The Tourist Gaze by John Urry | Summary and Analysis

The Tourist Gaze by John Urry | Summary and Analysis Critically consider the argument that Urry’s concept of the ‘tourist gaze’ places too much emphasis on the visual. Urry’s ‘tourist gaze’ remains one of the most influential concepts in tourism research. The ideas developed by Urry are still widely quoted and relevant today but a major criticism of his work is that too much emphasis is placed on the visual aspects of being a tourist rather than the whole experience. This essay will investigate this claim before concluding whether or not this is the case. In order to do this, this essay will be broken into several parts. The first section will look at what the ‘tourist gaze’ actually is. It is important to have a definition of this term before proceeding with the rest of the assignment. The second part of this essay will draw on wider academic research to test whether or not Urry’s ideas do place too much emphasis on the visual. The final part of this essay will bring together all the arguments to form some sort of conclusion. In order to fully understand the ‘tourist gaze’ it would be useful to have a clear understanding of what a tourist is and what tourism as an activity is. Turner et al. (2005) define a tourist as, â€Å"someone who has travelled to another place for a brief sojourn, an experience that necessarily entails a distinct period of transition and discontinuity from the everyday world† (p. 11). Urry (2002) describes the act of tourism as, â€Å"a leisure activity which presupposes its opposite, namely regulated and organised work. It is one manifestation of how work and leisure are organised as separate and regulated spheres of social practice in ‘modern’ societies† (p. 2). The environments that these tourists visit are subject to what Urry (1990) has described as the ‘tourist gaze’. Urry states that tourists are, â€Å"directed to features of the landscape that, which separate them off from everyday experience. Such aspects are viewed bec ause they are taken to be in some sense out of the ordinary†. The tourist and the viewpoints are manipulated, â€Å"so that the gaze falls upon what the gazer expects to see† (Turner et al, 2005: 11). Most of the time this gaze is from a static location but if it is mobile then it is directed from an insulated environment such as from a train window or a sign-posted route. The tourist only sees what they are supposed to see. Urry (1990) states, â€Å"the typical tourist experience is†¦to see named scenes through a frame, such as the hotel window, the car windscreen or the window of the coach† (p. 100). In a sense, real life is suspended or hidden away in these places so that the tourist can gaze upon what upon they expect to see. For example, in the Lake District in England, houses can only be built to very exacting specifications with traditional methods and materials. This helps to preserve the traditional look of the area. This expectation has been built up by promotional material such as brochures and adverts on the television. Goss (1993) argues that tourism marketing provide tourists with representational images of the places they are about to visit and this helps form an imaginary construction for the tourist. Culler (1981) argues that tourists read the landscape for anything that represents these pre-established notions. In The Tourist Gaze, Urry (1990) states that when we go away and become tourists, â€Å"we look at the environment†¦we gaze at what we encounter†¦and the gaze is socially constructed† (p. 1). Perkins and Thorns (2001) state that there is no single uniform gaze, rather it is, â€Å"varied temporally and across social groups and that the concept of the gaze encapsulates tourists’ experiences and is an interpretation of the things they seek and do when on holiday† (p. 187). Perkins and Thorns (2001) go on to argue that, â€Å"the gaze is a concept which comprises a way of looking at the world which simultaneously forms what is seen and the way of seeing† (p 187). There have been numerous criticisms leveled at Urry’s concept of the ‘tourist gaze’. Perhaps the most common one and of most interest to this essay is that the gaze doesn’t fully capture the tourist experience. Perkins and Thorns (2001) argue that there needs to be more of a focus on the concept of the tourist performance because in places like New Zealand, tourists are more about ‘doing’ rather than simply ‘seeing’ or ‘gazing’ and, â€Å"thus about putting their bodies into tourism in a way that is not reflected in much of the analysis arising from a focus upon the tourist gaze† (p. 199). This criticism highlights an important change in the tourism industry. This is the search for authentic experiences and the search for experiences that invigorates all the senses. Thrift (1999) suggests that tourists want ‘contact’ with their surroundings. This contact goes beyond the visual realms as suggested by Urry. As Franklin and Crang (2001) point out that tourists, â€Å"are seeking to be doing something in the places they visit rather than being endlessly spectatorially passive† (p. 13). Franklin and Chang go on to suggest that tourists have become bored by the gaze. MacCannell (1989) states that, â€Å"touristic consciousness is motivated by its desire for authentic experiences, and the tourist may believe that he is moving in this direction, but often it is very difficult to know for sure if the experience is in fact authentic. It is always possible that what is taken to be entry into a back region is really entry into a front region that has been totally set up in advance for touristic visitation† (p. 101). Urry fails to