Political Scientist which defines Cultural Diplomacy as â€Å"the exchange of ideas, information, values, systems, traditions, beliefs, and other aspects of culture, with the intention of fostering mutual understanding† between or among nations (Kang, 2013) or simply put, it pertains to a cultural form of international communication between and/or among nations (Kieldanowicz). It was only during the past decade when governments started to and have increasingly paid attention to the practice of Cultural Diplomacy and have acknowledged the growing importance of cultural dimensions in analyzing the ever-increasing complexity of foreign affairs (Kang, 2013). Art and culture are two important aspects of cultural diplomacy, as these are the forefront of many countries’ promotional efforts. The showcasing of a country’s cultural heritage, as made possible by cultural diplomacy, provides a country with the opportunity of showing who they are and create a positive image which will help them achieve their political aims (Kieldanowicz). This belief was echoed by Philippine DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario was quoted saying â€Å"DFA recognizes the impact of culture in modern diplomacy and sees it as an effective tool in protecting our national interest, in advancing our advocacies and in achieving the development agenda of the country in the international arena. Cultural diplomacy is described as â€Å"†¦a course of actions, which are based on and utilize the exchange of ideas, values, traditions and other aspects of culture or identity, whether to strengthen relationships, enhance socio-cultural cooperation or promote national interests; Cultural diplomacy can be practiced by either the public sector, private sector or civil society.† From this definition, we can gather that cultural diplomacy is similar to an agreement between two countries for the purpose of strengthening their relations through their cultures. II. PHILIPPINE ISSUES IN LINE WITH CULTURAL DIPLOMACY The first issue which the group considers significant in line with the establishment of cultural diplomacy is the young population’s patronization of Korean, Japanese and American pop culture. As previously mentioned, art and culture makes up our identity as Filipinos, however with the continuous and increasing â€Å"Japanesation, Koreanisation and Americanization† of our young generation, the young population is slowly losing its Filipino identity this then becomes a hindrance to the promotion of local Philippine culture, so the question is how could the Philippine local culture be promoted abroad if locally, there is difficulty in promoting, much less preserving it. III. PROJECTION OF ISSUES ON FOREIGN POLICY The ‘Japanesation’, ‘Koreanisation’ and ‘Westernization’ of the Filipino pop culture must be addressed by the Philippine government. We believe however, that action must first be taken in the local or domestic level and extend it later on to the international level by virtue of foreign policy. In line with this issue the government may sponsor students to study sociology with focus on Philippine culture, or establish art competitions such as song-writing and painting contests and the like. This will later on be reflected in the foreign policy by the establishment of government sponsorship of foreign students studying of Philippine culture and society. As we know, globalization is defined as â€Å"worldwide integration and development† and it has helped in improving the economy of different countries. Nowadays, there is a need for all the countries need to improve their exports to be able to make it in the international market. But despite that, globalization has also caused problems such as in cultural diplomacy, an example of this is the Business Process Outsourcing Industry. Even though the pay is nice in such an industry, there is an issue concerning cultural clashes. Since most of the BPOs came from the western side of the earth and then merely outsourced, there is a clash of what are the ways of living in one certain country and the ways of doing things when brought to the receiving country. There would be a lot of issues that would need to be addressed which causes in problems in cultural diplomacy. Let’s use the call center business as an example. Let’s us say that there is a new call center has been outsourced here in the Philippines. In the country where the call center originated they do no not celebrate Christmas or Lent but here in the Philippines we do celebrate these events. This is where the clash begins, because these are two different countries with two different cultures, it would be hard to make or form a cultural diplomacy. There is a need to have talks to address such issues and so that both parties can agree on decide on something to agree on to form a partnership through cultural diplomacy.

What is a Language Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

What is a Language - Essay Example The author has tried to explain various principles and concepts of a language, while considering the involvement of a speaker of the language, within the scope of such discussions. As the author identifies five responses to ’what is a language’, the essay makes reference to a text book, named â€Å"Chomskyan Linguistics†, written by Smith and Wilson in 1979, in which the two renowned linguists connect the language with rules that make the grammar of any language. They have further opined that, for example, in the English language, different speakers possess different levels of grammar and, thus, English would have not one but many grammars, as the same will be different for various individual speakers. Responding to the question ’what is a language’, the author has considered five answers. They include ‘NATURALISM’, meaning language is a natural kind; PLATONISM, which treats language as an abstract object; NOMINALISM, meaning that any s et of objects would define the name of a language; SOCIOLOGISM, which places the language in the category of social facts and DUALISM, which agrees to the language being a social fact, while disagreeing with the argument that the particular social fact could also be the linguistic fact. While discussing all answers, with arguments for and against five positions, the author has staked its claim to last option, saying that linguistic facts cannot be, necessarily, social facts also, thus, negating SOCIOLOGISM. Author further states that the option of NATURALISM is partially compatible with the last answer, DUALISM. (Pateman) Languages as natural kinds The author has dismissed the claim that languages belong to natural kinds, by saying that other natural facts in this world cannot be counted in the same group, although all of them may belong to natural kinds only. The fact is exemplified by different natural products like tigers and lemons, both of which are from nature, but are entirel y different. Further, diversifying on the discussion, the author has stressed that definition of language has the relation to the environment that surrounds the speaker. Pateman has given an example of Creoles, who find no use of their native language in the new environment; like the ‘plantation workers’. Languages as abstract objects The author has referred to the theory put forward by Chomsky, which treats linguistics as a science, like neurology and psychology. Further, there are references to arguments put forward by Katz, which treat languages and sentences as mathematical abstract objects, while employing ‘general scientific methodology’ to support this claim. Pateman has countered Katz’s argument by relating the properties of sentences and language with grammar, in abstraction, which can be viewed as mathematical grammarian abstract objects, while having no reality. (Pateman) Languages as names Many sociolinguists have related languages with t he spoken dialects and social facts of the speakers. Accordingly, the author of this article refers to Smith and Wilson, informing in their text book that dialect and language correspond to each other, when the speakers having similar grammar, for any language, are grouped together. However, Pateman counters this argument by saying that there is no relation of language with an individual, as its name is taken from the dialect, which speakers can formulate for construction of a language. Languages as social and linguistic facts The author describes about relationship between the groups of a social class and the language spoken by them. For example, members of a church belong to the same social group and may speak the same dialect or language. Hence, the idea of

Literature Review and Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Literature Review and Report - Essay Example The growth of wines in the market urged Fosters to move in these wine industries, and he earns more than expected compared to its previous business, the beer company. In the USA, it’s been stated that its continuous growth in the past 30 years has enjoyed and has never experienced two years of falling demand. But this summed up had changed when overcapacity in the production of wines occurred. And unfortunately, this instance is now the source of many of Foster’s problems. Beringer Blass Wine Estates (2004), for instance, consolidated some production and warehousing facilities, wrote down the book value of excess bulk wine inventory, and selected "non-strategic vineyards" in California and Australia to put up for sale. Same with what happened to Fosters when he encountered the overcapacity in his production, forcing Fosters to make changes before his wine business will automatically descends By the first half of 2003, Fosters earnings had dropped to 64 percent due to deep price cutting since other wine business, or its competitors had cut away their profit margins. The immediate fall of earnings of Fosters obliged him to cut costs levelled with the costs of its competitors. But Fosters didn’t engage immediately in planned change before its wine business got into trouble. Fosters was expecting that, sooner, the sales he produced on the preceding years will continue on the following years. But he rather experienced more difficulties and therefore cleared that Fosters needed to undergo significant changes to get back on track. The first he does was the appointment of a new chief executive, Trevor O’Hoy, which also headed the wine business. Their main focussed under the new chief executive, which are the biggest threats to Fosters successfully carrying out this change program, was focussed on cutting costs and improving efficiencies. An established company in a maturing market is

Strategic Marketing Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

Strategic Marketing Management - Essay Example marketing plan for the year 2008-09. â€Å"Strategic marketing management refers to the method of selling the products directly to the customers bypassing the retailers and distributors.† (Retrieved in http://dictionary.bnet.com/definition/strategic+marketing.html) In simple words, the main objective of the strategic management is to develop such marketing plans that could win the applause from the genuine buyers, customers, consumers and end users. Red Hat Inc. has recently launched the innovative software including iPhone 3 G, iPode and Apple TV as its new products. Its marketing management departments aims to present these products at international level by developing the comprehensive strategic scheme in order to make the product as an unconditional success. Though, almost all the software introduced by the Red Hat Inc. immediately captured the attention of the global markets, yet it also had to bear the brunt of failures because of launching some products without making strategic analysis. In addition, inclusion of thousands of companies with their computer merchandise and mobile phone accessories has created a situation of perfect competition everywhere; it is therefore, the Apple Inc. looks for designing a master plan of marketing the newly designed products. The Chief Information Officer (CIO) is ambitious to run the affairs of the company in the same lines, as it has been being conducted by the most elevated organizati ons like Microsoft Corporation, Virgin Atlantic, Honda Car and other corporations of highest ranking. Even being a grand brand, the Apple products are not welcomed like hot cakes still in many parts of Asia, Australia and Africa, which is a sign of failure for the CIO. â€Å"The analyst firm is predicting global IT market growth for 2008 at 5.5% to 6%, down from 6.9% this year. The market intelligence group released â€Å"IDC Predictions 2008: The

