Classical Period Essay Example for Free

Classical Period Essay Haydn’s Violin Concerto in C (Hob. VIIa/I) was composed sometime around the year 1765, during his fourth year of employment by the Eszterhazy family as assistant to kappelmeister Gregor Werner. Aged thirty-two at the time, he was just then entering into the period during which he would produce his most mature works. Like many concerti of the time – including Haydn’s Cello Concerto, which had immediately preceeded the present work – the Violin Concerto in C was composed to showcase the talents of a specific performer, in this case, Alois Tomosini, who ultimately became concertmaster of the Eszterhazy Orchestra. Like the Cello Concerto, this piece is in three movements: Allegro Moderato, followed by a slower Adagio movement in the subdominant key of F, and finishing with a brilliant, energetic Finale: Presto. Structurally, all three movements follow the sonata allegro form. This form, so common in during the Classical Period that it came to be known as â€Å"First Movement Form† begins in with a primary theme in the tonic key, followed by a secondary theme in the dominant key (or, in the case of minor tonality, the relative major). This makes up the â€Å"exposition. † During the â€Å"development† section, the composer uses thematic materials from the exposition in a series of variations and mutations. The â€Å"recapitulation† restates both initial themes in the tonic key. During the Classical Period, the second movement of any multi-movement work was invariably a slower moving piece in the subdominant key. In the work under discussion, Haydn does not depart from this formula, nor in the last Presto movement in which Classical composers always returned to the original key. It is worth noting that orchestral ensemble works, particularly those of Haydn and Mozart, contained a Minuetto movement inserted between the slower second movement and the faster fourth movement; however, in concerti, which featured a solo player, the Minuetto was never included. It is interesting to note that the Presto movement is in a triple meter, and has the feel, if not the strict form, of a Minuetto. In the performance used for this paper, this movement is played much faster than a typical Minuetto, but a dance-like atmosphere is retained. As this is a fairly early work, it should not surprise us that that Haydn relies a great deal on scale runs and patterns, particularly during transitional sections. In fact, the initial introductory material consists of nothing more than an ascending F major scale, elaborated upon by the accompaniment. This is not as apparent in later, more mature works by this composer, although scale-based material of this nature is prominent in some of Mozart’s youthful works, particularly the first movement of Symphony No. 29 in A Major. There are also several instances in all three movements in which the thematic material goes back and forth between major and parallel (rather than relative) minor tonalities. For modulations, Haydn makes frequent use of â€Å"common-tone diminished† chords, which makes it quite simple to go from one key to any other key. Nonetheless, Haydn rarely strays far from the initial key of a given movement. However, unlike many of Haydn’s later works, diminished seventh harmonic structures are not prominently featured, serving brief functional purposes only. The third, Finale Presto movement has the most interest, despite the frequent use of double stops in the first and the lyrical quality of the second. The fiery leaps and fast runs are obviously intended to display Tomosini’s virtuosity. In addition, there is some interesting rhythmic movement between 3:07 and 3:09 of this recording in which the music nearly changes into duple meter, giving a sensation of hemiola. Much of Haydn’s influences are apparent in the early music of Mozart as well as that of Joseph Bulogne, an French composer of Afro-Caribbean ancestry who commissioned Haydn’s later â€Å"Paris Symphonies. † Haydn enjoyed a long, productive life that spanned nearly the entire stylistic period that came to be known as â€Å"Classical. † At the time Haydn began his compositional career, the Baroque style typified by the works J. S. Bach, G. F. Handel had become dated. The â€Å"Classical† style of which C. P. E. Bach, son of J. S. , was a founder, was still fairly new. The use of the harpsichord continuo – despite the availability of the newly-invented pianoforte – is a noteworthy holdover from the tradition of the baroque concerti grosso. Nonetheless, in its use of scale patterns, parallel minor and the common-tone diminished modulations, this early Haydn work shows a mastery over the basic compositional elements that he would use in many future works. Work Cited Haydn, Franz Josef. Violin Concerto In C Major (Sound Recording). Orchestra Sinfonica Haydn di Bolzano e Trento. Barry Faldner, Conductor. Benjamin Schmid, soloist. (Stradivari Classics, June 1994).