notice the distinction between authentic experiences and inauthentic ones. MacCannell (2001) believes there is a second gaze, one that is in a way suspicious of the totally visual elements of the tourist gaze. The second gaze is where the tourist is aware that, â€Å"something is being concealed from it†¦the second gaze knows that seeing is not believing. Some things will remain hidden from it†¦The second gaze turns back onto the gazing subject an ethical responsibility for the construction of its own existen ce† (p. 36). MacCannell (2001) finds the concept of the tourist gaze as defined by Urry too narrow a concept and argues that it is, â€Å"a blueprint for the transformation of the global system of attractions into an enormous set of mirrors to serve the narcissistic needs of dull egos† (p. 26). Nicholson-Lord (2002) is in partial agreement although he also takes issue with the concept of the second gaze as well. He argues that, â€Å"tourism is a powerful cultural solvent; it takes customs and beliefs that are locally rooted and distinctive, puts them into the global blending machine and turns them into liquefied gunk to which a mass market has been primed to respond† (p. 24). Although MacCannell is arguing for the need for a wider experience than Urry suggests, they have both been criticized by those who suggest that they focus too exclusively on the tourist experience and the subjectivity of the tourist. Little mention is given to the subjectivity of the host. In a world where affluent tourists are able to seek out experiences and gaze upon sights in worlds that are just becoming open to them, little mention is given to how this affects the host cultures. Bianchi (2001) states that, â€Å"in a world of hyper-mobile capital, instant communications and the mass movement of peoples, international tourism encapsulates the contradictory forces at play in today’s world. These are mobility and freedom for the wealthy few, and immobility and impoverishment for the disenfranchised many† (p. 16). This imbalance is completely ignored in the work of Urry. It would be fair to argue that this is because he places too much emphasis on the visual for the t ourist and not enough on looking at the wider impact of tourism on the hosts. As we move into an age of more ethically aware tourism, this becomes more of an important concept. Of course, Urry would argue that there is no single gaze and that this movement to more ethical tourism is just simply a different gaze for a different type of tourist but the fact that he ignores the impact of tourism on the host cultures is evidence that his preoccupations are elsewhere. The tourist gaze as a concept is a helpful one when studying tourism. It helps us to understand how tourism has evolved and changed over the past few decades. It also helps us to understand how we as tourists act as players within a larger system that has been created to match our expectations of what we want to see on when we go on holiday with the supposed reality of what is actually there. It helps us to understand all the visual sign-posts that are created to help match up these two worlds, the reality and what we expect to see. However, this concept does have some limitations. Although it tries to be all encapsulating, trying to explain all our visual experiences by saying that people from different classes seek different things and gaze on different things when they go on holiday, it is still too narrow. It fails to really encapsulate the entire essence of tourism which is the experiences that you have that can’t be explained away as simply visual. This essay has touched on the notion of performance and contact. This is what tourism is all about. It is about the experiences that you have that come from the smells and sounds and the activities you partake in in the place you are visiting. Of course the sights play a huge part in this but they are not the whole experience. Another place that Urry’s concept falls flat is his failure to look at tourism from the point of view of the host culture. In this day and age where we are becoming more ethically aware in everything that we consume, including our tourism, this is quite a big failure of the concept. It’s preoccupation on the consumers and how they are being manipulated with no mention of how these consumers impact on the cultures that they visit. Urry’s concept is still useful but it is getting less and less relevant in today’s market. Bibliography and References Chin, C.B.N. 2008, Cruising in the Global Economy: Profits, Pleasure and Work at Sea, London: Ashgate. Franklin, A. and Chang, M. 2001, The trouble with tourism and travel theory?, Tourist Studies, 1(1), 5-22. Goss, J. 1993, Placing the Market and Marketing the Place: Tourist Advertising of the Hawaiian Islands, 1972-1992, Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 11, 663-688. MacCannell, D. 1992, Empty Meeting Grounds: The Tourist Papers, London: Routledge. McGuigan, J. 2004, Rethinking Cultural Policy, London: McGraw-Hill International Perkins, H.C. and Thorns, D.C. 2001, Gazing or Performing?: Reflections on Urry’s Tourist Gaze in the Context of Contemporary Experience in the Antipodes, International Sociology, 16(2), 185-204. Thrift, N. (1999) ‘Still Life in Present Time:The Object of Nature’, conference paper  presented to Sociality/Materialism – The Status of the Object in Social Science,  Brunel University, UK 9–11 September 1999. Turner et al. 2005, The Tourist Gaze: Towards Contextualised Virtual Environments, Kluwer. Urry, J. 1990, The Tourist Gaze, London: Sage. Urry, J. 1992, The Tourist Gaze â€Å"Revisited†, American Behavioral Scientist, 36, 172-186.

