Identify three parenting styles and explain the impact of one of these styles on childrens development.

Identify three parenting styles and explain the impact of one of these styles on childrens development. In modern psychology it is a well established notion within the field that effective parenting is crucial in developing healthy psychosocial development amongst children. Psychologists like Freud and Erikson recognized the importance of the parents in the child's emotional, social and psychological development. Much of our adult life sense of adjustment or maladjustment is due to our childhood experiences and our parental relationship or caregivers during our formative years.Psychologist Diana Baumrind was fascinated by the correlation between parent/s and child and the psychosocial development interplay which exist. Parenting is fraught with pitfalls and grey zones. There is certainly no manual that comes along with the new borne stipulating right or wrong parenting approaches. These are formulated through trial and error. Baumrind sought to establish a theoretical framework identifying and outlining the various types of parenting approaches. She theorized that parenting styles coul d be placed into three distinct categories. Baumrind conceived that parenting was permissive, authoritarian or authoritative.Cover of ParentingAuthoritarian parents and Permissive parents lie at opposite ends of the parental divide with the authoritative parenting approach seemingly striking an equilibrium between the two.Permissive parents approach parenting in a laid back withdrawn manner establishing very few rules or parameters with which to govern the child's behaviour. It is a general consensus that the permissive approach to parenting produces unfavourable results. Parents who display this benign attitude towards a child generally serve as a poor role model. The child is less likely to adopt positive standards of conduct.Authoritarian parents on the other hand institute a series of convoluted regulations, rigid rules and rely strongly on punishment in order to maintain control. They view them selves as the omnipotent authority and do not appreciate being questioned. The child is not encouraged to exert any autonomy and exploration is not promoted. There...

Application of organizational behavior concepts Research Paper

Application of organizational behavior concepts - Research Paper Example There are many major problematic issues considered toxic for organizational behavior (OB) and employee turnover rate by the researchers and human resource managers and some among them happen to be motivational issues, leadership issues, and stress-related issues. All of these grave and toxic issues for turnover rate and OB will be discussed at length in this paper while the relationship shared by each of these issues with OB will also be identified and contemplated. This paper basically strives to describe these three problematic issues which are proposed to be especially dangerous for OB and also identify effective solutions for eliminating these issues from the workplace for the betterment of the organization and the workforce in context of a Healthcare Inc. which is facing a challenge with high employee turnover. This paper will also explain how I identified the issues that were at the root of the turnover issues and why I think the measures proposed by me to the Healthcare Inc. w ould turn out as effective and successful. This remains a solid fact that the importance of the interview process in finding out the root causes of employee turnover is exceptional and phenomenal. This is a kind of magic tool which is totally unavoidable and unforgettable if finding out the reasons behind employee turnover is seriously intended. Even the HR professionals frequently employ this very important tool in their investigatory processes. Likewise, I also began my investigation for discovering the issues behind turnover by interviewing the employees working at the Healthcare Inc. which is apparently exposed to certain pressures consequential of high turnover. I designed a questionnaire including five questions referring to how unmotivated the employees feel at work, how stressed they feel at work, how bad the leadership is, if the workplace diversity affects them much, and if power and political issues influence the workplace environment. These questions were asked by every employee. Though a broad range of factors is reportedly responsible for OB issues like employee turnover but the results of my interviewing process highlighted three issues to be largely responsible. These happened to be motivational, leadership, and stress-related issues. I found a majority of employees to be dissatisfied with the leadership at Healthcare Inc. Some blamed the uninvolved managing style for high turnover while the rest laid the blame on the authoritarian or bossy leadership. As mismanaged behavior directly influences the workplace environment so the rate of stress at workplace also happened to remain high all the time and the workers reported about feeling stresses out and unmotivated at work. If leadership is imperfect and inappropriate, the kind of which neglects the preferences and needs of the workforce, if the workers start feeling stressed out when managers refuse to give them their time to sort out certain confusions, and if the absenteeism rate shoots up when workers get unmotivated to work proficiently, then the structural framework of OB deteriorates