Diversified in industries and electronics

Diversified in industries and electronics Introduction Initially, Samsung started out as a small export business in Korea. It then diversified in industries and electronics. The company has been responsive to change and opportunity in global business brought by the digital era with its constant innovation and attractive, marketable products.1 As a result, Samsung is now positioned as one of the world recognized leaders in the digital technology industry. The Samsung World Headquarters is located in Seoul, Korean. 1 History In 1938, founding chairman Byung-Chull Lee started a small trade export business in Taegu, Korea. In the 1970s, Samsung invested in the heavy, chemical and petrochemical industries as a foundation for future growth. Samsung also incorporated its manufacturing processes from raw materials to end products which further enhance its position in the worlds textile industry. Samsungs core technology businesses diversified and expanded globally during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Soon after, two research and development (RD) institutes were created. This boost its reach even further into electronics, semiconductors, high polymer chemicals, genetic engineering, optical telecommunications, aerospace and new fields of technology innovation from nanotechnology to advanced network architectures. In the mid-1990s, Samsung revolutionised its business aiming to make world-class products, provide total customer satisfaction and be a good corporate citizen. Samsung has constantly developed advance d technologies, competitive products and constant innovation 1. Main Technologies and Capabilities Main Capabilities Research and Development Innovation is at the heart Samsungs business success. To be competitive in the new digital age, Samsung maintains and strengthens its market dominance through the speedy introduction of new technology. The company has placed high importance to the interplay of creative, imaginative human resources, a global RD network, a strong collaboration among business partners all along the supply chain, and the commitment to ongoing investment. Currently, Samsung is making historic advances in RD of semiconductor products, especially flash memory and non-memory, custom semiconductors, DRAM and SRAM, LCDs, mobile phones, and digital appliances1 Eco Samsung Samsung has displayed its strong commitment and responsibility for the world environment. It has made efforts to develop environmentally-friendly products which consume low levels of energy and which contain no hazardous materials. The company has also modified its assembly processes to cut down carbon emissions substantially.2 Main Technologies Samsung comprises of companies that have become market leaders in a wide range of business, from electronics to financial services, from chemicals and heavy industries to trade and services. All the businesses are setting new standards in innovation, constantly generating high quality products and services.3 Owing to Samsungs large RD sector, many new technologies and innovative designs emerge. Below are a few of the newest technologies developed by Samsung. Main Markets, Products and Competitors Markets Samsung Group consists of numerous international affiliated businesses such as Samsung Electronics, Samsung Heavy Industries, and Samsung CT. These three multinational core businesses of Samsung Group signify their strong foothold in the electronics, shipbuilding and construction markets. Besides that, Samsung also plays a part in the financial, chemical, retail and entertainment markets. 1 Samsung reports a strong presence in its home country of South Korea as its market share in telecommunications is 18.87%. 1 Samsung appeals to the global market as it is the most popular consumer electronics brand since 2005 with 7.55% of global market share in telecommunications1. Products Samsung first started moving into businesses such as insurance, securities and retail. Later, upon borrowed foreign investments, Samsung ventured into the telecommunications industry with Samsung Electronics. With the support of South Korean President; Samsung developed the first dynamic random access memory chip. 1Most importantly Samsung are leading in the production of memory chips, chipmakers and liquid-crystal display panels. 1 Considered as a strong competitor in the world of electronics, Samsung highlighted innovative strategy and expanded production rapidly to become the worlds largest producers of DRAM chips, flash memory, optical storage and recently liquid crystal displays. In addition Samsung strives to improve by delivering innovative products such as the TV and monitor industrys thinnest LED TVs and most compact colour laser printers and multifunctional devices. Being a global leader in telecommunications equipment; Samsung plays the role in development of the next gene ration of 4G-network. 1 Competitors According to the Figure 1 below; Nokia is clearly the main competitor as it holds 37% of the mobile phones sales global market share. In 2009, Samsungs touch screen devices, QWERTY phones and smart phones drove sales in mature markets with 19% of the global market share7. LG poses 11% as a competitor as it moves into lower-tier devices which drive growth in emerging markets. It is also well positioned to take advantage of Chinas 3G Rollout as it can deliver good-value-for-money devices. Motorola has 11% market share which is reasonably smaller, however with its presence rapidly concentrated on the American it serves as a competition in the American market. Being in a competitive market, Sony Ericsson at 5% of the global market share attributes its poor performance to its uncompetitive range of handsets such as exploiting trends like QWERTY products. Therefore Sony Ericsson is a smaller competitor compare to Nokia and other phones such as Apple, HTC, and Blackberry. Nokia is Samsungs biggest competitor due to its early investments in GSM technologies therefore making the company into the worlds largest mobile producer manufacture. Up to date Nokia produced various innovative products such as the first 3G phones, Ovi internet services and N-series multimedia phone. Nokias revenue is reported to be 9.3 million Euros. 