The Importance Of Humanism And Leonardo Da Vinci - 1114 Words

All of Leonardo da Vinci’s work took part in the effort to express humanism throughout the world and affected the world more than people realize. Humanism was an ideal during the Italian Renaissance. â€Å"Humanism is a progressive lifestance that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead meaningful, ethical lives capable of adding to the greater good of humanity.† (americanhumanist.org). Humanism was the ideal of the Renaissance and Leonardo da Vinci did his best to embody that. Leonardo da Vinci was known as an ideal Renaissance man throughout his life because he ventured into so many different disciplines. â€Å"Although Leonardo da Vinci endures as the quintessential polymath, the epitome of the â€Å"Renaissance Man†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦Leonardos early study of anatomy was very unfocused because he was trying to explain not only the structure but also conception, growth, emotions, senses, etc. He made a plan of what he was going to study in 1489. Sadly, he did not get very far with his research for he was young and unable to dissect real human corpses. Leonardos early observations of the human anatomy were based on wisdom that he had received, animal dissection, and just looking at the human form. Around twenty years later, Leonardo was able to perform an autopsy on an old man, later discovering that he died because of a heart attack. He began to evolve as he studied the human form more and more. Eventually, he came to believe that dissecting bodies gave him the ability to obtain true and perfect knowledge. â€Å"Leonardo compiled a series of 18 mostly double-sided sheets exploding with more than 240 individual drawings and over 13,000 words of notes... these sheets are full of lucid insights into the functioning anatomy of the human body.† (bbc.com). Leonardo carried out as many as 30 dissections, also known as autopsies, throughout his life which really helped his other studies. da Vin ci wrote extensively on the topic of human anatomy and it is still recognized today by being placed in the Royal Collection. Later in his life, Leonardo made the first accurate representation of the human spine. This was revolutionary and it had neverShow MoreRelatedThe Rise Of The Greek And Roman Empires991 Words   |  4 Pagesexciting and useful things that are used in the present. The renaissance also brought back the importance of politics, and of city-states and national monarchies. A major theme of the renaissance was humanism. Humanism was a theoretical movement which was created by earthlier men rather than scholarly lords. Beginning in Italy in the 15th century, humanism was dominated by men like Dante, and Petrarch. Humanism held many strong and important features such as; human nature and its manifestations and achievementsRead MoreLeonardo Da Vinci And The Renaissance Era1572 Words   |  7 Pagesare created to represent the time of its creation. During the Renaissanc e Era, the humanist and classical values of art flourished. One of the great masters of the Renaissance known as Leonardo Da Vinci, dominated the period of the High Renaissance. The values of the Renaissance exist in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci portrayed through his paintings of Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and Salvator Mundi. The Renaissance Era was a period in Europe that lasted between the 14th century and 17th century. ItRead MoreLeonardo Da Vinci : A Renaissance Man1112 Words   |  5 PagesLeonardo da Vinci was a painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, and military engineer which is the perfect example of a â€Å"Renaissance man.† With a curious mind, da Vinci studied the laws of science and nature, which greatly informed his work. His ideas and body of work have influenced countless artists and made da Vinci a great influence of the Italian Renaissance. Leonardo da Vinci was born on April 15, 1452, near the village of Vinci about 25 miles west of Florence. He was the illegitimate sonRead MoreThe Renaissance And Its Influence On The Arts And Learning Succeeding The Dark Ages862 Words   |  4 Pagestime that consisted of barbarian attacks, whose sole intent was to erase the ancient teachings. The Middle Ages differed from the time in which the Renaissance occurred. There are some main characteristics the Renaissance possessed. Galileo and Leonardo Da Vinci were pivotal to this time and their contributions were crucial to the achievement of the objective of the Renaissance. The Renaissance served as a time for rehabilitation of all that had been lost. The Dark Ages was a time preceding the RenaissanceRead MoreImportance Of Leonardo s Notebooks By Samuel Rose1272 Words   |  6 PagesLeonardo’s Notebooks By: Samuel Rose The Importance of Leonardo s notebook His insights in science might give now a day doctors and