The 411 on copyright for net p Essay Example For Students

The 411 on copyright for net p Essay Introduction Wow who owns all these pretty pictures? Net Photogs See me, feel me, touch me, pay me. Net Agencies Service with a click of a mouse. Net Publishers All is fair in love, war and publishing. Net Users Free ride! INTRODUCTION If Francesca were alive today she could track her lovers photos from his homepage instead of schlepping to the Piggly Wiggly to purchase the latest National Geographic. Even if you are stuck in Peoria,1 the family can gather around the key board, open up your Happy Meals and view some of the Best Photography in the world. You want pictures? Boy do we have pictures, click onto the Photo Net Index for a inventory of photographers portfolios, galleries, and museums. Who owns the copyrights to all these cool Net photos? This paper presents a sampling of opinions and predictions about the application of copyright law to Net photos in relation to contemporary photographers; stock photo agencies; publishers; and Net users. THE NET PHOTOG ENTREPRENEUR NET ADV ANTAGES Contemporary Photographers are creating homepages to display portfolios on the Net to advertise for jobs, learn new skills, network with colleagues, and provide pleasure to the viewing public. Stacy Rosenstocks portfolio is an example of the excellent photo art available for viewing on the Net. Photographer/author/adventurer Philip Greenspun uses photos to accompany text in Travels With Samantha Mr. Greenspun says that viewer response is one of the rewards for publishing on the Net.2 The Net is a unique medium for photographers, offering one-on-one feedback from viewers, fellow photographers and critics on a scale not available from the typical art gallery or magazine venue. The scale is larger in terms of the number of potential viewers and the boarderless international viewing audience who may choose to browse. A computer savvy photographer may create a homepage portfolio or seek display with one of the on-line galleries such as that Digital Wave Gallery, or that On Line G allery. A photographer choosing the Net as a display venue can also use the net to learn about copyrights. The American Society for media Photographers offers easy to read copyright information in the that Copyright Guide for Photographers . INFRINGEMENT ENFORCEMENT When a photographer discovers a photo has been published without authorization, the photographer maybe able to secure an injunction, recover actual damages and lost profits.3 Mr. Weisgrau and Mr. Remer point out the legal advantage to writing a copyright notice on the photograph consisting of (c)1995 Artists Name.4 That advantage is possible elimination of the innocent infringer defense.5 Innocent infringers may only be liable for a fair licensing fee.6 An order to sue an infringer the copyright holder must register the photo.7 In order to register the photo, the photographer must possess the photo. Traditionally this is not a problem because the photographer would have a negative, or a print or a slide or some tangible object as a photo. If the photographer has scanned the photo onto a home page or provided the photo to a gallery then there would be no problem if the photographer retains the original. See Philip Greenspuns FAQ on photo scanning. Similarly a CD disk photo would also be tangible to register. However when a photographer uses a filmless camera this projects images directly onto a computer for real-time adjustment.8 If a photographer were to upload this kind of photo, some tangible print would still be required for registration.9 The problem of fixation as it relates to photos on the Net will usually arise in the context of whether or not a photograph was copied by an infringer.10 Certain ephemeral artworks like the type produced by Christo, have been the subject of controversy in terms of the fixation requirement for copyright protection.11 In the context of copyright protection for computer programs the Ninth Circuit held in MAI Systems Corp. v. Peak Computer Inc., that copying for p urposes of copyright law occurs when a computer program is transferred from a permanent storage device to a computers RAM random access memory.12 The court described fixation as sufficiently permanent or stable to permit them to be perceived, reproduced, or otherwise communicated for a period of more than transitory duration.13 This decision as it relates to photos on the net may be a practical problem of proof. Net photos, like Christos sculptures, may be here today, gone tomorrow. Consequently the problem will be a whether a copyright claimant will be able to provide a court documentary evidence of the copyrightable subject matter.14 INTERNATIONAL PROTECTION International copyright protection is of special importance to Net photogs. The Berne Convention and the Universal Copyright Convention address copyright in the international market.15 Mr. Cinque outlines the three policies supporting copyright protection: incentive/dissemination; morality/fairness; natural law.16 Incentive/di ssemination is the tradeoff that society benefits from the work of creative artists while the artist may reap economic benefits.17 Morality/fairness is the commercial aspect of rewarding the worker and punishing unauthorized appropriations.18 Natural law embodies the concept that the author owns her work and may do with it as she sees fit.19 Considering these policies, Mr. Cinque argues that under the Berne Convention a copyright may be infringed when a work is copied or stored into a computer system because it is considered a reproduction.20 The Berne Convention provides a minimum of 25 years protection for photographic works and member states may provide additional protection.21 Mr. Cinque presents the case for and against increasing global enforcement of copyright protections in the digital world and concludes that international enforcement is necessary to continue to encourage artists to share work on-line.22 ECONOMIC INCENTIVES Mr. Cinques view supports the widely held assumpti on that artists require broad copyrights with strong enforcement in order to motivate the production of new, copyrightable works. The copyright act is aimed at protecting an artists economic rights.23 Economic theory is based on the concept that individuals are rational, profit-maximizing creatures.24 But economic theory when applied to artists doesnt explain their full range of motivation. It would be difficult to explain why intelligent, presumably