Case Analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Case Analysis - Coursework Example The surplus khaki comes in different colors such as French navy, deep moss, chino black, chino steel and chino ginseng. The stripe khaki has two colors namely navy stripe and khaki stripe. The weekend straight fit khaki is available in stone and khaki. The price for these types of khaki pants is $44.50. The women’s section uses different classification for pants. The pants are arranged according to the type of cut such as straight leg, wide leg, curvy, demi-boot cut, and the on-sale pants. The sizes for women vary from regular, petite and tall. The khaki pants for men in this website fall under casual pants which ae narrowed down to pleated, flat front and cargo. The pleated khaki pants has 24 items, the flat front khaki pants has 22 items while the cargo type has 4 items. The name of the items includes the brand, the fit and the front type. The brand names are Dockers, St. John’s Bay and Stafford among others. The fit of the types may be classic, loose and comfort-fit. By clicking on the picture, the next page shows the features of the khaki pants which are the individual fit waistband, â€Å"no wrinkle† finish, classic fit and soft microsanded fabric. The colors may range from black, British khaki, cafà ©, cement, heather grey, midnight navy, and moss. The suggested shirts, shoes and belts that may go with the khaki pants are visible on the side of the screen which also includes the price. The prices differ depending on the size so the khaki pants are priced from $29.9 to $46.00. Khaki pants fall under the category casual pants which are similar to Gap.com however the keyword khaki cannot be found on the name of the item. Instead, the word chino is commonly used for the khaki type of pants. The fit of the khaki pants for men can be traditional, comfort, tailored or relaxed. The waist style ranges from regular, comfort, drawstring and elastic. The front style can either be

History II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

History II - Essay Example Japanese targeted Pearl Harbor and attacked Pearl Harbor. Pearl Harbor is located on the west of Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is under the command of United States Pacific Fleet. Japanese army attacked the Pearl Harbor on the 7th of December 1941. The impact of this attack was massive and began World War II. In the past the Pearl Harbor contained a shallow entrance and it was impossible for the large ships to enter the harbor (Hakim 93). The United States pacific fleet was previously located at the San Diego. Then President Franklin D. Roosevelt relocated it and sent it to the Hawaii (Hakim 149). The American invasion in the Hawaii made changes to the harbor and the rules related to it. The main motive of making of Pearl Harbor as narrated by United State is to protect the sailor and other men which are related to whaling industry (Hakim 152). It was decided to make pearl harbor a duty free harbor to increase the trade in the vicinity. By the start of the 1900 to 1908 t he American Navy expanded and improved the services (Hakim 153). On the day of 7th December 1941 Japanese imposed a surprise military attack on the United States Navy at the Pearl Harbor. According to Japanese the imposed military action is to avoid United States Navy to interfere in the Japanese invasion to the other parts of the world (Hoyt 104). The Japanese air strike nearly crushed many of the United States naval ships.

Indian American Immigrants in the Golden Age Essay Example for Free

Indian American Immigrants in the Golden Age Essay Arthur W. Helweg is known as a Cultural Anthropologist and a Professor of Anthropology at the Western Michigan University, who studied the lives and stories of many Asian Indian Immigrants in different countries around the world which includes Australia, Canada, Great Britain, India and the United States of America (Arthur W. Helweg). Through his love and passion for the people with Asian Indian origin, he worked with different publications and has already written various books that feature the tale of many Asian Indian Immigrants around the world. He also co-authored the book entitled â€Å"Immigrant Success Story: East Indians in America,† which has been awarded with the Theodore Saloutos Book Award given by the Immigration and Ethnic History Society, as the best book on immigration history category in the year 1990. More so, he has also done co-editorial task wherein he has been chosen to be a part of the editorial team for the book series entitled Discovering the People of Michigan. The book entitled â€Å"Strangers in Not-So-Strange Land: Indian American Immigrants in the Golden Age† is regarded as one of the most brilliant works of Arthur William Helweg in his chosen field of interest in studying the narrative of many Asian Indian people around the globe who seek for better life and fortune outside the premises of their motherland. This book is also characterized as one of the apparent proofs that signify the dedication and excellence of Arthur Helweg, as a Cultural Anthropologist and an enthusiast of the Asian Indian struggles as immigrants in different countries abroad, more especially in the United States. Currently, there are now thousands of Asian Indians who are living in the United States. Synopsis of the Book In a sense, this book of Arthur Helweg presents his own account of case study regarding the narrative and struggle of many Asian Indians in the United States. For more than three decades, the story of these people has never been in the mainstream and almost regarded as nonexistent ever since they arrived in the U. S. However, this profound community of Asian Indian is regarded to be a group of immigrants with the highest educated members and known as the highest earning average family of any ethnic group in North America. Thus, theses Asian Indians are noted as valuable members and representatives of the latest type of immigrants arriving in the United States. In a sense, the author, Arthur Helweg, has focused more about the theme of immigration of these people in the United States. This book highlights the truth and facts about the narrative of Asian Indian immigration and how these highly educated and professionally trained immigrants vary and deal with different challenges and difficulties associated to the traditional concepts of migration in the United States. Thus, this book tells about the real stories of these people regarding their journey to the land of America and how they adjusted to the new set of laws in the United States, as immigrants and foreign people. This also highlights the case study of the author about the adjustments involved in creating a new line of respect between the Asian Indians and the Native American people. Furthermore, this reading also renders a clear overview about the historical narrative of the Asian Indian in the United States and how the Indian Diaspora becomes a global tribe, which has been all over the world. This also explains the origin of these people and how their homeland is being recognized, as these people continuous to create good recognition across their names internationally. With the fact that these people is now recognized as one of the well acknowledged group of immigrants in the United States, this book also highlights the real happenings as to how the ethnicity of the Asian Indian survived in a relatively new world and volatile nature of the United States. More so, this also depicts the apparent pictures with regard to the efforts and hard work of these people in laying the foundation