Corporate Social Responsibility of Microsoft Corporation Essay

Corporate Social Responsibility of Microsoft Corporation - Essay Example Corporate Social Responsibility of Microsoft Corporation Corporate social responsibility indicates the concept whereby the business organizations, along with their business activities, aims to address the social and environmental issues through interacting with stakeholders at various levels and integrating business process with socio-environmental orientation. In this report, the inclination of the world famous technology company, Microsoft Corporation towards their corporate social responsibility will be investigates. Microsoft Corporation is the leading developer, manufacturer, licence provider and seller of computer software, hardware and services in the whole world. As on 2014, this America based company has generated revenue of US$ 93.58 billion and is responsible for employment of 118,584 individuals throughout the world (Microsoft Corporation, 2014). Naturally, in order run such widespread business, the business organization is required to interact with various entities in the global environment and society at large. Microsoft Corporation started operating in the computer software and electronics industry of United States in 1975. The founder, Mr. Bill Gates has driven the organization so efficiently that within a short span of time, it conquered the whole world. The company is renowned for its software products such as Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Skype, Xbox etc. and services such as MSN, Bing, and Outlook etc. Xbox is considered to be the flagship hardware product for Microsoft Corporation.

Family business managment Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Family business managment - Case Study Example There was collaborative decision making in the Cohen family as it is documented that the family members met twice a week over lunch to debate and come to a consensus as pertained to the pressing company issues (Ward, 3). However, the Cohen family has its weaknesses that would have proved fatal for the success of the company. Firstly positions in the company were awarded with reference to the predecessor’s position and not with reference to qualifications; Abe and Cohen lineages. Moreover, they held informal meetings hence lack of giving much seriousness to issues that needed intensive decision making. It has been documented that the family members decided when they would have their leaves irrespective of the number yet this was not a privilege accorded to employees who were not family members. The family members seem to be favored other than other employees, creating a loophole for failure of the business (Ward, 4). The issue of succession needs to be resolved to ensure the success of the business. This is following the reassignment of Robert Cohen. It has been documented that no one has yet been appointed to oversee the international relations of the company. This needs to be resolved for the company to maintain its competitive edge in the international business. Consequently, compensation of the next generation and appraisal of the fourth generation was also an issue that needed to be resolved and addressed. There needed to be a top level management, an issue which Abel speculated would raise conflict leading to some family members leaving the company. Subsequently, the issue of diversification of the company needed to be addressed and resolved, this was to inculcate the diversity in the family and also to accommodate all family members (Ward, 7). At first the family meetings were 100% informal as they are documented to occur across a desk shared by Abe and

Organisational Change Of The American International Group Commerce Essay

Organisational Change Of The American International Group Commerce Essay The American international group has a history that dates back to 1919. The company was started when Cornelius Vander Starr established an insurance agency in shanghai the capital city of china. Starr was the first person from the western to sell insurance policies to the Chinese. Starr sold policies until the company which is the current AIG left china in 1949. In the same year the companys headquarter was moved to New York in United States from where it expanded through venturing into other markets in the parts of Latin America, Asia, Europe and Middle East. In 1962 the management of the company moved from Starr to Maurice Greenberg who diverted its concentration from personal insurance sales to high margin corporate coverage where he eliminated agents by bringing in independent brokers whom he used in selling insurance polices. This strategy helped the company to price insurance depending on its probable return even at times when there were reduced sales of certain products and for a long period and still incur very little extra expenses. After Greenberg took over the management of the company it sooner went public in 1969. Starting from 2005 the company was caught up in a series of frauds that were investigated by the justice department of U.S., the office of attorney general in new state and the securities exchange commission. The then CEO Greenberg was suspended and replaced by Martin Sullivan in Feb. 2005. In June 2008 some financial losses were disclosed which led to the fall of AIG share price in the stock market. This resulted to resignation of Sullivan who was then replaced by another CEO Edward Liddy in sep. same year. American international group is the biggest underwriter of industrial and commercial insurance. The financial scandals of 2008 led to great losses to the company which made it suffer a liquidity crisis as its credit rating was downgraded. AIG it a globally recognized insurance company with branches in different parts of the world. Its vision is to be the leader in innovative mortgage solutions while its mission is to be the mortgage insurer of choice through: professional and dedicated staff, entrepreneurial leadership, disciplined risk taking, customer satisfaction, and through solutions to facilitate Canadian homeownership. The companys global benefits network has lately introduced the AIG atlas as one of its strategies. This atlas is a basically a range of products meant