rational people ever become artists, a word more often associated with the adjective starving than with wealthy.25 Net photogs appear generous with fellow internetters when it comes to non-commercial use of photographs. On the other hand, no one likes someone else making money of their work. Photographer Philip Greenspun describes his frustration with unauthorized use of his pictures in, The Somewhat Nasty Copyright Notice . As an artist he not only wants to get paid, but desires a certain quality level for his photos. On the other hand , Mr. Greenspun embraces the camaraderie of fellow internetters by authorizing redistribution of his text for non commercial purposes and requesting a source attribution and hyperlink for photos. SHARING RESOURCES The camaraderie among photographers is further evidenced by the wellspring of resources for photographers on the Net. The Michigan Press Photographers Association brings photographers together to share information, as does the Atlanta Photo Journalism Seminar and numerous other resources. One suggestion to assist photographers in protecting copyrights and collecting royalties is a centralized photo bank. Mr. Franklin presents the case for creating a centralized service to license photos, collect and distribute royalties, and engage in license enforcement. 26 The centralized service would include a copyright notice and computer code with the photo in order to track use.27 A similar system was recently established and is called United Image Royalties.28 EMPLOYERS A special n ote to photographers establishing homepages from work. Two authors warn of creating works using an employers Internet connection because work-related products may be determined to be the property of the employer.29 For example, Allen Rose, Ordinary Photographer is employed by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Mr. Roses weekly photo series is copyrighted to the newspaper. In a related matter, notice that Mr. Rose chose the location arose rather than something like telestar for his homepage locator. Employees should be careful in choosing web locators so as to avoid trademark problems similar to MTV v. Curry, see Trademarks Along the Infobahn. STOCK PHOTO AGENCIES Many photographers use stock photo agencies to sell photos. News magazines purchase a tremendous amount of published photos from stock agencies.30 For example in 1980 Time purchased 56.88% of their published photos from stock agencies and freelance photographers.31 A traditional stock photo agency publishes catalogues with thumb print photos which customers view and then purchase camera ready prints.32 Stock agencies publicize photos and also negotiate licenses in exchange for royalties.33 See the STOCKPHOTO web site to learn about stock agencies. One advantage of an on-line agency may be the capacity to for customers to download photos immediately. Another advantage to on-line agencies may be enhanced research resources for locating the right kind of photo among the thousands in stock. CONTRACTS When a publisher desires to purchase a photo from a stock agency there may be several contractual arrangements to weave through. These contract issues are determined by state law where as copyright law per se is the subject of federal statutes.34 Contracts may exist between the subject and the photographer, the photographer and the stock agency and perhaps a digital rights agent.35 Mr. Harrang states that a typical stock photo agency contract is a license for one edition only.36 The question of what is one edition has been debated in the context of CD-ROM publications. In this context some argue that an upgrade of the product would be a second edition requiring a re-license fee.37 Harring does not agree with this view and suggests that CD-ROM and on-line publishers can avoid the problem with proper electronic licensing contracts.38 An on-line stock agency such as Corbis Media should be more familiar with structuring proper electronic rights contracts.39 In terms of protecting copyrights while displaying photos on-line, Corbis puts a copyright notice in the upper left-hand corner of the photo.40 This copyright protects the digital file not the actual photo which is copyrighted to the photographer.41 PROTECTING COPYRIGHT WITH TECHNOLOGY Additionally, when a client desires to view a larger image of a photo, the client clicks on the thumbprint photo to access the 6 x 7 inch photo.42 To protect this copyright, Corbis adds a translucent watermark on the picture.43 This method is not full-proof. CEO Doug Rowan admits that the watermark could be eliminated by a technical person and they are working toward technical improvement of the system.44 Unlike other stock agencies, Corbis on-line pictures are for preview only and are not for customer downloading.45 NET PUBLISHERS AND PHOTOJOURNALISTS In Copyright in the New World of Electronic Publishing, See attorney William Strong reassures traditional publishers that copyright law will not be eviscerated by the Net. Copyright is grounded in the Constitution and assures a financial incentive to authors and creative persons.46 Mr. Strong takes the position that in a traditional author contract granting all right, title and interest in and to the work, including copyright grants a publisher broad rights to publish electronically.47 NEW CONTRACTS FOR E-RIGHTS When a publisher drafts new contracts, Mr. Strong recommends that to ensure that a publisher is getting the whole ball of wax that the contract should read the exclusive license to r eproduce the work and distribute it by all means and media now known or hereafter discovered, including, without limitation, print, microfilm, and electronic media as well as the right to display and transmit the work publicly on-line.48 This kind of all rights transaction is not popular among photographers and the American Society of Media Photographers (AMSP). cautions photographers to consider limiting a license by time, geographic area or media type.49 It is interesting to note, that apparently Mr. Strong did not sign such a contract with the publisher of his article, the Journal of Electronic Publishing (JEP) ). The copyright notice indicates that the author, not JEP, controls the copyright, consequently commercial publication is prohibited in print or electronic form without permission of the author. The tension between a publishers desire to license all rights to a photograph, and a photographers concern about giving away too much may gum up negotiations on the electronic