of their ethnicity in the United States. The Critique From a personal point of view, it is of reasonable grounds to say that Arthur Helweg, as a cultural anthropologist, professor and author is indeed a master and specialist of what he does best, which is that of studying the narrative of Asian Indian immigrants in different areas around the globe, more especially in the United States, as evident in the excellence of this book. More so, this book is observable to be cohesive and reliable in presenting valuable and factual accounts of the Asian Indian ethnicity and their journey towards instituting their equal position in the American society. Starting from the fundamentals and discussing the significance of the main story, the writing style of Arthur Helweg for this book is indeed informative and at the same time profoundly entertaining, as he also incorporates most of his distinct humor in presenting and discussing some of the light aspects of the book. Though writing a case study type of book is a bit tricky and complicated to do, the author, Arthur Helweg, has done a good job in presenting a well researched and comprehensive readings with regard to the life and struggle of these people, as valuable refugees in foreign countries like the United States. The way Arthur Helweg highlights and reveals both of the minor and major issues that these people are experiencing in the United States, as immigrants, is really one of main factors of that has made this book cohesive and well informative, not only for the member of Asian Indian community in U. S. but also for the people who wants to know more about the narrative of these ethnic people. Relation to Class Material As for this book, the topic about ethnicity and race of the Asian Indian in the United States is what I really understand the most. As a part of the class discussion, I learned that though people from other countries with specific ethnicity or cultural background prefers to live and start a new in a foreign outside of their original home turf, they can still be classified as an individual according to their culture, as seen evident through their beliefs, actions and language. Thus, as for the case of Asian Indian, depicted in the book of Arthur Helweg, it has become more understandable that these people, though they traveled so far and miles away from their homeland, still remain as a recognizable ethnic society in the U. S. because of their cultural background and racial origin, which can never be easily altered though they are already living in a relatively strange world. More so, through the materials we have discussed in class, it made me understand better that racial inequality in diverse countries like the United States is one of the most significant and common issues as well as dangers that typical ethnic immigrants like the Asian Indian in the United States are facing as a group of people living a strange world. Lastly, it is of my well established knowledge that migration of different of ethnic group in particular country helps alter the cultural background and/or orientation by the people involved in the process. In the end, this book of Arthur Helweg, has helped me better understand the issues and facts as to how migration of different ethnic groups of people around the world is changing the world cultures and influencing the formation of various policies both local and international. More so, through this book, I learned that in the end, race and/cultural differences should not be the main basis from which one would draw the importance and superiority of ethnicity. Instead, people should value the worth of one another according to their abilities and help for the betterment of a given country, regardless of race or cultural background. Works Cited Arthur W. Helweg. 15 may 2009 http://msupress. msu. edu/authorbio. php? authorID=13 Helweg, Arthur. Strangers in a not-so-strange land: Indian American immigrants in the global age. California: Wadsworth, 2004. Miller, Barbara. Cultural Anthropology in a Globalizing World. Boston: Addison-Wesley, 2007. Profile of Asian Indians in the U. S. A. spindlepub. com. 15 May 2005

Gaming and animation industry

Gaming and animation industry Animation Animation or 3D is a big innovation.We can understand animation from the Greek word animare which means to give life to something without. Animation is a series of still pictures that are shown in rapid succession creates the illusion of movement because of persistence of vision, this means the image stays on the retina a fraction of a second longer. If we see many images (24 a sec) they will all link up. There are different types of animation computer games use animation for games such as tomb raider and frogger, the characters and settings are all animated. Cell animation is the process of taking a sequence of images and stringing them together to create movement. It is an old process that is still used today to create animation for cinema, television, and computers. An example of cell animation is in programmes such as superman. Cut out animation is a technique that is quicker than cel. Parts of the body of an animal or person are cut out and coloured, then assembled and reassembl ed into different positions instead of being drawn over and over again. Animation has developed a lot since the 1900s, the first animated feature film was made by Cohl and George Melies that was made in 1918. Indias, gaming, industry, $860, million, and, animation, industry, $1bn, 2012. Indias gaming and animation industrys are the 2 industries which are going at a fast rate. The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) predicted for animation industry is 22%. For gaming industry it is 53% NASSCOM, animation industry is a $494 million industry in 2008 and at the CAGR of 22% it will be $1bn industry. These are revised estimates where the growth estimates are cut. The global CAGR is estimated to be 10% much lesser than Indias own CAGR. Animation globally will be a $100 bn industry (it is $68 bn in 2008) Key segments in Animation: o Entertainment animation, o Animation education, o Custom content development and o multimedia/web design and VFX o Gaming on the other hand The segments are split as shown below : animation-nasscom Gaming is the fastest growing among the two and probably the fastest growing industry in India. It is $167 million industry in 2008. With an estimated CAGR of 53% it will be $830 million in 2012. Globally it is $21 billion in 2008 and will grow to $53.6 billion in 2012. Key segments in gaming: o Online games, o Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), o Casual, o Mobile games, o PC games o Console games, o Regular and Handheld The segments are split as shown below : gaming-nasscom NASSCOM revised its 2012 forecast for animation industry from USD 1060 million to 830 million and gaming industry from USD 1163 million to 1000 million. Some of the factors which accounted for the revision were the global economic downturn, domestic box office for animation movies not picking up as estimated, End to end skill sets not being developed in the animation services industry. Animation industry in India India is emerging as an outsourcing hub for animation and visual effects with large number of international media companies entering into joint ventures with animation studios in India. The Animation Industry in India though a late starter, is considered as one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment and media industry. The Animation Industry in India gained significance as an outsourced destination for animation work due to low cost, skilled labour as its