9 Its success is due to its high investment in the RD which is present in 16 countries, representing 31% of their total workforce. 8 Nokia phones are also seen as being highest quality as they have a highly recognizable packaging style which operates with an aggressive marketing strategy hence elevating them above their competitors. Samsungs Innovative Activities Samsungs ambition to become one of the worlds top companies is supported by continuous pursuit in innovative RD and building a distinctive brand. As stated in the Annual Report 2008, approximately 40 %( 42,100 researchers) of Samsungs global employees are involved in RD to develop cutting edge technologies1. Samsung Advanced Institute in Technology is the global hub of Samsungs RD organization which includes Mechatronics and Manufacturing Technology Centre and 14 overseas centres7. In 2008, Samsung obtained 3,515 patents in the US with an increase from 2007 placing them in second place in the annual patent ranking. To further push forward in a variety of market and customer focused brand marketing programs, Samsung successfully completed their role as the official wireless equipment partner of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and Paralympics Games. 7 In 2008, Samsungs investment of 6.9 trillion KRW which represented 9.5% of parent company sales brings in technological breakthrough such as 256GB solid-state drive, 90nm high-performance smart card chip, 82-inch 120Hz quad-HD-resolution TV panel, and a Mobile WiMax II (802.61m) solution.1 This also enables innovations like front-load washers with time, energy and wear-saving â€Å"bubble wash† technology and the industrys most compact colour laser printers. Following these success, Samsung plans to invest 7.9 trillion KRW in RD to support future development of tomorrows technology. 7 RD Structure and Priorities Table 2: Core business research areas at SAIT10 Research in Product Areas Descriptions Computer Science Drives long term differentiation of Samsung platforms(phones, TV) by combining Computer Science with Consumer Electronics Research involves building tangible artifacts like prototypes so that we can learn from the process of building them Current research: situation awareness, Intelligent Web Media and trusted platforms Situation awareness develops novel, optimal personalized services leading the next generation of personalized mobile technology Intelligent Web Media pioneers technologies such as new phenomenon in which all TV content is available on the Internet can be streamed or dowloaded directly to the TV Trusted platforms researches on strong protection of device firmware for network providers and users Wireless Connectivity Research in developing a wide range of cutting edge wireless techniques such as beam forming to initiate ubiqitous wireless connectivity with various data requirements up to multi-giga bits per second Digital Media Solution(DMS) Advanced Algorithm: engaged in research and development related to theories, algorithm, and application of image and video processing for Samsung Digital TVs Core Platform: Actively researching to provide Internet Protocol Television to provide internet and cable connectivity Future User Experience: develop user interface designs from conceptualization through prototyping to implementation Advanced Printing Solution Research in Software Architecture Technology enabling the efficient development of increasingly complex software Research areas in System Technology involves new features protoypes and etc Current and future research areas in Solution Software Technology are core research related to Web technologies and application of Web Services to printers Storage To develop quiet hard drives with highest storage capacity and lowest power consumption Organisation of RD Samsungs RD organisation run in SAIT consists of three layers: Samsungs technology competitiveness in core business areas identifies growth engines for the future and securing, and management of technology. The RD centres of each business focus on technology that is expected to deliver the long-term results. Division product development teams are responsible for marketing products due to hit markets in a short period of time. From the Figure 2, the organisation is shown to be a hybrid between centralised and decentralised RD. It is a simplified diagram of the organisation of Samsung RD involving SAIT and two of their centres in their global network of RD. Samsungs RD network consist of six centres in Korea and 18 centres in 9 different countries such as United States, United Kingdom, Russia, Israel, India, Japan and China. 11 These various RD centres and their distribution into research areas such as Dallas Telecom Laboratory that research on technologies and products for next-generation telecommunications systems. Innovation Strategy Firms Innovation Strategy Background and Strategy â€Å"By implementing this newly established RD plan, we can develop the technology that will drive Samsungs future.