Several Topics(Psychology 101) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Several Topics(Psychology 101) - Essay Example According to social-learning theories, people learn by merely observing what others do and what happens to them. Cognitive theories emphasize cognitive processes such as thinking and judging and are guided by cognitions (e.g. expectations) about the world, especially those about other people. Trait theorists assume that traits are relatively stable over time, differ among individuals and they influence behavior. Hence personality theories focus on different key elements to explain the relationship between personality and other psychological constructs. A2.Sigmund Freud spent most of his life developing the theory of personality to describe how the human psyche or mind operates. According to his theory, human psyche is composed of parts that are conscious, preconscious, and unconscious: the conscious part of the psyche consists of all the thoughts that currently occupy our mind, the preconscious part of the psyche consists of the thoughts, memories, and knowledge that we are not currently aware of, but that are available to us as memories and knowledge and the unconscious part of our psyche holds thoughts, memories, impulses that we are not aware of. Freud also posited that the psyche is composed of three structures: the id, ego, and superego which interact and wrestle with each other for dominance and results in the whole of each human’s behavior. The id is driven by primitive animal instincts and seeks to maximize pleasure and minimize any discomfort. However, it does not care about what is practical, safe, or moral. The e go refers to one’s sense of self and functions according to the reality principle because its job is to gratify the id in accord with reality. The superego operates according to the morality principle in that it seeks what is good and moral above all else. The ego aims to gratify the id’s primitive needs within the constraints of reality and within the moral

Trademark laws in the United Arab Emirates Research Paper

Trademark laws in the United Arab Emirates - Research Paper Example The symbol trademark of this company that indentifies its products is swoosh, which is a trademark that ranks as one of the best, among the most recognized and popular logo in the world. The symbol of trademark was designed in 1972, after the owner of the company, which was then known as the Blue Ribbon Sports, required a symbol that would effectively indentify his products, and thus serve to allow him more of inventory control. Thus, the symbol was designed to represent one of the wings of the Greek goddess of victory, called the Nike. This goddess served as a great inspiration to the ancient Greek warriors, granting them courage and strength to gain victory in the battles (Coleman, 19). Thus, this symbol was designed to represent the products of this company, signifying winning, achievement, as well as excellence (Smith, 6). This did tally very well with the image that the ancient Greek Goddess Nike was associated with; commonly having the then Greek warriors, believe and attest to the fact that when they went to a war and won, then they said it is Nike. Thus, swoosh, previously referred, as the stripe became a symbol of victory, which is evident of the company’s brand worldwide. The owner desired a symbol that would show an element of movement, which is represented by swoosh, a symbol of progressive growth and achievement (Coleman, 22). The symbol was registered in 1995 as the trademark for the Nike Inc., and, is solely responsible for the successful brand identification and success. The rules governing Nike and its use of swoosh trademark applies inform of regulations, that restricts any use of its trade name or the logo for any commercial purpose, other than for placing an order or purchase of the Nike products. Under the copyright regulation rules of this company, anybody is prohibited from modifying, copying, or reproducing the company’s trade name or logo to represent any other product that is not a brand of this company (Smith, 7). Anothe r of the regulation guiding the company’s use of the logo and its trade name is the fact that the company has issued a warning that any order placed with the company can be cancelled at any point. This can happen even after the order has been confirmed, should such an order placement be deemed inappropriate or as an attempt to tamper with the trademark rights of the company (Coleman, 25). An indemnification is issuable to the buyer whose order has been cancelled. The trademark laws in the UAE do not just protect the logo or the trade name. They are attached to the product or services the trademark represents (Ashour, 10). Some example of trademark laws include such laws as prohibits any mark that violates public morals. Symbols of a pure religious nature are also prohibited from being applied as trademarks (Smith, 8). Such laws are relevant and appropriate to preserve the morals of the society, while avoiding confusion with marks of religious entities. However, the restrictio n on the registration of a translation of a previous trademark should be removed, to allow for the improvements of logos and trademarks by commercial entities. Any infringement of the rights of the com

Answering questions one by one Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Answering questions one by one - Essay Example There are some theories which claim that there is more gender apart from the female and male version (Halvor, M 1997). Patriarchy is a universally accepted Trans cultural and Trans historical phenomena according to which women are oppressed everywhere by the men in a similar manner. Gender is an important part of the social construction along with gender being a process for stratification system and also a structure. There are day to day processes which are in forced by gender. One gender is different from another one on the basis of process, rituals of the daily life and also the conversations. Stratification is in which men as a group holds greater amount of power and status than women as a group. Women are treated as being some other species as compared to the men. Gender is responsible for dividing the work in the economic production as well as the home production (Litosseliti,L, and Sunderland J,2002). It legitimates the one which are in authority and they will organize the emot ional life as well as the sexuality. The products created, tasks assigned, expectations from the job, value for money is different for both the genders in the society. Gender is something which basically displays women and men both of them to create along with control the workplace (Elizabeth G, 1992). Discourses refer to spoken communication along with the written communication. The denotations it holds include the discourse analysis along with the semantics which is a generalized concept of the conversations which exist in the contexts and also the modalities. There is a totality of the vocabulary which is used and is existent in the field of social practices long with the intellectual enquiry (Epictetus F, Dobbin,J,1998). An example of these can be taken from the religious discourse, medical discourse and also the legal discourse. There is a lot of work which is carried out on discourse and some of the work was carried out by Michel Foucault along with other social theoreticians according to which discourse is an entity of signs along with sequences having enouncements (Symeon, 1980). It is the communication of thought by words, conversations along with various talks which come under intelligent and earnest discourse. It is a formal discussion of a subject which appears in writing along with the speech. It is an integral part of the treatise, sermon and also the dissertation. Discourses are an important part of the linguistics which are an important part of the unit of writing and also speech which is connected (Machiavelli, N 1970) .Enouncement is an integral part of the discourses and it is linked with unit of semiotic signs along with the abstract construction which allows the signs to communicate and assign specific along with the repeatable relations between the objects, statements and also the subjects. This thus concludes that discourse is composed of semiotic sequences which have a relation among the signs which exist between and among statements, s ubjects and also the objects. White people are responsible for creating a dominant image of the world and they totally ignore an important factor that this thing is playing an integral role in