pub lishing frontier.50 Mr. Harrang suggests separating legitimate concerns about changing technologies from simple angst about unfamiliar technologies.51 For example, an author may agree to license rights to a CD-ROM publication but hesitate to a license for on-line networks because of metered use questions.52 A resolution to this problem may be by agreement to negotiate a fair royalty amount in the future based on the existing rates.53 For example, Time Inc. is offering an increase in photographers day rate from $400 to $500 per day to compensate for electronic rights for assignment photos.54 Time also offers a royalty option offering a base fee of $75 per image plus a royalty rate that varies depending on a number of factors including English vs. foreign language distribution.55 Terms are to be reviewed in one year.56 About half the photographers have signed the new agreements and the remaining freelancers will continue to negotiate licenses for each photo.57 Time uses the photos in their on-line magazines and other products.58 There is no agreement among the Board members of the American Society of Media Photographers regarding the Time electronics rights policy.59 The value of the rights is hard to assess but ASMP board member Roger Ressmeyer believes that, at issue is the very survival of freelance photography into the next century.60 Veteran photographer Douglas Kirkland sums up the situation well, If there wasnt a substantial value in these rights, Time wouldnt be asking for them.61 On the other end of the spectrum, publisher Conde Nast has refused to pay any additional fees for electronic rights.62 INTERPRETATION OF PRE INTERNET CONTRACTS With regard to pre-Internet contracts, Mr. Strong predicts that where a contract is silent on the issue of electronic publication, the publisher has the right to produce the entire journal in any form including electronic.63 Mr. Strong points to the Copyright Act, in the absence of a written agreement the copyright owner of a contribution to a periodical will be deemed to have given the periodical publisher only the right to reproduce the article as part of the issue of the periodical in which it appears and any revision of that periodical.64 Mr. Strong says, While technically this is not relevant to an interpretation of an actual written contract, I believe it is fair to say that the presumptions which the statute creates here would probably be applied by any court forced to grapple with a contract that was silent on the question of electronic rights.65 The interpretation of old contracts and electronic rights is the subject of controversy between photographers and, TIME Inc. Recently, Time republished some Life cover photos for a CD compilation. Time associate counsel Laury Frieber maintains that the company need not pay the photographers a reuse fee.66 Instead the company sent a letter stating, While as a legal matter we are not obliged to make any additional payments to reproduce our covers, in the spirit of this project we decided to make a payment to all non-staffers whose images graced Lifes cover.67 The letter was accompanied by a $30.00 check.68 Ben Chapnick of the Black Star picture agency disagrees with Times interpretation of the license which he says was for one time use.69 Both Mr. Strong and Mr. Chapnick agree that litigation could take years.70 And Mr. Chapnick predicts in the Time situation, litigation could cost as much as $500,000.71 In any event, says Mr. Strong, each publisher can weigh the financial risks of a copyright violation or breach of contract suit against the gains of electronic publishing.72 Of course an individual photographer is unlikely to have the financial resources to litigate a law suit. HOW ONE PUBLISHER SEEKS TO PROTECT COPYRIGHTED WORKS Michael Rogers managing editor of Newsweek Interactive an on-line publication with Prodigy has integrated the photographs with the text rather than in separate files as a way to combat copyright infrin gement.73 That way, users cant export the pictures for other uses without special software, says Mr.Rogers.74 ALTERATION OF NEWS PHOTOS New on-line technology makes it easier to edit and alter photographs. Visit Digital Imaging photographers and editors can learn new ways to improve and change photographs. But using technology to create art is one thing, using it to doctor news photos is another. Copyright protection for computer art, including photographs is an emerging issue.75 But whereas copyright protection for art photos focuses on the value of the piece as art, the value of a news photo is accuracy.76 The ethics of doctoring news photos 77 is discussed on the Michigan Press Photographers Association (MPPA) home page. This discussion is about the LIFE magazine May, 1995 photo of the Kent State shootings wherein the photo was altered from the original shot by photographer, John Filo on May 4, 1970. The alteration eliminated a pole in the center of the photograph. David Friend, Lifes Director of Photography says it was a done unbeknownst to the editors. MPPA member Brian Masck responds, saying that credibility in the source of a photo is critical to photojournalism. Whether or not photographer John Filo has a cause of action against LIFE for printing the altered photo may be an issue of whether the terms of the print license were exceeded.78 This type of alteration is distinguished from the traditional cropping and centering that a photo editor might do because it is a change in the substance of the photograph. In the future, photographers are advised to safeguard against copyright infringement by including in the license the amount of digital manipulation allowed.79 However, copyright may not be the best or even the only issue regarding authenticity of news photographs.80 Again, the chain of contracts between publisher, photographer, stock agency and photo subject may present legal issues such as false light or misappropriation.81 The news photographer is again advised, to keep original photos to protect against actions like this and to be especially careful if photographing with filmless cameras where a photographer will not possess a negative.82 Alteration of news photos is not a new issue. But new copyright issues pop up in the context of on-line news photo alteration. On the one hand, alterations can be subtle pixel-by-pixel changes that are difficult to detect.83 This capacity makes it easy to steal on-line photos in toto or in part.84 The problem here is a photographers burden of proof as it relates to the ordinary observer approach in proving substantial similarity in an infringement action.85 Photojournalism reviewer Ken Kobre examines The Long Tradition of Doctoring Photos. Mr. Kobre notes that a recent edition of The National Enquirer displayed a doctored photo of a battered Nicole Brown Simpson.86 The Enquirer noted in small type that the photo was a recreation.87 Rather than shying away from the technology and the potent ial abuse of altering on-line news photos, Mr. Kobre believes that increased photographic access assists in the discovery of truth. Totalitarian regimes have been more adept at controlling- and changing what people see precisely because those regimes control their media. 