† -Hak-Soo Lee, vice-chairman of Samsung Electronics said.14 Samsung Electronics instituted many RD centres globally to enhance in-house product design. The first centre was established in Osaka, Japan, followed by another in Frankfurt, Germany to focus on products for the European markets.15 In the same year, Samsung Electronics established a research centre to address product planning needs in South-East Asian markets. In November 2000, Samsung Electronics targeted to transform itself into a â€Å"Digital -eCompany†, capable of leading in digital convergence. The company upgraded the development model from division-centric into portfolio-centri16. This aimed to multiple divisions and units to create integrated solutions for home networks, mobile networks, office networks and core-component business portfolios. With these initiatives, Samsung Electronics pursued four key areas: RD, design, brand marketing and corporate citizenship. Investment in Design and RD RD is an important innovation strategy at Samsung. RD and design centres developed technologies which is being used to produce products. Samsung Electronics employed more than 40000 engineers17 in its RD department, and 3,200 held PhDs. Samsung Electronics attributed its leading position in the industry to four main factors: creative people in the organization who could develop technologies; co-operation among business partners throughout the supply chain; the firms ability to explore and penetrate new markets; and the speed of innovation and product development18. Users-Centric Design Philosophy Samsung Electronics applied the design philosophy into its products and stressed that â€Å"design and creative strengths were at the heart of corporate competitiveness.†19 This reflected a concept of a balance between reason and feelings, from which Samsung Electronics developed a scale with â€Å"reason† on one end and â€Å"feeling† on the other to measure perfection of design. The products manufactured by Apple Computer Inc (â€Å"Apple†) occupied the â€Å"feeling† zone with an emphasis on simplicity of products, whereas Sony products tended toward the â€Å"reason† zone with lots of complex features.20 However, Samsung Electronics designers balanced â€Å"reason† and â€Å"feeling† by rationalizing the design of products using geometric and technological parameters and then enhancing the design such that products made an emotional connection with the user. Over 700 highly skilled designers in different design centres conducted various research projects in the fields of industrial design, graphic design, interaction design, human factors, lifestyle research; creative business-planning, visual brand strategy, materials exploration, colour theory and computer-aided design. Global Localization strategy Global Localization strategy is adopted, through which designers developed product design blueprints according to global design standards and themes, while remaining flexible enough to allow local design centres to accommodate specific market needs and cultural contexts.22 A simple example is explained by, Younghee Lee, vice-president of marketing, that beautiful design of mobile phones could be appreciated by a Parisian or Indian, but noted that the Indian user, who often lacked a reliable electricity supply, needed a longer-lasting battery than a Parisian.23 The Global Localization strategy helped Samsung Electronics establish itself as an innovative and first-class consumer electronics company. EXHIBIT 1: SAMSUNGS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY: BALANCE OF REASON AND FEELING Fast Follower To overcome the companys image as a producer of cheap products, Samsung Electronss product diversification differentiated the company from its key competitors, many of which were focused on single or smaller numbers of products. Apple, for example, specialised in portable music players and held a major share in the global market for these devices. Nokia and Motorola were best known for mobile phones, and Sony focused on consumer electronics. The market trends and technological, also the competitive circumstances impacts on its innovation strategy, which has a lots of reason to reveal that Samsung Electron is fast follower, although some brand-new design of products were launched. Protect its innovations Samsung Electronics strategy of combining product design, RD and brand management turned the firm into a leader in the consumer electronics market. Samsung Electronics operated six RD centres in South Korea and a total of 16 centres in eight different countries. These RD centres developed technologies that could be commercialised in the near future. The CTO developed proprietary technologies, managed the deployment of key technologies and guided the overall RD process within the organisation. This highly efficiency of organization system is not easily imitated by the rivals in a short period of time. Thus, it has enough evidence to believe that a large amount of RD spending combined with brand management as well as the effective organization system is able to protect its innovations. Patents and Achievement During seven years from 2001, Samsung Electronics received 19 awards at the International Design Excellence Awards (â€Å"IDEA†). In 2006, the company registered 17,377 patents worldwide, including patents aimed at fusion technology, nanotechnology and biotechnology24. In 2007, Samsung Electronics held a dominant worldwide market share25for LCDs and TVs. The company unparalleled edge and leadership in RD and design were underscored by awards for 32 of its products at the CES Innovations 2008 Awards. Challenges for the Future Competition in the consumer electronics market was fierce, as many global players entered the market with large product portfolios. Digital convergence invited more companies from related industries such as software, PC and network services to enter the market. Entry of such new players further intensified the competition. Competitors of Samsung Electronics such as