many advantages. In the recent past Indian animation companies and animation studios have been moving up the value chain to create their own intellectual property rights with Hanuman, Roadside Romeo, etc. and partnering with international studios to produce animated properties for the global audience.Though a majority of the work done by the animation industry in India is outsourced work, this is expected to change in the future with increased demand from the domestic entertainment industry. The Indian animation industry in 2007 was estimated at USD 0.31 billion and is expected to grow at CAGR 24% to reach USD 0.94 billion by 2012. The Indian animation industry in 2007 was estimated at USD 0.31 billion and is expected to grow at CAGR 24% to reach USD 0.94 billion by 2012. Indian animation industry including market size, growth and key segments. Analysis of drivers reveals that growing demand for animated content in the domestic market, cost arbitrage opportunity in India, improving animation education and increasing character licensing business have helped growth of this sector in India. The key challenges identified include high set-up and production cost, talent shortage and lack of protection of intellectual property. The future trends identified include increasing animation application in other sectors, domestic animation movies earning revenues through international releases and increase in investments and realizations for animated movies in India. Market size and growth rate of animation industry With global players like Walt Disney, Imax, Warner Bros signing contracts with Indian animation companies for outsourcing and co-production, it is expected that the animation industry in India can touch $950 million by 2009 and is expected to grow at a fast pace over the next five years. However, outside the Industry there is scepticism about the pace of growth because of the challenges like piracy, lack of intellectual property (IP) protection rights, acute lack of resources and investments the Industry is facing. In an interaction with Business Standard, KPMG Advisory Services (P) Ltd Director Jaiddep Ghosh said, Although India is the largest media consuming market in the world, only 1 per cent of the US market size which is estimated at $10 billion, so far the animation is concerned, it is currently pegged at $600 million. Commenting upon the industry market size, he said, The Indian market size is extremely fragmented with the top players accounting for 10-15 per cent of the industry turnover. Further, most of the players are direct or indirect off-shoots of the Indian BPO boom. This legacy and low indigenous demand forced most of the players to adopt the outsourcing business model. Prominent players include Toonz Animation, Crest Communication, Maya Entertainment, UTV Toons, Zee, etc. Also, Pritish Nandy Communication has plans for five full-length 3-D animated bollywood films and has signed a $25-million deal with Florida-based animation company Motion Pixel Corporation. Crest Animations has entered into a three-movie co-production agreement with Lions Gate, a major movie studio. Also, animation studio DQ Entertainment has made a pact with US-based Electronic Arts to work on PC games. With these developments, it seems that things will change dramatically in the near future. Further, Walt Disney, Imax, Warner Bros are signing contracts with Indian Animation companies for outsourcing and co-production. Animation needs a much larger investment and longer production circles. However, it has very long shelf lives and content leverage scope. A typical animation movie may take 2 years for completion unlike general movies. Further it is labour intensive, although with the advent of computers, the work has been simplified and is a relief from the days when each frame had to be drawn by hand. It is estimated that the labour may account for 70-80 per cent of the total costs for a 2-D animation production. It is lower for 3-D animation. Further, animation products are expensive to produce, on an average animation costs 5-15 times more than a live product. The key challenges before the industry are piracy and lack of IP protection rights and an acute lack of resources, investment and government support. The slack IP laws and weak enforcement mean that studios can expect leakage of revenue at every stage. Indian animation industry poised for growth Right now, about 300,000 students are undergoing training in animation technology across India. Most of the professionals are still at the entry level, The way the industry is growing, even these 300,000 professionals will not be enough to handle the work load in the coming years. Good times ahead for Animation Industry apirants as Hanuman, Hanuman Returns and now Bal Ganesh the string of successful animation movies is an indication of the fast growth that the Indian animation industry is poised for after the development of some very advanced software. As far as the Indian animation movie production is concerned, a new phase has now started after advanced software has been developed. Technology is key to the growth of the animation sector. India has about 200 animation, 40 VFX and 35 game development studios, but the country needs more workstations to make optimal use of the potential that the industry has. we get trainers from the US and Canada to train our staff and help them understand the current trends in animation in the world market. This ensures that the output is on a par with the acceptable levels for international standards, especially Hollywood.Animation movie making will soon emerge as a self-sufficient industry and attain a full-ledged stature. The Indian animation movie production, however, had a rather shaky start. In 1984, when the renowned artiste Ram Mohan wanted to make an animation movie on the Indian epic Ramayana in collaboration with the Japanese filmmaker Yogo Sako. The movie, Ramayan, executed under Mohans leadership, created a revolution in the international market in that it made the Western world aware for the first time of talent available in India to make animation movies. India saw an outsourcing boom subsequently. But, due to the high cost involved, together with shortage of manpower and technology, animation movie making stagnated after Ramayan was released. Some of them did create story-based animated work, but those were meant only for the advertising commercials. It was only since 2000 that corporate houses set their sights on producing animation movies. UTV was the first corporate entity to plan animated versions of India Book Houses popular Amar Chitra Katha series in the 1990s. But the project did not get off the ground. A decade later Percept Picture Company (PPC) brought to India its Hanuman series of animation features Hanuman and Hanuman Returns. At a one-day conference on animation and gaming in Chandgarh recently, Punit Vatsayan, managing director of Mobera Systems Pvt. Ltd., said the Indian animation and gaming industry is projected to reach the $1 billion mark by 2010 from the current combined revenues of $402 million. Navin Gupta, chief operating officer of the Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematics (MAAC), a Mumbai-based animation training institute, said the Indian animation industry is still hard-pressed for skilled manpower. Made on a budget of about Rs.15 million, PPCs first animation movie Hanuman went on to earn Rs.70 million for the corporate entity. PPC followed it up with Hanuman Returns. Shemaroo in another Indian company that feels animation is good business. It has set up its own animation studio to create animation movies