88 In the end, The credibility demanded of journalism should continue to shape its uses of the computers capabilities.89 NET USERS Everyone agrees that Net Users, like most Americans, have little knowledge of copyright law.90 Digital works have some unique characteristics which challenge copyright law.91 Three of those characteristics include ease of replication, transmission, and alteration.92 The Net allows for quick replication and transmission of works as compared to traditional replication methods.93 Modification of Net documents may also provide some challenges to a courts interpretation of fixed.94 POSTING AND DOWNLOADING PHOTOS With regard to replication, transmission and alteration, some Net users behave as if all Net information is up for grabs whether or not the material is copyrighted and has a copyright notice.95 Celebrity fan club postings like the Brad Pitt Web Site are examples of users posting copyrighted photos to the Net. This home page acknowledges that these photos are copyrighted so please be nice. This acknowledgment confirms the Samuelson and Glushko observation that those who post information not authored by them on Internet bulletin boards or in electronic newsletters delivered by Internet sometimes do so with a conspicuous notice that it is being posted without copyright permission, thereby asserting the posters view of an appropriate scope of fair use.96 Furthermore, net users generally regard it as fair to download items from the bulletin board for ones personal use, and even to send a copy to a friend who might otherwise not see the item, it is considered bad manners (or worse) to redistribute more widely someone elses posting without its authors permission.97 It goes without saying that policing user behavior as it relates to copyright is difficult at best.98 ONE PUBLISHERS VIEW OF DOWNLOADING WORKS Recently Time posted Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue photos for personal downloading at the Pathfinder Website that ended up on one of the Supermodel websites. Times legal head Harry Johnston said The restriction is that you can download these pictures for personal use only, but not for further distribution. That would constitute an infringement.99 The idea of policing every single individual who might violate someones copyright has not existed for the last 30 years, with the advent of Xeroxing and videotaping. Its just a fact of life with the technological means we have of making copies. You simply cant catch them all, says Mr. Johnston.100 User liability for copy right infringement in a non commercial context is a disputed issued.101 A user posting someone elses photo to a bulletin board or a homepage raises questions of which fair use provi sion might be appropriate? Education, research, comment or criticism?102 Ms. ORourke predicts that users are infringing where a bulletin board subscriber forwards a document to a large number of non-subscribers.103 But what about home pages? In this context other Net users link to the page. Is the activity of posting Brad Pitt photos to a home page substantially different than uploading Playboy photos to a bulletin board?104 In the Playboy case the court found that a bulletin board operator violated Playboys exclusive rights to display and distribute its photos.105 While home page authors are not charging a subscription fee like the bulletin board operator, they are offering unauthorized, copyrighted photos for public display. In the context of the homepage author, the issue is not that someone is making money off the photo, but that an individual photographer could lose the market for a great photo when someone scans it into a homepage for all the world to access. AN AGENCY VIEW OF POSTING Jim Roehrig, president of Outline photo agency, takes the position that unauthorized posting is a violation of the copyright holders exclusive rights to distribute and publicly display their work.106 Outline represents fashion and celebrity photographers. Roehrig admits to being at a loss as to how to handle supermodels postings.107 Right now Roehrig says, Im hoping that this is relatively small usage and wont become a regular thing.108 THE USERS RIGHT TO VIEW But what about Net users right to view and access information. Copyright law clearly protects the copyright holder. One of the goals of the National Information Infrastructure is free or low cost information.109 The suggestions of the Green Paper drafted by the federal governments Information Infrastructure Task Force are controversial.110 See also a Response to NII. .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .postImageUrl , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:hover , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:visited , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:active { border:0!important; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:active , .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7 .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u99adc1fd354e6bf3467fa3d9bbf666f7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Artificial Intelligence Essay We will write a custom essay on The 411 on copyright for net p specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Ms. Litman says that the draft recommendations would vest in copyrightowners control of any reproduction or transmission of their works, and thendefines reproduction and transmission to include any appearance, even afleeting one, of a protected work in any computer, and any transfer of thatwork to, from, or through any other computer, the Draft Reportsrecommendations would enhance the exclusive rights in the copyright bundle sofar as to give the copyright owner the exclusive right to control reading,viewing or listening to any work in digitized form.