Blue Monday Strip by Rebecca Horn: Themes and Techniques

Blue Monday Strip by Rebecca Horn: Themes and Techniques Artist: Rebecca Horn. Title/Date: Blue Monday Strip, 1993. Materials: Typewriters, ink, metal, and motors. Dimensions: 192 1/8 x 137 inches. Site: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Provenance: Gift of the artist. Introduction to Blue Monday Strip by Rebecca Horn The work of Rebecca Horn is appealing to many in the art world. To me, it is appealing in ways that I, as a fellow artist, find particularly compelling; although we work in different media, a common theme seems to resonate when I observe her work and compare it to my own. There is a sense of the fleeting nature of our corporeal existence against a background of the mundane details of life. Her works are animated, though in a much different way than my own art is ‘animated’ The sense of activity and movement I see in her work is something that is appealing and energizing. It brings to mind the limitations of the human body, yet at the same time it brings to light the concept that human activity goes on, even though we as individuals do not. According to one biographer/critic, Horn’s work is ‘located in the nexus between body and machine’, and it ‘transmogrifies the ordinary into the enigmatic’ (Ragheb, 1993). Horn’s ability to do this with such deft yet subtle precision is part of her appeal to me as a practitioner. She can take everyday objects and juxtapose them with such uniqueness that viewers look at them in new ways. Doing this within my own medium is something I can strive for, and hope on some level to achieve; what she has done with her sculpture, in her unique way, sets a standard I can aspire to in my own chosen medium. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Blue Monday Strip, a 1993 piece that was a gift from Horn to the Guggenheim Museum in New York City. Blue Monday Strip: Salient characteristics of Form and Content Horn’s piece, Blue Monday Strip, was actually a gift that the artist bestowed upon the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. This dynamic work measures, in inches, 192 1/8th by 137, and is composed of ‘everyday’ (although some are somewhat dated) materials: older, or ‘vintage’ typewriters, ink, metal, and motors. A crucial aspect of this particular piece is that it is mechanized, so there is movement: it is essentially, animated, and in quite a literal sense. As an animator, this is a feature that is important to me. Ragheb has described Blue Monday Strip as a group of ‘vintage typewriters’ that ‘are liberated from the orderly office world and set akimbo, transformed into an unruly lot whose keys chatter ceaselessly in a raucous dialogue’ (1993). The monotony of the droning typewriters is clearly symbolic of the relentless sameness that was at one time experienced by the secretaries who operated them each week, starting on the first day of the work cycle—the ‘blue Monday’ An occasional splotch of blue paint—presumably ink? Might we go so far as to say sweat, or possibly tears?—breaks the monotony. The ability to breathe life into inanimate forms in such an effective and dramatic way is something that I, as an animator, find truly compelling. Another feature of Horn’s work that appeals to me is her sense of perspective; her work is based in reality—a quantifiable and verifiable reality, as I would like mine to be. In other words, much of modern art has been criticized for its abstract qualities; often a sculpture or painting will be impossible to describe until we read the title. Then we can say, ‘oh, yes, it’s clearly a pear, anyone can see that’—when in reality it looks nothing like a pear at all. Horn’s work does not have this type of abstractness: its primary components are easily identified as typewriters, but because of the mode of presentation, we are forced into seeing them in a new way. As Winterson has written, ‘art has the knack of helping us to see what we would normally miss. . . Artists see better than we do, and help us to look twice. Horns way of seeing is to go past the sensible, obvious arrangements of objects and people, and rearrange them in a way that is not obvious at all’ (Winterson, 2005). In this specific piece, the objects before us are authentic, but they are in an unusual setting, one which calls attention to them and forces us to consider them in unusual ways. Blue Monday Strip is, as the title suggests, a ‘strip’, or section, of a life that includes not just one, but several typewriters. What does this suggest, other than an office? An office on a blue Monday? A setting in which individuals—most likely women—find themselves trapped again and again, Monday after Monday, with little likelihood of change beyond the Saturday and Sunday that separate the weeks. This is the kind of thought process I would like to spark with my own work—it need not be mysterious to the viewer; it need be nothing more than what it appears to the average eye. But to those who care, or dare, to look, it will suggest ideas and themes in subtle, yet consciously planned ways. As Ragheb says of Horn’s sculpture, the viewer can see a disorganized row of machines and nothing more; or, he or she can see something further. One can feel the drain of wasted lives, the emptiness of disappointed hopes, the frustration of unfulfilled desire, by taking a second look at the forlorn collection of typewriters: ‘Whether mechanomorphic bodies or anthropomorphic machines, all of Horn’s works are fraught with sexual allusions and the ache of desire’ (Ragheb). Horn’s career has spanned over three decades, and though she has experimented with form and theme throughout, she has returned again and again to somatic themes. At times, her work is a celebration of the body, in respectful, awed praise of its power; at others, it seems a reproachful and cynical statement on the treachery of the body. Ideas, Practices, and Issues Relating to the Body Horn’s early reading stirred an interest in Surrealism and the absurd; this was further