Definition of Public Relations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Definition of Public Relations - Essay Example However, in developing of an appropriate ‘public relation’ schedule, it is always important to picture how it will appeal to different people. This definition was provided by a female Military officer aged 33 years. A Community Health Officer defines public relations as the ability to foster and maintain mutually beneficial relationships between the community and county government. In the explanation, the officer attributes that public relation is very similar to ‘community relations.’ The health officer is male aged 45 years. A permanent secretary in the Ministry of Labor and Public Works attributes the fact that Public Relations is a management function, which aims at establishing and sustaining a self sufficient inter-link between the Ministry and the public on whom its success or failure depends. The permanent secretary is male aged 51 years. A female student aged 20 years, taking Bachelor of Arts (English & Journalism) defines Public Relations as an art of communication which can be between a firm, State, or an individual and the most suitable audience. A Marketing male student aged 22 defines public relations as the ability of an organization to communicate its activities, products, and services to customers in the right manner prescribed to them, right time, and in the right place. Public relations is purely a management function that aims at establishing and maintaining ‘mutual lines of communication, understanding, acceptance, and co-operation’ (Fawkes, quoted in Wilcox et al. 2003: 7) between a firm, government, or an individual and the general public. Because organizations are always concerned with maintaining a good public image, they assess public opinions, which can be relevant in solving problems, help in accepting and adapting to changes, identifying any warning elements to help anticipate trends, and promote ethical behavior. Newsom et al. (2012)