LG, Nokia, Panasonic, Sony and some Chinese firms had started investing heavily in RD and product design. All major competitors adopted the concept of localizing their product design to suit target markets. The design advantage of Samsung Electronics started to diminish as product design strategies and processes became commoditized. Samsung Electronics had to devise strategies to defend not only its position in the market, but also its profitability in the competitive environment. Advancements in technology had shortened product lifecycles and product replacement had become a key driver for revenue growth. Samsung Electronics invested about 9% of net sales in RD of newer technologies, features and designs to offer newer products and attract customers. However, some of its competitors, including Apple, Sony and LG Electronics, had significantly lower RD expenditure per product. Firms such as Philips, Dell and Motorola were adopting outsourcing of product design to lower RD costs and shorten time-to-market. These brands were buying product blueprints and technology from contract manufacturers and independent design firms such as IDEO, Quanta Computer, Premier Imaging, HCL Technologies and Wipro Technologies. Companies took varying approaches to design outsourcing. For example, HP contributed key technology and design to its computers, whereas Dell preferred to adopt entire designs from its design partners. Motorola bought complete designs for its low-end mobile phones but kept tight control over the development of its high-end cell phones, such as the Razr. However, outsourcing of product design and RD raised serious concerns about intellectual property rights, product management, integrity and incubation of new competitors. For example, Motorola outsourced the design and manufacturing of its mobile phones to Taiwanese manufacturer BenQ. In 2004, BenQ started selling the mobile phones in the Chinese market under its own brand, which resulted in termination of its contract with Motorola. Considering the immediate urge to optimise RD costs and potential concerns associated with design outsourcing. References Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/history03.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/global/business/semiconductor/aboutus/ESH/ESH.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/corporateprofile/affiliatedcompanies.html Samsung INC. (2009) [Online] Available from http://www.samsung.com/uk/aboutsamsung/ourbusinesses/businessarea/devicesolutionsbusiness.html Gartner Newsroom: http://www.gartner.com/it/page.jsp?id=1126812 Nokia Connecting People: Story of Nokia http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/company/story-of-nokia/mobile-revolution/leading-the-world Appsolutely Everything: Samsung Market Share: http://stats.getjar.com/statistics/world/manufacturer/Samsung Nokia: Mobile Revolution: http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia/company/story-of-nokia/mobile-revolution Nokia: Biz Covering: http://bizcovering.com/major-companies/nokias-revenue-lowered-with-twenty-seven-percent/ Samsung Research and Development: http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/ourbusinesses/researchdevelopment.html Samsung RD Center(SISA): http://www.sisa.samsung.com/default.htm Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Working Paper 106, p. 20 Newswire (8 November 2005) â€Å"Samsung Companies Announce 5-Year, 47 Trillion Won Investment Plan† Kim, Y. (1997) â€Å"Technological Capabilities and Samsung Electronics International Production Network in Asia†, BRIE Working Paper 106, p. 26 Samsung Electronics (2001) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung (2006) â€Å"Annual Report†, p. 41. Breen, B. (2007) â€Å"The Seoul of Design† Delaney, M., et al. (2002) â€Å"Global Localization†, Global Design and Cultural Identity Ibid., p. 44. Ewing, J. (2008) â€Å"Samsungs New Marketing Push†, BusinessWeek Samsung Electronics (2006) â€Å"Annual Report† Samsung Electronics (2007) â€Å"Annual Report†.

The Competitive Sport Of Nba Basketball Sports Essay

The Competitive Sport Of Nba Basketball Sports Essay 1. Introduction: I would to start by introducing one of the most famous sports around the world; furthermore, it is currently one of the most played sports around the world. This sport is called Basketball, and it is team sportin which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or shooting† aballthrough the top of a basketball hoop while following a set ofrules. While competitive basketball is carefully managed, basketballhad been developed for casual play. Competitive basketball is primarily an indoor sport played on carefully marked and maintainedbasketball courts, but less regulated variations are often played outdoors in both inner city and rural areas TheNational Basketball Association(NBA) is an exciting mens professionalbasketballleague inNorth Americawhich consists of thirty different teams, where twenty-nine are located in theUnited Statesand only one inCanada. The NBA is one of the fourmajor North American professional sports leagues, which includeMajor League Baseball(MLB), theNational Football League(NFL), and theNational Hockey League(NHL). The league was created inNew York Cityo n June 6 ,1946 as theBasketball Association of America(BAA).The league adopted the name National Basketball Association in 1949 after merging with the rivalNational Basketball League(NBL). The leagues several managements are directed out of its head offices located in theOlympic Towerat 645Fifth Avenuein New York City. Section 2: NBA Regular seasons After the summer Holiday, teams organize training camps in late September. Training camps are opportunities for players to practice , locate the teams strengths and weaknesses, prepare