Mise-En-Scene Essay Example for Free

Mise-En-Scene Essay Forrest Gump For over a century now, individuals have been flocking to witness the magic of motion pictures. It is a world made possible by a director and a dream. Unbeknownst to many, the making of a motion picture is a tedious event, involving scripts, takes, re-takes, and an abundance of post-production editing. Many people sit and enjoy a movie without realizing the complexities and the amount of individuals involved in creating the film. These individuals create the landscapes and backboards for us, the ultimate image also known as the mise-en-scene. My favorite film of all time is Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump will go down in history as one of the greatest films ever made. This film was nominated for thirteen Academy Awards, and took home six of them. This is in part because of the phenomenal cast and crew members involved in the production of this film; individuals such as the director, cinematographer, and art director, to the actors, sound people, and most importantly the editor, who pulled everything together and created the final cut. All of these plus additional elements such as sound, style, societal impact, genre, and film criticism make the film such a masterpiece. In this paper I will go into detail about these elements and as to why they add character and zest to the overall success of the film. Forrest Gump is a film that draws out every emotion that is available to the viewer; at times it draws empathy, as well as sympathy and sadness because of the real-life elements that are a part of the plot. The film is also loaded with irony and many opportunities to laugh at the naivety of the main character, Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump is a story about an â€Å"Unusual man doing unusual things† (Groom, 1996, pg. v). As a result of how fantastic the film was, and how great the crew and cast were, Forrest Gump was nominated for thirteen Oscars at the Academy; which is a highly prestigious honor. Almost all elements of this film were up to be recognized. The list of elements that won an Oscar: best actor, best director, best effects (visual effects), best film editing, best picture, and best writing. However, the list goes on even further when me ntioning the additional ones that were nominated but did not win. This would include: best supporting actor, best art direction-set decoration, best cinematography, best effects (sound effects), best make-up, best music, and best sound (Dirks, 2010). Every one of these elements is crucial to the popularity and overall success of this film. What I plan to take notice of first is the director, Robert Zemeckis. Robert has led a successful career of directing many blockbuster hit movies. Movies such as the Back to the Future trilogy, Cast Away, Contact, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, just to name a few. It is no wonder why Robert is such a successful and well-known name in Hollywood. Robert is a director that continually makes great films that have recurring actors, Tom Hanks being one of these actors. The style of storyline that Robert chose to use in this film is mostly in chronological order; however, the story is narrated by Forrest in the future, so the story also has moments of incongruous editing. The text states that incongruous editing is when a film jumps around in time (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). You see ’future’ Forrest is telling the story of his life to numerous people who are sitting next to him at the bus stop. The story that he tells is in chronological order, basically catching up to where he is at that moment, at the bus stop. I highly enjoyed this approach that the director used; the story would continually flip back to ‘future’ Forrest as the movie went on. I believe that the movie would have been dull, had it not been from the perspective of Forrest in the future. Excitement is added by the way that he remembers the events in his life, and how even today he is still excited about them. This movie was adapted from the book of the same name, written by Warren Groom and the screenplay was written by Eric Roth. Although much of the story was changed, between the book and the film, it still remains based on the book. This is a story of a man who is highly naive, some would say slightly mentally challenged, who travels the world and is involved with many political events that occurred from the 1960’s to 1990’s. He faces hardships and overcomes adversity. In the final scenes devastating news is given to Forrest; the conclusion in this movie really pulls the whole movie together and makes it very satisfying. The exposition of this movie is right out the box with this film. It starts with a feather floating high in the shy aimlessly, drifting down towards the ground. At first the audience thinks nothing of it, however, as we later on see, this feather floating and landing on the ground in front of a dingy, worn pair of running shoes, is a symbol of the story. It is a symbol of the life of Forrest Gump, a man who drifts everywhere and becomes a part of many cultural events. We then come to realize that Forrest is a little slow and does not perceive the world as the majority of people do; with this we find a lot of verbal irony on Forrest’s behalf. The set-up is that Forrest is pushed away by his peers except a little girl named Jenny. Forrest is the protagonist in this film and his friend Jenny is the antagonist. Goodykoontz and Jacobs describe a protagonist as the main character in a movie; they also describe the antagonist as the character in conflict with the main character (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). Forrest is highly conservative, and Jenny is an outright liberal. As the story goes on, Jenny becomes more and more rebellious towards society’s standards. The confrontation is that Forrest is forever seeking to save Jenny, and to get her to conform to the way of life that he lives. However, Jenny is highly rebellious and wants to live the unhealthy lifestyle that she lives. Jenny was abused as a child and she lives very domineering to the men in her life, and since Forrest is good, she pushes him away, because all she knows is destruction. The conclusion brings everything to a head. This is where Forrest goes to Jenny’s house where she lays on him that she has a son and it is his. This is where it gets all fuzzy, emotionally, because we find out that finally Jenny is settling down and accepting Forrest and his conservative ways. However, in the final moments of the film the story turns sad and Jenny dies of an unknown illness; which leaves Forrest to care for his son that he previously knew nothing about. The main character in this movie, Forrest, is played by Tom Hanks, who is a career veteran of great movies; he is a wild card actor because he is able to play various types of roles (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). There are a couple of secondary actors, Jenny, played by Robin White; Lieutenant Dan Taylor, played by Gary Sinise; and Benjamin Buford â€Å"Bubba† Blue, played by Mykelti Williamson; all of these actors would be classified as character actors, because they have been in other various films, but were always secondary characters (Goodykoontz Jacobs, 2011). Sally Field is also in this film as Forrest’s mother, but the audience does not see too much of her. Tom Hanks won an Oscar for his grand performance in Forrest Gump. He also won many other prestigious awards such as a Screen Actors Guild award, a Golden Globe, a Kansas City Film Critics award, and an American Comedy award. Robin White and Gary Sinise were nominated for a Golden Globe and a Screen Actors Guild award, but neither won. The cinematographer in this film is a man by the name of Don Burgess. Don was also the cinematographer in other Robert Zemeckis films, such as Contact, Cast Away, and The Polar Express (the latter two films had Tom Hanks in them). The cinematographer in a film is the one who directs the camera and chooses what kind of shot will take place, whether it be a long shot, a close-up, or somewhere in between. They also control the lighting and determine what will be best for each particular scene. The cinematographer designs the mise-en-scene. In the beginning we see a medium shot of a feather floating in the wind; the feather then lands on the ground which the cinematographer uses an extreme close-up of the feather and Forrest’s sneakers. Following this the camera zooms out and moves up to display Forrest sitting on a bus stop bench, next to a woman, as he is commenting about her shoes. This series of events and different shots really adds to the zest of the film. Right off we can hear Forrest’s manner of speaking, in addition to the way that he perceives the world. Another scene that I would like to point out is when Forrest is in Vietnam, and he finds Bubba shot. In this scene the cinematographer uses a lot of close-up shots of Forrest and Bubba. I believe this is to hype up the dramatics of the situation. However, a few moments later Forrest picks up Bubba and runs with him out of the jungle. In this scene the cinematographer uses an extreme long shot; the scene lasts a full 25 seconds, which is a long time for a shot in a movie (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). In this scene, Forrest and Bubba start from far away as they exit the jungle, it continues to progress until finally they run past the camera. This is a very important scene in the film where Bubba eventually dies. The cinematographer did an excellent job of capturing the planes overhead bombing, while Forrest is trying to save his friend. This scene is very meaningful. The editor of this film is Arthur Schmidt. An editor is the person who pieces all the appropriate shots into the final cut, basically rearranging the story into a plot (Goodykontz Jacob, 2011). Arthur Schmidt won an Academy Award for his stupendous work in this film. There was a ton of post-production done on this film. There was a scene where Forrest meets, President John F. Kennedy, the visual effects team along with the editor made this scene possible; since John F. Kennedy is currently diceased. Another scene takes place where Forrest is running rom some boys because they are chasing him down. In this scene Forrest is wearing leg braces, but there is a moment when Forrest begins breaking out of the braces, while he is running. The editor slows this scene down and closes in on Forrest’s legs, in order to emphasize him breaking out of the bondage that the braces caused. This is a pivotal scene, it is the prelude to the rest of the movie where Forrest is constantly on the move; his legs are a way for him to escape. In addition, this scene is full of direct cuts and jump cuts. A jump cut is when there is an obvious jump in the action during a transition, and a direct cut is when one shot instantly takes over for another shot (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). The various elements that the editor used were simply fantastic; it is no wonder why he won an Oscar for this film. There are many moments in this film where all types of sound are utilized, specifically sound effects and music. Each of these effects boosts the emotional value of scenes. There is a scene where Forrest is getting on the school bus for the first time. He is having trouble finding a seat because all of the students are denying him there seat. All of a sudden he hears the voice of a little girl saying, â€Å"you can sit hear†. During this scene, sentimental music plays in the background, simply adding emotional value to what Tom Hanks is saying. Forrest says to the woman on the bench next to him, as he is narrating the scene, that he finds it, â€Å"amazing what a young man recollects,† how he doesn’t, remember many of his ‘firsts’, but he cannot forget the first time he heard Jenny’s voice, he says that, â€Å"she was like an angel† (Finerman, Tisch, Newirth, 1994). In addition to the music, every sound other than dialogue was a sound effect that was added post-production. This film was also recognized for its phenomenal soundtrack. In some movies songs are intentionally written for that particular movie, but in Forrest Gump these are previously existing songs that the director thought would fit the tone or mood of the particular scene(s) (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). It is the soundtrack of the 60’s, filled with political songs such as â€Å"For What it’s Worth,† by Buffalo Springfield, and â€Å"Fortunate Son,† by Creedance Clearwater Revival. It also contained songs suitable for the action that was taking place, like â€Å"Sloop John B,† by The Beach Boys, while Forrest is in Vietnam. The song mentions the lyrics, â€Å"This is the worst trip I’ve ever been on,† and, â€Å"I feel so broke up, I wanna go home, let me go home,† these lyrics seem highly fitting for the scenario that the troops were in. The soundtrack won both an Academy Award and a Golden Globe. In our text it quotes that, â€Å"even though we go to films to be entertained†¦movies are something more than that†¦they are also historical documents that help us see—and perhaps more fully understand—the world in which they are made† (Goodykontz Jacobs, 2011). Forrest Gump touched on a lot cultural events and stigmas. First off is that Forrest is disabled and still was able to do more than most people who are not disabled do in their life. In addition, Forrest saw all people as equal, no matter what skin color they had. He also gave money to Bubba’s family, even though Bubba had died before Forrest created the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Forrest gave Bubba’s half of the profits to Bubba’s remaining family. Bubba gave Forrest the idea and Forrest was paying due to his lost friend, through his family. This is something that he definitely did not have to do. He stands for anyone who has ever felt inadequate. Forrest Gump will go down in the history books as one of the greatest films ever made. This is because a huge number of cast and crew made this possible, from the director, cinematographer, and art director, to the actors, sound people, and most importantly the editor, who pulled everything together and created the final cut. Additional elements should be recognized as well for the overall success of the film, such as sound, style, societal impact, genre, and film criticism. A lot of hard work, time and effort go into making a movie, and unfortunately not a lot of the public are aware of this. However, once they learn a few things and realize the distinct meaning behind a slow-motion shot or the color of a characters costume, they take a more appreciative look as to what they are viewing. The mise-en-scene makes all the difference; it is what makes or breaks any movie.