Urban Planning and 19th Century Essay Example for Free

Urban Planning and 19th Century Essay For many within the modern movement, the marriage between town and country represented the means of achieving an ideal form of settlement. Discuss the 19th century origins of this concept and how it was interpreted in different ways by modernist architects and urbanists in the 20th century. If architecture could change a person’s wellbeing; an architectural movement could create an ideal society. The modernists were not original in seeking an urban utopia. Architects of the 1800s had designed their ideal settlements to improve workers lives through the built environment. Modernism implies historical discontinuity, a rejecting of history and tradition, yet these 19th century projects, unknowingly, influenced the urban proposals of the ‘International style’. Through this century of proposals from 1830-1940s, lies a recurring theme of ‘utopia’; a rational, clean city with massive green areas, where both the convenience of the town and beauty of the countryside unite. The beginning of the convergence between ‘town’ and ‘countryside’ is due to the socialist thinkers of the 19th century, with their belief that one’s environment affects one’s character. The concept of architecture changing a person was explored dramatically by the socialist and radical thinker, Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832). The totalitarian design of his ‘Panoptikon’ was to â€Å"grind rogues honest†. It was built as a cylindrical prison and could be applied to schools and hospitals. The principle behind this machine-like institute was that the incarcerated would believe they are under constant surveillance, thus minimising chances of misbehaviour. This perceived scrutiny would allow the inhabitants to become better citizens. Due to rapid industrialisation in the 19th century, larger city populations exploded, and squalor was rampant. Many of the old cities had seen their populations double. Around 1800 about one fifth of Britain’s population lived in the countryside, but by 1851 half the population of the country was housed in London. This lead to uncontrolled housing developments, where the private sector responded to the population boom by building poor quality, high density housing for workers. The thinkers of the 19th century, like the modernists of the 1930s believed a planned urban form could solve these social problems. In its earliest form, the marriage between town and country is subtle; placing of private gardens or greenbelts, yet this soon grows into an entire ‘Garden City’ movement. Like Bentham, industrialist Robert Owen (1771-1858) believed that a person’s morale was affected by their surroundings. However, he believed less in the social engineering of Bentham and more on socialism, striving for better conditions for the working class. His mill at New Lanark, Scotland, was to become â€Å"the most important experiment for the happiness of the human race that has yet been instituted in any part of the world.† Owen’s humane regime was a stark contrast to the slums present in cities. At his mill, he built communal buildings and gardens for leisure and exercise, a â€Å"complete ideological systems for small communities†, where the workers children were also educated. This new high standard of living encouraged workers’ productivity. His New Lanark model encouraged him to build this environment of mutual co-operation at a larger scale. Owen devised a ‘Plan for an Ideal Village’, an area with specific size and population, of between 500 to 1500. This plan was similar to structures of towns found in ancient Greece; there was a geometric layout and a focus on agriculture to become self-sufficient. This theory became a development called ‘New Harmony’, which was to be situated in the US, with an estimate population for five thousand designed as a quadrangle with sides of thousand feet. The design was never realised. Owen was called a ‘Utopian socialist’ by the revolutionary communist Karl Marx, and Owen shared this title with Charles Fourier (1772-1837). Fourier believed that co-operation was key to have a successful community, and to achieve this phalanxes’ should be established. This ‘phalanstery’ would â€Å"1) Discover and organize a system of industry; (2) Guarantee to every individual the equivalent of their natural rights; and (3) Associate the interests of rich and poor.† These ‘natural rights’ included the ‘gathering of natural products’ and fishing, and these communal hotel-like settlements facilitated this with laid-out gardens and grounds for exercise. Jean-Baptiste Godin (1817-1888) modelled his iron foundry at Guise on the Oise on one of Fourier’s ‘phalanxes’, with prevalent communal values. The residential buildings at the foundry were ‘familistiere’. The merge of buildings and landscape was similar to the ideal Palladian relationship between the inside space and the exterior. Living standards of workers vastly improved, and by combining industry and nature the ‘familistiere’ provided its inhabitants with â€Å"les à ©quivalents de la richesse â€Å"(the equivalent of wealth). Figure 2-E.Howards Three Magnets Though Owen, Fourier and Godin believed in the ‘ideal settlement’, all projects were too small a scale to eliminate urban hardship. The Public Health Act of 1875 was the first legal action to resolve the appalling living conditions and preventing the spread of cholera in cities. The expanding sprawl of the city had pushed the countryside further away from workers in city centres. In 1898, Ebenezer Howard (1850-1928) wrote the â€Å"Garden Cities of Tomorrow†, which was the first realistic sign of a marriage between town and country to form an urban utopia. His â€Å"Three Magnets† diagram, showed the pull of the idyllic fresh air and low rent of the countryside, merged with the opportunities and convenience of the city into one ‘Garden City’. This utopian settlement noted the economic independence of the factory towns of Owen; each city would have its own industries and farms as to be self-sufficient. The settlements would have an optimum 32,000 inhabitants on 2,000 hectacres. It had a circular periphery enclosing a population of 30,000, the remaining would live on the agriculture belt which was ran only electrified industry. Six principal streets ran to the centre, where the main public offices were surrounded by four one-acre parks. In all, this ‘Garden City’ seemed â€Å"to blend, by rational means, the various demands of an expanding capitalist society and the nostalgia for communities on a human scale.† Howard believed these garden cities could be built on the peripheries of a central city and be connected by rail; he was opposed to the idea of these being identified as ‘garden suburbs’. After the success of the â€Å"Garden Cities of Tomorrow†, Howard founded the ‘Garden City Association’ in 1899. His first project was for a town 80 miles from London called Letchworth, with architects Barry Parker (1867 – 1947) and Raymond Unwin (1863 – 1940). In 1904, the town was realised. Unwin and Parker were associated with the ‘Arts and Craft movement’ of J.Ruskin and W.Morris, which opposed machine-like design and opted for picturesque ornament rooted in tradition. Letchworth was a family orientated settlement, where â€Å"the monotony of street fronts was broken by the turning of houses on their lots so each could command the sunniest and pleasantest view.† With an amicable architecture, a high-quality street system, it had ample space with â€Å"twelve houses to the acre.† The basic model by Howard had a centre of parkland and a lacked a commercial centre of a city. This design was developed by Unwin, who saw the ‘Garden City’ as a proposal for satellite towns of major cities. He based his first design on the city of London, and with Parker developed Hampstead Garden Suburb (1905), later to be followed by Welwyn (1920). Howard’s model inspired builders in Sweden, the US and Australia, where the layout of the capital Canberra was influenced by this ‘Garden City’ movement. It is in post-World War I that we see the 19th century ideas of Howard influence on European city planners. In mainland Europe socialist reform through housing was taking place. With a shortage of living space in the liberal city of Amsterdam, and the election of the SDAP (Socialist Democratic Worker’s Party), the State took control of all municipal building. The Woningwet Housing Act (1902) had been a result of â€Å"investigations into the living conditions of workers, the first hygienic regulations, and the interventions of scientific and philanthropic associations†. The most notable developments in Amsterdam are apartments built for two socialist housing societies, Eigen Haard and De Daagard. They were both designed by Michel de Klerk (1884-1923), who had studied under H.P. Berlage (1856 – 1934), and who was influenced by Bruno Taut (1880-1936). De Klerk is seen as a link between the Traditionalists and the Modernists and had been interested by Unwin’s model. He was a member of the ‘Amsterdam school’, a team who built a garden suburb project in Rotterdam. He became one of the leading Dutch architects in the Expressionism movement â€Å"which reached for a romantic, soulful symbolization of reality†.