rapidly. The damage done to OB is first identified often when employee turnover is noticed to be rising. A high employee turnover can cost a company millions of dollars annually which certainly is no small deal because not only does it damage the position of the company in the market but also it produces a direct bad influence on the morale of the employees. Work-related stress can be painful to the point of insanity and stress arrives on the surface when work-related pressures exceed the tolerance capacity of the workers which is when the work stress starts bursting at the seams. The arrival of stress, in the same way, is directly related to excessive work or persistent boredom which can be often seen at any workplace where there is an unchanging aura due to negative attitude reserved for changes. What makes the work-related stress a serious and hazardous issue is the worst kind of depre ssion it can lead a worker to. A

Multimedia and design Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multimedia and design - Article Example first understanding of Multimedia and design would be the fusion of audio and art translated into a material that is ready to be translated to digital format or medium. However, upon taking up the course where we have tackled three of the most insightful books: Simple and Usable by AColborne Giles, Steve Jobs by AIsaacson Walter, and. Massive change by AMau Bruce I realized that multimedia and design is indeed another world of digital media that would make every user of the web today more powerful than ever before. I learned from the book Simple and Usable that to be able to be successful in multimedia and design does not always mean creating a grand website that is very catchy to people’s eyes. Yes, it is another factor that a website would be visited however, catchy should never compromise with pleasantness. Thus, it is important to know that simplicity is really an objective one could carry out in any multimedia work that would never lead you astray to success. I learned that it does not mean creating an almost empty site perhaps but one that is of utmost functionality and at the same time with consideration to the basic needs of a user such as including a â€Å"help† link. Another book I learned a lot from would be â€Å"Steve Jobs by AIsaacson Walter† that tackled how Steve Jobs was able to revolutionize six industries from personal computers, movies, music, phones, digital publishing and etc. This opened my eyes for the need to innovate and never let your imaginations end as it is. The success in multimedia could be achieved with inventiveness, a couple of multimedia engineering, and most especially a creation that would give a solution to a need or even a want. One of which would be that he made it possible to legally download songs which is of great value especially to the kind of lifestyle we have today and the booming music industry being experienced like never before in history which is made possible by the web today. With AMau Bruce’s Massive

Purchase decision of Pevensey PLC among four options of machinery Essay

Purchase decision of Pevensey PLC among four options of machinery - Essay Example In this paper two methods for analysis of the investment decision are adopted. These methods include discounted and non-discounted cash flow analysis. The reason for choosing these particular methods is that they are strictly numerical and objective. The solution given by these methods cannot be argued against and can be easily defended if questions are raised pertaining to their legitimacy. Relevant data is also available for using the above mentioned methods of analysis. The initial costs of the four machines, their residual value at the end of their useful life and cash flow generated by the four machines is provided in the case. -Discounted Cash flow simply calculates the differential between the costs and receipts associated with each investment option for the organization. In this particular case, the investment options for the company are the four machines. The benefit of non-discounted cash flow method is ease of assessment and communication to the top management. Discounted cash flow is a modified and improved version of cash flow analysis in which timings of the cash flows are also taken into account. Under this method, value for each cash flow is discounted according to respective cost of capital of the company. This method makes more sense because contemporary organizations prefer gain cash flow as early as possible, so that this cash flow can be reinvested in the business or some other venture. Aversion to  risk is the second reason for discounting of because the distant is the date for receipt for cash; the lesser is the certainty of receiving it. An investment is viable if its net cash inflow exceeds the net outflow of cash for acquisition and maintenance of machinery (Gilchrist and Himmelberg, 1995). The cost of capital of

Victory at a price Essay Example for Free