inspired in young adulthood, when she was introduced to the works of Franz Kafka and Jean Genet, and by the films of Luis Buà ±uel and Pier Paolo Pasolini (Ragheb). The absurdist philosophies of Kafka and Genet, and the obscure themes of Buà ±uel and Pasolini, are evident to a great extent in all of her works. Yet what affected her life and her work most was what she has interpreted as a betrayal of her own body. In an interview with Jeanette Winterson last year, Horn described two of the key events that caused a change in the course of her life and work. First was the onset, at age 20[i], of a serious lung condition. This was the result of working, by her own account, unprotected, with glass fibre. No one had told her that it was a dangerous material. As a result, after a period of intense work, while living in a cheap hotel in Barcelona—‘one of those hotels where you rent rooms by the hour’—she found herself dangerously ill. During this unfortunate period, she also found herself alone—both parents had died. ‘I was totally isolated’, she told Winterson. To recuperate, she was forced to spend time in a sanatorium, a setting in which her sense of isolation was magnified. This enforced period of extended rest became an experience that ultimately led her to consider the workings of the body in a new way. She began to view the body it in terms of isolation and vulnerability. ‘Thats when I began to produce my first body-sculptures. I could sew lying in bed’ (qtd. in Winterson, 2005). What resulted from this period were a series of designs ‘that would extend her body’ explains Winterson (2005). Apparently, this was more than a reactionary phase, as Horn continued on this trajectory after her release from the sanatorium. Back at art school, she worked with soft materials, such as prosthetic bandages and padding, creating protective, cocoon-like pieces. Works from this early period include Finger Gloves (1972), Pencil Mask (1972), and Black Cockfeathers (1971). According to Winterson, ‘isolation becomes a message in a bottle; the viewer can retrieve what is inside’ (2005). Eventually Horn gravitated more and more into performance art, but instead of abandoning the body-extension sculptures, she used them as part of her performance (Ragheb). The limitations of the body, and of one’s time on earth, are apparent even as the actions of Horn’s mechanized sculptures suggest endless time. There is a beauty in the symmetry of Blue Monday Strip, a duality in the suggestion of the mundane in a setting of what appears to be perpetual motion. To express animation through inanimate objects is to do the unexpected, particularly in Horn’s chosen format. This is what I would like to achieve in my own art. Conclusion: A Contextual Investigation All art is contextual in that it is dependent upon its environment. What it is, as well as the time in which it is brought into existence, are both aspects that must be considered when assessing its value. Art that relates to the body is unique in the sense that although our individual bodies have a limited amount of time on this earth, the body, such as it is, is perpetual. It will always exist, though each of us as individuals has a limited time span on this earth. The work of Rebecca Horn is appealing in a timeless sense; one gets the feeling that it will be appreciated and valued even in the far distant future, in a time when machines such as ‘typewriters’ have ceased to play a role in society, other than as a symbol of the past. Her work is relevant in ways that I, as a fellow artist, find significant and familiar—and this familiarity exists despite the fact that we work in media that are altogether different from each other. Despite this difference, a common theme exists and seems to resonate when I observe her work and consider it against my own. Though we work with different materials, there is a common theme, a sense of the fleeting nature of our corporeal existence against a background of the details of life. Her works are animated, though in a much different way than my own art is ‘animated’. The sense of activity and movement I see in her work is something that is appealing and energizing. It brings to mind the limitations of the human body, yet at the same time it brings to light the concept that human activity goes on, even though we as individuals do not. Doing this within my own medium is something I can strive for, and hope on some level to achieve. As Ragheb has written, Horn’s work is ‘located in the nexus between body and machine’, and it ‘transmogrifies the ordinary into the enigmatic’ (1993). I would take these even further; Horn’s ability to find a niche between body and machine has been accomplished with dexterity and precision, yet at the same time with a subtlety that lends itself to individual interpretation. This, in essence, is the crux of her appeal to me as a practitioner. She can take everyday objects—typewriters, motors, ink, bits of metal—and juxtapose them in such unique ways that viewers look at them in ways that are new and yet familiar at the same time. References Cork, Richard. 2005. ‘Rebecca Horn invades our senses’.  Times Online, Weekend Review, Arts, May 21, 2005. Retrieved from  http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,14933-1620638,00.html Ragheb, J. Fiona. ‘Rebecca Horn’. Retrieved from  http://www.guggenheimcollection.org/site/artist_bio_66.html Smith, Roberta. 1993. ‘Review/Art; Fountains of Mercury, a  Piano Spitting Out Keys: Sculpture as Dramas’. New York Times, July 2, 1993.  Retrieved electronically on 5/12/06 from  http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3D81E3BF931A35754C0A965958260&sec=&pagewanted=print Winterson, Jeanette. 2005. ‘The Bionic Woman’. The  Guardian. Monday, May 23, 2005. Retrieved from http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1489933,00.html [i] In the Winterson interview, Horn is quoted as explaining that the onset of her illness occurred at age 20, although critic J. Fiona Rahgreb and others have written the age as 24.