Communicating Through Music in Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin Essay

Historically, strong family relationships have been emphasized by American society. Strong family ties have been significant to maintaining healthy lifestyles and relationships across many cultures, including African American culture. Sonny, the younger brother in James Baldwin’s â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, has suffered from a heroin addiction which caused him to separate from both his parents and his older brother. The essay portrays two brothers who struggle with their difficult Harlem environment, cultural issues, and their emotional detachment from one another. As the brothers struggle with their inner conflicts and outward environmental struggles, they are reunited through a common theme in the essay: music. Baldwin empowers Sonny with a gift of extraordinary musicianship, and uses this gift to enlighten and empower the narrator. Baldwin’s essay narrates the trials of the narrator on his journey to self- discovery and the brothers trial of rebuilding their brotherly bond with music as their guide. The essay uses music as a form of communication between the brothers and symbolizes it as a powerful force in their relationship. In Baldwin’s essay, â€Å"Sonny’s Blues†, the narrator and Sonny are empowered through music, and through this empowerment, the music is able to rekindle and rebuild the brothers relationship. During the first half of the 20th century, Harlem became a mecca for African American culture and ideas. Home to the Harlem Renaissance, Harlem housed many influential African American leaders and influenced much of African American culture of the 20th century. Harlem’s population exploded during the 1920s-30s due to the Harlem Renaissance, and continued to expand until reaching its peak during the 1950s. The decade of the 195... ...frican American Musicians as Artists, Critics, and Activists. Berkeley, CA: University of California, 2002. 54-100. EBSCOhost. Web. 8 May 2015. "Sonny’s Blues by James Baldwin." Short Story Criticism. Ed. Anna Sheets-Nesbitt. Vol. 33. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. 115-157. Literature Criticism Online. Gale. Web. 3 May 2015. http://galenet.galegroup.com.db24.linccweb.org/servlet/LitCrit/lincclin_spjc/FJ3593150004 Tracey, Sherard. "Sonny’s Bebop: Baldwin's "Blues Text" as Intracultural Critique." African American Review32.4 (1998): 691-705. JSTOR. Web. 9 May 2015. .