Victory at a price Essay I ran my small pale hand shaking in the bitter winter wind, gently down his left hind leg. It felt smooth and strong, there was no sign of the recent injury. I felt a great sense of relief. It was going to be alright. Luxembourg turned his head with a white blaze down it to his mouth, towards me and gently moved his big hooves out of my way. He seemed to sense that I was nervous and touchy. It was the night before the big race. I sighed deeply; I stood to lose everything, the stables, the horses and the staff. We had not made any money for such a long time. Our lives depended on winning the second race tomorrow at Kempton Park. I woke up to the early morning sun streaming through my upstairs bedroom window. I was eager and excited but I still had some concerns that in a couple of hours, when the race finishes, he would come back safe and sound but I would be over the moon if Luxembourg was to win. It was not to long before I drove the enormous horse box, fifty five miles up to Kempton Park Racecourse on the outskirts of London, where he would be having his first run on the Racecourse just approaching two years Monday week. I was just going through the gate which said Horseboxes in big, bold and black writing engraved on the white board next to the gate. I had to show the security pass to get through. Every part of my body was trembling and shivering with anxiety and hope that Luxembourg the cute and chocolate coloured would come back safely and we would get a big run out. I was hoping in a few hours time all my hard work with staff with this horse would pay off today with a place or a win. I was shivering, I was growing colder and colder with hope, but most of all anxiety, I had now got Goosebumps running up my arms and legs, everywhere. A cold anxiety filled hour of bitter coldness has just passed; I walked the horse out into the pre parade ring. I put the saddle on tightly so it would not move as he was running the race. He was number 9, it was my lucky number, I thought could this be my lucky day today. Luxembourg and I walked round the pre parade ring a couple of times before we went into the dreaded parade ring. The atmosphere was electrifying. There were a couple of 100 people watching us, only us in the pre parade because all the other entrants had already made their way to the parade ring. My heart was in my mouth. We walked through the plastic gates through to the parade ring. There were a couple of thousand people watching us because we were the last horse to go through. I could feel Luxembourg tensing up and scared, there were lots and lots of people watching him. We walked round and round the huge parade ring. I heard a voice faintly; he said number nine looks fit and healthy. I thought to myself that must be a good sign if other people think he is fit. The first bell rang deafeningly, it meant the jockeys were to come out and mount up onto the horse. Paddy came out jogging; he came over and talked to us. He said Go from the front, see how it goes. I went over to the horse with Paddy, I gave him a leg up, and we were the first mounted up. I walked out to the course holding the horse reigns as if I was walking a dog. I said Good Luck to Paddy and let the reigns go. Luxembourg was off, his glistening coat shining in the beaming bright sun. His picturesque face standing out with the long and lovely white blaze standing out on his chocolate coloured coat. He made his way down to the 2 mile start by Swinley Bottom. I went to my place high up in the gigantic stand in front of the massive course; I was surrounded by about three million people watching the race. I was shivering and trembling. Theyre off Luxembourg went off in the lead by about ten lengths clear of the rest of the horses. A mile gone Luxembourg still ahead but the rest of the field have just come back to him. As Luxembourg came past the winning post for the first time, I shouted as loud as I could COME ON PADDY. He was going the best out of the other eight who were being nudged along a touch. He jumped the next two down at Swinley Bottom as if he was jumping for fun. It was all going well I thought to myself. The next fence came; the field of nine were bunched together. Luxembourg was still first. He jumped the next extremely well. The second horse fell and brought down the third and fourth. The ninth horse refused the fence. There was six left. Luxembourg was left three lengths clears of number 2 who was 8 lengths ahead of the remainder who were weakening rapidly. Paddy decided to kick on, He began to get tired, he came to the last fence of sixteen. He was extremely tired, he clattered the fence. The second was closing in on him on the run in. Luxembourg was idling in front. He went one way and then the other. Paddy gave him a few slaps down the neck. One hundred metres left, one furlong until the end. The second horse came closer, closer, and closer. The race went to the judge. A few minutes wait, I was trembling, shivering and Goosebumps went everywhere. The judge spoke first number 9 Luxembourg, Second Number 2 Kauto Star. I went down to pick him up, I whispered to Paddy Well Done. He was delighted. I walked him into the winners enclosure. I felt that Luxembourg was not walking as fit as usual. He was limping; we thought something must be wrong with him. He just about got into the winners enclosure. I asked the vet to look at him. The vet said he had to be put down, he could not live another hour. He was put down. I fell to the ground in complete shock. I was in tears. A puddle building up on my face. I was sweating, shivering but most of all distraught. My staff, family and I were distressed and depressed. He was the best horse I ever had for the thirteen years we have been running the stable. I thought to myself, no one can ever replace Luxembourg, he was a superior, excellent and energetic horse that will never be forgotten and always have a place in our hearts. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