Information System of Retail Shop

Information System of Retail Shop Prepared by: Travis McEachron Shakil Kamran Muhammad Tanvir Hasan Fabrice Hecdivert Rhea Farrell The objective of the class project is to investigate and evaluate an information system of GAP Inc. GAP Inc. is a retail organization that is comprised of stores nationwide as well as being internationally based. They are mainly branded as Athleta, GAP, Old Navy, Intermix and Banana Republic. Its first store opened in the year 1969 and now spans across the United States of America and many other countries. Over the years, the organization has grown into large businesses with numbers of franchises. In addition to its onsite stores, it provides an e-commerce platform for its large customer base. The information system we decided to base our project on is GAPs Supply Chain Management System. Our team looked at the Supply Chain Management System used by GAP. Throughout, this report shows the findings, summary and recommendations for GAPs organization. The main goal of this research is to identify how GAP operates and how does the Supply Chain Management System play a role in this. It goes into further details about competing with its competitors, and identify how GAP is performing in the apparel market. According to Thomas Wailgum (2007), Supply chain management (SCM) is the combination of art and science that goes into improving the way your company finds the raw components it needs to make a product or service and deliver it to customers. The Global Supply Chain at Gap Inc. is employed with thousands of individuals around the world whereby creating the right product, made well and delivered at the right time. Gap praise its size and scale, as it continues to change the retail industry, its Global Supply Chain is the instrument of innovativeness.- Gap Inc. Careers. GAP Inc. is one of the largest for pr1ofit, American specialty retail corporations. GAP was first started by Donald and Doris F. Fisher in 1969. Art Peck is currently the President and CEO of GAP Inc. Their headquarters is located in San Francisco, California. GAP specializes in selling apparel: clothing, shoes and accessories.  The company has about 40 franchise suppliers, and also has over 3,700 stores worldwide. It operates in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and several locations in Europe. GAP has a hybrid organizational structure. GAP started as a single store in San Francisco, California and now has a chain of companies, including Old Navy, GAP, Banana Republic, and many more. The company offers products such as clothing, accessories, and care products for men, women, and children. GAP offers its services worldwide. Its Omni-channel supply chain allows GAPs many branches to stay interconnected. It also provides an e-commerce division, known as Growth Innovation Digital (GID), thus being able to expand its market over the years. GAPs main shipping carriers include FedEx, United States Postal Service, and United Parcel Service. In addition, GAP sales revenue for 2016 was 15.8Billion; however, there was a decrease in sales growth at -3.88%. GAP Inc. competes with other large retailers, such as Macys, Wal-Mart, Target and other major stores. Unlike some companies, GAP only provides apparel, where companies like Wal-Mart sell apparel, furniture, house appliances and so forth. Mission Statement GAP Inc. is a brand-builder. We create emotional connections with customers around the world through inspiring product design, unique store experience compelling marketing.   Ã‚   Organizational Structure Information Systems Gap Inc. is large business that does business which includes retailers, such as Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta, Intermix, etc. Therefore Gap Inc. uses a cloud computing infrastructure in order to support their global business. Gap Inc. uses an omni- channel technology which allows and ensures customers get the products they when and where they want it. Gap Inc. also developed a Business Intelligence Group which allows the organizations to stay on a unified platform data which makes Big Data accessible supporting the companys strategic decision making. With this knowledge, I was able to decipher that this organization uses a decision support system (DSS) mainly because Gap Inc. has an automatic loop systems that fits customers needs with any other concerns. There is a 24hrs (automated) customer service operator unless the concern is urgent, customers will then be transferred over to customer relations specialist that best fits that category of the customers concern. This company d oes have an IT support team that is only accessible to Gap Inc. employees. Technical Information Any companies software and Hardware they buy depends so much on the size, sophistication, and budget of the retailer. The applications include merchandising systems, demand forecasting, replenishment, allocation, price management, price optimization, sourcing, product lifecycle management, inventory control, point of sale, sales analysis, merchandise planning, location planning, markdown optimization, store operations, e-commerce, analytics and business intelligence, customer relationship management, and so on. GAP Inc. is a retail chains company, so they usually used apparel retailers software. Apparel retailers tend to have different systems needs from hardlines retailers or grocery retailers. GAP also use Dressing Room apps. Its available in Apple and Android both. This app was created to assist customers virtually. This tool came with a try on clothing capability and can be performed using smartphone, Augmented Reality experience. The Dressing Room by GAP app was created in association with Avametric technology, to deliver accurate shoes and texture of each clothing. GAP Inc. top priorities is continuing to improve their technical knowledge around how the fabric stretch, drape and feel impact the sensation of fit. Technology gives customers incredible autonomy around the shopping experience and its companys opportunity to explore new ways to make customers shopping experience effortless and find different solutions that will add value to a customers experience. The Dressing Room by GAP pilot app is just one element of our longer-term strategic plan in this space. The GAP Inc. is taking advantage of software-defined (SD) networking, which is used to connect its several stores through the internet in the corporate network. It can now route traffic through the public Internet using encrypted connections. The company is installing new software-defined routers from Viptela Inc. at each store to build a more cost-effective WAN to connect store branches. Network upgrades or changes can all be done remotely, which makes GAP work easier. The routers allow GAP to segment its network as security technique. GAP Inc. is currently using the SCMS PO application to manage purchased orders. In loyalty marketing, data and technical infrastructure are critical. At GAP Inc., marketing owns the customer database, which offers a true 360-degree view of the customer. GAP Inc. uses third party service providers to manage the site and assist with business needs. Gap Inc. may share personal information with service providers in order to deliver the site and services as described in this Privacy Statement. These third parties include Taleo. Third party providers who are receiving personal information are expected to apply the same level of privacy protection as contained in this Global Privacy Statement. Also, they are required to keep personal information confidential for any purpose other than as originally intended. Global-Technology Platform GAP Technology uses the DevOps principle. The DevOps principle refer to a set of practices which emphasize the collaboration and communication of both software developers and information technology professionals. The DevOps tool uses Holistic system thinking, no silos, Rapid and useful feedback and automate drudgery away. Ecommerce Technology GAP is comprised of 5 different e-commerce sites GAP, Old Navy, Banana Republic, Athlete and Intermix. With serving customers on a global customer base the E-commerce technology is needed. Growth Innovation Digital (GID) is the award-winning e-commerce division of GAP Inc. The Multi-brand shopping platform drives the web and mobile experience and multi-channel capabilities. Open source technology such as chef and OpenStack also plays a large role the online based websites to manage large jobs. Open Source Technology GAP uses Open Source technology such as chef which is used for writing system configurations. With many plugins and features at a low-cost savings is key for large businesses such as GAP. Chef is used to streamline the task of configuring and maintaining a companys servers and can integrate with cloud-based platforms such as Chef OpenStack, Amazon EC2 etc., Chef is able to manage large jobs on any infrastructure no matter the size. They enable services and features to deployed and update more frequently with small chances of down time. All at a respectable price range. Openstack is a free and open source software platform for cloud computing. The platform is made up of related components which control diverse, multi-vendor hardware pools for processing, storage and network resources through a data center. Omni-Channel Technology Logistics Omni-channel technology and logistics uses a Global-Technology Platform. An Omni-channel supply chain uses a central stock pool to control a number of factors such as pricing, fulfilment, sales, stock management and ordering. These orders are fulfilled from numerous retail channels such as concessions, franchises, catalogue, web, stores and mobile. The central stock pool is the heart of all these operations. The supply chain is now on the front line thanks to Omni-channel. Omni-Channel interrelates everything from sales to your connected. The online store connects to the mobile store which connect to a retailor store. Such as you creating an order online and being able to go get that product from the store. It creates an interlock of transactions which is smarter and give the customer multiple choices of how to interact and get the required products they need. Enterprise Platforms GAP uses a custom J2EE enterprise ecommerce platform. J2EE stands for Java 2 Enterprise Edition. The Java Centric environment with a set of services, API, and protocols that provide the functionality for developing multitude, web based applications. Security being implemented and Privacy and Ethical concerns with current laws GAP was founded on doing business honestly, responsibly and ethically so corporate compliance is critical and taken very seriously. GAP has developed a Code of Business Conduct (COBC) where it gives employees an overview on what is acceptable use of GAP Inc. data and what is not tolerated. Each employee and director is responsible for complying with GAP Inc. COBC. GAP Inc. has created Global Integrity Department to implant the companys existing compliance infrastructure. The Global Integrity Department works with Human Resources, Global Corporate Affairs, Internal Audit, Loss Prevention and Corporate Security to raise code awareness within the company, to monitor and audit Code compliance and to investigate all suspected code violations. For customers GAP Inc., has implemented a Customer Bill of Rights which is a basic customer policy on the rights you are entitled to as a GAP Inc. customer such as profiling being prohibited with any GAP Inc. facility, as well as unreasonable searche s of customers by any employee. However the policy also includes rules on how GAP Inc. will react in case of any serious matters as stated A person may be detained only in a reasonable manner and for not more than a reasonable time to permit investigation or questioning, provided an authorized employee has reasonable grounds to believe that the person so detained was guilty of criminal possession of an anti-security item or was committing or attempting to commit shoplifting on the premises (New York State General Business Law, Section 218). Security is also implemented physically by the presence of security guards to assure the safety of employees as well as shoppers within every GAP Inc. facility. Business Information The business aspect of GAP Inc. is focused on three major stages: creation, integration and impact. Creation is when they first act or develop an innovative approach to creating social or environmental change. Once they demonstrate that the efforts bring benefits both to the people and communities they serve, as well as to their business, they move on to integration. Integration leads them away from a model in which sustainability is a separate function and toward one in which a much broader group of actors drives change. The result of this strategy is impact on a bigger scale and in a way, that is sustainable for the long term. A prime example of how business integration can help the company move forward involves their efforts to improve working conditions for the people who make their clothes. They have been expanding these efforts for more than two decades and have played a leading role in multi-stakeholder innovations such as the Better Work program, a collaborative approach to monitoring factories. While they have made significant progress through the work of our sustainability team, they recognize that to create lasting, widespread change, their sourcing team and brands also need to play active roles. These teams are finding new ways to collaborate every day, including the setting of shared sustainability