Midterm review Essay

I thought I would just offer some guidelines for study for the essay portion of the midterm exam. Remember that you will have 3 hours to complete the exam. You may use your notes, articles, etc., but you need to have familiarity with the material before you start or you may run out of time. Remember also that you can only enter the test one time, so you can’t go away and start again†¦be prepared†¦these are possible essay questions†¦familiarize yourself with these topics and know how to write thorough responses to the questions. Baase states that it is not only technologies and systems that change quickly, but also the social impacts and controversies that are inherent in such rapid development. Discuss some of the positive and negative aspects that the pace of advancement has upon our culture as a whole. Use detailed examples. What are some of the key impacts of the Industrial Revolution? You may discuss not only ones which came about within the time-span attributed to the Industrial Revolution, but also those which stretched long past the end of that particular historical era. Do you agree with the assertion that we are now living in a third-great technological transformation—the Knowledge Revolution? Have computers truly changed our lives so much that we can call this a revolution like the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century? Support your answer providing specific comparisons from the two periods. Discuss the Neolithic Revolution, citing its importance in terms of laying the groundwork for the ongoing development of technological advances throughout history. Utilize specific examples in order to better illustrate your arguments. Discuss the specific role the Protestant Reformation played in laying the groundwork for the advancement of communication techniques and technologies within Western culture. Define and compare at least two of the ethical theories described by Baase. What are their strengths? In what areas do they lack? Do these theories hold up within our modern, technological society? Has the development of digital technologies democratized the art of photography? How has this affected our appreciation of the photographer as artist and photography as an art form? Explain using specific examples. How have  changes in technology affected the recording industry and our understanding of what it means to be a professional musician? How have changes in technology affected our access to recorded music and the control exercised by traditional distributors? How will all these changes affect cultural trends and our expectations of music as an art form? Provide specific examples. How have changes in communications technologies affected how we write and what we write? How do Wikis and blogs compare to traditional forms such as textbooks and newspaper editorials? Please be specific. I hope that this helps guide your preparation.

Concept of Demolition Man Essay

* The Hollywood film represents the danger of globalization and cultural and environmental homogeneity, standardization and sanitation. * Friedman argues that because globalization is creating a single marketplace, it is homogenizing consumption and culture and can run the risk of wiping out ecological and cultural diversity throughout the world. In the Cold War system, cultures didn’t interact as frequently or directly as they do today, where they are often offered up for global competition and comparison against one another. Diversity in Globalization * Friedman argues that because globalization is often associated with Americanization, countries need to develop strong cultural and environmental filters so they can interact with but not be overwhelmed and swallowed by the herd. He suggests the most important filter is the ability to â€Å"glocalize,† meaning a culture’s ability to absorb natural influences into their culture yet reject those that are alien—to assimilate aspects of globalization into your culture in a way that adds diversity without overwhelming. * Globalization will be sustainable as long as we manage these filters in a way that protects our culture while simultaneously getting the best out of others’ cultures. Methods for Greening Globalization * Mobilize the environmental entrepreneurs– term coined by Keith Algers for an organization meant to stop the logging activities in the rainforest in Brazil while formulating a plan to avoid unemployment among these loggers. Looking at the bigger picture, it implies finding solution to the growing problems of compromise in the industrialized society that environmental protection and economic development can coexist together. * Environmentally Sound Production Methods – Corporations and shareholders should be pressured by the government to adapt new environmental policies. The government hitting companies over the head with both new regulations and new tax incentives to be green, and with SFC telling companies they have to start accurately portraying their environmental liabilities to shareholders—such as where they are being sued for dumping and what the cleaning up cost—there has been a paradigm shift. * Learning how to use globalization itself. Where globalization is an asset is in the fact that it is creating â€Å"Super-empowered environmentalist†, who are acting on their own, can now fight back rather effectively against both the Electronic Herd and governments. Thanks to the Internet, environmentalists in one country are quickly relaying how a multinational behaves in their country to environmentalists in other countries. Preventing cultural homogeneity * GlocalizationHhlksal;kl;ksdsl;adkls;adkals;d—the ability of a culture, when it encounters another strong cultures, to absorb influences that naturally fit into and can enrich that culture, to resist those things that are alien and to compartmentalize those things that, while different, can nevertheless be enjoyed and celebrated as different. * Unhelathy Glocalization—when you absorb something that isn’t part of your culture, doesn’t connect with anything latent in your culture, but you have so lost touch with your culture, you think it does. * Glocalism alone is not sufficient to protect indigenous cultures from globalization. Some hard filters are also needed. To begin with you need zoning laws, protected area laws and educational programs to preserve unique regions and a cultural heritage from insidious homogenous development.