International Business strategy for Arcelik Home Appliances

International Business strategy for Arcelik Home Appliances Arcelik Home Appliances is the leading manufacture of home appliances in Turkey with a market share of 50% in the domestic market as at 2003 (Chemawat, 2008). It supplies the market using two brands namely Arcelik and Beko. The company has adopted an international expansion strategy and has already been marketing its products to more than one hundred (100) countries mainly in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, and North Africa (Chemawat, 2008). Arcelik was originally founded to produce metallic office furniture in 1955 but diversified into production of household appliances shortly after. It has been hailed as the first company to introduce appliances such as washing machines and refrigerators to the Turkish households. Arcelik would face further challenges when it became apparent that the Turkish government would be participating in the European Communitys tariff reduction which was meant to reduce to zero from 1992 to 1996 (Chemawat, 2008). The challenge would be competition from other manufactures from the European Community who would be able to sell their products at more competitive process in the domestic market. Arcelik overcame this challenge by investing heavily in research and development thereby substantially improving the quality of their products. The company is currently the leading holder of patents in the Turkish market. This strategy cemented its market leadership in the domestic market as consumers preferred to spend a little more to obtain goods whose durability could be assured. This preference was also enhanced by Turkeys fluctuating market where inflationary forces were highly unpredictable with the greater odds being to the consumers disadvantage. Arcelik would later grow to establish its market dominance in Turkey for decades but would later face challenges that would trigger its focus on international expansion to ensure its survival and growth. Arceliks motives for international expansion The focus on international expansion by Arcelik was triggered by the economic crisis that hit Turkey in 2001. This crisis had led to soaring levels of unemployment and a significant reduction of market demand by an estimated figure of 35% (Chemawat, 2008). This strategy mainly comprised increasing exports as well as engaging in international acquisitions. The economic crisis in Turkey must have proved to Arcelik the vulnerability of firms wholly dependent on domestic markets. Pressures from business cycles, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates and political forces are prevalent in domestic markets. On the other hand, international markets tend to be better insulated from such pressures since they will rarely apply across several countries. Economic crisis in one market would normally not be prevalent in the rest of the markets hence multinationals can ensure stability by marketing their products across many countries. Arcelik had to get a way to survive the economic crisis in 20 01 and as well ensure that future company performance was stabilized by reducing its level of vulnerability to domestic market fluctuations. Arcelik also sought to focus on international expansion in order to increase its level of production and increase its economies of scale (Chemawat, 2008). This means that with additional production, the cost of producing each unit product becomes significantly lower hence allowing a company to make higher margins per unit or allowing them to charge lower per unit without incurring any losses. Economies of scale allow a company to remain competitive in the ever-evolving economies. To ensure that the economies of scale do not end up in accumulation of dead stock, or in the escalation of warehousing and storage costs, Arcelik would need to look to markets that would be able to support its intention of increasing the economies of scale through a larger demand. The national demand within Turkey would not be able to absorb these additional products h ence the rationale behind Turkey looking to expand international trade. The level of demand for home appliances in Europe alone is about 25% of world demand (Chemawat, 2008). Arcelic sought to tap into this huge demand to support its competitiveness and the large levels of production occasioned by their strategy of maximizing on the economies of scale. International expansion can also be explored where a company seeks to lower its production costs by having a significant proportion of their production done from regions where the cost is lower than in the domestic market. One of the major factors of production that normally influence the decision of overseas production is labour. When considering labour, it is imperative that a company weighs between the benefits of the savings from paying the lower labour cost, the differences in the productivity of the workers between the higher wage and lower wage areas, and the transport and storage cost implications. It is also worth noting that in many cases, where the labour costs are low, other factors of production such as land would also be relatively lower. The labour cost in Western Europe is estimated to be five times that in Turkey. Labor cost in Turkey is three times that in Eastern Europe (Chemawat, 2008). In China, it is four times lower than in Turkey. Labor productivity also varies and must be taken into account. For instance, in