goals. They are also taking an integrated approach to measuring the performance of our suppliers across all dimensions that are important to them, from working conditions to environmental performance. The technology is integrated through the use of machinery that stitches together the fabrics to make a certain piece of cloth. Nowadays its more computerized than before so when a layer of fabric is done the other departments can see the status of the job as they can have an expected ETA of when the clothing would be boxed, packaged and ready to go. They see the retail brick n mortar as costly, and Gap sees it actually as a way to connect the two areas of physical and non-physical stores. Reserving in store for quicker pick up is helpful, but it also drives foot traffic. Having the reverse ability to limit in-store products drives people online. Having it done through one seamless inventory makes sense. GAP must have a global assortment. So far, Old Navy, the outlets and GAP are all global ass ortment, and Banana Republic is mostly a global assortment with some changes. The assortment then goes to universal fit, so Old Navy is a universal fit, outlets are a universal fit. The retailer can now ship a unit from a store to satisfy an online customer and that process will become seamless. The Information System and Competition GAP Inc. is one of the many businesses in the retail market, which include a number of competitors such as Aeropostale, Macys, J.C Penney and many more. All of the aforementioned stores sells clothing, shoes and many different products. They all compete to sell the best quality of designer outfits all priced differently. As businesses continue to compete for a larger customer base and target groups, branding and pricing are two major factors for its growth. The advantages are providing better customer service, providing longer training periods for new employees and providing incentive programs. A well-known company as GAP faces little threat to new retail businesses just entering the market. These businesses will initially have a hard time competing with Gaps larger customer base, global presence, their ability to sell their apparel at a lower cost, their multimedia advertising, and their large-scale production market, which are parts of the Supply Chain Management. Competing on a Global Scale GAP Inc. is one of the leading international retail companies with five different brands in the United States of America, France, Canada, United Kingdom and so forth. Their supply chain franchise spans across 40 countries, in Asia, Australia, South America and Africa. Its employees play a huge role in sourcing, making, and delivering these many products. It also combines stores, outlets and multiple franchises. This allows it to compete with many retailers on a global scale. With its international presence on six continents. GAP Inc. has a huge advantage in attracting customers and making its large presence around the world known. Over the years, GAP Inc. through its many stores has provided its customers with an e commerce online market to buy products. Competing on Quality and Design GAP Inc. has a large customer base and has to create up-to-date trends for its customers. To reiterate, GAP Inc. is franchised in many places around the world. It provides high quality designs at reasonable prices. It has managed to add an abundance of stores to differentiate its brand from other retailers: Intermix and Banana Republic are just a few. They have also expanded their markets to attract teens, while keeping their existing customers. For example, Old Navy has added a baby department. Competing on Business Processes GAP works to reorganize and redesign its organizational structure of its business to help expand its company and increase its customer base. Big data plays a huge role in this goal. Companies such as GAP collect huge amounts of information to see what customers want and need. With this, large data is analyzed based on consumer trends on a day-to-day basis. This allows them to change their market strategy and increase productivity in order to deliver more value to its large customer base. Also, GAP keeps track of what its competitors are doing to see how it can improve service. Furthermore, GAP is focused on providing quality products to the market by changing its planning and allocation processes, its operation, and its process design. GAP continues to improve its global growth, customer relationships and speed. The company is using the Business Process Redesign (BPR) to exploit technologies to reconstruct its organization, two of these technologies are Omni-channel technology and e- commerce. Porters Five Competitive Forces When addressing how GAP competes with other businesses, it is essential to refer to Porters five competitive forces. The following shows an analysis of Porters five competitive forces based on GAP Inc. and highlights the view of a competitive retail industry. When looking at GAPs competitive analysis differentiation, operational effectiveness, innovation and customer orientation strategy is essential to GAPs goals and approach to compete with other businesses. The threat of entry of new competitors The threat of entry of new competitors is low. There is an abundance of retail stores worldwide who compete with GAP on a daily basis. These stores often sell substitute apparel to GAP and at a lower cost. However, advertising and the promotion of a brand name are risky for new competitors and gives GAP an advantage when new competitors are trying to enter. New customers will find it hard to compete with GAPs large customer base located in over 3,700 countries worldwide, including the United States and England. The bargaining power of suppliers The bargaining power of suppliers is low. GAP purchase its products from factories in almost 40 countries, including Asia and South America. The fact GAP does not dependent on a single supply makes it easier for them to bargain with its franchises. It is equally important for suppliers to kept businesses with GAP because of its high demand of orders. The bargaining power of customers (buyers) The bargaining power of customers is high. GAP provides to a huge customer base in countries, such as Canada, Japan, North America and the United Kingdom. With the large retail market customers have the ability to choose from an abundance of retail stores worldwide, including HM, American Eagle and Aeropostale. However, some customers look at brand image and choose to buy at a particular store. This gives GAP an advantage because of advertisement and its many locations. The threat of substitute products and services The threat of substitute products and services is high. Gaps multiple brands have become some of the most recognizable labels within the apparel industry. Many retail stores sell the same apparel as GAP, including clothing, accessories and shoes. GAP Inc. is able to compete with other companies because it is large and has the ability to sell products at a low cost. However, because GAPs brand name it makes it easier for them to perform with companies who sells the same products. The rivalry among existing firms in the industry The rivalry among existing firms in the industry is high. As it relates to this competitive force GAPs main competitors include business such as JCPenney, Aeropostale and American Eagle Outfitters. However, despites GAPs presence in the apparel market, it holds just about 5% in market share, when compared with Macys and Wal-Mart who holds 9% and 7% respectively. GAP competes with companies on a national and international scale. Over the years, GAP has been able to expand its market to reach a larger customer base, for example, adding its e-commerce market. Also, it has been able to sell its products at a lower cost to compete with other businesses. It was found that, GAP does not have a large market share, however, GAP has the ability to maintain its competitive status. In addition, GAP is using Porters five competitive forces to strategically compete with other businesses. Statistics also shows that GAP has been decreasing with sales, in 2016 it showed that there was a decrease in sales growth of -3.88%. Also, GAP has been able to keep its a large customer base. With GAPs geographic presence and the help of its e-commerce market, the company has been able to expand over the years. GAP offer customers the opportunity to shop online from anywhere in the world. Customers are able to return products bought online directly to the store. GAP e-commerce presence allows for its continued growth, increase customer base and increase productivity. Furthermore, GAP has been able to compete with new and existing businesses. Since GAP is not the only company who sells apparel, they are often challenged to fluctuate prices, and maintain a quality brand name. Using Omni-channel technology has also helped GAP significantly. This has allowed the corporation to connect its branches with a single supply chain management system to improve efficiency. There are many recommendations unheard of by the public or consumer side of the market by GAP. Inc. Ways to make a such highly praised company such as GAP increase profit and gain more loyal customers who see more than just a brand name. Innovations that can create an unstoppable marketing and ecommerce business to bring them all the way to the top. All the competitors of GAP are thinking of new ways to beat out the company by making their market on top of the rest. Which is why clothing retail being such a hotspot due to the constant demand for clothing. A new business based Omni-channel where they adding such devices and application to technology such as smart TVs, Smartwatches and even a new device that allows to you order distinctly from their retailers such as Banana Republic, Athleta, Old Navy, and Intermix would be nothing but genius. This device would also include for those who shop at these of branches coupons, giveaways, discounts etc. The device would be free but would require you to be a valued customer with a GAP account for a certain number of months, years etc. This is a new idea seeing that not many retailers within the clothing company own their own device to do such a thing. It is a concept in the making and just an idea but an innovating idea at that. New innovative ideas can help GAP tremendously. GAP has the ability to sell new products that is not offered by other and improve its original brand. I recommend that GAP provides its on customer on a high level of professional development by offering their customers extreme value, for instance, keeping up with the latest trends. In addition, the organization should provide customers with high quality product in order to distinguish itself from its competitors. GAP has begun productivity improvement whereby they will a number of their locations worldwide and expand its brand to North America. Also, GAP must be focused on its customer base. This means that it should us collected data to see what customers are buying on daily basis. GAP is using a cloud based optimization system to focus on its inventory. This will allow GAP to strategical positon its many businesses. GAP certainly has the ability to improve the business operations. The company can improve their e-commerce market by integrating their e-commerce platform and physical store. Overall, the GAP must improve productivity along with its profit margin. GAP Inc. Logo  GAP Inc. Market Share   GAP Inc. Many Locations Worldwide  Ã‚  Omni-channel Logistics References Ahmed, R. R. (2014). Case Study Report: GAP Inc. Supply Chain Managment. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from   Ã‚  Ã‚  http://www.academia.edu/7583705/Case_Study_Report_GAP_Inc._-  Supply_Chain_Managment Corporate Compliance. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/investors/corporate_compliance.ht  ml Customer Bill of Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/aboutus/customer_rights.html Gap Inc Careers. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2017, from https://jobs.gapinc.com/global-supply Gap Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.marketwatch.com/investing/stock/gps/financials Gap Inc. (2017, March 15). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gap_Inc. Gap Inc. Porters Five Forces Analysis: A Highly Competitive Industry with Immense   Buyer Bargaining Power. (2016, October 23). Retrieved March 7, 2017, from   http://research-methodology.net/gap-inc-porters-five-forces-analysis-a-highly-  competitive-industry-with-immense-buyer-bargaining-power/ Osmanay, A. (n.d.). Gap Inc.: Marketing Strategy Analysis of the Company. Retrieved   Ã‚  February 21, 2017, from   Ã‚  http://www.academia.edu/19985431/Gap_Inc._Marketing_Strategy_Analysis_of_  Ã‚  the_Company Our Sustainability Strategy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2017, from http://www.gapincsustainability.com/strategy/our-sustainability-strategy Shop By Department. (n.d.). Retrieved March 8, 2017, from http://www.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=80004 The worlds favorite for American style. (n.d.). Retrieved February 10, 2017, from http://www.gapinc.com/content/gapinc/html/aboutus.html Wailgum, T. (2007, March 19). Supply Chain Management Definition and Solutions.   Retrieved February 21, 2017, from http://www.cio.com/article/2439493/supply-  chain-management/supply-chain-management-definition-and-solutions.html !company_name! | Company Profile from Hoovers. (n.d.). Retrieved March 5, 2017, from   http://www.hoovers.com/company-  information/cs/companyprofile.the_gap_inc.5b8839480138c8d6.html