studiers of the human body a strong base to create their own knowledge. Some of the drawings include a fetus in the womb, circulation of blood in the body and a dissection of a man. Other drawings of nature were a bird in flight and the Vitruvian man which both described anatomy and the way mechanics work in nature. Continued†¦ Also, Leonardo made leaps and bounds in the areaRead MoreSuppressed Darkness On The Medieval Mind Map1582 Words   |  7 Pagescultural movement began to appear, known as the Renaissance, and the darkness of the medieval mind map was forever shattered, to remain a pale illusion. Humanists, such as Sir Thomas More and Desiderius Erasmus, and inventors and explorers such as Leonardo Da Vinci, Nicolas Copernicus, and Ferdinand Magellan guided the way to a new ideology of independent thinking. Following the campaign of upcoming thinkers, movements, and changes that would turn people’s blind eye, Manchester concluded his point withRead MoreStudying Renaissance through Its Art Essay1269 Words   |  6 Pagesnew development of techniques and the sensibilities of the artists. The Renaissance had stressed the ideas of the classical world of art. The causes were so many that were all deeply undercounted and the historians had debated that the relative importance if each is when the Re naissance had began. During the mid 14th century was the actual period that the renaissance had started (Renaissance Art). In Florence the initial home of the Renaissance, but some of the history had started in Italy. In ItalyRead MoreThe Renaissance Era915 Words   |  4 Pagesin the past it continues to live on throughout many different fields of art, theories and movements. However, paintings such as â€Å"the Mona Lisa†, â€Å"The School of Athens†, and â€Å"The Arnolfini Portrait† which were created by the great innovators Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael and Jan van Eyck respectively, tend to be more symbolic and exemplary of the spirit of the renaissance era. The Renaissance era was faced with the hundred years war, the black death, classicism and the issues of religion, such asRead MoreThe Technique Behind Mona Lisa1235 Words   |  5 Pagesthe humanism movement. The subjects of works of art were no longer limited to royal and religious figures, nor were they over idealized portrayals. Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa exemplifies this trend. Working with the new medium of oil and his mastery of light, contrast, and sfumato, da Vinci created the most famous painting in the world; a work where subject and background compliment each other to form a perfect union. One of the aspects that make the Mona Lisa such a masterpiece is da Vinci’sRead MoreHumanism And Influence During The Renaissance1582 Words   |  7 Pagesvalue placed on knowledge, humanism, and skepticism. The value of knowledge and learning during the Renaissance is demonstrated by the mindsets taken by various scholars and artists of the time. For example, in a quote by Leonardo da Vinci, he claims that the ultimate purpose of life is the pursuit of knowledge, which brings him more pleasure than anything else (Doc. 42). Instead of wealth, power, or religion, da Vinci pursues knowledge and values it above all else. Da Vinci is well known as a Renaissance

Kingfisher Plc Cultural Expansion into Russia Analysis Free Essays

Abstract: Since its inception in 1982 as a UK based conglomerate, Kingfisher Plc has transformed itself into the biggest multinational home-improvement products retailer in Europe and the third largest in the world. The company currently ranks on the 52nd position of the FTSE 100 index with market capitalization totaling ?7.23 billion (Stockopedia: Kingfisher Market Analysis 2012). We will write a custom essay sample on Kingfisher Plc Cultural Expansion into Russia Analysis or any similar topic only for you Order Now Even though the global economic collapse has affected every economic identity adversely, Kingfisher Plc has emerged from the crisis robustly which is clearly reflected through their ever improving financial and business performance (Digital Look: Kingfisher Company Research 2012). This paper will analyze the frameworks and strategies of Kingfisher Plc’s recent expansion into Russia in light of its previous expansions in Eastern Europe. Comprehensive analyses of the cultural differences that may hinder prospective growth will also be included in the paper. Kingfisher in Russia: With an FTSE market capitalization ranking of 95, owner of popular household brands such as Brico Depot, ScrewFix, Castorama , and BQ, and with a very well established domestic network in UK, Ireland France, Kingfisher Plc decided to expand its operations further into eastern Europe after Poland, i.e. Russia (KingfisherPlc: About Us n.d.). It aims to exploit the Russian market because of its excellent potential both in terms of profitability and