Understanding of the Self Essay -- Compare Contrast Psychology Essays

Understanding of the Self INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The social constructionist perspective holds the view that the self is continuing "shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and involvement in social and cultural activities" (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996, p 220). Social constructionist is concerned with explicating the processes by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live (Gergen, 1971). Thus, the social constructionist approach implies that the self is shaped by social interaction within historical, cultural and social contexts. Social constructionist's apply an analysis of societal level which explain the self through social relations. Conversely, the psychodynamic perspective approach emphasises that much of the self of what we are driven by is hidden away in the unconscious and a battle for control takes place between the id, ego and superego. It is a very important point as it suggests that our internal representations of the world could be based on some innate propensities and these of course are unconscious. This interrelationship between world and the unconscious seek to rationalise that a self is produced through the internalization of the introjections of external people (Thomas, 1996). The essay will provide a brief introduction to the theory of the self as presented by both perspectives, then compare and evaluate the explanation offered by them. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST AND PSYCHODYMIC PERSPECTIVE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethnographic accounts of incongruent cultures as provided by anthropologist are used to defend the argument that the self is socially constructed through socialisation processes (Sapsford, 1996). For example, Markus and Kitayama proposed that with the existence of social influence, there is a greater sense of autonomy in western cultures as compared to the eastern (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996). Therefore, the social constructionist point of view is that our personal private worlds are fused with our external environment's social contact. On the other hand, the self will continue to develop through the utilization of multiple internalisation's of social identities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harre believes that this internalisation can occur through language, linguistic practices and conversations. Language can be used for internal symbolisation. (Wetherell and Maybin, 1996). In ... ...y. The different levels of analysis require different methods; the social constructionist emphasizes on cultural studies of anthropologists whereas the psychodynamic focuses on psychoanalysis to explain subjective experiences. Both views concur that internalisation of others is a vital aspect for the development of self identity, which in actual fact is not a unitary self but the buildup of the fragments of others. The social constructionist's postulates that others are internalised through conversations and language influences, which leads to the generalization of others, to become internalised as our self identity. Mead and Vygotsky, however do not propose that self identity is totally developed from the external society, but instead attributes its development to the varying degrees of people interactions with the wider society. As such, our inner world is converged and dispersed to the wider society. On the other hand, the psychodynamic view recognizes that fragmentation of on e self is unavoidable, which will stimulate unconscious disagreement, only to be dealt with defence mechanisms within. This will eventually produce a self identity which is either incomplete or distorted. Understanding of the Self Essay -- Compare Contrast Psychology Essays Understanding of the Self INTRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The social constructionist perspective holds the view that the self is continuing "shaped and reshaped through interactions with others and involvement in social and cultural activities" (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996, p 220). Social constructionist is concerned with explicating the processes by which people come to describe, explain, or otherwise account for the world (including themselves) in which they live (Gergen, 1971). Thus, the social constructionist approach implies that the self is shaped by social interaction within historical, cultural and social contexts. Social constructionist's apply an analysis of societal level which explain the self through social relations. Conversely, the psychodynamic perspective approach emphasises that much of the self of what we are driven by is hidden away in the unconscious and a battle for control takes place between the id, ego and superego. It is a very important point as it suggests that our internal representations of the world could be based on some innate propensities and these of course are unconscious. This interrelationship between world and the unconscious seek to rationalise that a self is produced through the internalization of the introjections of external people (Thomas, 1996). The essay will provide a brief introduction to the theory of the self as presented by both perspectives, then compare and evaluate the explanation offered by them. SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIONIST AND PSYCHODYMIC PERSPECTIVE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethnographic accounts of incongruent cultures as provided by anthropologist are used to defend the argument that the self is socially constructed through socialisation processes (Sapsford, 1996). For example, Markus and Kitayama proposed that with the existence of social influence, there is a greater sense of autonomy in western cultures as compared to the eastern (Wetherell & Maybin, 1996). Therefore, the social constructionist point of view is that our personal private worlds are fused with our external environment's social contact. On the other hand, the self will continue to develop through the utilization of multiple internalisation's of social identities.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Harre believes that this internalisation can occur through language, linguistic practices and conversations. Language can be used for internal symbolisation. (Wetherell and Maybin, 1996). In ... ...y. The different levels of analysis require different methods; the social constructionist emphasizes on cultural studies of anthropologists whereas the psychodynamic focuses on psychoanalysis to explain subjective experiences. Both views concur that internalisation of others is a vital aspect for the development of self identity, which in actual fact is not a unitary self but the buildup of the fragments of others. The social constructionist's postulates that others are internalised through conversations and language influences, which leads to the generalization of others, to become internalised as our self identity. Mead and Vygotsky, however do not propose that self identity is totally developed from the external society, but instead attributes its development to the varying degrees of people interactions with the wider society. As such, our inner world is converged and dispersed to the wider society. On the other hand, the psychodynamic view recognizes that fragmentation of on e self is unavoidable, which will stimulate unconscious disagreement, only to be dealt with defence mechanisms within. This will eventually produce a self identity which is either incomplete or distorted.