Environmental And Family Factors Social Work Essay

Environmental And Family Factors Social Work Essay It is important to note that pseudonyms have been used throughout the case study in order to protect confidentiality, in adherence with the NMC (2008) Code: Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics for Nurses and Midwives. Health visiting practice involves the planning of activities aimed at improving the physical, mental, emotional and social health and wellbeing of the population, preventing disease and reducing inequalities in health (DoH, 2006). Children who come from families with multiple risk factors and are even more likely to be disadvantaged in terms of poor health and social outcomes such as developmental delay, behaviour problems, safeguarding concerns, mental illness, substance misuse, teenage parenting, low educational attainment and offending behaviour (WAG, 2012). The role of the Health Visitor is to identify children and families that are at high risk and or have low protective factors and to ensure that they have a personalised service to meet their needs. The services required may range from one off interventions to long term intensive support. The Health Visitor will ensure that adequate supportive resources are allocated to the family and will engage and work with key partners/agen cies to meet the wider health needs of the children and families (WAG, 2012). This case study will explore the needs of a family within the student health visitors practice case load. Lisa, a 24 year old mother of three, was living in a third floor flat without a working lift. Her partner Chris was working fulltime so she was left to alone look after a baby and three year old twins. This meant Lisa was effectively trapped in the flat as she felt unable to safely move all the children downstairs to get out. This came to the attention of the health visitor who was concerned that Lisa was 7 weeks postnatal and had not been attending well baby clinic with the baby as planned. Consequently a follow up home visit was arranged to compete the babys 8-week check and it was an opportunity for Lisa to complete the Edinburgh Postnatal Scale (EPDS) as per local trust policy. During the follow up visit Lisa disclosed to the student and Practice Teacher that she had been feeling low and was finding it difficult to get motivated. Lisa was aware that not leaving the flat durin g the week when Chris was at work was having a negative effect on her own wellbeing and her childrens development. She stated that her relationship with Chris had become increasingly strained; he was working long hours at a local factory in order to provide for his family, which resulted in the couple spending very little time together. Lisa also disclosed that they had not planned to have any more children after having the twins due to financial difficulties, but Lisa had become pregnant while taking the contraceptive pill. Lisa mentioned that on occasions, when Chris comes home in the evening, the twins would still be in their pyjamas and he was becoming increasingly frustrated with the situation; however, he was aware that Lisa was enduring a significant lack of sleep during the night due to the baby waking for feeds and understood she was exhausted in the day needing to meet the needs of two active three year old girls. Lisa stated she felt isolated and trapped by the situation but felt helpless and unable to improve how she was feeling due to the factors which were out of her control. The lack of social housing and the high cost of private rental properties meant that the family were unable to move. Lisa and Chris both had difficult relationships with their families and had limited social support. Lisas EPDS result was 18 which was of concern, however, research suggests that this screening process may not be leading to effective identification of PND, with studies finding that more than half the cases of PND are unrecognised by health visitors and GPs (Kulsar, 2011; Seeley et al, 1996). This family was chosen for discussion because a significant body of evidence has emerged including the recent reviews by Tickell (2011), Field (2010) and Marmot (2010) indicate that the initial first years of a childs life have a major impact on their overall health potential, and future happiness and wellbeing. The Millennium Cohort findings also suggest that during the early years of a childs life, maternal depression can have a significant effect on healthy attachment and bonding which can have profound effects later in life. Experiencing mental health problems is extremely difficult at any time, however, there are considerably greater implications when experienced during pregnancy and the postnatal period, possibly leading to serious consequences for the mother, her infant and family members (NICE, 2007). PND is defined by Robertson (2010) as a non-psychotic depressive condition that can often affect women in the first six months following childbirth. Conversely, Gibson et al. (2009) define PND as a mental and emotional disorder, which can often occur in women up to one year after child birth. Robertson (2010) identifies that the symptoms of PND do not differ from symptoms of mild to moderate depression experienced at other times except for the likelihood that the baby will often be the focus of the womens worries, thoughts and feelings, which develop into a deep longer term depression. The Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Death (2008) reported PND as the leading cause of maternal death in the UK. Th e enquiry reported 29 maternal deaths were as a result of suicide during pregnancy or within the first six months postnatal. WHO (2010) predicts that depression will be a leading primary cause of disability due to ill health by the year 2020. Mental health is a central public health issue that should be a priority and PND is a significant contributor to this public health issue, with a number of studies showing women are of increased risk of developing depression following childbirth than at any other time in their lives (Almond, 2009). There is a plethora of literature relating the prevalence of PND. The Department of Health (2011) and Royal College of Psychiatrists (2011) report that 1 in 10 mothers in the United Kingdom experience PND, which is the statistic frequently quoted. However, Almond (2009) argues that the true incidence is much higher, estimating that as many as 1 in 5 women suffer PND. Most episodes of PND resolve spontaneously within three to six months but evidence indicates 1 in 4 affected mothers continue to suffer for more than a year after childbirth (BMJ, 2010). Evidence from a recent study by Kulcsar (2011) reveals that 70,000 mothers in the UK suffer from PND each year and half of these mothers and their families suffer in silence each year. The sooner a mother with PND gets help, the less damaging it will be for her and her family, but early treatment depends on being able to recognise the condition. In the majority of cases the health visitor will be the first and only contact with individual or family experiencing difficulties in their mental health (CPHVA, 2009; Millar and Walsh, 2000). Therefore the health visitors role is pivotal in the detection of PNDthrough the screening procedures and during the subsequent referral process. It is essential therefore that the health visitor has the skills necessary for the detection of mental health problems and is able to deliver interventions that promote a clients mental health; early identification and support for families is a key intervention highlighted by WAG (2012). The health visitors role is to assess for depression using national recommendations (NICE, 2007). Identifying needs and recognising the appropriate level of need can be achieved through several approaches. Maslow (1954) introduced the concept of a hierarchy of needs. This hierarchy is often presented as a pyramid. The bottom level of the pyramid forms the most basic needs, while the more complex needs are located at the top of the pyramid. Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic physical requirements including the need for food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once the lower-level of need have been met, people can move on to the next level of needs, which are for safety and security. As people progress up the pyramid, needs become increasingly psychological and social. Soon, the need for love, friendship, and intimacy become important. Further up the pyramid, the need for personal esteem and feelings of accomplishment take priority. Like Carl Rogers, Maslow emphasized the importance of self-actualization, which is a process of growing and developing as a person in order to achieve individual potential. This assignment will now explore the framework utilised for the assessment of the familys needs. In cases where there is a perceived need The Welsh Assembly Government (2006) advocates the use of a holistic needs assessment to be carried out by the health visitor. The framework adapted and implemented by the local trust (Local Trust, 2008) is based on the Common Assessment Framework (CAF) (Department of Health, 2000) which offers an effective tool for early identification of additional needs. The CAF provides the health visitor with a consistent approach to the systematic collection and recoding of information that focuses on the childs needs and strengths, taking account the role of parents, carers and the impact of wider environmental factors on parental capabilities, in order to gain a holistic view of a familys situation. However, this would not be possible without effectively engaging the family within the process, this requires being open and honest with parents and appreciatin g that they may be fearful that they are being viewed as failing (Aldgate and Bradley, 1999). The structure of the assessment framework provides a basis for implementing support and appropriate intervention and a mechanism for the health visitor to make judgements on how best to support the family such as making appropriate referrals and sharing information within agencies in order to raise awareness within the multi-disciplinary team of the factors which are impacting on the familys health and well-being. The health visitor has a lead role in co-ordinating agencies in order to ensure that the family is not overwhelmed with contacts unnecessarily. The health visitors role also involves anticipating and reacting to needs as they present plus maintaining up-to-date, accurate documentation that includes a record of the involvement of other services.. In this way, provision of appropriate services are determined and made available as the need arises (DoH, 2004). Appleton and Cowely (2008) states the assessment of a familys health need is a vital element of health visiting practice and requires the health visitor to utilise many skill, knowledge and judgements to make a pivotal assessment in assessing need, safeguarding children and in determining levels of health intervention to be offered to children and their families. For the purpose of the case study the domains of the framework will be discussed individually concentrating on the childs developmental needs, parenting capacity and family and environmental factors. The Assessment Framework (DoH, 2000) assisted the student health visitor to contemplate the wider determinates of health such as the social, economic and environmental conditions which have an impact on health (Dahlgren and Wightehead, 1991). In relation to this case study the rationale for a follow up home visit was that Lisa had not been attending well-baby clinic with Amy as planned. The student health visitor had not previously met Lisa thus the home visit provided a valuable opportunity for her to form a relationship with Lisa in the security of her own home and facilitated the initial assessment (Streeting, 2010). Environmental and family factors The home visit was a valuable opportunity for the student health visitor to begin to make an assessment of the home environment in order to ascertain if it is a safe, appropriate environment for a child to live in. Lisa and Chriss flat appeared to be a relatively hygienic environment with necessities such as water/heating/sanitation facilities and cooking amenities; sleeping arrangements were suitable. The family were experiencing financial difficulties. Although Chris was employed the household income was low. Lisa was unemployed having previously worked in retail prior to having children, but due to lack of childcare the couple had made the decision that she would stay at home to look after the children. The effects of hardship can increase the likelihood of behavioural problems that can affect a childs ability to learn, which in turn affects educational and economic outcomes and these adverse behaviours can have long-term detrimental effects on the dynamics of low-income families (Duncan, Claussens, and Engel, 2004). Lisa and Chris live in an area with adequate amenities such as a local General Practitioners Surgery and pharmacy, with good transport system to the nearby towns. However, Lisa and the children had become isolated in their home due to Lisas current mental health issues and lack of support. Housing was a factor that was adding to the difficulties Lisa was experiencing, specifically the issue relating to leaving the flat and having no operational lift. Shelter (2012) recommend that housing and childrens services work together to collect information that identifies the impact of bad housing on outcomes. Completing a CAF will assists the health visitor to identify causes for concern and liaise with local the housing department where appropriate. In full consultation with Lisa, a letter was provide to the local housing authority highlighting concerns the family had. Joint Working Shelter believes that a stable home and immediate environment are fundamental to the wellbeing of children. Research by Shelter (2006) shows that outcomes are seriously undermined if there is failure to recognise problems and put a childs need for a stable and decent home at the heart of any practice. Lisa and Chris were awaiting a move to a house and at the point of writing this case study they we re still situated in the flat, however, the lift had been repaired but continued to be out of use on several occasions. As Lisas mental health was a cause for concern an assessment was undertaken by using the 10 question Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), (See Appendix 2). It is acknowledged as a valuable and effective way of identifying mothers experiencing depression (Cox et al, 1987). The EPDS is a tool that is simple but effective screening tool. Mothers who score above 13 are likely to be suffering from depressive symptoms. The EPDS score should not override clinical judgment. Lisa scored 18 out of 30 and it was agreed that she would make an appointment with her GP for further assessment, to confirm the diagnosis and discuss treatment options. Listening visits were then offered; this is a form of treatment provided by the health visiting service. A study by Turner et al (2010) indicated all 22 women who were interviewed after receiving this service reported the visits as beneficial, although many of them had also required additional intervention to manage their symptoms. For women with mild to moderate mental health problems, active listening provides opportunities for women to describe their experiences and tell their stories, and represent a useful way of establishing good rapport (Kulsar, 2011). A fundamental strategy in the promotion of maternal mental health is the use of effective skills to form a therapeutic relationship. Health visiting is recognised as being a relationship-based activity (Cowley, 1995 and Kendall, 1993). It is essential therefore that the health visitor has the skills necessary for the detection of mental health problems and is able to deliver interventions that promote a clients mental health through fostering good, open communication. Research by Saunders (2001) into assessing a familys needs and vulnerability has demonstrated that a client-centred, open approach promotes a trusting relationship that is empowering. Developmental needs The Assessment Framework DoH (2000) recognises that consideration should also be given to any social or environment disadvantages that can have an impact on the childs development. Amy was now seven weeks old and from holistic observation and assessment of her growth measurements she was at the normal stage of health and development for her age. Lisa was due to attend her 8 week postnatal visit with her GP the following week. The World Health Organisation (2008) reports that maternal mental health is inextricably linked with both physical and psychological development of children. Tackling the maternal mental health needs is likely to benefit these important outcomes. Field (2010) supports this, stating that maternal physical and mental health is a key driver of life chances throughout childhood which can have a major impact on inequalities in health and wellbeing as an adult. When PND is untreated it is associated with many adverse effects on the infant and can impact on child devel opment with potentially severe consequences in behavioural and physical development (Smith, 2011; Meredith and Noller, 2003). Bowlby (1988) identified the importance of attachment between mother and infant, highlighting the infants need for a responsive parental figure that is both physically and emotionally available. More recent evidence indicates that a depressed mother may not be able to provide the attention and stimulus an infant requires in the early stages required for emotional and cognitive development. The consequences initially can be behavioural problems, issues with eating and sleeping, plus delay in speech development which can lead to problems socialising (Smith, 2011). Lack of maternal bonding and responsiveness in situations where mothers experience long-term depression can significantly affect a childs self-esteem and increase their own chances of developing depression later in life, reducing their quality of health and wellbeing (Murray et al., 2011). The Acheson report (1998) reinforces this by saying the best way to reduce inequalities in a childs mental and physical health is to focus on the interventions offered to parents. The evidence also indicates PND may lead to relationship breakdown which can have a destructive effect on the family and society as a whole (Field, 2010). Parenting Capacity Providing for the childs physical and emotional needs involves ensuring appropriate provision of food, drink, warmth, shelter, clean and appropriate clothing and adequate personal hygiene in a secure safe, stimulating environment; parents should also be able to communicate positively verbally and non-verbal (body language), which is fundamental to a childs health and development (Cowie, 2012; DoH, 2000). Cowie (2012) states that how and to what extent a parent interacts and the extent of infant attachment can be influenced by any difficulties the parent is experiencing. In this particular case the assessment of Lisas low mood could affect her ability to parent to full capacity in offering the components necessary for positive parent/infant bonding and attachment to occur, which is vital to the development of a child (Department of Health, 2004). Lisas emotional health was a cause for concern. The Department of Health (2000) reinforce this suggesting that a parents emotional health has an impact on parenting and the nature and quality of early attachments, which in turn can affect the characteristics of the childs temperament, adaptation to change, response to stress and degree of appropriate self-control. Therefore, by utilising the Assessment Framework, the needs and problems presented by the family were identified (DOH, 2000). Early recognition of parental issues is important to establish supportive, child-focused interventions; the needs of the child must always be paramount (Local trust, 2008). The assessment the National Service Framework, WAG (2006) recognises that appropriate interventions and referrals should be made to other agencies if needs or problems are identified. The DOH (2010) puts forward the notion that working with such a complex situation requires an appropriate level of knowledge, understanding, skills and abilities. The CPHVA (2009) would agree as they suggest that assessing the risks for children relies on the skills, knowledge and abilities of the health visitor, therefore it is essential that all relevant information is shared between professionals. Consequently, Lisa was informed that, due to me being a student, my practice teacher (her health visitor) would need to be informed of all information disclosed. It was explained to Lisa that this was to ensure that the family gained the correct level of support. An important role of the health visitor is sign posting and involving other agencies, including those within the voluntary sector that can for some families provide the most valuable intervention. Supporting parents is central to the current governments approach to improving childrens lives, which was highlighted in the strategy paper Every Child Matters (DoH, 2003). It has been acknowledged for some time that family support services should be offered where needs have been assessed, and where there is a probability of increasing positive outcomes for children and families (McAuley et al, 2004). A timely referral was made, with Lisas full informed consent, to Home-Start which is a voluntary organisation situated locally but also operating on a national level and is one of the leading family support charities within the UK. The service is based on carefully selected and appropriately trained volunteers offering regular confidential and non-judgemental support and friendship. Practical help is given to young families under stress in their own homes thus preventing family crisis or breakdown. Home visiting volunteers are available to call weekly, and support can continue for as long as the family needs it or until the youngest child turns five. The objectives of Home-Start are to safeguard, protect and preserve good health, both mental and physical, of children and parents. Not having a good support network and having a partner that works long hours increased Lisas feelings of isolation and loneliness which contributed to the development of PND. Following referral, Lisa and her matched volunteer got on well together and the volunteer helped her get motivated to leave her flat and get out for short walks initially. Lisa was able to use some of her volunteers home-visiting time getting little jobs done, such as hanging the washing out. Lisas Home-Start volunteer offered her vital links into the community, helping her access a mother and baby group, which provided a further opportunity for Lisa to build a support network that would help her to increase her confidence and parenting skills. McAuley et al (2004) state that mothers receiving the support of a Home-Start volunteer when they were experiencing high levels of stress reported that they valued the service and considered that it had a positive effect on their lives and relationships with their children and partners. Conversely, research carried out by Health Visitors in Formby made suggestions that more intensive short-term support service (maybe twice week for parents who may have PND or multiple births) would enhance the outcomes. However, in Lisas situation, the weekly listening visits provided by the health visitor provided an increased level of intervention, which proved successful. In accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008), accurate documentation and record keeping is vital and therefore clear, concise and factual documentation was provided in the Child Health records, recording all home visits made to the family home and telephone conversations. Hoban (2005) clearly illustrates the importance of accurate and effective record-keeping as he suggests that it is fundamental to high quality care. Lynch (2009) comments that accurate record-keeping also enables effective communication with other professionals involved in patients care. Additionally, the CPHVA (2009) clearly illustrate that the health visitor has a responsibility to consult with colleagues, other agencies if they have concerns for safeguarding and protecting childrens welfare and to make a referral to Childrens Services when the threshold regarding the risk of harm is reached. The effectiveness of utilising the Assessment framework and intervention strategies can be evaluated by reflecting on practice. For example the Gibbs (1988) model of reflection will be used, as this model is clear and precise allowing for description, analysis and evaluation of the experience helping the reflective practitioner to make sense of experiences and examine their practice and provide an action plan for future care (Paget, 2001). As within this case study partnership working was the key to draw upon the essential knowledge, skills and experience of healthcare professionals to improve the health inequalities that were affecting the familys health. In conclusion there is a powerful body of evidence to show that what a child experiences during the early years lays down a foundation for the whole of their life. A childs physical, social, and cognitive development (The Marmot Review, 2010)