to assist in meeting the unique benefit needs of the employees. This will then enhance the utility of the capability of the companys employees in over 100 countries hence be able to provide the best services as well as cost effective solutions to its customers all over the world (AIG Group Management Division 2009). The unique benefits to the employees will include medical insurance, life insurance and long term disability insurance. The company al so intends to provide full time services through charge-free phone number as well as management and monitoring of emergency medical cases. Strategies of AIG The company is one of the leading international insurance and financial organizations. It has partnered with several business groups including CRM, which is the number one credit management solutions provider in Europe. This partnership has enabled the company to provide better customer satisfaction and hence improving its sales of insurance policies while accomplishing efficiency gains. Currently, American international group operates in more than 130 countries while its member companies serve institutional, commercial, as well as individual customers through the widest property, life, and casualty of any insurer in the world (AIG Group Management Division 2009). The company is thus going through a period of drastic reviews of its of the processes and structure in all its centres so as to maximize and establish its B2C customer management. By making use of its resources more effectively the company aims to improve the efficiency of CRM and provide the best responsive customer care. Having partnered with other outsourcers, AIG realized the importance of outsourcing partners with whom they can combine the breadth of experience by providing well managed and high quality services. In 2002 AIG and finalized a business strategy with Transom with outlined a number of challenges such as developing organizational skills to secure maximum profitability and customer satisfaction. The company also had to act according to the desired outcomes for improved organization, quality and management as well as provide cost effective high quality and fulfilment solutions (AIG Group Management Division 2009). Following the deal between the two companies Transcom began to handle the inbound customer care service on behalf of AIG. Transcom then enhanced the quality of services by dealing with the mistakes in the existing program of AIG. Leveraging its long experience and first class technology, Transcom has been able to strengthen and expand the CRM activities of AIG through addition of telemarketing campaigns. Transcom has also succeeded in bolstering AIGs customer revenue and base through contacting its potential customers and presenting them with persuasive offers to coverage commerce. The general improvement in the quality of service of AIG has come from the enormous improvement in customer relations which has in turn strengthened AIGs image as a professional organization. All this was possible since Transcom kept within the service level boundaries as well as constant customer contact (AIG Group Management Division 2009) Organizational Behavior Analysis Organizational behavior analysis is an evaluation of the way individual work in an organization. The organization does not need to be a business institution like the American international group but can also be a religious institution. The ultimate goal of organizational behaviour analysis is to understand in a better way the relationships between individuals in an organization, the relationship of the employees and the organization and the organizations relationship with the rest of the society (Harigopal 2006). This information is then used by the management of organizations to increase the efficiency and productivity of and achieve the goals and objectives of the institution as a whole. According to Harigopal (2006), by gaining and understanding this knowledge the employee are able to realize the contributions of their individual efforts to the bigger image of the organization. The progress and success of every organization rests on the philosophy of management as well as on its vision, goals and values. These factors then drive the organizational culture that is made up of the social environment, formal and informal organization. The culture then influences the type of communication, leadership and group dynamics within the institution. The employees or workers in the institution then take these aspects as the quality of their work life and therefore they determine their rate or degree of motivation. The ultimate results of these will be individual satisfaction, performance, personal growth and the general development of the organization. Organizations are undergoing exceptional radical change in all systems of operation ranging from decision making to global competitive pressures and technology to acquisitions and mergers(Harigopal 2006). Organizations have therefore to respond quickly and effectively while remaining flexible and transforming themselves for the new world of work. Organizational behavior is therefore written with these changes and it explains through what leaders and managers need to know about organizations as they struggle to bring productivity and success in them. Organizational behavior and leadership development is institution wide responsibility that stretches across all functions and departments. Culture is described as the conventional behavior in a given society that includes beliefs, knowledge, customs and practices. Although it rarely finds its way into the conscious mind, it often affects the behavior of human beings within a given society or organization. Employees in an organization like the AIG usually depend on its culture since its culture gives them stability, understanding, security and the ability to react to a given situation. Organizational culture creates a number of concepts, situations and strategies that affect every level of planning in any institution. Understanding the operation of culture and organizational structure and the machinery that it runs behind the scenes helps the employees to organize and strengthen the effective cultures and remove the bad ones thus establishing and environment that promotes