China, labour productivity is just half of that in Turkey. Additional transportation costs are determined by both the distance between the production facilities and the legal environments of the countries through which the products must cross to get to its intended markets. Access to international markets is crucial to any organization that seeks to expand itself. Domestic markets will often in many cases be found insufficient to support the growth targets that the companies set for themselves. They are also in many cases unable to enable an organization to recoup the investments the y may make in research and development in time. The complexity and the level of innovations in the global market is advanced and often leads to production of new and better fulfilling products. This significantly reduces the product life cycles and the companies engaging in research and development need to gain assurance that their investments can be recouped before the products lose demand. This assurance can only be found by marketing extensively in the international markets where the demand is much larger and can ably support the level of sales needed. Arcelik was motivated to focus on international markets since it had opted to distinguish itself as a research and development specialist who focused on the production of quality and durable products. These features would mean that it would need to charge relatively higher prices for the products. On the other side, the products from other European countries were finding their way into Turkey due to the zero tariff arrangement with the European countries. The entry of other products in Turkey meant that Arcelik would either have to lower their prices in order to maintain its domestic share market, or expand its operations to European and other markets in order to maintain or increase its level of sales to clients that focus more on quality, suitability and durability of the products they purchase. Arceliks options for expansion In order to realize its goal of expansion into the international markets, Arcelik has adopted a number of options to help them realize this goal. The international market entry options adopted by Arcelik include use of exports, international acquisitions, use of private label contracting, and product diversification. Organic domestic growth and use of exports Arcelik ensured growth domestically by ensuring reliable accessibility to the market using exclusive distributors and agencies who also served as centres for offering after sales services. This exclusive network also served as an entry barrier for any new market operators. Exporting entails maintaining the companys operations in the home market and selling the products in overseas markets (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). It is hailed as the least costly mode of foreign market entry but at the same time the most vulnerable to various entry barriers as government regulations. The cost effectiveness of this entry method is enhanced by the fact that it requires no involvement with the foreign governments or the companies operating in the target market. It is often seen as the best mode of entry for an organization operating on a lower scale. With subsequent growth of exports, the company may open sales agencies in the foreign markets to be the link with the companys clients overseas. By 2003, Arcelik had grown to be the leading player in Estonia and Lithuania with a market share of 25% in these two markets. It also had a commanding presence in the rest of Eastern Europe. The presence of Arceliks sales agencies helped grow significantly in Western Euro pe with a markets share of 15% in the United Kingdom. Arcelik also conducted a successful export strategy gaining a 70% market share in Romania with its Beko brand. The net effect of these exporting strategies was a significant increase in Arcetiks production capacity from 440,000 to 750,000 in 2003 and 2004 respectively (Chemawat, 2008). International acquisitions This mode involves a company buying out another firm operating in the target market hence assuming full legal rights over it. This method is hailed as the best mode of expansion into other markets since it grants a company total control over the foreign subsidiary as well as full profits generated thereafter (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). The full control over the activities of a subsidiary is viewed as essential in ensuring they run in accordance with the philosophies of the parent company hence ensure the goals of the company are achieved as intended. The targets for acquisition would need to have the unquestionable ability to complement Arceliks growth strategies. Arcelik would also evaluate the foreign firms brands and take consideration on how these brands would help strengthen them as well as complement their capabilities. The target subsidiarys contribution to sustainable growth was also a key factor. Arceliks acquisitions in 2002 include Bloomberg, Electra, and Flavel and Leisure in Germany, Austria and the UK for the two latter brands (Chemawat, 2008). They also acquired Arctic in Romania. The acquisitions of brands in the target markets was likely informed by the fact that many consumers tend to prefer purchasing brands that they can identify with: the brands they consider national brands. These acquisitions tremendously increased the product range offered by Arcelik and lead to its significant growth within the European markets. Use of license