Improve Your Memory With the Loci Method

Improve Your Memory With the Loci Method There are many theories and ideas about improving memory, including some that have been around since ancient times.   Ancient accounts show that early Greek and Roman orators used the loci method of remembering long speeches and lists. You may be able to use this method to enhance your memory at test time. The term loci refers to places or locations. To use the loci system, you will first need to think of a place or route that you can picture in your head very clearly. It can be your house, your school bus route, or any place that contains clear landmarks or rooms. For this example, we will use the thirteen original colonies as a list that we want to remember and your house as the method for remembering. The List of Colonies Includes: North CarolinaSouth CarolinaMarylandVirginiaDelawareNew HampshireNew JerseyPennsylvaniaMassachusettsConnecticutNew YorkRhode IslandGeorgia Now, picture yourself standing outside your house and begin to make connections with words on your memory list. In this case, you could make a mental note that the front of your house faces north and the back faces south. We have our beginning! North North CarolinaSouth South Carolina Your Tour Continues Imagine that you enter your house and see the coat closet. Open the closet door and note the smell. (It helps to invoke all the senses you can in this method). There you see the coat that Aunt Mary gave your mother (Maryland). The next room in this imaginary house tour is the kitchen. In this tour, you are suddenly hungry, so you go to the cupboard. All you can find is some virgin olive oil (Virginia). That wont do. You turn to the refrigerator and look inside. You know your mom just bought some new ham (New Hampshire) from the deli- but where is it? (Delaware). You manage to locate the items and assemble a sandwich. You carry it to your bedroom because you want to change into your new football jersey (New Jersey). You open the closet door and a pen falls on your head from the top shelf (Pennsylvania). Whats that doing there? you think. You turn to put the pen in your desk drawer. When you open the drawer, you see a giant mass of paper clips (Massachusetts). You grab a handful, sit down on your bed, and begin to connect them together to form a long chain (Connecticut). You realize youre still hungry. You decide you are ready for some dessert. You go back to the kitchen and look in the refrigerator again. You know youll find some leftover New York cheesecake from yesterday (New York). Its gone! Your little brother must have finished it off! (Note the shock and anger.) You turn to the freezer. There are two types of ice cream. Rocky Road (Rhode Island) or Georgia Peach (Georgia). You eat both. Now look over the list of states again, and think about the place association for each one. It wont be long before you can recite the list of states easily. This method can be used for remembering a list of objects or a list of events. All you need is keywords and associations for them. It may help you to come up with funny things that occur along your path. Emotion and sensory experiences will reinforce the information and enhance the exercise.

Life Lessons From The Brady Bunch Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Life Lessons From The Brady Bunch - Essay Example It not only generates new ideas and values but also transmits them to the younger generation. The family is the basic unit of society. In our contemporary society, we find many television programs involving families in different settings in different situations. One can say that almost all the possible issues and predicaments have been portrayed in the screen. For an inquisitive mind such as mine, it becomes interesting to find out how these shows affect the general public. In this study, our attempt will be to examine the relationship between a television program- The Brady Bunch - and its implications to the viewing public. I will be primarily concerned in determining to what degree The Brady Bunch has served as a mirror for society and a medium for transformation or conformity. The concept of "The Brady Bunch" started back in 1966 when Sherwood Schwartz (the creator and producer of the show) heard that somewhere between 20-30% of all families had at least one child from a previous marriage. He wrote a 30-minute pilot episode about a blended family; a man with three boys marries a lady with three girls and in the end they all go on the honeymoon together. He also had prepared several story ideas about the kids and their growing-pains and problems arising due to the new living situation. (Moran, 1992) Moran (1992) further relates that when the s... Yet, the program stands as one of the most important sitcoms of American 1970s television programming, spawning numerous other series on all three major networks, as well as records, lunch boxes, a cookbook, and even a stage show and feature film. The decided emphasis of the series on the Brady children made it very popular among younger audiences. ABC capitalized on this appeal, programming the show early on Friday evenings. This popularity also resulted in various attempts to create other profitable spin-off products: "The Brady Kids," a pop rock group (patterned on "The Archies" and "The Partridge Family"), a Saturday morning cartoon called The Brady Kids (1972-74), and regular appearances of the young actors and actresses (particularly Maureen McCormick and Christopher Knight), in teen fan magazines. Bellefante (1995) also relates that following its initial network run, The Brady Bunch became inordinately popular in rerun syndication. This success can be attributed in part to children's afternoon-viewing patterns. Often programmed as a daily "strip" in after-school time periods, the show found new viewers who had not previously seen the series. The age distribution of the cast may have created appeal among a range of young viewers, and as they aged they were able to take a more ironic viewing stance toward the entertainment of their childhood. The ongoing success of the Brady characters has continually brought them back to television. The Brady Bunch Hour, produced by Sid and Marty Krofft from 1976-1977 on ABC, had the family hosting a vividly-colored disco-oriented variety series. The Brady Brides, on NBC in 1981, was a half-hour sitcom about Marcia and Jan as they dealt with their new husbands and the trials of being married. In December 1988, CBS aired the