success within the institution. According to leadership theorists, diminishing and weakening of an organization together with the employees resistance to change is usually caused by ineffective leadership (Harigopal 2006). For instance the American international group underwent financial crisis in 2008 as a result of poor leadership. The bad culture of impunity that had been developed in the company led to corruption and mismanagement of funds as well and some other unscrupulous deals. Strong leadership and organizational culture are necessary for long term success in every corporation. However some institutions may show signs of success for a long time even without a strong organizational culture but when the culture starts to erode, the big organizations take only a short period of time to collapse. Strong leadership is necessary for a strong organizational culture although the reverse is also true. Without strong leadership to maintain everything running, a strong organizational culture will only dull and eventually erode. Practising business people and theorists have found out that organizational culture and leadership are tightly intertwined. Leaders require having a clear understanding of the impact and identity of the organization culture so as to determine the kind of adjustments and management systems needed within the organization as well as have the right styles of effectively communicating their visions to rest of the institution. The study of the operation of organizational culture and organizational structure makes the practical study of organizational culture and structure implications important. In all organizations from government groups to sport teams, the study of the impact of culture and structure on the general picture of an organization shows a better way of making an entity work. Good organizational structure ensures balanced distribution of responsibilities among the top management of groups as well as among the workers (Harigopal 2006 p.102). This has shown that good organizational structure with excellent personnel that ensure all are focused at the same goal, works well than excellent but conflicted personnel. Organization structure generally deals with the culture set up. It deals with the working of the management, the specific responsibilities of the supervisors, and the manner in which a complaint is passed through the ranks. Organizational structure ensures that. Managing change in organizations A significant change in an organization occurs when the overall strategy of an organization are changed for success, or when an organization adds or removes a major section or practice or when there is a change in the operation nature. Organizations develop by undergoing through significant changes at different points in their progress. Successful organizational change is usually very difficult to achieve thus it usually calls for skilful leadership in change management. In work organizations there are different approaches in guiding change whereby some are structured, planned and explicit while others are more unfolding, organic and implicit. These approaches work in different styles. Some work from the future to the present for instance when an organization develops a vision to be achieved in the future and then lays down strategies on how to acquire that vision. Some other approaches will work from the present to the future. In this approach the organization will identify its current problems issues and goals and then lay down strategies on how to deal with those priorities and how to achieve them (Harigopal 2006 p.97). The variation in the type of strategies used depends on the culture of an organization or on the leadership style of the managers. When starting from the present to the future the organization looks at its past in relation to the present and then looks at the present in relation to the future and then evaluate whether it can still go on with its activities just like it has been doing. For an organization doing business in this fast changing and advancing environment, doing thins like has been doing before may not help it compete fairly with others in the industry (Harigopal 2006 p.98). Even doing the same thing harder or even fine tuning it may sometimes make no difference. What organizations need to do keep doing things different as the changing business environment demands. In the daily operation of organizations the structures, methods, processes and technologies that were appropriate in the earlier market conditions may not be applicable in the current or future conditions. This implies that organizations may be forced to reset themselves on different assumptions and business prospects that are in accordance to customer focus, innovativeness, competitive intelligence, and competency base. For the best results in a change effort, the change agents should first of all have a comprehensive understanding of the context of the change effort such as the right strategies needed and the kind of results expected. This means that the change managers should have a clear understanding of the basic structures and systems in an organization as well as their typical terms and roles (Harigopal 2006 p.98). The leadership style and management systems of an organization in relation to its culture are also necessary. Change management encompasses thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation of necessary strategies. Before a change is initiated and during the change process the change leaders should conduct extensive consultations with the people affected by the change and also involve them in the change process. The managers should also find ways of aligning the aims of the business with the needs of their people. The managers should check if the people affected agree with or at least understand the need for change and that they have a chance to decide or give views on how the change should be managed. The sensitive aspects of the change management should be handled through face to face communication so as to convey meaning and understanding. According to Harigopal (2006), managing change therefore demand establishing different management structures, like the interim structure to deal with the business of the business, the transition