the players for the challenging regular seasons, and determine the 12-man active roster (and a 3-man inactive list) with which they will begin the regular season. After training camp, a series of preseason games are held. The NBA regular season starts on the last week of October. During the regular season, each team plays 82 games, 41 home and 41 away. A team faces opponents in its own division four times a year (16 games), teams from the other two divisions in its conference either three or four times (36 games), and teams in the other conference twice (30 games). The NBA is also the only league that regularly schedules games onChristmasDay.The league has been playing games regularly on the holiday since 1947,though the first Christmas Day games were not aired on television until1983.Games played on this day have featured some of the best teams and players. In February, the regular season comes to a short stop to celebrate the annualNBA All-Star Game. Fans vote throughout the United States, Canada, and even on theInternet, and the players with the top votes at each position in each conference are given a starting spot on their conferences All-Star team. Coaches vote to choose the remaining 14 All-Stars. Afterwards, Eastern conference players face the Western conference players in the All-Star game. The player with the best performance during the game is rewarded with aMVP (Most valuable player) award. Other events during the   All-Star stop include the Rookie Challenge, where the top rookies and second-year players in the NBA play against each other in a 5-on-5 basketball game; furthermore theSkills Challenge, where players compete to finish an obstacle course including shooting, passing and dribbling in the fastest time. There is also the Three Point Contest, where players compete to score the most amounts of three-point field g oals in a given time, and theNBA Slam Dunk Contest, where players compete to dunk the ball in the most entertaining and exciting way according to the judges. Around the middle of April, the regular season ends. As soon as the season ends, votes for individual and team awardswell begin. TheSixth Man of the Year Awardis given to the best player that was not in the startup line but was later substituted in the game. TheRookie of the Year Awardis awarded to the best first-year player. TheMost Improved Player Awardis awarded to the player who had shown the most improvement from the previous season. TheDefensive Player of the Year Awardis awarded to the leagues best defender. TheCoach of the Year Awardis awarded to the coach that has made the most positive influence into a team. TheMost Valuable Player Awardis given to player who had proved the most valuable for (his team) that season. Section 3: NBA Playoffs NBA Playoffs begin in late April, with eight teams in each conference going for the Championship. The three division winners, along with the team with the next best record from the conference are given the top four Positions. The next lower four teams in terms of record in the season are given the lower four position. This is how they organize it: There are 30 teams divided into two conferences, the east and west. Each conference has a division of 5 teams each. The top team from each division and the next 5 teams from each conference regardless of division make the top 8 teams from each conference. Then they get positioned   much like most other sports, the top team gets the worst qualifying team (1st versus 8th) and the second best gets the second worst, and so on. They play a round of best-of-seven, meaning technically they will play seven games against each other and whoever ends up with the most wins advances to the next round. Of course, after one team wins 4 games, theres no use to play out the entire 7-game series so it is the first team to win 4 games that get to move to the next round. Furthermore, the team with the best regular season record in the league is guaranteed home court advantage in every game it plays in the playoffs. The final playoff round, a best-of-seven series between the victors of both conferences, is known as the NBA Finals, and is held every year in June. The victor in the NBA Finals wins the Larry OBrien Championship Trophy. Each player and major contributor to the NBA season, including coaches and the general manager on the winning team, receive a championship ring. In addition, the league awards aBill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Awardto the best performing player of the Season. Section 4: conclusion As a conclusion, Basketball is an outstanding game where people all around the world can enjoy regardless of whether they are poor or rich, young or old, or even with different skin color. It is a wonderful game that knows no boundaries towards evolution in which any person could come up with new styles and skills that could be played in the friendly games and tournaments. The NBAs style of playing the game has changed dramatically through the years and it was all thanks to the people who have passion for the game.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Many critics and fans around the world call theNBAgreatest show on earth. No other league around the world brings what the NBAs game has brought every season. The greatest plays, games, dunks, players and passion for the basketball are the reasons why the fans keep watching the games. The NBA is the basketball league which helped in the evolution of the sport. It had created many chances and opportunities for skilled and determined players around the globe to prove themselves in front of crowd and the whole world. It also gave them the dream that they would pursue in order to achieve greatness. For me it is the best sport I ever played.

