Discuss the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Movie Ma Vie En Rose Free Essays

Human societies all over the world believe in gender identities and expect an individual to behave in accordance to the rules of gender, laid by the society. When a person defies these rules, the society reacts negatively and compels the person to alter his/her behavior. The conflicts that arise between the society and the person struggling with his/her sexual identity are depicted in the movie Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink), directed by Alain Berliner. We will write a custom essay sample on Discuss the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Movie Ma Vie En Rose or any similar topic only for you Order Now The protagonist of the movie is a seven year old boy, Ludovic who believes that he is a girl and behaves like one. The family members of Ludovic and the neighbors are the secondary characters in the movie. The theme of the movie states that defying one’s sexual identity and behaving like the opposite sex is not an anomalous behavior, the society should realize this and accept the person as he/she is. The movie presents a touching portrayal of the dilemmas faced by Ludovic and his family members, owing to the manner in which Ludovic exhibits his sexual identify. But the film lacks in one aspect, for it fails to provide any insights regarding Ludovic’s future in a society bound by its rules. Strengths The movie focuses on the innocent world of a boy who believes that he is destined to be a woman when he grows up. Ludovic dresses and acts like a girl, and this behavior of Ludovic astounds his family members and the neighbors. Ludovic is advised by his family members to give up his unusual thoughts and act like a boy but Ludovic refuses to listen to them. Being a seven year old boy, he fails to understand the consequences of his actions. The dilemma of the parents who discover that their child is different from other children is very well captured in the movie. The fear that they will be alienated from their society if they accepted Ludovic’s sexual identity disturbs Ludovic’s parents to such an extent that they ignore the feelings their own son. Ludovic’s parents are torn between the love for their son and the expectations of the neighbors. â€Å"They love their son, but don’t know how to (or whether they should) break him of his feminine obsession. The resulting stress tears at the fabric of their marriage, and their disapproval threatens to destroy Ludovic. † (Berardinelli). Instead of accepting their child as he is, Ludovic’s parents attempt to alter his thoughts regarding his sexual identity. Ludovic’s persistence in his views about his sexual identity, lead to anxiety and stress for his parents. The conservative thinking of adults is incapable of understanding Ludovic’s state of mind. The pain and anguish faced by Ludovic’s parents is very well depicted in the movie along with the confusion that prevails in Ludovic’s mind regarding the harsh reactions of the society and family towards the expression of his sexual identity. Weakness The movie brings forth the responses of a family and society when they realize that Ludovic is crossing the lines of sexual identity, which are drawn by the society. But it fails to comment on the future of an individual whose sexual identity differs from the notion of sexual identity held by the society. Ludovic’s dilemmas are resolved for the time being when his parents accept his feminine sexual identity. As Ludovic and his parents have moved in a new locality, Ludovic is also saved from the contempt of his old neighbors. The new neighbors understand Ludovic’s feelings and provide him with the freedom to act according to his desires. But what will happen when he grows up and enters the adult world? Will he be accepted by the society at that time? Or will he face criticism for being different from the other members of the society? Can a child like Ludovic overcome the obstacles placed by society in his life and emerge as a winner? The movie fails to answer these questions. The problems that Ludovic will face as an adult are not included in the movie, which leaves the future of Ludovic ambiguous. Conclusion The movie Ma Vie en Rose (My Life in Pink) comments on the expectations of the society regarding the expression of sexual identity by an individual. It brings forth the reaction of the society when a person flouts those expectations and follows his/her own sexual identity. Ludovic’s struggle against his parents and society, points towards the rigidity of the people who aim to deprive a human being from the freedom of expression of sexual identity of his/her preference. The circumstances in which Ludovic is placed by his parents and society present the influence of conservative thinking on the society. How to cite Discuss the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Movie Ma Vie En Rose, Papers