Multiple Topics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Multiple Topics - Essay Example There are certainly more preferences that he can keep track of. Develop a problem definition for Steve, as discussed in the Session Five lecture notes and readings (Chapter 3).   Problem definition: Steve wants to keep his customers happy and attract new ones. He thinks he needs a way to track customer behavior and mine the data from his restaurant operation. The method of data collection must not interfere with the normal operations of the restaurant. It should also store the data in a database so that it can be used by whatever means is devised. The data collection is simple and can easily be done by streamlining the ordering system. The main problem is that Steve has actually voiced a need for keeping customers happy and attracting new customers. It is not certain that mere data collection can do this. Part B:   â€Å"I think it’s only fair to write up all alternatives you’ve considered†, says Linda Smith (Steve Smith’s wife and Chief Financial Offi cer of his restaurant). â€Å"After all, you’ve been working on this systems thing for a while now and I think my husband would be interested to see what you found out.†Ã‚   Please explain to Linda Smith why your system proposal will not (should not) contain all the alternatives that your ITEC 630 team has considered with respect to solving Steve Smith’s information management problem. Also include in your response to Linda Smith the types of alternatives that will appear in your final systems proposal to Steve Smith.   Not all the alternatives we brainstormed are feasible and some just would be either over-kill or too expensive, creating a negative return on investment. Some solutions would have a negative impact on customers and others would not include increasing business. So these will not be included. The types of proposals we will include are those that will accomplish both the data collection and increase business, yes stay within the budget. We have fo ur alternative systems we will offer: an electronic ordering system which will collect all the data, a club card that will collect data and offer bonus points, a club card that will store cash, offer bonus points and collect data, and a fourth type will include all of these. All of the card alternatives will attract new business as they can be purchased as gift cards and loaded up front. A. Please label each question as either closed question or open-ended question.  Ppt 04 1. How many personal computers do you have in this department?  closed 2. How is this task performed?  open 3. Why do you perform the task that way?  open 4. How many hours of training does a clerk receive?  closed 5. How many customers ordered products from the Web site last month?  closed 6. What are users saying about the new system?  open 7. How are the checks reconciled?  closed 8. What added features would you like to have in the new billing system?  open 9. Is the calculation procedure de scribed in the manual?  closed 10. Is there anything else you can tell me about this topic? open 11. Do you review the reports before they are sent out?  closed 12. Are the user manuals produced by this department?  closed 13. Describe a feature you would like to see in the new system?  open 14. Who handles the invoices?  closed 15. How do you resolve accounts payable issues?  open B. You are going to interview the local manager of LDI, a national tire retailer, who has asked you to

Sources Of Failure In Strategic Alliance Formulation Commerce Essay

Sources Of Failure In Strategic Alliance Formulation Commerce Essay Today, organizations face global competition and will on the long run only be successful if they can successfully exploit their value delivery potential of the relationships; strategic alliances and partnerships. Organisations that work together for the purpose of mutual benefit is a concept that is gaining ground in business markets, as market leaders now understand that success from collaboration can be a viable competitive advantage. Organisations entering into alliances in the twenty-first century need to size up their prospective partners in order to ensure that they achieve more success than their predecessors. However, identifying the best partner is only the first step in increasing the probably of alliance success. Proper design and coordination are needed to facilitate the stability of an alliance and to achieve an effective working relationship between the partners. Trust and commitment between alliance partners is the ultimate goal. Only then can the true benefits of ente ring into an alliance be realised. It is really important for a company that is interested in forming a strategic alliance that the partner chosen have the internal capacities needed for the performed activity. In other words, the competencies required to achieve the desired goal. In this sense, small differences in terms of management style and culture between the cooperating firms may end up becoming serious problems that make it difficult to create synergies. There are a large number of characteristics (honesty, positive disposition, efficacy, etc.) that can only be appreciated after several years in the relationship. It is convenient for a firm to work informally with another company before formalising the strategic alliance. This can help to assess levels of compatibility and its potential evolution, since it is with daily contact that we can discover the partners habits and tendencies. INTRODUCTION In todays changing and developing business world, strategic alliances have become an important tool for the success many business ventures. According to Ohmae (1989, p 143), last 20 years have been marked an era of world`s development. Some of the evolutions of this period are the globalisation of markets, quick changes in technology, and the expansion of many domestic organizations` boundaries. As result of these rapid motions, strategic alliances have importantly become a competitive necessity. One of the reasons of this necessity is that a single firm is unlikely to have all the resources and capabilities to accomplish global competitiveness. Thus, cooperation between companies which has complementary resources is always important for survival and growth. (Dussauge, Garrette and Mitchell, 1998) According to Morossini (1999), strategic alliances are change for the firms to reduce risks and share resources, gain knowledge and technology, expand the existing product lines, and opport unity to enter new markets. Strategic alliances provide firms to expand their reach without having to maximise their risk or commit themselves beyond their core business. However, as mentioned above, although strategic alliances bring big opportunities and provide conveniences for many companies, at the same time, there are some challenges that can result with failure for the organizations. The percentage of failures of strategic alliances is changeable from a low 30 per cent (Cullen, 2007), to a high 70 per cent (Dacin et al, 2007). Apart from the expecting risks of entering into an alliance competition between partners is often pointed as the major reason for alliance failure (Dacin et al, 1997). Throughout this paper, it will be examined, analysed and discussed that the most frequent sources of failure in forming strategic alliances and what can be done to mitigate these problems. OBSTACLES THAT ALLIANS PARTNERS FACE Obstacles that alliance partners face can be divided into hard and soft issues. Hard factors involve the linking of different financial and control systems and settling legal disputes (The Economist, 1999). On the other hand, soft factors are related to people and human resource issues, which involve building effective working relationships and integrating disparate corporate cultures (Hitt et al, 1999). It is usually the insufficient attention to the soft issues that result in the failure of many strategic alliances. Pertinently, culture permeates a company, and differences can poison any collaboration (The Economist, 1999). The more culturally distant two firms are, the greater the differences in organisational and administrative practices, employee expectations, and the interpretation of strategic issues (Schneider and De Meyer, 1991, p 307). The problem is compounded with cross-border alliances, where language barriers create communication problems. Poor communication