in-house. Though Shemaroos maiden animation attempt, Bal Ganesh, did not see the success of PPCs Hanuman and Hanuman Returns, it scored in terms of quality. Animation movie can be made here 15 times cheaper than the cost of a Hollywood production. Supply chain governance and outsourcing in animation As a result of all the potential of the animation market, the governance of animation production (i.e., where decisions on the supply chain) is dictated by the institutions which control whether content is produced and how it is distributed. Increasingly, these two aspects are connected. In the US, the distribution of animation is essentially controlled by the large TV channels such as the Fox Network, the specialized channels such as Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network, the larger distributor/studios or other content providers such as Disney. It is only when a production studio gets large and well-known enough that it can effectively dictate its own future. Since most animation series are carried by TV studios, and since these studios may be in the broadcasting rather than production business, they rely heavily on contracting with creative talent of outside production studios. Specialized animation channels, and previously Fox, usually keep some internal pre-production and postproduction operations, and sometimes even hold onto the production internally. That is, they have their own creative talent, either for developing animation in-house, or for spotting or identifying concepts in the conceptualization and preproduction phase, which are then â€Å"outsourced† to animation studios.Post-production is often done in-house as well since it is really a follow-up stage that ensures that production meets the preproduction specifications. In contrast, the recent 3D movies have largely not been outsourced. The reasons for this will follow as we examine the creative production process for Pixar in more detail. Unlike animation, the film industry has outsourced their computer graphics (CG) effects for the most part. This is partly because of the flexibly specialized nature of film production, which allows outsourcing, and partly because of the fact that the film industry has traditionally been dependent only on physical assets such as actors and locations. Increasingly, however, computer graphics effects are becoming more and more useful in film, blurring the line between film and CG or CGI animation. No where was this more evident than in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: All three movies used CG effects extensively for the main battle scenes, redefining the notion of what assets are needed for epic scenes or to define a movie. Supply chain governance and outsourcing in animation As a result of all the potential of the animation market, the governance of animation production (i.e., where decisions on the supply chain) is dictated by the institutions which control whether content is produced and how it is distributed. Increasingly, these two aspects are connected. In the US, the distribution of animation is essentially controlled by the large TV channels such as the Fox Network, the specialized channels such as Nickleodeon and Cartoon Network, the larger distributor/studios or other content providers such as Disney. It is only when a production studio gets large and well-known enough that it can effectively dictate its own future. Since most animation series are carried by TV studios, and since these studios may be in the broadcasting rather than production business, they rely heavily on contracting with creative talent of outside production studios. Specialized animation channels, and previously Fox, usually keep some internal pre-production and postproduction operations, and sometimes even hold onto the production internally. That is, they have their own creative talent, either for developing animation in-house, or for spotting or identifying concepts in the conceptualization and preproduction phase, which are then â€Å"outsourced† to animation studios.Post-production is often done in-house as well since it is really a follow-up stage that ensures that production meets the preproduction specifications. In contrast, the recent 3D movies have largely not been outsourced. The reasons for this will follow as we examine the creative production process for Pixar in more detail. Unlike animation, the film industry has outsourced their computer graphics (CG) effects for the most part. This is partly because of the flexibly specialized nature of film production, which allows outsourcing, and partly because of the fact that the film industry has traditionally been dependent only on physical assets such as actors and locations. Increasingly, however, computer graphics effects are becoming more and more useful in film, blurring the line between film and CG or CGI animation. No where was this more evident than in the Lord of the Rings trilogy: All three movies used CG effects extensively for the main battle scenes, redefining the notion of what assets are needed for epic scenes or to define a movie. Indias Advantages in the Animation Industry Indias attractiveness as an animation hub lies in the presence of an English-speaking workforce, high-quality software engineers, a large pool of creative talent, good studios and low costs. The cost of producing a 30-minute 3D animation programme in India is US$60,000 compared to US$250,000-400,000 in the United States and Canada. India has a cost advantage compared to the Philippines, which is another low cost producer of animations. The average monthly salary of an animation professional in India is US$600 compared to US$1,000-US$1,200 in the Philippines. The cost of outsourcing one hour of animation work to India is estimated to be 30% to 40% of the corresponding costs in leading animation centres in Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. Indias advantages in low costs have been exploited by many multinational firms and production studios. The advent of digital animation coincided with the liberalization of the Indian economy and India offered the benefits of lower production costs, strong creative and technical skills and a large English speaking population. This has led to the development of state of the art animation studios in several Indian cities, and these studios are collaborating with global entertainment companies. Main characteristics of animation Animations for Education Educators are enthusiastically taking up the opportunities that computer animation offers for depicting dynamic content. For example, PowerPoint now has an easy-to-use animation facility that, in the right hands, can produce very effective educational animations. Because animations can explicitly depict changes over time, they seem ideally suited to the teaching of processes and procedures. When used to present dynamic content, animations can mirror both the changes in position (translation), and the changes in form (transformation) that are fundamental to learning this type of subject matter. In contrast with static pictures, animations can show temporal change directly (rather than having to indicate it indirectly using auxiliary markings such as arrows and motion lines). Using animations instead of static graphics removes the need for these added markings so that displays can be not only simpler and less cluttered, but also more vivid, engaging, and more intuitively comprehended. In addition, the learner does not have to interpret the auxiliary markings and try to infer the changes that they summarise. Such interpretation and inference may demand a level of graphicacy skills that