Southwest Marketing Strategy Essay -- essays research papers

Southwest Airlines is the industry leader in low cost airfare. They began its operation in 1971 with three Texas based routes and began interstate routes in 1978. When Southwest entered the market in 1971 they employed a market penetration pricing approach. They wanted to provide the best service for the lowest possible price. They saw that if they cut out certain unnecessary benefits they could lower their ticket price to a level far below that of the competition. They do not have in flight movies, meals, or first class sections. This strategy has been very cost effective and Southwest passes the savings on to the customer. They chose to focus on pleasure travelers and low-income travelers opposed to business travelers. This allowed them to take advantage of a market, which was often ignored by other airlines. Southwest is not concerned with the prices of other airlines. They do not engage in pricing to meet competition, or pricing below competition. CEO Herb Kelleher stated, â€Å"We’re not competing with other airlines. We’re competing with ground transportation.† This philosophy has led them to be very successful because they are priced below the competition, but don’t raise their prices when the competition does. Cost controlling is very important in the airline industry. Southwest is very good at controlling their costs. They offer a no frills service for people who want to get to their destination for as little as possible, and are not concerned about the bells and whistles like in-flight movies. Southwest also realized that when their planes are on the ground, they aren’t making money. They decided to keep their planes in the air as much as possible and have worked hard to keep a low turnaround time. They manage to unload passengers and load new passengers for the next flight within twenty minutes, which is shorter than the industry average. Southwest also uses only one kind of plane, the Boeing 737, in order to reduce costs of parts and training employees to use different types of planes. All of these methods have lowered the cost of operations for Southwest and allowed them to have a profit of $4.7 billion, which is twice that of United Airlines. And because they are so efficient they can pass the savings on to customers. There is no first class at Southwest and therefore all the customers are treated the same. They all receive the same level of atte... ...ly buy Southwest’s inexpensive tickets. College students also aren’t concerned about in-flight movies, meals, or other perks. Southwest would crush the competition in that route and make a large profit. Even families going on vacation would fly Southwest Airlines to Mexico. It is cheaper than other major airlines and it is a respected airline, unlike some no name airlines that run flights to Mexico. Advertising would be best done on television because America has become lazy and watches too much TV. They should advertise their great customer service by having customer testimonials and pictures of smiling customers and employees. They should also advertise during family oriented shows, because they are a form of inexpensive travel that a family could take advantage of. In conclusion, I feel that Southwest has taken advantage of its inexpensive flights and family oriented atmosphere to prevail despite the September 11th tragedy. Southwest has been a profitable business for 26 consecutive years and has twice the profits of United Airlines. They have been doing a great job providing customer service and will continue to be successful as long as they continue with their current plan.

Greek And Roman Arches :: History, Art, Architecture

Greek and Roman Arches and Architecture Architectural designs changed greatly since the ancient times. Most famous architectures and sculptures today originated from the Greek and Roman civilizations. Moreover, some of the inventions from those civilizations are also being used today, such as the arch, which originated from Roman architecture, and the columns, which originated from the Greek architecture. Throughout history, these architectures and inventions have become the foundations for our buildings, churches, and much more.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Greek architecture used mainly columns in most of their temples. The shape of the column was the most significant architectural factor. There were three types of columns, which were Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian. On these columns would lay a magnificent centerpiece, which displayed Greek gods or any sort of decorations. On the other hand, the Romans’ architecture used mainly arches, which could hold much more pressure than a column. Romans also used columns in their buildings, but only in a decorative form. Arches were made of stones or bricks and placed on top of each other in a way that it can form an arch and hold weight upon itself. In most Roman architectures, such as the Colosseum, there would be a dome over the top to protect from rain, sun, or any other weather. The dome has a massive weight, so there has to be something to support it up, and this is where the job of the arch takes place. In these Greek and Roman buildings or temples, there would be sculptures of famous gods and warriors. The Greek sculptures were also different than the Romans’.