Of Mice and Men Study Guide

Of Mice and Men Study Guide Of Mice and Men is a 1937 novella by John Steinbeck. Set during the Great Depression, the book tells the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two migrant workers and long-time friends employed on a ranch in California. Through its use of colloquial language and detailed characterization, Of Mice and Men offers an unsparing portrait of its characters and the violent and harsh conditions they face. Fast Facts: Of Mice and Men Author: John SteinbeckPublisher: Viking PressYear Published: 1937Genre: Literary fictionType of Work: NovellaOriginal Language: EnglishThemes: The nature of dreams, strength vs. weakness, man vs. natureCharacters: George Milton, Lennie Small, Curley, Candy, Crooks, Curley’s wifeNotable Adaptations: 1939 film directed by Lewis Milestone, 1992 film directed by Gary SiniseFun Fact: John Steinbecks dog ate an early draft of Of Mice and Men. Plot Summary George and Lennie are two farm workers traveling through California in search of work. When the novella begins, they have just been kicked off a bus while journeying to their latest ranch. They spend the night in a makeshift shelter and arrive at the ranch in the morning. The ranch owner is initially hesitant because Lennie, who is physically strong but has a mental disability, doesnt speak, but he ultimately accepts the men as workers. Lennie and George meet fellow ranch hands Candy, Carlson, and Slim, as well as Curley, the son of the ranch owner. Curley, a diminutive but confrontational man, verbally targets Lennie. Carlson shoots Candys old, dying dog. Lennie reveals that he and George have a plan to buy their own land someday, and Candy offers to join them, pitching in his own money. Slim gives Lennie a puppy from his own dog’s recent litter. The next day, Curley attacks Lennie once more. Out of fear, Lennie grabs Curleys fist and crushes it. Later, the ranch workers go out drinking, and Lennie stays behind. He talks to Crooks, an African American farm hand who lives separately from the other workers. Curleys wife approaches and asks what happened to her husbands hand. When none of the men tell her, she berates Crooks with racial slurs and threats. The following day, Lennie accidentally kills his puppy by petting it too hard. Curleys wife finds him with the puppys body in the barn. Lennie and Curleys wife begin to converse. Curleys wife reveals her former dreams of Hollywood stardom and offers to let Lennie touch her hair. While doing so, Lennie unintentionally breaks her neck and kills her. When the farm workers discover Curleys wifes body, Curley begins a vengeful pursuit of Lennie, with the other workers in tow. George takes Carlsons gun and breaks away from the group in order to meet Lennie at their predetermined spot. George tells Lennie all about the beautiful future in which they have a farm of their own to tend to rabbits, then finally shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Major Characters Lennie Small. Contrary to his surname, Lennie is an extremely large and physically strong man. However, he is also gentle-hearted and often fearful. Lennie has a mental disability and is dependent on George for protection. He loves rubbing soft materials and small creatures, from mice to puppies to hair. This desire leads to unintentional destruction and even death. George Milton. Crafty and resourceful, George is both the domineering leader and loyal protector of Lennie. Although he sometimes complains about taking care of Lennie, he is deeply committed to him. At the end of the novella, George decides to kill Lennie in order to protect him from greater harm at the hands of the other ranch workers. Curley. Curley is the son of the ranch owner and a former Golden Gloves boxer. Despite his small stature, Curley picks fights and struts around confidently. He is a jealous husband who rages at his wife. He also targets Lennie, despite the fact that gentle Lennie doesnt want a fight. When Lennie accidentally kills Curleys wife, Curley seeks out Lennie in a murderous rage. Candy. Candy is an old farm worker who has lost a hand. He owns an aging dog that Carlson insists upon shooting. When Candy overhears Lennie talk about his plan to buy some land with George, Candy offers up $350 of his own money to join them. Crooks. Crooks, the only African American character on the farm, lives away from the other workers in segregated quarters. He is world-weary and skeptical of Lennies dream of buying land. Crooks faces racism on the ranch, most notably when Curleys wife verbally attacks him with racial slurs and violent threats. Curley’s wife. Curleys wife, whose name is never mentioned, is treated badly by her husband and warily by the other farm workers. She has a flirtatious nature, but she also expresses loneliness and lost dreams during a conversation with Lennie. When Crooks and Lennie refuse to tell her what happened to her husbands hand, she verbally attacks Crooks with racial slurs and threats. She ultimately dies an accidental death at Lennies hands. Major Themes The Nature of Dreams. Dreams play a key role in Of Mice and Men. Most significantly, George and Lennie share a dream of owning their own land, but their perspectives on this dream differ significantly. In Lennies mind, the dream is sure to become reality; for George, discussing the dream is a way to comfort Lennie and pass the time in a harsh environment. Strength vs. Weakness. In Of Mice and Men, strength and weakness have a complex relationship. This relationship is most evident in Lennie, whose physical strength is a direct contrast to his gentle and guileless personality. In the tough world of the book, strength- particularly mental toughness- is essential. Man vs. Nature. Tension between the human world and the natural world exists throughout Of Mice and Men. Sometimes the characters exert control over the natural world, and sometimes, the natural world rises up to overpower the characters. Ultimately, the novella suggests that the natural and human worlds- the worlds of mice and men- are not so different after all. Literary Style Of Mice and Mens literary style is largely simple and straightforward. The dialogue is written in a colloquial dialect intended to reflect the working-class backgrounds of the ranch workers, whose speech is also peppered with slang terms and vulgar expressions. The novella is also notable for its use of foreshadowing. Lennies accidental murder of the puppy parallels his accidental murder of Curleys wife; the apparent mercy killing of Candys dog mirrors the mercy killing of Lennie. Of Mice and Men has been the subject of censorship due to its harsh subject matter, but it remains one of the most widely-read works of American literature of the 20th century. About the Author Born in 1902, John Steinbeck is one of the most prominent and widely-read American writers of the 20th Century. Much of his work focuses on everyman protagonists in California during the Great Depression. He said that Of Mice and Men was inspired in part by his own experiences alongside migrant workers during the 1910s. In addition to Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck penned over two dozen books, including The Grapes of Wrath (1939) and East of Eden (1952).  He won both a Pulitzer Prize and a Nobel Prize.