management structure to smoothen the change process and a structure to stream line the new state of the organization (p.95). Before starting the change process, an organization should be clear on its purpose, direction and vision as well as have a clear analysis of its prevailing strengths and weaknesses in relation to opportunities and threats. The dynaminism of business environment will then determine what should be changed and the required pace of change. Impact of technology on business According to (HÃ ¥kansson, Waluszewski Prenkert 2009), business today is inextricably entangled with technology starting from the smallest business to International Corporation with a number of monolithic applications of legacy. In todays world one cannot be in successful business activities and fail to come across the issues of technology. This is because the way business processes are carried out today is very different from the way they were being carried out 30 years ago. Technological advancements have occurred in several areas from communication, stock market, travel i.e. by air, land and water and technology has also evolved around our lives. Information technology has revolutionised the systems of business operation around the world. Local business have now gone international as a consequence of simple website information technology that than enabled them to advertise internationally (HÃ ¥kansson, Waluszewski Prenkert 2009). Information technology (IT) has helped in customer service where big organizations like Microsoft and American international group attend to needs of their customers through online services like email and chart. Internal and external networking in organizations has improved business operations around the world. Through networking staffs and clients in organizations can effectively get in touch with their leaders for feedback and updates on progress and extensions. Communication within firms as well as between firms has really bloomed with the current developments in technology. Business between organizations has even become easier and more effective. For instance the American international group has been able to work with other organizations and improve its services due to improved IT and communication. However due to high technology computer systems in organisations todays business calls for extensive and careful planning. This planning can be done on organised pattern, with formats schedules and Gantt charts. Due to improved computer systems huge data bases can now be managed and stored on network and back up drives for future records. Accessibility of stored data and files has also become easy with the discovery of a series of shared folders and password keys. According to HÃ ¥kansson, Waluszewski Prenkert (2009) Cash transactions are easily made hence reducing delay which then gives liquidity to business and makes the overall processes i n business faster. Information technology has enabled the businesses to put up an easier and effective coordination with their suppliers. This then has enabled them to benefit from production economics when they operate with the large specialized suppliers. Furthermore the drastic reduction of in the IT cost as well as the reduced risk of transaction in explicit coordination has been it possible for extensive application of explicit coordination with the suppliers. The resulting economized transactions and other factors thus enable a long term business partnership with a smaller set of suppliers According to Johnson Redmon Mawhinney (2001), communication is an essential part of any organization regardless of its operation size. It helps in building public relations via effective interpersonal relations and enhancing teamwork for high performance. Effective communication basically entails relaying messages in a clear and precise manner making it easy to be understood without altering the message being conveyed. Communication is composed of a couple of stages: sender as the source of communication, encoding involves the sender internalizing the message, channel of communication, decoding is relaying the message to the receiver. Receiver in this case is the intended recipient of the message and the reaction/feedback of the receiver completes the cycle. The effectiveness of the communication depends on both the degree of attention from both the listener and the recipient of the message. For effective communication one strives to reduce the mistakes likely to occur at every stage of communication discussed above. Encoding involves synthesizing the information to be communicated. The precision and ease with which you communicate will depend on the level at which you internalize the message (Johnson Redmon Mawhinney 2001). Special attention should be placed on the critical issues, the likely mistaken assumption the communication might generate and the missing information. One should understand well the message he wants to convey, project the likely impact and reaction it will be getting then relay it at the best time possible Wrong interpretations or assumptions may result to communication breakdown. Communication breakdown slows the implementation of ideas and creates stumbling blocks for the path towards the success of an institution. Both the sender and conveyer of the information should have the same understanding of the information. Well conveyed message helps th e listeners understand your thoughts, your perspective on a certain idea. Channels of communication vary from electronic communication electronic communication (fax, internet, video conferencing) face to face, telephone, mails, reports, memo and notices. Choosing an appropriate channel adds value to the information being relayed since each channel has its advantages and weaknesses. Decoding of the message by the listener also requires skill. One should be keen in order to note things like the mood of the sender the feelings in the message and its relevance. Poor decoding which mostly arises from lack of deep understanding of the issue at hand limits the importance of the message. Feedback by the receivers both verbal and non verbal helps in assessing how effective the communication was received. Upon failures it might be important to repeat the message. Circumstances