Competition Between Tourism Distribution Systems - myassignmenthelp

Question: Write about the Competition Between Tourism Distribution Systems. Answer: Introduction Tourism industry plays a vital role in the growth and development of nations GDP and therefore the sector presents great opportunities for investment for both the government and the private sector. The travel and tourism industry has indeed become a major source of wealth creation for many nations and due to this fact it has attracted the interest of many investors both from the government sector as well as the private sectors (Weidenfeld et al., 2014). As a result of this, the industry has grown its competitive nature and especially between the government and the private investors with the industry encouraging the partnerships or the involvement of the two sectors in the growth and development of sustainable tourism business. One of the salient features of the industry has been the tourism distribution systems which have been developed to enhance the operations of the industry in service provision. Both the private sector and the government or the public sectors have therefore inves ted in the development of tourism distribution systems or channels a move that has increased competition in the industry. This essay, therefore, seeks to analyze competition between government and the private sector within the Tourism Distribution Systems. A brief understanding of Tourism Distribution Systems Tourism distribution systems can be understood as an operating structure, a linkage or a system of a number of combinations of an organization or industry, through which a company product describes, sells or even confirms a travel arrangement to the buyer (Li et al., 2015). It can therefore be seen as an approach or strategy developed by the tourism industry to offer an online platform in tourism distribution and technology systems that connects different customers or clients in the industry, websites, and tourism operators as well as travel agents to a wider range of tourism travel products and their packages using the distribution and technology systems. The development of the tourism distribution systems was due to the fact that internet has become a very powerful marketing tool in business development and has been found to increase the scope and reach of consumers as well as facilitating them to make choices from hundreds of options or even research destinations the system offers consumers and corporate buyers or clients and customers access to different offers made by the suppliers and therefore supports the argument that distribution indeed has become a critical aspect in enhancing the ability of the tourism industry to achieve its profitability goals or levels and market share (Shi Li, 2014). The system supports the industry to offers aimed at their clients by other companies as well as provide a basis for competition among the service providers in the sector or even the suppliers and therefore enables their clients or customer both potential and existing one to compare offers from a wide variety of suppliers (Frew Williams, 2 014). Therefore the development of the tourism distribution system is important in the tourism industry since these companies or the key players in the industry deal with services which are in most cases intangible, perishable and also because the industries or companies operate globally. Competition between the government and the private sector within the tourism distribution system Competition in an industry between different sectors can either be advantageous to the growth of the industry or even have a negative impact on the growth of the industry. Competition in the Tourism industry has continually increased due to the growth of the industry and its ability to create wealth for the nation (BADER, 2017). The productivity of the industry and the returns on investment has increased leading to many investors investing heavily in the industry. Service provision is seen as the heart of the industry and therefore competition in the industry has been focused on customer service delivery and ability to maintain rapport with different clients. Client or customer satisfaction has been the industry core challenge due to the changing tastes and preferences of consumers as well as the existence of many players unlike before when the industry was dominated by the government agencies alone and tourism was only seen as revenue collection opportunity for the government (de Ca rlos et al., 2016). However, with increased privatization, the government has been able to allow the private sector to venture into the industry and has, in turn, led to increased competition which has greatly influenced the success of the industry in terms of service provision. The development of the tourism distribution system was a competitive strategy to enhance the performance of the industry through increased and improved service delivery. Therefore one of the major competition areas between the government and the private sector in the development of the distribution systems was in the area of provision and financing of tourism infrastructure or in the financing of the development of the distribution systems (Dziuba, 2016). The public sector has been reluctant in adopting innovative techniques and sometimes the budgeting off such a measure takes a very long time before implementation and therefore faces competition from the private sectors that are always opportunistic in taking chances which will give them a competitive advantage in the industry. Therefore the private sector has greatly developed its tourism distribution systems through the development of websites which are customized to meet specific consumer needs. The government or the public secto r has lagged behind in adoption and implementation of the effective supportive structures which will improve the