A Brief Discussion of Genetic Diseases Essay -- Biology Genetic Disease

Since the discovery in 1928 via the Griffith experiment (an experiment dealing with bacterial transformation) that DNA carried genetic information, many important discoveries have been made regarding the human genome and its extent in the determination of phenotypic traits. Not least of these is the discovery and study of genetic disorders, or diseases caused by abnormalities within the genes. Disorders of this nature can be caused by a variety of factors. Some diseases such as Huntington's disease must be inherited, while others, such as some cancers, can be the result of environmental factors slowly mutating the genome over time. Still others can result from random errors in normal DNA replication. Typically, genetic disorders tend to be rare due to the ability of DNA to repair itself and also because of the tendency for damaged cells to undergo programmed cell death to preserve the overall health of the organism. However, when genetic disorders do appear, they represent a considerable problem for the afflicted, because although some are treatable and possibly manageable, very few, if any, are ever curable. DNA of a living individual cannot be altered by any existing technology. Nevertheless, research is continually improving our ability to treat these diseases, particularly with diseases such as cancer, trisomy, and Huntington's disease. Of particular interest in modern medicine is the study of the various forms of cancer and the genes involved in causing it. Cancer is a disease in which cells of the body mutate to the point where they lose the ability to regulate their division and DNA replication, causing uncontrollable growth to the extent of interfering with the function of normal, healthy cells... ...gton's Research. 26 August 2007. 1 December 2010 . National Cancer Institute. Common Cancer Types. 15 July 2010. 1 December 2010 . Reiness, Gary. Cancer Part II-Mutations and Cancer. 13 April 2000. 30 November 2010 . Starr, Barry. DNA Mutations Cause Cancer. 8 February 2008. 30 November 2010 . Woollams, Chris. Using Viruses To Treat Cancer. 2010. 1 December 2010 link.aspx?n=1106&Title=Using%20Viruses%20To%20Treat%20Cancer>. WordIQ.com. Experimental Cancer Treatment - Definition. 2010. 1 December 2010 .