at which you relay your information has impact on the communication. Many organizations like AIG have maintained success and goals achievement due to use of effective communication methods which have enabled participation of all employees towards accomplishing common goals. Removing mistakes from all the stages of communication is very important. The message should be organized, summarized and with minimum or no errors at all. Recent studies point out that communication skill both written and spoken is the biggest factor in isolation that is used in determining managers of cooperation. This is a major boost on the ability to relate well with your subjects and respect you. Poor communication skills will lead stand in the way of career progression as it leads to poor coordination of ideas. Conclusion In todays world, whether an organization is a profiting or non-profit making, it very important that the organization motivates and utilizes its talent. Understanding the organizational behaviour is a major factor for increased opportunity and chances of success in the business world (Johnson Redmon Mawhinney 2001). On the other comprehensively understanding the organizations culture ensures continued growth in a diverse manner. In order to attract talents and high quality skills into an organization there is need for a culture of open communication and diversity. Once the institution has the best culture it needs in its activities then it can improve its efficiency and have more widespread viewpoints from which it can learn from hence expanding its systems and operations. However there should be good care to ensure that the organizational culture and structure are in accordance or compatible with the strategic goals of the organization. In todays fast moving global world fro business, organizations need to quickly learn their threats and opportunities and adapt to them. The rate at which an organization learns these factors, affects the speed and efficiency at which the organization handles these opportunities and threats. Effective communication is also a very important factor in the productivity and success of every organization (Johnson Redmon Mawhinney 2001). Communication can either be formal or informal which are both used in all institutions whether directly or indirectly. Formal channels of communication in organizations usually follow the chain of command which is usually from top to bottom. On the other hand the informal channel tends to be more open and spontaneous. Gossip is some form of informal communication. The informal communication is a very effective method of communication and its mostly used by small companies. Investments aimed at increasing the level of explicit harmonization with the outside agents has resulted in enhanced risk to organizations. This has traditionally made organizations to avoid this increased risk by under investing in coordination. However information technology has been found to have the ability of reducing coordination cost without increasing the associated risk of transactions resulting in more outsourcing and less vertically integrated firms. Lower relationship specificity of IT investments and better capability of monitoring, means that organizations can safely invest in information technology. This will then enhance coordination between firms than in traditional investments. The rate and importance of organizational change has not slowed in the past years but it has actually been improving. The continued rapid technological innovations are bringing in changes in organizational processes and systems. The faster growth in internet has enabled much easier and faster access to information and knowledge which has then changed the way people operate businesses. The expectations of employees in their movement from one organization to another have also increased hence necessitating more and more organizational changes so as to meet the current market demand. American international group is a constantly changing organization due to the changing customer demands among other factors. According to AIG Group Management Division (2009), the rate of change portrayed a good culture of AIG that does not show resistance to change in the organization. Although the company experienced some hard times in 2005, its culture of good change enabled it to come out of the crisis. Organizational change has seen the abolition of some of the international market barriers which has then helped many organizations like AIG to venture into partnership with foreign institutions thus improving its market and services. This therefore illustrates the importance of constant organizational change. In spite the importance or organizational change not all the undertaken changes that deliver the expected benefits to the organization. This is the reason why any change in an organization should be carried out through the right procedures. Strong leadership qualities for the managers are also necessary for successful organizational change (Harigopal 2006). Failure for organizational change to deliver is usually brought by reasons such as absence of a change agent with qualifications or the change agent being too junior in an institution. Lack of support by the senior management and their committed executive should be available in any organization. Poor definition of organization objectives and diverse dimensional solutions helps in building confidence in the involved participants hence enabling them to take part in every process of the change. Failed organizational change initiatives do a lot of harm to the employees both in their spirit and strength which creates more difficulty in the accomplishment of the consecutive change initiatives. Actually todays managers face a great challenge in managing change. In order to ensure success therefore all managers are required to understand their organization together with their real needs. According to Harigopal (2006), the change leaders should also understand that bringing positive change in any organization is primarily about changing the employees behaviour in certain ways. Leadership, and powerful management skills like visioning, planning, prioritizing, giving feedback and rewarding are key issues in the success of any organization.