Destruction of the Ibo Tribe in Chinua Achebes Things Fall Apart Essay

The Assisted Suicide of the Ibo Tribe Nothing on this planet is indestructible, everything must go at some point in being. However, if an object is left untouched, it will not disappear. Something has to assist its end. The same concept applies for the tribe of Umofia. The Umofian culture cannot prosper forever, something had to aid in its downfall and in Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, the British were to blame for the downward spiral the Umofian people saw. The novel Things Fall Apart is set in Africa and focuses on Okonkwo, the main character. Okonkwo leads an ambitious life until he mistakenly shoots a member of the tribe during a festival. His reprimand for this act was seven years in exile in which he served reluctantly. Upon his arrival to his home tribe, he observed that his clan’s folk had become â€Å"women-like.† He quickly noticed the reason of this sudden change and held the British responsible. At this point, the tribe runs down a dark tunnel, one that Okonkwo does not want to see so he performs suicide. Okonkwo’s death symbolizes the Ibo tribe’s downfall and the group that assisted both deaths was the British. The ways that the British aid in the falling apart of the Ibo tribe is by taking away the Ibo culture, belittling their gods, and converting Ibo clan’s folk. When a society gets its traditions taken away, they can assume they have taken the first step towards assimilation, for without their culture, they have nothing proving who they are. The same concept can be applied to the situation in Umofia. When the British came and started to change Umofian culture, things started to fall apart. The first action the British did was change the Umofian Judicial system. Instead of meeting in front of the Egwugwu, as cu... ...nsidered a being to fear, however, Mr. Brown implies that Chukwu is a â€Å"Loving father† and â€Å"Not feared by those who do his will† (Achebe 181). By saying this, Mr. Brown alters the way the Umofian people believe in God which may make them confused for never hearing of another religion before. In the novel, things started to fall apart because the British came and took away the Umofia people’s culture which includes their right of jurisdiction, belief in their own God and, converting the clans folk. This shows that nothing, however big, or small can flourish forever. Even if the British had not of come, something would have caused the Umofian downfall. Everything must come to an end, in this case it was the Umofian clan. However Okonkwo sums it all up the best â€Å"The [British] has put a knife on the things that held us together and we have fallen apart† (Achebe 176).

Dryness and Spiritual Decay in The Waste Land Essay -- T.S. Eliot Wast

Dryness and Spiritual Decay in The Waste Land      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   T.S. Eliot peppers "The Waste Land," his apocalyptic poem, with images of modern aridity and inarticulacy that contrast with fertile allusions to previous times. Eliot's language details a brittle era, rife with wars physical and sexual, spiritually broken, culturally decaying, dry and dusty. His references to the Fisher King and mythical vegetation rituals imply that the 20th-century world is in need of a Quester to irrigate the land. "The Waste Land" refuses to provide a simple solution; the properties of the language serve to make for an ambiguous narrative and conclusion, one as confusing and fragmented as Eliot's era itself.    Eliot wastes no time drawing out the first irony of the poem. In the first lines of "The Burial of the Dead," the speaker comments on Jesus' crucifixion and Chaucer while using brutal sounds to relate his spiritual coldness in a warm environment. In "The General Prologue" to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer poetically writes "Whan that April with his showres soote/ The droughte of March hath perced to the roote,/ And bathed every veine in swich licour,/ Of which vertu engrendred is the flowr" (Norton Anthology to English Literature, sixth edition, vol. 1, p.81). For "The Wasteland's" speaker, "April is the cruellest month, breeding/ Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing/ Memory and desire, stirring/ Dull roots with spring rain" (Norton Anthology of Poetry, fourth edition, p.1236, lines 1-4). The harsh "c's" and muted "d's" throughout point to the speaker's disenchantment with a world full of paradoxes and dichotomies. The "mixing" of "Memory and desire" only hurts him, as do all the verbs , which Eliot places at the ends of their lines to int... ...o present ideas and to withhold personal interaction, it is difficult to read "The Wasteland" without questioning authorial intent. Is the Fisher King in the last stanza, written in the first person, possibly the poet himself, come to rescue us in Nietzschean ÃÅ"ber-Mensch form? Though he would certainly argue against the validity of such a self-enlarging statement (or maybe not), Eliot must have written "The Wasteland" with some hopes that it would somehow end his land's drought. In this sense, then, the writer is a type of Fisher King, and the new ritual is not vegetable harvesting, but writing.    Works Cited: Abrams et al. The Norton Anthology of English Literature, sixth edition, vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1993. Ferguson et al. The Norton Anthology of Poetry, fourth edition. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1996.   

Essay --

In the last couple of years there has been increasing amount of American soldiers being relived from active duty, being sent back to their family and friends. As these men and woman return from war they struggle to reintegrate into their civilian lives. Such strains as Post Traumatic stress disorder and very few job opportunities pose a problem. Eddie Ray Routh a former solider had many strains in his life, which eventually lead him to murder American hero Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield. Using criminologist Robert Agnew’s â€Å"General Strain Theory†, I will explain the motives behind these murders. Former navy seal Chris Kyle was known as, â€Å"one of America’s deadliest military snipers (Fernandez & Schwirtz, 2013).† Mr. Kyle earned his reputation in Iraq fighting the war on terror killing an estimated 150 Iraqi insurgents. Throughout his time as navy seal he earned two silver stars and five bronze stars for acts of valor. Once Mr. Kyle retired from the military he wrote a book called the, â€Å"American sniper: the Autobiography of the most lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History†. This c...