growth. Russia’s 13 major cities are inhabited by more than 1 million inhabitants each, in addition to a high disposable income and low tax and utility charges. By 2009, the company had opened five stores in Russia and aims to open more stores in the future (Business Review: Key steps and aims. 2010). Tackling cultural differences to gain sustainable competitive advantage: Even though prospective returns from Russian market are quite lucrative it is not a piece of cake to establish the firm strong in the market. The market Kingfisher Plc is currently operating in is quite different than the British market due numerous cultural differences such as, workplace culture differences, communication bottlenecks, different expectations, etc. These differences may seem meagerly insignificant however inability to cope with them may result in reduced competitive advantage in the long run. The most appropriate model to date to study the cross cultural business expansion problem is the Hofstede’s model of cultural differences for international organizations. It analyzes a particular foreign market through five cultural magnitudes: u Power Distance; u Individualism; u Masculinity; u Uncertainty avoidance; u Long-term orientation. The first dimension, power distance relates to the extent of equality/inequality in a country or society. A country with more power distance has a more authoritarian culture, for example, it may follow a caste system. Whereas, countries with low power distance are more democratically cultured (Tavakoli, Keenan and Cranjak-Karanovic 2003). Russia has a relatively high power distance index, however the home market of Kingfisher Plc, United Kingdom has a low power distance culture. This can be a hurdle for Kingfisher Plc as in Russia people does not emphasize on status, power or wealth which makes them more inclined to purchase the products from local small businesses with little or no brand image. Whereas the success of Kingfisher retail in Britain was also due to the brand loyalty its products had created over the passage of time. Russia also has collectivist culture which shows that people associate themselves in long term groups, family ties are strong and collective responsibilities are promoted whereas culture in the UK tends to be more individualistic and consists of very less interpersonal relations and affiliations (Yates 2005). Russia has a more feminine culture with greater emphasis on relationships and bonding while UK has a more masculine culture with more emphasis of competition, wealth generation and capitalist ideas (Yates 2005). In the final dimensions of uncertainty avoidance and long term orientation, a high UAI score for Russia shows a high extent of uncertainty avoidance and its inclination towards long term goals. It also portrays quite low levels of tolerance for ambiguity. Stringent laws that discourage creativity, innovation and nonstandard ideas prevail in the society. This dimension may go in Kingfisher’s favor since the conglomerate specializes in producing standardized products, but only to some extent. (Maternovsky 2004). The dimension of uncertainty avoidance can create a significant impact on Kingfisher’s strategy as the target market is unwilling to adapt to new changes. Also, the Russian home market is dominated by small businesses that offer a tremendously varied product base but multinationals like Kingfisher has specialized in proving standardized designs just like its competitors such as IKEA (Osborne 2004). The final dimension of long term orientation also brings into light another major difference between the British and Russian cultures. Russians put more emphasis on future stability and whilst the British, contrastingly, value the past and present most (Yates 2005). This can create a considerable impact on the spending patterns of the target market. Kingfisher needs to be more vigilant and ingenious with marketing and promotions to persuade the Russian segments. Another important factor worth considering is the concept of psychic distance and the importance of it in a firm’s global expansion. This concept was bought into light by Jan Johansson and Fin Wiedersheim- Paul in their famous study of Uppsala Model of Internationalization (Jan and Jan-Erik 1977). The model explains how firms gradually expand in more indigenous and culturally diverse markets by first gaining experience from their domestic operations, then moving on to geographically close and culturally similar markets and gain further experience of operating other than home markets. Subsequently, the firm then further expands into more distant cultural markets by developing a learning chain based on the insights gained from previous expansions (Blomstermo and Deo 2003). Kingfisher Plc’s Russian expansion can be prospectively successful in light of the Uppsala Model of Internationalization as it has not only operated and learned