often leads to coordination problems, managerial conflict and distrust. Without trust, the cost of transferring managerial practices and technologies will be high, because safeguards against opportunistic behaviour are needed (Park and Ungson, 1997, p 279). Therefore, in order to avoid such problems, firms entering into an alliance need to be culturally compatible. Indeed, it has been suggested that cultural compatibility is the most important factor in ensuring the long-term success of an alliance (Lane and Beamish, 1990, p 87). SOURCES OF FAILURE IN FORMING STRATEGIC ALLIANCES There are always a series of challenges that have to be faced when forming a strategic alliance and the right people need to be recruited in order for the alliance to be a success. Some of these challenges are discussed below: (Tetenbaum, 2001) Small differences in terms of management style and culture between the cooperating companies may end up becoming serious problems that will make it very difficult to create a synergy, therefore leading to a poor financial performance or even total dissolution of the alliance. It is essential for the human resources team to be aware of these differences in order for them to properly formulate and help with the implementation of the organizational strategy within the alliance. I will present some of the differences that help in the success or failures of a strategic alliance and that have to be addressed by the human resource department. Problems that result from human are significant for the implementation of an alliance, and may alone determine its success or failure. For this reason, it is significant that HRM specifies every member`s ability in the organization, within the management team, and what motivates those skills, in order to place the appropriate individuals in key positions. (Tetenbaum, 2001) The most critical period of a strategic alliance is the beginning part which is a period of maximum uncertainty and apprehension for the workers, along that the company has to find a reaction to their logical concerns, giving these employees something better than what they already have, therefore succeeding in establishing stability long enough to guarantee some permanent results. (Tetenbaum, 2001) A strategic alliance usually brings about the introduction of a series of changes in the co-operating organisations behaviour. These changes can be a sign a potential source of challenges and conflicts with the companys personnel which may lead to the failure of the collaboration, if they are not properly sorted out. (Tetenbaum, 2001) The Culture: Although the organizational change derived from the creation of a strategic alliance is conditioned by the attitude of the human resources, this attitude also depends on the personal values and the corporate culture. This brings us to the following subject which gives us another source of problems when implementing a strategic alliance. (Tetenbaum, 2001) Culture: The existence of different cultures is an obstacle that strategic alliances are forced to encounter. The resistance to change may arise because the low rank employees may have not been properly informed of what the goals are; they might be less experienced than top management at working with people form other culture, or they just do not agree with the new alliance. This is why the human resources team is a key element for the strategic alliance. (Tetenbaum, 2001) Different Types of Culture: National and organizational cultures have an impact on the degree of organizational involvement and outcomes. National culture has been defined by Hofstede as, the collective programming of the mind which distinguishes the members of one human group or category of people from another. (Tetenbaum, 2001) WHAT CAN BE DONE TO MITIGATE THESE PROBLEMS? There are some factors and key point that need to be taken into account by organizations when joining into a strategic alliances or a strategic alliance is being formed. Organizations that fit these important points will always be successful. Some of these important factors can be specified as followings: Organisations entering into alliances in the twenty-first century need to size up their prospective partners in order to ensure that they achieve more success than their predecessors. However, identifying the best partner is only the first step in increasing the probably of alliance success. Proper design and coordination are needed to facilitate the stability of an alliance and to achieve an effective working relationship between the partners. Trust and commitment between alliance partners is the ultimate goal. Only then can the true benefits of entering into an alliance be realised. (Saxton, 1997) Executive managers will need to have know-how; however other competencies will be required to create a synergy. Ideally these competencies will be found in all the persons involved with the project. Some of the competencies required by the human resources management team when selecting the members of the strategic alliance are: flexibility, humbleness, integrity, patience, curiosity, and not afraid of making mistakes. It is important that HRM determine whether the right person can be found within the ranks of the company or whether external recruiting is the best choice. This decision is crucial for the future of the alliance. CONCLUSION In order for an alliance to work the human resources team must take the time to understand the challenges existing when putting two companies together and they have to be willing to unite two groups of managers that will have to plan for and build their new organization; they need to be sensitive to the human, organizational culture, and cultural issues that have to be addressed along the way. Most important, the human resource team needs to find and motivate executives that want to grow their businesses and create added value for their shareholders, customers, employees, and themselves. What we can assume from the several researches that have been done is that, cooperation and effective management are major points for the success of the alliance. From the problems that appear within a strategic alliance, these related to the human resource management which participate in the alliance especially stand out. Therefore, using knowledge related asymmetries may be a way to protect a companys specific asset while gaining valuable knowledge from the alliance without attacking the partner company. Another situation that has to be taken into consideration is that the appearance of cultural challenges does not mean that the strategic alliance will be dissolve. The human resources team has to put in place a training programme for cultural understanding to help employees cope with the differences. On the other hand, it is very important to include managers with multicultural skills within the alliance team to be able to sooth any possible tension. Finally, we can observe that the top reason of creating an alliance with another firm is that the union promotes attainment of strategic goals more quickly and inexpensively than if the company acts on its own. Especially in this era of intense change, rapid technological advance and ever-increasing globalization, alliances enable organizations to gain flexibility, leverage competencies, shared resources, and create opportunities that otherwise are unthinkable. Even though reality shows us that the number of strategic alliances that have succeeded is very low.