the learner does not possess. With animated depictions, information about the changes involved is available to be read straight from the display without the learner needing to perform mental animation. Animations Facilitate Learning It seems that animations should be ideal for presenting dynamic content. However, research evidence about the educational effectiveness of animations is mixed. Various investigations have compared the educational effectiveness of static and animated displays across a number of content domains. While there have been some findings that show positive effects of animations on learning, other studies have found no effects or even negative effects. In general, it can be concluded that animations are not intrinsically more effective than static graphics. Rather, the particular characteristics of individual animations and how they are used play a key role in the effects that they have on learning. Animations Make Learning Faster Well-designed animations may help students learn faster and easier. They are also excellent aid to teachers when it comes to explaining difficult subjects. The difficulty of subjects may arise due to the involvement of mathematics or imagination. For instance, the flow$ of electric current is invisible. The operation of electric circuits is difficult for students to understand at the beginning. With the aid of computer animations, learning and teaching might become easier, faster and amusing. Educational Effectiveness It seems that when the subject matter is complex, learners may be overwhelmed by animated presentations. This is related to the role of visual perception and cognition in human information processing. Our human perceptual and cognitive systems have limited capacities for processing information. If these limits are exceeded when using an animation, learning may be compromised. For example, the pace at which the animation presents its information may exceed the speed at which the learner can process it effectively. Youll probably find it quite demanding to work out exactly whats happening in the accompanying animation (part of a pumping system) for this reason. But the solution is obvious: slow the animation down and accompany it with a written explanation. It is unlikely that superior learning is achieved by thoughtlessly substituting animation for a static graphic but by having it accompany textual explication. Another suggestion for addressing such problems is to provide user contro l for the learner over how the animation plays. User controllable animations allow learners to vary aspects such as the playing speed and direction, labels and audio commentary to suit themselves. Perceptual Salience versus Thematic Relevance Complexity of the subject matter may not be the only reason for difficulties that learners sometimes have with animations. It seems that problems can also arise from the perceptual effects of such presentations. In a poorly designed animation, the information that learners notice most readily in the animation may not be the information that is of greatest importance. Conversely, information that is relatively inconspicuous may be very important. You can see an example of this in the top right hand corner of the accompanying animation. Tucked away here is a small grey-coloured valve whose subtle movement lets air into this pumping system (which is where the bubbles come from). However, its nowhere near as noticeable as the big, more central, orange-coloured valve that is going up and down so obviously. The point is that animations should not appear in a vacuum and most will require accompanying explanation. Obviously, perceptibility of information does not necessarily correspond with its actual relevance to the learning task to be performed. Features of the animated display that are most conspicuous because of their contrast with the rest of the display are not always the best place for learners to direct their attention. In other words, there can be a poor correspondence between the perceptual salience (noticeability) of a feature and its thematic relevance, and an accompanying text is needed to correct this. The Top Ten Animation Companies in India 1. Toonz Animation India, is based in Thiruvananthapuram and has to its credit the successful series â€Å"The Adventures of Tenali Raman†. The team here is also working on a full-fledged feature film called Tommy and Oscar which is a 2D /3D combo project. This is apart from completing work for the Italian producer Rainbow Productions; a 2D television series called Will o the Wisp (26 X 6 min) for Animoon Plc, United Kingdom and a big-budget 3D television series for major a US broadcaster. This company has tied up with First Serve International to form First Serve Toonz. 2. Pentamedia Graphics, Chennai is a subsidiary of computer software company Pentafour. It is best known for its animated 3D film using the â€Å"motion capture† technique, Sindbad: Beyond the Veils of the Mists. 3. Maya Entertainment, Mumbai has been doing outsourced work for a while now and has done the special effects for The Mummy and Stuart Little. It is also working on animating short films starring a character called Wabo, to be used by the United Nations to educate worldwide audiences on the importance of fresh drinking water. 4. UTV Toonz, Mumbai is the animation division of UTV Software Communications and is one of the top ranking studios dealing in flash as well as traditional animation. It has bagged a US$10 billion deal with an American company for outsourced work. Other assignments for international clients include like two Dutch deals to produce a musical cartoon series called â€Å"ClubNow!† and a fantasy series â€Å"The Donz†; a project with Cinegroup of Canada for the images for a sci-fi series. They are also working with companies in Scotland and Luxembourg for the development of series like â€Å"Clootie Dumpling† and â€Å"Snow Queen†. It will also be working on â€Å"Kong: The Next Generation† for New York-based BKN New Media. 5. Heart Entertainment, a 2D animation studio is yet another big name in the animation sphere, which is doing a lot of outsourced work. Among the animation featured in its portfolio are Warner Brothers Histeria, Tommy Nelsons Crippled Lamb and Little Dogs on the Prairie. It also has to its credit some work done for Walt Disney. 6. Padmalaya Telefilms, Mumbai is a unit of Indias largest listed media firm, Zee Telefilms. It is expected to make 104 cartoon episodes for US$ 14 million and distribute Mondos library for US$ 15 million. It has also inked some deals with British animation companies like Mallard Media and Ealing Animation. 7. Nipuna Services Ltd, a division of Satyam Computer Services, has recently bagged a project worth US$ 8 billion from 4K Animation GmbH, a German animation company. This assignment is among the biggest deals struck by an Indian BPO in the animation space. It is also doing significant work for a New Zealand based company called Applied Gravity. The work includes animatronics models for New Zealand Theme parks as well as an animatronics dog for Animal Planets series K9 to 11. 8. 8. Jadoo Works, Bangalore is working on an animated film series Lord Krishna and the crime caper Bombay Dogs. It has done work for US animation studios like Wild Brain and Guardian Angel Animation (GaGa). 9. Crest Communications, Mumbai, is a leading 3-d animation company and does a lot of work for American Studios. It came into limelight in 2002, when it won an Emmy for animation production work done for the animated series â€Å"Jakers: The Adventures of Piggley-Winks†. It is also to work on three features for Lions Gate Family Entertainment. Crest is also expected to produce and release â€Å"Sylvester and the Magic Pebble† based on the story by William Steig the creator of †Shrek†. 