from its strong British home market. But also it has also successfully operated in foreign culturally diverse markets such as Germany, France and Poland. And now it is time to apply the previous knowledge gained in order to devise new successful policies to apply in the booming Russian market (Rugman, Kudina and Yip 297-315). Conclusion Even though Kingfisher Plc has stood strong in the wake of financial crisis, has posed strong financial results and has been keen with international expansions, the Russian expansion needs to be tackled with gravity as the market is quite culturally diverse from the markets Kingfisher was formerly operating in. However, the firm has considerable experience of operating in diverse markets and hopefully will do well with the Russian segments too. The performance so far has been up to the mark, for example, Kingfisher hired Peter Partma as its Russia Country head due to his experience as retail director for IKEA (Osborne 2004). This enabled Kingfisher to reduce the psychic distance and the Russian head also introduced culturally adapted style of management in Kingfisher too. Bibliography Blomstermo, Anders, and Dharma Deo. Learning in the internationalisation process of firms. New York: Edward Elgar Publishing, 2003. â€Å"Business Review: Key steps and aims.† Kingfisher Annual Report and Accounts. 2010. http://www.kingfisher.com/files/reports/annual_report_2011/index.asp (accessed April 2012). Digital Look: Kingfisher Company Research. March 2012. http://www.digitallook.com/companyresearch/10053/Kingfisher/company_research.html (accessed April 2012). Jan, Johanson, and Vahlne Jan-Erik. â€Å"The Internationalization Process of the Firm-A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments.† Journal of International Business Studies 8, no. 1 (1977): 23-32. KingfisherPlc: About Us. http://www.kingfisher.com/index.asp?pageid=2 (accessed April 2, 2012). Maternovsky, Denis. â€Å"Kingfisher to Enter Russian DIY Market.† Moscow Times. June 2004. http://www.themoscowtimes.com/business/article/kingfisher-to-enter-russian-diy-market/230369.html (accessed April 2012). Osborne, Alistair. â€Å"Kingfisher poaches Ikea man to knock Russia into shape.† The Telegraph. June 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2887606/Kingfisher-poaches-Ikea-man-to-knock-Russia-into-shape.html (accessed April 2012). Rugman, Alan M., Alina Kudina, and George S. Yip. â€Å"The Regional Dimension of UK Multinationals.† Research in Global Strategic Management, 297-315: 2007. Stockopedia: Kingfisher Market Analysis. March 2012. http://www.stockopedia.co.uk/share-prices/kingfisher-LON:KGF/ (accessed April 2012). Tavakoli, A. A., John P. Keenan, and B. Cranjak-Karanovic. â€Å"Culture and Whistleblowing An Empirical Study of Croatian and United States Managers Utilizing Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions.† JOURNAL OF BUSINESS ETHICS 43, no. 2 (2003): 49-64. Yates, Mick. â€Å"Cultural Differences: It’s More than Geography that Matters.† Growing Global. October 2005. http://www.growing-global.com/detail.asp?ID=23 (accessed April 1, 2012). How to cite Kingfisher Plc Cultural Expansion into Russia Analysis, Essay examples

The use of modalizers in a film review The Passio Essay Example For Students

The use of modalizers in a film review: The Passio Essay n of the ChristIntroductionThe purpose of this essay is to analyze a film review titled Good and Evillocked in Violent Showdown which was published by the New York Times on-line on February 25, 2004. This film review, whose author is A. O. Scottdeals with Mel Gibsons last movie: The Passion of the Christ. The analysiswill focus on the use of modalizers following some theoretical basisdeveloped by Geoff Thompson and Randolph Quirk. In the first section I willprovide the theoretical framework used for this analysis and the followingsection will be devoted to the discussion proper. Section 1: Theoretical BasisFor this analysis I propose Thompson and Quirks theoretical basis in thatthey give an adequate framework with which to focus on modalization. It ispossible to say that any text denotes an interaction between the writer andthe reader. For this interaction to lead to a successful reading of thetext, the writer must take into account the existence of a real reader,what Thompson calls the awareness of the audience (2001:1). When dealingwith theinterpersonalmetafunctionoflanguage,Thompson(2001:2)identifies two specific types of language resources: On the one hand, theinteractive devices help to guidethereaderthroughthetext;interactional resources, ontheotherhand,involvethereadercooperatively in the process of decoding and construction of the text. Thompson believes that the reader-in-the-text, i.e the inclusion in thetext of a voice that is intended to be attributed to the reader, is acentral form of interactional resources because the writer constructs areader-in-the