Business Financing and the Capital Structure

Raising Business CapitalAs a financial advisor to this business there are two options to consider for raising business capital, equity financing and debt financing. The details, advantages, and disadvantages of both options will be provided. Also information about raising capital by selecting an investment banker will be discussed. To wrap up, the historical relationships between risk and return for common stocks versus corporate bonds will be examined. Equity FinancingIn terms of equity financing it is the process of raising capital through the sale of shares in an enterprise (National Federation of Independent Business, 2011). Equity financing is the sale of an ownership interest to raise funds for business purposes. â€Å"Equity financing spans a wide range of activities in scale and scope, from a few thousand dollars raised by an entrepreneur from friends and family, to giant initial public offerings (IPOs) running into the billions by household names such as Google and Facebook † (Kokemuller, 2013).The equity-financing process is governed by regulations imposed by local or national securities authority in most jurisdictions. The regulations are designed to protect the public from investing with unhonest operators who may raise funds from unsuspecting investors and disappear with the money. An equity financing is therefore generally accompanied by an offering memorandum or prospectus, which  contains a great deal of information that should help the investor make an informed decision about the merits of the financing (National Federation of Independent Business, 2011). Such information includes the company's activities, details on its officers and directors, use of financing proceeds, risk factors, financial statements and so on.AdvantagesThe main advantage of equity financing is that it doesn't have to be repaid. Plus, you share the risks and liabilities of company ownership with the new investors. Since you don't have to make debt payments, you can use the cash flow generated to further grow the company or to diversify into other areas. Maintaining a low debt-to-equity ratio also puts you in a better position to get a loan in the future when needed.DisadvantagesThere are tradeoffs with equity financing, the disadvantage of it is by taking on equity investment, you give up partial ownership and some level of decision-making authority over your business. Large equity investors often insist on placing representatives on company boards or in executive positions. If your business takes off, you have to share a portion of your earnings with the equity investor. Over time, distribution of profits to other owners may exceed what you would have repaid on a loan. Equity financing is different from debt financing, which refers to funds borrowed by a business.Debt FinancingsAccording to Investopedia, debt financing is when a firm raises money for working capital or capital expenditures by selling bonds, bills, or notes to individual and/ or institutional investors. In return for lending the money, the individuals or institutions become creditors and receive a promise that the principal and interest on the debt will be repaid (Investopedia, 2012).AdvantagesThe advantage of debt financing is it allows you to pay for new buildings, equipment and other assets used to grow your business before you earn the necessary funds. This can be a great way to pursue an aggressive growth strategy, especially if you have access to low interest rates. Compared to equity financing, businesses do not have to give up any ownership or control of the business with debt financing. After the loan is paid back the businesses relationship is completed. Other advantages of debt financing are the interest on the loan is tax deductible and if the loan is fixed rate the principal and interest can be planned in the budget (Kokemuller, 2013).DisadvantagesThe main disadvantage associated with debt financing is that you have to repay the loan, plus i nterest. If a company does not pay back the loan in the terms agreed upon the property and assets can be repossessed by the bank. Debt financing is also borrowing against future earnings. This means that instead of using all future profits to grow the business or to pay owners, you have to allocate a portion to debt payments. Overuse of debt can severely limit future cash flow and stifle growth. Is debt financing is not properly monitored and controlled it can hurt the business. If too much debt is carried the business and owner will be seen as â€Å"high risk† by potential investors and that will limit the ability to raise capital by equity financing in the future. Debt can also make it difficult for a business to grow if the cost of repaying the loan is high.Investment BankAnother option for raising capital is selecting an investment bank. They are financial institutions and individuals who assist companies in raising capital, often through a private placement or public off ering of company stock. Sometimes investment bankers are referred to as brokers or deal makers. Companies frequently use investment bankers to help identify available financing options and obtain introductions to funding sources (Growth Company Guide, 2000). Investment banks also provide up-to-date advice on the conditions of fundraising for private companies. Because investment bankers make a business of raising money for companies, they can often be quite helpful to a company in analyzing its funding needs, identifying the most likely or appropriate sources for raising money and executing a fundraising strategy (Growth Company Guide, 2000).An investment bank can help, but the quality of a company’s opportunity and the strength of its management team determines the amount of options open for a given fundraising. Investment bankers also vary in quality, resources, experience and contacts. Investment bankers who are experienced with the company’s industry and the type o f financing it needs, can often help a company raise funds. If they are unfamiliar with the company’s industry or the type of financing being sought, they may actually hinder a company’s financing efforts. Common Stocks versus Corporate BondsIt is commonly known and accepted among investors that the higher the returns on an investment, the higher the risks are. Safe investments carry low risk, but the returns are also lower. Different levels of risk apply to common and preferred stock, as well as to corporate bonds. Corporate bonds generally have the lowest level of risk of the three investment types, but also offer lower returns, even with regular dividend payments. Common stocks have the highest risk of the investments and the highest potential returns.Common StocksWhen you purchase stock in a company during a public offering, you become a shareholder in the company. Some companies pay dividends to shareholders based on the number of shares held, and this is one form of return on investment. Another is the profit realized by trading on the stock exchange, but one must sell the shares at a higher price than paid for. The risks of owning common stock include the possible loss of any projected profit, as well as the money paid for the shares, if the share price drops below the original priceCorporate BondsBonds issued by companies represent the largest of the bond markets, bigger than U.S. Treasury bonds, municipal bonds, or securities offered by federal agencies (Sandilands, T. 2013). The risk associated with corporate bonds depends on the financial stability and performance of the company issuing the bonds, because if the company goes bankrupt it may not be able to repay the value of the bond, or any return on investment. Assess the risk by checking the company’s credit rating with ratings agencies such as Moody's  and Standard & Poor's. Good ratings are not guarantees, however, as a company may show an excellent credit record until the day before filing for bankruptcy (Sandilands, T. 2013).RiskCorporate bonds hold the lowest risk of the two types of investments, provided you choose the right company in which to invest. The main reason for this is that in the event of bankruptcy, corporate bond holders have a stronger claim to payment than holders of common stocks. Bonds carry the risk of a lower return on investment, as the performance of stocks is generally better. Common stocks carry the highest risk, because holders are last to be paid in the event of bankruptcy.