Strategic Operation Management

To be able produce professional managers capable of fulfilling strategic roles within business and government enterprises the need for the practice of operations management cannot be forgone. Operations management is very important in business operations since it forms the heart of the organisation by controlling the system of operation. Operations management deals with the design, operation, and improvement of the systems that create and deliver a firm’s primary products and services. Like marketing and finance, operations management is a functional field of business with clear management responsibilities. Guinness Ghana limited is a company in which produces alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages such as Guinness and Malta Guinness respectively. In a business entity like Guineas Ghana limited the use of operations management is very necessary in every fabric of the company’s activities. Guinness Ghana Limited uses operations management to ensure and sustain efficiency and effectiveness in the organisation. Efficiency in Guinness Ghana is concerned with how well resources such as human expertise and inputs are put in use irrespective of the purpose for which they were deployed in the company. The company through its activities ensures that the primary objective for its establishment to make profits and maximize shareholders value is realized. The company reduces its cost of production by ensuring that tangible and intangible resources are not over stretched or wasted in the organisation. This is a situation where the company carries out effectively its objectives to be the market leader using minimum resources to achieve maximum output. The measures of effectiveness and efficiency in Guinness Ghana leads to labour productivity, yield, capacity fill working capital utilization and the efficiency of production systems. Guinness Ghana Limited also makes good use of its products and services management through operations management. Product (or service) management includes a wide range of management activities, ra nging from the time that there's a new idea for a product to eventually provide ongoing support to customers who have purchased the new product. Every organization conducts product management, whether it's done intentionally or unintentionally. Guinness Ghana through this module provides a wide overview of considerations in developing and managing its product. How a product is eveloped or managed depends very much on the nature of the organization and its products, Guinness Ghana uses it core competences in the areas of manufacturing, branding, marketing through wholesale and retail outlets to gain competitive advantage in the market place. Quality management is also a very important aspect of operations management in every organisation. Guinness Ghana is very critical about its products de veloped for the customer in the market place. Quality management is crucial to effective operations management, particularly continuous improvement to match the consumers taste and preference at all times. More recent advancements in quality, such as benchmarking and total quality management, outsourcing and reengineering have resulted in advancements to operations management in Guinness Ghana Limited. The company through its reengineering and benchmarking activities has always earned the leadership in the market. Benchmarking serves as a first class internal auditing process which the company uses to diagnose its weaknesses and identify ways of turning them into strength to increase itscustomer base in the market place. Management Control and Coordinating Function cannot be forgone in operations management especially in a company like Guinness Ghana Limited. Management control and coordination includes a broad range of activities to ensure that the company’s goals are consistently being met in an effective and efficient fashion. Basically, organizational coordination and control is what the company uses to take a systematic approach to figuring out if it is actually doing what it wanted to be doing or not. Some of the major approaches to the company’s organizational control and coordination include product evaluation, product distribution, advertising and promotion, sales and service and product development. For instance, product distribution in Guinness Ghana is done through retailers and other small distribution outlets organized by the company to ensure that its products reaches the consumer within an arms length. The company also uses advertisements as a major instrument to reach the customer and reorient the perception of customers about its products. In this increasingly expanding and competitive marketplace, the company ensures its products and services are prominently in the minds of their customers and clients. This occurs as a result of ongoing advertising and promotion by the company. Facilities management is also a necessary function and its importance on operations management for Guinness Ghana is needed. Effective operations management in the company’s activities depends on a great deal of effective management of facilities, such as buildings, computer systems, signage, lighting and plants and machinery. Facilities management in Guinness Ghana is very important since the company may be engaged in a batch or mass production depending on the demand circumstances on the market. In a case high demand which could necessitate higher or mass production, facilities needs to be managed in producing large quantities of products which must be standardized to meet the market demand at specific period. Well managed facilities like plants and machinery in the company help in production speed, lower per unit cost, ease of manufacture and control and the efficiency in the company’s production process. Inventory control and management is one importance of operations management that Guinness Ghana limited uses in its operations. Managing and controlling the inventory of the company is very critical. Innovative methods, such as Just-in-Time inventory control, are some of the major instruments used by the company to save costs and move products and services to customers more quickly. Generally the importance of operations management on businesses is embedded in every aspect of the organisations activities and therefore has critical role to play in ensuring that organisations achieve their objectives and goals.