10. 10. Silvertoon Studio, Mumbai, is engaged primarily in subcontract work for U.S., French, and British studios, using digital ink, paint and compositing system. Challenges to Growth of Indias Animation Industry While it is true that Indias animation industry is growing at a remarkable pace, the fact remains that this growth is largely a result of the mushrooming of â€Å"studios-for-hire.† In animation feature films, for example, while Indian companies carry out the animation work, most of the writing, character design, and storyboarding are done abroad. India is yet to become a successful player in concept creation, the high value-adding segment of the industry which remains a preserve of western firms. Indias advantages of low costs in this industry will be too short-lived, and sooner rather than later, the country will have to start developing its own intellectual property. There are several challenges faced by the Indian animation industry. Lack of Finance Indian animation firms cannot match their western counterparts in financial strength. It is pointed out that state support in the form of tax holidays is crucial for success in the animation business. Canada, for example, offers major incentives to its studios for developing animation products. However, financial institutions in India have not been much forthcoming in funding projects in animation and interactive media. The long gestation period before fruition of projects discourages potential investors. This can be a major hurdle, and it has, in fact, led to the stoppage of a few production ventures. For example, Jadooworks had to stop production of animated epic of Krishna due to technical problems and lack of funding. The firm was supposedly on the verge of bankruptcy and this has led to the retrenchment of about Interestingly, Jadooworks is the same firm which drew appreciation from 250 workers.Thomas Friedman in an article in February 2004 for employing traditional artistes and transforming their skills to computerised digital painting he was arguing that globalisation can have beneficial impact on traditional artists. The experience of Jadooworks underlines the fact that it is still too ambitious for Indian companies to single-handedly enter into animation projects. Even a small project in the animation industry entails a budget of US$30 million, which is not affordable for Indian firms. International Attention Tata Elxsi Visual Computing Labs (VCL) in India tied up with Prologue Films in the United States to design the computer generated graphics for display at the academy awards in March 2004. This fact is not very well known. What this highlights is another challenge faced by the Indian animation industry attention at the national and international level. While Indian animation companies do contract work for western firms, the entire credit, including ownership of copyrights, for the work goes to the western firm. Paucity of Physical and Legal Infrastructure As per the recommendations by a NASSCOM study, improvement of animation studios and better training for Indian animators are important for Indias long term success in the animation industry. India should develop an organized animation sector and also frame suitable laws and copyright rules. The infrastructural facilities have to be improved to attract more foreign investment and to enhance the efficiency of the industry. Also more emphasis has to be placed on the domestic industry as the domestic demand for animation in the entertainment; gaming and computer sectors are expected to grow multifold. Need For Training There are no academic institutes like Indian Institutes of Technology, Regional Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics, etc., churning out animators by the thousands. What we have are only fine arts schools which teach the fundamentals but not the technical skills required for production, points out K. Chandrasekhar, General Manager, Media Works, Tata Elxsi. According to him, this is a major drawback for the industry in India. Education in new media has to be embedded into the mainstream curriculum. Students have to realise that they can have a lucrative career as animators, and the government as well as educational institutions have to start programmes for their career development. The animation sector will benefit greatly by giving encouragement to the community of traditional artists as much as to technically trained professionals. In other words, integration of the rural and urban talent will prove highly beneficial. Also, NASSCOMs President Kiran Karnik believes that there is a need for an animation academy to build a steady inflow of animation professionals in the industry. NASSCOM extended its help to the government for framing the curriculum and also w

Personal Experience Of Social Cognitive Theory

Personal Experience Of Social Cognitive Theory The social cognitive theory refers to a psychological model of behavior that emerged primarily from the work of Albert Bandura. In todays psychological science, people are viewed as biological, psychological, and social organisms which entail thoughts, emotions, behaviors and social factors (Meyer, 1996). The social cognitive theory is a learning theory based on the idea that people learn by watching what others do and that thought processes are central to understanding personalities (. Since a fair amount of learned behavior that influenced our development, displayed in the environment in which one grew up, and as individuals, thoughts and feelings were just as important in determining moral development. Three main factors influencing our development is by observing others, with the environment, behavior, and cognition all as the main factors in influencing our development. These three factors dont stay the same or independent; rather, they are all reciprocal. We learn many of our b ehaviors by observing others and modeling our behavior after theirs (thats the social part). What we think about our situations affects our behavior (thats the cognitive part). One the environment refers to the factors that can affect a persons behavior. There are two types environment the social and physical environment. The social environment includes family members, friends and colleagues. The physical environment could be a room, the climate, the availability of certain foods, or the landscape, just to name a few. These factors play a part in affecting our behavior. Situations refer to the cognitive or mental representation of the environment that may affect a persons behavior. The situation is a person, perception of the time, activities or physical features. The cognitive part also deals with moral competence of an individual which is defined as the growth of cognitive sensory processes. Simply put, it is being aware of what is considered right or wrong. Behavior and people are constantly influencing each other. Behavior is not simply the result of the environment, just as the environment is not simply the result of the behavior. But the environment does provide models for behavior. Modeling sample in observational learning is when a person watches the actions of another person and imitates that action. The social cognitive theory is that we tend to model or copy what we observe. The situations we find ourselves in is processed and shaped in our minds. What the social cognitive theory focuses on how we and our environment interact. MEANINGFUL DEFINING MOMENT My defining moment was one of