Emotiv System

Emotiv System Min Company Background When Tan Le and Nam Do sold their company and earned a large of money in 2003, they decided to take a new challenge about processing brain signals. Then, together with Allan Snyder, a physicist and Neil Weste, a chip designer, they founded Emotiv Systems Inc.. The company built a R&D lab to develop a workable system about brain signals process. Finally, the team had a breakthrough-successfully developed basic technology called EPOC, which can detect 30 mental states and process brain signals into software algorithms.Now, The company wants to launch this new kind technology into market. However, there are many issues need to be decided, such as: 1. To launch as a PC-only device or both console enabled and PC enabled, which is better? 2. If Emotiv plans to launch into console market, what marketing strategy would best promote rapid adoption? 3. What kind of demand could materialize for the EPOC console-enabled? How about if only PC enabled? Technolo gy development about brain activity Actually, many approaches were developed all the time for transmitting brain activity.Tech| method| Advantage| Disadvantage| fMRI| Through magnetic properties of oxygenated blood | 1. Able to get strong signals2. Able to distinguish what different brain structures are doing| 1. Much cost2. Large size of apparatus| PET| Through injections of radioactive tracers| 1. More portable than fMRI machines| 1. Expensive process2. Consumer are hard to be willing to endure| EEG| Cross brain’s protective layers| 1. Portability2. Low cost| 1. Bad effects on signal quality| EPOC| Through a head set to capture brain signals| 1. Portability2.The cost is reasonable| | According the table above, we knew EPOC is a new technology that is innovative enough for Emotiv to seek launching into market. Console-Enabled market Gaming market is certainly a giant market from which the company can earn amounts of money and creates much profit, especially for console-enabl ed market. Then, it’s necessary to seek the chance to cooperate with console makers. The following is the comparison for seeking cooperation with different console makers. Console maker| Group of consumer| Issues| Nintendo Wii| Casual gamers| 1.Lacking in computational power. 2. Planing to focus on improving existing technology rather than trying a new one. | Sony PS3| Mix of hard-core games| Harm for cooperation:1. Sony company was highly divisive with PS3 hardware and software. 2. Sony Europe was willing to cooperate with Emotiv, but it needed to dumb down EPOC just for releasing a simple version. Benefit for cooperation:1. Sony PS3 is less competitive than Wii for less complex controllers and needs a new technology. 2. Sony Europe group has autonomy to decide whether to cooperate with Emotiv. Microsoft Xbox 360| Hard-core gamers| 1. Not include a high-definition DVD in console2. Taking a policy of â€Å"wait-and-see†. 3. Wanna others to prove the concepts first| Acc ording the comparison above, we can conclude Sony is the best choice if Emotiv manages to convince one of the console makers in time for a fall 2008 debut. And the demand of new product needs to focus on hard-core gamers. Then, the marketing strategy is the key to best facilitate rapid adoption. Product| With the platform of Sony PS3 and EPOC system|Price| Using Penetration pricing to capture market share| Place| Retail channel including Sony and Best Buy, e-tailers, company| Promotion| Bundling with PS3, Selling CDs with inclusion of experience, etc| PC-Gaming market For gaming, except console gaming, PC gaming also take over a large part. There’re several features as following. 1. PC gaming was less than 1/5 size of console market. 2. Game development for PC was less concentrated, then there were more PC games. 3. There had been a trend to open brain computer interface technology. . The demand of PC gaming would focus on very hard-core gamers and role-playing gamers. 5. PC and Console Gaming profits are inversely proportional to each other. Conclusion According all the information above, there’s a conclusion that EPOC will have a beautiful prospect with no matter Console market or PC-Gaming market. Emotiv may launch its technology at both the markets, but what it needs to do the most important now is firstly to launch at console market, seek to cooperate with Sony, capture the market and finally aim at other goals.