contracting Licensing involves the company transferring certain rights to another firm to enable it manufacture products using its brand. In licensing, the consideration that the licensor gets is only the royalty or the license fee (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). It does not take part in profit sharing or any other marketing processes of the licensee. Licensing offers the advantage of enabling a firm to avoid government regulations and other restrictive policies such as tariffs and quotas. It also enables market penetration without involving extensive capital expenditures. However, this method is highly restrictive in the level of control the company can have over the activities of the licensee. There is also the risk of the licensee gaining the technical expertise and becoming a competitor in the production of close substitutes after the expiry of the mutual arrangement. Arceliks production in 2004 comprised 40% from various licensing arrangements (Chemawat, 2008). This complimentary effo rt helped ensure Arceliks brand presence in the Europeans markets. Diversification into other businesses within Turkey In order to enhance further growth in the domestic market, Arcelik sought to capitalize on its elaborate distribution network to provide consumers with additional products. By 2004, Arcelik was offered various types cellular phones and was already getting into arrangement with various Japanese firms to act as distributors of various electronic products. The diversification proved to be a great success and further cemented Arceliks leadership in the Turkish market. Additional Options for Expansion Arceliks ambitious goal of achieving revenues of three billion Euros in the next year may be difficult to realize unless additional methods were employed to ensure its continued growth in the international markets. Domestically, Arcelik could opt to but out local competitors in a bid to solidify its hold on the local market. This solidification would help reduce the downward pressure on its product prices by reducing the significance of competition locally. In addition, the additional channels of distribution gained through any such acquisition would act as an entry barrier to any foreign firms hence ensuring steady domestic growth. Internationally, Arcelik could embrace a number of methods to ensure its continued growth. These methods include engaging in Joint ventures, franchising and use of strategic alliances. Joint Ventures Joint ventures involve the formation of a partnership arrangement with a different company where the parent companies provide the resources to operate it, share responsibility on management, and share profits realized thereafter (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). This type of venture is especially popular where it comes to sharing the intelligence and technical knowhow required for research and development. With their determination to distinguish themselves as the masters of innovation and product development, this method can be used to ensure its rapid growth. Instead of engaging in competition with the already existing companies in the foreign market, Arcelik could identify a strategic partner who knows the market remarkably well. They could then research into the market needs in a bid to try and unveil any unsatisfied demands in the market. Having found the features lacking in the products found in the market, they could, through the joint venture develop new products that woul d suit this need and capture the unreached market. This method would be convenient to Arcelik since it would not involve many unnecessary government regulations that normally bar entry. In addition, such a venture, if well implemented would easily capture the market as it would be riding on the goodwill and distribution network of the strategic partner in the foreign market. Franchising Arcelik needs to consider franchising in order to minimize the risks involved with the licensing as it currently practices. Here, Arcelik would transfer some rights to the franchisee to produce the products under its brand but will reserve the right to provide some aspects of technical support (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). This way, Arcelik will be able to be abreast with the activities of the franchisee. In addition, in Franchising, the royalty is based on the amount of sales hence Arcelik will be able to generate higher revenues in the event the franchisor is able to realize significantly higher sales. Franchising is easy to start since the franchisor incurs minimal capital cost hence Arcelik can expand into more foreign markets with relative ease. Moreover, the franchisee assumes all the risks and foots for all costs of labour and facility establishment. The company will also be able to avoid any political risks associated with foreigners operating in national markets. Arc elik can therefore easily expand its scale of production without worrying about high capital expenditure hence edging closer to achieving the revenue targets Strategic alliances A strategic alliance differs from joint ventures in that it does not necessarily involve formation of a legal entity. Strategic alliances are formed to enable companies use each others distribution networks, technologies, production capacities, management experience and others (Giroud, Sinkovics, and Yamin, 2011). One very essential factor in ensuring product penetration in the market is the distribution network. This