The Significance of Religion in Hamlet Essay -- Hamlet Essays

Summary -The tragedy of Hamlet is one of the most important of Shakespeare’s plays and one that is published and performed as part of the rainbow of world literature. This paper investigates the role of religion for the characters and their actions, and presents a new interpretation using religion to understand the characters’ motives. The paper concludes that although Christianity is the main influence on Hamlet, Shakespeare also used Grecian religious symbols. Hamlet suffered from a psychological shock, then re-evaluated the events around him in light of his religious views. Hamlet reveals how Shakespeare used his ability in rhetoric to create a religious message about the church and re-created the values of right and wrong according to his own view. ******************************************************************************** Undoubtedly, it is difficult to find free space in the land of the battle which thousands of horses’ hooves have crushed; similarly, when researching Hamlet, one finds a plethora of papers in diverse fields including philosophy, religion, feminism, literature, psychology, culture, and history covering a wide range of aspects of the play. This study examines the function of religion for the people and events of Hamlet, offering a different perspective on the characters’ motives. The essay begins with a summary of the play, and then discusses the characters, especially the protagonist, to elicit the influence of religion. The central questions which this paper will address are: Are the characters ‘believers’? Was the main protagonist, Hamlet, a believer? Is faith given a positive or negative value in the play? To what extent does religion help us to illustrate and understand the play’s events? Was ... ...: Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd. Available from: http://books.google.com.sa/books?id=irM9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22+that+the+night-wandering+demons,+who+rejoice+in+dunnest+shades,+at+the+crowing+of+the+cock+tremble+and+scatter+in+sore+affright.%22%22&source=bl&ots=6S_hg403jd&sig=lBs136cVBCxXXStXAmQQTt9AxRk&hl=ar&ei=QnfQS7T4I4v3-Aap6YA0&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=%22%20that%20the%20night-wandering%20demons%2C%20who%20rejoice%20in%20dunnest%20shades%2C%20at%20the%20crowing%20of%20the%20cock%20tremble%20and%20scatter%20in%20sore%20affright.%22%22&f=false [accessed 20 April - 2015] Voss, P. 2002 'Assurances of Faith: How Catholic was Shakespeare? How Catholic are his Plays?' Crisis 20, No. 7 (July/August), pp. 34-39. It is available from: http://www.catholiceducation.org/articles/arts/al0147.html [Accessed 24 April 2015]

Definition Essay on Ignorance Essay

When people are confronted with information which they’re not ready to accept, they will usually return to the phrase â€Å"ignorance is bliss†. Ignorance is not bliss; it is merely a dose of anaesthetic which wears off in time. Being ignorant does not mean being happy, ignorance is lack of knowledge. Ignorance should never be a way of life for a fully grown human because knowledge always means power and ignorance never means bliss. For a child, however, ignorance of things they cannot accurately comprehend yet may be beneficial. I have always believed in Santa Claus until I caught my parents slipping presents into my Christmas socks. I was shell shocked when I witnessed that my parents were no Santa Claus and Santa Claus indeed did not exist. I cried. I cried because my parents were liars. I cried because Santa Claus was not real. Ignorant of that fact would have saved me from heartbreak but I have eventually learned to accept the reality of our world. We cannot be ignorant forever, at some point in the future; we will all learn to acquire the knowledge and the blessing of being knowledgeable. Many times in life, people have been tempted to be ignorant. Being ignorant of things could give us a breather and as with all things in life, both knowledge and people come in differing degrees of strength. Sometimes, we just want to avoid and be less worry about issues we have in our lives. Childhood does have a kind of bliss, indeed. Children do not have the kinds of burdens that adults have-the burdens that come with responsibility and with awareness of the complexities of life and Ignorance has its place in life for awhile. As for parents, they may want to protect their children from knowledge which is too much for them to bear, too confusing for their minds to process. As we grow and become more independent, we must develop an adult mind of our own. â€Å"Would it be beneficial or harmful to a person if they knew for certain the date of their death?