existing distribution channels whereby the public sector has been relying on the use of the travel agents and therefore calls for improvement as these travel agents may not be effective enough in meeting the demands of their consumers (Ivanova, 2017). The private sector has greatly invested in the development of tourism infrastructure through the establishment of customer or client-centered mechanisms which a diversified into different consumers interests and others to the targeted consumers. As much as the government or the public sector has equally invested in the industry in the development of the appropriate structures the private sector has been more dynamic and diversified which has enabled them to become serious competitors to the public sector. Competition on the Tourism industry between the government and the private sectors has also increased due to abilities of the sectors to innovate new products and services which will help them attract more customers through their online platforms (Akura et al., 2015). The private sector has invested more in new innovation in the industry by coming up with strategies which will help the companies meet the existing market gaps in the industry. They have improved their websites by customizing them and allowing a display of their offers where the consumers of clients can have a look at them and compare with those of other companies. In this way, they can determine or evaluate what other companies are offering and innovate products and services which will give them a competitive advantage in the industry. On the other hand, the public sector has lagged behind in adopting innovation through the use of improved and advanced technology (Coshall et al., 2015). They are still using the travel agents and tours and have over-relied on them and in their capacity to offer quality services to the tourist. Lack of innovative power by the public sector in the tourism industry has made their services so common to the tourists who have different tastes and preferences and therefore they keep demanding for more quality services (Mehdi, 2017). However despite the competition occurring in the industry both the private sector and the public sector are encouraged to partner together in improving the tourism distribution systems. This will help in promoting fair competition in the industry which is healthy for the industry. This is because both the private firms as well as the government bring or ad distinct advantages in the development of the tourism industry. Conclusion Tourism distribution systems, therefore, play a very important role in growth and development of the tourism industry. A healthy competition in the industry between the public and the private sectors is encouraged. Both the sectors should partner together in developing systems which will help in improving service provision in the industry which will lead to increased profitability of the private sector as well as increased GDP on the side of the government (Desai Eric, 2015). An effective tourism distribution system will, therefore, influence the behavior of customers positively towards the company tourism products and therefore determines the ability of the industry to respond to customer or consumer requests efficiently. The system should be simple to use and able to meet the demands and concerns of the both prospective and existing consumers of their services. The system should promote effective online interactions with the consumers and the company. Competition should, therefore , be fair to the government and the private sectors so that the tourism industry can grow and improve in terms of service provision. References Akura, M. T., Ozdemir, Z. D., Rahman, M. S. (2015). Online Intermediary as a Channel for Selling Quality-Differentiated Services. Decision Sciences, 46(1), 37-62. doi:10.1111/deci.12116 BADER, S. (2017). A New Concept in Promoting Tourism: Thematic Evenings. Journal Of Media Research, 10(2), 146-156. doi:10.24193/jmr.28.10 Coshall, J., Charlesworth, R., Page, S. J. (2015). Seasonality of Overseas Tourism Demand in Scotland: A Regional Analysis. Regional Studies, 49(10), 1603-1620. doi:10.1080/00343404.2013.859666 de Carlos, P., Arajo, N., Fraiz, J. A. (2016). THE NEW INTERMEDIARIES OF TOURIST DISTRIBUTION: ANALYSIS OF ONLINE ACCOMMODATION BOOKING SITES. International Journal Of Management Science Technology Information, (19), 39-58. Desai, V., Eric, P. (2015). TREND AND IMPACT ANALYSIS OF THE REVIEW PORTALS ON THE TRAVEL AND HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY. Scholedge International Journal Of Business Policy Governance, 2(3), 23-27 Dziuba, R. (2016). Sustainable Development of Tourism - EU Ecolabel Standards Illustrated Using the Example of Poland. Comparative Economic Research, 19(2), 111-128. doi:10.1515/cer-2016-0016 Frew, E. A., Williams, K. M. (2014). Dancesport in Australia: sport tourists' behaviour and patterns. Managing Leisure, 19(3), 171-187. Ivanova, P. (2017). A CONTEMPORARY OVERVIEW OF THE APPLICATION OF COLLABORATIVE CONSUMPTION IN TOURISM. Business Management / Biznes Upravlenie, (2), 73-86 Li, J., Zhang, W., Xu, H., Jiang, J. (2015). Dynamic Competition and Cooperation of Road Infrastructure Investment of Multiple Tourism Destinations: A Case Study of Xidi and Hongcun World Cultural Heritage. Discrete Dynamics In Nature Society, 20151-10. doi:10.1155/2015/962028 Mehdi, S. A. (2017). Sustainable Supply Chain Management in Pithoragarh: Prospects of Rural Tourism. IUP Journal Of Supply Chain Management, 14(1), 16-31. Shi, H., Li, C. (2014). Tourism Promotion, Increasing Returns and Domestic Welfare. World Economy, 37(7), 995-1015. doi:10.1111/twec.12084 Weidenfeld, A., Williams, A. M., Butler, R. W. (2014). Spatial competition and agglomeration in the visitor attraction sector. Service Industries Journal, 34(3), 175-195. doi:10.1080/02642069.2013.778251