great significance to me. I believe that moment saved my life, because if I would have continued down the road I was going, I wouldnt be here to write this paper today. I really thank God for that defining moment day of when I decided to follow Christ and how he delivered me from alcoholism. I really I dont remember the exact date when my journey began with Christ. I had a lot of problems in my life: drinking problems, social problems, marriage problems, and many more. They didnt fall off right then and there when I accepted Christ, but they all would gradually fall off as I continued to follow Him. Being around the people in the church put me in a different environment that I started to model. The old environment was not a good one for me because the people there were getting high and drinking. But soon I was able to stand my ground even in that environment. Like I said before the corrupt things in my life started to fall off, things started getting bet ter and my wife and I started serving together in the church. We started taking our children to church every Sunday and through the week as a family. There were still some other things that needed to fall off, like the alcoholism, which still had its evil grip on me, even as I worked and served in the church. A few other corrupt things still had their paws in me too, but I stayed around the church, and kept going because I knew there was hope there in God for me. My children, my wife and I kept going to the church and growing closer together. I believe, no, I know thats what kept us together. The word of God taught me how to love and appreciate life, and the things that I had in life like my wife family and other close friends. I learned how appreciate whatever I had at the time as a blessing from God, because the church taught me that there were some less fortunate than my family and I. I had a roof over my head and there were some people who didnt even have that, those who were ho meless. Now to get back to the struggles that I had while still in the church. I began to feel that something was wrong with me and that everyone else seemed to have their life together in God with no problems. Others seemed victorious in their Christian walk and perfect. But I still had negative thoughts attacking my mind compared to the perfect people. My wife began singing in the church before I started playing the guitar there. I thought that since she had been raised in church and because her parents were pastors, that she had an edge over me with the church thing. Although that wasnt the case, I still had my problems to process. This went on for a while like a few years, but I still battled with my alcoholism and did seek help. I dont really remember how many rehabs I entered, but I know it was more than two probably three or four, but I really dont remember. My issues with rehabs were because I felt they were the same as alcoholism, bondage, but just a different type, one to meetings. They were telling me that I would have to attend Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) for the rest of my life. One of the last rehabs I attended asked this question: Do you know anyone that has made it without attending AA meetings or any other, drug-related meeting? He said it was possible, but very rare like only two out of every two thousand individuals. That scared me, but I stated that I would just have to be one of the two. So one evening while we were attending church service, a prayer line began and I went and asked for prayer for my alcoholism. The lady that prayed for me used to have a problem with alcohol and drinking. As she laid her hands on me and prayed for God to deliver me from the grip of alcoholism, my response to her was that I was scared and had been fighting this thing a long time. I also said that I didnt want to take another drink. She responded that everything would be all right and that God would take care of it, so not to worry because it was gone. That very same ni ght I went to buy a drink, and when I reached to pay for it, I got very sick at counter of liquor store. Afterwards, I went home and got in the bed, but was still feeling sick and very weak. I went to the bathroom and passed out. My wife convinced me to go to the hospital because I was literally bleeding from every opening, from my nose, mouth, and other places. That night at the emergency room, I remembered lying there, waiting for them to care for me and the doctors checking on me through the night asking me several questions. Finally, the next day, like five oclock in the morning they scheduled many tests. The doctor explained that he had to look inside, so he took a long tube with a camera, started down my throat and looked around and around but couldnt find anything wrong with me. I asked where the bleeding came from, but he said he didnt see anything. They asked me if I did drugs or drank to get high, and I responded yes. The doctor again said to me, I dont see anything that c ould be causing you to bleed internally. So when they discharged me, they gave me instructions not to get high or drink anymore. Why did they give me these instructions? I dont know to this day forward, but after receiving them, I never got high or took another drink. Now that one major problem that I had was eliminated, I could go forward in the things of God. Remember what I said I thought something was wrong with me. My thinking was that I had to be perfect. I soon learned that the people who were around me in that environment werent so perfect after all. I learned that God doesnt expect us to be perfect, but wants us to be willing to do right things. Afterwards, my mindset changed and I realized that I didnt have to be perfect, and I celebrated deliverance from alcoholism. I gladly played the guitar with my wife during church services, taught Sunday school, and participated in a number of other things. Theres much more to this story, but I cant share all the details, because it would take longer than I have to tell it. LIFE LESSONS LEARNED The social cognitive theory speaks about observation and modeling. Theres one part in my defining moment paper that shows an example that I would like to further clarify. Being around the people in the church put me in a different environment that I started to model. There were some things they were doing in the church that I liked, and respected. Its called observational learning when a person watches the action of another person and imitates it and learns from that observation making it a part of their behavior. There were also some cognition things going on. Like the part I wrote in my paper about how I felt that something was wrong with me. Even though it was not true, in my mind it was. I wrote that I began to feel that something was wrong with me and that everyone else seemed to have their life together in God with no problems. But having those thoughts and feelings affected my behavior toward others, which was another cognitive and behavioral factor. The main cognition was the moral thoughts. My thought processes were that I needed help. Staying at the church was good for the environmental setting of the church played a part to impact my thinking. Moral performance of the people in the church was influenced by possible rewards and incentives to act a certain way. Another cognitive process was that the people seem to have a peace of mind and that was one of my incentives. The conclusion is that people do have the ability to influence their own behavior and the environment in a purposeful, goal-directed fashion. The focus of the social cognitive theory is how we and our environment interact.