† In this scenario, both camps of aphorisms will yell out that their aphorism saves the day. The knowledge camp will say that knowing the date of ones death will help one to live a more fulfilling life. The ignorance camp will state that such a scenario would cripple a person,  and that in order to live a happy life, that person should be ignorant of their death-date. I say that both camps are true, but partial. Many cancer patients know the date of their death, at least as proscribed by doctors, to within a few months. For some of these patients, the news is crippling, and they end up dying long before their deadline because they lose the will to live. Others see this deadline as a second chance, growing beyond their present condition, regardless of if they are to die. This scenario highlights the importance of development in fact giving: you have to be certain the person is ready to hear the information you are about to give them. This problem explores only one way the knowledge/ignorance dualism may be integrated. In Will Durant’s The Story of Philosophy, the story tells the life of a wise Bramin. The Bramin is learned, wise, and wealthy but he is not content with his life. He has many questions left unanswered in his life. He is tormented by his imagination and wonders. He is upset for the time he has spent on learning because his knowledge brought more questions and discontentment in his life. He questions as to why knowledge did not bring him happiness but misery. He also knew that his neighbor, a poor and ignorant woman lives her life without any dissatisfaction. But he declares that if happiness were to be gained through ignorance, he does not look forward to being happy. Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer, and Cindy Lu. _Wu Xia and the Art of_ _Scooter Maintenance._ New York: Springer, 2003. Smith, John Jacob Jingleheimer et. al. _Wu Xia and the Art of_ _Scooter Maintenance_. New York: Springer, 2003.

Compare two music promos

‘Creating a memorable music video is much like growing an unusual moustache. It takes patience and nerve. During the early planning stages it may be difficult to perceive exactly what the finished ‘tache' will look like. The growing period may be arduous, drawn out. The moustache's grower may be tempted by the easy clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of fashion to compromise their original design. But if he or she stays the course, remaining true to their vision, they will doubtless create something unique. While the finished ‘moustache' may not be to everybody's taste, it will stand out. It will entertain. It will provoke. It will inspire: a true original amid a tangled forest of more conventional styles.' Music video production company ‘ Colonel Blimp' Essay title: Compare and contrast two music videos from two different genres. The two videos I am going to compare are; a new and up incoming artist from London's underground scene, Kano with the video for ‘Ps and Qs' an underground a anthem that marks the mainstream break – through for grime and UK hip hop and a very comical band Tenacious D with the video for ‘WounderBoy', who's main singer and founder of the band is a well known and respectable comedian – Jack Black. The band who are responsible for songs such as ‘Fu*k Her Gently' like to be seen as funny and not to be taken to seriously. Such a contrast between the band and the artist it is quite obvious that both videos are not going to be alike and great for comparing and contrasting. Kano's ‘Ps and Qs' promo is directed by Alistair Siddons, an up incoming director who works for the production company Colonel Blimp. He is well known in his chosen genre of music – underground UK grime and hip hop and has directed videos for highly respected bands and artists in that scene, such as ‘The Streets', ‘Roots Manuva' and ‘Crazy Titch'. He tends to work with artists on a low budget although he does still continue to work with his artists once they have become more popular and have a larger budget. He is becoming increasingly well known and has recently won four awards for his work at this year's Underground Music Awards. Tenacious D decided to use Spike Jonze, a well respected film and music video director, largely credited for his work in Blockbuster films ‘Being John Malkovich' and ‘Adaptation'. However Jonze also remains a pioneer in the world of music videos, and for many years has been best known as an award – winning music video, short film and commercial director. One of his most famous promo' s being ‘Fatboy Slim's' ‘Praise You', in which Jonze stars as himself. Unlike Siddons, Jonze does not have preferable genre in which the videos he directs and has directed for a wide variety of musical styles and genres, from Hip Hop's Notorious B.I.G to digital, electro pop band Daft Punk. ‘Ps and Qs' establishing shot is at a tilted, low angle looking up at high – rise city building, which has a lot of glass and reflection from street lamps, we can see that it is at night. There is fast, snappy