Humanities chp 10-12 Flashcard

Humanities chp 10-12

Gender In As You Like It Essays - British Films, Jackets, Rosalind

Gender In As You Like It Essays - British Films, Jackets, Rosalind Gender in "As You Like It" Many characters undergo a change in William Shakespeare?s play, As You Like It. Duke Senior goes from being a member of a court to being a member of a forest. Orlando changes from a bitter younger brother to a love-sick young man. But the most obvious transformation undergone, is done by Rosalind. Her change from woman to man, not only alters her mood, candor, and gender, but allows her to be the master of ceremonies. Celia and Rosalind are fairly happy in the court of Celia?s father, Duke Frederick. However, much to her surprise, the Duke banishes Rosalind from his court. Celia, not allowing her beloved cousin to "go it alone", decides to accompany her to where ever she may roam. They decide to search out Rosalind?s father, Duke Senior, in the forest of Arden. Before they depart, Rosalind decides that for both her and Celia?s safety, she will dress herself as a man, saying, "Were it not better, Because that I am more than common tall, That I did suit me all points like a man? A gallant curtal ax upon my thigh, A boar spear in my hand, and- in my hear Lie there what hidden woman?s fear there will- We?ll have a swashing and a martial outside, As many other mannish cowards have That do outface it with their semblances. (1:3 ll. 112-120) At first glance, this transformation is a mere change of clothes and the addition of weapons, but it goes much deeper. To Rosalind, the taking on of a man?s appearance requires certain things. She believes that while dressed as a man, she cannot bring shame to the image of a man. A good example of this is in Act 2, Scene 4, where she says, "I could find in my heart to disgrace my man?s/ apparel and to cry like a woman; but I must comfort/ the weaker vessel, as doublet and hose ought to show/ itself courageous to petticoat. (ll. 4-7). This is not the only time she mentions a doublet and hose. It seems almost that the doublet and hose are the actual source of strength for a man, as in the next example when Rosalind is begging Celia for an answer, saying, "Good my complexion! Dost thou think,/ though I am caparisoned like a man, I have a doublet/ and hose in my disposition?" (3:2, ll.191-193).

Twelve O'Clock High a Position Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Twelve O'Clock High a Position Paper - Essay Example Therefore, everyone is viewed as a potential leader and in trained as such. Even those who are in a leadership position currently will not always be in that position, so individuals must be able to move between the two roles quite readily. Also, once a leader begins to lose his edge and his results begin to suffer, he will be replaced. This is because since there are lives at stake, a leader cannot afford to lose the confidence of his soldiers. There is no time for loyalty towards a formerly good leader because people will die if a leader loses his effectiveness. The Army should keep the status quo in its quest to find good leadership because there is the potential for everyone to be a good leader at some point and also leaders who are not getting the desired results should not be permitted to lead in the long term. The first thing that a leader in the Army must remember is to Be. This means that this individual must hold the qualities that are becoming of a true leader. Leaders should be people who are honest, competent, and inspiring, as â€Å"Army leadership begins with what the leader must Be, the values and attributes that shape a leaders character† (Cavanagh et al, 2004, P. 9). This is because a true leader is someone who people wish to follow. If the leader does not have the values and attributes that other would wish to follow, then the leader will not be very successful. This can be applied to civilian life as well. If a manager at a store does not appear to be a very good leader, the staff will lose respect for this person and, therefore, will not follow him or her. This will cause the store as a whole to under-perform, which will negatively affect the store’s bottom line. The leader in every situation must truly â€Å"Be† a leader who people want to follow and wh o people believe in. If he or she is not, then the organization as a whole will not succeed. An example of this can be found in the film and