womenhod Gender in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness :: Heart Darkness essays

Gender in Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness colludes with Western patriarchal gender prescriptions. Women are ominously absent from the bulk of the narrative, and when they do make an appearance they are identified through the powerful narrative viewpoint of the character Marlow, who constructs them in terms of the values of the dominant ideologies of the British gentleman. The contrast between Kurtz's Intended and his Mistress reveals to the contemporary reader this undeniable Victorian provenance - women are effectively marginalised from power and silenced by the text's endorsement of British values. "The women", Marlow declares, "are out of it". Indeed, the five women of Heart of Darkness make only brief appearances and are given only a passing mention in Marlow's narrative. His aunt, given a cameo role in the text, is supremely naà ¯ve and "out of touch with truth"; she reminds him to "wear flannel" when he is about to "set off for the centre of the earth". The knitters of black wool in the Company headquarters are defined by classical mythology, taking on a symbolic significance by "guarding the door of Darkness"; they are not characters in their own right. Kurtz's mistress is identified as a product of the wilderness, "like the wilderness itself", and is described in terms of natural processes, a "fecund and mysterious life". Kurtz's Intended, by contrast, lives in a place of death rather than of life, darkness rather than lightness, delusion rather than reality. A feminist reading identifies that females are silenced and cast as cultural archetypes in Heart of Darkness. The juxtaposition of the Intended with Kurtz's mistress highlights the traits of the culturally constructed Victorian woman. She has assembled for herself a tomb of darkness, where everything personifies the sterile and lifeless existence of her kind. The Victorian woman was expected to adhere to high standards of behavioral decency and to subscribe to the Puritan ideals of sexual and emotional restraint. Kurtz's mistress throws these characteristics into focus because she is vibrant, vital, and lives out her sexual urges. The sexual language used to describe the mistress emphasises that she is a social 'other' and foregrounds the dichotomy between women of Europe and Africa. While the Intended embodies the characteristics of a Victorian woman, her behaviour is also enormously hypocritical. She remains alive only by deceiving herself; her condition, as C.B. Cox suggests, "symbolizes that of Western Europe".

An Interview With a Korean-American on Cultural Differences Essay examp

An Interview With a Korean-American on Cultural Differences In this interview Ben Bagley asks Theresa Han about the difference between Korean and American culture. Theresa is a teenager who recently moved to the United States so she has an excellent perspective for understanding the differences and similarities between these countries. [BAGLEY] This is Ben Bagley, and I'm going to interview Theresa Han about Korea. Could you introduce yourself? [HAN] My name is Theresa Han, I'm from South Korea, I'm 18 years old, and I'm a freshman in College. [BAGLEY] How long have you lived in America? [HAN] I think a little bit less than 3 years. [BAGLEY] Where did you live in Korea? [HAN] I lived in Pyoung Tek, It's right below Oosan, where the American Air force is located. [BAGLEY] What were the people like where you lived? [HAN] They're really busy. Fathers go to their work; Mothers if they have a job go to their work, and students go to school, so they don't have enough time to communicate with each other, like time to spend together, because mostly students come home like 10:00pm-11:00pm. [BAGLEY] What did you do with your friends? [HAN] We mostly go to each other's house, rent a movie or something, watch it, and do homework usually, because we have a whole bunch of homework. On the weekends we would go downtown; it's kind of like a shopping mall. It's a street. There are small restaurants, small cloths shops and all that stuff. It was kind of fun, but nothing special I think. [BAGLEY] What did you do in your free time? [HAN] Mostly watch TV I guess. [BAGLEY] What was Korean TV like? [HAN] Like on Japanese TV they have a whole bunch of dramas, so there are Korean dramas, there is regularly a music program, like 3 music programs on 3 different channels. I mostly watched them, like almost everyday. [BAGLEY] Was American TV available in Korea? [HAN] Yeah, there's channel 2, so I know like 'Wheel of Fortune' or whatever. And 'The Simpsons' was on channel 15, it was the educational channel, but ?The Simpsons?Ewas on it in Korean, so I sometimes watched it. [BAGLEY] And was that dubbed or with subtitles? [HAN] I think it was dubbed in Korean, because I had never heard how Homer really talks. [BAGLEY] What is Korean music like? [HAN] There are a lot of kinds of music. Like rock, like f... ...uitoes. [BAGLEY] Which country has a greater temperature difference throughout the year? [HAN] In Korea the summer is so hot, and the winter is so cold. Really cold, so they are so different. In America the temperatures stay closer together, it?s way better. [BAGLEY] Are there any other big differences between Korea and America? [HAN] I think the school system, because basically you go there, I went to school usually by 7:30am and came home 7:00pm. But some students stay longer, like even 10:00pm if you are a senior and about to go to college because there is kind of, like parents and teacher think their kids or students should go to college. Like have to go to college. They?re gonna pressure them to study a lot, so when you?re a senior you start to study a lot and you don?t sleep that much. Usually I think some people sleep 3 or 4 hours per day and just study. No free time. [BAGLEY] And they stay at school and study? [HAN] ?Till like 10:00pm but after school ends they come home and study like until 2:00am or 3:00am [BAGLEY] Would it be ok if I publish this interview on the internet? [HAN] Sure [BAGLEY] Well, Thank you very much for your time.