editing that goes with the songs digitally modified beats and we can see more images of London and local streets that are graffitied and littered. This adds to the mise – en – scene of the video and gives an impression and feel of urban decay. Just before the lyrics start we can see Kano walk out from the darkness of an alley and into the light from a street lamp. He walks towards the camera and begins to rap (as though he is talking) to us. The camera begins to track backwards with Kano walking forward to us; Kano appears to be moving with the camera, as though he is on the tripod. Tenacious D's video opens as though it were a film, with credits informing whom the director and the band is, the background is of the nights sky and we can see that it is snowing. The establishing shot is of tall snow mountains and a forest, the camera moves quickly into the forest and we can see the band's main singer Jack Black sat on a log. As the lyrics begin Jack starts to sing dramatically but serious – already we can sense intertextual reference to the world – famous film, ‘Lord Of The Rings'. Editing is slow and typical of a fantasy/adventure film, camera shots are also very filmic e.g. extreme close – up's of Jack Black, and large bird's eye view shots, that quickly sweep over scenery and closely focus on characters. I also feel that the video has been shot in double time or time and a half to create a slow motion feel. As Kano's promo continues, we see more tall building projects, estates and back streets. Through – out the video Kano appears to be on his own travelling through out London. The film seems to have a dark green wash over it as the video appears to be off – coloured and darker than it should be, this also adds to the mise – en – scene of the promo and creates a atmosphere that is not overtly scary but menacing. The places that Kano travels through appear to be slightly threatening and the viewers find themselves relieving that they are not walking through these places on their P's! (On their own). The viewer can see that this video is on a lower budget compared to Tenacious D's WonderBoy' and does not have such graphic storyline or the need for great acting skills, however Kano's lyrical content mixed with clever camera and editing tricks make up for the lack of story – boarding. Tenacious D's promo develops a story – line that the viewer can follow through the bands actions, their impressive acting skills and the song's lyrics, which sing about ‘WonderBoy' and his evil archenemy – Young nasty man. Through out the video we see ‘WonderBoy' (played by Jack Black) sat in the forest reciting lyrics, he begins to move as he sings and the camera tracks behind him, as WonderBoy dramatically turns around, we see his evil competitor, Young nasty man (played by the band's other member Kyle Glass). Shots are slow and dramatic with a lot of use of ‘fade editing'. During the song we approach a verse that is spoken (and shouted!) by Black, the promo at this verse fades into a picturesque view of Snow Mountains with Black and Glass's faces faded on top of the picture. This is a technique used in ‘The Lord Of The Ring' films and is usually used to show what the character is thinking about or the scene that he is creating with words. We see extravagant sets of icy snow deserts and the camera tracks behind Black on what seems to be a quest. Filming is slow and dreamy. The whole promo only actually uses 92 different camera shots most of which are faded into each other, compared to Kano's ‘P's and Q's' which use's a mass of 156 different camera shots which are fast, snappy and edgy (and maybe dangerous for someone who has epilepsy). In conclusion both promos are incredibly unique and directed to the highest standards, none better than the other but just of remarkably different genres and styles. Kano's promo pushes boundaries and throws out stereo – typical clichà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s of American, gangster Hip Hop with jewellery, woman and drugs. It too illustrates the wider shift in the way Garage and Grime music is incrementally developing from disposable dance floor music into a far deeper and infinitely more subtle medium capable of expressing the turbulent inner life of Britain's excluded urban underclass – a demographic discovering their own identity and voice through microphones, cheap computer technology and the sawn-of idiom of pirate music. In turn Tenacious D's ‘WonderBoy' offers amazing direction from Jonze and incredible theatrical performances from Black and Glass. A comical, yet serious parody lampooning a contemporary media phenomenon – ‘The Lord Of The Rings' and at the same time tells a humorous tale of how the band was started. Many critics and viewers found ‘The Lord Of The Rings' to worthy and pompous yet Tenacious D and Spike Jonze saw this opportunity to successfully mock it.