text with sets of shared attitudes and knowledge so that itdoes not appear that the writer is presupposing ideas which might beunacceptable for the real reader. For the purpose of involving the readercolaboratively in the interpretation of the text, the writer needs to makeuse of modalizers so as to be cautious rather than categorical. Generallyabsolute assertions do not leave room for other possible points of view andcause the reader not to feel comfortable and willing to go on reading. Randolph Quirk (1985:218) makes a general but useful distinction ofmodalizers which he calls downtoners in that they have the function ofdiminishing the force of what is being said. According to Quirk, downtonerscan be divided into four groups: compromisers, which denote a slightlowering on the scale; diminishers which denote a downward scaling and meanto a small extent; minimizers, which denote the lower extreme of thescale and aproximators, which serve to express an approximation to theforce of the verb. Section 2: DiscussionIn the film review proposed for analysis, it is possible to observe a gooduse of modalizers on part of the writer. We can assume that he is consciousof the fact that he is writing an argumentative type of paper whichrequires caution and avoidance of categorical assertions. It is alsopossible to notice that he is aware of the presence of an audience.Thefilm review seems to have a predictable pattern of argumentative essayexploited by the writer and easily followed by the reader. Some of theevidence shows that there are explicit elements signaling the fluentdialogue between the writer and the reader which is brought to the surfaceby the use of modalizers. To exemplify signals, I would like to point outsome instances where modalizers are used. Diminishers such as seem and tend( as for example in the movie seems to insist in the sixthparahraph and earlier American movies about Jesushave tended to bepalatable in the third paragraph) are consistently used to mitigate t heperlocutionary force, and by this we mean the effect on the receiver. Theuse of this kind of downtoners shows us the writers willingness to involvethe reader colaboratively in the development of the text so as to easilyachieve the argumentative goal of persuading the reader to think in acertain way. Some other diminishers such as something like in the fifthparagraph and somewhat abstractly in the following one are also used withthe same purpose. In the sixth paragraph, the modalizer often is used todowngrade the frequency with which the Gospels treat certain events withcircumspection. The last paragraph of the film review is introduced by avery interesting sentence: Anyway, this is a film review, not Sundayschool. Within the universe of Scotts film review, this sentence clearlybrings to the surface the dialogue between the writer and the reader. Thewriter is anticipating the readers reaction. This instance does not onlyshow the interactional aspect of the interpersonal function of language butalso helps to guide the reader through the line of argumentation. After inthis same last paragraph, with the phraseeitherguilelesslyoringeniously the author gives an alternative possibility that gives room tothe readers choice of viewpoint. .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .postImageUrl , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:hover , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:visited , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:active { border:0!important; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:active , .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1 .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u2a77307f1cc3d9c3bfef4b5814d40eb1:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: The Kite Runner By John Kite EssayConclusionIn this paper we have discussed A. O. Scotts film review on The Passionof the Christ according to Thompsons theory about the interaction betweenthe writer and the reader and Quirks classification of downtoners. Thefocus of this analysis was the use of modalizers. The things observed werethat the writer makes use of a predictable essay pattern for the reader toeasily follow the line of argumentation. He also shows to be aware of theaudience because he tries to involve them cooperatively in thedevelopmentof the text. For this intention, he makes good use of modalizers that makethe sound cautious rather than categorical in his asser tions. In this way,the writer not only makes use of what Thompson calls the interpersonalresources of language but also of the interactional resources that let himhave a fluent dialogue with the reader. References:Thompson, G. (2001) Interaction in academic writing: learning to arguewith the reader. in Applied Linguistics 22/1 58 78. Quirk, R. (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. AddisonWesley Publishing Company. pp. 218-219.