Terrorism and the Survival of the Species Essay -- September 11 Terror

Terrorism and the Survival of the Species Terrorism is simply a violent form of political communication. The message of September 11, 2001 ran as follows: America, it is time you learned how implacably you are hated. The airplanes used were the terrorist's version of Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles aimed at Americas' innocence. That innocence, the terrorists loudly declared, was a luxurious and anachronistic delusion. A year after the attack, one is free to taste the bile of its atrocious ingenuity. It is already trite - but stringently necessary - to emphasize that such a mise en scène would have embarrassed a studio executive's storyboard or a thriller-writer's notebook ("What happened today was not credible," were the words of Tom Clancy, the author of The Sum of All Fears). And yet in broad daylight and full consciousness that outline became established reality: ten dollars worth of box-cutters produced ten million tons of rubble. Several lines of US policy were bankrupted by the events of September 11, 2001 among them national missile defence. Someone realised that the skies of America were already teeming with missiles, each of them primed and cocked. If the architect of this destruction was Os... ... from above will replenish the source of all terror from below: unhealed wounds. This is the familiar cycle so well caught by the matter, and the title, of VS Naipaul's story, Tell Me Who to Kill. Our best destiny, as planetary cohabitants, is the development of what has been called "species consciousness" - something over and above nationalisms, blocs, religions, ethnicities. During this time of incredulous misery, I have been trying to apply such a consciousness, and such a sensibility. Thinking of the victims, the perpetrators, and the near future, I felt species grief, then species shame, then species fear.

An Essay Plan on the History of High Heels Essay

The aim in this essay plan is to identify classes and gender of high heel shoes. It also aims to construct in cultural terms why high heels has developed and remained a paramount accessory, its reasons why high heels shoes were made, and its representation in both gender. I also intend to frame how man perceives high heels that were worn by woman from the 17th century. Finally, I would present the evolution of high heels as it changes from time to time. Introduction During the late sixteenth century, in Western Europe the appearance of footwear has been established by June Swann’s meticulous research. However, a crucial question surfaced after several improvements were added to the high-heeled shoes. Why do high heels emerge as an item of fashion at that time? I shall also give the complex range of culture from which high heels derived. The discussion on the general impact that high heels have in identity, class and gender shall be explained. The high heels had become a symbol of wealth, style and status worn by men, women and children, of the upper classes. Europeans became interested in these cultures for a range political, social and commercial reason. I shall be using â€Å"Shoes†, a book written by Giorgio Riello and Peter McNeil. In 1533, it was the wedding of Italian born Catherine de Medici with the Duke of Orleans in France that brought high heels in popularity for women. Ladies can thank this forward fashion royal who insisted on having heels made for her in Florence prior to the wedding. The 14-year-old challenged bride set the rage in Paris for the new â€Å"It† shoe. Development The high heel emerged as an exclusively feminine form of footwear by the early eighteenth century and this shift show changes in notions of gender. In the aristocratic society, high heels became objects of scorn when reduced to only a few millimeters as the upper class conformed to a more controlled esthetic favored by the middle class. The reemergence of high heels during the middle century challenged the respectable women on many levels in respect to their confinement. Why does man wear high heels in the past? Since the late 1700s, men’s shoes have had primarily low heels although high heels originated in France as male footwear around 1500. A notable exception is cowboy boots, which continue to sport a taller riding heel. The two-inch Cuban heel features in many styles of men’s boot, but was popularized by Beatle boots, famously worn by the English rock group, The Beatles, which saw the reintroduction of heels for men. In the 1970s, there was also a brief rising in higher-heeled shoes for men. It provides a tantalizing evidence of the private aspects female body in public. Heels are a staple in the chic urban woman’s wardrobe, but this was not always the case. In 1500, it was men, descendants of European nobility, who began to wear heeled shoes in order to keep their feet in stirrups when horseback riding. Although there are some references to heels in history prior to this, this is when it become popularized for men of the courts and the term â€Å"well heeled† came about to suggest being wealthy or able to afford the costly shoes. What does red high heels shoes represents in the 17th century. Since Louis XIV was rather short, he wore heels and soles, which were raised with cork, and were covered with red leather. Until the French Revolution, these red heels and red edged shoes remained a privilege for the French nobility. Madame de Pompadour, Louis XIV’s fashion-loving, trend-setting mistress, fell in love with red a half-century after the Louis who wore the red heels. She moved red from Versailles velvets to simpler cotton and chintz. In her various chateaus, she covered sofas and beds with red-colored stripes and prints. Quote: â€Å"†¦man’s red high heels, while already an established fashion, became a regulated expression of political privilege. † (Riello and Peter McNei 2006). This quote establishes a type of perception heels are giving men wearing them. It means that men in red high heels are being looked up in the society as someone regulated by a political privilege as it usually being wore by men in court and nobility, taking for example King Louis XIV who was the one who established wearing red high heels in court. High heel shoes are believed to have transformative powers to make the women who wear them into the women they seek to be. With a full closet of possibilities, a woman’s fantasies can be worn at will, or kept in reserve for possible future times of need. High heel shoes represent hope. â€Å"†¦The high heel’s popularity among women was related to its ability to present the fiction of a diminutive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Riello and Peter McNei 2006). This quote is about how these high heels worn by women has affected its semblance in the society. Women maybe of a low class but wearing a high heels has no longer become a necessity but rather a symbol in society depending on how the wearer wants to be perceived. Here I will discuss how women use fashion to influence men through the exploitation of men’s sexual desire. â€Å"†¦ Like false ambition in men, from a love of power. † (Wilson 2005). In this quote, it tries to express that women in heels provokes men sexually and physically. The wearing of high heels treats men’s sexual desire, as women are treated sex symbols in society especially by those who provocatively use high heels as a seduction. The representation of high heels has become increasingly eroticized because the higher the heel the greater the show’s association with sexuality. Fashion photography has linked pornography and high heels as part of an erotic imagery. It also has the capacity to signify values it even shaped and constructed the female status, desirability and self-representation. It does establish only femininity but also sexual allure. The â€Å"flapper† who suggested sexual availability by wearing highs, shockingly short skirts, and make up such as rouge and lipstick, which until the 1920s had been signifiers of prostitution†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (Riello and Peter McNei 2006). In the post-modern context of the 1980s, the feminist rejection of fashion started to lose much of its grassroots support. The idea that fashion, specifically sexy shoes, were not simply oppressive but offered pleasure to women became more widely accepted (Gamman 1993). Critics argued that fashion can be an experiment with appearances that challenges cultural meaning. In the early 1980s, this change of heart about high heels perhaps was provoked by counter-cultural street fashion. Moreover, feminist debates about pleasure and female desire, which indirectly changed the way fashion was understood. Western women now claimed they were wearing high heels for themselves and that heels gave them not only height but also power and authority. From a 16th century Italian, high-platform shoe called the chopine, women’s and men’s elevated heels evolved. Practical versions of the chopine, called pattens, made it easier to walk on muddy pathways before the advent of sidewalks and curbs. Because chopines raised both the heel and the toes above the ground, walking was difficult, and so, after two centuries on stilts, the sole was lowered while the heel was left standing. Thus the high-heel was born, an evolutionary hybrid. As technology evolved, shoes also evolved depending on the current needs of women in work and society. The culture of shoes in general affects how women of today are perceived and represented. Some may have been criticized and scorned but I never stopped them from improving according the needs that women are expected to present themselves in public. While some may be conservative, others are a bit provocative and thus reflect the idea of prostitution by the wearer. In the 19th century, high-heeled shoe became the top style to own although Europe brought the new trend for high heels. America was not far behind in becoming of style because in 1888, the first heel factory in the United States opened. Making it unnecessary for women to import their shoes from Paris. Women in the early part of the 20th century favored sensible shoes but in the 1920s, legs and feet were suddenly on display and shoes needed to be as beautiful as they were practical. The women of today believed that wearing high heels makes them more women to themselves than wearing flat shoes because it enhances beauty and personality. In a cultural sense, women of today have earned their power and authority by the stature they pose in the society and these high heels has contributed to that perception. Conclusion To conclude, the cultural changes of shoes affect how the women of today were perceived by the society. Originally, high heels were created for both sexes but women are more empowered to wear high heels than the men do. The kind of impact high heels have on woman and man from the 17th century to now dwells more on the societal functions. Women in the 21st century have more shoe choices than ever before. From athletic wear to high heel, women can choose to wear what they want, even hybrid shoes such as â€Å"heeled† tennis shoes and flip-flops. What is certain is that heels have not disappeared. It continues to evolve and match with the current trends in fashion wear. Dress and shoe should always go along together to match up the affair or the function of the wearer. Some women are even going under the knife to shorten their toes or inject padding into the balls of their feet to allow their feet to fit more comfortably into a pair of stilettos. Though this is already an obsession but the women never stopped from daring into where it would get them physically. While these may be oddities of fashion, they gesture toward an exciting array of fashion choices women have today. The high heels are of different varieties that women could choose depending on their types of confidence level and their position in the society and their financial capabilities as well. Shoes are made not only for comfort but it reflects a much higher degree of sense as it involves culture and history. It presents the issue of high heels as a tool in getting into a privileged world or reflects a negative perception of sexuality. It will now depend on how the wearer shall carry oneself in public, strutting his or her favorite footwear. Works Cited Gamman, Larraine. â€Å"Self-Fashioning, Gender Display, and Sexy Girl Shoes: What’s at Stake—Female Fetishism or Narcissism? † Shari Benstock and Suzanne Ferriss, eds. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. (1993) Giorgio, R. And Peter, M. , â€Å"Shoes,†, Oxford: Berg. ( 2006) Wilson, Nigel Guy. Encyclopedia of Ancient Greece. New York, New York: Routledge. Retrieved from: http://books. google. com/books? id=-aFtPdh6-2QC. (2005)