Beowulf vs. Modern Society :: Epic of Beowulf Essays

Beowulf vs. Modern Society Are there any similarities between life in modern America and the world of Beowulf? Is it possible for such a technology oriented world such as ours to have anything in common with a world which had not even heard of electricity? Has this technology really separated us from prior civilizations? Is our thinking today any different from the thinking of ancient cultures? Although it may not seem to be true, there are actually many similarities between our world and that of Beowulf’s. These similarities are readily seen in all forms of media and entertainment, as well as noted sources of culture such as music and movies. If the similarity between the two cultures is accepted, it will not be hard to comprehend Beowulf. The first and most notable similarity is drinking. King Hrothgar built a giant mead-hall, namely Heorot, to accommodate his celebrations. Throughout Beowulf it can be seen that celebrations of any kind are always accompanied by drinking. Drinking is just present today as it was thousands of years ago. People today always include drinking in their celebrations, whether it be a birthday, anniversary, or marriage. Heorot is nothing more than a tremendous bar. The festivities of the warriors in Beowulf’s time can be seen every night in any local bar or pub. Another similarity of course is violence. Violence is obviously present in Beowulf’s world. The determinant of status holds its roots in violence. The only way for a warrior to prove himself is through battle, or violence. Specifically this can be seen through the character, Unferth. He was not respected as a warrior due to his inability to win battles. He tried to find faults in Beowulf to raise his own ego. The disrespect given to this man was due to his unsuccessfulness in violent engagements. Modern violence is present all around us. No matter which way one turns, violence will be there to greet him. Whether it be on the street, in school, or even at home, violence cannot be avoided. The presence of this violence in society leads to stress. This stress is to a large extent the cause of the similarity mentioned earlier, namely drinking. Anyone from the local bully to a armed robber can be representatives of modern violence. Although it is present in everyday life, this violence can be seen easier in any form of media.

Ai WeiWei Essay

Ai WeiWei blurred the lines between the aesthetic and the political. According to the internet, aesthetic is defined as concerned with beauty or the appreciation of beauty. Ai WeiWei used art to â€Å"protest† against the Chinese government. Ai Weiwei was a creative man who thought of ideas how to represent the names of all the children who were killed in a deadly earthquake. A commentator in the movie claimed that Ai WeiWei was doing a job that the government should be doing. A deadly earthquake collapsed many buildings including homes and schools. Thousands of children were killed and were left unrecognized. Ai WeiWei wasn’t going to let this go. He assembled a project, full of volunteers to help him search for the names of the children who were killed in the disaster. He placed every individual name on his wall. The project inspired him to create more pieces of art work to revolt against the Chinese government. Ai WeiWei was a fearless man. Ai WeiWei was very involved with social media. He used twitter to share to the world how corrupt China’s government was. He left China when he said â€Å"Fuck You Mother Land. † Cameras are sometimes forbidden in China. Ai WeiWei was assaulted by a police officer, but that did not stop him from taking pictures in front court houses or of an officer who was at the scene when he was attacked. Ai WeiWei created a wall full of back packs to make other individuals aware of the children that died in the earthquake. During the 2nd anniversary, Ai WeiWei asked his followers to pick a name and record it on tape and share it to the world. Ai WeiWei was sharing his experience in China of the corrupt government with thousands of people around the world. Ai WeiWei made people aware of what was going on in China. Ai WeiWei became well-known through his work of art. He expressed his ideas through his work. Not only did his art make him well-known, Ai WeiWei captured many supporters to revolt against the corrupt system. Ai WeiWei was a man with no selfishness. He looked out for others and he was always looking and searching for ideas that would help him and his followers. Ai WeiWei was not afraid of the consequences, as long as he knew it was for the good.