Monastic Buddhism in South East Asia Research Paper

Monastic Buddhism in South East Asia - Research Paper Example Within a modern context, Buddhism may be divided into two separate schools which are known as Theravada, also known as ‘Southern’, Buddhism and Mahayana, which is called ‘Northern’, Buddhism. Theravada is the main tradition within Sri Lanka and it is thought that this country has had the most ancient incessant history of Buddhism. (Kapstein, 1087) Mahayana, on the other hand, is the leading Buddhist tradition found in Tibet and, although the geneses of this tradition are debatable, it is a diverse and varying tradition from that of the Theravada. (Jones, 121) The Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist conventions share ordinary viewpoints such as the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path and Dependent Origination. Other similarities include similar principles such as Anicca, Dukkha, Annata, Sila, Samadhi, and Panna. In addition to this, the two traditions also share a rejection of the notion of a supreme creator. However, Theravada and Mahayana differ on some impor tant aspects such as the final goal of practice and their perspective on the notion of Buddha-nature as well as other doctrinal differences. There are neither rites of passage nor a special ceremony in becoming Buddhist. There is a long process of disciplinary training and education given to those seeking to become a monk (Bhikkhu). Anyone seeking to become a Bhikkhu is known as a novice. ... ly and no other monks has any objection to the given answers, this person is acknowledged into the Sangha, the monk community, and in this way, their training commences. Southeast Asian Countries and Monastic Education According to historical findings, Thaton was an operational port of call on the course between India and other prominent countries of southeastern Asia. From religious perspective, missionaries happened to come regularly from the eminent mission training centers of Conjeeveram and Amaravati and proceeded on from there to Cambodia, Thailand, and Java. At that time, though, these missionaries were Theravada Buddhists and the region around Thaton remained Theravada, it should be kept in mind that side by side with the stretch of Theravada, there was also a tough Mahayana movement from China, Malaya, Cambodia, and northern India. When King Anawrahta controlled to the throne in Pagan in northern Myanmar, he was not happy with the religious practice of his people, which was a weird combination of Tantrism, Mahayana, and Hinduism. So, when he held meeting the Arahat Shin Arahan and came to know about the simple yet reflective teaching of the Theravada, he was instantly converted and requested the Arahat to stay at Pagan for the establishment of the Dhamma. At Arahan's suggestion, King Anawrahta asked the king of Thaton for some relics and copies of the Tipitaka, and when he was refused, he attacked and occupied Thaton and brought to Pagan all the relics and copies of the Tipitaka as well as a large number of monks to sermonize the Dhamma. He ruled over most of Myanmar, established communications with the Buddhists of Ceylon, and started a great building program at Pagan which continued for two centuries until the country was overrun by the armies of Kublai

Strategic Plan Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Strategic Plan - Research Paper Example As the consumer demands are ever changing, this industry has also constantly evolved over the years. Emergence of new entrants and constant innovation by the existing firms in this industry has induced tough competition. Companies are now planning strategies to increase the sustainability of their organization’s growth. The present report aims to identify the business drivers of Wal-Mart retailer and prepare an effective strategic plan for future growth and development. Company description Wal-Mart is the largest corporation in the world. It is also the biggest private employer in the United States of America (Yoffie & Wang, 2002). However, the company was first established as a self-service discount store by Sam Walton, in the year 1962. At the end of 1993, Wal-Mart was one of the top discount departmental stores in the world. The company is headquartered at Bentonville, Arkansas, United States. The company has established more than 8500 stores across the globe. Product portf olio of the company includes, apparel, warehouse club, footwear specialty, cash & carry, supercenter, superstore, discount store, hypermarket, supermarket. Wal-Mart resource and capabilities The brand name of Wal-Mart has become synonymous to value for money over the course of time. Wal-Mart follows a low cost and leadership strategy (Johnson & Scholes, 1999). Macroscopic view of Wal-Mart’s competitive strategy shows that the company uses resource based model in order to develop a value chain proposition which cannot be matched by competitors. Though Wal-Mart shows little adaptability to its formats in overseas expansions, most of its store operations are leaders in their local areas (Colla & Dupuis, 2002). The fundamental principles followed by the company are providing everyday low prices, commit to customer service and maintain technological superiority and establishing loyalty among suppliers and associates. Supermarkets of Wal-Mart in international location have less fin ancial risk due to bulk sales. About 10 billion dollars are saved by the American customers by shopping at Wal-Mart (Buffet, 2003). Competitive advantage for Wal-Mart lies in its ability of cost differentiation and strong distribution channel across the globe (Van Weele, 2009). Current direction Global economy is decelerating due to various reasons such as Euro zone crisis and economic recession which started in the year 2008. Retailers such as Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl and others are struggling to maintain sales growth while other retail players such as Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus have recorded same store sales growth of 12% last year (Arnold, 2002). Global retailers are facing following trends to change the dynamics of business operation. This has compelled organizations like Wal-Mart to make strategic plan in order to remain profitable and competitive in this dynamic market (Simon et al., 2011). The objective of the current strategic direction will be to evaluate the resources and capabilities of the retail gain and make appropriate recommendations for future planning. SWOT Analysis In order to understand the internal and external strengths and weaknesses, a SWOT analysis of Wal-Mart has been done. Strengths With revenue of more than 400 million dollars, Wal-Mart is undoubtedly one of the largest retailers in the world. As a result of large operational scale, the company can exercises strong power on suppliers in order to