has been evident in the manner in which Arcelik has been able to capture the domestic market by using effective distribution networks in Turkey. Arcelik should also try to replicate this experience in the foreign markets. However, by virtue of the fact that its a foreign market, they may not have the resources to establish an effective distribution network in those markets. It would therefore be relatively more convenient to identify foreign companies with a distribution network that serves their target customers effectively, and then enter into a strategic alliance wit h them. This may be companies offering similar products or those making completely different products. When the products are easily available to the consumers, they more likely to buy these products and this would lead to an increase in the amount of sales realized by Arcelik. The strategic alliance could also involve sharing of certain technologies between the companies in question. Arcelik could choose to leave the production of a certain product components to a company with a comparative advantage in its production in exchange for providing a component which it can produce more efficiently. This exchange could lead to lowering the production cost which would be useful in helping the company become more price-competitive in the market. Conclusion Arceliks growth is mainly dependent on how the company can enter and prosper in the international markets. This is because it is already commanding the domestic market in Turkey and may have limited growth opportunities locally. Growth and diversification are often related as is evident from Arceliks company history. Arcelik has grown in the past by steadily improving on the product range that it offers to the market and this diversification should be continued to ensure continued growth.

Jazz Showcase Essay -- essays research papers

Jazz Showcase The concert I attended was the Jazz Showcase in Rudder Theatre on Monday June21, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. Surroundings Rudder Theatre is a large venue for this Jazz Showcase. There are five sections with fifteen rows deep in each section. The theatre is decorated modestly with solid colors and nothing too spectacular or eye catching. The chairs were covered in a yellowish fabric. The initial backdrop behind the stage was a white backdrop with red and blue lighting. This backdrop would change colors throughout the concert. Located at the doors were ushers with programs detailing the Texas Music Festival. The seats inside were not assigned but on a first come first serve basis. Seated in the very front and centered to the audience were the performers. The stage was set up with five chairs lined up three rows back. Each row was more elevated than the previous. The piano was at the far left, the guitar and bass were next to the piano, and the drums were in the back. The first row of chairs included the saxophone players, the second row were the trombone players, and the trumpet players were in the third and last row. Audience The audience, for the most part, seemed to be made up of college students attending for the same reasons as myself. However, there were some audience members who are part of older age groups in the audience. They were there only seeking a good performance and a great time. These older age group audience members were located mostly in the center section of the theatre seated in the first few rows. The dress was more casual among the students but dressier for the older people. Some people were in jeans and a T-shirt, including myself, while some wore nice clothes. The audience rewarded each soloist with a warm ovation of applause after their turn was finished. This led me to believe the audience enjoyed the performance and was very respectable to the performers. Performers I counted nineteen total performers with occasionally two others and a vocalist. Each performer was dressed in black pants and a black shirt except one who showed up late. He was wearing blue jeans and a sports coat and he definitely stood out from all the others. The performers related very well with the audience. Each acknowledged the audience after applauses and there was a narrator between pieces. There was a lot of humor among the performers and they seemed ... ...ked throughout the concert. The pacing of the selections seemed appropriate. No piece sounded like the one before it. There was a great variety of songs played. There were songs played that were written by famous jazz composers and songs played that were written by some of the performers themselves. This added to the excitement of the show. Opinions I enjoyed this concert. It was my first real experience with jazz music. To be honest, I didn’t know what to expect, but I left satisfied that I attended. However, there was one thing I did not enjoy. The narrator between songs was not very effective and actually took away somewhat from the concert. He failed numerous times at trying to be humorous and rambled on. My favorite piece was 88 Basie Street. It gave me that easy and relaxed feeling. This piece started softer, and then seemed to pick up with more energy. With my lack of knowledge of Jazz music, I certainly enjoyed this piece the best. I learned how exciting and fun listening to jazz being played live can actually be. I found it very interesting. Like I said earlier, the only thing I would change to make the concert more effective would be to have the narrator speak less.