Catalina de Erauso essays

Catalina de Erauso essays Lieutenant Nun is a novel based in 1585. Catalina de Erauso is the main character of the memoir, and she faces a world where there were certain expectations for women, and at the time. Women did not play mens roles like they do today. For example, Catalina enlists to be a soldier shortly after life in a convent. Today, that might be a little out of the ordinary, but not unheard of. Whats interesting about Catalina is that she not only participates in masculine activities, but after the convent, she even dresses like a man and takes on the characteristics of a man, including playing with women, dressing like a man, and fighting and killing enemies. She is arguably a transvestite. Of course the question arises about Catalina de Erausos role, regarding the fact that she could possible be a soldier in the body of a woman, or a woman playing the role of a soldier. Because Catalina takes on masculine characteristics so well, fights, dresses like a man, and is even perceived by others as a man, its easy to say that shes a soldier in the body of a woman, but I believe that Catalina is a woman playing the role of a soldier. Catalina is a virgin, and of course, has the orient of a woman. She enters the convent when she is four and stays until she is about fifteen when she decides to escape. Catalina was rebellious natured, and I believe that Catalina, as a woman, had the desire to experience what a man in the world would experience, and that is why she chose to escape. For example, the only ecstasy for Catalina in the convent is praying. So why not escape and experience the ecstasies of a man? For example being involved with women, killing, fighting, escaping, and succeeding at ripping people off. Even the thrill of having responsibilities is what Catalina, perhaps wishes to experience. When Catalina starts on her journey, often times, she finds herself in thrilling scenarios where she is forced...